Hong Kong: Govt rejects EC report on HK

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said it strongly disapproves of and firmly rejects the groundless attacks, slanders and smears targeting the Hong Kong SARs safeguarding of national security, human rights, etc, in the so-called annual report about Hong Kong by the European Commission.

The same stance is also held against remarks about the city by the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government made it clear that it steadfastly safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests, and fully and faithfully lives up to this top priority of the one country, two systems principle.

It strongly urges the EU to discern facts from fallacies, respect the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, which are purely Chinas internal affairs.

The Hong Kong SAR Government stressed that national security is a matter within the purview of the central authorities and it is the responsibility and right of every country to safeguard its national security.

It underlined that it firmly opposes the EU's malicious slanders against the National Security Law (NSL) again by the so-called report, and strongly disapproves of the EU turning a blind eye to the fact that the NSL's implementation has enabled the livelihood and economic activities of the Hong Kong community at large to resume as normal and the business environment to be restored.

All law enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong SAR law enforcement agencies under the NSL, or indeed any local laws, are based on evidence, strictly according to the law and for the acts of the people, institutions or organisations concerned, and have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation.

As regards the sedition offence under the Crimes Ordinance, the statement said that the Hong Kong SAR courts have ruled in different cases that the provisions relating to sedition are consistent with the relevant provisions of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights on the protection of human rights, and that a proportionate and reasonable balance has been struck between safeguarding national security and protection of the freedom of speech.

On safeguarding rights and freedoms, the statement pointed out that since the NSLs implementation, the media landscape in Hong Kong has remained vibrant.

As always, the media can exercise their freedom of the press in accordance with the law. Their freedom of commenting on and criticising government policies remains uninhibited as long as this is not in violation of the law.

Concerning the baseless remarks that smear the Personal Data (Privacy) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 as laws threatening internet freedom, the Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that the only objective of the former ordinance is to combat doxxing acts that intrude into personal data privacy. Every arrest is supported by reasonable and solid evidence, with a sole aim of protecting personal data privacy.

It explained that the copyright ordinance aims to update Hong Kongs copyright regime to strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment, safeguarding the business environment for Hong Kongs creative and technology industries.

The Hong Kong SAR Government emphasised that any attempt by foreign countries or external forces to undermine Hong Kongs prosperity and stability by slandering the citys situation, will only expose their own weakness and faulty arguments and be doomed to fail.

It added that it will continue to discharge its duty to steadfastly ensure the successful implementation of the principles of "one country, two systems, Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong and a high degree of autonomy.

This story has been published on: 2023-08-19. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China issues yellow, blue alerts for mountain torrents

Xinhua) 10:34, August 19, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday evening issued yellow and blue alerts for mountain torrents in the country's southwestern and eastern regions.

From 8 p.m. Friday to 8 p.m. Saturday, mountain torrents are highly likely to occur in parts of Yunnan, according to the yellow alert issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration.

The two departments also issued a blue alert for possible mountain torrents in Zhejiang, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet.

Local authorities are advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warning procedures among measures to prepare for possible evacuation.

China has a four-tier weather-warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow, and blue.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
Chief Justice John Roberts famously declared in a 2009 case involving the Voting Rights Act that things in the South have changed. That case  Shelby County v. Holder  is widely seen as having gutted a key provision of the landmark 1965 law.

More recently in states from Mississippi to Idaho, conservative efforts to restrict voting rights continue to put the lie to Roberts claim. For example, in a spectacularly assertive move the Republican governor and legislature of Alabama recently defied a Supreme Court ruling that Alabama had violated the Voting Rights Act by engaging in racial gerrymandering. In effect Alabama was told to create a second Black-majority congressional district to better represent Black voters. The state defiantly said no.

As we mark the 58th anniversary of Lyndon Johnsons signing of the Voting Rights Act, its worth recalling that the law came about in no small part due to Alabamas efforts to disenfranchise Black voters. We should also remember that it was country-before-party statesmanship, including a bipartisan Senate vote of 77-19, that propelled the Voting Rights Act into law.

On Monday March 8, 1965, the front page of the Chicago Tribune featured this headline: Negros Routed by Tear Gas. The headline referred to Selma, Alabama. A voting rights march to the state capitol in Montgomery, a demonstration of civil rights leaders determination to register Black Americans to vote, was stopped by nightstick-swinging state troopers at the Edmund Pettis Bridge on the outskirts of town. One marcher, future Congressman John Lewis, was beaten to the point of requiring hospitalization.

Nothing  not the March on Washington in the summer of 1963, not the ambush murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, not the Birmingham police commissioner turning fire hoses on protesters, not even a church bombing that killed four African American girls  galvanized the country like bloody Sunday in Selma.

Millions of American saw the shocking images from Selma on television, many viewing them that Sunday night when ABC News broke into the networks airing of the Academy Awardwinning film "Judgment at Nuremburg" to broadcast a special report. Johnson, who had told Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. early in 1965 that he could not get a voting rights bill through Congress that year but was going to do it eventually now had no choice but to act.

As was the case just months earlier with passage of the Civil Rights Act, Illinois Republican Senator Everett Dirksen, the cagey, dealmaking Senate minority leader, became the key player in passage of the Voting Rights Act. Dirksen quietly hashed out legislative details with Johnson and then skillfully maneuvered fellow Republicans toward eventual votes to end a filibuster and pass the historic bill.

During weeks of legal debates and legislative drafting, Dirksens office became the voting rights control center. We had the same process (used on the Civil Rights Act) of coming out every day at 4 oclock and Dirksen would talk to the cameras and the press, Charles Ferris, a top aide to Majority Leader Mike Mansfield recalled. Mansfield would stand in the background and smoke his pipe and say nothing, just nod his agreement to Dirksens daily report.

Dirksen became the principal Senate conduit to Johnson and as was always the case with their extremely close relationship, everything involved getting the votes. In one telephone call Johnson demanded faster action, but Dirksen cautioned LBJ not to push senators too hard. I just had a talk with Mike (Mansfield), Dirksen said. Dont make any statements about driving that damn thing through before Easter. We think now weve got a good bill. We had 20 guys around a table putting the finishing touches on it on late Saturday afternoon.

Still, Johnson was concerned about more Selma-like unrest if debate dragged on. Dirksen said he understood and then calmly assured Johnson that when the legislative process was complete, it will be the bill we have drawn up because I think its a good one.

Lady Bird Johnson reported looking in on her husband and Dirksen hammering out strategy around the voting rights bill and described them, in earnest conversation ... two brother artisans in government, heads close together. Checking back two hours later, the first lady found the two old pols in practically the same posture.

During another telephone call in this period, Dirksen let it slip that he had spoken with a Democratic senator about one of his frequent conversations with the Democratic president. Johnson was taken aback. You dont know these little boys, my friend, Johnson said. I catch more hell because they think youre running the government these Democrats ... but Ive got to talk to you, but dont you ever let em know I do. Dont you tell em.

The political and personal relationship between Republican Dirksen and Democrat Mansfield was just as close and in light of todays absence of bipartisan cooperation on virtually everything the partnership was nothing short of miraculous. Mansfield, who said he enjoyed a dream relationship with Dirksen, willingly conceded Senate leadership on the Voting Rights Act to the Republican and the two men lavished praise on each other, which prompted grumbling from both sides of the aisle.

Ferris, the Mansfield aide, suggested to his boss that at least some of the time, the working sessions might be held in the majority leaders office, just to placate Democrats. No, Charlie, Mansfield said, were going to meet in Dirksens office every day  This is probably the most important piece of social legislation in history for this country. Its very, very good if the people of this country realize that this legislation is being put together not just by Democrats but by Republicans. If Everett Dirksen can go before the cameras every day and talk about what were doing on this bill, thats an important message for the country.

Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 4, 1965, declaring: Today is a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory on the battlefield. Today the Negro story and the American story fuse and blend.

Yet, nearly 60 years later the long battle to preserve and expand voting rights goes on, hampered in our time by the lack of bipartisanship that was a central feature of the Senate of Everett Dirksen and Mike Mansfield.
Last month, Illinois became the first state in the United States to eliminate cash bail, demonstrating that some state leaders are willing to meaningfully take steps to reform the criminal legal system. As a formerly incarcerated individual, I applaud the state of Illinois for recognizing the racial and economic privilege that cash bailouts perpetuate. However, there are still countless systematic barriers in place that prevent returning citizens from truly reintegrating into our communities.

These barriers include hundreds of pieces of restrictive legislation that extend sentences long after they officially end. These permanent punishment laws restrict access to housing, scholarships, employment opportunities, government benefits, pet ownership, civic engagement, and more. In Illinois alone, there are hundreds of laws that continue to affect the 600,000 citizens with a criminal record.

These laws have affected me personally. After entering parole in 1999, I struggled to find decent-paying, stable employment. Although I am college-educated and active within my community, I am still denied employment on the basis of my background. Despite leaving prison 25 years ago, I still cannot work for a bank or a university, am unable to hold certain elected positions, and more.

Not only do these laws affect returning citizens professionally  they also affect them personally. Individuals with criminal history are repeatedly denied when applying to private loans, apartment rentals, and more. Even when individuals attempt to expunge or seal their records, it is nearly impossible to hide criminal history in the age of the Internet. And at the community level, instead of focusing on the systemic issues that contribute to incarceration, such as racism, socioeconomic status, and gender, there is a longstanding idea that an individual is once a felon, always a felon.

Unfortunately, here in Bloomington, my experience is not unique. But many justice-impacted people like myself are working to end this hidden and unjust system of discrimination. As president of the McLean County Reentry Council, our efforts center on providing a coordinated community response to address reentry efforts by bringing together justice-involved individuals, legal officials, and health and human service providers.

At the state level, one of the best ways to address permanent punishments is for the community to rally behind the P.I.E.C.E. (Promoting Involvement and Empowerment through Civic Engagement) Act. This legislation would address restrictions endured by formerly incarcerated individuals. By removing barriers to local elected office, allowing returning citizens to serve on boards and committees, and empowering these individuals to hold administrative positions, this bill would allow formerly incarcerated individuals to finally have a voice in dismantling the very policies that prevent them from living normal lives.

Here in Bloomington, community members can also support this work by attending a town hall meeting on August 23 hosted by the McLean County Reentry Council and the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments. This town hall is a unique opportunity for people directly impacted by the injustices of the Illinois criminal legal system and their allies to come together and learn about life before, during, and after imprisonment. Only when there is understanding, can there be change.

After everyday people have paid their debt to society, it is unacceptable that they continue to be punished through harsh, abusive legislation and societal stigma. Through understanding and becoming aware of these state laws and reorienting their personal biases against formerly incarcerated individuals, I hope that the Bloomington community can come together to tackle these injustices.
The Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has revealed that the Northern region emerged the top performing region in the students' standardised test conducted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for primary four students.



Last year when we assessed students across the country, the Northern region emerged as the best-performing region in both English and mathematics in the primary four-level, he said.



This was made known when the minister addressed journalists in Tamale about the assessment conducted by the Ghana education service (GES) regarding the students standardised test for primary four students.



According to him, the various interventions by the government have been the reason for the high-level performance of students in northern Ghana.



The Minister congratulated chiefs, teachers, NGOs and all the stakeholders for their hard work and encouraged them to continue to do more for the development of the north.



He called for the support of the good people of the north to help sustain the achievement in the educational sector in the region.



The Northern sector of yesterday is not the same as today and the government will do every possible to support your effort to improve education in the north, he said.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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West Africas main bloc has agreed on a D-day for possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger after generals toppled and detained President Mohamed Bazoum last month.



The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) agreed on Friday to activate a standby force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts fail, a senior official said without disclosing when that is.



We are ready to go any time the order is given, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghanas capital, Accra.



The D-day is also decided. Weve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention, he said, emphasising that ECOWAS was still seeking to engage peacefully with Nigers military leaders.



As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.



The defence chiefs met to fine-tune details of the potential military operation to restore Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with the coup leaders fail.



Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty, Musah said.



Military officers deposed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and others to reinstate him.



Most of ECOWASs 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, except Cape Verde and those also under military rule  Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea  a bloc official said on Thursday.



Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford, reporting from Accra in Ghana, said that any possible military intervention against Nigers coup leaders by ECOWAS still faces many political and legal hurdles before it could ever be implemented.



These include approval by parliaments and legislative bodies of participating West African states, a number of which, including regional powerhouse Nigeria, have already said no to any potential military action yet, Stratford said.



Mutaru Mumuni, executive director at the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism, told Al Jazeera that ECOWAS appeared to be sending mixed and confusing signals regarding Niger.



According to Mumuni, the bloc has said that the military option is a last resort and that it has opened the door for dialogue and negotiation. But, at the same time, the bloc also seems focused on military intervention, which would be very unpopular, he said.



There isnt any goodwill within the local space for any war or military intervention in Niger, Mumuni added.



Bazoum, whose 2021 election was a landmark in Nigers troubled history, has been held with his family at the presidents official residence since the coup, and international concern is growing over his conditions in detention.



ECOWAS has a poor track record in stemming the regions rampant coups. Neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali have each had two within three years.



Nigers coup was seen by the international community and ECOWAS as one too many. In addition to threatening a military invasion, the bloc has imposed severe economic and travel sanctions.



But as time drags on with no military action and a standstill in negotiations, Nigers military leaders are becoming entrenched in power, leaving ECOWAS with few choices.



But any use of force would further destabilise West Africas impoverished Sahel region, which is already engaged in a decade-old battle with armed groups.



Niger also has strategic importance beyond West Africa because of its uranium and oil reserves and role as a hub for foreign troops involved in the fight against the armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Source: Aljazeera









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Ghanaian musician Fameye has voiced his disappointment after failing to secure the coveted 'Songwriter of the Year' award at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA).



Fameye who was nominated alongside Black Sherif, Diana Hamilton, Ewura Abena, Piesie Esther, and Perez Muzik missed out on the top honour in the songwriting category, which recognises artistes who excel in crafting impactful and meaningful lyrics.



The award went to another deserving artiste, Perez Muzik, prompting Fameye to reflect on his journey and artistic achievements.



In recent interview on Daybreak Hitz, the Nothing I Get crooner expressed a mix of emotions, including a sense of disappointment and longing for recognition.



Honestly, I was a little bit disappointed, even though the awards are just for bragging rights. Sometimes your fans get disappointed because they want to get the bragging right and be sitting somewhere and boast about you Honestly I knew that if I dont win maybe Piesie Esther will take it.



I didnt even know that Perez song. I only heard it after he was announced as the winner of the category. But I think he deserved it because it sounded nice when they played in the auditorium, he said.



While Fameye's disappointment may be visible, he assured Fameye that the loss has only ignited his determination to further hone his craft and create music that resonates deeply with his audience.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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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:

The famous Pink Floyd lyrics emerge from sound that is muddy, yet musical: "All in all, it was just a brick in the wall."

But this particular recording didn't come from the 1979 album "The Wall," or from a Pink Floyd concert.

Instead, researchers created it from the reconstituted brainwaves of people listening to the song "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1."

This is the first time researchers have reconstructed a recognizable song solely from brain recordings, according to a new report published Aug. 15 in the journal PLOS Biology.

Ultimately, the research team hopes their findings will lead to more natural speech from brain-machine interfaces that aid communication with people who are "locked in" by paralysis and unable to talk.

"Right now, when we do just words, it's robotic," said senior researcher Dr. Robert Knight, a professor of psychology and neuroscience with the University of California, Berkeley.

Consider the computer speech associated with one of the world's most famous locked-in patients, Stephen Hawking.

Human speech is made up of words but it also has a musicality to it, Knight said, with people adding different meanings and emotions based on musical concepts like intonation and rhythm.

"Music is universal. It probably existed in cultures before language," Knight said. "We'd like to fuse that musical extraction signal with the word extraction signal, to make a more human interface."

Electrodes implanted on patients' brains captured the electrical activity of brain regions known to process attributes of musictone, rhythm, harmony and wordsas researchers played a three-minute clip from the song. 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/)

These recordings were gathered from 29 patients in 2012 and 2013. All of the patients suffered from epilepsy, and surgeons implanted the electrodes to help determine the precise brain region causing their seizures, Knight said.

"While they're in the hospital waiting to have three seizures [to pinpoint the location of the seizures], we can do experiments like these if the patients agree," Knight explained.

Starting in 2017, the researchers started feeding those recorded brainwaves into a computer programmed to analyze the data.

Eventually, the algorithm became smart enough to decode the brain activity into a reproduction of the Pink Floyd song that the patients heard years earlier.

"This study represents a step forward in the understanding of the neuroanatomy of music perception," said Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, a movement disorders neurologist, violinist and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine. Pantelyat was not involved in the research.

"The accuracy of sound detection needs to be improved going forward and it is not clear whether these findings will be directly applicable to decoding the prosodic elements of speechtone, inflection, mood," Pantelyat said.

"However, these early findings do hold promise for improving the quality of signal detection for brain-computer interfaces by targeting the superior temporal gyrus," Pantelyat added. "This offers hope for patients who have communication challenges due to various neurological diseases such as ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis] or traumatic brain injury."

In fact, the results showed that the auditory regions of the brain might prove a better target in terms of reproducing speech, said lead researcher Ludovic Bellier, a postdoctoral fellow with the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute at UC Berkeley.

Many earlier efforts at reproducing speech from brain waves have focused on the motor cortex, the part of the brain that generates the movements of mouth and vocal cords used to create the acoustics of speech, Bellier said.

"Right now, the technology is more like a keyboard for the mind," Bellier said in a news release. "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 himself has been a musician since childhood, at one point even performing in a heavy metal band.

Using the brain recordings, Bellier and his colleagues were also able to pinpoint new areas of the brain involved in detecting rhythm. In addition, different areas of the auditory region responded to different sounds, such as synthesizer notes versus sustained vocals.

The investigators confirmed that the right side of the brain is more attuned to music than the left side, Knight said.

At this point, technology is not advanced enough for people to be able to reproduce this quality of speech using EEG readings taken from the scalp, Knight said. Electrode implants are required, which means invasive surgery.

"The signal that we're recording is called high-frequency activity, and it's very robust on the cortex, about 10 microvolts," Knight said. "But there's a 10-fold drop by the time it gets the scalp, which means it's one microvolt, which is in the noise level of just scalp muscle activity."

Better electrodes are also needed to really allow for quality speech reproduction, Knight added. He noted that the electrodes used were 5 millimeters apart, and much better signals can be obtained if they're 1.5 millimeters apart.

"What we really need are higher density grids, because for any machine learning approach it's the amount of data you put in over what time," Knight said. "We were restricted to 64 data points over 3 minutes. If we had 6,000 over 6 minutes, the song quality would be, I think, incredible."

Knight said his team just got a grant to research patients who have Broca's aphasia, a type of brain disorder that interferes with the ability to speak.

"These patients can't speak, but they can sing," Knight said. What was learned in this study could help the team better understand why people with these injuries can sing what they can't say.

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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An aerial image shows destroyed homes and vehicles in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 17, 2023.

Climate change-denying social media accounts are exploiting the deadly wildfires in Hawaii to push conspiracy theories that high-energy lasers were used to spark the flames.

Posts invoking such technologies or claiming the blazes were set intentionally to create climate-friendly cities have generated millions of engagements on platforms such as X.

"Only a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) can cause this kind of destruction," far-right radio host Stew Peters said in one post on the site, formerly known as Twitter.

The narrative's surge highlights what disinformation experts say is a trend in which conspiracy theorists deny the science of climate change in response to extreme weather events.

"Any time there is a climate-related event and advocates call for accelerated climate action, there usually is a corresponding attempt to discredit climate science, disconnect the event from climate change and blame it on something else," said Arunima Krishna, a Boston University professor who studies climate disinformation. "In this case, directed energy weapons."

X and other sites are littered with posts falsely claiming to show photos and videos of Hawaii being targeted by such systems, which use concentrated electromagnetic energy and are being developed in the United States for drone and missile defense.

But the visuals spreading online are unrelated to the fires that killed at least 111 people and leveled the seaside town of Lahaina on Maui.

AFP's fact-checkers have debunked posts that misrepresent shots of a SpaceX rocket launch in California, a flare at an Ohio oil refinery, power lines sparking in Louisiana, a Chinese satellite and a transformer exploding in Chile, among other outdated images circulating in multiple languages.

Some posts shared a photo that was doctored to add a beam of light to the sky, while others claimed natural phenomenasuch as the fires' failure to burn some treeswere evidence of lasers.

"The theory is especially adaptable to social media because it fits with pictures taken of fires that show beams of light supposedly coming from space," said Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory expert and author of the book "Jewish Space Lasers."

"It works on the lack of basic understanding that conspiracy believers have of how fire and wind work."

'Conspiratorial universe'

Iain Boyd, an expert on directed energy weapons at the University of Colorado, told AFP the conspiracy theory defies reality in part because a laser with enough power to spark the Hawaii blazes would require an "enormous" air or spacecraft that could not go unnoticed.

Authorities are still probing what started the inferno, but the National Weather Service issued warnings about dangerous fire conditions as a hurricane brought strong winds to an area with dry vegetation. US media have cited fallen power lines as a possible source.

"With winds this severe and a large amount of dry grass surrounding the community, there is no need for an ignition from 'space,'" said Michael Gollner, who researches fire dynamics at the University of California-Berkeley. "Obviously these are really crazy allegations."

Jennie King, head of climate research and policy at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said wildfire disinformation has evolved over the years.

In a 2018 Facebook post, US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested a beam shot from space could have caused blazes that year in California.

Most of the disinformation King observed around global wildfires in 2019 sought to blame arsonists rather than climate change. Within a few years, specific groups such as Black Lives Matter had become a common scapegoat.

More recent claims about the government using lasers to usher in climate-friendly cities advance the same central idea that global warming is insignificant, King saidbut they also invoke a broader worldview harbored by supporters of QAnon and other conspiracy theories.

"They fit into this conspiratorial universe around a globalist cabal, a New World Order or a shadowy group of elites that are trying to implement their agenda," King said.

The dramatic, out-of-context visuals shared online capitalize on these fears, Rothschild said.

"It's easy to use those pictures as 'proof' of what 'they' are doing to us to further their climate change agenda or societal control, and people desperate for answers would rather believe in space weapons than the reality of the climate crisis."

 2023 AFP
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Medical students who reported a disability to their school increased by more than 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study shows.

The proportion of students reporting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or chronic health and/or psychological disabilities has increased between 2015 and 2021.

Despite the increase in medical students reporting these conditions, the requests for more inclusive preclinical testing accommodations, like extra time for test completion or a less distracting environment, decreased during the pandemic between 2019 and 2021.

According to authors of the new research letter in JAMA Network Open, the remote curriculum delivery during the pandemic may have allowed students to create an optimal learning and testing environment, decreasing the need for accommodation.

"Medical education was at its most flexible during COVID," said Lisa Meeks, Ph.D., clinical associate professor of learning health sciences and family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

She adds that this could have reduced the need for testing accommodations, but it is unclear whether the need for accommodations will rise again after the recent return to in-person lectures and testing.

Documenting the rise

The study results are part of a long-term research project led by Meeks that follows the prevalence of medical students in the United States who disclose disabilities to their respective schools.

This study on disability disclosure in medicine was the first large scale study of its kind, encompassing all types of disability, including psychological, learning, sensory, physical and chronic health conditions.

Since 2015, researchers have seen an increase of medical students reporting a disability to their institution from 2.8% in 2015 to 4.7% in 2019, and to 5.9% in 2021.

When asked to describe why we see such large increases in the population of medical students with disabilities, Meeks posited that "growth in this population could mean that we are reducing bias and stigma, and therefore people who were already in medicine are more willing to disclose."

"It could also mean that our research sparked a conversation to change policies, which then led to individuals with disabilities who didn't think they could make it in medical school choosing to apply to these schools."

Doctors with disabilities improve patient care

According to Meeks, there is still significant work to be done to increase the representation of doctors with disabilities in medicine.

Only 5.9% of medical school students report a disability, but 27% of adults in the U.S. currently live with some type of disability.

As the population ages, this number is expected to increase.

"Physicians in the U.S. and many other countries report that they do not feel confident in their ability to provide equal quality of care to patients with disabilities as they provide to patients without disabilities," said Karina Pereira-Lima, Ph.D., a research fellow in the Michigan Medicine neurology department.

"The inclusion of professionals with disabilities in medicine can greatly improve the care for patients with disabilities and the health of the population overall."

Retaining medical trainees with disabilities

Increasing the number of physicians with disabilities requires both the recruitment and retention of medical trainees.

"Anonymous research with medical trainees with disability shows that about one in every five medical students and more than half of resident physicians do not request accommodations when they need them," said Pereira-Lima.

The two main reasons for not requesting needed accommodation were fear of stigma or bias and lack of a clear institutional process.

"Program access, or simply having the ability to access accommodations should they need them, improves medical trainees with disabilities performance in relation to testing and patient care. It also reduces the likelihood of reporting depressive symptoms or burnout," added Pereira-Lima.

Meeks advocated for "standardization in support for students with disabilities in medical education."

"Medical education strives for parity and continuity between medical schools, but when it comes to disability services and reasonable accommodations, there's no standardization whatsoever," said Meeks.

"One school could have an incredible specialized disability support services with a qualified disability resource professional running the office, while another school does not have a specialized disability support service at all."

'A wave of change'

The team notes that addressing the second common barrier to attaining needed disability accommodations and fear of stigma or bias requires a continued culture shift in medicine.

"Disability is still incredibly stigmatized, and ableism is rampant in medicine and medical education. At the same time, I think the work from our lab, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and others in medicine started a wave of change that is extraordinarily strong," said Meeks.

This work is bolstered by the matriculation of individuals that Meeks calls the post Americans with Disabilities Act generation into medical school.

"This generation has a lot of disability pride. They've had accommodations their entire lives, they know the law, they know their rights and they're not ashamed of being disabled," said Meeks.

Next steps

As this long term study continues, the research team plans to assess how other identities interact with the disability identity.

"People with disabilities have different racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and socio-economic statuses. We want to learn more about how the interaction between these different identities impacts the performance and mental health of medical students with disabilities," said Pereira-Lima.

"We're also developing methods to measure the efficacy of accommodations. We need to do more research on the quality of received accommodations and how easy the process was for them to receive the accommodations they needed" added Pereira-Lima.

"Investing in a culture that acknowledges disability as a valuable form of diversity will improve patient care."

More information: Karina Pereira-Lima et al, Prevalence of Disability and Use of Accommodation Among US Allopathic Medical School Students Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.18310 Journal information: JAMA Network Open
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Imagine the weight of responsibility for caring for a child when you are not yet fully grown yourself, and the fear of being shamed by parents, fellow learners, and even strangers within the community?

Vast numbers of adolescent mothers, many of them very vulnerable, exist across Africa, but there remains little research on their challenges and what can be done to support them and their children.

Policies and programs are often small scale, poorly implemented, or not inclusive of adolescent parents.

Detailing findings from the largest adolescent mother cohort study in sub-Saharan Africa, this article sheds light on some of the challenges they face, potential entry points for interventions and programs, and opportunities to support adolescent mothers and their children.

Some adolescent mothers from sub-Saharan Africa say they did not realize they could get pregnant or how to prevent pregnancies, pointing to the challenges to provide youth with comprehensive sex education and the possible cultural obstacles to communication about sexunderlying early pregnancy.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an education crisis, nearly one in five girls aged between 15 and 19 globally were not in school, employment or training.

Many adolescent mothers have a history of poor school performance, and a pregnancy can act as a catalyst for early dropout.

The HEY BABY (Helping Empower Youth Brought up in Adversity with their Babies and Young children) research study was conceptualized to better understand adolescent mothers' needs.

The study aimed to identify the hurdles young mothers face and how to overcome them. Between 2017 and 2019, HEY BABY collected data from over 1,000 adolescent mothers and their children living in rural and urban areas of South Africa's Eastern Cape.

Addressing mothers' obstacles and identified points of intervention

Prior research, using older samples, from South Africa indicates that only between 30%and 50% of young mothers manage to continue their education, highlighting a continued need to understand better why this is the case.

Our most recent study showed that almost 70% of young mothers indicate having returned to school after birth. These mothers showed lower poverty rates, fewer repeated grades preceding the pregnancy, continued schooling during pregnancy, higher daycare/creche use, more family childcare support, and lower engagement in exclusive breastfeeding within six months of birth.

Examining the relationship between poverty and school enrollment within this population, we identified two distinct routes towards a return to school:

Route one: Lower household poverty drives schooling throughout pregnancy which, in turn, drives higher school return rates post-birth;

Route two: Lower household poverty drives the use of daycare/creche services which, in turn, drives higher school return rates post-birth.

The large proportion of mothers30% in our samplewho do not return to school might require substantial targeted support to re-engage with education.

Our results suggest that financial support alone might not be sufficient to support adolescent mothers. But when combined with other resources, such as affordable daycare and services that support school retention during pregnancy, they could prove effective.

This evidence aligns with the growing interest in cash-plus programs which provide cash payments in addition to complementary interventions to strengthen outcomes. This type of intervention might help adolescent mothers to continue their education.

Further research from the HEY BABY team provides valuable insights into maternal education and its potential drivers and consequences:

Better maternal education is associated with increased child cognitive development. Withdrawal from school during pregnancy is associated with more poverty, higher grade repetitions and greater lack of information about the pregnancy. Some adolescent mothers face compound risks. For example adolescent motherhood and HIV-infection double the chances of dropping out of school. Food security is associated with both education and lowered HIV behaviors, including age-disparate sex and sex on substances. Access to formal childcare services has a substantial positive impact for adolescent mothers such as engagement with education and employment, optimism about the future, and improved parenting) and showed better child development over time.

Evidence to improve the implementation of school policies

Progressive laws and school policies, and their effective implementation, are essential to increase school access for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers.

In South Africa, a national policy assigns the responsibility for managing the care and support for adolescent mothers to individual schools. These schools need to know how to provide effective and targeted help, and which community networks to tap into.

Establishing and promoting education, health, and social systems that are responsive to the rights and needs of pregnant girls and adolescent mothers will require that the policy implementation is grounded in robust evidence.

Only then can we effectively improve the lives of adolescent mothers and our future generations.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library has announced its fall series of concertsthree bands running in tandem with the Historic Salem Courthouse to bring six performances to the area. This year marks the first such collaboration.

The Historic Salem Courthouse is thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library in presenting the Live! Folklife Concert series, the courthouse wrote on its website in January.

Cantrip and Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chis Newman are making return trips to the local stage. Cantrip last performed at Crandall Library in 2012, and Maire Ni Chathasaigh and Chis Newman in 2015. Heron Valley is making its first appearance at the library. The concerts at Crandall Library date back to 1988, according to the librarys Folklife page.

Cantrip, an Old Scots word for charm, magic spell or piece of music, is making a tour through the region from Albany to Vermont in September and then heads to Canada in October, according to their website.

According to the press release, they play compelling, energetic music with swirling border pipes, raging fiddle, thunderous guitar and rich voices.

They play Thursday Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Library, and Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m. at the Courthouse. Find them at cantrip-music.com.

Heron Valley, on tour from Scotland, is promoting their latest release, Erie Storm. They have roots in Scottish and Irish traditional music and first toured the United States in 2018.

Inspired by their previous three tours of the USA, the band have been developing their sound, shaped by the people they have met and the beautiful lands they have encountered, their website says. The history of the Great Highland Bagpipe, the Irish banjo, the West Coast fiddle mixed with the driving accompaniment of the piano and guitar are just some of the aural delights you will experience, captured in their latest release, Erie Storm.

They play Thursday, Sept. 21, 7 p.m. at the Library, and Friday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m. at the Courthouse. Find them at heronvalleyband.com.

Maire Ni Chathasaigh & Chris Newman, on tour from England with guitar and harp present a breathtaking blend of traditional Irish music, hot jazz, bluegrass and baroque, the press materials say. The awards this duo has seen over the years are plentiful including 2019 Concert of the Year in the Live Ireland Awards for their show in Chicago, their website says.

They play Thursday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m. at the Library, and Friday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m. at the Courthouse. Find them at maireandchris.com.

Doors open at 6:30 for the 7 p.m. shows. Seating is first come, first served, with no reservations.

Scroll down to see more stories about the FolkLife Center at Crandall Library
CAPE MAY  With city Manager Mike Volls contract coming to a close, City Council member Lorraine Baldwin wants to get started finding a replacement.

Voll, 73, started with Cape May on a two-year contract, one that has been extended by a year. With that set to expire in December, Baldwin called on council at a meeting Tuesday to advertise for a replacement as soon as possible.

Voll is not happy with how Baldwin handled the situation. He said Friday he had informed the elected officials he intended to retire at the end of the year, but that he wanted to announce his decision at the September council meeting.

Now, he said, some residents have reached out to him in the belief he was being fired.

"It's just not right," he said. "People are thinking that I've done something wrong. I wanted to do it after summer's over.

"I like to do things the right way," Voll added.

Baldwin said at the meeting that it took about three months to find a permanent chief financial officer for the city recently, and with September looming, the city will have about four months to find a new manager.

I think its the most important position in the city, Baldwin said at the meeting. I do thank you, Mike. What youve done here has been wonderful. But we also need to do our job. We need to put the city in the forefront of all of this.

There was action taken at the meeting to advertise for a new city manager.

After a half-century, Cape May's Mike Voll still working in public service CAPE MAY  There are probably not many people who stay in public service for a half-century,

Under Cape Mays form of government, the mayor acts as the leader of the five-member council, while the city manager is the citys chief executive. The mayor has some additional duties, such as officiating weddings, but for the most part has no more authority than other members of council.

Mayor Zack Mullock declined to discuss the matter when contacted after the council meeting.

At the meeting, Mullock agreed the city should advertise the position soon, and wants to have as many applicants as possible.

Voll is a former mayor of Middle Township, who began his local government career as a police officer. He grew up in Oaklyn, Camden County, and served in the Army.

While in elected office, Voll has served as a Democrat and a Republican, and most recently said he is registered as an independent.

Under the contract renewal approved in 2022, Voll makes $135,000 a year as Cape Mays city manager. He had been hired as a new council majority took over at the start of 2021, replacing former city Manager Jerome Inderwies.

Voll had been hired as the township manager in Lower Township in 2011. In 2015, a new majority on Lower Township Council voted him out.

Baldwin gave an indication at the public meeting that she spoke about the managers job before Voll was ready to discuss plans.

Im sure that you would have preferred that you could have made some internal announcement on your own, she said. Were going to do whatever we can to support you during this transition.
ATLANTIC CITY  Being the first-born children of Mexican immigrants, and a first-generation Mexican immigrant, is what gave Cristian, Irvin and Victor Moreno the motivation to make life better for the local Hispanic community.

Through their individual efforts  like Cristian Morenos role as executive director of El Pueblo Unido, which the Moreno family formed in 2019; Irvin Morenos run for Pleasantville City Council; and Victor Morenos work at Atlantic Cape Community College  the Moreno family is striving to improve the quality of life for Hispanics on multiple levels.

By working together, the Moreno brothers (Victor Moreno is actually Cristian and Irvins uncle, but they all consider themselves siblings because they were raised together) make an effort to fill a gap in immigrant services to the community.

No ones fighting for us. It doesnt feel like theres an organization for the pueblo, by the pueblo, for the people like us, said Cristian Moreno, 28. So, we actually said lets do something, lets form an organization thats more grassroots in nature. Like more working-class oriented, more hands on, and solely focused on justice and dignity.

Irvin Moreno said Cristians philosophy is marching and raising up their arms, protesting right away and taking action at a moments notice, such as helping families displaced by fires, or advocating for justice in the case of Irving Mayren-Guzmans death last year.

Mayren-Guzman, 19, of Egg Harbor Township, went missing in January 2021 after going to a Pleasantville strip club. He was found dead in the marshes just feet away from the club a few days later. As authorities investigated, eventually charging three men with aggravated assault, Cristian Moreno was instrumental in organizing marches, gatherings and rallies focused on justice for the young man.

Irvin Moreno, 29, has been assistant director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University since 2019, as well as a member of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education the past two years.

Hes the one thats good with filing paperwork, getting in touch with resources, said Victor Moreno, who added Irvin was also the familys voice of wisdom.

Atlantic City councilwoman takes slim lead in primary race Atlantic City Councilwoman LaToya Dunston has taken a slim lead over challenger Viana Vivi

Victor Moreno, 35, has been working at Atlantic Cape for 16 years. He currently holds the title of senior manager of special projects for its Department of Student Affairs.

His focus is on making sure the voices of the Latino community are heard and considered.

I think in general, the Latino community is very underrepresented, said Victor Moreno, an Atlantic City resident.

From 1990 to 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in New Jersey has almost doubled from 12.5% to 23%, according to state immigration data collected by the Migration Policy Institute.

In Atlantic City, the Hispanic-Latino community makes up 31.6% of the population and is the second largest demographic in the city. Thats higher than the county and states percentage of roughly 21%, according to census data.

El Pueblo Unido has advocated for reform on immigrant justice issues since 2017. The nonprofits first major event was rallying at the Statehouse in Trenton for undocumented immigrants right to get a driver license, which the state passed into law Dec. 19, 2019.

Since then, El Pueblo Unido has held multiple events for the Latino community at bodegas like La Cosecha in Pleasantville and La Villita in Atlantic City, and churches like Our Lady Star of the Sea and the Parish of St. Monicas, both in Atlantic City.

The group also organizes food distribution events, English as a second language instruction, voter registration, information sessions for NJ Dreamers, health insurance information and student aid assistance.

Here's when we'll know the final numbers on Tuesday's primary Votes will be counted through at least June 13 to determine the winners in two close races in the June 6 primary election in Atlantic County.

Collaborating with Atlantic Cape and Stockton, as well as local organizations like the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County, and through grant funding from Thrive AC and the Atlantic City Community Fund, the group has made strides.

The Moreno family is invaluable to the community, said Bert Lopez, president of the Hispanic Association, adding the Morenos have served on the associatons board. Theyve been a great asset to Atlantic City and Atlantic County.

Lopez started his initial work with the family through their dad (and Victors oldest brother), Nefaki Moreno. Their early efforts focused on bringing folkloric dance and music to schools.

To this day, the Hispanic Association continues to work with Nefaki Moreno through the nonprofit he founded in 2010, Organizacion Azteca.

Nefaki has always been involved with spreading knowledge of his Mexican culture and heritage to the community, Lopez said.

Nefaki Moreno recognized these needs from his own struggles when he immigrated to Atlantic City from Putla, a city in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, more than 30 years ago.

In the 90s, there was a lot of work, said Nefaki Moreno about the boom in jobs from Atlantic Citys casino industry.

He took up a friends invite to come to the States in 1989.

Pleasantville councilwoman has slim lead over challenger PLEASANTVILLE  A fixture in city politics has built a narrow edge over a community organize

The first years are always the hardest because you leave your family, friends, kids  the food  just to start a new life, said Nefaki Moreno. The language barrier is the biggest struggle you have to overcome, because you need to know English to find a job and communicate with people.

Nefakis arrival led to a form of chain migration that opened the door to other family members, like his brother Victor, as well as other people from their small village in Oaxaca. One of those others was Maria Rodriguez, who became Nefakis wife after they met in Atlantic City (they didnt know each other in Mexico).

The desire to help improve their community was a torch Nefaki Moreno passed down to his sons, Cristian and Irvin, and to Victor.

All of them believe theres more work to be done.

At the moment, that includes creating a community survey with Stockton that would help them address the needs of the local Hispanic community more effectively.

In the future, the Moreno family would like to have a brick-and-mortar building for El Pueblo Unido, which could act as a multipurpose community center.

And Irvin Moreno might try again to run as an elected official since he only lost in his Democratic ward primary by about 32 votes. But thats if the people call for it, he said.

For a long time, it feels like weve only been putting out fires, said Irvin Moreno. So we want to go from reactive to proactive, and sort of get down to the root cause of these issues and figure out the best way to manage our time, our resources and now with this funding, our grants and our money.
ATLANTIC CITY  Its not just about hair, Shayne Hefferon said as she trimmed a strangers hair for free last week on Kentucky Avenue.

Hefferon, owner of Hairoin Salon in Mays Landing, volunteered to give free haircuts to the homeless and people in need as part of a community outreach program hosted by nonprofit Angels in Motion.

Its physical, human contact, and its taking time to make someone else look better, which can make them feel better, Hefferon said.

The program is personal for Hefferon, who previously struggled with addiction. Shes 12 years sober now and tries to help others whenever she can, she said.

Hefferon said helping someone change their appearance can make a huge difference in how they feel.

Volunteers from Just Cuttn Up Barber Shop on Atlantic Avenue also came to offer their services Aug. 9.

A man who identified himself as Chris G. from Atlantic City got his hair buzzed by Kenya Nellom from Just Cuttn Up. He said he doesnt often have the opportunity to get a haircut.

It means a lot, he said. Its big for me.

Officials, public staying curious about Atlantic City Rescue Mission's intent for Ram's Head Inn County and township officials say they still know little about plans by the Atlantic City Rescue Mission to reopen the Ram's Head Inn in Galloway Township as a restaurant that would serve as a revenue source for the nonprofit.

Angels in Motion hosts weekly outreach programs for the homeless and addicted, according to Co-Director Lisa Bee. Every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., they provide food, hygiene bags and access to a variety of health services.

The programs typically bring out up to 100 people, Bee said.

About 440 people in Atlantic County were experiencing homelessness in January 2023, according to the annual Point-in-Time count. About 37% of Atlantic City residents live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Angels in Motion provides people with blessing bags, filled with donated snacks, toiletries and a resource pamphlet with contacts for medical help, shelter or treatment.

Rowan Medicine and Hope One Atlantic County, a mobile response unit for people struggling with addiction, were both on site.

Last week, Angels in Motion partnered with volunteers to offer free haircuts as well as a mobile shower, courtesy of If Not For Grace Ministries.

Our hope is to build relationships to help get people off the street and get back on their feet, Bee said. We always want to meet them where theyre at, not keep them where theyre at.

Co-Director Susan Long said she also struggled with addiction and homelessness, and understands the importance of showing kindness and helping to boost someones self-esteem.

Rio Grandes tent dwellers may have until Monday to vacate Time may be running out for those who live in Middle Township's homeless encampments, with a new township ordinance banning living in tents. Residents there said they may have to be out of the area by Monday.

Long said she started volunteering in Philadelphias Kensington neighborhood in 2014 and was amazed to see so many volunteers serving out of love.

We want people to know help is out there. Were here for them, we love them and well meet them where theyre at, Long said.

Former state Assemblyman John Armato said he volunteers in honor of his son, whom he lost to addiction.

It makes it easier when youve been there, Armato said.

Bee also lost her son, Matthew, to addiction, and she teared up as she reflected on her reasons for volunteering.

We do it in their honor, she said, hugging Armato. We do it to give back.

Terry Luma said he and his wife, Sue, started their faith-based nonprofit If Not For Grace in Atlantic City in 2017, and now bring their mobile shower to outreach programs around New Jersey.

God has put us in this place because Ive been here before, Luma said.

City waiting on Atlantic City Electric to finish demos, police cameras, more Officials at Wednesday's CitiStat meeting said they could finish efforts to improve public safety if Atlantic City Electric would act on stalled projects.

Luma said they give showers to whoever needs them, and their goal is to help get people back on their feet.

I love doing this. Im 63, and I will do this until I die, Luma said.

Bee said multiple local restaurants donate food for their Wednesday programs, including Chickies & Petes, Luigis Restaurant in Ocean City and Hannah Gs in Ventnor.

Dozens got in line as Chickies & Petes arrived with trays of macaroni and cheese, salads and more. Volunteers handed out turkey sandwiches, water and Gatorade, which Bee said was donated by local families.

Its good to give back to the community, said Chickies & Petes kitchen manager Chris Dougherty.

The restaurant donates to the program once a month and typically makes enough to feed about 100 people, Dougherty said.

Bee said any food not eaten is donated to other community organizations such as the Salvation Army, Covenant House and the Boys & Girls Club.

Bee and Long share the same mission for the outreach programs: to be there for those who need help.

People arent going to come out and say they need or want help. We just let people know were here, Long said.

GALLERY: Haircuts for the homeless in Atlantic City
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
The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season official kicks off on June 1 and the 21 storm names are in from the World Meteorological Organization.

The names encompass almost every letter of the alphabet, leaving out Q, U, X, Y and Z.

This year's primary list of names is largely borrowed from 2017's. The storm names rotate every six year, a feature that began in 1979. However, storms that were particularly destructive and deadly may be retired if the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations, votes to do so.

In the case of this cycle, Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate were retired from the 2017 list. In it's place for 2023 are Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nigel

The World Meteorological Organization also names storms for other parts of the world as well.
Expelled gangster Azim Wazir Sheikh was killed in a fight between two groups in the Syednagar area of Wanwadi in Pune. The incident took place on Thursday (17th) around 8:30 pm. In this case, Wanwadi Police and Crime Branch have arrested 5 people in a joint operation.

The arrested accused are Sadiq Abdul Karim Sheikh, Anis Sadiq Sheikh, Shakir Qadir Syed, Mohsin Javed Syed, and Shahbaz Qadir Syed. According to the information given by the police, the youths of the two groups in Syednagar are relatives of each other. On Thursday night, the accused fought. The relatives had gathered on Thursday night to settle the dispute. Azim Shaikh was a gangster. When the relatives gathered to resolve the dispute, Azim was also present there.

However, this time Azim used foul language. So a group of seven to eight people attacked him. Azim was seriously injured and died. The accused had fled after the incident. The Wanwadi police had registered a case against the accused under Sections 302, 307, 143, 144 and other relevant sections of the IPC and Section 25, 4 of the Arms Act and Section 7, 37 (1) of the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act.

After registering a case, Wanwadi Police and Crime Branch arrested five persons in a joint operation. Speaking about this, Senior Police Inspector Bhausaheb Pathare said, We have arrested five accused in this case, and further investigation is going on. We will arrest the absconding criminals soon.
Pune railway division officials have taken strict action against the brokers, who were duping several citizens on the pretext of sending their vehicles from Pune to other destinations across the country. All brokers have been removed from the gate of the parcel office. Moreover, the packaging, which was being done outside the main gate, has now been shifted inside the parcel office at the railway station. On August 5, 2023, Mirror had conducted a sting at the parcel office on the railway station premises.

In a report on August 6, the issue of cheating of gullible citizens by agents was highlighted. Team Mirror was stopped by brokers at the gate of the parcel office, offered to send their bike at an exorbitant rate. Some people at the spot were dealing with the agents and agreed to pay more. Government officials were aware that the agents were looting citizens by falsely promising to speed up the procedure to send their parcel. The officers claimed that the parcel office at the Pune Railway Station had not broken any rules. When Team Mirror posed as a customer, two men welcomed them at the gate itself and offered help to send their bike by paying extra money.

They posed as Good Samaritans. However, the air was cleared soon. Team Mirror spoke to a few people who had come to send parcels and noted how they had been cheated. Speaking to Mirror, Indian Railways, Pune division, commercial manager, Ramdas Bhise, said, We have inspected the spot and identified the brokers. We have seized their identity cards and penalised the contractor for negligence. For packaging a parcel, we have given an area at platform no. 1 inside the parcel department. Proper display boards have been put up at various spots inside and outside the railway station showing required documents needed for parcels making citizens aware of the rules and regulations. We have instructed the RPF that if anyone is spotted packing parcels at any other spot besides the designated one, they can take action against them, added Bhise.
Viola Mayor Michael A. Lester is facing nearly two score of charges alleging theft and official misconduct, according to the charging document from the Mercer County Circuit Court.

Lester, 57, was arrested Wednesday by Mercer County Sheriffs deputies and booked into the Mercer County Jail.

According to the charging document, Lester is charged with one count of theft, a Class 2 felony under Illinois law that carries a prison sentence of three to seven years.

The theft occurred between Oct. 29, 2022, and July 28, 2023. The document states that Lester knowingly exerted unauthorized control over property of the Village of Viola, being U.S. currency.

The charge states that Lester intended to deprive Viola of the money permanently. The value was between $500 and $10,000.

Lester also is charged with an additional 38 counts of official misconduct, each for allegedly stealing money from Viola. The dates of the official misconduct begin Nov. 25, 2022, and ended July 28, 2023. Each of the individual days on which an alleged theft occurred are designated in the charging document.

Official misconduct is a Class 3 felony that carries a prison sentence of two to five years.

During a first appearance on the charges Thursday in Mercer County Circuit Court, Associate Circuit Judge Mathew Durbin scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Monday. Lester is free on pre-trial release.

Lester became Viola Mayor in April 2021 by defeating incumbent Kirk Doonan 146 to 88.
Editors note: This article includes graphic images that may be upsetting to some readers.

A central Iowa care facility is being sued for allegedly causing the death of a resident whose pressure sores progressed to huge, open wounds on her body.

According to a lawsuit filed this week in Jasper County District Court, Deanna Kay Mahoney was admitted to the Newton Health Care Center in June 2021. On April 18, 2022, she was transferred to MercyOne Newton Medical Centers emergency room where the medical staff found a large skin ulcer, or open wound, on her buttocks and another on the heel of her foot. The emergency room physician reported that the wound on her buttocks was contaminated with feces and ran very deep, exposing muscle and bone.

Mahoney was then transferred to Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines for a higher level of care, where the staff photographed the wounds and admitted Mahoney to the critical care unit.

On May 6, she died at the hospital, with the immediate cause of death listed as sepsis, a blood infection, that resulted from sacral osteomyelitis, which is a bone infection near the base of the spine. She was 83 years old.

The lawsuit filed by Mahoneys estate seeks unspecified damages for negligence. The defendants include Newton Health Care Center and its corporate owners, Newton OpCo and ManagerCo Prairie Rose. They have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

A few weeks after Mahoneys death, in June 2022, the home was inspected by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing as part of a routine, annual recertification process. While there, inspectors also investigated a backlog of six separate complaints against the facility, and three self-reported incidents, all of which were ruled substantiated.

DIAL cited the facility for 24 state and federal violations, but the inspectors report appears to make no reference to any deficiencies in Mahoneys care. The violations were related to residents rights, abuse-and-neglect policies, resident care plans, quality of care, medication and treatment, pressure sores, insufficient nursing staff, insufficient support staff, unnecessary psychotropic drugs, medication errors, unsanitary conditions and infection prevention.

A state fine of $14,000 was imposed but was later reduced to $9,100 when the home agreed not to appeal the penalty. In 2020, federal officials imposed a $156,660 fine against the home. That was later reduced to $101,829 when the home agreed not to file an appeal.

In April, inspectors returned to Newton Health Care Center in response to four complaints, all of which were substantiated. The home was cited for four violations of federal regulations, including the failure to treat pressure sores.

The homes plan of correction indicates that one of the two residents whose pressure sores were left untreated, resulting in exposed bone and muscle, has since died. The report provides conflicting information as to the fate of the second of the two residents, stating that the individual continues to reside there but also stating the resident is now deceased.

During the April inspection, a nurse aide told state officials staffing was not good at the home, residents did not receive the care they needed, did not get showers, and wound dressings were not being changed as ordered by physicians. She said it sometimes took 30 to 45 minutes to answer residents call lights.

No fines and citations were issued as a result of the inspection.

The Newton home has a one-star overall rating from the federal government, the lowest in a five-star rating system, as well as a one-star rating for its health-inspection results.

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Theres an old story about Madison Junction. The spot in Yellowstone National Park is where the Gibbon and the Firehole flow together to form the Madison River, one of the three branches that eventually becomes the Missouri. Today, its one of the parks major intersections, where you can enter or exit Grand Loop Road via West Yellowstone. Theres a campground there, a small store, and a ranger station.

But it hasnt always been that way. Per legend, it was in Madison that the idea that became Yellowstone National Park was born. On September 19, 1870, the members of the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition sat around a campfire as the short mountain fall turned into winter. They reflected on their journey, a month long trek that took them from Helena to Mammoth, up to the summit of Mount Washburn, past the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake, through the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins, and eventually to the banks of the infant Madison where they now sat. Theyd seen great wonders, canyons carved out of the forest, plains alive with animals, jets of superheated water shooting into the sky.

The story goes that Cornelius Hedges, a writer, lawyer and school superintendent who later immortalized the trip in a series of articles for the Helena Herald, first broached the idea of keeping the place theyd just explored in public hands. He proposed, then and there, that Yellowstone be preserved as a national park. Hedges idea, echoed by the expedition, was so convincing that two years later, President Ulysses S. Grant made Yellowstone the worlds first national park. The idea rippled through history, and other countries similarly set aside land to be enjoyed by their people.

Its a great story, one told on a plaque that sits right on the riverbank where the events it describes happened. Theres just one problem. Its probably not true.

Ednor Therriault, a writer who lives in Missoula, outlined the problems with the creation tale in his book Myths and Legends of Yellowstone (turns out the Madison story is both). For starters, this wasnt the first time the concept of setting the Yellowstone area apart had been introduced. In fact, Montanas acting territorial governor Thomas Francis Meagher had once floated the idea, and he died in 1867.

Furthermore, none of the original journals left by members of the expedition mention the supposedly historic conversation. It showed up in Hedges and Langfords published versions, which were released in 1904 and 1905, respectively. But the story isnt in Hedges original, and Langfords unedited version mysteriously vanished from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Aubrey Haines, Yellowstones first official historian, more or less debunked the campfire myth in the 1960s. But it persists. Why?

For one, its just a fun story, one that sounds (and is) too good to be true. But theres a nugget of colonialism buried in Yellowstones creation myth. Of course white people were the first people to find this place and realize how special it was. Hedges was from New England. He graduated from both Yale and Harvard. His blood ran pure blue, and it took a man like him to notice that Yellowstone was important and needed to be preserved. Right?

Not really. The human history of Yellowstone doesnt start in 1870, but millennia before that. When the Gardiner Post Office was built in 1959, an obsidian Clovis point was found, dated to about 11,000 years ago. The history of Yellowstone National Park is older, and much more Indigenous, than we might think.

The story of Yellowstone is just that, a story. The big difference is who gets to tell it.

Thats what Yellowstone Revealed is challenging. The art show, now in its second year, has brought an Indigenous immersive sensory experience to Madison Junction, the place where the campfire myth started. Its put on by Mountain Time Arts (MTA), a nonprofit arts organization out of Bozeman that specializes in on-location installations that interact with the land theyre placed on. When you go to an MTA exhibition, the art doesnt stop when the painting ends. All of it  the sky, the mountains, the air, its all part.

Last year, Yellowstone Revealed was spread across the park. There were tours led by Indigenous guides, performance art at Old Faithful and Madison, and, most strikingly, a teepee village at Madison Junction. Many of the parks millions of visitors pour in through that West Yellowstone gateway, and for a weekend they were treated to a visual reminder of Yellowstones history, and prompted to consider their place in it.

The location, of course, is no accident. Francesca Pine Rodriguez, MTAs executive director, said that the nonprofits board has narrowed down a few different spots around the park that have the infrastructure to support an installation.

But the Madison, Rodriquez said, keeps calling us back. Its literally doing research, feeling the land, seeing what it can accommodate.

Using teepees as a medium is another very deliberate choice. They fit Mountain Time Arts mission in terms of being big, bold immersive installations that people can interact with, Rodriguez said. Its a very recognizable reference and visual for Indigenous presence.

Last years village was filled with representatives from the 27 tribal nations officially recognized as having ties to the Yellowstone region. They explained to awestruck visitors the long human history of the park.

The 2022 Yellowstone Revealed was about reminding people of the Indigenous lives that have touched Yellowstone. The 2023 show was about celebrating those lives. And reckoning with why those perspectives had to be reintroduced in the first place.

The show ran from Aug. 10-12, and it included two major artists. Sean Chandler, who is the president of Aaniiih Nakota College on the Fort Belknap Reservation, presented When We Used To Be, a series of original paintings that had been turned into teepee liners. In the same meadow, Ben Pease, who is from the Valley of the Chiefs district near Pryor, presented Ammachhiia: Journey Through Time and Culture, which combined teepee installations and live painting.

Chandler is one of the most distinctive artists working on the Northern Plains today. He paints characters and images that defy even particularly active imaginations. His work almost looks like super elaborate cave paintings, just layer after layer of detail and color. Its hard to take in a Sean Chandler piece on first glance. Thats intentional.

I dont want to be easily defined, because Indian people arent easily defined, were complex, he explained.

He specializes in huge works, massive paintings that fill entire walls in the galleries theyre displayed in.

I paint in my basement, Chandler said, and the biggest I can make my paintings is about 6 foot high by 14 feet long.

Thats about the size of a good teepee liner. That idea hit him while he was finishing a recent work. Then MTA reached out about Yellowstone Revealed.

My project here is always growing, and Ive been thinking about it for a while, he explained. I finally got the venue where I could do it.

He had eight teepees as part of Yellowstone Revealed, each one consisting of 12 stripped lodgepoles  he had intended to burn them, but opted to paint them instead, and a rainstorm during the installation added texture and depth to the poles themselves  with vinyl prints of some of his paintings. He had five paintings in total as part of When We Used To Be, and two main ones, he put it, both of which were new, never before shown works.

His works, he said, contain numerous stories, working together to form one singular piece.

I have these different pieces of stories, because, as you know, our way of life has been fractured. Some of our life ways have been forgotten, he noted. I used this format to remember that we still have the framework of our life ways, but its still kind of in pieces.

The works were spread throughout the installation, but the same new piece appeared on the outside of all of Chandlers teepees. He called it No Ones Creation, and it shows embryonic figures, fuzzy around the outside. He sees them as pure beings, unaffected by society. Its about creation. Theres a ghostly element to it. But whose ghosts?

When I say no one, Im talking about the definition of Indian people, Chandler explained. Other people have redefined us, and put us in a place where we can reach too high  where they can control us. We were taught we could only be no one, that we could only rise so high in mainstream America.

Chandlers existence here at all  and the art hes creating  is a challenge to that. His father survived time in an Indian boarding school, enduring a drive from Montana to the Dakotas in a big Army truck. Chandlers dad also taught him art, and how to put images onto rawhide and teepee liners. Chandler later went to art school and combined the bedrock of art hed been taught with more contemporary forms.

I want to paint in the same vein as my ancestors did while they painted their exploits on hides or rocks, he said.

Pease, too, felt a connection to his ancestors while working on Yellowstone Revealed.

This exhibit has been a chance for me to speak utilizing the medium of lodges, teepees, Pease explained, Crows, we say that the lodge is one of our mothers. The home is one of our mothers. What Im thinking about is our human interaction with the land, in the places we call home.

Peases Ammachhiia  an Apsaalooke word that means connection, or the mouth of a river  contained three teepees. One was bright yellow, and was covered in the faces of Crow men, pulled from historic photos. On the back side, there was a large portrait of Chief Plenty Coups. There was also a deep blue teepee, with ribbons of color undulating throughout its fabric cover, and one teepee with a mesh cover, totally see-through, with bison stitched into it.

On the yellow teepee, Pease stripped away all adornments from the photos, just showing suspended faces.

We always forget that these are humans, he said. I wanted to focus on bringing the human aspect.

For the blue teepee, Pease wanted to bring in a feminine perspective to balance out all the masculinity on the yellow. Theres a handprint on each side of the door opening, each placed there by a female water keeper.

Water, too, is at the heart of this. The blue teepee was full of detail, swirls and whirls of paint throughout. Pease didnt design it that way. He just let the fabric get rained on.

The elements are the collaborator, he said. How can we work together to create something beautiful?

The light plays tricks in the painted teepees. After you exit the blue teepee, the world turns pink and red. Inside the yellow teepee, it looks like the faces are looking at you. Leave that space, and the world turns a little blue. Its the mesh teepee that ties it all together. From inside there, you can see the whole valley. The buffalo stitched to the outside look like theyre walking around on the prairies that surround you.

I want us to see ourselves in our environs, Pease explained. If we dont see ourselves as part of that equation, we seek to upset the balance once again.

When we build homes, Pease contended, we think of ourselves as above and outside of the environment. With his work, hes trying to rethink that.

At the top of his teepee poles, where Indigenous people traditionally flew streamers or ribbons, Pease hung caution tape. It whipped around in the winds that blue across the Madison Valley.

We should proceed with caution in building systems that are supposed to represent all people, Pease contended. All perspectives should be considered, and respected and deliberated.

The installation closed on Aug. 12. Rodriquez said that theyd love for Yellowstone Revealed to become an annual event, but there are logistics to tackle. This year only happened, the director said, because of donations from the Henry Luce Foundation and the Ellen Poss Foundation.

When the first government expeditions were led into Yellowstone, they brought artists with them. Photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran tagged along on the Hayden Expedition in 1871. The works they produced helped prove to the powerful people on the east coast that the wonders of Yellowstone were real, and worth investing in.

Artists were basically the media of winning the West and westward expansion, Pease noted. What he and Chandler did in Yellowstone Revealed is the flip side of that tradition.

Colonialism still runs through Yellowstone, just like it runs through the West, and America, and most of the world. One of the members of that inaugural expedition, Gustavus Cheyney Doane, was a commander in the Marias Massacre, where at least 173 Piegan Blackfeet were killed. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, namesake for the Lamar Valley at the northeastern corner of the park, was a slave owner and member of the Confederacy. And the Madison River itself was named by Meriwether Lewis in honor of James Madison, the Secretary of State and future President who owned over 100 slaves.

Yet its on the same banks of that same Madison River, where Doane once sat, that the story is being retold. When youre there, dodging the bison pies and seeing teepees begin to blend with the mountains and the sky, Indigenous presence in Yellowstone stops being told in past tense.

National Parks are one of the most American institutions, and the practices of those parks is part of American tradition, both good and bad, Pease explained. Creating a place for life to exist in a natural way, that tradition is great. But we must think about the tradition of legally appropriating lands out from under the feet of people who lived here for eons.

Our stories are powerful and valuable, Pease continued. And if we value stories, using art, we can bring beauty and value to people who need it. To the human story.
Former Missoula GOP lawmaker Brad Tschida is leaving his post as executive director of the Montana Public Service Commission, a commission spokesperson confirmed to Montana Free Press Friday.

Tschida, who served in his role for about eight months, was the commissions second executive director in as many years. He plans to step down in September said the spokesperson, PSC Chief Legal Counsel Lucas Hamilton. The five-member commission regulates and sets rates for Montana utility companies.

Reached by phone Friday, Tschida said he wasnt leaving for any particular reason, and that a release with more information would be coming in the next few days.

The PSC created executive director position in 2021 in the fallout of a blistering legislative audit that highlighted an an unhealthy organizational culture and ineffective leadership, sloppy accounting, improper travel and an attempt by a commission staffer to provide auditors with falsified records. That and other changes would help improve the tone and tenor at the top of the commission and set it on a glide path to success, newly elected PSC President James Brown said at the time. Brown did not serve on the commission during the time span covered by the audit.

The executive director acts as a chief of staff for the commission, participating in staff hiring, budgeting, managing caseload and other administrative functions, Hamilton said. The director is also tasked with carrying out PSC policies and initiatives according to state law, administrative procedures, and applicable regulations, per the commissions website.

The first director was former Townsend schools superintendent Erik Wilkerson, who left the commission shortly before the 2023 legislative session to take over as the superintendent of the Jefferson High School district.

Hamilton said that Tschida had always planned to serve as director in a transitional capacity to get the commission through the legislative session. Tschida, who served four terms in the Montana House before losing a race for a Senate seat, is a Republican hardliner who has spearheaded claims of election fraud in Missoula County.

It is a demanding job with a significant amount of internal and external pressure, PSC member Jennifer Fielder said in a press release at the time of Tschidas hiring. We needed someone with the right mix of professional skills who is also capable of shouldering those types of demands. Mr. Tschida is very well-qualified with his legislative leadership experience and diverse background in management, finance, education, and public policy spanning over 40 years.

A posting for the position is already on the PSCs website. The full-time job includes benefits and pays a minimum $90,000 annual salary.
Montanas Republican governor, Greg Gianforte, has decided to ignore a court order, the Montana Constitution, and the states bad actor law intended to prevent mining executives who have left environmental damages behind from receiving new mining permits. Even worse, his decision is intended to benefit extremely bad actor CEO Phillip C. Baker to allow him to operate yet another environmentally risky mine, this one under the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area.

Bakers trail is a Montana environmental horror story. He was a top executive in the Pegasus Gold Corp. that developed a number of mines in Montana using the open-pit cyanide heap-leach process to pull gold from low-content rock. The process has left the state with very serious environmental problems, including treatment in perpetuity at numerous mine sites, many of which are now federal Superfund sites.

The damage to the environment  and enormous cleanup costs  from cyanide heap-leach mining was so extreme that Montanans outlawed the process by citizen initiative in 1998. When the mining industry tried to overturn the ban in 2004 voters overwhelmingly rejected those efforts.

To make the long and ugly story shorter, when Pegasus Gold declared bankruptcy it left the state with whats turning out to be hundreds of millions of dollars in reclamation costs in the last 30 years  and millions more to come as difficult reclamation efforts and treatment in perpetuity continue.

The list of the damage left behind by Baker and Pegasus is incredible. The Zortman Landusky Mine Superfund site in the Little Rockies has poisoned the water source for the Fort Belknap Tribe and cost the state and federal government more than $83 million dollars in on-going reclamation costs.

Then theres the Basin Creek Mine Superfund site at $6-10 million so far. The Beal Mountain Mine Superfund site at $25 million so far, $40 million projected final cost and millions annually for treatment in perpetuity. And the Montana Tunnels Mine Superfund site at $16.8 million, where the high wall collapse threatens to destroy Clancy Creek.

Obviously, Mr. Baker should never be allowed to operate another mine in Montana  which is exactly why the bad actor law exists. Yet, for some reason Gov. Gianforte doesnt seem to see it that way.

When the Montana Environmental Information Center filed a request for records on the states communications with Baker, Gianforte refused, then ignored a court order to produce those records, and is now appealing the order.

Certainly the governor can read  and theres no ambiguity whatsoever in Montanas Constitution. Art. II, Declaration of Rights, Sec. 9 Right to know. No person shall be deprived of the right to examine documents or to observe the deliberations of all public bodies or agencies of state government and its subdivisions, except in cases in which the demand for individual privacy clearly exceeds the merits of public disclosure.

Tough to see where individual privacy can possibly exceed the merits of public disclosure in Bakers case. His trail of Superfund Site level environmental disasters is proof enough for why the public should know what hes up to with the governor and state agencies.

Likewise, one might think Attorney General Austin Knudsen, a former Speaker of the House, would have more respect for the law and constitution  and inform the governor that refusing to provide the records violates Montanas Constitution.

They say the once-burnt child fears the fire. Montana has not just been burnt, but nearly immolated by Mr. Bakers mining disasters and the on-going costs of reclamation. Put bluntly, Gov. Gianforte is dead wrong to allow this bad actor to burn our state, our people, and our environment ever again.
There are 24 grizzly bears that died or were found dead in the Greater Yellowstone area this year, with over 60% of those deaths happening in Wyoming, according to United States Geological Survey data.

So far, there were 15 grizzly bear deaths in Wyoming, seven in Montana and two in Idaho, the data shows. There were 48 grizzly bear deaths last year in total.

About 85% of all documented bear deaths are human-caused, so tracking those deaths can help direct programs designed to reduce them, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study website states.

There have been several incidents of grizzly bears being hit by moving vehicles, which either resulted in their immediate death or euthanasia due to severe injuries, the data states.

One adult grizzly bear died last month at Heart Mountain Canal in Wyoming due to a human-caused drowning, the data states. It drowned in a cement-sided canal, but what a person did to cause this was not disclosed.

The most common death is grizzly bears being put down for a variety of issues including conditioned behavior around people, killing livestock and property damage.

A couple of cubs died from natural causes, which were likely starvation or exposure, the data said. The remaining deaths are under investigation, or the cause was undetermined.

On Aug. 11, a 20-year-old male grizzly was euthanized after killing a cow on private land near Yellowstone National Park in Montana, the Billings Gazette reported. That incident had not yet made it into the official count as of Thursday.

Mortality data is collected by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study, which is an interdisciplinary group of scientists and biologists responsible for monitoring grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem across Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, their website 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.
LONDON, Aug 19: A British nurse was found guilty Friday of murdering seven newborn babies and trying to murder six others at the hospital neonatal unit where she worked, becoming the UK's most prolific killer of children.





Lucy Letby, 33 -- on trial since last October -- was accused of injecting her young victims, who were either sick or born prematurely, with air, overfeeding them milk and poisoning them with insulin. The jury at Manchester Crown Court in northern England reached all of its verdicts after deliberating for 22 days.





Letby was arrested following a string of baby deaths at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England between June 2015 and June 2016. Described by the prosecution as a "calculating" woman who used methods of killing that "didn't leave much of a trace", Letby had repeatedly denied harming the children.





"Lucy Letby was entrusted to protect some of the most vulnerable babies. Little did those working alongside her know that there was a murderer in their midst," Senior Crown Prosecutor Pascale Jones said in a statement. "Time and again, she harmed babies, in an environment which should have been safe for them and their families," the prosecutor added, calling the killings "a complete betrayal of the trust placed in her".





- 'Playing God' 





The court heard that colleagues raised concerns after noticing that Letby was on shift when each of the babies collapsed, with some of the newborns attacked just as their parents left their cots. Prosecutor Nick Johnson said Letby "gaslighted" her colleagues into believing the string of deaths were "just a run of bad luck". Letby's final victims were two triplet boys, referred to in court as babies O and P. Child O died shortly after Letby returned from a holiday in Ibiza in June 2016, while child P died a day after their sibling. Letby was also said to have attempted to kill the third triplet, child Q, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the charge.





Johnson said that by that time Letby was "completely out of control", adding that "she was in effect playing God".





Letby was arrested and released twice. On her third arrest in 2020 she was formally charged and held in custody. During searches at her home, police found hospital paperwork and a handwritten note on which Letby had written: "I am evil, I did this." Letby later tried to explain the note by saying she wrote it after being placed on clerical duties following the death of the two triplets. - 'Something wrong' 





She said that decision to remove her from medical duties had left her feeling like she had "done something wrong". Barrister Ben Myers, defending Letby, told the court she was "hardworking, deeply committed" and "loved her work". H





e pointed to the fragile health of the babies, many of whom were born prematurely, and said the neonatal unit was overstretched and understaffed. Letby also suggested that a "gang" of four senior doctors pinned blame on her to cover for the hospital's failings.





When Letby took the stand at her trial, she insisted she "always wanted to work with children" and said it was "devastating" to find out she was blamed for the deaths. The case revived memories of two of Britain's infamous medical murderers, doctor Harold Shipman and nurse Beverley Allitt.





Shipman, a general practitioner, hanged himself in prison in 2004, four years after being convicted of killing 15 of his patients. A later public inquiry concluded he killed about 250 patients with lethal morphine injections between 1971 and 1998.




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 named in the Georgia 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.

Here's 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 state's 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 in 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 state's "duly elected and qualified" electors.

JOHN EASTMAN: A former dean of Chapman University law school in Southern California, John Eastman, one of Trump's 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: Trump's 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 state's 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 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 said. Wood, who's licensed in Georgia, said Powell asked him to help find Georgia residents to serve as plaintiffs in lawsuits contesting the state's election results. Additionally, emails and documents obtained through subpoenas in an unrelated lawsuit showed 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 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.

JEFFREY CLARK: A U.S. Justice Department official who championed Trump's 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 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 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 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.

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 state's "duly elected and qualified" electors. He also joined Trump in a lawsuit challenging the certification of the 2020 election in Georgia.

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.

SHAWN STILL: He was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate falsely stating Trump 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 daughter 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.

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 Trump won the state and declaring themselves the state's "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 county's election equipment in what the secretary of state's office 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.
HAWAII WILDFIRES | Q&A

The destruction and suffering caused by the Maui wildfires in Hawaii prompted many to immediately look for ways to help.

However, experts say immediate donations may not be the most useful following a natural disaster like the Maui wildfires. They suggest standing by a week or two until needs are assessed and support lines have been established. But they know that some people will not be able to wait.

Here's what you need to know about getting your donations to the people you are trying to help.

There are so many solicitiations to help Hawaii. What groups should get priority right now?

Experts recommend donating to nonprofits based on Hawaii that have provided rapid response services in the past.

Hawai'i Community Foundation raised more than $17 million as of Aug. 11 for its Maui Strong Fund, which is "providing financial resources that can be deployed quickly." Though the foundation says its support will evolve, initially it will focus on providing food, shelter and immediate financial assistance.

The Maui United Way says all donations will "provide direct relief to families and nonprofits directly affected" by the wildfires, offering a place to donate and apply for help on its website.

How can you guarantee donations reach those affected?

Regine Webster, vice president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, generally recommends giving to organizations with deep local ties and knowledge of the affected communities.

"Wait a week, wait two weeks, to understand where the greatest needs are," Webster said. "Then, look toward organizations that are really meeting those needs, again, prioritizing organizations with specific disaster expertise and organizations that are local in nature."

Many national and international organizations have already deployed to Maui to help. So if you already donate to a group like World Central Kitchen or the American Red Cross, you can simply continue to donate to them.

How can I make sure a crowdfunding campaign is real?

The crowdfunding site GoFundMe has vetted hundreds of fundraisers for individuals and families who lost property or were injured in the fires, verifying the identities of the organizers and pledging to take additional verification steps before releasing funds to organizers.

As of Aug. 14, GoFundMe said it collected more than $13 million for those impacted by the Maui wildfires, from more than 100,000 people across all 50 U.S. states and 100 countries.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez warns donors to stay away from people rushing you to make a donation, asking you to donate with cash, a gift card or on Cash App or Venmo. She also says to look for specifics about how your donation will be used.

Can donations arrive too fast?

Yes. The needs of those in an emergency situation are different from those rebuilding after a natural disaster.

The Most Reverend Larry Silva, the Catholic bishop of Honolulu, said many offered resources to those affected by the wildfires. "The problem at this point is getting supplies to those in need, since many evacuated to the West of Lahaina, where access from the rest of the island is extremely limited," he said in an email.

Donating home furnishings, for example, is very useful once families have been permanently relocated. However, at this point, when people are living in shelters, they are not useful and storing them creates costs and issues for nonprofits, especially on an island where storage space is limited.

Why is giving after two weeks or a month so important?

Experts say donations tend to drop off after the initial burst of media attention ends, even though many of the needs of those affected haven't been met yet.

Waiting a few weeks also allows the government and nonprofits to figure out what rebuilding priorities have been funded and which haven't. Later donations can be used to fund programs addressing pressing needs.

TV icon Oprah Winfrey, a part-time Maui resident, said she will be there "for the long haul, doing what I can" to rebuild after the wildfires.
Despite national conversations around preventing sexual harassment, it remains too pervasive in our workplaces.

A recent lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Arkansas restaurant Simply Slims provides allegations that, if true, expose a textbook example of failing to prevent and stop sexual harassment.

According to the federal lawsuit, the restaurant hired a female employee, Ms. Jackson, in February 2022. Two months later, manager Cameron Wiley allegedly told her using a vulgarity that breasts were his favorite part of a womans body, and that her backside looked good in leggings. She asked him not to talk to her in that manner, and he responded to that request, referring to women as the b-word, and he also made a sexual reference about her lips.

The employee immediately reported these comments to the general manager and told him she did not want to work on the same shift as Wiley.

The general manager failed to report the complaint to the district manager or human resources, and allegedly did nothing about the complaint. When Ms. Jackson elevated the complaint to the general manager, she was placed on leave and removed from the schedule, which the company contended later was a miscommunication. When it invited her to return to work, the company shared that it could not substantiate that the comments were made and could not assure the employee she would not work with Wiley.

While the companys investigation concluded that the comments were not made to Ms. Jackson, the company required Wiley to sign a statement titled Documentation of Unprofessional Conduct.

Ms. Jackson also learned that the manager allegedly assaulted another employee. The lawsuit alleges, As a result of the sexual harassment from Wiley and because Defendant would continue to require Jackson to work with Wiley, the harasser, and allow Wiley to continue to supervise Jackson, her working conditions became so intolerable, Defendant forced Jackson to resign.

The allegations by other women regarding Wileys conduct are equally egregious.

According to the EEOC, The shift manager would brush up against the girls intentionally, rub their shoulders and poke them in inappropriate places. He fondled the breast of one young female, touched one on her bottom and placed his hand on the inner thigh of another. Eventually, the sexual harassment forced several of the employees to resign.

The employees made complaints, and Wiley was simply told by management that he could not touch employees even if he thought it was innocent. The employees were also told more men would be hired and their hours would be cut.

As evidence of a recipe for harassment to flourish, the company, according to the lawsuit:

 did not review the harassment policy with the employees;

 used a computer-based system to train new employees (and does not provide any one-on-one training of its policies);

 did not provide the employees with any sexual harassment training during their employment;

 failed to maintain an effective sexual harassment policy; and

 failed to take appropriate remedial action to protect employees from sexual harassment.

Employers must actively take steps to prevent harassment with effective and well-communicated policies and training. Managers must be trained to know their obligations upon being made aware of allegations of harassment.

Once made aware of harassment allegations, employers must take steps to stop the harassment, and, in most cases, the employee engaging in the harassment should be terminated. Conduct such as sexual remarks and touching cannot be tolerated in the slightest. This case is particularly egregious since it involves harassment toward a worker as young as 16. Nothing should be more important than protecting workers and making sure they have a safe, civil and respectful workplace.
Two people died within the span of a week at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Both deaths occurred while The Daily Progress was in contact with jail officials regarding a story on living conditions at the facility. Those same officials never said anything about the deaths and waited nearly a week to alert the public they had occurred.

Superintendent Martin Kumer blamed the delay on an email mistake.

It is with regret that I inform the public, began an open Aug. 16 letter by Kumer announcing the Aug. 10 death of 30-year-old Eric Kyle Frazier. Information obtained as of this release indicates Mr. Frazier died by suicide.

That same letter revealed that there had been another death at the facility off Avon Street Extended. The Daily Progress was unable to find evidence that any other media outlet had reported the prior death by the time the second was announced. The problem, Kumer said, was that the earlier statement to the press was sent to an outdated media list.

That first incident was the Aug. 9 death of 61-year-old Reyn Louise Snelling, whose death Kumer attributed to natural causes.

Our internal investigation has indicated there are no systemic issues related to these two deaths, Kumer wrote.

However, the time that elapsed before the public was notified concerns Shawn Weneta, the policy strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

This is a vulnerable population, Weneta said. There needs to be accountability and transparency.

Weneta also expressed hope that a recent autopsy-requiring bill that became Virginia law this year would be expanded. The bill mandates investigations of sudden deaths at state hospitals and training centers, and Weneta said it will hopefully also cover deaths behind bars.

Democracy dies in darkness, Weneta said. There have been far too many deaths of people in custody.

For the friends of Frazier, a Western Albemarle High School graduate who lived in Crozet and loved to work on cars, the news of his apparent suicide hit hard.

Hes definitely not had an easy life, said Kelsey Faust, who had formerly been in a long-term relationship with Frazier. I know he was going through a lot.

Faust, who has a young son with Frazier, said he lost both of his parents in the past year or so, and he lost a brother in a widely publicized accidental fall inside Charlottesvilles Water Street Parking Garage on New Years Day in 2015.

He was extremely strong, and he always gave me hope at times in my life when I felt down, Faust said.

Records show that Frazier amassed at least 10 felony convictions including charges of hit and run, eluding police, receiving stolen property and drug distribution. At the time of his death, he was facing a charge of breaking a camera inside the jail.

As for Snelling, she was a familiar figure in downtown Charlottesville who often lived in Market Street Park by day and set up a nighttime encampment sometimes on the front porch and sometimes in the backyard of the building housing the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society.

The moment I heard about her passing, said society programs manager Sterling Powell, I realized I needed to notify the volunteers.

At the time of her death, Snelling, who had an array of convictions for trespassing and other low-level infractions, was being held without bail on a pair of misdemeanor charges asserting that she wielded a knife during an argument with a fellow homeless person outside the Haven, a day shelter on Market Street.

The historical societys director, Tom Chapman, recalled that although Snelling would turn his front porch into a campsite that would occasionally impede the general public, she seemed to lend a certain stability to other homeless encampments.

Knowing Reyn helped me see the limits of the safety nets, Chapman said. She was a pain in the ass, but were going to miss her.

Kumer at the jail noted that both deaths are being investigated internally, by the Albemarle County Police Department and by the Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails, which he said is standard procedure for any death in custody.

Kumer noted that he immediately notified his board of both deaths. However, besides upgrading his email list, he said he has no plans to accelerate public notification.

I will never notify the press before next of kin have been notified, ever, Kumer said. Thats how I would want to be treated if I had a loved one who died in jail.
This is why its not a good idea to end the state fiscal year without a budget.

When General Assembly budget negotiators finally sit down at the same table again in Richmond on Monday or Tuesday, their first task will be to figure out how much money is available to spend in the fiscal year that began July 1 without a revised spending plan for only the second time in 50 years.

Its not as easy as it sounds.

The House of Delegates and Senate budget committees were still trying on Friday to reconcile different revenue numbers, in part because the last adopted budget is 14 months old and the revenue estimates continue to change.

Their only other starting points are the revised budget that Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed in December, and the so-called skinny budget that the assembly adopted before adjourning on Feb. 25 without acting on changes to the full $165 billion, two-year spending plan that took effect on July 1, 2022.

Sometimes, two rational people will look at the same set of numbers and come up with different conclusions, said Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke County, a member of the House Finance Committee and the only certified public accountant in the legislature.

McNamara hopes for more clarity on available state revenues when Youngkin meets with his committee and the House Appropriations and Senate Finance & Appropriations committees on Wednesday. The meeting is an annual summer rite at which the governor reviews the revenues that Virginia collected in the year that ended June 30 and looks ahead to the economic forecast for the two-year budget he will propose in December.

One of the missing pieces in the revenue discussion is a clear accounting of how much Virginia expects to refund to small-business owners who took advantage of a new pass-through entity tax at the state level to avoid a cap at the federal level that prevents them from deducting more than $10,000 in state and local taxes from their adjusted gross income. The state tax essentially gives them a business deduction on their individual income tax returns.

As a result, the revenues that Virginia collected last spring, in the previous fiscal year, include pass-through tax payments that the state will have to refund to business owners when they file their individual income taxes this fall. Youngkin did not count those refunds in his estimate of an additional $1.5 billion collected last year, on top of the $3.6 billion in excess revenues that he estimated for the revised budget he proposed in December. Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings has said refunds this fall could exceed $1 billion.

Senate budget negotiators have challenged the governors estimates of money available for the budget as voodoo estimating. They say the governors estimates do not reflect refunds due under the pass-through entity tax, the $1 billion already appropriated in the skinny budget and projected savings that did not materialize.

McNamara, who was one of the sponsors of the pass-through tax law last year, said he hopes the governor will give more detail about how the new tax affected tax collections in the last fiscal year and will affect budget revenues in this one.

Accountants dont like to make guesses without seeing the numbers, he said.

The Senates last budget proposal on Aug. 10 reduces available revenues by $2 billion to reflect the estimated refunds due to those business owners and about $1 billion in tax cuts that are much different from those the governor proposed in December and the Republican-controlled House included in its proposed budget in February. It estimates that the state has about $2.5 billion available to spend, after all adjustments.

Youngkin and House Republicans wanted $1 billion in permanent cuts to corporate and individual income taxes, but Senate Democrats have insisted instead on one-time tax rebates of $200 for individuals and $400 for couples, with limited ongoing tax cuts that would reduce revenues in future budgets. They have agreed to raise the standard deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize their returns by $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, or half of what Youngkin and the House proposed.

The Senate also has proposed to raise tax deductions on business interest expense and reduce available revenues by more than $51 million to reflect the higher-than-expected cost of cuts that the state made last year to income and sales taxes as part of a $4 billion package of tax reductions during Youngkins first year as governor.

The proposal provides ongoing tax relief of almost $180 million annually in the next (two-year budget) in addition to the ongoing $1.2 billion that was adopted last year, Senate Finance Co-Chairs Janet Howell and George Barker, both Fairfax County Democrats, sent in a letter to House Appropriations Chairman Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, on Aug. 10.

Knight responded recently with a new proposal that drops a proposed cut in the top individual tax rate  along with a proposed cut in the corporate income tax that the House had already abandoned in the face of Senate opposition  but insists on increases in the standard deduction of $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for couples. He also insisted on eliminating the age limit for a new exemption for military retirement income, which the Senate had rejected as an unwise precedent.

The House is willing to agree to the Senates proposed one-time rebates, but not at the expense of more systemic tax policy changes, he said in a letter to the Senate on Wednesday.

Macaulay Porter, spokesperson for the governor, accused the Senate of using an outdated economic forecast from before Governor Youngkin was sworn in that does not accurately reflect the current financial strength of the Commonwealth under his leadership.

In this weeks joint money committee speech, Governor Youngkin will again outline how the government can utilize its significant excess resources to reduce costs for Virginians and fund our shared priorities like behavioral health, public safety and education, Porter said in a statement on Friday.

Barker said the Senate is trying to protect the states long-term fiscal stability by limiting permanent cuts to tax revenues. Thats why were trying to hold the line as much as we can, he said in an interview on Friday.

Knight said House budget negotiators will return to the bargaining table at noon on Monday. Barker said he expects Senate negotiators to return on Monday or Tuesday, depending on finding a convenient time, which Knight dismissed as a stall tactic.

Meanwhile, their staffs were meeting with administration budget officials to resolve discrepancies in estimated revenues available to pay for new spending.

If anybody wants to disagree with our numbers, then lets meet, Knight said Friday.

From the Archives: Richmond tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels Tunnels
Volunteers coordinate to free six month old dolphin of nautical rope seen in Sian Kaan waters

Costa Maya, Q.R.  A six month old dolphin seen swimming with a nautical rope around its body has been freed. On Thursday, a group of volunteers and local fishermen along with federal authorities were able to quickly capture the dolphin and cut free the rope before returning it to the sea.

Three fishing boats met in Sian Kaan waters Thursday where they located the baby dolphin swimming with its mother. From their boats, they could see the black rope around the upper part of its body.

Casting a large fishing net and working fast, the three boats were coordinated to capture only the baby dolphin that was quickly hauled into one of the boats while the rope was cut away.

The baby was seen swimming with its mother, the black rope tight around the upper part of its body.

Photo: Asoc. Mex. de Habitats para Interaccion y Proteccion de Mamiferos Marinos August 17, 2023.

Once freed, the dolphin was released back into the sea where he quickly rejoined his family. The dolphin had been reported to authorities since July 29 when local fishermen first began seeing the group and noticing the baby with the black rope.

The dolphin was seen in the Punta Allen area of the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve, reported vererinarian Roberto Sanchez Okrucky. He said the dolphin was a baby bottle nose. He was traveling with his mother and 10 other dolphins.

Tourist services boats Vigia Grande, Punta Allen and Vigia Chico participated in the rescue along with Aquademia, the Quintana Roo Stranding Network, the Association of Specialists in Marine Mammals and AMHMAR (Association of Habitats for Interaction with Marine Mammals).

The three boats worked quickly and coordinated to cast a net that captured only the baby. The rope was cut away and the baby returned to the water where he rejoined his family. Photo: Asoc. Mex. de Habitats para Interaccion y Proteccion de Mamiferos Marinos August 17, 2023.

The rope was believed to have been part of an old crab trap. It was found stuck, attached to the dorsal fin and the right pectoral fin, Okarucky explained.

Once the calf was freed from the rope, it reintegrated into its social group. One of the boats even followed them to make sure the animals were in good condition, he said.

We saved a baby that had no chance of long-term survival with this rope wrapped around its body because little by little, it would incarnate into its skin and prevent its growth, Okrucky said.
Is the Roanoke River clean enough to play in?

That was the question some attendees asked at an Aug. 2 community meeting about the citys plans to add an in-river park at Wasena.

At the meeting, city Parks and Recreation Planning and Development Coordinator Katie Slusher told residents that, although the federal Environmental Protection Agency still considers the river impaired for human recreation, stormwater tests over the last few years have frequently indicated safe bacteria levels in the water.

The bacteria program interpretative summary in Roanokes 2022 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System annual report shows that, between April 2017 and July 2022, at least 75% of the monthly Roanoke River samples at Wasena showed E. coli levels below the recreational safety threshold.

Law requires the citys stormwater utility to test the river and streams for bacteria  E. coli, specifically  at roughly 40 different sites each month.

E. coli is an indicator, or proxy, bacteria. Years of scientific research have shown that where there is more E. coli, there is other bacteria harmful to humans. More bacteria means increased chance of sickness. Because of that, the EPA uses the concentration of E. coli to determine whether a waterway is impaired, or unsafe, for human recreation. If the concentration is too high for too long, the EPA labels the waterway impaired and the local government has to meet certain reporting and regulatory requirements.

The EPA considers most urban rivers and streams impaired, and the Roanoke River is no exception.

Importantly, the EPA measures impairment with averages over time, so the designation doesnt mean the Roanoke River is never safe for swimming; it has good days and bad days.

The stormwater utility compiles its monthly bacteria tests and submits them to the EPA and Virginia DEQ. But theres no real-time, publicly available bacteria monitoring.

Thats what people are really looking for, city Stormwater Utility Water Quality Administrator Mckenzie Brocker said. The DEQ standard stuff is a long-term measurement ... but for day to day fluctuations, people want to know, Can I go in the stream right now? Whats the water quality right now?

The city doesnt have the resources to do real-time monitoring right now, but may be open to the idea.

From the stormwater utilitys perspective, we do have an interest in getting functional data out for the public to use for recreation and educating about local water quality, Brocker said. If we know that there is a lot of public support and interest, that helps us to prioritize and inform that effort.

In lieu of real-time monitoring, the stormwater utility encourages people to exercise caution and use their best judgement. Dont drink the water, Brocker said, and dont swim with an open wound or if the water looks murky or is particularly high or low.

Runoff also introduces more bacteria, which is why the city recommends staying out of the river and streams for at least 48 hours after a rainstorm.

Of all the citys waterways, Brocker said the Roanoke River consistently has the lowest bacteria levels.

The citys monitoring efforts dont end with E. coli. Brocker said the stormwater utility has been experimenting with the use of another indicator.

Human marker HF183 is specifically human-related waste. If we get that in the water, we say, OK, theres specifically a sewer problem. ... E. coli could really be from anything, Brocker said.

The stormwater utility is also trying to keep an eye on contaminants of emerging concern  pharmaceuticals, PFAS, PCBs and microplastics.

Were very focused on solving problems. ... Even if we dont have a method right now, we are always trying to keep on top of the technology and see what we can do and implement here, even if its kind of experimental, Brocker said.

Brocker has lived in Roanoke for at least 10 years, and she said its waterways have improved since then. For starters, she said, there are less large trash and illegal dumping.

She said the federal Clean Water Act and other regulations have a lot to do with the improvements, but so does public investment.

Brocker said theres reciprocal relationship between waterway recreation and water quality. When people spend time in the Roanoke River and tributaries, they become more invested in the quality of the water, which leads to improvements, which attracts more people and so on.

Slusher agreed.

People have a higher level of investment in the places they love most and visit frequently, Slusher wrote in a Thursday afternoon email to The Roanoke Times. So any opportunity to make our rivers more accessible, visible, and welcoming for residents is an opportunity to improve stewardship. The more folks spend time in and near the river, the more they will want to understand and protect this amazing natural resource.
Labradorite, often referred to as the Stone of Transformation, is a unique gemstone that has mystified and captivated the hearts of many for centuries. Known for its labradorite crystal meaning, the stone emits positive vibrations and is known for its healing properties, making it a revered choice for those seeking to enhance their psychic abilities and spiritual growth. The magical stone has a strong connection with the third eye chakra, making it an excellent tool for unlocking ones inner wisdom and intuition.

The mesmerizing beauty of labradorite and rainbow moonstone is not without its fair share of legends. Inuit folklore states that the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) was their frozen fire. This ordinary stone fell from the fire, transforming into an extraordinary one with a mystical light. It was said to be the bridge between the physical world and unseen realms. This enchanting stone serves as a reminder of the limitless potential that lies within each individual, and its metaphysical properties are believed to inspire the pursuit of personal growth and transformation.

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Labradorite's Origins and History

The discovery of labradorite dates back to the late 18th century in Labrador, Canada. The stones unique iridescent appearance and metaphysical properties have been revered by various cultures throughout history, including the Inuit people who believed that labradorite was a gift from the Aurora Borealis. Moravian missionaries in the remote Canadian wilderness were so captivated by the mystical stones that they brought them back to Europe, spreading the allure of labradorite across the continent.

Labradorite is a feldspar mineral found in igneous and metamorphic rocks such as gabbro, norite, anorthosite, and basalt, as well as sedimentary rock composed of Feldspar mineral like Gneiss. Today, labradorite can be found in various countries, including Canada, Russia, Finland, Norway, and the United States. Its striking beauty and captivating labradorescence continue to fascinate people worldwide, making labradorite gemstones and labradorite stone a sought-after choice for both spiritual practices and adornment.

Labradorite Colors and Labradorescence

Labradorites unique charm lies in its stunning play of colors known as labradorescence, an optical phenomenon that causes the stone to exhibit a varied spectrum of light when illuminated from certain angles. The stone can display a multitude of colors, including purple, grey blue, green, yellow, and brown, with some rare specimens featuring pink, fuchsia, or pale green tones interspersed amongst the iridescent hues. These iridescent flashes are what make labradorite so captivating and sought after, especially when they reveal light blue crystals within the stone.

Apart from the traditional labradorite, other varieties such as Spectrolite and Rainbow Labradorite also exist, showcasing their own captivating labradorescence and unique properties. Regardless of the variety, labradorites enchanting colors and scintillating light display continue to captivate the hearts of gemstone enthusiasts, making it a prized possession for those seeking to harness its healing properties and spiritual significance.
Category 4 hurricanes are defined by their extremely dangerous winds, with sustained speeds ranging from 130 to 156 miles per hour. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, these storms can cause catastrophic damage to infrastructure, with power outages lasting from several days to weeks. The potential impacts of a Category 4 hurricane include:

Catastrophic damage to buildings and structures

Widespread power outages

Flooding and storm surge

Strong winds that can uproot trees and cause flying debris

Disruption of transportation and communication systems

The potential loss of power and water is often due to damage to power poles and other infrastructure.

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The risk of injury or death to people, pets, and livestock due to very dangerous winds and falling or flying debris is alarmingly high during a Category 4 hurricane. In fact, the damage inflicted tends to be approximately four times greater for each category increase, as seen in major hurricanes like Hurricane Hilary.

National Hurricane Center's Role

The National Hurricane Center (NHC), a part of the National Weather Service, is responsible for:

Monitoring and predicting hurricane activity

Providing timely and accurate information about potential storms

Helping communities prepare and respond to these dangerous weather events

The NHC plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and well-being of communities affected by hurricanes.

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which categorizes hurricanes based on their wind speeds and anticipated damage, was developed by Miami engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson, a former director of the NHC. This scale is critical in assessing the potential impact of a hurricane and guiding preparation and evacuation efforts, particularly in regions like Southern California that may experience hurricane impacts.

Storm Surge Effects

In addition to their destructive winds, Category 4 hurricanes can also generate deadly storm surges. A storm surge is an abnormal rise in water levels caused by a storm, surpassing the expected tidal levels. In coastal areas like the Baja California Peninsula, storm surges can be even more destructive than hurricane winds.

The consequences of storm surge in Category 4 hurricanes include water being driven into cities, leading to fatalities, destruction of infrastructure, and damage to power lines. Understanding the dangers of storm surge and implementing protective measures can help save lives and minimize damage during a hurricane.
On the flip side, when the Chariot tarot card appears reversed in a reading, it can signify a lack of direction, control, or focus, as well as potential setbacks and challenges. While this may seem disheartening, the reversed Chariot card can also serve as a powerful reminder of the need for introspection, self-awareness, and personal growth in order to overcome these obstacles and regain control of our lives.

The Chariot reversed can be a difficult card to interpret, but it can also be a difficult card to interpret.

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Love and Relationships Reversed

In a reversed position, the Chariot card can point to potential challenges and struggles in love and relationships, such as a lack of harmony and control, communication breakdowns, and the need for patience and understanding. However, these challenges can also present opportunities for growth and resolution, allowing couples to explore harmony, strengthen communication, and practice patience and understanding.

When faced with difficulties in our relationships, the reversed Chariot card encourages us to:

Reflect on what we truly want and need from our partners

Communicate our desires openly and honestly

Find common ground and work together to create a successful relationship

By following these steps, we can ultimately overcome these challenges and build a stronger, more fulfilling partnership.

Career and Ambition Reversed

When the Chariot card is reversed in the context of career and ambition, it can indicate stagnation, lack of direction, or even failure. This may manifest as a lack of motivation, focus, or drive, or perhaps as an excess of these qualities, leading to burnout or poor decision-making.

However, the reversed Chariot card also serves as a reminder that setbacks and challenges can be opportunities for growth and learning, allowing us to reassess our goals, strategies, and approach to our careers. In order to overcome these potential pitfalls, the Chariot card advises us to take a step back, reflect on our ambitions, and find a clear, realistic plan for moving forward.

By remaining patient and persistent in the face of setbacks, and reevaluating our goals and strategies, we can ensure that we are on the right path to career success.

Financial Stability Reversed

The reversed Chariot card can signify:

Potential financial pitfalls

Impulsive decisions that may lead to instability

Lack of control over ones finances

Overspending

Taking on too much debt

Making risky investments

All of these can have detrimental consequences for our financial well-being.

However, the Chariot card also reminds us that we have the power to regain control of our finances and make smart decisions that will lead to stability and security. To harness the energy of the reversed Chariot card and overcome financial challenges, it is essential to take control of our spending habits, set realistic financial goals, and seek professional advice when necessary.

By staying focused, disciplined, and proactive in our financial endeavors, we can ultimately attain the stability and security we seek.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Crown Cork & Seal USA, a manufacturer of metal cans and other packaging, will be investing nearly $21 million over the next three years in a Florence County manufacturing center that will create almost 30 full-time jobs.

The Florence County Council approved an economic development agreement with the company, which was previously identified as Project Mimosa to protect the companys identity while the agreement was finalized, at its meeting on Thursday. Crown Holdings, which is Crown Cork & Seal USAs parent company, is a leading global supplier of packaging, primarily metal drink cans.

Based on representations made by the Company to the County, the County has determined the Project and the Infrastructure will enhance the economic development of the County. Therefore, the County is entering into this Agreement for the purpose of promoting the economic development of the County, the economic development agreement says.

The new plant will be included within the joint Florence and Williamsburg County industrial park, and expanding the parks borders to include the plant is part of the economic agreement between the company and the county.

Because the plant will be within a multi-county industrial park, the county can charge the company a yearly fee instead of a traditional property tax. For 10 years, that fee will be 35% lower than the sites property taxes would normally be because of what is known as an infrastructure credit.

This credit can only be used to pay for designing, building or improving infrastructure and cannot exceed the amount of money the company spends on infrastructure. The credit also depends on the company hitting certain investment and job creation requirements.

In total, Crown Cork & Seal USA is expected to invest $20.9 million in taxable property and create 29 full-time jobs before August 1, 2026.

The economic agreement passed first reading before Florence County Council on May 18, then passed second reading with a public hearing on July 20. Both times, the company was identified only as Project Mimosa.

Crown Holdings was founded in 1892, has 26,000 employees and had $11.4 billion in net sales in 2021, according to its website.

McCall Farms economic development agreement

McCall Farms expects to invest an additional $38 million in the county.

At Thursdays meeting, the Florence County Council unanimously approved on second reading an expansion of the original economic agreement from 2019, in which the company agreed to invest $50 million and create 1,000 jobs.

McCall Farms has really been a good partner for Florence County, Chairman Willard Dorriety Jr. said. They have really grown, and they are doing an excellent job with what they provide to the community, and were thankful to have them here.

The expanded agreement would give the company 10 more years of lower fees, which were negotiated in the original economic development agreement. It also extends the investment period, or the timeframe during which the company is required to invest the promised money, by five years.

In addition to more time, the company would also get additional benefits under the expanded agreement. For the next five years, any investment in infrastructure will be paid back to the company through infrastructure credits, which will further lower the companys yearly fee by 50% for 10 years and 25% for the following 10 years.

The expansion to the agreement still needs to pass a third reading.

Honda economic development agreement

Honda was entitled to get 35% of its property tax bill back from the county from 2016 to 2023, but Florence County recently realized that it never paid the company the incentives it agreed to.

The company agreed to receive $135,790 per year for five years, to be applied to the 2022-2026 tax bills, instead of an immediate refund of $678,951 or potentially more. To make the changes, Florence County Council members unanimously approved on third reading an amendment to the economic development agreement.

After consultation with county leadership, we decided to approach the company proactively to address the issue openly and honestly and proposed that in lieu of an immediate refund, the company agreed to a future credit to provide them with the benefit they would have otherwise obtained, the agenda item says.

Other business

Johnsonville will no longer do its own planning and code enforcement and has turned that responsibility back over to the county. The Florence County Council unanimously approved a resolution agreeing to the change.

An ordinance to increase marriage license fees to $100 for South Carolina residents and $150 for out-of-state residents has passed second reading. The fee change will not go into effect until after the ordinance passes third reading.
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Le Premier ministre nigerien Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine a assure que les militaires ne lui feront aucun mal

Le nouveau Premier ministre nigerien Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine a assure vendredi soir au New York Times que les militaires qui ont renverse le president Mohamed Bazoum lors du coup d'Etat du 26 juillet ne lui feront aucun mal.





Dans cet entretien realise par le quotidien americain depuis Dakar, M. Zeine, un civil, affirme egalement que les militaires nigeriens qui l'ont nomme n'ont "aucune intention" de collaborer avec la Russie, ni avec les mercenaires du groupe Wagner.





Interroge sur le sort de M. Bazoum qui inquiete la communaute internationale, M. Zeine repond que "rien ne lui arrivera car nous n'avons pas de tradition de la violence au Niger".





Mais, a averti le president du Nigeria Bola Tinubu lors d'un entretien jeudi avec le president du Conseil europeen Charles Michel, et selon des propos rapportes vendredi par une responsable de l'UE, "les conditions de detention du president Bazoum se deteriorent. Toute nouvelle deterioration de son etat de sante aura de serieuses consequences".





De son cote, au siege de l'ONU a New York, le porte-parole du secretaire general Antonio Guterres a ete interroge par la presse sur l'etat de sante du president Bazoum et meme s'il etait encore "vivant".





"J'ai parle a quelqu'un qui lui parle regulierement. Et, oui, a notre connaissance, nous n'avons pas d'indication pour dire qu'il n'est pas vivant. Donc, autant que je sache, il est vivant", a assure Stephane Dujarric.





Le Premier ministre nigerien nomme le 7 aout, un economiste qui fut ministre des Finances, est aussi questionne par le quotidien sur la presence de 1.100 soldats americains et de 1.500 militaires francais, en lutte contre des jihadistes dans des operations antiterroristes avec l'armee locale.





Viendra "le moment de revoir" ce partenariat strategique avec les Etats-Unis, repond-il, tout en saluant la "position extremement raisonnable" de l'administration de Joe Biden, qui prone la voie diplomatique plutot que militaire pour retablir un pouvoir democratique.





Quant a Paris, le New York Times ecrit que M. Zeine - dont on ne sait pas s'il s'exprimait en francais ou en anglais - accuse certains responsables francais de condescendance mais souhaite que l'ancienne puissance coloniale reste au Niger.





"Nous avons ete formes dans des universites francaises, nos officiers ont ete formes en France. Nous voulons juste etre respectes", fait valoir M. Zeine.





Et face aux craintes d'un rapprochement avec Moscou et Wagner, le Premier ministre "n'a vu aucune intention" en ce sens de la part des dirigeants militaires de son pays.




YANGON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's export of manufactured products earned over 3.5 billion U.S. dollars as of Aug. 11 in the current 2023-2024 fiscal year which started in April, the Commerce Ministry said on Saturday.

The figures showed a decrease of over 780 million dollars while compared with the same period in the last fiscal year when it recorded over 4.2 billion dollars.

The manufactured goods sector topped the list with the most export value, followed by agriculture and fishery sectors among others, according to the ministry data.

Myanmar mainly exports agricultural, animal and marine products, minerals, forest products and manufactured goods to its foreign trade partners, including China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.

During the period, the Southeast Asian country's export totaled over 5.6 billion dollars. 
In this photo illustration, Tiktok's logo is displayed on a mobile phone screen in front of the flag of United States.

Digital rights advocate groups have officially joined the legal fight against a proposed Montana TikTok ban.

After being approved in May, the "unconstitutional new restrictions" are set to be enforced on January 1, 2024. This will make Montana the first US state to completely ban TikTok, making the use of a VPN service a necessity to keep accessing the popular video-sharing app.

The social media company and five TikTok creators have decided to challenge the legislation's lawfulness in court. Here's how digital rights advocates are backing up their fight.

The case against Montana TikTok ban

The fate of TikTok, its creators, and viewers is on a ticking clock in Montana and so are citizens' rights to free speech and access to information. That's why the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed an amicus brief on August 11 in support of the on-going lawsuit.

"Once again, Montanas legislature seeks to unnecessarily insert itself into the daily life of ordinary Montanans," said Alex Rate, legal director with the ACLU of Montana. "We will not stand idly by while the government adopts unconstitutional new restrictions on the ways that we communicate with one another."

According to experts, imposing such a blanket imposition will make it impossible for users to speak and associate via TikTok. This is a clear violation of the First Amendment and "it should be halted," said Patrick Toomey, deputy director of ACLUs National Security Project.

"Many Montanans use TikTok to communicate with local and global audiences," added David Greene, EFFs Civil Liberties Director. "The state must not violate their rights by banning this speech platform."

EFF joined @ACLU & @ACLUMT to file a brief today challenging Montanas unconstitutional TikTok ban. Many Montanans use TikTok to communicate with local and global audiences; the state must not violate their rights by banning this speech platform. https://t.co/rcqFIGnB5sAugust 11, 2023

See more

Story continues

Tensions between the US and the Chinese social media giant have reached a new high lately. A wave of provisions forbidding its use on government devices spread throughout the Western world at the start of the year. These were followed by a federal bill known as the RESTRICT Act (currently still under discussion) thought to be able to fast-track a TikTok ban for all Americans.

Human rights campaigners and internet experts have long been calling the government to scrap such plans. From curbing people's digital rights to surveillance, censorship, and online security risks, the consequences of making TikTok illegal will soon be a grim reality for people in Montana.

The amicus brief urges the court to see how the law "triggers an especially exacting form of First Amendment scrutiny." Campaigners also highlighted how the provision will disproportionately affect minority groups, citing examples of how TikTok currently plays an "outsized role" in fostering solidarity online towards specific social issues.

EFF and ACLU are only the most recent actors to step in and back up the lawsuit seeking to block the Montana ban. On august 8, two major tech groups (NetChoice, a national trade association, and the Chamber of Progress, a tech-industry coalition) released a joint court filing stating that the proposed ban "ignores and undermines the structure, design, and purpose of the internet."

While we hope that the court will keep in consideration experts' arguments, we invite readers to head on our page to learn how to access TikTok with a VPN in case the ban will eventually come into force.
CAMP DAVID, Md.  President Joe Biden is keeping mum about Attorney General Merrick Garlands decision to name a special counsel in the investigation of his son Hunter Biden.

Speaking at a news conference Friday at the conclusion of his Camp David summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden demurred when asked about the latest twist in his son's legal issues.

The comments were Biden's first on the matter since Garland announced last week he was naming a special counsel into the probe of Hunter Bidens financial dealings.

I have no comment on any investigation thats going on, said Biden. Thats up to the Justice Department and thats all I have to say.

Garland noted the extraordinary circumstances of the matter when he named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who had already been probing Hunter Bidens financial dealings, as special counsel after a plea deal over tax evasion and a gun charge collapsed last month.

The sudden turn of events has raised new questions about the case against Biden on tax evasion and a gun charge, deepening an investigation that appeared close to resolution just weeks ago.

With the special counsel designation, Weiss gained broad authority to investigate and report out his findings. As special counsel, he is also able to prosecute Biden in any district he deems appropriate rather than solely in Delaware.

Read more on the historic summit:

Photos: Hunter Biden through the years
Editors note: This story contains language that may be offensive to some readers.

An Iowa man convicted of gang-related offenses 32 years ago is suing the governors office over the loss of his right to own a gun.

Anthony Browne, 52, of Iowa City is suing Gov. Kim Reynolds and Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel in the U.S. District for the Southern n District of Iowa.

Browne claims his past convictions for a violent crime should not have resulted in the permanent loss of his right to keep and bear arms. He argues that his criminal sentences were fully discharged 25 years ago and that he has had his other rights as a citizen restored for the past 18 years.

According to Browne, he was convicted in 1991 of felony willful injury and criminal gang participation and sentenced to 10 years in prison on the first charge and five years in prison on the second, with the two terms to be served concurrently.

While serving his sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Browne began taking correspondence courses through the University of Iowa. He completed his prison sentence in January 1998, and in July 2005, then-Gov. Tom Vilsack issued an executive order restoring all of Brownes rights to citizenship except for his right to purchase, carry or possess a firearm. Later that same year, Browne was awarded a degree in computer science from the University of Iowa.

Since 2006, Browne says, he has been employed full time and has been a registered voter in Johnson County. From April 2019 to December 2021, Browne says, he held a high-level security clearance with the U.S. Department of Defense for his computer work at Collins Aerospace.

In his lawsuit, Browne states the governor has the power to grant reprieves, commutations and pardons for all offenses and has the power to restore the right to keep and bear arms. He notes that in January 2011, then-Gov. Terry Branstad signed an executive order revoking Vilsacks order, and in August 2020, Reynolds signed an order that restored some felons citizenship rights  neither of which had any impact on Brownes loss of his right to own a firearm.

The lawsuit, filed two weeks ago in state court before being moved to federal court, seeks a declaratory ruling that would restore Brownes right to possess firearms.

The county and the governors office have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith and a spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Court records indicate Brownes convictions stem from a 1991 incident that involved Browne, Buddy Black and other members of the Black Gangster Disciples who had an altercation with a rival gang member, Dewey Lamp. Browne, Black and others followed Lamp home and when Black, who was carrying a handgun, approached a window of the house, a figure inside the home came into view. A member of the gang yelled cap the bitch, and Black fired the gun, with the bullet striking Dewey Lamps mother and puncturing her lung.

Browne was charged with aiding and abetting attempted murder, willful injury and criminal gang participation. He was acquitted on the aiding and abetting charge but was convicted of the other two offenses.

Browne told the Iowa Capital Dispatch he and his wife plan to move to Illinois where, by state law, he can petition to have his right to own a firearm restored. But the restoration of his rights there is predicated on the restoration of his rights in Iowa, the state in which his crimes were committed.

Browne said he wants his rights restored for the same reason anyone might: for hunting, to protect his home and to engage in recreational target shooting.

My father in-law is a former Linn County sheriff, he said. Theyve all got AR-15s, guns everywhere. Every time I go to their home, theyve got guns everywhere in their house. They go shooting out in rural Johnson County They go, they shoot, they shoot off fireworks, they do it all. I go out there with them and Im watching them do it  but I just cant possess firearms or ammunition because of this.
Editors note: This story contains language that may be offensive to some readers.

Wapello Countys top criminal prosecutor, facing a potential suspension of his law license for referring to judges as bitches and making sexually charged comments to his staff, says his actions are protected by the U.S. Constitution.

In August 2022, the Attorney Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Iowa filed charges against Wapello County Attorney Reuben Neff. According to the board, Neff regularly made inappropriate and sexually charged comments in the presence of his staff. The board says Neffs frequent, sexualized commentary had no legitimate purpose in a legal setting.

Specifically, the board alleges he often made disparaging comments about judges and magistrates with whom he disagreed and referred to female magistrates, including Magistrate Sarah Wenke and District Court Judge Lucy Gamon, as bitches.

In 2019, while conversing with his staff, he allegedly referred to District Court Judge Shawn Showers as a limp d- after Showers presided over a criminal trial in which the defendant was acquitted.

He also is alleged to have told colleagues about a call he received from someone about his predecessor as county attorney, repeating the callers description of the previous county attorney as a f, a derogatory epithet typically aimed at gay men.

Neff also is alleged to have told employees of the county attorneys office about a private, sexual encounter he once had with a woman and provided graphic details about the encounter. The remarks were made at the county attorneys office, the board alleges.

Neff also was accused of telling the two women of an incident in college that involved a male classmates penis falling out of the pajama pants the classmate had worn to class that day.

Neff also is alleged to have made sexual comments about criminal defendants his office was prosecuting, and once signaled to his employees that a defendant was likely to be sodomized in prison by forming a circular shape with his hands and stating the mans hole would be this big by the time he left prison.

On another occasion, Neff allegedly told his employees he wished a newly acquitted criminal defendant would be raped by antelopes and mauled by lions at the same time. He also is alleged to have told an employee that the opposing counsel in a case headed for trial should lube up and grab his ankles.

Neff: No attempt to degrade or demean women

In his response to the charges, Neff argued, among other things, that the Iowa Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers infringe on his First Amendment right of free speech. The matter recently went before the Grievance Commission of the Supreme Court of Iowa, which opted to leave the question of constitutionality for the Iowa Supreme Court to address.

According to the commission, Neff at one time told two female employees of his office about a false accusation of sexual assault that was lodged against him while he was in college. He provided the two workers with details of the allegations, which included claims of slapping and scratching Neffs stomach to the point of bleeding through his shirt, according to the commission.

The commission found that while Neff initially filed an answer to the boards charges denying numerous important allegations, he later stipulated to having made several of the alleged comments, including calling members of the judiciary bitches and using the word f more than once. The commission recommended that Neffs license be suspended for 60 days and that the court order Neff and his staff to attend sexual harassment training.

In response to that recommendation, Neffs attorney, Matthew Sease, recently filed papers with the Iowa Supreme Court arguing there is no evidence or indication that Neffs statements were an attempt to degrade or demean women (or) to maintain gender hierarchy. Sease also argued it would be improper to require Neff to attend sexual-harassment or hostile-workplace training.

In addition, Sease objected to what he said was the boards attempt to characterize every cuss word, off-color statement or reference of an individuals anatomy made by Neff as some form of sexual harassment.

The Attorney Disciplinary Board has responded by arguing that with regard to Neffs comments about criminal defendants, Neff is permitted to feel about criminal defendants any way he wishes, may express this ill will, and may even express himself in this exact manner  outside the practice of law. When he is in the practice of law, however, he may not subject his employees to crude comments that would evoke pornographic imagery; even less may he vocalize a wish for sexual violence upon a defendant.

As for Neffs comments about judges, the board stated Neffs remarks were not a commentary on the judges reasoning but instead attack the judges personally on the basis of gender. The board argued Neff has abused the power dynamic in his office to create an environment wherein he has been allowed to tell inappropriate stories, voice a wish of forced sodomy and bestiality upon criminal defendants, and use gendered insulting language.

Neff, a Republican who has served as the Wapello County attorney since January 2019, declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

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An eastern Iowa nurse sanctioned by the state two years ago for sexual contact with a patient is now facing criminal charges and new allegations of improper conduct with patients.

The nurse, Darin Oberhart of Bettendorf, is currently facing drug and weapons charges, and court records indicate Bettendorf police are investigating allegations of improper sexual contact with clients of a massage-therapy clinic he has been operating illegally.

According to state records, Oberhart was sanctioned by the Board of Message Therapy in July 2021. The sanctions were in response to a complaint made by a female patient of Oberhart at Quiet River Massage Therapy in Bettendorf, which is run out of the same downtown building as Oberharts QCI Firearms Training.

The patient alleged that during a massage session on Nov. 21, 2018, Oberhart grabbed her breasts five to seven times. She alleged that she raised an arm in order to move Oberharts arm away, at which point Oberhart reportedly whispered in her ear, OK, Ill stop.

She left the massage clinic, called her husband and a minister to report what had happened, then contacted the police and filed a formal complaint.

According to the board, Oberhart told police he had only inadvertently touched the side of the patients breasts. The Bettendorf Police Department referred the case to the local county attorney for consideration of criminal charges, and the county attorney declined to prosecute.

The Board of Massage Therapy said it found the womans account of what transpired to be more credible than that of Oberharts, and it concluded that Oberhart had engaged in improper sexual contact with a patient. The board also determined Oberhart had assisted in his wifes practice of massage therapy without a license.

The board suspended Oberharts massage therapy license for a minimum of three years, fined him $1,000, and required him to undergo a psychosexual evaluation before applying for reinstatement. At the time, Oberhart was also an Iowa-licensed nurse.

Recently, two years after the Board of Massage Therapys action, the Board of Nursing issued an order requiring Oberhart to surrender his nursing license with the understanding that he can apply for reinstatement in one year.

The Board of Nursing alleges Oberhart did not notify the Board of Nursing of the action taken against him by the Board of Massage Therapy, although that action was publicized at the time.

The nursing license Oberhart is required to surrender expired on May 15, 2023  two months before the Board of Nursing issued its order requiring Oberhart to surrender it.

Guns and breast-massage materials seized by police

In April of this year, Oberhart was charged with possession of marijuana and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon after a traffic stop. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2023.

In May of this year, Bettendorf police obtained a search warrant for Oberharts QCI Firearms Training and Quiet River Massage Therapy clinic. Court records indicate the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services had told police in August 2022 the state received a complaint alleging Oberhart was continuing to perform massage therapy, despite the 2021 license suspension.

One woman had allegedly reported that Oberhart told her there are health benefits associated with breast massages and that hed be willing to have sex with her because there are health benefits associated with this also, according to the search warrant application.

Another woman alleged she and Oberhart had sexual intercourse during a massage appointment and that Oberhart took photos during the session, according to the warrant application. Police allegedly obtained billing information and text messages suggesting Oberhart was continuing to provide massages through the clinic.

After obtaining a search warrant, Bettendorf police seized dozens of items from Oberharts business, including two handguns; two .22-caliber revolvers; two .38-caliber revolvers; various ammunition magazines and containers; a video camera; a receipt for a seminar called Secrets of Therapeutic Breast Massage; an ammunition can that contain a substance believed to be marijuana; four .22-caliber rifles; and two shotguns.

No criminal charges have been filed as a result of the search warrant, and Oberhart could not be reached for comment.
Do the presidential debates matter? Like most things in life and politics, sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Jimmy Carters desultory preparation in 1980, combined with Ronald Reagans reassuring and masterful performance  There you go again  arguably turned a close election into a landslide for Reagan that reshaped American politics for a generation.

Barack Obamas uncharacteristic lack of discipline in the lead up to his first encounter with Mitt Romney in 2012 led to an excruciating 90 minutes that drove Democrats into mass hysteria. Obama won the election anyway, though only after a hypersonic Joe Biden dominated Paul Ryan in their vice presidential exchange, and then Romney was shredded on the issue of Benghazi in the second debate  by a tag team of Obama and the debate moderator.

Here are some other examples from history:

1960: Vice President Richard Nixon was running on the slogan Experience Counts when he made the mistake of debating John F. Kennedy. JFK used his opening statement  eight minutes long, without a single note  to define the terms of this high-stakes clash, which Nixon then largely accepted. Nixon quibbled like a point-by-point high school debater with Kennedys arguments while often repeating them word for word.

Without the debates, especially the first one, its hard to imagine that the youngest president elected in one of the closest contests in history would have reached the White House. (And Kennedys triumph wasnt all about image. The oft-told story is that voters who listened on the radio instead of watching on television believed Nixon prevailed. But this ignores that those voters couldnt watch: They were concentrated in pre-cable rural areas and the mountain west, which already heavily favored Nixon.)

1976: After an unexpectedly strong performance in his first debate, the once beleaguered Gerald Ford closed a yawning gap with Jimmy Carter to just 2 percentage points. But Fords momentum stalled in their second confrontation after he insisted there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. Carter won.

1992: The most memorable moment of the debates that year was incumbent George H.W. Bush glancing impatiently at his watch as an earnest questioner in the town hall audience asked him how the recession had affected him personally. The episode was a powerful metaphor for a presidency that appeared tired and out of ideas in a country yearning for change. Did it determine the results -- a victory for Bill Clinton? Not by itself. But it does suggest a guideline: Maybe candidates should take their watch off before mounting the debate stage.

In other cases, assessing the effect of these face-to-face encounters is hard. How much did Donald Trumps crass antics hurt him in 2016 (when he defeated Hillary Clinton) and 2020 (when he lost to Joe Biden)? That's unclear. Less noticed is how much his emphasis on trade and immigration in the early innings of his first clash with Clinton helped him crumble the Democrats' "Blue Wall" of states on Election Day?

Sometimes, as in 1988, 1996 and 2008, presidential debates dont bend the campaign arc at all -- unless the likely winners performance is the unlikely political equivalent of bellyflopping into an empty swimming pool.

Finally, for me, theres also a painful irony here. I'm a veteran Democratic political operative who worked on presidential campaigns from George McGovern to John Kerry. You can win all of the now customary three presidential debates and still lose the election. The Gallup Poll showed that's precisely what happened with Kerrys narrow defeat against George W. Bush in 2004.
The concept behind Littoral Combatant Ships (LCS) was to fill a perceived need for a fast, flexible, nimble platform for the next tier of maritime threats. It was pushed through the approval process in an era of flush military budgets and hopeful recruiting goals, combined with promising industrial might and a lack of a questioning attitude across the joint force. It did not work. Buying Maseratis-like ships to jet around doing yeomans low-tier combat was a bad idea then that has come to fruition now.

The tri-state area anchored by Sioux City should begin, better late than never, advocating for additional Department of Defense investment. Since the Navy roundly stiffed you with the decommissioning of the USS SIOUX CITY , I suggest the area begin advocating for the KC-46A to replace the ANG 185ths KC-135s at the Sioux City Airport. The KC-46 will come with significant enhancements to the weather monitoring, flight control, hanger, tarmac, and contractor support entities on Bud Day Field. There is not a downside to this effort.

The tri-state area, a Republican trifecta during the Trump Administration, missed the boat in advocating for a number of opportunities for DoD investment. Favors will not work in the Biden Administration, but providing viable, well-thought-out rationale why Sioux City is the cost-effective locale for the Air National Guard to provide that great circle route refueling base should be job #1 for the Chamber of Commerce. Michael Franken, Alexandria, Va.
At first glance, Mark Harris great dissection of the controversy surrounding Bradley Cooper wearing nose prosthetics to play Leonard Bernstein might seem like just another piece recapping the latest internet controversy. But this piece is really a deeper meditation on what relationship actors identities should have to the roles they play, and it helps sort through some of the, well, problematically moralistic attitudes that have been plaguing our lives in recent years.

A relevant excerpt: Its hard not to respond to this as many do, by saying, Its called acting. Thats glib and oversimplified, but it reflects the frustration many of us feel that the long-standing definition of performance (and of artistic creation in general) as an act of expressive empathy, of leaping into the life of another, of inhabiting someone you are clearly not, is being discarded by those who think of an acting role as a prize to be won by someone whose life, identity, and inherent qualities most clearly match the person theyre playing. The whole piece is worth your time.

Pretrial collision course

Donald Trump has never been particularly good at keeping quiet, but he seems particularly keen on saying things that will get him held in contempt of D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkans court. Could this actually be part of Trumps legal strategy?? Dennis Aftergut and Frederick Baron weigh in.

Plus: Why is Kanye Wests former publicist one of the 18 indicted co-conspirators?

A familiar tune

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Oliver Anthonys new hit Rich Men North of Richmond is getting plenty of attention right now, mostly for its aggressive lyrics portraying a very resentful view of the world. But this kind of rib against welfare queens isnt new, Josh Levin writes. Its not even the first to do it in musical form.

Bye, Advice Week

Were wrapping up Help! Wanted, our spectacular week in which advice columnists tackled your oldest, most common questions, and even switched roles to get some new perspective. Some of our favorite final columns and shows:

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 On the newest episode of the Dear Prudence podcast, Prudie aka Jenee Desmond-Harris is joined by advice columnist and co-host of the Dear Therapists podcast Lori Gottlieb to answer letters from readers about postpartum depression, wedding-planning anxiety, and more. Listen to Dear Prudence ad-free on Amazon Music.

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 Former Bachelorette Charity Lawson steps in as Prudie. She also happens to be a child and family therapist.

 And we continue to unpack your timeless questionstoday in Pay Dirt, our column about money problems.

Pick your park correctly

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National Parks are getting too popular. After a crowded bus ride in Zion that left writer Jen A. Miller with too much time sniffing another nature enthusiasts armpit, she figured out a better way to plan a visit.

Space race to the moons south

Both Russia and India are sending spacecraft to the moon next weekand not to the normal part! Joelle Renstrom explains why these countries are trying to get to the South Pole, whats different about that location (so cold, so dark), and what it will mean if they succeed.

Today, Slate is  * COUNTING ON FINGERS FOR 45 SECONDS

Or rather, this is how long it took staff writer Ben Mathis-Lilly to hash out the math on what Americans think of Trumps election-related indictments. Heres where he landed: About half think Trumps behavior was criminal, a sixth or so think it was bad but not illegal, a fifth think it was fine, and the remaining [this is where the counting happened] two-fifteenths have, blessedly, not read a news headline in decades, if ever.

Thanks so much for reading, and well see you next week, when, yes, there is a Republican primary debate! (Its on Wednesday night and Trump has already bailed.) Have a good weekend!
Certifications and official designations can help businesses realize new opportunities to grow. But obtaining these certifications often requires additional resources that can strain small businesses. Thats why one new grant program is providing support specifically for businesses looking to apply for various designations. Read on for more about this program and other small business grants.

NAACP and Leslies Certification Boost Grant

NAACP and Leslies Certification Boost Grant is accepting applications to help businesses obtain various business certifications. The two organizations are teaming up to provide funds and support for businesses owned by people of color, women, people with disabilities, and those located in Historically Underutilized Business Zones. Eligible businesses can use grants to obtain certifications and official designations like Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), Women Business Enterprise (WBE), and Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE). This funding round is open to businesses in five states where Leslies operated, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas. September 8 is the deadline to apply.

Sell Your Business Discover the Zoho Ecosystem Drive Traffic to Your Website Advertise Your Business Here

Louisiana Innovation Retention Grant

Louisiana is offering supplementary state funding to innovative small businesses that receive federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants. The Louisiana Innovation Retention Grant program may provide up to $100,000 to for-profit, privately owned businesses across the state that receive Phase I or Phase II SBIR/STTR awards. The idea is to spur innovative projects across the state and provide even more incentives for Louisiana businesses to apply for these grants. Recipients will receive awards of two equal amounts disbursed over a two-year period. Applications are now being accepted.

Dubuque Small Business Support Grant

Dubuque, Iowa, recently opened the application period for the citys Small Business Support Grant. The program offers grants of up to $5,000 to help small businesses cover various operating costs. To qualify, businesses must meet income guidelines and take part in an eight-week personal and professional training program. Grant recipients will also be matched with a mentor as part of the program, which is facilitated by Fountain of Youth. Applications are being accepted now through September 15.

Florida Panhandle Capital Readiness Collaborative

The Florida Small Business Development Center at Florida A&M University received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerces Minority Business Development Agency. FAMU will use the funds to create a small business incubator to support disadvantaged individuals interested in launching new businesses. The new Florida Panhandle Capital Readiness Collaborative isnt expected to directly provide grant funds to small businesses. But the program will provide resources and form partnerships to help minority and underserved entrepreneurs launch and scale businesses.

Reading ARPA Grants

Grant applications are now available for Reading, Pennsylvanias American Rescue Plan Act Grant program. The city recently announced the program but was still working out details until recently. The program will include $2 million in total funds to support the citys small businesses. Businesses located on or with plans to relocate to Penn Street may request up to $50,000, while businesses located elsewhere in the city can apply for up to $25,000. The application period is open now and will close on September 29.

Small Business Deals

Atlanta BeyGood Foundation Grants

Beyonces BeyGood Foundation recently awarded $120,000 in small business grants to entrepreneurs in Atlanta. Twelve small businesses in the Metro Atlanta area received $10,000 in grants as part of the ongoing initiative. The foundation is providing grants at several stops along Beyonces world tour. But there isnt currently a public application available, as businesses are being selected and surprised in each location. The foundation is likely to continue supplying small business grants in additional cities along the tour route.
UNICEF dedicates the 15th World Humanitarian Day to compassionate Slovaks that support Ukrainian children.

Social workers Katka, Melinda and Zaneta in front of the Humanitarian Center in Gabcikovo, which hosts close to 1,000 Ukrainian refugees. (Source: UNICEF/UN0783079/Kazimirova)

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Today, we mark the 20th anniversary of the devastating Canal Hotel bombing in Baghdad, Iraq. This tragic event claimed the lives of 22 United Nations staff, civil society partners and civilians, reminding us of the risks and sacrifices made by humanitarians worldwide.

It is also a time to commemorate the 15th World Humanitarian Day, honoring those who tirelessly serve humanity in the face of crises.

It may be easy to overlook Slovakias humanitarian assistance Ukrainian refugees amidst massive on-going crises and conflicts in places like Sudan, Haiti, Syria and Yemen. However, Slovakias effective and compassionate support of Ukrainian women and children would have not been possible without the dedicated individuals who possess the heart and spirit of true humanitarians.

This is the story of first responders  firefighters, police officers, social workers, teachers, doctors and psychologists  but of anyone who donated their time, attention and understanding or provided safe spaces, food or clothes to Ukrainian families. And those who helped a Ukrainian child to feel accepted and included, or who showed empathy towards the immense challenges refugees face every day.

It is the story of a shared humanity, a state of mind and an ability to both empathize and act, all of which are common to humanitarians worldwide.

Fear

As crises unfold, fear becomes an inevitable emotional response for those at the forefront of humanitarian efforts. I remember the words of Natalia, Coordinator of at the UNICEF-supported Blue Dot in Kosice, who told us how shocked she was of first hearing the news of war breaking out just kilometres away from her home.

Humanitarians also absorb the very same fear they see in the eyes of those they are assisting. The emotional distress can even result in what we call vicarious  or second-hand  trauma, and it shows just how impactful exposure to human suffering can be.

This emotion, whether in the face of war or natural disasters, is a reminder of the immense challenges humanitarians confront, as well as a force that drives us all, knowing that if we are afraid, children are probably frightened.

Commitment

Despite that fear, humanitarians persist in their unwavering commitment to support those in need. Supporting refugees means committing to a complex and emotionally heavy work of long hours spent away from home. But like Tatiana, a pediatrician from a clinic UNICEF supports in Bratislava, said: If we dont help them, nobody will.

The commitment displayed by social workers, firefighters, teachers and pediatricians tirelessly supporting Ukrainian refugees for a year and a half is commendable. Their dedication and their ability to make a difference reflects the true essence of humanitarianism, as they often prioritize the well-being and safety of those who need them ahead of their own.

Resilience

In the midst of the ongoing crises that plague our world, resilience becomes the backbone of humanitarian response. Today, our response in Slovakia shifts from providing emergency assistance to Ukrainian children to supporting their inclusion in schools, health and protection systems and society overall, but the spirits of Slovak humanitarians remain unchanged.

I like the mantra in every crisis there is opportunity. With this humanitarian response, Slovakia embraced one of the hardest challenges of its very recent history, and I know it made it more resilient, and more prepared to respond to future challenges.
MANILA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two people have been killed and three others, including two police officers, have been wounded when two armed men on a motorcycle shot against a police team in Manila, the Philippine police said on Saturday.

Police said the shooting broke out before 10 p.m. local time on Friday when police stopped the motorcycle-riding men at a police checkpoint. While the team was inquiring and inspecting the motorcycle, one of the suspects allegedly drew a .45 caliber gun and shot at the police officers, police said.

A firefight ensued, killing the driver and wounding the passenger. The two policemen on duty also sustained gunshot wounds in the head. Both are recuperating in a hospital.

A stray bullet hit the head of a female resident in the area. She was pronounced dead at a city hospital, police added.

Helmeted armed criminals, usually in tandem, use motorcycles for illegal activities, preying on pedestrians in streets of the Philippines. 
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/air-defenses-down-ukrainian-s-200-missile-aimed-at-crimea---russian-defense-ministry-1112721672.html

Air Defenses Down Ukrainian S-200 Missile Aimed at Crimea - Russian Defense Ministry

Air Defenses Down Ukrainian S-200 Missile Aimed at Crimea - Russian Defense Ministry

Russian missile defense systems destroyed in the air an S-200 missile that Ukrainian troops used to attack facilities in Crimea overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said early on Saturday.

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ukrainian drone attacks on russia

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"This night, on August 19, the Kiev regime attempted a terrorist attack on the territory of Crimea with an S-200 air defense missile converted into a strike version. The Ukrainian missile was timely detected by the Russian air defense forces and shot down in mid-air," the ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that there were no casualties or material damage.On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a Ukrainian drone was shot down around 4:00 a.m. (01:00 GMT) when it attempted to attack facilities in Moscow and the Moscow region.Prior to that, Russian forces had managed to successfully thwart two separate drone attacks in the Belgorod Region and over the Black Sea.Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after multiple postponements. Citing the counteroffensive's needs, Kiev pushed its Western donors to step up the military and financial aid.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230817/russian-forces-thwart-ukrainian-drone-strikes-in-black-sea-belgorod-region-1112692557.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/all-eyes-on-plastun-russia-debuts-cutting-edge-all-terrain-vehicle-1112706303.html

All Eyes on Plastun: Russia Debuts Cutting-Edge All-Terrain Vehicle

All Eyes on Plastun: Russia Debuts Cutting-Edge All-Terrain Vehicle

The International Military and Technical Forum ARMY 2023 during a dynamic presentation of Russian military technology for international guests presented a new innovation  a light multipurpose tracked all-terrain vehicle Plastun (Crawler).

2023-08-19T04:31+0000

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2023-08-19T04:31+0000

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army-2023

russian arms

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Why Plastun?In the Russian Empire, "plastuns" referred to reconnaissance squads composed of Kuban Cossacks (to some extent analogous to modern army special forces). Plastun teams were officially formed in 1842. Joining them was no easy task, as it required physical strength, endurance, hunting skills, patience, and the ability to "go unnoticed" as much as possible. Often, these Cossack scouts moved silently by crawling on their bellies during combat operations. The army term "crawling like a plastun" stems from this reconnaissance tactic.The Russian-designed light multipurpose tracked all-terrain vehicle inherits the qualities of silence, mobility, and inconspicuousness from the living, breathing "plastuns." That is why it is named in their honor.Advantages of All-Terrain VehicleThe Russian All-Terrain Vehicles Plastun company developed the vehicle. The company's CEO and candidate of technical sciences, Eric Sagymbayev, talked about the vehicle's advantages in an exclusive interview with Sputnik:According to Eric Sagymbayev, from the very beginning they aimed to maximize the use of Russian components in their vehicles.Very First PlastunThe original Plastun was a purely civilian commercial amphibious all-terrain vehicle with a closed aluminum body. The company unveiled it at the ARMY-2022 Forum and it attracted the interest of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Engineers were tasked with developing a military version with a simplified, lightly armored body on its platform, suitable for various units such as paratroopers, special forces, artillery mortar crews, reconnaissance units, and military medics (for evacuating the wounded from the battlefield). This variant was developed in only six months.The civilian vehicles of the Plastun brand are certified and are allowed to be driven on public roads."On the water the Plastun moves slowly: 1-2 km/h by rewinding the tracks and 5-6 km/h with an attached outboard motor. As for its ability to operate in different climates, the vehicle performs well both in the Far North and the Arctic, as well as in tropical conditions. The VAZ engine cooling system has been improved to ensure proper warming in extreme cold and to prevent overheating in hot weather," Eric Sagymbayev emphasized.At the ARMY-2023 Forum, the all-terrain vehicles of the Plastun series in both military and civilian versions are attracting a great deal of interest among foreign guests representing countries friendly to Russia.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/china-conducts-military-drills-near-taiwan-as-warning-to-separatist-forces---beijing-1112728629.html

China Conducts Military Drills Near Taiwan as Warning to 'Separatist Forces' - Beijing

China Conducts Military Drills Near Taiwan as Warning to 'Separatist Forces' - Beijing

The Chinese air force and navy conducted joint patrols and exercises around Taiwan on Saturday as a warning to the "separatist forces of the island," Shi Yi, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said.

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taiwan

taiwan strait

china

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The drills came after Taiwanese Vice President and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te wrapped up his trip to Paraguay, during which made transit stops in New York and San Francisco. China has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the transit through the United States and condemned Lai's visit to the country. The Chinese military practiced coordinating maneuvers of vessels and aircraft and intercepting control communications, as well as tested real combat capabilities during joint operations, the statement read. "This is a serious warning to the separatist forces of the island colluding with foreign forces for the purpose of provocation," the official said. Earlier this week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin dodged giving a straightforward answer to a question whether China will conduct large-scale exercises near Taiwan following Lai's stop in the US, while saying that Beijing will take effective measures to protect its sovereignty. Last month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the US to refrain from receiving Lai, arguing that the visit would violate the "one-China" principle and the provisions of the three joint China-US communiques. Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan  a territory with its own elected government  maintains that it is an autonomous country, but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230808/biden-signs-bill-officially-formalizing-us-taiwan-trade-agreement-1112450769.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/first-case-of-newly-discovered-coronavirus-variant-detected-in-uk---health-agency-1112719863.html

First Case of Newly Discovered Coronavirus Variant Detected in UK - Health Agency

First Case of Newly Discovered Coronavirus Variant Detected in UK - Health Agency

The newly discovered coronavirus variant BA.2.86, which contains a high number of mutations, has been detected in the United Kingdom for the first time, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday.

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"This variant was detected in the UK on Friday 18 August, and has also been identified in Israel, Denmark and the US," the agency said in a statement.The new variant has a high number of mutations and is genomically distant from both its likely ancestor, BA.2, and currently circulating variants, the UKHSA said, adding that it had insufficient data to assess the potential immune response and the severity of the disease. In late July, the BA.2.86 coronavirus variant was sequenced in Israel and Denmark, and then detected in the United States. A total of six cases of BA.2.86 have been detected in four countries, including the UK, by now. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated it will actively monitor the highly mutated variant.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230818/new-covid-19-variant-detected-in-us-denmark-israel---us-cdc-1112697066.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/incognito-mode-joe-biden-juggled-aliases-as-he-peddled-power-via-hunter---report-1112723607.html

Incognito Mode: Joe Biden Juggled Aliases as He Peddled Power Via Hunter - Report

Incognito Mode: Joe Biden Juggled Aliases as He Peddled Power Via Hunter - Report

President Joe Biden used aliases during his time as Obamas vice president when communicating with son Hunter, as well as the latters foreign business partners, reported US media.

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americas

us

joe biden

hunter biden

house oversight committee

james comer

hunter biden charges

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President Joe Biden armed himself with several fake identities during his time as Barack Obamas vice president when communicating with son Hunter, as well as the latters foreign business partners, emails from the notorious "laptop from hell" reveal, reported US media. Hunter Biden had abandoned this device in a Delaware repair shop in 2019.At least three pseudonyms: Robert L. Peters, Robin Ware and JRB Ware, along with alternate email addresses were used by Joe Biden between 2014 and 2016, when sending messages to his son. Some concerned family issues, other communications pertained to official government business, such as upcoming talks with then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, or Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. The pseudonyms were supposedly used to dodge discovery of the communications under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).Thus, the private email address using the name Robert.L.Peters was where Joe Bidens aide, John Flynn, was ostensibly instructed to send his daily schedule at least on 10 occasions in the period between May 18 and June 15. Regarding the above-cited call with the then-Ukrainian President, Hunter Bidens name was copied onto a message dated May 26. It contained a note keeping the younger Biden in the loop about an 8.45am prep for 9am phonecall [sic] with Pres Poroshenko.Hunter Biden had also been alerted to a meeting on his fathers schedule with Prime Minister Groysman on June 15, 2016. Subsequently the face-to-face led to an announcement of $220 million in new assistance to Ukraine, per records. 'Wide Open Access' For Biden Family 'Influence Peddling'House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has sent a letter to the National Archives requesting any "document or communication in which a pseudonym for Vice President Joe Biden was included either as a sender, recipient, copied or was included in the contents of the document or communication, including but not limited to Robert Peters, Robin Ware, and JRB Ware."Specifically, Comer hoped to get a look at emails released by the National Archives that are marked as "Email Messages To and/or From Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden related to Burisma and Ukraine."The House GOP is conducting a probe into the Bidens that originated back during the Trump presidency. In October 2020, the Republicans obtained the so-called "laptop from hell," a hard disk with a copy of all materials and documents found on Hunter's laptop left at a Delaware repair shop and then handed over to the FBI. The docs raised questions about Joe Biden's apparent awareness of his son's shady business dealings. There was even indication in some email messages suggesting that the then-vice president received hefty bonuses as part of Hunter's pay-to-play schemes. In one of the oft-cited email exchanges between Hunter and his business partners one of the participants outlined an equity breakdown in which 10% of the lucrative CEFC joint venture would be held by Hunter "for the big guy." Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, insisted that "the big guy" was a reference to Joe Biden.IRS whistleblowers, Supervisory IRS Special Agent Gary Shapley and IRS Criminal Investigator Joseph Ziegler, have accused the Biden family of accepting millions from foreign entities. Ziegler told lawmakers he had discovered that Hunter Biden and his business associates had received $17 million from foreign sources, including $7.3 million from Ukrainian energy company Burisma. According to the whistleblowers, the Justice Department hindered their probe into the president's son.In more recent developments, former Biden business partner Devon Archer gave testimony to Congress and a spate of public interviews on the ongoing scandal. Archer had worked alongside Biden in developing a relationship with Burisma, which was under investigation by then-Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin. Shokin was later fired after pressure from officials including then-US Vice President Joe Biden.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently floated the idea of congressional Republicans kicking off an impeachment probe into the elder Biden, adding that his actions are rising to the level of impeachment inquiry based on the emerging evidence.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230806/pants-on-fire-team-biden-reportedly-lied-about-joes-dinner-with-ukrainian-burisma-exec-1112425884.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/japanese-prime-minister-says-will-visit-fukushima-npp-before-decision-on-water-release-1112723754.html

Japanese PM to Visit Fukushima NPP Before Deciding on Radioactive Water Release

Japanese PM to Visit Fukushima NPP Before Deciding on Radioactive Water Release

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday that he will visit the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) on August 20 before the final decision on releasing treated radioactive water into the sea is made.

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asia

fumio kishida

japan

fukushima

tokyo electric power company (tepco)

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"The issue of discharging water treated in the ALPS [Advanced Liquid Processing System] system cannot be postponed. We have reached the final stage, when the state must make a decision after a comprehensive review, including from the point of view of the maximum containment of the impact that this may have on fisheries," Kishida told reporters following the trilateral US-Japan-South Korea summit in Camp David, adding that he intends to visit the NPP on Sunday. The prime minister also said he is planning to discuss the relevant issues with employees of the NPP operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The Japanese cabinet is set to meet to discuss the water release plan on August 22, media reported, citing sources. Earlier this month, media reported that Japan is planning to release the treated water into the sea between late August and early September. Japan initially planned to begin discharging water purified of all radionuclides except tritium into the ocean 0.6 miles from the station this spring. However, the deadline was pushed back to the summer of 2023 due to adverse weather conditions and other factors. The Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011. The plant was severely damaged by a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. This triggered a massive tsunami that hit the plant and caused three nuclear reactors to melt down. The accident is considered the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and has resulted in widespread contamination of local soil and water. The disaster left 22,200 people dead or missing.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230807/japan-planning-fukushima-water-discharge-between-late-august-early-september-1112433914.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/russia-refutes-speculations-about-prisoner-swap-of-gershkovich-whelan-urges-us-to-continue-talks-1112724592.html

Russia Refutes Speculations About Prisoner Swap of Gershkovich, Whelan, Urges US to Continue Talks

Russia Refutes Speculations About Prisoner Swap of Gershkovich, Whelan, Urges US to Continue Talks

Media reports about the readiness of the United States to consider the exchange of US citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan for Russians convicted in the US for hacking are speculations, and, in matters of a possible prisoner swap, Moscow urges Washington to focus on non-public professional dialogue via a special channel only, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

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moscow

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russia

us

prisoner swap

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Media reports about the readiness of the United States to consider the exchange of US citizens Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan for Russians convicted in the US for hacking are speculations, and, in matters of a possible prisoner swap, Moscow urges Washington to focus on non-public professional dialogue via a special channel only, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.She added that the exchange of Russians Konstantin Yaroshenko and Viktor Bout for US citizens Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner had taken place thanks to such "quiet diplomacy." She also said that "instead of whipping up unnecessary hype," the US authorities should better deal with the problems and "unsatisfactory state" of the penitentiary system in the United States itself. Gershkovich, a Moscow-based Wall Street Journal reporter, has been detained since March 29 on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government deny. Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 and subsequently sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has maintained his innocence, insisting that he came to Russia to attend a friend's wedding.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230130/russia-us-to-continue-negotiations-on-prisoners-exchange-deputy-foreign-minister-says-1106830559.html

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prisoner swap, exchange of us citizens evan gershkovich and paul whelan, russians convicted in the us
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/russia-thwarts-ukrainian-drone-attack-near-moscow---mod-1112729933.html

Russia Thwarts Ukrainian Drone Attack Near Moscow - MoD

Russia Thwarts Ukrainian Drone Attack Near Moscow - MoD

Russian electronic warfare systems prevented a Ukrainian drone from attacking facilities in Moscow and the Moscow region on Saturday by downing it in a deserted area

2023-08-19T15:54+0000

2023-08-19T15:54+0000

2023-08-19T15:54+0000

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ukrainian drone attacks on russia

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"This afternoon, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an airplane-type UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] on targets in Moscow and the Moscow region was thwarted," the ministry said in a statement. Russian air defense forces detected the drone and jammed it with electronic warfare systems, the ministry said, adding that the UAV lost control and crashed in a deserted area near the village of Putilkovo outside Moscow. The incident caused no casualties or destruction, the ministry added. Earlier on Saturday, Russian air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone over the western Belgorod region. Kiev attacked a military air base in Russia's Novgorod Region with another drone on Saturday morning, damaging one warplane. Ukraine has been sending drones into the Russian territory almost daily since it launched a counteroffensive in early June, as Kiev was unable to show any results on the battlefield. The United Nations said Friday following a botched drone strike on Moscow that it did not want to see any targeting of civilian infrastructure.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/ukrainian-drone-attacks-military-air-base-in-russias-novgorod-region---mod-1112724241.html

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ukrainian drone attack on moscow, ukraine attacks russia
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/russian-strike-hits-center-of-combat-drone-experts-in-ukraines-chernigov---source-1112731041.html

Russian Strike Hits Center of Combat Drone Experts in Ukraine's Chernigov - Source

Russian Strike Hits Center of Combat Drone Experts in Ukraine's Chernigov - Source

A Russian strike in the Ukrainian city of Chernigov targeted a meeting place for military experts on combat UAVs, which was disguised as a civilian drone exhibition

2023-08-19T17:40+0000

2023-08-19T17:40+0000

2023-08-19T17:41+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

russian defense ministry

russia

ukraine

chernigov

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Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian media reported an explosion in Chernigov after an air raid alert was sounded in the city. The source also showed a photo of an invitation to the event, masqueraded as a drone festival named "Angry Birds," with a recommendation not to wear a military uniform. The leaflet also said that it was a private event, as it featured information that was sensitive for the country's defense capabilities, including the presentation of new equipment. Most of the participants were active military officers, therefore, filming or taking pictures of them was possible only with their consent, according to the invitation. Last month, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces had launched an overnight missile strike on facilities that manufactured and prepared drone boats near Odesa, where foreign mercenaries were also present. Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been carried out by Russia since October 10, two days after the first attack on the Crimean Bridge.

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russia strikes ukrainian drones, chernigov drones contest
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/russias-luna-25-module-makes-first-measurements-in-moon-orbit-1112729749.html

Russia's Luna-25 Module Makes First Measurements in Moon Orbit

Russia's Luna-25 Module Makes First Measurements in Moon Orbit

Specialists have activated the instruments on the Luna-25 automatic landing module several times during its flight along the lunar orbit, producing the first scientific results from the mission

2023-08-19T14:50+0000

2023-08-19T14:50+0000

2023-08-19T14:50+0000

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luna-25 (moon-25)

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roscosmos

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"The Luna-25 spacecraft built at the Lavochkin Association, JSC [part of Roscosmos] continues its flight along the circular orbit of the artificial satellite of the Moon. During the flight, several activations of scientific equipment created at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences were carried out," Roscosmos told reporters.The ADRON-LR detector of neutrons and gamma rays sensed the most intense lines of chemical elements of the lunar soil in the energy spectrum of gamma rays, the space corporation added.A wide-angle ionic energy-mass analyzer ARIES-L, designed to study the interaction between the solar wind and the Moon's surface, as well as the composition of regolith based on secondary ions and neutral particles knocked out of it, was turned on in the lunar orbit for the first time. Thanks to the data obtained, scientists were able to choose the optimal mode of operation of the instrument on the lunar surface to measure the energy spectra of particles in the energy range from 10 to 3000 electron volts, Roscosmos said.Specialists have also processed two photos of the Zeeman crater, located on the far side of the Moon, which is 190 kilometers (118 miles) wide and 8 kilometers deep. Scientists believe it was formed by a very strong impact, which is possible when the speed of the impactor is very high or its substance is very dense.On August 11, the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket lifted off from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome and launched into orbit Luna-25, the first Russian lunar mission in almost 50 years and the first one in Russia's independent space history. Its predecessor, Luna-24, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1976. The new mission is part of the Russian lunar program for the exploration and practical use of the Moon and its orbit to establish a fully automated lunar base. Luna-25 is expected to become the first station to make a soft landing in the lunar south pole with difficult terrain on August 21.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230811/luna-25-launch-of-first-lunar-mission-in-modern-russian-history-1112527989.html

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BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management on Saturday pre-allocated another 1 billion yuan (about 139 million U.S. dollars) as part of the central government's support for disaster relief work in regions affected by flooding.

The finance ministry said in a statement on its website that the new funding will mainly support relief work for residents severely affected by disasters, including those in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces.

The new funding will ensure that those affected by disasters are resettled properly, that production and life in impacted areas return to normal as soon as possible, and that affected residents are able to return home or move into new homes before the winter, the statement said.

Since the beginning of the flood season, the central government has allocated more than 9.68 billion yuan across various flood prevention and relief funds to disaster-stricken areas, the statement said.

In the statement, the Ministry of Finance ordered provincial-level financial departments to distribute the funds in a timely manner, strengthen the supervision of fund usage, and prioritize the protection of people's lives and property. 
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/spot-the-difference-russia-distributes-food-aid-in-syria-as-us-ramps-up-looting-1112732352.html

Spot the Difference: Russia Distributes Food Aid in Syria as US Ramps Up Looting

Spot the Difference: Russia Distributes Food Aid in Syria as US Ramps Up Looting

The destruction of Syria caused by the CIA-led dirty war, combined with the illegal US occupation and plunder of energy and food-rich areas of the country east of the Euphrates, have turned the republic from a net exporter to a net importer of foodstuffs and oil. Fortunately, Damascuss Russian and Iranian friends have stepped in to assist.

2023-08-19T19:28+0000

2023-08-19T19:28+0000

2023-08-19T19:35+0000

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Russian troops in Syria marked World Humanitarian Day 2023 by passing out tons of food assistance to Syrians in the village of al-Danair in the Tartous countryside, and the village of al-Watotiyeh in Qamishli.The Tartous deliveries included about 2.5 tons in aid. In Qamishli, food packages for 300 families were handed out. Aziz Soumi, the head of al-Watotiyehs church committee, told local media that Russias support represents Moscows humanitarian role in supporting the Syrian people in their hour of need.The Russian militarys aid mission coincided with World Humanitarian Day, an annual United Nations holiday honoring humanitarian workers. The holiday, first marked in 2009, is dedicated to the 22 humanitarian aid workers killed in a bombing attack in Iraq on August 19, 2003, shortly after the US and UK-led invasion.Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement Saturday on the occasion of the holiday, saying the United States honors the humanitarian aid workers who continue to sacrifice so much to protect and assist the worlds most vulnerable populations.The US done its part to growing the humanitarian crisis in Syria, cutting Damascus off from its oil and food-rich northeastern territories, creating an occupation garrison, looting the countrys energy and food resources and setting up an aggressive sanctions regime known as the Caesar Act.On Thursday, sources told local media that a convoy of 40 tankers loaded with Syrian oil was smuggled into Iraq. Such reports have been a staple in Syrian media for years now.About 90 percent of Syrias oil and gas resources and much of its richest food producing regions are under US occupation, with the country going from energy and food exporter before 2011 to import dependency for both in the wake of the CIA-led dirty war.The Syrian government has estimated that its energy sector has suffered over $100 billion in damage since 2011, while the overall cost of the conflict has reached up to $1 trillion. In addition, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and millions becoming refugees abroad.Amid Syrias humanitarian crisis, Russia has stepped in to provide the country with millions of tons in food assistance, while Iranian oil tankers have risked the trek from the Persian Gulf to Syrias Mediterranean coastline to offload emergency oil and gas cargoes despite harassment and sabotage by Israel.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230731/us-steals-convoys-of-stolen-syrian-oil-food-as-regional-tensions-seethe-1112273430.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230802/us-instigates-fabricated-crises-to-prolong-military-presence-in-syria---iran-1112354735.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/ukrainian-drone-attacks-military-air-base-in-russias-novgorod-region---mod-1112724241.html

Ukrainian Drone Attacks Military Air Base in Russia's Novgorod Region - MoD

Ukrainian Drone Attacks Military Air Base in Russia's Novgorod Region - MoD

A Ukrainian drone attacked a military air base in Russia's Novgorod Region on Saturday morning, damaging one warplane and causing no casualties, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

2023-08-19T10:46+0000

2023-08-19T10:46+0000

2023-08-19T10:46+0000

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ukrainian drone attacks on russia

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"Today, at about 10:00 Moscow time [07:00 GMT], the Kiev regime carried out a terrorist attack using a copter-type UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] against a military airfield in the Novgorod Region," the ministry said in a statement. The drone was spotted by the external observation post of the airfield and was fired at with small arms, the statement said. On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that a Ukrainian drone was shot down around 4:00 a.m. (01:00 GMT) when it attempted to attack facilities in Moscow and the Moscow region.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230818/ukrainian-drone-struck-down-after-attempted-strike-in-moscow-region---defense-ministry-1112694055.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/us-air-force-17-deaths-reported-at-oklahoma-base-most-over-natural-causes-or-accidents-1112719247.html

US Air Force: 17 Deaths Reported at Oklahoma Base, Most Over Natural Causes or Accidents

US Air Force: 17 Deaths Reported at Oklahoma Base, Most Over Natural Causes or Accidents

The US Air Force confirmed to Sputnik that 17 personnel, including civilian and service members, have died at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma so far this year, mostly due to natural causes or accidents.

2023-08-19T00:57+0000

2023-08-19T00:57+0000

2023-08-19T00:56+0000

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Earlier this week, Military.com reported that officials at the base refused to provide the causes of deaths. The report, citing an unnamed source, said there was speculation that some of the deaths were the result of suicide or covid. The other six remaining deaths are a result of other causes, some of which remain under investigation, most of which were civilians, Ruscetta said. Tinker Air Force Base offers different forms of support, mental health counselors, chaplains, and Military Family Readiness professionals. Ruscetta noted that workforce at Tinker Air Force Base includes civilian and uniformed airmen and sailors, as well as contractors.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230817/us-military-releases-wwii-aerial-reconnaissance-snapshots-of-england-1112661245.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230819/wests-slogans-change-but-goal-of-bending-world-to-its-will-remain-unchanged--lavrov-1112714401.html

Wests Slogans Change, But Goal of Bending World to Its Will Remain Unchanged  Lavrov

Wests Slogans Change, But Goal of Bending World to Its Will Remain Unchanged  Lavrov

The Ukrainian crisis has resulted in the acceleration of global processes aimed at the creation of a new global economic, political and security architecture to challenge the unipolar hegemony of the United States and its allies. As Russias Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov has played a key role in facilitating this global transformation.

2023-08-19T04:00+0000

2023-08-19T04:00+0000

2023-08-19T04:00+0000

world

sergey lavrov

volodymyr zelensky

josep borrell

russia

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has given a broad-ranging interview with Mezhdunarodnaya Zhizn, Russias leading international affairs journal, discussing the rapidly changing global geopolitical situation, what he believes is the Wests main fear about the rise of a multipolar world order, the causes and consequences of the Ukrainian crisis, the risks of a nuclear war, and Russias cooperation with partners abroad.Lavrov had a lot of important things to say. Sputnik brings you the most important highlights.Biggest Problem Facing HumanityThe Russian top diplomat cited the Wests seemingly insatiable drive to dominate of other nations as one of the key factors standing in the way of harmonious global development.According to Lavrov, Washington and its allies are seeking to slow down or even reverse the evolution of the international affairs to prevent the emergence of a multipolar order and a more just architecture of international affairs, which Russia sees as its mission to support.No One to Blame But ThemselvesPointing to what he characterized as the professional degradation of the current crop of Western leaders, and their inability to correctly analyze events and predict trends, Lavrov emphasized that the ill-conceived policy of the US and its allies turned the full-scale European security crisis presently playing out in Ukraine into an inevitability.Russia, proceeding from the new Foreign Policy Concept released in March, strives to create the conditions necessary for the peaceful and progressive development of humanity based on a unifying agenda, Lavrov said, with one of the key goals being to revive the United Nations ability to return to a central role in harmonizing the interests of member states.Nuclear DangerHighlighting the growing threat of a global nuclear catastrophe stemming from the prospect of a direct Russia-NATO clash in Ukraine, Lavrov emphasized that at its core, the risks stem from the Western alliances gross violation of the principles of indivisible security, and a desire to see Russias strategic defeat in the proxy war in Ukraine.The Russian top diplomat stressed that Russias nuclear doctrine was and remains purely defensive in nature, and aimed at maintaining the minimum necessary nuclear force potential to guarantee the defense of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, and prevent aggression against Russia and its allies.In the context of deterrence, the possession of nuclear weapons is presently the only possible response to some of the major external threats to the security of our country. The situation around Ukraine has only served to confirm the validity of our concerns in this area, Lavrov said, with a great danger posed by the US and NATOs drive toward escalation resulting in direct armed clashes between nuclear powers. We believe that such a development can and should be prevented. Therefore, we are forced to remind and send sobering signals to our opponents of the existence of these extreme military-political risks.In the meantime, he said, Moscow will continue to adhere to the view that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought, and to urge other nuclear states to maintain adherence to these understandings and to exercise maximum restraint.Crisis Has Unmasked the WestThe crisis in relations between Russia and the West has created considerable risks, but also at least one benefit, Lavrov believes, with the majority of the world getting a unique opportunity to see the true face of those who claimed almost a monopoly on the right to determine universal values.Western leaders have openly admitted that they did not plan to implement the Minsk Agreements aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine. In reality, they only stalled for time to prepare for a military scenario while pumping Kiev up with arms, Lavrov said, referring to recent revelations by former leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany regarding the Minsk deal.Hybrid Wars Main GoalI think its important to understand the main thing: that the West wants to eliminate our country as a serious geopolitical competitor, Lavrov said.This, he noted, explains the hybrid war being waged against Russia, through sanctions, threats of secondary restrictions against countries cooperating with Russia, acts of sabotage, such as last years terror attacks against the Nord Stream pipeline network, efforts to disconnect Russia from international cultural, educational, scientific and sporting events, etc.Meanwhile, he added, the roughly 50 countries representing the so-called Ramstein Coalition supporting Ukraine militarily are factually involved in the armed conflict against Russia, delivering cluster bombs and long-range missiles, using NATO instructors to plan operations and providing Kiev with intelligence.Lavrov pointed out that the West has now provided in excess of $160 billion in military and economic aid to the Zelensky regime, with one Washington-based think tank calculating that the $113 billion provided by the United States alone is equivalent to about $900 for every American household, plus $300 in interest on servicing the related debt obligations. These are huge sums, especially given the difficult situation in the global economy.Western leaders continue to repeat the mantra that their countries will provide as much military and other assistance to Ukraine as required, and are prepared to fight to the last Ukrainian, according to Lavrov. However, the record US support to its client states abroad, from South Vietnam to Afghanistan, offers hints about Kievs bleak future, with Ukraine today almost completely dependent on Western financial inflows and weapons deliveries. The longer the crisis continues, the less attractive the country will become to Western investors taking part in reconstruction, and the heavier the burden of Ukraines state debt will become, the Russian diplomat stressed.Wests Schizophrenic Approach to Peace TalksPointing to Russias long-standing efforts to restore peace, from the 2015 Minsk deal to the comprehensive security agreements proposed to the US and NATO in late 2021, to peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in the first weeks of the special military operations, which were ultimately sabotaged by the West, Lavrov indicated that the problem is that Washington, as the main party fueling the proxy war, refuses to come to the negotiating table, while the Zelensky regime has signed a law prohibiting peace talks.Today, in different cities, first in Copenhagen and now in Jeddah, multilateral meetings are being held, without Russian representatives being invited, to support Zelenskys peace formula. Meanwhile, Moscow is accused of unwillingness to participate in negotiations, and any arguments about the need to take into account the vital interests of our country are swept aside. It is clear that such an approach means the West has no intention to negotiate anything with Russia. Therefore, the prospects for negotiations between Russia and the West are, alas, not clear, Lavrov said.Russian-African Cooperation Signals Wests FailureAsked for his views on the significance of last months Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Lavrov said that the summits importance could not be overstated in terms of African countries ability to resist the concentrated campaign by the West to pressure them over ties with Russia.Russias goal in Africa, Lavrov said, includes strengthening the political, economic and technological sovereignty of its partners, with Moscow ready to share knowhow on improving public administration, ensuring food security, and implementing socio-economic development, and partnering up with regional nations to help preserve security and stability, settle regional conflicts, fight terrorism, drug crime and other cross-border threats and challenges.Russias Near Abroad: Cooperation Within Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty OrganizationAccording to Lavrov, Russias partners in the EEU and the CSTO have also faced colossal pressure from the West throughout the past year-and-a-half, with unfriendly countries using threats and blackmail to try to force our allies to abandon their absolutely legal cooperation with Russia.Russia is sympathetic to its allies in the face of the external pressure being exerted on them, Lavrov said, and their need to exercise caution in cooperation. At the same time, mutual trade and economic obligations that exist between our nations continue to be fulfilledNaturally, countermeasures are being taken on our part aimed at curbing destructive influence from outside.For example, within the EEU, joint measures have been set up to help nullify the effects of sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus. These measures have borne fruit, with inter-bloc trade growing, along with the use of currency swaps for trade, while food and energy security cooperation continue to be fully insured, according to the diplomat.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221021/europe-network-against-racism-denounces-borrells-attempt-to-apologize-for-garden-metaphor-1102515794.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230809/global-south-charts-own-course-in-geopolitics--trade-ditches-us-led-world-order-1112476532.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230815/north-korean-defense-minister-on-nuclear-war-question-is-who-will-start-it-1112620988.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221117/kiev-joined-minsk-peace-process-only-to-build-up-army-with-natos-help-poroshenko-tells-pranksters-1104344599.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230818/report-us-classified-forecast-predicts-ukraine-counteroffensive-will-fail-1112694940.html

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Eleven-year-old trotter Celebrity Pegasus took down the co-featured $9,5000 Open on Friday night (Aug. 18) at Northville Downs with driver Kim Pluta in 1:58.2 for his 50th career victory.

In an Open Trot that had four of the nine competitors break stride throughout the mile, Celebrity Pegasus, who got away safely in third from his second tier starting position, stalked early leaders Some More Prince and Swan Leader to three-quarters. Pluta sensed that Some More Prince was starting to tire so he guided his charge outside for clear sailing and opened up in the stretch to win by a length over Swan Leader and a fast-closing Bo Nanza Chip.

Celebrity Pegasus is currently owned by Joshua Graber and trained by Samuel Eicher. The Andover Hall-Celebrity Athena stallion has earned more than $500,000 during his career spanning 203 starts.

Hired Luck made her Northville Downs debut a winning one in the co-featured Open Pace for mares in 1:55.2 with driver Marc St. Louis Jr.

The Mares Open Pace had Juxta Cowgirl, who was riding a three-race win streak, on the early lead with David Lake while Hired Luck got away seventh from her second tier starting position only to move to a second-over position going to the half behind a first-up She The North. As the field headed to three-quarters, Juxta Cowgirl started to tire and St. Louis waited no longer, tipping Hired Luck three-wide to three-quarters and she stormed home in the stretch to win easily by a widening 4-1/2-length victory. Cousin Margie got up to place while Princesa Alta stormed home for the show dough.

Hired Luck, a daughter of Tellitlikeitis- Lady Luck Killean, is owned by Stacey Currie and trained by Danielle St. Louis. The win was the six-year-old mares 20th lifetime.

Drew Neill had a driving hat trick while Kody Massey had a driving double on the evening.

Racing at The Ville resumes on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. and features a 13-race program. Southwind Amazon will seek to earn career win number 128 at the Michigan oval which would put the 13-year-old into a tie for second all-time with Rambling Willie on the winningest Standardbreds list. Starting from post position six in an eight-horse field, Southwind Amazon will attempt to earn the victory in an effort to work towards taking over the top spot on the list currently held by Niffit with 137 wins.

(With files from Northville Downs; Photo of Celebrity Pegasus winning earlier this year)
Parked every step of the mile, Livinthebeachlife was smiling for his photo in the Guardian $30,000 James (Roach) MacGregor Gold Cup & Saucer Consolation in line to Jody Jamieson on Friday evening (Aug. 18) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

Over a wet track, Rockabilly Rebel N (David Dowling) protected the cones from post one at the start as the post time favourite before releasing Ys Mathis (Marc Campbell) to the lead. Rockabilly Rebel N then retook the lead past the :27.1 opening quarter while eventual winner Livinthebeachlife was parked out in eighth.

The half was struck in 56 seconds with Livinthebeachlife edging forward on the outside to fifth while still not seeing any pylons.

Three-quarters went down in 1:24.2 as the pacesetting Rockabilly Rebel N fought off the first-over advance of Repeal Or Replace (Myles Heffernan Sr.) and Livinthebeachlife was up into contention tipping three-wide.

As the field turned for home, Livinthebeachlife was toe-to-toe with Rockabilly Rebel N as he surged past to victory in 1:53.4. No Plan Intended (Jason Hughes) closed for second with Rockabilly Rebel N finishing third.

Victor Puddy trains Livinthebeachlife for owners Christopher Boland, Limco Inc., and Gordon McDonald.

The program also featured the Lady Slipper Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies.

Redlandbethanyjean won her $17,200 Gold division in 1:57.4 in her return to her native P.E.I. Brodie MacPhee was in the bike for trainer Tom Weatherbie and owner Redland Farms of Bible Hill, N.S.

Woodmere Jade won another Gold division in 1:58.2 for driver Heffernan Sr., trainer Myles Heffernan Jr., and owner Jackie Heffernan.

Singing Ramona clicked in her $17,200 Gold assignment with a 1:57.4 win in line to James MacDonald for co-owner and trainer Jamie Smith and co-owner Hubert (Socke) MacDonald of Charlottetown.

The $8,600 Grassroots divisions for sophomore pacing fillies were won by Tobins Future (Jaycob Sweet) in 2:00.2, Georgia Thompson (Adam Merner) in 1:56.4 and Onlythegooddiyoung (Gilles Barrieau) with a 1:58.2 score.

Campbell teamed up with The Lady Sheriff to win race 12 in 1:58.2, marking the 1,000th training win of the 38-year-old Orwell horseman's career.

Live harness racing continues on Saturday with a doubleheader of 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. programs, featuring the $100,000 Atlantic Lottery Gold Cup & Saucer in the final race of the day.

To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(With files from Red Shores)
Home improvement company Floor Advisor celebrated the grand opening of its new location in Culpeper on Aug. 15.

A Culpeper Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting was held Aug. 15 at the chains 4th store, located in the Aldi shopping center at 15149 Montanus Drive. Other locations include Gainesville, Alexandria and Leesburg.

Floor Advisor offers flooring home improvements and installation of carpet, hardwood and vinyl. The stores owner Bill Jackling has been in the flooring business since 1990 and until October 2022 worked as a sales rep for J.J. Haines and Armstrong, vendors for Floor Advisors.

Were so happy to be part of the community, said Jackling. We like to provide a stress and pressure free experience so that you can find the floors that best suit you and your budget.

Several well-wishers were in attendance at the event including Culpeper Mayor Frank Reaves Jr. and Nancy Vasi, a recent customer. She reported Jackling did very extensive work on her floorstearing out old carpets and sanding them to level them out. Vasi said that she was extremely satisfied with the work done by Floor Advisor.

Vasi commented on the grand opening of the new Culpeper location, Its great, it makes it so much more convenient for people who live in this area to just have him available to come out and do the measurements instead of waiting for people who are in Northern Virginia or farther west.

Jackling, along with his wife Joanna who also operates the store, is hiring at the new location. He said he is also interested in starting a charity to give back to the community, aiding either children or animals.
Martha Clark experienced the joy that Jessi the golden retriever brought her and many others who met the therapy dog  and she felt the agony from Jessis unexpected loss.

Clark rushed home from church one Sunday in June 2019 to find her dog horribly sick. A vet determined Jessi had cancerous tumors throughout, and Clark had to let her go.

She had been my buddy for the past 10 years and I was devastated, said Clark, who reached out to friends at church. It was very comforting to have them there in that moment, it just really helped me to deal with her loss.

And so, the Saint Francis Pet Ministry was born at Christ Episcopal Church in Spotsylvania County. Its team members pray with and console others who have lost four-legged loved ones or they take their dogs to visit shut-ins, either in their own homes or in medical facilities.

Clark had started a Therapy Dog Ministry at Christ Church in 2013 after hearing about a similar program offered through Lutheran churches. Jessi was so outgoing, she seemed like a perfect fit.

She had this empathy and could sense when people needed her and she did it over and over again, Clark said.

Her death made Clark realize others need comfort at their time of loss, and a pet ministry might help with that. Team members include Clark, Linda and Cindy Rooney, Doug Reeves and Connie Hockaday.

The ministrys goal is to provide spiritual and limited financial resources, comfort and pastoral care to all Gods creatures and to the individuals that love and care for them in the Spotsylvania community, wrote parishioner Rosanne Desmone in a news release.

Parishioners, or members of the community, who have to euthanize a pet can ask a member of the ministry to be with them. They can request their pet be put on a prayer chain if theyre ill or about to undergo a procedure.

In emergencies, the ministry can help with pet food, the cost of medication or even cat litter. Clark said the group did that recently for a man with post-traumatic stress syndrome who viewed his cat as his emotional support.

The team also sends cards and small, stained-glass crosses to those grieving.

These days, Clark brings her golden retriever, Maggi, to church every Sunday. During the passing of the peace part of the service, a parishioner may walk up to the dog and say, The peace of the Lord be always with you.

Maggi will extend her paw to shake hands  but hasnt yet mastered the response, And also with you.

In addition, Linda Rooney visits local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities with her golden retriever, Tanner. At a recent visit to Spring Arbor of Fredericksburg, men and women alike reached out for Tanners rust-colored locks.

Sandy Roberts wrapped her arm around Tanners neck and told him how beautiful he is.

Theres nothing like a dog, she said. I love them.

Dorothy Wheeler also leaned forward in her chair to love on Tanner. She grew up with a German shepherd named Jack and said that seeing Tanner brought back memories, when she and her family lived out in the boonies and relied on their dog for both company and protection.

I miss that, Wheeler said.

Sydney Moeller, the activities assistant at Spring Arbor, said she sees the way the eyes of residents light up as the dogs remind them of happier times. That seems especially true of residents with memory issues, she said.

They are overwhelmed with joy, Moeller said. Its really magical to watch.

Of course, the Spring Arbor workers were just as excited by Tanners visit as the residents. Moeller did her fair share of oohing, then noted the residents tend to be more energetic and cooperative after a visit from animals, be they dogs, rabbits or goats.

The pets, and the ministry surrounding them, also speaks to the role fur babies play these days, Desmone said.

They have become children, she said of pets, especially for people whove lost loved ones or dont have family close by. Its wonderful to have that little furry animal who can keep you company, maybe cuddle up next to you when you watch TV.

Community members can contact the Christ Church secretary at 540/582-5033 to request prayer or assistance from the pet ministry. The church also accepts donations for the program which can be sent to Christ Episcopal Church, 8951 Courthouse Road, Spotsylvania, Virginia, 22553.
No one is for poverty. Not Republicans, not Democrats, not Independents. Everyone wants poverty to end. But the solution is not that simple. These words were spoken at a Bridges Out of Poverty workshop I recently attended.

Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Evicted, would disagree with this speaker. This spring he published the book Poverty, by America. With Poverty, by America, Desmond argues that the wealthy punish the poor and keep people living in poverty. Sometimes this is purposeful; sometimes they dont realize the effects of their actions. Either way, those who are well-off benefit.

The book shows us how poverty injures the impoverishedphysically, financially, and spiritually. Poverty is connected to crime, health, education, housing, and pretty much every social issue we can think of. Many families are denied safety, security, and dignity in one of the richest nations on the planet. According to Census data, about 38 million Americans live in poverty. Why is poverty in the United States so commonplace?

Many people argue that poverty is the fault of the poor, caused by their choices and actions. Others argue that poverty is caused by the loss of manufacturing jobs. Or is it caused by racism? Immigration? Drugs? Maybe its the fault of families no longer being strong and stable.

What is Desmonds argument, exactly? Our systems, our tax laws, our racism, and our affluent are all to blame. There is plenty of wealth to go around. But we are taught that we each deserve more. We ignore those at the bottom of the income scale who need assistance. Instead, we look for ways we can benefit from someone elses problems.

Many businesses exploit workers, paying less than minimum wage, not paying overtime. Who might hire undocumented workers who they can abuse with threats that they might be turned in? Who never pays penalty fees like overdrafts at banks? Who avoids paying 39% interest on credit card debt and higher rates on all loans? Who gets a special, lower, capital gains tax rate so they dont have to pay so much income tax? Who gets to roll part of their income into non-taxed benefits? Who writes off mortgage interest, moving expenses, deductions to private schools? Not the poorest 20% of America!

There is plenty of government support for low-income Americans. They can get Medicaid, the Earned-Income Tax Credit, housing vouchers, TANF, SNAP, or other benefits. But its hard for those who need it to access this support. They may not know what is available. Programs often have complicated, confusing applications. Offices may be hard to reach, or have limited hours. Nebraska requires now that virtually everything be done online, and many households dont have access to computers or internet.

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Desmond reminds us that economic injustice isnt just some abstract concept  its a danger that undermines American prosperity.

Poverty puts a damper on our nations potential, and thats something we cant ignore.

Desmond challenges us to recognize our roles in perpetuating poverty and encourages us to take a stand and even make sacrifices for a better future for everyone.
Tom Murry, Republican candidate for North Carolina Attorney General spoke at the monthly meeting of the Iredell County Republican Men on Aug. 12.

The fentanyl crisis is not just a big city problem. It is everywhere, said Murry. As an Army veteran and state prosecutor, Im ready to serve as Attorney General and partner with law enforcement to tackle the fentanyl epidemic.

Murry spoke to attendees about his experience as a state prosecutor, former legislator, and Judge Advocate General (JAG) with the N.C. National Guard. He discussed election integrity efforts including the Voter ID bill he sponsored during his time in the legislature. Murry also detailed his experience working with law enforcement as a state prosecutor and his management experience after serving as a top executive at the N.C. Judicial Branch where he worked with the chief justice. Murry also took questions from the audience.

The attorney general is responsible leading the largest law firm in our state and defending the laws passed by the General Assembly, continued Murry. It is the North Carolina Department of Justice, not the Department of Politics. I battle-tested and ready serve you as attorney general and Im asking for your vote.

Murry is a husband and father, an Army veteran, attorney and state prosecutor. He served nearly a decade in elected office as a councilman and state legislator while he managed a local business. He was recognized as a Top 10 Legislator and was the primary sponsor of Voter ID and a regulatory reform bill that eliminated more than 1,400 regulations.

He deployed to the Middle East in 2017-18. Additionally from 2019-20, Murry served as a full-time legal assistance attorney helping soldiers and their family members, as well as military retirees with their legal needs.

He is also a licensed pharmacist, serves as an adjunct teacher at the Regent University School of Law, and previously served as an executive leader in the N.C. Judicial Branch.

Murry has assembled a committee of current and former elected officials to help the campaign. Visit www.JoinTom.com for more information.
ACCRA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China and Ghana celebrated their 62nd anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty in Ghana's capital Accra late Friday, marking a long-lasting and beneficial friendship between the two countries.

During the celebration, Chinese Ambassador to Ghana Lu Kun said in a statement that China and Ghana have always been very good friends and would work more to facilitate the people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

Aikins Abrokwa, the director for the Asia and Pacific Bureau at Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, said that engagements between Ghana and China over the years have been mutually beneficial.

"The frequent engagements by officials from Ghana and China at the bilateral and multilateral levels have yielded very concrete dividends in recent times, including boosting the trade relations, with Chinese investments in various sectors such as manufacturing and energy, agriculture, and the service sector recording considerable growth," said Abrokwa.

He commended the Chinese government for demonstrating true friendship by responding positively to the request by the Ghanaian government to restructure its debt, resulting in the country securing a 3-billion-U.S.-dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund.

The director also commended the Ghana-China Friendship Association (GHACHIFA) for driving an agenda for enhanced cooperation between the two countries.

Anani Demuyakor, the chairman of GHACHIFA and former Ghanaian ambassador to China, told Xinhua there is a need to move the relationship between the two countries to another level.

"China-Ghana relations have been improving since immemorial, but now we have to inject some new blood and vigor for us to go even higher," said Demuyakor.

China and Ghana established diplomatic relationship in 1960, and the two countries signed the friendship treaty the following year. 
The city of Statesville announced the launch of its revamped website, statesvillenc.net, providing the community with an enhanced and seamless online experience. The newly refreshed website offers a more streamlined outline of information and integrates with the community and quasi-government websites, including the Statesville Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB), Downtown Statesville Development Corp. (DSDC), and the Chamber of Commerce. This comprehensive approach aims to connect citizens and partners with a reliable source of truth for all community-related information.

As part of the website update, the city of Statesville has introduced subdomains dedicated to key departments. Visitors can now explore in-depth information, programs and services offered by the Statesville Recreation and Parks, police and civic center departments. The addition of these subdomains aims to provide the community with easy access to essential information, reflecting the citys commitment to transparency and open communication.

With a focus on user convenience, the refreshed website boasts streamlined search functionality. This enhancement ensures that citizens can effortlessly find the information they seek, creating a smooth and satisfying user experience.

The city of Statesville takes pride in being the top website in search results for the keyword Statesville. By providing a website that not only offers the best information but also connects users to the appropriate partner organizations, the city ensures that visitors land on the most reliable sources for their specific needs.

Since the websites soft introduction a few months ago, the community response has been overwhelmingly positive. Cindy Sutton, executive director of the Statesville Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB), reported a significant increase in referrals to their Discover Statesville website, showcasing community information. The partnership between the city of Statesville and SCVB has proven fruitful, with both organizations working together to create transparent and informative websites.

The city of Statesville invites all residents, businesses, and visitors to explore the newly refreshed statesvillenc.net. Discover a user-friendly platform that offers valuable resources and connects the community to the best information available. The city looks forward to continued growth and engagement, driven by its commitment to serving the community with transparency and excellence.
For Italy, like many other NATO nations, the lessons of the Ukraine War have led to many changes in the Italian military. One overdue item was upgrading an army tank force consisting of 200 53-ton Ariete tanks delivered between 1995 and 2002. Lack of maintenance and upgrades meant only 50 of these tanks were operational when the Ukraine War began. The Italians were reminded that NATO membership required Italy to have at least 250 operational tanks. Now the army has the cash to upgrade 90 of its Arietes at a cost of $10 million each. If that upgrade works as expected, there is an option to upgrade 35 more. The Italian manufacturer of Ariete is no longer able to manufacture more Arietes at an affordable price. A German firm can supply 133 new Leopard 2A8 tanks at an affordable price and that is the option the Italian army wants money for so Italy can meet their NATO commitment for an adequate tank force. Italian firms would produce some of the Leopard 2 components for the Leopard 2s purchased by Italy. This form of co-production is common for an expensive (about $15 million each) new tank like the Leopard 2A8. Earlier models cost half as much but had far fewer capabilities.

Leopard 2 entered service in the early 1980s and by 2010 the 55- ton Leopard 2A6 was the standard version. It wasnt until 2023 that the current 62-ton Leopard 2A8 appeared. This version is considered competitive with the latest version of the American M1 tank.

Ariete initially was a decent tank as it met then-NATO requirements. It was armed with a NATO-standard 12omm gun with 42 rounds of tank shells on board. The computerized fire-control system includes a thermal imager. Top speed is 65 kilometers an hour and max road-range on internal fuel is 600 kilometers. There is a four man crew and the armor protection is a combination of steel and composite armor. There are two machine-guns, one coaxial to the 120mm gun and the other on the top of the turret. Even with upgrades, Ariete wont match the latest version of the Leopard 2 or M1.
On Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, 103 students graduated from Emory & Henry Colleges School of Health Sciences, marking a milestone of the largest graduating class to date. Additionally, the college celebrated the inaugural cohorts of the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the Doctor of Occupational Therapy. Many other students graduated with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies or a Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

Class of 2023, we salute you, declared Emory & Henry President Dr. John W. Wells to the graduates. Youve persevered during these unprecedented times, demonstrating great resilience and unwavering commitment to your goal of earning your degree. You have made many sacrifices and put in many long hours of studying while also providing high-quality health care to your patients during this global pandemic. We have no doubt that you will be true leaders in your chosen healthcare profession.

Emory & Henry Colleges Health Sciences campus was launched in 2014 to prepare compassionate, patient-centered, highly-skilled healthcare professionals who provide quality patient care and actively engage in leadership and service opportunities within their professional organizations and communities. The college began offering Occupational Therapy in 2016 as a Masters program and has since graduated 128 students. The Master of Occupational Therapy was replaced by the doctoral program in the fall of 2020 and celebrates members of the class of 2023 as the first to graduate from the doctoral program. The Master of Clinical Mental Health Counseling was launched in the fall of 2021 as a 24-month program and one of the regions most affordable. The program at Emory & Henry is ideally suited to meet the needs of this region by providing training for qualified mental health counselors.

The world is in desperate need of your love, but what I have seen in the last year is a desperate need to know we are loved, said Washington County native Joshua von Castle 07, 17 and 23, who spoke at the commencement on behalf of the inaugural cohort of the Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. What may seem like good common sense has become an increasingly revolutionary idea in our world; to give and receive love. May we all, each of us present here today practice this, the most important work of our lives, he continued.

Von Castle recently accepted a position at Highlands Community Services in Abingdon, where he will provide community mental health services focusing on various mental health and substance use needs.

For more information on the Emory & Henry College School of Health Sciences and its programs, visit www.ehc.edu/shs.
U.S. counterintelligence agencies on Friday warned the American space industry to guard against efforts by foreign intelligence entities to steal research and trade secrets as they try to boost their own countries' space programs.

"We anticipate growing threats to this burgeoning sector of the U.S. economy," a U.S. counterintelligence official told Reuters, adding that "China and Russia are among the leading foreign intelligence threats to the U.S. space industry."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) issued a two-page bulletin, saying unspecified foreign entities were using cyberattacks and techniques such as strategic investment through joint ventures and acquisitions to gain access to the U.S. space industry.

The move is the latest push by Washington to raise awareness about an issue that has long vexed counterintelligence officials and has become a higher priority as the U.S. space industry spends billions of dollars developing new rockets and other technology.

The document warned companies to be on guard for facility visit requests, and attempts to gather confidential information at conferences. It also said individual employees were at risk of recruitment efforts through offers of travel abroad or consultancy work and payment for proprietary information.

It urged companies to contact the FBI or AFOSI with any concerns of being targeted, as well as to track "peculiar incidents" and establish "insider threat" programs as part of vetting individuals in sensitive positions.

U.S. authorities have for years said Chinese hackers are targeting U.S. space know-how, including having accessed computers at the NASA Goddard Space Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as well as numerous companies involved in aviation, space and satellite technology.

In 2019, Chinese national Tao Li was sentenced to 40 months in prison for conspiring to illegally export military- and space-grade technology to China, including radiation-hardened power amplifiers and circuits.

China says its space program is for peaceful purposes, but U.S. military officials say Beijing sees space as crucial to its military strategy.

The U.S. warned this year that China seeks to match or surpass it as a leader in space by 2045.
A Northgate bar is at the center of two lawsuits, a police report and three arrest warrants that outline reports of staff assaulting patrons, including multiple accounts of bouncers pushing patrons down staircases.

The lawsuits and police report cite six instances of alleged assault by bouncers that took place at the 12 Rooftop Bar & Lounge, located at 209 University Drive in College Station, from 2021-22. Three bouncers were ultimately arrested as a result in July 2023, according to Brazos County Jail records.

The first lawsuit against the bar was filed on Jan. 1, 2023, by Josh and Rick Davis of Rick Davis & Associates on behalf of three plaintiffs, Prathirath Polepally, Jack Aguirre and Nikolas Valicek. The lawsuit alleges that each of the plaintiffs was physically assaulted by bouncers on three separate occasions. The defendants of this first lawsuit are 12 Rooftop Bar & Lounge, its parent company Aquarium of Northgate INC as well as the two owners, Richard Burkett and Frank Hageal.

The second lawsuit was filed on June 16, 2023, by Arash Karimi of the Daniel Stark P.C. law firm on behalf of one plaintiff, Robert Springfield and claims that Springfield also was assaulted by bar staff. The original filing only lists one defendant, Hageal.

On July 7, 2023, this second lawsuit was filed again but this time against The Aquarium of Northgate Inc. Four days later, the suit against Hageal was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Springfields claims would proceed only against the company.

A June 2, 2023, probable cause report from the College Station Police Department also describes two more instances of alleged assault at the hands of bouncers that took place on Sept. 16, 2022. In the report, police identify three bouncers, Dalton Lee Richardson, Aaron Frank Joseph Cash and Carson David Tauch.

The Eagle reached out to the Aquarium of Northgate and 12 Rooftop Bar & Lounge multiple times but was unable to speak with the owners before publication.

In an audio recording taken of owner Burkett, he acknowledges having taken down security cameras around one of the staircases so police would stop asking him for video footage. The source who provided the audio asked to remain anonymous due to fear of physical retribution if their name was shared publicly.

They kept asking to see the footage and Im like, [expletive] off cops, Burkett said in the recording. I got rid of [expletive] everything. I have no [expletive] cameras anywhere.

Burkett went on to say he was glad there was no camera to capture one incident of a person falling down the stairs.

So, that guy falling down the stairs, thank God that we werent videotaping that guy falling down the stairs, he said in the recording.

In the audio, Burkett then insinuates in a conversation with another person that the man falling down the stairs was not an accident.

If someone is going to fall down the stairs, theyre going to fall down the stairs, you know what I mean, he said in the audio. But if he falls down the stairs ... 

Wink, wink? Are you saying wink, wink? another person in the audio asks.

Yeah, if my guys are tussling with them, Burkett said.

The incidents began on Jan. 16, 2021, according to the first lawsuit, when plaintiff Prathirathath Sai Polepally was visiting friends at 12 Rooftop Bar & Lounge and bouncers allegedly physically assaulted him and his friend without providing any justification.

I noticed my buddy, while we were standing at the bar, one of the employees, or bouncers, grabbed him by his neck from the back and dragged him out, said Polepally, a student at the University of Houston at the time. I had kind of asked what was going on, why he was getting kicked out, and I didnt really get an answer.  So, I was like, thats fine Im not demanding an answer or anything, we can just go somewhere else.

After re-entering the bar for several minutes to round up the rest of his group and inform them why they were leaving, Polepally said in an interview with The Eagle that he was body slammed by one of the bouncers as he left the bar.

The last thing I remember was we were walking out as a group, he said. Then the next thing I know, I wake up on the sidewalk outside of the bar. I regained consciousness on the sidewalk after I got my body slammed.  I tried to get up and I just had this terrible shoulder pain in my left shoulder right below my neck.

The next morning, Polepally went to Brazos Valley Urgent Care where he said he learned his left collarbone was broken. He believes the bouncer had no reason to kick him out.

[The bouncers] justification was that I was leaving the bar with a drink in my hand and then that gave him the right to put me over his shoulder and then slam me onto the ground, Polepally said. I didnt have a drink in my hand.

The next alleged incident took place on Sept. 23, 2021, when plaintiff Robert Matthew Springfield was assaulted by two of the bars bouncers, put in a headlock and thrown to the ground where he lost consciousness, according to the second lawsuit.

According to Springfields lawyer, Springfield was unavailable for immediate comment.

According to the first lawsuit, the third assault occurred in March 2022 when Jack Aguirre, a then-graduate student at Texas A&M University, was pushed down the staircase at the bar.

In an interview with The Eagle, Aguirre said he had been to 12 Rooftop Bar & Lounge multiple times before as part of Latin Night, an event put on by A&M student organizations Sigma Lambda Beta and the Latinx Community and Advocacy Association, and had never witnessed or been a part of any confrontation with the bars staff.

After I finished one of my classes, I decided to go there with my same friends; it seemed like a usual night for us, Aguirre said. I bought two to three drinks. I dont remember the exact number. 

I remember I was dancing with one of my friends, who was a girl, and one of the bouncers just grabbed my shoulder out of nowhere and then he just started pushing me away and I remember asking him, Oh, what are you doing? and he told me, Youre getting kicked out.

Aguirre said that as he continued to be shoved toward the door, the bouncer would not give him a clear answer for why he was being ejected. He said he was then pushed down an interior staircase.

Once we got to the main entrance, he just shoved me down the long flight of stairs, Aguirre said. I hit my leg, my ankles, my back, my head and I ended up breaking my arm.  I noticed that everyone was in sort of shock, even the other bouncers.

Pavlicek, the sixth alleged victim in chronological order and third plaintiff of the first lawsuit, also was pushed down a staircase by bouncers on Nov. 5, 2022, according to the same lawsuit. He would later go to Integrity Urgent Care in College Station where it would be confirmed that he had suffered a concussion, according to the lawsuit.

According to Pavlicek, he was pushed down the back outdoor staircase as he and a friend attempted to enter the bar after believing the bouncers had cleared them.

I think [there were] three or four bouncers kind of out the door and around the door and we thought we were good to go in, Pavlicek said in an interview. We were waiting, clearly theyre already doing something, and we thought we were good to go in.

When Pavlicek and his friend entered, however, he said they were confronted, and the bouncers quickly became violent.

So, we started to walk in and one of them just grabbed me and pushed me, he said. I got punched in the face, like right in the jaw, kind of below my ear. I got pushed onto the metal stairs and I was just trying to grab at the railings to stop myself from falling but I couldnt.

Police officers arrived shortly afterward, Pavlicek said, but he did not remember them talking to the bouncers. He claimed police told him this was not the first time something like this had happened at 12 Rooftop.

I do remember [the cops] saying that night, Weve had the same thing happen in the past couple of weeks or months, he said.

The remaining two instances took place on Sept. 9, 2022, according to a probable cause statement by the College Station Police Department.

According to the police report, two separate groups of people, each shepherding an injured friend, met at around 1:10 a.m. at Northgate.

Believing the two groups might have just been in a fight or about to start another, the report says officers stopped one of the injured individuals as the other group hurried away.

The injured person was identified as Fernando Carlos, according to the report, and his face was described as bruised, swelling and bloody.

According to the police report, Carlos told officers that an employee of 12 Rooftop had thrown him down the metal stairs on the back side of the bar and beat him after the employees had confronted Carlos friend.

Carlos friends corroborated the story, police said in the report, and told officers that bar staff had fought with Carlos and the other victim, Fernando Javier-Sosa, even though the friends said they never saw Carlos throw any punches.

The report says officers then made contact with Javier-Sosa, who police also described as bruised and swollen with one of his front teeth broken in half.

According to the report, Javier-Sosa said that he was kicked and punched by two bouncers before being thrown down the stairs. Javier-Sosa was again thrown down the stairs after he attempted to climb back up them to retrieve Carlos, who was allegedly being choked and beaten by the bouncers.

The report says that at 2:30 a.m., officers returned to 12 Rooftop where they interviewed the involved bouncers identified as Dalton Lee Richardson, Aaron Frank Joseph Cash and Carson David Tauch.

After speaking with them, the report says all three bouncers admitted to being involved in the altercation but did not fully admit to the severity that the victims had described.

On July 11, 2023, Cash was arrested on a warrant and charged with assault causing bodily injury, according to jail records. He was released the same day on a $4,000 bond.

On July 13, 2023, Richardson was arrested on a warrant and charged with assault causing bodily injury, according to jail records. He was released a day later on a $5,000 bond.

About a week later, on July 20, 2023, Tauch was arrested on two warrants and charged with two counts of assault causing bodily injury. He was released the same day on a $10,000 bond.

Joe Heard of Heard & Medack, the attorney representing the Aquarium of Northgate in the second lawsuit, said he believed he has a strong defense for his client.

We have a meritorious defense and well defend it, he said.

Wayne T. Rife, the local general counsel for the Aquarium of Northgate, declined to comment regarding the lawsuit filed on behalf of Polepally, Aguirre and Pavlicek.

Attorney Craig Greaves, who is representing bouncers Richardson and Cash, said that his clients are innocent until proven guilty.

Just because youre arrested for something doesnt mean youre guilty of it, he said.

Tauch, the third bouncer charged with two counts of assault, does not appear to have a defense lawyer at this time, according to online court records.
Leroy Sterling of Bryan was one of the first Black students to enroll at Texas A&M University, and after his passing on Aug. 8 at age 84, his legacy lives on.

By 1963, a year before the Civil Rights Act, three Black students quietly enrolled in a summer session as special students, becoming the first to attend Texas A&M, according to a February article by the schools Division of Marketing & Communications.

Among them was Leroy Sterling, who took classes during two summer session before going on to graduate from Texas Southern University and earn a masters degree in French and English from the University of Houston, the article states. Sterling served in the Army and enrolled at Texas Southern University prior to taking summer classes at Texas A&M. He first received a rejection letter, but learned a few weeks later that the university would accept him.

Sterling was born in Bryan on March 15, 1939. According to his Legacy of Life obituary, he also was inducted into the Bryan Independent School District Hall of Honor in 2011. Additionally, the Portal to Texas History conducted extensive interviews so that his experiences will be available for scholars and lay persons alike, who will be educated and inspired by his exceptional story.

And while he took pride in his accomplishments and enjoyed the honors afforded him, he also knew that no man walks alone. A lifelong Christian, he was an active member of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Those who knew him knew that the music closest to his heart was Negro Spirituals, Leroys obituary states. These songs reminded him of our ancestors who paved the way, and whose faith transformed adversities into exquisite melodies.

He graduated from Texas Southern University and earned a masters degree in French from the University of Houston. He was a professor at Texas Southern for five years before working for Dow Chemical Company for 17 years; and went on to teach at Alabama A&M University, according to a Friday press release.

Texas A&M President Michael K. Young awarded Sterling the Pioneer Medal in 2019, which honors African Americans admitted to the university between 1963 and 1970, according to Texas A&M.

Leroy Sterling is counted among Texas A&M Universitys most esteemed former students and will always be a treasured member of the Aggie family, Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, interim president, said in the Friday press release. Mr. Sterling first served his country and then went on to serve our university by forging a path for all students to achieve their goals in higher education. We wish his family comfort during this difficult time, and peace in knowing their loved one had such a positive impact on Texas A&M and the world around him.

Texas A&M Today reported that after Sterling received the Pioneer Medal, he began taking classes not long after former Alabama Gov. George Wallace gave his inaugural address famous for the phrase segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever, and said he and the two other Black students enrolled quietly.

He described his experience at Texas A&M as positive overall, noting his fellow students were really nice and befriended him, the article states. Sterling visited the A&M campus last August and spoke about the schools recent addition of a statue honoring Sen. Matthew Gaines, who played an integral role in the founding of Texas A&M.
McDonald's Corporation is a U.S.-based multinational restaurant chain that serves hamburgers, fries, chicken sandwiches and drinks. The company is the largest restaurant chain by revenue and serves more than 69 million customers daily. Total revenue topped $23 billion in 2022, with most revenue coming from its franchisees. The company operates in 100 countries and is the world's second-largest private employer, with more than 200,000 executives, managers, cooks and front-line staff.

McDonald's most iconic food items include French fries and the Big Mac. McDonald's serves hot and crispy fries. Its Big Mac is a double-decker burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and "secret sauce," a combination of thousand island and French dressing that evokes a sharper flavor.

Richard and Maurice McDonald founded McDonald's in 1940. Its first restaurant location was in San Bernardino, California, and it quickly rebranded into a hamburger stand. The new concept met colossal success, and soon, the two were franchising their brand to other operators. The key to the brother's success was the Speedee Service System introduced in 1948. This system modeled concepts established by earlier chains.

The company introduced the golden arches in 1953 in Arizona and reached a significant turning point in 1955 when Ray Kroc entered the picture. He came aboard as the company's franchising agent and bought the company while expanding it. His first restaurant was the company's ninth total, but many agree that Kroc created the modern McDonald's Corporation. During his tenure, McDonald's expanded its footprint, enhanced its menu and grew into international territories.

The fictional character Ronald McDonald came to life in 1963. He lives in McDonaldland with his pals Mayor McCheese, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, the Fry Kids and the Hamburglar. He was invented as a marketing ploy to attract children and has become one of the nation's most beloved characters. At the peak of his popularity, the company employed more than 300 full-time clowns to portray Ronald McDonald.



Today, McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises McDonald's restaurants globally. The company generates revenue via sales in company-owned stores and rents, fees and royalties from its franchisees. The company's business model is to aid franchisees with real estate purchases and buildings so that it can collect on rent and other fees and brand royalties. As of 2022, the company owns about 45% of the land its restaurants sit on and 70% of the buildings. This model not only generates additional revenue and earnings but helps to insulate it from ups and downs in the consumer cycle.

As of December 31, 2023, the company operated about 38,000 restaurants, which includes the closing or divestiture of business in Russia.
S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)
Over 15,000 relocated villagers from flood-hit areas in north China's Tianjin have returned to their homes as floodwater receded. Power, water and gas supply have been restored and reconstruction of damaged facilities is underway.




Delta Air Lines Inc. is a major airline providing domestic and international air travel services. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world, operating a fleet of over 900 aircraft that serves more than 325 destinations across six continents. Delta has a long history in the airline industry. It is known for its exceptional customer service, operational reliability and industry-leading innovation.

As of the end of the fourth quarter of 2022, Delta Air Lines Inc. had a market capitalization of $24.5 billion, with over 720 million outstanding shares. The company has a strong financial position, with total revenue for the full year 2022 reaching $38.6 billion, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year. Delta's net income for the same period was $2.7 billion, up from $1.2 billion in 2021.

Delta's strong financial performance comes from several factors, including its strategic focus on customer service, operational efficiency and technological innovation. The company has invested heavily in its fleet and infrastructure and is committed to delivering passengers a safe and comfortable travel experience. Delta has also made significant investments in technology, such as its Fly Delta app and biometric boarding, which have helped to streamline the travel experience and improve customer satisfaction.

Delta is also committed to sustainable business practices, focusing on reducing its environmental impact. The company has set ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2050 and has invested in fuel-efficient aircraft and sustainable aviation fuel. In addition, Delta has a comprehensive recycling program and has implemented measures to reduce waste in its operations.

Delta's strong brand recognition, customer loyalty and strategic partnerships support its competitive position in the airline industry. The company has alliances with several international airlines, such as Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic, enabling it to provide its customers with seamless travel experiences. Delta also has a strong presence in key markets, such as New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, which have helped to drive its growth and profitability.

Delta also faces significant challenges in the airline industry, including intense competition from other major airlines and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic severely impacted the airline industry, with reduced demand for air travel and significant disruptions to operations. Delta responded to these challenges by implementing cost-cutting measures, such as reducing its workforce, retiring older aircraft and focusing on its core customer service and operational efficiency strengths.
FB Financial Corporation operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank that provides a suite of commercial and consumer banking services to businesses, professionals, and individuals. The company operates in segments, such as Banking and Mortgage. It offers checking, demand, money market, and savings accounts; deposit and lending products and services to corporate, commercial, and consumer customers; and time deposits and certificates of deposits, as well as residential mortgage loans. The company also provides owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied real estate commercial, residential real estate 1-4 family mortgage, multi-family residential, commercial and industrial, construction, land acquisition, residential lines of credit, and land development loans; and consumer and other loans, such as car, boat, and other recreational vehicle loans, as well as manufactured homes without real estate and personal lines of credit. In addition, the company offers mortgage banking services through its bank branch network and mortgage banking offices in the southeastern United States; direct-to-consumer internet delivery channel; and trust, insurance, and investment services, as well as online and mobile banking services. The company operates full-service bank branches and limited-service branches locations throughout Tennessee, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Jackson, Birmingham, Florence, Huntsville, Alabama, Bowling Green, and Kentucky; and mortgage offices throughout the southeastern United States. The company was formerly known as First South Bancorp, Inc. and changed its name to FB Financial Corporation in 2016. FB Financial Corporation was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.
Students from Namibia University of Science and Technology attend a launching ceremony of the 2023 Huawei "Seeds for the Future" program in Windhoek, Namibia, on Aug. 18, 2023. Twenty-five Namibian undergraduate students will virtually participate in Huawei's "Seeds for the Future" program from Aug. 21 to 28, aimed at developing local ICT talent. (Photo by Musa. C. Kaseke/Xinhua)

WINDHOEK, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five Namibian undergraduate students will virtually participate in Huawei's "Seeds for the Future" program from Aug. 21 to 28, aimed at developing local ICT talent.

The program was launched Friday in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Speaking at the event, Erold Naomab, vice chancellor of Namibia University of Science and Technology, said the program will expose students to emerging technologies, thus gaining lasting experiences, and relevant knowledge to propel them to the next level of studies.

Namibia's Minister of Information and Communication Technology Peya Mushelenga said at the launch that Huawei's program is in line with the ministry's digitization strategy and mission to provide an efficient national information communication technology delivery framework.

Zhang Qiyuan, managing director of Huawei Namibia, said the program will offer students a rich experience involving technology classes, leadership classes, Chinese cultural experiences, and communication with peers around the world.

The "Seeds for the Future" program has provided opportunities to over 80 local students to learn cutting-edge ICT technologies, practical industrial knowledge, and Chinese culture since it was launched in Namibia in 2013. 
China ready to facilitate cooperation on global level with Denmark: vice president

Xinhua) 10:40, August 19, 2023

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with the visiting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with the visiting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Beijing on Friday.

Han hailed the time-honored cooperation between China and Denmark that bears fruitful outcomes. He said that this year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Denmark comprehensive strategic partnership, and the two countries' governments will jointly release the Green China-Denmark Joint Programme, offering an overall plan for pragmatic cooperation on the next stage, especially cooperation of green development, to further enrich bilateral ties.

Noting that China and Denmark are both staunch supporters of multilateralism, free trade and economic globalization, Han said China will unswervingly continue advancing reform and opening up, and is willing to work with Denmark to maintain multilateralism, address all kinds of difficulties and challenges, and promote better cooperation globally.

While appreciating the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals put forward by China, and speaking highly of China's efforts to respond to climate change, Rasmussen said Denmark is ready to enhance cooperation with China in green, trade and other fields to bring bilateral ties to a new high.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
A member of the Canadian Armed Forces directs people on to a bus destined for the Yellowknife airport in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. The Canadian Armed Forces participated in an evacuation operation, helping residents out of Yellowknife as wildfires approached the city. (Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- More wildfire crises occurred in western Canada on Friday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on social media that the government continues to urgently mobilize resources in the Northwest Territories and stands ready to provide support in Kelowna.

Kelowna, a city in British Columbia with a population of about 150,000, has declared a state of emergency amid wildfires.

The City of West Kelowna, with a population of around 36,000, also declared a local state of emergency. Authorities confirmed Friday in a press conference that there had been some structural loss in the city. More than 2,400 nearby properties are under evacuation orders.

In the Northwest Territories, evacuation efforts in Yellowknife continue on Friday. According to local media, 26 evacuation flights have been scheduled out of the city to Calgary. The federal government said it is contracting private planes to supplement military efforts.

The territorial government said the fire remained out of control 15 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife, adding critical and challenging days ahead are expected.

Trudeau convened an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the wildfire crisis in the Northwest Territories and extreme weather across the country.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there were around 1,000 active forest fires in Canada as of Friday, more than 380 of which were in British Columbia and more than 230 in the Northwest Territories. 

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces Air Task Force carry hospital patients to board an aircraft at the Yellowknife airport in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. The Canadian Armed Forces participated in an evacuation operation, helping residents out of Yellowknife as wildfires approached the city. (Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 18, 2023 shows an aircraft getting ready for the relocation of hospital patients from the Yellowknife hospital to Vancouver at the Yellowknife airport in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The Canadian Armed Forces participated in an evacuation operation, helping residents out of Yellowknife as wildfires approached the city. (Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Xinhua)

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces guide people to board a civilian aircraft for Calgary at the Yellowknife airport in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. The Canadian Armed Forces participated in an evacuation operation, helping residents out of Yellowknife as wildfires approached the city. (Canadian Armed Forces/Handout via Xinhua)
The following companies are subsidiares of Sun Life Financial: 0936543 BC Ltd., 10458465 Canada Inc., 10458481 Canada Inc., 3060097 Nova Scotia Company, 6324983 Canada Inc., 6425411 Canada Inc., 6965083 Canada Inc., 7037457 Canada Inc., 7647913 Canada Inc., 7647930 Canada Inc., Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited, Annemasse Boisbriand Holdings L.P., BK Canada Holdings Inc., BK Prime GP Holdco Inc., BKC Capital Inc., BKCB Services Ltd., BKCG Services Ltd., BKCP Residential G.P. LTD., BKCP Residential Limited Partnership Manitoba, BKCP Retail G.P. LTD., BKCP Retail Limited Partnership Manitoba, BKCP SS G.P. LTD., BKCP SS Limited Partnership Manitoba, BKUS Institutional Logistics Coinvestment LLC California, Barnwood Properties Limited, Bentall Kennedy (Canada) G.P. Ltd., Bentall Kennedy (Canada) Limited Partnership, Bentall Kennedy (U.S.) G.P. LLC, Bentall Kennedy (U.S.) Limited Partnership, Bentall Kennedy Holdings LLC, Bentall Kennedy Luxembourg Holdings Ltd., Bentall Property Services (Ontario) Ltd., BestServe Financial Limited, Country Lane Enterprises Ltd., Dental Health Alliance, Denticare of Alabama, Disability Reinsurance Management Services, Independence Life and Annuity Company, Kennedy Management Investors LLC, Landmark Dental Alliance, Laurtrust Limited, MFS Bermuda Holdings Ltd., MFS Development Funds, MFS Exchange LLC, MFS Financial Management Consulting (Shanghai) Co, MFS Fund Distributors, MFS Heritage Trust Company, MFS Institutional Advisors, MFS International (Chile) SpA, MFS International (Hong Kong) Limited, MFS International (U.K.) Limited, MFS International Australia Pty Ltd Victoria, MFS International Holdings Pty Ltd, MFS International Ltd., MFS International Singapore Pte. Ltd., MFS International Switzerland GmbH, MFS Investment Management Canada Limited, MFS Investment Management Company (LUX) S.a.r.l., MFS Investment Management K.K., MFS Service Center, MFS do Brasil Desenvolvimento de Mercado Ltda., Massachusetts Financial Services Company, Maxwell Health, NewTower Management GP LLC, NewTower Management LLC, NewTower Trust Company, PT. Sun Life Financial, PT. Sun Life Indonesia Services, Prime Advisors, Professional Insurance Company Texas, Rushmore Partners LLC, Ryan Labs Asset Management Inc., Ryan Labs Fund Management, Ryan Labs TIPS Partners, SL Finance 2007-1, SL Investment 2007-1 ULC, SL Investment US-RE Holdings 2009-1, SLF of Canada UK Limited, SLFC Services Company (UK) Limited, SLI General Partner Limited, SLI Investments LP Manitoba, Solidify Software, Sun 521, Sun Canada Financial Co., Sun Life (India) AMC Investments Inc., Sun Life (India) Distribution Investments Inc., Sun Life (Luxembourg) Finance No. 1 Sarl, Sun Life (Luxembourg) Finance No. 2 Sarl, Sun Life 2007-1 Financing Corp., Sun Life Administrators (U.S.), Sun Life Asset Management (HK) Limited, Sun Life Asset Management Company, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Barbados) Limited, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (U.K.) Limited, Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada - U.S. Operations Holdings, Sun Life Capital Trust, Sun Life Capital Trust II, Sun Life Everbright Life Insurance Company Limited Tianjin, Sun Life Financial (Bermuda) Reinsurance Ltd., Sun Life Financial (India) Insurance Investments Inc., Sun Life Financial (Japan), Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Finance, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Finance, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Holdings, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Investments LLC, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Reinsurance Company, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Reinsurance Company II, Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Services Company, Sun Life Financial Advisory Inc., Sun Life Financial Asia Services Limited, Sun Life Financial Distributors, Sun Life Financial Distributors (Bermuda) Ltd., Sun Life Financial Distributors (Canada) Inc., Sun Life Financial Holdings (HK) Limited, Sun Life Financial International Holdings (MC), Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc., Sun Life Financial Investments (Bermuda) Ltd., Sun Life Financial Philippine Holding Company, Sun Life Financial Plans, Sun Life Financial Trust Inc., Sun Life Financial of Canada (U.K.) Overseas Investments Limited, Sun Life Global Investments (Canada) Inc., Sun Life Global Investments Inc., Sun Life Grepa Financial, Sun Life Hong Kong Limited, Sun Life Hong Kong Services Limited, Sun Life India Service Centre Private Limited, Sun Life Information Services, Sun Life Information Services Ireland Limited, Sun Life Institutional Distributors (U.S.) LLC, Sun Life Institutional Investments (Canada) Inc., Sun Life Institutional Investments (U.S.) LLC, Sun Life Insurance (Canada) Limited, Sun Life Investment Holdings (HK) Limited, Sun Life Investment Management U.S., Sun Life Investments LLC, Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad, Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad, Sun Life Management Holdings (HK) Limited, Sun Life Pension Trust Limited, Sun Life Trustee Company Limited, Sun Life Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.), Sun Life of Canada (Netherlands) B.V., Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Financial Services Holdings, Sun Life of Canada (U.S.) Holdings, Sun Life of Canada International Assurance Limited, Sun Life of Canada UK Holdings Limited, SynchroSERV Inc., SynchroSERV Limited Partnership, The Premier Dental Group, UDC Dental, Union Security DentalCare of Georgia, Union Security DentalCare of New Jersey, United Dental Care of Arizona, United Dental Care of Colorado, United Dental Care of Michigan, United Dental Care of Missouri, United Dental Care of New Mexico, United Dental Care of Texas, United Dental Care of Utah, and Vuzion.

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So, we survived the summer! Where did the summer go?

It kind of flew by, right? Kids are back in school! So what do we have to celebrate? Right now a cute little caterpillar!

So our summer was amazing. We had 1,000 registrants of all ages take part in our All Together Now summer reading programs. We read 943,055 total minutes. You can bet we will doing a million minutes challenge next summer.

I think patrons enjoyed challenging themselves to read and the prizes were great too. A big thank you to the staff, volunteers, sponsors, businesses and of course our library foundation.

We had some great moments for childrens programming. The Childrens Art Show in June had 74 young artists take part. We had, on average, weekly attendance: 34 for our Baby and Toddler programs, 34 for our Golden Sower Fun Club, 49 for Stories and Crafts, 29 for the Big Kids Club 29, and 189 for our Mega Mondays.

I loved the Kindness Carnival kickoff that had 350 in attendance and the Fontanelle Forest raptors had a packed house.

Teen programming went well with our new teen and technology librarian Erica and staff getting teens in the door. The AfterHours kickoff, complete with Laser Tag had 100 teens attend. There were 115 teens who took part in the summer reading program. Teens read a hefty 192,630 minutes. I think one of the teens favorite programs this summer was the makerspace cactus craft, the Anime Club t-shirts program, and the Smash Brothers Tournament  always a big hit.

Adults really knocked it out of the park this summer reading 315,962 minutes. The adult book talks, makerspace Crafternoon programs, and book clubs have been really drawing people in.

We hosted Humanities Nebraska with the Spark Your Curiosity theme Celebrating 50 Years. 

We hosted Joe Staritas book talk, I am a Man: Chief Standing Bears Journey for Justice. We also hosted four Chautauqua programs with 50-70 in attendance each program. We currently have the art exhibit, Journey Stories, from the Smithsonian and local history from the Hall County Historical Society and the library. Check it out. Its really nice.

This last week the librarys Bygone BookClub, is a partnership program with the Hall County Historical Society, had 142 attendees for the amazing discussion on Mildred Schindler Janzens life and her book, Surviving Hitler, Evading Stalin: One Womans Remarkable Escape from Nazi Germany by Janzen with Sherye S. Green.

We hosted a Naturalization Ceremony with USCIS for 23 candidates for citizenship this past Thursday. Our diverse library was the perfect setting for welcoming new citizens to our Nebraska communities. Mayor Roger Steele welcomed everyone. The library is hosting a Seed Saving and Tomato Tasting program today (Saturday, Aug. 19); come check it out!

The library staff entered the Nebraska State Fair Cable Spool Contest with our entry of The Very Hungry Caterpillar based on the classic book by Eric Carle about a caterpillar that snacks. Perfect theme for Whatever Your Flavor! The library will be providing some stories and crafts at the State Fair at the Latina Fiesta on Sept. 3.

As the school year gets underway, the library will be hosting a multilingual StoryTime for the community from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17. We will have stories in four languages: Arabic, Somali, Spanish and English. Kids can make a craft, and have a snack too.

This is part of the Welcoming Initiative with the City of Grand Island, United Way, Central District Health Department, Library Foundation and many, many others. There will be informational tables from other community groups for the public to learn about our great city.

You can also find out about our great programs coming up for children, teens and adults. You can check them out at www.gilibrary.org. Its always fun to change like that ole caterpillar.
Alcoholism

Note: For a schedule of meetings that address addictions in central Nebraska, call the Central Nebraska Council on Alcoholism and Addictions at 308-385-5520.

PRIME FOR LIFE! an eight-hour alcohol education class for adults ages 21 and older and/or youth ages 20 and younger, sponsored by the Central Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Addictions, 3402 College St. (in Main Street Station) (class times vary). The goal of this program is to reduce the incidence of alcohol- and other drug-related problems in adults and youth, and focuses on personal risk-reduction (choices) and self-assessment specifically related to alcohol. Class also offered in Spanish. Fee charged; registration required; 308-385-5520; www.cncaa.net.

For a complete schedule of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS meetings, call 877-226-3632; www.area41.org

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Back to Basics, noon, Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. and 8:15 p.m. Saturday; 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday; Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

FREEDOM GROUP, 10 a.m. and 5:30 and 8:15 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 388 N. Broadwell.

Monday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Alano Group open meeting, 6:45 a.m., and Mens Stag Group, 7 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.; Freely Given Womens group, 7 p.m., Blessed Sacrament, 518 W. State St.; Mustard Seed, 7:30 p.m., G.I. Free Church, 2609 S. Blaine; Young Procrastinators, 8:15 p.m., St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 422 W. Second.

ALATEEN and AL-ANON, 7:30 p.m., G.I. Free Church, 2609 S. Blaine.

Tuesday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Afternoon Discussion, 5:30 p.m., St. Leos Catholic Church, 2410 S. Blaine; Better Sober Group, 7 p.m., Blessed Sacrament, 518 W. State (Sacrament Annex); Speakers Workshop, 7 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

AL-ANON, 7 p.m., Blessed Sacrament, 518 W. State (use north doors).

Wednesday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Big Book Study, 10:30 a.m. and Alano Group Womens, 6:30 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.; Fellowship Group, 8 p.m., Go Figure, 707 W. First; Young Procrastinators, 8:15 p.m., St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 422 W. Second (Speakers meeting last Wednesday of month).

AL-ANON, 9:30 a.m., Alano Club, Fifth and Broadwell

Thursday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Big Book Study, 7 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.; Solutions Group, 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 202 E. Pine in Alda; Never Too Late Group, 7 p.m., United Congregational Church, 405 E. Bismark.

AL-ANON, noon, CHI Health St. Francis Alcohol/Drug Treatment Center, 2116 W. Faidley; 8:15 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

Friday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Alano Group open meeting, 5:30 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.; Young Procrastinators, 8:15 p.m., St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 422 W. Second; Step Study, 8:15 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

AL-ANON, 10 a.m., St. Leos Catholic Church, 2410 S. Blaine; 8:15 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

Saturday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Resurrected Group, 8:30 a.m., Resurrection Catholic Church, 4130 Cannon Road.

AL-ANON, 10 a.m., CHI Health St. Francis Medical Plaza treatment center, Conference Room C, 2116 W. Faidley; 10 a.m., Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 518 W. State (use north doors).

Sunday

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, Speakers meeting, 7 p.m., Alano Club, 1522 W. Fifth St.

Drug addiction

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS, noon and 8 p.m. daily, Unity Hall, 210 N. Wheeler. Meetings also at 6 p.m. Thursday, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, south door, 2201 N. Broadwell; 9:30 p.m. Friday, St. Pauls Lutheran Church, north door, 1515 S. Harrison; and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Messiah Lutheran Church, 122 W. Seventh.

MARIJUANA EDUCATION CLASS, a four-hour class for youth and adults ages 12 and older sponsored by the Central Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Addictions, 3402 College St. (in Main Street Station). Class aims to help participants understand the dangers of the use and addictive nature of marijuana, legal and health risks associated with the use of marijuana, reduce the incidence of alcohol- and other drug-related problems, and assist them in seeking further help if needed. Fee charged; registration required; 308-385-5520; www.cncaa.net.

Other addictions

SEX AND LOVE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS, 8 p.m. Tuesday, conference room B (lower level by elevators, enter through southwest entrance), CHI Health St. Francis Medical Plaza, 2116 W. Faidley. Information: John, 402-469-5056.

CELEBRATE RECOVERY, a 12-step, faith-based support group, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, New Life Community Church, 301 W. Second, 308-384-5369; and 7 p.m. Thursday, Third City Christian Church, 4100 W. 13th St., free childcare; 308-384-5038.

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, classes offered by the American Lung Association at CHI Health St. Francis, available to anyone interested in quitting tobacco products. The program consists of classes over seven weeks three time a year at no cost; 308-398-5442.

YOUTH TOBACCO EDUCATION CLASS, a four-hour class sponsored by the Central Nebraska Council on Alcohol and Addictions, 3204 College St. (class times vary). This class will assist youth ages 18 and younger in learning about the legal and health risks associated with tobacco use, addiction, and offer assistance in helping them move towards quitting. Fee charged; registration required; 308-385-5520; www.cncaa.net.

Weight control, eating disorders

TOPS NE 7, weigh-in, 5:15 to 6 p.m.; meeting at 6:15 p.m. Monday, First Christian Church, 2400 W. 14th. Information: Eunice Alexander, 308 384-7032. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a support group for people who want to lose weight.

TOPS NE 605, 8:30 to 9 a.m. weigh-in, meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, St. Pauls Lutheran Church, 1515 Harrison St. Information: Connie, 308-379-0094.

Mental health; Depression

FAMILIES CARE YOUTH GROUPS  Kearney Youth Support Group ages 12-15 and ages 16-23; Grand Island Youth Support Group ages 13-23. These groups provide support to youth struggling with emotional, mental or behavioral health challenges. Open to anyone in the community in these age ranges. We will provide food, good conversation, wellness planning and strategies, games and activities. Contact Families CARE, 308-237-1102, or Karla S. Bennetts, 308-991-6099, for time, date and location.

Pregnancy, parenting and families

WATCH ME GROW, new parent and breastfeeding support, 10 a.m. to noon Monday, and 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Grand Island Regional Medical Center third floor waiting room; free. Information: Tina Vettel, 308-675-4550.

BREASTFEEDING BASICS 101, 6:30 to 8 p.m., third Thursday, Grand Island Regional Medical Center, first floor conference room; fee charged. Information/registration: Tina Vettel, 308-675-4550.

HYPNOBIRTHING, alternative to traditional childbirth classes; five-week course offered two or three times a year. Information (including class times and fees): Lana McCoy, 308-390-0968 or realmccoy@charter.net

PREPARED CHILDBIRTH CLASSES, for expectant parents, four-week sessions offered several times a year; fee charged. Information: Sylvia, 308-850-7005.

DOULA LABOR SUPPORT, for more information or to set up an appointment, call Sarah Rose, 308-218-9533, or Jaydon Stuart, 308-850-8956.

HYPNOBIRTHING, alternative to traditional childbirth classes; five-week course offered two or three times a year. Information (including class times and fees): Lana McCoy, 308-390-0968 or realmccoy@charter.net

BABYCARE BASICS, a one-time class for expectant parents to learn about caring for their newborn, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. third Wednesday of January, March, May, July, September and November, CHI Health St. Francis conference room, 2620 W. Faidley. Information/registration: 308-398-5888.

PREPARING FOR BREASTFEEDING, a one-time class for mothers-to-be, meets every other month at CHI Health St. Francis, 2620 W. Faidley. Both expectant parents and/or support people are encouraged to attend.

EAT AT MOMS, 10 a.m. to noon (come anytime), Tuesday, Hy-Vee Club Room, 115 Wilmar Ave. A support group for breast-feeding moms who want to share their experiences; facilitated by a nurse specializing in breastfeeding. Babies welcome. Information: 308-398-6595.

INFANT MASSAGE CLASS, a one-time class offered one Saturday a month (call for times and dates), R&R Therapeutic Massage Clinic, 2343 N. Webb Road. Designed to benefit a child by increasing circulation, digestion, elimination and enhances sleep. Classes are for parents or any family member of newborns, ideally between 2 and 6 weeks of age. Taught by licensed massage therapists. Fee charged; information: 308-389-9177.

CHOICE FAMILY HEALTH CARE, Pap tests, HIV and sexually transmitted infection screening, pregnancy testing and emergency contraception provided, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 217 E. Stolley Park Road, Suite E. Information and appointments: 308-384-7625 or www.choicefamilyhealthcare.org.

Cancer

MULTIPLE MYELOMA SUPPORT GROUP, for those diagnosed with multiple myeloma, 10 a.m., third Wednesday, G.I. Free Church, 2609 S. Blaine. Group provides support, education and caring for those diagnosed and their family members. Information: Arlene Preisendorf, 308-380-8526; or Dave Scharff, 402-649-7545.

CANCER SURVIVORSHIP 101, a small, supportive group setting, helps individuals regain their physical, emotional and spiritual health after cancer treatment. Offered yearly by CHI Health St. Francis, starting the second week in March, the free nine-week holistic rehabilitation program is taught by specially trained nurses and mental health practitioners. Cancer Treatment Center, 308-398-5442.

Other illnesses

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR DIABETES, a self-management diabetes program to assist in learning how to manage diabetes effectively with meal planning, exercise and medication; class schedule varies; 308-398-5565.

DIABETES SUPPORT GROUP, offered by CHI Health St. Francis, designed for people living with diabetes and their families; 308-384-4660.

STROKE SUPPORT GROUP, meets every other month at CHI Health St. Francis (next meeting is in July), and provides support, education and networking opportunities. Anyone affected by stroke or brain injury, including family, friends, and caregivers are welcome to attend. Contact Jennifer Niedfelt, jennifer.niedfelt@commonspirit.org, or Jessica Renee McCord, jessica.mccord@commonspirit.org, to be added to the email list and updates about the next meeting.

Alzheimers disease

ALZHEIMERS AND DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP, a support group for friends and family members who care for those with Alzheimers disease or dementia, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. first Wednesday, Grand Generation Center, 304 E. Third St. Information: Brenda, 308-384-1080.

ALZHEIMERS SUPPORT GROUP, 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday, Faith United Methodist Church, 1623 Central Ave., Kearney; information, Gwen, 308-234-5600. Sponsored by the Nebraska chapter of the Alzheimers Association, the group is designed to provide emotional, educational and social support for caregivers of people with Alzheimers or another form of dementia. Local professionals will lead the sessions.

Grief

GRIEF SHARE, help and encouragement after the death of a spouse, child, family member or friend, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Trinity Lutheran Church, 212 W. 12th St. New 13-week sessions start several times a year (next series starts Jan. 12). Information: Eunice McCarty, GriefShare facilitator, 308-382-0753 or emccarty1955@gmail.com; griefshare.org

PAWS FOR PEACE, a bereavement group for those dealing with the loss of a beloved pet, 1 p.m. Sundays, Meeting Room A, Grand Island Public Library, 1124 W. Second St. Information: Diane Best, 308-390-6598.

Miscellaneous

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/SEXUAL ASSAULT SUPPORT GROUP, a group for those looking for empowerment and skill-building. This is a confidential and closed group. For meeting times and location, call 308-382-8250.

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP FOR MEMORY CARE, an informal support group for friends and family members of those with dementia, fourth Tuesday, CountryHouse Residences, 833 Alpha St. (next to Regency Retirement). Two times available: 1 to 2 p.m. (in person) or 5 to 6 p.m. (via Zoom). Learn tips and techniques, along with helpful resources, to help your loved one from the team at CountryHouse. Information: Brenda Wiltfong, 308-381-1988 or bwiltfong@countryhouse.net.

GRAND ISLAND PFLAG, 7 p.m. second Tuesday, YWCA, 211 E. Fonner Park Road. Group is dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, their families and friends, through support, education and advocacy. PFLAG is not affiliated with any ethnic, religious or political group. Information: 308-390-6560.

HASTINGS/SOUTH CENTRAL PFLAG, 7:30 p.m. second Monday, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Seventh and Marion Road, Hastings (check the Facebook page for event posting and meeting details); in person and Zoom hybrid. Informal coffee and conversation, 11 a.m. first Saturday, Blue Moon Coffee Co., 635 W. Second St., Hastings.

MEN XCEL TOGETHER (MXT), a group of men gathering in a safe and non-judgmental place, mentoring other men to be become they best they can be, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Resurrection Catholic Church, 4110 Cannon Road. Information: email menxceltogether@gmail.com or check the website at menxceltogether.com
LINCOLN  Nebraska Extension will provide in-field training opportunities during the Nebraska Corn and Soybean Clinics, scheduled for two locations, Aug. 29 in North Platte, and Aug. 31 in Mead.

Learn about research-based recommendations for improving yield and profit potential. See a growing season all in one place  the training includes hands-on interaction and field demos.

The Aug. 29 training will be at the University of Nebraska West Central Research, Extension and Education Center, 402 W. State Farm Road in North Platte. Training on Thursday, Aug. 31, will be at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension & Education Center, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca (near Mead).

The clinics will differ in content due to variables at each location. Nicolas Cafaro, assistant professor and cropping systems specialist in agronomy and horticulture at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center, says Nebraska has diversity of soil, weather conditions, and cropping systems. That means that corn and soybean management is also different across Nebraska. We want to bring better access to the clinics for Nebraskans.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. Training is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

Focusing on both corn and soybeans will provide a well-rounded educational experience.

Cafaro says, The management of one crop could influence the other crop in the following year and sometimes the same year (such as herbicide drift), so a systems approach is important.

CCA credits (4.5) have been applied for and are pending.

Clinics are limited to 50 participants, so please pre-register one week before each clinic date to ensure a spot. Participants can choose the location they are attending when registering.

The fee is $75 for those seeking CCA credits and $25 for those attending that do not need continuing education credits. Fees include training, lunch and reference materials.

Learn more and register: https://enreec.unl.edu/nebraska-corn-soybean-clinic/
The report reveals that loneliness significantly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, depression and dementia. A lack of social connection increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%. In fact, it is as dangerous as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

The Surgeon General's "Advisory on our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" is a framework based on six foundational pillars to improve social connection. It includes building parks, funding research, improving health care and enacting public policies. These things may be well and good, but they leave the average citizen fairly powerless.

What can you and I do to fight the epidemic of loneliness? Within the 82-page report, there are specific ideas for us to use in our daily lives. Some may seem quite obvious and fairly simple. Yet, I know I could do better in each of these areas not only to improve my own social connections but to help others facing the devastating effects of loneliness and isolation.

1. Minimize distraction during conversation to increase the quality of time you spend with others. For instance, don't check your phone during meals, conversations and family time.

2. Seek out opportunities to serve and support others. Be ready and willing to help your family, co-workers, friends and even strangers.

3. Be responsive and supportive to others. In turn, show your gratitude for the support people offer you. By practicing these behaviors, others are more likely to reciprocate, thereby strengthening social bonds.

4. Actively engage with people of different backgrounds and experiences to expand your understanding of and relationships with a diverse group of people.

5. Participate in social and community groups such as fitness, religious, hobby, professional and community service organizations to foster a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose.

6. Reduce practices that lead to feelings of disconnection from others. These include harmful and excessive social media use, time spent in unhealthy relationships and too much time in front of screens instead of people.

7. Seek help during times of struggle with loneliness or isolation. Reach out to a family member, friend, counselor, health care provider or call or the 988 crisis line.

8. Be open with your health care provider about significant social changes in your life, as this may help them understand potential health impacts and guide them to provide recommendations to mitigate health risks.

9. Make time for civic engagement. Attend gatherings such as town halls, school board meetings and local government hearings. If interested, participate in positive and constructive political discourse.

10. Reflect the core values of connection in how you approach others in conversation and through the actions you take. These include communication, kindness, respect, honesty and empathy.

Something tells me you care greatly about your community. I hope you'll join me in contemplating this list of suggestions. Instead of passing the buck and leaving it to someone else to make a difference, let's each commit to doing what we can to end the epidemic of loneliness and disconnection.

Dr. Murthy reminds us, "While loneliness engenders despair and ever more isolation, togetherness raises optimism and creativity. When people feel they belong to one another, their lives are stronger, richer and more joyful."

Note: I find this topic of such importance, that this is the first of a three-part series to be continued the next two Saturdays.
COLUMBIA -- Governor Henry McMaster was joined Wednesday by State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver, teachers, and members of the General Assembly for a ceremonial bill signing of H. 3908, which grants paid parental leave for school district employees. The bill requires school districts to provide up to six weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternal leave for employees due to the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child.

"When it comes to a students academic achievement, we know that quality classroom teachers matter more than any other aspect of schooling," said Governor Henry McMaster. "This policy, coupled with a 41% increase in minimum starting teacher pay since 2018, will help us continue to improve our ability to recruit and retain the best teachers."

Employees do not have to exhaust all other forms of leave before being eligible to take paid parental leave.

"We are going to do everything we can to support our teachers and their professional journey," said State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver. "With this legislation, not only do we enable teachers to grow their own families while they grow their students, but we retain them while they are doing that."

In 2022, Governor McMaster signed into law Act 149, which gave state employees up to six weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child.

"This bill is bigger than paid family leave," said South Carolina Rep. Neal Collins. "The challenge of the 21st century is recruiting and retaining teachers. It is up to us to make sure the best and brightest continue to enter the teaching profession. That is why this is a wonderful opportunity."

The governor signed the bill into law on May 12, 2023, and it went into effect on June 26, 2023.

Six years ago, the minimum starting teacher salary was $30,113. Today, the minimum starting salary is $42,500, with the goal to increase the minimum starting salary to at least $50,000 by 2026.
Nurses interest meeting Aug. 19

The Zeta Eta Eta Chapter of the Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority will be holding an interest meeting for registered nurses at noon on Saturday, Aug. 19, at the High School for Health Professions, 130 Howard Hill, in Orangeburg. RSVP to moshalonda@yahoo.com.

Citizens for Life meeting Aug. 21

Are you Pro-Life? Do you live in the Orangeburg area? Have you ever wondered what you can do to help further this mission? If you answered YES, Orangeburg County Citizens for Life invites you to come and learn more at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, at Southern Methodist College, 541 Broughton Street, Orangeburg. Meeting will be in Adden Hall. For questions please email orangeburg@sclife.org.

Civil Rights museum

meeting, book signing set

The Cecil Williams Couth Carolina Civil Rights Museum will host "A Conversation and Book Signing with Joseph McGill and Herb Frazier" on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 11 a.m. at the museum, 1865 Lake Drive, in Orangeburg. Admission is free; however advance registration is required. To register, visit cecilwilliams.com/events or call 803-531-1662.

Calhoun County

to hold public hearing

Calhoun County Council plans to hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, at 102 Courthouse Drive, Suite 110, in St. Matthews. An ordinance to amend code, allow for amendment of boundaries of fire protection service areas upon approval by the Calhoun County Fire District Commission will be discussed. The public is invited to attend.

OCSO holding Town Hall event

The Orangeburg County Sheriff's office will be holding a Town Hall event, "Know Us Before You Need Us," from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at the Santee Convention Center, 1737 Bass Drive, in Santee. The public, community in welcome to attend.

SCSU alumni membership

drive, fish fry planned

The SCSU National Alumni Association, Greater Orangeburg Chapter, will hold its annual Membership Drive and Fish Fry from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31, at Staley Hall Field on the campus of SC State University. There will be music, prizes and fellowship. Bring your lawn chairs. For more information, call 803-535-9754.

B-E Class of 1974

members sought

The Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School Class of 1974 have begun planning for its 50th reunion. Any members of that class are asked to contact the reunion committee via email at beclassof1974@gmail.com.

Praise Out Cancer annual

fashion show Sept. 23

The Praise Out Cancer Foundations Look Good  Feel Good Fashion Show will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Lovely Hill Baptist Association Conference Center, 5905 West Jim Bilton Blvd., in St. George. Local men and women, breast and prostate cancer survivors, will walk the runway dressed in their Sunday Best fashions. The event is the largest annual fundraiser for the Praise Out Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that assists breast and prostate cancer patients with short-term financial support in our local communities. Tickets are available by calling Mary Charley at 843-563-6069 or Alfred Charley at 803-614-1195.

How to submit your events

Please submit Community Datebook column items in writing. Items must be received no later than noon Tuesday of each week. The T&D does not guarantee when items will run. Items may be submitted by: Email: news@timesanddemocrat.com; In person: 1010 Broughton St.
MOSCOW, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday that the West is not interested in negotiating with Moscow on the issue of Ukraine.

The West held multilateral meetings on Ukraine in Jeddah and Copenhagen without inviting Russia, hoping to persuade developing countries to back the Ukrainian president's peace plan, said Lavrov in an interview with the International Affairs magazine, adding that Moscow's vital interests were ignored.

Russia had always been ready for substantive dialogue and had tried for years to make Kiev implement the Minsk agreements, which were aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, he said.

Russia had responded to Ukraine's proposal to start negotiations from the first days of the Special Military Operation, but the talks were halted by Ukraine under Western pressure in 2022, he said.

Later that year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky banned any negotiations with the Russian leadership by decree.

The top Russian diplomat said the West sponsors constantly pushed Ukraine to escalate the situation, and that there was no prospect for negotiations between Russia and the West on Ukraine at the moment.

Russia considered the Western calls for negotiations as a tactical trick to buy time and give a respite to the exhausted Ukrainian troops, said Lavrov. 
(TBTCO) - Nam 2023 la mot nam ay song gio oi voi trai phieu kho bac My. Tam iem chu y cua thi truong tai chinh toan cau se at vao tuan toi, luc 8:30 sang gio New York ngay 1/11 khi Bo Tai chinh My cong bo ke hoach phat hanh trai phieu trong nhung thang toi. Du lieu nay se cho biet kha nang cua thi truong trong viec hap thu nguon cung trai phieu ra sao. Cung ngay, FED cung cong bo quyet inh lai suat trong cuoc hop dien ra ngay 31/10 - 1/11.
WHEN the rice finishes, we make dumplings.

Thats the reality for one family because they simply cannot afford to replenish food until the next pay cheque.

Living pay cheque to pay cheque is a dilemma many households are facing in Trinidad and Tobago.
Heads must roll and there must be an immediate investigation into who purchased 20 unusable wooden ladders for the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service (TTFS) for a whopping $1 million.

The ladders are now parked up behind the Fire Service headquarters because they cannot be mounted on fire trucks, Leo Ramkissoon, president of the Fire Services Association, told the Sunday Express yesterday.
Chief Justice Ivor Archies recent call for acceptance among judges suggests that at least some of them have not been dispensing justice impartially to all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking at the Caribbean Judges Forum on HIV Health and Human Rights last Thursday, the Chief Justice asserted, As lawyers and judges, we must begin from the premise that it is possible to construct functional, moral or ethical codes of behaviour without adherence to any particular doctrine, regardless of how strongly we may hold our personal religious convictions.
Question: I am starting a project in my kitchen. What tips do you have regarding the demolition process?

Answer: Demolition work sounds like fun, and it can be. But there is a difference between tearing something down and removing it.

Taking things apart carefully, such as a nonbearing wall, and removing cabinets, counters, and backsplashes, can help avoid unnecessary damage to adjoining surfaces you dont intend to replace or repair.

Rosie on the House Certified handyman, Fred Willsher of The WILLSH Corporation, refers to this process as surgical removal. Here are some of Freds pro tips to follow before and during the demolition process:

Cover up and protect. If your home was built before 1980, test for asbestos and lead before the demo begins. Call a professional to do the demolition work if either of these are present. Protect all the surrounding surfaces that are not intended to be replaced before you start the demo. This means removing or covering furniture, flooring, walls, and rooms. Rosen paper, blue tape, and plastic covers for openings to other spaces are for protection. If you anticipate a lot of dust, you should cover the supply and return vents in the work area to prevent dust from spreading throughout the rest of the house or damaging your air handler. Tape down the corners.

Start the demolition with a razor knife, not a hammer. To remove drywall from one wall but not an adjacent wall or a backsplash from an existing wall, start by cutting through the drywall tape and compound to avoid tearing the drywall paper from an adjoining surface.

Controlled descent. Have a plan to safely lower and remove heavy items like drywall, studs, and cabinets.

When done correctly, proper demolition will make the installation of new products go smoothly.

Q: How do I mix concrete for a small project?

A: Fred developed a unique process for mixing small batches of concrete. He mixes one 60 or 90-lb. bag of concrete at a time for jobs requiring less than two or three cubic yards, the minimum order from most ready-mix companies (one cubic yard equals 80 square feet, four-feet deep.)

Begin with a 10 x 12 tarp and place the sack of concrete in the center. Slice open the bag and remove the paper. As one person grips and lifts the tarp corners, the second pours water on the upside of the concrete pile. The second person grabs the other side of the tarp and lifts it, moving the dry mix into the water. Repeat these steps, back and forth, until the concrete consistency is what you want. You may have to play with the water-to-mix ratio a bit. The process takes a few minutes and is easier than mixing with a shovel or hoe in a wheelbarrow.

Q: What tips do you have for hanging and fixing doors?

A: Installing a new door in an existing opening has been made easier with the advent of the pre-hung door. These doors are already in a frame with the hinges in place. This allows for a simple installation where all you need are shims, a six-foot level, and a finish nail gun or finish nails to attach the door jamb to the existing framing. Unless you have journeyman-level carpentry skills, I dont recommend you try installing a door from scratch.

Sometimes the door frames will come with the molding or trim attached to one side. Installation is completed by leveling the door, tacking the trim to the existing framing, and securing the door jamb to the frame.

Fred is often called to fix a sagging door that closes improperly or not at all. To fix it, he removes the existing screw from the center of the hinge (about a  screw), replaces it with a three-inch deck screw, and installs it through the jamb and into the framing to clinch the door sufficiently to open and close properly. NOTE: an impact drill, or powerful variable speed drill, is the best tool for getting a three-inch screw to sink in as deeply as needed.

Q: What tricks do you have for a DIY drywall repair?

A: Fred offers these tricks to work with drywall:

Always stack drywall in an open space with the 4  0 edge vertical and the 8  0 horizontal.

When cutting drywall, start with a four-inch T-square or four-inch level. Score the drywall with a new blade in your utility knife. Cut the finish side (white side), snap the drywall, and score the backside to finish.

To hang drywall, use one-and-five-eighths coarse-thread screws. Dont go through the paper, as it will break the gypsum.

Use self-adhesive mesh tape to tape the joints.

Now you are ready to repair the damaged drywall.

Clean dirt or dust from the area and place the sticky side of the tape (sometimes both sides are sticky) on the wall to cover the patch.

Use drywall compound (drywall mud) to cover the tape and hole, smoothing it out as much as possible with a drywall blade to complete the first coat.

When dry, lightly sand or use a wet sponge to enhance the smoothness and prepare the surface if another coat is needed.

Matching and blending your repair with the surrounding texture can be challenging. It will help to determine which drywall texture is on your wall. Common finishes are orange peel, knock-down, or smooth.

Use an extra piece of sheetrock to match the drywall texture on your wall. Copy what is there, then stand back and look at your work. If you are not happy with the results, you may need a professional to touch it up.

Sometimes Fred will use hot mud. This compound dries very quickly and is used by skilled pros. We dont recommend trying it your first time.

Bonus DIY Handyman Tips

Framing

When you cut a piece of framing, be it a stud, plate, or joist, you will make a line with your framing square as you measure for a cut. Always leave the line on the part you want to keep, as it is easier to make a board smaller than larger.

Painting

When painting an area, use a five-gallon bucket with a mesh grate attached to the inside of the bucket to remove excess paint from your roller instead of a roller pan. Even if you only use a gallon of paint, this tip keeps the area cleaner. You dont have to stop and refill a pan. When working on a ladder, the bucket is easier to hang than a pan, plus you wont need to bend over so much!

Paint Brush

Use a three-inch angled Purdy Brush for professional results when cutting in.

Keep the cardboard sleeve. When finished with painting for the day, clean the brush thoroughly. Always store the brush in the sleeve to hold its shape.

Follow these handy tips, and your work will look like a pro did it!
NIAMEY, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Burkina Faso and Mali deployed military aircraft in Niger on Friday in response to any potential military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Niger's national television reported Friday night that Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed fighter jets and helicopters in the country to "respond to any form of aggression against Niger" from ECOWAS, a regional bloc comprising 15 West African nations.

It also said that military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on "concrete measures" in case ECOWAS chooses to "escalate a war."

During a press briefing after a two-day meeting of ECOWAS defense chiefs in Accra, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said that if a peaceful resolution to the recent coup in Niger cannot be found through other means, a standby force is prepared to intervene in Niger at any time.

Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of Niger's presidential guard, declared himself the head of a transitional government last month after President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a military coup. 
A former Tucson High Magnet School counselor arrested in 2022 on charges of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student has pleaded guilty.

Zobella Brazil Vinik pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual conduct with a minor and child abuse, the Pima County Attorneys Office said in a statement.

Under a plea agreement, Vinik can be sentenced to probation up to more than five years in prison. If she is placed on probation, she will participate in the sex offender treatment program.

One term of the plea is if sentenced to probation, the defendant must serve a minimum of 15 years probation, up to lifetime, on the sex offender caseload. Another term in the plea is the defendant must serve a minimum of 6 months, and up to 1 year in the Pima County Jail. While probation is available in the plea agreement, if the judge sentenced her to prison, the minimum amount would be 1 year, and the maximum would be 5.75 years, the county attorneys office said. Our focus is on the child victim and their ability to move on, and the plea agreement kept that focus in mind.

Vinik was arrested in May 2022 after Tucson police received a report about an off-campus, inappropriate relationship between a student and Vinik, police said at the time. The student had been living with Vinik, according to an interim complaint filed in the case.

Detectives searched the pairs cellphones and said they found messages that supported a sexual/romantic relationship. The sexual relationship allegedly started about four months before the arrest, the complaint said.

Vinik is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 25.
Tucsons newest charter school is dedicated to getting students with autism college and career ready.

The fully-accredited school, which enrolls students grades 6-12, is part of the Arizona Autism Charter Schools (AACS) network. Tucson Upper School Campus incorporates career and technical education into its education plan, following the academy model employed by some public schools.

Our high school students will have opportunities to earn the career and technical education credits that lead to industry certifications in technology fields, culinary and other high needs fields, explained Diana Diaz-Harrison, founder and executive director of AACS.

She said much of the schools foundation is therapeutic support. Tucson Upper School also brings more STEAM and project based-learning into the core, Diaz-Harrison said. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Middle school students will have foundations in academics. When students enter high school, they will begin career exploration. As 10th graders, theyll start figuring out which career and technical education (CTE) courses are a good fit for them.

Choices include culinary, marketing, photography and other career paths.

Vocational education can be a great option for students with autism, said Kate Elliott, executive director of the Autism Society of Southern Arizona.

Elliott was a speaker Friday at AACS Tucson Upper School Campuss ribbon cutting. Diaz-Harrison and her team consulted with Elliotts organization when developing their school plan.

Vocational jobs are beautiful places to be able to gain independence and employment, Elliott said. What we were seeing in the community (was) people were finding a hard time finding high schools and a hard time finding that vocational education (for autistic students).

Still, career and technical education isnt necessarily a fit for all autistic students, Elliott said.

Autism is such a wide and varied spectrum, that theres a lot of students that will go on to college and seek professional careers.

Rebecca Hartzell, an associate professor at the University of Arizona school of education, also said that career and technical education isnt right for every student with autism.

Hartzell specializes in autism and is a former elementary and special education teacher.

I think in some cases, it might be a good fit, she said, adding: I would not have a problem saying that, in my opinion, in most cases, its not necessarily the best option.

Hartzell also said she sees drawbacks to schools specifically geared toward students with autism.

My research shows that when kiddos with autism are interacting frequently with their typically developing peers, that their social skills get better, Hartzell said. They have that model of what typical interactions with their peers look like.

Its first year, AACS Tucson will enroll about 50 students, Diaz-Harrison said. The student-to-staff ratio will hover around 4:1, she said.

High school teachers have to have a certification in their subject area, Diaz-Harrison said. A math teacher needs to be certified in math, and English, language arts, etc. If they have special education credentials that is preferred.

Classes numbering about 10 students will have certified teachers, accompanied specialists like behavioral analysts.

The school is circumventing the nationwide teacher shortage by helping professionals earn their teaching certificates on the job, Diaz-Harrison explained.

If they have a passion for our population and they are already certified in a subject area, we support them to get that special education training and certification.

Hartzell said some families feel more comfortable sending their children to a specialized school.

I certainly know some parents that have said, this is the best thing for my kid, because every day in public school was a tough challenge  I didnt always feel like my child was wanted, that theyre welcome, Hartzell said.

I think that can become a real problem.

Diaz-Harrison said there is space for 50 students in Tucson Upper School Campuss first cohort. We want to ensure a good foundation and quality.

Enrolled students do not necessarily have to have autism, Diaz-Harrison said, but outreach is directed towards families of autistic children.

It is paramount that educators maintain high expectations for their students when working with a group of similar students, Hartzell said.

I feel like sometimes when all you do is work with kids with one type of disability, you tend to start handling things (much) the same way, she said. Sometimes I think we may not see there are other things that that child can do.

Tucson Upper School Campus attendance is of no cost to enrolled families. It is funded by federal and state money, along with private sources. One source that helped bolster Diaz-Harrisons vision was winning a $1 million award in 2022.

Student success will be measured by graduation rate and whether graduates engage in the workforce, maintaining their choice career path.

Statistics indicate Tucson Upper Schools quest will be an uphill battle. Recent numbers show 58% of American autistic adults in their early 20s have attained paid employment outside of the home, according to a study published in Autism in Adulthood. Additionally, those who are employed are underemployed or underpaid, the study says.

Were trying to reverse those statistics and give people on the spectrum an opportunity to engage in the workforce in higher paying in demand fields, Diaz-Harrison said. Every child has the right to be a fulfilled, productive citizen.
The transparency of our local government helps create accountability and an informed community.

On a weekly or monthly basis, elected officials meet throughout the Tucson area to discuss and take action on public policy and spending.

Arizonas open meeting law states that It is public policy of this state that meetings of public bodies be conducted openly and that notices and agendas be provided for such meetings which contain such information as is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to such meetings evolved to a level not seen before, with meetings being live-streamed, allowing community members to get involved without having to leave the comforts of home.

In the years that have followed, local government entities have continued such practices in some form.

Posting agendas and minutes, user accessibility, and notices for future meetings are public policy of this state. Heres how Tucson-area governments are faring in adhering to the law.

City of Tucson

The Tucson Mayor and Council meet at 5:30 p.m. on each of the first four Tuesdays of every month, except for July and August, when there is only a meeting on the first Tuesday, the website says. Meetings are held at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda.

The meetings, which can also be viewed after the fact, range from garnering several hundred views to over a thousand. Agendas posted ahead of the meetings share the link to the YouTube channel and instructions on how to speak during a call to the audience in both English and Spanish. Meeting summaries with council action can be found on the same site as the agendas at tucne.ws/1nzx.

Public records can be requested through a form at tucne.ws/1nzz, by letter, email, or phone. Photocopies are 25 cents per copy, though electronic copies already in electronic form are free. They can also be reviewed free of charge in the city clerks office.

Pima County

The Pima County Board of Supervisors meets twice monthly, with regular sessions starting at 9 a.m. at the Pima County Administration Building, 130 W. Congress.

The meeting schedule for the year is posted at pima.gov. Meetings are live-streamed and available for later viewing at youtube.com/@PimaCountyArizona/streams. They can also be viewed on cable TV: Comcast 96 and Cox 96.

Meeting agendas and minutes are centralized at tucne.ws/1o01. The instructions for public participation are available only in English.

Certified copies of documents can be purchased through the Pima County Recorders office. Paper copies are 25 cents per copy, and digital copies are 25 cents per document. Most of the time documents are sent through PDF, which is free.

Marana

The Marana Town Councils regular meetings are usually held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m. at the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive.

Live meetings can be watched on the same site where the meeting video is archived, at tucne.ws/1o02.

Meeting agendas and minutes are available on a separate page on the towns website, maranaaz.gov/agendas-and-minutes. A live stream link is also shared there. All communication, including how to participate in call to the audience, is in English.

Public records can be requested through maranaaz.gov/public-records-request, email, phone, or mail. Black and white copies are 50 cents per sheet. Color copies are $1 per sheet.

Oro Valley

The Oro Valley Town Council meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the town hall, 11000 N. La Canada Drive.

A list of upcoming meetings and agendas, with links to view them through the towns website can be found on the same page where information, including minutes and video, for archived meetings is posted. At the same page, tucne.ws/1o03, its prominently posted on how community members can take part in a call to the audience virtually.

Like nearly all of the other local governments identified thus far, instructions are posted only in English.

Public records can be requested online at tucne.ws/1o04 and inspected free of charge. However, the cost for copies varies, ranging from 25 cents to $1.

Sahuarita

The Sahuarita Town Council holds its regularly scheduled meetings on select Mondays at 6 p.m. at the town hall, 375 W. Sahuarita Center Way. A full schedule for the year is posted at tucne.ws/1o05.

Agendas, minutes and video of past meetings are available at the same site. Meetings are streamed live via YouTube at youtube.com/user/TownofSahuarita/live.

Instructions for public participation are posted only in English.

As far as public records are concerned, an account is required on a Public Records Request Portal. Fees for record retrieval are available in the portal, tucne.ws/1o06.
The number of asylum seekers arriving at Tucson migrant shelters this month has plateaued, after reaching crisis levels earlier this summer. But a recent demographic shift from single adults to families has added stress to the ongoing relief effort, and an expected dip in federal funding has organizers and local officials on edge.

Pima County is spending about $2 million a month, reimbursed by the federal government, on shelter operations, hotel and transportation contracts, food, medical screenings and other expenses to safely care for asylum seekers released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The county has federal funding through December and is anticipating $8.4 million to pay for services starting in January, said Mark Evans, Pima County spokesman. But at current spending levels, $8 million would last just four months, he said.

When we get to April, that could become a day of reckoning for the people of Pima County, Evans said.

Despite record heat, Tucson Sector Border Patrol encounters with migrants reached a 15-year high in July, and included a higher proportion of border crossers that were families rather than single adults, according to federal data released Friday.

In the Tucson Sector in July, the number of family members crossing the border between ports of entry was about 19,000, almost double the number in June.

So far this fiscal year, with two months still uncounted, Border Patrols Tucson sector has reported nearly 78,000 family encounters, compared with 17,000 in all of fiscal year 2022, said Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, senior policy analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute.

Families have ballooned in this sector in ways that we havent seen in the past, he said.

In July, Tucsons Casa Alitas shelter was receiving more than 800 migrating people a day.

Recent weeks have been calmer, said Teresa Cavendish, executive director of Casa Alitas, the main provider of short-term shelter for migrants in the area. On Thursday, Casa Alitas received about 400 people, and 350 of them were part of family units, she said.

The demographic shift to more families brings new challenges.

We might have space suitable for single men, but not suitable for families, she said. We are constantly balancing our shelter space to meet the evolving need.

Tucson record

Border agents encountered almost 40,000 undocumented people entering the country between official ports of entry in July  the highest monthly figure since 2008, according to CBP data. The number includes both people who are seeking to evade law enforcement and those who turn themselves in to Border Patrol agents in order to request asylum protection.

An additional 3,346 encounters took place at official ports of entry in the Tucson Sector, including people who secured one of the limited appointments available through the CBP One app to request asylum. Those who entered the U.S. with CBP One appointments typically make up a small portion of the asylum seekers arriving in Tucson, recently totaling about 70 in one day, Cavendish said.

Migrants whom border agents process as asylum seekers are released to migrant shelters in communities like Tucson, where they are usually quickly connected with sponsors or family in other cities to await their hearings. Most asylum seekers arriving in Tucson leave within 24 to 48 hours, Cavendish said.

Families can sometimes take longer, as their sponsors may not be able to afford transportation for all family members right away, Cavendish said.

You might have a family of five, and the sponsor theyre going to can afford two (plane) tickets, she said. Thats where things become complicated, and were working toward a solution for these folks.

Since May, shelter resources in Tucson have been able to manage a surge in asylum seekers only through close coordination with CBP and a network of hotels and shelters here, and in communities ranging from San Diego to New Mexico.

If Casa Alitas capacity is maxed out, Cavendish reaches out to the city of Tucson, which contracts with hotels for additional bed space to avoid CBP having to release migrants into the street. So far this month, Casa Alitas hasnt required the citys assistance, said Lane Mandle, chief of staff for the city.

Shift from Yuma

Pima County has received more than 200,000 asylum seekers since 2019.

The Tucson Sector has become one of the busiest on the southern border in recent months, as encounters in the Yuma Sector have declined, Cavendish said.

Yuma Sector encounters with Border Patrol have dropped from more than 15,000 in May to less than 7,000 in July, CBP data show.

The data show a greater diversity of migrants from countries other than Mexico and Central American crossing through the Tucson Sector, as the diverse population of border crossers in Yuma has declined.

The shift could also reflect routing decisions of smugglers responding to border enforcement patterns, said Ruiz Soto of the Migration Policy Institute. Ruiz Soto recently spent a month traveling the U.S.-Mexico border as part of research to understand how recent policy changes influenced migrant arrivals.

If its becoming harder for people to cross through Yuma, then theyll come through Tucson instead, he said.

Smugglers use drones and sensors to try to determine where there may be gaps in border fencing, or to track when the border is less supervised in a particular area, Ruiz Soto said.

When smugglers detect that its become harder to cross in one region, they move people to another region, he said. Border Patrol has counter intelligence to try to figure out what smugglers know, but its always a competition.

Razors edge

Despite the recent plateau, shelters have been stretched for months, Pima Countys Evans said.

Since May, weve been on the razors edge, he said.

The anticipated drop in federal funding has raised red flags locally and among Arizonas congressional delegation.

Federal funding is transitioning from the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which has funded relief efforts since 2019, to the FEMA Shelter and Services Program, or SSP funding, for the fiscal year that begins in October, Cavendish said.

The funding was allocated by Congress to assist border shelters in receiving, processing, sheltering and decompressing the border, she said. But its distribution had some unpleasant surprises, she said.

Of the nearly $300 million in the initial funding allocation, more than $100 million will go to East Coast cities. Thats compared with $24 million for Arizona, including the $8.4 million for Pima County. Thats less than half the previous federal allocation the county received, Cavendish said.

Interior communities need funding as well, but it shouldnt come at the expense of front-line border communities, Cavendish said.

Last week Arizonas U.S. senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas demanding more funds for border communities.

For years, across multiple administrations, Arizona communities have been paying the price for Washingtons failures on the border and have been using their own limited resources to help manage migration influxes, the letter said. At a time when Arizona is experiencing an influx in migration, especially in remote areas of Arizonas border during extreme heat weather, we need your agencies to immediately correct mistakes made with SSP and ensure Arizona receives the support and funding needed to manage this border crisis.

For decades Democratic and Republican administrations alike have failed to enact comprehensive immigration reform, said Dr. Francisco Garcia, Pima Countys deputy county administrator. But now, Garcia says he sees a silver lining.

There is more interest on the part of the (Arizona) congressional delegation than I have seen in a long time on this topic, he said. That is a bright spot for those of us who are on the front lines.

National view

Border-wide, the total number of border crosses reached nearly 133,000 in July, up 33% from Junes total of nearly 100,000 but down 27% compared to July 2022.

Julys figure was also below the 170,000 encounters recorded in May, when the Biden administrations new asylum restrictions were implemented in place of the pandemic-era Title 42 protocol.

Migration experts caution against attributing monthly fluctuations in migration flows to the success or failure of new border policies. Often it takes months to determine the long-term impact of a policy change, said Ruiz Soto of the Migration Policy Institute.

After the end of Title 42, migrants who had already traveled to the southern border were likely taking a wait-and-see approach before crossing, he said.

Just as I think it wasnt accurate to say a decrease in the numbers (in June) was completely due to the Biden policies, I dont think we can say the increase in July is directly because of the failure of Biden policies, Ruiz Soto said.

Its much more complicated than that. I think itll take at least a couple more months for us to evaluate whether the Biden policies had a positive or negative effect on the migration we see today.

New rules

U.S. border policy has been in flux this year, first with the May 11 expiration of Title 42, which allowed border officials to rapidly turn back migrants arriving at the border on public health grounds, denying them the opportunity to seek asylum. U.S. officials turned back border crossers more than 2.8 million times under Title 42, The Associated Press reported.

In place of Title 42, the Biden administration added its own set of controversial asylum rules. The rules add stricter penalties to those attempting to cross between ports of entry and they also incentivize people to use legal pathways for migration, including the CBP One mobile app.

In July 44,700 people used the CBP One app to schedule appointments at ports of entry, according to CBP.

A July report from New York-based advocacy group Human Rights First said asylum seekers waiting for appointments through the CBP One app have faced violent attacks, including kidnapping and rape, by criminal groups.

Inconceivable hardship

The travelers received at Casa Alitas have faced inconceivable hardship, Cavendish said, both in their home countries and on their journeys to the border. They report death threats, fear of kidnapping or enslavement, and religious or political persecution, she said.

Many break down in tears when they are welcomed with respect at the shelter, Cavendish said.

One-hundred percent of the people who come to us are traumatized, she said. Theyve been on the edge for so long and truly are not expecting kindness on any level.

Policy and funding debates must not ignore the human reality of the migration crisis, Evans said.

Theyre trying to escape horrible circumstances and trying to make better lives for themselves and their families, Evans said. There are suffering human beings behind these numbers.
Sometimes it looks like state Sen. Justine Wadsack is working for the people trying to recall her from office.

Since talk of a recall began in March, Wadsack has been lashing out against those involved in the recall effort and other critics.

Unable or unwilling to resist responding to critics online, shes repeatedly accused them of defamation or even stalking her.

In July, she responded sharply to a Twitter account with 0 followers  and therefore almost no visibility  who had criticized her decision to pose for a photo with a gun on the state Capitol grounds.

Its funny how you all can lie and defame me, and thats ok by your standards, Wadsack wrote. But it makes you crazy when I fight back & correct you in order to defend my character.

While Wadsack has been slapping back at random critics who come her way, she has also been winning accolades from fellow Republicans, who tend to think shes done a great job in her first session. They named her the top GOP freshman senator of the year.

But Wadsack cant resist her critics. A Realtor by profession, she has gone so far as to complain to the employer of a woman who started the recall. That woman, Tina Kilcullen, later lost her position with Tierra Antigua Realty, where she had been an agent.

The upshot for Wadsack is that now shes facing two ethics complaints against her at the Arizona Association of Realtors, in addition to the recall effort and next years looming primary and general election campaigns.

Nevertheless, she often flexes a persecution complex online. She posted a cryptic couplet on Twitter July 21: Im patient until Im not/I like you till I dont

Her critics in the recall effort responded by saying that Wadsack should grow up. This isnt high school. You are in the state government.

Longshot recall effort

The recall is a longshot because it requires collecting almost 31,000 valid signatures from Legislative District 17 voters in 120 days. Collecting that many valid signatures may mean collecting at least 40,000 total signatures in order to account for invalid ones.

Its a big challenge that volunteers have been pursuing at libraries and parks for months now. The effort ends Sept. 5.

But Kilcullen got Wadsacks attention well before the recall, in July 2022, during the primary-election campaign, when Kilcullen posted an online comment that made fun of Wadsacks name. Wadsack subsequently texted Kilcullen about it, but Kilcullen declined to respond.

By March of this year, Wadsack had excited Republican supporters but angered others by introducing bills dealing with drag shows, banning allegedly inappropriate books in schools and rousting homeless people, among other hot-button cultural issues.

Thats when the recall got rolling, inspired by anger over those bills. Its also when Wadsack started contacting Kimberly Clifton, the designated broker at Tierra Antigua, complaining about Kilcullen.

Clifton, who is also serving a term as president of the Tucson Association of Realtors, detailed the March 21 conversation in a July 13 letter.

I spoke with Ms. Wadsack who was extremely upset with my agent Tina Kilcullen regarding one or more social media posts and stated that I needed to immediately require my agent to remove the post.

Justine stated that this post was in violation since she was a Realtor and it was against the Code of Ethics to speak negatively about a Realtor. I let her know that the post she was referring to did not have anything to do with real estate or her as a Realtor, and this was out of my scope as the Designated Broker.

Tierra Antigua ended its relationship with Kilcullen later last month. It wasnt exactly a firing, because agents generally dont work as employees for their brokerages. But it was nonetheless a big blow to Kilcullen.

Its a lot of work to change brokers, she told me. Its not just a click of a button and youre done.

When I reached her Friday, Clifton said Wadsacks call was not the direct cause of the separation from Kilcullen.

That call did not create the decision that we are not a match, she said.

But the ongoing drama over Wadsacks anger at Kilcullen clearly had an effect, especially after it led to a conservative Facebook group calling for a boycott of Tierra Antigua.

I am not in this fight, however Ive been drug into it by both sides, Clifton said. This is not my circus, and I feel very saddened that Im in the middle of it.

Ethics accusation fly

While it was Wadsack who was complaining that Kilcullen had violated Realtor ethics, it was Kilcullen who ended up filing an ethics complaint against Wadsack to the Arizona Association of Realtors.

The basis of complaint, Kilcullen told me, was that She called making fake allegations to my broker in an attempt to get me in trouble.

The effect has been that Wadsack has spent time answering a complaint that would not have been filed if she had not contacted Kilcullens boss in the first place.

Wadsack said in a July 26 email to Tierra Antigua: Since my initial encounter with Ms. Kilcullen, I have tried to focus on my work and prioritize my time to serve the people who elected me, rather than defend myself from her constant character assassination attempts while in legislative session. Now, I find myself wasting more of my time protecting my good name from a woman who clearly wishes me harm.

To be clear, the Realtors are a private organization that real estate agents may join. You can be a licensed real estate agent without being a Realtor and you can violate Realtor ethics without losing your state real estate license.

Now Wadsack is facing two complaints at the Arizona Association of Realtors. Two years ago, Aaron Parkey, another local real-estate professional, filed a complaint against Wadsack that is similar to Kilcullens  that political disagreements led Wadsack to complain about him to his boss, costing him his association with that broker.

Parkey and Wadsack were tied up in a lawsuit for two years  Parkey filed it against her and others, then Wadsack countersued. Whats left of their conflict now, though, is this ethics complaint, which Parkey told me would be heard Aug. 29.

Shes weaponized cancel culture for her own benefit and goes after peoples living by lying, Parkey said.

Harassment, bad judgment

Wadsack, who has asked me not to contact her by cell phone, did not answer a set of questions I emailed her and the the Senate GOP spokeswoman. She and her supporters, of course, see this very differently. Wadsack has correctly pointed out that Kilcullen used an email signature that included her Tierra Antigua affiliation while sending out communications about the recall effort.

Wadsack is right, I think, that mixing your professional affiliation and political activism is a bad idea. While Kilcullen told me she has no regrets about what shes posted about Wadsack, I also think jokes about Wadsacks name or appearance are low and unnecessary.

Wadsack, though, tends to lump it all together as harassment, defamation or stalking. As she said in one response to Kilcullens complaint, Between Tina and FireFighterDev [the nickname of another online critic] Im constantly harassed.

What she needs to understand, though, is that this is part of the job, especially for a legislator trying to turn controversial ideas into law. Receiving criticism and moving on without lashing out is a key skill for the job, one that Wadsack has shown she lacks.

Going further and using her position to go after a critics job shows especially bad judgment. Ironic that it took a recall against her for Wadsack to highlight flaws that further justify the recall effort.
The potential impact Hurricane Hilary is expected to have on Tucson and southern Arizona was still expected to be minimal, the National Weather service in Tucson said Saturday afternoon.

As of Saturday afternoon, about a half-inch of rain in total is expected through Monday for most of the Tucson metro area, eastern Pima County. The same is true for Cochise and Santa Cruz counties.

Still, the weather service issued a flash flood watch for western Pima County, the Tohono O'odham Nation, as well as parts of Santa Cruz County through Sunday evening.

Normal wind gusts are expected in most areas in the region. However western Pima County is under a wind advisory as forecasters expect gusts mostly between 25 to 35 m.p.h. Sunday afternoon. Some localized wind gusts could reach up to 50 m.p.h.

Pima County has a number of resources for the public to track Hilary's impact, including a precipitation and streamflow data page, a road closures update page and flood alerts through MyAlerts.

Sandbags are available at locations across Pima County, a list can be found here.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The United States gave its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to affect the war any time soon.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undergo at least six months of training on the aircraft, officials said.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin's forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a gamechanger for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take "four or five years," he said.

But in eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyiv's way.

Ukrainian air forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era planes, which are vulnerable to missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, said Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade.

"A modern war cannot be won without aviation" capabilities, Rakita said.

In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete training, according to a U.S. administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

A coalition of 11 Western countries  the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom  pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
People walk past a group of goose statues on display during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

People visit an agricultural fair during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

An artist looks at her sand sculpture during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

People take a VR ride during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

People visit a floral exhibition during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

People play video games during the 2023 Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, Canada, on Aug. 18, 2023. As one of the largest community events in Canada, the annual 18-day exhibition kicked off here on Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Curtis Killman Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Curtis Killman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

CLAREMORE  A disciplinary hearing held this week for two former Rogers County assistant district attorneys accused of watching a jury deliberate established one fact unique to the dozen or so witnesses to testify so far: few knew it was a crime, much less a felony to do so.

Witness after witness, most of whom were attorneys, all said they were unaware of the 1950s-era Oklahoma law that made it a felony to observe or listen in on a jury while it deliberated.

The law, found in Title 21, Section 588 of Oklahoma statutes, was been at the forefront of a Oklahoma Bar Association disciplinary hearing held Thursday and Friday in Claremore for George Gibbs Jr. and Isaac Shields.

Both were assistant district attorneys on July 1, 2022, when on more than one occasion they entered a Rogers County Courthouse security office and watched a jury deliberate in a case they had tried.

The jury was visible on security camera monitors because it had been placed in a vacant, camera-monitored courtroom to deliberate due to COVID-19 concerns.

Shields testified that he had initially been invited into the room by a Rogers County deputy who had security concerns about the defendants family members roaming the courthouse halls while the jury deliberated.

But evidence presented on behalf of the Oklahoma Bar Association cast doubt on Shields claim regarding how he first ended up in the room with other deputies and courthouse personnel.

OBA investigator Brian Martin testified that his investigation showed that Shields first entered the security office about 5:04 p.m. July 1 and was in the room for more than two hours, leaving and re-entering the room several times until the jury came back with a verdict about 8 p.m.

Martin said Gibbs came in later, but was only in the security office for about 25 minutes total.

Surveillance video from inside the security office played during the hearing depicted both Gibbs and Shields in the room, at one point sitting together at a counter, appearing to watch a monitor that purported to display the jury deliberating.

During the video, Shields could be seen using a mouse to zoom the camera in and out.

Martin testified that while the camera could zoom in on a juror, the video quality did not permit reading what may have been written down. Also, while the ability to listen in on the jurors was possible, the monitor in the security office did not have that ability, testimony indicated.

Still, Martin maintained the picture quality was good enough to discern how jurors voted, either by raising their hand or nodding their head.

M.J. Denman, a defense attorney whose clients fate was the subject of the jury deliberations, testified that the room where a jury deliberates is considered to be sacrosanct.

Spying on a jury invades that sanctity of jury deliberations, Denman said. We have an obligation to protect juries.

Denman, who said he knew it was a felony to watch a jury while it deliberated, equated the situation to playing cards against someone with a mirror on the wall behind you.

Denman said he believed knowing how the jury was hung at one point and which way it was leaning was valuable information that gave Shields and Gibbs an unfair advantage over him in trial.

Denman has filed a motion for a mistrial in the case.

Matt Ballard, the district attorney for Rogers, Mayes and Craig counties, testified that he, too, was unaware of the statute in question until after the July 1 incident.

Ballard said he was shocked when he first learned of the incident.

My heart sank, Ballard testified, adding that he didnt know the jury had been deliberating in a courtroom.

Ballard said he recused his office from investigating the crime.

Both Shields and Gibbs have since entered into deferred prosecution agreements that avoided the filing of charges.

Shields has since been hired as a prosecutor in the district that includes Creek County.

District Attorney Max Cook testified at the hearing that he hired Shields despite knowing about the jury viewing incident.

I thought he had the skills and mindset that I wanted in the office, Cook said.

Cook said he also was unaware of the law regarding watching juries deliberate.

Shields, testifying Friday, said he was unaware of the law and didnt have criminal intent when he watched the jury.

He apologized repeatedly to the panel and others involved in the case.

He also called Gibbs his best friend, who he summoned to the security office.

He doesnt deserve this, Shields said of Gibbs.

The hearing ended Friday before Gibbs had a chance to present evidence. The panel agreed to meet at a later date in Oklahoma City to wrap up the hearing.

Malinda Matlock, the presiding special master of the three-member panel of the Professional Responsibility Tribunal that is hearing the case, said a report with recommendations will be forwarded to the Oklahoma Supreme Court when the hearing concludes.

The Supreme Court will have the final say on what discipline it may choose to impose, ranging from a private censure to bar license revocation, Matlock said.

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After a Friday morning meeting with State Superintendent Ryan Walters  which included members of the Tulsa Public Schools board and state board of education  Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum called going ahead with Walters threats of a state takeover of Tulsa Public Schools an extreme action and an affront to democratic principles of self government upon which our country was founded.

He issued a letter to the Oklahoma State Board of Education with a simple message: "We do not want it, and we do not need it."

Instead of including the Tulsa school district with the routine renewal of state accreditation for all public school districts in the state in July, Walters persuaded Gov. Kevin Stitts appointees on the Oklahoma State Board of Education to delay a decision until the boards next meeting, set for Aug. 24.

He said he needed more time for a fact-finding mission and has said all options are on the table, including recommendations for a state takeover like the one newly underway in Houston and even nonaccreditation, which would halt state recognition of and funding for TPS.

Stitt told the Tulsa World earlier this week that he believes TPS issues and the employment of Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist, who has been repeatedly targeted with criticism and calls for replacement by Walters, matters of local control.

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, Stitt said.

In attendance at Friday mornings City Hall meeting were Bynum; Walters; Tulsa school board president and vice president Stacey Woolley and John Croisant; and Tulsa businessman Don Burdick, a Stitt-appointed member on the state Board of Education.

Bynum said afterward that he believes there is a sincere desire to work together to deliver a great education for students in Tulsa Public Schools.

Bynum urged the state Board of Education not to authorize Walters to take over TPS and he asked instead for an ongoing collaboration with the State Department of Education to make Tulsa Public Schools the best school district in the state.

As with many of the authorities allocated to those of us in government by the citizens we serve, just because we have the power to do something doesnt mean we should, Bynum wrote in a Friday letter, which he shared on social media. An action of that severity would only be appropriate if the board or superintendent were guilty of criminality or an unwillingness to improve outcomes for students They are guilty of neither."

He also addressed an embezzlement case, which is still under investigation by federal law enforcement, because Walters has used it to call into question the wider fiscal management under Gists leadership at TPS.

The disgraceful embezzlement of public funds by a single former employee has been cited in the Districts independent audits. The District has fully complied with ongoing related criminal investigations, and it has modified its internal controls to prevent similar crimes in the future, Bynum wrote.

The Tulsa World caught Woolley and Croisant leaving City Hall around noon.

There were some stern words both directions and also very diplomatic, Woolley said. This is the beginning of a diplomatic conversation in which Tulsa Public Schools will strive to improve  like we have been  and he is going to work with us to do that.

When asked if any business or other city leaders have sought Gists resignation, in response to Walters criticism, Woolley said no.

Did Gists employment status come up during Fridays meeting at City Hall?

As much as was discussed about her status is that I believe the board has been working incredibly hard with the administration in the last few years in the development of our strategic plan. And in this, our first real year of that strategic plan, all goals have been met. That strategic plan was developed with the community, and I made sure to reinforce to State Superintendent Walters, as did Mr. Croisant, that we believe we are on the right path  and that leadership and continuity is incredibly important.

Croisant said the only person who has contacted him to echo Walters desire for Gist to be replaced was a resident of Jenks.

He also expressed gratitude to Bynum for helping get us to the table on Friday.

Whenever we talk about people behind their back, or in the media, publicly, without actually having a conversation, without sitting down with them, its kind of hard to understand where theyre coming from, Croisant said. I think theres a lot the state doesnt know about what Tulsa Public Schools has been doing around our strategic plan and from all of the things the last few years that weve implemented, that I think, are very similar  theyre almost exactly the same as what the (state) superintendent is wanting us to do. So we have the same goals. He just didnt maybe understand what those goals were because he hadnt had that in-depth conversation with us.

Woolley said she and Gist met earlier this week with the leadership of the Tulsa Regional Chamber shortly after Walters did.

Basically, I would say how it went is, they shared the information that he had shared with them as part of a document, and we were given the opportunity, I would say, to explain our reflection on that data, Woolley said.

Mike Neal, president and CEO of the chamber, did not respond directly to Tulsa World questions about the meeting, but was unequivocal regarding the school districts accreditation status.

"We do not support a state takeover of Tulsa Public Schools," Neal said. We strongly support the reaccreditation of Tulsa Public Schools.

Walters' spokesman did not respond to an invitation to comment.

Staff writers Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton and Kevin Canfield contributed to this report.

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Ten years ago today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma filed suit seeking to have a monument displaying the Ten Commandments removed from the Capitol grounds.

The monument was placed on the north side of the building in 2012, but had to be replaced in October 2014 when a motorist ran his vehicle into it.

In June 2015, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the Ten Commandments monument must be removed.

The monument moved in October 2015 to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) campus, located on private property ten blocks south of the state Capitol.

Here's a look back at the state Capitol monument, a well as two others in Haskell and LeFlore counties
Plastic covers the sign for the closed Foggy Bottom Kitchen restaurant in April 2022 at Roman Nose State Park in Watonga. Mike Jackson, the executive director of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, testified Thursday before grand jurors after LOFT was first to raise red flags about deals with Swadley's to operate restaurants in six state parks.
Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

BEGGS  With the end of the federal budget year approaching, fiscal hawks in the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to cut the best deal they can while still being responsible, 2nd District Congressman Josh Brecheen said Friday.

The Freedom Caucus is dialoging. Typical of any group, were trying to come up with sound decision-making, what we can do to make sure our position has the most strength, Brecheen said after speaking Friday morning in Beggs.

Brecheen and fellow Freedom Caucus members have gotten a lot of attention since the 118th Congress convened in January. With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the House, Brecheen and a handful of others managed to hold up California Rep. Kevin McCarthys confirmation as speaker until they extracted promises on debt and deficit reduction.

While even some Republicans grouse about the groups outsized influence because of the GOPs small majority, Brecheen said he believes things have worked well.

Weve been pretty good at being able to hammer out our differences, with those of us in a conservative caucus saying, Thats as good as we can get.

Republican members, Brecheen said, must be focused on the value of Republicans sticking together and finding the most conservative solution.

The discussion at Beggs First Baptist Church mostly revolved around the proper role of the federal government. Brecheen argued, as he always does, that the federal government does too much, and most of those present seemed to mostly agree.

One man, though, declared Brecheens use of federal incentives for cod fishing in the 1790s and other historical references as irrelevant to present circumstances.

I readily admit that were in a different time, Brecheen said. What I dont agree with is that we should disregard the principles that have made this the longest-running republican experiment in (world) history.

Brecheen argued that local governments are more efficient and less regulated.

Who here thinks youre better off now than you were in 1983? he asked, his point being that the federal government was smaller 40 years ago.

Most but not all of those present old enough to remember 1983 seemed to like it better.

In responding to a complaint about medical marijuana, Brecheen said he has opposed federal legislation on the matter because he believes cannabis takes away drive and takes away ambition.

State Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, said this is an area in which Congress does need to act to facilitate enforcement of state laws.

We have over 40 states with some form of legalization, Fetgatter said. Because there is no federal regulation on it, the FBI will not give us permission to do that fingerprint background check on these (medical marijuana) business owners.

The main thrust of Brecheens comments, as is often the case, was that he believes federal spending must revert to pre-COVID levels as a start to bringing spending and revenue in line with each other.

Many disagree, including some Republicans. Five-year-old funding levels would mean a noticeable reduction in services, and Brecheen acknowledged that most of the people in the room will probably be unhappy if that goal is achieved because it will hit something in which they are interested.

There is waste, but even waste has a constituency, he said. Focus on waste first. But everybody (in government) has plused-up since 2019. The question I ask is, Can we not live on the amount of federal government with pre-COVID spending levels?

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David Bernstein, a longtime Tulsa nonprofit director and mental health advocate, died Wednesday.

He was 92.

A graveside service was held Friday in Hillside, Illinois. Bernstein most recently had lived in the Chicago area.

Bernstein was former executive director of both the Tulsa Mental Health Association and the Community Service Council, a coordinating agency for identifying and addressing Tulsa-area social issues.

While with the former, he helped start the areas first suicide prevention telephone hotline.

Bernstein was also a leader in Tulsas Jewish community. He later became executive director of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, serving in that role for 16 years.

Among his honors, he was recipient of the Oklahoma Human Rights Award for his contributions to advancing human rights. The Community Service Councils David Bernstein Distinguished Leadership Award was named in his honor.

David Bernstein was an extraordinary force behind the formation and growth of the Community Service Council, the organization said in a statement. He was a true visionary, perceptive in identifying pressing communal needs and steering CSCs efforts. His thought leadership gave rise to a multitude of nonprofit endeavors. David Bernsteins profound influence endures, leaving a lasting mark on the lives of Tulsa residents.

Bernstein grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, before moving to Tulsa in his 20s.

After several years in the business world, he earned a psychology degree from the University of Tulsa and went to work as a psychologist for Tulsa Public Schools.

It was in 1969 as executive director of the Mental Health Association that Bernstein, after attending a suicide prevention seminar in Los Angeles, had the idea for a call line.

The challenge was finding funds for the program and training volunteers to take the calls. Bernstein courted donors, he recalled later, by comparing the hotline to the fire department. It had to be available 24/7, even though only a few, if any, calls might come in.

The idea found traction and support, and soon it had a place to call home: in a Hillcrest Medical Center storage closet.

It was Bernstein himself who took the first call.

Its a lot of responsibility to take somebodys life in your hands, he recalled to the Tulsa World.

Bernstein was also a leader in substance abuse prevention. He developed audiotapes that were used in school systems across the country and by the Navy. He would also start a drug abuse prevention hotline, which he later combined with the suicide hotline, recognizing the mental health connection between the two.

He was involved in the push later that created the statewide 211 Helpline, a free phone service that provides Oklahomans access to information about health and human services.

Bernstein took over as executive director for the Jewish Federation in 1984.

He retired in 2000 but soon returned as the federations director of community relations, a position he held for several years.

Bernstein was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Gerry, and his two siblings.

Survivors include his four children, Lori Wittlin, Pam Schack, Jeff Bernstein and Beth Lobel; 14 grandchildren; and 47 great-grandchildren.

Arrangements were handled by Chicago Jewish Funerals Skokie Chapel. Memorial donations may be made to Chabad Tulsa or Zarrow Pointe.

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POLAND

WARSAW, Poland  NATO member Poland staged a massive military parade Tuesday to showcase its state-of-the-art weapons and defense systems as war rages in neighboring Ukraine and ahead of parliamentary elections Oct. 15.

President Andrzej Duda, the chief commander of the armed forces, said in his opening speech that the protection of Poland's eastern border is a key element of state policy. He also noted that Poland is supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia's aggression of almost 18 months.

"The defense of our eastern border, the border of the European Union and of NATO is today a key element of Poland's state interest," Duda said.

Crowds waving national white-and-red flags gathered to see U.S. made Abrams tanks, HIMARS mobile artillery systems and Patriot missile systems. Also on display were F-16 fighter planes, South Korean FA-50 fighters and K9 howitzers. A U.S. Air Force F-35 roared overhead in a sign that Poland was also purchasing these advanced fighter planes.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland's conservative government focused on strengthening the armed forces and spent more than $16 billion on tanks, missile interceptor systems and fighter jets, many purchased from the U.S. and South Korea.

Duda said Poland's defense budget this year will be a record $34 billion, or some 4% of the gross domestic product, the highest proportion in all of NATO.

Poland borders on the east with the Russian city of Kaliningrad; with Lithuania, a fellow NATO member; with Russia's key ally Belarus and with Ukraine.

The parade was held in Poland's capital, which was vastly destroyed during World War II, on the anniversary of the 1920 Battle of Warsaw, in which Polish troops defeated Bolshevik forces.

The military upgrades have bolstered Poland's defense capabilities and some items replaced Sovietand Russian-made equipment that Poland gave to Ukraine.

Poland is building one of Europe's strongest armies to beef up deterrence against potential aggressors and has increased the number of troops to some 10,000 along its border with Belarus, where it has also built a wall to stop migrants arriving from that direction.
TOKYO -- Selling jackets with built-in fans, neck coolers and T-shirts that feel cold, Japanese firms are tapping into a growing market for products to help people handle the summer heat.

Japan -- like other countries -- is seeing ever-hotter summers. This July was the warmest in 100 years, with at least 53 people dying of heatstroke and almost 50,000 needing emergency medical attention.

Workman, which makes clothes for construction workers, launched a version of their fan-fitted jackets adapted for the high street in 2020 as demand grew.

The mechanism is simple -- two electric, palm-sized fans powered by a rechargeable battery are fitted into the back of the jacket.

They draw in air to then deliver a breeze -- at variable speeds -- onto the wearer's body.

The jackets retail for 12,000 to 24,000 yen ($82-164).

"As the weather gets hotter, people who have never worn fan-equipped clothing before want to find ways to cool down... so more people are interested in buying it," Workman spokesman Yuya Suzuki told AFP.

"Just like you feel cool when you are at home with a fan, you feel cool just by wearing (the jacket) because the wind is blowing through your body all the time," he said.

This photo taken on July 27, 2023 shows a staff member adjusting lifestyle clothing designed to battle heat on display by Chikuma & Co., during the 'Tokyo Extreme Heat Countermeasures Exhibition' during Techno Frontier 2023 at the Tokyo Big Sight venue in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Ageing population at risk

Japanese summers are known to be hot and humid, but this July Tokyo really sweated.

The average temperature was 28.7 Celsius (83.7 Fahrenheit), the highest on record since 1875.

Heatstroke is particularly deadly in Japan, which has the second-oldest population in the world after Monaco.

More than 80 percent of heat-related deaths in the past five years have been among senior citizens.

"Some people die from heatstroke," said Nozomi Takai of MI Creations, a company selling neck-cooling tubes mainly to factory and warehouse workers.

"Individuals as well as companies are putting more and more effort into measures against it every year," Takai said.

The gel inside his firm's brightly coloured tubes -- priced at 2,500 yen -- is cool enough to use after 20 minutes in the fridge.

Wearing it on the neck will "considerably cool the whole body" for about an hour, she said.

This photo taken on July 30, 2023 shows people using umbrellas and parasols to seek relief from the heat while walking outside Shinjuku station, as temperatures of 35C-plus (95F) have scorched the Japanese capital Tokyo for weeks. Photo: AFP

Takai's company joined an expo this year on "measures against extreme heat" in Tokyo to showcase new products that help users stay cool in the scorching heat.

At another booth, Tokyo-based company Liberta had a series of clothing including T-shirts and arm sleeves using prints that make users feel cool -- especially when they sweat.

The prints use materials such as xylitol that feel cool when reacting with water and sweat, they said.

Chikuma, an Osaka-based company, has even created office jackets and dresses equipped with electric fans.

"We developed them with the idea that it could be proposed in places where casual wear is not allowed," Yosuke Yamanaka of Chikuma said.

Regular fan-fitted clothes can make the wearer look puffy, as they need to be zipped up, and cuffs are tight.

But jackets developed jointly by Chikuma, power tool maker Makita and textile giant Teijin do not need to be buttoned up, thanks to a special structure that sandwiches the fans in two layers and keeps the cool air in, Yamanaka said.

This photo taken on August 4, 2023 shows a municipal worker wearing a jacket with battery-powered built-in fans to keep cool in the heat while working on a street in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Men adopting parasols

Parasols, which are commonly associated in Japan with skin-tone-conscious women protecting against a summer tan, are now proving more popular with men too.

Komiyama Shoten, a small, luxury umbrella maker in Tokyo, began making parasols for men around 2019 after the environment ministry encouraged people to use them.

Before, many male customers thought parasols "were for women and they were embarrassed", the owner Hiroyuki Komiya said.

"Once you use it, you can't let go," he added.

On the busy streets of popular tourist destination Asakusa, Kiyoshi Miya, 42, said he decided to "use his umbrella as a parasol".

"It's like I'm always in the shade and the wind feels cool," he said.

Another visitor, Shoma Kawashima, wore a wearable fan around his neck to stay cool under the blazing sun.

"It's so hot I want to be naked," the 21-year-old said.

Gadgets are helpful, but "not a solution" to rising temperatures, he added.
A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has put forward positive viewpoints to issues regarding intra-ASEAN economic cooperation at the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM-55), which kicked off in Indonesia on Saturday.

The Vietnamese delegation stated their opinions about preparations for the signing of the second Protocol amending the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) agreement, and negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), according to the Vietnam News Agency.

Also, the Vietnamese side made positive comments on preparations to start negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework, so as to demonstrate Vietnams strong commitment to regional economic integration and maintain its active role in making efforts to create a driving force for regional and global economic growth, speed up post-pandemic economic recovery, as well as strengthen regional supply chains.

Aside from Vietnam, other participating ministers shared information and updated the implementation of Indonesias economic cooperation priorities in its ASEAN Chairmanship 2023, major tasks of the ASEAN Economic Community such as the ASEAN Strategy for Carbon Neutrality.

The ministers at the event also discussed preparations to start negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework, execution and upgrade of the ATIGA, and preparations for consultations between economic ministers of ASEAN nations and their partners.

The ministers recognized the completion of four out of seven economic cooperation priorities of the ASEAN chair in 2023, including the signing of the second Protocol amending the AANZFTA agreement.

In addition, they discussed economic cooperation activities between the bloc and its dialogue partners such as the U.S., China, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Australia; the implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) between ASEAN and its partner countries, including the upgrade of the ASEAN-China FTA, negotiations on an FTA between ASEAN and Canada, and the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

On the sidelines of the event, the ministers met with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to discuss the ABACs recommendations and priorities to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in the region, bolster regional trade and investment integration, beef up collaboration activities on sustainable development, and maintain health measures to cope with epidemics.

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BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An official of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Saturday strongly condemned the new provocative move by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to further collude with the United States.

The official made the remarks in response to Lai Ching-te's "stopover" through the United States, describing the move as Lai's shameless efforts to cling to U.S. support to seek "Taiwan independence." 
Police in Ho Chi Minh City said on Friday they issued an emergency detention order for 25 individuals for investigation into their gathering for illegal motorbike racing, disrupting public order earlier this week.

According to police, Quach Tuan Anh, 20, residing in District 4, sent text messages inviting Tran Doan The Hai, 20, residing in Binh Thanh District and several others to participate in illegal racing, aiming to compare and determine whose vehicle was faster.

Following this invitation, the group of young individuals joined a closed social media group to discuss the organization of the race.

The group divided into three smaller teams and proceeded to meet at the Saigon Bridge in Ward 22, Binh Thanh District.

At precisely 8:30 pm on Tuesday, they departed from Nguyen Huu Canh Street, crossed the Saigon Bridge, headed down Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard in Thu Duc City, and then returned to the Saigon Bridge.

In total, they completed four rounds of this circuit before being caught red-handed by officers from the Ho Chi Minh City Road and Railway Traffic Police Unit (PC08) and the Binh Thanh District public security unit.

Police officers detain individuals participating in illegal motorbike racing in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Supplied

At the scene, police officers detained 40 individuals and seized 34 motorcycles.

On Wednesday morning, other participants in Tuesday nights illegal race voluntarily surrendered to the police.

After an investigation process, on Friday, the Binh Thanh District public security unit issued urgent detention orders for 25 individuals for their involvement in disrupting public order.

According to police officers, the majority of the racing group were adolescents under 18 years old and had no drivers licenses.

They utilized modified motorcycles to speedily maneuver in the car lanes, posing a danger to other road users.

Currently, the Binh Thanh District public security department continue their investigation to clarify the roles of the individuals within the group.

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Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Nguyen Thanh Long, former Minister of Health, was found to have received US$2.25 million of bribes in a case linked to Viet A Technology Corporations gouging of COVID-19 test kit prices, according to the Ministry of Public Security, which proposed an indictment against Long on Friday.

-- Police in northern Son La Province have launched a probe to determine the cause of the death of an elementary school teacher, whose body was found near a hydropower reservoir in the province on Friday morning, a local official confirmed the same day.

 A huge fire engulfed a LED light box and advertising board manufacturing facility spanning hundreds of square meters in Thu Duc City, under Ho Chi Minh City on Friday evening, destroying a large number of properties inside.

-- Vietnam is set to have more stroke centers in the upcoming period, but the quality of stroke treatment and care services should be enhanced further, a local stroke expert told a symposium held on Friday in Ho Chi Minh City.

Business

-- The Ministry of Industry and Trades Foreign Trade Agency has published a list of domestic firms eligible to export rice, sending the total number of rice exporters in the country to 210 as of Thursday this week.

-- More than 5,300 flights are scheduled to operate during the peak travel period from August 31 to September 5, providing a total of 1.06 million seats in order to meet passengers' demand during the National Day (September 2) holidays, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

World News

-- Paris will ban pony rides for children in its public parks from 2025 following a campaign by animal rights activists who argue that the ponies are not well treated, Reuters reported.

-- U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David on Friday to deepen military and economic cooperation and made their strongest joint condemnation yet of "dangerous and aggressive behavior" by China in the East Vietnam Sea, according to Reuters.

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Police in Da Nang City, central Vietnam on Friday initiated legal proceedings and an arrest warrant against a 23-year-old man for the offenses of manufacturing, possessing, and illicitly trading in military weapons.

The aforementioned decision and arrest warrant were approved by the Da Nang Peoples Procuracy.

The man, Pham Ngoc Son, 23, residing in Lien Chieu District, Da Nang, is accused of manufacturing firearms for sale, which is illegal in Vietnam.

The investigation into the case showed that around July, Son discovered various foreign websites instructing making military weapons from plastic through three-dimension (3D) printing.

Driven by the desire to earn money through the sale of weapons, Son used local 3D printing services to print gun designs.

Upon receiving the 3D printed components, Son personally made additional parts such as copper barrels, and drilled and assembled firing mechanisms and springs to complete the guns.

Pham Ngoc Son is arrested. Photo: H.B. / Tuoi Tre

Once the guns were finished, he sold them to customers with demand through a delivery service.

On August 12, Son used a delivery service at the Hoa Hiep Nam Ward postal office in Lien Chieu District to send four guns to customers.

After Son handed over the package, the investigative security agency cooperated with the postal service to launch an inspection and subsequently seize the firearms.

The investigative security agency assessed that 3D printed guns capable of firing real ammunition are a particularly dangerous type of weapon, with numerous risks associated with their widespread production and use.

The agency urges all 3D printing establishments to strictly adhere to the law governing the printing service industry and to absolutely refrain from assisting any individuals in printing components for military weapons.

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A huge fire engulfed a LED light box and advertising board manufacturing facility spanning hundreds of square meters in Thu Duc City, under Ho Chi Minh City on Friday evening, causing no casualties but destroying a large number of properties inside.

Nobody stayed in the facility at the time of the incident, which broke out at around 9:00 pm.

Local residents tried to put out the fire but failed, as it became more fierce and raged the entire facility, located on Kha Van Can Street in Linh Dong Ward.

A dozen firefighters and many fire trucks were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

A dozen firefighters and many fire trucks were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre

I heard many people screaming while I was asleep.

I rushed out of my home and discovered the facility was burning.

I joined the crowd to put out the huge fire but we failed, an eyewitness told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

Power supply was suspended in the entire area to serve the firefighting operation.

Authorities have launched a probe to determine the cause of the fire.

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Police in Vietnam have arrested a young man after suspecting him of beating a three-month-old boy to death during his quarrel with his unofficial wife who is the babys mother.

The suspect, 19-year-old Nguyen Minh Phung, a resident in southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, was detained on Friday for investigation on charge of murder, local police reported on Friday.

The arrest came four days after Phung beat the three-month-old baby, often called Bo, to faint and the boy died later on the way to a hospital.

An autopsy made on Bo determined that the boy died from a traumatic brain injury while having a buildup of blood underneath the scalp, and a lot of scratches over his body, local police stated.

The baby was also found having undergone treatment for his broken left arm and left femur, the autopsy showed.

According to initial reports, Phung committed his alleged crime at his home on Tuesday noon when he was quarreling with his de facto wife, 15-year-old Trinh Hoang Bao L., the boys mother, whose husband has been serving a sentence for a drug-related crime.

At that time, in a fit of anger because of Bo constantly crying, Phung strongly hit Bo's forehead with his hands and shook Bo strongly while firmly holding the boy in his hands.

Seeing the baby fainted after such crude acts, the couple took him to Ba Ria Hospital for emergency treatment, but doctors said the boy died before hospitalization.

Phung had lived with L. as husband and wife in the provinces Long Dien District since early May 2023 and the woman gave birth to Bo on May 20.

Earlier in October 2022, L.s husband  the blood father of Bo  was arrested on charge of illegally possessing drugs and he was later given a jail term for the offense, local police said.

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Authorities in Vietnams southern and Central Highlands provinces and cities have been asked to take precautionary measures against extreme weather and ensure safety of dams and reservoirs, as excessive rainfall could linger until next Monday.

The national steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control on Friday sent a dispatch to these localities, asking for their efforts to respond to possible natural disasters.

Localities in the Central Highlands region have to constantly update weather forecast news and timely inform competent forces and local people of unfavorable weather conditions, especially those living in vulnerable areas.

In addition, they need to dispatch working teams to inspect riverside, low-lying, flood- and landslide-prone locations to prepare evacuation plans.

They must also adopt measures to ensure safety of hydropower dams and irrigation reservoirs.

Both southern and Central Highlands localities are expected to see moderate to heavy rains, packing thunderstorms over this weekend, while heavy downpours are forecast in some areas with rainfall exceeding 150mm, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

From Sunday evening to next Monday, the two regions will be likely to experience intense rainfall of over 100mm.

As for the northern region, medium to heavy downpours could hit northern localities on Saturday, with common rainfall of 40-80mm.

Those residing in mountainous areas and low-lying areas should prepare for possible flash floods, landslides, and flooding, the center said.

Also, showers and thunderstorms are forecast in the central and southern of the East Vietnam Sea, coastal areas from south-central Binh Thuan Province to southern Ca Mau Province during Saturday.

The southwestern part of the East Vietnam Sea may be hit by wind gusts, sea waves of 2-3m high.

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Prime Video has backflipped on plans for two shows which had already been renewed: A League of Their Own and The Peripheral.

Scripts for all four episodes were completed before the dual writer / actor strikes, but the studio claims the strikes would have delayed the arrival of the series to 2025.

The decision to cancel the series from co-creators/showrunners Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson (who also starred) comes as Hollywoods first dual strikes since the 1960s has brought production to a standstill.

Co-creator Abbi Jacobson, who also starred, said on social media, To blame this cancellation on the strike is bullshit and cowardly, she noted, before thanking fans .But this post isnt about all that. About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer. Not today.

Sony Pictures Television plans to shop the series around with the hopes it can find a new home for season two. At just 4 episodes that mat be optimistic.

Meanwhile strikes were also blamed for a reversal of sci-fi series The Peripheral enjoying its second season.

Prime Video had picked up a second season in February, about two months after the first season finished its run.

Season two had begun preproduction in early May when writers went on strike, followed by actors in mid-July.

Based on a William Gibson novel, The Peripheral is set in a near-future world and stars Chloe Grace Moretz as a woman who discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality.

Hollywood Reporter
This is a true story. What follows is based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts, with some scenes created for dramatic purposes, a card on The Sixth Commandment advises.

The four part UK drama centres around the Maids Moreton Murders, a case that gripped the UK in 2015.

Written by Sarah Phelps (A Very British Scandal, The Pale Horse) and directed by Saul Dibb (The Salisbury Poisonings) it is an eerily fascinating anatomy of murder by the hand of Ben Field (Eanna Hardwicke), a strapping, charismatic young man who mesmerised wealthy lonely Brits into bequeathing him their estates.

Call him a paramour, Casanova, gold-digger or parasite, he was everything retired English teacher Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall) unwittingly desired when their paths crossed during one innocent lecture.

Deeply-religious Peter was also a closeted gay man who had never been loved.

I do not think it is possible for me to be loved, in that way, he tells a sympathetic friend and vicar.

But when Ben appears to be enamoured by his love of literature, Peter forges a friendship which fasttracks into attraction at a rapid pace. Theres a quickie commitment ceremony of sorts before Ben moves in, much to the horror of Peters concerned brother Ian (Adrian Rawlins).

I have to be untouched, unloved, and live only a fraction of my life? asks Peter.

But Ben, aided by a sheepish student friend Martyn (Conor MacNeill), is manoeuvering behind the scenes, including with designs on Peters assets.

By episode two Ben has set his sights on one of Peters neighbours and spinsters, Ann (Anne Reid) who also falls under his spell. But niece Anne-Marie (Annabel Scholey) has her suspicions about the increasing intimacy and obvious age gap.

The Sixth Commandment explores issues of trust, vulnerability and quietly crushes any fairytale dreams of being swept off our feet by the elixir of youth.

Its also a masterclass of acting from Timothy Spall, in particular, as the fragile, conservative teacher, trapped for decades by his own feelings of shame and conflict of sexuality and faith. Its hard not to be moved by his blind folly in placing so much trust in a young man whose drive was entirely materialistic.

Anne Reid is equally sublime in her performance of the gentle Ann, whose world of tea and scones and quiet retirement is thrown asunder by the affections of a much younger man.

But the series would be nothing without Eanna Hardwicke in a gift of a role as the duplicitous Ben. Hardwicke never overplays his part, always leaving Bens victims wanting more.

The other fascinating relationship is with student Martyn, whom we only glimpse as being subservient to Ben in blink-and-youll-miss-it exchanges. I cant wait to see how this is explained in later episodes.

Tragically, you never get the feeling you are watching a work of fiction here. With its engrossing script, commanding direction and brilliant ensemble, The Sixth Commandment never puts a foot wrong.

If in doubt, the series is sadly dedicated to the memories of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin.

Dont miss it.

The Sixth Commandment premieres 8.30pm August 24 on BBC First.
The Lane Xang passenger train of the China-Laos Railway runs past a maintenance center in Luang Prabang, Laos, March 30, 2023. (Photo by Zhou Xing/Xinhua)

KUNMING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A batch of fresh matsutake mushrooms produced in southwest China's Yunnan Province departed for Japan earlier this month, having received a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Certificate of Origin from Kunming Customs.

"Thanks to the implementation of the RCEP, our exported mushrooms now benefit from a reduced tax rate," said Bi Chongbao with Chuxiong Prefectural Import and Export Co., Ltd. "These mushrooms, which have entered the Japanese market, are worth about 168,800 yuan (about 23,442 U.S. dollars), with a tariff reduction of 1,350 yuan."

Since the implementation of the RCEP, the tax rate for matsutake mushrooms entering Japan has decreased from 3 percent to 2.2 percent. It is expected to continue to decrease in the future, helping to further reduce the company's trading costs, Bi added.

The RCEP comprises 15 members: the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, plus China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The RCEP was signed in November 2020 and entered into force on Jan. 1, 2022, with the aim of gradually eliminating tariffs on over 90 percent of goods traded among its members.

During the ongoing seventh China-South Asia Expo held in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan, officials and business representatives from nine RCEP countries, including China, Cambodia and Australia, attended the Second International Cooperation Forum on RCEP Trade and Investment, focusing on topics related to the development of regional trade.

They discussed the more open and convenient development environment that the RCEP has brought to regional economic and trade cooperation. The focus also extended to strategies for maximizing the RCEP's benefits and expanding collaboration among the members.

At the forum, Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State Penn Sovicheat highlighted the significant potential and opportunities for business and investment brought by the RCEP agreement.

The RCEP has played a significant role in driving Cambodia's export growth in the post-pandemic era, said Penn Sovicheat, adding that Cambodia regards the RCEP as a means of facilitating trade, fostering economic growth, diversifying access to foreign markets, attracting investment and deepening engagement within regional supply chains and value chains.

Cambodia is committed to promoting diplomatic and trade cooperation among RCEP members, Sovicheat said.

The RCEP will assist Australian businesses and those that have already invested in southwestern China in tapping into the regional value chain and discovering more opportunities in neighboring markets, echoed Adelle Neary, the Australian Consul General in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

As a beneficiary of rule-based trading systems, Australia has consistently been an active participant in the global trade systems and an advocate for free trade agreements such as the RCEP, Neary said.

In 2022, trade between China and other RCEP members increased 7.5 percent year on year to 12.95 trillion yuan, accounting for 30.8 percent of the country's total foreign trade value, according to the General Administration of Customs of China.

In the first half of this year, the figure totaled 6.1 trillion yuan, up 1.5 percent year on year, contributing more than 20 percent to China's foreign trade growth. 
Greek authorities on Saturday rescued nearly 60 migrants in inflatable dinghies trying to cross from Turkey to the nearby eastern Aegean Sea islands in two separate incidents, the coast guard said.

In recent weeks Greece has seen a rise in such arrivals, mostly in small unseaworthy boats provided by smugglers.

A coast guard statement said a patrol boat located 41 people early Saturday on a drifting inflatable dinghy off the island of Lesbos. All were safely evacuated and taken to a reception center on the island.

Following a chase earlier Saturday, a coast guard patrol boat stopped another dinghy carrying 17 people near the eastern Aegean islets of Arkii. The migrants were taken to the island of Patmos, while one of them was arrested on suspicion of belonging to a smuggling ring.

Greek officials have blamed the increase in arrivals largely on conflicts in Africa that are adding pressure on the main smuggling routes to Europe, and also on a burgeoning black market industry in Turkey that produces low-quality inflatable boats.

Better summer sailing conditions have also contributed to the hike in numbers.

The Greek government says it has not changed its policy of intercepting boats at sea, which had significantly reduced arrivals of migrants in recent years.

Human rights groups have accused Greece of carrying out illegal summary deportations to Turkey of people who managed to reach Greek shores. Athens strongly denies the claim.
Pakistani police are seeking to arrest a man in connection to the death of his 10-year-old daughter in Surrey.

Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead at her home in Woking after officers were called from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at about 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police have said.

Mr Sharif, 41; his partner, Beinash Batool, 29; and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28; are wanted for questioning.

Police believe they travelled to Islamabad on August 9, along with five children aged between one and 13 years old.

Urfan Sharif is wanted for questioning over the death of his daughter (Surry Police/PA)

On Saturday, the Associated Press news agency reported that Pakistani police in the eastern province of Punjab are seeking to arrest Mr Sharif in connection to Saras death.

Mr Sharifs family home is reportedly in Jhelum, Punjab, about 84 miles from the capital.

Officer Imran Ahmed said police found evidence that he had briefly returned to Jhelum, before leaving and disappearing, AP reported.

It comes as lawyers in the UK have said Pakistans government is unlikely to block an extradition request in connection to Saras death.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan but people have been returned from the Asian country before.

Edward Grange, a partner at law firm Corker Binning, said arrest warrants would first need to be issued in the UK.

He suggested a memorandum of understanding would also need to be agreed between the two countries.

He said it would likely be a slower process than if a treaty were in place.

A woman and a girl lay flowers outside the property on Hammond Road where Sara Sharif was found dead (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Mr Grange told the PA news agency: There is no extradition treaty and, therefore, in order to seek the extradition the two governments have to enter into a memorandum of understanding for the extradition of the named individual.

Its a slower process because it has to have government approval and there have been examples in the past of individuals who have been extradited, well call it extradition, they have been removed from Pakistan and arrived back in the UK.

He said there are at least two or three examples of people being returned from Pakistan to the UK, but none the other way around.

Story continues

In April this year, Piran Ditta Khan, 74, was brought to Britain from Pakistan and charged with the murder of police constable Sharon Beshenivsky 18 years ago.

A provisional trial date for February 12 2024 has been fixed at Leeds Crown Court.

Mr Grange added: The second hurdle is that you cannot extradite somebody simply for the purposes of questioning, so they cant just be a suspect.

Youve got to have taken a decision that theres sufficient evidence for the individual to be charged with the offence and it requires a warrant of arrest to be issued in the UK by a UK judge for that individual.

PA has asked Surrey Police whether any arrest warrants have been issued.

A Home Office spokesperson said: As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, we neither confirm nor deny the existence of extradition requests.

Mr Grange added: At this moment in time, not knowing a huge amount about the case apart from whats in the public domain, is that theyre obviously at the early stages of this very sad, tragic case and individuals who obviously are key persons that they want to speak to have left the jurisdiction.

Sara suffered extensive injuries over a sustained period before she was found dead at the property in Hammond Road, a post-mortem examination has revealed.

Whether or not the authorities in Pakistan will extradite their own national is another question to consider, Mr Grange said.

He said they could raise the UKs past refusals to extradite people to Pakistan.

He added: So, yeah, political bargaining no doubt potentially could be used in this case but because it involves a child, etc, Id imagine that the authorities in Pakistan will, if a memorandum of understanding is asked for, will be entered into, and the individual will be returned to the UK.

He said there lots of considerations to be given to entering into an extradition treaty with a country such as Pakistan, stressing it is a two-way thing.

He cited the countrys very turbulent political backdrop and concerns about human rights and the death penalty.

Human rights lawyer Karen Todner, who specialises in criminal defence and extradition, said it shouldnt be too difficult to arrange an extradition from Pakistan.

She told PA: It shouldnt be difficult at all, objections to extradition tend to be allegations of breaches of the human rights act and obviously the UK is generally considered to be one of the most compliant countries.

Most countries would extradite to the UK.

They have to issue a warrant and there would have to be an ad hoc arrangement between the two countries so they would just make a formal request to Pakistan for the extradition, and it would then be presented in court, it would be what called an accusation warrant.

The UK would make a request to the Pakistani government for their arrest, they would then be arrested and face extradition proceedings in Pakistan.

It would be, in my view, unlikely that it would be refused, I think it would be accepted and that they would then be extradited to the UK.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: It would not be appropriate for the FCDO to comment on an ongoing police investigation.
Pomcasso: The little dog funding its own heart surgery with paintings

A little dog's paintings are funding a $45,000 life-saving operation after it was diagnosed with a heart problem.

Glitter, an 11-year-old blue Pomeranian, was diagnosed with stage C mitral valve disease - life-threatening heart failure - in July last year.

To save her life she needs open heart surgery which can be carried out in Japan in September, by Dr Masami Uechi at the Jasmine Clinic. Dr Masami is one of the two vets who can carry out the mitral valve repair surgery needed - the other is Dr Daniel Brockman at the Royal Veterinary Clinic in Hatfield, UK.

Her owner, Brittany Echevarria, 29, needed to raise $40k to fund the surgery and the flights there - and came up with the ingenius astistic idea after being inspired by a painting chimpanzee.

Talented Glitter - nicknamed Pomcasso - paints custom art to sell and has raised a staggering $40,933, enough to cover the cost of the operation. However, Brittany now needs an extra $5k to cover the cost of shipping and paint supplies for Glitter's art.

Brittany, an event manager from Maui, Hawaii, said: "If you want a painting with your dog and you dont want them to paint their pawprints, you can put the painting in a bag and peanut butter on the bag and let them lick it.

"We put organic peanut butter and a bit of organic coconut oil to let her lick it. I got the idea to sell it because I saw Limbani, a chimpanzee, whose painting was sold for up to $1,000.

"Glitter loves licking - people loved Limbanis painting - I just figured if people saw Glitter and her story, they would be empathetic, it would touch peoples hearts and luckily people took well to it.

"We want to make it authentic for her. Once she creates it, I will go in and add some dusting of glitter on it. I will just sprinkle it on there, so thats like her signature with her paw print on it.

"It's like a little masterpiece of her to say thank you to the people help saving her life.

"Why wouldn't people want to see an adorable little dog in a Picasso costume and creating a painting? I thought it would touch peoples hearts and luckily people took well to it.

Story continues

"She is a little pomcasso."

Glitter was a present from Brittany's mum, Lisa Vasquez, 57, on Valentine's Day, 2012.

She said: "I named her Glitter because I wanted the fur colour to match her name, she is a blue Pomeranian, which is a rare fur colour for a Pom. It ended up fitting her personality so well.

"She is very sassy and very spoilt, and just like a princess. Glitter is a perfect name for her. She is the favourite member of the family. We make custom dog cakes for her birthdays every year.

"Glitter loves to give kiss. She loves to lick. Her favourite toy is Peep Marshmallow Bunny. Everybody loves her. She loves people, going to the beach and the park.

"She is always there with us when we go on vacations, shopping, dinner. She is like my best friend - we're inseparable."

Glitter was diagnosed with stage C mitral valve disease in July 2022. "It is a genetic disease," Brittany added. There are certain dog breeds that are prone to develop this disease, such as Pomeranians, like my dog, mini poodles, and Chihuahua."

"What stood out for me for Glitter was that she kept coughing - constantly coughing since 2022 June - which was actually due to the fluid building up in her lungs. She was panting excessively. She gets tired really easily and cant keep up to her normal speed.

"She ended up collapsing while running around, thats when I took her to the vet and realised it was really serious."

Glitter is also experiencing heart enlargement, which means her heart is getting bigger every day, due to the disease.

Brittany said: "We were told that she has MVD and to start planning to say goodbye because she only has eight to 12 months to live. I couldnt believe that was happening. I made a big effort to be the best mum. I didnt understand how this could have ever happened to my dog."

After visiting several other vets, Brittany was told Dr Masami Uechi at the Jasmine Clinic in Japan operates mitral valve repair surgery, with a 98 per cent recovery rate. She was told surgery was the only option for Glitter at this stage.

"Surgery... allows her heart to shrink back to the normal size and stop leaking fluid to make it function normally. The average cost of MVD surgery is $35,000 to $40,000."

Brittany started the fundraising Glitter in August last year and decided to sell Glitter's artwork in June 2023 to help the cause. They have since sold 200 paintings - each for $15.

They have raised $40,933 on GoFundMe through donations and the artwork - but they now need an extra $5k to cover the cost of shipping Glitter's artwork.

Brittany has been able to put down a deposit for the surgery in September and is grateful to everyone who supported them. She said: "I wish I could meet them in person and give them a hug and Glitter give them a hug.

"We are so touched that people want to see her survive and them having empathy for this little Pomeranian that they dont even know. They are the most amazing, incredible kind humans that I restore my faith in humanity.

"At first, I didnt know how I am going to get $40,000 and didnt even expect to hit the goal, thought I will have to think of another way, yet we are here ready to go to Japan to do the surgery.

"It made me believe in miracles."
Singapore Exchange (SGX:S68) Full Year 2023 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: S$1.19b (up 8.7% from FY 2022).

Net income: S$570.9m (up 27% from FY 2022).

Profit margin: 48% (up from 41% in FY 2022). The increase in margin was primarily driven by higher revenue.

EPS: S$0.53 (up from S$0.42 in FY 2022).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Singapore Exchange Revenues and Earnings Beat Expectations

Revenue exceeded analyst estimates by 2.6%. Earnings per share (EPS) also surpassed analyst estimates by 17%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 7.5% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 10% growth forecast for the Capital Markets industry in Asia.

Performance of the market in Singapore.

The company's share price is broadly unchanged from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

We should say that we've discovered 1 warning sign for Singapore Exchange that you should be aware of before investing 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.
An injured man walks off the site of a missile strike, near the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre (AFP via Getty Images)

At least seven people were killed and 144 injured after a Russian missile struck a theatre and a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

A six-year-old girl was among those killed and at least 15 children were wounded following the airstrike on Saturday, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike, saying Russia had turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss.

This is what a neighbourhood with a terrorist state is, this is what we unite the whole world against, he said.

Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre was left damaged following the missile strike (Associated Press)

He added: A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv.

A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.

It came as Mr Zelensky travelled to Sweden to strengthen military and diplomatic ties between both nations.

At a joint news conference, Mr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation on production and training and servicing of the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.

As part of the agreement, CV-90 vehicles will begin production in Ukraine.

We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the Prime Minister could share this pride with Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said, adding that appropriate actions would be taken in the following weeks to open up the possibility of obtaining the appropriate aircraft.

I will also have negotiations with several other states tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage there, he said.

Mr Kristersson expressed his condolences for the attack in Chernihiv. He called the Russian missile strike an act of brutality which only reinforces the need for us to stand with you in all your struggles.

Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military non-alignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia.

The government says Sweden has provided 20 billion kronor (1.7 billion euros) in military support to Ukraine. Sweden also applied for NATO membership but is still waiting to join the alliance.
Manchester City winger Bernardo Silva. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Manchester City are without three key players for this evenings Premier League clash against Newcastle United - with another a doubt.

Pep Guardiola confirmed during Fridays pre-match press conference that John Stones and Bernardo Silva wont be available after setbacks in midweek.

Stones was absent from Citys opening day Premier League win at Burnley but returned to the matchday squad for Wednesdays UEFASuper League win against La Liga side Sevilla.

Pep Guardiola said Ruben Dias is a doubt to face Newcastle, while John Stones and Bernardo Silva are definitely out.

The England international was expected to be involved for the visit of the Magpies but suffered an injury during training. Meanwhile, Silva is ill.

Important players are not here. John is out, Bernardo is out. We need time, said Guardiola. Asked for further detail on Stones, Guardiola said: Last training he did not feel comfortable. I dont know how long he will be out. Now we have a big, big problem especially for this game but in general.

That is what it is. 4am time recovery, arrive here late. Today we cannot train. We dont have time, I would love one more day. I accept this is the challenge. Thats why we won because we overcome those positions.

That means Guardiola is without a 144m worth a talent when you factor in the transfer fees City paid for the trio.

Elsewhere, Ruben Dias is also a doubt as he recovers from a recent concussion. The Portugal international has been back in training but missed the last two matches.

Along with Kevin De Bruyne, that means City could have up to four absentees for this evenings clash.

De Bruyne started the curtain raiser at Turf Moor but was forced off during the first half. Guardiola later confirmed the extent of the Belgians hamstring injury.

The former Barcelona manager said: We have to decide if its surgery or not surgery but he will be out for a few months. It will be decided in the next few days. Surgery is surgery. He will be out for three or four months.

The injury for Kevin is a sore blow for us. But at the same time we have to look forward. The skills of Kevin are irreplaceable but its an opportunity for others and Im sure they will take it.
(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin visited the commander of Russia's operation in Ukraine and other top military brass, the Kremlin said on Saturday, a meeting that came after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front.

"Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Russia, which launched its invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, calls its actions a special military operation.

The Kremlin added that Putin, Russia's supreme commander-in-chief, listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers.

The meeting came after Ukraine, whose counteroffensive to recapture land taken by Russia in the first months of the war has been slower than expected, said it liberated a small village along the frontline, its first since July.

The Kremlin did not provide any additional details of the meeting and it was not clear when the meeting took place. Videos published by the RIA state news agency showed Gerasimov greeting Putin in what appeared to be night-time and leading him into a building after a brief handshake.

Gerasimov, who has been seen rarely in public in recent months, had been the target of savage criticism from Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some Russian military bloggers over Russia's failings in the war.

Rostov-on-Don, a city just some 100 kilometres (62 miles)from Ukraine's border, is home to the Russian southern military district command whose army is fighting in Ukraine.

With Ukraine's counteroffensive struggling to break through entrenched Russian lines and Moscow's stretched military resources and dissent in the ranks, both sides have measured recent successes by taking control of tiny villages.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it had liberated the small village of Urozhaine in the Donetsk region, pushing forward in its drive towards the Sea of Azov to potentially cut the Russian land bridge to Crimea - vital for Moscow's supply routes.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Mrinmay Dey and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by William Mallard and Kim Coghill)
QEPARO, Albania (Reuters) - Albanian police said they had arrested four people in the past 24 hours for causing fires as soldiers and firefighters were deployed in coastal tourist areas to fight spreading forest blazes.

Many farmers in Albania set fire to cultivated fields to clear stubble, weeds and waste before sowing a new crop. In July Albania has identified and charged 14 people with starting wildfires.

Two farmers were arrested for causing a fire close to the tourist village of Qeparo leaving dozens of hectares burning and endangering houses and olive tree plantations.

Police released drone footage of two policemen running after one of the men on a hill and eventually arresting him.

The Albanian army said it had sent 40 soldiers to help local authorities fight the fire, carrying shovels and water on their backs on top of a hill.

Local and foreign tourists watched an army helicopter collect water from the Ionian Sea to pour on the blaze, although most were continuing their vacations unhindered.

Police said two people in the eastern town of Elbasan were also arrested for burning their land after the fire went out of control and spread to other areas.

Police appealed citizens not to "light any fire under any circumstances because this action constitutes a crime and punishable by law."

Albania's ministry of defense said 95 fires were reported in the first two weeks of August.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Florion Goga; Editing by Toby Chopra)
BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea convened at Camp David on Friday to unveil their plans for bolstering military ties while deliberately propagating rhetoric about the so-called "China threat."

Orchestrated under U.S. guidance, the trio is endeavoring to forge a closed and exclusive geopolitical clique under the guise of "security cooperation."

Such a maneuver will inevitably fan the flames of antagonism, compromise the strategic security of other countries and jeopardize regional stability. By sowing seeds of division and intensifying opposition, the meeting represents a perilous gambit that might resurrect the specter of the Cold War.

The United States actively wooing Japan and South Korea is nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Rather than considering the security interests of both countries, it is edging them toward a cliff.

If history is any guide, wherever the military tentacles of the United States reach, peace will be elusive. Take a look at what the United States has done in the Middle East and Europe, as well as what it has been doing in the Asia-Pacific region. Washington's evil intent is self-evident.

The so-called "security cooperation" is merely a facade for the United States to exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of certain countries and peddle security anxieties.

Washington's so-called military cooperation with Japan and South Korea, built upon undermining the strategic security of other nations, cannot keep both countries safe. Instead, it will escalate the security risks in the region; ultimately, Japan and South Korea will become the sacrificial lambs.

The United States leaves no stone unturned to forge alliances in the Asia-Pacific region, driven by a desperate bid to salvage its hegemonic power.

In recent years, the United States has been actively hitching regional countries to Washington's so called "Indo-Pacific strategy" bandwagon, marketing the "Indo-Pacific economic framework," bolstering the Five Eyes alliance, cobbling together the QUAD, manipulating NATO to interfere in the Asia-Pacific and coercing regional countries into taking sides. The underlying motive behind these actions is to maintain America's dominance.

The Asia-Pacific region is a fertile ground for development and cooperation, not a battleground for hegemonic powers. Countries in the region are averse to picking sides and casting their lot with any particular faction.

The United States' aggressive push for the so called "Indo-Pacific strategy" is dismantling the well-established architecture of regional cooperation and undermining the hard-earned progress toward peaceful development cultivated by the countries in the region for decades.

Callously disregarding the prevailing pleas of regional nations for peace, development, cooperation and prosperity, Washington's reckless attempts to reverse historical progress will inevitably lead to failure.

Authentic communication and cooperation between nations should focus on enhancing regional prosperity and preserving peace and stability globally. The three leaders partaking in the Camp David meeting ought to be well-versed in this internationally recognized principle.

The United States must abandon its military motivations in the Asia-Pacific area. As for Japan and South Korea, both should refrain from being lackeys of U.S. hegemony, lest they find themselves at loggerheads with most regional nations. 
Adolf Hitler arrived at Kroll Opera in Berlin, April 28, 1939 to address the Reichstag. AP Photo

Ukrainian soldiers have speculated that Russian troops are fighting while high on amphetamines.

Militaries throughout history have drugged soldiers to enhance their performance on the battlefield.

Nazi troops were given methamphetamines during World War II to decrease fear and increase aggression.

The Russian military may be taking a page from the Third Reich's playbook as the brutal war in Ukraine drags on.

A May report from the Royal United Service Institute cited Ukrainian military personnel who said Russian soldiers they encounter often appear to be "under the influence of amphetamines or other narcotic substances," an observation various Ukrainian soldiers have made several times over the last year.

But supposedly drugged-up Russian troops in Ukraine are only the most recent installment in a long, global history of militaries seeking to boost their armies' performance on the battlefield by any chemical means necessary  a tactic most infamously deployed by Nazi Germany during World War II.

Norman Ohler , author of " Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich ," studied rare archival documents and spoke to first-hand witnesses to argue the thesis of his 2015 book: That drugs  more specifically, a low-dose pharmaceutical pill akin to modern-day meth  fueled the Third Reich and played a major role in the German army's early-war blitzkrieg success across Europe.

"Drugs have often played a role," Ohler told Insider of wartime strategy. "But the Nazis took it to another level and really had successes because of the drug use, which they otherwise probably would not have had."

The Third Reich was fueled, in part, by methamphetamine

The "miracle" meth pill, as Nazi Germany touted it, was developed in the country in the late 1930s and hit the market as Pervitin, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical that quickly took the nation by storm. The small dosage, which is equivalent to about three milligrams of modern-day meth, according to Ohler, made people more alert and happier, he said.

Story continues

Pervitin was already popular among civil society when Dr. Otto Ranke, the director of the Institute for General and Defense Physiology, who was tasked with improving the capabilities of the country's soldiers, began to envision what the drug might do for Germany's boys headed toward war.

The drug decreased fear, increased aggression, reduced the need for sleep, and improved performance of simple tasks, Ranke found. Many soldiers had even brought it with them when the war started, Ohler said.

"They said it makes it easier for them to do their job, killing people or invading a foreign country," Ohler told Insider.

Adolf Hitler at the Western Front on May 14, 1940 AP Photo/Hoffman

Soldiers were stocked with Pervitin as the drug stood its "first real military test" when Germany invaded Poland in 1939, according to a TIME report. The rapid overrun in Poland cemented Pervitin's success and introduced a new form of Nazi warfare known as blitzkrieg, which was characterized by quick, surprising, and mechanized attacks on unsuspecting enemy troops.

"It enabled the German army to do blitzkrieg in the West. They didn't need to sleep once they started attacking," Ohler said. "They were charging through France and Belgium and Holland, unafraid, not stopping, while the British and French troops were sleeping."

The German army cited Pervitin as a decisive factor in the winning campaign, Ohler said, and it supplied its troops with millions of pills ahead of the army's attack on the Soviet Union. Even the magic drug, however, could not win Germany that 1941 battle.

As the war dragged on for another four years, Pervitin continued to be deployed to soldiers, Ohler said, but the one-time miracle drug began to cause dependency issues and depression among users. Germany even organized a rehab program for "overflown" pilots, or those who were addicted to the drug, Ohler said.

After the Nazis were defeated, production of Pervitin continued in Germany, moving to the black market, according to Ohler. Decades later, the drug was used by East German border troops seeking to stay awake as they manned the Berlin Wall, he said. The drug wouldn't be made illegal until the 1980s, Ohler told Insider.

Rampant drug use flew in the face of Nazi ideology

The German army's dependence on methamphetamines during World War II stood in stark contrast to the Nazi's clean-cut, anti-drug image. The use of Pervitin among soldiers prompted resistance from high-ranking Nazi leaders, who were concerned with maintaining the party's ideals, Ohler said.

German military leaders, however, were focused first and foremost on trying to win a war.

"The army is the army. In the field, it has to fight. It doesn't care about ideology," Ohler said.

Ohler found evidence that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was aware of the fact soldiers were using Pervitin, but never publicly acknowledged his feelings toward the drug. The dictator himself was abusing opioids near the end of his life, including an early form of OxyContin, according to medical records reviewed by Ohler.

Many other militaries have relied on chemical help amid wartime

As Insider reported earlier this year , several countries have a history of supplying their soldiers with performance-enhancing drugs. British stores used to sell syringes of heroin as gifts for troops during World War I; the British and American armies both relied on other amphetamines and stimulants during the Second World War after witnessing the drugs' success for the Germans, Ohler said, and the US military distributed painkillers and "pep pills"  also known as speed  to soldiers headed toward long-range reconnaissance missions during the Vietnam War.

Alcohol has also been a common battle bedfellow throughout history. The Russian military gave its soldiers vodka rations to get through World War II; France opted for red wine; and alcohol remained the "number one" drug for Germans during the war, Ohler said.

Amid the life-or-death stakes of war, performance-enhancing drugs, despite their numerous and notable downsides, maybe too enticing a boost to pass up.

"I would be surprised if drugs were not being used in the Ukrainian-Russian war," Ohler said. "It's too good for an army."

Read the original article on Business Insider
HA NOI  The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) several months ago enacted a legal document to make it easier for real estate companies to get bank loans, but the legal effort has not worked out as intended.

Decree No. 06, issued by SBV on June 28 and expected to take effect on September 1, is a revised version of Decree No. 39, which regulates the lending activities of credit institutions and branches of foreign banks.

The Vietnam Association of Realtors (VAR) is calling for the repeal of Decree No.06 for the reason that it fails to capture the spirit of Resolution No.33, which centers around measures to promote the development of a sound realty market.

In other words, the decree did not clearly define the scope of its beneficiaries. The ambiguity has led to a situation that who would get the loans is left to the discretion of banks themselves.

Many banks could exploit that to flatly refuse loans to companies in distress, rendering the decree ineffective. For companies that are heavily strapped for cash, the refusal could be fatal to their viability.

But the ambiguity is not the only reason for VAR to disapprove the decree. Another reason is that the decree is too restrictive to M&A, which has always been a way out for companies of their financial hardship.

VAR said the Government should take back the decree and draw up a new one that comes in line with Resolution No.33 and is free of legal ambiguity.

The HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA), meanwhile, is asking not for the abolishment of Decree No.06 but for some revisions.

The association suggests Article 1 be revised on grounds of its inconsistency with the Law on Credit Institutions.

The former bars credit institutions from making loans to borrowers who would use the loans to "contribute capital to LLCs and partnerships" whereas the latter stipulates the other way round: they can lend as long as their borrowers use the loans "for legitimate purpose".

HoREA Chairman Le Hoang Chau goes so far as to call for the abolishment of an article under which credit institutions are not allowed to make loans to borrowers who would use the loans to finance "realty projects with adequate legal documents".

Nguyen Quoc Viet, chairman of the Vietnam Association of Construction Constructors, suggests some terminology changes to the decree.

He said the term "business conditions" should be replaced by "legal conditions" in the decree because there is no such concept of "business conditions" in any legal document on real estate.

Ngo uc Son, director-general of the DRH Holding, said it is urgent to revise the decree because the real estate sector has been stymied by so many restrictive legal documents and has had enough of it.

He said the authority to control credit risks should be transferred back to banks. Whether borrowers are qualified for loans or not, banks should be the ones to judge and decide.

The Director-General of a commercial bank in HCM City said it would be unreasonable to keep the article that bars banks from making loans to borrowers who would use the loans for investment cooperation.

He said the article would make borrowers disqualified for the loans that they could have otherwise taken to purchase homes.

Their voices have been well heard by the Government. Deputy Prime Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has requested SBV to review the decree in light of the public opinion and revise it if necessary.

"The Government is working to ensure not a single voice goes unheard," said the Deputy PM at a conference on Decree No. 06 on Thursday.

SBV Deputy Governor Pham Thanh Ha said the central bank would be eager to revise the decree should it not produce its desired effect on the real estate market.  VNS
HA NOI  Demand for gold in Viet Nam shrank 9 per cent in the second quarter this year compared to the same period last year due to the economic difficulties, according to the World Gold Council.

In a recent report, the council said Vietnamese purchased 12.8 tonnes of gold in the second quarter of 2023, down 1.3 tonnes year-on-year.

According to the council, Viet Nams economy experienced sluggish growth in the first two quarters of this year, affecting local market sentiment and jewellery demand.

Local demand for gold bars and coins dropped by 5 per cent year-on-year from 9.6 tonnes in the second quarter last year to 9.1 tonnes in the same period this year.

Meanwhile, demand for gold jewellery fell from 4.5 tonnes to 3.7 tonnes.

Shaokai Fan, Head of Asia-Pacific (excluding China) and Global Head of Central Banks at the World Gold Council, said the Q2 downward trend in Viet Nam was like those in other markets in the ASEAN region.

The demand for gold bars and coins was also limited due to low liquidity, affected by the downturn of the stock market and real estate, he added.

In fact, visitors to gold shops in many streets specialising in selling gold in Ha Noi, such as Tran Nhan Tong, Cau Giay and Ha Trung have also been quite gloomy.

In the first half of this year, the domestic gold market also saw no price fever. The gold price inched up and down only in the range of VN50,000-VN300,000 per tael, depending on each trading session.

Meanwhile, the gap between buying and selling price of gold remained high at around VN1 million per tael, which often caused gold buyers to suffer heavy losses as soon as they bought the metal.

The General Statistics Office also reported the gold price index in July 2023 decreased by 0.03 per cent compared to the previous month. On average, in the first seven months of 2023, the gold price index increased by only 1.06 per cent, a low level compared to the same period in recent years.

Besides the economic difficulties, one of the policies affecting the domestic gold market is Decree 24/2012/N-CP which regulates the management of gold business and the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)'s exclusive right to import gold bars. Since the decree took effect in 2012, the SBV hasnt almost imported gold. The scarcity of supply is one of the reasons why the domestic gold market has been quite different from the global market.

After more than ten years of being in effect, in a recent report sent to the National Assembly, SBVs Governor Nguyen Thi Hong informed about the review and assessment of the implementation of Decree 24/2012/N-CP on gold business management.

Accordingly, in 2022, the SBV held a meeting with the Vietnam Gold Business Association and 33 credit institutions and enterprises engaged in the gold bar business to collect their opinions on the policy. The participants at the meeting all agreed on the success of Decree 24 in stabilising the gold market and minimising the goldenisation in the country in recent years.

At the meeting, the participants also agreed that amendments to the Decree 24 must be carefully considered to ensure the countrys goal of anti-goldenisation and limit its negative impacts on the local currency and foreign exchange markets.

The SBV will collect the opinions of relevant ministries, sectors and the Gold Business Association before developing a report on reviewing Decree 24 and send it to the Prime Minister in 2023.  VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 by adopting policies and mechanisms to transition into a green and sustainable economy.

Speaking at the Green Economy Forum 2023: Net Zero - Path to Sustainable Development last Friday, Phan Van Mai, chairman of the city Peoples Committee, said resources have been allocated to facilitate this green transition and to meet the nations goal of zero emissions by 2050.

The city has strategies in place for achieving green economic development, circular economy, energy transition, and sustainable urban development, according to the chairman.

It also plans to enhance its energy, urban and social infrastructure green to achieve green growth.

It has identified Can Gio District as a pilot site for achieving carbon neutrality, and would develop a comprehensive plan to achieve zero emissions there by 2030, with a focus on transitioning vehicles to renewable energy sources, adopting advanced waste and garbage treatment technologies, and utilising carbon credits, he revealed.

Mai also called on businesses to fulfil their commitments and obtain certification that demonstrate their progress towards net zero.

Many domestic businesses had in fact already begun transforming their operations to align with sustainable development and environmental friendliness, he added.

Jonathan Pincus, senior international economist at UNDP, said the transformation required the adoption of technological solutions, efficient use of energy-saving materials, and the development of renewable energy.

"To support these efforts, both domestic and international policy co-ordination is needed," he said.

Ha ang Son, deputy director of the Viet Nam Low Emission Energy Program II (V-LEEP II) of USAID, said many banks and organisations, both Vietnamese and foreign, had made commitments to financially support the countrys green transition.

Viet Nam must effectively utilise these funds.

Tan Boon Thor, director of commercial real estate and design management at Frasers Property Vietnam, said businesses needed to take concrete action to achieve their net zero goals.

He suggested implementing emission reduction schemes, adopting energy-saving technologies and raising awareness of net zero throughout management, suppliers, and workers.

Lam To Trinh, deputy general director of innovation and business development at NS BlueScope Vietnam, said businesses that want to enter the global market must develop specific carbon emission reduction plans.

The government should establish legal frameworks and policy systems to encourage the participation of all parties in the green economy and create guidelines to attract all kinds of stakeholders in production, business and finance, he said.

The forum was organised by Saigon Economic Times to discuss Viet Nams efforts to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 as committed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2021.  VNS
JAKARTA  A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien attended the 15th Cambodia - Laos - Myanmar - Viet Nam Economic Ministers' Meeting (CLMV EMM 15) in Semarang City, Indonesia on August 18.

The event was part of the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM 55) and related meetings from August 17-22.

Speaking at the event, Minister Dien thanked Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar for actively joining activities hosted by Viet Nam during 2022 and the past months of 2023, including the Vietnam Expo, the Vietnam Foodexpo, fairs held in Laos and Cambodia, and scholarships granted by Viet Nam.

Regarding the CLMV Action Plan for the 2023-2024 period, the Vietnamese delegation committed further support to stalls of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar at major international fairs and exhibitions organised by Viet Nam. Dien said scholarship programmes for students from Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar would also continue.

The Vietnamese side proposed that the CLMV countries enhance cooperation to facilitate trade, remove barriers to lift trade volume among regional countries. They were urged to offer mutual support to effectively implement the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) of which they are members, contributing to strengthening regional supply chains and supporting the development of the business community.

Delegates at the event discussed reports on the economic, trade, and investment situations of the four countries, the completion of the CLMV Action Plan for the 2021-2022 period, the progress of the CLMV Action Plan for the 2023-2024 period, as well as updates on the implementation of the Action Plan for the CLMV Development Framework and a project regarding the workshop on the socialisation of the implementation of the Action Plan for CLMV Development Framework, and other important issues.

A joint statement was also adopted at the event.

Initiated by Viet Nam, the CLMV EMM mechanism was established in August 2010 with an aim to further nurture economic and trade relations among the CLMV countries, and closer coordination at regional, sub-regional, and international forums; fully leverage the potential of each country, narrow the development gap between the four CLMV nations and the rest of the ASEAN region and the world; and expedite the implementation of agreements reached at the CLMV Summits. VNA/VNS
AN GIANG - State President Vo Van Thuong and incumbent and former Party and State leaders paid tribute to President Ton uc Thang in the southern province of An Giang, the home province of the late President, on August 19, on the occasion of the late leaders 135th birth anniversary (August 20, 1888 - 2023).

The delegation was joined by former Presidents Nguyen Minh Triet, Truong Tan Sang, and Nguyen Xuan Phuc; and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, among others. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sent a tribute wreath.

At the temple in the memorial site dedicated to Ton uc Thang in My Hoa Hung Commune of Long Xuyen City, they offered incense and observed a minute of silence in commemoration of the late President, who was among the first generation of the workers and proletarian revolutionary movements in Viet Nam and devoted his entire life to the peoples national democratic revolution and the socialist revolution.

During his revolutionary career, in any positions, Thang always set a brilliant example of a true communist and revolutionary morality. He founded the Red Union to meet the urgent need of the fighting movement of the Vietnamese working class in the first decades of the 20th century. He was also a symbol of the southern people in the struggle for national independence as well as national construction and safeguarding.VNA/VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Education and Training has recently proposed adding kindergarten teachers to the list of hazardous occupations, which may allow them to retire with benefits up to five years earlier than other occupations.

Most parents, teachers and experts agree that kindergarten teachers should be granted better benefits.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son recently said there are 16,000 independent preschools across the country. Many teachers of those schools have not participated in social insurance and need to join the insurance to have their benefits ensured.

According to Labour Code 2019 and Social Insurance Law 2014, labourers taking difficult jobs and working in hazardous and dangerous environments will benefit from more rights than those working in normal conditions, especially in terms of annual leave and sickness benefits.

If the proposal is approved, preschool teachers will receive allowances for difficult, toxic and dangerous jobs and can retire at an earlier age.

Pham Thi Bich Ngoc, a kindergarten teacher in Ha Noi, said teachers at the preschool level face specific hardships compared to other levels.

We have to work early at 6:30 to clean classrooms and welcome children. In the afternoon we only leave when all children are picked up, sometimes later than the schools closure time, she said.

While those taking other jobs spend eight hours per day at work, preschool teachers have to work 12 hours a day, she told Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) newspaper.

Teachers almost have no time to take a nap at noon as we have to care for children or use nap time to prepare curriculum. Preschool teachers have little time for family, she said.

Bich said children in kindergarten, aged one to six, mostly have not developed self-care skills so they need assistance in all activities like eating, sleeping and playing.

Despite being a hard job, preschool teachers receive a low salary. At private schools, a higher salary for teachers comes with more requirements from parents, putting more pressure on teachers, she said.

Bich said many of her colleagues leave jobs before retirement age and ask for lump-sum social insurance.

Nguyen Thi Hoa, a preschool teacher in northern Hai Duong Province, said teachers have to face whining children, vomiting and spitting.

Teachers have to focus totally on every child's activities. Just a minute of distraction can lead to unfortunate incidents like fighting and injuries, Hoa said.

She said most preschool teachers hope that this profession will be classified as a difficult and hazardous occupation, so teachers will have an earlier retirement age than usual.

Preschool teachers must organise activities such as dancing and singing. When we are 60 years old, how can we dance and sing? We can not guarantee the quality of teaching. But if we ask for early retirement, it will affect social insurance benefits and pensions, she said, adding that classifying preschool teaching as a difficult and toxic profession would reflect the real demands of many teachers.

Nguyen Thi Tan, a teacher in ong Anh District, Ha Noi, said occupation pressure affects teachers psychology.

When children hurt each other and teachers do not interfere quickly enough, some parents show sympathy, others do not and post on social network forums and give feedback to the principal, putting more pressure on teachers, Tan told Lao ong (Labour) newspaper.

I really hope that preschool teachers are considered as hazardous jobs so that we can benefit from more favourable policies to compensate for our disadvantages, she said.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet, a mother of a 19-month-old child in Ha Noi, said she really sympathises with preschool teachers hard job.

I know how hard it is to take care of a small child who is only one and a half years old like my daughter. Preschool teachers should get access to more preferential schemes for their hard job to give them motivation to do the job better, she told Viet Nam News.

Le inh Quang, deputy head of Policy and Legal Department, Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), said if the retirement age of male and female workers increases to 62 and 60 years old, respectively, it is difficult for preschool teachers to work until that age due to the specific characteristics of their profession.

The proposal of recognising preschool teachers as a hazardous profession aims to allow them to retire five years earlier than other jobs.

Since amending the Labour Code 2019, VGCL has consulted with officials and employees working in the education sector and made a proposal to authorities but it has not received approval, he said.

VGCL will continue to submit the proposal to ensure the teachers benefits, he said.  VNS
KON TUM  Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre has organised consultations and job introductions for tens of thousands of workers, primarily from ethnic minority communities.

However, due to various factors, these workers often don't remain committed to the introduced jobs.

With legal support and protection from the provincial Job Service Centre, many diligent and hardworking workers have achieved stable and relatively prosperous lives.

They serve as role models for others to follow, bringing about a change in their mindset and approach to work.

Overcoming hardships

Born in a family with 12 siblings, Y Bim, 28, of ak Bla Commune, Kon Tum City, faced numerous economic difficulties. In 2017, after getting married and living on her own, Y Bim and her husband struggled by working as hired labour for households in their village. Despite their diligence, the earnings from these jobs were only enough for sustenance.

By the end of 2021, as COVID-19 was gradually being controlled, Y Bim and her husband visited the provincial Job Service Centre to seek job opportunities. There, counselors introduced them to work as factory workers canning fish at Highland Dragon Limited Liability Company (located in Di An City, Binh Duong Province) with an initial wage of VN5 million (US$200) per month.

Through hard work, their wages have now increased to VN7 million ($280), sometimes even surpassing VN10 million ($400) with overtime. With stable employment, Y Bim brought her children from their hometown to Binh Duong Province for better care and education.

A Khat, Y Bim's father, said when his children and grandchildren started working in Binh Duong, he missed them dearly. However, seeing that their lives were becoming less difficult, with stable incomes and the ability to support their families, he found peace of mind.

"Before, my daughter and son-in-law stayed home, doing whatever work they could find to make ends meet. Now, with job introductions, they have enough for a comfortable life, and they even send gifts to us occasionally.

Y Bim's younger sister, Y Sing, was also introduced to work there. She earns a good salary and always gives her parents money whenever she comes home, which makes them very happy, A Khat shared.

The case of A Toa in Ho Moong Commune, Sa Thay District, is also similar.

Before coming to the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre, he and his wife relied on uncertain incomes from general farming or as hired labour, either working alongside their parents or taking temporary jobs.

Their monthly earnings ranged around VN4-5 million ($160-200), which brought economic difficulties to their family.

In March 2019, A Toa visited the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre with the hope of finding a more stable source of income.

Here, he was introduced to work at RK Resources LLC. in Bau Bang District, Tay Ninh Province. By working diligently and willingly taking overtime shifts on days off, A Toa was appointed to various important positions within the company, earning a respectable salary ranging from VN12 to 15 million ($480-600) per month.

As a result, he was able to send money back to his family, purchase land, and engage in agricultural activities.

"I sent money back for my wife to buy additional land, planting nearly one hectare of coffee and expanding cultivation to include cassava and rice fields. Our family's financial situation has become much more stable compared to before. Once I've saved enough, I plan to return and build a new house for my wife and children. The old house is too damaged," A Toa said.

Strengthening job introductions

According to statistics from the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre, up until the end of July 2023, the centre has collaborated with the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Department of districts and cities to organise more than 60 job fairs, job matchmaking sessions, and job days for over 5,000 labourers, primarily from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Through these efforts, successful job placements have been made for 348 workers, of which 258 are from ethnic minorities (accounting for 74 per cent).

Nguyen Thi Nga, director of the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre, explained that the lower success rate in job placements compared to the number of labourers in need arises from the fact that many ethnic minority individuals in the province are not accustomed to an industrial work ethic.

They may struggle with adhering to labour discipline, be hesitant to work far from home, and lack the initiative to actively seek employment to increase their income and improve their quality of life.

These factors contribute to the low success rate in job placements. Additionally, cultural practices among ethnic minority labourers, such as drinking alcohol frequently, participating in village activities, and attending communal festivals, also have an impact on the effectiveness of job counseling and introductions to companies.

In response to these challenges, the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre has increased efforts to collect and update information on labour recruitment needs from companies within and outside the province.

They coordinate with companies that send Vietnamese labourers abroad for work, in order to provide appropriate job counseling and introductions. Furthermore, the centre enhances collaboration with the Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Department, training institutions, and other relevant bodies to organise job counseling, matchmaking sessions, and job days both directly and indirectly through platforms like Zalo, Facebook, and the centre's website.

Particularly noteworthy is the centre's participation in training workshops organised by the province's Ethnic Affairs Committee aimed at informing 198 members of ethnic minority communities about the process of sending Vietnamese labourers to work abroad under contracts.

"In addition to intensifying counseling and job introductions, the Kon Tum Province Job Service Centre will provide training to enhance skills and awareness among ethnic minority individuals before they leave for work.

"This aims to ensure that labourers are not swayed by misleading offers of 'light work and high pay'. The centre also encourages young labourers to invest in knowledge, foreign language skills, and life skills. Changing the perception of 'easy work and high pay' is crucial for labourers to integrate and adapt to any environment," said Nga.  VNS
HA NOI  The policy of giving monthly financial support for pedagogical students has been implemented from 2021, but after two years, many have not received any money.

The Governments Decree 116 regulated that from 2021, students at pedagogical schools are supported with tuition fees and VN3.63 million (US$152) per month to pay for living expenses during their studies.

The support period is regulated to not exceed 10 months per school year with the money coming from the State budget.

However, until now, students in many educational schools in different localities have received nothing.

A report of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) sent to the Prime Minister in February this year said that planned fund for the work by the end of last year were more than VN1.6 trillion (US$67 million).

The State budget allocated to schools was more than VN1.1 trillion ($46.1 million), meeting 73 per cent of the demand.

The remaining money needed is about VN438 billion ($18.3 million).

The MoET asked the Ministry of Finance to appraise and report to the Prime Minister to make up the shortfall.

In schools, learners constantly complained that for many months they have not received their allowance.

One pupil at the Nha Trang National College of Pedagogy said that students at this school received support every three months from 2021 to the end of last year.

"But in 2023, the payment for students has stopped, she said.

Nguyen Trung Trieu, principal of the Nha Trang National College of Pedagogy, told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that the school had 387 students that enrolled in 2021 and 293 last year.

Students enrolled in 2021 received allowance till the end of November last year, but are now six months out of pocket.

Those enrolled last year received the support until the end of February this year, and have not been paid the allowance for four months.

"The cause of this late payment is that the college is being funded slowly, he said.

A student of the Sai Gon University also said that most of the students entered the university in 2021, now are in their third year at the university, had not received any support from Decree 116 even though they applied a long time ago.

All pedagogical students entered the university last year are in the same situation.

The university's representative confirmed with the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that up to now, the school's students have not received any allowance.  VNS
Khanh Linh

HA NOI  Viet Nam needs to prioritise allocating financial resources for the comprehensive and integrated development of children, especially during their early years, to ensure their full growth and realisation of their potential, policy makers and experts said on Friday.

They made the statement at the comprehensive child development conference for children under six years old, jointly organised by the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Education and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Viet Nam on Friday in Ha Noi.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Head of the NA's Committee on Culture and Education Ta Van Ha affirmed that Viet Nam consistently prioritised policies and created the best conditions for the comprehensive development of children. The documents of the 13th National Party Congress defined maintaining a Human Development Index (HDI) above 0.73 by 2030 as one of the criteria for the national development in order to foster a high-quality workforce. Comprehensive child development remained a fundamental and important solution in the country's future development strategy.

Ha stated that Viet Nam's legal system and policies were progressively improving, providing conditions for children to develop comprehensively in terms of intellect, physique, and aesthetics. The NA has enacted the Law on Children and several related laws, such as the Laws on Marriage and Family, Education, Medical Examination and Treatment, all of which included provisions for children's rights. The Government has also issued initiatives for the comprehensive development of children in their early years within families and communities during the period of 2018-2025, and approved the National Action Programme for Children for the period of 2021-2030.

Viet Nam has achieved positive results, he said. Over 90 per cent of children under five years old receive appropriate care and development in terms of health, education, and social well-being. nearly 67 per cent of children attend preschools. The under-5 mortality rate has reduced from 39.6 per cent in 2001 to 18.9 per cent in 2022. The mortality rate due to accidents and injuries in children has decreased from 17.3 per 100,000 children in 2019 to 17 per 100,000 children in 2020.

However, children were facing a number of challenges, he said.

In terms of nutritional care, Viet Nam was grappling with three burdens, including malnutrition, obesity, and micronutrient deficiency. There was an increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in major cities and a prevalence of undernutrition and stunting in mountainous and disadvantaged areas.

Access to preschool education was not yet fully covered, especially for certain disadvantaged groups of children such as those of industrial workers, ethnic minorities in mountainous regions, and migrant children following their parents.

Child accidents and injuries continued to occur. Each year, nearly 3,900 children under five years old died due to various causes, with drowning being the leading cause, causing almost 2,000 child deaths.

The implementation of the 2016 Law on Children and the responsibilities of various levels of the NA have not been fully realised, he added.

Lesley Miller, deputy representative of UNICEF in Viet Nam, said Viet Nam was a pioneering nation both regionally and globally in the comprehensive development of children as the country has early ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Amid the challenges posed by the impact of COVID-19, global economic recession, natural disasters, and climate change, Viet Nam, like many other countries, must make efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to children.

According to UNICEF data, in terms of nutrition, over 50 per cent of infants are not exclusively breastfed for the first six months. More than half of children aged 6-23 months lack adequate nutritional intake.

Each year, over 200,000 children under five years old suffer from acute malnutrition, with 90 per cent of them not receiving treatment.

Disparities in education also exist between regions and ethnic groups. Only 37.8 per cent of Khmer children and 47.6 per cent of children in the Mekong Delta attend preschool, compared to 80.2 per cent of Kinh children.

Viet Nam's child development index in 2020 was 78.2 per cent, significantly lower than the targets of 99.1 per cent by 2025. Therefore, Viet Nam needed to double its efforts to reverse this situation and achieve these targets, she emphasised.

Providing recommendations, Lesley Miller suggested that Viet Nam review the implementation of the National Action Programme on Comprehensive Child Development and make necessary adjustments to achieve the set goals and indicators by 2025, while preparing for the upcoming 2026-2030 phase in line with its sustainable development agenda.

During the period of 2018-2022, expenditure on childcare and child protection accounted for a modest share of about 0.18-0.23 per cent of the Government's social security budget. Hence, the NA should enhance the oversight role of elected bodies at all levels in planning and implementing policies concerning children's rights, especially in budget allocation and utilisation.

Furthermore, Viet Nam needed to enhance its data system with essential indicators for child development, enabling tracking progress and providing information for policy planning and implementation.

Regarding the issue of child malnutrition, she recommended that the Government establish sustainable financial mechanisms to ensure that all severely malnourished children receive treatment according to national standards, including leveraging health insurance resources following the amended Health Insurance Law.

Tran ang Khoa, deputy head of the Ministry of Healths Maternal and Child Health Department, stated that the ministry has developed and refined treatment guidelines for severely malnourished children.

It has organised treatment for underweight children in disadvantaged areas. It is also in the process of crafting specialised guidelines for nutritional regimes for children under six years old with medical conditions, he said.

Khoa noted that there was a need to prioritise allocating funds to implement nutrition and care plans for children, and including the target of reducing child malnutrition as one of the socio-economic development indicators at both national and local levels is crucial.

Vu Thi Kim Hoa, deputy director of Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Children Department, emphasised that creating a safe environment for children within families, schools, and communities, as well as enhancing knowledge and skills for parents and caregivers, was a prerequisite for preventing child accidents and injuries.

"Enhancing community awareness on this issue is important. The ministry has collaborated with various ministries and international organisations to implement over 100 communication products focused on preventing child accidents and injuries, drowning prevention for parents, and developing eight training manuals for grassroots-level officials," she stated.  VNS
Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and executive chairman of the BRICS Media Forum, delivers a keynote speech during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- New China Research (NCR), the think tank of China's Xinhua News Agency, released in Johannesburg Saturday the English and French versions of two research reports on Xi Jinping's economic thought and the Communist Party of China's (CPC) "Second Integration" theory.

The two reports, which are entitled "Toward Modernity: The Value of Xi Jinping's Economic Thought" and "The 'Second Integration' that Transforms China -- Theoretical Innovation and Practice in Building the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation," were released by the NCR at the 6th BRICS Media Forum, which began Saturday in Johannesburg.

A seminar was also held to mark the release of the two research reports.

Xi Jinping's economic thought and Xi's major statements on the "Second Integration" are important parts of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They encapsulate the thoughts resulting from the CPC's tireless exploration of humanity's socioeconomic development and modernization, and its promotion of the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and executive chairman of the BRICS Media Forum, said in his keynote speech that the two reports are Xinhua's innovative achievements in the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The report on Xi's economic thought comprehensively expounds on the core meaning, spiritual essence and rich connotations of Xi Jinping's economic thought from philosophical, strategic and tactical dimensions as well as with a global perspective, providing an authoritative interpretation for people to better understand Xi Jinping's economic thought, Fu said.

The report on the CPC's "Second Integration" explains why and how the basic tenets of Marxism can be integrated with the fine traditional Chinese culture, Fu said.

The concept was introduced by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, in his speech commemorating the CPC's 100th anniversary on July 1, 2021.

Wang Min, director of CHN Energy Investment Group, shared stories on China-Africa cooperation in the energy sector, guided by Xi Jinping's economic thought and the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by Xi. CHN Energy built and runs the De Aar Wind Power Project, the largest wind power project in South Africa.

Christopher Mutsvangwa, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and ZANU-PF secretary for information and publicity, said: "Grateful Africa has to render gratitude to the economic resurgence of the BRICS and other emergent economies. These are increasingly offering the new and exciting and affordable markets for goods and services, the new sources of capital to fund economic development in competition or complimenting as well as advanced and even leapfrogging technologies that promote information and financial inclusivity in a global village."

Mutsvangwa, a former ambassador to China, said the duty of the media is to bring out the story of our people at work, at study, and at play as they take up their rightful place in global affairs.

That way we create a virtuous cycle of inclusive human development underpinned by our collective self-esteem and energetic self-confidence, he added.

Former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio said that China has provided support for Africa's industrialization, helped the African continent make use of its own resource endowments to improve the production capacity of industrial products in various countries, and facilitated the entry of African agricultural products into China.

The world is undergoing profound changes and its future lies with the Global South, especially Africa, said Gadio, also president of the Institute for Pan-African Strategies.

The ties between Africa and China in politics, economy, diplomacy, society and culture have shaped the model of the development of their cooperation and benefited the African and Chinese people, he said.

Saturday's event, co-hosted by Xinhua News Agency and CHN Energy, was attended by nearly 200 representatives from media outlets, think tanks and international organizations from BRICS countries and other African nations. BRICS groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The NCR released the Chinese and Russian versions of "Toward Modernity: The Value of Xi Jinping's Economic Thought" in Beijing and Moscow in March, respectively.

The Chinese version of "The 'Second Integration' that Transforms China -- Theoretical Innovation and Practice in Building the Modern Civilization of the Chinese Nation" was released in Beijing in July. 

Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and executive chairman of the BRICS Media Forum, delivers a keynote speech during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Fu Hua, president of Xinhua News Agency and executive chairman of the BRICS Media Forum, delivers a keynote speech during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

Wang Min, director of CHN Energy Investment Group, delivers a keynote speech during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

Christopher Mutsvangwa, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and ZANU-PF secretary for information and publicity, speaks during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)

Former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, also president of the Institute for Pan-African Strategies, speaks during a releasing event at the 6th BRICS Media Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Yahui)
Speaking at a conference held on August 18, Minh stated that these collaborations create a driving force to promote responsible business activities, enhance the position and reputation of a brand, and achieve sustainable economic, social, and environmental benefits.

The conference sat within the framework of the Win-Win for Vietnam project that is co-sponsored by the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Vietnam. The initiative is being implemented from September 2020 to February 2024.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of organisations and businesses in Vietnam through cooperative activities that create common value and promote sustainable development, Minh shared.

Brenda Candries, programme manager of the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam asserted, We work in partnership with non-state actors, non-governmental organisations, and private sector associations to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The aim is to promote transparency and accountability in all sectors of our cooperation.

Climate change, extreme weather events, and the current state of the environment are major global challenges today, demanding decisive action to change production and consumption habits.

In Vietnam, the governments commitment in its National Strategy on Climate Change to reach the net-zero target by 2050, along with regulations on international trade, is both a driving force and a mandatory requirement for the business sector.

The take-home from the conference was that the roadmap to greening Vietnam requires the responsible participation of the business community to promote more effective cooperation opportunities with social organisations, thereby increasing the impact and creating shared value.
A judge declared a mistrial Friday night in the murder-for-hire case against Waco attorney Seth Sutton, with the jury remaining deadlocked after 12 hours of deliberation.

Jury deliberations started at about 10 a.m. Friday, and by 5 p.m., Visiting Judge Roy Sparkman ordered the divided jury of 10 men and two women to continue its efforts, and delivered instructions on the importance of reaching a unanimous verdict. But shortly after 10 p.m., the jury foreman told Sparkman the group remained divided with strongly held views in favor of both innocence and guilt that would not be reconciled with further discussions, prompting the mistrial.

Sutton's trial in Waco's 19th State District Court started Monday, with testimony running Tuesday through Thursday and closing arguments delivered Friday morning. Prosecutors accuse Sutton of soliciting an undercover detective May 14, 2020, to kill Marcus Beaudin, who has since been indicted on an attempted indecency with a child charge involving a family member of Sutton.

The decision to dismiss charges or retry the case now rests with appointed prosecutors from the Texas Attorney General's Office.

In closing arguments Friday morning, Patrick Sloane, the case's lead prosecutor from the Texas Attorney Generals Office, described audio recordings the detective made of Sutton and Chelsea Tijerina, Beaudins ex-wife, talking about ways to kill Beaudin with the detective, who had infiltrated Suttons local motorcycle club, the Red Mouse Cult. Tijerina died following a Hays County motorcycle wreck in 2021.

The Tribune-Herald is withholding the name of the detective to protect his identity for future investigations.

Sloane also said Sutton talked on other recordings about ways to frame three innocent men for Beaudins murder, which was not carried out. The jury also heard how Sutton paid the detective for the purchase of a handgun, bullets and gas.

Suttons defense attorney, Clint Broden, said in his closing summation that Sutton learned on April 29, 2020, that Beaudin had touched his family member in sexual way while she was a teenager and that Sutton was a secondary victim himself.

It was the detective who pursued contact with Sutton, Broden said. The detective, not Sutton, brought up Beaudin in conversation on the recordings, and on the recordings, the detective volunteered to kill him, without ever being asked, told or offered anything in exchange to do the killing, he said.

Broden also said the detective did not have recordings of the May 14 conversation, in which the detective said Sutton talked about three ways he wanted to kill Beaudin himself, because the detective had been pulled off of his investigation of Suttons motorcycle club three days prior.

The detective was placed back on the investigation after reporting the May 14 conversation to his superiors, officials testified.

The jury also heard that prior to his arrest on May 22, 2020, Sutton had not set a time for killing Beaudin and had even said he would let his family member have their day in court for what Beaudin is accused of doing to her.

"I believe those jurors who wanted to acquit Mr. Sutton are the ones who got it right. Yet, we respect the convictions of all the jurors," Broden said Friday night after the mistrial was declared. "I believe this deadlocked jury sends a message that overreach by rogue detectives should not be tolerated."

Prosecutors declined comment after the mistrial.
A new Montana law will provide sweeping legal protections to health care practitioners who refuse to prescribe marijuana or participate in procedures and treatments such as abortion, medically assisted death, gender-affirming care, or others that run afoul of their ethical, moral, or religious beliefs or principles.

The law, which goes into effect in October, will gut patients ability to take legal action if they believe they didnt receive proper care due to a conscientious objection by a provider or an institution, such as a hospital.

So-called medical conscience objection laws have existed at the state and federal levels for years, with most protecting providers who refuse to perform an abortion or sterilization procedure. But the new Montana law, and others like it that have passed or been introduced in statehouses across the U.S., goes further, to the point of undermining patient care and threatening the right of people to receive lifesaving and essential care, according to critics.

I tend to call them medical refusal bills, said Liz Reiner Platt, the director of Columbia Law Schools Law, Rights, and Religion Project. Patients are being denied the standard of care, being denied adequate medical care, because objections to certain routine medical practices are being prioritized over patient health.

This year, 21 bills instituting or expanding conscience clauses have been introduced in statehouses, and two have become law, according to the nonprofit Guttmacher Institute. Florida lawmakers passed legislation that allows providers and insurers to refuse any health service that violates ethical beliefs. Montanas law goes further, prohibiting the assignment of health workers to provide, facilitate, or refer patients for abortions unless the providers have consented in writing. South Carolina, Ohio, and Arkansas previously passed bills.

Supporters of the Montana law, called the Implement Medical Ethics and Diversity Act, say it fills gaps in federal law, empowering more medical professionals to practice medicine based on their conscience in circumstances beyond abortion and sterilization.

The bill applies to a wide range of practitioners, institutions, and insurers, encompassing just about any type of health care and anyone who could be providing it. The exception is emergency rooms, where the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act takes precedence.

We have technology that is pushing the limits of what is maybe ethical, and that is different in everybodys minds, said Republican state Rep. Amy Regier, who sponsored the Montana bill. Having extra protections for people to practice according to their conscience as we continue down that path of innovation is important.

In 1973, federal regulations known as the Church Amendments were implemented after the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision made abortion legal nationwide. Since then, at least 45 states have enacted their own abortion conscience clauses, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, only 17 mandate that patients be notified of the refusal or limit the clauses use in the case of miscarriage or emergency.

A March 2020 article in the American Medical Associations Journal of Ethics said, Clinicians who object to providing care on the basis of conscience have never been more robustly protected than today. Legal remedies for patients who receive inadequate care as a result have shrunk significantly, the article said.

But the wave of medical conscience bills introduced in statehouses since that article was published go beyond abortion to include contraception, sterilization, gender-affirming care, and other services. Opponents such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, and the Human Rights Campaign have been vocal opponents of this trend, criticizing it as a backdoor way to restrict the rights of women, LGBTQ+ community members, and other individuals.

Still, lawmakers across the country insist the right of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical providers to practice medicine in alignment with their beliefs is being infringed.

Many of the most sweeping bills are backed by organizations that have made it their business to promote this conscience agenda nationwide, such as the Christian Medical Association, Catholic Medical Association, and National Association of Pro-Life Nurses. Other groups launched a joint effort in 2020 with the explicit purpose of advancing state legislation that makes it easier for health care providers to refuse to perform a wide range of procedures, including abortion and types of gender-affirming care.

The organizations that started the initiative are the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington D.C., an Arizona-based nonprofit called the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the Christ Medicus Foundation in Michigan. According to its website, the coalition bolsters efforts to pass more sweeping medical conscience legislation, using methods including print and digital media campaign strategy, grassroots organizing, and advocacy. After successes in Arkansas, Ohio, and South Carolina in 2021 and 2022, it turned to Montana and Florida.

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WATERLOO  A Waterloo man accused of killing his longtime friend in 2022 talked with police over the phone within hours of the fatal shooting.

But he didnt turn himself in until the following day.

And he didnt turn over evidence crucial to the investigation, according to detectives.

Savion Wilson, 24, is charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 27, 2022, shooting death of Cortavius Benford, 26, at Benfords Palmer Drive apartment.

The two were hanging out with Benfords girlfriend and a friend of Wilsons when Wilson stepped out of the apartment. He returned minutes later wearing a camouflage hunting mask over his face and carrying a semiautomatic handgun.

Wilson pointed the gun as Benfords head and fired a single shot, according to witnesses.

Prosecutors said Wilson had been in a dispute with Benford and threatened to shoot him months earlier.

The defense said the spat had been settled, and the shooting was an accident. Witnesses said Wilson had a history of recklessly playing with guns.

As testimony in Wilsons trial continued Friday, police testified Wilson came to the police station the day following the shooting. Detective Jeff Tyler said Wilson brought a pair of shoes, jogging pants, shorts and a red Nike T-shirt he was wearing at the time of the shooting. Wilsons father turned over Wilsons cellphone.

Tyler pointed out blood on the drawstring and other areas of the red and green jogging pants.

But the detective noted Wilson didnt bring a blue hooded sweatshirt he had also been wearing and he didnt bring the camouflage mask.

Most importantly, Wilson didnt turn over the handgun, Tyler said. Authorities said the weapon has never been located.

Prosecutors did show videos, taken from Wilsons cellphone, that show him handling a pistol similar to how witnesses described. There was also a video, taken days before the shooting, showing the gun in his lap while he was wearing the same green and red pants and holding an extended magazine.

Investigators showed jurors how they were able to retrace Wilsons steps following the shooting, using GPS information from his rose and gold iPhone. The trail wound northward, eventually stopping at an address on Western Avenue.

They also showed that in the hours following the shooting, his phone was used to search for the terms manslaughter and manslaughter sentence Iowa as wells as news accounts of the shooting.

Testimony in the case continued on Monday in Black Hawk County District Court.

Photos: Homicide, Palmer Drive, Aug. 27, 2022 082722jr-homicide-palmer 081623jr-homicide-trial-2 081623jr-homicide-trial-1 081623jr-homicide-trial-3 081723jr-homicide-trial-1 081723jr-homicide-trial-3 081723jr-homicide-trial-5 081823jr-homicide-trial-1 081823jr-homicide-trial-3 081823jr-homicide-trial-5 082123jr-homicide-trial-2 082123jr-homicide-trial-1 082323jr-wilson-verdict-1 082323jr-wilson-verdict-2 082323jr-wilson-verdict-3 100223jr-wilson-sentencing-1
WATERLOO  The eldest daughter of a Waterloo family is being called a hero after a fire at their home.

A fire broke out in the backyard of 1925 Falls Ave. early Friday evening. The family of five, with three adults and two children, as well as four guinea pigs, made it out safe and unharmed.

Waterloo Fire Rescue was called to the two-story house just before 6:30 p.m. and extinguished the flames within minutes, according to Battalion Chief Ben Petersen. He said firefighters spent fifteen minutes opening the ceiling in a bedroom.

That bedroom was occupied by one of Daniel and Sara Glawes children who was on her computer when she saw smoke from outside her bedroom window. She alerted her parents, who were near their detached garage, and her two sisters that there was a fire just below the window. Flames eventually reached the top of the homes roof, entering the attic.

Petersen said it was highly likely the fire was caused by embers falling into a grill that was just below the kitchen and daughters room. Sara Glawe said just 30 minutes before they called 911, the family was eating burgers that they grilled. She said she put the cover on the grill and the charcoal was burnt out and gray.

Half of the backside of the houses siding was burnt or peeling off. The daughters bedroom window, as well as a window on the side of the house, were busted out to allow heat and smoke to escape the house by using a positive pressure fan that blows air into the house.

The ceiling in the daughters room was also pulled down in order to gain access to the attic. Petersen said the attic and the back exterior of the house sustained moderate fire damage.

He said the fire department contacted the Red Cross to assist the Glawes. Although it was upsetting to see the damage to the house they lived in for 24 years, there was a bright side for Daniel Glawe.

Were all safe, thats all that matters, he said. Everything else can be replaced.

How wildfires have worsened in recent decades How wildfires have worsened in recent decades The number of wildfires is decreasing, but more acres are burning Wildfire seasons are getting longer Wildfire suppression costs have risen by billions of dollars Lightning fires are causing more damage in the West California's wildfires continue to set records
WATERLOO  School staffers were reminded they are influential in shaping the lives of future generations as they gathered to mark the start of a new school year.

The Waterloo Community School District held its annual back-to-school event for staff on Thursday morning. West High Schools auditorium was packed with about 1,700 employees.

(The event) is a great opportunity to bring all the staff together and really celebrate all the good things going on in our district, Superintendent Jared Smith said.

The overarching theme of the presentations and celebration was that employees  and their words and actions  matter.

Your words are impactful. They have the potential to shape lives, School Board President Sue Flynn said. They motivate, they can challenge, they can provoke anger, they can provide the only bright spot in a students day. Your words do make a difference. Your words are often life-changing.

Gina Weekley  the districts new director of equity, inclusion and belonging  gave a presentation on how her time as a student in Waterloo schools influenced her as an adult. The new position was created to enhance the districts initiatives to support and enhance equity and inclusion for students and staff.

After high school, Weekley left Iowa for Virginia because she was afraid to be herself in her home state. She later returned to Waterloo, even though many traumatic things happened to her while growing up here.

She said she has a nine out of 10 Adverse Childhood Experience score. An ACE score is a tally of different types of abuse, neglect and other negatively impactful experiences. During her time at McKinstry elementary, which closed in 2009, she experienced the death of multiple family members, a parent dealing with alcoholism and a brother who was shot and ultimately went to prison.

Society told me that I was built on a path to be less than, but its just because of a community just like this that I am (who) I am, Weekley said.

Later while attending East High School, she said she was sexually assaulted by a caregiver. Weekley said shes no longer ashamed of sharing her trauma. She is now using her personal experiences to teach others about equity.

One thing I didnt realize is that these educators were breaking down generational cycles for me, she said. They were teaching me how to cope  and this is why I came back to Waterloo. That is what equity is all about.

She later introduced her former first-grade teacher, Linda Watkins, to the crowd. She said Watkins was an example of equity in education.

Weekley said in school she often caused problems for teachers, but many of those educators took steps to help her be a better student. She told the crowd that every teacher should choose one Gina to help.

If we want to change the trajectory of our community, of our school district, of our country, we gotta get it right, she said. That tough kid, get to know them, figure out exactly what they need. Because it might just be you.

She noted equity has become a divisive concept in society but defined it as giving families, students and staff what they need to be successful and thrive. She said everyone in the room signed up to better childrens lives, but unconscious bias can get in the way.

We all lead and learn and live by what weve been taught, what we have internalized, she said. If we dont contest that and start disrupting those vicious cycles for kids like Gina, (they) will continue.

After Weekleys presentation, Smith took the stage to lay out his plan and goals for the 2023-2024 school year. The main point, he said, is students come first. He hopes by the end of the school year, achievement improves by 10%, tracked through the annual Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress; attendance improves by 10%; and culture improves by 10%, which would be tracked through a survey.

After becoming superintendent last year, Smith put in place a three-year plan. Last years plan was to reset the culture. He is trying to repair broken relationships in the system by asking all employees what they wanted from the district.

This years goal is to refine the system by making sure the districts programs are effective. Next year, the goal will be to refresh the strategy and come up with a new district strategic plan. That strategic plan would be led by the Central Rivers Area Education Agency.
CEDAR FALLS  As some Waterloo residents push for a change in city government organization, current and former elected officials in Cedar Falls feel no sense of urgency about changing their citys leadership structure.

Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green recommends the city make his job a part-time position in the future in an editorial in todays Courier in response to a residents guest column urging the same change Aug. 12.

Cedar Falls, unique in Iowa, has had both a full-time mayor and administrator since 2015, and deferred the decision to shift to part-time mayor. It is time the City Council makes the change, Green writes.

According to Green, who is not seeking reelection in November, the Cedar Falls mayors annual salary is $105,312 for fiscal year 2024, along with full health insurance and IPERS retirement benefits.

Comparatively, Administrator Ron Gaines will make $220,829, also with IPERS and health care plan benefits.

This is not common in Iowa, but likely reflects the needs of that city, said Alan Kemp, executive director of the Iowa League of Cities, in an email. I know that in years past, the city of Evansdale had a full-time mayor position, but transitioned to a part-time mayor. Simply put  the newly elected mayor did not have time to assume the office in a full time, paid capacity.

But Susan deBuhr, who also is not running for reelection after 20 years on the City Council, says talk about a part-time mayor has not gained traction in the past because the public having overwhelmingly liked late longtime Mayor Jon Crews being out in the community.

Sacrificing the salary would not be worth the good that comes from having a dedicated professional mayor to the city, said deBuhr, who often is fiscally conservative. The availability to the public and staff is invaluable.

Former Mayor Jim Brown, who preceded Green in office, says he did research while in office, and any savings would largely be wiped out by some of the mayors duties being passed on to the administrator.

The city has been served well the last 40 years by this structure, he said.

Former longtime councilmember Frank Darrah also doesnt see a need for change.

I havent seen any data to go out and do it, he said.

Current Councilmember Simon Harding, whos also not seeking reelection, and fellow Councilmember Dustin Ganfield are on the fence.

Harding agrees with deBuhr that any savings would be minimal, and he likes the idea of someone 100% dedicated to the mayoral role.

Although Green puts in full-time hours, Harding argues that based on city code, the primary responsibilities  managing council meetings, leading the city through emergencies, supervising the city manager  are essentially those of a part-time mayor.

Thats a misunderstanding that the mayor can just tell the employees whatever he wants them to do, he said. Its based on the parameters set forth by council, and theres a checks and balance of sorts between the mayor, council and administrator. Everything fits together like a puzzle and responsibilities dont overlap.

The strong mayor is the chief executive officer and oversees the administrators execution of the councils prerogatives.

Harding would prefer the mayor attend all meetings and events, whether it be with executive leadership or the Black Hawk County Emergency Management Commission, of which he is a member.

And then there are all the invitations he receives from organizations like Grow Cedar Valley, or ceremonial events like Memorial Day. Additionally, Green says hes spent time responding to concerns and completing walk-throughs of The Falls Aquatic Center.

I get so many requests myself as a councilmember, said Harding.

Waterloo has an elected mayor, Quentin Hart, who carries out the day-to-day operations. But a group of residents is pushing the city to hire a city administrator to perform those duties and make the mayor part-time.

If you have someone who is adept like in Waterloo, thats fantastic, but you run the risk of a nincompoop every election being elected every two years to run the city without the experience and qualifications, said Ganfield. But by going to a part-time mayor, youre giving all the power to unelected people.

His preference is first to go through and hear more about the pros and cons before making any decisions.

When you have a full-time mayor, operations are beholden to the electors and you keep the people in charge, he added. But a con might be the amount of stress and responsibility youre putting on one shoulders.

Leading up to the Nov. 7 city election, Green says hell be most interested in what candidates and the remaining council members have to say.

At this point, its their perspectives that will matter the most, he said.
CHERNIHIV, Ukraine  A Russian missile attack in the center of a northern Ukrainian city on Saturday killed seven people and wounded more than a hundred others, including children, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack in Chernihiv happened as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

Images of the aftermath showed badly damaged buildings including a theater with its roof blown away, mangled cars and survivors walking amid the debris with bloodstained clothes. The dead in the daytime strike included a 6-year-old girl, while 15 children were among the 129 wounded, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

The square in front of the theater building had been bustling with life, with people returning from church after celebrating the Apple Feast of the Savior religious holiday, baskets of consecrated apples in hand, Klymenko said. Following the strike, debris from the theater roof littered the square, along with shattered glass from the windows of nearby cars and restaurants.

The strike hit the theater during a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools, organizer Mariia Berlinska confirmed. Berlinska said the event was officially agreed to in advance with both the local authorities and the venue. The Chernihiv City Council denied it approved the event or issued permits.

Zelenskyy said the attack showed Russia was a "terrorist state" and that the world must unite against it.

"A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv," he wrote on Telegram. "A square, the polytechnic university, a theater. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss."

Chernihiv was surrounded by Russian forces at the start of the war but they withdrew after Ukrainian forces retook control of areas north of Kyiv in April last year.

Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on an unannounced visit Saturday  his first to the Scandinavian country since the start of the full-scale invasion. The war prompted Sweden to abandon its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and apply for NATO membership, though it is still waiting to join the alliance.

At a joint news conference, Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the two countries had agreed to cooperate on the production, training and servicing of Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would start manufacturing the vehicles as part of the deal.

He also encouraged Kristersson to "share" Sweden's Gripen fighter aircraft with Ukraine. Sweden said it will allow Ukrainian pilots to test the Gripen planes but so far ruled out giving any to Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said "appropriate actions" would be taken in coming weeks to help Ukraine obtain "appropriate aircraft."

"I will also have negotiations with several other states tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage there," he said.

Denmark and the Netherlands said Friday that the United States gave its approval for the countries to deliver U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Sweden says it provided 1.7 billion euros in military support to Ukraine, including Archer artillery units, Leopard 2 tanks and CV90 armored vehicles.

Zelenskyy met with Kristersson and other Swedish officials at Harpsund, the prime minister's official summertime residence. He and first lady Olena Zelenska later met Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

Kristersson expressed his condolences to Zelenskyy for the attack in Chernihiv.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin said Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District.

The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Gerasimov greeting Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.

It was Putin's first visit to Rostov-on-Don since the Wagner mercenary group 's attempted mutiny in June, when the group's fighters briefly took control of the city.

During the short-lived revolt, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly denounced Gerasimov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine and mismanaging the war.

Overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western regions.

The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack.

In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, Gov. Vitalii Bunechko said.

Photos: Blind veterans beat challenges at Ukraine rehab camp
Multiple agencies, including NASA, NOAA, and the independent Berkeley Earth, have calculated that July was the globally hottest calendar month on record.

Compared with geological data, such as ice cores, sediment cores, tree rings and corals, last month was probably the single warmest month in the history of human civilization  which began when the last ice age ended about 12,000 years ago.

With roughly 70% of the planet covered by the oceans, they have an outsized influence on that warming signal. For climate scientists like oceanographer Andy Pershing, vice president for science at the non-profit Climate Central, it is not surprising.

This is what we expected. Its shocking, but its not surprising. This is what scientists were predicting in the '80s and '90s using the first generations of climate models, he said.

While air temperatures get a lot of attention, about 90 percent of the additional heat from the warming climate is going into the oceans. He has watched it unfold dramatically over the last decade.

Ive been looking at sea surface temperature maps for a long time," Pershing said. "And a little over 10 years ago, I started noticing the Gulf of Maine and the waters around New England were warming very quickly. And Ive watched over the last 10 years  place after place after place  has caught up with that.

Examining the recent data, one trend jumps out at him.

The striking thing to me is that there just isnt any blue on the map  meaning there are very few areas that are cooler than normal. Everything is higher than the long-term average. And that has not always been the case  even a few years ago," he said.

What happens in the oceans does not stay in the oceans, as it affects people who live hundreds of miles away from any coastline. The warmer water interacts with the overlying atmosphere, affecting the evolution of weather patterns on both local and global scales and altering previously reliable patterns of temperatures and precipitation.

Those ocean changes also have economic ramifications. Closer to the coast, it has had an especially high impact on fishing in the Northeast.

Recalling his experience at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute: Cod used to be the mainstay of New England, but their populations are still really low despite efforts to reduce fishing pressure there. The environment wont allow that stock to rebuild. And thats a big cultural loss, in addition to the economical loss.

This years warmer water has already led to coral bleaching in Florida and the Caribbean, but Pershing is especially worried about what will happen in the coming months on a large scale, when summer comes to the northeast coast of Australia.

Thats when we see the Great Barrier Reef potentially start to bleach," Pershing said. "The reefs are important not just for tourism, but are productive fisheries with some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. The number of animals living in those areas is extraordinary. And once you lose them, they are really hard to get back.

Since the late 19th century, the planet has warmed an average of about 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and current global policies suggest an additional 5 degrees of warming over the rest of this century if those policies are followed.

This is the world that we knew was coming if we kept putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. And its the world that we have to figure out how to live with, Pershing said.

Much is still to be written on the precise amount of warming by the end of this century, as the amount of additional greenhouse gas emissions will determine if the warming stays below that 5-degree expectation, or exceeds it. But given the sheer magnitude of the oceans, every tenth of a degree will matter in the years and decades to come.

Sean Sublette is the chief meteorologist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.
ACCRA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) standby force is ready to go to Niger, a senior official from the bloc said here late Friday.

During a press briefing after a two-day meeting of ECOWAS defense chiefs in Accra, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, said that if a peaceful resolution to the recent coup in Niger cannot be found through other means, a standby force is prepared to intervene in Niger at any time.

Niger's soldiers launched a coup and detained President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

On Thursday, the defense chiefs of ECOWAS gathered in Ghana's capital of Accra to discuss plans to deploy a standby force to Niger. "We have already agreed and fine-tuned the logistics required for the intervention," said the ECOWAS commissioner.

Musah said ECOWAS was adopting the military option due to the intransigence of the military junta in Niger, which had been putting obstacles in the way of a negotiated settlement of the impasse, adding that all options were still on the table for finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

"If they respond favorably to the request of the heads of state for dialogue, we are ready to accept. We will not engage in endless dialogue, but a fruitful one to restore constitutional order in the shortest possible time," he added.

"All options are on the table, and our doors are open. We can stand down the military option if they meet us halfway for early restoration of constitutional order in the country because the military option is not our preferred option," the official added.

The meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff on Thursday and Friday followed the directives of the bloc's leadership at their last emergency session in Nigeria to discuss the political situation in Niger. Musah said an ECOWAS standby force is ready to move into Niger to "restore constitutional rule and end the impasse."

At their last summit in Nigeria last week, ECOWAS leaders decided to activate the standby force while underscoring their continued commitment to restore constitutional order in the country through peaceful means.

Tensions are still escalating between Niger's military junta and ECOWAS. Niger's junta had allegedly told a top U.S. diplomat that Bazoum would be killed if neighboring countries attempted any military intervention to restore his rule.

The junta, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, has claimed it could do a better job than Bazoum's government in protecting the nation from jihadi violence.

It's still unclear when or where the ECOWAS force would deploy and how reports of the threats against Bazoum would affect a decision by ECOWAS to intervene. 
An Iowa attorney who has been sanctioned by the state on nine prior occasions is facing new allegations of neglecting his clients.

The Grievance Commission of the Iowa Supreme Court is recommending that the court suspend the license of attorney Scott A. Sobel of Fayette County for 30 days. The recommendation stems from a case initiated by the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board thats related to Sobels handling of a criminal case and a civil lawsuit.

In September 2021, Sobel was appointed to represent Mario Goodson in a felony criminal case. Prior to Goodsons sentencing hearing, Sobel did not read or fact-check the presentence investigation report to be used by the judge in determining Goodsons sentence. According to the commission, he also failed to communicate with Goodson in any manner until the sentencing hearing.

During the hearing, the judge realized Sobel had not yet reviewed the report with his client and called for a break in the proceedings to let Sobel consult with Goodson. Later, the judge called for a second break after Goodson indicated he hadnt been given enough time to review the report, then sentenced Goodson to 25 years in prison.

In February 2021, Sobel filed a civil court petition on behalf of two clients, Samir Golubovic and Ramiza Dervisedic, but missed a subsequent deadline in the proceedings. The court set a hearing for June 2021 and advised Sobel that failure to appear at the hearing would result in the immediate dismissal of the case.

Sobel failed to attend the hearing and the court rescheduled the matter for July. But because the defendants in the lawsuit werent served in the case until 125 days passed from the filing of the lawsuit, the July hearing was canceled and in August the court granted the defendants motion to dismiss the matter.

Citing a litany of medical issues  including bronchitis, an ear issue, diabetes management, digestive problems, a yeast infection, swallowing difficulties, respiratory issues and COVID-19  Sobel filed a motion to set aside the dismissal. The court agreed to do so, finding there was good cause attributable to excusable neglect.

With regard to the Goodson case, the commission concluded that Sobels multiple failures in the case were tantamount to a conscious disregard of his obligations to his client. As for the Golubovic lawsuit, the commission found that Sobels conduct resulted in procedural delays and could have damaged his client had the court not agreed to set aside the dismissal order.

The commission said it was empathetic to Sobels health issues but added that illnesses do not excuse misconduct, and it cited Sobels prior disciplinary history as the most important aggravating factor in the case.

Since 2002, Sobel has been privately admonished six times and, since 2010, he has publicly reprimanded three times, according to the commission.

He has received prior private admonishments and/or public reprimands  dating as far back as July of 2010 and as recent as January of 2022  for violations of two of the five rules implicated in this disciplinary matter, the commission noted. Sobel was on notice of his ethical obligations to keep his clients reasonably informed about the status of their matters and to withdraw from representation if his physical health materially impaired his ability to represent his clients.

The commission stated that although the nature of Sobels misconduct in the Goodson and Golubovic cases may have warranted a private admonishment or a public reprimand under other circumstances, Sobels pattern of misconduct and prior disciplinary history called for an enhanced penalty: a 30-day license suspension.

The court has yet to act on that recommendation.

Court records indicate Sobel was admitted to practice law in Iowa in June 1983. In his 2022 disciplinary case, Sobel was reprimanded after a criminal-defendant client of his was in jail for 64 days without having heard from Sobel, despite the man making repeated attempts to reach Sobel.

As part of that same disciplinary case, Sobel was also accused of failing to communicate with a female criminal-defendant client prior to a bond reduction hearing and a probation revocation hearing. Although Sobel claimed he had communicated with the woman, the jails visitation logs and his statements on the record at the probation revocation hearing suggested otherwise, the commission concluded.
A state program providing public money for private school tuition will likely result in more private schools in Iowa in the coming years, a private school administrator said on Friday.

During an appearance on this weekends episode of Iowa Press on Iowa PBS, Josh Bowar, the head of school for Sioux Center Christian School and the interim outreach coordinator for the Iowa Association of Christian Schools, said the education savings accounts program passed by Republican lawmakers and Gov. Kim Reynolds this year created an opportunity for new private schools to start up across the state.

What I see happening, and what will be a really great opportunity is that this is going to open up ways for schools to begin, so parents can have choices in those places that do not currently have another option for them to go to," Bowar said.

He said his organization has been in touch with at least 20 groups who are looking to start up new Christian schools in the coming years because ESAs  valued at $7,600 for the coming school year  have increased the potential for them to attract students.

This has definitely been a catalyst for providing an opportunity for schools to start that can meet those kids needs, Bowar said. And what a beautiful thing to celebrate. We are adding to the diversity of the education options that are available in our state.

The Iowa Association of Christian Schools represents protestant schools in Iowa, so that figure does not include potential new Catholic or secular private schools.

More than 18,000 students were approved for the coming school year for the savings accounts to attend private school. About 60% of those students already attend private school, while about 40% are coming from public schools.

Three rural counties with few private school options  Decatur, Louisa and Ringgold counties  received no approved ESAs.

Right now, there are only about 9,000 open seats in Iowa private schools, the governors office has previously said. But Bowar said the ESA program will allow new schools to open up to meet the demand of those students.

There is more demand in our state right now than there are seats in the nonpublic schools, Bowar said. So we want to encourage schools of all kinds that would like to start a place in Iowa to really meet those needs of what the parents are wanting.

The ESA program was Reynolds' chief policy goal of this year's session, and she said it would provide opportunities for every child to receive a quality education. Democrats and public school advocates opposed it, arguing it would take money away from already struggling public schools.

Not all private schools can accommodate students

Opponents of the ESA program during this years legislative session also said private schools should not receive taxpayer dollars because they can be selective about who they admit, turning away students with special needs or behavioral problems.

Jennifer Raes, the principal at St. Anthony's Catholic School in Des Moines, said the school accepts every kid it can. But she acknowledged the school will turn away some students if it cannot meet the needs they have, like providing a full-time paraeducator.

If I dont have the capability, then Im not going to let you down and say, Yes, I can take your child, but I really cant meet their needs. she said. So sometimes I have to say no. It breaks my heart, and its a tough conversation.

Bowar said the increased money from the ESAs will allow private schools to better provide those resources to students with special needs.

Tuition increasing at some schools

Bowar and Raes said theyve experienced increased enrollment at their schools for the coming year, some of which can be credited to families taking advantage of ESAs.

Both Sioux Center Christian School and St. Anthonys Catholic School increased their tuition by about 3% for the upcoming school year, a decision that was made in the winter before the ESA program was passed.

Some schools, though, have increased their tuition by double digits, pointing to the ESA program as the reason for the increase.

Raes said the increased tuition from some schools may help them make up some of their education costs, which are often higher than the tuition.

Weve always had a tuition rate thats really under what it costs to educate a child, she said. So its possible you can make up a little ground for getting closer to what it does cost to educate a child.

'No Labels' movement preps for 2024, concerns over the iPhone 'hang up' button and health updates | Bonus episode Your browser does not support the audio element.

Close Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds hugs her husband First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds at the conclusion of the Condition of the State address, inside the Iowa House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, applauds during Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Attendees to Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address applaud during the speech, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber on Jan. 10 at the State Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds is escorted into the Iowa House of Representatives, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, to give the annual Condition of the State address, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Photos: Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers the condition of the state address Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds hugs her husband First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds at the conclusion of the Condition of the State address, inside the Iowa House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, applauds during Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Attendees to Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address applaud during the speech, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber on Jan. 10 at the State Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds is escorted into the Iowa House of Representatives, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, to give the annual Condition of the State address, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines.
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (18 August 2023)

In Donetsk direction, active and coordinated actions of the Yug Group of Forces supported by ground-attack and army aviation reflected three AFU attacks close to Avdeyevka, Berestooye, and Maryinka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The enemys losses have amounted to around 220 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, three armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M-777 artillery system, one D-20 howitzer, and two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems.

Furthermore, three ammunition supply points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were obliterated near Dyleyevka, Dzerzhinsk, and Novopokrovskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces, strikes of Operational-Tactical Aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrowers repelled an enemys attack close to Nikolskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and inflicted fire damage on the AFU units near Urozhainoye and Staromayorskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Up to 210 Ukrainian servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M777 artillery systems, and one MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun have been neutralised during the day.

In Kupyansk direction, artillery and Army Aviation of the Zapad Group of Forces successfully repelled seven attacks and counter-attacks of the enemy close to Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Sinkovka, Olshana, and Mankovka Urochische (Kharkov region).

A munition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was annihilated close to Kamenka (Kharkov region).

Total enemy losses in this direction amounted to up to 75 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, two pick-up trucks, and one Polish-made Krab self-propelled system.

In Krasny Liman direction, the Tsentr Group of Forces, army aviation, and artillery repelled two enemy attacks close to Grigorovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk Peoples Republic).

Up to 80 Ukrainian personnel, three armoured fighting vehicles, and two pick-up trucks have been eliminated.

The Russian grouping of forces supported by artillery close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) repelled two attacks of the enemy and disable one sabotage and reconnaissance unit in Zaporozhye direction.

Up to 195 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, and one U.K.-made L119 howitzer have been neutralised during the day.

In Kherson direction, the enemy suffered losses of up to 30 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, and one AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery radar station as a result of fire damage.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian grouping of troops engaged manpower, and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 143 areas.

Fighter aviation of Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down one Su-25 aircraft of Ukrainian Air Force near Verolyubovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Air defence systems have shot down a Su-25 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).

In addition, 26 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down close to Verkhnyaya Duvanka, Kremennaya, Privolye, Lisichansk (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Berestovoye, Krasnaya Gora, Volodino, Orlinskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), Lyubimovka, Rabotino, and Tokmak (Zaporozhye region).

In total, 461 airplanes and 246 helicopters, 5,831 unmanned aerial vehicles, 431 air defence missile systems, 11,366 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,144 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,928 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,307 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation (19 August 2023)

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

In Kupyansk direction, the Zapad Group of Forces repelled four attacks and counter-attacks of assault detachments from the 14th, 32nd, 44th mechanised and 95th Air Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine close to Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Sinkovka and Urochishche Mankovka (Kharkov region) .

Over 130 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and two U.S.-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery systems have been eliminated in this direction during the day.

In Donetsk direction, the Yug Group of Forces in close cooperation with aviation and artillery has successfully repelled five enemy attacks close to Andreyevka, Veseloye, Krasnogorovka, and Nevelskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic) over the past 24 hours.

In addition, ammunition depots of the 24th Mechanised and 79th Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been hit close to Toretsk and Novomikhailovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

The enemy losses amounted to up to 400 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, 14 armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer.

In South Donetsk direction, the Vostok Group of Forces repelled and attack launched by AFU assault group close to Urozhaynoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Moreover, Russian troops disabled four Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups close to Staromayorskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and Priyutnoye (Zaporozhye region).

The enemy losses amounted to up to 200 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and Msta-B and D-30 howitzers.

In Zaporozhye direction, Russian forces, aviation, and artillery repelled an attack launched by units of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the AFU Strategic Reserve close to Raborino (Zaporozhye region).

Up to 190 Ukrainian troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, two Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery systems, as well as one U.S.-made M119 howitzer have been eliminated.

In Krasny Liman direction, the Tsentr Group of Forces in coordination with army aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrowers repelled an attack of the 42nd Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine south of Kuzmino (Lugansk Peoples Republic). In this direction, the enemy has lost over 40 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer.

In Kherson direction, up to 15 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, two D-30 howitzers, and one Msta-B gun have been neutralised by fire.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have inflicted fire damage on enemy manpower and hardware in 139 areas in the past 24 hours.

A forward command post of the 10th Army Corps was destroyed near Orekhov (Zaporozhye region). ?? An AFUs ammunition depot was annihilated close to Goloskov (Khmelnitsky region).

Air defence facilities have shot down 23 unmanned aerial vehicles near Berestovoye (Kharkov region), Kremennaya, Zolotaryovka, Svatovo, Privolye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Staromikhailovka, Spornoye(Donetsk Peoples Republic), Energodar and Shevchenko (Zaporozhye region).

In total, 461 airplanes and 246 helicopters, 5,854 unmanned aerial vehicles, 431 air defence missile systems, 11,387 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 1,144 combat vehicles equipped with MRLS, 5,940 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,319 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

WtR
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WAUPUN  The Dodge County Sheriffs Office, with the assistance of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, will be investigating what is believed to be a death by suicide that occurred in Waupun Friday night.

The Waupun Police Department was dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of West Brown Street about 7:27 p.m. Friday, according to a press release from the Dodge County Sheriffs Office. The police department was responding to a report of a domestic disturbance.

The initial investigation shows that subsequent to officers arriving on the scene, a man involved in the initial incident took his own life, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said in the release. No officers were involved with the death and no officers or other persons were physically injured.

Dodge County Sheriffs Office, Fond du Lac Sheriffs Office and the Wisconsin State Patrol assisted in securing the scene.

The DOJ is assisting because the death occurred during a police investigation.

The Dodge County Medical Examiners Office is also assisting with the death investigation.

Other assisting agencies include Waupun Fire Department, Lifestar Ems, and Dodge County Emergency Response Team.
ACCRA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) standby force is ready to go to Niger any time the order is given, a senior ECOWAS official said here late Friday.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, made the comment during a press briefing after a two-day meeting of the ECOWAS defense chiefs in Ghana's capital Accra.

Musah said all the necessary preparations had concluded, and the defense chiefs would present their report to the leaders of the subregional bloc for further instruction.

"We have already agreed and fine-tuned the logistics required for the intervention," said the ECOWAS commissioner.

"We are ready to go anytime the order is given. This meeting is the final extraordinary meeting before deployment, and as soon as our heads of state and government are satisfied with the report, we are ready to respond to the call to duty," he said.

He added that all options were still on the table for finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Musah called for the unconditional release of the deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, his family, and members of his government who were still in detention in Niger.

A mediation team from the subregional bloc, he said, was expected in Niamey this Saturday to engage with the military junta on possible ways of ending the political crisis. 
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Instagram Celebrity

Impressed by how Glo handled Duval's diss, one user exclaims, 'EXACTLY... I don't know why middle aged men be thinking their childish behavior is cute, go take your vitamins sir.'

Aug 19, 2023

AceShowbiz - GloRilla has a hilarious response to Lil Duval's recent joke. After firing back at the former rapper for dragging her name in his tweet, the "Tomorrow 2" raptress gained praise from many online users.

On Thursday, August 17, Duval penned on Twitter, "Out of Sukihana, Sexxy Redd, GloRillaMarry, f**K, kill." Catching wind of the post, the Memphis femcee replied, "Granddad why you worrying about dese young h*es p***y ?????"

Impressed by how Glo handled the diss, one user exclaimed, "EXACTLY... I don't know why middle aged men be thinking their childish behavior is cute. Go take your vitamins sir." Another added, "These old dudes love talkin about young women."

Also responding to Duval's tweet was Sukihana. the former "Love & Hip-Hop: Miami" star said, "Lick Lil Duval's a** or go to jail for the rest of your life only gay men can answer."

You can share this post!
Music

When slamming major record labels on Instagram, the 'Dreams and Nightmares' rapper also makes it clear that he owns 100 percent of his masters.

Aug 19, 2023

AceShowbiz - Meek Mill continues to speak out against record labels. When getting things off his chest on social media, the "Bugatti" rapper accused major labels of taking advantage of "black murder and poverty."

"It's almost to a point where we going to aim artist and their entourage towards the ones taking out money and leading us to bad business decisions," the emcee first argued on Instagram on Thursday, August 17. "F**k these labels they operating without consequences in the biggest scheme to date."

"IF YOU LETTING LABELS TAKE YOUR MONEY HOW YOU BEEFING WITH N***AS IN THE HOOD OVER NOTHING ... and yes I own 100% of my masters and pub as we speak!" he added. "We catch y'all stealing we in the streets with it f**k it."

Meek went on to explain, "I been had my life on the line in the street." He then added, "If we gone make life about something lets stand on something worth it. IF YOU BEEN TAKEN ADVANTAGE BY PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD REALLY MAKE CRY TAP IN THIS GOTTA STOP I'll die for this or go to jail but take from me shidddddd."

Meek concluded his lengthy message by confirming that he's willing to give up everything for the cause. "This is for all culture vultures eating off black murder and poverty with out giving back and taking advantage! Til my last [breath]!"

In February 2022, Meek put Atlantic Records on blast for allegedly ruining his relationship with Roddy Ricch and Rick Ross. At that time, he fumed on Twitter, "So look I made Atlantic records 100's of millions and let them rape me out out Roddy a artist they came to me about in jail... They still saying I can't drop music until 9 months after my last album got blackballed just wrapped buildings and Nina art with talent."

Meek went on to accuse the label of separating him and Roddy "when the millions came in from him." He added, "Same thing they tried to do with me and rozay  it takes a long time to catch up too because most of em tied in for the love of some money artist scared to speak up."

"They didn't put nothing into expensive pain and then said I can't drop another project for 9 months at the end of my contract after I made them 100's of millions .. how would can anybody survive that," Meek further noted. "Most rappers can't speak because they depend on these companies ' I don't.' "

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Cover Images/Faye's Vision Celebrity

After the 'Smash' alum and David Foster's nanny was fatally struck by an elderly woman at a Toyota dealership, the director of communications says in a statement that they mourn 'the loss of such a vibrant life in such tragic circumstances.'

Aug 19, 2023

AceShowbiz - The Toyota dealership where Katharine McPhee and David Foster's nanny died has called her death a "heavy burden." Yadira Colito, 55, was reportedly killed at a Toyota dealership in San Fernando Valley, California earlier this month while waiting for her car to be serviced, after an elderly woman accidentally drove into a customer reception.

Megan Maybee, the Hamer Toyota dealership's director of communications, told Us Weekly in a statement, "We extend our deepest condolences to Yadira's family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. The loss of such a vibrant life in such tragic circumstances is a heavy burden to bear, and we share in their grief."

TMZ previously reported that an 84-year-old woman drove her white Toyota RAV4 into the covered service bay driveway, with authorities at the scene apparently saying the driver mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Yadira was reportedly "pinned under the SUV and dragged for about 20 feet" before bystanders came together to help free her from under the car.

She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead. Two others were also injured in the crash, but are expected to make full recoveries. The driver has not been arrested.

Yadira was a nanny for 39-year-old Katharine and 73-year-old David's son Rennie, two. Following the incident, Katherine announced she had to rush home from her and her husband's tour in Asia due to "a horrible tragedy."

She told her Instagram followers, "Dearest Jakarta fans, it's with heavy heart I announce I have to miss our final two shows of our Asia run. David and I have had a horrible tragedy in our family and at least one of us need to get back home to our family. Please know how sorry I am and how much I wish to return one day and perform for you all. Love Katharine."

David was still able to take the stage for the final two shows on their tour, and shortly after Katherine' post it emerged the tragedy she was referring to was the death of their nanny. Katherine and David married the knot in 2019 before having Rennie in 2021. David is also the father of daughters Allison, 52, Amy, 49, Sara, 41, Erin, 40, and Jordan, 36, from previous relationships.

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Walt Disney Pictures Movie

David Hand, whose father was one of the directors working on the 1937 animated film, claims that Walt Disney and his father 'would be turning in their graves' over the 'whole different concept' of the upcoming live-action movie.

Aug 19, 2023

AceShowbiz - The son of the animator who directed the original "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" has weighed in on the controversial remake. Agreeing with the critics, David Hand has condemned the "woke" film starring Rachel Zegler.

Hand, whose father of the same name was one of the directors working on the 1937 animated film, said in an interview with The Telegraph, "It's a whole different concept and I just totally disagree with it, and I know my dad and Walt would also very much disagree with it." He called it a "disgrace" that Disney is "trying to do something new with something that was such a great success earlier."

"Their thoughts are just so radical now," said Hand, who worked as a designer for Disney in the 1990s. "They change the stories, they change the thought process of the characters, ... they're making up new woke things and I'm just not into any of that. I find it quite frankly a bit insulting [what] they may have done with some of these classic films. ... There's no respect for what Disney did and what my dad did. ... I think Walt [Disney] and he would be turning in their graves."

The upcoming "Snow White" movie has faced backlash over its cast after tapping Zegler in the lead role. Responding to the social media debate, the actress, who is Hispanic, wrote on Twitter a.k.a. X, "extremely appreciative of the love i feel from those defending me online, but please don't tag me in the nonsensical discourse about my casting. i really, truly do not want to see it."

Recently, social media users also took issue with the storyline following Zegler and Gal Gadot's interview in which they said that the Disney princess is "not gonna be saved by the prince and she's not gonna be dreaming about true love." The "West Side Story" actress added of her character, "She's dreaming about becoming the leader."

Taking to social media, some women claimed that the mission to portray Snow White as a woman uninterested in love was crucially anti-feminist. They argued that this perspective might inadvertently reinforce antiquated stereotypes that limit a woman's autonomy in shaping her own path, irrespective of her choices.

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Seven Network Music

Billie Joe Armstrong and his bandmates confirm they are going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their major label debut with a deluxe edition due in September.

Aug 19, 2023

AceShowbiz - Green Day are set to put out a 30th anniversary reissue of their album "Dookie". The group - made up of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool - are to celebrate three decades of their 1994 record by dropping "Dookie (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)".

Besides being available digitally, the new edition is going to be released as a limited edition six-LP vinyl box set and a four-CD box set. Due to come out on September 29, "Dookie (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)" will feature previously unreleased "Dookie" demos as well as live recordings "Live at Woodstock (1994)" and "Live in Barcelona (June 5, 1994)", which has never been released.

What's more, Green Day fans with dogs might be pleased to hear the bumper box set also comes with "Dookie" pooch poop bags as well as air freshener, which could be useful after your four-legged friend has done their business. Other items include a five-button set, a postcard, a bumper sticker, a magnet, a paper aeroplane, and a poster.

The band's third studio album was initially released on February 1, 1994. The music, which featured themes such as anxiety, relationships, sexuality and boredom, was mostly penned by frontman Billie. Singles "Basket Case", "When I Come Around", "Longview", "She", and a re-recorded version of "Welcome to Paradise", which was initially on the group's "[a=Kerplunk!" album, all featured on "Dookie".

In March, Yusuf/Cat Stevens - who is also known as Yusuf Islam - revealed he wanted to collaborate with the band. Asked if he's in the loop with pop music nowadays, he told NME, "Not very much. I came from one of pop's pinnacle eras when there'd be a new milestone every week, so I tend to listen to that period most. But I love Green Day because of their message. 'Know Your Enemy' is an incredible song with a message about the Iraq war that was right on time."

Asked if he'd like to collaborate with the group, he replied, "Yeah! Wow, that's a good idea. I think they listened to my song 'Bitterblue' before making 'Know Your Enemy', as I can hear little titbits of it in the chords and some of the words. I reckon we could definitely get it on."

"Dookie: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" track listing:

Vinyl Box (6LP):

LP 1: "Dookie"

LP 2: "Dookie Demos"

LP 3: "Dookie Outtakes"

LP 4: "Live at Woodstock (1994)"

LP 6: "Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)"



CD Box (4CD):

CD 1: "Dookie"

CD 2: "Dookie Demos Outtakes"

CD 3: "Live at Woodstock (1994)"

CD 4: "Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)"



"Dookie":

"Burnout" "Having A Blast" "Chump" "Longview" "Welcome to Paradise" "Pulling Teeth" "Basket Case" "She" "Sassafras Roots" "When I Come Around" "Coming Clean" "Emenius Sleepus" "In the End" "F.O.D. " "All by Myself"

"Dookie" 4-Track Demos:

"Burnout" "Chump" "Pulling Teeth" "Basket Case" "She" "Sassafras Roots" "When I Come Around" "In the End" "F.O.D. " "When It's Time"

"Dookie" Cassette Demos:

"When I Come Around" "Basket Case" "Longview" "Burn Out" "Haushinka" "J.A.R. " "Having a Blast"

"Dookie" Outtakes:

"Christie Rd." "409 in Your Coffeemaker" "J.A.R. " "On The Wagon" "Tired of Waiting for You" "Walking the Dog (demo)"

"Live at Woodstock (1994)":

"Welcome to Paradise (live)" "One Of My Lies (live)" "Chump (live)" "Longview (live)" "Basket Case (live)" "When I Come Around (live)" "Burnout (live)" "F.O.D. (live)" "Paper Lanterns (live)" "Shit Show (live)"

"Live In Barcelona (June 5 '94)":

"Welcome to Paradise (live)" "One of My Lies (live)" "Chump (live)" "Longview (live)" "Burnout (live)" "Only Of You (live)" "When I Come Around (live)" "2000 Light Years Away (live)" "Going to Pasalacqua (live)" "Knowledge (live)" "Basket Case (live)" "Paper Lanterns (live)" "Road to Acceptance" "Dominated Love Slave (live)" "F.O.D. (live)" "Christie Rd. (live)" "Disappearing Boy (live)"

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Cover Images/POOL/CNP Celebrity

Instead of revealing the evidence in a press conference, the MAGA leader now plans to release it in 'formal Legal Filings' after being advised by his attorney.

Aug 20, 2023

AceShowbiz - Donald Trump suddenly scrapped a Press conference at which he bragged he was going to unveil a report that would "exonerate" him in his latest criminal case. The former US president, 77, is expected to face trial on March 4, 2024 over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

The ex-"The Apprentice" judge claimed, in a post on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday, August 17 night, rather than releasing the document on Monday, August 21 as he'd proposed, "my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable and Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud and Irregularities in formal Legal Filings."

Also on Thursday night, the former president appeared at a Nashville fundraiser, with a surprise on stage appearance by Kid Rock.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed March 4 next year for her case against the former president and his associates to proceed. Her ideal date is a day before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen primaries will be held in the nomination contest for president.

A filing in the Superior Court of Fulton County for the state of Georgia shows the DA's office will have the arraignment for Trump and his 18 co-defendants on September 5, 2023.

It stated, "In light of Defendant Donald John Trump's other criminal and civil matters pending in the courts of our sister sovereigns the State of Georgia proposes certain deadlines that do not conflict with these other courts' already-scheduled hearings and trial dates."

"Further, the proposed dates are requested so as to allow the Defendants' needs to review discovery and prepare for trial but also to protect the State of Georgia's and the public's interest in a prompt resolution of the charges for which the Defendants have been indicted."

Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, which is accusing them of participating in a criminal enterprise in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

The former "Apprentice" judge faces 13 criminal counts, and he and every other defendant faces a charge of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law. Trump also faces charges on conspiracy to impersonate a public officer and two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery.

Among the other charges he's facing are two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two of conspiracy to file false documents, two of solicitation of a public officer and filing false documents. He's facing a further two charges of conspiracy to solicit false statements and making false statements.

Also indicted in the case are former New York City mayor and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his ex-attorney John Eastman. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Kenneth Cheesbro, ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, lawyers Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley, as well as Trump campaign official Mike Roman have also been indicted, among others.

Trump has denied his involvement in the events of January 6 that saw his supporters storm the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., leaving five people dead and others injured and said he's at the centre of a "witch-hunt"-style "persecution."

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Fiji NGOs oppose Japan's plan to dump nuke wastewater into Pacific Ocean

Xinhua) 10:42, August 19, 2023

SUVA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Japan's proposed action to dump radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean is a violation of the human rights of all people of the Pacific, said the Fiji Non-government organization (NGO) Coalition on Human Rights in a recent statement.

"Despite this nuclear waste dumping being deemed safe by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the magnitude of the threat is massive to humans and marine life and the livelihood of millions of Asia and Pacific people who depend so much on our ocean resources, and with consequences for the global food system," the coalition stated.

Calling the report from IAEA "highly-politicized," the statement said it's "not an adequately independent assessment of the Fukushima plan."

The NGOs called on Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and development institutions and all Pacific people to exercise all international legal means possible to stop "this massive ecological injustice."

The coalition stands in solidarity with all other organizations and social movements calling for an immediate end to the Japanese dumping plan that directly violates the Rarotonga Treaty declaring the South Pacific as a nuclear-free zone, the statement said.

It added that the dumping plan also contradicts Japan's own obligation under the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea, directly violating Articles 192 and 195 and nearly all the articles in Part 12 which addresses the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

"We must make a stand and demand for redress by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea," the coalition said.

The NGOs also appealed to their Pacific neighbours to stand with them, urged the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to listen to their plight, and called on the support of other countries to demand an urgent UNGA resolution at the next General Assembly to stop this errant plan.

"This is the time for firm national and regional stances of Pacific governments, including our own in Fiji and on behalf of our people, to stop Japan from dumping Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean," the Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights said.

According to media reports, Japan is considering discharging Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water into the sea in late August or early September.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia has denied entry to several officials from Moldova in response to the latter's recent decision to reduce the number of Russian diplomats working in the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Moldovan Ambassador to Russia was summoned on Friday in protest over "the unjustified decision" of Chisinau to radically reduce the number of employees working at Russian foreign missions in Moldova.

"This hostile action will lead to a further destruction of Russian-Moldovan relations," the ministry said Friday.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry announced on July 26 that the number of Russian embassy staff working in the country will gradually be reduced to 10 diplomatic positions and 15 administrative and other posts. It said the decision was made "as a result of numerous unfriendly actions towards Moldova." 
20th Century Studios Movie

Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot franchise could go on beyond the third movie as producer is keen to continue exploring the material in Agatha Christie's famed story.

Aug 20, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sir Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot franchise may carry on after "A Haunting in Venice". The 62-year-old star will be back as Agatha Christie's sleuth for a third time in the upcoming movie and executive producer James Prichard is open to making more films as long as Branagh and writer Michael Green are still interested.

"If Ken wants to do more, and Michael wants to write more, we'll certainly do another. There's a lot of material still to go, so we're not going to run out of inspiration," Prichard said to Total Film magazine.

"A Haunting in Venice" is based on Christie's 1969 novel "Hallowe'en Party" and Prichard felt it was important that this picture - which features Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, and Kyle Allen alongside Branagh - dipped into the supernatural instead of following the conventional murder-mystery plot.

The producer, who is Christie's great-grandson, explained, "If we are going to continue to make these films, we can't do the same thing over and over. A departure at this moment is possibly risky, but it also has the potential to keep it alive, bring in a different audience, and do something interesting that will hopefully surprise and delight."

Kenneth previously expressed delight at getting the chance to play Poirot again after the previous film "Death on the Nile" was marred by delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and sexual misconduct allegations surrounding star Armie Hammer.

The actor - who is also directing "A Haunting in Venice" - said, "('Death on the Nile's') theatrical release was challenged for various reasons, but it still did exceptional numbers in the circumstances. And then the streaming performance was really exceptional. So I was very pleased when they came back to us, for sure."

Branagh continued, "I was particularly grateful to the single determining factor, really, which was the audience. The audience seems to want it, and they seem to be ready for another. So we were happy to try and do one."

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Branquila Brand Ventures, an integrated brand marketing and management agency, founded by Sandeep Dahiya, recently announced the launch of its creative arm  Bravo!. Their first creative campaign  Fashionable & Free conceptualised and executed for Madame, one of Indias leading western-wear womens brands (by Jain Amar House of Fashion) was released last week.

Commenting on the launch, Sandeep Dahiya, Founder & CEO  Branquila Brand Ventures, said, The launch of Bravo marks an exciting new chapter in Branquilas journey towards being a fully-integrated and brand-growth-oriented agency, to unlock newer avenues of growth for our clients. He further stated, With Bravo, we aim to spearhead a new era of story-telling thats relevant, simple, thought-provoking, and refreshing.

Branquilas first creative project under Bravo  Fashionable & Free for Madame, comprised 2 films (45 secs each), launched on August 9th and August 14th respectively, timed to coincide with Indias 77th Freedom Day. The campaign explores the co-relation between freedom and fashion, as well as celebrates the freedom with which todays young women make their choices  be it in fashion, career or vocation. The films also stand firmly in support of women, who aspire to be free of many existing social pressures - #judgementFREE, biasFREE, baggageFREE, shackleFREE, expectationFREE and guiltFREE, amongst others.

For the campaign, Bravo roped-in the immensely popular, Miesha Iyer (Ace of Space, MTV Splitsvilla and Bigg Boss15) for its first film, and the well-known actor & model Richa Sinha for its 2nd film. Both the films were directed by renowned director Anand Kumar (whos directed films like Zilla Ghaziabad and Delhi Heights, amongst others). The films have been released across key digital and social media platforms.

Only recently, Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India, two of India's leading content powerhouses, appointed Branquila Brand Ventures as their exclusive Brand & Marketing agency to lead and manage Banijay Asia and EndemolShine Indias all brand and marketing mandates encompassing Digital Marketing, Corporate Communications, Creative, Trade Marketing and Consumer Marketing. Indian actor and entrepreneur Suniel Shetty had also signed with Branquila Brand Ventures, to manage his brand and businesses across multiple avenues. This is the first time that Suniel Shetty has got an agency on-board, to not only strengthen and scale-up existing ventures but also explore newer avenues, across categories, and across platforms.
French mass media company Canal+ has acquired complete ownership of SPI International, a prominent European TV channel and streaming operator known for its bouquet of brands like Film1, Kino Polska, FilmBox, and the streaming platform Dizi.

Initially, the French media powerhouse secured a 70% stake in SPI two years ago. However, in April of this year, Canal+ officially announced its intention to exercise its option to acquire the remaining 30% ownership share. Now this transaction has successfully concluded, as Canal+ has successfully acquired the remaining 30% ownership share from Hilda Uziyel.

In alignment with this development, Loni Farhi, who founded SPI nearly three decades ago, made his exit in April. Likewise, CEO Berk Uziyel stepped down from his role. These departures paved the way for Erwan Luherne, Canal+ International's Director of Business Integration, and Jeroen Bergman, Chief of Content & Business Development at M7 Group, a subsidiary of Canal+, to assume their responsibilities.

Across various European markets including Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, the Netherlands, and Russia, SPI manages a diverse collection of over 40 free-to-air and pay-TV channels.

CANAL+ Group is a leading world pay-TV operator and major player in free-to-air television in France. CANAL+ has a wide international footprint with a presence in 40 countries in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Europe, CANAL+ has a strong presence in mainland France and Poland and has also acquired the M7 Group platform in 2019. The Group totals 22 million subscribers worldwide and has experienced a continuous growth of its international business in recent years. This acquisition will help CANAL+ to expand its strategy of investing in content and reinforce its offers on its different markets, by relying on European leader Studiocanal, Kino Swiat in Poland, and now SPI INTERNATIONAL.

SPI is the driving force behind the FilmBox movie service and made its mark in 2021 with the launch of Dizi, a streaming platform branded around Turkish content, featuring shows like "Black Money Love." With a global reach, the company collaborates with more than 700 operators to provide access to its linear and on-demand content.
Celebrating photographers and the art of photography, Canon India, a leading digital imaging company, launched a new creative social media campaign titled, The Gatecrashers to mark World Photography Day. The campaign engages viewers by depicting the charm and authenticity of candid photography along with recognizing the hard work of the professionals who are behind the lens. Throwing light on the entire journey of photography from visualization to the final depiction, the campaign commends the significance of capturing unfiltered human emotions and enabling subjects to cherish natural moments for years to come. In collaboration with four prominent photography influencers, Frames by Ankit, Portraits by Sudha, Soumya Mense, and Aishwarya Nayak, the campaign video chronicles the art in the categories of Portrait, Street, Fashion, and Lifestyle.

The selected photographers have consensually captured spontaneous moments and highlighted the beauty of raw human emotions, all of which have been weaved together in one video. The different situations depicted include a charming street-side couple on a walk, a trendy fashion boutique, a professional in an art studio and a group of friends enjoying dinner. Through this video, Canon India pays a tribute to photography and recognizes the effort that makes this art form so unique in elevating every moment of life by ensuring that its frozen in time. Additionally, to fuel the culture of photography further and encourage the community at large, the brand also launched an array of activations across the country ranging from photo walks, contests and educational workshops.

Speaking about the campaign, Manabu Yamazaki, President and CEO, Canon India said, Every year World Photography Day provides us with a special platform to honor the incredible artistry that a camera brings into our lives. Each photographer has a unique lens with which it views its subjects and narrates stories through his/her own artistic vision. To celebrate this passion of photographers and put the spotlight on the beauty of candid photography, we are delighted to launch The Gatecrashers campaign. The video is a simple yet poignant collation, acknowledging the dedication of photographers when it comes to capturing unguarded moments, that make for the best memories. Further, to nurture a deeper appreciation for the craft and inspire the community to embrace the world of photography, we were happy to launch a series of activations across the country.

Commenting on the new creative campaign, Mr. C Sukumaran, Senior Director for Product and Communication, Canon India said, In line with our vision of creative storytelling through the lens, it is our constant endeavor to fuel the passion for the art of photography with both the latest innovations as well as captivating yet relatable campaigns. Our new campaign is aimed at taking users on a creative journey to discover the art of candid photography and its unique moments while also demonstrating the prowess of our innovative new range of cameras, the EOS R100 and PowerShot V10. These new entrants are poised to enable users to capture life as it unfolds without any hindrances. I am confident that this commitment of ours for transformation at all levels and the introduction of such authentic campaigns, will encourage more and more people to follow their own journey of capturing unfiltered emotions around them.

As part of the campaign, Canon India is also celebrating Photography Week from August 12th to August 26th. During this period, the brand is conducting various engaging activities for the community including workshops, photo walks, and contests across the country to encourage people to explore the beauty of candid photography.

East: A photo walk was conducted from the all-new Canon Live Office in Kolkata to Maidan crossing Victoria Memorial. The walk was attended by professional street photographers and was led by EOS Maestro, Soumya Sankar Ghoshal. The occasion also saw the inauguration of the Kolkata Police Photography Club at Canon's Live Office, accompanied by a special workshop. In Siliguri, a special session was held by EOS Maestro, Apratim Saha to discuss the technological nuances of photography powered by the Canon EOS R8. In Guwahati and Assam, the brand conducted fashion photography workshops in association with the All Assam Fashion Photographers Association.

West: Organized photography workshops in renowned educational institutions like IIM Ahmedabad and Symbiosis School of Photography, Pune, to kindle the love for the art of photography. Photography workshops for users were also conducted in the state-of-the-art Canon Live office in Mumbai. Additionally, a photo walk was conducted at Ujjain and a photo contest was held in Indore.

North: Hosted an array of workshops in major cities including Fatehpur, Basti, Jodhpur, Moradabad, Bindki, Khalilabad, Jahanabad, Nagra, with Wedding as one of the main themes of discussion. Similar workshops are also slated to be hosted in Khatima, Champawat, Ghatampur, Pithoragarh, Akbarpur, and Jhansi.

South: Conducted a special workshop to the entire photography fraternity in Mysore and Arsikere, Karnataka in collaboration with Mysore and Arisikere Association. Focusing on creating impactful experiences, live demos were set up at the Canon India Store in Bengaluru along with photo walks. Lastly, a Bikers Rally was also set up in Bengaluru with over 400-500 riders, displaying the latest Canon PowerShot V10 camera and the EOS R system to the entire crowd to cultivate the knowledge of the art.

Canon India remains committed to fueling the growth of artistic expressions through the lens, empowering photographers and creators to capture and share their unique perspectives with the world.
College Vidya, a one-stop solution for making informed online education choices, is thrilled to announce its new campaign #DabbeseBahar envisioned to allow students to break free from limitations. Understanding the change of landscape in the online education space, the platform is taking a stride in revolutionizing the process by allowing students to break free from being dependent on contradicting advice and choose the right online education partner. The initiative is designed to inspire students to explore the platform for a personalized, flexible, and comprehensive online education experience beyond traditional methods' constraints.

In India, students are often limited in their understanding of the education system due to the biased information they receive from their friends and family's past experiences. This often results in students not being aware of the various academic, cultural, and financial opportunities that are available outside of the traditional route often championed by their families. Furthermore, students do not take into account changes in the education system and global environment while making their decisions, such as changes in the global economy, technological advancements, and shifts in career prospects. Instead, they may focus solely on what their family and friends have done in the past, believing that that same path will guarantee a successful outcome. This can lead to the exclusion of more suitable education opportunities and even career choices due to a lack of proper guidance and research, leaving students alienated from potential academic and professional opportunities.

Cognizant of the fact that there are limitations attached to traditional online education methods, the brand launched this campaign that aligns with its vision of providing excellent choices to students looking for online education and empowering them to achieve their educational goals with personalized and flexible learning experiences. The range of courses available on the platform is a perfect choice for tech-savvy, cost-conscious students looking to invest in quality education with value for money.

"We are proud to launch the #DabbeSeBahar campaign, which is designed to help our students discover online courses of their choice. Aligning with our vision of empowering our students in making the right career choices, we aim to push them to break free from all kinds of myths and limitations attached to online education. Dabba in the campaign signifies The Limitations that the majority of students have in their career due to the biased information they receive from their friends and family's past experiences. In this new era of online education, we aim to become the most preferred platform for students pursuing their education beyond traditional methods. We believe this initiative will be of immense help to the student community, especially those between the age group of 18 to 25 years looking for quality education with the value of money," said Rohit Gupta, Co-Founder & COO, College Vidya.
Today, pioneering Indian artist Karan Aujla releases his highly anticipated second studio album Making Memories via Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India, available on digital stores and streaming platforms here.

The eight-track album ushers in a new era of Punjabi music as Aujla and executive producer Ikky portray the perfect fusion of western sounds and traditional Punjabi language that stands as a testament to the artistic journey undertaken by both artists to create a distinct, unparalleled offering.

The albums focus single Try Me inspires listeners, boosting self confidence and making them feel unstoppable in their endeavours  watch the official music video here.

Im excited for everyone to see and feel what weve been working on for the last twelve months. This album is a new introduction to all the different communities whove been supporting me and my journey so far, Aujla says. I cant wait to see everyones reactions online as they create memories of their own - it makes it all worth it.

After years of building, dreaming and working over every last detail of this album with Karan and our creative teams, Making Memories is finally out in the world, Ikky says of the album. I'm so happy to share this project and see it take on a life of its own. Karan and I put our all into this album and had the best time creating and experimenting together to bring everyone a complete vision of our favourite combined musical styles.

Making Memories is also available as a special limited-edition, orchid purple vinyl now on pre-sale here.

Prior to Making Memories, Aujla released Admirin You featuring Preston Pablo. The official music video surpassed 11.3 million views in 24 hours, sat at #1 on YouTube Canada and Australia charts and charted in New Zealand, Pakistan, United Kingdom, and the UAE. The single became the #1 trending track on Instagram Reels globally within the first week; inspired over one million creations on Snapchat in less than two weeks. The success expanded to TikTok and landed on the platforms viral charts. Followed was a historic moment as Aujla became the first Indian artist to cover Apples New Music Daily global playlist with an exclusive interview on the Zane Lowe show. Aujla also became the first artist to get a #1 track placement and cover simultaneously on Spotifys biggest Punjabi playlist Punjabi 101 on day of release.
Columbia Pacific Communities (CPC), India's largest and most preferred operator of senior living communities, is set to mark this year's World Senior Citizens Day on August 21 with the launch of an awareness campaign #FraudFighters powered by Karnataka Bank. As a response to the alarming rise in cybercrimes targeting the senior population, the campaign aims to protect and educate them against financial frauds and equip them with the knowledge as well as the skills to safeguard themselves against modern-day cyber scams.

The first phase of the campaign #FraudFighters, aims to drive awareness through interactive audio bytes of open-ended conversations between seniors and scammers. These engaging audio bytes have been designed to empower seniors with insights into the dynamic landscape of banking policies, including officious terms such as OTP and KYC. Given the complexity of these terms, seniors often find them overwhelming, leading to confusion and leaving them susceptible to cybercrimes and fraudulent activities. Columbia Pacific Communities has roped in Karnataka Bank as its knowledge partner to amplify the impact of this campaign with a comprehensive 60-minute online awareness session, Unmasking Cyber Fraud for Seniors on August 17, 2023 This informative session was facilitated by a subject matter expert from the bank who equipped seniors with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard themselves against the escalating threat of online scams.

Veteran actor Poonam Dhillon teamed up with Columbia Pacific Communities to empower seniors against cyber scams. In a compelling video message, Dhillon sheds light on the surge in cyber scam cases in India, particularly targeting seniors. She emphasises the campaign's goal which is to transform seniors into #FraudFighters and safeguard their hard-earned money. Dhillon invites viewers to participate in an interactive awareness session organised by CPC in collaboration with Karnataka Bank, aimed at helping seniors confidently counter online scams.

Speaking on the initiative, renowned actor Poonam Dhillon said, I am excited to be part of the campaign launched by Columbia Pacific Communities, India's largest and most preferred senior living community operators, to safeguard senior citizens against cyber scams. In a landscape where banking policies and practices constantly evolve, it is paramount to empower seniors with the knowledge and tools to navigate these changes while protecting their savings from scammers. I understand and connect with the gravity of this issue and commend the brand for making an invaluable contribution towards enhancing the security and well-being of seniors through their very relevant campaign, #FraudFighters.

Speaking about the campaign, Piali Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Columbia Pacific Communities, said, Our campaigns on the occasion of World Senior Citizens Day each year attempt to spark awareness and discussions around issues faced by senior citizens in our country. Considering the growing number of cybercrimes against the elderly, Columbia Pacific Communities decided to address the issue and empower seniors to safeguard their hard-earned money from cyber scammers. The aim of the campaign is to help seniors understand the modus operandi of these scams and how one can avoid getting scammed and protect ones financial resources. This is a step towards making seniors less vulnerable to cyber scams and empowering them to tackle scammers.

Pankaj Gupta - Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Karnataka Bank commented on the association saying, We are thrilled to partner with Columbia Pacific Communities for the #FraudFighters campaign to celebrate World Senior Citizens Day. In an age of advancing technology, scammers are adapting quickly, making seniors particularly vulnerable. Our collaboration aims to directly engage with seniors, educating them about the various tactics scammers use to extract money. Together, we are empowering seniors with the knowledge to stay ahead of potential scams and celebrate this special day by enhancing their safety and security.

Various educative content (infographic around cyber crime, quizzes, and a video session helping

seniors learn more about cyber crime) find place on a dedicated microsite on the CPC website: https://www.columbiacommunities.in/fraudfighters/ . Seniors are encouraged to share their personal experiences of online deception on the microsite. By sharing stories, seniors can contribute to collective learning and awareness.

The ongoing marquee annual event of Columbia Pacific Communities, Platform 2023, will culminate into the grand finale on August 21, World Senior Citizens Day.

Every year, on World Senior Citizen's Day, Columbia Pacific Communities initiates thought-provoking campaigns aimed at fostering awareness and dialogues concerning the challenges confronted by seniors in our nation. The recent campaign aligns with the brand's core mission of amplifying the voices of seniors, nurturing their interests, and promoting the brand philosophy of positive aging.
Sruthijith KK, the Editor-in-Chief of HT Media-owned business daily Mint, has announced his decision to step down from his position. This decision was conveyed through a heartfelt note shared on social media, expressing his gratitude and reflecting on his time at Mint. Sruthijith KK's tenure has been marked by significant challenges and accomplishments, including leading the newsroom through the uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving remarkable progress in digital subscriptions.

Sruthijith KK assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief at Mint in November 2020 during a period of considerable turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of nearly three years, he led the newsroom through various challenges and played a crucial role in shaping the direction of the publication. Under his leadership, Mint witnessed notable growth, particularly in terms of digital subscriptions.

In his social media note, Sruthijith KK expressed his gratitude towards his colleagues and shared the news of his decision to step down. He highlighted that he officially resigned as Mint's editor-in-chief in July and anticipates his last working day to be in late September. Sruthijith KK's announcement emphasized his pride in the collective achievements of the newsroom and the strides taken, particularly in the area of digital subscriptions.



During his tenure, Sruthijith KK oversaw a period of growth and transformation at Mint. He acknowledged the efforts and agility displayed by the team members across different functions, including content, product, design, technology, and business strategy. The note attributed the ongoing momentum and recent successes, including some of the best months for Mint, to this collaborative approach.

The outgoing Editor-in-Chief also reflected on Mint's foundational values, which he has aimed to preserve and enhance throughout his leadership. His commitment to these values has played a role in shaping the publication's identity and impact.

Sruthijith KK extended his gratitude to the Mint team for their support, hard work, and camaraderie during his time as Editor-in-Chief. He mentioned that he looks forward to a proper farewell with his colleagues before his departure. In the meantime, he assured the team that there will be no immediate changes and he will keep them informed of any further updates.

The departure of Sruthijith KK as Mint's Editor-in-Chief marks the end of an impactful era characterized by growth, adaptation, and achievement. Under his leadership, Mint navigated the challenges posed by the pandemic and experienced notable progress in digital subscriptions. As the publication prepares for its next chapter, the legacy of Sruthijith KK's leadership and contributions will likely continue to influence Mint's future.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 18)  Torbjrn "Thor" Pedersen, a man who visited 203 countries in nearly a decade without boarding a plane, has now returned to his family in Denmark.

Speaking to CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Friday, Pedersen said he initially thought he could finish his journey in four years.

He also shared that his longing for adventure was his inspiration behind his historic journey.

"It was something which I had never done before," Pedersen said. "I stumbled upon that in 2013 and I was intrigued. I just wanted to sit down, meet people, and see the world."

The Philippines was among the last countries the 44-year-old Danish visited in 2019 and where he stayed for about three weeks.

Through a ferry, Pedersen went to Zamboanga and travelled up to Cebu and Manila. He was also able to visit Marinduque and Siquijor.

When the pandemic broke out, Pedersen said he was on board a ship in the North Pacific to do four days of transit in Hong Kong  where he ended up staying for two years due to travel restrictions.

He also disclosed that during his journey, he faced numerous issues with visa issuance and travel documentation.

"I have been to every country in the world that has armed conflict.," related Pedersen, who returned to Denmark by ship. "I have been at gunpoint a few times and I had cerebral malaria."
The son of a Mobile judge has pleaded guilty to murder and been sentenced to 28 years in prison, according to court documents.

Timothy Gerald Hall Jr., the 33-year-old son of Mobile Municipal Judge Shelbonnie Hall, pleaded guilty Thursday in Mobile County circuit court as part of a plea agreement to avoiding trial. Judge J. Langford Floyd handed down the prison term.

Special prosecutor Spencer Walker filed notice with the court in 2019 that the state intended to seek the death penalty for Hall, who was originally charged with capital murder in the death of Larry Willingham.

Hall was indicted in 2018. According to the indictment, Hall killed Willingham in 2017 by blunt force trauma while committing burglary and first-degree robbery at a home on Pleasant Valley Road in Mobile.

Hall will serve his murder sentence at the same time as a 20-year prison sentence for probation revocation on a robbery conviction, the judge ordered.
Lawyers for Alabama and for the organizations and Black voters who sued the state over its congressional map filed new documents Saturday with the three-judge federal court that will decide the case.

The judges heard oral arguments Monday and instructed both sides to file proposed findings of fact and conclusions by 8 a.m. Saturday.

At stake is whether Alabama will use the congressional district map passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature or a map drawn by a special master and cartographer already appointed by the court.

The Legislatures map is a replacement for one that the U.S. Supreme Court found most likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

The documents filed Saturday morning reinforced many of the points argued Monday. They may be the last word before the court rules because Secretary of State Wes Allen has told the court the new map needs to be ready by October.

The state says the Legislatures new map follows traditional redistricting principals like compactness and keeping together specific communities of interest. Some of those principals touted by the state were newly adopted with the new map and appear tailored to fit the map.

The plaintiffs, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and others, say the Legislature defied instructions given by the court. They say the state is trying to reinvent its redistricting principles to avoid fixing the Voting Rights Act violation.

They say the state is trying to shift the argument from a key issue identified by the court: Whether the map includes two districts where Black voters have a realistic opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice or just one.

The three judges  Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and District Judges Anna M. Manasco and Terry F. Moorer  ruled last year that Alabamas previous map, passed in 2021, most likely violated the Voting Rights Act because it gave Black voters less opportunity that other citizens to elect a candidate of their choice. The judges said the appropriate remedy was an additional majority Black district or one that was close to majority Black. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the decision.

The map passed by the Legislature leaves Alabama, where one-fourth of residents are black, with one majority Black congressional district out of seven. The plaintiffs, Democratic elected officials, and other advocates said that defied the courts instructions. The map passed along party lines, with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposed.

Attorney General Steve Marshall and Alabama Solicitor General Edmund LaCour wrote in their 100-page findings of fact filed Saturday morning that the question before the court is not whether the Legislatures 2023 plan created a second opportunity district for Black voters but whether it complies with the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act, which they maintain it does.

They wrote that the court must consider the new plan on its own merits, including new principles in the legislation. They wrote that the Voting Rights Act does not require minorities to have proportional representation and never requires maps that violate traditional redistricting principals, such as keeping together communities of interest, keeping districts compact, and keeping counties and cities together in districts.

The question before this Court is whether the 2023 Plan complies with (Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act) and the Equal Protection Clause, they wrote. Unless Plaintiffs show that the Plan likely violates federal law, they have failed to show that the 2023 Plan does not remedy the likely (Voting Rights Act) violation this Court found in the 2021 Plan.

But lawyers representing two of the groups who sued, the Milligan plaintiffs and the Caster plaintiffs, said in their 64-page document filed Saturday morning that Alabama is intentionally disregarding why it had to draw a new map.

The question presented during these remedial proceedings is straightforward: Does the 2023 Plan remedy Alabamas likely Section 2 violation by providing Black voters the opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice in a second congressional district? they wrote. It is beyond dispute that the 2023 Plan fails to do so.

Under the new map, District 7 remains the only majority Black district, with a Black voting age population of 51%, down from 55% on the previous map. District 2 has the second highest proportion of Black voters on the new map, 40%, up from 30% on the previous map.

Reports from experts on both sides in the case that analyzed election history in the redrawn District 2 show Black-preferred candidates would have little chance to win.

The white-preferred candidate in Congressional District 2, Alabamas proposed remedial district, would defeat the Black-preferred candidate in virtually every election contest analyzed, the plaintiffs wrote. Under any measure of an opportunity district, CD 2 fails to perform.

The plaintiffs noted the source of the states new redistricting principles adopted with the new map to try to show they were intended to change the rules to avoid fixing the Voting Rights Act violation.

During Mondays hearing, lawyers for the plaintiffs played portions of video depositions from the two Republican lawmakers who co-chaired the Legislatures reapportionment committee.

Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, testified that he did not know who wrote the new principles. Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, testified that he thought Edmund LaCour, the state solicitor general who is arguing the case, wrote them.

The plaintiffs say the state is asking the court to disregard its finding that Alabama discriminates against Black voters by having only one opportunity district.

By muddying and confusing the Courts remedial process, Alabama refuses to afford its Black citizens equal access to the States political process, they wrote. If there were any doubt that Section 2 remains essential to the protection of voting rights in America, Alabamas behavior in this casesix decades after the passage of the Voting Rights Actsilences it, resoundingly.

An example of the new principles is a requirement to keep Baldwin and Mobile counties together as a community of interest. A plan proposed by the plaintiffs split Mobile County to help create a second majority Black district.

There are three groups of plaintiffs who filed lawsuits. Plaintiffs in the Milligan case are voters Evan Milligan, Shalela Dowdy, Letetia Jackson, Khadidah Stone, as well as Greater Birmingham Ministries, and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP.

Plaintiffs in the Caster case are voters Marcus Caster, Lakeisha Chestnut, Bobby Lee DeBouse, Benjamin Jones, Rodney Allen Love, Manasseh Powell, Ronald Smith, and Wendell Thomas. The court has combined the Milligan and Caster cases.

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, is the lead plaintiff in a third case that also includes Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, as well as voters Eddie Billingsley, Leonette W. Slay, Darryl Andrews and Andrew Walker.
The body of a man was discovered wrapped in plastic in Lake Guntersville near the border between Marshall and Jackson County Friday afternoon.

Jackson County Sheriff Rocky Harnen said the body was found about 1 p.m. by a fisherman off County Road 67 just before South Sauty Creek near Langston.

The body has been taken to the state forensics lab for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Investigators from Marshall County, as well as the Alabama Game and Fish Division, Marine Police and the Guntersville Rescue Squad assisted, Harnen said.
Months of anguish and uncertainty turned to jubilation Thursday for people living near Chandler Mountain, after Alabama Power withdrew its application to build a project that could have cost them their homes.

I sat on my dock [Thursday] night, knowing that, for a while, nobody can take it from me, said Fran Summerlin, one of the key organizers of local opposition to the project.

Alabama Power was seeking permission to build new dams and reservoirs that likely would have forced many residents off their land in St. Clair and Etowah Counties, near the towns of Steele and Gallant.

Summerlin lives on a farm just next to one of the proposed dams, which almost certainly would have forced her to relocate if the project had moved forward. Now that wont happen.

Ive been going from being totally unbelievably thrilled, to crying, to celebration to not really understanding how this happened, Summerlin said. Just a whole boatload of emotions.

She worked for Alabama Power 31 years, then they tried to take her land

Kim Lankford on her 400-acre cattle farm at the base of Chandler Mountain.Dennis Pillion

The project was especially personal for Kim Lankford, who operates a 400-acre cattle farm at the base of Chandler Mountain on the Etowah County side.

The farm has been in her family for five generations, and she still has a weathered deed from 1853 awarding the property to her great-great-grandfather.

Lankford also worked at Alabama Power for 31 years, before retiring in 2017 to spend more time with her parents on the family farm. She lost her father to a brain bleed in May, and during his final days, she learned she might also lose the farm to the company she spent three decades working for.

It was devastating, she said. And especially just losing Daddy, you know, it just, it hurt. And to know that Im retired from that company, I put almost 32 years in with them, and then theyre going to try and take something thats been in my family five generations.

Lankford said her father suffered the stroke in November 2022, but survived until May, after Alabama Power had filed its preliminary application.

The good Lord saw that he didnt have to suffer with seeing what was going on, Lankford said. And I say suffer because it would have been suffering to him, because he loved this place so much. "

She said her father and grandfather worked the land every day until they were no longer able.

My daddy, he told our pastor, he said Im closer to God at the farm than I am anywhere else, Lankford said. And he said, I go over there and I kneel beside a tree, and I talk to Him and I talk to my cows.

Then on Thursday, she got the news that she, her husband and their 115 cattle and seven miniature horses would keep the land after all.

I know my daddy and my pawpaw are smiling from heaven, Lankford said.

When asked how she would celebrate the news, Lankford said she would do what she had done with her father for so many years.

Im going to go to the farm and talk to my cows, she said. Take care of them and ride across that beautiful farm and thank the Lord. Ill probably do a lot of talking to him today.

On Thursday night at the Greasy Cove General Store, a couple miles down the road from Lankfords farm in Gallant, what was supposed to be another community meeting to get more residents involved in the fight turned into a victory party instead.

We all celebrated last night at Greasy Cove over club sandwiches and sweet tea, said Ben Lyon, another of the organizers of the local opposition.

The Chandler Mountain Project was intended to be a pumped storage hydropower facility, with two reservoirs, one atop the mountain and one wrapped around the foot of the mountain below. The project would involve pumping water from the lower reservoir uphill when power was plentiful then letting it flow back downhill to generate electricity during peak usage times.

The company said that it had relied on input from numerous stakeholders in its decision to withdraw its application.

After careful evaluation and meaningful conversations with numerous stakeholders, Alabama Power has decided to withdraw the April 14, 2023 [preliminary application], thereby terminating the licensing process for the Chandler Mountain Pumped Storage Project, the company said in its letter to FERC.

Summerlin said she was proud of the communitys ability to rally together and save their land.

I was told by so many people that there was just no point, that you couldnt fight Alabama Power, that they were too powerful, she said. But I was determined. I knew that you couldnt just roll over and die.

Environmental groups celebrate

Local environmental groups including Coosa Riverkeeper, the Alabama Rivers Alliance and Energy Alabama also played key roles in organizing opposition to the project, working with residents to file public comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and to document the historical, environmental and cultural points of interest in the area to urge the federal authorities to reject the project proposal.

We are thrilled that this vital part of the Coosa River watershed and the folks that love the area will be spared from this project, Coosa Riverkeeper Justinn Overton said in a news release. The Coosa River is a resource that provides life to so many communities and critters, and we are honored to be a part of a coalition that works to protect both the Coosa and Alabamians.

Jack West, director of special projects for the Alabama Rivers Alliance, said the withdrawal of the proposal showed the power of local activism.

This victory highlights the resilience and determination of those who value the land, waters, and world-class biodiversity of Alabama and want to protect it for generations to come, he said.

The Center for Biological Diversity said the decision may have saved the Canoe Creek clubshell, an endangered mussel known to exist only in Canoe Creek.

This dirty, energy-wasting, fossil fuel-burning boondoggle would have driven Alabamas Canoe Creek clubshell extinct and jeopardized dozens of other imperiled animals and plants with extinction, Perrin de Jong, Southeast staff attorney at the Center said in a news release. This is a big victory for Alabamas wildlife and wild waters and everyone who loves them. I couldnt be happier to see this terrible project get flushed down the tubes.

Some residents still wary for the future

Alabama Power has formally withdrawn its application for the project and given up preliminary permits issued by FERC, some residents worry that the project may be revived in the future.

Lyon said that some residents remain skeptical that the fight is over, and Summerlin said some are trying to have the area formally protected as a nature preserve.

Obviously, everybody had a great sense of relief, Lyon said. There are some people that are still a little skeptical as to the permanence of the retraction of the application.

Still, Lyon said he thinks it would be hard to move forward with the project down the line given the amount of opposition it generated.

I dont see any way that this project could ever go forward, he said.
A Huntsville manufacturing company is adding up to 300 new jobs to increase broadband access aided by funds in the federal infrastructure law passed two years ago.

Adtran in a press release this week announced the expansion of its advanced telecommunications equipment manufacturing at Cummings Research Park in Huntsville. Its an expansion spurred by the Biden-Harris Administrations $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program and its Made-in-America policies in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to the press release.

The total investment in the project is $5 million and the new jobs will be high-quality, good-paying jobs, the press release said.

Adtran is expanding its current US production of optical line termination (OLT) equipment and preparing to onshore the manufacturing of optical network terminals (ONTs).

Mitch Landrieu, senior adviser to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator, and Alan Davidson, assistant secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator, toured Adtrans 270,000-square-foot manufacturing facility this week.

As a leading US telecommunications equipment provider, we look forward to partnering with state broadband offices and network operators across the country as they expand secure, high-speed internet access to millions of Americans, Tom Stanton, CEO of Adtran, said in the announcement. This expansion not only represents a strategic investment in Adtrans growing workforce and manufacturing capabilities but also demonstrates our long-term commitment to strengthening the domestic supply chain and securing communications networks with American-made equipment.

In the press release, Landrieu said, Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury  it is an essential tool to access education, healthcare and jobs, commented Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Coordinator. President Bidens Investing in America agenda has made the largest investment in high-speed internet in our countrys history to ensure all Americans are connected to affordable, reliable high-speed internet using Made-in-America materials. Adtrans exciting announcement today is part of a manufacturing boom that is creating good-paying jobs and boosting our economy  including here in Huntsville, Alabama.

Congressman Dale Strong, whose north Alabama district includes Adtran, lauded the investment.

The Tennessee Valley has long been a national leader in developing the advanced technologies that support our modern industrial base, Strong said in the announcement. The investments announced today will help ensure that broadband is able to reach more Americans with equipment made right here in North Alabama, supporting our economy and the United States as a whole.
Lolita the orcas death has sent a massive community, reaching far wider than Miami where she called home, reeling as they try to come to terms with the loss of a more than 50-year-old animal.

Social media erupted with thousands of comments Friday night reminiscing on past experiences seeing Toki, her newest name adopted by advocates, at Miami Seaquarium and genuine sorrow for the beloved creature.

Just a few hours after the announcement of her death, RIP Lolita was the eighth most trending topic across the country on X (formerly Twitter).

The Seaquarium said Lolita developed a renal condition in recent days. She had already suffered health problems in her tank last fall before recovering.

A plan to relocate her to a Washington sea pen were in just in the infant stages, mostly aspirational.

Activists, Politicians, Citizens Come Together in Mourning

It seemed as if every corner of the internets vast community came together to grieve.

From activists to politicians to everyday people, RIP messages and memories were shared.

However, accompanying the condolences were hundreds of calls to end killer whale captivity.

Anyone who grew up in Miami in the last 50 years knows Lolita and was soaked head to toe by her! one X user wrote. I hope they build a monument to her at the entrance of Key Biscayne.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava posted, Alongside the many Miamians who grew up visiting her, the generations of activists around the world that were inspired by her story, and the caretakers who remained dedicated to her until the end  today, we say our final goodbye to our beloved Toki.

She went on in a statement to say, Our shared goal has been to increase transparency, create accountability, and strengthen collaboration at the Miami Seaquarium for the benefit of the animals in their care.

Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts and whose nonprofit was helping move Lolita to her sea pen, posted, I am heartbroken that Toki has left us. Her story captured my heart, just as it did millions of others.

Former Indianapolis Colts player Patrick McAfee posted, RIP Lolita. I wish you couldve experienced life in the open waters.

PETA, the animal activist group that staged many protests and petitions against the Miami Seaquarium, posted, She deserved a life in the ocean with her family  a life of freedom and love. We can all honor her memory by never visiting parks that exploit animals like her.

Former Florida Senator Annette Taddeo posted, RIP Lolita. Humankind failed you. You deserved freedom.

X user Silvia Ramirez wrote, She was captured and separated from her pod. She was kept in a small container and forced to entertain for the amusement of others. She was on her way to freedom after so many years. But she died without being free.

X user Cesar wrote, Lolita is finally free. May she finally rest in peace. The [Miami Seaquarium] needs to be closed. RIP Lolita.

2023 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee criticized Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville in a press release Friday night, slamming comments Tuberville made about the lack of a need for military promotions.

Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said Tubervilles statements were a smoking gun confession that demonstrates how Senate Republicans are doing nothing to help end his blockade. Reed also said he hoped Tuberville would retract his statement.

Tuberville has been blocking Senate-confirmed military promotions since February to protest a new Pentagon policy providing financial aid benefits to service members traveling to obtain an abortion. About 300 promotions are frozen by Tubervilles hold.

Gen. Mark Milley, the nations top military officer as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week said Tubervilles actions are having a negative impact and affecting readiness.

Appearing on the Kimberly Guilfoyle Show podcast Thursday, Tuberville said, I dont care if we promote anybody, to be honest. We got 44 four-star generals right now. We only had seven during World War II, so I think were a little overloaded to begin with.

Its been 78 years since World War II ended in 1945. Tubervilles interview begins at the 30-minute mark of Guilfoyles podcast.

The comments led Reed to issue the press release. Tuberville is also a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Our service members sacrifice so much to defend our nation and they deserve the very best, merit-based military leadership, Reed said in the press release. They also deserve elected leaders who actually do care. But this Republican blockade has left the Army, Navy, and Marines without confirmed leaders for the first time in history.

How can any U.S. Senator not care about the promotions of honorable, hardworking military leaders who have dedicated their lives and careers to service? These are the best of the best and they risk their lives to defend our freedoms. Everyone should care and I hope Sen. Tuberville will rethink his indifference and retract his statement.

Tubervilles office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

Top Republicans in the Senate, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said they do not support Tubervilles holds on promotions.

Similar to the way military officers hold each other to account, its time Senate Republican leaders bring their colleague into line and end this harmful blockade on merit-based military promotions, Reed said in the press release.

On the Guilfoyle podcast, Tuberville said he and the Pentagon are at a standstill on the issue.

The defense department spokeswoman told Stars & Stripes this week there was no chance the policy providing travel expenses and paid leave for abortion travel would be rescinded. The spokeswoman said the Pentagon had nothing to negotiate with in the stalemate and that it was up to Tuberville to end his block on promotions.

Tuberville spokesman Steven Stafford told the newspaper that the responsibility fell to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to end the abortion policy.

Secretary Austin could end the holds today if he wanted to, Stafford said. But the Biden administration seems to think that illegally spending taxpayer dollars on abortion is more important than getting their senior military nominees confirmed. That is the tradeoff that Secretary Austin has made every single day since this started.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 18)  The national government is eyeing the filing of compensation claims in connection with the Mindoro oil spill within three years, a Department of Justice official said Friday.

Dapat makapag-claim tayo by then otherwise kasi, may tinatawag na prescription of claims eh. 'Pag tinulugan mo kasi ang claims mo, mawe-waive iyan. said Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, when asked if the government would seek financial compensation within three years, or the prescriptive period.

[Translation: We should file claims by then otherwise, there is what is called a prescription of claims. If you sleep on claims, they will be waived.]

Once a claim has exceeded the prescription period, it is considered prescribed meaning a party can no longer avail of legal remedies to pursue it.

Vasquez said the compensation claim could be split to first accommodate the national government, and then local government units as they have more details to scrutinize.

He also said it was unclear if the financial compensation could be sought as early as this year as the government would first have to compute how much it would ask.

He added that certain agencies were not present at the meeting to discuss and document the countrys claims from the IOPC.

In February, the MT Princess Empress sank in the waters off Oriental Mindoro. The tanker was carrying 900,000 liters of industrial oil that spilled in the waters of the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Antique.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, over 137,000 people in Mimaropa and Western Visayas were affected by the oil spill. Residents of surrounding areas fell ill as a result.

The Office of Civil Defense said the livelihoods of 13,654 farmers and fisherfolk were also damaged.

Agricultural losses over the oil spill in Mimaropa and Western Visayas were pegged at over 4.7 billion, the national task force on the Oriental Mindoro slick disclosed.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, meanwhile, said the spill may have damaged 7 billion worth of mangrove areas, seagrass beds, and coral reefs in affected regions.

The Philippine Coast Guard said that the oil siphoning in the affected waters was completed on June 17.

READ: PCG: Oil removal in sunken MT Princess Empress done
In their 1999 book Unrestricted Warfare, Chinese colonels Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui posited that the battlefields of the future would be "virtually infinite." Much of the fighting, they said, would be done without fighting: using ideological infiltration and propaganda to craft a narrative, the Chinese brand of communism could be made to find acceptance in the world of the free market and individual rights, ultimately causing the latter's collapse. Expectedly, the chief target of this "smokeless war" is the U.S.

How alarmingly successful the Chinese have been has been brought home by a recent New York Times expose of the activities of Marxist millionaire Neville Roy Singham. China's tentacles reach wide and deep to control newspapers, TV, the internet, non-profits and sundry groups espousing far-left causes  all in the service of China's quest for global hegemony. Under President Xi Jinping, not only have state media operations been expanded, sympathetic foreign influencers and news outlets have been cultivated. It is in these operations that Singham plays a major role.

The 69-year-old Singham is the son of the late Archibald Singham, a Sri Lankan Marxist scholar who consorted with Fidel Castro and was committed to the "liberation of Third World peoples." As a young man, the junior Singham joined the Maoist group League of Revolutionary Black Workers. After graduating from Howard University, he founded ThoughtWorks, a tech consulting firm, in 1993. It grew to employ 4,500 people across 15 countries, and made him a millionaire. From 2001 to 2008, he was a consultant to Huawei, which tested face recognition software used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to target Uyghurs for repression and is deemed a national security threat by the U.S.

Ironically, during this successful entrepreneurial journey, Singham seems to have concluded that the Chinese economic system was preferable to that of the West. In 2017  also the year he married Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans  he sold ThoughtWorks for $785 million and devoted himself to leftist propaganda. He now works from offices in Shanghai and New York's Times Square, playing benefactor to far-left groups, which he funds through a network of shell companies and NGOs. He denies the NYT allegation that he works closely with the Chinese government.

Through the shell firms  some of which have no more presence than UPS store mailbox addresses  Singham bankrolls American leftist groups, a Massachusetts-based think tank, a political party in South Africa, and media groups in Brazil and India. His funds also support training for left-leaning activists and politicians across Africa. The common factor in all his beneficiaries is that they push Chinese propaganda, presenting China as benign even as it gobbles up land in Africa, bribes politicians, and creates debt crises in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, many other countries, and virtually across Africa, to eventually gain strategic leverage.

In India, Singham has been funding NewsClick, a progressive website that has featured articles such as China Claims to Achieve Eradication of Absolute Poverty; Can China Lead the Way to a Low Cost, Low Carbon Future?; Economically, US is a Declining Power, China is a Rising Power; and How US Aggression on China Will Destabilize Global Trade & Tech. Referencing the recent film Oppenheimer, NewsClick asked, 'Who is the Real Enemy of the People?' and claimed that Western media had been "spinning nefarious tales" of China and Russia's growing influence in West Africa and Sahel.

In September 2021, India's Directorate of Enforcement (ED), which investigates and prosecutes economic crimes, raided NewsClick's offices as part of a money-laundering probe. The ED case against the portal is that it received illegal foreign funding, routed through a Singham-owned entity. At the time, NewsClick and other media groups had cried foul, alleging a crackdown on media that was critical of the Narendra Modi government.

But the ED's findings are now confirmed by the NYT investigation, which has tracked millions of dollars flowing from Singham-controlled entities to groups that mix progressive advocacy with "Chinese government talking points." Meanwhile, a chain of emails between the Shanghai-based businessman and NewsClick editor Prabir Purkayastha affirms their collusion in defending China's position on Covid-19, supporting farmers' protests in India, and collaborating with Indian communists to defend China on its border clashes with India.

Singham's marriage to Evans, too, is not untouched by the China angle. Since the marriage, 25% of Code Pink's funding has come from groups linked to Singham. As late as 2015, before dating Singham, Evans had protested China's brutal repression of women. When they became romantically involved, she started portraying China as "a defender of the oppressed" and "a model for economic growth without slavery and war." She defended the Uyghur genocide, well documented by the radical leftist Amnesty International and the NYT, describing victims as terrorists. After marrying Singham, she declared, "If the U.S. crushes China, it would cut off hope for the human race and life on Earth." She now says China is not an existential threat; it wants peaceful relations with the West, but the U.S. is intent on escalating the conflict.

Code Pink has since worked to present China in a good light. In 2020, it lobbied members of the Congress through a 'China is Not Our Enemy' campaign, advocating a conciliatory approach to the Red Dragon. In June this year, it protested at the office of Rep. Seth Moulton, denying evidence of any problems  even forced labor  in Xinjiang, and calling the human rights charges against China "a total lie."

Post-marriage, Evans set up the People's Support Foundation (PSF), a non-profit capitalized with $163.7 million, aiming to "empower people through education, research and community." It receives tax-deductible donations through the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, a "donor-advised charity" that can conceal the funding source. According to its 2019 tax filings, PSF has assets of over $156 million and has made charitable disbursements of over $12 million, mostly to progressive entities and causes in sub-Saharan Africa.

After Singham's sale of ThoughtWorks, many of its employees began showing up for work at the nearby PSF headquarters. The PSF's China-favoring activities were overseen by Chad Wathington, chief strategy officer of ThoughtWorks. There is an extensive labyrinth of money flow and sharing of personnel among affiliated NGOs, who all defend the Chinese government against charges of human rights abuse and instead blame the U.S. for waging "information warfare" against China. Since funds are disbursed as pass-through donations, the channels are difficult to trace.

The NYT investigation indicates that Singham is linked to hundreds of millions of dollars pouring into China advocacy groups. One such outlet, which receives money from Shanghai's propaganda department, produces a YouTube show with millions of views. Two others work with a Chinese university to amplify China's narrative to the world.

Singham shares office space and staff with a Chinese propaganda company. He influences politics by running candidates in foreign elections, meeting with congressional aides, and organizing protests. Though he influences public opinion on behalf of China, none of his non-profits are registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as required. In 2002, a New Lines investigation uncovered that Singham-linked funds and charities had provided $65 million, via complex conduits, for whitewashing or denying China's persecution of the Uyghurs.

According to the NYT, Singham attended a Chinese media institute meeting in May, and a CCP propaganda forum in July. Chinese media operatives, many with ties to Code Pink and No Cold War (a Singham-backed pro-China influence group) retweeted information supplied by his networks over a hundred times. In 2021, No Cold War attacked activists supporting Hong Kong's democracy movement.

It appears that Chinese propaganda is succeeding, going well beyond state-funded media outlets and Confucius Institutes. How could they lose when wealthy Maoist subversives like Singham and Evans, unnoticed for so long, help them route tens of millions of dollars for pro-China causes? Clearly, we have been asleep to this nefarious threat.

Image via Pxfuel.
Following the principle of interpretative charity, it is safe to say that Donald Trump's basic idea regarding the 2020 election is that his belief that the election was stolen is reasonable. This means that Trump is not like a bank robber, as Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland analogizes him to. Here's Raskin: "Lets say youre convinced that your bank has cheated you out of money, and your personal lawyer, the White House counsel, and the attorney general tell you that youre wrong, and 60 federal and state courts tell you that the bank is right and that youre wrong, but you still believe it. Youre just outraged. That does not give you a right to rob the bank or a defense in the event that youre prosecuted for robbing the bank. In other words, Trump's mistake about what the law is cannot excuse his criminal conduct."

What's wrong with this analogy is partly that whereas you do not, for any reason whatsoever, have a right to rob a bank, you do have a right to petition the government for redress of grievances -- for example, when bad actors have apparently tried to steal an election from you or your allies. But I want to see if we can peel back some layers of the onion and maybe find out what prompts this analogy by Raskin, a former law professor.

He's surely not being disingenuous -- the principle of interpretative charity again. Well, possibly he's being disingenuous where he refers to Trump's "mistake about what the law is." In this part of the above-quoted passage, Raskin is confusing mistakenness about what the law requires or allows -- a matter of legal convention -- with a reasonable but mistaken belief that the election was stolen, which is epistemic (that is to say, knowledge-relevant) in character. Reasonableness has to do with justification, which along with knowledge is the main concern of epistemology. Raskin's point about the law applies to Trump, and his analogy about the bank robber is salient, only if Trump does not have a reasonable belief that the election was stolen -- a reasonable belief that, in principle, might or might not be mistaken. The proper analogy would be to the bank robber's belief about the bank cheating him out of his money: was it a reasonable belief? Even if it was reasonable, he still has no right to rob the bank, even if it is only for the amount of money the bank purportedly cheated him out of (a point that Raskin strangely failed to make). But if it was reasonable for him to think the bank cheated him out of his money, this would doubtlessly mitigate his punishment. The court would want to know precisely how he was mistaken in that belief before deciding on the punishment for robbing the bank, which everyone knows is against the law, and which cannot be, on analogy with Trump (in Raskin's telling), what the bank robber was mistaken about!

In law school, students learn that laws are based ultimately on public policy. Is this law conducive to a sound public policy? If not, revise it or abandon it. The public policy of strongly discouraging citizens from robbing banks is obviously sound -- where would we be if you could rob a bank whenever you needed cash? Similarly, the public policy of allowing citizens to petition the government for redress of grievances is very sound indeed, as essential to an ordered democratic republic.

The principle of interpretative charity leads to only one conclusion -- namely that, in the back of his mind, Raskin thinks not merely that it's reasonable to believe the election was not stolen but, much more strongly, that it's unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen.

There's a serious problem with that. It's question-begging.

On one side, you have Trump's apparent assumption that it's reasonable to believe that the election was stolen. On the other side, you have Raskin's clear assumption that it's unreasonable to believe that the election was stolen. One of these assumptions is question-begging, and the other one is not. Hmmm, that might be important for the charges being brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, don't you think? These two prosecutors, like Jamie Raskin, buy into the question-begging scenario.

Fortunately, there's an option available to them that is not question-begging. It happens to be the only non-question-begging option available to them. It's the perfect counterpart to Trump's position (namely, that it's reasonable to believe that the election was stolen). This is that it's reasonable to believe that the election was not stolen. No more than Trump's basic position is this contra-Trump position question-begging.

Unfortunately for Raskin and his fellow rascals Jack Smith and Fani Willis, this option makes it much harder -- nearly impossible, really -- to nail Trump on anything serious for which he might go to jail.

Both of the non-question-begging approaches make room for the possibility of having a mistaken belief about the 2020 election being stolen. They both allow for mistaken but reasonable beliefs. We often call these "honest mistakes," but that doesn't fully capture what they are about. The concept of a reasonable belief is needed to capture the idea of an honest mistake.

And that, in a fair trial, is where the debate will be properly joined. We will have Trump arguing that his reasonable belief that the election was stolen is not mistaken, and Jack and Fani arguing (in the only non-question-begging way they can) that Trump's belief, however reasonable, is indeed mistaken. Even though we do not know whether it is true that the election was stolen (mainly because the government didn't look with anything like due diligence or even basic integrity), we can still say it may not be true, or is not clearly true, that Trump lost the election -- and as a result, he cannot be fairly accused of trying to overturn the election. It makes no sense to accuse Trump of that, insofar as it's possible that Biden "overturned" the election by stealing it.

We can see this as clear as the light of day when we reject the question-begging position -- that it's unreasonable to believe the election was stolen -- and acknowledge the non-question-begging position -- that it's reasonable to believe that the election was not stolen.

The Rule of Law cannot embrace question-begging trial strategies or adjudication without destroying itself. If the Rule of Law means anything, it means that Trump must be allowed to meet his enemies in a fair contest in the courtroom, instead of having to confront a jury-rigged and blatantly question-begging exercise in Deep State wish fulfillment and navel-gazing.

Make the playing field epistemically even. Fairness and rationality alike require it.

Image: Fulton Superior Court
Its like murdering babies!

So said one lawyer defending the latest federal indictment of President Trump against the charge that it seeks to throw Trump in jail for exercising his First Amendment rights. Many legal experts argue that an indictment for criminal conspiracy cannot just be about First Amendment-protected activity. Others argue that a conspiracy may include all sorts of legally protected activity, like purchasing knives or driving to the scene of a crime, but conspiracy to murder babies is a crime because murder is a crime.

The anti-indictment experts are right. The others miss the point.

First, the legal basics: a standard criminal conspiracy comprises two parts: (1) an agreement among conspirators (2) to accomplish a criminal object. For any conspirator to be liable for a criminal conspiracy, at least one must also (3) commit an overt act -- that is, do something -- for the purpose of accomplishing the criminal end. The overt act need not be a crime in itself, and the criminal object need not ever have been accomplished.

You cant be indicted without specific facts alleged. You cant be sent to trial on an indictment that just says you violated such and such federal law. The indictment must say how. So a conspiracy indictment must do more than merely list a provision of a criminal statute as the object of a conspiracy. It must identify a specific result intended by the conspirators that is a crime.

So if the indictment alleges an agreement to murder babies at the Blackacre nursery, we imagine that a conspirator entered the nursery and murdered the babies. Would he have violated the murder statute? Yes. Is the conspiracy allegation thus sufficient? Yes.

As if by turning a dial, we figure out which act is the one that would push the intended result over the line into a crime. To zero in on exactly what is the alleged criminal object of the conspiracy, we imagine other results and ask the same questions.

Imagine that the conspirators knocked on the door of the Blackacre nursery. Would that have been a crime? No. Can a conspiracy indictment allege only that the conspirators agreed to knock on the door to see if anyone would answer? No. Would it make any difference if the indictment slapped the label of the federal murder statute onto those deficient factual allegations? No.

The criminal end and the alleged agreement have to line up. The indictment cannot be specific on the supposed crime but wishy-washy on the agreement. It cannot say, for example, that the agreement was for challenging an election but the criminal end was for hacking voting machines.

Now, apply the law to the indictment. What intended result does the Trump indictment allege to have been the criminal object of the Trump conspiracy?

The indictment concedes that lying alone is not a crime. It concedes that neither is contesting election procedures with lawsuits. The indictment instead appears to claim that those things together, combined with urging Vice President Mike Pence to decline temporarily to count electoral votes, is the criminal object of the charged conspiracy. Pence is not alleged to have been part of the charged conspiracy -- so the alleged agreement was among others just to urge Pence to decline to count the votes.

But is that like murdering babies in that it is an actual crime? Or is it like knocking on the door of the Blackacre nursery in that it is not?

Its like knocking on the door of the nursery, because all the intended results are acts of political speech or political petition, which the Supreme Court repeatedly holds are at the core of the First Amendment so they cant be illegal.

The dial, in other words, turns no farther than the First Amendment.

Whatever a criminal statute says, it cannot mean that it is illegal to do things the Constitution guarantees that you be allowed to do. Thats never illegal because it cant be illegal. Not in America.

It could be a wholly different case had the indictment alleged that Trump agreed to have someone hack voting machines to change vote tallies. Although debatable, in that case itd at least be plausible that Trump could be liable for that scheme by giving a political speech denying that voting machines could be hacked.

But, thats not our case today, because hacking voting machines is a crime and is not privileged by the Constitution.

Millions of Americans exercised their God-given rights to political speech and petition when they urged Vice President Pence to decline for a time to count electoral votes. They wanted state legislatures first to approve the atypical election procedures used in the 2020 election. All those millions cant be sent to federal prison. Nor can President Trump. Its not because the prisons are too small. Its because the legal theory is too ludicrous.

Image: Ryan McGrady
The USSR and the Warsaw Pact are now history. It all collapsed at the end of 1991. In other words, most people younger than 35 have no emotional involvement with what we grew up with. They've probably never heard of the Berlin Wall or the 1956 Hungarian revolution or the atrocities of communism. Prague is now the capital of the Czech Republic, and Slovakia is another country. It all seems like a past so long ago.

Some of us are old enough to remember this week, when 200,000 Warsaw Pact troops and 5,000 tanks invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring."

My father had a friend from Prague who escaped a few months later. He was often at our home listening to news reports on my dad's Telefunken short-wave radio. That's what we used to do before the internet and cable news.

The invasion was a dark day for freedom. Like the Hungarians in 1956, the people of Czechoslovakia were given a taste of Soviet "tolerance." The "Prague Spring" was all about freedom and reforms, but the Kremlin did not accept it and sent the tanks in.

A sad day for those of us who were watching from the West, especially when Fidel Castro defended the USSR by saying among many things that the country was "heading toward a counter-revolutionary situation, toward capitalism and into the arms of imperialism."

We remember today all the people who stood up to Soviet tanks in Prague. And all the other victims of communism.

PS: Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.

Image: Picryl.
According to the Associated Press, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of 9/11/2001 victims that Khalid Sheik Mohammed and several other defendants in that terrorist attack may, under plea agreements, never face the death penalty.

If the death penalty, which has already been deferred too long, were to be taken off the table for that heinous act, we would be noting one of the most cruel injustices in the history of jurisprudence. More American lives were lost in that hideous attack than at Pearl Harbor, which was the opening shot of World War II. Not only was it a totally murderous surprise attack, but the victims were all civilians who had arrived at the World Trade Center for their workday. Incredibly, we already saw in 2018 that a terrorist living in Germany who had funneled money to the 9/11 terrorists was released from prison in that country and sent to Morocco.

This writer was teaching at a high school in Brooklyn, which is a borough in New York City adjacent to Manhattan, where the attack took place. I was looking through the sixth-floor window of my department office, watching flames and smoke from the World Trade Center billowing through the air, when suddenly the entire structure of WTC One pancaked down as a huge cloud of smoke and dust surrounded and obscured the collapsing structure.

It was about ten o'clock in the morning, and I could not believe my eyes. I sank into a chair in the room and kept repeating, "I wish I had never been born to see this happen."

A week after 9/11, I went to the funeral service for the mother of one of my students, who had gone to work in that building and whose body had not been found. Later, pieces of her body were found, and a second funeral service was held for her at a local church. A friend of mine who was a fireman who rushed to the World Trade Center barely escaped with his life and ultimately attended about 125 funerals for other firemen who had lost theirs that terrible day (besides people in the buildings). Having worked in the building a few years before, I knew a pregnant woman who had to flee by running down more than 75 flights of stairs before the collapse since the elevators were shut off. She made it out alive, but because of the stress and the demands of running down 75-plus flights of stairs, she lost her baby.

Back on my block in Brooklyn, my neighbors and I stood in the street, stunned and smelling the acrid odor of smoke, dust, and burning metal blowing across the city. One neighbor showed us scraps of singed letterhead with the World Trade Center address on the top that had blown into his yard all the way from Manhattan.

My wife had been in Manhattan when the attack happened and tried to walk all the way home, but she finally sat down on a curb, exhausted, not knowing how she would get back, since public transportation had stopped running. She prayed and cried out to Jesus Christ for a solution, and suddenly a taxi with four passengers stopped right in front of her. Someone opened the door and asked her where she was going. She told them where she lived in Brooklyn, and, amazingly, they were all going to almost the same place. They invited her in and brought her home. (In fact, she was the first one dropped off.)

The AP article suggests that the extent to which Khalid Mohammed had been tortured by the U.S. authorities is part of the reason that justice has been delayed. However, the cause of the delay in execution is not completely clear and may be more related to political issues than to legal technicalities. This writer cannot help but ask if the provision of a Muslim prayer rug to Khalid at Guantanamo as well as the provision of halal food (the Islamic equivalent of kosher) could be considered as offsetting any "mean treatment" he may have received.

Our esteemed V.P., Kamala Harris, had the audacity to say the riotous misbehavior at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was similar to the attacks on Pearl Harbor and on 9/11/2001. This is nothing less than rubbing salt in the wound experienced by our society  a wound that hurt this writer and millions of others deeply, a wound that demands the death penalty for the perpetrators.

Image via Picryl.
After 4,230 trips cranking it out on two wheels over a 22-year ride to the daily grind that concluded Friday, there were some lingering considerations that needed to be pumped up and aired out.

The bicycle we know today has been around since the Grover Cleveland presidential administration  his non-consecutive second term, like what Donald Trump hopes to achieve.

Throughout the ensuing decades, the bike has been refined, but not revolutionized. After all, pedaling is still required, and despite the advances in technology, folks will still pony up several thousand for a smooth pair of pristine wheels.

I am not one of them.

My preferred bike I obtained secondhand. The choicest way to acquire one is to find those who were gifted one that they had good intentions to use, rode a few times, then parked it in the garage/basement that now takes up room next to the water heater. We all know where good intentions lead, and in order to make space and salvage a few bucks in the process, a Trumpian deal could very well be in the offing.

It makes no sense that bikes built for males have a straight metal bar right in front of the seat, whereas bikes made for females have a low curved bar. If you see a 60-year-old dude on the west coast riding a bike, he is working out. Provided you come across a 60-year-old grunt in Pennsylvania cranking it out on two wheels in January, he has a DUI.

That, however, is not necessarily true.

When a fellow bicyclist was run over by a garbage truck last February along Route 61, who thankfully survived, it was certainly interesting to witness the reactions of my fellow coworkers. Speculating on what may have occurred as all traffic was detoured that fateful morning, including me, one co-worker who recently retired caught me as I was cranking up the 8%-grade hill to work. She genuinely told me how "glad she was to see me." I replied, "It is great seeing you, too, Janet."

Realizing I had no idea, Janet proceeded to tell me what had happened along my usual route. Some others throughout the worksite joked about it, while some were not as generous, with one lamenting, "I thought you were supposed to be dead." He actually seemed disappointed.

NeverTrumps are just impossible to please.

The berm of the road always served as a sort of daily retreat. Whereas some disappear to an isolated trout stream, others to their cabin, I had the berm, where I could discern, smell, and practically taste the countryside on the perpetual move, but at a much slower and more contemplative pace and panorama.

Initially, my adventure commenced after the wife anchored herself at home with the growing brood that left us with one vehicle. Having always wanted to make the trek, a reasonable seven miles one way, it all began in earnest in early April and ended the same month over two decades later. That first year I racked up only 84 rides, vowing not to ride in the rain and especially not in winter. That would eventually change as I registered 238 rides last year, not missing a day.

Summer is the favorite, winter the most challenging. It is one thing to be wet in the summer, but wet in the winter meant frigid. The extra winter gear, the weather, and the road considerations always made the journey arduous and longer. I became perhaps too well versed in sunrise and sunset times and just how much precious daylight we gained or lost daily.

For over five years, I had a riding partner in Bob, who rode with me in the morning but went solo going home since his gig ended a half-hour earlier. Bob racked up 1,078 round trips himself and could also tell a few tales.

I will continue to pedal, but minus the commuter mindset, with destinations at my leisure and not by mandate. That is the best gear change of all.

Image via Flickr, public domain.
In the midst of a legal appeal by three doctors (Paul Marik of Virginia, Mary Bowden of Texas, and Robert Apter of Arizona) claiming FDA interference in their medical practice being disciplined for prescribing ivermectin to their patients for COVID-19, a DoJ lawyer representing the FDA admitted in court on August 11 that a doctor can prescribe ivermectin for COVID and always could. The judge even asked questions about the meaning of the word "stop" in the FDA's (in)famous tweet: "You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y'all. Stop it." In this context, the issue of FDA misrepresentation and potential liability also came up. In a sane world, these people would be tried and punished for crimes against humanity for all the people who needlessly died being denied access to drugs like ivermectin. In the real world, nothing at all will happen to them.

To me, the FDA admission is not surprising at all. We always knew that a doctor could in theory prescribe the drug (already approved for many other ailments) off-label, so long as he was doing so responsibly and not recklessly endangering the patient. But the medical establishment effectively changed the rules (as they often do during times of medical emergencies or diseases). Understand the model of NIH/FDA/AMA collusion, and it all makes sense.

In simple terms, NIH is the policymaker. It decides which drug(s) to fund studies on, like the Big Pharma vaccine$ for the uninfected, or remde$ivir for those already infected and hospitalized. Under no circumstances would it have financed, at least early on, a study, with the same burden of proving efficacy as Big Pharma, of a generic like ivermectin, which might prove to be effective post-infection, because then the FDA would be pressured to grant the generic approval for such treatment, and then the vaccine$ would not have been granted EUA and eventual approval.

FDA is the decision-maker: It decides which drug(s) to grant EUA or approval. Unless its credibility would take too great a hit with inaction, it would not "approve" of a drug like ivermectin. (Note: Both NIH and FDA scientists involved in the science leading to EUA/approval of a Big Pharma drug stand to gain financially.) A physician has a right to responsibly prescribe a drug approved for other purposes off-label, and that certainly applies to human-form ivermectin. The "horse" narrative was to scare as many away from the off-label drug as possible.

AMA (and other medical societies and licensing boards) is the enforcer. It threats doctors with discipline including disbarment if they dare prescribe ivermectin off-label for COVID. It is this that prevented many patients from gaining access to ivermectin.

When these authorities, along with media support, work in concert, they are in almost complete control.

W.A. Eliot is a pseudonym.

Image: Bundesministerium fur Finanzen.
The Democrat left has shown clearly where it stands by appointing former Black Lives Matter board member Minyon Moore to chair the 2024 Democrat National Convention. The reference adds that Moore was also CEO of the Democrat National Committee. This shows that hate doesn't just have a home in the Democrat party; it has a mansion there.

While I can find absolutely no evidence that Moore herself ever expressed black nationalist or anti-Semitic views, or support for violence against law enforcement professionals, she was on the board of an organization that did. "She is also on the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation's board of directors." Further research suggests she left BLM in May 2022, but the bottom line is that she was in fact a director of a black nationalist and anti-Semitic organization that has expressed support for domestic terrorists who murdered law enforcement professionals. This needs to become a front-and-center talking point in 2024. These three accusations  (1) black nationalism, (2) anti-Semitism, and (3) support for domestic terrorists  require substantiation with objective evidence that the reader can confirm for himself.

The Black Lives Matter website says, "Second, this property has served as a safe haven to protect the leaders of our Black nationalist movement." Black nationalism advocates, among other things, "a separate self-governing Black nation." The Southern Poverty Law Center says of white nationalists, "Their primary goal is to create a white ethnostate." It's the same excrement, namely racial separatism, from two different rectums, and it has absolutely no place here because the only nation between Canada and Mexico is the United States. Patrisse Cullors called on her listeners to "step up boldly and courageously to end the imperialist project that's called Israel" while speaking in her capacity as BLM's leader. The link to the video and audio is available at the referenced site (New York Post). The Anti-Defamation League, which is anything but a right-wing organization, says, "One area in which ADL has seen a growth of antisemitism is within elements of the political left. This often takes the form of anti-Zionism, a movement that rejects the Jewish right to self-determination and of Israel to exist as a Jewish state[.]"

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) defines as anti-Semitic "[d]enying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor."

If we put Cullors's statement, while speaking in her capacity as BLM's leader, side by side with these definitions, it is reasonable to conclude that BLM is an anti-Semitic hate group. This also is far from an isolated incident. The American Jewish Committee reported, "This false equivalence appeared in demonstrations in the summer of 2020 when protesters chanted 'Israel, we know you, you murder children, too' (see blood libel)." Here are video and audio of BLM marchers accusing Israel of murdering children, although they admittedly did not add that the Jews then use the blood of the children in question to make matzos.

Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill added (emphasis is mine), "They don't want to just nation-build, but they want to world-make, and so Black Lives Matter, very explicitly is talking about the dismantling of the Zionist project, dismantling of the settler-colonialist project, and very explicitly embracing BDS on those grounds." Black Lives Matter has often glorified Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard), who is on the FBI's Most Wanted List for murdering a law enforcement professional. Here they are on Twitter (now X): "In the words of Mama Assata Shakur: 'We must love and protect one another.'" Here are Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tometi venerating their "beloved Assata Shakur" while stipulating that they have shut down malls.

I reported previously that Cullors also put her support behind convicted Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who murdered two Jews with a bomb and tried to murder emergency responders with another.

I also reported that BLM eulogized mass murderer Fidel Castro ("rest in power") and thanked him for giving refuge to Charles Lee Hill, who is alleged to have murdered a New Mexico law enforcement professional.

BLM is not the only left-wing extremist entity that has expressed public relations support for cop-killing terrorists. This is from Maxine Waters (D-Calif.): "Congresswoman Waters issues statement on U.S. Freedom Fighter Assata Shakur." Is that what a Democrat member of Congress calls a domestic terrorist who was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper? "One trooper was wounded and the other was shot and killed execution-style at point-blank range. Chesimard fled the scene, but was subsequently apprehended."

Any nationalism other than American nationalism, including black nationalism, white nationalism, and the Nation of Islam, has no place whatsoever in the United States. Neither do promotion of hatred and violence toward Jews, whether in the U.S. or Israel, nor is there a place here for organizations that condone domestic terrorist murder of law enforcement professionals. While Democrat National Convention chair Minyon Moore never seems to have expressed any of these positions herself, she was in a leadership position in an organization that did. I believe voters can form their own conclusions from this in November 2024.

Civis Americanus is the pen name of a contributor who remembers the lessons of history and wants to ensure that our country never needs to learn those lessons again the hard way. The author is remaining anonymous due to the likely prospect of being subjected to "cancel culture" for exposing the Big Lie behind Black Lives Matter.

Image via Pxhere.
Hillary Clinton recently told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that attempts to question electoral results (that she deems legitimate) are "hallmarks of authoritarian, dictatorial leaders." She also asserted that the efforts of Democrat prosecutors to jail President Joe Biden's main political opponent are a sign that the "system is working."

This is surpassingly odd, given that Clinton "herself" has repeatedly labeled Donald Trump an "illegitimate president" who somehow stole the 2016 election with the help of the Russians. In 2020, the First Pantsuit, while on The Atlantic's "The Ticket" podcast, stated:

There was a widespread understanding that this election [in 2016] was not on the level.  We still don't know what really happened.

Actually, that could more accurately be said of the 2020 election, HRC.

What's more, prior to the 2020 election, Hillary said, "Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances." That seems like a rather authoritarian and dictatorial notion.

Though Clinton lauded the recent Georgia indictments of Trump (on obviously trumped up charges), she previously and solemnly averred that Stacey Abrams would have beaten Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in 2018 "if she'd had a fair election." In 2002, she publicly stated that former president George W. Bush had been "selected" president, not elected, due to nefariousness and chicanery.

Modern-day Democrats vehemently contest almost every significant and reasonably close election they lose  their gaslighting and staggering hypocrisy revealed in a 24-minute video you can watch here.

Democrats don't consider it tyrannical or dictatorial when they question elections...or wish to dramatically raise your taxes, tell you your job isn't "essential," make you wear masks and stay inside your home, or force you to accept an experimental mRNA vaccine into your body  repeatedly. They do consider it to be tyrannical if Republicans question an election  or if you show up at your local school board meeting to ask that preposterously pornographic books be removed from your middle-schooler's library.

I ask you, which is the greater threat to "our democracy"? Parents concerned about the souls of their children  or open borders, endless wars, the decriminalization of crime, the Great Reset, the mocking of traditional values, the unwillingness to distinguish between male and female (let alone appreciate the divine complementarity), and the devaluing of discipline and excellence?

Or Trump asking for transparency in the electoral process?

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
Love him or hate him, Vivek Ramaswamy is an interesting person and a different voice in the Republican presidential primary campaign season. This doesnt mean concerns about him arent legitimate, especially when it comes to possible ties to George Soros. If Soros is the real power, were looking at yet another Manchurian candidate, this one on the right not (like Obama) on the left. Still, Vivek is gaining support, so I sat down and listened to his interview with Tuckerand there was a lot to like.

Ep. 17 Vivek Ramaswamy is the youngest Republican presidential candidate ever. He's worth listening to. pic.twitter.com/9wGqptHdto  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 17, 2023

The interview opens with Vivek saying that the government lied about 9/11 to protect the Saudis. For many people, thats a big duhof course, it did, so that point did not interest me much. What was more interesting was Viveks point about the modern governments ugly paternalism, which sees the elite believe that we, the little people, just arent capable of handling information or governing ourselves:

I think that theres a bipartisan consensus in this country right now that we, the people, we cant handle the truth. Its like Jack Nicholson at the end of the movie, right? You cant handle the truth.  You need me on that wall. My view, my basic view in this campaign is no, we dont need you on that wall and, yes, we can handle the truth. COVID-19, what was the origin? What did we know about the vaccines before we mandated them? What did we know about Hunter Bidens dealings before we systematically suppressed that story? What do we know about the truth of what happened on January 6th? What do we know about that Nashville shooter manifesto, the transgender individual who shot up a bunch of people in a Christian School? [snip] What makes us human beings, not animals, is the belief that we can believe in something bigger than ourselves, and that we can handle the truth from those who are in power. And I think thats the moment we live in today and it was the moment the American Revolution that we, the people, can be trusted. And I think we now live in a moment where the government, and not just the government, but a broader establishment in our country believes that citizens of this nation cannot be trusted with the truth.

From there, Vivek talked about the paternalism that drives the elite (and, frankly, that may make sense when you consider dangerously infantile Americans who never outgrow childish things, whether clothes or Disneyland). This is a stifling and dangerous attitude, he says, that characterized all forms of government before the American Revolution. Moreover, this paternalism, he says, explains the heavy-handed bipartisanship in D.C. regarding hiding facts from the people.

Vivek also spoke intelligently about the coming economic collapse. He explained that we live with a deeply inverted yield curve, with short-term yields on bonds better than long-term ones. This has consistently presaged a major recession. Bidens boasts about low unemployment numbers are irrelevant when the deeper economic structure is in shambles, and the numbers dont account for people who have dropped out of the job market. Moreover, Department of Education-financed school systems have failed those who try to work.

On the subject of Ukraine, Vivek said that the donor class is driving policy. He also made an interesting point that the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which requires us to support Ukraine, needs to be balanced against James Bakers commitment in 1990 that NATO wouldnt extend beyond Germany. In other words, America keeps only those promises it wants to.

Vivek is deeply worried that the war is driving Russia closer to China, which is very dangerous for America. That brought up Taiwanand Vivek has been attacked for saying he wouldnt send American troops there.

Image: Vivek Ramaswamy. Twitter screen grab.

Of course, what he said was more nuanced. He explained that we are completely dependent on Taiwans semiconductor industry and must disentangle ourselves from it. China has its eye on Taiwan in part because of that industry because, if it controls Taiwan, it then controls America.

Beyond that, says Vivek, if we gain independence from Taiwan, we dont need to have boots on the ground in Taiwan because its not in our national interest. And thats fascinating because Vivek is repudiating the Wilson Doctrine, first announced in 1917. That doctrine holds that its up to America to make the world safe for democracy. Vivek and Trump have a different take: Its up to America to make the world safe for America. Democracy abroad goes a long way, but its not the be-it-and-end-all.

Speaking of which, Vivek frightened Israel supporters when he said he doesnt think Israel should be getting more economic support than its neighbors. Im a passionate Israel supporter (my parents were in the IDF in 1948), so Israels survival matters to me, but Viveks point was an interesting one: Expand the Abraham Accords, which enhance Israels safety without needing more American money. Id like to assume that he would also stop rewarding Palestinians for bad behavior and end Bidens financing of Iran.

Theres a lot more in the interview, and its worth hearing. You dont have to agree with Vivek, but hes thinking deeply about issues important to Americans and has opinions grounded in facts and rational analysis. I also continue to like his ten truths:
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 18)  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has intercepted a female victim of human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who was ordered by her recruiter to use a wheelchair to avoid strict inspection.

Authorities caught the victim who was attempting to leave the country on a flight bound for Thailand on Thursday, the BI said on Friday.

It also said the victim had inconsistent statements when further examined but later admitted she was hired to work as a household service worker in Lebanon.

She admitted that her recruiter instructed her to feign sickness so she can use a wheelchair," the BI said. "The victim stated that she was instructed to delete all conversations with her recruiter on her mobile phone.

The victim said she was also promised that she will be sent to Hong Kong to search for another job if her Lebanon visa will be denied, it added.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned that human traffickers will go to great lengths to convince prospects to leave illegally but they will disappear once victims encounter distress.

The victim was directed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance and further probe against her recruiter, the BI said.
"You've read the headlines, you've seen the tweets, now get close and personal to the Doom and Squalor of downtown San Francisco!"

That's the advertising hook for the city's newest walking tour, and it worked  tickets sold out, weeks in advance. The guide remains anonymous, and the big reveal is set for next Saturday, but what we do know is that he is a San Francisco native, a "political junkie," and a "card-carrying City Commissioner" and he's ready to pull back the curtain on the "policy choices that made America's wealthiest city the nation's innovative leader" in every civic crisis imaginable.

Also from the promotional teaser:

How can a city with a $14.6 billion annual budget be a model of urban decay? How can it spend $776.8 million per year on police and have no rule of law to show for it? How can it spend $690 million on homeless services and receive an official United Nations condemnation for its treatment of the homeless ("cruel and inhuman"; "violation of multiple human rights")?

The tour is an easy 1.5 miles, and participants will have a chance to see the "open-air drug markets, the abandoned tech offices, the outposts of the non-profit industrial complex, and the deserted department stores."

We might be tempted to immediately assume that the mystery tour guide is a conservative, given his sardonic stunt over the undeniable causality between leftism and societal rot, but I'm not so sure. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd wager that he is actually a leftist himself (a circumstantial speculation, of course).

First off, this man is evidently well versed in the "rules" of Saul Alinsky, given his strategy of ridicule, a tool that Alinksy touted as "man's most potent weapon."

Secondly, he writes this:

You will find no better expert. Your guide is an urban policy professional ... overseeing a municipal department with an annual budget over $500m. ... He has spent hundreds of hours on both sides of the government dais, shouting into the opposite abyss. (This event is the result of his own mental-health crisis.)

When he says he's an "urban policy professional," I can only assume he has some sort of academic background in the field; not typically (if ever) a route taken by principled conservatives. It's also safe to assume that this man has been in government a long time because a) it would be unusual for a wet-behind-the-ears college graduate to receive commissioned appointment with a half-a-billion-dollar budget, and b) how could anyone drive himself to the point of a "mental health crisis" over government being hopelessly incapable of solving social issues? The government's literal modus operandi is to leave everything it touches worse off. More intervention always equals more problems. Every conservative knows that!

The man in question almost reminds me of the highly distinguished Thomas Sowell, who at one point was a left-wing Marxist. As a young man, he saw gaping wealth disparities in Manhattan, and when he stumbled upon the writings of Karl Marx, Sowell said they "seemed to make sense."

But then...Sowell took a summer internship at the federal Department of Labor, and he quickly learned that "the government is not simply the personification of the general will," but rather, "the government institutions have their own institutional interests." Soon thereafter, Sowell abandoned Marxism and became a limited government conservative. His conversion story can be watched here:

Anyone who can work in government, see the problems with government firsthand, then "spend hundreds of hours" on a fool's errand like trying to get the government to be more efficient can only be a leftist.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
Rioting, arson, and property theft may be viewed the same as violence to lawful voting rules: both are considered by the political left as a form of "reparations."

The indictments of former U.S. president Trump can also be seen as a form of selective violence and prosecution, and further justified as "reparation" behavior, especially when its center of gravity in operations is in one particular state, infiltrated by Obama allies. As former speaker Newt Gingrich recently asserted, the left will destroy the law in order to destroy Trump. Georgia has uniquely merged the judicial and political mechanisms necessary to carry this out.

Why is Georgia hosting a criminal indictment against the former president?

After Biden was announced by media as the 2020 winner, his first phone call of thanks went to Georgia and its political network, spearheaded by lawyer and political activist Stacey Abrams, whom Biden praised for "turning Georgia blue" and putting him in office. Abrams and her sister, Obama-appointed judge Leslie Abrams Gardner, along with millions of dollars of donor funds, are central to explaining how the state of Georgia has been converted into a judicial corruption center, and the source of the most dangerous constitutional risk to former president Trump and the American people.

Matthew G. Andersson is the author of the upcoming book Legally Blind. A former CEO, he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the New York Times and by the National Academy of Sciences in law and economics. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and is a graduate of the University of Chicago. He studied with White House national security advisor W.W. Rostow at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Image: Fibonacci Blue.
Joe Biden lies so much, even CNN was forced to admit it. From a Fox News piece yesterday:

CNN fact-checked 'at least two lies' President Biden told during his speech in Milwaukee on the economy and said that the president 'just cannot stop himself.'

The media's lies are much worse, though, because they aren't the off-script ramblings of a senile swamp creature. Instead, Democrat operatives peddle disinformation, crafted to mislead the public away from believing that Joe Biden had nothing to do with the trouble that's fixing to befall Hunter.

Glenn Kessler, WaPo's resident fact-checker, penned an article out yesterday, and apparently, he believes that Hunter and Joe jaunting around the world and lining their pockets with foreign money, and Hunter allegedly committing fraud on tax returns, is no big deal. But! Trump should be in jail for challenging a highly suspicious election.

The fact that Joe had a joint checking account with Hunter, and that Hunter's source of income was kickbacks, is public knowledge, yet the media pretend Joe never benefited from the arrangement.

The media know that Hunter claimed to have paid Joe's bills  but they still pretend Joe never benefited. Yesterday, from 1945:

In a recently surfaced 2018 text message, Hunter Biden claimed to have covered his father's bills for over a decade[.]

Whether the bribes flow directly to Joe or not, clearly he receives a tremendous benefit if nine of his direct family members get money for doing nothing.

Then the media pretend there is no evidence the countries ever received anything in return for the kickbacks. That means they are willfully blind and intentionally misleading the public.

Biden bragged that he had coerced Ukraine into firing a prosecutor investigating alleged corruption at Burisma by dangling $1 billion of taxpayer money. Burisma was where Hunter made millions for a no-show job.

Remember: Trump was impeached because he asked Ukraine to investigate Biden's clear corruption. That shows that the media and other Democrats never cared about corruption in and of itself.

As for paybacks to Russia...

As soon as Biden took office, he began to destroy the U.S. oil industry, which in turn enriched Russia and other foreign oil-producing countries. In May of 2021, Biden lifted sanctions imposed by Trump on a Russian pipeline. Biden shut down the domestic Keystone pipeline but supported Putin's pipeline.

But the media misled the public for years, asserting that Trump was a Putin stooge, and ran the Russian collusion hoax for years.

Biden sanctioned oligarchs in Russia over the conflict on the Ukraine border, but somehow oligarchs who worked with Hunter were spared. (But Joe never talked to Hunter about business.)

As for China...

Biden never pressed China about the origins of COVID. He and his administration have always slow-walked any investigation of the Wuhan lab as the source.

Why did the media spread the regime's lie that the lab-leak theory was a disproven conspiracy?

Trump set up a program to stop China from spying and stealing our intellectual property, and Biden discontinued the anti-espionage program. That is one heck of a payback.

Biden allowed China to fly a spy balloon over the U.S., including a military installment, before finally taking action and sternly telling China it really shouldn't be doing that.

Biden's focus on forcing people to buy electric cars, to pretend he can control the climate, is a heck of a reward to China, since the Chinese control so much of the world's supply of lithium and other rare earth minerals.

The media and Justice Department knew that Hillary sold access for money and never cared about that or other alleged criminal activities. From a CNBC article:

At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.

You know that the people donating were looking for a return on their investment, because the donations plummeted after Hillary no longer had the power to sell. From Axios in 2021:

Donations to the Clinton Foundation plummeted to $16 million last year, down nearly 75% from the organization's peak[.]

It is no wonder there is so much corruption in the U.S. and so many politicians get rich while supposedly serving the public. The establishment media just look the other way as long as the politician in question supports the media's leftist agenda to remake the greatest country that ever existed.

But believe Joe, and the media, when they tell us that Joe "never" discussed business with Hunter, and no one in his family made money because of their connection to him...

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
Anyone familiar with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) shouldn't be surprised at their recent segment attacking the network of health care sharing ministries (HCSMs). The taxpayer-supported PBS network pushes left-wing themes relentlessly.

In this case, they manipulated data and facts to paint a false picture of Health Care Sharing Ministries that fits their ideology.

Let's set the record straight.

PBS's segment asserts that Health Care Sharing Ministries don't share in the full amount of a patient's medical bill, neglecting to mention that this is also a standard practice with health insurance. Nobody  not insurers, not members of health care sharing ministries, and not self-pay patients  should pay list prices because they are almost always grossly inflated.

One of the best features of HCSMs is that they assist members in negotiating prices. Indeed, the bigger the "discount" from the original charge, the better. HCSMs would be irresponsible if they simply wrote price-gouging, price-hiding hospitals a blank check.

HCSMs negotiate hard on behalf of their members to get bills reduced, and some of them even negotiate contracts with hospitals or purchase access to networks of negotiated contracts to get bigger discounts for their members. The metric of a successful and responsible ministry in this regard would be a bigger, not a smaller gap between billed charges and amounts shared after successful negotiations or discounts.

It's beyond misleading for PBS and its guests to imply that ministries need more oversight because of their efforts to reduce costs for members.

The segment complains that HCSMs don't share in bills for immoral procedures. That's a feature, not a bug, and it's a big reason why many Christians fled the insurance market and chose HCSMs instead. Christians don't want to spend their money on abortions or gender-bending drugs and surgeries, for example.

Regarding abortion, it's intentionally misleading to single out HCSMs as if they're unique for not sharing in bills arising from the procedures. In 2019, eleven states outright banned private insurers from doing so. Twenty states excluded abortion in their state employees' plans. Additionally, federal workers are only offered plans without abortion coverage, pursuant to a federal statute signed by President Bill Clinton, which congressional liberals have tried but failed to repeal for the past 30 years.

Critics assert that HCSM members aren't smart enough to understand what they're joining. But accredited ministries are specifically evaluated on their transparency with their members and, especially, with prospective members so that they can decide whether HCSMs are right for them. Insurance companies are far worse at explaining themselves to their enrollees. PBS conveniently omitted any references to the escalating number of complaints, coverage denials, and dissatisfaction that people have about insurance policies.

For example, Healthcare.gov marketplace insurers denied nearly one out of every five claims for in-network services in 2020, according to a KFF Health News analysis. One top insurer deployed a computer program to bulk-deny claims for some common procedures with little or no review. A KFF survey found that more than half (58%) of "people with health insurance say they encountered at least one problem using their coverage in the past year, with even larger shares of people with the greatest health care needs reporting such problems."

Failing to address the glaring failures of health insurance while smearing HCSMs exposes the bias that's been raising taxpayer ire with PBS for decades. You wouldn't air a story that is critical about, say, carpooling without talking about why carpoolers chose it in the first place (because the public transport system wasn't working for them).

Critics might even go as far as to state that HCSMs might not share in bills arising from a hypothetical big-ticket need. Yet HCSM members routinely share major costs, such as care for heart disease and cancer. In 2021, more than 1.5 million members of HCSMs shared $1.3 billion in medical expenses.

Christians know the insurance industry and many of them are rejecting it whenever possible. That's a threat to insurance regulators and insurance cheerleaders like PBS's guests. But moral alternatives to insurance should be allowed to flourish so that families can evaluate their options and choose what works best for them. It's long past time for the Public Broadcasting Service to respect the choices of the public it serves and leave the snobbery and liberal bias to CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, and CBS  the market is saturated enough without taxpayer-subsidized wannabes.

Katy Talento is executive director of the Alliance for Health Care Sharing Ministries (The Alliance, ahcsm.org).

Image: PBS.
The Pentagon has gone to great ends to hide its wokery whenever it gets caught.

They've shut down drag shows on U.S. military bases. They've kicked openly white-hating wokesters teaching military kids upstairs to other things. They've taken down their Pride Month flags and tweets. They've changed course on hunting for "extremists" in the ranks when news emerged that they missed actual miscreants under their noses. They've investigated dog-sex officer pervert rings that had been going on for a long time in Hawaii. They've also denied, in testimony to Congress at appropriations time, that they are wokesters.

But personnel is policy and a look at who they're promoting tells another story.

Get a load of this charmer, as noted by Kevin Downey at PJMedia:

Enter USAF Col. Benjamin Jonsson. He was nominated by *President Biden to be promoted to brigadier general. Col. Jonsson is white. And woke. Col. Jonsson believes the problem with the Air Force is white colonels like himselfbut not really him, just all the other white colonels. After the death of Saintly George Floyd, Jonsson penned an article for Air Force Times calling out his fellow Caucasian USAF colonels. As white colonels, you and I are the biggest barriers to change if we do not personally address racial injustice in our Air Force, Col. Jonsson began. The letter reeks of being written by a haughty, green-haired, virtue-signaling white kid who attends high school in an affluent neighborhood. Defensiveness is a predictable response by white people to any discussion of racial injustice, Col. Justice Warrior continued. White colonels are no exception. We are largely blind to institutional racism, and we take offense to any suggestion that our system advantaged us at the expense of others.

Which tells us they haven't change their tune at all. They just don't like getting caught doing it.

Jonsson was one of a group of officers the Pentagon tried to hide into the crowd in a group promotion for Congress to sign off on, Downey notes. To his credit, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama has demanded that all officers be looked at individually. Maybe someone then could ask Jonsson what he meant by all these "white colonels" he sees who are supposedly perpetuating racism in the military, and ask him to name some names so we can see what might have been going on.

Jonsson wrote this essay for Air Force Times in 2020 at the height of the George Floyd riots:

A white colonel worried that a wing-level discussion about the disproportionate rate of Article 15s given to Black Airmen would have a chilling effect on holding minorities accountable and would degrade good order and discipline. He deflected meaningful discussion of racial injustice in the Air Force by summarily stating that such discussion damaged the foundation of military discipline. A white colonel raised his disagreement with a Black senior enlisted leaders story of being offered an Article 15 for his boisterous, singing personality when he was an airman. When the Black enlisted leader told the story, he was the only Black person in the room, the only person with first-hand experience on the receiving end of unbalanced Article 15s. By later discrediting the story, the colonel ended further examination of the role of cultural difference on discipline decisions by supervisors. A white colonel agreed that when anyone joins the Air Force, they need to adopt the culture of the Air Force, that we should not make cultural accommodations. By obscuring any cultural differences in the Air Force, he excused himself from the need to dig into the underlying issue of racial disparity.

He went on and on, fighting with some rival for promotion and always citing unnamed sources to ensure that they would not be able to defend themselves.

Above all, he hewed to the wokester line that the military is brimming with racists and he was the enlightened one who knew how to solve this.

What did he have in mind? Obviously, a promotion to general. He knew that all those white colonels out there were his rivals for promotion so what better than to smear them all to his superiors as racists knowing that the Pentagon brass would reward him with a promotion for his wokesterism?

That tells us he knew the lay of the land for promotions, which is that only the loudly wokester got them. That tells us a lot about military culture right there, and it tells us a lot about his own opportunism.

Tuberville is right to want to investigate this compulsive finger-pointer, because experience shows that the worst accusers of others often have the same record they are accusing others of.

The 'look! squirrel!' approach in many cases can also be to deflect scrutiny from themselves. It's certainly where I'd look given this guy's willingness to accuse others.

His apparent LinkedIn page suggests he's a bright guy, with specialized skills that are likely very important to the Air Force.

But bright as he may be, he shouldn't be commanding others, or setting policy or deciding who else gets promoted. He should be left where he is, with Congress rightly having the last word.

He's proof positive that the wokester Pentagon hasn't changed any even as it removes public signs of wokesterism from the public eye any time there is a public scandal,

The Pentagon spent $115 million on DEI "training" (read: indoctrination) which is $30 million more than they spent last year. That's a lot of consultants. They've also flunked out on their military recruitment targets owing to their wokester orientation and even discouraged children from traditional military families with traditional values from joining.

Now they would have us think they are not woke, except that they promote the loudest of the woke to their flag ranks.

Give us a break. And let Tommy Tuberville ask all the questions he likes.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 19 - The hotspot on the stepping stone island of Lampedusa, closer to Africa than to Italy, on Saturday hosted 2,235 migrants against an official capacity of just 400, local officials said.

Some 662 migrants were moved to Sicily Friday and another 700 are slated to follow Saturday, the officials said.

They said that thanks to various new measures the facility was "able to cope with up to 3,000 people without getting clogged up." (ANSA).


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  LRT-1 Roosevelt Station in Quezon City will be renamed after the late National Artist for Film Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) this Sunday.

According to Senator Grace Poe, former Senate President Tito Sotto III and Senator Lito Lapid will lead the ceremony renaming the station.

The event will also unveil a new marker bearing the name of the King of Philippine Movies.

"I hope people remember FPJ whenever they board this train," Poe said in a statement released Saturday.

"Public service has always been in FPJ's heart," she also said. "Giving commuters a safe and comfortable ride is a way of keeping his legacy alive,"

"Magandang regalo kay FPJ at sa kanyang mga taga-suporta ang pagkakaroon ng isang FPJ Station (Having an FPJ Station is a beautiful gift to FPJ and his supporters)," the senator added.

The renaming is in line with Republic Act No. 11608, which renamed Roosevelt Avenue in the first legislative district of Quezon City to FPJ Avenue.

The law was authored by Lapid and sponsored by Sotto.

The renaming ceremony will also feature an FPJ pop-up exhibit.

A multi-awarded actor, producer and director, FPJ starred in about 300 films in his 46 years of acting career. He was recognized as a National Artist in 2012.

Poe said the law gave her father's works and legacy a sense of place in the nation's history.

FPJ's wife, Philippine Movie Queen Susan Roces, passed away in May last year,
Murder detectives are continuing to search for the father of 10-year-old Sara Sharif who suffered extensive injuries over a sustained period of time before she was found dead.

Saras body was found at her home in Woking after officers were called from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at around 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police said.

The discovery at the semi-detached property in Hammond Road sparked a murder probe and a post-mortem examination has now revealed the extent of her injuries.

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police major crime team, said Mr Sharif, his partner, Beinash Batool, and his brother, Faisal Malik, are wanted for questioning.

Urfan Sharif is being sought by police (Surrey Police/PA)

He said it is believed Mr Sharif, 41, travelled to Islamabad on August 9, a day before Saras death was discovered, with his partner Ms Batool, 29, and his brother Mr Malik, 28.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13-years-old, he added.

A post-mortem examination, which took place on Tuesday, did not establish the cause of Saras death and further tests are being carried out.

Mr Chapman said: While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, but Mr Chapman said that people have been extradited from the Asian country before.

Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign Office to carry out their investigation and to liaise with Pakistani authorities.

Mr Chapman added: I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Saras tragic and untimely death are brought to justice.

Beinash Batool is also being sought by detectives (Surrey Police/PA)

Officers are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with the investigation, Mr Chapman said.

Saras mother is being supported by specialist officers and police say she and Sara had not been in contact.

Olga Sharif described her daughter as an amazing child in an interview with The Sun and told the newspaper that her life will never be the same again.

Police are expected to remain at the property in the quiet Woking village of Horsell for some weeks.

Surrey Police officers outside a property on Hammond Road in Woking (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Locals spoke of their shock and fear the day after the 10-year-olds body was discovered.

Many of the flowers left on the pavement outside the house had heartfelt messages written by local families attached, while one person left a stuffed unicorn.

One note read: Sweet girl, Im so sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said trusting his instincts to return to the UK restaurant industry is the right thing to do because he is not fully happy or complete without an eatery.

Oliver, 48, recently announced plans to relaunch a restaurant in Londons Catherine Street in November, after his restaurant empire which included Jamies Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen, collapsed into administration in May 2019.

He still has franchised restaurants in countries around the world, including in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and Jamies Deli in Europe  but since 2022 his only new outlet in London has been a pop-up in soho.

Chef and TV personality Oliver, who has fronted multiple TV series including The Naked Chef which aired in 1999, told You magazine about plans to open his first new restaurant in a Grade I listed building in Londons Covent Garden.

I wasnt planning to do it for a couple of years, he said.

But through having probably the best mid-market restaurant group on the planet for seven years, then losing it over four years and everything involved in that, I think trusting my instinct and my gut is the right thing to do.

The Naked Chef is naked without a restaurant. Without it Im not fully happy, Im not fully complete.

Oliver said yes of course when asked if he wished he had done things differently during the reign of Jamies Italian.

But I have become quite philosophical about failure or things that were wrong, he continued.

Often, we dont learn or evolve until weve felt pain; we dont try to think about things differently until getting it wrong has resulted in pain.

A sign in the window of a Jamies Italian in Liverpool, as the restaurant chain appointed administrators (Peter Byrne/PA)

It comes after his businesses notched up higher profits after he helped households create 1 meals during the cost-of-living squeeze.

His empire, which includes TV programmes, recipe books, branded products and partnerships as well as restaurants overseas, made a pre-tax profit of 7.7 million over 2022, 17.5% higher than the previous year.

Oliver will next be seen trying new culinary experiences when he travels across Greece, Tunisia, Spain and France for a new four-part Channel 4 series Jamie Cooks The Mediterranean.

The chef said it was his wife Jools who had convinced him to create a new version of his 2017 recipe book Five Ingredients, but with a Mediterranean twist, which became the inspiration for the series airing next month.

The couple recently renewed their wedding vows in the Maldives after 23 years together, with their five children.

Jools has been my rock through the whole thing, he said.

I knew she loved me before I was worth a penny. We spent years in London being skint and she loved me then, and she loved me when I sold a million books.

So she has been an incredible North Star for me. Shes a nice, simple girl and quite shy.

Shes not there on the red carpet. She keeps her distance. And I love her for that.

Oliver recalled that when he rocketed to fame he asked his wife whether they should call it a day and get a pub in north Essex or run with it even though we knew it would come with some awful facets.

He continued: Statistically, celebrities children dont work out great. Child stars dont work out great.

And even if you do well, youre going to get battered every now and again.

I get a good battering at least every three years and its never nice. And you might deserve it, but you might not.
Julian Sands ex-wife has said the late British actor always had to take the hard path and even at the end of his life had sought a challenge.

Sarah Sands, former editor of the Evening Standard, said that Sands was restless both artistically and geographically.

The pair were married from 1984 to 1987 and share a son.

Sands went missing in the San Gabriel mountains in southern California in January, prompting a manhunt that lasted for over five months.

His remains were found by civilian hikers in June.

Sands went missing in the San Gabriel mountains in southern California in January (Ian West/PA)

The actor was best-known for his breakout role in the 1985 romantic period drama A Room With A View, in which he starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter, and he later transitioned successfully to the horror genre.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sarah Sands said that as her then-husbands career had taken off, he had become restless, and had later left her to move to California.

Julian had to dismantle perfection, she said.

Just when all had come good with the film and we had (son) Henry, at that point his restlessness took over.

He didnt leave me for anyone else. There wasnt a plan. He just said he was going to California.

She added: He always had to take the hard path. Even at the end he sought the challenge.

That was why he pushed himself beyond the limits of human endurance on the mountain.

Sands was known for his love of the outdoors and hiking in the surrounding areas, and was considered an experienced and competent mountaineer by his friends.

Prior to the discovery of his remains, his hiking partner and fellow actor Kevin Ryan told the PA news agency that he was the most advanced hiker I know.

Its hard to think of him being old. He was restless, curious; both artistically and geographically an adventurer, Sarah Sands told the Daily Mail.

I couldnt imagine him being imprisoned in any way; through illness or old age. Grounded, hed call it.

He used to refer to home as base camp.

Sands family is reportedly planning memorial services in Los Angeles and the UK later this year, though no details have been made public.
Hundreds of thousands of older people missed out on financial support for soaring fuel bills after a Government scheme flopped, a charity has claimed.

Age UK said some 735,240 households missed out on support under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) Alternative Fund amounting to almost 3 million.

That fund  for households without a direct relationship to a domestic energy supplier, such as those in park homes or living on boats  has already faced criticism from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The MPs said, in a June report, that many such households only became eligible for funding at the end of February, almost five months after consumers began receiving discounts on the main scheme.

Now Age UK has said Freedom of Information data requested on its behalf showed that, of the Governments estimated 883,000 eligible UK households with atypical supply arrangements, only around 17%  equivalent to about 150,000  were actually awarded the 400 of energy support available this year.

The charity said many of those who missed out were older people living in park homes and care homes.

It said its analysis of figures from the Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero also showed that households in areas of the country with higher levels of fuel poverty appeared less likely to have accessed the funding.

It said that while more than a fifth (22%) of eligible households in the South East, where fuel poverty is lowest, got funding, this compared to 13% of eligible households in the North East and London.

In terms of who was able to successfully access the funding, Age UK said eligible care home residents were least likely to have done so, with only around one in 14 of them (7%) receiving the 400 energy help.

This compared to around a third of park home and houseboat residents (35%) and over half of eligible heat network users (58%).

The Government said it had spent billions to protect families from price rises last winter and had used various ways to communicate the scheme with as many eligible households as possible.

But the charity said the findings showed the scheme for these users had completely flopped  blaming a time-consuming, complicated application process that it said had not been well enough publicised.

The organisation said it was calling for the unused money to be recommitted to the scheme and for the process of applying for it to be made more straightforward, thereby increasing take-up.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UKs charity director, said: The process designed by the Government to distribute the funding was flawed so were not surprised the scheme has flopped, but rather than siphoning off the unspent 300 million for other purposes, we call on the Government to do the right thing and improve the scheme so these older people get the money they are due.

After all, with energy bills expected to stay high this winter, they are going to need all the financial help they can get.

More than half-a-million households have missed out on this financial support as a result of the funds failure, many of them older and living in park homes and care homes.

We know the fees have gone up substantially in care homes because of rising costs for everything from energy to food, so the extra 400 could have really helped some residents to continue to make ends meet.

The responsibility on ministers to resurrect and improve this funding scheme is surely all the greater when you consider that some of the areas with the biggest concentrations of older people who have missed out on the funding also have above average levels of fuel poverty.

A Government spokesperson said: We spent billions to protect families when prices rose over winter, covering nearly half a typical households energy bill  this includes more than 60 million supporting over 140,000 households without a domestic electricity supplier.

We used a range of methods to communicate the scheme with as many eligible households as possible, so they could apply to access this vital energy bills support  including a contact centre and requesting councils to write to eligible care homes and park home sites.

We recommend that any household that did not apply should visit our webpage to view what other support they may be eligible to receive.
This photo combination issued by Surrey Police on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023 shows Urfan Sharif, left and Beinash Batool. Pakistani police in the eastern province of Punjab are seeking to arrest a man in connection with the death of his 10-year-old daughter in the U.K. Sara Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking, on the southern outskirts of London, on Aug. 10, U.K. police said in a statement. (Surrey Police via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP)  Pakistani police are seeking to arrest a man in connection with the death of his 10-year-old daughter in the U.K, officers in the eastern Punjab province said Saturday.

Sara Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking, on the southern outskirts of London, on Aug. 10, U.K. police said in a statement. They identified her father, Urfan, his partner, Beinash Batool, and Urfans brother, Faisal Malik, as people they want to speak to as part of their investigation.

An autopsy didn't establish a cause of death but did show that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries, which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time," the police statement said.

Urfan Sharif travelled to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad with Batool and Malik on Aug. 9. There are five children with them, ranging from 1 to 13 years of age, the statement added.

Sharifs family home is in Jhelum, Punjab, around 135 kilometers (84 miles) from the capital.

Officer Imran Ahmed said police found evidence that Sharif briefly returned to Jhelum, before leaving and going into hiding. Another officer in Jhelum, Nisar Ahmed, said he and his men went to Sharifs native village of Kari but learned the family left around 20 years ago and never returned.

U.K. police said they were working with international agencies, including Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the U.K. Foreign Office to progress their enquiries with Pakistani authorities.

-

Zarar Khan contributed to this report from Islamabad.
More than 25,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain via small boats since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, according to figures analysed by the Labour Party.

Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said Mr Sunak had fundamentally failed to get a grip on the migrant crisis in the English Channel, despite a pledge to put a stop to small boats crossing from France.

Mr Sunak entered 10 Downing Street on October 25.

The Conservative Party leader, in a speech in January, made stopping the boats one of his top five priorities ahead of next years likely general election.

According to Ministry of Defence figures, more than 7,600 people, thought to have been asylum seekers, arrived in Britain in small boats between October 25 and December 31.

Home Office figures up to Friday suggest that almost 17,500 people have arrived via the same route in 2023.

It is thought the 25,000 arrivals mark since Mr Sunaks premiership started was topped on Friday when the Home Office recorded that 144 people arrived in three boats.

Mr Kinnock said: The Conservatives have allowed criminal smuggling gangs to take hold on Britains borders and Tory incompetence is risking our national security, putting lives at risk, and pounding the public purse for millions every day.

Rishi Sunak has fundamentally failed to get a grip and crossings are rocketing on his watch.

Its time for a different approach. The Prime Minister must now back Labours plan to stop the dangerous Channel crossings by going after the criminal gangs, by securing a returns deal with Europe, and by clearing the asylum backlog which is costing the taxpayer 6 million a day.

Government figures appear to suggest at least 25,000 migrants have arrived since Rishi Sunaks premiership started (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said in December that about 40,000 migrants were being housed in hotels, with the Government estimating that accommodating refugees costs British taxpayers between 5 million and 6 million per day.

Sir Keir Starmers Labour Party said only 3,000 people are being removed from the UK each year following failed asylum bids.

Citing Home Office figures, Labour said only 16% of asylum seekers who arrived by small boat between 2018 and March 2023 have had their asylum cases decided.

The UK Government has applied a number of measures to make it less appealing to come to Britain via unauthorised routes.

Ministers are looking to move migrants out of hotels and into accommodation on barges and former military sites.

The Illegal Migration Act also allows for those arriving via small boats to be sent back to their country of origin or deported to Rwanda in east Africa.

However, flights destined for Kigali have yet to take off, with the policy currently awaiting an appeal decision in the courts.

A Home Office spokesman said: The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said Rishi Sunak had failed to get a grip on the small boats crisis (House of Commons/UK Parliament)

Our priority is to stop the boats, and our small boats operational command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.

The Government is going even further through our Illegal Migration Act which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: Sir Keir Starmer and his fellow lefty lawyers oppose any and every practical measure to stop the boats.

A vote for Labour would be a vote for more boats, more hotels and more pressure on public services.

Only the Conservatives have made stopping the boats a priority  our tough but fair approach means that if someone enters the UK illegally they will be detained immediately and removed to a safe country within weeks.

Labour said its plan to stop the boats would involve a cross-border police unit tasked with going after criminal smuggling gangs.

It said the new unit would crack down on trafficking, while millions of pounds of new investment would be ploughed into the National Crime Agency to address the migrant issue.

Officers would be based in the UK and throughout Europe to tackle the gangs across the continent, in collaboration with international allies and Europol, Labour officials said.
Almost half the pupils taking newly forged technical qualifications in health and science dropped out, according to analysis by the Labour Party.

The Opposition said the number of dropouts was placing the future of the healthcare workforce in England under threat as it accused the Conservative UK Government of bungling the rollout of T-levels and leaving the programme in chaos.

The Governments flagship technical qualification was introduced in 2020, with it considered to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels.

Labour pointed to Department for Education (DfE) data showing that 827 pupils completed T-level qualifications this year in the fields of health, healthcare science and science.

Using both DfE and House of Commons Library statistics, party analysts said about 1,510 people are thought to have enrolled on science and health-related courses in 2021, suggesting that about 55% completed their two-year study.

On Thursday, almost 3,500 students were awarded their T-level results in the second year that the qualification has been awarded.

Figures suggest around a third of T-level students quit their course during their studies.

The DfE said it was quite normal for students to switch courses after enrolment as they consider their future career options.

It comes after a review published in July by education watchdog Ofsted found students taking T-levels felt misled and ill-informed about the courses, with inspectors stating that teachers were struggling to set work that was challenging enough.

Labour said the T-level health and science non-completion rate came on top of a 13% drop in the number of students moving on to studying nursing at university.

Toby Perkins, the shadow skills minister, said: There is no NHS without its incredible nurses, who go above and beyond to care for us all.

Labour shadow skills minister Toby Perkins said T-levels were in chaos (Rick Findler/PA)

These figures are incredibly concerning for the future of the health service.

T-levels should be an important route for young people, but the Conservatives bungling has left the entire programme in chaos  with potentially disastrous consequences for the future healthcare workforce, given plans to bin BTEC qualifications.

Mr Perkins said a future Labour government would get the T-level programme working again and remove barriers to high quality vocational and technical training pathways.

Skills minister Robert Halfon told the PA news agency this week that he believed T-levels were going to be a world-beating vocational technical qualification, with the qualification becoming a new route into university.

Jennifer Coupland, chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, has said her organisation will be looking at the numbers of students switching courses.

A DfE spokeswoman said: In just their second year, T-levels are already showing their value, with several subjects, including health, delivering better progression opportunities for students than comparable qualifications.

It is quite normal for students to switch to different courses after enrolment as their decisions about potential future careers change.

We are working with providers to understand more about what can be done to improve retention and make T-levels even better for students.
Three men have been convicted after a 2 million vase stolen from a museum was recovered in a police sting operation.

The Chinese Ming Dynasty vase was stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2019.

But undercover police duped a would-be seller into handing it over in October 2021.

The vase, worth about 2 million, was stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva in June 2019 (Met Police/PA)

Mbaki Nkhwa, Kaine Wright and David Lamming have all now been convicted for their roles in the plot, the Metropolitan Police said.

Nkhwa, 47, of The Heights, Charlton, south London, and Wright, 26, of Heavitree Road, Woolwich, south London, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday, the force said.

Lamming, 31, of Belmont Park Close, Lewisham, south London, pleaded guilty to the same offence at a hearing in March, the force added.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, from the Mets specialist crime unit, said: These convictions are the result of four years work crossing international boundaries and involving collaboration between many internal and external partners.

The organised crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offences internationally and that there would be no comeback.

They were mistaken, highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries.

The white porcelain vase, which is actually a bottle of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, has an interesting tale over its hundreds of years and this is another chapter.

Im glad we were able to return it to its rightful owners.

An auction house tipped off police in July 2020 that an unknown person had emailed them to get a valuation for the stolen vase.

Detectives traced the IP address for the email account to Lammings south-east London home.

When the vase was offered for sale police posed as buyers, agreeing a price of 450,000.

Nkhwa later gave the vase to undercover officers at a meeting in a central London hotel and was arrested, the Met Police said.

Telephone data showed he and Lamming had been in regular contact with Wright, who had driven them to the hotel for the exchange.

Scotland Yard said its officers worked closely with Swiss authorities on the four-year investigation.

Three items from the Ming Dynasty were stolen during the 2019 break-in, estimated to be worth 3.5 million.

A bowl valued at 80,000 was sold at an auction house in Hong Kong in 2019 but was later returned to the museum.

Officers are now appealing for help to locate the third stolen item.

A reward of up to 10,000 is offered for information leading to the recovery of the Ming Dynasty cup.

Police have released an image of the stolen doucai style wine cup which features chicken decoration.

Anyone with information about its whereabouts is asked to call police on 101 referencing Operation Funsea.
Earlier this summer, Angela Laffin received a frantic phone call from her 19-year-old daughter, Victoria.

Shes screaming her head off, Angela tells TODAY.com. I couldnt understand a word she was saying. I was like, Were you in a car accident? Are you OK? And she goes, Me and Frank are brother and sister!'

Angela was confused  what on earth was Victoria talking about? This was hardly news.

I said to her, 'Of course youre brother and sister. I raised you, Angela recalls. And Vicky says, No, Mom. You dont understand, were biological siblings.

At first, Angela thought Victoria was just playing one of her famous pranks. But this was no joke. Victoria was reading the results of a DNA test.

adopted siblings find out they are biological (Courtesy Angela Laffin)

Victoria and Frank were adopted less than two years apart by Angela and Dennis Laffin, who are also parents to biological son Nick. After struggling with infertility and experiencing two devastating pregnancy losses, the couple, who live in New York, decided to grow their family through adoption.

In 2002, the Laffins adopted a newborn baby named Frank, who was found in a diaper bag on the doorstep of a daycare center on Staten Island. Frank was a very sweet baby, but he was allergic to most things in this world, according to Angela.

He never slept because he was up all night scratching, Angela says. We had to hold him all night so he wouldnt injure himself and wake up bloody.

The Laffin's agreed they had their hands full, and decided Frank would be their last child.

Haha, Angela says now.

When Angela phoned the adoption agency to close their home, she casually inquired about a baby who had been discovered in a bathroom stall at Richmond University Medical Center, formerly St. Vincent's Hospital, on Staten Island.

My caseworker was like, Why? Are you interested?' I said, Its a girl, right? She said, Yes. And I didnt need a second to think about it. I said, I want her. I didn't even call my husband!"

adopted siblings find out they are biological siblings (Courtesy Angela Laffin)

Today, Victoria is a 19-year-old college student studying psychology and creative writing. Frank, 20, hopes to become a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service. He also recently lost 80 pounds and is toying with the idea of opening a fitness center.

Theyve never given me a day of trouble, Angela says. "They've always been tight  they've always been friends. Frank, especially, has always been so protective of Vicky."

In July, Victoria and Frank received results from DNA tests they ordered to learn more about their family history.

We just sort of wanted to know where we came from, so we can could better connect to our cultures, Victoria tells TODAY.com. Frank for a really long time thought he was Puerto Rican  and it turns out hes not.

adopted siblings find out they are biological (Courtesy Angela Laffin)

The siblings are still processing the fact that they are biologically related, but say nothing about their relationship has changed.

I was shaking when I read the results. I was definitely emotional, Victoria says. The fact that Ive been living my entire life with my biological sibling and had no idea?

She notes that many people have been pointing out that they have similar facial features.

Were getting a lot of, You guys have the same smile. You have the same nose,'" Frank tells TODAY.com.

Frank, who has no photos of his biological parents, says he used to dream about having a child of his own blood.

I just wanted to know what they would look like, he reveals.

I never thought it would look like Vicky! he adds, with a laugh.

Though Frank wonders about his biological parents, he said he doesn't feel like anything is missing.

Shortly after Frank received his DNA results, he sent Angela a text that read, in part: "I love you and daddy ... that day I was left (was) the best day of my life because it led me to you two."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
GLENBROOK, Nevada (AP)  President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Nevada late Friday for more rest and relaxation.

The first couple is renting a private home on Lake Tahoe, the massive alpine lake that abuts California and Nevada and is a tourist attraction, particularly in the winter for its ski resorts.

The president flew there from Camp David, where he hosted a summit Friday with the leaders of South Korea and Japan.

The home in the Glenbrook community belongs to Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor. Steyer is an investor, climate activist and Democratic donor. He ran for president in 2020.

The Bidens are renting the home for fair market value, the White House said, and will spend about a week in the area.

The Bidens will halt their vacation for a day on Monday to visit Maui, where a wildfire ripped through the historic town of Lahaina and killed at least 114 people. They will meet with survivors, first responders, and local officials while surveying the damage.

Biden vacationed earlier this month at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he went on bike rides, visited beaches and went for a date night with the first lady to a showing of the blockbuster film Oppenheimer.

In previous summers, the Bidens have also vacationed on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and the first family spends their Thanksgiving on the resort island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. They traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands at the end of last year, staying there through the new year.

Once Biden returns to Washington, there will be no shortage of issues to tackle. The White House will spend much of September ensuring that a government shutdown will be avoided at the end of the month, while persuading lawmakers to pass a supplemental funding package that includes billions more for Ukraine as well as disaster aid.

In September, Biden also has the Group of 20 summit in India and the annual United Nations General Assembly on his plate.

The White House will also continue to aggressively promote Biden's legislative accomplishments under the umbrella of Bidenomics," focused on winning over more approval from voters as he campaigns for a second term in office.

Several members of Biden's family, including daughter Ashley and some of his grandchildren, accompanied the president and first lady on Air Force One to Nevada. His son Hunter, and Hunters wife Melissa Cohen, as well as their young son Beau were already at the rented home.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  A bystander and a suspect were killed, while three others were injured, in a firefight in Sta. Cruz, Manila Friday night between police officers and two motorcycle-riding individuals who were subjected to inspection, authorities reported.

The Manila Police District (MPD) on Saturday said the incident happened shortly before 10 p.m. after officers from the Tactical Motorcycle Rider Unit of the Meisic Police Station flagged down two armed individuals while conducting "Oplan Sita."

According to the MPD, the suspects "became unruly (and) uncooperative while alighting from their motorcycle during the verification."

It said the two "indiscriminately" fired at the officers, who then returned fire.

A bystander was hit by a stray bullet and was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead on arrival, police said. One of the suspects also died from gunshot wounds, while the other was injured.

Meanwhile, two police officers were hurt. One suffered a gunshot wound in the right eye, and the other in the left ear.
NEW YORK (AP)  A New York City drug dealer was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for providing The Wire actor Michael K. Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, causing his death.

Irvin Cartagena, 40, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams. Cartagena had pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to distribute drugs.

Williams overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment in September 2021. He died hours after authorities said he bought the heroin from Cartagena on a sidewalk in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood in a deal recorded by a security camera.

Williams famously portrayed Omar Little, the rogue robber of drug dealers, in HBO's The Wire, which ran from 2002 to 2008. In addition to his work on the critically acclaimed drama, Williams also starred in films and other TV series such as Boardwalk Empire.

Cartagena faced a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and could have faced up to 40 years behind bars.

I am very sorry for my actions, he said before the sentence was announced. When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.

Abrams noted that those who knew Cartagena said that he was helpful and humble and hard working when he was not using drugs himself.

I'm hopeful that with treatment, ... it will help you move forward on a more productive and law-abiding path, the judge said.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams noted that those who participated in the sale of drugs to Williams already knew that someone else had died from drugs they were peddling.

Prosecutors said Cartagena and others continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin in Manhattan and Brooklyn even after Williams died, although Cartagena eventually fled to Puerto Rico, where he was arrested in February 2022.

In a defense submission prior to sentencing, Cartagena's lawyer, Sean Maher, said his client was paid for his street sales in heroin to support his own use.

In a tragic instant, Mr. Cartagena was the one who handed the small packet of drugs to Mr. Williams  it easily could have been any of the other men who were there or in the vicinity selling the same drugs, Maher wrote. Sentencing Mr. Cartagena to double digits of prison time will not bring back the beautiful life that was lost.

Prosecutors in a presentence submission had requested a sentence of at least 12 years while the court's Probation Department had recommended a 20-year term after citing Cartagena's 14 prior convictions for drug-related crimes, including burglary, robbery and prison escape.

Abrams, though, said the recommendations were simply too high.

This sentence, while severe, is sufficient but not greater than necessary, she said.
The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are tracking a newly identified, highly mutated strain of COVID experts warn could be the next big leap in viral evolutionif the variant takes off.

The WHO last week announced that it had declared BA.2.86formerly referred to as BA.X and dubbed Pirola by variant trackers, after an asteroida variant under monitoring, the lowest of three levels of alert. High flying variants EG.5, XBB.1.5, and XBB.1.16 have been designated as variants of interest, of greater concern. Variant of concern persists as the highest level of alert.

WHO has designated #COVID19 variant BA.2.86 as a variant under monitoring today due to the large number of mutations it carries. So far, only a few sequences of the variant have been reported from a handful of countries.

 https://t.co/3tJkDZdY1V  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 17, 2023

Later that day, the CDC announced that it, too, was tracking the variant, and that it had been detected in the U.S.in Michigan, in addition to Israel and Denmark, where it had first been reported earlier in the week.

CDC is tracking a new lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19. This lineage is named BA.2.86, and has been detected in the United States, Denmark and Israel. CDC is gathering more information and will share more about this lineage as we learn it.  CDC (@CDCgov) August 18, 2023

The next day, the U.K. Health Security Agency (HSA) said that the variant had been identified in England, and that it was "assessing the situation." The patient ill with BA.2.86 is elderly and hospitalized, Raj Rajnarayananassistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., and a top COVID-variant trackertold Fortune. They have no recent travel history, according to a risk assessment for the variant published Friday by the agency.

A case of the COVID-19 variant BA.2.86 has been identified in the UK & a number of other countries. Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director, has said "We're aware that BA.2.86 has been detected in the UK. UKHSA is assessing the situation & will provide further information in due course."  UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) August 18, 2023

Unlike most circulating variants, which have evolved from Omicron spawn XBB, BA.2.86 is thought to have evolved from a much earlier strain of OmicronBA.2, which circulated in early 2022, or perhaps from the original Omicron, B.1.1.529, which spiked cases to record highs in late 2021 and early 2022.

And it appears to be vastly different from its predecessors. So far, most widely circulating Omicron variants feature a small handful of mutations that make them slightly different from the lastusually a bit more transmissible.

BA.2.86, on the other hand, features 30 or more mutations that separate it from other Omicronmutations with the potential to make it considerably more immune-evasive, and able to more easily infect cells, according to Jesse Bloom, a computational biologist at Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle, Wash., and top variant tracker.

That makes BA.2.86 as different from other Omicron strains as the first Omicron was from the original strain of COVID found in Wuhan in 2019, Bloom asserts in a widely cited presentation he posted online.

Because of this, Pirola has the potential to become the next variant the WHO awards a Greek letter tolikely Pi, hence the nickname.

What sets this one apart from the many other Omicron subvariants is that it exhibits a large number of mutations  far more than we usually see, Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario, told Fortune. Hes been assigning street names to high-flying variants since the WHO stopped assigning new Greek letters to them.

While only six (unrelated) casesand countingof the variant had been identified in four countries as of late Friday, sequencing worldwide is at an all-time low.

Its fairly likely its going undetected in some other countries, Gregory said.

The fact that the cases are geographically dispersed, with no travel history, "suggests there is established international transmission" that may have occurred only recently, the U.K. HSA said in its risk assessment. There may be a degree of community transmission in the U.K., it added.

Regarding BA.2.86, when @SolidEvidence uses the word "avalanche," it's not a good sign.

And here's the 30+  spike mutations (BA.2.86 vs XBB.1.5) from @RajlabN https://t.co/8UucaWlOaWhttps://t.co/m239bcQ2TB pic.twitter.com/f5f6at0iRO  Eric Topol (@EricTopol) August 18, 2023

The cases' wide spread and their significant similarities suggest that growth could be rapid, Ryan Hisnera top variant tracker who discovered the second and third identified cases, in Denmarktold Fortune.

But even if BA.2.86 does spread rapidly, it may not drive hospitalizations and deaths upward, Dr. Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine, points out.

Though the highly mutated variant is "quite divergent" from other known circulating strains, "it's unclear whether it will have a significant effect on the number of severe cases or our management/prevention strategies," he told Fortune.

BA.2.86's unusual origins

The unusual new variant might have equally unusual origins.

BA.2.86 likely developed in an immunocompromised patient with a long-term infection, multiple experts say. Such lengthy infections give the virus opportunity to repeatedly evolve and collect a large number of mutationsit's likely how Delta and Omicron came about.

But variants from immunocompromised patients rarely spread. That's why Hisner was taken aback when he spotted the variantfirst identified by tracker Shay Fleishon, with Israel's Ministry of Health, and his team, in Israelin Europe.

Because the infected Israeli patient wasn't immunocompromised, he knew that the variant had likely already made the leap from someone with a sub-par immune system to hosts with normal ones. Hisner wasn't sure when more sequences would appear, "but I figured we would see at least a few eventually," he said.

"But when they showed up in Denmark, I was really taken aback."

Can BA.2.86 out-compete leading variants?

Three main questions remain: how the variant's mutations will affect symptoms and severity, if it will take off anywhere (or everywhere), and how new XBB.1.5 COVID vaccinesslated for U.S. release in Septembermight hold up (in addition to our existing immunity).

The significant number of mutations in BA.2.86 portends significant changes in immune evasion, the U.K. HSA said in its Friday report. But immunity is broader than just antibodies, Bloom points out. While antibody immunity to COVID, from either infection or vaccination, lasts only three to six months on average, T-cell immunity is thought to last much longer.

"Even if a highly mutated new variant like BA.2.86 starts to spread, we will be in a far better place than we were in 2020 and 2021, since most people have some immunity" to COVID, he recently wrote.

Regardless of the vaccine's performance against it, treatments like COVID antiviral Paxlovid that don't target the virus's highly mutated spike protein should still work well, according to Rajnarayanan.

All scenarios are possible. But even if BA.2.86 were to take off in the U.S. or worldwide, "I'd be very surprised if things get as bad as they did in that first winter, or during the Delta era or that first BA.1 wave" in late 2021 and early 2022, Hisner said.

U.S. COVID deaths, hospitalizations continue upward trend

The CDC's latest U.S. COVID data on Friday showed a continued upward trend in hospitalizations, which saw a 14% rise from July 30-Aug. 5, the most recent period for which data was available. Deaths, too, were up8% from Aug. 6-12. "Eris" EG.5 lead sequenced domestic cases, comprising an estimated 20%, followed by "Fornax" FL.1.5.1, estimated to be responsible for 13% of cases.

Globally, reported COVID cases were up 63% from mid-July through mid-August compared to the month prior, the WHO said Thursday in a situation report. It cautioned that "reported cases do not accurately represent infection rates due to the reduction in testing and reporting globally."

During that time period, only 44% of countries reported any COVID infections to the WHOa number that could include countries that reported only one case.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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'Do not go to law school': This fund manager warns the legal field is in 'big trouble' as folks use ChatGPT for complex contracts. Is it time to consider the trades?

The legal services industry is in big trouble  at least thats what fund manager Geoff Lewis believes.

"I talk to folks who spend thousands of dollars a week on legal bills," he said in an interview on CNBC. "They're already using ChatGPT to generate complex contracts."

Lewis, the founder and managing partner of Bedrock Capital, is now offering young people some grim guidance: Do not go to law school.

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Hes not the only one concerned about the future of white-collar work. Highly educated professionals were found to be more exposed to automation tools than blue-collar workers with trade skills, according to a study recently conducted by ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

Interpreters and translators, for instance, had an exposure rate as high as 82.4%, meaning that as much as four-fifths of their job could potentially be performed more quickly with the help of AI.

The AI takeover

As for lawyers? The profession has exposure levels as high as 76%. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants could find themselves 100% exposed.

ChatGPT, for instance, can generate basic contracts, draft legal letters and even translate legalese to make it more understandable by non-lawyers.

In fact, an online service has already managed to automate several tasks that would traditionally be done by lawyers. DoNotPay helps users contest parking tickets, report tax fraud and a wide range of other services  all powered by AI.

The service costs just $36 for a two-month subscription. Compare that to the typical lawyers triple-digit hourly fee and you can see why this technology is so disruptive.

DoNotPays founder, Joshua Browder, says he received a barrage of threats from state bar associations when he suggested an attempt to take his robot lawyer into court earlier this year.

His team has postponed the idea for now, but the prospect of automation still looms over legal experts  which is why Lewis and others are steering young people away from pursuing that expensive law degree.

Read more: Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now use $100 to cash in on prime real estate  without the headache of being a landlord. Here's how

Pivot to blue collar?

Gaining skills in the trades could be a way to future-proof your finances in the long run. Consider the following factors:

Blue-collar jobs are not only difficult to fill, theyre also tough to automate. ChatGPT and other generative AI models are focused on data, analytics and skills like writing. It may take much longer to automate bricklaying, furniture manufacturing and electrical repairs.

A number of blue-collar trades jobs can pull in six-figure salaries, including HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, concrete masons and elevator mechanics, according to the Philadelphia Technician Training Institute.

So if you're a young person who still has decades left if being part of the workforce, it might be prudent to consider pivoting to a blue-collar profession.

What to read next

Worried about the economy? Here are the best shock-proof assets for your portfolio. (Theyre all outside of the stock market.)

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Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey invest in this asset to keep their wealth safe  you may want to do the same in 2023

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. border from Mexico soared 33% from June to July, according to U.S. government figures released Friday, reversing course after a plunge that followed the introduction of new asylum restrictions in May.

President Joe Biden's administration insisted that its carrot-and-stick approach of expanding legal routes while imposing more punitive measures on those who enter illegally is working. It noted that illegal crossings were still down 27% from July 2022 and were well below the days that preceded the new immigrations rules.

The increase from June to July was driven by a larger presence of families traveling with children  nearly doubling to 60,161 arrests.

Traffic shifted to highly remote and insufferably hot parts of Arizona, which officials blamed on false advertising by smugglers that it was easier to cross there and be released in the United States. The Tucson area registered 39,215 arrests in July to become the busiest of nine geographic sectors along the border, up 60% from June and more than double from July 2022. John Modlin, the Border Patrol's Tucson sector chief, has said several large groups were found the first weekend of August, including one of 533 people from 17 countries near the remote town of Lukeville.

We remain vigilant and continue to adjust our operational plans to maximize enforcement efforts against those individuals who do not use lawful pathways or processes, knowing that smugglers continue to use disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals, Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Friday.

The Border Patrol stopped migrants 132,652 times in July along the southern border, up from 99,545 times in June but down from 181,834 times in July 2022. Crossings were widely expected to increase after pandemic-related asylum restrictions ended May 11 but they fell in June to the second-lowest of Biden's presidency after new rules that make it extremely difficult to get asylum when crossing the border illegally.

The latest numbers also reflect a sharp increase in use of the government's CBP One mobile app through which up to 1,450 migrants can day get appointments at land crossings with Mexico to seek asylum. During July, authorities admitted more than 50,000 migrants at official crossings, including more than 44,700 with CBP One appointments.

U.S. authorities also admitted large numbers of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who have financial sponsors and arrived at an airport. Since the launch of humanitarian parole for those nationalities over the last year, more than 72,000 Haitians , 63,000 Venezuelans, 41,000 Cubans and 34,000 Nicaraguans had been vetted and authorized to come to the U.S. as of the end of July. Texas and other Republican-led states are challenging the program for those nationalities, with a trial scheduled next week in Victoria, Texas.

The U.S. faces heavy pressure from migration through South America, which had dropped slightly in May and June. Through July of this year, nearly 252,000 migrants crossed Panamas Darien Gap, the jungle-clad mountains separating Panama and Colombia. That exceeded what had been a record-setting total for 2022.

Venezuelans made up most of the migrants though Darien, at about 55% the first seven months of the year. Ecuadorians and Haitians accounted for much of the rest, with some migrants from Asia and Africa as well. Representatives of nongovernmental organizations and some United Nations agencies say that many of those crossing are unaware of U.S. policy changes or are receiving misinformation from migrant smugglers.

Panamas government recently expressed frustration with the rising number when it criticized neighboring Colombia for not doing more.

___

Associated Press writer Juan Zamorano in Panama City contributed.
ATLANTA  Law enforcement officials are anticipating that former President Donald Trump will surrender at a Fulton County, Georgia, jail no earlier than Thursday, three senior law enforcement officials who are familiar with the plan said.

These officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the plan, said they expect the surrender to happen late in the week. Plans are still being finalized and the sources stressed that nothing is official yet.

An attorney for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Trump and the other defendants were charged with racketeering and conspiracy in connection with the attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis gave Trump and the 18 other co-defendants until next Friday to surrender.

A spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday that all 19 defendants named in the indictment would be booked at the Rice Street jail.

Defendants "can turn themselves in at any time," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Following the deadline for surrender, Willis also proposed arraignments the week of Sept. 5 followed by a March 4 trial date in a filing earlier this week.

Amid his various legal challenges, Trump has repeatedly resisted proposals to begin trial ahead of the 2024 election.

In a court filing Thursday, his attorneys recommended delaying his federal trial on charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election until April 2026.

In a post Tuesday on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump argued that earlier trial dates amount to election interference and that the trials "should be brought after the 2024 Presidential Election."
Chad Michael Murray is returning to The CW! The first season of the One Tree Hill alum's latest drama, Sullivans Crossing, was picked up by the network following its premiere in Canada earlier this year.

The CW is a place where strong, character-driven family dramas shine and we couldnt have asked for a better home for Sullivan's Crossing, Lisa Honig, EVP of Distribution North America, Fremantle, said in a previous press release. We are thrilled to continue a strong partnership with them, especially around a series as genuine, compassionate and entertaining as this.

The series debuted on Canada's CTV in March, becoming "the highest-rated Canadian drama launch in over two years." Now, it's heading across the border for viewers in the U.S. to enjoy.

Before Lucas Scott, err we mean Chad Michael Murray is back on The CW, here is everything to know about the first season of Sullivans Crossing.

Freemantle

What is the Sullivan's Crossing release date?

Sullivan's Crossing will make its debut in the U.S. on Oct. 4.

How to watch Sullivan's Crossing

Tune into the drama on The CW.

What time will Sullivan's Crossing be on?

Sullivan's Crossing will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.

Who is in the Sullivan's Crossing cast?

The cast of the drama also includes a Gilmore Girls alum...

(L-R): Scott Patterson as Sully Sullivan and Morgan Kohan as Maggie Sullivan Freemantle

Morgan Kohan as Maggie Sullivan

Scott Paterson as Maggie's father, Sully Sullivan

Chad Michael Murray as Cal Jones

Andrea Menard as Edna Cranebear

Tom Jackson as Frank Cranebear

Related: Fans Go Wild After Chad Michael Murray's Wife Shares Shirtless Video of Him

How many episodes are in Season 1 of Sullivan's Crossing?

The first season has 10 episodes.

>>> Sign up for Parade's Daily newsletter and get the scoop on the latest TV news and celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox <<<

Is Sullivan's Crossing based on a book?

The series is based on Robyn Carr's book series, which includes five titles: What We Find, Any Day Now, The Family Gathering, The Best of Us and The Country Guesthouse.

What is Sullivan's Crossing about?

Sullivan's Crossing centers around a neurosurgeon named Maggie Sullivan who gets charged with negligence after her business partner is indicted for fraud. "Looking to distance herself from the fallout, Maggie decides to leave Boston and return to her childhood home of Sullivans Crossing, a rustic and remote campground set against the stunning coastline still run by her estranged father, Sully Sullivan," according to The CW.

"There, Maggie rekindles old friendships and builds new ones with the local residents, including a handsome newcomer, Cal Jones (Chad Michael Murray), who only serves to complicate her life further. As Maggie works on clearing her name and reputation, she is forced to confront her painful past, as she attempts to reconnect with a side of herself she had long forgotten."

Will there be a second season of Sullivan's Crossing?

Yes! The series was picked up for a second season prior to its premiere on The CW.

We cant wait to bring Sullivan's Crossing to our viewers this fall, and we are so confident that audiences are going to fall in love with it that we have committed early to a second season, Schwartz has previously said. As partners for season two, we cannot wait to work alongside this talented cast and excellent creative team to deliver another emotionally captivating season. Audiences can give their hearts to this show knowing that it is coming back for much, much more.

Next, Find Out If Your Favorite Show Is Coming Back or Canceled with Our Fall TV 2023 Guide!
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie hit against former President Trumps comments about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putins after the former president claimed he was the apple of his eye.

Just yesterday, Donald Trump [said] he was the apple of Putins eye, Christie said Saturday in an interview with conservative radio host Erick Erickson at an event in Atlanta. I have to tell you the truth, I dont want to be the apple of Vladimir Putins eye.

Christie, also the former governor of New Jersey, was referring to Trumps remarks during an interview on Fox Business where the former president claimed Putin would have never gone into Ukraine if Trump was president, pointing to his seemingly positive relationship with Russian president.

The Christie administration would stand up for our friends around the world and work with them, he said. We would expect friendship in return, but those are big things, consequential things.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

Earlier this month, Christie made a surprise visit to Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, solidifying his support of continued U.S. aid to the embattled country. Unlike some of his GOP counterparts, he has vowed to expand the nations aid to Ukraine if elected president.

The former governor, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016 and has emerged this cycle one of the former presidents most outspoken critics, said Saturday that the U.S. Navy is most desperately underprepared, and lacks the number of necessary modernized ships and submarines.

Since [former President] Barack Obama, we have allowed that submarine force to deteriorate, Christie said. We need to reinvest in it because now, were not looking at a land war in Russia. The Russian army has shown their inability to beat Ukraine, I dont think theyre looking to pick a fight with us tomorrow. Its China.

Christie also argued that the deployment of submarines in the South China Sea will serve as an effective deterrent to Chinese aggression.

If we let the Chinese do that kind of domination game, because were unprepared or unwilling, to deter them, then they will not stop there, Christie said, while also calling for the modernization of the U.S. Air Force.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
MIAMI -- Lolita, the killer orca whale who has been in captivity for at least five decades, has died as officials were preparing to send her back to her home waters, the Miami Seaquarium said Friday in a social media post.

The attraction said Toki, who is also known by her Native American name of Tokitae, or "Toki," had been showing "serious signs of discomfort" over the past two days before she died sometime Friday afternoon.

In a Facebook post, the Miami Seaquarium said she died from what was believed to be a renal condition.

Lolita The Killer Whale performs at The Miami Seaquarium (Lisa Cilli/CBS4)

"Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family," the Seaquarium post said. "Those of us who have had the honor and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit."

Others also expressed their grief over the whale's passing.

"Alongside the many Miamians who grew up visiting her, the generations of activists around the world that were inspired by her story, and the caretakers who remained dedicated to her until the end - today, we say our final goodbye to our beloved Toki," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a written statement. "Our collective wish was to see Toki in her native waters and we are heartbroken to learn of this sudden loss."

A group of protesters arrived at the Seaquarium with shirts and signs to indicate their opposition to the whale's captivity.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a written statement shortly after the attraction announced the whale's death.

"Kind people begged the Miami Seaquarium to end Lolita's hellish life in a concrete cell and release her to a seaside sanctuary, where she could dive deep, feel the ocean's currents, and even be reunited with the orca believed to be her mother, but plans to move her to a seaside sanctuary came too late, and Lolita was denied even a minute of freedom from her grinding 53 years in captivity," President Ingrid Newkirk said. "PETA urges families to honor Lolita's memory by never visiting marine parks and is calling on the Seaquarium to continue with plans to send the dolphin who was Lolita's tankmate to a sea sanctuary, along with all of the other dolphins, before the death toll rises."

Chopper 4 over the tank holding Lolita the killer whale after she died Aug. 18, 2023 at the Miami Seaquarium. / Credit: CBS News Miami

Lolita was believed to be at least 57 years old, making her the oldest killer whale living in captivity.



She was caught on Aug. 8, 1970, in Penn Cove, Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington when she was about 4 years old. She was later sold to the Miami Seaquarium. When she first arrived, she lived alongside another orca named Hugo for about 10 years, but he died in 1980.



For years, animal rights groups have wanted Lolita moved to "a protected cove sea pen," where she could be transitioned to the ocean.

In late March, county officials announced a plan to release her from captivity during a news conference.

"The most important thing is Toki's long-term wellbeing, and together, guided by the experts, we will continue to do what's best for her," Levine Cava said at the time. "This is such a special creature who is loved by so many people around the world. So many are concerned about her well-being after decades of being in a small tank. Here we are looking at the real possibility that she will spend the rest of her life in nature's waters and live freely."

Under the terms of the deal, the Seaquarium had approved a "binding agreement" with Friends of Lolita, a non-profit group co-founded by environmentalist Pritam Singh, to free the whale.

Edward Albor, chairman of The Dolphin Company, which manages the Miami attraction, said in a written statement at the time that officials hoped the relocation will occur in the next 18 to 24 months.

Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort, which her full Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Toki medical team began treating immediately and aggressively. Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon... pic.twitter.com/hx79OhGn2O  Miami Seaquarium (@MiamiSeaquarium) August 18, 2023



The deal to release the whale was underwritten by a "generous contribution" from Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, officials said.

150 years of Levi's 501 denim jeans

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There's no place like home
The Biden campaign on Friday seized on reports that Donald Trump will skip the first GOP primary debate in Wisconsin, arguing the state is a symbol of the former presidents failed leadership.

Of course Donald Trump wants to avoid appearing in Wisconsin because he knows Wisconsin is a state that illustrates his failed leadership, Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement.

Just this week, Foxconn announced another move out of the state. Wisconsinites soundly rejected his ongoing efforts to ban abortion in the states Supreme Court election earlier this year, Munoz said. He cannot hide from the fact that Wisconsinites rejected him in 2020, and will reject the MAGA agenda again in 2024.

The Biden campaign statement came hours after The New York Times reported that Trump has told advisers he will skip next weeks GOP debate in Milwaukee and instead may sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

A Trump campaign spokesperson said nothing had been confirmed yet.

The Biden campaign is teaming up with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to run a new, aggressive paid media campaign, around the debate next week, according to officials. The DNC will also launch a billboard campaign across Milwaukee, the site of the debate, including three standing billboards and a billboard truck that will circle the debate venue.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  An innocent life of 17-year-old Jemboy Baltazar, who was just cleaning his fishing boat, was taken by members of the Navotas police in a snap after he was mistakenly killed on Aug. 2.

The incident happened six years after the death of then Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos, who was killed by Caloocan policemen in an anti-drug operation in 2017.

Here's the timeline of events before and after Baltazar's death:

August 2, Wednesday

More than 20 Navotas police officers reportedly arrived on Babanse Street in Phase 1C around 1:30 pm., looking for an alleged murder suspect.

A few moments later, someone told them that the alleged suspect was on the boat where Jemboy Balatazar and his friend Mario were, cleaning their fishing boat.

Even though the police officers failed to verify the target, they opened fire at Baltazar.

Police later on realized that Baltazar was not the suspect they were hunting down and declared it a case of mistaken identity.

August 7, Monday

Remains of Baltazar were brought home to his family and friends in Navotas. They started Jemboy's wake in front of their house. Reports about his death started to circulate on social media.

The casket of JM Canlas, younger brother of actors Jerom and Elijah Canlas and who recently passed away, was donated to Baltazar.

August 9, Wednesday

The six personnel of the Navotas police involved in the killing were relieved from their posts.

Navotas City police chief Col. Allan Umipig said the six are facing homicide and administrative complaints for killing Baltazar.

August 10, Thursday

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announced that the mother of Baltazar will be repatriated from Qatar.

The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration also said they will jointly provide 100,000 financial assistance to the family and will shoulder the funeral and burial expenses of Baltazar.

August 11, Friday

Baltazar's mother arrived in the country.

The National Police District confirmed that personnel of the Navotas City Police Station Sub-Station 4, except for those with vital administrative functions, have been relieved following Baltazar's death. The NPD said they will undergo a "comprehensive re-training and refresher course."

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos also called on the Philippine National Police to revisit its standard operating procedure to avoid similar incidents.

August 14, Monday

Policemen involved in the killing of Baltazar were unable to present footage from their body cameras during the incident, according to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Melencio Nartatez.

On the same day, Abalos clarified that the uninvited police visit to forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun's office over the weekend is no cause for alarm.

Fortun is known to investigate the cases of suspected victims of extrajudicial killings.

Members of the Baltazar family were also alarmed when Navotas cops in civilian clothes visited Baltazar's wake.

Umipig argued that the policemen did not wear their uniform to remain inconspicuous.

August 15, Tuesday

Umipig was relieved from his post. The NCRPO cited irregularity and neglect of duty on the part of the PNP personnel as none of them used body cameras during the incident.

It added that the police involved failed to justify the use of firearms and observe proper procedure during armed confrontations.

The Philippine National Police's Internal Affairs Service also ordered the filing of charges against Umipig and 11 more officers over the fatal shooting of Baltazar.

The Navotas police chief 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 procedure.

August 16, Wednesday

Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and Senator Risa Hontiveros have filed separate resolutions seeking an investigation into the death of Baltazar.

Hontiveros' Senate Resolution 742 will also cover laws, rules, and regulations on police engagement, use of firearms, and criminal liability of police officers.

Pimentel, meanwhile, cited in his Senate Resolution 736 that the use of firearms by the police is only justified if the offender poses imminent danger of causing death or injury to the officer or other persons.

None of which justified Baltazar's death.
(Reuters) - After meeting at Camp David on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke to reporters from all three countries for about an hour, delivering prepared remarks and answering questions.

The following are some highlights:

US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

"This has been a great, great meeting ... This is a new era of partnership between Japan and the Republic of Korea and the United States."

"I want to recognize the important work that both of you have done and the political courage, and I mean this sincerely, the political courage that you both have demonstrated to resolve difficult issues that have stood in the way for a long time a close relationship between Japan and Korea, and with the United States."

"Together we're going to stand up for international law."

On Russia's invasion of Ukraine: "If we stood still what signal would that send to China about Taiwan?"

Putin's justification for the February 2022 invasion was "just ridiculous ... He talked about being Peter the Great."

JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER FUMIO KISHIDA

"This has been a precious opportunity for myself to further deepen the relationship of trust and confidence."

Speaking of Camp David: "It is a huge honor to have printed a fresh page in its history with this meeting."

"Unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas are continuing and nuclear and missile threats of North Korea is only becoming ever larger."

"We also agreed to work together through the Indo-Pacific dialogue and the development of cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, and in particular to coordinate capacity building support in the domain of maritime security, particularly with regard to ASEAN and Pacific Island countries."

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL

"From this moment on Camp David will be remembered as a historic place where the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity, based on our shared values of freedom, human rights and rule of law."

"Any provocations or attacks against any one of our three countries will trigger a decision making process of this trilateral framework and our solidarity will become even stronger and harder."

On the Fukushima nuclear power plant water release: "I would like to make sure that everything is conducted and carried out in accordance with the procedures established by the IAEA."

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Hyonhee Shin and Eric Beech; Editing by Heather Timmons and Grant McCool)
By Casey Hall and Ben Blanchard

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry but widely expected response to Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei.

Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president in elections in January, returned from the United States on Friday. He officially made only stopovers on his way to and from Paraguay but gave speeches while in the U.S.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government.

The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command, said in a brief statement it was carrying out joint naval and air combat readiness patrols around the island.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 42 Chinese aircraft and eight ships involved in drills around the island from Saturday morning and that it had deployed ships and aircraft in response.

Twenty-six Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the 100-km (60-mile) wide Taiwan Strait, or areas beyond each end of the line, the ministry said in a statement. For decades, the line served as an unofficial barrier between the two militaries.

The PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it was holding joint exercises and training of naval and air forces, focussing on ship-aircraft coordination, seizing control and anti-submarine drills to the north and southwest of Taiwan to test the forces' "actual combat capabilities".

"This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke," it said.

'NORMAL DIPLOMATIC INTERACTIONS'

The command released video footage purportedly taken on Saturday, showing J-16 and J-10 fighter jets and a naval destroyer on patrol.

In text accompanying the footage, set to a thumping orchestral score, it said the drills were to "test the actual combat capabilities of joint operations of forces in the theatre".

Equipment deployed included destroyers, frigates and fast attack missile boats as well as fighters, early warning and jamming aircraft that "assembled in a predetermined area", it said, without giving details.

The forces carried out "omnidirectional encirclement of the island", the command said.

Taiwan's government strongly condemned the drills, with the defence ministry saying it had the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

The government's Mainland Affairs Council, which makes Taiwan's China policy, urged Beijing to stop its intimidation and start talks, saying Taiwan's people were determined to defend themselves and would never succumb to threats of force.

"The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign country and has a legitimate and legal right to conduct normal diplomatic interactions with friendly countries," it added in a statement, using the island's formal name.

Taiwanese officials had said China was likely to conduct military exercises near the island this week, using Lai's U.S. stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year's presidential election and make them "fear war".

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, that China has made it clear it wanted to shape the island's election, but it was up to Taiwan's people to decide, "not the bully next door".

"Look, China should hold its own elections; Im sure its people would be thrilled," he added.

Taiwan's defence ministry released a short video of undated footage showing Taiwanese forces at sea, on city streets and across the countryside. Also set to orchestral music, the video was titled "firmly defend the defend national sovereignty and protect democratic freedom and people's security!"

Hours before the drills, U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David to deepen defence and economic cooperation, while reaffirming "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community."

'FEAR WAR'

The full extent of Saturday's manoeuvres was not immediately clear, and there was no sign of alarm on the streets of Taiwan, which has long been used to China's threats.

"I don't think there will be war, I am unafraid," said university student Chou Yu-hsuan, 20.

Regional defence attaches and analysts were scrutinising the scale and intensity of the operations, seeking to gauge them against intensive Chinese war games in August 2022 and April this year.

After the then-speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei last year, China's military fired missiles over Taiwan, some landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone, and staged naval drills around the island in what Taiwanese officials described as preparations for a full invasion.

The April drills came after President Tsai Ing-wen met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a stopover in California.

A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning told Reuters that unlike in April, China had not named the current drills and had waited until after the Camp David summit to carry them out in a sign that China wants to "reduce direct confrontation" with the international community.

China has a particular dislike of Lai for his previous comments that he was a "practical worker for Taiwan independence". On the campaign trail, however, he has pledged to keep the status quo and repeatedly offered talks with Beijing.

Beijing's confirmation of drills was accompanied by a volley of state press articles condemning Lai, with the official Xinhua news agency branding him "Lai the liar".

Shortly before the military's announcement, the Taiwan Work Office of China's ruling Communist Party said Lai's U.S. stopovers were "a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves".

The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

(Reporting by Casey Hall and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Fabian Hamacher in Taipei, and Yimou Lee; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by William Mallard and Kim Coghill)
Chinas military launched joint air and sea patrols around Taiwan this weekend as leaders from the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a landmark summit at Camp David aimed at shoring up their alliances.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Shi said the exercises would test the Chinese militarys ability to fight in real combat conditions.

The patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, Shi added.

Chinas ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing, democratic island of Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it. It has vowed to take control of the island, by force if necessary.

The patrols come a week after Chinas foreign minister condemned Taiwans vice president and presidential candidate William Lai as a troublemaker through and through for passing through the US en route to Paraguay  Taiwans only diplomatic ally in South America. China sees trips to the US by Taiwans leaders as undermining its claims to sovereignty over the island.

The military drills also come as US President Joe Biden hosts the leaders of South Korea and Japan for a historic trilateral summit that has been undergirded by the three countries mutual concern over China.

Meeting at Camp David on Friday, the three leaders agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation and condemned Beijings dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

On Saturday, after China announced the drills around Taiwan, the defense ministry in Taipei condemned Beijing for what it said was irrational and provocative behavior.

The ministry said it would dispatch troops in response to defend the freedom of democracy and the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Launching a military exercise under such pretext not only doesnt help the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (Chinas) militaristic mentality and reinstates the domineering nature of military expansion, the ministry said.

China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent months, sending warplanes and warships toward it on an increasingly regular basis.

Incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwans air defense identification zone, a self-declared buffer zone beyond its territorial airspace, take place almost daily.

Taiwans defense ministry said the Chinese Communist Party was damaging regional security with this continued harassment.

It added that in the face of repeated advances by Chinas army, all officers and soldiers of the national army are ready to fight, uphold the strong will of preparing for war, not seeking war, responding to war, not avoiding war, and have the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

On Tuesday, Chinas defense minister Li Shangfu warned against playing with fire when it comes to Taiwan in a veiled jab at the United States when he addressed a security conference in Russia.

While the US has no formal ties with Taiwan, it is one of its strongest international backers and weapons suppliers.

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By Trevor Hunnicutt and Hyonhee Shin

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made several pledges in an historic Camp David meeting, and issued sharp rebukes to China and Russia:

CHINA'S 'DANGEROUS AND AGGRESSIVE' ACTIONS

The leaders issued a sharply worded joint statement about Beijing's actions in the South China Sea, where China has claimed territory that according to international law, belongs to other countries, and said recently it plans military drills. "Regarding the dangerous and aggressive actions we recently witnessed by the People's Republic of China in support of its illegal maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea, we ... strongly oppose any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific waters," the statement said.

A NEW ALLIANCE ON 'CAMP DAVID' PRINCIPLES

The three leaders presented the meeting as the beginning of a new, permanent alliance pitching their liberal democracies against administrations that do not follow international law or respect human rights.

They said they would have annual meetings with top leaders, foreign ministers and other top officials, and a new communication channel that Biden referred to as a "hotline."

A set of shared principles stresses respect for the rule of law and the U.N. Charter, and promised to act on human rights abuses and climate changes.

RUSSIA'S 'BRUTAL' WAR, ENERGY

The three pledged to "stand with Ukraine against Russias unprovoked and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order," and to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, impose sanctions on Russia and accelerate their "reduction of dependency on Russian energy."

MILITARY COOPERATION

The three countries will agree to "significant steps" to enhance security cooperation among them, including a commitment to consult each other in times of crisis, they said in a joint statement.

They include a multi-year military exercise plan that will be held on an annual basis, Kishida told reporters after the meeting, and deeper coordination and integration on ballistic missile defense.

A SUPPLY CHAIN 'EARLY WARNING' SYSTEM

The three countries agreed to set up an "early warning system," the joint statement said, that will share information and coordinate on "possible disruptions to global supply chains as well as to better prepare us to confront and overcome economic coercion."

It will alert nations to production shortages of goods like batteries and critical minerals, Biden told reporters.

NORTH KOREA THREATS

The three leaders spoke forcefully in remarks to reporters about the nuclear and other threats of North Korea, and said they would cooperate to counter them.

The three will also counter "potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine" by North Korea, Biden said.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt at Camp David and Hyonhee Shin in Seoul; writing by Heather Timmons; editing by Grant McCool and David Gregorio)
A man who says he was injured during a November 2022 shooting that killed rapper Takeoff in Houston, Texas, is suing the venue where the incident happened, alleging the establishment failed to provide adequate security to protect guests at the event, among other claims.

Others being sued as part of the suit include the owners and managers of 810 Houston, a billiards and bowling venue. CNN previously reported Takeoff, who was one-third of the platinum-selling rap group Migos, was shot and killed outside a private event at the Houston venue.

A news release from one of the law firms representing plaintiff Joshua Washington says he was working as personal assistant to Takeoffs uncle and bandmate Quavo when he attended the event and was hit by stray bullets during the shooting, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges Washington and his friends were at the venue for an event on November 1, 2022 when a group of people started trying to intimidate a well-known artist/musician and his group of friends (which included Plaintiff Washington).

The lawsuit says Washingtons group decided to leave and started to walk away when he heard gunfire, which came from two people in front of the venue.

Washington was hit in the side by stray bullets, around an inch from his colon, the lawsuit claims.

He was then forced to run down three flights of stairs with his injury and ultimately had to make his own way to the hospital, according to the court filing.

According to the lawsuit, the venue knew the event would require additional security but did not put any in place.

Defendants were informed that the event required extra security and would draw a large crowd, many of whom could be celebrities which in itself presents unique and advanced security considerations, none of which were taken.

In addition to their alleged failure to enhance security ahead of the event, the defendants displayed gross negligence by failing to provide screening and available deterrence, such as a metal detector, for those entering the premises with firearms or other weapons, the lawsuit states.

CNN has reached out to the venue and all other defendants but none immediately responded.

According to the lawsuit, Washington is seeking more than $250,000 but less than $1 million in damages due to the injuries he suffered, the loss of future earnings and the costs of his medical care.

Hes being represented by two lawyers, including civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers.

This shooting was a tragedy, Sellers said. But it was a preventable tragedy.

A grand jury in Harris County, Texas, indicted 33-year-old Patrick Clark on a murder charge in May in connection with the shooting death of Takeoff, as CNN previously reported. Clarks lawyer contends he is not guilty.

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Two wildfires in Spokane County, Washington have burned more than 20,000 acres and left at least two people dead, officials say.

As of Sunday night, the Oregon Road Fire and the Gray Fire had each burned more than 10,000 acres, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Both fires have been burning since Friday and are at 10% containment. Portions of both areas remain under evacuation orders and alerts.

One person died as a result of the Oregon Road Fire in Spokane County, sheriffs spokesman Mark Gregory said Sunday night. Another death was reported in the nearby Gray Fire on Saturday.

The Gray Fire is burning near the area of Medical Lake and Four Lakes. The department says it does not appear there will be more fire growth in those areas, though it warned hazards within the burned areas remain.

Problematic weather on Saturday hindered firefighting efforts for the Gray Fire, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said.

The fire caused two medical facilities to shelter in place, and some residents were asked to evacuate.

The blaze damaged at least 185 structures and resulted in power outages in parts of Medical Lake, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

The Gray Fire was initially reported in the neighborhood of Lakeland Village, southwest of Medical Lake Friday afternoon, the county fire district said. Authorities activated aircraft to respond to the fire, the fire district noted.

Spokane County declared a state of emergency by Saturday afternoon, the Department of Natural Resources said.

There are 390 fire personnel working on the Oregon Road Fire, the department said Sunday. The cause remains under investigation.

Were looking at almost 8,300 acres of fire involved. Weve had numerous structures lost, said Spokane County Fire Chief Bill Neckels.

Officials urged residents to honor evacuation orders, noting not doing so could hinder the emergency response.

Two nearby state-operated medical facilities, Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center, were asked to shelter in place, Norah West, assistant director of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, told CNN.

This is an emerging situation and we are working to confirm details on the ground, West added.

Medical Lake is about 15 miles southwest of Spokane.

As of August 20, more than 93 wildfires are ongoing nationwide, having burned more than a half million acres in at least 14 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

CNNs Andy Rose, Joe Sutton and Ashley R. Williams contributed to this report.

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At least seven people died including a six-year-old girl and nearly 130 others injured after a Russian missile strike hit a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Saturdays strike  in a city close to the Russian border and far from the frontlines  hit a university and a theater, where an event involving drone manufacturers was taking place.

The girl killed died from her injuries in hospital, Ukraines Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said.

Her mother is in grave condition. The police officers provided first aid to the girl. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save her upon arrival at the hospital due to a heavy blood loss, he added.

Klymenko said the strike happened while people were leaving church with baskets of blessed apples. Saturday is a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar: for The Feast of the Transfiguration, apples and honey are consecrated in churches.

An emergency service worker stands at the site of a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv. - Vladyslav Savenok/Reuters

The aftermath of a Russian missile strike. - Vladyslav Savenok/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss.

A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater.

Oleksandr Lomako, acting mayor of Chernihiv city, told national TV: There is a park right behind the drama theater, many children and their parents usually spend time there. There are numerous restaurants with outdoor terraces located nearby as well. It all happened in the middle of the day when obviously there are many people in the city center.

This crime cannot be interpreted except as a war crime against civilians.

Klymenko is calling for an investigation into a drone event that was underway in the theater during the attack. Drones have been used by both sides throughout the conflict.

A co-organizer of the event, Maria Berlinska, said it was officially approved by the local military-civilian administration and that the location was provided by authorities. The venue was only disclosed hours before the event for security reasons.

Berlinska described it as a closed meeting of engineers, military and volunteers on military tech for the frontline.

Prior to the outbreak of war, Chernihiv was a vibrant city of 300,000 people. Now, many parts of it have turned to wasteland amid repeated Russian bombardment.

The city came under siege from Russian forces at the start of the invasion in March 2022, and was cut off from electricity and running water. Russia troops began withdrawing from the region later that month, although shelling of Chernihiv continued.

Following the siege, the citys mayor described Chernihiv as about 70% destroyed.

Putin meets generals

The attack comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited generals overseeing the Ukraine offensive in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia on Saturday, according to the Kremlin.

Putin spoke with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, commanders of sectors, and other senior officers of the group, according to the Kremlin.

Rostov-on-Don, which is close to the border with Ukraine, was a focal point of the Wagner private military groups short-lived rebellion in June.

Meanwhile, Zelensky is in Sweden where he is meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Carl XVI, Queen Silvia, and other parliamentary officials.

In a joint press conference between Zelensky and Kristersson on Saturday afternoon, the Ukrainian leader said they are discussing the next steps for Ukraine to obtain Gripen fighter jets from Sweden.

Today we discussed Gripen aircraft, the pride of Sweden. I am confident that Gripen aircraft can make our freedom much more secure, Zelensky told journalists.

CNNs Benjamin Brown contributed reporting.

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TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain (Reuters) -Thousands more people were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Saturday as a wildfire raging in the north of the island remained out of control, but the flames have so far avoided major tourist areas.

The Canary Islands emergency services said more than 26,000 people had been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, according to provisional estimates, a sharp rise from 4,500 on Friday. Some 11 towns are now affected.

Fierce flames lit up the night sky overnight, and on Saturday helicopters were seen dropping water on areas close to homes where smoke was billowing into the air.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous national park around the Mount Teide volcano - Spain's highest peak - amid hot and dry weather.

More evacuations were ordered on Saturday morning due to worsening weather overnight, including a rise in temperatures and stronger winds, regional leader Fernando Clavijo told a press conference.

He said thick smoke was hampering efforts to extinguish the fire from the air.

Some 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) have been burned so far with a perimeter of 50 km (30 miles).

The fire was at a scale that has never been seen before in the Canary Islands, Tenerife Council President Rosa Davila told reporters.

She said the priority was to "protect people's lives".

The blaze has not destroyed any homes so far, she added, citing the fire brigade.

In La Victoria, in the north-west of the island, some people who had been evacuated were receiving medical help.

"The night before we arrived, we had a pretty bad time. Everything was burning... the roofs were full (of ash)," Paulina Fernandez, 58, told Reuters.

A major concern for many evacuees was their animals. Some were forced to leave them at home, while Reuters footage showed others leading their horses to safety.

The island's popular tourist areas have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally.

Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe, including in Spain's La Palma island in July, and Canada. Blazes on Hawaii's Maui island earlier this month killed more than 110 people and wrecked the historic resort city of Lahaina.

Scientists say climate change has led to more frequent and more powerful extreme weather events.

(Reporting by Nacho Doce and Jessica Jones, Writing by Jessica Jones; editing by Clelia Oziel)
(CNN)  Four national authorities and the European Unions border patrol agency Frontex failed to make sufficient efforts to prevent the deaths of dozens of migrants off West Africa, despite being warned about the boat weeks before, a Spanish human rights NGO alleged Friday.

At least 60 people are presumed dead after the boat was rescued off the coast of Cape Verde, the International Organization on Migration (IOM) told CNN on Thursday. Non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) put the death toll at 92, adding it believed 130 people were on board the boat when it left Senegal.

Family members of some of those on board had contacted Caminando Fronteras on July 20, saying that they were worried as their relatives had left Senegal for the Canary Islands 10 days earlier and not reached land, according to the organizations founder and director, Helena Maleno Garzon.

Garzon told CNN that Caminando Fronteras informed the authorities of Spain, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco of the situation on July 20.

Survivors explained that they had run out of oil and didnt have enough food and water. The people died one by one. If [the authorities] had stayed and looked for them, nobody would have died, Garzon said.

Garzon further alleged that the European Unions border patrol agency Frontex is active in the region, cooperating with the Senegalese and Mauritanian navies. She claimed that while the patrol ships look for boats in the area and monitor migrant routes, they do not provide assistance when required.

The political Europe left people to die. Its simple. If you dont look for them or save them, thats what happens, Garzon added.

In a previous statement, Caminando Fronteras said it was aware that search efforts have indeed been made, although we consider that they have not been sufficient. The NGO said that boats could easily get lost or drift away on the route and it had asked for greater search resources that could have saved more lives, but with no response from the authorities.

CNN reached out to the relevant authorities in Spain, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania and Frontex for comment but has not yet received a response.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Barack Obama, mindful of the urgent power of a president's words, liked to say he was guarded with his language because anything he said could send troops marching or markets tumbling.

His successor, Donald Trump, showed no such restraint.

Now Trump is facing dozens of criminal charges in four separate indictments, two ofthem anchored in the Republican's lie that he did not lose the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. And Trump's propensity for falsehoods and his right to utter them is at the core of his legal defense.

Though the U.S. presidency is vested with many overt powers, one of the most important is implicit  the power of rhetoric. It is used often as a call to action, to rally Americans for a mission abroad, to comfort a grieving public after tragedy or to sacrifice for a greater good.

Scholars like me who study presidential rhetoric, presidential communication, they call it essentially a second Constitution, said Jennifer Mercieca, a communications scholar at Texas A&M University. Having presidents communicate directly to the public changed the complete balance and separation of powers without having a new constitutional convention. It made the president the center of our political system.

Trump, in effect, is arguing that his words as president carried no special force and he was simply exercising his free speech rights.

Most presidents have a sense of the importance of language  of the written word, of the spoken word, said Wayne Fields, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and an expert on presidential rhetoric. Some of them are not particularly good at it themselves, but they rarely are quite so dismissive of it as Trump has been.

Lawyers for the former president, who now is facing criminal charges in courtrooms stretching from Miami to New York, have made clear that Trump's free speech rights will form the foundation of their defense in the Jan. 6 case. John Lauro, one of the lawyers, characterized to CNN that special counsel Jack Smith's case was very, very unusual, outside-of-the-bounds criminal prosecution of First Amendment rights.

But Smith anticipated that argument when he began to outline Trump's alleged wrongdoing in the federal indictment over Trump's culpability in the Capitol riot. On the second page of the document, prosecutors stressed that Trump was free to, essentially, lie: The defendant had a right, like every American, to speak publicly about the election and even to claim, falsely, that there had been outcome-determinative fraud during the election and that he had won.

Instead, Smith argued in the indictment, it is Trump's conduct, not merely his words, that constituted prosecutable offenses.

That distinction could prove critical given that Trump abandoned so many of the basic tenets of presidential communication during his time in office.

An incorrect phrasing or an offhand comment can move markets or make the phone lines at the State Department blow up. This is really the first thing you learn when you come to the White House, said Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's White House communications director. Anything out of the presidents mouth or even a tweet from the White House account has tremendous power.

That level of language discipline, Pfeiffer said, was a huge transition from the campaign for Obama and all of us.

It's hard to deny how powerful a president's direct words can be, although that was not always the case. Mercieca said until the early 20th century, presidents rarely spoke to the public. A leader's comments were primarily intergovernmental and often done in written form.

But that began to change with President Theodore Roosevelt, as well as President Woodrow Wilson, who revived the practice of delivering the annual State of the Union in person to Congress after more than a century of presidents sending lawmakers a written update. The explosion in direct contact between presidents and the public shifted the center of political gravity to the White House, supplanting Congress's role as a direct representative of voters.

I think that the bully pulpit is one of the more unique tools that is available to a president that other branches of government or government officials cant utilize in the same way, presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky said. Because it is a powerful tool, presidents have to wield it carefully and with great thought and intention.

Fields said President Dwight Eisenhower paid special care to how his words were being translated abroad, as did President Ronald Reagan, whose speechwriters were well aware how his rhetoric was being heard in the former Soviet Union. Domestically, Roosevelt used his platform to push his environment and conservation agenda. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt later used his trademark fireside chats to communicate with an anxious public through the Great Depression and World War II.

Then there was Trump.

His presidential rhetoric was riddled with thousands of falsehoods  some benign, many serious, so many of them repeated. He would be prone to vulgar name-calling and derision of political opponents. And on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump used the language of battle in ways difficult to ignore. In testimony before the House's Jan. 6 committee last year, Mercieca noted that Trump invoked the word fight 20 times in his speech at the Ellipse near the White House just before the riot, while using the word peacefully just once.

The federal charges against Trump focus on his actions  namely, that he wasnt charged with incitement, which takes the issue of his speech off the table, according to legal experts.

Hes allowed to lie. Thats not the conduct thats charged. Whats important is what the indictment says he did, said Carrie Cordero, senior fellow and general counsel at Center for a New American Security and a former Justice Department official. And what he did was try to use  try to corrupt, really  different institutions of government in furtherance of the conspiracy to defraud the United States ... to try to prevent the election outcome.

But as he seeks to regain the White House, Trump's election lies and relitigation of the 2020 election are playing a starring role in the Republican presidential primaries, and those claims have taken deep root within the GOP, despite all evidence to the contrary. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted Aug. 10 to Aug. 14 found that 57 percent of Republicans say Biden's election was not legitimate.

Trump "has a very canny read of his supporters and how his language affects his supporters, Chervinsky said. I think some of it is intentional. I think some of it is gut instinct.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP)  Thousands more residents of Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed out of control raged on for a fourth day.

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harms way on the Atlantic island that is home to around a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.

European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.

Greek authorities on Saturday evacuated eight villages near the northeastern border with Turkey, where a large summer wildfire was burning out of control, whipped up by high winds.

The Tenerife fire comes as Spains mainland is bracing for another heat wave. Spains state weather service issued a warning Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the mainland.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees could surpass 26,000 according to provisional calculations based on the islands census. The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

The regional government said that the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames. Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres)

We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands, the islands governor, Rosa Davila, said.

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from the mainland sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres).

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.

___

Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona.


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(CNN)  Chinas military launched joint air and sea patrols around Taiwan this weekend as leaders from the United States, South Korea and Japan wrapped up a landmark summit at Camp David aimed at shoring up their alliances.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Shi said the exercises would test the Chinese militarys ability to fight in real combat conditions.

The patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, Shi added.

Chinas ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing, democratic island of Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it. It has vowed to take control of the island, by force if necessary.

The patrols come a week after Chinas foreign minister condemned Taiwans vice president and presidential candidate William Lai as a troublemaker through and through for passing through the US en route to Paraguay  Taiwans only diplomatic ally in South America. China sees trips to the US by Taiwans leaders as undermining its claims to sovereignty over the island.

The military drills also come as US President Joe Biden hosts the leaders of South Korea and Japan for a historic trilateral summit that has been undergirded by the three countries mutual concern over China.

Meeting at Camp David on Friday, the three leaders agreed to deepen military and economic cooperation and condemned Beijings dangerous and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.

On Saturday, after China announced the drills around Taiwan, the defense ministry in Taipei condemned Beijing for what it said was irrational and provocative behavior.

The ministry said it would dispatch troops in response to defend the freedom of democracy and the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Launching a military exercise under such pretext not only doesnt help the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (Chinas) militaristic mentality and reinstates the domineering nature of military expansion, the ministry said.

China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent months, sending warplanes and warships toward it on an increasingly regular basis.

Incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwans air defense identification zone, a self-declared buffer zone beyond its territorial airspace, take place almost daily.

Taiwans defense ministry said the Chinese Communist Party was damaging regional security with this continued harassment.

It added that in the face of repeated advances by Chinas army, all officers and soldiers of the national army are ready to fight, uphold the strong will of preparing for war, not seeking war, responding to war, not avoiding war, and have the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

On Tuesday, Chinas defense minister Li Shangfu warned against playing with fire when it comes to Taiwan in a veiled jab at the United States when he addressed a security conference in Russia.

While the US has no formal ties with Taiwan, it is one of its strongest international backers and weapons suppliers.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China launches military exercises around Taiwan"
As all political parties start preparing for 2024 general election, there are signs of concern among BJP MPs about their political future.

The Bharatiya Janata Party finds itself in a bind in Maharashtra even after it successfully engineered a split in the Nationalist Congress Party and improved its numerical strength in the state assembly. The party realises that it needs a strong Maratha leader in order to enjoy an upper hand over its political rivals in next years Assembly polls. Its internal surveys are said to have shown that chief minister and former Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has limited influence while deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the new entrant to the ruling coalition, could deliver the Maratha vote but he would be better placed to do so if he is elevated as chief minister. The BJP is constrained from doing so as it could mean alienating Mr Shinde and the group of Shiv Sena legislators who could even be tempted to join hands with Uddhav Thackeray. With NCP veteran Sharad Pawar scoring over the younger leaders, the BJP is learnt to have advised his nephew Ajit Pawar not to attack his uncle and instead try to win him over to their side with an offer of a berth in the Union Cabinet. Though Mr Pawar has denied these reports, he is keeping everyone guessing about his periodic meetings with his nephew. Mr Pawar, remarked a former Congress leader, cannot be trusted and yet no one can afford to alienate him.

Though Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has found a place in the anti-BJP grouping, INDIA, the other Opposition parties continue to be wary of him and feel he cannot be trusted. There is a section in this bloc which is convinced that Mr Kejriwal could still walk out following the passage of the Delhi Services Bill for which he wanted the support of the other opposition parties. The BJP, which is making all-out efforts to create fissures in the INDIA bloc, has figured that Mr Kejriwal could still be persuaded to go solo since he has supported the Modi government on several issues including the abrogation of Article 370 and the need for a Uniform Civil Code. In fact, a senior BJP minister, who was seated a distance away from Mr Kejriwal at the Independence Day programme, moved to sit next to the chief minister and continuously questioned him about his decision to align with a dynastic party like the Congress and whether he would concede seats to it in Punjab and Delhi.

Even as Congress leaders K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh are finalising Rahul Gandhis East-West Bharat Jodo Yatra, beginning October 2 from Gujarat, the party is mulling over how it can to bring its allies on board. This is crucial as the Congress would not like to give the impression to the other members of INDIA bloc that they are being upstaged, especially since the Yatra route is likely to go through Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand before it ends in Arunachal Pradesh. The Congress is expected to impress upon its allies that the Yatra could be used to boost the INDIA alliance. Congress leaders will also underline that their partnership would be further strengthened if chief ministers Mamata Banerjee, Hemant Soren and Nitish Kumar joined Rahul Gandhi for a day or two during the Yatra. This issue could figure at the August 30 meeting of INDIA parties in Mumbai.

When the Bharatiya Janata Party extended a special invitation to Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan at the last meeting of the National Democratic Alliance, it was obvious this was aimed at strengthening the saffron partys Dalit base in Bihar as it needs all the help it can get after the Janata Dal (United) walked out of their alliance. Efforts were also made to bring together Mr Paswan and his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who split the party two years ago. However, these unity efforts could come unstuck as three MPs  Chandan Singh, Been Devi and Mehmood Ali Kaiser  who had aligned with Paswans uncle during the split are said to be exploring other options. They are learned to be in touch with the JD(U) and may switch sides closer to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. If this happens, it may be difficult for a weakened LJP to contribute substantially to the BJPs kitty of seats.

As all political parties start preparing for the 2024 general election, there are signs of concern among the Bharatiya Janata Party MPs about their political future. Many point out in private conversations that they could face the axe on the ground that the voters were unhappy with their performance when the truth is that they were unable to deliver because they were not given sufficient functional autonomy. Others are nervous that the BJPs over-dependence on Prime Minister Narendra Modis popularity has not allowed them to evolve and acquire their own identity. And then there are the first-time MPs who are particularly worried as there is every possibility that they may not get a ticket again. The BJP leadership has, on several occasions in the past, axed its sitting legislators. The experiment proved to be a success.
Disruption of House proceedings on a daily basis is a strategy of diminishing returns

The no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition in the last Monsoon Session was predictably defeated. Now it is time to take stock of the governments response to the Oppositions demands, and the Oppositions strategy to ensure that they were met.

The Opposition wanted to have a discussion on Manipur under Rule 267 of the Lok Sabhas procedures with Prime Minister Narendra Modis participation. Under this rule, the Speaker can adjourn, with proper notice, the Houses scheduled list of business to discuss a definitive matter of urgent political importance. The discretion to accept or deny such a motion lies with the Speaker, and in the Rajya Sabha with the Chairperson.

On the eve of the monsoon session, a video surfaced of two women in Manipur sexually assaulted, and paraded naked surrounded by a mob. The video shocked the conscience of the nation, and once again drew attention to the ongoing violence and anarchy in that sensitive border state for more than 77 days. In my view, the Oppositions request was not unreasonable. Rule 267 has been created for a purpose. Since 1990, the Chair has given permission for a discussion under it on 11 occasions, on issues ranging from the Babri Masjid demolition, Gulf War, Coalgate scam, the attack on the secular fabric of the country, agrarian crisis, farmer suicides, and demonetisation.

However, in the case of Manipur, the Speaker and the Chairperson Rajya Sabha did not agree. The counter-offer was a short duration discussion under Rule 176 of Parliament, which has a time limit of two-and-a-half hours, where the concerned minister dealing with the subject  in the case of Manipur, home minister Amit Shah  would reply to the motion. When I had moved a motion a short duration discussion on the crisis in Indo-Nepal relations in December 2015, it was replied to by then foreign minister Sushma Swaraj.

The Opposition was not satisfied. It wanted PM Modi to come to the House and make a statement under Rule 267. The PM refused to oblige, although I think his stature would have been enhanced had he agreed, and tried to build a consensus, cutting across party lines, to unite and work to resolve Manipurs prolonged crisis. An all-party delegation could then have visited Manipur.

Consequently, the Opposition did not let the House function. The government later did make an offer to have a discussion on Manipur under Rule 176 for an unlimited duration, but again the Opposition did not agree. It then decided to move a no-confidence motion against the government to ensure that the PM speaks.

This was, to my mind, a strategic error. Firstly, a no-confidence motion allows the Treasury benches to speak on all issues, including highlighting their achievements to explain why they still enjoy the confidence of the people. Secondly, the time allotted to the Opposition based on numerical strength in the House, is far less than that available to the ruling party. Thirdly, except for an effective opening speech by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who had moved the motion, the attack against the government was disorganised, inadequately structured, and lacked a coherent narrative both on Manipur, and on issues like price rise, unemployment, growing economic inequality, authoritarianism, and rising communal tensions. Rahul Gandhis polemical and meandering speech was a missed opportunity. Fourthly, the star speakers on the other side made a coordinated onslaught on their political opponents. Amit Shah spoke for two hours, and gave his own version of the situation in Manipur. Fifthly, the Opposition presented Mr Modi the opportunity on a platter to use all his famed eloquence for a two-hour speech at the end of the debate, shown live on TV across India. And lastly, the Opposition, which had moved the no-confidence motion, walked out before the debate ended, and Gaurav Gogoi did not even exercise his right of reply.

In retrospect, it would have been a better strategy, if the Opposition had agreed to a discussion on Manipur, with each of its speakers first expressing on record their anguish at the absence of the PM on such an important debate. This way the PMs absence would have been highlighted, and the sorry spectacle of a failed no-confidence motion avoided. In fact, I am clearly of the view that disruption of House proceedings on a daily basis is a strategy of diminishing returns. It prevents a debate where the Oppositions voice can be heard, and influence the views of people. The importance of this was apparent during the discussion on the Delhi Ordinance Bill on Services, where speakers like Abhishek Manu Singhvi and P. Chidambaran gave eloquent and substantive speeches, heard with rapt attention in live telecasts.

It is true that it was the BJP that first gave legitimacy to House disruptions. When the UPA was in power, Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, leaders of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, respectively, said that disruptions are also a form of democratic protest. When the BJP came to power in 2014, the Congress and the Opposition, in a tit for tat response, did exactly the same. But now I think the strategy is misfiring. Even if we accept that the Treasury benches are unreasonable in accepting valid requests of the Opposition, and the presiding officers of both Houses are  as the Opposition alleges  partisan, a perennially non-functional House, which sees no debate but only unseemly din and uproar, with parliamentary decorum flouted on a daily basis, is getting a thumbs down from the public at large. Meanwhile, none of this stops the government from passing key bills without discussion and debate. It would be far better if the Opposition, while firmly protesting the disregard to their requests, prepares well for key discussions, and makes its voice heard, in a House where the unalterable truth is that the ruling party has an overwhelming majority and takes full advantage of it.

The trust deficit in the Parliament is now almost unbridgeable. In any case, this Parliament session is now over, with national elections due in a few months. The battle for 2024 has begun.
by fr. Alberto Caccaro *

Ordained to the priesthood today in a celebration presided over in Battambang by the Apostolic Vicar of Phom Phen. Fr Alberto Caccaro, a PIME missionary, who had him alongside as a volunteer in the schools: "Working with you has made this land a home for me, for many".

Batambang (AsiaNews) - As of this morning Damo Chuor, born in 1984, is the first Cambodian Jesuit priest in history. Although there are already about ten brilliant and generous diocesan priests, and three other deacons will be ordained as priests for the apostolic vicariate of Phnom Penh on 23 September, Damo is the first Cambodian to join the Society of Jesus.

The Jesuits have been present in Cambodia since the early 1990s, massively engaged with the Jesuits Refugee Service and at the service of the apostolic prefecture of Battambang.

I was gifted the grace of meeting Damo more than twenty years ago at his parish of origin in the city of Kompong Cham, seat of the homonymous apostolic prefecture, while I was still studying the Khmer language. Since then, although far apart due to different life commitments, we have been in constant contact.

When I was sent to Prey Veng, my first mission, I was fortunate enough to have Damo volunteer on weekends while studying at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh, but it was only after graduating in 2006 that he decided to come to Prey Veng full time to support my missionary adventure.

I thought that with the end of his studies he would have taken another path, another career. In fact, his degree course, being bilingual (Khmer and French), was considered prestigious because it prepared the best students for a possible continuation of their studies in France.

And when, on the last weekend before the end of the academic year, I confided in him the fear of losing him, he said to me: "Don't worry father, we'll be togther again". So, together with a classmate, he came to Prey Veng and stayed there until 2012 to then enter the Jesuit novitiate in Quezon City in the Philippines.

About ten years of formation would follow at the Theological University of Manila, until a few months ago. In 2014 he made his first vows and then on, up to today's priestly ordination, through the laying on of hands of Msgr. Olivier Schmitthaeusler, apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, in the presence of Msgr. Kike Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang, by Msgr. Pierre Suon Hangly, apostolic prefect of Kompong Cham, of 75 priests (and about fifteen Buddhist monks) with 1500 faithful, in the city of Battambang.

Well, it was the grace of friendship with Damo that filled my life with meaning and work in those years and for all the years to come. A pure gift from God, Damo had received Baptism in 2000, at the age of sixteen.

The reasons that led him to ask to become a Christian are soon explained, the humility and modesty of Jesus, the Son of God who makes his divinity coincide with his humanity, the closeness of the Church to simple people, the care for poor and for the least.

For this reason, in the years spent in Prey Veng, it was not at all difficult to engage Damo in impossible adventures in order to reach the most distant villages and there organize what we then called "mobile libraries".

He loaded himself with books and set off on a motorbike for 40-50 kilometers of dirt road in order to reach those villages that we had identified as suitable places to gather the children and teach them to read and to make those books paths for a possible future. Then he returned home satisfied, with the poet's certainty that he had "crossed fields that were not part of earthly estates" (P. Kavanagh, Collected Poems, London 1964, p. 29).

It wasn't just these vicissitudes that marked Damo's passage to Prey Veng. After a few years of work and kilometers of road through villages and marshes, we began to dream of our own school where care for the pupils and a passion for knowledge could give flavor to our and their lives.

Thus it was that Damo literally put his name and face into the construction of our first school, a small provincial high school that would soon become famous and over the years would educate hundreds of young people.

Indeed, a few years later, some alumni of this first school would have made possible the creation of a second, then a third, then a fourth school, but all this would not have happened without that first daring and success of his.

Probably, this passion of his for education and for the school as a vital environment - I have written elsewhere about the relationship between the scholastic institution and the monastic one - is also the reason that brought him closer to the Jesuits.

The figure of Fr. Ashley Evans SJ, in particular, Irish like the poet mentioned above, and a Jesuit, was equally decisive in Damo's discernment. I like to remember my friend Fr. Ashley because, although he is no longer physically in Cambodia, he has spent his best energies for this country and its school system.

During the ordination celebration, after the imposition of hands, Damo asked me to vest him in priestly robes. In particular, the chasuble which traditionally has the purpose of covering the priest with Christ himself or better, with the "yoke of Christ" and making him an alter Christus. This meaning can be deduced from the prayer once recited by priests while putting on the chasuble: Domine, qui dixisti: Iugum meum suave est, et onus meum leve: fac, ut istud porta sic valeam, quod consequar tuam gratiam. Amen - Lord, you who said "My yoke is easy and my load light", grant that I can bear it to deserve your grace.

Even more according to the etymology, the meaning of the word casula refers to hovel, small house or hut. Putting on the chasuble and therefore of Christ means making Him your roof, your home, your abode. As it is for every priest, it is for Damo. We priests do not have a family of our own You or Christ are our home, our abode, our dress, our food You, or Christ, are our desire.

Thank you Damo. Working with you has made this land, and the school(s) you built, a home: for me, for many. Now that you are a priest, it is I who ask you for a blessing so that by putting on that chasuble every day, celebrating, I can always feel at home within.

* PIME missionary in Cambodia
by Stefano Caprio

In Putin's mind, the flight of the Americans from the Afghan capital triggered the spring of the 'great revenge'. Russia now regularly invites Kabul's representatives to Moscow for consultations, despite the fact that the Taliban are still considered an unwelcome 'terrorist organisation'. And the other former Soviet countries are also in solidarity with the Kremlin in officially condemning the Afghan government, at the same time considering it a necessary partner.

Two years have passed since the the American beat a hasty retreat from Afghanistan, twenty years after the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, which had provoked the reaction against Islamic extremism worldwide, begining with Bin Laden's lair in the Asian mountains.

The withdrawal had begun in May 2021, and in mid-August the Taliban sensationally returned to Kabul, forcing the West to give up its role of "exporting democracy" to the world, together with civil rights and the political, economic and moral progress of the values based on personal freedom.

The dramatic days of the abandonment of the Afghan capital's airport now seem to have vanished into grayness and oblivion, without the return to medieval Asian Islam really questioning the conscience of the "civilized world", were it not for the even more dramatic invasion Russia of Ukraine, symbolic consequence of the decline of the West, which from the Central Asian plateaus moves the "war of values" into the heart of Europe.

The renunciation of the United States' dominant role at a world level had already been revealed a few years earlier in Syria, when the Americans had in fact left the field free to the Russians and the Turks in controlling the territories occupied by Isis terrorists, radical Islamism "globalized" which now evaporates in the face of increasingly pressing sovereign radicalism at all latitudes.

Even then, between 2014 and 2016, the coincidence between Asia and Europe was quite evident, in the mobilization of the Russians towards the Near East (where Prigozhin's Wagner company was born) and towards the near western Ukraine, with the beginning "hybrid" of the war of Donbass after the reconquest of Crimea, a symbol of Russia imposing itself on enemy empires, as had happened at the origins of its history.

From the Crimea the "baptizing" prince, Vladimir the Great, had threatened to invade Constantinople, and again from the walls of Chersonese, today Sevastopol, the new Tsar Vladimir "the Terrible" threatens to destroy the whole of Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the Black, also looking to the lands beyond the oceans.

When the patriarch of Moscow Kirill met Pope Francis at Havana airport on February 12, 2016, the topic of the meeting was the defense of the eternal values of Christianity, together with the blessing of the Russian presence in Syria instead of the Americans, and the admonition to Ukrainians not to quarrel with each other, to avoid worse trouble.

A few months later the Russian Church decided not to participate in the Pan-Orthodox Council of Crete, starting the historic break with Constantinople, thus returning to its medieval origins.

In Putin's mind, the escape from Kabul two years ago triggered the spring of the "great revenge", the right moment to re-propose the lost greatness of Russia and take revenge for the many offenses suffered, starting with the end of the Soviet Union.

The defeat in Afghanistan was precisely one of the decisive elements of the "most tragic event of the 20th century", as the Kremlin leader repeatedly repeated, who came to power to counter Islamic extremism in Chechnya, a consequence of the collapse of the Soviet empire .

The presence of the Americans in Kabul, beyond the military reasons, was unbearable for the Russians above all due to the spread of the "Western poison", that morally "degraded" civilization which finally tried - always according to the more radical Russian version - to insinuate itself into the minds and hearts of people around the world with the invention of the coronavirus, the pandemic that preceded and in turn inspired the special operation for the "defense of traditional values".

The links between Covid, Afghanistan and Ukraine are not accidental, it is not the misfortune of the "seven years of troubles" with an Old Testament flavor, which since the explosion of the virus at the end of 2019 today risk turning into a new era of endless conflict between the different sides of the 21st century.

Taliban extremism overlaps Orthodox extremism today, in a "rebirth of religion" with a satanic and inhuman flavor, with bombs, chariots and blessed drones that could not even be dreamed of at the time of the Crusades and the wars for the reconquest of the Holy Land .

Russia now regularly invites representatives from Kabul to Moscow for consultations, despite the fact that the Taliban are still considered an unwelcome "terrorist organization", while it is now clear that their return has been very welcome by Putin's "Russian world".

Even the Central Asian countries, which thanks to the war in Ukraine are gradually moving away from Moscow and towards Beijing, are in solidarity with the Kremlin in officially condemning the Afghan government, considering it at the same time a necessary partner, both for business and for the lifestyle.

While not reaching the excesses of the Taliban, who have completely excluded women from school education, the proud defense of "values" sees great harmony in condemning any form of expression of the individual, especially homosexuality and "LGBT propaganda , as in the law approved these days in Kyrgyzstan, literally copied from that of Russia last year.

Patriarch Kirill's declaration, a week after the invasion of Ukraine, which at first seemed to have provoked a negative reaction, seems to be increasingly confirmed: "We must defend ourselves from the West, otherwise they will force us to go to gay parades".

What seemed like a polemical imposition was actually the crux of the problem: the "metaphysical" war, of which Ukraine and Afghanistan are the opposite poles of a different vision of the world, tending towards apocalyptic ruin. Both Putin and Xi Jinping are now over seventy years of age, and are no longer afraid to build walls that could turn the whole earth into a large cemetery.

Even in the ex-Soviet countries meetings to talk about Afghanistan and with Afghans are multiplying, last week in an "economic forum" in Kazakhstan, and a short time before in Samarkand in Uzbekistan.

These are not rallies inspired directly by Russia, but parallel trends of geopolitical movements, for which Moscow is not afraid of losing military and economic control over its former subjects, putting the ideological continuity of a new Eurasian world first. The only country still hostile to the Taliban is Tajikistan, for a very clear reason: the Tajiks are relatives of the Afghans, and they would like to be the ones to lead the government in Kabul.

Turkmenistan, place par excellence of the symbolic transformations of all forms of extremism, be it Islamic, homophobic, Russophile or Sinophile, had been the first to recognize the Taliban's seizure of power as legitimate, masking the satisfaction with the cynical proclamation of its own " neutrality".

Uzbekistan, which is also very ethnically involved in the relationship with the Afghan tribes, has in turn adapted quite quickly to the new reality together with Kyrgyzstan, not to mention Kazakhstan, which by not bordering Afghanistan allows itself to enhance its vastness as a great way for the union of all peoples, if only the Russians do not manage to invade it in a possible replica of the operation in Ukraine.

Russia has to reckon with the galloping economic crisis caused by Western sanctions, which is only now really beginning to make itself felt with the irrepressible devaluation of the rouble; and Central Asia together with the Caucasus participates in these shocks due to the economic ties of Soviet heritage, now reactivated to the maximum as a way around sanctions.

Armenia even risks 'Dutch disease', the excessive growth of some sectors of the economy to the detriment of others, due to an abnormal strengthening of its currency, the dram, due to the huge flow of currency from Russia in 2022, while in turn trying to untie the knots of the border between East and West with its historical enemy, Azerbaijan.

Yet Russia's 'thirst for victory' does not primarily concern the economy: the people have always been used to suffering, the oligarchs always know where to draw for their luxuries, and in the torrid days of Ferragosto many of them serenely enjoy them in the 'Russian colony' of Forte dei Marmi, in defiance of any sanctions.

The Afghanistan of the Taliban, the country plunged two years ago into its dark past, is in danger of becoming the model of the country of the future. The 'Talibanisation' of Russia and the whole of Eurasia, the clash of civilisations between anthropological models before being political or economic, extends from the border territories to the soul dimensions of the whole world.

When Moscow and Beijing officially recognise the government in Kabul, then the ongoing war will find its true solution: not in the peace negotiations between Russians and Ukrainians, which will last centuries without result, but in the great Victory over the inner enemy, the fear and shame of feeling excluded from the rest of the world.

RUSSIAN WORLD IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO RUSSIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY SATURDAY IN YOUR E-MAIL? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE
(CNN)  The Camp David invitation President Joe Biden extended to his Japanese and South Korean counterparts this week  the first summit held at the legendary presidential retreat since 2015  was a significant show of camaraderie for two increasingly essential US allies.

Undergirding the talks is the three nations mutual concern over China, whose leader Xi Jinping Biden has sought to cultivate, despite a hardening view of the leader as an autocrat and adversary.

This is a guy who I think I understand, Biden told Democratic donors last week in Utah after describing Xis China as a ticking time bomb.

Were not looking for a fight with China, he went on. But were looking for a rational relationship to have with China.

Work toward a rational relationship has been halting, despite Bidens long ties with Xi. After months of acrimony, administration officials have recently begun visiting Beijing in a bid to reestablish regular communication. Yet tensions persist, and US-China ties remain deeply fraught.

Perhaps no other relationship in the world is quite as consequential than the one between Biden and Xi, who last spoke in person on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali last November in the hopes of establishing what US officials called a floor in the US-China relationship.

Biden told CNNs Arlette Saenz on Friday he hopes to follow up on last years meeting with Xi this fall.

I expect and hope to follow up on our conversation from Bali this fall  thats my expectation, Biden said.

The talks were watched closely in Tokyo and Seoul, where Chinas military and economic aggressions are an ever-present reality and a motivator in mending a long-tarnished relationship. At Camp David on Friday, agreements on joint military and technology initiatives will be made against the looming backdrop of Beijings growing power.

China is just fact on the ground, a huge player in Asia. You cant dismiss it away, explained a senior administration official. Youre trying to shape the environment in ways that both advance our interests, secure our partners, and send a clear signal about what kind of actions we think would be provocative.

As of Thursday evening, discussions were underway about how to describe China in the joint documents that are expected to come out of the summit, Japanese Foreign Ministry press secretary Hikariko Ono told a group of reporters.

Courting a powerful Xi

It wasnt so long ago that Xi was invited to his own high-profile summits hosted by an American leader. President Barack Obama hosted him at Sunnylands, the sprawling Palm Springs resort intended by its builder as the Camp David of the West, for lengthy talks in 2013. President Donald Trump served him chocolate cake at Mar-a-Lago.

Those types of engagements are difficult to imagine now, particularly amid growing tensions around Taiwan, a battle over emerging technology, human rights concerns and a leader Biden has deemed a dictator.

Even though Biden often recounts the hours of meetings he held with Xi as vice president, he has been challenged in new ways by his relationship with Xi as the two men have risen to the leader level.

When they engaged last time neither of them had power, the official said. Xi has an enormous amount of power now. Biden senses that, understands it.

Biden-Xi meetings are now treated as the biggest possible gametime for Biden, the official explained.

The most intense, the most focus that Ive ever seen President Biden is in advance of these engagements with President Xi, the official said. The Presidents level of focus is off the charts. He wants intelligence briefings, he wants to bring his advisers together, he wants to hear different perspectives and he brings outsiders in.

That preparation demonstrates just how consumed Biden and his entire administration are by what the official called relentless competition between the US and China.

Still, Bidens hugely consequential personal relationship with Xi remains a work in progress.

Some officials say that Biden has struggled to develop the type of personal relationship with Xi that he deeply values in fellow world leaders who share democratic values. When Biden met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at the White House in June, they bonded over shared frustrations with Xi, according to a second senior administration official.

Ticking time bomb

Biden often speaks to his personal relationship with Xi publicly on the campaign trail, and he has continued to highlight the many hours they have spent together.

Ive spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader has, Biden told donors at his fundraiser, recounting the hours theyd spent getting to know each other when each was their countrys number two.

At the same event, Biden offered a warning that reverberated throughout the region. Describing Chinas weakening economy as a ticking time bomb, Biden said it could prompt Chinas leaders to lash out.

Thats not good because when bad folks have problems, they do bad things, Biden said.

It was the latest example of Biden offering candid observations donors off-camera. Earlier this summer, Biden himself demonstrated a willingness to characterize Xi in a negative light, calling him a dictator at a fundraiser.

Biden and Xi have spoken by phone several times and met in-person once, and officials said they expect the two men to speak again soon, potentially on the sidelines of an Asian leaders summit Biden is hosting in November in San Francisco.

And the extent to which their personal relationship will impact US-China relations overall has yet to be determined.

How much does their personal relationship, their experience over you know, decades come into play? And I think the answer to that, honestly, is unknown, the official said.

When the two leaders met in Bali, Biden drew on his personal experience in speaking with Xi about Taiwan  making commitments while he looked into Xis eyes, that appeared to have an impact.

The President basically said, look, were not going to destabilize the status quo. We believe in the maintenance of peace and stability. Were not going to push for Taiwan independence. And I could tell that had an impact on [Xi], the first senior administration official said.

While leader-to-leader level engagement remains important in the eyes of US officials, its not the primary factor dictating the Biden administrations China policy.

A senior State Department official explained it this way: Biden and Xi do understand each other. That is borne out of years of getting to know one another. But Biden knows they arent changing one anothers minds.

Former US officials closely watched Biden and Xi bond during the Obama administration, but they are not surprised by the tenor of the current relationship.

The relationship that Biden and Xi had during the Obama administration was an unusual one. The two vice presidents bonded. They had extensive and deep conversions together. It felt like a healthy relationship, explained Danny Russel, the assistant secretary of state for Asia during the Obama administration. It is understandable to me that Biden might feel frustrated that the quality of the relationship he has with Xi now has little resemblance to what it used to be. Xi essentially wont return his phone calls, and has become increasingly hardline, autocratic and ideological.

Without the leaders relationship serving as the launchpad to steady the ship, Biden administration officials continue to put intense efforts into shoring up alliances. While investing in alliances has been central to the Biden administrations foreign policy approach since day one, it has developed an outsized importance.

The trilateral meeting at Camp David on Friday between Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday will put those efforts on display.

This summit is formalizing and institutionalizing a major strategic shift of the region, explained a third senior administration official. China has previously seen an unbridgeable wedge between Japan and South Korea. But now we are stronger because we are bringing them together, doubling down on our alliances.

In the backdrop to challenging China by drawing in US allies, the Biden administration has maintained a willingness to engage at the working level with Chinese officials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Climate Envoy John Kerry have all visited Beijing in the last two months.

Their visits come as US officials continue to believe that engagement is key in order to prevent competition from veering into conflict. But they are not banking on those engagements resulting in major deliverables.

It is about getting caught trying, said a diplomat from the Indo-Pacific who has been briefed on the visits. The Biden administration has always been clear that talking is best, they will keep showing up, and communication is necessary. But it is really to show the rest of the world that they are not giving up, even though they are not expecting anything major out of the engagements.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Chinese tensions loom large over Bidens summit with Asian allies"
Manufactured in Brazil, the all-new Ram Rampage is a unibody truck based on the Small Wide 4x4 LWB platform. That means the compact pickup is joined at the hip to the Jeep Compass, which means that  in theory  it may be adapted for the US market rather easily.

FWD

Revealed with much pomp in June 2023 for the 2024 model year, the Rampage has been spied testing in the US. Pictured in Colorado with a manufacturer plate, the black-painted trucklet in the featured video is our best indication yet that Stellantis might challenge the Maverick and Santa Cruz with a compact pickup.On the other hand, let's not get our hopes up. American automakers often test vehicles intended for overseas markets in the United States. A good example in this regard is the Ranger-based Everest, a three-row sport utility vehicle that's not available in the US.There is a reason the Everest isn't sold in the US, that reason being the Explorer. We also have to remember that Ford has an Everest-like sport utility vehicle on sale in the United States in the form of the four-door Bronco, although it cannot seat more than five peeps. Ram does need a compact in its home market, that's for certain, yet Ram also needs a midsizer to call its own. We've been hearing rumors in regard to a brand-new Dakota for one too many years now, yet nothing has transpired thus far. What's more, there's a lot more money to be made from a mid-size pickup.Let's pretend the Rampage is due to arrive in dealer showrooms nationwide sometime next year. Importing it from Brazil isn't feasible because of the chicken tax, as in the 25% tariff levied on imported light trucks. There is, however, a solution in the form of USMCA.The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement substitutes NAFTA, and under said agreement, Stellantis could make the Rampage for the United States and Canadian markets in Mexico. Why Mexico? The answer is Toluca Assembly Plant, where circa 2,500 people assemble the Jeep Compass for North America.Given that many of the American automaker's bigwigs were present at the Rampage's debut, there is a possibility for the Rampage to find its way stateside. But alas, without a firm confirmation from the suits in Auburn Hills, all we can do  for now  is hope for the best.Available to configure from 239,990 reais, which means a whopping $48,345 at current exchange rates, the Rampage comes with either a 2.0-liter turbo gasser or a 2.0-liter turbo diesel. Said powerplants are connected to a nine-speed automatic from ZF, which drives all four wheels.isn't offered.The R/T with the 2.0-liter turbo gasoline lump is the quickest of the bunch, hitting 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 6.9 seconds. Load capacity ranges between 750 kilos (1,653 pounds) for the gasser and 1,015 kilos (2,238 pounds) for the four-cylinder diesel engine. Towing capacity isn't known.
Acura just recently launched the all-electric ZDX, the brand's version of a mashup between the Cadillac Lyriq and the Chevrolet Blazer EV. It's also the swanky version of the Honda Prologue. Now, the automakers want to follow in GM's footsteps and get the NACS too. Here's the gist of it.

30 photos Photo: Acura / Tesla / autoevolution edit
Once a symbol of inefficiency due to their gas-guzzling habits, pickup trucks have adapted to a more ascetic lifestyle in the past five years. Many carmakers now offer electric pickup trucks and hybrid powertrains for those who don't want or can't own an EV. Here are all the eco-conscious pickup trucks on the US market to help you save what's left of the environment.

SUV

All-electric pickup trucks selling in the US

Chevrolet Silverado EV

kWh

EV

ICE

Fisker Alaska

Photo: Fisker

Ford F-150 Lightning

Photo: Ford

GMC Hummer EV pickup

Photo: GMC

GMC Sierra EV

Photo: GMC

Ram 1500 REV

Photo: Ram Trucks

kW

Rivian R1T

Photo: Rivian

Tesla Cybertruck

Photo: @langiange via Twitter

Hybrid pickups selling in the US

Ford F-150 Hybrid

Photo: Ford

Ford Maverick Hybrid

Photo: Ford

Ram 1500 3.6-liter E-Torque Mild-Hybrid V6

Photo: Ram

Toyota Tundra Hybrid

Photo: Toyota

4WD

Americans love their pickup trucks, which is evident in vehicle sales numbers. Only SUVs sell more units in the US, and this says a lot. You'd think that most people always have things to haul or tow in this country, which couldn't be further from the truth. Many pickup trucks never leave the paved roads and are mainly used for road trips and visits to the local supermarket. They're just lifestyle vehicles, which explains why many models sold today are as luxurious as the most comfortable SUVs.This is also why carmakers usually make them in pairs, a truck and an, trying to optimize platform utilization by targeting the two most popular vehicle segments in the US. No wonder pickup trucks are a cash cow for carmakers, being relatively simple to build. Still, after the 2008 market collapse, buyers became more aware of the inefficiency of pickup trucks and large SUVs, which were collectively labeled as gas-guzzlers. Then, carmakers started considering downsizing and electrification as measures to reduce fuel consumption.Today, the pickups are cool again, and many automakers have announced or are already offering electric versions of their popular pickups. These are perfectly suited for the lifestyle/supermarket crowd that never intends to put them to hard work. People who need their trucks for work still find electric pickups unsuitable for the job because they tend to deplete the battery faster under heavy loads. This is where hybrid pickups can offer a better solution, saving some fuel while still being a dependable and hard-working truck.Price: $50,000-$106,895Power: 510-754 horsepowerBattery capacity: up to 200Range: up to 450 milesTow rating: up to 10,000 lbs.Payload: up to 1,400 lbs.Expected deliveries: Fall 2023Chevrolet announced the Silveradoin January 2022 and plans to start deliveries with the 2024 model year this fall. The first variant to become available is the Work Truck (WT), which should please people eager to haul and tow. Make no mistake, even with the WT versions, you can add as many comfort features on it as on the retail variants. It's no wonder that the trims that will launch first are 4WT at $79,800 and 3WT at $74,800. Work Truck will be exclusively offered to fleet customers, at least in the beginning.The first trim available to retail buyers is the luxurious and sporty RST, which delivers up to 754 horsepower with Wide Open Watts Mode activated. This allows the truck to sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, an impressive feat considering it weighs more than 8,500 pounds. The Silverado EV RST could have competed with more spirited versions of the Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning had it not sold for a whopping $106,895. This is GMC Hummer EV territory, which is unsurprising considering the two trucks share many components.The Chevrolet Silverado EV will be able to tow up to 10,000 pounds, and rumors indicate that Chevrolet might offer a special Tow Package that could double this capability. This makes the Silverado EV better at towing than itsbrother, although the range could halve in this case, at less than 200 miles. The best feature expected on the Silverado EV is the MultiFlex Midgate with passthrough, which allows loading long objects.Price: from $45,400Power: 510-754 horsepowerBattery capacity: 75-113 kWhRange: 230-340 milesTow rating: unknownPayload: unknownExpected deliveries: 2025Fisker first announced the Alaska pickup in 2020, but only this year revealed more information about it. Although it was touted as a full-size pickup, it's more of a mid-size variant with a twist. The Alaska pickup can expand the bed length from 4.5 to 7.5 feet. Lowering the midgate and dropping the rear seats increases the usable length to 9.2 feet. Still, make no mistake, this is no work truck, despite its long bed.Fisker builds the Alaska pickup on the same platform as the Ocean SUV, something that other EV startups also do to save development costs. This makes it less suitable for heavy-duty applications. It's more like an electric Hyundai Santa Cruz competitor than a Ford F150 Lightning. This approach also offers some clues about what to expect in terms of performance. The Fisker Ocean develops around 500 horsepower on a dual-motor configuration, which should also be true with Alaska. Fisker touts Alaska as a lightweight "super-sport" pickup, claiming it's "the world's most sustainable truck." While other pickups rely on huge batteries with capacities over 200 kWh, Alaska is available with 75 kWh and 113 kWh while still claiming a 230/340-mile range. Pretty impressive if true, but we'd still want to see this with our own eyes. This will happen in spring 2025 at the earliest.Price: $49,995-$91,995Power: 452-580 horsepowerBattery capacity: 98-131 kWhRange: 240-320 milesTow rating: 10,000 lbs.Payload: 2,235 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023Ford was among the first carmakers to launch an electric pickup truck, making the F-150 Lightning a sales veteran. This allows us to see how other legacy carmakers will fair in the pickup-truck game. After a strong debut, the sales of the F-150 Lightning cooled earlier this year, and Ford is now facing a demand problem. The Blue Oval claims that production has increased significantly, which might be true, but this still means that Ford is having a hard time convincing more people to buy its electric pickup.The F-150 Lightning ticks all the right boxes in the full-size truck segment, which explains why it's still a sales champion. Ford took a shortcut by modifying the regular F-150 platform to install the electric motors and the battery pack, but this also means that the Lightning is just as rugged as the ICE F-150. It's a beast when towing and hauling, although the range might not be suitable for longer trips in these conditions.The Ford F-150 Lightning also offers many comfort features in the upper trims, and it's the most affordable you can buy now if you opt for the work truck variant, which is called Pro. This costs only $49,995 and can now be ordered by retail customers, too, as Ford produces more electric pickups than it can sell. It's so bad that the carmaker slashed prices, although it still loses a ton of money with every Lightning it sells.Price: $100,395-$110,295Power: 625-1,000 horsepowerBattery capacity: 213 kWhRange: 298-381 milesTow rating: 7,500 lbs.Payload: 1,300 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023Experts claim that electrifying heavy vehicles offers the most environmental benefits, and the electric Hummer s living proof. Although far from an efficient electric vehicle, the GMC Hummer EV is much better than its gas-guzzling ancestors with military origins . It's still a mammoth truck, with the battery alone weighing more than a compact car. Still, guzzling electrons instead of gasoline makes all the difference.This also shows performance-wise, as the GMC Hummer EV can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about three seconds. This is achievable using the Watts to Freedom (WTF) driving mode with the 1,000-horsepower Edition 1 variant. This hints that the electric Hummer was not meant for work but for showing off. The six-figure price is another indication that this is not a tool but a toy.Still, GMC claims the Hummer EV can tow up to 7,500 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,300 pounds. It's not very much, especially considering the size and weight of the mighty pickup truck, but at least you can use it if the need arises. There's only one problem with the electric Hummer: GM is struggling with production, and you can't place an order. Those that did have no idea when they'd take delivery of their truck, considering that only 49 Hummer EVs were delivered in the first half of 2023.Price: $50,000-$107,000Power: 510-754 horsepowerBattery capacity: up to 200 kWhRange: up to 400 milesTow rating: up to 9,500 lbs.Payload: up to 1,400 lbs.Expected deliveries: early 2024The GMC Sierra EV is another take on the electric pickup truck theme, being identical to the Chevrolet Silverado EV, save for some design cues and badges. The two trucks will eventually be built on the same production line at GM's Lake Orion Assembly in Michigan. Still, the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, the first trim to start deliveries next year, will ship from GM's Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck, just like the Hummer EV.Like its Bow-Tie brother, the GMC Sierra EV will also feature 4-Wheel steering and the versatile MultiPro midgate that can open to provide 9 feet of storage between the cab and the tailgate. If you need more than that, the MultiPro Tailgate, standard on Denali Edition 1 trim, extends the load-floor length to nearly 11 feet with the MidGate down and the tailgate's load-stop open.A 60/40-split second-row seat offers four configurations that allow users to haul gear or equipment while still accommodating a passenger. Longer items, such as kayaks or windsurfing boards, could also be stowed under the lockable, weatherproof tonneau cover. The electric pickup also has a spacious frunk named eTrunk, which can swallow up to 11 cubic feet of equipment.Price: unknownPower: 654 horsepowerBattery capacity: 168-229 kWhRange: 350-500 milesTow rating: up to 14,000 lbs.Payload: up to 2,700 lbs.Expected deliveries: October 2024Stellantis is the last of the Detroit Three carmakers to unveil an electric pickup truck. On paper, the Ram 1500 REV trumps everything on the market today. Still, we must be careful, as Stellantis also sells no electric vehicles in North America at this stage. The Ram 1500 REV promises a 350-mile range with 168-kWh battery capacity and could go as far as 500 miles with the big 229-kWh battery pack. Still, it needs a healthy supply chain to produce these big batteries at scale, and right now, it has none.The pickup truck's name is bizarre, suggesting a range-extender model. Stellantis did not exclude such a propulsion system but assured us that the Ram 1500 REV is an all-electric model. It features two electric motors, with 250of power each, for a total of 654 horsepower. Stellantis boasts payload, towing, and charge-time advantages over the competition. The towing capacity of 14,000 pounds is indeed the best in the segment, as is the 2,700 pounds payload.The Ram 1500 REV has an 800-volt electrical system , allowing the truck to add 110 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging at a 350 kW DC fast charger. It also features a RamBox lockable bed storage with a 115-volt outlet. It's illuminated, weatherproof, and includes drain plugs on the bottom of the storage bins. If you were wondering, the electric pickup also comes with a 15 cu-ft frunk.Price: $73,000-$94,000Power: 533-835 horsepowerBattery capacity: 105-180 kWhRange: 270-400 milesTow rating: up to 11,000 lbs.Payload: up to 1,760 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023Rivian was the first company to put an electric pickup on the market in September 2021. The R1T wasn't just the first but also widely acclaimed for its qualities. Supply chain hell during 2022 pushed Rivian to optimize production costs to survive. The customers were the primary beneficiaries, as the EV startup introduced the Enduro drive units, developed entirely in-house. This was a crucial step in overcoming last year's problems, setting the course for much better results in 2023.The Rivian R1T lineup diversified with dual-motor variants offered at more affordable prices. A smaller 105-kWh battery pack will soon start deliveries, making the electric pickup even more affordable. This could also qualify for a $3,750 tax credit under the IRA provisions, thanks to its pricing being below the $80,000 threshold.The Rivian R1T is a very versatile pickup truck, thanks to its unique Gear Tunnel which can house many long objects and even a camp kitchen if you can find one tailor-made for the truck. Rivian disappointed many customers with the tonneau-cover fiasco. Still, things are about to enter the right course as both a manual and a powered option will be available soon. With production issues sorted out, Rivian is on track to becoming one of North America's best electric pickup truck makers.Price: $39,9000-$69,900 (2019 estimates)Power: up to 805 horsepowerBattery capacity: unknownRange: 250-500 milesTow rating: up to 14,000 lbs.Payload: up to 3,500 lbs.Expected deliveries: late 2023-early 2024The Tesla Cybertruck has been promised for so long that many believe it's still an urban legend. The outlandish pickup truck is hard to comprehend, and its usefulness as a truck is questioned by many. Still, it could prove an excellent choice for lifestyle-conscious customers. Tesla is the leader of the EV market, and the Cybertruck should benefit significantly from this know-how.When the Cybertruck was announced in 2019, there were no electric pickups to compare. The preliminary specifications revealed were impressive at the time, but nothing to phone home about four years later. There's healthy competition in the electric pickup market, and Tesla needs to compete on features and price. The Cybertruck's success will be judged based on these two factors.Although Tesla promised an exoskeleton structure, the Cybertruck looks more likely to feature a unibody design with stainless steel body panels. The six-seat configuration has also been toned down in favor of a classic five-seat layout. A sail pillar storage is yet to be confirmed, and other practical details are unknown. Still, Tesla promised the Cybertruck would be the first sub-19 feet truck on the market with four doors and a 6+ feet bed.Price: $46,015-$85,650Power: 430 horsepowerFuel economy: 23-25 mpgTow rating: up to 12,700 lbs.Payload: up to 2,120 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023You can order the 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid V6 powertrain with any Ford F-150 trims except the Tremor and Raptor. Depending on the trim, this can cost you between $2,500 and $4,495 more, but you can save a lot of money on fuel in the future. The V6 combustion engine teams up with a 35-kW electric motor, delivering a total of 430 horsepower. It also offers up to 25 mpg in the 4x2 configuration, compared to only 21 mpg for the non-hybrid variant.Unlike the electric F-150 Lightning, the ICE F-150 can be ordered in a multitude of cabin and bed combinations to suit everyone's needs. As far as towing and payload are concerned, the electric and hybrid variants are comparable. Still, the hybrid F-150 can go up to 700 miles on a tank, a significant advantage for those needing a work-ready pickup truck.Price: $27,140-$36,375Power: 191 horsepowerFuel economy: 23-25 mpgTow rating: 5,080 lbs.Payload: 2,120 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023The Ford Maverick is a compact crew-cab pickup sharing the technical bits with the Bronco Sport. Launched in 2021, the Maverick proved a resounding success, with the 2023 model being sold out about a week after sales started in August 2022. Although it only tows up to 5,080 pounds, it's a popular choice for city dwellers.The Maverick's hybrid powerplant was specifically developed to offer maximum efficiency, with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine running using the Atkinson cycle. Together with the electric motor, it develops 191 horsepower, enough for the Maverick. The city fuel economy is rated at 42 mpg, which is impressive.Price: $40,655-$63,730Power: 305 horsepowerFuel economy: 23 mpgTow rating: 6,180-7,430 lbs.Payload: 1,240-2,020 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023The Ram 1500 offers a mild-hybrid powertrain as standard. It's equipped with an uprated alternator that can charge a small battery and provides a small boost when accelerating. It's not much, but it can still help with takeoff power and offers a more efficient stop-start. It doesn't provide much fuel economy, although the 3.6-liter V6 powerplant was already very efficient, even without electrification.The biggest disadvantage of the Ram 1500 Mild-Hybrid is that towing and payload numbers are on the lower side, even compared with the compact Ford Maverick. Still, the extensive luxury features available, combined with the outstanding ride and handling, make the Ram 1500 worthy of consideration.Price: $65.705-$78,845Power: 437 horsepowerFuel economy: 19-22 mpgTow rating: up to 12,000 lbs.Payload: up to 1,940 lbs.Expected deliveries: shipping as of 2023The Toyota Tundra iForce Max hybrid pairs a 3.4-liter V6 twin-turbo engine with a 36-kW electric motor for a total of 437 horsepower. Compared to the pure-ICE variant, the hybrid powertrain is $3,400 more expensive, but it's money well spent that will be compensated in lower fuel bills during the truck's lifetime.The Japanese carmaker may have pioneered the hybrid powertrain systems, but the Tundra doesn't beat the Ford F-150 Hybrid in efficiency or the towing and payload department. The Toyota pickup truck can be ordered with RWD andand two bed sizes, at 5.5 feet and 6.5 feet long.
AMG

kW

Unveiled a few hours ago following yesterday's very revealing leaks , the all-new 2024 Mercedes-GT will be offered at first in the 55 and 63 guises, just like its open-top sibling. Power comes from a handcrafted 4.0-liter bi-turbo V8, which produces 577 hp (585 ps/430) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque in the GT 63. The GT 55's eight-banger is good for 469 hp (476 ps/350 kW) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm).Mercedes-AMG quotes the 0-60 mph (0 to 97 kph) acceleration time at 3.1 seconds in the most agile variant and 3.8 seconds in the lesser model, with the top speed standing at 196 and 183 mph (315-295 kph), respectively. Delivering the power to the 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system is a nine-speed auto 'box, which is standard on the two performance-oriented machines. The V8 can direct up to 100% of the thrust to the rear axle for a pure rear-wheel drive experience or split it equally between the front and rear wheels.AMG's Active Ride Control with roll stabilization is also standard, and the nose can be raised by 1.2 inches (30 mm), thus making it easier to clear speed bumps or steep driveways. The new GT has an electronically-controlled rear limited-slip differential for improved traction and rear-axle steering as standard. The stopping power is provided by the composite brakes, with the ceramic option launching next year. Drivers can select between the Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Slippery, Individual, and Race modes, with each one tailoring the parameters accordingly. The Track Pace is also standard for more fun at the local racetrack.Despite being virtually identical beneath the skin to the latest SL, the second-gen GT has a different styling on the outside, featuring new lighting units at both ends, bumpers, AMG-specific grille, and so on. The interior is, however, precisely the same, and you won't be able to tell them apart unless you're looking at the roof. It features an 11.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a portrait positioning, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an optional head-up display, 64-color ambient lighting, and electrically adjustable seats with the AMG ones being optional, just like the selection of single or two-tone Nappa leather upholstery, the Manufaktur touches, contrast stitching, and so on.Mercedes-AMG says the all-new GT will arrive at dealers in the United States in the first half of 2024 in the 55 and 63 guises. It remains to be seen whether the 43 derivative , with its 375 hp (380 ps/280 kW) and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm), will also arrive in our market. Pricing details have yet to be released, but the SL 55 and SL 63 have respective MSRPs of $141,300 and $183,000, whereas the SL 43 starts at $109,900.
Two all-electric Chevrolet Bolt units belonging to Cruise's autonomous vehicle (AV) fleet have been involved in two separate collisions in the last 24 hours. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) intervened. Here's what's happening.

Full Self-Driving

Growing pains

AV

Photo: Cruise

Just the facts

Photo: Cruise

The DMV had enough

Photo: Cruise

surveillance cam footage of last nights crash. driver of the gray car coming down mission st. toward the autonomous car, which appears to have started driving through a green light.



the empty cruise vehicle detects the oncoming car  and stops dead in the intersection. https://t.co/idznWH3DfH pic.twitter.com/OdpwNzm5s5  Eleni Balakrishnan (@miss_elenius) August 19, 2023

Training a combination of hardware and software to behave better than humans while controlling a motor vehicle is no easy feat. Tesla's Elon Musk promised shareholders robotaxis running onBeta four years ago, and they're still nowhere to be seen.Fortunately, startups like Cruise and Waymo have taken the bull by the horns and ventured into making this concept of eliminating the need for a human driver a reality almost anyone can experience.Cruise even announced its expansion to three new cities , saying it's confident in applying what its systems learned in San Francisco in other parts of the country. Even controversial ads were published on some platforms saying that a computer can drive much safer than a human.But making the human driver irrelevant is a tough challenge. Not because creating the right autonomous driving system is complicated, but due to the fact that public trust is hard-earned and easily lost.Two Cruise AVs were involved in separate collisions on the same night. The first was with a San Francisco fire truck, and the second was with a privately-owned vehicle. The former prompted the GM-owned robotaxi company to investigate what happened in-depth, while the latter put the human driver in the guilty booth.The company communicated immediately about these incidents via social media channels and released a detailed statement hours later, sharing its findings and point of view.Concerning the crash with a gray sedan, Cruise said itshad the green light and moved forward as expected. The human driver was the one allegedly speeding and running a red light. However, the video below shows the AV freezing in the intersection before the crash. It would have avoided that collision if it had accelerated slightly and moved forward.That is a known issue with Cruise AVs. The company promised to fix it after a similar accident in San Francisco last year. But keep in mind that driving is a complex venture, and what may have seemed fixed at one point could prove to need more fine-tuning on another occasion.However, the collision with the fire truck is more complicated because an occupant was hurt. The person had to be taken to a nearby hospital.Cruise said the AV wasn't able to correctly identify the emergency vehicle because it was traveling in the oncoming lane of traffic. That's something fire trucks, police vehicles, and ambulances will do when there's an emergency they must reach. The company should have trained its vehicles for such scenarios.But in Cruise's defense, we found a video that shows the robotaxi can yield when recognizing an emergency vehicle at an intersection. Specific scenarios like the abovementioned one may have not yet been fed into to system or are still in beta stages of development.It's essential, however, to mention that, when writing, there is no conclusion regarding who is legally liable for what happened. Also, we weren't informed regarding the relationship between the hurt passenger and Cruise.The company's Terms and Conditions specify that passengers won't be required to "indemnify the Cruise Parties for any bodily injury or property damage to the extent caused by our negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct in providing our Services."The said document was recently updated and also stipulates that Cruise is ready to stand behind its products and underlines explicitly that it won't limit its liability to its customers "for bodily injury to the extent that our negligence, fraud, reckless or intentional misconduct, or a defect in our Services caused the bodily injury, or for any matters in which liability cannot be excluded under applicable law." But this might only come in handy if the AV is found to be at fault and not the fire truck.But the pain doesn't end here for Cruise. An AV was recently noticed being confused in an intersection where construction workers were fixing a road. The robotaxi couldn't figure out what to do and sprinted onto the oncoming lane instead of making a safe maneuver in a predictable manner.Over 10 units stalled a couple of days ago in San Francisco's North Beach area, prompting Cruise to announce that it wants its own. The company blamed wireless connectivity issues for that mayhem.Another Chevy Bolt made netizens laugh and question its capabilities after it drove into wet concrete.After this string of incidents, California's DMV asked Cruise to halve its fleet of road-active autonomous vehicles. The agency requested that no more than 50 driverless vehicles roam the San Francisco streets by day and 150 at night. The DMV didn't force Cruise to add human operators to the cars. The AVs will remain driverless and remotely supervised.Cruise did not hesitate or push back. It has confirmed to TechCrunch that it is complying.Although an apparent setback, this is a healthy development for the AV space. Companies need not be arrogant or smug. After so many incidents, Cruise should thoroughly check its system and ensure that the self-driving Chevy Bolts can safely roam the streets of San Francisco.The company should also take advantage of this forced pause and reevaluate the expansion. It should approach launching in other cities with great care now. People are already protesting the presence of AVs on public roads. From "coning" to actively pushing against them through official channels and public campaigns, few steps remain.Finally, Cruise and Waymo received regulatory approval around 10 days ago to expand their operations throughout San Francisco and charge around $3 per mile for zero-tailpipe emission rides. One of these companies did not have to deal with so many challenges.
Ferruccio Lamborghini is laughing his heart out  we can almost hear his satisfaction reverberating through the Pearly Gates and ripping apart Ferrari for the Texas rural arson. In case you didnt already see it on social media, a popular YouTuber turned his F8 to ash while driving it through a cornfield. I guess he used the wrong Italian brand for going agricultural.

EV

WhistlinDiesel is a Youtube channel that needs little introduction  Cody Detwiler is the name of the Actor, CEO of Destruction, Too much driver not enough car, and Chaos Engineer social media sensation that likes to annihilate vehicles and video document his deeds.His latest feature is one of epic proportions, and this time, things went a little too far off the regular program. You might have seen the 25-year-old YouTuber take it out on Ferrari in the past, mocking the Italian brand and its verbatim legalese small-print terms of use for the Prancing Horse automobiles.There is, however, one matter that Ferrari apparently havent thought through with WhistlinDiesel, and it has to do with geography. You cant tell a Texan he cant do whatever he wants with his car and expect him to just take it as it is. Hell burn your house down. Or, in Ferraris case, their car.The F8 briefly featured in the first video was supposed to be the star of a multi-episode test drive, Cody Detwiler style. But the filming was cut short due to an unplanned but mighty fire that left the vlogger without his car.Apparently, doing donuts in a field covered in corn stover in a $400,000 supercar isnt the best treatment for the delicate tarmac-accustomed automobile. aAlternatively, one might say that this is a proper burnout session, with the car going up in smoke - literally.Enzo Ferrari openly despised Ferruccio Lamborghini and his tractors, but its the farmer who has the last laugh now. The House of the Raging Bull has an off-road supercar  the Huracan Sterrato  and agriculture is in their DNA since the brand was born as a plow-puller constructor.As we can see from the (allegedly) un-staged video below, the Ferrari suffered a severe case of spontaneous combustion. Either that or the dry corn stalks caught fire from the overheating carbon-ceramic brakes of the drifting Ferrari. Whichever the case, one thing is clear: an F8 Tributo is not a proper supercar for the dirt.If you want to see more Ferrari abuse from WhistlinDiesel, play the second video  the first part of the multi-episode endurance trial. Surprisingly, the car held its own pretty well before the flaming end. To say the F8 is toast would be the understatement of the year since everything above the wheels has vaporized.Miraculously, the Prancing Horse shields and the Ferrari call-out have survived the ordeal, prompting the question, Shouldnt the rest of the car be made of emblems materials? Jokes aside, these extreme antics burned a half-a-million-dollar hole in Detwilers pockets (pun intended).Apart from the expensive supercar, the filming crews van and equipment were totaled in the fire. But, given the YouTubers 5.7-million-subscribers-strong audience, putting the money back shouldnt be that impossible of a task.As for the corny Ferrari in the cornfield, it proved that internal combustion can become external very quickly, somakers arent the only ones with blazing-hot concerns about safety. However, it is a matter of time before some environmentalist raises concerns about how polluting gasoline-burning cars can be (especially if the gasoline burns the vehicle down to a pile of fine dust).
Photo: USPTO

Photo: USPTO

Apple's detailed city experience, now rolling out to users worldwide, includes new maps with information like sidewalks, crosswalks, trees, and buildings. The new maps are incredibly detailed, making navigation more straightforward, mainly on unfamiliar roads.Google is also working on several innovations for Google Maps. Immersive mode fuses satellite data, Street View imagery, historical traffic patterns, and other information to create a realistic simulation of a specific location. Users can load the simulation in 3D, allowing them to explore the region with information relevant to a specific time or day.In the meantime, the search giant is also exploring other ways to improve Google Maps, and one of its ideas has recently been exposed in a patent application.The new technology is called "context-aware navigation voice assistant". It comes down to a system that provides users with audio guidance according to what happens in the car or around it. It might sound like rocket science initially, but Google's concept is brilliant, making it easier to follow turn-by-turn guidance in Google Maps.When you use Google Maps today, the audio guidance offers basic instructions to follow the suggested route. If you miss a turn, Google Maps reroutes, adjusting the voice guidance accordingly. The application can't tell the reason for missing a turn, but it still looks for a new route to help the driver reach the defined destination.The new technology addresses this shortcoming by always being aware of what happens around you. The context-aware audio navigation collects information from the cabin and around the vehicle using the onboard sensors, eventually processing the data to determine a reason for missing a turn. The analysis is conducted every time you don't correctly follow the suggested route, so if the new route sends you through the same location, Google Maps can adjust the voice guidance accordingly.It might sound complicated at first glance, but here's an example of how the system would work.Imagine you approach an intersection, and Google Maps tells you to turn left in 100 meters. Due to nearby factors, such as traffic noise or the kids in your car, you could miss the navigation instructions, eventually missing the turn. Google Maps can measure the noise levels in the car and collect vehicle data to determine the reason for missing the turn. The next time you get a voice instruction, Google Maps increases the volume, so you can hear the navigation guidance loud and clear.The system uses a similar approach when you can't follow the suggested route due to other factors. If bad weather significantly impacts visibility, Google Maps can provide additional information on the next turn. Instead of hearing a basic turn instruction, the navigation application updates its route guidance with extra details on the turn, using a high level of detail. The command could be similar to "In 100 meters, turn left right after the shopping center."Google Maps always monitors the noise in the vehicle and traffic conditions, using multiple sources of information to provide context-aware audio navigation.Google explains that the navigation app can be connected to every little technology installed in the vehicle, including onboard cameras and sensors that help it detect traffic conditions. The reason is very simple: the application must be aware of what's happening inside and outside the car, so it can adjust its audio guidance accordingly.Undoubtedly, Google's concept could raise more concerns among privacy advocates. The navigation app must listen to everything around you to generate context-aware audio instructions, so it collects sets of data regularly. Without such permissions, Google Maps can't run the analysis to determine the reason for missing a turn.Google's idea makes sense in next-generation cars where software is deeply integrated into vehicle systems. Such a feature wouldn't work on Android Auto, as the mobile device powers the experience, so Google Maps can't obtain data from vehicle sensors.On the other hand, it'll work like a charm on Android Automotive , where Google Maps already reads additional car information, including the battery range. Thanks to the integration, Google Maps can always tell the vehicle range and automatically suggest charging stops to allow the driver to reach the configured destination. Google Assistant also offers additional commands in an Android Automotive-powered vehicle, including adjusting the air conditioning settings or the power seats.Google's concept is still in the patent stage. Still, it's probably a matter of time until the company starts its development, as context-aware audio guidance makes perfect sense in a smart car where Google Maps is already integral to the driving experience. You can find the patent embedded after the jump if you're interested in the technical details, including how the server-side processing of the collected data would take place.
All-electric vehicles can be fast from zero to 60 mph and in a straight line. But when a manufacturer creates a zero-tailpipe emission car that can also corner rather fast, something marvelous happens  gearheads start listening. Rimac Nevera just conquered Nurburgring. Should it receive your undivided attention?

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AMG

Seven minutes, five seconds, two milliseconds, nine microseconds, and eight nanoseconds is what the all-electric hypercar needed to cover the 20.8 km (12.9 mi) of the Nurburgring. With 1,914 hp and 1,741 lb-ft (2,360 Nm) of torque on tap provided by a liquid-cooled quad-motor powertrain, the silent road-legal missile just climbed onto the top spot of the fastest electric cars to ever lap the Green Hell.The 120-battery provided enough electrons to the drive unit to keep everything set to the maximum. The top speed of 256 mph (412 kph) was not achieved during this run because of tire regulations, but the onboard footage shows just how immensely capable this machine is. The final straight was covered at 220 mph (354 kph). But until that point, the Croatian driver elegantly managed the 5,100 lb curb weight of the Nevera.Riding on Michelin Cup2R tires, the Nevera put a time difference of 20 seconds between it and the former number one, the Model S Plaid with the Track Package . But that starts not to be very impressive very quickly because Rimac's hypercar carries a price tag of at least $2,050,500. On the other hand, the four-door family sedan has a starting price of $108,490.Moreover, the Nevera can be considered somewhat slow when setting record lap times on the Green Hell. The plug-in hybrid V6-powered Mercedes-One, with trickled-down F1 tech, ran the same circuit path 35 seconds faster. It may not seem like much, but when it comes to the pinnacle of automotive engineering and high-performance competition, even five seconds may feel like an eternity.The Nevera is also slower than the 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (6:44.85), Lamborghini Aventador SVJ (6:44.97), and Ferrari 296 GTB (6:58.70). Weight, brake thermal load, drivetrain thermal management, and switching between regen and friction braking have a lot to do with this.Rimac, however, doesn't care about not being the fastest production car ever on Nurburgring. It says that the Nevera is made for "hyper" grand touring and not to devour racetracks.But EV-wise, Nevera proved that Rimac taking over Bugatti was a wise decision. The brand now has all it needs to carry on the French brand's legacy into a zero-tailpipe emission future.The automaker also used this special occasion to introduce the Nevera Time Attack officially. Only 12 will be made, and each unit already has a customer. One of the owners of the limited-edition Nevera could take a swing at Rimac's effort and try to establish a new EV record of their own on Nurburgring with the electric hypercar.Will Lucid bring the Air Sapphire to the party now?
Financing or leasing an electric vehicle (EV) can help drivers save money. Unless you're gunning for a Chevrolet Bolt or Tesla Model 3 RWD, buying one outright doesn't make financial sense because EVs are generally more expensive than their gas-powered counterparts. Charging your EV at home (preferably during off-peak hours) or at work can help bring down commuting costs. But when going on vacation, EV drivers must be mindful of DC fast chargers. This Rivian R1S customer shows why that's paramount.

EV

Photo: Fi Exhaust/YouTube

Our new world

Photo: Tesla

What about that R1S and the lesson?

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Photo: Rivian

Locally clean road-tripping can be pricey when you're not paying attention

Photo: Tesla

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The lesson

Photo: PlugShare

The automotive scenery is changing. Battery-electric vehicles like the Tesla Model Y, BYD Qin Plus, Volvo XC40, or the VW ID.3 are popular, and most carmakers are slowly yet surely moving onto a zero-tailpipe emission fleet strategy. Even Lamborghini  the Italian brand known for its screaming V10s and V12s  is preparing to enter thespace. The French hypercar manufacturer installing W16s engines  Bugatti  uses Rimac's expertise to do the same. Honda's luxurious division, Acura, joins the playing field with the GM-made and Mexican-built ZDX.Despite all these frantic lineup changes at the most important car brands, some still believe the internal combustion engine will survive for decades.But when we factor in the federal support for electrified vehicles, OPEC+'s shenanigans opposed by the US that make gas expensive everywhere, the fight against global warming, the automakers' efforts to lower their fleet-wide emissions, the race for driving automation, the high costs of producing plug-in hybrids as the intermediary step toward total electrification, the general disappointment surrounding uninspired downsizing, major motorsports moving to sustainable or renewable fuels and hybrid powertrains, and Tesla being the world's most valuable automaker It doesn't take much to figure out that burning dead dinosaur juice for power will become a thing of the past.And it should. Not because EVs are the most significant things ever or due to zero-tailpipe emission transportation being the best solution to global temperatures rising, no. It's the cartel-like approach some nations have taken toward oil production. They use fossil fuel energy to broaden their influence at a global scale or as a bargaining chip (sometimes even strongarming other nations). At the same time, consumers and businesses deal with increased costs because hauling goods and filling up a passenger car cost more and more.On the other hand, electricity can be generated through renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro. Even new nuclear power plants with a reasonably low carbon footprint can join the effort. Continuous investments in these sectors can make electricity cheaper and, at the same time, can contribute to the action of decarbonizing our societies.Domestic electricity generation, good partnerships with neighboring countries for a fair integrated electricity market, and EVs with bidirectional charging (V2G) can create a world on the move where cars become a part of the grid and can help stabilize it.Thus, EV owners can be incentivized to replenish their vehicles' energy storage units when electricity production is off the charts (like on a windy or sunny day). This way, the power price doesn't drop to negative levels, and producers don't have to spend on complicated means to store energy. At the same time, owners of vehicles like the F-150 Lightning could power their homes in case of an outage.We digressed quite a bit. However, all these developments in the automotive industry and other interconnecting economic sectors dictate our lifestyle. Depending on the intensity of their carbon footprint, they can also impact our livelihoods.But if these succinct arguments in favor of EVs seem too positive or wildly simplified, let's look at one of the most sought-after and arguably most important automobiles currently manufactured in the US and sold in North America  the Rivian R1S.This three-row seven-seater vehicle comes with an EPA-rated range of 321 miles (when the large 135-battery is equipped), four Bosch motors that give it 835 hp, 10 driving modes, impressive cargo room, and an off-road capacity for a production vehicle that's unmatched at the $92,000 price point by any other all-electric competitor.Shall we add that it boasts a McLaren 720S-inspired air suspension system with a self-leveling function? Moreover, the automaker is in the midst of relaunching the coveted Camp Kitchen . Initially announced for the R1T pickup truck and canceled after some time, the feature might make a comeback and be available for the all-electricas well.As such, it's becoming clear why Americans, Canadians, and even some courageous Europeans or Africans are willing to spend a pretty penny on an R1S.Sadly, those ready to jump from fossil fuel-powered motoring to zero-tailpipe emission driving still have some challenges ahead of them. Good EVs are expensive. Registering them in states like Texas can carry a disheartening yearly fee, and insurance could charge an unexpected premium since some shop estimates for fixing a Rivian have included absurd figures  $42,000 for a dented rear bumper On top of that, the all-electric car sector is dealing with a significant change  the North American Charging Standard (NACS, Tesla's connector) is slowly replacing the CCS Combo 1. That means that Supercharger competitors must also install the NACS inlet if they want to remain competitive post-2025.Besides that, DC fast charging has not been simplified everywhere yet. Owners are still required to use apps or be technologically savvy enough to set up functionalities like Plug & Play.Since we're talking about mobile devices, software, and electricity, we know they're not infallible. When something fails, it could turn a 20-minute charging session into an hour-long frustrating experience.Dieselgate-born Electrify America , for example, is well-known for not providing a reliable DC fast-charging experience.But that doesn't mean you can't use an EV for long journeys today. There are a lot of options available. However, one must be cautious about the stall they're plugging into.An R1S owner took advantage of their capable vehicle and planned an incursion into Colorado to explore the Mount Sherman Trail and the surrounding areas.Wanting to add enough juice into the battery, they stopped to replenish in Buena Vista. According to PlugShare, there are four ChargePoint charging stations in the small town  three with Level 2 output and one being a Level 3 stall.Naturally, they went for the faster option: a ChargePoint unit dispensing energy at a maximum rate of 62.5. By today's EV charging standards, that's low output. Superchargers boast speeds of 250 kW at V3 stalls, while some Electrify America chargers can dispense energy at a rate of 350 kW for vehicles with the 800V architecture.Sadly, the R1S owner did not check the fees before starting charging. They said the session cost almost $2 per kWh, which is earth-shatteringly expensive. Had this person charged from naught to 100%, they would have paid well over $270 for driving 320 miles.Some energy is lost when fast-charging because the battery needs proper thermal management, while the charger must also cool the cabling.This particular charger costs EV drivers $1.32 per kWh from 4 PM to 10 PM. The tariff does not include the sales, county, town, and town franchise taxes. Moreover, a $2 per hour parking fee is added to the bill after one hour of staying plugged in. Since the charger dispenses energy at a maximum rate of 62.5 kW, fully charging the R1S would have taken over two hours in ideal conditions.As you may guess, this is not the only stall in the country with such absurd pricing. That's why always checking the charges before plugging in is vital. It would have been even better if this person had planned their charging strategy before reaching the destination.Rivian has its own charging network , and a high-power station with multiple plugs is available just 20 miles from Buena Vista.Ultimately, if you want to become an EV owner who won't spend absurd sums on fast charging, plan all your trips accordingly and check the prices through manufacturers' or third-party platforms before using any stall promising you electrons delivered fast.
Over in Japan, the good folks at Toyota have recently filed a trademark for Land Hopper. The registration is for Class 12, which covers everything from automobiles to bicycles. What could it be used for?

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EV

Unless you're buddies with someone in product planning, the answer isn't clear. Be that as it may, members of the Land Cruiser Forum believe that we're in for yet another sport utility vehicle . After the Land Cruiser 300 (the big one) and Land Cruiser 250 (a.k.a. Prado), the Land Hopper would fit nicely in Toyota's lineup as a compact. Think Bronco Sport in FoMoCo's case.Back on August 2, when Toyota revealed the 250 series, the automaker showed an image of three vehicles: a weird electric tricycle, a compact-ishwith a spare mounted out back, and a larger SUV with futuristic styling. The latter may be the three-row sibling of the poor-selling bZ4X, one of the worst electric utilities in the compact segment. As for the compact one, could that Land Cruiser-styled fellow be the Land Hopper?It might be, yet  as mentioned earlier  nobody except those involved in the project knows the mystery SUV's name. On the other hand, we're certain that it's based on the Compact Cruiserconcept from June 2022, an off-road-oriented crossover with dual-motor oomph.The Compact Cruiser EV is closely related to the FT-4X, with FT-4X standing for Future Toyota 4-wheel drive. As opposed to the Compact Cruiser, the FT-4X uses a small combustion engine. Toyota didn't mention the displacement or the cylinder count, thoughFiled with Japan's trademark and patent office on August 8, the Land Hopper nameplate hasn't been registered anywhere else. This, in turn, indicates that Toyota isn't sure whether to use this nameplate or not.Whatever the Japanese automaker may be planning, there is no denying that a Land Cruiser-esque crossover inspired by the Compact Cruiser EV concept would be hugely popular in the United States market.At press time, Toyota offers a grand total of eight sport utility vehicles in this part of the world. Unibodies include the Corolla Cross, RAV4, Venza, Highlander, Grand Highlander, and bZ4X. As for body-on-frame designs, the Tundra-based Sequoia and new-for-2024 Land Cruiser 250 series will have to make do.In the event the Compact Cruiser EV turns into the Land Hopper, but Toyota can't make a case for all-electric muscle, a four-cylinder engine is mandatory. The Bronco Sport is greatly hindered by its base three-cylinder turbo, which takes away much of the vehicle's potential. Ford offers a four-cylinder turbo, yet only if you're prepared to pony up top dollar for the range-topping Badlands trim level. The Badlands also makes sense off the beaten path, for it features better suspension than lesser trim levels. It also packs a twin-clutch drive unit similar in design to that of the Focus RS.
Feature: Cambodian patients hail traditional Chinese medicine for effective treatment of their illnesses

Xinhua) 10:46, August 19, 2023

A doctor of a Chinese medical team provides medical services for a patient at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital's Chinese Medicine Clinic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- For several years, Cambodian elderly woman Por Lon, who has been paralyzed after a stroke, has not been able to walk, but that changed when she received treatment using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The 82-year-old mother of three children said she sought TCM treatments after hearing from other patients that a team of Chinese TCM experts provided TCM treatment to patients at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital's Chinese Medicine Clinic here in Phnom Penh.

Lon has had high blood pressure for 10 years and has fallen face down twice, which left her both legs unmovable, traveling in a wheelchair only.

"I previously could not walk unaided, but after I have come for acupuncture treatment several times, my legs have regained their strength, and I can walk again," she told Xinhua on Friday at the Chinese Medicine Clinic.

"Now, at home, I can walk unassisted from my children, and pain on my shoulders has also relieved," the woman said, adding that she has received acupuncture treatment at the clinic for six months.

She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to China for sending the TCM experts to help heal patients in Cambodia, saying that TCM is very efficacious to treat patients with chronic diseases.

"I'm elated that I have gradually recovered from my illness, and I hope other patients will also get better from their illnesses," Lon said.

Another 71-year-old patient, Som Chanthan, who has pelvic fractures, said her illness has improved after having received acupuncture treatment from the Chinese TCM specialists for several months.

"I used to fall down, leading to pelvic fractures, and I was in constant pain," she told Xinhua. "I have come to receive acupuncture treatment, and I feel much better and can move faster, and an X-ray shows the fractured bone has evolved for the better."

Chanthan said there was not any side effect from the TCM treatment and she felt relieved after each treatment.

Keo Sorya, a 62-year-old mother of three children, said she had a persistent sore throat for years and had difficulty swallowing food, but her condition has improved after she received acupuncture treatment three times.

"Now, my throat is still a bit sore and has phlegm," she told Xinhua. "They (Chinese TCM experts) have provided good treatment, helping treat me, and I believe in them."

Yuan Geng, head of the Chinese Medical Team to Cambodia, which works at the Chinese Medicine Clinic, said his eight-member team from the Guang'anmen Hospital arrived in Phnom Penh in July 2023 for a one-year medical mission. They are the second batch of Chinese TCM experts dispatched to the Southeast Asian nation.

He said the experts came from eight medical units of emergency, geriatric disease, preventive health care, general diseases, orthopedics, infection control, acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as surgical nurse.

"We are now carrying out TCM diagnosis and treatment activities at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital," he told Xinhua.

"At present, we have carried out this kind of diagnosis and treatment activities for more than a month, and the weekly workload is now about 120 to 130 patients," he said.

Besides offering TCM diagnosis and treatment at the clinic, the team has also reached out to different places to provide patients with free clinics, Yuan said, adding that the team has so far carried out five such large-scale free clinic activities.

A doctor of a Chinese medical team provides medical services for a patient at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital's Chinese Medicine Clinic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 18, 2023. The eight-member team from China's Guang'anmen Hospital arrived in Phnom Penh in July 2023 for a one-year medical mission. They are the second batch of Chinese TCM experts dispatched to the Southeast Asian nation.

Those experts came from eight medical units of emergency, geriatric disease, preventive health care, general diseases, orthopedics, infection control, acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as surgical nurse. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

A doctor of a Chinese medical team provides medical services for a patient at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital's Chinese Medicine Clinic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 18, 2023. The eight-member team from China's Guang'anmen Hospital arrived in Phnom Penh in July 2023 for a one-year medical mission. They are the second batch of Chinese TCM experts dispatched to the Southeast Asian nation.

Those experts came from eight medical units of emergency, geriatric disease, preventive health care, general diseases, orthopedics, infection control, acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as surgical nurse. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

A doctor of a Chinese medical team provides medical services for a patient at the Cambodia-China Friendship Preah Kossamak Hospital's Chinese Medicine Clinic in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Aug. 18, 2023. The eight-member team from China's Guang'anmen Hospital arrived in Phnom Penh in July 2023 for a one-year medical mission. They are the second batch of Chinese TCM experts dispatched to the Southeast Asian nation.

Those experts came from eight medical units of emergency, geriatric disease, preventive health care, general diseases, orthopedics, infection control, acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as surgical nurse. (Xinhua/Wu Changwei)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
(CNN)  The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed D-Day for a possible military intervention to restore Nigers democratically elected president following last months coup.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are ready to go anytime the order is given for military intervention in Niger.

The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose, Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.

Last week, ECOWAS ordered the activation of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26.

On Friday, Musah reiterated that the blocs priority remains the restoration of the constitutional order in the shortest possible time.

We are not going to engage in endless dialogue. It must be fruitful, the commissioner added.

He also called once again for the release of the countrys legitimate leader, the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held under house arrest with his wife and son since he was overthrown by the armed junta.

Nigers junta claimed it had gathered evidence to prosecute him for what it says amount to high treason.

Niger, which lies at the heart of Africas Sahel, was one of the few remaining democracies in the region.

Bazoums election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power and capped years of military coups following Nigers independence from France in 1960.

Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

That is why we say all options are on the table. If they [the junta] want to take the peaceful pathway to the restoration of constitutional order in the country, then we can stand down the military option because it is not our preferred option, Musah said.

The commissioner said the bloc had decided that the coup in Niger is one coup too many, for the region, adding that there will be no further meetings of ECOWAS defense chiefs on the issue.

We are putting a stop to it at this time, Musah said in his concluding remarks.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "ECOWAS sets D-Day for possible military intervention in Niger"
Since summer's end is just around the corner, it's officially the best time to start looking into next year's gear. One team spitting out fresh works is Roofnest, and the newly-unveiled Sparrow 2 roof-top camper is the machine in question today.

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Photo: Roofnest

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Photo: Roofnest

Folks, whenever the start of a brand is sparked by nothing but passion, there's ultimately no way it can fail, and that seems to be the case for Roofnest , a camper manufacturer from good old Boulder, Colorado, right here in our own backyard.For the past few years, this crew has been sweeping across America, hitting up RV and camper shows left and right, in the process, creating quite the following. Heck, 12,600 members are part of this team's Facebook page, and you can be sure that not everyone that's into Roofnest is even subscribed to their page.Well, one way this crew is staying fresh and on top of this industry is by constantly listening to those nearly 13K followers and, in the process, crafting new machines that give the public precisely what they're asking for. All that brings us to Sparrow 2, a lineup of roof-top tent campers designed to achieve a bit more than those "other" units.For example, the shell you see is built out of, similar to most other manufacturers, but a special framing pattern allows owners of the Sparrow 2 to mount cross-bars onto it without having to worry about structural integrity.Why is this important? Well, because it still allows you to bring along precious cargo like a pair of bikes, kayaks, or whatever you need to load up. To top it all off, that ABS is covered in a Line-X coating, so the elements should be staying out.Now, once you've made it to your destination, you'll probably get out of your vehicle, stretch your legs, rehydrate, and then pop this sucker's top. To do so, unlock a couple of latches and push upward, at which point, a set of air springs kick in and lift the rest of the way. Suddenly, you're looking at 320 GSM poly-cotton walls with a blackout coating to ensure light is reflected.At this point, you'll probably attach that telescoping aluminum ladder and get to work arranging the interior. You won't need to do much; just arrange the foam mattress, fluff a pillow, and arrange the blanket. Go ahead and lay down for a minute or so with your feet dangling out of one of the four mesh windows; you deserve it.Considering it's early in the day, and there's still time to enjoy the outdoors, go ahead and unload your gear, set up your mobile campsite, and even start a little fire for s'mores later on in the night. Because roof-top tents only offer a space where you can safely rest your head, the rest of your campsite will have to be carried along elsewhere. Thank god this one is cross-bar-worthy!As I explored this new lineup, I ran across a little video detailing all that these units have in store. One aspect is that they come in three variations, with the largest, the XL, being suitable for up to three adults. Still, this thing is so fresh that you won't even find it on the manufacturer's website, but you can follow that link at the bottom of the article and take things from there Now, the Sparrow 2 is considered an upgrade to the original Sparrow Series that America fell in love with. These upgrades include things likeports for heating and AC, dimmable LEDs, a mattress with a washable cover, and heavy-duty lockable latches. Some I've already named off the list, like the 320 GSM blackout material the tent is made of.And that's really all there is to this beauty, so for the next few moments, picture your life accompanied by a Sparrow 2. Mornings should find you on the side of some road, on a beach, or among mountain valleys; wherever your vehicle can go, the Sparrow 2 will be hovering overhead, literally on top of your car.You arise from your slumber, kiss your significant other on a drool-covered cheek - it's love - and climb out of your nest to begin your turn at making breakfast . Sure, a cooktop is going to cost you extra, but there are plenty of affordable options out there, and with some financial attention, you'll transform the rear of your car into a nearly complete cooking station. A portable toilet and outdoor shower complete your camping setup.With everyone awake and fed, you'll be ready for the day's adventure by locking your Sparrow 2 and car, and away you go, only to return to your go-anywhere home (camper) and ready the tent for another night under the stars. The next day, a quick breakfast, and it's time to move on to the next X on your map. Wait a minute; a roof-top tent offers much more freedom than a travel trailer, limited only by your vehicle's abilities.So, how much is this sort of lifestyle going to cost us? It all depends on how far you want to take things and what model you want, but the Sparrow 2 currently found on Roofnest's undisclosed order page is asking for five bucks under $3,100 (2,850 at current exchange rates). Need I say anything else?
Palmdale, CA (93550)

Today

Windy with sunshine. High near 65F. Winds ENE at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph..

Tonight

Clear. Windy this evening. Low 32F. E winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
19 August 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Elnur Enveroglu Read more

Armenia, which caused serious discussions on the agenda regarding the risks of environmental hazards, as a result of the construction of an illegal metallurgical plant again attracted public interest with the next provocative act. It goes without saying that since the conversation is about Armenia, there is almost no benefit in speaking according to the laws. But it is worth talking about the topic in more detail.

Of course, we are talking about an inactive and abandoned airport, which is a few tens of meters away from the border of Armenia with Azerbaijan. The airport has not been carrying out any flights for a long time, even after the Second Garabagh War, no strategically important buildings were built in the areas close to the conventional borders, since the border delimitation and demarcation works were not completed. In addition to the fact that the airport in question is only a stones throw from the territory of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's announcement of the operation of the airport posed some serious questions.

So now the government of Armenia has made new dreams and decided to start regular flights from Yerevan to Gafan starting next week.

The question is how Armenia will be able to manage the take-off and landing process of the plane from a distance of several hundred meters on the border with Azerbaijan... There is a clear answer to this question: the planes flying from the airport to Gafan will definitely violate the airspace of Azerbaijan.

Another issue is the current military-strategic positions of the Azerbaijani border troops in the area, which require an absolute distance between Armenia and Azerbaijan according to the border rules. However, despite this, Armenia once again ignores and grossly violates international laws regarding inter-country borders.

Azerbaijan is certainly well aware of Armenia's goal in opening the airport. By the way, recently, a number of large-scale construction works carried out by Azerbaijan in the Garabagh Economic Region and East Zangazur, including the return of the former IDPs to their native homes, did not escape the attention of the Armenian Prime Minister. Even the processes worried him a little or may be a bit more. During an interview with the Euronews channel, Pashinyan even expressed in a certain way that he was worried about the acceleration of the Great Return project. Perhaps the Armenian Prime Minister had some words about the airport in Zangilan, but even if he could not express them, today we can see bare results of what was left inside him.

First of all, when Azerbaijan was building the Zangilan airport, it chose a location at a considerable distance from the border, took into account the possible wind force that could affect the route, and thereby eliminated the risk of aircraft flying into the territory of Armenia.

As for the operation of the airport in Gafan, there are serious reasons to believe that under the guise of "civilian" Armenia will try to use this airport for military purposes. Of course, if the rapid construction works in Garabagh and East Zangazur disturb Armenia, Yerevan does not want to remain unaware of them. In any case, seeing the prosperity of the territories it once occupied is beyond the reach of the marauding Armenians, but even watching Azerbaijan from the sky is like finding water in the desert for the Yerevan authorities.

As for the pretext of opening the airport for civilian purposes, it is important to consider certain procedures. First of all, it should be noted that the Gafan airport operated at a time when today's independent states were once a single territory belonging to the former Soviet Union. However, there are also border and cross-border airports in Europe, which could be not correct to compare with a country like Armenia.

For instance, Geneva Airport, also known informally by its old name Cointrin, is entirely on Swiss soil, but only just. The edge of its runway skims the French border. The sharp right-angle turns that the border takes along the airports perimeter are, in fact, not random.

When in the 1950s Swiss authorities wanted to extend the airports runway the only feasible option was to do so over French territory.

The matter was sorted by the signing of an international treaty by which France and Switzerland exchanged plots of territory of equivalent size.

Another example of cross-border airports in our civilized world is about Cross Border Xpress (CBX), where a wall runs along large sections of the US-Mexico border. What is less known, though, is that at one particular point you can walk over it  provided you have a boarding pass. However, it is still safe as it is regulated by legislation  despite it is pan-European or bilateral.

In the case of the Gafan airport, there are no agreements with Azerbaijan. The matter is that the construction of an airport a few dozen meters from the border of another state with which Armenia does not have a peace agreement is nonsense.

Besides, from Azerbaijani positions, one can even consider what is happening inside this airport. Until now, the opening of the airport has been postponed several times in Armenia "due to the security situation."

In a nutshell, Armenia's unilateral provocative steps, such as the opening of the Gafan airport, will not go unanswered. Azerbaijan will not allow violations of its own airspace, and therefore the Gafan airport will suffer the fate of Khojaly - it will remain a museum exhibit.

---

Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 August 2023 13:00 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

After the Armenian occupation, the large-scale construction projects carried out by Azerbaijan in the Garabagh economic region and East Zangazur started to worry Yerevan a lot. It's no secret that Pashinyan expressed his concern about the ongoing reconstruction works and resettlement of the population in the territories in an interview with the Euronews TV channel a few weeks ago. Even behind this, some Armenian bloggers seriously criticized Pashinyan with their rational approach, expressed opinions in favour of Azerbaijan, and admitted that the Azerbaijan's leadership is truly successful.

Apparently, the Pashinyan administration, which wants to draw conclusions from criticism, wanted to sign a randomly chosen project. However, as always, the Armenian leadership grossly violated the rules and laws. We are talking, of course, about the airport in Gafan, which is located near the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, and has been unused for years. In fact, the mentioned airport operated in a limited form during the Soviet rule. However, after the collapse of the regime, when the borders were separated, the airport was unusable due to certain insecurity. It should be noted that the Gafan airport is only a few tens of meters away from the border with Azerbaijan. It is even possible to see the territory of the airport with a plain view from the border. Considering that the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia has not yet been signed, it is inevitable that planes flying from the airport will violate the airspace of Azerbaijan. For this reason, putting the facility into operation is not accepted by Azerbaijan according to the norms of international law.

Political analyst Elkhan Shikhaliyev, who made a comment to Azernews about the issue, also confirmed these views and noted that it is absurd for the Armenian leadership to agree to such activities that may violate the border rules.

"I consider this step of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who recently visited the Gafan airport to be put into operation again, an ill-considered decision. First of all, the Gafan airport is located at the point of contact with Azerbaijan, which Armenia considers an enemy, and I must note that a peace treaty has not been signed between the two countries. For this reason, Pashinyan's spending of nearly 2 million for the restoration and reuse of Gafan airport, which was closed after the 1990s, is just a waste of money. Also, the opening of the airport at such a moment can be considered as another plan for provocations."

Elkhan Shikhaliyev linked Armenia's taking such a step with the failure it faced at the UN.

"During the discussion of Azerbaijan's Garabagh issues at the meeting of the UN Security Council, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of firing at the Gafan airport as an aggressive opponent. However, the UN showed Armenia its rightful place. Armenia was especially disappointed by the fact that the organization did not sign any serious documents against Azerbaijan," the military expert noted.

The pundit also considered it inadequate for Armenia to start operating the airport close to the territory of Azerbaijan without signing a peace treaty with official Baku.

"We must take into account that during the flights, Armenia will in any case violate the airspace of Azerbaijan. And Azerbaijan will certainly not turn a blind eye to it," Shikhaliyev said.

The political analyst added that before opening the airport, Pashinyan should discuss and resolve the issues of delimitation and demarcation, opening of communications, border recognition at the table with the Azerbaijani leadership.

According to him, Armenia's desire is actually to deliberately direct the opinions of international powers to the Zangazur corridor. "Pashinyan is trying to ensure some kind of security by turning the area (corridor) that will be used as a communication route in the future into a strategic space," the expert emphasized.

Talking about the strategic importance of the airport, the political expert also touched on the Iranian factor.

"We know that at the same time, Armenia is acting together with Iran on the non-opening of the Zangazur Corridor. Therefore, at the next stage, the escalation will manifest itself in the direction of the Gorus-Gafan-Zangazur corridor of Armenia, in the direction of Mehri Agrar Ordubad, especially in the route of the road communication intersection with Iran. One of the cunning intentions of Armenia is to drag Azerbaijan into new provocations. It wants to make these efforts through communication, future conflicts at Gafan airport, and the possibility of firing against any planes or the airport. In a word, just as Armenia wants to build a metallurgical plant near Sadarak, it also wants to provoke Azerbaijan by launching the airport located a few meters away from the border.

In addition, expert Elkhan Shikhaliyev, speaking about the secret plans of Iran, which is interested in the operation of the airport, again linked the issue with the Zangazur corridor. He noted that in the future, if the Zangezur corridor is not convenient for Armenia and Iran, he is thinking of using the airport of Iran and Armenia as an alternative option.

"Nevertheless, both Armenia and Iran clearly do not understand that neither the use of the airport nor the construction of gold mines can be possible if they violate the norms of international law. Because this is considered a red line for Azerbaijan," the expert added.

---

Rena Murshud is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 August 2023 14:39 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed the possibility of increasing mutual investments, Azernews reports.

According to the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov met with Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan Oybek Khamrayev.

During the meeting, Mammadov stated that both nations place a high priority on the effective growth of their bilateral relations and that there are many potential to increase cooperation in the area of trade. The terms of the intergovernmental agreement on the creation of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund contribute to a rise in bilateral trade and investment as well as a strengthening of economic ties.

Khamrayev emphasized Uzbekistan's interest in collaborating on numerous initiatives with Azerbaijan.

During the discussion, it was also discussed what steps were being taken to promote economic cooperation.

According to the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan by the end of 2022 amounted to $181.2 million (an increase of 52.4 percent compared to 2021).

In general, there are 204 enterprises with the participation of Azerbaijani capital in Uzbekistan as of July 1, 2023 (71 in 2017). In addition, 67 of them are joint ventures, and 137 are foreign enterprises. Since the beginning of this year, 21 enterprises have been created.

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19 August 2023 09:30 (UTC+04:00)

The Western Azerbaijan Community has strongly condemned the attack and arrest of a man by the police in the Karvansar (Ijevan) district of Armenia just because he spoke Turkish, Azernews reports.

The statement reads:

"We, the Western Azerbaijan Community, the organization representing the Azerbaijanis forcibly expelled from Armenia, strongly condemn the recent attack and detention by the police of a person just for speaking Turkish in the Karvansara (Ijevan) district of Armenia.

This incident is another notorious indicator of racism and xenophobia deeply embedded in the state policy and society of Armenia, which was the main reason for the forced expulsion of all Azerbaijanis from the country in 1987-1991.

We urge the international community to condemn this incident and put pressure on Armenia to end its racist policy, create a tolerant environment in the country and ensure the safe and dignified return of the expelled Azerbaijanis.

We also call on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to deal with the aforementioned incident and take the necessary steps to protect the rights of the person who is being persecuted."

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 August 2023 08:00 (UTC+04:00)

The opening ceremony of the joint tactical-special exercise "Erdik" with special forces units of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan was held in Issyk-Kul Oblast of Kyrgyzstan, Azernews reports, citing Kabar.

According to the Ministry of Defense, during the exercise, issues will be worked out on the development of a unified response mechanism in case of a terrorist threat in the border areas and an assessment of the combat capabilities of the units involved in the performance of combat missions.

More than 150 military personnel and about 30 units of special and aviation equipment are involved in the exercises.

The exercises will last till August 23, 2023.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 August 2023 20:01 (UTC+04:00)

Morocco has not applied to join BRICS and will not attend its forthcoming summit in Johannesburg, Azernews reports with reference to state news agency MAP.

Quoting an unnamed source at the Foreign Ministry, the agency said there "has never been any question of responding positively to the invitation" or of "taking part in this meeting at any level whatsoever."

"It's a meeting organized on the basis of a unilateral initiative by the South African government," the source said, adding that "South Africa has always shown a primary hostility towards the Kingdom, and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the question of the Moroccan Sahara."

"Pretoria has thus multiplied, both nationally and within the African Union, its notoriously malicious actions against Morocco's higher interests," MAP quoted the source as saying.

Criticizing that South African diplomacy is known for its light, improvised and unpredictable management when it comes to organizing this kind of event, the source said South Africa has invited large number of countries for no proper reason by not consulting with other BRICS members.

Pretoria wants to hijack the summit to serve a hidden agenda, it added.

Morocco maintains bilateral relations with rest of the BRICS members, remains committed to multilateralism, but has never formally applied for membership, the ministry source said.

The group is made of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which is hosting the meeting on Aug. 22-24. Its potential expansion is set to be discussed at the summit and South Africa says many countries have expressed interest in joining.

South Africa's support for the Polisario front, which seeks to establish an independent state in Western Sahara, a territory Morocco considers as its own, has affected relations between the two countries.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
19 August 2023 22:17 (UTC+04:00)

Turkiye on Saturday condemned the recent US decision of lifting the arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration from September 2024, Azernews reports.

"Following the decision of the United States to lift the arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot Administration in September 2020 and the expansion of the scope of the said decision in 2022, we condemn that the U.S. has now extended that decisions duration for one year as of 1 October 2023," the ministry said in statement.

Turkiye fully supports the justified reaction of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), it added.

"We would like to take this opportunity to remind that together with the TRNC, we have repeatedly pointed out how the various destabilizing steps recently taken by the U.S. in the region at the expense of the Turkish Cypriot side undermine the neutral position on the Island of Cyprus which this country has maintained for many years, and constitute an obstacle to reaching a just, lasting and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue.

"We invite the U.S. yet again to reconsider these policies that put the stability in the region at risk," the statement read.

Turkiye, as a guarantor state, will always continue to ensure the existence, security and peace of the Turkish Cypriots within the framework of its historical and legal responsibilities, it added.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Turkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.

---

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(CNN)  At least seven people died including a six-year-old girl and 90 others were injured after a Russian missile strike hit a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Saturdays strike  in a city close to the Russian border and far from the frontlines  hit a theater and a university.

The girl killed died from her injuries in hospital, Ukraines Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said.

Her mother is in grave condition. The police officers provided first aid to the girl. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save her upon arrival at the hospital due to a heavy blood loss, he added.

Klymenko said the strike happened while people were leaving church with baskets of blessed apples. Saturday is a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar: for The Feast of the Transfiguration, apples and honey are consecrated in churches.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss.

A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater.

Oleksandr Lomako, acting mayor of Chernihiv city, told national TV: There is a park right behind the drama theater, many children and their parents usually spend time there. There are numerous restaurants with outdoor terraces located nearby as well. It all happened in the middle of the day when obviously there are many people in the city center.

This crime cannot be interpreted except as a war crime against civilians.

Prior to the outbreak of war, Chernihiv was a vibrant city of 300,000 people. Now, many parts of it have turned to wasteland amid repeated Russian bombardment.

The city came under siege from Russian forces at the start of the invasion in March 2022, and was cut off from electricity and running water. Russia troops began withdrawing from the region later that month, although shelling of Chernihiv continued.

Following the siege, the citys mayor described Chernihiv as about 70% destroyed.

This story was first published on CNN.com. "Seven dead including six-year-old girl as Russian missile hits center of Ukraines Chernihiv city"
Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.
Email Dan Walters of CalMatters at dan@calmatters.org. CalMatters is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining Californias policies and politics. For more columns by Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
China paid millions into the Biden family influence pedalling scheme and now Joe Biden is using the climate charade to hand over control of electric production and automobile production to China. Biden's push to transition our electric production to wind and solar, where China dominates the supply chain for this expensive and unreliable power source. China is no dummy. They are building coal fired power plants for themsevles on a mass basis.

Now Biden's push for electric cars is opening our automotive market for China to flood our car market with cheap electric cars. That will mean the end of lots of good paying jobs in our own automotive industry, which the electric car push is already seeing happen. It will also be something else we are dependent on Red China for.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/08/18/chinas-automakers-skirt-tariffs-fill-u-s-market-electric-vehicles/

Euope is also expecting a flood of cheap Chinese electric cars as the EU plans to ban sale of conventional cars in 2030, and already there are concerns that devices in the Chinese made electric cars could be used for spying.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-11894013/Is-car-spying-Chinese-EVs-set-sale-UK.html

Meanwhile polls show that most Americans have no interest in buying an electric vehicle.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/electric-vehicles/article-12414525/Is-Bidens-electric-car-dream-falling-flat-Majority-Americans-say-federal-incentives-not-convincing-buy-EV-households-earning-150K-seriously-considering-investment.html
Here are 13 healthcare-related criminal cases, lawsuits and other incidents reported by Becker's since July 26.

1. Reuven Alonalayoff, the former marketing director of Secaucus, N.J.-based Hudson Regional Hospital who was arrested last year after police found guns hidden inside an unlocked closet at the hospital, entered a pretrial diversion program.

2. Federal agents arrested Gordon Pedersen, a Utah man previously indicted for allegedly posing as a physician and selling a baseless COVID-19 cure, ending a three-year manhunt.

3. Maria Michailidou, MD, sued Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and the hospital's chief of surgery over alleged discrimination she faced as a female, foreign-born physician. Dr. Michailidou alleged surgery chief Brad Waddell, MD, demonstrated hostile and demeaning behavior and claims the hospital encouraged leaders to instill fear in early-career physicians.

4. 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. The lawsuit accused Mr. Bundy of transferring and hiding assets or directing others to transfer and hide assets to hinder or frustrate efforts by the St. Luke's parties to collect damages.

5. Zhi Alan Cheng, MD, was charged with sexually abusing three patients at New York-Presbyterian Queens hospital and raping three other patients in his home. Dr. Cheng, a gastroenterologist, is accused of drugging the women he allegedly raped in his apartment and filming the assaults.

6. A patient in custody of corrections officers escaped New York City-based Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital by rappelling down the side of the building with towels.

7. The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners permanently revoked the license of a Jashvant Amin, MD, who had sexual relations with a cognitively impaired patient who bore his child in 1986. DNA testing confirmed the complainant is his biological son.

8. The Ohio State Medical Board indefinitely suspended the license of prominent anti-vaccine advocate and physician Sherri Tenpenny, DO, who in 2021 claimed COVID-19 vaccines magnetize recipients and "interface" with 5G cellphone towers. The physician was deemed a nonexpert by a federal judge in a vaccine injury lawsuit.

9. Four hospitals and health systems are facing lawsuits for allegedly sharing healthcare data for marketing purposes with social media giants such as Meta, Facebook and Google.

10. Andrea Falzano, a former Boston nurse pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of doses of opioids from an emergency room locked drug cabinet in 2019. She could face up to four years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 for the three counts of unlawfully obtaining controlled substances by fraud, deception and subterfuge

11. Linda Carnazza, the owner and president of the Virginia Surgical Center in Virginia Beach, is facing charges for performing invasive surgeries without a license. A former patient reported the center after undergoing a botched procedure in February.

12. Maria Macburnie was arrested for allegedly posing as a physician, treating patients and prescribing medications at Toms River, N.J.-based Shore Medical Associates. She allegedly assumed the identity of a relative who is licensed to practice, treated patients and wrote prescriptions when the relative was unable to.

13. Johanah Napoleon, former president and owner of the Palm Beach School of Nursing in West Palm Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 21 months in prison for awarding at least 7,600 fake diplomas. In addition to the prison time, Ms. Napoleon has been ordered to pay $3.5 million in fines.
While healthcare leaders are kept busy with hectic jobs every single day, in their downtime, many love to pick up books to further develop their personal and professional knowledge.

Nine executives and surgeons told Becker's their book recommendations for healthcare leaders this summer.

Question: What is one book you think every healthcare leader should read and why?

Bradley Cardenas. CEO at Executive Surgery Center (Houston): Wait, What? by James E. Ryan.

Domagoj Coric, MD. Medical Director at Atrium Health Southeast Region Spine Center of Excellence (Winston-Salem, N.C.): The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD. This is Dr. Mukeherjee's follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. Every healthcare leader should read this book because it documents the journey of how decades, and even centuries, of painstakingly long research can eventually coalesce into astounding medical breakthroughs that can affect literally millions of patients. The book focuses on the evolution of cell theory and how it influences modern cellular therapies that can be harnessed for both ethically specious as well as seemingly miraculous medical treatments.

Issada Thongtrangan, MD. Orthopedic and Neurological Spine Surgeon at MicroSpine (Scottsdale, Ariz.): I am reading the book titled The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, by John Izzo, PhD, for my personal growth. It is easy to read and can be useful in my day-to-day practice or for anyone. It gives me insight into how to be positive and happy in the moment.

Kevin Stone, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon at the Stone Clinic (San Francisco): Play Forever: How to Recover from Injury and Thrive, on Amazon. I wrote it, patients love it.

Kris Radcliff, MD. Spine Surgeon at Spinal Disc Center (Somers Point, N.J.): In the ever-shifting landscape of healthcare, where transformations span reimbursement intricacies, hospital dynamics and procedural methodologies, lies the essence of triumph through adaptability. As a devoted healthcare practitioner, the ability not only to anticipate changes but also to seamlessly embrace them underscores the foundation of success. Encapsulated within the pages of Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, by Spencer Johnson, MD, is a poignant reminder that clinging to outdated paradigms stifles progress, while embracing transformation opens doors to prosperity. The unwavering truth reveals itself: Change, rather than an anomaly, serves as a catalyst for enrichment, unveiling new avenues for achievement and ascendance within this deeply personal and sacred calling.

Lali Sekhon, MD. Surgeon at Reno (Nev.) Orthopedic Center: Thinking about healthcare/spine surgery 24/7 is not healthy. We need an escape! The Three-Body Problem series by Liu Cixin is probably the best science fiction I've read in 20 years. Soon to be released as a Netflix series.

Sam Romeo, MD. General Partner at Tower Health & Wellness Center (Turlock, Calif.): We the Patient, because I wrote it.

Thomas Schuler, MD. Spine surgeon, Founder and CEO at Virginia Spine Institute (Reston): It has been said that who we become is determined by the books we read and the people that we meet. Two great books that inform and inspire are: First Break all the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman  a strategy that upsets many incorrect preconceived notions. Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why, by Laurence Gonzales  a dive into mental toughness.

Tina Piotrowski, BSN. CEO of Copper Ridge Surgery Center (Traverse City, Mich.): I highly recommend Hardwiring Excellence, by Quint Studer. The author has an interesting journey into healthcare, and his work has transformed and improved healthcare for many organizations. We have adopted the five pillars of excellence (people, service, quality, finance and growth) in our strategic initiatives as well as our values.
During the first week of August, the American College of Physicians updated its guidance for colorectal screenings in asymptomatic, average-risk individuals, raising the recommended screening age from 45 to 50. Some experts are not in agreement with the new recommendations.

According to research from the American Cancer Society, adults ages 40 to 54 are seeing the steepest increase in colorectal cancer rates. In the last 20 years, rates have fallen in adults over 50, mostly because more people are getting recommended screening tests.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that routine colonoscopies for average-risk individuals begin at age 45.

Shrujal Baxi, MD, chief medical officer at Iterative Health, a gastroenterology medtech company, talked with Becker's about her thoughts on changing colorectal cancer screening guidelines and what is coming down the pipeline next for Iterative Health.

Question: Why do you think the ACP has raised the recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings?

Dr. Shrujal Baxi: The move to increase the recommended age for colorectal cancer screenings is a bit surprising to me given the rising rates of colorectal cancer we've seen in younger patients, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recommendation that colorectal cancer screening begin at age 45 for average-risk individuals. However, as in other cancer screening guidelines, in the absence of a consensus, the decision needs to be made by patients and providers. The ACP's increase in the recommended age for colorectal cancer screening is in part due to the perceived burden of screening on the healthcare system, as well as the cost and risks to patients.

Q: The report mentions some harms/dangers of colorectal cancer screenings  do you find physicians and patients are generally concerned about negative effectives from screenings?

SB: Patients view colonoscopies as time-consuming and unpleasant, which directly impacts compliance with screening colonoscopies. Additionally, procedural complications are infrequent, but remain top of mind for physicians. However, the benefit of not only detecting a precancerous lesion early, but also having the ability to immediately remove it during a colonoscopy, is seen to outweigh the risks and the burden to the patient.

Q: What are the implications of removing DNA stool tests as a recommended screening tool?

SB: We have seen a rise in popularity in noninvasive screening tests for CRC among patients. The recommendation to remove DNA stool tests is in part due to the higher false-positive rate to detect CRC than for other noninvasive screening tests such as fecal immunochemical tests or fecal occult blood tests. Where noninvasive tests are utilized, it is critical for patients and providers to understand that these are two-step tests and colonoscopy is the only screening method endorsed by the ACP that not only identifies precancerous lesions but also enables their resection. Colonoscopy has seen significant technological advancements in recent years to enable high quality procedures. For patients coming in for colonoscopy following a positive result from a noninvasive test, it's important for healthcare providers to utilize everything in their toolbox to ensure that the patient receives the highest quality procedure.

Q: What other negative implications are you concerned about from these recommendation changes?

SB: Inconsistencies in screening guidelines could contribute to public confusion and may have a negative impact on the public perception of CRC screening. Increasing the rate of compliance with screening for CRC remains a major public health priority, and we expect medical societies to continue to focus on ensuring patients get screened and that it is done so with the highest quality.

Q: How is Iterative Health responding to the ACP's changes?

SB: Iterative Health is on a mission to empower physicians with technology to enhance the standard of patient care. Like the ACP, we recognize that colonoscopy comes with risks and burdens to patients, and we're committed to helping physicians provide the highest quality of care possible.

Q: Does Iterative Health have any updates or new technology coming down the pipeline regarding CRC screenings?

SB: Gastroenterology is primed for innovation  the proliferation of new screening options indicates this  but with colonoscopy unique in its role as both a screening and preventative tool, it is clear that we must innovate to further the quality of that procedure. Physicians are now using artificial intelligence to increase the number of precancerous lesions (adenomas) they detect and remove during colonoscopy, adding an extra layer of assurance to the patient's exam. Skout, a real-time polyp detection device from Iterative Health, uses artificial intelligence to assist endoscopists with detection of adenomas in the colon, equipping patients and physicians with an extra degree of confidence that a high-quality colonoscopy was conducted.
Here are eight leaders who have taken on or stepped down from CEO roles reported by Becker's since Aug. 11:

1. Cindy Hecker, BSN, CEO of the Seattle-based University of Washington Medical Center, will retire in June. She has served as CEO since 2018.

2. Sheryl Rickard will retire as CEO of Sandpoint, Idaho-based Bonner General Health at year's end, leaving the top job to the hospital's CFO. She has led the facility since 2004.

3. Anthony Guaccio, president and CEO of Swedish Hospital in Evanston, Ill., will retire at the year's end. He has served as CEO since 2016.

4. Terry Treadwell plans to vacate his role as CEO of Merit Health River Region in Vicksburg, Miss. Mr. Treadwell joined the hospital in July 2022. Laurie Neely, MSN, the hospital's chief nursing officer, will take over as interim CEO.

5. Mark Sullivan will step down as president and CEO of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health. Joyce Markiewicz, RN, Catholic Health's executive vice president and chief business development officer, was selected to succeed Mr. Sullivan.

6. Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, named Nathan Rumsey acting CEO, more than two weeks after its CEO and CFO left their roles.

7. Travis Messina was named CEO and appointed to the board of Franklin, Tenn.-based Regent Surgical Health.

8. Sparrow Health System President and CEO James Dover plans to step down from his role at the Lansing, Mich.-based organization, a position he has held since 2019.
CMS has fined three more hospitals for alleged price transparency violations.

According to CMS' price transparency enforcement website:

Chicago-based Community First Medical Center was fined $847,740 on July 24.

Marlin, Texas-based Falls Community Hospital and Clinic was fined $70,560 on July 24.

Salem, Ark.-based Fulton County Hospital was fined $63,900 on July 20.

The hospitals have 30 days from the issuance date to appeal the fines.

To date, four other hospitals have been fined for price transparency violations. One of those hospitals, Wichita Falls, Texas-based Kell West Medical Center, is appealing the punishment; CMS is reviewing the appeal.

CMS said in April it was making changes to the price transparency enforcement process in an effort to boost compliance.
The Irish government must do more to encourage nationalists to join the PSNI, a former Policing Board vice-chair has said.

Denis Bradley called for political leaders in Dublin to claim the PSNI as their own, and challenged them to carry the message into the heartlands of nationalism in Northern Ireland.

Mr Bradley said the recent data breach, which saw the details of 10,000 police officers and staff accidentally posted on a website, went beyond a security issue.

It has led to fears that Catholics may be discouraged from signing up to the PSNI.

Writing in Saturdays Irish Times, Mr Bradley accused dissident republicans of holding the people of Ireland to ransom, saying that as a result, the PSNI has not embedded itself into the nationalist community, more than two decades after its formation.

Mr Bradley served as vice-chair of the Policing Board between 2001 and 2006, covering the early years of the PSNI.

He cited the influence of the late Martin McGuinness, who encouraged nationalist support for the PSNI after Sinn Fein signed up to policing following the 2006 St Andrews Agreement.

In 2009, Mr McGuinness condemned dissident republicans as traitors to the island of Ireland" after the murder of police constable Stephen Carroll.

Writing in the Irish Times, Mr Bradley said dissidence was an Irish problem that has cascaded down the generations, and bringing it to a resolution needs all the attention and authority of the Irish people and their Government.

He wrote: The Irish Government must now claim the PSNI as its own. To make it clear that to kill or injure a PSNI officer is the same as killing a Garda.

They must launch a campaign to encourage young nationalists, North and South, to join the PSNI.

They must challenge all the other parties in the Dail to join them as they encourage and challenge all institutions and organisations, from the GAA to the Catholic Church, in promoting that message.

They must deliver that message in the heartlands of northern nationalism, where the dissidents have a small foothold and where the people still carry the memory and the fear of the gun.

Mr Bradley said people should be reassured that violence, not the British people, is the obstacle to a shared and reconciled Ireland.

He added: Finally, in issuing the ultimatum, they must acknowledge the complexity and tragedy of Anglo-Irish history and must acknowledge that a similar agreement to that offered to the Provisional IRA and the loyalist groups will ultimately be offered to those dissident prisoners who are in jail, North and South.

Earlier this week, Archbishop Eamon Martin asked Catholics to support the PSNI in the wake of the data breach crisis.

Archbishop Martin said: I have previously encouraged young people from the Catholic community to consider a career in policing. Today I reiterate this sentiment.

For that reason I also call on everyone in the community to reject entirely those who would intimidate or threaten the courageous women and men  including those from the Catholic community  who selflessly choose this noble vocation of policing.
Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre is damaged by a Russian attack on Chernihiv (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

A missile attack in the centre of a northern Ukrainian city killed seven people and wounded scores of others on Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Sweden, his first visit to the country since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

The dead in the daytime strike on the northern city of Chernihiv included a six-year-old girl, while 15 children were among the 129 wounded, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said.

Mr Zelensky condemned the attack, which he said hit buildings including a theatre and a university.

This is what a neighbourhood with a terrorist state is, this is what we unite the whole world against.

A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv, he wrote on Telegram.

A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.

In Sweden, Mr Zelensky met officials at Harpsund, the prime ministers official summertime residence, about 75 miles west of Stockholm. He will also meet Swedens King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.

At a joint news conference, Mr Zelensky and Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the two countries agreed to strengthen co-operation on production and training and servicing of the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.

As part of the agreement, Mr Zelensky said, Swedish CV-90 vehicles will begin production in Ukraine.

He also stressed the importance of supplying Ukraine with modern aircraft.

We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the pime minister could share this pride with Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said, adding that appropriate actions would be taken in the following weeks to open up the possibility of obtaining the appropriate aircraft.

I will also have negotiations with several other states tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage there, he said.

Mr Kristersson expressed his condolences to Mr Zelensky for the attack in Chernihiv. He called the Russian missile strike an act of brutality which only reinforces the need for us to stand with you in all your struggles.

Six people were killed in the attack (National Police of Ukraine via AP)

Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia.

The government says Sweden has provided 20 billion kronor (1.43 billion) in military support to Ukraine. Sweden also applied for Nato membership but is still waiting to join the alliance.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin said that Mr Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscows operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District.

The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Mr Gerasimov greeting Mr Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.

An injured man in Krasna square (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

It was Mr Putins first visit to Rostov-on-Don since the Wagner mercenary groups attempted mutiny in June, when the groups fighters briefly took control of the city.

Overnight into Saturday, Ukraines air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western regions.

The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack.

In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said governor Vitalii Bunechko.
U105 presenter Carolyn Stewart is celebrating after her Totally Hot NI company was named among the top food and drink producers globally this year.

Her business picked up a highly prized Great Taste award Star for its Mini Chicken Jamaican Patties.

Judges described them as generously filled, with a good balance of spices and a pleasing warmth.

They added: These are great-looking parcels of savoury, spicy filling and golden pastry, giving an enticing, spicy aroma.

The crisp pastry releases a well-judged filling, rich with well-balanced spices that give great complexity and length.

Add some mango chutney and you are in spice heaven.

Made with locally sourced ground chicken from Primacy Farm Butchers in Bangor, Carolyns patties are a delicious combination of spring onion, garlic and ginger, with scotch bonnet chillis, herbs and spices wrapped up in flaky butter pastry.

Carolyn is known throughout Northern Ireland as a celebrated DJ and U105 presenter, but she has also been cooking up a storm in the kitchen since 2016, when she set up Totally Hot NI to produce a range of hot pickles, marinades and sauces.

In May last year she added her Caribbean Patties to her product range.

This is her sixth Great Taste Award.

She said: I am thrilled to have won a Great Taste Award for my Mini-Chicken Jamaican Patties.

I have dreamt of this moment and Im so proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste badge of honour to my growing list of food awards.

Since I first visited Jamaica many years ago, I have always loved their Caribbean patties.

Ive been trying to perfect my recipe for years and last year I knew I had it cracked with just the right combination of ingredients to introduce my very own authentic Jamaican patty range.

In May 2022 I moved from my home kitchen in Bangor to a new purpose-built kitchen unit at Townsend Enterprise Park in Belfast and since then my business has literally taken off.

Were now in St Georges Market every Friday to Sunday with our full range of products at my Patty Shack.

Were also available in more than 25 independent gourmet stockists across Northern Ireland.
Ill slap the head off you, Samuel Crawford screamed at officers

A grinning thug who nearly blinded a female police officer in a drunken rage over an unpaid taxi fare has been given a suspended sentence.

Samuel Crawford was so drunk during the incident he had no memory of getting into the taxi and had no means to pay the 17.60 tariff with just a lighter and a car key in his pocket.

He felled the constable with a single punch and damaged her cornea during the violent outburst which has seen the policewoman off sick for months as a result.

Earlier this month at Laganside Magistrates Court, the boozed-up brute confessed to making off without paying, disorderly behaviour, assault and assault on police.

The 35-year-old also denied common assault, two counts of resisting arrest and two further counts of assault on police  however he was convicted on all charges.

The court heard police were called to a report of a taxi passenger making off without paying on Westland Way, north Belfast, in the early hours of April 16 this year.

Two officers in attendance implored Crawford to go home and sober up, the court heard, but the incident quickly turned nasty as he became aggressive with both of them.

Body-worn camera footage was shown to the court and depicted a swaying and slurring Crawford shouting at and then attacking two cops. In the clip he could be heard telling a male officer: I am going to slap the head off you, Im going to spit in your face, before doing so, with the spit landing on the left side of the officers face.

A struggle ensues and a female officer is punched in the right eye, causing her to scream out in pain and would leave her needing an emergency operation on her eye-socket in hospital.

The court heard how the blow from Crawford had caused such an abrasion to her cornea, there is now blurred vision in the eye as well as redness.

The male officer also described in his statement an agitated Crawford tensing his arms while saying, Im going to f***ing beat the f*** out of you.

A defence lawyer told the court Crawford had recently turned over a new leaf, adding: The change in circumstances has been the birth of a child and he has now turned his life around.

Read more Mickeybo killer back in jail after heroin binge broke terms of prison release

Sentencing him, deputy district judge Anne Marshall said: All he had to do was leave the scene and pay the fare the next day and he wouldnt be here.

He couldnt even remember getting the taxi and entered the car with only a lighter and a car key which speaks to his level of intoxication.

The whole thing is utter madness, if he had just taken the numerous opportunities to move on when asked to do so by police, he would have been fine.

The officer is still off sick with the injury to her eye.

Crawford, of York Road, Belfast, was sentenced to seven months in jail, suspended for two years.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (left) is seen with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her ceremonial reception at the Indian presidential palace in New Delhi, Sept. 6, 2022.

The leaders of Bangladesh and Indonesia are set to attend the BRICS summit of five major emerging economies in Johannesburg next week as both Asian nations look to increase their access to development funds.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo are among 67 leaders from around the world invited to the Aug. 22-24 summit of BRICS, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

BRICS came together to act as a counterweight to the dominance of Western nations and the lending institutions they helm, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Bangladeshs government hopes to reap economic benefits from the invitations to the meeting in South Africa, an official said.

It is a new potential source of our development assistance. We want to improve our relations with BRICS member countries, Muhammad Faruk Khan, chairman of Bangladeshs parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, told BenarNews.

In June, Bangladesh formally applied to join BRICS after a meeting in Geneva between Hasina and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the chair of the group this year.

That same month, Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen said Bangladesh was looking forward to joining the group.

We will surely join once they invite us, he told reporters, according to Bangladeshi media.

BRICS leaders are thinking of taking some emerging economies  around eight new countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, and Bangladesh.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks during the Leaders Dialogue with BRICS Business Council and the New Development Bank, at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 14, 2019. [Eraldo Peres/AP]

Khan, with the parliamentary committee, was at pains to note that wanting to join BRICS had nothing to do with moving away from the West.

This does not mean that we want to sour our excellent relations with the Western countries. We want to maintain our relations in line with our foreign policy: Friendship to all malice to none, Khan said.

BRICS was formed in 2006 as BRIC. South Africa was added in 2010.

In 2015, BRICS set up its own lending institution, the New Development Bank, and said it has approved a little more than U.S. $30 billion of projects in all of its member countries. The 80-odd projects are in sectors such as transport, water and sanitation, clean energy, digital infrastructure, social infrastructure, and urban development, the bank said.

An attendant stands next to flags of the BRICS countries  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  during the groups summit at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, Sept. 4, 2017. [Tyrone Siu/Pool/AFP]

The BRICS bank admitted Bangladesh as a member in 2021, calling the South Asian nation one of the worlds fastest growing economies.

The bank also said it was established to to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies. And expanding its membership is part of a strategy to become the premier development institution for emerging market economies.

Indonesia will decide later on BRICS

The expansion of BRICS membership is a key issue that will likely be discussed at the summit in Johannesburg, said participants at a virtual briefing on Friday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think-tank.

There are differences within BRICS members on the issue of expansion, said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director and senior fellow, Africa Program, at CSIS.

So India, for instance, is very worried about what role China will play, maybe in taking over the entire platform to assert its own influence, he said.

India and China have a serious border dispute and are also competitors for regional influence, especially over Bangladesh.

The process of expansion alone could be a formidable one, said Katherine B. Hadda, visiting fellow, chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies, at the center.

I think Indias really indicated that there needs to be a serious vetting process for this. And one can imagine that, in Indias mind, that will include maintaining some kind of balance in BRICS so that it doesnt tilt too much to Chinas influence.

Both Bangladesh and Indonesia are recipients of vast amounts of Chinese investments.

Bangladesh, for some years now, has had strained relations with the United States. Washington has been highly critical of alleged curbs on free speech and suppression of human rights in the Asian country.

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo (left) walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Nusa Dua, in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 16, 2022. [Achmad Ibrahim/Pool via Reuters]

As for Indonesia, its economic ties with China far surpass those with the U.S. Further, amid reports that U.S. President Joe Biden may skip next months ASEAN summit in Indonesia, observers say Jakarta has begun to feel that Washington is not walking the talk on its commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

But China has sought to court Indonesia as a potential member of BRICS, seeing that it is a Group of Twenty member and also the fourth most populous country in the world, according to a commentary piece published by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapores Nanyang Technological University.

For his part Indonesias president has been noncommittal about the countrys BRICS membership.

When reporters asked him earlier this month about speculation that Indonesia was becoming a BRICS member, Jokowi indicated that Jakarta had not decided.

We will decide later, he said, according to state-owned news agency Antara.

BRICS would benefit Indonesia because it possesses significant development financing capability through its bank, said the commentary, authored by Jefferson Ng Jin Chuan and Utaryo Santiko.

Indonesias raft of infrastructure projects, including the building of a new capital in Borneo, will cost billions and billions of dollars.
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The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming Maui, Hawaii, hosted a conference about making the entire island into a smart city in January and will host another summit next month about using artificial intelligence to govern the island, proving recent wildfires were deliberately set to transform these ideas into reality.
County Clerk Che Alexander departs the courtroom of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney on Monday in Atlanta. The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming officials in Fulton County forgot to redact the names of the grand jurors who indicted former President Donald Trump this week in relation to his actions following the 2020 election.
The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming the U.S. Marine Corps arrested Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and killed his bodyguards.
This Story in History is selected from the archives by Jeannie Maschino, The Berkshire Eagle.
PITTSFIELD  The count of lawsuits against General Electric Co. and Monsanto over instances of cancer stemming from alleged exposure of PCBs in Pittsfield is now up to three.

A second city mother who claims her young sons cancer was caused by PCBs is now also suing GE and Monsanto, alleging the companies are responsible. So is a Lenox woman who says she traces her "aggressive breast cancer" to PCB pollution released into Pittsfield and its elementary school she attended approximately 40 years ago.

In what are the second and third such lawsuits filed in Berkshire Superior Court this week, the complaints filed on Friday also list as defendants seven additional related entities like Bayer AG, which purchased Monsanto in 2018. The court filing also lists Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC), which purchased GEs Pittsfield business in 2011.

Jessica Sullivan says her son, Justin Lowery, 11, continues to suffer a form of brain cancer called pilocytic astrocytoma that scientific studies link to a PCB compound called Aroclor 1254.

Both Sullivan, and Kristie Harford, of Lenox, allege in separate court filings that the cancers are tied to PCB exposure from the Allendale Elementary School that abuts hazardous waste landfills at the former GE site, as well as to neighborhoods around the site. While the school property was remediated and capped with a liner, the lawsuit contends, PCBs  polychlorinated biphenyls  still linger.

Lowerys brain cancer, the complaint says, was caused by the negligence, recklessness, and wrongful conduct of the defendants both at home, in the community, inside his school, and at his schools playground.

Crystal Czerno, the first mother to file such a lawsuit, also alleges that her son's leukemia is linked to the pollution at the Allendale school and their home near the former GE site.

Harford declined to comment on her lawsuit. Sullivan said that while she knew about the history of GE and the PCB pollution, she did not know the extent of the problem.

I never really looked into it because sometimes ignorance is bliss with certain things, she told The Eagle in a phone interview with her attorney, Thomas Bosworth, present.

These two court filings are just the beginning of what will be a steady stream of cases, said Bosworth, a Berkshire County native who lives in Philadelphia. Bosworth is working on these cases with Springfield attorney John B. Stewart.

Other attorneys say that while such litigation is difficult and expensive, a win is not out of reach. One attorney who is still embroiled in PCB trials against Monsanto in Washington state has already seen roughly $650 million in jury verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs. Richard Friedman previously told The Eagle that because PCBs are so toxic, connecting those to health problems is entirely possible.

Monsanto's full statement about lawsuits filed Friday While we have great sympathy for the plaintiffs in these cases, Monsanto is not responsible for the alleged injuries for many reasons including that it did not manufacture or dispose of PCBs near the Allendale Elementary School or in the greater Pittsfield area, and had no responsibility for or control over the electrical equipment plant in Pittsfield operated by another defendant in this case. Moreover, the weight of the scientific evidence does not support an association between exposure to PCBs and brain or breast cancer, even among highly exposed former PCB workers. Monsanto will respond to this complaint in due course and maintains that its past electrical customers are obligated to defend and indemnify Monsanto based on the indemnity contract the companies agreed to in 1972.

Sullivan and Harford are seeking compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial, as well as other costs and attorneys fees.

All three women allege Monsanto officials knew PCBs were toxic. Yet Monsanto, the filing contends, continued to market them and GE continued to use and dispose of the chemicals into the Housatonic River and beyond. GE used PCBs at its Pittsfield plant in the production of transformers. The government banned PCBs in 1977.

GE declined to comment due to the pending litigation, said a spokesperson.

Monsanto released a statement to The Eagle in response to the two lawsuits filed Friday, saying that while the company has "great sympathy for the plaintiffs in these cases," it is not responsible for their illnesses.

The lawsuits are the latest installment in a four-decade-long industrial pollution and cleanup saga that continues to grip the Berkshires. GEs release of PCBs into the Housatonic River also sent the hazardous waste downriver to other towns. The town of Lee also has sued Monsanto.

These new lawsuits center on the history of GE's release of the PCBs in Pittsfield, including giving the city polluted dirt to the Allendale school when it was being built. The property remains capped and under EPA surveillance, but PCBs at lower levels still linger.

Some city officials continue to voice concerns. And state public health researchers continue to monitor the city for cancers tied to PCB pollution.

40 years apart

Multiple studies link PCBs with brain cancer, Sullivans suit says, including the same type of cancer Lowery has.

Lowery, who has an older brother, attended Allendale from Kindergarten through fifth grade, Sullivan said. And since 2012 Lowery's family has lived close to the GE plant. Sullivans lawsuit says that her son's continuous exposure to PCBs in his lifetime has led to his illness and a litany of medical procedures. His chemotherapy treatments, Sullivan said, have also harmed his health. His tumors continue to grow, and his medical bills have already hit the $2 million mark.

Harford, like Lowery, attended the Allendale school from Kindergarten to fifth grade  from approximately 1978 to 1984. She also lived several hundred feet from the GE plant from age 3 to 19. At 41, her lawsuit says, she developed an "aggressive" form of breast cancer "despite having no family history and negative genetic testing" results.

Her lawsuit cites multiple studies that link PCBs to breast cancer.
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An emergency worker and his dog work at the side of the Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant after the blast in the city of Sergiev Posad in Russia. Russian officials did not provide a suspected cause of last week's explosion on the grounds of a factory north of Moscow that makes optical equipment for Russia's security forces.
The Pittsfield School Committee approves a new plan for enforcing cellphone use in class. Here's what it entails ... Pittsfield Public Schools administrators laid out their plans for enforcement of its cellphone policy Wednesday, including the use of Yondr pouches in cases of repeat infractions.

When students return to Pittsfield Public Schools next month, theyll have an updated slate of cellphone rules to follow. And at school years end, well have another key set of data to see what works in this pitched battle for students attention playing out in schools across Berkshire County.

In an effort to address city educators concerns and mitigate the disruptive effect of devices in the classrooms, the Pittsfield School Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a new student phone policy that will apply to all district schools. The rules will differ by grade level.

Elementary students will not be allowed to have cellphones in school at all. Middle school students will be allowed to bring their phones to school and use them during lunch and recess, but during class time they will put their devices in cellphone pocket charts  essentially a caddy with a separate slot to store each students device  that will hang on each classrooms door. High school classrooms will also have these cellphone caddies, but high schoolers will be allowed to keep their devices on their persons throughout the school day; students will be obliged to keep their phones on silent in their bags during class time, and if a student disregards this rule, then his or her phone will go into the pocket storage for the remainder of the class. Repeated violations will result in students losing their phone to a Yondr pouch  a timed magnetic lock case that restricts access to the device inside  for anywhere from one day to two weeks, depending on the number of offenses.

Pittsfield educators ask for help in 'power struggle' between students and their phones School Committee Chair Dr. William Cameron said hed be accelerating the districts review of its cellphone policy and that the item would return to the committees agenda for discussion at the next committee meeting in June 28.

Credit where its due to the Pittsfield School Committee for being responsive to teachers pleas for help on an issue that is affecting kids educations and making it harder for educators to do their jobs. Across the county, debates swirl about what to do about the pernicious effect of mobile devices on student attention spans and classroom productivity, and PPS teachers in recent months have pleaded with the citys school board to do something to help them in what they call a power struggle with addictive technology in the hands of young kids.

Even when there are all the right reasons behind such an intervention, new policies seeking to regulate ubiquitous behavior can be tough to institute cleanly. Thats only truer the more complex the policy, and we wonder whether having slightly different policies for middle schoolers and high schoolers that afford more liberty to the latter are worth the potential complications. While on its face it might seem sensible to provide a bit more freedom to older students, it stands to reason that theres essentially nothing productive or undisruptive that students could do with their personal devices during class, whether theyre in seventh grade or 10th. What is gained by allowing high schoolers to keep their devices on their persons during class, thereby increasing temptation to them and making it more likely the teacher will have to stop class and intervene? Each high school classroom will get one of these caddies anyway  whats lost by simply storing all devices in it during class?

While some might expect more maturity on average from a high schooler than a middle schooler, even if that expectation bore out evenly, maturity is not the only problem here. Our youth have phone-use issues partly because most of the grown-ups around them model those behavioral problems, too. Instilling some harder-edged device discipline even at the high school level as well as the middle school level might make a difference for this generation. And if teachers can simply see the phones deposited into the caddies at the start of class instead of looking for device policy abusers throughout a lesson, it could lessen the likelihood and frequency that teachers would have to add the task of being phone police to the already tall order of educating and nurturing our youth a couple-dozen at a time.

Hopefully we are wrong and the rules Pittsfield Public Schools are putting in place this year will prove effective even in high school settings with few setbacks. Either way, well have some data to assess next summer to see if the policy requires modification or is worth modeling elsewhere. Other districts, as well as state education officials, are desperately seeking solutions to this technological conundrum in our classrooms. With any luck, perhaps Pittsfield students will learn some lessons they can pass on to their elders.
As so-called digital or mobile drivers licenses begin rolling out across North America we must ask who is behind the expansion of this potentially dangerous technology.

In my previous reporting I have outlined how the push for digital identity programs is a scam disguised as a human right. This scam is designed to lull the world into accepting digital identity schemes as beneficial, convenient, safe, and necessary for the world of the future.

The United Nations and the World Economic Forum are promoting the use of digital identities using blockchain technology and biometric data gained by scanning the faces or retinas of individuals. The World Bank and the UN have also been funding the development of such programs as part of the Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative.

The World Bank is also funding digital biometric ID programs in Mexico, pushing digital ID in poorer countries with the ostensible goal of providing legal identity to the 1.1 billion people who do not currently have one. The goal is to get the world on digital IDs by 2030 as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives adopted by the United Nations in 2015 with the ostensible goal of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and spreading peace and prosperity to all people by 2030. However, privacy advocates and digital rights groups have warned about the dangers of digital ID programs.

Indeed, during the COVID-19 panic many nations implemented vaccine passports as a means for travel and work. These programs were essentially the equivalent of a digital ID. Despite the panic having subsided, in June the European Commission and the World Health Organization announced a digital health partnership to establish a new Digital Vaccine Passport system for the world. Clearly, digital ID schemes are not going anywhere.

The Era of Digital Drivers Licenses Is Upon Us

One of the latest efforts to normalize the use of digital IDs is known as mobile drivers license (mDL), or simply digital drivers licenses. These digital IDs are beginning to roll out across North America in 3 common forms, including proprietary apps owned by a local, state, or national government; various state-approved apps like SmartID; and the Apple Wallet, which 4 U.S. states are currently using to host their digital drivers license.

According to a guide to digital drivers licenses, users will open the chosen app, scan the front and back of their physical drivers license, and then verify their identity with a selfie (or similar biometric data)  something very similar to what appears to already be starting on Twitter. Once verified the user can began using their digital ID app as they would a physical ID card.

  X is seemingly working on adding government ID verification with Israeli digital ID company AU10TIX. To verify by ID, users will have to upload a selfie and a photo of their government ID. via @X_ALERTS_ pic.twitter.com/gXTChLeFWJ  Reclaim The Net (@ReclaimTheNetHQ) August 16, 2023

In May 2021, the American Civil Liberties Union discussed efforts to mandate digital drivers licenses. In a report titled Identity Crisis the ACLU warned that the use of digital drivers licenses,

raises the danger that there will be no balanced assessment of the costs and benefits of such a system and that we will adopt systems that do not strike the right balance between the needs for identification, security, and convenience and Americans well-founded aversion to government and corporate surveillance and regimentation.

Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the ACLUs Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said the switch to digital IDs would have big implications for American life. If not done just right, digital drivers licenses could be disastrous for privacy, increase inequity, and lead to pervasive ID checks in American life, including on the internet, Stanley said.

The first version of an electronic ID appeared in Mexico as far back as 2007 with the Gemalto smart-card platform. Gemalto was an international digital security company focused on smart cards, token, and digital wallets. The smart-card was deployed for use in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon near the Texas border.

In 2016, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) partnered with Gemalto to pilot the digital drivers license in Washington D.C., Idaho, Colorado, Maryland and Wyoming. Colorado would go on to become the first U.S. state to deploy a digital license using QR codes stored in a digital wallet. Coloradoans who volunteered for the program would install the DigiDL app on their phones and then download the license.

Gemalto, the company behind these first attempts at digital drivers licenses, was purchased in April 2019 by the Thales Group. Thales is another one of the driving forces behind the expansion of mobile/digital drivers licenses.

The Thales Groups Fingerprints Are All Over Digital ID Programs



The Thales Group is a French multinational corporation which is partially owned by the French government and the 8th largest military weapons contractor in the world.

Beginning in 2007, Thales, in cooperation with local partner Cosmocolor, implemented the first Mexican smart card driving license in Nuevo Leon. Thales has expanded their technology to the Mexican states of Mexico, Veracruz, and Sonora.

With over 127 million inhabitants and some 55 million drivers, there are many potential benefits for migration to smart cards driving license in Mexico, Thales states on their website.

Thales is also involved in bringing digital drivers licenses to Arizona. The company signed a 3-year contract with Thales to develop the licenses and made them available to the public in March of 2023. Thales has developed similar plans with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Thales says this will make Florida the first state in the United States to provide mobile Driver Licenses with leading-edge security mechanisms which are fully compliant with rigorous national and international standards.

One positive note is that it appears that most Floridians are not yet using the Thales funded mDL.

Currently, Thales provides drivers licenses and ID card solutions to 18 jurisdictions across North America, including Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Texas, Washington D.C., Wyoming and Arizona.

The Thales Group also recently celebrated the TSAs expansion of digital ID programs. The TSA is rolling out a new version of its Credential Authentication Technology (CAT) scanners to airports across the country so they can accept digital credentials, Neville Pattinson, Head of Federal Government Sales at Thales Group, recently wrote.

The CAT-2 units are equipped with readers that allow TSA PreCheck-eligible travelers to use mobile driver licenses or photo IDs for TSA identity verification purposes.

Thales has also been involved in digital identity programs in Queensland, Australia and in India, where Thales says they have provided Indian enterprises and organizations with secure digital services for millions of individuals and their transactions. The company has worked on biometric products, banking cards, passport readers, smartcard-based driver licenses, and e-vehicle registration cards.

The multinational corporation operates in 56 countries around the world so there is a high likelihood that their digital ID programs will continue to expand internationally.

The Thales Group is a Piece of The Great Reset

Overall, Thales Group has been a part of the international shift towards digital identities and the promotion of the technology as a human right. In a February 2021 blog titled Digital Inclusion. The Human Right to Have an Identity the Thales Group wrote:

The lack of identity is not just a loss in terms of being seen by the system and society. It is an exclusion that prevents people from achieving their full potential. They cannot be educated, they cannot access healthcare services, and their children inherit this legacy as theyre born outside the system.

Of course, the general assumption is that there is no life or liberty to be had outside the system. This should come as no surprise to those who have been following the Great Reset plans of the WEF and UN since their announcement in June 2020. The Thales Groups efforts to expand digital identity play perfectly into the Technocratic State envisioned by the Great Resetters.

In June 2022, the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, a hub for human rights study at New York University (NYU) School of Law, issued a 100-page report detailing the growing dangers of a reliance on digital identity around the world. The report, titled Paving a Digital Road to Hell?, examined the role of the World Bank and other international networks which have been promoting the use if digital ID in recent years.

This report points a finger at the World Bank and the aforementioned ID4D initiative but also notes that the program was started with a catalytic investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Omidyar Network, as well as various governments.

We have noted that the World Bank and its ID4D Initiative do not stand alone in pursuing the digital ID agenda. They exist within a global network of organizations and individuals, the report states. In addition to governments like the UK, U.S., and France, philanthropic foundations, and banks, the NYU report also points a finger at private biometrics corporations like Idemia, Thales, and Gemalto.

(The report notes that new networks such as the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) and ID4Africa play a role in expanding digital ID programs. TLAV will report more on these networks in the near future.)

The Thales Group is not only invested in the digital ID scam, but they are a major player in the military defense industry, aka the war industry.

Thales has been partnered with Military-Industrial-Complex alum Raytheon since June 2001 when the two combined radar and communication systems divisions. The resulting company is known as ThalesRaytheonSystems and is 50% owned by both parent companies. In 2016, Raytheon and Thales restructured their partnership to focus exclusively on NATO agencies and NATO member states.

As we continue to uncover the names and faces behind the digital ID scams we must remain vigilant. These programs are being introduced at a rate like we have never seen before. Refusing these programs, opting out, and boycotting those promoting them is absolutely necessary.

We must stand strong to protect our privacy and liberty or we will lose it within the next 5 years or less. Do not ignore what is happening around you, or allow fear to push you into apathy or nihilism. Together we can educate our peers about the dangers of digital ID schemes. But we need to start now.
YouTube has introduced a new medical misinformation policy that will censor any medical or health-related content that doesn't align with claims made by the World Health Organization (WHO).

YouTube earlier had a COVID-19 Misinformation Policy webpage that stated that the platform doesnt allow any content that poses a serious risk of egregious harm and spreads medical misinformation contradicting what the WHO or local health authorities (LHA) say about the COVID-19 pandemic. The webpage now redirects to a medical misinformation policy page that expands the censorship rule to specific health conditions and substances rather than COVID-19 alone.

YouTube stated that the policy could be arbitrarily enforced, as it may not cover all guidance from the WHO or LHAs related to specific health conditions and substances.

In an Aug. 15 blog post , YouTube wrote that it wants to make sure there is a robust framework to build upon when the need for new medical misinformation policies arises.

Well continue to monitor local and global health authority guidance to make sure our policies adapt," the post reads. "We want our approach to be clear and transparent, so that content creators understand where the policy lines are, and viewers know they can trust the health information they find on YouTube.

YouTube asked creators to avoid posting content on the platform that contradicts health authority guidance on the prevention or transmission of certain health conditions or on the safety, efficacy or ingredients of currently approved and administered vaccines.

Content that contradicts guidance on treatments, including promoting specific harmful substances or practices not approved by authorities or the WHO as safe and effective, also won't be allowed on the platform.

Any content that denies the existence of certain health conditions would be banned as well.

The new policy is being criticized for suppressing the free flow of information. Author Michael Shellenberger pointed out that YouTubes new policies will censor you if you disagree with the WHO.

YouTube recognizes that WHO's guidance might change. But if it does, it won't be because of debate on YouTube. YouTube isn't a social media platform, it's a propaganda platform, he wrote in an Aug. 16 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Imagine if YouTube had been around over the last 200 years. It would have banned criticisms of blood-letting, thalidomide, lobotomies, and sterilizing the mentally ill, all of which were recommended by official health authorities.

Vaccine Misinformation

Claims that vaccines cause chronic side effects outside of rare side effects recognized by health authorities would be deemed as vaccine misinformation by YouTube.

This includes claims that an approved COVID-19 vaccine could cause death, infertility, miscarriage, autism, or contraction of other infectious diseases.

A health care worker prepares a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, in a file photograph. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP via Getty Images)

The policy stands in contrast to recent studies that show that COVID-19 vaccines could result in death. In June, a study funded by the South Korean government showed that after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, eight people died suddenly of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.

All the sudden cardiac deaths occurred in people aged 45 and younger. One of the victims was a 33-year-old man who died just one day after he received the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Another case involved a 30-year-old woman who died three days after getting her first dose of a Pfizer vaccine.

Any content claiming that herd immunity through natural infection is safer than vaccinating the population will also be classified as misinformation by YouTube. Other such misinformation includes claims that vaccines don't reduce the risk of contracting illness and that vaccines could alter a persons genetic makeup.

The new policies "apply to videos, video descriptions, comments, live streams, and any other YouTube product or feature, according to the YouTube post.

These policies also apply to external links in your content. This can include clickable URLs, verbally directing users to other sites in video, as well as other forms, the post reads.

Abuse of Power

In his X post, Mr. Shellenberger pointed out that opposition to bad medical or health advice usually comes from outside of these professions. By disallowing criticism of the mainstream narrative, YouTubes new policy risks triggering gross abuses of power.

It's also an attack on free speech, science, and democracy, he said, noting that this is all part of the WHOs master plan to censor the world.

The WHO has also faced criticism for colluding with the Chinese Communist Party, especially during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the organization repeated the regime's talking points.

The WHO downplayed the effect of COVID-19, which eventually spread to 229 countries around the world with a death toll of nearly 7 million people, excluding China.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (L) shakes hands with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping before a meeting in Beijing on Jan. 28, 2020. (Naohiko Hatta/Pool/Getty Images)

The updated YouTube policy comes as the WHO is engaged in drafting a global convention on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The convention will exist under the WHO constitution and will have legally binding and non-legally binding components.

If the global convention comes to fruition, the WHO can be empowered to determine lockdowns and have the authority to decide what constitutes a pandemic, how testing can be carried out, what test results would be considered positive or negative, and which drugs to suppress and approve.

In an Aug. 16 commentary at The Epoch Times, Dr. David Bell, a public health physician, pointed out that the COVID-19 response ignored common norms of managing epidemics and human rights to institute a regime of suppression, censorship, and coercion.

Without pausing to examine the costs, the public health industry is developing international instruments and processes that will entrench these destructive practices in international law, he said.

Public health, presented as a series of health emergencies, is being used once again to facilitate a fascist approach to societal management.
U.S. surgeons who transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a brain-dead patient said Wednesday the organ was still working well after a record 32 days  a significant step in the quest to close the organ donation gap.

The latest experimental procedure is part of a growing field of research aimed at advancing cross-species transplants, testing the technique on bodies that have been donated for science.

There are more than 103,000 people waiting for organs in the United States, 88,000 of whom need kidneys.

"We have a genetically edited pig kidney surviving for over a month in a human," Robert Montgomery, director of the New York University Langone Transplant Institute, told reporters. "I think there's a very compelling story that exists at this point that I think should give further assurances about starting some initial studies ... in living humans."

Montgomery carried out the first genetically modified pig kidney transplant to a human in September 2021, followed by a similar procedure in November 2021. There have since been a handful of other cases, with all the experiments running for two or three days.

While previous transplants have involved body parts with up to 10 genetic modifications, the latest had just one: within the gene involved in so-called "hyperacute rejection," which would otherwise occur within minutes of an animal organ being connected to a human circulatory system.
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Irelands long history with sail training began with the Asgard and now includes the Brian Boru.

The ship sails for five days around the Irish coast with teenagers aboard aged 14-18 and 18-25 while also offering the experience to people with disabilities and retirees.

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Teenagers get the fun and experience of sailing but also the personal development as they navigate different jobs onboard such as the galley, engineers, navigator, cook and cleaner while living in close quarters.

Hugh Byrne is first mate and chief engineer onboard the Brian Boru. He describes the voyage as remarkable as it brings shy kids out of their shell and by the end of the week they are all best friends.

Many of the skippers who work aboard the Brian Boru went through sail training on the Asgard. Peter Scallan went on numerous voyages on the Asgard during the 1980s and 1990s. He saw how these sailing trips changed his life for the better, for the first time at 18.

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He wanted to be a part of this culture of empowerment and joined the sailing team in 2017. Now, he is the skipper and trainee skipper on board. Watching peoples lives change in five days is amazing, he says.

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Scallon sees incredible things on board with every day being different from the next. This week alone he saw an 18-year-old boy who had never cooked before prepare dinner for 25 people. He watches how the young people really connect and form great bonds while on the boat. I absolutely love it, he says.

He learned everything he knows from the formidable sailor Captain Eric Healy who he met onboard the Asgard. These days he passes on the knowledge of sailing to the next generation on board the Brian Boru.

After the Asgard sunk, a group got together to form Sail Training Ireland which is a charity that funds the development and the voyage for young people from all backgrounds and abilities across Ireland. Typically, the journey could cost 700 to 800 per person per week.

Sail Training Ireland use several vessels including the Brian Boru, The Leader and The Ilen. A typical voyage would begin or end in Cork, Waterford, Dublin or Belfast and would call into smaller harbours along the way such as Crosshaven, Wicklow, Arklow and Howth.

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The Brian Boru's story first began outside of Belfast in a town called Portavogie, with the Warnock family, who used it as a fishing boat mainly catching herring.

Nylon nets were new at the time and many people didn't trust them but for the Warnock family, they proved successful. It was known locally as The Golden Goose.

Tony McLoughlin, the late shipwright, found the boat years later in disrepair but knew it was perfect as it was a solidly built Scottish boat. He undertook a three-year renovation project. McLoughlin attached masts to the boat and later decided to sell the boat before Byrne and his team took it over.

With the three sail training boats now operating in Ireland, Byrne believes sail training for young people is now more alive than when the Asgard sailed.

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From a young age, Byrne had a passion for sailing and water sports. When he first stepped onto the Brian Boru he fell in love and didnt question leaving his office job as a mechanical engineer. When theyre leaving with smiles on their faces  thats the passion that everyone has on the boat. Its all about the kids.

The Brian Boru will feature on RTE on August 20th.
Lawyers representing families of some of the babies attacked by English serial killer Lucy Letby have said that a non-statutory public inquiry into her killing spree is inadequate.

The British government ordered an independent inquiry after Letby (33) was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six more during her shifts on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in England between 2015 and 2016.

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But Slater and Gordon, which is representing two of the families involved, said that a non-statutory inquiry is not good enough and needs to have a statutory basis to have real teeth.

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The inquiry announced by the [UK] Department of Health is inadequate, said Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries, and Yvonne Agnew, head of the firms Cardiff clinical negligence department, in a joint statement.

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As a non-statutory inquiry, it does not have the power to compel witnesses to provide evidence or production of documents and must rely on the goodwill of those involved to share their testimony.

This is not good enough.

The failings here are very serious and an inquiry needs to have a statutory basis to have real teeth.

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Lucy Letby will be sentenced on Monday (Cheshire Constabulary/PA)

It comes after Samantha Dixon, the local MP for Chester, also raised concerns about a non-statutory inquiry.

I do have some concerns about the risks around a non-statutory inquiry in that people are not obliged to attend and to give evidence, she told BBC Breakfast.

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So I have replied to him and asked him why he has come to that decision, given that there are these risks and that we need full answers.

She added: A non-statutory inquiry almost relies on the goodwill of witnesses to attend. They are not obliged to attend, theyre not compelled to attend.

The Countess of Chester Hospital is under mounting pressure over why the nurse was not removed from the neonatal unit sooner.

It comes as police said they are reviewing the care of 4,000 babies who were admitted to the Countess of Chester  and also Liverpool Womens Hospital when Letby had two work placements  going as far back as 2012.

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The families of her victims have said they have been left heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb by her actions.

But is expected they will not see Letby when she is sentenced on Monday after the serial killer has indicated she will not take part in the hearing at Manchester Crown Court.

Lawyers representing some of the families have vowed to continue their search for answers.

The Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England. Photo: PA

There were 13 deaths on the neonatal unit where Letby worked over a one-year period, the BBC reported, which is five times the usual rate, and the nurse was on duty for all of them.

She could have been stopped as early as June 2015 when executives held a meeting where it was agreed an external investigation into the deaths would be held but it never was, the broadcaster said.

In October that year, after seven babies had died, a link was made between all the fatal collapses and Letby, whom prosecutors described as a constant malevolent presence in the care of the infants.

Despite this the link was believed to be co-incidental.

Dr Susan Gilby, who took over as the hospitals medical director a month after Letby was arrested, told the BBC: The paediatricians were discussing the terrible nights on call that they were having, one of them said every time that this is happening to me, that I am being called in for these catastrophic events which were unexpected and unexplained, Lucy Letby is there, and then somebody else said yes I found that, and then someone else had the same response.

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Paediatrician Dr Stephen Brearey, who blew the whistle on Letby in 2015, told the Guardian the hospital had been negligent in its handling of the killings.

Consultants wanted to go to the police but officers were not called and, in September 2016, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health was called to carry out a review of the unit, the BBC said.

It urged the trust to probe each death individually but this did not happen, it has been reported.

Note found in the house of Lucy Letby, the nurse found guilty of murdering seven babies. Photo: PA

The killer nurse launched a grievance procedure against the paediatricians which found she had been discriminated against and victimised, and they were forced to write her an apology letter.

She was later taken off the neonatal unit that month following the deaths of two triplet boys.

She was still working at the trust when she was arrested at her semi-detached home in Westbourne Road, Chester, at 6am on July 3rd, 2018.

During searches of her address, a number of handwritten notes were discovered.

On one green Post-it note, she wrote I dont deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them, I am a horrible evil person and in capital letters I am evil I did this.
The Chinese military has launched drills around Taiwan as a stern warning over what it called collusion between separatists and foreign forces, days after the islands vice president stopped over in the United States.

William Lais recent trip to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his governments last diplomatic partner in South America included stops in San Francisco and New York City.

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The mainlands ruling Communist Party claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and says it has no right to conduct foreign relations.

A spokesperson for Chinas Eastern Theatre Command said the military exercises involved the coordination of vessels and planes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.



Taiwans vice president William Lai stopped over in New York City as part of his trip to Paraguay (AP)

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It was also testing the forces actual combat capabilities, Shi Yi said. The drills were a warning over provocations from pro-Taiwan independence forces and foreign forces, he added.

The command released footage of the drills online that showed soldiers, military boats and planes.

State media CCTV reported that missile-equipped boats and fighter jets were involved in the operation and that units worked together to simulate the surrounding of Taiwan.

Taiwans defence ministry said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that its forces detected 42 Chinese military aircraft starting from 9am on Saturday (2am BST).

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Officials said 26 of the aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary considered a buffer between the island and the mainland. Eight vessels also took part in the joint combat patrol.



A fighter jet takes off from China for drills near Taiwan (CCTV via AP)

Taiwan deployed aircraft and vessels and activated land-based missile systems in response to the drills and is closely monitoring the situation, the ministry said.

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The ministry also strongly condemned what it called the irrational, provocative moves in a separate statement.

It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posted by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.

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It posted a video on Facebook that showed previous military drills and said the Chinese military exercises reflected a militaristic mentality.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-ruled island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be retaken by force if necessary.

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China said the manoeuvres are a stern warning over what it calls collusion between separatists and foreign forces (CCTV via AP)

Chinas official Xinhua news agency reported that an unnamed official in Chinas Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned what it called further collusion between Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the US, and said it was a new provocative move.

Mr Lai is his partys candidate for the 2024 presidential election in January.

Chinas largest military drills in recent years were in response to former US house speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan last August.

It fired missiles over the island in a significant escalation and the military exercises disrupted trade lanes in the Taiwan Strait and forced planes to reroute their flights.

In April, Chinese forces held large-scale combat readiness drills in the air and waters around Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wens meeting with current US house speaker Kevin McCarthy.
A missile attack in the centre of a northern Ukrainian city killed seven people and wounded scores of others on Saturday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Sweden, his first visit to the country since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

The dead in the daytime strike on the northern city of Chernihiv included a six-year-old girl, while 15 children were among the 129 wounded, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said.

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Mr Zelensky condemned the attack, which he said hit buildings including a theatre and a university.

This is what a neighbourhood with a terrorist state is, this is what we unite the whole world against.





Ten outcomes of our talks with @SwedishPM Ulf Kristersson.



1. We agreed to work on the joint production of CV-90s armoured vehicles in Ukraine.



2. Ukrainian warriors began training to operate Swedish Archers.



3. Ukrainian pilots are already taking part in testing Gripen pic.twitter.com/niPSOke4OG Advertisement Advertisement    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv, he wrote on Telegram.

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A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.

In Sweden, Mr Zelensky met officials at Harpsund, the prime ministers official summertime residence, about 75 miles west of Stockholm. He will also meet Swedens King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.

At a joint news conference, Mr Zelensky and Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson announced that the two countries agreed to strengthen co-operation on production and training and servicing of the Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.

As part of the agreement, Mr Zelensky said, Swedish CV-90 vehicles will begin production in Ukraine.

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This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state. This is what we are uniting the entire world against.



Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are pic.twitter.com/AMgXCVfR7h    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

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He also stressed the importance of supplying Ukraine with modern aircraft.

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We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the pime minister could share this pride with Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said, adding that appropriate actions would be taken in the following weeks to open up the possibility of obtaining the appropriate aircraft.

I will also have negotiations with several other states tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage there, he said.

Mr Kristersson expressed his condolences to Mr Zelensky for the attack in Chernihiv. He called the Russian missile strike an act of brutality which only reinforces the need for us to stand with you in all your struggles.



Six people were killed in the attack (National Police of Ukraine via AP)

Sweden abandoned its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia.

The government says Sweden has provided 20 billion kronor (1.43 billion) in military support to Ukraine. Sweden also applied for Nato membership but is still waiting to join the alliance.

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In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin said that Mr Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscows operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District.

The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Mr Gerasimov greeting Mr Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.



An injured man in Krasna square (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

It was Mr Putins first visit to Rostov-on-Don since the Wagner mercenary groups attempted mutiny in June, when the groups fighters briefly took control of the city.

Overnight into Saturday, Ukraines air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western regions.

The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack.

In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said governor Vitalii Bunechko.
A Republican political consultant who worked under a number of US presidents has said that while Donald Trump should win the Republican nomination, if he makes his presidential campaign about his claims of a rigged 2020 election he will "be overcome with a more future-oriented message".

Mr Trump holds a commanding lead for the Republican nomination according to the polls, at 57 per cent over his nearest challenger in Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who was 16 per cent.

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Mary Matalin served under president Ronald Reagan, was campaign director for George HW Bush, was an assistant to president George W Bush and counsellor to vice president Dick Cheney until 2003.

Ms Matalin told BreakingNews.ie: "More challengers virtually guarantee a Trump primary victory, as those candidates will split the not-Trump vote. National polls are possibly illustrative, but not particularly predictive at this point in the race. The national polls are especially worthless, since the candidates are concentrating their efforts in individual states.

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Mary Matalin worked under former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Photo: Getty Images

"While Trump does enjoy a strong base, his support has diminished appreciably since his first run. Unlike previous multi-candidate contests, there are some real superstars in this field with impressive backgrounds and records, who are not afraid to challenge Trump, especially on Covid policies. Most important, whatever his base of support, if Trump makes the campaign about himself and 2020, he will be overcome with a more future oriented message."

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When asked about the polarised nature of American politics, and hostility between Republicans and Democrats, Ms Matalin said relations between members and supporters of the two parties were much more civil in the past.

"Absolutely. We are in a dark space. Common good manners were the coin of the realm in our campaigns. In fact, I was fired in the 1992 campaign for being perceived as being 'rude' in some of my commentary!"

Some Republicans draw comparisons with Mr Trump and Mr Reagan, while others dismiss any links between the two former presidents.

Having worked under Mr Reagan, Ms Matalin said they were "completely different men".

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However, she does think there are some similarities.

"Each shared the voters confidence that they were authentically committed to bettering the lives of everyday people. Each shared heinous treatment from the press.

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"Each were disrupters to the political establishment. Each had unique and penetrating political skills. Both were problem solvers. They governed in dramatically different times and were completely different men. Reagan had a distinct, identifiable set of meta-principles, as well as a team of incredibly capable principals."

George HW Bush was known for his foreign policy achievements in navigating the final stages of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.

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However, the Republican Party has become much more isolationist in recent years, especially during Mr Trump's administration.

Indeed, many Republicans have called for less financial aid to Ukraine in their fight against the Russian invasion.

When asked if this reflected a negative change in the party, Ms Matalin said it was more down to problems with the US economy.

"While the GOP remains supportive of combatting totalitarian governments, the dramatic degradation of the economy and recovery from painfully destructive Covid policies is causing republican, as well as non republicans, to prioritise the myriad problems the middle class is experiencing."

On Saturday, September 2, the Saturday interview will see a husband and wife political duo take to the stage to discuss their opposing political viewpoints. We look forward to Mary Matalin & James Carville.

See: https://t.co/ZK3uMjg6r0#JFKSS #kennedysummerschool pic.twitter.com/PiroLrHzfF  Kennedy SummerSchool (@JFK_SS) June 30, 2023

Ms Matalin and her husband James Carville, who is a Democratic political consultant, will both be speakers at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Co Wexford, in September.

For further details and tickets for the 2023 Kennedy Summer School events, see www.kennedysummerschool.ie
Angry Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews working on a road that would encroach on a UN-controlled buffer zone in ethnically divided Cyprus, the UN said on Friday.

It said the attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the village of Arsos, in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, inside the buffer zone and abutting the Greek Cypriot south, where the islands internationally recognised government is seated.

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A video seen by The Associated Press showed scores of Turkish Cypriots accosting a much smaller group of Slovak and British UN soldiers trying to hold them back from starting work inside the buffer zone.

Some peacekeepers suffered blows to the face as they linked arms to push back the advancing Turkish Cypriots.

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The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in #Cyprus (#UNFICYP) condemns the assaults against UN #peacekeepers and damage to @UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning.



Read full statement here: https://t.co/awfxpgY1Et pic.twitter.com/YtK7QW2bbN Advertisement  UN Cyprus (@UN_CYPRUS) August 18, 2023

The UN said three soldiers had to be treated for minor injuries.

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The violence constitutes a serious escalation of tension not seen on the island in years.

The road would give Turkish Cypriots direct access to Pyla by circumventing a checkpoint on the northern fringe of a British military base, one of two bases that the UK retained after Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.

Greek Cypriots perceive the road construction as a move with a military purpose at a sensitive spot along the buffer zone that spans 120 miles.

Threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and constitute a serious crime under international law which will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, the peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, said in a statement.

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The EU condemns the assault on UNFICYP @UN_CYPRUS by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side. We call on Turkish Cypriot side to respect the missions mandated authority in the UN buffer zone &resumption of work on agreeable way forward in the Pyla/Pile area. I called FM @ckombos Advertisement  Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) August 18, 2023

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UNFICYP spokesman Aleem Siddique told The Associated Press that the UN would not back down from continuing to block or frustrate construction of the road by nonviolent means, despite Fridays assault.

He said construction of the road would violate the forces mandate of maintaining the status quo inside the buffer zone.

Turkish Cypriot authorities blamed UN peacekeepers for the altercation, calling their actions unacceptable and dismissing the UNFICYP statement as unfounded allegations.

They accused UNFICYP of being biased toward the Turkish Cypriot side and said the force should immediately cease its efforts to physically obstruct construction of a humanitarian project.

EU Council president Charles Michel and the blocs foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both condemned the assaults and urged a de-escalation of the situation.





     @letymbiotis



                               pic.twitter.com/yNJPwhJfy1     (@CYpresidency) August 18, 2023

The embassies of the UK, France and the United Nations issued a joint statement expressing serious concern over construction of the road, calling for an immediate halt to the work and condemning the assaults as completely unacceptable.

Maintaining the status quo of the buffer zone is enshrined in the UN missions mandate since 1974, when Turkey invaded in the wake of a coup mounted by Greek junta-backed supporters of union with Greece.

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Only Turkey, which maintains more than 35,000 troops in the islands northern third, recognises a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence.

The UN says both sides have repeatedly infringed on the buffer zone over the years, but this road construction is seen by the Cyprus government as an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo.

Cyprus government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis condemned what he called the organised violence, adding that the government is in touch with the UN, the EU and other governments to prevent Turkish designs.
In general, the ready-to-drinks and the hard seltzers bring that risk that the alcohol taste is disguised in the sugar flavours. So, you actually consume a harmful product without really being aware of it. Kuntsche wonders what would happen if the worlds most iconic soft drink brand did the same thing. Independent MP Kylea Tink is concerned Hard Solo is targeted at minors. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Imagine all the Coca-Cola consumers all of a sudden [had an] alcohol-containing choice. That would be disastrous from a public health point of view. We are talking about a toxic substance. As a nation, weve had the same conversations and the same concerns before. Drinks like Hard Solo  known as alcopops or pre-mixed drinks  have been around for decades.

The popularity of alcopops in the early 2000s prompted the Rudd government to implement an alcopops tax increase of 70 per cent on those beverages in April 2008, bringing the excise in line with spirits. The move went some way to suppressing the industry: alcopops sales fell 29 per cent  the equivalent of 310 million standard drinks  in the year following the tax hike. Loading But it didnt stop the drinks from remaining popular and growing in range. A 2010 research paper from the University of Wollongong conducted an audit of 52 NSW bottle shops that found roughly a third of fridge space was dedicated to these drinks. There is a need to address the nature, availability and promotion of these products, the paper stated. Alcopops have since staged a resurgence, albeit under a different name; nowadays, theyre commonly referred to in the industry as ready-to-drink (RTDs). COVID lockdowns triggered an uptick in drinking at home and also made us more experimental, with many people mixing cocktails at home. The number of RTD brands have spiked since the beginning of 2021, according to data from retail analytics platform ShopGrok, driven partly by the hard seltzer wave that flourished in the US at the beginning of the pandemic and subsequently swelled Down Under.

Youve got the more traditional RTDs that have been around since probably the 1990s  Bacardi Breezers was probably one of the first ones, Bundaberg and [Cola], said ShopGrok chief executive Aaron Cowper. The sale of seltzers and alcopops has risen across Australia. Theres been an explosion the last three years, particularly in the hard seltzers, hard coffees, premixed cocktails. The premiumised RTDs are the big growth area. The biggest RTD brands in Australia are currently White Claw, Smirnoff, Hard Fizz, Saintly and Rainbird. RTDs have also proven particularly popular among younger drinkers. Roy Morgans latest alcohol consumption report shows RTD consumption doubled from 10.8 per cent to 20.8 per cent in the 12 months to March 2023, led predominantly by people aged 18-24. More than half of that group said they had consumed an RTD drink in the previous 12 months.

Retailers are well aware of the rapid growth in this beverage category, and are responding swiftly. The boss of Australias largest drinks retailer, Endeavour Group, said RTDs were leading beverages sales growth at 8 per cent. It is going faster and bigger than it ever has before, Endeavour Group chief executive Steve Donohue said. Its history repeating but twice over and twice as fast. Whatever you call them  alcopops, premixed drinks, or RTDs  its a booming global industry valued at $1.3 billion in 2022 and projected to grow by about 14 per cent by 2030. Who makes the rules? For groups working on minimising alcohol harm, the projected growth of these drinks is bad news and going up against billion-dollar multinational beverage giants is a David and Goliath fight, said La Trobe Universitys Kuntsche.

The complaints against Hard Solo have renewed scrutiny of the complaint process itself. The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code (ABAC) Scheme Limited deals with alcohol advertising complaints. Its a body set up and funded by industry groups, with The Brewers Association of Australia, Spirits & Cocktails Australia, Australian Grape & Wine, Advertising Council Australia all on its management committee. The committee includes a single representative from the Department of Health. Loading The code is not legislation and there are no enforceable penalties for breaches. Compliance is completely voluntary. A review of the ABAC was conducted earlier this year, with a new code in place in August, but more than 40 organisations signed an open letter declaring their refusal to participate in the review of the scheme because the process was inherently flawed. Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education chief executive Caterina Giorgi wants the departments of health and communications to pay attention and intervene. I dont think we should leave it to alcohol retailers because Ive seen a very long track record of alcohol retailers doing whats best in the companys interest rather than in the interest of the community, Giorgi said.

This all points to the need for governments to step in and introduce common-sense measures that meet community expectations. Kuntsche likens the self-regulating nature of the ABAC to a fox guarding a henhouse. Its a fundamental conflict of interest, he said. A commercial interest group cannot regulate itself ... this entity is supposed to make profit. Its a fundamental conflict of interest. A commercial interest group cannot regulate itself ... this entity is supposed to make profit. Emmanuel Kuntsche from the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research The efficacy of the code has been examined before. A 2018 research paper by Sydney Law Schools Dr Belinda Reeve found it did not adequately protect young people from exposure to alcohol marketing, and called for greater government intervention to close significant loopholes in the code. The ABAC Scheme lacks independent administration, systematic monitoring, or meaningful sanctions for responding to non-compliance, Reeve wrote.

However, the industry bodies have defended the code as one of the toughest in the world. Loading ABAC provides for strict regulation of alcohol advertising, marketing and social media with guidelines agreed with the federal government and all consumer complaints handled independently. The federal Department of Health is a direct partner and active participant in ABAC, Alcohol Beverages Australia executive director Adele Young said in a statement. She pointed to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics that show the number of young adults who dont drink alcohol has risen: between 2001 and 2019, the proportion of 18-24 year olds abstaining from alcohol more than doubled from 9.7 per cent to 21 per cent. Among 25-29 year olds, this figure went from 8.8 per cent in 2021 to 24 per cent in 2019. The facts are Australians are drinking less, but better, said Young. The ABAC Code and process is a significant contributor to these results.

Hard Solo manufacturer CUB (which is owned by Asahi) said it strongly refute[s] claims that the drink can be confused for the non-alcoholic version, pointing to the black can and prominent alcoholic markings. Loading Hard Solo is for adults who enjoy both regular Solo and ready-to-drink alcohol beverages. It is only available to adults who purchase it from liquor outlets, a CUB spokesperson said. In addition, we are not doing any traditional out-of-home advertising, TV, or radio campaigns to promote Hard Solo. Tink, the independent MP, will meet with ABAC members later this month to better understand their approval processes. She is not opposed to self-regulatory bodies, but believes Hard Solos appeal to minors is obvious and says the industry has been put on notice.
A tale of forbidden love in a remote village in Africa has won the top prize at the Melbourne International Film Festival, worth $140,000.

Banel & Adama, a Franco-Senegalese co-production, was judged best film by a jury of international judges, with its writer-director Ramata-Toulaye Sy awarded the Bright Horizons prize, for a first- or second-time director.

Director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, whose film Banel & Adama won Australias richest film prize. Credit: Scott Garfitt/Invision

It means a lot for African movies to be recognised around the world [and also here] in Melbourne, and this award really recognises the new African generation of filmmakers, Sy said.

A lyrical tale of custom, culture, and climate, the film, made in Pulaar (one of a dozen languages spoken in Senegal) with a cast of non-professionals, Banel & Adama was chosen from a field of 11 films.
More than 4000 teachers and support staff from Queensland Catholic schools will stop work on Wednesday over low wages and high workloads.

The staff will walk out for one hour from 10am across 106 schools, including All Hallows, St Josephs Nudgee College and Marist College Ashgrove.

Brisbanes All Hallows school is one of several affected by Wednesdays strike. Credit: Michelle Smith

During the stop-work action, the duty of care for students will lie with the individual schools.
Opposition to the Australia-UK-US defence technology agreement is based in the Labor left faction, and the left enjoyed a majority of the 402 delegates at this weeks national conference. After four decades of right-faction ascendancy, it was a breakthrough moment for the left. Loading Some of the biggest unions affiliated with Labor, bedrocks of the left factions power  the Electrical Trades Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union  are hostile to AUKUS. How would Labors left wield its newfound majority? This was the sort of moment that American observers of Australian politics had been fearing, suspecting that the mild-mannered Albanese was merely the Trojan Horse for a resurgent, pro-Chinese Communist Party left. Anticipating the debate, Richard Marles, one of the key figures in Labors right faction as well as being deputy prime minister and defence minister, told a private meeting of his factions delegates that the conference vote on AUKUS would be one of the most important decisions that Labors national conference had ever taken.

And there was a real debate on Friday afternoon. It was carefully managed, but real nonetheless. Marles opened the argument in the much-anticipated debate by plainly naming the problem: We are witnessing the single biggest conventional military build-up in the world since the end of the Second World War. In the year 2000, China had six nuclear-powered submarines. By the end of this decade, they will have 21. In the year 2000, China had 57 major warships. By the end of this decade, they will have 200. Now these are not our decisions. These are not our choices. But this is the world in which we live. And it is our unavoidable obligation to navigate our way through it. Minister for Defence Richard Marles: Given what we face, [AUKUS] is a modest step. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen But why must the next Australian submarines be nuclear? Why not replace diesel-powered subs with new diesel-powered subs? In the future, said Marles, diesel-electric submarines will become increasingly detectable. And so if we want to have this capability in the future, then we simply have to take the step of nuclear propulsion. Given what we face, he said, it is a modest step.

In opposition, the Electrical Trades Unions national secretary, Michael Wright, protested that we hold strong concerns that, while compliant with the terms of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, that [AUKUS] will set off a chain of events in our region that will see the further nuclearisation throughout South East Asia and beyond. Loading Wright questioned the need for an estimated $368 billion, 30-year cost to Australian taxpayers. And he posited that AUKUS would turn out to be the wedge that the Coalition uses to drive open a nuclear industry in Australia. He hadnt noticed, apparently, that the Liberals need no such wedge  they are already committing to nuclear power in Australia. With the Liberals moving to nuclear reactors on Australian soil and the Greens opposed to AUKUS outright, Labors position of pro-AUKUS but anti-nuclear energy establishes it firmly at the political centre. Most troubling, said Wright, was the problem of nuclear waste. The government has set the Defence Department the task of nominating Defence land as a waste dump but Wright made the point that permanent, safe disposal of highly enriched nuclear waste was a problem that had yet to be solved by any country.

But then the left-right factional divide broke down. A left stalwart, Pat Conroy, rose to speak in favour of AUKUS. Conroy served as an Albanese numbers man, currently as the defence industry minister and minister for international development and the pacific. Conroy invoked the progressive case for armament: We are anti-war because its workers that fight and die in wars. Were anti-war because its families and pensioners that pay the price for war. So the central question for delegates here is how do we deter war? He answered his question to loud applause: The truth is, delegates, strength deters war. Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy backs the AUKUS agreement. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen But Conroy really stirred things up with his next remarks: Appeasement invites conflict. So I urge delegates to heed the tradition of John Curtin who, in the 1930s, when Menzies was arguing for appeasement and tried to cut defence funding, John Curtin was the one who argued for a massive investment in our air force and navy to deter aggressors in our region.

So, delegates, Conroy posed, do you want to be on the side of John Curtin or do you want to be on the side of Pig Iron Bob Menzies? He was, in effect, accusing the opponents of AUKUS of being not only appeasers but also Menzian Liberals. Loading But the political reality is that, by the time the AUKUS debate reached the conference floor, it was no longer about nuclear-propelled submarines, technology transfer, deterrence or appeasement. It was about the authority of the prime minister. Albanese campaigned for office on the AUKUS policy in the 2022 election campaign. He shared a stage with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in shaping it. He has funded it and advocated for it. If the national conference, officially Labors policymaking mechanism, had overturned AUKUS, Labor would have inflicted a deep wound on its own leader and probably fatally injured the Albanese government.

Albaneses deliberate efforts to dominate Australias political centre and cement power for another two terms would have been in tatters. Labor would have made itself a laughing stock. Peter Dutton would be laughing loudest. The American sceptics of Australian seriousness would have been vindicated. Xi Jinping would have concluded that Australia had lost its spine. So Albanese chose to intervene in the conference debate to speak the last word on AUKUS. He concluded on the theme of Labor tradition: History shows us that in uncertain times, Australia finds its firmest footing with Labor government. Andrew Fisher formed the Royal Australian Navy in 1913, he said, and John Curtin forged an alliance with the US during World War II. Today, our collective duty to peace and stability does not end at our own borders. We have always played a part because Australia is a serious global citizen. Albanese knew it was a winning proposition. His faction chiefs had marshalled the numbers in advance. The governments position won the vote on the voices, with about 80 per cent of the delegates in favour  all of the right faction and most of the left  and 20 against. Disaster averted.
By Linda Lew



Alibaba Group Holdings e-commerce arm in China is hiring more than 2,000 graduates amid record youth unemployment and as authorities eased their regulatory crackdown on technology platforms. Alibaba Group Holdings e-commerce arm in China is hiring more than 2,000 graduates amid record youth unemployment and as authorities eased their regulatory crackdown on technology platforms.

Taotian Group, the unit which includes Taobao and Tmall, is recruiting the graduates for a range of roles including design, product and data, according to a post on its official recruitment Wechat account on Thursday. The jobs will be based in at least six Chinese cities such as Hangzhou and Shanghai.

China suspended publishing data on its soaring youth unemployment rate in July, saying it needed to iron out complexities in the numbers. The rate had risen every month this year and reached a record 21.3% in June.

The youth unemployment rate usually jumps in summer as tens of millions of graduates hit the labor market, with 12 million students expected to graduate from universities and colleges in 2023, according to the Ministry of Education.

China Halts Youth Jobs Data, Stoking Transparency Concerns

The Chinese government extended an olive branch to big tech, after probes into companies such as Alibaba and Tencent Holdings ended in July with the imposition of massive fines. Premier Li Qiang has met with senior executives from Alibaba and other internet firms such as Bytedance Ltd. and JD.com Inc, and vowed to provide more support for the industry through creating a fair environment reduce compliance costs.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the Madhya Pradesh government's report card here on Sunday and address the BJP's working committee meeting in Gwalior, the home turf of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, a party functionary said.

Shahji will come here (Bhopal) in the forenoon of August 20 and release the report card of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government at a function. Thereafter he will leave for Gwalior where he will chair and address a working committee meeting, Ashish Agrawal, state BJP media cell head, told PTI over phone on Saturday.

BJP insiders said party MLAs, MPs, district presidents and general secretaries have been told to reach Gwalior. Around 1,500 office-bearers have been called to the meeting where the party is expected to come out with its final plan for the polls, they said.

This will be the last meeting of the state working committee before MP goes to polls, due by the year-end.

We want to increase our movement in Gwalior, the erstwhile kingdom of the Scindias, another BJP leader said.

According to political observers, the BJP is striving to put up a good show in Gwalior and Chambal region, especially after losing the Gwalior mayoral elections last year to the Congress, after 57 years.

This will be Shah's second visit to the state in the last 21 days. On July 30, Shah visited Indore district where he addressed booth-level workers.

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress won 26 of the 34 seats in the Gwalior and Chambal region. Jyotiraditya Scindia was a part of the Congress then.

After Scindia switched over to the BJP along with his loyalists, the Congress could win just 7 of the 19 seats in the bypolls in Gwalior and Chambal region in November 2020.

However, after the setback in last year's Gwalior mayoral elections, the BJP doesn't want to take any chances, said a political observer.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday promised 300 units of free electricity and 24x7 supply to cities and villages across Chhattisgarh if his party is voted to power in the state Assembly elections that are scheduled to be held this year.

"We will provide up to 300 units of free electricity every month in Chhattisgarh," AAP national convenor announced in a public event in Raipur.

Meanwhile, AAP national convenor slammed the state government (Congress) over the condition of government schools in Chhattisgarh and said that it is in "terrible condition".

"I was reading a report, government schools in Chhattisgarh are in terrible condition. They have closed many schools in which there used to be 10 classes but one teacher used to be there," Delhi CM added.

"Look at the condition of government schools in Delhi or ask your relatives who stay in Delhi. For the first time since Independence, a government has come that is doing so much for the education sector. "We are not politicians, we are just common people like you," he said.

Kejriwal was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Five states - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram - will go to the polls by the end of this year.
Govt imposes 40% duty on onion exports till December 31



The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has issued a summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case, sources in the agency said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India is an ideal testing lab for solutions and underlined that the solutions that succeed in the country can be easily applied anywhere in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India is an ideal testing lab for solutions and underlined that the solutions that succeed in the country can be easily applied anywhere in the world.

More than 200 Meiteis who had crossed over to neighbouring Myanmar to escape the ethnic violence in Manipur have safely returned to the state after more than three months, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, while lauding the role of the Army in bringing them back. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in clashes between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur since May 3. "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil," the chief minister wrote on X.
By Tim Culpan



A slew of blowout earnings across Asias aviation sector, including records at Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., herald a triumphant return after three brutal years of Covid-19. Yet darker clouds are brewing in an important slice of the industry that should spur airlines to rethink their approach to one of the most contentious aspects of flying: luggage. A slew of blowout earnings across Asias aviation sector, including records at Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., herald a triumphant return after three brutal years of Covid-19. Yet darker clouds are brewing in an important slice of the industry that should spur airlines to rethink their approach to one of the most contentious aspects of flying: luggage.

As passengers whip out their frequent-flyer cards for the first time in years, many have found that points expired or travel patterns changed. Securing these returnees ought to be a major goal of airline executives. Auspiciously, a cheap path for doing so is opening up ahead of them in the confluence of two unrelated developments in aviation.





To cope with an evaporation of demand, airlines started parking their planes in the deserts of Australia (Alice Springs) and Spain (Ciudad Real) to cut costs. By the end of 2020, Cathay had 92 passenger aircraft, 44% of its passenger fleet, on hiatus. As a result, utilization numbers across the region were no longer falling. In fact, they started to inch back up because passenger capacity had been slashed to just 5% of the peak levels seen at the start of the pandemic, according to AAPA data.



As passenger numbers plummeted, cargo demand climbed, peaking in December 2021, with consumers shopping online for gadgets and pandemic supplies. Passenger demand plummeted 99% in April 2020 as governments around the world shut their borders. Load factor, the proportion of available seats that were occupied, fell to 28%, according to data compiled by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, whose members include Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines Co. and Taiwans China Airlines Ltd.To cope with an evaporation of demand, airlines started parking their planes in the deserts of Australia (Alice Springs) and Spain (Ciudad Real) to cut costs. By the end of 2020, Cathay had 92 passenger aircraft, 44% of its passenger fleet, on hiatus. As a result, utilization numbers across the region were no longer falling. In fact, they started to inch back up because passenger capacity had been slashed to just 5% of the peak levels seen at the start of the pandemic, according to AAPA data.





Airlines such as Cathay started converting passenger aircraft into hybrid freighters  dubbed preighters. By the end of 2021, the Hong Kong-based airline had ripped out the seats in seven of its Boeing Co. 777s. Freight revenues across the industry continued to soar. For the year to March 2022 Singapore Airlines sales from cargo doubled compared to fiscal 2019. These two divergent trends  fewer passengers, more cargo  was about to become a huge problem because around 50% of all air freight, including mail, travels in the hold of passenger aircraft  called belly cargo. During normal times Cathay Pacific and China Airlines get around a quarter of their revenue from ferrying goods instead of people. Relying on passenger flights to ship freight became a weakness during the pandemic because many of those planes were not available.

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These trends are now being unwound.

Falling prices for shipping and the economic slowdown have made air less competitive, driving freight rates lower. But instead of passenger demand also falling, as we tend to expect during tough economic times, people are increasingly engaging in revenge travel. Singapore Airlines net profit doubled in the June quarter to a record, Cathays first-half operating income was at an all-time high, and China Airlines reported its strongest second-quarter earnings in 13 years.





Cargo load factors across Asia dropped back to pre-Covid levels earlier this year. But now theyre destined to fall even further and theres a good chance they will dip under 50% for the first time in a decade. Theres not a lot that airlines can do to juice demand beyond cutting rates more  Cathays cargo yield halved in the first half from a year prior. While many aircraft have been dusted off and put back into use, passenger capacity in Asia still remains around 30% below the levels seen in January 2020, constraining airlines revenue potential. More will come online over the next year, including delivery of new planes that had been delayed by the pandemic. This not only means extra seats for the rising numbers of humans who want to fly, which is what airlines want, but a massive increase in freight capacity even as demand continues to fall.

But there is one thing left to try: give that empty cargo space away to passengers as an increased luggage allowance. Carriers charge for excess baggage to defray expenses and to discourage lots of check-in baggage that can delay loading and unloading aircraft. Increasing baggage volume isnt without costs  every item is handled by numerous people across multiple airports and countries. So instead of upping baggage allowances for all passengers, airlines can use them as a reward for loyalty, matched with aggressive marketing campaigns so that wannabe platinum members are incentivized to book with them.

The world is enjoying a renaissance in passenger travel, but competition is tough and capacity tight. Airlines have long known that loyalty is a key to staying ahead, and now is the time to deploy more of that one asset thats not in short supply.
The ex-wife of a Microsoft executive who was gunned down by a triggerman in front of his young daughter has been charged with first-degree murder, and prosecutors in Florida plan to seek the death penalty.

A grand jury indicted Shanna Lee Gardner in the ambush-style death of Jared Bridegan, State Attorney Melissa Nelson announced Thursday at a news conference in Jacksonville, Florida. Gardner, 36, was arrested in West Richland, Washington, and will be extradited to Florida to stand trial, Nelson said.

From very, very early on, everything in my body and soul told me she was behind it, Kristen Bridegan, Jared Bridegan's wife, said during the news conference.

Hank Coxe, who represents Gardner, said via email that he does not comment on pending cases.

The state is also seeking the death penalty against Gardner's husband, Mario Fernandez Saldana, who was arrested in March and charged in Bridegan's death. His attorney, Jesse Dreicer, said in an email that his client has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent. We are dedicated to his defense and are optimistic that when the all of the facts are made available our client will be exonerated, he wrote.

He was arrested after triggerman Henry Arthur Tenon, 62, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, court records show. He agreed to testify against Fernandez Saldana and Gardner, Nelson said.

Nelson did not say what led to Gardner's arrest or mention a motive.

Henry Tenon did not act alone. Mario Fernandez did not plan alone. And Shanna Gardner's indictment acknowledges her central and key role in the cold, calculated and premeditated murder of Jared Bridegan, Nelson said.

Bridegan, a father of four and a software developer for Microsoft, was ambushed on Feb. 16, 2022, as he was leaving a Jacksonville Beach neighborhood after dropping off twin children he shared with Gardner and returning to his home in nearby St. Augustine.

Police said that there was a tire in the dimly lit street and that Bridegan presumably opened his car door to move the tire. That's when he was shot multiple times as his 2-year-old daughter sat in her car seat. She was found unharmed in the car.

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Gardner married Fernandez Saldana in 2018 and moved to Washington following media coverage of the case, officials said.

After the killing, she told news outlets, including the Florida Times-Union and FirstCoast News, that she wasn't involved in Bridegan's death.

A warrant for Gardner's arrest said an investigation into Bridegan's background revealed the couple had a highly acrimonious divorce and a contentious relationship with both Gardner and Fernandez Saldana.

Gardner's parents, Shelli and Sterling Gardner, issued a statement.

Words cannot accurately express the depth of our sadness," they said. "Family is our top priority. We love our daughter and are focused on supporting her and our entire family as we help our grandchildren navigate this difficult and very confusing time. For their sake and all involved, we caution against further speculation and request privacy as the legal process runs its course."



Kristin Bridegan said the arrest ends one chapter.

Shanna's arrest ends one horrific chapter of our pursuit of justice for Jared and now we open a new one, she said. This next chapter will be excruciating. ... We expect justice to be carried out to the fullest extent of the law.
Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on the country's 104th independence anniversary, urged the Taliban to reopen girls' schools and universities, emphasizing that true independence requires educational access for all, Khaama Press reported.

Khaama Press is an Afghan digital news agency.

Karzai talked about the critical role of knowledge and stressed that achieving peace, stability, development, and independence requires acquiring knowledge.

Karzai urged all to educate their children, including girls. He called on the Taliban to open schools for girls and promote nationwide education for true independence.

"I wish all the people of our country to spare no effort in educating their children, including both boys and girls. On this historic day, I once again ask the Taliban to open the gates of schools and universities to girls as soon as possible and to provide education for everyone throughout the country so that by salvaging from dependence on others, we will gain independence in its real sense and own a self-reliant country," Karzai said, as per Khaama Press.

The former president emphasized that overcoming challenges and achieving peace demands bolstering national unity, enhancing harmony, and promptly initiating intra-Afghan talks.

He said he believes these steps are essential for resolving issues and establishing lasting stability within the country, according to Khaama Press.

Meanwhile, girls and women both students and teachers in Afghanistan who were deprived of their basic rights have demanded the reopening of educational institutes in the country for them, TOLONews reported.

As the Taliban regime completed its second year in Afghanistan after taking over the country, the women wished that their basic right to education will be given back to them.

"Yesterday, I thought that maybe schools, universities, and many other places that were closed would open but they didn't," said Marwa, a student.

"We call on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for girls," said Najma, a student.

Meanwhile, some students and teachers warn of the negative consequences of closing girls' schools and said that closing the gates of schools will spread illiteracy in the country more than before, as per TOLONews.

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Hurricane Hilary grew rapidly into Category 4 strength off Mexico's Pacific coast on Friday and could reach Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years, which forecasters warned could cause extreme flooding, mudslides and even tornados.

Hilary had sustained winds near 145 mph (230 kph) early Friday, and was expected to strengthen a bit more before starting to weaken. Nevertheless, it was forecast to still be a hurricane when approaching Mexico's Baja California peninsula on Saturday night, and a tropical storm when approaching Southern California on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center on Friday issued its first ever tropical storm watch for much of Southern California, covering a wide swath of the region from the coast to the interior mountains and deserts.

No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service. The watch warned of numerous potential threats to life and property including extreme flooding, mudslides and tornados.

The Mexican government said a weakened Hilary might skim a sparsely populated area on the western edge of the Baja peninsula early Sunday, and then perhaps hit between the cities of Playas de Rosarito and Ensenada.

The Mexican government extended its hurricane watches and warnings northward for parts of Baja California peninsula, and also issued a tropical storm watch for parts of mainland Mexico. Some 18,000 soldiers were put on alert.

Early Friday, Hilary was centered about 360 miles (575 kilometers) south-southwest of Los Cabos on the southern tip of the Baja peninsula. It was moving northwest at 10 mph (17 kph), and was expected to turn further toward the north.

It was increasingly likely that Hilary would reach southernmost California early Monday while still at tropical storm strength, though widespread rain was expected to begin as early as Saturday, the National Weather Service's San Diego office said.

Hurricane officials said the storm could bring heavy rainfall to the Southwestern United States that could dump 3 to 6 inches in parts with isolated amounts of up to 10 inches to portions of southern California and southern Nevada, hitting large desert areas unaccustomed to much rain.

Also Read AIIMS-Delhi got Rs 23 cr from Centre in 5 yrs for rare diseases: RTI reply Kids suffering from rare diseases: HC seeks presence of Health Secretary Centre releases Rs 22.20 cr for treatment of patients with rare diseases Delhi-NCR witnesses sudden change in weather, lashed by rain, gusty winds Tornadoes, hail and hurricane-force winds tear through west Texas, kills 4 Ex-wife charged with murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan Imran Khan's nephew to be tried in military court over May 9 violence US Capitol riots: Justice Dept seeks 33 yrs sentence for ex-Proud Boys head People protest against 'illegal detention' of leader by Pakistan in PoK China's investment firm misses payments amid concerns of financial crisis

The rain is the biggest potential threat, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

The region could face once-in-a-century rains and there's a good chance Nevada will break its all-time rainfall record, said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections and a former government in-flight hurricane meteorologist.

Cities across the region, and on both sides of the border, were setting up stations for residents to get sandbags to safeguard properties against floodwaters, while the National Park Service planned to close vulnerable areas of Joshua Tree National Park, east of Los Angeles, on Friday evening, and suspend all back country camping.

SpaceX delayed the launch of a satellite-carrying rocket from a base on California's central coast until at least Monday. The company said conditions in the Pacific could make it difficult for a ship to recover the rocket booster.

Storms don't usually hit Southern California because prevailing winds usually push them northeastward into Mexico and other parts of the U.S. Southwest, Masters said.

Hilary is forecast to delay or not make that eastward turn, mostly because of a high pressure heat dome that is expected to bring triple digit heat indices in the Midwest. That heat dome blocks the eastern turn so tropical moisture will likely move into the Pacific Northwest and even Alberta, Canada, Masters said.

Hilary's strength and its width are impressive, he added. The storm gained 75 miles per hour in wind speed in just 24 hours, which is twice the official threshold for rapid intensification. That's because the storm went over warm 86 degree (30 degree Celsius) water which acts as fuel on its heat engine.

But that strength is likely to just as dramatically disappear as it hits cooler 68 degree water near San Diego and strong crosswinds.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's nephew Hassaan Khan Niazi has been handed over to the military for trial over his alleged involvement in the May 9 violence, Dawn reported on Friday.

According to the report, Hassaan has been named as the prime suspect in the Jinnah House attack that took place in Lahore during the May 9 violence - triggered after the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief.

The report added that the police had arrested Hassaan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after which he was handed over to the military at the commanding officer's request.

Hassaan Niazi, who is also the party chief's focal person on legal affairs, was handed over to the Quetta police on August a day after his arrest late Sunday night from Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The development was confirmed by his father Hafeezullah Khan on his social media account.

However, the case in which Hassaan was apprehended remained unknown, as per The News International.

Earlier, the police had said that Hassaan was involved in May 9 riots and attack on sensitive military installations. "Niazi is wanted by the Lahore police for his involvement in the attack on Jinnah House (Lahore's Corps Commander House)," it added.

Hassaan's father, had filed a plea for his son's recovery, demanding that he be produced before the court.

During the hearing on Friday, Additional Advocate General Ghulam Sarwar Nahang submitted the police report before Justice Sultan Tanveer Ahmed of the HC.

Nahang informed the court about Hassaan's trial in a military court and his handover to the army. He also demanded Hassaan's meeting to be arranged with his parents, upon which the court asked the law officer to inform them when the meeting could be held, The News International reported.

"I can find out the procedures and rules in this regard, and inform accordingly," Nahang replied after which the court granted adjournment to clarify the procedures and rules.

Meanwhile, the ousted premier is behind bars at Attock Jail after a trial court in Islamabad found him guilty of concealing proceeds of Toshakhana (state depository) gifts that he received from foreign dignitaries as the prime minister of the country from 2018 to 2022, and sentenced him to three years in prison along with a fine of PKR 1,00,000.

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Subsequently, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified him for five years from holding public office following his conviction.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi demanded 'B-Class facilities' for her husband under 'Pakistan Prison Rules', ARY News reported on Friday.

Bushra Bibi wrote a letter to the Home Secretary of Punjab province and noted that B-Class facilities are liable to be given to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Khan as it is a matter of right for reasons, which include having served as Prime Minister of Pakistan.

She also pointed out that Khan should be allowed to have home food as per the jail manual. "Personal physician should also be given access to visit and examine PTI chief," the letter added.

Bushra Bibi further said that the Islamabad court had directed the police to send her husband to Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, which "has not been complied with," as per ARY News.

In her letter, Bibi raised concerns about her husband's security and safety and said that he 'can be poisoned' in Attock Jail, reported Geo News.

Bushra Bibi sent a letter to the Punjab home secretary and said that the court had directed authorities concerned to shift her husband to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

She said, "My husband has been imprisoned in Attock jail without any justification. According to the law, my husband should be transferred to Adiala jail."

Khan was arrested earlier this month after the court sentenced him to three-year in prison in the Toshakhana case related to the sale of state gifts that he received as prime minister from foreign dignitaries during his 2018-22 tenure, reported Geo News.

Moreover, Khan was also barred from politics for five years.

Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi also said that in the past, two assassination attempts have been made on Khan but the accused involved had not been arrested yet.

"His (Imran Khan) life is still in danger and there is a fear that my husband will be poisoned in Attock jail," she said in the letter.

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Highlighting the jail manual, the former first lady said all facilities were to be provided to Khan within 48 hours but they had not been provided even after the passage of 12 days.

"According to the jail rules, my husband has the right to undergo a medical examination by a private doctor," she said, demanding inquiry for not providing facilities to the PTI chief as per the jail manual.

Furthermore, last week, the PTI Core Committee also expressed similar concerns that Imran Khan could suffer from 'slow poisoning' and asked to provide homemade food and water to him.
Non-performing loan ratio in China's commercial banks at 1.62 pct

Xinhua) 10:47, August 19, 2023

File photo shows the street view of the Lujiazui area of Pudong, east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.62 percent at the end of June, flat with that at the end of March, data from the National Financial Regulatory Administration showed on Friday.

The ratio was lower than 1.63 percent registered at the end of 2022.

The balance of the non-performing loans stood at 3.2 trillion yuan (about 444.41 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of June, 83.1 billion yuan more than that at the end of March.

The commercial banks reported sound asset quality and healthy liquidity. The liquidity coverage ratio was 150.86 percent at the end of June, up 1.4 percentage points from the end of March.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Saturday claimed to have averted a major terror plot by arresting 13 terrorists, including three ISIS commanders, who were planning to target important installations across the Punjab province.

The militants were arrested from Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Kasur and Multan during the last couple of days, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said in a statement.

"The arrested terrorists had planned to target important installations across the province," it said.

With the arrest, law enforcement agencies foiled a "major terror plot" in the Punjab province, it said.

The arrested terrorists belong to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh (ISIS), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Al-Qaeda.

Some 2,360 grams of explosives, one IED bomb, 11 detonators, pistols and bullets and banned literature have been recovered from them, the statement said.

Last week, the CTD arrested 21 terrorists in Punjab.

Hundreds of terrorists of TTP and ISIS have been nabbed this year after the truce between the Pakistan government and TTP ended in November last year.

The attacks on security forces have seen a rise in the country after the truce ended.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he spoke with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and discussed the realisation of the full potential of the Chabahar port.

"Pleased to speak to Iranian President H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi yesterday. We discussed strengthening of bilateral and regional cooperation, including realising the full potential of Chabahar Port. Look forward to meeting President Raisi in South Africa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit," PM Modi wrote on X on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held talks with Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance.

The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, including to realise the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub.

"The two leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation including to realize the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub," Prime Minister's Office said in a press release.

PM Modi and Iranian President Raisi discussed cooperation at multilateral forums, including the expansion of BRICS. The two leaders looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the upcoming BRICS Summit set to be held in South Africa from August 22-24.

During the telephone conversation, PM Modi stated that the relationship between Iran and India is underpinned by close historic and civilizational ties.

"Prime Minister highlighted that India- Iran relationship is underpinned by close historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts," Prime Minister's Office said in a press release.

Earlier in July, PM Modi chaired the SCO Summit virtually and said Iran is going to join as a new member of the organization and also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for the SCO membership of Belarus.

"I am happy that today Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member. For this, I convey my best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran. Also, we welcome the signing of the memorandum of obligation for Belarus' SCO membership," PM Modi said at the Summit.

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At the SCO Summit, PM Modi said that SCO members can work towards maximizing the utilization of the Chabahar Port following Iran's membership of the SCO, the official press release by Prime Minister's Office said. He further mentioned the importance of better connectivity.

"The International North-South Transport Corridor can serve as a secure and efficient route for landlocked countries in Central Asia to access the Indian Ocean. We should strive to realize its full potential," as per the release.

"Strong connectivity is crucial for the progress of any region. Better connectivity not only enhances mutual trade but also fosters mutual trust. However, in these efforts, it is essential to uphold the basic principles of the SCO charter, particularly respecting the sovereignty and regional integrity of the Member States," the release said.

In September last year, PM Modi held a meeting with Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders spoke about the growing friendship between India and Iran.
Representatives from the law enforcement authorities of China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos attend a launch meeting of a joint campaign to crack down on illegal gambling and fraud in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Aug. 15-16. Photo: CCTV News/Courtesy of the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar

Whats new: Law enforcement authorities of China, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos have launched a joint campaign to crack down on illegal gambling and fraud perpetrated by organized crime rings in their border regions, according to Chinas Ministry of Public Security.

The campaign will also target other gang-related crimes including human trafficking, kidnapping, and illegal detention, a statement published on the ministrys website on Friday showed.
Chino, CA (91710)

Today

Abundant sunshine. High 79F. NE winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low 51F. NNE winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.




Erlanger announces the appointment of Adam Campbell, PhD, as chief of quality and patient safety.Officials said, With an extensive background in quality metrics, exemplary leadership skills and a proven track record of enhancing patient experience, Dr. Campbell is a natural fit to lead the health systems initiatives for patient safety and quality of care."As chief of quality and patient safety, Dr. Campbell will oversee and drive the development and implementation of strategic initiatives to enhance quality, safety and performance across all aspects of Erlanger.Dr. Campbell leads efforts in quality improvement and education, safety, data analytics, patient experience and accreditationHe will work with associates from across the health system to establish robust quality measures, develop innovative strategies for patient safety and foster a culture of continuous improvement.Jim Coleman, Erlanger president and CEO, said, Adams accomplishments speak for themselves. He has been instrumental in streamlining various clinical processes, implementing evidence-based practices, and leading initiatives that have resulted in enhanced patient outcomes and increased satisfaction. His expertise and leadership have earned him respect both within and outside of our organization. Congratulations, Adam on this well-deserved promotion.Prior to joining Erlanger, Dr. Campbell was director of clinical improvement and analytics at the Childrens Hospital of The Kings Daughters in Norfolk, Va., and director of clinical policy and analytics at Shriners Hospitals for Children. Dr. Campbell is also an associate professor at the University of Tennessees College of Medicine, Chattanooga, and an adjunct professor for the Haslam College of Businesss Physician Executive MBA (PEMBA) Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has also served as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.Dr. Campbell received his bachelor in psychology from the University of Cincinnati, his master of science in experimental psychology from East Tennessee State University, and his PhD in cognitive and neural sciences from the University of South Florida. He studied at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on a post-doctoral fellowship.As the Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer, my commitment is unwavering: to relentlessly pursue excellence in healthcare delivery, to empower our dedicated teams to provide the safest and highest quality care to every patient, and to foster a culture where patient safety is not just a priority, but a way of life, said Dr. Campbell. Together, we will shape a future where each step we take is a stride towards healthier tomorrows for all."Under his guidance, Erlanger will continue to advance as a leader in quality care and patient safety. Dr. Campbell's dedication to excellence, coupled with his passion for driving positive change, will undoubtedly inspire and motivate Erlangers teams to achieve new heights," officials said.
Chattanooga State Community College announces it has been awarded a $411,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to start an educational program  Tiger Access. The students who will attend the program will have diagnoses of Down syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injuries, and other conditions.

The students will have an immersive two-year college experience with classes in their chosen fields of career interests. Partners in this endeavor will be the Orange Grove Center and the colleges Workforce Development. All students will have a community-based work experience during their second year as their capstone project before being awarded a Certificate of Completion.

A celebration ceremony will be held in the Faculty and Staff Dining Room at the Main Campus of the college in the Omniplex on Monday at 12:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. During the event the Commissioner of TN DIDD, Brad Turner, will present the college with a check for these efforts and will launch the program.

Chattanooga State is only one of two community colleges in Tennessee to be awarded. The southeast part of the state needs this opportunity; the other community college to have been awarded is Dyersburg State Community College in the northwest region of Tennessee. Other four-year colleges, like The University of Memphis, Lipscomb University, and Vanderbilt University, have also been awarded.

According to Program Co-Directors, Dr. Kristi Strode and Rebecca Aslinger, this is a project that came from the heart; both are mothers of children with applicable diagnoses. We stand ready to make this a state-of-the-art educational offering that will benefit the entire college community and the southeast region of the state. A core value of Chattanooga State is that we help others to learn without limits, and the new program, called Tiger Access, allows us to do just that.

College President Dr. Rebecca Ashford said, I am so proud that Chattanooga State has the opportunity to serve students in our new Tiger Access program with this grant funding from the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. I look forward to seeing these students shine through this innovative learning experience.
I had no recourse other than I was able to fight or I was going to die.

Santiago Erevia is a native to Nordheim, Texas. At age 22 in 1968, the deadliest year of the Vietnam War, he joined the Army, serving with the Company C, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. He arrived in Vietnam in November 1968, but it was on May 21, 1969, when then-Spc. 4 Erevia would distinguish himself as a radio-telephone operator on a search and destroy mission during Operation Lamar Plain.

During his two years in Vietnam, he narrowly escaped death many times, earning both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. The men in his unit joked that he was the luckiest guy alive.

According to Erevia: I was very, very fortunate. I think I stepped on quite a few mines. In one close call involving a claymore stolen by the enemy, he says: We came up to a culvert, about six or seven feet deep. I had to climb down and get up again. That was my savior. I helped everybody get up. There were three or four guys who went up ahead of me. They hit the Claymore mine. The front guy lost his leg. One guy had pellets all the way up his front. The third man had his hand broken. I was the fourth man. Nothing touched me. I was like a miracle baby.

In May of 69, he was on the frontlines in the intense 10-day campaign to seize a mountaintop that would be infamously nicknamed Hamburger Hill because of the horrific injuries sustained by many soldiers. But it was Erevias battalion air assault on another hill on May 21 where his mettle would be heroically tested.

We had wounded guys, Erevia recalls, and after his M-16 malfunctioned, he was ordered by his company commander to stay behind and care for the wounded. However, surrounded later in the day, he crawled through the field of fire, collecting M-16s, ammo, and grenades from the wounded and dead in order to defend the wounded.

His Medal of Honor citation for his actions that day notes:

After breaching an insurgent perimeter, Specialist Four Erevia was designated by his platoon leader to render first aid to several casualties, and the rest of the platoon moved forward. As he was doing so, he came under intense hostile fire from four bunkers to his left front. Although he could have taken cover with the rest of the element, he chose a retaliatory course of action. With heavy enemy fire directed at him, he moved in full view of the hostile gunners as he proceeded to crawl from one wounded man to another, gathering ammunition. Armed with two M-16 rifles and several hand grenades, he charged toward the enemy positions behind the suppressive fire of the two rifles. Under very intense fire, he continued to advance on the insurgents until he was near the first bunker. Disregarding the enemy fire, he pulled the pin from a hand grenade and advanced on the bunker, leveling suppressive fire until he could drop the grenade into the bunker, mortally wounding the insurgent and destroying the fortification. Without hesitation, he employed identical tactics as he proceeded to eliminate the next two enemy positions. With the destruction of the third bunker, Specialist Four Erevia had exhausted his supply of hand grenades. Still under intense fire from the fourth position, he courageously charged forward behind the fire emitted by his M-16 rifles. Arriving at the very edge of the bunker, he silenced the occupant within the fortification at point blank range.

Spc. 4 Erevias actions that day saved many lives, and His exemplary performance in the face of overwhelming danger was an inspiration to his entire company and contributed immeasurably to the success of the mission.

After returning to the states, Erevia, like many veterans who have faced the horrors of warfare, avoided conversation about Vietnam. Wanting to move on, but suffering what would become known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, he said: I didnt give it too much thought. You know, you go from day-to-day, do what youre told.

After receiving his medal, Erevia said to a friend: Dont be a hero.  Just duck and hit the ground and raise your rifle and shoot toward the enemy. I was put into the situation that I could not get out. I had no recourse other than I was able to fight or I was going to die. But really, if you dont have to put your life in the hands of God, dont.

Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia, your example of valor  an American Patriot defending Liberty for all and your fellow warriors at great risk to yourself  is eternal.

Join me in prayer for our nations military patriots, veterans and first responders, and for their families. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down ones life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Mark Caldwell
Here are upcoming road closings for special events:

Nightfall The following roads and intersections will be closed every Friday through Sept. 2, from 5:30 p.m. until midnight: Cherry Street at E MLK Blvd. (begins 3 p.m. for set-up)

Market Street between East 8th Street and East 10th Street

Martin Luther King Blvd Between Broad Street and Georgia Avenue

Street parking on Georgia Avenue will be restricted Chattanooga Football Club Home Match The following roads will be closed on Saturday, from 4 p.m. until midnight: Reggie White Blvd between the Chattanooga Skate Park north entrance and W 20th Street (Reggie White will remain closed until 6 p.m. on Sunday for the Chattanooga Market)

Chestnut Street between W 17th Street and W 19th Street

W 19th Street between Reggie White Blvd. and Chestnut Street Street parking will be prohibited on Chestnut Street within the closure on the dates/times listed above. Vehicles left within the closure will be towed at the owner's expense.

Pine Street will be fully closed directly in front of the Westin Hotel.

No thru traffic will be permitted on Pine Street between W 7th Street and MLK Blvd.

W 8th Street between Chestnut Street and Pine Street will be closed to all traffic.

Georgia Ave between MLK Blvd and E 10th Street will be closed Saturday, from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for the SPLASH Summer Arts Festival.The following closures and traffic limitations will be in place every Saturday from Aug. 18 through Dec. 20, between the hours of noon to midnight to host West Village's Street Festivals:

Chattanooga Market

Reggie White Blvd between W 19th Street and the Skate Park access road will remain closed after Saturday's CFC Soccer Game and will reopen on Sunday at 6 p.m.

Here are road closings for construction:

2115 Garfield Street



Garfield Street between North Willow Street and the dead end will be closed on Tuesday, through Friday, for sewer main repair. There will be limited access, however, crews will inform the residents when the greatest restrictions will be in place. Emergency services will be allowed through.



Georgia Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Intersection



The intersection of Georgia Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be closed Monday, from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. for emergency electrical work on behalf of EPB. Detours and flaggers will be posted.



Lindsay Street



Lindsay Street will be closed on Wednesday, between Oak Street and McCallie Avenue for tree maintenance.



Oak Street



Oak Street will be closed between Memorial Street and Lindsay Street on Thursday, at 5 a.m. through Friday, at 2 a.m. for truck load/unloading.



E 7th Street



East 7th Street will be closed between Market Street and Cherry Street on Thursday through Friday, for a crane lift.



NOTE: ALL CONSTRUCTION WORK IS SUBJECT TO WEATHER AND SUPPLY CHAIN-RELATED DELAYS



View CDOT's map of events and road closures for full details of these activities and other projects underway in our public space.


Sometimes, it takes one historian to recognize the work and influence of another.

Peter J. Malia is a historian by trade and a book publisher by profession. Hes also a Cheshire resident and utilizes one mans work to better tell the story of his hometown when necessary  Joseph Perkins Beach.

Beachs most famous work is the comprehensively-titled History of Cheshire, Connecticut, from 1694 to 1840, Including Prospect, which as Columbia Parish, was a part of Cheshire until 1829. It is a scholarly work of history which has allowed subsequent generations to study their towns past, looking for clues and facts to illuminate the present.

The History of Cheshire was compiled by Beach and first published by Cheshires Lady Fenwick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1912. It remains a touchstone today.

Hopefully you will agree that the series logical start should begin with Beach, whose work is still considered a standard today. We would not know much about the towns past without Beachs sweat equity of several decades of research. And his family does date back to the Mayflower, after all, so theres a starting point, says Malia.

Despite his work, of Beach himself relatively little is known. He seemed to live in the shadows of his famous family.

Beachs father, Moses Yale Beach, was born in 1800 in Wallingford. Blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit and an apparent abhorrence of failure, the senior Beach played the fife in the War of 1812, worked as a cabinet-maker, owned a paper mill, founded the fire department in Saugerties, New York, and eventually invested in the New York Sun newspaper and became its sole proprietor.

While living in Springfield, Massachusetts, he started a family which included Joseph Perkins Beach (born in 1828), Moses Sperry Beach (born in 1822) and Alfred Ely Beach (born in 1826).

Moses Yale Beach continued his innovative career by revolutionizing the newspaper industry, growing the Suns circulation by using horses, railways, and even pigeons to expedite his information-gathering.

Beach amassed a $300,000 fortune (around $3.3 billion today) and was so fascinated by the wealth of his surroundings that he published a compendium of New York Citys wealthiest citizens, of which he was one. (According to the book, published in 1846, Cornelius Vanderbilt was then worth $1.2 million, and John Jacob Astor, a staggering $25 million.)

He would also found the Associated Press as the nations newspapers flourished thanks to a curious, well-educated and growing population.

During the Mexican-American War, President James K. Polk convinced Moses Yale Beach to work as a secret emissary, sending him to Mexico for peace talks with Santa Anna.

Josephs two brothers would become notables in their fathers manner as well.

Alfred Ely Beach was one of the founders of Scientific American magazine (still published today) and an inventor of New Yorks first subway, the Beach Pneumatic Transit. Following the Civil War, he founded the Beach Institute in Savannah, Georgia, the first school for freed slaves.

Moses Sperry Beach, like his brothers, worked for the Sun and succeeded his father in ownership. Moses S. Beach, through the paper, supported Abraham Lincoln and the cause of emancipation. He was also a close friend of Mark Twain, and traveled with the celebrated author on a voyage which became the basis for his The Innocents Abroad.

In 1849, Joseph Perkins Beach also embarked on the adventure of his lifetime, a voyage by sea from New York to San Francisco that would provide the basis for his other printed work, The Log of Apollo.

The ship was owned by Josephs father, and berths were available from $75 for steerage to $250 for round trip with board. The advantages offered to passengers by this conveyance cannot be surpassed, boasted one advertisement.

According to the Online Archive of California, which first published the book in 1986, Beachs narratives "have a tone of humor when describing the discontent and disorder among passengers. There is frequent mention of the passengers grumbling about the food, breaking into the galley at night, drinking, gambling and being noisy. Among the comments about the majority of the passengers are mentions of the Episcopal minister and an occasional service performed by him. Also there is mention of kinds of fish seen and caught. In San Francisco, there is more narrative and description including desertion of crew members.

Now part of the National Register of Historic Places, under the control of the National Park Service, the Apollos story is a curious one.

Beached on the mudflats of the San Francisco waterfront at the corner of Battery and Sacramento streets, the Apollo was transformed into a popular doughnut and coffee house. An 1851 fire destroyed the ships structure to the turn of the bilge, and what goods remained fell down into the hull. The ships remaining structures were topped with sand and occasionally excavated by construction projects built on and around it. The largest of these, the Federal Reserve Bank, exposed several treasures of the era, but the site has not apparently been disturbed since 1925.

An archeologist who examined the site in 1986 called it the most comprehensive assemblage of cultural materials dating from the Gold Rush era ever excavated systematically in San Francisco.

Prior to that fateful journey, Joseph attended the Episcopal Academy at Cheshire in 1840 and 1841, where his daughter says he developed a last lasting love of the little hamlet and its past. It was a passion he never surrendered and he is still highly regarded by amateur genealogists and professionals alike for conducting exhaustive research on the Beach family throughout America as well as the Yale and Brewster families, adds Malia, happy to see a colleague get some of the recognition he deserves.

Though he worked at the familys New York Sun newspaper for several years, once it was sold in 1867 to Charles Anderson Dana (Assistant Secretary of War under Lincoln), Beach returned to Cheshire to settle permanently. There he lived a quiet life researching the genealogies of his hometown, a long process that led to his most famous work.

His daughter, Louisa B. Beach, wrote in a preface to his History of Cheshire that he had gathered material for a paper to be read at Cheshires centennial, but declined to publish it, wanting to create a more comprehensive history.

She also mentioned that her father often rode from Cheshire to Wallingford on a horse called Dolly, consulting records for his work, and going also to Hartford and New Haven to verify his facts.

The book itself consists largely of transcriptions of events such as baptisms, burials, marriages, last wills and testaments, births, and official Town business. While not a gripping narrative, its dutiful collection of records provides a firm basis for local research, as well as possible inroads into countless other questions.

The well-heeled Beach gained a good reputation among the citizens of Cheshire, just as he had in New York and elsewhere. He died January 9, 1911, at his home in Cheshire, at the age of 82.

As one eulogy, published in the Sun on January 11 of that year characterized him, He was a pleasant man to meet; a vein of humor ran through all he said, making him always interesting. He was broadly benevolent. The educational expenses of many successful professional men were paid by him, the beneficiary often not even knowing the name of his benefactor until later years. He was a true and loyal friend.
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This 34-year-old man and his 31-year-old wife both make excellent money at their jobs, and they recently signed a new lease on an apartment in New York City.

Their lease is for the next 12 months, and he admits their apartment is completely and utterly overpriced, as its a one-bedroom that costs them $6,000 a month to rent.

He and his wife have been with one another for seven and a half years, but they tied the knot two years ago.

Shes been stressed about saving money, so I offered to pay $4,500, and she could pay only $1,500. Were both named on the lease, he explained.

She broke up with me a month after signing, refuses to see a therapist to attempt to repair, and wants to move to Europe.

We have a prenup which considers all of our personal finances separate but says well split joint assets and debts 50/50 (basically furniture and our joint credit card).

In light of his wife unexpectedly dumping him, he no longer thinks he should be helping her pay for her share of the rent on their apartment.

He thinks he and his wife should both pay $3,000 a month until they can hopefully get out of their lease.

But, that doesnt seem to be possible, as he asked his landlord if it would be ok for them to exit the lease early.

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Louisa May Alcott is one of the most famous American authors. Best known for her cherished novel, Little Women, she was an important voice for women during the Gilded Age and showed people how valuable a strong female voice can be.

Did you know that Little Women was based on her life story?

Louisa was born in Philadelphia in 1832 but grew up in Massachusetts after her family moved to Boston two years after she was born. In 1840, her family moved into Orchard House, the famous cottage in Concord where Little Women takes place. Like the books protagonist, Jo, Louisa was one of four sisters.

Louisas parents were a part of the transcendentalist religious movement and highly valued education and learning.

As a child, Louisas parents introduced her to writers and philosophers like Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathanial Hawthorne. She quickly found a passion for writing and started writing her own stories at a young age.

When her family entered a period of financial struggle, Louisa had to stop going to school consistently and began taking on various jobs, from teaching to cleaning.

She eventually learned she could sell her stories to contribute to her familys income. But because it was harder to get work published as a woman, Louisa began selling stories under a pseudonym.

She published her first book of short stories in 1854. Then, when the Civil War broke out, she briefly worked as a nurse at a Union hospital but became a patient there when she got typhoid fever. She wrote about this experience in her 1863 novel Hospital Sketches.

Louisa couldnt help but notice the limited power women had in the world she grew up in, as not only were they unable to vote or hold down jobs, but they could hardly have anything of their own.

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'Basic safeguards' or 'baseless attack'? Activists react to 5th Circuit abortion pill ruling

A federal appeals court ruling this week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must restore certain safeguards for chemical abortion drugs has prompted reactions from pro-life and pro-choice advocacy groups.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Wednesday upheld a Texas federal courts decision to leave the FDAs 2000 approval of the drug in place but restore the agencys pre-2016 regulations for the abortion pill.

The previous regulations required the drug to be obtained in person and prohibited mailing the pill or prescribing it virtually.

In loosening mifepristones safety restrictions, FDA failed to address several important concerns about whether the drug would be safe for the women who use it, the court opinion written by Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod states. It failed to consider the cumulative effect of removing several important safeguards at the same time.

It failed to consider whether those major and interrelated changes might alter the risk profile, such that the agency should continue to mandate reporting of non-fatal adverse events, the opinion continued. And it failed to gather evidence that affirmatively showed that mifepristone could be used safely without being prescribed and dispensed in person.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed mifepristone to maintain its current level of availability as the litigation continues. The U.S. Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision to the conservative-majority Supreme Court.

Mifepristone, the first drug in the chemical abortion pill regimen, works as a progesterone-blocker, a hormone that helps maintain a healthy pregnancy.

The following pages highlight six reactions to the 5th Circuit's decision.

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Is it ever OK to lie? Pastors and theologians respond

In a world where the truth is often tainted and an occasional white lie may seem more ethical than telling a brutally honest truth, many believers may wonder if exceptions exist to the Ten Commandments' prohibition on lying  or bearings a false witness.

Throughout Scripture, many biblical figures have found themselves neck-deep in lies. Some were apparent lies, while others were more subtly withholding the truth. Adam and Eve sinned and tried to hide from God by temporarily withholding the truth. The couple did not immediately admit their faults before God  which occurs in Genesis 3.

In 1 Samuel, David lied out of fear as he was running for his life from King Saul. And in the New Testament Book of Acts, Ananias and Sapphira infamously lied about how much of their wealth they had given to the Church.

In the modern-day, many believers face conundrums surrounding the ethics of lying, especially in scenarios where dishonesty, deception or withholding the truth seem to be the better moral option from a human perspective.

For example, would it have been OK for those who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust to withhold the truth or lie if Nazi police knocked on their door? Would telling the truth have pleased God in that situation?

Are there times when it's OK to lie or withhold the truth if it protects that person or someone else from emotional, physical, psychological or financial hardships or suffering?

The Christian Post interviewed pastors and religious scholars from different denominational backgrounds (Baptist, Episcopal, nondenominational and Catholic) about their thoughts on lying and if there are ever scenarios where doing so is acceptable.

Some interviewees said lying is never OK in any scenario. But others believe that a gray area exists in which the liar's motives should be taken into account.

'Some things are best we don't know'

The Rev. Steven McKeown of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Steubenville, Ohio, said he believes God takes into account the complexities surrounding the ethics and morality of lying or withholding information.

"There are some things that are best we don't know and don't share. Sometimes the complete facts of certain situations can be very painful. And it could be something someone's family is involved in or something of that nature," said McKeown, who is in his late 70s and has served as the head pastor of his Episcopalian church for the past 17 years.

McKeown believes that the morality of lying, withholding the truth and white lies should be determined on a case-by-case basis if it means protecting someone else's feelings, saving lives or keeping minors from being exposed to information too early to handle emotionally, mentally, physically or psychologically.

"In a situation where a person is an adopted child, is it good for them to know who their father was or who their mother was? And that's where this can get very awkward, especially if there was a negative or painful background with that. And sometimes, it's best not to be the person that will reveal that," McKeown said.

McKeown said some women face tough decisions if they decide to raise their baby conceived as a result of rape or incest. Should they tell their child they were conceived by rape or incest at an early age or keep that from them until they are mature enough to know the truth?

"It's not mandatory to tell the truth in this scenario because the mother might not want to put that category or label on their child for the rest of that child's life," McKeown rationalized.

McKeown believes God looks at the heart of every person.

"I think He knows us all. We believe in the principle that He created us all. So, therefore, He knows us back and front," McKeown said.

"At the end of the day, from a Christian faith, He wants us to know Jesus, who took on the form of a human being. And from that, He thought we could relate better and that we could better understand God through His Son Jesus. So, I think there's nothing done in secret as far as God is concerned."

'Not all lies are created equal'

John Grabowski, a Roman Catholic theologian and a professor of moral theology and ethics at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., firmly believes Christians should obey the Ten Commandments and refrain from lying whenever possible.

"I think honesty is a biblical mandate. That's what we should strive for, to be honest all the time. Obviously, we all know from experience that we're not. And then, there are different reasons in different circumstances why we're not," said the professor, who has been on the teaching staff at Catholic University for the past three decades.

"But given that this is a biblical mandate, and we're called to speak the truth to one another and to others, I think honesty is a responsibility of Christians and something we ought to strive to live for as best we can."

Grabowski said his approach to honesty was inspired by the viewpoints of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic theologian and philosopher. There are three main distinctions of the types of lies that people typically commit, according to Aquinas' perspective: jocose lies, officious lies and malicious lies.

According to Grabowski, jocose lies are when someone bends the truth, usually for the sake of satire or comedy, as in a joke, or in telling exaggerated stories.

Officious lies are when a person tells a lie to spare someone else's feelings or avoid saying a truth that could potentially be hurtful to someone else.

Malicious lies are when someone lies to do damage to another person by distorting and withholding the truth from them.

In Aquinas' perspective, Grabowski said, the first two kinds of lies  jocose and officious  are wrong, but not gravely wrong.

"Jocose lies or humorous lies and officious lies are what people tend to refer to as white lies, which are lies where you're not intending to harm someone else but you're intending the opposite. You're trying to help someone else in some way," Grabowski said.

"Whereas with malicious lies, you're actually seeking to do damage to another person. ... Those are seriously wrong. That's more seriously sinful. So while all of those are wrong, not all lies are of equal gravity or equal malice. I agree with Aquinas because I think all lying is wrong, but not all lies are created equal. Not all lies do the same kind of harm."

If he were faced with such a situation, the professor said he would lie to Nazi police if he were hiding Jews.

"That's an officious lie. A person who is lying in that scenario is lying in order to try to protect the life of an innocent person from incarceration and death," Grabowski said. "So in and of itself, that's the wrong thing to do. But, their motivation is trying to save another person's life and putting their own life in danger by doing so. Their motivation shows that they have very little moral culpability for what they're doing there. They're really trying to help another person. That's their aim in withholding the truth."

"The person who's hiding his Jewish neighbors from certain death is, in a sense, willing to lay down his or her own life in order to protect them. So the motivation is an act of love, even though they're technically doing something that's wrong if they say no to the officer," Grabowski added, citing John 15:13.

The verse says: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

However, Grabowski doesn't believe it's ever OK for a parent to lie to their child who was conceived by rape about who the child's father is, categorizing that as a malicious lie.

"I think when a child is young and not in a position to process that information, I think parents probably should withhold the information from a child who's not in a position to understand and process that because they're too young," Grabowski said.

"But I think if the child is older, a young adult perhaps, and is asking questions about who their father is, I think that child does have a right to the truth."

Parents of young children may be tempted to lie to their kids for various reasons, telling simple lies to make their job easier. Grabowski does not think a parent should ever lie to their children to make their own parental role less difficult.

"For example, if a child wants to go to the toy store and a parent lies to them and tells them the toy store is closed, but the store is not actually closed, that is not OK. That's a parent just not wanting to be a parent in that moment," Grabowski noted.

"The parent just thinks it would be easier to tell a lie in order to silence the kid. I don't think that's a good approach for a Christian parent to get in the habit of lying to their child to try to make parenting easier."

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Kenya bans churches linked to starvation cult deaths of followers who wanted to 'meet Jesus'

Kenya has banned five churches, including one led by a suspected cult leader accused of encouraging more than 400 followers to starve themselves to death, according to a government document released Friday.

The license of self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzies Good News International Ministries was canceled effective May 19, the Registrar of Societies stated in a gazette notice, AFP reported.

Mackenzie allegedly incited his followers to starve to death to meet Jesus, a case that has deeply shocked Kenyans. While starvation is believed to be the main cause of death, some victims, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated, official autopsies revealed.

Authorities have also banned the New Life Prayer Centre and Church headed by televangelist Ezekiel Odero, the newswire reported, explaining he has been linked to Mackenzie and is under investigation for charges such as murder, aiding suicide, radicalization and money laundering.

Oderos arrest in April followed the discovery of human remains in a forest near Malindi, believed to belong to Mackenzies followers.

Prosecutors have linked the two preachers, but Odero was released on bail in May.

Mackenzies detention was extended for 47 more days last week pending further investigation.

The grim discoveries, now referred to as the Shakahola forest massacre, have prompted the government to emphasize the need for tighter control of fringe denominations.

Kenya, a largely Christian nation, has more than 4,000 registered churches. It has struggled to regulate some that engage in criminal activities, often preaching the prosperity gospel. Efforts to tighten control have been opposed, seen as undermining the division of church and state.

In June, Joseph Buyuka, accused alongside Mackenzie of orchestrating the deaths of 337 followers, died in police custody following a hunger strike. Two other suspects had fallen ill, possibly due to their hunger strike.

Authorities have exhumed over 300 bodies from the forest.

Mackenzie, accused of ordering his followers to starve, including their children, handed himself to the police in April. Initially released on bail, he was re-arrested following the discovery of more bodies.

His followers had established a community in Kilifi County on Kenyas coast, where local law enforcement intervened after receiving a tip-off about mass starvation.

The law enforcement had received the tip-off that ignorant citizens were starving to death under the pretext of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed by Mackenzie. The controversial televangelist had been under investigation for propagating a doctrine that encourages followers to abstain from food to reach Heaven faster.

BBC earlier quoted Titus Katana, an escapee, as saying that those who tried to leave the cult were branded as traitors and violently attacked. He also suggested there was an order in which people were supposed to die, with children being the first to go.
Is the Sound of Freedom awakening our collective conscience?

Whatever the political controversy surrounding the release of the "Sound of Freedom," the silence from the mainstream media and Hollywood is deeply troubling.

I have been leading the Dignity Freedom Network for over 20 years, challenging the sexual abuse of children not only in India but around the world. I know firsthand that the industry and its underground network are a painful reality. But apparently in Hollywood, the ideology and politics of filmmakers matter more to some than the urgent need of exposing sex trafficking crimes.

Combatting this wicked industry, and the evildoers who fuel its demand, must be a non-partisan, non-sectarian issue.

With the help and cooperation of local governments in India, we have seen success in the fight against child sex trafficking. By working together to combat the practice of ritual prostitution, whereby young girls are taken pre-puberty and offered to the gods as sexual slaves, we are now approaching a tipping point. In the past, India has been classified as the center of modern-day slavery by many organizations fighting to end it. But, by Gods grace, we believe in the next decade the practice of ritualized prostitution of young girls will be history.

Nevertheless, many girls here are still sold into brothels in major Indian cities, and even in neighboring countries.

I recall Angela. She stood before me and explained how she and her sister watched the horrific self-immolation of their mother who was tormented most of her life as a ritualized prostitute. Angelas mother lived in constant fear and depression, wondering if anyone would free her, protect her, and give her a new lease on life. Yet night after night, men came to use and abuse her.

The last time we witnessed well-orchestrated violence against Christians here in India, with more than 40,000 Christians and tribals displaced, the aftermath resulted in sex trafficking for many of the victims. Now with the increased violence against Christians in the State of Manipur, and the displacement of about 60,000 citizens, the trafficking of Manipur girls looms on the horizon if we dont give immediate attention to the rehabilitation of displaced people.

Poverty and social unrest always leave women and girls vulnerable to traffickers worldwide. My heart aches as I think of the tens of thousands of girls in my homeland who need protection, rescue and rehabilitation.

The truth is that rich and powerful pedophiles still prey on children and young women worldwide, and others choose not to stop it. We know that these hideous crimes are happening in America and throughout the West. In fact, it is the financial power of the West that sustains the child sex industry from Bangkok, to Mumbai, to the Gulf to London and elsewhere. Its no secret that Westerners end up in Thailand, Vietnam or The Philippines to engage in the abuse of children. The pornography industry is also focused on children in Thailand, Nepal, throughout Africa and elsewhere.

The faith of Jim Caviezel and the movie producers led them to produce the Sound of Freedom. Yet everyone, irrespective of faith or politics, should have the same level of outrage for the plague of child trafficking.

Whats more, the legalization of pedophilia is certainly just around the corner for Western nations. Earlier this year we saw a report from the International Commission of Jurists, backed by the UN, that essentially normalizes sex with minors. In an era where the sexualization of children and sex-ed curriculum is pushed earlier and earlier on the life of a minor, there should be no doubt that well reap what we sow.

We must confront this evil in all its forms, despite any cunning arguments to the contrary.

Whatever we already know about the sexual abuse of children, certainly more horrifying realities are hiding in plain sight. That some have made human trafficking a lucrative financial enterprise should not surprise us; and it should not be a controversial discussion.

Yet where are the loudest voices of the me too movement on this issue? This equally detestable cultural stain deserves the same unrelenting outcry that innocent women earned seven years ago.

It is tragic but it is also telling how the Sound of Freedom exposes hypocrisy within Hollywood. Does Hollywood only take up social causes when they know the powerful and the larger film fraternity will praise them?

The Sound of Freedom, and any other movie, documentary, or series that shines a spotlight on the cruel reality of child sex trafficking, is a critical development for innocent children trying to survive in the dark corners of our world.

Even if actors and filmmakers are ridiculed for spending time on this cause, I pray they keep tuning out the naysayers and turning up the volume. Because millions of boys and girls depend on their advocacy.
The rules of civility George Washington made famous

In scanning various headlines last week, I was delighted to see  among all the bad news  this story: George Washingtons 110 Rules of Civility.

The link they have brings the reader to the Mount Vernon website.

This isnt advice George Washington doled out. Rather, its a series of aphorisms that he learned as a youth that greatly impacted his life. If you want to know what made the father of our country tick, read the Rules of Civility.

Technically they are not his 110 rules of civility. But he has helped make them famous. In many ways, this list of 110 maxims is similar to the book of Proverbs. Some have noted that they were originally written in the 1600s by Catholics in France.

In a book I co-wrote with Dr. Peter Lillback on the faith of our first president, George Washingtons Sacred Fire, we have an Appendix that reprints all 110 of these rules.

We note, George Washington, sometime before the age of 16, transcribed these Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation. Most historians of Washington see a great deal of consistency between his life and these rules for civility and decent behavior.

Here are a few examples:

Rule #1 notes, Every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect, to those that are Present. Treat others with respect.

Rule #40 states, Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty. Humility goes a long way.

Rule #48 declares, Wherein you reprove another be unblameable yourself; for example is more prevalent than Precepts. Take the beam out of your own eye before worrying about the speck in anothers eye, to paraphrase Jesus.

While the Rules of Civility are not actual quotes from the Bible, they echo biblical teaching.

When George Washington was 11 years old, his father died. His Christian mother, Mary Ball Washington, provided much biblical guidance for him. Meanwhile, his formal education came to a halt. Nonetheless, George continued to read and study all his life  including these Rules of Civility.

I asked for some comments about the Rules of Civility from Dr. Peter Lillback, who is the founding president of Providence Forum, for which I now serve as executive director.

He told me, These principles communicate how to behave when one is with people of rank, and when eating with them at table. They emphasize noble conduct and ground good character in conscience, termed the celestial fire given to men to know right from wrong.

Here are more samples from the Rules of Civility:

Rule #22 says, Shew not yourself glad at the misfortune of another though he were your enemy. This is like the biblical principle, dont gloat over your enemy.

Rule #56 states: Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company. As the Bible puts it, bad company corrupts good morals.

Rule #73 notes: Think before you speak. Pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your words too hastily but orderly & distinctly.

Lillback notes, Those who study Washingtons life generally agree that these principles became part of his conduct and character. They shaped him into a sterling gentleman in his era, who ultimately became the indispensable man in Americas founding.

Some of the final sayings in this short book that so impacted the founder of our nation underscored the importance of reverence for God:

Rule #108 states: When you speak of God or his attributes, let it be seriously & with reverence. Honour & obey your natural parents although they be poor.

Rule #109 says: Let your recreations be manful not sinful.

Rule 110 declares: Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."

For my Providence Forum television documentary on George Washington, Dr. Cal Beisner, author and former seminary professor, commented, Washington built a lot of his life around the Rules of Civility. He wrote on each of these different rules and tried to measure up to them himself. And it was very, very clear, I think, that he wasnt doing this just simply, you know, to look good in front of other people. He was doing this because he believed that this pleased God. And Washington was a man who feared the Lord, and lived in accordance with that.

We have a crisis in character today. We can see it in virtually all the headlines, as leading men and women from all sorts of professions get tripped up by their own character flaws. But the Rule of Civility made popular by our first president provides timely and timeless advice to try and avoid such pitfalls.
Why humanitarians feel blessed when they serve

As we prepare to observe World Humanitarian Day on August 19, Ive been reflecting on the work of my organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship), and the aid we provide for millions of people in need worldwide each year.

This day was set aside by the United Nations to honor all those who so willingly brave dangerous situations caused by disaster or war day in and day out in order to bring care, basic needs, protection, and hope to those living through crisis.

I started thinking about what motivates all our dedicated Fellowship staff in the field every day. What gives them the strength to do this job that sometimes requires them to leave their families and friends to travel to places that can be dangerous and chaotic, like Ukraine, Ethiopia, or areas of Israel frequently targeted by rocket fire and terrorist attacks?

I recently talked about this to some of our staff members and realized theres something powerful about helping others in crisis  so powerful, in fact, that it actually gives you strength in return.

One of those staff members, Moran Ben-David, lives in Netivot, a community in southern Israel that sometimes faces nonstop code red sirens warning of incoming terrorist rockets. When this happens, Moran first makes sure her children are cared for and safe in bomb shelters, then rushes off to deliver food to the elderly on behalf of The Fellowship.

Her motivation and strength come from knowing that the elderly who she visits would otherwise have no food and no caregiver during these crises. Moran is the messenger of The Fellowships good work. With so much out of her control, she knows shes doing what she can to help, and shining light in a dark situation.

Similarly, another Fellowship staff member, Gadi Teichman Dan, didnt think twice before rushing to the Moldova-Ukraine border to help refugees fleeing the country after the Russian invasion plunged Ukraine into chaos and fear. He was driving closer to the war zone as so many were fleeing in the opposite direction.

When he arrived, he found refugees filled both with relief to be out of danger, and fear at their shocking change in reality. They had nowhere to go and didnt know what to do next, but Gadi was there to greet them with food and shelter, and to be a sympathetic ear to their powerful stories.

For Gadi, its personal. Born in Ukraine, his family made aliyah (immigrated to Israel) 33 years ago. Simply knowing he could have been one of these refugees fleeing with his 7 and 8-year-old children put it all into perspective. His ability to imagine himself in this very same crisis only fuels him to work harder to help these people in need. Since that initial trip, hes made many more humanitarian visits to Ukraine on behalf of The Fellowship.

As for me, this is so much more than just a job  its truly my calling. Like Moran and Gadi, the people we serve touch my heart every day, and this empowers me to find strength within.

I think of elderly Ludmila. One of the great tragedies of the war in Ukraine is that there are elderly people like her, including many Holocaust survivors, who want to escape but are simply too weak and frail to do so. But with the help of our partners, we were able to rescue some of these precious elderly at the onset of the war, including Ludmila, and have doctors accompany them on an emergency medical rescue flight from Ukraine to Israel. Months later in Israel, I was able to follow up with Ludmila, who shared with me, I would not be alive if it was not for The Fellowship.

To be involved in humanitarian work like this is to be involved in something bigger than ourselves. And it is truly a team effort. So, on this World Humanitarian Day, my heartfelt prayers are with all of those  whether they are with The Fellowship or any of the other humanitarian organizations doing such amazing work around the world  who bravely step into difficult and dangerous situations every day to serve others. Whatever their faith, they are truly doing Gods work. May they be protected and feel Gods blessing every time they see the fruits of their labor in the lives of people in need.
Christian preschools claim Colorado pre-K program forces them to contradict religious beliefs

Multiple Christian preschools in Colorado allege that the state's requirements to participate in a government funding program would force them to hire people who do not uphold their religious teachings on sexuality and marriage.

St. Mary Catholic Parish in Littleton and St. Bernadette Catholic Parish in Lakewood operate preschool programs in the Denver area. The parishes have a preference for admitting Catholic families, and they also have religious expectations of their staff.

In a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Colorado, the Catholic institutions allege that the state has excluded religious schools from participating in the Colorado Universal Preschool Program Act. The 2022 legislation established a system of state funding for preschool services.

The plaintiffs represented by the Becket Law are the two Catholic parishes and the Archdiocese of Denver. The Colorado Department of Early Childhood Executive Director Lisa Roy and the director of Colorado's Universal Preschool Program, Dawn Odean, are named as the defendants.

According to the complaint, St. Mary's and other archdiocesan preschools, including St. Bernadette's, sought information about the program as they intended to participate.

However, after learning more about the program, the plaintiffs allege that the Department of Early Childhood had implemented requirements that would exclude all Catholic preschools within the Archdiocese of Denver due to the Church's "sincere and long-held religious beliefs."

"Specifically, the Department is purporting to require all preschool providers to accept any applicant without regard to a student or family's religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and to prohibit schools from "discriminat[ing] against any person" on the same bases," the lawsuit reads.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood and Colorado's Universal Preschool Program did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

The plaintiffs argue that the requirements conflict with their religious beliefs. The lawsuit notes that the parishes require staff to sign contracts on an annual basis to affirm their commitment to upholding the denominational teachings on abortion and sexuality.

"Abiding by Catholic teaching on these issues would violate the Department's ban on sexual-orientation and gender-identity 'discrimination,' though Plaintiffs do not believe adhering to these beliefs constitutes discrimination," the complaint reads.

Tracy Seul, director of development and preschool at St. Mary Catholic School, said in a Wednesday statement that her preschool "exists to help kids harness the skills they need to flourish and grow into individuals prepared to serve others in hope, joy, and love."

"We are called to offer this ministry to every parent who wants to provide their child with an authentic Catholic education," Seul said.

Becket Counsel Nick Reaves emphasized that the state's funding program is supposed to be universal, highlighting the parents who may need help sending their kids to a preschool that reflects their values.

"We are asking the court to stop Colorado's campaign against preschoolers and the schools that want to serve them," Reaves stated. "Families should be free to choose the private school that best meets their needs  whether it is secular or religious."

The Darren Patterson Christian Academy in Buena Vista leveled similar accusations against the requirements for participating in the preschool funding program. The academy is represented by the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom.

In a June lawsuit, the religious institution argued that the program mandates that it hire people that don't uphold its values and alter school policies for handling students who express a desire to identify as the opposite sex. According to the complaint, the school has segregated bathrooms for girls and boys, and, in keeping with its Christian beliefs, it does not use pronouns that do not reflect a person's biological sex.

Last month, ADF filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin Roy from requiring that the academy abide by the program provisions and continuing to deny participation due to the institution's "religious character and exercise."

"Religious schools have a right to be religious," Jeremiah Galus, senior counsel for ADF, told CP in a Friday statement.

"We're hopeful that the judge will agree that the government cannot force religious schools to give up their religious beliefs and character in order to participate in a public benefit like everyone else."

According to ADF, the hearing for the preliminary injunction in the DPCA case is set for Oct. 5.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against states that have prevented Christian school participation in secular tuition and aid programs.

"[W]e have repeatedly held that a State violates the Free Exercise Clause when it excludes religious observers from otherwise available public benefits," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the 2022 majority opinion in a case against Maine's tuition funding program.

"As noted, a neutral benefit program in which public funds flow to religious organizations

through the independent choices of private benefit recipients does not offend the Establishment Clause."
Ohio Right to Life fires communications director after viral 'faith in Christ alone' post

An Ohio pro-life group has dismissed its communications director after a Jewish Republican Congressman whose wife sits on the organization's board criticized her for tweeting that "there is no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone."

Elizabeth Marbach, the now former communications director of Ohio Right to Life, became the center of national media attention this week after Rep. Max Miller criticized her Tuesday post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Miller, who is Jewish, called the tweet "one of the most bigoted" tweets he had ever seen even though Marbach's sentiment is a mainstream belief of Christianity. Miller's wife, Emily Moreno Miller, serves as a board member of Ohio Right to Life, a state-level group that educates the public about abortion and advocates for pro-life legislation.

Marbach told The Sentinel in a Thursday statement that she was let go from her position with Ohio Right to Life. Internal communications reviewed by the newspaper suggest that Marbach was given the opportunity to resign or enter a transitional period before dismissal but she declined.

The group assured that Marbach wasn't terminated because of "any single event."

"Ohio Right to Life can confirm that Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Marbach is no longer employed at Ohio Right to Life," Ohio Right to Life CEO Peter Range wrote in a statement. "This decision was not based on any single event as some on social media claim. We appreciate Lizzie's service and wish her the best in future endeavors."

Marbach, a former Trump campaign and Ohio Republican Party staff member, told the newspaper that she "absolutely" does not regret her social media post because "now millions have read the gospel message." She expressed hope that God would use the situation to "bring glory and honor to his name."

"Preborn lives are being slaughtered every day, and Ohio Right to Life is one of the few organizations in a position to stop it," she said. "I hope and pray that they would prioritize abolishing abortion in Ohio going forward and not be distracted by politics."

The dismissal reportedly came after a senior Ohio Right to Life member expressed concerns about the tone of a tweet Marbach published on Aug. 10, according to The Sentinel.

In response to an abortion advocate's tweet about a state constitutional amendment that pro-lifers believe will allow for unregulated abortions in Ohio, Marbach called the abortion proponent a "murderous liar."

Ohio Right to Life did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

In an email to CP earlier this week, the pro-life advocate said that she wrote the tweet after what she described as a "long day at work."

"I have had many upset over my 'unpopular' and 'harsh' posts I had recently made, and I wanted to show some positivity that we can all unite behind," she stated.

She did not expect Miller's response calling her post "bigoted."

"God says that Jewish people are the chosen ones, but yet you say we have no hope," Miller wrote in a follow-up tweet. "Thanks for your pearl of wisdom today."

Rep. Casey Weinstein, a Democratic lawmaker from Ohio, quote tweeted Miller's post, joining the Republican Congressman in calling for Marbach to delete her tweet. The Democratic lawmaker's now-deleted post was captured via a screenshot and shared on social media.

In response to Miller's post, Marbach quoted John 14:6: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

Later Tuesday, Miller apologized to Marbach, writing, "I posted something earlier that conveyed a message I did not intend. I will not try to hide my mistake or run from it. I sincerely apologize to Lizzie and to everyone who read my post."

The Republican's wife tweeted on the same day that her husband was wrong to tell Marbach to "stand down" from her religious views. However, the board member argued that asking Jewish people to "back down" from their faith was also wrong.

"And we never will," she wrote.
Tennessee teacher apologizes for creative writing assignment about killing someone

A Tennessee middle school teacher has apologized after giving her students an assignment in which they were asked to imagine the experience of committing murder.

The macabre assignment first came to light after a parent at White County Middle School in Sparta, located about 75 miles east of Nashville, brought up the matter during a school board meeting on Aug. 10.

Shelly Davis, whose son is an eighth-grade student at WCMS, shared an image of a creative writing prompt that asked students to create a story based on the following lead-in: "I never meant to kill her. I only wanted to hurt her, but now her ghost follows me everywhere."

In her remarks to the board, Davis said the teacher gave students images to inspire their writing, including an image of a "woman with no face" and another image of windows with "maybe possibly blood laying around" the area.

"This is not a book. This is not something that they're studying. This was merely just for fun apparently," she told the board. "I don't know how you can make this to be fun. I don't know how you can make it enjoyable."

Davis said she was later told that officials discussed the matter with the teacher  whom they have not publicly identified  and "she was told that she couldn't do it again."

In her comments to the board, Davis warned that if her son's writing "fell on the ground and another kid come and pick that up, that kid would go to office," she said. "That kid would probably get expelled. That kid would probably have to be investigated."

In a statement to The Christian Post, White County School District spokeswoman Candice Allen said the teacher issued an apology to students and that Principal Montuka Murray "handled the situation."

While Allen confirmed that students and parents "who were directly affected were addressed by the teacher," she declined to comment on specific disciplinary action.

In a public apology letter, the teacher  whose name is redacted  said she now realizes the writing prompt was "wholly inappropriate and insensitive."

"My intention behind the prompt was to encourage innovative and unconventional thinking among our students," she wrote. "I was driven by the desire to present a unique challenge, but I am acutely aware that this motivation clouded my judgment and led me astray from my primary responsibility: the well-being and emotional safety of my students."

After asking for forgiveness "for any distress or discomfort," she apologized to all parents affected by the assignment.

"I am profoundly sorry for the concern and worry this incident may have provoked," she said. "I thank you for your grace and understanding as I work to rectify this situation.

"I also want to assure you that I take full responsibility for my actions."

WCMS is part of the White County School District, which is made up of eight schools and about 4,000 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
Dangerous liaisons: Nicaragua, China and Catholic integralism

Catholic leaders in Nicaragua and China are facing extreme persecution by their governments. That's primarily the fault of those countries horrible rulers, of course  but it should also remind us that when representatives of the Church cozy up to authoritarian governments, ordinary believers end up paying the price.

The relationship between the Catholic Church and the Nicaraguan government of Daniel Ortega is an example. Ortega first came to power in the predominantly Catholic country back in 1979 when the Sandinistas, his Marxist revolutionary group, overthrew the brutal right-wing dictatorship of President Anastasio Somoza.

Supporters of liberation theology, then the flavor of the month in many Catholic liberal circles, threw discretion to the winds. Some of them talked as if the Kingdom of Heaven had just materialized in Central America. The Sandinistas minister of culture was a Catholic priest and poet, Father Ernesto Cardenal.

Enter Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

During his 1983 visit to Nicaragua, John Paul famously chastised Father Cardenal for holding office in a secular government, something strictly forbidden by the Code of Canon Law. Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo  who today is the countrys vice president  were eyewitnesses to the papal rebuke.

The following year, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued an Instruction on Certain Aspects of Theologies of Liberation. The instruction cautioned against the temptation to place oneself within the perspective of a temporal messianism, which is one of the most radical of the expressions of secularization of the Kingdom of God and of its absorption into the immanence of human history. It adds that in giving such priority to the political dimension, one is led to deny the radical newness of the New Testament and above all to misunderstand the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, and thus the specific character of the salvation he gave us, that is above all liberation from sin, which is the source of all evils.

This was a desperately needed corrective to liberation theologys clumsy fusion of the gospels of Jesus and Marx.

John Pauls intervention, along with Cardinal Ratzingers instruction, were welcomed by many priests in the Americas. Among them was a future Nicaraguan prelate, Rolando Alvarez, now bishop of Matagalpa.

Bishop Alvarez, an influential member of Nicaraguas Conference of Catholic Bishops, has watched while Ortega  who to the horror of his Western admirers was voted out of office in 1990  has twice reinvented himself. On becoming president again in 2006, Ortega ruled like a traditional Latin American leftist dictator, but with the unexpected twist that he presented himself as a devoted Catholic. He even banned abortion. The Vaticans Secretariat of State, never an infallible judge of authoritarian rulers, was so impressed that it paid insufficient attention to the steady crushing of Nicaraguan democracy.

But the Nicaraguan bishops were paying attention  and none more so than Father Alvarez, made a bishop by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011 at the remarkably young age of 44. He has opposed Ortegas brutal policies for years, and last year went on hunger strike in protest against them. He was put under house arrest and has now been sentenced to 26 years and four months in prison for being a traitor to the homeland.

Heroically, he could have avoided imprisonment when Ortega offered him the alternative of expulsion from Nicaragua along with 222 other political prisoners, including priests and seminarians. He refused and is now being held in a maximum-security prison in Managua  a living symbol of the Churchs commitment to human rights.

Across the world another bishop who endures persecution for the same reason  Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 91-year-old bishop emeritus of Hong Kong  was already a priest and theologian when Ricardo Alvarez was born.

Since 2018, the Holy See and the Chinese government have operated under a pact that allows the government to choose bishops subject only to a veto by the Pope. The pact, it seems, is not worth the paper it is written on. China has brazenly ordained an auxiliary bishop recently for a diocese that is not recognized by the Vatican  just as Cardinal Zen predicted it would.

Like Bishop Alvarez, Cardinal Zen has been targeted with trumped-up charges for his pro-democracy views. He was convicted of failing to register a humanitarian relief fund and fined for supporting pro-democracy demonstrators during the mass protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

Cardinal Zen is not alone in standing up to Chinas assault on democracy. Jimmy Lai, a Catholic pro-democracy advocate and the founder of the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, is also one of Chinas victims. Lai will stand trial on charges under the terms of the Hong Kong National Security Law. He faces a life sentence.

Unbelievably, a tiny but vocal minority of American Catholic conservatives praise China and have been disturbingly silent on their persecution. They belong to a school of thought known by various names, the best known of which is integralism. That label has been used before: by fascists and other autocratic movements in 20th-century Europe that wanted to subordinate their national politics to the spiritual authority of the Catholic Church (or, at least, their understanding of it). Alarmingly, this revived American version of Catholic integralism is attracting the interest of some young orthodox Catholics.

A handful of experts in political thought are trying to bring them back to clear thinking. In a commentary piece for The Washington Post, for example, University of Texas professor Justin Dyer observes that integralism is a reaction to the illiberalism of the far left. As a political vision, it is monumentally imprudent.

Among the problems Dyer identifies are the very characteristics celebrated by its chief proponents  a return of confessional states, religion-based citizenship, and enforced orthodoxy. According to James Patterson, professor at Ave Maria University and scholar at the Catholic University of Americas Institute for Human Ecology, neo-integralists, as he calls them, openly admire authoritarian regimes. They have embraced leaders of European parties with historical ties to fascism and contemporary ties to Russias government  and some of them are mysteriously well disposed to the government of China, which is engaged in the largest-scale persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the world today.

But then Beijing has its admirers in the Vatican, too. In 2018, Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, the Argentinian prelate who was then chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, announced: Right now, those who are best implementing the social doctrine of the Church are the Chinese. Sordono astonishingly claimed that the Chinese government was defending the dignity of the person in its pursuit of the common good.

Such naivety, to put it charitably, was a reminder that a minority of Christians will always be susceptible to the temptation to secularize the Kingdom of God and the charms of repressive governments. They do not represent the authentic voice of the Church. Unfortunately, those faithful in persecuted communities who do uphold the dignity of the person run the risk of terrible retribution. Therefore, it is incumbent on us, as ordinary Christians, to watch their situation closely and make sure their heroic witness is never ignored.
Dont Judge! and other things Jesus really didnt say

In her book Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed, apologist Alisa Childers breaks down widespread mantras of culture and their consequences. One of these is a misunderstanding of Jesus words so common that, for many, it may be the 11th commandment that supplants the other ten: You shouldnt judge.

Over the last 60 years, studies have confirmed that Americans have become more tolerant of alternative sexual lifestyles, non-traditional beliefs about God, and certain political identifications, such as Communism. According to the most recent State of Theology report from Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research, some 56% of self-described Evangelicals believe that God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Upon closer examination, this shift has far more to do with losing convictions in these areas than with gaining tolerance.

In fact, accepting the do not judge ethos has been a primary corrosive agent to those convictions, and this is what Childers addresses in her new book. In addition to identifying the obvious contradiction in saying it is wrong to judge, which is itself a judgment, she reminds Christians what Jesus words mean in context.

[J]ust after saying, Judge not, Jesus lets his audience know that when they judge, they should be very careful to make sure their judgment isnt hypocritical. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye, Jesus instructs in verse 5. In other words, dont point out a sin in your brothers or sisters life before you confront the bigger sin in your own. But the whole point is to help your brother or sister take the speck out of their own eye, which requires you to judge that its there.  If there is still any confusion, just a few verses later, Jesus tells us to recognize wolves, or false teachers, by their fruit (verses 15-16). Again, this requires us to judge whether these teachers are speaking truth or deception. Then, in John 7:24, Jesus couldnt say it more plainly. He directs his listeners to not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

The point of these verses, she concludes, is not to prevent moral discernment, but to help believers instead judge carefully, rightly, humbly, and without hypocrisy. Childers then offers a powerful illustration from her time with ZOEgirl, when her struggle with body image eventually led to a secret eating disorder of binging and purging.

On some tour in some town somewhere, I shared a hotel room with one of my bandmates. She is a sweetheart  gentle, deeply intelligent, and thoughtful  She was also a natural peacemaker, and confrontation did not come easily to her. So when she worked up every last bit of courage to ask me what I was doing in the bathroom, it surprised me. And it also made me angry. To put it lightly, the conversation didnt go well. I not so politely invited her to stop judging me and back all the way off. That didnt stop her  Looking back, am I thankful that my bandmate judged me? That she dared confront me about the self-harm I was guilty of? Absolutely! She was the catalyst that first brought the darkness into the light. To this day my eyes mist with tears when I think about how much she loved me to do such a difficult thing.

Childers example not only calls Christians to do similarly difficult but right things, it reveals the consequences of relativism when lived in the real world. What begins as a desire to not judge others turns into the narcissistic demand that no one, under any circumstances, judge us. But that also renders healing and forgiveness impossible. After all, with no way to say that weve been wronged, neither is there means or reason to forgive those who harm us. Any culture that rejects objective morality lacks any way to counter evil.

Alisa Childers book reclaims truth from the empty slogans that dominate our culture and our thinking. This August, for a gift of any amount to the Colson Center, well send you a copy of Live Your Truth and Other Lies. Just go to breakpoint.org/give to learn more.

Originally published at BreakPoint.
How and why to read Numbers in 2022

Theres an old saying that some peoples purpose in life is to serve as an example to others. Thats certainly true of the Israelite generation who perished during the 40 years in the wilderness. Paul says so in 1 Corinthians 10:6a, These things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. That is, after experiencing Gods extraordinary deliverance and provision in the Exodus, the generation that left Egypt were overthrown in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:5). Lets not make the same mistakes.

In fact, Israels wilderness wanderings are an allegory of this earthly life. God has supernaturally delivered us from our slavery to sin and the dominion of death (Egypt). For now, we dwell in this world as sojourners and wanderers, who have not yet obtained our inheritance. We shall one day dwell with God forever, but now we hunger and thirst after him as in a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalms 63:1). And we look forward to one day entering into the rest God has promised us (Canaan), which happens after death (the Jordan River).

Background of Numbers

Numbers is the fourth book of Moses, and it explains how and why the people of Israel did not go straight up from Mount Sinai to take possession of the Promised Land. The three most important events in Numbers are two censuses and a rebellion. The book opens with Moses numbering (hence the name) the people of Israel; he found approximately 600,000 males over the age of 20, Levites excluded. Then, after God has guided the people to the edge of the Promised Land, in chapter 14, they refuse to enter. God promises as a fitting judgment, Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell (Numbers 14:29-30).

These three events present several lessons up front. First, while two men, Caleb and Joshua, are excepted from this judgment for their faithfulness, Moses takes care to emphasize the ones who died for their disobedience. Gods judgment is an important theme. Second, even after God wipes out an entire generation, the people of Israel are as numerous after 40 years in the wilderness as before. This demonstrates Gods remarkable faithfulness to multiply them, and his remarkable provision to preserve them in the wilderness.

In chapters 1-10, Israel prepares to leave Mount Sinai, where they had been camped for all of Leviticus, and ever since Exodus 19. Israel is numbered and organized as a military camp (chapters 1-2). The Levites are numbered and organized to carry the holy items of the tabernacle (chapters 3-4). Then, God provides instructions designed to preserve the holiness of their camp (chapters 5-6), including ejecting unclean people from the camp, exposing sin, making God the witness over secret adultery, and the Nazirite vow.

In chapters 26-36, Israel is encamped at Shittim (also called Peor), where they remain throughout Deuteronomy and all the way to Joshua 3, and where they prepare to enter the Promised Land.

In between, in chapters 11-25, is contained a truncated account of nearly 40 years of wilderness wandering in consequence of their rebellion; it seems many of those years are passed over in silence shortly before chapter 20. Chapters 11-17 recount the inauspicious beginning; the Israelites rebel against Moses and God, seemingly without taking a break. In the first three rebellions, God provides a solution, but then a judgment. In the next three, the order is reversed, and God responds with judgment, but then graciously provides reminders to his people to turn their hearts from rebellion. Then, as the 40 years draw to a close, Israel turns back towards the Promised Land, only to experience more rebellion and death (chapters 20-21).

In a final drama, the king of Moab hires a foreign prophet, Balaam, to curse Gods people, but he can only bless them; he advises Moab to seduce Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality instead (chapters 22-25).

One feature of Numbers that intimidates casual readers is the diversity of genres. Numbers is not a limited access highway like some books  get up to speed and set the cruise. Numbers is more like a commercial district  constant accelerations and decelerations, turn lanes, stop lights, and traffic. There are multiple chapters each of narrative, poetry, laws, and record-keeping, interspersed with one another. It can seem like a slog, particularly taken after Leviticus. But, like a commercial district, the rich wares on offer here explain why you ought to keep coming back.

What to learn from Numbers

It may be difficult at first, but Numbers offers rich material for reflection. Take the peoples frequent rebellion, for instance. What does their behavior demonstrate was true about their hearts, which angered God? If we aim to please him, how will we protect our hearts from the same sinful attitudes? What do Gods solutions teach us about his character, and how can we rely on those same attributes of his character in our own trials?

To take one example, in Numbers 11 Moses is overwhelmed by the burden of caring for the restive multitude, so God takes His Spirit, which was on Moses, and places it on 70 elders of the congregation, who prophesy. When Moses is told, he responds, Would that all the Lords people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them! (Numbers 11:29). Moses could have no idea how God would answer this prayer, approximately 1,500 years later, when he poured out his Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost.

There is more food for thought in contrasting the attitudes of faith and sight evident in the books final chapters. For example, the daughters of Zelophehad, who had no male heir, stood up after the census to justly demand, Give to us a possession among our fathers brothers (Numbers 27:4). The possession they sought was in Canaan, which Israel had not yet taken, and they had never seen. Their request showed their faith that God would fulfill his promise to give the land to the people of Israel.

Or consider Balaam, who is universally condemned in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, Revelation 2:14). How do his actions demonstrate his greed? A man of international reputation dies an ignoble death (Numbers 31:8) at Gods command (Numbers 25:16-18) for siding with Gods enemies, while the young priest Phineas is approved by God (Numbers 25:10-13) for his jealousy in defending Gods holiness (Numbers 25:6-8).

Numbers in the New Testament

Finally, we cant consider Numbers without looking at how it is applied and extended by the inspired authors of the New Testament. In the immediate context of the Bibles most famous verse, Jesus invokes Numbers when he said, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15). In that incident (Numbers 21:4-9), the people spoke against God and against Moses quite unreasonably, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them in judgment. When the people repented of their sin, at Gods command, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. When we are afflicted for our sins and repent of them, we can look to Jesus and live.

Throughout the New Testament, there are exhortations not to be like the rebellious Israelites in Numbers. Do not desire evil as they did  We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer (1 Corinthians 10:6b, 8-10).

Invoking Psalm 95 at length, the author of Hebrews urges, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God (Hebrews. 3:12). They did not believe God, and therefore they did not obey God.

Conclusion

Sin wants to deceive us and tell us lies about God. Every sin we commit begins with unbelief. Weve got to seek out and destroy that unbelief in our hearts before it can fester. But, boy, is it ever slippery. Thats why we need other Christians who can look into our lives and point out the sin we cant see.

On the encouraging side, Israels wilderness journey is not an allegory for a Christians life, in one key sense. The Israelites who wandered in the wilderness all perished in unbelief; they never crossed into the Promised Land. But that isnt the case for Christians. We who have believed enter that rest, Hebrews continues (4:3), and whoever has entered Gods rest has also rested from his works as God did from his (Hebrews 4:10). We look to Jesus and have eternal life in him.

He has promised to keep us until His coming when we will see Him face to face. When that time comes, there will be no more striving or struggling, no more trials or temptations, no more pain or hunger or weakness or grief or death. But we will have perfect peace and rest in His bosom forever.

Originally published at The Washington Stand.
Should Jews prayerfully reconsider the forbidden chapter?

Jews and Christians alike believe in the divine authority of the Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament). But there is one chapter that is shunned by most rabbis today. Isaiah 53 has sadly evolved into the forbidden chapter within Judaism.

According to Eitan Bar, a native Jewish-Israeli scholar: The 17th-century Jewish historian, Raphael Levi, admitted long ago the rabbis used to read Isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused arguments and great confusion, the rabbis decided that the simplest thing would be to just take that prophecy out of the Haftarah readings in synagogues. Thats why today when we read Isaiah 52, we stop in the middle of the chapter, and the week after, we jump straight to Isaiah 54.

Nevertheless, Isaiah 53 was just as divinely inspired as the rest of the Hebrew Bible. And interestingly, the Jewish sages of ancient times always interpreted Isaiah 53 to be about the Messiah. In fact, the well-known term Messiah ben Yosef is actually from this very text.

The prophet Isaiah lived during the eighth century BC, and he penned this powerful prophecy about the coming Messiah:

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:3-6).

The ancient Jewish translation of Yonatan ben Uzziel (Targum Jonathan) from the first century opened the section with the words, The Anointed Servant. That is to say, Ben Uzziel connected Isaiah 53 to the Messiah, the Anointed One.

Any rabbi who has intentionally withheld Isaiah 53 from Gods people has committed a grave sin.

I encourage you to prayerfully meditate upon the words of Isaiah 53. Allow Scripture to inform your understanding and enlighten your mind. Soak in Gods Word. Let it flood your heart and mind all day long.

After all, what are the odds that the one chapter in the Hebrew Bible, which so clearly points to the crucifixion of Yeshua the Messiah as the Lamb of God who bore the punishment for the sins of Jews and the sins of Gentiles, also happens to be the one chapter that is now shunned by most rabbis? You cant make this stuff up. And it points to other supernatural powers at work in the spiritual realm (see Ephesians 6:10-12) that dont want Jews and Gentiles to meet Yeshua and learn about the eternal deliverance he gives to those who receive him (see 2 Corinthians 4:4 and John 1:12). You see, Satan is the author of every ounce of anti-Semitism the world has ever known, and it all flows from the devils hatred for the Jewish Messiah.

Thankfully, Yeshua changes lives when people learn and accept what he did for them. For example, this Jewish womans life was changed when someone shared Isaiah 53:6 with her. And watch this mans story to see what happened while he was serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. These two testimonies illustrate what I addressed in a CP op-ed last year: Why Some Jews No Longer Cancel Jesus.

The most famous Jew to cancel Yeshua (Jesus) was Saul of Tarsus. Saul was extremely zealous and even sought to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison (Acts 8:3). Saul was in spiritual bondage, which fueled his rage and drove him to round up believers in Yeshua in order to torture them and place them in the physical bondage of prison. Likewise, many who live in spiritual darkness today do everything within their power to control those who are free in the Lord.

When Saul met Yeshua, God transformed a brutal terrorist into the Apostle Paul, who went on to travel an estimated 10,000 miles, by foot, to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples for Jesus Christ. Paul of course also ended up writing much of the New Testament. All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), including both the Old Testament and the New Testament. And Isaiah 53 is just as God-breathed as the rest of the Bible.

Dr. Mitch Glaser claims that this one chapter can actually change your life! He writes, Having been raised in a traditional Jewish home, I fully understand the challenges of keeping an open mind to the possibility that Jesus is the Messiah. When I came to believe this many years ago, I certainly had no intention of abandoning my Jewishness. I was looking for authentic spirituality, and I imagine you might be interested in the same thing. I hope you might be willing to put aside  at least for the moment  the common belief that you cannot be Jewish and believe in Jesus. (Dr. Glaser provides important information about Isaiah 53 here.)

In the 8th chapter of Proverbs, Solomon personifies wisdom as a wise and noble woman standing in a public place: I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me (Prov. 8:17). Do you love wisdom and earnestly search for her daily? Do you desire to learn anything God wants to teach you? If so, then share your honest desire with the Lord. Study the prophecies.

Listen to the testimonies of Jews who have met Yeshua. And ask for wisdom from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

(You can even receive a free book by Dr. Glaser titled, Isaiah 53 Explained. Simply go to www.isaiah53.com)
Indian Christians arrested after being accused of conversion

On August 15, the police in Uttar Pradesh accused 37 individuals, including 19 women, of engaging in purported conversion charges in Jaunpur district's Rajjupur village.

Five individuals, three of whom were pastors, were detained and freed on bail the same day after being brought before a sub-divisional magistrate.

Pastor Dinesh Kumar told UCA News on August 18 that on the occasion of Independence Day, "the Christian community was holding a prayer service in the Dalit colony of Rajjupur when a police force came and arrested five people."

The community has long had Christian prayer services on Sundays and other significant days, according to the pastor.

We do not bother anyone in the area, and thus far the locals haven't objected. Our people are shocked by the sudden police raid, he remarked.

Pastor Kumar claimed that although the neighbourhood knew who had made the fictitious police report, "we have nothing against anyone and want to live here peacefully."

He described how, on February 12, 16 people, including three ladies, had been arrested after the police and some hardcore Hindu militants broke into his home.

Despite the fact that he was released after four days, the police nonetheless filed a case against five of them under the state's anti-conversion law, UCA News reported.

According to media reports, Christian missionaries reportedly converted members in the Dalit community by scheduling the prayer service on Independence Day.

The media reports indicated that police claimed to have been informed by Saurabh Saroj, the leader of Rajjupur village, about poor people being converted to Christianity by way of different inducements.

The Indian constitution enables religious freedom to arrange or participate in a prayer session, according to a local Christian leader who talked to UCA News

"It is shocking that police are restricting people from exercising their fundamental right on a day the country is celebrating its Independence Day," said the Christian leader who requested anonymity.

 Christian Today India
Ukrainian Orthodox churches purge vestiges of Russian influence

On a recent Sunday, Ukrainian Orthodox Abbott Job Olshansky faced 50 stoic parishioners and presented his case for why the community should switch to the Gregorian liturgical calendar on Sept. 1.

The war in Ukraine has accelerated a restructuring of religious life across the country that aims to untangle itself from Russian influence, which has long shaped its history. The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has enthusiastically supported Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin's view that Ukraine's land and culture are foundationally Russian.

"The desire to preserve and affirm our own, Ukrainian, spiritual identity, protection from the aggression of the 'Russian world,' requires us to make a timely decision," Olshansky told his parishioners.

For centuries, Orthodox Ukrainians saw the traditional Julian calendar as one of the anchors of their church's identity  first as a sign of resistance to Latinization by the Catholic monarchs reigning in western Ukraine and then as resistance to the Soviet system. But in recent decades, the Julian calendar has become associated with support for Russian, not Ukrainian, Orthodoxy.

The calendar shift means millions of Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 this year instead of Jan. 7, when Russian and some other Orthodox churches celebrate. The Western Christian world adopted a revised calendar by papal decree in 1582 to correct calculations of Easter, while most of the world's Eastern Orthodox churches began following it after a synod in 1924.

Nearly 80% of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians but divide their loyalties among two rival branches. There's the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has historically tied itself to the Moscow Patriarchate but claimed to untie itself in May 2022, a few months after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. And there's the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formally recognized as self-governing in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. (The first self-governing Ukrainian church formed in 1921 and was an important arm of Ukrainian nationalism, but Soviet persecution liquidated its assets, exiled clergy and forced its followers underground. Joseph Stalin revived the Russian Orthodox Church and its Ukrainian branch in 1943.)

The Moscow Patriarchate would like to hold on to the Ukrainian church because Russian Orthodoxy was birthed in Kyiv  the Ukrainian capital  and its churches account for about one-third of the Russian-based Orthodox church. To this day, it still has more registered parishes in Ukraine than the independent church.

But according to one 2022 survey, only about 4% of Ukrainians now identify with the Moscow Patriarchate, and at least 1,500 parishes have switched to the self-governing Orthodox Church of Ukraine. One impact is that more Ukrainians are hearing liturgy in Ukrainian rather than Church Slavonic, a liturgical language close to Russian.

In addition, government bans of the Russian-linked church at the local and regional levels have allowed the state, which owns many historic church buildings, to transfer leases to the newly self-governing Orthodox Church of Ukraine. A draft law under consideration by Ukraine's Parliament could ban the older Ukrainian church. Lviv became the first city to ban it already, and dismantled what was reported to be its last remaining building in April.

"One of the reasons Russia needs to control its church so much is that those who influence the church have control of the country," said Mikhailo Sivak, a priest at Intercession of the Theotokos Orthodox Cathedral. "If there are pro-Russians in Lviv they are few and silent. The number of Orthodox Church of Ukraine churches is increasing significantly each month."

Holy Resurrection New Athos Monastery, where Olshansky presides, was one of dozens of churches in Lviv to transition to the independent church in March last year.

Olshansky, who was hired in 2019 to assist Metropolitan Filaret of Lviv and Galicia, said he was one of only two priests at a meeting of about 20 Ukrainian Orthodox-Moscow Patriarchate clergy a few weeks after the full-scale invasion to condemn Russia's actions. Lviv has been a cultural center of Ukrainian nationalism for centuries.

"They said it's the Americans dropping bombs on us, and Russia is innocent," Olshansky said. "That's when I realized I could not keep working with these people, when my family near Irpin and Bucha were being bombed."

A representative for Filaret declined to comment on the number of parishes making the switch due to an ongoing legal battle with the city. Laypeople in Lviv who prefer the traditional Ukrainian church are meeting secretly in their apartments for liturgies, multiple people who work for the diocese said. Religion News Service spoke to several Ukrainian Orthodox, formerly Moscow Patriarchate, church members in Kyiv who support the Ukrainian defense forces and wish their top leaders would condemn Russian aggression more strongly.

Ukrainian Orthodox Church leaders have insisted they condemn the Russian invasion and are being unfairly persecuted. Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv quickly declared the invasion a "disaster," and Lviv clergy were among the first to stop commemorating Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. But the state has arrested and convicted several of the church's clergy found to have collaborated with Russian soldiers or to have justified the Russian invasion. In addition, a Kyiv court earlier this month upheld the government's lease cancellation at the Monastery of the Caves, a sacred site in Slavic Orthodoxy founded in 1051. Ukrainian Orthodox monks, clergy and supporters have been resisting their eviction that would cede the grounds to the independent church.

Vladkya Anthony, Metropolitan of Boryspil and Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, told RNS in a previous interview that the conflict with the independent church is over nationalist, not religious, lines. "They are fighting their own people, their spiritual roots," he said. "We are not asking for any privileges, just asking to exist in a democratic state."

Liudmula Ivanova, 55, worships at Holy Resurrection and said she switched to the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine because the Russian Orthodox Church was condoning the killing of Ukrainians. (Sites like Russian Media Monitor show Russian clergy on an Orthodox TV channel advocating for a genocide of Ukrainians.)

"It's not good. Russians don't analyze. They do not think," she said. "They just do whatever they're told by the priest. Russian priests expected people to not resist, but we did."

Though Lviv is hundreds of miles from the front lines and close to the border with Poland, Russian missiles regularly strike residential buildings and kill civilians. The latest attack, on Tuesday (Aug. 15), damaged more than 100 buildings in the region and killed three people, including a 10-year-old.

At the end of July, leaders of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine voted to introduce the Gregorian calendar, but parishes must win two-thirds of their members' votes to adopt it.

Not everyone is excited about the calendar change. Pavlo Davydenko, a priest at Holy Resurrection, said adopting the new calendar would cut the monastery off from people praying in their homes and could drag the church closer to the Vatican, which he feared could water down Orthodoxy.

"It's one thing to do it and another to believe in it," he said. "We should give people more time to switch to the new calendar, to get used to the idea."

Just a few months ago, the community's Telegram chat showed only about half of the parishioners were on board with switching to the Gregorian feast days and holidays, which feel Western and foreign to them.

"We had to get used to praying in Ukrainian," Olshansky said. "It didn't happen in one day, and the calendar process should happen step by step." He believes that the newly formed Ukrainian church is truly the people's church and does not aspire to become a state church, while the Moscow Patriarchate and older Ukrainian church operate from the top down.

After a discussion, a vote was called, and the overwhelming majority voted to adopt the new calendar, like thousands of other churches are expected to do.

 Religion News Service
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Willie McLaurin resigns as interim SBC Executive Committee president over false credentials

(CP) Willie McLaurin, the interim president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, has stepped down from the position after it was revealed that he had false credentials on his resume.

McLaurin, who had claimed on his resume that he held degrees from North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary confessed to SBC EC leaders on Thursday that this was untrue.

According to a statement shared with Baptist Press, the SBC's official news service, SBC EC Chairman Phillip Robertson and EC Presidential Search Committee Chairman Neal Hughes noted that the discovery came after weeks of investigations launched by search committee members. The aforementioned institutions confirmed that McLaurin never graduated from their respective schools.

In addition to resigning from his interim position, which he had been in since February 2022 year, McLaurin will also no longer be considered a candidate for the position of SBC EC president.

In a resignation letter, McLaurin apologized for his actions, imploring SBC members to "forgive me for the harm or hurt that this has caused."

"To the Southern Baptists who have placed their confidence in me and have encouraged me to pursue the role of President & CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, including pastors, state partners, entity servants, colleagues, and SBC African American friends, I offer my deepest apologies," wrote McLaurin, as quoted by BP.

"I am thankful for the trust that Southern Baptists placed in me to serve as Interim President & CEO. Now, I am trusting Southern Baptists to pray for me and my family as we navigate this part of the journey."

Jonathan Howe, vice president of communications for the SBC EC, tweeted on Thursday, "Today has been an incredibly hard day for our Southern Baptist family."

"The past few years have been extremely taxing on your [SBC EC] staff and trustees; however we continue to hold firmly to Psalm 103. Please keep us in your prayers."

In February 2022, McLaurin was selected to serve as interim SBC EC president following the resignation of former SBC President Ronnie Floyd, who had stepped down from his position amid the investigation into how the denomination was handling sexual abuse allegations.

Before becoming a member of the SBC EC in January 2020, McLaurin served on the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for 15 years, as well as executive pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, and senior pastor at Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City.

"I want to express deep appreciation to Chairman Rolland Slade and the Executive Committee officers for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve," McLaurin had stated last year.

"It is an honor to partner with Southern Baptists in advancing the mission of winning the world to Jesus."

The Executive Committee is slated to meet again on Sept. 18-19 in Nashville.

 The Christian Post
By adding oil to the space between the dial and crystal not only are the discs constantly lubricated, but light is also absorbed, which means every display can be read reflection-free from any angle  even underwater.

To combat they way oil expands under heat, Mintiens added seven bellows to the watch that self-balance its internal pressure. We design for the 21st century, he said. With the technology available today, I feel it shouldnt anymore be the users responsibility to learn how to use a product. It should be clear and intuitive.

Atelier Akrivia (Rexhep Rexhepi)

In 2012, the brilliant young watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi fulfilled his childhood dream of founding his own watchmaking atelier, Akrivia  a name that means precision in Greek.

The idea was to express his own vision of haute horology by combining traditional artisanal methods with contemporary style. In 2014, Akrivias first watch, the Tourbillon Chronographe Monopoussoir, was revealed at the Baselworld trade show, and in 2018 its Chronometre Contemporain won the mens category prize at the Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve (GPHG).

In 2019, Akrivia teamed up with the celebrated casemaker Jean-Pierre Hagmann, and today the small team produces fewer than 30 watches a year. To date, only two have been offered by Christies at auction: the Chronometre Contemporain Only Watch, which sold for in 2019 for CHF 360,000; and the Chronometre Contemporain II illustrated below, which realised CHF 800,000 in 2021.
West Virginia University is under fire after an announcement revealing it plans to cut its budget and remove its languages department to address its massive $45 million deficit.

The development comes after the university also planned to manage the deficit through faculty layoffs and academic program consolidation. An 18-year-old student, Christian Adams, who planned to major in Chinese studies, said he would have to shift courses and spend an extra year in college, resulting in more student loans.

West Virginia University Plans Budget Cut

Adams said many students are worried about the situation, and some were already considering transferring to other schools. However, he noted that many students were stuck with the hand they were dealt.

Last week, the university announced that it was proposing laying off 169 faculty members, roughly 7% of the faculty working on its main campus in Morgantown, shocking staff, students, and their families, as per the New York Times.

Additionally, the university would shut down 32 of its 338 majors, and some other programs would be consolidated. This includes those that deal with West Virginia's historically crucial but declining mining industry. University officials said it would likely become an "energy" program."

The proposed cuts are expected to affect 147 undergraduates and 287 graduate students or under 2% of student enrollment. The West Virginia University administration calls the plan a "transformation," but some professors call it a "blood bath."

The university's budget cuts have sparked debate regarding some of the most prominent issues facing higher education in the United States. Nationally speaking, interest in English and world languages is declining as students shift to the humanities.

West Virginia University, the largest public university in the state, is planning to move toward eliminating a master's degree program in creative writing and a doctoral program in mathematics, according to the Washington Post.

Read Also: Congress is Under Pressure To Approve Hawaii Disaster Relief Funding

Addressing a $45 Million Budget Deficit

In a statement, the president of West Virginia University since 2014, E. Gordon Gee, said they are going through an existential crisis in higher education. He added that the school just happened to be on the point of the spear, arguing that the planned cuts are crucial in freeing up resources for programs that are in higher demand, including forensics, engineering, and neuroscience.

Gee added that universities must earn back trust amid declining public confidence in higher education. He noted that the people of West Virginia are telling us what they want and argued that they are now listening to them.

The West Virginia University president also said that while they see the recommendations for reductions and discontinuations as necessary, they are also aware of the people the decisions will affect. Gee noted that the faculty that would be laid off are their colleagues, neighbors, and friends.

Gee cited that the budget shortfall among top universities is primarily due to a decline in enrollment. At West Virginia University alone, the student population has dropped by 10% since 2015, said the Associated Press.

Related Article: Georgia Teacher Fired by School Board After Reading Gender Identity Book to Students

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A policyholder whose representative was unable to answer all of an insurers questions and whose lawyer argued that the companys continued requests for information were unreasonable did not provide an insurer with a basis for denying its claim, a panel of the 1st Circuit Court of Appeal ruled Thursday.

The federal appellate panel vacated a US District Court judges ruling that BAS Holding Co. had refused to participate in an examination under oath as required by the terms of a policy written by Tokio Marine Groups Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co.

The appellate panel said that it was not persuaded that denial was appropriate based on several Massachusetts cases that the insurer cited where claim denials were upheld because of uncooperative behavior by the policyholders.

BASs conduct bears no resemblance to the behavior of the insureds in these cases, the panels opinion says. BAS attended the requested EUO, did not refuse to answer questions at the EUO, never missed an EUO, never delayed an EUO, and never refused to produce Carney for an EUO.

BAS owned the State Building, a rough replica of the famous Massachusetts State House in Boston located on the fairgrounds in Brockton, Massachusetts. The 12,292 square-foot structure, built in 1932, was destroyed by a fire set by an arsonist in March 2021.

BAS gave prompt notice to Philadelphia and asked for coverage under its commercial property policy. The insurer responded with a reservation of rights letter that stated coverage would be limited if the building was vacant at the time of the fire, and that the building may not be covered at all.

Philadelphia made multiple documents requests to BAS and the business responded with some 700 documents. In June 2021, the insurer asked BAS to submit to an examination under oath. Philadelphia asked BAS to designate someone who could answer questions about eight enumerated topics.

BAS sent Susan Rodrigues, operations coordinator for the Brockton Fair. She was also employed by companies owned by BAS President George Carney and handled insurance matters for his company.

Rodrigues answered several questions during the examination, but was unable to answer all of them to Philadelphias satisfaction. She told the examiner that Carney and five maintenance workers employed by him might be able to provide additional information.

Philadelphia asked BAS counsel to make the six people available for an EOU. The attorney replied that asking for six additional examinations was unreasonable, especially considering that the insurer had not provided a factual basis for its reservation of rights.

The insurer responded that it was not required to provide a factual basis. Three days later, before BAS responded, Philadelphia denied BAS claim.

The insurer filed a lawsuit in September 2021 asking the US District Court to declare that it had properly denied the claim. Judge William G. Young said during a hearing that he was troubled by Carneys refusal to cooperate with the insurer and granted Philadelphias motion for summary judgment. BAS appealed.

The 1st Circuit panel said nothing in the record supported Youngs findingthat Carney was so uncooperative that the insurer could deny the claim. The record shows that Rodrigues did answer several of the carriers questions and promised to do some research so she could answer other questions once she gathered the information, according to the opinion.

In short, given the sequence and content of the emails at issue, as well as Rodriguess responsive and non-evasive EUO testimony, it is impossible to find on this record that BAS willfully and without excuse refused to present Carney for an EUO, the appellate panel concluded.

In June 2022, a Brockton Superior Court grand jury indicted 29-year-old Brian Leite for allegedly setting the fairgrounds fire and several other fires in Brockton to cover up illegal break-ins, according to local news reports. Leite was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination.

Top photo: The screen shot taken from a video posted on YouTube shows the replica State House at the Brockton Fairgrounds engulfed in flames.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that they are preparing "something powerful" for Ukrainian warriors.

Now, will it be a new, advanced weapon that can be used against the Russian military? Here's what the Ukranian leader said.

Ukraine President Prepares 'Something Powerful'

On Aug. 18, Zelensky posted a blog via the official Ministry of Defense of Ukraine website. "We are preparing powerful things for Ukraine, strengthening our state, our warriors," said the Ukrainian president.

Volodymyr explained that this powerful "thing" is their main task for the third week of August.

Zelensky said that there will be weapons, new opportunities, as well as new support packages for their beloved warriors and partners.

"We are doing everything so that on the eve of the Independence Day of our country, it can be said that Ukraine has taken another step towards the circle of the strongest states in the world," shared Ukraine's president.

He assured Ukranians that their team is working intensively and will provide updates to residents soon.

As of writing, the Ukrainian government is working with its EU neighbors to make the mentioned goals possible.

Zelensky said that they are also cooperating with their European partners, which already proved that the European leadership in defending freedom is of global importance.

The Ukrainian leader said that important events in the country are expected to happen before August ends.

He promised that his team will not lose a single day of preparation and thanked Ukrainians who are also doing the same for their beloved country.

Read Also: US Approves Sending F-16 Jets to Ukraine After Ukrainian Pilots Complete Training

Ukraine's Powerful Weapon Right Now

Based on the statements that Zelensky shared, the powerful "thing" he was talking about is combined efforts and advancements that can aid Ukrainian soldiers as they fight Russian troops.

But, the most efficient tactic that Ukraine uses during the war is the use of drones. For the past few days, Moscow has been suffering from drone attacks, as reported by Global Times.

Although the Ukrainian government didn't directly confirm these drone attacks, Russian officials blame the country.

However, analysts said that these drone attacks allegedly from Ukraine will only increase the difficulty of political solutions to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War Update: Moscow Hit by Ukrainian Drone Attack; US Approves Transfer of F-16s to Ukraine; US Intel Predicts Counteroffensive Will Fail

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a fundraiser event for the Alabama GOP in Montgomery, Alabama, Aug. 4, 2023.

Former President Donald Trump has made up his mind not to attend the first GOP debate next week, according to two sources familiar with his thinking, and is seeking a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson as a means of counter-programming the event.

A source close to Carlson says the host is currently en route to Europe, where he has interviews and events lined up all next week. The source said Carlson is "always in discussions" with all the candidates, and nothing is firmly set with Trump and Carlson.

Asked about the former president's plans for next week, a Trump campaign spokesman told NBC News, "We haven't confirmed anything on our end."

Carlson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The New York Times first reported on Trump's plans to skip the debate for an interview with Carlson.

Trump had been hinting that he might forgo the Wednesday night debate with his 2024 GOP rivals, and was exploring options for counterprogramming, people familiar with his deliberations told NBC News last month.

The former president indicated during a Newsmax interview this month that he wouldn't sign the required loyalty pledge committing to support the eventual GOP nominee, which is required to secure a spot on the debate stage.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said Thursday that she believed Trump will sign the pledge if he decides to debate.

"He's signed the pledge before. He signed it to get on the South Carolina ballot," McDaniel said in an interview with NewsNation's Blake Burman. "I have a feeling if he wants to be on the debate stage, he's going to sign that pledge."

A person familiar with the matter said the RNC hasn't heard from Trump or his team on whether he'll participate in the debate.

The loyalty pledge also asks candidates to agree not to take part in any non-RNC sanctioned debate for the rest of the election cycle.

Trump is one of at least nine GOP presidential candidates who appears to have met fundraising and polling criteria set by the RNC to qualify for next week's debate hosted by Fox News in Wisconsin.

Former Vice President Mike Pence's campaign announced this month that he had qualified for the debate. If Trump had decided to participate, he would have gone head-to-head against his former vice president after being indicted in two separate probes related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Special counsel Jack Smith's indictment referred to "contemporaneous notes" written by Pence that described meetings and conversations between the two men after Trump's election loss.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were also indicted on felony charges in connection with alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

In a post to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday Trump touted his poll numbers as a reason not to participate in the GOP debate. "People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I'M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he wrote.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a GOP presidential candidate who has qualified for the debate, said, "not going? his loss," after The New York Times reported on Trump's plan to skip the debate.

At least three of Trump's closest congressional allies  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds  plan to travel to the Milwaukee debate to defend the former president on his behalf, NBC News reported on Wednesday.
A user of TikTok has received a correction notice under the law against fake news for making misleading statements about vote secrecy in a post on the social media site.

The Prime Minister's Office's Elections Department (ELD), which released a statement on Friday, stated that TikTok user dr.ishhaq.jay had falsely claimed in a post on July 17 that the Government could track votes back to the voter in order to punish them, according to The Straits Time

Can Government Trace Who Votes?

The Protection against Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) office issued the correction order on the direction of Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service and Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.

According to a statement from the official fact-checking website Factually, the following justifies why the allegations are untrue:

The Parliamentary Elections Act 1954 (PEA), along with its precursor Acts, establishes provisions to ensure the confidentiality of votes. Both the Government and the Elections Department (ELD) have consistently adhered to the legally mandated processes and responsibilities concerning vote secrecy, as part of their policy and operational approach.

The procedures and obligations laid out by law to safeguard the confidentiality of votes are meticulous and thorough. For instance, any individual, including officers, clerks, interpreters, candidates, and authorized agents who participate in polling station activities or the vote counting process, must take an oath of secrecy prior to their involvement.

Additional legal measures dictate that when it comes to votes cast in person at polling stations, there is an unbroken chain of custody for the ballot papers as they move from polling stations to counting centers, and then to the Supreme Court.

The serial number assigned to each ballot paper serves the purpose of upholding the integrity of the electoral process. It facilitates accurate tracking of all distributed and cast ballot papers, effectively preventing counterfeit ballots and instances of voter impersonation.

Upon issuance of a ballot paper, the voter's serial number is recorded on the counterfoil of the ballot paper. This aids in tracing the vote if required, particularly in cases where there are allegations of fraudulent voting. Nevertheless, access to the sealed votes is permissible solely through an order issued by the General Division of the High Court, and such an order can only be granted under limited circumstances.

The judge hearing the application must be convinced that the inspection is necessary for the prosecution or application under Section 90 of the PEA, which seeks to void an election on a few specific grounds, such as violations of the PEA that had an impact on the outcome of the election or corrupt or illegal practices committed during the election by a candidate.

The Factually article comes to the conclusion that because of this, the government is unable to determine who a voter has supported.

Dr. Ishaq Jay will be forced, under the correction notice, to write a new TikTok post in which he admits that his prior post made a misleading assertion and includes a link to the government's explanation, as per Independent.

Read Also: Russia Destroys Ukranian Drones After Hitting Building in Moscow, Disrupting Air Traffic

TikTok's 'Blackout Challenge

At least 20 children's fatalities in the previous 18 months have purportedly been connected to the lethal "blackout challenge" on TikTok.

People are encouraged to choke themselves with objects from around the house until they pass out and then record their adrenaline rush when they come to once they are cognizant in the popular challenge on social media.

According to information gathered by Bloomberg Businessweek, at least 15 of those kids who passed away while shooting the challenge were 12 years old or younger. 5 of the victims were 13 or 14 years old.

The blackout challenge is a more recent iteration of choking dares, which have been around for a while but have become more widely available to kids thanks to social media.

According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the "choking game" claimed the lives of 82 minors when it first surfaced in 2008.

Parents who claimed their children passed away as a result of the tragic challenge have sued TikTok and its parent business ByteDance.

The blackout challenge is reported to have been attempted by a nine-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin girl in February 2021 who suffocated to death after wrapping a household item around her neck, according to the story.

In Palermo, Italy, a 10-year-old girl named Antonella Sicomero was discovered hanging. She passed away while playing a "extreme game on TikTok," according to her parents.

Italian privacy authority ordered the video platform to delete users in the nation whose ages it couldn't confirm to be over 13 after her death, and the Palermo prosecutor's office launched an investigation.

As a team from trust and safety examined each video the girl had watched, they discovered that, like many kids her age, she had lied when she registered for a TikTok account, claiming to be older than 13.

For TikTok, the team's discovery of no proof that the app's algorithm had suggested the challenge to Antonella was a relief.

TikTok pledged to reverify the ages of the nation's 12.5 million subscribers after Antonella's passing in 2021, but ended up removing 500,000 accounts.

Nevertheless the fatalities persisted.

Nylah Anderson, 10, passed away in December 2021 from respiratory restriction in her suburban Philadelphia home. Her mother discovered videos taken on her phone showing the girl and her cousin participating in an asphyxiation game.

The cousin told the police that it was a strangulation challenge that they had seen on TikTok and YouTube, the officer said in the incident report.

Related Article: Malaysia Jet Crash: Victims' Remains, Voice Recorder Discovered Following Tragic Accident

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The Ukrainian counteroffensive that launched in June against Moscow's invasion has run into a Russian wall.

In the run-up to the Ukrainian push, weapons from Western allies  such as tanks, artillery and other equipment  poured into Ukraine. Despite some small gains, Ukrainian forces have yet to see a large breakthrough, leaving some to wonder what else is needed.

"This is about as hard as it gets," said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Think World War I with drones. ... That's a little bit what the Ukrainians are facing. And so in our microwave culture here in the United States, we want results yesterday, but that's just not the way it works when you're confronting a military like the Russians."

Land mines have been a massive problem for Kyiv's forces. Russia has deployed large tracts of the explosive devices, including mines aimed at troops as well as mines that are designed to take out armored vehicles like tanks, slowing down any Ukrainian advance. And with Russia's ability to lay mines with specialized artillery, keeping cleared lanes open to send forces through has been a struggle.

"Let me be clear, this would present a significant challenge for any force that is trying to take it without the full scope of Western capabilities," said Dmitri Alperovitch, executive chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and co-founder of CrowdStrike.

Many in Kyiv have called for the introduction of Western fighter jets, such as the F-16, to beef up the beleaguered Ukrainian Air Force, which has managed to keep flying and fighting despite what on paper is an overwhelming Russian advantage in air power. These fighters would also help take the pressure off of air defense forces, which consists of older Soviet surface-to-air missile systems that are difficult to resupply, and the newly provided Patriot missile system. Just sending F-16s to Ukraine wouldn't turn the tide overnight. It would take months, if not years, of training to get the most out of these expensive jets.

"These weapons are not silver bullets," said Mick Ryan, a retired major general of the Australian army and adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "There's no such thing as a single weapon system that will provide that. It's when you have lots of different weapons systems in the air on the ground. You have operators who are technically proficient and then you're able to undertake the collective combined arms training, that's when you have a really war-winning capability."

Watch the video above to find out if more big-ticket, U.S.-made weapons such as F-16s, the Patriot missile system and HIMARS can turn the tide in Ukraine.
The market might be making investors a little queasy, but analysts at Goldman Sachs urged calm this week. The firm named a list of buy-rated stocks that it says are well positioned to withstand choppy markets. CNBC Pro combed through Wall Street research to find Goldman's top ideas to ride out the storm. They include Match , AppLovin, Gartner , Cedar Fair and Phillips 66 . AppLovin The evolution of AppLovin rolls on, according to Goldman Sachs. Analyst Eric Sheridan said he's getting more bullish on shares of the the mobile marketing software platform company. The firm said it sees "upside in [the] face of improving industry trends" after AppLovin's strong second-quarter earnings report earlier this month. Investments in artificial intelligence are paying off, with precision execution by management, according to Sheridan. In addition, "the company remains focused on managing a mixture of balanced growth/margin in its gaming portfolio," he said. The analyst acknowledged robust investor debate remains as volatility continues in the advertising gaming market. Still, the firm said it's standing by the stock for the long term as it expects AppLovin to produce "above average industry growth and a strong margin profile in a recovered mobile ads/mobile gaming landscape." Meanwhile, Sheridan raised his price target on the stock to $50 per share from $25. Shares are up more than 260% in 2023. Cedar Fair Attendance is picking up, and that's giving Goldman analyst Lizzie Dove increased conviction in shares of the Ohio-based amusement park company. "We expect better underlying attendance trends to mitigate investor fears that consumer appetite for amusement parks had decreased," she wrote after Cedar's mixed second-quarter earnings report. Because of this, the firm said it sees "margin upside" for next year. Throughout the remainder of 2023, however, pricing pressures remain, she said. "Despite this, spending once the guests are in the parks is higher than we expected, and we expect this strength in food and beverage spending to partially offset our outlook for more muted ticket price growth, " Dove added. Still, attendance will be key for the stock to work, and the analyst is standing by the stock. "We view the better underlying attendance outlook, resilience of in-park spending and potential to drive stronger EBITDA margins over time to drive outperformance in the stock," she said. The firm recently raised its price target on the stock to $47 per share from $43. Shares are down nearly 4% this year. Gartner The IT business services company is firing on all cylinders, according to Goldman analyst George Tong. The firm said it sees "valuation upside" following Gartner's recent second-quarter earnings report. Tong cited the strength of Gartner's global business sales and its global tech sales divisions as reasons for the bullish thesis. Both continue to enjoy double-digit subscription revenue growth year over year, he said. Further, consulting and conference revenue have been solid, Tong said, and shares are just too "compelling" to ignore at current levels. The stock is down more than 2% this year. "We continue to see attractive valuation upside at Gartner following 2Q results, which outperformed our estimates and consensus on revenue, EBITDA margins and EPS," the analyst said. AppLovin "Software Platform Evolution Drives Revenue and Margin Upside in Face of Improving Industry Trends.  The company remains focused on managing a mixture of balanced growth/margin in its gaming portfolio While we expect short-term investor debates to stay focused on the volatility in the adv/gaming end markets, we continue to look long-term at the collection of businesses under APP as producing above average industry growth & a strong margin prole in a recovered mobile ads/mobile gaming landscape." Cedar Fair "We expect better underlying attendance trends to mitigate investor fears that consumer appetite for amusement parks had decreased.  Despite this, spending once the guests are in the parks is higher than we expected & we expect this strength in food & beverage spending to partially offset our outlook for more muted ticket price growth.  We view the better underlying attendance outlook, resilience of in-park spending & potential to drive stronger EBITDA margins over time to drive outperformance in stock, and maintain our Buy rating & increase price target from $43 to $47." Match "In its Q2 '23 earnings report, Match Group produced a solid set of results with better than expected revenue and Adj. OI growth driven by ongoing revenue initiatives, benefits from weekly subscriptions and positive results from the Tinder brand campaign.  Beyond Tinder, we expect investors to increasingly focus on Hinge, any change in macroeconomic trends across regions, management's efforts to optimize its cost structure as well as other areas of upside optionality incl. a recovery in Asian markets and user growth of emerging dating assets such as The League and Archer." Gartner "2Q beat, as healthy Research CV growth and margin upside should offset muted tech vendor trends to drive valuation upside.  Gartner represents a compelling investment given core Research subscription and CV trends remain healthy & intact, complemented by upside in Conference revenue and solid backlog and pipeline trends in Consulting.  We continue to see attractive valuation upside at Gartner following 2Q results, which outperformed our estimates and consensus on revenue, EBITDA margins & EPS." Phillips 66 "More modest upside after recent rally, but stay Buy for corporate turnaround.  Relative to our estimates, the company delivered slight beats across Refining and Marketing while Chemicals and Midstream were more in-line with expectations.  We continue to see the company's shareholder returns strategy as attractive, as we estimate a ~10%/9% capital returns yield in 2023/2024. We currently see ~17% total return to our updated $125 price target."
Ruth Porat, Alphabet's chief financial officer, appears on a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on May 24, 2022.

Google said in May that, starting in December, it would begin purging inactive accounts, a warning sign of sorts to people who use multiple logins. Recently, Google has been nudging people over email to remind them what will happen to those stagnant accounts.

Critics of Google's strategy are making their voices heard.

Sabrina Meherally, CEO of Canadian design firm Pause and Effect, wrote in a post on LinkedIn last week that she received the warning via an email with the vanilla subject line, "Updating our Google Account inactivity policy."

"I'm of the mind that email subject lines should be explicitly clear, especially if a consequence is attached to a customer's inaction," she wrote. "With the number of emails and spam that enter in my inbox, I could have very well deleted it."

One thing Meherally suggested could be more effective is a "banner on Google.com," the company's ubiquitous search engine.

Users commonly maintain multiple accounts, allowing them to use different email addresses for different purposes, and to store online photos and documents in separate places. But for Google, storage space on free accounts is a cost. And the company's focus this year has been on profitability.

Still, consumers aren't accustomed to this new form of Google aggression.

"What are you doing Google," a person using the handle StoneRose95 on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote in a post, with a screenshot of the email message attached.

The new policy doesn't apply to schools or businesses using Google accounts. Paying subscribers for services like extra storage are also safe. The standard 15GB allotment should last three years or more for 80% of account holders, Google said in a 2020 blog post.
Huy Fong Foods' sriracha hot sauce, in the green-capped bottle with the rooster label, has been hard to find for the past few years.

In July 2020, the company sent an email to customers saying it was experiencing a shortage of the jalapeno chili peppers that are a main ingredient of the sauce. In April 2022, it reiterated the problem in a statement to customers.

But it hasn't solved the problem yet  leaving consumers seeking alternatives to the popular hot sauce.

Strained supplier relations coupled with adverse agricultural conditions have left Huy Fong Foods' sriracha out of stock at many grocers nationwide. Bottles of the hot sauce were going for as much as $52 on third-party sellers such as Amazon as of Thursday.

Underwood Ranches, a farm owned by Craig Underwood based in Ventura County, California, supplied Huy Fong Foods' peppers for 28 years. Underwood told CNBC that he could have kept up with demand if he were still the company's supplier.

After a dispute between the two parties led to a legal battle that began in 2017, the long-term relationship between the manufacturer and supplier ended.

Huy Fong Foods claimed it overpaid Underwood Ranches for its crops from the 2016 season.

"We had been investing in the next year's crop and crop beyond. So we felt that was really our money. But [Huy Fong founder David Tran] decided to sue us for that. And when he did, we countersued," said Underwood.

Meanwhile, the company began contracting with new farmers, even though it already had made an agreement with Underwood Ranches for its 2017 crop supply.

"In the end, Craig Underwood won a $23 million judgment from a jury that was in Ventura County, in his backyard. But he also had to pay David Tran back the $1.5 million that Huy Fong says they overpaid," said CNBC special correspondent Jane Wells, who covered agriculture in California.

Huy Fong Foods declined CNBC's request for an interview.

Today, Huy Fong Foods reportedly sources its peppers from farms in California, New Mexico and Mexico. But over the past few years, much of the region has suffered drought and poor weather conditions, which have damaged crops.

While Underwood said he has been producing good pepper yields over the past few years, climate conditions vary considerably in the southwestern region of North America.

"I believe that's one of the reasons that the relationship with Underwood kind of broke down  it sounds like the processing plant felt they could get cheaper jalapenos on the fresh open market," said Stephanie Walker, extension vegetable specialist at New Mexico State University. "And in some years, if jalapenos are in abundant supply, you might get away with that. But in years that jalapenos and other fresh crops are in short supply, it's impossible."

Watch this video to learn more.
Even billionaires kick themselves for passing on investment opportunities that turned out to be incredibly lucrative.

In Mark Cuban's case, he regrets not investing in Uber. He was offered the chance to invest at a $10 million valuation by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick in 2009, and turned it down  because he thought the ridesharing company wasn't worth that much, he said on a recent episode of comedian Kevin Hart's Peacock talk show "Hart to Heart."

"Just think: If I would've given him $250,000 on a [$10 million] valuation, it'd be billions," Cuban said.

Specifically, given Uber's market capitalization of $90.1 billion as of Friday, Cuban's $250,000 would be worth $2.25 billion today. "I mean, I've done OK. But, still," said Cuban, whose net worth is currently estimated at $5.1 billion.

Cuban and Kalanick already had history at the time: Cuban invested $1.7 million in Kalanick's previous venture, a peer-to-peer networking startup called Red Swoosh, in 2005. When Kalanick sold the startup to cloud services company Akamai in 2007 for $18.7 million, "we made a little bit of money," Cuban said.

That meant he was receptive to Kalanick's Uber pitch. "He comes to me, like, first off [and says]: 'I've got this thing. It's going to replace taxi cabs..." Cuban recounted. "I was like, 'I love it.'"

However, Cuban said he didn't agree with Kalanick's $10 million valuation of the startup at the time: "I said, 'I'll do it at [a] $5 million valuation...' for Uber!"

"[Kalanick] never came back to me. He got somebody else. Whoops," Cuban said.

Passing on Uber was a shared experience for Cuban and Hart, it turns out. Hart lamented his own mistake of not investing as much as $75,000 in Uber early on, which he said could have made him "$100-plus million," had he jumped at the chance.

Hart said music manager and Uber investor Troy Carter tried to convince the comedian to invest in the company before it became a household name. Carter described the company as "basically, like strangers giving people they don't know rides...' [and] I was like, 'This has to be the stupidest st I've ever heard'" Hart said.

"Don't feel bad," Cuban replied, noting that he probably missed out on a greater return than Hart would have seen.

Cuban said he did offer Kalanick some advice on the likely significant obstacles Uber would face, including the major regulatory pains the company would endure and "dealing with all of the taxicab commissions that are going to try to put you out of business."

The years-long regret of failing to invest in Uber has stuck with Cuban. At SXSW in 2017, the billionaire was adamant that he doesn't plan on missing the boat on any more disruptive startup ideas, like he did with Uber.

"If you really believe and you really have something that you think is going to disrupt the world, bring it to me," he said. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Mark Cuban as a panelist.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) is being received by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on August 18, 2023.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Friday in the highest-level talks since the countries reconciled in March after years of bitter rivalry that destabilised the region.

After the meeting, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported Abdollahian as saying the de facto Saudi ruler had accepted his invitation to visit Tehran.

The Saudi crown prince has pushed to reorient Saudi foreign policy in recent years amid troubles in its historically close relationship with the United States.

The unscheduled meeting in Jeddah came a day after Amirabdollahian had declared ties between the countries were "on the right track" as he met his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

"Discussions were frank, beneficial and productive," Abdollahian said in a social media post after meeting the prince, adding that the countries "agree on the security and development of all in the region".

Footage of the meeting on Iranian state media showed Prince Mohammed and Amirabdollahian smiling as they spoke, while Prince Faisal and the Iranian delegation looked on.

Rivalry between Iran's revolutionary, Shi'ite Muslim leaders and Saudi Arabia's Sunni ruling family dominated the Middle East for years as they competed for influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Bahrain amid a wave of sectarian bloodshed.

However, China brokered a rapprochement in March leading to a resumption of full diplomatic relations, which Saudi Arabia had broken off in 2016 when protesters attacked its Tehran embassy over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.

Prince Faisal visited Tehran in June and said he hoped Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi would visit the kingdom at the "appropriate time".

After years of rivalry, and with some of the main regional arenas for their competition more stable than in previous years, both sides have reason to change tack.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wanted to end political and economic isolation pushed by the United States and saw new relations with Saudi Arabia as a way to do so, Iranian officials have said.

Saudi Arabia had meanwhile lost confidence in U.S. commitment to shared regional security concerns and wanted to bolster ties with China, which has retained good relations with Iran. This month it succeeded in getting China to attend a diplomatic meeting on Ukraine that Beijing had earlier avoided.

Prince Faisal also spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary General Antony Blinken, with the pair discussing more coordination to boost "security and stability in the Middle East region," Saudi state media reported on Friday.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday urged the China Coast Guard (CCG) not to meddle with its upcoming rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission to troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

"We therefore call on all relevant parties to abide by their obligations under international law and respect the Philippines' sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its maritime shoals," AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a media forum.

"All the consequences that their singular act will do, the blame will be to them and to the authorities above them. So they should behave," he added.

A CCG ship on Aug. 5 blocked and fired water cannons at Philippine Coast Guard vessels escorting boats chartered by the AFP to deliver food and supplies to the BRP Sierre Madre.

One of the supply boats was not able to complete its mission because of the Chinese vessels' "dangerous maneuvers."

Despite the previous interference by the CCG, the AFP said it remains committed to conduct another RoRe mission that will "take place soon."

"This exercise of our sovereign rights and jurisdiction is a testament to the full belief in the rules-based international order that underpins regional peace and stability," Aguilar said.

"The RoRe mission is a clear demonstration of our resolve to stand up against threats and coercion and the commitment of upholding the rule of law," he added.

The BRP Sierre Madre  a World War II-era ship  was deliberately grounded on Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as the country's outpost in the West Philippine Sea.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 19)  The Philippines is ready to enforce its laws as China lifted its fishing ban, which Beijing has imposed annually since 1999, over some parts of the contested West Philippine Sea last Aug. 15, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

"We urge China to take active measures AT PORT to prevent its fishing fleets from encroaching into our territorial sea and EEZ [exclusive economic zone]. The Philippines is ready to take law enforcement measures on illegal fishing activities in its waters," DFA spokesperson Teresita Daza said Friday.

The DFA added that the Philippines does not recognize China's fishing ban.

Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.  who was recently appointed as special envoy to China  welcomed the DFA's move.

"Well, the Philippine is in every respect correct to reject a Chinese fishing ban; it can only respect its own in its waterseven as it demands that China limit its ban to its waters under international law and never by virtue of aspirational goals however noteworthy," Locsin said Saturday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command earlier reported that over 400 foreign vessels were spotted in the country's EEZ in the West Philippine Sea, and that 85% of them were Chinese.

As a result, the military is looking to deploy naval reservists and even train fisherfolk in a bid to counter China's presence.

"This has been the subject of our diplomatic protests and we will continue to register our formal opposition to it. It is an illegal exercise of state authority in so far as they cover the Philippines maritime zones," Daza added.

According to the DFA, the Philippines has already filed 445 diplomatic protests against China since 2020. Thirty-five of these were done this year.

In May last year, the country filed a protest against Chinas imposition of a fishing ban in the South China Sea.

READ: PH files diplomatic protest over Chinas fishing ban in South China Sea

The most recent protest was filed over Chinas firing of a water cannon at Filipino vessels on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal last Aug. 5.

This comes amid Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea despite an arbitral tribunal's landmark ruling in 2016 which nullified Beijing's sweeping claims over the South China Sea.
The Republican National Committee logo is shown on the stage as crew members work at the North Charleston Coliseum, Jan. 13, 2016, in North Charleston, S.C., in this file photo. With less than a week to go until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate on Aug. 23, 2023, at least eight candidates say they have met the qualifications for a podium slot. Colorado Republicans are sponsoring a debate-watch party in Douglas County, the state GOP said.
Japanese rally against ocean discharge of nuke wastewater, gov't promise in doubt

Xinhua) 10:49, August 19, 2023

People attend a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

TOKYO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan.

Despite scorching temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius, people from various parts of Japan braved the heat to gather in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence on Friday morning, urging the government to uphold its promise of "no disposal without the understanding of relevant parties."

Hit by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

The plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings, which are now being stored in about 1,000 storage tanks.

Among Friday's protesters was Saeko Uno, who told Xinhua that she started worrying about the nuclear-contaminated water ever since the leak of radioactive substances was reported in 2012.

Traveling all the way from western Japan's Kyoto, she was originally a resident of the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture, who was evacuated to her current dwelling after the earthquake in 2011.

"It is deeply problematic for the government to make a unilateral decision to start the ocean discharge amid opposition from local governments within Japan and concerns of the international community," said Uno, stressing the need for a long-term approach, such as on-land storage.

In 2015, the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the plant, made an agreement with fisheries cooperative associations of both Fukushima prefecture and the nation that they will not proceed with any wastewater disposal "without the understanding of relevant parties."

However, the Japanese government announced in April 2021 its controversial plan to release diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean and stated in January this year that the discharge will start "in the spring or summer."

Kazuyoshi Sato, co-director of KOREUMI, a Japanese citizens' conference to condemn further pollution of the ocean and one of the rallies' organizers, reiterated the necessity for the government to uphold the 2015 agreement.

"Releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the sea would jeopardize the livelihoods of fishermen, especially when coastal fishing had just begun to recover to around 20 percent of its original levels," he said.

Protesters at the rally handed a petition to the representatives of the Japanese government and TEPCO, demanding adherence to the 2015 agreement, the withdrawal of the ocean discharge plan and comprehensive measures to block groundwater infiltration. They also required addressing the root causes of increased contamination, and reconsideration of alternative options like long-term storage in large tanks and mortar solidification.

Tomoko Abe, a former pediatrician turned member of the House of Representatives, emphasized that the management of radioactive substances has always been about containment and concentration to prevent dispersion.

"It is morally wrong to discard one's waste in another's backyard," she said, arguing that the vastness of the ocean doesn't equate to an absence of impact, particularly when the ocean is shared by everyone.

Friday's gathering was among continuous rallies during the week staged by residents across Japan, calling for the withdrawal of the ocean discharge plan and the exploration of alternative options such as continued on-land storage or other sustainable solutions.

On Thursday, a joint petition signed by 28,627 people in Japan was submitted to representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry jointly by 17 organizations, urging the Japanese government to retract its plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean.

"Once released, there is no turning back. Talking about dilution with seawater is merely a pseudoscientific argument we've heard all too often," a petitioner who goes by the online name of Tsutomu Aihara said.

Local media outlets widely predicted that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, after returning from his visit to the United States, will convene a cabinet meeting to determine the specific discharge date, which is expected to fall between the end of this month and early September.

People attend a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

People attend a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

A man attends a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

People attend a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

People attend a rally against Japan's planned ocean discharge of nuke wastewater in front of the Japanese prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 18, 2023. As the Japanese government approaches a decision on the specific date for the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean, hundreds of Japanese gathered in central Tokyo on Friday to rally against the discharge plan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
The disturbing case of neonatal nurse Lucy Letby has sent shockwaves through the medical community and society as a whole.

Letby, who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England, was found guilty of killing seven babies and attempting to kill six others during her time at the hospital, according to CBS News.

The Startling Case of Nurse Lucy Letby

Her actions have raised profound questions about patient safety, oversight, and the hidden dangers that can lurk within seemingly trustworthy institutions. Lucy Letby, 33, faced charges of murdering five boys and two girls, as well as attempting to murder six other children between 2015 and 2016.

The jury deliberated for an extensive period before reaching a verdict, finding Letby guilty on multiple counts, although she was also found not guilty on one attempted murder charge. The nurse's crimes involved deliberately harming infants through methods such as injecting air into their bloodstream and administering air or milk into their stomachs using nasogastric tubes.

She was also accused of poisoning infants with insulin and interfering with their breathing tubes. The unsettling nature of Letby's actions has prompted authorities to initiate a thorough review of neonatal care across multiple hospitals where she had worked.

The fact that Letby's murderous activities went undetected for years points to potential gaps in oversight and vigilance within medical institutions. Concerns initially arose in 2015 after a series of infant deaths, but it was only years later that Letby was arrested and charged.

The aftermath of Letby's actions has left families shattered, hospital administrators grappling with their own failures, and the medical community at large reevaluating its protocols and safeguards. This tragic case highlights the importance of early detection, thorough investigations, and continuous monitoring to prevent such horrifying events from occurring in the future.

Comparisons have been drawn between Letby and infamous serial killer Harold Shipman, who caused shockwaves through the medical field in the 1990s. Prosecutors argue that Letby exhibited narcissistic tendencies, deriving a perverse sense of excitement from causing pain and manipulating her victims.

Much like Shipman, Letby was adept at presenting a facade of normalcy, concealing her sinister intentions behind the facade of a dedicated nurse, as per Independent.

Read Also: Biden Admin Expands Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainians in US; Over 166,000 Could be Eligible

Healthcare Reform and Patient Safety

The case of Lucy Letby emphasizes the necessity of continuous vigilance and reform within healthcare systems to ensure the safety of patients. This shocking event has prompted a reexamination of how individuals like Letby can evade detection within medical settings.

The ongoing investigation will delve into Letby's history, her time at other hospitals, and the potential gaps that allowed her to carry out her heinous acts.The harrowing tale of Lucy Letby's murderous actions serves as a stark reminder that even within institutions meant to heal and protect, darkness can lurk.

The discovery of Letby's crimes has shaken the foundations of the medical community and emphasized the need for rigorous oversight, accountability, and safeguards. As society grapples with the aftermath of this tragedy, it must also remember the victims and work to ensure that such horrors never repeat, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Delayed Water in Maui Contributes to Wildfire's Severity; Hawaiian Company Shares Details

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Singapore Presidential polls: Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam among three candidates to fight for top position

Singapore-born Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam and two Chinese-origin former executives of government-linked companies will be battling hard in the upcoming days to be the President of Singapore.

File images of the three candidates for the Singaporean Presidential Polls. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

The election is scheduled to take place on September 1.

The Elections Department (ELD) of the country announced the names on Friday, setting a three-way fight for the presidential post.

At the close of applications for a Certificate of Eligibility on 17 August 2023, 5:30pm, the Presidential Elections Committee (Committee) received a total of six applications, read a statement issued by the Election Department.

Apart from the Indian-origin candidate, the other two persons to receive the 'Certificate of Eligibility' are Chief Investment Officer Ng Kok Song and former NTUC Income Chief Executive Tan Kin Lian.

Ng Kok Song applied under Article 19(3)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Constitution).

The Elections Department said Song is a man of integrity, good character and reputation.

Tan Kin Lian applied under Article 19(4)(b) of the Constitution, the department said.

"The Committee is satisfied, having regard to the nature of Mr Tans office in NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited, the size and complexity of NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited and Mr Tans performance in the office, that Mr Tan has experience and ability that is comparable to the experience and ability of a person who has served as the chief executive of a typical company with at least S$500 million of shareholders equity and who satisfies Article 19(4)(a) of the Constitution in relation to such service," read the statement issued by the department.

The tenure of the Incumbent President Halimah Yacob will end on September 13.
Ukraine feeling pumped about finally getting F-16 fighter jets for war against Russia

Ukraine has welcomed the US government's approval to transfer F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark to the war-torn nation, giving a fresh impetus to Kyiv in the ongoing war against Russia.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 40 aircraft after receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission over Iraq on 10 June 2008. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Welcoming the US decision, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on X: "Great news from our friends in the United States! There is a green light for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine after our pilots complete their training."

"Ukraine has proven that the impossible is indeed possible. Our military has proven it is filled with fast learners. We will soon prove that Ukraines victory is inevitable. Thank you to all our partners and friends in the United States, the Netherlands, and Denmark," the Minister said.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra earlier confirmed the development and posted on X: "We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending #F16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine. Many thanks to @SecBlinken for the good and swift cooperation. Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners."

He said the move marks a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and country.

In May, a senior Russian minister had said providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets would be a colossal risk for western nations,

According to Russias state-owned news agency Tass, as quoted by The Guardian, the countrys deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko, had said: We see that western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves."

Arms and ammunition transfers to Ukraine have increased rapidly in recent months, alongside concerning reports of deliveries of banned cluster munitions, the UNs top disarmament official told the Security Council on Thursday.

The influx of weapons and ammunition into any armed conflict can contribute to the escalation and presents significant risks of diversion and proliferation even after the conflict has ended, Izumi Nakamitsu, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the Council, briefing on the latest developments in the context of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Information through open sources on governments recent arms transfers to Kyiv include such heavy weaponry as battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, combat aircrafts, helicopters, large-calibre artillery systems, missile systems and uncrewed combat aerial vehicles.

Also included in the stockpile are remotely operated munitions, small arms and light weapons, and their ammunition, she said.

Since her June briefing, she said reports show that some nations are transferring or planning to transfer weapons, including uncrewed combat aerial vehicles and ammunition, to Russian armed forces for use in Ukraine.

From 24 February 2022 to 13 August this year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 26,384 civilian casualties in Ukraine, with 9,444 killed and 16,940 injured. The actual figures are likely to be considerably higher she said.
Forrest Gump is about a guy sitting on a bench for two hours, telling his entire life story to people who just want to wait for the damn bus in peace. It's a convenient framing device for the film, but have you ever wondered why Forrest was telling all this stuff to random strangers? The film hardly portrays him as the type to initiate and then maintain prolonged conversation. He's more the "sit and stare into the distance" type of guy. Well, as you rewatch the movie for the 20th or 30th time on basic cable, you might start noticing some clues pointing toward Forrest's true motivation. Are we suffering from some type of Tom-Hanks-fueled delusion, or have we stumbled upon forbidden knowledge? You decide ...

5 Forrest Was Under Some Type Of Investigation When Forrest finally gets off that bench and visits Jenny, she shows him her lovingly assembled stalker scrapbook about him. It's mostly news clippings about the time he ran across the country and grew a sweet beard, but then there's this headline: Paramount Pictures How Robert Zemeckis got the idea for Cast Away. "Investigation Of Gump To Continue In Hometown." Hmmm. The article's text reads: "Friends of Forrest Gump have been characteristically evasive in their conjecture regarding his actions. 'He never knew what he was doing' said . Most people who grew up with him have strong opinions of him. Twelve out of twenty people would say only 'He's an idiot,' as if that should explain everything." Huh, that's a weirdly accusatory tone for an article about a guy who got famous for running a lot. But what else could this "investigation" be about? Despite secretly influencing some of the most important events in the 20th century, Forrest is still relatively anonymous. The people on that bench have no clue who he is. Why is that? Well, aside from his cross-country run and being great at ping pong, the most noteworthy thing Forrest has done is stumble ass-backwards into a fortune by founding the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Forrest is a millionaire by now ... Or is he? Advertisement Related: 6 Movie Details You Never Noticed That Reveal The Whole Plot

4 Why Is A Millionaire Wearing Such Ratty Shoes? Let's go back to Forrest sitting on that bench. Notice anything weird about his feet? Paramount Pictures Other than the fact that they still work after sustaining so much abuse. Forrest is still wearing the old beaten-up shoes he took on his cross-country run, or what's left of them. It's not like he went straight from that highway to visit Jenny. He went back to Alabama, got a haircut, changed his clothes, got her a present, etc. Why is a rich man walking around with some extremely uncomfortable chunks of rubber on his feet? Like most questions in this article, this one could be answered with a simple "Because he's dumb," but let's think about this. What if Forrest isn't rich anymore? Advertisement "Hogwash!" you might say, even though this is hardly occasion for profanity. Do calm down. See, Forrest didn't only get his money from selling shrimp. He also invested in Apple back in 1975, when no one knew what that was. But there's one problem with that ... Related: 6 Insane But Convincing Fan Theories About Popular Movies

3 Forrest Couldn't Have Gotten His Money From Apple Not even Apple's founders knew what it was in 1975, because it didn't exist yet. The company was founded in 1976, and didn't go public until December 1980. And yet when Lieutenant Dan (Forrest's Vietnam officer and partner at Bubba Gump) shows him the shareholder letter from Apple and tells him they "don't have to worry about money no more," it clearly says September 1975. Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures If you'd invested the price of a movie ticket in Apple the day this movie came out, you'd have $2,000 now. That's two movie tickets today! Advertisement Advertisement It's clear that Forrest is at best a sleeping partner in the business, with his partner handling the day-to-day operations. Forrest himself says he never went back to work for Lieutenant Dan. Could Dan, a former alcoholic who was wasting away without a sense of purpose, have used the company's initial earnings to finance some less-than-legal endeavors? This guy lived in a seedy New York hotel for years. He's gotta be on first-name basis with a decent number of dealers and pimps. Whatever Lieutenant Dan did with that money, it must have paid off big time. What if he faked that shareholder letter to justify their massive earnings? That seems like overkill, given who he was trying to fool (he could have scribbled something on a napkin with some crayons), but Dan didn't know who else might see that letter at some point. Of course, such a flimsy ruse couldn't work forever ... Advertisement Related: 6 Throwaway Lines That Secretly Change The Entire Movie

2 Forrest Is Trying To Get His Story Out There, In His Own Special Way So what does this have to do with Forrest yapping on that bench? Like we said, it's unlikely that Forrest was personally involved in any financial misdealing, but that's still his name on the company logo. Oh, and he kept a chunk of the money, so there's that. Hence: Paramount Pictures Now, we're not suggesting that Dan has intentionally screwed Forrest over. We see they are on fairly amicable terms when he shows up at Forrest's wedding, where they're meeting for the first time in a long time (Forrest didn't know he had a fiancee, or titanium legs). We're saying that if Dan has screwed up the running of the company, Forrest too is going to be implicated as founder/partner/beneficiary. Fans of the original novel will recognize "Forrest ends up in legal trouble for something he doesn't fully understand" as a recurring motif there. Advertisement Advertisement What Forrest is trying to do, then, is get his side of the story out there to people, because he's in trouble and under investigation. Obviously, someone of his intellectual disposition can't be expected to have a nuanced discussion or appear on television interviews to clear his name. So he simply sits there and starts laying it all out to anyone who's within earshot. This would turn this entire heartfelt movie into a guy clumsily trying to establish his alibi. But there's another important implication here ... Related: 6 Awesome Theories That Totally Change Famous Characters
(Photo : Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

A Canadian minister urged that Meta reverse its block on Canadian news to let people communicate information about west coast forest fires.



The protracted conflict between Canadian authorities and Meta, the parent corporation of Facebook and Instagram, has reached a crucial stage as wildfires continue to devastate Canada's Northwest Territories.

The ban, initiated in response to a new Canadian law, has ignited a debate about the responsibilities of tech giants and their impact on emergency communication and the dissemination of accurate information, Washington Post reported.

Canadian Authorities, Meta Company Tensions Rise Amid Wildfires

Amidst the raging wildfires, Canadian authorities are urging Meta to reconsider its ban on news sharing, which prevents users from sharing news links on Facebook and Instagram. The ban, enacted in June, coincided with the passing of a law in Canada allowing news organizations to negotiate payment for articles shared on social media platforms.

The ban's consequences are acutely felt in remote regions where social media plays a crucial role in disseminating news, such as evacuation instructions during emergencies.

As wildfires sweep through the region, evacuation orders have expanded, and a state of emergency has been declared in Kelowna, a city of 150,000 people. In the face of intensifying wind gusts, authorities urgently advised all 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, to evacuate.

However, the lack of news links on Meta's platforms has hindered the public's access to accurate information about the fires and evacuation procedures, raising concerns about misinformation and the spread of unreliable information.

Meta's ban on news sharing is part of its broader resistance to regulatory proposals worldwide that advocate for social media companies to compensate news organizations for content shared on their platforms.

Meta contends that the revenue drawn from news content is overstated and asserts that media outlets benefit from subscriptions and increased readership due to their presence on its platforms. The company argues that being forced to pay for shared content would be unsustainable for its business.

In response to the news ban's impact during emergencies, Meta activated the "Safety Check" feature on Facebook, enabling users to update their safety status during crises, according to Livemint.

Read Also: Biden Admin Expands Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainians in

Jeopardy Due to Ongoing News Ban

However, the ban's restrictions on sharing news links persist, prompting concerns about access to comprehensive information during critical times. Canadian authorities, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have criticized Meta's stance, highlighting the dangers posed to democracy and journalism by the suppression of news content.

The wildfires' aftermath underscores the need for a delicate balance between tech giants' responsibilities and the role they play in facilitating accurate information dissemination, particularly during emergencies.

The absence of news links has led individuals to resort to sharing screenshots on Facebook, emphasizing the limitations of this approach in conveying comprehensive news updates.

As wildfires continue to devastate the Northwest Territories, the clash between Meta and Canadian authorities serves as a powerful reminder of the crucial role that social media platforms play in communicating emergency information.

The incident raises pertinent questions about accountability, the responsibility of tech giants, and the impact of regulatory decisions on public safety.

Amid a climate of misinformation and heightened reliance on digital platforms, a collaborative approach between tech companies, news organizations, and policymakers is crucial to ensure that accurate and timely information reaches those who need it the most, as per The Guardian.

Related Article: Maui Emergency Chief Resigns After Defending Alarm System Failure; Herman Andaya Explains Why He Quit

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If youre in any of the many countries where cars drive on the right side of the road, left turns can be challenging. You have to work your way around a bunch of cars coming full-speed in the opposite direction. Turning right, on the other hand, means you slide easily into the next road with no opposition. If you vow never to turn left, you can lower your risk of accidents.

Theres another advantage as well. Find out below, along with guidance about how staying vigilant against bears.

15 Party School The Louisiana State University campus has a couple of humanmade mounds that are more than 5,000 years old. They predate nearly any building on Earth. Mostly, the university has used these mounds for tailgate parties.

14 Glitter Bombs Glitter comes in a thousand unique styles, transfers easily and often escapes the notice of someone it lands on. And so, police use it to track the movements of criminals and vehicles.

13 Safely Defrosted A Minnesota woman walked outside one winter night in 1980, fell to her knees and blacked out. Six hours later, neighbors found her body, frozen stiff as a board. But after they trucked her to a hospital, she thawed out and recovered completely.

12 Whos Your Daddy? Its currently possible for doctors to transplant a penis and scrotum from one man to another. Its presumably possible to transplant testicles as well, but they refuse to do so, because this would allow the recipient to make children using the donors DNA. Advertisement Advertisement

11 The Torsaker Trials A town in Sweden held a witch trial in 1675, and for evidence, they had two boys point at any suspects whose foreheads bore an invisible mark. The kids pointed at 71 people, and the town beheaded them all in a single day.

10 Oh, That Alan Ohio passed a law making it a misdemeanor to take someones urine without their consent. They made this law specifically because of Alan, one guy whod attracted multiple complaints from people after he retrieved their urine from public restrooms. Advertisement Advertisement

9 Friendship With Japan Has Ended Before World War II, Japan awarded medals of friendship and peace to four American soldiers. In 1942, the Navy attached each of these to a separate 500-pound bomb and then dropped the bombs on Tokyo.

8 Stealthy Bears Scientists find it hard to count polar bear populations. Normally, theyd use thermal imaging to quickly spot animals in a region. But polar bears have an adaptation that makes them invisible from infrared vision. Advertisement Advertisement

7 A Most Pedestrian Activity Before we really figured out professional sports, 19th-century Americans engaged in competitive walking. People would walk on a track for 21 hours a day for several days at a time, while spectators looked on.

6 So Many Bodies The town of Marsella in Colombia went broke burying and autopsying bodies of people killed by the Cali Cartel. The people werent even killed in town. They were killed elsewhere, but the river brought them all to Marsella. Advertisement Advertisement

5 The Grammarian, Part 1 A law forbade cars from passing school buses, but a lawyer successfully argued that due to the bad placement of commas, the law actually banned cars from stopping school buses, which his client hadnt done. Expert testimony at this trial came from an English professor.

4 The Art of Fornication A fornix is an arch. Something that is fornicated is therefore arched or bent. The word still comes up in botany, when describing leaves. Advertisement Advertisement

3 The Infernal Machine Some looters in Brazil went through an abandoned hospital and broke up a machine they found there. They brought it back to their community, dousing 249 people with gamma rays.

2 Not An Ambiturner UPS tells its drivers to avoid ever turning left. It might sound like never turning left, necessitating a bunch of extra right turns, would waste fuel, but it does the opposite, saving them around 10 million gallons of fuel a year. Advertisement Advertisement
Many years ago, a man named Prometheus brought fire to humanity. He was then severely punished  not, as popular account says, by the gods, but by people themselves. They feared that this fire would run freely through their collection of animal skins, reducing them to cinders. They sentenced him to the harshest fate they knew at the time: freezing to death.

Lots of inventions faced backlash like this when they were first introduced. Read about them now, and laugh at the people who feared them. But also, occasionally, wrinkle your brow and say, Huh. I kind of see what made them feel that way.

5 Push Buttons At the end of the 19th century, a few different electric devices like the lightbulb were set to change the world. Still, people resisted electricity entering their homes. It was a new and strange force, which could and did kill people when wielded incorrectly. Then came a new ancillary invention that made electricity a lot less scary: the push button. Picture an old-fashioned doorbell, or the buttons you press at crosswalks: Smithsonian Usually designed to make you think you were pressing nipples Electric devices had previously been turned on using various types of switches, including levers and dials. The push button, created in the 1880s, felt different. You no longer felt like you were working machinery or operating some kind of technical instrument. It removed you from the circuitry and let you feel like you were issuing commands and letting unseen processes handle the rest. Push buttons were familiar and reliable, like working a typewriter or playing a piano, but they seemed to work magic. They convinced plenty of people leery of electrification that these electric doohickeys werent so scary after all. Sounds like good news for everyone, right? But the push button received unexpected pushback from the scientific community itself. While marketers realized the button would convert people to the church of electric power, educators already had their own plan for managing this: education. They wanted to bring people closer to the inner workings of electricity, not farther. In schools, they were teaching boys and girls about how to put together motors and batteries, not as part of vocational training but just standard learning. Understanding electricity demystified the process. They started teaching about buttons as well, but overall, this was drowned out by commercial messages selling the button (and selling electricity in general) as magic. Smithsonian Its like how they now sell smart homes. Youre not supposed to know how they work. Advertisement The screw it, its magic philosophy won out in the end. Lets put it this way: How many people reading this, despite all their experience with vastly more advanced tech, can draw a diagram of how an electric button works? Of how pressing a button once completes a circuit, and pressing it again in seemingly the same way later breaks it? This isnt a test of intelligence  anyone can understand this if theyre taught  its just a matter of what knowledge we consider important. Its possible that children 120 years ago knew more about electric devices than the average lay person today. Then again, the idea that everyone should be able to understand every piece of tech they use was unsustainable. You can learn how to build a push button; you cant learn how to make a CPU singlehandedly from scratch. If we fought every technology that we cant fully teach to small children, we wouldnt progress very far. Walter Crane Here's a 1907 cartoon predicting where buttons would take us. It's a pretty cool future. Advertisement

4 ZIP Codes Speaking of things everyone uses but feels no need to understand, hands up if you know what a ZIP code is. Good. Now, hands up if you know what ZIP stands for. Huh, nobody? It stands for Zone Improvement Program, because before the postal service made ZIP codes, they had an older system, called postal zones, which were introduced to deal with the increase in mail during World War II. Zones proved inadequate as postal volumes increased still more, so in 1963, they upgraded to ZIP codes. Just a few months later, President Kennedy was assassinated. Coincidence? Walt Cisco Wait till you see what googling JFK ZIP code brings up. (It brings up 11430.) Advertisement Advertisement Well, yes, of course that was a coincidence. However, Americans really did have conspiracy theories about these new codes they were being given. Everyone was being assigned new numbers? That was pointless  and dehumanizing. It was (theorized some people) surely a communist plot, with an uncertain goal. Some random comments from disgruntled customers were preserved so we can marvel at them, generations later. Dear Sir, Zip Code is a complete boo-boo and you just dont want to admit it, wrote one woman. It has set our mail delivery back 100 years. Another message claimed, The Pony Express would be more efficient. Postal service employees themselves also sometimes opposed the codes. Of course, ZIP codes improved efficiency, but some workers considered mail sorting not just a task to be sped through but an art. ZIP codes rendered their expertise redundant. Also, workers werent a huge fan of this guy: Time Advertisement Thats postal mascot Mr. Zip. He was first created not by USPS but by Chase Bank, to advertise their bank-by-mail services, but the postal service got their hands on him and used him to campaign for ZIP codes. Real mail carriers thought he was a ridiculous caricature. Remember the good old days, wrote one angry employee, when Postal Employees were respected people and friends to those they served? As a female counterpart to Mr. Zip, the postal service sought to make a Miss Zip  not another cartoon but a real person, the winner of a beauty contest. These contests were the most popular part of the ZIP campaign and were enjoyed by everyone. In time, people adapted to ZIP codes  sorta. Today, you use them without complaint, but how often do you use the full ZIP code, with the initial five digits as well as the four digits that come after them? Do you even know your own full ZIP code? Like we said, ZIP codes are something no one really feels the need to understand. Advertisement Advertisement

3 Quartz Watches Today, there are two kinds of watches: ones that just tell the time, and smart watches. Go back a little, and there were also two types of watches: digital and analogue. Go back more, to the 1970s, and there were another two types of watches: ones that used balance, and ones that used quartz. With a balance watch, gears send a wheel moving back and forth to keep time. It works something like a pendulum, except you have to keep a pendulum upright: Glosome/Wiki Commons Heres one more device we must teach every schoolchild to make. Switzerland dominated the world watch market using these balance watches. You might have heard the Swiss are very precise people, which explains why theyre so good at intricate manufacturing, but thats not really true. Instead, watches were another industry whose path was defined by World War II. During the war, nearly every country shut down their own clockmaking facilities since they were converting all factories for military use. Only neutral Switzerland ran all their clock factories uninterrupted. Postwar, they were making half the watches in the world, and they kept this supremacy going for the next few decades. Advertisement In the middle of this period, in 1953, a Swiss engineer named Max Hetzel came up with a new way of keeping time. Instead of a balance wheel, his watch used a tiny tuning fork. Forks vibrate under electricity, and if he carved one to the just the right size, it vibrated at just the right frequency to be able to mark the passage of seconds. This was much more reliable than a balance wheel. Hetzel was able to get one company manufacturing his new kind of watch, but the Swiss industry at large had no interest in following up on this nonsense. They were already ruling the watch world with their balance wheels. Juliano Mendes Forks are good for one thing only. Advertisement By the end of the next decade, Japan unveiled their own tuning fork watches. Theirs were better, because they made the forks from quartz, which was more accurate. The watch also cost as much as a car. But then the cost plummeted, to even lower than mechanical watches, and people the world over switched to these more accurate alternatives. Swiss watchmakers resisted the shift, figuring surely plenty of people would prefer real watches. Not enough people did, and the Swiss watch industry crashed. Advertisement Eventually, Swiss companies did update their methods, but they still remember that devastating disruption, calling it The Quartz Crisis. The Quartz Crisis is also the name of both a spy thriller about a Swiss coup and a sci-fi film about the nature of time itself.

2 The Cheese Slicer Weve got one more lost art to reveal to you, and it may be the silliest of all. We speak now, of course, of the noble practice of Norwegian cheese slicing. If you try cutting a block of cheese into slices, you need a steady hand, lots of concentration and also a high tolerance for failure because the result will come out terrible no matter what. Youll wind up with a bunch of awkward wedges instead of slices. Then, in 1925, a hero named Thor Bjrklund forged a new tool, which would be called the ostehvel. Jonas Bergsten This is the articles second pic in a row of cheese impalements, for those keeping score. Advertisement Thor was no cheesemaker. Thor was more adept with a hammer than with a knife because Thor made furniture for a living. This outside perspective, however, gave him unique inspiration. Rather than base his tool on anything from the kitchen, he based his on a carpenters plane for shaping wood, and he produced something that cut cheese and other foods easily and neatly. Advertisement Everyone who cut food at home loved the ostehvel. Professional cheese men did not. If cheese cutting was going to be so easy going forward, why had they wasted all those years getting a degree from Colby College (and then a masters, from Stilton)? Some dairies, in protest, put up plastic garbage bags in public places and posted the following sign: Throw your cheese slicer here! Coxinelis/Wiki Commons Cheese slicer, you say? There are cheese slicers? Let me go inquire about buying one. Advertisement Ironically, the ostehvel is now considered an iconic and most traditional part of Norwegian cheese culture. The real modern, efficient way of slicing cheese is to use an automatic slicing machine like delis have. And if you want some sliced cheese at home, you might reach instead for some prepackaged slices of processed cheesefood  which arent legally cheese at all but a mixture of mayonnaise, plastic and horse glue.
(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Angry Turkish Cypriots attacked and kicked international troops who blocked workmen building a road that would encroach on a UN-controlled buffer zone in ethnically divided Cyprus.



The recent attack on United Nations (UN) soldiers by Turkish Cypriot forces has been denounced as a major crime under international law by the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.

The assault took place during efforts to construct a road connecting the Turkish Cypriot village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla within the buffer zone, according to The Hill.

Outrage Erupts Over Attack on UN Peacekeepers

This area lies near the location of Cyprus's internationally recognized government, highlighting the significance of the confrontation. According to the UN, Turkish Cypriot personnel responded to peacekeepers' interference with the construction by physically assaulting them and damaging their vehicles.

The road's construction, if completed, would bypass a checkpoint on the northern perimeter of a British military base, providing direct access for Turkish Cypriots to Pyla.

In response, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement urging authorities to halt the construction and respect the authority mandated to the UN peacekeeping mission (UNFICYP) in the region.

The three countries unequivocally condemned the assaults, deeming them "completely unacceptable" and undermining the UN's ability to fulfill its peacekeeping mandate. However, Turkish Cypriot authorities placed blame on the UN peacekeepers, alleging their actions were unacceptable.

They also dismissed the UNFICYP's statement as unfounded allegations and accused the peacekeeping force of bias against them. The United Nations had previously cautioned Turkish Cypriot authorities against unauthorized construction activities within the UN buffer zone.

Despite this warning, UN peacekeepers encountered the attack as they sought to prevent the construction of the road encroaching on the buffer zone. The incident took place near Pyla, a region situated outside the southern coastal town of Larnaca.

During the confrontation, Turkish Cypriot police and military personnel in plain clothes reportedly assaulted UN peacekeepers. They physically pushed back the peacekeepers and utilized a tractor to move a UN vehicle obstructing the construction.

This resulted in significant damage to three vehicles. The Turkish Cypriot authorities defended the road project, describing it as having a humanitarian objective aimed at providing easier access for citizens living in the village of Pyla. They expressed disappointment in the stance of the UNFICYP and asserted that their police presence was solely for safety purposes.

The longstanding division of Cyprus dates back to 1974 when Turkish forces occupied the northern third of the island in response to a military coup orchestrated by the ruling junta in Greece, as per South China Morning Post.

Read Also: Malaysia Jet Crash: Victims' Remains, Voice Recorder Discovered Following Tragic Accident

Geopolitical Struggles and Divided Aspirations

While the Turkish Cypriot leaders proclaimed statehood in 1983, their self-declared republic is only recognized by Ankara. Attempts to reunify the island have faced obstacles, with the most recent UN-backed talks collapsing in 2017.

Ersin Tatar, the Turkish Cypriot leader and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has advocated for the international recognition of two separate states in Cyprus. In contrast, the Greek Cypriot leadership of the Republic of Cyprus remains committed to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, aligning with previous UN peace plans.

The assault on UN peacekeepers underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics and ongoing tensions in the region, as well as the challenges of maintaining peace and stability amidst divided perspectives and aspirations, News 18 reported.

Related Article: Russia Destroys Ukranian Drones After Hitting Building in Moscow, Disrupting Air Traffic

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Lucy Letby's crimes have been revealed in all their wickedness. Act after act of unspeakable cruelty, innocent lives extinguished without mercy or regret. But one thing remains agonisingly unclear. Not what she did; but why she did it.

There is a void that surrounds her case, reflected in that dead-eyed stare, that cool, calm demeanour under interrogation. When atrocities of this kind occur, the normal human mind searches desperately for a reason, an explanation  anything to help rationalise the horror. But with Letby, there is nothing.

No obvious trauma, no outward appearance of perversion. Indeed, one of the most disturbing things about this case, and the reason it took colleagues and the authorities so long to realise what she was doing, was her girl-next- door persona.

No traumatic backstory  an ordinary childhood, an ordinary family, nice middle-class upbringing. They holidayed in Torquay. No history of drink or substance abuse, no evidence of any abuse whatsoever, in fact. No recorded mental-health issues, no disturbing sexual proclivities or practices.

That is what makes her so terrifying: Her banality. She is the stuff of horror films and Grimm fairytales, the personification of the shiny apple that hides a deadly poison. Wholesomeness rotten to the core. Her childlike tendencies and penchant for cuddly toys only adds to the sense of perversion. As does, of course, her choice of career.

Lucy Letby, 33, was convicted of the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six more during her shifts on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester

Letby murdered boys and girls between June 2015 and June 2016

Sarah Vine says Lucy Letby did not have a 'traumatic backstory' and she had 'an ordinary childhood , an ordinary family, nice middle-class upbringing'. Pictured: Parents Susan and John Letby at Manchester Crown Court

A neo-natal ward is a place of fragile joy, full of hopes and dreams. I remember my own babies, their first few hours of life. Sleeping with my new daughter by my side, waking fitfully now and then, checking to see if she was still breathing.

Those rosebud lips, those tiny fingers with their perfect little nails. The sheer wonder and magnitude of it all.

My newborn son, resting in the crook of my arm, a warm milky bundle of deliciousness. As a new mother, it's not just your body that is laid bare, it's your heart and soul. That tiny, fragile little human represents love like you've never felt before, fierce, unconditional, elemental.

That evil should have planted its foul seed in such a beautiful, almost sacred place is what makes this case so chilling. The utter innocence of her victims, their unsullied souls, their total defencelessness against her cruelty and wickedness just makes the heart weep.

By her actions she has thrown open the door to Hell, and the stench of evil overwhelms us all. Because when one returns to that question  why, why did she do these unthinkable things?  the answer is as chilling as her crimes: There is no reason.

She herself has given none, and the explanations posited  that she wanted the attention, that she wanted to impress the doctor with whom she was infatuated  simply don't add up. Nothing could justify killing those babies. So we are left with a sickness of mind and an undeniable conclusion: She is simply evil, and evil knows no reason.

In the same way that seeing that beautiful rainbow over Windsor the day the Queen died confirms one's belief in God, this case makes me wonder whether the Devil really does walk among us.

Evil knows how to charm, and how. Letby fooled everyone around her into thinking she was a warm-hearted, kind, considerate human, a dedicated nurse who lived for her patients and their parents. She manipulated everyone, from her friends to her colleagues, by presenting an image that served her purpose to perfection.

Children's nurse Lucy Letby went on a year-long killing spree while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital

Sarah Vine says Letby's girl-next- door persona was one of the reasons it took colleagues and the authorities so long to realise what she was doing

Letby - who grew up with two loving parents - is pictured as a young girl

She was so good at it she even managed to gaslight the hospital into making senior consultants apologise to her when they dared raise concerns. They even had to attend mediation with her.

But it was all a construct, a carapace of cutesy homilies designed to disguise a monster.

Did she even fool herself? Who knows. But it worked. No wonder it took so long for her colleagues to accept what was going on. Not Lucy. Not 'lovely' Lucy.

The human mind can't always see what it can't  or would rather not  comprehend, even if it's right there before our very eyes. And who could comprehend, who could even start to fathom, that someone would do something so wicked as to deliberately harm and kill new-born babies? When a crime is that atrocious, how can we even begin to imagine it?

As my brilliant colleague Liz Hull, who has followed the trial from the start, writes in today's Mail on Sunday, part of the reason Letby went undetected for so long was that 'nobody could 'grasp' that someone had been killing babies'. And when Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, the officer in charge of the investigation, finally realised  after exhaustive work  that there could be no other explanation for the deaths other than 'inflicted harm', it was a 'sombre' moment.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Letby reacting to the final questions from her barrister Ben Myers

Letby - wearing a blue hoodie with the strings covered in pink glitter - is taken from her house in handcuffs after being arrested by Cheshire Police in July 2018

Letby, from Hereford, at her graduation following a three-year nursing degree

The team had been desperately hoping to find some alternative explanation  a virus, an illness, even an honest mistake. But there was none. Just a horrible, inescapable truth. 'There was suddenly the hard realisation that we'd approached every angle,' he says, 'looked at every possible explanation and obtained advice from the best sources around the country and this was what we were left with.' As for the families, what are they left with? Only more agony.

You never truly get over the loss of a child  I have seen friends go through it. To then discover that their death was the deliberate act of the very person charged with their care, and that in some cases that person had even showered them with false condolences and perverted acts of kindness, tried in some way to inveigle themselves into their grief, must be a pain almost too hard to bear.

Better not to have known. Better to have grieved for your lost child believing that he or she had simply died of natural causes.

Instead, the lives of these poor families will be for ever tainted by the presence of Letby, by the knowledge of what she did. To have such wickedness in your life must be repellent, like having a worm burrowing into your skin.

The idea that Letby's murderous hands might have been one of the last that touched those precious babies makes me burn with an overwhelming desire for vengeance on their behalf. The fact that she doesn't even have the courage to face them in court (or, indeed, that our legal system does not compel her to) is just the final insult.

I am not, nor have I ever been, an advocate of the death penalty (there are too many miscarriages of justice in this world); but why should this creature live and breathe when her victims do not? How can there be any forgiveness, any redemption for what she has done?

But then such is the nature of true evil: It drives people out of their minds, sullies everything it touches with the depths of its horror.

An inquiry is to be welcomed: It will expose the operational flaws that allowed Letby to go unchecked. I doubt whether even the most rigorous system could have anticipated the actions of one so perverted or so skilled in manipulation. Still, there are practical steps that can be taken.

Police seized a number of handwritten notes made by Letby after she was arrested, including this one where she has circled the word 'hate'

While Letby's motive is not clear, the prosecution suggested she got a 'thrill' out of 'playing God'. She is pictured on a night out

In Australia, for example, mothers of premature babies can monitor their little ones via CCTV on their smartphones. Perhaps it is time to introduce a similar system here.

And if the inquiry provides even an iota of comfort to the bereaved families  and to those of Letby's other potential victims  then it will perhaps go some small way to help them live with this atrocity.

But the sad truth is it will probably never give them the answer to the question that really matters: why. Why did she do it?

That, for me, is the only reason she remains alive. So that before she shuffles off this mortal coil she can at least provide some sort of explanation, some small chance of closure for her victims  and explain what compelled her to destroy so many innocent lives. That is the very least they deserve. After that, Hell can have her. And not a moment too soon.
One only has to recall the tragic deaths of six migrants, when their boat sank off the coast of France last weekend, to understand why there is nothing compassionate about a lenient approach to illegal immigration.

On the contrary, such enfeeblement encourages ever greater numbers to make the dangerous crossing of the Channel, gives more power to the people smugglers, undermines public faith in the legal immigration system and promotes mass injustice by rewarding queue-jumpers armed with muscle and cash.

Real fairness and humanity lie in the creation of well-managed border controls, along with access to settlement for genuine refugees. But that is precisely what Britain does not have at present.

Official policy is rapidly collapsing into farce and failure, with more than 100,000 people having crossed the Channel in small boats since January 2018.

What makes the official approach towards the soaring illegal influx so disturbing is the scale of the institutionalised feebleness, particularly from the Home Office. The very department that is meant to be the guardian of our national integrity acts like a cheerleader for an open-door stance, so soft is its scrutiny of asylum claims, and so poor is its management.

ALAN MENDOZA: Official policy is rapidly collapsing into farce and failure, with more than 100,000 people having crossed the Channel in small boats since January 2018

Anarchy flourishes in such an environment, with the kind of grim consequences that could be seen off the coast of Calais last weekend. Nothing encapsulates the lack of rigour within the British state more shockingly than the pages of guidance issued to asylum caseworkers.

Obtained by this newspaper, these incriminating documents betray an impulse to collude with asylum seekers, no matter how unconvincing their tales. Indeed, the destructive stench of the fashionable politically correct agenda hangs over this advice. In one glaring example, caseworkers are told that even lies perpetrated by claimants should not be used against them. On the contrary, officials must give 'a chance' to the applicants 'to explain any inconsistencies in their account'.

READ MORE: Revealed: Britain's 'soft touch' approach to assessing asylum claims with officials told they can't reject the testimony of migrants who are caught lying Officials have been told they cannot reject the testimony of a migrant who is caught lying (Pictured: RNLI bringing 50 migrants ashore at Dover) Advertisement

Just as paralysing are the warnings to avoid scepticism or lines of questioning that the asylum seeker may find traumatic. In line with modern woke ideology, feelings count more than facts, while expressing doubt about someone's version of their 'lived experience'  if they come from a minority group  is in itself a form of oppression. So if claimants say they are fleeing persecution because they are gay, that assertion has to be accepted without the need to produce any evidence.

This guidance is the fruit of a metropolitan culture that is fixated by diversity, and indifferent to the concept of nationhood. The odds are overwhelmingly stacked in favour of asylum seekers because, at heart, the senior ranks of the Home Office believe in free movement. Judging by the numbers, it seems to me they do not want migrant scrutiny, preferring Britain to be a soft touch. That is why 73 per cent of asylum claims were approved in the year to March 2023, a massive increase from 2004 when 88 per cent of applications were rejected.

Real deterrence appears to have long since ceased to be a Home Office objective. The lack of rigour in its guidance to caseworkers is a further incentive to dodgy lawyers who make a fortune from peddling false claims.

Even more worryingly, the seeming absence of thorough examination could be ruthlessly exploited by terrorists and extremists whose mission to undermine our security is being made easier by the very civic institutions which should be protecting us.

The Home Office guidance is so scandalously weak that I cannot believe it was approved by Ministers, particularly not the Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who prides herself on her robustness. Some argue that Ministers might be willing to tolerate such laxity because, superficially, it could seem the most expedient way to clear the vast backlog of asylum claims that now stands at 170,000. By indulging in swift, mass approvals, the Home Office would also, in theory, be able to reduce the colossal bill for accommodating asylum seekers.

But that argument is unconvincing. The softly-softly approach has already been implemented, and yet it has had no impact on the efficiency of the asylum process. In fact, a big expansion in the number of staff processing claims has actually led to lower productivity. Disgracefully, each caseworker now manages to clear just one case per week.

ALAN MENDOZA: What makes the official approach towards the soaring illegal influx so disturbing is the scale of the institutionalised feebleness, particularly from the Home Office

There must be a suspicion that parts of the Home Office workforce welcome the mammoth backlog because it hurts the Tories' credibility.

Nowhere in Whitehall is the Blob  that self-serving nexus of officials, campaigners, trade unionists and academics opposed to Conservative policies  more prominent than at the Home Office, as highlighted by the fight against the implementation of the plan to use Rwanda as a base for deportees, and the open defiance by some staff in placing anti-Government propaganda in their offices.

The people voted for a coherent and fair immigration policy in the 2016 EU referendum and the 2019 General Election when the voters gave the Tories a convincing victory. But the politicians have done far too little to implement that democratic mandate and have ceded too much power to the Blob. They must do better. Starting from now.
Tori Spelling's ex-husband has shed fascinating light on her broken relationship with her mother Candy, detailing how the actress 'longed for love' from her parent for years - but was only met with 'conditional' affection.

The former Beverly Hills 90210 star, 50, and millionaire philanthropist Candy Spelling, 77, have had a famously fractured relationship over the years - and relations became further strained between the pair when Toris Hollywood producer father, Aaron Spelling, left the bulk of his $600 million fortune to his wife, while his daughter inherited just $800,000.

Now, Tori's ex Charlie Shahnaian, 58, has offered searingly candid insight into what first caused the rift between the mother and daughter - painting a heart-breaking picture of the actress's childhood and her years-long battle to

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com about the pairs complicated bond, Charlie, 56, explained that Tori struggled after growing up with a mother who gave conditional love.

Tori Spelling, 50, and millionaire philanthropist Candy, 77, have had a famously fractured relationship over the years

Tori's ex-husband Charlie Shahnaian claims that the star refuses to let her mother control her through money; pictured together in 2005

Charlie (pictured) explained that Tori only ever received 'conditional' love from her mother - and that she ended up turning to her beloved nanny for affection

He stated: You would hope the majority of children grew up with a parent, especially a mom who just has unconditional love. They can be strict, they can be demanding, they can be challenging to deal with but you know it deep down.

For me, with Candy, there was conditional love and it felt like conditional love for Tori as well.

The actor  who was in a relationship with Tori from 2002 to 2005  reflected on the assumptions people often made about his former wifes upbringing as he continued: People have an image of how wonderful her life must have been, especially as a child.

Yes, it was wonderful in a sense. To have snow imported on your lawn for Christmas morning, to be able to go on shows that your father created if your dream is to be an actor... but it was not warm and fuzzy.

He then revealed how Tori had been closer to her nanny Margaret - whom she is even thought to have named her daughter, Hattie Margaret, after.

She got a lot of love from her nanny, who she was friends with till the day [Margaret] died. When I first met her, that's who she was wanted to tell me about,' he recalled.

'She would tell me about how she would sleep in her nannys room. She had her own giant room, but she would crawl into her nanny's room and sleep in there.

Charlie continued: Nanny stayed part of the family until Tori was gone from the family. She was there on Christmas mornings and on her birthday, they would celebrate. That's what she wanted, just that regular little life.

The writer went on to stress that Tori received love from her father who truly adored her as he stated: She was just the light of his life and she knew that. She wasn't just this unloved child at all.

'There was a lot of love between her dad, her mom loved her, and her nanny. But she did feel boxed into a lifestyle, and depiction of a lifestyle, that she didn't choose for herself.

Charlie explained that his former wife longed to receive unconditional love from her mom Candy; pictured in 2022 with Tori's brother Randy

The actor called out the inaccurate assumptions people often made about his former wifes upbringing, stating that 'it was not warm and fuzzy'; pictured together in LA

The writer explained that due to Tori desire to do things her way with her life, she was often hesitant to accept financial help from her mother because of conditions that often came with it.

Looking back at how that presented itself during planning for the former couples $1 million wedding in 2004, he explained: Our wedding is a classic example. The end result was we had this over $1 million plus dollar wedding at the manor with hundreds of guests, a huge orchestra which is not at all what we wanted.

Charlie was in a relationship with Tori from 2002 to 2005

We wanted to get married at this little vineyard in Malibu and on a much lower budget with fewer people.

'Little by little, it was told to us that in order to get parents to be supporting, then we have to do things how they wanted. But it was it was a lot of control through finances and it wasn't the wedding that Tori wanted.

Charlie praised his ex for the fact she had been supporting herself since the age of 15, when her parents first demanded that she would earn her own way in life, stating that she has since been fighting for her independence financially.

During their fraught relationship over the years, Candy and Toris spats have played out in front of the public through interviews - with Candy once blaming her daughters decision to cut contact with her parents for her husbands death.

My daughter one day decided that she wasnt speaking to my husband, myself and my son, and thats how its continued for the last, oh gosh, four or five years, Candy told 94.7 WMAS-FMs Kellogg Krew in 2009.

And it was sad. Thats what killed my husband, actually. He just didnt want to live after that.

Elsewhere, Tori told People magazine: I love my mother. Ive always loved her [and] no doubt she loves me. Theres no feud. We simply never meshed.

Candy and Tori's relationship became more strained when famed Hollywood producer father, Aaron Spelling left the bulk of his $600 million fortune to his wife

Tori and Candy have made strides to mend their relationship in recent years, pictured in Paris in July 2022

Indeed, Candy wrote in her 2013 memoir, Candy at Last: I am by no means saying that I am the perfect mother now or I didn't make mistakes when my children were growing up. In therapy I learned that I was passive-aggressive and that I also had poor communication skills.

Having said that, I also believe that there comes a time when you have to stop blaming your parents. I have learned from my own journey that at some point you have to take responsibility for your own actions and attitudes.

As time went on, Candy slowly developed a relationship with Toris kids and even helped Tori with financial struggles in 2016.

In recent years, Candy and Tori appear to have made peace  with her Beverly Hills, 90210 alum reuniting with her brother Randy and their mom to celebrate Candys 77th birthday in September.

Charlie revealed he had been delighted to see the pair make such strides because he knew how important it was to Tori.

He explained: She loved my family. She loved being part of it and accepted, and just being cared for in a way that family cares for family. She longed for that from her mother.

'I think over the years she's realized, This is just who my mother is. I can connect with her in another way.

Charlie continued: Both women are not great at mending fences with each other so to see them together that shows a real sign of just mature love from Tori.

Charlie revealed he had been delighted to see the pair take such strides because he knew how important it was to Tori; pictured together in LA

The actor got an insight into the pair's relationship during his time with the Beverly Hills, 90210 star; pictured together in LA, left, and on their honeymoon, right

Tori is currently believed to be separated from husband-of-18 years, Dean McDermott. The pair share children - Liam, 16, Stella, 15, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, six; pictured in 2019

Musing on what they would need to do in order to stop from falling out again, Charlie stated: I think it's just an acceptance of how different they are and just loving each other for who they are, not who they wish the other could be.

They clearly love each other. Otherwise, they wouldn't be trying to get together. They just have accept each other, faults and all. Maybe they have done that.

He continued: Maybe part of that is knowing that, well, Candy isn't going to be the typical grandma. She's a different type of person. Shes Candy Spelling and probably Tori probably gets that.

The actor admitted that he has become slightly more understanding about Candy in the years that have passed.

I don't know if I understand her motivations anymore, but I understand her hurt, he stated.

I think she's a woman in a lot of physical pain, she has terrible back problems and other issues to. She's a lot of physical pain always and I think that there is so much emotional pain in her relationship with Tori that she couldn't help but be the way she was.

Candy Spelling has been continuing her work as an author, multimillionaire philanthropist and Broadway producer since the death of her famous spouse.

She recently came under fire for online by followers who claimed she was being spiteful for allowing her daughter and grandkids to live in an RV.

Tori and her children have been pictured staying in a camper van parked off a busy road in California

It came after the brood were spotted spending time at a $100-per-night motel

Tori has been making the best of things, amid reports of financial difficulties that culminated in the actress taking her five kids on an RV vacation

Tori  who has recently parted ways with her husband Dean McDermott - and her kids, Liam, 16, Stella, 15, Hattie, 11, Finn, 10, and Beau, six, had to move out of their home after they discovered a massive mold infestation in May.

They were first pictured staying in a $100-a-night roadside motel earlier this month, and now, it appears as though they are living in a trailer.

Sharing his thoughts about the claims Candy should help, Charlie stated: I don't think it's the grandmother's job to step in and say, I disapprove of what you're doing there.

'Look, if her daughter is asking for things, that's another story. And I don't know if she's asked for anything but to assume that it's somehow Candy's responsibility to do all that, just to step in, assumes that they need rescuing from something which they may not.

I know that there are reports on both sides of different things, but I also know Tori wants to do things her way. So to accept things from Candy, she might not be willing to accept it with whatever condition applies to that.
A new crime drama series is set to delve deeper into the harrowing true story of a 14-year-old girl who was callously killed by her peers.

Hulu's Under The Bridge will unravel the heart-wrenching tale of Reena Virk who was attacked by eight teenagers - seven girls and one boy - at a gathering in Saanich in British Columbia, Canada, in 1997.

She was initially allowed to stumble home but was followed by two of the original offenders - Warren Glowatski, 16, and Kelly Ellard, 15 - who continued the brutal beating before rolling Reena's unconscious body into a waterway.

Reena was found dead by authorities eight days later with the unlikely killers tried as adults over the severity of their crime.

Here, FEMAIL has laid bare the disturbing realities surrounding Reena's death.

Hulu's Under The Bridge will unravel the heart-wrenching tale of Reena Virk (pictured) who was attacked by eight teenagers - seven girls and one boy - at a gathering in Canada in 1997

Warren Glowatski (left), then 16, and Kelly Ellard (right), then 15, continued the brutal beating before rolling Reena's unconscious body into a waterway

Reena, who attended a predominantly white school, had long been bullied for being an outsider.

Her friends said that she was self-conscious about her weight and struggled with self-esteem.

She also grappled with the burden of her parents' strict religious rules - with the pair having converted from Hinduism to become Jehovah's Witnesses.

The troubled teen made a desperate bid to break away from her parents after fleeing the family home and was placed in the care of her grandparents.

But, after not taking to that arrangement either, she was soon moved into a group foster home.

As she battled with upheaval, and still dreamt of fitting in with those around her, the then 14-year-old was thrilled to receive an invite from her peers to hangout.

The gathering, held on November 14, 1997, was set to take place near the Craigflower Bridge, which spans the Inner Gorge Waterway.

But all was not as it seemed.

The gathering, held on November 14 1997, was set to take place near the Craigflower Bridge (pictured) which spans the Inner Gorge Waterway

Glowatski, who gave evidence against Ellard at two of her trials, has since been forgiven by Reena's family. Pictured (left to right): Brother Aman, father Manjit and mother Suman

Reena arrived to find the teens smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol before a small group turned on the unsuspecting attendee over claims she had been spreading rumors about them.

Eight youngsters, who were members of the Shoreline Six gang, beat Reena, stubbed lit cigarettes out on her forehead and attempted to set her hair on fire.

The assault eventually cooled off and a desperate Reena was able to break free in a bid to make her way home.

But she was followed by two of the teens - Warren Glowatski, 16, and Kelly Ellard, 15 who dragged her under the bridge and continued to beat her until she was unconscious.

The duo then rolled her body into the waterway with Ellard accused of holding Reena's head underwater until she drowned, which she denied.

Her parents reported her missing at the time, but authorities reportedly did little to intervene given Reena's turbulent history of running away.

It took police eight days to find her body.

Reena's autopsy revealed that her head injuries would probably have killed the teen had she not drowned.

The Shoreline Six reportedly all agreed not to 'rat each other out' as speculation continued to swirl around the school.

Sadly, Reena's mother Suman (pictured) died in June 2018, aged 58, following a choking accident while eating in a restaurant

Eventually, other students heard the killers boasting about the slaying and the police uncovered the truth.

Glowatski and Ellard were arrested and charged with aggravated assault and murder - and, despite their ages, were tried in adult court due to the extreme nature of the crime.

In February 1998, the six other girls who took part in the initial attack were prosecuted in youth court with their identities protected.

Three of the girls pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm with the three others convicted of the same offence at trial.

Glowatski was found guilty of second degree murder and received a life sentence.

He took responsibility for his crime in prison and enrolled in a restorative justice program that included reconciliation with the Virk family before being released in June 2010.

Ellard was convicted of second-degree murder in March 2000, but the ruling was overturned on appeal on the grounds that she did not receive a fair trial.

She was released pending a new trial but, while out, was charged with assaulting a 58-year-old woman in a Vancouver park.

The Under The Bridge docuseries has taken inspiration from Rebecca Godfrey's 2019 book of the same name

Ellard was sent back to prison to await her second trial in June 2004 where she claimed it was others that had killed Reena.

The jury was deadlocked and a mistrial was declared.

She received a third trial in April 2005 with Ellard once again convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life with no eligibility for parole for seven years.

The conviction was overturned on appeal but, this time, the Supreme Court of Canada reinstated the conviction and sentence.

The Canadian Encyclopedia reported: '[Ellard] eventually changed her name to Kerry Sim and, by 2016, had given birth to a child conceived during a conjugal visit with her new boyfriend, an ex-convict.

'By 2020, then in her late thirties, Ellard had a second child with the same partner and was receiving day parole as part of a program to reintegrate her into the community.'

Glowatski, who gave evidence against Ellard at two of her trials, has since been forgiven by Reena's family.

Her mother, Suman, previously told The Globe and Mail: 'I think the most important reason why we've forgiven Warren is so we can just put this whole matter aside and for our own healing and sense of wholeness.'

Reena's family later started a campaign to bring awareness to bullying in schools and violence among teenagers.

They were awarded the Anthony J. Hulme Award of Distinction for their work in 2009.

Sadly, Suman Virk died in June 2018, aged 58, following a choking accident while eating in a restaurant.

The Under The Bridge docuseries has taken inspiration from Rebecca Godfrey's 2019 book of the same name.

There is not yet an official release date.
Dr Charlotte Proudman has had a controversial week; first sparking debate about mothers passing on their own surnames to children, and then causing a storm on social media in a row over the grass at King's College, Cambridge University.

But the human rights lawyer, who specialises in law surrounding female genital mutilation, is no stranger to controversy - and first burst into the public eye in 2015 after accusing a fellow lawyer of objectifying her after he contacted her on LinkedIn.

The Cambridge University academic, from Leek, Staffordshire, publicly posted Alexander Carter-Silk's message to her, in which he admitted he was 'probably horrendously politically incorrect' and said she had a 'stunning' profile photo. She also posted her response, in which she told him his message was 'offensive'.

She later said LinkedIn was seen by some members as being like the dating app Tinder, adding: 'Professionals are using LinkedIn as if it were Tinder. There are websites designed for professionals to date. There is no need to use LinkedIn.'

Following the LinkedIn row, Dr Proudman, who was 27 at the time, was criticised for the potential damage she might have done to Carter-Silk's career.

Dr Charlotte Proudman, who sparked debates last week over whether mothers should pass on their own surnames to children, is no stranger to controversy

However she maintained: 'To be frank he shouldnt behave in that way and then he wouldnt need to worry about it ruining his career. But I very much doubt it has ruined his career.'

Dr Proudman added the public interest in exposing sexism outweighed Mr Carter-Silk's right to privacy, and repeated her demand for a public apology, and pointed out that her boyfriend, a 30-year-old Cambridge PhD student, received job offers to work at hedge funds via LinkedIn while she got 'propositions from men'.

Carter-Silk did offer Dr Proudman a private apology, but she did not accept it because she argued it was 'for the offence that I have taken, so there is no acknowledgement that the message he sent was inappropriate or is sexist'.

Since the controversy eight years ago, Dr Proudman has continued to make headlines for her strong feminist principles - and also for the intense criticism she has received along the way.

The human rights barrister and Cambridge academic first went viral in 2015 (speaking on Newsnight)

The barrister posted a photo of her LinkedIn exchange with an older male lawyer on Twitter, in which he said her profile photo was 'stunning' - to which she replied telling him his behaviour was 'unacceptable'

She often uses her Twitter account, where she has nearly 80,000 followers, to comment on high-profile events involving celebrities or criminal cases.

The academic and barrister also uses her platform to speak up for women, the rights of sexual abuse victims, abortion rights and other feminist causes.

However, while she remains steadfast in her campaign, she has previously revealed it has caused her to receive abuse from strangers - including death threats.

She previously told The Times: 'They refer to me as an extremist, dangerous and a misandrist. They call me a liar and narcissistic. My mental health comes up all the time. They say I should be put in a padded room, I should be sanctioned or disbarred.'

In the same interview, she commented on the LinkedIn controversy several years on.

'Some people think I overreacted, that it was disproportionate. Fair enough,' she said. But theres a difference between having a different opinion and sending someone death and rape threats. The targeting and abuse I received then  Ive never known anything like it.'

She also claimed other lawyers had warned her she was committing 'career suicide' by making the exchange public - including a judge who wrote her a letter to tell her she has brought the Bar into disrepute, before making a sexually lewd joke. Proudman argued this just served to prove her point.

In recent weeks, Proudman has once again found herself at the centre of a fiery debate after tweeting that women should be giving their children their own surname, rather than the surname of the child's father.

She wrote: 'A message to pregnant women  please give the baby your surname. You carried a baby for nine months, gave birth, and will be responsible for that child for the rest of your life.'

After she shared the tweet, other social media users were divided on the issue and replied to join in with the debate.

One said: 'Counter-argument: why is the baby's maternal grandfather's surname more important than the baby's father's?'

Hitting back at Charlotte's suggestion, another added: 'I think its my choice what surname I give, rather than feeling some obligation for my maiden surname.

Meanwhile, a third said: 'The point is to make the father feel responsible for the child.'

Following on from this, a fourth agreed: 'Fathers are also responsible for their children for the rest of their lives.'

However, others could appreciate the point Charlotte was making - and responded with messages of support.

Picking flaws in another user's 'counter-argument', one supporter said: 'Ah yes, because the mother's surname isn't actually hers, it's her father's - but the father's surname is his.

'Everyone inherits their surname.'

Another said: 'Just because she inherited it from a man, doesn't mean it's not hers.

'It's been her name for her entire life!'

Speaking from experience, a third added: 'I did this! If my babies dad and I get married well reassess, but I figured I was more likely to take them abroad alone, and his surname shouldnt be the default.

'Even my 2 year old understands that he has my surname but one day might have daddys and it doesnt bother him.'

A few days after sparking the debate, Dr Proudman appeared on Good Morning Britain where she further argued her case on a panel with father-of-four, Dr Tru Powell.

During the debate she doubled down on this message, asking fathers: 'Are you saying your surname is more important than the other?' while being of the opinion that the tradition is archaic and stems from children being seen as the 'property of their fathers'.

Late last week, Dr Proudman made headlines once again after posing for a photo on the grass of King's College at Cambridge University, where she claimed a 'white male student' told her she'd get in trouble for posing on the lawn, which is forbidden to walk on unless you are a PhD student, an associate fellow or a mature masters graduate.

As a research associate in gender ideology at the University, Dr Proudman is one of the privileged few who are allowed to walk on the lawn - and she claimed in the tweet she hit back at the student to tell him this.

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.'

However, this post also sparked mixed reactions on the social media platform, with some writing to the barrister accusing her of being 'entitled'.

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.'
Taiwan Vice President William Lai still continued his controversial U.S. visit despite the warnings of China. Because of his action, the Chinese government decided to conduct military drills around the island.

China Conducts Military Drills Around Taiwan as a Warning

According to The Guardian's latest report, China wasn't happy with the U.S. stops that the frontrunner presidential candidate for Taiwan made.

China said that Lai is a troublemaker, vowing that they will do the needed measures to protect the territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

The Chinese government retaliated by conducting joint air and sea patrols, as well as military drills around the island, as confirmed by military spokesperson Shi Yi.

Taiwan officials announced that on Saturday, Aug. 19, over 40 warplanes entered their air defense zone. Aside from these, eight Chinese vessels cooperating in the military exercises were also identified.

"The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces," said the Chinese official.

Read Also: China-Philippine Water Cannon Dispute Update: Beijing Urges PH Officials to Calm Down, SoKor Condemns Chinese Coast Guard

A Stern Warning From China

USA Today reported that the latest military drills of China around Taiwan are the Chinese government's stern warning.

The defense ministry said that these military exercises are a warning over the collusion between foreign forces and separatists.

Taiwan condemns the actions of China against it, saying that the Asian nation's behavior is irrational and provocative.

The Taiwanese government vowed to take appropriate forces to respond with practical actions.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense explained that the military exercise conducted by China doesn't help the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Officials added that these military drills also highlight the militaristic mentality of China, as well as confirm the hegemonic nature of the Chinese military's growing forces.

The latest Chinese military exercises near Taiwan surprised many analysts. An anonymous expert with the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan said that he thought PLA's military drills will be moderate.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government is still asking for calm over Willian Lai's visit. If you want to learn more details about Beijing's retaliation against the U.S. visit of Taiwan's VP, you can click here.

Related Article: China's 'Chasing Dreams' Documentary Shows Army's Preparations to Strike Taiwan

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Jay, 45, ended up in the tunnels after a near-fatal shooting left him blind in one eye and homeless

They live in Las Vegas' flood tunnels which were constructed in the late 1980s following a costly flood

Advertisement

A hard-hitting documentary sheds light on the so-called 'mole people' of Las Vegas, who reside in the city's dark, dank and dirty labyrinth of flood tunnels.

YouTuber Brandon Buckingham went about interviewing a handful of the 2,000 or so people living under the Strip's five-star hotels and casinos to find out what life is really like.

The concrete tunnels - which were built in the aftermath of a catastrophic and costly flash flood in 1975 - provide shelter from the brutal desert weather, but they can also prove deadly during heavy rainfall, with large volumes of water suddenly gushing through.

One man called Jay, 45, explains that he has been living in the tunnels for more than 13 years after a series of events left him homeless and now his most valuable possession is a headlamp.

YouTuber Brandon Buckingham went about interviewing a handful of the 2,000 or so people living under the Strip's five-star hotels and casinos to find out what life is really like

One man called Jay, 45, explains that he has been living in the tunnels for more than 13 years after a series of events left him homeless

A shot showing Jay's bed, with a range of donated and salvaged pieces

The concrete tunnels - which were built in the aftermath of a flash flood in 1975 - provide shelter from the brutal desert weather, but they can also prove deadly during heavy rainfall

A map showing the extensive flood tunnel network running under Las Vegas

In one scene he explains that his father died at 45 so he quit his job to look after his wheelchair-bound mother in New Hampshire.

But shortly after returning home, he was the victim of a carjacking incident and he was shot in the head, with the near-fatal incident leaving him blind in his left eye and without a sense of smell.

The bullet remains lodged in his skull, which he says is something that worries him, but without medical insurance, further intervention is not be feasible.

Jay doesn't touch on how he came to land in Las Vegas, but he merely says that 'everything happens for a reason.'

Apart from a daughter who he hasn't seen for 13 years, the tunnel-dweller says he doesn't have any direct family and 'they've all passed.'

Asked what life is like in the tunnels, Jay describes it as 'brutal' with the floods often washing his belongings away - with the father also claiming there are serial killers on the prowl within the dark maze of tunnels that he calls home.

At one point he reveals that he has even seen the remains of a chopped-up body amid the dirt.

'It sounds crazy, but it's true,' he tells Buckingham.

Over the years, Jay has tried to leave the tunnels and change his situation, but his biggest obstacle is not having an ID and he has lost the documentation needed to get one, including his social security card and his birth certificate.

This part of Jay's story is repeated by all of Buckingham's interviewees.

At one point the filmmaker tells viewers: 'The issue of not being able to get IDs was something everyone we interviewed complained about.

'It's the number-one problem people underneath Vegas spoke about, which was surprising to me.'

One unnamed woman Buckingham spoke to revealed that it was impossible to get work in Vegas without an ID 'unless you're a hooker.'

Some of the 'mole people' who previously had IDs reveal that they were victims of theft and they believed the casinos actively target the homeless in a bid to keep them away from their properties.

One man called Orange tells Buckingham: 'They systematically steal IDs so [then we are] not allowed to go in the casinos.'

The grimy tunnels strike a sharp contract to the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas

Many of the tunnels run under the casinos, with gamblers unaware of the world lurking beneath them

Over the years, Jay has tried to leave the tunnels and change his situation, but his biggest obstacle is not having an ID

One of the newer tunnelers, 36-year-old 'Tattoo Tony,' says one of the hardest things he finds about living underground is the lack of a bathroom

Orange, 61, who once worked as a truck driver, says he started living in the Vegas tunnels in September 2015 after getting 'stranded' in the city

While Orange says sometimes living in the tunnels can 'suck,' he says the benefits include 'good comradery' and 'you don't have to answer to nobody'

While traipsing through the tunnels at night, the team find shackles on the ceiling which Jay says were likely used for torture as the mob are known to frequent the underground labyrinth

Orange, 61, who once worked as a truck driver, says he started living in the Vegas tunnels in September 2015 after getting 'stranded' in the city.

While he says sometimes living in the tunnels can 'suck,' he says the benefits include 'good comradery' and 'you don't have to answer to nobody.'

He tells Buckingham: 'A lot of people are out here by choice actually because they're independent people.

'They don't want to be told what to do by anybody, we just wanna live our life the way we wanna live it.

'I don't really have to be out here. I could easily go pay rent somewhere. I choose to be out here.

'At one point in our life we've all had good jobs, we've all had families, we've raised children, you know... we're not some outcasts.'

Everyday is like survival, you still have to find food, you're banned from everywhere, everybody hates you

Echoing Orange's sentiments, Jay tells viewers that it's important not to judge and most people are theoretically just 'two paychecks away from being homeless.'

He also says that some people think being homeless is a 'cakewalk' with 'no mortgage payment, no car payment, no job.'

But Jay makes it clear that this is 'not so true.'

He tells Buckingham: 'Everyday is like survival, you still have to find food, you're banned from everywhere, everybody hates you. I mean I hate being hated for what other people do. Not all homeless are bad.'

Being subjected to such tough conditions takes its toll, Jay says, and he reveals that he knows of five 'mole people' who died last year in their 'late 30s, early 40s.'

'You're not going to have a long lifespan when everyday is survival,' he muses.

In the documentary, Buckingham praises the underground community for their resourcefulness.

The group he meets has electricity thanks to discarded solar panels and a friend who works at a local business provides them with water for drinking and washing.

In the tunnels, each member of the community shows how they have created their own sleeping areas using salvaged or donated items, such as mattresses and duvets.

One man called Tony, 54, who is originally from Mississippi, but has been living in the tunnels for eight years, even has a stereo in his makeshift bedroom and he has decorated the wall with colorful pieces of paper.

Tony, 54, who is originally from Mississippi, has been living in the tunnels for eight years

A shot of Tony's makeshift bedroom. He says one thing that helps you to survive in the tunnels and keep sane is 'getting into some sort of routine'

Tony has a stereo in his bedroom and he has decorated the wall with colorful pieces of paper

One unnamed woman Buckingham spoke to revealed that it is impossible to get work in Vegas without an ID 'unless you're a hooker'

To date, the filmmaker's first video offering a glimpse into the lives of the 'mole people' has been watched more than one million times

He says one thing that helps you to survive in the tunnels and keep sane is 'getting into some sort of routine.'

To help them get by, the tunnelers are also visited twice a week by two non-profits, Holy Smokes and Shine A Light, which provide them with a range of much-needed supplies, including bottled water, food, socks, flashlights, headlamps and batteries.

One of the newer tunnelers, 36-year-old 'Tattoo Tony,' says one of the hardest things he finds about living underground is the lack of a bathroom.

The certified steel technician explains while sat against a graffiti-strewn wall: 'I'm a clean freak you know... just [having] a shower... washing your hands, brushing your teeth... you know that kind of stuff.

'Your hygiene basically is one of the biggest struggles. You would not believe, it takes everything from you.'

Asked what he does to maintain a positive attitude, Tattoo Tony says he skates, plays music and makes art.

Offering some advice to viewers, he concludes: 'Keep what you have, be thankful, count your blessings and do a self evaluation.

At one point in our life we've all had good jobs, we've all had families, we've raised children, you know... we're not some outcasts

'Evaluate yourself and see the things that you do take for granted.'

In a follow-up video, Buckingham returns to the tunnels at 3am with Jay who says they are haunted, and he has seen 'men in black' and 'demons.'

While traipsing through the tunnels at night, the team find shackles on the ceiling, which Jay says are likely used for torture as the mob are known to frequent the underground labyrinth.

They also discover an array of random objects including a fridge with carrots in, a freshly opened packet of chips, a rusting motorcycle, a camera and a teddy bear.

At one point, the team reach the lights of a casino carpark and Buckingham says that it would be very easy for someone on the run to slip through the gates and access the tunnels to escape from police.

To date, the filmmaker's first video offering a glimpse in the lives of the 'mole people' has been watched more than one million times.

Many viewers have praised the documentary for showing this 'misunderstood' community in a different light.

One commenter wrote: 'These guys are so much more intelligent well spoken and kind than anyone would assume from looking at them. I'm guilty of this too.

'This really makes me want to get some background on the local homeless people around me.'

Another viewer said that the film resonated as they had witnessed similar hardships.

'I went from owning my first home in Louisiana as a 20-year-old to being homeless at 26 because of a man,' they said.

'I drove across the US in my 2003 Mazda and after a year I'm about to sign a lease to my first apartment in Washington.

'Life can change in the blink of an eye and you never know when you can be in a helpless situation.

'No one is above anyone and I truly believe that if everyone was willing to love and help one another, things would be a bit brighter.'
Bama Rush 2023 is in full swing - and some of the sorority pledges have forked out tens of thousands of dollars on their outfits in a bid to impress Greek house officials.

Back in 2021, a series of women who were trying to join the University of Alabama's Panhellenic community documented their road to being accepted into one of the 18 different sororities at the school, and uploaded it all to TikTok.

Their videos quickly exploded, and many people on the web became enthralled with watching the lengthy process play out.

Since then, every time August rolls around, #BamaRush goes viral once again, as a whole new set of freshmen attempt to join the school's coveted Greek houses.

Bama Rush 2023 is in full swing - and some of the sorority pledges have forked out tens of thousands of dollars on their outfits in a bid to impress Greek house officials

Since it kicked off on August 12, many of the hopeful pledges have been showcasing the pricey outfits that they've worn throughout the process to TikTok - and some cost more than $10,000

From a $7,950 Louis Vuitton bracelet to a $4,110 Tiffany & Co. necklace, the women have certainly pulled out all the stops when it comes to their Bama Rush clothes and accessories

A TikTok account rounded up some of the most expensive ensembles that the students have worn - and Bri McCurdy (seen) took the lead with a 'fit that totaled a whopping $22,535

This year Bama Rush kicked off on August 12, and many of the hopeful pledges have been showcasing the pricey outfits that they've worn throughout the process to TikTok - and some of their looks cost more than $10,000.

From a $7,950 Louis Vuitton bracelet and a $2,080 Cartier ring to $1,700 Prada sneakers and a $4,110 Tiffany & Co. necklace, the women attempting to join the sororities this year have certainly pulled out all the stops when it comes to their Bama Rush clothes and accessories.

Bri, 18, originally from New York, opted for a University of Alabama Panhellenic top, which she paired with a Burberry pleated cotton skirt, which costs $300, on Bama Rush day three

A TikTok account with the username @BamaRushTok1 rounded up some of the most expensive ensembles that the students have worn - and Bama Rush pledge Bri McCurdy took the lead with a 'fit that totaled a whopping $22,535.

Bri, 18, originally from New York, opted for a University of Alabama Panhellenic top, which she paired with a Burberry pleated cotton skirt, which costs $300, on Bama Rush day three.

She completed the look with the brand's Salmond Check Low Top sneakers, priced at $570, and a matching Burberry headband, which was $170.

She accessorized with a slew of lavish jewelry pieces - including the $2,080 Cartier Love Ring and the $7,350 Cartier Love Bracelet.

The 18-year-old also wore a $395 David Yurman sterling silver Cable bracelet with 18-karat yellow gold finishing, a $275 Kendra Scott 18-karat gold Vermeil Cuff bracelet, two $65 BaubleBar 14-karat gold Pisa bracelets, a $11,200 Rolex watch, and a $65 letter B pendant necklace, also made by Kendra Scott.

'Although the outfits and shoes are cute it's a lot more than that,' Bri insisted in the video she shared detailing her outfit.

She completed the look with the brand's Salmond Check Low Top sneakers, priced at $570, and a matching Burberry headband, which was $170

She accessorized with a slew of lavish jewelry pieces - including the $2,080 Cartier Love Ring and the $7,350 Cartier Love Bracelet

The 18-year-old also wore a $395 David Yurman sterling silver Cable bracelet with 18-karat yellow gold finishing and a $275 Kendra Scott 18-karat gold Vermeil Cuff bracelet

She also donned two $65 BaubleBar 14-karat gold Pisa bracelets, a $11,200 Rolex watch (seen), and a $65 letter B pendant necklace, also made by Kendra Scott

'It's about sisterhood, about building bonds. It's about relationships, and most of all, who we are as people, not what color our hair is our how expensive our jewelry is.'

Another pledge, named Skylar Ehlinger, wore a look that cost a colossal $13,000 that day

Another pledge, named Skylar Ehlinger, wore a look that cost a colossal $13,363 that day.

She donned a University of Alabama Panhellenic T-shirt with Judith March's Radiant Color Block skirt, which was priced at $88, and Golden Goose's Super-Star sneakers, which cost $595.

Skylar, 18, from Texas originally, also wore a $8,000 Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet in pink gold, a $670 Hermes Clic H bracelet, and Tiffany & Co.'s $4,010 diamond pendant necklace.

University of Alabama student Kylan Darnell shared a video detailing her look for day four of Bama Rush, and it totaled $9,644.

Kylan, 22, who hailed from Ohio, opted for a pink Zeta Tau Alpha jersey and a $68 Wiskii pleated skirt in white. Her sneakers were from the brand Hoka and cost $165.

As for her bling, she wore $23 Francesca's Colored Pearl Linear earrings, the $670 Hermes Clic H bracelet, a $178 Tory Burch Kira Enamel bracelet, a $590 Dior J'Adior bracelet, and a $7,950 Louis Vuitton Empreinte bangle bracelet in gold.

She donned a University of Alabama Panhellenic T-shirt with Judith March's Radiant Color Block skirt, which was $88, and Golden Goose's Super-Star sneakers, which cost $595

Skylar, 18, from Texas originally, also wore a $8,000 Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet (seen), a $670 Hermes Clic H bracelet, and Tiffany & Co.'s $4,010 diamond pendant necklace

University of Alabama student Kylan Darnell shared a video detailing her look for day four of Bama Rush, and it totaled more than $9,000

Kylan, 22, who hailed from Ohio, opted for a pink Zeta Tau Alpha jersey and a $68 Wiskii pleated skirt in white. Her sneakers were from the brand Hoka and cost $165

As for her bling, she wore a $670 Hermes Clic H bracelet, a $178 Tory Burch Kira Enamel bracelet, a $590 Dior J'Adior bracelet, and a $7,950 Louis Vuitton Empreinte bangle bracelet

Eighteen-year-old student Bella Reaves, from Alabama, also left viewers stunned with her exorbitant ensemble. She opted for a skirt and shirt combo from Gold Hinge that cost $105

She completed the look with a slew of lavish accessories including a $345 David Yurman necklace, a $1,895 Michele watch, and three rings from David Yurman that cost $965 total

She also used Gucci's Flora perfume, which is $123.

Eighteen-year-old student Bella Reaves, from Alabama, also left viewers stunned with her exorbitant ensemble.

For day one, she opted for a skirt and shirt combo from Gold Hinge that cost $105 and Golden Goose Super-Star low top sneakers, which were $545.

She completed the look with a slew of lavish accessories including a $345 David Yurman necklace, a $1,895 Michele watch, two bracelets from David Yurman that cost $550 and $425, and three rings from David Yurman that are priced at $175, $295, and $495.

She also wore a few E Newton bracelets, but because they range in price from $42 to $178, it's unclear what the cost of those were. Even so, her outfit totaled about $4,830.
No matter what kind of day you're having, just one look at these adorable poodles is guaranteed to have you melting.

Meet who some are calling the 'world's happiest poodles' because of their most captivating smiles.

Abbie Qu, 33, from Shenzhen, China, has taken TikTok by storm with her collection of delectably sweet poodles Angel, Kongkong, Kaka, Fengfeng and Bobo.

It seems we can't get enough of them, as they've so far charmed around 5.5 million likes on TikTok and a staggering 118,000 followers on Instagram.

The dogs, aged between one and 12 years old, have become famous in their own right after their owner Abbie began sharing clips of them online.

Sweet poodles Angel, Kongkong, Kaka, Fengfeng and Bobo have taken TikTok by storm with their adorable smiles

Based in Shenzhen, China, they've so far charmed around 5.5 million likes on TikTok and a staggering 118,000 followers on Instagram

The dogs, aged between one and 12 years old, have become famous in their own right after their owner Abbie began sharing clips of them online

Speaking of the cute puppies, Abbie says she's shocked at their Instagram fame. She said: 'They were born with their nice smiles but it was surprising to see them become famous'.

Posting the pups almost daily, Abbie has transformed her TikTok account into a semi diary, keeping their legion of fans abreast of their daily activities.

In a video uploaded just two days ago, one of the pups appears to be having a grooming day, complete with a full trim and combing session.

As the pup stares into the camera, it's hard to believe the expression 'puppy dog' eyes' didn't derive from this cute little video.

Elsewhere in another clip, one dog from the family shares the sweetest smile while someone off camera feeds it a selection of treats. The poodle grins from ear and refuses to stop smiling.

In another post that has so far been seen almost 700,000 times, one of the poodles smiles excitedly while enjoying relaxing tickles and a scratch. The poodle pleads helplessly for Abbie's attention while looking square on into the camera.

Over 300 adoring viewers stopped at the post to comment on just how cute they are.

Possibly speaking for a multitude of people, one person wrote: 'The eyes are melting me'.

Abbie Qu, 33, (pictured) has transformed her TikTok account into a semi diary, keeping her pups' fans abreast of their daily activities

They're pawfect! Perhaps the most adorable video of them all is this one captioned 'dog bath day', which features one of the lovable pups having a joyous bath

'I will automatically smile when I see this dog,' said another.

So taken aback by the video, another person wrote: 'I cant imagine my life without this cute dog'.

'Their eyes are so cute and expressive,' said someone else.

Perhaps the most adorable video of them all is one captioned 'dog bath day', which features one of the lovable pups having a joyous bath.

The video starts off with the little pooch surrounded by mini rubber ducks all sitting in a row.

Adoring viewers regularly comment on how cute they are, with many wishing they could keep the poodles for themselves

You can see the excitement fizzle in the cutester's eyes as it awaits its doggy bath.

A hand, which appears to be Abbie's then squirts the poodle with a thick soapy foam before caressing it into the pup with mini paddle brush.

The pup is treated to a relaxing, yet thorough bath as the cleansing liquid is woven into its mane and body fur.

Perhaps when you thought the display couldn't get any cuter, the pup is rinsed off thoroughly while it balances a rubber duck on it's head.

It is then dried off with a blow dryer and given a quick trim - it looks like full on salon treatment.
A holidaymaker was mortified after a fellow hotel guest kept insisting she must be pregnant after her stomach was bloated from indulging on the all-inclusive buffet.

Lauren Saddington, a TikTokker and podcaster from Burnley, Lancashire, has been holidaying in lzdeniz, Turkey.

In a video the 26-year-old shared with her followers, she revealed that while she hasn't enjoyed the breakfast options, the lunch and dinner foods have been delicious.

As a result, at these two meal times, Lauren said she had been tucking into the tasty food and enjoying three plates.

This, she says in her video, has left her with some bloating, as is often the case when eating from buffets.

Lauren Saddington (pictured) has opened up about an uncomfortable exchange she had with a fellow holidaymaker in Turkey

According to the 26-year-old podcaster and TikTok creator, she was asked if she was pregnant, but she was just a bit bloated from eating at the all-inclusive buffet

Lauren (pictured) has said she likes to promote body positivity, and would never ask someone if they were pregnant

While this is to be expected when on holiday, an interaction Lauren had with a fellow vacationer was less run-of-the-mill.

According to podcast host Lauren, one morning during breakfast, she was approached by another woman staying at the resort.

Initially, the influencer thought that the guest was going to say she recognised her from her TikTok channel.

But instead, Lauren was left horrified by what the guest had to say.

Describing the interaction in her video, Lauren says: 'She says "hasn't your belly grown, it's really big".

'I'm stood there going 'Oh I don't know how to handle this'.

'And then she says "well I just thought you were really pretty the first week I saw you and now your belly's huge".'

And that was not the end of the conversation, the woman continued speaking.

The glamorous 26-year-old appeared shocked by the conversation, and was surprised that someone would approach a stranger with such questions

As Lauren (pictured) noted, she was simply enjoying her holiday, and making the most of the all-inclusive buffet

The TikTok creator and podcaster looked stylish as she posed for snaps during the two-week sun soaked break in Turkey

Lauren made a video (pictured) about the situation, during which, it is clear to see the range of emotions she experienced as a result of the interchange

Fans of the TikTok creator (pictured) said they were sorry that she had experienced the uncomfortable situation

According to the Lauren, the woman then said: 'You must be pregnant?'.

Lauren wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

She says she told the woman that she was just enjoying her food at the all-inclusive resort.

And then, after telling the fellow holidaymaker that she wasn't pregnant, Lauren claimed she gasped in shock.

The 26-year-old continues in her video: 'There was sheer horror on my face because I didn't know what she was getting to here.'

Lauren said she hoped the woman felt mortified about the conversation, as she herself would feel mortified if she made such assumptions about a stranger

AWFUL EXPERIENCE: In her own words, Lauren had an 'awful' time while being probed by the fellow hotel guest about her changing appearance over the holiday

The stylish TikTokker says she would never ask someone if they were pregnant, just because they had a bump

Finally, the other guest revealed she felt 'mortified' about making - and vocalising - her assumption that Lauren was pregnant.

The TikTokker said: 'Do you know what, I hope you are mortified because I would never even ask someone if they were pregnant if I saw a massive bump on their belly.'

After sharing this experience on social media, Lauren's fans were shocked to hear about the conversation, with some expressing anger.

Lauren shared her experience on social media and her fans were left furious.

One fan said: 'Wow this is shocking.

'So sorry you had to deal with that, that's just horrific, you're beautiful.'

Fans of Lauren took to the comments section of her video to share their own thoughts, with some expressing anger at the stranger's comments

Jacqueline Cooper said: 'Why would she even say that?

'That's just so wrong.'

'What the hell is wrong with people oh my god,' fumed fan, Emily.

Nicole Stevens said: 'I think she must have been incredibly insecure and saw an in to tear another woman down.

'I'm so sorry, you're beautiful with or without the bloat.'
Queen Elizabeth II expressed regret that the rise of the digital age meant she was greeted by 'a sea of mobile phones' on walkabouts, it was disclosed today.

Over the course of a decade, the late monarch said, she went from being able to meet the public face-to-face to noticing well-wishers were preoccupied with taking photographs and videos.

Her comments were revealed by award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti, who in 2017 became the youngest recipient of the Queen's medal for music at the age of 29.

Ms Benedetti told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I quote our late Queen, who I met after winning the Queen's medal for music. She said her view of the world [had] been impacted so much by digital devices.

'She used to look out into a sea of people and then, in the last ten years or so, she just [looked] out into a sea of phones, she said to me.

Queen Elizabeth II expressed regret that the rise of the digital age meant she was greeted by 'a sea of mobile phones' on walkabouts, it was disclosed today

Over the course of a decade, the late monarch said, she went from being able to meet the public face-to-face to noticing well-wishers were preoccupied with taking photographs and videos

'She was talking about the unbelievable power and importance of music education.

'But she also said [playing an instrument in an orchestra] was one of the only times when nobody is looking for anything else.

'You've got an instrument in hand and everyone is collectivised round this one thing.

'It requires you to listen harder than you speak or talk.

'You have to be part of a bigger organism. To lose that would be such a heartache.'

The violinist was awarded a CBE for services to music in 2019.

The late Queen was a early adopter of mobile phones, being given one in 2001. But she was said to have been frustrated by the impact they had on human interaction.

Her comments were revealed by award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti (pictured), who in 2017 became the youngest recipient of the Queen's medal for music at the age of 29

Ian Lloyd, author of The Queen: 70 Chapters In The Life of Elizabeth II, said: 'The walkabouts were set up by the Queen in the 1970s as a way for her to meet and engage with the public, but in the digital era she missed that eye contact, with mobile phones thwarting that genuine connection.'

He added: 'People would just hold up their camera phones or, even worse, their iPads, so she would be faced with a wall of screens. They just want to record the moment rather than experience it, which is a shame.'

The late Queen also faced digital interruptions at important events. On one occasion Clare Short, International Development Secretary under Tony Blair, realised she had left her mobile phone on when it rang in a meeting of the Privy Council. 'Oh dear,' the Queen said. 'I hope it wasn't anyone important.' Princess Anne shared her mother's feelings. In 2018, the Princess Royal said: 'I'm glad I'm not starting [to do walkabouts] now because at least you [previously] had people to talk to  now you don't really.

'Phones are bad enough but the iPads, you can't even see their heads! You don't know who you're talking to. I either don't bother, or I say, 'Look, if you want to meet us, I suggest you put that down!'

'It's weird. People don't think they've experienced the event unless they've taken photographs. And usually you're standing immediately in front of them.'
Niki's seizures are a type of functional neurological disorder (FND)  when the nervous system and the way the brain sends and receives signals misfire

A woman from Canada on the verge of suicide said experimental ketamine therapy saved her life.

Niki, 52, suffers from 'drug resistant' depression, meaning conventional treatments failed to ease her persistent low mood.

She also suffered from seizures but was repeatedly told by doctors the root cause was anxiety and nothing could help her.

Niki told DailyMail.com: 'I was completely desperate  I would have tried anything. I didn't want to live anymore.'

In 2018, Niki was experiencing two full-body seizures per day, which would sometimes last up to eight hours.

She said: 'I started having these weird body movements that I couldn't control. I remember one day, I was sitting on my bed, and I had to use the restroom, and I couldn't move my legs. They just wouldn't move. All of a sudden, they just started shaking so badly... it was the weirdest sensation.

'After that, I started getting really strange facial movements that I couldn't stop, like my face would just completely distort. I didn't know what was wrong.'

Niki's seizures are a type of functional neurological disorder (FND)  when the nervous system and the way the brain sends and receives signals misfire. Her condition was caused by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from childhood and adult trauma.

She knew nothing about ketamine, a horse tranquilizer turned rave drug, but was introduced to it by Dr Evan Lewis, who was treating her daughter for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) with medical cannabis.

Dr Lewis is a neurologist at Numinus, a Canadian company offering psychedelic treatment for various conditions.

At Dr Lewis' recommendation, Niki and her husband traveled two hours to Toronto to get her first dose of ketamine in October 2022.

Niki's ketamine therapy session began with taking a ketamine pill, followed by an intranasal dose of more ketamine. The therapy lasted around 90 minutes, during which she laid on a couch with her eyes covered and listened to relaxing music (stock photo)

In New York ketamine clinics visited by DailyMail.com, patients undergoing ketamine treatments recline in a leather lounge chair that resembles a SpaceX device designed by Elon Musk, a feature meant to cocoon the user and foster introspection

In Canada, ketamine is controlled under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, meaning it is illegal to sell, possess or produce ketamine unless it is for medical, scientific or industrial purposes.

In the US, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) classified the drug as a Schedule III controlled substance. Possession of these substances without a prescription is illegal.

In the 1970s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of ketamine via prescription as an anesthetic for patients, creating a loophole for healthcare providers to prescribe the drug off-label to treat other conditions, such as depression.

Off-label prescribing is when a doctor gives you a drug to treat a condition different from what it was approved to treat.

When preliminary research showed the drug could be an effective antidepressant, doctors began using it for depression and clinics in the US offering ketamine therapy began popping up.

Before discovering ketamine therapy, Niki would have intense seizures that took her up to 48 hours to recover from. She had gone to the emergency room multiple times, but doctors could find nothing wrong with her and blamed it on anxiety.

'I've had that... I can't tell you how many times. It was really hurtful, not that I was looking for something to be wrong with me, but it was just an answer that I had heard over and over again, but I thought, well then [why] can't anyone help me?'

In a treatment room at one clinic, patients spend an hour outfitted with a sleeping mask while listening to theta brain waves, which are at the dominant frequency in healing, high creative states, and remembering emotional experiences. Patients reported feeling 'stoned', with many saying they've had out-of-body experiences

Niki knew nothing about psychedelics but was introduced by a doctor to ketamine therapy, a former horse tranquilizer turned rave drug

'I thought I had Parkinson's, because that's what it looked like. I would shake like a poor Parkinson's patient. I also thought maybe I had MS because then it got to the point where I couldn't walk.'

At one point, she was taking 11 pills a day.

'Three of them were benzodiazepines... I was on anti-seizure meds, a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant, muscle relaxants, and nothing was working. Honestly, looking back, I think I just got sicker.'

'I was like a zombie,' she said.

When a neurologist in an emergency room told Niki she had FND, she said: 'There's nothing I can do about it. There's no treatment; there's no help.'

However, after just one ketamine-assisted therapy session, she went nine days without a seizure.

Niki's ketamine therapy session began with taking a ketamine pill, followed by an intranasal dose of more ketamine. The therapy lasted around 90 minutes, during which she laid on a couch with her eyes covered and listened to relaxing music.

'The stress on my shoulders lifted a little bit. I wasn't scared anymore,' she said.

'After that, I went right into a different state of consciousness. I was so comfortable, and I felt safe.'

She added: 'It was weird because I had no control over my thoughts. I just went to this beautiful place where I'd been before [in meditation]. I was verbally telling Dr Lewis and Caitlin, the nurse, everything I was seeing and feeling.

'It was actually very emotional but not painful. It was just it was beautiful. I felt free.'

Following her initial experience, Niki continued with treatment once a week for three weeks, then every other week. Ten months later, she is now down to using just one pill as a maintenance dose once every two months.

One month after starting treatment, she was able to go back to her job full-time.

Niki said: 'My seizures went down to probably 18 a month. As of May, I had eight a month.'

'I'm not seizure-free. But I'm functioning; I'm able to help take care of my kids and run my business from home... I don't know if I would be here, to be honest, if it weren't for [ketamine]. Dr Lewis gave me my life back.'
The number of neighbourhoods hit by Covid outbreaks in England has doubled in a fortnight, MailOnline can reveal amid fears the 'real deal' variant may be sweeping the country.

Nearly 600 districts reported clusters in the week to August 12, up from just 270 two weeks earlier.

Hospital admissions are also rising sharply, sparking concerns that the UK is on the brink of another wave just as the country heads into the autumn when the NHS gets busier.

Experts have speculated bad weather over the past few weeks and even 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 from jab roll-outs.

But the uptick coincides with the arrival of Eris, a variant which already makes up one in four new cases.

UK Health Security Agency statistics show that 589 out of 6,500 neighbourhoods in England had detected at least three Covid cases in the week to August 12. For comparison, just 58 areas had reached this threshold  given to protect the anonymity of patients sickened in tiny clusters  at the start of July. MailOnline analysis shows the figure has gradually increased week-on-week since then, hitting 270 on July 29 and 448 on August 5

Another heavily-mutated strain dubbed the 'real deal', which has spooked experts and already prompted calls for the return of face masks, was today confirmed to be in Britain. Genetic tests revealed an unidentified patient in a London hospital had BA.X, otherwise known as BA.2.86.

Alarm bells were raised because they are thought to have caught the strain within the UK. No links were found to four other cases logged worldwide, in the US, Denmark and Israel.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist from the University of Reading, told MailOnline: 'We can be pretty sure that its circulating in the population more widely.

'What we dont know is by how much or in whom and we dont know how much of a problem its going to cause as we move towards autumn and winter.'

Health chiefs don't know when BA.X reached Britain. It could have silently spreading for weeks.

READ MORE: 'Real deal' Covid variant is now in Britain: Patient is hospitalised in London with heavily-mutated BA.X strain - and experts think they caught it IN the UK One case of the Omicron spin off  given the placeholder name as BA.X but yet to be officially designated  has reportedly been confirmed in London Advertisement

UK Health Security Agency statistics show that 589 out of 6,500 neighbourhoods in England had detected at least three Covid cases in the week to August 12.

For comparison, just 58 areas had reached this threshold  given to protect the anonymity of patients sickened in tiny clusters  at the start of July.

MailOnline analysis shows the figure has gradually increased week-on-week since then, hitting 270 on July 29 and 448 on August 5.

It means the number of regions in England hit by Covid has more than doubled in a fortnight and surged 10-fold in five weeks.

The figures only reflect the tip of the iceberg, however.

Barely any Covid cases are logged nowadays because of the decision to bin the multi-billion pound mass-testing scheme in April 2022, in acknowledgement that the darkest days of the UK's virus crisis were over. Infection rates are, therefore, not neccessarily an accurate reflection of the current picture.

However, testing levels have remained stable over the past few months.

Around 5,000 lateral flow test results and 2,700 PCR readings have been uploaded per day in the last week.

Positive test results are reported by the minority of the public still eligible for a free Covid test or have taken a PCR swab  such as health and social care workers, anyone with underlying health conditions.

The UKHSA data also includes results from labs that process privately-purchased PCR tests, which share findings with the Government.

The toll of affected neighbourhoods is still a fraction of levels seen at the height of the pandemic.

In early 2021, when the nation had battled through its first winter with Covid circulating, more than 5,300 local authorities reported cases and at much higher levels.

UK Health Security Agency statistics show that 589 out of 6,500 neighbourhoods in England had detected at least three Covid cases in the week to August 12. MailOnline analysis shows the figure has gradually increased week-on-week since then, hitting 270 on July 29 and 448 on August 5

BA.X's official arrival comes as Covid cases take off once again, sparking concerns that the UK is on the brink of another wave just as the country heads into the winter when the NHS is busiest. NHS hospital data shows daily Covid admissions in England have increased on average by almost a fifth in week, rising from a 7-day rolling average of 258 on August 4, to 308 on August 11, according to the latest figures available

In the latest week, rates were highest in Horsham, West Sussex, where 106 infections were confirmed per 100,000 people.

Virus levels were also high in Weston Town, North Somerset (102), Porthleven, Breage and Praa Sands in Cornwall (102) and East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs in Lewes (101).

Meanwhile, Covid-positive admissions hit 3 per 100,000 people in England in the week to August 13, up from 1.2 just four weeks earlier.

Virologists are unsettled by BA.X because of the catalogue of mutations it carries on its spike protein, the piece of the coronavirus that vaccines were designed to target.

Experts, however, have warned it's far too early to panic. No evidence shows BA.X is any more of a threat than the dozens of strains that have come before it.

Immunity levels built-up through vaccine roll-outs and previous waves remain high and, over time, the virus has evolved to become less deadly and resemble something closer to that of the flu.

Other variants flagged as troublesome have just fizzled out naturally.

Ministers have vowed they will never deploy curbs wielded during the darkest days of the crisis in 2020 and 2021 unless a doomsday variant emerges which sends the world back to square one.

Virus-tracking researchers detected the Omicron spin-off  given the placeholder name BA.X or BA.2.86  in a patient hospitalised in London. UKHSA bosses did not reveal exactly how many cases have been spotted so far. Only six cases of the strain  first spotted last month  have been detected so far worldwide, in the US, Denmark and Israel

Alarm bells over the strain were first rung earlier this week, after a prominent online virus-tracker spotted cases initially crop up in Denmark. The discovery came just a day after the same lineage was detected in Israel.

Yesterday, variant trackers online also suggested a fourth case had been spotted in Michigan.

The strain is classed as a 'currently circulating variant under monitoring' by the World Health Organization.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and lead for the Covid response at the WHO, cautioned there is very limited information available on the strain.

But she said it needs monitoring due to its large number of mutations.

Surveillance and sequencing is 'critical' to detect new variants and track known ones, she added.

Dr Meera Chand, deputy director of the UKHSA told MailOnline: 'We are aware that BA.2.86 has been detected in the UK.

'UKHSA is assessing the situation and will provide further information in due course.'

Meanwhile, Professor Francois Balloux, a vocal Covid commentator throughout the pandemic, from University College London, labelled BA.2.86 'the most striking strain the world has witnessed since the emergence of Omicron'.

He said: 'Even in the worst case scenario where BA.2.86 caused a major new wave of cases, we are not expecting to witness comparable levels of severe disease and death than we did earlier in the pandemic when the Alpha, Delta or Omicron variants spread.

'Most people on earth have now been vaccinated and/or infected by the virus.

'Even if people get reinfected by BA.2.86, immune memory will still allow their immune system to kick in and control the infection far more effectively.'

Professor Balloux added, however: 'A large wave of infection by BA.2.86, or any future comparable variant, would be an unwelcome event.'
Dreaming occupies a surprisingly large amount of our night. A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison - where they measured the brain waves of people as they slept - concluded that we spend up to 70 per cent of our nights dreaming.

Yet we never remember most of our dreams. So why do we have them?

Well, scientists are now beginning to understand why we have certain dreams  and what they mean.

Dreams have long fascinated us. The Ancient Greeks decided there were two types: most were unimportant, triggered by everyday hopes and fears. But some were prophetic, a form of divine intervention allowing the gods to communicate with 'chosen' individuals and help them see into the future.

As far as I know I've never had a prophetic dream - and the ones I remember are fairly straightforward, like trying to get my bags packed in time to get to the airport but struggling to find the last few socks or underpants I need.

Dreams of being naked in public may suggest you harbour feelings of guilt or inferiority. Pinpointing what is causing the stress may help

This sort of dream is very common, one of several classic 'anxiety' dreams.

But while most of us have anxiety dreams, in fact a lot of what we dream about is, as the Ancient Greeks claimed, simply a reflection of the events of that day and which your brain is busy processing.

This was strikingly demonstrated in a recent study by the University of Freiburg in Germany, where 20 people were asked to listen to four audiobooks before bed. These included The Mystery Of The Blue Train by Agatha Christie and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

The volunteers were asked to wear an EEG cap, to record their brain waves, and then left alone in the sleep lab to drift into the land of nod.

Ninety minutes after they'd gone to sleep, the volunteers were woken and asked if they had been dreaming and, if so, about what. The researchers did this to the unfortunate volunteers several more times during the night.

The next morning independent researchers (who didn't know anything about the experiment), read the accounts of what each volunteer had been dreaming about and were asked to guess which audiobook they had listened to. They got it right with impressive accuracy. They could also tell, based on looking at their brain waves, which of the volunteers had been listening to the same audiobooks.

In other words, their dreams reflected the things that happened to them earlier in the day.

A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison - where they measured the brain waves of people as they slept - concluded that we spend up to 70 per cent of our nights dreaming (File image)

Most dreams occur during a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement (REM), particularly our anxiety dreams, which paradoxically serve an important purpose: helping us feel less stressed when we are awake.

During REM sleep most of our muscles are paralysed. We still breathe, but apart from that, the only part of us that is obviously moving is our eyes. (If you look at someone in REM sleep, underneath their eyelids, their eyes will be flickering madly.) It's thought this 'sleep paralysis' is to ensure we don't act out our dreams.

READ MORE: The 10 most common dreams and what they REALLY mean Advertisement

REM sleep is also the only time, day or night, when links to stress-inducing chemicals in the brain are switched off. This means that, while the dreams we have might be scary, they're nothing like as bad as they would be if you were having them while you were awake.

Having a stress dream while in REM sleep is a form of psychotherapy - you revisit unpleasant memories and events but remain calm. This allows you to process your emotions and defuse them.

So the more REM sleep you can get, the better for your emotional wellbeing. We get REM sleep throughout the night, but more of it towards morning, so try not to cut your sleep short.

There are lots of different ways people express anxiety in their dreams, but here are six of the most common:

1. Running late

For me, this takes the form of trying to pack in order to catch a plane, but failing. Or sometimes I'm late for a meeting and unable to find my way there.

These types of dreams are thought to be your subconscious mind telling you that you're cramming too much into your life.

It's time for me to reign myself in! Now that I'm 66, I find I get tired more easily than I used to  yet despite this, I've also overcommitted to doing lots of stuff that I don't really want to do. This phenomenon is so common it has a name: 'the yesdamn effect'. You say 'yes' to something because it's way off in the future, and when the time comes to do that thing, you realise that you don't have the time or inclination  hence the 'damn'. This happens because we believe that our future selves will be less busy than our present selves, and can cope with extra commitments. In fact, the best guide to how busy you will be in the future is how busy you are now. To avoid a 'yes-damn' situation, try the 'no-hurray' technique: You say 'no' to doing something, but put it in your calendar anyway. When the date comes around you'll feel so grateful that your past self didn't overcommit, you'll be able to celebrate. That's the theory  now I've got to put it to the test. Advertisement

2. Chasing someone

I often dream about chasing someone, but I'm never quite able to catch up.

The most plausible explanation is that this is a subconscious fear I have that however hard I try, I am never going to achieve my goals.

3. Falling off a cliff

Dreams of falling - perhaps off a cliff or building - are interpreted as a fear about loss of control; that you don't feel as in charge of your life as you'd like.

4. Unprepared for a test

Like falling off a cliff, this is about feeling out of control and ill-prepared for challenges ahead.

5. Teeth falling out

This seems to happen more commonly after the loss of a loved one and may reflect a fear of growing old and dying.

6. Being naked in public

This is not one I experience (and so don't have to inflict it on your imagination), but if you do, it may suggest you harbour feelings of guilt or inferiority.

If you have anxiety dreams then it can be reassuring to know that they are common and are really just a sign that you are stressed.

Pinpointing what is causing the stress may help, as can writing down the dream during the day - and then changing the ending.

I know someone who was haunted by dreams of spiders, but who found that writing about them, and then imagining them fleeing in terror from her, made a big difference. The spider dreams gradually faded away.
A few months ago, I got a call from a reporter from the BBCs Disclosure programme asking me to appear in a documentary about antidepressants.

He said it was a short film that would present the subject in a balanced way, featuring a variety of views. The medicine, taken by eight million Britons, has had its fair share of bad press recently amid concerns about psychiatric side effects.

However, as I have written before, I am a big advocate for the pills.

In November I revealed how, on three occasions, Ive been prescribed antidepressants for anxiety  the first when I just 15 years old, helping me to overcome the disabling panic I was feeling and get through my GCSE exams.

The reporter told me he had read my article and, in June, visited my office to film an interview. My take was nuanced: as a health journalist, I am well aware of the downsides of antidepressants, namely potential side effects and withdrawal.

I also know there are some experts who say the benefits have been overblown and are, in fact, outweighed by the harms.

STRONGEST BOND: Dylan Stallan with his mother Seonaid

My experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, though. Id had no problems until my most recent time on the treatment  I was prescribed, and am still on, fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, in September  when I felt completely mad for the first two weeks.

This has since subsided. My anxiety has been controlled and those tricky few weeks were ultimately worth it. I explained that Id never had a problem coming off them but, when I do, this time Ill reduce my dose slowly, as per the latest NHS guidelines, to avoid any shocks to the system.

I thought it made for an interesting discussion. Unfortunately, you cant decide for yourself.

The reporter called last week, a few days before the film, Disclosure: Are My Anti-depressants Worth It?, aired. He told me my interview had been cut due to technical difficulties while filming.

And this may be the case, but I cant help wonder if it was also, to some extent, because I wasnt anti-antidepressants enough.

It appeared as though they swapped my teenage experience for anothers: 18-year-old Dylan Stallan, who took his own life in 2015, two months into a course of the antidepressant sertraline.

It was a tragedy  and utterly worthy of the attention it was given. I strongly believe that its vital we talk about cases like these and try to learn from them.

But its also important to realise they are mercifully rare. So much so, its impossible to say whether antidepressants are the cause.

It seems like a missed opportunity that a much more mundane story, like my own, wasnt also aired.

Admittedly, it wouldnt have been as compelling.

But perhaps thats the point: antidepressants are taken by millions of Britons every year to help with sometimes crippling anxiety and depression. For the vast majority of patients, benefits greatly outweigh the risks.

The documentary didnt feel balanced to me. Although it featured two mildly positive personal stories, it focused heavily on the negatives  that the pills are linked to sexual issues, withdrawal symptoms and declining mental health.

Im not saying that these things arent true. As with any drug, there are a number of people affected by side effects. My worry is that constantly painting antidepressants in a bad light could result in people either refusing or quitting treatments that are often life-saving. And Im not alone in my concern.

The portrayal of antidepressants in recent documentaries is of a drug thats overprescribed, addictive and can cause suicide, says Professor Allan Young, head of academic psychiatry at Kings College London.

Not only is this untrue and unhelpful, it is potentially dangerous. Friends have phoned me up and told me theyre planning to stop taking their antidepressants because theyre scared by what theyve seen on TV or read online. There will perhaps be deaths and suicides as a result. That is a scandal.

You might ask just how harmful a documentary could possibly be. The answer? Very.

In 2013, Australian broadcaster ABC aired a two-part documentary The Heart Of The Matter on the cholesterol-lowering drugs statins. It suggested that the pills were toxic and questioned the benefits.

There was an outcry from the medical community and, eventually, an internal review found that relevant perspective about the effectiveness of statins was not properly reflected. The show was pulled from ABCs website, but the damage had been done.

In the eight months after the episodes aired, there were half a million fewer statin prescriptions than expected across Australia.

Dylan Stallan who killed himself after taking sertraline

Researchers from the University of Sydney who tracked the phenomenon estimated 60,000 people had either quit the drug or reduced their dose, and that there could have been an extra 2,900 heart attacks and strokes as a direct result of the documentary.

This effect has been seen in other drugs that have attracted controversy. And scare stories dont just stop people taking their pills. Research shows that simply believing a side effect might crop up can increase the likelihood that it will.

When drugs are put through clinical trials, volunteers are given the real medication or a dummy pill known as a placebo.

They do this in order to understand which benefits of a treatment are as a result of some other factor  known as the placebo effect. Studies show placebos can also cause side effects  despite there being no active ingredients.

In fact, when statins, since were talking about them, are studied in clinical trials, roughly the same number of patients experience side effects on the real drugs as they do on placebos.

Because of this, experts believe that at least some of the side effects experienced are caused by something other than the medicine. Dubbed the nocebo effect, its more often seen in treatments that frequently get bad press.

Of course, this doesnt mean that everyone who has suffered side effects is just imagining it.

But it does show perceptions and prejudices held by patients may have a genuine, physical impact.

And its not just statins. In 2018, researchers from the University of Auckland found a significant increase in side effects reported on antidepressant venlafaxine following publication of articles about its supposed ineffectiveness and links to suicidal thoughts.

The more negative effects are talked about, the more patients expect to experience those effects, says Dr Sameer Jauhar, consultant psychiatrist and senior clinical lecturer in affective disorders and psychosis at Kings College London. Its a phenomenon were well aware of with many drugs  especially antidepressants. And the recent programmes feature good examples of this type of scaremongering.

The Disclosure episode was the second BBC documentary that aired recently to explore the harms of antidepressants. In June, Panorama broadcast The Anti-depressant Story, a look into the history and alleged downsides of the most commonly taken of these drugs  selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. It was suggested drug companies behind the pills had tried to cover up withdrawal symptoms.

One expert featured said that due to a lack of long-term safety data, people like me, who take antidepressants for years at a time, are participating in a huge, unregulated experiment.

One could argue these are fair comments. If true, people have a right to know. But other experts Ive spoken to since have told me their contributions, which outlined the benefits and explained evidence that contradicted the negative points of view, were cut from the final show, too. I was interviewed for an hour, but they didnt use any of it, says Prof Young.

One expert describes how antidepressants can be life-saving, but Prof Jauhar says this was easily overshadowed by the negative views. So what vital information was left out?

In Disclosure, one young man named Connor says hes suffered sexual problems  genital numbness and a lack of interest in sex  which has lasted a year after he stopped taking the SSRI sertraline. Two experts explain that up to eight in ten people on SSRIs have sexual problems  and some will suffer for decades after they stop taking the pills, a phenomenon called post-SSRI sexual dysfunction.

The portrayal of antidepressants in recent documentaries is of a drug thats overprescribed, addictive and can cause suicide, says Professor Allan Young (pictured), head of academic psychiatry at Kings College London. Not only is this untrue and unhelpful, it is potentially dangerous'

It is stated this is not a diagnosis recognised by the NHS, but what isnt mentioned is the reason: there is very limited scientific evidence to show the incidence is as high as it is claimed.

The scientific literature is not clear about the incidence of sexual problems because a lot of people suffer these symptoms as a result of the depression, says Dr Jauhar.

A 2015 review involving more than 3,000 patients found those who suffer depression have a 70 per cent increased risk of developing sexual dysfunction.

One high-quality analysis involving 12,300 men published earlier this year found sexual symptoms continued after coming off SSRIs in just one in 216 patients. While the show did feature one patient who said the sexual effects are worth the benefits, I feel these studies could also have been mentioned in to provide balance.

Experts in the film also comment that one in 50 under-25 year olds will experience suicidal thoughts when taking antidepressants. However, according to an Oxford University study published this month, the incidence is actually one in 217. And, for the majority, these symptoms vanish after a couple of months.

Crucially, the programme doesnt mention that antidepressants prevent suicides, as shown by University College London researchers in a study from 2013.

They followed 5,000 young people with a high-risk history of mental illness for 14 years and found that 75 per cent of those who committed suicide had not taken antidepressants in the year before their death.

Panorama and Disclosure feature patients with dizziness, headaches and declining mental health once they stopped the drug.

Panorama features experts who claim there is little long-term safety data for antidepressants.

But the programme omits decades of observational data  which follow thousands of patients taking antidepressants over many years  that majoritively show the benefits outweigh the risks.

It also does not clarify that the duration and severity of symptoms differs depending on how quickly you stop taking the drugs.

For instance, one 2015 review found withdrawal symptoms occurred in around 40 per cent of patients  but all of these participants stopped abruptly.

And since 2021, the updated guidance by the National Institute For Health and Care Excellence urges doctors to help patients come off their antidepressants gradually.

I very rarely see cases where this cant in fact be managed by tapering patients off slowly, adds Prof Young.

Panorama also claims the public were misled about how SSRIs work. We see old US TV adverts for Prozac that claim the drugs correct a chemical imbalance in the brain, which the programme suggests isnt true.

The narrator cites a paper published last summer, by Professor Joanna Moncrieff at University College London, which found insufficient evidence to prove the role that the chemical serotonin has in depression.

It is true that the scientific community is unsure exactly how the drugs work. But the programme fails to mention several brain-imaging studies that show serotonin is implicated in depression.

These were collated in a rebuttal to Prof Moncrieffs study a year after Panorama was broadcasted, written by nearly 40 of the UKs top psychiatry experts.

If the drugs work, there must be a chemical effect and there is plenty of proof that serotonin modulates mood, says Prof Young.

It wouldnt have taken much to find this evidence and it is a great shame that it wasnt included.

A BBC spokesman said: Great care was taken to ensure that a balanced view of the issues being covered was presented. The programmes also make it very clear that any decision to stop or alter a dose should always be taken in close consultation with your doctor.

All BBC journalism is rigorously researched and conducted to the highest editorial standards.
It has been billed as the biggest shake-up in cancer care for decades: last week the NHS said it was planning to scrap most cancer waiting time targets in England. New guidelines will see ten targets  including the promise that patients with a suspected tumour will be seen by a specialist within two weeks  replaced by just three overarching pledges.

The primary aim will be to ensure that three-quarters of patients are given a diagnosis or the all-clear within a month of first visiting a doctor with possible cancer symptoms.

In addition, at least 96 per cent of patients should expect to start their first cancer treatment 31 days after they are diagnosed, and in 85 per cent of cases, cancer treatment should begin no later than two months after a GP referral.

It might sound alarming  these windows are all longer than two weeks  but health chiefs say the move will simplify how the NHS tracks its performance in tackling cancer and will ultimately help catch and treat cancer earlier.

The changes, which have been in the works for a number of years, are backed by the Government. On Tuesday, Health Minister Will Quince said that dropping the old targets was the right thing to do. And, reassuringly, Cancer Research UK  the UKs largest cancer charity  said the plan was a welcome innovation.

The primary aim will be to ensure that three-quarters of patients are given a diagnosis or the all-clear within a month of first visiting a doctor

Despite this, some experts spoke out last week to suggest new targets will do little to tackle what they describe as a mounting NHS cancer crisis. Professor Pat Price, head of charity Radiotherapy UK, accused the health service of fiddling around the edges while cancer care in the UK was in a shockingly bad way.

But many doctors also say that the previous cancer waiting time targets were outdated and overdue for reform.

Weve had the same cancer standards for 20 years and, frankly, its hard to manage ten different targets, says Prof Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer at NHS England. Its important we simplify these measures so patients can understand them.

The NHS is performing terribly against its cancer targets  85 per cent of patients should begin treatment within two months of referral from a GP but this goal hasnt been met since 2014.

And cases are predicted to rise from the current three million cancer sufferers in the UK to four million by 2030  meaning ever more stretched resources.

In an attempt to explain exactly how these changes will affect patients across the nation, we spoke to the experts who really know the answers. Read on to find out what you need to know...

Question) Surely ditching the two-week cancer waiting target cant be safe. Wont some cancers be picked up too late?

Answer) No - losing the two-week target for patients to be referred to a cancer specialist is perfectly safe, say experts. It may even speed up some diagnoses.

Under existing NHS guidelines, 93 per cent of patients must wait no more than two weeks to see a specialist after their GP has referred them. This is intended to ensure patients receive a cancer diagnosis as quickly as possible.

But experts argue that the two-week wait period is outdated and not based on scientific evidence.

The two-week target to see a specialist was one of the first cancer targets the NHS created, back in the 1990s, says Naser Turabi, Director of Evidence and Implementation at Cancer Research UK.

At the time the NHS was experiencing very long waiting times and the Government reacted by investing a huge amount of money in the NHS.

Health Minister Will Quince (pictured) said that dropping the old targets was the right thing to do

Ministers wanted to make sure its investment was put to good use, so cancer targets were created as a means of tracking NHS improvements. The two-week wait was put forward because it seemed achievable, not because it was based on any medical study.

Experts say a more important aim is how long it takes for patients to receive a diagnosis. Seeing a specialist within two weeks doesnt mean you will find out whether you have cancer or not in that time period, says Prof Price. The most meaningful outcome for patients is when they receive a diagnosis, not when they have an appointment.

Under the new guidelines, the NHS will be expected to ensure 75 per cent of patients have a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days.

In the past, a patient might get to the specialist and then the process slowed down because the two-week target for an appointment had been hit, says Prof Price.

This new guidance is to make sure that doctors get patients diagnosed and treated as soon as possible, rather than simply booking them in for an appointment.

A number of hospitals have already adopted the new 28-day target in the past few years as part of a pilot scheme. According to reports a high number of patients were told whether or not they had cancer in this timeframe.

And, interestingly, despite scrapping the two-week wait target, there was no rise in the number of patients waiting longer than two weeks to see a specialist.

Question) Are there any other changes I need to know about?

Answer) At present, there are ten cancer performance targets. This includes a two-month wait for treatment after a potential cancer being seen in a national screening service, such as the cervical cancer smear test offered to women aged 25 to 64.

Three separate targets also set out saying the majority of patients should not wait longer than a month for chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery once diagnosed.

Under the new guidelines, these targets will be simplified. At least 96 per cent of patients should start their first cancer treatment  whatever it is  31 days after they are diagnosed. As weve explained, that should happen within 28 days of first presenting with symptoms. And, in 85 per cent of cases, treatment should begin no later than two months after a GP referral.

Experts say the new targets will make it easier for patients to understand if the cancer care they are receiving is up to standard.

Weve kept adding new cancer targets and many of them are redundant now, says Mr Turabi. The meaningful outcomes for patients are that they are being diagnosed with cancer quickly and are treated in good time, too. Thats what these new targets show.

Question) Two months sounds like a long time to wait for treatment. Should I be worried?

Answer) No  experts say two months is already the length of time most cancer patients should expect to wait for treatment.

Under the previous targets, the NHS was expected to ensure that at least 85 per cent of cancer patients began treatment within eight weeks of a referral from their GP.

Experts say that this relatively lenient expectation reflects the fact that making a cancer diagnosis can be a complicated process.

First, getting a referral to a cancer specialist is quite a lengthy process, says Prof Price. The specialist will still need to send you for scans and then, even if they spot what appears to be cancer, they might need a tissue sample to see exactly what type it is.

Only after all that is done can you get an actual diagnosis.

After that, experts say deciding on the best course of treatment requires careful thought, which also extends the waiting time. There are lots of complex cancer cases which require several different specialists and its not always obvious what is going to be the best treatment, says Mr Turabi. Once a treatment is decided, patients need time to think about if something like chemo or surgery is right for them. Cancer treatment is rarely instant and a two-month wait is safe.

Question) Will this end the backlog of patients who need cancer treatment on the NHS?

Answer) Unfortunately, this is unlikely. At present, figures suggest none of the new waiting time targets are being met. The latest NHS figures show that only 59 per cent of cancer patients in England who had their first treatment in June after an urgent GP referral had waited fewer than two months.

From last October to June, 623,000 patients failed to receive a cancer diagnosis within 28 days of an urgent referral  three in every ten patients. Studies show that each month cancer treatment is delayed raises the risk of death by a tenth.

Experts say these delays are largely due to staff shortages in the health service.

Delays in the time it takes for patients to start cancer treatment are a fairly recent phenomenon and are directly connected to a lack of cancer staff, says Mr Turabi. It is worrying. I dont think the new targets will change that.

Some experts also worry that the new target to ensure that three-quarters of patients have a cancer diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days could be unsafe.

Cancer Research UK has called for the NHS to ensure 95 per cent of patients receive a diagnosis within a month.

The 75 per cent aim seems like a low figure, says Prof Price. It means that one in four patients should not expect to get a diagnosis within a month.

But Prof Johnson at NHS England says that the NHS plans to slowly raise this target.

Were planning to push this figure to 80 per cent in 2025, he says. Its important to stress that we will continue to monitor waiting times for every patient and all these figures will be publicly available for people to see.

Question) Ive found a lump I am worried about and Id like it checked by a specialist. Will my GP still write me a referral?

Answer) Yes and nothing will change about the process of getting diagnosed and treated for cancer on the NHS.

Patients are advised to visit their GP if they discover a lump that is getting bigger, is hard and does not move, is painful, red or hot. And any sort of lump in the breast or testicle needs to be looked at by a doctor.

It is also suggested you book a GP appointment if the lump, anywhere, lasts more than two weeks or there is swelling on the neck, armpit or groin that does not go down. At the appointment, a GP will examine the lump and decide whether it warrants a referral to hospital to see a cancer specialist.

The majority of patients can expect to receive a diagnosis  or the all-clear  within a month.

The new guidelines state that patients should receive this information within 31 days.

Roughly 95 per cent of patients referred to a cancer specialist do not have the disease.

Previously, there was no target time to respond to patients who were all-clear, says Mr Turabi. Hospitals were focused on those who did have cancer and those who didnt were forced to wait much longer to find out. It is distressing waiting to find out if you have cancer, so new guidelines on when patients should be told they are healthy are welcome.

Experts say the aim of the targets is to ensure hospitals provide their cancer patients with the best possible care.

The NHS faces many challenges and we want to make sure that hospitals remain focused on tackling cancer, says Prof Johnson. By simplifying the targets, we hope hospitals can focus on what is most important, making sure that people who are referred get diagnosed and receive treatment as soon as possible.
New details about Lucy Letby's case were revealed. This time, authorities said that doctors who previously flagged concerns over the nurse were initially ordered to apologize by the hospital.

Lucy Letby Update: Doctors Reporting Killer Nurse Ordered to Apologize

According to Independent UK's latest report, documents revealed that the former chief executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital, Tony Chambers, forced doctors who raised concerns about Letby to apologize to the nurse.

Chambers talked to Letby, as well as her father since he initially believed that the British nurse was innocent.

The former hospital chief said that Letby would return to work on the unit imminently and doctors who accused her should apologize to the woman.

But, Lucy didn't return to the neonatal unit. Because of this, the police began their investigation.

Dr. Ravi Jayaram, one of the hospital's consultants, said that he received a warning from officials saying that it would be bad for the reputation of the medical institution.

Jayaram said that the hospital called the case of Luci a "Kafkaesque situation."

BBC reported that the investigation revealed a catalog of failures, which raise serious concerns about how the hospital responded to the deaths.

Read Also: 'Musk Drug' Medical Alert: Boardmasters Festival Organizers Warn Partygoers Not To Take 'Tesla Tablets'

Why Lucy Letby Killed Seven Babies

For those who have no idea who Lucy Letby is, she's a British nurse who was found guilty of killing seven newborns and attempted murders of six more infants.

Nick Johnson KC, the prosecutor, explained that Lucy enjoyed "playing God" by hurting newborns. Once she's done with her heinous deed, she will be the first one to alert her colleagues regarding what happened.

Johnson said that Letby was aware of what was happening to the babies.

"She was enjoying what was going on. She was predicting things that she knew were going to happen. She, in effect, was playing God," said the prosecutor.

Letby is considered to be the most prolific serial killer of newborns in the modern history of Britain.

If you want to learn more details about this killer nurse, you can click this link.

Related Article: Lucy Letby Case: British 'Monster' Nurse Kills 7 Babies at Neonatal Facility, Prompts Review Care of 4,000 Infants

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
High Street shops have been accused of charging an unfair premium on vital incontinence products.

An estimated six million Britons suffer some form of incontinence and many rely on absorbent pads that slip in the underwear  one billion of which are purchased annually in the UK.

Other sufferers opt for disposable, padded underwear that serves a similar purpose.

However, a consumer probe by web-based retailer Incontinence Choice, shared exclusively with The Mail on Sunday, has found a huge variation in prices charged by well-known shops.

It compared like-for-like ranges sold on the high street and found Boots Staydry Extra Pads were the priciest, with a years worth costing 419.75, or 23p per pad.

Asda provided the cheapest option on the high street, charging 13p per pad for their Protective Pads Extra and Extra Plus products, or 237.25 per year, and 12p per pad for the Regular type  a 77 per cent difference between the two retailers.

An estimated six million Britons suffer some form of incontinence and many rely on absorbent pads that slip in the underwear  one billion of which are purchased annually in the UK

A representative for Incontinence Choice said: We compared products that are exactly the same in absorbency and materials, so we see no reason for some of them to be almost twice the price of others. It seems unfair.

A spokesman for Boots said: We offer a selection of choices across our incontinence range, including pants, pads and liners, as well as larger pack sizes to suit our customers convenience and prices from 10p per unit in our Staydry range. The company also pointed out that purchasing multipacks of the products works out cheaper per unit.

The research also discovered that, during the past six months, the UKs top supermarkets were found to have increased prices on certain incontinence products by more than 30 per cent.

According to price-comparison website Priceable, in March Asda Protective Incontinence Pads Extra Plus cost 99p for eight. The price has now increased to 1.30  a hike of 31 per cent. A 12-pack of its Unisex Super Absorbent Underwear Incontinence Pants also increased by 30 per cent during the same period  from 5.39 to 7.

Asda and Sainsburys charged 4.50 for a 20-pack of Always Discreet Incontinence Pads in March  the price has now risen by 11 per cent to 5.

Specialists in incontinence told this newspaper that difficulties in affording pads has caused patients to make tough decisions, such as wearing pads for far too long to make them last or reusing single-use incontinence underwear.

Others are simply left housebound as they are unable to afford the products or cant go out for fear of having an accident.

Karen Irwin, a specialist nurse and service manager at Bladder & Bowel UK, said the situation was well-known to them: People with bladder and bowel problems should be able to live with comfort and dignity. Rising costs [of pads] is yet another barrier to this.

We know that not having the right products can stop people leaving the house, seriously affect mental health and also cause a massive strain on relationships.

A consumer probe by web-based retailer Incontinence Choice, shared exclusively with The Mail on Sunday, has found a huge variation in prices charged by well-known shops.

In January, the charity launched a campaign to tackle incontinence poverty, saying: We hear more and more people are unable to afford essential products to manage incontinence. One in ten adults in the UK are affected by faecal incontinence and the issue is closely associated with advanced age. It is estimated that 34 per cent of women are living with urinary incontinence, too.

Incontinence poverty is a growing issue which can lead to significantly lower quality of life for individuals and their families, as well as other physical and mental health problems.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, pelvic physiotherapists  who specialise in offering exercises to patients with continence issues  have voiced similar concerns.

One, Victoria Muir, who runs the Pelviccore clinic in Bedford, said: This is something that patients have spoken about for a number of years and has become more of a problem with the high cost of living.

Bladder and bowel leakage is a very significant health issue. I treat both men and women and the cost of protection, including pads, is always a source of concern.

Roseanna Grace Conway, of Roseanna Grace Physio in Newcastle, said: The pad industry doesnt over-advertise that many people with incontinence can get better given the right physiotherapy support. That means many people stay reliant on pads.

Sadly, in the last year especially, Ive had patients tell me they wear pads overnight and then keep using it the next day if its not too soiled.

We are seeing more cases of thrush and UTIs as patients arent changing pads to save money.

Commenting on the high price of some products, she added: You might pay more if theres a difference in quality  for instance, 100 per cent cotton, organic products.

But if brands are charging high prices for basic ranges then its hard to see a justification.

The Incontinence Choice probe found that the Always Discreet Pads range were second-most expensive at 383 per year, or 21p per pad, and Superdrug Extra Incontinence Pads, at 365 per year or 20p per pad, were third.

Morrisons came in at 17p per pad  or 310.25 a year.

Even more budget-conscious than Asda was the online-only brand Vivactive Lady Discreet Active, which costs 12p per pad, or 219 a year.
It is one of Queen Camilla's favourite brooches: the glittering platinum and diamond replica of a stick insect, which she wears when attending memorial events such as Remembrance Day and the service at Westminster Hall to mark Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state. It was given to her by her father.

Jeweller Geoffrey Munn, part of the panel of experts on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, designed the brooch  one of a collection of gem-set bugs  while he was managing director of Faberge egg specialist Wartski, which has two Royal Warrants. Camilla's bug was a replica of his sons Alexander and Edward's pet stick insect, named Sticky.

'Mrs Parker Bowles had admired the glittering stick insect brooch,' he writes in his autobiography A Touch of Gold. 'A few days later her father, Major Bruce Shand, rang to see if there was anything he might give to mark her engagement to the Prince of Wales. He agreed the stick insect was a perfect choice and asked how it might be presented. I suggested, in the tradition of Faberge, we might conceal it in an Easter egg from Charbonnel et Walker.

'Once this was agreed, I took the brooch to the famous chocolatier in Bond Street and, simply on trust, handed it over the counter to be collected in an egg the following week. That was when a dreadful apprehension dawned on me: how on earth could I be certain the finished egg would contain the jewel rather than a handful of champagne truffles? Mounting anxiety cost me a good deal of sleep over the weekend but it reached fever pitch the following Monday when, to my horror, I discovered the Charbonnel et Walker shop on Bond Street was rammed with hundreds of identical primrose yellow eggs, each tied with a matching silk bow. 'If I had left the diamond brooch there on trust, I was obliged to retrieve it on nothing more than good faith. To my relief, that Easter morning, Mrs Parker Bowles was surprised and thrilled with the brooch.'

It is one of Queen Camilla's favourite brooches: the glittering platinum and diamond replica of a stick insect, which she wears when attending memorial events

In 21st-century Britain, with its focus on celebrities, it is hard to imagine how Munn went from life on benefits to mingling in royal circles. But in 1972, aged 19, he landed a job at Wartski and became a specialist in the work of renowned jewellers such as Fortunato Pio Castellani, Carlo Giuliano and Peter Carl Faberge. He went on to provide jewels for Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Princess Margaret; Hollywood stars such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, as well as British actor Sir Alec Guinness, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, and Sir Elton John, who lent him a tiara for a charity event, bought from 'some crap brides' shop in Los Angeles'. Wartski created the wedding bands for Charles, Camilla and Kate.

But Munn's first brush with royalty was inauspicious: 'One day I was so out of my depth I nearly drowned in my own embarrassment,' he writes. 'Three men had come into the shop wanting to see the Faberge collection. Dark-haired and handsome, they wore cashmere coats and expensive shoes. The four of us went down to the showroom below and on the way, I began the patter I had recently learned.

'Do you collect Faberge?' I enquired. 'Not really,' came the reply. 'I inherited a number of pieces from my grandfather, and it is the cigarette cases that I like best.'

'Do you have any animal carvings or flowers?' I asked.

'No, but my father had a collection of them which were sold at Sotheby's in the 1950s.'

'On the strength of this I thought it was the moment to identify the elegant and mysterious visitor: 'May I ask your name, sir?'

Jeweller Geoffrey Munn (pictured), part of the panel of experts on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, designed Camilla's stick insect brooch

Munn with Camilla and Fiona Bruce on Antiques Roadshow, 2022. In 1972, aged 19, he landed a job at Wartski and became a specialist in the work of renowned jewellers

Princess Margaret in 1963, wearing a necklace by legendary jeweller Carlo Giuliano that became the cover star of Munns book Castellani & Giuliano

'Why yes, I am the King of Greece.'

'His reply knocked me for six and my dismay was complete.'

Munn, 70, who lives in Southwold, Suffolk, with his wife Caroline, first met Princess Margaret in 1980 when he was writing a book about Castellani and Giuliano, which was published in 1984. She had a collection of Giuliano jewellery, a favourite of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

'I set off on the bus to Kensington Palace in a suit with flared trousers, my hair fashionably long and sporting an equally fashionable moustache,' he adds. 'The journey gave me time to imagine what might happen next.

I'd never visited Christopher Wren's historic palace before and that, together with the jewellery that would be laid out for me, was likely to be thrilling.

Pictured: The Princess of Waless wedding ring was made by Wartski. The pair got married in 2011

The Prince showed me a collection of snuff boxes decorated with erotica

'The princess was a genuinely artistic person with a great sense of curiosity about every aspect of life, particularly music and art. Luckily for me, she wanted to know more about my enquiry. Anxious not to overstay my welcome, I felt it was time for me to leave but evidently it was not, not quite: a little brown and white jack russell terrier had rattled into the room. The princess flicked a rubber ball across the polished wooden floor and I was invited to join the fun of the chase. I think all this might leave even the most sanguine observer in a state of rare excitement and certainly I was thrilled by my morning's adventure. I left Kensington Palace as I had arrived  on foot down the long drive  and caught a passing bus. As tdhe number nine chugged towards the West End I had difficulty suppressing the urge to bellow out to my fellow passengers: 'I bet you can't guess where I've been?' But even in their wildest imaginings I knew they never could.'

Pictured: The Faberge serpent egg clock that Prince Rainier III lent to Munn for a charity exhibition

More than a decade later, in 1992, Munn was invited to Monaco to meet Prince Rainier III. He was organising a charity exhibition for the Samaritans and the prince had agreed to lend him the Faberge serpent egg clock that Wartski had sold to Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos for 64,103 in 1972, and which was subsequently given to Prince Rainier to mark his silver jubilee.

'The prince gave me a tour of the palace accompanied by his favourite dog, a long-haired hound called Odin,' writes Munn. 'Being the owner of a snuffly black pug, I asked: 'Does he snore, Your Highness?' 'Yes,' came the response, 'and there's hell to pay if he gets off to sleep before I do.'

'The prince showed me a collection of silver and gold watches and snuff boxes decorated with erotica, which were secreted in an anteroom. Some of these were automata and with the flick of a switch they creaked in jerky coitus, only interrupted when the clockwork mechanisms wound down and juddered to a satisfactory halt.'

Geoffrey Munn's autobiography, A Touch of Gold, is published by ACC Art Books, 25*

*TO ORDER A COPY FOR 21.25 UNTIL 3 SEPTEMBER, GO TO MAILSHOP.CO.UK/BOOKS OR CALL 020 3176 2937. FREE DELIVERY ON ORDERS OVER 25.
Terry Real is a big deal.

The veteran marriage counsellor, who boasts A-list disciples from Bruce Springsteen to Gwyneth Paltrow, has spent 25 years pulling Hollywood marriages back from the brink.

In the UK, where a dispiriting 42 per cent of nuptials end up in the bin, we could take a leaf out of his book.

Happily, he's got one: Us, a practical how-to guide to stepping back from the bickering and getting real about your relationship. Can he fix us? If it's good enough for Gwynnie

The veteran marriage counsellor, who boasts A-list disciples from Bruce Springsteen to Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured with Brad Falchuk last month), has spent 25 years pulling Hollywood marriages back from the brink

HOW TO ARGUE LESS

People have two faces they show to their partners, says Real: 'adult mode' and 'child mode'. Everything is sunshine and rainbows in 'wise adult mode'  we are rational, reasonable and can express ourselves confidently. It's when we argue that 'adaptive child' mode kicks in, and the strategies we learned to defend ourselves under stress as nippers come screaming back. The first step? Recognise your go-to argument style

Always right You believe 'we will solve this when we determine which of us is right and which of us is wrong'. You're the sort of person who makes a virtue of being 'the logical one', hammering home hard facts, often ignoring your partner's feelings and winding them up further.

Assuming control This behaviour can be either overt ('shut up and do what I tell you') or covert, in the form of manipulation designed to make your partner feel weak and uncertain.

Unbridled self-expression Or, essentially, a tirade. Instead of focusing on the matter in hand, you escalate and pursue a demolition of your partner's character, using phrases such as 'you never', 'you always' and 'you are'. Ironically this disempowers your partner's ability to change, because it suggests that they have a fixed, failed personality rather than behaviours that they can work on.

Retaliation You hit back, tit for tat. Hurting your partner the same way they hurt you is an 'understandable human impulse', says Real. However, 'it's flawed, because you're never going to get someone to be more accountable or empathetic this way'.

Withdrawal This is 'huge for men', says Real. It's saying: 'I'm not interested, we're shutting this down' and retreating from the conversation (this can happen emotionally, as well as physically). This is very different from 'responsible distance taking', which involves saying, 'I'm taking a break, here's where I'll be and when I'll be back'. These are all 'losing strategies'. Discussing what yours is (or indeed are) when calm may help you spring back into adult mode during disagreements. Try asking for a short time out (different from coldly withdrawing) when you feel yourself starting to lose control. 'Tell your partner how long you'll be, then go and splash your face with cold water, meditate or have a short walk,' Real advises. 'Talk to that little child inside yourself and try to work out what they want out of this situation.'

Terry Real has lent a hand to the likes of Bruce Springsteen - pictured with Patti Scialfa in New York City, 2017

Meanwhile, if your partner is the one in child mode while you're not, it's time to 'stand up for yourself, with love'. This involves saying something like: 'Please don't snap at me, it pushes me away. Could you say sorry so I can feel close to you again?' If your partner is extremely reactive  yelling or screaming at you  a more formal time out is needed.

THE BEST WAY TO PICK UP THE PIECES AFTER AN ARGUMENT

If one partner is left distressed, the onus is on the other to 'initiate repair'. It's like working at a customer service window  you're there to serve the other person's needs, not disparage them.

Can't imagine how that goes down? Try the following Real special: 'I'm sorry you feel bad. I love you and I don't want you to feel that. Is there something I could say or do to make you feel better?' In short: be the bigger person.

The 'feedback wheel' is another method Real recommends post-argument, when you're both feeling calmer. First, make sure your partner is open to having the discussion ('tell them it will only be ten minutes'), then talk through the following:

Terry Real and Gwyneth Paltrow pictured speaking on stage at the in goop Health Summit on January 27, 2018

'What I experienced' Tell your partner your subjective experience of the situation that caused the argument. For example, 'I came home from work and the groceries hadn't been put away.'

'What I made up about it' Explain your assumptions. 'I made up that you don't care about doing any household chores and think I should do them all instead.'

'This is how it made me feel' Outline the emotions this brought up for you. 'I felt angry, frustrated and unappreciated.'

YOU CAN SHAPE YOUR RELATIONSHIP, BUT YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT

'What I would like' Be clear about how your partner could behave differently in the future. 'If there is shopping to be put away, I would really appreciate it if you could prioritise that.'

As the other partner in the conversation, Real recommends you

Listen, then repeat back what you have heard.

Ask if you got it right.

Acknowledge and agree to what you can.

GET MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT

'Almost all couples have ADD: appreciation deficit disorder,' says Real. 'If you want more of something, pay attention to it  you will get more of what you want by appreciating it. This is far more effective than complaining about what you don't get.' His three-step plan for getting more of what you want involves the following

Help your partner succeed Be specific and teach them what you'd like. 'Remember, you do not have the right to be angry about not getting what you haven't asked for,' he says.

Make it worth their while Reward and encourage the efforts made by your partner  'appreciation is more powerful than all other strategies combined', says Real.

Avoid saying 'You only did that because I told you to.' According to Real, 'You can shape your relationship  you don't have to be a passive passenger. But you're going to have to roll up your sleeves and work for it. If you don't want to help your partner learn, then settle for whatever they give you. But if what they give you isn't working, it's time to teach them to do better.'

Us is published by Cornerstone Press, 18.99
I was away for the weekend, seeking peace and quiet to work on my second novel about a group of women facing midlife angst. Stuck at a particular point in my draft, I went for a walk in the woods, earphones in, hoping inspiration would strike. I was listening to an episode of Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Sunday podcast, in which she interviews her best friend, Gayle King.

I stopped in my tracks as they began discussing the very thing I was writing about  a woman's intuition that something in her life isn't quite right. King spoke about coming home one day to find her husband with another woman. When she said she'd had no idea, Winfrey challenged her  did she really have no clue? They then discussed how, when we look back, there's always a 'whisper' moment. The question is, why didn't we listen?

This was exactly what I was writing about, and my novel's theme became clear. These whispers  especially the ones you don't want to have  are an experience that resonates with many women I know, whether it's about our marriages, children, careers or health.

Mother-of-two Wendy Thomas was weeks away from her 40th birthday when she went to the doctor with concerns about her right breast. The radiologist informed her it was fine but, during her scan, they inadvertently found something in her left breast that turned out to be cancerous.

'To this day,' Thomas says, 'I still don't know what made me listen to my intuition; to understand that something wasn't right in my body. But I learned to never ignore that feeling again because it saved my life.'

Clinical psychologist and consultant Dr Kristine Laderoute, who practises in Toronto, Canada, believes this is sound advice. Stock image used

Is there, however, any scientific evidence to support this idea of an intuitive knowing? My sister, one of the most rational people I know, is a cognitive neuroscientist, studying the relationship between the brain and behaviour. I asked her whether the whispers had a neurological basis.

'Well, yes,' she said. 'That 'intuitive knowing' has a source. There are pathways in the brain that take in information we aren't consciously aware of at all. This can bias the predictions we make about the world around us, and is what might create the sense of an intuition.'

I had my own lesson in listening to the whispers after my first child was born. To me, he seemed uncomfortable in the first days of his life, in pain even. Something wasn't right. But more experienced people told me: this is how babies are. He's gassy. Don't be so nervous. I'd convinced myself: what do I know? At his next doctor's visit, I couldn't believe how low his weight was. 'Are you sure the scale isn't broken?' I asked several times. The nurse assured me it was not. My son was rushed to the children's hospital, where he was diagnosed with sepsis and, soon after, a chronic illness. I'd known  of course I'd known. But I'd questioned myself and my intuition. I'll always wonder if we could have avoided the extent of his illness had I insisted something wasn't right.

I've now entered my 40s and I can't help but be fascinated by women's lives at this stage, when we've settled into the big decisions we've made about the kind of life we want. We're supposed to feel assured and gratified. But do we? Some women can't find the satisfaction they'd expected and instead feel a deep sense of midlife regret.

This is often when the whispers first show up, and when they're the most troubling. A friend of mine is a therapist with a thriving practice, often helping women who are trying to put their finger on why they feel so unhappy or unfulfilled. This therapist friend could relate deeply to her clients  she spent most of her time feeling the same. She suspected her marriage had something to do with it, but there was always a reason not to listen to this feeling: she and her husband had been together for 15 years; they had two children together; they'd just finished a renovation on their home.

'The whispers were telling me, 'You're not happy  this isn't good',' she says. 'But, being a therapist, and raised to believe that you stick with a marriage in tough times, I took these whispers to mean that we needed to go to couples therapy and do some hard work.'

They did, and life rolled along  until one day it came to a painful screeching halt. Her husband left her and, as with Winfrey's friend King, my friend felt blindsided.

'I learned later he'd been leading a double life for years while I was busy with our children. The whispers were telling me to get out, but I didn't want to hear it. I likely wouldn't have got out if he didn't leave. Now I work on learning to trust my gut and I teach clients how to do the same.'

ITS A MORE PRIMITIVE YET WISER PART OF US THAT INSTINCTIVELY KNOWS WHATS TRUE

Clinical psychologist and consultant Dr Kristine Laderoute, who practises in Toronto, Canada, believes this is sound advice: 'Think of the whispers as the more primitive yet wiser part of us that instinctively knows what's most true for us; the part free from societal expectations, unapologetically connected to what we need.'

The whispers can be scary and disruptive. Stubborn.

Not every woman can act on them, even if they hear them loud and clear. In a recent UK study by YouGov, one in three women with a partner said they would struggle financially (or not cope at all) if they split up tomorrow. Listening to the whispers is not a privilege all can indulge.

In my new novel, The Whispers, the main character knows her marriage isn't right for her any more, and maybe never was. But she doesn't have a salary or bank account. Secretly one afternoon, heart racing, she views a one-bedroom flat for rent that would be just about affordable. She stands in the empty space and tries to imagine living there, having her daughter only part of the time; the furniture that might fit.

But it all feels too far from the life she's diligently created for a decade. She goes home, hides the brochure listing and tells her husband she's been out shopping. Her heart sinks; she's silenced the whispers again.

'When we ignore or go against the whispers, we typically feel regret or head towards crises,' says Laderoute. 'But when we learn to listen to them, we can live from a place of clarity, and find more peace with our choices and within ourselves.'

And isn't this what we're all striving for? As we often tell our children: you likely already know the answer to the question you're asking. We just have to trust ourselves enough to quiet the noise and finally listen.

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain is published by Michael Joseph, 14.99*

*TO ORDER A COPY FOR 12.74 UNTIL 3 SEPTEMBER, GO TO MAILSHOP.CO.UK/BOOKS OR CALL 020 3176 2937. FREE UK DELIVERY ON ORDERS OVER 25.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE WHISPERS? EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO EDITOR@YOU.CO.UK
Good morrow!

Sorry?

How fare ye?

We're fine. You, however,sound deranged.

Fie upon thee, for 'tis massive on TikTok.

Is there, by any chance, some kind of medieval trend going on?

Correct! It's called 'bardcore'.

And to take part you need to talk like a medieval squire?

Partly, but the main thrust is musical.

We consider ourselves amateur medieval scholars and also like traditional music.

Hot Wench Summer videos feature a young woman skipping around in medieval-style dress with the caption 'It's 1452 and you just had your monthly river bath, so you go to the tavern to seduce a lord'

This is more modern music reimagined for the Middle Ages.

Please don't say you're listening to Taylor Swift on a harp.

No, I'm not, but I can't get enough of Bonnie Tyler.

Are we talking about the music?

Yes, and the lyrics have been reimagined too. That's the best bit. Bonnie's 'Holding Out for a Hero' is one of my favourites.

Any chance you're not going to sing it?

None.

Go on, then.

Whither have the worthy gone. Oh, where is fair Gawain? Where is gallant Galahad to take the bridle rein?

Very moving.

Thank you. I'm surprised you aren't into bardcore.

Baffling, isn't it?

Maybe you know it by its other name, 'tavernwave'.

Nope.

If you want to hear more there are entire YouTube channels devoted to it.

To medieval history? Yes, we recently watched an interesting lecture on Thomas Aquinas.

The popularity of doublets, corsets, lace-up bodices and even pieces of armour led i-D magazine to declare recently that 'fashion's going medieval'

I'm thinking more Hildegard von Blingin'.

Who?

The YouTuber who is best known for her 'bardcore for the discerning clergyman, noble, or muck-gathering peasant'.

Right. Presumably this is the same person responsible for medieval Bonnie Tyler.

That's her. She's a genius. If you're not digging Bonnie Tyler, try Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' (9.1 million views), Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' (5.5 million) and Radiohead's 'Creep' (4.7 million).

Let's move on. You said this trend was big on TikTok too.

Indeed, it is  #bardcore videos have 17 million views on the platform.

What sort of things are people doing?

Hot Wench Summer videos feature a young woman skipping around in medieval-style dress with the caption 'It's 1452 and you just had your monthly river bath, so you go to the tavern to seduce a lord'.

And how is she planning to do that?

A woman sitting among autumn leaves under a tree, playing a lute as a man listens, in a painting by Edwin Austin Abbey

A model wearing an original creation from the womenswear winter 2023 2024 collections in New York from the house of Rodarte Womenswear in February

TikTok doesn't reveal  but she is twerking (as far as you can in medieval costume) and it has 400K likes; you've got to assume the lord would be verily into it.

Are you now trying to sell this to us as a fashion trend?

The popularity of doublets, corsets, lace-up bodices and even pieces of armour led i-D magazine to declare recently that 'fashion's going medieval'.

Not at John Lewis, it isn't. Type 'medieval' into its website and you get Lego.

OK, if fashion doesn't convince you that this trend has cultural heft then you can't argue with the healthy sales of mead.

What, during the plague?

I'll have you know that the country's leading mead seller

Also, we imagine, the country's only mead seller

There's more than one, actually. Lyme Bay Winery in Devon sells 116,000 bottles a year and Tom Gosnell runs a mead bar in London's Bermondsey called Gosnells Meadery Taproom.

You can sell anything to London hipsters.

OK, as you're more a literary type, did you know there's a book coming out called Weird Medieval Guys: How to Live, Laugh, Love (and Die) in Dark Times?

That sounds promising. Will it explore key medieval thoughts, such as the cosmological argument for divine existence?

Not so much, but it's brilliant on how to survive a wolf attack.

Pass the mead.
In the hit comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, fashion editor Patsy Stone had a humorous preoccupation with Harvey Nichols.

However, in the 1990s, many women  myself included  had a serious relationship with this Knightsbridge emporium.

That was then. Now, after the announcement that boss Manju Malhotra is quitting, I have been pondering why things went so badly wrong at the store that was undeniably once so absolutely fabulous.

Played for laughs: Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in Absolutely Fabulous

In its heyday, anticipation began on the threshold. Window displays, with their mix of elegance and edge, were gallery-level art.

Inside was an enthralling array of accessories, handbags and beauty products  a surfeit of simply lovely stuff.

It was a store in the spirit of the Nineties exemplified by supermodels including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.

But unlike the catwalk queens  some of whom have re-created a famous Vogue cover for the magazine's September issue  Harvey Nichols no longer looks super.

The latest results, for the year to April 2022, reveal that revenues grew, but the flagship and the other 13 stores in the group remained loss-making.

The London store is on the corner of Sloane Street, which is set to be turned into a 'green boulevard' thanks to a regeneration scheme under the aegis of Cadogan Estates, the major landlord in this part of London.

On a recent visit to the neighbourhood I took a look at some of the luxury shops, but could not summon the enthusiasm to visit my former haunt.

I put part of the blame on the retail revolution. Online shopping has forced bricks and mortar stores  whatever the spending power of their clientele  to be innovative and alluring.

The arrival of the first Zara shop in Regent Street  now one of 60 in the UK  weakened my allegiance to Harvey Nichols, says Anne Ashworth

There is an example of a successful reinvention just across the road from Harvey Nichols. The Burberry store at number 1 Sloane Street, which opened in 2021, combines fashion and architectural flair.

But the most powerful model of a store that acts as a magnet, compelling you to go inside and spend is Zara.

The arrival of the first Zara shop in Regent Street  now one of 60 in the UK  weakened my allegiance to Harvey Nichols. Its ability to deliver the latest styles at speed and at modest prices proved irresistible.

Can Harvey Nichols regain its kudos? That is happening at Harrods, a short walk away, where there is a new swagger following a makeover.

Harvey Nichols may be a bit past its glory days, but it could be more at the forefront of fashion than its neighbour.

One leading retail consultant said: 'Harvey Nichols should be a bit more Soho. A bit more Notting Hill.'
It was just a little over two days after Ashling Murphy (left) was found stabbed in a ditch on January 12 last year that Jozef Puska (right) allegedly claimed that he was responsible for the crime. Lying on a hospital bed in a small private room at St James's Hospital in Dublin, and flanked on each side by two gardai, he told an interpreter in Slovak that he was the man the police were looking for. Shortly afterwards, he began to cry. This account was corroborated by three witnesses this week, who each repeated the same words Mr Puska allegedly said that day - 'I did it, I murdered, I am the murderer.' One of those witnesses, Slovak translator Miroslav Sedlacek (inset), said that after the alleged confession, Mr Puska, 33, from Lynally Grove, Mucklagh in Co. Offaly, was 'upset' and even 'desperate'.
The case against nurse Lucy Letby - who was today found guilty of murdering seven premature babies and trying to kill seven others - hinged on the medical evidence.

Time and again consultant pediatricians Dr Dewi Evans and Dr Sandie Bohin suggested they had been injected with air  either into their blood or down feeding tubes into their stomachs.

Both medics told the jury that virtually no research had ever been conducted into air embolus because injecting a bubble of air into the bloodstream of any patient, let alone a premature baby, was highly unethical.

They said it was virtually impossible to say how much air would be enough to block blood flow to vital organs and stop the heart.

However, they estimated that, in such vulnerable premature newborns, as little as 5ml  or a teaspoon  of air would be enough to kill.

Consultant pediatricians Dr Dewi Evans and Dr Sandie Bohin gave crucial evidence in Letby's case

They also pointed to a research paper on air embolus in babies, written by scientists from the University of Western Ontario, in Canada, in 1989, which described a 'migrating' discolouration of the skin, which would typically manifest itself as pale, with flitting bright pink patches.

This strange rash became a 'hallmark' of the case and was witnessed by different doctors in five of the babies  Baby A, Baby B, Baby D, Baby M and Baby O - prior to death or while they were being resuscitated.

The scientists explained that, while the babies' tissues and muscles were starved of oxygen during their collapses, causing them to appear white, the pink patches could be explained because air injected into the circulation was temporarily oxygenating red blood cells as it came into contact with them inside the blood vessels themselves.

In two of the cases, Baby A and Baby E, X-rays taken shortly before they died revealed air bubbles in major arteries or veins.

In cases where air was injected into the babies' feeding tubes in excessive quantities, it caused their tiny tummies to swell and 'splint' or push up the diaphragm, crushing their lungs and compromising their breathing, also causing their collapse, the experts explained.

While some of the children recovered, such as in the case of Baby G, who was left severely brain damaged as a consequence, for others, including that of Baby C, a tiny baby boy who was just five days old when he was attacked, and Baby P, the second triplet, it proved fatal.

Lucy Letby's conviction for multiple murders hinged on the medical evidence

In their cases, X-rays taken before their deaths showed excessive amounts of gas or air bubbles in their bowel.

Victims 'cried in ways staff had never heard' Lucy Letby inflicted such pain on some of her tiny victims that they cried unnaturally - and even screamed - in ways staff on the unit had never witnessed. One little boy screamed both from the killer's unseen blow to his liver and the effects of her pumping air into his system. Medics on the unit could do nothing to comfort him as he continued crying for half an hour. Dr Sandie Bohin, one of two paediatric experts called in by the prosecution, said in evidence that the episode was 'most unusual'. She added: 'I have never observed a neonate to scream'. Advertisement

Air could not be injected accidentally, the experts said, because nurses had the dangers of air getting into lines and cannulas 'drilled into them' during their training.

Letby herself passed a training course, allowing her to administer medicine via special cannulas during which the dangers of air embolus was highlighted, just a fortnight before she murdered her first victim, in June 2015.

Part way through the trial Letby's defence team tried unsuccessfully to have the expert evidence of Dr Evans thrown out.

They said he had been severely criticised and discredited by a judge in a previous family court matter for being 'partisan' and defence KC Ben Myers accused him of giving 'biased and emotive' evidence.

Mr Myers said Dr Evans had been too close to the police investigation from the outset, which undermined his objectivity.

The prosecution also had to show that the conclusions of the original post-mortem examinations in six of the murder victims were flawed, and that their real causes of death, as evidenced by expert pathologist Professor Andreas Marnerides, was foul play.

A cot in a nursery where Letby worked at the Countess of Chester hospital

Only in the cases of Baby F and Baby L, the baby boys from two separate sets of twins who fell ill on the unit eight months apart, was the medical evidence beyond doubt.

Even Letby herself conceded there was no disputing results of specialist tests on their blood, which proved both had been poisoned by insulin.

The analysis, which compared the amount of insulin with the amount of C-Peptide, a substance produced by the pancreas at the same time and same rate as it produces insulin, showed that the levels of insulin were off the scale, so could not have been produced by the babies themselves and had to have been administered exogenously as a drug.

Letby also told the court she didn't believe any of her colleagues would have been so careless to have made a mistake and given the babies' insulin accidentally.

She accepted they had been poisoned but insisted she wasn't responsible. In the end the jury refused to believe another poisoner was at work on the ward and concluded she had tried to kill them.

WATCH THE MAIL'S LUCY LETBY DOCUMENTARY IN FULL HERE
The eight women and four men of the jury sat for 145 days of harrowing evidence  making it one of the longest murder trials in UK history.

For more than nine months they listened to the evidence from 246 witnesses, including parents, doctors, nurses and experts, who gave thousands of hours of, sometimes distressing, testimony on how tiny, vulnerable premature babies were murdered and harmed.

Two of the jury suffered bereavements during the trial, which began on October 4, forcing it to be halted for days and sometimes weeks at a time. Other days were also missed for personal events and medical appointments, adding to the length of their public duty.

Witnesses came from all over the UK and world to give evidence, including several who gave testimony from Australia and Switzerland via a video-link.

Jurors hearing the case of killer nurse Lucy Letby spent more than 145 days hearing evidence in one of the longest murder trials in UK history

Two of the jury suffered bereavements during the trial, which began on October 4, forcing it to be halted for days and sometimes weeks at a time. Pictured is a sketch of Letby in court

The trial took place at Manchester Crown Court, lasting almost 10 months

The trial was also unique in that it was run almost entirely digitally. Although the jury was given a small paper jury bundle, the majority of information, including thousands of pages of medical records and nursing notes relating to each of the babies, was uploaded onto individual iPads, so they could access the relevant documents quickly and easily.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, the senior investigating officer for Cheshire police, paid tribute to the jury for giving over almost 10 months of their lives to such an important case, and for providing justice for the babies families.

Theyve given everything, he said. They listened attentively, they were focused and stayed with it. Im really proud of them for what theyve done for the parents in helping them seek justice.

Although fraud and drug trials are known for being lengthy, it is unusual for a murder trial to run for so long. However, Letbys was not the longest in British legal history.

That accolade goes to the jury in the trial of the so-called Cardiff Three - Tony Paris, Yusef Abdullahi and Stephen Miller - who were wrongly convicted of the murder of sex worker Lynette White, 20, in November 1990. That trial, at Swansea Crown Court, lasted 197 days.

The trios convictions were subsequently ruled unsafe and quashed by the Court of Appeal following allegations of police corruption.

Advances in DNA eventually helped police catch the real killer, security guard Jeffrey Gafoor, 58, who confessed to killing Miss White following a row over 30 on Valentines Day, in 1988. He was jailed in July 2003.
Over a 12-month killing spree Lucy Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to murder seven others - making her the most prolific baby killer in modern British history.

Her crimes put her close to the top of the list of notorious serial killers  ahead of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, who killed five children in Manchester in the early 1960s; nurse Beverley Allitt, who killed four of her child patients in 1991, and Robert Black, who raped and murdered four young girls in the early 1980s.

She also becomes the second worst female serial killer of all time behind Rose West, who is serving a whole life tariff for the murders of 10 young girls, including her eight-year-old step-daughter.

Amelia Dyer, a Victorian baby farmer, is estimated to have killed 400 infants over a 30 year period. However, she was only ever found guilty of one murder.

The UK's worst ever serial killer was Dr Harold Shipman, who used his position as a family GP to murder an estimated 250 patients.

Letby murdered seven babies. Myra Hindley (left) helped her partner Ian Brady kill five children. Fellow nurse Beverley Allitt (right) killed four of her child patients in 1991

Dr Harold Shipman used his position as a family GP to murder an estimated 250 patients, while Robert Black raped and murdered four young girls in the early 1980s

Hindley and Brady's first murder came in July 1963 when they slaughtered 16-year-old Pauline Reade after persuading her to get in their car.

They went on to abduct and kill four more children before burying their bodies on Saddleworth Moor. Keith Bennett, 12, is the only victim whose remains have not yet been found.

The couple were jailed for three murders in 1966. They later confessed to another two murders before Hindley died aged 60 in prison in 2002. Brady died in 2017.

Beverley Allitt - known as the 'Angel of Death - killed four babies and poisoned nine others over 59 days at the Grantham and Kesteven Hospital in Lincolnshire, in 1991.

Originally, Allitt's crimes were suspected to be down to natural causes, but blood samples retained from nine of the children who had collapsed or died revealed that they had been injected with lethal doses of insulin, potassium or lignocaine.

She was handed 13 life sentences and ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years behind bars after a court trial in 1993.

The 54-year-old is currently receiving treatment at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire, and is eligible for parole.

Robert Black was handed 12 life sentences for murdering four girls aged between five and 11 in the 1980s but is suspected of being responsible for countless more.

He spent the the 1970s and 1980s working as a delivery driver and cruised the length of the UK looking for young victims to abduct.

His reign of terror ended in 1990 when he was caught by police with a barely alive six-year-old girl.

She was found hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van in the Scottish village of Stow.

Letby is the second worst female serial killer after Rose West, who - with her husband Fred - abducted, tortured and raped 12 women over a 20 year period at their house in Cromwell Street, Gloucestershire.

Fred, who confessed the killings, committed suicide in his cell while on remand at HMP Birmingham on New Year's Day, 1995, while Rose remains in prison.

Britain's worst ever serial killer was Dr Shipman, who killed an estimated total of 250 patients over a 27-year period stretching back to 1971, using the drug Diamorphine.

Around 80 percent of his victims were elderly women with his youngest victim a 41-year-old man.

Nurse Lucy Letby's crimes are among the worst ever seen in Britain

Amelia Dyer, a Victorian baby farmer, murdered infants in her care over a thirty-year period and is estimated to have had hundreds of victims - but she was only ever found guilty of one infant

Shipman was convicted of drug offences in 1976 after becoming addicted to pethidine as a young doctor, but he was allowed to carry on practising by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Victims 'cried in ways staff had never heard' Lucy Letby inflicted such pain on some of her tiny victims that they cried unnaturally - and even screamed - in ways staff on the unit had never witnessed. One little boy screamed both from the killer's unseen blow to his liver and the effects of her pumping air into his system. Medics on the unit could do nothing to comfort him as he continued crying for half an hour. Dr Sandie Bohin, one of two paediatric experts called in by the prosecution, said in evidence that the episode was 'most unusual'. She added: 'I have never observed a neonate to scream'. Advertisement

He began his killing spree in Pontefract General in the early seventies, and was eventually arrested in September 1998 aged 52, and was jailed for life in January 2000.

Letby murdered five boys and two girls between June 2015 and June 2016.

She targeted one set of triplets and three sets of twins and her victims ranged from a full term baby girl to infants born extremely prematurely, including one baby girl who survived despite being born in a hospital toilet at just 23 weeks gestation.

It is unlikely that the identities of any of the babies will ever be made public.

All were made the subject of life-long anonymity orders by the judge before the trial began, banning the media from naming them or their parents.

On one occasion it was claimed Letby murdered a tiny, ten-week premature baby boy because she was angry that one of her friends she was texting did not understand why she was upset at being given a break from working in intensive care following the death of another baby.

Criminologist Professor David Wilson told the Mail that this desperation to be acknowledged at work were signs of a 'hero complex,' and narcissism in Letby's personality.

Placing herself at the centre of a crisis was also indicative of the mental condition, Munchausen's, he said.

A corridor within the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, where Letby worked

'She sees herself as deserving of attention and with skills that are superior to other people,' he said. 'She sees herself as a saviour - she has unique skills no other person can possess.

'But she is quite unusual to other health care and nurse serial killers, who are often seen as odd by their peers, because she did have friends and people she socialised with.

'The other thing is she is creating a crisis around her, which is a form of Munchausen's. Extraordinary stories are being told about what happens when she is on shift. She's saying, 'look at all the things that occur when I'm around.' It's also a ruse to get the doctor that she fancies there.'

After being convicted by a jury, Letby now likely faces a full life tariff.

Undated handout photo issued by Cheshire Constabulary of a cot where a baby referred to as Child G in the Lucy Letby court case. The black circles were added by the police

There are around 60 criminals still alive who are serving whole life orders, according to government figures.

They include Met PC Wayne Couzens, who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard; Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield; and Michael Adebolajo, one of Fusilier Lee Rigby's killers.

Other notorious lifers are Mark Bridger, who abducted and murdered five-year-old April Jones in Powys, Wales, in 2012; neo-Nazi Thomas Mair, who killed MP Jo Cox; Grindr serial killer Stephen Port; and terrorist Khairi Saadallah - who murdered three men in a park in Reading.
Under a measure presented on Friday, August 18, by Republican legislators in Wisconsin, minors in that state would no longer need a work permit or parental approval to get employment if they are 14 or 15.

Despite attempts by federal investigators to clamp down on the increase in child labor offenses around the country, the plan comes amid a broader drive by state politicians to roll down child labor regulations.

In Wisconsin, minors between the ages of 14 and 15 are not legally permitted to work in any capacity without the consent of a legal guardian and subsequent verification of age by the state's Department of Workforce Development. If the department determines that a minor's safety is in jeopardy, it may immediately cancel the minor's employment permit.

Holdup in Employment Process

The bill's Republican sponsors, Senator Cory Tomczyk and Representatives Clint Moses and Amy Binsfeld referred to juvenile employment permits as "needless administrative barriers that slow down the hiring process," as reported by AP News.

They urged more lawmakers to sign on as sponsors, saying it is crucial that young people have access to the workforce without being burdened by complex rules.

Without work permits confirmed by a state agency, businesses found in violation of child labor regulations may more readily claim ignorance. Notably, the measure maintains the need for employers to keep their own records of workers' ages and hours worked.

Packers Sanitation, a Wisconsin-based meat packing contractor, was fined over $1.5 million by the Labor Department earlier this year for using at least 100 minors, some as young as 13. They are tasked to clean potentially dangerous equipment, including bone saws and skull splitters, at sites throughout the US. The corporation stated it had no idea those employees were underage and promised to take better measures to check employees' ages in the future.

Also Read: US-Based Amazon Employees Receive Return-to-Office Warning; Staff Now Forced to Offices?

Jeopardizing the Safety of Minors?

In recent years, state legislators around the nation, especially Republicans, have welcomed bills that would enable minors to work longer hours and in more dangerous jobs. Many legislation like these have been offered as potential answers to labor shortages, but proponents of child labor say they put children at unnecessary risk.

In March, Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a measure revoking permits that, like Wisconsin's, mandated age verification and parental permission for minors to work.

Advocates worry that the elimination of the permit requirement will make it much harder to investigate violations of child labor laws because there will be fewer records of where children are being employed. Sanders later signed separate legislation increasing civil penalties and creating criminal penalties for violating child labor laws.

Also Read: US Economy Reports 187,000 New Jobs in July Despite Employment Decline, Strikes

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A CEO of a sexual wellness company accused of abusing women and forcing them into sex acts says the allegations are 'totally false' - with their lawyer branding the federal indictment as 'horrifying'.

The 'orgasmic meditation cult' OneTaste claims the allegations levied against them for several years are untrue and part of a 'malicious crusade' by a former worker.

OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone, 56, and Rachel Cherwitz, 43, have both been accused of keeping women in residential warehouses where they were forced into sex acts for the company.

Claims levied against the company for several years have been denied by Daedone, Cherwitz and CEO Anjuli Ayer  who was not at the helm when the allegations were made.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Ayer said that the 'snowballed' allegations made against the company are completely false and left her 'devastated'.

Ayer told DailyMail.com that the various allegations against OneTaste are 'utterly devastating' for her

OneTaste founder Daedone, 56, (second left) and Rachel Cherwitz, 43, were hit with a federal indictment, which accused them of forcing volunteers, contractors, and employees into sex acts using cult-like tactics. CEO Anjuli Ayer has denied the allegations in an interview with DailyMail.com

Ayer took over OneTaste in 2017 after being introduced to the orgasmic meditation company the year before by Daedone

Cherwitz is still working with the company, but Daedone has taken a step back since being indicted earlier this year in Brooklyn.

The current CEO said: 'It was utterly devastating. When I acquired the company, I knew that I couldn't ignore how much it changed my life and and how much I wanted women to have access to power like that.

'I did not anticipate a five-year snowballed media campaign of negative allegations against us.

'That's what happened if you look at it. You take women and you take sexuality and then you put it together with a couple of people who are upset in some way and want to tell lies.'

Prosecutors say the alleged victims were subjected to 'constant surveillance' and isolated from friends and family.

When members could no longer afford OneTaste classes, they were pressured to take on debt, and that at times Daedone and Cherwitz even assisted them in opening new credit cards, according to the indictment.

The federal charges come after several serious allegations were made public by former employees of the company. Those at the head of the company say the allegations have 'come from really just one person'.

Cherwitz (right) is still working with the company, but Daedone (left) has taken a step back since being indicted earlier this year in Brooklyn. They're pictured outside the High Court in London

Ayer (centre) took over OneTaste in 2017 after being introduced to the orgasmic meditation company the year before by Daedone

Blanck became involved with OneTaste in 2012 and was 'positive' about her involvement until 2014 when she split with her partner, the lawsuit claims

Ayries Blanck was paid $325,000 as part of a settlement with the company after parting ways in 2014 - which included an NDA.

Legal documents filed by OneTaste earlier this year claim Blanck said she wanted to 'f***ing kill' her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend  who he met through a company event in Los Angeles.

She flew to Los Angeles and confronted the other woman before punching her in the face and dramatically quitting the company, according to the documents.

OneTaste has since launched a lawsuit against Blanck, accusing her of breaching their NDA, claiming she regularly voices her hatred of the firm - and say she was involved in a Netflix documentary about the company.

Blanck has not responded to the claims in the new lawsuit, and Ayer insists that the allegations are 'false' and that their community has been 'ripped apart'.

'We teach a practice that's based in connection. So the most powerful thing we have is connection, and we teach a practice, that's for women's empowerment,' she said.

'If you look at the allegations, and every single piece of media there have been four major pieces. They're all based on just a very, very small number of people who are upset personally upset'.

Ayer said that at the time the first accusations were leveled at the company, it didn't have the resources to fight them and insisted on Blanck signing an NDA.

One Taste in a lawsuit that Blanck had previously filed stated that she 'loved' the company and staff 'and 'consistently had sex with other members' while living in New York City

Blanck is also accused of attempting to connect former OneTaste customers and staff members with journalists and admitted being offered money to appear in a Netflix documentary according to the suit

The federal charges come after several serious allegations were made public by former employees of the company. Those at the head of the company say the allegations have 'come from really just one person'

Lissa Boileau (right) , a nurse who was introduced to the practice in 2016, said that the indictment and lawsuits were an 'intense experience', that made her want to defend OneTaste

But it claims she changed after she split up with her boyfriend in 2014 and he found love elsewhere.

Ayer said: 'This is not Nicole and Rachel indicted, this is Eros indicted. And this is in a way, even amongst the people in that courtroom, it's a conversation between women.

'At the time of the lawsuit in 2014, the business had very little money. And I can tell you from putting a phenomenal amount of resources into various suits, that it's incredibly expensive.'

Blanck filed a lawsuit against the company in August of 2015, claiming they subjected her to a 'hostile work environment, sexual harassment, failure to pay minimum wage and intentional infliction of emotional distress'.

The lawsuit also claimed OneTaste 'forced and manipulated her into having sex and taking part in orgasmic meditation with OneTaste staff, supervisors, and customers'. These claims are denied by the company.

But the new suit by OneTaste argues that following her ex-partners new relationship, Blanck begged Cherwitz to end his new relationship, which she said she could not do.

Lawyers for OneTaste are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages  asking for the amount to be 'sufficient to punish or set an example.'

Daedone and Cherwitz are also accused of grooming employees to have sex with potential investors and clients of OneTaste, according to the indictment.

Blanck filed a lawsuit against the company in August of 2015, claiming they subjected her to a 'hostile work environment, sexual harassment, failure to pay minimum wage and intentional infliction of emotional distress'.

Lawyers for OneTaste are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages  asking for the amount to be 'sufficient to punish or set an example'

Lawyers for OneTaste are seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages  asking for the amount to be 'sufficient to punish or set an example

What is orgasmic meditation or 'OM'? Orgasmic meditation is a 15 minute partner practice that involves a woman removing her underwear and lying down on a 'nest' of pillows or another comfortable position. The stroker, often a man, sits next to her on his own pillows and lightly and deliberately strokes her clitoris. The stroker focuses solely on the upper-left-hand quadrant of the clitoris, the so-called 'one o'clock' position. This continues for 15 minutes, until a timer goes off. The aim is not necessarily to orgasm but simply to 'feel' the sensation as intensely as possible. It affects the same parts of the human brain as conventional meditation. Advertisement

Several former members of staff have spoken out about the alleged abuse, initially to Bloomberg, before the BBC published a podcast series on the company.

Lawyer for OneTaste, Kevin Williams, told DailyMail.com that he found the federal indictment 'horrifying, as a lawyer'.

'It starts with the kind of language that's used in the original piece, it was totally overblown and false' he said.

'It was definitely designed to point law enforcement finger, and it did. Very shortly after that, the FBI is investigating, and they do this for good reasons.

'Because in the past, they have not investigated things for many years, and then they get murdered for that.

'That's happened over and over again, so they want to be seen to be taking action, and that is the government doing its job.

'But I want to know if they are taking it at face value, are they actually looking at the facts.

'The second part of that is, when the BBC comes in with these massively overblown or completely ludicrous allegations that are that are provably false.

'That that sort of ramps it up. And at that point, they really get attached to a narrative.

'It's quite scary and alarming as a lawyer to, to watch it happen in front of your eyes and be like, this is gonna be fine. We'll show the government the facts and this will get addressed.

'For the people under investigation to approach the government this many times, in the face of that little response - we kind of had to badger them to get a meeting with them.

'As a lawyer, it's incredible to watch it unfold in this way. And it's kind of horrifying.'

The 'orgasmic meditation cult' claims Ayries Blanck (pictured) is in breach of their $325,000 settlement for voicing her hatred of the firm since she left in 2014

In December, Daedone illustrated the intimate hands-on techniques on her associate Cherwitz, who lay naked on a raised table in front of an audience of 200

The company lost a libel bid with the BBC over the podcast, called The Orgasm Cult, with the broadcaster successfully arguing that the complaints fell outside the 12-month limitation period.

DailyMail.com reached out to the BBC for a comment over the allegations.

All of the allegations made on the podcast are denied by the OneTaste team, who say they have contacted various media outlets about the 'false' claims.

Former customers have also alleged that they were 'raped' after becoming involved in the company, with one telling the BBC podcast she was attacked by a man called 'Jake'.

No lawsuits or criminal charges have been brought in relation to the allegation, but the man involved now claims that he was never contacted over the claims.

Jake, who spoke to DailyMail.com on the agreement that he be kept anonymous, said: 'I listened to the allegations several months after it came out, and it just made me angry. It felt as though it was being propertied as a cheap horror film.

'I complained to the BBC, but I just got their standardized response, I didn't feel like they took me seriously and no one contacted me over the allegations.

'The whole thing felt almost abusive, that they can just make these claims about people under a pseudonym.

'There can't be any evidence of a rape, because it didn't happen. I have messages between us in a friendly way, years after this happened we were still friends and she seemed keen on engaging.

'As far as I'm concerned I think that I am just collateral in her campaign against OneTaste.

Speaking to DailyMail.com Anjuli Ayer CEO (second right) of OneTaste - who is not accused of any wrongdoing said she wants a 'fair day in court'

Nicole Daedone, 56, founder and former CEO of OneTaste, surrendered at the Brooklyn federal courthouse earlier this year

Who is OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone? Nicole Daedone hails from California and described Silicone Valley as her 'home' in a 2013 lecture. Before focusing her attentions on orgasmic meditation, the author and entrepreneur, The San Francisco State University graduate founded the 111 Minna Gallery in the SoMa district. She went on to study with teachers of yoga, Kabbalah, and Buddhist meditation. It is thought Daedone was introduced to orgasmic meditation in the early 2000s by a Buddhist monk, who demonstrated the practice in a private session. She founded OneTaste in 2004, packaging orgasmic meditation in a palatable format and by 2009 was on the cover of The New York Times' Style section. Daedone wrote a guide to orgasmic meditation, Slow Sex: the art and craft of the female orgasm, in 2012. In 2017, the company made $12 million in revenue. Vanity Fair named Daedone in its list of 'Twelve Women Who Changed the Way We Look at Sex' and around 900,000 people have viewed her Ted talk, entitled Orgasm, the Cure for Hunger in Western Woman. Advertisement

'Everything that she claims happens in these allegations just goes against the fundamental principles of everything we were taught.'

Lissa Boileau, a nurse who was introduced to the practice in 2016, said that the indictment and lawsuits were an 'intense experience', that made her want to defend OneTaste.

'It took me a long time to be able to become have the mental fortitude, to speak about my experience and what had happened', she told DailyMail.com.

'After the indictment, I was like, no, this is not a time of hiding. This is not a time of being fearful or afraid.

'This is, this is where I took a stand for something that radically and profoundly changed my life.'

Prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York previously filed to pause the civil litigation of OneTaste against Blanck, claiming that she is a 'possible witness' in the federal case.

But the motion was denied, with lawyers for the San Francisco-based company telling DailyMail.com that the filing is 'unconstitutional', adding that pausing the case would be 'ludicrous'.

In the latest court hearing over the federal charges, lawyers for Cherwitz and Daedone claim that the government failed to show 'how they violated the forced labor statute.

According to the pair the indictment does not specify what 'forced labor' they supposedly obtained, nor does it provide key details such as when, where and how the alleged violations took place.

Their filing states: 'Instead, the indictment is peppered with sensationalized allegations that have no nexus to its one criminal charge.'

Daedone and Cherwitz have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are free on $1 million and $300,000 bonds, respectively. OneTaste's current leadership team says they stand behind the defendants.

OM exploded in popularity following a 2009 New York Times profile of OneTaste, and at one point, the company was reportedly raking in $12 million a year from eager clients.

But in 2018, the FBI launched an investigation when ex-customers came forward saying they were left in debt after paying for expensive classes, and former employees said they were told to engage in sexual relations with potential clients to close sales.

Daedone has previously denied that she ran a sex cult, telling the Mail on Sunday last year: 'I want to continue the work of getting OM into the world'

In the latest court hearing over the federal charges, lawyers for Cherwitz and Daedone claim that the government failed to show 'how they violated the forced labor statute

The company used to have several buildings in San Francisco, including a cafe, an events space and communal housing known as 'OM houses' where between 30-40 staff would live together. Pictured, one of the properties once used as OneTaste dormitories

An OM class is seen above, in which a woman, naked from the waist down, has her clitoris methodically 'stroked' for exactly 15 minutes by a man

Now, prosecutors say that between 2004 and 2018, Daedone and Cherwitz deployed a series of abusive and manipulative tactics in order to obtain the labor and services of a group of OneTaste members, including volunteers, contractors, and employees.

The indictment alleges that the duo used tactics designed to render the OneTaste members dependent on the group for their shelter and basic necessities and to limit members' independence and control.

Members of OM were allegedly kept in 'residential warehouses' where they were forced into sex acts.

OM involves a woman, naked from the waist down, having her clitoris 'stroked' for exactly 15 minutes by a man, either her own partner or another paying customer.

At one point, OneTaste operated centers in cities including New York, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, Boulder, Los Angeles, Austin and London.

In New York City, OneTaste leased residences and hosted events in several different locations, including in Brooklyn and the Manhattan neighborhoods of Harlem, Hell's Kitchen, Soho and West Village.

Daedone has previously denied that she ran a sex cult, telling the Mail on Sunday last year: 'I want to continue the work of getting OM into the world. It is such a powerful practice and we have a world that is so starved of something that will bring a fundamental connection.'
A mother whose baby boy was on the neo-natal unit during Lucy Letby's murderous spree said she felt 'lucky but guilty' that they took their son home when 'other families didn't.'

The 35-year-old, who asked not to be named, told the Mail she had a 'traumatic' labour and her son was born not breathing in September 2015.

He spent four days in intensive care and  although Letby was never his allocated nurse  she was often seen in his nursery.

The mother, who works in retail, told the Mail she and her husband, 42, were interviewed by police, who told her Letby had attacked other babies in the days before and after their son was admitted.

Letby was convicted of trying to murder two different baby girls, on five separate occasions in September 2015.

Felicity Whitfield was baptised as an emergency after suffering a sudden lung collapse on the neo-natal unit. She recovered after being transferred to another hospital

Between June 2015 and June 2016 Letby murdered five boys and two girls

'I still feel guilty about that  lucky that nothing happened to him but also guilty,' the mother said.

Parents of twins relive moment nurse tried to murder them A couple whose twin sons survived Lucy Letby's sadistic attempts to kill them says she was 'annoyed' at her failure as they demanded a public inquiry into why hospital bosses left their newborns at her mercy. They recalled feeling 'over the moon' at having two healthy twins as their first children. Ironically, Letby had been present at their birth. His parents travelled up from London to see the boys and were able to hold them. Then came the nightmare of Baby M's collapse on April 9, 2016. 'Everything was going well,' said the father. 'Then within 15 minutes a nurse came charging upstairs shouting ''You need to come back down''. 'That morning I had been giggling with my kids and they were very healthy in their cots, then that happened. Advertisement

'Nothing happened to our child, thank God, but it could have done.

'We were lucky, we got to take our baby home. Lots of other families didn't.'

She said she recognised Letby immediately after she was arrested when her picture appeared in newspapers and on television.

'All we know from the police is that she shouldn't have been in his room,' she added.

'Apparently Letby wasn't supposed to be looking after him, but she was in there. That's all we know. When I went to see him, she was there.

'She said hello, but we didn't really have a conversation. My husband remembers she just smiled.

'It's been really traumatic, reading the court stuff and knowing that she tried to kill babies on the days either side (of when he was born). Following the case has brought it all flooding back.'

The mother, of Chester, said she was furious with hospital staff who allowed Letby to continue working unchecked after suspicions about her arose.

'I'm angry that people seemed to know about it and nothing was done,' she added.

'The hospital must have known something was going on  that something wasn't right. It carried on for so long.

A corridor within the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit, where Letby worked

'The whole birth experience for me was awful. There was negligence, they were understaffed.

'I waited seven days to be induced - 11 and a half days after he was due. I ended up having an emergency C-section and was put to sleep, so I didn't see my baby be born. It was very traumatic.

'My son was born not breathing and was ill. I was ill. I developed an infection from the C-section. I wasn't getting medication, cannulas were misrouted. It was horrendous.

'Because of what happened my husband and I waited six years to have another baby.'

Another couple, whose premature baby girl suffered a catastrophic collapse three days after being born at the Countess, in November 2013, have also called for the police to examine their daughter's case.

Mike and Vicky Whitfield said there was 'reason and rationale' to go back before June 2015. Police have confirmed they plan to look at the entire 'footprint' of Letby's career, which dates back to her training in 2011.

Their daughter, Felicity, was baptised as an emergency after suffering a sudden lung collapse on the neo-natal unit. She recovered after being transferred to another hospital and is now a healthy nine-year-old.

Mr Whitfield, 43, of Chester, said: 'We believe there's reason and rationale to look beyond 2015, they (the police) will go back.

'We believe it's been going on since 2010. You don't go from none to this, there's a build-up.'

Felicity Whitfield was born prematurely in November 2013 and almost died

Another mother whose son was looked after by Letby for eight weeks after being born 10 weeks early at the Countess, also told the Mail she was 'knocked sick' when Letby was arrested.

'She was really lovely to us,' the 50-year-old said. 'When I heard the news it knocked me sick. It makes you think what if anything had happened to him.'

Another mother of a premature baby boy, whose ventilation tube ended up blocked while under the care of Letby in 2012, not long after she had qualified, also said she and her husband felt they'd had a 'lucky escape.'

The 41-year-old told the Mail: 'As soon as I saw the pictures of the nurse in the newspapers I recognised her as the woman who looked after my son.

'She cared for him on a one-on-one basis for most of the eight weeks that we were in the hospital  and during that time he suffered a collapsed lung and then a blocked ventilation tube.

'Even though our son was very premature, the doctors said right from the start that he had a good set of lungs.

'We couldn't understand what was going on (when the baby fell ill) and when we asked her (Letby) how the tube had ended up blocked she replied, 'It just happens sometimes'.

'We feel like we have had a lucky escape. Looking back, it seems a little surprising that such a newly qualified member of staff could be left to give one-on-one care to premature babies, but we didn't have any particular concerns at the time.

'Lucy Letby seemed a little reserved, but there were no alarm bells ringing over the care she was giving. We just thought she was a very career-driven person.'
Brittany Higgins partly felt inspired to go public with her rape allegations when Grace Tame won Australian of the Year, but newly obtained voice recordings show their relationship may have been strained from the start.

Last Sunday night, 7News Spotlight played part of a recorded phone conversation between Ms Higgins and political journalist Samantha Maiden in a special episode about the fallout from Bruce Lehrmann's failed rape trial.

The call, obtained by Daily Mail Australia, was recorded on August 30, 2021 - six months after Ms Maiden first published Ms Higgins' rape allegations, and less than a month after Mr Lehrmann was charged with sexual assault.

The former Liberal staffer alleged her former colleague Mr Lehrmann raped her inside Parliament House after a night out in 2019. He has always denied the allegations.

Ms Maiden asked: 'Is there anything p***ing you off that you need to talk to me about?'

Ms Higgins replied: 'Grace Tame p***ed me off just then, so I'm kind of like a little edgy, but it's fine.'

Brittany Higgins (left) and Grace Tame (right) spoke together at the National Press Club in February 2022

The comment came as a surprise because they appeared to share a close friendship - regularly attending the same events, posing together on the front cover of Marie Claire, and addressing the National Press Club together in February 2022.

Rumours of a friendship breakdown emerged in June this year, when Ms Tame appeared to scrub her Instagram profile of pictures of Ms Higgins - including posts where she declared the former staffer 'a national hero', a 'warrior', and 'my friend'.

READ MORE: HOW DAILY MAIL REVEALED BRITTANY AND GRACE HAD FALLEN OUT Grace Tame has deleted an Instagram post in which she declared Brittany Higgins was 'a national hero' and that the former political staffer was a 'warrior' and 'my friend'. The sexual abuse survivor made national headlines when she wrote the post on Brittany Higgins' birthday last year, but it has now mysteriously disappeared from her social media page. Advertisement

However, voice recordings - obtained by Daily Mail Australia - suggest their friendship may have been fraught for about two years.

The rest of the conversation between Ms Maiden and Ms Higgins in August 2021, which was not played on Spotlight, related to the former Liberal staffer expressing frustration because Ms Tame was invited to appear on ABC panel program, Q&A.

After Ms Higgins said she was 'p***ed off' at Ms Tame for agreeing to appear on the show, Ms Maiden asked: 'What did she do?'

Ms Higgins replied: 'She's just going do this Q&A thing with [journalist and host] David Speers about internal processes in Parliament.

'It's just like, you don't know what you're talking about. You never worked in Parliament, and you don't know the internal processes. Like it's really not your place to comment on it.'

Ms Higgins said she would 'restrain' herself from telling Ms Tame how she felt, given that Mr Lehrmann had been charged with sexual assault earlier that month.

At the time, Ms Higgins was advised not to speak publicly about her rape allegations because anything she said could wrongly imply that Mr Lehrmann was guilty, and therefore could prejudice a jury against him.

Ms Higgins and Ms Tame (pictured together) appeared to be close friends, but new recordings reveal that may not have been the case

Ms Tame was a teenager when she was groomed and raped by her high school math teacher.

She was involved in a campaign to change laws that prevented victims from being allowed to speak out about their abusers, but which allowed rapists to talk about their victims.

During the phone call, Ms Higgins added she didn't mind that Ms Tame was being an advocate for sexual assault survivors, but felt it was 'inappropriate' for her to speak about issues in Parliament House.

Ms Tame did appear on Q&A in September 2021, but she didn't directly address issues in Parliament - instead, she spoke about women's safety and the issues victims face when reporting sexual assault to police.

In the same conversation, Ms Higgins said speaking with Ms Tame was 'difficult' because 'she doesn't understand'.

'You have [journalist] Nina Funnell kind of brokering peace every time we get contentious,' she added.

Ms Higgins and Ms Tame previously appeared on the cover of Marie Claire together (pictured)

Ms Funnell worked with Marque Lawyers, News Corp and two sexual abuse organisations to create the #LetHerSpeak campaign, in which Ms Tame was a case study after receiving free legal help.

That campaign ultimately lead to the laws in Tasmania being changed, which about a dozen survivors joined.

The conversation between Ms Higgins and Ms Maiden took place in August 2021, more than six months after Ms Tame was Australian of the Year on January 25, 2021.

In a draft of her memoir, #NotJustADaughter, Ms Higgins said she was 'gutted' when she watched former prime minister Scott Morrison give Ms Tame her award.

'Gutted with pain I couldn't quite understand, I was reliving 2019,' she wrote.

'When the staff of the Prime Minister's Office intimidated and gaslit me into staying silent.

'Here he was on stage, the prime minister himself, presenting an award to a young woman who championed the #LetUsSpeak campaign.'

Ms Higgins also referred to herself as a 'B-grade Grace Tame', and said: 'She exists outside and beyond the political bubble. Court case closed, awarded and revered.'

'Here I am in the mud with the pigs - fighting for control of the daily news cycle. Throwing mud: a WhatsApp here, a voicemail there, a drop to Sam [Maiden].'

In July 2021, months after making those remarks in her draft book, Ms Higgins told Ms Maiden that part of the reason she went public with her allegations because was inspired by Ms Tame's award.

'What was the trigger for you to say, "I need to talk about it publicly"?' Ms Maiden asked, in the recorded call.

Ms Higgins thought about it, and eventually said: 'The Australian of the Year thing played into it'.

Ms Maiden then suggested Ms Higgins wanted to air her allegations because 'you didn't want [sexual assault] to happen to anyone else' - to which Ms Higgins agreed.

Ms Tame still does not follow Ms Higgins' public Instagram page.

Mr Lehrmann was tried in the ACT Supreme Court in October last year, but the trial collapsed when a juror brought banned research material into the court.

The ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold, dropped the charge altogether in December citing concerns for Ms Higgins' mental health.

Ms Lehrmann had pleaded not guilty, but no verdict was reached.

He is currently suing Channel 10, Lisa Wilkinson and the ABC for defamation. The trial is scheduled to begin in November.

Comment has been sought from Ms Higgins and Ms Tame.
A new documentary has been released on Amazon Prime exploring the history of big cat sightings in the UK, including the notorious Beast of Exmoor.

Panthera Britannia: De-classified, produced by Dragonfly Films, follows the public's enduring fascination at the thought of big cats prowling Britain's woodland.

Beyond the myths of Celtic Britain, reported sightings of big cats stretch as far back as King Henry VIII's reign.

More recent alleged encounters including a photo of a large muscular black cat lying in long grass in Smallthorne, Staffordshire, and the 'wildcat of Woodchester' near Stroud, Gloucestershire, in 2009.

But perhaps the most notorious 'big cat' of all is the Beast of Exmoor, a predator said to have wreaked havoc in the southwest of England.

Pumas and lynxes are among the escaped big cats reported to have been seen in woodland across Britain

John Holden was a young marine in his early 20s in 1983 when his unit was tasked with ridding locals of the Beast of Exmoor

Eric Lay, of Drewestone Farm, Devon, close to Exmoor National Park, revealed he lost more than 50 sheep during the killings by the wild predator in 1983

Things came to a head during the spring of 1983, when dozens of sheep were savaged in Devon and Somerset.

Speaking in the documentary, Eric Lay, of Drewestone Farm, Devon, close to Exmoor National Park, revealed he lost more than 50 sheep during the killings.

He said: 'It was in early March 1983, when I started having lambs go missing. That progressed on to big lambs, full-grown ewes and then there were local people who were seeing a big black cat.

'You would just get the spine of the animal left and their ribs would be cleaned out, like they'd been cleaned out with a butcher's knife.'

By the following month, a local police sergeant had arranged for a group of marines to travel up from their base in Plymouth to kill the animal.

Among those deployed was John Holden, a young marine in his early 20s, whose unit was tasked with ridding locals of the Beast of Exmoor.

Mr Holden said: 'By the time we got there, over 100 full-grown ewes had been killed and slaughtered.

'Something that powerful had to be bigger than the average sheepdog. You had to really appreciate that for something like that to happen, whatever it was, it was quite a formidable beast.'

Mr Holden said the group set up an observation post overlooking a lonely valley, criss-crossed by a disused railway and a river.

Researchers remain divided over the prospect of big cats living in the wild in the UK and if so, whether these are animals which have escaped from captivity

Large cats were last known to roam the UK during the Late Pleistocene era, between 129,000 and 11,700 years ago

Documentary makers have discovered what they claim is the clearest ever photo of a big cat prowling the countryside in Smallthorne, Staffordshire

The picture shows a large muscular black cat lying in long grass in Smallthorne, Staffordshire

A rifle instructor then caught sight of a big black cat in crouch position apparently stalking a rabbit.

TIMELINE: A TALE OF BIG CATS IN ENGLAND In prehistoric Britain, a lion-sized sabretooth cat called a homotherium was present until around 30,000 years ago. Ancestors of lions, leopards and jaguars also inhabited modern-day Europe until the Pleistocene era 11,700 years ago. In 1513, Henry VIII's standard bearer John Giffard shot and killed a 'leopard' on the grounds of Chillington Hall, Staffordshire. The site of the incident is marked with a wooden cross to this day. In the 1760s, a boy named William Cobbitt (1763-1835) saw a large cat in the grounds of Waverley Abbey in Surrey. Cobbitt later became a prominent journalist and politician, and recounted the incident in his memoirs of 1830. Advertisement

Mr Holden said: 'All I could hear [the instructor] sayin was, "I can see something". He let rip with his rifle and the whole valley seemed to light up.'

The troupe felt sure they had caught the animal, although no body was ever found. For a few years afterwards, the farmers of Devon enjoyed a period of relative peace.

Mr Lay said: 'From that moment on, I never had anymore problems.'

Large cats were last known to roam the UK during the Late Pleistocene era, between 129,000 and 11,700 years ago.

Small numbers of big cats were thought to have been brought over by the Romans, who kept them in menageries, an earlier form of a zoo.

Menageries appeared again in royal courts during the medieval period, while King Henry VII stocked a large and exotic menagerie inside the walls of the Tower of London.

Researchers remain divided over the likelihood of big cats living in the wild in the UK and if so, whether these are animals which have escaped from captivity, or descendants of the big cats of the Pleistocene era.

Dr Todd Disotell, biological anthropologist at the University of Massachusetts, says: 'Some people have suggested that the sightings of large felids in the united Kingdom are the result of the remnants of ancient population from the later Pleistocine.

'I think it's extremely unlikely that animals could survive that long. They would have to have a significantly large population to maintain enough genetic diversity so I don't think it's possible to have something last that long in a country as dense as Britain.'

But even if the felines are descended from more recent arrivals, some experts think the numerous sightings are more than just tall stories.

However, animal behaviour expert Dr Isla Fishburn, who tracked evidence of wild cats in the UK, says she believes there 'compelling' evidence to suggest big cats have found a place in Britain.

'When it comes to looking at the prey of what these big cats may eat, we've got a vast collection of species that are possible - mice, rabbits, hares, smaller mammals and also an incredible deer population.'

Panthera Britannia Declassified is available now to buy and rent on Amazon Prime. It will also be broadcast on TV in the UK later this year as part of a special week of programming on Blaze (Freeview channel 64).
The National Trust has been accused of turning a renowned beach in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty into an 'eyesore' and desecrating the coastline by demolishing Britain's oldest beach cafe.

Until April, Middle Beach at Studland, Dorset, was home to a timber building that had stood for over 100 years and had been visited by generations of holiday makers including legendary children's author Enid Blyton.

But the conservation charity controversially demolished the cafe five months ago despite overwhelming opposition, claiming the cafe was at risk of coastal erosion and knocked it down as part of its managed retreat policy on climate change.

Since then, little has been done to restore the site and now, with the summer holiday season at its height, the once pretty setting now resembles an abandoned building site with metal fencing surrounding it to keep trespassers away.

Until April, Middle Beach at Studland, Dorset, was home to a timber building that had stood for over 100 years and had been visited by generations of holiday makers including legendary children's author Enid Blyton

Now the area looks like a building site after the National Trust demolished the historic cafe

And local residents and conservation groups - who had opposed the original demolition saying that the cafe was so far from the sea it was not at any risk - have now turned their sights on the 'bloody mess' that the Trust has made of the aftermath.

Andrew Parsons, a Studland resident and parish councillor who campaigned to save the cafe, said: 'It is a horror show and you wonder what the National Trust is thinking.

'The cafe was a perfectly sound building which they have demolished. All they have done is make it a bloody mess and make it look like an abandoned building site. It is an eyesore and any passing tourist would be appalled.

'How can they leave it like that? Have they no aesthetic sensibility?

'Studland is a major National Trust destination, it is not some obscure backwater.

'We all loved that cafe and they turned it into a bomb site and walked away.'

The fenced-off site has also led to part of the coast path to be blocked off to walkers.

Local residents campaigned to safe the cafe, which they claim was in no immediate risk of falling into the sea

But the National Trust, who were bequeathed the cafe, insisted that demolition was the correct decision

Peter Bowyer, chair of trustees for the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: 'It is disappointing to see the state of the area occupied by the former cafe at Middle Beach'

He said Dorset CPRE regret that footpath access to the site has been blocked - and they regard improving the appearance of the site and restoring public access to be a priority for the National Trust.

Dorset Council has previously taken enforcement action against landowners who breach rules relating to the Dorset AONB.

Middle Beach falls within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which means it is heavily protected and should be conserved to enhance its natural beauty.

Overlooking Studland Bay, the picturesque spot was a popular stop-off for tourists, dog walkers and ramblers using the South West Coast Path.

A council spokesman said a condition of the planning permission for the demolition of the cafe was that the site be cleared of 'all materials arising from the demolition' within six months...in the interests of the AONB.

The National Trust has until October to remove the last of the remaining building materials

This means the National Trust has until October to return the Middle Site to its natural appearance.

A council spokesperson said: 'The agents are currently working with the planning officers with regards to the conditions attached to the planning approval regarding the site of the previous cafe.'

Designating AONB sites is the responsibility of Natural England, a government agency.

Nikki Hiorns, of Natural England, said it was down to the National Trust to sort out.

Andrew Parsons, a Studland resident and parish councillor who campaigned to save the cafe, said: 'It is a horror show and you wonder what the National Trust is thinking'

The beach was left to the National Trust in 1982 by a local landowner

She said: 'There are on-going coastal retreat works at Middle Beach, Studland, being delivered by the National Trust in order to adapt to natural coastal processes and sea level rise; this includes the demolition and relocation of facilities at Middle Beach.

'Natural England was consulted on the planning application for the demolition and removal of the buildings and provided comment specifically related to the nature conservation protected sites, which this work relates to. But the work itself is being carried out by the National Trust.'

A National Trust spokesperson said that all 'man-made structures' on the site will be removed.

They said: 'Due to the effects of coastal erosion, the facilities at Middle Beach, including the cafe and toilets, have been moved inland.

'We are now working to remove all man-made structures from the original site and allow the undercliff to return to a natural state. This will enhance the habitat for rare sand lizards and other reptiles, and let the area rejuvenate into a beautiful cove that locals and visitors can enjoy.

'The work will be carried out within the approved Biodiversity Plan certified by Dorset Council. This includes avoiding any activities that may disturb the sand lizards, particularly during the egg-laying and hatching period in summer.

'We are also trying to minimise disturbance to beachgoers by avoiding using heavy machinery during busy periods.

'A specialist engineering company is planning the sequence of works, in line with these constraints, as well as a number of statutory regulations.

'We have already carried out extensive improvement works at Middle Beach since the timber clad cafe was removed in April. Spectacular viewpoints have been created in the new location, as well as a seating area and a new catering outlet.

'We are also improving access to the beach for pedestrians, paddleboards and kayaks.'

The beach was left to the National Trust in 1982 by a local landowner.

The Trust's approach to Middle Beach is in apparent contrast to how the Trust is looking to protect the natural beauty of nearby Brownsea Island which is also in the AONB.

In response to a planning application for a new harbourside mansion on Sandbanks, which Brownsea Island looks out to, the National Trust's planning advisor wrote to the local council urging them to consider conserving the views and setting of the protected site.
Portland has already allocated $27million for three official homeless shelters in a bid to tackle the problem, but drug addicts are reluctant to go clean and move in

Oregon's largest city is grappling with a devastating homelessness epidemic, with more than 3,000 people living on the streets, often in make-shift campsites

Portland's first sanctioned homeless 'park' is less than 20 percent full a month after opening as shocking new images show drug abuse and illegal campsites continue to plague its streets.

Oregon's largest city is in the midst of a devastating humanitarian crisis, with its homeless population up almost 50 percent since 2019 to more than 5,000.

The uber-woke local government is pinning its hopes of reversing the trend on a raft of costly new shelters.

But when DailyMail.com visited earlier this month, two of its flagship sites sat largely empty, with the majority of its drug-addled homeless population preferring to remain in unsanctioned campsites across the city.

Distressing images showed rows of disheveled tents taking over the streets, while the left-behind inhabitants openly abused hard drugs on sidewalks.

A seemingly never-ending line of trailers and haggard RVs has become one of Portland's largest unsanctioned campsites

Chris, 28, smokes crack cocaine in broad daylight on the streets of downtown Portland

Portland opened its first city-sanctioned campsite at Clinton Triangle last month. It can accommodated around 200 people, but so far just 80 have moved in

Around 2,000 of the city's homeless population are sheltered, leaving approximately 3,000 sleeping rough, according to official data.

The crisis has been fueled by the pandemic and a 2018 court ruling that meant cities across much of the West, including Portland, could not prevent people from sleeping outside if alternative shelter wasn't available.

Public scenes of flagrant drug abuse were then sent into overdrive after Oregon voters approved a 2020 ballot measure that effectively decriminalized possession of hard drugs like meth and opioids.

In a bid to end the crisis, Portland has approved $27million in funding for three temporary alternative sites, with plans for a further three to be funded by Multnomah County, while passing a ban on daytime camping, which came into effect on July 7.

Yet more than a month on, there are few signs of progress.

The Sunderland RV Safe Park near Portland's International Airport was opened in July as the city's first sanctioned shelter for people living in their RVs.

The site has capacity for up to 55 vehicles, but as of yet only nine have moved in.

Ironically, a seemingly never-ending line of trailers and broken-down RVs were parked up on an intersecting road in what has become one of the city's biggest unsanctioned campsites.

As DailyMail.com arrived at the campsite, fire crews were putting out an early morning RV fire that saw the vehicle burnt to ash.

The illegal row of trailers and RVs runs along NE 33rd Drive in Portland, where it intersects with NE Sunderland Avenue, the site of the city's first sanctioned RV camp

A city worker said some had wanted to move to the official camp but had been barred because they did not hold licenses or proof of ownership

A sign reads 'stay away or die' in the window of one RV. Although perhaps tongue-in-cheek, it nevertheless touches on the dangers of such illegal encampments

A fire crew was putting out a blaze when DailyMail.com visited the camp earlier this month

One official said crews attend to uncontrolled fires at the camp once every two or three weeks

The fire reduced the camper van to a sorry heap of charcoal and ash

An official said firefighters were called to the site to put out uncontrolled fires every two to three weeks.

A city worker said some had wanted to enter the Safe Park but had been barred because they did not have valid licenses or proof of vehicle ownership.

In downtown Portland, Mayor Ted Wheeler has opened the city's first sanctioned campsite, Clinton Triangle, boasting 140 sleeping pods to accommodate around 200 people.

The shelter contains bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities, a dog run and a kitchen.

It began accepting residents last month, but just 80 have moved in so far.

David Bentley, who has been scrambling to find alternative accommodation after he was told he would have to move on from his illegal campsite in the city's Central Eastside, told KGW8 earlier this month that Portland's homeless population were shunning the city-sanctioned shelters because the 'set up is like some sort of minimum-security prison'.

No drugs can be consumed on site - a deterrent for addicts who can abuse substances openly on the streets.

Weapons are also banned, which Bentley said was also causing people to stay away.

'All of us make sure that we have a weapon on us at all times, that goes against the first rule or law of being out here - make sure you can defend yourself,' he said.

Dignity Village, which first opened in 2000 in downtown Portland but has since moved to its current location near the airport, appears to be having more success.

Frank, 55, a resident at Dignity Village, said he felt safer at the shelter than on the streets

The shelter, which opened in 2000, is run by its residents but sanctioned by the city

Portland provides year-round shelter and safety for up to 60 homeless people every night

A cart of donated clothes stands next to a pair of sheds in Dignity Village, Portland

The city's push for official homeless shelters appeared to have done little to end scenes such as this one, where addicts openly abuse drugs on NW Broadway in downtown Portland

A group of drug users on NW Davis St in downtown Portland. The city has seen a spike in deaths from fentanyl overdoses since the use of hard drugs was decriminalized in 2020

Last year, such overdoses killed 209 people in Multnomah County, which includes Portland. Pictured: Drug users along 5th Avenue in downtown Portland

A homeless encampment under the Morrison Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Sites such as these were outlawed by the city on July 7, but most remain in place

A man peers out of his makeshift shelter at a homeless encampment along Naito Parkway in downtown Portland

A 'dumpster diver' rummages for scraps on SE Division PL in the downtown area

The site is run by its residents, but is city-sanctioned.

Portland provides year-round shelter and safety for up to 60 homeless people every night.

Frank, a 55-year-old resident, said one of the main advantages of staying at the village was that it felt 'safe'.

But frightened neighbors of one of Portland's new city-sponsored homeless villages have previously said it has become a hotbed for crime and drug dealing.

Residents living near the Safe Rest Village, which opened earlier this year and houses up to 70 people, said the camp is running rampant with drug dealers and antisocial behavior.

Either way, the initiatives seem to have had little success in stopping scenes such as those in downtown Portland, where Chris, a 28-year-old drug user, is openly smoking crack cocaine on busy Third Avenue on the day of DailyMail.com's visit.

On Fifth Avenue, groups of drug users can be seen openly taking fentanyl, smoking crack cocaine and injecting themselves with an array of substances.

Meanwhile, a group of homeless people at a campsite at Waterfront Park lie passed out on a sidewalk, their belongings spilled across the street.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler introduced a ban on 'daytime camping' on July 7

But the city has been slow to remove illegal campsites such as this one along 13th Ave

Such sites are littered across the city and another can be found along SW Washington St

Some among the homeless population are reluctant to move into city-sanctioned campsites because of a ban on drug use, whereas they can continue to take substances on the streets

The 2020 ballot reform that decriminalized the use of hard drugs, known as Measure 110, was meant to focus efforts on treating addiction instead of arresting users.

Police were given powers to hand out a $100 fine to anyone caught using these drugs and a card listing a hotline for addiction treatment.

But critics say the new law has created a free-for-all on hard drug abuse.

The same year the measure was approved, 69 people in Multnomah County, which includes Portland, fatally overdoses from synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, according to the county health department.

Last year, such overdoses killed 209 people in the county, while Portland, which has one of America's worst crime rates, experienced a spate of homicides and other violence among the city's homeless.
One of Britain's most affluent suburbs, where houses sell for well over 1million, and is home to the rich and famous, is in the grip of a terrifying crimewave where people are mugged in broad daylight  and shoplifting is so common, boutiques have locked their doors while customers peruse the shelves.

Criminals are striking brazenly in Chiswick, the affluent leafy west London village, that is home to stars like David Tennant, Ant and Dec, Jeremy Vine and Clare Balding - with apparently little fear of being caught.

Victims have included Songs of Praise presenter Aled Jones who was forced to hand over his 17,000 Rolex watch after being confronted by a teen thug wielding a machete in June.

The 52-year-old was walking with his seven son Lucas when he was the victim of a violent robbery that left him 'shaken' and 'shocked.

There has also been a spate of knife point muggings around Chiswick station.

Video footage a youth dressed all in black clutching a 'machete' as they reportedly walked away from the scene where Mr Jones and his son were attacked

Criminals are striking brazenly in Chiswick with apparently little fear of being caught (pictured is a young boy as moments before they appear to steal items from a shop before running out of the door)

Suspected shoplifters have been caught on camera taking items from shop shelves, with crime in the affluent suburb now so common, boutiques have locked their doors while customers peruse the shelves

Chiswick is an affluent leafy west London village, that is home to stars like David Tennant, Ant and Dec, Jeremy Vine and Clare Balding (pictured is Chiswick's High Road)

A music teacher was attacked while a similar attack on a student near Turnham Green Underground station led to others students being sent home.

Schoolchildren were being targeted for their mobile phones with several robbed in neighbouring Barnes close to where TV presenter Holly Willoughby lives with her family.

Jones's alleged teenager attacker pounced a few roads behind Chiswick High Road, the town's main shopping area, where thieves have been targeting stores daily.

But the most prevalent manifestation of the wave of crime is shoplifting - which is now so epidemic in Chiswick that some fashion boutiques have been forced to operate a locked door policy allowing one customer in at a time to avoid goods being stolen.

Even charity shops have had to install security locks on their more valuable items, while one store uses hefty cycle locks to stop whole racks of clothes being ripped away.

A trader shared with MailOnline CCTV footage posted to a WhatsApp group from shops that have recently fallen victim to the shoplifting surged.

In the first clip a three-man gang pretend to be looking for sunglasses in an opticians  before one of the gang swipes several pairs off a display shelf and bolts out the door.

In the second a thief loaded down with stolen clothing returns to his bike and rides off  barely able to balance he has so many stolen items in his grasp.

And in a third shocking video a woman casually looks around before taking toiletries from a shelf and putting them in a canvas bag. She left the store without paying.

All of the videos were filmed in the last month and shared among stores so that staff could be on the lookout for the thieves and take precautions if they enter their shop

Aled Jones was spotted walking with his family wearing an Apple-style digital watch in West London just days after he and his son were threatened by a man wielding a machete who robbed him of his 17,000 Rolex. Pictured L-R: Wife Claire Fosset, actress daughter Emilia, son Lucas and Aled Jones

A youth in black clothing is seen marching away with what appears to be a machete shortly after Aled Jones and his son were robbed in June

An image of the Daytona Rolex that was taken from Aled Jones during the machete robbery

One shop assistant told MailOnline the amount of thefts were the highest she had known in 40 years working in the retail sector.

'It is the worst I have ever known, and it is all types of shops,' said the assistant who asked not to be named.

'Part of the reason is that almost all the stores have a non-confrontation policy. If we spot someone stealing, we ask them to put it back. They usually just laugh in our face and run out and there is nothing we can do about it.'

Fashion boutiques along Chiswick High Road and in neighbouring Turnham Green Terrace have had to introduce a locked door policy.

Signs on the door of some retailers announce that only one customer will be allowed inside at any one time.

This is aimed at deterring what staff call the 'grab and go' thieves who snatch clothing from the racks nearest the door.

At women's fashion store Damsel, the assistant Oz said they had no choice but to put in place a locked door policy.

'It is the only deterrent we have to stop people from running in and out', she said.

'I am sure out genuine customers will understand but we have to do something.'

Staff at Whistles have introduced the same policy as they along with other fashion stores have been hit in recent weeks losing hundreds of pounds worth of stock.

Neighbouring store Mint Velvet recently lost 1,000 in bags and 700 in clothing.

They now allow one customer into the store at a time.

A member of staff said:' We are told by head office not to chase after the thieves but try to persuade them to leave what they are taking. They never hang around and just run out of the door.'

Kambiz Henessi has owned his women's wear store called Lizard in Turnham Green Terrace for 40 years and admits shoplifting has got worse in recent months.

Kambiz Henessi (pictured) has owned his women's wear store called Lizard in Turnham Green Terrace for 40 years and admits shoplifting has got worse in recent months

He said thieves attempt to distract him and staff with an expensive handbag or carrier bag with the name of a to brans like Dior (pictured is Kambiz's shop, Lizard)

Pictured: Turnham Green Terrace where shop owners have been talking about the nightmarish crimewave plaguing the area

He said thieves attempt to distract him and staff with an expensive handbag or carrier bag with the name of a to brans like Dior.

'They think if they are seen with an expensive bag I will not be so suspicious. The shoplifters will try anything, but we have CCTV.

'I have been here 40 years and the area has changed, and not necessarily for the better.'

While high end fashion stores are the main target, charity shops are also being targeted.

Fran Russell, the manager of a Shelter charity shop, said their store has fallen victim to the 'grab and go' thieves.

'I think they use our store for practice runs. They come in and just grab the nearest thing to the door. It's such a shame when it comes to charity shops being robbed.'

At a nearby Save the Children store volunteer Claire Gambling said the spate of thefts had become so bad they were having to padlock racks of clothes with bicycle locks.

She said:' It really is quite shocking, but that is what we have to do.

Save the Children store volunteer Claire Gambling (pictured) said the spate of thefts had become so bad they were having to padlock racks of clothes with bicycle locks

Bike locks are now being used to secure items in the charity shop to prevent thieves from stealing whole racks of clothes

Shops in the leafy London suburb are taking extra security measures including chaining till screens down to prevent shoplifters

Other desperate retailers like Oz, who works in clothes shop Damsel, have had to place signs up saying they are operating a 'locked door policy' urging customers to 'please knock' to be let in as part of their effort to prevent criminals looting their shops

'People just come in and grab a whole rack of clothes and run out. We do not try to stop them and the people doing this know that.

'Anything that we sell for over 50 now has a security tag.

'We did call the police on one theft and heard back from them three weeks later.'

A pharmacy on the High Road now puts its most valuable items behind the counter after falling victim to the 'grab and go' thieves.

'It has been pretty nonstop, and the shoplifters just run in and grab what they can' said a member of staff.

'The expensive items are no longer kept out on the shelf and customers have to ask for them. It is not something we want to do but have no choice.'

Food stores are also being plagued by thieves who are referred to as 'dine and dash' shoplifters.

In most cases they load up a basket with goods and then run out of the door.

Photos of a repeat shoplifter were shared on the trader's WhatsApp group as she held up a notice showing she was now banned from a M&S foodstore.

A member of staff, who asked not to be named, said: 'It is always the same people. They just come in and help themselves. If we can get the basket off them that's a result, but the company has a no contact policy. We are instructed not to chase after them as our safety comes first.'

Photos of a repeat shoplifter were shared on the trader's WhatsApp group as she held up a notice showing she was now banned from a M&S foodstore

Other images are shared by retailers in a private WhatsApp group of people they allege are shoplifters

The leafy suburb of Chiswick has become a crime hotspot, with shoplifters now so common stores are locking their doors

The local Tesco Express has attempted to cut down on walk in thefts by having a uniformed security guard on the door.

But earlier this week when the store was closed thieves forced open the electronic sliding front door and helped themselves to goods.

A convenience store next to Turnham Green Underground station was also hit this week.

Its metal shutters forced open and glass doors smashed in. The thieves made off with hundreds of pounds worth of cigarettes.

Local traders are reluctant to blame the cost-of-living crisis for the rise in thefts as they believe most of the items are sold to feed drug habits.

'If they have got away with stealing once they keep on coming back,' said the owner of a men's store who has CCTV and a panic button installed in his shop.

'We put a rack of clothes out the front of the shop that are on sale. It's a buffet for the thieves as they just grab some and run. There is not point chasing after them.'

A market stall holder based on the high street said he is often approached by thieves' hours after they have stolen goods and being offered the items and knock down prices.

'It is all so they can get more money to buy drugs,' he said.

'They are not stealing because they are hungry but because it is easy money, and they sell the stuff in pubs and on the street.'

Traders in Chiswick believe a lack of police officers on the street has led to the rise in shoplifting and other crime.

The police station closed six years ago and the building has been bought by developers to turn into flats.

Three police officers are assigned to the area, but shop staff say they are hardly ever seen.

Pictured is Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick, West London, where crime is rife, according to shopkeepers

Some shops are forced to lock their doors amid fears shoplifters could raid them during the day

Local traders are reluctant to blame the cost-of-living crisis for the rise in thefts as they believe most of the items are sold to feed drug habits (pictured: Kambiz Hendessi)

'The only time you see any police here is when they are getting breakfast at Costa,' said one disgruntled shop assistant.

'If we report the thefts we are given a crime number and that is it. Unless they catch the shoplifters in the act there is nothing they can do..'

Tory Councillor Joanne Biddolph, whose ward includes Chiswick High Road, said she understands the anger and frustration of traders and shares their view.

She has asked one of the local officers to set up a meeting on shop crime.

The local MP Ruth Cadbury expressed the fears of many of her constituents from Chiswick during a debate on crime last month.

The MP for Brentford and Isleworth said: 'The fear that crime puts into victims lasts so much longer than the time taken to experience and report the crime itself.

'Something wider has also emerged in recent years: a sense of broken Britain.

She said phone theft, was 'virtually legal' because of the lack of police action and added anti-social behaviour seemed to be allowed to happen in plain sight.

'There is a sense that this is a country where certain forms of crime simply happen without any consequence, she said.

The British Retail Consortium has said shoplifting is up by 26 per cent this year with police data revealing a 75 per cent increase when it comes to thefts of food, drink and baby formula from supermarkets.

And the crime wave is not just restricted to retail outlets.

Aled Jones was walking with his teenage son when he was the victim of a violent robbery just a couple of roads from the High Road that left him 'shaken' and 'shocked' in June.

There has also been a spate of knife point muggings around Chiswick station.

A music teacher was attacked while a similar attack on a student near Turnham Green Underground station led to other students being sent home.

Schoolchildren were being targeted for their mobile phones with several robbed in neighbouring Barnes close to where TV presenter Holly Willoughby lives with her family.
A paedophile teacher jailed for seducing a teenage pupil has begun a relationship behind bars with a female fraudster who stole her friends life savings, MailOnline can reveal.

Kandice Barber, who sent the 15-year-old boy explicit pictures before having sex with him in a field, has told friends shes found love with conwoman Jay Delaney inside an open women's prison.

The pair are 100% devoted to each other and openly hold hands, kiss and cuddle -and Barber plans to live as a couple when Delaney, who wears her hair in a 'boyish' short crop, is released from prison, a source has revealed.

Barber, 37, has served almost half of her six year sentence and is being reintegrated into the community, while Delaney, 34, began a five year term for her elaborate 388,000 fraud in April last year.

Both are now on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) aimed at returning them to useful roles in society.

Kandice Barber, 37, has served almost half of her six year sentence and is being reintegrated into the community

Jay Delaney, 34, began a five year term for her elaborate 388,000 fraud in April last year

Both Barber and Delaney are now on Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) aimed at returning them to useful roles in society

But when they return to East Sutton Park Women's Open Prison, near Maidstone, Kent, they resume their relationship, which has gone on for around seven months.

Barber was condemned by a judge as 'beyond despicable' when she jailed in 2021 for having unlawful sex with the impressionable youngster.

The teacher, who worked at a school in Princess Risborough, Bucks, flirted with the boy, sending sexually charged messages during a school assembly.

The blonde bombarded him with messages, including one where she asked him 'do you like boobs or bum?' - and sent him a photo of herself on a bed surrounded by sex toys.

She was found out after a topless picture she had sent her victim was passed to the headteacher of their school.

The mother of three's new choice of partner shocked inmates and staff at East Sutton.

The source told MailOnline: 'Delaney is slight and wears her hair in a boyish style, when they started their relationship people were saying she must be Barber's type.

'They spend most of their time together when they are not on ROTL. It's been going on for around seven months and they discuss being a family when they are on the outside.

The teacher, who worked at a school in Princess Risborough, Bucks, flirted with the boy, sending sexually charged messages during a school assembly

Barber and Delaney are 100% devoted to each other and openly hold hands, kiss and cuddle -and Barber plans to live as a couple when Delaney, who wears her hair in a 'boyish' short crop, is released from prison, a source has revealed

'Barber gets to go home and go to work. She'll got for four nights every two weeks to have access to her kids and also has six days out per month when she is working on a job she's found by the authorities.

'She isn't in much but when she is she is with Delaney. They openly kiss, cuddle and hold hands and appear 100% in love, they make no attempt to hide their relationship.

'I was told that they had been sharing a cell together but officers found out and moved them.'

Barber was recently moved away from the prison-appointed job she had been found as a security guard on a building site in Hounslow, west London.

There was a rebellion among the workforce when her shameful past was discovered and she was moved from the site near Heathrow Airport.

Prior to being moved she is said to have loved working on the site.

One builder said: 'She's attractive looking, so she's already proving a hit with the lads, who have no idea about her background.

'It's no secret she's a massive flirt and lots of the staff there have already noticed her.'

Barber was recently moved away from the prison-appointed job she had been found as a security guard on a building site in Hounslow, west London

Whilst she has been in jail, Barber's husband Danny, 40, has moved on with a new girlfriend who is expecting their baby.

It would have left her a single mother to three children, who were 10,14 and 16 at the time of her crimes.

But Delaney is prepared to take on some of the family responsibilities when she's able to join Barber, who is expected to be released early next year.

Her case caused revulsion in the teaching profession after the court heard how she had threatened the boy if he told of their affair.

Jailing her at Aylesbury Crown Court, Recorder Bal Dhaliwal said Barber had 'acted in gross breach of trust' and had taken 'advantage of a child in your care and groomed him for your own sexual gratification'.

She told the teacher: 'The victim was a 15-year-old boy in his final year at school. You had control and authority over him. He felt drawn in by you due to the compliments, you caused him to engage in sex with you while he was a pupil in your care.

'You threatened to take him down with you if he reported it. You already had authority over him by virtue of your position but to use threats is beyond despicable.'

Her new partner, from Southend, Essex, stole from her victims by claiming to run a gat rich quick scheme over the course of five years from 2015 to 2020.

Delaney would tell her victims, many of whom were friends and work colleagues, that she worked for Aviva and could turn a 5,500 investment into 10,000 within a couple of years, enticing them to invest most of their life-savings into her 'scheme'.

In fact, she would transfer the money into her own account and gamble it online.

Delaney would tell her victims, many of whom were friends and work colleagues, that she worked for Aviva and could turn a 5,500 investment into 10,000 within a couple of years, enticing them to invest most of their life-savings into her 'scheme'

She sobbed as she was jailed in April last year at Basildon Crown Court after admitting 38 counts of fraud.

Judge Samantha Cohen said: 'Before 2015 you had committed no criminal offences, but between 2015 and 2020 you perpetuated a fraudulent scheme. You preyed on friends and colleagues, and you dishonestly gained almost 400,000 for your own gain. You said you worked for a company - that was a lie.

'You offered substantial returns on people's investments - that was a lie. Often on the investments, you perpetuated to repay them with the increased premium. That often enticed the victim to make further investments. Some of them asked their friends and family to invest in the scheme as well. I expect they feel guilty about that, but the only guilt is yours.

'You came up with a series of excuses about your health, or a serious life-threatening illness to put them off the scent on what happened to their money. You confessed to your parents, you knew you had to go to the police but you didn't have the strength of your character so you asked your father to do it for you. That must have been one of the toughest things he has had to do.'
A wannabe DJ has sparked outrage by posting a room share advert requesting someone who is 'not white' and 'sex positive' to share a houseboat.

Privately educated Henry White was also slammed for asking for a new tenant who would pay 420 a month for a room that is so small it is barely big enough to contain a single bed.

The house share advert was posted to a Facebook group called the Southeast London Housemate Co-op which boasts over 60,000 members.

But within hours of being seen by others on social media it was taken down after a barrage of complaints criticising the advert as 'vile' and 'discriminatory.'

One woman wrote: 'I can't even engage. Everything about this post is vile. From the racism to the absolute ethical nature of renting out a miniscule cardboard box on water for 420 plus slave labour.'

Wannabe DJ Henry White sparked outrage by posting a room share advert requesting someone who is 'not white' and 'sex positive' to share a houseboat

Privately educated Henry White was also slammed for asking for a new tenant who would pay 420 a month for a room that is so small it is barely big enough to contain a single bed

The house share advert was posted to a Facebook group called the Southeast London Housemate Co-op (pictured is the inside of the houseboat)

In the lengthy advert accompanied by photos of the room to rented out White, 27, said he and two others live on a barge called 'Luna' in Deptford Creek, south east London.

He wrote: 'Sex positive, queer household cooperative looking for folk who aren't white to become a fourth member.

'We are looking for someone who is 21+, not white, and is interested in helping with the day-to-day maintenance of the boat, working to set up the cooperative and engaging with the creek community.'

Describing those already living in the shared space, he added: 'There's currently two white and one black person living on the boat.

'It's a beautiful and unique space where we share food, resources, and space with each other. We're looking for someone who wants to join in this vibe'.

Photographs with the advert show a single wooden slatted bed crammed in between two walls. There is a single window and radiator with two shelves fixed to one of the walls.

Other photographs show a small bathroom and kitchen area.

Other photographs posted to the home sharing site show a small bathroom and kitchen area

White, who says he is an aspiring DJ on his social media profile, attended 24,000-a-year Latymer School

The description goes on to reveal the space being advertised used to be two rooms but now converted into one and that its former occupier had left behind much of his personal possessions which were being cleared out.'

The monthly rent was 420 with a deposit of the same amount.

White, who says he is an aspiring DJ on his social media profile, attended 24,000-a-year Latymer School.

His parents live in a 1.1million home in Acton West, London, with his father Mark a company director.

Other members of the Facebook group who complained said the dingy space being advertised was not legally able to be advertised as it was so small.

Geri Matt wrote: 'It is illegal to discriminate in this way. Plus to rent a room to 1 individual the size must be 6.51m2 or 60 square feet which is about 6ft by 11ft or 8ft by 8ft.'

White was unavailable for comment.
When a brown envelope landed on Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes' desk, back in May 2017, he never imagined that, more than six years later, it would lead to the conviction of Britain's most prolific child serial killer.

Back then, the detective, who was head of the major investigation team at Cheshire police's western syndicate, was simply asked by his boss to look into whether there was anything concerning about an unexplained spike in deaths of premature babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital, which was on his patch.

Several reviews had already been conducted by the hospital, by experts from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and by an independent neonatologist and a KC, but they had found no medical cause for the elevated mortality on the neo-natal unit in 2015 and 2016.

So Tony Chambers, the hospital's chief executive, wrote a letter to the Chief Constable of the Cheshire force, Simon Byrne, asking police to 'put their minds at rest.'

The consultants had flagged concerns about a nurse who had been on duty each time a baby collapsed, but nobody could 'grasp' that someone had been killing babies - and in the absence of an explanation they contacted us for advice, Mr Hughes said.

Nurse Lucy Letby (pictured) murdered baby boys and girls between June 2015 and June 2016

Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes was asked by his boss to look into whether there was anything concerning about an unexplained spike in deaths of premature babies

A note found at Letby's home which says 'I am evil I did this'

'Lucy Letby had been moved so the incidents had stopped and what the Trust thought was, 'Have we done enough here to satisfy the minds of the doctors and nurses?' he said.

'It was a mystery, and the Trust did the only thing they could think of doing by asking the police, 'Do you think there are questions to answer?'

Mr Hughes said he met with Dr Stephen Brearey, the head of the neo-natal unit, and Dr Ravi Jayaram, the head of the children's ward, who explained to him that, although very fragile, neo-natal babies were generally in hospital to 'grow and go home.' There was no expectation of death or collapse, they told the officer.

'What happened with these sequences is the babies were collapsing unexpectedly, all of a sudden from a picture of strength and a picture of health, babies were suddenly collapsing and when the doctors reviewed those collapses or deaths they couldn't explain why they'd happened,' Mr Hughes said.

He agreed to investigate and Operation Hummingbird was launched. But, at that stage, police were not investigating a crime per se, instead they were looking into whether a crime had been committed.

'At that point I made the parents one promise, that we would, as a team, find out exactly what, when, how, and where, happened to their child, medically,' Mr Hughes said.

Lucy Letby a neonatal nurse at Chester Hospital who has been found guilty of seven murders

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Letby reacting to the final questions from her barrister Ben Myers

'We set four hypotheses and one of those was inflicted harm, but at that point myself and the team and most of the parents expected we would find causation, an illness, a virus, a mistake, a neglect, something.

'Even though we had been told a nurse had been moved, and that nurse had been present (at all the collapses), we didn't know what that meant, and we didn't want to jump to any conclusions.'

Mr Hughes sought advice from the National Crime Agency and retired paediatrician Dr Dewi Evans was appointed to initially look at the medical records of around 32 babies, who had died or collapsed at the Countess in 2015 and 2016.

Unusually, instead of a team of detectives looking at the cases together, Mr Hughes allocated a single detective to oversee each individual case. This gave them 'unique ownership' of each baby, and also kept each investigation and the evidence relating to it separate. That way officers would not be influenced by what their colleagues were uncovering as the investigation progressed, Mr Hughes said.

'We looked at it individually, every case needed to be investigated on its own merit,' Mr Hughes said. 'I wanted to allow people to come to a determination of what they were finding on their own.'

Only after the investigation had been running for six months did Mr Hughes introduce weekly team meetings, where detectives could share information. And the results, he said, were 'chilling.'

The Women and Children's Building at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Lucy Letby, a former nurse at Countess of Cheshire Hospital, was convicted of murdering seven babies, and attempting to murder six more

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans (pictured) said: 'At the beginning we hoped we wouldn't find a criminal offence because that meant that we were going to go and tell parents that their children had been murdered'

'All of a sudden the picture would start falling into place,' he said. 'It was chilling really at times, to see it drop into effect.

'A detective would give the update of their investigation, they would say, "What happened in my case wasaccording to the medical evidence the collapse took place at this time, at this time the designated nurse went on a break handing over care to Lucy Letby, the parents left and the child collapsed," then another detective would go, "Oh my God, that's exactly what happened in my case."

'Patterns emerged. That's what happened as we approached mid-2018.'

Alongside the detectives on the ground, who were interviewing doctors, nurses and parents, and the experts who were reviewing the medical notes, police analysts were also painstakingly reconstructing each nursing shift, using staff rotas, swipe data from the electronic doors onto the unit, timings from the computerised nursing notes and handwritten nursing logs, to put together a minute by minute account of where each doctor and nurse was before and after each baby collapsed.

Eventually, in June 2018, the police realised the 'evidential picture' was pointing towards 'inflicted harm.' Mr Hughes declared a 'criminal' inquiry and the decision was taken to inform the parents of the babies about the 'horrors' of what they were looking at and Lucy Letby was also arrested.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Evans, the deputy senior investigating officer, described this as a 'milestone' in the inquiry.

'At the beginning we hoped we wouldn't find a criminal offence because that meant that we were going to go and tell parents that their children had been murdered,' she said. 'We never anticipated the experts would come back and tell us there was inflicted harm, so when we realised that a crime had been committed it was really hard for everybody to believe, that somebody would do this. It was a milestone because it was shocking, and we also knew what we were about to embark on and take the families through.'

The diary belonging to Letby the UK's most prolific killer of children

Lucy Letby's bedroom at Westbourne Road, Chester, which was shown in court

In court Letby told the jury that being awoken at 6am by police, on July 3, 2018, and taken away for questioning was traumatising and left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

But Mr Hughes said that for someone who had never been in trouble with the police before, she was 'calm' and 'didn't appear to be struggling.'

'She was emotionless, she cooperated, she answered the questions,' he said. 'It was surprising, this was someone who had never been involved with police before in her life. She's arrested for eight murders and six attempted murders and brought into custody (and) at no point did she appear to be struggling with anything.

'She was quiet, she wasn't obstructive, she dealt with everything, she was controlled. There was no banging on the table, at no point did she say, 'You're saying these babies have been killed, I cared for these babies, go and find the killer, it's not me.' There was very much an acceptance that we were going to come and knock on her door at some point.'

But even then, Mr Hughes said, he was still open-minded.

'We were really interested in that first arrest and interviews, could she have told us something that made us go, 'ok, that makes sense, let's go and tell the experts that,' he said. 'We were still open minded as to whether we would find an explanation. We had one expert's evidence at that point and we were waiting for her to fill in the gaps, we were thinking, 'go on then Lucy, you're a good nurse, you tell us and we can take that back to the experts.'

Lucy Letby in police custody in November 2020

Lucy Letby, who was on trial at Manchester Crown Court charged with the murder of seven babies, speaks during her interrogation

But Letby's arrest uncovered a 'treasure trove' of medical documents, nursing handover sheets, a diary and handwritten notes, plus more than half a million pages of digital information from her mobile phone. Her answers in the interviews also provided a wealth of information for the police to evaluate and interrogate.

Ultimately, as more experts were engaged, more evidence was gathered and she was questioned twice more, it only pointed one way - in Letby's direction.

Mr Hughes said it was a sombre day for his team when they realised every avenue had been exhausted and she must be responsible.

'We were still seeking significant expert advice, right up until her final arrest and we were still hopeful, so it was a really sad point when we charged Lucy Letby,' he added. 'The team were told about the charges and there was a dramatic silence, it was very difficult, because there was suddenly the hard realisation that we'd approached every angle, looked at every possible explanation and obtained advice from the best sources around the country and this was what we were left with.'
A hunger strike is taking place at a jail in Bahrain where prisoners of conscience are held, with at least 500 inmates rejecting meals as a form of protest against their conditions. On August 7, detainees started refusing to eat, and the number has only grown since then.

Former Jau prisoner and current member of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD), Sayed Alwadaei, stated, "This is probably one of the most powerful strikes that [have] ever happened inside the Bahraini prison system; the scale of it is overwhelming."

'Not Frivolous Demands, but Necessary Ones'

Inmates released a statement through the illegal Al-Wefaq opposition party detailing their requests:

More time outside their cells (currently one hour per day)

Congregational prayers at the prison mosque

Looser restrictions on family visits

Better educational facilities

Better medical care

The inmates emphasized that these needs were not trivial but rather essential to sustaining human life. "These are not frivolous demands, but necessary ones required for human life."

Bahrain, a small island in the Gulf with a population of little over 2 million, has one of the highest imprisonment rates in the region. BIRD believes that 1,200 inmates are prisoners of conscience out of a total of 3,800 inmates.

Many protesters have been jailed in Bahrain ever since 2011 when pro-democracy rallies against the ruling Al Khalifa family swept the country. The government has banned two political parties as part of a comprehensive assault on activists, civil society, and opposition political groupings.

See Also: Female Inmates at California Jail File Federal Lawsuit for Sexual Assault

Reports of Medical Neglect, Harsh Solitary Imprisonment

Jau prison houses the vast majority of Bahrain's about 1,200 political detainees. Political prisoners, according to ex-inmates like Alwadaei, are isolated in their own cells and treated harshly. According to The Guardians, other inmates have also reported widespread instances of medical neglect, punitive solitary confinement, and assault.

Some political detainees in Jau are reportedly on a hunger strike, including prominent figures like human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja.

After being refused access to a cardiologist 11 times, al-Khawaja's daughter, activist Maryam, claims he went on a hunger strike to get the care he needed for a heart condition while he was in prison beginning in 2011.

Maryam said his father was in grave danger due to a lack of medical attention. He is at constant risk for a heart attack or a stroke due to his cardiac arrhythmia.

She claims her father was singled out for extra punishment because he advocated for better healthcare for inmates.

The family of dissident Ahmed Jaafar Mohamed Ali said he had joined the hunger strike. Ali was deported from Serbia to Bahrain last year despite a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights that warned he would be tortured in Bahrain.

Ali's family claims that on August 15, when Ali requested to see the Jau duty officer, the officer came and ordered other guards to pepper spray Ali in the face.

See Also: Russia Recruiting Prisoners To Fight in Ukraine War in Exchange for Freedom [REPORT]

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Manhattan man has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for stalking CNN host Anderson Cooper.

Gerald Hurt, 52, turned up on Cooper's doorstep at least four times between August and December 2022, and attempted to barge into the house.

Cooper took out a restraining order, but Hurt ignored it. He was charged with eight counts of misdemeanor stalking, menacing and trespassing, as well as criminal contempt for violating the restraining order.

Hurt was also given a five-year restraining order against Cooper.

Hurt is the second man to be found guilty of harassing the news anchor: in 2014, a schizophrenic Queens man who insisted he was in love with Cooper was sentenced to a year of psychiatric treatment and five years probation.

Gerald Hurt, 52, was sentenced to 30 days in prison on Friday for stalking Anderson Cooper

Cooper and Maisani, a French nightlife entrepreneur, split up in 2018 but co-parent two sons - Wyatt, born in 2020, and Sebastian, born in 2022

Alex Hausner terrorized Cooper for six years, from 2007-13.

At a court hearing in January 2015, Hausner told the judge that Cooper and his partner Benjamin Maisani were stalking him, and he feared for his life.

Maisani, a French bar owner and businessman, and Cooper met in 2009 and confirmed their relationship in 2015.

They split up in 2018, but when Cooper's first son Wyatt was born in 2020, he announced that he and Maisani would co-parent.

Maisani is also co-parenting Cooper's youngest son Sebastian, born in 2022.

Hurt's interactions with Cooper began on August 21, 2022, when he arrived at the journalist's West Village home at 10am and claimed: 'I have package for Anderson Cooper.'

The woman who answered the door repeatedly asked him to leave, but, according to court documents, he began screaming and moved toward the door with with 'his hands up and both balled.'

Hurt is pictured in court on Friday with his lawyers

He was ordered to stay away from Cooper for the next five years

Cooper and Maisani are seen with their sons Wyatt and Sebastian

Wyatt Cooper, who turned three in April, is named after his grandfather

A month later, on September 21, 2022, Hurt returned at 3pm and found Cooper at home - who asked him to leave multiple times.

Hurt pushed his full weight against the front door and reached his hands around the door to try to grab Cooper, the court papers claim.

On November 16, 2022, just before 10am, Maisani found Hurt on the doorstep and repeatedly asked him to leave, according to the complaint.

Hurt told him: 'I am here to see Anderson Cooper.' Hurt then gave his number to Masiani, for Cooper to contact him.

Finally, at 10pm on a December evening, Hurt returned and told Maisani: 'I am here to see Anderson Cooper.'

Maisani replied: 'We have a restraining order against you.' Hurt said: 'Oh you mean the fake order?' Hurt was arrested on December 15. Cooper has not addressed the incident.
Aussies urged to be on the lookout for the collectible item

Aussies could get more than their money's worth out of a $2 coin that is now worth a massive 20 times its face value.

The rare coin, minted to celebrate 100 years of Australian troops landing at Gallipoli in 1915 during World War One, could now fetch up to $40.

The limited-edition coin first released in 2015 is encrusted with symbols commemorating the sacrifice of Australian diggers.

A rare $2 coin celebrating the centenary of the ANZACs' landing at Gallipoli in 1915 during World War One, could fetch up to $40.

The words 'Lest we Forget' are inscribed in the middle of the coin, which is emblazoned with a red circle depicting poppies - the iconic flower dedicated to remembering soldiers who fought in the two world wars.

Carvings of diggers adorn the outer edge of the coin, in remembrance of the men who served in the battle fought on the Turskish shores.

Australians have been urged to keep the collectible coin, which according to Joel Kandiah, a self-described specialist coin researcher and collector, will fetch a fair price if it's sold.

Kandiah, posted a video about the rare coin to his TikTok account thehistoryofmoney, to reveal its current worth.

'if you do find one they're worth between $20 and $40,' he said.

'Happy hunting'.

A researcher and coin enthusiast said the rare and striking coin could be worth anywhere between $20-$40 if it's sold

The limited edition coin has a very modest mintage, with only 1.46 million versions of made by the Royal Australian Mint.

In comparison, over five million of the current $2 coin in circulation were printed by the mint.

Several TikTok users commented on Mr Kandiah's post, sharing their thoughts about the valuable piece of loose change.

'I have 10 of them,' one wrote.

'Love this coin,' said another.

'It's still worth $2.00 dollars [sic] only in shopping,' another user wrote.

There are several other $2 coins that have been recently released which fetch prices well above their face value.

The $2 coin which features an image of a red poppy is worth $280.

Only 500,000 versions of the coin - made in 2012 - were minted.

A similar coin encrusted with a gold poppy made in the same year to commemorate Remembrance Day can fetch up to $30.

Several other coins that have been recently minted could fetch well above their face value, with one $2 coin featuring a red poppy worth as much as $280

Australian coins have risen to international acclaim with the mint taking out two prizes at the International Coin of the Year Awards earlier in August 2023.

The 2022 $2 Honey Bee and the Beauty Rich & Rare - Great Barrier $100 gold coin took out the top gongs out of 500 coins from around the world.
It was supposed to be a landmark day for Vladimir Putin as he yesterday toured a model of a new commuter train coming to Moscow.

But the Russian president looked far from impressed as he sat in the gleaming new carriage, as a kamikaze drone targeted the city and struck a building three miles from the Kremlin.

Putin looked like he had a case of the blues as he tested the comfort of the train's seats with Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

The drone struck an exhibition centre, with footage showing a flash and an explosion as it hit the building. The unmanned craft, suspected to be Ukrainian, was shot down by Moscow's air defences and caused 'no significant damage', Russian officials claim.

But images of the Moscow Expo Centre, used for shows and conferences, show destruction caused to an outer wall. A resident named Maria said: 'We live in the tower opposite, on the 68th floor. We heard a bang and saw a flash.

The drone struck an exhibition centre, with footage showing a flash and an explosion as it hit the building

Putin (left) looked like he had a case of the blues as he tested the comfort of the train's seats with Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin (right)

Vladimir Putin and Sergey Sobyanin toured a model of a new commuter train coming to Moscow

'At first we thought it had hit the Federation Tower [Moscow's tallest building], but it turned out to be the Expo Centre. We could see... smoke from our windows.'

Another resident said: 'My windows overlooking were open. I felt a blast wave  it became hot right in my flat. I'm in shock.'

The Russian defence ministry claimed the 4am drone strike was 'another terrorist attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) against targets in Moscow'.

A statement said: 'The UAV changed its flight trajectory after being hit by air defence weapons and crashed into a non-residential building  there were no casualties or fires.' Later reports said the damage covered 325sq ft of Moscow's business district.

It came as Russia announced sanctions on the British International Criminal Court prosecutor seeking Putin's arrest.

Members of the UK Government were also included in the list issued by the foreign ministry, which denounced the 'unwavering military support from London' to Kyiv.

Karim Khan issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March on the accusation of having unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

And Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer was accused of 'actively pushing for the international sporting isolation of Russia' by the country's foreign ministry. Meanwhile, the US government confirmed it was giving its 'full support' for F-16 fighter jets to be sent to Ukraine.

The Russian defence ministry claimed the 4am drone strike was 'another terrorist attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) against targets in Moscow'

The damaged Expocentre building following a drone attack in Moscow on August 18

Putin and Sobyanin attend a ceremony to launch the Line D3 of the Moscow Central Diametres

A new kamikaze drone attack led to a major explosion at Moscow's main exhibition centre, and the temporary closure of all the city's main airports

In a letter to the Danish and Dutch governments, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was crucial that Ukraine was able to protect itself from Russian attacks.

Mr Blinken wrote: 'I am writing to express the United States' full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors.

'It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty.'

The US had been reluctant to supply F-16s for fears of escalating tensions between Nato and Moscow.
Legendary Mayfair restaurant Le Gavroche is to close early next year as chef Michel Roux Jr seeks 'a better work-life balance'.

The French fine dining establishment, which has two Michelin stars, was opened in 1967 by his late father Albert and uncle Michel.

But Roux Jr, 63, told The Times: 'I'm genuinely tired. Being in the restaurant almost every day has taken its toll and I have got to the stage where I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to.

'It is a very high-pressure job and I want a better work-life balance.' He added: 'Financially we are in a very good place. We are full every day.'

Le Gavroche was the first UK restaurant to be awarded one, two, and then three Michelin stars.

Roux Jr, 63 is to close the restaurant in January next year - it was opened by his father in 1967

Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars

At the time of its opening it was the only French restaurant of its kind in London, offering classical French food and the highest standards of cooking and service.

Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars - one of the most prestigious accolades in the restaurant business.

Other celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White have 'earned their stripes' at Le Gavroche, according to the restaurant's website.

In a lengthy Instagram post announcing the closure on Friday, Roux Jr announced the restaurant would be closing in January 2024.

He said he had 'very mixed emotions' about the decision to close, but that the restaurant's name would 'live on'.

'This decision has not been made lightly. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years,' Roux Jr wrote.

'I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high. 'Le Gavroche continues to be fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures.'

Roux Jr added that a series of 'celebratory dinners', starting in November, would be held until the restaurant's closure.

'This is not the end of Le Gavroche - the restaurant may be closing, but the name will live on,' he said.

'I could not be more grateful for the restaurant team, who have loved the restaurant as if it were their own.

Albert Roux outside his Mayfair Restaurant, Le Gavroche in London in 1991

Roux Jr added that a series of 'celebratory dinners', starting in November, would be held until the restaurant's closure

'The entire team both past and present, will forever have my gratitude, and will always be considered as part of the Roux family.'

He added: 'And to you, our guests. Our success is all down to you. I would like to extend a personal thank you to every single person that has dined with us. Your support means everything to us.'

As well as being part of the judging panel on MasterChef: The Professionals, Roux Jr has appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia.

He has also appeared on Ramsay's show Hell's Kitchen, and presented two series of Michel Roux's French Country Cooking.

Food critic and journalist Jay Rayner wrote: 'Very few emails make my eyebrows genuinely raise.

'This one did. I totally understand the thinking but, boy that really is the end of something, allowing for the fact the name will live on.'
Lucy Letby has threatened to dodge court next week as ministers pledged to bring in laws forcing serious criminals to come to the dock for their sentencing.

The killer nurse made her last appearance in the courtroom on Thursday morning  24 hours before jurors finished delivering their final verdicts. She told her legal team she did not wish to attend any more of the proceedings  including her sentencing hearing on Monday.

If she refuses to appear, she will miss the 'victim impact statements' which are expected to be delivered by parents of her victims. She will also dodge hearing the judge's remarks about her crimes.

The Daily Mail understands that law changes requiring offenders to be present in court for their sentencing will be included in the King's Speech in November.

A Ministry of Justice source said: 'It is a final insult to victims and their families when criminals don't stand up to what they've done in court. We're committed to changing the law as soon as we can to ensure that that offenders face the music, or face the consequences.'

Lucy Letby (pictured) has threatened to dodge court next week as ministers pledged to bring in laws forcing serious criminals to come to the dock for their sentencing

The killer nears sitting at her trial last week where she was in attendance

If Letby refuses to appear for her sentencing, she will miss the 'victim impact statements' which are expected to be delivered by parents of her victims

It is thought the proposals will allow the use of force to compel offenders to attend or impose an increased jail sentence by making 'no-shows' a contempt of court.

The Government first pledged to change the law in February when Dominic Raab said ensuring offenders are present in court for their sentencing was a 'basic principle of British justice'.

In June, the Justice Secretary said he was 'committed' to bringing forward legislation to require criminals to attend their sentencing. Alex Chalk told MPs: 'Offenders who rob innocence, betray lives and shatter families should be required to face the consequences of their actions and hear society's condemnation expressed through the sentencing remarks of the judge. I want to know that when an offender is sitting in a cell trying to get to sleep... the judge's words of condemnation are ringing in their ears.'

Jury praised in longest ever UK murder trial The eight women and four men on the jury sat for more than ten months, making it the longest murder trial in British history. They listened to evidence from 246 witnesses  including parents, doctors, nurses and experts  who gave thousands of hours of, at times very distressing, testimony. Witnesses came from across the UK and the world, with some speaking from Australia via videolink. The trial was also unique in that it was run almost entirely digitally, with the majority of information  including medical records and nursing notes  uploaded onto individual iPads for easy access. Two jurors suffered bereavements during the trial, which began on October 10 last year, forcing it to be halted at times. Other days were missed due to personal event and medical appointments. Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes, from Cheshire Police, paid tribute to the jury, saying: 'They listened attentively, they were focused and stayed with it. I'm really proud of them for what they have done for the parents in helping them to seek justice.' Advertisement

It is thought the law change could involve introducing a new legal duty to be present for sentencing.

Alternatively, criminals could face the prospect of longer prison terms if they fail to comply, by allowing judges to treat non-attendance as an aggravating factor in sentencing.

However, the latter option would have no effect on the most serious criminals - such as serial killers - who know they are already facing the prospect of a 'whole life' prison term which will see them die behind bars.

It comes after a series of high-profile cases in which criminals have refused to come to court to hear their fate, denying victims the satisfaction of seeing them sent down.

In April, the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel refused to attend his sentencing hearing.

Thomas Cashman, 34, had been found guilty of murdering Olivia and wounding her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, as he chased a convicted drug dealer into their Liverpool home in August last year.

Ms Korbel said Cashman's absence was 'like a kick in the teeth' and called for the law to be changed.

In December the killer of 35-year-old law graduate Zara Aleena also refused to hear his sentence.

Jordan McSweeney's absence was condemned as 'spineless' and 'a slap in the face'. Miss Aleena's aunt told the BBC at the time: 'He needed to look at our faces and see how he hadn't just killed Zara, he had killed a whole family.'

In April last year Koci Selamaj, the killer of school teacher Sabina Nessa was branded a 'coward' by her family after he refused to face them at his sentencing hearing.

In 2008, serial killer Levi Bellfield refused to attend court to be sentenced for the murders of Marsha McDonnell, 19, and Amelie Delagrange, 22. Three years later when Bellfield was convicted of murdering 13-year-old Milly Dowler, he again refused to come to the dock for his sentencing.

Labour has called for Mr Chalk to act 'urgently'.
Police forces are paying around 1.6millon a month to officers who have been accused of misconduct  with a record number suspended on full pay.

More than 600 officers across the UK who have been accused of wrongdoing are currently receiving their full salaries while awaiting disciplinary hearings  a process which could take years.

This annual bill adds up to around 19.6million, paid for by taxpayers.

Figures show the number of officers suspended has risen by more than 50 per cent from 395 last year.

In comparison, there were just 250 police officers who were suspended on full pay seven years ago across England and Wales.

More than 600 officers across the UK who have been accused of wrongdoing are currently receiving their full salaries. [Stock Image]

Details of the escalating costs emerged days after Britain's top officer called for the power to sack rogue officers, and went on to express his frustration at delays to legislative reform of the police disciplinary system.

READ MORE: How the Met botched its investigation into a depraved detective after he was reported by four victims of sex crimes who had slept with him Advertisement

Sir Mark Rowley said chief constables are still unable to sack hundreds of officers deemed unfit to serve as the final say on gross misconduct cases is given to lawyers known as legally qualified chairs.

More than 200 Met Police officers accused of wrongdoing are currently receiving their full pay, many of whom have been suspended.

Dates for misconduct hearings have been set for only 49 out of the 209 cases, Sir Mark confirmed.

The Metropolitan Police chief said: 'I've got a big mission to sort out here and I'm in a hurry to get on with it, and it's frustrating when that's held up by others, such as getting this legislation right.

'This is slowing us down and we're building up big backlogs of cases. This is a national issue, meaning that there will be hundreds of officers who would have been sacked by officer-chaired panels but are still serving across the country.'

Some officers accused of wrongdoing remain suspended for many years before their case is heard.

In a recent example, a detective who had been accused of drug offences and making sexual advances towards victims remained suspended on full pay for seven years before finally being dismissed in May for gross misconduct.

Disgraced DI Warren Arter (pictured) took cocaine, exchanged sordid messages with women and went to orgies where Class A drugs were taken in his presence

Met Commander Julian Bennett (pictured) who was suspended in July 2020 for allegedly abusing drugs

While removed from duty, Detective Inspector Warren Arter, who was on 60,000 a year, continued taking cocaine, exchanged sordid messages with women and went to orgies where Class A drugs were taken in his presence.

However, he escaped any criminal charges and earned a total of 400,000 while awaiting his hearing.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act suggest that a West Midlands police officer has been suspended for almost five years, while another officer from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been absent on full pay for six years.

Earlier this month, Met Commander Julian Bennett, who was suspended in July 2020 for allegedly abusing drugs, allegations he denies, complained that his case has taken three years at a cost to the public of 1.5million.

He remains suspended while his misconduct case has been further delayed until September.
An Ofsted 'Oustanding'-rated school has been forced to apologise after every student's A-Level results were sent out students and parents due to 'human error'.

An email received by parents at the John Taylor High School in Barton under Needwood, Staffordshire, showed not just each pupil's names and grades, but their individual marks.

The same email was sent to students but staff were able to recall this mail in time.

Headteacher Katie Cochrane sent a second email around 40 minutes after the first, titled 'Urgent Year 13 Grade Boundaries' in which she asked all recipients to not open the email and immediately delete it.

An unnamed parent of a child at the school told The BBC that it was a 'major concern that an education institution can make such a fundamental error'.

'The school has ultimately failed to protect their confidentiality in a fundamental way.'

General view of the Outstanding John Taylor High School in Staffordshire

The school has confirmed that the leaked results were sent out in a 'human error' and apologised to students and their families for the mistake.

A statement read: 'We have immediately reported this breach to the data protection officer and will take any further action as advised by them.

'We apologise profusely at this time for any upset this may have caused.'

In a statement, Head Teacher Katie Cochrane said: 'This was a case of human error, and the school are deeply distressed about the potential upset that could be caused to our students and parents.

'For this we are truly sorry. We have already completed an internal investigation into this with the support of the data protection officer to ascertain the reasons for this mistake.

'We are aware of these and will put measures in place to ensure that this does not happen again.'

According to the anonymous parent, the email 'included four attachments which detailed the grades received by each and every pupil in the sixth form at John Taylor High School, identified by name and surname as well as not only the grade, but also the individual marks.'

They added: 'No person wants their child walking down the street and have another pupil tell them what marks they got or get derogatory remarks.'

Student Ella Goodwin reacts as she receives her A-level exam results at Harris Westminster Sixth Form in London, Britain, August 17, 2023

John Taylor High School is an Ofsted 'Outstanding' school attended by some 1,600 pupils.

In a press release, the school said students had achieved 'exceptional A-Level and vocational results' this year.

Mrs Cochrane said: 'We are once again thrilled and incredibly proud of the achievements of our students' this academic year.

'Our students once again have been successful in a range of both academic and vocational courses, which has enabled them to secure University places at a range of establishments as well as higher level apprenticeships.'
A Miami real estate agent has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $380,000 in COVID relief loans, which she spent on leasing a Bentley, renting a luxury apartment and having cosmetic procedures.

Daniela Rendon, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in April 2023 after the prosecution dropped six additional counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of aggravated identity theft.

Rendon, a mother of three, admitted her actions were 'motivated by insatiable greed.'

She told the a federal court in Miami on Thursday: 'Looking back, it becomes all too tempting to utter the words 'everybody was doing it' as a feeble attempt to rationalize my actions.

'I regretfully confess that I once foolishly believed that the victims of my crimes were merely the faceless entities of the U.S. Government.'

Rendon used COVID relief funds to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga (sales price $181,000) which she showed off on her Instagram account, pictured

Instead of using it to support her business, Rendon used the funds to lease a 2021 Bentley, luxury apartment, cosmetic procedures and buy shoes

U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore appreciated her contrition and the 30-page thesis she submitted, which detailed her remorse.

He sentenced her to the minimum prison time, sparing her an additional year behind bars.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Bailyn recommended a three and a half year sentence while her defense attorney, Robert Mandell, asked for a lenient term of five years' probation.

She could have faced 20 years in prison for wire fraud.

'It's not as easy to see that you're really stealing from your neighbors, your friends and other citizens,' said Moore, according to The Miami Herald.

'It's their money that goes to the Treasury that makes it possible to have these kinds of programs.'

In the early months of the pandemic, federal funds were poured into businesses to keep them afloat and enable them to pay their essential overheads.

The Small Business Administration rolled out at speed several pandemic relief programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.

Photos posted to her social media account see Daniela Rendon, 31, enjoying a lavish lifestyle funded with COVID relief loans

Among other things, the money was used to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, sales price $181,000, which she showed off on her Instagram account

Rendon posted pics of herself to social media account wearing fancy clothes, going on tropical vacations and traveling on private jets

Rendon refers to herself as an 'Ultra Luxury' real estate agent

Rendon was far from discreet when it came to flaunting her lavish lifestyle

They are now attempting to claw back misspent funds, and prosecute those responsible.

A watchdog report released in June 2023 by the Office of the Inspector General for the SBA found 17 percent of the $1.2 trillion were stolen through fraud schemes.

The estimated fraud breakdown is $136 billion from EIDL programs and $64 billion through PPP loans.

'The pandemic presented a whole-of-government challenge,' wrote Hannibal 'Mike' Ware, the inspector general, in the report.

'Fraudsters found vulnerabilities and coordinated schemes to bypass controls and gain easy access to funds meant for eligible small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely affected by the economic crisis.'

Rendon was able to get her hands on the money earmarked for struggling businesses by falsifying business data to secure the PPP funds.

Rendon applied for her business loans through the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program for $371,000 and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief program for $10,000.

Rendon is alleged to have had $381,000 in relief funds funneled to her personal account despite them being strictly for her 'Luxury Real Estate' business

The Colombian-born realtor fabricated information including revenue, payroll, costs, tax information, and employee count.

The falsified data was submitted to lenders in New Jersey and Idaho, with the loans paid directly to her through her corporate bank account.

Rendon, who refers to herself as an 'Ultra Luxury' real estate agent on LinkedIn, then transferred the payments to herself and her inner circle of friends.

She arranged for a payroll processor in New Jersey to process the loans and cut checks that were then issued to family and friends.

Rendon did not shy away from the amount of wealth she had accumulated, regularly flaunting herself on her social media accounts and her 33,000 followers.

Among other things, the money was used to lease a 2021 Bentley Bentayga, which is sold for around $181,000, which she showed off on her Instagram account.

The money was also used to rent a luxury apartment in Biscayne Bay, undergo cosmetic procedures and to fix a pair of her designer shoes.
A law lecturer has claimed she was let go from the Open University after raising concerns about teaching gender identity theory.

Almut Gadow, 43, says that she questioned curriculum requirements including teaching diverse gender identities and encouraging students to use offenders' preferred pronouns.

She maintains that her role was 'to present facts' and says that she was sacked for questioning the need to 'indoctrinate students in gender identity theory' after changes were made to the curriculum in the 2021/22 academic year.

Gadow stressed the perceived importance of not allowing offenders 'to dictate the language of his case in a way which masks relevant facts', adding that she felt the new requirements 'distorted equality law and normalised child sexual exploitation'.

But the professor said she was told her forum posts on gender identity were deemed 'serious insubordination' and that persistent comments on identity, paedophilia and sex offending were judged 'serious bullying and harassment'.

Gadow was ultimately let go from the institution in November for gross misconduct after 'almost ten years' with the institution, and now seeks to raise funds to support a legal battle.

'I see free speech as a distinguishing feature between democracy and totalitarianism, not a battleground between left and right,' the law lecturer said

Writing on a fundraising page, Gadow said: 'When I raised these questions, in an online forum for law tutors to discuss what they teach, management had no answers.

'Months later, they were cited as reasons for my dismissal.

'Managers spuriously alleged that my 'unreasonable questions' had created an environment which 'isn't inclusive, trans-friendly or respectful', thus violating the transgender staff policy and codes of conduct.

'In fact, I had broken no lawful rule by probing the academic soundness of what I was expected to teach.'

She claims that 'some treated 'minor attraction' as part of the 'diverse sexualities and gender identities' Open University law teaching now seeks to 'centre'', alleging that the criminal law module featured an assignment in which students had to discuss a relationship between an adult and a minor.

She said that describing the child and adult as each other's 'boyfriends' would yield marks, and that students would lose marks for considering 'whether the adult was grooming the child or committing a sexual offence'.

When she asked for clarification, she says her appeals were 'described as further misconduct'.

On CrowdJustice, the lecturer has so far raised 16,690 of 70,000 in a campaign to support an employment tribunal claim against the university.

70,000, she says, will cover the cost of the preliminary hearing, disclosure of documents and preparation of a trial bundle.

She alleged that she has 'been unfairly dismissed, harassed, and discriminated against because I reject gender ideology and believe in academic freedom.

'My case raises complex points of human rights, academic freedom, free expression and equality law.'

Gadow plans to argue that 'valuing academic freedom is, in itself, a protected belief under the Equality Act' - the central piece of legislation legally protecting people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society.

Writing on her fundraising page, she said: 'I see free speech as a distinguishing feature between democracy and totalitarianism, not a battleground between left and right.

'My family has seen both German dictatorships, the fascist and the socialist, right and left, suppress speech and purge academia of dissent and dissenters.

'I hope my daughter can one day go to a university that does not eliminate wrongthink(ers).'

Gadow was ultimately let go from The Open University in November for gross misconduct

Speaking to the case, Dr Kathleen Stock said: 'This is a very important case, with potentially far-reaching repercussions for the University sector.

'It demonstrates the link between highly ideological, terminologically vague Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policies - which are rife across the sector - and acts of discrimination against University members for their lawful beliefs.'

A spokesperson from The Open University said: 'We can confirm that Almut Gadow was summarily dismissed from her employment with The Open University in November 2022, after a disciplinary hearing upheld allegations about her conduct towards other employees.

'That decision was upheld at an appeal hearing chaired by an independent and senior barrister in March 2023. We can also confirm that Almut Gadow has brought employment tribunal proceedings against The Open University, which we will vigorously defend.

'Given these ongoing legal proceedings, we do not intend to comment further at this time, save to say that we strongly dispute the account which we understand Almut Gadow to have given to the media about the circumstances of, and reasons for, her dismissal; the University's criminal law curriculum and modules; and its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies.'
The lead consultant on Lucy Letby's neo-natal ward last night accused hospital bosses of launching a 'cover up' in a bid to hide the killer's evil actions from police after he, TV's Dr Ravi Jayaram and five other doctors were forced to apologise to her.

Lucy Letby became the UK's most prolific child serial killer on Friday after being convicted of seven murders of helpless babies along with the attempted murders of six more.

Stephen Brearey accused managers at the NHS trust behind the Countess of Chester Hospital of 'engineering the narrative' to prevent police finding out about suspicious deaths in an emotional interview with the BBC's Panorama.

When asked whether bosses at the hospital actively 'covered up' the deaths on the unit, Dr Brearey said: 'I dont know how you define a cover up but to us the evidence in front of us was quite clear, it felt like theyd tried to engineer a narrative, some way out of this which didnt involve police.

'If you want to call that a cover up, then thats a cover up.'

Children's nurse Lucy Letby (pictured in a custody photo, left; and while working in hospital, right) went on a year-long killing spree while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital

Hospital bosses failed to investigate allegations against Lucy Letby and tried to silence doctors, the lead consultant at the neonatal unit where she worked told the BBC

Dr Ravi Jayaram (pictured) said concerns were reported to NHS bosses at Countess of Chester Hospital months before police were called

Dr Brearey told how he first began to have suspicions around the sudden deaths and collapses of infants in late 2015.

'Its something that nobody really wants to consider that a member of staff might be harming the babies under your care,' he said.

'Some of the babies didnt respond to resuscitation quite how we would have expected them to. And those babies youd get a heart rate back and their breathing would get better but that didnt happen in these cases like youd expect which was unusual.

'It was quite surreal because we had these concerns as a group our concerns were rising. There was no communication from senior managers in the trust.'

Dr Brearey repeatedly begged senior managers to take Letby off the ward after he noticed that she was working at all the times babies became ill.

But he claimed managers, instead of listening to their concerns, demanded he and the other consultants apologise to Letby, and threatened them with 'consequences' if they did not put the incident behind them.

He added: 'The intention of the executives was to somehow close this case.

'I dont have any doubt that Lucy Letby harmed these babies.'

A second consultant whose evidence helped convict killer Lucy Letby says he believes several babies' lives could have been spared if hospital bosses had acted on his suspicions sooner.

Dr Ravi Jayaram said executives ordered him to 'draw a line' under his worries and he was even told to apologise to Letby in a mediation meeting, ITV News reports.

Dr Jayaram said: 'I do genuinely believe that there are four or five babies who could be going to school now who aren't.'

Doctors were advised to apologise or face a possible referral to the general Medical Council.

The group of consultants, which included Dr Brearey, wrote to the : 'Dear Lucy, we would like to apologise for any inappropriate comments that may have been made during this difficult period. We are very sorry for the stress and upset that you have experienced in the last year. Please be reassured that patient safety has been our absolute priority during this difficult time.'

Letby was convicted of seven charges of murdering infants between 2015 and 2016 at Countess of Chester Hospital

Speaking outside the Countess of Chester hospital on Friday, medical director Dr Nigel Scawn said: 'I speak for the whole trust when I say how deeply saddened and appalled we are at Lucy Letby's crimes'

Police were eventually contacted by the hospital trust nearly two years after the deaths of the first of the seven babies Letby was found guilty of murdering.

Following Letby's conviction of seven murders and six attempted murders, the government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the horrific murders.

Medical Director Ian Harvey is said to have clamped down on doctors who raised suspicions, telling them via email that there was 'no smoking gun' as Letby was allowed to return to the ward.

Dr Jayaram described how he was forced by managers to endure a mediation session with the killer nurse whom he still regarded as dangerous.

READ MORE: PARENTS OF BABIES MURDERED BY LUCY LETBY SPEAK OF 'EIGHT YEARS OF TORTURE' Letby - wearing a blue hoodie with the strings covered in pink glitter - is taken from her house in handcuffs after being arrested by Cheshire Police in July 2018 Advertisement

He told ITV News: 'I've been a paediatrician since 1992 and I have never in my career seen anything like this.'

He said doctors initially felt relief that Letby was working when babies began crashing: 'Initially there was this feeling of thank goodness Lucy is on - she's good in a crisis.'

He described the moment he realised there might be a killer on the unit as 'chilling'.

Describing a meeting with the Chief Executive of the hospital, the experienced doctor said: 'The very first thing that Tony Chamber said to us... was 'I can see how that might be a very convenient explanation for things.'

'He'd already decided that wasn't going on and this was just us trying to cover up.'

Both Baby O, a triplet, and his brother, Baby P, were murdered after the 'Gang of Four' consultants raised their suspicions about the link between the nurse's presence and the deaths they had already witnessed.

During the course of their investigation officers discovered two baby boys, from separate sets of twins, had been 'deliberately' poisoned with insulin eight months apart.

The results of their blood tests had been missed by doctors who had no idea there was a 'poisoner at work'.

Speaking outside the hospital on Friday, medical director Dr Nigel Scawn said: 'I speak for the whole trust when I say how deeply saddened and appalled we are at Lucy Letby's crimes.

'We are extremely sorry that these crimes were committed at our hospital and our thoughts continue to be with all the families and loved ones of the babies who came to harm or died. We cannot begin to understand what they have been through.

'This case has had a profound impact on our patients and our local community and also our staff, who come to work every day determined to provide safe and high quality care for all of our patients.

'Our staff are devastated by what has happened and we are committed to ensuring that lessons continue to be learned.

'We are grateful for the co-operation of our staff, especially those that have maintained the utmost professionalism while giving evidence in this trial.'

Dr Scawn walked away without answering as a journalist asked him: 'Why did hospital managers try to stop Lucy Letby from being investigated?'

Two babies died on the unit in 2013 and there were three deaths in 2014.

Letby sat in the dock wearing a black jacket as she listened to the prosecution lay out their case in Manchester Crown Court

No babies died between when Letby was removed from the unit in July 2016 and when police were called in by the hospital in May 2017.

During this period, the trust chief executive was Tony Chambers and the medical director was Ian Harvey.

Dr Jayaram said Chambers held a meeting with consultants in January 2017 in which he stated: 'I'm drawing a line under this, you will draw a line under this, and if you cross that line, there will be consequences for you.'

WHAT WAS LETBY CONVICTED OF? Count 1 - Murder of Baby A on June 8, 2015 - GUILTY Count 2 - Attempted murder of Baby B between the June 8, 2015 and June 11, 2015 - GUILTY Count 3 - Murder of Baby C on June 14, 2015 - GUILTY Count 4 - Murder of Baby D on June 22, 2015 - GUILTY Count 5 - Murder of Baby E on August 4, 2015 - GUILTY Count 6 - Attempted murder of Baby F on August 5, 2015 - GUILTY Count 7 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 7, 2015 - GUILTY Count 8 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 - GUILTY Count 9 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 - NOT GUILTY Count 10 - Attempted murder of Baby H on September 26, 2015 - NOT GUILTY Count 12 - Murder of Baby I on October 23, 2015 - GUILTY Count 15 - Attempted murder of Baby L on April 9, 2016 - GUILTY Count 16 - Attempted murder of Baby M on April 9, 2016 - GUILTY Count 17 - Attempted murder of Baby N on June 3, 2016 - GUILTY Count 20 - Murder of Baby O on June 23, 2016 - GUILTY Count 21 - Murder of Baby P on June 24, 2016 - GUILTY Advertisement

Hospital executives are alleged to have doctors they would face 'blue and white tape' all over the ward if they followed their suggestion of calling police.

When Letby was eventually removed from the unit, she even had the audacity to launch a grievance against the trust.

The grievance found that medics had made comments which were 'unsubstantiated' and were accused of 'bullying' Letby.

Doctors were advised to apologise or face a possible referral to the general Medical Council.

ITV News has seen a letter to Letby, which consultants allegedly wrote under duress: 'Dear Lucy, we would like to apologise for any inappropriate comments that may have been made during this difficult period. We are very sorry for the stress and upset that you have experienced in the last year. Please be reassured that patient safety has been our absolute priority during this difficult time.'

Mr Harvey retired in August 2018 - a month after Letby was first arrested - after he reportedly notified Mr Chambers at the start of that year of his intention to retire.

He had held other managerial roles within the trust and was medical director for six years.

Mr Chambers served six years in his post before he resigned in September 2018.

He said he made the decision to 'allow the trust to focus on its future' as the police investigation continued.

Former director of nursing Alison Kelly left the Countess of Chester in 2021 and works in a similar position at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Salford Royal Hospital and Royal Oldham Hospital.

At the Countess of Chester in 2015 and 2016, there was a significant rise in the number of babies who suffered serious and unexpected collapses in the neonatal unit.

Letby's presence when collapses took place was first mentioned to senior management by the unit's head consultant in late June 2015.

Concerns among some consultants about the defendant increased and were voiced to hospital bosses when more unexplained and unusual collapses followed, the court heard.

But Letby was not removed from the unit until after the deaths of two triplet boys and the collapse of another baby boy on three successive days in June 2016. Letby was confined to clerical work and in September 2016 registered a grievance procedure.

It emerged during legal argument in the trial - in the absence of the jury - that the grievance procedure was resolved in Letby's favour in December 2016.

Letby was due to return to the neonatal unit in March 2017, but the move did not take place as soon afterwards, police were contacted by the hospital trust.

She was suspended on full pay from the moment she was arrested in July 2018. It is understood she was sacked when she was charged in November 2020.

Dr Scawn (pictured) walked away without answering as a journalist asked him: 'Why did hospital managers try to stop Lucy Letby from being investigated?'

Letby's parents Susan and John Letby arrive at Manchester Crown Court this morning

Even after paediatricians raised their suspicions about her activities, hospital executives initially refused to remove her from the unit. When they eventually did so they chose to give her a desk job in the patient safety department.

It is understood Letby was suspended from work when she was arrested in July 2018, but remained on full pay, receiving her estimated 30,000-a-year salary, or a total of around 75,000, until she was sacked when she was charged in November 2020.

The court heard that concerns were first raised about Letby's association to an increase in baby collapses in June 2015 by Dr Stephen Brearey.

Dr Jayaram told the court he had 'significant concerns from the autumn of 2015' following the death of a baby girl.

He added: 'As clinicians, we put our faith in the system, in senior management to escalate concerns and investigate them. The initial response was 'it's unlikely that anything is going on. We'll see what happens'.'

Fellow consultant Dr John Gibbs told the court that a 'tipping point' was reached in June 2016 with the deaths of two triplet boys, Child O and P, on successive days.

He said: 'I remember feeling uncomfortable when I arrived on the unit and saw (Child O) and I thought 'Oh no, not another one'.'

Dr Gibbs told the court that consultants had to 'resolutely resist' attempts by management to return Letby to the unit up to the point when police launched an investigation in May 2017.

He said the doctors demanded the installation of CCTV in each room in the unit if she was permitted to nurse again but hospital bosses were 'extremely reluctant' to involve the police.

A nurse on the unit described the crying of one of Letby's victims as 'relentless, almost constant and with no fluctuation'.

Letby, who joined her colleagues on work social events, carried out her first murder the day after returning from a hen do in York.

She also struck before and after a holiday to Ibiza, telling colleagues she was 'back with a bang'.

After her eventual removal, she went on holiday to Torquay with her parents. She put them through the ordeal of attending each and every day of her trial and then witnessing her eventual conviction.

Mostly, Letby chose to inject babies with air while her colleagues' backs were turned or they'd briefly popped out to look after another baby.

Sometimes it was an overdose of milk, fed via a tube directly into their stomachs.

Her modus operandi would change according to the opportunities she could create for herself.

Tragically, she learned what police came to know as they investigated her litany of crimes  that it takes both very little time, and very little movement, to cause catastrophic harm to a premature baby.

Letby attacked so frequently, and seemingly so casually, that she didn't always remember her victim's name.

To help her remember, she took home scores of confidential medical sheets  not, as she claimed, because she liked to collect paper, but as a trophy so she could put a name to a murder.

In part she was able to go undetected for so long because her colleagues  most of whom innocently counted her as a trusted friend and confidante  could not imagine that a fellow nurse might by killing the babies they were trying to raise from prematurity.

A glance at her 2016 diary  a little girl's affair with a 'cute' doggie picture on the front cover and flower doodles inside  shows she was constantly busy.

Texts between Letby and the unnamed doctor were read out in court. They appeared to show the doctor comforting the killer nurse as she feigned upset after the death of one of her victims

And in another exchange over WhatsApp, Letby appeared to chat about her blossoming friendship with the doctor - who prosecutors said she had tried to impress by creating 'crisis situations' where they could work alongside each other to save the babies she had poisoned

There were references to the long shifts she liked to do because she 'so wanted to help', to salsa classes with her friends, or else meals followed by late-night cocktails at a bar in Chester.

Amelia Dyer, a Victorian baby farmer, murdered infants in her care over a thirty-year period and is estimated to have had hundreds of victims.

A new investigation will be focused mainly on Liverpool Women's Hospital, where Letby attended a training course in 2015.

But detectives are also likely to review the records of babies born at the Countess of Chester Hospital where she is already known to have attacked babies in the year from June 2015 to June 2016.

A government inquiry will now seek answers for the parents of the murdered infants, exploring the wider circumstances around what happened at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: 'I would like to send my deepest sympathy to all the parents and families impacted by this horrendous case.

'This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need. I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so.

'It will help us identify where and how patient safety standards failed to be met and ensure mothers and their partners rightly have faith in our healthcare system.'

An inquiry chairman will be appointed in due course.

City of Chester Labour MP Samantha Dixon had called for a 'full, independent and public inquiry' into the case.

Her statement said: 'The families that have endured this unimaginable suffering deserve to know exactly what happened, and those who use our NHS services need the reassurance that it can never happen again.

'Too many people now live with the consequences of the catastrophic harm caused by Letby.'

Letby started work there after finishing her nursing degree at Chester University.

The court heard suspicions were first raised about Letby when three babies died in just over a fortnight, in June 2015, a full 12 months before she was eventually removed from the unit.

During a text exchange with a friend, Letby denied she and the male doctor were flirting. Letby is pictured pulling a face on a night out

Killer nurse Letby would often pull funny faces for photos while out with friends. Two of her murders took place shortly after returning from a week-long holiday to Ibiza

Letby - who grew up with two loving parents - is pictured as a young girl

Managers repeatedly refused to believe Letby was to blame and even tried to have her reinstated on the ward  months after doctors insisted she be removed from frontline duties.

Only when police were eventually called in was Letby finally arrested.

A source told the Mail that Letby's mother was distraught  wailing and crying and even telling police: 'I did it, take me instead,' in a desperate bid to protect her.

Letby texting a colleague after the death of Baby A

After the deaths of Baby A and Bay C, says: 'There are no words, it's been awful'

In this string of messages, Letby tries to suggest the babies' deaths was linked to health problems

The nurse describes 'crying and hugging' the parents of Baby E, who died in her care

Letby celebrated a winning bet on the Grand National shortly after she attempted to murder twin boys

The texts end with Letby crowing that police 'have nothing or minimal on me'

READ MORE - Detectives launch new investigation reviewing cases of babies treated by Letby Advertisement

Letby, whose duvet bore the childlike motif 'Sweet Dreams', came to court most days with a comfort blanket and clutched a small, stress toy in her hands while in the witness box.

Over 12 months she murdered five boys and two girls at the Countess, often attacking her victims at night, when there were less staff on duty or their parents had reluctantly left their children's bedsides to get some food or sleep.

After killing the newborns, the court heard Letby appeared animated and excited, offering to bathe, dress and take photographs of the deceased infants for their distraught and unsuspecting parents.

She also revelled in their grief, searching for them on Facebook  not only in the immediate aftermath but sometimes months and even years later.

It was a bonus if she could 'help' bereaved parents by preparing a memory box for them  hand and foot prints of their lost baby, a photograph of two dead twins laid out in a Moses basket, a condolence card for another baby in time for the funeral.

Calculating Letby covered her tracks by altering handwritten nursing charts or making false entries in the computerised nursing notes to make it seem like a baby was deteriorating or that she was feeding or administering medication to other children in a different part of the unit when her victims collapsed.

She also gas-lighted her colleagues, feigning upset when babies died, or suggesting medical reasons for their collapse or death to deflect blame from her murderous acts.

WATCH THE MAIL'S LUCY LETBY DOCUMENTARY IN FULL HERE
WhatsApp finally allows users to upload HD pictures.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently confirmed that WhatsApp users can now upload pictures to share them with other people and in group chats without worrying about their quality once they're sent.

WhatsApp is also planning on adding a feature that lets people upload videos in HD, though the company has yet to release it.

No More Compression

Zuckerberg mentioned in his announcement on Facebook that WhatsApp users can now upload photos in HD. The Meta CEO also included a video detailing how WhatsApp users can send photos over to people through the app in HD.

WhatsApp users familiar with the process of sending photos shouldn't get lost in the process. According to the video, a user should tap on the camera button on their phone and select a photo they wish to send from the gallery.

Things take a different turn from here, however. WhatsApp users wishing to send an HD photo must tap on the new HD button located at the top of the next screen to switch from standard quality to HD.

Once users switch the quality from SD to HD, they can now send the picture to the recipient. Since the photo is now in HD, they will need some time to receive it, depending on how fast their internet connection is.

Read More: Genshin Impact v.4.1 Leak Reveals Fontaine Expansion, New Event Weapon

Unfortunately, not all photos can be sent to others in HD. A report from Mashable explained that the photo a user wishes to send must already be in HD quality before the option can appear.

This distinction is due to WhatsApp's compression, which degrades photos and videos somewhat to make the upload and download process faster for the medium's owner and recipient. If the media compressor isn't needed to send a photo to the recipient, then it won't activate.

The same principle is also present in a feature WhatsApp is developing - it allows users to send HD videos instead of photos. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp users must upload high-quality videos from the get-go to get the HD-quality option to appear; not doing so might not make the options show up as intended.

Since WhatsApp already released the ability to send photos in HD, probably, the ability to send videos in HD to people won't be far away.

Other Upcoming WhatsApp Features

Aside from the ability to send photos in HD, WhatsApp is also working on other features that will improve user experience. You may recall that the company has recently let its beta testers try out its new AI-generated stickers.

The company is also developing a passkey login/sign-in method to WhatsApp, giving users a more secure method to log into their accounts.

The company is also working on a new feature that allows voice chat communication between groups, allowing up to 32 participants from separate groups to talk to each other through the app. The company also released a redesigned sticker and GIF picker for iOS devices - a feature it previously worked on that got a public release in early July.

Related Article: WhatsApp's AI-Generated Stickers Undergo Testing in Latest Beta
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has slammed the Voice campaign, saying this generation of Aboriginal Australians are 'not victims' and their counterparts are 'not oppressors'.

Mr Abbott gave the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday morning at The Star Convention Centre in Sydney.

'This generation of Aboriginal Australians are not victims,' he told the crowd full of cheers.

'This generation of non Aboriginal Australians are not oppressors, and the last thing that we should be doing right now is entrenching victimhood and institutionalising grievance in our governance arrangements.

'That is why there can only be one response to this referendum proposal, and it is an absolutely resounding no.'

Mr Abbott gave the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday morning at The Star Convention Centre in Sydney

Mr Abbott described the referendum proposal as an 'absolute travesty' at the CPAC conference

Mr Abbott walked onto the stage wearing a navy suit and blue tie to a resounding cheer and standing ovation from the crowd.

More cheers were heard when he told the crowd he would be voting no come October 14, when he suspects the referendum for the Voice will be held.

'I say a resounding YES to constitutional equality, and because I say a resounding yes to Australians moving forward together as one people,' he said.

He described the referendum proposal as an 'absolute travesty'.

'It would entrench race in our Constitution. It would reinforce the separatism, that is at the heart of indigenous disadvantage,' Mr Abbott said.

'It would entrench race in our Constitution. It would reinforce the separatism, that is at the heart of indigenous disadvantage,' Mr Abbott said of the Voice proposal

'And it would make our already creaky governmental processes more gummed up.'

Prominent No campaigner Warren Mundine gave the welcome address to the conservative conference, where he said the opposing campaign is full of 'myths and lies'.

Mr Mundine introduced leaders from across the country when he gave the welcome address, shortly after showing the crowd his 'Vote No' sticker on his back.

He walked onto the stage alongside Shadow Minister Indigenous Australians, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

'The myths and lies in the Yes campaign call me all the racist names,' Mr Mundine said in his welcome address.

Prominent No campaigner Warren Mundine gave the welcome address to the conservative conference, where he said the opposing campaign is full of 'myths and lies'

'Migrants, Australians, everyone ... we're all Australians and now they want to drag us back to the bad old days. We have to stand up and fight for liberties and freedoms.'

Mr Mundine said there is 'dreadful statistic after dreadful statistic' in Indigenous communities across the country, yet the government is yet to change anything.

He called for the government to stop treating 'Indigenous and Torres Strait people as one group'.

'I don't need help, Noel Pearson doesn't need help ... But there are people in regional and remote Australia are struggling and guess what? They're black white, pink green, every colour under the rainbow,' Mr Mundine said.

Mr Mundine called for the government to stop treating 'Indigenous and Torres Strait people as one group'

The conference continues, with Senator Price and Alan Jones among others to address the crowd.

Fresh polling has cast doubt on the success of The Voice, with Victoria and Tasmania the only states returning a Yes vote.

The Resolve Political Monitor conducted for the Nine Newspapers found support for the voice had fallen to 46 per cent, down from 63 per cent a year ago.

To succeed a referendum must have a majority of voters across Australia and four out of six states to cast a yes ballot.
Lolita, once dubbed the 'loneliest whale in the world', has died aged 57 just months after her retirement and as plans to return her to the wild got underway.

Miami Seaquarium, where Lolita, also known as Tokitae, lived in captivity for more than 50 years, announced her passing on Friday.

'Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition' the seaquarium said in a statement.

'Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family.

'Those of us who have had the honor and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit' it added.

Lolita, the 'loneliest whale in the world', has died aged 57

Miami Seaquarium announced her passing on Friday

Experts and concerned individuals had long protested against Lolita's conditions in captivity, including the size of her 80-foot long and 35-foot wide tank

Lolita started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort over the past two days and despite treatment passed away.

In March it was announced that a binding agreement had been reached between The Dolphin Company, which owns the seaquarium, and non-profit Friends of Lolita to return the whale to her home waters in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seaquarium, nonprofit Friends of Lolita, and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay announced at a press conference that they would work to move Lolita into her native waters in around 18 months.

'I think that she'll be very happy to be back and it will be therapeutic for her contrary to the misconception that it will be stressful,' Howard Garrett of Orca Network told KOMO News at the time.

Experts and concerned individuals had long protested against Lolita's conditions in captivity, including the size of her 80-foot long and 35-foot wide tank, the smallest of its kind in the US.

Just 10 years after Lolita arrived at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm that was caused by repeated head trauma, earning her the title of the world's loneliest whale.

Washington's Lummi Nation, a Native American tribe, traveled to Miami in 2018 to leave a nearly 4,000lb totem pole behind as part of an effort to bring the orca back to Washington. It's part of an $8.5million effort to bring Lolita home, according to

Jewell James, a member of the tribe, accused the Seaquarium of abandoning the animal's needs for money, forcing her to perform for audiences a couple of times a day and said keeping her in the 20-foot tank was like keeping her in a prison cell.

'She's our relative and we want her back,' he said.

Lolita was the oldest whale in captivity at age 56 and performed until 2022 when she was finally retired after falling ill.

Lolita the Orca, who is also known as Tokitae, was captured off the coast of Washington in 1970 (pictured). She lived most of her life inside the Miami Seaquarium

Lolita performed for decades before stopping last year due to illness. She was the longest living whale in captivity at the age of 57

Just 10 years after Lolita arrived at the aquarium, her companion Hugo died of an aneurysm

On average, orcas in captivity only live until around 45 years old.

The orca was captured off the coast of Washington in 1970 aged four, and her mother, now almost a century old, is still believed to be swimming in those waters.

Capturing orcas was legal in the 1970s, but after a series of protests over hunters working to capture orcas from their mothers, Washington banned the practice.
The first time John Bathgate was shot it was either the force of the bullet or instinct that made him plunge from the pirate boat into the waters of the Amazon. He can't remember which.

But he remembers his precise thoughts when the second shot ripped through his leg as he attempted to drown his assailant by forcing his head under the water.

'I thought, "This isn't going to happen again". I needed to act.

'I felt my way down his arm and it was the one with the weapon in it and I was able to twist it out of his hand. In that process two more shots were fired.'

During his eight years in the Royal Marines the Edinburgh-born 35-year-old had been trained in hand-to-hand combat, but it never looked like this.

Challenge: John Bathgate after his ordeal where he was shot by a pirate during his charity canoe trip in Peru

Wounds: Peruvian Navy treat injured Mr Bathgate

He had never grappled with a gunman in the water, never truly feared for his life and certainly never tried to disarm anyone after being shot twice at close range.

He and his fellow expeditionary Ian 'Yan' Roberts, 34, from Devon, had imagined the toughest stages of their bid to navigate the entire Amazon from its source in Ecuador were well behind them.

In the preceding weeks they had been abducted twice by Peruvian indigenous communities which operated as a law unto themselves and found their fate being decided by village elders suspicious of their motives.

Some thought the two may have come to steal their organs; others thought the 'gringos', as they referred to them, may be prospecting for mining land. It took their best broken Spanish and thorough searches of their canoes and equipment to convince them that they were merely unarmed adventurers aiming to be the first to travel from the highest source of the Amazon to the Atlantic coast.

By the time they had navigated tributaries such as the Pastaza and Maranon rivers and were south of the Peruvian city of Iquitos, the two, who met while serving in the Marines, thought they were on easy street. A few more weeks of paddling around 50 miles a day and the record would surely be theirs.

In fact, the foregoing scrapes were merely the prelude to the fight of their lives.

It began on a wide stretch of the Amazon when they heard the engine of a Peruvian longboat known as a peke peke behind them. In the few minutes that followed, five shots would be fired, three of them hitting human targets. The pirate boat would be capsized and the two British ex-military men would swim to the safety of their canoes which were bolted together to form a catamaran.

And the pirates? They would come to reflect that they had tangled with the wrong people.

Now home in Rosewell, Midlothian, two-and- a-half weeks after the encounter which ended their expedition, Mr Bathgate yesterday gave his first detailed account of the attack by the pirates who he believes not only intended to rob them, but kill them too.

He told the Daily Mail: 'These guys could have asked us to put our hands up and taken all our stuff but we'd have got to the shore and contacted the police and got them arrested for armed robbery.

'So, the way we see it is their plan was probably to shoot us, take our things and hide the evidence. People do go missing there every now and again.'

Luckily, the two friends had already discussed the possibility of a pirate attack on their journey, and both knew their emergency operating procedure.

'The plan was, if this kind of thing happened, we needed to capsize their boat as soon as possible,' said Mr Bathgate, who works as a rope access technician.

It was around 8am on July 30 that the pair realised the boat behind them presented a threat. It was making no attempt to pass.

'It was right on our stern, coming directly towards us, coming closer, then stopping, then coming closer again. That made us aware they were interested in us and they were maybe checking us out, so that got our hackles raised.'

As the boat drew alongside theirs they could see two men, one sitting at the engine and another in the middle of the peke peke, swigging from a plastic bottle of home-made brew.

'He didn't look friendly at all. You can tell when you look in somebody's eyes what they're about and this guy's eyes were blank and dark and heavy-lidded. You could tell he was drunk and maybe on something else too.

'He was just scoping us out, basically. We were being very friendly but then towards the end when Ian got his phone out to use Google Translate, the guy was insisting, "Let me hold your phone" and we were saying no.

'We said, "Look, we need to leave now, we've got a long way to paddle today" and manoeuvred our boat to head downstream so their boat was behind ours and then he held onto the back of our boat.

'Again, we said, "We need to go now," and that's when he pulled the weapon from his shorts.'

Mr Roberts was first to react, jabbing his paddle into the chest of the gunman before he could point the pistol and to throw him off balance.

'Ian then dived into the water, probably to avoid the shots and I've seen that first move and jumped on to the guys' boat to try to wrestle the weapon off him.'

Bathgate with Ian Roberts he took on the daunting task of tracing the route of the Amazon

Remote: Peruvian rainforest where the men were nearly killed

The pirate fired and missed, then shot a second time, hitting Mr Bathgate in the shoulder.

'I'm not sure if the shot knocked me into the water or if I felt it and thought, "Christ, I need to get out of this" and I've jumped in the water.'

As he began to surface, Mr Bathgate realised he was beneath the hull of the pirate boat  but which side should he come up on?

'I needed to surface but because the guy has got the high ground, he could just be waiting for me to shoot me in the head.'

He chose the far side of the boat and, as his head broke the water, he saw his friend and the pirate grappling over the side of the boat. 'Ian later said he was just trying to keep the muzzle of the gun out of his face.

'I saw that and grabbed the guy and pushed him under the water  and that has then capsized their boat as well. I remember having my hand on the guy's head, just trying to keep him under  and that's when the second shot has gone through my leg.'

It could easily have hit an artery and brought a sickening end to the underwater struggle. But the bullet entered just above Mr Bathgate's knee and exited near his hip.

Standing 6ft 1in and supremely fit, Mr Bathgate would not normally struggle to subdue a smaller, drunken pirate even if his assailant was ten years younger.

But he had now been shot twice. Luckily, there was no pain  only adrenaline pumping through him and the knowledge that the next shot could be fatal. 'I had to get the gun off him.'

As he tried to wrench it out of his hand, the gun went off again twice, but this time in the direction of the pirate. One shot caught him in the hip and the struggle was over. The attackers' boat was capsized and the former marines had the gun. They swam back to their catamaran and paddled hard out of the area.

L ooking back on the near-death experience, Mr Bathgate said: 'I didn't find it terrifying but I don't think I was thinking clearly. It was very automatic behaviour from both of us.

'Yan automatically knew what he needed to do, that he needed to put the guy off balance, and my thing was I needed to get that weapon straightaway.

'The fear only started when we thought, "Right, these guys are capsized, but they could easily have mates coming in on another boat". The nearest community was our only hope really, but it could also be where these guys were coming from, so we didn't know if we approached the community if they'd just get rid of us and hide everything.'

Checking the magazine of the gun, they found it still contained four rounds. That was some reassurance as they began putting out SOS signals.

Incredibly, Mr Bathgate filmed a video of himself at this time, displaying the bullet wound to his leg. 'I've just been shot,' he says in matter-of-fact tones.

Ultimately the two were rescued by a Peruvian naval gunboat and taken to Iquitos where the injured Scot spent six days recovering.

As for their families back home in the UK, they endured hours of torment after learning that the two had put out an SOS but knowing nothing more than that.

'This was probably the most harrowing part for Ian and me because the Garmin device gives out a warning to an emergency response team, but it also gives a warning to your emergency contacts. So Ian's girlfriend and my brother both got these emergency signals before we were able to reassure them.'

The following day, when they arrived in a wi-fi zone, they read messages swapped between their loved ones on a WhatsApp group they set up to share their progress on the expedition.

'There was a huge amount of messages on this group, all the mums and dads and brothers and sisters and girlfriends worrying, saying, "Who knows what's happened? There's been a medical emergency".

'So when we read through them, that was the saddest part. It was really heart-wrenching to read that and we wanted to reassure them as soon as possible.'

Mr Bathgate, who is single and deliberately eschewed relationships while he planned his Amazon adventure, said his father David first conceived of the mission to make the near-3,200 mile journey. The 82-year-old was climbing in the Andes in 1968 when he hit on the idea of tracing the entirety of the Amazon's route from drips of water on the Chimborazo glacier in Ecuador to the Atlantic coast of Brazil.

His chance never came and the dream was passed on to his son who, along with Mr Roberts, hoped to fundraise for the Royal Marines charity, Rainforest Concern and several mental health charities.

However, recognising that his shoulder needed proper recovery time, he and his friend postponed their attempt and flew home.

His father and mother Julie, 70, were waiting for him at the arrivals gate in Edinburgh. 'It was the first time somebody has met me at the airport,' he said. 'Both of them gave me a big hug  and said I was looking well.'

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

Does he think his military training saved his life? 'It's a tough question because you train as Marines with weapons and we were unarmed, but I think just the fact we had spent so much time with pretty hard blokes and a lot of the time doing physical training, I guess you lose a bit of the fear factor. There's also the fact we're both very fit and were sober as well, which helped against a guy that clearly wasn't.'

He added: 'I'm positive that Ian's quick reaction to stop him from being able to get an aimed shot off first was probably a life-saving move. Between him doing that and me getting the weapon that gave us control, these were the two moments that saved us.'

Back in Scotland, Mr Bathgate's shoulder still needs specialist treatment. 'My brain just doesn't seem to register at the moment that I have a bicep on my shoulder. Hopefully that's not irreversible.'

Assuming it heals, the journey will continue  next time with a larger support team. 'We'll maybe dress a bit more military-like and we might hire somebody that can hold a firearm. We would rather not go with a firearm because it changes the dynamic of an expedition and it will make some of these friendly people we found less friendly.

'Plus, if pirates see us with a firearm, it's a very valuable thing for them to have, so it could make us more of a target. We're trying to figure all that out at the moment.'

What is already crystal clear is that, in choosing to rob two former marines  both expert watermen  the pirates made the gravest of misjudgments.

Mr Bathgate said: 'There was a funny headline in the Peruvian papers that said something like "Pirates attack tourists not realising they are British military".

'According to the Peruvian authorities these guys had been operating for a while so they had been robbing locals.'

Both men were arrested and the one with the bullet wound has required surgery.

But, said Mr Bathgate: 'This doesn't define Peru. It's such an amazing place for people that want to do adventure holidays and it's very safe if you're sticking with tourist groups.

'This happened to us because we were on an expedition, and we were alone and unsupported.'

Even then they came out on top. Certain British adventurers, clearly, are not to be trifled with.
As the name of Crown witness number 14 is called, Bill MacDowell covers his haunted face with one hand. He looks like he can scarcely believe the Scottish justice system is putting him through this.

He is 80 years old, in a wheelchair and in the dock on trial for murder. And now he must endure the torment of his wife Rosemary being grilled by one of Scotland's top prosecutors.

If he seems crushed by what is happening, she is a study of indignation. 'Oh, for goodness' sake, tell the man to go and boil his head,' she mutters as the questions probe deeper.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice, KC, had wanted to know why, when interviewed by police in 1986 about the murder of Renee MacRae ten years earlier, she had told them: 'I don't know what you're getting on at me for. I never stabbed her or whatever happened to her.'

Did she know Mrs MacRae had been stabbed? Ever since the mother-of-two went missing with her three-year-old son Andrew on November 12, 1976, the manner of their presumed murder has been a mystery. What would cause the wife of the man now sitting in the dock to suggest to police it was a stabbing?

'It just came out,' she snaps, clearly seething at the line of questioning.

Guilty: Bill MacDowell got away with murder for almost half a century

Victims: Mother-of-two Renee MacRae and her son Andrew who went missing on November 12, 1976

The dramatic exchange last September in Inverness is a grimly arresting moment in a new, two-part BBC documentary largely filmed inside the High Court as one of the most long-awaited trials in Scottish criminal history unfolds.

MacDowell was the prime suspect for the murder of the mother and son  the product of his secret affair with Mrs MacRae  within days of their disappearance. A married father-of-two in his mid-30s then, he was never charged because, without the bodies of the victims, there seemed too little evidence to secure a conviction. So MacDowell carried on with his life while the MacRae family lived theirs in grief-stricken stasis, tortured by not knowing what had happened  and knowing in their hearts that MacDowell did know.

Now, as he sat wretchedly in the dock, Mrs MacRae's older son Gordon and her sister Morag Govans watched intently behind him in the public gallery.

They had waited 46 years for this moment of reckoning. That brought no little perspective to the killer's self-pitying demeanour.

Throughout the documentary, the camera captures unsparing close-ups of him in various states of agitation  tearful, shattered, humiliated and, as the guilty verdicts finally come from the jury, shaking his head as if some terrible grievance has been visited upon him..

In contrast, there is a quiet dignity about Mrs MacRae's family  even if, in the words of Mrs Govans, the most they could hope for was 'just a little justice' for the murdered pair. The killer, they knew by now, was a dying man.

Indeed, he would serve less than five months of his minimum 30-year sentence handed down by Lord Armstrong before death spared him any more time in prison. And he would take the secret of what he had done with their bodies to his grave.

Yet this televised final act in one of Scotland's longest-running true crime stories may shed as much light on the mystery as we will ever see.

Separated from husband Gordon, boss of a successful Inverness building firm, Mrs MacRae was seeing MacDowell, the company secretary.

Despite assuring him no one knew about the relationship, she had, crucially, told one person, her best friend Val Steventon. Within a year of the affair beginning she was pregnant with their son and, by 1976, as he turned three, he was starting to recognise MacDowell as his father.

Having told Mrs MacRae he would never leave his wife, MacDowell feared discovery was imminent and his job and marriage were in jeopardy. So he convinced his secret lover he had found a job in Shetland and proposed they lived as a family there. She began to pack for the move, unaware the job was a fiction.

MacDowell suggested they spend the weekend before the move in a rented chalet in Perthshire and that she should bring little Andrew so his father could get to know him.

Mrs MacRae told anyone who asked that she was going to spend the weekend in Kilmarnock with her sister Morag. Only with Mrs Steventon did she share her true plans.

S HE set off on the evening of November 12 in her blue BMW, driving to a rendezvous at Dalmagarry layby on the A9, 18 miles south of Inverness. This is where, hours later, her empty car was discovered ablaze. Neither mother nor son has been seen since.

The conclusion detectives formed decades ago is that MacDowell lured them there to kill them both.

Trial judge Lord Armstrong (pictured) handed down a 30-year sentence on MacDowell

Val Steventon, Mrs MacRae's best friend

It is a view shared by the prosecutor, who tells the programme makers: 'William MacDowell had embarked on a massive deception on Renee MacRae by pretending he was going to set up a new life with her and it became obvious then to me that this relationship was coming to a point where it really had to end because there was no job in Shetland and Renee MacRae was poised and ready to go.'

He adds: 'It seems to me there's an element of planning and all of that was done in a manner which I think suggests premeditated murder.'

In the harsh light of evidence from multiple witnesses, MacDowell's planned 'execution' of his problem lover and son that night in the layby becomes an inescapable reality.

One recalled seeing a BMW and a Volvo  the same as the one MacDowell drove  parked nose to tail in the layby. Another witness, Jean Wallace, now deceased, saw a man, wide-eyed and staring, wheeling a pushchair on the rain-soaked A9.

Whatever was in it, she said, was 'overhanging the sides'. Catherine Johnstone, who lived in a farmhouse nearby, testified to her mother hearing a 'blood-curdling scream' between 7.30pm and 8pm. 'A blood-curdling scream in the dark,' Mr Prentice later tells the jury.

'I suggest that was the last utterance of Renee MacRae while alive.'

Viewers will also see Volvo salesman Ian Cattanach on the witness stand. He testifies that he sold MacDowell his top-of-the-range estate and that, in the days following the mother and son's disappearance, his customer showed up in the car saying he needed a new floor for his boot.

M ACDOWELL, he recalled, told him he had burned the original boot floor after damaging it with building materials. Was the real reason for torching it to prevent a forensic examination? That was the highly credible Crown suggestion.

Outside the court, in a desperately moving sequence, Mrs Govans tells the programme: 'I try to think how he killed her. He definitely had to kill Renee first before Andrew because she would have put up a fight and I'm sure he would have been marked.

'My thoughts are that Renee went into the boot of the car to maybe get out her luggage and I think he took the boot of the car down on her.'

She adds: 'There has never been a single thing found anywhere. It just seems incredible, that, to us. Nothing. It will be devastating if they don't get just a little justice for them.'

It is also outside the courtroom that viewers hear from Mrs Steventon, the woman described by Mr Prentice as the 'backbone of the entire Crown case'.

And yet, devastatingly for her, she was not well enough to testify in person last September and her evidence had to be given in the form of statements made to the police in 1976.

Speaking on camera shortly before the trial, she reflects: 'I knew; nobody else knew, [MacDowell] didn't know I knew and I think he'd have been shocked because, obviously, as it turned out, it was a big secret that nobody was supposed to know about or ever find out about. His wife didn't know either, I don't think.

'If he knew that I knew, perhaps Renee would be alive today  and Andrew,' she says, adding: 'Thank God she did tell me because MacDowell denied everything.'

It was just three days after Mrs MacRae and her son went missing that MacDowell was asked to give a statement to police. In it he denied 'any association with Mrs MacRae'.

Murderer William MacDowell with wife Rosemary at Inverness court last year

William MacDowell, 80, was been found guilty murdering 36-year-old Renee MacRae (left) and their son Andrew (right) at a layby south of Inverness on November 12, 1976

Renee Macrae and her son Andrew who have been missing since 1976. MacDowell was today convicted of their murders

William MacDowell (left) and his wife Rosemary (right). He was convicted of the murders of Renee and Andrew MacRae

Three hours later, by which time police had spoken to Mrs Steventon, MacDowell changed his tune. He had been involved in an affair with her since February 1972, he admitted.

His defence counsel Murray Macara, KC, tells the programme: 'It is unfortunate that Mr MacDowell started off by telling lies to the police. But it doesn't prove he was a murderer.'

Mr Prentice counters: 'One would have thought that if Mr MacDowell were entirely innocent in this, he would do everything he possibly could to provide information he might have, but he didn't.'

Among the journalists featured in the documentary is David Love, who covered the mystery from the start. After hearing another day of evidence, he reflects: 'It's so sad that Renee was suckered into this pack of lies over a period of months, which tends to suggest that he might have been planning this for a long time.

'Does that suggest that the man was so callous that he was planning to kill his own son many, many weeks before they disappeared?'

Another journalist, Stuart Lindsay, tells the court MacDowell met the Press with his wife beside him after news of the affair came out, eight days into the inquiry.

MacDowell, he said, claimed he thought Mrs MacRae was still alive because two times in the previous few days a caller had rung his home phone and let it ring twice before hanging up. That, he said, was his lover's signal she wanted to talk.

'Have you told police this?' the journalist asked him. Mr Lindsay recalls in court: 'He said it must have slipped his mind.'

In the dock, MacDowell shakes his head in frustration. It is a devastating moment for him. As Mr Prentice tells the programme: 'He is maintaining, effectively, that she's still alive when there's a massive police inquiry looking for her and he doesn't tell the police about it. That seems an extraordinary thing to me.'

Equally extraordinary, to many, may be the insistence 46 years on by MacDowell's KC that the trial is about 'a disappearance', and not a murder.

His client, he explains to the cameras, will also not be called as a witness because he is 'very, very unwell'.

So nothing is heard from MacDowell who, at the beginning of the trial, had entered a special defence of incrimination, suggesting his lover's estranged husband  a blameless 85-year-old  was behind the murder.

And, although MacDowell's monstrous act of November 12, 1976 has long been apparent, there is palpable relief as guilty verdicts on both murders are returned.

Mrs Govans, who says the loss of her sister weighs even more heavily in old age when there is more time to think about it, states after the verdict: 'If he has a shred of decency in his body he will now reveal where they both lie.'

That, she surely knew well, was a forlorn hope. MacDowell, a selfish man who got away with murder for the best part of half a century, denied his victims' family to his last breath. Just a little justice  a mere scrap of it  is all they got.
For any parent to lose a baby not long after birth is a truly shattering experience.

To have one murdered by a nurse entrusted with the child's care so soon after entering the world must be agonising beyond comprehension.

Which makes the actions of Lucy Letby, who killed seven premature babies and attempted to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital during a year-long spree between June 2015 and June 2016, as sickening as they are shocking.

How a vivacious, church-going young girl, who enjoyed salsa lessons with friends and partying in Ibiza, could attack and poison vulnerable young innocents, sometimes while their worried parents slept just yards away, will doubtless occupy criminologists for years to come.

Yet now that the appalling facts of the case have been settled, and the families attempt to find some peace, urgent questions must be asked of NHS bosses as to how on earth this evil monster wasn't stopped sooner.

The actions of Lucy Letby (pictured here in her police mugshot) are as sickening as they are shocking

The nurse killed seven premature babies and attempted to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital (pictured) during a year-long spree between June 2015 and June 2016

Over the course of a gruelling ten-month trial, it became clear that almost anyone who worked alongside Letby became suspicious about her behaviour when babies began dying in the hospital in mysterious circumstances.

Concerns were raised, with numerous complaints filed by doctors to senior management. With numerous warning klaxons going off at once, one would assume any responsible manager would step in immediately.

Yet rather than act upon these concerns, hospital bosses bafflingly chose to dismiss them. Some doctors were ignored, some silenced, some astonishingly were even told to write to Letby and apologise for making their accusations.

Meanwhile, as Letby targeted more victims, her neglectful managers were out collecting awards, one, ironically, picking up a gong for 'creating a safe experience for patients'.

We now know such shameful inaction cost lives. Dr Ravi Jayaram, a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester, claims he first raised concerns about Letby after she killed her first three victims in June 2015. Heartbreakingly, had management acted on his complaints, four children would still be alive today.

Even when Letby was finally removed from the ward and placed in an office job, bosses were still reluctant to involve the police. It's as though it was more convenient to just bury their heads in the sand.

That Britain's worst child killer was able to carry out her despicable crimes unimpeded for so long on a neo-natal ward  which ought to be a place of safety  must rank as one the worst failings in the health service's history.

Sadly, this culture of NHS management turning a blind eye to inconvenient truths is nothing new.

As we have seen with the Mid Staffordshire and Shrewsbury and Telford scandals, where needless deaths occurred through neglect or maltreatment, too often there is a worrying pattern when things go wrong at the NHS: Mistakes are ignored, staff who complain are simply told to shut up and go away.

Last night, Health Secretary Steve Barclay ordered an independent inquiry into the events at Chester, surely the very least which is required. Mr Barclay must also ensure those bosses who ignored what was going on under their noses are identified and brought to account.

For if the parents of the murdered children can muster any form of consolation from their torturous ordeal, other than that their children's killer will almost certainly never be set free, it is that vital lessons are learned for the future.

The pain and loss these families have endured is immeasurable. Such an appalling tragedy must never be repeated.

WATCH THE MAIL'S LUCY LETBY DOCUMENTARY IN FULL HERE
An Aussie lawyer who vent viral for posting TikTok videos about a high-profile court trial, was shocked to find he made the cut on a Netflix documentary about the case.

Jahan Kalantar, a suburban solicitor working in Sydney, commented regularly on the infamous and bitter defamation trial between Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Sydney lawyer Jahan Kalantar was shocked to find his commentary on Johnny Depp's defamation trial was featured in a three-part Netflix series

Snippets of the criminal defence lawyer's social media videos, which broke down each stage of the six-week trial, were used in the documentary.

The streaming service aired the documentary titled 'Depp v Heard' on Thursday, which documents the trial of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor against Ms Heard.

Mr Kalantar featured prominently in the three-part series, which also takes a look at how social media played its part in influencing the trial.

The lawyer told Nine News he wasn't aware his videos were included in the documentary.

He was alerted to this role when he said he kept receiving texts from his mates telling him he was on Netflix.

'No one is more surprised by my success than me,' he said.

'I'm a quirky suburban solicitor but I think what hopefully I did and what I always tried to do was avoid taking sides and always bring it back to the law.'

Mr Kalantar, who has more than 363,000 followers, shot to fame after he posted his own updates, analysing each stage of the trial.

The solicitor at Executive Law Firm in Sydney, who has been involved in defamation cases himself, said the case combined a unique mix of strategic public relations.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor filed defamation proceedings against his ex-wife Amber Heard and was awarded $10million

He said his videos discussing the trial were designed to only consider the facts as they were laid out in the trial.

'The purpose of this lawsuit was really about the vindication of Johnny Depp's name and him being cleared of the allegations that he was a person who assaults women,' he said.

Depp's trial was one of the most watched court cases in recent times after he filed defamation proceedings against his ex-wife.

He was awarded $10million in damages after he won the lawsuit in June 2022, after Ms Heard wrote a damning opinion piece in the Washington Post which implicitly referenced the alleged abuse from Mr Depp.

Ms Heard wrote a damning opinion in piece in the Washington Post claiming that she a victim of domestic abuse, imputing Mr Depp in the article

She claimed she 'was a public figure representing domestic abuse'.

Ms Heard was given $2million in damages after she was defamed by a former lawyer, who was defending Mr Depp.

He claimed Ms Heard damaged the couple's penthouse.

Ms Heard said she intends to appeal the case.
Grieving community members have gathered at a small town's Catholic church to remember their three friends who died at a lethal mushroom lunch.

Erin Patterson, 48, invited her former parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian for dinner at her Leongatha home on July 29.

Mr and Mrs Patterson and Mrs Wilkinson all died after eating Erin's beef wellington which is believed to have contained deadly toxic mushrooms.

Mr Wilkinson, a Baptist pastor, remains in critical condition.

St Joseph's Catholic Church in Korumburra, where the four guests lived, opened its doors to the non-Catholic community on Saturday for 'a day of prayer, reflection and solidarity'.

St Joseph's Catholic Church in Korumburra opened to the community on Saturday (pictured, locals attending the church with flowers)

St Joseph's Catholic Church announced Saturday as a 'day of prayer, reflection and solidarity' (pictured, people entering the church)

Heather and Ian Wilkinson (above) attended Erin Patterson's fatal beef wellington lunch on July 29 - Heather died from suspected mushroom poisoning while Ian remains in critical condition

Parishioner Ken Loughnan told reporters the open day will be a chance for the small town to come together.

'This is a close-knit community, but right across Australia, small towns are just like this where everybody shops at the same supermarket and whatever, so people get to know each other really well,' he said.

'When a tragedy happens in a small community, it has a real hurt and it's been a difficult time over the last three weeks for people.

'So we've taken the opportunity to open our doors of our church here today, not just for the Catholics, but for the whole community because after all, we are all the people of God.

'It's a great opportunity to come together... it's part of the future I think of Korumburra, that we can rebuild the community.'

Mr Loughnan described the day as a chance for all parts of the Christian and non-religious community to unite.

Parishioner Ken Loughnan (above) told reporters the open day is a chance for the small town to come together

The church hoped the day could be a chance for all parts of the Christian and non-religious community to unite following the deaths of three community members (pictured, people at the service)

Don and Gail Patterson (above) died after eating lunch at their former daughter-in-law Erin Patterson's home

Upon entering St Joseph's Catholic Church on Saturday, visitors were handed a flyer (above)

'Obviously, these people were very involved in another church in the town so it must be really hitting particularly these parts of the community,' he said.

'The community has hurt over the last three weeks and there's a lot of sadness in this community, that's what today is about.

'It's natural in any small community people would rely on each other and this today is an important part of the healing process for very much appreciate.'

Upon entering the church, visitors were handed a flyer which read: 'Today is a day of prayer, reflection and solidarity.

'Against the background of much sadness within the local community over the last few weeks, today we invite all people of Korumburra and surrounding districts to come together as God's children for individual prayer and reflection.

'We remember with love those who have died and we pray particularly for pastor Ian Wilkinson as well as everyone who is affected by this tragedy'.

Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday reported Ms Patterson was an 'experienced forager' who - like many families in the area - picked mushrooms when they were in season.

All members of the Korumburra community were invited to St Joseph's Catholic Church on Saturday (pictured, an attendee of the service)

The special service was open to members of different churches within the small town (pictured, two men at the service)

It's believed Ms Patterson's fatal meal included deadly death cap mushrooms.

Investigating police have said Ms Patterson is a person of interest in the three deaths.

She has denied any wrongdoing and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest she intentionally poisoned her four relatives.

Her ex-husband Simon Patterson was initially invited to the lunch but pulled out at the last minute.

Mr Patterson himself spent 21 days in intensive care after collapsing from a mystery stomach illness at his home in May, 2022.

Throughout his stay in hospital, Ms Patterson kept his worried friends updated about his condition on social media.

Ms Patterson this week confirmed she had dumped a lawyer she initially engaged after police declared her a 'person of interest' in the deaths of her in-laws.

The 48-year old told the ABC she had voluntarily provided a statement to police after realising she had made a 'serious mistake' providing a no comment interview to investigators on advice from her lawyer, whom she promptly dumped.

Ms Patterson is now represented by a prominent Melbourne criminal barrister.

On Thursday, Victoria Police Deputy Police Commissioner Wendy Steendam told ABC radio Ms Patterson's lengthy written account may have hindered the investigation.

Investigating police have declared Ms Patterson (above) a person of interest in the three deaths, she denies any wrongdoing

'What I would say is that anything that's in the media  working on an investigation through the media is unhelpful to our investigation,' Ms Steendam said.

'The matter needs to be dealt with by us, looked at [by] us, and determined by us thoroughly what's actually occurred, and using the evidence that we have to determine and understand exactly what's happened and if we can explain what caused the deaths.'

Police have all but shut down commenting on the ongoing investigation, which Ms Steendam said be 'lengthy'.

'I don't think it's helpful to actually comment further on this investigation,' she said.

'It is an active matter and when we have more to say publicly, we'll do that. But I think to speculate or to talk about the aspects of the investigation in detail is unhelpful.'
A New York City councilwoman was left reeling after a man walked by her TV interview and kissed her on the cheek - before she yelled out: 'What the f*** was that?!'

Inna Vernikov, 38, was speaking to CBS New York on Thursday in her constituency - the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn - when she was interrupted.

The Republican can be seen recoiling in horror after a man passing by kissed her cheek, then walked away smiling.

Vernikov, a Ukrainian-born attorney who was raised in Brooklyn, said the incident was 'creepy'. She did not say whether she reported it to the police as an assault.

Inna Vernikov, 38, was speaking to CBS New York on Thursday when a stranger kissed her on the cheek

The councilwoman recoiled in horror, but her assailant laughed and walked away

Stranger kisses Brooklyn Councilwoman @InnaVernikov during an interview on Brighton Beach @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/xCIg01SxbE  Hannah Kliger (@HannahKliger) August 18, 2023

'Not the kind of love I expect from constituents!' she tweeted.

'Very creepy moment.'

She thanked her colleagues for condemning the man's actions.

Majority Leader Keith Powers said: 'Very gross behavior. Hope my colleague @InnaVernikov is okay.'

Marjorie Velasquez, a Democrat representing the eastern Bronx, sent her condolences to Vernikov.

'This disgusting behavior is unfortunately all too common in the day to day lives of women,' said Velasquez.

'We can not let sexual assault become a normalized part of our public interactions.

'I hope @NYPD can track this assailant down and bring swift justice.'

Erik Bottcher, a Democrat whose district includes the West Village, Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea, said he was saddened by the man's actions.

'This is totally unacceptable and the kind of thing that women have to deal with far too often, unfortunately,' he said.

Lynn Schulman, a Democrat for Queens, called the incident 'abhorrent and disgusting.'

She added: 'Hope the assailant is found. Sadly, this type of unacceptable behavior typically happens to women, even in 2023.'

Robert Holden, a Republican representing Queens, said: 'This isn't funny in the slightest. It's amazing how many creeps are walking the streets!'

Selvena Brooks-Powers, a Democrat representing Queens, said it was shocking that the man felt he could act with impunity.

'This is gross and scary!' she said. 'And, the fact that this person was so comfortable to kiss a complete stranger while being recording is alarming.

'We have to call out this behavior and hold people like that accountable.'
Gun dealers have lost their licenses this year at an unprecedented rate, with critics accusing Joe Biden of undermining the Second Amendment by stealth.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has revoked the licenses of 122 gun dealers in the fiscal year that began in October.

The previous fiscal year the figure was 90, and in 2021 it was only 27.

Since records of revocations began in 2013, the ATF never revoked more than 81 dealers' licenses, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Critics of the ATF's newly-found muscle argue that it attacks largely lawful gun dealers who often provide valuable assistance to law enforcement when trying to track firearms used in crimes.

Joe Biden is seen on April 11 holding up a ghost gun kit during a White House event to discuss gun violence

Gun dealers have said that the ATF is now too heavy-handed in its enforcement of violations

Some law enforcement veterans told the paper that the previous system of issuing warnings rather than revoking licenses was preferable.

'The gun dealers were our first line of defense against gun trafficking,' said Peter Forcelli, a retired deputy assistant director.

'Why are we now beating an ally into submission?'

But Steve Dettelbach, appointed director of the ATF in July 2022, defended his bureau's policy.

'We've taken steps to hold accountable those few dealers who are engaging in these willful violations,' he said.

'They're not going to have the privilege of being a gun dealer anymore.'

Dettelbach, who served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio before taking the ATF role, said dealers needed to be held to strict standards because guns could end up getting sold to criminals.

Rick Vasquez, a retired ATF official, told the paper he approved of Dettelbach's approach.

'The ATF, previous to this administration, had a 'Let's see if we can help you' attitude and some gun dealers took advantage of that,' he said.

Yet those who have lost their licenses told the paper they are being unfairly targeted.

Anthony Navarro lost his license last year after receiving three earlier warnings since 2009.

He still sells firearm accessories at his store in Greeley, Colorado.

'We were making $1 million a year, now it's less than $100,000,' he said.

'This policy is designed to be a backdoor violation of the Second Amendment.'

Anthony Navarro, owner of a gun dealership in Greely, Colorado, lost his license last year

Navarro said that some of the paperwork violations were minor, and some were caused by a former employee - and he reported the issue to the ATF as soon as it was uncovered

Bridge City Ordnance in Valley City, North Dakota, lost its license last year.

An ATF inspector had in 2015 recommended revoking Navarro's license for his shop in Colorado after sending him warning letters in 2009 and 2011.

The 2015 inspection turned up 10 violations, including selling guns to people who said they were prohibited from owning guns on background check forms.

An ATF supervisor overturned the recommendation, and said he should just be given a warning.

Navarro said some customers made mistakes when filling out background check forms.

In 2020, inspectors found more violations, including failing to report multiple sales of handguns and failing to keep records of some transactions.

Navarro said he discovered those issues after one of his employees quit, and then reported the problem to the ATF.

'It was a horrendous mess,' he said. 'This guy hid forms underneath the printer.'

In North Dakota, a gun store in Valley City - Bridge City Ordnance - lost its license last year.

It was unclear what rules they violated.

The store's owners have filed a lawsuit against the ATF, arguing that the inspections of stores are being 'wielded as a political weapon.'
A young traveller has shared the three things that shocked her about Aussie day-to-day life after moving abroad.

Sofia Saccone took to TikTok earlier this month to reveal how the common habits - including exercising early in the morning, vaping and going barefoot - were so different to her hometown of Lerici, Italy.

Captioned 'Australian things that would send an Italian into a coma', Ms Saccone said the first thing she noticed after moving to the Gold Coast in Queensland was how early locals wake up.

'Because of my job I used to go out in the morning at 5,' she said.

'While I'm walking and eating my biscuit, I swear I saw plenty of people walking with their dogs.'

Sofia Saccone (pictured) said common Aussie habits, including exercising early in the morning, vaping and going barefoot, surprised her so much she almost 'went into a coma'

Those on early morning jogs weren't just old people either, she added.

'Like, young people in their 20s [running], and not by themselves!'

'They run in a group, so that means you have to organise these things, you know, with your friends  'Guys, what we going to do tomorrow? Just wake up, let's wake up at 4 and go for a run',' she exclaimed.

'Why at 4am? Why not do it in the evening like normal people?'

The Italian tourist then went on to say smoking consumption also differed in Australia compared with overseas, with many resorting to vapes over cigarettes.

'Cigarettes are really expensive in Australia,' she added.

'We all know that you're a f***ing millionaire or you cannot afford [cigarettes].

'So people when they come here just start vaping like what's happened to me.'

The young traveller is currently living in the Gold Coast (pictured, stock) and her video has been viewed over 53.4 thousand times

Brandishing a dark blue vape, Ms Saccone said the electronic cigarettes would 'send anyone into a coma'.

'They're f***ing good. I love it  at least it will be a really, really sweet coma,' she joked.

The final thing the young traveller noticed was the tendency for Aussies to go barefoot in public.

'Everyone really enjoys going out without their shoes,' she said.

'You don't know why, I don't know why - they just do that.

'They want to go do some grocery [shopping], you're going to find a lot of people without their shoes. On the bus, without shoes,' Ms Saccone recalled.

'And they're not crazy person - they are just like regular person like me.

'It's just normal for them.'

Her video, shared under the name By Sacconji, has been viewed over 53.4 thousand times.
YouTube is under fire again as senators are demanding the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to look into YouTube and Google after allegedly showing targeted ads to kids.

Read Also: US Television Viewership Drops Below 50%, Streaming Remains Favorable Option

YouTube's Targeted Ads to Kids, Teens

The New York Times reportedly spotted that YouTube ran a Canadian bank ad on the "Kids Diana Show," a YouTube channel intended for preschoolers. Upon clicking the ad, the user's browser will be tagged and tracked by Google, Meta, Microsoft, and other tech companies. All of which, will analyze the ad campaigns of brands.

This is not the first time that the tech giant was investigated for the same reason. In 2019, YouTube and Google settled a $170 million fine after illegally collecting personal information from children while watching kids' channels. The FTC and State of New York argued that the companies profited off the children's data to create ads.

YouTube since then have vowed to stop running targeted ads on children's channels.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

The COPPA is a federal privacy law that requires online service companies to get parental consent first before collecting data from users below 13 years old.

On August 18, Senators Ed Markey and Marsha Blackburn called out to FTC, demanding the the companies should be investigated for violating the COPPA. The senators also want to pass COPPA 2.0 that will fully protect young people's privacy and will ban ads to kids and teens.

"YouTube and Google can't keep treating young people's data as an unprotected commodity for them to profit from," Markey stated.

Related Article: YouTube Changes Home Page to Let Users Disable Watch History
Two very rare southern right whales have been spotted off Sydney's northern beaches as the mother and calf duo make their way into the harbour city before their treacherous journey to the Antarctic.

The whales have made a pit stop on their southward journey and are relatively stationary in shallow waters northeast of Long Reef, whale conservation group ORRCA said.

NSW Parks and Wildlife Service authorities are asking the public to keep at least 300 metres away to avoid disturbing the whales which might cause them to move on, tiring them unnecessarily.

Two southern right whales were spotted off Sydney's northern beaches on Saturday morning, making their way to the shoreline before the pair head to the Antarctic

Quiet, undisturbed time in shallow, sandy bottom bays and protected beaches is a critical stage in southern right whale calf development.

The calf is expected to consume about 300 litres of milk per day to gain the strength before the pair embark on the long voyage towards the Antarctic, according to park ranger Andy Marshall.

'The biggest threat to the survival of southern right whales in NSW waters is disturbance from people getting too close,' he said.

Any disturbance to the whales not only compromises a calf's ability to nurse and develop, but it can also drive them out into deeper waters, where they are exposed to predation by orcas and sharks, the ranger said.

People have been urged to keep their distance from the two whales, with wildlife authorities concerned the attention will affect the whale and its calf from preparing for their journey down south

The pair were first spotted on July 27 in Coffs Harbour, and authorities have been tracking them as they made their way down the coast.

Mr Marshall said the calf was born about two days before the sighting and had been resting and nursing at Coffs Harbour, Scott's Head, Port Macquarie, Forster, Port Stephens, and Swansea along the NSW north coast.

The whales are currently in waters northeast of Long Reef but were first sighted by whale watchers in Coffs Harbour on July 27

NSW wildlife rangers are working with ORRCA, marine rescue, police, and transport authorities to monitor the whales and ensure they remain undisturbed by the public.

Southern right whales are an endangered species, with fewer than 270 in the south-east Australian population.

This calf is one of only two recorded in NSW this year.
The shooting of a high-profile criminal lawyer last month could be linked to the same underworld figures who abducted him and shaved his head in 2019.

NSW Police claim to have found a possible motive over the alleged attempted assassination of gangland lawyer Mahmoud Abbas who was shot outside his Greenacre home, in the city's southwest, on July 26.

They allege evidence found on Mr Abbas' electronic devices link his recent shooting to his abduction in 2019.

Last month the Saturday Telegraph revealed Mr Abbas was abducted, violently bashed and had his head and eyebrows shaved as a 'warning' from gangland figures.

It's understood those responsible took photos of Mr Abbas' shaved head and shared them around underworld circles following the attack.

Police believe the shooting of criminal lawyer Mahmoud Abbas (above) is linked to his 2019 abduction and assault

Mr Abbas was shot outside his Greenacre home on July 26 (pictured, paramedics treating Mr Abbas after the attack)

Police are aware of the incident despite the fact Mr Abbas did not make a formal report.

Detectives only had access to Mr Abbas' laptop and phone for a short amount of time before the lawyer won a legal challenge to have them returned.

He told the Supreme Court earlier this week he needed the devices for his business as they contained sensitive information about his clients.

However, officers said they were able to link the two attacks by analysing the devices during that time.

'In June 2019 Mr Abbas was abducted by a person or persons unknown to police,' police wrote in documents tendered to court, the Saturday Telegraph reports.

'During the abduction, Mr Abbas was violently assaulted and his eyebrows and head were shaved as a "warning".

'Following the abduction, Mr Abbas refused to provide police with any statement or information to further the investigation into potential suspects or motives for the crime.

'Given the intelligence received so far, police are working under the assumption that the abduction and the shooting are related, due to Mr Abbas' lack of assistance with both NSWPF investigations and the suspected involvement of similar parties.'

Detectives believe Mr Abbas' clients may know who was behind the abduction and shooting.

Mr Abbas has undergone three surgeries and had his kidney removed since the shooting last month (pictured, Mr Abbas' Greenacre home)

Mr Abbas suffered extensive injuries in the shooting but is expected to make a full recovery.

He has undergone three surgeries and had his kidney removed after a bullet shot through it. Another bullet narrowly missed Mr Abbas' kneecap.

Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Mr Abbas hasany links to criminal activity or wrongdoing.
Home buyers were left shocked at a harshly honest listing of a property described in the advertisement as a 'war zone bunker' by a property agency.

The savage ad promoted an apartment in Manunda, southwest of Cairns that is up for sale.

Rent Better, an online investment property agency, ran the unusually honest listing for the far north Queensland home.

An home in north Queensland has been described as a 'war zone bunker' after an investment property agency issued a brutally honest listing of the home

The take-no-prisoners listing states the buyer of the home will be treated to 'free performances' of 'residents screaming and fighting'.

It also states the home features a great vantage point for a tenant to 'watch over a huge balcony with commanding view over battlefield [sic]'.

The brutal listing went on to include one more selling point of the home: 'a territorial marking on the stairwell'.

It's understood that marking is in reference to urine.

Daily Mail Australia contact Rent Better for comment.

The two-bedroom home fitted with one bathroom is being sold for $250,000.

The house in Manunda, southwest of Cairns is being sold for $250,000 and according to the property listing by Rent Better, tenants will be treated 'free performances' from neighbours

The property sits on 59 square metres of land and includes a space for a car.

The property agency describes itself as a 'leading disruptor in the Australian and residential real estate market,' according to its website.

The listing also points out that the home includes 'artwork' in the carpark of the property, better known as graffiti.

'You wouldn't want to live there yourself but the return on investment is good,' the listing goes on to state.

'Who knows what the future holds  perhaps a foreign power will take over this godforsaken place and enforce some rule of law over ALL inhabitants.'

A local resident in Cairns who was looking for a home to buy in the region told Yahoo News she was left gobsmacked by the ad.

'I was looking through realeastate.com.au and came across it and literally couldn't believe what I read,' she said.

Despite the review of the home by the property agency, homes and apartments across Manunda are being snapped up by eager buyers

'I thought it was hilarious and had to share it'.

According to real estate website Domain, the median price for a two-bedroom unit in Manunda is $212,000.

The median price of a house is $450,000 with 59 homes available for sale on the property market.

Fifty-one houses were sold in the last year.
A Chicago politician and a community group desperate to slow the city's spiraling crime problem is begging for 12 hours a day where people don't shoot their guns.

Alder Maria Hadden, a Democrat, boosted a proposal by the group Native Sons calling for 'The People's Ordinance' - a ceasefire between 9am and 9pm.

'PROTECT THE YOUTH NO SLIDING WILE THE SUN IS OUT' reads the all-caps promo, titled United For A Safe Summer.

They're asking for the refrain from gunshots to reduce risk to Chicagoans who are 'not involved in high risk activities.'

'We have to start somewhere,' Tatiana Atkins, co-founder of Native Sons, told CWB Chicago.

'Our goal is to approach our city's gun violence problem strategically and not all at once. Things didn't become this way overnight, and change won't happen overnight.

A Chicago politician and a community group desperate to slow down the city's crime problem is now attempting to beg for 12 hours a day where people don't fire guns in the Windy City

Alder Maria Hadden, a Democrat, recently boosted a proposal by the group Native Sons that is calling for 'The People's Ordinance' which would call for a ceasefire between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

They're also asking, as part of the ordinance, for people to 'stop associating with and glorifying' shooters.

'When those who live a certain lifestyle try to hang with 'regular' class citizens, they put everyone at risk,' Atkins said.

No formal legislation for the ordinance has been drafted but Hadden did promote the idea in a newsletter sent to supporters.

'We are not waiting for a bill or law to enforce what we feel needs to be done  this is a movement being carried along by social media and the media,' Atkins said.

Atkins is hoping for more public support from politicians but ultimately, sees a perfect world in which no one fires a gun.

'Not everyone is willing to drop their beef,' she said. 'If you aren't mentally and emotionally equipped to solve disputes in a healthy manner, if you can't help but harm each other  do so in a capacity in which children, elderly and those not involved in high-risk activities are less likely to be affected.'

It comes weeks after Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took over from previous Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot in May, continues to try and get a hold on crime in the Windy City.

The total number of crimes in Chicago so far this year has risen by 34 percent compared to 2022 and 82 percent against 2021.

No formal legislation for the ordinance has been drafted but Hadden did promote the idea in a newsletter sent to supporters

It comes weeks after Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson, who took over from previous Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot in May, continues to try and get a hold on crime in the Windy City

The total number of crimes in Chicago so far this year has risen by 34 percent compared to 2022 and 82 percent against 2021

A total 35,186 crimes were committed in Chicago by this time in 2022 but in 2023, that figure is a staggering 47,141, according to the city's own statistics.

While murders are down six percent, robberies are up 20 percent and motor vehicle thefts are up 107 percent.

Johnson recently took issue with a reporter for using the phrase 'mob action' to describe a rabble of up to 400 teenagers who trashed a 7-Eleven.

A huge crowd stormed the convenience store in the South Loop just after 9pm on Sunday and wreaked havoc with some looting items and others vandalizing it.

The large gathering resulted in the arrest of at least 40 people, aged 12 to 20, as police tried to get the situation under control.
A parcel has taken a major detour across three states and travelled almost 10,000km, leaving the frustrated sender in the lurch.

The West Australian man shared on Facebook how his Perth-bound package ended up across the country in a 'monumental stuff-up' from Australia Post.

Notified by the Australia Post app each time the parcel appeared to reach a new location, the man watched his package first arrive in Sydney, before being processed in Parkes, NSW.

It was then processed in Brisbane before returning to its state of origin at the Boorna Wangkiny Mia branch in WA - but it didn't stop there.

The West Australian man watched his parcel travel 10,000km across the country through his Australia Post app (pictured)

The parcel once again returned to Parkes then went onto Kemps Creek, Seven Hills and finally Pendle Hills.

'Package is now on its way back to Sydney again,' the man wrote.

'It has now travelled more than 10,000 kilometres. Spoke to someone about it this morning to try and stop it.'

He attempted to intercept the well-travelled package when it touched back down in Perth, but was told by Australia Post staff he was too late.

The parcel travelled across three states, first stopping in NSW before being transported to Brisbane, back to WA and then returned to Parkes and onto Kemps Creek, Seven Hills and finally Pendle Hills (pictured, map)

The man attempted to intercept the parcel when it passed back through WA, but was unsuccessful with Australia Post staff telling him he was 'too late' (pictured, stock)

'All I got was sorry - it left on the truck at 4am this morning, even after being promised I would receive it,' the man added.

'Anyhow, it's heading home now where it came'.

The man claimed he received hardly any support from Australia Post and was forced to order a replacement.

'A replacement is being sent tomorrow, not by Australia Post,' he said.

'(The) ombudsman has all the information required to launch a case against them.'

The Australia Post website states delivery speeds depend on where the item is being posted to and from, and the level of restrictions and congestion in the delivery network.

It claims regular parcel delivery service generally takes 2+ business days.
Sara Shaif's father is now being sought by Surrey Police investigating the death

The mother of 10-year old Sara Sharif has urged the girl's dad to 'come forward and explain himself' after MailOnline revealed detectives in Pakistan want to speak to him about her death.

Malik Urfan Sharif left the UK along with two other people a day before the youngster's body was discovered.

She was found dead at her father's home in the village of Horsell, near Woking, Surrey in the early hours of last Thursday morning.

Ufran is now also being sought by Surrey Police investigating the death, along with his partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28.

Sara's Polish-born mother Olga Sharif has spoken out to praise the police investigation and directly address her ex-husband.

Sara Sharif (pictured) was found dead at her father's home in the village of Horsell, near Woking, Surrey in the early hours of last Thursday morning

Sara's Polish-born mother Olga Sharif (pictured) has spoken out to praise the police investigation and directly address her ex-husband

Ufran Sharif (left) is now also being sought by Surrey Police investigating the death, along with his partner Beinash Batool (right), 29, and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28

She said: 'The police are doing a good job finding him.'

Asked whether she had a message for Mr Sharif, Olga, 36, added: 'To come forward and explain himself.'

Sara and her 13-year-old brother Noman lived with their father, 41, while Olga had visitation rights.

Olga previously said her daughter's behaviour changed as her ex-husband's influence on her life increased.

Ms Sharif said she married Urfan in November 2009, but the marriage ended in 2017. She now lives in Somerset and hopes to bury Sara in her native Poland.

The heartbroken mother has described Sara as 'an amazing child'. She said: 'She was so beautiful. I can't believe she's dead.'

Mr Sharif's brother, Imran Sharif told MailOnline that he arrived at the family home in the city of Jhelum last week and that it had also been raided by police looking for him.

He said: 'After reaching Pakistan he came to us and instantly disappeared. He did not bring his family to our home. Some people say he is hiding somewhere in Jhelum in a rented house, but others said he may be gone to Mirpur where his in laws are living.'

Mr Sharif, who is Malik's younger brother added: 'Police have raided our home twice during the last week and took pictures of Urfan and other family members. We have been warned to inform police immediately soon after receiving his whereabouts.'

Sara Sharif (pictured), aged 10, who was found murdered at her home in Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of Thursday morning

Olga Sharif, 36, with a picture of her beloved daughter Sara, who she would like to lay to rest in Poland

A spokesman for Chotala Police Station in Jhelum, which is co-ordinating the manhunt confirmed: 'We have been asked by the senior officers to arrest Urfan Sharif who recently came from England. The FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) has sent a draft to district police officer to arrest him immediately.

'We are on it and hopefully he would be behind the bars soon.'

Another official added: 'We are actively looking for Sharif and are confident that we will find him. We believe he is in the Jhelum or Mirpur area and have raided a number of properties. It is only a matter of time before we find him.'

A local travel agent revealed that he was contacted by someone known to her wanting plane tickets for three adults and five children.

Tickets to Islamabad costing more than 5,000 were booked on August 9, hours before Sara's body was found alone by Surrey Police.

Mr Sharif moved into the three-bedroom 550,000 council house in the quiet village of Horsell, near Woking, in April with his wife Beenish and children.

His younger brother continued: 'I was not on good terms with my brother Urfan. He married a Polish lady earlier.

'When he came last, he told his parents that he is living with some European people. Later, we got information he got married [to] a Polish woman. We had no idea that he has left England.

A post-mortem examination performed on Tuesday concluded that the cause of death for 10-year-old Sara was 'still to be established'.

Sara Sharif, aged 10, was found dead at her home in Horsell, near Woking, in the early hours of last Thursday morning - triggering an international manhunt for three men

Malik Urfan Sharif (pictured), father of Sara Sharif, left the UK along with two other people a day before the youngster's body was discovered. He is now wanted by police

It comes as British detectives said they would like to speak to Urfan Sharif, his partner, and his brother as part of their investigation into the murder.

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police major crime team, said the three were all wanted for questioning.

He said it is believed Ufran travelled to Islamabad on August 9, a day before Sara's death was discovered, with Batool and Malik.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13-years-old, he added.

A post-mortem examination, which took place on Tuesday, did not establish the cause of Sara's death and further tests are being carried out.

Mr Chapman said: "While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry."

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, but Mr Chapman said that people have been extradited from the Asian country before.

Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign Office to carry out their investigation and to liaise with Pakistani authorities.

Mr Chapman added: "I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Sara's tragic and untimely death are brought to justice."

Officers are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with the investigation, Mr Chapman said.

Locals have described their trauma and paid their respects after the tragic death of the 10-year-old

A cordon was set up by officers as police began a murder investigation into the circumstances of the girl's death

Police officers in the village of Horsell, near Woking, where the 10-year-old girl's body was found

The detective superintendent also added police are working with international partners.

However, there is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan which could prove a hurdle investigators will need to overcome.

The British government does have the option of issuing memorandum of understanding to have wanted UK fugitives returned to Britain to face justice.

Mr Sharif's brother, Imran Sharif (pictured) told MailOnline that he arrived at the family home in the city of Jhelum last week

But this can take years for anything to happen. Such an order was used to bring killer Zafar Iqbal to justice after he throttled his 'defenceless' wife Naziat Khan in August 2001 before fleeing to Pakistan.

Iqbal strangled his wife to death in a so-called 'honour killing' after she asked to divorce him, murdering the 38-year-old in front of her children.

Iqbal carried out the killing 'for no better reason' than that he could not face the cultural shame that would follow from his wife's demand for a divorce, the Old Bailey heard.

Once the killer fled his home in Norbury, south-west London, he spent almost 20 years evading justice in Pakistan before he was eventually extradited and charged with murder in September 2021. He was jailed for life in December and must serve a minimum of 19 years behind bars.

And in April a 74-year-old man was extradited from Pakistan to be charged with the murder of West Yorkshire police officer PC Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot dead in Bradford in 2005.

Piran Ditta Khan was brought back to the UK and taken into custody at a West Yorkshire police station, where he was charged with killing the 38-year-old officer. He is also charged with robbery, two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.

However, lawyer Adam Rasul, chief executive of Holborn Adams, said the suspects being sought in connection with the death of little Sara would be extradited far sooner than those involved in the deaths of PC Beshenivsky and Ms Naziat Khan.

Zafar Iqbal, 62, (pictured) throttled Naziat Khan, 38, with her own scarf in front of their three young daughters at her home in Norbury, south-west London, in August 2001 before fleeing to Pakistan

The court heard about repeated incidents of domestic violence leading to Ms Naziat Khan (pictured) initiating Islamic divorce proceedings in June 2000

The top lawyer, who is an expert of international extradition and previously worked on the case to release controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan after the pair were jailed in a Romanian prison and placed under house arrest, said numerous law enforcement agencies would be involved.

Speaking to MailOnline, he predicted the 'horrific' death of the 10-year-old and media scrutiny surrounding it would prompt officials in Pakistan to act 'swiftly' to detain the suspects and agree to send them back to the UK.

'Irrespective of the fact there's no official agreement, I will be really surprised if there isn't a swift return in this case,' he said.

'I would like to think and trust the process there would be an expediated mutual, succinct and swift decision.

'Because of the interest to try and help justice and the family, I truly believe media pressure would get this over the line.'

He added the extradition of Iqbal proved there was strong precedent of suspects being returned from Pakistan to the UK.

Locals spoke of their shock and fear the day after the 10-year-old's body was discovered.

Many of the flowers left on the pavement outside the house had heartfelt messages written by local families attached, while one person left a stuffed unicorn.

One note read: 'Sweet girl, I'm so sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon.'
Warnings for heavy rain and strong winds remain in force across parts of the UK after Storm Betty brought wet and windy weather as the Met Office has warned of floods and said people may die.

Many areas saw heavy downpours and gusts of wind on Friday with the arrival of the second named storm in August.

A warning for strong winds remains in force until around noon on Saturday for western parts of England and Wales as well as the eastern area of Northern Ireland.

The Met Office said there could be a risk of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

Gusts of wind may also cause damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, and travel could be affected.

The Met Office said there could be a risk of injuries and danger to life from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties (pictured here in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland, yesterday)

A warning for strong winds remains in force until around noon on Saturday for western parts of England and Wales as well as the eastern area of Northern Ireland (pictured: a boat after it crashed into the harbour yesterday in Dungarvan, County Waterford)

A Ryanair aircraft has a bumpy landing in the strong winds as it lands this morning at Leeds Bradford Airport in Yorkshire

There remains a potential for power cuts and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

Tens of thousands of homes remain without power after Storm Betty battered Ireland.

ESB Networks said storm force winds associated caused damage to the electricity network overnight, affecting just over 70,000 homes, farms and businesses.

Just before noon today, just under 50,000 electricity customers remained without power with the damage mainly attributable to lightning and fallen trees on overhead lines as a result of the high winds.

Areas most impacted include counties in the South-East along with North Dublin, Dundalk, Portlaoise and Kilkenny.

An ESB Networks statement said: 'All available resources are being deployed to respond to all electricity outages where safe to do so.

'ESB Networks crews have been working since first light and will work through this afternoon into this evening to restore power to as many customers as possible.

Gusts of wind may also cause damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, and travel could be affected

The weather warnings from the Met Office are in place until noon today

Strong and gusty south-easterly winds will accompany the rain, with gusts perhaps as high as 40mph around some exposed coasts and hills in the east

A KLM aircraft arriving from Amsterdam is blown sideways in the strong winds as it lands this morning at Leeds Bradford Airport in Yorkshire

'A significant number of impacted customers will have their power restored by this evening.

'However, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity network, some customers in localised areas may remain without supply overnight.'

The highest wind gusts recorded overnight by the Met Office were particularly strong around the Irish Sea.

In Capel Curig and Aberdaron, both in Gynedd, gusts reached 66mph and 61mph respectively.

In Pemprey Sands, Dyfed, they reached 59mph, while in Ronaldsway, on the Isle of Man, winds of 54mph blew.

53mph were reached in Orlock Head, County Down, and St. Bees Head, Cumbria, overnight.

A weather warning for rain is also in place until noon on Saturday for Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, south-west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde (pictured: a woman bracing the rain in Whitstable, Kent, yesterday)

The Met Office said flooding of some homes and businesses is possible and travel could be affected with spray and flooding on roads.

A weather warning for rain is also in place until noon on Saturday for Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, south-west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde.

The highest rainfall totals are expected over east-facing high ground in the Angus Hills and the Grampian Mountains where between 40-60mm could accumulate.

Strong and gusty south-easterly winds will accompany the rain, with gusts perhaps as high as 40mph around some exposed coasts and hills in the east.

'Take care if you are beginning any journeys this morning and stay up to date with the latest.

Shoppers braced the rain in Whitstable, Kent, yesterday as heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected across the UK

This woman braved the waves whipped up by high winds at Southwold Beach in Suffolk yesterday morning ahead of predicted torrential rain and thunder showers

People enjoying the warm sunny weather whilst out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge on Saturday morning after Storm Betty swept the country yesterday and overnight

Walkers use umbrellas for shade instead of cover for rain as they enjoy the sunshine in Richmond Park south-west London

Met Office chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said the storm had been expected to have the most impact in Ireland and many reported a restless night as homes were battered by wind and rain.

The Met Office updated via Twitter: 'Storm Betty has been pushing northwards through the early hours with continued heavy rain and strong winds.

'Warnings are in force until 12:00 today.'

Betty is the second storm named in August, following Storm Antoni which occurred earlier this month.

This is the second time since storm naming was introduced in 2015 that two storms have been named in August, following Ellen and Francis in August 2020.

People were out on the River Cam in Cambridge today after Storm Betty swept across the country
Two men who toured London in search of designer watches have been jailed for a total of 22 years.

Asonu McKenzie, 29, and Reshaun Nembhard, 29, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery between May 25 and July 15 last year.

The designer watch robbers were both sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on August 18, with McKenzie receiving a 14-year jail term and Nembhard being jailed for eight years.

The pair where involved in 12 robberies across London of high value watches and were both jailed after a successful four-week manhunt by detectives.

Last summer over a two-moth period, a series of robberies were carried out in Lambeth, Southwark, Bromley, Croydon, Wandsworth and Hammersmith and Fulham.

Asonu McKenzie, 29, (pictured) pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery

Reshaun Nembhard, 29 (pictured) alongside McKenzie were both involved in 12 watch robberies across London

The robbers would arrive in a silver Audi and drive around the area to locate their victims.

Once a victim was identified, they would be struck on the back of the head with a blunt object from behind. After they were stunned, they would have their watches stolen.

Injuries to the victims ranged from minor grazes and lacerations, to fractured skulls, with one person still under assessment for potentially losing his sight.

The investigation was led by detectives on the Robbery Investigation Team on the Central South BCU, with the team analysing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to identify the Audi.

The designer watch robbers were both sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on August 18

Ash Francis, acting detective sergeant of Central South BCU, said: 'I am proud of the investigation that was undertaken by officers of the Robbery team on the Central South borough command unit. This case demonstrates their dedication and tenacity. Their diligent investigation resulted in the arrest and conviction of two violent offenders.

'We are doing everything in our power to ensure that criminals are brought to justice. We understand the impact of robbery on victims and know that the effects are more than just the loss of property. Robbery is a violent and often traumatising crime, and we remain committed to tackling robbery in all of its forms.'
A gang of French and Swiss holidaymakers who allegedly raped a British teenager were filmed 'laughing' during the attack, according to police sources.

The footage featuring the sound of the young men 'enjoying' themselves is said to be among more than 20 clips of the attack seized by Spanish police.

The judge who remanded the six men in custody has described claims that the sex was consensual as 'completely preposterous'.

The videos were allegedly filmed while the 18-year-old was raped by six tourists as two others watched at the BH Mallorca hotel in Magaluf on the holiday island of Majorca.

Police reports state that no sound could be heard from the victim in the footage of the alleged attack after she met the men at a party and went back to the hotel where they are said to have forced their way into her room, according to local media.

She is said to have escaped from the room at the adults-only hotel and reported what happened to a security guard who called police.

Five men of French nationality and a Swiss man are currently being held in custody on suspicion of rape after the incident at around 5am on Monday.

In the first pictures of the six men, one of the suspects held his head down and stared at the ground as he was led into a court in the Majorcan capital Palma in handcuffs by a Civil Guard officer

But the other five, all wearing the same shorts and t-shirt they were arrested in, made no attempt to disguise their faces as they were taken into court for a remand hearing held behind closed doors

Two of the suspects are seen being led by an officer. The gang were filmed 'laughing' during the attack, police say

Police reports state that no sound could be heard from the victim in the footage of the alleged attack after she met the men at a party and went back to the hotel. Pictured: One of the suspects is seen being led by two officers

The seized video footage was taken from mobile phones belonging to the men, suggesting that they had filmed themselves taking part in the alleged attack.

The investigating judge in the case allegedly reported that the clips showed the girl remaining silent, and making 'not even a murmur, a sigh, or the like'.

The Ultima Hora newspaper stated that the judge described any suggestion that the girl had consented to sex acts as 'outrageous' and 'totally unreasonable'.

Instead, the judge described the videos as showing the men 'enjoying' themselves and 'laughing' as they attacked the girl.

The judge said there were indications of 'truly humiliating and vexatious practices without any hint that the victim could have given her consent.'

She also ruled there were indications the 18-year-old holidaymaker had suffered 'really humiliating and degrading treatment' in her decision to refuse the suspects bail and send them to prison in Majorca pending an ongoing criminal probe.

The first three French suspects  named as Anthony G, 20, Anthony A, 20, and Khalil A, 18  were quickly arrested at the hotel.

Two other French men Thomas E, 23, and Romain C, 26, were arrested later on Monday along with the Swiss man Lucas H who is aged 20.

The arrests were made after the victim described the men to police and 'various surveillance devices' were placed on the hotel entrances.

Police investigators confirmed yesterday they weren't ruling out further arrests following overnight reports detectives were attempting to identify other tourists who witnessed the alleged attack and 'did nothing to stop it.'

Officers are still hunting two other men who allegedly filmed the attack on their mobile phones.

Medical reports revealed that the girl had several bruises or grip marks on her right arm, suggesting she had been held down, and a small cut on her upper chest.

The videos were allegedly filmed while the 18-year-old was raped by six tourists as two others watched at the BH Mallorca hotel (pictured) in Magaluf on the holiday island of Majorca

The teenager at first did not want to report what had happened before she was transferred to the Son Espases hospital, in Palma, where a forensic doctor examined her.

Spain's Guardia Civil national police force is said to have 'collected a large number of samples in the room where the reported rape took place'.

The samples, described as 'biological remains', have been sent for analysis.

The British teenager, who gave a statement to police as well as the investigating judge in court, has now flown back to the UK with a female holiday friend.

The alleged rape is being investigated by officers from the Guardia Civil headquarters on an industrial estate, a 15 minute drive from Magaluf.

A police source who asked not to be identified said: 'Of course, we take all reports very seriously and investigate everything properly.'

The sprawling BH Mallorca complex where the alleged gang rape took place on Monday features a hotel providing all inclusive packages through holiday operators including Jet2 and separate apartment blocks for guests.

British and French guests spoken to by MailOnline this week said they had no idea that the alleged attack had taken place in the hotel.

One British guest called Daisy, 19, who is staying at the BH Mallorca with her boyfriend Jacob, 23, said: 'It is just terrible that it could have happened here.'

Police are still hunting two other men who allegedly filmed the attack on their mobile phones while doing nothing to stop it. Pictured: A strip of bars and clubs in Magaluf

The woman met the suspected rapists on Monday night and later went to the hotel room of one of the suspects, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the six, the police press office in Mallorca cited the alleged victim's statement as saying

Daisy from Swaffham, Norfolk, added: 'We arrived at the hotel at 12.30am at night, and there was guy sprawled out on the stairs with a security guard trying to wake him up.

'We ended up complaining because the block where our room was smelled of piss, but the next day it was fresh lemons, so they must have put down some disinfectant or something.

'There was also a French guy in the room next to us and he kept making animal noises. He and his mates would also whistle at girls down in the pool.

'It is an adults-only hotel, and people go out partying, and come back at all hours. But we have been told that it is soon going to be changed to a family place for people with kids.'
This is the moment a British holidaymaker in Magaluf is beaten and handcuffed by Spanish police who were breaking up a fight in the latest incident in the mayhem capital of the Mediterranean.

Video obtained exclusively by MailOnline shows the British man being thrown to the ground and beaten by the baton-wielding police officers in the middle of the road of Magaluf's notorious Punta Ballena strip last night.

The British man, wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts and white trainers, held up his hands in an apparent show of no resistance before the police officer with the baton forced him to roll over.

The officer kneed on the tourist's back and handcuffed him. Another man, also wearing a white t-shirt, was also seized.

Police were flagged down after a fight between at least two men erupted in the street opposite a bar called Wyld and another called Viking.

Video obtained exclusively by MailOnline shows the British man being thrown to the ground and beaten by the baton-wielding police officers

The incident happened in the middle of the road of Magaluf's notorious Punta Ballena strip last night

The British man, wearing a white t-shirt, black shorts and white trainers, held up his hands in an apparent show of no resistance before the police officer with the baton forced him to roll over

Three officers were seen leaping out of their patrol car, one with a baton drawn, as the men exchanged punches and crowds gathered.

Magaluf has long been known as the mayhem capital of the Mediterranean due to various reports of assaults there.

Just last Monday a British teenager was allegedly raped by six tourists in Magaluf.



Despite the recent attack, teenager Gina Trolese, 17, who works at a family stall selling fresh juice close to the Punta Ballena strip said things 'have really improved here in the last few years'.

'The authorities have made the streets a lot safer. They have done things like pass new laws, banning supermarkets from selling alcohol after 10pm,' she said.

'There are also a lot more police patrolling around and security cameras. Every night, the police close the street to traffic and that makes it more secure. There is also a lot of effort to keep the streets clean. Before all this, it was really scary and horrible.

'My family say that the type of holidaymakers who come here have also changed. It used to be only young people, but now there are a lot more families.'

Signs erected throughout the Punta Ballena strip warn drinkers that they face a fine of 400 euros if they 'shout fight or bother people', or strip of their clothes. Anyone who urinates or vomits in the street faces a 200 euro penalty.

But one reveller said: 'I don't know why they bother to try and change things. This place has always been famous for drinking and clubbing. I don't think you are going to change that in a hurry.'

Jess Tempest, 25, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, who is working for the summer as a 'shot girl' selling drinks in bars and nightclubs, said: 'There is some crime here.

'I came out to work last year, but I went home after I got mugged. Someone shoved me to the ground and stole my phone and money.

'I decided to come back this year, and I have had no problems. But there was an incident with a girl being raped on the beach.

The baton-wielding police officers beat a British holidaymaker and handcuffed him

The officer kneed on the tourist's back and handcuffed him. Another man, also wearing a white t-shirt, was also seized

Three officers were seen leaping out of their patrol car, one with a baton drawn, as the men exchanged punches and crowds gathered

Magaluf has long been known as the mayhem capital of the Mediterranean due to various reports of assaults there

The Guardia Civil arrested two men after a fight broke out on the Punta Ballena strip

'Some of the guys I work with were crying their eyes out after they had to pull this guy off a girl. I don't know if she reported it, though.

'But in general, Magaluf is much quieter than it used to be. I came here on holiday in 2017 and it was wild. It is not so crazy now.'

Another young Irish woman Emily, 24, from Waterford who is working as a bar tout after getting a business studies degree, said: 'It is a great atmosphere here, but sometimes horrible things happen.

'Last season I was a shop girl and got a slap in the face from a guy who was fooling around. Working here can be emotionally draining. I get paid 70 euros for an eight hour shift and pay 125 euros a week rent for a shared bedroom.'

Attacks are still frequent in Magaluf and MailOnline can reveal that a 21-year-old male tourist from France was allegedly given unsolicited oral sex by a 37-year-old man after he passed out drunk on a sunbed in Magaluf earlier this month.

A British man aged 45 was also arrested and remanded in custody in May this year after he allegedly raped his son's female friend at a hotel in Magaluf.

Two Irish men were also arrested on suspicion of raping a British tourist in a hotel in Magaluf in the early hours of July 19.

In another incident a 17-year-old British boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a taxi driver after he tried to hail a cab back to his hotel from Magaluf's main Punta Ballena strip of bars and clubs at around 5am on August 6.
Kim Il-hyeok, a North Korean defector, speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, at United Nations headquarters, Aug. 17. AP-Yonhap



North Korea slammed a recent United Nations meeting about its human rights record, asserting the United States used the international organization for a "scheme" against Pyongyang, state media KCNA reported Saturday.



The U.N. Security Council discussed human rights abuses in North Korea, Thursday, with the U.S. ambassador criticizing leader Kim Jong Un for using "repression and cruelty" to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.



U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David, Friday, to deepen military and economic cooperation in facing China's growing power and nuclear threats from North Korea. They also agreed to hold military training exercises annually and share real-time information on North Korean missile launches by the end of the year.



China, North Korea's major ally, opposed the meeting of the 15-member council on abuses in North Korea but it did not attempt to block it.



"We will never tolerate the U.S. and its followers' anti-(North Korea) 'human rights' slander scheme, and will defend the sovereignty of the state, the socialist system and security interests," North Korea's KCNA quoted as an unnamed spokesperson from the country's human rights think tank as saying.



For decades Pyongyang has highlighted racial discrimination in the United States as what it calls an example of Washington's hypocrisy.



North Korea said Wednesday that an American soldier, Travis King who crossed into North Korea last month, had fled racism and abuse in America. (Reuters)






Brits travelling to a Mediterranean holiday hotspot are being warned about rapist taxi drivers after a woman from the UK was allegedly attacked by her driver.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued extraordinary travel advice to those heading to Croatia following 'reports of sexual assaults in taxis or Ubers'.

Local media has reported that at least two women are alleged to have been raped by taxi drivers in the coast city of Split in recent weeks - including one of British nationality.

The attack is said to have occured at the end of July and involved a 23-year-old cabbie and a British woman reported to be the same age.

She is reported to have told police the attack happened while she was drunk and that she did not consent, while the driver insisted the sex was consensual.

Split in Croatia, where Brits are being warned to take precautions as they get into taxis

An Uber app being used in a car. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has issued advice warning Brits to take care following 'reports of sexual assaults in taxis or Ubers'

The woman is now reported to have left Croatia, while the driver has been cautioned and told not to contact his alleged victim while he awaits trial, reports Croatia newspaper Vecernji.

A 20-year-old French woman then reported another attack to police in Split around a week later.

Vecernji reported that in both cases, the drivers were summoned through an unspecified taxi hailing app, but that the drivers cancelled the rides after picking the women up so their journeys would not be tracked.

Local newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija also reported that another British woman accused a taxi driver of raping her in Dubrovnik in April.

The FCDO advice reads: 'There have been reports of sexual assaults in taxis or Ubers in Croatia.

'To reduce risk and help prevent potential assaults you can: take a photo of the inside, where the number of the taxi is visible, and send to a friend or someone else; share your ride status on the Uber app; make a call while in the taxi telling someone which taxi it is and where you are going.'

The FCDO also issued advice on how to report sexual assaults in Croatia, telling survivors: 'Do not be afraid to get help.'

Uber, which has more than 120,000 users in Croatia, says the safety of everyone using its app is an 'absolute priority'.

'All drivers must go through a strict verification process that includes, among other things, a criminal record check,' a company spokesperson told The Sun.

The local taxi drivers' guild in Split has called for legislation on taxi licensing to be tightened following reports of attacks - and claims that cabbies with fake licences are ripping off tourists.

One such example, reported by Slobodna Dalmacija, saw a driver allegedly tell tourists he could charge them 1000 kuna (111 per kilometer)

Two British women are reported to have been raped by taxi drivers in Croatia this year

'Cases like this, which cast a shadow over the entire country as a safe tourist destination, are a justified reason for urgent amendments to the bad law,' a spokesperson for the guild told Istra24.

The Croatian transport ministry said that, while it could not interfere in criminal investigations, it 'strongly condemned' any attacks found to have occurred and said it would conduct its own enquiries.

It added: 'Through the competent institutions we will request all relevant information in order to determine all facts related to the mentioned risk and possible illegal actions in taxi transport.'

Around 480,000 Brits visited Croatia in 2022, according to official Croatian National Tourist Board statistics, a 46 per cent rise on 2021 following the coronavirus pandemic.

Brits are being lured to the 'new Italy' by promises of Mediterranean sun - and a continued interest in cities like Dubrovnik and Split, best known as the real-world locations for scenes shot in King's Landing in hit fantasy series Game of Thrones.

Diocletian's Palace, a large chunk of Split's old town, is also a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A chair has broken off a ski lift and plummeted to the ground at Thredbo Ski resort on Saturday afternoon.

The four guests were thrown to the ground halfway up the Kosciuzko Quad Express chairlift around 2.20pm when a gust of wind detached the chair.

A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia crews attended a call at Friday Drive, Thredbo and assessed two females in their 20s and a male in his 20s.

The two women were treated for for back injuries and the man was treated for injuries to his face.

Four boarders plummeted to the ground around 2.20pm on Saturday afternoon following a 'freak gust of wind' (pictured)

Two patients were transported via helicopter to Canberra Hospital with a third taken to Cooma Health Service.

The incident was caused by 'a freak gust of wind', a spokesman for Thredbo said.

'There were no major injuries caused, and the three guests involved are being looked after by the team,' the spokesman said.

'No other guests or chairs were affected. Thredbo is committed to the safety of our guests and our people.'

'The incident is currently being thoroughly investigated by SafeWork NSW and an independent engineer.'

The chair had reportedly detached from the ski lift halfway up the hill on the Kosciuzko Quad Express (pictured)

There were wind gusts recorded at Thredbo Top Station of 65km/h at around the time of the incident, according to the Bureau of Meteorology website, with conditions described as 'windy'.

This isn't the first time snow-sport enthusiasts have been injured on the ski lifts at Thredbo.

In 2019, strong winds similarly detached a chair on the Gunbarrel quad chairlift as it approached the top of the hill.

A skier plummeted over 30-feet to the ground and suffered minor bruising.

Two women and a man were treated by NSW Ambulance for injuries to their back and face respectively (pictured, the scene)

The horror accident followed an unusual season this year, with visitors faced with stretches of wet soggy ground and muddy puddles at resorts instead of snow.

Images of Mount Buller ski resort, three hours' drive north-east of Melbourne, circulated online with snow fans left furious at the state of the resort as they waited to use the grimy, mud-stained chair lifts at the facility.

David Clark from Mount Buller told Daily Mail Australia that crews from the resort did work to remove the dirt from the chair lifts and the surrounding areas.

The resort has invested in snowmaking facilities, which ensures visitors will be able to use the facility for skiing.

'We offer our snow guarantee,' Mr Clark said.

It's a money-back guarantee on all prepaid accommodation, lift tickets, rental, and lessons, and applies if there is insufficient snow cover.'

Snowfall across a popular Aussie ski resort has been so low, that skiers were greeted to dirt instead of snow during their visits (pictured)

The snow season has been an unusual one this year, with the fields transforming from stretches of soggy ground and muddy puddles to a dump of snow in less than a day (pictured, Mt Buller)

Patrons were still able to use the facility despite the mud at the bottom of the alps, he insisted.

This stalemate for winter holidaymakers has again taken another turn with a massive dump of snow in the last 24 hours which has now transformed the snowfields from mudpits to pristine piste.

A polar air mass is hitting southern states this weekend, bringing windy and chilly conditions to six states.

The massive dumping of snow is forecast to fall on the nation's alpine regions in the coming days, with 20cm of snow recorded in just the last 24 hours at Perisher ski resort in the NSW Alps.

Snow enthusiasts were rushing in droves to make the most of the conditions, so much so that the parking lot was at capacity by 10am.

Perisher ski resort posted on their Instagram story after 20cm of snow recorded in just the last 24 hours (pictured)

Perisher sent out a push notification to ticketholders just before 10am on Saturday to advise them to avoid the car park.

Traffic was turned around on Kosciuszko Road - the main road adjoining the town of Jindabyne and the ski resort - for just an hour.

Those wishing to get to the slopes had to head back down the mountain towards the Skitube, the rail service that runs to Perisher Valley and Blue Cow.

The front is more powerful than others delivered this season, as Weatherzone meteorologists predict it could push snow outside of the alpine regions.

The front is more powerful than others delivered this season, as Weatherzone meteorologists predict it could push snow outside of the alpine regions (pictured)

Snow could fall at 900m to 1000m elevation in southern and central NSW over Friday and into Saturday, with the chance of some powder about 1000m in the state's north.

Here's a look at the nation's capitals over the weekend and into next week:

SYDNEY

The temperature plummeted to 9C overnight into Saturday with clear and sunny conditions through the morning.

A top of 19C through the day, with more sunshine Sunday and Monday with tops of 21C, mostly sunny Tuesday and 23C, and sunny and 22C on Wednesday.

Temperatures plummet across southern Australia

CANBERRA

Partly cloudy on Saturday with patches of morning frost and a top of 13C, similar conditions and up to 17C Sunday through Tuesday when there's a medium chance of late showers, easing into Wednesday.

HOBART

Cloudy and 16C on Saturday and Sunday, before the slight chance of a shower and 17C the top for Monday.

More cloud cover and a medium chance of showers Tuesday with a top of 16C, and similar conditions with a top of 14C Wednesday.

MELBOURNE

The temperature dropped to 7C overnight and into Saturday, when there's a medium chance of showers, more likely over the Dandenongs, and a top of 16C.

Cloudy with a top of 17C Sunday, building to a high chance of showers and 18C on Monday. Similar conditions and 17C on Tuesday, before the showers ease to a medium chance and a top of 16C on Wednesday.

Melbourne was hit by showers on Saturday with more expected on Monday

BRISBANE

Cloud cover has cleared to reveal a sunny 22C on Saturday.

Staying sunny and 24C Sunday, a partly cloudy 24C Monday with similar conditions Tuesday, clearing to a mostly sunny 27C Wednesday.

ADELAIDE

Showers building to a high chance on Saturday with a top of 16C, with similar conditions on Sunday and 17C.

Easing back to a medium chance of showers and 18C on Monday, similar conditions Tuesday and 16C the top, with more of the same on Wednesday.

DARWIN

Sunshine is expected to carry right through into next week with tops in the low-to-mid 30Cs throughout.

PERTH

Partly cloudy conditions will carry through Saturday to Tuesday - tops staying in the low-20Cs.

The cloud cover clears on Wednesday with a top of 22C.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons on NATO nations if he is faced with aggression, amid heightened tension on the country's border with Poland.

Warning the West in an interview with state-run BelTA, the Belarusian leader said he would deploy nuclear weapons 'immediately once aggression is launched against us'.

'If aggression against our country is launched from the side of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, we will immediately respond with everything we have,' he said.

'And the strike will be unacceptable.'

Poland accused Minsk of violating its airspace and responded by announcing it would deploy thousands of troops at the shared NATO border with the country earlier this month. Warsaw in return said to Belarusian helicopters violated Polish airspace.

Poland's defence minister said last week some 10,000 soldiers would eventually be stationed on the border.

Belaurs President Alexander Lukashenko (pictured) has threatened to deploy nuclear weapons on NATO nations if he is faced with aggression

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (left) gives an interview to Diana Panchenko (right), a pro-Russian Ukrainian journalist, in Minsk, Belarus, where he threatened to deploy nuclear weapons on NATO nations if he is faced with aggression

A Polish serviceman is pictured ahead of a press conference of Poland's Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, in Jarylowka, August 12, where he announced Poland was deploying thousands of troops to its border with pro-Russian Belarus

He continued: 'NATO stands behind Poland, Lithuania, Latvia. We certainly understand that the forces are incomparable. But we will deliver an unacceptable strike against them and they will receive unacceptable harm, damage. It is what our security concept is based on.'

Lukashenko - known as 'Europe's last dictator' - said he would not deploy nuclear warheads unless the country was attacked first. But he stressed he would not hesitate to act immediately if met with aggression.

We will not tarry and watch. Once aggression is committed against us, we will follow the plan,' he said.

'We will respond with everything we have. And we didn't bring nuclear weapons here in order to scare someone. Yes, nuclear weapons represent a strong deterring factor. But these are tactical nuclear weapons, not strategic ones.

'This is why we will use them immediately once aggression is launched against us.'

He also threatened a strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons if it 'commits aggression' and said he also says they have 'something else in addition to the nuclear weapons' that they would also deploy.

'And we will not warn you that we will deliver a strike on decision-making centers once you cross red lines. It will be done without a warning. This is why leave us alone.'

Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems and other armoured vehicles drive along a street before a military parade on Victory Day, in Moscow, Russia, May 9. Lukashenko in June said Belarus had started taking delivery of Russian tactical nuclear weapons

Polish servicemen attend a press conference of Poland's Minister of Defense where he announced thousands of troops would be deployed on its border with Belarus, calling it a deterrent move as tensions between the neighbors ratchet up

A Polish border guard patrols the area of a built metal wall on the border between Poland and Belarus, near Kuznice, Poland, on June 30, 2022

While it was announced in June that Russia had delivered tactical nuclear weapons to its ally, it is unknown as to the specific number of warheads it received.

It comes after China's Defense Minister on Thursday said his country would increase military cooperation with Belarus.

Li Shangfu met with Lukashenko in Minsk and said 'the purpose of my visit to Belarus is precisely the implementation of important agreements at the level of heads of state and the further strengthening of bilateral military cooperation.'

Neither side gave details of what the cooperation will entail, but the two countries have agreed to hold joint military exercises next year.

Li visited Russia just before going to Belarus.

Russian troops that were deployed in Belarus were part of Russia's invading force in Ukraine and Russian troops and weapons remain there.

Belarusian forces have not taken part in the Ukraine war and Lukashenko on Thursday said China's military assistance would not be directed against third countries.
Chilling video shows the moment a man is slashed with a knife then stabbed in the chest for his $2,700 in winnings while playing the pokies at a Sydney hotel.

Jonathon Antonios Habib, 23, pleaded guilty to assaulting with intent to rob, armed with an offensive weapon in Downing Centre District Court on Friday.

Habib had been drinking and betting on the poker machines at Ryedales Tavern in West Ryde in the city's north-west on August 15, 2022, the court heard.

After Habib had gradually lost about $2,000, he spotted another man sitting nearby as they won a $2,700 payout after putting only $100 into one of the poker machines.

Habib left the gaming room but returned half an hour later armed with a steak knife and attempted to rob the man, resulting in a 90-second scuffle that left the victim with multiple injuries.

The 90 second assault in the gaming room of Rydales Tavern in Sydney north-west left one pubgoer with cuts to his arm and a puncture wound to his chest

CCTV footage shows the moment a punter is stabbed for his $2,700 winning in a Sydney pub

The man was facing the poker machine when Habib walked up behind him, tapped him on the arm and ordered him to 'take out your money', reports the Hills Shire Times.

Video shows Habib, wearing a hi-vis jumper, grabbing at the man and wildly swinging the knife, slashing his jumper, as the victim tries to get up from his stool.

Habib repeated 'I want all your money' to the pubgoer before stabbing him in the left side of his chest, the court heard.

The man, who was in immediate pain, then walks forward in an attempt to leave the room but Habib who turned and ran after stabbing him turns back around and can be seen pushing him back into a glass window.

The pair then scuffled again, causing a cut on Habib's own hand, before he fled when the man called for bystanders to alert the police.

The victim suffered cuts to his upper arm and a small puncture wound to his chest.

Johnathon Habib then turned and ran after stabbing the man in the chest as other pubgoers watch on in shock

But as the man tried to leave he turned back around and pushed his victim back into a glass window

The court heard Habib was drinking heavily on the night of the assault and had ongoing alcohol, drug and untreated mental health issues.

He had also recently developed a gambling problem in regards to poker machines in particular and claimed his behaviour was partly because of his alcohol and drug use and partly due to the 'influence of his social circle'.

Judge Georgia Turner said the assault was 'serious and sustained' but conceded his behaviour was likely affected by his alcohol and drug 'abuse' and his mental health.

Habib called his actions 'horrific' and said he had 'so much sorrow' for not only the victim but his family and for those who witnessed his attack.

Judge Turner noted his remorse and that he had the support of his family but that his rehabilitation would depend on his ability to remain clean from alcohol and drugs.

He was sentenced to three years and three months jail and will be eligible for parole after one year and 11 months.
This is the blood-curdling moment a Russian missile narrowly misses a family as it explodes in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

At least seven people, including a six-year-old girl, have been killed and 117 wounded by the devastating strike which struck a university building and destroyed a theatre roof.

Shocking new footage shows the dramatic moment a family of five innocently crossing the road before a powerful missile lands a matter of feet away from them causing a huge fireball.

A second video shows the horrific moment a missile - claimed to be an Iskander-M - firing through the air at ground level before blasting into a building, causing a spectacular explosion as civilians flee the area.

The city centre attack is among the most brutal of the 19 month long war. Ukrainian officials said police provided first aid to the six-year-old - whose mother is seriously injured - but she had 'a very large loss of blood'. The head of the interior Ministry Ihor Klimenko said 'the doctors could not save her.'

DESTRUCTION: A bloodied man survives the strike on the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Theatre

The Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Theatre was badly damaged in the Russian attack

This is the blood-curdling moment a Russian missile narrowly misses a family as it explodes in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv

A second video shows the horrific moment a missile - claimed to be an Iskander-M - firing through the air at ground level before blasting into a building

A man sits near the body of a local resident at a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Saturday

Amid the devastation and destruction, a man was pictured leaning over a small, lifeless body.

Officials said at least seven people were killed while some 12 children were among the hundreds wounded, acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said.

Locals had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday - the Orthodox celebration of the Apple Feast of the Saviour - when the city came under fire, the ministry said.

After being liberated from Russian occupation, the city had been largely spared from major attacks as fierce fighting rages in the east and south.

Continuing to provide updates of the strike over Telegram, Klymenko said another of those killed as a woman whose body was discovered amid the rubble.

He also said a 12-year-old girl was urgently taken to Kyiv by ambulance. The minister said she was 'in serious condition'.

'A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre,' President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram.

'An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.'

The Ukrainian president added: 'This is what a neighborhood with a terrorist state is, this is what we unite the whole world against.'

People sweep shattered glass and debris on a street at a restaurant after Russian missile strike

A view of the drama theatre which was damaged in the deadly Russian strike on the Ukrainian city

Firefighters work on a roof of the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre after it was destroyed in the Russian attack

Visible destruction from the missile strike which has killed at least seven and wounded scores

A view of the damaged apartment after the Russian missile attack on Saturday in Chernihiv

The National Police of Ukraine, firefighters work at the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre damaged by a Russian attack in Chernihiv

Officials said at least seven people were killed while some 12 children were among those wounded

The city centre attack is among the most brutal of the 19 month long war

Russia claimed it was striking a military target by hitting the city's drama theatre, yet it was clear innocent people not linked to the war were killed

A short video accompanying Zelensky's post showed debris scattered across a square in front of a large Soviet-era building. Parked cars around the theatre were were partially destroyed, with smashed roofs and windows blown out.

One body could also be briefly seen in the video slouched inside a car.

Another video, shared on social media by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, purported to show the moment a missile struck the top of one of the buildings. A woman was posing in the video as the missile hit.

Fire trucks were seen outside the building as emergency services responded to the strike.

Russia claimed it was striking a military target by hitting the city's drama theatre, yet it was clear innocent people not linked to the war were killed.

The building struck by the missile hosted an exhibition of attack and reconnaissance drones, it was claimed.

'The event was attended exclusively by the military, manufacturers of UAVs and communication systems, schools of operators of large drones and FPV drones, as well as representatives of the media and 'volunteer foundations', reported staunchly pro-Kremlin media outlet Readovka.

'The organisers of the exhibition even asked participants to come in civilian clothes to disguise the gathering as a civilian one.'

Russian state media RIA claimed the drama theatre was hosting an event for military specialists involved with drones named 'Ferocious Birds'.

The centre of Chernihiv has since been closed to allow emergency services to access the area.

An ambulance is pictured near the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv

The roof of the drama theatre was destroyed as the missile came flying over the Ukraine city

People remove damaged windows amid debris on a street at a restaurant in Chernihiv on Saturday

A crashed car at the scene of a missile hit the Drama Theatre in central Chernihiv, Ukraine

Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre is seen damaged by Russian attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Saturday

Fire engines rush to the scene in Chernihiv where the missile strike took place

Firefighters work on the roof of the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre damaged by Russian attack in Chernihiv

A man sits near a covered dead body after Russian attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Saturday

Writing on telegram regional Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said the attack was 'probably a ballistic missile.'

Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of its full-scale invasion launched February 2022.

Chernihiv is located close to the Belarus border. It was occupied by Russian forces early in Moscow's assault on Ukraine and later liberated and recaptured by Kyiv's forces.

The city is full of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches. It is about 145 km (90 miles) north of the capital Kyiv.

The attack on Chernihiv hit after Putin met top Russian generals in a rare trip to the operational hub Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, while Volodymyr Zelensky visited Sweden.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of the invasion it launched in February last year.

Kyiv's air force said early on Saturday the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike.

Amid the strike on the Ukrainian city, Russia claimed on Saturday that it had thwarted a Kyiv drone attack on a military airfield in the Novgorod region, an area between Moscow and Saint Petersburg not previously targeted.

'Today at about 10 am Moscow time, the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack using a copter-type drone on a military airfield in the Novgorod region,' the Russian army said in a statement. It said it was shot down 'by small arms'.

An emergency service worker stands at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv

A view shows the site of a Russian missile strike, where five were killed and dozens were wounded

Rescuers are pictured working at the area where a missile hit the Drama Theatre in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Saturday

Hours before the strike, the Kremlin said Putin had travelled to the southern city of Rostov-on-Don to meet his top generals in a rare trip close to fighting zones.

Putin's meeting with Moscow's top military brass came after Kyiv claimed some success on the battlefield this week and a day after the US approved the transfer of Dutch and Danish F-16 warplanes to Kyiv.

Moscow gave no details of when the meeting took place, but footage released by state media indicated it was at night.

'Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don,' the Kremlin said in a statement.

'The head of state listened to briefings by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, commanders of directions and other senior officers of the group.'

A video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed Putin, wearing a suit, stepping out of a jeep in the dark and being greeted with a handshake by Gerasimov, in military attire.

Gerasimov is seen leading Putin down a corridor decorated with portraits of Russian military men and of the president chairing a meeting with army chiefs.

Rostov-on-Don was also the scene of a dramatic armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries in June, which saw them briefly take over the army HQ in Rostov, before halting their rebellion.

Gerasimov, who Wagner wanted to unseat, has rarely been seen in public since.
The parents of a little girl who almost died in hospital just days after she was born believe that their daughter was one of Lucy Letby's first victims.

Mike Whitfield and his wife Victoria are seeking justice for their daughter and other possible Letby victims after the killer nurse was yesterday convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to take the lives of six more.

The couple's daughter, Felicity, suffered a catastrophic lung collapse three days after being born prematurely at the Countess of Chester Hospital - where Letby carried out her killing spree - in November 2013. Ms Whitfield believes she saw Letby standing by her baby's cot before 'all hell let loose'.

Felicity, who is now an energetic nine-year-old, came so close to death that a chaplain was called to conduct an emergency baptism. But she miraculously survived after doctors at a second hospital revived her in a procedure which had been tried twice without success at Chester.

The parents have spoken out after Letby, 33, replaced Myra Hindley and Ian Brady as the most prolific child killer in modern British history after a jury found her guilty of the heinous crimes.

Ms Whitfield was not aware at the time that the blonde woman she claims was standing by her daughter's cot was a cowardly killer who once told worried mothers and fathers: 'Trust me, I'm a nurse.'

Mike Whitfield and his wife Victoria are seeking justice for their daughter Felicity (pictured together in 2018) and other potential Letby victims

Felicity (pictured aged four), who is now an energetic nine-year-old, came so close to death that a chaplain was called to conduct an emergency baptism

Felicity (pictured on life support) miraculously survived after doctors at a second hospital revived her in a procedure which had been tried twice without success at Chester

Lucy Letby (pictured) became the most prolific baby killer in modern British history after being found guilty of seven murders and trying to kill six more

She recalled the moment that she left her hospital room to go to the neonatal unit at 3am in the morning. Ms Whitfield told The Times: 'I don't know what it was, call it mother's instinct. I felt I needed to go down to the neonatal unit.

'I walked in  everything seemed quite calm. Lucy Letby was by [the cot] and then she walked out into the other room. I went to have a look at Felicity and within minutes all hell broke loose.'

She added that it felt like she wasn't in the room but there were nurses 'running around everywhere'.

Ms Whitfield and her husband are now demanding that police probe the deaths and near deaths of babies in the time leading up to the period Letby was being investigated.

They also told The Telegraph that another baby suffered a catastrophic collapse and died after coming under the care of Letby.

Mr Whitfield told the newspaper: 'The police investigation into the deaths and collapses at the hospital has to be widened to look at Felicity and the other unexplained collapses and deaths on that ward during the entire time Letby was working there, for the sake of all the parents.'

Medical notes confirmed that Letby had taken care of Felicity before she was transferred to another hospital. Mr Whitfield said that he remembers when Letby was first charged as his wife phoned him to say that they were lucky their daughter survived.

Ms Whitfield, who was recovering in bed after giving birth, remembers being shown a picture of Felicity before she was taken to her cot - and being told by nurses that she was doing well.

Felicity was just two days old when Mr Whitfield was sent home by a nurse - who he now believes was Letby - because he looked tired. He then received a phone call telling him his daughter was in a grave condition, with medical staff even urging them to get her baptised if they wanted because she was unlikely to survive.

Victoria and Michael Whitfield with their children (L-R) Felicity, Izabel, Verity and Bailey in 2018

Letby's parents marked her graduation (pictured) by posting a notice in the local newspaper

Children's nurse Lucy Letby (pictured in a custody photo, left; and while working in hospital, right) went on a year-long killing spree while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital

Their baby was then transferred to Arrowe Park Hospital, less than 20 miles away, where she was saved. She would later be taken back to the Countess of Chester Hospital to recover.

Letby is Britain's most prolific child killer of modern times The seven murder convictions make Letby Britain's most prolific child killer of modern times. In the 1960s Moors Murderers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady tortured, sexually assaulted and killed five children aged between 10 and 17. Fred and Rose West raped, tortured and murdered at least ten girls and women - five of whom were between the ages of 15 and 18 - over the course of 20 years from 1967. Nurse Beverly Allitt killed four of her child patients in 1991, while Robert Black raped and murdered four young girls in the early 1980s. Letby also becomes the second worst female serial killer of all time behind West, who is serving a whole life tariff. Advertisement

After Letby was arrested, the parents started to think more about their daughter's brush with death. Ms Whitfield says she has a constant image from the night in question when she walked into the room and saw Letby looking up with no real expression on her face before she walked around the room and left.

Cheshire Police limited their investigation to the deaths of 17 babies and 15 non-fatal collapses at the hospital's neonatal unit between March 2015 and July 2016 - two years after Felicity almost died.

On Friday afternoon, the nation was rocked as Letby was found guilty of murdering five baby boys and two baby girls and attempting to murder four boys and two girls.

She was also found not guilty of two attempted murder charges but the jury could not reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder. She will be sentenced on Monday.

Letby preyed on babies small enough to fit in the palm of her hand by injecting air or insulin into their bloodstreams or feeding tubes, causing them to collapse and die.

In other cases she rammed medical equipment down their throats, causing them to bleed profusely as they lay in their cots.

Police are now reviewing the care of 4,000 babies Letby may have come into contact with during a spell at the Countess of Chester Hospital from January 2012 to the end of June 2016 and two work placements at Liverpool Women's Hospital in 2012 and 2015.

Cheshire police have said that there was 'nothing untoward established' in Felicity's case but the position could be assessed with new information.

Mr Whitfield and his wife are desperately seeking justice for Felicity and other babies because they are adamant Letby's sickening crimes go beyond what she was investigated for.

Letby preyed on babies small enough to fit in the palm of her hand by injecting air or insulin into their bloodstreams or feeding tubes, causing them to collapse and die

Letby used to create 'crisis situations' so she could spend time with the doctor. Pictured is the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit where Letby went on a killing spree

A note found in Letby's house that had the word 'hate' circled and added: 'I am evil I did this'

Letby cries as she listens to the first guilty verdicts being read out by the foreman of the jury at Manchester Crown Court

While Letby's motive is not clear, the prosecution suggested she got a 'thrill' out of 'playing God'. She is pictured on a night out

The nurse was a seemingly 'goofy', 'innocent' young woman who kept Disney cuddly toys on her bed at home and posters with feel good slogans on the walls

After Letby was convicted at Manchester Crown Court, her mother broke down in court, crying out: 'You can't be serious. This cannot be right.'

Investigators suspect Letby had told them scant detail of the horrific nature of the crimes she was being accused of before it was laid out in front of them in court.

But Letby's parents, Susan, 63, and John, 77, were a constant presence during her trial, attending every day of the ten-month proceedings in court.

A source told the Mail that Letby's mother was distraught when she was arrested in 2018  wailing, crying and even telling police, 'I did it, take me instead,' in a desperate bid to protect her.

Last night, the lead consultant on Letby's neonatal ward accused hospital bosses of launching a 'cover up' to hide the killer's evil actions from police after he, TV's Dr Ravi Jayaram and five other doctors were forced to apologise to her.

Stephen Brearey accused managers at the NHS trust behind the Countess of Chester Hospital of 'engineering the narrative' to prevent police finding out about suspicious deaths in an emotional interview with the BBC's Panorama.

When asked whether bosses at the hospital actively 'covered up' the deaths on the unit, Dr Brearey said: 'I don't know how you define a cover up but to us the evidence in front of us was quite clear, it felt like they'd tried to engineer a narrative, some way out of this which didn't involve police.

'If you want to call that a cover up, then that's a cover up.'

WATCH THE MAIL'S LUCY LETBY DOCUMENTARY IN FULL HERE
An Afghan asylum-seeker has been jailed for twice-raping a 'vulnerable' 12 year-old Albanian refugee living in the same Home Office-funded hotel.

Sakhidad Ahadi, 25, who continues to lie about his age and was deemed 'dangerous' by the judge, received twelve years imprisonment after grooming the young girl and coaxing her into his room.

He is determined to pursue a life in the UK, claiming he was shot by the Taliban when he refused to be recruited, having already endured the murder of his father at the hands of the country's rulers.

The girl and her brother had been brought to the UK by their mother and the family were accommodated at a hotel in south London.

Sakhidad Ahadi (pictured), 25, who continues to lie about his age and was deemed 'dangerous' by the judge, received twelve years imprisonment after grooming the young girl and coaxing her into his room

He is determined to pursue a life in the UK, claiming he was shot by the Taliban when he refused to be recruited, having already endured the murder of his father at the hands of the country's rulers

Ahadi pleaded guilty to one count of raping the girl and a Croydon Crown Court jury convicted him on a second count of raping her on the same occasion between December 22, 2022 and January 1, 2023.

He claimed she consented to sex and he believed she was 19 years old, with his lawyer Lisa Wilson submitting: 'Perceiving age may not be so clear to someone who has grown up in mountainous Afghanistan.'

Ahadi pleaded guilty to one count of raping the girl and a Croydon Crown Court jury convicted him on a second count of raping her on the same occasion between December 22, 2022 and January 1, 2023

'Both the defendant and victim were living at the hotel, housed there by the Home Office with other asylum-seekers,' prosecutor Janine Sheff told the court.

'He made a number of attempts to talk to her and followed her around and she said he bothered her and once brought her into his room and massaged her injured foot.

'She says she was scared of him and he sought physical contact with her and on the day of the offences he approached her near the hotel lifts and offered her cream for spots on her face.

'She went with him to his room and he said he would massage and crack her back, but she was scared and told him she was 12 years old.

'He put on the cream and pulled her pants down and she said it hurt her and made her cry. He then turned her over and raped her again.

'It made a mess of the bed and the defendant tried to clean it up with toilet paper,' said the prosecutor, explaining it was the young girl's time of the month.

Ahadi was arrested on January 2 and has been in custody since. 'He claimed she had come into his room while he was studying for college and initiated sex and thought she was 19 years-old'

In her victim impact statement the girl said: 'I feel super-stressed, suffer emotional outbursts and I am crying all the time. I stay awake at night and feel someone is chasing me'

'He gave her five pounds and a SIM card to buy her silence and to potentially engage in future activity as she was urged to remain in contact via mobile phone.

'The Probation Services's pre-sentence report points out this is classic behaviour of grooming.'

The girl kept the rapes a secret from her mother until she told a hotel security guard she was afraid of Ahadi and the police were informed.

When officers arrived she revealed to them for the first time that she had been raped and her first recorded police interview had to be scrapped because she was so distressed.

Ahadi was arrested on January 2 and has been in custody since. 'He claimed she had come into his room while he was studying for college and initiated sex and thought she was 19 years-old.'

In her victim impact statement the girl said: 'I feel super-stressed, suffer emotional outbursts and I am crying all the time. I stay awake at night and feel someone is chasing me.'

Judge Anthony Dunne told Ahadi, wearing a grey tracksuit: 'You touched her and took her pants off and you raped her first when she was face-down and a medical examination revealed you tore her'

Her mother said: 'The sky has fallen in on my head and destroyed me. We came to this country for safety and I did not want anything like this to happen to my children.'

Miss Wilson said of Ahadi, who required an interpreter throughout the trial: 'He has made great efforts to learn English and looks to take advantage of being a civilian in this country, whether a prisoner or not.'

Judge Anthony Dunne told Ahadi, wearing a grey tracksuit: 'You touched her and took her pants off and you raped her first when she was face-down and a medical examination revealed you tore her.

'Despite her young age and obvious distress you turned her over and after you finished there was a mess on the bed, which you cleaned up with toilet paper.

'She told you her real age and that she was twelve years-old. She denied that she told you she was aged nineteen and her version of events have been proved.

'The jury concluded that she was telling the truth and that you were lying.

'It has been said your cultural background made it impossible for you to know she was twelve. I reject that as implausible.

'While she was in obvious distress you raped her and she was vulnerable.

'Your sexual assault has had a significant effect on her mental health and your actions have had a highly significant psychological effect on her and her mother.'

Judge Dunne said: 'I am satisfied you are a risk and meet the 'dangerousness' criteria and you present a significant risk to the public. 'You showed no remorse or insight for these offences,' said the Judge, ordering an extended sentence of an additional three years on licence once Ahadi is released

He must serve at least eight years in custody before he is considered for parole and will remain on the sex offenders register for life

'The mother says she has been destroyed by what happened to her daughter.'

Ahadi continues to lie he is only twenty years-old, but Judge Dunne confirmed: 'The records of the relevant authorities show that he is twenty-five years-old.

'I accept you had difficulties in your childhood in Afghanistan and you were vulnerable at the time of the offence and your epilepsy will make life more difficult in prison,' the judge told him.

'I have heard you have made good progress in prison and this is to your credit.'

However Judge Dunne added: 'I am satisfied you are a risk and meet the 'dangerousness' criteria and you present a significant risk to the public.

'You showed no remorse or insight for these offences,' said the Judge, ordering an extended sentence of an additional three years on licence once Ahadi is released.

He must serve at least eight years in custody before he is considered for parole and will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
More people were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Saturday morning as a wildfire raging in the north of the island remained out of control, but the flames have so far avoided major tourist areas.

Fierce flames lit up the night sky late overnight from Friday to Saturday.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous national park around the Mount Teide volcano - Spain's highest peak - amid hot and dry weather.

Regional leader Fernando Clavijo said some 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) were affected with a perimeter of 50 km (30 miles), and 7,000 people were evacuated or confined to their homes.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes on the holiday island of Tenerife

The wild fires surging across the popular tourist island are the worst the area has faced in the past 40 years

READ MORE: Top tips on how to survive a wild fire Fact-box text Advertisement

Earlier in the week, Clavijo called the fire the most complex the Canary Islands have faced in 40 years, due to a combination of hot, dry and windy weather, as well as difficult terrain.

More evacuations were ordered on Saturday morning due to worsening weather conditions overnight.

'The weather has changed and we have had to evacuate towns in the north of Tenerife, specifically five areas,' Manuel Miranda, regional councillor for Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, told reporters on Saturday.

Miranda said temperatures had risen overnight, while humidity had dropped and the wind had increased.

He said more evacuations had been necessary because of the 'danger and proximity of the fire', adding that so far authorities 'have avoided any human loss... and that is our main objective'.

The island's popular tourist areas have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally.

So far, the island's most popular tourist resorts and its two airports have been unaffected by the fires

Yet, heavy smoke and fire continues to approach many houses nestling on the hillside

Experts have blamed scorching heat and continuing dry weather for causing the conditions where the fires can spread

Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe and Canada. Blazes on Hawaii's Maui island earlier this month killed more than 110 people and wrecked the historic resort city of Lahaina.

Candelaria mayor Maria Concepcion Brito Nunez told Spanish National Television that firefighters complained that the water being dumped on the flames was evaporating before hitting the ground because of the high temperatures.

No injuries have been reported so far.

The army's Military Emergency Unit said that dense clouds of smoke were impairing visibility for firefighters and preventing many water-carrying aircraft from getting close.

Army Capt. Rafael San Jose told Spanish National Television that some progress had been made overnight in stopping the fire's spread but that rising temperatures during the day would increase difficulties.

The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks, including El Rosario, Arafo and Candelaria to the east, and La Orotava to the west.

Access for firefighters is extremely difficult, but favourable conditions Friday in El Rosario let authorities lift the confinement call for half of the 3,800 residents there.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain.

The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years, because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.

Nearly 600 firefighters and Spanish army soldiers are in the area, which is in the northeast of the island, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from its main town, Santa Cruz.

Tenerife is one of Europe's main tourist destinations. Its tourism office stressed Thursday that the most important tourist areas are far from the fire.

Business continues as usual in accommodation establishments, beaches and other tourist sites near the coast and in the midlands, the office said.

According to the latest figures from the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this years, with 75,000 hectares ( 185,000 acres) burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.
But Trump, leading the polls, asks: 'why would I Debate? I'M YOUR MAN.'

Some political experts warn the plan could give rivals a chance to surge

Donald Trump appears likely to skip the GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday, in a calculated move that some political experts warn could backfire.

On Friday, the New York Times reported that Trump plans to upstage his rivals by skipping the event, hosted by Fox News, and instead will sit for an online interview with the network's former host Tucker Carlson.

In posts on his Truth Social site, Trump has been vocal about the possibility of skipping the debate, citing his huge national polling lead over the field of GOP rivals.

But Politico's Senior Campaign and Elections Editor Steven Shepard argued in an analysis that passing on the debate 'probably won't work' in Trump's favor.

He said the sheer number of eyeballs tuning in to the debate could boost candidates currently lagging behind Trump, especially if they perform better than expected.

'Much of the movement in recent primary fights has been marked in time by the nationally televised debates,' he wrote.

'Candidates sink or swim based on their debate performances  and the first debate has often been the catalyst for the first real changes in those races.'

Trump has a commanding lead for the GOP primary in national polls, though experts say the first primary debate often drives big shifts in polling

In posts on his Truth Social site, Trump (seen August 13) has been vocal about the possibility of skipping the debate, citing his huge national polling lead over the field of GOP rivals

Trump's absence could mean a polling bump for Ron DeSantis, who is a distant second in the GOP field, if the Florida governor offers a strong debate performance next week.

However, there are also risks for DeSantis: With frontrunner Trump gone, DeSantis will be the focus of attacks from the rest of the field, and his ability to successfully parry will be critical.

Meanwhile, Republican strategist and pollster Frank Luntz told DailyMail.com that he believes Trump's legal woes may be the former president's real reason for skipping the debate.

Trump faces four separate criminal cases, and has until Friday to surrender in Georgia, where he was charged over an alleged plot to overturn the state's 2020 election results. He denies any wrongdoing.

'Frankly, I dont see how he can do any presidential debate. I dont think his lawyers will let him. He puts himself in serious legal jeopardy every time he speaks, and a debate situation is even worse,' Luntz said in an email.

'Moreover, hes afraid of Chris Christie. If Trump is so cocky that he takes a debate stage, Governor Christie will annihilate him,' he added.

Christie, who is running a campaign largely based on bashing Trump, has already lashed out over the frontrunner's likely absence from the debate stage.

In a post on X, the former New Jersey governor called Trump a 'certified loser' and 'verified coward'.

'If he believes he should be the nominee, if he believes that he's got such a great record, if he believes he's the best person to go against Joe Biden, then show up on Wednesday night and stop being such a coward,' Christie told MSNBC on Friday.

'If what he were saying were true, which is that he's got this great record as president and that he's so far ahead, why wouldn't you come on to the stage and take a victory lap?'

Officially, Trump's debate plans have not been confirmed yet, according to a campaign spokesman.

Trump's absence could mean a polling bump for Ron DeSantis, but it comes with risks as well, as the Florida governor will likely be the focus of attacks from the rest of the field

Trump slightly left the door cracked open Friday to appear at Wednesday's debate in Milwaukee, but The New York Times reported that he'll likely not go

However for months, Trump has suggested he would snub the first debate - arguing that he is polling so far ahead of any of his competitors that a debate is pointless.

'Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES?' he posted to Truth Social Friday. 'People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I'M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'

In the same post, Trump said that 'ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence.'

'As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a 'wonderful' field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary,' he continued. 'In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points.

'Reagan didn't do it, and neither did others,' Trump also said.

Trump was referring to Reagan's decision in 1980 to skip the Des Moines Register's Republican debate - which was the first televised GOP debate ever.

In Reagan's case the decision briefly backfired, after George H.W. had a good night and eventually won the Iowa caucuses.

Reagan, however, became the eventual nominee and made Bush his running mate.

During the 2016 campaign Trump skipped a primary debate in Iowa as well, because he was - like he is now - feuding with Fox News Channel.

Former President Donald Trump participated in all but one of the GOP primary debates during the 2016 cycle

In 2016, Trump was in a spat with then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly over her tough questions in an earlier debate.

In this election cycle, the New York Times' sources said Trump is likely to skip the second GOP presidential debate as well.

It will be held on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The library's prominent speaker series has snubbed Trump but invited his critics, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two now former GOP lawmakers to serve on the House select committee on January 6.
Her good fortune didn't extent to others on Maui, with the death toll up to 111

The Maui wildfire death toll has hit 114, as one woman who thought she'd lost everything shared how she was reunited with a precious photograph.

News of the latest death toll was announced Saturday. Around 1,000 people remain missing - and on Friday, DailyMail.com spoke to officials who say they expect the final number of people killed to be around 500.

Aubrey Vailoces, 36, said she assumed all of her belongings went up in flames after hearing her Maui home had been razed to the ground last week. Out of everything, she was most upset at losing a family photo album.

While grieving along with the rest of the island following the inferno, she was stunned to receive a Facebook message after someone on Lanai - an two hour boat ride from Maui - had found a cherished photograph from Vailoces' 2003 high school graduation.

The image had, somehow, floated to the island's shoreline while the unprecedented wildfires scorched the town of Lahaina to the ground. It was particularly special to Vailoces as it was her last one with her late great-grandmother, who raised her.

'She always has this way of telling me everythings going to be okay,' Vailoces told The Washington Post. 'I think that was her light with all of this.'

Aubrey Vailoces (center) was reunited with a treasured photograph with her great-grandmother at her 2003 high school reunion after it incredibly survived the Maui wildfires and washed up on an island two hours away

Vailoces and her family were among tens of thousands to be evacuated from Maui, and say they plan to rebuild their burned down home when the dust settles on the disaster

The devastating wildfires burned down over 2,200 buildings in the town of Lahaina, and questions have been raised over whether Hawaiian Electric - the island's main power supplier - was warned about the potential fires before they erupted.

For Vailoces and thousands of others like her, the blazes levelled her home and left her grief-stricken after losing almost all her worldly possessions.

She said she was feeding her three daughters Lucky Charms for breakfast on the morning of August 8, when the fires were sparked near her Lahaina home.

That morning, she told her six-year-old twin daughters to play outside, but they refused because it was too windy. At that same moment, the gusts from Hurricane Dora were fanning the flames just miles away.

By 2pm, Vailoces said she was breastfeeding her infant daughter when she looked outside and saw the sky was filled with black smoke. Moments later, the fire alarms went off, and her home was consumed by the smog.

She and her husband whisked their daughters away with no time to gather any belongings besides a stroller and some clothes, and Vailoces said their drive away from their home was marked by the sounds of propane tanks and cars exploding.

Stunning images taken several days later after the dust settled showed Lahaina's streets littered with the burned out shells of cars and buildings.

The 36-year-old was forced to plead with locals for essentials like diapers and toilet paper, as the unprecedented blazes left her and her family with nothing

Cars and buildings marked with an X can be seen throughout the city to indicate that they have been searched, but hundreds more remain to be inspected

As the dust settles on the tragedy and scores of burned out buildings and charred remains are emerging, questions have been raised over Hawaii's emergency preparedness for wildfires

After staying at a shelter for several hours, Valiloces and her family joined the approximately 2,000 people being evacuated from Maui every day in the days following the blazes.

The next morning, she was told by a neighbor her house had burned down, and the family were forced to plead with locals for diapers, clothes and toilet paper.

In a surprising twist of fate, Vailoces' received some rare good news from the scorched island as she was sent an unexpected message on Facebook. Someone on Lanai, a two-hour boat ride from Vailoces' home, had picked up her half-singed photo from her graduation.

'When I saw that picture, it meant so much to me to know that at least one thing survived,' she said, adding that her grandmother's memory from the picture will help her through the tough moments as they plan to eventually rebuild their home.

'Even if everything is lost, there's still hope,' she said.

Vailoces said the day that the wildfires erupted, she was breastfeeding her infant daughter when she looked outside to see the sky filled with black smoke. Moments later, her house was consumed by the fires

Search operations continue in Lahaina, as hope fades that any survivors will be found - as some 1,300 people remain missing

Investigators are still combing through the rubble in Lahaina, and officials said on Friday evening they have searched approximately 58 percent of the affected area.

But according to The New York Times, the state's largest energy supplier Hawaii Electric had known for years that extreme weather events were escalating, but did little to improve its equipment.

The company is also accused of failing to adopt emergency contingency plans used by other providers, such like cutting off power when there is a risk of fire.

Some local officials had already sounded the alarm over the faults, and reports indicate parts of Hawaii Electric's operations were showing signs of stress before the fires.

Dramatic footage captured the moment that one of the wildfires on Maui may have been sparked, where a powerline downed during a storm may have been the source of the tragedy.

The video, captured at the Maui Bird Conservation Center, near Makawao, appears to show a bright flash in the woods at the exact time ten sensors recorded a significant incident in Hawaiian Electric's grid on August 7.

Whisker Labs, a company that uses a sensor network to monitor electric grids across the United States, told The Washington Post the bright light was probably an 'arc flash', which happens when a power line 'faults'.

At least 2,200 buildings have been levelled across Lahaina, and the horror of residents' desperate dash escape to fires are revealed by the scores of charred cars along the seafront

Most bodies that have been recovered were burnt beyond recognition and authorities are now asking friends and family of missing people to submit their DNA so the remains of their loved ones can be identified

It comes as nine victims have been identified, including a family of four.

Franklin Trejos, 68, Carole Hartley, 60, Buddy Jantoc, 79 and Robert Dyckman, 74, were all victims of the Lahaina blaze.

Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, Salote Takafua, and her son, Tony Takafua, also passed away.

Now, questions being asked about how prepared authorities were for the catastrophe, despite the island's exposure to natural hazards such as tsunamis, earthquakes and violent storms.
China's banking institutions report growth in total assets

Xinhua) 10:51, August 19, 2023

File photo shows the Lujiazui area in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's banking financial institutions saw an increase in total assets, data from the National Financial Regulatory Administration showed on Friday.

The local and foreign currency assets of these institutions totaled 406.2 trillion yuan (about 56.4 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of June, up 10.4 percent year on year.

A breakdown of the asset data showed that large commercial banks accounted for 42.2 percent of the total, while joint-stock commercial banks contributed 17.1 percent.

The country's commercial banks reaped combined net profits of 1.3 trillion yuan in the first half of 2023, up 2.6 percent year on year.

By the end of June, the non-performing loan ratio of commercial banks stood at 1.62 percent, flat with that at the end of March.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida after their summit at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat, in Maryland, Friday (local time). Yonhap



Yoon, Biden, Kishida agree to hold regular summits, annual joint military drills



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to hold a trilateral summit at least once a year, as the three leaders met at Camp David, Friday (local time), seeking to elevate their partnership to the next level.



The gathering at the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland renewed the trilateral summit as an independent multilateral cooperative vehicle in the Indo-Pacific region, as the leaders agreed on the need to consult, coordinate and jointly respond to regional challenges, provocations and threats that affect their common interests and security.



To that end, the national security advisers and ministers of the three countries will hold annual meetings, while other consultative bodies will be set up to bolster trilateral relations, a move widely seen as an attempt to deter China.



Ahead of the three way talks, Biden held separate meetings with Yoon and Kishida. The gathering of the three leaders came amid objections from China, which claimed that such a meeting will intensify tensions in the region and undermine the strategic security of other countries.





South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, Friday (local time). EPA-Yonhap



The Camp David summit is the 13th trilateral summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan, and the first standalone summit between their leaders. In addition, it was also the first time that Biden invited foreign leaders to the presidential retreat, which demonstrates the high priority Washington has placed on trilateral cooperation.



"From this moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic place where South Korea, the United States and Japan proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity based on our shared values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law," Yoon said during a joint press conference after the summit.



"Grounded in the core values of freedom, human rights and the rule of law, a strong alliance of values among South Korea, the U.S. and Japan will help build a world that's more peaceful and prosperous by serving as a sturdy foundation," the president said, adding that he hopes the leaders could reunite in South Korea.



The leaders of the three countries agreed to hold a trilateral summit annually, as well as meetings by their national security advisers and foreign, defense and industry ministers every year. Also, a finance ministers' meeting will be created to upgrade the trilateral alliance to a multi-layered partnership.



Seoul's presidential office said it will be the first case of a regional multilateral consultative body holding annual summits and meetings of national security advisers as well as foreign, defense and industry ministers.





South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at Camp David, Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap



The leaders also agreed to establish the Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue to coordinate policies concerning ASEAN countries and Pacific Island nations. The Trilateral Development and Humanitarian Assistance Policy Dialogue will also be launched to align their development cooperation policies and humanitarian aid for ASEAN and Pacific Island nations.



The three nations will also form the Trilateral Working Group for Cyber Cooperation to collectively address illegal cyber activities by North Korea.



Along with the new consultative bodies, the leaders decided to activate within this year a real-time alert sharing system on North Korea's missile launches, in order to respond more effectively to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile threats.



The leaders agreed to hold joint military exercises every year, in order to improve their readiness against the North's provocations and institutionalize the drills. The three countries will also hold regular maritime missile defense exercises and anti-submarine warfare drills and explore additional joint disaster response and humanitarian aid exercises.





U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at Camp David, Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap



During the summit, they pledged to cooperate in upholding international order based on norms, including freedom of navigation and flight under international law. Additionally, the leaders reaffirmed their opposition to attempts to alter the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly concerning recent actions in the South China Sea.



"We reaffirmed our shared commitment to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and addressing economic coercion," Biden said during the press conference. "We're going to continue to counter threats from the DPRK including cryptocurrency money laundering of billions of dollars, potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine, and we're going to stand up for international law, freedom of navigation, and a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea."



Kishida also noted that the three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation "for the full implementation of sanctions" and to work closely together in the United Nations Security Council, where all three countries will be members in 2024.



"Through these efforts, the trilateral cooperation will evolve into the most comprehensive and multi-dimensional collaborative framework in the region," First Deputy Director of National Security Kim Tae-hyo said.



"Going forward, the cooperation between the three nations is expected to function as a robust alliance for enhancing peace and prosperity both within the region and beyond, alongside initiatives such as AUKUS and Quad."



AUKUS is a trilateral security pact between the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia and the Quad is the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue between the U.S., Japan, India and Australia.





Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David, Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap



To strengthen their economic partnership, the leaders agreed to maintain their focus on building robust cooperation in the areas of economic security and technology, to leverage the unique capabilities that each country has.



The leaders noted the role of the existing Trilateral Economic Security Dialogue and pledged to work closely to launch an early warning system to expand information sharing and enhance policy coordination on possible disruptions to global supply chains. The three countries will also launch joint research programs for advanced technologies.




Three British men have been convicted for their roles in a plot that saw a 2 million porcelain Ming vase stolen from a museum - and later unwittingly handed over to undercover police officers.

The Chinese Ming Dynasty vase was stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2019.

But plain-clothes police duped a would-be seller into handing it over during a sting operation in October 2021.

Mbaki Nkhwa, one-time West Ham youth player Kaine Wright and David Lamming have all now been convicted for their roles in the plot, the Metropolitan Police said.

The three men are all from London - and were snared after an auction house tipped off police after recognising the vase as stolen property.

The 2million porcelain vase was stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva, Switzerland in 2019

Kaine Wright (left) and Mbaki Nkhwa (right) were found guilty of conspiracy to convert criminal property following a trial

David Lamming pleaded guilty to the same offence relating to the vase in March

Nkhwa, 47, of The Heights, Charlton, south London, and Wright, 26, of Heavitree Road, Woolwich, south London, were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property at Southwark Crown Court in London on Friday, the force said.

Lamming, 31, of Belmont Park Close, Lewisham, south London, pleaded guilty to the same offence at a hearing in March, the force added.

Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, from the Met's specialist crime unit, said: 'These convictions are the result of four years' work crossing international boundaries and involving collaboration between many internal and external partners.

'The organised crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offences internationally and that there would be no comeback.

'They were mistaken, highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries.

'The white porcelain 'vase', which is actually a bottle of the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, has an interesting tale over its hundreds of years and this is another chapter.

'I'm glad we were able to return it to its rightful owners.'

An auction house tipped off police in July 2020 that an unknown person had emailed them to get a valuation for the stolen vase.

Detectives traced the IP address for the email account to Lamming's south-east London home.

The vase has now been returned to its rightful owners after a sting operation

A Ming Dynasty cup is yet to be recovered. A reward of 10,000 is on offer for information that leads to it being found

When the vase was offered for sale police posed as buyers, agreeing a price of 450,000.

Nkhwa later gave the vase to undercover officers at a meeting in a central London hotel and was arrested, the Met Police said.

Telephone data showed he and Lamming had been in regular contact with Wright, who had driven them to the hotel for the exchange.

Scotland Yard said its officers worked closely with Swiss authorities on the four-year investigation.

Three items from the Ming Dynasty were stolen during the 2019 break-in, estimated to be worth 3.5 million.

A bowl valued at 80,000 was sold at an auction house in Hong Kong in 2019 but was later returned to the museum.

Officers are now appealing for help to locate the third stolen item.

A reward of up to 10,000 is offered for information leading to the recovery of the Ming Dynasty cup.

Police have released an image of the stolen 'doucai style' wine cup which features chicken decoration.

Anyone with information about its whereabouts is asked to call police on 101 referencing Operation Funsea.
A teen killer whose light sentence was a lightning rod in efforts to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon has been charged with armed robbery after he was released early from juvenile detention.

Jalen Amir Yoakum, 23, was arrested this month alongside two other suspects, and charged wielding a stolen handgun in the robbery of Rolex watches, according to an internal LAPD memo shared by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.

In September 2017, Yoakum was 17 when he was charged with murdering 40-year-old Ontario Courtney, who police say was an innocent motorist mistaken for a rival gang member after his car broke down.

Yoakum was charged as an adult in the case, with prosecutors citing his social media posts from behind bars boasting of his gang affiliation with the Main Street Mafia Crips, as well as videos showing him 'practicing' drive-by shootings with a paintball gun.

But after Gascon took office in late 2020, the DA banned prosecuting juveniles as adults and transferred Yoakum's case to juvenile court, also dropping all gang and gun enhancements against him.

Yoakum pleaded guilty to murder, but because he was charged as a juvenile, he was set for release by the time he turned 25 in 2025, and was apparently released early for reasons that are unclear.

Jalen Amir Yoakum, 23, (center) was arrested this month and charged wielding a stolen handgun in the robbery of Rolex watches, according to this internal LAPD memo shared by Fox News reporter Bill Melugin

Yoakum's previous light sentence for murder was a lightning rod in unsuccessful efforts to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon

The case became a lightning rod in the ultimately unsuccessful push to recall Gascon, with the recall campaign committee posting on social media: 'Violent criminals like Jalen Yoakum know that George Gascon is their biggest advocate.'

Gascon, a progressive prosecutor who has pushed for more leniency and rehabilitation for criminal offenders, made banning adult charges for juveniles a signature part of his reforms.

'We have ended the practice of prosecuting children as adults,' Gascon said in 2021, as he reviewed accomplishments from his first 100 days in office. 'Since taking office, we have withdrawn 77 pending motions to transfer kids to adult court.'

Now, Yoakum's latest arrest could offer another line of attack for Gascon's critics as he seeks re-election in November 2024, against an already growing field of challengers.

According to the LAPD documents shared by Melugin, Yoakum was arrested alongside two other suspects, James Garrett and Charles Emmerson, in connection with an August 2 armed robbery of a Rolex watch near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Harper Avenue.

Police tied the suspects to the crime through a white Infiniti Q50 spotted at the scene, of which Emmerson is allegedly the registered owner.

All three suspects were charged with felony robbery, and Yoakum was additionally charged with possession of a stolen and loaded firearm.

Yoakum (left) was 17 when he was charged with murdering 40-year-old Ontario Courtney (right), who was an innocent man mistaken for a rival gang member after his car broke down

After his 2017 arrest, Yoakum continued to boast of his affiliation with the Main Street Mafia Crips in social media posts from behind bars, prosecutors said

Yoakum, right, regularly posted to social media from juvenile detention, boasting of his gang affiliation, prosecutors say

County records confirm that Yoakum was arrested on August 9 in the Wilshire Division and booked on felony charges.

He is being held without bail at Men's Central. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf, and he is next due in court on Thursday.

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office did not immediately return a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Saturday.

Two years ago, Fox 11 reported that murder victim Courtney's family was furious that Yoakum had been transferred to the juvenile system.

'If you wanna go out there and act like a man and shoot and kill people, then you should be treated that way,' said Allyson Ostrowski, an attorney for the family, told the outlet.

'For Mr. Yoakum, you've been in the criminal justice system since you were 12 and you've been offered service after service, program after program, and you've not taken advantage of any of that,' Ostrowski said.

'You've just continued to be part of the gang, that makes you one of the people that needs to be tried as an adult.'

Before Gascon took office, the former DA cited these photos of Yoakum posing with guns as she charged him as an adult with Courtney's murder

Social media photos from the Main Street Mafia Crips show their boast of being 'Hoover Killers' in reference to the rival crew that controlled the South Hoover Street area in the Broadway-Manchester area of South Los Angeles

Courtney was driving on South Hoover Street, an area controlled by the Hoover street gang, when his car broke down on September 13, 2017.

He was waiting for a tow truck when he was attacked by gangsters from Yoakum's Main Street Mafia Crips set, who believed that he was a member of the rival Hoovers.

Courtney was shot 36 times and did not survive.

His family members say he had absolutely nothing to do with street gangs, and was caught up in a case of mistaken identity.

'My brother had no gang affiliation,' Aja Courtney, Ontario Courtney's younger sister told the local Fox affiliate. 'I can't even put into words how much I miss him.'
Stuart Clifton said there were disturbing similarities between the two murderers

The detective who brought killer nurse Beverley Allitt to justice has claimed it was almost as if Lucy Letby had 'read the book' on the chillingly similar 'Angel of Death' case three decades earlier.

Stuart Clifton, a former detective superintendent with Lincolnshire Police who helped nail Allitt for 13 murders and attempted murders of infants during 1991, said there were disturbing similarities between the two convicted serial killers.

Following the culmination of her 10-month-long trial Friday, Letby is now the worst serial killer of children in modern UK history after a jury found her guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six more while working on a neonatal unit - offering shocking echoes of the Allitt case.

Clifton added that he was forced to conclude 'other cases have been missed' regarding medical professionals committing nefarious acts.

Discussing the two investigations into the twisted child murderers, Clifton told The Daily Mail's Tom Rawstorne that he didn't think the NHS was particularly switched on to the possibility for medical professionals committing such killings.

Beverley Allitt carried out a chilling series of murders and attacks on babies in hospital in 1991

Convicted murderer Lucy Letby is pictured holding an infant at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2012

Discussing the Allitt case, Clifford said it 'became increasingly obvious that she wanted to be centre stage.'

The former detective said Allitt was always the one that 'highlighted that a child had collapsed.'

'She was the one that wanted to call the the crush team the resuscitation team,' he continued.

'She was the one that was volunteering to go in ambulances when children were being transferred to other hospitals, and she seemed as if it was that need to be adored that drove her forward.'

He said during the investigation that his team had identified on every single occasion Allitt had been with the child that had collapsed.

Referencing the recent Letby trial, Clifton said there were disturbingly similar echoes in the two killer's desire for attention.

'It seems to me that here you have a nurse that revels in the attention that comes about as a result of highlighting the collapses of children.

'Most of [Allitt's victims] had gone in with relatively minor complaints: bronchiolitis and that sort of thing, the thing that you would expect after winter and certainly none of them were expected to die.'

Allitt is currently serving 13 life sentences - one for each of the children she murdered or attempted to murder as a paediatric nurse in the 1990s.

The nurse attacked 13 children who had been admitted for minor injuries between February and April 1991 at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, injecting some of them with dangerous amounts of insulin.

Lucy Letby, 33, (pictured) may be placed under 24-hour suicide watch in prison amid fears she could take her own life before 'justice gets done'

While completing a three-year nursing degree at Chester University, Letby went on placement at the local hospital where she would later kill or maim her victims

Beverley Allitt, dubbed The Angel Of Death, was handed 13 life sentences and to this day remains locked up in Rampton Hospital, a secure psychiatric facility

Like Letby point-blank denied the crimes. She was convicted for the murder of 10 children

WHAT WAS LETBY CONVICTED OF? Count 1 - Murder of Baby A on June 8, 2015 - GUILTY Count 2 - Attempted murder of Baby B between the June 8, 2015 and June 11, 2015 - GUILTY Count 3 - Murder of Baby C on June 14, 2015 - GUILTY Count 4 - Murder of Baby D on June 22, 2015 - GUILTY Count 5 - Murder of Baby E on August 4, 2015 - GUILTY Count 6 - Attempted murder of Baby F on August 5, 2015 - GUILTY Count 7 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 7, 2015 - GUILTY Count 8 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 - GUILTY Count 9 - Attempted murder of Baby G on September 21, 2015 - NOT GUILTY Count 10 - Attempted murder of Baby H on September 26, 2015 - NOT GUILTY Count 12 - Murder of Baby I on October 23, 2015 - GUILTY Count 15 - Attempted murder of Baby L on April 9, 2016 - GUILTY Count 16 - Attempted murder of Baby M on April 9, 2016 - GUILTY Count 17 - Attempted murder of Baby N on June 3, 2016 - GUILTY Count 20 - Murder of Baby O on June 23, 2016 - GUILTY Count 21 - Murder of Baby P on June 24, 2016 - GUILTY Advertisement

She succeeded in killing four of them. Her youngest victim, Liam Taylor, was just seven weeks old.

After the death of her fourth victim, 15-month-old Claire Peck, staff became suspicious of the number of cardiac arrests on the children's ward and police began to investigate.

Clifford said the investigating team were able to establish that Allitt was the only nurse on duty during the medical episodes.

She was found guilty of four counts of murder, three of attempted murder, and a further six of grievous bodily harm in 1993. The 54-year-old is imprisoned at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Clifford highlighted the similarities in how the two murderers had used similar methods to kill their infant victims.

'It was almost as if [Letby] had read the book' on the Allitt case, she said.

The former detective concluded: 'I don't think you ever get admission from these sorts of people.' Both Allitt and Letby denied their murder charges to the end.

'You have to understand that once the adoration begins to swell and people feel sorry because you're the nurse that's having to cope with all, it's very difficult to stop.'

The former detective raised severe concern following the two cases. 'I don't think that despite the fact that there's now been two of these cases - Allitt and Letby - that the NHS is particularly switched on to it.

'We're very used to going to a body in a ditch that's got a knife stuck between the shoulder blades.

'It's a lot different when you've got a seven week old baby that's collapsed and died you rely on the medical profession to lead you in and into what has actually caused it.

'These nurses that actually cause injury to children and kill also write up the nursing notes the nurse tells the doctor what what has happened. And it's not necessarily the truth.

Beverley Allitt attacked 13 children who had been admitted for minor injuries between February and April 1991 at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, injecting some of them with dangerous amounts of insulin

A note found in Letby's house that had the word 'hate' circled and added: 'I am evil I did this'

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Letby reacting to the final questions from her barrister Ben Myers

'It's only when you begin to delve and find what the truth really is that you that they're able to paint a different picture. And I don't think that that is done often enough when there is suspicion of these sort of events.

'I think definitely there'll be other cases that have been missed and you imagine it's very very difficult to show that the collapse of a child, who is not expected to collapse and die, is as a result of a criminal act.'

Letby's conviction meant she overtook Allitt and became the country's most prolific child serial killer.

Between June 2015 and June 2016 Letby murdered five boys and two girls.

She targeted one set of triplets and three sets of twins and her victims ranged from a full term baby girl to infants born extremely prematurely, including one baby girl who survived despite being born in a hospital toilet at just 23 weeks gestation.

Doctors raised concerns about Letby's presence at all of the deaths but were repeatedly dismissed by hospital bosses.

The government has now launched a major inquiry into the cases as police begin trawling through 4,000 babies thought to have been under Letby's care to check for other possible victims.
Cline, who knew the man, was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and held without bond pending first appearance on a charge of poisoning food or drink

A man, who has not been identified, accused Veronica Cline of mixing the poisonous spray into two of his drinks leading him to throw up for 30 minutes

A Florida woman has been accused of poisoning a man that she invited to her place by giving him a drink laced with Raid 'Roach & Ant bug' spray.

Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to a house on Wheeler Street in DeLeon Springs at about 4:30am and met with the victim who was later taken to hospital.

A man, who has not been identified, told responding officers that Veronica Cline, 29, had come home from drinking at a bar and asked him to 'continue drinking with her at home.'

After two drinks the man said that he'd started to feel sick which is when Cline revealed that she'd added Raid to both beverages.

A Florida woman has been accused of poisoning a man that she invited back from a bar to her place with a cocktail laced with Raid 'Roach & Ant bug' spray. This is the moment Veronica Cline was arrested for the alleged crime

The victim told deputies he was vomiting for about 30 minutes before he was able to call for help and became sick again while providing his statement to a deputy.

Cline wasn't in the house when deputies arrived, but a K-9 unit tracked her down nearby and she was taken into custody.

A man, who has not been identified, accused Veronica Cline of mixing the poisonous spray into two of his drinks leading him to throw up for 30 minutes

She was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and held without bond pending first appearance on a felony charge of poisoning food or drink.

Bodycam footage released by Volusia Sheriff's Office shows a responding officer walking through a wooded area with a dog from the K-9 unit.

As the officer begins to walk past a bush the dog can be seen standing near a woman who is sitting with her back against a tree.

'Show me your f*****g hands,' the officer yells at the woman identified as Cline. 'Ok, ok, ok, ok,' Cline can be heard responding as the officer yells for her to show her hands.

'Walk towards me now, walk towards me, stop right there and get on your knees,' the officer then instructs Cline who slowly moves towards him backwards.

Cline can be seen kneeling on the ground as the officer instructs the police dog to 'watch her' as another officer can be heard in the background off camera.

Cline wasn't in the house when deputies arrived, but a K-9 unit tracked her down nearby and she was taken into custody

Cline can be seen kneeling on the ground as the officer instructs the police dog to 'watch her' as another officer cuffs her. She was taken to Volusia County Branch Jail

'Do not move,' says the approaching officer who then begins to cuff Cline with her hands behind her backs.

'Did he bite you anywhere,' the officer asks Cline who says only on the knee, 'it actually really hurts,' she adds.

The officer can then be heard congratulating the dog, who appears to have also retrieved Cline's phone.

The man was known to Cline and his condition at this time is unclear.
Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy said the man that former President Barack Obama backs to handle Hawaii's water resources is to blame for the extent of the deaths from the Maui wildfires.

While at least 114 people have been confirmed dead, there are still an estimated 1,300 people missing in the destruction in Hawaii.

Ramaswamy said at a conservative conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday that the level of destruction would certainly be decreased if water was able to get to the areas of the first several hours earlier.

The biotech millionaire also bashed President Joe Biden for the delay in getting to the island to give his support to the people of Maui as Republicans continue to go after the administration for giving less aid and attention there than the U.S. has given to Ukraine.

2024 hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy says that DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion policies led to a five-hour delay in getting water to firefighters combatting the Maui fires

Ramaswamy says that the delay cost a lot of destruction and may have even resulted in more loss of life. The death roll from the Maui fires rose to 114 on Saturday and there are still more than 1,000 people missing

'If we don't learn from our mistakes we're destined to make them again,' Ramaswamy told conservative radio host Erick Erickson at his The Gathering conference in Atlanta.

He detailed his theory for why the first got so out of hand: 'There was an Obama appointee, climate-change activist, who also believes as part of this larger Gaia-centric world-view of the Earth that water rights need to be protected. Which led to a five to six hour delay in the critical window of getting water to put out those fires.'

'We will neer know, although certain signs point to signs that we very well could have avoided those catastrophic deaths  many of them  if water had made it to the site of the fires in time,' he continued. 'And I bring this up because we are destined to repeat our mistakes again unless we learn from the ones we have already made.'

The mistake, he claims, is allowing DEI, or diversity, equity, and inclusion, to dominate the decisions of U.S. leaders.

'There's a dark but hard TRUTH to the Maui catastrophe that has led to over 110 tragic deaths. As wildfires raged, desperate residents petitioned state officials to send more water for firefighting & to help protect their properties from fire. That request went unanswered for hours, withholding critical aid to islanders,' Ramaswamy tweeted on Thursday.

'Now we're learning that the official who delayed the approval is an Obama Foundation 'Asia Pacific Leader' & a climate activist who believes water should be 'revered' first and foremost,' he continued. 'The DEI agenda is literally costing people their lives. Hawaii's Democrat governor, Josh Green, says there are people 'fighting against the release of water to fight fires' & that it needs to be explored further.'

'The No. 1 responsibility of government is to protect its citizens. The victims and their families deserve the TRUTH.'

Ramaswamy blames Deputy Director of the Hawaii Commission for Water Resource Management M. Kaleo Manuel thoughts on water rights for the five-hour delay in getting firefighters more water to combat the fires. Manuel is part of the Obama Foundation's Asia-Pacific leaders

M. Kaleo Manuel is serving his second term as the deputy director of the Hawaii Commission for Water Resource Management (CWRM), which is tasked with administering the State Water Code. He is one of 200 inaugural Obama Leaders representing the Asia-Pacific region with the Obama Foundation.

West Maui Land Co. Inc. sent a letter addressed to Manuel on August 10 alerting him of a communication issue that occurred the day prior when they reached out to CWRM to alert officials firefighters combatting the wildfires were nearly out of water from the reservoirs and were requesting access to nearby streams.

In the letter, West Maui Land was also seeking additional resources for fire control.

CWRM responded by asking if the Maui Fire Department was the entity requesting use of the streams, and directed West Maui Land Co. to also inquire with a downstream user to ensure use of the stream would not be impacted by the diversion.

It took five hours after the initial request for permission to be granted, at which point there was 'a flare up had shut down the Lahaina Bypass.'

Ramaswamy says the whole ordeal is part of a bigger issue where DEI is overtaking real priorities of vital entities.

'We see this in one disaster after another, each of which are symptoms of a deeper problem. In the Maui case, let's talk about what actually led to those disastrous deaths,' he said in reference to DEI and the Obama-backed official.

'This is a hard truth because it's a sensitive situation  my heart goes out to the people who are suffering in Maui. Helping them, I think, is one of our most important objectives,' he added.

'I think it's frankly shameful that we have a U.S. President who has not physically been present there, let alone providing the level of aid I think is required to help residents there.'
Police are investigating whether Britain's worst baby killer first struck at another hospital  and have said she could be charged with more crimes.

They will examine Lucy Letby's entire career, focusing not only on the Chester hospital where she murdered seven babies and tried to kill six more, but Liverpool Women's Hospital where two babies died during her training placement.

She already faces a lifetime behind bars.

The investigation widened yesterday as the families of her victims criticised a proposed Department of Health inquiry into why hospital managers failed to stop the 33-year-old neo-natal nurse's killing spree despite repeated warnings.

Lawyers for the families, who fear a whitewash, called the inquiry toothless and 'inadequate' because it will not have the power to compel people to give evidence.

They will examine Lucy Letby's entire career, She already faces a lifetime behind bars

They will focus on the Chester hospital where she murdered seven babies and tried to kill six more

And they will focus on Liverpool Women's Hospital where two babies died during her training placement

'This is not good enough,' they said in a statement. 'The failings here are very serious and an inquiry needs to have a statutory basis to have real teeth.'

It added that Countess of Chester Hospital had seemingly tried to put its own reputation above child safety.

Since Letby's ten-month trial ended last week other parents have come forward expressing concerns about their infants, with one mother claiming that her son died at the Chester hospital in March 2014  a year before police say Letby's killing spree began. Her son was under Letby's care and, like other victims, suffered a collapse accompanied by an unusual rash.

The mother has questioned whether this may have been one of her first attacks on a baby as she began 'honing her technique'  and says it raises questions about other possible victims.

In all, police are reviewing the care of around 4,000 babies admitted to hospital while Letby was working.

The period covers her spell at Countess of Chester Hospital from January 2012 to the end of 2016, and includes two work placements in Liverpool in 2012 and 2015.

Letby, from Hereford, at her graduation following a three-year nursing degree

A fridge inside the neo-natal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, where Letby carried out her killing spree

Cheshire Police emphasised that only those cases deemed medically concerning would be investigated further.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes said: 'This does not mean we are investigating all 4,000. It just means that we are committed to a thorough review of every admission from a medical perspective to ensure that nothing is missed throughout the entirety of her employment as a nurse.'

In a powerful broadside, a consultant who blew the whistle on Letby urged hospital bosses to apologise for 'potentially facilitating a mass-murderer'.

Ravi Jayaram, a consultant paediatrician and one of a 'gang of four' who raised concerns about the nurse, criticised hospital bosses for failing to take action.

He said: 'There are people out there still earning six-figure sums of taxpayers' money, or retired with their gold-plated pensions, who need to stand up in public to explain why they did not want to listen and do the right thing.'

Describing the way warnings to bosses were handled as a 'Kafkaesque situation', he added that he was told not to report Letby to police as 'it would be really bad for the reputation of the Trust'.

It has also been reported that the chief executive of Countess of Chester Hospital ordered doctors who raised concerns about her to apologise.

Consultants warned for months that the nurse had been the only medic present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies at the hospital.

But they were told to apologise in January 2017 after two reviews found no wrongdoing against her.

After one of the reviews, Tony Chambers, the hospital's chief executive at the time, said he had spent hours talking to Letby and her father and believed she was innocent.

Mr Chambers is then reported to have ordered the consultants to apologise to Letby and said she would return to work on the unit imminently.

However, she did not return to the neo-natal unit. Four months later, the police investigation began.

Criticism of the Government-ordered inquiry has also come from other quarters, with some saying it should be led by a judge.

The Department of Health said it aimed to provide answers to the parents involved and ensure lessons were learnt.

City of Chester MP Samantha Dixon said that while she welcomed the intention to move swiftly, the inquiry would rely on the 'goodwill of witnesses to attend', adding: 'I think in a case as grave as this a judge would need to do that.'
An elderly couple whose bodies were found in their home may have been dead for some time, as police in Northern Ireland launched an investigation into what led to their deaths.

The PSNI said enquiries were ongoing after a man and a woman were found dead at the Greenan Road property in the Newry area of Co Down, on Thursday.

'There are no further details at this time and an update will be provided in due course,' a PSNI spokesperson said.

It has emerged however that the couple had not been seen 'for some time', SDLP councillor Declan McAteer told BBC Radio Ulster.

'It is a very tragic situation, it is very unclear. A very elderly couple have been found deceased in their own dwelling and apparently had been there for some time,' he said.

'I have spoken to some members of the local community who are saddened and totally shocked and bewildered about the situation.'

Police in Northern Ireland are investigating after an elderly couple were found dead in their Greenan Road property in the Newry area of Co Down, on Thursday

The couple had not been seen 'for some time' according to SDLP councillor Declan McAteer

Mark Gibbons, independent councillor for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, described the situation as 'simply terrible news for the wider Warrenpoint community', The News Letter reports.

He added: 'I will not be making any further comment as a mark of respect for those who are touched and affected by this tragic news.

'We don't need gossip and speculation at this time. We only need to be respectful and supportive.'

Meanwhile Sinead Ennis MLA wrote about the 'heartbreaking news' on a Facebook post.

She said: 'Heartbreaking news that the bodies of a man and woman have been found in the Greenan Road, Newry.

'The local community are deeply shocked and saddened. My thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic loss.'

SDLP councillor Declan McAteer added that the local community were 'saddened and shocked'
A dad drew the attention of Welsh locals as he drove his floating car dubbed 'Botaswagen' along the historic 126-foot aqueduct.

Whilst holidaying in North Wales, Charlie Burns and his family waved to shocked passersby as they saw his Volkswagen Polo fitted with an outboard engine driving along Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen.

The 29-year-old said: 'You don't take long to get spotted in this thing. I'm sure everyone we passed took a picture. It's definitely not the car to rob a bank in.'

Charlie, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, bought the car for 1,200 in 2019 and teamed up with two petrol-head pals to convert it into one that could float above the surface.

The car was originally made from two Volkswagen Polos for Discovery Channel show, Bernie and Leepu's Chop Shop in a bid to make it the 'surfer's dream car'.

The floating card being driven by Charlie Burns, 29, along the historic Welsh aqueduct

The family waved to shocked passersby as they saw a Volkswagen Polo fitted with an outboard engine driving along Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen

The floating car has been dubbed 'Botaswagen' by Charlie and his friends

But Charlie came across it years later rusting in a Blackpool car yard - and set about making it amphibious.

Charlie and pals Gazz Jenkins and Corey Charnell were inspired in the project by a 'Toybota' made by Jeremy Clarkson in an episode of BBC's Top Gear and previously made a 'Boatzuki' from an old Suzuki SJ.

The Boatswagen was converted in just three weeks - with the team making it water-tight and inserting three bilge pumps in case it took on water.

It debuted its waterproof status last year when the friends - who call themselves Red State Connection - attended the Traditional Boat Festival at Henley on Thames and won an award.

The 18-arched aqueduct was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build.

It is 12 feet wide and is the longest aqueduct in Great Britain - as well as the highest canal aqueduct in the world.

The Boatswagen was converted in just three weeks by Charlie and his petrol head pals Gazz Jenkins and Corey Charnell

The car was originally made from two Volkswagen Polos for Discovery Channel show, Bernie and Leepu's Chop Shop in a bid to make it the 'surfer's dream car'
Many blame the council for not dealing with the rough- sleeping problem

For hundreds of years, the West Country spa city of Bath has been a byword for elegance and sophistication.

In its Georgian heyday, immortalised in the classic works of Jane Austen, Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Charles Dickens, the wealthy and fashionable flocked there to take the waters, view the spectacular remains of the Roman baths and, most of all, to see and be seen.

The burghers of Bath responded by building a spectacular urban landscape of honeyed local stone for them to promenade in.

Today, the beautiful Georgian streets and landmark buildings, including the Assembly Rooms, the Pump Rooms, Pulteney Bridge and the Royal Crescent, still make the city a tourist magnet, as well as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

But behind this civilised facade, street life has become feral  a world of rough-sleepers, graffiti, open drug-taking, alcoholism and rowdy stag and hen parties, whose participants seem keen to start boozing as soon as the pubs open.

In its Georgian heyday, it was immortalised in the classic works of Jane Austen, Richard Brinsley Sheridan and Charles Dickens

But behind the civilised facade, street life has become feral

I've had a long love affair with Bath. I brought my family up in the city, taught in local schools and colleges and lived there while working as a drugs counsellor in four prisons in the area. I'm not naive, I'm not easily shocked, but my heart has been broken by what has happened to the city I called home for so many years.

Depressingly, it is not alone. Countless other towns and cities across the country have been blighted by anti-social behaviour  often left to spread as police and local authorities seem to turn a blind eye. On a weekend visit to see friends last month, I walked through Bath's beautiful old streets and was struck by the pervasive smell of cannabis.

In the old streets I was struck by the pervasive smell of cannabis

I took a short cut through narrow Parsonage Lane, where I saw a group of four teenagers openly taking drugs in a doorway. Two girls, no older than 13 or 14, were inhaling deodorant spray to get high. They are the same age as my granddaughters.

I felt I had to stop and talk.

Their story was deeply upsetting. They knew what they were doing was dangerous, and claimed they didn't care if they died. They said in slurred voices that their parents knew what they were up to and weren't concerned.

I tried to explain that there were people who cared about them  that I cared.

After about half an hour, I left and went to find some help. I looked out for a police officer who could perhaps take the girls home and talk to their parents, but couldn't see one anywhere.

It is a world of rough-sleepers, graffiti, open drug-taking, alcoholism and rowdy stag and hen parties, whose participants seem keen to start boozing as soon as the pubs open

I'm not naive, I'm not easily shocked, but my heart has been broken by what has happened to the city I called home for so many years

Others blame the council for not cleaning up the graffiti or dealing with the rough- sleeping problem, accusing the City Hall for chasing revenue and shaving expenditure over making the city a better place for those who live there

The large police station in the city centre has been closed, replaced by a desk in a small office run by the council  a 'one stop shop'  which was also closed on a busy Saturday afternoon 'due to unforeseen circumstances'.

The only person I could find in a position of responsibility was a Catholic priest, who said that problems with drugs and rough sleepers were becoming more and more common.

He blamed the Liberal Democrat-run council for the transformation of Bath from a genteel, comfortable and civilised place to a lairy, permissive city with little regard to the majority of its long-suffering residents. Over the weekend, I spoke to old friends, some of them business-people who have run shops in the centre for decades.

A common theme was the irony of how this appalling state of affairs is presided over by the Lib Dems, a party that prides itself on community politics and grassroots activism in a way that they claim their rival Labour and the Conservatives do not.

The Lib Dems, they said, had turned their back on the people who elected them. Local folk blame the council's pedestrianisation for preventing older people from driving into the city centre to shop and socialise. They blame the proliferation of student halls of residence in the city centre.

They blame the rise of Airbnb rental accommodation, the lack of police on the streets and a wholesale shift in Bath's character to become a 24-hour party city every weekend.

If they have the temerity ever to complain, they feel old-fashioned and that their value system is considered to be out of date.

Some of my friends say they no longer feel safe to come into the centre in the evenings. My daughter said she'd rather be out and about in Central London on her own at night than in Bath. Others blame the council for not cleaning up the graffiti or dealing with the rough- sleeping problem, accusing the City Hall for chasing revenue and shaving expenditure over making the city a better place for those who live there.

Today, the beautiful Georgian streets and landmark buildings, including the Assembly Rooms, the Pump Rooms, Pulteney Bridge and the Royal Crescent, still make the city a tourist magnet, as well as a Unesco World Heritage Site

Bath  like so many British towns and cities  needs to be set on a different path. It may never return to its Georgian splendour but it most definitely deserves to be rescued

I'd like to say that Bath was an isolated example of a city centre that has lost touch with its people, but there are many other large towns and small cities  Bristol, Brighton and Oxford, to name just two  that suffer very similar problems of lawlessness and decline in their hollowed-out centres.

Friends no longer feel safe to come into town in the evenings

Again and again, I heard complaints that the Lib Dem-run Bath and North East Somerset Council (whose motto is 'Improving People's Lives') seems only to serve itself or bother about the six million tourists who visit every year. The bars, restaurants and tourist attractions are valued more than the concerns of the locals.

Add in the fact that Bath has 30,000 students aged 18 to 21, in a city of less than 100,000 people, and you can understand why so many of the city's middle-aged, middle-class council taxpayers now tend to steer clear of its beating heart. The answer to Bath's problems lies in the lessons of 1990s New York, when police cracked down on small crimes such as graffiti, vandalism, vagrancy, street drinking and drug-taking which, they said, fostered a climate of lawlessness and fear.

That approach transformed New York as crime rates tumbled. Because people felt safer, they went back onto the streets and community life began to flourish again. A virtuous circle had been created, similar to that now needed to rescue Bath  and Britain's other abandoned towns and cities  from its tragic decline.

This would have multiple benefits: it would reunite local residents with their home towns and restore civilised street life.

More importantly, it would rescue those teenage girls and others like them from growing up in a place where taking drugs in the street has been normalised, where town is somewhere you go to get drunk or high.

Bath  like so many British towns and cities  needs to be set on a different path. It may never return to its Georgian splendour but it most definitely deserves to be rescued.
A 50-year-old man has been charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists and possession of articles for use in terrorism, in relation to last week's Police Service of Northern Ireland data breach.

The PSNI said this evening that the man is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court next Monday, August 21. They said the case will follow the normal procedure so all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

The charge relates to the data error which saw the personal data of all current serving members of the PSNI published online.

In an error made by a junior member of staff when responding to a Freedom of Information request, personal data on all currently serving members of the PSNI was published last Tuesday.

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.

A 50-year-old man has been charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists and possession of articles for use in terrorism, in relation to last week's Police Service of Northern Ireland data breach

Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Simon Byrne speaking to the media outside the force's headquarters in Belfast

A 39-year-old man had also been detained in relation to the breach following a search in Lurgan, Co Armagh on Wednesday, and was released on bail.

The PSNI said: 'A 50 year old man has been charged with Possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists and Possession of articles for use in terrorism.

READ MORE: Thousands of Northern Irish police officers could sue force after 'massive' data breach of personal details Advertisement

'He is due to appear at Coleraine Magistrates Court on Monday 21st August. As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

'The charge is in relation to detectives investigating criminality linked to last week's freedom of information data breach.'

Chief Constable Simon Byrne, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), admitted the names and details of more than 10,000 officers and staff were now in the hands of dissident republicans.

Last Thursday it was revealed that dissident republican activists in Northern Ireland claimed to have information about the identity of police officers revealed in a data breach.

Byrne said he was 'deeply sorry' over what he described as an 'industrial scale breach of data' in which the surnames, initials and locations of 10,000 officers and staff were released to the public.

Mr Byrne said he believed dissidents would use the information to intimidate and target police.

Last Thursday it was revealed that dissident republican activists in Northern Ireland claimed to have information about the identity of police officers revealed in a data breach (stock photo)

Speaking at a press conference after a Northern Ireland Policing Board meeting that overran by more than two hours, Mr Byrne said he was not considering his position  the second time he has ruled out quitting in the last 24 hours.

It has also been suggested that the PSNI is bracing itself for a multi-million-pound class action lawsuit.

The service's representative body, the Police Federation for Northern Ireland (PFNI), has set up a secure system so that officers can register their interest in being part of a case if legal action is taken.

The PFNI said that so far around a fifth of the force  2,000 rank-and-file members  have expressed a desire to be involved.

Also on Monday a document was posted close to the Sinn Fein office in the Falls Road, which included information about a substantial number of police officers and staff, although their names had been removed.

Multiple data breaches have come to light since last week, including the loss of a police officer's laptop and notebook, which contained details of 42 officers and members of staff, after the items fell from a moving vehicle.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrive for a joint press conference after their summit at Camp David in Maryland, Friday (local time). EPA-Yonhap



Supply chain disruption warning system, 3-way finance ministerial meeting to be launched



By Nam Hyun-woo



South Korea, the United States and Japan agreed to form a tight-knit economic cooperation framework during a trilateral summit between their leaders at Camp David, the U.S. presidential retreat in Maryland, Friday (local time), as they believe the three-way partnership can create a synergy to strengthen economic security.



During a press conference after the summit, the leaders of the three countries promised to strengthen trilateral economic cooperation by employing measures in various sectors of their economies.



In the joint statement, titled the Spirit of Camp David, the leaders promised to "maintain focus on building robust cooperation in the economic security and technology spheres, leveraging the unique capabilities that each of our countries brings to bear."



In doing so, the leaders acknowledged the importance of deepening their Trilateral Economic Security Dialogue and decided to launch pilot projects for an early warning system to expand information sharing and enhance policy coordination on possible disruptions to global supply chains.



"In the field of economic security directly linked to the economies of the three countries, we will work to expand our strategic partnership," Yoon said. "To ensure global supply chain resilience and energy security, we pledged to bolster our trilateral cooperation to manage global supply chain risks, and an early warning system will be established together."



The early warning system will be aimed at setting up a mechanism for the timely exchange of information regarding supply chain disruptions and to facilitate joint responses by integrating early warning systems at the overseas diplomatic missions of the three countries.





President Joe Biden looks on as President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a joint news conference at Camp David in Maryland, Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap



Initially, Seoul and Washington were attempting to set up an early warning system, but the leaders decided to expand it into a trilateral structure that also includes Japan to jointly address challenges that may impact supply chain stability.



According to Seoul's presidential office, discussions at the Trilateral Economic Security Dialogues will determine further details such as major mission locations for the system.



"The early warning system will begin by identifying key supply chain partner nations in key items such as semiconductors and rare minerals and a regular consultation process will be initiated among the three countries' overseas diplomatic missions in these identified nations," said senior presidential secretary for economic affairs Choi Sang-mok.



"This process will involve the exchange of information regarding the countries' policy trends, potential disruptions in supply chains and the corresponding response strategies for critical items," Choi added.





President Yoon Suk Yeol, accompanied by Foreign Minister Park Jin, left, and Director of National Security Cho Tae-yong, speaks during a meeting with President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David in Maryland, Friday. AP-Yonhap







The three countries will also launch projects for the joint development of critical and emerging technologies, such as advanced semiconductors, supercomputing, quantum and artificial intelligence. The countries will raise $6 million (8.03 billion won) in research funds and have an expert meeting next month to identify the subjects of the joint projects.



Along with developing new technologies, the leaders noted the importance of protecting them from being illegally exported or stolen.



To this end, the countries will begin inaugural exchanges between the U.S. Disruptive Technology Strike Force and the counterparts of South Korea and Japan to deepen information-sharing and coordination across the enforcement agencies. South Korea's Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will participate in the inaugural meeting.



"One of our top interests is cooperation with the Disruptive Technology Strike Force," presidential secretary for economic security Wang Yoon-jong said.





U.S. President Joe Biden, center, accompanied by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, pauses while speaking during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in Maryland, Friday (local time). AP-Yonhap



"We have been engaging this, as we see it as an opportunity to benchmark and learn from the strategies used by the strike force to counteract increasingly sophisticated attempts at intellectual property theft."



Biden also said the three countries will enhance cooperation between their development finance institutions "to mobilize more financing for quality infrastructure, and secure communications technology to help low-income and middle-income countries throughout the region take on the challenges that matter most to their people."



To improve financial stability, the leaders decided to launch a trilateral finance ministers' meeting to discuss cooperation in stabilizing their financial and foreign currency markets, which will contribute to investments and exchanges between the countries. Depending on further discussions, meetings can be take place on a regular basis like other trilateral ministerial talks that the leaders agreed to hold annually.



One remaining question is whether the three countries' enhanced economic partnership can translate into actual benefits for South Koreans, because China is still Korea's biggest economic partner, while Friday's agreements showcase South Korea's preference for the U.S. over China when it comes to economic policies.



Seoul's presidential office and Biden himself stressed that the new agreements do not target a certain country, but seek to strengthen supply chain stability and the resilience of the three countries. However, the measures are widely accepted as the countries' attempt to mitigate China's economic influence.



In the joint statement, the leaders pledged to launch the supply chain early warning system to "confront and overcome economic coercion" and stated that the countries will "continue to strengthen trilateral cooperation on export controls to prevent our technologies from being diverted for military or dual-use capabilities."



"Yoon is making a clear and decisive preference for the U.S. over China in both security and economic aspects, including semiconductors. Given South Korea's deeply partisan politics, Yoon's decision will undoubtedly attract scrutiny from his critics," said Lee Seong-hyon, a senior fellow at George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations.



"Therefore, although Yoon made this bold diplomatic move, delivering positive economic outcomes would be a crucial step for Yoon to secure support for his foreign policy," Lee added.



"There can be multiple factors that impact the supply chain, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other economic security issues," Choi, the senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, said, when asked if the early warning system is targeting China.



"Establishing collaboration among the three countries offers a more comprehensive assurance of supply chain stability compared to bilateral cooperation. This will enable enhanced stability for our companies and businesses," he added.





Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center, attends a trilateral summit at Camp David in Maryland, Friday (local time). EPA-Yonhap
The wrecked shell of a Ferrari that burst into flames during a 1960s race has sold for 1.5million.

Others of its kind in good condition have been valued at an estimated $60million.

The 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I was the second of 13 cars built with the Pininfarina spider framework, according to The Telegraph.

The ruins were left untouched for around 40 years before a 2004 hurricane destroyed the barn it was hiding in with 19 other Ferraris.

The wrecked vehicle has been preserved in its fire-damaged condition and still has its original chassis plate, gearbox, rear axle corners, and 3.0 litre Tipo 119 Lampredi inline-four engine.

The wrecked shell of a Ferrari that burst into flames during a 1960s race has sold for 1.5million

The 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I was the second of 13 cars built with the Pininfarina iconic spider framework

Others of its kind in good condition have been valued at an estimated $60million

The ruins were left untouched for around 40 years before a 2004 hurricane destroyed the barn it was hiding in with 19 other Ferraris

READ MORE: Hidden stash of 20 Ferraris that had a Florida barn collapse on them during a hurricane heads to auction

The car was sold to a collector in Monterey, California, during Monterey Car Week at an RM Sotheby auction for around 1.5 million.

It was a part of the 'Lost and Found Collection,' and the other 19 cars found in the collection were also put on the market.

It is believed that the lucky buyer wants to restore the Ferrari so it can be in races again.

It comes as Sotheby's in New York is set to sell a 1962 250 Ferrari GTO for an estimated $60 million this fall, which is one of only 34 ever made.

The race car, which is due to go up for grabs as part of the auction houses major fall sales series, is one of two GTO models raced by Ferrari's own team, Scuderia Ferrari.

The wrecked car has still managed to maintain a lot of its original factory details

The car was sold to a collector in Monterey, California, during Monterey Car Week at an RM Sotheby auction for $1,875,000 (1.5 million)

It is believed that the lucky buyer wants to restore the Ferrari to its former glory, so it is able to be in races again

GTO models are coveted by collectors of classic cars due to their history, Gord Duff, head of global auctions for RM Sotheby's told the Wall Street Journal.

With an asking price of around $60 million, the car had initially sold for $6,000 in 1964, the equivalent to around $59,000 today.

In 1985, it was then purchased for around $500,000, around $1.4 million today, by Ohio man Jim Jaeger, 75.

Jaeger told the outlet he had been looking for the ultimate Ferrari during the 1980s and realized that he wanted a GTO.
A group of teenagers who stole a Kia as part of a TikTok challenge were found hiding in a locked portable toilet following a high-speed chase where they crashed the car.

The incident happened in Thurston County, Washington on Wednesday and was captured on police cameras.

There were six people in the stolen car, including five teenagers, and police received reports of a hit and run. The driver was spotted driving erratically and officers tried to pull them over.

But they tried to get away and reached speeds of up to 70mph on a 25mph road. The driver, who police said was drunk, lost control of the car and crashed.

They tried to continue driving but officers made a sudden pit maneuver and brought the vehicle to the stop. Three suspects sprinted out and were later found inside a portable toilet.

A group of teenagers who stole a Kia as part of a TikTok challenge were found hiding in a locked portable toilet following a high-speed chase where they crashed the car

The incident happened in Thurston County, Washington on Wednesday and was captured on police cameras

Dashcam footage released by Thurston County Sheriff's Office shows a police car pursing the stolen Kia.

It eventually catches up to the vehicle and the panicked driver loses control and crashes into the side of the road.

The group tried to drive away but a deputy performed a pit maneuver to stop the car. That sees the front of a cop car strike one of the back tires of the car it is chasing, sending the vehicle into a spin which usually stops it.

Another officer got out and approached the car but the teenagers ditched the Kia and ran way.

Bodycam footage shows authorities searching for the group in a lumber depot using a police dog.

The animal takes an interest in a locked portable toilet and the officer shouts: 'Hey, locked.'

He then says: 'If you're inside there, come out now with both your hands up. We've got a canine unit. We know you're inside.'

A female officer tells the teenagers: 'We know you're inside,' and they eventually come out.

'Hands, hands. 'Everybody on your knees,' the male deputy says while aiming his gun at them and another colleague radios in for backup.

One of the teenagers complains about the gun and the officer replies: 'You're fleeing from a stolen car, I'm gonna leave it aimed at you too. Be quiet.'

All three of the suspects were then detained. A deputy asked how old they were and one boy replied: 'I am only 17.'

Sheriff Derek Sanders told KOMO News the chase began following a hit and run.

There were six people in the stolen car, including five teenagers, and police received reports of a hit and run. The driver was spotted driving erratically and officers tried to pull them over

They tried to get away and reached speeds of up to 70mph on a 25mph road. The driver, who police said was drunk, lost control of the car and crashed

Three suspects sprinted out of the damaged car and were later found inside a portable toilet

'It's really frustrating obviously. It's summer time we've got kids that are unsupervised, kids that are bored.'

He believes the teenagers stole the car as part of a 'KIA social media challenge.'

'It's always a really tough thing to balance,' Sanders said. 'Do we risk pursuing the vehicle and have them crash into someone?'

No one was injured in the incident. Dailymail.com has contacted Thurston County Sheriff's Office for comment.

Car thefts were sparked by a Tik Tok trend in which users showed off how to steal Kia and Hyundai vehicles that lack basic security features.

Although the original challenge video was removed, copycats emerged to the point that TikTok has asked users to report any copies that have been made.

Authorities revealed these thefts led to at least 14 reported crashes and eight fatalities.

Kia and Hyundai said in February that they would provide free software fixes for 8.3 million vehicles to stop a rash of thefts inspired by the TikTok videos.
King Charles' distant royal relative is facing questions after organising a luxury holiday for Russian oligarch known as Putin's favourite industrialist whilst he was under US sanctions.

Socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon's father is the King's third cousin. In February 2021, she hosted a retreat in a 'pristine and private' safari in Kenya for Oleg Deripaska.

Mr Deripaska, 55, had been sanctioned by the US over his ties to the Kremlin three years earlier.

The royal relative is the director of elephant charity, Space for Giants USA, which has hosted fundraisers at Kensington Palace and Clarence House, according to The Times. As the director she organised the invite-only three-day trip which involved spotting lions, cheetahs and elephants.

'Lexi', 37, has been New York-based since 2011, when she moved to work for Christie's, the auction house. Mr Deripaska has been described as being part of Vladimir Putin's 'inner circle'.

Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska (pictured) was invited on a luxury holiday as an 'elite donor' to charity Space for Giants USA - which the director of has royal ties

Socialite Alexandra Bowes-Lyon (pictured) who's related to the King faces questions over organising a luxury holiday for Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

Mr Deripaska landed in Nairobi on his private jet, before boarding an aircarft alongside his bodyguard, a butler and an executive at Rusal.

Once Russia's richest man, oil tycoon Mr Deripaska came to prominence in the UK when he entertained Labour grandee Lord Mandelson on his yacht in Corfu.

The tycoon quit as a director of Russian energy giant EN+ Group and United Company Rusal after being targeted by the sanctions.

His estimated peak fortune sat at 28 billion and he boasted several multi-million properties and private jets. Deripaska is accused of amassing his fortune through extortion, racketeering and ordering the murder of a rival - which he has always denied.

Organised through a branch of the charity, Journeys for Giants, the sanctioned oligarch was said to be welcomed by both Ms Bowes-Lyon and the charity's founder and chief executive Dr Max Graham.

Mr Deripaska was invited as an elite donor to the charity. The charity receives hundreds of thousands in grants from the UK government.

Mr Graham, 45, told The Times: 'We are not in a position to confirm or deny that Space for Giants has or has not breached US sanctions in relation to the 2021 safari given that no competent authority has ever ruled on this.

'What we can say is that no Space for Giants entity, Lexi Bowes-Lyon nor myself have ever knowingly or deliberately breached sanctions.'

Oil-tycoon Oleg Deripaska (right) is known as Vladimir Putin's (left) favourite industrialist

He added that the charity was assured it was not under suspicion of criminality and played the role of a 'co-operative witness'.

A Charity Commission spokesman said: 'We can confirm that, in line with our guidance, Space for Giants filed a serious incident report in November 2022 to confirm that it was complying with US authorities.'

The US' treasury department bans citizens, residents or entities from taking part in financial transactions and other dealings with 'specially designated nationals'.

Those who do so could be jailed for up to 30 years.

SFG has confirmed it received money from Deripaska after the imposition of the US sanction, but said the funds were deposited in its UK account - before it sanctioned Mr Deripaska.

Mr Deripaska, 55, had been sanctioned by the US over his ties to the Kremlin (left)

In 2020, SFG listed its 'corporate and charitable partnerships' which included Mr Deripaska's Rusal.

Mr Graham said the charity is 'fully committed' to complying with all international, national and local laws.

Deripaska was born in Siberia in 1968 but raised by his grandparents in Krasnodar, after his mother left home to find work. He was drafted into the Red Army before graduating Moscow State University in 1993 with a degree in nuclear physics, just as Soviet Russia was collapsing.

A spokesman for Deripaska issued a statement which said he found t 'utterly disgusting' that journalists cook up 'sensational garbage'.
Have you been affected by the wildfires raging through Tenerife? Email oliver.price@mailonline.co.uk

Thousands evacuated from Tenerife after 4th day of wildfires on holiday island

More than 26,000 are being evacuated from Tenerife as 'out of control' wildfires have ravaged the island popular with British holidaymakers for a fourth day.

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate today as as high temperatures and strong winds plagued efforts to tackle the massive blaze.

Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harm's way on the Atlantic island that is home to about a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees 'could surpass 26,000' according to provisional calculations based on the island's census.

More than 26,000 are being evacuated from Tenerife as 'out of control' wildfires have ravaged the island popular with British holidaymakers for a fourth day (pictured: The fronts of the forest fire on hills above houses, in the Guimar valley on the Canary Island of Tenerife)

Smoke is seen from La Victoria as a forest fire continues to burn land, in La Victoria, Tenerife

Emergency crews and firefighters are working to extinguish the fire advancing through the forest in La Orotava in Tenerife

The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

READ MORE: Wildfires spread on British holiday isle of Tenerife as more families are evacuated from their homes in worst blazes to hit Canary Islands in 40 years Advertisement

The regional government said that 'the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it' due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames.

Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 12,355 acres.

'We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands,' the island's governor, Rosa Davila, said.

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from mainland Spain sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns affected by climate change.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated during a wildfire on nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 11,000 acres.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 185,000 acres burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 two million acres burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.

Local residents sit after fleeing their home as the fire advances toward La Orotava in Tenerife

Valerio, 38, rescues a donkey in the village of Benijos, as wildfires rage out of control

The regional government said that 'the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it' due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames

A helicopter drops water on the flames as the fire advances through the forest toward the town of Pinolere in Tenerife

The fire comes as Spain's mainland is braced for another heatwave. Spain's state weather service issued a warning on Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40C in parts of the mainland.

Pedro Martinez, who is in charge of extinction efforts, told reporters the blaze was 'behaving like a sixth-generation wildfire' - a term referring to a mega forest fire.

He added that the perimeter of the fire had 'most certainly grown a lot' overnight and was 'descending steadily' down the northern mountainside.

'The fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it, maybe not in all sectors, but in a large part of the sectors,' he admitted, as efforts to tackle the flames were being hampered by the huge clouds of smoke and the wind.

Maria del Pilar Rodriguez Padron, another resident of Matanza said she was sleeping in her car by the house.

'They offered us a place to stay but we prefer to stay in the car because we can watch the house and see whether it burns or not. Being elsewhere we just wouldn't be able to sleep,' she told AFPTV.

Workers transfer Emilina Garcia, 97, by ambulance towards a hospital at a care center after she was evacuated with his son in the village of La Victoria, as wildfires continue to blaze

A wildfire rages out of control through forested slopes in La Orotava

Visiting the fire control centre and the affected areas, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said all the state's resources were being made available to the island to tackle 'this extremely serious emergency'.

The blaze has generated a vast pillar of smoke that now stretches some eight kilometres into the air, officials said, rising far above the summit of Mount Teide, the volcano that towers over the island.

At 12,200 feet, Teide is Spain's highest peak and a popular tourist destination, but all roads to the national park were closed on Thursday.

The blaze broke out after the archipelago suffered a heatwave that left many areas tinder dry.

Last year was a particularly bad year for wildfires in Europe, with Spain the worst-hit nation, suffering nearly 500 blazes that destroyed more than 300,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

So far this year, EFFIS says almost 76,000 hectares have been ravaged by 340 fires in Spain, one of the European countries most vulnerable to climate change.
The father of an autistic teenage girl who killed herself at boarding school after telling her GP she was suicidal has told how he would wander the streets 'for hours' in grief after finding out she was dead.

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, who had anxiety and depression, was found dead the night before she was due to serve a two-hour detention, but despite asking her doctor for help she was classified as 'low risk' and given an appointment in six weeks time.

Her father Jonathan was informed of his daughter's death by the headteacher of the 44,000-a-year Wycombe Abbey School, Jo Duncan, and immediately went to London to try and be close to her.

The banking technology executive told the Telegraph: 'Just after Caitlyn died, I went straight to London and spent some time there. I had a day or so where I was just lost  you don't know what to do after your daughter has died.

'So I just start walking the streets of London, I was literally walking the streets of London aimlessly not knowing where to go and I stumble into Piccadilly Arcade.'

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, took her own life at Wycombe Abbey the night before she was set to sit for a two-hour detention

Caitlyn was autistic and had become fixated on the 'headmistress' detention', which had been given to her after vodka and a tattoo kit was found in her music locker

While lost in grief, he came across a signet ring shop where he was gifted a ring he still treasures, containing strands of his daughter's hair, after telling the shopkeeper about his loss.

Caitlyn had become fixated on the 'headmistress' detention', which had been given to her after vodka and a tattoo kit were found in her music locker.

The 16-year-old had been so distraught that she ran away from a choral performance at Eton College where she was due to sing shortly before the Easter holidays on March 21.

Writing in her diary shortly before she died, Caitlyn said running away had been a 'cry for help', adding 'safeguarding my arse'.

Mr Scott-Lee is now campaigning to raise awareness around autism and suicide prevention.

Autistic people are nine times more likely to kill themselves than people who are not autistic, research shows.

Her father previously said: 'It never occurred to me that I should have asked whether my daughter would - very literally - leave school alive.'

He told the Times that Caitlyn had made an appointment for herself at a High Wycombe GP for her 'anxiety, depression and having suicidal feelings'.

She attended the appointment on March 30 and was referred to Buckinghamshire's child and adolescent mental health services.

Then, four days later, on April 3, she was deemed 'low risk' following a phone consultation with the mental health nurse. A specialist appointment was made for her for almost six weeks time on May 16.

She killed herself on April 21.

Jonathan Scott-Lee told The Times: 'I want Caitlyn's story to lead to change, so that neurodiverse children get the help needed in schools and medical settings [and] also thrive in society.

'If she had been prioritised appropriately and obtained medical intervention, she might still be with us.'

Caitlyn's father has now started a campaign for all autistic children who disclose suicidal or depressive feelings to be seen by a specialist within 24 hours.

Caitlyn's father has now started a campaign for all autistic children who disclose suicidal or depressive feelings to be seen by a specialist within 24 hours

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, director of Cambridge University's autism research centre, said the 'low risk' assessment and delay in receiving NHS specialist help was 'shocking and wrong'.

'The combination of being autistic and depressed makes that child high risk,' Baron-Cohen said.

'We need a rapid response pathway when an autistic child [reports] suicidal feelings - and everyone involved, including teachers and doctors, should be a part of that rapid response. If you are trying to prevent a death, you can't hang around.'

Baron-Cohen also called on boarding schools - like Wycombe Abbey where Caitlyn attended - to make autistic people their highest priority due to their increased risks.

Caitlyn's father said he now hopes to publish his daughter's diary in the hope it will help others and give an insight into understanding how she was feeling.

The diary was retuned to them by the coroner ahead of an inquest. The family said the diary shows she was struggling with sleep as she appears to have written in it between 3am and 4am.

Wycombe Abbey is a 44,000-a-year private school. Established in 1896, the school has around 650 female pupils aged 11 to 18 and each girl has her own 'House Mother', a girl in the year above in the same house who looks after her, especially in her early days at the school.

Wycombe Abbey is a 44,000-a-year private school. Established in 1896, the school has around 650 female pupils aged 11 to 18

After Caitlyn's death, her school said safeguarding was its 'highest priority and the wellbeing and happiness of each and every one of our pupils lies at the heart of everything we do here.

'We are well aware of the crucial importance of effective pastoral support for the young people in our care and our pupils know that staff are always available to listen to them and support them.'

It added its pupils all have access to in-house counsellors, a chaplain, and an on-site health and wellbeing centre. The school added that it was in close contact with family still and that their continued thoughts are with them at this time.

Likewise, a spokesperson for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We were saddened to hear of the death of Caitlyn and are in touch with her family, the police, and the coroner to ensure we assist fully with the ongoing investigation.

'While that process is taking place we cannot provide further information, other than to send our deepest condolences to Caitlyn's parents, wider family, friends and all those who loved her.'

A full inquest into her death is set to be held on September 14.

For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or got to samaritans.org.
Sadiq Khan was plunged into a bitter row last night after his official website published a photograph of a young white family with the words: 'Doesn't represent real Londoners'.

The Labour London Mayor faced calls to apologise after the extraordinary message appeared in an official guide on how to portray the 'brand' of the Mayor and the Greater London Authority.

This was despite the fact that the guide opened with the words: 'A City For All Londoners' and a promise to appeal to 'everyone no matter, their age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability or family make up'.

Last night, Mr Khan was forced to disown the caption for the picture, which shows a couple and their two children walking along the Thames, with Parliament in the background.

The Mayor's spokesperson said: 'The photo caption was added by a staff member in error, and doesn't reflect the view of the Mayor or the Greater London Authority.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was plunged into a bitter row after his official website published a photograph of a young white family with the words: 'Doesn't represent real Londoners'.

A section in the guide goes into detail on the 'best images of the Mayor', with the advice that the Mayor should be 'shown interacting in real and relatable environments'

She added that the content was now being 'reviewed to ensure the language and guidance is appropriate'.

The entire guide  entitled 'Look Book  Mayor of London Brand Guidelines'  was also taken down from the official london.gov website shortly after The Mail on Sunday contacted Mr Khan's office.

Last night, Susan Hall, the Tory candidate for next year's London mayoral election, called on Mr Khan to issue an apology.

She said: 'All Londoners are real Londoners, no matter their ethnicity, and Sadiq Khan needs to apologise and stop these desperate, politically-motivated attempts to divide people.'

She also attacked the London Mayor for the amount of space devoted in the brand guidelines to how he should be pictured.

A section goes into detail on the 'best images of the Mayor', including over 20 pictures of Mr Khan and with the advice that 'photos of the Mayor should be active and engaging.

'He should be shown interacting in real and relatable environments.'

It also warns: 'When you photograph the Mayor, make sure his staff and any known/ political figures are out of the shot.'

It adds: 'The photos we use should reflect a recognisable, real and diverse London.'

And in a veiled reference to Mr Khan's predecessor as mayor, Boris Johnson, picture editors are also warned: 'Never use images from the previous administration such as the 'new bus for London''  a project championed by Mr Johnson.

This photograph of Sadiq Khan was given the thumbs up in an official guide on how to portray the 'brand' of the Mayor and the Greater London Authority
Flesh-eating bacteria has killed five people in Tampa Bay and officials have warned locals not to enter the sea with any cuts or grazes on their skin.

There have been 26 reported infections of vibrio vulnificus in Florida so far this year and it is known to lurk in brackish seawater as it requires salt to live.

Around one in five people can die within a day or two of becoming ill when they catch the bacteria.

While infection is rare, health officials are calling on people with open wounds to stay out of the water to cut any risk.

Two people died in Hillsborough County and one person each in Pasco, Polk and Sarasota.

Flesh-eating bacteria has killed five people in Tampa Bay and officials have warned locals not to enter the sea with any cuts or grazes on their skin

There have been 26 reported infections of vibrio vulnificus in Florida so far this year and it is known to lurk in brackish seawater as it requires salt to live

Beachgoers can be exposed to the dangerous bacteria through direct contact with the mixture of fresh and seawater.

'Water and wounds do not mix. Do not enter the water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes,' a Florida health warning stated.

It asked those who are immunocompromised to wear proper foot protection in order to prevent cuts and injury caused by rocks and shells on the beach.

Vibrio vulnificus infections can lead to necrotizing fasciitis which is a severe infection where the flesh surrounding an open wound dies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although this can also be caused by different types of bacteria.

The flesh-eating bacteria can cause an infection of the skin and can cause it to breakdown or produce painful ulcers.

It can be more severe for those who have weakened immune systems.

The bacteria can invade the bloodstream and cause severe life-threatening symptoms including decreased blood pressure, fever, chills and blistering skin lesions.

Vibrio vulnificus can also be contracted by eating raw or undercooked shellfish and oysters.

Beachgoers can be exposed to the dangerous bacteria through direct contact with the mixture of fresh and seawater

Dr. Eric Shamas, an emergency medicine physician at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, said people living in Florida need to be aware of the flesh-eating bacteria

It can't be transmitted between people but those with symptoms are urged to seek immediate medical attention.

Dr. Eric Shamas, an emergency medicine physician at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, told local news channel WFLA: 'Living in Florida, being around the marine environment, we need to be aware of what it is.

'Whenever you have a break in the skin and youre in a marine environment then theoretically youre at risk.

'Its very important to keep in mind these severe infections are very rare.'

He added: 'If you have wounds, maybe stay out of the water. If you suffer a cut while in the water, just wash it out very thoroughly with soap and water. Monitor your symptoms and follow up with your doctor if you have any questions.'

There was a total of 74 cases and 17 deaths from Vibrio vulnificus infection last year.

But these numbers were inflated because Hurricane Ian spilled sewage into the ocean which increased the levels of bacteria.

The New York State Health Department issued guidance to residents last week as to how to identify vibrio vulnificus infections after it killed three people over the summer.
A veteran British explorer will attempt the first flight across the Atlantic in an open basket hydrogen gas balloon next month.

Sir David Hempleman-Adams, 66, was the first person to complete the Adventurers' Grand Slam  climbing the highest peak on each continent, including Everest and Kilimanjaro, and reaching the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles.

His latest challenge is expected to take four to five days  and will also involve collecting air samples as part of a scientific study.

'This is what keeps us feeling young at heart and fired up to enjoy every minute on this Earth,' he said.

Sir David will make the journey in The Torabhaig Atlantic Explorer balloon with two long-time friends  American balloon manufacturer Bert Padelt, 62, and 72-year-old Swiss scientist and entrepreneur Dr Frederik Paulsen.

Sir David Hempleman-Adams (pictured), 66, will attempt the first flight across the Atlantic in an open basket hydrogen gas balloon next month

Sir Hempleman-Adams will be joined by American balloon manufacturer Bert Padelt, 62, and Swiss scientist and entrepreneur Dr Frederik Paulsen, 72, as they attempt the first hydrogen open basket gas balloon crossing of the Atlantic

British explorer David Hempleman-Adams will set-off next month

They will start in the north-eastern US state of Maine, flying at an altitude of 6,000 to 8,000 feet over Newfoundland, Canada, across the Atlantic and landing in Europe.

If successful, it will be the first Atlantic crossing in a hydrogen balloon and may mark the longest distance covered in this type of balloon.

Sir David will also become the only person to have flown across the Atlantic three times in an open basket balloon.

He first achieved the feat in 2003 and completed it again in 2007.

The crew, with a combined age of more than 200, could also be the oldest people to cross the Atlantic in an open basket gas balloon.

The challenge is expected to take four to five days  and will also involve collecting air samples as part of a scientific study

Sir David Hempleman-Adams, 66, was the first person to complete the Adventurers' Grand Slam  climbing the highest peak on each continent, including Everest and Kilimanjaro, and reaching the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles

If successful, it will be the first Atlantic crossing in a hydrogen balloon and may mark the longest distance covered in this type of balloon

The explorer, from Wiltshire, said he and his crew are becoming 'more adventurous with age'.

Sir David added: 'People think we're kind of crazy to be doing this but it really does make you feel alive to be pushing the boundaries and seeing just what is possible at any age.'

During the journey, the team will collect air samples for a new study supported by biological data company Basecamp Research.

It is hoped that these samples will help to uncover new microbes that could lead to the discovery of natural proteins, which could then be used to develop new products such as medicines, biofuels or bioplastics.
Tensions broke out within Labour yesterday over claims that Angela Rayner was trying to bounce Sir Keir Starmer into guaranteeing she would be his number two in Government.

The claims came after the party's deputy leader brushed aside talk of a possible change of role in a reshuffle by declaring: 'I will be the Deputy Prime Minister.'

An insider told The Mail on Sunday: 'Sounds like Angela is bouncing  or trying to bounce  Keir into giving her that formal title.'

The party is desperate to avoid looking as if it is complacent about winning the next election and 'measuring the No10 curtains', despite a poll lead over the Tories.

Shadow Ministers expect Labour leader Sir Keir to carry out a delayed reshuffle of his top team next month.

An insider told The Mail on Sunday: 'Sounds like Angela is bouncing  or trying to bounce  Keir into giving her that formal title'

Shadow Ministers expect Labour leader Sir Keir to carry out a delayed reshuffle of his top team next month

Ms Rayner was asked to comment last week on talk that Sir Keir would trim her wide-ranging brief as Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and spokesperson on the future of work.

She told the BBC: 'The important thing is that I will be the Deputy Prime Minister and I will be the deputy leader of the Labour Party, so actually the important job is around supporting Keir as the leader.

To me, the important job is getting into government and then delivering, and wherever that is and however I use my skills within that, I am happy to do that.'

Ms Rayner, who was elected deputy leader by party members, added: 'It is an absolute honour and a privilege to be an MP for my constituency, and to be on the front bench, and to do the job I am doing.'

She added: 'And to be His Majesty's Government would be an incredible honour.'

Over two years ago, Sir Keir sacked Ms Rayner as party chairman after the shock loss of Hartlepool in a by-election, but in a botched reshuffle he was forced to give her several Shadow Cabinet responsibilities.

But last night, sources close to Sir Keir pointed out that he had already made it clear that she would be Deputy Prime Minister in government, having described her as a 'fantastic and formidable woman' and a 'brilliant politician'.

A spokesman for Sir Keir said: 'Keir's relentless focus has taken us from the doldrums in 2019 to a government in waiting.

'Speculation over government roles proves how far we've come with Keir's leadership.

'Look at what he's achieved in three years and you get a glimpse of how his ruthless determination to deliver for working people will give Britain its future back.'
The Biden administration is quietly selling off parts of Donald Trump's border wall to try to thwart Republicans who want to force it to be extended.

A website called GovPlanet, which offers online auctions for military surplus, listed hundreds of unused parts of the southern barrier in recent months.

Since April 81 steel square structural tubes - which would have been used within the wall's 30ft panels - have been sold for a profit of $2million.

On Tuesday officials sold over 700 28ft hollow beams in five separate lots for $212 each. Over a dozen are also up for grabs at auctions over the next two Tuesdays.

It comes despite the Democrat-led Senate voting through part of a Republican-sponsored bill that would bring about extending the wall.

Meanwhile most Americans support completing it, according to a DailyMail.com/TIPP poll that shows broad support for the Trump policy.

The Biden administration has used a site called GovPlanet, which offers online auctions for military surplus

They've already sold 81 lots of steel square structural tubes which would be used within the wall's 30-foot panels at a total profit of $2 million

Joe Biden walks with U.S. Border Patrol agents along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas in January

Some Republicans accused President Biden of rushing to sell the materials before the GOP-led House could pass a matching version of the Senate bill.

'President Biden cannot get away with subverting Congress work on this  he must put the border materials to use,' said. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Adverts for the auctions were posted on the Gov Planet website over the past week showing the huge steel structures on the ground.

One listing had 162 nucor tubes on the market for $29,000, which the site later updated to having been sold.

The listings had a series of photographs showing the measurements of the items for sale and images of them scattered about near the southern border.

It comes as Biden is under fire from Republicans for avoiding the southern border while on official travel last week to border states Arizona and New Mexico.

The president's stop in Arizona coincided with a border field hearing put on by House Oversight Committee Republicans in the same state - in Cochise County.

The GOP lawmakers slammed their Democratic colleagues for refusing to participate and also criticized the administration's inaction on the border crisis.

Months after Biden brought in new immigration policies they said would reduce the number of migrant crossings, last month the surge saw signs of returning.

President Joe Biden is under fire from Republicans for avoiding the southern border while on official travel this week to border states Arizona and New Mexico. The president is pictured visiting the Grand Canyon on Tuesday

Migrants try to cross the border between Mexico and Eagle Pass, Texas, on August 4, 2023

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., opened the hearing by stating that 'none of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have decided to join us today, despite an open invitation to participate.

'You cannot know what is going on at the southern border unless you've been here and talked to the people who live it,' the subcommittee chairman continued.

'While [President Biden] is also currently in Arizona, securing our border is once again at the bottom of his priorities. It remains at the top of mine,' tweeted Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who shared a video of himself closing the border wall gate.

'More helicopter 'leadership' from President Biden,' tweeted Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. 'Visiting Arizona and New Mexico and yet no time for a visit to the border crisis he created.'

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told Republicans during the hearing cartels are using social media to recruit Americans, including teens, to become 'getaway drivers.'

Several of the lawmakers accompanied Sheriff Dannels to survey the border wall in the sector that sees a 'disproportionate amount of the illicit fentanyl' enter the U.S.

Another main issue in Cochise County is the high number of 'military-aged men dressed in camo crossing in the dead of night,' say Republicans.

While @POTUS is also currently in Arizona, securing our border is once again at the bottom of his priorities. It remains at the top of mine. #nc11 #ncpol pic.twitter.com/mpDwj5xhJj  Congressman Chuck Edwards (@RepEdwards) August 8, 2023

Migrants walk past large buoys being used as a floating border barrier on the Rio Grande Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023

They do not willingly turn themselves in to authorities and therefore put law enforcement at risk during high-speed chases.

The hearing also occurred following reports Tuesday morning that heavily armed Mexican cartel members crossed the border into Texas - and have yet to be apprehended.

Biden's trip to the border states also comes as over 6,000 illegal migrants were apprehended by the Border Patrol Tuesday in the Tucson, RGV and Del Rio sectors.

In addition, Border Patrol is holding migrants in an outdoor cage in the Arizona desert as officers try to cope with the surge of people crossing illegally from Mexico.

DailyMail.com pictures show people crammed onto narrow benches as they seek out shade to protect them from the burning sun in a region where temperatures cam hit over 113F.

The site is in the remote desert, about two hours west of Tucson, Arizona. The area is at the heart of a surge in migrant arrivals, undermining Biden administration hopes that its new immigration restrictions are having an impact.

The Republicans seeking their party's nomination in an attempt to replace Biden who once eschewed the border wall have now embraced it.

They include one-time skeptics former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

Former President Trump's wall that would attempt to slow illegal migration from Mexico to the US has always been controversial  not least when Trump first floated the idea during his 2016 presidential election campaign

The move could be seen as an attempt to slow attempts to extend the wall, which the Democrat-led Senate voted to do as part of a Republican-sponsored bill in the annual defense appropriations bill

Completing the wall is front and center of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' 'no excuses' plan to get non-legal immigration under control.

For Vivek Ramaswamy, the third-placed Republican hopeful, the wall is 'not enough,' he told Fox News.

As president, he would bolster the barricades with US military personnel fighting the cartels, drug smugglers and people traffickers.

Meanwhile, Trump, by far the party's front-runner, says he always had the right border security strategy.

At a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, last month, he trumpeted the 'nearly 500 miles of border wall' erected during his administration.

Trump's numbers are disputed  PolitiFact says he only added 52 miles of new wall, and merely upgraded or reinforced 458 miles of barrier.

But our survey of nearly 1,400 US adults shows why most Republican candidates have wall-building in their manifestos  it's almost universally popular among the GOP base.

Republican presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, says wall-building is part of his tough 'no excuses' immigration policy

Even a third of Democrats want to see a barrier from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean

Once seen as extreme, the border wall is now a mainstream policy for US voters

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley at the border. She once dismissed the wall, but now says the US should 'finish what we started'

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this summer unveiled his own floating addition to border security

Fully 87 percent approve of more construction along the nearly 2,000-mile US-Mexico border.

Even a third of Democratic voters want the barricade finished  a sign that fears of unchecked immigration cross partisan lines and will likely play a key role in the 2024 election.

Illegal crossings along the US southern border jumped more than 30 percent in July, according to US Customs and Border Protection data obtained by The Washington Post earlier this month.

The more than 130,000 arrests at the frontier last month marked an uptick from 99,545 in June  a blow to President Joe Biden's new immigration strategy introduced as pandemic-era enforcement rules lapsed.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams' office this week warned that the number of people coming to the city is still rising.

The Democratic mayor says more than 100,000 have arrived in the city, racking up a more than $12 billion bill for providing food, shelter and other services.
U.S. President Joe Biden looks on as South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a joint news conference at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18. AP-Yonhap





The agreements reached at a trilateral summit between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States Friday will heighten the countries' three-way cooperation to new levels just short of forming a formal alliance, according to U.S. experts.







South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to consult swiftly with one another when any of their three countries face regional challenges, provocations or threats during their historic three-way summit held at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.







Biden said the leaders have also agreed to elevate the countries' defense collaboration by conducting "annual multi-domain military exercises" that will bring their trilateral defense cooperation to "unprecedented levels."







Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a think tank based in Washington, said the countries may be unable to call it a formal alliance but that it certainly sounds like one.







"I know that for political reasons they cannot talk about a trilateral alliance. But if you look at all of the new high-level trilateral meetings set up from the president down to the cabinet-level and the range of issues they cover, it almost looks like they are reproducing what they do bilaterally with each country to a trilateral format," he told Yonhap News Agency in an email.







"They may not call it a trilateral alliance. But it sure has the aroma of one," added Cha.







Andrew Yeo, a professor of politics from the Catholic University of America, nearly agreed, saying the U.S. may not be interested in building a new treaty alliance but a "robust partnership" that will serve the same purpose.







"The U.S. has moved away from the post-1945 alliance model of setting up mutual defense treaties to creating alliance structures that are more flexible and resilient," said Yeo, who is also a senior fellow at the Brooking Institution, a nonprofit organization based in Washington.







"I do not think the U.S. (nor its allies) are interested in creating an Asian NATO. Rather, they want to build a robust partnership that also overlap and engage other existing bilateral, trilateral, and mini-lateral groupings to address threats from China and North Korea," he added.







One of the key accomplishments of the trilateral summit was a commitment to consult trilaterally and to coordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations and threats facing any of the three countries, which U.S. officials said will further cement the countries' three-way cooperation for years to come.







The new commitments by the leaders could well be reversed by subsequent administrations in their home countries, but it would be difficult to do so, the experts noted.







"All statements, including a legally binding international treaty can be breached. However, the "commitment to consult" reflects the political will of the three governments with the expectation that future governments will also adhere to this commitment," Yeo said.







"Holding regularly, frequent meetings across various agencies can help institutionalize relations which can increase the chance of U.S.-Japan-Korea trilateral commitments to extend longer term," he added.







Cha noted the scope of trilateral dialogue the countries will be engaged in.







"I think that the creation of a suite of regular trilaterals at the cabinet-level, including foreign ministers, defense, commerce, national security advisors, as well as leader-level summits on a portfolio of issues including defense exercises, missile defense, intel-sharing, economic security, supply chains, cyber, AI, etc. is a totality of commitment to trilateralism that is historic and should be able to last into future administrations," he said.







Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, highlighted the speed with which the countries seek to implement their new commitments.







"All the actions taken at Camp David face potential reversal by subsequent administrations. That is why the three leaders are attempting to make rapid, extensive progress on enhancing trilateral cooperation and institutionalizing its implementation so that it is more difficult or less advantageous for subsequent administrations to reverse the progress," he said. (Yonhap)






Sir Keir Starmer could be called as a witness in a public inquiry into how an innocent man spent 17 years in jail for rape, well-placed sources have said.

The Labour leader would be asked to answer questions as the ex-Director of Public Prosecutions in an investigation into how Andrew Malkinson stayed in jail despite DNA evidence emerging that would have exonerated him.

The role of the Crown Prosecution Service, which is headed by the DPP, in the case has come under scrutiny after a log of a 2009 meeting emerged which revealed it was aware of the potential enormity of the discovery.

The Mail on Sunday understands Ministers are discussing the possibility of launching a inquiry into the case of Mr Malkinson, described as one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice.

While there has been no suggestion Sir Keir was directly involved in the case, a source with knowledge of the discussions said they expected him, and his predecessor Lord Macdonald, to be called to give evidence if the inquiry gets the green light.

The Mail on Sunday understands Ministers are discussing the possibility of launching a inquiry into the case of Mr Malkinson, described as one of Britain's worst miscarriages of justice

Sir Keir Starmer could be called as a witness in a public inquiry into how an innocent man spent 17 years in jail for rape, well-placed sources have said

MPs have said an inquiry should take no more than six months, raising the prospect that Sir Keir may have to appear before it in the run-up to a general election.

Mr Malkinson, 57, was jailed for life after being convicted of rape in Salford in 2004. He was released in 2020 and exonerated by the Court of Appeal last month.

Sir Keir was DPP from 2008 to 2013. Last week the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the miscarriages of justice watchdog, said it will review its role after it emerged Mr Malkinson had to make three applications to it before it referred his case to the Court of Appeal.

Former Solicitor General Lord Garnier and former Justice Secretary Sir Robert Buckland are among senior figures who have called for an independent public inquiry.

Sir Robert said: 'We have heard from one former DPP, Lord Macdonald, so we are all interested to know the view of the DPP who came after.' He said of an inquiry: 'It is a review of the file and all the documents, I don't think this needs to take long at all.' Sir Robert said an inquiry is needed to repair confidence in the justice system.

He added: 'All it takes is one bad case like this to undermine the good work being done by police and prosecutors every day.' A well-placed source said an inquiry would likely conclude 'sooner rather than later'.

A Labour Party spokesman said: 'Mr Malkinson was prosecuted before Keir Starmer was DPP. The case didn't ever cross his desk.'

Asked about Sir Keir's views on the case, Labour pointed to Deputy Leader Angela Rayner's comment that 'we do need to get to the facts of what has happened'.
On July 31, Jeff went out on a mission and was killed in action

Jeff travelled to Ukraine twice to volunteer as part of Ukraine's foreign fighters

He raised him as his own and helped as he tried to find his place in the world

Howard Jones adopted his son Jeff when he was eight years old

Two lifechanging phone calls hold painstaking parallels for Howard Jones.

The heartbroken father said goodbye to his adopted son this week after the Army veteran was killed while fighting for Ukraine.

When Ministry of Defense officials told him the devastating news over the phone two weeks ago, Howard couldn't help be reminded of the call he took from social services at the beginning of his late son's life.

'You can almost say that that's the one phone call on the other end of his life. I got a phone call telling me he was killed an action,' Howard told DailyMail.com.

Jeff Jones, 48 from Maine, was killed on July 31 when he was hit by an explosive mortar shell in Bakhmut, an eastern part of Ukraine, mostly occupied by Russians.

Jeff Jones, 48, died in Ukraine on July 31 after being struck by mortar's explosive shell

Howard says he was proud of his son and supported his ambitions (the pair are pictured together)

Jeff Jones was adopted by Howard and his wife Earline

Howard adopted his son when he was just eight years old after Jeff's mother was deemed unfit to care for him.

'Jeff kind of came into the world in a violent way and he obviously went out in a violent way. It's kind of ironic,' he said.

He had been born in Maine and grew up in the slums of Lewiston with his mom who lived with significant mental heath issues.

His biological father, Howard's brother-in-law, walked out when he was just six months old.

Jeff played with a lot of 'rougher kids' but quickly learned how to defend himself mentally and physically.

When he was five years old, his mum was committed to a mental health facility and Jeff was sent to live with relatives while she recovered for more than a year.

She was eventually released and they lived together once again, wandering the streets of Cambridge and Boston.

When the pair were picked up by police, they refused to reveal any information about their identities.

'He stuck to it, he did not say anything about who he knew or where he was from,' Howard said.

It was decided Jeff wasn't safe in her care and he was put into foster care for about six months.

At some point, authorities were able to link him to Howard and Earline.

'I got a phone call from social services telling us "we found Jeff". We didn't know where he was. They had just disappeared. Did not communicate with any of the family,' Howard explained.

As a young boy, Jeff dreamed of joining the army

He completed his basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia (pictured with Earline and Howard)

Jeff was trained as a parashooter after joining the Army Airborne Division

He enjoyed travelling and started thinking about helping Ukraine while in Poland

'We went down, picked him up, did all the necessary paperwork to take them over as a foster child and within about two years, we adopted him.'

Jeff graduated from high school and took up a job for two years before joining the army, completing his basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia.

He was trained to parachute after joining the Army Airborne Division, jumping out of airplanes until knee problems disqualified in his early twenties from the service, Howard says.

'His lifetime goal to join a military and serve as a career was just shattered,' Howard says.

Jeff eventually married and the couple had a son but they separated when the boy was a child.

His adoptive mom Earline passed away in 2007 from breast cancer after a very brave and determined fight.

Jeff spent time working in Boston for a number of years, before moving close to his dad in Columbia, South Carolina, and then to California

In 2019, Jeff returned to Maine, and lived in Westbrook, working at a facility that made Covid test kits.

After a year-and-a-half, he began travelling for six weeks, visiting friends in Poland prior to the Ukraine war.

He returned to Maine, worked another job, before moving to Perry, Georgia, at the beginning of the Russian invasion.

'For three months, all he talked about was going over and volunteering, fighting against the Russians. He was very determined to go,' Howard says.

'I helped him but I would not fund him directly. I told him, "I don't want to be haunted by your mother".

He joined the American Ukrainian Aid Foundation in Poland

Eventually he was able to sign up as a foreign fighter

'My focus was on convincing him to do humanitarian work.'

He went over to Europe in March of 2022, ending up with a friend in Krakow, Poland, and accepted a volunteer position at train stations where refugees were coming in.

'Jeff helped direct everybody, all the families, where they needed to go next in order to go through immigration and continue their path wherever they were going in the world.

'Unfortunately, that wasn't very challenging. So he decided he was going to go Lviv in Ukraine where he met up with a group of people, primarily medics, who had a team and were creating a new team to medic team to, not join the Ukrainian army, but be volunteers accepted by the Ukrainian army, to go to the front and help treat injured Ukrainian soldiers and recover bodies.'

Jeff was trained to help with triage in the field and his primary function was to guard the medics and the injured troops.

During that time, Ukraine was training new recruits but with limited resources.

Howard claims the medic teams would train the new recruits and became friends with a group of people who died by a Russian missile.

'Jeff's group had to go in and retrieve the bodies. I don't know how many cases of injuries they've treated, but they had to help support that,' he says.

One day, while out on a patrol, Jeff's group were barraged by artillery and they were forced to take shelter behind a building which was struck by a shell.

A cement wall collapsed and landed on Jeff, putting him in a local hospital for five days.

'He was saved by his helmet,' Howard says.

When he got out of the hospital, he decided he wanted to come home and Howard helped him with funds to return to Georgia.

Jeff's body was retrieved from the battle zone

But once he got back, almost straight away, Jeff started talking about another trip to Ukraine.

'The same started over again,' he said.

'I tried to convince him to get EMT training in Georgia and serve as an EMT which I thought would be fulfilling but he did not express enough interest to go.

'What he did was he got over to Poland and he joined the American Ukrainian Foundation. They were getting supplies from all over the world.

'He worked with them for about four weeks. We had a lot of correspondence during that time.'

'When they were making a delivery, he got somewhat close to the front by Kyiv, I believe, where he made connections with the Ministry of Defense and signed up for the Ukrainian Army, as a foreign fighter.

'He did a lot of trainings with foreign fighters, some of which had no military experience at all.'

Jeff kept in touch with Howard but was used him going silent for about a week at a time.

On July 31, Jeff had returned from a fire fight and sent a message to Howard saying that he had volunteered to go out on a mission that all the other groups of people were afraid to go on.

'He said he would tell us when he got back,' Howard.

'I messaged him, never got a reply back. Less than four hours later, I got a call from a person who he had befriended saying that he was killed in action.'

The Ministry of Defence for Ukraine held a ceremony acknowledging Jeff's death this week

His photo sat in the middle of a table with his name, birthdate and date of death printed onto a wooden box

His ashes are expected to return to Bangor International Airport in September

While shocked and overwhelmed with sadness, Howard says the news didn't come as a shock after preparing himself for the worst.

'Within an five or six hours that hearing that he was alive, I got unconfirmed information from the embassy he was killed.'

Four days later, he got the call from the US Embassy to say Jeff's death was confirmed from the Ministry of Defense in Ukraine.

'When I heard that was done, I wasn't necessarily surprised. He volunteered he was a risk taker. He was protective of the group of people he was with.'

Jeff's body was retrieved from the battle zone and his ashes are expected to return to Bangor International Airport in September.

This week the Ministry of Defence for Ukraine held a ceremony to acknowledge Jeff and his service. His photo sat in the middle of a table with his name, birthdate and date of death printed onto a wooden box.

Howard is proud of his son and hopes people understand why it was so important to his son to try and make a difference.

'He told many people and he realized how risky it was, and he was willing to sacrifice himself.

'He wanted to bring meaning to his life.'
A new drone which flies almost silently without wings or propellers has raised questions about how many supposed UFO sightings might actually be man-made craft.

The Silent Ventus drone, made by Florida-based start-up Undefined Technologies, uses ion propulsion, with electrodes ionizing the air to generate thrust, and flies incredibly quietly.

It can also hover in the air against winds - a feature of many UFO sightings by military personnel.

DailyMail.com spoke to two drone experts on how many UFO sightings might be down to advanced technologies such as these so-called 'floating' drones.

The hi-tech drones may possibly explain sightings such as the famous 'Tic Tac' drone sighting, where pilots spotted a craft resembling the breath mint performing impossible maneuvers during a training mission with the USS Nimitz off the Southern California coast in 2004.

Undefined Technologies' claim that its ion-propelled eVTOL drone generates 150% more thrust than rivals (Undefined Technologies)

The company hopes to achieve a 15-minute flight this year and believes the drone could be used for 'last mile' deliveries (Undefined Technologies)

Undefined Technologies' claim that its ion-propelled eVTOL drone generates 150 percent more thrust than rivals.

The company hopes to demonstrate a 15-minute flight with noise levels below 70dB this year - ion drives are widely used in satellites and spacecraft, but less common on Earth.

'The Undefined Technologies' 'silent' drone gives the impression it is flying through the air without visible or audible propulsion,' said drone expert Dr. Shaun Passley, CEO and Founder of Zenadrone.

Passley said that advanced drone technologies such as ion propulsion, 'morphing' drones and drones with ranges of several hundred miles may be behind many UFO sightings.

Some modern drones can perform maneuvers that could easily be mistaken for advanced propulsion systems, said Passley.

Passley said: 'Drones have high-speed and agile flight. Some drones can fly at speeds of up to 200 mph and perform acrobatic maneuvers that defy gravity.

'These drones can also change direction quickly and hover in place, making them look like they have advanced propulsion systems.

drone expert Dr. Shaun Passley, CEO and Founder of Zenadrone (Zenadrone)

U.S. pilots encountered an object they said was similar to a Tic Tac breath mint (DOD)

Passley said, 'Modern drones are capable of performing various tasks and functions that can make them appear as UAPs or UFOs to the untrained eye, including drones that are designed to be stealthy and avoid detection by radar, infrared, or visual sensors.

'These drones can also use adaptive materials or coatings to blend in with the background or mimic other objects, such as birds or balloons.

Other drones can 'change shape' in flight by unfolding wings, arms or propellers, including the EPFL FlyJacket, the MIT Dragon, and the NASA Puffin, said Passley.

Pentagon officials believe that at least some of the 144 UFO sightings discussed in a recent report are due to drones used for surveillance by China, the New York Times reported.

Verge Aero, a company that specializes in drone swarm technology, showed off in a History Channel show how drones could create complex shapes and patterns which could be mistaken for UFOs.

There is a long history of unmanned craft and spy craft being mistaken for extraterrestrials, said Dr Ajaz Ali, course director in Computer Science at Ravensbourne University.

Verge Aero worked on a History Channel episode where they demonstrated how drones could fool people into believing they have seen UFOs (Verge Aero)

The Pentagon recently declassified several videos of alleged UFO encounters (DOD)

The U2 spy plane was linked to a series of UFO sightings (Getty)

Ali said: 'Countries such as the US and Soviet Union have been experimenting with such technologies since mid-20th century, during the Cold War.

'These countries embarked on secretive experiments involving high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft such as the infamous U-2 spy plane.

Since people were not familiar with developments in flying technologies, these military missions and sights of objects that seemed to defy conventional aviation norms, contributed to the UFO lore.

The development of VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) drones or planes added to the reports of UFO sightings.

Covert drone activities have contributed to UFO sightings and narratives around extraterrestrial visits, said Ali.

'In 2013, the release of a declassified CIA report detailed the U-2's reconnaissance missions during the 1950s and 1960s links well between secret aerial operations and UFO sightings.

'This revelation highlighted how covert drone activities can unwittingly contribute to the creation of UFO narratives.

'Fast forward to the present, where drones have permeated civilian and commercial spaces.

'From miniature quadcopters that you can fly indoors to sophisticated fixed-wing UAVs, their shapes and sizes vary widely, often resembling the very 'flying saucers' and strange aerial phenomena that have fuelled UFO reports for decades.
With NASA aiming to return humans to the moon later this decade and perhaps send people to Mars in the 2030s, a lot of thought will have to go into how humans might survive long-distance space travel.

But what if the unthinkable happens and someone dies?

In six decades of human spaceflight a total of 20 people have perished - 14 in NASA's space shuttle tragedies of 1986 and 2003, three cosmonauts during the 1971 Soyuz 11 mission, and three astronauts in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in 1967.

However, none of those were actually killed in space itself.

NASA does not have set protocols for dealing with death in space, but researchers around the world have put forward how such a tragedy could be dealt with.

NASA does not have set protocols for dealing with death in space, but researchers around the world have put forward how such a tragedy could be dealt with

WAYS MARS CAN KILL 1. Astronauts could die from radiation while traveling to Mars and after landing on the Red Planet 2. The spacecraft could crash while attempting to land on Mars 3. Mars' low gravity can cause medical issues such as bone loss 4. An astronaut's suit could tear while they are exploring Mars, which would end with them suffocating due to a lack of oxygen 5. The Martian soil contains high concentrations of salts that can damage the human body 6. Astronauts could be killed by fellow crew mates who go crazy on Mars Advertisement

First of all, it's important to point out that there's a number of ways space can kill you.

Chief among them is being exposed to the vacuum of space without a pressurised suit as protection, perhaps because of damage to the garment or some unexpected failure with a spacecraft that leaves an astronaut exposed to the cosmos.

Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS) Chris Hadfield gives an example.

'In the worst case scenario, something happens during a spacewalk,' he said.

'You could suddenly be struck by a micro-meteorite, and there's nothing you can do about that.

'It could puncture a hole in your suit, and within a few seconds you're incapacitated.'

Being exposed to the vacuum of space would make it impossible for a person to breathe and would lead to the boiling of their blood and other bodily fluids, according to Emmanuel Urquieta, a professor of space medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine.

The astronaut would probably have just 15 seconds before they lost consciousness, making asphyxiation or decompression the most likely cause of death.

That's because in around 10 seconds the water in their skin and blood would vaporise, causing the body to expand like a balloon being filled with air and lead to the collapse of their lungs.

Within 30 seconds the astronaut would be paralysed, if not already dead.

Whether or not you held your breath would also make a difference to how quickly you perished.

Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield (pictured) gave an example of how a death could occur in space. 'You could suddenly be struck by a micro-meteorite, and there's nothing you can do about that. It could puncture a hole in your suit, and within a few seconds you're incapacitated,' he said.

Being exposed to the vacuum of space would make it impossible for a person to breathe and would lead to the boiling of their blood and other bodily fluids, according to Emmanuel Urquieta, a professor of space medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine

If you did, the air in your lungs would expand, rupture your lungs, and kill you pretty quickly. If you didn't, you could remain conscious for up to two minutes.

So if the worst happened, what would then happen to the body?

Well, it wouldn't freeze instantly.

In a vacuum, the only way to lose heat is by the evaporation of fluid or by radiation, which happens very slowly for a relatively cool object like a human body.

Eventually, however, it would enter a frozen, mummified state where it would then sail through the cosmos for millions of years until it perhaps one day encountered another planet or star and was destroyed by the heat or radiation.

What if your body could be recovered, however?

Experts say it would likely be brought back to Earth if a death occurred on a short mission to places like the ISS or the moon.

But on a round trip to Mars that would not be immediately possible because a crew might be millions of miles away when it happened.

Instead, the body could possibly be frozen in the cold of space to reduce its weight and make it easier to store on its way back to our planet, according to Professor Christopher Newman and Professor Nick Caplan of Northumbria University.

Or it would have to be preserved in a specialised body bag, according to Professor Urquieta.

NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets with Earth microbes. An astronaut would not be able to be buried on Mars if they died there, researchers suggest

He said cremation would not be possible on the Red Planet because it 'requires too much energy that the surviving crew needs for other purposes'.

Burial also isn't an option because of bacteria and other organisms from the human remains could contaminate Mars.

NASA actually has strict laws about contaminating other planets with Earth microbes, according to Catherine Conley of NASA's Office of Planetary Protection.

She said they would all have to be killed, which brings cremation back into play, but the most likely outcome would be to preserve the body on the spacecraft until it could be brought back to Earth.

So how would a death on Mars or the moon differ to it happening en-route to such a destination?

Well, it would be a very similar outcome if an astronaut had no spacesuit to protect them.

That's because our lunar satellite has almost no atmosphere at all and Mars a very thin one with next to no oxygen.

There's also the danger of radiation.

Previous data of the Red Plant suggests it is hit with 700 times the radiation experienced on Earth.

Radiation can alter the cardiovascular system, damaging the heart, harden and narrow arteries, or eliminate some of the cells in linings of the blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease and maybe end with death.

All of these factors will have to be considered if and when any future human mission to Mars is attempted.

For now, however, NASA is focusing on returning human boots to the moon by 2025 as part of its Artemis programme.
America's jet-setting, climate gala-attending elites appear to be responsible for 40 percent of the carbon emissions fueling climate change, despite their calls for climate activism.

In fact, just 15 days of income for a household in the top 0.1 percent, those earning over $3.2million per year, generates as much carbon pollution as an entire lifetime of income earned by a household from the bottom 10 percent, those earning $15,700 or less per year, a new study has found.

The findings follow years of criticism directed at wealthy climate activists and celebrity environmentalists  including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, director Steven Spielberg, A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and many others  for their outsized carbon footprints.

Last summer, pop icon Taylor Swift was named the 'biggest celebrity CO2 polluter of the year' following a study that found the musician had taken 170 private jet flights between just the months of January and July 2022 alone.

Bill Gates boards a private jet at Gillette-Campbell County Airport in Gillette, Wyoming in 2010. Gates has been accused of hypocrisy after entering a bid to buy the world's largest private jet operator, just one month before he released a book preaching about climate change

The new study, led by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, found the wealthiest Americans, whose income puts them up among the top 10% of earners, have fueled climate change in no small measure due to their passive stock investments in fossil fuels

The study's authors, led by a team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recommend implementing a new 'shareholder-based carbon tax' focused on the wealthy's fossil fuel investments as a solution to the climate hypocrisy.

'This research gives us insight into the way that income and investments obscure emissions responsibility,' said the study's lead author Jared Starr, a sustainability scientist with UMass Amherst's Department of Environmental Conservation.

Past models for how to curb carbon, Starr noted, have tended to focus on 'carbon tax' initiatives that target personal consumption, which can unfairly penalize blue-collar workers like truck drivers who must burn gas to make their living.

'Consumption-based approaches to limiting greenhouse gas emissions are regressive,' Starr said. 'They disproportionately punish the poor while having little impact on the extremely wealthy, who tend to save and invest a large share of their income.'

Working in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Starr's UMass team pooled together 30 years of data, including over 2.8 billion inter-industry financial transfers obtained from the Eora MRIO database.

That data helped Starr and his team differentiate between two categories of greenhouse gas emissions that could be tied to passive investment income.

The first they called 'supplier-based emissions,' meaning the emissions that result from fossil fuel companies themselves and the profits they generate for their investors through the sale of oil, natural gas, and other hydrocarbon fuels.

The second they called 'producer-based emissions,' meaning emissions linked directly to the operation of a publicly traded, shareholder-owned business, like a coal-fired power plant.

Starr's group was then able to compare that industrial financial data to a second database, the University of Minnesota's Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), which houses demographic and income information on more than 5 million US citizens.

The IPUMS data helped determined how many Americans were making money from wages and salaries compared to investment income, and the mixed demographics in between who earn money from both.

'An income-based lens helps us focus in on exactly who is profiting the most from climate-changing carbon pollution, and design policies to shift their behavior,' according to Starr, who published the new study in PLOS Climate Thursday.

Private jets lined up at an air field in Sun Valley, Idaho back in July 2021, where climate change talks were held during the annual Sun Valley conference, nicknamed 'billionaire summer camp'

The authors hope their findings will redirect some environmental policy attention away from micromanaging ordinary people's consumption habits, such as pushing to substitute red meat for plant-based proteins or incentivizing upgrades to potentially overpriced electric vehicles.

'Consumption-based approaches miss something important,' Starr said, 'carbon pollution generates income, but when that income is reinvested into stocks, rather than spent on necessities, it isn't subject to a consumption-based carbon tax.'

A carbon tax policy focused on those who profit from carbon emissions  via their stock holdings in fossil fuels or other energy-intensive industries  would not only be more fair, but could be more likely to bring down global temperatures.

And it could also help finance needed government efforts to tackle climate change, the researchers argue.

'Imagine how quickly corporate executives, board members and large shareholders would decarbonize their industries if we made it in their financial interest to do so,' Starr said.

'The tax revenue gained could help the nation invest substantially in decarbonization efforts.'
Advertisement

If youre planning a European escape this summer, you might be wondering how you can make a good impression on the locals.

Its clearly a top priority for travellers  this year, there has been a 52 per cent increase in Google searches for what is offensive in Europe.

But worry not. Help is at hand via language app Preply, which has created a European Etiquette Guide to help you brush up on European customs ahead of your jaunt.

In composing the guide, the language site surveyed 1,600 Europeans, asking them questions about everything from the do's and donts of greeting people to whether you should remove your shoes in someones home. The results of the survey are illustrated below in a series of colour-coded maps - the blue-coloured countries didn't produce enough data to contribute to the survey results. Scroll down to see how you should behave on your next European getaway...

IN EUROPE, DO YOU REALLY GIVE TWO KISSES ON THE CHEEK TO SAY HELLO?

Language app Preply conducted a survey to investigate European customs and to see how you can avoid offending locals on your next trip to Europe. Residents of 23 countries said that they would only give two kisses on the cheeks when saying hello if it was initiated by the other person

Residents in Slovenia, Estonia, Denmark, and Sweden voted that they would never greet someone with two kisses

Preply notes that kissing on the cheeks is a greeting etiquette thats famously associated with Europe.

However, residents of 23 out of the 27 countries surveyed said they would only give two kisses on the cheeks when saying hello if it was initiated by the other person.

If you're thinking of holidaying in Slovenia, Estonia, Denmark, and Sweden, take note - those dwelling in these four countries said they would never greet someone with two kisses.

Preply notes that Covid-19 may play a part in the decline' of this cheek-kissing custom, 'as people have become more aware of the potential risks of close contact.

WHAT IS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF GREETING SOMEONE?

The best way to greet someone in Latvia and Denmark, the survey found, was by giving them a hug

Across Europe, the majority of people voted that shaking hands is the most appropriate way to greet people  residents of 21 countries feel this way.

Latvia and Denmark, meanwhile, are the only two countries where the majority vote was for hugging.

WHO SHOULD PAY THE BILL AT DINNER IN EUROPE?

Generally, the survey found that in Europe, you only need to offer to pay the bill if it is a special occasion

Residents of Ireland, Hungary and Cyprus - said that they would always offer to pay the bill when out for dinner with friends

Preply notes that Europe is known for its incredible cuisine, so going out for dinner is top of many people's to-do lists on a European jaunt. However, the task of figuring out how to pay the bill can be tricky, the language app says.

Generally, the survey found that in Europe, you only need to offer to pay the bill if it is a special occasion, or if you had invited everyone. A huge majority of 24 countries chose this answer.

Meanwhile, residents of three countries  Ireland, Hungary and Cyprus - said that they would always offer to pay the bill.

WOULD A EUROPEAN TAKE THEIR SHOES OFF WHEN ENTERING SOMEONE'S HOUSE?

In Spain, Italy and Portugal, the majority of residents prefer to keep their shoes on when visiting a friend's house

Residents of 21 of the countries surveyed answered that they would always take their shoes off when visiting somebody elses home

As a visitor, taking your shoes off at your hosts front door is a simple way to show respect to their home from the get-go, says Preply. It adds that removing shoes means you avoid treading dirt into the carpet and shows 'that you are relaxed in your hosts presence and comfortable in their home.

Residents of 21 of the countries surveyed  including the UK, Germany and France - answered that they would always take their shoes off when visiting somebody elses home.

Locals in Spain, Italy and Portugal, however, shared a different opinion, with the majority of residents preferring to keep their shoes on. Giving insight into why this is the case, Preply notes that in sunny locations, carpets, which can be hard to clean and easy to stain, are not as common as they are in places that need additional warmth, such as the UK.

WOULD A EUROPEAN TAKE A GIFT TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE WHEN YOU'VE BEEN INVITED OVER?

The survey found that 16 countries believe its common practice to bring a gift when invited over to a friends house

Finland is the only country where the majority said that they would never bring a gift when visiting a friend

The survey found that 16 countries believe its common practice to bring a gift when invited over to a friends house. However, in nine other countries, including Austria, the UK and Spain, the majority answered that they prefer to reserve gift-giving for special occasions.

Finland is the only country where the majority said that they would never bring a gift when visiting a friend.

Preply notes that the percentage of married people versus single people bringing gifts was 12 per cent higher, proving a combined income and encouragement from a partner makes this a much more feasible gesture.

It adds: The gift can typically be something small, such as a bottle of wine for you to enjoy together or a beautiful bouquet to display in their home.

DO YOU OFFER A DRINK OR SNACK TO YOUR GUESTS WHEN THEY COME TO YOUR HOUSE?

Residents of all 27 countries surveyed admitted they would present their guests with food or beverages when they drop by

Offering a guest a drink or a snack when they call over to your home is common practice across Europe, Preply has found.

In fact, residents of all 27 countries surveyed admitted that they would present their guests with food or beverages when they drop by.

WOULD YOU OFFER TO HELP WITH HOUSEHOLD CHORES WHEN VISITING A FRIEND'S HOUSE?

The survey found that locals in 21 countries, including the UK, Italy and Austria, would offer assistance with chores when visiting a friend's house

Germans were the only Europeans who said they would never offer to help with household chores when visiting a friend

Offering to help your host with household chores is a subject that divides Europe, the survey suggests.

It found that locals in 21 countries, including the UK, Italy and Austria, would offer assistance with chores when visiting a friend's house.

Germans were the only Europeans who said they would never offer their help, while residents of Finland, Lithuania, Czechia, Latvia and Slovenia admitted they'd give a helping hand only if asked to.

DO YOU FINISH YOUR FOOD WHEN YOU ARE EATING IN SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE?

Residents of every country surveyed said that they would always finish their food at a friend's house as a sign of respect to the host

When at someone elses house, finishing all of the food on your plate is considered a key factor of etiquette when eating, as it is a polite and a kind gesture towards the person who has cooked it, says Preply.

The countries surveyed were united in agreement when it comes to this dinner table etiquette - the majority in each location said that they would always finish their food as a sign of respect to their host.

The data showed that men were more likely to finish the entirety of their meals, with 82 per cent voting that they always finish their food, compared to 75 per cent of women.

DO YOU MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT WHEN IN A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE?

Locals in 24 countries believe you should always maintain eye contact when in conversation, the survey found

When speaking with locals at your vacation destination, your body language can make or break their impression of you and eye contact is a great place to start, Preply reveals.

The survey found that good eye contact is perceived as a sign of 'attentiveness and respect' in Europe, with locals in 24 countries revealing that they believe you should always maintain eye contact when in conversation.

If you are paying a visit to Estonia or Germany, you should know that locals in these countries are more lenient with the rule  residents said they would only maintain eye contact if the other person did also.

WHAT ARE EUROPEANS' TAKES ON BEING 'FASHIONABLY LATE'?

The survey found that residents of 23 countries  including Belgium, Ireland, and Turkey - agreed that its best to be punctual and arrive on time

If you have a social event planned for your trip, keep in mind that the time you arrive can leave a lasting impression on both the guests and hosts, says Preply.

The survey found that residents of 23 countries  including Belgium, Ireland and Turkey - agreed that its best to be punctual and arrive on time.

Four countries - Czechia, Germany, Poland and even the fashion capital, France - proudly declined the idea of being fashionably late and instead voted in favour of arriving early.

In fact, none of the countries voted that they would arrive late, showing that being early or on time is the best option when travelling in Europe.

The survey's full findings can be found at preply.com.
The rivalry between TV's biggest soaps has long been on par with the greatest in history, with shows on a mission to find ways to outdo each other in the ratings war.

And shows like Coronation Street and Emmerdale have come under fire in recent months for eery similarities in storylines, which hit screens just months apart.

Most recently, Corrie has been accused of 'copying' an EastEnders plot which has seen Stacey Slater turn to the raunchy OnlyFans-esque picture-sharing site to make extra money.

On the cobbles, Ryan Prescott, who plays Ryan Connor in the soap, has joined the world of online sex work and open up his own account on the adult site, after struggling with insecurities in the wake of his acid attack ordeal.

MailOnline takes a look at seven times soaps have been caught ripping off each other's storylines...

Drama: Corrie has been accused of 'copying' an EastEnders plot which has seen Stacey Slater turn to the raunchy OnlyFans-esque picture-sharing site

Controversial: On the cobbles, Ryan Prescott, who plays Ryan Connor in the soap, has joined the world of online sex work and open up his own account on the adult site

Diggers at war!

Shocking: Back in 2016, Phil Mitchell caused chaos in Albert Square when he hijacked a digger in an alcohol-induced haze

Back in 2016, Phil Mitchell caused chaos in Albert Square when he hijacked a digger in an alcohol-induced haze.

The soap hardman, who was battling alcohol addiction at the time, hit a devastating new low by vowing to destroy his car business and prevent his son Ben from getting his hands on his business empire.

Just week later on Emmerdale, a drunken Bernice White decided to destroy Home Farm by hijacking a machine of her own.

The furious wife was determined to get revenge on her husband Lawrence White, who failed to tell her that newcomer Ronnie was an ex-lover.

Buried bodies

Bombshell: Back in 2015, Hollyoaks revealed that they were kicking off a dark new storyline, where a body would be found hidden in the new City Wall

Hiding away! But Corrie bosses managed to get their storyline to hit screens first, when Kylie Platt murdered her ex-boyfriend Callum and buried him in an annexe

While Brookside set the trend with 'hidden bodies' storylines, Coronation Street and Hollyoaks battled to hit screens first with their own murder plots.

Back in 2015, the Channel 4 soap revealed that they were kicking off a dark new storyline, where a body would be found hidden in the new City Wall.

But Corrie bosses managed to get their storyline to hit screens first, when Kylie Platt murdered her ex-boyfriend Callum, before helping her husband David bury his body in the annex in a blockbuster live episode.

Hollyoaks' own shocking discovery, that of the abusive businessman Patrick Blake, wasn't aired until January 2016.

Baby woes

Lauded: In 2016, EastEnders' Stacey Slater was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis after giving birth to her baby boy and becoming convinced that he was the son of God

Scary: Just months later, Corrie's Sarah Platt struggled with her mental health following the birth of her son Harry

In 2016, EastEnders' Stacey Slater was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis after giving birth to her baby boy and becoming convinced that he was the son of God.

Eventually Stacey was hospitalised for treatment after placing her baby in danger, with actress Lacey Turner winning several Soap Awards for the hard-hitting storyline.

Just months later, Corrie's Sarah Platt gave birth to her son Harry, whose father was the murdered Callum who tried to rape her before being buried under the annex in the Platt's house.

Following Harry's birth, Sarah became convinced that Callum was still alive, and even barricaded herself in her home fearing he would return.

Sarah was eventually hospitalised and sought treatment for her mental health battles, though actress Tina O'Brien noted it was 'a shame' that the two soaps had such similar storylines.

Whodunnit?

Drama! In 2020, EastEnders' Ian Beale was the target of a mystery attacker who left him for dead in the Queen Vic

Look familiar? Around the same time, Adam Barlow was attacked by a mystery assailant on the Corrie cobbles, leaving him fighting for his life in hospital

Soaps are no stranger to a Whodunnit, with the long-running plots regularly drawing millions back to the soap

In 2020, EastEnders' Ian Beale was the target of a mystery attacker who left him for dead in the Queen Vic.

Given how many enemies Ian had made, it was no surprise that there was a long list of suspects, including Max Branning and his own sons Peter and Bobby, with his longtime rival Phil Mitchell later revealed as the culprit.

Around the same time, Adam Barlow was attacked by a mystery assailant on the Corrie cobbles, leaving him fighting for his life in hospital.

While the soap originally listed four main suspects, it was revealed on New Year's Eve that Faye Windass had mistakenly hit Adam, after originally plotting revenge on Ray Crosby, who had tried to rape her.

Twin tragedy

Deadly: In 2016, Neighbours was hit by tragedy when Josh Willis was killed by an explosion that ripped through Lassiters, leaving his twin sister Imogen devastated

Devastating: And just one month later, Home and Away was hit by similar turmoil when a blast blew apart the Summer Bay caravan park, killing Oscar MacGuire

In 2016, Neighbours was hit by tragedy when Josh Willis was killed by an explosion that ripped through Lassiters, leaving his twin sister Imogen devastated.

He later returned to the soap in a dream sequence to bid farewell to his sister.

And just one month later, Home and Away was hit by similar turmoil when a blast blew apart the Summer Bay caravan park.

The explosion killed Oscar MacGuire, leaving his twin sister Evie heartbroken.

Choose a child

Drama! In 2018, Hollyoaks Misbah Mallik was forced to choose one of her children to save from a car accident, and opted to rescue her daughter

Bombshell: And three years later, on the Corrie cobbles, Dev Alahan was involved in a terrifying car crash with his twins Aadi and Asha, and only had time to save one

Hollyoaks was hit by another scare in January 2018, when Misbah Maalik was involved in a car accident with her children.

Faced with an oncoming lorry, Misbah had to choose whether to save her son Imran or daughter Yasmeen.

She opted to rescue her daughter leave Imran for dead, which sparked a huge family rift and lead the teen to act violently towards his mother.

And three years later, on the Corrie cobbles, Dev Alahan was involved in a terrifying car crash with his twins Aadi and Asha, and only had time to save one before his vehicle exploded.

He chose Asha, despite Aadi's screams for help, and he relented his father for many weeks after.

Flashback weeks

Death in the water: In honour of EastEnders' 35th Anniversary in 2020, the soap aired a dramatic week of flashback episodes leading to Dennis Rickman's death

Spitting image: But fans noticed that the storyline was eerily similar to an Emmerdale plot that played out earlier that year, when Graham Foster was murdered

In honour of EastEnders' 35th Anniversary in 2020, the soap aired a dramatic week of episodes which saw a Thames boat party hit by a shocking explosion.

The week, which was cleverly shown through a series of flashback episodes, concluded with the tragic death of Sharon's son Dennis Rickman.

But fans noticed that the storyline was eerily similar to an Emmerdale plot that played out earlier that year, when Graham Foster was murdered.

The culprit was eventually revealed after a week of flashback episodes, with Pierce Harris making an explosive return as the killer after years behind bars.
This article has been amended since initial publication to remove an erroneous suggestion that filming on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had been affected by the writers' strike. In fact, filming had already been concluded on the series by the time the industrial action began

The SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14 and is the latest of the ongoing labour disputes in Hollywood which has led to most movie sets grinding to a halt.

The action has brought the industry to a virtual standstill, forcing many film and TV productions to shut down, and marks the first time in more than 60 years that both actors and writers have gone on strike.

The WGA strike, which saw writers crossing the picket line, has been going on since early May.

Under the rules of a strike, all Sag-aftra members will not be able to film any movie or TV series - which means that almost every show and film that's currently in the works will be delayed indefinitely until the problem is resolved.

British union Equity, the sister organisation to Sag-aftra, said in a statement that they are are 'full square [sic] behind' their US counterpart.

British actors including Brian Cox, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis have also been among those supporting the US strike over here.

On July 21 dozens of actors and performers descended on London's Leicester Square in solidarity with their colleagues in the US, who have walked out in protest at the pay and conditions in the industry.

In a knock on effect many famous filming sets in the UK have ground to a halt, been shut down temporarily or destroyed including the Wicked set in Bedfordshire and Warner Bros Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire.

Here MailOnline takes at the UK's now empty film sets:

Wicked set demolished in Bedfordshire

The set of the new Wicked movie starring Ariana Grande has been demolished after Hollywood ground to a halt amid the actors' strike.

Images show the set, located in the UK's Ivinghoe Village, being taken apart amid the transatlantic SAG-AFTRA strike by actors.

The set in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, which features quirky, colourful, thatch-roofed homes, has lay abandoned for weeks after film stars united and downed tools last month.

And weeks after filming ceased on the new adaptation amid the strikes, the set has been pulled apart, after it was previously reported that there was only '10 days left of filming' for the production.

Images show several large containers filled with debris and building material, with tipper trucks seen driving away from set.

AFTER: The set of the new Wicked movie starring Ariana Grande has been demolished after Hollywood ground to a halt amid the actors' strike

BEFORE: Scores of people could be seen on the brightly-coloured set of Wicked in April, before the strikes took place

Movie: Ariana Grande stars as Glinda the Good in the new film adaptation of the popular musical

Cranes and other vehicles also populated the set as the fictional homes were taken down, leaving a vast expanse of muddy land.

Surrounding the fictional village, there appeared to what be production tents set up, but those appear to be deserted amid the early shutdown following the strikes.

Meanwhile, the film's famous yellow brick road, located in Munchkin Country, was seen covered in dirt and rumble as the set was shut down.

Munchkin Country is the fictional eastern region of the Land of Oz and home to the famous Yellow Brick Road.

The strike comes after the union representing Hollywood stars ordered members to down tools amid a row over how streaming services are pushing down pay and the increasing use of AI in production.

Pop star Grande who is set to portray heroine Glinda the Good in the upcoming film, signalled her support for the strike on Instagram last month by sharing news of the protest.

Other productions in the UK, including Deadpool 3, Beetlejuice 2, Speak No Evil and the next Avatar sequel are also set to be affected.

Taken down: Images show the set, located in the UK's Ivinghoe Village, being taken apart amid the transatlantic SAG-AFTRA strike by actors

Quiet: The set in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, which features quirky, colourful, thatch-roofed homes, has lay abandoned for weeks after film stars united and downed tools last month

Done: Weeks after filming ceased on the new adaptation amid the strikes, the set has been pulled apart, after it was previously reported that there was only '10 days left of filming' for the production

A deserted Warner Bros Leavesden studios in Hertfordshire

The strike organised by a US actors' union has led to the shutdown of several film and TV projects at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden.

Following a collapse of a deal with production companies, the Screen Actors' Guild called for industrial action on Thursday, July 13.

This means that several productions which were in the process of being filmed at Warner Bros' UK base in Leavesden have ground to a halt.

A couple of security guards a maintenance staff are the only people on site at the usually fully booked out studios where Tom Cruise is a favourite to use the Warner brothers studios.

Change: A strike organised by a US actors' union has led to the shutdown of several film and TV projects at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden

Taking a stand: Following a collapse of a deal with production companies, the Screen Actors' Guild called for industrial action on Thursday, July 13

Quiet: This means that several productions which were in the process of being filmed at Warner Bros' UK base in Leavesden have ground to a halt

Long: This includes the Ryan Reynolds superhero movie Deadpool 3 and the long-awaited Tim Burton sequel Beetlejuice 2

Safe: However, HBO and Sky's House of the Dragon may escape from the strike's impact, due to featuring a predominantly British cast who are members of a different union

Set aside: Some of the equiptment is still being kept in the area but it has been set to the side as production halts

Structures: Some of the impressive sets are still up but maintenance staff are the only people on site at the usually fully booked out studios

This includes the Ryan Reynolds superhero movie Deadpool 3 and the long-awaited Tim Burton sequel Beetlejuice 2.

However, HBO and Sky's House of the Dragon may escape from the strike's impact, due to featuring a predominantly British cast who are members of a different union.

Pitstone Quarry film location in Buckinghamshire left empty

Other parts of Deadpool were being filmed at Pitstone Quarry in Buckinghamshire.

American A-list actors Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds were spotted on the Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire border last month as filming for the much anticipated film began near Tring.

The high-profile actors were spotted filming in a quarry in mid July, after pictures surfaced on social media.

It was reported that filming and production had been taking place at Pitstone Quarry in Buckinghamshire, which is also on the border of Tring.

Completely barren: Other parts of Deadpool were being filmed at Pitstone Quarry in Buckinghamshire

Silent: But now the old location is completely bare as filming has halted as the strikes take place

Images show Ryan, 46, dressed in a Deadpool outfit while Hugh, 54, was spotted in his Wolverine costume.

But now the old location is completely bare as filming has halted as the strikes take place.

Images show the empty setting which is free from any set or filming equipment.
Rita Menu was sent home in episode four of Rupaul's Drag Race Down Under season three on Friday, which is currently streaming on Stan.

Episode four featured the infamous Snatch Game, where the queens compete in a game show while performing their best celebrity impressions.

Rita, 24, initially chose women's suffrage activist Kate Sheppard, but in the walkthrough segment, Rupaul was unconvinced, so the queen from Hamilton, New Zealand switched to rapper Cardi B.

However, her impersonation of the hip-hop star was not well received by the judges and pushed her into the bottom, before being defeated by Flor in the lip sync.

As she made her exit, Rita Menu spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail Australia about what she'd do different if she had her time on the show again.

The brand new season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is available now only on Stan.

Rita Menu (pictured) was sent home in episode four of Rupaul's Drag Race Down Under on Friday. As she made her exit, she spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about what she'd do different if she had her time on the show again

'Probably get some acting lessons! That was the struggle for most of the episodes for me,' she said, referring to both her unconvincing Snatch Game and her showing in previous acting challenges.

'Snatch Game is something that I would like to do again, but properly,' she continued.

Rita joked that if she had another shot she would like to impersonate a fellow contestant.

Rita said the one thing she'd do different is to get 'acting lessons' before filming started

The latest season of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is currently streaming on Stan.

'I do a really good Hollywould impression,' she laughs, referring to rival Hollywould Star, her castmate from Sydney.

'I think I would have stuck to my guns, and go with what I was already planning, which was Kate Sheppard.'

Rita added: 'I had a lot planned out for that. It definitely took a lot out of me having to change to a character. I had nothing planned whatsoever.'

Episode four's runway theme was 'Night of a Thousand Kylies' and the queens served up looks inspired by Kylie Minogue.

Rita, 24, initially chose women's suffrage activist Kate Sheppard for the Snatch Game, but in the walkthrough segment, Rupaul was unconvinced, so the queen from Hamilton, New Zealand switched to rapper Cardi B

Rita and Ashley Madison both served looks inspired by Kylie's In My Arms video.

'We had the same look but it was different in a sense. Hers was very Kylie for sure, like an exact replica, whereas I went bigger with the squares to compliment my body a lot more and showed more of my shape and I think we both sold it differently on the runway.'

Meanwhile, Flor and Isis each did an interpretation of Kylie's 'green fairy' absinthe coloured character from Moulin Rouge, and Rita dished that there was some tension between the queens over this.

'Isis had the absinthe bottle and I think Flor didn't originally have that,' implying Flor didn't come up with this detail herself.

Rita (pictured) and Ashley Madison both served looks inspired by Kylie's In My Arms video

While she lost out to Flor in a lip sync battle to Kylie Minogue's classic single Secrets, Rita's favourite Kylie song to perform is more recent.

'Supernova, hands down. It's a good dancing, disco number. I pull out my tricks here and there and have a good time with it.'

In episode three, Rita sent two queens home in one day because her lip sync opponent Ivory Glaze started fainting and the battle was postponed to the following episode. That same episode, she also sent home Ivanna Drink.

'Having to do two lip syncs in one day was insane but those were the two songs I wanted to do throughout the whole season and I got them luckily,'

'I love lip synching, that's what I do day in day out so I enjoyed every second of it.'

However, one of the Kiwi queen's regrets about her time on the show is not being able to further show off her dance skills.

'I really would have loved to do a girl group number because I love to dance as we can see from [my] lip syncs.' 'Drag Race for me was a huge learning curve,' the Hamilton-based drag queen said

'I really would have loved to do a girl group number because I love to dance as we can see from [my] lip syncs.'

'Drag Race for me was a huge learning curve,' the Hamilton-based drag queen said.

'I know what I do well based on being from a small town. I like to say I'm at the top of my game in Hamilton. But going into the competition, I took it as a learning experience.'

The main lesson she said she took away from this experience was to have fun.

'Don't be afraid to act the fool. Because if people are vibing, they enjoy every second of you being as stupid as possible, and that's something that I learned after Snatch Game.'

But will Rita Menu be adding Cardi B to the usual roster of divas she impersonates at her shows?

'No, not at all. Maybe a few songs here and there but definitely not the embodiment of her!'
Bindi Irwin's daughter Grace Warrior appears to love the spotlight just like her famous parents.

The two-year-old proved she has an eye for style as she played with a brush in sweet photos shared by Bindi, 25, in an Instagram post on Friday.

In the images, the toddler starts her career as a budding hairstylist as she brushes 59-year-old grandma Terri Irwin's long brown locks.

Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell, 26, both beamed with pride as they posed beside the little one.

'Grace has her hairbrush at the ready to make sure we all look our best,' Bindi wrote in her caption.

Bindi Irwin 's daughter Grace Warrior brushed her grandmother Terri's hair in a sweet family photo shared to social media on Friday. All pictured with Chandler Powell

'These are the little moments I will cherish for the rest of my life,' she added.

Australia Zoo posted a video of the sweet toddler attending a business meeting at the zoo with her mother earlier this month.

Fans of the Irwins couldn't help but comment about how big the tiny tot was getting.

'I can't believe how fast Grace is growing up,' one wrote, while another said 'They grow up so fast!'

'She is so adorable! I can't believe how fast she is growing' yet another said.

In the video, Bindi couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she held her only child up in front of the zoo's employees so she could congratulate them on a job well done.

Grace was seen sweetly asking her mother: 'Can we do staff meeting?'

Australia Zoo posted a video of the sweet toddler attending a business meeting at the zoo with her mother earlier this month

In the video, Bindi couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she held her only child up in front of the zoo's employees so she could congratulate them on a job well done

Bindi happily agreed before carrying her tot, who she shares with husband Chandler Powell, into the Crocoseum for an early morning meeting with staff.

'We are very excited because today Grace requested to come to our staff meeting. So she's joining us in the Crocoseum to say a few words,' Bindi said in the video.

She then joked: 'To be honest, it's Grace who runs the zoo and makes all the big decisions.'

As Bindi stood in front of her team seated in the stands, all dressed in the iconic khaki uniforms, Grace shyly greeted them all with a microphone her mother held.

Grace has clearly inherited the Irwin family's love of wildlife as she is often seen going on walks through the zoo or along the beach with her mother

'Do you want to say, 'Thank you for your hard work?'' Bindi added.

'Thank you for hard work,' Grace mimicked as the staff members exclaimed in adoration.

Grace has clearly inherited the Irwin family's love of wildlife as she is often seen going on walks through the zoo or along the beach with her mother.

Last month, the tot was heard saying she is 'like a turtle' as she walked across shallow water on the beach with the help of grandmother Terri and uncle Robert.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during the trilateral summit at Camp David near Thurmont, Md, U.S., Aug. 18. Reuters-Yonhap





From a shared commitment to crisis consultation to the "principles" of trilateral engagement, the outcomes from this week's landmark summit between South Korea, the United States and Japan are likely to put their once-fragile security cooperation on a more robust, sustainable, consistent footing, analysts said Saturday.







President Yoon Suk Yeol and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Joe Biden and Fumio Kishida, adopted a series of documents committing each other to sturdier three-way cooperation during their historic summit at Camp David in Maryland, Friday, underscoring their deepening solidarity amid North Korea's saber-rattling, China's assertiveness and Russia's war in Ukraine.







The documents entailed agreements to consult with one another in the event of a common threat and hold three-way talks between the leaders, foreign ministers, defense ministers and national security advisers at least annually, as well as an intention to hold annual "multi-domain" military exercises on a regular basis.







They represented telltale signs of the three-way partnership being institutionalized as a thaw in the relations between Seoul and Tokyo  long fraught with historical and territorial spats  has created an opening for the three nations to close ranks and confront shared challenges.







"We made history with the first-ever standalone summit between the leaders of our three countries as well as our commitment to meet together on the leader level annually and to have all our relative Cabinet member people meet on a regular basis from this point on, not just this year, not next year, forever," Biden told reporters at Camp David, a place that he said symbolizes the "power of new beginnings and new possibilities."







"In the months and years ahead, we're going to continue to seize those possibilities together ... unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our resolve," he added.







Just years ago, the scene of the three leaders meeting trilaterally in a stand-alone setting with such a level of unity was seldom anticipated as historical grievances stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea have gotten in the way of attempts at deepening trilateral cooperation.







Even more so as tensions spilled over into economic and security domains as witnessed in export control rows between Seoul and Tokyo as well as a rancorous spat over low-altitude flybys by Japanese maritime patrol aircraft over South Korean warships in 2018 and 2019.







But the Yoon administration's decision in March to resolve the issue of Japan's wartime forced labor has given rise to a thaw in the bilateral ties, while North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats have underscored the urgency for the two neighbors to patch things up.







In the midst of an intensifying Sino-U.S. rivalry, Biden has been seen promoting rapprochement between Seoul and Tokyo, apparently harnessing his experience as vice president during the Barack Obama administration that helped foster a thaw between the neighbors as seen in a 2015 deal to address the issue of Japan's wartime sexual slavery.







Three Aegis-equipped destroyers  Korea's Yulgok Yi I, left, the Benfold of the U.S. Navy, center, and the JS Atago of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force  sailing in waters off Korea's east coast, April 17, in this photo released by the Korean Navy. Yonhap





A series of agreements contained in their summit documents marked a culmination of tripartite efforts to bring three-way cooperation to what officials have called a "new height."






A bratty spare heir to the British throne and his famous American lover, their torrid tale beamed to the world by a streaming giant.

No, not them! And it's not Netflix this time, either.

This wayward Prince of England is called Prince Henry (wink wink), played by Nicholas Galitzine. And his sweetheart is the rogue son of the US President, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez).

Their story, though preposterously familiar, is fictional: a soppy, steamy gay romance brought to the big screen by Amazon Prime and released this week.

Red, White and Royal Blue was adapted from the sleeper-hit novel by the same title.

In 2019, first-time author Casey McQuiston catapulted from unknown 20-something to overnight sensation, as her raucous royal romance went viral on TikTok, sold over 100,000 copies in mere months and clinched a spot on the New York Times best-seller list.

Her story explores the relationship between the worlds two most eligible bachelors.

A bratty spare heir to the British throne and his famous American lover, their torrid tale beamed to the world by a streaming giant. No, not them! And it's not Netflix this time, either.

This wayward Prince of England is called Prince Henry (wink wink), played by Nicholas Galitzine (right). And his sweetheart is the rogue son of the US President, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez, left).

Naturally, the pair hate each other, squabbling at the royal wedding of Henrys uptight older brother and heir to the throne called Prince Philip!

Their argument sparks a PR-disaster as they smash a $75,000 cake and end up splashed across front pages. And so, fearing a transatlantic relations meltdown, the pair are forced to spend time together, putting on a public show of unity.

And, guess what, this act soon sees rivalry bloom into something very racy  and not a little unexpected, for Alex at least, who hadnt yet realized hes also into guys.

The ensuing raunchy sex scenes  of which there are many  have been hailed as radical and brave because of how realistic they are.

But the only thing radical about this movie is how laughably serious director Matthew Lopez has been taking himself over a film that  lets be honest  is campy, good fun, but undoubtedly low-rent.

Lopez gushed in an interview about how he refused to shy away from the sex scenes: I really wanted to show something that I hadn't seen much of in mainstream movie making, which is sex between two men that is loving and connected, and that is emotionally resonant. It was going to be true and accurate to the way that two men have sex together.

Emotionally resonant or not, theres no denying that what hes created is seriously saucy.

The breathiness, sweatiness, the carefully cropped camera angles.

I regularly found myself wincing, flashing back to my teenage years, sat next to my Catholic grandmother watching a very-too-long sex scene, trying not to make eye contact.

Warning: do not watch this film with your grandmother.

But while the non-stop bonking of a young couple in the first flush of love may be realistic, the acting sadly is not.

Theres lots of chatter in the film about how charismatic the leading couple are.

The raunchy sex scenes  of which there are many  have been hailed as radical and brave because of how realistic they are. And theres no denying it's seriously saucy. The breathiness, sweatiness, the carefully cropped camera angles.

Is charismatic the new Gen-Z slang for offensively good-looking but a little bit dull? Because, while Henry and Alex are both undeniably hunky, their acting is about as stiff as their bedroom antics.

Then again, I suppose acting ability doesnt matter much when youre built like a linebacker with a face like a J. Crew model.

But its not just them  even the big talent falls short.

Biggest disappointment is US President Claremont, played by Uma Thurman  the movies only major star  whose parodic Texan drawl is as woeful as it is borderline offensive.

British actor Stephen Frys cameo as King of England, however, brings welcome comic relief. Not least because of how stupendously bizarre it is see a gay actor playing a homophobic baddie, who is unsupportive of the couple and the rainbow mafia.

Certainly, the bad-acting sins of a lightweight rom-com can be largely overlooked when the writing is good. And this script is indeed sharp.

In one laugh-out-loud moment, Prince Henry is found hiding in his underwear in Alexs hotel-room wardrobe by an aide.

We are in a hotel crawling with reporters, the aide snaps. If anyone sees you leave this hotel, Ill Brexit your head from your body your Royal Highness.

Intentional or not, the alarming similarities to a certain Montecito couple also become increasingly hilarious.

I couldnt help but cackle when Prince Henry is dubbed the Prince of Englands hearts.

I wonder: is his affected style, head titled shyly, staring ahead wide-eyed, also taken from the Princess Diana playbook  or is it just more bad acting?

But while the non-stop bonking of a young couple in the first flush of love may be realistic, the acting sadly is not. Biggest disappointment is US President Claremont, played by Uma Thurman (pictured)  the movies only major star  whose parodic Texan drawl is as woeful as it is borderline offensive.

Intentional or not, the alarming similarities to a certain Montecito couple become increasingly hilarious. I couldnt help but cackle when Prince Henry is dubbed the Prince of Englands hearts.

While were at it, theres also something oddly recognizable about loose-cannon First Son Alex, whos always getting drunk, causing chaos and having the mess covered up by his mom and her staffers.

A pain-in-the-neck son of a president who has a proclivity for partying? Wink wink, indeed.

Asked about similarities with the Windsors, director Lopez said: [Prince] Harry, especially being this kind of rogue amongst these very uptight, duty-bound royals, is maybe a comparison people will make But, to be honest, I feel like Henry [is more like] William [Prince of Wales] in some sense. For a large part of the story, duty comes first.

As we all know by now, dutiful isnt in Prince Harrys vocabulary, so perhaps the comparisons arent warranted after all.

Plagued with bad acting though this film may be, Red, White and Royal Blue is ultimately a charming, sexy, feel good rom-com.

And we can forgive all the terrible Texan accents and silly Sussex parallels, if only to see these two oh-so-toned chaps with their tops off.
Star Wars dropped some exciting news regarding the upcoming limited series Ahsoka on its Twitter account on Friday.

The popular epic space opera multimedia franchise announced in a tweet that the premiere date of Ahsoka would be pushed up by one day on Disney+, the popular subscription streaming service, and that new episodes would be available in primetime.

'Thank you to all the fans who celebrated with us at our @AhsokaOfficial fan events around the world last night!,' the Star Wars Twitter account stated in its lengthy post.

'We're excited to announce that new episodes of #Ahsoka will now launch Tuesdays at 6PM PT, starting with our two-episode premiere on August 22, only on @DisneyPlus.'

A one minute and four seconds long video clip was posted along with the tweet, featuring enthusiastic Star Wars fans attending several promo events and also sfeatured from the soon-to-be released limited series.

Ahsoka: Star Wars dropped some exciting news regarding the upcoming miniseries Ahsoka on its Twitter account on Friday.

Moving up to Primetime: In an August 18 tweet, Star Wars announced that the premiere date of Ahsoka would be pushed up by one day on Disney+, the popular subscription streaming service, and that new episodes would be available in primetime

Before moving to its Tuesday release schedule, the Disney+ series was originally set to premiere on August 23 and release on Wednesdays at three a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Following Ahsoka's two-episode premiere on August 22, a new episode will drop each week every Tuesday at six p.m. Pacific Standard Time until October 3, the airdate of the series's eighth and final episode.

The majority of Star Wars Franchise fans responded directly to the announcement with reply tweets and/or quote tweets, expressing their excitement to the new and early premiere date for Ahsoka, in addition to its new airtime.

Twitter user @kelly_knox wrote in a reply tweet, 'the team that put this together overnight', to which the official Star Wars Twitter account responded with, 'pls send snacks #Ahsoka'.

Other Twitter users praised the move as it worked perfectly for those residing on the Eastern Coast of the United States and/or allowed them to watch the show when they had free time during their busy college schedules.

However, some fans, specifically those who don't live in America, were not happy with the change of the airtime, as one user sarcastically responded to the announcement in a quote tweet, '[Me:] cries in British time zone.'

Twitter user @guerraDgalaxia saw both the positives and the negatives of the new airdate and airtime of the limited series, writing in a Quote Tweet: 'I know everyone Europe-side is frustrated by this time change but for those of us who were at school/work when episodes used to.'

Ahsoka is part of the Star Wars franchise and a spin-off from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian in the same timeframe as that series and its other interconnected spin-offs.

Star Wars Fans React: Star Wars Franchise fans responded directly to the announcement with reply tweets and/or quote tweets, expressing their like, dislike, or a neutral stance on the new airdate and airtime for the limited series

The plot: The storyline of the limited series sees Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) investigating an emerging threat to the galaxy after the fall of the Galactic Empire

The Return: A trailer for the limited series that dropped on August 13th teased Hayden Christensen's return to the Star Wars franchise as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader

The limited series follows Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) investigating an emerging threat to the galaxy following the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Dawson, 44, also played Ahsoka in live-action in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Ahead of Ahsoka's two-episode premiere on August 22 on Disney+, several trailers for the limited series have been released over the summer months.

The trailer that was released on August 13th teased Hayden Christensen's return to the Star Wars franchise as Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano's now-deceased former Jedi master who had fallen to the dark side of the force and became Darth Vader.

Christensen, 42, played Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the final two movies of the prequel trilogy films: Star Wars: Episode II  Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III  Revenge of the Sith (2005). He would later reprise his role in a voice cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) and reprise the role again in-person in the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022).
A California appeals court on Friday revived lawsuits from two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them for years when they were boys.

A three-judge panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the lawsuits of Wade Robson and James Safechuck should not have been dismissed by a lower court.

The judges ruled that the men can validly claim that the two Jackson-owned corporations that were named as defendants in the cases had a responsibility to protect them.

A new California law that temporarily broadened the scope of sexual abuse cases enabled the appeals court to restore them.

The two men became more widely known for telling their stories in the 2019 HBO docu-series Leaving Neverland.

Development: A California appeals court on Friday revived lawsuits from two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them when they were boys; Jackson is pictured in 2005

Detail: A panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the lawsuits of Wade Robson (right) and James Safechuck (left) should not have been dismissed by a lower court

This week's development marks the second time the lawsuits - brought by Robson in 2013 and Safechuck the following year - have been brought back after dismissal.

A judge who dismissed the suits in 2021 found that the corporations, MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., could not be expected to function like the Boy Scouts or a church where a child in their care could expect their protection.

Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, was the sole owner and only shareholder in the companies.

The higher court judges disagreed, writing that 'a corporation that facilitates the sexual abuse of children by one of its employees is not excused from an affirmative duty to protect those children merely because it is solely owned by the perpetrator of the abuse.'

They added that 'it would be perverse to find no duty based on the corporate defendant having only one shareholder. And so we reverse the judgments entered for the corporations.'

Jonathan Steinsapir, attorney for the Jackson estate, said they were 'disappointed' by the new decision.

'Two distinguished trial judges repeatedly dismissed these cases on numerous occasions over the last decade because the law required it,' Steinsapir said in an email to The Associated Press.

'We remain fully confident that Michael is innocent of these allegations, which are contrary to all credible evidence and independent corroboration, and which were only first made years after Michaels death by men motivated solely by money.'

Raised profile: The two men became more widely known for telling their stories in the 2019 HBO docu-series Leaving Neverland, on which Safechuck is pictured

History: Jackson is pictured with the young Robson in an image shown on Leaving Neverland

Vince Finaldi, an attorney for Robson and Safechuck, said in an email that they were 'pleased but not surprised' by the news.

Finaldi took aim at the previous judges 'incorrect rulings in these cases, which were against California law and would have set a dangerous precedent that endangered children throughout state and country. We eagerly look forward to a trial on the merits.'

Steinsapir had argued for the defense in July that it does not make sense that employees would be legally required to stop the behavior of their boss.

'It would require low-level employees to confront their supervisor and call them pedophiles,' Steinsapir said.

Holly Boyer, another attorney for Robson and Safechuck, countered that the boys 'were left alone in this lion's den by the defendants employees. An affirmative duty to protect and to warn is correct.'

Steinsapir said evidence that has been gathered in the cases, which have not reached trial, showed that the parents had no expectation of Jackson's employees to act as monitors.

'They were not looking to Michael Jacksons companies for protection from Michael Jackson,' the lawyer argued said.

But in a concurring opinion issued with Friday's decision, one of the panelists, Associate Justice John Shepard Wiley Jr., wrote that 'to treat Jackson's wholly-owned instruments as different from Jackson himself is to be mesmerized by abstractions. This is not an alter ego case. This is a same ego case.'

Legacy under fire: Jackson, pictured in 2005, died in 2009 after taking propofol as a sleep aid

The judges did not rule on the truth of the allegations themselves. That will be the subject of a forthcoming jury trial in Los Angeles.

'We trust that the truth will ultimately prevail with Michaels vindication yet again,' Steinsapir said Friday.

Robson, now a 40-year-old choreographer, met Jackson when he was 5 years old. He went on to appear in three Jackson music videos.

His lawsuit alleged that Jackson molested him over a seven-year period.

Safechuck, now 45, said in his suit that he was 9 when he met Jackson while filming a Pepsi commercial. He said Jackson called him often and lavished him with gifts before moving on to sexually abusing him.

The mens lawsuits had already bounced back from a 2017 dismissal, when Young threw them out for being beyond the statute of limitations. Jacksons personal estate - the assets he left after his death - was thrown out as a defendant in 2015.
Three months ago, the Moss family had a gathering at a pub in Notting Hill, West London.

Organised by Nick, Kate Moss's younger brother, it offered a rare chance for Kate to come together with her wayward half-sister Lottie  along with Peter, their father, and his second wife Inger.

It was hoped model Kate, 49, who has been on the cover of Vogue more than 40 times, might quietly forgive 25-year old Lottie, who makes money by stripping off for racy snaps on tawdry website OnlyFans.

You might wonder what tattooed Lottie must be forgiven for. Those in Kate's camp say the issue is her habit of taking aim at her half-sister every time she talks, although her career direction is also a factor.

Sadly, neither woman came away feeling any warmer towards the other. And Kate was apparently particularly horrified to see Lottie's recent face tattoo  the word 'lover' under her eye.

Different direction: Lottie Moss, left, and half-sister Kate Moss

A pal says: 'She knows how valuable your face is as a model. It was the final straw. She loves her as a sister but they have nothing to do with each other.'

Another source close to Kate says she believes Lottie has been 'cheapening' the Moss brand with her career direction  she's been 'modelling' for adult subscription websites since 2021.

The Moss name is something that Kate is keen to protect as she steers the career of daughter Lila, 20, who models as Lila Moss rather than Lila Hack (her family name from dad Jefferson).

Lila is among a select band of 20 represented by Kate's own Kate Moss Agency, founded in 2016.

Now living in New York, Lila has worked for her mum's good friend, designer Marc Jacobs.

'Kate is concerned about her name. Her legacy is in her career but it is also in Lila's,' says a source. 'The name Moss is precious. She thinks it is a big factor in making money and being a success.

'Kate doesn't like being associated with Lottie professionally. There was a time when she raised the idea of Lottie using her mother's maiden name rather than Lottie Moss,' the source said.

One can only imagine how unwanted that would have made Lottie feel.

But the truth is, despite sharing a father, their childhoods never coincided  and the age gap between them is yawning.

Lottie grew up in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, with her travel agent father Peter Moss and her Norwegian mother, Inger Solnordal, his second wife. She attended fee-paying Bede's School in Hailsham.

Meanwhile, Kate and her brother Nick grew up a world away in Sanderstead, Croydon. Their mother, Peter's first wife Linda, worked as a barmaid and Kate had Saturday shop jobs and hung out in the park and drank cider. School was the local comprehensive, Riddlesdown High School.

She was spotted by Sarah Doukas, boss of the model agency Storm, at JFK airport in New York aged 14; a shoot for The Face when she was 16 launched her career.

Both women have a rebellious outlook but, while Kate is regarded as the epitome of cool, Lottie's rebellions make her look lost.

Take the question of their figures.

Kate, flat-chested with snaggled teeth, and too short for the catwalk at 5ft 7in, was worlds away from supermodel perfection yet netted a 40 million fortune.

Lottie, at 5ft 6in, had surgery as a teen to give her the breasts she coveted, and has altered her pretty face with lip fillers.

Kate, flat-chested with snaggled teeth, and too short for the catwalk at 5ft 7in, was worlds away from supermodel perfection yet netted a 40 million fortune. Lottie, at 5ft 6in, had surgery as a teen to give her the breasts she coveted, and has altered her pretty face with lip fillers

Lottie told a podcast this year: 'I knew Kate was famous  growing up, I idolised her. I never got much love or attention from her, though, which upset me. How do I say to people I don't know her and she doesn't reply to my texts?'

It wasn't always that way. After all, Kate invited her 13-year-old half-sister to be a bridesmaid at her 2011 wedding to Jamie Hince. Lottie signed for Storm, then Kate's model agency, soon after.

Lottie crowed  somewhat tactlessly  that her mother Inger had told her that nobody had been looking at Kate on her wedding day, instead they had been wondering at Lottie's beauty.

Although Lottie initially booked jobs with Bulgari and Valentino, these soon faded and the trajectory of her career headed downmarket. She and Kate have barely been spotted together since.

Just before the pandemic she went to California, saying she was turning her back on high fashion and its 'toxic' people. She did, however, spend some of lockdown living with Kate in the Cotswolds, but moved on, leaving wine in the fridge, interpreted as a pointed comment on Kate's sobriety.

For her part, it was said that Kate had deplored Lottie's heavy drinking and habit of posting suggestively on social media.

Subsequently, Lottie signed up for OnlyFans and was dropped by Storm. This week, Lottie has sought publicity to promote her appearance in E4's Celebs Go Dating, airing tomorrow from 9pm.

In interviews, she took further swipes at her older half-sibling in an apparent reference to Kate's own reported struggles with substance abuse: 'My sister has obviously struggled with things herself. She's allowed to have that.

'She doesn't have to want to have a relationship with me. When I was younger, I couldn't understand it. I thought, "Why is someone in my family not wanting a relationship with me?" I don't get it.

'But now I've learned, speaking to other friends . . . that family is complicated. Just because she's a really high-end model, it doesn't mean that it's any different in our family. We just don't see eye to eye on many things. I love her. She's my sister, but we're just not close. It is what it is.'

Friends of Kate's can't dispute this, but wish that Lottie would just stop talking about her: 'Kate has preserved her mystique, giving only a handful of interviews. But Lottie seems to treat them like free therapy and says the first thing that comes into her head.'

Certainly Lottie attracted headlines recently, commenting on rumours that she had a liaison with the married Made In Chelsea star Spencer Matthews.

'It's not true,' she responded. 'Spencer's a great guy. We partied but there was nothing more to it!'

She also added that she was in touch with Kate's daughter Lila, which Kate's friends dispute.

'Barring family gatherings, they have very little to do with each other,' says one.

Other factors are at play, too. Lottie went to rehab in Arizona in 2021 and said on social media that she had a 'bad addiction to coke'. She now believes her struggles were, in fact, a result of undiagnosed ADHD and said this week: 'I'm in a very happy place in my life right now, being very true to myself for the first time in a long time.'

That face tattoo  inked when she was drunk in Bali last year  was an expression of her new sense of freedom, she says, but she tends to cover it with make- up.

Kate, of course, has had her own alleged struggles. Last November, she suddenly dropped from view in order to recharge her batteries, coinciding with her break-up with her long-term boyfriend, Count Nikolai von Bismarck.

A friend of Kate's says that she has to be 'very wary' and 'on her guard' in order to stay sober. 'She's clear that she cannot be around people who are drinking heavily or using drugs.'

Lottie now plans to emulate her sister's model agency by launching her own  of OnlyFans models.

She said: 'I have the right amount of knowledge and expertise to help girls with online stuff. As an agency, we will manage their accounts. And I'll make sure they get the money they deserve.'

She added: 'I want to make sure the girls are looked after.'

Who, one wonders, is looking after Lottie?
Helena Bonham Carter cut a typically quirky figure on Friday as she enjoyed a date night with boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe.

The actress, 57, donned a black and white summer dress teamed with a red floral shawl as she paid a visit to the cinema to watch the Barbie movie with Rye at the Everyman cinema in London's Belsize Park.

And it seemed that Helena certainly enjoyed the Margot Robbie movie as she was seen giggling away with the academic, 35, outside following the film.

Helena teamed her dress with black trainers and socks, a grey cardigan and white plastic sunglasses while she stored her essentials in a black crossbody bag.

The Harry Potter star added to her eclectic style by styling her red locks into three bunches, adorned with different coloured flower clips.

Couple: Helena Bonham Carter cut a typically quirky figure on Friday as she enjoyed a date night with boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe

Style: The actress, 57, donned a black and white summer dress teamed with a red floral shawl as she paid a visit to the cinema to watch the Barbie movie with Rye at the Everyman cinema in London's Belsize Park

Meanwhile, Rye opted for a navy shirt teamed with pale grey shorts and dark trainers for the outing.

Helena has been in a relationship with the art historian for five years following her split from film director Tim Burton in 2014.

And the couple certainly seemed as happy as ever as they linked arms while walking down the street.

Last year, speaking to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden, Helena admitted she feels 'very lucky' to have met Rye.

The actress added though that she's in no hurry to exchange vows, pointing out: 'I wasn't married the first time.'

Helena and her former long-term partner, director Tim Burton, 64, famously lived in inter-connecting houses during their 13-year relationship, with each property decorated to their own his 'n' hers tastes and personal styles.

However, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden reported in 2021 that she had made the step of choosing to share a home with her academic boyfriend, even adding to their domestic bliss by adopting house rabbits.

The couple met at a wedding in 2018, following Helena's split from Tim in 2014.

Fun times: It seemed that Helena certainly enjoyed the Margot Robbie movie as she was seen giggling away with the academic, 35, outside following the film

Doing it her way: The Harry Potter star added to her eclectic style by styling her red locks into three bunches, adorned with different coloured flower clips

Happy couple: Last year, Helena gushed about her love for boyfriend Rye, who she has been dating for five years (pictured together in 2019)

Ex: The couple met at a wedding in 2018, following Helena's split from film director Tim Burton in 2014 (pictured in 2013)

Explaining how they met, she told The Guardian: 'A totally random thing, which both of us nearly didn't go to, so it was one of those moments that was so chance and ended up determining so much. A really happy accident, and it's an amazing thing.'

Addressing the couple's 22-year age gap, the actress previously said in an interview with The Times: 'Everybody ages at a different rate. My boyfriend is unbelievably mature. He's an old soul in a young body, what more could I want?

'People are slightly frightened of older women, but he isn't. Women can be very powerful when they're older.'

She shares children Billy, 19, and Nell, 16, with ex-husband Hollywood director and writer Tim Burton.
Jessica Alba was dressed to impress in a bright red suit by Kate Spade while attending the third annual Fearless Venture Capital Summit at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Friday.

While preparing to speak on navigating the art of pivoting in a fireside chat, the 42-year-old actress, who serves as the Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company, which she founded in 2012, smiled as she posed for photos before taking the stage.

For the occasion, the mother-of-three looked polish as she sported a cropped white top under her Kate Spade New York blazer, which matched her high heels and purse.

The Golden Globe nominee accessorize her chic ensemble with with a pair of large gold hoop earrings and multiple beaded bracelets.

Her glamorous makeup look consisted of a nude lip gloss, smoky grey eyeshadow and blush for a youthful glow.

Looking sharp! Jessica Alba was dressed to impress in a bright red suit by Kate Spade New York while attending the third annual Fearless Venture Capital Summit at Atlanta Symphony Hall on Friday

Sophisticated: While preparing to speak on navigating the art of pivoting in a fireside chat, the 42-year-old actress, who serves as the Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company, which she founded in 2012, smiled as she posed for photos before taking the stage

Alba opted for a classic French manicure, which added a feminine and sophisticated touch to her colorful look.

During the event, she was pictured mingling with Ayana Parsons, the Senior Partner, Board & CEO Inclusion and Marketing Transformation at Korn Ferry, and writer, Arian Simone.

In a statement shared with Businesswire last month, the L.A.'s Finest star said she was 'honored to be part of the Fearless Fund VC Summit' and looked forward to joining 'the incredible community of entrepreneurs and investors.'

She continued: 'Access to knowledge and support is crucial in empowering individuals to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and I look forward to sharing my experiences, insights, and lessons with a community of trailblazers and entrepreneurs.'

The Fearless Fund is a venture capital fund established 'by women of color for women of color.'

Back in 2021, Alba opened up about the road to founding her billion-dollar wellness business The Honest Company.

According to Alba, she was originally so confident in The Honest Company that she had to tone down her vision while trying to get it funded.

'I actually had the biggest vision right away, and then I had to bring it down to earth,' she told People.

Stylish: For the occasion, the mother-of-three looked polish as she sported a cropped white top under her blazer, which matched her high heels and purse

On stage: The Golden Globe nominee accessorize her chic ensemble with with a pair of large gold hoop earrings and multiple beaded bracelets

Beautiful: Her glamorous makeup look consisted of a nude lip gloss, smoky grey eyeshadow and blush for a youthful glow

'I just knew in my heart that this company should exist. If people knew that they could take their health and wellness into their own hands and make better choices, why wouldn't you? The hardest part was probably getting it off the ground.'

The initial drive to start her business required most of her attention and took up all her free time.

'Every detail mattered. So I didn't sleep very much, and worked weekends and obsessed,' she admitted.

The Fantastic Four star co-founded The Honest Company in 2012 with Brian Lee, Sean Kane and Christopher Gavigan.

The business sells all kinds of baby, beauty and wellness products and advertises them as being eco-friendly thanks to a list of over 2,500 chemicals that it refuses to use in its products.

Group picture: During the event, she was pictured mingling with Ayana Parsons (L), the Senior Partner, Board & CEO Inclusion and Marketing Transformation at Korn Ferry, and writer, Arian Simone (R)

See you soon! Ahead of her speaking engagement, Alba shared a photo of a sweet bouquet of flower, note and present from the Fearless Fund on her Instagram Story

She was the perfect consumer of her own goods, as she and her husband Cash Warren, 44, share three children: Honor, 15; Haven, 12; and Hayes, five.

In her interview, Jessica claimed her commitment to 'facts and data' was what helped her win over those who initially doubted her vision.

'I love facts and data, so whenever there's a naysayer with a laundry list of why everything shouldn't happen, I love asking questions. "Oh really? Why couldn't this work?" And then you collect all the data that you need to come in and hit them over the head with it,' she said.

'It's also the way you deliver it,' she added. 'Because if you deliver it with a smile, it's just facts.'

Happy life: In addition to her thriving business, she is happily married to Cash Warren, 44, who she shares three children: Honor, 15; Haven, 12; and Hayes, five

The actress was also motivated to succeed at her latest venture because she wasn't born into extreme wealth.

'I know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck, and it's not freaking fun,' Jessica shared. 'So I just had a different mentality or a different drive. I've had to pave my own way.'

The Dark Angel advised others look to start their own businesses to be wiling to risk everything in pursuit of success.

'I didn't feel like I had anything to lose,' she said.

'No one believed I could do it in the first place,' she added. 'If you're doing something that you haven't done, or has never been done before, what do you really have to lose?'
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked incredible as she met up with a friend on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles.

The English model, 36, was seen enjoying a leisurely lunch at the exclusive members-only San Vicente Bungalows in the nearby neighborhood of West Hollywood.

For the occasion, Huntington-Whiteley flaunted her toned figure in an all-white outfit comprised of a low-cut blouse and a white floor-length skirt.

She completed her look with a pair of white open-toed high heels, a pair of earrings, black sunglasses, and a designer handbag.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel wore her long dirty blonde hair, which was straightened, down as she opted for a minimal makeup look.

Wow! Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looked incredible as she met up with a friend on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles

Exclusive: The English model , 36, was seen enjoying a leisurely lunch at the exclusive members-only San Vicente Bungalows in the nearby neighborhood of West Hollywood

She was photographed exiting a large black vehicle as she made her way into the exclusive property.

San Vicente Bungalows is an elite social club that was founded in 2018 by veteran boutique-hotelier Jeffrey Klein.

It serves as a fancy restaurant and hotel and a meeting place for some of Hollywood's biggest names.

Over the years, San Vicente Bungalows has become a hotspot among celebrities and wealthy people due its glamorous amenities, supreme privacy, lavish glamorous accommodations, and most importantly, its huge determination to protect their members and guests.

Among the long list of celebrities who have been spotted heading into and/or exiting the elite social club include Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, Kendra Wilkinson, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to name a few.

The elite social club is shrouded in secrecy and one must be a member or guest of a member to enter the premises.

Membership for San Vicente Bungalows costs $4,200 per year for members over the age of 35 and $1,800 per year for members under the age of 35.

'Application for membership requires a nomination from a current SVB member. A nomination is obligatory for membership, but it does not confer acceptance. Applications are evaluated monthly by the Membership Committee,' the San Vicente Bungalows's website read.

Both members and guests are barred from speaking about the elite social club on social media or taking any pictures or videos inside the club. The rule is strictly enforced as members and guests are required cover the camera lens on their phones with a sticker upon arrival.

This policy was was revealed last month when a square green sticker with the club's name printed on it was spotted over the camera of actress Anya Taylor-Joy's iPhone when she was seen exiting San Vicente Bungalows and heading into someone's car.

San Vicente Bungalows: San Vicente Bungalows has become a favorite hotspot among celebrities and wealthy people due its glamorous amenities, supreme privacy, lavish glamorous accommodations, and most importantly, its huge determination to protect their members and guests

No photo policy: Members and guests are required cover the camera lens on their phones and this rule was revealed when a square green sticker with the club's name printed on it was spotted over the camera of actress Anya Taylor-Joy 's iPhone when she was seen at the entrance of San Vicente Bungalows last month

The sighting of Huntington-Whiteley at San Vicente Bungalows comes a day after the she was spotted showing off her casual street style while out in nearby Beverly Hills.

For the August 17 outing, the English model donned a short-sleeve white t-shirt, a pair of black baggy sweatpants, and a pair of black platform open-toed sandals.

The 36-year-old completed her look with a pair of black sunglasses and was seen carrying the same black designer bag that she had with her when she grabbed lunch at San Vicente Bungalows.

She wore her long hair down as she made her way back to her Tesla.

Huntington-Whiteley is currently engaged from her long term partner, the actor Jason Stathman.

The couple have been together since 2010 and got engaged in January 2016. They have two kids together: son Jack, six, and daughter Isabella, one.
Married At First Sight villain Jessika Power is ready to make a major career change.

The busty blonde, who has worked as an influencer and OnlyFans model since finding reality TV fame in 2019, is now eyeing a serious new role in anti-poaching and slavery.

Addressing fans on Instagram, the 30-year-old said, 'I have some exciting news. I've been in talks with somebody to be a global ambassador for an anti-poaching and anti-slavery company.'

The star said that that the company is based in Africa but work out of Australia and that she'll likely be required to travel abroad for the role.

'It's something I'll probably explore next year,' she explained.

Married At First Sight villain Jessika Power is ready to make a major career change and is eyeing a serious new role in anti-poaching and slavery

While she insisted that she doesn't plan to give up her lucrative job as an OnlyFans creator and social media influencer, Jessika admitted that it was time to 'grow up'.

'I do have to think about the bigger picture and I think that would be an amazing opportunity and if I pass it up I'd be absolutely crazy,' she continued.

While Power expressed disbelief that she was 'even considered' for the job, she said that she's excited about the future.

While she insisted that she doesn't plan to give up her lucrative job as an OnlyFans creator and social media influencer, Jessika admitted that it was time to 'grow up'

'I think it would be really rewarding and fulfilling and it would be a great next stepping stone for me in my life and my career,' she said.

'I'm not just THAT girl. I'm another girl as well,' she added.

'There would be an opportunity to travel and to make a better life for some people and to save some beautiful animals.'

'I have some exciting news. I've been in talks with somebody to be a global ambassador for an anti-poaching and anti-slavery company,' she told fans on Instagram

The former Big Brother star then burst out laughing and said that she was distracted by her own hair as she filmed herself.

Jessika first shot to fame as the cheating bride on Married At First Sight's sixth season, before enjoying stints on Big Brother VIP, Celebs Go Dating.

She's now based in the UK but is planning to move back to Australia in the near future.

Thanks to OnlyFans, Jess now earns six figures, making her one of Australia's most successful adult stars.
Taylor Swift fled a restaurant in Long Beach Island, New Jersey after being the cause of a major road being shut down as her presence at pal Jack Antonoff's star-studded wedding rehearsal dinner caused quite a commotion.

Hundreds of the 33-year-old hitmaker's diehard fans - known as Swifties - made their way to the Black Whale corner bar just for a chance to get a glimpse of the music icon.

Taylor - who was seen out with pal Ed Sheeran the previous day - is in town to celebrate her 39-year-old music collaborator's nuptials with 28-year-old actress Margaret Qualley.

The megastar arrived at the star-packed event with Channing Tatum and Zoe Kravitz to an uproarious ovation from her passionate fans.

Taylor, Zoe, and Channing were not the only stars at the gathering as Lana Del Rey, who has also often collaborated with Antonoff, was also there in addition to mother-of-the-bride Andie MacDowell

Uh oh: Taylor Swift is the cause of an entire street being shut down in Long Beach Island, New Jersey as her presence at pal Jack Antonoff's star-studded wedding rehearsal dinner caused quite a commotion

Leading up to the big day: Taylor is in town to celebrate her 39-year-old music collaborator's nuptials with 28-year-old actress Margaret Qualley; the happy couple are seen in March 2022

The megastar arrived at the star-packed event with Channing Tatum and Zoe Kravitz to an uproarious ovation from her passionate fans

Police ended up having to arrive outside of the popular Long Beach Island spot to ensure that the massive crowd was behaving themselves.

Taylor looked absolutely stunning upon her arrival at the Black Whale as she stunned in a two-piece strapless ensemble from Hill House Home.

Her signature dirty blonde locks were worn down into an elegant updo with her fringe hanging to just above her eye.

There were several videos of Taylor's presence at the neighborhood bar all over social media including a TikTok of her arrival with the 34-year-old songstress and 43-year-old actor seen from inside of the restaurant.

The scene grew even more chaotic as hundreds of fans could be heard chanting 'Taylor! Taylor!' as the wedding rehearsal was in full swing.

Other video footage showed the massive crowds who had lined the street in hopes that they would be able to catch a glimpse of the Bad Blood hitmaker.

Finally after the wedding rehearsal dinner had commenced, Taylor quickly walked down the steps with her thespian pals and made her swift exit alongside a security detail.

Earlier in the day news of the pop megastar's arrival had spread around the neighborhood amongst locals who made their way to the Black Whale in droves leading to law enforcement having to direct traffic according to Page Six.

Astonishing: There were several video's of Taylor's presence at the neighborhood bar all over social media including a TikTok of her arrival

Enthusiasm: The people in the restaurant were unable to contain their excitement, squealing with delight when they caught sight of Swift and Tatum

Here is more footage of Taylor Swift in LBI. She is seen here with Channing Tatum: pic.twitter.com/k2nfwEsch2  Franklin (@MyGuySteve) August 18, 2023

All the people waiting outside Black Whale in LBI to get a glimpse of Taylor Swift at Jack Antonoffs wedding at the Jersey Shore. They are chanting Taylor Taylor! So wild! pic.twitter.com/S1Aqb2f2nG  Nicole Michalik (@NicoleisNik) August 19, 2023

Police had to show up after people flooded street in New Jersey where Taylor Swift was seen entering a venue. pic.twitter.com/dEX3ysJsqx  Pop Base (@PopBase) August 19, 2023

Causing a stir: Police ended up having to arrive outside of the popular Long Beach Island spot to ensure that the massive crowd was behaving themselves; Swift is pictured in Arizona back in May 2018

Bond: The scene grew even more chaotic as hundreds of fans could be heard chanting 'Taylor! Taylor!' as the wedding rehearsal was in full swing; Taylor is seen performing in Inglewood, California earlier this month

Tripod: The megastar arrived at the star-packed event with Channing Tatum and Zoe Kravitz to an uproarious ovation from her passionate fans; the couple are seen at the Met Gala in September 2021

Talented: Taylor, Zoe, and Channing were not the only stars at the gathering as Lana Del Rey, who has also often collaborated with Antonoff, was also there; Lana is seen performing at Glastonbury in June

Sweet: The famous mother-of-the-bride Andie MacDowell (pictured in March) was also in attendance

At around 8:45pm the eatery ended up shutting the balcony curtains which was a move met with boos by the Swifties in attendance.

The publication reports that the rehearsal dinner had wrapped around 9pm as Swift and Del Rey left promptly.

Black Whale is definitely a change of pace for the megastar who is used to life in the lap of luxury as it is a modest bar and fish house which was established in 2005.

Before this the eatery's claim to fame was as the neighborhood bar for the township of Beach Haven on Long Beach Island.

Interesting: Black Whale is definitely a change of pace for the megastar who is used to life in the lap of luxury as it is a modest bar and fish house which was established in 2005

Humble: Before this the eatery's claim to fame was as the neighborhood bar for the township of Beach Haven on Long Beach Island

Flashing her bling: Back in May 2022, Qualley confirmed that she was engaged to Antonoff as she took to Instagram to share a snap flashing her diamond engagement ring

Back in May 2022, Qualley confirmed that she was engaged to Antonoff as she took to Instagram to share a snap flashing her diamond engagement ring.

The beauty was hugging and kissing her musician beau in the cozy images. 'Oh I love him!' wrote the daughter of Andie MacDowell in her caption.

Rumours swirled on that she was set to marry Antonoff after wearing the ring at the Cannes Film Festival just weeks before that.

The actress has been attached to Jack since the summer of 2021.

They confirmed they were dating in August 2021, when they were spotted kissing and embracing while strolling around New York City.

As for Swift's relationship with Antonoff, he has played a major role in her very successful career.

He started working with the singer on her 1989 album, which she won a GRAMMY award for, and is credited as a writer and producer on every Taylor album since.

Antonoff started working with the singer on her 1989 album, which she won a GRAMMY award for, and is credited as a writer and producer on every Taylor album since; they are seen performing in New Jersey back in May

The two became close after meeting at the MTV European Music Awards in 2012 and has since been hailed by Swift as her 'friend for life'.

Jack made a cameo in her star-studded Bejeweled music video and joined the star in performing songs from her Folklore album for the Disney+ special film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.

The musician is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers and was the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was also the lead singer of the indie rock band Steel Train.

In May last year he credited Taylor for launching his career as a producer, telling The New Yorker: 'I'd been trying to produce for a while, but there was always some industry herb going, 'That's cute, but that's not your lane.'

'Taylor was the first person with the stature to go, 'I like the way this sounds, I'm putting it on my album' - and then, suddenly, I was allowed to be a producer.'
Kendall Jenner played up her supermodel figure in a clinging ensemble when she surfaced in Los Angeles on Friday night.

The 27-year-old was headed to Delilah, an Art Deco nightspot in West Hollywood that has firmly established itself as a favorite of celebrities.

She strutted her stuff into Delilah that night for a party in aid of her tequila brand 818, which she named after the area code where she grew up.

This Friday, August 18, marks the brand's namesake holiday - 8/18 - which Kendall is celebrating this year for the third time.

For her latest evening out on the town, she showed off her taut midriff by wrapping herself in a skintight see-through cocktail dress.

Legging it: Kendall Jenner played up her supermodel figure in a clinging ensemble when she surfaced in Los Angeles on Friday night

Place to be: The 27-year-old was headed to Delilah, an Art Deco nightspot in West Hollywood that has firmly established itself as a favorite of celebrities

Going off the shoulder at one side, the tantalizingly revealing ensemble also allowed Kendall to put her vertiginous legs on display.

She wore her curtains of silky jet-black hair down and sharpened her screen siren features with makeup, including a slick of dark lipstick.

Adding a pop of color to the look with a lime green handbag, she rounded off her ensemble with subtle earrings and a pair of silver flats.

Earlier that same week, she had been spotted dining with her 818 team at the trendy new Mediterranean eatery Mon Ami in Santa Monica.

Kendall launched 818 in May of 2021, setting off an online outrage that saw the supermodel accused of cultural appropriation.

On the personal front, Kendall is enjoying a romance with the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, whose songs include the drag anthem Yo Perreo Sola.

Although the duo have been glimpsed out on dates together, they have both remained scrupulously tight-lipped in public about the relationship.

When the subject of Bad Bunny arose during a recent interview with WSJ Magazine, Kendall offered no further details than 'no comment.'

Living it up: She strutted her stuff into Delilah that night for a party in aid of her tequila brand 818, and as her social media attested, the festivities included a photo booth

Looking fab: She wore her curtains of silky jet-black hair down and sharpened her screen siren features with makeup, including a slick of dark lipstick

Swanking about: Earlier that same week, she had been spotted dining with her 818 team at the trendy new Mediterranean eatery Mon Ami in Santa Monica

On the personal front: Kendall is enjoying a romance with the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, whom she is pictured with at a Lakers game in May

She did however shed light on why she has chosen to adopt such a private attitude to her love life, which in the past has included Blake Griffin and Devin Booker.

Kendall wants to retain a 'balance of keeping things private and keeping things sacred,' she explained to the magazine.

Her goal is 'also not letting the unfortunate frustration and stress of everyone trying to get in on it stop me from enjoying my side. Does that make sense?'

She added: 'I'll go out of my way to do things as privately as possible because I just think that that's the healthier way of dealing with relationships anyway.'

Bad Bunny chose to remain similarly secretive about Kendall when he covered Rolling Stone recently - and for similar reasons.

'I know something is going to come out. I know [people are] going to say something. People know everything about me, so whats left for me to protect?' he asked.

'My private life, my personal life. Thats the only answer. In the end, the only thing I have is my privacy,' Bad Bunny explained.

'Were in the worst time, the worst moment for the privacy of other humans; not just artists, but human beings. Today, no one respects the privacy or life of anyone.'

He is realistic about the fact that '[f]ans are always going to want to know more, but I dont focus on that. Im always going to keep living my way.''
In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV, a Chinese warship conducts drills in an area around Taiwan, Aug. 19. AP-Yonhap



China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry but widely expected response to Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei.



Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president in elections in January, returned from the United States on Friday. He officially made only stopovers on his way to and from Paraguay but gave speeches while in the U.S.



China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government.



The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said in a brief statement it was carrying out joint naval and air combat readiness patrols around the island.



Taiwan's defense ministry said it had detected 42 Chinese aircraft and eight ships involved in drills around the island from Saturday morning and that it had deployed ships and aircraft in response.



Twenty-six Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the 100-kilometer (60-mile) wide Taiwan Strait, or areas beyond each end of the line, the ministry said in a statement. For decades, the line served as an unofficial barrier between the two militaries.



The PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it was holding joint exercises and training of naval and air forces, focusing on ship-aircraft coordination, seizing control and anti-submarine drills to the north and southwest of Taiwan to test the forces' "actual combat capabilities."



"This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke," it said.





Taiwan's Vice President William Lai addresses supporters at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront hotel in Burlingame, Calif., U.S., Aug. 16. Reuters-Yonhap



'Normal diplomatic interactions'



The command released video footage purportedly taken on Saturday, showing J-16 and J-10 fighter jets and a naval destroyer on patrol.



In text accompanying the footage, set to a thumping orchestral score, it said the drills were to "test the actual combat capabilities of joint operations of forces in the theatre."



Equipment deployed included destroyers, frigates and fast attack missile boats as well as fighters, early warning and jamming aircraft that "assembled in a predetermined area," it said, without giving details.



The forces carried out "omnidirectional encirclement of the island," the command said.



Taiwan's government strongly condemned the drills, with the defense ministry saying it had the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.



The government's Mainland Affairs Council, which makes Taiwan's China policy, urged Beijing to stop its intimidation and start talks, saying Taiwan's people were determined to defend themselves and would never succumb to threats of force.









"The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign country and has a legitimate and legal right to conduct normal diplomatic interactions with friendly countries," it added in a statement, using the island's formal name.



A U.S. State Department spokesperson urged Beijing to "cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue," adding that the U.S. would continue to monitor the exercises closely.



Taiwanese officials had said China was likely to conduct military exercises near the island this week, using Lai's U.S. stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year's presidential election and make them "fear war."



Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, that China has made it clear it wanted to shape the island's election, but it was up to Taiwan's people to decide, "not the bully next door."



"Look, China should hold its own elections; I'm sure its people would be thrilled," he added.



Taiwan's defense ministry released a short video of undated footage showing Taiwanese forces at sea, on city streets and across the countryside. Also set to orchestral music, the video was titled "firmly defend the defend national sovereignty and protect democratic freedom and people's security!"



Hours before the drills, U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David to deepen defense and economic cooperation, while reaffirming "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community."





President Joe Biden, center, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, listen as Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, speaks during a news conference at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18. AP-Yonhap
Billie Shepherd has been cruelly mum-shamed by trolls after jetting to a luxurious Greek resort for a family getaway.

The former TOWIE star, 33, has been eagerly documenting her break on social media after flying to the stunning island of Halkidiki with husband Greg and their children Nelly, nine, Arthur, six, and Margot, eight months.

Billie and her family are thought to be staying at the Porto Sani Hotel, where week-long holidays can cost an eye-watering 7,000 per person in August.

The family are making the most of their time away, staying in a luxury villa with a huge lagoon-style swimming pool with views of the Aegean Sea.

Billie has shared a slew of social media snaps from her family break, but has been hit by trolling from mum-shamers.

Raging: Billie Shepherd has been cruelly mum-shamed by trolls after jetting to a luxurious Greek resort for a family getaway (pictured on a previous break)

Time away: The former TOWIE star has been eagerly documenting her break on social media after flying to the stunning island of Halkidiki

They questioned why she was jetting off on another holiday after splashing out 1.4 million on a new mansion in Essex.

One fan commented: 'Wow more holidays?? How come built such a beautiful home, yet never in it.'

Another added: 'I think you'll find it's paid promotion.'

This person commented: 'She has a magnificent home and is hardly ever in it.

'They go on holiday whenever. Constantly see that they're away.'

But some fans were quick to defend Billie, with one writing: 'Cause it's her money and she can do what the hell she wants with it lol.'

Another commented: 'Yeah sitting in a house over making priceless memories with family is much more important clearly.'

One of Billie's snaps showed Nelly paddling in the sea with her little sister Margot, while another featured the star cuddling her son Arthur.

Time away: Billie and her family are thought to be staying at the Porto Sani Hotel, where week-long holidays can cost an eye-watering 7,000 per person in August

Having fun? Billie has shared a slew of social media snaps from her family break, but has been hit by trolling from mum-shamers

Controversy: They questioned why she was jetting off on another holiday after splashing out 1.4 million on a new mansion in Essex

Hitting back: But some fans were quick to defend Billie, with one writing: 'Cause it's her money and she can do what the hell she wants with it lol'

She captioned her snap: 'Holiday Fun..'

Billie has already enjoyed a string of breaks abroad with her brood this year, including trips to the Maldives, Abu Dhabi, and Disneyland Paris.

Just days before flying to Greece, the family enjoyed a retreat in The Cotswolds.

Billie was previously forced to hit back at mum-shamers after she received backlash for her son Arthur's new bedroom decoration.

She took to her family home Instagram account to display the results of the neutrally-toned lavish bedroom that has just been newly decorated.

But it divided a lot of opinion as some fans thought it was too 'bland' and was surprised when they found out it wasn't an adults bedroom.

She posted the video which revealed his walk-in-wardrobe, double-sized bed, gold lighting, a huge TV on the wall, dinosaur frames and a globe on his bedside cabinet.

The Mummy Diaries star commented back at the mum-shamers and said: 'Guys I think some need to calm down. Some of you getting so upset and judgemental.'

'Arthur's room is not complete and this post is focused on the beautiful lighting we chose and we do have a playroom where he has all of his toys. This is his nice calm space to chill and sleep in.'
Richard Bacon enjoyed a jet ski ride with his wife Rebecca McFarlane after jetting off on a summer getaway to Ibiza.

The former Blue Peter star, 47, went shirtless as he and his spouse sped along the water during their Spanish break.

Richard cut a relaxed figure as he and Rebecca headed down to the beach to baord the jet ski.

His wife donned a stylish leopard print swimsuit as she enjoyed the trip away with the presenter.

Richard previously admitted if he was caught on a cocaine binge now young people would 'sympathise' with him more than they did back in 1998.

Off they go! Richard Bacon enjoyed a jet ski ride with his wife Rebecca McFarlane after jetting off on a summer getaway to Ibiza

Relaxed: The former Blue Peter star went shirtless as he and his spouse sped along the water during their Spanish break

He was sacked from his Blue Peter job in the nineties after a drug's scandal and told my producers he would 'never work again'.

However Richard, who has since found his way back to showbiz, confessed that he thinks the situation would be different had it of happened today.

Richard, said: 'A producer on Blue Peter said to me, "you'll never work again," so it did feel like being 'cancelled'.

'Today, if I was 22 and took drugs at a party, I think I'd get some empathy and sympathy from young people.'

Richard's fall from grace is an early example of 'cancel culture' - where social media has become a platform for public sharming due to old tweets.

He is arguably best qualified to present the new Channel 4 which will look at how many people have lost their careers over historic posts.

Richard, who insists the Twitter generation would have sympathised with his scandal, took a look back at his own tweets to find out if there was anything that would be deemed 'cancel worthy'.

In recent years Richard has kickstarted his career comeback by hosting Good Morning Britain, following Piers Morgan's exit in 2021.

Time away: Richard cut a relaxed figure as he and Rebecca headed down to the beach to baord the jet ski

Speaking during one appearance on the show, he said: 'For me, I haven't done this for a couple of years and I live in America now where I have a slightly silly job basically inventing game-shows and producing game shows, which is a strange thing to do in the world.

'But to actually come back and do this, my first love is news and current affairs and to actually come back and talk about things that matter.'

Richard has plenty of experience of presenting morning television, having hosted Channel 4's The Big Breakfast from 1999 to 2002.

His return to British TV came three years after he was placed in a medically-induced coma for 11 days, after being rushed to hospital with pneumonia.

He spent 11 nights in a medically-induced coma while battling the potentially fatal disease pneumonia in 2018, revealing that his body went blue at one stage and doctors expected him to die.

The presenter said that coming out of the coma was the worst day of his life because it took 14 hours and he kept hallucinating.

While presenting GMB in 2019, Bacon revealed how doctors gave him four minutes to inform family members and get his affairs in order before they would place him in a medically-induced coma.
Malin Andersson showed off her toned figure from six months of gym progress during her incredible weight loss journey on Saturday.

The former Love Island star, 30, has spent the last year focusing on her health and 'internal healing', after welcoming her daughter, Xaya, in January 2022.

Sharing an update to Instagram, Malin showed off her progress with a montage of video footage from her workouts.

She could be seen wearing fitted gym clothing as she reflected on how much she had improved over the last six months.

In a lengthy caption, Malin explained: 'So I joined the gym in January. And its been a pretty cool journey.'

Progress: Malin Andersson, 30, showed off her toned figure from six months of gym progress during her incredible weight loss journey on Saturday

She continued: 'I PTd privately at home when Xaya was 2 months old to embark on a health journey and I took myself out of my comfort zone to join the gym when I felt ready.

' I was scared and shy and would run in and out after 30 minutes only going on the treadmill or something I knew. I didnt have a clue what any machine was or what it did.. and now.. I LOVE IT!

'Its become a hobby of mine, lifting weights and strength training. As Ive said its been amazing for my mental health but I also love how STRONG Im getting and how weights increase slowly and gradually.

'So I put this video together to show you that we all start somewhere in the gym or at home! My aim was to get stronger and that is what has happened - with consistency

'Ive slowly upped my weights and train different body parts on each day.. my form has improved considerably.

'Anyway - hopefully this motivates someone to get out their comfort zone like I did and change their life through exercise.

'Im loving the look of my muscles coming through thats a little bonus but more importantly I can lift the shopping and Xaya at the same time.

'Everything in life is a process, enjoy the journey. Do it for you and to make YOU feel good.'

Toned: Sharing an update to Instagram, Malin showed off her progress with a montage of video footage from her workouts

Beautiful in both: It was after the birth of her daughter Xaya when Malin decided she wanted to move her body more and stop feeling sluggish or down (apictured left in 2022)

Recently Malin took to Instagram to discuss the brutal trolling she has received following her weight loss on Thursday.

The former Love Island star recalled that she has 'never known anything like it' since making a healthy lifestyle change.

Showing off her slimmed-down figure, Malin posted a video of her in the gym flexing her muscles with a pop up of screenshots from trolls.

Alongside her post, she penned: 'I want your honesty..

'Would you go on someone's page and personally message or comment about how they look like? In a negative way?

'I get so many nice messages.. they outweigh the bad for sure. But I've never known anything like it since I've made a healthy lifestyle change.. it's mind baffling.

'Ya'll lucky I got a strong mindset cos some people don't.'

On the video she wrote: 'Me minding my own video... Meanwhile.'

Hitting back: It comes after Malin took to Instagram to discuss the brutal trolling she has received following her weight loss on Thursday

Trolled: Showing off her slimmed-down figure, Malin posted a video of her in the gym flexing her muscles with a pop up of screenshots from trolls

Which lead to a handful of the comments that wrote: 'Your getting smaller and smaller.'

'It's a form of self harm that is so common sadly.'

'Hopefully you'll gain 10kg enjoying yourself on this holiday.'

'You can come across as insecure and always trying to prove something!'

Her fans gushed to the comments to share their opinion on the situation and praised Malin for staying strong and speaking out.
Rebecca Judd welcomed a new addition to the family on Saturday when she announced the arrival of her new puppy Snoop.

The AFL WAG, 40, debuted the adorable pooch on Instagram as she explained her family is 'officially in the dog season of our lives'.

Uploading two videos and an image of the Rhodesian ridgeback, the model was eager to share some fun facts about the breed of her new fur baby.

'He's a Rhodesian ridgeback but a less common liver nose (brown) so is often confused with a Hungarian vizsla. Ridgebacks usually have a black nose,' she wrote.

'The biggest physical differences of a Ridgey is the ridge of hair that runs down it's back and it will also grow to be a bigger dog than a Vizsla.'

Rebecca Judd, 40, (pictured) welcomed a new addition to the family on Saturday when she announced the arrival of her new puppy Snoop

Bec's first video of Snoop showed the puppy exploring her home, while the second one was an even sweeter clip of him falling asleep in the arms of daughter Billie.

'I think Billie is his 'person',' Bec captioned the heartwarming video.

Finally the television presenter uploaded a black and white picture showing off the ridge which runs up Snoop's back.

The AFL WAG debuted the adorable pooch on Instagram as she explained her family is 'officially in the dog season of our lives'. Pictured: Bec's daughter Billie

The Judd family's happy news comes just a few weeks after Bec took six weeks off social media as she enjoyed a lavish family holiday in Europe.

The media personality shared a throwback highlight reel from her trip with her fans and followers on Instagram when she returned.

Bec, who enjoyed a break in London, Ibiza, and Corfu, could be seen cosying up to her AFL star husband Chris by the pool as they soaked up the sun in Greece.

Uploading two videos and an image of the Rhodesian ridgeback, the model was eager to share some fun facts about the breed of her new fur baby

'He's a Rhodesian ridgeback but a less common liver nose (brown) so is often confused with a Hungarian vizsla. Ridgebacks usually have a black nose,' she wrote

She looked incredible as she showed off her model figure wearing a tiny pink bikini and sunglasses.

Former Carlton star Chris, 39, went shirtless and wore matching pink boardshorts as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

In another image, Bec stripped off into a red triangle bikini which she teamed with a pair of cut-off denim shorts during a boating trip.

At one point, the happy couple went for a stroll around a quaint European town as they shared a sweet kiss.
Katie Price has revealed the real reason she's leaving her Mucky Mansion makeover show after two series.

The former glamour model, 45, starred in a Channel 4 series which followed her attempts to transform her 2 million property after it fell into disrepair.

But Katie has now revealed that she fears the West Sussex property gives her 'bad luck' and wants to move out of the home despite ploughing money into renovations.

It comes following reports that the bankrupt star is fighting to save her mansion in an upcoming court appearance after facing questions about her finances.

Katie shared her plans to move out of her home on her podcast with her sister Sophie, admitting that despite her woes it's always been a 'good family home.'

Stepping down: Katie Price has revealed the real reason she's leaving her Mucky Mansion makeover show after two series

She said: 'I'm still thinking of renting it, it's just too big for me. I'm always up in Essex at the minute. I want to get something smaller. I don't know.

'I just think this house gives me bad luck. It's such a good family home but it is too big for me. It's more of an excuse for the kids to make a mess.'

It was reported in May that Katie's Channel 4 series was facing the axe following a drop in ratings for its second series.

A third season was planned for next year, however a new report from The Sun suggested that producers 'aren't too keen' on renewing the programme after viewing figures fell by 300,000.

However, a representative told MailOnline that while there isn't any news at present, that doesn't mean that the series won't return.

Katie previously vowed that her 19-room mansion would be her 'forever home,' but has faced a slew of setbacks.

In 2019 the house suffered fire damage, and the following year intruders ransacked the family home, leaving taps running causing water damage throughout.

The property has also been targeted by vandals who smeared expletive-ridden graffiti over the fences that lead to the model's Sussex property.

Domestic dramas! The former glamour model starred in a Channel 4 series which followed her attempts to transform her 2 million property after it fell into disrepair

it comes following reports earlier this month that Katie will appear in court next month to answer questions about her finances, in the wake of her lengthy monetary woes which began in 2019 when she declared bankruptcy with 3.5million debts.

The Sun report court officials have called for the star to attend a hearing in London on 14 September, to discuss the home Katie purchased nine years ago.

Last month, Katie hit back at trolls who questioned her over her bankruptcy, saying she still 'owns her 2.5million house' and stated: 'Never knock someone who is bankrupt, we all can go there but it doesn't mean that it is all bad.'

In 2021, the star was once again hit with a repossession order on the Mucky Mansion after failing to pay a 500,000 debt.

In April, Katie dodged a court hearing for a fifth time, in which she was set answer questions over her most recent batch of debts - this time 3.2m.

Katie had been expected to appear in person at the bankruptcy court in London and was going to be asked to explain how she plans to pay off her creditors.

The glamour model  who has been on two holidays in the last few months including a trip to Thailand in March - will be asked to lay bare just how much cash she makes when she finally faces the music.

She has avoided being grilled in person since November 2021 and today's planned hearing had been moved from February.

Katie would have been requested to reveal details of her income  including her Depop page.

She has raked in tens of thousands of pounds from the fashion marketplace page and has so far flogged 2,500 items, many being top designer brands.

Much of the cash is owed to lenders for mortgages secured against her so-called Mucky Mansion in Sussex. Katie had agreed to a payment plan with creditors.

Her bankruptcy trustees will want to find out details of how much she has been paid for her TV work, including her Channel 4 show where she attempted to renovate her 2m country mansion.

One of her main sources of income is her 12-a-month OnlyFans page where she posts raunchy photos and videos.

Her Jordan Trading Ltd outfit was struck from the register at Companies House and has now been dissolved.

Woes: But Katie has now revealed that she fears the West Sussex property gives her 'bad luck' and wants to move out of the home despite ploughing money into renovations

The move was made after liquidators gave up trying to prise any more money from the star and ended their work with the doomed firm.

A notice on the outfit's page on the government register said the company had been 'dissolved following liquidation'.

Katie has maintained she doesn't have the cash to pay HMRC. That's despite the former model just undergoing another bout of plastic surgery.

A report into the company filed late last year revealed how she'll pay just over 8p for every pound she owes the taxman.

Katie  who in total owes around 3million  received a bill for 234,470 from HMRC for Jordan Trading Ltd - that took in cash from her doomed perfume and cosmetics empire.

Liquidators said the taxman will get 8.19p in the pound and other trade creditors owed more than 33,000 won't get a penny. The firm went belly up in 2017.

Accountants liquidating Jordan Trading said in a previous report they had all but given up clawing back any cash from her against a loan she took out from the firm.

They said a 154,423 loan taken from the firm's coffers by director Katie was unlikely to be paid back to help clear claims by creditors to Jordan Trading totalling 267,769.
Laura Whitmore packed on the PDA with her husband Iain Stirling on Friday as they attended Luno presents All Points East in Victoria Park, London.

The former Love Island host, 38, and the comedian, 35, were seen sharing a hug as they watched Stormzy headline the event.

The couple, who were joined by a group of friends, looked as loved up as ever while enjoying some food and dancing the night away.

Laura nailed festival chic in a lime patterned blouse and black coated skinny jeans with a khaki jacket layered over the top.

Meanwhile, Iain opted for a black sweater with some jeans and white trainers for their night out.

Love: Laura Whitmore, 38, packed on the PDA with her husband Iain Stirling, 35, on Friday as they attended Luno presents All Point East in Victoria Park, London

Night out: The former Love Island host and the comedian were seen sharing a hug as they watched Stormzy headline the event

It comes after Laura insisted she 'will call out the s**t' now that she has 'more power' in the TV world.

The presenter expressed relief at being a producer on her upcoming ITVX series Laura Whitmore Investigates, after having previously just been 'the face' of telly projects.

The DJ admitted she sees the move as her way of 'reclaiming my power,' after having been 'frustrated' over having 'no control' over the shows she worked on.

In the new interview, Laura also revealed she is having therapy after it was offered to her for the first time, and admitted: 'I never really feel like I fit in!'

The television personality also confessed that perhaps she has never asked for mental health support, because she 'didn't want to be seen to be weak.'

Speaking to The Telegraph, Laura said: 'Sometimes  a lot of the time  your job is to turn up and look a certain way. I've worked on shows where I've had no control over my script or producing or anything.

'When I first started on Radio 5 Live, I had comments on Twitter saying, 'Why have you got that bimbo on that slot?' [] I never really feel like I fit in anywhere, but does anyone? Once I can add something to the narrative and I'm getting something from it I'll bl**dy well do it, and I hope I'll do it to the best ability I can.

'I have a lovely life, but I will also call out the s**t, because I hope I'll be able to continue to do this for years and it will get better and I'll have more power. I've definitely got more power now than I did 10 years ago in this industry.'

Cute: The couple, who were joined by a group of friends, looked as loved up as ever

Stylish: Laura nailed festival chic in a lime patterned blouse and black coated skinny jeans

Downpour: She later wore her khaki jacket over her head when the weather took a turn

Event: Meanwhile, Iain opted for a black sweater with some jeans and white trainers

On stage: Stormzy performed at the event on Friday during his This Is What We Mean Day

Girls: Sharing an update to Instagram, Laura posed for a selfie with her friends

She also included a fun photo of them dancing in a light up tunnel

Yum: Laura and Iain shared some food

Catching up: She was seen chatting to a pal by the food van

Fun: The couple held hands as they danced to the music

Moves: They looked to be having the time of their lives

Relaxing: The comedian sipped on a can of beer

Stunning: The presenter wore her hair with a hint of a wave and opted for a slick of red lipstick

Selfie: She was seen posing for photos with a group of women

Adorable: Iain wrapped an arm lovingly around his wife

Groove: They posed for photos inside in installation

Defiance: It comes after Laura insisted she 'will call out the s**t' now that she has 'more power' in the TV world

Control: The presenter expressed relief at being a producer on her upcoming ITVX series Laura Whitmore Investigates, after having previously just been 'the face' of telly projects

Changes: The DJ admitted she sees the move as her way of 'reclaiming my power,' after having been 'frustrated' over having 'no control' over the shows she worked on

Laura also revealed she met with a therapist early on in the documentary-making process after it was offered, for the first time in her career.

She confessed: 'I've never had that before and I kind of wish I had done it before now... for any show.'

The former model also considered if she 'should have asked for help' rather than waiting for it to be offered, adding 'because people don't offer things.'

But, she admitted: 'maybe [I] didn't want to be seen to be weak, so I didn't,' adding: 'The more I work in TV the more I will be like, ''I'm finding this really hard''.'
Reese Witherspoon was in mom mode in New York City Thursday.

The actress, 47, who has been visiting her son Deacon Phillippe, 19, was spotted outside a Crate and Barrel store where she was buying some home essentials.

Reese looked low-key in a pair of bootleg cut jeans and a white V-neck T-shirt and white sneakers.

She added a blue and white button down to the look, and accessorized with small gold hoop earrings and several necklaces, including a firefly pendant.

Her long, blonde hair was styled in a loose bun.

Mom mode: Reese Witherspoon was in mom mode in New York City Thursday. The actress, 47, who has been visiting her son Deacon Phillippe, 19, was spotted outside a Crate and Barrel store where she was buying some home essentials

The Oscar winner wore minimal makeup and stepped out into the sun wearing a pair of dark shades.

Deacon looked equally casual, donning a white crew neck T-shirt, tan joggers and white sneakers.

He carried a large box as they left the lifestyle store.

The NYU student has been studying music at college, while building his own repertoire of singles.

He released the video for his latest, Found Me, on social media Friday.

'FOUND ME video out now,' he wrote on Instagram.

'You can now watch the vision of the album come to life thanks to [Gray Smoley] and [Ari Isenberg] and an extremely talented group of people check it out now.'

For her part, Reese gave her unbiased review writing 'This one is 100' in the comments section.

Low-key: Reese looked low-key in a pair of bootleg cut jeans and a white V-neck T-shirt and white sneakers. She added a blue and white button down to the look with her long, blonde hair was styled in a loose bun

Music: Deacon has been pursuing music at NYU and released the video for his latest single, Found Me on social media Friday (Pictured in Los Angeles in May 2022)

Proud mom: Reese shares Deacon and older sister, Ava, 23, with her first husband, Ryan Philippe, 48, and her younger son, Tennessee, 10, with ex Jim Toth, 53

Reese shares Deacon and older sister Ava, 23, with her first husband, Ryan Philippe, 48, and her younger son, Tennessee, 10, with ex Jim Toth, 53.

Ava has become a popular model and influencer.

Speaking to Tracee Ellis Ross for Interview magazine, The Morning Shoe star explained the bond she has with her adult children.

'I never expected the kind of relationship that I have with them, but it's so rewarding to be able to have kids that you can process life with a little bit, and they help me understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now,' the A-lister said.

'I'm really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life. Adult humans. I have two adult children now, Tracee. It's crazy.'
I'm A Celebrity winner Georgia Toffolo has been left heartbroken after her on-off boyfriend struck up a romance with the reigning Miss Montenegro.

Convicted criminal George Cottrell, who was a senior adviser to Nigel Farage, is dating the model Andjela Vukadinovic after relocating to the Balkans.

Friends of Ms Toffolo say she is 'devastated' that her relationship with the financier, which has lasted four years, may be finally over.

It is understood Cottrell and the beauty queen, who won the pageant in Montenegro in March, holidayed together in the South of France over the summer.

One pal told The Mail on Sunday: 'Georgia is so upset at all of this  it has really hit her.

Georgia Toffolo (pictured right) has been left heartbroken after her on-off boyfriend George Cottrell (left) struck up a romance with the reigning Miss Montenegro

Friends of Ms Toffolo (left) say she is 'devastated' that her relationship with the financier (right), which has lasted four years, may be finally over

'Their relationship has been through its ups and downs, but to see George now go off with Andjela has been very sad for her.

'She always had hopes it would work out. But George has been spending more and more time in Montenegro for work and he met Andjela.'

Mr Cottrell, 29, can be seen on Ms Vukadinovic's Instagram account taking pictures of both her and a female friend.

Her social media profile also features pictures of her wearing a bikini in glamorous locations such as St Tropez, Monte Carlo, Majorca and Montenegro itself.

Ms Toffolo, 28, who rose to fame on the E4 series Made In Chelsea, met Mr Cottrell at a social event before going on to spend time with him at his 2.5 million West London apartment and enjoying weekend breaks at his family's Worcestershire estate.

It is understood Cottrell and the beauty queen (pictured), who won the pageant in Montenegro in March, holidayed together in the South of France over the summer

Mr Cottrell, 29, can be seen on Ms Vukadinovic's Instagram account taking pictures of both her and a female friend

READ MORE HERE: Georgia Toffolo shows off long legs in pink fluffy minidress at Barbie premiere Advertisement

Mr Cottrell played a key role during the Brexit campaign and was also an employee of Ukip.

He was arrested in Chicago in 2016 and later jailed after admitting to posing as a money launderer in a bid to rip off drug smugglers.

He spent eight months in a US prison before his release.

While Ms Toffolo, who won I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! in 2017, wasn't put off by his criminal past, the pair's relationship was far from smooth.

During one of the breaks in their romance, she joined celebrity dating app Raya in a bid to move on  before once again committing to Mr Cottrell, who is worth an estimated 300 million.

A spokesman for Ms Toffolo declined to comment, as did Ms Vukadinovic.
Mamma Mia! star Dominic Cooper seems to have taken some tips from his box-office movie as he was snapped laying all his love on girlfriend Gemma Chan while holidaying in Spain last week.

The 45-year-old actor passionately recreated scenes from the Abba-inspired film with the Crazy Rich Asians actress. The pair, who have been dating since meeting on the set of 2017 thriller Stratton, piled on the affection in the azure waters off the Balearic island of Formentera, with Cooper sweeping Chan into his arms in a carbon-copy of a scene from 2008's Mamma Mia!

In the film, Cooper's character Sky serenades lover Sophie, played by American actress Amanda Seyfried, as he cradles her in the ocean.

And art imitated life in that case, too, as Cooper and Seyfried became romantically involved and dated until 2011 before reuniting on screen for the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

An onlooker said Cooper and Chan put on a 'passionate display' as they kissed in the ocean before enjoying a picnic on the beach: 'They looked in love and seemed relaxed and happy. They were kissing and being very affectionate.'

HONEY, HONEY: The stars kiss and embrace in Spain with Chan sporting a bright red bikini

Mamma mia!: Dominic Cooper on set with old flame Amanda Seyfried

London-born Chan, 40, is one of the most successful British actresses in Hollywood, starring in last year's Don't Worry Darling alongside Harry Styles

Chan, who also dated comic Jack Whitehall for six years, has spoken of her love for super trouper Cooper  especially during the Covid pandemic

London-born Chan, 40, is one of the most successful British actresses in Hollywood, starring in last year's Don't Worry Darling alongside Harry Styles. She was one of 15 women on the cover of British Vogue's September 2019 magazine, edited by Meghan Markle, and is a brand ambassador for L'Oreal Paris.

Chan, who also dated comic Jack Whitehall for six years, has spoken of her love for super trouper Cooper  especially during the Covid pandemic: 'Dom was very understanding and empathetic. I didn't feel I had to shoulder everything on my own.'
Emma Weymouth looked typically stylish as she was spotted arriving at Club 55 in St Tropez with her husband Ceawlin Thynn on Saturday.

The British socialite and model, 37, is enjoying a family holiday in the French Riviera and has been using her outings on the beach to show off her fashion finesse.

She donned a bright pink bikini top and covered-up in a floral chic maxi dress as she walked along the pier with pal Mark-Francis Vandelli.

Emma hid her eyes behind a pair of round sunglasses, while accessorising with a straw hat and bag.

Meanwhile, her husband Ceawlin, 49, cut a casual figure in a blue unbuttoned shirt and navy shorts.

Gorgeous: Emma Weymouth looked typically stylish as she was spotted arriving at Club 55 in St Tropez with her husband Ceawlin Thynn on Saturday

Beauty: The British socialite and model, 37, is currently enjoying a family holiday in the French Riviera and has been using her outings on the beach to show off her fashion finesse

Days earlier, Emma exhibited her envy-inducing frame as she enjoyed a yacht cruise with pals.

The Marchioness of Bath, set pulses racing as she slipped her slender frame into a skimpy black two-piece.

The former Strictly star flaunted her perky assets and pert derriere in the plunging black bikini top with gold detailing and matching briefs.

Soaking up the sun in the south of France, Emma turned heads yet again in an pink patterned bikini as she went for a swim in the sea during her lavish getaway.

She was spotted showcasing her washboard abs and wore a glamorous palette of makeup as she made her way out in the blistering heat.

Emma is holidaying with her husband Ceawlin Thynn - the 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.

Glam: She donned a bright pink bikini top and covered-up in a floral chic maxi dress as she walked along the pier

Dapper: Her husband Ceawlin, 49, cut a casual figure in a blue unbuttoned shirt and navy shorts

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.'
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a joint news conference with President Joe Biden and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Thurmont, Md., Aug. 18. AP-Yonhap



Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will visit the Fukushima nuclear plant, Sunday, ahead of the discharge of treated water which is scheduled to begin by the end of summer.



Tokyo's plan to release treated water from the tsunami-hit nuclear plant into the sea over the next few decades has raised concerns in neighboring countries, prompting China to ban some food imports and sparking protests in Korea.



Kishida, who was in Washington for a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, told Japanese reporters he would visit the plant Sunday following his return to Japan.



"The release of treated water is an issue that cannot be postponed in order to make steady progress with decommissioning and the reconstruction of Fukushima," he said.



Kishida said the government was in "the final stages" of making a decision but declined to comment on the exact timing of the release.



The prime minister said he hoped to meet "at some stage" with the head of Japan's fisheries cooperative federation, which has been against the release plan.



The discharge will reportedly begin as early as the end of this month.



Last month, plans to release treated wastewater from the plant cleared their final regulatory hurdle, with the endorsement from the U.N. nuclear watchdog.



Some 1.33 million cubic metres of groundwater, rainwater and water used for cooling have accumulated at the plant, where several reactors went into meltdown after the 2011 tsunami overwhelmed cooling systems.



Storage space is running out, but plans by Japan and plant operator TEPCO to release the water into the sea have run into local and regional opposition.



The International Atomic Energy Agency said the discharge would have "negligible" effects on the environment and was in line with water releases from nuclear plants elsewhere.



The Japanese government has spent months trying to win over public opinion at home and abroad, with everything from study tours of the plant to livestreamed experiments keeping marine life in the treated water.



But neither those efforts nor the IAEA's approval, have won over Beijing.



China has said it would ban food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures over the release, and require stringent radiation tests on food from the rest of the country.



In Korea, public concern about the plan remains high, but its government said its review of the plan found it in line with international standards. (AFP)




Vanderpump Rules' Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix were spotted together in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The two reality TV personalities were seen leaving Ariana's shared home with her infamous cheating ex, Tom Sandoval, between filming scenes for the 11th season of the hit Bravo series.

Two days after hinting that Raquel Leviss was lying in her bombshell interview on Bethenny Frankel's podcast, Katie, 36, put on a stylish display in a white maxi dress.

For a fun twist, she mixed the elegant garment featuring lace adorning the low-cut, scoop neckline and a front slit that showcased her toned legs with edgy, black accessories.

She wore a pair of black leather ballet flats with straps around her ankles as well as a small patent leather shoulder bag.

Something about her! Vanderpump Rules' Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix were spotted together in Los Angeles on Saturday

She also sported a pair of classic wayfarer sunglasses with a black frame as well as silver earrings and layers of matching chain necklaces.

For makeup, she opted for a light glam that was topped off with a classic mauve pink lip.

For their outing, Ariana, 38, looked radiant in a bright yellow satin button-down blouse with short sleeves.

She teamed the colorful top with a pair of cream satin trousers and gold pointed-toe stilettos.

To go with the gold detail in her choice of shoes, she sported a pair of gold-framed sunglasses with pink-tinted circle lenses.

She threw up her blonde tresses in an effortlessly stylish bun with side pieces loose to frame her face.

For accessories, she was seen carrying a small beige woven tote and layered several beaded bracelets.

Finally, she opted for some statement rings and a minimal makeup look to showcase her natural beauty.

Heading out: The two reality TV personalities were seen leaving Ariana's shared home with her infamous cheating ex, Tom Sandoval, between filming scenes for the 11th season of the hit Bravo series

Bright and beaming: For their outing, Ariana, 38, looked radiant in a bright yellow satin button-down blouse with short sleeves. She teamed the colorful top with a pair of cream satin trousers and gold pointed-toe stilettos

Elegant and edgy: Katie, 36, put on a stylish display in a white maxi dress. For a fun twist, she mixed the elegant garment featuring lace adorning the low-cut, scoop neckline and a front slit that showcased her toned legs with edgy, black accessories

Chic accessories: She wore a pair of black leather ballet flats with straps around her ankles as well as a small patent leather shoulder bag

The day before, Ariana  who will soon be opening a sandwich shop together with Katie  announced that she is working on writing a book about the infamous Scandoval drama.

In a lengthy post shared to social media on Friday, she wrote: 'These last few months have been a whirlwind.

'And though I'm in a better place now, having my devastation unfold so publicly was painful,' she continued.

She also said she would 'forever be grateful' to her fans and friends for continuing to support her through the cheating scandal.

Her new book is expected to go to publication just in time for release around Christmas.
Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner arrived separately to give depositions in their pending divorce in Santa Barbara, California on Saturday.

The at-odds duo initially tied the knot in 2004 - before she filed for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage.

Their divorce battle has become far from amicable, and Christine has been living in a $35,000 rental in town after she was booted out of the family's mansion.

Kevin, 68, looked relaxed as he arrived to the law offices in light gray jeans, a white button down shirt, and sneakers.

The Let Him Go actor wore dark sunglasses and carried a brown jacket.

Depositions: Kevin Costner and his estranged wife Christine Baumgartner arrived separately to give depositions in their pending divorce Saturday in Santa Barbara, California

He was joined shortly afterward by his high-powered attorney Laura Wasser.

Christine, 49, looked stylish in a red short sleeve sweater and charcoal slacks.

She wore black strappy sandals and accessorized with a rhinestone belt and a gold necklace.

Her dark blonde hair was styled in loose layers.

The model wore natural looking makeup with a soft pink lip and large round sunglasses.

Christine carried two large bags for her meeting with the attorneys who are helping hammer out the final agreement for the dissolution of her marriage.

Witnesses say the handbag designer was originally scheduled to arrive later in the day, but instead arrived an hour before her soon-to-be ex-husband.

The divorce proceedings between the former couple have been contentious from the start.

Stylish: Christine, 49, looked stylish in a red short sleeve sweater and charcoal slacks. She wore black strappy sandals and accessorized with a rhinestone belt and a gold necklace. Her dark blonde hair was styled in loose layers

Relaxed: The Oscar winner, 68, looked relaxed in light gray jeans and a white button down shirt. The Yellowstone star stepped out in gray sneakers. The Let Him Go actor wore dark sunglasses and carried a brown jacket

One of the biggest sticking points is where Christine will live.

Kevin's attorney have argued the prenup signed before their September 2004 wedding required her to move out of their Montecito home.

The contract calls for a $200,000 down payment for Christine's new residence and for the Dances with Wolves star to cover the monthly mortgage, property tax, and insurance payments for one year.

She initially refused to do leave the Montecito mansion, but a judge ordered her to leave the residence by July 31.

Residence: One of the biggest sticking points in the divorce is where Christine will live. The prenup signed before their 2004 wedding requires her to move out of their home in Montecito

Child support: Child support for the couple's three kids are scheduled August 31 and September 9. Christine initially asked for nearly $250,000 per month while Kevin offered of $51, 940 per month. A judge has ordered temporary payments of $129,000 per month

The couple share three children, Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14 and Grace 12 and child support has been a big source of contention for the duo.

Christine initially asked for nearly $250,000 per month for child support, while The Highwayman star countered with an offer of $51, 940 per month.

A judge has ordered the star to make payments of $129,000 per month.

Hearings on the child support issue are scheduled for August 31 and September 9.

Costner has four older children: Annie, 39, Lily, 37, and Joe, 35, from his marriage to Cindy Silva. He has a son, Liam, 27, from his relationship with heiress Bridget Rooney.
Myleene Klass looked effortlessly chic as she left the Smooth FM studios in London on Saturday after celebrating her eight year anniversary with partner Simon Motson.

The TV and radio star, 45, donned a pretty pink floral maxi dress and sandals as she stepped out after her show.

She accessorised with several gold necklaces and bracelets, while carrying a black handbag.

After the show, Myleene took to Instagram to share a sweet post marking eight years with Simon.

Alongside a loved-up video montage, Myleene penned: 'Eight years ago, I was set up on a blind date (thanks @scampanddudejo @mrsdebbiec), I walked into the restaurant and just saw that huge, kind smile.

Stylish: Myleene Klass looked effortlessly chic as she left the Smooth FM studios in London on Saturday after celebrating her eight year anniversary with partner Simon Motson

Chic: The TV and radio star, 45, donned a pretty pink floral maxi dress and sandals as she stepped out after her show

'I had no idea meeting Sim would quite literally turn my life upside down! Its one thing to find love for yourself but to trust someone with your precious babies (when Ava first met him, she asked what his favourite dolphin was, a true interrogation) and to watch those relationships grow and him step in and step up has been something I could only have dreamed of.'

Myleene continued: 'Anyone in a blended family will know its not easy, it takes patience, love, dedication and respect but the father he is to our children is a different level altogether.

'When I became a single mum, it was unsettling not knowing what the future held. Now, Im thankful for what was set in motion. My children got the life and love they deserve and I found my soulmate.

'The days arent perfect, we have weathered our storms but weve done it together and we simply dont give up on ourselves or eachother.

'Thank you Sim for the love you show our family every single day, for cheering us all on and for feeding us michelin star meals on demand. Love you to the slab

Speaking about Elvis Presley's song Can't Help Falling In Love, she added: '(This song is our song because Ava @pianos_our_forte chose it and played it out on speakers the night he proposed to me )'

They began dating in 2015 after she split from husband Graham Quinn in 2012, and they welcomed their first child together, son Apollo, in August 2019.

The couple also take care of Myleene's daughters Ava, 16, and Hero, 12, as well as Simon's two children.

Loved-up: After the show, Myleene took to Instagram to share a sweet post marking eight years with Simon

Alongside a loved-up video montage, Myleene penned: 'Eight years ago, I was set up on a blind date (thanks @scampanddudejo @mrsdebbiec), I walked into the restaurant and just saw that huge, kind smile.'

It comes after Myleene recalled her experience suffering four 'torturous' miscarriages as she made history by changing pregnancy loss laws.

The reality star has spent four years campaigning for changes to UK miscarriage laws with Labour MP Olivia Blake and told of her delight as a string of changes were approved.

Myleene detailed how the changes will mean women will no longer have to wait until after three miscarriages to receive medical help and pre-conception advice and will have access to mental health support.

The changes were unveiled in the long-awaited Pregnancy Loss Review - an independent report on NHS miscarriage care and how it can be improved, which came after campaigning from baby loss charity Tommy's, who Myleene works with.

Speaking about the milestone exclusively to MailOnline, Myleene bravely reflected on own devastating experience losing four babies and told how the changes would have helped her.

Myleene detailed the 'barbaric' trauma she went through each time she had a miscarriage, telling how she was left 'shaking with fear' after being given the devastating news.

She explained how, soon after being told she had lost her child, she had to decide what she wanted the hospital to do with the foetal remains, detailing the trauma of the moment.

'Thank you Sim for the love you show our family every single day, for cheering us all on and for feeding us michelin star meals on demand. Love you to the slab'

Detailing what changes needed to be made, she told MailOnline: 'You're standing there in your surgical socks shaking with the fear of it all and the upset, with your dead baby on the scan, and you've got to decide, "do I commit them to ashes at the tick of a box, or do I put them into a slide?"'

'How do you refer to the baby that's been lost in the paper work you have to fill in? It's torturous,' she went on.

'The products of pregnancy, "how would you like them to be disposed of? Would you like ashes and prayers or would you like slides and scientific contribution?".

'It's barbaric and it's all going to stop now. The fact I've been campaigning for it for years and now I'm actually saying there's a full stop, it's incredible.'

Myleene also recalled how she was expected to walk through a waiting room full of expectant mothers after being given the heartbreaking news of her miscarriage.
Rapper Kanye West's new 'wife' Bianca Censori is the daughter of Australian Mob royalty.

The 46-year-old rapper reportedly had an unofficial wedding ceremony with the Melbourne architect, 28, in January - just two months after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalised.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal Bianca's father Elia 'Leo' Censori did hard jail time after being convicted in 1982 on a charge of possessing a prohibited import (heroin) and sentenced to five years with a minimum of three.

Leo is the brother of Eris Censori - a notorious gangland killer once dubbed 'Melbourne's Al Capone'.

Eris was sentenced to death in Western Australia for a murder, but the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

The death penalty was abolished in Western Australia in 1984, although the last execution in Australia took place in 1967.

Eldest brother Edmondo, known as 'Eddie Capone', has convictions in Victoria for violence, including assaulting police, theft and threats.

Kanye West and Bianca Censori had an 'unofficial' wedding.

Leo Censori was a gambling kingpin who did hard time over a heroin bust

Leo Censori's former wife 'ratted' him out on the front page of the Herald Sun in 1991

As well as heroin dealing, Leo also has convictions for possession of a pistol and fully jacketed ammunition.

Daily Mail Australia approached the Censori compound on Friday, but his wife Alexandra refused to comment when asked about her husband's criminal history.

Leo Censori also failed to contact the Daily Mail Australia after that visit.

In 1991, Leo's former wife Faye Glascott spilled the beans on his illegal gambling empire.

She told Herald Sun reporter John Silvester that Leo had been involved in a cartel that controlled a large slice of a lucrative illegal gambling industry in Melbourne during the 80s.

Ms Glascott at the time said her former husband had made a fortune from illegal gambling.

'I have seen the money,' she said.

Bianca Censori is the daughter of a former Melbourne criminal

Bianca Censori was raised in one of Melbourne's more affluent suburbs

The Herald Sun exposed Leo Censori in 1991 back when The Age's John Silvester worked there

ERIS 'MELBOURNE'S AL CAPONE' CENSORI Eris, who was known in the 1980s as 'Al Capone', worked in the pinball industry before he moved to Perth. Eris - the youngest of the brothers - was sentenced to death for the murder of Perth waiter Michael Sideris. The sentence was later commuted to life. He started serving the term in Western Australia but was transferred back to Victoria in 1987 so he could be closer to his family. Ultimately he was released on parole to end in 1999, but must now spend the rest of his life on parole. Advertisement

'Leo can stack money better than a bank.'

She said she had found rolls of money - up to $40,000 - hidden around their Alphington home and recalled seeing about $60,000 sitting on their coffee table.

Leo still resides in leafy Alphington, alongside his current wife Alexandra, who is the mother of Bianca and her sisters Angelina and Alyssia.

West, 46, who now goes by 'Ye', spent time with his in-laws just last month after he jetted off to Tokyo with his wife to be with them.

Angelina Censori shared a photo on Instagram of her famous sister clad in a pink bodysuit and leggings while shopping at a Hello Kitty store.

Throwback photos posted to social media show Bianca posing and partying alongside her pretty siblings Alyssia and Angelina, who have been compared to the Kardashian sisters.

Growing up in the well-heeled suburb of Ivanhoe, it is believed Bianca later lived in the $2.8million Alphington home where her parents still reside.

The leafy suburban property sits well away from busy streets, the bustling city, and the even louder world of media Bianca was thrust into after her 'marriage' to Kanye.

Leo Censori's ex-wife blew the whistle on his life of crime in 1991 in Melbourne's Herald Sun

Leo Censori as he appeared in the Herald Sun in 1991

The family home of Leo Censori

Kanye West (left) finally met his Australian in-laws in Tokyo, seven months after he tied the knot with Melbourne native Bianca Censori (right)

Kanye West's new wife Bianca Censori, 28, (second, left) comes from a family just like his ex-Kim Kardashian. Pictured left is Bianca's mother Alexandra, second right is Bianca's sister Alyssia and far right is Bianca's other sister Angelina

EDMONDO 'EDDIE CAPONE' CENSORI The eldest brother in the clan, Eddie has convictions in Victoria for violence, including assaulting police, theft and threats. He was known as 'Eddie Capone' and had been involved in the amusement machine business in Melbourne and Perth. He arrived from Italy with his parents in 1960 and was known to hang around inner suburban coffee bars in Melbourne as a teenager. He has previously given his occupation as a bouncer, labourer, machine operator, fitter, billiard marker and cafe proprietor. Advertisement

Silvester, who went on to write the successful Underbelly series alongside fellow Melbourne reporter Andrew Rule, revealed Bianca's dad had been marked for death in the 1990s.

'Censori accepted a police guard when detectives discovered a group of bandits planned to kill him,' he wrote then.

'Police were told a gang intended to kill Censori in the garage of his home and steal his takings from the gambling machines. The gang expected him to be carrying about $60,000 cash. Police guarded Censori even though they knew he was heavily involved in illegal gaming.'

In her 1991 interview, Ms Glascott described her former husband as a 'heavy criminal figure'.

'The police should organise a big raid and confiscate every single machine, every single one,' she said at the time.

'If they took all the machines there would be nothing for Leo to operate. You would wipe him out.'

Leo served two years of his five-year sentence over the drug charges after an Australian Federal Police raid.

They found heroin in the kitchen.

'I was fighting with him because he was going into the kitchen to measure things using my utensils. I didn't like that stuff in my home,' Ms Glascott told Silvester.

'It was a nightmare.'

Alexandra Censori at her home on Friday. She refused to discuss her husband's criminal history

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in happier times

Bianca Censori is the daughter of Melbourne gangster royalty

Ms Glascott and Leo divorced in 1989 after 15 years of marriage.

She told Silvester in the 1991 interview that her ex-husband had made a career out of studying gamblers and working out what they wanted.

'He knows what gets them in. Some players lose large amounts of money and then try to win it back. They never do,' she said.

Ms Glascott said Leo had made his fortune off the back of illegal gaming machines.

'Those machines make wheelbarrows full of money,' she said.

'Some people in Carlton love him but they have to love him, his machines put money in their pockets ... They are all creeps. They say that they like him because he makes them money. When he went to prison, none of them wanted to know about it.'

Ms Glascott suggested Leo 'would never change' his wicked ways.

'I tried to coax Leo into going into a legitimate business; to use his money, to turn it into white money, to go into something where he didn't have to worry about it,' she said then.

'But there is the criminal in Leo. He gets a buzz out of the police trying to catch him and he beats them by changing the programs on the machines. He gets a buzz out of that.

'He loves the lifestyle; that's why he'll never change.'

READ MORE: Is Kanye West controlling his new 'wife' Bianca Censori?
Lori Harvey showed off her casual street style as she was spotted out in Los Angeles on Friday.

The model, 26, was seen wearing a casual-yet-chic outfit as she was enjoying the warm summer weather in Southern California just days after a date night with boyfriend Damson Idris.

Harvey's look comprised of a white short-sleeved T-Shirt and a pair of washed, light blue short shorts, and a pair of black open-toed flip flops.

She completed her outfit with a pair of black sunglasses, a set of gold earrings, a bracelet around her one of her ankles, and a black designer purse from Chanel.

The 26-year-old had her black hair straightened, which she wore down.

Casual Street Style: Lori Harvey flaunted her casual street style as she was spotted out enjoying the warm summer weather in Los Angeles, California on Friday

The outfit: Harvey's outfit comprised of a white short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of washed, light blue short shorts, and a pair of black open-toed flip flops

Cabo San Lucas: The sighting of the 26-year-old in Los Angeles comes a few days after she dropped a series of photos from her vacation in Mexico with her boyfriend, the actor Damson Idris, 31, to Instagram on August 15

Harvey showed off her fresh new pedicure she got in her open-toe flip flops, which she had her toes painted with white colored nail polish.

The sighting of the 26-year-old in Los Angeles comes a few days after she dropped a series of photos from her vacation in Mexico with her boyfriend, the actor Damson Idris, 31, to Instagram on Tuesday.

Tagging Cabo San Lucas as her location, the brunette beauty captioned the post: 'Living La Vida Loca ft. @yevrahswim'

Harvey included several shots of herself modeling skimpy bikinis from her stylish swimwear line Yevrah while soaking up the sun.

One of these sultry swimsuit pictures featured the 26-year- old donning a pair of tiny red-orange bottoms that showed off her curvy hips. She styled them with a Dior tee that had a quirky cartoon mermaid on the front, along with the phrase: 'J'ADORE DIOR.'

She also included a photo where she flaunted her trim and toned physique in a mint green two-piece as she sprawled on a ledge just steps from the sand. It consisted of a busty bandeau bikini top and cheeky high-rise bikini bottoms.

In another image where she was enjoying the ocean at sunset, Harvey was photographed rocking a backless green one-piece.

Also included in her photo dump was a selfie of herself and Idris cozying up to one another while on a private jet to Cabo. Idris was seen holding up a glass of red wine while Harvey flipping the bird at the camera.

Sexy Swimsuit pics: Harvey showed off her fit figure in a mint green two-piece bikini set that consisted of a busty bandeau bikini top and cheeky high-rise bikini bottoms

Private Jet ride: Idris (left) was seen holding up a glass of red wine while Harvey (left) flipping the bird at the camera in this selfie that the model included from her Mexico Instagram photo dump

The model and the former Snowfall star first sparked romance rumors in December 2022 when they were spotted grabbing dinner in Los Angeles. They later went Instagram official with their relationship on January 13, 2023, when Idris posted a photo of the two of them together as a birthday tribute to Harvey.

Harvey's August 15 photo dump of her and Idris's Cabo vacation comes a week after she announced the release of her 12-piece Yevrah Swim collection for Revolve.

Since then, Harvey has shared multiple posts on her Instagram account featuring behind-the-scenes content from the photoshoots for her swim line. Yevrah is a nineties-inspired 'Euro Summer' collection that reflects Harvey's personal aesthetic and is available at Revolve.

'Swimwear has always been an avenue I wanted to explore so I felt like the timing was just perfect right now for me to dive into it,' she said in an exclusive interview with Vogue.

'For my first drop, I really wanted it to be elevated staple pieces that can be worn anywhere, anytime, any season and that will never go out of style.'
No-one disputes Jimi Hendrix's musical legacy, but it's a different story when it comes to his royalties.

Relatives of the late American guitarist's two British bandmates are taking Sony Music to the High Court in London, saying the label owes them millions of pounds.

The heirs of bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell  who died in 2003 and 2008 respectively  say each man was due 25 per cent of the income earned by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, formed in 1966.

The remaining 50 per cent was Mr Hendrix's, who died in 1970 after an apparent drugs binge.

Their court claim accuses Sony Music of having 'profited from unauthorised exploitation  that infringes [Mr Redding and Mr Mitchell's] copyrights and performers' rights. [They] have not been compensated for their work and both died in relative poverty.'

A preliminary hearing will focus on whether Mr Redding and Mr Mitchell signed away their rights in the 1970s.

No-one disputes Jimi Hendrix's musical legacy, but it's a different story when it comes to his royalties

The heirs of bassist Noel Redding (left) and drummer Mitch Mitchell (right) who died in 2003 and 2008 respectively  say each man was due 25 per cent of the income earned by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

A preliminary hearing will focus on whether Mr Redding and Mr Mitchell signed away their rights in the 1970s (Pictured: Noel Redding, left, Jimi Hendrix, center, and Mitch Mitchell)

READ MORE: Jimi Hendrix guitar goes up for sale with $1.25m price tag - 62 years after legend paid $65 for it One of the first guitars used by legendary performer Jimi Hendrix is on sale for $1.25 million Advertisement

They lodged a claim against the Hendrix estate in the US in 1972, but settled when Mr Mitchell was paid $247,500 and Mr Redding received $100,000  worth around $1.5 million and $600,000 today.

According to legal sources, Sony bosses believe this means the claims should be rejected.

After lawyers for the band members' relatives outlined their claims last year, the Hendrix estate and Sony's US arm filed legal papers in New York seeking a court confirmation that the 1970s agreements were still in force.

Mr Redding and Mr Mitchell's relatives then launched an action in London. Sony has tried to delay that case, but Judge Edwin Johnson ruled in April that New York law is only relevant to the settlements signed by the two musicians and 'not to the entirety of the claims'.

Mr Redding was preparing a legal claim of more than 3 million against the Hendrix estate at the time of his death, but this was abandoned.

He left his own estate to his partner Deborah McNaughton, whose sisters inherited it. Mr Mitchell's estate went to his daughter, Aysha.

British businessman Ed Adams, who is bringing the action with the backing of the heirs, said: 'Mitchell had virtually nothing in his will.'

A Sony Music spokesman said: 'As this is subject to live legal proceedings we're unable to comment.'
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday raided the Thane house of arrested accused Shamil Saquib Nachan in the Pune ISIS module case and seized a host of incriminating material exposing the terrorist organisations conspiracy to disrupt peace and communal harmony in the country.

The searches at the Padgha, Thane house of Nachan, a member of an ISIS Sleeper Cell, yielded several mobile phones, hard disks and some handwritten documents which are being examined and analysed, the NIA said.

Shamil was arrested earlier for participating in Bomb (IED) Assembly and Training Workshops and also in the fabrication and testing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Shamil had been working with five other accused-Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Mohammed Imran Khan, Mohammed Yunus Saki, Simab Nasiruddin Kazi and Abdul Kadir Pathan along with some other suspects, as part of a bigger conspiracy to trigger violence across various parts of the country by fabricating and exploding the IEDs, the agency said. Imran and Yunus, both members of the Sufa terrorist gang, who were absconding and were declared most wanted by the NIA, were recently arrested by the Pune police in a case relating to the recovery of explosives from a car in Rajasthan in April 2022.

NIA investigations in the Pune ISIS module case have revealed that Shamil and the other members of an ISIS Sleeper Cell had assembled IEDs at a house in Kondhwa, Pune, where they had also organised and participated in a bomb (IED) assembly and training workshops last year. They had even carried out a controlled explosion at this location to test an IED fabricated by them.

The conspiracy was aimed at committing terrorist acts with aim to disturb peace and communal harmony of country. The accused had plans to wage a war against Government of India in furtherance of ISIS agenda to spread terror and violence with goal of establishing an Islamic State in country, the NIA said.
The Balangir district administration has dismissed from service four government teachers who had reportedly clinched their jobs by furnishing fake educational certificates. The accused were identified as Sanjit Pani Mahanand, Mrinmayee Panda, Biranchi Prasad Nayak and Alma Toppo.

While Panda, a Hindi teacher at Randa High School, was nabbed on August 10 after the District Education Officer (DEO) filed a complaint with the Town police, the others are on the run fearing arrest. After the dismissal order was issued by the DEO, police have written to the banks to freeze the accounts of the fake teachers.

The DEO reached out to police on August 8 and filed a complaint against the four teachers after it emerged during verification that all of them had submitted fake certificates of their educational qualifications and secured the jobs. Panda was subsequently arrested on August 10 basing on the allegations that she was working as Hindi teacher since 2013 on the basis of a fake BEd (Bachelor of Education) certificate.

After the scam was detected, the DEO had issued show-cause notices to the four accused teachers, but only Panda was apprehended while the others managed to abscond.

Official sources informed that certificates of more than 400 teachers in the district have been sent for verification by the Education Department.
Activists, scribes, intellectuals, rights defenders representing various forums here presented a declaration following a two-day Democratic Rights Convention held here on August 16 and 17. The Peoples-20, INSAF, NAPM, Lok Shakti Abhiyan and Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC) jointly organised it.

They announced to protect the common people from the communal and corporate threats and to awaken public opinion through a Peoples Manifesto in the upcoming 2024 elections.

They also declared to intensify peaceful protests against the violation of constitutional rights and values and protect natural resources against corporate plunder and State oppression. Similarly, creating an environment for equal rights and opportunities for women and men regardless of male and female was included in the declaration.

The convention advocated strengthening all campaigns to give respect and recognition to the voice of disadvantaged groups, especially Dalits, tribals, downtrodden, minorities and women who are also victims of social injustice. It was demanded before the Government to respect and recognize the rights of the Gram Sabha under the PESA and Forest Rights Act-2006 with the repeal of the anti-people and anti-tribal and anti-environment Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act-2023.

Prafulla Samantara, Prashant Paikarai, Narendra Mohanty, leader of Koraput Maliparbat movement Bijay Khilo, Trilochan Muduli of Sunabeda Hall Displaced Association, human rights activist Bishwapriya Kanungo, leader of Chasi Mulia Surakshya Samiti Balabhadra Malik, Trade Union leader Mahendra Parida, researcher Dr Sricharan Behera, Rajkishore Sunani of Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti were present among others.
A national poetry recitation was held at the Lohia Academy here under the auspices of quarterly English literary journal The Rock Pebbles.

The event was presided over by noted writer, critic and eminent litterateur and former Principal of Vyasanagar College Prof Dr Kusha Chandra Pradhan. Internationally-acclaimed writer and philosopher Daya Disha Nayake of Sri Lanka joining the show opined that literature is the only medium that can ensure a sustainable healthy life against the backdrop of rank consumerism and godless materialism.

Guest of honour, translator and critic Snehaprabha Dash discussed the usefulness of translation. Senior poet Dr Saroj Kumar Padhi discussed in detail relating to modern English poetry. The poetry collection of Rock Pebbles published in the month of June was released by the chief guest.

At the outset Editor- in- chief of the journal Dr Udayanath Majhi read out a detailed report of the organisation. Hundreds of poets from across the country and abroad read out their poems in English, Hindi, Urdu and Odia. While the meeting was conducted by Dr Sahadev Mallick, the poetry recitation was well compered by Rajbabu Gandham from Hyderabad, Hemanta Jena and Swapna Behera. Sudhansu Raybarman proposed the vote of thanks.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a joint news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio following three-way talks at Camp David, Maryland, Aug. 18. AFP-Yonhap





U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he expects to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this year, despite taking a series of shots at the rival power.







Biden held his first meeting as president with Xi in November 2022 in Bali where they agreed to work on managing tensions between the world's two largest economies.







Biden, answering a shouted question after meeting the leaders of Japan and Korea, said, "I expect and hope to follow up on our conversation in Bali this fall, that's my expectation."







Biden is inviting Xi in November to San Francisco when the United States holds a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which includes China.






Ukraine and neighbouring Romania signed an agreement Friday to work together to boost Kyivs export of grain through Romania after Moscow broke off a key wartime shipping agreement that allowed safe passage through the Black Sea. The accord was signed during a trip by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Romanian capital, Bucharest, for talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu.

The two leaders discussed ways to ramp up the war-torn nations key grain exports, and improve infrastructure for transportation across river, rail, road, sea, including at border crossings. Ukraines economy is heavily dependent on farming, and its grain is crucial for world supplies of wheat, barley, and sunflower oil.

Ciolacu told a news conference after the meeting that he hopes Romania can transport more than 60% of Ukraines grain exports.

He also noted the ambitious target to double the transport of Ukrainian grain through Romania that was set last week during a meeting that included Western and Ukrainian officials in Romanias Danube River town of Galati. Romania intends to double the amount from 2 million to 4 million tons per month, but Ciolacu did not specify a timeframe for the increase.

I emphasized the importance of collaboration between our countries as well as with our international partners, he said.

The Romanian leader added that the Black Sea port of Constanta will remain a key transport route for getting Ukraines goods to the international market.

The Sulina Channel, an arm of the Danube River on what is Europes second-longest river and a key transport route, will also play a role.

The bilateral meeting comes amid weeks of Russian strikes on Ukraines grain storage and port facilities along the Danube River.

Ukraine has increasingly relied on those Danube ports after Moscow broke off a key wartime shipping agreement that allowed safe passage of grain exports through the Black Sea.

As a result, Kyiv has sought to reroute transport through the Danube and road and rail links into Europe.

For his part, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyhal said that the two neighbors will aim to streamline border controls at crossing points to facilitate the smoother transport of goods. We discussed improving the transport infrastructure destroyed by Russia, he said.

Ciolacu added: We will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.
The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv even though the fighter jets wont have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months training on the aircraft, according to officials.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlins forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

In eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of modern fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyivs way. Ukrainian forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era models, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.

A modern war cannot be won without aviation (capabilities), Rakita said.

In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete their training, according to a Biden administration official who was not authorised to comment and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The official said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the US would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

Danish Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.

A coalition of 11 Western countries - the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom - pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Officials have previously said that Ukrainian pilots will need six to eight months of training.
Pakistans caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday said the interim government would not support the forces of darkness in the society as he took strong exception to the unprecedented attack on minority Christians in the Muslim-majority countrys Punjab province.

An enraged mob ransacked and torched 21 churches and 35 homes of Christians on Wednesday over blasphemy allegations in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district, 130 km from Lahore, the provincial capital.

The minorities will stay protected in this country. There may be an attempt to harm them from a section of marginalised and peripheral groups of people, but that would be responded to sternly and strictly, Kakar said during his maiden federal Cabinet meeting.

Pakistani state and society [do] not align with such elements. They may be from us but they are divorced from us, they are divorced from our identity process. We do not stand for the forces of darkness, he said. We would strongly discourage rigidity, be it any form in this society. We do not stand for the forces of darkness, Kakar stressed.

Extreme attitudes which he said included secularism and religious ones, would not only be unwelcome, but would be discouraged. They would be curbed and controlled by the law, Kakar, who assumed office on August 12, said. When one group is in the majority, they should ensure that the minority is protected. But not on the basis that they would convert to your world view [...] their sustenance should be ensured, he was quoted as saying by Geo News.

Kakar, at the same time, also admitted that the interim government did not have a perpetual mandate to serve the nation but he will try to support new initiatives.

The first-time Senator from Balochistan province said he is proud to have one of the best teams but he is very well aware that we are here for an allocated time. We do not have a perpetual mandate to serve this nation.

Kakar said he is hopeful that Almighty Allah would enable them to lead and steer Pakistan in the interim period.

He said the caretaker set-up will try to lay foundations in order to have the continuation of national and international commitments made by previous governments.

And in continuation of that, we will try to support new initiatives, whatever the law and Constitution allow us to do, the caretaker premier said.

The newly inducted Cabinet sworn in on Thursday is tasked with running the cash-strapped country until fresh elections - which might be delayed beyond November with the election commission deciding to conduct a fresh delimitation of Constituencies on the basis of the new census.

The five-year tenure of the 342-member lower house of Parliament was scheduled to expire on August 12. However, then prime minister Shehbaz Sharif dissolved the National Assembly three days ahead of its mandated period to get 90 days time for holding elections.

According to the schedule announced by the election commission on Thursday, the delimitation would be completed on December 14, which is beyond the 90-day period to hold polls after the dissolution of the assembly.

Kakar also noted that while Pakistans economic challenges were considerable, the caretaker government would try to ensure financial discipline.

We have a sense of the sanctity of taxpayers money, on which we are having this meeting and consuming this water and tea, he said. The caretaker prime minister said the people of the country paid taxes so that the government could deliver and provide a secure environment for them.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next weeks summit of the BRICS nations in Johannesburg, to be followed by a state visit to South Africa, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying also said in a statement that during his August 21-24 visit to South Africa, Xi will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders Dialogue with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa.

China is a core member of the BRICS nations, which also include Brazil, Russia and India.

The grouping was predicated on linking the interests of the worlds leading emerging economies but has sought to expand into other civil and governmental fields.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to attend the summit because of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for him, according to South African authorities.

The development could be viewed as embarrassing for Putin, who is expected to be the only leader of a country in the bloc not to attend.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin has decided to take part in the summit via video link, without confirming if he had intended to attend in person.

The BRICS summit is the first to be held in person since 2019 and comes as the bloc seeks new relevance amidst Russias war in Ukraine, South Africas crashing economy and sharpening competition between Asian giants China and India. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that he supports more countries joining the group and intends to raise the topic at the summit.

Around 20 countries have formally applied to join, Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira said following the comments by Lula, who since taking office has repeatedly bucked the existing Western-dominated international structure.

Among the hopefuls are Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran and Venezuela, Vieira said.

Facing isolation by the US and European Union, China and Russia have sought to expand their economic influence in developing countries.

Beijing has done so partly through the Chinese-backed New Development Bank, commonly known as the BRICS bank, which is funding infrastructure projects in Brazil and elsewhere in the developing worldAsked at a daily briefing about Chinas expectations for the summit, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said BRICS had been taking on increasing international influence, but did not mention the issue of expansion.

He said China looks forward to working with South Africa to jointly pursue development and revitalisation and make a positive contribution to a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations.

All sides will have an in-depth exchange of views on prominent global challenges, enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs, and inject stability and positive energy into todays world, Wang said.
The Coca-Cola Company is one of the worlds most recognized brands. Founded in 1886, the company today is vastly different from its creator's original intent. The original formula was invented by John Stith Pemberton as a health drink, energy boost, and patent medicine following his time in the Civil War. The name is derived from two of the original ingredients coca leaves and kola nuts, although those ingredients are not used today, and was intended to be sold in pharmacies.

Pemberton sold his formula and brand in 1889 to Asa Griggs Candler who then embarked on a nationwide advertising campaign. By 1895 Coca-Cola was being sold in every state in the union and it wouldnt be long before the beverage was being enjoyed worldwide. By 1889 the company was operating under a franchised distribution system that is still in effect today.

Today, the Coca-Cola Company primarily makes syrups that are shipped to bottler/distributors who command exclusive territories. The Coca-Cola Company retains ownership of the largest US bottler, Coca-Cola Refreshments but there are many others around the world. Coca-Cola Femsa, of which The Coca-Cola Company owns 28%, is located in Mexico and is the worlds largest bottler of Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and operates as a beverage company worldwide with sales in over 200 countries. The company manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages and has expanded well beyond soda and pop. After years of expansion and acquisitions, The Coca-Cola Company is represented in verticals from sparkling soft drinks to flavored water, enhanced water, sports beverages, juice, dairy, tea, and coffee. Brands under the Coca-Cola umbrella include Fanta, Fresca, Schweppes, Sprite, Dasani, Gold Peak, Minute Maid, Simply, BODYARMOR, FUZE TEA, and Powerade brands.

The Coca-Cola Company first went public in 1919 and it began paying a dividend in 1920. The company has raised its dividend every year since 1962 making it a Dividend King. To put the companys growth and scale into perspective, one share of KO purchased at the IPO price of $40 was worth nearly $10 million in 2012 and the stock price has nearly doubled since then. Underwriters of the original IPO received $100,000 worth of shares in compensation for the deal and were able to sell it for $2 billion at that time. The Coca-Cola Company is also a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average holding its position from 1932 to 1935 and from 1987 to the present.
S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Officials in Mexico raise Hurricane Otis death toll to 43 and put missing at 36 as search continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)
Merck & Co., Inc. is a US-based multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company. It was officially founded in 1891 as the US arm of Merck Group, headquartered in Germany. Merck Group was founded in 1668 when Friedrick Jacob Merck purchased a pharmacy in Darmstadt, Germany. The company transformed from a pharmacy into a drug manufacturer in 1827 with the commercialization of morphine and the perfection of the manufacturing process. The company will later gain recognition for isolating and commercializing the manufacture of cocaine as well.

Merck Group sent Theodore Weicker to New York as its representative in 1889 and he quickly began to set up operations. The original investment of $200,000 resulted in a facility in lower Manhattan and the addition of Merck family member George Merck to the project. They began operations in 1891 and were in business as the US branch of Merck Group until 1917 and the onset of World War I.

World War I brought about the Trading With The Enemy Act of 1917 and the nationalization of Merck Groups US operations. Those operations were repurchased at a government auction only 2 years later with the help of Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers, but the split was done. The company retained rights to the Merck name in the US but remained independent. One of many noteworthy achievements in the post-War period is the discovery of streptomycin, which was revolutionary in treating tuberculosis.

In 1953 the company merged with Sharp& Dohme to form the then 2nd largest US drug manufacturer. The merger brought smallpox vaccines to the portfolio and opened a new avenue of research for the business. Since then, advancements in vaccine technology include treatments for mumps and chickenpox. Other notable advancements include the discovery of statins as a cholesterol inhibitor and work in veterinary medicine.

Today, Merck & Co operates through 2 segments and under 2 different names with a headquarters in Kenilworth, NJ. The company operates as Merck & Co in the US and as Merck Sharp & Dohme outside the US and Canada. The 2 segments are Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. Revenue topped $49 billion in 2022 and employed more than 68,000 people. The company has 8 research facilities near major university systems, including 7 in the US and 1 in the UK. As of 2022, the company had 82 pipeline products in Phase 2 trials, 30 in Phase 3 trials and 3 under review.

The Pharmaceutical segment researches discover and commercializes human health products in several areas of medicine. These include but are not limited to oncology, acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes. This segment has 6 blockbuster drugs as of late 2022, with each generating more than $1 billion in revenue. The leading treatments are Keytruda for treating cancer-related immune conditions, Gardisil which is a vaccine for HPV and Januvia for treating Type-II diabetes. The Animal Health segment discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets veterinary healthcare products and services. Both segments sell to healthcare facilities and distributors.
Skyline Champion Corp is a leading manufacturer of factory-built housing and related components. The company is headquartered in Troy, Michigan and operates a network of more than 40 manufacturing facilities across North America.

Skyline Champion Corp was formed in 2018 due to the merger between Skyline Corporation and Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC. Skyline Corporation has been known for producing high-quality manufactured homes since 1951. Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC had a strong modular and mobile home manufacturing track record. The merger united two industry leaders and created North America's largest publicly traded factory-built housing company.

Skyline Champion Corp produces and distributes factory-built homes and related components to a diverse customer base. The company's products include manufactured homes, modular homes, park model RVs and commercial structures. Skyline Champion Corp sells its products through independent retailers, builders and developers.

Skyline Champion Corp's management team is led by Mark Yost, the company's President and CEO. Yost has over 30 years of experience in the factory-built housing industry and previously served as the President and CEO of Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC.

Skyline Champion Corp has reported strong financial results in recent years, reporting increased sales and net income. Skyline Champion Corp's profit margins have also improved recently, and its stock price has performed well. Skyline Champion Corp's valuation metrics are generally in line with industry peers.

The factory-built housing industry has seen strong growth in recent years, driven by a combination of factors, including affordability, quality and speed of construction. According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, factory-built housing accounted for approximately 10% of all new single-family homes sold in the United States in 2021.

Skyline Champion Corp operates in a highly competitive industry, with numerous players competing for market share. Major competitors include Clayton Homes, Fleetwood Homes and Cavco Industries. In addition, regulatory and political issues, such as zoning restrictions and financing regulations, can also impact the industry.

Skyline Champion Corp has identified several growth opportunities in the coming years. The company is investing in new product development, including energy-efficient homes and homes with advanced technology features. Skyline Champion Corp is also expanding its geographic reach, focusing on growing its presence in the Western United States.

The company has also made several strategic acquisitions in recent years to support its growth strategy. In 2022, Skyline Champion Corp acquired Pinnacle Park Homes, a park model RVs and cabins manufacturer. The acquisition will allow Skyline Champion Corp to expand its product offerings and strengthen its park model RV market position.

While Skyline Champion Corp has demonstrated strong financial performance in recent years, the company faces several potential risks and challenges. For example, consumer preferences or economic conditions could impact demand for factory-built housing, negatively impacting the company's sales and profitability.

Regulatory changes or political issues could also impact the industry, including changes in zoning regulations or financing requirements. Skyline Champion Corp could also face increased market competition, affecting the company's market share and profitability.

In addition, the company's financial performance could be impacted by fluctuations in raw material costs, such as lumber and steel. Skyline Champion Corp may also face challenges related to supply chain disruptions, such as delays in receiving materials or components from suppliers.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrive for a press conference following a trilateral summit at Camp David in Maryland, Aug. 18. AFP-Yonhap





China is renewing its criticism of this weekend's summit among the leaders of the U.S., Japan and South Korea, saying no country should "seek its own security at the expense of the security interests of others and of regional peace and stability."







"The international community has its own judgment as to who is creating contradictions and increasing tensions," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing Friday.







"Attempts to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region are unpopular and will definitely spark vigilance and opposition in the countries of the region," Wang said.







The summit at the rustic Camp David presidential retreat seeks to further tighten security and economic ties between Japan and South Korea, two nations whose historically frosty relations have rapidly thawed over the last year as they share concerns about China's assertiveness in the Pacific and North Korea's persistent nuclear threats.







China is extremely sensitive to any moves it perceives as seeking to contain its rise to dominance in Asia and has traditionally counted on the historical enmity between Tokyo and Seoul to keep its rivals divided and weaken the U.S. system of regional alliances.







Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee meets with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen, left, in Beijing, China, Aug. 18. EPA-Yonhap





Beijing has made clear the current rapprochement between the two was something it very much did not want to see and its top diplomat, Wang Yi, last month made a clumsy and much-criticized appeal to racial-cultural similarities between Chinese, Japanese and Koreans as an alternative to partnering with the West.






The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques  SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V..

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The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company is a leading global biopharmaceutical company with a long and impressive history of innovating and developing medicines that improve the lives of patients around the world. Founded in 1887 when William McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers purchased the Clinton Pharmaceutical Company, the company was initially named Bristol, Myers and Company. Its first nationally recognized product, Sal Hepatica, was released in the 1890s.

Bristol Myers-Squibb offers chemically synthesized drugs and biologics administered through injections or infusions to patients. The company's pharmaceutical portfolio includes a large number of well-known products. BMS's primary research and development sites are in New Jersey, California, Spain, Massachusetts, New York, Belgium, Japan, India and Massachusetts. The company's products sell to wholesalers and distributors around the world.

Bristol Myers-Squibb has a robust pipeline of investigational medicines in its pipeline. In addition, the company has established strategic collaborations and partnerships with various companies, successfully launching new products. These partnerships and investments generate portions of the company's revenue.

Bristol Myers-Squibb has acquired several companies over the years, including Medarex in 2009, ZymoGenetics in 2010, Inhibitex Inc. in 2012, Amylin Pharmaceuticals in 2012, iPierian in 2014, Flexus Biosciences in 2015, Cardioxyl in 2015, Padlock Therapeutics in 2016, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals in 2017, IFM Therapeutics in 2017, Celgene in 2019, Otezla in 2019, Forbius in 2020, MyoKardia in 2020 and Turning Point Therapeutics in 2022.

In 2005, the company divested individual consumer products and its subsequent consumer products businesses. In December 2014, the company received FDA approval for its cancer drug, Opdivo, used to treat skin cancers that do not respond to drug therapies. In 2019, the company divested its consumer health business, UPSA, to Taisho.

The company has also faced several scandals, lawsuits and investigations over the years, the biggest of which is the ongoing $1 billion lawsuit from Guatemala for the company's role in a 1940s experiment that infected hundreds with syphilis. In 2001 BMS faced an accounting scandal that resulted in a restatement of revenues from 1999 to 2001. In 2002, BMS faced a lawsuit based on illegally maintaining a monopoly on Taxol, a chemotherapy medication. The former head of the pharma group and the ex-CFO were indicted for federal securities violations in 2005. In July of 2006, an FBI raid on the company's corporate offices revealed that the company took steps to delay the release of a generic version of one of its drugs.

BMS began a significant restructuring in 2009, focusing on the pharmaceutical business and biologic products, productivity initiatives and cost-cutting. The U.S. attorney forced the company into oversight and appointed a monitor as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. Lou Schmukler joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 2010 as global product development and design president.

In 2013, Forbes magazine ranked the company as the drug company of the year. Dr. Giovanni Caforio took the reigns as CEO in 2015. In 2017, reports began to surface that activist investor Carl Icahn took a stake in the company, widely seen as a signal for a potential future takeover.

As Bristol-Myers Squibb continues to experience success and growth, the company is committed to delivering innovative treatments to patients and staying ahead of the curve in the biopharmaceutical industry. With its focus on research and development and a long and rich history of delivering innovative medicines, BMS offers an excellent long-term investment opportunity.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc is a publicly traded mining company that operates primarily in North and South America. The company is in the top ten of the world's largest producers of copper, gold and molybdenum, and its operations include mines, smelters and refineries.

Freeport-McMoRan was founded in 1988 when Freeport Minerals Corporation merged with McMoRan Oil & Gas Company. Both companies had a long history in the mining industry, with Freeport Minerals founded in 1912 and McMoRan Oil & Gas in 1969.

The merger of the two companies created a vertically integrated mining company that could control every aspect of the mining process. The union of the two companies allowed Freeport-McMoRan to become one of the world's largest producers of copper, gold and molybdenum.

Freeport-McMoRan's operations are primarily in North and South America, with mines in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Chile. The company also owns a 48.76% stake in the Grasberg mine in Indonesia, the largest gold mine in the world and the second-largest copper mining operation in the world.

The Grasberg mine is a significant source of revenue for Freeport-McMoRan, accounting for approximately 30% of the company's copper production and 40% of its gold production. The mine has operated since the 1970s and has significantly expanded recently.

Freeport-McMoRan's other major operation is the Cerro Verde mine in Peru, one of the world's largest copper mines. The mine was established as a joint venture between Freeport-McMoRan, Buenaventura and Sumitomo Corporation, with Freeport-McMoRan owning a 53.56% stake.

In addition to its mining operations, Freeport-McMoRan owns and operates smelters and refineries in the United States and South America. This allows the company to process the ore from its mines into finished products, such as copper cathodes and gold bars.

Freeport-McMoRan has a track record of financial performance. The company's revenues have steadily grown over the past decade, driven by increasing demand for copper and other essential metals.

Freeport-McMoRan's strong financial performance has allowed the company to invest in new projects and expand its operations. The company has recently focused on developing new mining projects in North and South America, including the Lone Star copper project in Arizona and the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 copper project in Chile.

Freeport-McMoRan has a solid commitment to sustainability and responsible mining practices. The company has implemented a comprehensive environmental management system designed to minimize its impact on the environment while supporting the communities in which it operates.

One of the critical components of Freeport-McMoRan's sustainability strategy is its focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The company has set a target of reducing its carbon footprint by 10% by the end of 2023, compared to its 2018 baseline.

Freeport-McMoRan has also implemented a water management program, which aims to minimize the use of fresh water in its operations and promote water conservation. In addition, the company has invested in technologies that allow it to recycle and reuse water, and it has also partnered with local communities to implement water conservation projects.

In addition to its environmental initiatives, Freeport-McMoRan is committed to supporting the communities in which it operates. The company has implemented a social responsibility program, which includes initiatives to improve education, healthcare and economic development in the communities near its mining operations.

Freeport-McMoRan has also committed to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The company has established a DEI council and has implemented training programs to promote a more inclusive workplace. In addition, Freeport-McMoRan has set a target of achieving gender parity in its workforce by 2030.

The company is not without its risks. One of the main risks is the volatility of metal prices. Copper and gold prices can be highly cyclical and are influenced by various factors, including global economic conditions, geopolitical events and supply and demand dynamics. As a result, a significant decline in metal prices could harm Freeport-McMoRan's financial performance.

Another risk to consider is the regulatory environment. Mining companies are subject to various environmental and safety regulations, which can impact their operations and financial performance. As a result, changes in laws, or increased enforcement of existing regulations, could increase the cost of doing business for Freeport-McMoRan.
The Boeing Company is the worlds largest manufacturer of airplanes and commands more than 50% of the market in some channels and categories. The company and its family of subsidiaries design, develops, manufacture, sell, service, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight, and related services worldwide. The company operates through four segments including Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital providing products and services to end-users in 150 countries.

Boeing got its start in 1910 when William E. Boeing developed a love for aircraft. Soon after he takes his first plane ride which leads him to build a hangar and begin construction of his first plane. The onset of WWI helped spur the companys growth but business was cut drastically in its wake. The start of WWII was another milestone for the company and one that led to its current position of dominance. The company was incorporated in 1916 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Boeing employs over 140,000 people in 65 countries making it one of the most diverse employers on the planet.

The Commercial Airplanes segment is built around the iconic 7-series which includes the 737, 747, and 787. The segment provides commercial jet aircraft for passenger and cargo requirements, as well as fleet support services for regional, national, and international air carriers and logistics and freight companies. In terms of global volume, the company estimates about 90% of all air freight is carried aboard one of its jets. This segment also includes the Dreamliner family of planes. The Dreamliner is a game-changing airplane for many carriers as it opens up the potential for new one-stop destinations because of its capacity and range.

The Defense, Space & Security segment develops and manufactures a range of systems including manned and unmanned aircraft, missiles, missile defense systems, satellites, communications equipment, and intelligence systems for governments. Among the many iconic brands within this segment are the AH-64 Apache, Air Force One, B-52, C-17 Globemaster, Chinook, F/A-18, and the V-22 Osprey VTOL aircraft used by the Marines.

The Global Services segment offers a range of products and services that include supply chain and logistics management, engineering, maintenance, upgrades, conversions, spare parts, pilot and maintenance training, technical and maintenance documents, and data analytics to its commercial and defense customers.

Boeing is also a leader in innovation, leveraging its many decades and avenues of experience to further aerospace and defense technology. Among the many innovations is the MQ-25 Stingray which will be the worlds first autonomous aircraft. The Stingray is only one of many areas of research that also include drones and undersea vehicles.
Altria Group, Inc. is a US-based tobacco company and one of the Big-3 tobacco companies internationally. The company was formerly known as Phillip Morris International but emerged with its new name in 2003. The rebranding was intended to help the company improve its image while it shifted away from the smokeable tobacco segments of the business. It is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500. The company was a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average for many years but fell from that position due to declining tobacco sales and the divestiture of businesses.

The company operates through a network of subsidiaries that include Phillip Morris USA. Phillip Morris USA is the core segment of business and includes the Marlboro line of cigarette brands. German immigrant Phillip Morris originally founded Phillip Morris in London in 1822. In 1844 the company began making its first line of machine-rolled cigarettes called English Ovals. The English Ovals remained in production in limited quantities until 2017.

By 1902 the company had moved to New York City, where it was incorporated. Operations continued uninterrupted until 1919, when it changed ownership, and then, in 1929, manufacturing operations were moved to Richmond, Virginia and closer to the tobacco fields.

Philip Morris made headlines again in 1933 when it integrated its manufacturing operations. This was done more than 30 years ahead of federal regulations and a ground-breaking move for the industry and America. After another multi-decade run of uninterrupted operations, the company began a series of acquisitions that included Miller Brewing, Kraft Foods and General Mills. Those acquisitions led to eventual mergers and spin-offs that resulted in SABMiller and Kraft General Mills.

Altria Group operates through a network of subsidiaries manufacturing and selling smokeable, smokeless and oral tobacco products. Subsidiaries include but not are limited to Philip Morris USA, John Middleton Inc. and U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. Brands include Marlboro, Marlboro Lights, Black & Mild, Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Sky and Husky. The company's principal customers are wholesalers and large retailers.

The company maintains a number of strategic partnerships as part of its efforts to shift away from smokeable tobacco. These include a 35% stake in JUUL smokeless tobacco products, a 45% stake in Canadian integrated cannabis company Cronos Group and a near-10% stake in ABInbev. These partnerships are intended to capitalize on smokeless tobacco and the legalization of cannabis at the US federal level.

Altria brought in more than $21 billion in 2021. The company employs more than 6,000 people and has paid more than $6.5 billion in cumulative dividends. The companys operations help support more than 1,200 US farmers and are sold in over 300,000 US retail establishments. Altria continues to be a leader in workforce quality and has received numerous awards, including a spot on the National Business Consortiums Best of the Best List for 2022.
The McDougall Creek wildfire burns outside the Okanagan community of West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Aug. 19. Reuters-Yonhap



Crystal Sangris barely slept for three days as wildfires threatened her hometown in northern Canada, and when she was ordered to evacuate, her anxiety turned to anguish.



"I never, never thought that this day would come," she told AFP, Friday, at Calgary airport, after she left her home in Yellowknife, a city of 20,000 people that is now surrounded by flames.



"I didn't want to leave home, I was tearing up," Sangris, of First Nations origin, told AFP.



The 33-year-old housewife was evacuated Friday along with her husband and three children on one of several flights that landed in Calgary, more than 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from the fires.



Calgary's airport in the neighboring province of Alberta has become a reception center for the evacuees, in a massive operation without precedent in the region.



The fire is about 15 kilometers from Yellowknife and could reach the city over the weekend, authorities warned, especially as weather conditions hampered the work of firefighters.



'I was tearing up'



Evacuees are registered as soon as they land in Calgary's domestic flight terminal, some arriving with their pets.



Volunteers and local officials offer food and water before transferring them to nearby hotels serving as shelters for the displaced.



"I am very stressed and overwhelmed, so is my whole entire family. We're all tired," said Sangris, as she waited for a bus with her family to take them to their assigned hotel.



"My daughter is barely two years old. Everything is new to her, she doesn't understand what's going on. And my son, he's five, he's saying I want to go home," she said.



"We're trying to make him understand that we can't go home and there's a very serious situation back home."





Some of the last people to evacuate Yellowknife step off a Canadian military C-130 Hercules aircraft, Aug. 19, at Edmonton International Airport, Canada. AFP-Yonhap
Pfizer Inc. is a US-based multinational biotech company. The company operates as a research-based pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, production and marketing of medicines and vaccines. It is the 2nd largest drugmaker globally by revenue and is ranked 64th on the Fortune 500 list. The companys avenues of research include Immunology, Oncology, Cardiology, Endocrinology and Neurology.

Regarding its product line, the company has at least ten blockbuster drugs producing more than $1 billion in avenue revenue each. The company brought in over $81 billion in total revenue in 2021. The US is its main market and represents roughly 50% of all revenue. China and Japan make up roughly 12% of the business, while the rest come from the rest of the world. It employs roughly 79,000 people and is headquartered in New York state.

Pfizer Inc. was founded in 1849 by Charles Pfizer Sr. and his cousin Charles Earhart. The two were German immigrants and chemists that set up shops outside New York City to make medicinal compounds. The first major success was an antiparasitic called santonin, and the commercialization of citric acid-making technologies quickly followed that up. Their success with citric acid led to the companys expansion and other major discoveries.

World War I caused a shortage of materials for making citric acid and forced the company to seek alternatives. The one they latched on to was the fermentation of certain fungi known to produce citric acid naturally. This led to the advancement of fermentation technology that was later used in the commercial production of penicillin and then the advancement of antibiotics in general.

Pfizer Inc was incorporated on June 2nd, 1942 in Delaware, and another period of expansion began. The postwar drop in demand for penicillin led to the discovery of newer, more marketable antibiotics and cemented the companys role in modern medicine. By the time he 80s rolled around, the company was trading on the New York Stock Exchange and on the path to developing todays blockbuster lineup.

The companys top seller in 2021 was Comirnaty, a COVID-19 vaccine. It generated nearly $37 billion in 2021 and was followed by Prevnar, Ibrance and Eliquis with just over $5 billion in sales each. Other blockbuster names on Pfizers list include Xeljanz and Enbrel, each bringing in $3.5 billion. Pfizer operates 39 research and production facilities worldwide and sells its products in 125 countries.

As of 2022, the company had a robust pipeline of potential treatments, with more than 220 in some stage of clinical trials. Among its leading candidates is a vaccine for RSV, a life-threatening respiratory disease affecting children. 2021 highlights include 8 FDA approvals, four new regulatory submissions and 13 new trial startups. Pfizer is also a well-known dividend payer and has returned more than $8.7 billion to shareholders since going public.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Image: Twitter)

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the state government is implementing a flexible tourism policy for attracting renowned hotel groups to AP so as to put the state firmly on the global tourism map.

The CM inaugurated the four-star hotel Hyatt Place here on Friday by unveiling its plaque. "The government is ready to encourage investors to set up their units in the hospitality sector," he said.

"We have been encouraging 11 brands including Oberoi in the hotels sector. More hotels should come up in all important cities across the state and we will extend them full cooperation," he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said he would like to see more international brands coming to Vijayawada and to other cities in AP in the coming days.

He reiterated that the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Policy 2020-25 aimed at building a robust tourism infrastructure in tune with the ever-changing nature of tourism and promoting responsible tourism practices among all stakeholders.

He recalled that among the governments plans under the new policy is to develop high-end five and seven-star luxury resorts and hotels at prominent tourist destinations.

Hyatt Place chairman Veera Swamy thanked the Chief Minister for extending his support in establishing the hotel in Vijayawada, the 45th in the country. Tourism minister R.K. Roja, housing minister Jogi Ramesh, education minister Botsa Satyanarayana, home minister Taneti Vanitha and special CS Rajit Bhargava attended the event along with legislators and others.

After the Hyatt event, the CM went to the house of YSRC Vijayawada East constituency incharge Devineni Avinash and spent some time with his family, YSRC leaders and cadres. Avinashs house was close to the Hyatt Place.

Notably, the Vijayawada East constituency was a bastion of Telugu Desam. In 2019, Gadde Ramamohan of TD won the seat. However, Jagan Mohan Reddy concentrated on Vijayawada East constituency for its development. He appointed Avinash, son of late Devineni Nehru, who once ruled the area, as the constituency in-charge.
The allegation against IAS official Naveen Mittal was that he did not consider the note file regarding the disputed land and he did not examine the genuineness of the documents produced by third parties who claimed the land. (Image: Twitter)

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court asked the state government what it had done on the 2017 order to take departmental disciplinary action against high profile IAS official Naveen Mittal.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar instructed Advocate General B.S. Prasad to furnish the status report by August 31.

Mittal is currently, principal secretary, revenue, and holds full additional charge as Chief Commissioner of Land Affairs. In 2017, the High Court had ordered action against Mittal for "delinquently issuing" a no-objection certificate (NoC) for 5,262 square yards of land in Nanalnagar, Gudimalkapur, when he was Hyderabad district collector and on the NoC committee.

Along with Mittal, a High Court bench headed by Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao had directed the state government in 2017 to initiate disciplinary action against V. Durga Das, former collector, V.V. Venkat Reddy, former special tahsildar, and P. Madhusudhan Reddy, senior draftsman and one P. Babu Rao for issuing the NoC.

The allegation against Mittal was that he did not consider the note file regarding the disputed land and he did not examine the genuineness of the documents produced by third parties who claimed the land.

The orders were passed in a petition filed in 2011 by Shanti Agarwal of Musheerabad, claiming that she had purchased the Nanalnagar land. She said it was evacuee property and was purchased by one Prem Malhotra in an auction conducted by the managing officer, Regional Settlement Commission, Bombay. The land changed hands and she had purchased from K. Devi and Basanth Devi in 1965.

According to her, in 2009, one Syed Abdul Rub and two others claimed they were the landowners and applied for an NoC to the committee which Mittal headed to obtain GHMC permission to construct sheds. Shanti Agarwal filed objections before the committee, stating that the documents produced by Syed Abdul Rub were fabricated. The joint sub-registrar, Hyderabad, also wrote to the collector on September 3, 2011, stating that the documents of Syed Abdul Rub did not tally with their records.

Ignoring these, the Mittal committee issued the NoC on the name of Syed Abdul Rub. Shanti Agarwal approached the High Court in 2011 and Justice Ramachandra Rao ordered disciplinary action against the officials and imposed a fine of `25,000. The court had directed attachment of the property till the dispute was resolved. Mittal filed an appeal and his petition challenging the disciplinary action against him was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Appeals have been pending since 2017. On Friday, the Chief Justice Aradhe bench heard the petitions. J. Prabhakar, counsel for Shanti Agarwal, said no action had been initiated against Mittal who was now holding the highest post is the revenue department.

Advocate General Prasad submitted that a charge memo was issued to Mittal, and requested time to apprise the status of the disciplinary proceedings.
In the upcoming investment ministerial meeting, the secretary also said, five priority areas to be discussed in the meeting are trade for growth and prosperity; trade and resilient global supply chain; integrating MSMEs in global trade; logistics for trade; and WTO reforms. Representational Image/PTI

New Delhi: India is likely to hold bilateral free-trade talks with the United Kingdom, the European Union and Canada and discuss bilateral trade issues with the Russian delegation on the sidelines of a G20 meeting next week. Besides, India is also using all multilateral and bilateral platforms including G20 to flag concerns with regard to non-tariff barriers (NTBs) which are impacting the free flow of trade, a top government official said on Friday.

India has already raised its concerns on issues like the European Unions (EU) carbon tax on different platforms, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO). However, G20 member countries are likely to raise such issues in the upcoming two-day trade ministers meeting to be held on August 24 and 25 in Jaipur. "Definitely, we are discussing those NTBs and we are also discussing how to find a good solution, how to find a platform where we can coordinate on these issues and we can understand these issues," commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters here.

More than 300 delegates from G20 members are expected to congregate in Jaipur, about 300 km from the national capital. Among others, France, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, UK, USA and EU have confirmed their participation in the meeting. "WTO reforms is one of the priority issues at the G20 meeting," the official said, adding that the agenda for the G20, which accounts for nearly 85 per cent of global GDP, will include the role of logistics in expanding global value chains and small businesses.

In the upcoming investment ministerial meeting, the secretary also said, five priority areas to be discussed in the meeting are trade for growth and prosperity; trade and resilient global supply chain; integrating MSMEs in global trade; logistics for trade; and WTO reforms. "Strengthening mutual cooperation in the G20 to increase transparency in the use of non-tariff measures will be discussed in the meeting where all platforms will be used to discuss these barriers," Barthwal said.

Besides, the secretary also gave an example of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which is going to impact exports of certain sections of Indian industries. There will be compliance with this mechanism and there are certain regulatory requirements. We will be discussing those issues multilaterally as well as bilaterally, wherever the opportunity arises," he said.
Manipur CM N Biren Singh said, A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen. RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen. HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col. Rahul Jain for their unwavering service. PTI

Guwahati: In a significant move the Indian Army brought back 212 Indian citizens who had fled Manipur and taken shelter in Myanmar for the last three months in view of the ongoing ethnic violence in the state.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh thanked the Indian Army for bringing back the people safely. In a social media post the chief minister on Friday night said, "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3 unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil."

He said, "A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen. RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen. HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col. Rahul Jain for their unwavering service."

The returnees were received by teams of the Indian Army led by commandants of the Assam Rifles and Gorkha Regiment at the border gates on Friday.

It is significant that after violence broke out on May 3, many residents of Moreh, ward number 4 Premnagar had fled to Myanmar after crossing the India-Myanmar international border and took shelter in the Tamu area in Myanmars Sagaing division. Since then, they have been staying in the neighbouring country.

Security sources said that the external affairs ministry was also in touch with its counterpart in Myanmar and had played a key role in facilitating shelter for the Indian citizens who had fled Manipur due to violence.

Informing that the state administration has started consultation to start the process of rehabilitating the people taking shelter in various relief camps, security sources said that security forces more particularly Indian Army has started taking steps to restore harmony between the two communities by launching various programmes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi digitally addresses the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' Meeting, on Saturday. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India's diversity makes it an ideal testing ground for solutions and added that solutions that succeed in India can easily be replicated worldwide.

Speaking at the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' Meet, held in Bengaluru via video message, Modi also highlighted that India's digital public infrastructure offers scalable, secure, and inclusive solutions for global challenges.

The Prime Minister attributed the remarkable digital transformation in India over the last nine years to the launch of the 'Digital India' initiative in 2015. He stressed that India's digital progress is driven by a strong belief in innovation, a commitment to swift implementation, and a dedication to inclusivity where no one is left behind.

"India is an incredibly diverse country. We have dozens of languages and hundreds of dialects. It is home to every religion in the world, and innumerable cultural practices. From ancient traditions to the latest technologies, India has something for everyone," Modi said.

"With such diversity, India is an ideal testing lab for solutions. A solution that succeeds in India can be easily applied anywhere in the world. India is ready to share its experiences with the world," he said.

The Prime Minister informed the delegates that India has created an online 'Global Public Digital Goods Repository - the India Stack' to ensure inclusivity for all.

He welcomed efforts to create a 'Roadmap to Facilitate Cross-Country Comparison of Digital Skills' and encouraged participants to establish a 'Virtual Centre of Excellence on Digital Skilling'.

"These are crucial initiatives to prepare the workforce for the future. As the digital economy expands globally, it will encounter security threats and challenges. Therefore, it's important to establish consensus on the G20 High-Level Principles for a secure, trusted, and resilient digital economy," Modi stressed.

Observing that technology has connected the world like never before, the Prime Minister asserted that it holds the promise of inclusive and sustainable development for all. He emphasised that G20 nations have a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for an inclusive, prosperous, and secure global digital future.

Modi pointed out that digital public infrastructure can advance financial inclusion and productivity. He proposed promoting the use of digital technology among farmers and small businesses, establishing a framework for a global digital health ecosystem, and developing guidelines for the safe and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence.

The Prime Minister further stressed that a comprehensive ecosystem of technology-based solutions can be developed to address humanity's challenges. "All it requires from us are the four C's - Conviction, Commitment, Coordination, and Collaboration," he added.

Additionally, the Prime Minister discussed the development of 'Bhashini,' an AI-powered language translation platform that will facilitate digital inclusion in all of India's diverse languages.
Feature: Nobel laureate encourages more Chinese to "go to Africa"

11:19, August 19, 2023 By Li Hualing, Jin Zheng ( Xinhua

Mo Yan (1st R) interacts with performers at the Nairobi Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

NAIROBI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- "There's a movie called Out of Africa, but I think we should get closer and know about Africa and its people," Mo Yan, a Chinese of Nobel Prize winner in literature, told Xinhua after his recent tour in Kenya, and he encouraged more Chinese to visit Africa and get a better understanding of the continent.

After a ride on the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, which snakes through picturesque savanna grasslands, Mo Yan said that those engaged in culture should go to Africa, experience a culture completely different from the Chinese culture.

"Those who love nature and wildlife should also go to Africa because there is an infinite expanse here. We should also do some sightseeing here, it will make us contemplate our life," said Mo Yan.

Renowned for his imaginative and humanistic fiction, Mo Yan was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel literature award.

Mo Yan, who was born in 1955 and grew up in the Gaomi County of east China's Shandong Province, spoke highly of his first visit to Kenya and called on more Chinese to "go to Africa" to get a better understanding of the continent and contribute to bilateral friendship and cooperation.

Mo Yan arrived in Kenya on July 28 and visited some famous tourist attractions such as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which is located in southwestern Kenyan plains and well known for the migration of wildebeests from Tanzania's Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara during the July-August peak season.

He said that while on the train, he saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, and antelope swarm through the Nairobi National Park as the Chinese-built train linking Kenya's capital city of Nairobi to the coastal city of Mombasa traverses through the ecological treasures along the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi corridor.

"What I used to see on TV, now I see it in front of me. It's amazing. The African continent is so fascinating," said Mo Yan.

He also visited major infrastructure projects constructed by Chinese companies, including the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, saying that railway, which is expected to have a total freight volume of 23 million tons and a passenger volume of 13 million by the end of 2023, is a modern one built with Chinese standards, technologies and equipment.

He admitted that all these tours have given him a lot of inspiration, saying "This time, we have come to Kenya to see the Rift Valley of East Africa, to see the vast national reserve, and to see the achievements of China-Kenya cooperation projects."

Wang Zhen, the president of Beijing Shutong Culture and Art Research Association, who accompanied Mo Yan during the over two weeks trip, also said that Africa is quite different from what one thought before coming. "Once you set foot on this land, it completely changed your impression."

Mo Yan said that China and Kenya, separated by thousands of miles, with completely different cultures, can still maintain an unbreakable bond. The connectivity between the two countries lies not only in infrastructure but also in people-to-people exchanges.

He said that after returning to China, he will continue publishing stories on what he saw and heard during his trip to Kenya so that more Chinese readers can understand Kenya, Africa, and China-Africa cooperation.

He hoped that more Chinese writers will visit Kenya and the African continent to have face-to-face exchanges with local writers.

When asked which one of his books he would recommend to readers in Kenya, he said it would be "Red Sorghum," a Chinese-language novel. He explained that the literary work has similarities to the setting of Kenya's famous writer, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's historical novel "A Grain of Wheat," which readers might find relatable.

"Loneliness and hunger were my fortunes of creation," Mo Yan once said. He believed that every writer, no matter how influential they are, shares a similar course of growth, starting as a reader and literary enthusiast.

The Nobel laureate also believed there is great potential for China-Africa cooperation in the field of literature.

"Africa is a fascinating land. China and the African continent have great prospects and infinite hopes," Mo Yan said, adding that his trip to Kenya was just the beginning of a brighter future ahead for China-Kenya cooperation.

Mo Yan speaks during an interview with Xinhua at the Nairobi Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Mo Yan (C) interacts with performers at the Nairobi Station of the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
NEARLY 80 percent of Zimbabweans are gainfully employed, according to the latest labour force survey by the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZimStat), which waters down claims of unemployment rates of as high as 90 percent.

In its 2023 Second Quarterly Labour Force Survey, ZimStat says the unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is 19,7 percent.

The country is a member of the International Labour Organisation and subscribes to internationally acceptable principles and definitions of labour market indicators.

ZimStat also emphasises the official definition of unemployment because of its international comparability.

In Zimbabwe, the labour force comprises persons 15 years and above, according to ZimStat. When ZimStat conducts household-based surveys to collect data on unemployment, first, it asks if one has done any work for pay or profit in the last seven days. Secondly, it seeks to ascertain whether one tried to find a job or start a business in the last 30 days and, thirdly, ZimStat asks if the person is able to start working within the next 14 days if an opportunity arises.

The data captures people engaged in both formal and informal economic activities.

ZimStat says the logic behind the first question is to ascertain whether one has done any economic activity to generate income or not. So, by definition, if one was engaged in an economic activity during the reference period that resulted in an income, then one cannot be deemed unemployed.

The essence of the second question is to determine if one was actively seeking employment. Those not actively seeking employment are termed discouraged job seekers or persons who are no longer seeking employment, maybe because it has taken too long to secure a job.

Such people, according to ZimStat, cannot fall under the category of people considered unemployed.

The rationale behind the third question is to establish persons who are not available for employment due to various reasons. Those not available for employment and discouraged job seekers are not included among the unemployed.

As such, for one to be classified as unemployed, the answer should be no to the first question and yes to the second and third questions. ZimStat director-general Mr Takura Mahonde says the statistical agency had noted claims of perceived unemployment rates of as high as 90 percent, saying such figures were not scientifically backed, with the potential consequence of misinforming the public.

Explains Mr Mahonde: Two major types of misconceptions on labour statistics pertain to employment in the informal sector and labour underutilisation. It is a common pitfall to assume that employment relates to the formal sector only. This stems from the opinion that the formal sector should absorb all the labour supplied on the market.

Unfortunately, this view falls short of what constitutes employment as it excludes persons employed in the informal sector and the self-employed. Further, some analysts are of the mistaken view that persons who are underemployed, that is, whose labour is underutilised, are unemployed.

Unfortunately, this perception would exclude the following: precarious employment (casual and part-time workers), time-related underemployment (employed persons available and willing to work more hours provided they are remunerated) and persons in qualifications mismatch (who are over-qualified for their jobs.)

Since the turn of the millennium, the economy went through a structural transformation, which created empowered individuals who are no longer relying on formal employment for sustenance, but have created their own small businesses.

The culture of being an employee for big business has been replaced by an empowerment mentality, in which the person on the street has effectively become his own boss.

While a lot of workers have been thrust into this situation as a result of job losses in the formal sector, there has been a substantial redistribution of wealth from the big business to small one, thereby empowering previously unempowered individuals.

Big businesses have been replaced by micro, small and medium enterprise (MSMEs) informal traders in key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining, retail, manufacturing, construction and transport.

The loss for big business has been the gain for individual economic empowerment.

With over 65 percent of the people living in rural areas and the bulk of the urban population operating in the informal sector, it is clear that the sector is now the biggest employer.

Mr Mahonde notes that Zimbabwes labour force is estimated at 4 034 721 as of July 2023, from a population of 15,3 million. Sunday Mail
A security personnel carries the belongings of a villager from the site of a landslide after heavy rains at Jadon village in Solan district of India's Himachal Pradesh state. (File image: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, chaired a meeting to assess the flood situation in Himachal Pradesh. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, as well as BJP chief J.P. Nadda, were present at the meeting held at the Prime Minister's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg in the national capital.

During the approximately hour-long meeting, Modi assessed the situation and emphasised the importance of ensuring proper rehabilitation for those affected by floods and landslides. According to sources, he stated, "Prime Minister held a detailed discussion on the situation on the ground and clearly asked to ensure relief measures must reach affected people. Prime Minister also asked BJP leadership to deploy party workers to assist the affected people."

Meanwhile, BJP chief Nadda is scheduled to visit Himachal Pradesh on Sunday to evaluate the extensive damage caused by recent floods and landslides, which have resulted in at least 78 fatalities.

Nadda's itinerary includes meeting with the families of some of the deceased, a visit to an ancient Shiva temple destroyed by heavy rains and landslides in Shimla, and discussions with local authorities in Shimla and Bilaspur regarding relief and rehabilitation efforts. The party also noted that at least 16 people died in the temple collapse.

Additionally, Nadda will visit villages in Sirmaur district, where five individuals lost their lives due to a cloudburst.

The death toll from rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh over the past week rose to 78 on Saturday, with the recovery of one more body from the debris of a collapsed Shiv Temple in Shimla.

The local MeT office has issued a yellow warning for heavy to very heavy rains on August 20 and 21, with heavy rains expected on August 22 and 23. It has also cautioned of a moderate to high risk of flash floods in Shimla, Sirmaur, and Chamba districts.

The MeT office warned, "Heavy rains can result in landslides, flash floods, and an increase in water level in rivers and drains, besides causing damage to standing crops, fruit plants, and young seedlings."

The state government has declared the extensive damage caused by heavy rains as a state calamity.
Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. (DC File Photo)

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has taken note of the incident involving deportation of Telugu students from America.

On Saturday, he instructed officials to gather comprehensive information about these students and expedite resolution of their problem. He advised that, if required, officials must reach out to the Ministry of External Affairs for assistance.

The CM reacted following reports that 21 Indian students from Telugu states are being deported back to India after the US Customs and Border Protection authorities at Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco airports found discrepancies in the documents being carried by these students. The deported students are reportedly stranded at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked AP Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) to look into the matter and resolve the issue. The society president Venkat S. Medapati advised students call helpline numbers +91 863 2340678; +91 85000 27678 (WhatsApp) that are available 24/7 or email info@apnrts.com or helpline@apnrts.com

Venkat underlined that having a valid visa does not guarantee entry into the USA. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the point of entry should also be convinced about the documents people are carrying before they can be allowed to enter America.

He said students who have been deported may reach out to APNRT Society, a Government entity, which specialises in overseas education admission and counselling process, pre-departure orientation, post-arrival services, long-term tracking and so on.

APNTRS president advised students and their parents not to become victims of misleading education consultants and other agencies, but go through reputed organisations.
Former Union Minister and Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Javadekar. (File Photo)

HYDERABAD: The BJP is all set for a big mend with 119 party MLAs from other states all set to fan out across Telangana starting Sunday, bringing with them "fresh pairs of eyes and ears" and a "different perspective" that the party believes will stand it in good stead ahead of the polls.

The visit by BJP MLAs, including from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, will be the first of many similar visits. For now, the 119 MLAs will stay for a week in Telangana. As the elections near, they will come again and help the state leaders in finetuning winning strategies, bringing with them their own experience in winning elections, according to party sources. The idea is to use not just individual experiences but institutional experience of the party as force multipliers, the sources said.

In all, the BJP is pressing into service some 560 of its 1,200 of its MLAs from across the country in poll-bound states.

Asked about the plan, Prakash Javadekar, party Rajya Sabha member and election in-charge for the state, said: "The BJP believes in organisational efforts. We believe in the efforts of our karyakartas and strengthening their efforts."

The sources also said that this was not the first time the BJP has taken up this exercise. Similar exercises are being taken up in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. "After their visit, the MLAs will also report to the party on their findings, and suggestions which then become part of course correction measures," the sources explained.
TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. (Photo by arrangement)

HYDERABAD: Alleging that the state government has failed to disclose details of those who had purchased Kokapet and Budwel lands in the government's land auction, TPCC chief A. Revanth Reddy said here on Friday that they were purchased by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's benamis and BRS leaders. He further alleged that the state government was creating a non-existent boom for Kokapet and Budwel land parcels.

BRS leaders have amassed so much wealth that they are investing up to `100 crore in purchasing an acre of land in the city while the poor people continue to languish in penury, the Lok Sabha member said.

Reddy said that his security personnel were deliberately removed by the state government in clear violation of court directives.

Blasting the tendency of some government officials to come up with political comments, Reddy said that the Congress will not remain silent if officials violate law and established norms like Prabhakar Rao, Bhujanga Rao, Radha Kishan Rao and Narsing Rao.

He regretted that even police officials were supporting the ruling party by registering false cases against Congress leaders and activists.

"I am the chief of the state unit of a national party and a sitting MP. The government has done away all my security personnel. I will never fear its moves. I will visit any place in Telangana without security. When Congress was in power, Chandrasekhar Rao enjoyed the best security cover. On becoming the Chief Minister, he has curtailed the security of Congress leaders. As a people's leader, I can go anywhere without security. Can Rao visit Osmania and Kakatiya universities without any security," he asked.

The state government has completely failed in honouring its promises. BRS and BJP enjoy a good rapport, he said.
Speaking to mediapersons at Gandhi Bhavan, Revanth Reddy said that an interested candidate to contest from Congress party can obtain application forms from a counter which is set up at Gandhi Bhavan by paying application fee. "We will collect Rs 25,000 from SC, ST candidates and Rs 50,000 others as application fee. The funds will be deposited to party funds and will not be refundable," the TPCC Chief said. DC Image

Hyderabad: Stating that the Congress party would select candidates for contesting in ensuing Assembly elections in a transparent manner, the TPCC Chief and MP A Revanth Reddy on Friday released an application form for contesting in ensuing Assembly elections in Telangana.

Speaking to mediapersons at Gandhi Bhavan, Revanth Reddy said that an interested candidate to contest from Congress party can obtain application forms from a counter which is set up at Gandhi Bhavan by paying application fee.

"We will collect Rs 25,000 from SC, ST candidates and Rs 50,000 others as application fee. The funds will be deposited to party funds and will not be refundable," the TPCC Chief said.

A single aspirant can apply for one or more assembly seats to contest by paying off fee but the Central Election Committee and Screening Committee will examine application forms and send proposals to AICC. The AICC will take final decision in selecting right candidates to contest in ensuing Assembly elections in the state.

"A few TV channels, newspapers and youtube channels are making false news about the confirmation of candidates to contest from the Congress party. The TPCC started accepting applications from interested candidates from August 18 and it will continue till August 25," Revanth Reddy said.

The Central Election Committee, Screening Committee would thoroughly verify the application forms based on the candidates activities in the congress party. The committee would consider the grounds such as party activities, surveys, working on making memberships, possibilities on winning the seat and other capabilities to select the candidates for contesting in Assembly elections," the TPCC said.

Revanth Reddy reiterated that any TPCC senior leaders and CLP leaders, AICC leaders who want to contest in Assembly elections, have to apply by paying off fee seeking AICC's nod. "There will be no recommendations, assurances for candidates. Don't trust in rumours in the selection process. The AICC will take decisions in selecting the right candidates," Revanth Reddy said.
Working president minister K.T. Rama Rao will lead the party's campaign blitz for the upcoming Assembly polls. (Photo:Twitter @trspartyonline)

Hyderabad: BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and working president minister K.T. Rama Rao will lead the partys campaign blitz for the upcoming Assembly polls, party sources said, unlike in 2014 and 2018, when only Chandrashekar Rao covered 100 Assembly constituencies for campaigning.

This time, Rama Rao will also cover 100 Assembly constituencies for the first time as the partys working president, they said.

The party leadership is planning for Rama Rao to undertake a bus yatra in over 100 constituencies from September, while Chandrashekar Rao will use helicopters to cover 100 constituencies in October, after addressing a massive rally in Warangal on October 16, sources said.

Around 10 lakh people are expected to attend the Warangal rally, they said.

It may be recalled that Chandrashekar Rao appointed his son Rama Rao as the partys working president on December 14, 2018, a day after he took oath as the Chief Minister for the second term on December 13. Until then, the BRS did not have the post of working president.

With Assembly elections months away, the Chief Minister reportedly wants Rama Rao to cover the entire state and lead the BRS campaign before he visits the constituencies.

Rama Raos proposed bus yatra, covering the entire state, triggered speculations in BRS circles yet again that Chandrashekar Rao is seeking to crown his son the Chief Minister, paving the way for the senior Rao to play a key role in national politics, given the Lok Sabha scheduled in the first half of 2024.

Sources said that after rebranding the party as BRS, the Chief Minister is seeking to make forays into other states, with Maharashtra a key target for securing Lok Sabha seats in 2024.

There are a total of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, of which the BRS is expected to contest 20 seats. Chandrashekar Rao has been claiming that the BRS, if it has 35 Lok Sabha seats (15 from Telangana state and 20 from Maharashtra), can play a key role in national politics as neither the NDA nor the I.N.D.I.A coalition will be able to form the government without its support.

Previously, Rama Rao was confined to GHMC limits for election campaigning and mostly for the civic body polls in 2014 and 2018. However, in a departure, the Chief Minister deputed Rama Rao for campaigning for the Munugode bypoll last November.

Rama Rao held a series of roadshows in the Munugode constituency, and the BRS defeated BJP and Congress candidates in the ensuing bypoll, giving credence to his increasing responsibilities in the party.

For the 2018 Assembly polls, Chandrashekar Rao kickstarted the BRS campaigning by addressing a massive rally in Kongarakalan on the city outskirts, for which lakhs of people were mobilised from across 119 Assembly constituencies.

This time around, the Chief Minister wants to continue the same sentiment formula by addressing a massive rally in Warangal, sources said.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police have banned three more Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rallies scheduled for Mashonaland Central province bringing the total number of the opposition partys banned gatherings to 108 since March 2022.

Police banned CCCs Mvurwi rally, which was scheduled to be addressed by CCC leader Nelson Chamisa just six days before the general elections.

Im in Guruve and Mbire. They tried intimidating the citizens, but it just couldnt work. The police cancelled and banned our otherwise fully subscribed rally in Mvurwi. The panic is real! The citizens are unstoppable! Chamisa tweeted.

CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere also said their two rallies in Mt Darwin were banned.

Our cluster rallies, which were scheduled to take place on Friday, August 18, 2023, at Kandeya Village business centre and Dotito in Mt Darwin, have been denied by the police, Mahere said.

These denials come under controversial reasons, as they claim that the venues are already occupied on the same date.

It is evident that this is a systematic approach employed by the regime in Harare to prevent the citizens movement and its president Chamisa from engaging with the people.

Zanu PF is running scared and can never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe.

According to a letter gleaned by NewsDay Weekender, police banned the rally on the pretext that the grounds have been booked.

The office has reservations because the same space has been booked from 0800hrs to 1700hrs on the same day, the police letter read.

The banning of the rallies comes as the opposition party say the playing field is uneven with its rivals Zanu PF treated with kid gloves by the police.

The Maintenance of Peace and Order Act, which governs gatherings, processions and public demonstrations, stipulates that political parties must notify the police if they are having any sort of convocation.

The opposition, however, says police are abusing the law to prevent the party from holding its activities and rallies. Newsday
Swimmers have been warned to be wary of the Lion's Mane jellyfish after the Irish Coast Guard received reports of swimmers suffering painful jellyfish stings.

There are five native jellyfish species in Ireland: Barrel, Blue, Common (Moon), Compass and Lions Mane

According to the HSE: "The Lions Mane is the most serious jellyfish in Irish waters".

The sting from a Lion's Mane jellyfish is the worst of the native jellyfish.

According to the HSE, the Lions Mane jellyfish prefers the cooler waters of the Irish Sea and especially the waters off Dublin.

"Recently an increase has been seen in waters off the East Coast and some very large jellyfish have been observed on beaches in this area," the HSE states.

All jellyfish possess stinging cells, stingers, on their tentacles, HSE information outlines.

"Brushing against tentacles can cause the release of these stingers which contain venom (poison). Depending on the type of jellyfish, the stingers may not be sharp enough and long enough to pierce the skin and the skin forms a natural barrier to most stings. More delicate areas, such as the eyes and lips, might be more easily pierced.

"However, the Lions Mane stinging cells are much sharper and can pierce skin easily resulting in a painful sting. Jellyfish stings in Ireland are not usually life threatening and just require basic first aid and simple pain relief," the HSE says.

A sixth type (Pelagia noctiluca) occasionally makes an appearance in Irish coastal waters, the HSE also outlines.

"There have been rare reported sightings of the Portuguese Man OWar in Irish waters. The Portuguese Man OWar is not a true jellyfish but is closely related to the jellyfish family and can give a bad sting," according to the HSE.
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.
Storm Betty has caused flooding on some roads in the south of Ireland as the Governments national weather emergency team warned of the potential for further floods amid strong winds and rain across the country.

There was traffic disruption on some roads across Co Cork and frantic scenes in Co Waterford as a boat broke free from its berth and crashed into a harbour in Dungarvan.

A number of matches and outdoor events were cancelled, and emergency crews in the south of the country cleared debris including fallen trees.

Government departments and agencies and every local authority attended a briefing from Irish weather agency Met Eireann, which forecast that Storm Betty will move southwest to northeast across the country from Friday to Saturday morning.

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) said this could bring strong winds, rain and the threat of coastal, pluvial and fluvial flooding.

The NDFEM said in a statement: Storm Betty is forecast to bring high winds, particularly across the southern areas. Rainfall levels of 40mm could be experienced across the country with the potential for over 60mm in some areas.

This is a dynamic storm system, intensified by the jet stream leading to some uncertainty as to the potential track and intensity of Storm Betty.

The national forecasting office Met Eireann issued two status orange warnings for wind and rain which came into effect for seven counties.

 Status Orange Rain Warning Updated  Location: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Waterford. Potential Impacts: Localised flooding.  Difficult travelling conditions.    Wave overtopping on coasts. https://t.co/Xg3aMJlyuS pic.twitter.com/iDtrvPVMWE  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) August 18, 2023

The warnings of structural damage, falling trees, localised flooding and power outages, came into effect from 8.35pm and 9pm and expire at 1am and 3am on Saturday.

The warnings applied to Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Tipperary, and Waterford  with the rain warning also applying to Kerry.

The forecaster also said that the weather conditions could lead to difficult travelling conditions and wave overtopping along coasts.

Three status yellow warnings for wind and rain are in place for the rest of the country from Friday and will remain in place until 3am to 6am on Saturday.

There is a risk of thundery downpours on Friday, as well as strong winds along eastern-facing coasts.

There is also a status red storm warning for the southern coast.

The weather agency said south to southeast winds, veering southwesterly, will reach storm force 10 and occasionally violent storm force 11 for a time on Irish coastal waters from Carnsore Point to Dungarvan to Mizen Head.

Met Eireann forecaster Matthew Martin said the deeply low weather system would bring heavy and persistent rain spreading from the south of the island on Friday and there would be a continuing threat of flooding in the evening.

In Northern Ireland, a status yellow rain warning is in place across the region from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Saturday, risking further disruption.

The Met Office has also issued a wind warning for counties Antrim and Down, in place from 6pm on Friday until noon on Saturday, which brings a risk of strong winds that could disrupt transport and temporary infrastructure.

The weather is expected to stay mixed for the rest of the weekend.
UNIVERSITIES have been given the go ahead to peg their fees in United States dollars while allowing use of local currency convertible at interbank rate at the time of payment with Government reaffirming its commitment to ensuring that the fees remain reasonable.

The development comes as the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development is looking at various fees proposals brought to its attention by the universities for approval.

The ministry noted that there was a need to balance university accessibility, provision of quality education and the sustenance and maintenance of institutions.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Professor Fanuel Tagwira said the Government agreed for universities to peg fees in USD after concerns were raised that students were waiting for depreciation in value before paying their fees and to avoid the process of adjusting the fees at every turn.

We are still in the process of looking at the fees structures proposed by institutions. Some of them have been approved and the Minister has signed.

Some institutions are still working on the process internally and are yet to submit their proposals. What we have agreed is that fees should be pegged in USD but payable in any other currency, said Prof Tagwira.

He said as a ministry, they were keen on regulating tuition fees with other costs like food and accommodation differing from institution to institution.

The reason why we agreed to pegging fees in USD is to avoid a situation where fees have to be adjusted from time to time due to fluctuations in the exchange rates. Institutions also observed that students were not paying their fees and were waiting for the value to depreciate.

However, while I cannot give the exact figure for tuition at State universities, the fees that have been approved so far are very reasonable. You will note that most of our universities are cheaper than most secondary schools so that every child gets an opportunity to access education, said Prof Tagwira.

He said those who could not afford fees should approach their institutions and access the work for fees programme which the Government availed.

You might recall that as Government we introduced the work for fees programme which is slowly getting appreciated with more than 100 University of Zimbabwe students having taken up the programme. If students do not want to work then they are not in distress, said Prof Tagwira.

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) students are up in arms with authorities at the institution claiming they were not consulted and are threatening not to pay fees.

According to a memo seen by Sunday News, which was signed by the Harare Region secretary-general, Tinashe Tunha, the students said they were not going to pay the fees.

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.

Bulawayo students also came through claiming solidarity with other regions saying there would be no registration and fees payment until the issue of fees increase was resolved.

We find it not justifiable for ZOU to raise fees which by far does not meet the quality of services they are offering. We are printing out our own modules, we are having limited student-lecturer interaction, due to these reasons we find it not necessary for admin to raise fees. Sunday Mail
A tidal wave of stray cats has hit New York City this summer, paralyzing its shelter system as volunteers scramble for solutions and call for more city action.

The stray cats live hard lives, often sick and at risk of infection with missing eyes or limbs. They can also carry parasites and diseases, putting other cats or even people at risk. They poop on doorsteps and kill local wildlife like birds. There are so many that the typically timid animals have become a public nuisance in some hard-hit neighborhoods.

Dozens of new volunteers and cat organizations have sprung to meet the problem, but they say theyre facing burnout. And as the summer kitten season wears on, the cat population shows no signs of stopping and the volunteers arent sure they can keep up with the work.

A stray cat is pictured on Green St. in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday, August 17, 2023.

Cat lovers and volunteers are calling for a stronger city response, more spay and neuter services and for more people to adopt.

Were not a developing country, said Jonlyn Freeman, founder of the NYC Cat Rescuer Alliance.  Were a first world country. Why is it OK just to have packs of feral cats everywhere? And have them in such bad condition? This is not normal.

Feral cats are a sign of neglect, just like graffiti  These feral cats running amok everywhere, it not should not be considered normal in New York City.

A million cats

Theres no official count of stray and feral cats, but most place the citys population at around 500,000  with some estimates as high as a million.

There are groups of cat colonies, in all corners of the five boroughs, especially in low-income neighborhoods with extra empty space. The South Bronx, Jamaica, Queens and South Brooklyn are all stray cat hotspots. Its not always a super visible problem  stray cats are shy  and its generally not as acute an issue in lower Manhattan or Midtown.

After COVID, the citys stray cat problem became much worse. Spay/neuter services were put on hold, and veterinarian and staffing shortages made the problem worse. At the same time, more people were adopting pets during the pandemic.

But economic instability forced many families to move or get rid of pets they could no longer afford. Others kept their cats, but werent able to get them spayed or neutered. The unfixed cats started reproducing, making the problem grow bigger and bigger. Cats can have up to three litters in a year.

A stray cat sits under a vehicle on Green St. in Brooklyn on Thursday, August 17, 2023.

With few places to turn, people kicked house cats out of their homes and placed boxes of their kittens on the streets and even under cars. Now, colonies of cats are claiming block after block in outer borough neighborhoods.

Shelters overwhelmed

Theres close to no room left in the pet shelter system and few, or very costly, appointments to get them fixed.

Earlier this month, Animal Care Centers of NYC, which is the main, city-supported nonprofit pet shelter system, actually restricted new arrivals, although Katy Hansen, their director of communications, said they still took in cats in need.

Alexandra Garza, a spokesperson for the ASPCA told the Daily News that intake numbers are rising as adoptions are staying about the same, which means that space in shelters for animals is shrinking.

Food and shelter, left out for stray cats, are pictured on Green St. in Brooklyn on Thursday, August 17, 2023.

The dearth of services means that the volunteers and organizations not only cant keep up but are also seeing the problem getting worse before their eyes as cats continue to reproduce.

People feel like they have no choice, Tanya Coleman, co-founder and president of Bronx Community Cats said. They have no work. If they cant give it to the shelter, where are they going to send the cat?

Health risks

Stray cats lead rougher, more dangerous lives. They also compete with native wildlife like birds, and can spread dangerous diseases.

Its definitely a problem, Adelia Harrison, manager at the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, said. Free roaming cats do impact wildlife. We all want the same thing. Nobody wants free roaming cats in the environment. The problem is so huge that we all need to work together.

Adelia Harrison, manager at Grants and Outreach Brooklyn Cat Cafe on Montague St. in Brooklyn, is pictured Thursday, August 17, 2023.

Outdoor cats are the top transmitter of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can cause birth defects or miscarriage, according to Grant Sizemore, director of invasive species programs at the American Bird Conservancy. Theyre also the top domestic animal carrier of rabies.

Sizemore said cats can have dire consequences on the citys vibrant bird population, killing over 2 billion birds every year in the United States.

We are absolutely experiencing a bird conservation crisis, he said. And cats are one of the larger nails in that coffin.

We need to remove the strain of feral cats from the environment, for the protection of public health and safety for protection of wildlife, and really for the benefit of the cat population as well, he said.

Ground level action

The work to keep neighborhood blocks more orderly and cats taken care of has fallen to people who are more affected by the issue.

Sassee Walker, 53, feeds several colonies of strays and five trapping sites scattered around East New York, Canarsie and Brownsville. Walker says that in her 10 years trying to make a dent in the stray cat population, shes never been as busy as she is now.

Volunteer cat trapper Sassee Walker is pictured in Brooklyn, New York City on Friday, August 18, 2023.

The whole operation is costly and time-consuming. She spends more than 20 hours a week just outside trapping and feeding cat colonies, and upward of $500 dollars on cat food alone every month, shelling out more for litter and medicine.

One time I was in so much debt because of all these cats, it was bad. I had maxed out all my cards, Walker said.   I raise donations, but it can never cover the amount of work that Im doing.

She often stays up all night trying to get cats that are evading her traps.

Walker doesnt see it as a choice: The cats rely on her. But shes stretched thin, beyond what may be healthy for her. Its like a second full-time job. Shes got family and friends, and a 3-year-old grandson she would like to spend more time with.

Im always fighting with the city, she said. Like this should be a job. This shouldnt be my responsibility.

A cat is pictured on the grounds of the NYCHA Cypress Hills Houses in Brooklyn, New York City on Friday, August 18, 2023.

Jonlyn Freeman formed a group called NYC Cat Rescuer Alliance to advocate for the rescuers themselves.

[Last year], we were all hitting our collective breaking points, Freeman said. We could see that if nothing changed then this summer would be a tidal wave of feral cat overpopulation. And thats exactly what happened.

Tanya Coleman said that while the Bronx has always seen a pretty high stray cat population relative to the rest of the city, its grown even more over the past few years due to the high number of evictions and housing insecurity in the borough as reasons for the high numbers of strays, plus the cat numbers snowballing as more cats give birth.

We have been observing that about 46% of our intake for cats that were actually trapping or picking up from our colony locations are adoptable cats, like stray cats that were clearly owned at some point, in some cases neutered and microchipped already, Coleman said.
A city employee at the Horizon Juvenile Center has been charged with bilking taxpayers out of thousands of dollars by falsifying time sheets, according to the Bronx District Attorney.

Michael Derico, 44, was hit with grand larceny and other charges for collecting $6,600 in pay for hours he never worked between December 2020 and March 2021, DA Darcel Clark said.

Derico pleaded not guilty at arraignment Friday in Bronx Supreme Court. He was released without having to post bail.

Horizon is a secure detention facility for youths accused of serious crimes, and is run by the city Administration for Childrens Services. Dericos job involved delivering commissary items to detainees, and tracking behavioral issues, according to the DAs office.

In July, two supervisors at the same facility were charged in Manhattan Federal Court with beating and taunting a 16-year-old in custody at Horizon.
AN engagement during the middle of lockdown led to the marriage this summer of Eva McGregor and Jeff McCormick, who live in Carrigaline.

They are both originally from Mullingar in Co Westmeath, but moved to Cork six years ago.

They feature in this week's Wedding of the Week.

Recalling how they first met, Eva said: We met in a nightclub in Mullingar called the Lane Club 10 years ago, but it actually took himself three years to ask me out on a date, and the rest is history.

Eva McGregor and Jeff McCormick were married at the Charleville Park Hotel this summer.

They were engaged at home on Valentines Day, 2021, in the middle of lockdown.

They were married in a beautiful ceremony in the Charleville Park Hotel on June 3.

Recalling her dress, Eva said: I wanted something a bit different for my dress than the usual white wedding dress, I got it from Mizz Rio in Dublin, and I am so glad I did.

I had tried on white dresses and I just knew that they werent for me, I wanted something with a bit of colour and a bit of fun, and of course I had to get pockets built into it, I couldnt imagine not having pockets on the day.

The brides sister Megan was maid of honour. Best friend Leona, sisters Chloe and Lauren and Jeffs sister Monique (bridesmaids). Trevor (best man), Samuel (junior best man), Daniel, Damien, Kieran (groomsmen).

Evas mother-in-law bought her the most amazing shoes from Monsoon. Claire Tracey did make-up on the day and Myra Clifford did the hair.

Eva said: It was so lovely to have our families around us, almost everyone had travelled to be with us, a lot from the Midlands, but Jeffs parents James and Emeline came from Canada along with his aunty Trish, who had travelled from America, and his groomsman Kieran, who had come all the way from Australia to be with us on the day.

The couple said people travelled from all over for the wedding, including many from abroad, which meant a lot to them.

We had the most romantic and personalised ceremony thanks to the amazing Carol Cotter.

We had so many of our family and friends involved in it as we had readings, reflections and a handfasting ceremony, and we also had everyone who came be part of the day by warming our rings which was amazing.

The reception continued on in the hotel.

Eva said: They are dog-friendly which was one of our reasons for choosing here, along with the amazing venue and great food.

Looking towards a bright future.

We had Munster String Quartet for the ceremony and drinks reception, and we had Bryan McDonnell as our DJ for the whole evening, which we are so glad we did, he was great and was really able to read the crowd, we had a dance off and everything.

The couple were wed at Charleville Park Hotel, but had some photographs taken by Dermot Sullivan in the beautiful Doneraile Park.

Celebrations continued the day after too.

A magical day was had.

As to the most memorable thing about the couples big day?

Being able to have our two dogs with us, along with all of our family and friends to celebrate with, said Eva.
LOCALISED flooding occurred in areas of Cork yesterday evening with a slew of events cancelled due to the inclement weather conditions as Storm Betty made landfall.

Cork City Council had advised earlier in the day that some roads and parking areas along low-lying quays in the city centre would likely suffer some localised flooding during high tide shortly before 7.50pm.

Some areas of the city and county had begun to experience such flooding ahead of high tide yesterday evening as heavy rainfall continued.

In an update yesterday afternoon, both Cork city and county councils said they were monitoring the situation closely and that response crews were on standby following multiple weather warnings from Met Eireann.

A status orange rainfall warning for Cork and several other counties came into effect at 9pm yesterday and was due to remain in place until 11pm, while a status orange wind warning was due to remain in place until 3am. There are no weather warnings currently in place for Cork.

Flooding in South Link in Cork city following heavy rain . Picture; Eddie O'Hare

The national weather forecaster said that Storm Betty would bring south to southwest gales with "severe gusts of up to 130 km/hr" leading to potential structural damage, falling trees, travel disruption, power outages, localised flooding and wave overtopping in coastal areas.

A status yellow wind warning issued for Munster and Leinster was due to remain in place until 6am this morning.

Flooding in South Terrace in Cork city following heavy rain . Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Among the events cancelled yesterday included a Cork City FC game against Waterford which has been rescheduled to Monday at 7.45pm, outdoor activities that had been planned as part of Cork on a Fork Fest and a historical walking tour the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy, had planned.

Ahead of the weekend, the Irish Coast Guard strongly advised people who are planning any water-based or coastal activities to check the weather carefully and consider if the conditions are suitable.

Flooding in South Link in Cork city following heavy rain . Picture; Eddie O'Hare

Strong winds can result in relatively rough seas resulting in perilous sea conditions which could be challenging for water-based actives this weekend, the Coast Guard said.
AN integrated Luas and rail network is key to reliable, frequent public transport in Cork, a Green Party councillor has said as major rail upgrades were announced.

Iarnroid Eireann has awarded a contract of 78.5m to rail transport company Alstom for a major signalling upgrade project on the Cork commuter rail network  a move which has been hailed as a significant milestone and real evidence of delivering transformative public transport in Cork.

The rail operator said the upgrade project will treble the number of trains which can operate between Cork city and Cobh, Midleton and Mallow.

The contract  part of an overall signalling investment of 180m - will deliver all the signalling, electrical and telecommunications enhancements under the Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) Programme, a series of interrelated projects being undertaken by Iarnrod Eireann.

The signalling works are set to commence later this year and be complete by mid-2026.

Speaking yesterday, Finance Minister Michael McGrath described the announcement as a significant milestone for the commuter rail network in Cork.

The investment is one of many planned projects planned to boost Corks rail offering and public transport network.

Upgrading Corks signalling system is a crucial step forward to facilitate the proposed capacity and service frequency increases planned for the region and will be of considerable benefit to users of the rail network, he added.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said the re-signalling of the Cork commuter rail network will provide for improved service reliability, frequency and capacity benefits, as well as electrified operations in the long-run, helping to transform rail transport for commuters.

I was delighted to secure 164m in EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding for this project in 2021 and am pleased to see continued progress with the awarding of the signalling contract today, he continued.

The Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme will deliver the heavy rail proposals contained within the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS), developed by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

The new signalling solution will facilitate the proposed capacity and service frequency increases, with the potential to treble existing service frequency to a 10-minute frequency on all routes in the future.

The upgrade will include a new computer-based signalling system across the three main Cork routes, including the Mallow, Cobh and Glounthaune to Midleton lines.

It will also improve the reliability of the signalling system and enhance railway safety systems and provide the capability of being managed centrally via the new National Train Control Centre at Heuston Station in Dublin, when operational, ensuring a more efficient and resilient service for all rail users.

'TRANSFORMATIVE'

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran praised yesterdays announcement as real evidence of delivering transformative public transport in Cork.

Where all these engineering works are bringing us is towards new high-frequency commuter rail in Cork in the next short few years, said Mr Moran.

The next steps will involve double tracking the line between Glounthaune and Midleton.

Thats currently with An Bord Pleanala to grant permission and it will allow 10-minute frequency trains serving stations between Mallow, Cork and Cobh/Midleton.

I know from speaking to Irish Rail they want to apply for planning permission for new stations at Blackpool and Blarney in the next 12 months.

Its hard to believe after so many reports and promises but it is now all go in the next few years, he said.

Further in the future, but still important for now, is ensuring the route for the Cork Luas connects directly with the new commuter rail network.

That will mean an integrated metropolitan rail and tram network connecting stops across the city from Blackpool to Bishopstown and Mahon to Cobh and Midleton.

Meanwhile Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy also welcomed the progress in improving the Cork commuter rail network.

This is a very important step with the awarding of this contract, so that progress is very much to be welcomed, but we need to see continued progress on the other elements of the programme to ensure that, as quickly as possible, we can have a high frequency, reliable, quality suburban rail system in Cork, he told The Echo.

Mr Healy stressed the importance of this, given Corks projected growth and the citys goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.
An East Harlem smoke shop worker was shot and a customer pistol-whipped by two bumbling stick-up men who fumbled their stolen haul on the floor as they fled the scene, police and a witness said Saturday.

The 34-year-old employee of the Essex Convenience Store on E. 116th St. near Lexington Ave. was behind the counter at 11:15 p.m. Friday when the two men stormed in. The crooks pulled guns and tried to empty the register before the worker began fighting them off, cops said. The employee took a bullet to the thigh.

The money they took, they ended up dropping it, a 32-year-old witness told the Daily News. A customer recounted he was pistol-whipped and robbed as well, with the bandits forcing the man to empty his pockets.

What they robbed me of, they dropped it all, the customer said. The 22-year-old victim was ordered to come from the back of the store to the front before the two bandits robbed him.

Once I caught the vibe, he pulled out a gun on me, he recalled. He cracks me in the head with his pistol.

The wounded store worker was expected to recover, said his colleague  who initially braced for a more dire development.

We thought they were going to take us in the back and shoot us in the head, said the worker.

A man was taken to Harlem Hospital after he was shot in the groin while inside of the Essex Convenience Store at E. 116th St. in Manhattan on Aug. 19, 2023.

The two men, both still on the loose, were seen running down E. 116th St. in different directions. One was wearing a blue ski mask. The other was wearing a black hat with white writing on it.

EMS rushed both victims to Harlem Hospital for treatment. Police did not provide information about anything taken from the store, which sells bongs and cannabis products.

The Friday gunplay was the third shooting in a Harlem smoke shop this year, cops said.

On April 9, 36-year-old Brandon Brunson was executed in cold blood during a caught-on-camera shooting inside a smoke shop on Lenox Ave. Cops arrested Messiah Nantwi, 21, a few days later, charging him with murder.

Then on Feb. 11, Alfred Johnson, 42, was fatally shot in the neck and torso during a spat inside Level Up Exotics, a smoke shop with a Super Mario Bros.-themed awning on W. 125th St. near Fifth Ave.

Christian Marte, 18, was arrested for the killing in June.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

According to a new University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) study, Americans whose income is in the top 10 percent are responsible for 40 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the country. Its the first study to connect income with the emissions used to generate it.

The researchers focused on earnings derived from financial investments and recommended taxes be adopted that hone in on investment incomes carbon intensity, a press release from UMass Amherst said.

Current policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase adaptation and mitigation funding are insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C. It is clear that further action is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change and achieve a just climate future, the authors of the study wrote. We find significant and growing emissions inequality that cuts across economic and racial lines. In 2019, fully 40% of total U.S. emissions were associated with income flows to the highest earning 10% of households. Among the highest earning 1% of households (whose income is linked to 1517% of national emissions) investment holdings account for 3843% of their emissions.

Human consumption like driving vehicles, eating particular types of food and buying certain kinds or an excess of goods is a long-established generator of greenhouse gas emissions, the press release said.

Environmental policy has tended to focus on limiting consumption or directing it toward things that have less of a carbon footprint, like driving an electric vehicle or eating plant-based food.

But consumption-based approaches to limiting greenhouse gas emissions are regressive, said Jared Starr, a sustainability scientist at UMass Amherst and lead author of the study, in the press release. They disproportionately punish the poor while having little impact on the extremely wealthy, who tend to save and invest a large share of their income. Consumption-based approaches miss something important: carbon pollution generates income, but when that income is reinvested into stocks, rather than spent on necessities, it isnt subject to a consumption-based carbon tax. What happens when we focus on how emissions create income, rather than how they enable consumption?

The study, Income-based U.S. household carbon footprints (19902019) offer new insights on emissions inequality and climate finance, was published in the journal PLOS Climate.

In the study, the research team examined three decades worth of data from 1990 to 2019, first from a database of 2.8 billion financial transfers and their intersectoral flow of income and carbon.

From this information, the researchers were able to calculate two separate values: one that represented producer-based income from greenhouse gas emissions and one representing supplier-based emissions, which are created by industrial suppliers of fossil fuels.

As an example, operating fossil fuel companies doesnt produce an enormous amount of emissions, but they make a huge amount of profit selling the oil to those who will end up burning it and producing emissions.

Emissions that are producer-based, on the other hand, are those released by operating the business, as with coal-fired power plants.

Using their two main calculations, the research team linked them with a database containing income and demographic data for more than five million people in the U.S. The database separates active sources of income, like wages and salaries, from passive sources of investment income.

This research gives us insight into the way that income and investments obscure emissions responsibility, Starr said in the press release. For example, 15 days of income for a top 0.1% household generates as much carbon pollution as a lifetime of income for a household in the bottom 10%. An income-based lens helps us focus in on exactly who is profiting the most from climate-changing carbon pollution, and design policies to shift their behavior.

The team not only discovered that more than 40 percent of emissions in the U.S. could be attributed to income earned by the top 10 percent, but that those with earnings in the top one percent generated 15 to 17 percent of the emissions in the country.

The researchers also found that, for the most part, the income linked to the highest emissions came from white, non-Hispanic households, while Black households had the lowest emissions-linked income.

Fossil fuel emissions also had a tendency to increase with age, peak within the 45 to 54 age group, then decline.

Consumer-facing carbon taxes would hit poor Americans hardest because the emissions intensity of their purchases tends to be higher than higher-income groups because theyre buying things related to necessities, while higher-income groups tend to spend more on services, Starr told The Hill. These low-income groups basically spend all that comes in, whereas as you move up the income ladder, the higher-income groups have really high savings rates, [and] money that they save or re-invest are not reflected in consumer-facing carbon taxes.

The team found that super emitters were almost only found among households in the top 0.1 percent of earners, consisting mostly of those in real estate, finance, manufacturing, insurance, mining and quarrying.

Starr and the other researchers suggested taxing shareholders and income, rather than consumer products.

In this way, Starr said in the press release, we could really incentivize the Americans who are driving and profiting the most from climate change to decarbonize their industries and investments. Its divestment through self-interest, rather than altruism. Imagine how quickly corporate executives, board members and large shareholders would decarbonize their industries if we made it in their financial interest to do so. The tax revenue gained could help the nation invest substantially in decarbonization efforts.
Batty MTB Crash in Euro Qualifying



Isaac Batty in qualifying

Isaac Batty, the Manx youth competing in the UEC European Mountain Bike Downhill Championships in France, suffered a crash today when the rider in front of him stopped in the middle of the track.

It is not known why the organisers slotted a younger rider in between Batty and another competitor Max Eddon in today's practice and qualifying but onlookers said "they cant understand why they [the organisers] did it as it was clearly dangerous."

The young rider from Spain was caught by Batty and wouldn't pull over, but instead stopped. The visibility was reduced due to dust and Batty ploughed in to the rider causing him to crash.

Batty has a sore hand and wrist but regardless of the injury, he will be on the staring line for tomorrow's race.

Despite the crash, Batty finished the run and is seeded 55th from 90 for tomorrows race. Prior to the crash he was in around 10th position.

With 30 second starts on race day, Batty fears he will catch other riders.

The course has been described as 'a serious track' and the competition levels are high.

The race gets underway at 12:45 local time (11:45 BST).
City officials knew an aspiring fashion model was in mortal danger at Manhattan homeless shelter but failed to protect her before she was viciously attacked and killed by her roommate in a running dispute over loud music, according to a new lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

The gruesome Dec. 2022 stabbing of Victoria Goode, 27, which was caught on video, made city-wide headlines at the time for its brutality.

Goode, who hoped one day to walk the runway, was killed in a dispute with roommate Charmaine Crossman, who was still covered in the victims blood when she surrendered to police four days after the stabbing.

The defendants, including the city of New York and its Department of Homeless Services, caused the aforementioned incident and the injuries that led to the decedent plaintiffs death solely by their carelessness, recklessness and negligence, said the court filing by the victims brother Daemen King.

Defendants  knew of prior violent attacks by (Crossman) yet allowed said resident to remain on their premises, the court filing asserted, adding the damages sought in the suit were in an amount exceeding the jurisdictional limits of all lower courts.

The New York City Law Department did not respond to a Saturday request for comment on the lawsuit. A phone message left Saturday for the co-defendant Project Renewal was not answered.

The 42-year-old Crossman, in the attack inside the Project Renewal Shelter in Midtown, first sprayed Goode in the face with an air freshener inside their shared room before the dispute spilled into the hallway, authorities said.

Goode was stabbed there before fleeing into a laundry room with Crossman in pursuit, and prosecutors said the victim was then stabbed in the chest, the eye, the jugular vein and the left arm.

The chest wound severed an artery, with Goode pronounced dead on arrival at Bellevue Hospital.

Goodes brother told the News the victim had repeatedly asked to move into another room before the killing, saying she was afraid of Crossman after the two started sharing their space on the sixth floor.

The court papers accused the shelter of failing to cease the physical altercation between the plaintiff and assailant  failing to properly maintain a secure and safe environment of the premises and generally being negligent, reckless and careless in the operation, management, maintenance and control of the premises.

Crossman, who surrendered to police at the 69th Precinct in Brooklyn, remained behind bars on the felony murder charge, with a Sept. 12 hearing scheduled in the case.

The victims brother told the News after the killing that his sister had come to Manhattan to pursue her modeling career, attending New York Fashion Week, appearing on numerous runways and landing some photoshoot work.

Goode, who went to high school in Oklahoma City, moved to New York at age 22 and landed at the shelter in hopes of landing permanent affordable housing through the city Department of Homeless Services, the brother said.
It is an ongoing debate among academicians and practitioners that the targeted programmes towards alleviating poverty would substantially improve the welfare of the poor, especially the nutritional status of the beneficiaries (Kochar 2005). One of Indias most extensive anti-poverty programmes is the public distribution system (PDS). However, in 1997, because of a lack of budget, the government introduced targeted PDS (TPDS) by refocusing only on poor households. One serious concern is that the TPDS programme fails to provide benefits for the poor because of the various leakages (primarily the misuse of above-poverty-line quota) in the system (Dreze and Khera 2015). The national food security act enforced the use of biometric electronic point of sale (E-PoS) machines in fair price shops to ensure transparency in the TPDS (Masiero and Prakash 2015). The existing literature does provide several insights regarding the digitisation of TPDS and its functioning and ability to reduce leakages (Masiero 2015). However, an evaluation of the impact of the E-PoS in TPDS in improving the nutritional status of the beneficiaries is still missing. Thus, the primary goal of this article is to fill this gap by studying the relationship between E-PoS and childrens nutritional status, as assessed through anthropometric measurements. Further, the methodological goal of this article is to evaluate the nutritional quality of the beneficiaries before and after the introduction of E-PoS.

Data and Methodology
October 2023 marks the beginning of the transitional phase of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) adopted by the European Union (EU). It gains significance as it is the first major initiative that firmly embeds climate policies in international trade regulations in a major way. Under this mechanism, importers of goods into the EU will have to purchase certificates, as in the case of emissions trading systems, to compensate for the carbon generated in their production process. The CBAM is expected to help the European Commission in meeting its stated goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, way ahead of Indias target of 2070.

The EU points out that the CBAM, which claims to be compliant with the World Trade Organization rules, is critical to help minimise carbon leakages and reduce emissions worldwide. Carbon leakages can happen when the stringent emission norms of the EU motivate producers to relocate production to non-EU countries that have lower emission constraints and often more carbon emitting production processes. Consequently, the reduction in emissions in the EU can contribute to an overall increase in global carbon emissions. Moreover, the CBAM will also ensure a level playing field for the EU industries as importers of goods into the EU would have to compensate for the carbon emissions generated during the production of these goods. It is also argued that the CBAM will also help EU influence the climate policies of its trading partners who would be forced to contain carbon emissions of their exports.
The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly passed a bill on 20 July 2023 that prohibits the family members of deceased persons from using their corpses for protests on roads and other public places. The bill also guarantees that every deceased person has a right to a dignified and timely funeral according to their community or religious traditions. The bill comes in the wake of a surge in incidents of relatives holding demonstrations with dead bodies.

The Rajasthan Honour of Dead Body Bill, 2023 might be the first of its kind to be enacted in India. According to the law, anyone who displays a dead body on the streets, outside police stations, or any other public place for the purposes of protests can be punished with imprisonment ranging from six months to five years and a fine.
The Bengalis once had an intriguing conception of the pashchim, the west. This west is a place of travel, romance, and adventure, and not the West of the globe. Most of Jharkhand and parts of Bihar, together, were known as pashchim. Popular places included Giridih, Dhanbad, Hazaribag, Madhupur, Ghatshila, Medininagar (formerly Daltonganj), Palamu, and McCluskieganj among other towns and villages. Districts like Bhagalpur and Purnia, which are in north Bihar, also served as a haven for many Bengalis. Dhorai Charit Manas, written by Satinath Bhaduri in two parts in 1949 and 1951, is a great Bengali novel with a BengaliHindiBhojpuri linguistic, geographical, and cultural space in the narrative, an interactive contact zone of Bengal and Bihar. Satyajit Rays film Aranyer Din Ratri (1970) quotes passages from Sanjib Chandra Chattopadhyays travelogue by the same name, with descriptions of the landscape and the locals of Palamu. Another classic film set in this context is Tarun Majumdars Dadar Kirti (1980), which is based on a story by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay.

Bengali aristocrats, intelligentsia, and the upper middle class used to travel to the pashchim for a change. They travelled to Jharkhand to experience hawa badal, also known as changer. Bengalis have travelled to these villages and towns since the colonial era as teachers, businesspersons, lawyers, doctors, and employees of the railways and postal services. Proximity to Bengal and respite from the busy city life in the form of hills, jungles, and rivers made these regions a beloved escape. Many authors spent a sizeable portion of their lives here, informing their work, which, till today, evoke strong memories among Bengali readers. Reading such literature about hills, rivers, jungles, and travel, when one is young and from the plains, evinces nostalgia and a desire for the region.
A Staten Island family was shattered after a fiery Brooklyn car crash ended with an 18-year-old girl dead and her older sister facing drunk driving charges, police said.

The Mercedes-Benz driver blamed for sparking the fatal crash was charged with vehicular manslaughter, cops said.

The dead teen, Shanti Joyner, and her sister, 32-year-old Iesha Joyner, were returning home from their late-night shifts at a Brooklyn bar early Friday when a black Mercedes-Benz S550 plowed into their Honda Accord at the corner of Atlantic Ave. and Court St. in Brooklyn Heights, cops and heartbroken relatives said.

Shanti Joyner.

Shanti, Iesha and a 29-year-old man in the back seat of their car were rushed to New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital after the 3:30 a.m. crash.

Shanti died of her injuries at the hospital. Iesha and the back-seat passenger were expected to survive.

Shanti, a recent graduate of Port Richmond High School, leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter, the sisters mother Jeanette Perez said on Saturday.

She was an amazing daughter, amazing sister and amazing mother, Perez said about Shanti. We are shocked at what has happened.

Life changes very quickly before we know it, the devastated mom told the Daily News as she sat by Ieshas hospital bed.

The Honda ultimately crashed into a tree outside a nearby Trader Joes, cops said.

Shanti Joyner and her sister Iesha come from a big family that includes four other sisters and a brother. The sisters father died when Shanti was two, said her stepdad, Michael Hall.

Hall said that when he married Perez, he raised Shanti as his own.

Shanti was as old as her daughter is right now when I met her, Hall recalled. I saw her growing up, all her childhood.

The woman in red-braided, tied-up bun is Lesha Joyner, who survived the crash. Her sister, Shanti Joyner, is just to the left.

Shanti worked two jobs to care for her daughter and save up some money for nursing school, Hall said.

She was full of life and now all that is gone, he said somberly.

Witnesses said the Joyner sisters Honda sedan was sent into a tailspin when it collided with the Mercedes-Benz on the darkened Brooklyn Heights street at 3:30 a.m. Friday.

The Mercedes-Benz was going very fast, said Murat Sonkya, who was working at a nearby fruit stand. I heard the crash.

The sisters car crashed into a tree outside a Trader Joes, cops said.

Shanti Joyner and her older sister Iesha were returning home from their late-night shift at a Brooklyn bar when a Mercedes Benz S550 plowed into their Honda Accord at the corner of Atlantic Ave. and Court St. in Brooklyn Heights about 3:30 a.m. on Friday.

Iesha, who was behind the wheel of the Honda, was charged with drunk driving, driving without insurance and operating an unregistered vehicle, cops said.

But the man behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz, Kashawn Croswell, was blamed by cops for the collision.

His Mercedes-Benz was speeding south on Court St. and blew past a red light just before crashing into the Joyner sisters car, police determined.

Seconds after both cars were mangled, the Mercedes-Benz erupted in flames, Sonkya said.

Shanti Joyner, on the right, with her mother, Jeanette Perez, on the left.

Croswell, 25, managed to get out of the destroyed luxury car and was walking away from the scene when police grabbed him.

He was walking away slow when he was taken into custody, Sonkya said.

Both Croswell and a 24-year-old woman in the car with him had minor injuries and were treated at Brooklyn Methodist.

Cops later charged Croswell with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

Cops later charged Croswell with vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

Croswells Mercedes-Benz had a Florida license plate with a motorized frame that can bring down a cover to obscure the plate when passing electronic license plate readers at toll booths.

The motorized license plate covers, sold on Amazon.com for $75 to $100, are illegal in New York and New Jersey, but are growing in popularity.

On July 2, Croswell was charged in Queens with reckless driving after cops clocked him driving 60 mph in a 25 mph zone near the intersection of North Conduit Ave. and Baisley Blvd., just north of Kennedy Airport.

A complaint in Queens Criminal Court also charged Croswell with possession of a forged credit card.

He was released without bail following his arraignment, court documents show.

Arraignments for both Croswell and Iesha Joyner were pending in Brooklyn Criminal Court Saturday.
The troubles between Turkey and Greece over Baklavathe layered, sweet, and nutty pastryare not unknown, while this sweet dish is a part of the identity of

nations like Turkey, Greece, Syria, Armenia, and more. In a globalised world market, food is a product of a certain origin and this identity also fetches economic value. This further sets up the question of authenticity among the states regarding a national cuisinethe contestation among states about national cuisine is an attempt to create a national narrative about ones own identity. This food identity creates a counter-narrative to the homogenising tendencies of globalisation while often encouraging tourism and the food business. Countries like Thailand have effectively used their cuisine to create a new image for themselves. The green and red curries of Thai cuisine are now synonymous with the identity of Thailand. Food also has been a part of the resistance as witnessed during the Arab Uprising when the citizens of Egypt took to the streets with bread in their hand against the rising price of wheat. In Brazil, the famous Tortilla riot was against the hike in the price of corn flour reducing the affordability of the peoples staple food.

It is a common instinct for every human being to live within a community, and a natural need to identify themselves with an extended group of people with similarities to form a collective identity. This is a way to also trace the roots and histories of different communities that exist all over the world. Gastrodiplomacy, or culinary diplomacy, is a form of cultural diplomacy where food is used as a tool to attract and influence foreign audiences. It can change a countrys national image and is widely employed by states trying to construct a particular image or better their standing and identity on the global platform. At its core lies Joseph Nyes concept of soft power and the ability of a state to attract another through its culture and values rather than coercion through military and economic means. Gastrodiplomacy is usually premised on the claims of ownership of a particular cuisine as the national cuisine. However, the evolution of food politics is not merely restricted to ones regional identity but has developed through the fusion of many interacting and colliding cultures. In world politics, heightened by strong nationalist sentiments, modern states have constructed and reconstructed the ideas of national cuisines for identity formation. They have engaged in the promotion of culinary diplomacy, cooking shows, publication of cookbooks, and promotion of restaurants and chefs. This helps in the enhancement of business, trades, investments, and tourism, and helps in nation-branding.
India is the worlds second-largest consumer of fertiliser (ICFA nd). The agricultural sector is huge, and farmers comprise most of Indias workforce. The Government of India (GoI) provides subsidy on fertiliser to support them at a budget of approximately $19 billion (`1,537 billion), as of 202122 (Ministry of Finance 2021). The GoI started providing farmers with subsidies to purchase fertiliser in 1977 (IndiaAgroNet.com nd). In subsequent years, it introduced several fertiliser subsidies to ensure stable prices and efficient distribution of fertilisers to the farmers. Everyone in the country, irrespective of wealth or landholding, has access to fertiliser subsidies, and the government compensates the respective manufacturers.

The subsidy on fertiliser is unlike domestic cooking gas subsidy (liquified petroleum gasPratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh [LPG-PAHAL]) and food subsidy, which reach targeted beneficiaries directly. The government wants to introduce a similar change in fertiliser subsidies, as it currently provides subsidies to the manufacturers, and it plans to link farmers bank accounts to allow them to receive subsidies directly. The government has estimated a saving of over `44,000 crore in fiscal 202021 with the help of the direct benefit transfer (DBT) mechanism. With this, total savings till 31 March 2021 have crossed `2,200 billion (Sinha 2021).
Friday, August 18, 2023

Cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors have turned their attention to the burgeoning world of meme coins, where quirky ideas often lead to significant financial gains. Among these emerging players, the iconic frog-themed $PEPE coin recently drew the spotlight as a significant investment of $1 million has been injected into it by a notable investor, raising speculations of a potential 110% surge in its valuation. However, as $PEPE garners attention, a distinctive new contender has surfaced on the scene  enter $BLUBLU, a meme coin that intertwines playful humor with practical applications.





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UPDATE, AUG. 24:

As containment on the Colt Fire has grown to 63%, officials will no longer be providing updates on the fire.

Suppression repair and rehabilitation plans are being implemented in areas of containment.

Forest Service closures in place due to the fire are still in effect.

UPDATE, AUG. 22:

The Colt Fire received a three-quarter inch of rainfall Monday.

Moisture from Hurricane Hillary is expected to stay in the area for the next couple days, with a chance of thunderstorms.

According to Inciweb, suppression repair and rehabilitation plans are ongoing with the hopes of increased containment.

Crews are still monitoring and patrolling the fire.

Swan Valley is forecasted to see temperature highs in the mid-70, with slightly lower temperatures at the ridgetops.

Firefighters will do mop-ups, weather dependent.

The Colt Fire is burning 7,154 acres and is still at 51% containment.

UPDATE, AUG. 21:

The Lolo National Forest has lifted closures on some campgrounds near the Colt Fire Monday.

The campgrounds that have reopened are: Rainy Lake Campground and access road, and Alva Lake Campground and access road.

All other forest closures are still in effect, including Lakeside Campground.

Specific closures can be found here.

Currently, excavators have set up waterbars in dozer lines to prepare for the large amount of rain in the forecast Monday.

Crews are still monitoring and patrolling the fire, and moping up the southwestern edge.

Chipping material made during fuel reduction along contingency lines will persist on the southern and eastern perimeters.

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.
A female grizzly with two cubs (Photo by Glenn Phillips via www.glennphillipsphoto.com. | Used with permission).

A federal judge has halted an expansive logging project in the Kootenai National Forest, often referred to as the Black Ram Project, after finding that the U.S. Forest Service made critical errors in evaluating the project, especially its impact on grizzly bears.

The Black Ram Project encompasses more than 90,000 acres of federal forest land, while clear-cutting some areas, harvesting timber from others, and completing more than 90 miles of road construction. The U.S. Forest Service, along with the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, defended the project, saying it is necessary for the forest health because of the increased risk of catastrophic fire, as well as the economic benefit the project would bring.

However U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said in his 62-page ruling that the Forest Service had violated several federal laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act in approving the project, and sharply criticized the U.S. Forest Service for not using up-to-date information or the best science available.

Molloy criticized the United States Forest Service for not following the law, which requires the agency to use the best science available at the time when considering the logging impacts to grizzlies. The forest service relied on a statistical method for estimating the number of grizzlies living in the area, projecting a modest increase in the population there, while actual data based on field reports showed the number of bears dwindling.

Statistical modeling is scientifically accurate, but document deaths of female bears cannot be ignored, Molloy said in his ruling. The agency cannot ignore critical data without explanation.

Because the agency either ignored or discounted materials presented by the plaintiffs  which included the Center for Biological Diversity, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and the Native Ecosystems Council  Molloy ruled the biological opinion on grizzly bears, prepared by the United State Fish and Wildlife Service, was also flawed, and the forest services reliance on it was arbitrary and capricious.

Molloy also said the agency went to great lengths to twist data to arrive at a conclusion that supported the project.

Agencies may not rely on factual assumptions the agencies know to be incorrect to dodge their statutory and regulatory duties to obtain, disclose, and analyze the best scientific and commercial data available in assessing cumulative effects, Molloy said.

The U.S. Forest Service has a policy of not commenting on current or pending litigation.

Molloy pointed out that in addition to relying on faulty grizzly population estimates, the forest services proposal also failed to take into account roads that impact grizzly habitat.

Because the USFS does not include illegal motorized road use that it knows occurs into its calculation, the court is being asked to chisel that which must be precise from what the agency has left vague and indecisive, he said.

The plaintiff groups said that the U.S. Forest Service knows about unauthorized motor vehicle use in the forest, and knows of roads that are used, even if not documented, but failed to consider them in the plan. Molloy said that gave an incomplete and inaccurate picture of forest management, and human activities on bear habitat.

The court found that the miles were properly omitted from the calculation assuming the closures were effective, but that the eight years of data on road closure effectiveness from the area proved that the closures were not, in fact, effective, Molloy said. For example, in 2020, the USFS found 32 breached barriers and repaired none of them and found 40 breached gates and repaired about a quarter of them. The Yaak Valley Forest Council also documented 45 instances of ineffective barriers and gates in 2020 and 2021 that environmental analysis did not disclose.

That wasnt the only reason why the judge halted the logging project immediately.

He said the plan also failed to accurately characterize the climate impacts the project would have. For example, the U.S. Forest Service said that the short-term loss of carbon, via carbon sequestration, would be outweighed by future healthier forest growth.

This is assertion is not backed up by a scientific explanation, Molloy said. While the USFS did address climate change in the environmental assessment through the Forest and Project Carbon Plans, merely discussing carbon impacts and concluding that they will be minor does not equate to a hard look. The National Environmental Policy Act requires more than a statement of platitudes, it requires appraisal to the public of the actual impacts of the individual project. With all in agreement that climate change as a result of carbon emissions is an increasingly serious national and global problem, USFS has the responsibility to give the public an accurate picture of what impact a project may have, no matter how infinitesimal they believe it may be.

They did not do so here.

The groups fighting the Forest Service applauded the decision.

For decades the Kootenai National Forest has been clearcutting our oldest, largest trees, said Rick Bass, director of the Yaak Valley Forest Council. The Forest Service is deliberately undercutting the Biden administrations commitment to battling climate change. We shouldnt have had to fight for seven years over such a ridiculous project, and were grateful for the support weve received.

The post Federal judge halts Black Ram logging project in Kootenai National Forest appeared first on Daily Montanan.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. - In the dark days following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, congress appropriated massive defense appropriations.

In this time, the US Army selected Great Falls as a site of a major air base, and with it was the construction of three satellite airfields as Montana provided an ideal landscape for training crews; one was built in Cut Bank, one in Glasgow, and one in Lewistown.

Back in December, The National Park Service announced the designation of 18 new communities across the United States as American World War II Heritage Cities, and one of those cities was Lewistown, Montana.

The American World War II Heritage Cities Program honors the contributions of local towns, cities, counties and their citizens who stepped into the workforce to support America's war effort during World War II.

"Once they're named the Heritage City, that's it. Forever. So we're lucky to have that in Montana," said Doug Day, a member of the Lewistown Historic Preservation Board.

The Lewistown Satellite Airfield provided training space for B-17 bombers and pilots.

"Airmen would come to Lewistown and train and then go off to fight in the war," said Day.

There are a number of buildings still standing in Lewistown from the satellite airfield, including the Bombsight Storage Building.

The small concrete structure is divided into two vaults, each with a steel door and combination lock; and while it doesn't look like much today in 2023 back in WWII, it was under 24-hour guard and the Norden bombsights remained there when not installed in the airplanes.

The Norden bombsight was a brand new secret piece of equipment that could calculate wind drift and correctly aim the bomb after bombardiers entered the wind direction, airspeed, and altitude data into the bombsight's analog computer.

Crews trained night and day in all aspects of the B-17 and the Norden bombsight and after 1-3 months of training, crews flew direction to Europe.

Nearly 1,000 military crews trained at the Lewistown Satellite Airfield and became a welcome part of the community.

"When they very first started, they flew one of the B-17s over Main Street in Lewistown, which didn't take very long, but with the bomb doors open and everything, I can't imagine how excited those people were at that time and how welcoming they must have been to all of our servicemen to come and train," said Day.

The B-17 is said to have dropped more bombs than any other aircraft in WWII and it can be argued that the B-17 and Norden bombsight was a crucial part to the success of WWII.

"The history would have been different. The war would have ended differently and it developing out of something that looks like a small little shack that made such a huge impact; to me is inspiring," said Day.

The Norden bombsight in Lewistown is the only identifiable bombsight building still standing today in the United States.

"A lot of them were taken down because the government won't leave things up for strategic reasons. But this one in Lewistown still exists, and it's now part of our heritage," said Day.

So, to celebrate their heritage, Lewistown is holding a celebration of being named a WWII American Heritage City.

The event will begin at 2:00 P.M. at the Lewistown Airport Terminal Hangar and will feature self-guided walking tours, ice cream, music, and dancing.

Dave Byerly, who helped Leroy Musik conduct original research that landed the airport on the National Register of Historic Places, will speak at the event and it is free and open to everyone.
UPDATE, AUG. 30:

Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino in coordination with Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 6 has deemed that the imminent risk of danger to life and properties in the vicinity of the East Fork Fire has diminished at this time.

The Pre Evacuation Warnings issued on August 17, 2023, and August 20, 2023, are rescinded, and will be effective at 01:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

A Pre-Evacuation Warning may need to be reissued if the risk of danger to life and property should again warrant such action.

For more information, please visit https://flathead.mt.gov/department-directory/oes/emergency-management/east-fork-fire-information or call the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services Public Information Line at 406-758-211

UPDATE, AUG. 25:

Crews on the Big Knife Fire are beginning to time out, reaching the end of their working days on the fire to either go home or be reassigned to another fire, CSKT Division of Fire reported.

Remaining crews are busy with the start of suppression repair work.

Its not often realized how much work goes into this stage of a fire. In the coming weeks, dozer line will need to be naturalized and the rest of the equipment will be removed off the fire line. The objective is to leave it in as good condition, or better, than we found it, CSKT Division of Fire said.

Several areas near the base of the mountains west of the fire are still under a pre-evacuation warning from the Lake County Sheriffs Office.

The Big Knife Fire is reported to be 7,257 acres large and is 13% contained.

UPDATE, AUG. 24:

The Jocko Lookout is being assessed for additional protection improvements against the Big Knife Fire.

CSKT Division of Fire reports crews are staging structure wrap, an aluminum/fiberglass covering that blocks up to 96% of radiant heat, at the tower in the event fire behavior picks up.

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.

UPDATE, AUG. 22:

The Niarada and Mill Pocket fires have reached 100% containment Tuesday.

CSKT Division of Fire wrote the following on Facebook regarding the Big Knife Fire:

"Fire Behavior Analysts assigned to the Big Knife Fire utilized a weather analysis program that uses historical and current weather data to assess the fire outlook. Rain yesterday and forecast for today will be a fire season-slowing event, but it will not be fire season-ending event. A fire season-ending event consists of a combination of weather events followed by a persistent combination of environmental factors to mark the end of fire season. Weather events can include rain or snow, lower temperatures, higher relative humidity, and cloud cover. Environmental factors such as lower sun angles and shorter day lengths reduce the active fire burning period. By the middle of September, there is a 50% chance of a fire season-ending event happening. By the last week of October this chance increases to 90%. The weather is forecasted to get warmer and drier by Friday providing the opportunity for the fuels to dry out and support fire growth again. Fuel drying is expected to take longer than the rain event that wet the Big Knife Fire the first week of August. The crews on the fire will be patrolling and monitoring the fire perimeter today. Tonight will be the last night shift.

The Big Knife Fire is currently 1.25 miles north of the Rattlesnake Wilderness Boundary (Lolo National Forest) with no significant growth towards the Lolo National Forest in the last week. Smoke from the fire may impact the Snowbowl area, however the Lolo National Forest does not have any forest closures in place on the Missoula Ranger District.

CLOSURES AND SPECIAL MESSAGES: 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). The Tribal Primitive Area, Belmore Slough and Burnt Cabin Roads are closed.

A PRE-EVACUATION WARNING means you may remain in your home. Individuals in this status should not bring back evacuated livestock until this status is lifted.

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in effect around the fire area. Do not fly unmanned aircraft (drones) near the fire areas.

Weather: More rain is predicted tonight through Wednesday morning. Warming and drying starts on Thursday.

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 from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., no operating vehicles off designated roads and trails. Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place in Granite County. The following are prohibited until rescinded: Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire except within a developed recreation site or improved site. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials. Visit https://www.mtfireinfo.org/ for more fire restriction information across Montana."

UPDATE, AUG. 21:

Officials have reduced the mandatory evacuation order for the East Fork Fire to a pre-evacuation warning, effective Sunday, Aug. 20.

The following is a Facebook post by Flathead County MT:

PRESS RELEASE: East Fork Fire Lifts Mandatory Evacuation.

The Evacuation Order issued on August 18, 2023, for all properties North of mile marker 146 on Highway 93 to mile marker 157.9 -- Lincoln/Flathead County line, and the Residents of Good Creek Road, and those who access Good Creek west to the Lincoln County line have been downgraded to a PRE-EVACUATION WARNING and will be effective at 02:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

All PRE-EVACUATION warnings issued on Thursday, August 17, 2023, are still in effect.

Residents may return to their homes under a Pre-Evacuation Warning but may need to leave again on short notice if required. An Evacuation Order may need to be reissued; however, if that is deemed necessary, the Evacuation Order process will re-commence.

For the most current information regarding evacuation status please visit https://flathead.mt.gov/.../east-fork-fire-information or call the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services Public Information Line at 406-758-2111.

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.
Britney Spears is worried that Sam Asghari will try to claim custody of their two dogs in their divorce battle.

Britney Spears fears Sam Asghari will seek custody of their dogs in divorce battle

Model and actor Sam, 29, filed for divorce from pop superstar Britney, 41, last week after 14 months of marriage and Britney is said to be worried that Sam will try to take their dogs, a Doberman named Porsha and Sawyer, a German Shepherd, away.

A source told DailyMail.com: "Regarding [Britney and Sam's shared] property, the most difficult part of dividing any assets will be their two dogs. But Sam gave Porsha to Britney as a present and she was the one who wanted to adopt Sawyer when they were in Maui."

However, Britney is said to be happy to return her engagement ring, which Sam reportedly got for free after working with jeweler Roman Malayev .

The insider said: "Sam can have that ring. It was free from the jeweler and she doesn't want it anymore. She has enough diamonds."

Despite her estrangement from her father and clashes with other family members, sources claim Britney has grown close to her mother Lynne Spears and her sister Jamie Lynn.

The source said: "She is not alone at all. Britney has her sister Jamie Lynn who is in and out of LA and she also has her mom Lynne, who is expected to arrive this weekend, if she has not flown in already.

"She has a support system including her agent and longtime friend [and manager] Cade [Hudson], her friends which include several of her backup dancers and her girlfriends.

"She has a team of assistants and her chef who are always around the houses. She also has other workers who are constantly there.

"This past week, Britney has been getting calls and texts from everyone she knows, including people she hasn't spoken to in years.

"She will get through this. She has gotten through worse and no one will allow anything to happen to her."
A Connecticut man has been found guilty of decapitating his landlord with a samurai-like sword following a quarrel over rent payment back in 2020.

Jerry Thompson was convicted Friday in the murder of Victor King, who was found dead inside his Hartford home on July 25, 2020. Friends had become concerned when they could not get in touch with him and requested that authorities perform a wellness check.

When they arrived at the residence on Asylum Avenue, officers discovered Kings body concealed under blankets in the kitchen, state officials said in a news release. He suffered two serious injuries to his neck that resulted in decapitation.

According to to an arrest report obtained by the Hartford Courant, Thompson had moved into a vacant room in Kings residence within a year of the attack. The pair argued on several occasions about Thompson not paying rent and on the day of the murder, King reported his tenant to authorities for threatening him with a sword.

King also called 911 several hours later, similarly complaining about Thompson.

Surveillance video also shows Thompson walking toward the home that morning with a long object in his hand, before walking back to his car in different clothes about 20 minutes later, according to prosecutors.

Thompson represented himself at trial and filed papers declaring the state had no jurisdiction over him, according to The Register Citizen of Torrington. At the time of his arrest, he told police he was a sovereign citizen, a term used by some who assert that the U.S. government is illegitimate and that its laws dont bind them.

He is due back in court for sentencing in October.

With News Wire Services
Donald Trump abruptly cancelled a Press conference at which he bragged he was going to unveil a report that would exonerate him in his latest criminal case.

Donald Trump abruptly cancelled a planned press conference at which he bragged he was going to unveil a report that would exonerate him in his latest criminal case

The former US president, 77, could face trial on 4 March 2024 over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, and in a post on his Truth Social platform late on Thursday (17.08.23) night, the ex-Apprentice judge claimed rather than releasing the document on Monday (21.08.23) as hed proposed, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable and Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud and Irregularities in formal Legal Filings.

Also on Thursday night, the former president also appeared at a Nashville fundraiser, with a surprise on stage appearance by Kid Rock.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed 4 March next year for her case against the former president and his associates to proceed.

Her ideal date is a day before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen primaries will be held in the nomination contest for president.

A filing in the Superior Court of Fulton County for the state of Georgia shows the DAs office will have the arraignment for Trump and his 18 co-defendants on 5 September 2023.

It stated: In light of Defendant Donald John Trumps other criminal and civil matters pending in the courts of our sister sovereigns the State of Georgia proposes certain deadlines that do not conflict with these other courts already-scheduled hearings and trial dates.

Further, the proposed dates are requested so as to allow the Defendants needs to review discovery and prepare for trial but also to protect the State of Georgias and the publics interest in a prompt resolution of the charges for which the Defendants have been indicted.

Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted by a grand jury in Fulton County, which is accusing them of participating in a criminal enterprise in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

The former Apprentice judge faces 13 criminal counts, and he and every other defendant faces a charge of Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law.

Trump also faces charges on conspiracy to impersonate a public officer and two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery.

Among the other charges hes facing are two counts of conspiracy to make false statements under oath, two of conspiracy to file false documents, two of solicitation of a public officer and filing false documents.

Hes facing a further two charges of conspiracy to solicit false statements and making false statements.

Also indicted in the case are former New York City mayor and Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani and his ex-attorney John Eastman.

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Kenneth Cheesbro, ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, lawyers Ray Smith and Robert Cheeley, as well as Trump campaign official Mike Roman have also been indicted, among others.

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 and said hes at the centre of a witch-hunt-style persecution.
Ioan Gruffudd has won a major court victory in his increasingly acrimonious battle with estranged wife Alice Evans over custody of their daughters.

Ioan Gruffudd has won a major court victory in his increasingly acrimonious battle with estranged wife Alice Evans over custody of their daughters

The Liar actor, 49, has been tied up in a legal wrangle with 55-year-old Alice over their girls Ella, 13, and her sister Elsie, nine, and a judge in Los Angeles has now granted Ioans demand for the appointment of a child psychologist to assess the case.

Alice had slammed her ex-husbands request for what she called the child custody evaluator, but on Thursday (17.08.23) judge Josh Freeman Stinn said: "The petitioners (Ioans) request for the appointment of a child custody evaluator is granted.

Neither Ioan nor Alice attended the hearing where the judge made the ruling.

It comes after Ioan branded Alice a child abuser.

Court documents filed in Los Angeles obtained by the Daily Mail showed the actor said: 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.

She has made thousands of threatening and abusive communications to me and about me.

Ioan obtained a restraining order in August 2022 against Alice after he walked out on her after a 14-year marriage before he moved in with his current girlfriend Bianca Wallace, 29.

He is now claiming Alice has violated the restraining order repeatedly and continues to do so to this day.

It emerged in July their daughter Ella has files a restraining order against him, which he now blames on Alice, and he has accused her of stopping their girls attending counselling.

He added in the new court filing: 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.

Since separation, the girls have missed more therapy session than they have attended and they have had multiple therapists.

I believe Alices actions are child abuse and I am gravely concerned for our children.

Alice has denied abusing or harming her daughters and claimed in court documents Ioan has not seen, complied with, nor called the children for 11 weeks.

She added: I do not agree to have the children and ourselves be subjected to a prolonged and expensive child custody evaluation if its 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.

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.
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Sometimes working with actors can be stressful. You have to second-guess their moods and walk on eggshells trying to make things okay. Shes that rare breed that gives you back the respect they demand. She automatically earns your trust and respect. Perhaps it comes from a place of love. Its so easy to love VB. Shorn of any artifice, what you see is what you get. She will listen intently while you talk and be interested in knowing more than superficial things. Shes genuinely interested in the process of communication and engagement. And therein also lies her ability as an actor. Shes reached a stage where shes sure-footed about it. No dithering; no number games to worry about. She practises her craft diligently, and it shows up time and again. Why does she always act from the heart? Why does she connect every single time? What is it about Ms. Balan that reaches the deepest crevices of your memory? Why do you identify with her every single time?



She can be sexual and predatory with a wounded soul, like she was in The Dirty Picture, without any scope for redemption. Or she can offer solace and hope, like she did in Tumhari Sulu. Vidya preys on your worst fears, yet she assuages your soul in Kahani. She can play sexual politics and slay the men in Ishqiya. In her heartbreaks, we see our frailties; in her joys, we seek solace like we did in Paa. She doesnt get the character; she is the character. She probably doesnt even know how much hope and love she ignites in the turbulent darkness of the theatre. Her triumph is the triumph of the common woman, your next-door girl who made good. Vidya is the underdog story time and again. And thats why it hits you in the gut.



No dissembling, no doublespeak. Her art is pure. Her craft is guileless. When she says main kar sakti hai, we all know we can do it too. Through her hopes, we shall soar; through her eyes, we shall see a whole new world. Thank you for just being you.



The actress shows us spaces we havent been to and touches more chords in our hearts we didnt even know existed. Which all adds up to the right time to meet the wonderful Vidya Balan. Excerpts from a wonderful conversation:







What would a 44-year-old Vidya tell a 24-year-old Vidya today?



(Laughs) I love you. I love you for being you. That sums it all up. At 24, I just got the opportunity to do Parineeta. I landed it when I was 25, and it was released when I was 26. I think there was a burning desire; there was a fire in the belly. Today, when I think of it, Im like, What confidence ya? That is for a girl who comes from a non-film family. I didnt even grow up watching movies. So for a girl like me, from a middle-class, Id say not conservative but traditional family, to have gotten to a stage where it seemed like I might get an opportunity because Chakram had already happened in Malayalam.

Yes. Chakram was with Mohan Lal, Dilip and Kamal (Haasan) Sir in Malayalam. We shot for 15 days, and then Kamal Sir and Mohanlal had a rift. So they called off the film. I was new and didnt know anyone. I was thrilled to be on set with Mohanlal. I shot with him, and then they suddenly called off the schedule, saying that it might start next month. When I came back to Mumbai, offers started coming in. It was amazing. My mother used to watch films in Malayalam and all, but we never knew directors, producers, or even actors beyond Mohanlal, Mammootty, Urvashi and Shobhana. Producers would

say, This is the director, these are the actors, so many days of shooting, youre playing a lawyer...whatever. I was confirmed for so many films.

Lal Sir was doing a play at that time, Karnabharam, in Mumbai. He invited us to the show. We went to watch the show, but before that, he called me. It was sweet of him and I appreciate it. He said, You know, I just wanted to tell you that Chakram is not going to happen anymore.

I was shocked. Whats interesting is that my television show also didnt get aired. I did a show with the makers of Taara, Vinta Nanda and Raman Kumar. I shot it for eight months. I was in the 11th grade, I was already earning and most importantly, I was acting. The channel they were making it for didnt take off. That show never aired. I had anger issues because of all this. I remember fighting with my mother a lot those days.







You take out your frustration on the people closest to you. There was a Malayali journalist in Chembur, who used to write for the Malayalam magazines in Kerala. He came home and met us. It was being said, Oh, she is jinxed. Lal Sir and Kamal Sir had done eight films together, and they all did well. So they started thinking, What went wrong this time? They began to replace me in films. So he said, Ill put out a fake story that will get you work. And I refused to be part of a fake story. I remember that my father was so proud of me at that time. He said, You know, at this time, anyone would have succumbed, but you didnt. There was pride at stake. I was like, Mujhe bheek nahi chahiye. I want the real thing, or I want nothing.



I got signed for two films with K. Balachander Sir. We were supposed to go to New Zealand in February. I still remember the date. It was February 11 and there was no news from them. My mom believes in the innate goodness in everyone. I would keep saying, Why have they not called, and she would say, No, theyll call, and if theres something, theyll let us know. But on February 11, I forced her to call K. Balachander Sirs daughter, and she said, Balachander Sir has decided to go ahead with someone else. I was totally heartbroken. Meghna Gulzars first film Filhaal got released that day.

I went with a friend to watch the film and then I walked back from Nariman Point to Bandra because I was in such a state. I just had to clear my mind. I was feeling hopeless, I was feeling angry. This is when Dada (Pradeep Sarkar) showed faith in me. We were doing the Euphoria video, we shot through the night, and when we were leaving the next morning, he said, Tere saath picture banaunga. By

now, I had been ousted from a dozen films in the South. So

I said, Bohot aaye, bohot gaye, kuch hone waala hai nahi. But he lived up to his promise.

I just wish he had lived longer. In the last conversation we had, he said, Mere saath picture karegi na? And I said, Haan dada. I was like, Why is he saying something like this? And within a month, he was gone. Now, in retrospect, I think he felt like he had created me and I shouldve done whatever he brought to me. But I was like, If I am not sure about it, how can I do it? And we shouldnt do anything that doesnt match up to or be better than Parineeta. So there were lots of periods when we didnt speak. Whats bizarre is that there was some connection. I was in Goa on March 22. Ninad Kamat called me for something. I reached back home at midnight, and I thought to myself, I should call Dada and say, Thank you. Whatever

I am and wherever I am

today, its because of you.

I dont know why I felt that way. I have said that to him lots of times in person, privately, and publicly. My sisters birthday falls on March 23, and you know how the day takes over. I woke up on the 24th to the news of his death. It was a very hard day.



It happened over time. I was called sexy after I did The Dirty Picture. And the huge commercial success got me so much love. It even got me a National Award. I was being called the female hero and all that. Basically, I was not being Vidya. I was Silk. I was playing a character, and I was okay with it. I am far more comfortable being a character than being myself in public. When I am promoting

the film, I have fun because

I am promoting a character. The moment you make it about me, it makes me a little uncomfortable. So I had just done it without thinking. That translated to me being sexy. And I hadnt been called sexy until then. Suddenly, there was a new me. I had also met Siddharth at that time. He made me feel great. I started accepting my body because of a combination of factors. But the journey had its ups and downs. What happens is that when acceptance comes and you are new to it, you get scared that you will be found out. Its a kind of imposter syndrome. Ive gotten over that, and Im slowly accepting myself the way I am.

It led me to reject my body and reject my femininity. I have always wanted to be better than the boys. I used to pump heavy weights with the boys in the gym in 2005. I used to pump crazy amounts of weight because

I wanted to prove I could do it as well as the boys.



What effect did it have?



It harmed me. It led to hormonal issues. It is now through healing that I have learned what it

has taught me.





What have your 12 years of



In retrospect, one can say,

I shouldnt have done that. But thats okay. That is what growing up is all about, right? This love and acceptance of my body is still a work in progress. But I have come a long way. I dont react anymore to comments pertaining to my body. I dont think its anyones right to comment on someones body. It used to upset me and rile me up. But I am in

a much better place now.



Healing and just realising this is the body that is keeping me alive even when I am only sending hate its way. The only thing I should be sending its way is gratitude. What am I doing, beating it down, sending it hate, criticising it, telling it to be something else? I have done that to my body for years. My body was responding to what I was sending its way.



The healing I do is like therapy. My healer, Nidhu, is someone I talk to from wherever I am in the world. She gives me tools to rewire the way I think. I dont read comments or anything else on social media. One negative comment you read can harm you. I feel it is important to have someone outside the ambit of your loved ones. Someone who can give you that objective space where the person is just listening. I arrive at realisations myself. At every age and stage, in every society, people have felt judged. But now it has all become public. Its like everyone is a celebrity. You might not have 100 million followers, but what do your 55 followers say? I think they should just disable comments on social media. But this has also helped people reconnect and re-establish. When I was growing up, my parents would say, What is this television? Because they thought it would ruin us. and now it is social media.



I have always been in a shell. But now Ive started shedding it. My journey as an actor has helped me. This journey where I have gotten to play someone else has let me do things I wouldnt do as Vidya. I think all these things have just freed me up. It has allowed me to become more like myself, more authentic and more comfortable.



Whats your take on social media?



I have a social media team that posts whatever has to be posted.

I do not check anyones posts. And I cant read texts at all;

I need my glasses. I get impatient with reading. I like seeing pictures. That is why I enjoy Instagram, and then I like comic reels. Other than that, I am not really on social media. I believe a lot of people get affected by social media, and I feel sad about it.



I used to think I could sleepwalk through commercial films. I had that arrogance because I had been appreciated as an actor, and

I thought commercial films with a few songs and scenes were no big deal. It was humbling. It was a leveller because you realise that you cant take anything for granted in this business. The camera catches everything. So it caught me taking a nap in Heyy Babyy and Kismat Konnection, and I have not watched those films since.

I realised I should not do films where I was not fully myself. Bhool Bhulaiyaa was a commercial film, but I was fully into it. I remember someone telling me that you have to do younger roles so that your longevity increases because the shelf life of an actress is very short. I felt pressured. Around that time, I was offered Ishqiya. Then someone told me, But Naseer Saab is so much older than you are; are you going to play opposite him? and I said, But this is calling out to me.

I have been waiting for such a role. I am hungry for it. Ishqiya went to every possible actress in the country before it came to me. I grabbed it with both hands, and I loved it. I love being a seductress, a femme fatale. Its just unusual for me, but also the language of films that were emerging at that time with these kinds of films, Vishal Bhardwaj kind of films, was new. I just said yes to it. I am so glad I paid heed to my gut. I feel that was a rebirth for me as an actor. This is what I am here to do; everything else will follow. I was not a teenager. I dont think I was a teenager even when I was one. My mother would always say, You were never a bud; you were already

a rose. Ishqiya was a turning point for me. Sometimes I feel that when you feel stuck, all you have to do is take a turn.

I have said no to a couple of films, and I think I have made good decisions. But in those films that did well, I felt like, Oh, the other heroine has done it better than I could have, which is why it turned out to be better. I dont think I ever regretted not doing a film. I have regretted doing some films for the reasons I did them. I never had long associations with anyone in the business. It is now happening. I am working with directors for the second time. I remember when we were doing Bobby Jasoos, a couple of detective films starring male stars were also announced. It

had gotten into my head that

I was being called the fourth Khan. And I thought that before the guys did detective films,

I should finish mine quickly.

I feel somewhere we did the film injustice by doing that. I take accountability for wanting to do it because I wanted it to be released before the detective films starring male stars got released.



I always want to feel hope at the end of a film. I love films that make you feel happy and joyful. They should have songs and dance and colours and drama, the Indian way. I am looking to do joyful stuff. I am done with intense stuff. OTT is full of it, and then the comic content is not funny on OTT. Dos and donts keep changing, but at this point, I want to do happy stuff. Things that I feel happy doing, living through, or telling, and people will be happy to watch. Naach gaana is also something I would love. I miss lip-sync. After a long time in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, I saw lip-syncing. I was so happy. Its a proper Hindi film.



Every character impacts me. I used to carry my work back home. But I dont do that anymore. I liked shooting films outside Mumbai because then you are still in that zone, whereas in Mumbai, you come back home and you have to deal with stuff. Your cook is asking you what to cook; theres an event you cant refuse; things like that. I still dont go to most things because, when I am in the middle of a film, I am just incapable of multitasking. I need time to be with myself. You are living a parallel life in a film. It demands that you be someone else; you have to put yourself in that situation where the person is going through that particular day, and then you have to try to make it real. Therefore, it is easier when you are not at home when you are shooting. I was watching Jim Carrey in The Man On The Moon the other day. Carrey totally became Andy Kaufman, the character he was essaying at the time, even off camera. He said in an interview that it was insane, like he started talking and walking like Kaufman. Consversely, playing different characters has brought me closer to who I am. Every character heals a part of me. I realised I wanted to be better than the boys in Bobby Jasoos, while doing one of the scenes where she tells her father, All I wanted you to say is that I am good. That she is better than the boys, and so many of us girls go through that, especially today when we are stepping outside to live our dreams and conquer the world.

It is. You know, for men, it is not a lived experience; for women, it is. Just as there is a difference when a female director is telling a male story. It is not a lived experience; it is an imagined experience or an observed experience, and that makes a huge difference. Its how you see yourself, right?



As actors, we dont live through everything we play. But when it is a female experience through a woman or someone who identifies as a woman, I think it makes all the difference. I have worked with enough male directors who are telling a female story. But this is more advanced. Shakuntala, I think, was a difficult film. Because you can get judged very easily for not being the perfect mother. Thats the beauty of the story. You are a math wizard, and you are known as a human-computer to the world, but when it comes to motherhood, people will judge you. I am not imposing my ideas of being a mother because Shakuntalas director, Anu Menon, is also a mother. She knows how mothers get judged, and I think that allowed her to push the envelope on that.

No, I dont. But I feel I appreciate and understand my mother far more now than I ever did. They say that when you become a mother, you appreciate and value your own mother more. I am not a mother, and despite that, I feel that I have begun to see how there were ways I did not want to be like my mother, and now those are the ways where I am so much like her. I guess because you recognise those parts in yourself. It is lovely. I do feel motherly towards my sisters kids. For me, it is a position of luxury where you get the best of the children. You appreciate them far more with time. Even with my sister, I think there are lots of clashes. There are lots of films, especially in Hollywood, that have told those stories where they cant do with each other and cant do without each other. At

a certain stage, you begin to

value those relationships with your significant others.

Especially the women in your

life become so valuable.



I think I attracted Siddharth into my life because I was starting to accept who I was. But because

I was going through a transition,

I would just shoot off. I would say things, sometimes sensational, sometimes to shock, sometimes to have fun, sometimes just because I could. Today, the way I speak is very different from how I used to speak back then. We grow and evolve. That was a phase I was in at this time. I have reached a point today where I dont even care about shocking people.

I guess maybe when you reach 40I am 44 nowyou reach that stage. (Laughs) I still like dirty jokes. I cant deny that.



He doesnt react at all, and I am the opposite. He is very calm, which is why I think its perfect that he is a producer. I react to everything; I am very expressive. So it balances the good there. What I have learned from him is to take my time and consider possibilities before reacting.

He just lets me be me, and

thats a blessing.

I wanted to be with someone, but I never thought Id get married, and then Siddharth happened to me in a natural progression. He popped the question and I just said yes. It took me some time to accept that I was married.

I was fighting it. I wanted to hold on to my individuality, and

I was sensitive to everything that everyone said. I felt marriage made a woman invisible. I had seen that happen to my friends.

I was so scared. Having said that, I have seen women, for example, my sister, hold their own. They are equal partners. There were more examples, though, of women losing themselves. So I

was very scaredId be asked

to adjust and compromise;

I would be domesticated. I was like, None of that is going to happen to me. Marriage is a very individual thing. It is beautiful.

If you get the right person.



You have to like the person, respect the person, and want the marriage to work and grow together. And that is sometimes beyond your control. Sometimes people grow in different directions. You are lucky if you both grow together. For that, you also have to spend time with each other and understand each other. Its just that I feel its beautiful to have someone to share your life with. Of course, I am telling you the most obvious things. There are so many things I must have learned over the years that I might not be aware of. You do those little things for each other. Sometimes you adjust, sometimes he does; sometimes you compromise, sometimes he does. It is a give-and-take.

Yes, yes, of course.

Depends. I am more prone to fighting. I am more expressive.

If something is bothering me,

I have to get it out of my system. He processes it; hell want to figure it out during his morning walk.

I think fights are important.



Sometimes for two days. I cannot keep quiet. That is my problem.

I have to fight. Id rather fight

than not talk.



So you will sulk?



I do sulk; it is tough for me to sulk for a long time. That is why I have to get it out of my system.



To enjoy life. He knows how to enjoy life; he knows how to live well. I didnt know that at all. I was always a very disciplined South Indian girl. Being with him has taught me how to enjoy life and how to relax. We love travelling together. I have begun to read again. I would be amazed at how he could spend an entire afternoon reading. I would be like, Oh my god, I havent done anything. But he could enjoy a meal. I can enjoy myself now. We both enjoy tennis, watching shows in London, and just walking around. Neither of us is the shopping kind. It is about experiences. Its sometimes just that I love talking about everything. I love sharing everything with him. I am like that with my family, too. Then Siddharth came in, and with him, the intensity was greater. I like taking him through everything that happened during the daywho

I met, what happened, what

I ate, what I saweverything.

I am a sharer; hes a listener.

Thats the most important thing

I have learned.
New Delhi, Hip Hop artist Sez on the Beat who is widely acknowledged as the music producer of the song 'Mere Gully Mein' from the film 'Gully Boy', that brought Indian hip-hop into the mainstream, has released his first single #DevNagri from his upcoming album with Rapper DAKAIT from Uttarakhand.

'Dev Nagri' is the first single off DAKAIT and Sez on the Beat's upcoming album, featuring Aniket Raturi. Delicately woven together with Sez's production, the track serves as the anthem of DAKAIT & Aniket's unconditional love for the mountains, along with the culture and the community that has been a constant source of inspiration for both of them. It celebrates their cultural roots and reminds us that there is no place like home.

Talking about Dev Nagri Sez says, "Dev Nagri opened the gates for me to explore the sonics of the valley, the mountains and to paint that picture with sound was a really beautiful experience.

The hours long conversation with Dakait about the values of UK and Dev Nagri opened the gates for me to explore the sonics of the valley, the mountains and to paint that picture with sound was a really beautiful experience. He shared a lot of culturally significant things, places, traditions etc with me to make me understand what UK is about, what Dev Bhoomi is about. Then from that point forward it was just a mission for me to make something that sounds' like it came from the mountains or the valleys and the music should hold enough weight for Dakait and Aniket to write such a beautiful poetic song on it, which they did and we arrived with Dev Nagri.

Sez on the Beat has produced music for some of the biggest names in India including DIVINE, Naezy, Raftaar, Badshah and Ikka to name a few, and he is writing a new chapter in Indian hip hop with THE MVMNT (A hip hop collective from India).
Kangana Ranaut Lauds SLB: Kangana Ranaut, the outspoken and versatile Bollywood actor, took to social media to express her admiration and respect for the ace filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In a lengthy Instagram story shared on Saturday morning, she praised his artistic prowess.

Kangana Ranaut, known for her candidness, revealed that over the years, she had declined several song and role offers from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's production house. She further revealed that despite the professional choices she had made, Bhansali's home remained open to her, where he received her like a 'living God'.

KANGANA CALLS SANJAY LEELA BHANSALI 'LIVING LEGEND'

Kangana wrote, "I deeply admire Shri Sanjay Leela Bhansali as an artist, he never fakes success or glory... He is the most genuine and indulgent artist living in the film industry right now... Nobody that I know who is so helplessly in love with the magic of cinema and so driven by his passion... Above all he minds his business, intense creativity and rare integrity... He is a living legend ... I just love Sanjay sir... love (red heart emojis)."

KANGANA RANAUT RECALLS NOT BEING ABLE TO DO ROLES AND SONGS OFFERED TO HER BY THE DIRECTOR

The Queen actress further added, "Over the years there were song/ roles that were offered to me by SLB production, for some or the other reason I couldn't do them, still today if I want to see him or go to his house just to chat with him, he sits before me like a living God smiling gently, showering kindness and admiration through his eyes, man of few words SLB ji is simply wonderful (red heart emojis)."

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, known for his opulent filmmaking style and intricate storytelling, has been a prominent figure in the Indian film industry for decades. His directorial ventures, such as Devdas, Padmaavat, and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, have received critical acclaim and commercial success alike.
Innovation often stems from the most challenging circumstances. Two years ago, with 'Bell Bottom' producer Jackky Bhagnani rewrote the rulebook for filmmaking by introducing Bollywood to the revolutionary concept of shooting within a bio-bubble.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the global film and television industry to an abrupt halt, leaving filmmakers grappling with unprecedented challenges. Yet, it is often during moments of adversity that creativity flourishes, and Jackky Bhagnani's vision for "Bell Bottom" exemplified this spirit of innovation. Recognizing the need to adapt and ensure the safety of cast and crew, Bhagnani made the brave decision to shoot the film within a bio-bubble in Scotland.

In a groundbreaking move, the film became the first-ever Bollywood venture to be shot entirely within a bio-bubble. This innovative concept involved creating a secure and self-contained environment isolated from the external world, effectively minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission among the crew. The cast and crew were insulated within a tightly controlled environment that allowed them to focus on their craft without worrying about their health. Regular sanitization of sets, frequent testing of the team every three days, and the reintegration of masks became integral practices that contributed to the successful execution of this strategy.

With the 2 year old 'Bell Bottom' Jackky Bhagnani opened doors for other filmmakers to explore this innovative approach. The producer's unwavering commitment to safety and his bold vision transformed the face of filmmaking during the pandemic, inspiring the industry to push boundaries and embrace innovation.
Shiva Rajkumar Speaks About His Happy Childhood Moment With Kamal Haasan: In a recent interview to a leading media portal, Shiva Rajkumar who played a massive Cameo in Rajinikanth's Jailer said that after hugging Kamal Haasan for the first time, he did not take a bath for 3 days.

One of the top stars of Kollywood, Kamal Haasan has been committing to mega budget films one after the other. After Indian 2 and Kalki, Kamal will be acting in the direction of H Vinod and Mani Ratnam.

Shiva Rajkumar's Stunning Cameo In Jailer

Superstar Rajinikanth's film Jailer was released on August 10th. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by Sun Pictures, this film has joined the blockbuster hit list. Rajinikanth has played the role of Muthuvel Pandian in this film. He is paired with Ramya Krishnan. Vasanth Ravi acted as Rajinikanth's son. Mohanlal, Shiva Rajkumar and Jackie Shroff played important cameo roles. Among them, Shiva Rajkumar, who played the role of a gangster named Narasimha, thrilled the Kollywood fans.

His entry scene in the theater got a huge response from the fans. Shiva Rajkumar, who has not made a big appearance in Tamil films so far, has shown a lot of mass in a single film and that too in a few minutes of scenes. Not only Tamil but also Kannada fans are celebrating Shiva Rajkumar's Narasimha character in Jailer.

Kamal Haasan Hugged Me Immediately

It is noteworthy that Shiva Rajkumar's father Rajkumar became a superstar in the Kannada film industry and also served as the Chief Minister. His younger brother Puneeth Rajkumar, who was a leading actor with huge fanbase, died of a heart attack a year ago and it shocked the entire film industry. Shiva Rajkumar also has a huge market in Kannada film industry. Due to the hype given by Narasimha's character in Jailer, his role in Ghost movie has created high expectations.

In this case, Shiva Rajkumar, who has opened up about Kamal Haasan in an interview, has spoken very emotionally. "When I was young, Kamal Haasan visited my father. I stood aside, hesitating to talk to Kamal. After that Kamal Haasan called me and spoke. I said 'I want to hug you once.' Kamal Haasan immediately gave a hug to me. I did not bathe for the next three days because of the joy of hugging Kamal Haasan." Shiva Rajkumar mentioned this in an interview and it is going viral.
Actor Ram Pothineni's upcoming extra mass action entertainer titled Skanda, co-written and directed by Boyapati Sreenu, is gearing up for a grand theatrical release on September 15.

The movie is the first pan-India venture of Ram Pothineni and will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam. Expectations are high for this film as Boyapati and Ram Pothineni are coming together for the first time. Ram Pothineni unleashed his mass avatar with Ismart Shankar and Boyapati is known for high-octane mass entertainers, especially with Nandamuri Balakrishna

Skanda Ceeded Pre-Release Business

Ahead of the film's theatrical release, Skanda, which is about to close its entire pre-release aka non-theatrical business has recently given out information about its deal in the Ceeded area.

Going by the available information, Skanda's Ceeded business is Ram Pothineni's career-highest yet. The non-theatrical rights of the movie are sold for about Rs 9 Crore. His earlier film, a bilingual titled The Warriorr's Business was about Rs 5 Crore only.

The Ceeded business of Skanda is said to be one of the highest businesses for a medium-range actor.

Skanda Cast

Along with Ram Pothineni and female lead Sreeleela, the movie also features Prince Cecil in a key role.

Skanda Crew

The movie written and directed by Boyapati Sreenu is co-written by M Rathnam. Srinivasaa Chitturi and Pawan Kumar produced the movie under the Srinivasa Silver Screen banner. Santosh Detake cranked the camera for Skanda, and Tammiraju worked as its editor. Thaman S composed the film's background score and tunes.c

Ram Pothineni's Work Front

Tollywood's energetic actor Ram Pothineni is currently shooting for the sequel of Ishmart Shankar titled Double Ishmart, under the direction of Puri Jagannadh. The movie is bankrolled by Puri Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur under the Puri Connects banner.
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Did You Know Why Dulquer Salmaan Said No For These Movies?

Dulquer Salmaan is awaiting his upcoming release "King of Kotha," directed by Abhilash Joshiy, on August 24th. As an actor, he has starred in many super-hit movies in different languages and built a successful acting career life in a short period of time. Did you know that the actor also rejected a number of films in Malayalam several times? If you are curious to know more about it read the article given below.

Mayaanadhi If reports are to be believed director Aashiq Abu wanted to be cast the Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role in his romantic-thriller movie 'Maayanadhi'. Meanwhile, Dulquer Salmaan was busy with the movies like Solo and Parava and he rejected the offer. Aashiq Abu then turned to Tovino Thomas, who was cast as the lead character of the film.

Read More

And The Oscar Goes To The makers of the 2016 movie 'And The Oscar Goes To' had decided to cast Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role, but he turned down to project due to unknown reasons. However, Tovino Thomas immediately agreed to be a part of the movie which went on to earn many prestigious awards.



Read More

kunjeldho In an interview, filmmaker Mathukkutty revealed that he approached actor Dulquer Salmaan to become part of the movie 'Kunjheldho'. But he refused the project and finally Asif did the role.

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Samrajyam 2 Son Of Alexander Dulquer Salmaan was the first choice for the movie Samrajyam II: Son of Alexander, which was directed by Perarasu. But the actor refused the offer and revealed that he does not prefer to act in sequel and remake movies in any languages. The movie was then passed to Unni Mukundan, who delivered a notable performance on the big-screen.

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Rithu Filmmaker Shyamaprasad had approached Dulquer Salmaan with an offer to essay the lead role in the movie 'Ritu'. But the actor refused the offer and mentioned that he wanted to study various aspects of cinema before venturing into films. Later, the role was played by Asif Ali, which helped the actor to build a powerful acting career in the industry.



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A young mom from DeLeon Springs, Fla. has been charged with poisoning her boyfriends drinks with Raid roach spray  and has been accused of threatening to do the same to their child.

Veronica Cline, 29, was taken into custody without incident around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, the Volusia County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

The victim, who has not been publicly named, told authorities that Cline returned home from a bar and asked that he continue drinking with her. After two drinks, he said he felt sick, and thats when Cline revealed she added Raid to his beverages, police said.

The man reported roughly 30 minutes of vomiting before he could call authorities for help, during which time he fell ill again.

The sheriffs office did not detail the pairs connection, but local outlets have reported the victim is Clines live-in boyfriend, with whom she shares a 1-year-old child.

My girlfriend, she put Raid in my drink. Shes intoxicated, the victim reportedly said in his 911 call. I have a recording of her saying that she was trying to kill me.

According to the police report, he claimed Cline also wished to do the same to their child.

The victim has has since been released from the hospital and the toddler was hurt.

Cline is now being held without bond at the Volusia County Branch Jail and is prohibited from contacting the victim in any way.
Goldstone Financial Group (630-620-9300), a licensed financial planner based in Nashville, has a new planning service which focuses on Individual Retirement Accounts, like Roth IRAs.

Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - August 19, 2023) - Goldstone Financial Group has launched a new retirement planning service that is designed to teach clients how they can use Investment Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, as tax-deferred savings and investment vehicles. Goldstone Financial Group believes that while many Americans have a relatively strong 401(k) plan-one which will support them at least partially through retirement-they believe many Americans are unaware of how IRAs, including Roth IRAs can benefit them and complement their 401(k) plan, which is why they have launched their new service.

More information is available at https://goldstonefinancialgroup.com/.





Goldstone Financial Group Announces Roth IRA Growth Planning In Nashville

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/177709_7725a49ba4d6a84b_001full.jpg

Goldstone Financial Group has also launched their new IRA focused retirement planning service in response to the latest US Census figures, which show that while 34.6% of the population have a 401(k)-making it the most common form of retirement savings account-only 18.2% of Americans are using IRA accounts.

As Jessica DeBold, CFP, EA, the Director of Advanced Planning for Goldstone Financial Group explained, IRAs offer greater flexibility compared to employer-sponsored retirement plans, like 401(k)s. Because IRAs allow individuals to diversify their portfolios with a wide range of investment choices, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more, Goldstone will use their new IRA planning service to create a tailored IRA investment strategy for each client, one that takes into account their risk tolerance and long-term financial goals.

With their new IRA planning service, Goldstone will also help their clients to take advantage of both traditional IRAs, which have tax-deductible contributions and, therefore, reduce a person's taxable income, and Roth IRAs, which have tax-free withdrawals. By presenting this combination of Traditional and Roth IRAs, Goldstone believes they can help their clients minimize their tax burden whilst they are still working and saving, and in the future, when they have retired.

With their new retirement planning service, Goldstone Financial Group believes they can also help their clients to use their employee-sponsored 401(k) and their own independent IRA or IRAs in tandem. By incorporating both IRAs and 401(k)s into their retirement planning, Goldstone's clients will be able to optimize their savings potential and take advantage of fund rollovers.

"One of the first steps in investment planning for retirement is choosing the right retirement plan. There are several options to choose from, including 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and Roth IRAs. Each plan has its own set of rules and requirements, so it's important to find expert help that can help you choose the plan that best fits your needs," added Jessica.

Interested readers can find out more at https://goldstonefinancialgroup.com/contact-us/.

Contact Info:

Name: Anthony Pellegrino

Email: contactus@goldstonefinancialgroup.com

Organization: Goldstone Financial Group

Address: 18W140 Butterfield Road 16th Floor, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181, United States

Phone: +1-630-620-9300

Website: https://goldstonefinancialgroup.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177709
The social media outrage over author Sudha Murtys recent inclusion in the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), constituted by Indias National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), is shocking not only because of how vicious it is but also the extent of ignorance that it is built on as far as basic information is concerned.

One of the best examples is a tweet from August 13, when academic and writer Rohit Chopra, who tweets from the handle @IndiaExplained with 69,000 followers, wrote, What is Sudha Murtys qualification to formulate educational policy for Indian students? Friend of mine noted this is a uniquely Indian trait. Anyone who makes a little money is treated as an expert on everything. Maybe Virender Sehwag should now decide Indias tax policy.

Murty is one of the most popular contemporary authors of childrens literature in India. How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories, The Magic of the Lost Temple, The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories, and The Gopi Diaries are among her most well-known titles. Selling lakhs of copies is not an easy feat in the Indian market. She is a star among young readers, and professionals who are tasked with developing the school syllabus, textbooks and teaching learning materials for Classes 3-12 could certainly benefit from her expertise as a storyteller. She writes books that children read voluntarily outside of school hours. She knows how to excite their curiosity and hold their interest. These skills could be used to create engaging material for students, and to help teachers struggling in classrooms.

In February 2023, when I attended an event hosted by Rajat Book Corner, FICCI Flo and Penguin Random House at Totuka Bhawan in Jaipur, I was stunned by her popularity with children. As she walked up to the stage, there were hundreds of children rushing to greet her, hug her and shake hands with her. Few authors are so deeply loved. Instead of an adult moderator, there was a panel comprising of six children on the stage. When she realized that they had rehearsed the questions, she said, Ask me anything. You dont have to ask what your parents or teachers have told you to ask. I found her frankness quite refreshing.

The notice about the composition of the NSTC, which was sent out by NCERT Director D. P. Saklani on July 21, 2023, clearly states that the committee will be assisted by Curricular Area Groups (CAGs) to develop textbooks and other teaching learning materials for each subject. In addition to this, the committee will be free to invite other experts for advice, consultation, and support as and when required. Murty has a golden opportunity to bring more content from childrens literature that is written and illustrated in India into school textbooks. She can also invite her peers from the childrens publishing industry to share their valuable inputs.

Apart from the National Book Trust and Childrens Book Trust, India now has a large number of big and small publishers working with authors and illustrators to produce books for children and teenagers across age groups. Some of these are Pratham Books, Eklavya, Katha, Tulika, Pickle Yolk Books, Tara Books, Jugnoo Prakashan, Karadi Tales, Puffin, Duckbill, Talking Cub, HarperCollins India, Red Panda, Young Zubaan, Lettori Press, Tota Books, and Perky Parrot. Many of them have published books that engage with climate change, death, adoption, divorce, caste, disability, gender, refugee crisis and animal rights. These can be challenging topics for even the most well-meaning parents and educators.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education(NCF-SE) 2023, which is available on the NCERT website, acknowledges that childrens literature is a very important source of content for language and literacy development. It points out that picture books, colourful graded readers, and books with engaging stories and poems must be made available to children going to school. The framework also notes that school libraries should have childrens literature with artistic illustrations, audio-visual resources, books on artists, museum and exhibition catalogues, magazines and periodicals about the visual and performing arts, songbooks with musical notations, and reference material on drama.

As part of the NSTC, Murty can contribute significantly towards achieving these objectives. Unfortunately, peoples fixation with her personal food preferences has resulted in massive trolling recently and her achievements seem to have been forgotten. This Padma Bhushan awardee was the first woman to be hired as an engineer by the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO). She spoke up against gender bias in the organization. Without her savings and support, her husband NR Narayana Murthy would not have been able to set up Infosys, which is recognized as a leader in the field of information technology.

Murty could use her position in the NSTC to advocate forlearning materials that encourage girls who want to pursue careers in the STEM (short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. Her recent books How the Onion Got Its Layers, How the Earth Got Its Beauty, How the Sea Became Salty, and How the Mango Got its Magic, show that she wants children to think imaginatively and critically without accepting things at face value.

In the introduction to her book The Magic of the Lost Temple, she writes, When a child makes a mistake, it can turn out to be a lost treasure, or maybe an important discovery. Children are unbiased and can easily think out of the box. They have a lot of interest even in little everyday things because of their innocence. While I am wary of such generalizations about children, as a former teacher and teacher trainer, I agree that schooling often curbs childrens curiosity instead of encouraging it. Murty seems to be in favour of questioning.

Her family established the Murty Classical Library of India at Harvard University, with a gift of $5.2 million. This project funds the publication of modern English translations of classical works in various languages by Tulsidas, Abul-Fazl, Guru Nanak, Mir Taqi Mir, Surdas, Bullhe Shah, Kalidasa, Swayambhudeva, Kumaravyasa, and the earliest Buddhist nuns. Given the National Curriculum Frameworks mandate to have our rich heritage of stories, folklore and legends translated into different languages, and to produce childrens literature from these sources, it would be unfortunate to not draw on Murtys experience and networks.

Chintan Girish Modi is a writer and journalist who tweets @chintanwriting
Actress-turned-social activist Somy Ali, who is also Salman Khans ex-girlfriend, praised Kangana Ranaut in a recent interview. The 47-year-old activist described Kangana as the only actor who never lies. The event unfolded after Somy spoke highly of the Queen actress in an interview and shared snippets on Instagram. Somy, who owns an NGO named No More Tears, said that no matter what injustice she has suffered, she (Kangana) never shies away from speaking the truth. I bow down to her. She speaks the truth. Whatever injustice is done to her, she speaks to the camera and never hesitates, she added.

As for the workings of the industry, Somy spoke, In all her interviews the way she (Kangana) carries herself with poise, the way she conveys the truth about how the industry functions and how they lie. She says it all! I really respect her. She further mentioned how the industry dislikes honest people.

Kangana on her part, reacted to Somys statement by posting parts of it on her Instagram Stories and on microblogging site X. The 36-year-old actress wrote, I have the spirits and wings of all those who suffered silently before meI have your voice that was never raisedI have your truth that was never told.

Take a look at the post on X:

I have the wings and the spirit of those who suffered silently before me, I have your voice that was never raised I have your truth that was never told  pic.twitter.com/oiBb16Ggy5  Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 18, 2023

Uploaded a day ago, the post amassed over 99,000 views.

Check out some of the comments below:

One user wrote, The Queen! Not just on screen!

The Queen ! Not just in screen !  SUBHANKAR MAITRA (@SUBHANK16157844) August 18, 2023

The Queen for a reason, remarked another user.

Queen for a reason   SuperstarKangana (@LadyRanaut) August 18, 2023

Another user commented, Love you Chandramukhi.

Kangana Ranaut is known to voice her opinions fearlessly on social media and in real life. She has often been in the headlines for blunt replies and statements.

In the past, Somy Ali had been very open about suffering physical, sexual, and verbal abuse in multiple posts on social media. The former actor also added that it took her 20 years to speak her truth due to trauma.

Work front

Somy Ali was last seen in the 1997 film Chupp alongside the late actor Om Puri. After this, she took to social activism for womens rights in South Asia. She established an NGO named No More Tears in 2007.

Talking about Kanganas professional commitments, she will be next seen in the film Tejas which is due to hit theatres on 20 October. Apart from that, she will be starring Emergency and Chandramukhi 2.
Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse in a British hospital, is being called United Kingdoms worst child serial killer in recent times. On Friday (18 August), the 33-year-old was found guilty of killing seven babies and attempted murder of six other babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England during a one-year period.

The verdict comes after a 10-month trial at Manchester Crown Court. Her sentence, possibly a life term, will be announced on Monday. But what motivated Letby to kill her innocent patients? Lets take a look at the harrowing case in detail.

One of UKs worst serial killers

In May 2017, the Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust contacted Cheshire police regarding a significant number of baby deaths and non-fatal collapses between June 2015 and June 2016, reported Mirror.co.uk.

An investigation was launched soon after, which eventually led to the unravelling of the horrific murders of multiple newborns, including twins.

Letby, who worked as a nurse within the Neonatal Unit at the hospital, was first arrested in 2018 from her Chester home on suspicion of killing eight babies and attempted murder of six other babies. However, she got bail at the time.

She was then nabbed in 2019 from her native place in Hereford but again got out. In November 2020, Letby was again arrested and formally charged.

During her trial, which began last October, the UKs Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the jury the court that she employed a number of ways to kill her infant victims, including by injecting them with insulin, using lethal air injection, or force-feeding milk.

As per Reuters, her youngest victim was just one-day old.

Why did she kill infants?

Letbys motives remain unclear. However, the prosecution presented a number of likely reasons to jurors during the 10-month trial, as per The Guardian.

According to prosecutor Nick Johnson KC, the nurse liked playing God by attacking babies and then being the first to alert her colleagues of their decline.

She knew what was going to happen. She was controlling things. She was enjoying what was going on. She was predicting things that she knew was going to happen. She, in effect, was playing God, Johnson told jurors, as per the UK daily.

Speaking to The Independent, a criminology expert said that Letbys motive to kill may come from a pathological desire for attention and sympathy.

In our analysis of healthcare professionals who perpetrate violence against their patients, especially children, offending appeared to be motivated by a pathological desire for attention and sympathy emerging as a consequence of their involvement in the case, Dr Dominic Willmott, a senior lecturer in criminology at Loughborough University  who has previously authored a paper on UKs another infamous killer nurse Beverley Allitt  told the British online newspaper.

There was a complex interaction between this and a history of personality disorder diagnoses and characteristics, and were often found to be highly sadistic and narcissistic as described by those who knew them.

Another leading criminologist said that Letbys desire to be at the centre of a crisis could be a symptom of Munchausens syndrome.

Criminologist Dr David Wilson told Daily Mail, She is creating a crisis around her, which is a form of Munchausens, he said. Extraordinary stories are being told about what happens when she is on shift. Shes saying, look at all the things that occur when Im around.

Prosecutor Johnson told jurors that Letby was getting a thrill out of what you were watching, the grief and despair, in that room, reported The Guardian. However, the nurse declined this.

As per reports, Letby, described as a geeky woman by her acquaintances, also looked up the families of her victims on Facebook. She would often search for a number of them within minutes of each other, seemingly going one by one hunting for grief, the prosecution said, as per The Guardian.

In her defence, Letby told the court that she did not hurt the babies or wanted them any harm, saying thats completely against what being a nurse is, noted AFP.

According to Mirror.co.uk, prosecutor Johnson told jurors: Lucy Letby got away with her campaign of violence for so long because people didnt contemplate the remotest possibility of a nurse trying to kill tiny babies.

ALSO READ: Who is Thai serial killer Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, accused of murdering people with cyanide?

I am evil

The handwritten Post-it notes found in Letbys handbag following her first arrest in July 2018 are being seen as a confession to the murders.

As per Daily Mail, she wrote, I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them, and I AM EVIL I DID THIS.

One of the notes read: I will never have children or marry. I will never know what its like to have a family.

However, Letby has claimed this was not a confession and was written after she was removed from the neonatal unit in July 2016.

Doctors speak up

Dr Stephen Brearley, the lead doctor in the Chester hospitals neonatal unit, said the hospital tried to silence doctors who complained about Letby, and thus delaying alerting the police, as per Associated Press (AP).

Paediatric consultant Ravi Jayaram, an Indian-origin doctor born in the UK, was also among those who first raised the alarm after three babies died in June 2015 in the neonatal unit.

In a television interview with ITV News after the verdict, Dr Jayaram said, I do genuinely believe that there are four or five babies who could be going to school now who arent.

Following the Friday verdict, the British government has launched an independent inquiry to probe the broader circumstances that occurred at the time of these murders.

This inquiry will seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need, UK health secretary Steve Barclay said, as per AP. I am determined their voices are heard, and they are involved in shaping the scope of the inquiry should they wish to do so.

With inputs from agencies
After introducing a slew of changes since his Twitter  now X  takeover last year, Elon Musk is now training his guns at the platforms essential block feature. Responding to a user on X, the billionaire said on Friday (18 August): Block is going to be deleted as a feature, except for DMs (direct messages). He added that the blocking feature makes no sense.

His remarks were a reply to an account named Tesla Owners Silicon Valley that had asked, Is there ever a reason to block vs mute someone?

Musks signalling to kill off the block feature has generated a stir on the social media platform, with many users decrying the possible move.

How is blocking different from muting an account? What are the concerns about removing the block function? Will Elon Musk remove it? Lets find out.

Blocking vs Muting

Blocking, considered a safety feature by many, allows users to restrict accounts from seeing the blockers tweets, contacting them or following them on the platform.

A blocked account cannot send messages to the blocker either.

Mute only removes a users posts from the timeline of the account they want to avoid. It does not stop the account from following the user or replying to their tweets, which will be visible to other people.

To put it simply, you will not see them but the muted users can see you.

According to CNBC, X users have often employed the block feature to ignore ads from specific brands or promoters on the platform. People also block accounts as a form of boycott.

After Musks tweet, Windows Central editor-in-chief Daniel Rubino, as per The Verge, said, Block is a form of moderation for users.

Why is the block feature important?

Many have raised concerns that discarding the block feature would make people vulnerable to online harassment, stalking, trolling and being exposed to abusive content.

Some said that it would take away users ability to filter spam accounts.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, an investor in Musk-owned Twitter, wrote in a post, X should really solve the bots & spam problems before removing blocks. Just my 0.02.

Musks proposed plan was severely criticised, with one user calling it a huge mistake as there are toxic people on the platform with whom people did not want to interact.

One of the users wrote, Block creates a safe border. I block the vicious people and the spammers.

I utilise the block feature as a boundary to keep myself and my family safe from would-be stalkers & predators who politically target me and want to harm or frighten me, another user commented.

The Auschwitz Memorial account, which is often a target of antisemitic hatred, denounced Musks decision in a long post.

Failing to address the antisemitic and Holocaust denial comments that appear under our posts commemorating the victims of Auschwitz would be a disservice to their memory. Weve chosen to block users who promote denial and hatred. This decision stems from our deep dedication to our mission. We need a secure space to do this.

The account said that social media platforms should shoulder significant moral responsibility and actively counter hate speech and halt its normalisation.

Blocking users isnt a mere action; its a practical measure. Often, reporting accounts that spread hostility remains an unanswered call. Blocking provides a way to protect the memory of people who suffered and were murdered in Auschwitz, it wrote.

Failing to address the antisemitic and Holocaust denial comments that appear under our posts commemorating the victims of Auschwitz would be a disservice to their memory. Weve chosen to block users who promote denial and hatred. This decision stems from our deep dedication to https://t.co/4tPkjUe9sv pic.twitter.com/iGA9VhAwWd  Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) August 18, 2023

As BBC noted, the block button is an established tool for those who feel attacked, bullied or simply want to shut out an account with whom they have a strong disagreement.

Speaking to CNBC, Louis Jones, a media and advertising executive, called Musks plan concerning, saying his lax approach to free speech, will probably have e a double effect. Jones said this would lead to further bullying on the platform as well as suppress the free speech of users who are frequent targets of bullies and predators.

Its a downward spiral that cannot be good for the long term success of X.

Will Elon Musk bump off blocking?

It remains to be seen if Musk will actually walk the talk on removing the block feature, a decision that seems highly unpopular across quarters.

However, as several reports pointed out, the Tesla executive has previously ignored, reversed course, or just not followed through with his ideas.

Moreover, there is an additional challenge awaiting X if it takes away the users power to block accounts. As per BBC, if the feature is deleted, it could potentially violate the terms and conditions of stores like Apples App Store and Google Play.

Google Play developers must provide an in-app system for blocking [user-generated content] and users,, while iOS developers must offer the ability to block abusive users from the service, noted The Verge.

Although Apples language is vague, a user posted an iOS rejection message on X saying that users need a mechanism to block abusive users.

As American social activist Monica Lewinsky asked Musk to rethink removing the block feature because its a critical tool to keep people safe online, Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino responded: Our users safety on X is our number one priority. And were building something better than the current state of block and mute. Please keep the feedback coming.

Our users safety on X is our number one priority. And were building something better than the current state of block and mute. Please keep the feedback coming. https://t.co/ekIvyOhRqQ  Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) August 19, 2023

If Musk is looking for some solace amidst the backlash, he can find it in former Twitter CEO Jack Dorseys comment, who replied to him, saying 100. Mute only.

With inputs from agencies
A 31-year-old man from Sikkim faced racist taunts saying he was Chinese and subsequently got brutally assaulted by unknown people that left him with grievous injuries, police said here on Saturday.

According to police, the incident occurred on the night of August 15.

Dinesh Subba, a native of Rinchenpong town in Sikkim, was admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries in his body, including his nose.

Subba had moved to Bengaluru seven months back with his wife and three-month-old child to eke out a living. He is currently working in a restaurant in the city, police said.

On August 15, he celebrated his marriage anniversary with some friends and was on his way home alone late in the night when a few miscreants waylaid him.

Calling him Chinese, they thrashed him black and blue leaving him badly injured. After beating him up, the accused fled the spot.

A police patrol team spotted him lying with grave injuries and writhing in pain. They admitted him to the hospital.

Later, Subba lodged a complaint with the police.

Police have started an investigation and were looking for CCTV footage to trace criminals involved in the assault.
As many as four individuals have been arrested in connection with the murder of the journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav in Araria, Bihar.

Out of the eight accused four accused have been arrested. Two of the accused are in judicial custody in another caseThe accused have a criminal history. The teams are raiding to nab the other two accused.., said Araria SP Arun Kumar Singh on a journalist shot dead by miscreants in the Ranjiganj area, Araria.

#WATCH | Bihar: Out of the eight accused four accused have been arrested. Two of the accused are in judicial custody in another caseThe accused have a criminal history. The teams are raiding to nab the other two accused.., says Araria SP Arun Kumar Singh on a journalist pic.twitter.com/bmAEkxfSJ4  ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

Earlier, Rampukar Singh, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Araria, mentioned that the Raniganj police had arrested four suspects, namely Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav, and Umesh Yadav, from various locations due to their alleged involvement in Yadavs murder.

Two other suspects, Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav, are currently lodged in Araria jail. The police are seeking their custody while the remaining two suspects are evading capture.

Within 24 hours, Police arrested the accused. Raids were conducted in jail after the victims family members gave the names of the suspects. A thorough probe was done. Opposition must talk about that as well not just about the crime, JDU leader Neeraj Kumar said.

Vimal Kumar Yadav, a journalist affiliated with a local publication, was fatally shot at his residence in Araria, Bihar. Unidentified assailants reportedly knocked on his door, opened fire, and fled the scene.

In the Raniganj Bazar area, a journalist namely Vimal Kumar Yadav was shot dead by unidentified miscreants. A post-mortem is underway. The dog squad has been called to the murder spot. An investigation is on, Ashok Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Araria, said.

The deceased journalists father informed the media that he had requested police protection a few days prior to the murder.

Notably, Vimals brother, who served as a Sarpanch, was also killed in a similar manner two years ago. Speculation arises that the two cases are linked, given that Vimal was a key witness to his brothers murder.

Bihars Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar, responded to the incident and assured the public that authorities are thoroughly investigating the case.

With inputs from agencies
Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Saturday highlighted the three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the Digital Economy Working Group.

Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers Meeting, here Vaishnaw said that the three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the Digital Economy Working Group are  Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Security in Digital Economy and Digital Scaling.

#WATCH | Karnataka: We have assembled to deliberate on issues that will define the growth of the digital economy. Bengaluru is home to some of the most innovative companies in the worldThe three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the Digital Economy Working pic.twitter.com/XYOMtsKXFw  ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

The Union minister said that these three reflect the priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

These priorities align with the broader global agenda of fostering a digital economy that is secure, inclusive, and equitable for all, he said.

PM Modi believes in the democratization of technology, Vaishnaw said.

The Union minister also highlighted Bengalurus position as a hub for innovation, housing some of the worlds most pioneering companies in the tech sector.

We have assembled to deliberate on issues that will define the growth of the digital economy. Bengaluru is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world, he said.

The G20 Digital Economy Ministers Meeting offers a unique platform for nations to collaborate and share insights on these pressing issues.

As the discussions at the meeting unfold, it is expected that innovative solutions and collaborative strategies will emerge, shaping the trajectory of the global digital economy and contributing to Prime Minister Modis vision of a technology-driven future that benefits all of humanity.

PM Modi addressed the G20 Digital Economy Ministers Meet via video message today.

He credited the launch of the Digital India initiative in 2015 for the unprecedented digital transformation that has taken place in India over the last 9 years.

The PM underlined that Indias digital transformation is powered by its unshakeable belief in innovation and its commitment to speedy implementation while also being motivated by the spirit of inclusion where no one is left behind.

He said that 850 million internet users in the country enjoy some of the cheapest data costs in the world, highlighting the scale, speed and scope of Indias digital transformation.

He mentioned the JAM trinity- Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar, and Mobile that have revolutionized financial inclusion and the UPI payment system where nearly 10 billion transactions take place every month, and that 45 per cent of the global real-time payments takes place in India.

The prime minister also threw light on the Direct Benefits Transfer plugging leakages in the system. Fully digitized taxation systems are promoting transparency and e-governance, PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction that the working group is creating a G20 virtual Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and underlined that progress on Common Framework for Digital Public Infrastructure will help create a transparent, accountable, and fair digital ecosystem for all.

He also welcomed the efforts to develop a roadmap to facilitate Cross Country Comparison of Digital Skills and setting up a Virtual Centre of Excellence on Digital Skilling. He said that these are important efforts to meet the needs of a future-ready workforce.

Noting that the digital economy will face security threats and challenges as it spreads globally, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is important to build consensus on the G20 High-Level Principles for a Secure, Trusted, and Resilient Digital Economy.

The Prime Minister further highlighted the Government e-Marketplace, an online public procurement platform that has brought transparency and probity into the process, and the Open Network for Digital Commerce which is democratizing e-Commerce.
In a suspected case of honour killing, a 22-year-old woman was allegedly strangled to death by her parents and brother in Gurugram for marrying a man from another caste against the familys wishes, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the trio were arrested from their village in Jhajjar district on Friday and sent to two-day police custody. The woman was identified as Anjali, a resident of Surheti village. She married Sandeep, who hails from the same village and works at a pub, in December last year. They were living in a rented flat in Sector 102.

According to a complaint lodged by Sandeep, Anjali was killed by her parents and brother on Thursday when he had gone out and her body was cremated in their native village in a bid to destroy evidence.

At about 1 pm on Thursday, one of Sandeeps friends called him and told him that his wife Anjali had died and her family members were performing her last rites in village Surheti.

After getting information when I reached the flat, I found the flat locked. My wife Anjali was murdered by her father, mother, brother and her brothers wife and her body was burnt, he alleged in his complaint.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered against all four accused under sections 302 (murder), 201 (hiding evidence), 34 (common intention) of the IPC at Rajendra park police station on Thursday evening.

Anjalis father Kuldeep (44), mother Rinki (42) and brother Kunal (20) were arrested on Friday, the police said.

Kuldeep told police during interrogation that his daughter married without their consent, his family was not happy about it and decided to kill Anjali. As part of the plan, his son Kunal went with his wife to live with Anjali at her flat some time ago.

On Thursday when Sandeep went to his sisters house and Kunals wife went to work, the trio strangled her to death, the police said.

We are also probing the role of the wife of accused Kunal, a police officer said.
Indian Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor said that India actively supports and advances the fundamental principles of Buddhism on a global scale.

Kapoor highlighted that Buddhism, renowned for its deep-rooted teachings of compassion, wisdom, and the pursuit of peace and harmony, has remained a foundational element of Indian society for countless centuries.

India, the land where the light of Buddhas wisdom first shone, continues to uphold and promote these principles globally.

In Russia, Buddhism is one of the four main recognized religions, the Indian Ambassador said while addressing the International Buddhist Forum in Buryatia. Kapoor made his address in the presence of the senior lama of a Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and Russia, Pandito Khambo Lama.

Kapoor said the spiritual ties between India, Russia date back several millennia.Our shared spiritual history is woven with the threads of Buddhism, which has transcended geographical borders to become an integral part of our cultural ties.

As we deliberate on the various themes in this conference, it is essential to explore the ancient links between the Indo-Himalayan form of Buddhism and the Buddhism followed in Russia, he said.

He added that: The intertwining of our spiritual roots can be traced back to the diffusion of Buddhism from India to Tibet and beyond.

The Indian Ambassador said the countrys government has over the years, taken significant initiatives to foster the spirit of Buddhism in India. One of these was the establishment of the Buddhist Tourism Circuit, which connects important Buddhist heritage pilgrimage sites in India associated with the Buddhas life, he said.

He further said: A unique and historic project is also coming up in Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Siddharth Gautam. On May 16, 2022, during the Buddha Jayanti Vesak Day, the Prime Minister of India along with the Prime Minister of Nepal laid the Foundation Stone for a world-class India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone.

Kapoor said the bonds between the Indo-Himalayan form of Buddhism and the Buddhism practised in Russia are a testament to the enduring power of spirituality to transcend borders.

As we continue our journey, let us draw inspiration from our shared heritage, utilizing its timeless wisdom to navigate the challenges of our times. Let us forge ahead, hand in hand, as custodians of an ancient legacy that continues to illuminate our lives, he said.

Kapoor on Friday tweeted: Addressed the Intl Buddhist Forum in Buryatia in the presence of Pandito Khambo Lama at the Ivolginsky Datsan. Spoke about the spiritual roots of Buddhism and the shared heritage this provides among countries including Russia.

Also mentioned GOI initiatives to promote Buddhism.The Indian Ambassador to Russia on Friday also discussed the existing and potential cooperation in culture, tourism and economic spheres with the head of Buryatia Aleksey Tsedenov in Ulan Ude.

Pavan Kapoor took to his social media handle X and said, Met the Head of Buryatia, Aleksey Tsedenov, in Ulan Ude. Discussed existing and potential cooperation in culture, tourism & economic spheres.Pavan further showed gratitude for organising the first international Buddhist Forum.

Thanked him for organising the first Intl Buddhist Forum.@IndEmbMoscow, the tweet added.
Chinese, French FMs hold phone talks on deepening bilateral cooperation

Xinhua) 11:35, August 19, 2023

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Friday talked over phone about deepening bilateral cooperation and promoting bilateral relations to a new high.

Since the beginning of this year, China-France relations have maintained a sound development momentum, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China in April was a complete success, he said, adding that the two heads of state engaged in in-depth strategic communication and charted a blueprint for developing bilateral relations.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and will be the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism and the Year of the Olympic Games in Paris. China stands ready to work with France to take this opportunity to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, comprehensively restart exchanges in all fields and at all levels, make up for the losses caused by the pandemic, and push the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership to a new high, Wang said.

China maintains stability and continuity in its policies toward Europe, Wang said, adding that China always regards Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world and supports France in continuing to promote European Union (EU)'s adherence to strategic autonomy and play an active leading role in China-Europe relations, he added.

For her part, Colonna expressed sincere condolences on the recent floods in China. She stressed that France and Europe will adhere to strategic autonomy, oppose global fragmentation, do not accept decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains and hope to build a multipolar, balanced and peaceful world.

Colonna said France cherishes its friendship with China and attaches great importance to the critical consensus reached by the two heads of state. France is willing to take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, build bilateral relations of mutual benefit and win-win results, push for greater development of Europe-China relations and contribute to international peace and stability, she said.

The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine, Niger and other international and regional issues of common concern.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
A Louisiana woman accused of killing her boyfriends 6-year-old daughter, and leaving the body on the front lawn of the girls mother, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, according to multiple local outlets.

Investigators said Bunnak Hannah Landon beat and strangled Bella Fontenelle on the night of April 25 in Harahan, just outside New Orleans. Shes accused of putting the girls body in a large plastic bucket and dragging it to the nearby home of Bellas mom. The body was discovered on the front lawn the next morning.

Bellas father, Michael Fontenelle, called authorities early on April 26 when he realized both Landon and his 6-year-old child were missing, local television station WVUE reported.

Surveillance video from neighborhood homes appears to show a woman matching Landons description walking several blocks to the home of Bellas mother while pulling a 12-gallon chlorine bucket.

Landon, who shared a home with Fontenelle, was arrested and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of first-degree murder and obstruction of justice on April 27.

On Thursday, the Jefferson Parish District Attorneys Office announced that a grand jury indicted the 43-year-old suspect on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of obstruction of justice, according to New Orleans NBC affiliate WDSU.

Landon appeared in Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court via Zoom early on Friday. She pleaded not guilty to all three charges, The New Orleans Advocate reported.

Landon is currently being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, just outside New Orleans, on a $2.5 million bond.

Shes expected to return to court on Sept. 25 for a status hearing.

If convicted, Landon will face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors will not pursue the death penalty, according to a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish District Attorneys Office.
In a tragic incident, nine Indian Army soldiers were killed on Saturday in the Leh district of Ladakh when their truck veered off the road and fell into a deep valley. According to reports, another soldier was hurt.

According to defence officials quoted by news agency ANI, eight soldiers and one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) are among the dead.

The Indian Army truck crashed into the gorge seven km before Kyari town as it was travelling from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh. It was a part of a troop that also included an ambulance and an SUV and contained 34 people in all. The three cars were a member of a reconnaissance team.

The accident took place at Kerey in southern Ladakhs Nyoma on Saturday evening at around 6:30 pm. Officials said a rescue operation is underway at the site.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to social media to offer condolences to the families of the deceased.

Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery, he said in a statement on social media.
The National Green Tribunal has instructed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to clarify and take immediate measures to classify material resulting from industrial processes or production residue as either waste or as a by-product.

The tribunal was hearing a matter regarding the non-implementation of the Framework on Identification of Materials Generated from Industrial Processes as Wastes or By-Products issued by the Central Pollution Control Board.

The framework was issued in September 2019 after an NGT order. Its purpose was to ensure that no hazardous waste was categorised as a by-product of production and escaped the strict scrutiny of the Hazardous and Other Waste Management (HOWM) Rules, 2016.

According to the plea, the framework did not establish when a material generated from any production process should be considered a by-product and when it should be considered waste. Thus, the purpose for issuing it stood defeated, it said.

In an order passed on Friday, a bench of Acting Chairperson Justice S K Singh referred the matter to the MoEFCC as the issues raised required further consideration.

The bench also comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel directed that the ministry in consultation with the CPCB, State Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) had to clarify and take immediate measures for proper implementation of the framework on the identification of material generated from the industrial process as waste or by-product.

It also asked the ministry to submit an action taken report within three months.MoEF&CC may also act on whether the framework can become a part of the HOWM Rules. In case of any need and requirement, the ministry or CPCB may take the advice of the Technical Expert Committee  the tribunal said.

The matter has been posted for further proceedings on November 23. The application was filed by the Society for the Protection of Environment and Biodiversity (SPENBIO).

During the proceedings, the applicants advocate, Sanjay Upadhyay, said the absence of legal clarity had led to an incorrect interpretation of what was waste and what was a byproduct.

With inputs from PTI.
Over 200 Meiteis who had fled the violence-hit state of Manipur to the neighbouring country of Myanmar have safely returned nearly after three months, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said as he lauded the Army for bringing them back.

Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil, the chief minister wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil. A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Related Articles Myanmar junta orders airstrikes to recover lost outposts Security forces seize huge cache of arms in Manipur's Imphal East district  N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 18, 2023

He added, A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC (General Officer Commanding) Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, GOC 3 Corps, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO (Commanding Officer) of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service.

Meanwhile, mutilated bodies of three youths aged between 24 and 25 were found in Kuki Thowai village in Manipurs Ukhrul district on Friday.

The bodies were found after heavy firing in the Ukhrul district. There were injury marks on the bodies apparently made using sharp knives and their limbs were also chopped off, officials said.

The bodies of the three youths were found after police carried out a thorough search in the surrounding villages and forest areas.

Biren Singh called upon authorities to work harder to make up for the time lost due to the ethnic violence rocking the northeastern state since May 3.

Restoration of peace and normalcy is paramount. All should refrain from making comments and engage in discussion that could be upsetting for another community, he said yesterday.
Samajwadi Party is a derailed party which has left behind its socialist principles, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said on Saturday.

The party is derailed. It has deviated from its policies. These are not the real socialists but those who help mafia flourish, Pathak told reporters on the sidelines of an event held to commemorate those killed during the 1942 Ballia uprising.

The people of Uttar Pradesh have pushed them to the edge. When in power, they promoted hooliganism and mafias. I can say with full faith that the people of the state will never accept them, he said on the SP.

Pathak was retaliating to SP president Akhilesh Yadavs statement on Friday that the BJP stood in opposition to the 1942 Quit India Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi and was making up for it now by hoisting flags everywhere.

The people of BJPs ideology and their mother organisation (RSS) opposed the Quit India Movement led by the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. To hide the same, they now hoist the flag in every house, Yadav had said on Friday in Fatehpur.

Pathak while speaking at a programme on the occasion of Ballia Balidan Diwas recalled revolutionaries who rose against the British and perished in gunfire during the 1942 Quit India Movement.

Local MLA and state Transport Minister Daya Shankar Singh presented a car he said he bought from his salary to freedom fighter Ram Vichar Pandey.

In association with some auto firms, the administration also gave 75 electric scooters to the families of those martyred in the 1942 uprising.
The Supreme Court has said social media users should be careful about its impact and reach as it dismissed a petition filed by actor and former Tamil Nadu MLA S Ve Shekher who is facing cases for sharing a Facebook post in 2018 allegedly containing derogatory remarks against women journalists.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and PK Mishra was hearing a plea filed by Shekher against the July 14 order of the Madras High Court which had dismissed his petition seeking quashing of criminal proceedings relating to the post shared by him.

If one uses social media, then he should be more careful about its impact and reach, the bench told the advocate representing the petitioner.

The lawyer argued that Shekher had put some medicine in his eyes on the date of the incident due to which he could not read the contents of the post which he shared.

The bench observed that one has to be careful while using social media. It said if someone find it is essential to use social media, then he should be ready to face the consequences also.

In its order, the HC had noted Shekher is said to have published/circulated an abusive, derogatory and vulgar comment in his Facebook account on April 19, 2018 after which a complaint filed before the Chennai Commissioner of Police.

It had noted that an FIR was registered in the matter and other private complaints were also filed against him in various parts of Tamil Nadu.

Before the high court, Shekhers counsel had argued that he was not aware of the contents of the message that was sent to him and had merely forwarded the same from his Facebook account.

His counsel had said that after coming to know of the derogatory remarks contained in the message, Shekher removed the contents within a couple of hours on the same day and had followed it up with a letter dated April 20, 2018 whereby he had tendered an unconditional apology to the concerned women journalists and also to the media.

The high court had noted in its order that the counsel had submitted that during the pendency of matter, the petitioner was directed to file an affidavit tendering an apology which he did.

A careful reading of the contents of the message that was forwarded from the Facebook account of the petitioner on April 19, 2018, showcases women journalists in a poor light. This court is very hesitant to even translate the message that was forwarded by the petitioner since, to say the least, it is despicable. The contents are highly derogatory against the press as a whole in Tamil Nadu, the high court had said.

It had further said, We live in an era where social media has virtually taken over the lives of every individual in the world. A message sent/forwarded in the social media can reach the nook and corner of the world in no time.

The high court had said that considering the stature of the petitioner, he was expected to be more responsible while giving statements or forwarding messages. A message that is sent or forwarded in the social media is like an arrow, which has already been shot from the bow, it had said.
Three ex-service chiefs, General Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh (who is also Chairman of Indias National Maritime Foundation) and Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria recently attended Taiwans Ketagalan Forums Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue. Evidently, they were unofficially representing the Indian government. Taiwan media reports state that 14 parliamentarians, scholars and politicians representing 12 countries were present at the event, including former PMs of Japan and Estonia.

The Ketagalan Forum is an annual feature jointly hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan and the Prospect Foundation. As per the website, the current event was aimed at enhancing cooperation and dialogue among relevant parties so as to maintain and advance peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. The inaugural address for the session was given by the Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Around the same time, marking the 96th anniversary of the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army), Chinese state broadcaster, CCTV, aired an eight-part docuseries titled Chasing dreams. The docuseries featured military drills and comments by few Chinese troops displaying the determination of China to reunify Taiwan. The release of the docuseries was also intended to boost nationalism at a time when the country was facing severe floods. Simultaneously, the economy is receding and unemployment increasing, leading to dissatisfaction within.

The docuseries also aimed at conveying a message to the US, Japan and Taiwan on Chinese intent and capabilities. It featured live exercises held off the Taiwan coast in April, post the stopover of Tsai Ing-wen in the US. Few missiles, fired during this exercise, landed in Japans Exclusive Economic Zone.

There have been regular intelligence inputs from the US and Japan on Chinese intent to invade Taiwan. Many believe it would happen around 2027, the time limit laid down by Xi Jinping for the Chinese military to be a global power.

The Taiwanese President, in her remarks in the forum, endorsed the need to maintain a rules-based order. She stated that Taiwan would remain a democratic nation and stem the spread of authoritarianism, hinting towards China. Emphasising the economic importance of Taiwan, she stated that its domination of the semiconductor market makes it a crucial player in the global supply chain.

She added that tensions in the Indo-Pacific were on account of increased aggressiveness of authoritarian regimes due to their perception that their model is better and more adaptive than democracy. She also added that Taiwan does not take backing of their security partners for granted, implying it is prepared to fight alone.

The loss of Taiwan would have an adverse impact on the security of Japan as also Guam, a US base in the region, apart from providing China the confidence to push its territorial claims in the South China Sea as also along the LAC. Loss of Taiwan would make the southwestern end of Japans archipelago indefensible. China could simultaneously hamper Japans trade routes, through the East China Sea, as also enhance pressure on its Senkaku islands, which it claims. Japan is currently strengthening its southern Nansei islands by deploying long range cruise missiles, which are capable of targeting coastal areas of North Korea and China.

The US continues to display confusion on its Taiwan policy. In September last year, President Biden stated in a TV interview that the US would intervene militarily in Taiwan. A subsequent White House statement read that the US policy towards Taiwan had not changed. The US government is obliged by law to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself. There is no mention of military intervention.

In July-end, the US announced an additional USD 345 million in military aid to Taiwan. The weapons would be provided from the USs own stockpiles. These include man-portable air defence systems, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles. The speed of provision is to possibly strengthen Taiwan and place caution on China. The strategy appears to be to make the price of invasion extremely high for Beijing as being done in Ukraine against the Russians. China protested but these were ignored.

Global tensions are currently highest in the Indo-Pacific, where there is a battle for supremacy between the US and China. Beijing, which considers the region as an extension of China, has begun facing resistance from multiple quarters including the QUAD, of which India is a member. It is covertly attempting to bring pro-China or neutral parties to power in nations within its area of interest, as also enhance internal discord in nations it considers as challengers, India being no exception. Hybrid war against its adversaries, including informational, cyber, interference in elections and instigating unrest, continues unabated.

The attendance of the Indian delegation conveyed Indias strategic interest in the Western Pacific. The unofficial Indian viewpoint was shared by Admiral Karambir in the session, Situation across the Taiwan Strait and the global security order. He emphasized that the Taiwan straits, South and East China Seas, are one of the epicentres of global confrontation, with Taiwan as a flashpoint. This has spilled over into the Indo-Pacific. India, which has a large sea trade (95 per cent) will be adversely impacted and hence desires stability. Karambir mentioned that as the Comprehensive National Power gap between China and the US reduces, China will act against Taiwan.

He also stated, a conflict in the straits would have a serious, direct and second order effects related to geopolitics and economic security on India. Disruption of semiconductor supplies could paralyse industry and enhance unemployment, adding that Indias consistent stand has been exercising restraint, avoiding unilateral actions and maintaining status quo. Karambir opined that the stand-off at the LAC sharpened Indias competitive instincts vis-a-vis China.

China considers India as an adversary, which has joined hands with the west to contain and isolate China as mentioned by The Global Times, Beijings mouthpiece, on numerous occasions. As per Chinese perceptions, Indias membership of the QUAD, joining the Resilient Supply Chain initiative with Japan and Australia as also rejecting Chinese proposals in multilateral forums such as the BRICS and SCO add credence to its anti-China bias.

India supporting the Philippines and Vietnam in their dispute with China has also irked Beijing. The Indian spokesperson recently stated on the China-Philippine water cannon incident, We have a long-standing position on this, on the need to adhere to international law in the context of issues relating to South China Sea and also for a rules-based order. We have also underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes.

India is aware of the Chinese dilemma. It is either invading Taiwan or expanding its operations along the LAC. On Taiwan, the question is not if but when. India also believes that the PLA could be bogged into a gruelling conflict like Ukraine on either front and success is uncertain. India is simultaneously enhancing its military power and developing its infrastructure to deter China.

Thus, the China-Taiwan equation is of importance to India. There are media reports mentioning that the CDS had ordered a study, involving members of the three services, to assess Indias options in case of a Chinese attack on Taiwan. While India may not respond by involving its armed forces, but to ensure its own economic interests are protected it may act in some form.

India will have to ensure the security of its trade routes by deploying its naval resources closer to the area of conflict and will also have to prevent other nations from being sucked into the conflict, including Japan and possibly the US. This may imply providing logistics backing, especially since India has signed the LEMOA agreement with the US.

Simultaneously, India will have to bring together the global south to enhance pressure for cessation of conflict. It will also have to strengthen defence capabilities of nations in conflict with China including the Philippines and Vietnam, intending to restrict Chinese expansionism. This will keep China engaged on its eastern periphery.

The Indian presence and participation in the Ketagalan Forum further convey a message that while India adheres to its one China policy, it can change its position. It also confirms that Indias interests include the Western Pacific and that India will remain an active member of anti-China blocks, unless the LAC standoff returns to pre-April 2020 positions.

The author is a former Indian Army officer, strategic analyst and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.

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The last few days have been very difficult for Pakistans Christian community. Entire colonies and churches have been reduced to ashes by Islamist mobs over allegations of blasphemy. Although this scale of violence is much larger and has captured the attention of the world at large, but Pakistans ill-treatment of minorities is not a matter of surprise for those of us who regularly track political developments in that country. Many social media accounts regularly slip into my direct messages tab on Twitter to inform about at least one minor who has been abducted, raped and forcefully converted in Sindh or Baluchistan every other day. The frequent brutalities that are unleashed by Pakistan on its minorities once again revive the much forgotten debate on the Citizenship Amendment Act that was passed four years ago by the Indian Parliament.

The winter of 2019 in India was not a pleasant one at all. I remember being stuck many times during my usual travel to a library in New Delhi for PhD fieldwork. The government of India had enacted the much needed Citizenship Amendment Act in response to which the members of civil society had come out in large numbers to wage a protest. Their contention was that the CAA was discriminatory towards the Muslim population of India. By relaxing the criteria of securing Indias citizenship for persecuted minorities from the subcontinent, the Indian government was disenfranchising its own Muslims. The truth was that CAA had nothing to do with Indian Muslims at all. In fact, it was an act that only aimed to provide relief to the persecuted Hindus, Christians and other minorities in neighbouring countries who often sought refuge in India. But in the cacophony of the anti-CAA protests, all voices of sound reasoning were lost. Tragically, the government of the day had to get into a defensive mode. It has been four years since then and CAA still has not been notified. With that even the debate over the fate of non-Muslims in South Asian countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan has faded away from public sight.

This despite the fact that minority communities such as Christians, Hindus and Sikhs are systematically and constitutionally discriminated against in these states. Interestingly, during the anti-CAA protests, many people who were at the protests did not even have a clue about the actual facts on ground. For those who dont know, Pakistan is constitutionally an Islamic Republic. It was originally founded on the principle of hostage theory which means that the small Hindu minority in the country was to be treated fairly by the Pakistani state so that India continues to protect its the Muslim minority. But in reality, India never signed up for this principle. Under the vision of its early leaders, India espoused a secular polity on its own where the constitution even gave special rights to the minority communities. On the other hand, Pakistan chose an Islamic identity for itself with multiple provisions in its constitution leading to active discrimination with non-Muslims. How many of the anti-CAA protesters are aware of Articles 41 and 91 of the Pakistani constitution, which clearly mandate that no non-Muslim can ever become Prime Minister or President of the country? An amendment to change this discriminatory provision was moved in 2019 by Dr Naveed Aamir Jeeva, a Christian lawmaker from the Pakistan Peoples Party however the then Minister of Parliamentary Affairs had shot down the proposal citing no scope of compromise with Pakistans Islamic identity.

A similar story of discrimination against minorities has unfolded in Afghanistan. The return of Taliban to the country has not only made the lives of women difficult but the acts of Islamic radicalism have literally brought the minorities on the verge of extinction. The visuals of one of the last batches of Afghan Sikhs coming to India tells the most grim story of how Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan treats its minorities. As of 2021, the Hindu community in Afghanistan had also shrunk to just 30-40 individuals who were awaiting a refuge in India, their civilisational home. Ironically, all that the CAA was promising them was an early shot at being granted citizenship. The usual tenure is 12 year-long continuous stay in India but for them CAA had reduced it to 6 years. Even the cut-off date for CAA was year 2014 with many experts arguing that it should be extended further. But the way the civil society and intelligentsia had led the protests against their return, the door for their arrival in India has been shut hard if not closed forever.

What we as Indians have never been able to realise is that India was modelled as a secular liberal polity by our early leaders. This was a bold and commendable move as it has allowed multiple communities to prosper and thrive in India irrespective of their identities. However, what we cant also deny is Indias civilisational history of being the home to the Indic religions. Hindus and the various other sects may be a majority in India but world over, they are part of a tiny minority. In the name of a secular polity, India cant look away from the expectations of the minority communities across the world. Today, Hindumisia is on a rise and Pakistan is the burning example of the same. Every single day at least three Hindu girls are forcefully converted and even raped and abducted in its Sindh province. The problem has its roots in the act of partition that left a sizeable population of non-Muslims at the mercy of the Islamic regimes. For us in India, religion may be a personal fact of life but in Pakistan even today religion plays a very significant role. Case in point is Seema Haidar whose arrival in India and wilful conversion to Hinduism has sparked a spate of violence against Hindus in Pakistan as an act of revenge. This mindless vengeance proves that India may have moved on from the two-nation theory but it is a lived experience for many in the subcontinent even today after 75 years of partition.

What should be the response of India to the discrimination against non-Muslims in the South Asian states? Well, India is a thriving economy and a liberal polity. It has a civilisational past of being a home to the persecuted. It has a commitment to the oppressed non-Muslim minorities of the subcontinent who look up to India for a refuge. The past attempt to fulfil that promise did not work out. But the debate must not end. We owe this much to them.

The author is a PhD from the Department of International Relations, South Asian University. She writes on Indias foreign policy. 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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Over three months have passed since violence erupted in Manipur. Sitting room observation of the manner in which the situation in the Land of Emeralds seems to state that the atmospherics have become curiouser and curiouser. The prognosis at this point is of the view that what started out as conflict over aspects that have geographical divide and cultural apartheid has been hijacked by nefarious political motivations.

The pogroms that are being committed by mobs have snowballed into an unprecedented civil strife. It is being lamented that the wounds could take years to heal.

It is in this background that the Prime Ministers call from the ramparts of Red Fort on 15 August 2023 that all would soon be well (indeed is improving) has exuded considerable confidence for the people of India. It is also hoped that the proclamation would be viewed by the people who are taking law into their hands in Manipur as a stern warning.

It was quite clear that the Prime Minister is in no mood to provide quarter to the wrongdoers. His appeal to the nation that crime against women would not be tolerated was particularly encouraging. After all the monstrosity of the sad episodes in Manipur when two womens modesty were outraged has shamed not only India, but right thinking people the world over.

Democracy has its imperfections. Institutions that guide and water it have to be nurtured with care. This is particularly true of a country such as India which is just 76 years old. Indeed, the gestation period, too, takes its time, and if care is not taken there is a fear that aspect may careen out of control.

But it is not as if democratic institutions in the Republic of India are abdicating responsibility. Success stories have showcased pride among the Indian population in the manner in which the judiciary of the country has acted, as has been in evidence when it sought to take active cognisance of the breakdown of law and order in Manipur. All is, therefore, not lost. The Prime Ministers Red Fort announcement has also underscored the fact that normalcy would soon be restored in the sensitive border state. The Prime Ministers words have come as a cheerful tiding.

But it is also a truism that democracy has its inherent flaws and only continual course correction exercises and a process of learning-unlearning-relearning would set the tectonic plates of democratic right. After all, even Plato had stated in one of his immortal dialogues Republic that Democracy is an Imperfect Society.

But to return to Manipur it has been variously analysed that the primary motivation for the violence was political, perhaps even driven and egged on by nefarious forces that were attempting to de-harmonise a milieu that haddespite deep fissuresno obvious history of cultural divide let alone religious colour.

There was a modicum of us and them but co-existence was tolerated. But an alien agendabent on importing superimposition of the devious kindnot only opened up old the lid of wounds that had been buried for a hundred years and hostility came to the fore and propped up segregation.

The accent of the day therefore should be to resurrect that past and provide for robust third party intervention so that the proverbial peace pipe may be smoked by the warring groups.

The Assam Rifles is a noble force that had been in the forefront of Internal Security management in the North East. Although there have been certain aberrations in the past, most of its actions including counter insurgency, development of the region and border management have been a saga of celebration. Manned primarily by Riflemen from the North East, the force is led by officers of the Indian army.

This author has had the good fortune of having followed patrols with the force in Arunachal Pradeshs Tirap and Changlang, in places such as Manabum Reserve Forest (which he did after fording the Noa-Dihing river in Miao), have gone out with its bravehearts in Ukhrul, all the way to Muivahs home village, Somdal and have seen its demeanour at close quarters. Indeed, in the last quarter of a century this author has seldom witnessed deliberate indiscretion by the Assam Rifles. Lauded by people of the North East and the rest of India alike, the force has showcased exemplary behaviour.

The Indian army leadership in the entire Eastern Sector and certainly in Manipur has proven itself to be not only a non-partisan force, but one which has traversed great odds to showcase its standards that it is expected to maintain even as it goes about its duties in restoring law and order.

Assam Rifles excellent track record ever since 1835when it was first formed as the Cachar Levyis not in doubt. The officer cadre from the Indian army that guides it from Ft. William, Rangapahar, Imphal and Kohima are an extremely committed lot and the competence level is of a high order.

However, a disturbing trend came to the fore recently. The Assam Rifles was unjustly pilloried in Manipur.

The incident in Manipur occurred when the Assam Rifles was attempting to establish a Buffer Zone between the warring parties in the Qutubwali Masjid and Pholijang track junction on Kwakta-Pholijang Road. It was attempting to block and prevent movement of terrorists and miscreants that had been responsible for the unrest. Indeed, it is the mandate of the Assam Rifles to ensure peace by resorting to such and sundry other methods.

But an ugly face-off between the Manipur State Commandos and the Assam Rifles ensued as a result of the Assam Rifles attempt to prevent terror-actor movement. Matters came to a head when there was reportedly firing by the Manipur State Commandos onto the Assam Rifles which was merely carrying out their duty as per the directions of the Combined HQs that had been set up after trouble broke out in Manipur.

It should be noted that only the Central Para-Military Forces, the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles are required to be in the Buffer Zone.

To make matters worse, the Manipur state police filed an FIR against the Assam Rifles.

The incident necessitated a visit to Manipur by the Eastern Army Commander and it was as a result of his wisdom, level-headedness and farsightedness that haveto an extentcooled frayed tempers.

Incidentally, it is not as if inter-state forces have not fought earlier. It has happened before in the North East. The Assam Police and the police forces of Nagaland and Mizoram have clashed in the past on inter-state borders. But when there is a crisis at hand, it should be the bounden duty (primarily of the state police) to take the lead and, alongside the paramilitary forces and the Indian army try to usher in peace.

But the incident showcased strange behaviour in Internal Security Management, especially as the security forces shouldin togethernessbe battling the miscreants. The fact that they should be at loggerheads has raised many eyebrows among national security watchers and students of security such as this author.

The incident does not augur well for Indias national security and certainly not the fragile garrisoned state of Manipur.

One fears that the Manipur state police has become politicised since 3 May 2023 to a considerable extent and are taking a decidedly partisan stance.

The attempt to vilify the Assam Rifles has also not gone down well with many an Indian army veteran who has served and commanded this unique force. The fact that there has also been a move by certain vested interests to restrict (or even move) the Assam Rifles from Manipur can only be seen from the prism of a conspiracy. Such moves have to be defeated.

In any event, it is the problems and predicament that are exhibiting itself in Manipur that must array the sweaty brows of the policy makers in New Delhi in the coming days.

The writer is a conflict theorist and bestselling author. The views expressed are his own. 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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The tourists got a unique chance to witness a festival like La Tomatina, at a high altitude pasture in the Indian Himalayas on Thursday. No tomatoes like the Spanish festival, the Raithal villagers in Uttarkashi use milk products to play a unique Holi at an altitude of 3,048 meters. It is a once in a lifetime experience for the tourists to play Holi with butter, milk and Chacch (buttermilk) in a picture postcard like lush green setting.

The visitors woke up in the morning, with a cool breeze flowing and the sound of the traditional drums echoing in the valley. As the day progressed local people and tourists gathered at a point in the meadow where a Dahi Handi was placed on a pole. After breaking the clay pot filled with curd and butter, a new game started in the meadow with the people smearing butter on each other and splashing butter milk with Pichkari (water gun). The butter smeared faces of villagers/ tourists and hill women presenting a group dance (Raso) made the event unforgettable.

Manoj Rana, president of the Dayara Paryatan Utsav Samiti, said, It is our traditional festival and we are happy that the Butter Festival is now reorganised worldwide for its uniqueness.

To reach Dayara Bugyal one has to trek 7 kms from base village Raithal. People with normal fitness cover the distance in about three hours. The visitors get an opportunity to see the Channis (temporary huts or dwelling place) of the villagers at Dayara. The guests learned about the village economy linked with animal husbandry.

The festival is associated with the practice of villagers moving to higher altitudes during summer. For four long months they stay away from their villages and dwell in pastures with their domestic animals. As winter approaches, it is time for the locals to bid adieu and return with their livestock to their native village Raithal. To celebrate the occasion the villagers play Holy with milk products. This time over one hundred tourists and a large number of local people participated in the Butter Festival. The Uttarakhand High Court had issued strict guidelines to keep the tourist number limited. The use to load speakers was barred and entry of only two hundred tourists was permitted.

Local resident Pankaj Kushwaha said, Many times heavy rainfall plays spoilsport in the Butter Festival celebration, this time a clear weather prevailed and we had a memorable time at Dayara Bugyal. Many claim that Anduri Utsav is celebrated to thank Lord Krishna for protecting the cattle from the evil forces while they were grazing in the open meadows. It is also celebrated to mark the occasion of Lord Krishnas lifting the Govardhan Pravat to crush the ego of Indra (the rain God).

The Butter Festival has put the spotlight on remote village Raithal in district Uttarkashi. In the past Raithal village was a vital stopover for excursion teams and pilgrims heading for Gangotri and Gaumukh. The pilgrims and explorers used to move on foot from Mussoorie and Raithal was used as a major logistic centre- for supply of essential items and collies. After the development of a motorable road to Gangotri, the alignment has changed and now the national highway is passing 10 kilometers below Raithal (at Bhatwari).

For adventure and nature lovers, Raithal is a familiar destination. Due to growing tourism activities, a large number of home stay facilities have started operation in the village.

The village boasts of a good record of hospitality. British soldier and author Thomas Skinner was stunned with the love of the Raithal village people during his expedition to Gangotri in 1832. He termed Raithal as the best village he had seen in the mountains, Skinner enjoyed the attention he got from the villagers.

Writing about the experience in his 1832 published book, Excursions in India, the British officer says, We encamped close to the porch of the temple, where most of the natives have assembled to gaze upon us. The women, too, have ventured to gratify their curiosity more than they have elsewhere done: and, making their hospitality an excuse have brought milk and fruit to us; and, having presented it, sit down in groups about us, with silent wonder, observing all our motions.

A traditional festival from Raithal has now become a major tourist attraction. The beauty of the Dayara Bugyal and fervour of the Butter Festival makes it a special event. Providing lifelong cherishing memories to the visitors!

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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An outdoor party in West Philadelphia turned deadly in the early hours of Saturday, authorities said.

A 19-year-old man is now dead and six other people  including five women  are wounded following a shooting on Creighton St. near Wyalusing Ave. in the neighborhood of Mill Creek.

The gunfire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, Fox 29 Philadelphia reported.

The incident was described by some witnesses as a shoot-out at a block party or a barbecue, Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Several shooters opened fire at the crowd, police said. The victims included the 19-year-old man, a 47-year-old man, and five women: two aged 20, two aged 21, and one 51-year-old.

Police reported to the scene after receiving many reports of a shooting in the area. When officers arrived, they found five victims on the street suffering from gunshot wounds.

Authorities found at least 60 shell casings at the scene. They were from different types of guns, police said.

Those victims were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Two other victims showed up at the hospital around 5 a.m.

The 19-year-old man was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:40 a.m. He had been shot multiple times in the head and body, authorities said.

Five of the surviving victims are said to be in stable condition, while the condition of the sixth victim is not known at this time.

So far, no arrests have been reported.Police have not released any information on any suspects or what prompted the shooting.
Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will be on a day-long visit to the poll-bound state of Chattisgarh on Saturday.

Both Kejriwal and Mann will address an AAP workers convention in Raipur. This visit will make the third such trip taken to the state by Kejriwal in the past five months.

Kejriwal will also release guarantee cards for the people of Chhattisgarh to mention what his party will implement if voted to power in the state, the partys state unit chief Komal Hupendi said.

Assembly elections in the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh are scheduled by the year-end.

Hupendi said that with the visit of the partys top leaders, AAP is gearing up for the upcoming assembly elections.

Kejriwal addressed a public rally in Bilaspur last month. In March, he attended an AAP workers convention in Raipur.

The AAP tried its luck for the first time in the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh in 2018 and fielded candidates in 85 of 90 seats but failed to achieve success.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced the first list of candidates for Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

In the first list, BJP has announced 21 candidates for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly, while 39 names have been released for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh house.
At least five people died and 37 others were left severely injured after a Russian missile struck in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the countrys interior ministry confirmed on Saturday.

The victims were on their way to a church in the central square to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding that 11 of the wounded were children.

A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram.

An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss, he added.

He also posted a video of the destruction on X (formerly known as Twitter).

This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state. This is what we are uniting the entire world against. Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are pic.twitter.com/AMgXCVfR7h    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

A short video accompanying Zelenskyys post showed debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged. One body could also be briefly seen in the video slouched inside a car.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of its full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

With inputs from Reuters
Britain on Friday asked its citizens to be vigilant when travelling to Denmark due to possible attacks, following Quran burnings by anti-Islam activists in Denmark and Sweden that have outraged Muslims across the world.

The UK and US governments had previously warned of possible attacks in neighbouring Sweden, which raised its terrorism alert to the second highest level on Thursday.

Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Denmark. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners, the British foreign ministry warned in an updated travel advice.

The authorities in Denmark have successfully disrupted a number of planned attacks and made a number of arrests, it added.

Sweden has also said it thwarted attacks after Quran burnings and other acts against Islams holiest text outraged Muslims and triggered threats from jihadists.

Earlier on Friday, Swedens government said it had tightened security at embassies and other missions due to an increase in threats against Swedish interests abroad.

Both Danish and Swedish governments have condemned the burnings and are considering amending laws that could stop them but critics at home say such moves need to preserve freedom of speech that is protected in their constitutions.
Taiwans foreign minister Joseph Wu has accused China of trying to shape Taiwans upcoming elections after Beijing launched military exercises around the island nation on Saturday.

The PRC has made it clear it wants to shape Taiwans coming national election, said foreign minister Joseph Wu on the ministrys official X (formerly known as Twitter) account.

The #PRC has made it clear it wants to shape #Taiwans coming national election. Well, its up to our citizens to decide, not the bully next door. Look, #China should hold its own elections; Im sure its people would be thrilled. JW https://t.co/630rKGH71X pic.twitter.com/fbfOo4p6Z0   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) August 19, 2023

Well, its up to our citizens to decide, not the bully next door, he added.

China announced earlier Saturday that it had launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan, according to state media outlet Xinhua.

Meanwhile, Taiwans military informed that it had detected over 40 Chinese warplanes entering its air defence zone while eight Chinese vessels were also participating in the drills.

Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday also condemned Chinas military exercises, and said Beijing has used various intimidating speeches and fake news to openly intervene and interfere in the democratic election process in our country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest terms Chinas authoritarian governments brutal efforts to interfere in the election, it said.

Beijing has, for quite some time, ramped up its political and military activity around Taiwan, sending in near-daily warplanes incursions and vessels around the island.

Saturdays military exercises are seen as a response to the visit of Taiwans Vice President William Lai making stopovers in the United States  first to New York en route to Paraguay, and then to San Francisco on his way back to Taipei.

Incidentally, Lai is also a presidential candidate for Taiwans elections in January and is currently the frontrunner.

Lai has been especially under Chinas scanner due to his previous comments on Taiwans status that have insinuated Beijing.

Like the current President Tsai Ing-wen, Lai does not accept Chinas view that Taiwan belongs to it.

He has also described himself as a pragmatic Taiwan independence worker  inciting comments from Beijing about him being a troublemaker.

With inputs from AFP
China on Saturday initiated military exercises around Taiwan, citing them as a strong warning following their expression of displeasure regarding a layover made by Taiwans Vice President, William Lai, in the United States.

Lai, who is the leading contender for Taiwans upcoming presidential elections in January, returned from the United States on Friday. During his visit, he made official layovers while en route to and from Paraguay, during which he delivered speeches.

China considers Taiwan, a nation with a democratic government, to be an integral part of its territory, despite the vehement opposition from Taiwans own government.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the Peoples Liberation Army, responsible for the region surrounding Taiwan, conveyed in a concise statement that it was conducting joint patrols involving naval and air combat readiness exercises around the island, reported Reuters.

It said it was also holding joint exercises and training of naval and air forces, focussing on subjects such as ship-aircraft coordination and seizing control, to test the forces actual combat capabilities.

This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke, it said.

Taiwans defence ministry strongly condemned the drills, saying it will dispatch appropriate forces to respond and has the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

The launch of the military exercise this time not only does not help peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (Chinas) militaristic mentality, the ministry said in a statement.

The extent of Saturdays manoeuvres was not immediately clear.

Regional defence attaches and analysts were scrutinising the scale and intensity of the operations, seeking to gauge them against intensive Chinese war games in August 2022 and April this year.

After the then-speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei last year, Chinas military fired missiles over Taiwan, some landing in Japans exclusive economic zone, and staged naval drills around the island in what Taiwanese officials described as preparations for a full invasion.

The April drills, after President Tsai Ing-wen met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a stopover in California, were smaller but involved full combat exercises by Chinas two aircraft carriers, some off the islands Pacific coast.

Taiwanese officials had said China was likely to conduct military exercises this week near the island, using Lais US stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next years presidential election and make them fear war.

China has a particular dislike of Lai for his previous comments that he was a practical worker for Taiwan independence. On the campaign trail, however, he has pledged to keep the status quo and repeatedly offered talks with Beijing.

With inputs from agencies
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday paid a visit to the commander of Russias operations in Ukraine and other top military brass. The visit comes after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front.

Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don, the Kremlin said in a statement.

The statement added that the Russian president took stock of the reports presented by Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the General Staff of the Army in charge of Moscows operations in Ukraine, and other top military commanders and officers.

The meeting came after Ukraine, whose counteroffensive to recapture land taken by Russia in the first months of the war has been slower than expected, said it liberated a small village along the frontline, its first since July.

The Kremlin, however, did not provide any further details of the meeting nor did it mention when it was held. Videos published by the RIA state news agency showed Gerasimov greeting Putin in what appeared to be night-time and leading him into a building after a brief handshake.

Meanwhile, Gerasimov, who has rarely made a public appearance, has been on the receiving end of criticism from Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and some Russian military bloggers over Russias failings in the war.

Rostov-on-Don, a city just some 100 kilometres (62 miles)from Ukraines border, is home to the Russian southern military district command whose army is fighting in Ukraine.

With Ukraines counteroffensive struggling to break through entrenched Russian lines and Moscows stretched military resources and dissent in the ranks, both sides have measured recent successes by taking control of tiny villages.

With inputs from Reuters
Former Kremlin economic adviser Andrei Illarionov was added to a registry of foreign agents, Russias Justice Ministry disclosed late on Friday, a designation the government applies to almost all its opponents.

People on the list may be closely monitored and are often required to provide detailed information about their sources of income, expenditure and a range of activities to the government or risk prosecution if they fail to provide adequate answers to the Russian governments queries.

Illarionov, who resigned from the Kremlin in 2005 and moved to the United States, is critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has called Russian policies of recent years a catastrophe.

From 2000 to December 2005 Illarionov was the chief economic adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the presidents personal representative in the G8.

At the end of 2005, he resigned and became an outspoken critic of Putin and the Kremlin. He is one of Russias most forceful and articulate advocates of an open society and democratic capitalism.

The Russian Justice Ministry said that Illarionov was guilty of spreading false information about Russian authorities and their decisions.

Illarionov did not immediately comment on the designation.
In a unique departure from the approach of previous US leaders, Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American legislator, has proposed a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that involves allowing Moscow to retain control over certain areas of the Donbas region, while also suggesting that Kyiv refrains from becoming a NATO member.

Ramaswamy additionally emphasized the necessity for Russian President Vladimir Putin to disengage from the military partnership with China as part of the efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Notably, Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, is set to contest against Donald Trump in Republican primaries for US presidential polls.

I will end the Ukraine War on terms that require Putin to exit his military alliance with China. The goal shouldnt be for Russia to lose. It should be for the U.S. to *win.*, Ramaswamy said on X (formerly Twitter).

In an interview with CNN, Ramaswamy called Russia-China military alliance the single-biggest military threat for the US and even stated that he would be visiting Moscow after assuming the presidency.

The Biden administration is so stubbornly attached to the idea of getting Xi Jinping to drop Vladimir Putin. What I think, we need to be doing is get Vladimir Putin to drop Xi Jinping. Just like Nixon went to China in 1972. I think Putin is like the new MaoI will visit Moscow, and I will pull Russia out of military alliance with China, he said during the interview with CNN.

He further stated that US engagements with Ukraine are driving Russia into Chinese arms.

The Russia-China military alliance is the single-biggest military threat that we face today. Hypersonic missile capabilities, nuclear capabilities in Russia, far ahead of us and China. And naval capabilities of China ahead of ours. Combined with an economy, that we depend on for modern way of life, those two nations are in a military alliance with one another and no one in either political party is talking about it. Worst of all, our engagements in Ukraine is further driving Russia into Chinas arms, Ramaswamy further said.

The US lawmaker added that the focus should not be for Putin to lose but for America to win.

So, my foreign policy centres on weakening that alliance. I would freeze the current lines of control and that would leave parts of the Donbas region with Russia. I would also further make a commitment that NATO would not admit Ukraine to NATOOur goal should not be for Putin to lose, our goal should be for America to win.

Thats what we have forgotten in this country, Ramaswamy said.

The 37-year-old lawmaker was born on August 9, 1985, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents migrated to the US from Kerala.

He is the third Indian-American  along with Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh  who will be up against former President Donald Trump in the primaries in January next year.

With inputs from ANI
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as a Kyiv counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month.

Zelenskyy said he would thank them for supporting Ukraine amid the Kremlins full-scale invasion, which is approaching the 18-month mark.

Our primary task is the strengthening of Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defence industry, Ukraines European integration and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space, he wrote in a Telegram post announcing his arrival.

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said last week his country was planning a new $313.5 million military support package to Ukraine consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

The package will be Swedens 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic countrys military aid  which has included tanks and anti-aircraft systems  to more than $1.8 billion.

The Swedish foreign ministry said it currently had no comment on Zelenskyys visit.
Lolita, Miami Seaquariums beloved orca, died Friday after more than 50 years in captivity, her caregivers announced in a statement late Friday afternoon.

The endangered killer whale  also known as Tokitae or Toki  started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort over the past two days, the Seaquarium wrote on social media.

Those symptoms were treated immediately and aggressively by her medical team, but despite receiving the best possible medical care, Lolita didnt make it and died from an apparent renal condition.

Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi Nation that considered her family, the oceanarium said. Those who have had the privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit.

The Lummi Nation, a Native American tribe based in Washington State, had worked for years to free Tokitae from captivity and bring her back home to the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest. The tribe refers to orcas as qwe lhol mechen, which means our relations below the waves.

Earlier this year, the oceanariums owner, The Dolphin Company, and animal rights advocates announced plans to reunite Tokitae with the orca believed to be her mother, Ocean Sun.

The effort, which would receive financial backing from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, was seen as a step toward restoring our natural environment, fixing what weve messed up with exploitation and development, Orca Networks board president Howard Garrett said in March.

Lolita, who was estimated to have been born between 1966 and 1967, was captured in Penn Cove, off the Pacific Northwest, in August 1970, according to the nonprofit Friends of Toki. She went on to spend the next 50 years living in the same pool and performing for visitors as one of the main attractions of the Miami Seaquarium.

Advocates say she was the only orca that was caught in U.S. waters still in captivity.

She retired from performing early last year after the oceanariums new owners agreed with conditions under a new license with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Lummi Nation is saddened by the news that our beloved Orca relative has passed away at the estimated age of 57 years old, Chairman Tony Hillaire said in a statement. Our hearts are with all those impacted by this news; our hearts are with her family. We stand in solidarity with our Lummi members whom poured their hearts and souls into bringing SkaliChelh-tenaut home.
I take care of my equipment. All service work is handled on time. I don't abuse my truck at all. I add the Ford PM-22A treatment to most tanks of fuel (probably 80% of the time) since I bought this truck new back in 2016. I have NEVER run out of fuel in this truck. The fuel system has NEVER been dry.

Why keep making a product with a highly suspect component!!! Why drag out the warranty approval and stall and threaten not to do it!!!

IF THERE ARE ANY FORD CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVES READING THIS, PLEASE CONTACT ME.

Uhggg! I have been struggling with a series of issues with my truck. Two weeks ago I took it back to my dealership for "low power' issue. I.E. truck just didn't move like it used to and had trouble under load with my camper. Well they got back to me and the Bosch CP4 High Pressure Fuel Pump has imploded and now I have metal shards throughout my high pressure fuel system and in my fuel tank.Before I go on my rant about the Bosch CP4, I will state a few facts:The net of this that as an owner, I have done every single thing I can do operate and maintain my truck properly. The result of my diligence is that the "piece of crap" Bosch CP4 fuel pump has imploded. It will be weeks, if not months before I have my truck back. We had a 4 week trip up to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana planned. Well that got cancelled. Sigh.Ford, GM, and Dodge/RAM have all used Bosch high pressure fuel pumps for years. In 2010 Bosch released the CP4 version of the pump. Ford specifically designed the 2011 6.7 Powerstroke around the CP4. GM immediately used it in their 2011 Duramax (LML?). Cummings (Ram/Dodge) used the CP3 until 2019 when the 6.7L Cummings was released and they switched to the CP4. Well each vendor has had failures - significant quantities of failures. GM stopped using the CP4 in 2016. They don't use Bosch pumps at all anymore on Duramax. Cummings only used the CP4 for 2019 and 2020, then immediately went back to the CP3 while issuing a recall to replace existing CP4's in the field with CP3s.If you do your research, you can find all kinds of information and various facts / figures. But based what I found in Europe Bosch sees about 1% failure. In the USA, Bosch sees about 7% failure. (I suspect this data is educated guesses as I doubt Bosch is going to release that data...). This fuel pump is a disaster in the US market. I am just astounded that Ford continues to use this pump.Here is a very good article on the CP4 from an independent source:So my story is more interesting... This is my second experience with the CP4. I had a 2011 F-250 with the 6.7 Powerstroke. In 2014, my CP4 imploded as well. My 2011 truck only had about 52,000 miles on it. I was actually on vacation up on Colorado where it died and left me stranded. As with my 2017, I properly operated and maintained that truck (always used PM-22-A, never ran it dry, all service work completed at the specified intervals). So now Ford has let me down twice for the exact same problem. I thought the first CP4 failure was a fluke. Now that it has happened twice, I am just pissed.Back in October of last year, I renewed the extended warranty on my 2017. I am glad I did so but apparently Ford is slow to approve the warranty action for this fuel system replacement. The dealer told me that there has been no evidence of rust anywhere in my high pressure fuel system. My fuel is clean - no evidence of gas or DEF in the tank. (which make sense - I take care of my equipment). So now I am stuck in limbo waiting on Ford to decide if they are going to SCREW one of their loyal customers. Yes, I am Ford guy. I wear Ford hats and Ford shirts. I have always been a blue oval fanboy! I have owned countless Fords since I bought my first one at age 16. So in nearly 40 years of driving, I have owned many of them. At this point, I am disgusted with Ford for two reasons:I am seriously considering selling my F-350 (which I have loved) once it is repaired and stepping away from Ford. Man it hurts to say that.... I hate GM products and I have never been fond of Dodge/Ram but I am seriously considering a Ram truck now. No wonder Ford stock stays in the crapper!FORD GET YOUR CRAP TOGETHER!!!
THE HAGUE, Netherlands  The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to affect the war any time soon.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months of training on the aircraft, according to officials.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlins forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take four or five years, he said.

But in eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyivs way.

Ukrainian air forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era planes, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.

A Ukrainian soldier loads a shell onto an attack helicopter in eastern Ukraine, Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

A modern war cannot be won without aviation capabilities, Rakita said.

In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete training, according to a U.S. administration official who was not authorized to comment and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday that the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.

A coalition of 11 Western countries  the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom  pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Denmark will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters. The first four F-35s are due to be delivered on Oct. 1.

Washingtons blessing for the plane donations to other countries is needed because the aircraft are made in the United States.

Ukraines Western allies have at times moved slowly on granting Kyiv the military support it has requested.

President Joe Bidens authorization last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and quiet talks with allies, officials said.

The administration had concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia. Also, U.S. officials argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult.

Though delivery is likely months away, Washington says the F-16s  like the advanced U.S. Abrams tanks  will be crucial for Ukraines long-term security.

Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi jets. F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also more versatile, experts say.

In other developments:

 Russian air defenses stopped drone attacks on central Moscow and on the countrys ships in the Black Sea, officials said Friday, blaming the attempted strikes on Ukraine. It was not possible to verify the claims.

 A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that set sail this week along a temporary Black Sea corridor established by Ukraine for merchant shipping safely reached the coast of Istanbul on Friday. The voyage was closely watched to see whether the Russian navy would allow the Joseph Schulte container vessel to pass unmolested.
WASHINGTON  Former New York Sen. James Buckley, an early agitator for then-President Richard Nixons resignation and winner of a landmark lawsuit challenging campaign spending limits, died Friday at age 100.

Buckley died at a hospital in Washington, D.C., according to his son David Buckley of Arlington, Virginia.

Buckley was the fourth of 10 children of a millionaire oilman and older brother of conservative commentator William F. Buckley Jr., who died in February 2008. He was the last survivor of the 10 siblings.

Buckley was the sole Conservative Party candidate to win statewide office in New York, elected to the U.S. Senate in 1970 in a three-way race with 39% of the vote. Republican Sen. Charles Goodell, who was appointed to the job in 1968 after the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and Democratic Rep. Richard Ottinger split the moderate vote, allowing Buckley to capture the seat.

GOP presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, left, and former New York Sen. James Buckley chat at a fund-raising cocktail party sponsored by the friends of the conservative party at Regines in New York, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 1980.

His younger brother called his win the crystallization of counterrevolutionary impulses and often referred to James as the sainted junior senator from New York.

Buckley, identifying himself as both a Republican and Conservative, represented New York in the Senate for one term, losing in 1976 to Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

A conservative who supported free enterprise, fought big government and even opposed Republican Party members he thought were too liberal, Buckley may best be remembered as the plaintiff in a key court decision on campaign finance.

In 1976, two years after major changes were made to U.S. campaign finance law, the Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo threw out mandatory limits on candidate spending as a violation of the First Amendment. The court, however, ruled that Congress could set limits on contributions.

In March 1974, Buckley shocked New York Republicans when he called on Nixon to resign to pull the nation out of the Watergate swamp and save the office of the presidency.

He said he acted out of a duty to my country, to my constituents and to my beliefs.  I do so with sorrow because I am a lifelong Republican who has worked actively for Richard Nixon.

U.S. Senator James L. Buckley, R-NY, testifies in Washington in this March 21, 1975 photo.

Buckley was just the second Republican senator to ask Nixon to step down, after Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts. Nixon finally quit five months later.

He really wasnt a politician; thats probably one of the reasons he didnt get reelected, state Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long said of Buckley in 2006. He really was a statesman of the highest order. He believed very strongly in a set of values, the Constitution and America. He was an outstanding gentleman.

Buckley gained his first wide notice in the political world in 1968 when he attracted more than a million votes as the Conservative Party challenger to liberal Republican Sen. Jacob Javits. At the time it was the best showing for a minor party candidate in state history. Javits won, with help from the states Liberal Party.

Moving to Connecticut after his 1976 loss, Buckley lost a bid for a Senate seat there in 1980 when he was defeated by Democrat Christopher Dodd. The seat was open because of the retirement of Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, another Democrat.

After the Connecticut race, Buckley was appointed by then-President Ronald Reagan as an undersecretary of state from 1981 to 1982.

He went on to serve as president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from 1982 until 1985, when was appointed as a federal appeals court judge in Washington despite criticism from opponents who noted he had worked only a few years as a lawyer.

Among his decisions on the Washington appeals court was one in which he and then-colleague Clarence Thomas, now on the Supreme Court, set aside a $50 million punitive damages award against Korean Air Lines over the Soviet Unions 1983 shooting down of a KAL jetliner.

He stepped down from the bench in 1996 and was ultimately succeeded by John Roberts, now chief justice of the United States.

Buckley was born on March 9, 1923 in New York City. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1943, then enlisted in the Navy. After World War II ended, he went back to Yale and earned a law degree. After a few years practicing law, he entered the Buckley family business.

Buckley is survived by six children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife, Ann, died in 2011.
Its been almost 60 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act into law. The landmark legislation freed thousands of people from the cold custody of mental institutions with the understanding that there would be an accompanying shift from in-patient to community-based care funded by new federal resources and support.

Unfortunately Kennedys ambition and optimism for change, while inspiring, was never fully realized. Of the 14 million Americans living with serious mental illness today, about a third go without treatment. In New York City alone, that means roughly 100,000 people with some of the most acute and debilitating mental health conditions are left without any type of meaningful care.

The fact is weve simply traded one grim tableau for another: Instead of a life locked behind institutional doors, people with mental illness have been exiled and isolated, left to wander the streets, homeless, only to find themselves swept into the criminal legal system, or worse, for symptoms of their brain condition.

It doesnt have to be this way.

In New York, clubhouses like Fountain House Bronx are a prime example of what holistic, dignified care can and should look like. These voluntary, member-led communities offer people with serious mental illness  people who have, for far too long, been forced to live on the margins  a place where they are welcomed, supported, and set up for success. Clubhouse members not only receive free access to resources, like job training and housing support, but more importantly, theyre finally given the agency, self-efficacy, and respect to recover and thrive.

This model has been shown to reduce mental health crises and the need for psychiatric hospitalizations, thus reducing health care costs. It also increases the likelihood that members will be employed and stably housed while avoiding needless incarceration. We need more clubhouses in the Bronx and in New York overall as a real and proven way to address our mental health crisis and change countless lives for the better.

In June, the New York State Senate allocated $9 million in capital funds to Fountain House Bronx for the construction of its new, larger building, recognizing the immense value-add of clubhouses, especially in high-need areas like the Bronx. But this work cannot be accomplished by one governing body alone. We need city, state, and federal officials  all of whom are in agreement that mental health is a dire priority  to come together and invest in strengthening our overall continuum of care, with urgency and at scale.

Clubhouses and other community mental health programs arent only impactful, cost-effective, and dignifying but have also proven politically popular. Recent polling shows that a majority of voters, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of increasing funding for mental illness interventions and are more likely to vote for candidates who support these programs, even if it increases their own taxes. We must take advantage of this moment while there is public will and political alignment for change to carry out Kennedys vision for true transformative, community-based care.

For generations, the Bronx has been a place of divestment and compounding neglect. Instead of fostering opportunity and intergenerational wealth, our community has inherited trauma, blame, and harm. Bronx County has the overall highest rate of poverty in all of New York State with an estimated 26.5% of the local population living below the poverty line.

The Bronx also has the highest rate of psychiatric hospitalizations, as well as the highest proportion of people in serious psychological distress, across the five boroughs. More than 90% of the Medicaid-insured population in the Bronx live in whats known as a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, making it extremely difficult to find a local mental health provider, let alone one that can provide culturally competent care.

We know that people living with mental illness, their families, and their communities deserve so much more. Solutions like Fountain House Bronx, in just a few years, have already shown what can happen when people are seen as more than their illness and given the tools to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Its time to invest in the Bronxs mental health infrastructure as a fiscal and moral imperative that will benefit not just Bronxites but all New Yorkers  making our communities safer and stronger in the process for generations to come. Together, we can reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and finally expand access to the proven interventions and preventative measures that will allow all of us to thrive.

Sepulveda represents the 32nd District in the Bronx in the state Senate. Nam is a member of Fountain House Bronx living with serious mental illness.
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Prosecutors opt not to indict Chinese executives in security case

ROC Central News Agency

08/18/2023 03:38 PM

Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) Taiwan's High Prosecutors Office has agreed with a decision made by Taipei prosecutors not to indict Chinese businessman Xiang Xin () and his wife Kung Ching () on national security charges due to a lack of evidence.

In view of the investigation carried out by district prosecutors, there was not enough evidence to suggest that the two had violated Taiwan's National Security Act, the high prosecutors office said in a statement Thursday.

Xiang, the CEO of China Innovation Investment Ltd., and Kung, an alternate board member, were arrested by Investigation Bureau agents at Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 24, 2019 before boarding a flight to Hong Kong.

Their arrests came after William Wang Liqiang (), a self-proclaimed Chinese spy seeking asylum in Australia, said China Innovation Investment, where he was formerly employed, was a front for efforts by Chinese intelligence to target Hong Kong's democracy movement and Taiwan's elections.

Though Xiang and Kung were released days after their arrest, they were barred from leaving Taiwan pending further investigation into Wang's allegations.

On April 8, 2021, the couple was indicted on charges of money laundering, and prosecutors said they remained under investigation for alleged violations of Taiwan's National Security Act as they were believed to have conspired with Chinese intelligence.

In November 2021, the Taipei District Prosecutors Office decided not to prosecute the two Chinese nationals on national security grounds due to a lack of evidence, and they submitted the case to the high prosecutors office for review.

The office subsequently returned the case to the district office requesting further investigation, arguing that there were still details related to Wang's allegations that needed to be clarified.

After more than a year of information gathering, Taipei prosecutors stood by their initial decision and decided in May 2023 not to indict Xiang and Kung for a national security breach, citing insufficient evidence.

The office had reached out to Australia for help, but were told that "circumstances do not qualify for mutual legal assistance," it said, adding that prosecutors had also sought assistance from Chinese authorities but to no avail.

On Thursday, the high prosecutors office said there was no need to reconsider the case again and determined that the decision not to indict on national security grounds was final.

The couple was also acquitted of the money laundering charge by the Taipei District Court in February 2022, also because of a lack of evidence.

Prosecutors appealed the ruling, however, and the case was heard on July 12 by the High Court, which said it will announce a verdict in September.

Wang was refused asylum in January 2023 and was facing deportation back to China, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.

(By Hsieh Hsin-en and Ko Lin)

Enditem/ls

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), engaged in its mission to secure victory for a third consecutive time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and form the government at the centre, has prepared its election strategy and begun implementing it. Discussing the BJP's strategy on a larger scale, it is evident that, while considering the preparations of the opposition alliances, the saffron party is focusing on a strategy to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote share.



While the BJP intends to safeguard its strongholds on one hand, it also plans to make dents into the strongholds of opposition parties.



The party wants to teach a lesson to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, who are now aligned with the opposition.



In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, in alliance the with Apna Dal (S), secured victory on 64 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. This time, the party is paying special attention to the 16 seats they lost last time.



In Maharashtra, the BJP, in alliance with the Shiv Sena, secured victory in 41 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats. But now the saffron party is strategising to secure victory on all 48 seats by teaming up with different partners such as the Shiv Sena-led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.



In Bihar, the BJP, along with the JDU and LJP, secured victory in 39 out of 40 seats. However, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who won 16 seats last time, is now part of the opposition.



The BJP is aiming at Nitish Kumar's vote bank and MPs.



In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 28 out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh; 25 out of 28 in Karnataka; 26 in Gujarat; 25 in Rajasthan (in alliance);10 seats in Haryana; 5 seats in Uttarakhand; 7 seats in Delhi; 4 seats in Himachal Pradesh; 11 out of 14 seats in Jharkhand; 9 out of 11 in Chhattisgarh; and 9 out of 14 in Assam.



The BJP alone secured more than 50 per cent of the votes in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh in 2019.



The party aims to achieve the same feat in these states this time, ensuring a decisive victory against the opposition unity.



In 2019, the BJP secured more than 50 per cent of the votes in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena and in Bihar with Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan. This time, the BJP aims to recreate that magic with new allies.



The BJP is well aware that if the opposition manages to unite successfully, it could pose challenges. Thus, the party is focusing on states where opposition unity seems unlikely or where the BJP's performance was not satisfactory last time, or where the BJP expects a better performance this time.



In 2019, the BJP did not win a single seat in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the BJP is striving to open its account in these three states.



In Tamil Nadu, a senior woman minister from the Central government is also preparing to contest the elections.



In 2019, the BJP won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal, 8 out of 21 in Odisha, 4 out of 17 in Telangana, and 2 out of 13 in Punjab (Akali Dal also won 2 seats, although they are not with the BJP now). The BJP's efforts in these four states are directed towards increasing the number of party MPs.



To achieve its electoral goals, the BJP is working on multiple levels. While it is deploying Union Ministers and party leaders on 160 Lok Sabha seats, which are considered weak to increase public connect. The party is also searching for new candidates to replace the inactive ones from the 303 seats won last time.



Furthermore, with a focus on managing the micro-level operations of the election campaign and streamlining the organisation and activities, the BJP has divided all states and union territories into three regions: East Region, North Region, and South Region. The party has also held separate meetings with leaders from these regions.








August 18, 2023

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

Japan, South Korea, U.S. Strengthen Trilateral Cooperation

The trilateral ties among Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States will make the world safer and the three countries stronger, President Joe Biden said at the conclusion of talks at Camp David, Maryland today.

The United States has decades of solid relations with both South Korea and Japan bilaterally - both nations are treaty allies of the United States. But forging a trilateral relationship has long proved difficult, as there have been roadblocks to relations between South Korea and Japan.

Biden praised the political courage of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio for their efforts to work together. He said the Republic of Korea and Japan are capable and indispensable allies, and that America's commitment to both countries is ironclad.

"Strengthening the ties between our democracies has long been a priority for me, dating back to when I was vice president of the United States," Biden said at the start of the meeting. "That's because our countries are stronger and the world is safer ... as we stand together. And I know this is a belief we all three share."

All three leaders believe this to be an inflection point in history, Biden said. "We're called to lead in new ways to work together to stand together," he said. "And today, I'm proud to say our nations are answering that call."

The three nations agreed to elevate defense collaboration. This includes launching annual multidomain military exercises to bring trilateral defense cooperation to unprecedented levels, the president said.

The nations will also speed up information sharing on North Korea's missile launches and cyber activities which will strengthen ballistic missile defense cooperation.

"Critically, we've all committed to swiftly consult with each other in response to threats to any one of our countries from whatever source that occurs," Biden said. "That means we'll have a hotline to share information and coordinate our responses whenever there is a crisis in the region or affecting any one of our countries."

The three nations reaffirmed their commitments to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and address economic coercion. Biden said. "We're going to continue to counter threats from [North Korea] including cryptocurrency money laundering to the tune of billions of dollars, and potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine," he said. "Together, we're going to stand up for international law, freedom of navigation and a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea."

President Yoon noted that Camp David has been the site of many historic meetings over the years. "From this moment on, Camp David, will be remembered as a historic place where the Republic of Korea, the United States and Japan, proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity based on our shared values of freedom, human rights and rule of law," he said through a translator. "The stronger coordination between Korea, the U.S. and Japan requires more robust institutional foundations. Moreover, challenges that threaten regional security must be addressed by us building a stronger commitment to working together."

Kishida said the international community is at a turning point in history. "In order to allow the potential of our trilateral strategic collaboration to bloom and to blossom, I wish to take this moment to raise the security coordination between Japan, ROK and the U.S. to new heights," he said.

In a written statement, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III called the meeting historic. "Today's summit reaffirmed that cooperation among our three countries delivers security and prosperity for our people, the Indo-Pacific region and the world," he said. "We are working more closely than ever with the ROK and Japan in support of a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region."

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August 18, 2023

By Jim Garamone , DOD News

Europe/Africa Air Force Chief Cites Lessons From War in Ukraine

The U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa are learning lessons from the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine to develop strategies, capabilities and tactics needed to better defend the NATO nations, Air Force Gen. James B. Hecker told the Defense Writers' Group today.

Hecker, speaking from his headquarters at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, also discussed the situation in Africa.

Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has given NATO leaders a view into President Vladimir Putin's military machine. "It has given us the opportunity to take a look and learn some lessons from what's going on in the last year and a half," Hecker told reporters. "I think, by far, the largest lesson that we've learned is that neither side was able to get air superiority. I think we all thought that Russia would get it within a couple of days, and we'd be looking at a 10-day war."

Ukrainian counter-air capabilities were up to the task. The general said Ukrainians shot down at least 75 Russian aircraft before the Russians changed tactics. Many were knocked down by shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft weapons, he said. Russian forces charged to the suburbs of Ukraine's capital of Kyiv before the Ukrainian military pushed them back.

Had the Russians gained air superiority, it may have been a totally different picture. "But since they weren't able to do that, we end up with a fight that we have today ... we haven't seen one like this probably since World War I," the general said.

The war devolved to an artillery duel with the Russian military indiscriminately firing into civilian areas of Ukraine.

"What we've seen out of the Russian side, is they have gone to solely using one-way [unmanned aerial vehicles] they get very cheaply from Iran, or they use cruise missiles off of their bombers that they launch from thousands of miles away," he said.

Both Ukraine and Russia have significant, integrated air and missile defense systems. These surface-to-air missiles prevented either side from establishing air superiority.

"My No. 1 priorityand throughout NATOon the air side is to counter the anti-access, area-denial mission," he said. "We've been putting a lot of effort on improving our skills and working with all of the allies to do that."

The general said his second priority is countering how Russia fights when it can't get air superiority. The Ukrainians have been very good at knocking down the one-way UAVs and cruise missiles, and NATO nations need to improve their capabilities, as well, he said.

"My third priority is information sharing," Hecker said. "It's amazing what you can do if you share information amongst your alliesand how much better and capable you make each other really at zero cost. It's just a policy change, but an important one."

He said the Air Force also needs to invest in and exercise the agile combat employment capability. ACE, as it is called, is about dispersing aircraft and high-value equipment to safeguard deterrence. "As weapons get a lot more accurate, they can just hit every single aircraft even if it's dispersed [on an air base]," Hecker said. "What we have to do now is disperse our aircraft amongst different airfields and potentially even on highways."

He said his final priority is command and control, which is complicated by the ACE concept. "How are we going to command and control all these units, especially if they're taking off and landing at other airfields using the ACE concept?" he asked. "How are we going to make that happen?"

Operating in the face of cyberattacks also complicate this situation.

Hecker also has responsibility for Air Force support in Africa where the situation in Niger is front and center in that theater. Nigerien Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, a former chief of the country's Presidential Guard, seized power from Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. The Defense Department has paused military training in Niger and has also paused some additional security cooperation efforts as officials continue to monitor events on the ground.

The United States has roughly 1,000 personnel in the country. "If our civilian leaders decide that they want us out there, then obviously we have we've been doing planning for that, and we'll be ready to get us out there," Hecker said. "We hope that it's been a permissive environment."

Taking troops and capabilities from the nation would have an effect on counterterrorism operations in and around the Lake Chad region. "But we will obviously look for some other allies that are in [West Africa] that we could maybe partner up with and then move our assets there," he said.

The general stressed that no decision has been made, and plans are just a prudent precaution. "What we hope for is that we have a peaceful diplomatic solution to this, and we don't have to move," he said.

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Cyprus: Statement by the High Representative on the escalation of the situation around construction works near Pyla/Pile

European External Action Service (EEAS)

18.08.2023

Strategic Communications

The European Union condemns the assault on United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) peacekeepers by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning. We call on the Turkish Cypriot side to fully respect the mission's mandated authority inside the UN buffer zone.

The recent unilateral steps with regard to the unauthorised construction work by the Turkish Cypriot side inside the UN buffer zone near Pyla/Pile, are a violation of the status quo that leads to escalation.

The EU calls for calm and stability in the area, as well as for the resumption of important work on a mutually agreeable way forward in the Pyla/Pile area.

Recalling the European Council Conclusions of June 2023, the EU remains fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the UN framework, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded and the acquis.

For this settlement to be possible in the future, also in line with the Press Statement of the UN Security Council of 12 July 2023, it remains essential to avoid unilateral actions, including actions that violate the military status quo along the ceasefire lines or encroachment into the buffer zone.

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Camp David summit could be 'starting shot' for new cold war

Global Times

By Liu Xin and Yu Xi Published: Aug 18, 2023 09:18 PM Updated: Aug 18, 2023 10:43 PM

The leaders of the US, Japan and South Korea are set to meet at Camp David, Maryland on Friday to upgrade "cooperation," a move criticized by observers as being a starting shot for a cold war, and experts warned that the summit would bring more regional risks.

It has been reported that the summit at Camp David is scheduled to adopt two documents, tentatively titled the "Camp David Principles" and the "Spirit of Camp David." The first will contain guidelines for trilateral cooperation and the other will outline their vision for cooperation and its implementation plan, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

The Asia-Pacific region is a highland of peace and development, and a land of cooperation that must not become an arena for geopolitical games again, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday, commenting on the US-South Korea-Japan summit at Camp David, and urged all parties to uphold true multilateralism amid a complex international security situation.

"Who is creating conflicts and intensifying tensions? The international community has its own consensus," said Wang. The attempts to form exclusive small cliques and groups and bring camp confrontation and military blocs into the Asia-Pacific region is unpopular and will prompt caution and opposition from the countries in the region, Wang noted.

The security of one country should not come at the expense of that of any other or of regional peace and stability, said Wang.

US President Joe Biden invited the leaders of Japan and South Korea to attend the Camp David summit on Friday. However, the atmosphere of a cold war has spread before the summit even started. "It is appropriate to say that the Camp David summit is possibly a starting shot for a new cold war," Lu Chao, an expert on Korean Peninsula issues with the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday.

As for Japan and South Korea, we hope that we can co-develop and co-exist peacefully as neighbors. Meanwhile, sincere economic cooperation among the three countries could be a boon to the entire world economy, Lu said. "The summit is clearly a US-led effort to tie Japan and South Korea to its chariot, especially as pawns, in pursuit of a new-generation US strategy," Lu noted.

This is the first time in history that the US, Japan and South Korea have held a trilateral summit on an occasion other than an international conference, and also the first time that Biden has hosted foreign leaders at Camp David since taking office in 2021, according to media reports.

However, it will not be easy to tie the three countries' interests together. For instance, South Korea believes that the Korean Peninsula issue is a top priority, but the US and Japan obviously do not concern themselves with this, and their focus is more on China or other issues serving the US' global strategy. In this regard, the US, Japan and South Korea have certain differences, according to Lu.

Also, discussions on science, tech, industrial chain and other fields at the summit will have a more far-reaching negative impact on the South Korean economy. If the three countries engage in so-called joint advance and retreat, especially in the field of science and technology, the extent of the losses suffered by each country will be different. However, South Korea's losses are likely to be the biggest, and this is something its government has to consider, said Lu.

"The Camp David summit may not be a good thing for South Korea or Japan, in terms of military, security and economic cooperation," noted Lu.

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South Korea, Japan and US vow 'new era'

At Camp David, the three leaders laud a 'blossoming' of ties and pledge annual summits and military exercises.

By Alex Willemyns for RFA 2023.08.18 -- The leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States will meet annually from now on and discuss all regional security issues on a threeway hotline before making decisions, President Joe Biden said after a high-profile trilateral summit at Camp David on Friday.

Military exercises between the countries will also be organized each year, the U.S. president said, and the three countries would prioritize the "peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea."

Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the redoubt in northern Maryland for five hours amid a push by the leaders to seize on a slim window of opportunity to "institutionalize" ties towards a trilateral alliance.

The South Korean and Japanese governments, experts say, are seeking to lock-in a U.S. role in their region amid fears next year's U.S. presidential election could return an isolationist to office, while Tokyo remains skeptical Yoon's fervor for closer ties can last in a country where many still harbor anti-Japanese resentment.

But Biden said at a press conference after the summit he believed increased trilateral cooperation now looked set in concrete, with Yoon and Kishida - the leaders of two historical enemies, both separately allied with the United States - coming together in joint interest.

"If it looks like I'm happy, that's because I am," Biden said. He called the summit "historic" and "a long-term structure for a relationship that will last" and may even be "expanded" into something larger.

Biden made reference to a 2010 hot-mic moment in which he was caught, as vice-president, using an expletive to emphasize excitement: "Someone once said in a different context - about health care provision in my country, a while ago - this is a 'big deal,'" he said.

Lasting ties

Biden also said South Korean and Japanese citizens should not be concerned about a return to his predecessor as president, Donald Trump, because the summit created shared institutions across the countries aimed to make ties "more certain to remain in place."

"There's not much, if anything, I agree on with my predecessor on foreign policy. His 'America First' policy, walking away from the rest of the world, made us weaker, not stronger," Biden said. "What makes today different is it actually launches a series of initiatives that are actually institutional changes in how we deal with one another."

Yoon said the summit laid the basis of much closer trilateral ties across levels of government, and not just on the leader level.

"In addition to making our trilateral summit regular, we have agreed to have our government personnel at all levels - including foreign ministers, defense ministers and national security advisors - meet every year to closely coordinate our trilateral cooperation," Yoon said.

A "consultative body for development policy coordination" would also be created, he added, and the three capitals would coordinate the tracking of North Korean missile tests, which are being launched with increasing frequency over both South Korea and Japan.

Kishida noted that all three countries would be members of the U.N. Security Council next year and said they should use their unity to put pressure on Beijing's expansion and Pyongyang's nuclear program, which he noted were driving forces of the Camp David summit.

"The unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas are continuing, and the nuclear and missile threat of North Korea, are only becoming ever larger," Kishida said.

"Under such circumstances, to make our trilateral strategic collaboration blossom and bloom is only logical, and almost inevitable."

No trilateral alliance

The leaders released two documents: a shorter text called "The Principles of Camp David" and an official statement for the summit called "The Spirit of Camp David," which among other things slammed China's government for its "dangerous and aggressive behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims" in the South China Sea.

The principles, meanwhile, avowed "the complete denuclearization" of North Korea, "peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" and that the three countries would "stand as one" and remain "aligned in our objectives and in our actions" while operating in the Indo-Pacific.

However, the statement skirted the fact that the three countries were not signing a formal trilateral alliance, with the relationships still to be defined by Tokyo and Seoul's separate alliances with Washington, which have been in effect since 1952 and 1953, respectively.

"With the renewed bonds of friendshipand girded by the ironclad U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK allianceseach of our bilateral relationships is now stronger than ever," it said. "So too is our trilateral relationship."

Beijing has described the summit as an example of the United States trying to hem in its power in the region. On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin again criticized the meeting and argued it would not be received well throughout Asia.

"The Asia-Pacific is an anchor for peace and development and a promising land for cooperation and growth, and should never be turned into a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition again," Wang said, slamming attempts to create "exclusionary groupings and bring bloc confrontation and military blocs into the Asia-Pacific."

'Staying power'

Before the summit began, Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, noted that no summit of foreign leaders had been held at Camp David since 2015, under former President Barack Obama.

But he noted the location - the site where former President Franklin Roosevelt hosted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War II and where Bill Clinton hosted the leaders of Israel and Palestine to try to end their conflict in 2000 - was chosen deliberately.

"In keeping with the time-honored tradition of hosting significant, consequential diplomatic meetings at Camp David, this summit signifies a new era of trilateral cooperation for the U.S., Japan and the ROK," he said, referring to South Korea's government. "We're opening a new era, and we're making sure that era has staying power."

He also denied claims leveled by Beijing that the summit marked the start of U.S. efforts to create a security pact like NATO in the east, saying the partnership was not being aimed "against anyone."

"It's explicitly not a NATO for the Pacific," Sullivan said. "We will continue to underscore that, and so will both Japan and Korea."

France and Germany redux

Another senior administration official, speaking on the condition he not be identified, said on a call he believed the summit marked a permanent warming in the rocky ties between Tokyo and Seoul.

He likened the event to similar meetings between historical enemies France and Germany in the 1970s and 1980s, which he noted were also controversial among the two populations at the time but had over the decades forged an entirely political reality in Europe.

"I've been doing diplomacy in Asia for 30 years, or longer; I don't think I've ever been involved in a series of preparations in which alignment between the three governments was so clear," he said, pointing to the shared sense of "threat perception, opportunities and duty."

He was less cautious than Sullivan about citing China's role, and said the newfound union between Seoul and Tokyo, in particular, could be attributable to the deteriorating security situation in Northeast Asia caused by Beijing's expansionism and Pyongyang's nuclear program.

"What you're seeing in Japan, South Korea and the United States is largely a response to security steps and measures that we believe are antithetical to our interests," he said, before adding that the three were still "committed to effective, practical diplomacy with China."

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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New airport, Mekong port in Laos could divert revenue to China, officials say

Murky 'Golden Triangle' Special Economic Zone is gambling and tourist hub catering to Chinese.

By RFA Lao 2023.08.18 -- Residents of Laos' Bokeo province are concerned that an airport and Mekong River port due for completion early next year will divert customs revenue into Chinese hands and further open the area to smuggling and other crimes that authorities have proven unable - or unwilling - to control.

A new report by the International Crisis Group called for a "coordinated regional approach" - including through law enforcement and governance - to combat the outsized impact illicit businesses have in Bokeo's Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, or SEZ, and across the river in Myanmar's Shan state.

The Lao government can expect to lose customs revenue, taxes and entry fees to Chinese investors who have a 99-year lease on the land in Bokeo where the airport and river port are being built, according to a Lao transportation official who, like others interviewed for this story, declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

"The people are concerned about the ports as [they are located on land] sold to Chinese investors," one official told RFA Lao. "The Lao people got nothing from the lease. The villagers will have to pay to use these ports in the future and Lao officials have no rights to inspect them."

The murky SEZ is a gambling and tourism hub catering to Chinese citizens situated along the Mekong River where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand meet.

Much like the adjacent Myanmar Yatai Shwe Kokko SEZ, the Golden Triangle SEZ has also become a haven for criminal activities including prostitution, scamming and drug trafficking.

Ceding control of ports

The Lao government will be missing out on revenue from millions of tourists visiting Laos via the new airport and Mekong port each year, a Bokeo official told RFA.

"Currently, tourists are still using the old port to cross the Mekong River, but Chinese investors are renovating it into a new port controlled by the Golden Triangle SEZ authority in terms of the transport of goods in and out of the zone and the associated fee collection," he said.

The Mekong port alone will be upgraded to accommodate ships carrying 500 tons of cargo to Laos from China, as well as around 150,000 tourists annually - mostly Chinese nationals, he said.

A villager from Bokeo's Ton Pheung district said he is worried about the amount of control Chinese investors will have over the region once the ports are complete. In addition to controlling customs tariffs, the investors will determine who and what can enter and exit the country via the ports, he said.

"If the Mekong port [and airport] becomes an international port, it will be the Chinese owners who will inspect people and merchandise coming in and out of those areas," he said. "Sometimes there are Lao police present there but they have no rights to inspect. Mostly Chinese police will handle those ports."

A resident of the capital Vientiane slammed the Lao government for allocating land to Chinese investors to build international ports at the SEZ, calling the move "a big mistake."

"The Lao people get no benefit and will have lost more than they gained," he said. "The Chinese investors do what they want without consulting the people."

Fighting crime and its causes

The Golden Triangle SEZ, managed by the Chinese-owned Kings Romans Casino, is part of a 3,000-hectare (7,400-acre) concession on which investors have built hotels, restaurants, casinos, a hospital, markets and factories.

Described as a de facto Chinese colony, businesses in the SEZ, established in 2007, are exempt from most national-level economic regulations, and often receive tax breaks and are governed by different labor laws.

Many impoverished young Laotians from other provinces and foreigners who were promised lucrative jobs end up held against their will in places that include the Kings Romans Casino by trafficking rings that exploit them under threat of violence. In 2018, the U.S. government sanctioned the Chinese tycoon who is said to run the economic zone as head of a trafficking network.

On Friday, the Washington-based International Crisis Group called addressing criminality in the SEZ and across the Mekong in Myanmar's Shan state "a top political priority."

"The sheer size of illicit businesses, which dwarf the legal economies of both Shan state and northern Laos, means that they have an enormous local impact, entrenching corruption, weakening governance institutions and damaging community bonds in both these areas," the group said in a report.

"The criminal networks involved have regional - in some cases, global - reach and can rapidly shift from one jurisdiction to another to minimize risks to their operations. A coordinated regional approach is thus vital for tackling them," it said.

But the report acknowledged that geopolitical competition between China and the U.S. "complicates coordination," while regional states "continue to rely heavily on unilateral criminal justice responses" to issues in the area.

While a typical security or police approach "treats immediate symptoms," the Crisis Group called on authorities to also work to solve fundamental causes of crime in the zones, "including weak governance and rampant corruption, not to mention a willingness or desire of some jurisdictions to court illicit investments."

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Edited by Joshua Lipes.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Afghan Warlord Dostum Vows From Exile To Fight Taliban

By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi August 18, 2023

Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek warlord and former politician in Afghanistan who is a member of the Supreme Council of National Resistance coalition, has said that his fighters are prepared to act against the Taliban whenever the world comes to the conclusion that it cannot deal with the hard-line extremist group in control in Kabul.

Dostum made the comments during an online meeting of the council on August 17 that was held in connection with the second anniversary of the Taliban's seizure of power on August 15, 2021.

Dostum said that the Taliban was unwilling to accept any proposals from the international community, which has expressed concerns over its treatment of women and religious minorities as Afghanistan suffers from a humanitarian crises brought about by drought, economic instability, and difficulties in distributing aid.

Dostum said that the Afghan people are fed up with the rule of the Taliban, which is considered illegitimate by the international community, and called for political support from the United States and other countries in his effort to oust it from power.

The Taliban has not commented on Dostum's remarks, which were made from Ankara, where he resides in exile.

In 2019, while serving as a first vice president in the former Afghan government, Dostum narrowly survived an assassination attempt claimed by the Taliban and was identified as a key target by the extremist group.

In 2018, Dostum survived a suicide-bomb attack at Kabul airport after a year of self-imposed exile in Turkey after being accused of torturing and abusing a political rival in northern Afghanistan.

Members of the Supreme Council of National Resistance operate from outside Afghanistan.

Dostum led troops against the Taliban two decades ago before spending various stints in senior government defense positions and other posts, including vice president, after the former Taliban government was toppled in 2001.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-dostum- fighters/32553567.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Yerevan Says Airport Fired On From Azerbaijan Hours After Prime Minister's Visit

By RFE/RL's Armenian Service August 18, 2023

Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) has said that an airport near the southeastern border with Azerbaijan was fired upon from Azerbaijani territory hours after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian visited the facility.

The NSS said the incident took place in the early morning of August 18 at the Syunik airport in the town of Kapan. Pashinian had flown to the airport on August 17 from Yerevan.

According to the NSS, an unidentified individual fired three shots at the airport from across the border, striking windows and the roof of a building at the airport.

"We call on the authorities of Azerbaijan to conduct a proper investigation of the incident and to take measures to exclude the repetition of such incidents," the NSS said in a statement.

"The Border Guard troops of the Republic of Armenia NSS are ready for a joint investigation and/or a transfer of relevant videos to the Azerbaijani side," it added.

Azerbaijan did not immediately comment on the incident.

Syunik airport was recently renovated and is expected to begin regular passenger flights to and from Yerevan next week.

Pashinian was accompanied by Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Gnel Sanosian during his tour of the facility, which last had regular routes to and from Yerevan in the 1990s. The airport's runway is situated less than 100 meters from the border with Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian-populated mountainous enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The most recent war lasted six weeks in late 2020 and left 7,000 soldiers dead on both sides.

As a result of the war, Azerbaijan regained control over a part of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts. The war ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan- airport-shots-fired-pashinian/32553605.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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ECOWAS Sets Date for Military Intervention in Niger - Commissioner

Sputnik News

20230818

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - General staff chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have agreed on a date for the beginning of military intervention in Niger, but will not make it public, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said on Friday.

"The D-day is also decided. We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention," Musah was quoted as saying by Qatari media.

Although the ECOWAS commissioner refused to disclose the date of possible intervention, he said that the bloc's troops were ready "to go anytime the order is given."

The commissioner added that the African bloc could send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday.

"Tomorrow there is the possibility of an ECOWAS mission going into Niger to continue to pursue the peaceful path to restoration of constitutional order. We are ready to resolve the issue peacefully but it takes two to tango," French media quoted Musah as saying.

Musah made the statement at the end of a two-day meeting of the ECOWAS general staff chiefs in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

A military takeover took place in Niger on July 26 and saw Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum ousted and detained by his own guard, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani.

Following the events, ECOWAS suspended all financial aid to Niger, froze rebels' assets and imposed a ban on commercial flights to and from the country. In early August, during a summit in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, ECOWAS leaders agreed to activate a standby force to potentially compel the Nigerien military to reinstate Bazoum.

 Sputnik

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Russia, Hungary Sign Documents on Moving to Direct Construction of Paks-2 NPP

Sputnik News

20230818

BUDAPEST (Sputnik) - Moscow and Budapest have signed documents on the transition of the Paks nuclear power plant (NPP) project, also known as Paks-2, to the stage of direct construction, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Friday.

The documents have been signed by Paksi Atomeromu Zrt CEO Gergely Jakli and ASE JSC (part of Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation) Vice President Alexander Merten.

"The transition to the direct construction phase gives us the green light to start the production of the main power equipment," said Merten.

According to him, the Paks-2 project is attracting the interest of the Hungarian industry, European countries and other states.

In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed documents on the construction of new power units No. 5 and No. 6 at the Paks NPP with reactor units based on the advanced Russian VVER-1200 project. Moscow has granted Budapest a state loan of up to ten billion euros, the total cost of the works will amount to 12.5 billion euros. The license for the construction of the new units has already been issued.

 Sputnik

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah will on Sunday release a detailed report card of over 18 years of BJP rule in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh. While the 'report card' will highlight the progress witnessed in the last two decades, the opposition Congress apparently has played a master stroke by releasing a charge-sheet against the ruling side.



The BJPs report card will narrate the story of progressive Madhya Pradesh after it formed the government in 2003 and remained in power till today (barring December 2018 to March 2020), of which for more than 16 years, the government has been headed by current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.



Elaborating on Shah's August 20 visit to Bhopal and Gwalior, state BJP chief V. D. Sharma said that the Union Minister Shah will present in Bhopal the Garib Kalyan (poor sections welfare) centric Report Card of over 18 years of BJP rule in the state. He will subsequently travel to Gwalior to grace the partys expanded state executive/working committee meeting at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Auditorium.



Notably, Gwalior is the home district of three powerful BJP leaders -- Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Jyotiraditya Scindia and state home minister Narottam Mishra. It would be Shahs fourth visit to the poll-bound BJP ruled state in less than 40 days, to guide the party prepare for the coming Assembly polls.



Earlier, Shah had visited Bhopal on July 11 and July 25 and Indore on July 30. His visit to Gwalior assumes particular significance, as the BJPs internal surveys are believed to have painted a bleak picture for the partys prospects in the 34 Assembly seats-strong Gwalior-Chambal region.



As the state BJP unit has already started comparing its report card with 10 years' rule of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government (1993-2003), possibility of the ruling side highlighting the conditions of the state three decades back to prove its own claimed golden era of Madhya Pradesh cannot be ruled out.



The BJPs IT cells operation to highlight subjects like  economy, governance, roads, electricity, poverty rate and a lot more has been in process for the last couple of months in social media with a tag of bantadhar for ex-CM Digvijaya Singh.



However, the Congress led by Kamal Nath played a master stroke and issued a so-called chargesheet against CM Chouhans nearly two decades of rule in Madhya Pradesh.



State Congress president along with leader of opposition (LoP) Govind Singh released a new poster titled Ghotala on Friday.



It its chargesheet, the Congress has accused the BJP government of Rs 15,000 crore nutrition meal scam, Rs 12,000 crore mid-day meal scam, Rs 9,500 crore Anganwadi nal-jal scam, Rs 2,000 crore Vyapam scam and Rs 800

crore Patwari recruitment scam.



Over all, the Congress released at list of 254 scams during broke out during the 18 years rule of the BJP in Madhya

Pradesh, which also includes  mining scams of worth Rs 50,000 crore, liquor scam of worth Rs 86,000 crore, electricity scam of Rs 94,000 crore and Mahakal Lok scam of Rs 100 crore.



After releasing the poster Ghotala to corner the ruling BJP, state Congress head Kamal Nath termed CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan as Thag-Raj and asserted that some more scams would be exposed in the next three months.



In a fresh attack on CM Shivraj, MP Congress head Kamal Nath on Saturday said, The Congress party has put the list of scams in 18 years of the Shivraj government in front of the public. I expect the Chief Minister would apologise to the public for each and every scam and bring all the accused including himself to justice.








Japan, US, Australia to Conduct Joint Naval Drills in South China Sea - Reports

Sputnik News

20230818

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Japan, the United States and Australia will conduct joint naval exercises in the South China Sea on August 23, a Japanese news agency reported on Friday, citing sources.

Major vessels of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the US Navy and the Royal Australian Navy will be stationed near the Philippines, the news outlet noted. Japan plans to send its largest destroyer, the Izumo, which is being converted into a de facto aircraft carrier, the sources added.

The exercises are reportedly aimed at monitoring Chinese vessels, while a timeframe for the drills has not yet been set.

The exercises come amid escalating tensions between China and the Philippines after a Chinese coast guard vessel fired a water cannon at a smaller Philippine boat on August 5, preventing it from carrying out a resupply mission, the news agency clarified.

On August 6, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) strongly condemned the Chinese coast guard's "dangerous maneuvers and illegal use of water cannons against the PCG vessels" near Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal. The Chinese coast guard fired back, saying that two cargo ships and two PCG vessels entered the territorial waters of the Nansha (Spratly) Islands without China's permission, adding that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and adjacent waters.

The reef, known as Ren'ai Jiao in China and Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, is part of the disputed Spratly Islands, a large archipelago to which China and several other Asian nations lay rival claims. The Philippines grounded a naval transport ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, on the reef in 1999 to house a contingent of marines.

 Sputnik

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Keel Authenticated for Future USS Tang (SSN 805)

US Navy

18 August 2023

From Team Submarine Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. -- Senior Navy leaders and shipbuilders gathered at General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut, to attend a keel-laying ceremony for the future Virginia-class submarine USS Tang (SSN 805), Aug. 17.

The keel laying ceremony signifies a major milestone in the life of a ship as the ship transitions to reality. The future USS Tang will be a Block V submarine and the 32nd Virginia Class submarine.

During his remarks, Vice Adm. William Houston, Commander, Submarine Forces addressed the industrial team stressing the importance of their work.

"I look at you, the workers, who build these magnificent submarines and I just cannot thank you enough," said Houston. "As a submarine force commander responsible for 25,000 Submariners, you give us the best platform to operate in the world." Houston continued by underscoring the role shipyard workers hold in the defense industry. "You are contributing to an enterprise of defense of the greatest nation in the world in support of freedom and democracy throughout the world."

In a time-honored Navy tradition, the submarine's sponsor, Ms. Mimi Donnelly, in collaboration with a welder etched her initials onto a steel plate that will be installed on the submarine. The bond symbolizes the enduring relationship between the sponsor, the ship, and her crew.

Donnelly has a long history of volunteer service to the Navy community. She was awarded the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award for her leadership while serving as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Dolphin Scholarship Foundation and as a Senior Advisor to the Submarine Officer Spouse Association.

"I am honored to recognize Ms. Donnelly, as well as the shipbuilders who are here today, to celebrate Tang's keel laying as we look forward to a long life of service," said Capt. Mike Hollenbach, Virginia-class program manager. "This is a significant milestone as the submarine begins to take shape in preparation for future delivery to the Fleet where she will enforce our freedom by deterring enemies, protecting our interests and underscoring our nation's dominance of the seas."

Tang is the third Navy submarine to be named for the regal blue surgeonfish, chosen in honor of the success both previous namesakes endured in battle.

The first Navy ship to bear the name Tang, SS 306, was commissioned in 1943 and is one of the most storied American submarines in history, with more than 30 enemy ships hit or sunk during battles in the Pacific theater. Tang (SS 306) received four battle stars and two Presidential Unit Citations for service during World War II, and its commanding officer received the Medal of Honor for the ship's final heroic actions.

The second Tang, SS 563, was commissioned in 1951 and earned four battle stars for service in Vietnamese waters.

Tang will be the 32nd Virginia-class submarine. Boats in this class are the most advanced attack submarines in the world, with superior stealth, firepower and maneuverability than previous classes. They can hit shore-based targets with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and are capable of long-term, stealth surveillance of sea forces, littoral waters or ground targets. Their design also provides for special operation forces delivery and support, mine delivery and minefield mapping, and anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare. These capabilities allow the submarine force to contribute to regional stability and preservation of future peace while operating everywhere international law allows.

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Bangor Dry Dock Recertifies, Completing Seismic Mitigation Work

US Navy

18 August 2023

From Courtesy Story

BREMERTON, Wash. -- Interim seismic mitigation efforts, which began Feb. 15 on the Trident Refit Facility Delta Pier in Bangor, have been completed.

In January of this year the Navy restricted submarines from entering certain dry docks in the Pacific Northwest (both at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility and Trident Refit Facility- Bangor) because of seismic concerns identified in recent studies. The Navy team rapidly deployed and implemented a repair technique using dry dock wall reinforcing tie downs.

The three dry docks where tie downs were installed have been recertified. Repairs to the full length of the Bangor dock walls have been completed and the dock was recertified August 10. PSNS & IMF's Dry Dock 5 was recertified June 30 to dock USS Connecticut (SSN 22) and Dry Dock 4 was recertified April 28 to dock USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735).

"The completion of seismic mitigations at the TRF Bangor dry dock is an incredible milestone," said Capt. JD Crinklaw, commander, PSNS & IMF. "For the past six months, thousands of personnel have dedicated themselves to ensuring all three dry docks were safely and efficiently brought back into operation, so we could continue our mission. I am incredibly grateful to the team of experts who helped us reach this objective and ensure the readiness and resilience of the Navy's fleet."

Construction efforts include drilling holes for the installation of anchors inside the dry dock walls to enhance structural integrity and ensure the safety of the workforce, community, environment, and submarines. The mitigation efforts updated existing emergency response plans to better address the chance of a catastrophic earthquake, along with improved early-warning employee notification systems in the dry docks.

Experts from private industry, Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, TRFB and PSNS & IMF planned and implemented the structural upgrades, with an eye on the Navy's future needs and in support of the mission to deliver modern, fully-mission capable warships on-time, every time, preserving our national security.

"The upgrades done at Delta Pier will provide the Navy with critical sustainment operations, for our submarines, in the years ahead," said Capt. Mike Eberlein, commanding officer, Trident Refit Facility-Bangor. "When I look at the amount of work done over the last few months, the precision of that work, and the speed and efficiency of the professionals involved, I am amazed at the capabilities of the Navy to conduct our national security mission."

These short-term mitigation actions did not affect the nation's strategic deterrent capability or the ability of the fleet to continue its overall mission. PSNS & IMF remains the primary provider for the maintenance, repair, modernization, inactivation and disposal of ships, submarines, and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the Pacific Fleet.

Based on future planned improvements to Dry Dock 6, and differences in ship design and the size of aircraft carriers, it was determined immediate seismic mitigations are not required. Aircraft carrier maintenance at PSNS & IMF remains unaffected.

The need for mitigations in the remaining docks will be determined once current efforts are complete and may include stability enhancements for submarine availabilities.

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USS Mount Whitney Arrives In Istanbul for Visit Focused On U.S. and Turkish NATO Partnership

US Navy

18 August 2023

From U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs

ISTANBUL, Turkiye -- The Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) arrived in Istanbul, Turkiye for a scheduled port visit on August 18, 2023.

As a part of U.S. Sixth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) command, the ship regularly conducts exercises and operations with its Turkish partners to showcase teamwork and strengthen NATO interoperability.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkiye Jeffry Flake and U.S. Consul General Julie Eadeh visited the Mount Whitney on August 18. "Turkiye is a longstanding and valued NATO Ally," said Ambassador Flake. "The Mount Whitney's visit is an opportunity to further strengthen our deep military partnership with Turkiye, which helps ensure a secure and prosperous region."

While in Istanbul, U.S. Sixth Fleet and its commander, Vice Admiral Thomas Ishee, will host a reception of Turkish dignitaries and military delegates, reinforcing the Turkish and U.S. Navies' enduring relationship. Mount Whitney's crew and embarked staff will also have the opportunity to participate in Morale, Welfare and Recreation events.

"The Sailors and Civilian Mariners of Team 20 are looking forward to experiencing the rich culture that Turkiye and the people of Istanbul have to offer," said Capt. Matthew Kiser, commanding officer of the Mount Whitney. "More than that, this port visit provides a great opportunity for continued cooperation with our important Turkish allies, deepens the trust we have in one another and strengthens our relationships."

Forward deployed to Gaeta, Italy, Mount Whitney's visit upholds the U.S. Navy and NATO's collective commitment of defense of the European region and upholds the solidity of the NATO alliance. Mount Whitney is the U.S. Sixth Fleet flagship and operates with a combined crew of U.S. Sailors and Military Sealift Command civil service mariners.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

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Navy to Christen Guided-Missile Destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128)

US Navy - Press Release

18 August 2023

The Navy will christen the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128) during a 9:00 a.m. CDT ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 19, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The principal address will be delivered by the Honorable Sean O'Keefe, 69th Secretary of the Navy and 10th Administrator of NASA. Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Russell Rumbaugh, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller); Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development; and Kari Wilkinson, executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding. The ship's sponsors are Catherine Ann Stevens, Susan Stevens Covich, and Lily Irene Becker, the wife and daughters of the ship's namesake. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the sponsors will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow.

The ship's namesake, Ted Stevens, was a U.S. Senator from Alaska who served the Senate and the Solicitor of the Interior Department for over 40 years. He was a strong supporter of the Navy and Marine Corps.

This is the first U.S. Navy ship to honor Stevens and will be the third Flight III upgrade ship.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy's surface fleet, providing protection to America around the globe. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface domains. These elements of seapower enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on guided-missile destroyer programs can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg/

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Camp David Trilateral Summit Cements US-Japan-ROK 'Commitment to Consult' in a Crisis

By Patsy Widakuswara August 18, 2023

Amid the lush greenery of Catoctin Mountain Park, the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David will once again be the setting of a historic milestone in international diplomacy  the cementing of a trilateral alliance between the U.S. and its two main Asian allies, Japan and South Korea, to strengthen deterrence against North Korea and China.

The goal of Friday's summit, hosted by President Joe Biden, is "to lock in trilateral engagement," including a pledge by Washington, Tokyo and Seoul to create a three-way hotline and consult with one another during a regional crisis, a senior administration official told reporters in a briefing Thursday. The official spoke under condition of anonymity, as is customary when discussing foreign policy and security issues.

The three countries will commit that when faced with a regional contingency or threat they will immediately consult, share intelligence and align policy actions in tandem with one another, a second senior administration official said in the same briefing.

"What it seeks to acknowledge and build in its core is the fact that we do share a fundamentally interlinked security environment," she said. "Something that poses a threat to any one of us fundamentally poses a threat to all of us."

The second official insisted the pledge is not a formal military alliance or a collective defense commitment  as China and North Korea have called it. Pyongyang and Beijing have characterized the Camp David summit as Washington's gambit to create a "mini-NATO" in Asia.

The duty to consult during crisis caps off a myriad of other trilateral defense cooperation pledges, including regular military exercises and ballistic missile drills, as well as new collaboration on economic security  strengthening semiconductor supply chains, cyber security and artificial intelligence. The three nations are also set to adopt the "Camp David Principles," a series of values and norms on peace and prosperity within the Indo-Pacific region.

The deliverables of Friday's summit are only possible after a detente in relations between South Korea and Japan, its former occupier, following months of diplomacy between the Yoon and Kishida governments to put aside their fraught history and mutual distrust to deal with more imminent mutual security challenges.

"Korea and Japan are now partners who share universal values and pursue common interests," South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said earlier this week in a speech marking the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's 35-year colonial rule that ended in 1945.

Hedge against reversal

Behind the U.S. push to institutionalize the engagement is the need to hedge against the risk of reversal if liked-minded leaders do not succeed Yoon or Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kushida or Biden.

With more than three years left in his term, Yoon is pushing hard right now also, said Karl Friedhoff, a fellow for Asia Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. "By the time he is out of office, this meeting will be seen as a normal part of Korea-Japan relations," he told VOA.

Focusing on deterrence on North Korea and China is a way to gain domestic political support in Seoul and Tokyo.

"These are politically acceptable, and indeed, necessary mechanisms that should not have a lot of political pushbacks," said Shihoko Goto, acting director of the Asia program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. "Japan and Korea recognize that the Indo-Pacific landscape is very tumultuous."

Administration officials would not clarify whether the three-way consultation in the event of a regional crisis would include a contingency in the Taiwan Strait.

While a coordinated response to an attack from Beijing may be something that Washington envisions in the long term, South Korea is not as aligned with the U.S. as Japan is when it comes to the China threat, said Jeffrey Hornung, a senior political scientist specializing in East Asian security at the RAND Corporation.

"Given that it's been difficult for Japan and Korea to really cooperate on most things, I think start with their mutual concern, which is North Korea," he told VOA. "And maybe in the future, branch that out once they work the kinks out of their cooperation."

South Korea has already indicated willingness to broaden the trilateral response.

Kim Tae-hyo, Korea's principal deputy national security adviser, told reporters in Seoul on Thursday that cooperation will evolve from focusing on the North Korean threat to a more comprehensive one aiming to build "freedom, peace and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific region."

Future summits

The leaders will commit that "future leaders will meet on an annual basis" without allowing them to "backtrack from the commitments" made at Camp David, the first senior administration official said.

"What we are seeking to do is not just lock in Japan and South Korea, but lock in the United States, to make clear to everyone that we are here to stay in the Indo Pacific region," he added.

Locking it in matters. There is concern that American pledges of cooperation could be undone should Donald Trump be elected again in 2024.

Under his "America First" doctrine during his presidency, Trump withdrew the U.S. from various international treaties and regional engagements. The former president is also remembered for his mercurial relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whom he once threatened with "fire and fury," but later said he "fell in love" with.

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WHO Urges Donor Support to Save Millions in Afghanistan from Losing Lifesaving Aid

By Ayaz Gul August 18, 2023

The World Health Organization has warned that a lack of funding and resources to support Afghanistan's health care system threatens millions of lives in a country ravaged by decades of instability and natural disasters.

Through its new alert launched Friday, the WHO urged the global community to help address the Afghan health crisis, saying "the consequences of inaction are catastrophic."

The WHO noted that unless investment is ramped up, 8 million Afghans will lose access to essential and potentially lifesaving health assistance, and 450,000 patients will have little to no access to lifesaving trauma care services.

Additionally, an estimated 1.6 million people with mental health conditions will have little to no access to mental health consultation and psychosocial support.

"The situation in Afghanistan is grave, and the lack of resources and funding to support health workers and facilities is putting countless lives at risk," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"Women and children are suffering the most. I call on donors to give generously so that we can continue our lifesaving work," he urged.

The U.N. has appealed for $3.26 billion in humanitarian funding for Afghanistan this year but donors have given only about $800 million  less than 25% of the appeal  as of August 8. More than two-thirds of the country's estimated 40 million population need urgent assistance.

"The vulnerability of women and girls has further intensified, as they face increased obstacles in accessing healthcare due to the ban on education and workforce participation," the WHO noted Friday.

The hardline Taliban government, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, or IEA, has imposed sweeping restrictions on women's access to work and education since retaking control in August of 2021. It has also banned Afghan female staff of the United Nations and other aid groups from workplaces, undermining humanitarian operations nationwide.

ICRC program

Meanwhile, the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, is preparing to cease funding for more than 25 Afghan public hospitals by the end of August, citing worldwide funding difficulties.

The support, called the Hospital Resilience Program, was launched to respond to health care needs following the Taliban takeover, Cecilia Goin, the ICRC communication coordinator for the Afghan mission, told VOA.

She said when the ICRC introduced the program, the Afghan health care system almost had come to a "full stop" due to the lack of financial resources and significant administrative changes.

"It was an exceptional emergency measure taken by the organization to save the health care system from collapsing due to the financial crises that Afghanistan was experiencing at the time and because many development agencies and other organizations left the country, while the ICRC stayed," Goin explained.

The program's main goal was to allow Taliban authorities to organize themselves to take over their duties, Goin said.

"This support was never designed to last in time and it will come to an end. The financial difficulties the ICRC is facing worldwide have sped up, in transparency with IEA authorities, the expected return of the full responsibilities of the health services to the Ministry of Public Health," she said.

Goin vowed that the ICRC would monitor the situation, however, and she underscored that its health assistance to Afghanistan will continue to support critical programs. That includes rehabilitation support for people with disabilities and more than 46 primary health care clinics run by the Afghan Red Crescent Society, facilitating access to health care for 1 million people.

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US Military Preparing for Worst-Case Scenario, Evacuation From Niger

By Jeff Seldin August 18, 2023

Planning is underway for a possible U.S. military evacuation from Niger, even though a top U.S. general says any final decision is still "weeks away."

The commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa told reporters Friday his headquarters is preparing for a range of scenarios that could force some 1,100 U.S. troops to abandon two airbases that have been critical to U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

"We'll be ready if something happens," General James Hecker said during a virtual briefing with members of the Defense Writers Group.

"There's a lot of hypotheticals we can come up with why and if we should evacuate," he said. "We just have to be prepared for all of them ... of course, we're hoping we use none."

U.S. officials have been warning for weeks that Washington could withdraw its support for Niger if military officials who deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum last month fail to return him to power.

But despite such threats, the U.S. has refused so far to call the situation in Niger a coup  a designation that could have far ranging impacts on the current military partnership.

A coup designation "certainly changes what we'd be able to do in the region and how we'd be able to partner with the Nigerien military," Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters earlier this week.

"We've been very clear it certainly looks like an attempted coup," she said. "Niger is quite a critical partner to us in the region, and so we are hopeful that we can resolve this in a diplomatic way."

The U.S. currently has about 1,100 troops in Niger as part of a counterterrorism mission focused on al-Qaida and Islamic State group affiliates in the region.

Most of the troops are located at two air bases, Air Base 201 in the Nigerien city of Agadez, on the edge of the Sahara desert, and Air Base 101 in the capital of Niamey.

Air Base 201, a $110 million, U.S.-built facility, has been especially pivotal for the counterterrorism mission, conducting drone flights with MQ-9 Reapers since 2019.

Hecker, on Friday, called the planning for a possible evacuation from the two bases prudent and precautionary, adding that his teams have considered scenarios in which they are called upon to evacuate civilians and even the U.S. Embassy under duress.

Planning also is underway for possible alternative bases for U.S. air assets should they have to leave Niger.

"We will obviously look to some other allies in the west [of Africa] there that we could maybe partner up with and then move our assets there," Hecker said.

"We've just started looking at that ... where we would like the base to be," he said in response to a question from VOA. "But more of that is going to be diplomatic through the State [Department] on where we decide to go."

At present, though, Hecker said there are few signs of tension between the Nigerien military and the U.S. troops on the ground.

"Right now, we're not going anywhere," he said. "Right now, there's not a need to go anywhere."

"That decision is not anywhere close to being made yet," Hecker added. "We have weeks, if not much longer, before our civilian leadership is going to give an order."

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Niger Junta Clings to Power 3 Weeks After Coup

By Mariama Diallo August 18, 2023

Three weeks into the coup in Niger, the military junta continues to cling to power while West African army chiefs held a second day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital, Accra, where they are mapping out a possible military intervention if diplomacy fails to reinstate Niger's deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

Rida Lyammouri, an analyst who has done a lot of field work in the Sahel/Lake Chad Basin, says the West African bloc, ECOWAS, is in a difficult position trying to discourage coups in the region but grappling with whether diplomacy or military intervention is the best deterrent.

"At the moment there are still some divisions in terms of the military intervention not only between ECOWAS and the African Union but also among the ECOWAS members, as well as the position of regional members that are excluded from these meetings who are currently run by junta, - like Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea," said Lyammouri.

Lyammouri, also a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan-based policy research firm in Washington told VOA, a military intervention could not only be catastrophic to Niger but also to other countries in the already volatile region. And, he says, it could spill over beyond the Sahel.

"I think North African countries do have a role to play in terms of their diplomatic effort - because North Africa should be and would be concerned if there's a military intervention because of borders, Algeria specifically but also there are lots of economic and diplomatic ties between North Africa and Niger and West Africa in general. Morocco has a lot of economic interest with Niger in terms of food security - telecom, insurance, banking, etc," said Lyammouri.

Emira Woods is the executive director of the Green Leadership Trust and also a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. She applauds the recent efforts by regional religious leaders who visited Niamey.

"We had an incredible engagement of faith leaders coming from the region to Niger, stepping forward to say war is not the answer, to say diplomacy must be first and foremost to find a path to the democratic process," said Woods.

Woods says it is time for African unity and directly points the finger at the West.

"What we have before us is an incredible juxtaposition of the international community with its interest and focus on resources, particularly the uranium that's in Niger, and building up military forces, training and equipping those military forces," said Woods.

Most Western countries have condemned the coup and have thrown their support behind efforts by the African Union and the ECOWAS bloc.

Niger holds strategic economic and geopolitical significance internationally. Uranium and oil, two natural resources plentiful in Niger, are sought after in the international commodities market. And under President Bazoum, the country was a big ally to the West in the fight against insurgency groups in the region linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Junta leaders have justified toppling the democratically elected president because they accused him of not handling rampant insecurity in some parts of the country. On Wednesday, 17 of its soldiers were killed in an ambush by insurgents about 60 kilometers from the Nigerien capital, Niamey, in an area that borders Burkina Faso.

"What we have is an undermining of peace and security in the region that goes back to - the ouster of [Moammar] Gadhafi in Libya and the flow of weapons into Libya, and then from Libya throughout the region in the Sahel. What we have is a steady equipping of military actors and literally laying the groundwork for these military actors to gain power, strength, visibility and legitimacy in a way that has emboldened them to launch coups - from Mali, Burkina, to now Niger and of course you have a similar situation on the other side of the Sahel, in the Sudan region," said Woods.

Sudan's two rival generals have been engaged in a brutal war against each other the past four months, with no end in sight.

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US Condemns Actions, Statements by Haitian Gang Leader

By Sandra Lemaire August 18, 2023

The United States has forcefully rejected a statement made by a powerful Haitian gang leader who demanded that a proposed multinational force to help reestablish security must begin by arresting Haiti's legitimate leaders.

"The U.S. government condemns in the strongest possible terms the actions and statements of gang leaders like Cherizier who have paralyzed much of Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite department and displaced more than 100,000 Haitians," a State Department spokesperson told VOA via email.

Jimmy Cherizier, leader of the powerful G9 Family and Allies gang (FRG9) in Port-au-Prince, told reporters Wednesday that he would welcome a multinational police force to help Haiti restore security  under certain circumstances.

"If, when, the foreign forces arrive, they arrest the corrupt oligarchs, politicians and politicians who are selling weapons and ammunition to the people in the underprivileged neighborhoods, I will applaud them," Cherizier said.

But he also issued a warning:

"If the foreign forces arrive in 2023 or 2024, and we see them sexually assaulting women, raping young boys just as the Uruguayan soldiers did in 2004. If they bring cholera back to Haiti. ... If that is what they are coming to do in the underprivileged neighborhoods, along with opening fire on us, killing the people or massacring them  we Haitians will fight them until we shed our last drops of blood," he said.

The State Department spokesperson told VOA the administration will continue working to hold responsible those in Haiti who commit "gross violations of human rights and significant corruption."

The U.S. sanctioned Cherizier in December 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Sanctions Program for human rights abuses in connection with his role in the La Saline attack. The violent assault launched against the population of the underprivileged neighborhood of Port-au-Prince in 2018 resulted in at least 71 deaths, the spokesperson noted.

Cherizier was also designated under a United Nations Security Council resolution for his role in the economic and humanitarian crisis that crippled Haiti in 2022. The gang leader is blamed for the blockade of the capital's largest oil terminal, Varreux, which sparked a nationwide gas and power shortage.

The State Department spokesperson said the U.S. "welcomed the Government of Kenya's announcement" of an offer to lead the multinational force.

"Our support for pursuing an MNF (Multinational Force) to restore security and stability in Haiti remains unwavering," the spokesperson told VOA.

In October 2022, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry appealed to the international community for an international force to help Haiti's national police combat gang violence and make the country secure.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a similar appeal earlier this year and again on August 15 in a report on the situation in Haiti sent to the presidency of the Security Council. The United States currently holds that position.

A recent poll by the Agency for Managing Risk and Security in Haiti found that 68% of Haitians believe a multinational force is needed to help restore security.

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Cultural festival held in Changhua Town, China's Zhejiang

Xinhua) 14:58, August 19, 2023

This aerial photo taken on Aug. 18, 2023 shows a view of Changhua river in Changhua Town of Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The cultural festival, which kicked off Friday in Changhua Town, aimed to boost the nighttime economy by presenting the culture of Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties and promoting local snacks and scenic spots. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This photo taken on Aug. 18, 2023 shows the opening ceremony of a cultural festival in Changhua Town of Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The cultural festival, which kicked off Friday in Changhua Town, aimed to boost the nighttime economy by presenting the culture of Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties and promoting local snacks and scenic spots. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

This aerial photo taken on Aug. 18, 2023 shows tourists visiting a street during a cultural festival in Changhua Town of Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. The cultural festival, which kicked off Friday in Changhua Town, aimed to boost the nighttime economy by presenting the culture of Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties and promoting local snacks and scenic spots. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Tourists dressed in Chinese traditional clothes visit a street during a cultural festival in Changhua Town of Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 18, 2023. The cultural festival, which kicked off Friday in Changhua Town, aimed to boost the nighttime economy by presenting the culture of Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties and promoting local snacks and scenic spots. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

Artists perform during a cultural festival in Changhua Town of Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 18, 2023. The cultural festival, which kicked off Friday in Changhua Town, aimed to boost the nighttime economy by presenting the culture of Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties and promoting local snacks and scenic spots. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)


Authorities in Canada's British Columbia (BC) province have declared a state of emergency as a fast-moving wildfire is threatening to destroy more homes in the area around the city of West Kelowna, the media reported on Saturday. In a series of tweets late Friday night, British Colombia premier David Eby said: "This year, were facing the worst wildfire season ever. Over the past 24 hrs, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead. Given these fast-moving conditions, we are declaring a provincial state of emergency.



"A provincial state of emergency allows the Province to enact emergency orders. Emergency orders could include travel restrictions to specific areas if people do not respect our calls to avoid non-essential travel to the central Interior and southeastern BC.



"Were calling on all British Columbians to be alert, listen to local officials and follow evacuation orders. We will get through this together."



The declaration comes as the McDougall Creek wildfire grew from 64 to 6,800 hectares in just 24 hours as of Friday.



Some 4,800 people are now under evacuation orders.



Earlier on Friday, West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund described the wildfire as "devastating".



"We fought hard last night to protect our community. We fought 100 years worth of fires all in one night," the BBC quoted Brolund as saying.



Local officials have already reported "significant structural loss" in the area, including in Trader's Cove, just north of West Kelowna.



No deaths have been reported so far.



As a result of the growing blaze, the airspace around Kelowna International Airport has been closed to everything other than aerial firefighters.



Separately, about 22,000 people -- or roughly half the population -- have been displaced in Canada's Northwest Territories due to another huge wildfire.



An official deadline to evacuate Yellowknife, the capital of Canada's federal territory, has now lapsed, reports the BBC.



Residents have been scrambling to leave by air and road, in an effort to escape a wildfire moving towards the outskirts of the city.



The grim developments come as nearly 1,100 active fires are burning across the country.






WFP facing critical funding shortage in Yemen threatening vital food assistance

World Food Programme

18 August 2023

SANAA -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced today that it is facing a deeper funding crisis for its Yemen operations from the end of September onward. This will force WFP to make difficult decisions about further cuts to our food assistance programs across the country in the coming months. All of WFP's major programs will be affected - General Food Assistance (GFA), Nutrition, School Feeding and Resilience Activities - totalling 17.7 million interventions in the first half of 2023.

Under General Food Assistance (GFA), 13.1 million beneficiaries across Yemen are currently receiving rations equivalent to approximately 40 percent of the standard food basket. Without new funding, WFP expects that as many as 3 million people in the North could be impacted and 1.4 million beneficiaries in the South. WFP has resources to cover 6.6 million in the North and 2.2 million in the South. Yemen will remain one of WFP's largest food assistance operations, but these cuts represent a significant reduction to the agency's programs in the country.

WFP has had to make cuts to malnutrition prevention activities in Yemen which previously targeted 1.4 million people. Because of these resource constraints, WFP is only able to assist 128,000 (96,000 in the North and 32,000 in the South) of the 2.4 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls originally targeted. While the life-saving Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) treatment program remains operational, WFP has already had to cut 60% of the planned program, with 526,000 individuals receiving assistance in the North and 145,300 in the South out of a planned total of 1.9 million for the year. The funding shortages are happening at a time of more people becoming severely malnourished.

After the summer break, the 2023-2024 school year commenced in late July for regions under the de facto Houthi Authorities, while schools in the Internationally Recognized Government areas are scheduled to begin in late August. However, due to funding constraints, WFP expects to be able to provide assistance to only 1.8 million children as part of its School Feeding program for this academic year, a reduction from the initially intended target of 3.2 million children.

WFP Yemen has significantly scaled down the scope and scale of its Resilience and Livelihoods activity due to a lack of funding. This year, WFP has so far only been able to assist 319,000 people of the 2 million people planned this year. Cash payments have been delayed significantly in the South and some beneficiaries are being transitioned to receive food rations in lieu of cash.

"We are confronted with the incredibly tough reality of making decisions to take food from the hungry to feed the starving while millions of Yemenis continue to rely on us for survival. We do not take this decision lightly and are fully cognizant of the suffering these cuts will cause" said Richard Ragan, WFP's Yemen Representative.

To ensure that the most needy and vulnerable families receive our assistance, WFP will pilot a retargeting and registration plan in the North beginning in September, with a full rollout in October. Targeting and registration is underway in the South at present.

WFP's operations are entirely dependent on voluntary contributions. For the next six months, WFP requires a total of US$1.05 billion in funding. So far, only 28 percent of these funds have been secured.

# # #

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

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Remarks by President Biden, President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea, and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Joint Press Conference | Camp David, MD

August 18, 2023

Commanding Officers Loop

Camp David, Maryland

3:14 P.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Camp David.

If I seem like I'm happy, it's because I am. (Laughter.) This has been a great, great meeting.

Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, I  we meet in this historic place to make a historic moment. And I believe that to be true. The  this is a new era in partnership between Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States  our new Camp David trilat. (Laughs.) That's what we have here.

And  but before we dive into the progress we've made today  if you excuse, we used to say in the Senate, "a point of personal privilege"  I want to start by expressing my appreciation for the contribution that your countries have made toward the relief following the devastating wildfires in Hawaii. I want to thank you both on behalf of the American people.

I also want to note that my team is closely monitoring Hurricane Hilary, which is  has the potential to bring significant rain and flooding to southern California. FEMA has pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region, and they're ready to respond as needed. I urge everyone  everyone in the path of this storm to take precautions and listen to the guidance from state and local officials.

And you've heard me say it before: The Republic of Korea and Japan are capable and indispensable allies.

Now, to the purpose of why we're here.

America's commitment to both countries is ironclad, and my personal commitment to bringing these three nations together was real from the very beginning.

Since last summer, we've met on the margins of the NATO Summit in Spain, the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia, and the G7 Summit in Japan. And today, we've made history with the first-ever standalone summit between the leaders of our three countries, as well as our commitment to meet together on the leader level annually and to have all of our relative Cabinet-member people meet on a regular basis for  from this point on; not just this year, not next year  forever. That's the i-  that's the intention.

And so, I want to recognize the important work that both of you have done and the political courage  and I mean this sincerely  the political courage that you've both demonstrated to resolve difficult issues that would've stood in the way for a long time of a close relationship between Japan and Korea and with the United States.

Your leadership, with the full support of the United States, has brought us here, because each of you understands that our world stands at an inflection point  a point where we're called to lead in new ways: to work together, to stand together. And today, I'm proud to say our nations are answering that call.

First, we're elevating our trilateral defense collaboration to deliver in the Indo-Pacific region. That includes launching annual multidomain military exercises, bringing our trilateral defense cooperation to an unprecedented levels.

We're doubling down on information sharing, including on the DPRK's missile launches and cyber activities, strengthening our ballistic missile defense cooperation.

And, critically  critically, we've all committed to swiftly consult with each other in response to threats to any one of our countries from whatever source it occurs. That means we'll have a hotline to share information and coordinate our responses whenever there is a crisis in the region or affecting any one of our countries.

And today, we've reaffirmed  all reaffirmed our shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and addressing ec-  and addressing economic coercion.

We're going to continue to counter threats from the DPRK, including cryptocurrency money laundering to the tune of billions of dollars; potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine.

And together  together, we're going to stand up for international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.

Second, we're expanding our economic cooperation to build an Ino  an Indo-Pacific that is peaceful and prosperous.

Today, we've committed to launch a new  what we call a "Supply Chain Early Warning System"  excuse me, a Supply Chain Early Warning System Pilot and  which will alert our nations to disruptions of certain products and materials, like critical minerals or batteries, so we can get ahead of the issues as we  they appear with the experience  that we've experienced in  during the pandemic.

(Referring to a piece of audio equipment.) Excuse me, this is falling off. There you go.

And  and building on the G7-led Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, we're deepening cooperation between our development finance institutions to mobilize more financing for quality infrastructure and secure communications technology to help low-income and middle-income countries throughout the region take on the challenges that matter most to their people.

And finally, our partnership is about building a better future for our people. That's why we're deepening our cooperation on global health and launching a trilateral expert exchange in support of the U.S. Cancer Moonshot initiative. That's going to, I believe, change cancer as we know it.

It matters a great deal to me and to families all across our three countries. In the United States, we are revolutionizing the way we do cancer research. And together, the three of us, I am confident we can harness our shared spirit of innovation and end cancer as we know it.

We're also launching a new collaboration between our National Laboratories and advance our science knowledge and technological capabilities together. As we do, we'll work in lockstep to set the standards for safe, secure, and trustworthy emerging technology, including artificial intelligence, which a lot of work has to be done on.

Let me close with this. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, this is the first summit I've hosted at Camp David as President. I can think of no more fitting location to begin the next era  our next era of cooperation  a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities.

In the months and years ahead, we're going to continue to seize those possibilities together  unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our resolve. This is not about a day, a week, or month. This is about decades and decades of relationships that we're building.

Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. President, I want to thank you for your leader, and I  leadership  and I say it again  for your courage that brought us together. And I look forward to working with you both of you ahead.

Now I yield to  who am I yielding to?

MODERATOR: Distinguished guests 

PRESIDENT BIDEN: There you go.

MODERATOR:  the President of the Republic of Korea.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: We needed the voice of God to tell us that. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT YOON: (As interpreted.) First of all, I'd like to thank President Biden for his warm hospitality. It is a great pleasure to visit Camp David along with Prime Minister Kishida. Camp David is a site that bears historical significance where important diplomatic decisions were made at critical junctures of modern history.

In order to respond to today's unprecedented polycrisis, the ties between our three countries, which are the most advanced liberal democracies in the region and major economies leading advanced technology and scientific innovation, are more important than ever.

From this moment on, Camp David will be remembered as a historic place where the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Japan proclaimed that we will bolster the rules-based international order and play key roles to enhance regional security and prosperity based on our shared values of freedom, human rights, and rule of law.

Today, we, the three leaders, held the very first standalone trilateral summit marking a new chapter in our trilateral cooperation. Today, we have agreed on the Camp David principles that will function as the enduring guidelines for our trilateral cooperation. In addition, we have developed the Spirit of Camp David, which is a document embodying the vision of our trilateral cooperation and ways to translate our will to cooperate into action.

First of all, to facilitate the stable development of our trilateral cooperation, we have built the institutional basis for the trilateral cooperation at multiple levels and sectors. In addition to making our trilateral summit regular, we have agreed to have our governments' personnel at all levels  including foreign ministers, defense ministers, and national security advisors  meet every year to closely coordinate our trilateral cooperation.

In particular, we, the three leaders, have agreed to establish a communication channel so we can swiftly coordinate and respond together in case an urgent issue occurs in the region.

Furthermore, to bolster our trilateral strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, our three countries will establish the ROK, U.S., Japan Indo-Pacific dialogue, which will discover new areas of cooperation. Also, along with the economic security dialogue led by our three countries' NSCs, we have agreed to found a consultative body for development policy coordination and also build cooperation frameworks in various sectors including global health and women empowerment.

We have also decided to hold our ROK, U.S., and Japan Global Leadership Youth Summit to strengthen ties between our future generations.

Second, we have agreed to step up our security cooperation to ensure our people's safety and peace in the region based on the now institutionalized Cooperation Framework.

First of all, to this end, we have consulted on practical ways to cooperate, aimed at improving our joint response capabilities to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, which have become sophisticated more than ever. The real-time sharing of DPRK missile warning data, which was agreed upon during the Phnom Penh summit last November, will be activated within this year. And this will make a significant progress in strengthening our three nations' capabilities to detect and track North Korea's missiles.

In countering the DPRK's nuclear and missile threats, we concurred the trilateral defense exercises were crucial. As such, annual plans will be established for the ROK, U.S., Japan drills we committed to.

In the meantime, as North Korea funds its nuclear and missile programs by exploiting labor and human rights, efforts to monitor and stem such activities will be redoubled. To deter the DPRK's illicit funding activities, a new trilateral working group on DPRK cyber activities will be established.

Moreover, Korea, the U.S., and Japan, in their pursuit of Indo-Pacific strategies, oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force.

Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, among others, undergird a rules-based international order that we resolve to safeguard by intensifying our collaboration.

As part of such endeavors, our three nations agreed to support ASEAN and Pacific Island countries with their maritime security capacity-building efforts.

Furthermore, to help Ukrainians regain freedom and pursue reconstruction, we are determined to increase our three-way coordination.

Next, we, the three leaders, discussed how to work together to promote shared prosperity and future growth. First of all, in the field of economic security directly linked to our national economies of the three countries, we will work to expand our strategic partnership.

To ensure global supply chain resilience and energy security, we pledged to bolster our trilateral cooperation. To manage global supply chain risks, an early warning system will be established together.

In addition, we decided to broaden our collaboration in the field of cutting-edge technologies to secure future growth engines. Specifically, in AI, quantum, bio, and next-generation telecommunications and space sectors, cooperation among our three countries will deliver powerful synergies.

Korea, the U.S., and Japan committed to have their national laboratories expand joint R&D and personnel exchanges, providing a cornerstone for the three countries' leadership in science and technology innovation.

Moreover, for the sake of shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific, in line with the needs of ASEAN and Pacific Island countries, effective support measures will be sought and implemented collectively.

Today, we, the three leaders, affirmed our commitment to the trilateral partnership towards a new era and possibilities thereof.

Grounded in the core values of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law, a strong alliance of values among Korea, the U.S., and Japan will help build a world that's more peaceful and prosperous by serving as a sturdy foundation.

Mr. President, I thank you once again for your hospitality. Next time, I hope that we will be reunited in the Republic of Korea.

Thank you. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Distinguished guests, the Prime Minister of Japan.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: President.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (As interpreted.) Thank you. First of all, in Maui, Hawaii, wildfires caused devastating damage. I express my sympathy, and I really pray for the peace of those who have lost their lives.

In order to offer support, a total of $2 million worth of support by our country has been decided. And the full  the relief for the affected people and for the earliest recovery of the affected areas, Japan will proactively do our contribution.

Today, I have visited Camp David, and the three of us have spent a truly meaningful time. I expressed my heartfelt gratitude to Joe for the kind invitation.

Together with Joe and President Yoon, this has been a precious opportunity for myself to further deepen the relationship of trust and confidence. For the first time ever, instead of in the sidelines of multilateral conferences, we have held the trilateral summit on a standalone basis.

Here at Camp David, numerous historical meetings have taken place. And it is a huge honor to have printed a fresh page in its history with this meeting.

The foundation of the trilateral collaboration are the solid, firm, bilateral relationships. The three of us have understood this more than anyone else and have executed our understanding in practice.

In January of this year, I visited the United States, and later, President Yoon visited Japan in March and then to the U.S. in April. And in May, I myself traveled to South Korea, and we have bolstered our mutual relationship.

At the moment, the free and open international order, based on the rule of law, is in crisis. Due to Russia's aggression of Ukraine, the international order is shaken from its foundation. The unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas are continuing. And the nuclear and missile threat of North Korea is only becoming ever larger.

Under such circumstances, to make our trilateral strategic collaboration blossom and bloom is only logical and almost inevitable and is required in this era.

The three of us here today declare our determination to pioneer the new era of Japan, U.S., ROK partnership.

How we will advance the cooperation of our three countries going forward, I will discuss from three perspectives.

Firstly, the coordination between the Japan-U.S. and the U.S.-ROK alliances will be reinforced, and trilateral security cooperation will be brought to a new height.

At this meeting, we agreed to hold the Japan-U.S.-ROK multidomain joint exercises on an annual basis. Furthermore, regarding the real-time sharing of North Korea's missile warning information that we agreed last November, the initial steps have been implemented and an important first step has been advanced towards the launch of the mechanism by the end of the year.

We also agreed on the establishment of the working group on North Korea cyber activities, considered to be the source of finance for nuclear and missile development and on other matters.

The second point is the promotion of cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea and the expansion of their areas of cooperation regarding the response to North Korea.

In addition to strengthening regional deterrence and response capabilities, the three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation for the full implementation of sanctions and to work closely together in the U.N. Security Council, where all three countries will be members in 2024.

At the same time, we shared our recognition that the way is open for dialogue with North Korea. I then stated that the abduction issue is a humanitarian issue with time constraints and once again received the strong support of Joe and President Yoon for the immediate resolution of this matter.

We also agreed to work together through the Indo-Pacific dialogue and the development cooperation to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific and, in particular, to coordinate capacity-building support in the domain of maritime security, particularly with regard to ASEAN and Pacific Island countries.

Furthermore, we agreed to promote cooperation in the field of economic security, including critical and emerging technologies and supply chain resilience.

Third, developing a framework for trilateral cooperation. This will create a foundation for continuous and stable enhancement of coordination among the three countries.

After confirming that the three countries will promote multi-layered cooperation at all levels, it was agreed that the trilateral summit meeting will be held at least once a year.

And likewise, the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, and national security advisors will each also meet at least once a year. And the financial minister, as well as the industry and commerce ministers, will be meeting.

We will consider the Camp David principles issued today at a historic turning point for the international community to be a new compass for trilateral cooperation, and we will vigorously implement the concrete cooperation outlined in the Camp David statement of Japan, ROK, and U.S. on our partnership.

Together with Joe and President Yoon, we will continue to work to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the three countries in order to safeguard a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

Thank you. (Applause.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you. Now we have time for questions. President Biden, please select your reporter first.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: Aamer, with the AP.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. I have a question for each of the leaders. They will be brief and  but related.

President Biden, first for you: How confident should Asia be about a robust American commitment to a nuclear umbrella when the Compa-  Commander-in-Chief who preceded you and is looking to succeed you spoke openly about reducing the U.S. footprint in the Korean Peninsula?

President Yoon, how much confidence can Japan and the U.S. have about Seoul's long-term commitment to rapprochement when polls show the solid majority of Korea disapproves of your handling and mending of the forced labor issue?

And, Prime Minister Kishida, what assurances can you give to your country's citizens who fear bolstering your security cooperation in this matter could lead to  the country into an economic cold war with China?

And if you'll indulge me, Mr. President, on a domestic matter: What is your reaction to the Special Counsel appointment last week into your son?

Thank you.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: (Laughs.) Well, first of all, look, there's not much, if anything, I agree on with my predecessor on foreign policy. His America First policy, walking away from the rest of the world, has made us weaker, not stronger.

America is strong with our allies and our alliances, and that's why we will endure. And it's a strength that  quite frankly, that increases all the  three of our strengths.

This is just about one summit. What makes today different is it actually launches a series of initiatives that are actually institutional changes in how we deal with one another  in security cooperation, economic cooperation, technology cooperation, development cooperation, consultation exercises. And all of this will create (inaudible) momentum, I believe, year by year, month by month, to make the relationship stronger and more certain to remain to be in place.

And with regard  on these esult-  results, I think you're going to keep it going. And I think you're going to benefit all our countries.

And with regard to the second question, I make  I have no comment on any investigation that's going on. That's up to the Justice Department, and that's all I have to say.

PRESIDENT YOON: (As interpreted.) To the question that was directed to me, I would like to say that the treaty made between Korea and Japan that was made in 1965 and the following measures by the government and the Supreme Court's ruling in 2015 have some differences. But we have already implemented measures to bridge the gaps among them.

And in South Korea, of course, there is public opinion that is opposed to the government's measures like that. However, from a perspective that's forward-looking, strengthening ties and improving relationships between Korea and Japan are important and there is a shared understanding that this matters to our bilateral relationship, as well as our future. And this is something we need to continue working on.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (As interpreted.) Thank you for the question. First of all, at today's meeting, the rules-based international order and activities inconsistent to such rule-based international order and activities. Other concerns have been shared, and the rule-based, free and open international order must be defended. And going forward, the U.S., Japan, ROK strategic collaboration will be reinforced even further. Such endeavors will continue going forward.

Our country and for the surrounding countries, the response capabilities, as well as defense capabilities, will be bolstered. And by doing so, the lives and livelihood of our population will be protected and the sense of assurance must be raised. These are the important activities.

Having said that, with regard to China, last year, in November, there was the Japan-China Leaders Summit, and there was a positive momentum. By maintaining the positive momentum, what has to be asserted will be asserted. And we shall strongly request responsible conduct. And we will continue an accumulative conversation about multiple issues. We will cooperate with regard to common challenges. Such constructive and stable relationship will be established by mutual effort.

That is my administration's consistent policy. Based on this perception towards regional stability, our efforts will continue.

Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: President Yoon, next question, please.

PRESIDENT YOON: (As interpreted.) Please go ahead and ask a question. The reporter from Money Today  reporter named Jongjin Park. Please go ahead with your question.

Q (As interpreted.) Hi, I'm Jongjin Park of Money Today. First of all, I would like to ask a question to President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea. I heard that you said that a new chapter has opened in our trilateral cooperation with the two countries. Compared to the previous summits, what would be the most significant outcome that you gained through this summit?

And also, from the perspective of our people, what would be the benefit that the people of Korea would feel from these strengthening of ties?

And now my question goes to President Biden. During this summit, the issues of detainees or prisoners of wars  and you mentioned that there will be further cooperation in these human rights issues. And you also said you will support the free and peaceful Korean Peninsula in the region. And what kind of shift would there be in your policy? And what kind of specific solutions do you have in this regard?

Lastly, I would like to direct my question to Prime Minister Kishida. Today, we had a historic trilateral summit. However, there was much backlash and many concerns in Korea. However, President Yoon showed his political courage to do so. That's the international community's evaluation.

However, there are still concerns that Japan is making very passive efforts to resolve our issues that still remain. And also, how would you be able to show your truthful willingness to resolve and improve our bilateral relations going forward?

PRESIDENT YOON: (As interpreted.) First of all, this trilateral cooperation amongst our three countries has opened a new chapter, and we made that announcement today to talk about the differences from the past cooperation.

For instance, in the past, it was about individual issues that we sought cooperation among ourselves. But now, as we have opened a new chapter in our cooperation for security, economy, science and technology, and development cooperation for the Global South, health, and women  across all of these issues, our three countries decided to closely work together. So it's much more comprehensive in nature.

Such comprehensive cooperation has been launched by us today because currently we face complicated crisis and the threat from the DPRK. And across the world, we believe that we can together make a contribution to freedom and peace around the world.

So that is our foundational understanding and our common and shared interests of the three countries. And not just for exclusionary interests of ourselves. Our interests are well aligned with the universal interests of the members of the global community. That's where we find our shared interests lie.

And at the same time, this framework of comprehensive cooperation among our three countries will contribute to global supply chain resilience, global financial market stability, cooperation in the frontier technology sectors and science.

Our three countries together have the best-in-class expertise in science and technology. And we are the ones who are implementing liberal democracies.

Naturally, progress in science and technologies will bring benefits  tangible benefits to our people, not just in terms of security, but also in terms of economy and science and technology.

But what is most important here is not about our own interests only. When we put our forces together, I believe that we can make a contribution to the advancement of freedom and peace in the world. And that's exactly where our interests are aligned.

PRESIDENT BIDEN: I  look, back in May of 2022, I met with the families of the Japanese abductees during my visit, heard their stories, and empathized with them and got a sense of the pain they're feeling. It's real.

We know there are many families out there who still wait and worry and wonder. We're not going to forget about them or their loved ones.

And there's clear language on this on our joint statement. The bottom line is this: that we share a common position. We're committed to working together to see the return of all prisoners of war and  and those who've been abducted and detained.

And by the way, one of the things we get asked many times  and it wasn't directly asked, but implied  is what makes us think any of this is positive.

Success brings success. When other nations see cooperation in the region, they make judgments about: Would they be better off if they made commitments? Will they move?

Think about  as students of history, all of you  and you are  think about how many times successes have generated other successes when you don't anticipate it.

And so, I  I just think this is a  we're not going to forget, we're not giving up, and we're going to continue to make the case for the freedom of all of those detainees.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (As interpreted.) With regard to your question for me, first of all, I have strong feelings about strengthening bilateral relationships between the ROK and Japan. I share that with President Yoon. The two countries, in dealing with international challenges, should cooperate. We're both important neighboring countries. And so, friendship with President Yoon and a relationship of trust, based on this, both countries as partners should open up a new era. And that is my thinking.

This year, President Yoon came to Japan, and I visited the ROK. At international fora, we have repeated meetings  we have had repeated meetings. And between our two countries, including the economy and security, we've had forward-looking and concrete approaches which were started. It's already in motion, dynamically.

Economic security dialogue was started  or it has been decided on. In the area of export control, there have been progress. And also financial ministers and defense ministers have had meetings.

And so, we've had this very positive, forward-looking developments. And these are seen not only in the public sector. Also in the private sector, we see a slate of developments, human exchanges, and exchanges between business circles. We're seeing very active developments in all of these areas, and that is a reality.

Going forward, we hope to accumulate these approaches along with President Yoon to strengthen our bilateral relations even further. By generating results, we hope that people will understand Japan's feelings towards our bilateral relations. And we'd like to continue such efforts.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Then, let me see. From Kyodo  Tajiri-san, Kyodo News.

Q (As interpreted.) Tajiri, Kyodo News. At Camp David with history. I do have a question to each of the leaders.

President Biden, it was mentioned at this summit meeting that Russia's aggression of Ukraine is continuing. So, what role do you expect of Japan?

Prime Minister Kishida has mentioned that as China's threat in Asia is rising, Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow. What do you think about this comment, President Biden?

And the situation in Asia, where China's threat is rising  what is the meaning and significance of the trilateral relationship with Japan, U.S., ROK becoming stronger in multiple layers?

President Yoon Suk Yeol, I have a question to Your Excellency. North Korea's nuclear missile development is a major security threat to Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. As North Korea's provocations continue to escalate, what is the meaning and significance of the three countries declaring a new era of partnership?

Regarding the release of treated water at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, did Prime Minister Kishida explain the matter at the trilateral or the bilateral summit today?

To the recent Japan-ROK summit meeting, Your Excellency, you expressed your intent to respect the IAEA report despite the strong domestic opposition. Why do you demonstrate your understanding for the policy of Kishida administration? I ask for that reason.

And to Prime Minister Kishida, this is the first time that a trilateral summit is held on a standalone basis rather than on the sidelines of international meetings. You have said that the trilateral cooperation will be raised to new heights for the security environment in East Asia. And without the resolution of abduction, North Korea is continuing nuclear missile development. What is the meaning for North Korea?

And in eastern South China Seas, by maritime advancement, China is continuing unilateral attempts to change the status quo. What is the meaning for China?

PRESIDENT BIDEN: And you have a great imagination. One question ends up being six. But, thank you. I'll try to answer all of it. (Laughter.) I'm glad I didn't have you as my law professor when he said "one question." (Laughs.) At any rate, they're all legitimate questions.

Look, on Ukraine, I and my country and the leadership of my country in both parties are very grateful for everything Japan is helping to deal with in Ukraine. And I mean that sincerely. You've showed strong leadership through the G7 as well and contributed to a significant amount of financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as nonlethal military equipment.

And, you know  and they joined so many other nations in holding Russia accountable through their international sanctions.

If my memory serves me well  and I think it does, Mr. Prime Minister  we found ourselves in a circumstance where, when I called you about Ukraine, I didn't have to convince you of anything. I started off to make the case that Ukraine was a circumstance where  to think, in the first quarter of the 20th century, another country would amass over 150,000 forces on the border of another country  or 150,000 forces and invade that country  invade that country without any rationale other than  if you read Putin's speech after he invaded, he talked about Kyiv being the motherland. You know, I mean, it just was ridiculous, I think. And he talked about being Peter the Great. It was 

Just imagine if we had done nothing. Imagine if we had done nothing.

And the point was immediately recognized, if I'm not mistaken, by you, Mr. Prime Minister, that we're

in a situation where it could happen anywhere. If we stand  if we had stood still, what signal would that send to China about Taiwan? What signal would that send around the world if nations weren't powerful on borders?

But here's the deal. You contributed significantly to what, I think, is already the 

Let me put it this way. Russia has already lost. It cannot meet its original objective which it stated. It's not possible.

But  and they've joined so many other nations in holding Russia accountable for international sanctions. But Japan's leadership, from day one, it has been critical for making it clear that the consequences for war extend well beyond Europe  well beyond Europe.

I say it in reverse. What would happen if an Asian country with 150,000 troops invaded another? You think that would not affect the interests, the economy, and  and the foreign policy of nations in Europe and Latin America all across the world? It would have profound impact.

And with Japan's leadership, from day one, it has been critical to making clear the consequences of this will extend well beyond Europe  well beyond Europe. It's a global issue that has impacts everywhere. And the Prime Minister's comments at Shangri La capture that.

And by the way, you know, we talked about this being an inflection point. The world is changing. The world is changing. And about every six or seven generations, it makes significant change. And there's a lot happening.

And the idea that we're going to sit down, the rest of the world, and say, "Well, that's only a European problem." There hasn't been that kind of invasion since World War Two.

And so  as for peace, we all want that, of course. Ukrainians want it most of all. And my team has been working very closely with the  President Zelenskyy's team and further peace formula, noting that "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."

But nonetheless, we're meeting with them constantly  constantly.

And your other two questions about China  I'll just say this: This summit was not about China. That was not the purpose of the meeting. But it did come  China obviously came up. Not to say we don't share concerns about the economic coercion or heightened tensions caused by China, but this summit was really about our relationship with each other and deepening cooperation across an entire range of issues that went well beyond just the immediate issues we raised.

It was about more peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific  a region, quite frankly, that would benefit everyone living there and around the world if we get it right. It's not just here. It has a phenomenal impact.

Think about what's  at any rate, I won't get going. I'll take too long.

But as you've seen from the initiatives we're announcing here, today is just how committed we are to see this vision take place. And I think this relationship that we put together and I think we're going to  you're going to see it expand. It's not merely what we did today. This is a historic meeting.

But we're about to  we've laid in place a long-term structure for a relationship that will last and have a phenomenal impact not just in Asia, but around the world.

Someone once said in a different context that  about a health-  a healthcare provision in my country a while ago: This is a big deal. This is a big deal.

Thank you.

Q President Biden, how soon do you anticipate meeting with President Xi 

PRESIDENT BIDEN: They have to answer their questions.

PRESIDENT YOON: (As interpreted.) Yes, let me address the questions directed to me.

First, as to North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations and the threats that are posed and how we plan to counter those threats together among our three countries, let me address that question.

Of the cooperative frameworks among our three countries is the most  what is most symbolic out of those is our cooperation in defense area. Any provocations or attacks against any one of our three countries will trigger a decision-making process of this trilateral framework, and our solidarity will become even stronger and harder.

And at the same time, missile information will be shared in a real-time basis, and systematic training and drills will be implemented in accordance with systematic annual schedules, regular schedules, and regular trainings that we plan to carry out together against the DPRK's missile provocations. That will be our response.

And at the same time, regarding your question concerning the water release from the Fukushima plant, as a matter of fact, that issue was not addressed during our summit because it was not on the agenda.

But still, let me try to address that question. The Fukushima plant's treated water, if it's going to have some type of impact, it would flow through the entire Pacific Ocean having an impact not just on our three countries, but all countries around the world.

As such, for the sake of safety and health of the people of our three countries and all members of the international community, that should be something that we need to place the highest priority on.

Regarding this treated water, based on scientific principles, all of the processing should be carried out accordingly. And at the same time, internationally recognized and reliable IAEA's investigation results are something that we can trust.

And I would like to make sure that everything is conducted and carried out in accordance with the procedures established by the IAEA. Together with the international community and also together with the Koreans, transparent data disclosure would be necessary, in my opinion.

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (As interpreted.) Thank you. The question to myself. As you mentioned, nuclear and missile development by North Korea or unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas are ongoing. And the security environment surrounding our three countries, it has becoming increasingly harsh day after day.

Under this backdrop, on this occasion, we agreed to enhance the coordination between the U.S.-Japan and the U.S.-ROK alliances and to bring the trilateral security cooperation to new heights.

This is indeed the requirement of this era. And by this summit, I am sure that the trilateral security cooperation will further advance and reinforce the regional peace and stability.

In particular, with regard to North Korea, we were able to put forward concrete results, such as the implementation of annual Japan, U.S, ROK multidomain and joint exercises and the establishment of a working group to address North Korea's cyber activities.

I also stated that the abduction issue is a humanitarian issue with time constraints. And Joe and President Yoon reiterated their strong support for the immediate resolution of this matter.

We also shared our recognition that the path to dialogue with North Korea is open.

Furthermore, once again, the presidents of both countries aligned with me in strongly opposing unilateral changes to the status quo through the use of force.

We will continue our efforts to further strengthen the strategic partnership among the three countries in order to defend the free, open, and international order based on the rule of law.

That is all. Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This concludes 

PRESIDENT BIDEN: To answer your question, I expect and hope to follow up on our conversation on Bali this fall. That's my expectation. Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: This concludes our press conference. Please  please stay seated as the  the leaders depart, please. Please stay seated.

Q Mr. President, are you winning the competition with China?

PRESIDENT BIDEN: We're winning all the competition.

4:08 P.M. EDT

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Camp David Principles

August 18, 2023

We, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, President Yoon Suk Yeol, and President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., affirm a shared vision for our partnership as well as for the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Our partnership is based on a bedrock of shared values, mutual respect, and a unified commitment to advance the prosperity of our three countries, the region, and the globe. As we move forward, we intend our partnership to be guided by these principles:

As Indo-Pacific nations, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States will continue to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific based on a respect for international law, shared norms, and common values. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

The purpose of our trilateral security cooperation is and will remain to promote and enhance peace and stability throughout the region.

Our commitment to the region includes our unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and the ASEAN-led regional architecture. We are committed to partnering closely with ASEAN to advance implementation and mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

We are determined to work closely with Pacific Island countries and the Pacific Islands Forum as the region's leading institution, consistent with the Pacific Way.

We stand united in our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. We remain committed to dialogue with the DPRK with no preconditions. We seek to address human rights and humanitarian issues, including the immediate resolution of the issues of abductions, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war. We support a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace.

We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. Recognizing that there is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.

As leading global economies, we seek continued opportunity and prosperity for our peoples, the region, and the globe through open and fair economic practices that promote financial stability as well as orderly and well-functioning financial markets.

Our technology cooperation will contribute to the vibrance and dynamism of the Indo-Pacific as we cooperate towards open, accessible, and secure technology approaches based on mutual confidence, trust, and respect for relevant international law and standards. We will seek to develop standard practices and norms between our countries and within international bodies to guide the development, use, and transfer of critical and emerging technologies.

Our countries are committed to cooperation to address climate change and will work together to provide leadership and solutions through relevant international institutions. We are committed to enhancing our development and humanitarian response cooperation to collectively overcome global issues and the root causes of insecurity.

We are unflinching in our commitment to uphold the principles of the UN Charter, particularly those relating to sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the use of force. A threat to these principles anywhere undermines respect for them everywhere. As responsible state actors, we seek to promote the rule of law and to ensure regional and international security so all can flourish.

Our countries are dedicated to honoring our commitments to non-proliferation as parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We reaffirm that achieving a world without nuclear weapons is a common goal for the international community, and we continue to make every effort to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.

Our countries are only as strong as our societies. We reaffirm our commitment to promoting the full and meaningful participation of women in our societies and to human rights and dignity for all.

We announce these shared principles at the start of our new chapter together, with the belief that they will continue to guide our trilateral partnership for years to come.

Above all, we recognize that we are stronger, and the Indo-Pacific is stronger, when Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States stand as one.

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The Spirit of Camp David: Joint Statement of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States

August 18, 2023

We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the United States, convened at Camp David to inaugurate a new era of trilateral partnership. We do so at a time of unparalleled opportunity for our countries and our citizens, and at a hinge point of history, when geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and nuclear provocations test us. This is a moment that requires unity and coordinated action from true partners, and it is a moment we intend to meet, together. Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are determined to align our collective efforts because we believe our trilateral partnership advances the security and prosperity of all our people, the region, and the world. In this spirit, Pre-sident Biden commended President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida for their courageous leadership in transforming relations between Japan and the ROK. With the renewed bonds of friendshipand girded by the ironclad U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK allianceseach of our bilateral relationships is now stronger than ever. So too is our trilateral relationship.

On this historic occasion, we commit to expand our cooperation trilaterally and raise our shared ambition to a new horizon, across domains and across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. We will strengthen our economies, provide resilience and prosperity, support the free and open international order based on the rule of law, and bolster regional and global peace and security, especially as current and incoming members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). We will strengthen our coordination on promoting democracy and protecting human rights. And we will enhance strategic coordination between the U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK alliances and bring our trilateral security cooperation to new heights. As we embark together in this new era, our shared values will be our guide and a free and open Indo-Pacific, in which our half-billion people are safe and prosperous, will be our collective purpose.

Today, we declare openly that we are united in a common purpose to strengthen our shared region. Our mandate is to ensure Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are aligned in our objectives and in our actions, generating the common capacity required to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is thriving, connected, resilient, stable, and secure. Ours is a partnership built not just for our people but for the entire Indo-Pacific.

We announce our governments' commitment to consult with each other in an expeditious manner to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats that affect our collective interests and security. Through these consultations we intend to share information, align our messaging, and coordinate response actions. To this end we will improve our trilateral communication mechanism to facilitate regular and timely communication between our countries, including our national leadership. We will hold trilateral meetings between our leaders, foreign ministers, defense ministers, and national security advisors at least annually, complementing existing trilateral meetings between our respective foreign and defense ministries. We will also hold the first trilateral meeting between our finance ministers as well as launch a new commerce and industry ministers track that will meet annually. We will also launch an annual Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue to coordinate implementation of our Indo-Pacific approaches and to continually identify new areas for common action. Recognizing the increased threat posed by foreign information manipulation and misuse of surveillance technology, we will also discuss ways to coordinate our efforts to counter disinformation. We welcome the trilateral development policy dialogue planned in October to advance concrete discussions for deepening development policy coordination. We are resolute in our determination to uphold regional security, strengthen Indo-Pacific engagement, and promote common prosperity.

We wholeheartedly reaffirm ASEAN centrality and unity and our support for the ASEAN-led regional architecture. We are committed to working closely with ASEAN partners to support robust implementation and mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We are collectively working to support sustainable energy and promoting water security and climate resilience in the Mekong River Basin. We reaffirm, too, our support of Pacific Island countries and intend to work in genuine partnership with the Pacific in a transparent and effective manner, consistent with the Pacific Way, that strengthens individual countries and the Pacific region. We plan to coordinate regional capacity-building efforts to ASEAN and Pacific Island countries to ensure that they are mutually reinforcing and maximally beneficial to our valued partners, including through capacity building efforts in cybersecurity and financial integrity and our new Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation Framework.

We share concerns about actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order, which undermine regional peace and prosperity. Recalling the publicly announced position of each of our countries regarding the dangerous and aggressive behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims that we have recently witnessed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea, we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. In particular, we steadfastly oppose the militarization of reclaimed features; the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels; and coercive activities. In addition, we are concerned about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. We reiterate our firm commitment to international law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The July 2016 award in the South China Sea arbitration sets out the legal basis for the peaceful resolution of maritime conflicts between the parties to that proceeding. We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.

Furthermore, we reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions and urge the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. We call on all UN Member States to fully implement all relevant UNSC resolutions. We strongly condemn the DPRK's unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches and conventional military actions that pose a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. We express concern regarding the DPRK's illicit cyber activities that fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs. We announce the establishment of a new trilateral working group to drive our cooperation, including with the international community, to combat DPRK cyber threats and block its cyber-enabled sanctions evasion. Japan, the ROK, and the United States remain committed to reestablishing dialogue with the DPRK with no preconditions. We also commit to strengthening cooperation to promote respect for human rights in the DPRK and reaffirm a shared commitment to the immediate resolution of the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated prisoners of war. We express support for the goal of the ROK's Audacious Initiative and support a unified Korean Peninsula that is free and at peace.

The United States unequivocally reaffirms that its extended deterrence commitments to both Japan and the ROK are ironclad and backed by the full range of U.S. capabilities. Our three countries announce today that we intend to hold annual, named, multi-domain trilateral exercises on a regular basis to enhance our coordinated capabilities and cooperation. In mid-August, our three countries conducted a maritime ballistic missile defense warning test for the real-time sharing of missile warning data to demonstrate our ability to deter and respond to the DPRK's advancing nuclear and missile threats more effectively. By the end of 2023, we intend to operationalize our sharing of missile warning data on the DPRK in real-time in fulfillment of commitments reflected in the November 2022 Phnom Penh Statement, and our countries have taken initial steps to test our technical capabilities for real-time sharing of missile warning data. We are committed to pursuing enhanced ballistic missile defense cooperation to counter DPRK nuclear and missile threats. We reaffirm that achieving a world without nuclear weapons is a common goal for the international community, and we continue to make every effort to ensure that nuclear weapons are never used again.

Even as we deepen our security partnership, we will also maintain focus on building robust cooperation in the economic security and technology spheres, leveraging the unique capabilities that each of our countries brings to bear. In implementing our commitments in the Phnom Penh Statement, our national security teams have met twice under the auspices of the Trilateral Economic Security Dialogue to advance our shared objectives. We are now cooperating trilaterally on supply chain resilience, particularly on semiconductors and batteries, as well as on technology security and standards, clean energy and energy security, biotechnology, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and scientific research.

Going forward, our countries are committed to working closely together to launch early warning system pilots to expand information sharing and enhance policy coordination on possible disruptions to global supply chains as well as to better prepare us to confront and overcome economic coercion. We will continue to develop the Partnership for Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement (RISE) to help developing countries play larger roles in the supply chains of clean energy products. We will also enhance cooperation on technology protection measures to prevent the cutting-edge technologies we develop from being illegally exported or stolen abroad. To that end, we will conduct inaugural exchanges between the U.S. Disruptive Technology Strike Force and Japanese and ROK counterparts to deepen information-sharing and coordination across our enforcement agencies. We will also continue to strengthen trilateral cooperation on export controls to prevent our technologies from being diverted for military or dual-use capabilities that could potentially threaten international peace and security.

In tandem with technology protection measures, we will bolster combined and collaborative scientific and technological innovation, including by pursuing new trilateral National Labs cooperation and expanding trilateral collaborative research and development and personnel exchanges, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors. In addition, we seek to expand trilateral cooperation on open radio access network (RAN) and further enhance trilateral dialogue on space security cooperation, particularly regarding threats in the space domain, national space strategies, and the responsible use of space. We acknowledge the crucial role of AI as a transformative technology and affirm our respective efforts to help shape international governance on AI and ensure safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, in line with our shared democratic values and as the basis for international discussions on frontier AI systems.

We are fully committed to continuing to eliminate barriers to economic participation and build diverse, accessible, and inclusive economies in which all our peopleincluding women and marginalized groupscan succeed. We will work to further strengthen our people-to-people ties, including among our young people and students. We will continue our cooperation toward the successful conclusion of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) negotiations, and President Yoon and Prime Minister Kishida welcome the United States' hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum this year. President Yoon and President Biden applaud Japan's strong and principled leadership at the G7 Hiroshima Summit to respond to challenges that the international community is facing. Together, we are committed to accelerate the clean energy transition; mobilize financing for quality infrastructure and resilient supply chains, including through trilateral collaboration among our development finance institutions as well as through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII); and promote sustainable economic growth and financial stability, as well as orderly and well-functioning financial markets. We will continue our ambitious agenda to evolve the multilateral development banks to make them more responsive to shared global challenges. The Leaders committed to explore delivering new World Bank Group concessional resources and headroom to fight poverty by addressing global challenges in line with its forthcoming concessionality framework and enhancing resources for the poorest countries, including crisis response.

We are united in our support for Ukraine. We reaffirm our commitment to stand with Ukraine against Russia's unprovoked and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order. We commit to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, imposing coordinated, robust sanctions on Russia, and accelerating the reduction of dependency on Russian energy. We believe the lasting lesson from this catastrophic war of aggression must be the international community's abiding will to uphold the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. We reaffirm our view that when these foundational principles are rejected anywhere, they represent a threat to our region. We are unified in our intent to ensure that no such egregious acts are ever perpetrated again.

We depart Camp David with a shared resolve and optimism for the future. The opportunity that lies before us was not guaranteedit was embraced. It is the product of a determination, fiercely held by each of us, that if we are to deliver a peaceful and prosperous future for our people, and the people of the Indo-Pacific, we must more often stand together. Today, we declare that a new chapter in our trilateral relationship has begun. We are aligned in our vision; undaunted in the face of our era's greatest challenges; and, most of all, united in our belief that Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States can meet those challenges together, now and in the future.

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Afghanistan's health system suffers critical underfunding, calls for donor support

18 August 2023

News release

Launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO), a new Alert underscores the crucial importance of ramping up investment in healthcare services provision in Afghanistan, particularly in the underserved areas where the healthcare infrastructure is severely under-resourced and remain vulnerable due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

After decades of instability, exacerbated by severe drought and natural disasters, Afghanistan is currently facing a prolonged humanitarian crisis, with millions of people living with poor or no access to health and food, putting them at a severe risk of malnutrition and disease outbreaks. The vulnerability of women and girls has further intensified, as they face increased obstacles in accessing healthcare due to the ban on education and workforce participation.

The revised Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 reveals an alarming increase in the number of people in urgent need of humanitarian aid. As per the plan, 28.8 million people in Afghanistan require immediate assistance, up from 18.4 million prior to August 2021. To address the health emergency, 14 million people, including 7.5 million children and 3.1 million women, are currently targeted for health assistance, out of which 8.4 million have already been reached in the first six months of 2023. The healthcare response has been commendable, with a total of 25.7 million healthcare services provided between 2022 and 2023.

However, despite these efforts and without sufficient funding, 8 million people in Afghanistan will lose access to essential and potentially lifesaving health assistance, and 450,000 patients will have little to no access to life-saving trauma care services, including blood transfusions and referrals. In addition, an estimated 1.6 million people with mental health conditions will have little to no access to mental health consultation and psychosocial support.

The WHO Alert highlights the dire consequences that will result if underfunding continues in Afghanistan's healthcare system. The health sector is facing significant barriers to delivering holistic services to the Afghan people, especially women and children, resulting in fragmentation and increased vulnerability, particularly in underserved areas.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated: "The situation in Afghanistan is grave, and the lack of resources and funding to support health workers and facilities is putting countless lives at risk. Women and children are suffering the most. I call on donors to give generously so that we can continue our life-saving work".

Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, urged the international community to unite with WHO to help tackle the ongoing humanitarian health crisis in Afghanistan. He said, "It is our collective responsibility to act now to support the Afghan healthcare system. The consequences of inaction are catastrophic and may leave a lasting impact on the health and well-being of the Afghan people."

Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative to Afghanistan, expressed concern about the underfunding of the health system and emphasized the need for immediate action, while also taking the opportunity to extend his appreciation to partners. He said, "The situation in Afghanistan is critical, and it demands urgent attention. For a country already affected by decades of conflict, underfunding of the healthcare system is a critical humanitarian concern. The consequences of this underfunding cannot be overstated. I want to thank our current partners who have provided support thus far, but also to call on them to redouble their efforts".

In the second half of 2023, WHO will continue working with its outstanding partners to tackle critical health emergencies by providing life-saving health interventions, while simultaneously building on the successes observed in 2022. Much work still needs to be done to deliver on WHO' strategic areas; Protecting people every day; Reaching everyone, everywhere, and putting mothers and children first; Leading the health sector by coordinating the health partners, anddrive impact in delivering effective health services in Afghanistan.

For more information about the Alert and WHO's response to Afghanistan's humanitarian health emergency, follow the hashtag #AfgEmergAlert on @WHOAfghanistan or view the Alert here.

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ECOWAS sets date for possible military intervention in Niger

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 19 August 2023 1:55 AM

The West African bloc of countries, ECOWAS, has agreed on a date for possible military intervention in Niger to reverse the military coup that toppled the government of pro-West President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 in Niger.

The defense chiefs of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said on Friday that they are ready to act whenever an order is given.

"We are ready to go anytime the order is given," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony. "The D-Day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose."

The ECOWAS alliance also warned that it would not engage in endless dialogue with Niger's junta.

However, the bloc said it prefers a peaceful solution and that military action would be the last option.

"As we speak we are still readying (a) mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door... (but) we are not going to engage in endless dialogue," Musah said.

"We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention," Musah said, declining to share how many troops would be deployed and other strategic details.

"The decision is that the coup in Niger is one coup too many for the region, and we are putting a stop to it at this time, we are drawing the line in the sand," Musah said.

Niger's neighbor Nigeria has warned of military intervention, saying it would "practically exacerbate the crisis and inflict further suffering on the innocent people in the Niger Republic and the wider region."

Mali and Burkina Faso have said an intervention would be tantamount to a declaration of war on them.

The ousted Niger president has been in military detention for more than three weeks now.

Thousands of anti-West protesters took to the streets last week to protest against plans by West African nations to deploy a military force to the country.

The protesters surrounded a French military base in Niger, protesting against years of military intervention by the European country in the West African nation.

Protesters rallied near the army base on the outskirts of the capital Niamey on August 11, shouting, "Down with France, down with ECOWAS."

The Niger Army has accused the African nation's former colonizer France of being the force behind ECOWAS' determination to restore Bazoum to office to serve the West's interests.

France was a colonial power in West Africa until 1960. Since independence, the European country has maintained trade relations and a military presence in the region. It has 1,500 soldiers in Niger. American and European soldiers are also stationed in Niger.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 18 August 2023 - Day 541

Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that on 15 August 2023, First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko travelled to Donetsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine to visit schools and check their integration into the Russian education system.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the occupation administration received instructions from Russia regarding the introduction of new standards for the accreditation of educational institutions. Journalists from Russia are also being employed in media outlets in the occupied regions.

A new textbook on the history of Russia will be issued to schools in the occupied regions of Ukraine and throughout the Russian Federation from 1 September 2023. The book praises the so-called special military operation and describes Ukraine as an ultra-terrorist state.

Russia's aim is to create a pro-Kremlin information space in the occupied regions in order to erode Ukrainian national identity.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of August 18, Russian forces launched 1x missile and 31x air strikes, 45x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and various settlements. Unfortunately, the Russian terrorist attacks have killed and wounded civilians. Residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were damaged.

The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.

During the day of August 18, there were 30x combat engagements.

Volyn and Polissya axes: no significant changes.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of Chervona Zorya and Veeterynarne (Kharkiv oblast). The Russian adversary fired mortars and artillery at more than 20x settlements, including Yeline, Leonivka, Vyl'chyky, Mykolaivs'ke (Chernihiv oblast), Rozhkovychi, Iskryskivshchyna, Tur'ya, Pokrovka, Ryasne (Sumy oblast), Chervona Zorya, Hatyshche, Vovchans'ki Khutory, Budarky (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup'yans'k axis: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives in the vicinity of Syn'kivka (Kharkiv oblast). Russian forces launched air strikes in the vicinities of Kyslivka and Berestove (Kharkiv oblast). The following settlements were shelled with artillery and mortars: Kam'yanka, Krasne Pershe, Masyutivka, Kyslivka, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast).

Lyman axis: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast). The Russian invaders launched air strikes in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast) and Spirne (Donetsk oblast). About 10x settlements, including Nevs'ke, Chervonopopivka (Luhansk oblast), Verkhn'okam'yans'ke, Sviato-Pokrovske, Spirne, Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast), were shelled with artillery.

Bakhmut axis: the Russian adversary attempted offensive operations in the area northeast of Orikhovo-Vasylivka (Donetsk oblast), to no success. The Russian invaders launched air strikes in the vicinities of Klishchiivka and Andriivka (Donetsk oblast). More than 15x settlements, including Min'kivka, Bohdanivka, Chasiv Yar, Klishchiivka, Shcherbynivka (Donetsk oblast), suffered from Russian artillery shelling.

Avdiivka axis: the Russian adversary attempted offensive operations in the area southeast and east of Novokalynove (Donetsk oblast), to no success. The Russian invaders fired artillery at more than 10x settlements, including Keramik, Stepove, Avdiivka, Pervomais'ke, Netailove (Donetsk oblast).

Mar'inka axis: the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to hold back the Russian offensive in the vicinities of Mar'inka and Krasnohorivka (Donetsk oblast). Russian forces launched an air strike in the vicinity of Krasnohorivka (Donetsk oblast). The Russian invaders fired artillery at following settlements: Krasnohorivka, Pobjeda, Kostyantynivka, Halytsynivka, Katerynivka (Donetsk oblast).

Shakhtars'ke axis: Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to regain the lost position in the vicinity of Urozhaine (Donetsk oblast). The Russian invaders launched an air strike in the vicinity of Staromaiors'ke. More than 10x settlements, including Vodyane, Bohoyavlenka, Zolota Nyva, Blahodatne, Staromaiors'ke, Rivnopil' (Donetsk oblast), came under artillery shelling.

Zaporizhzhia axis: Russian forces launched an air strike in the vicinity of Robotyne (Zaporizhzhia oblast). More than 15x settlements suffered from Russian artillery shelling, including Novodarivka, Malynivka, Hulyaipole, Charivne, Mali Shcherbaky, Kam'yans'ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast).

Kherson axis: Russian forces artillery shelled more than 10x settlements, including Zolota Balka, Respublikanets', Odradokam'yanka, Veletens'ke, Novodmytrivka (Kherson oblast), Lupareve (Mykolaiv oblast).

At the same time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct the offensive operation on Melitopol' and Berdyans'k axes, consolidating their positions, and conducting counter-battery fire.

During the day of August 18, Ukrainian Air Force launched 9x air strikes on the concentrations of troops, weapons, and military equipment of the Russian adversary.

During the day of August 18, the Ukrainian missile and artillery troops hit 2x areas of concentration of troops, weapons, and military equipment, 4x artillery systems at their firing position, 2x command points, and 2x electronic warfare station of the Russian occupiers.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Donetsk direction, active and coordinated actions of the Yug Group of Forces supported by ground-attack and army aviation reflected three AFU attacks close to Avdeyevka, Berestooye, and Maryinka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy's losses have amounted to around 220 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, three armoured fighting vehicles, five motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M-777 artillery system, one D-20 howitzer, and two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems.

Furthermore, three ammunition supply points of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were obliterated near Dyleyevka, Dzerzhinsk, and Novopokrovskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces, strikes of Operational-Tactical Aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrowers repelled an enemy's attack close to Nikolskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), and inflicted fire damage on the AFU units near Urozhainoye and Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

Up to 210 Ukrainian servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, two armoured combat vehicles, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made M777 artillery systems, and one MT-12 Rapira anti-tank gun have been neutralised during the day.

In Kupyansk direction, artillery and Army Aviation of the Zapad Group of Forces successfully repelled seven attacks and counter-attacks of the enemy close to Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), Sinkovka, Olshana, and Mankovka Urochische (Kharkov region).

A munition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was annihilated close to Kamenka (Kharkov region).

Total enemy losses in this direction amounted to up to 75 Ukrainian servicemen, three armoured fighting vehicles, two pick-up trucks, and one Polish-made Krab self-propelled system.

In Krasny Liman direction, the Tsentr Group of Forces, army aviation, and artillery repelled two enemy attacks close to Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic) and Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic).

Up to 80 Ukrainian personnel, three armoured fighting vehicles, and two pick-up trucks have been eliminated.

The Russian grouping of forces supported by artillery close to Rabotino (Zaporozhye region) repelled two attacks of the enemy and disable one sabotage and reconnaissance unit in Zaporozhye direction.

Up to 195 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, one Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made M777 artillery system, and one U.K.-made L119 howitzer have been neutralised during the day.

In Kherson direction, the enemy suffered losses of up to 30 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, and one AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery radar station as a result of fire damage.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian grouping of troops engaged manpower, and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 143 areas.

Fighter aviation of Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down one Su-25 aircraft of Ukrainian Air Force near Verolyubovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

Air defence systems have shot down a Su-25 airplane of Ukrainian Air Force near Malaya Tokmachka (Zaporozhye region).

In addition, 26 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down close to Verkhnyaya Duvanka, Kremennaya, Privolye, Lisichansk (Lugansk People's Republic), Berestovoye, Krasnaya Gora, Volodino, Orlinskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Lyubimovka, Rabotino, and Tokmak (Zaporozhye region).

In total, 461 airplanes and 246 helicopters, 5,831 unmanned aerial vehicles, 431 air defence missile systems, 11,366 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,144 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,928 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,307 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.





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U.S. Army Pacific continues defense support efforts in Hawaii

By U.S. Army Public Affairs August 18, 2023

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Army Pacific, and the Hawaii National Guard continue their fully integrated response to the recent wildfires. With the stand-up of Joint Task Force 50 (JTF-50) under the command of dual-status commander

Brig. Gen Stephen Logan, the distinction between the Active Duty and National Guard forces begins to become less apparent as the military headquarters assumes command and control responsibilities for military support to civilian authorities.

There are currently 691 DoD personnel in Maui who are actively engaged in planning, synchronizing, and coordinating support to FEMA and the State of Hawaii.

Two CH-47 Chinook helicopters with Bambi buckets from the Hawaii National Guard are being used to conduct fire suppression support. The fire in the Pulehu/KAhei area is 100% contained, the fire in Lahaina is 85% contained, and the fire in the area of Kula is 75% contained. According to Maui County, 2,170 acres burned in the vicinity of Lahaina and 678 acres burned in vicinity of Kula.

As of Aug. 16, 2023, according to state officials, 106 fatalities were reported, and nearly 2,250 customers do not have power. Six shelters are open in Maui County, and the state of Hawaii has secured more than 400 hotel rooms and 1,400 units from Airbnb.

The JTF-50 joint operations center at the Haggai complex in Maui is fully Operational.

Search and rescue teams are conducting wide-search-area activities with CBRNE enhanced response force packages and teams from the FBI. JTF-50 continues to maintain traffic-control points and conduct 24-hour security operations in Lahaina in coordination with local law enforcement, the HIARNG and neighboring sheriff departments.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has moved 32 FEMA generators to Maui, and 61 generators are staged at Oahu.

Possible courses of action for initial debris removal have been briefed to FEMA, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense has approved the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to assign six forensic anthropologists to assist in gathering and identifying human remains.

Future anticipated actions include debris removal, engineer assessments, damage assessments (including port facilities) and rebuilding efforts.

For more information, please contact Ms. Katie Nelson, USARPAC Media Operations, at 808-786-0300.

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August 18, 2023

By David Vergun , DOD News

DOD, FEMA Fully Engaged in Maui Recovery and Assistance Efforts

Joint Task Force 5-0 is supporting the efforts of county, state and federal authorities on Maui, Hawaii, ensuring that the residents receive all necessary assistance available, said the task force commander.

"I want to reiterate our commitment to the residents of Maui County and the broader Hawaiian community. The combined strength of our military and civilian partners is making a significant impact on the ground, and I'm immensely proud of every individual contributing to these efforts. We will continue to support and aid local, state and federal authorities and partners, ensuring that we offer the best possible support in the days and weeks ahead," said Army Brig. Gen. Stephen F. Logan during a press conference today.

The wildfire has killed more than 100 people and destroyed much of the city of Lahaina.

U.S. Army Pacific published a statement today on its support of the disaster, including the efforts of the Hawaii National Guard and JTF 5-0.

According to the statement, the support includes:

DOD has 691 personnel in Maui who are engaged in planning, synchronizing and coordinating support to FEMA and the state of Hawaii.

Two CH-47 Chinook helicopters with water buckets from the Hawaii National Guard are conducting fire suppression support.

Search and rescue teams are conducting searches over a wide area.

JTF 5-0 continues to maintain traffic-control points and conduct 24-hour security operations in Lahaina in coordination with local law enforcement.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has moved 32 Federal Emergency Management Agency generators to Maui, and 61 generators are staged at Oahu.

The secretary of defense has approved the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to assign six forensic anthropologists to assist in gathering and identifying human remains.

Other anticipated actions include engineering and damage assessments, including at port facilities, and rebuilding efforts.

The statement also included a synopsis of containment efforts, saying:

The fire in the Pulehu/Kihei area is 100% contained.

The Lahaina wildfire is 85% contained.

Fire in the area of Kula is 75% contained.

According to Maui County, 2,170 acres burned in the vicinity of Lahaina and 678 acres burned in vicinity of Kula.

Marcus Coleman, a senior FEMA official who spoke before the briefing by Logan, said FEMA is working closely with Maui's faith-based and community-based partners, as well as local, state and federal organizations. Currently, there are over 1,000 federal responders on Maui, including 350 search and rescue and canine team members. There are also FEMA survivor-assistance teams going to shelters, survivors' homes and places where people may need help, he said.

Nearly 6,000 survivors have registered for federal assistance and may be eligible for immediate resources, such as hotel rooms or financial assistance, Coleman said.

Survivors who have not yet registered can do so 24 hours a day by calling 1-800-621-3362, visiting disasterassistance.gov, or by using the FEMA app, he said.

FEMA is encouraging survivors to visit its newly opened Joint Disaster Recovery Center at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Survivors can speak to FEMA specialists there, get assistance registering for disaster assistance, get in touch with volunteer organizations, and access other federal and state resources from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, he said.

FEMA has approved more than $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 households, including more than $2.3 million in initial rental assistance, he said.

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August 18, 2023

By Joseph Clark , DOD News

Joint Task Force 5-0 Brings DOD Capabilities to FEMA-led Response in Maui

The joint task force responding to the devastating Maui wildfires is bringing the full weight of the Defense Department to the interagency effort, its deputy commander said.

Led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly 700 DOD personnel and 140 Coast Guardsmen are part of the coordinated response, as military members work alongside interagency partners and state and local officials.

But beyond personnel currently on the ground, Army Col. David Fielder, deputy commander of Joint Task Force 5-0, said the task force brings with it the capability to tap into and quickly field the full spectrum of military capabilities as the situation evolves.

"Gen. Flynn has the entire DOD presence supporting him," Fielder said of Army Gen. Charles A. Flynn, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific.

Fielder said he consults on a nearly daily basis with local leaders who are amazed by what the DOD can offer.

He said if there is a capability needed on the ground, the task force can reach back across the entire DOD to begin working a solution.

"If we can support it, we offer it up to FEMA," Fielder said. He said the task force has moved at unprecedented pace in supporting the interagency effort.

The task force is led by Army Brig. Gen. Stephen F. Logan, commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard. It was activated on Aug. 11 and reached full operational capacity five days later.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III designated Logan as the dual status commander of Joint Task Force 5-0 under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command on Aug. 12.

The Hawaii National Guard continues to operate traffic control points and provide security in support of local law enforcement. The National Guard is also providing response teams trained in hazardous material response.

Additionally, active components from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have all lent their support to the mission.

DOD personnel are currently conducting 8 eight approved mission assignments in support of FEMA:

Operation of a Defense Coordinating Element office including liaison officers.

Inter-island air/sea transportation for the movement of cargo, personnel, supplies and equipment.

Use of Schofield Barracks to support facilities for billeting, life support and hygiene facilities for federal emergency responders.

Strategic transportation of personnel and/or cargo.

Standing by for aerial fire suppression.

Use of U.S. Army Reserve Center - Wailuku and support as a FEMA Incident Support Base and a Federal Staging Area for FEMA.

Fuel distribution operations in support of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers generator operations.

Mortuary Affairs support.

Fielder said the task force is another reminder of the DOD's proven ability to quickly field resources needed to respond to any humanitarian situation throughout the globe. He also noted the Department's commitment to continue supporting local, state and federal emergency responders, however they may be needed.

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Now the Mali government claims the thousand or Russian military personnel in Mali belong to the Russian military, not the Wagner Group. Back in Russia, the Russian government has settled its disputes with the Wagner Group by giving Wagner Group personnel overseas a choice of either working for the Russian military or being declared outlaws and no longer have any official or financial connection with the government. The Mali government was informed of this change and advised that it was in Malis interest to deal directly with the Russian government about Russian troops in Mali and requisitions for more weapons and munitions from Russia. Previously the Mali military government used locally mined gold to pay for Russian weapons and the services of Russian soldiers. Mali is a major producer of gold and the Russians have always been willing accept payments in gold. Russia maintains a huge gold stockpile (about 2,300 tons), the fifth largest in the world. The Russian gold is an emergency fund that is now being tapped to pay for military operations in Ukraine.

The military government in Mali had hoped that hiring Russian Wagner Group mercenaries would enable Mali to maintain control of northern and central Mali. These two regions have been under growing attack by Islamic terror groups but the Russians made it worse. The Mali military government is running out of people to blame for the mess they got themselves into. The problems began when the military government ordered the independent French Barkhane counter-terrorism force out of Mali and it was gone by the end of 2021. Since then, Mali forced the 15,000 UN peacekeepers to start withdrawing.

The government forced the French and G5 peacekeepers out by the end of 2021. In 2017 Mali, Chad, Niger, the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso agreed to form a new G5 counter-terrorism force that would work in cooperation with the similar but larger and better equipped French force that had been operating in the Sahel since 2014. The Sahel is the semi-desert area south of the Sahara Desert that covers much of northern Africa.

Back then the French concluded that the Sahel was still troubled by thousands of Islamic terrorists and that this situation could not be taken care of quickly. In order to maintain pressure on the Islamic terrorists, France established a special force of 3,000 troops to fight Islamic terrorists throughout the Sahel (actually just Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso). This French force grew to some 4,000 troops equipped with 200 armored vehicles, 20 transport and attack helicopters, six jet fighters and three large UAVs. There are also two twin engine C-160 air transports available for use within the Sahel. Supplies and reinforcements were regularly flown in using long-range transports (like the C-17) belonging to NATO allies (especially the U.S. and Britain). From the beginning the French force included a thousand French troops in Mali and the rest dispersed to other Sahel bases and ready to quickly move anywhere in the region that Islamic terrorist activity had been detected. The G5 nations already cooperated by sharing intelligence and providing quick access to their territory by the French force. In addition the Americans provided satellite and UAV surveillance and other intel services (especially analysis and access to nearly all American data on Islamic terrorist activities in the region). Each of the G5 member countries contribute from 500 to 2,000 personnel and consist largely of special operations troops. Many of these troops have already worked with their French counterparts or been trained by French or American special operations advisors.

All this was meant to keep the Islamic terrorists in the Sahel weak and disorganized. That worked until recently when the current Mali military regime ordered the French/G5 force out, but AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), which has been around since 2007, was still in business (as gangsters smuggling drugs and illegal migrants north) and getting support from Islamic terrorists in Europe and the Persian Gulf. Islamic terrorists continue to carry out attacks in Mali (mainly the north) and in the G5 states to let the world know that Islamic terrorists were still present in the area.

Another reminder has been the high casualty rate among peacekeepers in Mali. UN peacekeepers in Mali suffered 26 dead during 2016, the highest number of any UN peacekeeping operation and 90 percent of the UN peacekeeper deaths in 2016, even though the Mali force comprises less than 15 percent of all UN peacekeepers. The Mali peacekeepers have been in this situation for three years in a row. Over a hundred peacekeepers (mostly UN, but some French) have died in Mali since they arrived in 2013. This is the highest casualty rate of all current UN peacekeeping operations.

Mali wanted to keep the 13,500 UN peacekeepers who maintain government control over the rebellious north. These peacekeepers are supplied by AU (African Union) nations and some of the African nations supplying these peacekeepers are withdrawing that support. A few percent of the peacekeeping force consists of troops from NATO nations that supply specialized services, especially transport helicopters and other services. People in areas where the peacekeepers are stationed warn that the security situation will deteriorate once the peacekeepers depart because the military government has not got the ability to maintain local security. Thats going to hurt the economy and cause more residents to flee the country. This is how corruption often ruins the local economy. Then again, elected officials were often corrupt. The pattern is that too many corrupt elected officials leads to rebellion or, more likely, a coup by the military, who tend to be no more effective than the people they replaced.

There was growing opposition among UN members for maintaining the expensive peacekeeper force, which is the most dangerous the UN is currently involved with. The Mali peacekeeping operation costs about half a billion dollars a month and that is about the only foreign aid Mali gets now that the military government is in control. Most foreign aid was halted because the government was stealing so much of the aid. It is difficult to steal any of the money spent on peacekeepers but the government seems to be trying to do just that.

Once the UN voted to maintain the Mali peacekeeping force for another year, the military government began harassing the peacekeepers and threatening to expel all of them. The peacekeepers serve on contracts (with the UN) for varying periods usually between two and six months. The withdrawal of the peacekeepers began on July 1st and will be completed by the end of 2023.

August 17, 2023: Mali is now one of four countries in the region ruled by a military government that overthrew an elected government. The other coup ruled nations are Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger. The generals justified their takeovers because of the need to defeat the growing number of Islamic terrorist groups in the region. Military governments are rarely more effective against Islamic terrorists because Western nations providing counter-terrorism assistance tend to leave, or are ordered out by the generals. The French, who provided the most effective counter-terrorism force in the region were ordered out and back in France the taxpayers supported the departure because they were tired of paying for it and seeing little progress. The military government in Niger left the American UAV operations at the four year old Airbase 201 outside Agadez, which is 730 kilometers northeast of the capital Niamey. U.S. aircraft have been operating from Niamey, which is close to the current operations in Mali, since 2018. Armed American UAVs operate out of Airbase 201 and often carry out attacks against Islamic terrorists in northern Mali. France used to have some large UAVs operating in Niger and Mali but not as many as the Americans. The French UAVs are gone now, as are the French fighter-bombers and helicopter gunships in the region that supported French counter-terrorist operations.

August 15, 2023: In the north, across the border in Niger, a Niger army force was ambushed near the border by about a hundred on motorcycles. The army lost 17 men and at last twenty were wounded. The Islamic terrorists suffered heavier losses and the survivors retreated into Mali. Several Islamic terror groups maintain bases in Mali, near the Niger border. The most prominent of these is ISGS (Islamic States in Greater Sahara). Islamic terrorists near the Niger border took advantage of the departure of French counterterrorism forces in 2021 by seizing and holding territory in Mali. This began with more attacks on the Niger border. The departing French and G5 counter-terrorism forces had kept the Islamic terrorists out of Mali. The Mali army and a small number of Russian (Wagner Group) military contractors have been unable, or unwilling, to carry on with that effort or prevent the Islamic terror groups from crossing the border and advancing into Mali. ISGS is one of the two ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) groups in the region. When they showed up in 2018, ISGS operated mainly in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, especially the area where the three borders meet.

Since late 2022 ISGS have been working to take control of the border between Mali and Niger. Mali responded with soldiers and a handful of Wagner Group mercenaries but that was unsuccessful. After that Mali did nothing about the situation as its security forces and the UN peacekeepers were needed elsewhere. The Niger government was also unable to respond and sought to negotiate a deal with ISGS. Appearing in 2015 as an affiliate of ISIL and part of ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) that changed in 2021 when ISGS declared itself separate from ISWAP and declared northern Mali and some areas in Niger and Burkina Faso its future caliphate. The ISIL affiliated Islamic terrorists are far more violent than the more numerous al Qaeda. This also means casualties for the 12,000 UN peacekeepers. ISGS violence involves attacks on Islamic terror groups that refuse to take orders from ISIL.

The tri-border (Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso) area has been a terrorist hotspot since 2018 because Islamic terror groups can just cross the border to escape any effective counterterrorism efforts. For that reason, this area has been called the Menaka Region. Previously this area was just part of the larger Gao Region, centered on one of the few cities in the north. The area being fought over is near where the borders of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet. Menaka has become ungovernable because so many Islamic terrorists and bandits now operate here. The French counterterrorism forces regularly searched for and attacked specific Islamic terrorist targets. The Mali government underestimated how important the French forces, with their airmobile troops, UAV surveillance and ground attack aircraft were in keeping the Islamic terrorists from establishing themselves inside Mali. The current Mali military government has no clear plan for dealing with this situation and are withdrawing their counterterrorism forces south, to protect the capital and the more prosperous and populous south. Niger has suffered five military coups since independence in 1960. The recently deposed government was the first elected government in Niger to succeed an elected government. Its a common pattern in Africa, where the generals believe they can run the government better than elected officials. This is generally untrue. The generals lack the local and international legitimacy of an elected government and tend to be less adept at government administration than the professional politicians.

August 13, 2023: In the north (south of Timbuktu) four peacekeepers were wounded during an attack by an Islamic terrorist group.

August 11, 2023: In the north former Tuareg rebels were attacked by Mali soldiers and Russian Wagner Group mercenaries. Mali said this was retaliation for Tuareg threats to the presence of the Mali military in the north. Mali has long had problems in the sparsely populated north, where most of the population is Tuareg or Arab. Most of the Mali population is black African and prefers to live south of the Niger River in the more populated and prosperous south.

Animosity between dark skinned Africans and lighter skinned people from the north has been around as long as the two groups have been in contact. Arabs first moved south of the Sahara in large numbers over a thousand years ago and often came as conquerors and slavers. Although many of the black Africans encountered converted to Islam, the lighter skinned Arabs, including the non-Arab Tuareg and Berbers, considered themselves superior. This racist attitude has persisted and the black Africans often reciprocate. This is one reason why the majority Tuareg of northern Mali constantly rebel. Not only is the Mali government corrupt but it is dominated by black Africans, which is what 90 percent of Malians are. Officially, Islam and most African governments deny that such ethnic tensions exist. This in itself is progress, but the animosities remain and often become quite deadly. The slaving also continues and sometimes gets into the news. This happened a lot in Sudan since the 1990s as the government encouraged Arabized tribes to raid non-Moslem black African tribes and take slaves. In northern Mali retreating al Qaeda men sometimes took newly enslaved blacks with them.

Meanwhile the CMA (Coordination of Azawad Movements) coalition in the north has agreed to put aside their disagreements and form a unified group. CMA had long been a pro-government Tuareg coalition that had not resolved all their clan and family disputes. Azawad is the Tuareg term for their homeland in northern Mali and several other North African nations. The 2015 peace deal ended the Tuareg support for Islamic terrorism, but not the ethnic animosities. These local, and often ancient, disagreements and feuds are often not connected with the 2012 rebellion in the north nor the continuing Islamic terrorism problems, but they do cause security problems that interfere with rebuilding the economy and much else. The Tuareg peace deal was stalled for years because the black majority in the south did not want to even consider granting as much autonomy as the Tuaregs demanded. The two groups have always been at odds but were only united in the same country by the colonial French in the 19th century. Like most African countries that were formerly European colonies, dividing the post-colonial nation is not an acceptable option and the colonial borders are considered sacrosanct. The current mess began when France took swift action in January 2013 by leading a military operation to clear Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali. Aided by Chad and a growing number of other African peacekeeping contingents, this effort continues and is somewhat open ended. The French acted because in 2012 Tuareg tribal rebels (with the help of al Qaeda affiliated Islamic terrorists) in northern Mali chased out government forces and declared a separate Tuareg state. The Mali army mutinied because of a lack of support from the corrupt government down south and took control of the capital. The army is still in charge and not showing any signs of confirming the old peace deals with the CMA.

July 26, 2023: In the north, across the border in Niger, the army deposed the elected government and appointed a general as the new president. The army justified this because there was an urgent need to address the growing power of Islamic terrorist groups in Niger. July 25, 2023:
Iran arrests Daesh-linked 'most pivotal' supporter of Shah Cheragh terrorist attack

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 4:25 PM

Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it has arrested a Daesh-linked suspect that played the "most pivotal" supporting role in the recent deadly terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in the southern city of Shiraz.

The ministry made the announcement in a statement on Friday as it elaborated on the measures taken to counter and identify the terrorists behind the weekend's attack on Shah Cheragh and the one that took place in the same place last year.

On Sunday evening, a gunman started shooting at people at the Shah Cheragh holy shrine in the southern Iranian city, killing at least two people and injuring several others. He was arrested at the scene and handed over to investigators for interrogation.

The statement said 196 Takfiri terrorists were arrested or killed between the two terrorist assaults on the holy shrine in Shiraz, all of whom were non-Iranians and from the Republic of Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

The Intelligence Ministry said the US-created Takfiri Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for last year's attack and declared it would launch a retaliatory operation and send terrorists to Iran after the trial and punishment of a number of the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

The statement said the perpetrator of the recent terrorist operation in Shiraz was exactly the same type of Takfiri terrorists who entered the country with the aim of reprisal.

"Like last year's dead terrorist, he is also a citizen of Tajikistan, who got to know and was attracted to Daesh through the [social media] platform of Telegram," the Intelligence Ministry said.

"To enter Iran, he passed through Tajikistan, Turkey and Pakistan, then he was trained in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan and illegally entered the country from the eastern borders," it added. "In Iran, through the same foreign platform, he was in contact with the commanding generals of the operation to receive instructions and weapons, and finally, on Sunday, August 13, he embarked on the terrorist operation."

Drawing an analogy between the two attacks, the statement said both assailants were Takfiri terrorists with Tajik nationalities, and that the first attack coincided with nationwide riots plotted by Iran's enemies while the latter came as the anniversary of those riots is approaching.

Iran's Intelligence Ministry also underlined that the United States is seeking to reactivate Daesh after the terrorist group was defeated by the resistance front in the West Asia region.

"The silence of Europeans as the purported advocates of human rights regarding the recent terrorist attack, along with the joy of their affiliated media in this regard, is not only another clear example of their hypocritical stance and double standards but can also show another address of the Takfiri terror creator and sponsor club," the statement noted.

The Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz was the scene of a similar attack by armed terrorists last year.

On October 26, 2022, an armed terrorist barged into the shrine, killing 15 pilgrims, including women and children, and injuring dozens more before he was shot and injured by security forces. The terrorist later died of his wounds in hospital.

Last year's terrorist attack followed foreign-backed riots in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. In mid-September, she fainted at a police station in the capital Tehran and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. An official report by Iran's Legal Medicine Organization concluded that Amini's death was caused by illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.

Iran's intelligence community said several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, used their spy and propaganda apparatuses to provoke violent riots in the country.

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Iran begins manufacturing its 'most modern, accurate' satellite

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 12:34 AM

The Iranian Space Organization (ISA) has announced the launch of the production process of "Pars-3," the country's "most modern and accurate" satellite.

Hassan Salarieh, head of the organization, provided the information on Thursday, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

"Previously, we had given some promises about the production of remote sensing satellites with high accuracy," he said.

"Today, I proudly announce that the ISA has taken a very important step in the area of designing and producing indigenous remote sensing satellites with very good accuracy," Salarieh added.

He named "Pars-2" and "Pars-3" as two such satellites, whose production procedures had "officially started."

Salarieh identified "Pars-2" and "Pars-3" as satellites with respective imaging precision of four and two meters.

Iran is among the world's top 10 countries capable of manufacturing and launching satellites.

The country launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009 and its Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into orbit in 2011.

In 2012, Iran successfully put its third domestically-made satellite, Navid (Good News), into orbit.

In April 2020, the country announced the successful launch of its first military satellite into orbit. And in March 2022, it blasted its second military satellite into space.

Also in August last year, Iran launched Khayyam, a high-resolution imaging satellite, into orbit. The satellite was sent into space from the Moscow-operated Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, utilizing a Soyuz 2.1 B rocket.

In February, Iran unveiled two indigenous telecommunications and imaging satellites designed and manufactured by the country's specialists.

The two technological achievements, dubbed Nahid-2 (Venus-2) and Tolou-3 (Sunrise-3), were showcased during a ceremony held in May in Tehran on the occasion of Iran's National Space Technology Day.

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Macao: EU report highlights growing emphasis on national security that risks undermining fundamental freedoms

European Commission

Press release

18 August 2023

Brussels

The European Commission and the High Representative have today adopted their 23rd annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR). This report covers developments in 2022.

The report shows a growing focus on national security that bears the risk of undermining fundamental freedoms in Macao and eroding the 'one country, two systems' principle and Macao's high degree of autonomy.

On 15 December, the Legislative Assembly passed a bill to amend the 2009 national security law. The expressed aim of the bill is to enable the law to safeguard national security to the same extent as the laws of mainland China and of Hong Kong. The amended law expands the scope of the existing offences to include non-violent actions under subversion, and further widens the definition of sedition. The scope of the charge of collusion has been broadened to include any organisation, association, and individual outside of Macao. The amended law ultimately became effective on 30 May 2023.

The year was marked by stringent COVIDa19 related social and travel restrictions. It implemented mainland China's 'dynamic zero-COVID strategy'. The related travel restrictions, including a two-week hotel quarantine, continued as in 2021 to prevent officials from the EU Office from visiting Macao or holding events there for much of the year. This hindered the Office's work and limited contacts with SAR government officials.

In the first 11 months of 2022, the EU overtook mainland China to become Macao's largest trading partner in goods, accounting for 30% of the SAR's total trade in that period. The EU remained Macao's fourth-largest source of foreign investment in 2021 (excluding offshore centres), after Hong Kong, mainland China and the US. According to Macao's official statistics, the EU accounted for 5.8% of the total foreign direct investment stock in 2021.

Background

Since the handover of Macao to the People's Republic of China in 1999, the European Union and its Member States have been closely following political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) under the 'one country, two systems' principle.

In line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1999, the European Commission and the High Representative issue an annual report on political and economic developments in Macao.

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Hong Kong: Annual EU report illustrates further decline of fundamental freedoms

European Commission

Press release

18 August 2023

Brussels

The European Commission and the High Representative have today adopted the 25th annual report to the European Parliament and the Council on political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This report covers developments in 2022.

2022 marked the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China and the second anniversary of the imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) on Hong Kong. The annual report illustrates the continued erosion of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy, democratic principles, and fundamental freedoms that were supposed to be protected until at least 2047. These developments cast further doubt on China's commitment to the 'one country, two systems' principle.

Over the course of the year, law enforcement agencies continued to make arrests on national security grounds. As of 31 December 2022, 236 people had been arrested under the NSL and other security legislation while 145 individuals and 5 companies had been charged. The conviction rate was 100%. Many people were awaiting trial, including 47 pro-democracy activists who participated in a primary election, members of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and Jimmy Lai. Many of them have been held in custody since January 2021, in some cases in solitary confinement. The colonial-era sedition law was used frequently in 2022. Around one fifth of the arrests by the national security police are made under this law. On 1 November, one EU national was arrested under the law.

In the fourth periodic review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Hong Kong, the United Nations Human Rights Committee urged Hong Kong to repeal the current National Security Law. The Committee highlighted concerns regarding the possibility of transferring cases from Hong Kong to mainland China (which is not a state party to the Covenant) for investigation, prosecution, trial and execution of penalties.

Freedom of the press declined considerably in 2022. Journalists were arrested and charged, and numerous independent media outlets ceased operations. In the 2022 Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index, Hong Kong ranked 148th out of 180 locations, 68 places lower than the previous year.

Following the 2021 electoral overhaul, aimed to ensure that 'patriots administer Hong Kong', the first election of the Chief Executive took place on 8 May. Former police officer and Chief Secretary for Administration John Lee was the only candidate in the race. He received 99.2% of the valid votes and was sworn in on 1 July.

The annual report also highlights the substantial commercial links between the European Union and Hong Kong. With 1,600 companies, the EU remained the largest foreign business community. The EU was Hong Kong's third-largest trading partner in goods. EU bilateral trade in services with Hong Kong grew by 25.1%. Two-way investment also remained significant.

Hong Kong's economy fell back into recession in 2022, even though travel and health restrictions were gradually relaxed in the second part of the year. Hong Kong remained the world's third-largest investment destination and was the world's fifth-largest trading economy.

Background

Since Hong Kong's handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the European Union and its Member States have closely followed political and economic developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the 'one country, two systems' principle.

In line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1997, the European Commission and the High Representative issue an annual report on political and economic developments in Hong Kong.

The measures taken by the EU and Member States in response to the NSL in the Council Conclusions adopted in July 2020 remain in force. This package of measures included:

a review of the asylum, migration, visa and residency policy, and of extradition agreements;

scrutiny and limitation of exports of sensitive equipment;

observation of trials; support for civil society;

the possibility of more scholarships and academic exchanges;

monitoring of the extraterritorial impact of the law; and

the refraining from launching any new negotiations with Hong Kong.

Quote(s)

Throughout 2022, the National Security Law and other legislation have continued to be used to stifle dissent and pluralism and the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong. The dismantling of the 'one country, two systems' principle and erosion of Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy continues unabated. High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell

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Xi to attend BRICS summit, jointly chart bloc's blueprint

Global Times

By Liu Xin and Liu Caiyu Published: Aug 18, 2023 09:08 AM

The first offline BRICS summit in over three years will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa next week, and Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the country and join other BRICS leaders to discuss issues on development of concern to emerging economies and developing countries and the international community.

The highly-anticipated summit will provide emerging markets and developing countries the opportunity to fully discuss challenges they face on boosting development in the post-pandemic era and will further strengthen South-South cooperation amid growing geopolitical risks, analysts said.

Xi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from August 21 to 24, at the invitation of President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. While in South Africa, Xi will co-chair with President Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying announced on Friday.

This summit is the first offline BRICS summit held in over three years and marks the return of the BRICS summit to Africa after a five-year hiatus. It will seek to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between BRICS and Africa and other emerging markets and developing countries and send a strong message of safeguarding multilateralism and focusing on common development, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the press conference on Friday when talking about expectations of the upcoming summit.

Wang said that the summit will carry forward the sound momentum of cooperation from the BRICS "China Year" 2022 and blueprint a brighter future for BRICS, adding that all sides will have in-depth exchange of views on prominent global challenges, enhance coordination and collaboration in international affairs, inject stability and positive energy into today's world fraught with uncertainties, and contribute wisdom and strength to world peace and development.

This year's BRICS chair South Africa has invited a total of 69 countries and regions to the summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin will join other BRICS leaders via video link, media reported.

In the post-pandemic era and amid a turbulent international security situation, this year's BRICS summit will highlight the urgent need of developing counties and emerging markets for development as well as their intention to strengthen independent cooperation and solidarity, Yang Baorong, director of the division of economy at the China-Africa Institute, told the Global Times on Friday.

Also, as the BRICS countries account for approximately 40 percent of the global population and about a quarter of the world's GDP, the summit will also show the world the majority of developing countries and emerging economies' attitude and approaches to some global concerns, and their appeals for the reform of global governance, which will also inject stability and positive energy into a complex world, said Yang.

Mechanism of cooperation

Topics on BRICS expansion will be high on the agenda of the upcoming summit, as BRICS states are implementing the political consensus they reached at last year's summit to give an active response to the concerns and needs of more emerging markets and developing countries, Zhu Tianxiang, director of the Institute of Foreign Relations of the BRICS Research Institute of Sichuan International Studies University, told the Global Times.

More focus will be put on discussing details on standards and procedures to include new members, analysts said, noting that countries that have expressed growing interest in joining BRICS have always played important roles in regional and international affairs and this is why BRICS expansion has attracted more attention in recent years.

South Africa said some 40 countries and regions have shown an interest in joining the bloc, including Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Egypt, media reported.

This year's summit will also include various topics of shared concerns of BRICS and developing countries, including promoting political security, boosting the usage of local currencies, and cooperation on digital economy, Zhu said.

How to strengthen financial cooperation, especially in the context of the global multilateral financial system, has been an issue of great focus since the beginning of BRICS cooperation as the upgrading of this cooperation itself took place after the 2008 global financial crisis. And for the past decade or so, BRICS countries have consistently prioritized promoting cooperation in the global multilateral financial field - this is why BRICS countries will pay more attention to the usage of local currencies, said analysts.

De-dollarization is not the mission of BRICS countries, some observers said in response to some Western media's hyping of such topics, and they noted that making the global financial system more inclusive and fairer and better represent the changes of the global governance system is truly what BRICS countries, other emerging economies and developing countries pursue.

Shared need for development

The most emphasized aspect of this year's summit is South Africa's role as the chair and its unique identity as a representative of African countries, analysts said, noting that South Africa has set a series of key directions for hosting the summit, including on the partnership between BRICS and African countries, promoting high-speed growth, sustainable development, and inclusive multilateralism.

South Africa has reportedly invited the heads of state of all African countries to the summit to discuss how BRICS countries can partner with Africa to help the continent achieve economic growth.

Both South Africa and other African countries have high expectations of the BRICS mechanism as they have faced unprecedented challenges on development and have acknowledged how supportive and complementary South-South cooperation is, said Yang.

The BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - each have different industrial and development advantages, which could boost Africa's economic development and help with the continent's post-pandemic recovery, said the expert.

Moreover, President Xi's visit to South Africa - his first visit to the African continent since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2022, is also expected to deepen China-South Africa and China-Africa cooperation, analysts said.

In 2013, President Xi visited Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on his first overseas trip as Chinese President.

China and African countries are expected to expand cooperation on industrial and trade cooperation during the summit. Moreover, the BRICS summit also offers a platform for high-level exchanges of heads of state and senior officials from China and African countries on what topics should be addressed or prioritized in future China-Africa cooperation, said Yang.

The problems that many African countries have faced are also problems shared by many other developing countries and emerging markets. While many Western countries are mired in economic decline and deep-seated domestic problems, more developing countries are turning their eyes to the BRICS mechanism and South-South cooperation to seek better solutions, said Yang.

However, the purpose of strengthening South-South cooperation is not to exclude North-South cooperation, but rather to uphold the rights that BRICS countries, including the developing world, should rightfully have within the global governance system, said Zhu.

BRICS countries never aim to position themselves against developed countries, and it is usually Western experts and media who pit BRICS countries against Western countries and the G7, said Zhu.

The "power of BRICS" that member states want to highlight at this year's summit is solidarity, no confrontation, and what it hopes to promote is cooperation not clashes, said analysts.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 18, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

CCTV: China announced this morning that President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa. Strengthening BRICS cooperation and BRICS expansion are two topics that have received much attention in particular. Could you share China's expectation for the summit?

Wang Wenbin: The upcoming summit will be the first in-person BRICS summit in more than three years and the first BRICS summit to be held in Africa in five years. Since its establishment, BRICS has remained true to its founding purpose of seeking strength through solidarity, upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and deepened practical cooperation in various fields. It has become an important force driving global governance reform and taken on increasing international influence.

Under the theme of "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism", the summit will carry forward the sound momentum of cooperation from the BRICS "China Year" 2022 and blueprint a brighter future for BRICS. All sides will have in-depth exchange of views on prominent global challenges, enhance coordination and collaboration in international affairs, inject stability and positive energy into today's world fraught with uncertainties, and contribute wisdom and strength to world peace and development. They will discuss ways to further deepen and substantiate BRICS cooperation, including practical cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, finance, security, people-to-people and cultural exchange, and global governance, and provide guidance for the mechanism's sustained steady growth. They will also seek to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between BRICS and Africa and other emerging markets and developing countries and send a strong message of safeguarding multilateralism and focusing on common development.

CRI: This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. A South African scholar said that the relations between China and South Africa have entered a "golden age". At this important historical juncture, what expectation does China have for the future of the bilateral relations? What outcomes do you expect this visit to achieve?

Wang Wenbin: During the visit, President Xi Jinping will exchange views with President Ramaphosa on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, and draw a blueprint for the growth of bilateral relations. The visit will provide strong impetus for building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future.

South Africa is China's comprehensive strategic partner and the first African country that has joined Belt and Road cooperation. In the past 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, this relationship has achieved leapfrog development and reached far beyond the bilateral scope and increasingly bears global significance. In recent years in particular, under the joint care and planning of President Xi Jinping and President Ramaphosa, China-South Africa relations have maintained high-level development, with political mutual trust, practical cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchange and strategic coordination continuing to deepen. As a South African scholar said, China-South Africa relations have entered a "golden age", and the future holds great promise for the relationship.

No matter how the international landscape may change, China will not change its commitment to deepening friendship and enhancing solidarity and cooperation with South Africa. We would like to work with South Africa to continue to support each other on issues that bear on each other's core interests and major concerns, jointly pursue development and revitalization, and make positive contribution to a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations. We believe that with the concerted efforts of the two sides, the China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership will achieve new, greater development.

People's Daily: We noted that this upcoming BRICS Summit has invited many African countries to attend the "BRICS Plus" activities, and China and South Africa will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. What is the consideration for holding this dialogue? Looking ahead, what will China and Africa do to build an even closer China-Africa community with a shared future?

Wang Wenbin: Solidarity and cooperation with African countries are the cornerstones of China's foreign policy and our longstanding, rock-firm strategic choice. During the upcoming BRICS Summit, President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will co-chair the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. The African Co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chairperson of the African Union and representatives of the regional economic communities have been invited to the event.a

During the Dialogue, under the theme of "Promoting African integration and jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future", the two sides will have in-depth exchanges on the ways to work together to advance their modernization and foster a peaceful, just and open environment for development. Carrying forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and aiming for tangible cooperation outcomes, China and Africa will create an even better future for the Chinese and African people and set an exemplary model for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.a

Kyodo News: The leaders of the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea are set to meet in the US today. They are expected to agree to enhance three-way security cooperation. Do you have any response?a

Wang Wenbin: In a world of change and disorder on the security front, all parties should act on the vision of a community of shared security for mankind, practice true multilateralism, and jointly address various security challenges. No country should seek its own security at the expense of other countries' security interests and regional peace and stability. The international community has its fair judgment on who is stoking conflicts and exacerbating tensions. The Asia-Pacific is an anchor for peace and development and a promising land for cooperation and growth, and should never be turned into a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition again. Attempts to cobble together various exclusionary groupings and bring bloc confrontation and military blocs into the Asia-Pacific are not going to get support and will only be met with vigilance and opposition from regional countries.

Global Times: According to Africa's Development Dynamics 2023, a report jointly released by the OECD and the African Union, between 2017 and 2022, China's greenfield foreign direct investment in Africa stood at USD 74 billion, accounting for 18 percent of the global greenfield FDI inflows into Africa, and in the same tier with Europe and the US. What's China's comment on the report?a

Wang Wenbin: We have noted the report. Africa is a continent of opportunities and a promising land for investors. Chinese investment in Africa is mutually-beneficial, it meets Africa's development needs and has delivered benefits to both peoples. In recent years, with guidance and attention from Chinese and African leaders, investment cooperation between our two sides has come a long way.

China's investment in Africa has seen steady growth and enjoys broad prospects. In the first half of this year, China added USD 1.82 billion in FDI to Africa, up by 4.4 percent year-on-year. Chinese companies have growing confidence in the African market. More than 3,000 Chinese enterprises have invested deeply in Africa, of which over 70 percent are private companies, the mainstay of Chinese investment in Africa. With accelerated progress in the African Continental Free Trade Area, Chinese companies will find more facilitation and new opportunities as they explore and invest more in the African market and add fresh dynamism to high-quality cooperation between China and Africa.

China and Africa are mutually complementary in the pursuit of development. China invests in broader areas and in more diverse ways in Africa. Africa is endowed with rich resources, enjoys enormous demographic dividends, and is speeding up the integration process and the building of the African Continental Free Trade Area. The investment promotion program is one of the nine programs rolled out at the FOCAC Dakar conference. China has been stepping up efforts to implement the outcomes of the conference. We have offered guidance and facilitation to Chinese companies investing in Africa and improved resources allocation by establishing a platform for China-Africa private investment promotion, establishing aaChina-Africa cross-border RMB center, and publishing the Report on Chinese Investment in Africa. We are glad to note that Chinese investment has expanded to more sectors, including emerging industries like sci-tech, finance and e-commerce, apart from manufacturing, electricity and construction mentioned in the report. Equity participation, mergers and acquisitions have become new modes of Chinese investment in Africa.

The win-win investment cooperation between China and Africa has boosted our respective modernization. China is fostering a new development paradigm at a faster pace. Chinese businesses' investment in Africa will help forge more smooth and stable global industrial chains. While realizing their own development, Chinese companies also contribute to Africa's development strategies and actively fulfill their social responsibilities. With many Chinese companies, over 80 percent of the staff are local employees. Chinese companies have given back to local communities by building bridges and roads, drilling wells and installing street lights. At the same time, they have increased technology transfer, local procurement and personnel training in Africa, and helped modernize the continent's agricultural, manufacturing and services sectors, upgrade its manufacturing and processing techniques, and create greater value-added, contributing significantly to the stability, development and prosperity of African countries.

Supporting Africa's development is the common responsibility of the international community. We welcome stronger interest and investment in Africa from all quarters. We will continue to support willing, capable Chinese companies of good standing in expanding investment in Africa to help increase the continent's capability to achieve self-driven sustainable growth and move forward towards modernization and prosperity.

AFP: Russian defense ministry said today that Russian and Chinese warships have been conducting joint maritime patrols in the East China Sea. Can you share any details about these joint patrols? Have they ended or are they ongoing?

Wang Wenbin: The normal passage of Chinese and Russian vessels is consistent with international law and customary practice.

Dragon TV: At a recent academic seminar held in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, the "Original File of the First Army Hospital of the Japanese Army in Harbin" met the public for the first time. The file provides important historical evidence for the involvement of the Hospital of the Japanese Army in the crime of vivisection. What's your comment?a

Wang Wenbin: During WWII, in blatant violation of international law, the Japanese army launched horrendous bacterial warfare against the Chinese people. They conducted barbaric human experimentation, and committed heinous crimes against humanity during their aggression against China. The historical file you mentioned is yet another piece of solid proof of the bacterial warfare launched by Japanese militarists. There's no room for denial. Japan needs to earnestly face up to and reflect on its history of militarist aggression, draw lessons from it, root out the toxic legacy of militarism, and never let history repeat itself.

Reuters: According to media reports, flights between North Korea and Beijing are set to resume as early as next week. Can you confirm this?

Wang Wenbin: I have nothing to share at the moment.

China Daily: Foreign media reported recently that satellite photos show China has been building an airstrip on Zhongjian Dao in the past few weeks. Can the foreign ministry confirm this? What is the purpose of building the airstrip?

Wang Wenbin: I need to first of all point out that this report is inconsistent with facts. Zhongjian Dao is part of China's Xisha Qundao, which has all along been part of China's territory. China's construction activities on its own territory are legitimate, lawful and beyond reproach.

The Paper: US Department of Defense issued the 2023 Biodefense Posture Review, which reportedly singles out China as the key long-term threat, casting doubt on Beijing's compliance with existing international rules on biowarfare and raising concerns over its accelerated plans to integrate civilian biological research programs into the military. What is your comment?

Wang Wenbin: I noted the reports. To serve its geopolitical agenda, the US often comes up with so-called "threats" to create the pretext for containing and suppressing other countries in order to ensure its supremacy and seek selfish gains. Such a practice goes against the trend of the times and harms the common interests of the international community.

Biosecurity is a global issue. The US's false narratives and moves to stoke confrontation seriously jeopardize the biosecurity governance system with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) as the cornerstone and the global response to biosecurity risks and challenges.

When it comes to biosecurity threats, the US is the most active and suspected country in conducting bio-military activities. The US has never given a meaningful response to the international community's concerns. For example, has the US been secretly developing its biological warfare capabilities even after it joined the BWC? What's the US truly up to by investing in what it calls biodefense? Has the US ever used other countries for activities that are inconsistent with the BWC and US domestic laws? Why does the US collect biometric data and samples from around the world and what have they been used for? Why does the US oppose establishing a bioweapon verification mechanism while all other countries have agreed to it?

As long as these questions remain unanswered, the international community will not be able to build up confidence in the US's compliance, and global biosecurity will hardly become a reality. China supports continued international review of the US's compliance issue and again calls on the US to earnestly fulfill its international obligations.

I would like to reiterate here that China will continue to act under the Global Security Initiative and work with the international community to firmly uphold the authority of international biosecurity law, enhance global biosecurity governance, and respond to biosecurity risks and challenges.

CCTV: It was reported that during August 12 to 18, deputy leader of China's Taiwan region Lai Ching-te "stopped over" in New York and San Francisco. What is your comment?

Wang Wenbin: The US insisted on arranging two "stopovers" for Lai Ching-te. This has seriously violated the one-China principle and undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and sent a gravely wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this.

The one-China principle is a prevailing consensus among the international community and a basic norm governing international relations. It is also the prerequisite and basis for the establishment and development of diplomatic ties between China and the US. In the three China-US joint communiquAs, the US made a clear commitment of maintaining only unofficial relations with Taiwan. As the deputy leader of the Taiwan region, Lai describes himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence". What he said and did in the US over the past few days proved once again that he is a "Taiwan independence" separatist through and through. By allowing him to engage in political activities in the US, propagate separatist propositions for "Taiwan independence" and use it to upgrade official interaction and substantive relations with Taiwan, the US has once again exposed its calculations of saying one thing but doing another, following a strategy of using Taiwan to contain China, and fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle.

The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. "Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait peace and stability are as irreconcilable as fire and water. The pursuit of "Taiwan independence" will lead nowhere. Those who connive at and support "Taiwan independence" will eventually get burnt.

China again urges the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiquAs, honor its commitment of not supporting "Taiwan independence" or "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan", stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop upgrading its substantive exchanges with the region, stop conniving at and supporting separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence" and their separatist activities and stop obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle. China must be reunified, and will surely be reunified. Any attempt of holding back China's reunification is doomed to fail. China will take strong measures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Experts warn of renewed Chinese Communist Party 'cognitive warfare' on US campuses

Beijing's infiltration has morphed into targeting dissent, religious groups and technical know-how

By Jing Wei for RFA Mandarin 2023.08.18 -- As college students gear up to start studies after the summer, experts are warning that Beijing's infiltration of U.S. universities will continue, despite the closure of dozens of its Confucius Institutes.

"The Chinese Communist Party will again be indoctrinating and spying on students on American college campuses this academic year in an organized effort known as 'cognitive warfare,'" according to an online seminar run by the Hudson Institute.

"Its objective is to suppress criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his policies, promote Chinese Communist Party propaganda, spy on and intimidate Chinese exchange students, shape American views about the United States, and steal scientific, technological, and military research," the institute said.

Recent pushback over Beijing-funded language and cultural centers - known as Confucius Institutes - embedded on American university campuses has prompted many schools to terminate these agreements, and the number of Confucius Institutes has plummeted from more than 100 to around a dozen, it said.

But experts told the seminar that the Chinese government has switched up the bureaucracy and continued its influence operations in other guises, including via the government-backed Chinese Students and Scholars' Associations, which the State Department has warned engage in the monitoring of international students from China, and in political mobilization on U.S. soil.

"Not all college administrators act to stop Chinese Communist Party interference on their campuses," the Institute warned in a summary of the seminar.

Varied motivations

Chinese infiltration can be motivated by anything from wanting to project a positive image of China and its government to getting hold of technology that has potentially military applications, said Ian Oxnevad, Senior Fellow, Foreign Affairs and Security Studies at the National Association of Scholars.

"Part of it is also access to American universities more broadly, for fundamental research purposes, because that has an impact on China's ability to obtain dual-use technologies," Oxnevad said. "Those are technologies that have uses for military or commercial purposes."

There is also a longer game in play, he said.

"You also have sort of an elite capture issue, ... looking at shaping the views of future policy-makers and key individuals in America in the future by shaping the views of students today," he said, adding that Confucius Institutes were just one phase in an ongoing overseas influence operation by Beijing.

"Since there's been a massive pushback on Confucius Institutes, [many] have basically shut down. Oftentimes, they're being rebranded as different programs, in a non-systematic way [though] it is systematic on the Chinese side," he said, warning: "They erode intellectual freedom."

He said the institutions "have in some cases allowed China to continue to monitor dissidents abroad and continue ... soft power initiatives."

Military ties

Meanwhile, the Hanban, the body under the State Council that was responsible for the centers, has been renamed.

Oxnevad said China is now focusing more on bilateral cooperation agreements with universities that attract defense or security funding, noting a clear correlation between universities engaged in government-funded research and the number of cooperation agreements with Chinese universities.

"What's happening is that many schools in the U.S. are forming bilateral ties with Chinese universities that have military ties to the People's Liberation Army in China," he warned.

"Oftentimes, these are coincidentally American universities that have some sort of defense-related program or department involved. That's what's happening now."

Oxnevad cited the recent case of Alfred University in upstate New York, which recently shut down its Confucius Institute.

"It had received a multimillion dollar contract from the U.S. government to help perfect hypersonic missile technology, and some of the same individuals involved in the engineering ceramics program at Alfred University were also tied to the Confucius Institute," he said.

U.S. campuses that receive Department of Defense or National Security Agency funding or government funding to expand their cybersecurity programs also seem to attract more ties with China, he said.

There are also implications for anyone with ties back in China who does anything - even on U.S. soil - that Beijing doesn't like, according to Cynthia Sun, a researcher for the Falun Dafa Information Center linked to the spiritual movement that has been banned in China as a "cult."

"We saw a lot of physical and digital surveillance by Chinese proxies," Sun said of a recent survey of transnational repression targeting Falun Gong practitioners on U.S. campuses.

"Nationwide, there are at least 45 universities and colleges with students or faculty who practice Falun Gong on campus," she said.

Falun Gong persecution

Campus Falun Gong clubs typically host events, petition signings, film-screening and exhibitions, to try to raise awareness about 24 years of persecution at the hands of the Chinese state, Sun said.

"Some are second-generation, American citizens who have family, elderly relatives back in China, and then there's also Chinese international students who have to go back to China after their studies," she said.

"Out of this pool of people, 20% said they felt uncomfortable self-identifying as a Falun Gong practitioner because of the reprisals that they faced, and because of all of the fear they have, the indoctrination, and the propaganda surrounding their practice."

She quoted a Chinese international student in California as saying: "Family members in China were called regarding my whereabouts, my phone number, or where I was studying or working."

Several other students reported feeling watched, and their families were harassed due to their activities in the United States, Sun added.

"So they're using that as blackmail to threaten and intimidate these students to try to get them to stop holding these activities, holding these events," she said.

"It's the control of what the [Chinese Communist] Party wants people to think and say, through controlling the activities of Falun Gong practitioners, Hong Kong activists and ... ethnic minorities," Sun told the seminar. "And it's possible for them to also bring that here, to bring the surveillance, the slander, the censorship, to the United States of America."

Sun described Chinese Students and Scholars Associations as "funded by the local Chinese consulate, and they receive direction also, from the Chinese consulate."

"They carry forward this message of continued self-censorship, of continued surveillance," she said.

"It's really hard to fathom how this could be happening in American universities, but through the CSSAs and through the presence of Confucius Institutes, it's very much alive, this continued party thought," she said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Xi talks disaster relief, travel plans announced

Citizens affected by recent flooding in northern China are unlikely to be soothed by resolute words.

By Chris Taylor for RFA and Kai Di for RFA Mandarin 2023.08.18 -- After an absence of nearly three weeks, China's state media reported that President Xi Jinping was back in the saddle, presiding over a meeting on flood prevention and relief as well as post-disaster restoration and reconstruction.

Xi will also attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 21 to 24, according to a Friday report by Xinhua News Agency.

While in South Africa, President Xi will co-chair with the country's president Cyril Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying added.

At Thursday's Standing Committee meeting of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Political Bureau, discussions centered on emergency rescue and aid for flood victims and efforts to find the missing, aiming to reduce casualties, Xinhua reported.

But for many of those affected, Political Bureau declarations of resolve in the face of adversity are unlikely to come as any consolation.

Xi's absence during the past three weeks - for the duration of the recent disastrous flooding in northern China - has not gone unnoticed by ordinary Chinese citizens.

Xi had been last seen in public on July 31, just three days after Typhoon Doksuri struck, when Chinese netizens expressed anger at the Hebei Province Communist Party boss, who called on the province to serve as a "moat" to protect Beijing.

In a veiled criticism of Xi, netizens played cat and mouse with censors, sharing video of former Chinese leaders, including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao visiting natural disaster zones. One particularly popular clip showed Hu assisting soldiers in disaster relief and Premier Li Keqiang wading through the flooded fields of Chongqing.

Thursday's meeting called for disaster relief funds to be used efficiently to repair damaged infrastructure such as transport, communications and electricity, while also seeking to restore farmland and agricultural facilities.

But disaster relief has been a prominent target of public criticism. As former Tiananmen student leader-turned-China politics watcher Wang Dan wrote for RFA Mandarin earlier this month, many affected citizens suspect much of the flooding was caused by water mismanagement - venting dams and dikes of floodwater in order to protect Beijing and nearby Chinese Communist Party vanity infrastructure projects.

"Apart from ... protests, the Beijing Red Cross Society's call for donations to aid disaster relief was met with an overwhelmingly negative response and mockery online, another way the public's dissatisfaction was expressed," wrote Wang.

Missing relief funds

Rumors supported by provincial level audits and even reports in China's state media about how relief funds for previous natural disasters were siphoned off or "misallocated" have "have sparked anger in China and prompted fears that the same thing may happen again" after the recent floods, the South China Morning Post reported earlier this month.

An audit report by the Henan provincial government last month on the handling of some CNY10 billion (U.S.$1.4 billion) in reconstruction funds for the devastating summer flooding of 2021, in which nearly 400 people died, revealed that at least some of the funding earmarked for victims had gone into the pockets of local officials.

The issue quickly went viral online in the aftermath of the most recent flooding due to a commentary on the Henan issue published by the state-run Guangming Daily.

U.S.-based economist Li Hengqing told RFA Mandarin that the distribution of post-disaster compensation funds in China lacks transparency and oversight and local officials often engage in deceptive practices.

"In reality, they report giving you 500 yuan, but what you actually receive is 200 or 300 yuan. They've pocketed the rest or shared it among themselves," Li said.

Zhao Lanjian, a former Chinese media professional in exile in the U.S., told RFA Mandarin that the problem was not only that money was not reaching those that need it, but that even the rallying theatrics of disaster response were now being shelved.

"For the past 70 years, every major disaster has been accompanied by [a] ... head of state visiting the disaster area in person for an on-site inspection, putting on a show. But now, even the show itself is forsaken," Zhao said.

Management

On Friday, the Chinese-language party mouthpiece, the People's Daily, called for "sparing no effort in emergency rescue" of people who are trapped or missing, while also calling for rescue teams, including from the army and police, to be dispatched well in time.

However, as many have noted, in the most severely affected areas such as Beijing's Mentougou and Zhuozhou in Hebei Province, the People's Liberation Army has yet to make any appearances or assist with disaster relief.

Li Hengqing said that they hadn't done so because officials were waiting for instructions from Xi.

"Why hasn't the PLA [People's Liberation Army] acted?" asked Li. "It's because Xi hasn't spoken, so no one dares to act ... the decision-making power, action power, and command power all rest with him."

Meanwhile, in an ironic word-of-mouth story that is not bolstering Xi's beleaguered public image, Zhuozhou in Hebei Province - a city that was hit extremely hard by days of flooding caused by Typhoon Doksuri - is an important warehousing center for China's publishing sector.

Countless books were irreparably damaged, reported the China Daily, when floods surged into a publishing logistics park in Zhuozhou that warehouses books for nearly 100 Chinese book companies.

Among the untold numbers of lost tomes is thought to be Xi Jinping's latest - on studying and implementing the important discourses on the management of water resources.

It was compiled by the Ministry of Water Resources and published by the People's Publishing House in mid-July.

Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Chinese Defense Minister Pushes Beijing's Global Security Blueprint During Trip To Russia, Belarus

By Reid Standish August 18, 2023

Against the backdrop of the intensifying war in Ukraine, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu wrapped up a symbolic trip to Russia and Belarus by bolstering military ties and promoting a Chinese initiative meant to rival Western frameworks and put Beijing at the center of international security issues.

Li landed in Moscow on August 14 to kick off the military-diplomacy tour by holding talks with top officials, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Beijing and Moscow pledged to strengthen military cooperation despite the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has triggered an ongoing humanitarian disaster and rattled the global security structure.

Li held discussions with senior Belarusian officials in Minsk on August 17 -- including leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka -- on how to deepen collaboration in areas from defense to economic cooperation, with the sides agreeing to hold joint military drills next year.

But central to Li's trip was pushing China's new Global Security Initiative (GSI), the brainchild of Chinese leader Xi Jinping that has become Beijing's sweeping blueprint aimed at presenting foreign-policy alternatives to those offered by the West.

The Chinese policy -- which was fully unveiled in February -- calls for an enhanced focus on diplomacy and defense that China says can make the world safer through improved cooperation and dialogue on issues ranging from counterterrorism to increased military exercises and more comprehensive intelligence sharing.

"Whether it is on Afghanistan, Syria, the Korean Peninsula, Ukraine, or the Iranian nuclear issue, China will promote peace talks and help reach an international consensus," Li said at the Moscow Conference on International Security on August 15. He cited the deal brokered by Beijing to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March as an example of this approach.

Chinese officials have positioned the GSI in strict opposition to initiatives and policies pushed by the West in recent years, in particular the United States' use of economic sanctions and Washington's invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

While speaking at the conference in Moscow, Li took not-so-veiled shots at U.S. foreign policy.

"The international community is resisting and strongly opposed to the hegemonic approach of imposing one's will on others and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries," he claimed. "These erroneous actions deprive other countries of their right to development and autonomy, and are the source of chaos and disaster in the world."

A Receptive Audience

The Moscow security conference provided fertile ground for Beijing's efforts to frame itself as an alternative to the United States as a security partner.

The event featured a prerecorded message from Putin in which he accused the United States of adding "fuel to the fire" of global conflicts, with the Russian president focusing on Washington's military support and delivery of weapons to Ukraine.

The Kremlin invited 92 countries -- including Belarus, Saudi Arabia, India, and Vietnam -- to attend the conference, but Russian media reported that no representative from a Western country was in attendance.

While there, Li said that China was willing to hold more military exercises with other countries and would expand the scope of the drills. On the sidelines of the event, Li -- who was sanctioned by the United States in 2018 for helping China buy fighter jets and equipment from a Russian arms exporter -- also met with defense officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam.

"The whole point of GSI is trying to put a positive spin on China's security approach," Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, told RFE/RL. "The Chinese like to have these big, central ideas to organize their views of the world that they can then pitch and sell to other countries."

Global Problems, Chinese Solutions

China unveiled its "global security initiative" in February following a proposal by Xi in April 2022.

In that speech, Xi suggested countries should resolve their disputes through dialogue, respecting one another's differences in order to achieve "security for all."

"We need to work together to maintain peace and stability in the world," Xi said. "Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny."

But analysts caution that behind the rosy rhetoric, many of the practices advocated through the GSI are designed to create a global system that is friendlier to autocratic regimes and erodes the current Western-led, multinational process.

"The GSI is the latest and possibly most troubling evidence that the confrontation between the U.S. and China is escalating into a full-fledged contest for global primacy," Michael Shulman, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in The Atlantic last year.

It is unknown how Li and other senior Chinese officials will look to further the GSI in the future.

"Countries are willing to sign on to initiatives and narratives like those in the GSI because they want engagement with China," Pantucci said. "It's not necessarily that they believe the statements or the details within it, but they want a relationship with Beijing so they are willing to accept it."

Beyond the statements in Moscow about increased cooperation, Beijing has also included its 12-point proposal for how to end the war in Ukraine as within the broader framework of the GSI. The document has faced criticism from Western leaders who questioned China's ability to broker a truce given its growing ties with Russia.

The proposal has still received some endorsements from the Global South and helped set off a string of diplomatic forays over the war in Ukraine from leaders in Africa and Latin America.

Li also used the GSI and his tour to Russia and Belarus to push for other Chinese aims. At the conference, he said that attempts to "use Taiwan to contain China" would "surely end in failure," according to the state-run agency Xinhua.

Tensions remain high over Taiwan, with Beijing viewing the island as a rogue province that it seeks to claim -- by force, if necessary.

Experts note that many of the principles advocated through GSI such as noninterference and regional stability are references to China's own concerns and desires over a potential conflict involving Taiwan. Beijing has repeatedly castigated American interactions with the island -- which Washington does not have official diplomatic ties with -- especially over U.S. arms sales to Taipei.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/china- defense-minster-shangfu-russia-belarus-visit- security-initiative/32554418.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Trade on Agenda for Chinese Leader's State Visit to South Africa

By Kate Bartlett August 18, 2023

Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in South Africa next week for a major summit as well as an official state visit, at a time of increasing South African concern about persistent trade imbalances in the countries' relationship, as well as worries about China's domestic economy.

Naledi Pandor, South African minister for international relations and cooperation, said last week that in 2022, trade with fellow BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China - accounted for 21%% of South Africa's global trade, or $43 billion (830 billion rand).

China, which is South Africa's biggest individual trading partner, accounts for the lion's share of the BRICS group's trade with South Africa, Stavros Nicolaou, head of the South Africa BRICS Business Council, told VOA this week - 68%, followed by India at 27%. Russia's and Brazil's trade levels with South Africa are much smaller.

China is also Africa's largest trading partner overall, with $282 billion worth of trade with the continent in 2022. The theme of this year's summit, held in South Africa's economic hub, Johannesburg, is "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism."

President Cyril Ramaphosa has invited numerous other African heads of state, some of whom - like the continent's biggest economy, Nigeria - have expressed interest in joining the bloc.

The fact that Xi is adding a state visit to the BRICS trip "is a very, very powerful message that he's sending to other African countries: that China is back after a three-year COVID-induced freeze," said Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

"The fact that Xi Jinping will visit the continent before [U.S. President] Joe Biden a because there are rumors that Joe Biden will visit Africa in person a that is a diplomatic coup for China," he told VOA.

Trade imbalance

One problem some African countries have pointed to is the significant trade imbalance with China that still exists. Pandor is among those who say this needs to be addressed.

"South Africa continues to have a trade deficit in its overall trade with BRICS countries. The urgent need for trade diversification, as primary products continue to be the largest share of exports, therefore remains," she told reporters last week.

Nicolaou echoed this, noting that in 2022, South Africa had a $10.9 billion deficit with China.

South Africa's main exports to China include minerals, precious metals and agriculture. Imports from China are dominated by machinery.

"So, we run a trade deficit with all four BRICS countries as South Africa. Now, there's no problem running a trade deficit, but if you analyze the constituent makeup of that trade deficit, there's very clearly a pattern where we are exporting raw materials and importing finished products," Nicolaou told VOA in an interview.

"Therein lies the concern, but therein lies the opportunity as well," he continued, noting that some of the groundwork was laid last week on a pre-summit visit to the country by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.

After Wang's meeting with South African counterpart Ebrahim Patel, the two signed a deal for Chinese companies to buy products worth $2 billion from South Africa. South African companies that signed included mining conglomerates Anglo-America and Glencore.

"Our levels of trade are very significant; however, the composition of our trade needs to change. It has been focused principally on raw materials. We now need to shift to greater levels of industrial exports of manufactured goods," Patel said at the meeting.

Asked if South Africa can move from exporting mainly raw materials to finished products, Nicolaou was circumspect.

"We obviously face domestic economic headwinds in South Africa at the moment, so there are constraints ... in terms of energy and infrastructure et cetera. So I think we've got to look at those products that allow us an immediate export return given the constraints, but we also need to plan for the future," he said.

China's domestic economic woes

China itself has been facing domestic problems - rising unemployment, prices and wages falling, a property market slowdown and deflation worries - and has also been seen to be downscaling its international Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, favoring smaller projects.

Asked whether China's own economic downturn could impact its international image as a trading heavyweight, Nicolaou said, "I think you're going to get these differing economic growth patterns. ... That's why I don't think we're banking on just one partner or just one geography here."

For his part, Mikatekiso Kubayi, a researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue at the University of South Africa, said he didn't think China's own economic downturn would have much of an impact on trade relations.

"China, just like any other country, will pursue trade deals and such relationships, you know, regardless [of] its position domestically, in the same way that the United States does the same thing, despite an economic downturn," he said.

"You trade whether your economy's on an upswing, you trade whether your economy's on a downswing. Trade is a permanent fixture."

But African exports to China reportedly fell in the first six months of this year. And some traders have said developments in China's real estate market affect the price of South African exports like iron ore.

Several high-ranking U.S. officials were in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent in the past week for trade talks.

The Chinese Embassy in Pretoria did not respond to a request for comment on either the domestic downturn or the trade imbalance between China and South Africa.

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I have observed that His Majesty the King hasnt rejected the call for the national dialogue.

As emaSwati, we have to allow the head of State to also exercise his fundamental democratic right to the freedom of expression. EmaSwati should be happy to get to know the things the King doesnt like or how he perceives certain issues. It is to the advantage of the Eswatini nation to know how he feels about our approach and attitudes towards the call for political reforms. After all, those who call for political reforms will negotiate with him. He must, therefore, be allowed to hold views as well. Oftentimes, he has always been at the receiving end. It is the opportune time that he speaks from the heart.

In his address at the 43rd SADC Summit held in Luanda, Angola, the King didnt say: I dont need this dialogue. Regardless of its formula, Principle and setting, it is clear that the dialogue, as a matter of fact, has been at the back of the Kings mind, but hasnt gotten round to it. Analytically, the only thing he denounces as an obstacle to the national dialogue is terrorism. He has his definition of terrorism, which we must respect. It does not help the advocates of political reforms to impose definitions on the King without according him the equal opportunity to reflect on their attitudes towards the dialogue.

We have to acknowledge the fact that the head of State is the most interested party in the national dialogue. He cannot be a silent party where his powers form an integral part of the national conversation. May I proceed to take this opportunity to speak to some of the security issues that we have had in the recent past, the King said when he addressed the summit.

Apprehended

Underline this paragraph: The majority of those who were killing emaSwati, including members of our security forces and traditional authorities, have been apprehended and are behind bars. We are also aware of some others who perpetrated violence, who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Whilst in those countries, they have continued to promote hate speech and seek to perpetuate the violence that they had been instrumental in masterminding. We are also alive to the fact that some of these known terrorists are living and receiving training in these countries.

In his examination of facts, the King feels some members of SADC are conflicted in the issue of Eswatini because some of the people he perceived as terrorists were living and receiving trainings within their territories. During a previous SADC Summit held in Kinshasa, DRC, the King recalled that he asked this bloc to assist in curtailing the prevalence of terrorism in Eswatini. It was with great surprise that, instead of assistance being given to Eswatini to curb these activities, we were effectively told that we should negotiate with the perpetrators of violence, the King decried.The question that arose in our minds was, where else in Africa has a government been told to negotiate with terrorist entities?

He then said they were always happy to dialogue with those they disagreed with, but within the provisions of the Constitution. The King said he was not happy with dialoguing with terrorists. We are always happy to dialogue with those we disagree with, within the provisions of our Constitution, but not with terrorists, the King said. This was a very peculiar position and one that we were, in all honesty, disappointed with. The Kingdom of Eswatini thus makes the second of our two requests and respectfully asks that we be removed from inclusion in upcoming agendas for the Troika as we too should not be held to a pre-determined process that is no longer fit for purpose.

Contrast

He continued to say: We made our position on the national dialogue explicitly clear. The dialogue will take place after our national elections in conformity with our constitutional and legal dictates. Let us look at the Kings speech in contrast with the November 3, 2021, statement issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the former Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. According to the statement, President Ramaphosa and the King agreed that the SADC Secretariat would work closely with the Government of Eswatini to draft terms of reference for the national dialogue forum.

These terms of reference will specify processes for the forum, as well as the composition of the forum, reads the statement issued by Ramaphosa.

He pointed out that the process towards the national dialogue would take into account and incorporate structures and processes enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, including the role of the Parliament of the kingdom, and the Sibaya convened by His Majesty King Mswati III. He said the preparatory process would take place during the coming three months, a period during which, His Majesty would undertake the annual, Incwala Ceremony.

President Ramaphosa and His Majesty King Mswati III were at one in calling on all stakeholders among emaSwati to work together to end violence and conflict, and maintain peace and calm in the kingdom, as work was to commence on the national dialogue process.

Based on Ramaphosas statement, it appears that SADC adopted Sibaya and the constitutional process the national dialogue should take into account.

Regarding the Kings speech, delivered in Angola, the conclusive argument is centred on what he said about the credibility of the dialogue. Of course, he talked about the credibility of the dialogue. This is what Ingwenyama said: We believe, therefore, that any issue that may have arisen regarding the date for the dialogue, the form of the dialogue or the substance of that dialogue will be properly elaborated once our elections have been completed.

Credible

He talked about three crucial elements of a dialogue, which are considered as features of a credible dialogue. These are the date for the dialogue (commitment), form of the dialogue and substance of the dialogue. His Majesty said these three crucial elements of the dialogue would be properly addressed after the completion of the general elections. In his speech, he talked about the turnout during the national meeting held at the cattle byre on July 11, 2023. Despite the cold front that had beset the region, which brought snow to regions where none had ever lay, he said emaSwati turned up in their numbers. Of course, more than 10 000 people attended.

The turnout has a political meaning. This is due to the fact that democracy is about numbers; hence, we talk about the majority rule. The question that boggles my mind is what these numbers mean to the King? To other people, they mean that the people are still with him and are very loyal to the institution of the Monarchy. Thats an indisputable veracity.

Credibility of the dialogue

Last year, I talked about the importance of a credible dialogue. I did mention that the environment where the dialogue takes place should be credible enough to instil public confidence in the process. As a result, a blameless environment is fundamental in a national dialogue process. The onus is on the countrys authorities to ensure that dialoguers at the Sibaya are free to express themselves without the fear of the security apparatus. In a dialogue setting, it is very important for parties in conflict to reach consensus on the venue of the dialogue to minimise probabilities of some groups scoffing at the end product.

In this case, let us agree that the venue, for starters, should be the cattle byre, which may recommend for another venue outside of the Ludzidzini Royal Residence. Sibaya may also recommend for the formula and terms of references for the national dialogue. I can only prevail upon emaSwati to give Sibaya the benefit of the doubt. Let us wait for the end result of the consultations that will take place at Ludzidzini Royal Residence. Since the King has pointed out that the State is uncomfortable with negotiating with terrorists. Supposedly, these people are indeed terrorists; Sibaya may recommend for amnesties to be considered before we agree on the political question.

Amnesties are measures that have the effect of barring future criminal prosecutions and, in some cases, civil or administrative actionsagainst certain individuals or groups for specific criminal conduct committed before the amnestys adoption, according to an archived content for US Department of State. An amnesty can also nullify legal liability that had been previously established. However, they do not prevent legal liability for conduct that has not yet taken place. The US Department of State makes it clear that amnesties may be employed to right the wrongs of the past regime to benefit individuals who were imprisoned or otherwise accused of committing purely political crimes or acts during war that did not amount to war crimes. In our context, they might have committed crimes during the civil unrest.

Additional Protocol II of the Geneva Convention actively encourages the broadest possible amnesty for such crimes after non-international armed conflicts. Amnesty can serve as a tool for justice and political expediency. It is up to emaSwati to decide whether the amnesties are relevant to the Eswatin political story. As a tool of political expediency, amnesties, according to the US Department of State, may also be used to help end conflict by providing assurances to political actors and members of an armed or security force that they will not be held to account for certain past crimes.

These types of amnesties are sometimes considered a quick fix to the problem of addressing historical crimes, and they can exacerbate, rather than reconcile, community divisions. In conclusion, lets see what Sibaya has for us, we shall take it from there.
Statement by Spokesman for KPA General Staff

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK

Pyongyang, August 18 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA) issued the following statement on August 18:

On August 17, the U.S. intruded a strategic reconnaissance plane into the air above the economic zone of the DPRK side on the East Sea of Korea to commit air espionage again.

The strategic reconnaissance plane of the U.S. forces made a repeat circuitous flight above the sea 520 km east of Wonsan and 430 km east of Tanchon from 5:38 a.m. to 6:37 a.m. on August 17 and intruded into the economic water zone of the DPRK side to a maximum depth of 14 km three times to conduct espionage on the eastern and in-depth areas of the DPRK.

This is a dangerous military provocation made in a matter of 20 days after the U.S. strategic reconnaissance planes illegally intruded into the economic water zone of the DPRK side on July 28 to commit espionage.

Under such situation, the KPA General Staff promptly gave an order to pursuit planes of the Eastern Anti-Air Force Division to make an emergency sortie toward the air space intruded by the U.S. strategic reconnaissance plane and carry on an alert guard duty.

The U.S. strategic reconnaissance plane retreated at around 7:15 owing to the countermeasures taken by pursuit planes of the KPA.

The KPA pursuit planes had carried out an alert guard duty to frustrate any reattempt by the U.S. strategic scout plane until 9:00 a.m.

As regards the enemies' repeated provocative air espionage, the KPA General Staff is examining an operation plan to check the U.S. strategic reconnaissance planes' illegal intrusion in the controversial air space and take a complete and thorough defence measure by constantly deploying a ship loaded with new-type anti-aircraft missiles in the line of 450 kilometers away from Wonsan, the economic water zone of the DPRK side.

We have already clarified that the sky above the economic zone on the East Sea of Korea is a part of the DPRK's territorial air where our sovereignty is thoroughly exercised.

The KPA will not hesitate to take any physical counteraction to defend the sovereignty of the DPRK. -0-

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Beijing Rejects Seoul's Demand to Stop Repatriating North Korean Defectors

By Christy Lee August 18, 2023

Beijing is pushing back on Seoul's demand that China stop repatriating North Koreans who have left their homeland and been detained as they attempt to make their way to a third country.

China is detaining as many as 2,000 North Korean defectors who face severe punishment for fleeing the repressive Kim regime, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho said Wednesday at a seminar in Seoul.

Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, estimated the number of North Korean defectors in China as of 2022 that the South Korean minister used.

China considers North Koreans entering its country to be illegal immigrants rather than refugees and arrests them when they are caught, then sends them back to North Korea, which treats them as traitors.

Human rights advocates expect China to repatriate those detained when the China-North Korea border fully reopens after being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We ask cooperation from the Chinese government on the issue of North Korean defectors detained in China [subject to] forcible repatriation" to North Korea, Kim Yung Ho said.

China has an "obligation to abide by international norms prohibiting forced repatriation," Kim continued, adding, "The South Korean government will accept all defectors who wish to come to South Korea."

China, North Korea becoming closer

South Korea's call for China to stop sending back North Korean defectors came two days ahead of a historic trilateral summit that Washington hosted for Seoul and Tokyo at Camp David on Friday. Beijing said it opposed the gathering of leaders of the three countries.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, on Thursday told VOA's Korean Service, "The Chinese government has all along handled issues related to the DPRK people illegally entering into China in keeping with Chinese laws, international law and humanitarianism."

The official name of North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

China ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol in 1982 and is obligated to follow the convention's core principle of nonrefoulment. That is a principle of international law that forbids a country receiving asylum-seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in probable danger.

Ties between China and North Korea are becoming closer as tensions between Beijing and Washington increase. The two Asian nations agreed to increase cooperation when a Chinese delegation visited Pyongyang in July as the allies marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War of 1951-53.

South Korea's Kim said China must designate North Korean defectors as refugees who have the right to receive protection rather than as illegal immigrants.

He added that the human rights of North Korean defectors in China should be guaranteed according to international norms and that the North Koreans in China should be allowed to go to a country of their choosing such as South Korea.

Robert King, who served as the U.S. special envoy for North Korea's human rights under the Obama administration, said, "The Chinese are cooperating with the North Koreans on the human rights abuses."

He continued, "I commend the South Korean government for making the issue and for raising the problem."

New focus on human rights

Seoul has been raising human rights issues since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022.

The previous administration of Moon Jae-in shunned the issue to avoid upsetting Pyongyang and Beijing. Moon, a former human rights attorney, wanted to improve inter-Korean relations with China's support.

Roberta Cohen, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights during the Carter administration, said Beijing should examine "whether China is complicating its relations with South Korea by forcibly repatriating North Koreans trying to reach Seoul," as they are "beaten up, tortured, subject to forced labor, detention and possibly execution in the DPRK" when they are repatriated.

She continued, "South Korea can hardly remain silent when it is the country most affected by the forced repatriations of North Koreans."

In the first open U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea's human rights in six years, South Korea's U.N. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook on Thursday condemned North Korea's human rights abuses.

He said human rights abuses are a "critical national security issue" for South Korea as Pyongyang represses its people to develop nuclear and missile programs that threaten South Koreans.

Kim Hyungjin contributed to this report.

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Amirabdollahian: Saudi officials' views different from past

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 18, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that he has found Saudi authorities with different approach than the past, adding that the Saudis are willing to open new chapter in bilateral relations.

"During my trip to Saudi Arabia, I discussed various topics with the foreign minister of that country. We have consensus that lasting agreements should be created between Tehran and Riyadh," Amirabdollahian told journalists after his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia.

"In today's talks and in the meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, we had frank, clear and direct discussions," he added.

Amirabdollahian pointed out that both sides agreed that security and the idea of sustainable development should be for everyone, and said, "Therefore, the idea of security and development for everyone was emphasized by both sides."

"Mohammad bin Salman too argued that they also understood that for the development of Saudi Arabia, if sustainable security is achieved in the region, Saudi Arabia will also benefit from that situation too," he added.

Amirabdollahian pointed out that bin Salman has ordered his country's foreign minister to take initial steps within the framework of drawing a long-term strategic cooperation document between the two countries, and during the visit of both the high-ranking officials of the two countries and during the visit of bin Salman, which will be done at due time, will well try to get this document signed by the high-ranking officials of the two countries.

He said that the Saudi Crown Prince has put forward some ideas regarding regional and international topics, adding, ""We had consultations in that regard and I think that the Saudi side tried to show its intention and will in these meetings and emphasize that the country has a different approach than the past and they are ready to open a new chapter in the relations between the two countries.""

The top Iranian diplomat, meantime, said that the two countries agreed to prepare basic documents for the resumption of direct flights between the two countries and regarding Umrah Hajj flights.

"We also emphasized our readiness to accept tourists and pilgrims as in the past through the airliners of the two countries," Amirabdollahian said.

2050

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Amirabdollahian describes meeting with Saudi counterpart as constructive

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 18, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has described his meeting with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan as positive and constructive.

"We held talks about the latest efforts to expand bilateral ties and cooperate in fields of mutual interest, as well as regional, international and Muslim world developments," Amirabdollahian wrote on X about his meeting with Saudi counterpart.

"Today, I had fruitful negotiations with my counterpart @FaisalbinFarhan for 3.5 hours in Riyadh," he added.

Amirabdollahian arrived in Riyadh on Thursday morning at the head of a political delegation upon an invitation by the Saudi foreign minister.

His Riyadh trip is the first visit to Saudi Arabia by an Iranian foreign minister in more than 10 years.

2050

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Raisi lauds IRGC's role in safeguarding region

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Aug 18, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- If it were not for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) presence in the region, Takfiri terrorism would take control of Europe today, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.

Addressing a meeting with a group of IRGC commanders on Friday, President Ebrahim Raisi said that, unlike the terrifying presence of foreign forces, the IRGC presence in the region is a source of hope and security for the regional nations.

If the IRGC was not present in the region and if it were not for its IRGC in creating integration and convergence between the popular forces in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and standing against Daesh created by the Americans, Takfiri terrorism would take the control of Europe today, he said.

He described spiritual and social capital as two valuable treasures of the IRGC, saying: Today, the IRGC is the shelter of the people, without ethnic, racial and religious classifications, and the presence of the IRGC, has always been a comfort to the people not only in insecurity, but also in natural disasters.

9376**7129

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Saudi Arabia begins preliminary work on 'long-term cooperation deal' with Iran: FM

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 9:47 PM

On his way back from a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the kingdom has directed the launch of preliminary steps towards devising a "long-term cooperation agreement" with the Islamic Republic.

"[Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman ordered [the kingdom's] Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan for the preliminary measures to take place towards devising of the framework of the long-term cooperation document between the countries," the Iranian top diplomat told reporters on Friday on board the plane that was taking him back to Iran from the kingdom.

Upon completion, the document would be signed by the countries' high-ranking officials, Amir-Abdollahian added.

Amir-Abdollahian's visit, the first one to be made by an Iranian foreign minister to the kingdom in more than a decade, marked a milestone in the countries' relations.

The ties were severed by Saudi Arabia in January 2016, after Iranian protesters, angered by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran.

Back in March, however, the two sides clinched a reconciliation deal after several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, and three months later, each side appointed a new ambassador to the other's capital.

Bilateral relations

Detailing his talks during the trip with the Saudi crown prince, the foreign minister said the two met for "90 minutes, more than 70 percent of which was focused on bilateral issues."

"Because we are of the opinion that all-out and sustainable relations should take shape between Tehran and Riyadh," Amir-Abdollahian noted.

'Region on verge of a new chapter of multilateral relations'

The Iranian foreign minister said Saudi Arabia strove during the visit to emphasize that it had adopted a "new attitude" compared to the past.

The Saudi authorities, he noted, tried to display their readiness for opening up "a new page in the countries' relations."

"The region will enter a new page of multilateral cooperation," he said, attributing the prospect to the emergence of the understanding that the region can move towards development "without reliance on foreigners."

Saudi crown prince accepts invitation to visit Iran

The Iranian top diplomat, meanwhile, announced that the country had invited the Saudi crown prince to pay a visit to the Islamic Republic.

The Saudi official accepted the visit, saying he would devise the necessary plans to travel to Tehran "at the opportune time," Amir-Abdollahian stated.

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Iran FM, Saudi crown prince hold 'frank, direct and fruitful' talks in Jeddah

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 12:08 PM

Visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have held "frank and fruitful" talks in Jeddah.

The highest level talks since the two countries restored relations after years of estrangement was held behind closed doors.

In an online Friday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Amir-Abdollahian said he held 90 minutes of talks with the Saudi crown prince.

The minister said the talks were "explicit, frank, fruitful, and productive based on neighborhood policy."

The two sides underscored the need to enhance sustainable relations in all fields, the minister said.

"We have consensus on security and development for all in the region," the top Iranian diplomat tweeted.

During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated Iran's determination to improve relations with the countries in the region, particularly Saudi Arabia.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia can bring about further growth and prosperity to the region by improving comprehensive cooperation, including in the political, economic, commercial, transit, scientific and technological, cultural and popular fields," the top Iranian diplomat said.

He said Tehran and Riyadh shoulder a "historic responsibility" vis-A -vis the global developments.

Pointing to Iran's achievements and capacities, Amir-Abdollahian underscored the need to boost dialogue as well as development-oriented ties as the "path to success" in the region.

Iran and Saudi Arabia play a leading role in the region and the Muslim world, the minister said.

The Iranian foreign minister described Palestine and al-Quds as the key issues of the Muslim world and said the Israeli regime poses a threat to all nations.

The Saudi crown prince, for his part, extended his own and the Saudi King's greetings to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raeisi.

Salman said Saudi Arabia views the relationship with Iran as strategic. He reiterated Riyadh's invitation to the Iranian president to travel to Saudi Arabia.

The meeting took place a day after the top Iranian diplomat held talks with his Saudi counterpart Faisal Bin Farhan in the capital Riyadh. In a joint presser after the talks, Amir-Abdollahian said the talks were significant, adding that ties between the two countries "are progressing in the right direction."

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in Beijing on March 10 to resume relations and reopen diplomatic missions within two months.

In a joint statement after signing the agreement, Tehran and Riyadh highlighted the need to respect the national sovereignty of one another and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the respective countries.

They also agreed to implement a security cooperation agreement signed in April 2001 and another accord reached in May 1998 to boost economic, commercial, investment, technical, scientific, cultural, sports, and youth affairs cooperation.

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Nuclear chief says 'much demand' for Iran's heavy water across world

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 11:14 AM

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has highlighted the Islamic Republic's achievements in the nuclear industry in recent years, saying Iran's heavy water is much sought-after across the world due to its high level of quality.

Mohammad Eslami made the remark on Thursday as he pointed to Iran's progress in its nuclear industry over the years and censured "politicized" narratives about the Islamic Republic's peaceful nuclear program.

"Some countries are seeking to portray a horrific image of Iran's nuclear program in the world," by politicizing the country's peaceful nuclear industry and overlooking its technical format, Eslami said.

Eslami stressed that despite all such attempts, the AEOI pursues the policy of 'open doors, open innovation' and has put it as the "main" goal of the organization.

"In a situation where we are under such political and psychological attack, we are witnessing the achievements of the country's youth, and now, with the efforts of [our] experts, we have transformed the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran from a research organization into an industrial complex," Iran's nuclear chief said.

Underlining that the AEOI is after a boom in "nuclear economy" both in terms of quality and quantity, Eslami said the organization has started working on the plan since 2022 and managed to register 159 knowledge-based achievements.

"As a case in point, there is a huge demand for the heavy water of Khandab nuclear center today, because by consuming it, they have realized its high quality and purity and are looking to buy Iranian heavy water," Eslami said, referring to the nuclear research facility in Iran's Markazi Province.

"Heavy water derivatives are very expensive and we are boosting investment on this chain, [expecting] a high added value," he added.

Iran has made remarkable progress in the nuclear industry despite the Western threats and sanctions regime. Tehran has always reiterated that its nuclear program is only meant for peaceful purposes.

In 2015, Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an agreement reached with six world states a namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany. But, Washington's unilateral withdrawal in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Negotiations between the parties to the deal kicked off in Vienna in April 2021, with the intention of bringing the US back into the deal and putting an end to its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. The discussions, however, have been at a standstill since August 2022 due to Washington's insistence on not removing all of the anti-Iran sanctions and refusal to offer Tehran the necessary guarantees that it will not exit the agreement again.

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Iranian Officials Accuse 12 Activists Of Plotting To Hold Events For Anniversary Of Amini's Death

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda August 18, 2023

Iranian police have accused 12 women's rights activists arrested earlier this week of "acting against national security" by planning and coordinating events ahead of the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody, sparking a year of nationwide unrest.

The police commander of Gilan Province and the Gilan Intelligence Department accused the activists of "communicating with the families of protesters killed during the demonstrations and "inciting them," while also participating in "propaganda activities aimed at overthrowing" the country's leadership.

The 12 activists were arrested separately on August 16 by the Islamic republic's security and intelligence forces in the northern cities of Rasht, Fuman, Anzali, and Lahijan.

Among those detained were Matin Yazdani, Forough Sami'nia, Yasmin Hashdari, Jelve Javaheri, Zahra Dadras, Negin Rezaei, Shiva Shahsiah, and Vahehdeh Khoshsirat.

Azizollah Maleki, the police commander of Gilan Province, said the arrests were also linked to "activities related to the anniversary of protests."

Maleki referred to the detainees as "12 men and women" and said they were arrested "on charges of gathering and colluding to commit a crime against the country's internal security and propaganda activities against the system in favor of opposing groups."

He did not say how long the 12 detainees would remain in custody.

Following the arrests, Mansoureh Shojaee, a women's rights activist herself, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the detentions appear to be part of a broader strategy by the Islamic leadership to manage the first anniversary of Amini's death on September 16.

She emphasized that many of those detained, including Javaheri, Sami'nia, and Yazdani, have been champions of the women's rights movement for more than two decades.

Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed concerns in recent weeks about the possibility of protests escalating as the anniversary approaches.

In Tehran and other Iranian cities, several civil activists and demonstrators with a history of protesting have also been arrested or summoned in recent days to meet with judicial authorities.

The synchronicity of the anniversary of the protests and the reopening of universities in September, where the demonstrations have gained strength, have led some officials, including in Tehran's City Hall, to announce plans to shift to online teaching until October 1.

Iranian security services, meanwhile, have initiated a series of "telephone summons" targeting students after Mostafa Rastegari, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top representative for higher education, warned of the potential for fresh public protests originating from academic institutions and hinted that measures to deter protests were needed.

At least 500 people have been killed since protests broke out following the death of Amini, an Iranian Kurdish woman who was arrested while visiting Tehran for allegedly violating the country's hijab law.

The protests began as a rebuke against the brutal enforcement of the mandatory head scarf legislation, but soon snowballed into one of the most sustained demonstrations against Iran's theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Officials have blamed the West for inciting the protests and vowed to crack down even harder on the demonstrations.

Several thousand people have been arrested, including many protesters, as well as journalists, lawyers, activists, digital rights defenders, and others.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-12-activists-arrested- amini-anniversary/32554359.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Junta troops kill, burn 4 civilians in Myanmar's Sagaing region

The victims included a gold mine owner and his eight-months-pregnant daughter.

By RFA Burmese 2023.08.18 -- Junta troops killed and burned the bodies of a pregnant woman and three men in a gold mining area of Sagaing region's Pinlebu township in Myanmar, the local People's Defense Force told RFA on Friday.

They said the victims were 21-year-old Wine Wine, who was eight months pregnant, her father Set Hlaing who owned a gold mine in the township, 21-year-old Shan Lay and Nyi Nyi whose age wasn't given.

Their burned bodies were found on Monday, according to the defense force information officer, who didn't want to be named for safety reasons.

"It happened next to Nant Ta Hauk creek beside Mu Le village at around 11 a.m. on August 14," he said.

"They killed them, and burned a house and dumped all the bodies in there."

Troops entered Mu Le village in the first week of August, arresting and interrogating locals. They burned more than 30 houses when they left the village, locals told RFA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The latest killings come after the troops entered the village for a second time this month.

RFA was unable to independently verify the claims of the People's Defense Force because phone and internet connections to Pinlebu township have been cut.

The junta hasn't released a statement on the killings.

RFA contacted the junta spokesperson for Sagaing region, Tin Than Win, who said he was unaware of the incident.

Artillery in Bago

Meanwhile, junta troops shelled three townships in the Bago region between Sunday and Wednesday, killing four civilians, including two teenage students, according to the Karen National Union, or KNU.

A resident of Kyaukkyi township in Nyaunglebin district told RFA that the teens died after a shell exploded inside a KNU-run school in Pe Thaung village on Sunday.

A barrage of heavy artillery has targeted several villages in Shwegyin township this week, the KNU said in a statement.

A resident of Shwegyin, who refused to be named for security reasons, told RFA that junta troops are firing heavy artillery at all times during the day and night.

"There are more and more times when I had to flee my village fearing that I could be hit by the junta's shelling," he said. "Although we've dug bomb shelters to withstand the shelling, the earth is too wet in this rainy season."

A local defense official in Nyaunglebin district also said that junta troops are targeting civilians and firing upon them with heavy artillery weapons as a defensive strategy.

"They are anxiously preparing their defenses and fire tons of artillery at many places without specific targets," the official said. "Tons of weapons. In doing so, they hit the civilians."

RFA reached out to Tin Oo, the military junta's spokesman for the Bago region, for a response to the allegations, but he could not be contacted.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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MBABANE  The perspiration on the face of the attorney representing self-confessed commander of the solidarity forces Thabo Kunene, and his co-accused, was quite telling.

An unusual occurrence had happened at the High Court yesterday during what was supposed to be the hearing of the urgent application filed by Kunene, his family members and his co-accused Sibusiso Nkomonye. Kunene and Nkomonye want their relatives to be allowed to visit them at Matsapha Maximum Prison and the relatives want to be allowed access to them. Their attorney, Leo Ndvuna Dlamini, had to yo-yo up and down the stairs between the ground and second floors of the High Court building as the matter was called in two different courtrooms, before two different judges, almost at the same time.

One of the judges, Judge Bonginkhosi Magagula, was in an upstairs courtroom and the other, Judge Justice Mavuso, was in a courtroom on the ground floor. The original application was not in the file that was in Judge Magagulas court and the assistant registrar used a copy when calling the matter.

As duty judge, Judge Magagula was hearing urgent applications. The application by Kunene and his co-accused came to court as an urgent matter.



The matter was the first to be called in Judge Magagulas courtroom. However, there was no one appearing for the attorney general (AG) and Dlamini applied that the matter be stood down while he looked for a representative of the AG. Dlamini rushed downstairs and when he arrived there, he found a government lawyer, who informed him that Judge Mavuso had since postponed the matter to the third session of the High Court, which begins in mid-September 2023.

Advised

Since the matter is opposed and the AG had to file a notice of intention to oppose, Dlamini said he had indicated to the government lawyer that, should he arrive in court after the matter had been called, he should look for another attorney to stand in for him and take timelines for filing of the answering and replying affidavits. He said he had indicated to the Crown counsel that the matter should be dealt with next week but Judge Mavuso said he would not be available as he would be away next week.

Kunene and Nkomonye are currently awaiting judgment from Judge Mavuso in the matter in which they applied to be taken to hospital for medical attention after sustaining injuries in the Republic of South Africa (SA), where they alleged to have been assaulted by Andile Dr Mkhulu Nkomonye and local senior police officers. The postponement of the matter by Judge Mavuso means that Kunene and his co-accused, as they alleged, will continue to feel the effects of the shortage of drugs and medical supplies in health institutions.

They told the court in their application that their relatives are not allowed to visit them in prison. They argued that their relatives had access to pharmacies and they want them to be allowed to purchase medication for them, since they purportedly do not get assistance in hospitals due to the shortage of medical drugs. Other applicants in the matter are Thabos sister, Sentelani and his niece, Nonhlanhla.

Injuries

Kunene submitted that he and Sibusiso still require medical attention due to the injuries they sustained when they were assaulted in the SA, before they came to Eswatini. According to Thabo, who alleged that they were denied access and communication with the outside world, they want their family members to buy them medication in pharmacies and bring it to them in prison. He said he had the right to demand visitation rights because his next-of-kin were able to buy him medication, since the Correctional Services and all hospitals in Eswatini do not have adequate medical drugs and other supplies.

I am sick from the brutal assault I sustained in the SA. I suspect that my ribs were broken. The court will take judicial notice that there are no medical drugs in our local hospitals, and as such my next-of-kin will buy me medication from private pharmacies and bring it to me. I verily believe this matter is urgent because I am only relying on outside medication for treatment herein. I was relying on my children to buy such from any pharmacies outside the Correctional Centre. It is unbelievable that I only access outside medication through my attorneys, who sometimes come to take instructions, Thabo submitted.

Thabo and Sibusiso are facing 43 charges for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act, 2008. The charges include six of murder, 17 of attempted murder, nine of malicious damage to property and two counts of arson. The accused persons and their family members want the High Court to issue an order that their next of kin and other persons who might be reputable friends, associates and colleagues, whether from within or outside Eswatini, legal representatives or doctor, to have reasonable access and confidentiality to them. In the application, which has been filed under a certificate of urgency, the accused further entreated the court to compel the commissioner general of His Majestys Correctional Services to allow them access to communicate to the outside world, in terms of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.

It is further their plea to the court that it should compel the commissioner general to issue all copies of their medical treatment to their attorneys.

Respondents are the commissioner general of His Majestys Correctional Services (HMSC), the national commissioner of the Royal Eswatini Police Services (REPS), minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration/Integrity and the attorney general.

When motivating the application, Thabo argued that the matter was urgent as he was sick and there was no medication at the Correctional facility.

He brought it to the attention of the court that he was only relying on outside medication for treatment. It is alleged that Thabo was surviving on medication from his children and next of kin, who purchase same from pharmacies outside the Correctional facility.

Children

It is unbelievable that the applicant (Thabo) only accesses outside medication through his attorney, who sometimes comes to take instructions because his children are not allowed visitation rights, read part of the application. The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. Thabo, his sister and niece, Sentelani Kunene and Nonhlanhla Dlamini respectively, as well as Sibusiso Nkomonye are the applicants and are represented by Leo Dlamini of L.N. Dlamini and Associates. Sentelani alleged that she had earlier on been told that Correctional Services was still preparing her brother for admission, when she tried to see him on June 5, 2023.

She further submitted that on June 26, 2023, she was told that she would not be able to see Thabo as visitors were not allowed because they were waiting for superiors to grant such permission. Nonhlanhla said on July 11, 2023, she went to Matsapha Maximum Prison to visit her uncle, Thabo, and she was allegedly told that she would not be allowed to see him at that moment.
Arrests and Road Closures As Pashtun Protesters Try To Reach Islamabad

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal August 18, 2023

The head of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) says several members of the Pakistani human rights group have been detained as they attempted to reach the Supreme Court in Islamabad to demand that the state protects their rights and ensure their security.

PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen said police detained PTM members en route to a protest at Islamabad's Supreme Court on August 18, using road closures and obstacles to try and stop large conveys of protesters headed to the capital.

Despite challenges created by authorities, Pashteen said the PTM activists are continuing their journey and still plan to protest outside of the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

"Road closures, roadblocks, police violence, and attempted arrests. In the midst of all this, PTM youths are resisting and moving forward," Pashteen said noting that some protesters have reached Tarnool, about 18 kilometers from Islamabad.

Pakistan's Pashtun population, the second-largest ethnic group in the country of some 231 million people, has been bolstered by an influx of refugees from neighboring Afghanistan.

The PTM campaigns for the rights of Pakistan's estimated 35 million Pashtuns, many of whom live along the border with Afghanistan where the military has conducted campaigns against the Pakistani Taliban..

The PTM has accused Pakistani authorities of systematic discrimination against Pashtuns and say that the ethnic group is discriminated against under the country's constitution.

The PTM has been calling for the removal of military checkpoints in tribal areas and an end to "enforced disappearances," in which suspects are detained by Pakistani security forces without due process.

Thousands of Pakistani Pashtuns have been killed and millions displaced by the Pakistani Army's campaigns since 2003.

Mass protests erupted in 2020 after Sardar Arif Wazir, one of the leaders of the PTM, was assassinated when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car. Many claimed he was killed by state-backed militants in the South Waziristan tribal district.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-pashtun-islamabad- march-arrests/32553994.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Canada announces sanctions against officials of justice and security sectors

Global Affairs Canada

News release

August 18, 2023 - Ottawa, Canada - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada is imposing new sanctions against 15 Russian individuals and 3 entities under the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations in response to the rising levels of human rights violations and state-sponsored violence faced by political opponents and critics as Russia attempts to repress internal dissent.

The sanctioned individuals and entities are senior officials of the Russian government, judiciary and investigative committee, as well as federally funded courts, including the notorious Basmanny District Court, which have been directly involved in human rights abuses against Russian opposition leaders, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alexei Navalny and other Russian citizens.

Mr. Kara-Murza, a Russian politician, author, journalist and human rights defender, was the victim of 2 poisoning attempts orchestrated by the Kremlin and has been imprisoned in Moscow since April 2022 for his activism in support of human rights and freedom of speech and for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. In 2020, Mr. Navalny, a prominent opposition figure, Kremlin critic and founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, was also poisoned on Moscow's orders during a domestic flight, which required months of recovery in a German hospital. Following his return to Russia in January 2021, Mr. Navalny was immediately imprisoned and has since received multiple prison sentences as a result of his opposition to Vladimir Putin's regime.

The Putin regime has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to use all means possible to silence political opponents and critics and to violently repress internal dissent. This has been particularly true since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, as a wave of domestic repression against anti-war protests and criticism and the control of the information flow regarding the war have allowed the Kremlin to continue to commit countless atrocities against Ukrainian civilians.

By imposing these sanctions, Canada, in coordination with the United Kingdom and the United States, is placing further costs on Russian officials in the justice and security sectors who are engaged in these human rights abuses and who are complicit in Vladimir Putin's unjustifiable and illegal war in Ukraine.

Quotes

"Canada continues to condemn the Kremlin's ongoing and systematic human rights abuses, which have supported Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. We call on Vladimir Putin to immediately put an end to these abuses and to end his illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine." - MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

Since 2014, Canada has imposed sanctions on more than 2,600 individuals and entities in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova that are complicit in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Many of these sanctions have been undertaken in coordination with Canada's allies and partners.

Canada welcomed a recent report from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights concluding that repression inside Russia and war outside it are connected to each other. The report also demonstrates a clear connection between the wave of repressive measures in Russia leading up to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, as well as afterward.

International and local human rights groups cite multiple reports of mistreatment committed by the Russian justice system, law enforcement and correctional bodies, including physical abuse of detainees at the hands of the police, torture or severe mistreatment of inmates in prison colonies, and detention of individuals for associating with opposition organizations.

Mr. Kara-Murza had his 25-year sentence for trumped-up treason charges upheld by the Moscow District Court on July 31, 2023. On August 4, 2023, Mr. Navalny was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison on new charges.

These sanctions align with Canada's policies and objectives to maintain pressure on Russia to end its illegal war in Ukraine while respecting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

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Meeting with Supreme Court President Vyacheslav Lebedev

Vladimir Putin met with Supreme Court President Vyacheslav Lebedev.

August 18, 2023

14:10

The Kremlin, Moscow

The President awarded Vyacheslav Lebedev the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called for his outstanding service in developing the Russian judiciary and strengthening the rule of law and order.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Lebedev,

Before we begin the official part of our meeting and get down to business, I would like to perform a pleasant and honourable mission by presenting you with the Order of St Andrew the Apostle the First-Called. You are receiving this decoration not only for your contribution to developing and strengthening the Supreme Court, but also for your immense and remarkable contribution to strengthening Russia's statehood in general.

Our country has reached a very challenging juncture in its development, when efforts to strengthen our judiciary and the country's judicial and legal systems in general serve as a foundation not only for national development but also for the very existence of the Russian state. This is why I have every reason and must say that you have done a great deal to strengthen the Russian state over the years since you took up the post of President of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

For that, you have my gratitude. It is my pleasure to award you this order.

Mr Lebedev, congratulations!

Supreme Court President Vyacheslav Lebedev: Mr President, please accept my sincere gratitude for decorating me with this high state award.

Much has been done to streamline the functioning of the justice system, including accessibility to justice, transparency, humanisation of the law and law enforcement, the establishment and development of administrative justice, implementation of digital technology and modern technology in court operations to simplify access to justice and ensure that cases are processed within reasonable terms.

Mr President, all this has been achieved thanks to your systematic and consistent support for the development and improvement of judicial activities, and also because the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation maintains regular, constructive and productive cooperation with the Presidential Executive Office, the State Duma, the Federation Council and the Government of the Russian Federation. While it is in a well-maintained and functioning state for all our plans to be fulfilled, the justice system still has some room for improvement.

Vladimir Putin: Most importantly, the justice system is being developed in line with the needs of the economy and especially our citizens who rely on it to protect their legal rights and interests. This is the most important thing. And you are the person guiding and stimulating this progress by clearly showing the direction and the pace. Thank you very much.

Vyacheslav Lebedev: Thank you, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Vyacheslav Lebedev: Mr President, I would like to inform you about the issues related to the organising and the start of work of the courts in the new regions of the federation.

The staff size for these regions provides for 1,115 judges. As of today, 258 judges have been appointed. The next meeting of the qualification board of judges will take place on August 23 of this year. Its participants will review another 49 applications.

I must say that under the circumstances the qualification board had to somewhat depart from its usual procedure and work schedule. It reviews applications as they arrive to prevent any delays in the process of appointing judges in the four new regions of the Russian Federation.

A plenary meeting of the Supreme Court is scheduled for September. It will announce the day when the courts will start functioning. This applies to the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Arbitration Court of the Donetsk People's Republic, 17 of 39 district courts in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Supreme Court of the Lugansk People's Republic, the Arbitration Court of the Lugansk People's Republic, and 24 of 31 district courts in the Lugansk People's Republic.

In addition, the plenary meeting will announce the first day of work of the courts in the Zaporozhye Region - the Zaporozhye Regional Court, the Zaporozhye Arbitration Court and three of five district courts in the Zaporozhye Region, as well as the Regional Court of the Kherson Region, the Kherson Arbitration Court and three of 13 district courts in the Kherson Region.

They will work as you suggested - rhythmically and depending on the incoming applications.

Judges need 185 buildings to work in normal conditions. Now 101 buildings have been registered for both regional and district courts. Under the plan, repairs and restoration work will be completed in buildings for 16 courts before the end of the year.

We are closely working with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin on this issue. Our interaction is very productive and constructive, quick and prompt. I believe we will be able to maintain our schedule.

Vladimir Putin: Excellent. This is a very important part of the joint efforts on the issue you are talking about. No doubt about it.

Mr Lebedev, when we met with Supreme Court judges, we conducted this work online and discussed a number of vital issues, including some promising ones. How is work going in this area?

Vyacheslav Lebedev: Mr President, this work is in progress. The Supreme Court and the judicial system of Russia are focusing on all of your instructions, as well as the goals, tasks and ideas you set before us. So we are working on these issues and have already resolved some of them. Our colleagues from law-enforcement had some input on a number of issues and we are working on them now.

I am planning to respond to all of the questions you set before us for the future in a full, clear-cut and reasonable report on the performance of the courts in 2023.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

<...>

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US warns Turkey against helping Russia 'bypass American sanctions': Report

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 11:26 PM

The United States has reportedly warned Turkey against helping Russia bypass the American sanctions that have been imposed on Moscow over its ongoing war on Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal carried the report on Friday, citing unnamed American officials.

According to the report, the US is speculating that Turkey may be aiding Russia to circumvent the bans, saying Ankara's suspected role could involve a "ghost fleet" created to carry Russian oil.

Turkish officials, it added, were also suspected of allowing sanctioned Russian vessels to berth at Turkey's harbors.

"We have an ongoing dialog with the Turkish government on these issues," one diplomat told the newspaper.

"Our sincere hope is to avoid a scenario in which a Turkish company is sanctioned, and we've worked with both the government and private sector to inform them of the very real risks."

The US and its allies have been piling up sanctions on Russia since last February when Russia began the war.

Moscow says it started the warfare in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk against persecution by Kiev, and also to "de-Nazify" its neighbor.

Russia holds that the West's anti-Russian agendas, including its eagerness for inclusion of Ukraine in NATO -- and, therefore, the Western military alliance's expansion right up to Russia's borders -- forced Moscow to launch the war on Kiev.

In addition to slapping sanctions against Moscow, Western countries have been pumping Ukraine full of tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons. Moscow says both measures would only complicate the standing situation and prolong the hostilities.

Turkey, also a NATO member, has, however, decided against joining the campaign, and has even deepened its economic cooperation and bilateral trade with Russia.

The Journal further noted growing concerns on the part of Washington and its allies that the impact of the Western sanctions on Russia was beginning to diminish, and stated that the allies were actively working to tighten enforcement of the restrictions.

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Russians gained wealth amid war in Ukraine while Western countries lost trillions of dollars: Report

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 10:49 AM

Russia got richer last year amid the war in Ukraine, while the Western countries that provided funds and weapons to Kiev to fight against Moscow lost trillions of dollars of their wealth.

Russia added $600 billion of total wealth in 2022, the Business Insider (BI) reported this week, citing the latest annual Global Wealth Report of the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) published on Tuesday.

According to the BI, the number of Russian millionaires rose from around 350,000 to about 408,000 last year. However, in 2022, about 1 million of an estimated 23.7 million lost their millionaire status in the United States.

It said 4,500 Russians joined the super-rich people's club of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNW) -- people with more than $50,000,000 -- last year.

In the meantime, the collective West, North America and Europe together, lost $10.9 trillion, UBS said, noting that the US alone shed $5.9 trillion of its wealth.

The Swiss bank suggested that Russia's gains might be attributed to the rising price of oil, a major export commodity and a key economic engine for Russia.

Russia's added wealth came amid the West's unprecedented anti-Moscow economic sanctions.

Western officials have admitted that the West's sanctions on Russia had backfired, hurting Europeans instead.

Amid the West's planning for anti-Moscow sanctions shortly after the start of war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin warned European buyers of Russian oil and natural gas that punitive measures imposed by the West would backfire, and those Western countries would be hit worse by the bans.

After Western countries banned Russia's oil, Moscow turned to the East and increased its sales of crude to other countries which in turn re-exported oil to the European countries.

As a result, Mexico, India, and Brazil also gained significant amounts of wealth in 2022, while the US, Japan, Canada, and Australia lost the most, the UBS report suggested.

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The Week In Russia: The Dramatic Pace Of Regress

By Steve Gutterman August 18, 2023

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed more than 500 children -- possibly many more. One Kremlin foe is handed a 19-year prison term while another, sentenced to 25 years in prison on a treason conviction after criticizing President Vladimir Putin and the war, draws parallels with the Stalin-era persecution of citizens branded "enemies of the people."

Here are some of the key developments in Russia over the past week and some of the takeaways going forward.

A Terrible Statistic

Almost 18 months after Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war - at first almost unthinkable despite months of warning signs that it was on the way - has become a grim fact, an ongoing occurrence that throws up horrors daily but is also the mundane stuff of maps, schedules, daily planning meetings at media outlets, and more. While it is obviously anything but normal, it has been normalized to some degree, at least.

At the same time, there are developments that drive home the fact that there is nothing normal about it, and these are captured in things like news stories, photographs, videos. Even statistics, like this one: At least 500 children have been killed, and more than 1,000 wounded, since the large-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office.

Like the UN office that counts casualties and said this month that 9,396 civilians had been confirmed killed, the Ukrainian authorities stressed that the figures are incomplete, largely because of the difficulty gathering information from Russian-occupied areas, and that the actual toll may be much higher.

In any case, it is rising as Russia pushes ahead with its unprovoked invasion despite numerous setbacks and the failure to achieve Putin's goal of swiftly - or even not so swiftly -- subjugating Ukraine.

On the same day as the figure of at least 500 was announced, officials said that two more children were dead: a 12-year-old boy and a 23-day-old girl who were killed along with their parents in a strike on their village in the Kherson region.

The children who have been killed have included the 14-year-old twin sisters killed in a missile strike on a pizza restaurant in the Donbas in June, the 4-year-old girl with Down syndrome killed in a cruise missile strike on the west-central city of Vinnytsya, far from the front lines, and a child whose mother and sibling survived an attack in March in Mariupol, which was razed by the time Russian forces captured it in April. And many, many more.

And in addition to the killings, Russia has taken many children across the border from Ukraine - a practice that led the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Putin in March. He stands accused of "the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

'Destroying Modern Russia'

While Putin has destroyed many lives in Ukraine, he has not destroyed Ukraine.

But he just might destroy Russia, Anne Applebaum, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Gulag: A History, told RFE/RL's Georgian Service in an interview.

"I don't think there's any question that Putin will be remembered as the man who really set out to destroy his own country," Applebaum said. "And apart from what he did to Ukraine, apart from what he did to Georgia, apart from what he did to Chechnya, apart from what he did to Syria, you know, this is somebody who has worsened the living standards, and freedom, and culture of Russia itself."

Putin has "brought back a form of dictatorship that I think most Russians had thought they'd left behind," she said. "Remember the Putin regime for the first decade that Putin was president had elements of freedom in it. It wasn't a totalitarian state.

"There was no thought police, no thought control of the kind people had known from the Soviet era. He is now slowly bringing that back. So, this is a crushing, not just of dissent, but a crushing of all politics, all imagination, all culture, all activity, anything independent," Applebaum said. "What he's really doing is really destroying, you know, modern Russia."

Perhaps the most obvious evidence of the crushing of politics is the long and continuing prosecution of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny,who was in and out of jail over peaceful street protests for more than a decade and has now been behind bars since January 2021, when he was arrested upon return to Russia after recovering in Germany from a near-fatal nerve agent poisoning he blames on Putin.

Navalny has published evidence suggesting that Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) poisoned him. On August 17, the United States imposed sanctions on four men it said were linked to the FSB and were involved in his poisoning in Siberia in August 2020. One of them is Konstantin Kudryavtsev, an agent Navalny later said he had he had duped into revealing that the FSB was the culprit.

On August 4, Navalny was convicted on three criminal counts related to accusations of extremism, which he and his supporters dismiss as absurd, and sentenced to 19 years in a harsh, maximum-security "special regime" prison. But that's not all, or it might not be: He may also face trial on terrorism charges, which could result in an additional prison term.

Ballots And Prison Bars

Navalny has been convicted in three major trials - not including retrials - in the past decade. The charges he has faced have ranged from economic crimes such as fraud and embezzlement to, now, extremism and potentially terrorism.

What does that have to do with crushing politics?

Well, it's widely suspected that the real reason he is being separated from society is that the Kremlin fears he poses a political challenge to Putin, who seems to be unable or unwilling to utter Navalny's name in public.

Navalny was allowed to run for Moscow mayor in 2013, but he was barred from the ballot - because of his criminal record - when he tried to go up against Putin in the most recent presidential contest, in 2018. The extremism charges that led to his conviction this month were related in part to a nationwide network of offices that he established as would-be campaign headquarters for the election.

Nineteen years would be the longest sentence handed down to a Kremlin opponent since the Soviet era - if not for another trial that ended this year, as the Russian state's already intense clampdown on dissent intensified further following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a vocal Putin foe who has spoken out against the war on Ukraine and has campaigned in the West for sanctions against Russians who violate human rights, was convicted of treason in April - part of a surge of treason cases since the invasion - and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Sent To The Gulag

Like Navalny, Kara-Murza - who lived part-time in the United States in recent years - was arrested after returning from abroad. Despite the threat of prosecution, he came back to Russia in April 2022, after delivering a speech in Arizona in which he accused the "dictatorial regime in the Kremlin" of committing "war crimes." He was speaking about a year before the ICC issued the arrest warrant for Putin.

And like Navalny, Kara-Murza believes he was poisoned as retribution for his opposition to the Russian state.

On July 31, an appeals court upheld the verdict and sentence against Kara-Murza, as expected.

In an August 15 column in The Washington Post - dateline: Pretrial Detention Center No. 5, Moscow - Kara-Murza wrote that after a trial that was held behind closed doors, it was a "special treat" to "see the faces, smiles, tears and thumbs-ups of my friends, colleagues and supporters, as well as journalists and diplomats who packed the courtroom."

Officially, Kara-Murza's trial was closed to the public because his case was classified. However, he wrote, "The real reason - as prosecutor Boris Loktionov candidly stated at the appeals hearing last month - was 'to prevent Kara-Murza from using the court as a political platform and publicly calling our president, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, a murderer.'"

When his prosecution began, Kara-Murza wrote, "I expected my experience to be similar to that of the dissidents of the 1960s and 1970s whose struggles against Soviet totalitarianism I have studied and documented.

"But Russia's regress under Putin has taken a much more dramatic pace," he wrote, adding that his trial "had much more in common with the handling of 'enemies of the people' under Josef Stalin" and invoking his grandfather, who he said had been "arrested and sent to the gulag" in 1937, during the Great Terror, for "expressing hostility towards the leaders of the party and the government."

"The sentence completed the parallel," he wrote. "Before me, the last time political prisoners in this country had received 25-year terms was at the end of Stalin's reign."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/week-russia-gutterman- putin-repression-stalin/32553423.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia Bans Entry To 20 Moldovan Officials After Chisinau Expels 45 Russian Diplomats

By RFE/RL's Moldovan Service August 18, 2023

Russia has banned entry to 20 Moldovan officials following Moldova's "unfriendly" decision to expel 45 Russian diplomats and employees of the Russian Embassy.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the move on August 18 in a statement but did not identify the Moldovan officials affected by the ban. RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reported that the ban applied to 20 officials, including 18 lawmakers from President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS).

The other two are the deputy director of the border police, Oleg Bucataru, and the director of the Independent Press Association, Petru Macovei, RFE/RL said, citing sources.

The Moldovan ambassador to Russia was summoned on August 18 to the Foreign Ministry and handed a note of protest over what Moscow calls "Chisinau's unjustified decision to radically reduce the number of employees" of the Russian Embassy.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement claimed that limiting the number of Russian diplomats in Moldova is an "unfriendly step" that leads to the further destruction of Russian-Moldovan relations, "which are already in a deep crisis."

Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu on July 26 ordered the Russian Embassy to reduce its staff to 25 from some 70 by August 15. The 45 Russians and their families left Moldova earlier this week just ahead of the deadline.

Popescu said the move will result in fewer "individuals to destabilize the country."

Sandu has firmly steered Moldova toward the West and last year gained an invitation for her country to open negotiations for European Union membership. She has also accused Moscow of trying to destabilize Moldova and has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

A senior Moldovan official on August 18 said Russia's move was regrettable.

"This is not the first time the Russian authorities have resorted to such measures," Igor Zakharov, a communications adviser to the Moldovan foreign minister, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

"The Republic of Moldova is determined to resist destabilizing actions," he added.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-bans-moldovan- officials-expels-diplomats/32554253.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Canada's Latest Anti-Russia Sanctions Meaningless, Devoid of Practical Effects - Stepanov

Sputnik News

20230818

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Canada's latest round of sanctions against Russia is "meaningless," will not achieve any practical effect and the overall sanctions policy by the collective West will get nowhere, Russian Ambassador in Ottawa Oleg Stepanov told Sputnik on Friday.

"Another round of Canadian anti-Russian sanctions is meaningless, like the entire policy of the Trudeau cabinet toward Russia. They will have no practical effect, but our response will certainly follow, as required by reciprocity in diplomacy and interstate relations," Stepanov said.

"Again, I can emphasize that in general, the policy of Western sanctions is a road to nowhere."

Earlier Friday, Canada sanctioned 15 Russian individuals and three entities over alleged human rights violations and state-sponsored violence toward government critics. The sanctions are directed toward the Russian judiciary and Investigative Committee, federal courts and senior government officials.

Among the 15 sanctioned individuals are Investigative Committee First Deputy Chairman Eduard Kaburneev and First Deputy Minister of Justice Evgeny Zabarchuk.

Among the sanctioned entities is the Basmanny District Court over its involvement in alleged human rights abuses of opposition political figure Alexei Navalny and opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza*. Also sanctioned are the Moscow City Court and the Khamovnicheskiy District Court.

* Recognized as a foreign agent in Russia

A Sputnik

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Expansion, De-Dollarization on Agenda as South Africa Hosts BRICS

By Kate Bartlett August 18, 2023

The BRICS group of developing economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - meet in Johannesburg from Tuesday to Thursday for their annual summit, during which expansion of the bloc is expected to figure high on the agenda.

On the surface, the members of this bloc have little in common. Brazil, India and South Africa are democracies, while China and Russia are autocracies. However, one thing they do share is a disillusionment with the current U.S.-led world order and a desire to create an alternative in which the Global South has more clout.

If the number of new countries looking to join the bloc is any indication, this is proving to be a popular idea. Some 40 nations, including Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are all interested in joining, and discussions about new members will likely feature high on the agenda of the summit, with BRICS members differing on the benefits of expansion.

While some analysts, including Jim O'Neill, the former Goldman Sachs economist who coined the acronym, say the group has not actually achieved much since its founding in 2009, Mikatekiso Kubayi, a researcher at the Institute for Global Dialogue at the University of South Africa, disputes that.

"There are over 40 countries that have expressed an interest in joining BRICS," said Kubayi. "Clearly those more than 40 countries have seen something, you know, some sort of benefit or use or value of BRICS to want to join it."

And this is how South Africa's Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor put it last week.

"The current geopolitical context has driven renewed interest in BRICS membership as countries of the Global South look for alternatives in a multipolar world."

Steven Gruzd, an analyst at the South African Institute of International affairs, said if more nondemocratic states join it could make the bloc more stridently anti-Western.

"Certainly, if BRICS expands and includes countries like Iran, this will definitely enhance the anti-Western tone and tenor of discussions," said Gruzd.

Already, BRICS accounts for some 40% of the world's population, and an estimated one-quarter of global gross domestic product. In terms of purchasing power parity, BRICS countries now have a larger share of global economic activity than G-7 countries.

A previously touted BRICS common currency is not something that will be discussed, according to South African organizers. However, the bloc's New Development Bank does want to de-dollarize.

"The other issue that's going to be talked about is the currencies that countries trade in and talk about more trade in local currencies rather than U.S. dollars," said Gruzd.

Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Xi Jinping of China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil have all confirmed their attendance. Russia will be sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while President Vladimir Putin will be taking part remotely as he is wanted for war crimes in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court.

As a signatory to the court, Pretoria would be obliged to arrest Putin if he entered the country, a diplomatic nightmare they have now avoided.

Separately, Ramaphosa will host Xi on the sidelines of the summit for an official state visit. China is South Africa's biggest trading partner.

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VP Lai returns to Taiwan after visits to U.S., Paraguay

ROC Central News Agency

08/18/2023 11:43 AM

Taipei, Aug. 18 (CNA) Vice President Lai Ching-te (ea) returned to Taiwan early Friday morning after a seven-day trip to the United States and Paraguay, which he said was "successfully completed."

Lai, who is the Democratic Progressive Party's 2024 presidential nominee, focused his remarks on his two-day stay in Paraguay when speaking to reporters after arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

According to Lai, Paraguayan President Santiago PeAa pledged, both at his inauguration and during their closed-door meeting, that his country would continue to maintain strong ties with Taiwan.

Taipei and AsunciAn have both agreed that they should continue to strengthen cooperation and work to bring the friendship between their peoples to new heights, with initial plans for new partnerships on electric vehicles, food processing and textiles, Lai said.

He did not elaborate on those plans, however, saying only that Economic Affairs Minister Wang Mei-hua (cZcZeS) would soon travel to Paraguay for further discussions on those issues.

In addition to visiting Paraguay, Lai also stopped in the United States both on the way to Paraguay and on the way back during the Aug. 12-18 trip.

He had a 25-hour layover in New York before heading to AsunciAn and a shorter stopover in San Francisco before heading home.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of Chinese territory, protested the stopovers, even though Washington maintained that allowing Taiwanese presidents and vice-presidents to transit on American soil had been a "routine" practice.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin () did not respond to a question on whether the Chinese military was planning large-scale exercises near Taiwan after Lai's trip to America.

Instead, he said Beijing "is closely monitoring the development of the situation" and would take "resolute and forceful measures" to safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Chinese military announced on the eve of Lai's departure for America that it would conduct three days of drills in the East China Sea.

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said Thursday, however, that the Chinese military drills had been "routine training" limited to an area near the coast.

At the same time, local media reported that Lai's reception in the United States had been muted, perhaps to prevent triggering tensions with Beijing, though Lai denied that this was the case.

Unlike past stopovers by Taiwanese presidents or vice-presidents, Lai did not make contact with American officials and lawmakers during his stops in New York and San Francisco, focusing his time more on Taiwanese expatriates.

(By Yeh-chen and Teng Pei-ju)

Enditem/ls

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MBABANE Mixed reactions characterise the address by His Majesty King Mswati III during the SADC Troika Summit held in Angola recently.

His Majesty told the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders in no uncertain terms that the government of Eswatini should not be expected to dialogue with terrorists. He said SADC should, instead, condemn all forms of terrorist activities wherever they existed because they caused untold suffering and resulted in the loss of lives. The King is said to have made these remarks during a closed session of the SADC Troika Summit on Thursday, where he raised concerns about what appeared to be a predetermined approach to dealing with political and security issues in Eswatini.

He said any assistance given to any member State must be based on the facts as they obtained on the ground, rather than a dogmatic adherence to a predetermined approach. Mangololo Eswatini, in a statement, concurred with the Kings remarks, saying it is painful that the country lost a number of officers from the security forces. It is painful to see our neighbours aligning themselves and taking pictures with the very people who are involved in the killing of the officers from the security forces. On one hand, they are saying there must be peace but on the other hand, they are encouraging violence. We will address challenges on our own as emaSwati using our own way, stated Secretary General (SG) Mphathiswa Masuku.

The King addressed several African leaders, including South Africas (SA) President Cyril Ramaphosa and Zambias President Hakainde Hichilema, who is the incoming SADC Troika Chairperson, taking over from his Namibian counterpart Dr Haig Geingob. He urged the leaders not to allow subjective intent to interfere with the pursuit of peace.

Surprise

He recalled that when the country attended the SADC Summit in August last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the request was made that SADC assist Emaswati with curtailing the terrorist outbreak that had befallen the country. It was with great surprise that instead of assistance being given to Eswatini to curb these activities, we were effectively told that we should negotiate with the perpetrators of violence. The question that arose in our minds was, where else in Africa has a government been told to negotiate with terrorist entities?

The King said emaSwati were always happy to dialogue with those they disagreed with, within the provisions of the constitution, but not with terrorists. He further assured the SADC leaders that the national dialogue will take place after the national elections in conformity with the constitutional and legal dictates. The King said Eswatini made her position on the national dialogue explicitly clear, stating that any issue that may have risen regarding the date of the dialogue, the form of the dialogue or the substance of that dialogue, will be properly elaborated once the elections have been completed. His Majesty further raised concern that the extracts from the SEAC Pre-Election Assessment Mission appeared to have been selectively chosen to fit a narrative that the kingdom was still in need of a particular form of intervention.

He said it was clear from the report itself that the mission observed a general calm, people going about their daily lives, voter registration going about in an orderly manner, yet they reported negatively about the general security environment. This has led us to observe that the report has become convoluted to try and get them to fit particular narratives, even though the observed facts on the ground tell a different story. He said he was pleased to report to the Troika that Eswatini had since been able to restore peace on our own. He also mentioned that over and above the positive reports from the SEAC team, the country had, in recent months, hosted a number of international festivals, summits and meetings, some attended by the heads of States and governments.

Puzzling

We said there was a full programme of events and activities planned out for the upcoming months. Life has returned to normalcy in the Kingdom of Eswatini. It is puzzling, therefore, to note that SADC would continue acting based on an alternative narrative contrary to what prevails on the ground. We wish that this be placed on record. We must be wary of reigniting tensions through misaligned approaches, the King warned. Meanwhile, the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) is adamant that the call for democratic and economic reforms was old and has never been about terrorism or violence.

In a statement yesterday, SWALIMOs Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo insisted that there have been issues of disgruntlement, wherein some elements of the Eswatini population decided to employ violence as a deterrent to the continued violence perpetrated by the state security apparatus. No society, no matter how docile, can continually accept violence and repression without seeking to defend itself, Silolo said.

He made a reminder that dialogue or negotiation is the only tool at the disposal of a nation that seeks to entrench peace, tranquillity among itself. The spokesperson said Eswatini needed to sit and discuss her challenges peacefully and find lasting solutions. If we are unable to seek and talk truthfully as people, then solutions of violence will always rear its ugly head, as frustration in the population increases. Namibian President Hage Geingob once said when dialogue is denied a chance, people go to war, he said.

On the other hand, Swazis First Democratic Movements Leader Busi Mayisela stated categorically that if there was any blood thirsty group in the country, it is government and security forces. He said it was no surprise that political parties were referred to as terrorists. Mayisela said it was important that people are capacitated so that they differentiate between freedom fighters and terrorists. Government always unleashes the armed forces, who do not think twice about shooting to kill. We have seen political parties organising peaceful marches to voice their concerns about socio-political issues that affect the people of Eswatini. They have never at any time resorted to violence but the said groups want a democratic dispensation in the country, she said.
Lai boasts about US transit for 'selfish election purpose'

Global Times

Extremism triggers concerns as it increases chance of 'black swan' event

By Wang Qi in Chengdu and Zhang Han in Beijing Published: Aug 18, 2023 09:58 PM

The separatist deputy regional leader of Taiwan island Lai Ching-te returned to the island on Friday after a provocative "transit" in the US on a visit to Paraguay, during which he boasted about the "courteous reception" he received and "international support" for Taiwan island.

However, such tricks were seen through by observers from both sides of the Taiwan Straits, as Lai's secessionist nature remains the same no matter whether he presents himself as a "pragmatic Taiwan independence worker" or a "responsible maintainer of the status quo."

Lai's changes in expressions and self-presentation are for election purposes, and his capriciousness could pose a great danger to the already strained cross-Straits and China-US relations, increasing the chance of a "black swan" event, analysts said.

Lai is a candidate of the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the 2024 Taiwan regional leader's election.

Liu Guoshen, head of the Collaborative Innovation Center for Peaceful Development of Cross-Straits Relations, said that Lai's priority is to win the election. Separatists like him have long used the "Taiwan independence" agenda to hoodwink supporters, but votes from just diehard separatists will not guarantee him victory.

Lai changed his rhetoric in an attempt to woo the "silent majority" who want to maintain peace, but his capriciousness has erased his credibility in front of the mainland and his deep-rooted "troublemaker" image makes the US cautious of using him to provoke China for fear of the situation going "out of control," Liu told the Global Times at a forum on cross-Straits studies in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

Though Lai claimed to have won "international support" for Taiwan island, his transit in the US was marked by an absence of important US figures and made a small splash in US political circles.

Lai originally hoped to elevate his status through the transit, but the US, which takes full control of US-Taiwan island interactions, avoided giving him credit as it had China-US relations in mind, Liu said.

Liu Xing-ren, associate professor at the Chinese Culture University, noted that Lai's high profile and past remarks caused distrust from the island, the Chinese mainland and the US. If he is elected as the regional leader, more tensions and "storms" across the Straits and in the region are in store.

In the long run, the DPP is pushing forward decoupling with the mainland in all aspects, but that is separatists' wishful thinking as many Taiwan compatriots study, work and live in the mainland and the bond of blood and culture cannot be cut, Liu Xing-ren said.

Sun Yafu, deputy head of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, told the Global Times at the Chengdu forum that "we have firm resolve in safeguarding China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The top mission is to prevent Taiwan island from being separated from China in any sense."

Military drills close to the Straits, as we repeatedly iterate, aim to deter the separatists and foreign interference forces, not Taiwan compatriots, Sun said.

The US allowing Lai Ching-te to transit for political occasions and propagate "Taiwan independence" once again exposed the true face of the US, which says one thing but does another, stubbornly pursues the strategy of using Taiwan island to contain China, and continues to hollow out the one-China principle, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations, Wang noted. "Taiwan independence" and cross-Straits peace and stability are as irreconcilable as fire and water and those who play with fire will perish by it, he said.

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Hong Kongers flock to Taiwan to savor milk tea and freedom

Many head for Hong Kong-run or pro-democracy businesses, as Cantonese is increasingly spoken on Taipei's streets.

By Jojo Man for RFA Cantonese 2023.08.18 -- They are flocking to Taiwan, in search of milk tea and freedom.

While Hong Kong recently fell out of favor with tourists from Taiwan, the opposite is true in the other direction, with Hong Kongers making up the largest single group of tourists visiting the island.

When they land, some head straight for night markets and protest-themed cafes, pro-democracy bookshops and other small businesses in the "yellow economic circle" started during the 2019 protest movement.

Others dive into working-class cafes of the kind still ubiquitous in Hong Kong to drink mugs of strong milk tea, tall glasses of iced lemon tea and snack on toast or ham-and-egg sandwiches made with mass-produced, crustless white bread.

Some 420,000 Hong Kongers have made the trip to Taiwan in the first half of the year, 95,000 more than the numbers opting to visit Japan.

From April through June, more than 100,000 were arriving every month.

Wu Hao, who runs the "cdou" Hong Kong-style bar and cafe, whose name means "Lion Fighting" in an apparent reference to the "Lion Rock spirit" invoked by the former British colony in times of trouble, said many of them wind up in his establishment.

"I don't really get it," he said. "They spend two or three hours flying here, just to eat the same food they could get in a Hong Kong-style cafe."

"Some of them emigrated here and now run their own businesses, while others are just visitors from Hong Kong," Wu said. "They talk very freely about everything - a lot of it is about emigrating to Taiwan, and what it's like to live here."

Yellow-themed businesses

Plenty of Hong Kongers have already made the move, braving Taiwan's opaque immigration rules in search of life in an environment that still has the old freedoms they once enjoyed back home.

Others content themselves with making short trips to Taipei's night markets, out to Jioufen village or just hang out in the city's plethora of cute themed coffee shops, as well as spending money at "yellow economic circle" themed businesses.

The color yellow has been associated with the pro-democracy movement since the 2014 umbrella movement, while pro-government and pro-police views are described as "blue."

But since Beijing - which blames the 2019 protests on "hostile foreign forces" seeking to foment a "color revolution" in the city - imposed the national security law, such businesses have been seen as subversive.

"I hear Cantonese being spoken in every night market I go to," a Hong Kong tourist who gave only the nickname A Fung told Radio Free Asia. "As soon as I'm at a loose end, I fly to Taiwan."

"It's not too expensive, and I feel happy around the traditional Chinese characters," he said, in a reference to the style of Chinese writing used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, rather than the simplified writing style of the Chinese mainland.

Family-friendly

For young families, Taiwan isn't too far away for a short visit.

"The flight's short, and it's fairly easy to take the kids along," a Hong Kong surnamed Tse said.

A Hong Konger who has lived in Taiwan for 10 years, who gave only the nickname Ting Ting, brought their friends to cdou while they were on a business trip from Hong Kong.

"So many Hong Kongers have emigrated to Taiwan to do business, open shops or eateries, and they really wanted to try some of these restaurants," Ting Ting said.

While some may come for the food and the convenience, there's another item that is now on Hong Kongers' itinerary - pro-democracy businesses and protest tourism.

Like David, who declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals under a draconian national security law, they make sure to visit and spend money at small businesses with a pro-democracy theme.

'Speaking out for freedom'

Like the Chiu Yue Teahouse in Huangdian, decorated throughout with memorabilia of the 2019 protest movement.

"A lot of my friends have left [Hong Kong] for elsewhere now," David said. "So I feel a bit happier if I seek out shops run by people who share my beliefs."

"I can still see some voices speaking out for freedom here," he said of the teahouse. "It's somewhere you can speak freely and don't have to worry about propaganda, which is a kind of spiritual comfort."

Taiwan's government recently warned its nationals to avoid "provocative" actions and even T-shirts while visiting Hong Kong, which is currently in the throes of a crackdown on public dissent.

Conversely, David enjoys being able to wear whatever he likes during his stay in Taiwan -- without the fear of police attention.

The boss of a Hong Kong-style cafe who gave only the nickname Andy said his restaurant offers Hong Kongers a nostalgic return to the city as it was before the crackdown.

"Why do they eat Hong Kong food when they come to Taiwan? Because they can see stuff here that doesn't exist in Hong Kong any more," Andy said, in a reference to recent changes to the city's electoral system. "Some get quite emotional when they see all of the electoral materials, saying 'that's what Hong Kong used to be like'."

"They all talk to each other, and offer encouragement, and help each other to keep going forward together," he said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content August not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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China launches military drills in 'stern warning' to Taiwan

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 19 August 2023 5:47 AM

China has launched military drills around Taiwan in what it described as a "stern warning" to the self-ruled island following a visit to the US of Taipei's vice president William Lai.

The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said in a statement on Saturday that it is carrying out joint naval and air combat readiness patrols around Taiwan.

"The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces," PLA spokesman Shi Yi said, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Shi went on to say that the drills are meant to test the armed forces' "ability to fight in real combat conditions," adding that they serve "as a stern warning to the collusion of 'Taiwan independence' separatists with foreign elements and their provocations."

Taiwan's defense ministry strongly condemned China's military exercises near the island, saying it would dispatch "appropriate forces" to respond "with practical actions".

"Conducting a military exercise this time under a pretext not only does not help the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also highlights (China's) militaristic mentality and confirms the hegemonic nature of its military expansion," it claimed in a statement.

The latest drills came after Beijing voiced anger over Lai's stopover in the US, vowing to take "resolute measures... to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Lai, who is the frontrunner in Taiwan's presidential election next year, stopped in New York last Saturday and returned via San Francisco on a trip to Paraguay.

In a statement at the time, China's Foreign Ministry said it was opposed to any form of a visit by "Taiwan independence separatists" to the US.

"Lai stubbornly adheres to the separatist position of Taiwan independence and is a troublemaker through and through," the ministry said.

China has sovereignty over Taipei, and under the internationally-recognized "one-China" policy, nearly all countries recognize that sovereignty, meaning that they would not establish diplomatic contact with its secessionist government.

The US, too, professes adherence to the principle, but in violation of its own stated policy and in an attempt to irritate Beijing, Washington courts the secessionist government in Taipei, supports its anti-China position, and supplies it with massive amounts of armaments.

China describes Taiwan as the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the US, and the topic remains a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington.

Last August, China deployed warships, missiles, and fighter jets around Taiwan in its largest show of force in years, following a trip to the island by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Ukraine loses up to 310 soldiers in Donetsk direction in past day, says Russian Defense Ministry

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:50, August 18, 2023

MOSCOW/KIEV, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments related to the Ukraine crisis:

Ukraine has lost up to 310 soldiers in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Kiev also lost up to 125 soldiers in the Kupyansk direction and up to 195 soldiers in the Zaporizhzhia direction, the ministry added.

- - - -

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the legislation to extend the current martial law and general mobilization in the country for another 90 days, the parliament's press service said Thursday.

The extension of the martial law and general mobilization, which are due to expire on Aug. 18, was endorsed by the Ukrainian parliament last month.

The Ukrainian parliament imposed martial law after the outbreak of the conflict with Russia on Feb. 24, 2022 and has extended it eight times since then.

- - - -

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country will receive F-16 fighter jets after the end of the training course for pilots, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported Thursday.

"I think the Ukrainian pilots will return from training, and the planes will also arrive with them. They may not arrive directly in the cockpits, but this will be a synchronized process," Kuleba said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in talks with partners over speeding up the process of providing F-16s for Ukraine, he added.

- - - -

The Azov brigade, which is part of the Ukrainian National Guard, has returned to the battlefield, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported Thursday, citing a military official.

"The legendary special forces brigade Azov was reinstated and started to carry out combat missions," said Mykola Urshalovych, acting director of the planning department at the main directorate of the National Guard.

The Azov brigade is currently carrying out military operations on the frontline in the eastern Luhansk region, Urshalovych said.

- - - -

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said on Wednesday that GCC member states support "peaceful efforts" aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In a phone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Albudaiwi also emphasized the significance of reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the export of grains, essential food, and humanitarian supplies in order to improve the food security of affected countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two sides also discussed the latest developments of the Ukraine crisis.

Albudaiwi said the GCC's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is based on the principles of international law and the UN Charter, which underscores the importance of upholding the existing international order on the basis of respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and the avoidance of using or threatening to use force.

The two officials also vowed to move forward toward drafting a joint action plan that includes significant issues serving the interests of both sides.

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'Arms can't win peace': China slams weapon deliveries to Ukraine battlefield

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 4:32 PM

China has again voiced opposition to the supply of weapons to the battlefield in Ukraine, saying peace in the country can be restored only through dialogue, and not arms deliveries.

"Weapons may be used to win the war, but they cannot win peace," China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Geng Shuang told the UN Security Council in a Thursday meeting.

According to the Chinese diplomat, continued arms deliveries have "worrying and disconcerting" consequences, and they delay the cessation of hostilities.

"Currently, the massive influx of weapons and equipment to the battlefield persists with expanding spillover effect, making the hope of ceasing hostilities more remote," he said.

Ever since the beginning of the war, Western countries, led by the United States, have been pumping Ukraine full of tens of billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons, a step that Moscow says would only prolong the hostilities.

The Chinese diplomat said that "for some time now, an increasing number of countries have raised their voice of reason and proposed peace initiatives".

Geng called on the relevant parties to "respond positively to the call of the international community, keep calm and maintain restraint, refrain from an escalation of tensions, step up engagement, galvanize consensus, and gradually create conditions for the final settlement of the crisis."

Reporting last month, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research institute, revealed that the US had channeled a total of $75 billion to Ukraine since last February when Moscow launched the operation.

Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow did not reject the idea of holding talks on the war in Ukraine, but said the Russian troops could not cease-fire as long as they were under attack.

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Ukraine will fail to meet counteroffensive's key goal: US intelligence

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 2:20 PM

The United States intelligence agencies say Ukraine will fail to reach the key goal of its ongoing counteroffensive, for which it has so far received billions of dollars of Western weapons and military equipment.

Crimea rejoined Russia back in 2014 after a referendum. Since the onset of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly vowed to retake the region by force.

Ukraine launched its counteroffensive in early June, hoping to push south toward the Crimean Peninsula by the end of the year.

A US intelligence assessment, obtained by the Washington Post, however, believes that the counteroffensive will stall before reaching the key southeastern city of Melitopol.

"Ukraine's forces, which are pushing toward Melitopol from the town of Robotyne more than 50 miles away, will remain several miles outside of the city," the Post quoted US officials as saying on the condition of anonymity.

Kiev would then be unable to "fulfill its principal objective of severing Russia's land bridge to Crimea in this year's push," it said.

Melitopol is considered the gateway to Crimea.

The assessment of Ukraine's mission, the report said, is likely to prompt finger-pointing inside Kiev and Western capitals about why a counteroffensive that saw tens of billions of dollars of Western weapons fell short of its goals.

According to Russian estimates, the counteroffensive has cost Ukraine more than 43,000 troops and nearly 5,000 pieces of heavy equipment in exchange for a handful of villages.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly blamed the West for his military's lack of success. He claimed that he was not provided adequate weapons for the mission.

According to American magazine, Newsweek, Zelensky must now decide "whether to go all-in and risk a costly failure, or to cut Ukraine's losses and accept a politically damaging defeat."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday acknowledged the slow pace of Ukraine's counteroffensive but said Kiev would not stop fighting until all its land is retaken. "We don't care how long it takes," he said.

Zelensky's government is now demanding Washington provide the military with fighter jets and long-range missiles.

The grim outlook has, however, prompted Republicans on Capitol Hill to balk at President Joe Biden's request for an additional $20.6 billion in Ukraine aid. They also reject criticisms that F-16 fighter jets or longer-range missile systems would have resulted in a different outcome.

Nevertheless, Ukraine will not receive F-16 fighter jets this year as hoped, said Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the country's Air Force. "We had high hopes for this aircraft."

Ihnat said the advanced planes wouldn't arrive by winter, meaning they won't play a role in the latest counteroffensive push.

Washington has provided more than $42 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its special military operation.

Russia has repeatedly warned about the dangers of flooding Ukraine with weapons and munition, saying it would only prolong the war.

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US sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands

Iran Press TV

Friday, 18 August 2023 1:13 AM

The US military has decided to send F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands as soon as the training of Ukrainian pilots is completed.

A US official said on Thursday Washington has assured both countries that it will expedite approval of transfer requests for F-16s to go to Ukraine when their pilots are trained, Reuters reported.

The US must approve the transfer of F-16s from its allies to Ukraine.

A coalition of 11 countries was due to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly fighter jets this month in Denmark.

US officials have privately said that the F-16 fighter jets would be no game changer when they arrive given Russia's air defense systems and its air superiority.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts assuring them that the requests would be approved, the US official said.

"I am writing to express the United States' full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors," Blinken said in a letter to the two officials, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

Blinken said, "It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty."

He said the approval of the requests would allow Ukraine to take "full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first set of pilots complete their training."

Washington has provided more than $42 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its special military operation in late February 2022.

Despite Washington's continued military support to Kiev since then, the Biden administration has been clear that there will be no US combat forces fighting against the Russians in Ukraine.

Russia, which strongly opposes the supply of Western weapons to Kiev, has repeatedly pointed out the dangers of flooding Ukraine with weapons and munitions.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned in May that Western-supplied arms and munitions were being smuggled out of Ukraine and sold on the black market.

She warned that "terrorist and criminal activity could reach unprecedented scale" due to the spreading of weapons and munitions to the wrong hands around the globe.

In this regard, Russian President Vladimir blames the West for stoking the "flames of war" by sending arms and weapons to Ukraine to fight a proxy war against Russia.

Putin said that the Western-supplied weapons and munitions were burning up in Ukraine.

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Ukrainian Military Says Its Troops Continue Push To Sever Russia's Land Bridge To Crimea

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service August 18, 2023

The Ukrainian military says its forces continue to advance in the areas near the cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk after making gains on the southeastern front in their attempt to drive toward the Sea of Azov and cut off Russia's land bridge to Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

The push toward Melitopol comes amid a U.S. intelligence report that Ukrainian forces do not appear likely to reach and retake the Russian-occupied strategic city of Melitopol during the ongoing counteroffensive.

An unnamed official who commented to Reuters on August 18 said that, despite the report and limited progress toward Melitopol, Washington believed it was still possible to change the gloomy outlook.

The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was commenting on an intelligence report that The Washington Post quoted the day before.

The newspaper reported that an assessment by the U.S. intelligence community had concluded that the counteroffensive will fail to reach Melitopol, preventing Kyiv from meeting its objective of severing Russia's land bridge to the peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The prediction is largely in line with Washington's view that the counteroffensive is going slower than expected.

White House national-security adviser Jake Sullivan declined to comment, according to Reuters, but he said there had been a number of analyses about the war in Ukraine and many of them had changed as events unfolded.

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 General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its evening assessment that there had been 30 combat clashes along the front line during the day.

It said Russian forces carried out one missile and 31 air strikes and 45 attacks from rocket salvo systems on Ukrainian troop positions and populated areas.

The Ukrainian forces that are conducting the offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions are entrenched at the boundaries reached thus far and are carrying out countermeasures, the General Staff said.

Ukrainian air defense forces "carried out nine strikes on areas where the enemy's personnel, weapons. and military equipment are concentrated," the General Staff said.

Ukrainian forces have been pushing forward from the village of Urozhayne, which they claimed to have liberated on August 16, the General Staff said.

As Ukraine moves ahead with its counteroffensive, a report in The New York Times on August 18 showed just how costly the war has been to the armed forces of both sides. The newspaper cited unidentified U.S. officials saying the number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded is nearing 500,000.

On the Russian side, military casualties are approaching 300,000, including as many as 120,000 deaths, the report said. Ukrainian deaths were close to 70,000, with as many as 120,000 wounded, it added.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said only the General Staff could disclose such figures.

"We have adopted a model that only the General Staff has the right to voice the figures on the wounded, the disabled, people who lost limbs, and the missing, and, of course, the number of people who died in this war," he said in a broadcast on YouTube.

Moscow has not officially released data on its war dead since early in the war.

With reporting by Reuters and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-crimean-land- bridge-russia-troops-push/32554441.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Amid Corruption Scandals And Mounting Problems, Ukraine Vows To Shake Up The Military Enlistment System. It's A Tough Task.

By Aleksander Palikot August 18, 2023

KYIV -- For months following Russia's full-scale invasion, the phrase "volunteered to fight" kept coming up in casual conversations and in the media as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians joined the war effort to resist the unprovoked aggression despite the uncertain future and immense risks.

Eighteen months later, as the field of flags commemorating fallen soldiers on Kyiv's Independence Square grows wider and wider, the term "draft dodger" is gaining ground and a public outcry over enlistment and the mistreatment of soldiers reached a tipping point.

After a series of scandals sparked by evidence of corruption, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that the senior military recruiters nationwide would be dismissed and promised to alleviate problems faced by soldiers who may endure many more months of fighting as the war drags on and Ukraine's current counteroffensive makes only limited gains.

But a push for reforms may prove difficult, not least because the resources at Ukraine's disposal are limited, as is the number of people willing and able to fight. With no end to the war in sight, the shake-up of the system could turn into a decisive stress test for Ukrainian society.

A Spanish Villa

Amid a war that has killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, a report that a $4.35-million seaside villa in Marbella had been purchased by Yevhen Borysov, the head of the Odesa regional military enlistment office -- along with an office in the Spanish resort city and a luxury car -- pushed public anger to a point where the government apparently decided it had to act.

Borysov was detained, dismissed from his post, and subjected to a criminal inquiry. Evidence of lavish wartime spending by Borysov was brought to light by journalist Mykhaylo Tkach in an investigative report titled Battalion Spain; Ukraine's National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption later stated that he had illegally enriched himself to the tune of 188 million hryvnyas ($5 million).

According to Valeriy Bolhan, the editor in chief of the independent media outlet Intent and an associate at the Center for Public Investigations, an anti-corruption NGO in Odesa, as many as 50,000 people had paid off military recruiters there to avoid conscription or go abroad. "If you multiply that by $5,000 -- and that's an average price to 'confirm' unfitness for military service -- you get a fortune," he told RFE/RL.

Some claim the iconic Black Sea port city, which has a reputation for rampant corruption, has turned into a hotspot for draft evasion schemes. But Bolhan asserted that Odesa is not significantly different to other parts of Ukraine, as malpractice was reported across the whole country.

In the wake of that scandal, Zelenskiy announced an inspection of Ukraine's Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centres, successors to the post-Soviet system of military commissariats that have struggled with deep-seated corruption for decades. As a result of the inspection, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that 112 criminal proceedings had been opened against recruitment officials, 33 notices of suspicion filed, and 15 indictments submitted to courts.

On August 11, Zelenskiy took a more dramatic step, announcing that the heads of the military recruitment centers in each of Ukraine's regions would be dismissed. The recruitment system "should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in wartime are treason," he said, vowing to replace the dismissed officials with soldiers who have been wounded and can no longer fight.

'Wild Mobilization'

At the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, lines in front of the military recruitment centers were a common sight as Ukrainians rushed to defend their country. Since then, the nation of roughly 40 million has assembled an army of some 700,000 soldiers, plus up to 250,000 servicemen of the National Guard, border guards, and police, according to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov.

At the same time, an unknown number of people have bribed military recruiters to avoid compulsory service, while others have gone abroad despite a ban on leaving the country for almost all Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60.

In a year and a half of grinding warfare, many of those who volunteered to fight have been killed or wounded. The precise number of Ukrainian casualties is not publicly known, but in an August 18 report, The New York Times cited U.S. officials it did not name as saying close to 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded -- far higher than the figures that Kyiv has disclosed.

As the war drags on, men and women in Ukraine are showing less and less enthusiasm about joining the military ranks in private conversations, while the need to provide new recruits for Ukraine's 1,500-kilometer front line is incessant.

This demand, combined with systemic corruption in the military enlistment system, led to "wild mobilization," Rostyslav Kravets, an attorney and head of the Ukrainian Independent Foundation Of Lawyers who represents dozens of men claiming to have been illegally summoned or recruited, told RFE/RL.

Since last winter, dozens of videos showing recruiters handing out draft notices in dubious or obviously illegal ways have surfaced online.

Recruiters in Odesa distributed summonses straight out of an ambulance they drove around the city. In Cherkasy, three recruitment-center staffers beat a civilian; one of them kicked him in the face. In Ternopil, a group of women prevented recruiters from roughly detaining a man in the street. In Kyiv, a group of illegal nighttime street racers received notices as a form of punishment -- a practice that became widespread for petty-crime or misdemeanor suspects despite criticism from civil society and the military.

As a result, some men across Ukraine have become skittish about leaving their homes and are angered by unpredictability and harsh treatment. Telegram chat groups with anonymized data about recruitment officers' patrols have sprung up in bigger cities, and anecdotes about men pulled off the streets and into the army have been passed from mouth to mouth. Pro-Russian Telegram channels and Tiktok accounts have magnified such messaging and mixed it with disinformation, seeking to sow fear.

According to Kravets, military recruiters have no right to detain men or forcibly transport them to recruitment centers, and there are no legal grounds to use summonses as punishment. "But recruiters do this all the time to manifest that they are efficient and at the same time simply enrich themselves through corruption," he said.

Moreover, he said, successive amendments to Ukraine's general-mobilization legislation have broadened the powers of recruitment centers without providing more control over the process or instruments that would help men who are targeted defend their rights. Initially, summonses could be delivered to home addresses; now they can be issued without geographical restrictions, and more officials are allowed to distribute them.

In theory, the distribution of a draft notice does not mean immediate dispatch to the front. But all men aged 18 to 60 can be called up for military service if they have no legal grounds for postponement or exclusion, such as illness and disability -- of the draftee or a dependent -- or a specific family situation, such as single parenthood or three or more dependent children.

According to Yulia Zasoba, a lawyer from the human rights advocacy organization Yurydychna Sotnya, men called to the army are often unaware of their rights, and many recruitment centers simply mobilize them without providing relevant information.

Yevhen Havrylchak first volunteered to fight against Russian-backed forces in the Donbas region at the age of 18, in 2017, and has been engaged in warfare on and off since then. After the full-scale invasion, he joined Kyiv's territorial defense unit and then fought in the Kherson and Donetsk regions. He told RFE/RL that he did not know he had been formally mobilized until a letter arrived at his home. "At that point, I wanted to leave the army, but it was too late," he said.

Vitaliy, 47, who preferred to have his surname withheld, fearing retribution, was qualified as fit for military service despite having four herniated discs restricting his leg movement. He agreed to join the army after he was promised to be assigned to a position in the rear. After two months of training, he was sent to the front in the Donetsk region.

Almost No Way Out

No matter how exhausted they are, physically or mentally, soldiers cannot leave the army unless the military medical commission states that they are not fit for service anymore. Their commanders may let them go on furlough for up to 30 days a year on family or health grounds. In practice, as a common saying goes, there are two ways out of the army: death or injury.

Last autumn, Havrylchak started to suffer from constant coughing and chest tightness. He was diagnosed with asthma, but the military medical commission has ruled that he can continue military service. He is self-injecting steroids to treat asthma attacks and says he has "accepted" his situation and "will carry on until the end."

Vitaliy spent three months at the front before he was hit by a grenade unleashed by a Russian drone and suffered several bone injuries, a brain injury, and lost sight in one eye. His family was mistakenly informed that he had deserted and could not find him until volunteers helped them identify the hospital where he was treated.

Zasoba told RFE/RL that a substantial portion of the soldiers' problems are caused or aggravated by military medical commissions that are incentivized to keep soldiers in the army and are sometimes untransparent. Even if a commission qualifies a soldier as partly unfit, it often takes the commanders months to move them to a less risky position.

One woman who is over 50 and asked that her name be withheld because she fears retribution, spent six years in an administrative job in the army. She said she had a nervous breakdown last summer and was diagnosed with neurological diseases by several civilian doctors. At first, the medical commission dismissed her request to let her demobilize, but it let her go after she presented it with a pile of documents and threatened to bring a lawyer.

"I was released because I am a woman; men are under too much pressure to defend their rights," she told RFE/RL, adding: "Ukraine's enormous front demands a huge army and the pace of hostilities means there's not enough time to train and heal people."

On August 14, shortly after he vowed to shake up the enlistment system, Zelenskiy visited troops in the Donetsk region and said he discussed the challenges faced by the military with the commanders of brigades and battalions. He said that "a lot of problems arise due to the poor quality of the work of the military medical commissions" and promised to "prepare a solution."

On the following day, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who also heads the Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, said that "the road to victory will be long and difficult" as, contrary to hopes expressed by many Ukrainians, the war with Russia will not be over by the end of the year or by next spring.

'The Decisive Factor'

For now, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are wondering how long they will have to fight, while those who have not yet been mobilized fear they may be called up.

"Ukraine needs to choose between the needs of the military, the needs of the economy, and human rights -- one cannot have all," Kravets told RFE/RL. He said he believes that promises to root out corruption will prove meaningless because they will be most likely limited to personnel changes.

Others are more optimistic. Vladyslav Grezyev, the CEO of Lobby X, a human resources agency that has been active in civil society projects for almost a decade and is now recruiting for some highly specialized positions in the military, told RFE/RL that the military enlistment system has improved since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

"If there is political will, long-term reform is possible, and we need it because we will never outcompete Russia in quantitative terms," he told RFE/RL.

The agency conducted research showing that roughly half of the men obliged to serve are ready to join the military, but they would like to have more control over the recruitment process and their potential military careers.

"To move forward, we need to make it easier to transfer soldiers between units, introduce a mechanism for demobilization and optimize recruitment for specific roles," Grezyev said.

According to Mykola Byelyeskov, an analyst at the National Institute for Strategic Studies in Kyiv, personnel policies in the Ukrainian Army are not ideal, but Ukraine's case is not unique. "A lot of wars started with a mass of volunteers ready to join ranks, but then conscription played its role."

He said that recruiting specific people for specific roles is important for the morale and cohesion of both the army and society in general, but in the end, the decisive factor for people's readiness to join the war effort is the chance to come back alive, which ultimately depends on proper training and armament.

"For the past 18 months, the sacrifice of lives compensated for lack of firepower -- no wonder people's enthusiasm ebbed," he said, echoing statements of Ukraine's leadership about the slow pace of Western military supplies. "But we are not going to compromise and we will do everything, we will keep fighting and prod allies to sustain our fight. As happened last spring."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-scandals- problems-military-enlistment-reforms/32554383.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukrainian Drone Strike Temporarily Shuts Down Civilian Airports In Moscow

By Aleksander Palikot August 18, 2023

Flights from civilian airports in Moscow were temporarily restricted in the early morning on August 18 after authorities said that a downed Ukrainian drone had struck a building in the Russian capital.

"At about 4 a.m. Moscow time, the Kyiv regime launched another terrorist attack using an unmanned aerial vehicle on objects located in Moscow and the Moscow region," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The drone crashed into the Expo Center complex in a nonresidential district a few kilometers west of the city center. The drone, which the Russian Defense Ministry said it had shot down, reportedly caused a powerful explosion and sent emergency workers scrambling to the scene.

Kyiv did not immediately comment on the situation and no injuries were reported.

Air traffic at four major civilian airports in and around Moscow was suspended briefly following the incident, but flights were reportedly operating normally within an hour.

Moscow has been targeted regularly by drone strikes in recent months as Kyiv continues its counteroffensive to regain Ukrainian territory lost to Russian forces in the course of the 18-month-long war.

A drone was destroyed over the Kremlin and civilian areas of Moscow were hit in separate incidents in May. Earlier this month, a Moscow business district was targeted twice.

On the battlefront, Russia military officials on August 17 claimed success in an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region and said two Russian warships had repelled a Ukrainian sea drone in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, announced they had liberated the village of Urozhayne, a village on the edge of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its evening summary on August 17 that Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to retake the village. If Ukraine holds Urozhayne, it would be the first settlement Kyiv has retaken since July 27.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that an attack by a Ukrainian sea drone had occurred just before 11 p.m. local time on the Black Sea about 240 kilometers southwest of Sevastopol, but was thwarted. The attack reportedly attempted to hit two Black Sea fleet warships tasked with overseeing navigation in the southwestern section of the Black Sea. The unmanned surface drone was destroyed by fire from the two ships, the ministry was reported as saying.

Ukraine's Western backers have trained and supplied as many as nine new brigades in hopes that Ukrainian forces could successfully retake territory occupied by Russian forces, but two months into Ukraine's counteroffensive, Kyiv's forces have struggled to break through formidable Russian defensive lines in the southern Zaporizhzhya region and in the eastern Donetsk region.

On August 17, The Washington Post reported that an assessment by the U.S. intelligence community had concluded that the counteroffensive will fail to reach the southeastern city of Melitopol, preventing Kyiv from meeting its objective of severing Russia's land bridge to Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

With reporting by Reuters and RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-drone- airports-shut-moscow-counteroffensive/32553448.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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MBABANE  Some civil servants, who lost during the previous general elections, want government to refund them their salaries and unpaid wages during leave of absence.

In the past, it had been a norm that civil servants would produce proof of leave of absence as soon as they were nominated. This is said to have been one of the documents required by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) when one was nominated. Without this document, a civil servant could be disqualified. It meant that civil servants had to go on unpaid leave for them to focus on elections.

Compel

However, it has now emerged that the law does not necessary compel the civil servants to go on unpaid leave or leave of absence, but that this is granted to public servants, who have qualified to be politicians and were sworn into office. Eswatini uses a Tinkhundla System of Governance, in which politicians are elected on individual merit, unlike in other democracies around the world where it is political parties that win parliamentary seats. In fact, even in 2023, some civil servants claimed to have been disqualified for not possessing the said proof of leave of absence.

Unlike in the past, during this years elections, civil servants are not required to be on unpaid leave and instead, they are expected to be at work, while they attend to elections. They are also not barred from applying for leave as long as they have enough leave days.

Lawful

Civil servants have now raised concern that this means that in the past, it was not lawful for the EBC to force them to take leave of absence, as there is nowhere in the law where this is stated but instead, the law only requires that one should have leave of absence once they have been sworn in.

For this reason, some civil servants, who stood for elections dating from 2018 going backwards, now want the government to pay back the money that was never paid during the time when they were nominated and while on leave of absence.

The civil servants said since it appeared the law had not been properly interpreted; this meant that the government should pay them the money for the months that they were on leave of absence in the past. For some civil servants, this may include money from 2018 and the previous elections,dating as far back as 2008. It was gathered that every election time, civil servants would take at least three months leave from the time of being nominated until being voted in. This meant that for the civil servants who want their money, they will have to calculate how much was not paid per month for the three months they had taken leave of absence for.

Demand

These figures can vary from just below E2 000 per month to over E50 000, depending on the type of employment of that civil servant. This means that some civil servants could demand from E6 000 to over E150 000 per individual, depending on how many civil servants would want to claim the unpaid wages. It could not be established how many civil servants had been disqualified as this information could not be sourced from the EBC.

Over 5 000 people were nominated for various positions from Members of Parliament (MPs), to tindvuna tetinkhundla and bucopho.

Elected

Of these, only 59 MPs will be elected and 59 tindvuna tetinkhundla. Further, about 336 bucopho will be elected. This means that over 4 500 will lose and return to their normal activities. Among these will be civil servants, who will have to return to their various government departments.

According to an interpretation by Mbuso Dlamini, who is the Legal Advisor Principal Crown Council, in compliance with the Elections Act of 2013, as well as the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, there shouldnt have been any employee granted leave of absence during the current stages of elections. The current stage refers to the time from nominations but before the elections.

Dlamini was quoted in the Times of Eswatini copy, published last Thursday. This is also in line with a recent statement by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service, Sipho Tsabedze. The PS first revealed that there had been a memo issued on July 28, stating that all civil servants who had been nominated should be at work as they could not be granted leave of absence.

Absence

The PS stated that the leave of absence was for those who had already won elections and not necessary for someone who was yet to do so.

He spoke after concerns from some civil servants, including police officers, who were outraged after they were ordered to report for duty when they had already been nominated and granted leave of absence. The national commissioner (NATCOM) of police had informed the officers that it was not right for them to have taken leave of absence yet they were getting paid. The Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni, speaking on behalf of the NATCOM, said the decision to recall the officers was based on the memo that was issued by the Ministry of Public Service.
Biden Administration Officials Doubt Usefulness of Ukrainian Strikes on Crimea - Reports

Sputnik News

20230818

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The decision by the Ukrainian military to strike targets on the Crimean Peninsula is being perceived with skepticism by several officials in the US government, a American TV broadcaster reported on Friday.

As the Ukrainian armed forces continuously increase their strikes on Crimea in attempts to disrupt Russian logistics and military supply chains, a number of officials from President Joe Biden's Administration are expressing doubt about the usefulness of such initiatives, the media mentioned.

Targeting Crimea is seen as a distraction and waste of valuable resources at a time when Ukraine has considerably stretched its combat axes, the official stated, adding that although the Russian military has been slightly affected, the attacks haven't decisively changed the situation at the frontlines.

"It's knocked the Russians off balance a bit, but it is not doing anything decisive," a senior officer told the agency, claiming that it would be best if the focus were placed on the counteroffensive.

The report added that attacking Crimea is part of Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy, but due to the recent nature of the increased strikes, the US and its allies have a hard time assessing the impact it is having on Russia's efforts to contain Kiev's offensive operations.

The agency said the US is not actively advising Ukraine to strike Crimea, specifying that the longer the counteroffensives stalls, the higher the chances of failure are.

A Sputnik

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Russian Foreign Ministry Appeals to Ukrainian Troops: Resist Kiev Regime or Surrender

Sputnik News

20230818

Maria Zakharova, the official spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, has advised soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to either turn their weapons against the Kiev regime or surrender. The diplomat's comment was published on the ministry's official website.

"We strongly recommend Ukrainian servicemen who are convinced of the criminal nature of the bandit junta that has seized their country to either turn their weapons against it or surrender to our forces," the official noted.

Zakharova also emphasized that in such cases, the humane and dignified treatment of Ukrainian military personnel will be ensured.

She also stressed that the criminal Kiev regime continues to shell Russian cities and villages with NATO weapons, including with banned cluster munitions. These actions result in civilian casualties, including children.

In early July, the US government announced it would send hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs to Ukraine to aid its struggling counteroffensive. The munitions, fired from howitzers, are intended to bolster Ukrainian forces. The move came after significant losses, including more than 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers and more than 4,900 military vehicles.

The US pre-positioned these weapons prior to the announcement, and their use began shortly thereafter. These cluster bombs, similar to depleted uranium shells in Ukraine's tanks, pose the risk of widespread unexploded bomblets, leaving areas dangerous for years. The US and its allies have provided nearly $100 billion in support since February 2022 as Ukrainian forces face Russian superiority, raising concerns about waning Western interest in the ongoing conflict.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine Loses Over 400 Troops in Donetsk, South Donetsk Directions

Sputnik News

20230818

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has lost more than 400 military both killed and injured in the Donetsk and South Donetsk directions over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry stated on Friday.

Over the given period, the Russian armed forces repelled three attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk direction, one in the South Donetsk direction, seven attacks and counterattacks in the Kupyansk direction, two in the Krasny Liman direction, and two more in the Zaporozhye direction.

"Enemy losses [in the Donetsk direction] amounted to up to 220 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, five vehicles, a US-made M777 artillery system, a D-20 howitzer and two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts," the ministry noted, adding that up to 210 troops were destroyed in the South Donetsk direction.

Moreover, Kiev lost up to 195 soldiers in the Zaporozhye direction, the ministry mentioned.

A Sputnik

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UK Starts Deliveries of New Batch of Reconnaissance Drones to Ukraine - Defense Ministry

Sputnik News

20230818

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - London has begun supplying a new batch of aerial reconnaissance drones to Kiev as part of the assistance by the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine, the UK Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Delivery begins of a new package of [aerial reconnaissance] drones to Ukraine, funded by the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the Ukrainian armed forces have already begun "training on the systems, which will form a package of more than 100 drones."

The new batch includes multiple types of drone designed for different roles, such as target acquisition, electronic warfare, guiding artillery, and night operations, the statement said.

"The UK remains fully committed to supporting Ukraine, with A2.3bn already earmarked for further military support through 2023, with additional munitions and equipment to be delivered in the coming months. Further UK government assistance continues in the form of humanitarian support and economic aid," the ministry added.

Western countries stepped up their military aid to Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there on February 24, 2022, providing Kiev with various types of weapons. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation leading to direct NATO involvement in the conflict.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine, UN sign joint preventive plan to prevent and stop grave violations of children's rights in Russia's armed aggression

President of Ukraine

18 August 2023 - 22:22

Advisor, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown and Head of the UNICEF Office Murat Shahin signed a joint preventive plan to prevent and stop grave violations of children's rights in the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Next week in New York, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba will verify the document.

"Today, Ukraine is taking yet another, far from being the first, step to save Ukrainian children from ruschist invaders and is showing respect for UN mechanisms and rules by signing a preventive plan developed jointly with the United Nations. We hope other countries will use our example because today we are talking about Ukrainian children, and tomorrow it can be any child in any country in the world," Herasymchuk said after signing the document, which took place in the Office of the President of Ukraine.

As the Presidential Commissioner emphasized, Russia is the first ever permanent member of the UN Security Council, which the Secretary General of the United Nations mentioned in the appendix to its annual report Children and Armed Conflict for 2022 among other countries that committed such violations.

The signing of the joint preventive plan with the UN is an important step in implementing Bring Kids Back UA - a comprehensive action plan developed at the initiative of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The plan unites the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, foreign governments and international organizations for the return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia to their homeland.

As Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak said, there is a lot of work ahead to return Ukrainian children, and the efforts of Ukrainians will not stop until each of our citizens is at home, close to their families.

"The release of all prisoners and deportees is an important point of the Peace Formula. Thousands of our people, including more than 19,000 Ukrainian children, are in Russian captivity. Ukraine is grateful to everyone in the world who helps return Ukrainians home. We must release all these people, and we will definitely do it together," Yermak said.

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Ihor Zhovkva had a telephone conversation with Head of Greek Prime Minister's diplomatic office

President of Ukraine

18 August 2023 - 19:27

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva held a telephone conversation with Director of the diplomatic office of the Prime Minister of the Greek Republic Anna Maria Bura.

Zhovkva expressed gratitude for the clear position of the Greek Republic in support of Ukraine, which it has taken since the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression.

Particular attention was paid to Ukraine's movement towards full membership in the EU and NATO.

"We are successfully approaching the completion of the seven recommendations of the European Commission and expect a final positive assessment of our homework in the autumn. In this context, we hope to receive a decision on the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU by the end of this year. We count on the consistent support of our state from Greece on the path of integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic communities," the deputy head of the Office of the President said.

The parties also focused on the need to increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor state, in particular, the preparation of the next, 12th, package of EU sanctions against Russia.

Zhovkva thanked the Greek side for joining the Joint Declaration of the G7 leaders regarding the provision of security guarantees to our country.

The need to involve other countries of the Balkan region in guaranteeing the security of our state was also discussed.

"Ukraine already has a successful experience of cooperation with the countries of Northern Europe in these matters. And we are ready for appropriate coordination with the states of the Balkan Peninsula, with which we share a common path to the EU and a common responsibility for ensuring security in the region," the deputy head of the President's Office said.

The interlocutors coordinated the schedule of contacts at the leadership level for the near future.

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Ukraine Welcomes US Decision to Allow Denmark, Netherlands to Send Fighter Jets

By VOA News August 18, 2023

Ukraine hailed a U.S. decision to allow allies Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called the development Friday "great news from our friends in the United States."

It was not immediately clear when Ukraine might receive the jets, and Ukrainian pilots will need extensive training before they can fly them.

The fighter jets are not likely to affect the trajectory of the war anytime soon, according to U.S. officials.

Air Force General James Hecker told reporters at a virtual meeting with the Defense Writers Group on Friday that there are no prospects currently for either Ukraine or Russia to gain the upper hand in the air.

"I don't think anyone's going to get air superiority as long as the number of surface-to-air missiles stay high enough," Hecker said, responding to a question from VOA.

Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa, did note that if Ukraine runs out of its integrated air and missile defense ammo, "then it becomes a problem."

"Both Ukraine and Russia have very good integrated air and missile defense systems," he said. "That alone is what has prevented [Russia or Ukraine] from getting air superiority."

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said: "We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine."

Camp David

At a trilateral summit Friday, the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea pledged to "stand with Ukraine against Russia's unprovoked and brutal war of aggression."

Meeting at the U.S. president retreat of Camp David, U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said their countries would continue to provide assistance to Ukraine.

They also pledged to continue their sanctions on Russia and to accelerate their countries' "reduction of dependency on Russian energy."

Kishida said "the free and open international order based on the rule of law is in crisis," and pointed the blame at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the continuing North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and a "unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas" a referring lastly to China.

Ukraine grain

Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta has emerged as the best shipping route for Ukraine's grain exports since Russia left the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal, leaving ships traveling the Black Sea corridor vulnerable to Russian attacks.

"We hope that over 60% of the total volume of Ukrainian grain exports will transit Romania," Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said after meeting Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Bucharest.

Constanta has been one of the best alternative seaports for Ukrainian grain shipping even before the Black Sea grain deal was canceled.

Ukraine exported 8.1 million metric tons of grain through Constanta in the first seven months of this year, and 8.6 million metric tons throughout 2022.

While Romania is looking at boosting the transit of Ukrainian grain through Constanta to international markets, it is also looking at ways to protect local farmers from a surge of Ukrainian grain that could depress local grain prices.

Protests from farmers in Romania and four other eastern EU countries prompted the EU to approve temporary trade restrictions of Ukrainian grain imports to the nations.

The import ban expires Sept. 15, and the five states have asked for it to be extended, at least until the end of the year.

Climbing casualties

The number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 is nearing 500,000, The New York Times reported Friday, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The officials cautioned that casualty numbers are not accurate because Moscow is believed to routinely underreport its war dead and injured, and Kyiv does not provide official figures, the newspaper said.

However, the newspaper estimated that Russia's military casualties are approaching 300,000, including as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injuries. Ukrainian deaths were close to 70,000, with 100,000 to 120,000 wounded, it said.

The Times cited the officials as saying the casualty count had risen after Ukraine began its counterattack earlier this year.

The Ukrainian military on Thursday claimed gains in its counteroffensive against Russian forces on the southeastern front. Kyiv said its forces had liberated the village of Urozhaine, about 90 kilometers north of the Sea of Azov and about 100 kilometers west of Russian-held Donetsk city.

The advance is part of a drive toward the Sea of Azov and an effort to split Russia's occupying forces in half.

However, Kyiv says its counteroffensive is advancing more slowly than it had hoped for because of vast Russian minefields and heavily fortified Russian defensive lines.

"Nothing ever goes as well as you would hope. They put mines everywhere. In a square meter, they're [Ukrainian soldiers] finding five and six mines," U.S. Air Force General James Hecker said Friday.

U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and VOA National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this story. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alchera X, a global leader in AI SaaS specializing in wildfire detection and protection through FireScout as well as facial recognition and security, was invited to attend an international business forum with a panel presentation co-hosted by the California Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), the CalChamber, and the Australian Embassy, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announcing a new climate partnership between California and Australia signifying five years of cooperation towards a more sustainable future.



Upon signing, Ambassador Rudd stated, Im proud to join Governor Newsom for the signing of this landmark climate MoU. While Australia and California face shared challenges from the climate crisis, we also share a mutual ambition to find bold solutions to combating climate change and achieving net zero emissions.

Attendance at the International Forum was especially pertinent given the current news of wildfires causing devastation across North America and globally. Alchera X stands ready to assist: Their partnership with the Minderoo Foundation will help Australia fight wildfires with FireScout, aiding the countrys robust Fire & Flood Resilience Program while scaling activities globally as part of their sustainability initiatives.

Alongside the Honorable Dr. Kevin Rudd, Australias Ambassador to the US, were esteemed members of the panel including Secretary Wade Crowfoot, CA Natural Resources Agency and Director Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor with GO-Biz and former White House Press Secretary. This event was moderated by Jennifer Barrera, President & CEO of CalChamber, who was also especially interested in FireScouts technology.

When given the opportunity to address panel members about Alchera Xs FireScout program, Michael Plaksin, VP of Sales and Marketing, emphasized, FireScout represents the leading AI technology that helps detect wildfires and protect property and lives. It was an honor, pleasure and responsibility to discuss with the panel today how we can provide our lifesaving resources to mitigate the critical issue of wildfire destruction. Regarding Alchera Xs commitment, he added, Were here to not only to support and service the community, the United States, and the nation of Australia, but also to help on a global basis.

Alchera X extended special thanks to Susanne Stirling, VP of International Affairs at CalChamber, and Patricia Utterback, International Trade Specialist from Governor Newsoms office, who saw this event as a great opportunity to connect businesses that are playing a valuable role with notable members of the community at large, bringing important topics to the table and helping to make a difference.

About ALCHERA X

Founded in 2016, ALCHERA X is an artificial intelligence software as a service (SaaS) company that has developed award-winning proprietary technology in the areas of wildfire detection and SMART VIEWING. FireScout , the leader in wildfire detection SaaS, utilizes AI to provide wildfire detection in real time on a 24/7/365 basis. FireScout seamlessly integrates into existing camera/monitor systems. We offer the most informative, effective, and supportive user interface system in the market today. FireScout is presently being used on over 1,000 cameras throughout the western United States and is considered to be the de facto standard in AI for disaster prevention in wildfire management.

Join the Conversation: Follow us on LinkedIn , Twitter and YouTube .

Contact:

Michael Plaksin

(310) 503-9901

m.plaksin@alcherainc.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b394755f-4ca7-4b18-95e3-d10fbc4c36b2

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/484a8279-fa83-4b12-bc6e-4ebe0d611e95

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dda86715-b333-4213-ad33-4471d458e4e3
OTTAWA, Aug. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Red Cross has launched the British Columbia Fires Appeal to help support people impacted by the fires.



Fires are expanding and moving rapidly, as dry and windy conditions persist in the province, threatening communities and forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Donations to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for immediate and ongoing relief, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the fires in British Columbia. Donations may also be used for preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within British Columbia.

Canadians wishing to make a donation to the British Columbia Fires Appeal can do so online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.

Additional Resources

@RedCrossCanada | facebook.com/CanadianRedCross | redcross.ca/blog

Red Cross donor inquiries: WeCare@redcross.ca or 1-800-418-1111

About the Canadian Red Cross

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies  the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

MEDIA CONTACTS

English Media: 1-877-599-9602

French Media: 1-888-418-9111
Tempe, Az, Aug. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Salterra SEO Company, the leading SEO company in Phoenix, AZ, is celebrating 13 years of serving businesses in the region and helping them build a strong online presence and get brilliant results. It now offers exclusive deals clients can make the most out of while benefiting from its top-notch solutions.

Established in 2010, the company has consistently raised the bar for Phoenix search engine optimization solutions and has become the trusted name among businesses, big and small, in the area. Its professional and customized approach has hit the right spot with them, enabling it to execute the best digital marketing strategies that exceed clients expectations. The glowing client reviews it has received are a testament to the quality of its services.



Salterra SEO Company - Phoenix, AZ

It has been an incredible journey, and we are grateful for our clients trust in us. Our teams dedication, expertise, and innovation have been instrumental in achieving this milestone, said Terry Samuels, founder and CEO of Salterra SEO Company.

An initial consultation with an SEO expert can set the ball rolling for businesses in Phoenix and surrounding areas to make their mark with potential customers.

Those looking for reliable Phoenix SEO services will be pleased to note that Salterra SEO Company maintains complete transparency with clients every step of the way. First, its expert SEO team conducts research based on clients requirements, the competition, and the market to develop top-notch solutions.

The company, known for its solid local Phoenix SEO services, also focuses on data-driven strategies that eliminate the guesswork from digital marketing. The strategies are built on real-time data to ensure its digital efforts bring outstanding results. Through comprehensive reporting, it keeps clients in the loop and offers them critical information about their websites performance and the impact of the strategies.

Salterra SEO Company is also the one-stop digital marketing company that businesses in the area trust. It offers other impeccable solutions, including web design, marketing, and development. It has provided these reliable services to several leading names from various industries that have become its loyal clientele.

Now Salterra SEO Company is celebrating those long-standing relationships built on its commitment to excellence in digital marketing and its renowned customer-centric approach. As it celebrates 13 years in the business, it marks this significant milestone through exclusive deals that businesses can make the most out of to boost their online presence and increase their reach.

To learn more about its offerings, one can visit https://salterrasite.com/.

About Salterra SEO Company

The company, founded in 2010, has established itself as the leading digital marketing firm for clients in Phoenix and surrounding areas with its customized approach, data-driven strategies, and complete transparency that have brought exceptional results for clients.

###

Media Contact

Terry Samuels

Address: 2210 S Mill Ave #10, Tempe, AZ 85282, USA

URL: https://salterrasite.com/

Email: info.salterra@gmail.com

Phone: 4802732273





newsroom: news.38digitalmarket.com


Global auto major Audi has brought a new era of leadership in Saudi Arabia with the appointment of Simon Horabin as its new General Manager for the kingdom.

An experienced leader in the UK automotive industry, Simon Horabin brings years of experience and strategic skills to his new role.

Having held significant positions in various automotive brands, including his recent tenure as Franchise and National Brand Director, Horabin has consistently showcased his ability to elevate brands to new heights.

His hands-on leadership style, combined with strategic acumen and effective communication, has been instrumental in driving brands toward unparalleled success.

Announcing the key appointment, Audi said this strategic move sets the stage for a dynamic transformation within the brands presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On his new role, Horabin said: "Joining Audi Saudi Arabia is an exciting opportunity. I am committed to upholding the brands pursuit of excellence and delivering exceptional automotive experiences to our valued customers across the KSA. With the exceptional team at Audi Saudi Arabia, I am dedicated to pushing the brand to new limits and ensuring a thriving future for Audi."

"Customer satisfaction remains at the heart of my leadership philosophy, and I am committed to ensuring that every Audi customer receives unparalleled service across all facets of our business," he stated.

Lauding the outgoing acting General Manager Abdulaziz Moolla for his contributions, Audi said he played a pivotal role in the successful market launch of the exclusively Saudi-inspired Kingdom Edition range.

As the brand transitions to new leadership, it underscores Audi Saudi Arabias commitment to continual growth and adaptation within the dynamic automotive landscape, it stated.

According to Audi, the appointment of Horabin signals an exciting era of transformative leadership.

With his extensive experience and strategic mindset, he is poised to lead Audi Saudi Arabia toward unparalleled success in the Saudi market, it stated.

The brands collaboration with Samaco Motors further solidifies the vision for a prosperous future, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
VANCOUVER, Aug. 18, 2023 - Newcore Gold Ltd. ("Newcore" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NCAU, OTCQX: NCAUF) announces the annual grant of equity incentive awards. Newcore has granted 1,540,000 stock options and 531,000 restricted share units (together the "Equity Incentive Awards") to employees, directors and executives of the Company. The stock options were granted at a price of $0.20 per share for a period of five years. The Equity Incentive Awards are subject to regulatory approval, are granted under the Company's long-term incentive plan and are subject to vesting provisions.



About Newcore Gold Ltd.

Newcore Gold is advancing its Enchi Gold Project located in Ghana, Africa's largest gold producer (1). Newcore Gold offers investors a unique combination of top-tier leadership, who are aligned with shareholders through their 20% equity ownership, and prime district scale exploration opportunities. Enchi's 216 km2 land package covers 40 kilometres of Ghana's prolific Bibiani Shear Zone, a gold belt which hosts several 5 million-ounce gold deposits, including the Chirano mine 50 kilometers to the north. Newcore's vision is to build a responsive, creative and powerful gold enterprise that maximizes returns for shareholders.

(1) Source: Production volumes for 2022 as sourced from the World Gold Council

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of Newcore Gold Ltd.

Luke Alexander

President, CEO & Director

For further information, please contact:

Mal Karwowska | Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations

+1 604 484 4399

info@newcoregold.com

www.newcoregold.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Shaikh Hisham bin Abdurahman Al Khalifa, Interior Ministry Undersecretary for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) said that more than 50,000 e-passports have been issued for citizens since its launch in March, reported BNA.

The service provides high technology and security levels based on international passport issuance standards.

Shaikh Hisham hailed the Passports Directorates affiliates' efforts to cross the monthly passports issuing average, said the report.

He also thanked citizens for their cooperation, stressing the importance of following the rules of the e-passport while applying, it added.
or at least not any youve ever seen before. At the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, the hallways are wide and welcoming and lined with artful photos of the neighborhood. Defendants holding cells are walled in thick glass -- not bars -- and the entire place is bathed in natural light. Instead of imposing dark paneling, the open-plan rooms have crisp white walls and blond wood. In one meeting room, a wall-sized mural painted by teens in the neighborhood shows a lively streetscape at the intersection of 2nd Chance Street and Perseverance Road. Throughout the facility, instructions on signs go out of their way to be polite, even to criminal suspects. Questions? reads a placard near a set of metal detectors. Our court officers are happy to help.The unconventional vibe continues once defendants find themselves in front of the judge -- Judge Alex Calabrese, who has served as the public face and the sole judge of this groundbreaking justice center since it opened 17 years ago. His bench sits at eye level with the defendants, rather than looking down on them from above, to better facilitate a dialogue. During proceedings, Calabrese makes sure that defendants understand whats going on. He talks with them about problems in their lives and how they might address them. He smiles. He asks engaging questions: Have you ever been in treatment for drug addiction? Do you have kids? Are you happy with the shape your life is taking? We want them to know that we want them to be successful, Calabrese says. Theyre so used to getting knocked on their head by the court system.Some of Calabreses interactions with defendants can be almost startlingly polite. If, for example, repeat offenders have never been offered drug rehabilitation services, I will apologize, says Calabrese. Thats just not right. Its not fair. After carefully explaining how he reached his rulings, he often ends proceedings with a handshake or a hug. If a defendant has had a particularly dramatic turnaround, the judge may even applaud.More than a decade and a half after it first opened its doors, the Red Hook Community Justice Center remains one of the most innovative courts in the nation. Its not just the physical attributes of the building or the avuncular demeanor of the judge, though both of those stand in stark contrast to most other courts. Rather, the Red Hook court was conceived as an entirely new approach to justice, a way to reconnect defendants to their community by providing them the services they need. More than anything else, what sets this court apart is a fundamental idea of respect. Treat defendants with respect, and theyll respect you -- and the law -- in the future. Its a radical departure from historical approaches. But whats truly radical is just how successful the idea has been.Community courts, which focus on problem-solving rather than just meting out punishments, are not a new concept. There are dozens throughout the world, many of them in the New York area. Red Hook, which has been in operation since 2000, wasnt even the first community court in New York City; one opened in Times Square in 1993. Because they often send offenders to drug rehabilitation and other jail-diversion programs -- Calabreses sentences are more likely to involve cleaning graffiti or completing drug treatment than going to jail or paying a fine -- community courts reduce the amount of time defendants spend in jail. They also reduce recidivism. Both are primary objectives of criminal justice reform efforts around the country.But other community courts tend to focus on a narrow range of cases: homelessness, say, or drug dealing or human trafficking. Red Hook was designed to be different. It was the United States first multijurisdictional community court, meaning it hears everything from landlord disputes to drug arrests and other criminal offenses, including juvenile cases.Planning for the court and the services it would provide began in the mid-90s. A nonprofit group called the Center for Court Innovation offered to work with the New York state judicial branch to design how the court would function. But many of the major decisions came from the community itself. Organizers, for example, took neighborhood leaders on bus trips around the area to scout potential locations for the new court. While other locations provided more administrative benefits, community leaders settled on a vacant building that once housed a Catholic school. Reopening the building for a public purpose instead of private condominiums, they said, would give the neighborhood a source of civic pride.Something else was clear from the beginning: Red Hook wouldnt be just a courthouse. On the two floors above Calabreses courtroom are social workers, a housing resource center, a GED program, and other counseling and support services. The court hosts community meetings and college fairs and has brought in legal aid lawyers to help residents with civil cases. A youth court trains local teens to act as judge, jurors, prosecutors and defense attorneys in real cases referred to it by Calabrese.Because of all the services it offers, the justice center isnt just a place people are forced to go on their worst days. Its a true community resource that people in the neighborhood frequently turn to for support. That, says Adam Mansky, the director of operations for the Center for Court Innovation and one of the early administrators of the Red Hook court, is the magic ingredient that has helped reshape the relationship between the community and the justice system. Organizers included a housing court, for example, specifically to handle cases between tenants and the local public housing agency. We are striving to create a sense of ownership by the community, Mansky says. We were very cognizant of the fact that a community like Red Hook -- a low-income, mostly minority neighborhood -- could feel extremely skeptical of a government intervention like this, particularly in criminal justice. So from the very beginning we worked assiduously to engage the community, and to show them we werent there to criminalize the community but to provide support to the residents.The court is an incredible community resource, says Jill Eisenhard, the founder and executive director of the Red Hook Initiative, a nonprofit focused on youth. Practically, it saves people a lot of time and money to take care of small legal matters in the neighborhood, rather than requiring people to go to courthouses farther away. But the court has been especially valuable during times of crisis, she says. Last summer, as violence rose in the area, many youth were afraid and angry about how they were treated by police. Eisenhards organization was able to meet with Calabrese and other court staff to relay their concerns. After one shooting, Calabrese went to the public housing development to check in. Thats genuine, she says. People know who he is. Hes not afraid to cross a line outside of the building and come and ask us whats happening and if were OK.is a funny little pocket of western Brooklyn, a corner of land that juts into New York Harbor but is choked off from the rest of Brooklyn by an elevated highway. The nearest subway stop is a mile away. For years, being out of the way meant Red Hook was largely forgotten. Its home to one of the biggest public housing developments in New York, with nearly 2,900 apartments. In the 1970s and 1980s the city allowed those homes to fall into disrepair. The neighborhood further declined as its docks lost business to New Jersey. Drug dealers moved in. By 1988,magazine declared Red Hook the crack capital of America.Things hit rock bottom four years later, when a popular elementary school principal was shot and killed while searching for a fourth-grade boy who had left school. The principal had evidently been caught in the crossfire in a fight over drug territory. The slaying drew national attention to Red Hook. Within a few years, the idea to start a community court there began to take hold.As plans for the court took shape, organizers reached out to Calabrese, who, as a Brooklyn criminal court judge, assigned social workers to cases with drug treatment, mental health or school attendance issues. When he was assigned to the new project in Red Hook, Calabrese made a point to meet with people who lived in the neighborhood. He went to community meetings and visited housing developments. This is a community where there was so much gunfire on the streets, youd put your kids to bed in the bathtub, because that was the safest place for them, he says. This is the way theyre living, and no judge had been out there. There was a complete disconnect between court and community.Red Hook today is a far different place from when Calabrese started. Theres a gleaming 40,000-square-foot Tesla showroom just blocks from the courthouse. The citys only IKEA is nearby. Bike-share stations have sprouted up in front of public housing. Part of that has to do with the same gentrifying forces that have changed much of the rest of Brooklyn in the past 15 years.But supporters say the court has helped too. Arrest rates in the police precincts served by Red Hook dropped almost immediately after the court opened in 2000 and have largely stayed there since. A 2013 evaluation by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) found that adult defendants who went through Red Hook had a 10 percent lower recidivism rate than those who went through traditional courts. The effect was even more pronounced for juveniles, who saw a 20 percent decrease compared to other systems.Meanwhile, Red Hook reduced the number of defendants who were sentenced to jail by 35 percent. In fact, 78 percent of defendants at Red Hook were sentenced to participate in community service like cleaning up parks, or in social services like drug treatment. At Brooklyns primary criminal court, by contrast, only 22 percent of offenders received those types of sentences.Part of the reason for that success rate rests in Red Hooks basic dedication to treating defendants with dignity. A growing body of research around the notion of procedural justice, pioneered by Yale psychology professor Tom Tyler, shows that litigants (including criminal defendants) are more likely to abide by a courts rulings if they think that the process used to reach those rulings is fair -- even when the ruling isnt in their favor. That certainly seems to be the case at Red Hook. When offenders were asked to describe in their own words how their experiences at the Justice Center differed from their experiences in other courts, the 2013 NCSC study said, the word they most frequently chose was respectful.Red Hook has become an international model, inspiring similar projects in places from Canada to Israel to Australia. Judges and public officials from across the U.S. and elsewhere have visited to see how they might implement some or all of the ideas back home. But the Red Hook model requires concerted effort and coordination from state lawmakers, the judiciary and the community, which has made it slow to catch on in other states.For Calabrese, the success of Red Hook rests on that central idea that everyone deserves respect. It all starts from understanding that everybody who comes through your doors, whether they walk in through the front door or theyre brought in through the back door by the police, theyre a member of your community, he says. They are a member of your community before they had a case, while the case is pending and after the case is over with.
Vodafone Cash subscribers to benefit from new partnership with Remitly

Business Desk Report Business News Aug - 17 - 2023 , 11:53

Vodafone Cash has partnered with Remitly Inc., a Seattle-based international money transfer company to bring significant improvements to the remittance process for Vodafone Cash subscribers.

The collaboration seeks to provide a more convenient, secure, and efficient way for beneficiaries in Ghana to receive funds from abroad directly into their Vodafone Cash wallets.

It will reshape the remittance landscape in the country, providing Vodafone Cash subscribers with an accessible and efficient solution for receiving funds fr om abroad.

In a release issued by the company, it said Ghana ranks as the second-highest receiving country for remittances in Africa, with inflows worth $4.8 billion in 2022. The exponential growth of mobile money platforms like Vodafone Cash has contributed to this boom in remittance flows.

By partnering with Remitly, Vodafone Cash aims to increase its share of the remittance business and strengthen its position in the market, whilst affording customers convenience and security in receiving money from abroad.

It said Vodafone Ghana and Vodafone Cash subscribers stand to benefit immensely from this partnership adding that the Remitly International Money Transfer service allows customers to receive remittances from over 135 countries directly to their Vodafone Cash wallets, bypassing the need for additional steps such as visiting a bank or currency exchange.

This streamlined process offers increased convenience, safety, and speed for customers accessing their funds.

The Director for Vodafone Cash, Philip Fofie Amoateng, said, through the partnership with Remitly, Vodafone is further enhancing its cash services and offering a seamless remittance experience to our valued customers.

Our goal is to simplify the process and make it safer and more efficient for our subscribers to receive international money transfers. We are privileged to partner with Remitly, with significant support from FBN Bank, to make this happen for our customers, he added.
Exorcising ghost pensioners

Daily Graphic Editorials Aug - 19 - 2023 , 10:31

In Ghana one of the challenges to public financial management is the phenomenon of ghost workers which basically means suspicious and non-existent workers drawing salaries on government payroll.

The problem of payments to ghosts workers on the governments payroll appears to have come to stay despite initiatives to address the canker, including the verification and authentication of workers at post. The situation is even more pathetic when it comes to the payment of pensions to deceased pensioners.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the 2022 Auditor-Generals report identified that relatives of deceased pensioners benefited from unearned pensions totalling GH393,315.06 between 2013 and 2019 (See Daily Graphic, August 9, 2013).

The Auditor General blamed the Controller and Accountant General of continued payment of pension to some 59 deceased pensioners in the audit of public accounts of ministries, departments and agencies.

In its explanation, the Controller and Accountant Generals Department (CAGD) said the demise of the affected pensioners was not communicated to it for deletion to be effected. It also indicated that the department was taking steps to recover the money from the widows.

The Daily Graphic wonders why this problem had persisted all this while. Sadly, after it had been brought to light we get the reaction or response of the authorities indicating steps are being taken to address the problem.

We are looking forward to a day when payment to ghost names will be a thing of the past or reappear in the Auditors General Report.

It is the conviction of the Daily Graphic that the perpetrators of these acts must not only be surcharged but also arrested and prosecuted for their complicity either through their negligence or collaboration with some other staff from other agencies.

In this era of digitisation and the use of the Ghana Card, we believe that all institutions should have an integrated system where it will be easy to monitor and identify some of these anomalies without waiting for the promptings of the families.

In March last year, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced plans by the government to link the Ghana Card with the database at the CAGD as part of the measures to address the problem of ghost workers, on the government payroll. Although the linkage was expected to have been completed in December last year, we do not know its status.

We expect the CAGD to keep to its word of completing the re-verification exercise by the close of this month for the interfacing and integration to begin. That, it said, would give identity and credibility to the pensioners paid by the CAGD.

Indeed, we have had situations in the past where workers have had to update their information with the view to ending this canker of paying ghosts on the government payroll.

The Daily Graphic believes that Ghanaians must begin to see positive signs from these initiatives so that in the 2023 Auditor-Generals Report, there would not be any issue with payment to ghosts workers.

There is a need for a collective effort on the part of all stakeholders to put a stop to this form of financial haemorrhaging, which is costing the state millions of Ghana cedis.

We cannot afford to allow this canker to persist when it takes very little effort to stamp it out. Fortunately, the Births and Deaths Registry, the National Identification Authority and other related agencies are working towards merging the database of Ghanaians.

This is one initiative that will help stamp out this criminal activity that has enriched many unscrupulous persons at the expense of the state.
ECOWAS military interventions in 3 decades

Mary Mensah Features Aug - 19 - 2023 , 12:36

After independence, many West African countries faced coups and instability as they sought to come to terms with their new forms of self-government.

In the late twentieth century, the region was commonly known as the coup belt, as multiple countries experienced violent and non-democratic transfers of power.

In 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was established as a regional economic community whose primary aim was to facilitate trade among its members.

Conflicts across the region

However, as conflicts emerged across the region, ECOWAS also came to prioritise a military agenda. Liberia and Sierra Leone revealed how economic growth is interconnected with peace and security and how it is impossible to focus solely on economic integration in the region.

Since the 1990s, with the adoption of legal frameworks such as the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security, ECOWAS has provided military, mediation and peace-building support to its member states.

Nigers Coup

Three weeks ago, on July 26, 2023, members of Nigers presidential guard deposed the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in a coup, the fifth successful one in nine attempts in West Africa since 2020.

The Niger coup also came in the wake of recent coups in nearby countries, such as in Guinea, Mali and two in Burkina Faso in January and September 2022, which has led to the region being called a "coup belt".

ECOWAS, African Union and the international community have condemned the coup, with its Chairman, Bola Tinubu, President of Nigeria, warning that they would not allow another coup in the region and would take up these issues with the African Union and western countries.

Military interventions

The West African bloc has a history of successful military interventions to restore constitutional order within the region and its troops have intervened in other emergencies since 1990, including in wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The latest coup in Niger has prompted ECOWAS to impose sanctions and issue a one-week ultimatum to the interim military government to reinstall Bazoum or face possible use of force.

If ECOWAS goes ahead, it wont be the first time the 15-member regional bloc has intervened in crises involving member nations. The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the military arm of ECOWAS, was formed in 1990 to regularly intervene in conflicts within the region.

Central Sahel states

Niger represents the last of the three central Sahel states to succumb to a military coup, after Mali in 2020 and 2021, and two coups in Burkina Faso in 2022. While some interpret this event through the context of Russias increasing influence or its alignment with Western military training initiatives, the primary catalysts were essentially domestic in nature.

Bazoum's election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger's history, ushering in its first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960.

He survived two attempted coups before being toppled in the country's fifth military takeover.

List of ECOWAS interventions

1990: Liberia

In 1989, Charles Taylor led a militia against the Liberian government, leading to the outbreak of civil war there. Consequently, the regional bloc made an unprecedented move to intervene in 1990. The initial 3,000-man ECOMOG contingent was formed with personnel drawn from Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone with additional soldiers contributed by Mali.

The mission was controversial due to a trail of human rights violations committed by its personnel, especially against women, but it secured peace. The troops were present in the country until 1996 when the war ended.

1997: Sierra Leone

ECOMOGs next stop was the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown, in 1997 following the overthrow of the elected civilian government of Ahmed Tejan Kabbah by Major Johnny Paul Koroma in a military coup.

The force, under the command of Nigerian troops, moved part of its personnel from Monrovia, the Liberian capital, to recapture Freetown from the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and in February 1998, ECOMOG launched an attack that led to the fall of the military regime and Kabbah was reinstalled as leader of the country.

1999: Guinea Bissau

The next stop for ECOMOG was a ceasefire mission in Guinea Bissau after hostilities broke out following an attempted coup in 1998. The fight was between government forces backed by neighbouring Senegal and Guinea against coup leaders who had control of the armed forces.

2003: Cote dIvoire

After Ivorian armed forces and rebel groups came to a ceasefire agreement in 2003, ECOWAS deployed troops as ECOWAS forces in Cote dIvoire (ECOMICI) to complement the United Nations and French troops.

2003: Liberia

The second Liberian civil war also necessitated a return of regional troops. While the first civil war brought Charles Taylor to power, the second civil war between 1999 and 2003 led to his exit.

2013: Mali

A 2012 coup in Mali led to a breakdown of order and armed groups immediately took advantage of the coup that followed to overrun the north of the country.

ECOWAS led the Africa-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) to support the Malian government in the fight against rebels in 2013.

2017: The Gambia

Codenamed Operation Restore Democracy, an ECOWAS operation led by Senegal, sent troops into Banjul to force Yahya Jammeh who had refused to concede an election loss to Adama Barrow in the 2016 election.

Consolidation of power

The consolidation of power by the Nigerien junta would represent the further spread of democratic backsliding in the Sahel. Should this occur, all central Sahelian states would be effectively ruled by military juntas, marking the end of democracy in the subregion for the time being.

Niger will likely face similar consequences as have already been observed in neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, where the ascension of military governments led to the erosion of civil liberties and fundamental rights, including freedom of press and expression.
Attempted porn site access with church computers: Cologne Catholic diocese 'disappointed' in staff, clergy

BBC International News Aug - 19 - 2023 , 12:15

Clergy and staff of the Archdiocese of Cologne tried to browse pornography on work PCs, its archbishop has confirmed.

German media said around 1,000 attempts to view restricted sites were logged when the organisation ran a month of tests on its IT security systems.

At least one senior clergy member was among 15 people identified, the Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper reported.

The archbishop, Rainer Maria Woelki, said he had ordered an investigation that would deal with those responsible.

Watching pornography on archdiocese computers is strictly prohibited, as is accessing material on drugs and violence.

The majority of the suspicious activity concerned pornographic sites, according to the Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger.

In a statement supplied to the BBC by the archdiocese, Cardinal Woelki said he was "disappointed... that employees attempted to access pornographic sites".

An investigation had been launched so those responsible would be dealt with, as it was "important to me that not everyone be placed under general suspicion now", he added.

The archdiocese said the information referred to in the German press report was collated during a check of its IT security's ability to block access to sites that "pose a risk (violence, pornography, drugs, etc)".

It added there was "no evaluation of the specific content behind the URLs" in question, but there were "no indications of criminally relevant conduct".

The tests, conducted between May and June of last year, were not specifically aimed at investigating the behaviour of staff or clergy, it said.

Guido Assmann, the vicar-general of Cologne, said his organisation was "very aware" of the problem, but that he was "pleased that our security systems were effective".

Meanwhile, a website for the Catholic Church in Germany, Katholisch.de, reported that public prosecutors were investigating a layman identified among the 15 separately on suspicion of possessing "criminal content".

The archdiocese told the BBC it was co-operating "fully with the state authorities", and that the person concerned was "no longer active" in the organisation.

The reports come after a series of scandals that have engulfed the archdiocese, the largest in Germany with more than two million members.

A report in 2021 found there had been more than 200 abusers and more than 300 victims - mostly under the age of 14 - between 1975 and 2018 in the Cologne archdiocese area.

In June, police raided archdiocese property in an investigation into the Cardinal Woelki, who is accused of perjuring himself in an investigation into abuse committed by Winfried Pilz, a priest who ran a children's charity. Pilz died in 2019.

The archdiocese said the accusations against Cardinal Woelki needed to be proven or refuted.

Woelki last year offered his resignation to the Pope. Rome has not yet made a decision on whether to accept it.
Aspire to greater heights in career - Deputy Minister urges prisons recruits

Mary Anane-Amponsah Aug - 19 - 2023 , 10:37

New recruits of the Ghana Prisons Service have been advised to aspire to greatness in their chosen profession as they serve the nation professionally and diligently.

They have also been urged to direct their energies towards improving themselves, and avoid all acts of indiscipline to safeguard their career.

A Deputy Minister for the Interior, Naana Eyiah, who gave the advice, said doing so would enable the recruits to become better in their field and offer quality services to their institution.

She gave the advice at the passing out parade of newly recruited personnel at the Prison Officers Training School last Thursday.

Recruits, training

The recruits, made up of 448 participants of Course 122, comprised 261 men, representing 58 per cent, and 187 women, who represented 41.7 per cent.

It is the first of three recruit courses being run this year.

The recruits, drawn from various professional and vocational backgrounds selected based on the human resource needs of the Service, were mostly general-duty personnel and artisans, who comprised of carpenters, masons, plumbers, and mechanics.

Others had Diplomas and Higher National Diploma in various disciplines including education, nursing, agriculture and secretarial duties.

As part of their training, the recruits had an intensive training programme that highlighted the practical day-to-day aspects of prison and offender management and received regular classroom instructions in Prison Duties, Penal Law, Reception Duties and Inter-personal Skills.

Other areas of instruction were in Drill and Physical Training, First Aid, and the Computation of Prisoners Sentences.

The recruits put up a spectacular display which received resounding applause from the audience.

Awards

Five recruit officers, who distinguished themselves in the course of their training, were given awards with recruit officer, Reuben Ahiaxornu, emerging the overall best recruit officer.

The other awardees were best in physical training, Stephen Hammond; the best in drill, Abdulai Abass; winner of the commandants award, Doris Asare, and best in academics, Lilian Derry.

Discipline, professionalism

The deputy minister, who was the reviewing officer at the parade, said their recruitment was a great boost to the staff strength and operational capacity of the Service and, therefore, they must exhibit the skills and knowledge acquired through their training.

Let discipline and professionalism continue to guide your conduct at all times and adopt the principles of vigilance, humanity, and fortitude.

These must be your watchwords in your relationship with officers, men, women and inmates.

She tasked the recruits to treat the prisoners with care, respect, and decency without compromising their professional ethics, bearing in mind that imprisonment is punishment in itself and not for punishment..

Ms Eyiah encouraged the recruits to accept postings to wherever their services might be needed stating that there is no such thing as a bad station, wherever you are posted to, endeavour to make use of the opportunities available there to your advantage.

Entrepreneurship Programme

The deputy minister commended the Ghana Prisons Service and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) for launching the Entrepreneurship for Restoration Programme to provide skills in various light manufacturing areas and entrepreneurship to prison officers and inmates.

The participants were also provided with starter packs and kits they would use for production.

The programme will provide grants and loans as working capital for officers who have been trained for them to be able to set up these businesses. Working capital was also given to inmates for their start-ups, upon their discharge from prisons.

The impact of this programme will not only be limited to beneficiaries alone, but will also create job opportunities.
Alexandra Jacobs in The New York Times:

We could all use a hype man like George Henry Lewes.

George Henry Whos?

Well, exactly. A litterateur, physiologist and metaphysician, as an obituary in The New York Times called him in 1878, Lewes is today most remembered as the longtime romantic partner and de facto agent of George Eliot: author of works consistently ranked among the best of Victorian literature  perhaps all of English literature. A novel without weakness was how the generally unsparing Martin Amis assessed her Middlemarch, the mistress-piece to which Rebecca Mead, a writer for The New Yorker, devoted an entire memoir.

For yes, in case youve been living under a giant rockery, George Eliot was a her, with several roles other than her nom de plume: daughter, sister, friend, wife, stepmother. There have been a gazillion biographies of the great woman, starting with the one assembled by her only legal, late-in-life husband, John Cross (who was 20 years younger and notoriously attempted suicide on their honeymoon, flinging himself into the Grand Canal of Venice from a balcony and getting fished out by a gondolier and hotel employee).

The Marriage Question, a careful but impassioned new book by Clare Carlisle, a philosophy professor who edited Eliots translation of Spinozas Ethics, is different in its close focus on an idea: that the titular institution shaped Eliots identity and work  and has some affinity with Carlisles own current undertaking. Perhaps a biographers devotion is a little like the devotion of a spouse, she observes, in an especially apt analogy for this noble but sometimes plodding literary endeavor. Writing a persons life means living with them intimately, struggling to understand them, wondering how far they can be trusted, dealing with the ways they resist, annoy, disappoint, challenge and elude you.

More here.
Dr Bawumia condemns attacks on security personnel

Chris Nunoo Aug - 19 - 2023 , 10:46

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has condemned the recurring attacks on security personnel and operatives by armed robbers and deviants in the country.

He gave assurance that those behind such attacks would suffer the consequences of their actions irrespective of how long they evaded arrest.

Addressing the ninth graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFSC) in Accra yesterday, Dr Bawumia said as Chairman of both the Armed Forces and Police Councils, we want to assure our soldiers and police men and women that these recalcitrant elements will not go unpunished.

It is totally unacceptable that our comrades, who have dedicated their lives to the maintenance of law and order, would pay the ultimate price through the evil activities of some misguided elements in our society, he added.

Course 44

The Course 44 graduates included politicians, civil and public servants, personnel from sister security services, the media and industry players.

The course commenced on September 9, 2022, with 86 officers, an increase from previous 82.

Sixty-one of them were drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces while the remaining 25 were officers from 11 sister African countries  Benin, Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo.

A Ghanaian officer was withdrawn from the course on medical grounds.

In all, 85 military students passed the senior command and staff course with 76 of them graduating with Master of Science (Msc) in Defence and International Politics certificates.

Terrorism

On threats of terrorism, Dr Bawumia said the issue remained a challenge to the country and its neighbours.

He said recent attacks in the sub region had highlighted the determination of the terrorists to expand their activities beyond landlocked sahelian countries where the insurgency had claimed many lives and property within the last decade.

The Vice-President mentioned chieftaincy conflicts and tribal clashes, among others, as some of the issues that had made the country susceptible to exploitation by terrorist groups.

He said it was for these reasons that the Ministry of National Security had intensified its see something, say something campaign to create more public awareness of safety and security.

Dr Bawumia called for effective coordination of efforts of the security agencies to resolve such issues, saying I urge you to stay in touch with your military counterparts and also exchange information regularly.

The networks you will develop over the period should serve as a foundation for improved and efficient collaboration among yourselves, as well as other stakeholders, he added.

Plagiarism software

The Commandant of the GAFSC, Major General Irvine Nii-Ayitey Aryeetey, said the college had acquired a plagiarism software which had been made available to both students and staff, adding that the college would soon begin the acquisition of 200 laptops to enhance teaching and learning.

He said his outfit was also making attempts to improve technology in auditoriums, including creating syndicated rooms with smart screens and other gadgets to facilitate teaching and learning.

Major-General Aryeetey expressed appreciation to Elegant Homes for donating $10,000 as seed money towards the project.

He also commended the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the United Kingdom and other stakeholders and partners for their immense support to the college over the years.

The Commandant further said with the approval of the Staff College Control Board, coupled with having satisfied accreditation requirements, the college would commence an MSc in Defence and Security Studies and a PhD in Defence and International Politics this year.

The Honour Graduate Award (Overall Best Graduate) went to Major Kojo Otchere Prempeh from GAF. He received a trophy, a book and a 43-inch LD Television as reward.
Make-A-Wish Guam and CNMI is celebrating 35 years this year and hosting their Make-A-Wish Gala this evening.

This year, Jasmine Girgenti, a former Wish kid and Saipan former resident, will be one of the event speakers of the night.

Girgenti now a resident of Salt Lake City left Saipan in 2016.

"This is the first time I'm visiting again and I'm very happy," said Girgenti at a press conference on Thursday.

"When Make-A-Wish told me they were bringing me out here for this event, I told them 'OMG it's like having a second wish come true.'"

Girgenti's original wish was to see her mother and meet with her at Hongkong Disneyland. She was 18 when she received her wish.

Girgenti lived with her mom between the ages of 3 to 12 in the Philippines but was separated from her at 12 years old after she was diagnosed with enlargement and abnormal hormone levels.

"We decided it was best to go to Saipan to get better healthcare access," said Girgenti.

"After I got to Saipan, they were able to do labs and testing, I got officially diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14. I got treatment 14, 15, 16, 17 and at the age of 18 I got my wish," said Girgenti.

"It was a lot to take in. It was honestly something I hid from my friends too because I didn't want them to think about it. Some of them found out when Make a Wish broadcasted it."

"In all honesty, it was a challenge I needed to overcome. I'm the only child, but I did have a sister who had cancer and didn't make it," said Girgenti.

Girgenti said she wanted her parents to continue to have hope and to stay alive.

"I didn't want to think, accept, or consider being defeated by cancer," said Girgenti.

The now 25-year-old has just completed her master's degree in Social Work and Public Administration at the University of Utah.

"I'm fortunate I was able to get my master's fully covered. I was studying Sociology at Utah State University when I did a lot of research with society and population issues and I decided to move forward and getting my master's degree," said Girgenti.

Girgenti said she was looking for a profession in which she would be able to help others and provide support that she wishes she had access to growing up, specifically mental health resources.

"I wish Saipan had more funding and opportunities to provide services for mental health services. It would've been helpful when I was going through things," said Girgenti.

Girgenti will be sharing more of her story tonight at the Make-A-Wish Gala.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan has asked that lawyers working for his office be allowed practice law outside of their official duties.

Moylan sent a letter to Speaker Therese Terlaje asking for the legislatures support, and he provided draft legislation for the measure.

It is common knowledge that Guam lacks attorneys in both the private and public sectors, Moylan wrote. This has caused not only an increase in market prices to now retain a private attorney, but for public and private law firms increasing salaries to retain attorneys.

He said previously, Guam law allowed the attorney general and assistant attorneys general to perform outside legal work, and public defenders are currently allowed to do outside work.

He also said the federal government allows attorneys in the Department of Justice to do outside work while continuing to serve the country.

By prohibiting outside legal work, the government is making the Office of the Attorney General a less attractive employment option for attorneys who might have prior cases that need to be completed, he said.

Most troubling is our local private and govt. law firms inability to even easily hire an attorney to work, let alone having a good selection of capable attorneys to fulfill the law offices legal work requirements and mission., he wrote. Without enough prosecutors, Guam is unsafe, and the criminal justice system has no criminal cases filed. It also threatens our tourism industry with Guam potentially becoming known as a crime infested travel destination.

Moylan also said the law prohibits attorneys from handling legal needs of their parents and other family members.

Most manamko family members neither have the money, nor especially the selection now in the Guam Bar, to handle all their legal needs because their attorney son or daughter is helping our community as a public servant, he wrote.

Moylan said other government of Guam employees, including those in the legislative branch, are allowed to perform outside work.




Haiti - Training & Research : The National Airport Authority and the UEH strengthen their cooperation





Friday, August 18, 2023, engineer Yves Ducarmel Francois Director General of the National Airport Authority (AAN) and Fritz Deshommes Rector of the State University of Haiti (UEH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at promoting the training, research and services in the field of Civil Aviation and the airport sector which marks the start of cooperation between the two entities.



This Memorandum of Understanding reflects the commitment of the two partners to work together for the development of skills and research in the airport sector. It will allow UEH students to benefit from specific training programs, adapted to the needs of the airport sector. In addition, opportunities for practical internships will be made available to them in order to promote on-the-job learning.



Scientific research will also be encouraged thanks to this collaboration, with the implementation of joint projects aimed at improving airport practices and developing new technologies and procedures, modernizing airport infrastructures on national territory.



Finally, this partnership provides for the establishment of services to the community, particularly in terms of consultations and expertise offered by UEH professors and specialists. This openness to the service of society will make it possible to provide concrete solutions to the problems encountered in the airport sector and to improve the overall efficiency of operations.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





CCCAN : Swimming : 4 medals for Haiti

At the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Federation (CCCAN) tournament (August 14 to 19, 2023), Haiti won 4 medals, Alexandre Grand'Pierre a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke (time 1:03:65 ); Christian Jerome a gold medal in the 50m Fly (time 26:30); Raphael GrandPierre, a silver medal in the 100m freestyle (time 52:53 national record) and Christian Jerome a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle (time 54:11).



Lynching at Grand Vincent

Friday, August 18 in the morning, the inhabitants of Grand Vincent (Commune of Roseaux, Dept. of Grand'Anse), lynched "Merital" thus known and then burned his body, accused by public clamor of cattle theft.



PNH : 2 robbers killed

Friday August 18, 2023, the National Police of Haiti (PNH) mortally wounded 2 robbers, in the Commune of Petion-Ville while they were on board a minibus, during exchanges of fire with the police forces.



Funeral of Boniface Alexandre : Thank you from the family

Friday, August 18, 2023, the family of the late former President Boniface Alexandre in a note addressed their words of thanks to the entire Nation, to the Government and to all layers of society for their mark of sympathy, on the occasion funeral of Boniface Alexandre.



350 people lynched:

"From April 24 until mid-August, more than 350 people were lynched in Haiti by the population and vigilante groups. Among those killed are 310 suspected gang members, 46 members of the public and a police officer.



Weather : Stormy showers announced caution

Thundery showers expected due to an area of low pressure that could develop into a tropical depression this weekend. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected in the North-East, Center, Artibonite, West, South-East, South and Grand-Anse at the end of the day. Be cautious of impending rainfall and stay informed to ensure your safety.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Xi calls on S. Africa students to help promote ties

15:44, August 19, 2023 By CAO DESHENG ( Chinadaily.com.cn

Durban University of Technology in South Africa [File photo/dut.ac.za]

President Xi Jinping has encouraged South African students learning the Chinese language and culture at a local Confucius Institute to develop friendship between the two countries, and contribute to promoting China-Africa friendship and cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi made the remarks in reply to a letter from the faculty and students of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology in South Africa. The reply letter was made public on Friday.

Xi said that he witnessed the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology 10 years ago and was pleased to see that, through the joint efforts of both sides, educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries have yielded fruitful results.

A great number of South African young people have gained knowledge about China's history and culture, increased their career options, and realized their dreams by learning Chinese, he said.

The president noted that China and South Africa are both important developing countries, and they have forged a special comradely fraternal friendship.

Learning and understanding each other's language and culture contributes to facilitating mutual understanding and cultivating everlasting friendship between the people of the two countries, he said.

While having a good command of the Chinese language, the teachers and students are welcome to visit China more often and have a deeper understanding of China, share a true, multidimensional and panoramic view of China with more friends, and act as envoys for inheriting and developing the friendship between the two countries, he added.

During his visit to South Africa in March 2013, Xi witnessed the signing of an agreement between China and South Africa on the joint establishment of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology.

Since its establishment 10 years ago, the institute has trained nearly 10,000 students. Fifty teachers and students from the institute recently wrote to Xi, sharing their experience, achievements and feelings in learning Chinese.

They expressed appreciation to Xi and the Chinese government for providing more opportunities to African young people to pursue their dreams, saying that they look forward to Xi's upcoming visit to South Africa.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
The Adentan Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region yesterday donated assorted food items to the traditional authorities towards the celebration of this year's Homowo.

The items include 72 bags of maize, gallons of palm oil and carton of aromatic schnapps and Castle Bridge alcoholic beverages.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alexander Daniel Nii Noi Adumuah, presenting the items said it formed part of the assembly's corporate social responsibilities to the community.

According to him, the peace and tranquility enjoyed in the area was due to the cooperation of all groups, hence the quest to support the traditional authorities and the Ga communities to celebrate their annual festival.

The festival, he indicated unites the people within and outside the municipality adding that "every traditional area has its unique identity and must therefore be supported to celebrate the festival in a grand style in order to showcase the rich culture heritage bequeathed to them by their fore fathers".

Nii Noi Adumuah charged the traditional authorities to use the occasion to unite the people for the promotion of sustainable peace and development in the area.

He said the time had come for the traditional authorities to speak with one voice and take collective decisions that would help the people to take advantage of government's flagship programmes to become self-sufficient.

The MCE urged the youth to observe the festive period peacefully devoid of incidents that would tarnish the image of the area, and also adhere to the existing COVID-19 protocols.

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"The Homowo festival is an occasion for merry making and taking stock of past year's activities, let us celebrate it in moderation without the recording of casualties," he added.

The Adentan Mantse, Nii Adjei Dorblo II, on behalf of the traditional authorities commended the assembly for annually supporting the celebration of the festival.

"The MCE and the entire staff of the assembly must be commended for the annual support to the people during these times, the traditional authorities would forever be grateful and would continually lend its support for sustainable peace and development of the area towards the celebration of the festival," he added.

He assured of using the occasion to offer prayers for the government to pursue the socio-economic development of the area in order to transform the lives of the people.
"Jutta Urpilainen would be an excellent candidate for the President of the Republic of Finland. Our times call for a leader of her caliber, someone who breaks glass ceilings and a skilled politician to steer Finland's foreign policy.

The district board of the Helsinki Social Democrats has formally invited EU Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen to consider running as a candidate in next year's presidential elections.

Urpilainen's experience is extensive and diverse, her role as the EU Commissioner for Partnerships has strengthened her expertise in foreign policy and her networks both within the EU and beyond. I firmly believe that Jutta has a strong chance to challenge other candidates," stated Anita Hellman, Chair of the Helsinki District of the Social Democratic Party.

Currently, Urpilainen serves as Finland's EU Commissioner, with a responsibility for international partnerships and a particular focus on Africa. Alongside her role as Commissioner, Urpilainen has also held positions as a Member of Parliament, a Minister, and the Chair of the Social Democratic Party. She served as the Minister of Finance during the depths of the Eurozone crisis, becoming the first woman to hold the position of Finland's Minister of Finance.

Jutta Urpilainen is a constructive politician with a wide international reputation, known for her approachable leadership style, excellent networking skills, and strong, optimistic personality.

The Helsinki Social Democrats' district board unanimously affirms its support for Jutta Urpilainen as a potential candidate.

"Currently, there is a demand for a presidential candidate who strongly defends human values, and that is why our choice is Jutta Urpilainen. Our membership is enthusiastic about rallying behind Jutta's campaign," assured Tuomas Finne, Executive Director of the Helsinki district.

HT
School peace will be declared in Ylivieska on August 23, 2023. This year, students have chosen the theme "Diversity is Enrichment - Olikhet ar en rikedom" (in English: Diversity is Enrichment). The chosen theme highlights the importance of embracing diversity, especially in the context of current challenges related to children's mental well-being, loneliness, and bullying.

Recent school health surveys have revealed that the most vulnerable children and youth, such as those with immigrant backgrounds, gender minorities, and those with special needs, are the ones who suffer the most from bullying and discrimination. The understanding of diversity requires continuous effort, and it's a message that children and youth want to convey to adults.

Inclusion for All in Schools

The theme for the academic year 2023-2024 School Peace has been selected by students from Taanila, Kaisaniemi, Raudaskoski, and Ojakyla schools in Ylivieska, as well as students from Svenska Privatskolan i Uleaborg in Oulu. The students chose the theme because many individuals experience discrimination in schools. They emphasize the importance of addressing this issue to create a more inclusive environment. According to the students, the diversity among people is what makes it enriching.

"It would be boring if everyone were the same. It's wonderful that people can look at things from different perspectives. People do things differently, and we can learn from that. No one should be bullied because of their differences. It's important that everyone can be at peace in school," the students emphasize.

Adults' Responsibility to Counter Mistreatment

Promoting equality and combating discrimination must be an ongoing part of school life. The students express the hope that discrimination and bullying will be addressed firmly and persistently. The right to be oneself should be a fundamental right for every child, both at school and at home.

Sari Haapakangas, an expert in special education at the Finnish Parents' Association, regards the chosen theme "Diversity is Enrichment" as crucial and wisely chosen.

"Both home and school can contribute to the well-being of all children through community efforts and by promoting an attitude of inclusivity. Every individual has the right to be themselves without being diminished or discriminated against for any reason. It's essential for adults, both at home and at school, to intervene in situations where discriminatory speech or mistreatment occurs. This way, the development of systematic bullying can be prevented," Haapakangas states.

Clear Rules and Shared Understanding

The rules for addressing various situations must be well-known to all members of the school community, and it's important to involve both children and parents in their formulation.

"Operational equality and equity planning form the foundation for the fight against bullying, discrimination, and harassment. To succeed, this requires sustained discussions about values and the practical implementation of mutually agreed-upon principles. The realization of children's rights, such as the right to a safe learning environment and participation, is the responsibility of adults, whether at home or at school," adds Haapakangas.

This marks the 33rd year of declaring School Peace. This year's declaration will take place at Taanila School in Ylivieska. The national declaration event will be held on Wednesday, August 23, from 12:00 to 13:00. The event can be streamed live on Yle Areena.

Promoting School Peace among Parents

The Finnish Parents' Association is organizing a School Peace Parents' Night on Wednesday, August 23, at 18:00 at Taanila School. The theme of the evening is the well-being of children and youth in school. The event is open to all parents and school staff and can also be attended online.

A Celebration of Diversity and Unity

The School Peace declaration event will feature a reading of the students' School Peace declaration, student performances, and a special musical performance by singer Aliisa Syrja. Additionally, a video message from the President of the Republic, Sauli Niinisto, will be presented. The event will begin on August 23, 2023, at 12:00 at Taanila School (Opinportti 1) and will last about an hour. The event will be livestreamed and watched in schools across the country. The livestream of the School Peace declaration event will be available on Yle Areena, with a link provided on the School Peace website, www.koulurauha.fi.

HT
Here is a selection of what the international press has published about Finland in the last week:

This article about German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch lodging a complaint with the Finnish Market Court regarding Finland's direct arms procurement from local producer Sako Ltd. was published in Reuters on August 8. The article gives details of the complaint by Heckler & Koch which alleges that the Finnish defence forces violated Finnish and EU competition regulations by making a decade-long agreement, in collaboration with Sweden, to purchase assault rifles and handguns from Sako Ltd, owned by Italys Beretta.

Heckler & Koch contends that this direct procurement restricts the invitation of tenders for handguns until 2053, allowing acquisitions only from Sako. Both Finland and Sweden seek to update their armys standard weaponry, with Finlands RK 62 and RK 95 assault rifles primarily from Sako and Swedens AK 4 and AK 5s, the latter based on a Heckler & Koch battle rifle.

Finlands precise number of handguns planned for acquisition remains undisclosed in the agreement. The country currently possesses hundreds of thousands of handguns stored for its wartime military force of 280,000 personnel. Finlands defense forces have justified their arms procurement by citing exceptions to competition rules based on national security concerns, both at the Finnish and EU levels.

The procurement has been carried out as a direct procurement, so that the necessary damage repair capability, maintenance and production know-how is available under all conditions within a certain response time, the ministry told Reuters.

Following Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, both Finland and Sweden have amplified their defense collaboration, as they joined the NATO military alliance.

Original story was published by Reuters on 08.08.2023 and can be found here.

Finland sees fourfold spike in ransomware attacks since joining NATO, senior cyber official says

The frequency of ransomware attacks targeting Finland quadrupling since the country initiated its NATO accession process in 2023 was covered in an article by The Record on August 3. The article explores how the increase in attacks is believed to have political motivations, coinciding with Finland's NATO association.

Given Vladimir Putins warnings against NATO establishing military infrastructure in Finland post-alliance membership, officials suspect a connection. In response to cyber espionage allegations, the Finnish government expelled nine diplomats from the Russian embassy in June. In October 2022, Finlands Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) predicted a probable escalation in Russia-linked cyberespionage activities throughout the winter.

Sauli Pahlman, Deputy Director General of Finland's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), expressed in an interview with Recorded Future News that while a direct cause-and-effect relationship couldn't be confirmed, he believed the notable increase in cyberattack incidents was closely connected to geopolitical factors. Pahlman acknowledged the complexity of the situation, cautioning against assuming a clear causal link between the rise in cases and geopolitical developments.

The expulsion of suspected Russian intelligence agents across Europe led the Chief of the Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) to caution last year that Russia might resort to cyber methods for espionage, compensating for challenges affecting its traditional human intelligence operations. The increasing reliance on cyber activities was seen as a response to limitations on their conventional intelligence activities.

Original story was published by The Record on 03.08.2023 and can be found here.

US approves sale of Israeli missile defense system to Finland

U.S. government has granting approval for the sale of Israels Davids Sling missile defense system to Finland was covered in an article by European Jewish Press on August 3. The article provides details of the anticipated procurement agreement, valued at approximately $345 million, which is set to be officially signed soon.

Developed jointly by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defensive Systems and U.S. defense company Raytheon, David's Sling is engineered to intercept a range of threats, including ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and enemy aircraft.

The approval granted by the U.S. government today for the sale of the Davids Sling, a co-developed system by Israel and the United States, marks a significant step towards the realization of a historic agreement between Israel and Finland, said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Finland revealed its plan to procure the Davids Sling system on April 5, just hours after officially joining NATO as its 31st member state. The proposed agreement, presented to the U.S. government, outlines that Rafael, Raytheon, and Finnish defense industries will collaborate to create a tailored version of Davids Sling for Finland.

Original story was published by EJ Press on 03.08.2023 and can be found here.

Finlands Neoliberal and Far-Right Alliance Is a Sign of Things to Come in Europe

This opinion piece about Finland's new government, calling it a blend of neoliberal and far-right ideologies, was published in Jacobin on August 17. The article delves into the ideologies and agenda of the new government and political parties around it.

The article highlights the recent scandal involving Vilhelm Junnila, the nationalist Finns Party's minister of economic affairs, highlighted far-right affiliations and led to his resignation. However the article argues that this is not an isolated incident within the party; many members have faced convictions for ethnic agitation.

The article also points out that while the Finns Party plays a supporting role, the dominant agenda is driven by neoliberalism and austerity, reflecting a trend seen across Europe. The Left's response must address both racism and austerity, recognizing the compatibility between these ideologies.

The governments program includes anti-labor measures, restrictive means-testing for benefits, and significant health and welfare cuts. The governments alliances challenge conventional political divisions, while the Finnish Greens and Centre Party grapple with a careful balance in their opposition.

The author Tatu Ahponen is a member of the Left Alliance and former deputy member of the party council in Finland.

Original story was published by Jacobin on 17.08.2023 and can be found here.

Virus-carrying tropical mosquitos found in Finland as climate heats

New mosquito species Culex modestus, found in Finland, was covered in an article by The Guardian on August 4. The article talks about the 44th species identified in Finland amid heating of climate.

This tropical mosquito is known for carrying the West Nile virus, previously more common in central Africa. Whats surprising is that this species has reached as far as Kent and Essex in the UK, well to the north and colder than its usual habitat.

The UK Health Security Agency has been aware of the possibility of a West Nile virus outbreak since 2012 when large populations of this mosquito were found in southeastern Englands marshes.

Original story was published by The Guardian on 04.08.2023 and can be found here.

Bii, Mandago to refund parents Sh300m in Finland study fiasco

This article about Kenyan parents impacted by the Finland education scam slated to receive over Sh300 million (1910800.41 ) in refunds was published in The Star on August 9. The article gives details about the agreement reached between Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii and Senator Jackson Mandago to facilitate the reimbursement.

Following discussions with affected parents and students, it was decided that refunds were necessary due to program complications and waning interest from those who had made payments. Both leaders asked for a week to devise a plan for the refunds. The affected parents narrated their challenges during the meeting, some having sold property or used retirement benefits to fund their childrens education, only to be deceived.

However, Jonathan Bii has requested for some time to make the payments. Please give us time so that we go and discuss and come up with the way forward on the refunds as you have demanded. We cannot refund immediately as you are demanding because of the complications involved, said Bii.

Bii and Mandago clarified that a significant portion of the owed money had been used to cover fees for other students who were already studying in Finland and Canada but had not settled their dues. The source of funds for the refunds remained uncertain.

Original story was published by The Star on 09.08.2023 and can be found here.

HT
guest column

Seven months ago, at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington D.C., President Biden said his administration is "all in" on Africa's future. He is making good on that promise.

Following the Summit, the United States is delivering on the president's high-profile and initiatives, including digital transformation, infrastructure projects, trade and investment, African diaspora engagement, adaptation to climate change, democratic governance, and more. We are sharing our progress and next steps through our website: https://www.state.gov/africasummit/.

As Special Presidential Representative for coordinating Summit implementation, I have spoken widely to African leaders in Washington and engaged in two overseas trips. Our African counterparts say that the gathering, which welcomed 49 visiting African delegations and the African Union to Washington D.C., achieved its primary goal: to demonstrate a renewed commitment to partnerships on the continent.

African leaders felt they were listened to and that their economic, political and security issues were heard and taken seriously. At the same time, the Summit's success will ultimately be measured by the implementation of the commitments made and the development of a framework to institutionalize future engagement. Expectations are high and African leaders expect us to deliver.

Expectations are high and African leaders expect us to deliver.

I am pleased to report that through a 'whole-of-government' effort, projects and partnerships are advancing, and program implementation is moving forward in six major areas. For example:

Since December, there have been an unprecedented number of well-received U.S. Cabinet or Principal-level visitors to the African region, including the Vice President, the First Lady, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Education, the Ambassador to the United Nations, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the chair of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the U.S. Trade Representative. This level of senior official travel reflects the seriousness of U.S. commitments to our partners in Africa.

President Biden announced the Digital Transformation with Africa initiative, which intends to work with Congress to provide over U.S. $350 million and to facilitate over $450 million towards digital access and literacy in Africa.Among the actions thus far: In April, the U.S. launched an Africa Tech for Trade Alliance to accelerate e-commerce and digital trade; the State Department held the first regional conference on 5G Security and Open RAN in May; and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency has grown its robust portfolio of digital infrastructure projects, supporting more than 150 that have the potential to leverage more than $7.4 billion in financing. Also in April, Vice President Harris issued a "call to action" to the private sector and the philanthropic community to make direct investments and commitments to advance digital inclusion.

The Department of State has established the framework to support the President's Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement, and will soon announce its official launch and membership. This Council of representatives who reflect the diversity of the African Diaspora from African American and African immigrant communities will contribute to deepening ties between African Americans, African immigrants, and the African continent, a key source of strength for the United States and part of our competitive advantage.

We announced our commitment to catalyze trade and investment deals and partnerships which will create jobs and foster shared prosperity for people across the African continent and the United States. In July, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's Scott Nathan led a delegation to the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Botswana, the premier gathering of U.S. businesses in Africa, where we announced that since December, the Biden-Harris Administration has helped close 75 new deals between the United States and African countries for a total estimated value of $5.7 billion in two-way trade and investment. These investments are part of our strategy to integrate the continent into global markets, and to take advantage of the extraordinary opportunity for the United States to invest in Africa's future.

The Summit reaffirmed our focus on closing the infrastructure gap on the continent and unlocking Africa's potential. Since the Summit, we have leveraged the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment to advance some of the largest infrastructure projects on the continent to-date. In May, the Development Finance Corporation announced it was disbursing part of its $300 million loan facility to support the building of a first-of-its kind data center in Ghana. As of June, we were performing due diligence for a potential package of $250 million to finance the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor, which may become the primary open-access transportation infrastructure connecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia with global markets through Angola.

In addition, President Biden expressed his belief that African governments and people should have a seat at the table where major international issues are discussed and decided, and he tasked his team to support Africa's candidacy for permanent representation at the UN Security Council and the African Union's permanent membership in the G20. With Indian Prime Minister Modi's support, no fewer than 15 members have publicly endorsed the AU's candidacy, and we are working with G20 members ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit in September to ensure this issue receives a full hearing.

Ben Solomon/U.S. Department of State President Macky Sall of Senegal addressing U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders during the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC.

Ben Solomon/U.S. Department of State President Joe Biden addressing the U.S. Africa Leaders Summit on the final day in Washington, DC.

President Biden will visit Africa this year to showcase the United States' commitment to the region.

The 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit marked a significant milestone in deepening partnerships and amplifying African voices, but there is more to do. President Biden will travel to Africa this year to cement the depth of our commitment to the continent and showcase our enduring commitment. In advance of this critical trip, I look forward to continuing to collaborate with African partners to move the U.S.-Africa partnership into a new phase.

In a 37-year diplomatic career devoted to Africa, Johnnie Carson was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and served as Ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. He also served in Botswana, Mozambique, and Nigeria and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania. He was appointed in December by the Biden administration to the newly created role as Special Presidential Representative for U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Implementation.
Minna  The renewed attacks on farming communities in Shiroro, Munya, Wushishi, Rafi, Mariga and part of Mashegu local government areas of Niger State have again worsened the humanitarian crisis in the state, and bearing the brunt more are women, who now have to shoulder family responsibilities after losing their husbands.

Checks at the IDP camps in the state revealed that dozens of widows whose husbands were killed by bandits now work as nannies or are engaged in one menial job or the other to survive with their children.

Though many of them kept mute on the issue of exploitation in the struggle to survive, some of them confided in Daily Trust Saturday that some women and young girls now work as prostitutes to feed their families.

Our correspondent also gathered that the rate at which bandits rape women is also of concern.

Laziya Awal, a mother of five, is one of the widows whose husbands were killed during one of the attacks in Shiroro Local Government.

"I have spent seven years in Kuta as an Internally Displaced Person. I have 5 children. My husband was killed by bandits and while I was in my waiting period as a widow, bandits struck again and kidnapped me. I spent three months in captivity. They came around 2am and abducted 11 of us, all women. They released us after the payment of N400, 000 ransom.

"My husband was shot in my presence. It was a heartless killing. When they came, they held us hostage in our house with my husband. They asked him a lot of questions. Later, they asked me to go out of the room. My husband didn't expect they would kill him. When they were done asking him questions, they asked me to come in and one of them ordered his killing. When they shot him, his scream brought me down on my knees with tears. I felt as if the world had ended with the way my husband screamed when the bullet penetrated him at a close range," she narrated.

Mrs Awal said throughout the three months in captivity, they were in chains. She said, "they hardly gave us even water. Each day, you were entitled to one spoonful of rice in the morning and another one around 4pm. That was all for the day. We were the ones cooking the rice by ourselves without oil and ingredients. If you request for water, you would be whipped before they give you."

She said one of her little daughters was sick and in need of drugs but she didn't have money to foot the hospital bill.

Also in the same condition was Sadiya Muhammad, mother of seven whose husband was killed on his farm. She said her children were out of school due to financial constraint including her eldest daughter who was due to write her Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

She said she now engages in menial jobs with her children to feed, adding that "the classrooms we live in are leaking. If it rains, we don't sleep because of the leaking roofs. It's been long we got humanitarian supports from government or individuals."

At the door step of one of the classrooms was 55-year-old Maryam Ibrahim. She looked worried and frustrated. She lives with the hard-to-forget memories of experiences with bandits. Two of her children were shot dead by bandits.

"We have witnessed seven rainy seasons in IDP camp. Each time we return home, we get attacked again. Just five days ago, five people were killed by bandits in my village. The sixth one is still in the hospital. We just returned home recently; we were attacked again seven days after. We even wanted to go into negotiation with attackers if that would bring us peace and allow us go about our farming activities because we are hungry. But that didn't work out. Of the five people killed recently, two of them were my children. Our major challenges are food and a good place to sleep," she said.

Ramatu Iliyasu, another IDP, also lost her 15-year-old son to banditry. She said he was killed while coming back home from the farm.

"The day they attacked our village, we slept in the bush and trekked several kilometres the following day to the IDP camp. We don't have food; we don't have peace," she said.

The chairman of Shiroro Local Government Area, Akilu Isyaku Kuta, told Daily Trust Saturday that the security situation in Shiroro LGA and other parts of the state had deteriorated in recent time. He confirmed that classrooms in which IDPs live were not conducive for habitation.

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"In the actual sense, we are still facing the security challenges up till now. Even two days ago, one of our routine immunization facilitators was killed by bandits when they were on immunization duties in communities. They were attacked by Boko Haram. This shows that the insecurity we are facing still exists.

"Here in Kuta, as of last month, we did not have more than 170 IDPs but now, they are more than 2, 000. The state and local governments are doing their best but we need support, especially with relief materials, because even the classrooms where they live are not conducive. We have five IDP camps in Shiroro Local Government alone," he said.

The Overseeing Director General, Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Garba Salihu, also confirmed that humanitarian situation in the state had deteriorated in recent time, especially with the renewed attacks by bandits on communities in Shiroro, Munya, Wushishi and Mariga LGAs.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BC Nagesh on Friday hit out at the Congress government in the state over its decision to eliminate the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) starting from the next academic year, and said that the move would affect the future of the students and overall society. Former Karnataka primary and secondary education minister BC Nagesh. (HT File)

While speaking to ANI, the BJP leader said that the NEP was formed after deep analysis and research over six years and would have been instrumental in the development of the country, and further added that the move by the state government has been taken with political vengeance.

Karnataka CM has introduced discontinuation of NEP which had already been introduced. Two batches of students are studying in Karnataka under the NEP module. This is done with political vengeance which will affect the future of the students and overall society. So far, no political party has taken such a decision in terms of National policy. This decision would affect the future of the state, BC Nagesh said.

READ | NEP to be scrapped in state from next academic year says Karnataka CM

Speaking at a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) gathering at the party headquarters earlier on Friday, CM Siddaramaiah said that due to uncompleted preparations this year and the commencement of the academic year following the state election results, the abolishment of NEP would be more suitable.

"NEP has to be abolished after making some necessary preparations. The academic year had begun by the time the election results were out and the government was formed... NEP has been continued this year to avoid inconvenience to the students in the middle of the year," the CM said.

NEP has been opposed by students, parents and lecturers and teachers simultaneously, he added.

He further said that the BJP has sacrificed the interest of the students by implementing NEP in the state even before other states implemented it in the country.

Earlier in July this year, Karnataka primary education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the state education department has decided not to adopt the National Education Policy( NEP) but instead will implement the State Education Policy (SEP).

"Education department has decided that NEP will not be implemented in Karnataka. We are planning to implement SEP (State Education Policy) on the suggestion of the professional team," the minister said after visiting a model government Primary School in Bengaluru.

READ | Education should be beacon of progress, not political pawn, says Union Edu Min on Karnataka scrapping NEP

NEP at the higher education level was implemented in the state by the previous BJP government. And it was also in the process of rolling it out in schools.

In June, Karnataka Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar said that while the Congress had widely publicised its intention to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP), a thorough analysis of the policy's pros and cons is necessary before making any hasty decisions.

"We want to analyze the positives and negatives of the policy. As mentioned in the manifesto, state education policy will be implemented but at the same time, students' betterment should also be taken into consideration. The opposition will always have its way of interpreting things. We are going to fulfil what we have promised," MC Sudhakar had said.

It may be noted that NEP 2020 launched in July 2020 provides a set of guiding principles for a paradigm shift across the education sector in India from school to doctoral level.

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About 60 students of government schools visited the Raj Bhawan here that was thrown open to the public on Saturday. Government school students during their visit to Raj Bhawan on Saturday. (Twitter)

Calling it a historical structure, Himachal Pradesh governor Shiv Pratap Shukla said in a statement, I took the initiative to throw the Raj Bhawan open to the general public so that the common man can come and learn more about the heritage building, besides enjoying its magnificence.

On the first day, the students of government-run schools took a tour of the Raj Bhawan and were explained the importance of the events that occurred in the building. The children also interacted with Shukla and his wife Janaki Shukla. A short documentary on the history of the Raj Bhawan was also screened.

Earlier known as Barnes Court, the building features a Tudor-style architecture. It is named after its first occupant  Sir Edward Barnes, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army  who lived there in 1832. Afterwards, it became the residence of various commanders-in-chief of the British Indian Army.

The Shimla Agreement between India and Pakistan was also signed in the building in 1972 by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto respectively.

Shukla said the earlier Raj Bhawan protocol prevented tourists and locals from entering the building. Now, not only will tourists be granted access but it will become an added attraction in Shimlas list of heritage sites. He added that he was inspired to take the step after President Droupadi Murmu opened the Rashtrapati Niwas to the public.

Murmu, on April 20, declared that the Rashtrapati Niwas, earlier called the Presidential Retreat, at Chharabra in the outskirts of Shimla city open for the public.

The Raj Bhawan will remain open for the public from 2 pm to 5 pm every weekend, according to the statement.

Entry will be free for school students and children below 10 years of age. Students of universities and colleges, visitors from the state and outside will be charged an entry fee of 30. Foreign tourists will be charged 60. Admission will also be free for persons with disabilities and national-and state-level awardees. Soft copies of a maximum six photographs and the Raj Bhawan brochure will be provided for free during admission, the statement said.

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The Administrators Advisory Council, during its meeting held on Friday, assured that the draft conversion policy for citys Industrial Areas will be formulated within a week. The draft policy allows B2C activities in Chandigarhs Industrial Areas. (HT Photo)

This marked the councils first meeting after its reconstitution in December of last year. Comprising 60 members, the council plays a crucial role in advising the Chandigarh administration on the citys development issues.

While presiding over the council meeting at Hotel Mountview in Sector 10, Chandigarh administrator Banwarilal Purohit stated that UT will permit business-to-consumer (B2C) activities within Industrial Areas and the draft policy will be prepared within a week.

According to sources, the draft policy allows B2C activities in Industrial Areas. Such activities, though prohibited under the Chandigarh Master Plan, were first allowed in the Conversion Policy of 2005, but then withdrawn in 2008.

Approval was also granted for renaming the Industrial Area to the Chandigarh Industrial and Business Park.

The administrator also gave assurance that no individuals will be evicted during the ongoing survey being conducted in rehabilitation colonies. Other matters discussed during the meeting encompassed the formulation of distinct building bylaws for villages to regulate their development, inclusion of a water body within each neighbourhood park and establishment of water recharge wells.

The chairpersons of the councils 10 standing committees  education, health, urban infrastructure, social welfare, law and order, sports, transportation, culture, environment, and peripheral area development  reflected upon their prior achievements and put forward new recommendations.

The education committee advocated for increased student participation in the Zero Carbon, Meri Pahal initiative. Efforts to enrol children without standard documents like Aadhaar cards were highlighted, alongside the promotion of carpooling among parents.

ALSO IN FOCUS

New bylaws for villages

Following concerns raised by city mayor Anup Gupta regarding the Lal Dora (red line), particularly concerning temporary water connections for residents living outside this demarcation and house height regulations, the UT administrator sought solutions aligned with existing rules. The administrator instructed the civic body to formulate new bylaws for villages, as the existing ones (intended for the sectors of Chandigarh) cannot be directly applied to the villages.

Water bodies in parks

The environment committee emphasised the importance of water recharge wells and extensive tree planting. Consequently, it was decided that water bodies will be established in the citys public parks, wherever feasible, to replenish the groundwater. Rainwater harvesting systems will also be installed in these parks. The administrator suggested involving university students and teachers in addressing the issue of single-use plastic in markets.

No displacement post rehabilitation colonies survey

In relation to the survey of rehabilitation colonies conducted by the Chandigarh Estate Office, the administrator assured that residents will not be displaced or removed subsequent to the survey. Purohit underscored the need for prompt action and compassion towards vulnerable sections. Mayor Anup Gupta reinforced this sentiment, stating, We are not displacing anyone. This survey is meant to gather information about the residents in a particular colony, including the new ones. I am reiterating that it is not for relocation.

New hospitals in Maloya and Dhanas

The health committee detailed plans to synchronise medical procurement among key hospitals and confirmed the initiation of work on 50-bed hospitals in Maloya and Dhanas.

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Sixteen farmer outfits on Saturday announced to gherao Chandigarh on August 22, demanding compensation for losses due to the recent floods. Sixteen farmer outfits on Saturday announced to gherao Chandigarh on August 22, demanding compensation for losses due to the recent floods. (HT File)

Addressing a press conference in Jind, Bhartiya kisan mazdoor unions Haryana president Suresh Koth said they have completed their preparations for Chandigarh kooch.

Due to flash floods, a loss of over 20,000 crore has been reported in fields and villages and the Centre should release the compensated promptly. Farmers have been demanding compensation from the government but they are yet to get concrete response, he added.

He further said some fields continue to remain inundated but the government is in a slumber.

We will lay a siege on Union Territory on August 22 to warn the Centre through the state government. Around 20,000 farmers from various states are expected to take part in the protest, and we are likely to set up two points outside the capital. If the BJP-JJP government fails to address our issues, we will start a pucca morcha in the UT, he added.

The farmer outfits urged the state government to ensure that right-wing outfits like Bajrang Dal, VHP and other right-wing outfits dont not carry weapons, and restrict the use of provocative slogans while taking out religious a procession in Nuh on August 28, else the khaps and farmers bodies will take action.

Koth said the right-wing groups may use religious slogans but they are not allowed to create unrest in the peaceful state.

Soon a mahapanchayat would be called in Nuh to spread a message of unity in the country, he added.

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With central government teams expected to visit the city for sanitation inspection on Saturday, the Chandigarh municipal corporation has once again applied for Water + status for the City Beautiful. To standardise sanitation outcomes and to measure the levels of cleanliness, protocols for ODF, ODF+, ODF++, Water + were introduced by the Union government. (HT)

Chandigarh had received the Water + certification, the highest sanitation certification awarded to cities, in the first go in 2022.

It aims to ensure that no untreated wastewater is discharged into water bodies/open environment; 100% on-site and off-site wastewater management; public toilets and community toilets are easily accessible to public; adequate infrastructure in place to treat 100% generated wastewater in a city; all domestic used water, including septage released from households, commercial establishments and institutions, is collected and treated as per CPHEEO and CPCB guidelines; and other water-related issues.

To standardise sanitation outcomes and to measure the levels of cleanliness, protocols for ODF, ODF+, ODF++, Water + were introduced by the Union government.

Since 2016, 4,317 cities across India have been given ODF status, 3,354 cities ODF+, 964 cities ODF++ and 14 Water +.

Chandigarh has not only been able to collect and safely treat used water, but also has been re-using at least 20% of treated wastewater after secondary and tertiary treatment. We have re-applied for the Water+ certification. Chandigarh has done its best to get the status. The civic body ensured 303 public toilets and 28 community toilets at adequate distance catering to 12.7 lakhs citizens of Chandigarh, said MC commissioner Anindita Mitra.

Chandigarhs sewage treatment plants are sufficient to treat 100% of the sewage generated in the city and the entire city is connected to sewerage system. Also, a minimum of 25% wastewater is being reused after treatment at city level. Not only this, we have made a schedule to repair, clean and desilt all municipal drains both pre- and post-monsoon. Bar screens are placed at the tail end, SWD junctions and roadside gully traps, Mitra added.

Also, all complaints pertaining to choked sewers, leakage of sewage, waterlogging, uncovered manholes and drain cleaning were being addressed timely, she said.

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A 32-year-old man was stabbed to death, and two others sustained injuries in three separate incidents where three robbers went on a stabbing spree in North East Delhi on Friday night, police said on Saturday, adding they have arrested two of the three accused. (Representative Photo)

Read here: Man held for duping people with fake pollution certificates

Police said they received three PCR calls related to incidents of stabbing at the Welcome police station between Friday night and early Saturday.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (North East) Joy Tirkey said that Gufran Khan, 32, died of stab wounds, while Sher Mohammad, 25, and Sharik Khan, 22, were severely injured and have been admitted to the hospital.

All three are residents of the Welcome area, he said.

We have arrested two men identified as Kapil Chaudhary, 25 and Sohail Khan, 22, said the DCP.

Police said that all of the accused were under heavy influence of alcohol and were carrying knives.

Read here: Delhi stabbing: Snatchers pulled victim out of his house

Upon interrogation, the arrested accused revealed that the three of them were drinking at night and hatched a plan to rob people and hence went on a stabbing and robbery spree in the area.

Police said that two of the three men have previous criminal records.

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He tried to save himself but couldnt... they pulled him out of his house and stabbed him at least three-four times, said Gufran Khans family as they mourned him on Saturday at their residence in a cramped lane in north-east Delhis Janta Mazdoor Colony. Gufran Kha, the victim, succumbed to his wounds while he was being taken to the hospital. (HT Photo)

Khan was among the three victims who were attacked in three separate incidents of stabbing and robberies on Friday night and early hours of Saturday in the area. While the other two identified as Sher Mohammed, 25, and Sharik Khan, 22, sustained severe injuries, Khan succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital.

Khans sister-in-law Bilkis Begum said that according to the information she has received, the victim --- a tailor working in Gandhi Nagar --- was returning home after meeting a friend, when the three accused identified as Kapil Chaudhary, Sameer Khan and Sohail Khan caught hold of him and tried to snatch his phone.

They first caught hold of him a few metres away from the house but he managed to free himself and run towards the house. But they ran after him and just when he was entering his house, they caught him again, pulled him out and stabbed him three-four times, she said.

Khan was unmarried and is survived by his parents and two brothers. While the younger brother doesnt stay with the family, his elder brother is married and lives with his wife and children in the same building. Khans father is a tailor.

Begum said Khan used to look after his parents. Theyre both ailing and have had multiple surgeries. They were both dependent on Gufran, she said.

Khans family was looking for a prospective match for him and wanted him to get married soon. Begum said that they had been asking him to get married for a while and he had finally agreed.

People in the neighbourhood were alarmed by the incident and said that all the three accused are residents of the area. They can harm anyone who speaks against them... theres gundaraj in this area, said a 31-year-old woman who did not wish to be named.

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President Bola Tinubu has warned of impending "grave consequences" should the military rulers of Niger Republic allow deposed President Mohamed Bazoum's health to deteriorate while under house arrest.

Bazoum, alongside his family members, has been under house arrest since July 26, after the presidential guards overthrew his government.

A European Union (EU) official, Charles Michel, disclosed this after a call from president Tinubu on Friday.

The French News Agency reported that during a call to the EU official, Tinubu who chairs ECOWAS, which is opposed to the Niger coup, said, "President Bazoum's detention conditions are deteriorating."

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the ongoing crisis in Niger could significantly worsen food insecurity in the poor country.

The closure of the border between Niger and Benin has halted food imports through the port of Cotonou.

WFP in Niger is urging humanitarian exemptions to sanctions and border closures to avert a catastrophe.

The UN said that even before the coup, more than three million people in Niger were severely affected by food insecurity, RFI reported.

'ECOWAS force waiting for order to strike'

The ECOWAS force is ready to intervene in Niger 'anytime the order is given', an official told Aljazeera on Friday.

"We are ready to go anytime the order is given. The D-Day is also decided," the official said after West African military chiefs held a second day of talks preparing for a possible armed intervention in Niger.

Daily Trust reported that at a meeting in Accra, Ghana capital, on Thursday, the Defence Chiefs said they were prepared to restore civil rule in Niger.

However, ECOWAS could send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday, the official said, though previous delegations have failed to meet the country's new strongman.
The Rajasthan high court on Saturday dismissed as withdrawn a petition that challenged the circular cancelling students union elections for the 2023-24 session in universities and colleges. The petitioner argued that he cancellation of student union elections violated the fundamental rights of university and college students to choose their representatives. (File Photo)

Questioning the August 12 circular, the petitioner, Shantanu Pareek, argued before a division bench comprising chief justice Augustine George Masih and justice Sameer Jain that the state government had arbitrarily cancelled student union elections, which had been regularly held every year since 2010, except for 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19. He stated that the cancellation violated the fundamental rights of university and college students to choose their representatives through student union elections under Articles 19(1)(a) (right to freedom of speech and expression) and 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution of India.

The right to choose ones representative in student union elections has been specifically recognised as a fundamental right by the Supreme Court in the University of Kerala case. The irrational circular is a deliberate attempt by the Respondent to disregard the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee report, which proposed conducting student union elections annually within 6-8 weeks from the start of the academic session, he further added.

According to the petition, the State of Rajasthan had filed an affidavit before the Rajasthan high court on February 17, 2009, stating that the state and its universities are obligated to hold student union elections following the procedures outlined in the Lyngdoh Committee report. However, the state, in violation of these guidelines, attempted to bypass the reports recommendations.

When asked about his standing, Pareek stated that he is an advocate who has worked as a legal researcher in the Rajasthan high court and as a legal assistant at the University of Rajasthan. He also runs a YouTube channel named Shantanu Law Classes, where he provides free legal education to law students and the general public, thereby contributing to the promotion of legal awareness in society.

In response, the court commented that merely running a YouTube channel does not automatically qualify someone as a social worker. Instead of ruling on the merits of the case, the bench allowed the petitioner the option to withdraw the petition. As a result, the petitioner consented to withdrawing the petition, leading to its dismissal by the court.

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Superstar Rajinikanth met chief minister Yogi Adityanath and governor Anandiben Patel here on Saturday and will visit Ayodhya on Sunday for darshan of Ram Lalla. Actor Rajinikanth touches Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanaths feet in Lucknow on Saturday. (PTI PHOTO)

During the courtesy meeting at the chief ministers residence on Saturday evening, Rajinikanth took Yogi Adityanaths blessings by touching his feet.

When asked about his visit to Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, on Sunday, Rajinikanth told ANI, Jee haan kal programme hai. (Yes, the programme is tomorrow).

The actor also attended a special screening of his latest film, Jailer, in Lucknow with deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and other dignitaries at a theatre. After watching the film for some time, KP Maurya said, I got the opportunity to watch Jailer for some time. I had prior commitments and had to attend the party event otherwise I would have seen the entire film. I have seen several films by actor Rajinikanth. Whatever I watched, I really liked it.

Known as Thalaiva among his fans, Rajinikanth reached Lucknow on Friday to promote Jailer, which was released on August 10. When asked to react to the good collection made by his film, the actor said, Sab Bhagwan ki dua hai ... (it is all because of Gods grace).

Earlier, the actor went to Badrinath temple in Uttarakhand.

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With the aim of giving banana production a quality fillip in Prayagraj region, a state-of-the-art tissue culture lab has been set up by an investor with the support of the Uttar Pradesh government in Chilla Shah Bazi village of Kaushambi district. The new banana tissue culture lab in Uttar Pradeshs Kaushambi district. (HT photo)

The lab is first-of-its-kind in Purvanchal region of the state. It has been set up with a cost of 2.8 crore with state governments financial support worth 1 crore, said state horticulture department officials. The lab has been set up by M/s Pratham Enterprises, Prayagraj, in collaboration with department of horticulture and food processing under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).

It will produce 30 lakh tissue culture banana plants for the farmers of the region annually, said deputy director, horticulture, Prayagraj, Krishna Mohan Chowdhary. Till now, these farmers had to depend for such plants to come in from as far as Maharashtra and West Bengal which made them costly and time-taking for the farmers often resulting in loses for them. But now these plants would become available to them locally through this lab, he added.

Currently, around 1500 farmers are cultivating banana on 1700 hectare land in Kaushambi district alone, he said. As per the state horticulture department officials, the need for banana tissue culture lab was being felt for the past few years not just for Prayagraj division but in other banana producing districts of Purvanchal area as well like Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj and Siddharthnagar among others.

Chaudhary said with the help of this lab, not just banana production and its quality would receive a boost, but the earnings of farmers too would improve. By cultivating banana in one hectare, farmers can make a profit of about 8 lakh. Although the best time for planting banana is June-July, some farmers plant it till August. It is also cultivated around January-February. This crop is fully ready in about 12-14 months. Up to 3,000 banana plants are planted in one hectare.

At present, Uttar Pradesh witnesses banana cultivation in more than 68000 hectares of land and every year produces more than 30 metric tonnes of bananas. Lakhimpur Kheri leads in banana production, which is followed by Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Prayagraj and Kaushambi.

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Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday offered prayers at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya for the well-being and prosperity of the country and the people of the state, government officials said. Yogi Adityanath visits Ram Janmbhoomi in Ayodhya (HT Photo)

During his visit, the chief minister also did an on-the-spot inspection of the ongoing Ram Temple construction work, added the official.

Earlier in the day, before visiting the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, Adityanath offered floral tributes at the Samadhi of Ramchandra Paramhans Das on his one-day visit to Ayodhya.

Late Ramchandra Paramhans Das was the head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas in Ayodhya, he passed away in 2003.

After prayers, the chief minister gathered details about the progress on the construction of the Ram Temple from Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and discussed the ongoing work with officials to understand its current status.

Adityanath also spoke to the labourers working at the construction site, said the official.

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Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday claimed there will be major changes in the state government, including the main seat, in the coming weeks. Senior Congress leader and Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition (LoP) Vijay Wadettiwar(Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, however, differed. He asserted Eknath Shinde will continue to be the chief minister till the assembly elections in Maharashtra next year.

Also Read | Shinde says Maha ranks first in FDI, will increase employment

The BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and an NCP faction under Ajit Pawar are the ruling partners in the Maharashtra government. Ajit Pawar broke away from the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP and joined the government last month.

Speaking to reporters here, Wadettiwar said Maharashtra will witness major changes in the state government in a few weeks.

There will be a change in the main seat. Im not saying that there will be a change of government, but the main seat will change in September, said the senior Congress leader.

After joining hands with the ruling dispensation last month, Ajit Pawar became the second deputy CM, while 8 of his party colleagues were sworn in as ministers. Senior BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis is the other deputy CM.

In June 2022, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government fell after Shinde mounted a revolt and split the Shiv Sena. Shinde then tied up with the BJP to occupy the top post.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, BJP leader Bawankule said there will be no change in the top post. Shinde will be chief minister of Maharashtra till the next assembly elections. Our top leaders have already cleared that Shinde will remain the chief minister, he said.

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Mumbai: The sessions court recently rejected an anticipatory bail plea of the chief production manager of an ethnic wear label, Senso Creations, booked for allegedly misappropriating more than 2 crore from the firm and splurging the money on foreign trips. The court, however, granted anticipatory bail to her parents in whose accounts the money was allegedly deposited. HT Image

The accused, Dimple Shah, 40, was employed with Senso Creations, which has a showroom in Dadar, since August 2014.

Senso Creations is into manufacturing wedding attire for men through various artisans and sells it as a wholesaler in India, England, America, Singapore, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Dubai. Shahs job was to get the work done through artisans by maintaining their individual accounts.

She used to prepare challans and invoices for the items created by artisans. In the said challans and invoices, she used to make entries in her handwriting of the number of pieces or items prepared by individual artisans and the price of the finished products. The said challans and invoices were used to be approved by the accounts department of the company, and thereafter the payments thereof were used to be made to the artisans concerned through RTGS.

After a few months, the owner noticed that there was a considerable difference in orders placed, manufactured pieces and also payments received from the clients against the orders. Besides, they noticed that Shah was frequently going on foreign trips and also had purchased some properties.

The owners then contacted the artisans to cross-check the challans and invoices prepared by her and soon realized that the artisans were threatened by Shah and that if they failed to follow her instructions, she would not place any orders with them.

The artisans told the company executives that Shah had created excessive bills, and the extra amounts were diverted into her bank account as well as into the accounts of her mother and father.

After this, Shah was asked to produce her and her parents account statements, which reflected money received to the tune of 2 crore. Besides, it was revealed that there was a money trail from the account of artisans to the account of Shah and her father. Based on the statements of artisans and the bank account statements, the company lodged a complaint on July 17 with the Dadar police station, and the woman was booked for misappropriating company funds.

The court took into consideration these aspects and rejected Shahs anticipatory bail plea.

It has to be noted that even if the salary of Shah, including perks, is assumed to be 1 lakh per month, her total earnings per year would not be more than 12 lakh. There is nothing before the court to show any separate income of her parents. Therefore, it is for Shah to justify how she earned such huge money which had been received from artisans and further diverted it in her account as well as in the bank accounts of her parents, said the court.

The court added, Admittedly, Shah had multiple foreign visits. There is absolutely no bonafide explanation thereof with all applicants, and the same speaks volumes. It is, therefore, prima-facie evident that Shah has cheated the company of the informant and misappropriated the companys money.

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Private secretary to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, VK Pandian, and Puri district collector Samarth Verma were splashed with ink by an unknown miscreant in Odishas Puri district on Saturday during a college function that the officials attended, police said. The incident took place during a college function in Odishas Puri district (HT Photo)

Police officials in Puri said Pandian and Verma were attending a programme at Utkalamani Gopabandhu Smruti College in the Sakshigopal area on Saturday when a man sneaked through the crowd and splashed a bottle of ink on them.

We have apprehended the person who threw ink on the officers, said a police official present at the spot.

Last month, eggs were hurled by activists of the Aam Aadmi Party at Pandians carcade in the Sonepur district.

Pandian is a 2000-batch IAS officer who also oversees state government 5T (teamwork, technology, transparency, transformation and time limit) initiatives.

The official has been on a whirlwind tour of the state overseeing the progress of various developmental projects over the last few months, triggering sharp reactions from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, who allege that Pandian is more of a super chief minister.

The Congress and the BJP have alleged that the officer has been violating all norms and acting like a politician.

Recently, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi and Congress leader Bijay Patnaik petitioned the central governments Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seeking punitive action against the IAS officer over alleged violation of All India Service (Conduct) Rules.

Sarangi had accused the Pandian of violating All India service rules, conducting public meetings and announcing new government schemes.

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The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel arrested two Bangladesh nationals late on Friday evening for illegally crossing the India-Nepal border in Bihars Madhubani district, officials said. (Representative Photo)

SSB Commandant Govind Singh Bhandari said that the two Bangladeshi nationals, identified as Mohammad Tarikul Islam (32) and Mohammad Alamgir Hussain (31), were arrested while trying to cross into Nepal from India through the Mahinathpur border outpost falling under Basopatti police station of Madhubani district.

Both the arrested accused are said to be residents of Panchagarh, the northernmost district of Bangladesh, said Bhandari.

Following their arrest, two passports, two visas, three cell phones, five SIM cards, a chequebook, two identity cards and foreign currencies, including pounds and Bangladeshi currencies, were recovered from them, said officials.

The SSB Commandant said that both the arrested accused were handed over to the local police for further interrogation. The SSB intelligence is collecting further details about their movements and reasons to visit Nepal from Siliguri via Bihar, their mobile phones are also being scanned, he added.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered against the duo at the Basopatti police station based on the statement of the SSB Commandant.

The duo were arrested late Friday and were produced before a court on Saturday which granted judicial custody.

During a joint interrogation by the SSB, intelligence agencies and Madhubani police, it was found that they had entered India from Siliguri (West Bengal) on a tourist visa.

On August 17, the duo travelled to Madhubani in a bus and took an auto-rickshaw to cross the Indo-Nepal border, where SSB personnel intercepted them.

Their passport validity (to India) ended on August 16 and both could not produce any valid documents for their entry to Nepal, said an official familiar with the matter.

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In a shocking incident, the public health department discovered that fake appointment letters signed by district civil surgeon were issued to at least 23 people at multiple government hospitals. The incidents took place between August 16 and August 18. At least 23 people have been cheated to the tune of  30 lakh to  40 lakh in Pune and Ahmednagar district. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

According to officials, at least 23 people have been cheated to the tune of 30 lakh to 40 lakh in Pune and Ahmednagar district.

As per the officials, the first incident came to light on August 17, when a 30-year-old victim, named Sagar Shivram Agwan, went to Alandi Rural Hospital to join as a peon. Later, the staff at the hospital found that the appointment and joining letter was fake. After confirming the letter was bogus, the health officials handed over Agwan to Alandi police station.

The hospital staff handed over Agwan to us and investigations are underway, said, Sunil Godse, senior inspector, Alandi police station.

The second incident took place on August 18 at Yavat Rural Hospital (YRH). A 35-year-old male and a 36-year-old female went to YRH to join as Class IV staff and later discovered the appointment letters were fake. The medical superintendent of YRH handed over the duo to the police.

A staff working at Indapur Rural Hospital who claims to have good contacts in the health ministry is the kingpin behind the scam. The victims were issued forged appointment letters in exchange for money, said officials.

Police are yet to register a case against the accused. Officials from Alandi, Yavat and Indapur police stations are conducting the probe.

People are asked to pay over 1 lakh for appointment as Class III and Class IV staff at public health department-run hospitals in Pune and Ahmednagar districts.

Hemant Shendge, senior inspector, Yavat police station, said that case was not filed against the duo as they are victims of the scam.

The alleged kingpin of the fake appointment letter racket is from Indapur. The scammer has taken over 1 lakh from each victim. Our probe found that over 23 people have been cheated and received the letter from a scammer who works at the rural hospital of Indapur. The case has been referred to Indapur police station for parallel investigation, he said.

Following the incidents, district civil surgeon Dr Nagnath Yempalay issued a letter to all rural, district and sub-district hospitals in Pune on August 18 to check records of new staff appointed in the past three months.

The heads of these hospitals have been asked to submit the report and file a complaint if they come across any staff working on the basis of fake appointment letters. Dr Yemaplay said that prima facie it looks like over 23 people have received such fake appointment letters with his forged signature.

All the appointment letters are for Class III and Class IV staff. The letters are issued not just for appointments in Pune district but also in government hospitals of Ahmednagar district. We are investigating the issue and asked for details of all new staff joined in the past three months, he said.

Dilip Pawar, senior inspector, Indapur police station, said, Yavat police have informed us about the incident. However, we have not yet received any written complaint from any victim.

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Pune: The Warje-Malwadi police on Saturday arrested three persons for extorting money from a woman by posing as cyber police staff. The suspects managed to extract 50,000 from the complainant. The Warje-Malwadi police on Saturday arrested three persons for extorting money from a woman by posing as cyber police staff. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

According to the police, based on a tip-off, the police nabbed the accused identified as Akshay Rajendra Jadhav, 28, from Karvenagar; Shivaji Govindrao Sangole, 34, from Narhe; and Bharat Baban Marne 45 from Swarna Hotel in Warje- Malwadi on Wednesday.

The complainant received a phone call on August 16 from one of the accused who impersonated as a woman named Manisha via a social media account luring the former to visit Swarna Hotel for a meeting. Upon arrival at the hotel, the accused posed as cyber police department officials and trapped the complainant alleging that the latter has shot videos of girls without permission. They threatened and demanded money from her to avoid police action.

Under duress and fearing exposure, the complainant handed over 50,000 after withdrawing the amount from ATM and 3,500 that she had in person to the accused.

Police probe found that Jadhav returned to the hotel and was nabbed based on technical analysis. Later, his accomplices were also arrested.

Ajay Kulkarni, inspector (crime), said, The prime accused is Akshay.

The Warje-Malwadi police station has filed a case under Sections 392, 384, 420, 170, 506 and 34 of the IPC.

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Members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, Lagos Chapter, have vowed to take to the streets of Lagos in protest against the ill-treatment as well as unpaid pensions, poor welfare of the aged and outright neglect of their members.

The pensioners stated this during a press conference held at the Islanders Hotel, Mushin, Lagos Thursday to express their grievances, saying "we say no to 'You've retired, go-and-die' attitude of the state government and its officials.

The State chairman of the group, Rev Oluremi Johnson, said several efforts have been made to through letters to the governor but officials refused to let it see the light of the day, meetings and consultation were not allowed and for over two years we have been groping in the dark, adding that if nothing is done after two weeks, they will embark on protest to press home their demands.

"However, we noticed that our correspondences to you have not been made available to you by overzealous government officials and this had resulted in our matters not being brought to your attention promptly. These include:

"Strict compliance with the constitutional provision that states that pension should be increased every 5 years or whenever salaries of workers are increased whichever comes earlier in line with Sections 173 (3) and 210 (3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

We want consequential adjustment on our pensions in accordance with consequential adjustment done to workers in 2019.

"That Pensioners in Lagos State should also have a living minimum pension of #50,000. It is disheartening to inform you that we still have Pensioners earning #1,800 per month in Lagos State.

"Payment of backlog of gratuities and pension arrears; harmonization of pensions; recognition of members of our Union as done to membership of other Unions, market women etc.

"Also worth of mentioning is the pending liabilities of our members under the Contributory (Mandatory) Pension Scheme who are being short-changed of the 15% of the 2007 pension review, 33% of the 2010 pension review, omission of 2015 pension review and the consequential adjustment of 2019. We believe whole-heatedly.

The Secretary of the Union, Comrade Olukayode Bada, stated that all efforts in in past failed because state officials are not helping our matters.

"The last time we met the commissioner, he advised we should meet quarterly to review issues that affect us, but no meeting was held in the last two years. All effort to get him ready for the meeting proved abortive."

He noted that those we had thought will help our issues were those hindering it. We have decided to go public and demand to see the governor, and if after 14 days, nothing is done, we will protest to Alausa."

"Yes the governor is doing well but there are areas that they have to look into. We have written severally to the governor but the staff and aide will not pass the letters to the governor and that is why we have to protest.

"We were in the system and did our best and deserve a better treatment, they are only showing us how they also will be treated when they retire.

"They should not say 'as you have retired, go and die" they will one day be in our shoes.

we have graduates who have no jobs and we take care of them with our pensions.

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The vice chairman, Dr. Titus Gregory Aderemi said, the protest action ought to have taken place over a year ago after all areas of communications with the government were blocked, adding the the entire members are prepared for the protest should the governor failed to see us on how to give us our rights.

"Go to the hospital, on papers the aged are supposed to treated free, but you will find out to your dismay that the treatment the aged gets is unfortunate.

"The aged people need money for their welfare, to maintain good health and care for those children who have no jobs. What is N1,800 monthly pension to the aged? Will that take care of the aged?

"Before the election, the Governor called us and sought for our votes, after he won the election, he gave the civil servants increase in salaries, he neglected the pensioners, to me, that is wicked," he said.
The Pune city police have filed 58 cases under the Anti-Black Magic Act during the past ten years, but not a single conviction has been secured in the cases. Police shared the data on the eve of the 10th death anniversary of Dr Narendra Dabholkar. The Black Magic Act was enacted to combat the rampant prevalence of superstitious practices that exploited individuals fears and convictions. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

Dr Dabholkar was shot dead while on a morning walk on the Omkareshwar Bridge in Pune city on August 20, 2013.

In 1983, Dr Dabholkar started working for the eradication of superstition. He had been advocating a bill to eradicate superstitions in the state but only after his demise the government in December 2013 promulgated an ordinance Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic.

The Act was enacted to combat the rampant prevalence of superstitious practices that exploited individuals fears and convictions.

As per data, the highest number of cases, thirteen, was registered in 2016, followed by nine cases in 2022 and eight cases in 2015. However, the lowest cases one and two were registered in 2013, and 2020 and three cases each were registered in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2023 (till August 18).

Amol Zende, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said, From 2013 to August 18, 2023, Pune city police have registered a total of 58 cases under the Black Magic Act. We have strictly instructed officials to take cognizance of complaints related to harmful superstitions practices and necessary actions to be taken by the respective authorities.

Speaking about the low conviction Zende said, Most of the cases are in the court hence no conviction, but we are confident that, after the completion of the trial, we will get desired results.

Legal experts, social observers, and the public are questioning the ability of police to implement the law to effectively address the nuanced and intricate nature of cases related to black magic and supernatural rituals.

Advocate Asim Sarode alleged that police had not given proper training on how to handle black magic cases. Hence police only register cases but do not get the desired outcome.

Many policemen and judges are involved in superstitious practices. They even dont know the difference between religious and superstitious practices. Hence there are high chances to show sympathy towards the accused, he said.

Sarode further said that there is a difference between registering a regular case and a case under Black Magic Act. The state government should invest in training of police personnel for the strengthening of the Act, he said.

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Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Tamil Nadu has released TN NEET UG 2023 Counselling Round 2 schedule. Candidates who want to apply for admission to MBBS/ BDS courses can do it through the official site of DMER, Chennai at tnmedicalselection.net. TN NEET UG 2023 Counselling: Round 2 schedule out, notice here

The registration for Round 2 will begin on August 21 and will end on August 22, 2023. The choice filling and choice locking will be done from August 24 to August 28, 2023. If the candidate does not lock his/her choices till the last date their choices will be automatically locked.

The processing of seat allotment will be done from August 29 to August 30, 2023. The result will be announced on August 31, 2023. The provisional allotment order will be downloaded from September 1 to September 4, 2023. The last date for joining is September 4, 2023.

TN NEET UG 2023 Counselling: How to apply

To apply for registration, candidates can follow the steps given below.

Visit the official site of DMER, Chennai at tnmedicalselection.net.

Click on DMER, Chennai at tnmedicalselection.net.

A new page will open where candidates can click on registration link.

Click on the link and enter the required details.

Fill in the application form and make the payment of application fees.

Once done, click on submit.

Download the confirmation page and keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

For more related details candidates can check the official site of DMER, Chennai.

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U.S. News & World Report has released a list of best engineering colleges in US in 2023. The report was prepared by U.S News after surveying 220 engineering schools that grant doctoral degrees for use in the rankings and directory. The methodology to prepare the list of top engineering colleges involve research activity, faculty resources, academic achievements of entering students, and assessments by other engineering schools and employers. Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT website )

Heres the list of top 10 engineering institutes of US given below.

Rank 1: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT website )

Everyone is aware of MIT to be one of the best institutes across the world. Ranking on No 1, as per U.S. News & World Report, around 2800 students are enrolled in the School of Engineering. The application fee is $75 for U.S. residents and $75 for international students. Its tuition is full-time: $57,590 per year.

Rank 2: Stanford University

Stanford University(visit.stanford.edu)

Stanford University of US is in the second number. The application fee is $125 for U.S. residents and $125 for international students. Its tuition is full-time: $66,297 per year. Around 1700 students are enrolled every year.

Rank 3: University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley(universityofcalifornia.edu)

University of California, Berkeley offers various types of engineering courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Graduate students at the UCBerkeley College of Engineering can complete an advanced degree in eight areas, including Industrial Engineering & Operations Research and Applied Science & Technology.

Rank 4: Purdue University-West Lafayette

Purdue University-West Lafayette(Wikipedia )

On Rank 4 is Purdue University--West Lafayette, which has a rolling application deadline. The application fee is $60 for U.S. residents and $75 for international students. Its tuition is full-time: $10,842 per year (in-state); full-time: $29,644 per year (out-of-state); part-time: $347 per credit (in-state); and part-time: $948 per credit (out-of-state). This University has 413 full time faculty on staff.

Rank 5: Carnegie Mellon University (Carnegie) and Georgia Institute of Technology

Carnegie Mellon University (Carnegie)(cmu.edu)

Carnegie Mellon University offers 21 engineering undergraduate programs to students. Graduate students have about 10 interdisciplinary majors to choose from. Engineering students of the varsity can pursue course-based or research-based masters degrees, and Ph.D. programs are offered in most departments.

Georgia Institute of Technology(gatech.edu)

Georgia Institute of Technology, also ranked no 5 is based in Atlanta, GA. The University offers various engineering courses and close to 20 areas to specialize in, from medical physics to aerospace engineering. Among many well regarded programs at the Tech Engineering, the industrial engineering and biomedical engineering programs are especially highly ranked.

Rank 7: California Institute of Technology, University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and University of Texas--Austin (Cockrell)

California Institute of Technology(caltech.edu)

California Institute of Technology has a Division of Engineering and Applied Science for graduate students, along a separate chemical engineering program. Students can get a master of science in a year, or a special engineers degree in aeronautical, civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering in two years. The application fee is $75 for U.S. residents and $100 for international students.

University of Michigan(Wikipedia )

University of Michigan--Ann Arbor is also ranked no 7 by U.S.News & World Report. The application fee is $75 for U.S. residents and $90 for international students. Its tuition is full-time: $29,466 per year (in-state); full-time: $55,276 per year (out-of-state); part-time: $1,593 per credit (in-state); and part-time: $3,027 per credit (out-of-state).

University of Texas- Austin(utexas.edu)

University of Texas- Austin has 328 full-time faculty on staff. The application fee is $65 for U.S. residents and $90 for international students. Its tuition is full-time: $10,554 per year (in-state) and full-time: $19,320 per year (out-of-state).

Rank 10: Texas A&M University--College Station

Texas A&M University--College Station(engineering.tamu.edu)

Texas A&MCollege Station offers graduate programs in a wide variety of engineering fields including aerospace engineering and ocean engineering, interdisciplinary programs such as health physics, industrial distribution and safety engineering. There are about 3000 graduate students in the varsity.

(Disclaimer: The data shared here have been collected from U.S. News & World Report website and HT Education is not responsible for any error in it.)

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Arvind Kejriwal should choose a sector of his choice so that a comparison can be made in that sector between the performance of Kejriwal-led Delhi government and the national's capital erstwhile Congress government, Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera dared the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief on Saturday. Congress leader Pawan Khera addresses a press conference in New Delhi, Thursday, April 27, 2023.(PTI)

Khera's challenge to Kejriwal came hours after the Delhi CM described the condition of government schools in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh as terrible.

Why to go to Raipur? Performance of our Chhattisgarh govt will be compared with the previous Raman Singh govt. Let us choose a sector of your choice and compare the performance of Congress government in Delhi vs your govt here. Ready for a debate? Khera wrote on X, the social network previously known as Twitter.

Before you fly to Raipur, talk about Delhi's ground reality, even as the city continues sliding into the abyss, he added in Hindi (roughly translated).

This back-and-forth between the two uneasy allies comes at a time when there has already been a war of words over who gets how many Lok Sabha seats in Delhi for next year's parliamentary polls. The capital has seven Lok Sabha seats, with the BJP performing a clean sweep in both 2014 and 2019.

Congress and AAP are among 26 constituents of the I.N.D.I.A bloc of opposition parties that will take on the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the 2024 general elections.

What Kejriwal said in Chhattisgarh?

Addressing a rally in Raipur, the poll-bound central state's capital, the AAP national convenor, among other things, remarked that before coming for the rally, he read a report that pointed at bura haal (poor quality) of government schools in Chhattisgarh.

He also declared that government schools in Delhi, on the other hand, are glittering under his government.

Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are likely to be held in November.

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The official Mushoku Tensei website has shared a sneak peek of the next episode. In the upcoming days, Rudeus will be making dolls with Zanoba and Julie. He'll remember a doll he made before and Zanoba will have it now. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2

Rudeus will want to make sure it's his doll, but he'll find out it's broken. The doll was damaged in a fight between Rinia and Pursena. This will make Rudeus very angry.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Episode 8 Release Date And Time

Mushoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 8 will premiere on Monday, August 21, and will be available exclusively on Crunchyroll. For viewers in Japan, the episode will be broadcasted on Tokyo MX, KBS, BS11, and SUN. Here's the exact release time of the episode in your time zone.

Date Moshoku Tensei Season 2 Episode 8 Release Schedule JST ET CT GMT PT IST August, 21 12:30 AM 11:30 PM 10:30 PM 3:30 PM 8:30 AM 9:00 PM

What Happened Previously On Mushoku Tensei?

In the last episode of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, we saw Rudeus following a routine at his university. He worked out in the mornings, studied magic, and practiced a lot. Even though he was doing well in his classes, he still paid close attention during lectures to reinforce what he knew. Rudeus was really smart, so he learned things quickly, which helped him a lot.

One day, Rudeus's friend Zanoba asked for help with sculpting figures. Zanoba wasn't very good at it and wanted to get better, but his strong power was making it difficult. Rudeus asked an older student named Fitz for advice, and they decided to find a solution together. They went to the market to buy a slave who could assist Zanoba with sculpting.

At the market, they met a merchant and learned about a frail dwarf girl who was skilled despite her condition. Rudeus and Fitz chose her, gave her a meal, and named her Juliette. They brought her to Zanoba, and she helped clean up after sculpting. Rudeus also taught her language and magic while she assisted.

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Adah Sharma got to showcase her versatility as an artiste, when she was seen portraying two contrasting avatars in her recent projects. While The Kerala Story saw her playing the role of a victim in the hands of a terrorist organisation, she turned an encounter specialist for web show, Commando. Also read: Adah Sharma to take a break for treatment after hospitalisation due to hives, shares health update Adah Sharma was last seen in the web series Commando

I got into Commando right after shooting The Kerala Story. From a victim to a saviour, Im blessed that I got to play two extremely opposite roles in both these projects. In one, Im scared of guns, and in the other, Im using guns all the time, she says.

Adah Sharma on shooting action scenes

Starting that 2023 has been a fortunate year so far for her, Sharma credits the scriptwriters for enabling actors have a smooth switch between characters. If roles are well written, it becomes a lot easier for an actor to transition into different roles. Also, I took out enough time between my demanding schedules during The Kerala Story, and worked on my skills for action-packed sequences in Commando, says the actor, adding, Generally, Im quite a fit person, but I underwent a lot of training and practice for my portions. The 10 seconds of action you see on screen take hours or even days to make them look seamless. I really enjoyed doing it.

On Vidyut Jammwal not being part of Commando

The web show starring Prem Pariijaa as the male lead, takes forward the Commando film franchise that featured actor Vidyut Jammwal. As the audiences continue to speculate why hes not a part of the series, Adah Sharma reveals the makers wanted to launch a new boy in the Commando franchise.

And I was the connecting factor between the film, and the web series. So, we just wanted to show that there is another Commando as well. Not that Vidyut isnt there, but Prem came as an addition to the franchise as another Commando, mentions the 31-year-old, calling OTT the best space to make such introductions.

While streaming continues to enjoy growing popularity, audiences are back in theatres as well, in huge numbers. And Adah Sharma is well aware of the audiences preferences. Nowadays, people just want to have an emotional connect with the film. If its a good film, people would watch it in theatres or on their phones and medium wont really matter, she emphasises, underlining the importance of a compelling narrative that resonates with viewers across platforms.
Rasha Thadani is yet to debut as an actor, but looks like the star kid has quite a fan following already, thanks to her photography skills. On World Photography Day, Rasha /says it is her mother, actor Raveena Tandon, who inspired her to take up wildlife photography. World Photography Day: Star kid and photography enthusiast Rasha Thadani with her mom, actor Raveena Tandon.

I must have been eight when she took us for our first tiger safari to Ranthambhore (Rajasthan)... I used to watch her use her camera and get so excited over the shots she had got. I would use her phone camera, which was obviously was easier to operate as compared to a DSLR camera, but it was a start. says the 18-year-old, who came fourth a the Jaipur Tiger Photography Festival 2022, and was the youngest participant.

She admits she was bitted by the keeda of photography when she visited Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh) in 2021, and took her first wildlife shot. And it has just grown bigger ever since, says Rasha, describing photography and capturing memories as infinite happiness, a moment frozen in time, on a reel, thats so precious.

EXCLUSIVE: Rasha Thadani credits mom Raveena Tandon for inspiring her to get into wildlife photography

The First-time experience

While Rasha, for the first time held a professional camera in Bandhavgarh, she shares that its magical to explore the woods. Just being in the jungle on the whole is the most beautiful experience anybody could have. The thrill of being on the trail of a predator, following pug marks and alarm calls, and then the sudden sighting of a tiger, emerge from the foliage, in its full glory -- its just indescribable. And capturing these moments on camera is even more thrilling, says Rasha, admitting that at first, she was pretty confused and clueless about what she was doing.

She elaborates, I was still trying the grasp the concepts of ISO and shutter speed. Also, I was a little stressed out because the animal keeps moving, so to capture the correct moment or look of the animal with the correct angle and right lighting, its all important. Somehow, my first few pictures came out better than I expected, but slowly I got the hang of it. Im still learning and improving my photography skills.

EXCLUSIVE: Rasha Thadani credits mom Raveena Tandon for inspiring her to get into wildlife photography

Childhood love continues...

While Rashas tryst with photography started only recently, she says even as a kid, she would always look for interesting things to capture. I used to have a small digital camera, and I would roam around my farmhouse trying to find interesting things to click. I would also have it with me around the house and suddenly go, Papa smile!, and try and get that on camera. I would take pictures of my daadi, my brother, my dogs... basically whatever I found around the house, I used to try and make a story of it., recounts Rasha, and quips, I now click pictures of Indian wildlife which is obviously a lot more interesting.

She also tells us that she looks up to wildlife photographers Varun Aditya, Shaaz Jung, Sarosh Lodhi for their stunning wildlife pictures. I see their posts every day and Im in awe of their talent and the beauty of the Indian jungle they capture. All their pictures have a sense of mystery and magic which somehow create a story in my mind, says Rasha, adding, Rudyard Kiplings Jungle book was one of my favourite books as a child. Mom also used to read us stories from Jim Corbetts books, these photographers somehow re-created those images in my head.

EXCLUSIVE: Rasha Thadani credits mom Raveena Tandon for inspiring her to get into wildlife photography

Tryst with the wildlife

Explaining what fascinates her the most while she is out there capturing animals, the photography enthusiast tells us, Photography is a lot about luck and timing. Having sightings with interesting behaviour is not something that happens every day. For example, I have never seen a kill happening, even though Im in the jungle very often. However, some beginners might have seen a kill even if they dont visit the forest very often. Timing is also important to capture the exact moment that you want. That split second of the tiger looking at you, or the bird opening its wings to fly. There is no retake in wildlife photography.

While Rasha has clicked several pictures in the woods, and is proud of each one of them, she singles out this one shot and calls it one of her favourite pictures from my collection.

Stating that it was very difficult to capture that shot, she shares, It was early morning, dawn, there was low light and Id spotted a cub walking in the distance towards us on the side of the main road. The cub then started moving into the forest and looked back at us for a second. His face lit up with a ray of sunlight in between two branches of a tree. It is by far one of the best pictures in my collection.

Camera girl, always!

From enjoying her time behind the camera to facing it for the first time, Rasha calls it surreal. As much as I love capturing moments behind the camera, I also love being in front of it. Ever since I was a child I used to ask my mom to film me dancing or singing. In fact, there are a few videos where Ive either recited a poem or sang a song and then said, Mama show me. I got the opportunity to work behind the camera at a pretty young age and it was an amazing experience., But, when I had to face the camera for the first time, I cant describe that feeling, she says, confessing that she was nervous, scared, but extremely excited all at the same time.

She goes on, Growing up, I had witnessed my mom flawlessly doing her parts in films, and that gave me a confidence boost to do the same. About my project, I dont really know what to say right now, and I guess the audience will have to wait and watch.

EXCLUSIVE: Rasha Thadani credits mom Raveena Tandon for inspiring her to get into wildlife photography

A pap favourite, but first, mamas daughter

As fans await Rashas first look from her debut film alongside Aaman Devgan (nephew of actor Ajay Devgn), she seems to be already enjoying spotlight as a favourite among the paparazzi. People have been really sweet and kind to me and Im just thankful for that. I am grateful for all the love and positivity Ive been receiving. Its slightly overwhelming at such an early age but I honestly love it, she tells us.

Ahead of her Bollywood debut, Rasha also asserts that she has there is a lot she has learnt from her mum, and she will continue to do so. My moms guidance is invaluable to me, not because shes an actor, but because shes my mom. She has handled herself with such grace and maturity, and I want to be like her 100%. She is my role model so of course I look up to her for everything, says Rasha, and mentions, I would still go to her for career advice even if she wasnt a part of the film industry. She always has my back and would always want the best for me.

Whats next in store?

The fact that Rasha has started shooting for her film, being directed by Abhishek Kapoor and slated to release in February 2024, she must be getting used to how the film industry functions: As of now, I love the fact that I can put my creative self out there. Ive always been a performing arts girl. Even through school, I was always the theatre girl, or the music girl. Ive just begun my journey and Im excited to see whats to unfold.

Speaking of any potential challenges that she thinks can come in the way, she adds, I think being from a film background predisposes you to a certain kind of expectation and pressure from the audience. I hope to live up to that expectation and I will try my best to make the audience happy.
Bradley Cooper has said that he thought his battle with drugs and alcohol would kill him. The 48-year-old actor opened up about the lows of his life in a recent episode of the National Geographic series Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge. Bradley Cooper arrives for the 2022 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022, in New York (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)(AFP)

You definitely had some wild years? survivalist Grylls, 49, asked Bradley. In terms of alcohol and drugs, yeah, but nothing to do with fame, Bradley replied. But I was lucky. I got sober at 29 years old, and Ive been sober for 19 years. Very lucky.

Bradley had previously said that he found comfort in substances after he severed his Achilles tendon and got fired/quit the series Alias back in 2003. He has opened up about his cocaine and alcohol addiction in the past.

I definitely had a nihilistic attitude towards life

Bradley said his journey towards recovery began after his then-roommate and actor Will Arnett sat him down and spoke with him in 2004. However, after his father died of lung cancer in 2011, Bradleys struggle with addiction began again. I definitely had a nihilistic attitude towards life after, just like I thought Im going to die,' he recalled. I dont know, it wasnt great for a little bit until I thought I have to embrace who I actually am and try to find a peace with that, and then it sort of evened out.

Bradley eventually survived the storm and went on to direct A Star Is Born, where he appeared opposite Lady Gaga. He played addict Jackson Maine.

It made it easier to be able to really enter in there, Bradley said of his Oscar-nominated performance in the 2018 film. And thank goodness I was at a place in my life where I was at ease with all of that so I could really let myself go.

He added, Ive been very lucky with the roles Ive had to play. Its been a real blessing. I hope I get to keep doing it. Bradley is set to appear in the Netflix film Maestro, a Leonard Bernstein biopic.
Celebs at the festivities

As per a report by Indiaglitz.com, actor Brahmanandam and his family celebrated the engagement ceremony of his younger son, Siddharth, and his fiance Aishwarya, recently. The event reportedly took place at the luxurious ITC Kohinoor Hotel in Hyderabad. The report added that Siddharth studied abroad and currently works in Hyderabad, while Aishwarya is a doctor.

Nandamuri Balakrishna, Pawan Kalyan and Aadi Saikumar's family, among others, graced the event. Photos of Pawan Kalyan posing with the couple and other family members on the stage surfaced online.

Actor Ram Charan and Upasana also attended the event, making it their first public appearance since they were spotted outside a Hyderabad hospital after Upasana gave birth to the couple's first child together, daughter Klin Kaara, in June this year. Upasana wore a pink saree for the bash, while Ram was in a white shirt and brown trousers.

Apart from celebrities, former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana chief minister KCR and minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav also marked their presence at the event, reported Republic World.

About Brahmanandam

The actor, comedian and voice actor is known for his work predominantly in Telugu cinema. In 2009, he was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, for his contribution to films and art. Brahmanandam is reportedly one of the highest-paid comic actors in India, as per a Zee News report in June 2023.

He made his television debut in 1985 with DD Telugu's Pakapakalu. The first film he acted in was Sri Tatavataram, the second film was Satyagraham, and the third one was Aha Naa Pellanta. In a career spanning over 35 years, he has garnered six state Nandi Awards, one Filmfare Award South, and six CineMAA Awards.

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Elvish Yadav created history after his recent Instagram Live on Saturday became the most viewed Instagram Live in India. The Youtuber, who emerged as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT Season 2, did an Instagram Live that was attended by over 5,95,000 viewers on Saturday. The session crashed soon after heavy traffic, but it also levelled out the previous record created by Bigg Boss 16 winner MC Stan. (Also read: Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav claims he received '280 million votes in just 15 minutes' during grand finale. Watch) Elvish Yadav thanked his fans for creating the Instagram Live record.

Elvish's Instagram Live breaks record

On Saturday, Elvish did an Instagram Live that was attended by over 5.95 lakh people. According to the Twitter account Bigg Boss Tak, a post read, "Elvish Yadav Insta LIVE Crashed. Elvish breaks all records and has India's Maximum Insta Live watching (595,000+). His Live also entered in World Top 10 rank." The post also shared a video of Elvish thanking all his fans for creating this record. He said in his Instagram Stories, "Guys abhi abhi aap logo ne dekha... pata lag gaya ki jaise mera live crash hua... phone load nahi le pa raha.. Instagram crash ho gaya (Just as you all must have noticed, that my live was crashed, my phone was unable to load. Instagram also crashed).

What Elvish said

"But good news is humne India ka record tod diya aur hum number 1 pe aa gaye hein... all thanks to you aap log na hote toh na ye record tut ta na tumhara bhai hota kuch bhi. Dhanyavaad sabhi logon ka (the good news is that we broke the record created in India and are now number 1. all thanks to you. If it weren't for you all this record would not have broken neither would your brother reach this far. Thank you all)." The previous record was held by Bigg Boss 16 winner MC Stan, whose live was attended by 5.41 lakh viewers.

In an interview with Hindustan Times after winning the show, Elvish had shared, "I knew jeetunga toh mai hi (I knew I was going to win) maybe. Abhishek (Malhan) was quite strong. He was in the house since the beginning with the support of his million followers. It was like uske jeetne ke chances hai poore poore (he had a fair chance). But, I never said that I will be a one-sided winner. He had also revealed that he got 28 crore votes in just 15 minutes.

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Eldoret  Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has assured governors of Kenya Kwanza government's commitment to protect the devolved system of governance and strengthen the partnership with them.

Speaking on Friday when he closed the 8th Devolution Conference in Eldoret, the Deputy President said Devolution is well entrenched in the Ruto administration's agenda, promising to strengthen the partnership with the devolved governments.

"We have no room for a failed Devolution because it is the anchor of the Kenya Kwanza Transformation Agenda," said the DP.

He said the administration is ready to work with Governors in spite of their political affiliations.

"We are ready to work with the county governments from all political formations because we serve the same people," said Mr Gachagua.

He said national administrators have been directed to cultivate a good working relationship with all leaders nationally and in the counties.

The Deputy President also said the national government will endeavour to disburse county allocations on time saying within a year in office all pending funds had been disbursed.

He said the earlier criticism on the scrapping of the Ministry of Devolution was unwarranted as President William Ruto had put the intergovernmental affairs under the DP's office.

"The President elevated Devolution and placed it under the Office of the Deputy President. In this regard, Devolution enjoys a direct ear to President Ruto from his Principal Assistant," Mr Gachagua added.

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He praised the partnership with the counties saying it will continue to blossom under the Ruto administration.

He said they had played a big role in distribution of subsidised fertilizer, fight against Illicit brew, drug and substance abuse.

"As we expect a bumper harvest this year, counties were key in the last mile delivery of over 3 million bags of subsidised fertiliser to our farmers in at least 40 devolved units," Mr Gachagua emphasized.

He also said they had partnered in the reforms in the Coffee, Tea, Dairy, and other key subsectors.

The DP also said the government will intensify the fight against corruption without using it as a political weapon as happened previously.

"There is no corruption for national or county government. Corruption is corruption. This government will deal with corruption in the national government, in the counties and across the country," he said. - DPPs
From a chance to fall in love with a K-drama star and script your own love story, to seeking love on a deserted island? From surviving a zombie disaster to being part of fly on the wall conversations into the excessive life of the rich and the famous? The bets are high on reality TV and unscripted is the way to go as Netflix unveiled its impressive slate of shows and content strategy in Seoul. (Also read: Depp vs Heard docuseries: Social media clowns get unmasked as true villains of a marriage on trial?) Netflix has got a long list of unscripted content up for release.

In 2022 , over 75 percent members across Asia Pacific watched unscripted content. A broad and diverse category which includes reality and variety shows, docu-series,and comedy sketches. Navigating the lives of real people and their situations has found a resonance with viewers across countries.

Minyoung Kim, VP Content, Netflix APAC observes though its unusual for unscripted shows to travel beyond the home country, given the socio cultural disparities, recent successes of dating shows like Singles Inferno (Korea), Love Village (Japan), Indian Matchmaking (India), The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives (India), as well as Physical 100 (Korea) found global popularity, validating the success for the genre.

Real people in unpredictable situations and uncertainty unfolding on screens is riveting for audiences who can witness, and place themselves into their live. The gamification of survival arises from the hyper individualistic societies, which has made competitive survival a huge draw. The mega success of Squid Games, will soon see a Squid Game, The Challenge with the biggest cash prize, of $4:56 million, on reality TV.

The cast for The Devil's Plan.

The super popular South Korean show Physical 100, is another variant of the survival game format with a large cash prize. As 100 people from all walks of life, male and female, took on the brutal challenge to prove their physical might, the show rose to the number one position in global ranking earlier this year, a first for a Korean reality series.

Physical 100, gears up for a bigger and more ruthless challenge in its second edition. With a larger female participation and contestants from diverse backgrounds.

Creator Jang Ho Gi says, The timeline for the new season is the 1950s & 60s. It was a time when mankind faced fierce competition and had to live and fight against injustice. That apart, we also address what does a perfect human physique mean? He further adds, What's really important is that when the viewers watch it they should feel and anticipate the challenges on screen, something they can experience too. If things which have not been seen before are showcased, its an immediate disconnect.

Lessons learnt from the previous season, when there were a few scandals related to the participants, has led to stringent background checks as well as mind sessions with psychologists.

It's a well known fact, no one does zombies better than Korea. The ongoing Zombieverse takes participants on a quest for survivingg a 'real' zombie apocalypse. Park Jin Kyung, the show creator observes, "Korea has a range of variety shows as well as well known zombie scripted dramas and films, so we decided to merge the two streams together with this. A reality version of The Walking Dead, it gives you the chills and thrills sans the jump scare moment. If you can suspend disbelief as the survivors do, then the show gives you the much needed wild ride.

If real life dating is tedious, reality dating is a huge draw among viewers. Singles Inferno, where flirty singles seek love on a deserted island, returns with a Season 3, with the promise of being more raw and hotter. As well as The Devils Plan, a mind game with 12 contestants that also features SEVENTEENs Sungkwan, comes with a whopping prize money of 500 million Korean Won, roughly over 3 crore.

KDramas have given love and dating a whole new meaning, and riding high on its success is a quirky Japanese dating show Love Like a K Drama. An innovative hybrid format which sees four Korean actors and four Japanese actresses pair up to land lead roles in Kdramas. Unscripted content comprised 70% of the linear programming in Japan in 2022, with unconventional dating shows and sketch comedy being popular amongst viewers.

The countrys rapidly ageing population may present concerns, but reality romance brings cheer. Love Village featured ordinary people aged 35 to 60 seeking love, and is back with a season 2.

While in Lighthouse musician-actor Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayu Wakabayashi, embark on a candid conversation of their struggles, and fears with viewers.

Dai Ota, executive producer, reveals Japan's long history with unscripted, and a wide range of tried-and-tested formats, has led them to experiment with hybrid and mixed genres. Closer home, nothing works better than Bollywood. The glossy window into the The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives gears up for its third innings.

True crime being another favourite genre, the success of House Of Secrets, explored the many theories around the death of a family. The latest docu series The Hunt For Veerappan unravels Indias longest and costliest manhunt for Indias most wanted criminal. The show, which has opened to rave reviews, explores the enigma and influence of Indias most wanted criminal.

Apoorva Bakshi , writer and producer of the show says, We wanted to tell every facet of his story. We had to convince his wife Muthulakshmi to speak to us. She was born into the world, she gives representation to the female perspective, she brought in a lyrical tone to the telling. She tells us how he became the man he did, and despite the violence he inflicted on people, there was clear understanding on what be believed. In documentaries there are uncertainties, and surprises, documentary writing is a category that needs to be homed and nurtured across the world.

Looking ahead we took a right swing with non fiction which we started building four years ago.Its given us a head-start amongst competition since we were the first, its also helped us helped build franchisees as we go ahead with returning seasons and we are building a comedy vertical and a documentary genre as well, says Tanya Bami, director series, Netflix India.

So as actor Nayanthara gears up to divulge details of her marriage to co-star Vignesh in Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale. Indian Raps enfant terrible Honey Singh explores his rise and fall in the documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh.

In times of plateauing subscribers and streaming clashes, the only way to script success is being unscripted.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are looking forward to the release of their new Netflix show Heart of Invictus. Ahead of the release of the documentary on August 30, a report by The Mirrror claims how the couple is entering 'a new chapter of their lives' which is away from the royal drama, one that ensures that their new show is received by viewers positively. (Also read: Prince Harry has zero communication with King Charles III and Prince William, claims royal expert) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (AP Photo)

Harry and Meghan aiming for a new chapter

Heart of Invictus, their new documentary, follows international competitors at the Invictus Games, which is an event that was founded by Harry in 2014 and aids wounded and injured servicemen and women. Royal expert and PR expert Kieran Elsby has told The Mirror, "Harry and Meghan are in a new chapter of their lives, distancing themselves from their former roles as senior members of the royal family. Their professional pursuits have expanded to encompass a diverse array of initiatives, whilst some have worked, many have not."

Focus of Heart of Invictus to be on Invictus Games

Explaining further on how both of them are eagerly working to not get involved in any further royal drama and focusing on the documentary, she said, "It is critical that the public reception of Heart of Invictus enhances their public image in a positive light. If as expected the documentary focuses around the Invictus Games, as a whole they will avoid creating any new royal dramas. That in itself is a wise strategy."

About Heart of Invictus

Meanwhile, the trailer of Heart of Invictus was released on Wednesday. In the opening of the trailer, Prince Harry says, It is here at the Invictus Games that you realize: Whatever you carry, it was the springboard that propelled you to the next level." The 5-episode series will chronicle the stories of competitors as they prepare for the 2020 Invictus Games in The Hague, the Netherlands. The event was ultimately delayed until April 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prince Harry said in a statement that read, "This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year. As Archewell Productions first series with Netflix, in partnership with The Invictus Games Foundation, I couldnt be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.

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About 12 per cent of sitting MPs of Rajya Sabha are billionaires with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana having the highest percentage of such parliamentarians, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms. New Delhi: Members sit in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Friday.(PTI)

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW) have analysed and updated the criminal, financial and other background details of 225 out of 233 Rajya Sabha MPs.

In the current Rajya Sabha, one seat is vacant.

According to the report, 5 (45 per cent) out of 11 MPs from Andhra Pradesh, 3 (43 per cent) out of 7 MPs from Telangana, 3 (16 per cent) out of 19 MPs from Maharashtra, 1 (33 per cent) out of 3 MPs from Delhi, 2 (29 per cent) out of 7 MPs from Punjab, 1 (20 per cent) out of 5 MPs from Haryana and 2 (18 per cent) out of 11 MPs from Madhya Pradesh have declared assets worth more than 100 crore.

The total assets of seven Members of Parliament (MPs) analysed from Telangana is 5,596 crore, that of 11 MPs from Andhra Pradesh is 3,823 crore, and 30 MPs analysed from Uttar Pradesh have total assets worth 1,941 crore.

'33% with criminal cases'

Out of the 225 Rajya Sabha sitting MPs analysed, 75 (33 per cent) have declared criminal cases against themselves.

Also about 41 (18 per cent) Rajya Sabha sitting MPs have declared serious criminal cases and two members have declared cases related to murder (IPC section 302).

Four Rajya Sabha sitting MPs have declared cases related to crimes against women.

Out of 4 MPs, one Rajya Sabha sitting MP -- Congress' K C Venugopal -- from Rajasthan has declared case related to rape (IPC section 376).

About 23 (27 per cent) out of 85 Rajya Sabha MPs from BJP, 12 (40 per cent) out of 30 MPs from Congress, 4 (31 per cent) out of 13 MPs from AITC, 5 (83 per cent) out of 6 MPs from RJD, 4 (80 per cent) out of 5 MPs from CPI(M), 3 (30 per cent) out of 10 MPs from AAP, 3 (33 per cent) out of 9 MPs from YSRCP, and 2 (67 per cent) out of 3 Rajya Sabha MPs from the NCP have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for stirring the row over Rahul Gandhi's proposed candidature in the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi constituency and asked why the party is worried as to which candidate will contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the general election. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury(PTI)

He said be it Priyanka Gandhi or others from the kin, anybody can contest against the Prime Minister and hinted the saffron party need not 'concern' itself over this.

Anybody can contest against the Prime Minister be it Priyanka Gandhi or any other Gandhi...If the Prime Minister stays so carefree then why is his (PM Modi) party so concerned as to which candidate will stand opposite him? he asked.

A political slugfest ensued moments after newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai claimed that the former party chief will contest from his erstwhile constituency. He also said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can decide to contest 2024 from Varanasi or any other constituency.

Rai later reiterated his claim and said, It is the demand of the Congress workers and the public there...Congress workers want to work on their shortcomings to make sure Rahul Gandhi wins from Amethi. Congress workers demand that Priyanka Gandhi be established as a strong leader. It is their (Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi) personal decision on where to contest from. We will give our best performance to ensure their win.

BJP hit out at Congress alleging the Gandhi-Nehru family of treating Amethi constituency as their private property. "Congress treated that constituency (Amethi) as their family's private property and kept chewing the people like chewing gum. Now people won't forgive them," former Union minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.

To this, Congress leader Harish Rawat defended Rahul Gandhi referring Amethi as his natural seat.

Currently, the 53-year-old leader is an MP from Kerala's Wayanad constituency. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi seat in 2009 and 2014 elections.
Raipur: Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced a list of guarantees for the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh ahead of the upcoming state elections and said that unlike others, his assurances were not empty promises made in a fake manifesto. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann during a public meeting, in Raipur on Saturday. (PTI)

Addressing a convention of party workers in Raipur along with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Kejriwal said they didnt enter politics to make money but to bring holistic development.

Today I am giving you ten guarantees, which are not like a fake manifesto or sankalp patra. Kejriwal will die (if it comes to it) but fulfil these promises, he said, and released a guarantee card with details of nine promises, adding that the tenth guarantee will cater to farmers and tribals but he will reveal it during his next visit. The guarantees rolled out by Kejriwal included 24-hour uninterrupted power supplyfree up to 300 unitsto every household, waiver of pending electricity bills till November 2023, 1,000 monthly samman rashi (honorarium) to all women aged above 18 years and free quality school education.

I have never seen, in 76 years of independent India, a political party that has sought votes from people by promising to build good schools and hospitals. AAP is the only party that talks about these issues. We havent entered politics to make money, he added.

The AAP entered the electoral fray in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 assembly elections, fielding candidates in 85 of the total 90 seats, but drew a blank with a vote share of 0.9%.

The AAP and the Congress are both part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, a group of 26 opposition parties that aims to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance in the next general elections.

On Wednesday, a war of words erupted between the Congress and the AAP after Alka Lamba, a Congress leader from Delhi who was formerly with the AAP, said that the party high command asked the state unit to prepare to fight in all seven seats in the Capital in the 2024 LS elections. Her remarks were later refuted by the Congresss Delhi in-charge Deepak Babaria. Apart from Delhi and Punjab, the AAPs possible expansion plan in poll-bound states such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan could also be a deal-breaker between the two sides, a Congress leader earlier said on condition of anonymity.

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday slammed Kejriwal for his visit to Chhattisgarh and asked for a debate to compare the performance of the previous Congress government in Delhi with the incumbent AAP government.

Why go to Raipur? Performance of our Chhattisgarh government will be compared with the previous Raman Singh govt. Let us choose a sector of your choice and compare the performance of the Congress government in Delhi vs your govt here. Ready for a debate? Pawan Khera said in a post on X (formerly called Twitter).

(With agency inputs)
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former union minister Rajen Gohain has resigned as the chairman of Assam Food and Civil Supplies Corporation in protest against the delimitation of the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, which he has represented four times. Gohain also claimed it will be impossible for the party to win from that seat in the future. BJP leader Rajen Gohain after resigning from the cabinet rank, outside Janata Bhawan, in Guwahati, Friday.(PTI)

Nobody should be given absolute power in the party's state unit, news agency PTI quoted Gohain as saying.

After taking the decision, the former minister of state for railways said his discussions with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma regarding the delimitation did not bring any positive outcome.

In a letter to Sarma on Friday, Gohain said the recent delimitation process has rendered the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency "unwinnable for BJP candidates in the future and has also put the people of the constituency under threat due to demographic change".

"Despite having numerous rounds of discussions with you, I am afraid that my concerns and deep dissatisfaction on the way the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency has been constituted did not bring any change whatsoever," his letter to Sarma read, reported PTI.

Gohain said he had also informed Union home minister Amit Shah of his concerns and he was told to give his recommendations in writing.

I did (that) the very next day but unfortunately it did not bring any positive outcome.... I feel betrayed and almost disrespected that a senior member like myself was not heard by his own party leaders on a genuine concern for the party's benefit, his letter further read.

In his letter, Gohain said it is with great sadness that he has resigned with immediate effect as the chairman of the corporation which is a cabinet-rank post.

I have been a very obedient soldier of the party for over 25 years and also represented the Nagaon Lok Sabha seat for four consecutive terms which is a span of 20 years and I think my experience on this matter should have been counted for and my concerns for the safety and identity of my people should be respected, he said.

Later talking to reporters, Gohain said the recent delimitation regarding the assembly constituencies was correct and secure for the indigenous population, but the Nagaon parliamentary constituency has been "a gift" to opposition parties.

(With PTI inputs)
UP Congress chief Ajay Rai's claim that Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in the 2024 general elections has triggered a flurry of reactions, with the BJP alleging that the Gandhi-Nehru family has treated the constituency as their private property. BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Gandhis treated the people of Amethi like chewing gum and now expecting forgiveness with the family toffee. Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.(ANI)

"Congress treated that constituency (Amethi) as their family's private property and kept chewing the people like chewing gum. Now people won't forgive them," Naqvi told ANI.

If they think they can get maafi for family taaffee (toffee), it is not going to happen, the former union minister added.

Congress leader Rashid Alvi claimed that Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in his bastion in 2019, will lose her security deposit if the Wayanad MP contests from Amethi next year.

If Rahul Gandhi contests from Amethi, Smriti Irani will even lose her security deposit. She might leave Amethi, but I request BJP not let her run away, Alvi said.

The former parliamentarian also claimed that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go back to Gujarat if Priyanka Gandhi contests from Varanasi.

Congress leader Harish Rawat said Amethi is Rahul Gandhi's 'natural seat' but he will also fight from Wayanad because it supported him at the time of crisis.

The claims and counterclaims are trickling in after the newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president on Friday said Rahul Gandhi will contest the coming Lok Sabha election from Amethi.

Reiterating his claim on Saturday, Rai said, It is the demand of the Congress workers and the public there...Congress workers want to work on their shortcomings to make sure Rahul Gandhi wins from Amethi. Congress workers demand that Priyanka Gandhi be established as a strong leader. It is their (Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi) personal decision on where to contest from. We will give our best performance to ensure their win.

When asked if he will again contest against PM Modi from Varanasi, Rai, who had unsuccessfully contested from the high-profile constituency in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, said, I am standing in front of you. The rest is to the party high command and INDIA bloc to decide.

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Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader CT Ravi on Saturday held a meeting with party legislator ST Somashekar, amid speculation of the latter switching over to the Congress, and warned the ruling party in Karnataka of strong retaliation if it tried any misadventure. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader CT Ravi, who spoke with Yeshwanthpur MLA Somashekar for over an hour, said the party is ready to address any concerns raised by the leader. (PTI)

Read here: 'Anyone can contest against PMwhy is BJP worried': Congress leader on Rahul Gandhi's name in 2024 polls

Ravi, who spoke with Yeshwanthpur MLA Somashekar for over an hour, said the party is ready to address any concerns raised by the leader.

Its true that he is somewhat disgruntled, but its not something we cant resolve. From the partys end, we are ready to resolve it, and there is no question of him leaving the party, Ravi told reporters in Bengaluru.

The state BJP leadership has been trying to reach out to party leaders amid speculations that a few of them were in talks with the Congress. On Friday, veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa convened a meeting of party MLAs from Bengaluru. However, Somashekar and Bhyrati Basavaraj, the KR Pura legislator, were conspicuous by their absence from the meeting.

After the meeting, Yediyurappa had said: No one will leave the party, all are intact with us. There are one or two people. We have spoken to them also. I believe no one will leave the party.

Earlier this week, Somashekar praised deputy chief minister and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar and hailed him as his political guru, adding to the speculation about his future move.

Ravi, the former BJP national general secretary, also warned the Congress of strong retaliation if it tried to poach leaders from the opposition party.

I want to tell Congress people  you won the election, securing 135 seats, and independents are also supporting your government, so focus on providing good administration. If you try to do too much, we know how to do Operation Hasta  the hand, which is Congress symbol  (like Operation Lotus). If we engage in it, you know what will be the consequence, Ravi said.

The Congress need not worry about numbers as it has a clear majority, despite that if it tries to play too much, the situation will be bad, and advised the ruling party not to bring itself to such a situation.

You (Congress) have a clear majority, give good administration for which the people have voted to power, instead of that if you try to do something unnecessary, we are not the sort of people who will remain silent, and if we take action  I can say this much  you will not be able to recover If they (Congress) cross limits it is not right for me to say what we will do, but one can touch and feel it, he added.

Ravis comments came amid speculations that the Congress was looking at inducting leaders from other parties in the southern state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress insiders said the party is particularly keen to strengthen its prospect in the Bengaluru North constituency. We currently lack clarity on whether any talks have occurred, but these MLAs have given indications. If three [BJP] MLAsByrathi Basavaraj, ST Somashekar, and Munirathnajoin hands with the Congress, it would enhance the partys chances of victory in Bengaluru North, a senior Congress leader said, requesting anonymity. Currently, all our efforts are focused on the Lok Sabha elections.

States agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, meanwhile, claimed that 10 to 15 opposition leaders from the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP would join the Congress in coming days.

Their names and numbers will be revealed later, he told reporters, adding those who are likely to join the Congress include both sitting and former legislators.

Read here: Talk of Amethi seat for Rahul sparks Congress clamour, BJP ire

When asked about the possible return of those who had quit the party and joined the BJP, leading to the collapse of then Congress-JD(S) government, the minister said discussions about their entry into the party were underway.

On Friday, state Congress chief Shivakumar had said that doors of the party were open to those who wished to rejoin it. In politics, anything can happen, he replied to a question whether the party would accommodate those who wished to return.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arun Dev Arun Dev is an Assistant Editor with the Karnataka bureau of Hindustan Times. A journalist for over 10 years, he has written extensively on crime and politics. ...view detail
New Delhi A team of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel is likely to be posted near Thawai Kuki village, where three village guards, all members of the tribal Kuki community, were killed by armed miscreants on Friday morning, according to people aware of the matter. Security personnel fire tear gas shells to disperse those protesting for withdrawal of central forces, in Imphal East on August 16. (AFP)

Security forces are combing the jungles of the adjoining hills, where the armed miscreants are believed to be hiding, but the attackers are still absconding, the people said.

Read here: Over 200 Meiteis return from Myanmar, Manipur CM's big shout-out to Indian Army

Fridays violence marked the first killings in the state in 13 days, breaking the fragile peace established in a state where clashes between the dominant Meitei community and the tribal Kuki community has killed at least 155 people and displaced another 50,000 people.

The likely deployment of the BSF comes on a day when Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh sought an explanation and ordered an inquiry from Churachandpur deputy commissioner over the display of weapons at an Independence Day parade in the hill district -- a development that is further adding to the tension in the ethnic violence-hit state.

The photos and videos of the function showed young men, who were part of the parade, in combat fatigue carrying what appears to be sophisticated weapons.

The CM has sought a report on how people were carrying arms and also displaying in public. This was not the district administrations official August 15 parade but was organised by Zomi Council Steering Committee at the Churachandpur ground, said an official of the state government aware of the matter.

But the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum(ITLF), an influential umbrella group of tribal bodies, denied the allegations. Ginza Vualzong, spokesperson of the ITLF said the people who participated in the parade were village volunteers. The guns carried by village volunteers are toy guns or wooden guns, Vualzong said.

Churachandpur is a hill district where most residents are Kukis. Kukis live in the hill districts while Meiteis are predominantly residents of plains and valley such as Imphal. The Kuki groups have accused chief minister N Biren Singh, who is a Meitei, of bias. The tribal groups accused Singhs police force(largely consisting of Meiteis) of bias and attacking Kukis.

Last week, 10 Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribals MLAs of Manipur submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to create separate posts for chief secretary and director general of police for the five hills districts for Kuki and other tribal groups.

On Saturday, security forces continued to search for the armed miscreants who came to Thuwai Kuki village in Ukhrul at around 4.30am and killed the three village guards -- Thangkhokai Haokip(35), Jamkhogin Haokip(26) and Hollenson Baithe(24).

The search operation was carried out till late night on Friday. It was resumed again today. Based on intelligence reports, we are looking for the miscreants in other places too, said an officer of the Assam Rifles.

Gigin, the local Ukhrul President of the Kuki students Organisation (KSO), said a meeting was held with the villagers, KSO workers, and police on Friday night.

The district SP who had come for the funeral on Friday night has assured us that a BSF team will be posted near the village. Thuwai Kuki village was never attacked all these months so everyone assumed that it would not be targeted. But things have changed now. Even those armed militants who killed the three villagers must be hiding in the jungle, Gigin said.

There are around 50 houses, all inhabited by Kuki families, in the village.

SP, (Ukhrul) Nigshem Vashum confirmed that police have requested for a company of BSF personnel to be posted in the village and nearby areas.

The attackers approached the village from the hills located to the east, and fired at the three village guards. The killers also mutilated the bodies before fleeing the spot. The bunker where the bodies were found, police said, is located around 1km from village. They added that there are no credible eyewitness of the incident.

Read here: 3 killed as ambush ends Manipurs fragile peace

The violence in Manipur, raging since May 3, sparked a nationwide outcry last month after a 30-second video clip showed a brutal May 4 sexual assault where a group of men  a first information report (FIR) later identified them as Meiteis  were seen hooting and applauding while stripping two Kuki women and forcing them to parade naked. The horrific clip prompted the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the case and announce that it will monitor all cases of violence against women during the ethnic clashes. The top court also ordered the setting up of a high-powered committee, comprising three retired women high court judges, that will visit the strife-torn state and report back on the efficacy of rescue, relief and rehabilitation measures.

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As the Congress party commenced the preparations for the upcoming elections to the Telangana assembly by inviting applications from aspiring candidates Friday onwards, analysts say the party is facing an uphill task to come to power, braving a tough fight with two powerful contenders  the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress has to cross the figure of 60 seats in the 119-member state assembly to come to power. (ANI)

In a triangular contest, the Congress has to cross the magic figure of 60 seats in the 119-member state assembly to come to power. However, the party leaders themselves admit that they have to work really hard to reach the figure.

A senior Congress leader, seeking anonymity, said a latest study done by Mindshare Analytics, a political consultancy firm headed by Sunil Kanugolu and hired by the party to work out its poll strategies in Telangana, indicated that the Congress could win 41 assembly seats with comfortable margins.

In another 42 seats, it has to face a tough battle with the BRS and the BJP. In the remaining 36 seats, the party has little scope to win any seats. So, if the Congress can win at least 20 seats in the second category, it can come to power, the party leader, quoting the Kanugolu team report, said.

The report, he said, was submitted to All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K C Venugopal when he came to Hyderabad in the first week of August to address a meeting of the PCC political affairs committee (PAC). The Kanugolu team said it is not impossible to reach the magic figure, if the party leaders put in an extra effort in the coming days, the Congress leader said.

Venugopal told the PAC leaders that the focus of the party should be on securing a decisive victory, banking on our collective strength and strategic approach.

According to G Muralikrishna, an analyst from Peoples Pulse, a Hyderabad-based political research group, in the last three decades, the Congress had never won majority seats in the Telangana region, whether it was during the combined Andhra Pradesh period or after the formation of a separate state.

The highest number of seats the Congress had won in the region was 50 in the 2009 assembly elections, when the Telangana movement was at its peak. So, it never touched the magic future of 60 in the region, he said.

He pointed out that despite granting statehood to Telangana in 2014, the position of the Congress had turned from bad to worse in the 2014 and 2018 elections. While as many as 51 BRS MLAs got more than 50% of votes in the 2018 elections, only six Congress MLAs could achieve this feat.

Especially in Greater Hyderabad and adjacent Ranga Reddy districts, which account for 24 out of 119 assembly seats in the state, the Congress has no representation. Though it won three assembly seats in 2018 in rural constituencies of Ranga Reddy district  Chevella, Maheshwaram and L B Nagar, all of these three MLAs defected to the BRS within a few months.

Even in the local body elections held in Telangana, the party put up a miserable show. In the 2019 local body elections, the Congress could win only 75 Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTCs) , 1,377 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTCs) and 2,709 gram panchayats. On the other hand, the BRS won 446 ZPTCs, 3556 MPTCs and 7774 gram panchayats; while the BJP stood a poor third with just 8 ZPTCs, 211 MPTCs and 163 gram panchayats, the elections data stated.

In the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation elections held in December 2020 , too, the Congress put up a miserable show by winning only two corporator seats in the 150-member corporation.

The main reason for the poor show of the Congress party at the hustings is lack of a credible and strong mass leader, who can match up to the stature of KCR [K Chandrashekar Rao]. That was the reason why the people had voted for the TRS [now known as BRS] in 2014 elections, though it was the Congress who granted statehood to Telangana, Muralikrishna said.

Another political analyst and author Sriram Karri, however, said in spite all its inherent weaknesses, the Congress still has the chances of coming to power in Telangana. The question is whether or not the people want to bring the Congress to power in the coming elections; it is whether or not they want to vote the BRS to power for a third successive term. If they dont want the BRS, the next best option is only the Congress, not the BJP, Karri said.

He said the upcoming elections in Telangana are going to be a tough and an interesting battle. Going by the field reports, the young voters are not very happy with the BRS government due to lack of employment opportunities and growing corruption; while the women and middle-aged voters are favouring the BRS because of welfare schemes. If the Congress can attract even a small percentage of the BRS vote bank, it can come to power with a comfortable margin, Karri said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Srinivasa Rao Apparasu Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience. ...view detail
On her visit to DR Congo earlier in August, the United States under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland condemned hate speech targeted at Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese communities, the US embassy in the country said on Friday.

In a statement, the US embassy in Kinshasa said Nuland met with senior government leaders and "unconditionally condemned hate speech against minority populations including Rwandophones."

The United Nations office for the prevention of genocide has since November 2022 documented the dissemination of hate speech, polarisation of identity and systematic attacks, including sexual violence against certain communities in eastern DR Congo, such as that of Banyalenge in South Kivu province.

The UN also warned the violence in eastern DR Congo could spiral into a genocide.

Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for nearly three decades and remains home to 130 local and foreign-armed groups.

The Congolese armed forces have been fighting against the M23 rebel group in North Kivu.

While the rebels have demanded for direct peace with Kinshasa, the latter has dismissed the M23, calling it a terrorist movement.

While in Kinshasa, Nuland "affirmed that the best solution to the crisis in Eastern DRC is diplomatic and expressed appreciation for the engagement of regional leaders through their mediation in the Luanda and Nairobi processes. These efforts have generated a road map for rapid progress towards a diplomatic, lasting solution," the US embassy said.

The M23 insurgency also affected DR Congo's relations with Rwanda, after Kinshasa accused Kigali of supporting the rebels. Rwanda has dismissed the accusations.

On the other hand, Rwanda accused DR Congo of cooperating with the FDLR militia, a blacklisted terrorist group created and controlled by elements linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of more than a million people.

The current violence eastern DR Congo mainly stems from armed groups such as the FDLR, which is still active in the country and spreads anti-Tutsi ideology.

Rwanda has for years called on the Congolese leadership to solve the FDLR question, which not only threatens Rwanda's security but also DR Congo internal security, especially the Tutsi communities.
The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Centre over the alleged discrepancies in the Udan scheme, saying that the Union governments scheme did not worked on 93% routes. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (File Photo)

Citing the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit reports, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter): Modi governments promise to travel by air wearing slippers has turned into air like all their promises! We are not saying this, CAG report is saying this!

He added that the scheme did not work on 93% of routes.

Kharges dig referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis earlier comments on the low-cost airfares of the Shimla-Delhi flight when he had said that it is his dream to see a person wearing slippers fly in an airplane.

Hawai Chappal-wearing common citizens should be able to travel in Hawai Jahaj. I am seeing it happening, PM Modi had said as he highlighted that Indias aviation market is growing rapidly.

Raising questions on the lack of transparency in the scheme, Kharge said, There was no independent audit of the airlines either. The much-publicised Helicopter services also remained stalled. Didnt get Udaan, just lies and jumlas!

Kharge added that the country would not forgive such an incompetent government after this.

UDAN is a regional connectivity scheme launched in 2016 to develop affordability regional air connectivity and refurbish underserved airports.

According to a CAG report presented in Parliament during the recently concluded Monsoon Session, of 371 commenced routes, only 30% (112 routes) completed the full concession period of three years.

Further, out of these 112 routes, only 54 routes connecting 17 RCS [Regional Connectivity Scheme] airports could sustain the operations beyond the concession period of three years, as of March 2023, said the report.

The report also highlighted significant delays in the development or refurbishment of identified RCS airports out of the budgetary support sanctioned by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in March 2017.

Out of the 116 airports/ heliports/water aerodromes where expenditure was incurred, operations commenced at only 71 (61%) airports/heliports/water aerodromes, the CAG report added.

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Reduced precipitation during the south-west monsoon and higher temperatures are changing living conditions across northeast India, particularly in strife-torn Manipur, which is facing a large rainfall deficiency of 48% since June 1 this year. Rainfall has been declining in Manipur for the past 10 years. The strife-torn northeastern state is facing a large rainfall deficiency of 48% since June 1 this year. (AP)

Read here: Delhi crosses annual rain mark, Gurugram flooded again amid downpour

From an epoch of excess monsoon rain until around the mid to late 1990s and a period of normal rainfall till the early 2000s, rainfall in northeast India between June and September has shown a sharp decline in recent years, annual reports of the India Meteorological Department show.

In Manipur, the impact is more pronounced, with nearly 50% decline from the long-period average between 1961 to 2010; over Nagaland the reduction is up to 20%.

The weather bureaus state- wise annual climate report for 2022, which document long-term trends, show a 0.5 degree Celsius warming compared to the 1981 to 2010 base period. With its unique biodiversity and several tribal indigenous groups sharing the landscape, the northeastern states have become a climate hotspot.

Our analysis of long-term rainfall trends (1950s onwards) also shows a declining trend in rainfall over parts of northeast states, including north Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and east Assam. This may be due to the weak inland reach of monsoon flow and depressions in the recent decades, said Roxy Mathew Koll, climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune. Based on our research, the rapid warming in the Indian Ocean is a key contributor to the weakening monsoon flow over the larger Indian subcontinent. Its possible that the same applies for the northeast states, though we need a detailed region focused study.

Declining rainfall is impacting paddy growing valley regions in Manipur and its supply to the hill regions.

Paddy is not viable any more in many regions. In Manipur, agriculture is rain-fed. Hill regions have already moved to horticulture and the valley regions are now shifting to pisciculture,said T. Brajakumar Singh, Deputy Director, Directorate of Environment, Manipur. We have recommended shifting to certain climate- resilient crops.

Slope agriculture is particularly badly impacted because of high erosion during extreme rainfall and very poor soil fertility, Singh said. Reduction in rainfall has been impacting people seriously in the past 5-6 years. This year, there is also conflict and fear.

There has to be a change in cropping patterns to food security concerns, he added.In Manipur, there is a 48% rain deficiency this season, which is huge. Churachandpur has 86% deficiency, Chandel 82% and Tamenglong 50%. This has obviously impacted agriculture and food severely, Singh said.

Rainfall has been declining in Manipur for the past 10 years, according to Indubhushan, president of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in Manipur. Representatives of the farmers organisation called on Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey and requested supply of alternate crop seeds, saying that paddy cultivation in the state was lower by 30% due to scanty rainfall, according to a tweet by the Raj Bahawan on August 9.

Farmers near hill regions are also often caught in crossfire (of the ethnic conflict), said Singh. That has also impacted agriculture. There has been long delays in sowing due to scanty rainfall and ethnic violence, he added.

There is a huge gap in understanding and documenting how climate change is impacting lives of people in the northeast, said said Nemthianngai Guite, associate professor, School of Social Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Climate change has definitely increased the vulnerability of the region, including Manipur, which is dealing with ethnic strife and conflict, Guite said. Climate change is also impacting the availability of nutrition- rich traditional foods of the hills.

Its important to document groundwater availability. The Department of Science and Technologys climate vulnerability report already lists Assam, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh as highly vulnerable, but Manipur is also extremely vulnerable, she added.

A similar declining trend in rainfall is also seen for Meghalaya but that hasnt impacted paddy cultivation yet. We get around 1,200 mm rainfall on average annually. Rainfall is decreasing, but still sufficient for one paddy crop. The rise in temperature, however, is being felt with a shift in the past 30 years I have been in service, said K N Kumar, chairman, Meghalaya Farmers(Empowerment) Commission. There were no fans in buildings, but now almost all have installed fans and even air-conditioners in some cases.

Read here: Himachal: One more body recovered, death toll in Summerhill landslide rises to 17

There is a 6% rain deficiency in the country since June 1, with 25% rain deficiency over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura; 28% over Gangetic West Bengal; 35% over Jharkhand; 30% over Bihar; and 45% over Kerala, among others.

Mean temperature has increased by 0.62 degree in 100 years is over Nagaland, according to the Met department. Maximum temperature has risen by 0.83 degree in past 100 years. The trends are similar in Manipur, with an increasing trend of 0.68 degree in 100 years for annual mean temperature, and 0.91 degree rise in 100 years for maximum temperature.
Nine army personnel were killed after the truck they were travelling in plunge into a deep gorge in Ladakh on Saturday.



The death toll has increased to nine while one has been injured, Lt Col PS Sidhu, defence PRO, Leh, said.



The convoy was moving from Leh to Kiari. One vehicle went offroad leading to mishap, the defence official added. There were a total of three officers, two JCOs and 34 jawans travelling in three vehicles that comprised a Maruti Gypsy, a truck and an ambulance(PTI file)

The army team reportedly constituted of 311 Medium Regiment (artillery).

There were a total of three officers, two JCOs and 34 jawans travelling in three vehicles that comprised a Maruti Gypsy, a truck and an ambulance.

At 1645 hrs (6.45 pm) an army vehicle in which 10 army personnel including the driver were travelling from Leh to Nyoma, met with an accident 6 km short of Kiari, Leh SSP PD Nitya told Hindustan Times.

"An ALS (Ashok Leyland Stallion) vehicle which was moving as part of a convoy from Leh to Nyoma, skidded into the valley at approximately 5:45-6 PM, seven km short of Kiari. There were 10 personnel travelling in the vehicle out of which nine died and one got injured. The injured personnel has been shifted to the hospital," Indian Army officials said in a statement.

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The Bihar Police on Saturday said it has arrested four men in connection with the murder of a Dainik Jagran journalist, who was shot dead at his residence in Araria district during the early hours of Friday. The victim was identified as 40-year-old Vimal Yadav. He was shot in the chest by four people who arrived at his residence in Raniganj. Vimal Yadav was shot in the chest by four people who arrived at his residence in Raniganj.

Eight people have been named as accused. Four of the accused namely Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav and Umesh Yadav have been arrested. Two accused Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav are in Araria jail and the police are taking them on remand. Two accused are absconding, news agency ANI quoted the Bihar Police as saying.

The journalist was a witness to the murder of his brother in 2019. Police superintendent Ashok Kumar Singh on Friday said Vimal was shot dead around 5.30am. Singh said prima facie it seems to be a case of enmity.

The journalist was also a key witness to the murder of his elder brother. He added Vimal was shot in his chest and he died on the spot. ...an investigation has started and police have been asked to obtain CCTV footage if any, he said. Further probe is underway.

Puja Kumari, Vimals widow, said they rushed him to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead. He was a key witness to the murder of his brother and was threatened several times to turn hostile.

(With inputs from Aditya Nath Jha in Araria)

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Araria: Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder of a journalist in Araria district of Bihar, police said on Saturday, adding that two more accused were already lodged in jail in another case. Journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav who was shot dead by unidentified people at his residence in Araria , Bihar,India, Friday, August, 18, 2023. (HT Photo)

Vimal Kumar Yadav (40), who worked with Hindi daily Dainik Jagran, was shot dead at his residence in Raniganj Bazar area of Araria at 5.30 am on Friday. Eight people were booked in connection with the incident, which, the police have claimed to be a result of old enmity.

The four men, arrested late on Friday evening, were identified as Bipin Yadav, Bhawesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav and Umesh Yadav, Araria superintendent of police (SP) Ashok Kumar Singh said in a release on Saturday.

Two more accused Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav are lodged in Supual and Araria jail, respectively, in connection with another case. They have been booked for conspiring the killing of the journalist, police said.

The two incarcerated accused will be taken on remand to probe their alleged involvement in the killing of the journalist, the SP said. Raids will be intensified to arrest the remaining two accused, who are absconding.

Three of the arrested accused are neighbours of the slain journalist, Singh added.

On Friday, Araria police registered a first information report (FIR) against eight people on the basis of a complaint lodged by the slain journalists father under sections 302 (murder), 120(B) (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (criminal act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant section of the Arms Act.

Journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav was the only eyewitness in the murder case of his brother Shashi Bhushan Kumar alias Gabbu Yadav, a sarpanch of Belsara panchayat, who was killed in 2019.

My son died while fighting a battle for his brother who was killed in 2019, Yadavs father, Harendra Prasad Singh told HT. Despite repeated threats from criminals, my son didnt budge and fought till last.

The incident, meanwhile, has sparked a political row, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) targeting the Bihar government over poor law-and-order situation in the state.

Journalists as well as police are not safe in Bihar. The journalist was a key witness to the murder of his brother and police failed to give him protection, state BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary said.

On Friday, Union minister and senior BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey had blamed the poor law-and-order situation in the state for the incident.

The ruling Janata Dal (United), rejected the allegations, saying the Bihar Police have arrested most of the accused within 24 hours of the incident.

Police arrested the accused within 24 hours... raids were conducted in jails after the victims family listed names of the suspects, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said. A thorough probe is being done. The Opposition must talk about that as well.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar, who expressed grief over the incident, which he termed as unfortunate, has ordered the police to take swift action against the accused.

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The Group of 20 (G20) nations said they are committed to strengthening the global health architecture and that they had arrived at a consensus to build more resilient, equitable, sustainable and inclusive health systems, in an outcome document and chair summary following the ministerial-level meeting on health. Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and other delegates during the G20 Health Ministers meeting in Gandhinagar.

Read here: Modi urges G20 to push for secure digital future

The three-day meeting culminated with an outline of areas where the countries will together  including on access to safe, effective, and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures --- but there was no joint statement due to continued differences over the war in Ukraine.

 we arrived at a consensus to build more resilient, equitable, sustainable and inclusive health systems equipped to address ongoing global health challenges and future public health emergencies with equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures, especially in Low-and Middle-income Countries and Small Island Developing States, read the outcome document shared by the Union health ministry Mansukh Mandaviya on the last day of the G20 Health Ministers meeting held at Gandhinagar.

The document added that the resolve was based on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic.

We affirm that the need of the hour is to converge, consolidate, and create a healthier future and the importance of strengthening national health systems including through effective community involvement and the underlying principle of Leave No One Behind and considering vulnerable populations living in crises affected settings.

Delegates from 19 G20 member countries, 10 invited states and 22 International Organisations participated in the sessions.

The focus of the discussions held on August 18-19 was on the three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including health emergencies prevention, preparedness and response with a focus on anti-microbial resistance and One Health framework; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality and affordable medical countermeasures (vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics); and digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service delivery.

The delegates acknowledged the need to strengthen and develop resilient and sustainable medical research and development, local and regional manufacturing capacities, supply chain ecosystem, health workforce, and the integration of interoperable digital health solutions in the health systems especially at the primary health care level.

Expressing concern over rising cases of zoonotic spill overs and consequently emerging and re- emerging diseases, the members acknowledged the need to identify new and address the existing drivers using a science and risk-based approach, and to strengthen existing infectious disease surveillance systems, with particular focus on addressing the link between climate change and health.

As such, we recognise the need to enhance the resilience of health systems against the impact of climate change. We commit to prioritizing climate-resilient health systems development, building sustainable and low-carbon/low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission health systems and healthcare supply chains that deliver high-quality healthcare, mobilize resources for resilient, low-carbon sustainable health systems said the members in the document.

Mandaviya also launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health  a WHO Managed Network in the presence of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of WHO during one of the side events on Saturday.

Read here: Gujarat will be mecca of traditional medicine', says WHO chief at G20 health ministers' meet in Gandhinagar

The world today is witnessing an exponential rise in digital health solutions that are focused on vertical health programmes. The siloed approach and fragmented digital solutions result in significant workload on health workers, inefficiencies due to duplication and lack of interoperability. Indias G20 presidency has leveraged its experience on developing a national digital health architecture through the convergence of digital health interventions aimed at health systems strengthening through interoperability by design, said Mandaviya.

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Goa governor PS Sreedharan Pillai released three books at a function held at the Raj Bhavan on Friday. The English books released include Heritage Trees of Goa, When Parallel Lines Meet and a collection of poems titled My Dear Poems. Governor of Goa PS Sreedharan Pillai, West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose, Goa CM Pramod Sawant attend a book release event at the Raj Bhavan.

West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose unveiled the book Heritage Trees of Goa, while Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant inaugurated the event.

Goa state minister for tourism Rohan Khaunte and Jnanpith winner Damodar Mauzo released two other books  When Parallel Lines Meet and Ente Priya Kavitakal.

The inspiration for the endeavour struck as Mr. Pillai toured villages, extending aid to over 1,005 dialysis and cancer patients through the Governors Discretionary Fund, a statement by the Raj Bhavan said.

'Heritage Trees of Goa' is a book that explores centuries-old heritage trees found in Goan villages and various places of worship, adding to the experience of Goa Sampurna Yatra. The yatra has undertaken a brisk round of visits to the length and breadth of the state traversing thousands of kilometres and covering 421 villages and 191 village panchayats in 12 talukas of two districts of Goa.

Pillai recalled the villagers telling him about the existence of sacred trees and groves in Goa during his visits through villages, which ignited his journey into the world of Heritage Trees Of Goa, titled Saimik Daiz (in Konkani).

The second book, When Parallel Lines Meet, is a contemporary geopolitical book.

The third book named Ente Priya Kavithakal (collection of poems) represents one of the best depictions of nature, art and literature, the statement said.

On the occasion, Sawant said Pillai is the first governor to undertake and complete the Goa Gram Sampurna Yatra.

Our culture is not human-centric as in the case of Western society. We don't view nature as something to be exploited. Our philosophy is eccentric, embracing all living organisms in the universe, Pillai said.

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There was growing clamour from Congress leaders, and a sharp attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Saturday over the possibility of Rahul Gandhi contesting the 2024 general elections from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency -- a day after a statement on the issue from the newly appointed Congress Uttar Pradesh chief sparked speculation. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. (PTII photo)

Read here: Used Amethi like chewing gum: BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Cong over Rahul's 2024 candidature

Rahul Gandhi held the Amethi seat for 15 years before losing in 2019 to Union minister Smriti Irani of the BJP. To be sure, he also contested and won from Wayanad in Kerala.

The Congresss UP unit chief, Ajay Rai, doubled down on his statement on Saturday -- and was joined by other leaders from the party.

The people of Amethi want Rahul Gandhi to become their MP. If he contests from Amethi, he will get a landslide victory. The people of Amethi consider Rahul Gandhi their family because he fulfilled promises, Rai told reporters on Saturday. It is the demand of the Congress workers and the public thereThe people want Congress to come into power...We will give our best performance to ensure that we win.

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat echoed Rais sentiment and suggested that Gandhi could again contest from both Amethi and Wayanad. Amethi is Rahul Gandhis natural seat but he will also fight from Wayanad because Wayanad supported him at the time of crisis, Rawat said.

Another senior Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, Rashid Alvi, claimed that Irani would lose her security deposit if Gandhi contests from Amethi in 2024.

But two Congress leaders close to Gandhi were quick to term the statements as personal opinions.

Rahul Gandhi is a sitting MP from Wayanad in Kerala. These talks of Gandhi going to Amethi are wild speculation at this state. No discussion has taken place in the Congress about Gandhi contesting from Amethi, one of the leaders said, asking not to the named.

These issues (seat for Gandhi) will be discussed next year. The Congress has not started discussing seats for the 2024 elections. He is an elected representative of Wayanad and he has responsibilities for his constituency, a second leader said.

The BJP hit back at the speculation, saying Gandhi will again lose if he contests from Amethi.

The Congress has used the people of Amethi like a chewing gum. They didnt do anything for development, whereas PM Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanaths leadership has changed the landscape of the city and has brought various positive changes. People wont forgive them [Congress], BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

The BJPs national general secretary, Tarun Chugh, also attacked Gandhi over the issue. They didnt do any work in Amethi. The people of Amethi had defeated Rahul Gandhi earlier, they will defeat him again, he said.

The Amethi seat was a pocket borough of the Gandhi family for decades before Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 elections. The only Congress leader to win a seat in the state in 2019 was Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli.

Read here: BJP, Congress in war of words over Rahul Gandhi vs Smriti Irani claim: She might leave Amethi

Former leader Sanjay Gandhi, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi represented the Amethi seat in the Lok Sabha before Rahul contested from the constituency for the first time in 2004.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday 850 million internet users in the country enjoy some of the cheapest data costs in the world, highlighting the scale, speed and scope of India's digital transformation. Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting in Bengaluru via video message, the prime minister credited the launch of the Digital India initiative in 2015 for the digital transformation that has taken place in India over the last nine years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI Photo)(ANI/PIB)

He touched upon leveraging technology to transform governance and gave the example of Aadhaar. He also mentioned the JAM trinity- Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar, and Mobile and threw light on the Direct Benefits Transfer plugging leakages in the system.

Fully digitized taxation systems are promoting transparency and e-governance, he added.

PM Modi also expressed satisfaction that the working group is creating a G20 virtual Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and underlined that progress on Common Framework for Digital Public Infrastructure will help create a transparent, accountable, and fair digital ecosystem for all.

Noting that the digital economy will face security threats and challenges, the prime minister stressed it is important to build consensus on the G20 High-Level Principles for a Secure, Trusted, and Resilient Digital Economy.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Modi lauded the feat of the number of Jan Dhan accounts crossing the 50-crore mark as a significant milestone.

About 67 per cent of these accounts have been opened in rural and semi-urban areas, the Union finance ministry said in a statement Friday.

Terming it a significant milestone, Modi said, It is heartening to see that more than half of these accounts belong to our Nari Shakti. With 67% of accounts opened in rural and semi-urban areas, we are also ensuring that the benefits of financial inclusion reach every corner of our nation.

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On Independence Day, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) began the construction of the world's new highest motorable road in Ladakhs Demchok sector. The strategic road, Likaru-Mig La-Fukche, will be constructed over the next two working seasons and will pass through an altitude of about 19,400 feet, the highest anywhere in the world. BRO shared the news of its new project Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road on Twitter.

Key details about the project:

1) The 64-km-long road will provide connectivity to the militarys farthest outposts in the sensitive sector Fukche. This holds significance for security purposes as Fukche lies three km from the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC).

2) With this project, the BRO will break its own record of the highest motorable road. 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 said on X (formerly Twitter).

3) Currently, the worlds existing highest motorable road at Umling La in Ladakh is at an altitude of 19,024 feet.

4) Reportedly, an all-woman unit of the BRO began the construction of the Likaru-Mig La-Fukche road. A five-member team of women combat engineers headed by Colonel Ponung Doming is supervising the road construction.

5) The BRO will also take up two key projects. These include the Shinku La tunnel connecting Manali through Zanskar to Leh, which will also set a record on its completion surpassing the record held by China's MiLa tunnel. Additionally, the BRO is also working on the construction of Nyoma Airfield, located 30 km in aerial distance in Eastern Ladakh. When completed, it will be one of the highest airfields in the world, the organisation's chief Lt General Rajeev Chaudhry said.

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opinion

It is unclear whether the Niger coup can be reversed without further destabilizing the region. But ECOWAS must contain democratic erosion across West Africa.

On the morning of 26 July, soldiers loyal to General Abdourahamane Tiani detained Niger's president, Mohamed Bazoum. That night they declared a full military takeover by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).

A three-week barrage of international condemnation and economic sanctions has failed to crack their determination to hold on to power.

The coup presents a challenge that extends far beyond Niger. The stakes are high for West Africa, a region that has seen six coups in three years, as an emergent 'putschist-populist' politics threatens hard-won democratic progress.

No compromise in sight

The CNSP have tried to force Bazoum into resigning in the hope of rebranding themselves as pragmatic managers of a political transition. So far, he has stood firm. In response, the CNSP is threatening to charge Bazoum with 'high treason'.

Coup leaders have so far bluntly refused to engage with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) or even the United Nations: the first delegation from Abjua got no further than the airport, while the second was warned off before attempting the trip.

Sanctions are already biting, with the price of imported foodstuffs on the rise and power supply now subject to sporadic interruption.

ECOWAS has responded in kind, immediately imposing heavy economic sanctions and threatening a military intervention if the junta does not restore Bazoum to office.

The sanctions are already biting, with the price of imported foodstuffs on the rise and the power supply now subject to sporadic interruption.

Motives for the coup

Coup leaders claim to have been motivated by security and governance concerns, post-hoc justifications that have met with hostile reactions from within Africa and beyond.

While Niger's democracy was certainly flawed, it also had significant strengths.

While Niger's democracy was certainly flawed, it also had significant strengths. President Mahamadou Issoufou (2011-21) complied with the two-term limit, and voting for his successor was broadly free and fair.

Once in office, Bazoum travelled widely and listened to a wide range of voices. He has also made significant progress in security and development, by reducing jihadist violence, expanding girls' access to secondary education, and supporting the return home of villagers displaced by conflict.

This track record matters because it highlights the essentially parochial and personal motivation of the junta, particularly some officers' resentment at Bazoum's dismissal of armed forces chief of staff General Salifou Mody in April and rumours he was on the verge of sacking General Tiani.

Support has only come from fellow military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, and from Yevgeny Prigozhin, the self-promoting head of the Wagner mercenary group, who has spotted a new potential client.

Isolated and under pressure, the coup leaders may feel they have little option but to double down.

High stakes for ECOWAS

For ECOWAS, the future of democracy across West Africa is at stake. At a high point in 2017, constitutional civilian-led government prevailed across all 15 West African countries.

Decades of progress away from the authoritarian regimes of the past are in jeopardy.

Yet the region has now seen six military coups in less than three years, including two each in Mali and Burkina Faso. Decades of progress away from the authoritarian regimes of the past are in jeopardy.

The nature of Niger's coup has further increased these concerns. In Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso there were structural drivers that explained political change, however unwelcome its form.

Mali's president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, had neglected northern and central regions, elections had been manipulated and urban protests repressed with lethal force.

Guinea's president, Alpha Conde, had rigged a constitutional referendum on a third term, while Burkina Faso's Roch Marc Christian Kabore seemed at a loss in the face of jihadist attacks that repeatedly claimed heavy army casualties.

The coup puts the campaign against jihadist groups in jeopardy and risks fracturing a hitherto relatively cohesive national polity.

By comparison, the motives behind the coup in Niger look narrow and short-sighted, an old-fashioned power-grab that sacrifices stability and gradual progress on development and security for the personal gain of a few elite military leaders.

The coup puts the campaign against jihadist groups in jeopardy - militant attacks have surged over recent days as the junta recalls troops to Niamey - and risks fracturing a hitherto relatively cohesive national polity.

An emerging ideological challenge

The accelerating trend of military coups across West Africa has evolved into a more fundamental ideological challenge to the long-standing ECOWAS model of civilian-led constitutional and pluralist government, buttressed by close development and military partnerships with the West and the UN system.

A new brand of military regimes are taking root in a context where young, urban West Africans are increasingly disenchanted with the traditional political class and there is widespread resentment of France, the former colonial power and most visible external partner in many countries.

That Niger could fall, despite its progress on familiar metrics of democracy and security, underlines that the roots of West Africa's coups lie not just in misgovernance or palace politics, but also in the complex interplay of emerging identities, new social attitudes and popular rejection of business-as-usual politics.

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The rapid appearance of Russian flags on the streets of Niamey after the coup - as in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou last year - is evidence of these complex social realities, rather than a measure of Russian influence.

Regional leaders are aware of these hard truths. ECOWAS must urgently figure out how to address the democratic erosion across West Africa.

As for Niger, it remains unclear whether the coup can be reversed without further destabilizing the region.

ECOWAS has failed to secure popular support - or the backing of other AU member states - for its threat to use force against the Nigerien junta.

ECOWAS has failed to secure popular support - or the backing of other AU member states - for its threat to use force against the Nigerien junta. Sanctions, meanwhile, are a blunt instrument that allow putschists to present themselves as defenders of the people subjected to hardship by bullying regional neighbours.

That leaves only the slow, unglamorous - but occasionally effective - option: politics and diplomacy.

Paul Melly is Consulting Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House
Days after the Indian Army and the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) held the 19th round of military dialogue to cool tensions in the Ladakh sector, the two sides on Friday held major-general level talks to discuss outstanding problems along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), officials aware of the matter said. At the 19 rounds of talks between corps commanders of the two armies on August 13 and 14, the two sides agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the Ladakh sector (File Photo)

The talks, led by different major generals and their PLA counterparts, were held at separate locations in eastern Ladakh -- Daulet Beg Oldi and Chushul, the officials said, asking not to be named. To be sure, both sides have held several rounds of talks at the division commander level (a rung below the corps commanders) after the LAC standoff began in May 2020.

At the 19 rounds of talks between corps commanders of the two armies on August 13 and 14, the two sides agreed to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in the Ladakh sector in a speedy manner through continued dialogue. That was the first time military talks were held over two days.

The 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. Also, the Chinese leader is expected to be in New Delhi for the G20 summit in September.

To be sure, a joint statement issued on August 15 did not indicate any immediate breakthrough.

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, said the statement issued after the 19th round of talks.

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 the Daulet Beg Oldi sector and Charding Nullah Junction (CNJ) in the Demchok sector are still on the negotiating table.

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.

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 breakthroughs.

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Indian submarine INS Vagir will reach Fremantle, Australia on Sunday on its maiden extended range deployment to that country, which is currently hosting the Malabar exercise involving the navies of India, US, Japan and Australia, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. INS Vagir was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2023. (File Photo/Indian Navy)

The Vagir, which is the navys fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2023. To be sure, the submarine is not involved in the 10-day Malabar drills that began on August 11.

The deployment of INS Vagir is a testament to the reach and sustenance of Indian Navy submarines, the Indian Navy said in a statement.

The extended range deployment is the maiden deployment by an Indian Navy submarine to Australia and showcases the capability and professional acumen of the navy to undertake sustained operations at extended ranges from the base port (Mumbai) for prolonged durations.

In Australia, INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the west coast of Australia. The ongoing Malabar drills are being conducted off the east coast of Australia. Two Indian warships, the indigenously built INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata, and a P-8I submarine hunter plane are taking part in the Malabar exercise.

During the ongoing deployment of INS Vagir; basic, intermediate and advanced-level anti-submarine exercises are scheduled, the statement said. In addition, the RAN submarine and Indian Naval P-8I aircraft are scheduled to exercise with INS Vagir. This deployment will further augment the cooperation and synergy between the Indian Navy and RAN. On its way to Australia, INS Vagir visited Colombo as part of the International Day of Yoga celebrations on June 21.

Indias defence acquisition council (DAC), headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, in July cleared the procurement of three more Scorpene submarines as a follow-on order to an earlier deal under which Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) has built six Scorpene or Kalvari class submarines with technology from Frances Naval Group under a 23,562-crore programme called Project-75.
Alwar/Jaipur: Police are investigating the role of forest guards in the death of a 27-year-old Muslim man, who was allegedly assaulted by a group of people in Kotpulti-Behror district of Rajasthan on Thursday, a senior officer said on Saturday. Police are investigating the role of forest guards in the death of a 27-year-old Muslim man, who was allegedly assaulted by a group of people in Kotpulti-Behror district of Rajasthan

At least 10 people, including four forest guards, have been detained in connection with the incident that took place at Narol village on Thursday night, police said, adding that the area comes under Talvrikash forest range of Sariska Tiger Reserve.

The deceased has been identified as Waseem (27), a resident of Musari village under Tapukda police station, who died during treatment at a hospital after sustaining injuries inflicted with a sharp object. His cousin Asif and another man from his village, Azharuddin, who sustained minor injuries in the incident, were discharged from a hospital after treatment, police said.

Police are investigating the role of forest guards in the matter. It is also being probed how Waseem was hit with a sharp object, Kotputli-Behror superintendent of police (SP) Ranjeeta Sharma said, while rejecting mob-lynching allegations in the case.

Prima facie it does not seem as a case of mob lynching. There were no other injury marks on the deceaseds body except the one caused by a sharp object leading to his death, the SP said.

According to the police, Waseem and his four aides had gone to Rampur village to cut trees and collect wood from outside a house after taking the consent of the house owner. However, someone warned them that a team of forest officials was roaming in the area who might impose a penalty if they were caught with the wood. While his two aides left for their village on a two-wheeler, Waseem, Asif and Azharuddin left in their pick-up van.

Meanwhile, the forest guards saw them leaving and gave them a chase. After following them for about 20-25 km, the guards called a JCB driver and some local villagers to stop the pick-up van, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Jagram Meena said.

Both sides clashed following the interception of the guards and Waseem was hit with a sharp object in his chest while Asif and Azharuddin received minor injuries, Meena added.

Upon receiving the information, a police team rushed to the spot and took them to a hospital. Waseem was referred to Kotputli Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the ASP added.

After the incident, Waseems family members filed a complaint at Harsora police station against four forest guards and a few others, SP Ranjeeta Sharma said.

At least 10 people, including four forest guards who were on a night duty on Thursday, have been detained for questioning after a first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 302 (murder), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (unlawful assembly), police said.

A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team has been dispatched from Jaipur to Harsora police station limits, where the incident took place, Inspector general of police (IGP), Jaipur Range, Umesh Chandra Dutta said. The jeep of the accused forest guards and the JCB have been seized. Questioning is underway in the case.

Field director of Sariska Tiger Reserve, RN Meena, also said that the investigation in the Harsora incident has been handed over to assistant conservator of forests Rajendra Sharma.

He has been asked to investigate the matter immediately. We have not yet received the complete details about the case as all four guards of the forest are in police custody. We cannot question them now, the field director said. The incident took place when the staff were patrolling at Taal Vriksha Forest Range in Sariska and some people were reported to have cut trees.

Waseems uncle Abdul Hai, meanwhile, alleged that three-four people were in the JCB and another eight people were in the forest departments jeep. They forcibly dragged them (the deceased and his aides) from the vehicle and started assaulting them. They had sticks and sharp weapons, Hai told reporters. We should get justice and the accused should be punished.

The incident also sparked a political row in Rajasthan, which will go to assembly elections later this year, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacking the Ashok Gehlot-led government over deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.

The law & order situation in Rajasthan has deteriorated. CM Ashok Gehlots government has completely failed...Ive never seen such a crippled government in the state. Those committing crimes are roaming freely in the state, Union minister and Barmer MP Kailash Choudhary told reporters.

The ruling Congress, however, rejected the allegations, saying top police officers are investigating the matter.

Jaipur Range IG Umesh Chandra Dutta is personally looking into the matter. The culprits will not be spared under any circumstances, states social justice minister Tikaram Julie said. After the investigation, the government will provide whatever help required.

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Kolkata: Even as investigators are now focusing on reconstructing the crime scene the day the 17-year-old first year student allegedly jumped to his death after being ragged and harassed in Jadavpur University, they said that tutored accounts of the version of events by the accused students have started to crumble in the face of interrogation. The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also sought a report from JU as the victim was yet to attain the age of 18 years. He was supposed to turn 18 on October 31, this year. (Utpal Sarkar)

Read here: Last phone call home and warning ignored: The night of Jadavpur varsity tragedy

On Friday, three more people, including one current and two former students were arrested, taking the total number of arrests up to 12 people, of which six are present students. The three arrested on Friday were produced before court on Saturday and sent to police custody till August 31.

A senior police official investigating the case said that initially the versions of the accused had raised red flags because they were identical to each other, including the exact times of the version of events. This combined with the revelation that after the boy had allegedly jumped to his death from the second floor, a section of students had held at least four general body meetings in the hostel, had raised doubts.

But the accused have been interrogated for hours separately, and have also been confronted with each other. Some of the tutored statements have begun to crumble, and they are not matching with each other. We are verifying and recording everything, the officer said.

Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal interrogated some of the accused on Friday.

Police said that their focus was on the reconstruction of the version of events of the night of August 9, and while one student was taken to the hostel on Friday for this purpose, more will follow over the next few days to ensure that everything is corroborated. We are trying to fix the role played by each one of the 12 accused during the ragging and obstructing the cops from entering the campus that night. For this reconstruction is being done, said an officer.

A suo motu 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 on August 12 , has also been filed against some unnamed students, for allegedly preventing the police from entering the hostel when they first arrived.

Meanwhile, JU authorities said that an exhaustive report, comprising 31 PDF files, was mailed to the University Grants Commission late on Thursday night.

The UGC had raised 12 queries which we have tried to answer as far as we could. A detailed report was sent on Thursday night, said Snehamanju Basu.

Read here: Jadavpur University student death: Bengal police reconstruct crime scene

After the students death UGC - the apex body for higher education in India - had sought a report from the university on August 13. UGC was, however, not satisfied with the report sent by the university which was found to be generic in nature. The UGC sought a more detailed report from the university on August 16.

The West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also sought a report from JU as the victim was yet to attain the age of 18 years. He was supposed to turn 18 on October 31, this year.
More than 200 Indian citizens, who had taken shelter in Myanmar for the last three months in view of the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur, were brought back to India under security cover on Friday. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh meets general officer commanding-in-chief, Eastern Command, Lt. General RP Kalita, in Imphal. (PTI file)

The citizens (all Meiteis) numbering around 212 were brought back to violence-hit Moreh, the border commercial town,110 km south of Imphal on Friday afternoon, people familiar with the matter said.

The returnees were received by teams of the Indian Army led by commandants of the Assam Rifles and Gorkha Regiment at the border gates, they said.

Thanking soldiers, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Friday night wrote on X (formally Twitter), Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil.A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen. RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen. HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col. Rahul Jain for their unwavering service.

On May 3, many residents of Moreh ward number 4 Premnagar fled towards Myanmar after crossing the Indo-Myanmar international border and took shelter in the Tamu area in Myanmars Sagaing division when the violence broke out in the state, including the border town, it said. Since then, they have been staying in the neighbouring land.

However following a letter from MSME National Board Member Robin Blackei for the safety and security, Union minister of state for external affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh has been monitoring the situation.

Responding to the letter, Ranjan had even written, I have highlighted the issue and the need for urgent necessary action to the concerned officials handling Myanmar related issues in the Ministry of External Affairs, I have been assured that our officials in Embassy of India, Myanmar have contacted the stranded group.

I am informed that arrangements for basic food and medication are being made. Rest assured I will continue to monitor the situation closely, he added.

Manipur had been witnessing ethnic violence between Kuki and Meitei communities in the first week of May, in which around 150 people were killed and nearly 50,000 people were displaced besides burning a number of villages and localities.
Union minister for health and family welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH)- a World Health Organisation (WHO) Managed Network at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre in Gujarats Gandhinagar during the second and final day of the G20 health ministers meeting on Saturday. Union minister for health and family welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, launched GIDH in the presence of WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Twitter/DrTedros)

The launch took place in the presence of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general, WHO.

Today marks a momentous day in the history of the G20 Health Working Group, as G20 countries have not only identified a priority for its relevance but collectively worked towards its launch, Mandaviya said in his address at the event.

Highlighting the current surge in digital health solutions worldwide, particularly those centred on vertical health programmes, the minister said, This siloed approach and fragmented digital solutions result in significant workload on health workers, inefficiencies due to duplication, and a lack of interoperability. He added, Indias G20 presidency has leveraged its experience in developing a national digital health architecture through the convergence of digital health interventions aimed at health systems strengthening through interoperability by design.

Mandaviya applauded the collaboration of G20 countries and other stakeholders for recognising the need for a common framework in integrating all digital health initiatives, creating a comprehensive digital health ecosystem through the GIDH initiative.

GIDH aims to consolidate evidence and amplify gains in global digital health for health systems, while strengthening mutual accountability to enhance the impact of future investments. It will be a WHO Managed Network that promotes equitable access to digital health by addressing challenges such as duplication of efforts and products-focused digital health transformation.

Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasised the integrative nature of GIDH, stating, GIDH is an integrative step that fosters equity in healthcare by converging efforts and best practices. He added, It will amplify our efforts with the incorporation of tools, such as AI (artificial intelligence) while giving due importance to ethics, policy, and governance, ensuring global healthcare isnt something that we can do alone. GIDH will ensure inclusivity, integration, and alignment of our goals by not leaving anyone behind.

Also Read |Beyond imagination: PM Modi lauds Digital India programme at G20 meet

Dr. Ghebreyesus noted that WHO has been committed to using the latest technologies for health, highlighting the significant impact of digital health technologies such as telemedicine and AI over the past two decades. He further emphasised that the power and capacity of digital technology have expanded at an unprecedented rate over the past two decades. The potential and successful implementation of technology during the times of severe healthcare disruptions was evident during COVID-19 in the form of telemedicine usages.

Outcome Document

On Saturday, the health ministers from the G20 nations unanimously adopted an outcome document aimed at fortifying the global health framework, underscoring the commitment of G20 countries to bolster the Global Health Architecture, drawing lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The outcome document represents a collective resolve among G20 nations to cultivate health systems that are more resilient, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive, according to a government release. The objective is to effectively address persisting global health challenges and potential future public health emergencies. Central to this mission is the provision of equitable access to safe, quality-assured, effective, and affordable vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other medical countermeasures. A particular emphasis is placed on extending this accessibility to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and small island developing states (SIDS), it said.

An important aspect of this comprehensive strategy is the recognition of the significance of digital health and the modernisation of health data. The G20 nations acknowledge that digital health solutions play a critical role in fortifying healthcare systems and ensuring fair healthcare service distribution. These technological advancements have the capacity to transform healthcare delivery, enabling functions such as electronic health records, real-time public health monitoring, personalised care, and more, it added.
Union minister for science and technology Jitendra Singh unveiled a new type of lotus flower called Namoh 108 in Lucknow on Saturday. This unique lotus has 108 petals and was developed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a plant-based research center in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. Jitendra Singh launched 'Namoh 108', a new variety of lotus flower in Lucknow today.(X/@DrJitendraSingh)

Jitendra Singh took to X (formerly Twitter) to share pictures from the flower launch event and wrote, Lotus is the national flower of India and a symbol of faith for us. Proud to launch new variety Lotus flower Namoh 108, first of its kind whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics. Developed by National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow

During the event, the Union minister also introduced clothing made from lotus fiber and a perfume named 'Frotus', which is extracted from lotus flowers. The perfume and clothing were developed by NBRI as part of the Lotus Research Program, in collaboration with FFDC, Kannauj, a release from the minsitry said.

Jitendra Singh praised NBRI for naming this unique lotus variety as Namoh 108. He said, It is a grand gift to the relentless zeal and innate beauty of Narendra Modi, coming as it does in the tenth year of his tenure as the Prime Minister.

Under PM Narendra Modi's leadership, the Ministry of Science & Technology has successfully initiated various floral projects like #AromaMission, Tulip Project, Namoh #Lotus 108, greatly boosting the agricultural economy, he added.

The CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute officially introduced the flower earlier on Monday. Director General N Kalaiselvi of CSIR-NBRI said, It's a joyful coincidence that 'Namoh 108' is presented to the nation a day before Independence Day. Talking about the number in the name, Kalaiselvi said this lotus variety has been given important identity considering the religious importance of the flower and the number 108.

Lotus Mission

During Saturday's event, Jitendra Singh also launched the Lotus Mission, which he mentioned will be executed similarly to previous missions  the National Honey and Bee Mission (NHBM), National Bamboo Mission (NBM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), Gokul Mission, Blue Revolution, Mission Shakti, and others.

Under the guidance of PM Modi, the Government has now initiated the Lotus Mission after the stupendous success of Aroma Mission. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has reiterated that this Government not only starts a scheme or project, but also ensures that it is capped, he said.

What's special about this new variety?

This particular kind is better at withstanding different weather conditions, unlike other types of lotus. It can bloom anytime from March to December, making it the longest-lasting among lotus varieties. Unlike others that only flower for about four to five months, this lotus remains in bloom for a more extended period. It's also the first lotus kind whose complete genetic makeup has been figured out to understand its traits.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged G20 countries on Saturday to focus on technology that can lay the foundations for an inclusive, prosperous and secure global digital future, as he addressed a ministerial gathering on digital economy in Bengaluru. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the G20 Digital Economy Ministers' meeting in Bengaluru.(ANI )

In video message, Modi said the Group of 20 major economies need to agree on the high-level principles, and pitched Indias experience in areas of digital governance and administration as models the world could look at.

Read here: G20 reaffirms resolve to strengthen health architecture, bring in equity

India is an incredibly diverse country. We have dozens of languages and hundreds of dialects. It is home to every religion in the world, and innumerable cultural practices. With such diversity, India is an ideal testing lab for solutions. A solution that succeeds in India, can be easily applied anywhere in the world, he said.

During the one-day meeting, delegates discussed solutions and collaborative strategies involving new technology for the global economy. Union minister for electronics and information technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said India, as the G20 president, has picked three priority areas for the Digital Economy Working Group meeting: Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), security in digital economy and digital scaling.

PM Modi believes in the democratisation of technology, Vaishnaw said.

The discussions resonate with what has been a focus area for the government. Over the last decade, a number of government services have gone digital, with the administration saying it has helped widen citizen outreach as well as reduce costs.

Our unique digital identity platform, Aadhaar, covers more than 1.3 billion of our people. We have used the power of the JAM trinity  Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar, and Mobile  to revolutionise financial inclusion in India, Modi said. Every month, nearly 10 billion transactions take place on UPI, our instant payment system. More than 45% of the global real time payments happen in India.

These, Modi said, was part of a transformation that is beyond imagination. It all started with the launch of our Digital India initiative in 2015. It is powered by our unshakeable belief in innovation. It is driven by our commitment to speedy implementation. And, it is motivated by our spirit of inclusion, leaving no one behind, Modi said.

Over 850 million internet users in India today enjoy some of the cheapest data costs in the world, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi added.

Speaking about the future, Modi said there was a need to develop a framework for safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence. We can build an entire ecosystem of technology-based solutions to address the challenges faced by humanity. All it needs from us are the four Cs - conviction, commitment, coordination and collaboration, he added.

Digital public infrastructure has featured in Indias engagement with a wide array of global leaders, spanning almost every engagement held in recent months. In this area, Indian officials are pushing for a secure and inter-operable digital ecosystem, with the aim that it be reflected in the final communique when G20 heads of state meet during the summit in Delhi next month.

At the heart of Indias pitch is its so-called digital stack, which includes applications for identity, digital payments and health care solutions, and has received a good response in developing countries.

Read here: India hosts joint meet of finance, health ministers

Modi in his message underlined that progress on a common framework will help create a transparent, accountable, and fair digital ecosystem for all.

He also welcomed the efforts to develop a road map to facilitate Cross Country Comparison of Digital Skills and setting up a virtual centre of excellence on digital skilling. He said these were important efforts to meet the needs of a future-ready workforce.

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President Droupadi Murmu, prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday expressed grief and condoled the death of nine army soldiers in a tragic accident in Ladakh's Leh. The vehicle in which 10 personnel were travelling, was on its way to Nyoma from Leh when the driver lost control and it plunged into a gorge at around 4.45 pm.(Representative image)

Read here: 9 Army personnel dead, 1 injured after vehicle falls into gorge in Ladakh

Deeply anguished to learn that a road accident in Leh led to loss of lives of Indian Army personnel. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them strength to bear this tragedy. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The nation owes a great debt of gratitude to these soldiers for their selfless sacrifice, president said in an X post (formerly Twitter).

"Pained by the mishap near Leh in which we have lost personnel of the Indian Army. Their rich service to the nation will always be remembered," Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on X.

"Condolences to the bereaved families. May those who are injured recover at the earliest," the post added.

In a post on X, defence minister Rajnath Singh said, Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery.

Nine soldiers were killed and one was injured after their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge in Ladakh's Leh on Saturday. The accident took place near Kiari in southern Ladakh's Nyoma, the officials said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Leh P D Nitya told news agency PTI said that the vehicle in which 10 personnel were travelling, was on its way to Nyoma from Leh when the driver lost control and it plunged into a gorge at around 4.45 pm.

Read here: Junior commissioned officer among 9 armymen killed as truck falls into gorge in Ladakh

SSP further said that a police team rushed to the accident spot and shifted the injured soldiers to an Army medical facility where eight personnel were declared dead. Another jawan died subsequently, she said.

(With inputs from agencies)
NORTH KIVU PROVINCE - "I was going to fetch firewood from the forest to cook food for myself and my six children, when I came across armed men."

Anny*, 33, spoke to UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, in front of the tent that has become her home in North Kivu's Bulengo displacement camp. The site shelters tens of thousands of people displaced by violent conflict, climate disasters, economic crises and disease outbreaks that have mired the country in a humanitarian crisis.

Yet for many, even the shelter is cloaked in fear.

Anny lost her husband and fled her home when fighting approached their village. The camp provides only makeshift housing and there is no electricity, gas or access to the most basic services. Struggling to feed her family, she organized a trip into the nearby forest with two other women and her teenage daughter to collect firewood.

But soon after they arrived, Anny's nightmare began to unfold. "While we were collecting wood, these men appeared with knives and machetes, dressed in long robes... They told us to get down on the ground and threatened to kill us if we shouted for help."

Anny and her daughter were separated; each was raped at gunpoint. "They tore off our clothes...We resisted until we had no strength left," she told UNFPA.

Terror on top of trauma

Sexual violence is increasingly being used by armed groups as a tactic to terrorize and control communities affected by conflict. Between 2021 and 2022, there was a 91 per cent rise in reports of gender-based violence in North Kivu province, and with the situation only deteriorating, millions of women and girls are in urgent need of protection.

Anny and her daughter's ordeal was not only physically brutal, but also psychologically devastating. Seeing her daughter in so much pain only deepened Anny's misery.

Women and girls in displacement settings are at heightened risk of sexual assault and coercion, while soaring hunger is forcing many to venture away from the camps in search of supplies and work, further exposing them to potential attacks and exploitation. Yet most survivors lack access to critical response and recovery support, such as post-rape care and treatment, which is critical to heal and avoid unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV.

Anny initially kept silent about the rape, as the potential stigma was too much to bear. But some days later, she chanced upon a weekly information session supported by UNFPA, whose teams work across the camp to spread awareness of sexual and reproductive health topics, including gender-based violence.

She was relieved to learn she could seek medical treatment at a UNFPA mobile clinic in Bulengo, one of three so far set up in North Kivu to meet rocketing demand for sexual and reproductive health support. Since it started operating in June, more than 3,000 displaced people have used the clinic, including 200 for sexually transmitted diseases and 30 survivors of gender-based violence, who received medical care and referrals to legal and psychological services as needed.

Midwives Sifa Ndeze and Philomene Siyauswa Kasuera welcomed Anny, assuring her she was neither alone nor to blame for the assault. After being treated with care and in confidence, she was reassured enough to discreetly bring her daughter to the clinic as well.

The midwives also directed them to a safe space for women and girls, which offers health services and a refuge in which survivors of violence can heal from the horrors they have endured. The Bulengo space is among six established by UNFPA in the country's eastern provinces and has received more than 1,400 women and girls since it opened in May 2023.

Antoinette is a psychosocial worker who followed Anny's case. "It wasn't easy, sometimes she was desperate," she told UNFPA. "Fortunately, I managed to get her back on her feet."

At the safe space Anny is now learning to dye fabrics, part of a training course in livelihood skills to help survivors regain their confidence and earn an income. When she completes her course, Anny will also receive cash transfers to strengthen her economic recovery and autonomy.

Support against all odds

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has one of the world's most complex and protracted crises, with more than 6 million people displaced within the country - 98 per cent of them in eastern provinces.

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As disasters multiply, humanitarians like Ms. Ndeze are always ready to assist. "As an internally displaced person and midwife myself, working at the mobile clinic means I can continue to practise my profession and help these women," she explained.

As UNFPA executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem said on this year's World Humanitarian Day, "Our humanitarian colleagues safeguard the health, dignity, safety and rights of women, girls and young people across the globe. Their persistence reminds us that the bright light of human possibility refuses to dim, even amidst the most challenging circumstances."

Estimates show more than 1 million women this year are at risk of gender-based violence, particularly sexual violence, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To continue scaling up its programmes in Ituri, North and South Kivu in 2023, UNFPA urgently needs $18.8 million, of which only $4 million has been pledged.

*Name changed for privacy and protection
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday expressed confidence that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would win if the Congress fields her against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The holy city of Varanasi is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and is a stronghold of Modi, who won twice from the seat. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi at Parliament House during the Monsoon Session, in New Delhi.(ANI)

She (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) may fight from Amethi if she wants or from Varanasi, I am certain she will win, Chaturvedi said while indicating that the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is causing noticeable discomfort for Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

I.N.D.I.A parties are playing on the front footPM Modi's consistent criticisms of the alliance, from Parliament to the Red Fort is a proof of his unease" with its growing influence, she said.

"There are 26 non-Bharatiya Janata parties (in the alliance), their MLAs, MPs and vote share will be united for this fight, she further said, expressing confidence on the much-anticipated BJP-led NDA versus I.N.D.I.A battle that will be witnessed in the 2024 elections.

On the question of reaching a broader consensus on seat allocations, Chaturvedi said it will be revealed when the time comes and added that if Vadra is deemed as best suited for the Varanasi seat during the discussions, she will be officially endorsed by the Uddhav camp and I.N.D.I.A alike.

INDIA meet in Mumbai

The Sena (UBT) leader's statement comes days ahead of the I.N.D.I.A's third national-level meeting, which will be held in Mumbai from August 31. The first two meetings were held in Bihar's Patna in June and Karnataka's Bengaluru in mid-July. At the Patna meet, various Opposition parties came together to announce their united effort at taking down the Modi government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Opposition has consistently accused the BJP of assaulting the foundation of Indian democratic values. The BJP and Modi, however, have downplayed the impact of the Opposition alliance and are confident of winning a third term with record-breaking numbers in the next elections.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday drove to Pangong Lake during his Ladakh visit weeks ahead of the polls for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC-Kargil). The Wayanad MP shared 10 photographs of his bike ride to Ladakh on Instagram. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on way to Pangong Tso.

Sharing the pictures, Rahul Gandhi wrote, On our way to Pangong lake, which my father used to say, is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Some of the photos were also shared by the official X handle of the Congress party with caption, Upwards and onwards - Unstoppable!

Gandhi is expected to stay overnight in a tourist camp near Pangong Lake.

Tsering Namgyal, Congress Leh district spokesperson and leader of opposition in LAHDC-Leh, said on Friday, He hasnt been to Pangong lake and wanted to see it and spend some quality time.

This is Rahuls first visit to Ladakh since Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Ladakh and J-K, following the abrogation of Article 370.

Rahul Gandhi on Thursday arrived in Ladakh and received a rousing welcome by party leaders and workers at the Leh airport. He interacted with youth at an event in Leh on Friday.

Addressing an interactive session, Rahul Gandhi said that "India got freedom in 1947 and consolidation of freedom in India is constitutional. The Constitution is a move... The way you put Constitution into action is by setting up institutions that support the vision of the Constitution. The Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, force all these elements... Now what RSS is doing is it is placing its own people in key pots of institutional structure."

Rahul Gandhi was on a two-day visit to Ladakh but extended his tour by six more days on Friday.

Congress and National Conference have forged a pre-poll alliance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Kargil hill council polls scheduled to be held on September 10.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR HT News Desk Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail
Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai on Friday claimed that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, triggering discussions around the high-profile constituency that has long been a traditional seat for the Gandhi-Nehru family. Only twice has this Congress stronghold witnessed a defeat for the Gandhi-Nehru family, the first being just after the Emergency when Sanjay Gandhi lost to Janata Party candidate Ravindra Pratap Singh. Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.(ANI)

Rahul Gandhi made his parliamentary debut from the Amethi constituency in 2004 and won the next two Lok Sabha elections from the same seat before losing it to BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, an MP from Rae Bareli, is the only Congress parliamentarian from UP at present and the grand old party would be eyeing to wrest Amethi from Smriti Irani.

Rahul Gandhi is at present MP from Wayanad in Kerala.

Surrounded by party workers and leaders, who gathered at the airport as he arrived from Delhi, Rai said, "Rahul Gandhi will definitely contest the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, the people of Amethi are here."

When asked about Union minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the last election, Rai said she appears frustrated.

"Smriti Irani seems frustrated. She said she will get sugar at 13 per kg, did she manage it? People from Amethi are here, ask them," Rai said.

Smriti Irani vs Rahul Gandhi

According to HT's sister publication Live Hindustan, Smriti Irani's active engagement in Amethi has strengthened the BJP's presence in the region. While BJP legislators hold sway in Jagdishpur, Tiloi and Salon assembly constituencies, the Samajwadi Party holds its grip over Gauriganj and Amethi seats. Irani's supporters in Amethi Lok Sabha seat highlight the developmental work carried out by both the central and state governments.

Rahul Gandhi has visited Amethi three times since his defeat in the 2019 elections, and the possibility of him contesting again from the constituency has kept the local party leaders' hopes alive. Gandhi has maintained a visible presence in Amethi, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic when he provided relief materials to the region. His efforts have resonated positively with local party workers, as indicated by the recent statements from the state party chief.

The next year's Lok Sabha election could witness an intensified political battle in the Amethi constituency if Rahul Gandhi decides to contest from his former seat.

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Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seemed to have accepted defeat even before the assembly elections are held, as the opposition party does not have a face in its state leadership. Exuding confidence of a big win for the party, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the feedback received from people shows they have made up their mind to repeat the Congress government in the state. (HT Photo)

The BJP is planning to fight the election on the face of the Prime Minister. This shows that they have already accepted the defeat, Gehlot said, in an apparent dig at frequent visit by BJPs central leaders to the state ahead of the polls.

When BJP leaders will contest elections, people will ask them whether their poll promises will be fulfilled from DelhiIf they are not in a position to declare who is their leader in Rajasthan, I believe it is a situation where even before the polls they have accepted their defeat, the chief minister said.

Elections to the 200-member Rajasthan assembly are scheduled for later this year, along with Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Gehlot, who was talking to reporters after the first meeting of the Congresss state election committee, said: Winnability will be the only criteria [for candidate selection]. We are going to follow the Karnataka model, where a 90-year-old youth contested the polls and won.

Exuding confidence of a big win for the party, Gehlot said the feedback received from people shows they have made up their mind to repeat the Congress government in the state.

Govind Singh Dotasara, chairperson of the state election committee, said applications from interested candidates will be accepted from August 21-23.

Discussions were held with members on issues that need to be focused to repeat the Congress government, Dotasara, who is also the state party chief, added.

Reacting to Gehlots remarks, BJP legislator Vasudev Devnani said the frustrated Congress failed even to appoint its district chiefs in the state, and yet it is questioning the BJP. They are dreaming to repeat the government. The people have made up their mind. None of their announcement has come to the ground, he added.
Reformist Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was removed from power today by his hardline opponents who imposed a state of emergency sending shock waves across the world which had witnessed unprecedented changes during his six-year rule. HT This Day: August 20, 1991 -- Hardliners oust Gorbachev

In what was regarded as a bloodless coup, an eight-member state emergency committee led by Mr Gennady Yanayev, Vice-President, who has taken over Mr Gorbachevs duties, announced emergency for six months, a ban on demonstrations, restrictions on mass media and suspension of political parties.

Mr Gorbachev was unable to function as President for health reasons, the committee said.

There was no immediate word on the whereabouts of Mr Gorbachev, who was said to be on holiday on the Black Sea. But the French news agency AFP said he was under house arrest at his official residence.

The eight-member committee consists of O. D. Baklanov, First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defence Council, V. A. Kryuchkov, Chairman of the KGB, V. S. Pavlov, Prime Minister of the USSR, B. K. Pugo, Interior Minister of the USSR, V. A. Starodubisev, Chairman of the Farmers Union of the USSR, A. I. Tizyokov, president of the Association of State Enterprises and Industrial Construction, Transport and Communications Facilities of the USSR, D. T. Yazov, Defence Minister of the USSR, G. I. Yanayev, acting president of the USSR.

The dramatic move came on the eve of signing of a new union treaty by Mr Gorbachev provoking President Boris Yeltsin of the Russian federation to call a strike. He denounced Gorbachevs removal as an unconstitutional and reactionary coup and declared that the decisions of the emergency regime committee would have no validity on the Russian territory.

The Soviet Parliament will hold a special session on Aug. 26 in Moscow to endorse the decision to impose a state of emergency in some parts of the USSR, the Parliament Speaker announced in a ruling.

Soon after the takeover, a column of armoured personnel carriers mounted with automatic machine guns and carrying armed troops, was approaching the Moscow centre.

Mr Yanayev, a former trade union leader and long-time Communist Party official, was elected to the new post of Vice-President last December by the Congress of Peoples Deputies after much persuasion by Mr Gorbachev and a second vote.

I want someone alongside me I can trust, Mr Gorbachev, who took over in 1985 and brought sweeping political change to the Soviet Union and revolutionised Kremlin foreign policy, said.

LEADERSHIP STATEMENT:

In a statement the new leadership said it had the support of the Defence Minister, the KGB, police chiefs and other key officials in its move to prevent a national catastrophe. Soon after the issue of the statement, issued by official news agency Tass, armoured vehicles rumbled into Moscow and other major Soviet cities and took up positions around vital installations.

The Soviet TV broadcast the statement saying the country had become ungovernable and the emergency was necessary to restore order.

The surprise turn of events came on the eve of signing of the new union treaty by three republics, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Mr Yanayevs address, which was read out in full on the Soviet TV as well, said the emergency measure was temporary and expressed hopes that it would find proper understanding on the part of peoples and the government, and the United Nations Organisation.

The emergency decree said it had been imposed on the demands by broad popular masses to adopt the most decisive measures to prevent society from sliding into national catastrophe and ensure law and order.

The emergency came into force at 4 a.m. Moscow time (6.30 a.m. IST).

Mr Yanayev said the second reason for the emergency was to establish that the federal constitution and laws have unconditional priority throughout the territory of the USSR.

SOVIET CAPITAL TENSE: The atmosphere in the Soviet capital was tense but no immediate incidents were reported.

Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin told a Press conference that he feared for the life and safety of Mr Gorbachev now under arrest in Crimea where he is vacationing.

Witnesses said today that hundreds of tanks and armoured personnel carriers were moving into Moscow.

A witness saw up to 500 military vehicles, in column after column, moving into the city toward Gorky Street, one of the main routes to the Kremlin.

The convoy, seen just before 9 a.m. (11.30 IST), included 30 or 40 tanks, and many trucks filled with armed soldiers. In Talinn, the capital of Estonia, Soviet ships blockaded the harbour after the announcement, according to Estonian officials.

Armoured personnel carriers arrived at the Russian Parliament building today, headquarters of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, shortly after the noted reformer called for a general strike to fight the ouster of Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

A crowd of several thousand people surged from the Moscow City Council building, and rallied on Manezh Square next to the Kremlin. A speaker read a statement from Mr Yeltsin and Russian Prime Minister Ivan Silayev denouncing the coup.

No matter what reasons they offer to justify this, the statement read, we are having a rightist, reactionary and unconstitutional coup detat.

Twenty minutes later, a column of tanks and armoured personnel carriers drove to the head of the square, where they were met by the crowd. The people immediately flowed into side streets to block the advance of the tanks.

Several hundred people surrounded the tanks and climbed on top of many of them Some of the people waved Russian flags.

Several of the tanks began to back off, and the people started to flow out of the Square.

Demonstrators unhooked four trolley buses and used them to block the entrance from Tverskaya Street to Manezh Square. Armoured personnel carriers were assembling in front of the Bolshoi theatre and the Gosplan building, one block from the Square, as well as behind the trolley bus barricade on Tverskaya Street.

Armed soldiers were walking around the area.

Russian television, which is loyal to Mr Yeltsin, was taken off the air early this morning in the midst of transmit ting a news show to the Soviet Far East, its reporters said. The Moscow television studios and transmitting facilities were reported surrounded by troops.

KGB takes over Radio: The KGB has taken over the pro-reform Moscow City Radio station, which has been jammed since the announcement of Mikhail Gorbachevs ouster as President, sources at City Hall said on Monday.

A spokesman told AFP that about 5 KGB secret police burst into the Radio station, controlled by pro-reform local authorities, and ordered the staff to leave.

Journalists said earlier the radio station. Moscow Echo, could no longer broadcast.

Emergency meet: The central committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union is to hold its emergency meeting tomorrow to relieve Mr Mikhail Gorbachev from the post of the party general secretary.

According to sources, first deputy chairman of the USSR Defence Council Oleg Baklanov is likely to be elected the new General Secretary Mr Baklanov is one of the three Soviet leaders who signed the decree on formation of the State emergency committee and is one of its senior members.

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The Supreme Court on Friday permitted the Centre to form a permanent body of experts to be consulted on issues related to environment and forest cases, replacing the ad-hoc experts panel of the central empowered committee (CEC). Supreme Court of India (Representative Photo)

The CEC assisted the Court with mining clearances, and permission for projects within forests, for the past 20 years.

We permit the Union of India to proceed further with the issuance of the notification for the constitution of CEC as a permanent body, said a bench of justices BR Gavai and PK Mishra giving its sanction on the draft notification prepared by the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEF&CC).

The Supreme Court noted that while the final notification is expected to be issued by the MoEF&CC by next week, the permanent CEC will have additional powers vis-a-vis its predecessor as not only will the body continue to assist the Court in environment-related matters, but even the Central government can also seek its recommendation on any issue.

A copy of the draft notification was presented to the Court by solicitor general (SG) Tushar Mehta. If this draft meets with the Courts approval, it can be published by the government, Mehta said.

Those privy to the decision said that the new CEC will be a five-member body with a chairperson, with each of the members being an expert in the field of environment, forests and wildlife. The tenure of members will be for three years.

Allowing the Union government to proceed ahead with selecting the composition of the CEC, the bench said, Rather than CEC working as an ad-hoc body, it is functioning as a permanent body will be in the interest of all stakeholders.

The Court asked the solicitor general to share a copy of the draft notification with amicus curiae K Parameshwar who suggested having a periodic audit of performance for CEC.

The suggestion was readily accepted by the SG who said that the final notification will make the necessary change requiring the CEC to submit quarterly reports to the Centre and every two years, there shall be an audit by the MoEF&CC.

It was in May when the top court had expressed its desire to replace the 20-year-old ad-hoc CEC experts body, mostly aged between 70 to 80 years and could seldom meet to conduct crucial spot visits. The ad-hoc committee was constituted by a government notification of September 2002 under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The order of May 18 recorded the Courts suggestion and the Centres desirability to create a permanent and continuous body under the 1986 Act which would contain provisions related to the qualification of the members to be appointed, their tenure, their powers and responsibilities.

The working of CEC had earned the ire of the top court on March 24 in a case related to the construction of a convention centre at Patnitop in Jammu when CEC gave a recommendation contrary to an order passed by the Court. After the Court permitted the J&K tourism development corporation to build a new convention centre in place of an old, dilapidated building, the CEC report said that the same will impact the tree cover in the area.

In that order, the Court said that CEC is not an appellate authority to sit in judgment over the top courts decisions. The Court had in its March 24 order said, No doubt, the Committee has rendered yeoman service to the cause of environment. However, we are of the view that for effective functioning of the CEC, it is appropriate that some experts in the relevant fields who are relatively younger to the present incumbents, can contribute in a more energetic and efficient manner.

This was the genesis for the Court to allow the Centre to frame a mechanism to institutionalise CEC. Even the amicus and SG pointed out that in the existing CEC, the views of dissenting members are not produced before the Court. The March order said that henceforth, even a dissenting opinion of any CEC member has to be placed along with the report before the Court.

This is the second such ad-hoc expert body assisting the Court that is getting a permanent form under the statute. Earlier, the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), an expert panel assisting the Supreme Court on matters of pollution relating to Delhi and the national capital region (NCR), was replaced in 2020 by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining areas.

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The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Centre on a PIL seeking a direction to decriminalise the law on statutory rape often invoked against 16- to 18-year-old adolescents for indulging in consensual sex. The Supreme Court. (ANI)

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the PIL filed by lawyer Harsh Vibhore Singhal in his personal capacity.

The bench has issued notices to Union ministries of law and justice and the home affairs and some other statutory bodies including the National Commission for Women.

The PIL challenges the legality of statutory rape laws that criminalise consensual sex between adolescents who are above 16 years and below 18 years of age on the ground that their consent to such acts are statutorily invalid.

"Pass a writ of mandamus under Article 32 or any other direction in the nature of writ and exercise its powers under 142 to decriminalise the law of statutory rape as applied to all cases of voluntary consensual sexual contact between any 16 to <18 adolescent with another similar age adolescent and with >18 adult...," the plea said.

It said such adolescents possess "physiological, biological, psychological and social capacities, competence to assimilate and evaluate information to understand and comprehend risks, freedom to make informed choices to convey affirmative decisions or otherwise, and have the agency and decisional/bodily autonomy to fearlessly, freely and voluntarily do what they wish to do with their bodies."
There must be a sense of urgency instead of a lackadaisical attitude in attending to the cases of termination of pregnancy, the Supreme Court said on Saturday as it held a special sitting on a holiday to hear a petition by a rape survivor seeking abortion of her fetus of over 27 weeks. Supreme Court of India (Representative Photo)

Criticising the Gujarat high court for not realising the valuable time lost in such cases, the bench led by justice BV Nagarathna called for a fresh medical report of the victim by Sunday and fixed the matter for a hearing as the first case on Monday.

Valuable time has been lost between August 11 when the medical report was placed before the high court and its order stating that the matter will be listed next on August 23...12 valuable days have been lost by the high court by postponing this case. In such cases, there must be a sense of urgency and not a lackadaisical attitude...adjourning it like a normal case, said the bench, which also included justice Ujjal Bhuyan.

The court castigated the high court after noticing that the though the medical report dated August 10 supported the victims plea for safe abortion, the high court adjourned the case for August 23 when it took up the report on August 11. Later, on August 17, the high court rejected her plea without specifying the reasons or releasing its order.

At this, the bench noted ...not only had the high court lost sight of the fact that a delay of each day would be crucial in a case of the advanced stage of pregnancy but also that there was no order released by the high court to corroborate the reasons behind the rejection of the plea by the 25-year-old woman.

It took note of the submissions made by advocate Shashank Singh on petitioners behalf and directed the secretary general of the Supreme Court to enquire from the registrar general of the Gujarat high court about uploading the order on the court website. Singh submitted that the woman had approached the high court first on August 7, but the plea was dismissed without a speaking order on August 17.

At this, the bench called for a fresh medical report from a government hospital in Gujarat on the current medical condition of the victim and the feasibility of safe abortion.

Let the latest medical report be submitted by tomorrow, 6pm. The same shall be put up before this court on Monday. List this case on Monday as the first item. The counsel for the state will take necessary instructions in the meantime, it recorded.

Advocate Swati Ghidiyal appeared on behalf of the Gujarat government and favoured a fresh medical report, considering the woman is just a few days away from completing 28 weeks of pregnancy.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, as amended in 2021, allows abortions up to 24 weeks for rape survivors. The law sanctions termination beyond 24 weeks only in case of substantial foetal abnormalities.

However, a constitutional court can invoke its extraordinary powers to sanction termination of pregnancy beyond 24 weeks in appropriate cases.

In July 2022, the Delhi high court allowed a 13-year-old rape survivor to undergo medical termination of pregnancy after 26 weeks, saying her misery and suffering would stand compounded if she was forced to bear the mantle of motherhood at a tender age.

In August 2022, the Kerala high court also permitted the termination of the 28-week pregnancy of a minor rape survivor following the recommendation of a medical board.

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World Health Organisation director general Tedros Ghebreyesus on Saturday hailed Gujarat as the future hub of traditional medicine. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during the G20 Health Ministers' Meeting, in Gandhinagar.(PTI)

"I believe that a few years from now Gujarat will be the mecca of traditional medicine. It is unique and it is very important," Ghebreyesus told PTI at the G20 health ministers' meeting in Gandhinagar.



Earlier in the day, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya unveiled the Global Initiative on Digital Health, a WHO Managed Network at the Mahatma Mandir convention, in the presence of Ghebreyesus.

The WHO chief said the GIDH is an integrative step that fosters equity in healthcare by converging efforts and best practices.

"It will amplify our efforts with the incorporation of tools, such as AI while giving due importance to ethics, policy, and governance. GIDH will ensure that no one is left behind," PTI quoted Ghebreyesus as saying.



ALSO READ: WHO director lauds India for digital health initiative with Ayushman Bharat

The WHO DG said the global health body is committed to use the latest technologies for health, adding that the power of digital health technologies like telemedicine and AI has had a significant impact across the world over the last two decades.

The potential and successful implementation of technology during the times of severe healthcare disruptions was evident during COVID-19 in the form of telemedicine usage, he added.



ALSO READ: My good friend Tulsi bhai: Here's how PM Modi greeted this UN agency chief

'Covid-19 still a global threat': WHO chief

On Friday, Ghebreyesus said that although Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency, it is still a global health threat and a new variant is already under the scanner.

Although COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency, it remains a global health threat. WHO has recently classified a new variant with a large number of mutations. BA.2.86 variant is under monitoring at present, highlighting once again the need for all countries to maintain surveillance, he said.

Ghebreyesus urged all the countries to speed up the process of finalising the Pandemic Accord so that it can be adopted in the World Health Assembly scheduled to be held next year.

COVID-19 has taught us all an important lesson that when health is at risk everything is at risk. The world is learning the painful lessons of the pandemic, he added.

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US health minister Xavier Becerra on Friday advocated for international collaboration in confronting health crises and said that the safety of America is intrinsically linked to the safety of the world. US Health Minister Xavier Becerra (PTI)

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the G20 Health Ministers Meet, he said, No one is safe in America until everyone is safe in the world. Perhaps the thing we learned best from COVID is we cant just do it for our own families, our own communities. We have to do it for everyone. I think Covid has taught us that we have to work together we dont exclude anyone only because we come up with vaccines doesnt mean well be safe if no one else gets it.

The health minister delved into the intricate collaboration between the US and India in the pharmaceutical domain. We depend on India, India depends on us, and together we can flourish, he said.

He accentuated the ongoing discussions and collaborations between the two nations to mitigate potential supply chain bottlenecks, thereby guaranteeing a steady supply of critical medications.

We want to ensure that the thread from the very beginning to the very end is never severed, he said.

This is precisely where our robust alliances with nations like India play a pivotal role, he said. They empower us to ensure the availability of essential medicines for our citizens while concurrently bolstering the capacity of countries like India to extend their reach beyond their borders, the health minister added.

In response to queries regarding recent quality concerns surrounding Indian pharmaceutical products, including cough syrups, Becerra emphasised the utmost importance of transparent and universally recognised standards.

He expressed a genuine commitment to fostering deeper collaboration, thereby ensuring that Indian pharmaceutical companies meet the rigorous standards set by the US for pharmaceutical exports.

The US standards are transparent, he said, adding that his country wants India to continue to be a good partner in the exchange of pharmaceuticals. That requires Indian companies to meet US standards if they wish to export to us, Becerra said.

The health minister said that India is one of the most important partners in maintaining drug supply across the world.

India is at a crucial and much stronger juncture today than what it was a few decades ago and we are looking at seeing it expand its capacity, he said.

The US seeks deeper cooperation and standardisation of drugs that would make it possible to have Indian-manufactured drugs accepted by everyone across the world, he added.

Becerra further explained the challenges posed by the affordability and accessibility of medicines, underlining the shared responsibility to ensure high-quality healthcare solutions reach individuals, both domestically and on a global scale.

As concerns loom over potential disruptions in the supply chain of vital medicines, particularly cancer drugs, minister Becerra said: Thats one of the reasons why Commissioner (Robert) Califf of the Food and Drug Administration is coming to India because we dont want to see any shortage of supply of any medicines. What were finding is that in most cases, the material to make those pharmaceuticals is available, but theres usually some break in the supply chain.

When asked about their commitment to the G20 outcomes and the specific areas of focus, Becerra said, Perhaps most importantly for us in G20 is to see progress that aligns us as a global community, not just as G20 nations, but as a world community, ready to commit to a protocol for effectively addressing future threats, be it pandemics or other challenges. This is just a growing step, and we applaud India on the success of this G20 in moving us closer to being able to come together for that.

The US participation in the G20 meeting was a clear signal of the deepening relationship with India, saying it would pay dividends for both countries, said Becerra.

Regarding the convergence of global health and climate change concerns in the context of a climate-resilient healthcare system, the minister expressed his appreciation for Indias prioritisation of this issue. Indias emphasis on tackling climate change resonates deeply. Climate change transcends borders; its a pivotal issue for India and beyond. When global leaders set agendas, it acts as a beacon for others to follow suit. We cant solve the issue of climate change just in the US or India. And so thats why its so important when you start to get the major centres of political gravity working together. Indias commitment to climate change influences other nations. By prioritizing climate change, India ignites a momentum that enables us to broaden our capabilities and strengthen the relationships that drive tangible progress.
opinion

London  Civic space is deteriorating in Senegal ahead of next February's presidential election. Recent protests have been met with lethal violence and internet and social media restrictions. Senegal's democracy will soon face a key test, and whether it passes will depend largely on whether civic space is respected.

Political conflict

Recent protests have revolved around the populist opposition politician Ousmane Sonko. Sonko came third in the 2019 presidential election and has grown to be the biggest thorn in President Macky Sall's side. He's won support from many young people who see the political elite as corrupt, out of touch and unwilling to tackle major social and economic problems such as the country's high youth unemployment. He's also been the subject of a recent criminal conviction that his supporters insist is politically motivated.

On 1 June, Sonko was sentenced to two years in jail for 'corrupting youth'. This resulted from his arrest on rape charges in March 2021. Although he was cleared of the most serious charges - something women's rights advocates have expressed concern about - his conviction likely makes him ineligible to stand in the next presidential election.

Sonko's arrest in March 2021 triggered protests in which 14 people died. His conviction set off a second wave of protests. Sonko was arrested again on 28 July on protest-related charges, including insurrection. A few days later, the government dissolved his party, Pastef. It's the first such ban since Senegal achieved independence in 1960.

All of this gave fresh impetus to Sonko's supporters, who accuse the government of instrumentalising the judiciary and criminal justice system to stop a credible political threat.

Repressive reaction

The latest wave of protests saw instances of violence, including stone-throwing, tyre burning and looting. The state responded with lethal force. According to civil society estimates, since March 2021 over 30 people have been killed, more than 600 injured and over 700 detained.

In response to the recent protests, the army was deployed in the capital, Dakar. Live ammunition was used and armed people dressed in civilian clothes, evidently embedded with security forces, violently attacked protesters.

Journalists were harassed and arrested while covering protests. Recent years have seen a rise in verbal and physical attacks on journalists, along with legal action to try to silence them. Several journalists were arrested in relation to their reporting on Sonko's prosecution. Investigative journalist Pape Ale Niang has been jailed three times in less than one year.

The government also limited internet access and TV coverage. TV station Walf TV was suspended over its protest coverage. On 1 June, social media access was restricted and on 4 June mobile internet was shut down for several days. In August, TikTok access was blocked. Restrictions harmed both freedom of expression and livelihoods, since many small traders rely on mobile data for transactions.

 Confirmed: Metrics show the restriction of social media and messaging platforms including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube in #Senegal; the incident comes amid protests over the sentencing of opposition figure Ousmane Sonko Report: https://t.co/2ckQPxJ5j3 pic.twitter.com/MuohanLeCP-- NetBlocks (@netblocks) June 1, 2023

Third-term tussle

A major driver of protests and Sonko's campaign was speculation that Sall might be tempted to seek a third presidential term. The constitution appeared to be clear on the two-term limit, but Sall's supporters claimed constitutional amendments in 2016 had reset the count. Thousands mobilised in Dakar on 12 May, organised by a coalition of over 170 civil society groups and opposition parties, to demand that Sall respect the two-term limit.

On 3 July, Sall finally announced that he wasn't running again. But it hasn't ended suspicion that the ruling Alliance for the Republic (APR) party will go to any lengths stay in power, including using the state's levers to weaken the opposition.

There's precedent here: ahead of the Sall's re-election in 2019, two prominent opposition politicians who might have presented a serious challenge were excluded. In both cases, barely weeks before the election the Constitutional Council ruled them ineligible due to prior convictions on corruption charges that were widely believed to have been politically motivated.

That Sonko and Pastef might have stood a chance in 2024 was suggested by the results of votes in 2022. In local elections, the APR lost control of Dakar and Sonko was elected mayor of Ziguinchor city. And then in parliamentary elections, the APR lost 43 of its 125 seats and Pastef finished second, claiming 56 seats, leaving no party with a majority.

Reputation on the line

Senegal long enjoyed an international reputation for being a relatively stable and democratic country in a region that's experienced numerous democratic setbacks. With West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and now Niger under military control, and others like Togo holding deeply flawed elections, Senegal stood out. It's held several free elections with changes of power.

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The country's active and youthful civil society and relatively free media have played a huge part in sustaining democracy. When President Abdoulaye Wade sought an unconstitutional third term in 2012, social movements mobilised. The Y'en a marre ('I'm fed up') movement got out the youth vote to oust Wade in favour of Sall. Wade himself rode a similar youth wave in 2000. So Sall and his party are surely aware of the power of social movements and the youth vote.

A small step forward was taken recently when parliament voted to allow the two opposition candidates who'd been blocked in 2019 to stand in 2024. But the government needs to do much more to show its commitment to democratic rules.

Upholding protest rights would be a good start. The repeated use of violence and detention of protesters points to a systemic problem. No one has been held to account for killings and other rights violations. It's high time for accountability.

Media freedoms need to be respected and people detained for exercising their civic freedoms must be released. For Senegal to live up to its reputation, Sall should strive to enter history as the president who kept democracy alive - not the one who buried it.

Andrew Firmin is CIVICUS Editor-in-Chief, co-director and writer for CIVICUS Lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.

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Bibek Debroy, the chairman of the Prime Ministers Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC) landed himself in a controversy with his remark calling for a new Constitution. This comment was made in an opinion article published in a newspaper on Monday. Debroy's remarks came during the celebrations of the 77th Independence Day of India, in which he called to do away with the existing Constitution, pointing out that it carried the colonial legacy with it. Bibek Debroy serves as the chairman of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Economic Advisory Council.(PTI File Photo)

His remarks received flak from several Opposition parties who said the Constitution guarantees the rights of 1.4 billion people. Some leaders also called for legal actions to be taken against him in response to his statements, while the PM EAC distanced itself from Debroy's personal views.

Who is Bibek Debroy?

1) The noted economist was a member of the NITI Aayog before assuming the role of chief of PM-EAC in 2017, when the formation of the five-member panel took place. The author has taught at many institutions including the Presidency College, Calcutta, the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade and National Council of Applied Economic Research.

2) Debroy, 68, has been a part of many prestigious educational institutions. He pursued studies in Ramakrishna Mission School, West Bengal's Narendrapur; Presidency College, Kolkata; Delhi School of Economics and Trinity College (Cambridge), as per the PM-EAC website.

3) Previously, he has been a member of various government panels including a consultancy role for the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry; Secretary General of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry among others. His past positions also include serving as the director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

4) Debroy has authored several books, papers and popular articles and regularly appears in the country's most prominent financial newspapers.

5) He also headed the panel on restructuring the Indian Railways, which recommended doing away with the rail budget. Acting on the recommendations of the report, the Union government merged the rail budget with the general budget from the year 2017-18.

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Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday asked why is there no G20 event being held in Manipur after it is claimed that the northeastern state is returning to normalcy. Referring to the May 4 incident where a group of men paraded two women naked in broad daylight, Yadav asked why would the state in the northeast be left out from G20 events while the country aspires to become one of the developed nations. Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav. (HT file)(HT_PRINT)

If the BJP wants to take advantage of these events, the party should sponsor them. Why is the government, why are the taxpayers sponsoring it? The government is saying the situation is all okay in Manipur, then they should hold a G20 event in Manipur, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said at Aaj Tak G20 Summit, adding that there is no problem that such events being held in states such as Delhi or Uttar Pradesh, but Manipur is a big issue right now.

Yadav further responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well well Bharatiya Janta Party's remark at the I.N.D.I.A. bloc where they called the coalition ghamandiya (filled with arrogance), and referred them arrogant instead. Those who call I.N.D.I.A. ghamandiya, are themselves arrogant."

Manipur has been hit by ethnic violence since May 3, with latest being an incident where three members from the Kuki community in the state were gunned down by armed miscreants. Earlier, five persons, three from Meitei community and two from Kuki, were killed in separate incidents of shooting between the two communities at Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts.

The violence erupted in the state following protests from Kuki groups against a proposed modification to the state's reservation matrix, allowing Meitei community to hold the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for nearly 53% of the state population while Kukis comprise around 16%.

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 clashes have claimed over 160 lives and displaced around 50,000.
Stylistic forms, geometrical designs and abstract landscapes of vivid and muted colours were among the myriad original canvasses of renowned artists on display at an exhibition in Guwahati, providing rare visual delight to art connoisseurs. M F Hussain's 'Devi', 'Horses', 'Gandhiji', 'Women with the Lamp' and 'Lady with the Portrait', Akbar Padamsee's 'Half Moon', K K Hebbar's 'Mahim Darga', N S Bendre's 'Five Women', 'Bengali Lady and Village Scene', S H Raza's 'Suryoday', 'Beej', 'La Terre' and V S Gaitonde's 'Greenscape' were some of the canvases displayed at the event. The exhibition titled 'Modern Indian Masters: From Assam and Elsewhere in India' showcases over 70 artworks by 20 artists.(Twitter/@LalitKalaLKA )

The exhibition titled 'Modern Indian Masters: From Assam and Elsewhere in India' showcases over 70 artworks by 20 artists. The event commenced at Lalit Kala Bhavan art gallery at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra on August 11 and will continue till August 20. The exhibition is being organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA), Gauhati Artists' Guild (GAG) and Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra.

Exhibits of artists from Assam, including Ashutosh Dev, Sobha Brahma, Benu Misra, Neelpawan Baruah, Hemanta Misra, Pranab Barua, Madhab Baishya, Pulak Gogoi, Gauri Barman and Hemangini Bordoloi, were also showcased. "The idea behind the exhibition was to popularise Assam's artists the way other Indian artists are known. We are presenting all artworks in a grand manner," LKA's editor-in-charge and curator of the exhibition Johny M L told PTI.

Johny said that each region in the country has its unique modernist art practices but "many artists seldom aspire to go beyond their geographical borders and make it to the national scene". "Internationally-renowned artists have the advantage of being in the financial centres of the country but that does not mean that the visual language they developed was radically different from those of the regional modernists. It was just that the latter did not have the same exposure to the market," the art historian said.

GAG general secretary and joint curator of the exhibition, Kishore Kumar Das, said, For the first time, original canvasses of renowned Indian artists, including those from Assam, have been put on display in the Northeast. LKA's conservation officer and art historian Dilip Kumar Tripathy said the exhibition will go down the annals of the art history of the country as the exhibited artworks are a testament to the artists' enduring creative vision.

Art critic Meghali Goswami said the artworks of 10 pioneering artists from Assam who have created a niche in the art landscape inspire a generation of artists, enthusiasts and collectors. "The legacy of the great masters and their artworks serve as vivid reminders of the boundless possibilities of human creativity," she added.

LKA's coordinator-in-charge Maneswar Brahma said the exhibition has created immense interest among the art fraternity, particularly students, who are eager to view and understand the varied nuances of the style, form and creative sensibilities of the master artists.

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Among the many catchy songs in Karan Johars Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani is Kudmayi, which plays in the background as the two lead characters (Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt) are married in a glittering ceremony. PREMIUM In Chandradhar Sharmas 1915 short story Usne Kaha Tha (later turned into a film starring Sunil Dutt and Nanda, above), choice is impossible, and love is expressed as sacrifice. In the new film Rocky Aur Rani..., kudmayi or engagement is a celebratory cry.

There was much scratching of heads when the song was released. What did kudmayi mean? I knew instantly, because of a short story we studied in school called Usne Kaha Tha (She Had Said So).

The story has a recurring line of dialogue between a 12-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl. The two keep meeting in Amritsars busy bazaars, over a month. He always asks: Teri kudmayi ho gayi? She always answers Dhat! and runs away. Until she doesnt.

On their last such meeting, she doesnt laugh in response. Yes, its done; cant you see my shawl with its rich silk embroidery, she says.

Our Hindi teacher explained that kudmayi meant engagement.

I remember being very moved by the story when I read it in school. Even today, re-reading it brings a lump to my throat.

Usne Kaha Tha was written more than a century ago, by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri (1883-1922). It is one of only three short stories by him, but it was enough to immortalise him in Hindi literature.

The story was written in 1915 and published in the great Hindi literary magazine Saraswati, which was famously edited by Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi (1864-1938) for 18 years, from 1903 to 1920.

The most remarkable thing about Usne Kaha Tha is that it doesnt feel dated at all. A story about Indian soldiers in World War 1, it is a tautly written tale of war, love and sacrifice. It is based in fact: more than a million Indian soldiers fought in that war, and about half of them were from Punjab. These were largely poor peasants, carried off to the frozen trenches of Europe to fight someone elses battle, recruited initially through economic incentive and later through plain coercion.

Usne Kaha Tha follows a group of such men, who have been sent to icy, slushy trenches in France, where they face exploding shells and a crafty enemy.

The 12-year-old boy has grown up to become jamadar Lahna Singh, who sacrifices his life to save the subedar and subedars son, Bodha. Before going to war, Lahna meets the subedars wife, purely by accident. She turns out to be the girl from the market. Will he please protect her husband and son, she says. She has no one else in the world. He promises to do so, and keeps his promise. Because usne kaha tha.

He averts what could have been a murderous attack by Germans. In that effort, he is shot twice, the second time grievously. But rather than leave in an ambulance, he sends the subedar and Bodha away to safety. The final passages of Usne Kaha Tha are the most poignant, as Lahna Singh lies close to death, cradled in a weeping friends lap. He is delirious, talking about a mango tree in his village. The mangoes will be plentiful this year, wont they, he says.

Usne Kaha Tha is regarded as the first modern Hindi short story, a tale of its time, rooted in reality.

In 1960, it was made into a film starring Sunil Dutt and Nanda, produced by Bimal Roy and directed by Moni Bhattacharjee (best known for his 1963 dacoit drama, Mujhe Jeene Do). The film may have faded into obscurity but the story rightfully remains in a league of its own.
The river is so polluted one can walk across parts of it and not sink. The crime so organised that its run by a guild. The disparities so great that the rich and poor never really cross paths. PREMIUM The episode on New Delhi and Washington DC touches upon how the two cities central vistas are no accident. They were planned, and remain protected, by legislation that includes height-cap laws. (HT Archives)

This could be any number of the worlds cities. It is, in fact, Terry Pratchetts fictional metropolis of Ankh-Morpork. Anyone who has lived in a major city and read the Discworld books has found themselves shaking their head in recognition and exasperation. What else connects cities in the real world? Thats a conversation that began, for architect and urban designer Dikshu Kukreja, in February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Born and raised in Delhi, Kukreja has studied and worked in Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Paris and Mumbai, and always felt deeply emotionally connected with cities, he says. He began wondering if there was some way to scratch the surface and trace commonalities between them. His research has yielded a chat show, Tale of Two Cities, now streaming on YouTube.

The show aims to nudge the viewer to be more curious and more involved.

In conversations with prime ministers, ministers and mayors, Kukreja, 54, chases a wealth of hidden links between eight pairs of cities (one Indian and one international in each pair). Mumbai, for instance, has something surprising in common with Mexico City. The former is, of course, a cross-stitch of seven islands and land reclaimed from the Arabian Sea. The latter, formerly the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, was built on an island in Lake Texcoco, later expanded to a second island, and the lake eventually drained. The city now sprawls across that dry lakebed.

What links Bogota and Ahmedabad? Washington DC and New Delhi? Guests who have appeared on the show to discuss this include Albanian prime minister Edi Rama; mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb; former Colombian president Ivan Duque Marquez. Marquez talks about how Bogota used to look like Gotham city, with a high incidence of crime, despair, traffic. This has begun to change, he adds, through sustained investment in mass transit systems and road corridors, spaces for art and culture. Ahmedabad, Kukreja points out on the show, is among the Indian cities that has adopted Bogotas renowned bus rapid transit system (BRTS), a model that prioritises affordable and convenient mass transit through the use of, among other things, dedicated bus lanes. Episode 4 explores Kochi and Rotterdam, both seaports at significant risk from rising sea levels. My city is very vulnerable, Aboutaleb says on the show. In addition to dikes or sea walls, were creating storage systems of water by building water plazas. Weve also financed a project outside the city limits where we may collect four million litres of water to prevent Rotterdam from flooding. The episode on New Delhi and Washington DC explores how both capitals bear a recognisable visual aesthetic, tied together by administrative power corridors. Both seek to protect the integrity of these iconic cityscapes by placing restrictions on development such as Washington DCs Height of Buildings Act of 1910. Kukreja and his team of six, which includes his wife, writer Arunima Kukreja, 47, are now in the midst of research for Season 2. Once again, they will cross-braid parameters that could tie two cities together, for a study in similarities and contrasts. Certain episodes will be shot on location, as those featuring Bogota, Mexico City, San Marino and Tirana were. Season 2 will zoom into cities from countries in Africa and West and Central Asia as well, Arunima says. The aim, again, will be to nudge the viewer to be more curious about their city, and become more involved. There will also likely be a greater focus on an aspect that has particularly gripped Dikshu Kukreja: the need for cities to tap back into indigenous methods of urban planning. It is what can help us adapt to climate change, while keeping our cultural identity intact.

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Hariyali Teej 2023: The auspicious Hindu festival of Hariyali Teej is here to celebrate the union of Lord Shiva and the Goddess Parvati. Women across India, both married and unmarried, especially in the northern regions of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, celebrate this important event with much pomp and enthusiasm. Married women observe a day-long Nirjala fast during the festival, adorn their hands with beautiful mehndi designs, dress in traditional green or red, and offer prayers for the long life of their husbands. Even single girls occasionally observe the fast in the hope of finding a suitable mate. DIY face masks infused with natural ingredients can help you achieve an effortless glow, perfectly aligned with the spirit of Hariyali Teej.(Freepik )

In the midst of the preparations and festivities, you may not have had time to focus on yourself and take care of your skin. But don't worry: with a little creativity and a few common ingredients, you can create exquisite DIY face masks that will unleash your inner glow just in time for the festivities. (Also read: Hariyali Teej 2023: Best wishes, images, messages, greetings, Facebook and WhatsApp status to share with loved ones )

5 DIY face masks for last-minute Teej glow up

Dr. Batul Patel, Leading Celebrity Dermatologist, Founder and Medical Director, The Bombay Skin Clinic shared with HT Lifestyle some last-minute DIY face masks, to help you achieve an enchanting and effortless glow, perfectly aligned with the spirit of Hariyali Teej.

1. Nourishing Honey and Avocado Mask

Mash half an avocado and blend it with a tablespoon of honey. Avocado contains beneficial fats, vitamins, and antioxidants that can enhance skin radiance, while honey acts as a natural hydrator. Apply the mixture on your face for 15-20 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water to achieve a natural glow.

2. Greek Yogurt and Turmeric Blend

Combine Greek yogurt with turmeric, kelp powder, spirulina powder, and French green clay. The yogurt's lactic acid gently exfoliates, while turmeric offers anti-inflammatory and antioxidant advantages. Kelp, spirulina, and clay work together to cleanse pores deeply. After 15 minutes, wash off the mask.

3. Potent Cleansing Mask for Acne-Prone Skin

Mix 1 tablespoon of French green clay,  teaspoon of green tea (matcha powder), 1 tablespoon of fresh aloe vera gel, and 2 teaspoons of witch hazel extract with 5 drops of rosewood essential oil and 2 tablespoons of rose water. This mask effectively cleanses pores, purifies, and tightens the skin. Apply the cold mixture to your face and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Soothing Oatmeal and Cucumber Mask

Blend half a cucumber with a cup of oatmeal. Cucumber offers hydration and soothing effects, while oatmeal's antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties calm irritated skin and eliminate dead cells. Apply the mask for 20 minutes before rinsing.

5. Egg White and Lemon Brightening Mask

Combine one egg white with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Egg white tightens the skin and minimizes pores, while lemon juice lightens blemishes and imparts a natural glow. Apply the mixture for 15 minutes and then cleanse your face.

Always perform a patch test before using these masks to ensure compatibility with your skin.

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St. Stephen's Day is an official national holiday in Hungary. Its celebrations are of great importance as it is the day on which the foundations of the Hungarian state were laid. The day is celebrated in honour of King Stephen, who made it possible for Hungary to become a sovereign state. This momentous day has deep historical and cultural roots and invites us to pause and reflect on the life and achievements of Saint Stephen. The festival culminates in an enormous firework display along the Danube River. Hungary's citizens hold St. Stephen's Day in the highest regard. From history to significance, here is everything you need to know about this day. (Also read: International Bow Day 2023: Date, history, significance and all you need to know ) St. Stephen's Day celebrations are marked primarily by a massive fireworks display beside the river Danube.(Wikimedia Commons)

When is St. Stephen's Day 2023?

St. Stephens Day will be celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm on August 20.

History of St. Stephen's Day

Stephen received a crown from Pope Sylvester II and the honour of becoming the first king of Hungary in 1000 A.D. His crown, which is considered a holy relic, is still among Hungary's priceless treasures. Stephen died on 15 August 1038. He was converted to Catholicism on 20 August 1083. August 20 was originally celebrated in 1092 AD after Ladislaus I made it a holy day. Before Queen Maria Theresa made it an official national holiday in 1771, it was celebrated as St Stephen's Day. The name of the holiday was changed to Constitution Day in 1950 after undergoing several changes. To commemorate the establishment of the Hungarian state, the Hungarian Parliament restored it as St Stephen's Day.

St. Stephen's Day significance

St Stephen's Day has a profound significance as a day dedicated to commemorating the life and martyrdom of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr. His unwavering faith and courage in the face of persecution serve as an example of the core Christian values of selflessness, dedication and willingness to sacrifice for one's beliefs. On this day, Christians are encouraged to reflect on Stephen's enduring legacy, which serves as a reminder of the price paid for their faith and an encouragement to stand by their convictions even in difficult circumstances. In addition, in some traditions, St Stephen's Day is a time for charitable acts and giving, further emulating the attitude of compassion and selflessness that Stephen embodied.

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After a lull, surge of new Covid strains in UK, China and other countries has been making news. After WHO declared new Covid strain EG.5 or Eris that's increasing the caseload in UK as variant of interest, yet another Covid strain called BA 2.86 that was first detected on July 24 has been classified as 'variant under monitoring; on August 17. BA 2.86 is mainly causing a spike in infections in Denmark, Israel and US; its symptoms are more or less similar to previous Covid strains. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed it is closely monitoring the variant. The new lineage has as many as 36 mutations from the currently-dominant Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5. The massive number of mutations has left the experts concerned about a bigger spike in cases compared to previous waves. (Also read: New Covid variant EG.5: Symptoms to transmissibility; 7 things to know about Omicron subvariant Eris) BA 2.86: The new lineage has as many as 36 mutations from the currently-dominant Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.(Pixabay)

"The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently monitoring a new Covid-19 variant which has a lot of mutations. This variant, currently causing infections in Denmark, Israel and US is termed as BA2.86. The number of mutations is massive that can increase the transmissibility and antigenic nature. The extent of spread and heavy changes in the spike structure has led to it being termed as 'variant under monitoring'," Dr Charu Dutt Arora, Infectious Disease Specialist, Consultant Physician, AmeriHealth, Asian Hospital told HT Digital.

Symptoms of BA 2.86

"So far, the symptoms of this variant is almost the same as currently predominant lineage of Omicron XBB 15 which includes fever, cough, headache, body pain, fatigue and abdominal discomfort," says Dr Arora.

As per reports done at Texas Methodist, the BA 2.86 is under studies to understand the ACE 2 receptor affinity, that will determine its spread and severity of the cases.

Is there is a possibility of a new wave in India due to BA 2.86?

Dr Arora says that considering the Indian subcontinent has witnessed multiple waves of Covid-19 virus spikes in the last 3 years, it will be able to tackle the spread with massive mass vaccination drive across the country and hence there is no need to panic.

"All the vulnerable populations such as elderly, kids and immunocompromised people should get their boosters done immediately that can protect them from any illness," says Dr Arora.

Dr Vidya S Nair, Sr Consultant & HOD - Unit 2, Pulmonology at Marengo Asia Hospitals, Sector 16, Faridabad NCR says BA 2.86 is spreading faster than others and talks about a new pattern of illness called pre-Covid.

"A pattern of occurrence of Covid signs, where the signs were felt but the Covid test came to be negative, is being seen currently. This pattern of illness termed as 'pre-Covid', is one of the reasons why Covid spread faster earlier. In this, the individual experiences the symptoms of Covid, but the test result comes negative. Then a week or so later, you take a turn for the worse and feel even more ill  and, perhaps miraculously, a test returns a positive result. This means the incubation period of this strain is about a week," says Dr Nair.

"There is no major change in the way Covid symptoms are being reported. Most patients report stuffy nose, nasal symptoms with fever, sore throat, body ache, dryness in throat, decreased appetite etc. If the symptoms don't settle and disease progresses, then it leads to sputum production, breathlessness, chest discomfort, which means it's the start of pneumonia phase," adds Dr Nair.

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Periodontitis, which is connected to cardiovascular risk, results from gum inflammation. The study was published in 'Frontiers in Oral Health.' Mouthwash can detect early cardiovascular disease: Study(Unsplash)

The team tested whether white blood cell counts, an indication of gum inflammation, in the saliva of healthy persons may be connected to cardiovascular disease warning signs using a straightforward mouth rinse.

They discovered that elevated levels were associated with impaired flow-mediated dilation, which is a precursor to vascular disease.

ALSO READ: Can brushing teeth more reduce diabetes risk? What expert says

Even in young healthy adults, low levels of oral inflammatory load may have an impact on cardiovascular health  one of the leading causes of death in North America, said Dr Trevor King of Mount Royal University, corresponding author of the study published in Frontiers in Oral Health.

Periodontitis is a common infection of the gums which has previously been linked to the development of cardiovascular disease: scientists suspect that inflammatory factors may enter the bloodstream through the gums and damage the vascular system.

King and his colleagues set out to study currently healthy young people without diagnosed periodontal issues to determine whether lower levels of oral inflammation can be clinically relevant to cardiovascular health.

We are starting to see more relationships between oral health and risk of cardiovascular disease, said Ker-Yung Hong, first author of the study, now studying dentistry at the University of Western Ontario.

If we are seeing that oral health may have an impact on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease even in young healthy individuals, this holistic approach can be implemented earlier on.

The team chose pulse-wave velocity, which can measure the stiffness of arteries, and flow-mediated dilation, a measure of how well arteries can dilate to allow for higher blood flow, as key indicators of cardiovascular risk. These measure arterial health directly: stiff and poorly functioning arteries raise patients risk of cardiovascular disease.

The scientists recruited 28 non-smokers between 18 and 30, with no comorbidities or medications that could affect cardiovascular risk and no reported history of periodontal disease. They were asked to fast for six hours, except for drinking water, prior to visiting the lab.

At the lab, participants rinsed their mouths with water before rinsing their mouths with saline which was collected for analysis. Participants then lay down for 10 minutes for an electrocardiogram and stayed lying down for another 10 minutes so that the scientists could take their blood pressure, flow-mediated dilation, and pulse-wave velocity.

The mouth rinse test could be used at your annual checkup at the family doctor or the dentist, said Dr Michael Glogauer of the University of Toronto, a co-author of the study. It is easy to implement as an oral inflammation measuring tool in any clinic.

The scientists found that high white blood cells in saliva had a significant relationship to poor flow-mediated dilation, suggesting these people may be at elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there was no relationship between white blood cells and pulse wave velocity, so longer-term impacts on the health of the arteries had not yet taken place.

The scientists hypothesized that inflammation from the mouth, leaking into the vascular system, impacts the ability of arteries to produce the nitric oxide that allows them to respond to changes in blood flow. Higher levels of white blood cells could have a greater impact on vascular dysfunction; the levels found in the participants are usually not considered clinically significant.

Optimal oral hygiene is always recommended in addition to regular visits to the dentist, especially in light of this evidence, said King.

But this study was a pilot study. We are hoping to increase the study population and explore those results. We are also hoping to include more individuals with gingivitis and more advanced periodontitis to more deeply understand the impact of different levels of gingival inflammation on cardiovascular measures.

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One in every four older Americans with dementia or mild cognitive impairment lives alone, putting them at risk of risky driving, wandering outside the home, mixing up medications, and failing to attend medical appointments. People who live alone at risk of cognitive decline: Study(Pixabay)

In a study publishing in JAMA Network Open on Aug. 18, 2023, researchers led by UC San Francisco concluded that the United States health system is poorly equipped to serve patients living solo with cognitive decline, a group whose numbers are predicted to swell as the population ages.

For these patients, living alone is a social determinant of health with an impact as profound as poverty, racism and low education, said first author Elena Portacolone, PhD, MBA, MPH, of the UCSF Institute for Health and Aging and the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.

ALSO READ: 4 early signs of dementia that can appear in eyes before memory issues begin

In this qualitative study, researchers interviewed 76 health care providers, including physicians, nurses, social workers, case workers, home care aides and others. Participants worked in memory clinics, home care services and social services and other places in California, Michigan and Texas

The providers raised concerns about patients missing medical appointments, failing to respond to follow-up phone calls from the doctors office and forgetting why appointments were made, leaving them vulnerable to falling off the radar. We dont necessarily have the staff to really try to reach out to them, said a physician in one interview.

Discharging a patient is like sending a kid out to play on freeway

Some patients could not assist their doctor with missing information on their chart, leaving the providers uncertain about the pace of their patients decline. Many had no names listed as emergency contacts, not a family member, not even a friend to rely on in case of a crisis, according to a case manager. These patients were at risk for untreated medical conditions, self-neglect, malnutrition and falls, according to the providers. A house service coordinator also noted that calls to Adult Protective Services were sometimes dismissed until a patients situation became very serious.

One consequence of the shaky infrastructure supporting these patients was that they were not identified until they were sent to a hospital following a crisis, like a fall or reaction to medication mismanagement. Some were discharged without a support system in place. In one case, a patient was sent home with a taxi voucher, a situation that a psychiatrist likened to sending a kid out to play on the freeway.

These findings are an indictment of our health care system, which fails to provide subsidized home care aides for all but the lowest-income patients, said Portacolone.

In the United States, an estimated 79% of people with cognitive decline have an income that is not low enough to make them eligible for Medicaid subsidized home care aides in long-term care, she said, adding that the threshold for a person living alone in California is $20,121 per year.

While Medicare is available to adults over 65, subsidized aides are generally only provided after acute episodes, like hospitalizations, for fixed hours and for limited durations, she said.

Most patients need to pay out-of-pocket and since cognitive impairment can last for decades, it is unsustainable for most people. Aides that are available via Medicaid are very poorly paid and usually receive limited training in caring for older adults with cognitive impairment, she added.

Subsidized home care aides plentiful in Europe, Japan, Canada

In contrast, subsidized home care aides are generally available to a significantly larger percentage of their counterparts living in parts of Europe, Japan and Canada, said Portacolone, citing a 2021 review of 13 countries, of which she was the senior author.

The studys findings illustrate substantial deficiencies in how our health system provides for people with dementia, said senior author Kenneth E. Covinsky, MD, MPH, of the UCSF Division of Geriatrics. In an era when Medicare is going to spend millions of dollars for newly approved drugs with very marginal benefits, we need to remember that Medicare and other payers refuse to pay far less money to provide necessary supports for vulnerable people with dementia.

The researchers advocate for a system in which robust supports are made available by funding from an expanded Medicare and Medicaid. This will become increasingly critical, said Portacolone, because effective treatments to reverse the course of cognitive impairment are unavailable, childlessness and divorce are common, and older adults are projected to live longer and often alone.

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analysis

It's been 126 years since British medical doctor Sir Ronald Ross discovered that mosquitoes in the Anopheles family are primarily responsible for transmitting malaria parasites between vertebrate hosts.

Since his discovery, mosquitoes have been found to carry and transmit many other diseases that pose a major threat to public health. Among them are yellow fever, dengue and Zika.

Currently, malaria is the most lethal mosquito-transmitted disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported an estimated 247 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2021 and 619,000 deaths. Almost all cases and deaths were in African countries.

Other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes are also a source of immense human suffering. It is estimated that dengue infects about 390 million people annually. And thousands are affected by Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

Insects that transmit diseases to humans are known as vectors and the diseases they transmit are referred to as vector-borne diseases. These diseases are very difficult to control. They generally have complex life cycles, involving both the insect and the human host.

Conventional methods to control vector-borne diseases have targeted the vectors, focusing on reducing their opportunities to come into contact with humans.

This is particularly true for malaria. Insecticide-treated nets serve a dual function by acting as a physical barrier between the mosquito vector and humans, and exposing the mosquito to a lethal dose of insecticide when it lands on the net. In another common control method, mosquitoes are exposed to a lethal dose of insecticide through indoor residual spraying.

Both nets and indoor spraying have played a major role in reducing African countries' malaria burden. But their sustained efficacy is under threat. Many vector populations have become resistant to the insecticides used in these methods. They have also changed their behaviours to reduce their contact with those insecticides.

Read more: Fresh signs of mosquito insecticide resistance in South Africa

Scientists are working to address these issues. But other methods that don't rely on insecticides are needed in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases.

That's where genetic modification comes in. We are researchers focused on finding novel ways to advance malaria elimination efforts and are excited about recent advances in genomic research that make genetic modification a realistic option for malaria control in particular. As with other approaches to controlling or eventually eradicating the disease, this won't be a complete solution. But it's got the potential to strengthen the global fight against malaria.

Genetic modification for malaria control

Mosquitoes can be genetically modified through two different technologies. The first method, paratransgenesis, involves infecting mosquitoes with bacteria that prevent them from transmitting malaria. This doesn't harm the mosquito. It is important not to eliminate or harm mosquitoes because they pollinate many plants and are food for animals like bats, birds and reptiles.

Read more: Curious Kids: What would happen if all the mosquitoes in the world disappeared?

Scientists are excited about this method following the recent discovery of a bacterium that occurs naturally in mosquitoes' guts and appears to prevent the malaria parasite from developing inside the mosquito.

The second method involves genetically modifying the mosquitoes themselves. This approach centres on gene drives: genetic systems that ensure genes of interest are inherited by all offspring in every generation. There are two types of gene drive. One aims to reduce the vector population size and is known as population suppression. The other aims to prevent the mosquito from transmitting malaria; it is known as population modification.

Gene drives focusing on population suppression have shown great promise in laboratory studies. They've yet to be tested in the field, though.

Population modification potentially has fewer environmental effects and is less prone to developing mutations. But it has proved more challenging to achieve and has not progressed as far as the suppression approach.

Addressing scepticism

It will be a while before this technology is routinely used by malaria control programmes. But preparation is under way.

Over the past decade, malaria control programmes have expressed a willingness to use genetic modification if and when such techniques are shown to be safe and acceptable to the affected communities. This has prompted the WHO to provide guidance on the use of genetically modified mosquitoes to control malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

In its guidance, the WHO acknowledges how crucial community engagement will be to the success of any future gene drive interventions.

This is important in an environment where there is marked scepticism about science, and particularly about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In 2003, community resistance resulted in the rejection of genetically modified golden rice in Zambia, despite the country experiencing a pronounced food shortage.

More recently, there was backlash against the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which some people suspected of being capable of altering human DNA (it isn't).

It is critical that the concerns of communities where genetically modified mosquitoes are to be released are addressed prior to any release. This will help promote acceptance and understanding of the new technology.

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Considerable investment

However, community acceptance is not the only challenge. There is an urgent need for research on the relevant local malaria mosquito species so that the required genetically modified mosquitoes can be developed. Once the genetically modified lines are established, impact in the field must be demonstrated and systems established to ensure suitable numbers of mosquitoes can be reared and safely transported to the intervention sites.

All this requires considerable human resources and funding, suggesting that it will be some time before gene drive systems have real-world impact on malaria transmission.

Still, as the globe marks World Mosquito Day on 20 August, in honour of Sir Ronald Ross's discovery almost 130 years ago, we believe there is reason for optimism: novel technologies like genetic modification have the potential to play a major role in the fight against malaria.

Shune Oliver, Medical scientist, National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Jaishree Raman, Principal Medical Scientist and Head of Laboratory for Antimalarial Resistance Monitoring and Malaria Operational Research, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Yoga nidra is a technique that helps you get into a deep state of relaxation without falling asleep and while still being aware of your surroundings. Highly effective in getting rid of accumulated stress, Yoga nidra helps you connect to brain's parasympathetic network where the body and mind get into rest and repair mode. Similar to meditation in approach, Yoga nidra helps release stress from each and every part of the body, calms the brain and helps in better sleep. Yoga nidra can heal, refresh and rejuvenate a person and after practicing the technique one can even get relief from chronic pain, anxiety issues and other such mental health problems. (Also read: 3 wonderful Yoga poses to practice post dinner for sleeping better) Yoga nidra revitalizes the body and mind. It resets the mind, heals the body and prepares one to handle the daily tasks much more optimally. (Pexels)

Yoga nidra revitalizes the body and mind. It resets the mind, heals the body and prepares one to handle the daily tasks much more optimally. It calms down the nervous system thus slowing down the breath, heart beat and also anxious thoughts.

Yoga nidra is practiced by lying down on a mat or even bed. One then focuses on their breath while scanning each and every part of the body. This can also be done through guided relaxation techniques on YouTube. With each breath, stress is released and a fresh energy fills your senses. The practice can also help one deal with negative thoughts and situations better.

Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, Founder of Akshar Yoga Kendraa in an interview with HT digital shares 10 benefits of Yoga Nidra.

"With yoga nidra, your objective is to enter a deep level of conscious awareness sleep, which is a more profound state of relaxation with awareness, while you are lying down. This stage entails crossing over from the unconscious to the aware, from awake consciousness to dreaming, then from dreaming to not dreaming while still awake," says the Yoga expert.

1. Regulates nervous system

Yoga nidra is effective in utilizing the autonomic nerve system. The autonomic nervous system controls bodily functions including heartbeat, breathing, digestion, and blood flow that happen automatically. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve systems are also a part of this system. Anxiety appears to be lessened more effectively by yoga nidra. Studies have shown how yoga nidra is a helpful method for easing both cognitive and physical signs of worry.

2. Calms the brain

Brain waves that are transitioning into sleep start off as thoughtful beta waves, go through alpha wave phases, then theta wave stages, and eventually reach the slowest frequency of sleep, delta wave stages. Yoga Nidra leads users into a relaxed state that is somewhere between the alpha and theta states. As a result, we can lie in a state of profound relaxation in between waking and sleeping.

3. Better quality of sleep

Yoga nidra encourages restful sleep and relaxation in a way that traditional meditation doesn't. To relax the nervous system and promote less stress and greater health, one can practice the phases of body scan and breath awareness alone.

4. Helps you connect to yourself

Yoga nidra gives you a place to consider what you need right now and a chance to focus on letting go of long-repressed emotions. You can experience an emotion and 'face' what you want to overcome while in a yoga nidra session without 'diving into it' entirely or feeling the emotion to the point of being overwhelmed. You continue to feel the emotion and related sensations as you get farther in the practise.

5. Creates new neural pathways

Using this technique, you may delve deeper into a behaviour pattern, gain a greater understanding of your response, and eventually enable the trait to dissolve into the ocean of consciousness. You can also feel comfortable during this journey of self-awareness and change. It is no longer a lasting impact at that moment. You are freed from that thinking or action pattern.

6. Increased attention and focus

Yoga Nidra's relaxing influence on the mind makes it possible to increase concentration and focus. This makes it a great habit for learners or anybody looking to increase productivity.

7. Pain relief

Yoga Nidra can be a useful treatment for those who have chronic pain. This is due to the fact that it supports both mental and physical relaxation.

8. Reduces stress

A significant portion of people continue to feel tension and irritation. The person is more susceptible to psychological and psychosomatic problems as a result of this ongoing stress in the body, mind, and emotions. Numerous mental and physical advantages of yoga nidra have been demonstrated.

9. Boosts immunity

Yoga Nidra's relaxation-inducing effects can lower stress levels, which helps strengthen the immune system. The immune system has been demonstrated to benefit from yoga nidra by functioning immune cells more effectively and producing more antibodies.

10. Spiritual connection

The objective of yoga nidra is to achieve the transitional awareness that enables the conscious mind to explore imaginative thought and picture streams. People can attain deeper degrees of relaxation, access their inner knowledge, and change limiting attitudes and behaviours via the practise of yoga nidra.

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I find biographies particularly fascinating. Not only because you get involved in the life of the central character, but theyre also full of anecdotes that are fun to read. This is where serious books of history differ. Theyre more analytical and, therefore, more demanding. Often, when they re-evaluate something, they can be formidable. PREMIUM Its Raos relationship with Atal Bihari Vajpayee that transfixed my attention.(HT File)

Neerja Chowdhurys book on six prime ministers is a delightful and welcome combination of the two styles. Called How Prime Ministers Decide, it combines history and biography and is filled with anecdotes and chatty quotations. Shes also adopted a winning style.

For instance, this is how her chapter on Rajiv Gandhi begins:  Rajiv, if you cant convince me about this Muslim womens bill, how are you going to convince the country? Sonia said to her husband. Even more inviting is the opening sentence of the chapter on Narasimha Rao.  I heard you were doing Puja after 12 oclock on 6 December, Nikhil Chakravartty, a Left-leaning journalist said to former Prime Minister (PM) PV Narasimha Rao. With that sort of start its impossible not to read on.

Now, Chowdhurys book doesnt present great revelations that will make you rethink your view of any of the six PMs. This is not a reappraisal. But it has stories, quotations and a vast quantity of research that fleshes out and adds detail to what you already know. Her book helps you understand things better.

Her comments on Rao are particularly engrossing. First, theres her understanding of the man. Rao  was given to having arguments with himself. He would internally debate an issue and see both points of view to such an extent that no clear picture emerged, she writes.

Chowdhury says Rao didnt want a majority in 1996  and he didnt get one either  because then he would have to give way to Sonia Gandhi. Rao had a better chance of becoming PM again only if the Congress was in a minority. Shes right, but this hadnt occurred to me earlier.

Its Raos relationship with Atal Bihari Vajpayee that transfixed my attention. They went back a long way  and had come to each others rescue at critical moments in their careers.

In October 1995, at the United Nations General Assembly, Vajpayee was seated between Rao and Bhuvnesh Chaturvedi, a junior minister. Chowdhury quotes Chaturvedi: Vajpayee leaned across and said to Rao, Kalyan Singh humare bahut virodh maen hai, unko nahi banna chahiye (Kalyan Singh has been opposing me, he should not take over as CM of UP).

That evening, Chaturvedi asked Rao whether they should help Vajpayee. Haan keh do Voraji ko (Yes, tell Voraji to do whats necessary), was the reply. Vora was the governor of Uttar Pradesh.

The message was delivered and Kalyan Singh did not become chief minister (CM). Chowdhurys explanation couldnt be more telling. The installation of Kalyan Singh as the CM in Lucknow would mean power moving into the hands of Advani. This could create problems for Vajpayee ... Rao understood the importance of UP for Vajpayee  and decided to help his friend.

Five years later, Vajpayee apparently returned the favour. In September 2000, a trial court held Rao guilty of bribing Members of Parliament to defeat a no-confidence motion. Rao sought Vajpayees help to close the case, Chowdhury writes. Chaturvedi told me that he was the go between. I went to see Atal ji, Chaturvedi recalled. He called Brajesh into the room. He told him, Isko khatam keejiyee (close this matter).

In March 2002, the Delhi high court acquitted Rao. It was significant that the Vajpayee government decided not to appeal the high court verdict, Chowdhury adds. Instead, CBI decided to drop the case.

In all my years, I havent come across a story like this. They were opponents. They fought for the same job. Yet, they helped each other get out of scrapes or nip challenges in the bud. This is a classic case of you-scratch-my-back-and-Ill-scratch-yours. Neither emerges smelling of ittar. I wonder how their parties will respond?

Karan Thapar is the author of Devils Advocate: The Untold Story. The views expressed are personal
When CP Ramaswami Aiyar, the dewan of Travancore, stunned the Congress by declaring on June 11, 1947, that it would become an independent state, he received backing from an unexpected quarter. The father of Hindutva, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, praised Aiyar for his courageous and far-sighted determination to seek independence. The Nizam, Muslim ruler of Hyderabad, has already proclaimed his independence and other Muslim states are likely to do so. Hindu states are bold enough to assert they have the same rights, he wrote. PREMIUM Founded in 1921, the Chamber of Princes brought the rulers of the leading states together for the first time (juggernaut books)

That Savarkars views were not shared among other freedom fighters highlights the contestations that characterised the very real problem of what to do about the 562 princely states in the lead-up to Independence. As my book Dethroned: Patel, Nehru and the Integration of Princely India shows, there were acute divisions within the nationalist movement on whether to support the democratic aspirations of the states peoples and how to deal with recalcitrants such as Travancore, Hyderabad, Bhopal and, later on, Junagadh and Kashmir.

Gandhi blasted Travancores bid as tantamount to a declaration of war on the free millions of India. Jawaharlal Nehru warned that the state would be starved out. Their threats were based on the fear that if more states exercised their right to independence, India would be balkanised, undermining the unity of the new Union and decades of nationalist struggle. Closely watching the developments was Muhammad Ali Jinnah who wired Aiyar on June 20, promising that a future Pakistan would be ready to establish a relationship with Travancore which will be of mutual advantage.

Aiyar would eventually back down, but not before VP Menon, the secretary of the states department, reminded him that Travancore was the main breeding ground for communism in India and if there was a communist uprising after August 15, there would be no aid from Delhi. Vallabhbhai Patel, the powerful states minister, reminded him that wealthy industrialist Seth Dalmia had given the local Congress party 5 lakh to stir up trouble. If Aiyar did not give up his idea of independence, his life could be in danger.

While there was unanimity among Indias nationalists that there was no place in a free India for islands of autocracy, there were differences in how this could be avoided. The views ranged from Nehrus utter contempt for the princes who he derided as sinks of reaction and incompetence, to Savarkars view that the princely states were portals to a pure, ancient past, and even the foundation on which the future nation could be launched. Typically for Mahatma Gandhi, his opinions changed to suit the times. My ideal of Indian states is Ram Rajya, he declared in 1925  a condition he believed the princes could achieve and should make their goal. He was an admirer of Mysores ruler Krishnaraja Wadiyar, a pious and progressive Hindu whom he referred to as a rajarshi, or saintly king.

Patel took a middle road. Although he once described the rulers as worthless  sycophants, who their slave-like subjects had a right to dethrone, he was careful to cultivate close links with the rulers of influential states such as Patiala and Gwalior while appealing to the princes proud, glorious past, when their ancestors had played highly patriotic roles in the defence of their family honour and the freedom of their land.

The official policy of the Indian National Congress towards the states, adopted at Nagpur in 1920, was one of non-intervention. It said the Congress could form committees in the states but not indulge in political activities. This stand was a rational one. The princely states enjoyed considerable autonomy. Involving itself in the affairs of the states would leave the Congress fighting battles on two fronts  with the British and with the princes  for which it was ill prepared.

When the prominent Left-wing Congressman NV Gadgil used the Jabalpur session of the All India Congress Committee in 1935 to move a resolution demanding that the people of the states should get full backing in the freedom struggle, he was opposed by Patel. For there to be constitutional progress, the cooperation of the people of the states would be required, Patel argued. Alienating them would, therefore, run counter to Congress interests.

The involvement of Hindu nationalist organisations in the states drew rulers such as Bhopals Hamidullah Khan closer to the Muslim League. For him, it was a matter of survival. A Muslim ruling over a Hindu-majority state, he had grown increasingly aware of the communal orientation of the other princes who were receiving funds from groups such as the Hindu Mahasabha for running schools and for office space and propaganda work. In 1946, Hamidullah became the chancellor of the Chamber of Princes and used his influence to try and draw the rulers of states such as Jodhpur and Indore into Pakistans orbit. In June 1947, he joined Travancore and Hyderabad in declaring his state would become independent on the transfer of power.

The end of the Raj would widen the rift between Nehru and Patel as they clashed over how to respond to threats to Indias territorial integrity thrown up by Junagadhs accession to Pakistan, the tribal invasion of Kashmir and Hyderabads declaration of independence. Nehrus reluctance to use force would infuriate Patel, who in turn, would be branded communalist for his insistence on sending in the Army to dethrone Hyderabads nizam.

Despite his antipathy towards the princes, Patel was determined to honour his promises to them by enshrining their privy purses, privileges and dignities in the Constitution, declaring that this was a small price to pay for the sacrifices they had made. A socialist to the core, Nehru baulked at the expenditure of public money on privy purses in perpetuity while millions of Indians were starving. Patel eventually got his way.

The outline of todays map of India owes much to Patel and Menons success at arm twisting the states into acceding and then integrating them into viable units. But the cries of betrayal would echo through the empty darbar halls for decades to come, particularly after Indira Gandhi derecognised the princes in 1971.

To get the princes to accede they were promised complete autonomy aside from surrendering their rights over defence, foreign affairs and communications. This promise was broken in the months after Independence when their control over their internal affairs was taken away from them and even so-called viable states were merged into new units or neighbouring provinces. Those that resisted were sometimes threatened with armed intervention  the most extreme example being Hyderabad where at least 25,000 lives were lost.

For decades, the last word on the princes was Menons The Story of the Integration of the Indian States and its contentions, as summarised by Patels claim that he had engineered a bloodless revolution. The time for reappraisal is long overdue.

John Zubrzyckis latest book Dethroned: Patel, Menon and the Integration of Princely India is published by Juggernaut. The views expressed are personal
I never thought I would question the need to do away with legislation passed during the British Raj, which drafted laws to help maintain the hold of foreigners over India. For far too long, Indians have been complaining that they live in a democracy whose government should be aimed at protecting their liberties rather than enforcing what they saw as servitude. PREMIUM A major potential improvement in the new bills is adding community service as a possible punishment for petty offences. (Getty Images)

Now, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government claims that it has provided that release from the colonial past. On the last day of the monsoon session of Parliament, the Union home minister (HM) introduced three bills to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure. They are being replaced by legislation with deliberate Hindi names: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Sakshya, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. They are national bills with names in Hindi. Already, some prominent politicians and political parties have questioned the naming of the bills in Hindi, arguing that it is unconstitutional. They could well be highly divisive bills in states where Hindi is not the dominant language.

Language is only one of the problems with the bills. As they cover wide criminal activities and carry serious penalties, it seems peculiar that the HM should introduce them in Parliament right at the end of the session. Though he said the bills would be sent to a parliamentary committee, it would surely have been more appropriate to introduce them when there was some time for discussion. The bills represent a complete overhaul of criminal laws. However, the old laws were not set in stone and were amended from time to time. An obvious example is the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the recent demands for marriage equality. Might it not have been wiser to discuss amending the existing laws in a progressive manner, rather than abolishing them in their entirety?

The contents of the bills also raise questions about how far the old acts have actually been abolished. Take the HMs claim of having repealed sedition. He is correct in saying that the word sedition does not appear in any of the three new bills. Many, however, will question whether he has really abolished sedition or rather changed it into different forms in the new act. Sedition has been misused by governments in the past and might now be prone to even worse misuse. The HM has said that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita contains penalties for encouraging feelings of separatist activities as well as endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. These provisions are no longer called sedition but it is difficult to see how they differ from the original act. In fact, this act appears to be expanded by including phrases such as encouraging feelings of separatist activities.

A major potential improvement in the new bills is adding community service as a possible punishment for petty offences. If sensitively used and effectively administered, this could mean fewer people going to prisons, which are already severely overcrowded. Amnesty International noted that Indias number of undertrials is far higher than in other democracies around the world. Unfortunately, these figures may not reduce much by introducing community service as a possible punishment. If the government is seriously concerned about Indias prison population, the HM should persuade his colleague, the Union law minister, to introduce radical reforms to the antiquated legal system. An obvious required reform is accelerating the hearing of cases.

The proposed pieces of legislation have been sent to a parliamentary committee for discussion. In theory, the bills may still not be in their final form. But with the BJPs clear majority in Parliament, and this governments record of passing bills with little or no discussion, it would seem unlikely that there will be major changes to the committees discussions.

The views expressed are personal
A video showing how a couple celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary has left people smiling. Shared on Instagram, it captures the duo climbing Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. The image shows the elderly couple who celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary by climbing a mountain. (Instagram/@goodnews_movement)

The video is posted on the Instagram page Goodnews Movement. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Couple who are 88 and 85 years old climb Mt. Washington on their 66th wedding anniversary. Couple goals. Thank you to @sweet1384badmothrr for sharing this beautiful moment with the world, reads the caption posted along with the video.

The clip opens to show the couple standing on the route to the mountaintop along with Eric Todd Sweet, the hiker who guided them. The video also captures their sweet conversation with Eric.

Take a look at this heartwarming video of the couple:

The video was posted three days ago. Since being shared, the clip has accumulated close to 7.5 lakh views and the numbers are only increasing. Additionally, the post has gathered more than 55,000 likes. People posted varied comments while reacting to the video.

How did Instagram users react to this video of the elderly couple?

I'm over here trying to reach the top of my stairs to my bedroom after eating, shared an Instagram year. What a lovely couple and isn't she pretty! posted another. Love the guy clarifies they're not to the top yet, added a third. Wow! Thats amazing. Even crazier that my family witnessed them climbing while we took the cog rail up the mountain! It inspired my husband to hike up it next time we visit, joined a fourth. Beautiful couple! Happy Anniversary!! wrote a fifth.

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Gunmen killed at least 21 civilians in an attack on a village in central Mali's insurgency-hit Mopti region on Friday, two local sources said on Saturday. The West African nation is battling a violent insurgency with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State(Representative image)

The unidentified assailants struck in the afternoon, targeting the village of Yarou near the town of Bandiagara, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"It was real carnage, armed men burst into the village and fired on people. The toll is heavy between 20 and 30 killed and wounded," one of the sources said by phone.

The second source said the reported death toll stood at 21 and included women, while 11 others were wounded.

Reuters was not able to independently verify their accounts. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

The West African nation is battling a violent insurgency with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State that took root in its arid north following a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012.

Militants have since spread to other countries in the Sahel region south of the Sahara, seizing territory, killing thousands and uprooting millions of people in the process.

Frustration over the growing insecurity has spurred two military coups in Mali since August 2020. The junta has burnt bridges with traditional Western allies and turned to Russian mercenaries for help.

Its unexpected demand in June for the departure of U.N. peacekeepers has raised fears the country could slide deeper into chaos.

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As the worst wildfires in Canadian history continue to rage, the province of British Columbia announced a state of emergency to deal with the natural calamity. Smoke and flames from wildfires serve as a backdrop for homes across Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, August 17, 2023. (REUTERS)

Describing this as the worst BC wildfire season ever, British Columbias Premier David Eby tweeted, Over the past 24 hrs, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead. Given these fast-moving conditions, we are declaring a provincial state of emergency.

At least 15,000 people face an evacuation order as major cities like Kelowna come within the range of the sweeping wildfires.

The announcement of the emergency in BC followed that in the NorthWest Territories or NWT, where the capital Yellowknife, where the entire population is being evacuated, with residents fleeing to the neighbouring province of Alberta.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau visited evacuees from the city at the Expo Center in the city of Edmonton in Alberta on Friday.

Were all tired of the word unprecedented, yet there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories. The country is watching, and our neighbours are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers, the territorys Premier Caroline Cochrane tweeted.

The Canadian Armed Forces have already joined in the rescue mission, with Minister of National Defence Bill Blair announcing that the air force is operating evacuation flights out of Yellowknife. The entire city is being evacuated as it faces the threat of being engulfed by the fires around it.

According to the Prime Ministers Office over 5,500 wildfires have ravaged provinces and territories this year. Earlier in April, Trudeau had attributed the disastrous scenario to climate change. While earlier the wildfires had impacted the eastern and Atlantic provinces like Quebec, Alberta and Ontario, they are now hitting BC and NWT.

According to data from the Federal Government, about 13.4 million hectare of land has burned this year, as against the 1989 record of 7.6 million hectare. The 10 year average is 2.2 million hectare per annum.

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China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "stern warning" after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the island's vice president, William Lai. China claims Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to seize it. (Representative image)(AFP)

Lai, who is the frontrunner in Taiwan's presidential election next year, stopped in New York and returned via San Francisco on a trip to Paraguay, one of a dwindling number of nations that diplomatically recognise Taipei.

China has called Lai a "troublemaker" and vowed to take "resolute and forceful measures to safeguard national sovereignty".

On Saturday, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army "launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan", state media outlet Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Shi Yi as saying.

Xinhua said the drills were meant to test the PLA's ability "to seize control of air and sea spaces" and fight "in real combat conditions".

They also were intended to serve as "a stern warning to the collusion of 'Taiwan independence' separatists with foreign elements and their provocations", it added.

China claims Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to seize it.

It launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen met top US lawmakers as she transited through the United States.

Washington had called for calm over Lai's transit, describing the travel as routine.
According to latest study, it has come to the picture that the arm in which a person takes the Covid-19 booster shot, makes a difference in terms of its impact. According to a study published on August 11 in the journal eBioMedicine and reported by CNN, for best result in terms of immune response, a person should take the booster dose in the same arm as their last Covid-19 shot. Representational Picture(HT_PRINT)

The question seems so banal, so trivial that nobody before has thought to ask it, study coauthor Martina Sester, a biologist and head of the department of the Institute of Infection Medicine at Saarland University Hospital in Germany, said in a news release.

The study was done during Germanys vaccine campaign. The study involved the medical data of 303 people who received the mRNA vaccine as well as a booster shot.

According to the study, two weeks after the booster dose, the number of killer T cells were significantly higher in those persons who had got both shots in the same arm.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, commented on the study although he was not associated with it.

Its absolutely fascinating because this is a subject that is clearly under studied, said Schaffner.

I cant remember another study similar to this with other vaccines, he added.

I began thinking, Which arm am I going to get them in? And I think Im going to get my Covid booster  on the basis of this study  in the same as the previous inoculations, said Schaffner.

ALSO READ| Mexico-bound Southwest Airlines plane's engine catches fire, video goes viral

Scientific reasoning of the study

Schaffner tried to scientifically reason with the study to comment on why the location of the injection may result in different immune response.

The cells that provide the immune response are in local lymph nodes, said Schaffner as quoted by New York Post.

According to the study, if the immune cells in those lymph nodes are restimulated in the same place, there is a greater immunological response.
Joe Biden and family have started their weeklong vacation at a $18 million waterfront mansion near Lake Tahoe. The mansion belongs to billionaire Tom Steyer who is the co-founder of the Galvanize Climate Solutions investment fund. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Reno-Tahoe International Airport on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Reno, Nev., for a vacation in the area. (AP)

On Friday, Biden arrived at the three-acre property which has a six-bedroom mansion. The president is expected to stay at the mansion with his family members- wife Jill Biden, first daughter Ashley Biden, granddaughters Maisy and Naomi and Naomis husband Peter Neal.

"The First Family is renting a private home for their stay in Lake Tahoe. The home belongs to Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor. The First Family is renting the home for fair market value, read a statement from the White House.

According to a report by New York Post, Biden's son Hunter Biden and his family reached the mansion first. Hunter, his wife Melissa Cohen and their 3-year-old son Beau were awaiting the arrival of Biden and the rest of the family.

Features of the $18 million waterfront mansion

The mansion has six bedrooms. According to county records, Steyer bought the home for $15 million in 2017.

On real estate website Redfin, it is described as one of Lake Tahoes finest lakefront properties and the pinnacle waterfront estate within the gated Glenbrook community.

Describing the property, the website says spectacular lakeside gazebo [that] rests between the park-like grounds and the calming shores of Glenbrook Bay.

ALSO READ| Can 4-day workweek rule come in US soon? Pennsylvania legislator G. Roni Green wants to bring a law

As per reports, Biden will take a break from the vacation on Monday and visit Hawaii where people are suffering in the aftermath of wildfires that wreaked havoc recently. More than 100 people have died in the horrific calamity which is the worst wildfire disaster in the United States in more than a century.
The ECOWAS force is on standby for military intervention in Niger if there's no peaceful end to the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, an official for the regional bloc said.

West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS has agreed to a "D-day" for a possible military intervention to restore democracy in Niger if diplomatic efforts fail, a senior official said on Friday.

"We are ready to go anytime the order is given," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony of talks in Ghana's capital Accra.

"The D-Day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose," he added.

"We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention," Musah said, while declining to share how many troops would be deployed and other strategic details.

The ECOWAS delegates have been discussing the logistics and strategy for a possible use of force to end a coup that ousted Mohamed Bazoum as president. But Musah insisted a peaceful resolution remained the bloc's preferred option.

Mediation efforts will take precedence

"As we speak we are still readying (a) mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door... (but) we are not going to engage in endless dialogue," he added, saying that the delegation could leave for the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Saturday.

There was no immediate response from Niger's junta, which has previously warned against any military intervention and even threatened to charge Bazoum with treason. But they have also said they are open to talks.

Bazoum was deposed on July 26, prompting ECOWAS to order a standby force to be assembled.

West African states pledge military support

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Most of its 15 member states are ready to contribute to the joint force except those also under military rule -- Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, as well as Cape Verde.

Analysts say any intervention would be politically and militarily risky, especially for regional player Nigeria.

ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones.

The credibility of the bloc is at stake because it had said it would tolerate no further such overthrows.

Any intervention would spell further turmoil for West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency and a deepening hunger crisis.

Niger also has strategic importance beyond West Africa because of its uranium and oil reserves.

Junta faces 'grave consequences' over Bazoum's treatment

Bazoum, whose 2021 election was a landmark in Niger's troubled history, has been held with his family at the president's official residence since the coup.

ECOWAS chair and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu threatened the junta with "grave consequences" if the new regime allows Bazoum's health to worsen under house arrest, an EU official said Friday.

During a call to European Union chief Charles Michel, Tinabu noted: "President Bazoum's detention conditions are deteriorating."

mm/wd (AFP, Reuters)
Meghan Markle was recently spotted without her engagement ring, sparking speculations about her marriage apparently failing. However, the reason behind the absence of her ring does not have anything to do with her marriage to Prince Harry, as per a report. Meghan Markle arrives at the Invictus Games venue in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, April 15, 2022 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)(AP)

Meghan was out having lunch with her friends Kadi Lee and Cleo Wade when the expensive ring was notably missing, and replaced with a gold band. An insider has now told Page Six that the jewellery is simply being fixed.

Harry gave Meghan the ring when he proposed in November 2017. The ring features one diamond originally from Botswana, as well as two smaller stones from the collection of Princess Diana, his late mother.

The ring is yellow gold, because thats [her] favorite, and the main stone itself I sourced from Botswana, and the little diamonds either side are from my mothers jewelry collection to make sure that shes with us on this  on this crazy journey together, Harry told the BBC after their engagement.

Without him, shes nothing

An insider close to the couple recently shredded to pieces claims that their marriage is in turmoil. Harry and Meghan, who have been married for more than five years, have two children together.

Some recent reports claimed that the pair has decided to "take time apart" because their marriage may be going through a tough period. However, an insider has told Page Six, "Its not true, its literally made up.

Royal biographer and commentator Angela Levin recently said that Meghan would be nothing without Harry. Her remarks came as reports claim the pair is on a trial separation.

Without him, shes nothing. I dont think they will split yet, but I think she wants to prove that shes really strong on her own, Angela told Sky News Australia. Angela added that there is no contact between the Sussexes. Whatever they did, they did together, and they were so happy that way. but now theres been no contact. Theres no touching. Theres no helping, she said.
A hurricane with 130mph (215 km/h) winds is posing a massive threat to Mexico and the south-western US. Hurricane Hilary, a Category 4 storm, is expected to make landfall in Baja California, a Mexican state, on Saturday morning, August 19. Wind blows palm trees at the Medano beach before the arrival of hurricane Hilary at Los Cabos resort in Baja California state, Mexico on August 18, 2023 (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP)(AFP)

It is predicted that the storm will then lose wind speed and become a tropical storm. It will move north-west towards southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has "pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region, and they're ready to respond as needed," according to President Joe Biden.

This is not like the other storms weve experienced

A meteorologist has now said that it is a waiting game as the storm approaches. Now its a waiting game watching it move northwards, Alex Tardy, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in San Diego, said in a video briefing.

Meanwhile, officials in San Diego have warned residents to take the storm seriously and prepare to take shelter. This is real, Chris Heiser, executive director for the Office of Emergency Services, said at a news conference, according to NBC News. This is not like the other storms weve experienced. Its a huge footprint, it goes all the way from the desert out into the ocean.

Los Angeles County officials reaching out to the homeless

The National Weather Service has also included Los Angeles County, as well as other areas, while expanding a tropical storm watch. Meanwhile, officials in Los Angeles County will be reaching out to the homeless in riverbeds and other places using helicopters, bullhorns and people on the ground to warn them about the threat. Were trying to move them to safer locations, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn said.

Las Vegas and other parts of the Southwest are facing possible floods. Las Vegas could see up to 2 1/2 inches of rain through Monday, August 21, as per National Weather Service. Another scenario, on the other hand, estimates three inches or more.

Splash House 2023 organisers say event will take place rain or shine

The organisers of Splash House 2023 have said that the event will take place as scheduled in Palm Springs, "rain or shine, adding that they are monitoring the storm. "We know a little moisture doesn't deter you  we've seen you getting down in the pools year after year  and we salute your spirit," the organizers wrote on Instagram. It's that energy that keeps us going and what already has us thinking through back up plans to give you the party you deserve, just in case.
Staffers and guests at the ritzy Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan are horrified after a man tragically jumped to his death from the Deutsche Bank Center roof before plunging through the hotel. The Deutsche Bank Center is 750 feet tall. People are baffled as the mans identity still remains a mystery. Staffers and guests at the ritzy Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan are horrified after a man tragically jumped to his death from the Deutsche Bank Center roof before plunging through the hotel (New York Post screenshot)

I am still shocked, said Louisa Gassab, of Paris, France, who is staying at the hotel, according to New York Post. He was on the ground covered up in a sheet. I saw a part of him on the ground, I dont know what. When I woke up this morning, I asked the hotel staff what happened but they wouldnt give me any information

The man was sliced in half before hitting the pavement. It is believed that he was not a guest at the hotel. However, he took a service elevator to the roof before jumping to his death. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Notably, stars like Jay-Z, Cynthia Nixon and Tom Brady own apartments in the complex. The incident took place at the 80 Columbus Circle address in Midtown, according to the Daily Mail.

The marquee cut him in half, a building employee told New York Daily News. An arm of the man was found across the street. As per a police officer at the scene, the victim was wearing pyjama bottoms, a print T-shirt and slippers. By Friday afternoon, August 18, the blood had been washed away by the rain. Authorities cordoned off the area with a velvet rope from the hotel.

The twin luxury glass tower building where the tragedy occurred can reportedly sell for $19 million. An investigation is still ongoing.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The Miami Seaquarium has announced that Lolita, a killer whale who was in captivity for at least five decades, has died. Officials were reportedly preparing to send her back to her home waters. Lolita was also known as Tokitae, or Toki. Lolita, believed to be at least 57, was the oldest killer whale being kept in captivity (Miami Seaquarium/Facebook)

In a Facebook post, the Miami Seaquarium said, Over the last two days, Toki started exhibiting serious signs of discomfort, which her full Miami Seaquarium and Friends of Toki medical team began treating immediately and aggressively. Despite receiving the best possible medical care, she passed away Friday afternoon from what is believed to be a renal condition.

Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family. Those of us who have had the honor and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit, it added.

"Alongside the many Miamians who grew up visiting her, the generations of activists around the world that were inspired by her story, and the caretakers who remained dedicated to her until the end - today, we say our final goodbye to our beloved Toki," Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a statement. Our collective wish was to see Toki in her native waters and we are heartbroken to learn of this sudden loss.

Lolita was caught when she was four years old

Lolita, believed to be at least 57, was the oldest killer whale being kept in captivity. She was caught when she was about four years old, on August 8, 1970, in Penn Cove, Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, and sold off to the Miami Seaquarium. She arrived and started living with another orca named Hugo. They lived together for about 10 years before Hugo died in 1980.

Animal rights groups have for several years wanted Lolita to be moved to "a protected cove sea pen and released in the ocean. County officials announced a plan to release her back in March.

"The most important thing is Toki's long-term wellbeing, and together, guided by the experts, we will continue to do what's best for her," Mayor Daniella said at the time, according to CBS News. "This is such a special creature who is loved by so many people around the world. So many are concerned about her well-being after decades of being in a small tank. Here we are looking at the real possibility that she will spend the rest of her life in nature's waters and live freely." The relocation was supposed to occur in the next 18 to 24 months.
Climate Change and Global Warming are causing grave and unprecedented problems for mankind and mother nature. According to a report by CNN, Olive oil which is a top choice for many chefs and home cooks is literally feeling the heat due to rising temperatures. Notably, olive oil is already considered a luxury for the humble folks. And in the wake of decreasing output due to extreme temperatures, the prices are expected to rise further. Olive oil (Getty Images)

According to the report, extreme temperatures are taking a toll on the olive oil industry around the Mediterranean region in Southern Europe. Notably, South European countries like Spain, Italy and Greece have been among the leading producers of olive oil. Europe experienced a bad olive harvest last year and the production may fall this year too.

The report highlights that high temperatures are a bane for the olive trees as in such conditions, they drop their fruit to save moisture or produce fruit at the cost of their health.

ALSO READ| Hurricane Hilary: 10 important points to know

Kyle Holland, who covers oils and oilseeds at market research group Mintec highlighted that the production of olive oil in Spain dropped to about 620,000 metric tons, compared to the five-year average of around 1.3 million metric tons. Thus, Spain which is the worlds biggest olive oil producer suffered more than 50% decline in the average production.

After such a shortfall from the previous harvest, the last thing the industry needs is another poor crop, said Walter Zanre, the chief executive of Filippo Berio UK, an arm of one of the worlds biggest olive oil brands.

Zanre further informed that bulk prices for olive oil have doubled compared to the what it was last year.

There doesnt seem to be any respite on the horizon, Zanre said, adding the industry is in crisis.

A spokesperson of The International Olive Council said we are facing a complex situation as a consequence of climate change. Globally, olive oil production is predicted to drop 20% between October 2022 and September 2023, the spokesperson informed.
Democratic Representative G. Roni Green has promised to introduce a bill aimed at bringing in 32-hour workweek rule or 4-day workweek rule, without any reduction in worker's salary. Green has submitted a co-sponsorship memorandum to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Representational Picture(Getty Images)

In her memorandum, she has promised to introduce the legislation, mandating businesses with more than 500 employees to reduce their work hours from existing 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week, without any reduction in the employees' salary. However, the legislation will not be applicable to local and mid-size businesses.

"This legislation would exclude local and mid-size businesses from the requirement allowing those companies to continue to work a 40-hour workweek," said Green in a memorandum.

Notably, the standard 40-hour workweek rule was established through the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Green reasons that the 1938 law should be amended in the wake of today's work scenario.

"Today, most workers continue to work a standard 40-hour workweek, but society looks and operates differently than it once did in 1938," argued Green.

"Technological advancement alone have significantly increased the productivity of workers allowing more work to be accomplished in less time," she added.

To back the legislation, Green argued "research has shown that companies may be able to adopt a four-day workweek without losing worker productivity."

ALSO READ| Mexico-bound Southwest Airlines plane's engine catches fire, video goes viral

In her memorandum, Green emphasised the need of work life balance and highlighted that four-day workweek would help workers by giving them more time for rest and meeting family obligations. She highlighted that reduction in working hours per week, would in turn improve physical and mental health of workers.

Through her memorandum, Green has appealed to all the members of Pennsylvania House of Representatives to join her "in providing a modernized workweek for workers of large companies in Pennsylvania."
Five people were killed and 37 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said on Saturday. People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place. (File)(Reuters)

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding that 11 of the wounded were children.

Also Read | Ukraine drone shot down in central Moscow, says Russian official

"A Russian missile hit right in the centre of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was on a working visit to Sweden, posted on Telegram.

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he added.

A short video accompanying Zelenskiy's post showed debris scattered across a square in front of the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged. One body could also be briefly seen in the video slouched inside a car.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the front line with missiles and drones as part of its full-scale invasion launched February 2022.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Russia's possession of nuclear weapons is its only response to security threats, TASS news agency reported. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (AFP)

"The possession of nuclear arms is today the only possible response to some of significant external threats to security of our country," TASS cited him as saying.
Thousands more residents of Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed out of control raged on for a fourth day. Fire advances through the forest in La Orotava in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on Saturday. (AP)

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harms way on the Atlantic island that is home to around a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.

The fire comes as Spains mainland is bracing for another heat wave. Spains state weather service issued a warning Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the mainland.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees could surpass 26,000 according to provisional calculations based on the islands census. The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

The regional government said that the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames. Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres)

We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands, the islands governor, Rosa Davila, said.

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from the mainland sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres).

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden on Saturday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as a Kyiv counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.(AFP)

Zelenskiy said he would thank them for supporting Ukraine amid the Kremlin's full-scale invasion, which is approaching the 18-month mark.

"Our primary task is the strengthening of Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defence industry, Ukraine's European integration and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space," he wrote in a Telegram post announcing his arrival.

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said last week his country was planning a new $313.5 million military support package to Ukraine consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

The package will be Sweden's 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country's military aid - which has included tanks and anti-aircraft systems - to more than $1.8 billion.

The Swedish foreign ministry said it currently had no comment on Zelenskiy's visit.
For months now, Julius Malema has been talking about attracting big and influential figures to his party but so far this has not happened. Zukile Majova argues that Zuma is the missing figure in the EFF.

Julius Malema's EFF has attracted over two million voters, in less than 10 years, but its biggest fish that has yet to be reeled in is Jacob Zuma.

The Fighters recently tried to recruit expelled ANC secretary Ace Magashule to join the red army.

Magashule was expected to be one of the big names that would join the party before its 10th birthday celebrations at FNB Stadium.

In June, Malema seemed convinced that Magashule would submit his membership form in a matter of days.

"I am talking to him, we are talking and we're at an advanced stage of discussions. Politics are politics of numbers, it's very important that you talk to everyone.

"So I am talking to the man and when I say I'm talking to the man, I'm saying the EFF is in an advanced engagement with Ace Magashule," Malema told the Sunday Times.

Juju has been saying the party is "talking to a lot of very senior people" but he has been ignoring Msholozi; the one big fish that could convince the rest to join him.

Now that Zuma has been released from serving his jail term at Estcourt Prison, thanks to President Cyril Ramaphosa, he is available to play a meaningful role in politics ahead of the 2024 elections.

The current ANC doesn't want him. The Ramaphosa faction has been purging or prosecuting Zuma loyalists in a clear plot to get rid of the so-called RET faction in the ANC.

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Desperate to be relevant, Zuma recently allowed himself to be elected KZN chairperson of a faction of the moribund SA National Civic Organisation.

Zuma and his family have been flirting with Malema for over a year now with some Fighters suggesting Zuma should join the party and be its premier candidate for KwaZulu-Natal.

Nxamalala remains very popular in his home province where people looted shopping malls in protest to his arrest in July 2021.

Being a proud polygamist, Zuma is also a darling of Zulu traditionalists in KZN and the rest of the country.

Across the country, Zuma is seen as an uneducated common man who came from humble beginnings in Nkandla but rose to the very top of governance in South Africa.

With Zuma leading its election campaigns, the EFF which won 10.8% of the vote in 2019, would be a major player in the 2024 elections.
A Russian missile strike on Ukraine's northern city of Chernihiv killed seven people and wounded more than 100 on Saturday, in what the UN denounced as a "heinous" attack. Local residents clear debris at the site of a missile strike in Chernihiv,(AFP)

The strike came during the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, as some attended morning church services in the city.

"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, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

"I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine... Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," she added.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, the UN's cultural organisation, said she was "appalled" by the attack, in a post on social media.

"The theater partially destroyed and other cultural and educational premises damaged. All my thoughts to the victims," she wrote.

Ukraine's culture ministry said the centre of Chernihiv, a city with a thousand-year history, is a candidate for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The city, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Kyiv towards Belarus, had until now been largely spared from major attacks since the first months of Russia's invasion as fierce fighting rages in the east and south.

The Russian army marched through the city when it invaded Ukraine through Belarus in February 2022, before being repelled by Kyiv's forces.

Pain and loss

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said that after the search and rescue operation had been completed, the toll stood at seven dead and 129 wounded, including 15 children and 15 police officers.

The acting Mayor of Chernihiv, Oleksandr Lomako, said a six-year-old girl was among the fatalities.

From a hospital bed, her legs still covered in blood, Diana Kazakova said she had been inside a shop when the strike happened just minutes after sirens had sounded the alert.

When she came too, she said "people were crying, shouting" in the street outside. "It was scary."

Iryna, a 24-year-old bartender in Chernihiv, told AFP: "There was smoke, screams, people were running, crying, moaning. We ran to the shelter when everything happened and sat there."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack had hit a square that houses a "polytechnic university, a theatre".

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he said, after his arrival in Sweden.

Zelensky was in Sweden for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and to finalise agreement on "joint production of CV90 combat vehicles in Ukraine," the Ukraine leader said.

They also discussed Ukraine pilots participating in test trials of Swedish Gripen fighter jets, he said.

Putin meets military top brass

Hours earlier, the Kremlin said Putin had travelled to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow's hub for its operations in Ukraine, to meet his top generals in a rare trip close to combat zones.

Moscow gave no details of when the meeting took place, but footage released by state media indicated it was at night.

Putin "listened to briefings by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, commanders of directions and other senior officers of the group", the Kremlin said.

A video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed Putin, wearing a suit, stepping out of a jeep in the dark and being greeted with a handshake by Gerasimov, in military attire.

Gerasimov is seen leading Putin down a corridor decorated with portraits of Russian military men and of the president chairing a meeting with army chiefs.

Rostov-on-Don was also the scene of a dramatic armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries in June, which saw them briefly take over the army HQ in Rostov, before halting their rebellion.

Gerasimov, who Wagner wanted to unseat, has rarely been seen in public since.

Drone attacks

Kyiv said it had shot down more than a dozen Russian drones in an overnight attack.

And the Russian army said it had thwarted Ukrainian attacks on Crimea as well as attempted drone strikes on a military airfield in the northwestern Novgorod region, Moscow and its region.

A day earlier, Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and the Black Sea Fleet.

Both sides have reported regular drone incursions as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-held territory.

Russia's army also said it had "eliminated" 150 Ukrainian troops that tried to cross the Dnipro River into Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine, a day after admitting sabotage groups were operating in the area.

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US President Joe Biden said Friday he expects to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this year, despite taking a series of shots at the rival power. President Joe Biden (AP)

Biden held his first meeting as president with Xi in November 2022 in Bali where they agreed to work to manage high tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Biden, answering a shouted question after meeting the leaders of Japan and South Korea, said, "I expect and hope to follow up on our conversation in Bali this fall, that's my expectation."

Biden is inviting Xi in November to San Francisco when the United States holds a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which includes China.

The two leaders could potentially also meet next month in New Delhi on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 major economies.

Biden's confidence at a meeting with Xi, whom he saw at length when they were both vice presidents, comes despite a series of statements and actions that have irritated China.

Biden, promoting the health of the US economy as he enters election season, earlier this month said that China was a "ticking time bomb" due to economic problems.

In June, Biden called Xi a "dictator," comments denounced by China which came on the heels of a visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the top-ranking US official to go to China in nearly five years.

Biden has also restricted US investment in sensitive high-tech areas in China, after earlier barring exports of advanced microchips.

China has denounced the moves as violations of free-trade principles. The Biden administration has responded that it is safeguarding US security.

China has also denounced the three-way summit between Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan, a major step in reconciliation between the two US allies that have been at loggerheads for decades over disputes linked to wartime history.
In a move quite different from other US leaders, Indian-American lawmaker Vivek Ramaswamy has advocated for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict with Moscow keeping parts of Donbas region and Kyiv not joining NATO. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.(REUTERS)

He further argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin must exit his military alliance with China to end the conflict.

Notably, Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, is set to contest against Donald Trump in Republican primaries for US presidential polls.

I will end the Ukraine War on terms that require Putin to exit his military alliance with China. The goal shouldnt be for Russia to lose. It should be for the U.S. to *win.*, Ramaswamy said on X (formerly Twitter).

In an interview with CNN, Ramaswamy called Russia-China military alliance the single-biggest military threat for the US and even stated that he would be visiting Moscow after assuming the presidency.

The Biden administration is so stubbornly attached to the idea of getting Xi Jinping to drop Vladimir Putin. What I think, we need to be doing is get Vladimir Putin to drop Xi Jinping. Just like Nixon went to China in 1972. I think Putin is like the new MaoI will visit Moscow, and I will pull Russia out of military alliance with China, he said during the interview with CNN.

He further stated that US engagements with Ukraine are driving Russia into Chinese arms.

The Russia-China military alliance is the single-biggest military threat that we face today. Hypersonic missile capabilities, nuclear capabilities in Russia, far ahead of us and China. And naval capabilities of China ahead of ours. Combined with an economy, that we depend on for modern way of life, those two nations are in a military alliance with one another and no one in either political party is talking about it. Worst of all, our engagements in Ukraine is further driving Russia into Chinas arms, Ramaswamy further said.

The US lawmaker added that the focus should not be for Putin to lose but for America to win.

So, my foreign policy centres on weakening that alliance. I would freeze the current lines of control and that would leave parts of the Donbas region with Russia. I would also further make a commitment that NATO would not admit Ukraine to NATOOur goal should not be for Putin to lose, our goal should be for America to win. Thats what we have forgotten in this country, Ramaswamy said.

The 37-year-old lawmaker was born on August 9, 1985, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents migrated to the US from Kerala.

He is the third Indian-American  along with Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh  who will be up against former President Donald Trump in the primaries in January next year.
The Biden administration announced plans to sell world systems to Australia in a deal valued at as much as $975 million, as the two countries seek an even closer alliance and to counter Chinas expanded military reach in the Indo-Pacific region. A view of the M142 HIMARS rocket (high mobility artillery rocket system) (REUTERS)

Australia wants to by 22 of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., along with 60 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and other munitions, the State Department said Friday. Congress must still approve the sale and contracts must still be negotiated.

Australia will use the capability to strengthen its homeland defense and provide greater security for its critical infrastructure, the State Department said. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The US and Australia have forged closer military ties in recent years as they draw up plans to guard against an increasingly assertive and well-funded Chinese military. Washington and Canberra announced in July that the US would expand its military footprint in Australia over coming years, including more frequent and longer visits of US submarines and collaboration on guided missile production.

President Joe Biden is set to host Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in October. Biden canceled a trip to Australia in May because of negotiations in Washington over the US debt ceiling.
"The D-day is also decided. We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention."

A date has been assigned for ECOWAS to militarily intervene in Niger to restore constitutional rule, defence chiefs said on Friday.

"The D-day is also decided. We've already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention," Aljazeera quoted ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah as saying.

Although he did not disclose the specific day, he added that "we are ready to go any time the order is given."

Defence chiefs held a two-day meeting in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the deployment of a standby force to Niger as directed by the heads of state.

Heads of state of the sub-regional bloc last Thursday ordered the activation and deployment of a standby force should the military junta there refuse to return power back to detained president Mohamed Bazoum.

The bloc agreed to use force should all diplomatic attempts fail. On Friday, Mr Musah said the bloc is still preparing a mediation mission to Niger, "so we have not shut any door."

"Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty," Aljazeera quoted Mr Musah as saying.

But for Cape Verde, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, most of ECOWAS's 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, he said.

Many member states would need the approval of their parliaments to deploy soldiers to Niger. It remains unclear how many soldiers each country will send.

However, Nigeria with the largest military in West Africa is expected to provide the bulk of soldiers needed. The Nigerian parliament had earlier opposed troops deployment to Niger although the president is yet to make a specific request for troops deployment. The Nigerian constitution, however, allows the president to deploy troops even without parliamentary approval which he could seek after deployment.

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"The President, in consultation with the National Defence Council, may deploy members of the armed forces of the Federation on a limited combat duty outside Nigeria if he is satisfied that the national security is under imminent threat or danger," section 5(5) of the Nigerian constitution says.

It added that the president shall, within seven days of actual combat engagement, seek the consent of the Senate and the Senate shall thereafter give or refuse the said consent within 14 days.

Many Nigerians have opposed military intervention with some like the influential Islamic council, NSCIA, even condemning the sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS in the aftermath of the coup.

Presidential guards led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, on 26 July, arrested Niger's president Mohamed Bazoum and dissolved the constitution.

Responding to the coup, ECOWAS convened an emergency meeting where it imposed harsh economic sanctions on Niger including a seven-day ultimatum to the putschists to reinstate the ousted president.

The putschists defied ECOWAS and formed a new government on the eve of the second emergency meeting convened by the bloc.

Last Saturday, a Nigerian delegation of Islamic scholars met with the junta leaders for negotiation after which the junta leader agreed to dialogue with ECOWAS. Before then, two attempts made by ECOWAS to meet with the junta leader Mr Tchiani had failed.
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press release

Only one-third of citizens say the government is doing a good job of reducing crime.

The police are often the closest government authority in local communities, tasked with maintaining public safety and order, enforcing the law, and preventing and investigating criminal activities (Modise, Taylor, & Raga, 2022; Wiatrowski & Goldstone, 2010). They are the first point of contact whenever citizens are faced with any form of danger. In democracies, police are expected to be professional, impartial, accessible, and proactive, and to uphold the highest standards of integrity (Modise, 2022).

In Mozambique, the police have often come under criticism for falling well short of professional standards. In addition to media reports highlighting abuses by individual officers (allAfrica, 2022; Mouahidi, 2023), the police have been accused of extrajudicial executions, torture, extortion, and other human-rights violations in their response to insurgents in the North, who have repeatedly targeted police stations with their attacks (Jentzsch, 2022; Amnesty International, 2021; Cheatham, Long, & Sheehy, 2022).

In March, the police drew widespread condemnation for their violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in remembrance of the late musician Azagaia (Amnesty International, 2023).

This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore Mozambicans' experiences and assessments of police professionalism.

Survey findings show that a growing share of citizens report feeling insecure or fearful, and few approve of the government's performance against crime.

While a slim majority say they trust the police at least "somewhat," almost half of those who interacted with the police during the previous year say they had to pay a bribe, and the police are more widely seen as corrupt than any other institution the survey asked about.

In substantial numbers, Mozambicans complain that police officers engage in illegal activities, use excessive force, and stop drivers without good reason, and few respondents vouch for officers' professionalism and respect for citizens' rights.

Key findings

Almost six in 10 Mozambicans say they felt unsafe while walking in their neighbourhood (59%) and feared crime in their home (56%) at least once during the year preceding the survey. Experiences of insecurity have increased over the past decade and are particularly common among poor citizens.

About one in 10 Mozambicans (9%) say they requested assistance from the police during the previous year. Almost half (48%) encountered the police in other situations, such as at checkpoints, during identity checks or traffic stops, or during an investigation. o Among citizens who requested assistance from the police, 60% say it was easy to get the help they needed. But 51% say they had to pay a bribe. o Similarly, 47% of respondents who encountered the police in other situations say they had to pay a bribe to avoid problems.

More than half (55%) of Mozambicans say "most" or "all" police officials are corrupt, the worst rating among 11 institutions and leaders the survey asked about.

A slim majority (52%) of citizens say they trust the police "somewhat" or "a lot."  Substantial minorities say the police "often" or "always" stop drivers without good reason (45%), engage in criminal activities (39%), and use excessive force on suspected criminals (37%) and protesters (34%). In addition, about three in 10 respondents say the police "sometimes" do these things.

Only 29% of citizens say the police "often" or "always" operate in a professional manner and respect all citizens' rights. o However, 68% consider it likely that the police will take reports of gender-based violence seriously.

Only one-third (34%) of Mozambicans say the government is doing a good job of reducing crime.

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Richard Kweitsu Richard Kweitsu is a PhD student in political science at the University of Florida.
CROOZ, in cooperation with Yield Guild Games (YGG) Philippines, will be giving away a total of P1 million in cash prizes to up to 500 players of its new Web3 PVP game PROJECT XENO.

PROJECT XENO, currently the number one blockchain game in Japan, combines GameFi and esports in a beginner-friendly tactical NFT game. It has the same play-to-earn features that give players rewards from victories in the arena but it is a free-to-play web3 game that does not require buying NFTs to start playing.

The giveaway marks PROJECT XENOs exciting launch in the Philippine market and introduction to the hardcore gaming community in the Philippines. The YGG Pilipinas Community expressed excitement to have more passionate and dedicated Filipino gamers play and get a chance to win some prizes in the process.

To join the giveaway, players simply need to download PROJECT XENO on the App Store for iOS devices or Google Play for Android devices and participate in battle arena mode until they reach level 3. Players then need to take a screenshot of their level 3 XENO account and submit the photo along with their contact information to https://bit.ly/xenoyggpromo. Deadline of submissions is on September 22, 2023 while the raffle draw will be on September 29, 2023.

Depending on the number of participants, a higher number of total cash prizes and winners will be announced by September 30, 2023. If less than 15,000 players join the giveaway, 100 winners will be randomly chosen and awarded P1,000 each. If at least 15,000 people join the giveaway, the total number of winners will be increased to 250 and awarded P1,500 each. Finally, if over 50,000 people join, the total number of winners will be further increased to 500 and awarded P2,000 each.

PROJECT XENOs giveaway will run from August 15 to September 22, 2023, per DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-173741 Series of 2023. For more information on PROJECT XENO, visit project-xeno.com or follow @PROJECTXENO_GLB on Twitter for up-to-date information and updates.
The off-cycle governorship elections in the three states hold on 11 November.

Ahead of the off-circle governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states in November, the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday met with the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, in Abuja.

The governors, under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), met with the former Kano State governor behind closed doors to discuss the winning strategy of the party ahead of the three off-season governorship elections.

Mr Ganduje, who recently emerged as the chairman of the party following the exit of his predecessor, Abdulahi Adamu, is facing his first litmus test in office.

Mr Adamu faced allegations of mismanagement of the funds for the execution of the Osun State election in 2022 where the party lost to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ruling party is seeking to hold on to Imo State where the Chairman of the PGF, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, is facing re-election.

Mr Uzodinma emerged as the governor of the South-east state following a controversial Supreme Court order that sacked Emeka Ihedioha.

Similarly, the party seeks to retain the governorship seat in Kogi State as the tenure of Governor Yahaya Bello is coming to an end.

Mr Bello and the APC are campaigning for Usman Ododo, the governorship candidate of the party in the state.

The ruling party is also seeking to take back Bayelsa State after it lost it following another controversial court ruling that sacked David Lyon, the candidate of the APC. But in this election circle, the party is fielding former Governor Timipre Sylva.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Mr Uzodinma said it was all about strategising for the elections.

"The Progressives Governors Forum is like a family. We are the family of the largest party in Africa. We used the opportunity to listen to our national party chairman, who came to brief us on the activities of the party and the proposed reforms he intends to carry out in the party," he said.

APC moves to reconcile Uzodinma, Okorocha

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Mr Ganduje and Vice President Kashim Shettima held a meeting with Mr Uzodinma and his political rival, former Governor Rochas Okorocha, ahead of the election.

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The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa.

In a post by the party on X (formerly known as Twitter), the party said the meeting was about uniting the House

"Vice President Kashim Shettima, our National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Senator Rochas Okorocha parley," the party posted.

"Ahead of the Imo state governorship election, APC is a united and strong house."

Messrs Okorocha and Uzodinma have been at loggerheads since the 2018 Imo State primary elections.

Mr Okorocha had handpicked his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him, but was out-manoeuvred by Mr Uzodinma forcing Mr Nwosu to defect to the Action Alliance (AA) where he contested the March 2019 election.

Messrs Nwosu and Uzodinma were however defeated by the PDP candidate, Mr Ihedioha in the main election.

In 2020, Mr Ihedioha was however sacked by the Supreme Court which declared Mr Uzodinma, the candidate of the APC winner of the election though he (Uzodinma) came fourth in the result announced by INEC.
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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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The ex-wife of actor Julian Sands has spoken out about his ambitious nature and how it was a likely contribution to his unfortunate death earlier this year.

The A Room with a View star was reported missing in January after he failed to return from a hike in the Mount Baldy region of the San Gabriel Mountains in California.

In June, the prolific actor was confirmed dead by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department after his remains were discovered by hikers on the mountain. He was 65.

Sarah Sands, an author and former Evening Standard editor, was married to the British star from 1984 to 1987. They had one child together: a son named Henry, now 37.

In a new interview, Sarah descibed how her late ex-husband often pushed himself and grew restless after having career success in Britain and starting a family.

He didnt leave me for anyone else. There wasnt a plan. He just said he was going to California, she told the Daily Mail.

He always had to take the hard path. Even at the end he sought the challenge. That was why he pushed himself beyond the limits of human endurance on the mountain.

Sands amassed more than 150 credits in a 40-year career in television and film. He was also an avid hiker and often ventured out on mountain climbs alone. In 2020, he told The Guardian that said he was happiest when he was close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.

Julian Sands (Getty Images)

Elsewhere in the interview (published late on Friday 18 August), Sarah, who currently sits on the board at Channel 4, spoke about how their son Henry ventured out to find Julian soon after his second wife, Evgenia, informed them he was missing.

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Extreme snowy conditions meant the search was halted for several months before Henry and rescue services made further attempts to find him in June.

He prepared the climb well; he understood Jules route and it was moving when he got to the summit and found thousands of volunteers appearing, and the local mountain rescue teams had been terrific, Sarah said of Henrys attempt.

He came back down about two days later, then Julian was found about 100 yards from where he had been looking. Henry made his peace with that. We know now Jules didn't survive the storm. I dont want to think about whether he died quickly.

In a statement about the actors death published in June, his family said they were continuing to keep him in our hearts with bright memories.

Last month, the group of hikers who found Sands remains spoke of their surreal discovery.
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China has responded with joint air and sea drills around Taiwan in what it said was a stern warning for colluding with separatist forces, days after the islands vice president went to the US and met American officials.

Taiwan said it detected 42 Chinese warplanes and eight ships since Saturday morning, including 26 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, a demarcation that Beijing does not recognise.

It comes as William Lai, vice president and the front-runner in Taiwans upcoming presidential election in January returned from his trip to Paraguay and made stops briefly in New York and San Francisco where he gave speeches.

Chinas Eastern Theatre Command said the military exercises said drills were a stern warning for seeking Taiwan independence and to test the Chinese militarys ability to fight in real combat conditions.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLAs Eastern Theater Command, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, Mr Shi added.

The PLA released footage of the drills showing soldiers running, as well as military boats and planes.

According to state-run CCTV, the operation encompassed missile-equipped vessels and fighter aircraft, with coordinated efforts to simulate a scenario of encircling Taiwan.

After confirming Chinas drills around the island, the defence ministry in Taipei condemned Beijing for its irrational and provocative behaviour.

The ministry said it had deployed forces and had the ability to defend the freedom of democracy and the sovereignty of Taiwan.

In this image taken from video footage run by Chinas CCTV, a Chinese warship conducts drills in an area around Taiwan on Saturday, 19 August, 2023 (AP)

Launching a military exercise under such pretext not only doesnt help the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait but also highlights (Chinas) militaristic mentality and reinstates the domineering nature of military expansion, the ministry said.

It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posed by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.

China considers Taiwan as part of its territory after the two split up in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party taking control of mainland China. Beijing has said it will take its breakaway province by force if necessary.

Mr Lai went to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his governments last diplomatic partner in South America and made stops in New York before returning from San Francisco.

A Chinese fighter jet takes off from China for drills on Saturday (AP)

In New York, during a lunch with American officials, Mr Lai vowed to resist annexation and continue to uphold the core tenets of Tsai Ing-wens administration.

On Saturday, an unnamed official in Chinas Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned Mr Lais trip for ramping up collusion between Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the US, calling it a new provocative move.

Lais latest stopover  was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves, the official was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

The official also described Mr Lai as a troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war.

Lais deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots, the readout added.

It also comes as US president Joe Biden held a historic trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan to oppose Chinas dangerous and aggressive behaviour of asserting maritime claims in the Indo-Pacific region.

They held a meeting at Camp David on Friday and stated: We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.

There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.
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Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is poised to end his self-imposed exile and return to Thailand on Tuesday, his daughter has confirmed. This homecoming coincides with a crucial parliamentary vote that is expected to resolve a three-month-long political impasse.

The former telecommunications tycoon, who served as premier from 2001 until 2006 when he was ousted in a 2006 coup, is currently living in self-imposed exile after leaving Thailand to avoid a jail sentence on graft charges in 2008.

His return would still entail the risk of imprisonment.

On Tuesday, August 22, 9am I will pick up my father Thaksin at Don Muang Airport, his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Instagram.

His daughter is one of the Pheu Thai partys candidates for prime minister.

His return will clash with another parliamentary vote for prime minister, to be nominated by the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai Party.

In the election, Mr Thaksins supported Pheu Thai Party secured the second position, trailing behind the progressive Move Forward Party.

Pheu Thai Partys prime ministerial candidate Srettha Thavisin would need to secure a majority across the lower house of 500 MPs and the 250-member senate to become the premier.

Despite securing the highest number of parliamentary seats in the election, the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) faced a hurdle as the military-dominated senate prevented its leader from assuming the role of prime minister.

Mr Thaksin had previously deferred his comeback after 10 August, citing the requirement for a medical examination. Upon his arrival, the 74-year-old would be subject to legal proceedings, as confirmed by Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn.

Analysts believe that Mr Thaksins return suggests that Pheu Thai has cracked a deal with political parties to secure a majority in the vote after gaining support from military-backed parties.

Thaksins return on the voting day shows that he is confident that Pheu Thais prime ministerial candidate will be elected in one round, said Thanaporn Sriyakul, chair of the Political Science Association of Kasetsart University.

Parties linked to Mr Thaksin have dominated Thai politics since 2001 but lost two prime ministers to military coups and another to a court ruling.
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The once-colourful homes along the coast of historic Maui town of Lahaina are now mostly obliterated, leaving a series of ruins covered in a layer of grey soot and ash from the devastating wildfires that ravaged the area.

Except for one.

Aerial photos of destroyed properties show a red-roofed home with a pristine white facade and red roof still standing, seemingly untouched by the blazes.

A photo of the scene immediately went viral, with some wondering if it could be Photoshopped or if it was part of a larger conspiracy, like many images that have circulated online in the wake of the disaster.

The simple truth, though, is that the homeowners, Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband made relatively minor adjustments that helped save their property.

Part of that included replacing the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal one and cutting down the foliage surrounding the home, Ms Atwater Millikin told The Los Angeles Times.

She went on to say that the couple had no intention of making adjustments that would protect it from fire when they began to renovate it.

Its a 100 per cent wood house so its not like we fireproofed it or anything, she said.

But rather than restoring the 100-year-old home to some of its original features, like changing the roof to either a wooden shake or a thinner tin material, they chose a tough steel roofing. They also placed stones around the home that line up to the drip line of the roof.

Then, she told the Los Angeles Times, they removed foliage around the house because they wanted to take preventative action against termites spreading to the houses wood frame.

We love old buildings, so we just wanted to honour the building, Ms Atwater Millikin said.

Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband own the red-roofed home that was spared from the fires (AFP via Getty Images)

The changes, while minor, ended up being critical to keeping the home from catching ablaze.

When this was all happening, there were pieces of wood  six, 12 inches long  that were on fire and just almost floating through the air with the wind and everything, the homeowner said.

They would hit peoples roofs, and if it was an asphalt roof, it would catch on fire. And otherwise, they would fall off the roof and then ignite the foliage around the house.

Ms Atwater Millikin said theyve lost some of their neighbours to the wildfires. Many people have died, she told the Los Angeles Times. So many people have lost everything, and we need to look out for each other and rebuild. Everybody needs to help rebuild.
 Close President Biden and First Lady arrive in Maui

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A California woman has been named as the first tourist to have died in the devastating Maui wildfires.

Officials identified 72-year-old Theresa Cook from Pollock Pines in northern California as among the victims of the deadly blaze in the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina.

Some 115 deaths have been confirmed following the deadliest wildfire in more than a century in the United States. The unconfirmed list of missing people currently stands at 1,100 names.

Hawaiian officials also pleaded with relatives of those missing to come forward and give DNA samples, saying the low number provided so far threatens to hinder efforts to identify any remains discovered in the ashes.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with first responders and survivors on Monday and promised that the federal government would be with them for as long as it takes to rebuild the community.

Survivors were also voicing fears of a potential wave of land grabs by realtors and investors that could push Hawaiian locals from the island.
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Hurricane Hilary is expected to bring heavy rain to Southern California as it grows into Category 4 off Mexicos Baja California.

Hilary will plow into the Mexican peninsula sometime on Sunday, amid concerns of life-threatening and potentially catastrophic floods. The US National Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm watch from the Golden States Pacific coast to interior mountains and deserts  the first in Southern California in 84 years.

Meteorologists have warned that heavy rainfall could potentially turn Death Valley National Park into a massive lake, AccuWeather reports. Death Valley, the hottest place on earth, is expected to receive more than its annual two-inch rainfall, prompting major flooding and flash floods, the park said in a statement on Friday.

Flash floods are expected to damage roads, likely making it impossible to get into or out of the park. The storm could cause a power outage. Telephone and internet connectivity may be unreliable, it read. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch from Saturday, August 19, at 11:00 am and until Tuesday, August 22, at 5:00 am.

Earlier this year, temperatures at the park neared 130 degrees. Two men died this summer while hiking trails at the park.

Death Valley has previously seen heavy rain forcing visitors to paddle around the arid park with kayaks. In 2019, a temporary lake stretching 10 miles formed at the park, according to AccuWeather.

The trick here will be that the heaviest rain could fall across a narrow north-south oriented zone, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said in his forecast. A small shift in the storm track could easily shift the corridor of heavy rain.

California officials have issued evacuation orders in Catalina Island and as far north as Los Angeles, where shelters are being set up for the homeless.

I dont think any of us  I know me particularly  never thought Id be standing here talking about a hurricane or a tropical storm, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Janice Hahn, according to The Associated Press.

Jay Shapiro, left, of Thousand Oaks, California, and Cheryl Cox, of Ventura, California come ashore after kayaking in a giant lake in the bottom of Death Valley caused by heavy flooding in 2005 (Getty Images)

Hilary remained a major Category 4 hurricane late on Friday with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.

The latest forecast track pointed to Hilary making landfall along a sparsely populated area of the Baja peninsula at a point about 200 miles south of the Pacific port city of Ensenada.
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The premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia has declared a state of emergency, citing what he described as the worst wildfire season ever as thousands of individuals have been evacuated from cities to the east of Vancouver.

David Eby said on Friday night: Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly and we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead.

He continued: We are facing the worst wildfire season in our provinces history. This unprecedented situation has come to a head this evening. In just the last 24 hours, the situation has evolved and deteriorated quite rapidly.

Amidst blustery conditions in the hills and mountains above West Kelowna, firefighters are battling the uncontained McDougall Creek wildfire, which has spread over 10,500 hectares of land. This volatile situation has prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents.

West Kelowna, a municipality with a population of 36,000, is situated approximately 300km (180 miles) east of Vancouver. Evacuations were also being carried out north of nearby Kelowna, a city with a population of about 150,000 also on Okanagan Lake, the local media reported.

As events unfolded, authorities to the north, in the Northwest Territories region, said that upwards of 19,000 individuals have reportedly evacuated due to wildfires posing a threat to the city of Yellowknife.

Fire crews in the area are persistently engaged in creating fuel breaks, applying fire retardant, and conducting aerial water drops, all aimed at safeguarding the city of 20,000, news reports said.

Firefighters reported that the fires advancement west of Yellowknife was slowed down on Friday by cloud cover and cooler temperatures.

Roughly 4,000 people were evacuated via air transport, and theres potential for additional flights on Saturday contingent upon factors such as weather conditions, aircraft availability, and crew readiness.

Shane Thompson, the provinces environment minister, said that around 1,000 essential personnel are staying behind, while strongly urging anyone else to vacate the area.

Yellowknife mayor Rebecca Alty said on Friday: Unfortunately, the journey isnt done yet. The fire continues to approach and the uncertainty of when youll be able to return will be difficult.

Meanwhile, in a joint statement with emergencies minister Bowinn Ma, Mr Eby said: There are numerous fires across the province threatening communities. Thousands of people are under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands more are on evacuation alert.

The statement added: Were calling on all British Columbians to be alert, listen to local officials and follow evacuation orders. We will get through this together.

It was a devastating [Thursday] night, probably the most challenging of my career, West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said during a news conference on Friday. We fought hard last night to protect our community. We fought 100 years worth of fires all in one night.

Mr Brolund said some emergency responders were trapped because they had to rescue residents who chose not to leave their properties despite being under evacuation orders, CBC News reported. Thats the fire chiefs worst nightmare.

Canada is facing its most severe wildfire season to date, with over 1,000 active fires ablaze across the nation, including 236 in the Northwest Territories. In this region alone, wildfires have consumed over two million hectares of land, leading to evacuation orders for over half of the population residing there.
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A Twitter/ X user has claimed that an American Airlines flight attendant snatched her three-year-old nephews snack box on a flight.

In a tweet shared on 12 August, social media user Dara, who posts with the Twitter username @dynamicallydara, claimed she was travelling with her nephew when the incident occurred.

Her nephew had brought a clear box with him containing separate segments for different unwrapped snacks, including crackers and cereal.

According to Dara, she was playing a game with her nephew on his iPad, while the snack box was on the tray in front of him. Then the flight attendant, who was collecting rubbish at the time, grabbed the box and explained she was going to show it to the flight attendant at the front of the flight.

Flew @AmericanAir today w/a 3 yr old & his snack box of unwrapped food, Dara tweeted. Flight attendant walked by, snatched it without asking, & took it to show a friend seated near the front of the plane. Was gone several minutes Before I could finish processing her statement, she snatched the snack box & walked off.

Dara said that she had to throw all the food away, adding that she was incensed and would be contacting corporate.

She and my nephews food were gone for several minutes, out of my view. I have no idea who or what his food was exposed to while out of my sight & had to throw it all away when she finally returned with it, she tweeted in a series of follow-up posts.

We had to finish our journey without the things painstakingly prepared for him.

Dara said that she had spoken to the flight attendant, and her response was the justification of, Oh I had just washed my hands. I told her that was not the point at all. She should not help herself to peoples personal items.

She apologised but continued to explain why her behaviour was okay. Her hands were clean. It was her friend. Her friend is a new grandmother. Her rationalisations negate any apology, as she was clearly not sorry and felt she had every right to help herself to our belongings.

In response, the official American Airlines account tweeted: What an adorable snack box! Our apology the crew member took it from you without asking first.

However, Dara said that she was unimpressed by the apathetic reply.

The Independent has contacted American Airlines for comment.
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Charlize Theron has fired back at speculation she has undergone plastic surgery.

The South African-American actor spoke out against cosmetic surgery rumours in an interview with Allure, published on 18 August. My face is changing, she said. And I love that my face is changing and aging. People think I had a facelift. Theyre like, What did she do to her face? Im like, B****, Im just ageing! It doesnt mean I got bad plastic surgery. This is just what happens.

As much as Theron, 48, loves her natural appearance, she added that she doesnt look down on individuals who do decide to get cosmetic surgery. The Atomic Blonde star recognised how other women embrace ageing in their own way, and urged individuals to be empathetic to how we all go through our journey.

Speaking about the double standard of ageing between men and women, Theron noted: Ive always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers. I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them.

Fans commended Theron for her positive mindset around ageing. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one user wrote: Does she even realise she is an absolute icon in all stages of her life?

Sublime, another individual commented, while someone else said: You still look gorgeous to me.

Though Theron has embraced ageing in her own way, she admitted that theres one aspect of getting older thats been more difficult to get used to: her bodily changes. More than my face, she remarked. I wish I had my 25-year-old body that I can just throw against the wall and not even hurt tomorrow. Now, if I dont work out for three days and I go back to the gym, I cant walk.

As for her career, the Fast X star has started to choose her roles and opportunities more carefully, which also means prioritising her well-being. I will never, ever do a movie again and say, Yeah, Ill gain 40 pounds, she admitted.

The Academy Award-winning actor continued: When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds overnight. I missed three meals and I was back to my normal weight. Then I did it at 43 for Tully, and I remember a year into trying to lose the weight, I called my doctor and I said, I think Im dying because I cannot lose this weight.

Despite her worries, her doctor explained that her metabolism simply doesnt work like it did when she was younger. He was like, Youre over 40, calm down, Theron expressed. Nobody wants to hear that.

Recently, the Bombshell star condemned all individuals who oppose drag queens. During her appearance on the Drag Isnt Dangerous telethon, she declared that anti-drag bills being proposed across the US were incredibly stupid and she would f*** anybody up that agreed with them.
Addis Abeba  The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released a report indicating the number of cholera cases in Ethiopia has reached alarming levels. As of 02 August, 2023, there had been over 16,800 reported cases, with 212 deaths. The regions most affected by this outbreak include Oromia, Sidama, and Somali.

In response to the cholera outbreak in multiple regions, OCHA has stated that humanitarian efforts are underway to provide support. This includes the provision of critical medical supplies, logistical assistance, and risk communications to combat the crisis.

In a report published in May 2023, OCHA revealed that a total of 6,157 cholera cases were reported across 348 kebeles spanning 54 woredas. This outbreak has resulted in 94 fatalities, making it one of the most enduring outbreaks witnessed in the country. The gravity of the situation is further underscored by OCHA's warning that the outbreak has extended its reach to additional regions, putting nearly 7 million people in Ethiopia at risk of contracting cholera.

The focus of the UN agency has also shifted towards addressing the prevalent issue of malaria in Ethiopia. Shockingly, 1.7 million individuals have been affected by malaria, resulting in the loss of 200 lives as of 30July, 2023.

Furthermore, Ethiopia is grappling with a severe crisis of acute malnutrition among its children. More than 1.2 million children across the country are currently affected. Humanitarian organizations are working to address malnutrition concerns in various regions, such as Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, and Tigray. OCHA has stated that over 30 United Nations agencies, as well as international and national non-governmental organizations, are actively supporting the response against malnutrition in Ethiopia.

Despite these pressing needs, the current humanitarian appeal for 2023 amounts to $4 billion, but only 27% of the funding has been secured so far, as reported by OCHA. This indicates a significant shortfall in funding, which poses challenges to effectively addressing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, according to the UN agency.
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Chef Michel Roux Jr has announced that he will be closing Le Gavroche, his two Michelin-starred restaurant, after 56 years.

The former Masterchef: The Professionals judge said the decision had been made so he could spend more time with his family.

Le Gavroche, located in Mayfair, central London, was opened in 1967 by French restaurateur brothers Albert and Michel Roux Sr.

At the time it was the only French restaurant of its kind in London, offering classical French food and the highest standards of cooking and service.

Roux Jr, son of Albert Roux, has run the restaurant since 1991, earning two Michelin stars  one of the most prestigious accolades in the restaurant business.

Other celebrity chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White have earned their stripes at Le Gavroche, according to the restaurants website.

In a lengthy Instagram post announcing the closure on Friday (18 August), Roux Jr announced the restaurant would be closing in January 2024.

The chef, 63, said he had very mixed emotions about the decision to close, but that the restaurants name would live on.

This decision has not been made lightly, Roux Jr wrote. Le Gavroche means so much, not just to myself and the Roux family, but to the wider Gavroche team and you, our guests, who have become our family over so many years.

I have always felt that should Le Gavroche ever close, it must be on a high. Le Gavroche continues to be fully booked, week in, week out, but I have known for a while that I must make time for a better work/life balance, so I can spend more time with my family and on my other business ventures.

Roux Jr added that a series of celebratory dinners, starting in November, would be held until the restaurants closure.

This is not the end of Le Gavroche  the restaurant may be closing, but the name will live on, he said. I could not be more grateful for the restaurant team, who have loved the restaurant as if it were their own.

The entire team both past and present, will forever have my gratitude, and will always be considered as part of the Roux family.

He added: And to you, our guests. Our success is all down to you. I would like to extend a personal thank you to every single person that has dined with us. Your support means everything to us.

As well as being part of the judging panel on MasterChef: The Professionals, Roux Jr has appeared as a guest chef on MasterChef Australia.

He has also appeared on Ramsays show Hells Kitchen, and presented two series of Michel Rouxs French Country Cooking.

Food critic and journalist Jay Rayner wrote: Very few emails make my eyebrows genuinely raise. This one did. I totally understand the thinking but, boy that really is the end of something, allowing for the fact the name will live on.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
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Susan Sarandon has filed a lawsuit against a construction firm over alleged extensive problems in her Vermont home.

The Oscar-winning actor, 76, bought 45 acres of wooded and meadowed land in Stamford, Vermont, in 2018. Here, she built an environmentally sustainable home near the Massachusetts border, where she intended to spend her retirement.

On Thursday (17 August), however, Sarandons limited liability company The Right to Bear Farms filed a lawsuit against DeGrenier Contracting and Property Management in the federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The lawsuit, obtained by Reuters, alleges that 47 issues were found with Sarandons property, which cost $2m (1.57m).

Among the issues discovered by engineers, contractors and Sarandons staff, it claims, are mould, an unfinished primary bedroom ceiling, missing insulation and buckled siding.

In the filing, Sarandon described her clear vision for a home that would be entirely off-the-grid, with solar power, well water and geothermal energy in light of increasing global environmental instability.

However, she said that the Massachusetts-based construction management firms owner misrepresented his qualifications, inflated invoices, and charged for construction work that didnt take place.

Sarandon claims that she paid nearly $140,000 (109,900) for the companys owner to act as the propertys caretaker under an agreement struck after the house was built.

Sarandon filed her lawsuit this week (Getty Images)

Under the lawsuit, the Thelma and Louise star is seeking unspecified damages based on claims of breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraudulent misrepresentation.

The firms owner is yet to file a response and did not respond to Reuters request for comment.

In May, Sarandon was arrested while attending a minimum wage protest in New York.

The actor was one of eight arrested for disorderly conduct at a protest for the One Fair Wage organisation, which she is president of.

After demanding service workers receive $17 per hour, Sarandon was led away in handcuffs along with New York lieutenant governor candidate Ana Maria Archila.

In a statement, New York State Police said the eight individuals were arrested after sitting and obstructing walking traffic and ignoring instructions to move.

They were charged with one count of disorderly conduct and issued with tickets to appear at Albany City Court at an unspecified date before being released, police said.
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Dominican authorities announced late Friday that they are pursuing a criminal case against a plastics company based on evidence found during an investigation into a powerful explosion this week that killed at least 31 people.

Police and the Public Ministry issued a joint statement saying the blast occurred at a business called Vidal Plast, rather than at a bakery as authorities had said initially. The explosion occurred Monday afternoon in a bustling commercial center in San Cristobal, a city just west of the capital of Santo Domingo.

The Public Ministry has evidence that compromises the criminal responsibility of those responsible who, with their actions, caused the death of dozens of people and caused millions in losses, the statement said, citing prosecutor Fadulia Rosa Rubio.

The ministry said it was investigating several people, but did not identify them.

The owners of Vidal Plast could not be immediately reached for comment. The company recycles, buys and sells plastic materials, officials said.

Authorities also said they have evidence that there was a fire at the business in March caused by a spark and a chemical substance and that the company did not take any measures despite knowing the high risk of its operations.

Victor Bisono, the minister of industry and commerce, told reporters that the municipality had closed the factory in the past, but he did not provide more details.

N Digital, a respected online newspaper in the Dominican Republic, reported that the company was founded in 2003. It quoted one of the companys founders as saying that the factory was not operating and that two of its employees were simply removing material from the site when the explosion occurred, with one of then being killed.

Officials on Friday also raised the number of dead to 31 from 28. They said seven of the dead had been identified so far. On Thursday, the government said it could take up to three months to identify all those killed in the blast.

___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Thousands more residents of Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed out of control raged on for a fourth day.

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harms way on the Atlantic island that is home to around a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees could surpass 26,000 according to provisional calculations based on the islands census. The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

The regional government said that the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames. Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres)

We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands, the islands governor, Rosa Davila, said.

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from the mainland sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres).

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.

The fire comes as Spains mainland is bracing for another heat wave. Spains state weather service issued a warning Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the mainland.

___

Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona.
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A new Covid variant dubbed Pirola is sweeping the United States and is currently being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation.

Pirola is a combination of the Greek letters Pi and Rho, has more than 30 mutations to its spike protein compared to XBB.1.5, a variant of Omicron that had been the dominant strain in the US, according to a Thursday bulletin in Yale Medicine.

Such a high number of mutations is notable, said Yale Medicine infectious diseases specialist Scott Roberts, MD.

Dr Roberts said that this was similar to the number of mutations that differed between Delta, one of the early strains of the coronavirus, and Omicron.

When Omicron hit in the winter of 2021, there was a huge rise in COVID-19 cases because it was so different from the Delta variant, and it evaded immunity from both natural infection and vaccination, Dr Roberts added.

The other concern is that this strain has been picked up in at least six countries, and the cases are unrelated. This suggests some degree of transmission in the [international] community that were not detecting.

What is BA.2.86?

Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist and lead for the Covid response at the WHO, said very limited information was available on the newly discovered strain. But a large number of mutations within it needed closer monitoring, she wrote on Twitter.

Surveillance, sequencing and Covid-19 reporting [are] critical to track known and detect new variants, she added.

The variant, also referred to as BA.X, was found through genetic sequencing  a process where scientists determine the building blocks of a molecules DNA.

Scientists are on alert due to the overly high number of mutations of the variant, with more than 30 in the spike protein  the part of the virus that vaccines aim to neutralise.

How many cases are there in the US?

Pirola has been found in 10 states, according to data from GISAID , a global database.

So far, it has been found in Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

The CDC noted in a statement released 23 August that the current hospitalisations in the country are not likely driven by BA.2.86, but added, this assessment may change as additional data become available.

Globally, the variant has been detected in Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, Israel, Canada, the United Kingdom and the US, as The Independent previously reported.

Covid hospitalisations and deaths have steadily risen for the last several weeks, as the US sees the effect of a summer surge.

From 3 September to 9 September, hospitalisations from the virus rose 7.7 per cent compared to the previous week, the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.

During that same time, deaths rose 4.5 per cent.

As the summer surge has gained traction, experts have started speaking more about preventative measures. In a recent interview with CNN, Dr Anthony Fauci said he hopes Americans wear masks to protect their loved ones if case counts continue to rise.

What can you do to protect yourself?

The CDC has advised people to protect themselves from the virus as it is not yet clear how well this variant spreads, however as a precautionary measure people have been asked to do the following:

 Get your Covid-19 vaccines.

 Get tested for Covid.

 Seek treatment if you have Covid-19 and are at high risk of getting very sick

 If you choose to wear a mask, wear a high-quality one that fits well over your nose and mouth Improve ventilation.

Wash your hands.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of the new variant include a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat.

What are the experts saying?

Kristian G Andersen, an immunologist and infectious diseases expert, said the lineage had all the hallmarks of something that could take off, but added: Our immunity landscape is now complex, so its too early to say it will.

Dr S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist, a flagship Texan hospital, said it remained to be seen whether BA.2.86 would be able to out-compete other strains of the virus or have any advantage in escaping immune responses from prior infection or vaccination.

Researchers are currently studying how much  if any  protection against BA.2.86 might be offered from immunity from previous Covid infections, per The New York Times. However, the research on this topic is still in its infancy, so its difficult to say for sure how past infections may influence Pirola cases.
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Serial killer nurse Lucy Letby was free to target babies for nearly a year after she murdered her first patient as hospital leaders repeatedly ignored concerns raised by whistleblowers, The Independent has learned.

Staff raised concerns over three unexplained baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital in July 2015 but health chiefs failed to investigate the allegations, several hospital insiders have claimed.

Letbys murderous rampage had started the month before and she went on to target another 14 infants over the next 12 months. The former nurse, 33, has now been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others  becoming Britains most prolific child killer.

An external review into the hospital, set to be published after the trial, is expected to find multiple failures by the trusts leadership to act on warnings, The Independent understands.

The parents of one baby, Child L, who she attempted to murder with insulin, have also called for a public inquiry into the trusts failings.

Several hospital sources told The Independent:

Doctors alerted managers to three unexplained deaths in July and October 2015 but they were not investigated

Staff raised Letbys presence at a string of suspicious deaths  but hospital executives ignored the issue for three months and two more babies died

Another senior medic raised concerns over Letby in a formal meeting with executives in May 2016 but no action was taken

Some doctors were said to be suicidal because concerns were not being heard

Trust leaders allegedly told paediatricians not to go to the police because it will be bad for the trusts reputation.

Letby has been convicted of seven counts of murder (AP)

One senior source working at the hospital said: There was a run of three unusual deaths that happened out of the blue and in babies who were stable.

There was also one near miss with a baby who had an unexpected, unexplained collapse but recovered. In July 2015, these cases were reviewed, and it was flagged as unusual.

They added: Although the association with Letbys [presence] was seen, nobody was really thinking about somebody causing deliberate harm.

Months later, in October 2015, doctors flagged to senior managers that things were continuing to happen in the neonatal unit with no explanation. But that these were considered to be a blip, the source said.

Another source said: There was that lack of curiosity about examining their death and incident data; it was sitting there for everyone to see.

Nobody sought to understand it. By the time they got to October 2015, there was enough concerning data in that they had a number of deaths to explain and there was a lack of focus on incidents where babies had collapsed.

Letbys presence at time of deaths was noted early on (Chester Standard/SWNS)

Senior doctors carried out a review in February 2016 in which they could find no common medical reason for the unexplained deaths. But they noted Letby was present on each occasion.

A source with knowledge of that review said: As far as Im aware, those findings from that high-level review were not acted upon. I dont think the findings were shared at all.

A second source added: It was noted that the presence of Letby at all these times was there, but not [again], necessarily accusation of causality.

Doctors then requested a meeting with the hospital directors to discuss their concerns about the nurse but this did not happen until May, sources said  during which time two babies were murdered.

Defensive

Several sources described the behaviour of the senior executives  including then chief nurse Alison Kelly  as protective and defensive when concerns were raised by about the babies deaths and Letbys presence.

In May 2016, after doctors finally met executives, sources claimed no action was taken over Letby with leaders allegedly saying lets see how things go. She remained on frontline duties until June of that year when she was moved to an admin role.

Colleagues at Countess of Chester Hospital struggled to escalate concerns over Letby (AFP/Getty)

An insider said: Had that meeting with senior executives happened earlier in February 2016 rather than May, things might have been different.

Reputation

Throughout 2016, paediatricians continued to raise concerns, with one source describing some doctors as feeling suicidal because their concerns were not being heard.

It would not be until a year later in 2017 that doctors claim they were allowed to talk to the police about their concerns over the baby deaths and Letby. She was arrested in July 2018.

One source alleges paediatricians were told by trust leaders in late 2016  after the babies deaths  that if they reported concerns to the police thatll be the end of the unit and it will be bad for the trusts reputation.

The moment Letby was arrested over the baby deaths (Cheshire Police)

You cant mitigate for bad people, the source continued. Theyre from all walks of life, and theyre very good at hiding in plain sight. But, what you can mitigate for is when these people get spotted, what happens to the people who were trying to blow the whistle and you know, what are the responses of the people from the top?

Wider failings

Wider concerns were raised about the NHS and trusts approach to recording baby deaths at the time.

One source said a national database of Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood was in use but that the babies deaths were not recorded under this.

The source said: It was around then when they should have said babies were dying and near dying here and we dont know why. Instead of being open and looking into that, they just blamed the people who were raising the concerns and its hard to understand why that is.

Letby killed several babies while hospital leaders ignored concerns (Cheshire Constabulary)

A review by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health was commissioned by the trusts medical director Ian Harvey in June 2016 to look at the cluster of deaths.

The report, finished in November 2016 and seen by The Independent, noted there were several areas where the trust failed to properly report neonatal deaths.

It also raised concerns that the deaths were not reported or picked up by the child death overview panel, which is a local authority-run service that investigates deaths in hospitals and communities.

The review noted that staff were distressed over the deaths and affected by the actions taken in response to concerns.

Several whistleblowers also highlighted a missed opportunity when concerns were raised to the Care Quality Commission which inspected the hospital in February 2016.

Sources said doctors told the CQC they had patient safety concerns and they were not able to get executives to take them seriously.

Dr Sean OKelly, CQCs chief inspector of healthcare, said the CQCs team received concerns from hospital staff about a lack of support from management when they tried to speak up and that inspectors directly highlighted the issue to senior trust staff.

Former chief executive Tony Chambers told The Independent that the February 2016 review did not identify any common themes, although some themes occured in more than one baby, which triggered a meeting with other senior hospital staff.

He said it was highlighted that Letby had been present in more cases than other staff, but he added: There was no evidence other than coincidence and what was described as gut feeling.

He added that there were unusual blood test results after the collapse of Baby L, but concerns were not raised. He said the result would have materially altered the focus of subsequent inquiries and actions if they had been raised with me or any other senior manager in August 2015.

Mr Chambers also told The Independent he is not aware the CQC raised any issue with him at the time. He said the serious allegations related directly to Letby were escalated to him for the first time in June 2016 and that action was taken.

Meanwhile, a trust spokesman said: Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services. I want to provide reassurance that every patient who accesses our services can have confidence in the care they will receive.

Alison Kelly said in a statement: It is impossible to imagine the heartache suffered by the families involved and my thoughts are very much with them.

These are truly terrible crimes and I am deeply sorry that this happened to them.

We owe it to the babies and their families to learn lessons and I will fully cooperate with the independent inquiry announced.
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Scotlands Deputy First Minister has rejected calls to field a single pro-independence candidate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

Former first minister and Alba Party leader Alex Salmond said his former party was heading for electoral disaster if the pro-independence vote is split.

In an open letter to First Minister Humza Yousaf on Friday, Mr Salmond said the party was in danger of handing the seat to Labour on a platter.

But on Saturday in Hamilton while she campaigned with candidate Katy Loudon, Shona Robison said: No, we are standing as the SNP in this constituency, in this by-election, to put forward the SNPs proposition and policies like the Scottish Child Payment and to put a hardworking MP into Westminster to stand up for her constituents and to support and push forward the very progressive policies that the SNP has.

Katy (Loudon) will do that in an excellent way, I have no doubt.

Mr Salmond said the by-election could see five pro-independence candidates on the ballot paper, including from the SNP, Greens and Alba  rather than one to take on Labour.

Mr Salmond instead suggested Mr Yousaf should put forward a united approach at the SNP conference in October by making the case for one single independence candidate at each constituency at the next general election, expected to take place next year.

The process of replacing Labour as the dominant party in Scottish politics started well before you even joined the SNP.

It would seem more than a setback to the independence cause to let them regain a foothold by fielding multiple pro-independence candidates in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.

He called on the First Minister to respond by Friday August 25 in time for the Alba national councils meeting the following day where the party will decide whether it will contest the seat.

A spokesman for the Alba Party said: Shona Robinson is absolutely entitled to share her views on what she thinks her partys election strategy should be.

However this is a political decision, not a Scottish Government decision. Shona has no role whatsoever in the leadership of the SNP.

She is not a member of the partys NEC and holds no office in the party and its therefore up to the leadership of the SNP to respond.

Alex Salmond has made overtures to Humza Yousaf on numerous occasions and has now publicly written to him.

Its up to Humza to reply to Alex to make clear if he supports a single independence candidate through backing the principle of Scotland united to put country before party, or if he wishes to put party before country.

We look forward to his response.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour launched a day of campaigning in Rutherglen and Hamilton West the party described as super Saturday, claiming the SNP only offered negativity in the by-election.

Today Scottish Labour is taking its message of hope and a fresh start with our candidate Michael Shanks to hundreds of doors across the constituency, said Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

But while Scottish Labour focuses on hope for the future, the SNP campaign is going into overdrive trying to do the Tories work for them by attacking Labour.

The fact is that after 16 years in government and nearly a decade representing the majority of Scottish seats at Westminster, the SNP is out of touch and with no record to stand on.

While the SNP stoke division and run a negative campaign, Scottish Labour is taking its message of change, a new deal for working people, action to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and saving our NHS to the people.

During her partys campaign stop, Ms Robison said Labour had become arrogant in the constituency.

I think we are very clear that we are fighting for every vote, were working hard, knocking doors, not being complacent at all and that is the way were going to continue the campaign, she said.

Certainly not taking anything for granted unlike other parties seem to be doing.
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Killer nurse Lucy Letby joins a grim list of medical professionals who exploited their position to harm the vulnerable patients they were supposed to care for.

Letby has been convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others, one of them twice, at a hospital neonatal unit.

Prosecutors said Letby, 33, was a calculated opportunist who used the vulnerabilities of premature and sick infants to camouflage her acts.

In 2015 and 2016, there was a significant rise in the number of babies who suffered serious and unexpected collapses in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Below, we look at the most notorious examples of Britains medical murderers.

Doctor Death

GP Harold Shipman was one Britains most prolific serial killers and is thought to have murdered hundreds of patients (PA Media)

Dubbed Doctor Death by the press, Harold Shipman was one Britains most prolific serial killers and is thought to have murdered hundreds of patients.

As a general practitioner in Greater Manchester, Shipman targeted elderly people after winning their trust.

His modus operandi, which consisted of injecting his victims with a fatal dose of drugs and then claiming they had died of natural causes, meant that he evaded capture throughout the 1990s. He was finally convicted of 15 counts of murder in 2000.

He began to attract suspicion after one of his patients, an 81-year-old woman, was discovered dead in her home only hours after Shipman had visited her in 1998.

After killing himself in prison in 2004, an official inquiry established that the extent of Shipmans crimes was far greater than initially thought, estimating that he had killed 250 people.

Beverley Allitt

Beverley Allitt is currently serving 13 life sentences (PA)

In a case with disturbing echoes of Letbys crimes, Beverley Allitt is currently serving 13 life sentences  one for each of the children she murdered or attempted to murder as a paediatric nurse in the 1990s.

Allitt attacked 13 children who had been admitted for minor injuries between February and April 1991 at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, injecting some of them with dangerous amounts of insulin.

She succeeded in killing four of them, the youngest of whom, Liam Taylor, was just seven weeks old.

After the death of her fourth victim, 15-month-old Claire Peck, staff became suspicious of the number of cardiac arrests on the childrens ward and police began to investigate.

It was established that Allitt had been the only nurse on duty during the medical episodes, and she was found guilty in 1993 of four counts of murder, three of attempted murder, and a further six of grievous bodily harm.

Allitt, now 54, is currently imprisoned at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

Scotlands Angel of Death

Colin Norris was convicted of murder in 2008 (West Yorkshire Police/PA Wire)

Colin Norris, from Glasgow, was another nurse convicted of killing patients.

Called the Angel of Death, Norris was found guilty in 2008 of murdering four women, and attempting to murder another, by injecting them with insulin.

The four women who died  Ethel Hall, Bridget Bourke, Doris Ludlam and Irene Crookes  as well as the fifth woman, Vera Wilby  were all elderly inpatients on orthopaedic ward in Leeds where Norris worked as a nurse in 2002.

He was accused of injecting his victims with lethal amounts of insulin.

Now aged 47, Norris is serving a 30-year prison sentence at HMP Frankland.

He successfully had all five of his convictions referred to the Court of Appeal in 2021 after the Criminal Cases Review Commission concluded there was a real possibility they may be unsafe in light of new expert evidence.

Victorino Chua

Victorino Chua was found guilty of murdering and poisoning patients in Stockport (PA)

Father-of-two Victorino Chua was found guilty of murdering and poisoning patients at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, where he worked as a nurse. He was jailed for a minimum of 35 years in 2015.

Chua, now 57, killed Tracey Arden, 44, and Derek Weaver, 83, and attempted to kill a third victim, Arnold Lancaster, 71, by injecting insulin into saline bags and ampoules.

Speaking after he was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court, Weavers sister, Lynda Bleasdale, described Chua as an evil and diabolical man who enjoyed watching people suffer.
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The grieving families of Lucy Letbys victims have demanded the government orders a full independent public inquiry into how the nurse was able to go on a prolonged killing spree at a neonatal unit.

The families join senior doctors and MPs who want the inquiry upgraded, amid fears it lacks the powers needed to unearth potential evidence of a cover-up at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and prevent a similar horror from ever unfolding in the NHS again.

Health secretary Steve Barclay announced an independent inquiry on Friday after Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and the attempted murder of six others in the hospital where she worked between June 2015 and June 2016.

But he stopped short of setting up an inquiry with statutory powers, meaning witnesses will not be required by law to attend, raising concerns that hospital managers could avoid being held accountable for putting reputation before child safety.

Lawyers representing the families of two of Letbys victims fear this may mean they will never truly get justice and labelled the current plan inadequate, while one of the doctors instrumental in finally stopping Letbys heinous campaign demanded NHS bosses be forced to acknowledge that their actions potentially facilitated a mass-murderer.

In a joint statement, Richard Scorer and Yvonne Agnew of Slater and Gordon, who are representing two of the victims families, said: As a non-statutory inquiry, it does not have the power to compel witnesses to provide evidence or production of documents and must rely on the goodwill of those involved to share their testimony. This is not good enough. The failings here are very serious and an inquiry needs to have a statutory basis to have real teeth.

An inquiry also needs to look at why the NHSs duty of candour seems to have failed in this case, with hospital managers seemingly prioritising the hospitals reputation above child safety.

We do not believe that duty of candour is an adequate substitute for a proper mandatory reporting regime, and any inquiry needs to examine this issue properly as failings here could be replicated elsewhere in the NHS.

MPs and doctors have raised concerns that the inquiry cannot compel hospital managers to give evidence (Sourced)

Senior doctors working with Letby warned for months that she had been the only medic present during the sudden collapses and deaths of a number of premature babies at the hospital in North West England.

However, their concerns were ignored and one consultant said babies could have been saved had hospital management acted sooner. But senior doctor Ravi Jayaram claimed he was persuaded not to contact the police because it would harm the hospitals reputation.

Dr Jayaram, one of the doctors whose evidence helped convict Letby, called for fundamental change in the culture and governance of NHS institutions, adding that it should start right now.

He urged managers involved in the case, who are still earning six-figure sums of taxpayers money or retired with their gold-plated pensions, to stand up in public to explain why they did not want to listen and do the right thing, to acknowledge that their actions potentially facilitated a mass murderer and to apologise to the families involved in all of this.

Letby, who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016, on the day of her arrest (PA Media)

The Countess of Chester Hospital is facing mounting questions over why Letby was not removed from the neonatal unit sooner. Concerns about her were first raised in June 2015 after three babies died over a period of two weeks. It was at this point Letbys name was first mentioned among a group of consultants, one of whom was Dr Jayaram.

Despite this, she continued to work at the unit for a further 12 months until she was moved to clerical duties in July 2016  after she had murdered seven newborn babies and tried to kill six others. The court heard that, on one occasion, a doctor walked into the room while she was suspected of being in the process of trying to kill a premature baby in February 2016.

Letby was convicted of the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of six others (AFP via Getty Images)

Dr Susan Gilby, the hospitals former chief executive who took over after Letby was arrested and has since left the trust, told The Independent she backed calls for a full public inquiry.

Dr Gilby commissioned an independant review of the management response to concerns raised by the paediatricians about Letby and called for it to be made public.

The review should be complete by now. Provided all legal formalities are complete, the review needs to be shared with a public inquiry and with the families involved, she said.

When I met with the doctors on first joining the trust, I found them to be traumatised by the treatment they had received. I was shown evidence that they had been told to draw a line under the issues raised, forced to apologise to Letby and even to enter into mediation with her. It seemed that their clinical specialist knowledge had been disregarded.

Conservative MP Dr Caroline Johnson said it was completely unacceptable that the hospitals management did not immediately act on concerns flagged by the consultants.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme on Saturday, the consultant paediatrician and Commons health committee member, said: To my mind, as it has been reported, it is completely unacceptable.

To ignore one consultant, if the other six disagree, perhaps you could think that is wrong, but you could understand it. But when youve got seven paediatricians, experts in their field, looking after babies in a neonatal unit, telling you in their expert opinion that these events are unusual and they should not be occurring and there are unexpected collapses that are unexplained in babies that are leading to death, to then say you are not going to take action seems completely remarkable to me."

Dr Johnson said the consultants who raised concerns would have been powerless to do anything more because they did not have any jurisdiction over the nursing hierarchy.

The Sleaford and North Hykeham MP said there needed to be clear lines of accountability in the NHS to establish who is accountable for making what decisions.

Doctor who helped catch Lucy Letby describes seeing her standing over sick baby

She added that she backed the governments decision to announce an independent review but warned ministers would need to look again at the type of inquiry if those working at the hospital dont come forward.

Samantha Dixon, Labour MP for Chester, also raised concerns about a non-statutory inquiry.

I do have some concerns about the risks around a non-statutory inquiry in that people are not obliged to attend and to give evidence, she told BBC Breakfast.

The families of Letbys victims have said they have been left heartbroken, devastated, angry and feel numb by her actions. But it is expected they will not see her when she is sentenced on Monday after the serial killer refused to attend court and will not take part in the hearing via video link from prison.

Lawyers representing some of the families have vowed to continue their search for answers.

Dr Bill Kirkup, a leading patient safety investigator, said the Letby case highlighted the tragic consequences of hospital managers protecting reputations above listening to the concerns of staff. He said there were common features between the Letby case and reviews he has conducted into poor care in maternity units in other hospitals.

The first reaction of people under these circumstances in management, controlling organisations, is to protect reputations  the organisations reputation, their own reputation, he told BBC Breakfast. And when that comes ahead of being open and honest about whats going on, thats tragic. We have to be able to stop this.

There were 13 deaths on the neonatal unit where Letby worked over a one-year period, the BBC reported, which is five times the usual rate, and the nurse was on duty for all of them.

Lucy Letby's childhood friend claims killing was 'not in her nature'

In October of that year, after seven babies had died, a link was made between all the fatal collapses and Letby, who prosecutors described as a constant malevolent presence in the care of the infants. Despite this, the link was believed to be coincidental.

Dr Gilby, who took over as the hospitals medical director a month after Letby was arrested, told the BBC: The paediatricians were discussing the terrible nights on call that they were having. One of them said, Every time that this is happening to me, that I am being called in for these catastrophic events which were unexpected and unexplained, Lucy Letby is there, and then somebody else said, Yes, I found that, and then someone else had the same response.

Paediatrician Dr Stephen Brearey, who blew the whistle on Letby in 2015, told The Guardian the hospital had been negligent in its handling of the killings.

Tony Chambers, the hospitals former chief executive who was in charge at the time of Letbys murders, said he would cooperate fully and openly with the inquiry.

Dr Nigel Scawn, medical director at the hospital, said in a statement on Friday: Since Lucy Letby worked at our hospital, we have made significant changes to our services and I want to provide reassurance to every patient that may access our services that they can have confidence in the care that they will receive.

But he walked away without answering when a journalist asked: Why did hospital managers try to stop Lucy Letby from being investigated?

The Department for Health and Social Care had said the independent inquiry would look at the circumstances surrounding the deaths and incidents, including how concerns raised by clinicians were dealt with.

But it said that after careful consideration, a non-statutory independent inquiry was found to be the most appropriate option and it would instead focus on lessons that can be learned quickly.

Mr Barclay said the inquiry would seek to ensure the parents and families impacted get the answers they need.
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Nurse Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital in a rare case that has shocked the nation.

An independent inquiry has been set up to understand how Letby was able to carry out the killings and attempt six others before being reported to the police.

For the latest updates, follow The Independents live coverage of Lucy Letbys sentencing

The reasons why Letby, a neonatal nurse, committed the murders may never be fully understood, although prosecutors and other experts told jurors during her trial of several possible motivations.

Here, The Independent takes a look at some of the main theories discussed in court.

To gain attention of doctor colleague she was infatuated with

One motivation put forward by the prosecution was that Letby attacked and killed babies in her care to gain the sympathy of a doctor who she had become infatuated with.

It was alleged she wanted to make herself the centre of his attention and focus.

Throughout the trial, Letby showed no flicker of emotion until 16 February when the medic, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, confirmed his name after he swore on oath.

Letby and people in the public gallery could not see the married registrar because he had asked to give his evidence from behind a screen.

His voice prompted her to break down in tears as she abruptly left her seat and walked towards the exit door of the dock.

When the time came for her to enter the witness box, she said she loved the doctor as a trusted friend but was not in love with him romantically.

She denied claims by the prosecution that she was infatuated with the doctor.

She enjoyed playing God

Lucy Letby is arrested by police (Cheshire Police)

Child P, one of the triplets Letby murdered, collapsed on 24 June 2016 and preparations were to move him to another hospital.

Shortly before the planned transfer, Letby is said to have told a colleague - the one she was accused of being infatuated with - "hes not leaving here alive, is he?".

During Letbys trial, prosecutor Nick Johnson KC said she made the comment because she "knew what was going to happen".

He said: "She was controlling things. She was enjoying what was going on and happily predicting something she knew was going to happen.

"She, in effect, was playing God."

Letby had earlier pumped air into Child Ps stomach as she fed him milk  just 13 minutes after murdering Child, one of his brothers.

Letby got a thrill from the grief and despair of parents

Letby acted unusually when the babies she killed or tried to murder suddenly declined, parents and other nurses on the ward where she worked said.

The parents of Child I, who died after repeated attacks by Letby, told police they remembered her smiling and going on about how she was present at [Child Is] first bath and how much she had loved it.

Letby has been found guilty of seven murders and six attempted murders (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Johnson KC suggested to Letby that she was getting a thrill out of what you were watching, the grief and despair, in that room.

Letby denied the accusation.

The serial killer also searched Facebook for the families of her victims on the anniversaries of their deaths and would often look for a number of them within minutes of each other.

In one instance she carried out a search on Christmas Day. Letby, giving evidence, said she would search for all sorts of people  not just the parents of babies on the unit.

She found caring for less sick infants boring

Letby is said to have argued with a senior colleague when asked to work in an outside nursery where babies were treated in preparation for going home.

The unit was split into four rooms  intensive care in nursery one, high dependency care in nursery two and the outside nurseries of rooms three and four, the court was told.

Senior nurse Kathryn Percival-Calderbank told jurors that Letby was unhappy if she was allocated shifts in either room three or four.

She said: She expressed that she was unhappy at being put in the outside nurseries.

She said it was boring and she didnt want to feed babies. She wanted to be in the intensive care.

Doctor who helped catch Lucy Letby reveals he was made to apologise to nurse

Mrs Percival-Calderbank, who qualified as a nurse in 1988, added: If anything was going on within nursery one you would find she would migrate there, as we would all do to go and help. She would definitely end up in nursery one to assist.

It was more that we were worried for Lucys mental heath because it can be upsetting, emotional and sometimes exhausting as well at the end of a shift, if youre constantly put in that stressed situation all the time.

Sometimes youve got to come out of that environment and be in an outside nursery.

Letby was not good enough to care for them

Letby wrote I AM EVIL I DID THIS on a post-it note found by police at her home, in what was the closest the prosecution got to a confession.

She also wrote: I dont deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them. I will never marry or have children. I will never know what its like to have a family.

Letby told the court the notes, written after she was suspended from work pending an investigation, showed the ramblings of her mental anguish following the deaths of the babies in her care.

The nurse said the notes also contained protestation of innocence and they were never held up in court as concrete proof of her motive.
A sense of anxiety and panic has gripped residents, particularly those squatting on railway land, as Uganda Railways Corporation officials begin the process of identifying and marking houses for imminent demolition.

The move is part of the government's broader effort to revamp the railway line across the country.

The affected parties, some of whom claim to have purchased the land, are now pleading for leniency from the authorities requesting either to be allowed to remain on the land or for the railway line to be rerouted to a less populated area.

The issue has sparked concern as over 200 houses in Kasese Municipality have been marked for demolition by Uganda Railways Corporation due to being allegedly illegally constructed on railway land.

Bishop Kisembo, one of the affected residents, expressed his fears: "Losing our houses would be a devastating blow after investing so much in purchasing land and constructing homes."

Kirindiro Johnstone, another resident facing the threat of eviction, stated: "We are pleading with the government to reconsider their plans. Either shift the railway line to a less populated area or allow us to continue living on this land."

Local leaders in Kasese Municipality, however, have expressed concerns that the residents' proposals may not be feasible due to logistical and safety considerations.

Chance Kahindo, the Mayor of Kasese Municipality, expressed his reservations: "While we understand the concerns of the affected residents, we must also prioritize safety and proper urban planning."

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Bomera Richard, Chairperson of the Lc3 Bulembia division, echoed the sentiment, saying, "It's a complex situation. We need to find a solution that respects the rights of residents while adhering to development guidelines."

Amidst the impending demolitions, some leaders are calling for understanding, pointing out that the sale of these plots of land might have been facilitated by conmen in collaboration with certain railway officials.

Chance Kahindo reiterated this point: "We have to consider that these land transactions might have involved fraudulent activities. It's crucial to address the issue from both sides."

In response to the growing tension, Lt Joe Walusimbi, the Resident District Commissioner, has stepped in as a mediator between the affected residents and the government. He pledged to facilitate a dialogue to find a solution that balances the interests of both parties without causing harm.

The plight of these residents highlights the complex challenges that arise during urban development and infrastructure improvement efforts. As the situation unfolds, the hope remains that a fair and just resolution will be reached that considers the well-being and rights of all stakeholders involved.
 Close Live: Lucy Letby sentenced for murdering newborn babies at Chester hospital

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Lucy Letby is set to be stripped of her NHS pension after her murderous rampage on the neonatal ward where she worked.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is looking into all measures that prevent her pension from being paid to her, The Independent understands.

The NHS Pension Scheme Regulations allow him to forfeit pensions if NHS employees are convicted of crimes  particularly those that are gravely injurious to the state or to be liable to lead to serious loss of confidence in the public service.

Letby will spend the rest of her life in prison after being found guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six others, but she refused to appear in the dock to hear the sentence handed down on Monday.

It sparked widespread outrage with several British newspapers calling for a law change, arguing that the worst offenders should be forced to appear in court to witness the impact of their crimes.

Judge Mr Justice Goss said Letby would be sent written copies of the victim impact statements.
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For a mother whose newborn was gravely ill in the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital, she was a ray of light: a calm, comforting nurse who guided her through her most desperate moments as her child lay listless in his cot.

Trust me, Im a nurse, she smiled at her, and the mother did, completely. But within hours, her baby boy was dead, and the nurse in whom she had placed so much trust, who had been by her side through the darkest time of her life, was responsible.

The baby, identified only as Child E, was one of the victims of Lucy Letby, who has been found guilty of seven counts of both murder and attempted murder over the course of 12 months, from June 2015 to June 2016. She was found not guilty of two attempted murder charges, and the jury could not reach verdicts on a further six counts of the same charge.

Letby, 33, was not in the dock at Manchester Crown Court on Friday when the jury was discharged after deliberating for 22 days in a trial that has lasted 10 months. They found that she had killed or tried to kill the babies she should have been caring for  by injecting them with air, poisoning them with insulin, and overfeeding them with milk.

But despite a lengthy trial that involved more than 240 witnesses, the families of her victims still have one haunting question left unanswered: why did she do it?

Another side that nobody saw

Throughout the trial, what has been notable is just how unremarkable Letbys life was: a normal nurse who had a normal upbringing. How I would describe her from my own experience in this investigation is beige, deputy senior investigating officer DCI Nicola Evans said. There isnt anything outstanding or outrageous that we found about her as a person, in that she was an average nurse.

She was a normal twentysomething-year-old, doing what she was doing with her career, her friends. But clearly there was another side of that, that nobody saw.

Letby was not short of friends, and pictures show a happy young woman enjoying life (Supplied)

Letby was brought up in Hereford as the only child of John and Susan Letby. She attended the local comprehensive and the family spent holidays in Devon. Jurors were shown pictures of her childhood bedroom, with two teddy bears placed on a duvet cover bearing the motif Sweet Dreams.

Framed pictures containing the slogans Shine bright like a diamond and Leave sparkles wherever you go appear on the bedroom walls, while a fluffy pink and white polkadot dressing gown hangs on the door. The images prompted a rare show of emotion, as Letby broke down in the dock.

Moving 100 miles from home to study at the University of Chester, she was seen as a studious type, never staying out late. On qualifying as a registered NHS nurse in 2011, Letby developed a reputation among her colleagues as reliable, hard-working and trustworthy.

Letby has a close relationship with her parents, who attended throughout the trial in support of their daughter (PA)

Two years later, she became the face of a campaign to raise 3m for the neonatal unit, and was a familiar sight in her neat uniform, her hair scraped back in a ponytail.

The unit, and the staff within it, became her world, and she described her colleagues as her family. When asked in court, witnesses agreed that she had appeared professional throughout her time there, using words such as knowledgeable and thorough to describe her approach to work.

Not short of friends, pictures of Letby on social media show a happy young woman enjoying life in her mid-twenties.

Holidays in Ibiza, sipping prosecco and vodka with friends to celebrate a win at the Grand National, and salsa classes with colleagues filled her social calendar. Shortly before she was moved from frontline duties in 2016, Letby travelled to Ibiza for a holiday with her girlfriends. Messages sent on 13 June showed a young woman groaning about packing and making jokes about Love Island.

Pictures of her childhood bedroom show a teddy bear and a poster on the wall with the motif Leave sparkles wherever you go (Cheshire Police)

After returning from the Spanish island on 22 June, she murdered two brothers from a set of triplets, Child O and Child P, on successive days.

It cant be Lucy

Letby had joined her colleagues in appearing horrified at the apparent run of bad luck the neonatal ward was experiencing.

In reality, however, the alarm had been raised after the string of inexplicable deaths had caught the attention of consultants. While premature babies are often vulnerable, a number of sudden deteriorations and bizarre skin discolourations had pointed to something far more sinister.

Letby operated in plain sight on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital (PA)

As early as her third murder in June 2015, Letby was named as the common denominator, having been present at each incident.

A senior doctor, Dr Ravi Jayaram, testified that he had raised concerns about Letby to the hospital administration as early as 2015 after connecting her presence with a series of unexpected and inexplicable deaths and incidents.

Letby poses with baby clothing (Chester Standard/SWNS)

In one instance, he told jurors that he had observed Letby standing over an infant whose breathing tube had been dislodged. Despite the babys oxygen levels dropping, he claimed, Letby did not do anything until he intervened.

But others could not believe she might be the perpetrator.

It cant be Lucy, not nice Lucy, Dr Stephen Brearey told a fellow consultant during initial discussions about the deaths.

Her parents, too, were oblivious. Guess who will be coming home for Christmas xxx, Letby texted to them the day after killing a baby by injecting air into its bloodstream. Her mother replied: Thats fab I could cry x.

Text messages revealed the high regard in which she was held by her friends and colleagues, with one doctor writing Youre a fab nurse after a baby suffered two collapses. Another doctor wrote that she was one of the few nurses he would trust with my own children, when it became clear that her actions were under scrutiny.

One conversation involved a married male registrar. Letby denied he was her boyfriend, despite the two having travelled to London together and exchanged heart emojis in their text messages.

The former nurse has been convicted of seven counts of murder and seven counts of attempted murder (Cheshire Constabulary)

In texts read out by the prosecutor, Letbys nursing friend teased [I] think he likes u too and said that the registrar was as flirty as u. She replied: Shut up... I dont flirt with him! before adding: Certainly dont fancy him haha just nice guy. When he appeared in the witness box, she attempted to leave the dock in tears.

It was suggested that, desperate to gain his approval, she had sabotaged Child O deliberately to attract his attention and cause him to return to the hospital to help.

A prison van believed to contain Letby leaves Chester Crown Court on 13 November 2020 (Getty)

On a scribbled piece of paper found at his address, she had written a declaration of love next to his name, which cannot be published for legal reasons. Scrawled in black ink were the words I loved you and My best friend.

I killed them on purpose

The darker side of her character was revealed in a number of scribbled Post-it notes on which she wrote: I AM EVIL I DID THIS.

Other notes included the lines: I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them, and I am a horrible and evil person, and There are no words. I am an awful person. I pay everyday for that.

Police also recovered notes that included many protestations of innocence and phrases such as kill myself, No Hope, and HATE written in capital letters.

Police discovered notes in Letbys house that included the words I AM EVIL (PA)

Becoming emotional in the dock when talking about her forced departure from the neonatal unit, she said: At this point I didnt know what to do. It was having a massive impact on all aspects of my life.

It was emotionally very difficult. I was lonely, I was worried, I didnt know what was going on.

Her barrister, Benjamin Myers KC, described the notes as the anguished outpouring of a young woman in fear and despair who was facing multiple charges of murdering the babies it had been her duty to protect.

When the eight guilty verdicts were returned by the jury on Friday 11 August  four of murder and four of attempted murder  Letby was unmoved, but her mother Susan cried out: This cant be right, this cant be right. Sobbing uncontrollably, she was escorted from the courtroom by her husband.

Now found guilty of a total of seven murders and the attempted murders of six other babies, Letby is one of Britains most prolific serial killers of children, having taken advantage of the position of trust that she held to carry out a horrific campaign of attacks on the most vulnerable.

She abused the trust of the people around her, not just the parents who had trusted her with their babies but also the nurses she worked with, the people she regarded as friends, said DCI Evans.

Lucy Letby was operating in plain sight.
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Police in Pakistan have joined the hunt for the father of a girl, 10, who is wanted for questioning after her alleged murder.

Sara Sharif was found dead at her home in Woking, Surrey, on 10 August after officers were called from Pakistan by Saras father, Urfan Sharif, at around 2.50am.

A post-mortem examination revealed Sara had suffered from multiple and extensive injuries, which were likely caused over a sustained and extended period of time.

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police major crime team, said Mr Sharif, his partner, Beinash Batool, and his brother, Faisal Malik, were wanted for questioning as part of the murder investigation.

He said it was believed Mr Sharif travelled to Islamabad on 9 August, a day before Saras death was discovered, with his partner Ms Batool, and his brother Mr Malik.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13 years old, he added.

Officers in the eastern Punjab province said on Saturday that they were seeking to arrest Mr Sharif.

Imran Ahmed, of Pakistan Police, said officers found evidence that Mr Sharif had briefly returned to Jhelum, Punjab, around 135km (84 miles) from the capital, where his family has a home, before leaving again.

Urfan Sharif, left and his partner Beinash Batool. (Surrey Police)

Another officer in Jhelum, Nisar Ahmed, said he and his men went to Mr Sharifs native village of Kari but learned the family left around 20 years ago and never returned.

UK police said they were working with international agencies, including Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the UK Foreign Office to progress their inquiries with Pakistani authorities.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, but Detective Mark Chapman, of Surrey Police, said that people have been extradited from the country to the UK before.

Mr Chapman has asked the public to help piece together a picture of Saras lifestyle, appealing to anyone who knew Sara to come forward with any information.

Saras body was found at her home in Woking on 10 August (Sara Sharif )

In the meantime, I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Saras tragic and untimely death are brought to justice, he said.

Officers are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with the investigation.

Saras mother is being supported by specialist officers and has not been in contact with Saras father, UK police have said.

Olga Sharif lost a custody battle for Sara in 2019 and only learned of her death from the police.

She told The Sun she had only seen Sara and her 13-year-old son, Saras brother, two times in the past four years.

Ms Sharif said she bonded with Sara over a shared love of the Disney movie Frozen and other films. She would walk in and say, Mum, look how pretty I look, she said.
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The father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in Woking is being sought by police investigating her murder and is believed to be in Pakistan.

Sara Sharif was found at her home after officers were called from Pakistan by Saras father, Urfan Sharif, at around 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police said.

The discovery at the semi-detached property in Hammond Road sparked a murder probe.

Detective superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police major crime team, said Mr Sharif, his partner, Beinash Batool, and his brother, Faisal Malik, are wanted for questioning in the investigation.

He said it is believed Mr Sharif travelled to Islamabad on August 9, a day before Saras death was discovered, with his partner Ms Batool, and his brother Mr Malik.

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13-years old, he added.

A post-mortem examination, which took place on Tuesday, did not establish the cause of Saras death and further tests are being carried out.

But the force said the examination revealed the child had suffered multiple and extensive injuries, which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, but Mr Chapman said that people have been extradited from the Asian country before.

Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and Foreign Office to carry out their investigation and to liaise with Pakistani authorities.

Officers are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with the investigation, Mr Chapman said.

Saras mother is being supported by specialist officers and police say the two have not been in contact.

Olga Sharif described her daughter as an amazing child in an interview with The Sun and told the newspaper that her life will never be the same again.

Police are expected to remain at the property in the quiet Woking village of Horsell for some weeks.

Mr Chapman said: Firstly, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences following Saras tragic death. Our thoughts are with her mother at this difficult time. We also fully appreciate the impact this devastating incident will have had within the local community.

While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our enquiry.

As a result, we are trying to piece together a picture of Saras lifestyle but we cannot do this without the publics help.

That is why we are appealing for anyone who knew Sara, had any form of contact with her, or has any other information about her, no matter how insignificant it might seem, to come forward as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Saras tragic and untimely death are brought to justice.

Locals spoke of their shock and fear the day after the 10-year-olds body was discovered.

Many of the flowers left on the pavement outside the house had heartfelt messages written by local families attached, while one person left a stuffed unicorn.

One note read: Sweet girl, Im so sorry that your sparkle was put out too soon.
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The father of a young girl found dead in her home in Woking is wanted by the police investigating her murder, but is now believed to be in Pakistan.

Sara Sharif, 10, was found to have received multiple and extensive injuries in her post-mortem examination, but the cause of her death is still unknown.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, travelled to Islamabad with his partner, brother and five children the day before Saras body was found, according to Surrey Police.

Mr Sharif called the police about Saras death in Pakistan at 2.50 am on 10 August. He, his partner and his brother are wanted for questioning in the investigation and officers in Pakistan have now joined the hunt for him.

Who is Sara Sharif?

Sara Sharif was a 10-year-old girl who lived in Horsell, a village near Woking in northwest Surrey.

Her mother, Olga Sharif, described Sara as an amazing child in an interview with The Sun. She told the newspaper that her life will never be the same again.

How did she die?

Saras body was found at her home on Hammond Road in Woking, Surrey after officers were called from Pakistan by her father at 2.50am on 10 August.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had suffered multiple and extensive injuries which are likely to have been caused over a sustained and extended period of time, but the cause of her death is still unknown.

Sara Sharifs body was found at her home in Woking on10 August (Sara Sharif )

What have the police said about her death?

Detective Superintendent Mark Chapman, from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police major crime team, said in a statement: Firstly, on behalf of Surrey Police, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences following Saras tragic death. Our thoughts are with her mother at this difficult time. We also fully appreciate the impact this devastating incident will have had within the local community.

While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our enquiry.

Mr Chapman has asked the public to help piece together a picture of Saras lifestyle, appealing to anyone who knew Sara to come forward with any information.

In the meantime, I would like to reassure you that we are doing everything possible, including working with our partners and international agencies, to ensure that those responsible for Saras tragic and untimely death are brought to justice.

Police are expected to remain at the semi-detached property in the quiet Woking village of Horsell for some weeks.

Who are the police searching for?

The police are searching for Saras father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner and Saras stepmother Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, who all travelled to Islamabad the day before Saras body was found.

Urfan SHarif (left) and his partner Beinash Batool (right), are being sought by police in the UK and Pakistan where they are believed to be now (PA)

They travelled with five children aged between one and 13 years old, the force said.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan, but Det. Chapman said that people have been extradited from the Asian country before.

Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and Foreign Office to carry out their investigation and to liaise with Pakistani authorities.

Officers are not looking to identify anyone else in connection with the investigation, the police added.

UK police are working with international agencies, including Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the UK Foreign Office to progress inquiries with Pakistani authorities.

People lay flowers for Sara Sharif outside the home where she was found (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Wire)

What have police in Pakistan said?

On Saturday 19 August, police in the eastern Punjab province confirmed they were seeking to arrest Mr Sharif.

Officer Imran Ahmed said police had found evidence that Sharif had briefly returned to Jhelum, Punjab, around 135 kilometres (84 miles) from the capital, where his family has a home, before leaving again.

Another officer in Jhelum, Nisar Ahmed, said he and his men went to Sharifs native village of Kari but learned the family left around 20 years ago and never returned.

What have Saras family said?

Saras mother is currently being supported by specialist officers and has not been in contact with Saras father, UK police have said.

She did not have custody of Sara after losing a custody battle in 2019 and learned of her death from police.

Ms Sharif told The Sun she had only seen Sara and her 13-year-old son, Saras brother, two times in the past four years.

She said she bonded with Sara over a shared love of the Disney movie Frozen and other films. She would walk in and say, Mum, look how pretty I look, she said.
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Nurse Lucy Letby, the most prolific child serial killer in modern British history, will die in prison after being sentenced to a whole-life order.

Judge Mr Justice Goss handed the baby murderer the rare sentence, which is life imprisonment with no possibility of release, at Manchester Crown Court on Monday. It comes after the serial killer nurse cemented herself as one of Britains worst criminals on Friday when she was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six others.

Following a nine-month trial and over three weeks of deliberations, a jury found her guilty of 14 of the 22 counts she faced, after she embarked on a campaign of horror at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

Lucy Letby was jailed for life, and given a whole life order (PA Media)

The jury found her not guilty on two counts of attempted murder and could not reach verdicts on a further six of the same charge.

During that period, she deliberately poisoned babies with insulin, overfed them with milk and fatally injected some with air while working as a nurse in the neonatal unit.

For such horrific crimes, Letby could only receive a mandatory life sentence. She was remanded in custody over the weekend and sentenced to a whole-life order on Monday, which means she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.

While it has not been confirmed, Letby could be placed in HMP Low Newton, a maximum security prison that is home to many of the deadliest female killers in recent history.

Letby is likely to be held at maximum security prison HMP Low Newton (Chester Standard/SWNS)

HMP Low Newton has housed infamous killers (@HMPLowNewton)

The jail, which was opened in 1965, has housed Britains youngest female murderer Sharon Carr, as well as Baby Ps mother Tracey Connelly. Dubbed The Devils Daughter, Carr murdered an 18-year-old woman after picking her out at random when she was just 12 years old.

The prisons most infamous inmate was House of Horrors killer Rosemary West, who sexually abused and murdered 10 women and children alongside her husband Fred West.

She was eventually moved from HMP Low Newton in 2019, after another vicious killer, Joanna Dennehy, allegedly threatened to kill her.

Rosemary West, pictured with husband Fred, was a former inmate of HMP Low Newton (PA)

Dennehy remains at the prison, where she is serving a sentence for the murder of three men in a two-week killing spree. She dumped their bodies in ditches outside Peterborough.

Located in the village of Brasside near Durham, the prison accepts female inmates from across the north of England and holds a number of lifers and juvenile prisoners.

HMP Low Newton, which was opened in 1965, has housed Baby Ps mother Tracey Connelly (PA Wire)

An Independent Monitoring Board report, published in 2021, found that lessons and workshops had been axed due to problems with a leaking roof, while an entire block was due for demolition after failing health and safety checks.

Not all aspects of prison life were negative, however, with inmates given the chance to have DVD nights and buy clothes from a fashion store. Staff were reported to be friendly.

Even the food was reported to be nutritious, well cooked and of good variety, with inmates offered a selection of hot meals and packed lunches.

Dubbed The Devils Daughter, Sharon Carr murdered an 18-year-old woman after picking her out at random when she was just 12 years old (PA)

Violence occasionally breaks out among prisoners and staff, while the board expressed concern that around 40 per cent of inmates suffered mental health problems.

HMP Low Newton is also home to the Primrose Project, which is designed to treat women with dangerous and severe personality disorders, and is the only prison in the UK with such a unit.

The service has 12 places for female offenders who are at a high risk of harm in England and Wales but can only accommodate one restricted-status woman at a time.

Joanna Dennehy remains at the prison, where she is serving a sentence for the murder of three men in a two-week killing spree (Cambridgeshire Police)

Entry criteria include a current offence of violence against the person, presenting a high risk of committing another serious offence, and likelihood of having a severe form of personality disorder.

Among the treatment options are sessions with a psychiatrist, art therapy, and acupuncture.

The Primrose Service won a World Health Organisation (WHO) award in 2009 for high quality of service provided to female prisoners.
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A nurse was unmasked as the worst serial killer of children in modern UK history on Friday after a jury found her guilty of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder six more while working on a neonatal unit.

Lucy Letby, 33, was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital when she carried out the string of attacks on tiny, premature babies between 2015 and 2016.

Jurors spent 22-and-a-half days deliberating before reaching their verdicts in one of the UKs most high-profile criminal trials.

The nurse, who is facing life behind bars, joins a list of the UKs most twisted child murderers.

Here the PA news agency looks at some of the notorious names whose company she has joined.

 Beverley Allitt

In a case with disturbing echoes of Letbys crimes, Beverley Allitt is serving 13 life sentences  one for each of the children she murdered or attempted to murder as a paediatric nurse in the 1990s.

Allitt attacked 13 children who had been admitted for minor injuries between February and April 1991 at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire, injecting some of them with dangerous amounts of insulin.

She succeeded in killing four of them. Her youngest victim, Liam Taylor, was just seven weeks old.

After the death of her fourth victim, 15-month-old Claire Peck, staff became suspicious of the number of cardiac arrests on the childrens ward and police began to investigate.

It was established that Allitt was the only nurse on duty during the medical episodes and she was found guilty of four counts of murder, three of attempted murder, and a further six of grievous bodily harm in 1993.

The 54-year-old is imprisoned at Rampton Secure Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

 The Moors Murderers

Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered children before burying their bodies on the moors above Manchester between 1963 and 1965.

Brady, then 28, was given three concurrent life sentences in 1966 for killing Edward Evans, Lesley Ann Downey and John Kilbride.

It was only in 1985 that he finally confessed to the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett.

The couples victims were aged 10 to 17 when they were killed.

Hindley received two life sentences plus seven years for harbouring Brady knowing he had murdered Kilbride.

The pair narrowly escaped the death penalty because it had been abolished a year before their trial concluded.

She died in prison of pneumonia in 2002 while he died in a psychiatric hospital in 2017 after going on hunger strike.

 Robert Black

Robert Black was a Scottish serial killer who was found guilty of murdering four schoolgirls in the 1980s.

He carried out his first known murder in 1981 when he abducted, sexually assaulted and killed nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy in Ballinderry in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Five-year-old Caroline Hogg was his youngest victim, who disappeared while playing outside her Edinburgh home.

He took her to a nearby funfair before killing her and dumping her body more than 300 miles away.

He was also convicted of killing 10-year-old Sarah Harper, who was abducted while buying a loaf of bread in Leeds, and 11-year-old Susan Maxwell who vanished in the Scottish town of Coldstream in 1982.
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Thousands of suspected modern slavery victims have had their cases rejected in a Home Office crackdown on bogus claims  a move experts warn puts the most vulnerable at risk.

The Home Office has dramatically increased the number of rejections since January after toughening its criteria for approval by demanding those referred for help prove they are victims by submitting police or medical reports.

This prompted a surge in refusals, with over 3,000 people denied help in the first half of the year, despite the UN warning that claims of fraud were being exaggerated by the government. The tough criteria have since been softened after a legal challenge forced the government to admit it was unlawful.

Charities have warned that it is not possible for victims to provide extensive documentation of how they had been trafficked and say the new rules are excluding people who deserved support.

Figures for April to June this year show that 48 per cent of people received an initial positive decision on their case  a dramatic fall from the 90 per cent of cases approved in previous years.

Some 3,318 people have received a negative finding this year so far. Following a legal challenge, the Home Office has had to retract its harsh guidance but charities are concerned that many thousands of people have already been unfairly refused support.

In one case highlighted by the Human Trafficking Foundation, a man was trafficked to the UK and criminally exploited here as a child. He was detained and referred by the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to have his modern slavery claim investigated. But he was rejected the same day and put on a plane back to his country of origin the next morning.

In another case, a woman was kept as a domestic slave for many years, forced to work long hours, and abused by her employer. She did not have any paperwork to prove her abuse and her claim was rejected on the basis she had left her exploiters rather than escaped them.

Some 3,318 people have received a negative finding this year so far (PA)

Major Kathy Betteridge, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery for The Salvation Army, a charity contracted by the Home Office to support to victims, said: We are very concerned that genuine victims of modern slavery are not getting the support they urgently need because of various changes to the system which now make it harder to prove you have been a victim of this heinous crime.

Ms Betteridge said despite the criteria being softened as a result of a legal challenge to the tougher rules, there is still a lack of clarity around decision-making.

She added: The Salvation Army works with many people escaping modern slavery who have come forward without possessions or documentation because they have fled to safety in fear of their lives. Any documents they may have had are often confiscated or destroyed by the person exploiting them.

Whilst the number of people receiving positive reasonable grounds decisions, and therefore receiving support, has dropped, this does not mean that there are fewer people who actually need support.

Rebecca Stevenson, from the charity Christian Action Research and Education, said: It is unlikely that there are many spurious claims as an individual cannot self-refer into the National Referral Mechanism [the scheme that provides victims help]. A referral is made by a first responder who needs to have evidence of potential trafficking. The potential for spurious claims being successful under the NRM is low given the systems design.

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael accused the government of betraying thousands of modern slavery survivors. He added: We need a real plan from the Home Office now.

Thomas Munns, who was part of the legal challenge at legal firm Duncan Lewis, said those who had been refused help after the harsh requirements were brought in and before the legal challenge successfully reversed them could appeal their refusal.

But he added: Its just incredibly sad that in that time Im sure that its too late for some people. One person we represented became homeless as a result of his negative decision  at which point the risk of trafficking becomes much greater.

Maya Esslemont, at the non-profit organisation After Exploitation, added: Given the current attacks on support for survivors it is troubling, but unsurprising, to see how many more survivors are now being turned away from support or not even considered for support in the first place.

A Home Office spokesperson said it was providing world-leading support to thousands of modern slavery victims each year. They added: We are reforming our response to modern slavery to make the system more robust and ensure that genuine victims are supported.

Our guidance ensures decision-makers consider all available evidence to determine whether a case meets the reasonable grounds threshold to ensure that victims promptly receive the support they need to rebuild their lives, whilst protecting the system from those who seek to misuse it.
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Pakistani police are seeking to arrest a man in connection to the death of his 10-year-old daughter in Surrey.

Sara Sharif, 10, was found dead at her home in Woking after officers were called from Pakistan by her father, Urfan Sharif, at about 2.50am on August 10, Surrey Police have said.

Mr Sharif, 41; his partner, Beinash Batool, 29; and his brother, Faisal Malik, 28; are wanted for questioning.

Police believe they travelled to Islamabad on August 9, along with five children aged between one and 13 years old.

On Saturday, the Associated Press news agency reported that Pakistani police in the eastern province of Punjab are seeking to arrest Mr Sharif in connection to Saras death.

Mr Sharifs family home is reportedly in Jhelum, Punjab, about 84 miles from the capital.

Officer Imran Ahmed said police found evidence that he had briefly returned to Jhelum, before leaving and disappearing, AP reported.

It comes as lawyers in the UK have said Pakistans government is unlikely to block an extradition request in connection to Saras death.

It shouldnt be difficult at all, objections to extradition tend to be allegations of breaches of the human rights act and obviously the UK is generally considered to be one of the most compliant countries Karen Todner, humans rights lawyer

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan but people have been returned from the Asian country before.

Edward Grange, a partner at law firm Corker Binning, said arrest warrants would first need to be issued in the UK.

He suggested a memorandum of understanding would also need to be agreed between the two countries.

He said it would likely be a slower process than if a treaty were in place.

Mr Grange told the PA news agency: There is no extradition treaty and, therefore, in order to seek the extradition the two governments have to enter into a memorandum of understanding for the extradition of the named individual.

Its a slower process because it has to have government approval and there have been examples in the past of individuals who have been extradited, well call it extradition, they have been removed from Pakistan and arrived back in the UK.

He said there are at least two or three examples of people being returned from Pakistan to the UK, but none the other way around.

In April this year, Piran Ditta Khan, 74, was brought to Britain from Pakistan and charged with the murder of police constable Sharon Beshenivsky 18 years ago.

A provisional trial date for February 12 2024 has been fixed at Leeds Crown Court.

Mr Grange added: The second hurdle is that you cannot extradite somebody simply for the purposes of questioning, so they cant just be a suspect.

Youve got to have taken a decision that theres sufficient evidence for the individual to be charged with the offence and it requires a warrant of arrest to be issued in the UK by a UK judge for that individual.

PA has asked Surrey Police whether any arrest warrants have been issued.

A Home Office spokesperson said: As a matter of long-standing policy and practice, we neither confirm nor deny the existence of extradition requests.

Mr Grange added: At this moment in time, not knowing a huge amount about the case apart from whats in the public domain, is that theyre obviously at the early stages of this very sad, tragic case and individuals who obviously are key persons that they want to speak to have left the jurisdiction.

Sara suffered extensive injuries over a sustained period before she was found dead at the property in Hammond Road, a post-mortem examination has revealed.

Whether or not the authorities in Pakistan will extradite their own national is another question to consider, Mr Grange said.

He said they could raise the UKs past refusals to extradite people to Pakistan.

He added: So, yeah, political bargaining no doubt potentially could be used in this case but because it involves a child, etc, Id imagine that the authorities in Pakistan will, if a memorandum of understanding is asked for, will be entered into, and the individual will be returned to the UK.

He said there lots of considerations to be given to entering into an extradition treaty with a country such as Pakistan, stressing it is a two-way thing.

He cited the countrys very turbulent political backdrop and concerns about human rights and the death penalty.

Human rights lawyer Karen Todner, who specialises in criminal defence and extradition, said it shouldnt be too difficult to arrange an extradition from Pakistan.

She told PA: It shouldnt be difficult at all, objections to extradition tend to be allegations of breaches of the human rights act and obviously the UK is generally considered to be one of the most compliant countries.

Most countries would extradite to the UK.

They have to issue a warrant and there would have to be an ad hoc arrangement between the two countries so they would just make a formal request to Pakistan for the extradition, and it would then be presented in court, it would be what called an accusation warrant.

The UK would make a request to the Pakistani government for their arrest, they would then be arrested and face extradition proceedings in Pakistan.

It would be, in my view, unlikely that it would be refused, I think it would be accepted and that they would then be extradited to the UK.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: It would not be appropriate for the FCDO to comment on an ongoing police investigation.
Nairobi  Azimio leader Raila Odinga has left the country for the United Kingdom in what his office described as a private and business trip.

His Spokesman Denis Onyango said the former Prime Minister will also use the trip to rest.

"During his stay in the UK, he will meet friends, family members and business associates, he will also use his stay in the UK to rest and relax which he doesn't do enough back at home," his Spokesman Denis Onyango said.

Odinga left the country after a turbulent political week, in which he was angered by US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman's remarks that last year's election as "free and fair."

These remarks angered Odinga who asked Whitman to "stop interfering in Kenya's affairs" or risk a recall.

President William Ruto and his Deputy Gachagua have told Odinga off, saying he still suffers from a denial of the poll outcome.
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A family member of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves reportedly wore a shirt with a pro-firing squad message at her suspected killers hearing.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, returned to the Latah County Courthouse on Friday for a pre-trial hearing. Mr Kohberger, a former criminology PhD student at Washington State University, is accused of the 13 November slayings of University of Idaho students Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin.

Mr Kohbergers attorneys requested additional DNA from prosecutors, who said they could not produce material that had not yet been provided to them by the crime lab. Judge John Judge also denied the defences motion alleging that prosecutors had violented Mr Kohbergers rights by convening a 32-people grand jury, instead of 45, according to NewsNation.

The judge ruled that there werent any substantial failures in the grand jury indictment, allowing the trial to move forward with its 2 October start date.

During the proceedings, a Goncalves family member was reportedly seen wearing a shirt supporting the death by firing squad if Mr Kohberger were to be convicted, Idaho Statesman reporter Kevin Fixler revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Prosecutors announced earlier this year that they would be seeking the death penalty in the quadruple murder case. Due to a bill signed into law in March by the states Republican Governor Brad Little, which goes into effect on 1 July, Mr Kohberger could face the firing squad if convicted of the murders.

Death row inmates are to be executed by firing squad only if the lethal injection is not available.

Shortly after Mr Kohbergers arrest in January, Goncalves family members voiced their support for the death penalty. The grieving relatives, along with all the parties involved in the high-profile case have since been banned from speaking to the media about the ongoing proceedings.

Mr Kohberger is due to stand trial on 2 October after being indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and one burglary charge.

His defence claimed earlier this month that he was out on a solo drive on the night of the murders. Prosecutors have tied him to the murders, in part, through surveillance footage showing his white Hyundai Elantra travelling to and from the crime scene.

The affidavit, released in January, outlined some of the evidence against the accused killer  including his DNA on a knife sheath left behind at the scene of the murders, the surveillance footage and cellphone activity.

The sheath  for a military or Ka-Bar style knife  was found partly under Mogens body after she and Goncalves were found stabbed multiple times on Mogens bed on the third floor of the home. DNA on the button clasp of the sheath was then found to match that of the 28-year-old accused killer.

Mr Kohbergers attorneys have sought to cast doubts on the strength of this DNA evidence, in particular the use of genetic genealogy.

On Friday, Mr Kohbergers defence asked prosecutors to share the lab results of three unidentified male DNA samples reportedly found at the crime scene. Prosecutors argued that they have provided everything and that they cant provide something that doesnt exist.

There has to be some level of trust in discovery. You are all sworn attorneys, Mr Judge said.
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Defence attorneys for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger have argued that they dont have all the DNA evidence from prosecutors at a pivotal motions hearing that could delay the highly anticipated trial.

Mr Kohberger gave an awkward smile to the court as he returned to the Latah County Courthouse on Friday where six motions from the defence and the prosecution were being argued, including the process of how he was identified as a suspect and his alibi for the night of the murders.

The hearing comes just six weeks before Mr Kohberger is set to stand trial for the 13 November 2022 slayings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at their home in Moscow.

The proceedings began on Friday with Mr Kohbergers defence teams motion to compel prosecutors to share additional DNA evidence  specifically the lab results of three unidentified male DNA samples reportedly found at the crime scene.

Prosecutors argued that they have provided everything and that they cant provide something that doesnt exist.

There has to be some level of trust in discovery, Judge John Judge said. You are all sworn attorneys.

He ordered the prosecution to reach back out to the lab to ensure there are no other results that the defence does not have.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in November (Instagram)

Mr Kohberger, 28, was a graduate student in criminal justice at Washington State University when he was arrested on 30 December at his parents home in Pennsylvania. He was then brought back to Idaho where a grand jury indicted him for the murders in May.

A DNA sample from trash collected at Mr Kohbergers family home was used to link him to a knife sheath found at the scene of the murders.

Investigators said, At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspects biological father.

But his defence team, who claim Mr Kohberger was out driving at the time of the killings, has argued against the use of forensic genealogy used to identify him and has asked for all the records from the forensic genealogy work.

They are also seeking a stay in the trial proceedings arguing that the grand jury should have reached its conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt rather than based on probable cause.

Prosecutors strongly oppose these motions.

Judge John C Judge could grant, deny, or partially approve any parts of these motions. But depending on how he rules, there could be a delay in the 2 October trial date.
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An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a Texas girl last week.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez is expected to be charged with capital murder in the death of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, the Pasadena County Police Department announced on Saturday. Mr Garcia-Rodriguez was taken into custody by the Shreveport Police Department in Louisiana and will be extradited to Texas in the following days.

He is accused of sexually assaulting Maria and strangling her to death before placing her body in a laundry basket under her bed. Marias father Carmelo Gonzalez, who had received text messages from her daughter saying someone was knocking on the door, found the body when he returned home from work on 12 August.

Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said during a press conference on Friday that detectives had talked to and taken DNA samples from Mr Garcia-Rodriguez on the day that Maria was found. He clarified that Mr Garcia-Rodriguez lived in the Gonzalezs apartment complex.

Marias family issued a statement to KHOU 11 thanking detectives for their commitment to finding justice for the family.

We want to say thank you to the Pasadena Police Department and to Louisiana police and any officials that participated in bringing this cold-blooded murderer into custody. This arrest has brought the family and community some peace. We are extremely thankful that he cannot cause this type of pain to anybody again.

The statement continued: I ask for those who are in charge to give us justice. May he be burdened with the full weight of the law, for what he has done to my daughter.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez was arrested in Louisiana and will be extradited to Texas to face capital murder charges (Pasadena Police Department )

Police said that Maria was in communication with her father on the morning of her murder. Mr Gonzalez told her not to open the door amd asked a family member who lives near the complex to check on Maria, but he wasnt able to find her.

I left her alone in the apartment and she was sending voice notes saying that someone was on the door. I told her not to open the door and that I was leaving work, an emotional Mr Gonzalez told Univision in Spanish.

Maria Gonzalez was sexually assaulted an mrudered on 12 August when her father was at work (Amador Saput/Facebook)

Mr Gonzalez eventually found Marias remains wrapped inside two plastic bags and stuffed inside a basket. The medical examiner determined that Maria was sexually assaulted and that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation and blunt force head and neck trauma.

Maria had immigrated to the US with her father four years ago and they had moved into their apartment just three months ago.

Pasadena police said that Mr Garcia-Rodriguez also immigrated from Guatemala and surrendered to border officers in El Paso, NewsNation. reported.
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A Florida-based member of the Proud Boys, who was found guilty on seven charges related to his involvement in the January 6 riot, was initially scheduled to be sentenced on Friday in a Washington DC court. However, he has gone missing.

A wanted notice has been issued against Christopher Worrell by the FBI after he went missing hours before his sentencing.

Patricia Hartman, a spokesperson for the US Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, told NBC News: We are keen to receive any information from the public regarding his location.

According to court records, the sentencing hearing for Worrell, initially slated for Friday at 2.30pm ET has been indefinitely delayed.

US District Judge Royce Lamberth, on Thursday, issued an official notice revealing the issuance of an arrest warrant for Worrell. This notification wasnt officially recorded until Friday.

The FBI added him to the wanted list for violating conditions of release pending sentencing on federal charges related to the violence at the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on 6 January 2021.

The FBI encouraged individuals with information to make contact with their local FBI office or embassy.

He was convicted by Judge Lamberth on all seven charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding by lawmakers, assaulting officers during the riots and engaging in violence on Capitol grounds.

The evidence demonstrates that Mr Worrell travelled to Washington, DC, for the purpose of ensuring that the Electoral College Certification of President Biden failed, Mr Lamberth said in a written version of his ruling against Worrell.

This photo shows part of the Justice Department's statement of facts in the complaint and arrest warrant for Christopher Worrell (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The evidence shows that he then furthered that goal, by both joining the mob and then by spraying the officers, he added.

Worrell had used a pepper gel spray against police during the 6 January riots.

He was initially detained pre-trial following his arrest in March 2021 but the judge ordered his released to home detention in November that year. It was after it come to light that Washington DC jail officials had failed to provide Worrell a proper treatment for his non-Hodgkins lymphoma as well as his broken hand.

The prosecution is aiming to secure a 14-year imprisonment term for Worrell, based on his unwillingness to acknowledge culpability, absence of remorse, and false statements made while testifying under oath.

Worrells associate and co-defendant, Daniel Scott, who is also affiliated with the Florida chapter of the Proud Boys, received a five-year prison sentence last month.
 Close Rachel Morin: Maryland police release CCTV of suspect

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Rachel Morins family are pleading for information that leads to an arrest more than a month after her body was found on the Ma & Pa Trail after she failed to return home from an evening hike.

Authorities in Harford County, Maryland, continue to hunt for Morins killer amid fears that the suspect could strike again.

Police previously released footage from the scene of a home invasion and assault in Los Angeles, where DNA found matched DNA at the Morin crime scene.

But despite the developments, investigators have yet to make any arrests in the case.

Morins brother Michael Morin told NewsNation on Wednesday that his family was hopeful somebody would provide the key piece of information needed to bring the suspect to justice.

We only need one lead. We need a last name, we already have DNA and video, Mr Morin said.

Last week, Morins sister Rebekah Morin shared a behavioural profile built by a volunteer criminal profiler.

It suggested that the killer has psychopathic traits and may have travelled to Bel Air because he knew someone in the tight-knit community.
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Lolita, an orca at the Miami Seaquarium that had been in captivity for more than 50 years before the park bowed to public pressure and planned to release it into the ocean, died on Friday.

The orca, also known as Tokitae and Toki, exhibited significant signs of distress during the past two days prior to her demise, the Miami Seaquarium in a Facebook post.

Lolitas death has been attributed to a suspected renal problem.

Toki was an inspiration to all who had the fortune to hear her story and especially to the Lummi nation that considered her family, the Seaquarium said. Those of us who have had the honour and privilege to spend time with her will forever remember her beautiful spirit.

For years, animal rights activists have been advocating for the freedom of Lolita from her enclosure at the Miami Seaquarium. In March, a potential solution emerged when The Dolphin Company, the parks recent owner, along with the nonprofit organisation Friends of Toki, unveiled a plan to consider relocating her to a natural sea pen in the Pacific Northwest.

This endeavour gained support from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who agreed to provide financial backing for the initiative.

In an update on Tuesday, the Seaquarium said that Lolita was very stable and as good as she can be at 50 years of age.

Eduardo Albor, chief executive of The Dolphin Company, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that not a single effort we made to give Lolita an opportunity was a waste of time and money.

My heart is truly broken, Mr Albor wrote. Lolita captured me since 1st day. Love at first sight.

In a statement released on Friday, Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts said: I was honoured to be part of the team working to return her to her indigenous home, and I take solace in knowing that we significantly improved her living conditions this past year. Her spirit and grace have touched so many.

Lolita retired from performing last spring, following a stipulation set forth by the US Department of Agriculture as part of the Miami Seaquariums fresh exhibitors license.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said in a statement published in the New York Times that Lolita had been kept in the smallest, bleakest orca tank in the world, deprived of any semblance of a natural life and had displayed repetitive and abnormal behaviour, indicating severe psychological trauma.
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It was supposed to be a family meal where differences could be reconciled and future plans made for the sake of the estranged couples children.

Instead, it kicked off events that could have come straight out of a murder mystery novel or the board game Clue.

Four of the five people sat around the table fell gravely ill, three of them later dying with the fourth left fighting for his life.

The fifth, meanwhile, appeared to escape unscathed  curiously the very same person who prepared and cooked the meal for the other four guests.

What has since emerged is a bizarre case that continues to enthrall people all across the globe  involving mushroom poisoning, a series of deaths, a tearful interview and now reports of a past mystery illness.

It all began one fateful day on 29 July, when Erin Patterson prepared a special meal of beef Wellington with lots of mushrooms for lunch at her home in Leongatha, a rural town in the Australian state of Victoria.

Present at the church-mediated lunch  set up to sort out visitation rights for her two children  were her in-laws Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, Gails sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband Ian, 68.

All four of her elderly in-laws fell violently ill that night from suspected mushroom poisoning.

Gail, Don and Heather, all teachers, died in hospital days later, while Ian, a local pastor, has been left fighting for his life.

Erins estranged husband Simon Patterson had skipped out on the meal at the last moment, while the couples two children had also left their mothers home to see a movie just before the meat and pastry dish was served.

Victoria Police have since launched a homicide investigation, and at a press conference last week confirmed Ms Patterson is a suspect in the killings.

Erin Patterson sobs to the media about the deadly lunch (News International)

Erin, an experienced wild mushroom forager, reportedly told investigators she used dried fungi that she had purchased months earlier from an Asian grocery store and a fresh button variety bought recently from a local supermarket.

She later admitted lying to investigators about dumping a food dehydrator used to prepare the meal in a local refuse site after the deaths, according to the ABC.

In a statement obtained by the Australian public broadcaster, she said she was at the hospital with her children discussing the food dehydrator when her former husband asked: Is that what you used to poison them?

The 48-year-old mother-of-two has vehemently maintained her innocence, and in an interview this week claimed she is unfairly being painted as an evil witch.

As the poisoning mystery has shaken the small rural community 136kms southeast of Melbourne, and gripped Australian and international media, more disturbing details continue to emerge  with Simon Patterson now claiming that he once spent 16 days in an induced coma from a mystery gastro illness after eating food prepared by his wife.

Deadly dinner party

In a police statement obtained by the ABC, Erin reportedly told investigators that she had prepared a meal of beef Wellington with a lot of mushrooms.

Erin claimed she had purchased dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer several months ago, and button mushrooms from a local supermarket recently  using both in the dish.

Yet she reportedly could not remember exactly where she had bought them, according to the ABC.

She stated that she stored the dried mushrooms at a home she owns in Melbourne, before bringing them to the home in Leongatha.

I used the dried mushrooms as they been in my cupboard for some time and I wanted to use them up. I rehydrated them and put them into the dish with the mushrooms that I had bought at [the supermarket], according to the ABC.

Don and Gail Patterson died after eating poisoned mushrooms at Erin Pattersons home in Victoria, Australia, on 29 July. (Supplied)

Erin said she served the others and allowed them to select their own plates, before taking the last plate.

The two elderly couples fell violently ill that night and were taken to local hospitals before being transferred to a facility in Melbourne.

Gail and her sister Heather died on 4 August, while Don died the next day. Ian, a pastor from the local Baptist church in Korumburra, remains in critical but stable condition and is awaiting a liver transplant.

Police have said the victims symptoms were consistent with them having ingested death cap mushrooms, one of the deadliest fungi in the world that are usually found near oak trees.

Erin has said she also fell ill after eating the beef Wellington and was taken to Monash Medical Centre in Melbourne by ambulance for treatment.

She said her two children, who were initially thought to have been present at the lunch, had gone to the movies before the others ate.

When they returned that evening, she claimed that the two children did then eat the dish  but that she had scraped off the mushrooms as they didnt like them.

Then, after learning of her in-laws illness, Erin said she preserved the meal and handed it over to toxicologists. However she initially refused to speak to police.

Heather, 66, and Ian Wilkinson, 68, became ill after eating poison mushrooms at a lunch cooked by Erin Patterson. (The Salvation Army Australia Museum/Facebook)

In the statement, Erin has now said she had received advice immediately after the deaths to decline to speak to police.

I now very much regret not answering some questions following this advice given the nightmare that this process has become, she said.

Erin said she found the police interview terrifying and anxiety-provoking.

In another bizarre twist, Victoria police told NBC News that the police statement appears to have been provided to the ABC by Erins legal team, and did not come from them.

In response to a request for further details about the case, Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman told The Independent they were not expecting to be able to release more information about the case for some time.

A tearful interview

Speaking to reporters outside her home in Leongatha last week, the mother-of-two broke down as she said she was devastated by the deaths.

I didnt do anything, she insisted.

In a separate interview this week, the mother-of-two again protested her innocence.

I lost my parents-in-law, my children lost their grandparents, she told The Australian.

And Ive been painted as an evil witch. And the media is making it impossible for me to live in this town.

Erin Patterson insists her innocence (News International)

Police have said they are keeping an open mind about what happened.

I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness suffered by my loved ones, Erin said in a statement provided to the ABC.

I really want to repeat that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people whom I loved.

Past mystery illness

In yet another twist to the saga, it has now emerged that Erins estranged husband also reportedly once suffered a mysterious illness after eating his wifes food.

Erin and Simon Patterson separated amicably after living apart for several years, according to investigators.

But a mystery illness he suffered in 2022 is now forming part of the investigation into the poisoning.

Back in 2022, Simon allegedly spent 16 days in an induced coma after being served a meal by his wife.

Simon Patterson, estranged husband of homicide suspect Erin, reportedly fell gravely ill in 2022 after eating one of her meals. (Facebook / Simon Patterson)

According to The Herald Sun, Mr Patterson detailed the health scare in a post on Facebook,

I collapsed at home, then was in an induced coma for 16 days through which I had three emergency operations mainly on my small intestine, plus an additional planned operation, Mr Patterson wrote.

My family were asked to come and say goodbye to me twice, as I was not expected to live.

Experienced foragers

Speaking to The Independent last week, local mayor Nathan Hersey told of the utter shock, disbelief and grief reverberating throughout their close community and more widely in the wake of the tragedy.

Im hearing from people regularly about their shock and disbelief and how theyre coming to terms with such loss, he said. People so well connected, loved and respected in the local community have been struck down and died so suddenly.

Mushroom foraging is popular in the area even though theres risk involved, said Mr Hersey, adding that a lot of people would know what theyre looking for.

A friend of Erins told the Daily Mail this week that Erin and her family were all experienced mushroom foragers in the Gipplands area around her hometown.

In the ensuing fallout from the deaths, the Australian Mushroom Growers Association (AMGA) has also defended its supply chain and said there was no way poisonous mushrooms would be found on any commercial farms.

This fungus only grows in the wild, the association said. Commercial mushrooms are grown indoors in environmentally controlled rooms with strict hygiene protocols and food safety standards.

Erin Patterson sobs in interview (News International)

The only mushrooms you can be sure are safe are fresh, Australian-grown mushrooms bought from a trusted retailer.

As the community reels from what has happened, the Patterson and Wilkinson families said in a statement in a local newspaper on Sunday that they were grateful to our wider communities for their outpouring of love, support, and prayers.

This support extends not only to those we have tragically lost but also to our family member who continues to bravely fight for his life in the hospital, they added.

Mr Hersey said he had personally met the Wilkinsons, describing them as lovely and caring people with integrity.

He said a close friend of the couple had told him, Weve lost a real level of kindness in our community this week because of these deaths. But he added: The community is rallying around and supporting one another.

Death cap mushrooms

While toxicology reports have not conclusively proved what the three relatives died from, police have said the symptoms are consistent with death cap mushrooms.

Death caps, or amanita phalloides, usually grow up to round 15cm across and 15cm tall, have greenish caps and white stems, and are commonly fund near oak trees in summer and autumn.

The Death Cap mushroom kills 90 per cent of people who eat it (Getty Images)

The toxins are resistant to heat, so cooking does not reduce their deadly effects, and just half of one mushroom contains enough poison to kill a human being, according to the CDC.

Initial symptoms can include muscle weakness, agitation, rapid heart rate, and headaches, followed by nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

In 2017, it emerged that 14 people had fallen ill after eating the death cap variety in California. Three required liver transplants, while an 18-month-old girl who consumed them has permanent neurological damage, according to a CDC report.

It is not yet clear if these mushrooms are the same type the victims ate at the family lunch in Victoria.

And if they are, there will be many more questions to answer.
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The newfound presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, exiled from Russia after their mutinous march on Moscow, has fuelled fresh anxieties in Ukraine and on Natos eastern flank.

Belaruss neighbours have moved to a heightened state of alert since dictator Alexander Lukashenko appeared to broker a last-minute deal with the Kremlin to defuse the short-lived mutiny on 23 June and host Wagner troops on Belarusian soil.

During a recent meeting at the strategically important Suwalki Gap, a sparsely populated land corridor near their countries borders with Belarus and Russias enclave of Kaliningrad, Lithuanias president Gitanas Nauseda warned that north of 4,000 mercenaries were believed to be in Belarus, while Polands premier Mateusz Morawiecki branded them extremely dangerous.

Wagner mercenaries have been taking part in training with Belaruss military (Belarusian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)

Poland is sending 10,000 troops to its eastern border, and this week held its largest military parade in decades, as it warned that Wagner mercenaries had moved towards Grodno and set up camp in the Brest region, some six miles from Polands border.

A group associated with Ukraines military has also warned that the construction of a tent city capable of housing 1,000 mercenaries some 15 miles from its border could be used to simulate a threat there, in a bid to detract from Kyivs efforts to make painstaking gains along the heavily mined front line of Russias invasion in the south, and defend a push by Moscows forces near Kupiansk in the north.

The true extent to which Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhins guns for hire are now operating in Belarus  and their aims there  remains hard to determine.

We are dealing with layer upon layer of disinformation, said Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House. Not only the repeated information campaign trying to convince Ukraine that there is a renewed threat from the north, but also confusion over exactly what Wagner is doing, who they are reporting to, who they are following orders from, and where they might be.

These factors make it hard to distinguish how much of the threat is manufactured to pile pressure on Belaruss neighbours, Mr Giles said, adding: The simple answer is that we dont know. We should watch what is actually being done rather than what is being said.

(Datawrapper/The Independent)

However, Mark Galeotti, director of the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, said he believed Ukraines military was not in the slightest bit worried about the threat of Wagner attempting to cross its northern border.

Speaking of claims the mercenaries could try to cross into Poland or Ukraine, he said: In some ways, Wagner is a victim of its brand name, and people are suggesting its going to do all types of crazy things that are totally beyond their capabilities, but also which frankly no one would even try.

Wagner has lost all of its heavy equipment, he added, with Russias defence ministry making damn sure to reclaim tanks and artillery handed to the mercenaries while in Ukraine, meaning were talking about a bunch of guys with Kalashnikovs, rather than a sort of fully coherent mechanised force.

Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhins whereabouts are unclear (Reuters)

Citing reports that funding disputes have already seen some mercenaries bussed back to Russia, Mr Galeotti said Ukraine has ample forces to stop 2,000 guys with guns wandering over a border carefully watched due to its proximity to Kyiv, most likely including by Nato.

While he believes Wagner would not pose much of a direct threat even if better equipped, Nick Reynolds, the Royal United Services Institutes research fellow for land warfare, said the possibility of disruption cant be discounted.

Read more: Wagner tracker: Charting Yevgeny Prigozhins mercenary group through the Ukraine war

Wagners presence  along with that of Belarusian and Russian forces  means Ukraine does have to devote some troops to guard the border, which already comes under a lot of artillery and drone strikes, albeit not as heavily as troops along front lines in the Donbas and further south, he said.

View more

While Polands concerns have been stoked by Mr Lukashenkos jibes that the country should thank him for constraining Wagner mercenaries he claimed wish to [smash] up Rzeszow and Warsaw, the Belarusian leader vowed in February that Minsk would only enter the war if attacked by Ukraine.

Mr Reynolds said he did not foresee any real threat from Belarus this year due to the weakness of Minsks military and Russias presence there being just not strong enough to credibly pose a threat of opening a second front  although Moscows mobilisation efforts mean that might change in time.

Ukraine has ample forces to stop 2,000 guys with guns wandering over a border carefully watched due to its proximity to Kyiv (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Something Id watch much more closely in the short-term is Wagners international footprint, he said, adding that the groups compromised position within Russia itself could see it lean more heavily on its activities in Africa and the Middle East, which are of enormous value diplomatically to the Kremlin.

Mr Giles also warned that forces taking orders from Russia or Belarus do not need to be large or well-equipped to cause disruption.

He pointed to the migrant dumping campaign initiated by Belarus in 2021, with its Baltic neighbours in Warsaw, Vilnius and Riga once again accusing Minsk in recent days of sending asylum seekers en masse to the border in a bid to pile pressure on them.

And he highlighted the power of Wagner as an information weapon, whether to distract Ukraine or throw some kind of provocation with Poland to try to back the fiction that Lukashenko presents to his people of Poland being an aggressive and threatening neighbour.

Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, vowed in February that Minsk would only enter the war if attacked by Ukraine (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Dr Marina Miron, of Kings College Londons war studies department, agreed that an attempted incursion doesnt make any kind of sense logistically, saying: I think its more of a kind of psychological operation than anything else. At least for now.

While the risk is currently low, at some point, they will be returning to Ukraine, said Dr Miron. Thats when there will be a definite threat.
 Close Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

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The Russia and Ukraine war is now seriously stalemate Alexander Lukashenko has warned as he urged the two sides to come to an agreement.

The Belarus leader and Vladimir Putin ally, who has provided his countrys territory as a launch pad for Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said that Ukraines demands for Russia to quit its territory needs to be resolved at the negotiating table so nobody dies.

He said: There are enough problems on both sides and in general the situation is now seriously stalemate: no one can do anything and substantively strengthen or advance their position, Lukashenko said.

Theyre there head-to-head, to the death, entrenched. People are dying.

Speaking in a question and answer video posted on the website of the Belarusian state news agency BelTA, he added: We need to sit down at the negotiating table and come to an agreement.

As I once said: no preconditions are needed. The main thing is that the stop command is given.
We know that planned terrorist acts have been prevented, said the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, as the country raised its terror threat level to high this week. He warned the public to be vigilant as Sweden and its neighbour Denmark face a violent backlash in parts of the Islamic world over the burning of the Quran in public protests.

Raising the threat level from three, meaning heightened threat, to four, high threat  the second-highest level  for the first time since 2016, the Swedish security service (Sapo) said that in recent months Sweden had shifted from a legitimate to a prioritised target for acts of terror. The country is becoming an increased focus for Islamist extremists, the head of Sapo  Charlotte von Essen  said, adding that the move was not linked to one particular incident.

Both Denmark and Sweden are tightening security on their borders while accusing Russia of deliberately stoking the fire with disinformation campaigns in the wake of protests abroad over Quran burnings in Scandinavian cities.
Mogadishu  A battle that lasted for almost 10 hours occurred in Dharkenley district within Mogadishu between the police forces and a Somali military general's guards.

According to the reports, the forces under the command of General Shegow and the paramilitary Police which ceased on Saturday morning left several people dead or wounded.

"The fighting broke out last night at around 9:00 p.m. and has been going on until the morning in Kawo Godey neighborhood in Dharkeenlee district," said a resident.

There have been various losses as a result of the clash, although it is not possible to confirm the total loss. However, the police are expected to release the casualty figures.

The latest reports indicate that the situation is calm after the police forces led by the Banadir Regional Commander Moalim Mahdi arrested General Shegow unharmed.

It is the heaviest battle between two factions within government forces in Mogadishu since President Hassan Sheikh was elected in May last year by the parliament in an indirect vote.
 Close Aftermath of Russian missile strike on Ukraine mail depot that killed six

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The Russian Army has used new, longer-range drones for the first time in an attack against Ukraine near Kyiv, reports suggest.

The Italmas weapon, which is harder to detect than the Iranian-made Shahed drone, may be part of Vladimir Putins strategy to expand Russias arsenal as harsher winter weather approaches, the Institute for the Study of War said.

It comes as the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, Donetsk, faced heavy shelling overnight as Russia continues with its offensive push into the region.

The enemy dropped about 40 guided aerial bombs in two nights. But the number of ground assaults has been reduced, half of what it was yesterday and the day before, Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for Ukraines southern group of forces, said.

Mr Shtupun added that Russia had suffered about 2,400 casualties in the last five days during its campaing in the Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, Ukraine launched an underwater sabotage attack on Russias Black Sea fleet near Sevastopol, Crimea, on Tuesday, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of the region.
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Elon Musk announced on Friday that X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, will dramatically limit the ability of users to block other accounts, a move that critics say will allow harassment to flourish on the platform.

Block is going to be deleted as a feature, except for DMs [direct messages], Mr Musk wrote in a post on X on Friday. It makes no sense.

Critics quickly pounced on the move.

I thought the old Twitter was a pretty negative force for American society, Im glad it was disrupted, but removing the ability to block will just encourage the kind of pile-ons that made it bad, wrote journalist Nate Silver in an X post.

Monica Lewinsky wrote a post of her own tagging Mr Musk and X CEO Linda Yaccarino, saying, please rethink removing the block feature. as an anti-bullying activist (and target of harassment) i can assure you its a critical tool to keep people safe online. - that woman. Even some X investors like Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao seemed sceptical.

X should really solve the bots & spam problems before removing blocks, he wrote on X. Just my 0.02.

As X users flagged in a community note, the removal of the blocking feature, which allows X users to block certain accounts from appearing in their feeds or being visible to others interacting with their content, could run afoul of the policies of the Apple and Google app stores.

Elon Musk (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Its a downward spiral that cannot be good for the long term success of X, Louis Jones of the Brand Safety Institute told CNBC.

The potential change to the policy is the latest tweak Mr Musk has made to the service since taking it over last year.

Earlier this week, users noticed the X logo had changed on Apple operating systems, appearing with a grunge-style effect over the companys X symbol.

The cracks & scratches better represent this product that I love, Mr Musk wrote of the new design.

The concern over changing the block feature follows a report from The Washington Post that X has been throttling traffic to news sites and competitors.
A friend of Lucy Letby has revealed that her friends have 'stood by her' and 'won't believe she's guilty until she says she is', in revelations taken from BBC's Panorama - which was filmed before her guilty verdict.

In the programme, Dawn, who met Letby at secondary school, described the nurse as 'goofy' and 'kind'.

"It is the most out of character accusation that you could ever put against Lucy", she said.

"Think of your most kind gentle soft friend and think that theyre being accused of harming babies."
One of the doctors who helped unmask Lucy Letby as the nurse behind the deaths of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital has revealed he was told by executives to apologise to the nurse for raising concerns about her conduct.

Dr Ravi Jayaram, a consultant paediatrician, claims that the then-Chief Executive Tony Chambers told consultants in 2017 to draw a line under their suspicions, and if they didnt, there would be consequences.

In the aftermath, Jayaram and other members of staff wrote the apology, which read: Were very sorry for the stress and upset you have experienced in the last year.
German pension funds in line for income from complexes

Rental income at a clutch of major student residences in Dublin owned by German pension funds soared last year to almost 17m as Covid restrictions eased and rents at the complexes were hiked.

The rents being charged  starting at the equivalent of about 1,000 a month  come as thousands of third-level students are hunting for scarce accommodation before the start of the new academic year, with some even having to think about deferring places because they cant find somewhere to live.

Accounts for four of the student accommodation complexes filed in Luxembourg and seen by the Irish Independent show that the combined rents received from the residences rose to 17m in the 2022 calendar year, from 14.3m in the preceding 15 months.

The four residences are all operated by Aparto, the student accommodation management platform owned by US property giant Hines. Hines acquired the four premises on behalf of German pension funds in 2016. Hines receives 7.5pc of gross rental income as a management fee.

The developments are operated as Aparto properties called the Binary Hub, Dorset Point, Beckett House and The Loom. Between them, they offer a total of 1,428 rooms. The rent includes a room, bills and the use of shared kitchens.

All the rooms are sold out for the upcoming academic year, while the developments already have a waiting list for the 2024-2025 year.

Aparto's Binary Hub student accommodation near the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin.

Aparto also operates the 210-bed Montrose student scheme in Dublin, which is not included in the above figures.

The restriction measures that were imposed in the past years by the Irish government to contain the spreading of the Covid-19 were [lifted], which had positive impact on revenue, note individual accounts for the student residence complexes.

The accounts point out that between October 2021 and the end of 2022, the student accommodation operated at full capacity.

Additionally, due to an inflationary environment, the rental price per room increased during the year ended 31 December 2022, with no impact on occupancy rates, resulting in higher rental income, they add.

In 2021, the Luxembourg companies behind the Binary Hub, Dorset Point and Beckett House breached covenants on debt totalling more than 120m owed to Wells Fargo.

That saw Hines and Wells Fargo thrash out a deal for an amended facility agreement in 2022 that reduced the applicable debt yield to 5.5pc from 8.5pc until the end of August last year, and from 8.5pc to 8pc thereafter.

Students at Aparto's Binary Hub accommodation in Dublin.

The two companies behind the three student residences were required to hold about 13m in restricted, lender-controlled accounts until such a time as it they were not in breach of any covenants. The firms are no longer in breach of debt covenants and the restricted cash has since been released.

Tens of millions of euro of debt connected with the companies behind the Binary Hub, Dorset Point and Beckett House residences was due to mature this year. A short-term extension on the debt from Wells Fargo pushed the maturity date out to June 28 this year and negotiations on a prolongation of the loan facilities maturity sates then commenced, with a refinancing understood to have been subsequently agreed.
Irish stocks see big drops as market mood sours

The near-deserted Evergrande City Plaza shopping mall in Beijing yesterday as Evergrande sought Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York. Photo: Bloomberg

Shares in some of Irelands biggest companies were battered on Friday in tandem with markets across the world, weighed down by concerns about slowing economic growth in China.

European shares sank to their lowest level in six weeks on Friday, dragged down by financials and healthcare as concern over interest rates staying higher for longer globally and Chinas dwindling growth prospects hit investor sentiment.

The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.6pc lower, falling for the fourth straight session and sinking to its lowest since July 7.

In Dublin, the Iseq 20 index of the biggest Irish shares ended the week down 4.22pc.

For much of the market Friday was a brutal day of trading. Shares in Uniphar were down more than 6pc last night, AIB fell 2.31pc and Smurfit Kappa, Kerry, Bank of Ireland and Ryanair all dropped between 1pc and 2pc.

Kingspan was among the few big names to defy the drop after the insulation maker reported a record trading profit in the first half of the year.

Trading profit rose to 435.5m in the first six months of 2023, up slightly from the same period last year.

But surging bond yields have pressured equities this week, with the pan European STOXX 600 index of shares notching a weekly fall of more than 2pc.

Equity market valuations are coming under some pressure with bond yields hitting new multi-year highs, said Kiran Ganesh, global head of investment communications in the UBS Chief Investment Office.

Further muddying Chinas economic outlook, embattled developer China Evergrande Group filed for US bankruptcy protection, while a package of measures by Chinas securities regulator to revive a sinking stock market failed to boost investor confidence in light of a sluggish economy.

China-exposed luxury heavyweights LVMH, Kering and Hermes fell by 0.7pc to 1.1pc on heightened concerns over dwindling demand from the worlds second-largest economy.

Europes largest bank HSBC and UK-based Prudential , which also do business in China, fell and Barclays trimmed its price target on the latter.

Weighing on the healthcare sector was an over 1pc decline in each of Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca and Roche Holding.

European miners, who are also affected by developments in China, lost 1.5pc.

Meanwhile, data showed eurozone inflation slowed further and even underlying price pressures appeared to have peaked, easing pressure on the European Central Bank to keep raising rates after its fastest rate-hike cycle on record.

Maybe its too early to declare victory over inflation, what markets are telling is that the economy is proving to be resilient and its unlikely that central banks are going to have to cut rates next year because the economy should still be in decent shape, Ganesh said.

Additional reporting: Reuters
Irish investment plunged to 159m as global VC funding shrank

One of the biggest recent Irish deals was for NomuPay which comprised some of the assets of Wirecard which collapsed amid fraud. Photo: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg

Venture capital (VC) funding has declined in Ireland this year, according to new figures collated by KPMG.

The consulting firms Venture Pulse report into general VC funding showed that the value of the venture investment it tracked in Ireland, at 159m, was down 17pc in the first half of 2023.

A second report from the organisation, Pulse of Fintech, also showed a decline in funding for the financial technology sector, albeit one that was affected by an unusually large transaction in 2022.

The figures come against a backdrop of falling venture funding worldwide, reflecting higher interest rates, high inflation and ongoing disruption from the Ukraine war.

However, KPMG said that its figures were not collected itself, but based on looking at what US-based venture firm Pitchbook had reported for Ireland.

The KPMG figures paint a gloomier picture than those recorded by the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA), which measures a wide range of deals concluded in Ireland.

The IVCAs most recent report, compiled with William Fry for the first quarter of 2023, showed that funding into Irish SMEs rose by almost a third (32pc) to a record 502m in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 380m in the same period last year.

That tally was significantly driven by a 300m deal by Cork headquartered energy company Amarenco in March.

But even excluding deals above 30m, the IVCA figures still reported a rise of 70pc to over 200m for the first three months.

In Ireland, the biggest deal so far this year is the Dublin-based payments firm NomuPay, which raised almost 50m and is largely based on the remnants of Wirecard.

Other significant deals this year include Neuromod (28m), Fire1 (27m), Supernode (16m), Assure Hedge (15m) and Astatine (15m).

Irish-led firms abroad saw some substantial funding activity, led by Jolt Energy (142m), which is focused on the German market.

VC funds benefited significantly in the years prior to 2022 when interest rates were low and non-traditional investors were looking for alternative investment opportunities, said Anna Scally, partner and head of technology and media for KPMG in Ireland.

With a higher interest rate environment, investors have more choice. This environment makes it more challenging for funds to secure investment and ultimately for companies to secure VC investment. However, investors are still looking. High-priority areas like alternative energy, medtech, cleantech, fintech, artificial intelligence and generative AI will remain attractive for investment in the coming quarters.

The KPMG analysis reported that Ireland is reflecting the global trend with deals dropping from 56bn (across 2,885 deals) in the first half of 2022 to 46bn (across 2,153 deals) in the first half of 2023.

In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, the KPMG study says, financial technology funding dropped by more than 50pc.

Its not a surprise that fintech funding has declined in the first six months of 2023, given the enormous headwinds pressuring the market at the moment, said Ian Nelson, head of financial services at KPMG Ireland.

However, our long-term view is that there are strong business cases for many subsectors within fintech to remain robust, notably within regtech, payments, insurtech and wealthtech.

"We expect that funding will rebound when market conditions begin to even out, if not necessarily to the record level experienced in 2021.
Former presidential hopeful Peter Casey has hit out after the Labour Court ordered him to pay 3,000 to an underperforming employee who was unfairly dismissed.

The damages were awarded to recruitment consultant Michael OSullivan despite a finding that he contributed significantly to his dismissal by virtue of his pattern of sustained underperformance".

This, the court found, included "sending a most inappropriate and threatening email to his junior female colleague on 23 March 2021".

The Labour Court decided Mr OSullivan was entitled to damages following his dismissal from executive recruitment company Claddagh Resources and awarded him 3,000.

Mr Casey, who finished second to President Michael D. Higgins in the 2018 election and was a panellist on TV show Dragons Den, said Ireland needs to review its labour laws to remain attractive to foreign investors.

He told Independent.ie that in America, "non-performers get fired and employers do not have to go through" the Labour Court.

Michael O'Sullivan had appealed an earlier decision of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) which decided that he was unfairly dismissed by the company but awarded him only 250 after finding he had contributed to his own dismissal.

In its ruling today the Labour court held the WRC's decision and that Michael O'Sullivan "failed to prove that he took reasonable steps to mitigate his losses" by applying for new roles in the three months after he was dismissed.

It added that after the first three months he did take reasonable steps to find a new role and as such was entitled to damages for this period only.

This amount was reduced because he significantly contributed to his own dismissal.

Peter Casey also said that the court "agreed that he had only applied for two positions in 90 days" but that it "still decided to award him 3,000".

"The Trump tax changes means that American companies no longer benefit for the 12.5pc tax rate in Ireland as their taxes are all rolled up into their US tax returns.

The cost of doing business, is now much more important than the benefits of the lower tax.

"If Ireland wants to hold onto the American companies who pay the lion share of our corporate taxable income we need to make changes and advertise the fact that we have made changes," he added.

In the WRC's ruling last November the adjudicator Pat Brady said that Mr OSullivans employment was terminated by Mr Casey without even the slightest nod in the direction of a fair process.

However, he also found Mr Casey had been provoked into firing Mr OSullivan after the recruitment consultant sent the unacceptably threatening email to a work colleague who resigned from the business a short time later.

Mr OSullivan, whose 45,000-a-year position was under pressure at the time due to his work performance, believed the woman had been speaking negatively about him.

In the email, he falsely claimed he received legal advice that her alleged behaviour was grounds for her dismissal and for him to sue her for defamation.

In correspondence, the company later said the woman never spoke negatively to senior management about him.

The Irish-American businessman and former presidential candidate Peter Casey was abusive, bullying and almost violent at a meeting two years ago when he fired an executive at his recruitment company, the Labour Court has heard.

While the former executive, Michael OSullivan, was accused of making wild, unfounded allegations against Mr Casey, the Labour Court said it was regrettable that the founder of Claddagh Resources was not available as a witness in an unfair dismissal case against his firm.

Mr OSullivan is appealing a ruling of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to the Labour Court after he was awarded just 250 compensation despite a finding he had been unfairly dismissed by the company.

The WRC ruled Mr OSullivan had contributed to his own dismissal from his 45,000-a-year job by making an outrageous and unfounded threat against a female colleague and lied about it being based on legal advice and this had resulted in her leaving Claddagh Resources.

Mr Sullivan told the Labour Court he found the WRCs decision to be bizarre.

At the outset of the appeal hearing today, the deputy chairman of the Labour Court, Alan Haugh, said it was regrettable that Mr Casey was not available as a witness as he had signed the letter of dismissal issued to Mr OSullivan on March 23, 2021.

Mr Casey (65), who finished second in the 2018 presidential election to President Michael D Higgins as well as featuring as a panellist on RTEs version of the TV programme Dragons Den, signed the letter as executive chairman of Claddagh Resources.

The Labour Court also heard claims by Mr OSullivan that Mr Casey was abusive and shouting at him and almost violent at an appraisal meeting held with the companys management team on March 18, 2021, when he was fired on the spot.

Cross-examined on such a claim, another director who was also present at the meeting, George McAllister, accepted that Mr Casey had raised his voice during the exchanges.

He was dismissed due to poor performance and sending a shocking, threatening and intimidating e-mail to a colleague

However, the companys solicitor, Niall Tansey, said Mr Casey categorically denied he was aggressive and abusive towards the appellant.

Mr Tansey told the Labour Court that Mr OSullivan, who worked with the firm since April 2018, was dismissed due to a combination of poor performance and sending a shocking, threatening and intimidating e-mail to a colleague.

The solicitor said Claddagh Resources had bent over backwards to help Mr OSullivan through the introduction of a performance improvement plan.

Mr Tansey said Mr OSullivan had not brought in any revenue for almost 12 months before his dismissal, while the threatening e-mail sent on March 23, 2021, was the final straw.

The Labour Court heard that Mr OSullivan was denied a right to appeal his dismissal internally as the company claimed its decision was final.

Questioned by Mr Haugh if Claddagh Resources accepted it did not follow fair procedures, Mr Tansey conceded Mr OSullivan had been dismissed without a right to appeal but argued it had no alternative given the actions taken by Mr OSullivan and the dismissal was not unfair.

The Labour Court heard the performance improvement plan introduced for Mr OSullivan was to be considered as the only written warning notice he would get.

Mr OSullivan, representing himself, said he believed he had been dismissed by Mr Casey at the appraisal meeting, although he also said he would leave the final decision to Mr Caseys son, Ryan Casey, who is Claddaghs chief executive.

He recalled the businessman saying: You have to leave. You are dismissed.

Mr OSullivan said he believed he was dismissed because people were talking about me behind my back and my cards were marked before any e-mail was sent.

He claimed Ryan Casey had offered him the opportunity of a further appraisal but he refused to accept the offer as he was being set impossible targets.

He said Mr Caseys son seemed to be back-tracking from his fathers earlier decision to dismiss him.

The Labour Court heard Mr OSullivan had sent an e-mail to a colleague in which he claimed he had spoken to a solicitor who confirmed she could be fired for making defamatory marks about him.

Asked by Mr Haugh if he accepted the e-mail should not have been written, Mr OSullivan said he was finally standing up for himself after being bullied for a year but did not think he was doing anything wrong.

He told the Labour Court he was afraid to raise any grievance over that time as he feared he would be gone in a heartbeat.

Mr O'Sullivan, who is currently unemployed, told the Labour Court he was without a job for around five months after leaving Claddagh and estimated his lost income at 20,000.

In evidence, Mr McAllister, said the performance plan had resulted in a better work ethic by Mr OSullivan but had not generated any revenue.

Asked who would have conducted any appeal, Mr McAllister said he believed it would have been Peter Casey.

Ryan Casey told the Labour Court that Mr OSullivans actions were a major threat to the companys revenue as he had been asked by a key client, TCS Ireland, to get the recruitment executive to tone down his aggressive e-mails.

Giving evidence remotely from the US, Mr Casey said the appellant had a long history of under-performance and was constantly putting forward low-quality candidates for jobs which were not a fit.

He disputed Mr OSullivans claim that he had set unachievable targets in the final chance he had given the employee in March 2021. Mr Casey pointed out these were the same targets set out in his original contract of employment.

Mr Casey said the e-mail sent by Mr OSullivan to his colleague was shocking as there was no basis for his suggestion that there had been a witch-hunt against him.

Under questioning by Mr Haugh, Mr Casey accepted Claddagh Resources did not appear to have a right of appeal under the companys procedures.

Asked why not, Mr Casey acknowledged he had no answer.

Questioned about who in Claddagh could have conducted any appeal if one had been heard, Mr Casey accepted there was no director who was not involved in the dismissal process.

The Labour Court will publish its ruling later.
Look for a publication on Amazon and your results could include a cheap summary. Who writes them? We ran passages from two through an AI detector

So, you want to buy a book. The algorithm has been feeding you recommendations. Ignoring your ethical qualms about global corporations, you log on to Amazon, type your desired title into the search bar, and up it comes. But lately something else has been cropping up in search results for popular books. Beneath the main title, youll find one or more summary titles.
Ksenia Samotiy (21) from Lviv moved to Ireland last year. She lives in Dublin

Anyone who has been in Dublin for more than 15 minutes has probably seen adverts for EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum. You know the ones, particularly the recent This Is Not Us campaign, with the AI-generated stereotypical images of Irish people. They always struck me as both unusual and intriguing, and Ive been told by many people to check out EPIC ever since I came to Dublin. Yet having just emigrated myself, I was worried it might feel a little too close to home, so I kept putting it off. But a couple of weeks ago, I met a woman who was visiting from New Zealand, and we agreed to go together.

I didnt find it as painful as I thought I would. Perhaps because the tone was not quite what I had been expecting. Id imagined walking through exhibit after exhibit of endless sorrow  but instead, I saw a lot of pride.

Its not that it was all cheerful and happy-clappy. There are, of course, plenty of sad things about emigration. I found myself crying in front of a big metal word statue, with each word a reason why people have emigrated from Ireland. It was catching sight of the word refugee, which was set further back but projecting a sharp shadow, which did it for me.

But the museum is not about despair but hope, even celebration. I was fascinated at how the achievements of Irish immigrants and their descendants are celebrated, and it got me thinking about all my fellow Ukrainians, running from the war and scattered around the world.

Most media narratives  and lets face it, a fair amount of public opinion  present immigrants as people living off others, doing nothing and relying on state housing and social support payments. That does happen, of course, though as far as I know, mostly its single mothers who have escaped with small children, or older people who dont speak the local language and thus struggle to find work. But migrants usually do a whole lot more. The OECD estimates that by the end of 2022, Ukrainians had increased the labour force of European host countries by an average of 0.5pc. They work, they open businesses, they pay taxes, they rent or buy property, they fill in gaps in the labour market, and they contribute to economic growth in all sorts of meaningful ways.

But what EPIC taught me is that migrants do so much more. It was not only a wonderful history lesson, but a lesson in the impact of human capital. There are very few economic statistics on the walls of the museum (and even though I trained as an economist, I admit that wouldnt be a particularly interesting museum). It shows that more often, it is migrants cultural and human diversity that leaves its mark on the world. EPIC is refreshingly honest that migrants are just people, and the marks they leave are not always positive: there is a room dedicated to gangsters and other infamous Irish emigrants such as Typhoid Mary. But they are outweighed by the good  like the ten or so rooms about politicians, athletes, scientists, writers, designers, architects, missionaries and US presidents of Irish extraction.

I walked out amazed and excited, and thinking of something similar in Ukraine. Most Ukrainians will return home as soon as it is safe to do so, of course. Yet, I also found myself imagining a similar museum in Kyiv, 50 or 100 years from now, talking about the mass emigration of Ukrainians during the Russo-Ukrainian war. Who knows which people it will celebrate, whose stories it will tell. But I hope it manages to convey a similar message: shining through the sadness, bittersweet pride at what we offer the world.




Likewise, it has been implementing six humanitarian assistance projects in the regions most affected by the rains: Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, and Lima.





In addition, the United Nations in Peru works in key sectors that help mitigate and prevent the effects of the El Nino phenomenon and respond to emergencies.





UN Peru projects pay attention to peoples essential needs, such as shelter; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene; health, including sexual and reproductive health; prevention and care of gender-based violence; protection; and recovery of livelihoods.





The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) provided dignity kits and information sessions on self-care and sexual and reproductive health to 227 women, as well as counseling on gender-based violence to 211 people.





The UNFPA also established 12 safe spaces for women and girls, and trained 28 professionals in gender-based violence in humanitarian settings.





On the other hand, it provided access to sexual and reproductive health care for 1,079 people (70% women) and essential services available to 2,349 people.





In addition, 37 pregnant women were assisted with home visits and 112 people availed HIV/syphilis screening.





(END) NDP/JCC/RMB

Heavy rains, floods, and landslides hit the country during the first months of the year. Therefore, the United Nations in Peru (UN Peru) has been working closely with the Peruvian State, mainly with the National Civil Defense Institute (Indeci), and other humanitarian partners to attend to thousands of families and people who were left in a situation of vulnerability.Publicado: 19/8/2023
Law enforcement officials are investigating threats related to former US president Donald Trumps election interference investigation in Georgia, after names and addresses of grand jury members were posted online, a sheriffs office said.

Our investigators are working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to track down the origin of threats in Fulton County and other jurisdictions, the Fulton County Sheriffs Office said in a statement yesterday.
There is much uncertainty around Donald Trump and what may happen during his presidential campaign. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein

Former US president Donald Trump unconstitutionally refused to honour the 2020 election result and tried to overturn it. Does that mean its unconstitutional to honour the results of the 2024 election if Trump wins? This troubling logic is about to be hurled into the presidential campaigns legal-constitutional vortex, stretching American institutions closer to their limit.

The basis is Section Three of the 14th Amendment, ratified after the Civil War, which disqualifies public officials who engaged in insurrection against the US or gave aid or comfort to the enemies thereof from holding future office. Following this language, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for incitement of insurrection after the January 6, 2021, mob violence at the Capitol.
Image: WMO/Joao Murteira

Heatwaves sweeping large parts of the world offer yet another reminder that extreme weather events boosted by human-induced climate change have become the new normal, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Friday.

Weather agency Spokesperson Clare Nullis said that heat warnings have been issued by many weather services across Europe this week, including in France, Germany, Poland and Switzerland.

Meanwhile, parts of the Middle East were expected to see temperatures over 50 degrees Celsius in the coming days, and Japan was experiencing a prolonged heatwave which shattered temperature records.

Wildfires off the charts

Speaking to reporters about the recent massive wildfires fuelled by the hot and dry conditions in Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands, Ms. Nullis highlighted the many evacuations and much devastation.

Unfortunately, that is a picture with which weve become all too familiar this summer, she said.

The WMO Spokesperson also noted that Canadas record-breaking season was continuing and that it was completely off the charts this year. As of 17 August, more than 600 wildfires across the country were out of control, she said.

Even Canadas far north near the Arctic Circle had not been spared, as a mass evacuation order was in force in the town of Yellowknife in the Northern Territories due to an approaching blaze.

Meanwhile, in the British Columbia town of Lytton, a record temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius was reached this week, Ms. Nullis said.

Massive rainfall via Hurricane Hilary

WMO also warned that Hurricane Hilary had intensified very rapidly to a major category four hurricane off Mexicos Pacific Coast, fed by warm ocean surface temperatures.

Sustained winds of up to 220 kilometres per hour were expected in Mexicos coastal areas over the weekend. Ms. Nullis noted that, as it was often the case with tropical cyclones, the threat is not just from the wind but also from water, and rainfall of up to 152 millimetres was forecast in the affected areas in Mexico.

The usually arid southwest of the United States, including major cities such as San Diego, would also see a huge amount of rain in a short time, she said, with a high risk of flash flooding.

WMO climate expert Alvaro Silva commented that the frequency and intensity of many extremes, such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, have increased in recent decades. He noted that it can be said with high confidence that human induced climate change from greenhouse emissions is the main driver.

Dramatic impacts for Pacific islands

The southwest Pacific was another region hit hard by the impacts of a warming climate, WMO said, with weather-related disasters unravelling the fabric of society there.

According to the UN agencys latest report, sea level rise threatened the future of low-lying islands, while increasing ocean heat and acidification devastated vulnerable marine ecosystems.

WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said that the El Nino climate pattern will have a major impact on the region this year, bringing higher temperatures, disruptive weather and more marine heatwaves and coral bleaching.

Sea level rise accelerating

The WMO report shows that sea-level rise rates in the region were higher than the global rate, reaching approximately four millimetres per year in several areas. It also notes that ocean warming contributes 40 per cent of the observed sea-level rise, through thermal expansion of seawater.

The agriculture sector is one of the most-affected by climate-related disasters in the southwest Pacific, WMO said, and enhancing the resilience of food production was a high priority for the region.

Mr. Taalas also stressed that implementing early warning systems was one of the most effective ways of reducing damage from climate disasters, as it empowered people to make risk-informed decisions.
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

A two-day National Workshop on "Capacity Building for Managers in Higher Education" was held in Jammu and Kashmir from Friday.

Department of Higher Education, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, in collaboration with the Government College of Education (IASE) Srinagar hosted the workshop, reports ANI.

Among the notable personalities present were Darakshan Andrabi, Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board (Ministry of State), who highlighted the strides taken towards women's welfare and development under the governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the region, the news agency reported.

"In the governance of the Bharatiya Janata Party, every step has been taken for the welfare and development of women in our country, especially in Jammu and Kashmir," Andrabi said.

The workshop primarily catered to Principals from various colleges in the Kashmir Division.

Addressing the gathering, Pam Rajput was quoted as saying by ANI, "Capacity building for women in managerial roles is not only essential for their individual growth but also for the holistic development of the education sector."
Photo Courtesy: Northeast Weekly

Shillong/IBNS: Meghalaya has commenced the export of its premium turmeric and ginger powder to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The Lakadong variety of turmeric, renowned for its exceptional quality, hails from the Lakadong region within the West Jaintia Hills district.

With an impressive curcumin content ranging from 6.8 to 7.5 per cent, this variety has been lauded as one of the finest turmeric types globally, as articulated by Meghalayas Agriculture Minister, Banteidor Lyngdoh, as quoted by the Press Trust of India, reports Northeast Weekly.

Further accentuating the state's offerings, the high-grade ginger powder is sourced from villages situated in the Ri-Bhoi district.

Approximately 150 kg of Lakadong turmeric and an equal quantity of ginger powder have been dispatched to the Netherlands, while an additional 210 kg of Lakadong turmeric and 5 kg of ginger powder are destined for the UK, according to statements provided by Mr. Banteidor to PTI.

This endeavor marks an experimental phase facilitated by the state government in response to burgeoning demand from consumers within these nations.

The export venture emerges five years after the establishment of Mission Lakadong, a program aimed at harnessing the economic potential of local turmeric production, thereby fueling economic activity, trade, and the transformation of the agricultural landscape.

While Meghalaya's chief competitors in this domain include Telangana and Maharashtra, the state has emerged triumphant in terms of quality. The West Jaintia Hill district hosts the cultivation of three turmeric varieties: Lachein, Lasyein, and Lakadong.

Lakadong boasts an average curcumin content of seven per cent, significantly surpassing its counterparts. This unique attribute is exclusive to the district, nestled between Assam to the north and Bangladesh to the south.

Attempts at cultivating the same turmeric elsewhere have resulted in marked declines in curcumin levels.

The export initiative, sourced from women's self-help groups in the respective districts, was poised to commence last year but was delayed due to the global pandemic, the minister revealed.

With a turmeric yield of 16,383 metric tonnes during 2016-17, Meghalaya is poised to make its mark on the global spice trade.

More than half of this output originates from the West Jaintia Hills district, with key villages such as Sumer, Lakadong, Shangpung, Iooksi, Nongtyngkoh, and Khoushnong being acknowledged for their pivotal role in turmeric cultivation, as affirmed by a senior agriculture officer.

This accomplishment contributes to India's preeminence as the world's foremost spice producer, consumer, and exporter.

In the fiscal year 2021-22, spice production reached a staggering 10.87 million tonnes, while spice exports achieved an unprecedented pinnacle both in terms of value and volume, registering growth of 17% in US dollar value terms and 30% in volume terms, according to the India Brand Equity Foundation.

During the same period, the leading spice exported from India was chili, closely followed by spice oils and oleoresins, mint products, cumin, and turmeric.

India stands out as a producer of 75 out of the 109 varieties recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Among the diverse array of spices produced and exported, pepper, cardamom, chili, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, celery, fennel, fenugreek, garlic, nutmeg & mace, curry powder, spice oils, and oleoresins dominate, collectively constituting around 76 per cent of total production.

Noteworthy spice-producing states in India encompass Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
A file image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo Courtesy: PIB

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Johannesburg, South Africa from 22-24 August 2023 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the invitation of Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, officials said on Friday.

"This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping, and identify future areas of activity," read the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Prime Minister will also participate in a special event "BRICS  Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue being organized after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa.

During his visit, Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg.

Following his visit to South Africa, Prime Minister will pay an official visit to Greece on 25 August 2023 at the invitation of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece.

This will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years.

India and Greece enjoy civilizational ties, which have strengthened in recent years through cooperation in areas like maritime transport, defence, trade and investments and people-to-people ties.

Prime Minister will hold talks with Prime Minister Mitsotakis to discuss ways to further deepen the relationship.

He will also interact with business leaders from both countries, as well as with the Indian community in Greece.
Image Credit: PIB

Shillong/UNI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exalted Meghalayas Pineapples, which are both savoured domestically and internationally.

Responding to the X thread of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma about the Meghalaya Pineapple Festival-2022 at Dilli Haat, New Delhi, the Prime Minister on Saturday said, "Happy to see Meghalayas pineapples receiving the recognition they deserve both domestically and internationally. Such endeavours not only celebrate our diverse agricultural heritage but also empower our farmers."

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sangma has thanked Prime Minister Modi for appreciating Meghalaya's pineapples "Thank you, Honble PM, Shri Narendra Modi, for your appreciation for Meghalayas pineapples."

Hopeful that its fame and sweetness further reach worldwide under your guidance," Sangma replied on his microblogging site X.

Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, inaugurated Meghalaya Pineapple Fest - 2023, at Dilli Haat, New Delhi, on Friday in the presence of Chief Minister Sangma, Agriculture Minister Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, and Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh.

The three-day festival aims to showcase not only the exceptional quality of Meghalayas succulent Kew pineapples but also the rich cultural heritage of the region.

Sangma had said that the pineapples from Meghalaya are now being sold across malls in Dubai, Kuwait, and Sharjah with the persistent effort of the state government and all stakeholders.

"The premium quality of Meghalayas pineapples, with their sweetness measuring a high brix value of 1618, is gradually making it a sought-after fruit by retailers like Reliance, apart from being exported to other countries.

"This is opening bigger markets for farmers who are getting the fruit of their hard labour," he said.

The North-Eastern States contribute a whopping 51.18 percent to the total pineapple production in the country, with Meghalaya contributing 7.69 percent (APEDA 2021-22), making it one of the top five pineapple producing states in India.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

Hyderabad: The city police have successfully dismantled a begging racket, resulting in the rescue of 23 beggars from various intersections.

Acting on credible information, the West Zone Task Force team under the Commissioner's office, in collaboration with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Hyderabad, Jubilee Hills Police, local NGOs, and leaders of the "Smile Project," managed to rescue 23 beggars from different intersections.

Additionally, they apprehended the ringleader of the begging operation, Anil Pawar, a resident of Fathenagar and a native of Gulbarga, Karnataka state, on Thursday.

Several other individuals, including Ramu, Raghu, Dharmender, and others, all hailing from Gulbarga, Karnataka State, are still at large in connection with the case, as stated in a police release issued on Saturday.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that Anil Pawar and the other absconding individuals were exploiting vulnerable members of their community, such as poor women, minor children, widows, the elderly, and the physically handicapped, to collect alms at various traffic junctions spanning from Tadbun to Hitech City.

The police found that Anil Pawar provided intoxicated or adulterated toddy to the children, inducing them to sleep and gain sympathy from passersby, thus facilitating their alms collection at different traffic signals throughout Hyderabad.

During the operation, eight two-wheelers that were used to transport the beggars to various locations were seized.

Anil Pawar was reported to be earning around Rs 4,500 to 6,000 per day solely at the Jubilee Hills check post. In return, he paid each beggar a paltry Rs 200 as their daily wage.

(With UNI inputs)
? Conoce los principales acuerdos del II Consejo de Estado Regional, liderado por la presidenta Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra. #SeguimosAvanzando pic.twitter.com/CTdQwc278o
Photo courtesy: knightayton.co.uk

London: An Indian-origin doctor, who was among the doctors to raise an alarm against UKs baby-killer nurse, has alleged that he was asked to apologise for making the accusation.

Dr Ravi Jayram, a consultant paediatrician at Countess of Chester Hospital, told UK-based iTV News that he had been alerting the hospital about Lucy Letby months before the management informed the police.

Lucy Letby (33), a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital in the UK, left the world shocked after she was found guilty of murdering newborn babies at the hospital where she worked.

Letby used a variety of methods to secretly attack a total of 13 babies in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016, read a statement issued by Britains Crown Prosecution Service.

Seven babies died as a result and the jury found Letby guilty of their murder.

She was also found guilty of seven counts of attempted murder relating to six other babies.

She will be sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Monday (August 21).

Referring to the minutes of one meeting, ITV News reported that the doctors were told to "draw a line" under the "Lucy issue" and to apologise to her for alleged 'victimisation'.

"I'm drawing a line under this, you will draw a line under this, and if you cross that line, there will be consequences for you," the chief executive of the hospital Tony Chambers had told the consultants in 2017, alleged Dr Jayaram.

When the consultants pressed on contacting the police, they were dissuaded, he said.

"I do genuinely believe that there are four or five babies who could be going to school now who aren't," Dr Jayaram told ITV News.

Letby was first arrested in July 2018 and charged in November 2020.
The bus carrying the soldiers skidded and fell into a river. (Representational image courtesy: UNI)

Leh: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and eight jawans of the Indian Army were killed on Saturday in an accident in Ladakh, media reports said.

The truck carrying the soldiers skidded off the road and plunged into a river, killing all of them, said the army.

The accident took place in Kiyari, situated 150 km away from Leh, the capital of the Union Territory of Ladakh, between 4 pm and 5 pm.

The truck was carrying a total of 10 soldiers, and it was part of a convoy consisting of five vehicles.

A rescue operation has been launched after the incident.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed sorrow over the death of the soldiers in the unfortunate accident.

"Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery," he wrote on X.
Image Credit: Nitin Gadkari Facebook

New Delhi: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari dismissed Congress leader Rahul Gandhis claims the RSS-BJP have strategically placed their own members within critical segments of Indias institutional framework.

In an interview with TV channel Aj Tak, Gadkari said Gandhis allegations were amusing.

He clarified that there are no RSS-affiliated individuals in the ministries who influence ministerial operations.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while interacting with the youth in Ladakhs capital Leh further accused ministers are compelled to work on the directions of RSS to make decisions.

During the event, he asserted that the BJP-RSS alliance is strategically placing their own members in pivotal roles within the institutional structure.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Gandhi embarked on a motorcycle journey to Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh.

Pictures of Gandhi dressed in biking attire, riding alongside a few others on motorcycles en route to the lake, were shared by the party on its official social media platforms.
Image: PID Bangladesh Facebook page

Bangladeshs next general election, which is widely perceived as being important due to the role it is expected to play in determining the countrys political future, is barely six months away. Incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ruling Awami League (AL) party have battled an aggressive campaign led by the primary opposition party the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) as well as economic difficulties that the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russias invasion of Ukraine brought upon the country.

The problems of the AL government were compounded earlier this year when the United States (US) began exerting escalating pressure on it to prove its democratic credentials even after 15 years in power.

In this backdrop, the recent findings of the national survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) that while Bangladesh citizens were pessimistic about the economy and elections, policies on infrastructure and development had buoyed Sheikh Hasinas public support and added to her popularity would have come as a pre-election shot in the arm for the AL.

The IRI is an American nonprofit organization that is funded and supported by the US federal government, and the conclusions of a survey conducted by it would have been taken careful note of by Sheikh Hasina and her team.

In an article titled Bangladesh: Survey Reveals Premier Remains Popular Despite Growing Public Discontent that was posted on 9 August on the website of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), David Hoogstra, a program manager at the IRI, and Geoffrey Macdonald observed that although political tension was rising in Bangladesh ahead of the countrys next national elections, due by January 2024, with both the ruling AL and opposition BNP holding large rallies across the country to mobilize their supporters, there was little polling data publicly available that could put in focus the state of race. For a country of 170 million people, there was remarkably little credible public opinion data in Bangladesh. Most observers assessment of political strength was driven by impressions of grassroots enthusiasm and crowd size at rallies, which are highly unreliable measures.

That changed a little when the IRI recently released its national survey and focus group discussion (FGD) study that shed light on Bangladeshs political, economic, and social dynamics. The authors wrote, This research shows that though citizens are pessimistic about the state of the economy and elections, the governments policies on infrastructure and development have buoyed the prime ministers public support. Furthermore, while the oppositions popularity is growing and its calls for a caretaker government are breaking through, Bangladeshis appear skeptical of its boycott strategy.

The IRI survey found that economic issues had been driving the pessimism in Bangladesh, and 51 percent of the respondents said that the economy was doing poorly. Bangladeshis are also frustrated with politics, and ordinary citizens believe that political and civic institutions are not protecting their interests. Others cited corruption, a serious issue across all of South Asia, as the single most important problem in the country. Even civil society was viewed negatively, with 62 percent saying civic groups represent the interests of elites.

The article pointed out that the most contentious debate in Bangladeshs politics currently centered on election administration. The BNP is boycotting all elections until the restoration of Bangladeshs caretaker government (CTG) system, which installs a politically neutral government before election day. The AL  which scrapped the system after Bangladeshs high court ruled it unconstitutional in 2011  says the Election Commission can competently oversee fair elections. AL supporters point to the BNPs massive Dhaka rally in December 2022 and other opposition political events held freely around the country. In 2022, non-AL candidates won in local elections, lending credibility to the process. Recent municipal elections have encountered some problems but have also been lauded for relatively high turnout, reduced violence and open competition in some locations. Furthermore, the government has consistently said it welcomes international election observers in January. In May, the AL also floated the idea of a bipartisan election time government including the BNP, and a senior AL official recently said the party is open to internationally mediated political dialogue. Nevertheless, Bangladeshis are divided on this issue. While 92 percent say they are very or somewhat likely to cast their vote, 56 percent of Bangladeshis say the opposition should compete in the election even if the CTG is not reinstated. In focus groups, many BNP supporters urged their party to run.

The article concluded that The Bangladeshi publics pervasive pessimism appears to be boosting the oppositions popularity but has not yet substantially weakened the Sheikh Hasina government. About 70 percent of Bangladeshis say the prime minister is doing a good job, and majorities approve of the governments performance on various policy issues from access to drinking water to improving education.

International opinion on the issue of democracy and rule of law in Bangladesh has been divided and inconsistent. Over the past year, several senior US government officials  including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Hass and State Department Councilor Derek Chollet  have publicly called for free and fair elections in Bangladesh. Al Jazeera reported in May this year that Antony Blinken had said that the US was adopting a new policy to restrict visas for Bangladeshis who undermined the democratic election process at home. Blinken said the US was supporting free, fair and peaceful national elections and would target either pro-government or opposition supporters in the deeply polarised nation. Blinken added that he was announcing this policy to lend our support to all those seeking to advance democracy in Bangladesh, and that the move could affect current or former officials and politicians and members of law enforcement, the judiciary and security services believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh. He asserted that The holding of free and fair elections is the responsibility of everyone  voters, political parties, the government, the security forces, civil society and the media.

Other western-aligned governments have followed the US lead on Bangladesh. The United Kingdom (UK), Japan and others have echoed US calls for free and fair elections, and the European Union (EU) sent a six-member Election Exploratory Mission that visited Bangladesh from July 8 to July 22 and held several dozen meetings with various stakeholders, including political parties, media representatives and civil society members, to assess the political situation in the country and to decide on the possibility of sending EU election observers to monitor the January 2024 polls. A high-level US delegation, including Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya, also visited Bangladesh in July and discussed a range of issues, including free and fair elections, labor issues, human rights and combating human trafficking with senior Bangladeshi officials.

In its response to Blinkens comments, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry issued a statement assuring of free and fair elections in January next year. It said, The government apparatus will take necessary measures to prevent and address any unlawful practices or interference  to compromise the smooth and participatory conduct of the elections. The electoral process will remain under strict vigilance, including by international observers as accredited by the Election Commission. It stressed that the Election Commission retained the ability to perform its functions in full independence, credibility and efficiency.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reacted angrily to the new visa rule, which was widely perceived as a warning to the ruling administration, and said it amounted to an attempt to topple her government. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha shortly after Blinkens statement, Sheikh Hasina assured that I am here to ensure our peoples voting rights because people should decide who will run the country. It is peoples power. I want to ensure peoples power. I am not here to grab power, rather I want to empower our people. They should have that right to choose their government. So under our government, definitely elections will be free and fair. Taking a dig at the US own imperfect experience with democracy, Hasina had added, As for the US, you can see that Mr Trump didnt accept the results. What do they have to say now? We have told everybody, if they want to send observers they can do it.

Some analysts believe that the US pressing Bangladesh on democracy has more to do with gaining leverage in business and trade deals and countering rival Chinas growing influence in the country. Washington, they say, has done little to push for free elections in Pakistan which is mired in its own deep political crisis. They argue that under proxy military rule, mass arrests, disappearances, murders and torture have become a regular feature in Pakistan. Delwar Hossain, a professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka, was quoted by the Bangladeshi media as saying that The US approach to Bangladesh needs to be changed. In the case of Pakistans political instability, the US is silent while in Bangladeshs case they are highly active.

Among regional powers, India has consistently extended its unqualified support to the Sheikh Hasina regime. Ali Riaz, non-resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Councils South Asia Center, noted in his article titled Bangladesh election 2024: What role will India play? that Under the Hasina regime, India has received Bangladeshs support in rooting out insurgency in Indias Northeastern region, securing transit through Bangladesh, gaining permanent access to two main ports in the Bay of Bengal, signing an energy deal which ensures that Bangladesh buys electricity with the highest cost, inking an agreement which allows India to install a surveillance system in the Bay of Bengal, agreeing to a water-sharing deal which provides India control over the river Kushiyara and engaging in close defense cooperation to name but a few significant bilateral achievements. Riaz opined that it was, therefore, not surprising that Despite the intense discussions in the media, there hasnt been any official word from New Delhi regarding the new United States policy or the growing tension between the United States and Bangladesh. New Delhi has remained studiously silent.

Indias support for Sheikh Hasina is on account of many factors, most significant among which is the terrorism promoted by the BNP during its period in power in Dhaka that Hasina has helped virtually eliminate. Equally weighty is the Indian desire to keep China at bay. For its part, China has sought to foster close economic and defense cooperation with Sheikh Hasinas government, while remaining politically neutral. The US-led West, which has for several years been sensitive to Indias position on Bangladesh, also recognizes the perils of pushing Sheikh Hasina too far. As Jasmin Lorch, South Asia analyst and guest lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin put it while commenting upon the possibility of EU sanctions on Bangladesh, It is also unclear whether such restrictions would be effective because they might just push Bangladesh closer to China, which is a highly authoritarian patron.

From the US perspective, adopting too tough a stance against Bangladesh at this juncture could actually run counter to its broader geopolitical interests in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific. As Geoffrey Macdonald pointed out, Internationally, the United States, India and China will be watching closely. Bangladeshs long border with India, strategic location on the Bay of Bengal and economic potential make it an attractive ally for Indo-Pacific competitors, which includes China.

The Awami League, meanwhile, will take solace that the desire of the US to build a close relationship with India will, to a lesser or greater extent, serve to dilute democracy-promoting pressure upon Dhaka from Washington.
A file picture of Moscow city. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

The Russian government has barred 54 British citizens from entering the country, media reports said.

The move was made by Russia in response to the UKs sanctions against its citizens and enterprises.

Russia accused the individuals and entities of involvement in propaganda support of the activities of the [Ukrainian] Zelensky regime and of being Russophobic, in its latest update to its sanctions policy on Friday, reports CNN.

The list includes names of several government ministers as well as journalists from public broadcasters like BBC, the Guardian newspaper and the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

We would like to emphasize again that any efforts by London to further spin the anti-Russian sanctions flywheel will inevitably receive a decisive response from our side, the Russian ministry said in a statement as quoted by CNN.

Work on expanding the Russian stop list in response to the actions of the British authorities will continue.
Photo Courtesy: Ukraine Ministry of Interior X (formerlyTwitter) page

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said five people died when a Russian missile struck the heart of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday.

The attack left 37 others, including children, injured.

The Ministry said 11 children were among the injured people.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video on X which showed the extent of damage caused due to the strike.

He wrote: "Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are casualties. My condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one. All services are working on the site. Rescuers, police, doctors."

Ukraine has welcomed the US government's approval to transfer F-16 fighter jets from Netherlands and Denmark to the war-torn nation, giving a fresh impetus to Kyiv in the ongoing war against Russia.

This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state. This is what we are uniting the entire world against.



Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are pic.twitter.com/AMgXCVfR7h    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

Welcoming the US decision, Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov wrote on X: "Great news from our friends in the United States!There is a green light for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine after our pilots complete their training."

"Ukraine has proven that the impossible is indeed possible. Our military has proven it is filled with fast learners," he said.

"We will soon prove that Ukraines victory is inevitable. Thank you to all our partners and friends in the United States, the Netherlands, and Denmark," the Minister said.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra earlier confirmed the development and posted on X: "We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending #F16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine. Many thanks to @SecBlinken for the good and swift cooperation. Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners."

He said the move marks a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and country.

In May, a senior Russian minister had said providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets would be a colossal risk for western nations,

According to Russias state-owned news agency Tass as quoted by The Guardian, the countrys deputy foreign minister, Alexander Grushko,had said: We see that western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves."
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia Commons

Nanjing: The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the command.

The armed forces' ability to fight in real combat conditions will be tested, Shi said, adding that the patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of "Taiwan independence" separatists with foreign elements and their provocations.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949.

Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan - a territory with its own elected government - maintains that it is an autonomous country, but stops short of declaring independence.

Beijing opposes any official contact of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.

Taiwan currently has only a few official diplomatic allies, including Paraguay.

(WIth UNI Inputs)
Photo Courtesy: Pixabay/Unsplash

Justice Qazi Faez Isa, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court (SC), on Saturday, visited Faisalabad district of Pakistan to inquire about the situation of the local Christian community following the recent riots in Jaranwala area over alleged blasphemy.

On August 16, a mob targeted the Christian community  ransacking and torching their churches and homes there  leaving at least 19 churches and 86 homes in ruins, reports Dawn News.

The Punjab police have arrested at least 145 alleged miscreants, including two prime suspects, in connection with the incident so far.

The vandalism incident reportedly triggered nationwide outrage after footage of the incidents went viral online.

Justice Isa along with his wife met those people who were affected by the vandalism.

Speaking to the Christian victims, he was quoted as saying by Dawn News, If anyone attacks churches, it is the responsibility of Muslims [to catch] the attackers."

A protest was held at Karachis Teen Talwar area on Saturday over the vandalism incident.

It was attended by activists, social workers and people from the Christian community. The protesters raised slogans against the Jaranwala attackers and held placards with inscriptions such as stop misuse of blasphemy, reports Dawn News.

The participants also carried Pakistans flag, copies of the Bible and the Christian cross.
Photo Courtesy: Vivek Ramaswamy Twitter page

Billionaire Elon Musk recently praised Indian-origin US Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as 'very promising'.

"He is a very promising candidate," Musk tweeted.

Vivek Ramaswamy is set to contest against Donald Trump in Republican primaries for the upcoming Presidental Polls in the USA.

Born in 1985, Vivek Ramaswamy is an American pharmaceutical executive, hedge fund manager, lobbyist, and entrepreneur.

He is a very promising candidate https://t.co/bEQU8L21nd  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2023

Ramaswamy was born in Cincinnati to Indian immigrant parents. He graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor's degree in biology and later earned a J.D. from Yale Law School.

Ramaswamy worked as an investment partner at a hedge fund before founding a biotech company, Roivant Sciences, in 2014.

He stepped down as CEO of Roivant in 2021, but remained its chairman until 2023.

In 2022, Ramaswamy co-founded Strive Asset Management, an investment firm that positions itself in opposition to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on decision-makers to find a compromise and make it possible to resume urgently needed humanitarian deliveries to blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remains the only humanitarian organization operating across the Lachin corridor to respond to growing humanitarian needs. The latest deliveries of medical supplies occurred July 7, while the latest delivery of food occurred June 14. The ICRC is urging decision-makers to find a compromise and make it possible to resume urgently needed humanitarian deliveries, the ICRC said in a statement.

The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations highest court  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.
As per the Malayalam calendar, Onam, the annual harvest festival of the state of Kerala, is celebrated for 10 whole days. In 2023, the festivities of Onam will begin on Sunday, August 20 and conclude on Thursday, August 31. The festival is observed by Malayalis across the globe as a religious and cultural festival. The idea behind celebrating Onam is to pay homage to the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali, the grandson of Prahlada.

Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

Onam is a 10-day long festival that begins on Atham, followed by Chithira, Chodi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketta, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradom and last the day which is called Thiruvonam, and each day holding a great significance.

Also Read: 100+ Inspirational Quotes, Wishes, Images, Cards, Instagram Captions, Whatsapp & Facebook Status

Celebrate the carnival of Onam by sending heartfelt Onam messages to near and dear ones. They will love these heartwarming Onam wishes from you on this auspicious occasion.

Happy Onam Wishes, Quotes, Messages, Images And Whatsapp Status To Share on Thiruvonam

Here we have compiled some Onam messages, wishes, quotes and WhatsApp Status that you can send to your friends and families.

Happy Onam Wishes in English 2023

1. May the spirit of Onam guide you in your life and fulfill what you desire and hope for the best.

2. Im wishing you a life as colorful as pookalam, as festive as this Onam festival, and as prosperous as the bountiful harvest. Happy Onam to you!

3. Once more Onam is coming to remind us Mavelis golden rule. Let me take the pleasure to wish you and your family a very happy Onam festival!

4. May the colour and lights of Onam fill your home with happiness and joy. Have the most beautiful Onam!

5. Have a happy Onam! May God bless you and your family and fill your home with happiness and joy.

6. Hope this Onam brings in good fortune and abounding happiness for you and your family. Happy Onam!

7. May the spirit of Onam guide you in your life and fulfill what you desire and hope for the best. Wish you Happy Onam

8. Let this season bring you lot of good luck, peace of mind, happiness and all that you wish! Happy Onam 2023!

9. Wish you all a very happy, prosperous, colorful, healthy, wealthy and fun filled Onam!

10. Heres wishing that this Onam brings happiness and more blessings your way. Best wishes to you on Onam.

Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

Best Onam Wishes 2023

1. On the happy occasion of Onam, may you have an abundance of joy in your live, good health and immense prosperity. Wishing a very happy Onam to you and your entire family.

2. Wish you all a very happy, prosperous, colorful, healthy, wealthy and funfilled Onam!

3. As I think of you on Onam, I hope and pray that God showers you with infinite happiness, good health, stress-free and prosperous life.

4. Celebrate this Onam festival with joy and happiness. Cheers to this auspicious occasion! Happy Onam everyone!

5. Onam reminds you of King Mahabali and Lord Vamana. It tells you how you can take a cue from them and make the best version of yourself. This Onam, recall the glorious past of this land, that the king once ruled.

6. Accept our warmest greetings on Onam festival. May you have an enjoyable and fun-filled Onam celebration there, as we join the fun in spirit. We may not be there but we will celebrate the occasion with you by soul. Happy Onam!

7. Its time for making Pookolam on the floor, lighting traditional oil lamps, taking part in Vallam Kali, Pulikali, Kummattikali and gorging on the delicious Sadya. Here's wishing you and your family, a very happy and prosperous Onam.

8. Once more Onam is coming to remind us Mavelis golden rule. Let me take the pleasure to wish you and your family a very happy Onam festival!

9. Keeping the right spirit of Onam in mind, celebrate this joyous day with your friends and family. Touch base with your rich past and tell the little ones about the importance of this festive season. Here's sending my Onam Greetings to you.

10. It's Onam! So, let's celebrate the spirit of the harvest festival in all its splendor. Decorate your house with pookalams, listen to the melodious Onappattus and enjoy the auspicious festival of Onam!

Onam 2023 HD images | Photo: Freepik

11. Wishing you all a euphoric, prosperous, colourful, healthy, wealthy and fun-filled Onam. Let this season bring you a lot of good luck, peace of mind, happiness and all that you wish.

12. On this festive occasion, I extend my warm wishes to you and your family. May you all be blessed with happiness and prosperity in your life.

13. On the joyous occasion of Onam, I wish you joy and good health and may you always enjoy the bounty of nature.

14. Air is filled with joy and zeal. Its colourful everywhere, homes are adorned with colourful embellishments. I hope that the spirit of Onam fills your heart with happiness and fulfillment.

15. I may be miles away, but the spirit of Onam will always stay in my heart. So, Lets celebrate this Onam festival by heart and by soul.

Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

Short Onam Wishes 2023

1. Wishing that King Mahabali blesses you with all that you desire!

2. Have a blessed Onam!

3. Hope Onam brings good fortune for you, Happy Onam!

4. On the colourful occasion of Onam, I wish you bountiful of happiness and prosperity!

5. Cheers to this auspicious occasion! Happy Onam everyone!

6. Celebrate this Onam festival with joy and happiness.

7. Hope this ONAM brings Good Fortune and Happiness for you with it!

8. Sending my warmest wishes to your family this Onam festival. Have a happy and wonderful Onam.

9. May the spirit of the Onam festival guide and light your way to the path you choose.

10. I wish you a wonderful and blessed Onam. May your home be filled with joy, peace and happiness.

Happy Onam Quotes 2023

1. "May the spirit of Onam fill your heart with happiness, joy, and prosperity."

2. "Onam is a time for family, friends, and food. May you enjoy this special occasion to the fullest."

3. "May the blessings of King Mahabali shower upon you and your loved ones this Onam."

4. "May the colors of Onam brighten your life and bring you good luck."

5. "Onam is a time to celebrate the harvest and the good things in life. May you have a bountiful Onam."

6. "May the fragrance of the pookalams fill your home with happiness and peace."

7. "Onam is a time to rejoice and forget your troubles. May you have a happy and carefree Onam."

9. "May the Onam festivities bring you closer to your loved ones and create lasting memories."

10. "Onam is a time to give thanks for all the good things in your life. May you be blessed with even more happiness and prosperity in the coming year."

11. "Happy Onam! May this auspicious festival bring you joy, love, and peace."

Onam Funny Wishes

1. May this Onam be full of positivity, prosperity and peace for you and your loved ones.

2. May the auspicious occasion of Onam fill your lives with happiness, wealth and health.

3. Let us keep the spirit of Onam alive in our hearts and celebrate this day with our loved ones.

4. Wishing a Happy Onam to you and your loved ones. Enjoy this festive day with high spirits.

5. Wishing memorable celebrations and good times with your loved ones on Onam.

6. May the colours of pookalams make this Onam the most beautiful festive occasion.

7. May king Mahabali bless you and your loved ones on this auspicious day with happiness, harmony, positivity, and celebrations. Onam Ashamsakal!

8. May the festival of Onam fill your home and heart with forever joy and happiness. Cheers to all the good times. Happy Onam!

9. Vivid Pookalam, vivacious melodies, and flavorful dining experience. Complete it with supplications to have a favoured year ahead till the following Onam celebration. Happy Onam!

10. May God favour you and make you pleased and gratified. May the tone and lights of Onam fill your home with bliss and delight. Happy Onam!

Onam 2023 HD images | Photo: Freepik

Happy Onam WhatsApp Status and Messages for Onam

1. On the occasion of Onam, here's praying to King Mahabali to bless you all with the strength and determination that you need to achieve all your goals.

2. This Onam make the most of the festivities with your family. Gorge on the yummiest of delicacies and have a rocking time. After all, a family that eats together stays together.

3. May the fragrance of the flowers in the Pookolam fill your life with the choicest of blessings. May you be gifted with a long healthy and happy life.

4. Here's wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous life on the auspicious occasion of Onam. May you be blessed with all that you have ever hoped for, in your personal and professional life.

5. Onam festivities are all about happiness, peace, prosperity and oneness. Here's wishing you a life that's filled with joy and wealth aplenty.

6. May, the colours, fragrance and lights of Onam, fill your life with happiness and joy. Here's wishing you and your family, a very Happy Onam.

7. Onam brings with it the promise of abundance, happiness and prosperity, so may your life be filled with goodness and may all cares and worries fade away!

8. Mat this spirit of Onam remains everywhere whatever you do, whatever you think, whatever you hope in your life. Happy Onam!

9. Happy Onam! May God bless you and your family and fill your home with the lights and colours of Onam happiness and joy!

10. As Onam spirit travel all over I wish a happy Onam with grant Onam Sadya and happiness, Happy Onam to you and your family.

11. May this festival of Onam be a harbinger of cheer, Good luck, peace and prosperity, that lasts a whole year. Wish you a Happy Onam!

12. This Onam may you be showered with Good luck, prosperity and happiness, have a wonderful Onam

13. May this spirit of Onam remains everywhere whatever you do, whatever you think, whatever you hope in your life. Happy Onam!

14. Onam is the time for poookalam on floor, children on swings, tiger clad men with hunters behind them. People enjoying sadhyas with family. May this Onam bring joy and prosperity to all.

15. May the colour and lights of Onam fill your home with happiness and joy. My heartfelt wishes on Onam Happy!

Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

Happy Onam Images And Posters

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Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

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Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

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Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

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Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

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Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

A brief history of the Onam festival

The history of Onam is associated with the legend of the demon King Mahabali who took over the three worlds by defeating the Gods (Devas). Mahabali was a powerful, wise, judicious, and extremely generous king who ruled the kingdom of Kerala with justice and compassion. He wasn't just ruled the kingdom but also rule over the heart of his people.

Despite Mahabali being a demon king he was one of the biggest worshipers of Lord Vishnu. it is believed that Kerala witnessed its golden era when King Mahabali ruled in the state. After seeing his popularity, fame, and the respect he received from his people the gods became extremely concerned and jealous of him.

One day, lord Vishnu disguised as a dwarf Brahmin called 'Vamana' came to the Kingdom of Mahabali. Lord Vishnu knew that Mahabali was a very generous and charitable king who was always willing to grant anything to one who approach for any help.

So Lord Vishnu who disguised as Vamana took to the advantage and asked Mahabali for three paces of land as much he could be covered by his three steps. Mahabali was surprised to hear but he agreed, thinking that the dwarf would not be able to cover much ground in three paces.

However, Vamana grew to enormous size with each step he took and you will be surprised to know that with his first two steps, he covered the entire earth and sky. After seeing that there is nothing left for Vamana, then King Mahabali offered his own head to the dwarf so that he could keep the promise. After the request of Mahabai, Vamana put his third step on his head which pushed him to the netherworld.

Happy Onam 2023: Top 50+ Thiruvonam Wishes, Messages, Images, Quotes and Onam WhatsApp Status To Share | Freepik

Lord Vishnu who disguised as a dwarf Brahmin was impressed by Mahabali's generosity and devotion. He decided to grant Mahabali a boon, allowing him to return to his kingdom Kerala once a year to visit his people. This annual visit of King Mahabai is celebrated as Onam.

Onam is a time for the people of Kerala to celebrate their rich culture and heritage. It is also a time to remember the legend of King Mahabali and his love for his people.

Onam is a time for celebrating the harvest and the prosperity of Kerala. Onam is a beautiful and festive occasion that is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm by the people of Kerala. It is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to the future.

How Onam is celebrated in Kerala

Onam is considered to be an auspicious festival for Malayalis and hence it is celebrated with a lot of fervour in the State of Kerala. Right from friendly snake boat races to Pulikkali tiger plays to kumathikali and a lot of other activities are undertaken. Elaborate feasts and flower decorations also take place.

For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events.
August 18/19, 2023 - Information Clearing House - " NewsWeek " -- President Joe Biden's emails from his time as vice president are coming under renewed scrutiny over his apparent use of the pseudonym "Robert L. Peters" and other names.



The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability's chairman, Republican Representative James Comer, has asked the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in a letter on Thursday to provide unredacted emails from Biden's time as vice president that relate to Ukraine and natural gas company Burisma.

Comer's letter to NARA comes amid the ongoing House Republican investigation into the president and the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. The White House has repeatedly denied that Biden had any involvement in Hunter Biden's business affairs.

Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.

"Joe Biden has stated there was 'an absolute wall' between his family's foreign business schemes and his duties as Vice President, but evidence reveals that access was wide open for his family's influence peddling," Comer said in a statement.

"We already have evidence of then-Vice President Biden speaking, dining, and having coffee with his son's foreign business associates," Comer said, referring to testimony by Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter Biden's.

The committee wants "unrestricted special access" to a NARA case record that was first made public in June. That record contained four emails but two were withheld and two others had redactions.

Comer's letter said the Oversight Committee wants to see "Email Messages To and/or From Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden related to Burisma and Ukraine" and also highlights the use of pseudonyms.

Two of those emails were sent from then-Biden aide John Flynn to the then vice president on May 27, 2016 and June 15, 2016. Hunter Biden was a carbon copied recipient on those two emails.

The House Oversight Committee is now seeking "all unredacted documents and communications in which then-Vice President Joe Biden used a pseudonym" and the pseudonyms listed in Comer's letter are "Robert Peters, Robin Ware, and JRB Ware."

Those names were used by Biden for private email addresses during his time as vice president, according to a report from The New York Post in July 2021.

Newsweek attempted to reach out to the email address cited in that reportRobert.L.Peters@pci.govbut received a bounce back early on Friday morning.

Comer drew particular attention to the email on May 27, 2016, which included an attached copy of Biden's schedule referencing a phone call Biden had with then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"It is concerning to the Committee, however, that this document was sent to 'Robert L. Peters;a pseudonym the Committee has identified as then Vice-President Biden," Comer's letter said.

"Additionally, the Committee questions why the then-Vice President's son, Hunter Bidenand only Hunter Bidenwas copied on this email to then-Vice President Biden," the letter added.

In addition to communications sent to or from Biden and all documents in the NARA case file, the House Oversight Committee is seeking any document or communication where Hunter Biden, Devon Archer or Eric Schwerin were included or mentioned.

Archer is a former business partner of Hunter Biden's who testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of their probe, while Schwerin was a founding partner and managing director at Hunter Biden's now closed firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners.

The committee is also seeking all drafts of a speech Biden delivered to the Ukrainian parliament on December 9, 2015. Republicans want to see all drafts of that speech from November 15 to December 9, 2015.

Comer drew particular attention to the email on May 27, 2016, which included an attached copy of Biden's schedule referencing a phone call Biden had with then Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

"It is concerning to the Committee, however, that this document was sent to 'Robert L. Peters;a pseudonym the Committee has identified as then Vice-President Biden," Comer's letter said.

"Additionally, the Committee questions why the then-Vice President's son, Hunter Bidenand only Hunter Bidenwas copied on this email to then-Vice President Biden," the letter added.

In addition to communications sent to or from Biden and all documents in the NARA case file, the House Oversight Committee is seeking any document or communication where Hunter Biden, Devon Archer or Eric Schwerin were included or mentioned.

Archer is a former business partner of Hunter Biden's who testified before the House Oversight Committee as part of their probe, while Schwerin was a founding partner and managing director at Hunter Biden's now closed firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners.

The committee is also seeking all drafts of a speech Biden delivered to the Ukrainian parliament on December 9, 2015. Republicans want to see all drafts of that speech from November 15 to December 9, 2015.
August 18/19, 2023 - Information Clearing House - " The Cradel " -- Samarkand, Uzbekistan - The historical Heartland  or Central Eurasia  already is, and will continue to be, the prime battlefield in the New Great Game, fought between the United States and the China-Russia strategic partnership.

The original Great Game pitted the British and Russian empires in the late 19th century, and in fact, never got away: it just metastasized into the US-UK entente versus the USSR, and, subsequently, the US-EU versus Russia.

According to the Mackinder-designed geopolitical game conceptualized by imperial Britain back in 1904, The Heartland is the proverbial pivot of History, and its re-energized 21st century historical role is as relevant as in centuries ago: a key driver of emerging multipolarity.

So its no wonder all major powers are at work in the Heartland/Central Eurasia: China, Russia, US, EU, India, Iran, Turkiye, and to a lesser extent, Japan. Four out of five Central Asian stans are full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. And some, like Kazakhstan, may soon become members of BRICS+.

The key direct geopolitical clash for influence across the Heartland pits the US against Russia and China on myriad political, economic, and financial fronts.

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The imperial modus operandi privileges  what else  threats and ultimatums. Only four months ago, US emissaries from the State Department, Treasury, and Office of Foreign Affairs Control (OFAC) toured the Heartland bearing a whole package of gifts," as in blatant or thinly disguised threats. The key message: if you help or even trade with Russia in any way, you will be slapped with secondary sanctions.

Informal conversations with businesses in Uzbekistan's Samarkand and Bukhara and contacts in Kazakhstan reveal a pattern: Everyone seems to be aware that the Americans will go no holds barred to hold the Heartland/Central Asia at gunpoint.

Kings of the Ancient Silk Roads

Theres hardly a more relevant place across the Heartland to observe the current power play than Samarkand, the fabled Rome of the East. Here we are in the heart of ancient Sogdiana  the historical trade crossroads between China, India, Parthia, and Persia, an immensely important node of East-West cultural trends, Zoroastrianism, and pre/post-Islamic vectors.

From the 4th century to the 8th century, it was the Sogdians who monopolized the caravan trade between East Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia, transporting silk, cotton, gold, silver, copper, weaponry, aromas, furs, carpets, clothes, ceramics, glass, porcelain, ornaments, semi-precious stones, mirrors. Wily Sogdian merchants used protection from nomadic dynasties to solidify trade between China and Byzantium.

The meritocratic Chinese elite, which reasons in terms of very long historical cycles, is very much aware of all of the above: thats a key driver behind the New Silk Roads concept, officially known as BRI (Belt and Road Initiative), as announced nearly 10 years ago by President Xi Jinping in Astana, Kazakhstan. Beijing plans to reconnect with its Western neighbors as the necessary pathway towards increased pan-Eurasian trade and connectivity.

Beijing and Moscow have complementary focuses when it comes to relations with the Heartland  always under the principle of strategic cooperation. Both have been engaged in regional security and economic cooperation with Central Asia since 1998. Established in 2001, the SCO is an actual product of the Russia-China common strategy as well as a platform for non-stop dialogue with the Heartland.

How different Central Asian stans react to it is a multi-level issue. Tajikistan, for instance, economically fragile and heavily dependent on the Russian market as a provider of cheap labor, officially keeps an open door policy to every sort of cooperation, including with the west.

Kazakhstan and the US have established a Strategic Partnership Council (their last meeting was late last year). Uzbekistan and the US have a strategic partnership dialogue, set up in late 2021. American business presence is very much visible in Tashkent, via an imposing trade center, not to mention Coke and Pepsi in every Uzbek village corner shop.

The EU tries to keep up, especially in Kazakhstan, where over 30 percent of foreign trade ($39 billion) and investments ($12.5 billion) come from Europe. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev  extremely popular for opening up the country five years ago  nabbed $9 billion in trade deals when he visited Germany three months ago.

Since the inception of the Chinese BRI a decade ago, the EU, by comparison, invested around $120 billion across the Heartland: not too shabby (40 percent of total foreign investment), but still below Chinese commitments.

What is Turkiye really up to?

The imperial focus in the Heartland is predictably Kazakhstan, because of its vast oil and gas resources. US-Kazakh trade represents 86 percent of all American trade with Central Asia, which was an unimpressive $3.8 billion last year. Compare that figure with only 7 percent of US trade with Uzbekistan.

It's fair to argue that most of these four Central Asian stans in the SCO practice multifaceted diplomacy, trying not to attract unwanted imperial ire. Kazakhstan, for its part, goes for balanced diplomacy: thats part of its Concept of Foreign Policy 2014-2020.

In a sense, Astanas new motto expresses some continuity with the previous one, multi-vector diplomacy, established during the nearly three-decade rein of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Kazakhstan, under President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is a member of the SCO, the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU), and BRI, but at the same time, must be on 24/7 alert to imperial machinations. After all, it was Moscow and prompt intervention by the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that saved Tokayev from a color revolution attempt in early 2022.

The Chinese, for their part, invest in a collective approach, solidified, for instance, in high-profile meetings such as the China-Central Asia 5+1 Summit, held only 3 months ago.

Then theres the extremely curious case of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), formerly Turkic Council, which unites Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and three Central Asian stans, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

This OTS' overarching aim is to promote comprehensive cooperation among Turkic-speaking states. Not much in practice is visible across the Heartland, apart from the odd billboard promoting Turkish products. A visit to the secretariat in Istanbul in the spring of 2022 did not exactly yield solid answers, apart from vague references to projects on economy, culture, education, transport, and, more significantly, customs.

Last November, in Samarkand, the OTS signed an agreement on the establishment of a simplified customs corridor. Its too early to tell whether this would be able to foment a sort of mini-Turkiye Silk Road across the Heartland.

Still, its enlightening to keep an eye on what they may come up with next. Their charter privileges developing common positions on foreign policy issues, coordinating actions to combat international terrorism, separatism, extremism, and cross-border crimes, and creating favorable conditions for trade and investment.

Turkmenistan  the idiosyncratic Central Asian stan which vehemently insists on its absolute geopolitical neutrality  happens to be an OTS observer state. Also as eye-catching is a Center of Nomadic Civilizations based in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

Solving the Russian-Heartland riddle

Western sanctions against Russia have ended up profiting quite a few Heartland players. Because Central Asias economies are closely linked to Russia, exports skyrocketed  as much, by the way, as imports from Europe.

Quite a few EU companies resettled in the Heartland after leaving Russia  with the corresponding process of selected Central Asian tycoons buying Russian assets. In parallel, because of the Russian troop mobilization drive, arguably tens of thousands of relatively wealthy Russians moved to the Heartland, while an extra lot of Central Asian workers found new jobs, especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Last year, for instance, remittances to Uzbekistan shot up to a hefty $16.9 billion: 85 percent of this (about $14.5 billion) came from workers in Russia. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, economies across the Heartland will grow by a healthy 5.2 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2024.

That economic boost is plainly visible in Samarkand: The city is a giant construction  and restoration  site today. Impeccably new, wide boulevards are springing up everywhere, complete with lush green landscaping, flowers, fountains, and wide sidewalks, all sparkling clean. No vagrants, no homeless, no crackheads. Visitors from decaying western metropolises are absolutely stunned.

In Tashkent, the Uzbek government is building a vast, stunning Center of Islamic Civilization, heavily focused on pan-Eurasia business.

Theres no question the key geopolitical vector all across the Heartland is the relationship with Russia. Russian remains the lingua franca in every sphere of life.

Lets start with Kazakhstan, which shares an enormous 7,500 km-long border with Russia (yet there are no border disputes). Back in the USSR, the five Central Asian stans were, in fact, denominated Central Asia and Kazakhstan, because a large part of Kazakhstan lies in the south of West Siberia, and close to Europe. Kazakhstan sees itself as quintessentially Eurasian - it is no wonder that since the Nazarbayev years, Astana privileges Eurasia integration.

Last year, at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Tokayev told Russian President Vladimir Putin, in person, that Astana would not recognize the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk Peoples Republics. Kazakh diplomats keep stressing they cant afford to have the country as a gateway to bypass Western sanctions  although, in the shadows, that's what happens in many cases.

Kyrgyzstan, for its part, canceled the CSTO Strong Brotherhood-2022 joint military exercises scheduled for October last year  it is worth mentioning that the problem in this case was not Russia, but a border issue with Tajikistan.

Putin has proposed to establish a Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan gas union. As it stands, nothing has happened, and may not happen.

All these must be considered as minor setbacks. Last year, Putin visited all five Central Asian stans for the first time in quite a while. Mirroring China, they held a 5+1 summit also for the first time. Russian diplomats and businessmen ply Heartland roads full-time. And lets not forget that the presidents of all five Central Asian stans were themselves present in the Red Square parade in Moscow on Victory Day last May.

Russian diplomacy knows everything there is to know about the major imperial obsession to extract the Central Asian stans from Russian influence.

That goes way beyond the official US Central Asia Strategy 2019-2025  and it has reached hysteria status after the US humiliation in Afghanistan and the impending NATO humiliation in Ukraine.

On the crucial energy front, very few remember today that the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, then reduced to TAP (India pulled out), was a priority of the American (italics mine) New Silk Road, concocted at the State Department and sold by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011.

Nothing practical happened with that pie in the sky. What the Americans did manage to do, recently, was to scotch the development of a competitor, the Iran-Pakistan (IP) pipeline, by forcing Islamabad to cancel it, in the wake of the whole lawfare scandal designed to eliminate former Premier Imran Khan from Pakistans political life.

Still, the TAPI-IP Pipelineistan saga is far from over. With Afghanistan free from US occupation, Russia's Gazprom, as well as Chinese firms, are very much interested in participating in the construction of TAPI: The pipeline would be a strategic BRI node, linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the crossroads between Central and South Asia.

The alien collective west

As much as Russia is  and will continue to be - a known currency all across the Heartland, the Chinese model is unsurpassed as a sustainable development example capable of inspiring an array of indigenous Central Asian solutions.

In contrast, what does the Empire have to offer? In a nutshell: Divide and Rule, via its localized terror minions such as ISIS-Khorasan, instrumentalized to foment political destabilization in the weakest Central Asian nodes, from the Ferghana valley to the Afghan-Tajik border, for instance.

The multiple challenges facing the Heartland have been discussed in detail in meetings such as the

Valdai Central Asian Conference.

Valdai Club expert Rustam Khaydarov may have coined the most concise appraisal of West-Heartland relations:

The collective West is alien to us both in terms of culture and worldview. There is not a single phenomenon or event, or element of modern culture, which could serve as the basis for a relationship and rapprochement between the US and European Union on the one hand and Central Asia on the other. Americans and Europeans have no idea about the culture and mentality or traditions of the peoples of Central Asia, so they could not and will not be able to interact with us. Central Asia does not view economic prosperity in conjunction with the liberal democracy of the West, which is essentially an alien concept to the countries of the region.

Considering this scenario, and in the context of a New Great Game that is becoming increasingly incandescent by the day, its no wonder that some Heartland diplomatic circles are very much interested in a closer integration of Central Asia into BRICS+. Thats something bound to be discussed at the BRICS summit in South Africa next week.

The strategic formula reads like Russia + Central Asia + South Asia + Africa + Latin America - yet another instance of Global Globe (to quote Lukashenko) integration. It may all start with Kazakhstan becoming the first Heartland nation accepted as a member of BRICS+.

After that, all the world is a stage for the re-energized Return of the Heartland in transportation, logistics, energy, trade, manufacturing, investment, infotech, culture, and  last but not least, in the spirit of the Silk Roads, old and new  people to peoples exchanges.
August 18/19, 2023 - Information Clearing House - US Secretary of State Tony Blinken tweeted in celebration of Pakistans preparations for free and fair elections on Wednesday, a week after it was revealed that the US pressured Pakistan to oust its popular democratically elected prime minister Imran Khan last year.

Congratulations to new Pakistan Interim Prime Minister @anwaar_kakar, tweeted Blinken. As Pakistan prepares for free and fair elections, in accordance with its constitution and the rights to freedom of speech and assembly, we will continue to advance our shared commitment to economic prosperity.

An article published by The Intercept last week titled Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure to Remove Imran Khan revealed evidence that the US State Department which Blinken heads had placed pressure on the Pakistani government to remove Khan from office in March of last year. A leaked document reports that State Department official Donald Lu issued blatant threats to Pakistans ambassador to the United States that it will be tough going ahead for Pakistan if Khan wasnt ousted but all will be forgiven if he was, saying the US and its European allies didnt like the prime ministers aggressively neutral position on the Ukraine war.

The following month Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote, and he now sits in prison, officially barred from politics for five years.

The authenticity of the document has been begrudgingly confirmed by Pakistani officials opposed to Khan, yet prior to its publication by The Intercept the US State Department had denied what was revealed by its contents on multiple occasions. Last month State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said unequivocally that the United States does not have a position on one political candidate or party versus another in Pakistan or any other country, which is plainly contradicted by the revelations in the document.

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Obviously if youve got officials from the worlds most powerful, violent and destructive government telling your country it will be tough going ahead if its prime minister is not removed from power but all will be forgiven if he is, thats brazen interference in the democratic processes of that nation. Yet here is the head of the State Department babbling about the wonderful free and fair elections in Pakistan.

Earlier this month the State Department put out another doozy on Twitter (or whatever were calling it now), quoting Blinken saying Governments that violate human rights are almost always the same ones that flout other key parts of that order  such as invading, coercing, and threatening other countries, or breaking trade rules.

All of which the US government of course does regularly.

Such glaring hypocrisy is standard for US secretaries of state, because their job entails continually using concepts like democracy and human rights not as values that they wish to promote, but as political cudgels to be used against their enemies.

This was explained in stark detail in a leaked 2017 State Department memo in which warmongering swamp monster Brian Hook was seen explaining how the US government views human rights to then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson  a newcomer to the DC underworld at the time. Hook told Tillerson that human rights violations should be forcefully criticized in Americas enemies, and overlooked in nations that bow to the dictates of Washington.

One useful guideline for a realistic and successful foreign policy is that allies should be treated differently  and better  than adversaries, Hook wrote, naming China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran as examples of adversary nations who should be aggressively criticized for human rights violations, and naming Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines as examples of US-aligned nations where human rights violations should be overlooked.

The memo was labeled SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, which is a good designation for information about something that isnt really a secret in Washington but theyd still definitely prefer people didnt pay much attention to.

Since we know this is the established orthodoxy in the US State Department, its no wonder that secretaries of state are always speaking in ways that run directly counter to the actions of their own government. The US empire doesnt care about democracy or human rights, it cares about power and control. Paying lip service to democracy and human rights is just one of the ways they manufacture the illusion of moral authority while diplomatically undermining the governments they dont like.

For this reason it would perhaps be better to refer to the State Department as the Hypocrisy Department, and the secretary of state the secretary of hypocrisy. Or maybe the secretary of hypocritical finger-wagging, if you want to get fancy about things.

The State Department was originally meant to be the counterpart to the War Department. The War Department (later renamed the Department of Defense to keep things from being too obvious) was meant to focus on war, and the State Department was meant to focus on diplomacy and peace.

What ended up happening, as the US power structure morphed into a globe-spanning empire dependent on endless violence and aggression, is that the State Department wound up focusing more and more on manufacturing interventionist narratives on the world stage to gin up international support for starvation sanctions, proxy wars and war coalitions.

So in practice the US ended up with two war departments: the Department of Defense and the State Department. Which is why youve seen the nations secretaries of state becoming more and more jingoistic and psychopathic, to the point where some sort of antisocial personality disorder is almost a job requirement for the position.

But thats just what the US empire is at this point in history: a giant, planet-sprawling bully with a severe personality disorder. The US empire has all the personality characteristics of a malignant narcissist  it sees people as resources to exploit instead of as humans to relate to, it communicates to manipulate and control rather than to connect and understand, and anyone who doesnt center its desires as a priority above all else becomes its enemy.

Couldnt ask for a better face to place on that operation than Antony John Blinken.

Caitlin's articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking her on Facebook, following her antics on Twitter, checking out her podcast, throwing some money into her hat on Patreon or Paypal, or buying her book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. New book! Lao Sue And Other Poems, available in paperback or PDF/ebook. - All works co-authored with her husband Tim Foley. https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au
The United States has to have an enemy. For the last seven years, the enemy has been Russia. Now the focus has shifted to China. Take a look at these headlines on Google News and youll see what I mean:

Get the picture? China is a bigtime threat to the United States. Forget that the US regularly sends its warships into the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Forget that the US has encircled China with military bases and missile systems. Forget that the US has sent multiple delegations to Taipei in violation of the one-China policy. Forget that the US arms and trains military personnel in the Taiwanese Army. Forget that the US imposes unilateral tariffs on Chinese goods and sanctions Chinese businessmen. Forget that the US has implemented the most draconian blockade on advanced semiconductors in history. Forget that the US is building anti-China coalitions across the region. Forget all of these things becauseaccording to the geniuses in the mainstream mediaChina is the problem, China is the threat, and China is the country that is pushing the world towards war.

Does anyone believe this nonsense? Heres how columnist Bradley Blankenship summed it up in an article at RT:

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The US national security state has exploited deep ideological biases in the media and is bankrolling countless think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and academic programs to churn out constant anti-China propaganda. Self-Reinforcing Propaganda, RT

In other words, the USG is working with its allies in the media to saturate the airwaves with anti-China blather in order to convince Americans that China is the source of the problem. Thats how the government shapes public perception and lays the groundwork for war. Check out this excerpt from an article at The Diplomat:

A key feature of mainstream Western media today is the relentless China-bashing. It is off the charts and tiring, often involving regurgitated trivia or fabricated stories with no evidence to support callous statements about the country, demonstrating a deep lack of understanding. But such stories continue to be churned out with no end in sight. Countering this in international media by offering more balanced views for a global audience is near impossible as censorship is rife. There almost seems to be a global compact to control the narrative, a propaganda war powered by todays digital technology. Typically, the negative stories adhere to three core ideas, which inform the unspoken guidelines within these press rooms when it comes to reporting on China. First is the belief that China is a threat to the world and that this belief must be relentlessly reinforced at every available opportunity. How and why China is a threat is never explored; such is the deep-rooted and almost religious nature of the belief. Sound arguments do not matter. The basic tenets of good journalism are ignored when it comes to a China story. There is no need to explain or give evidence of why China is a global threat. Anti-China Rhetoric Is Off the Charts in Western Media, The Diplomat

China poses no threat to the West, in fact, China has never invaded another country in its 70 year-long history. Compare that to Washingtons unbroken record of violence around the world. Heres a brief recap

The United States launched at least 251 military interventions between 1991 and 2022. This is according to a report by the Congressional Research Service, a US government institution that compiles information on behalf of Congress. The report documented another 218 US military interventions from 1798 to 1990. That makes for a total of 469 US military interventions since 1798 that have been acknowledged by the Congress. The list of countries targeted by the US military includes the vast majority of the nations on Earth, including almost every single country in Latin America and the Caribbean and most of the African continent. The Military Intervention Project at Tufts Universitys Center for Strategic Studies has documented even more foreign meddling. The US has undertaken over 500 international military interventions since 1776, with nearly 60% undertaken between 1950 and 2017, the project wrote. Whats more, over one-third of these missions occurred after 1999. The Military Intervention Project added: With the end of the Cold War era, we would expect the US to decrease its military interventions abroad, assuming lower threats and interests at stake. But these patterns reveal the opposite  the US has increased its military involvements abroad.

US launched 251 military interventions since 1991, and 469 since 1798, Geopolitical Economy

And which country is the greatest threat to world peace? China?

Not even close. Take a look:

The U.S. emerged as the greatest threat to world peace, followed by Pakistan and China, in the End of Year global survey conducted by WIN/Gallup International across 65 countries in the world. Of more than 66,000 people surveyed the world over, 24% of respondents believed that the U.S. was the greatest threat to world peace. Pakistan and China got eight and six percent of the votes respectively while Iran, Israel, North Korea and Afghanistan tied for fourth place with four percent of the votes.

The U.S. Is The Biggest Threat To World Peace, Buzzfeed

So, maybe, China is not the biggest threat, after all? Is that what were saying?

Indeed, China is not a threat to the United States, in fact, Chinas highest ideal is peaceful development. Think about that for a minute: Development without war. Is it even possible?

It is possible, and the US and China should work together to make it happen. Theres no reason why the worlds two biggest economies cannot work together on the shared goals of economic integration, state-of-the-art infrastructure and poverty reduction. We need leaders who will embrace collaboration and cooperation not exacerbate divisions and confrontation. We need to strengthen relations with China not look for ways vilify, coerce or bully them.

Unfortunatelyas we all knowthe western rules-based order is controlled by billionaire oligarchs who bitterly oppose nationalistic leaders who cherish their own sovereign independence and act in the interests of their own people. They wont allow that. Western elites believe that all material wealth and power should be in private hands (not public hands) which is why they are determined to provoke a war with China, so the matter can be resolved militarily. In short, the conflict with China is shaping-up to be a nuclear cage-match between the globalists and the nationalists.

The Wests greatest asset in this struggle is the media whose propaganda helps to garner the public support the elites need to drive the country to war. Regrettably, the plan appears to be working. For example, in 2018 a mere 4 in 10 Americans saw Chinas rise as a threat to US vital interests. (The Chicago Council on Global Affairs) Compare those results to the recent survey at Gallup which showed that 66% of U.S. adults consider (China) to be a critical threat to the vital interests of the U.S.

In just 4 years the media has persuaded a majority of Americans that China poses a clear threat to the United States. How can one explain these results other than pointing to the pernicious impact of state propaganda used to poison the minds of Americans against Washingtons biggest economic rival?

Heres more from Gallup:

In addition to holding a largely unfavorable opinion of China, more Americans name China as the United States greatest enemy than any other nation by a wide margin. This view is closely linked to two other measures in the poll, which find that Americans broadly believe Chinas military and economic powers represent a critical threat to the United States vital interests in the next decade. Record-Low 15% of Americans View China Favorably, Gallup

Chinas military is a critical threat to the US? Is that really what Americans think?

And where exactly has Chinas military been deployed in the last 30 years: Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iraq?

No, for the last 7 decades Chinas military has remained in China. China has invaded no one and certainly has no intention to do so in the future. Americans have no reason to fear China. What they need to fear is the deranged neocons who send US warships into the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, 8,000 miles from the United States. Thats who they should fear, because that is a deliberate provocation aimed at triggering a war.

A recent survey by the Pew Research Center appeared to show that public opinion of China has dropped dramatically in 24 countries. But a closer look at the survey shows just the opposite, in fact, Pew helps to prove the point we have been trying to make here, which is, that the countries most dominated by the western media are more likely to have unfavorable views of China. Its not a coincidence. Heres how Blankenship summed it up:

The agency polled adults in 24 countries; there are 193 United Nations member states, which indicates that it does not show any serious global trend purely based on its methodology. There is also a strong selection bias for high-income countries and American allies. However, some middle-income and poorer countries were polled and the data reveals what many know to be true  the Global South largely has favorable views of China. For example, the Pew survey found that countries such as Kenya (72%), Nigeria (80%) and Mexico (57%) hold favorable views of China... Since poorer countries are the beneficiaries of bilateral cooperation with China, including on the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it is natural that they would have a higher opinion of Beijing. Pew, however, mostly did not select countries with high-level strategic cooperation with Beijing. there has been a steady downward trend fully in line with American foreign policy, e.g., after 2012 with former President Barack Obamas Pivot to Asia, the Trump trade war, and whatever it is that the current administration of President Joe Biden is doing. The US national security state has exploited deep ideological biases in the media and is bankrolling countless think tanks, non-governmental organizations, and academic programs to churn out constant anti-China propaganda. There is a definitive and ongoing battle for hearts and minds between China and the US, and so-called China experts are the Americans foot soldiers whether they realize it or not. And there are only bound to be more systemic incentives for China hawks in the future considering members of the US Congress keep introducing legislation, like the Senate Countering Chinese Propaganda Act or the House Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act, which would see hundreds of millions spent on negative news coverage against China. Both of these bills have been absorbed into the House and Senates versions of the America COMPETES Act, which have passed in both chambers but are awaiting minor changes before becoming law. Self-reinforcing propaganda: A new poll shows people dislike China, but theres a catch, Bradley Blankenship, RT

Soeven though a majority of Americans already believe that China is their enemyCongress wants to spend hundreds of millions more to intensify the medias indoctrination campaign to ensure that any critical thinking person who believes the US should pursue a policy of peaceful engagement with China will be denounced as a coward, a traitor and a puppet of Xi Jinping.

This is the scenario well be facing if we dont find a candidate who will break with the war-mongering concensus and craft a policy that focuses on a long-term accomodation with China that circumvents a catstrophic confrontation. Avoiding World War 3 should be our top priority.

Mike lives in Washington state. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.
A suspected ritualist, identified as Sani, has been reportedly burnt to death by an angry mob in Lapai town, the headquarters of Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.

The horrible incident was confirmed by a resident, Abdullahi Yahaya who spoke with Daily Trust.

According to Yahaya, the suspect was caught with two little girls on Friday around 1 p.m. and was immediately set ablaze.

He said, There have been several reported cases of missing children in Lapai town in the last one year. Some children were later found alive while some were killed for ritual. Residents felt that each time they caught the suspects and handed them over to security agencies, they later found them on the street after a few days. That was what prompted the mob action.

READ MORE: Angry Mob Beat Policeman To Stupor For Causing BRT Accident In Lagos

The Niger State Police Commands Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, also confirmed the incident, saying that the suspect was accused of stealing a baby around the burial ground area of Lapai.

Abiodun said, On the receipt of the information, DPO Lapai mobilised and led a patrol team to the scene, but before the police arrived at the scene, an irate mob armed with cutlasses and other weapons had beaten the suspect to a coma and set him ablaze.

Efforts were made to put out the fire and rescue him. Unfortunately, he was burnt beyond recognition, while the body was later evacuated to the General Hospital, Lapai.

Abiodun said the Commissioner of Police in the state had already directed an investigation into the matter with a view to arresting and bringing the perpetrators to book.

The CP urged members of the public to desist from self-help and report incidents to the police for immediate intervention.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has reportedly arrested the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Abbas Umar Masanawa, over his alleged role in the ongoing corruption probe of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to Peoples Gazette, Masanawa was arrested and detained in DSS custody three weeks ago and has remained there as investigation continued.

INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that Masanawas arrest stemmed from his role as the managing director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).

A source familiar with the arrest said: He was conspiring with Godwin Emefiele to loot the printing and minting agency. We are still tracing billions they stole.

READ MORE: Arms Possession: Suspended CBN Gov. Emefiele Pleads Not Guilty As Lagos Court Dismisses FGs Rejection Of Bail Application

He resigned from NSPMC after he contested for the Kastina governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while still in office as the nations printing and minting boss.

The NSPMC is a subsidiary of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) responsible for printing and minting the nations currency notes, coins and high-level security documents.

Meanwhile, Masanawas arrest came after President Bola Tinubu appointed an anti-graft expert, Jim Obazee, to uncover fraud at the CBN and other federal agencies.

The Obazee-led team is said to have initiated a probe into all relevant agencies that are said to have connived with the CBN and its parastatals.

It was learned that Masanawa served as special adviser to Emefiele and steadily moved up the ladder to become the executive director at the NSPMC.

After he failed to clinch the governorship ticket, Emefiele appointed him as the new head of NIRSAL, following the removal of the agencys former boss Aliyu Abdulhameed amid corruption allegations.
The Lagos State Government has declared Monday, August 21, as a work-free day for all public servants in the state in commemoration of the 2023 Isese Day celebration which will be held on Sunday, August 20.

This was announced in a statement dated August 18, and signed by the Head of Service (HoS), in Lagos State, Hakeem Muri-Okunola.

He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared Monday to be a work-free day for public employees with a view to promoting our indigenous culture and tradition while preserving our heritage.

READ ALSO: Isese: Stop Provoking Our Members  Traditionalists Warn Muslim Extremists

The statement read: It is hereby notified for general information that this Years Isese Day celebration will hold on Sunday, 20th August, 2023.

In restating its commitment to continue to provide necessary support to traditional institutions in the State with a view to promoting our indigenous culture and tradition while preserving our heritage, Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has graciously declared Monday, 21st August, 2023, a work-free day for public servants in the state.

Work will, therefore, resume on Tuesday, 22nd August at 8a.m. prompt.

Accordingly, Accounting Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are hereby enjoined to take note of the contents of this circular and give it the deserved service-wide publicity.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Friday, asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the omission of a minister of Niger Delta affairs in his cabinet, as submerging the ministry will not augur well with the region.

Recall that on Wednesday, Tinubu assigned portfolios to minister-designates, some days after they were confirmed by the Senate but the Niger Delta affairs ministry was omitted from the list.

Following a meeting of its Board of Trustees and National Executive Committee, PANDEF, via a communique expressed great surprise that no portfolio was designated to the existing ministry of Niger Delta affairs.

The communique, jointly signed by Edwin Clark, PANDEFs convener, and Emmanuel Essien, National Chairman of the Forum, reminded Tinubu that the ministry was created specifically to focus on infrastructural development, environmental protection and empowerment of youths in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Is Complex, But Not Difficult To Manage  Tinubu Urges Citizens To Endure Hardship

According to the group, the ministry, which was created by late President Umaru Musa YarAdua in 2008, was sustained under former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, to advance the course of the peace in the Niger Delta region.

Any misguided step toward scrapping or submerging the ministry will create an unfavourable environment with adverse consequences, PANDEF warned.

It further cautioned the Federal Government to desist from tampering with any institution(s) which along with the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, have been flagship institution(s), to ensure peace and development in the Niger Delta region.

PANDEF expressed hope that the Federal Government will be properly advised on the matter, adding that its leadership and the people of the region are committed to enduring peace and stability in the overall interest of the country.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military has been keeping the only wheat field in the Sarushen village under gunfire for a long time to deprive the residents of the opportunity of producing bread, the Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan warned Saturday.

Farmers and agricultural equipment are targeted by Azerbaijani forces from nearby outpost whenever they try to approach the wheat field for harvesting.

On August 15, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities reported that a man has died of starvation in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the ongoing Azeri blockade which has led to a humanitarian disaster.

Although every time the date and time of the planned harvest is coordinated by the Russian peacekeepers with the Azerbaijani side, and the harvest is organized at the presence of the peacekeepers on the ground, as soon as the work starts a constant shooting from various small arms starts taking place, and the agricultural work gets suspended while the civilians are taken to a safe location by the peacekeepers, Nersisyan added.

The residents of Sarushen are deprived of their only source of bread, the chance of collecting grain, Nersisyan said.

Farmers in Sarushen have come under Azeri gunfire many times throughout the week.

The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations highest court  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.
Kano State-based Nigerien nationals in their numbers, on Saturday, organized a peaceful demonstration to express their opposition to the recent coup in their home country.

The nationals also expressed their endorsement of the sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Niger Republic .

Condemning the military coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoums democratically elected government, these residents also cautioned against any form of military interference in their nation.

Leader of the peaceful protest, Lawalli Mamman Barma, appealed to the coupists saying, We demand without condition, the release of the president of Niger Republic, as well as his family and all other kidnapped persons.

Barma who urged ECOWAS to rescind its decision to enforce military forces in the country, stressed that dialogue is the best approach to resolving conflict than military confrontation.

However, Kanos Commissioner of Police, Hussaini Gumel, dismissed reports about protests by residents of the State.

Gumel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that the command was not aware of any protest by residents of the city against the proposed troops deployment.

I am just hearing the report from you on the so-called demonstration by Kano residents because of the political situation in Niger Republic.

READ ALSO: Poor People Are Ingrates, Worlds Most Dangerous  Apostle Suleman

You can see we are just coming back from the Passing-Out ceremony of graduands of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, where about 169 cadet officers were commissioned by President Tinubu.

So, frankly speaking I have not given any person or group of residents permit to embark on demonstration because of the political happenings in our next-door neighbour, Niger Republic.

You can see Kano is a peaceful State and we will continue to provide security to enable residents to move about their businesses without threats to lives and property, he said.

Meanwhile an ECOWAS delegation, headed by former Nigerian leader Abdulsalami Abubakar has arrived Niger for talks with the military officers who seized power and ousted Bazoum.

Nigers governing military council has also confirmed the arrival of ECOWAS representatives.

A plane carrying the delegation landed in Nigers capital, Niamey, on Saturday, a day after the ECOWAS military chiefs said they were ready to intervene to reinstate Bazoum.

ECOWAS defence chiefs met within the week in Accra, Ghanaian capital, to fine-tune details of a potential military operation to restore Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with coup leaders fail.
The Chiefs of Defence Staff committee of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it has wrapped up its military intervention plans in Niger Republic.

Recall that ECOWAS agreed to use force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts failed to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who was toppled and detained since the July 26 coup.

Couple of weeks ago, the military junta also defied the blocs deadline to relinquish power, leading to ECOWAS deployment of standby military troops last week.

ECOWAS, on Thursday, also said it had begun the activation of its standby force in the West African country to restore constitutional order.

The bloc added that its defence chiefs would meet in Accra, Ghanas capital, to finalise plans for the deployment of force.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, speaking during the closing ceremony of the two-day meeting on Friday, said the defence chiefs had agreed on a day to intervene.

READ ALSO: Were Ready To Invade Niger Republic  ECOWAS Force

The Commissioner added that the regional body is still seeking to engage peacefully with Nigers military leaders.

We are ready to go anytime the order is given.

The D-day is also decided. Weve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention. As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.

Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty, Musah said.

Note that the military junta has defied calls from the United States and France, and the United Nations (UN) as well as the African Union (AU) to reinstate Bazoum.

The coup leaders had ousted the president on account of bad governance and worsening security.
The Prime Minister of Niger Republic, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, has stated that detained President, Mohamed Bazoum will not die, pending his time with the coup.

Zeine, stated this on Friday, in an interview with The New York Times, saying, Nothing will happen to him because we dont have a tradition of violence in Niger.

He also added that the new leaders of Niger have no plans to collaborate with Russia or the Wagner group, backed by the Kremlin.

However, The New York Times stated that the coup leaders reported actions, which included cutting off water and electricity to Bazoums residence and alleged threats to his life.

Reacting to these reports, the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, warned of grave consequences if Bazoums health deteriorates.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations, there are concerns over Bazoums health and status prompted inquiries from the media.

READ MORE: Niger Coup: Obidients Slam Doyin Okupe Over Support For President Tinub

The spokesman to the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said, Ive spoken to someone who speaks to him regularly. And, yes, as far as we know, we have no indication to say that hes not alive. So, as far as I know, hes alive.
Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have rescued a kidnapped victim in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the State as the security men, through intelligence, foiled the abduction process.

It was gathered that on August 17, 2023, at about 20.35 hours, the Divisional Police Officer, Oghara police station received information from members of the community that some persons suspected to be kidnappers were sighted in a white Benz GLK with reg. No ABC-448-HC around the Ogharake community.

However, the DPO swiftly mobilised and led a team of the Commands Anti-cult unit alongside the divisional patrol team to the area with the support of community youth and local vigilantes.

However, the team, embarked on a serious patrol of the area until about 2150 hours when the policemen sighted the said vehicle and on getting closer to the vehicle, the hoodlums abandoned the car and escaped into the bush.

The spokesman for the command, DSP Bright Edafe said in a signed statement that upon search of the vehicle, the kidnapped victim was rescued by the operatives.

He also confirmed that 20 rounds of 7.62 AK-47 live ammunition were recovered.

READ MORE: Delta Police Nab Pastor For Kidnapping, Recover Arms

The PPRO stated that the investigation revealed that the victim was kidnapped in Sapele at the entrance of his apartment on the same date at about 1900 hours.

Meanwhile, the victim has since been reunited with his family while a manhunt for the fleeing suspects is ongoing, according to the police spokesman.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, while commending the efforts of the DPO and his men, also assured members of the public that the Command will continue to embark on a more proactive and intelligence-led operation to see that these criminal elements are completely flushed out of the state.

The CP urged members of the public to assist the police by providing useful, timely, and credible information that will aid in crime fighting.
A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a new sentence for a North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to a petty offense in the Capitol riot  a ruling that could impact dozens of low-level cases in the massive Jan. 6, 2021 prosecution.

The appeals court in Washington said James Little was wrongly sentenced for his conviction on a misdemeanor offense to both prison time and probation, which is court-ordered monitoring of defendants who are not behind bars.

Little, who entered the Capitol but didnt join in any destruction or violence, pleaded guilty in 2021 to a charge that carries up to six months behind bars. He was sentenced last year to 60 days in prison followed by three years of probation.

But the 2-1 opinion from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said that probation and imprisonment may not be imposed as a single sentence for a petty offense, adding there are separate options on the menu. Judge Robert Wilkins, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, dissented.

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The decision could invalidate the sentences of dozens of Jan. 6 defendants who received what is known as a split sentence for a petty offense. More than 80 other Jan. 6 defendants have been sentenced to both prison time and probation for the same misdemeanor offense as Little, according to an Associated Press analysis.

The practical effect, however, may be limited as almost all of them have likely already served their prison terms long ago. Littles attorney had asked the appeals court to simply order an end to his probation monitoring since he already served his 60 days behind bars.

An attorney for Little declined to comment on Friday. The Justice Department could appeal the decision. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorneys office in Washington said: We are reviewing the Courts ruling and will determine our next steps in accordance with the law.

Some judges who have imposed such sentences in misdemeanor cases have stressed the need to keep tabs on Jan. 6 defendants after they serve their time to prevent them from engaging in such conduct during the next election. While on probation, defendants have to check in with a probation officer and follow certain conditions.

The Court must not only punish Little for his conduct but also ensure that he will not engage in similar conduct again during the next election, the judge who sentenced Little, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, wrote in a ruling last year.

Some term of imprisonment may serve sentencings retributive goals. But only a longer-term period of probation is adequate to ensure that Little will not become an active participant in another riot, he wrote.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Little went to President Donald Trumps speech ahead of the riot and then walked to the Capitol, where he fist-bumped other rioters and went into the Senate Gallery, according to court records. After leaving the Capitol, he and others prayed on the Capitol steps and sang Were Not Gonna Take It, by Twisted Sister, according to court documents.

More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot. More than 600 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials decided by a jury or judge. About 600 have been sentenced, with over half getting terms of imprisonment ranging from three days to 18 years.
Gloria L. Pemberton, 77, of West Philadelphia, Pa., poses for a portrait with one of the two giant air purifiers she temporarily got after another fire broke out at the junkyard around the corner of her home in West Philadelphia. Read more

Gloria Pemberton, 77, said she felt a deja vu of sorts the minute her eyes began to water Tuesday as an acrid smell wafted through her home office window.

The block captain for the 4200 and 4300 stretches of Thompson Street peeped outside her window in time to hear a neighbor shout, I dont believe this  not again!

A fire had broken out at Back 2 New 2, a 24-hour tire shop, collision repair business, and scrapyard, for at least the third time this summer.

It was so bad, Im in the house with an N95 mask on, said Pemberton as plumes of smoke made their way from the site around the corner.

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Breathing became so difficult that she took up a fire damage and restoration companys offer  employees showed up at her door after the fire trucks  and let them install two industrial air scrubbers, one in the middle of her living room and another upstairs.

No one was injured Tuesday and the cause of the latest fire on the 1200 block of Belmont Avenue remains under investigation. But it was not until this third blaze that Back 2 New 2 came to the Department of Licenses and Inspections attention.

The day after the blaze, an inspector found the portion of the property where the fire broke out was operating as an illegal scrapyard. The business was also storing cars on an adjacent property, according to a department spokesperson. L&I issued several violations related to the fire code, zoning, and certificate of occupancy, but how the business went under the radar shows how the onus of enforcement often falls on residents.

Efforts to reach Back 2 New 2, which has no active licenses affiliated with the business, and owner Belmont Investment Holdings, were unsuccessful. Its unclear when the business began to operate as a scrapyard but Khadijah Hameen, a 40-year resident of the area, said trucks are constantly noisily driving through and even leaving car parts behind.

On Wednesday, she pointed to a mangled front bumper lining the sidewalk of Inquiry Charter School and Belmont Charter High School, which sits across the street from the scrapyard.

Its been a nuisance, said Hameen of the business.

Theres also a health-care and rehabilitation center around the corner. The facilitys offerings include respiratory care. Residents said despite the unpleasantness of being next to a scrapyard, concerns took a backburner to getting speed bumps installed on the street.

That is, until the spate of summer fires.

Hameen and Pemberton said they began to worry what the multiple incidence of exposure mean for their health and whose job it is to check on the scrapyard.

An illegal scrapyard goes unnoticed

Scrapyard fires so often make headlines in Philadelphia, its become a bit of morbid humor.

L&I has tried to combat the scrapyard fire season jokes with action, touting a revamped inspection blitz this summer. Except law-abiding scrapyard operators say theres a major limitation to these efforts: L&I cant inspect the scrapyards it doesnt know about.

 READ MORE: L&I revives its scrapyard inspection program: We want compliance

That is what appears to have happened in the case of Back 2 New 2, where it took three fires to get L&Is attention.

The first fire took place late on July 7. An aerial view from a television report that day shows a thick stack of black smoke emerging from the site. The Department of Public Health tested the air quality after that fire and again this week, and said, neither fire resulted in overly toxic levels.

Yet another fire broke out at the scrapyard July 12 around noon, according to Fire Department dispatches. This fire, while alarming to residents, went largely unnoticed by local news and no air quality tests were taken.

How fire responses to scrapyards work

After fire personnel arrive at a scene, they assess what type of backup theyll need. According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, that could mean calling Peco or PGW, and in the case of scrapyard fires it means notifying L&I.

Fire Department spokesperson Rachel Cunningham says after a blaze is contained, the fire marshal begins investigating the cause but is not checking business licensing.

Its unclear why Back 2 New 2s licensing didnt get flagged sooner. According to Cunningham, the department notified L&I of the July fires as indicated by protocol.

An L&I spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions regarding the oversight.

Russell Zerbo, an advocate with the Clean Air Council, said the plight of residents like Pemberton and Hameen get at the heart of why scrapyards are so difficult to get in compliance.

You have a complaint-driven city agency that people dont know how to make complaints to, he said. Theyre certainly not proactively investigating these facilities.

According to L&I, staff were at the scene Thursday to monitor the progress of the oil/water mixture cleanup. The business was given 10 days to remove the cars and parts stored in the private property and get in compliance. If it doesnt, L&I said an order to cease operations will be issued.
Upper Merion Township Police arrested the 26-year-old at a restaurant next to the King of Prussia Mall on Wednesday evening Read more

As Philadelphias underground drill music scene took off in the late 2010s, Khalif Ward made a name for himself in the hyper-local hip-hop subgenre.

On Spotify, the song Risk Takers that Ward released under the moniker Leaf Ward has been streamed more than a million times.

In the comment sections below his YouTube music videos, Wards boasts are met with liberal use of fire emojis, dropped by devoted fans who claim Ward to be one of the citys top talents.

This week, those fans were calling for Ward to be released from prison.

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Upper Merion Township Police arrested the 26-year-old rapper at a restaurant next to the King of Prussia Mall on Wednesday evening, the latest in a series of jailings of drill stars that have shaken the scenes fan base.

Ward was charged with three felonies, court records show, including possessing a firearm that he was barred from owning because of a prior conviction.

He was also charged with evading and resisting arrest, recklessly endangering another person, providing false identification to law enforcement, and several drug-related misdemeanors.

Hes being held in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $150,000 bail.

As the news circulated on social media, details began to emerge about the chaotic foot chase that led to Wards arrest outside the Bahama Breeze restaurant.

Upper Merion Police said theyd been tipped off by surveillance cameras that a black Dodge Challenger reported stolen in Philadelphia in July was traveling toward the restaurant, driven by Ward.

According to the report, Ward was drinking at the bar with a woman when police called a tow truck to remove the vehicle. Noticing the commotion, Ward went outside, saw the officers, and ran back inside the restaurant.

After dashing through the kitchen and ditching a black, Glock .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine, Ward was ordered to the ground at taser point, police said.

Ward allegedly told officers that his name was Omar Washington. Officers say they recovered a plastic pill bottle labeled Bumfeet from the Challenger as well as a white plastic bag that police said resembled MDMA, or ecstasy.

Ward had numerous active arrest warrants sworn out against him, according to police, including one from the joint gun-violence task force of/the state Attorney Generals Office and the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office for felony weapons offenses.

Wards arrest comes as drill music has found steady popularity among younger Philadelphians in recent years. Its fans parse the lyrics and music videos of their favorite neighborhood artists, who document vivid tales of street violence and real-time conflicts between local rivals as they rap over warbling, bass-heavy beats.

That intersection between music and violence has given the genre a dangerous allure. It has also led to the loss of some of its well-known talents, such as Anthony Watson, better known as Blumberg Geez, who was killed in North Philadelphia in June.

This spring, rapper Asyir Clark, known as Lil Bape, was charged with murder for fatally shooting a 16-year-old.

Those instances where boasts result in real-life violence have, in turn, drawn criticism from politicians and community leaders who denounce the genre as an accelerant of the gun violence epidemic plaguing under-resourced communities.

Dubbed as the last decades most important rap subgenre by music outlet Pitchfork, drill is also prized as a creative outlet for young artists to portray the realities of life in urban poverty.
The Wests overall assistance to the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky regime over the year of the special military operation exceeded 160 billion US dollars, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine, Tass informs.

August 19, 2023, 10:11 Wests overall aid to Kiev over year of special operation exceeds $160 bln  Lavrov

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 19, ARTSAKHPRESS: "In terms of money, the Wests aggregate assistance to the Zelensky regime over the year of the special military operation exceeded 160 billion US dollar, including military aid of 75 billion US dollars," he said. "By the way, according to the estimates of the Washington-based The Heritage Foundation NGO, the United States has already allocated around 113 billion US dollars to Ukraine, or some 900 dollars from each household, plus 300 dollars as interests for servicing corresponding debt obligations. Huge sums, especially amid the difficult situation in the global economy."

According to the top Russian diplomat, round 50 countries of the so-called "Ramstein coalition" for military support for Ukraine "are actually involved in the armed conflict on the part of the Kiev regime, which does not hesitate to use terrorist fighting methods." "Large-scale weapons supplies, including cluster and long-range munitions, are being sent to Ukraine," he said. "NATO instructors take part in planning operations of the Ukrainian army, NATO intelligence data are being used."

Meanwhile, Western leaders keep on repeating like aa mantra that they will continue to help Kiev as long as it takes, Lavrov noted. "Of course, this is their choice and the Zelensky juntas decision to go on fighting until the last Ukrainian," he went on. "But, historically, the United States cannot boast a good reputation in terms of supporting its allies." In this context, he recalled that the termination of the US military assistance to South Vietnam in 1973 and to the Ashraf Ghani regime in Afghanistan in 2021 ended up in the immediate fall of the authorities loyal to Washington. "And present-day Ukraine practically totally depends on Western money and weapons supplies," he stressed.
This years Cork on a Fork is commendably proving to be infinitely more ambitious and wide-ranging than last years more tentative inaugural event which arrived when the lingering influence of the pandemic on Irish hospitality was still very much in evidence.

Ongoing over the course of the weekend, The Menu himself is up to his oxters in several events today (Aug 19) and would very much welcome any readers along, including a stint in the Cooking Demo Festival Marquee on Emmet Place where he hosts Only in Cork Mystery Box Cook-Off, what promises to be a riotous on stage cook-off between renowned Cork chefs Ali Honour (Sketch, Imperial Hotel), Brian Murray (Glass Curtain) and Darren Kennedy (most recently Sage Midleton), charged with creating a compelling dish from the Rebel County Mystery Larder Box.

Also appearing on the same stage will be other Cork culinary stars Takashi Miyazaki (Miyazaki, Ichigo Ichie), Aishling Moore (Goldie) and Clare Condon (Good Day Deli).

The Menu will also be joining his esteemed fellow scribes of scoff, Kate Ryan, Caroline Hennessy and John McKenna, in the Crawford Gallery for a discussion on the pleasures of eating in Cork City and its future prospects, before The Menu retires to the Metropole Hotel for what promises to be a splendid night of mollusc-related madness as he hosts a wonderful evening of oyster shucking including the Cork Oyster Shucking Championships with master shucker Paddy McMurray, from Canada, and plentiful bites (of the non-oyster variety as well, for the oyster-ambivalent), beverages and all-round entertainment, including a hunt for Corks first Oyster Virgin.

Sunday (Aug 20) continues with multiple and fabulous dining opportunities to be found all around the city with The Menus pick of the bunch going to Responsible Good Food Talks and Demos (3pm to 5pm) in Good Day Deli at Nano Nagle Place, featuring four talks/demos from their own producers and two new Cork-centric special small plates (available all weekend), created especially for Cork on a Fork Fest by Good Day Delis new head chef, the very wonderful Mark Ahern, most recently of Pigalle.

Seeds of knowledge

There are still spaces to be had on a very splendid Ballymaloe Cookery School day course, Introduction to Seed Saving with Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds (Aug 22, 9.30am-5pm), as one of the great heroes of the Irish food world uses the Garden Room at the Cookery School and the main glasshouse on the organic farm as classrooms for a discussion on seed security and sovereignty and then a practical demo on saving seeds of a wide variety of cereals, herbs and vegetables.

Course participants will learn all about plant reproduction and pollination and how to select plants for seed production and how to harvest, save and store seeds for the future.

Also includes a guided tour of the farm and gardens and refreshments and lunch.

Trigon Hotels is to celebrate its ongoing partnership with Cope Foundation at a gala event where guests can sample local and artisan dishes created by Trigon chefs. Pic: Brian Lougheed

Dine for a great cause

Trigon Hotels celebrates its ongoing partnership with Cope Foundation at a gala fundraising event, The Garden Table (Aug 24, 6pm-9pm) offering guests the opportunity to sample local and artisan dishes created by Trigon chefs, for a dinner taking place at the Beech Hill Garden Centre in Montenotte.

Cope Foundation is a not-for-profit voluntary organisation supporting over 2,000 children and adults with an intellectual disability and/or autism throughout Cork city and county, and they will be joined by Trigon team members to serve up a selection of refreshments, including prosecco and non-alcoholic mint & cucumber cordial, followed by a meal guided by Trigon Hotels Group Executive Chef Alex Petit, with each dish featuring freshly harvested fruit and vegetables from Cope Foundations sensory garden, a collaborative project established by the charity in Montenotte in 2021 with the support of Trigon Hotels.

Poachers' Grapefruit Soda with Irish Sea Salt

TODAYS SPECIAL

The summer may be rapidly gurgling away in torrents down the drainhole but that has not for a moment altered The Menus seasonal sipping as he is more than content to raise the gazebo and grab another geansai rather than admit defeat at the hands of the meteorological mayhem and, very naturally, cocktails are still high on the agenda.

When it comes to adding bottled mixers to spirits, The Menu has one favourite above all others, Poachers, made and bottled in Co Wexford, a county where The Menu has enormous familial ties to this day, but it is the contents of the bottles rather than any emotional links to home of the Yellow Bellies that fills his glass and floats his boat every time.

With two new products added to their already excellent and wonderfully liveried range, The Menu wheeled his sterling silver cocktail cart out to the terraces of Menu Towers and took to experimenting with gleeful abandon.

Grapefruit Soda with Irish Sea Salt and Lemon Soda with Irish Mint are first and foremost excellent libations in their own right, crisp, citric, full of flavour and very refreshing but once they start marrying with spirits, all manner of possible pairings arise, beginning with simple shots of vodka, gin, whiskey and tequila (in an Irish take on the classic Paloma), and, eventually, all bets were off when The Menu conjured up a concoction combining both sodas, grapefruit and lemon, along with egg white, Ornabrak gin and a tincture of his own homemade cherry sugar syrup for a drink appropriately dubbed the Magic Monsoon.

It may or may not prove to be a cocktail for the ages, but it most certainly went down faster than the torrential rain running down the side of the gazebo and acted at the time as a fine replacement for the erstwhile absentee sun.
Eurostat announced last week that 68% of people in their late twenties in Ireland live with their parents.

This is a statistic so jarring, it bears a closer look.

68% of all people between 25 and 29, (73.9% in the case of young men) living with their parents is not just suboptimal for those people on a human level  Ill go out on a limb and presume their parents may not be wild about it either  it signals something deeply, deeply wrong with the way our society is ordered.

Im not here to write a screed about the landlord class or predatory rentals, or the bizarre reality that the housing crisis appears no closer to a solution, despite being the number one issue talked about for the past ten years.

Quite frankly, I dont think my blood pressure could take it, so instead Ill just say this: Even if you were the most capitalistic ogre ever devised in the underground bunker of a South Dublin think tank, what do you think happens in a society where young people are all-but-excluded from major financial decisions?

I picture staff in Woodies DIY, ten years from now, slowly realising no one has bought a shed or a hammer in six months, with peoples prospects of home ownership remote and their entire incomes weighted toward saving for said prospect.

As with babies in Children of Men, might we slowly realise that young, financially secure adults have simply stopped being made?

Or, as with babies in Children of Men, might not the same happen with, well, babies, once the opportunities for procreation involve doing so in a room

filled with childhood dolls and mid-00s premier league posters?

At 37, Im ten years older than the people in that cohort. I left Ireland when I was 25 and, like all Irish emigres, my wife and I used to spend a lot of time talking about moving back.

Actually, its possible we talked about it more than we thought about it, but we did that a lot; basically any time we were in the company of other Irish friends whod done the same.

Each person or couple would have their own lightly sketched theory of return; a seaside bolthole, perhaps, or a tiny flat somewhere near their old stomping grounds and  never spoken but quietly presumed  offer Irish accents to their English children.

Even ten years ago, these were stunted aspirations, something small, something to begin with, something nearly-there.

Our own timid little dream was similarly mild. Our point of return would most likely be Dublin, where my wife is from and where her family, my kids nana, grandad, and cousins, still live. It was probably a few years ago that I realised the tenor of these conversations had changed a bit.

More and more, it seemed like these tender daydreams had taken on the stature of absurd, boastful fantasies.

To rent or own a modest house suitable for a family of four seemed roughly equivalent to betting all our hopes on living in the penthouse suite of the Eiffel Tower.

Seamas O'Reilly. Picture: Orfhlaith Whelan

We were kindly, but patiently, warned off by almost everyone we know back home, many of whom had grown to have careers and families but were still nowhere near owning their own house, or a rental that was stable and fairly priced.

We watched as those peers got evicted or priced out of their rentals  some twice within the same year  and, in very few cases, struggled to find, let alone buy, a place of their own for anything like a price they can afford.

I say very few cases, not because such occasions are rare, but because I have so few peers who are even actively pursuing home ownership.

The people I know in Ireland whove bought houses in the last few years have been very well-established professionals, with careers in law, finance, and those weird jobs whose titles are made up of business nouns so vague they could just as easily be an accountant as an arms dealer or a spy; management consultant, accounts representative, senior project developer, etc.

The bulk of my friends work in lower-paid professional roles or as carers, nurses, charity workers, writers, musicians, or artists. All rent. There used to be more of them, but most left Ireland over the past 10-15 years.

Increasingly, the career flight path between Ireland and everywhere else seems less a corridor and more a valve; once youre out, an ingenious little monetary lever slips in behind you, making it more and more financially implausible that youll ever return.

With no small amount of shame, Ill admit that the first thing I knew about Irelands housing crisis was that it was, at the root, why I didnt live in Ireland anymore.

The reason I feel shameful is this. About five years ago, my friend Rachel started a Christmas gift-giving drive for unhoused children in Ireland.

I wrote about it at the time and was shocked to discover the numbers she described. There were, at that time, 9,700 homeless people in Ireland.

She described the precarity of their situation, the fears and worries she encountered every day in her day job with a homeless charity.

I recoiled at my own petty grievances, and how privileged I was to count my half-formed desire to move back to Ireland as a big problem.

As of this January, that number is 11,754, having risen for seven consecutive months, comprising 1,609 families and 3,431 children.

The thin end of the housing wedge has fallen on these people, these children, to a degree that will see little amelioration from saving, finger-wagging, or government schemes aimed at helping people like me, maybe-just-about-nearly afford to live in a home of our own.

We can think of the housing crisis in terms of emigrants reluctance to return, or young mens likelihood to buy sheds.

Or we can see the human catastrophe being wreaked upon tens of thousands of people in front of our eyes. Whichever it takes to move the needle, its long past time.
Julian Sands ex-wife has said the late British actor always had to take the hard path and even at the end of his life had sought a challenge.

Sarah Sands, former editor of the Evening Standard, said that Sands was restless both artistically and geographically.

The pair were married from 1984 to 1987 and share a son.

Sands went missing in the San Gabriel mountains in southern California in January, prompting a manhunt that lasted for over five months.

His remains were found by civilian hikers in June.

Sands went missing in the San Gabriel mountains in southern California in January (Ian West/PA)

The actor was best-known for his breakout role in the 1985 romantic period drama A Room With A View, in which he starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter, and he later transitioned successfully to the horror genre.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sarah Sands said that as her then-husbands career had taken off, he had become restless, and had later left her to move to California.

Julian had to dismantle perfection, she said.

Just when all had come good with the film and we had (son) Henry, at that point his restlessness took over.

He didnt leave me for anyone else. There wasnt a plan. He just said he was going to California.

She added: He always had to take the hard path. Even at the end he sought the challenge.

That was why he pushed himself beyond the limits of human endurance on the mountain.

He always had to take the hard path. Even at the end he sought the challenge. That was why he pushed himself beyond the limits of human endurance on the mountain.

Sands was known for his love of the outdoors and hiking in the surrounding areas, and was considered an experienced and competent mountaineer by his friends.

Prior to the discovery of his remains, his hiking partner and fellow actor Kevin Ryan told the PA news agency that he was the most advanced hiker I know.

Its hard to think of him being old. He was restless, curious; both artistically and geographically an adventurer, Sarah Sands told the Daily Mail.

I couldnt imagine him being imprisoned in any way; through illness or old age. Grounded, hed call it.

He used to refer to home as base camp.

Sands family is reportedly planning memorial services in Los Angeles and the UK later this year, though no details have been made public.
The extent to which RTE has exposed itself legally by letting Ryan Tubridy go will hinge on whether or not he is deemed to have been an employee or a contractor, a legal expert has said.

RTEs contract with Mr Tubridy, which covered the period 2020 to 2025 for both television and radio commitments, remains a matter of some dispute as to whether or not it remains live.

The broadcaster is now insisting it will make no severance payment to Mr Tubridy in the wake of the two having parted ways.

However, while the terms of employment of Mr Tubridy were agreed between his company Tuttle Productions and the station, that does not mean he could not still be perceived legally to have been a de facto employee.

Mr Tubridy stepped down from his role as presenter of the flagship Late Late Show in May but has remained on RTEs payroll ever since in terms of his radio commitments, despite being off-air since the scandal broke in late June.

In cutting short negotiations with the presenter regarding a new radio and podcast contract, RTEs director general Kevin Bakhurst had acknowledged there was always that danger a legal action could ensue, though he added in his opinion such an eventuality would not be a good thing for anybody.

I would struggle to believe that he was not an employee, Julie Mullan, partner with Dublin law firm McGrath Mullan, said.

Contract wording

Ms Mullan, an employment law expert, said what happens now will come down to the wording of Mr Tubridys contract, but it is less likely that RTE would not be required to pay its former star a severance settlement.

He resigned from the TV side of the contract, but I dont see how they can say that hes resigned from the radio side. I dont see how they cant pay severance, she said.

She said the use of contracts between the station and companies representing its stars, as was the case with Mr Tubridy, is a sticky area, because Revenue dont like those contracts, and could turn around and say in reality it comprises an employee contract.

In terms of what severance Mr Tubridy could be expected to receive, Ms Mullan said six months at a minimum would be the expected payout.

On Friday afternoon, however, RTE made clear there will be no severance payment.

Now that RTE contract negotiations with Ryan Tubridy have concluded, as confirmed on Thursday by RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst, payments to Ryan Tubridy will conclude in due course," a spokesperson said.

One question that still arises is why Mr Bakhurst gave Mr Tubridy a chance to return to the airwaves in the first place.

While the dropping of Mr Tubridy may signal an end to a scandal that has dogged RTE for months and done the broadcaster immeasurable damage, the situation still has the scope to get legally very messy.

One question that still arises is why Mr Bakhurst gave Mr Tubridy a chance to return to the airwaves in the first place.

Ms Mullan does not believe that decision boiled down purely to Mr Bakhurst being willing to give anyone a fair hearing and a second chance.

I think their lawyers contractually advised that they had to bring him back, she said adding that she was quite surprised at the decision to sever ties.

Tubridy 'made a scapegoat'

I havent quite got my head around that, and with the suggestion that he had been poorly served by his advisers. It feels like he has been made a scapegoat publicly, she said.

The key question is whether or not he was deemed an employee, but theres no way they would be engaging in new contracts with him if they didnt feel that they had to, Ms Mullan added.

There are some very, very angry people in RTE over what has come to light, she said, people who would not have been favourably disposed to a return for Mr Tubridy.

Now that he is gone, she said, RTE appears to have left itself wide open to a legal challenge.

I think they probably have left themselves exposed. He has always been quite adamant that he had done nothing wrong, and that has not changed.

Ms Mullan said it was possible that RTE has done the sums and decided whatever the potential financial liability was nevertheless outweighed by the benefits of having Mr Tubridy off the books.

If one were to advise what the risks are, the financial figures are always the biggest factor, and then the reputation of the institution, she said.

Implications for other stars

Leaving that messy situation aside, what are its implications for the stations other highly-paid stars, given the now-moot contract Mr Tubridy was due to have been offered was worth 170,000, a 15% cut from what his previous radio contract was worth, and given Mr Bakhurst has signalled all other contractors will be expected to take pay cuts as their own deals expire.

I would say that they will be panicking, Ms Mullan said. Theyll be going off to look at their own contracts, to see what rights they have, to see what fees theyve been charging.

So where does the broadcaster go from here? In particular, how does it rehabilitate its reputation as an employer of worth, in the eyes of its own workers?

They will need to sit down properly with the employees and the unions and properly engage. There are a lot of disillusioned staff, not least because despite all that had happened [with Tubridy], they were still going to take him back, Ms Mullan said.

They need to take a long-term view of this, and to look at the welfare of all staff, not just those on high salaries.
The Department of Defence is investigating after an Army private was threatened by a person claiming to be involved with the Kinahan organised crime gang, following a falling out with his superiors.

A man was arrested by An Garda Siochana as part of the probe in 2021 but the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute. The private is appealing that decision.

After an internal investigation did not find in his favour, the soldier made a lengthy protected disclosure to the Defence Forces and Department of Defence detailing the alleged threats, as well as complaints of harassment and bullying.

In correspondence seen by the Irish Examiner, the Department of Defence accepted the privates statement which was sent on April 4, 2023 and an investigator has been assigned to the case.

Soldier says he received text messages saying gangland figures 'want a word with you': Click here for a timeline of his protected disclosure.

The soldiers protected disclosure comes in the wake of a scathing report from the Independent Review Group into the Defence Forces in March this year. It found the Defence Forces to be a workplace where self-worth and value are negated, and disrespect is a dominant feature in an organisation resistant to change.

'Three years of harassment'

In his protected disclosure, the private outlined a three-year history of alleged harassment and bullying by three senior members of the Army, which began in October 2020.

In his submission, which he first lodged with his employers in December 2022, the private claimed the issues began when he was transferred to a new position with no explanation. He alleged he was being bullied and harassed by three senior Army members and that the situation escalated.

The soldier claimed he was contacted via phone call and texts from someone claiming to be connected to the Kinahan gang, on November 17, 2021.

Text messages

The text messages, which were also sent to his friend and have been seen by the Irish Examiner, said that a Kinahan associate and veteran gangland figure want a word with him. The message said, I was just told to org [organise] a meeting and named two high profile gangland figures.

The next message the Army private received contained a photo of the privates friend and his son.

Further messages included the privates home address, car registration, and his profession, as well as that of his male friend.

Another message said the Kinahan cartel member wants you to call this number, asap its important. The soldiers friend and his partner then received a phone call. During the short conversation, it is alleged the male caller said the matter was to do with the privates superior in work and to stop harassing that person.

'Terrified and intimidated'

The private said the threats  which he reported to gardai  left him feeling terrified and intimidated".

The Kinahan associate referenced in the communication is a convicted armed robber and was previously targeted by The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The criminal, who is based in south Dublin, is regarded as one of the citys biggest drug dealers and is closely associated with Gerard Hatchet Kavanagh, who was killed in Spain in September 2014.

Gardai arrested a man

Gardai confirmed they arrested a man in relation to the threats and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who directed no charges in the matter.

The private reported the matter to management but claimed a senior officer told him in a meeting in Dublin to put on your uniform and get back to work or youll be charged.

A formal Defence Forces A7 investigation opened in June 2022 did not find in the privates favour.

Manager denies any involvement

This process allows a complainant to seek redress of wrongs or to make a complaint. However, the investigation did not find in the privates favour, and one senior manager, whose name was linked to the phone threats, denied absolutely any involvement.

The accused senior member also said they were being harassed and claimed they did not bully the private and had only asked him to do his job".

The private made a protected disclosure via his solicitor and has been on leave since May due to work-related stress".
Businesses seeking to promote their brands have always grappled with one key question about the millions of euro they spend on advertising: Are our adverts actually reaching the audience we want?

Big brands and the media that carry advertisements  including newspapers, radio, and television  have always striven to address this by carefully researching their audience and how they respond to advertising messages.

But such demographic research often seems entirely absent in the online world: A common refrain among social media users is their puzzlement at the many irrelevant ads they see for products they will never buy.

One solution  linking advertising directly to people who have built up a loyal following of social media fans  has effectively created a new industry, and a new type of marketing professional: Meet the influencers.

As an increasingly popular sub-section of online culture, influencing and content creation has become a hot commodity, enabling those who do it well to turn their digital following into a fully-fledged career, funded by advertising and more traditional opportunities arising from their social media literacy, including podcasting, music, comedy, presenting, and more.

Some influencers have even taken matters into their own hands, expanding their career independently and diversifying their income streams through their own businesses.

Coming from humble beginnings, some of Irelands most successful social media stars are now the face of their own brands that specialise in what their followers want to see.

Suzanne Jackson From her beginnings as a lifestyle blogger, content creator and now businesswoman, Suzanne Jackson has created a beauty empire, rolling in millions in profits throughout the years across her award-winning makeup range, SOSU Cosmetics, and two tanning brands, Dripping Gold and Bahama Body. Suzanne Jackson. Picture: Brian McEvoy Appearing on the last season of Irelands Dancing with the Stars, Ms Jackson also hosts The Style Counsellors on RTE and has cultivated an online following of more than 300,000 people on Instagram alone. According to most recent filings to the Companies Registrations Office, Sosueme Ltd posted a net profit of 1.8m in 2021, with Ms Jackson paying herself over 630,900 on the back of the companys success.

Vogue Williams

Just last week, media personality and podcast host, Vogue Williams recorded post-tax profits in excess of 550,000.

Vogue Williams.

This coincided with Williamss and Joanne McNallys My Therapist Ghosted Me becoming one of the hottest live shows with sold-out gigs across Ireland and the UK.

In addition, Ms Williams soaring popularity has enabled her to turn her media endeavours into hard cash, with accumulated profits at her firm, Howth Media Ltd exceeding 1.5m.

Cian Twomey From Cork, long-standing social media personality Cian Twomey has amassed more than 5.8m followers on Facebook and over 1.4m on Tiktok. Cian Twomey. He took home more than 120,000 in pay last year following the success of his firm, Mr Cian Twomey Ltd. First rising to prominence more than a decade ago, the Cork creator is well known for his comedy skits, often impersonating an exaggerated character based on his now fiance, Emily Rochford. Throughout his career, the 29-year-old has worked with major brands including Supermacs, Centra, McDonalds, and Subway.

Lisa McGowan

Offaly-based social media influencer turned fashion entrepreneur Lisa McGowan took home just under 940,000 in pay last year following the success of her clothing brand, Lisas Lust List.

Lisa McGowan. File picture: Brian McEvoy

Once working as an insurance broker, Ms McGowans success online allowed her to quit her previous job and focus entirely on her own business, helped by her loyal following of more than 170,000 people.

However, entrepreneurial endeavours are just one of routes social media stars can take. In addition to TV, radio, comedy, and music, influencers are largely funded by paid promotions which, for their followers, makes them both a trusted friend and a walking billboard.

Lynn Hunter User-generated content is massive for brands, says Lynn Hunter, founder of talent representation firm, The Collaborations Agency. Lynn Hunter, founder of talent representation firm The Collaborations Agency. Advertising has leaned increasingly more towards online platforms in recent years. Before, 80% of budgets would go to traditional methods like billboards and broadsheets but now its completely changed. In the present day, up to maybe 70% is put solely towards social and streaming services. Managing more than 120 online content creators, The Collaborations Agency was founded in 2016 by Ms Hunter to match the growing popularity in the influencing sphere. Already running her own PR firm, the founder recalls a surge in online creators seeking representation and  due to their industry-specific needs  prompted Ms Hunter to utilise years of marketing experience and open a new agency focused entirely on online talent.

The Collaborations Agency

Throughout the past seven years in operation, the agency has already worked with an extensive list of major companies including Coca-Cola, Puma, Boots, Primark, Red Bull, and more, matching these brands with relevant influencers who advertise their products to their extensive online following.

While straightforward in theory, matchmaking can be a meticulous process and is dependent on myriad factors including the length of the campaign, the type of content required, the companys budget, and the influencers audience size (someone with between 2,000 and 10,000 followers is considered a nano-influencer, a person with 10,000 to 100,000 followers is considered a micro-influencer and those with more than 100,000 followers qualify as a top-tier influencer).

In addition to securing brand deals, organisations like The Collaborations Agency also provide their clients with career guidance, crisis management, and legal advice, which is especially important when it comes to advertising and contracts.

It is this holistic, multi-faceted approach that enables content creators to diversify their own brands in a multitude of ways. While Suzanne Jackson and Lisa McGowan focus on being the face of their own company, others have fostered their entrepreneurial spirit elsewhere.

Eadaoin Fitzmaurice One such influencer is Eadaoin Fitzmaurice who focuses primarily on travel, food, and the Irish language. Eadaoin Fitzmaurice of The Collaborations Agency and Cloda Scanlon of Allora at the launch of the Champagne Terrace at The Shelbourne in Dublin. File picture: Naoise Culhane Beginning as a journalist in a regional title in Dublin, the 28-year-old began working across social media while at the same time posting more on her personal account, which helped her garner a large online following. Early in 2022, Fitzmaurice joined The Collaborations Agency and, at the time, had more than 30,000 followers. 18 months later, the creators following has exceeded 200,000, with Fitzmaurice using her exponential growth to venture into new areas of content creation. In addition to her own social media, Fitzmaurice has created her own podcast, Going Viral, which looks behind the curtain of the influencer industry and talks about what traditionally goes unseen in the world of content creation. Complementing her focus on food, travel and culture, Fitzmaurice has also worked with a number of brands including Failte Ireland, the Happy Pear, and Opentable, but is picky when it comes to choosing who to work with. In all honestly, Ive probably said no to more brands than Ive agreed to work with, she told the Irish Examiner. Its important to choose brands that work well with your interests, she says. If I did a collaboration tomorrow with a fast fashion brand, that would not go down well with my followers and understandably so  I would be called a sellout. To cultivate an online presence, you need trust. In addition to paid collaborations and her podcast, Fitzmaurice also runs her own business, FIA Digital, where she uses her own experience in social media to do content creation for other companies. Despite her well-rounded success, many people are dismissive of the work of Eadaoin and others. Recalling numerous instances of her industry being debated across Irish radio and TV, Eadaoin emphasises the work put in to succeed in a job like hers, noting the need for a business-savvy mind and a forward-looking approach. I can work up to six or seven days a week, sometimes up until 8pm or 9pm. As well as that, you may think youre in for a quiet week but, all of a sudden, people start knocking on your door and you dont want to say no because you dont know what the next month holds. Things can really vary.

Simon Hennessy

Content creator and comedian Simon Hennessy agrees, adding that while hectic at times, it can be hard to pin down a concise number of hours worked in any given week.

Comedian and content creator, Simon Hennessey.

Beginning his career in the height of lockdown, the Dublin creator started posting comedy skits online, garnering tens of millions of views.

Now boasting more than 250,000 followers on Tiktok alone, the 28-year-old has been able to fund his passion through paid promotions with leading brands such as KFC, Fanta, Lucozade, and An Post, while also pursuing stand-up comedy on the back of his online success.

Hennessey says he never envisioned a career in comedy, adding that his involvement with the agency has enabled him to quit his traditional jobs and focus solely on content creation.

Performing live and doing my own show is something I really wanted to do, and the agency has really helped me achieve this.

Suzanne Jackson with her dance partner Michael Danilczuk during the sixth series of 'Dancing With The Stars'. Picture: Kyran OBrien

Coming off the back of a successful stand-up tour, Hennessey has set his eyes on new, larger projects in the future.

I have plans for more live events. Im really happy with how the past year has panned out  thankfully, my last show, Afters, went really well, and I got to play many festivals too. Im just back from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and would love to go back next year and have my own solo show.

Aside from stand-up, Hennessey has also set his eyes on longer-term projects.

Ive gained a little bit of experience in that world and would love to get involved, whether that be writing, acting and performing.

As the online sub-culture drifts further into the mainstream, Lynn Hunter sees vast potential for creators such as Eadaoin and Simon. What was once exclusive to an isolated, individual audience has become transferable across different markets, allowing influencers to branch out and cultivate their own brand.

Now is a very exciting time, says Ms Hunter. These people all bring something very unique to the table, and they should have the opportunity to own and monetise that.

Nowadays, everyone can be their own entrepreneur, and why shouldnt they be?
Next Sunday, Terence MacSwineys grave is set to be robbed in the name of rewriting history. The graverobbing will be metaphoric but is worthy of comment. MacSwiney was the Lord mayor of Cork when he died on October 25, 1920, in Brixton prison after 74 days on hunger strike during the War of Independence. Two other volunteers in Cork at the time, Michael Fitzgerald and Joe Murphy, also died.

MacSwineys image features prominently in a Hunger Strike Commemoration event to take place on August 27 in Cork. There will be a march through the city followed by an address from Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill. This is, to all intents and purposes, a Sinn Fein gig. One might well ask what Sinn Fein, which, in its current iteration was formed in 1970, has got to do with MacSwiney, who died fifty years earlier.

The answer lies in an ongoing attempt by todays Sinn Fein to rewrite history, particularly through the recent decade of commemorations. From the centenary anniversary of 1916 up until today, the party has held separate events and marches at various points, often in competition with national or official commemorations. This is designed largely to emphasise the partys belief that there is a direct connection between the killing that its former armed wing, the Provisional IRA, engaged in for over 25 years, and the national struggle dating from the revolutionary decade.

HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading

In 2016, the party held a separate display in Dublin city centre to commemorate the Rising. The most commented upon feature at that display was the volume of re-enacted gunfire as if this was the main thing to be remembered about that momentous event. There was more of the same in the recent Civil War commemorations. On the anniversary of the first executions of anti-treaty volunteers last November, a group of Sinn Fein supporters stood at dawn outside Mountjoy prison.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald at Ballyseedy.

Last March, on the 100th anniversary of Ballyseedy, outside Tralee, where eight anti-treaty volunteers were blown up by pro-treaty forces, Sinn Fein wanted to have their leader speak at the official event. When told it was to be non-political, they held their own separate event, at which Mary Lou McDonald gave her address. As with all of this stuff engaged in by the party, the past is cast in a way that best suits the imperatives of the present.

There is a pattern in the individuals the party has fastened onto in the recent commemorations. They all died before the peaceful acceptance of the free state in 1923. The vast majority of their surviving comrades worked to make the new state function and sought change through the parameters of an imperfect democracy. Clinging to the legacies of those who died in the heat of the preceding battle allows Sinn Fein to speculate that they were the kind of die-hards who wouldnt have accepted the free state and would have approved of the campaign of killing in the late twentieth century.

In this hypothesis, Pearse and Connolly would have approved of the Provos, even if their comrades in 1916, Eamon DeValera and WT Cosgrave, who both narrowly escaped execution, quite obviously wouldnt. MacSwiney, we are asked to believe, would have stomached the Provos record of killing more civilians and more Catholics than any other organisation during the northern conflict.

Equally, the Shinners mythology has it, the young victims of Ballyseedy would have understood the Provos habitually blowing up civilians, despite the sole survivor from that massacre, Stephen Fuller, being totally opposed to it in real life. And on it goes, the dead in battle serving a purpose that to the greatest extent was abhorrent to their comrades who survived. Now they have come for MacSwiney, to drag a make-believe legacy around the streets of the city he served.

The funeral procession of Terence MacSwiney. Picture: Cork public Museum.

The 1981 hunger strikes have a major resonance with the self-styled Republican moment because it sparked the beginning of Sinn Feins political ascendancy. Bobby Sands is the iconic figure from the event, having been elected an MP on his deathbed and being the first to die. At the forthcoming Cork event, Sinn Fein is seeking to link MacSwineys self-sacrifice with that of Sands, connecting the respective conflicts in which the two men were involved. Both certainly shared supreme courage and a selfless disposition, but beyond that they were drawn from different worlds and lived at different times in incomparable circumstances.

Ironically, if one were to apply the Sinn Fein logic in appropriating the politics of dead men from the 1920s to Sands in the 1980s, it could be posited that he would have had nothing to do with the party in its current position. Sands died while fighting for the violent imposition of a united Ireland. Sinn Fein compromised, as it had to, on that unobtainable vision. The Brits, as so-called Republicans would have it, are still here. Who says Sands would have gone along with the compromises of the Good Friday Agreement? His sister, Bernadette, who was prominent in the anti-agreement 32 county movement, and married to late Real IRA leader Mickey McKevitt, is one example of those who didnt. How can Sinn Fein claim that Terence MacSwiney would never have accepted a compromise with the Brits but Bobby Sands would have?

Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald TD at the bust of Terence MacSwiney outside Cork City Hall.

At least Sands was drawn from the ranks of the Provos. MacSwiney, by contrast, was part of a national movement at the fag end of the Imperial age, fighting for a form of self-determination at a time when violence was the primary means of resolving international disputes. It undoubtedly had overwhelming popular support as expressed in the general election of 1918. That is a different planet from the Provos decades-long campaign to kill anybody whose death might advance the hopeless cause of a united Ireland.

MacSwiney doesnt deserve to have his legacy tainted by association with the latter-day IRA. He doesnt deserve to have the movement he was part of linked to one which engaged over decades in organised crime, the imposition of summary justice, the relocation of favoured paedophiles, the post-conflict bank robberies and grudge murders, the massing of unaccounted millions. Who can claim that MacSwiney would have had, over such a long period, contempt for the wishes of the people at large?

No doubt, in this time of social medias parallel universe, and Sinn Feins expertise in exploiting it, the rewriting of history will be accepted by the younger generation in particular. Not much can be done about that except to highlight the fraud with facts. There has been a call for people to come out onto the streets for the commemoration event in Cork, to, by implication, show support for this bogus version of history. Pity they wouldnt just leave MacSwineys legacy alone, not attempt to use him as a tool to retrospectively justify the Provos killing. Pity they wouldnt just own their partys dark past and concentrate on what can be done to improve the future.
Helen McEntee has been largely untested up until now, but she must step up, and quickly, to maintain the support and respect of her colleagues.

The usually astute minister has made several blunders in recent weeks. Telling fatigued gardai that there is no issue with morale in the force did not go down well with members and insisting that she felt safe in Dublins inner-city after a number of high-profile attacks resulted in criticism that she was out of touch.

With Garda recruitment targets unlikely to be met this year, a dispute over rostering, calls to address the retirement age, and criticisms that frontline gardai are not visible enough on our streets, McEntee is facing a number of challenges coming into the autumn and thats before considering the possible ramifications of the upcoming no-confidence vote in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Then, of course, there was the incident this week with three Garda recruits turned away over their tattoos. It speaks to an outdated model of policing that must be addressed.

Helen McEntee with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris who is also under fire with the rank and file. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

McEntee now needs to swiftly get on top of things as issues relating to An Garda Siochana  and indeed the Department of Justice  can quickly escalate as her Fine Gael predecessors Alan Shatter and Frances Fitzgerald learned the hard way.

The Department of Justice has a way of getting ministers into hot water; some have accidentally slipped into the boiling pot, while others have turned on the stove themselves.

It is now more than 40 years since then justice minister Sean Doherty signed warrants to have the phones of journalists Bruce Arnold and Geraldine Kennedy tapped. The debacle grew legs nearly a decade later when appearing on the Nighthawks chat show, Doherty suggested that taoiseach Charles Haughey had known about the recordings and had been shown transcripts of conversations, which prompted the resignation of the Fianna Fail leader. Fast forward to 2014, when the justice minister Alan Shatter resigned after being told by taoiseach Enda Kenny that he had three hours to read a report into the Maurice McCabe affair compiled by senior counsel Sean Guerin before deciding what to do. Shatter, who was later exonerated, was gone within a few hours. His successor Frances Fitzgerald was also forced out of office amid scandal and threatened motions of no confidence which, at the time, could have taken down the government. In 2018, the Charleton Tribunal cleared her name and any suggestion that she was inappropriate in her handling of emails, but it would have come as cold comfort to the former tanaiste.

For McEntee, there is more than just her reputation as minister at stake. For some time now, she has been lined up by some as a possible successor to Leo Varadkar and she will have to show that she has the skills, grit, and agility required to lead Fine Gael.

As a woman, McEntee must know that she always has to outperform her male counterparts, she must always watch her words, be aware of what she wears.

The level of intense scrutiny, which at times borders on the farcical, was highlighted recently when it was reported that two photos of McEntee were circulated to a number of Government advisers and Fine Gael members on a WhatsApp group.

The pictures, taken when McEntee visited Dublins north inner city after an unprovoked attack on American tourist Stephen Termini, showed the minister wearing a gold pendant during her press briefing inside the Garda station, but the same necklace was missing when she did her walkabout along the surrounding streets.

The strong inference is that she didnt feel safe enough to display her jewellery despite publicly insisting that she did.

'Circus performance'

Her tour of Talbot Street sparked criticism from other quarters and was likened to a circus performance by local councillor and former Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring who pointed out that she had been flanked by two gardai and then telling us its safe.

Her response to the high-profile attacks on tourists in recent weeks has also prompted Fianna Fails youth wing to back a motion calling on her to resign.

Ogra Fianna Fail pointed to the fact that Fine Gael has held onto the Justice portfolio for 12 years and during this time, law and order had fallen to a standard far below that which is owed to the public.

Only back from maternity leave, she had to address existing prejudices that come with being a working mother, admitting that some of her Fine Gael colleagues dont approve of her taking maternity leave.

Im sure there are people who dont approve of the fact that I took maternity leave for a second time. I dont really have much to say to that, she told reporters in June.

The vast majority of my colleagues, including the Taoiseach, and many others have been nothing but supportive and I cant stress that enough. I think the vast majority of people are supportive, and anybody who isnt I think thats their own issue.

When entering office, McEntee took a fresh approach, focusing on what had been neglected areas of the portfolio.

She has spearheaded a zero-tolerance campaign of gender-based violence; rolled out an amnesty scheme for thousands of undocumented migrants, and has progressed legislation relating to stalking and non-fatal strangulation.

While critically important, these are not key priorities for many others in Fine Gael who pride themselves on being the party of law and order.

Privately, some have been venting frustration that part of Fine Gaels core identity is not being pushed or progressed strongly enough in the Department of Justice.

Publicly, Willie ODea, a former minister of state in the Department of Justice, has gone further by hitting out at McEntee for playing to the woke gallery instead of focusing on delivering safe streets or tackling what he described as the real and pressing problem of antisocial behaviour.

A Bill to legislate for hate crime has become a lightning rod and has sparked unease and opposition in the Seanad where it is again due to be debated after the summer recess.

Members of Young Fine Gael passed a motion at their Garret Fitzgerald Summer School last month which opposed the coalitions attempt at introducing the Criminal Justice Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences Bill 2022.

Determined to push through legislation

Despite the reservations and opposition, including from within her own party, McEntee remains determined to push through the legislation.

While it may be said that some of the mutterings have been sprinkled with more than a dusting of misogyny, negativity can be hard to shake.

Regardless of whether the growing rumblings come from a place of concern, cynicism, sexism, or even jealousy, any undercurrent has the potential to destabilise a minster.

Many have noted that McEntee has been performing well overall in her role as justice minister, but has not faced any real tests. She has enjoyed a time of relative calm in a portfolio that has a reputation for throwing up unexpected controversy, strife, and scandal.

McEntee will now need to address the niggles within her department to avoid any further damage.
BEING a broadcaster is a lot like running a pub  absolutely everyone you meet thinks they can do your job and theyre not shy about telling you.

But have you ever watched someone who hasnt worked behind a bar before pull a pint? The end product is not pretty, and you really wouldnt want that drink.

Over the last year or so in Ireland weve seen several politicians step into the world of broadcasting.

Enda Kenny gave us his rail documentary series, though one could argue that if he was so passionate about Irish trains, why did he do so little for them when he was taoiseach? We also had Bertie Aherns As I remember it podcast series on Newstalk radio where he talked to people involved in the creation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Most recently Tanaiste Micheal Martin launched his own podcast In Conversation with on the official Fianna Fail YouTube channel. The first episode, with Dr Mark Henry, has notched up around 1.3k page views to date, which might not seem a lot but its a considerably higher figure than most of the fare on the Fianna Fail channel, it must be said.

In Ireland, its unusual to see a serving politician make that move but in the UK, things are very different.

In fact, look across the water and theres an embarrassment of over-confident politicians who have all jumped into the world of TV and radio.

The majority are egotistical Conservatives desperately looking for new revenue streams now that theyve bled Britain dry and electoral annihilation awaits in 2024.

But theres a chasm between being able to deliver a 20-second soundbite and being talented enough to anchor hours of rolling news or a phone-in where you deal with angry members of the public, and anything can happen.

Jacob Rees-Mogg takes part in the Call the Cabinet phone-in on LBCs Nick Ferrari at Breakfast show.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who always comes across as the Minister for the 1850s, has been presenting on the right-wing news channel GB News and his colleague Nadine Dorries has been working for Talk TV. If youve ever had a bad day at work and you go home questioning your ability, go on YouTube and watch clips of this pair trying to broadcast. Youll laugh and youll suddenly feel like you have it in you to cure cancer and win an Olympic gold medal next year, never mind get that promotion youve always wanted.

Enda Brady: 'For most politicians, dipping their toes into the world of media has more to do with power and prestige than revenue.'

Thats the thing about broadcasting  its a skill, something you need to work hard at, hone, develop, and practice. I started out doing hurling match reports in Co Wexford for South-East Radio when I was 16 years old. Im now 47.

Thats how long Ive been working at it. And when I say working at it I mean every single day, watching better broadcasters, learning from them, asking for advice and trying to turn myself into a good operator. Its a work in progress, but I hope to get there.

Politicians, on the other hand, spend their lives going into studios, doing the media rounds and feigning interest in policies their advisers have told them to implement. The upshot is  certainly in basket-case Britain  that people like Rees-Mogg and Dorries think they can do the broadcasters job better themselves.

The lack of respect for top presenters often baffles me, especially when it comes from bang average politicians who stumble and bumble their way through interviews on topics theyre supposed to be across.

Issues theyre being paid handsomely to be able to communicate.

The one notable exception in the UK is the excellent podcast The Rest is Politics, hosted by Tony Blairs old spin doctor Alastair Campbell and the former Conservative MP Rory Stewart. They are an absolute must-listen and are attracting a huge listenership, mainly people who have become utterly frustrated at the conservative stranglehold on much of the UK media. Its fresh, its intelligent and the pair bounce off each other very well.

They take a topic and forensically dissect it. The listener learns something, theyre passionate, and they care.

Theres nothing else like it in Britain right now and it works because it offers sane, intelligent debate without the kind of screaming hysteria that dominates places like GB News.

And you dont have the word woke spat at you every five seconds just to keep Karen in Basingstoke happy.

Breaking into the industry

But my big problem with the other politicians who have been handed lucrative media careers on a plate is that they are greedily hoovering up jobs and denying young people an opportunity to get into the industry.

Its hard enough to break into broadcasting without all the top slots being clogged up with clapped-out politicians looking for a cushy pension top-up.

I know because I worked non-stop for every single break that came my way.

My father was a garda and my mother was a nurse, there was no family or political connection ready to hand out a free ride to the likes of me in Enniscorthy. And you know what? I wouldnt have it any other way.

For most politicians, dipping their toes into the world of media has more to do with power and prestige than revenue.

Ego drives them to find their own corner of the airwaves where they can hold court, long after their political race has been run. For those who are still in office, taking editorial control to talk directly to the people is too tempting to resist.

But like the customer who has wandered behind the bar counter to pull a pint for the craic, politicians who step behind the microphone find that the result can be a decidedly mixed affair which leaves a bitter aftertaste and maybe even an almighty hangover.

Some things are better left to the experts.
You know that moment. Its a brisk September school morning, and youre checking the time to the shaved minute. The rummage for phones is on. In many cases, our cult-like dependence on mobile technology, including simply telling the time, has stripped a traditional house clock out of the building.

The intricacy of movements (with the exception of something Swiss and expensive) doesnt excite us as it did in the early days of horology. Still, the inclusion of clocks, bold old-school signals from the analogue age, provide beautiful, useful, highly personal inclusions.

There is a fascinating variety to choose from, including 1970s flip varieties, station clocks and witty, arty dandies. Here a just a few of our favourite timekeepers to not just prompt your punctuality but to call time on a boring space.

George Nelson Night Clock, re-editions by Vitra; prices from 440.

In modern house clocks, we have to rewind over half a century to the brilliance of George Nelson. Following a scholarship in 1932 that took the 24-year-old Yale graduate to Rome, Nelson became completely immersed in the modernist movement sweeping the European design community.

On his return to the States, he brought attention to the highly influential ideas in architecture and industrial design of luminaries including Le Corbusier, Gio Ponti and Mies van der Rohe.

Clocks became an obsession, and Nelson would go on to design 150 varieties through his own company George Nelson & Associates and Howard Miller. Now made under license by Vitra, theres a good range of very classy Nelson re-editions from 1948-1960 with quartz movements for 275-450.

My choice would be Nelsons fascinating and lovely acrylic and glass Night Clock (4766 in the Nelson catalogue, c1948). Hand-made in Poland, its a gem-like ball that magnifies the dial, set on a brass stem, and is perfect to gaze over desks, nightstands, and shelves where it can behave as clock-general; 440, various suppliers.

For alternatives, look up Nelsons Cones and Cradles, and his signature (wall hung) Eye-clock, a modernist masterpiece c.1957 for the wall made in Switzerland; from 380.

Karlsson cuckoo clock, 99, meadowsandbyrne.com

Next up are two clocks from Karlsson, a Dutch watch brand that manufactures a huge range of fun and good quality Nordic-style clocks in China, with an excellent price point.

Its graphics, case designs and innovative technology are legendary. If youre looking for a good station style with a bit of contemporary tickle, this brand is your first stop.

Karlsson offers many gorgeous wooden tables, wall and alarm clocks but Im vouching for a very modern offering in ABS plastic that resketches the typical shape of the cuckoo-clock, or wag-on-the-wall. A real family character, she sings a little ditty between 8am and 10pm, and can be set to your chosen volume.

I would recommend this clock in white, hung on a determinedly coloured wall, immersed in a gallery of photographs or paintings; 99, meadowsandbyrne.com.

Kuttersmycke, 50, ikea.ie.

Bewitched by whimsy  try a super-sized pocket watch from Ikea. The Kuttersmycke is just 50, but with its handsome period polish looks like 500.

Flip-Clock without case, Karlsson by BOX32 Design, from 113 with an alarm feature.

Flip-Clock is a collector favourite for 24-hour fans, and the very best come in a number of battery-fed designs for Karlsson by BOX32 Design. Electric flip-clock alarms are a familiar bit of engineering from the 1970s, almost completely annihilated by LED digital read-out.

In Wall and Table varieties, the metal card revolutions are available without a case to show off its pleasing mechanical innards in various steel stand-and-card colour combinations. All the fun of the fair, its even made with a small stand. So wonderfully weird and industrious, I flipped and bought one. Its priced from 113 with an alarm feature, suppliers include wayfair.ie and thelittlegreenbag.ie.

Aika by Ari Canerva for Covo, 213.

Pendulums have a mindful quality and looking at new clocks that swing their thing (just for fun), theres another European timepiece still popular since its launch in 2010 for open plan spaces and nurseries.

Aika is Finnish for time, and this 18.5cm wall clock by Italian designer Ari Canerva for Covo, has a striking airy but sufficiently architectural line to chime with me. In painted steel, you can choose from a large range of pop colours, and it could (in time) be refinished with a spray coat, 213.

Covo also takes on the grandfather clock in a similar minimalist re-imagining by Kanerva. The Tiuku is one piece of metal making up a small box on two extraordinarily long, splayed legs that lean it into and off any available wall.

A long case-clock clipped of everything you would expect, Tiuku, 300.

It would be ideal for behind a sofa to use a blank corner, and an epic and stately wedding present. The best price is straight from the firm, 300, covo-shop.com (its a great brand  look around).

Stripping a clock back to its essentials has resulted in a range of clocks without the expected dial or numbers or graduations (second markings). You can use these to create a bespoke clock with applied materials to the wall, stencilling and free-hand painting.

Bottcher & Kayser Birdie clock for Stelton, 54.95.

The Stelton Birdie is a little piece of wall art best left to itself. German design duo Bottcher & Kayser is known for poetic clocks that recede into something very understated. The Birdie is a little tick-tock shape that at most times resembles a small bird in flight. If you come from another time zone or long to be there, set up two Birdies set to those times; 54.95, stelton.com.

The Moment wall clock in white appears as two black hands emerging softly from a white mist (its a clever use of a diffusing panel of acrylic). Highly unusual, its 121, from gejst.com and other suppliers.

If the idea of a terrace of similar dials (stock exchange style) appeals to you, look into the Bankers Vejrstationer clock (weather station) from Danish architect and design demi-god Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971).

One of his last works to fit out his masterful Danmarks Nationalbank at the heart of Copenhagen, its part of a set of 12cm dials that include a wall clock, a barometer (air pressure), a hygrometer (humidity) and a thermometer. The convex crystal and aluminium case give the dials a floaty feel.

Now produced by the Rosendahl Design Group, clocks start around 100, with the whole set to order from Scandinavian outlets including finnishdesignshop.com from 100-135 apiece.

Tide clock by Dublin maker Current, 65.

Finally, if time and tide have you reaching for your togs, theres an Irish company with come beautiful clocks aimed at sea swimmers. Each clock shows the height of the tide (based on the Atlantic coast) and they come in a gorgeous range of designs that is still expanding.

Currently, this includes Forty Foot, Seapoint and Ripple, Vico Baths, Sandymount Strand, Portmarnock, Bull Wall, Dunmore East, Salthill/Blackrock and Belmullet. Im sure as demand increases, we will see coastal scenes all over Ireland.

Set at a new or full moon with a tide table, current clocks are designed to track the moons effect on the tide. You set the tide clocks to complete a full rotation every 12 hours, 25 minutes and 14 seconds  the average time it takes the tide to come in and out on semidiurnal coasts. Its priced at 65, currentclock.ie.
The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season official kicks off on June 1 and the 21 storm names are in from the World Meteorological Organization.

The names encompass almost every letter of the alphabet, leaving out Q, U, X, Y and Z.

This year's primary list of names is largely borrowed from 2017's. The storm names rotate every six year, a feature that began in 1979. However, storms that were particularly destructive and deadly may be retired if the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations, votes to do so.

In the case of this cycle, Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate were retired from the 2017 list. In it's place for 2023 are Harold, Idalia, Margot and Nate.

The World Meteorological Organization also names storms for other parts of the world as well.
An ambitious fundraising and awareness event in Cork will soon allow people to experience local life from a wheelchair user's point of view.

Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) are set to raise 100,000 through their 'A Day in My Wheels' campaign  vital funds that allow the charity to continue supporting the 2,300 people in Ireland living with spinal cord injuries.

As part of the campaign, SII are appealing to Cork businesses and public representatives to get on the pathway to accessibility, by teaming up with service users of the charity and spending time in a wheelchair. By 'buddying up' and spending anywhere from an hour to a day together, they will experience the challenges service users face, including  but not limited to  returning to work with a spinal cord injury, mental health struggles and medical expenses.

The aim of the campaign is not only to help the general public obtain a better understanding of living with a life-altering spinal cord injury, but to offer employers and companies assistance to put the appropriate supports in place to help those affected.

On average, three people sustain a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) every week in Ireland with Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII) being the only charitable organisation dedicated to providing support for them.

The charity advocates on behalf of its members while also providing one-to-one services from its community outreach team and access to its trained peer mentor and comprehensive educational programmes. Another core element of SIIs work is counselling services for families and service users to help them cope with their new reality. This service delivery has changed post-Covid, with the charity seeing a significant increase in requests in recent years.

In addition to all of these vital services, individuals and their families who are suddenly faced with SCI are faced with the cost of medical care, bowel and bladder care, pressure relieving equipment, and specialist requirements such as wheelchairs, hoists and adaptions to their car and home.

This can be hugely daunting for anyone to deal with, as Fiona Bolger, CEO for Spinal Injuries Ireland (SII), explains. On average, three people sustain a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) every week in Ireland. The impact can be devastating, and we want to be able to continue to provide support to our service users as they adjust to their life post-injury.

"One of the biggest realisations upon becoming a wheelchair user is understanding just how inaccessible the world can be, especially in the workplace. That is why SII has developed this programme for companies, so that they can clearly understand all the issues faced by people with a disability.

"A Day in My Wheels is a call to all Cork businesses to support accessibility in their workplaces and beyond, thus having a positive impact on the daily lives of wheelchair users. This fundraiser will have a vast and positive impact on the much-needed services we provide these individuals with SCI and their families.

While the campaign aims to raise awareness around accessibility for wheelchair users in all walks of life, there will be a particular focus on how workplaces can be improved.

Her comments were echoed by Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O'Flynn, speaking at the launch of the 2023 campaign. This incredible campaign gives businesses actual experience of a situation they may not have encountered and addresses the unconscious bias that we all have towards these individuals. It is important to learn directly from the people who are living with Spinal Cord Injuries about how we can make the workplace and the world in general more accessible.

"It is vital that we all play our part when it comes to making the world a more comfortable place for everyone and I would invite as many businesses as possible to take part.

To take part, business leaders and public representatives (with up to four of their team members) are invited to sign up now and join SII ambassadors and the Disability Federation of Ireland on Wednesday the 4th of October at Cork County Hall for breakfast, talks and workshops.

The event will last approximately two hours and following this, participants will have the opportunity to buddy up with a service user and spend the afternoon using a wheelchair. The aim of the day is to provide a unique insight into the reality and accessibility issues those with SCI face every day, while raising much needed funds.

Companies or individuals are invited to contribute 5,000 to participate in A Day in My Wheels 2023, where funds will directly support the 2,300+ individuals in Ireland with a Spinal Cord Injury and their families. A similar event will also take place in Dublin on the 27th of September.

To learn more about Spinal Injuries Ireland and the services it provides, see www.spinalinjuries.ie.

To sign up for A Day in My Wheels Cork or Dublin, email phil@spinalinjuries.ie or call 087 3821182. Closing date for signups is Friday 22nd September 2023.
Dominican authorities announced they are pursuing a criminal case against a plastics company based on evidence found during an investigation into a powerful explosion that killed at least 31 people.

Police and the Public Ministry issued a joint statement saying the blast occurred at a business called Vidal Plast, rather than at a bakery as authorities had said initially.

The explosion occurred on Monday afternoon in a bustling commercial centre in San Cristobal, a city just west of the capital of Santo Domingo.

The Public Ministry has evidence that compromises the criminal responsibility of those responsible who, with their actions, caused the death of dozens of people and caused millions in losses, the statement said, citing prosecutor Fadulia Rosa Rubio.

On Thursday, the government said it could take up to three months to identify all those killed in the blast (Jolivel Brito/Diario Libre via AP)

The ministry said it was investigating several people, but did not identify them.

The owners of Vidal Plast could not be immediately reached for comment. The company recycles, buys and sells plastic materials, officials said.

Authorities also said they have evidence that there was a fire at the business in March caused by a spark and a chemical substance and that the company did not take any measures despite knowing the high risk of its operations.

Victor Bisono, the minister of industry and commerce, told reporters that the municipality had closed the factory in the past, but he did not provide more details.

N Digital, a respected online newspaper in the Dominican Republic, reported that the company was founded in 2003.

It quoted one of the companys founders as saying that the factory was not operating and that two of its employees were simply removing material from the site when the explosion occurred, with one of them being killed.

Officials on Friday also raised the number of dead to 31 from 28. They said seven of the dead had been identified so far.

On Thursday, the government said it could take up to three months to identify all those killed in the blast.
The Chinese military has launched drills around Taiwan as a stern warning over what it called collusion between separatists and foreign forces, days after the islands vice president stopped over in the United States.

William Lais recent trip to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his governments last diplomatic partner in South America included stops in San Francisco and New York City.

The mainlands ruling Communist Party claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and says it has no right to conduct foreign relations.

A spokesperson for Chinas Eastern Theatre Command said the military exercises involved the coordination of vessels and planes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.

Taiwans vice president William Lai stopped over in New York City as part of his trip to Paraguay (AP)

It was also testing the forces actual combat capabilities, Shi Yi said. The drills were a warning over provocations from pro-Taiwan independence forces and foreign forces, he added.

The command released footage of the drills online that showed soldiers, military boats and planes.

State media CCTV reported that missile-equipped boats and fighter jets were involved in the operation and that units worked together to simulate the surrounding of Taiwan.

Taiwans defence ministry said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that its forces detected 42 Chinese military aircraft starting from 9am on Saturday (2am BST).

Officials said 26 of the aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary considered a buffer between the island and the mainland. Eight vessels also took part in the joint combat patrol.

A fighter jet takes off from China for drills near Taiwan (CCTV via AP)

Taiwan deployed aircraft and vessels and activated land-based missile systems in response to the drills and is closely monitoring the situation, the ministry said.

The ministry also strongly condemned what it called the irrational, provocative moves in a separate statement.

It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posted by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.

It posted a video on Facebook that showed previous military drills and said the Chinese military exercises reflected a militaristic mentality.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-ruled island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be retaken by force if necessary.

China said the manoeuvres are a stern warning over what it calls collusion between separatists and foreign forces (CCTV via AP)

Chinas official Xinhua news agency reported that an unnamed official in Chinas Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned what it called further collusion between Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the US, and said it was a new provocative move.

Mr Lai is his partys candidate for the 2024 presidential election in January.

Chinas largest military drills in recent years were in response to former US house speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan last August.

It fired missiles over the island in a significant escalation and the military exercises disrupted trade lanes in the Taiwan Strait and forced planes to reroute their flights.

In April, Chinese forces held large-scale combat readiness drills in the air and waters around Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wens meeting with current US house speaker Kevin McCarthy.
A delegation is expected to arrive in Niger in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to reach a peaceful solution to the crisis in the country after mutinous soldiers ousted the countrys president last month.

The representatives from the West African regional bloc, Ecowas, could arrive in the capital, Niamey, as early as Saturday and would join efforts by United Nations Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, in trying to facilitate a resolution to the ongoing crisis.

On Friday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Mr Simao would meet with the junta and other parties to try and facilitate a swift and peaceful resolution to Nigers crisis.

What we want to see is a return to the constitutional order. We want to see the liberation of the president and his family and restoration of his legitimate authority, he said.

Ecowas ordered the deployment of a standby force on August 10 to restore constitutional rule in the country.

Ecowas is considering military options (AP)

The soldiers who overthrew Nigers democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts and kept Mr Bazoum, his wife and son under house arrest in the capital.

On Friday, Ecowas commissioner for peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah said 11 of its 15 member states agreed to commit troops to a military deployment saying they were ready to go whenever the order was given.

The 11 countries do not include Niger itself and the blocs three other countries under military rule following coups: Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso.

The latter two have warned they would consider any intervention in Niger an act of war. On Friday, Nigers state television said that Mali and Burkina Faso had dispatched warplanes in a show of solidarity with the country.

Fridays announcement is the latest in a series of empty threats by Ecowas to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, say conflict analysts.

Immediately after the coup, the bloc gave the junta seven days to release and restore Mr Bazoum, a deadline that came and went with no action.

Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation think tank, said: The putschists wont be holding their breath this time over the renewed threat of military action.

A two-day Extraordinary Meeting of Ecowas was held in Accra, Ghana (AP)

Meanwhile, the mutinous soldiers are cementing their rule and appointing loyal commanders to key units while Ecowas has no experience with military action in hostile territory and would have no local support if it tried to intervene, he said.

Niger is a very fragile country that can easily turn, in case of a military intervention, into a failed state like Sudan, Mr Laessing added.

Ecowas used force to restore order in member countries in 2017 in Gambia after long-serving president Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after he lost an election.

But even in that case, the move had involved diplomatic efforts led by then-presidents of Mauritania and Guinea while Mr Jammeh appeared to be acting on his own after the Gambian army pledged allegiance to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow.

The humanitarian situation in the country is also on the agenda of the UNs West Africa and Sahel special representative.

Before the coup, nearly three million people were facing severe food insecurity and hundreds of thousands were internally displaced, according to Care, an international aid group. Economic and travel sanctions imposed by Ecowas after the coup coupled with the deteriorating security will have dire consequences for the population, the group said.

Before, Western countries saw Niger as one of the last democratic nations it could partner with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the so-called Islamic State group (IS) and have poured millions of dollars of military aid and assistance into shoring up Nigers forces.

Ghanas Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, flanked by Lieutenant General Yankuba Drammeh of Gambia, left, and Ivory Coast General Lassina Doumbia, at an Ecowas meeting (AP)

Since the coup, former jihadis told The Associated Press that militants have been taking advantage of the freedom of movement caused by suspended military operations by the French and the US and a distracted Nigerien army that is focusing efforts on the capital.

Last week, at least 17 soldiers were killed and 20 injured during an ambush by jihadis. It was the first major attack against Nigers army in six months. A day later, at least 50 civilians were killed in the Tillaberi region, by extremists believed to be members of IS, according to an internal security report for aid groups seen by the AP.

Corinne Dufka, a political analyst who specialises in the Sahel region, said: While Nigers leaders are consumed by politics in the capital, the drumbeat of lethal jihadist attacks goes on in the countryside.

The recent attacks should motivate all parties to work for as speedy and inclusive a transition as possible so they can get back to the crucial business of protecting civilians from the devastating consequences of war.

In due time, Nigeriens and her partners should look long and hard at why and how democracy in Niger faltered.
Thousands more people in Tenerife have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed out of control raged for a fourth day.

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday.

Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harms way on the Atlantic island that is home to about a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

The fire advances towards the town of La Laguna and Los Rodeos airport in Tenerife (Arturo Rodriguez/AP)

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees could surpass 26,000 according to provisional calculations based on the islands census.

The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

The regional government said that the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames.

Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 12,355 acres.

We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands, the islands governor, Rosa Davila, said.

The wildfire has burned some 6,400 acres of land (Europa Press/AP)

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from mainland Spain sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns affected by climate change.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires (Europa Press/AP)

More than 2,000 people were evacuated during a wildfire on nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 11,000 acres.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 185,000 acres burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 two million acres burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.

The fire comes as Spains mainland is braced for another heatwave. Spains state weather service issued a warning on Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40C in parts of the mainland.
Workers in the Myanmar factories that supply global brand H&Mmost of whom are womenare worried about how they will feed themselves and their families after the fast-fashion Swedish titan announced on Thursday that it would phase out the country.

The worlds second-largest fashion retailer sources directly from 41 factories in Myanmar and as of March 2023 it employed almost 42,000 workers at these factories, according to its website. The factories that it directly sources from also outsource some of their work to other factories, H&M says on its website, but it does not disclose their names, number, or the number of workers these factories employ.

A 32-year-old worker at H&M supplier Saung Oo Shwe Nay (Golden Sunshine) Co Ltd in Yangons Hlaing Thar Yar Township said her job provides her family with its only regular source of income.

She fears losing her job because her husbanda day laborer on construction sitesdoes not have full-time work. He doesnt get money daily and we have to feed my mom and our six-year-old daughter. So, I cant lose this job at this moment, she said.

Her fear is echoing throughout factories that supply H&M, workers and others say.

Vicky Bowman, the director of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business and a former British ambassador to Myanmar, told Reuters: I regret H&Ms announcement, as it will have a negative impact on thousands of women workers in Myanmar.

H&Ms announcement followed by one day the release of the report Falling out of fashion: Garment worker abuse under military rule in Myanmar by the UK-based Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.

The rights group had earlier launched its Myanmar garment worker allegations tracker after receiving an increase of reports of abuses at factories in Myanmar after the February 2021 coup. Subsequent research found severe violations of human rights in the supply chains of global brands sourcing from Myanmar.

Wage theft, unfair dismissal and inhumane work rates, and mandatory overtime are the most frequently recorded types of abuse. Cases also include killings, arrest and arbitrary detention of workers by the military, gender-based violence, attacks on freedom of association, harassment and child labor, it said.

The rights group tracked 156 cases of alleged abuse in Myanmar garment factories from February 2022 to February 2023, and linked them to global brands including Inditex-owned Zara, Primark, Bestseller, C&A and Mango.

Twenty of the cases were linked to H&M and another 20 were linked to Spain-based Inditex, whose main brand is Zara. Inditex announced in late July that it was exiting Myanmar.

A consultant who works for a labor rights watchdog in Myanmar said it was possible that the factories that now supply H&M may find other buyers.

The supplier factories of H&M in Myanmar may not shut down at once. They could try to get offers from other brands from other countries. However  the workers will have to suffer reductions of salaries for example, or some of them may get laid off.

Workers producing the H&M brand in Myanmarand other countrieshave been unfairly fired, harassed, intimidated, abused and experienced gender-based violence, labor and rights groups have reported repeatedly.

Reports of abuse in post-coup Myanmar, however, have been too much to handle for many global brands.

In September 2022, workers at Saung Oo Shwe Nay garment factory were forced to walk on their knees for falling short of the production quota set by the factory owner, according to Falling out of fashion: Garment worker abuse under military rule in Myanmar.

In August 2022, workers at H&M supplier Myanmar Jiale Fashion Garment Factory reported pregnancy discrimination, including alleged absence of pregnancy leave and dismissal.

In November 2021, 86 workers from Mingalar Sumbiri Garment Factory which supplies European brand C&A and H&Mwere dismissed with reduced compensation.

H&M is the latest to cut ties with suppliers in Myanmar, following the beginning of an exodus of western brands last year, including Primark and Marks & Spencer, as pressure mounted due to widespread reports of systemic and extreme abuse inside Myanmars garment factories.

For Myanmar, however, the garment sector is a vital employer, especially for women. Reports estimate that 90 percent of the workers at the more than 500 factories in Myanmar are women.

Myanmars fall from fashion will hurt its workers most.

Even the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre said that garment workers who lose their jobs are more eager to find new ones than they are to receive compensation. It is very difficult to find new jobs in Myanmar, it quoted one worker as saying.  There is a family behind every factory worker, she said.

A director of a labor rights organization based in Hlaing Thar Yar Township told The Irrawaddy that they are now very concerned about the likelihood of workers finding jobs. The exit of global brandswhose profitability is based on their brand imagewill leave workers dependent on buyers who care less about how women in developing countries are treated.

Bowman agreed, saying: If they leave, either the jobs disappear entirely, or factories scrabble to receive orders from footloose buying agents who care only about cheap labor and do not worry about factory conditions.

The factory owners [are] mostly the Chinese [and they] tend to bear a grudge against workers if they have encountered losses  As a result, workers will soon face more pressure, discrimination, and other hardships, the director of the rights organization said.

He called on the global brands to withdraw from Myanmar responsibly, and to follow guidelines set by international labor rights organizations. Their withdrawal from Myanmar will be closely monitored, and the rights of workers will continue to be monitored even after they complete their exit, he said.
A Swiss director and 13 amateur actors, including a 12-year-old girl, have been arrested over a movie that junta members accuse of committing blasphemy against Buddhism.

Dont Expect Anything was written and produced by Swiss director Didier Nusbaumer and uploaded on the YouTube channel Isi Dhamma on July 24.

The movie, which criticizes monks who do not follow the Buddhist precepts, has received over 42,000 views and nearly 1,000 likes since it was posted on YouTube.

On its official website, the junta announced that it would take legal action against 14 people for using offensive and disrespectful language in the movie, saying they had insulted the virtue of Buddhist monks. The movie also harms Myanmars culture and Buddhist traditions, the juntas website alleges.

A pro-junta Telegram channel reported that 14 people were arrested over the movie on August 8. It displayed photographs of 11 detainees, including the 12-year-old girl. Photographs of the other three detainees were not shown.

A freelance videographer condemned the arrest of amateur actors and the director, saying that criticizing monks who violate Buddhist teachings should not be a crime.

These arrests are totally ridiculous and unacceptable, he said, explaining: Artists definitely have the right to criticize both political rulers and religious leaders over their misconduct and wrongdoing.

He also accused the junta of performative Buddhism. The arrests are an attempt to portray junta members as defenders of Buddhism, he explained.

The junta has arrested dozens of Buddhist monks, and killed and jailed some for actions that displease it.

Some senior monks in Myanmar have been widely criticized for supporting a military regime that commits atrocities, including killing monks.

Since the junta announced the arrest of the director and the amateur actors, the films popularity has surged. I really enjoyed the movie because it reflects the current situation in my country to some extent, one viewer commented.
Command but no control

Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing boasted in his video message to the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday that his regime has control over the vast majority of Myanmar.

Belying that claim, the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) has launched an operation which it calls All roads to Naypyitaw, the administrative seat of Myanmar generals.

The shadow civilian government has already proven that its operation is no empty threat, with resistance forces attacking a junta outpost in Naypyitaw Union Territory this week. Last month, they attacked and seized weapons from a junta outpost in Pyinmana, adjacent to Naypyitaw.

Min Aung Hlaing chose Armed Forces Day and his extension of military rule to roar about crushing the Peoples Defense Forces and ethnic armed organizations fighting his regime. But martial law in some 50 cities across Yangon, Mandalay, Bago, Sagaing and Magwe regions and Chin and Kayah states, junta outposts at junctions, and routine patrols in cities tell a different story.

Ominous nuclear meeting

The military regimes nuclear dream is alive and kicking, a fact confirmed by the first meeting between Myanmar graduates in atomic technology from Russian universities, junta Science and Technology minister Myo Thein Kyaw, junta officials, deputy rectors from Russian universities, and delegates of Russias state-run atomic energy corporation (Rosatom) on Thursday.

The meeting took place at Myanmars first nuclear technology information center in Yangon, which was opened in February with assistance from Moscow.

Participants exchanged views on nuclear technology and the energy sector while alumni of Russias nuclear university MEPhI shared their experiences with freshers.

Less than a year after the 2021 coup, Moscow rushed in to help the Myanmar regime realize its nuclear ambitions.

Min Aung Hlaing has promised atomic energy will be limited to peaceful uses. But how trustworthy is the word of a man who has ordered massacres of civilians and deadly air and artillery strikes on non-military targets including villages, schools and healthcare facilities?

Chinese overtures

China has always been a good friend of Myanmar generals. After initially distancing itself from the regime following the coup in 2021, Beijing re-engaged with the junta last year.

This week, three junta ministers attended the 7th China-South Asia Expo, 27th Import-Export Fair, and Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Corridor Governors Forum.

The events were attended by Chinas top diplomat, Wang Yi, and high-level delegates from 84 countries.

With junta investment and foreign economic relations minister Kan Zaw, information minister Maung Maung Ohn, and commerce minister Aung Naing Oo attending the events in Kunming, China has now received eight junta ministers since early August.

The junta ministers discussed agricultural trade, investment in Myanmar, cooperation among GMS countries, and media cooperation, according to junta media.

Min Aung Hlaing moans about weaponization of dollar

Addressing a Moscow conference by video, Min Aung Hlaing hinted his isolated regime, which is strapped for hard currency, is struggling to pay for fuel and fertilizers. Read more:

New defense minister in Russia to boost ties

Myanmars regime defense minister Tin Aung San is attending military conferences in Moscow and the unveiling of a statue for World War II. Read more:

Regime to arm civil servants

The junta in southern Shan State is compiling lists of government staff as it looks to form peoples militias to boost its ailing forces. Read more.
Sara Sharif was found dead in a house in Woking (PA Media)

Police in Pakistan are seeking to arrest the father of a 10-year-old girl thought to have been murdered.

Sara Sharifs body was found at a property in Horsell, near Woking in Surrey, on August 10.

Police are searching for her dad Urfan Sharif, 41, partner Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28.

The trio travelled to Pakistan with five children, aged one to 13, the day before the body was found.

On Saturday, the Associated Press news agency reported that Pakistani police in the eastern province of Punjab are seeking to arrest Mr Sharif in connection with Saras death.

Mr Sharifs family home is reportedly in Jhelum, Punjab, about 84 miles from the capital.

Officer Imran Ahmed said police found evidence that he had briefly returned to Jhelum, before leaving and disappearing, AP reported.

Surrey Police also revealed Mr Sharif called 999 from Islamabad.

An initial postmortem did not establish a cause of death but police said: Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries, likely to have been caused over an extended period.

Detective Mark Chapman, from Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry.

There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan.

Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign Office, and liaising with the Pakistani authorities.

Saras mother Olga is being supported by specialist officers and police say she and Mr Sharif have not been in contact. Mrs Sharif has said her daughter was an amazing child and her life will never be the same again.
As part of a coordinated effort to address violent crime, law enforcement officers will be patrolling 'hot spots' in Auburn neighborhoods and speaking with residents about their concerns.

The Auburn Police Department and other agencies in Cayuga County received more than $370,000 in state funding earlier this year specifically earmarked for the elimination of violent crime. The funding is meant to cover the costs of personnel, overtime, equipment and technology for a period of 12 months.

The APD on Friday announced that the members of local agencies will "collectively go out into neighborhoods with our Community Response Unit to answer questions and listen to concerns that people are having in their neighborhoods."

In a letter being sent to some city residents, the APD said that the City of Auburn, Cayuga County District Attorneys Office, Auburn Police Department, Cayuga County Sheriffs Office, Cayuga County Probation Department, the New York State Police, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the Central New York Crime Analysis Center have entered into partnership regarding anti-crime efforts targeting violent crime.

As part of the state's Gun Involved Violence Elimination, Auburn residents will see all of these agencies out in the community engaging with the public and community explaining the purpose of the initiative. The community will see these agencies in areas of the city identified as hot spot areas, the APD said, and observe them patrolling these areas with a high volume of personnel.

Hot Spot Policing is an implementation of a strategy to address violent crime and chronic offenders in the City of Auburn, the APD said, and personnel will focus on top offenders identified as most responsible for violent crime and geographic locations identified as hot spots of violent crime. These hot spot" areas were chosen through data obtained through complaints and arrests for violent crimes over the past several years.

Any tips or concerns about violent crimes may be directed to the tip line at the Auburn Police Department/Finger Lakes Drug Task Force at (315) 282-7540. Residents can also contact the APD's Facebook account at Auburn, N.Y. Police Department or email communitywatch@auburnny.gov.
Farms in Cayuga County and across New York will receive federal assistance after crops were destroyed by a deep freeze in May.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved the state Farm Service Agency's request for an agricultural disaster designation. The declaration will allow farms to receive low-interest emergency loans up to $500,000. The funding can be used to replace property, cover production costs or pay essential living expenses.

The disaster declaration covers 31 counties, including Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Ontario, Oswego, Seneca, Tompkins and Wayne. Another 24 counties, including Madison and Oneida, are considered part of the contiguous disaster area.

To be eligible for the disaster designation, farms must have lost at least 30% of their crop. In Cayuga County, farms reported losing more than 30% of their apple, cherry, grape and peach crops. Farms in neighboring counties had other crop losses, including onions and strawberries.

Cold temperatures in mid-May devastated crops, especially apples and grapes. The worst of the freeze occurred overnight from May 17 to May 18. Some vineyards lost their entire crop.

Sam Filler, executive director of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, credited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for advocating for the aid. Gillibrand and Schumer wrote a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to approve the request.

"Their support was key to ensure that New York's grape and wine industry receives the needed disaster federal resources to help them cope with the expected financial losses due to their crop losses," Filler said.
It was always on the hottest day in late August when we got in the station wagon and drove over Routes 5 and 20 to the sock mill outlet store in Seneca Falls to get our new pairs of woolen knee socks for school. Two pairs each. Navy, I think. Maybe deep green to match my uniform. The Holy Family uniform fit me when I left the seventh grade but now, going into the eighth, it was a bit tighter. Must have been those blue popsicles from Franks corner store. Trapped in the endless days of August, and looming was the dreaded return to school. This nausea began in June when I got my seventh grade report card. In addition to a column of Cs, it indicated that Sister Mary Very Scary would be my eighth grade homeroom teacher for the fall of 1966. I was doomed.

On the morning of our back-to-school sock shopping at the Seneca Knitting Mill, Mom needed the car, so she drove Dad to work at the National Bank of Auburn. We left after lunch. In the front seat with Mom was our Peacock Street next-door neighbor, Mrs. Shaw. Her son Tim, whom I then called and still call "Shawzie," was dragged along with me and my sister. We piled into the station wagon. No air-conditioning. No seatbelts. As usual, I was stuck in the middle of the backseat. Mom and Mrs. Shaw puffing their Newports. WMBO on the car radio till we got to the outskirts of town and the static took over.

The route was familiar. This was the way to Nanas in Hornell. I had just spent a week with her. Never wearing shorts or sandals, in a summer dress of her design, with gloves and a hat, Nana behind the wheel of her Bel-Air was always on the go. At four oclock in the afternoon Aunt Rose Ann would come over to give Nana her pills. She said Nana had hardening of the arteries. Whatever that is, I thought. Located in Steuben County there was a billboard that read, "Its Swell In Hornell!" Just past that sign was one that read, "Its Faster In Jasper!" That always cracked us up. If we were going as far as Waterloo, we might have stopped at Macs Drive-In. But Seneca Falls was our destination. There was no stopping. We were on a mission. The knee socks.

This was a time in Seneca Falls before "Its a Wonderful Life" bounced back and became a beloved hit. A time before the Womens Rights National Historical Park, which opened in 1982. A time before the skydiving school, where in the '70s we paid $40 and jumped, our parachutes billowing and careening over downtown, the Thruway and Cayuga Lake.

We crossed over the big bridge, then turned into the parking lot. Shawzie stayed in the car. Im not going in there. No way, he said. It was a small dingy store filled with bins of discounted irregular, but perfectly fine wool socks. Mom and Mrs. Shaw picked out the socks and zip-zip we were back in the hot car headed home to Auburn. My turn for a window seat. In the car I tried on the socks. Kinda hot. Kinda itchy. But new! Glued to our ears that summer, our transistor radios fed us the hits: "Paperback Writer," "Summer in the City," "Wild Thing," "Red Rubber Ball." And then came "Sunny." We felt that downbeat bass line go right through us. With 59 cents and a bus ride to Carms Record Shop, I got that 45 and played it all the time.

Kool-Aid stands were for little kids. We had shows! Our stage was across the street in Pattys garage. This might have been the summer we got a brochure from muscular dystrophy on how to put on a carnival fundraiser. We didnt need a guide, but we sent them our $7 profit anyway. We had put on a show last summer. And the summer before that. We made fliers and tacked them to trees. Shawzie collected picnic table benches from backyards and dragged them over for seating. In the blazing sun there was an audience of smiling moms, screaming toddlers, the elderly Falvey sisters and a few dogs.

Patty was the producer-writer-director-emcee. To keep us in order, a list of show numbers written on a sheet of notebook paper was taped to the back door of the garage by the shovels. The star of the show was Pattys older sister Debbie. "Skin," we sometimes called her, because she was skinny. Using an upright Electrolux vacuum as an imaginary microphone, Deb pretended that she was Diana Ross. Patty put on the record and with the presence and moves of superstar Diana Ross, Deb lip-synced to "Stop! In The Name of Love." A lifetime later I was an event planner in New York City and was working with Diana Ross, planning her opening night party for her show at Radio City. I said to her, I have a story to tell you ... She lit up and laughed. Topping that, I told Deb that I had told Diana.

Every summer Mrs. DeMaio, who lived just up the block, would put a fresh coat of black paint on her back porch. The next day, after that paint had dried, we ran up and down the street, yelling that Mrs. DeMaio was ready to put the finishing touches on her back porch. The gang gathered in her kitchen as she poured a can of white paint into a small tub. She hiked up her muumuu and then dipped her bare feet into the creamy paint. Breathless, we watched her gracefully walk on the black floor and leave a design of white footprints.

A few days before school started, Nana died. There was a long-distance phone call from Dads brother Uncle Jimmy telling him that their mother had died while eating her breakfast. And then Dad told us kids. Nobody we knew had ever died before. In the living room, we knelt in a circle and said the rosary. For Nana.

1966 would be my last summer on Peacock Street. Mom and Dad sold the house and we moved out of the city.

Sometimes I drive around that neighborhood. Franks corner store is gone. The screaming kids are gone. Pattys garage is still there. Last week on another drive around, there were five deer near the garage door looking at me.
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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  As the indictments by grand juries at the federal and state level show, there is good reason to believe that on January 6, 2021, Donald John Trump attempted to make a coup and remain in power despite losing the election to Joe Biden. August 19 is the anniversary of the 1953 overthrow by Republican President Ike Eisenhower of the legitimate government of Iran, and it is worth reflecting today on how the GOP used the same repertoires of dirty tricks in an attempt to overthrow the US government on Jan. 6, 2021.

Reprint Edition.

Fakhreddin Azimi explains that Iran had parliamentary elections in the 1940s and 1950s after the old dictator, Reza Shah was deposed by Britain and its allies in 1941 for refusing to kick the Germans out of his country. Iran was jointly occupied during WW II by Britain, the United States and Russia, and was used by the allies to resupply Russia during its war on the Eastern Front with Nazi Germany.

The lower house in Iran was elected in 1950, and half of the senate was elected in a two-stage election in 1949-1950 (the shah appointed the other half). Many educated Iranians believed that Mohammad Reza Shah, the king, was interfering in the elections behind the scenes, packing parliament with royalists. It was believed that the shah wanted to do a new oil deal with the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now BP) that would be favorable to the British, in return for their political and perhaps financial support of the king.

Many Iranians were unhappy with the 1933 deal between the AIOC and Reza Shah, which paid Iran a small royalty on its own petroleum. By 1950 the British government received more in taxes on the Anglo-Iranian Oil Companys profits than the Iranian people did on their own petroleum. Those who wanted a fifty-fifty share of the profits (a deal that the US firm ARAMCO had offered the Saudi royal family) formed the National Front. They staged a huge march in Tehran, led by elderly arisocrat Mohammad Mosaddegh, from his house to the palace of the shah, demanding free elections in which the shah and his interior minister did not intervene. Some 8 members of the National Front were elected. Mosaddegh was the first elected representative of Tehran in parliament, garnering 30,738 votes.

On April 29, 1951, the shah acquiesced in the growing nationalist sentiment and appointed Mosaddegh prime minister. Although in the Iranian system of that time the PM was appointed by the king rather than being elected by parliament, Mosaddegh had been elected with tens of thousands of votes to his seat, and the king by appointing him recognized the consensus of the other elected parliamentarians. He came to power by democratic means, which could not be said of the shah himself, who inherited the throne from his father, a minor colonel who made a British-backed coup in 1925.



Prime Minister Mosaddegh leaves for Embassy. Public Domain via GetArchive.

Two days after his appointment, Mosaddegh led parliament to vote to nationalize Iranian oil. The British had refused to negotiate a new deal, so Mosaddegh and parliament invited all of the British to leave the country. The US and the UK were furious that a country of the global South was asserting sovereignty over its natural resources. Americans are sure that all the petroleum in the world actually belongs to them. Trump even said the US should not have left Iraq without taking its oil, though what that means is hard to tell. So Washington and London imposed a boycott on Iranian oil sales and slapped down Italy and Japan when they bought Iranian petroleum from wildcat distributors. Does this sound familiar?

The British MI6 intelligence arm developed a plot to overthrow Mosaddegh, but they no longer had any assets in Iran to carry it out. They therefore shopped it to the CIA, which was interested. But Democrat Harry Truman was still president, and the CIA knew that he would give them hell if they suggested such a coup plot to him.

So the Company bided its time and Eisenhower was elected in November, 1952. In early 1953 they sent the coup plot over to the president, who was all for it. The Republican Party elite misunderstood Modaddegh and the National Front as tilting toward Moscow. This was not true, at all, although Mosaddegh was willing to take support from Tudeh, the Iranian Communist Party. He also took support from the religious conservative Ayatollah Kashani.

Authority Figures: Mark J. Gasiorowski explains that CIA operative Kermit Roosevelt (a cousin of FDR) was put in charge of Operation Ajax. He met with Gen. Fazlollah Zahedi, a far right wing military man who hated Mosaddegh. He also met two highly placed journalists who were agents run by the CIA. The shah initially was not in favor of a coup, but Roosevelt went to see him and gained his approval.

Media manipulation.: Roosevelt and his team had powerful journalists trash Mosaddegh. They even funded and began publishing six new newspapers that took an anti-Mosaddegh line.

Suborning members of the national Legislature: Roosevelt bought the allegiance of powerful members of the parliament to turn on Mosaddegh.

Street demonstrations: Pro-shah parties were paid to stage street demonstrations against Mosaddegh.

The first coup attempt involved the shah appointing Gen. Zahedi prime minister and having the head of the shahs royal guard, Colonel Nemat-Allah Nasiri, arrest Mosqddegh. But the prime minister had gotten wind of this plot and had Nasiri arrested instead. The shah ran away to Rome.

The CIA used local Iranian agents to buy huge crowds of demonstrators who staged rallies throughout Tehran, pretending to be Communists. Even some of the real Communists were taken in and rushed to join them. But of course the propertied classes were suddenly terrified that a Communist take-over was imminent.

Then on 19 August a massive mob rallied at a major square in South Tehran and marched to the central bazaar or old covered market. They then attacked government buildings and the offices of pro-Mosaddeq organizations. This crowd, also manipulated behind the scenes, said it was right wingers demonstrating against the leftist mob of the previous two days. But they were all just fueled by Kermit Roosevelts bags of millions of dollars.

Embed from Getty Images .

CIA-funded pro-Shah crowd, downtown Tehran, 26 August 1953 (Photo by  / INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP) (Photo by -/INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP via Getty Images)

At this point more military officers defected to Zahedi, and they succeeded in arresting Mosaddegh, who was deposed and tried for treason, then sentenced to house arrest. He died at home in 1967.

So the CIA coup of 1953 succeeded, whereas the Trump coup of 2021 failed.

But note the similarities in technique. Billionaire buddies of Trump such as Rupert Murdoch and Robert Herring had created television channels like Fox and OAN that supported the coup, just as the CIA founded 6 newspapers for the purpose. Wealthy Trump allies also flooded Facebook with false stories about Biden not having been legitimately elected, and the possibility of forestalling the congressional certification of the election. Right wing militias like the Oath Keepers used the Parler channel to organize the invasion of the Capitol, and Trump sicced them on it, just as CIA-bought crowds invaded government buildings in Tehran in mid-August.

Article continues after bonus IC video

MSNBC: Coup bomb goes off: New video places indicted Trump ally at Capitol on Jan. 6 

Disinformation was also important. Just as the CIA mobs advertised themselves incorrectly as Communists to scare Iranians into supporting Gen. Zahedi, so Trumpies put out rumors that the January 6 insurrectionists were actually antifa.

Members of parliament were suborned against the sitting prime minister, just as Frank Navarro claims Trump lined up 100 members of Congress to overthrow Biden.

The techniques were all very similar. The only big failure of Trump was to get significant buy-in from the officer corps, though ex-generals like Michael Flynn were on board.

After World War II, arrogant American policy-makers switched out governments the way they changed their socks, honing techniques of disinformation and learning to deploy mobs strategically.

After all those decades, the chickens finally came home to roost.
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By Joseph Ferguson, Loyola University Chicago and Thomas A. Durkin, Loyola University Chicago | 

(The Conversation)  After three indictments of former President Donald Trump, the fourth one in Georgia came not as a surprise but as a powerful exposition of the scope of Trumps efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

New conservative legal scholarship spells out how and why those actions  which were observed by the public over many months  disqualify Trump from serving in the presidency ever again. And our read of the Georgia indictment, as longtime lawyers ourselves, shows why and how that disqualification can be put into effect.

The key to all of this is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that No person shall  hold any office, under the United States  who, having previously taken an oath  to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. Trump took that oath at his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.

Both Trumps Georgia indictment, and his federal indictment in Washington, D.C., cite largely public information  and some newly unearthed material  to spell out exactly how he engaged in efforts to rebel against the Constitution, and sought and gave aid and comfort to others who also did so.

Legal scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, conservatives themselves and members of the conservative Federalist Society, have recently published a paper declaring that under the 14th Amendment, Trumps actions render him ineligible to hold office.

We believe the Georgia indictment provides even more detail than the earlier federal one about how Trumps actions have already disqualified him from office, and shows a way to keep him off the ballot in 2024.

Disqualification is automatic

Trumps supporters might argue that disqualifying him would be unfair without a trial and conviction on the Jan. 6 indictment, and perhaps the Georgia charges.

But Baude and Paulsen, using originalist interpretation  the interpretive theory of choice of the powerful Federalist Society and Trumps conservative court appointees, which gives full meaning to the actual, original text of the Constitution  demonstrate that no legal proceeding is required. They say disqualification is automatic, or whats known in the legal world as self-executing.

Recent public comments from liberal constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe and conservative jurist and former federal judge Michael Luttig  who has characterized the events before, during and since Jan. 6 as Trumps declared war on American democracy  suggest an emerging bipartisan consensus supporting Baude and Paulsen.

Backed by history

This is not a theoretical bit of technical law. This provision of the 14th Amendment was, in fact, extensively used after the Civil War to keep former Confederate leaders from serving in the federal government, without being tried or convicted of any crime.

Article continues after bonus IC video

MSNBC: Under 14th Amendment Trump doesnt need an insurrection conviction to be disqualified expert says

Few former Confederates were charged with crimes associated with secession, rebellion and open war against the United States. And most were pardoned by sweeping orders issued by President Andrew Johnson.

But even though they had no relevant convictions, former Confederates were in fact barred from office in the U.S.

In December 1865, several who had neither been convicted nor been pardoned tried to claim seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But the House clerk refused to swear them in. It took an act of Congress  the 1872 Amnesty Act  to later restore their office-holding rights.

There is no requirement in the Constitution that the disqualification be imposed by any specific process  only that it applies to people who take certain actions against the Constitution.

A path through the states

For the U.S. in 2023, we believe the most realistic avenue to enforce the 14th Amendments ban on a second Trump presidency is through state election authorities. Thats where the Georgia indictment comes in.

State election officials could themselves, or in response to a petition of a citizen of that state, refuse Trump a place on the 2024 ballot because of the automatic 14th Amendment disqualification.

Trump would certainly challenge the move in federal court. But the recent disqualification proceedings against former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn provides a road map and binding legal precedent affirming the 14th Amendment as a valid legal ground for disqualification of a candidate for federal office.

The Georgia indictment against Trump and allies exhaustively details extensive acts of lying, manipulation and threats against Georgia officials, as well as a fraudulent fake elector scheme to illegally subvert the legitimate 2020 Georgia presidential vote tally and resulting elector certification.

Trumps failure to accomplish what is tantamount to a coup in Georgia and other swing states set the stage for the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, that sought to achieve the same result  Trumps fraudulent installation to a second term.

In fact, the Georgia scheme is included in Special Counsel Jack Smiths federal indictment as one of the methods and means in aid of the larger Jan. 6 federal conspiracy against the United States.

Baude and Paulsen acknowledge that insurrection and rebellion are traditionally associated with forced or violent opposition. But we see the broader set of actions by Trump and his allies to subvert the Constitution  the Georgia vote count and fake elector scheme included  as part of a political coup detat. It was a rebellion.

Georgia as a bellwether

So what makes the Georgia scheme and indictment compelling for purposes of disqualifying Trump from the 2024 Georgia ballot?

There are minimally six aspects revealed in the latest indictment that we believe justify Georgia  under Section 3 of the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment  keeping Trump off the ballot:

The racketeering scheme was a multifaceted attempt to subvert Georgias own part of the 2020 electoral process; The officials on the receiving end of the unsuccessful racketeering scheme were elected and appointed Georgia officials.   whose actions to reject election subversion vindicated their own oaths to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States as well as Georgias; Most of these officials were and are Republicans  including Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, Governor Brian Kemp and former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan; These officials will, in 2024 as in 2020, collectively determine who is qualified to be on Georgias presidential ballot; and These officials testimony, and related evidence, is at the heart of the proof of the Georgia racketeering case against Trump.

In other words, the evidence to convict Trump in the Georgia racketeering case is the same evidence, coming from the same Georgia officials, who will be involved in determining whether, under the 14th Amendment, Trump is qualified to be on the 2024 presidential ballot  or not.

Little if any additional evidence or proceedings are needed. The Georgia officials already hold that evidence, because much of it comes from them. They dont need a trial to establish what they already know.

How could Trump avoid this happening? A quick trial date in Atlanta with an acquittal on all counts might do it, but this runs counter to his strategy to delay all the pending criminal cases until after the 2024 election.

With no preelection trial, there will likely be no Trump on the 2024 Georgia ballot, and no chance for him to win Georgias 2024 electoral college votes.

Once Georgia bars him, other states may follow. That would leave Trump with no way to credibly appear on the ballot in all 50 states, giving him no chance to win the electoral votes required to claim the White House.

Joseph Ferguson, Co-Director, National Security and Civil Rights Program, Loyola University Chicago and Thomas A. Durkin, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Loyola University Chicago

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Coconino County Sheriffs Office (CCSO) and officials with Flagstaff Unified School District (FUSD) investigated a bomb threat at Cromer School on Thursday, finding it to be unfounded.

On Aug. 17 at approximately 9 p.m. CCSO received a tip that a subject had threatened to set a bomb off at their daughters school.

CCSO, in conjunction with the FUSD, worked through the night and were ultimately able to determine this threat to be unfounded.

Deputies and school officials immediately responded to and cleared the school of any suspicious objects or devices. Deputies were able to contact the subjects named in the threat and determine that the threat was baseless.

After assessing the information garnered from the investigation, FUSD determined it was safe to continue with a normal school day. Deputies will remain in the area of Cromer School, but at this point in time there is no information indicating there is any danger stemming from this threat.

CCSO detectives continue to investigate the tip and its origins. But CCSO officials said they are unable to release any additional information at this time.
Han Hyo Joo dishes on her experience filming the hit K-drama "Moving" and her working relationship with co-star Jo In Sung.

The webtoon-based series is currently gaining attention from viewers as the Disney+ K-drama not only showcases a star-studded cast but also an exceptional storyline.

Centering around three high school students with extraordinary powers, "Moving" also depicts the story of adults, particularly their parents, who also have the same superhuman abilities as their children.

In the 20-part episode K-drama Han Hyo Joo plays Lee Mi Hyun, a skilled agent who has supersense powers, while Jo In Sung takes on the role of Kim Doo Shik, a top tier black ops agent with flying abilities.

On the other hand, the duo graced Harper's Bazaar Korea, showing off their undeniable chemistry.

Han Hyo Joo and Jo In Sung also spill details on the set and their relationship as co-stars.

Han Hyo Joo 'Thankful' For Jo In Sung - Here's Why

The actress were all praised for Jo In Sung. When asked what he is like as an actor, Han Hyo Joo shares her impression of him as a co-star. She described her as "a very thoughtful person."

"He is very considerate of others and very thoughtful, but he really hates letting people know [of that side of him]," she said.

Besides these traits, Han Hyo Joo revealed Jo In Sung's similarity to Kim Doo Shik.

"He also has a strong sense of responsibility to lead the project as the main character, so I could rely on him a lot," she furthered. And because of this,the actress says there were many moments that she "felt thankful to him."

Jo In Sung Impressed With Han Hyo Joo's Changes as an Actress

In the same interview, "Moving" lead star Jo In Sung shared how impressed he is with Han Hyo Joo.

The award-winning actor says he saw his female co-star "in a different light" after filming "Moving."

"There is an unscientific feeling that is conveyed through photos or the screen. Looking at Han Hyo Joo's eyes, I realized what a great actress she is," he said, adding that the 36-year-old star "is an actress whose next 10 years are more anticipated."

In the Disney+ series, Han Hyo Joo and Jo In Sung's characters portray a couple whose son has senses like Doo Shik.

However, during their years as agents, Lee Mi Hyun and Kim Doo Shik get caught up in a special mission, hindering their budding romance.

Viewers are drawn to each scene in "Moving" episodes 8 and 9, especially the back story of Mi Hyun and Doo Shik.

'Moving' Episodes 10 and 11 Release Date

After two weeks since it premiered, viewers are looking forward to more stories about each character.

Interestingly, Disney+ will release two new episodes of the webtoon based K-drama on August 23.

Besides Disney+, local and global viewers may watch the latest episode via Hulu.

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
Lights. Camera. Action!

More and more, Arizona is a destination for film production crews from around the world, and the Arizona Commerce Authority is keeping northern Arizona in the loop with the help of Coconino Community College.

Starting Monday, Aug. 21, the college will present its second five-day, noncredit Production Assistant Training at the Fourth Street campus in Flagstaff.

The state as a whole is so beautiful, and filmmakers really want to explore the far corners of northern Arizona -- Native lands, the forests and the smaller towns, said Rochelle Savory, instructor for the course -- which is offered through CCCs Workforce Training program in partnership with Arizonas Film-Ready Crew initiative.

An industry professional, Savory also created the curriculum for the course.

The state has a lot to offer, and crews to support production work across the state help make projects happen," Savory said.

During the training, which is 10 hours a day each of those five days, students will learn about on-set protocols, workplace safety, how to perform common production assistant tasks, how to handle production equipment and more, according to Savory.

As for the allure and success of the training, she added, I think for many people, they have an innate creative ability and a desire to get that out. Its a fun environment, and theres always something different and creative."

Regarding the long days for this intensive program, Savory said that is what is expected in the industry. The students will be fed, too, just like production assistants on set.

I call it an awareness training to everything that goes on behind the scenes, she said.

Eric Santoro, a student in the May course in Flagstaff, said the program provided him with invaluable insights and industry connections mixed with a practical knowledge that isnt taught in traditional film schools.

As a production assistant, I now feel equipped with the skills and confidence to excel on any film set, Santoro said. The experience was truly unforgettable, and it has reinforced my passion and determination to pursue a successful career in the film industry.

Savory said few people know just how many people are needed to make a film, and the course touches on every department and what every crew member does, and what production assistants can do to support them.

Topics include: Electrical, cameras, locations, casting, production in depth, how to network, how to create a profitable business for themselves, screenwriting and selling scripts, assistant directing, hair makeup and wardrobe.

They also get to connect with other professionals working in the industry, Savory said, adding that some students are interested in making their own films, or looking for internships, or working in the industry in the state.

The course is a combination of lecture and hands-on interactive training.

We dont just want to talk at them, Savory said.

Nicholas Bierner attended Northern Arizona University, where he studied film.

Despite what I learned at school, participating the Arizona Film Ready Production Assistant course made me feel comfortable to jump into film production work, Bierner said. During this one-week course, I learned in-depth what would be expected of me and had the benefit of connecting with people currently working in the industry.

The training is made possible through a partnership with the Arizona Commerce Authority to provide the training to become a part of the Arizona Film Ready Crew in a five-day, intensive training. Industry professionals supporting the current class include: Arizona Film Commissioner Matthew Earl Jones (son of the famous James Earl Jones); Bella Hibbs with Good Faith Casting; JJ Bukowski and Aiden Chapparone, directors of photography; Justin McMahon, gaffer; Cinevo Camera, Lighting and Grip Equipment; Bill True, screenwriter; Victoria Sandoval, makeup artist; Meg Roederer, Flagstaff film commissioner; and Jennifer Jones Nesbit, production designer.

The training, which is currently full and has a wait list, is Aug. 21-25 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Fourth Street campus, 3000 N. Fourth St. Cost for the course is $35, with the class capped at 40 students. More courses are planned in Flagstaff and across the state.

For more about the Production Assistant training at CCC, visit https://www.coconino.edu/production-assistant. For more information on the statewide training, go to https://www.azcommerce.com/film-media/training-opportunities.
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In 2018, physicians began #ThisIsOurLane, a movement arguing that gun violence is a public health epidemic that medical professionals have a vital role in dismantling. Gun suicide rates are increasing across America  particularly in states with the fewest gun laws. Guns are the most lethal method of self-harm, with a fatality rate of 90%, yet only 11 states are enforcing a key law that prevents gun violence and protects our patients: gun waiting periods.

Waiting period laws require that a certain number of days elapse between the purchase and physical possession of a gun, with the goal of preventing impulsive homicides and suicides. By delaying the immediate acquisition of a gun, people are prevented from acting on temporary emotional crises and law enforcement agencies are given extra time to complete background checks. As a medical student in Chicago, gun violence hits close to home for many of the patients we serve. Importantly, Illinois implemented a waiting period of 72 hours in 2018, which is a step in the right direction to reduce the impact of gun violence.

Waiting periods work. According to a 2017 study, waiting period laws reduce gun homicides by 17% and gun suicides by 7-11%. This translates to countless families and community members spared the trauma of losing loved ones to guns.

Waiting period laws are effective because they intercept the space between decision and action, allowing time for emotions and the desire to act on them impulsively to subside. A 2021 study found that 70% of people made a suicide attempt within 3 hours of deciding to die. While planning a method and location occurred within 12 hours prior to the suicide attempt, the transition between making the decision to die and the suicide attempt can happen in minutes. It is critical to restrict immediate access to lethal means, allowing individuals the time to reconsider taking action and get medical help, whether independently or when loved ones notice their state of crisis.

Why is it critical, as health care providers, to lobby for gun waiting periods now?

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety and depression worldwide increased by a shocking 25%. Notably, suicidal ideation and self-harm also increased during the pandemic, especially among adolescent females. Suicide in the United States had begun to slow in 2019 and 2020 but increased again in 2021, particularly among communities of color  and 55% of these suicides were caused by firearms. These increases were not limited to suicides; during the COVID-19 pandemic, homicide rates in the U.S. also rose by 30%.

The United States is facing a mental health crisis, and that crisis is only exacerbated by the swift access to firearms. Fortunately, waiting periods are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans. In 2019, 85% of non-gun owners and 72% of gun owners supported gun purchase waiting periods. Additionally, in 2017, 75% of Americans stated that they would support a 30-day waiting period for gun purchases; the current longest waiting period is 14 days, implemented by Hawaii. The public is on board, yet 39 states have yet to implement a waiting period.

Countless deaths can be prevented by passing this critical legislation.

Gun violence is a public health matter, and its time that more states follow suit in protecting their communities. To accomplish this, it is critical that leaders in the medical field, advocates, and community members encourage state legislators to work towards implementing gun waiting periods, thereby preventing gun suicides and homicides. As health care providers, one of our vital duties is to protect patients from harm  especially at the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health crisis, and gun violence epidemic.

Of course, gun waiting periods are just a small piece of the puzzle in dismantling gun violence, but reducing access to purchasing guns during temporary emotional crises will save lives. In memory of the many parents, children, and patients lost in your state due to suicide by firearm or gun violence, your voice in health care is needed now more than ever. Advocate for waiting period laws, contact your state legislator, and educate your community  you can help prevent the loss of countless loved ones.

Taytum Kahl is a medical student.
Unity of Flagstaff Spiritual Center Aug 20  Unity of Flagstaff, 1800 S. Milton Road, Flagstaff. 10:30-11:30 a.m., CPR for your Spirit: Connection, Perspective and Reflection, Do you ever get weary? Do you know that sense of beyond tired? World Events, Personal Challenges, etc. Join us this Sunday for a little CPR for your Spirit: Connection, Perspective and Reflection. Think of it as an aerobic exercise (minus sweat, and obnoxious clothing) for your Soul! Join Rev. Penni and together lets discover how to breathe into a revitalized sense of ease and peace in our lives and resting into the GOOD of that. Unity of Flagstaff: Tools NOT Rules! ALL Are Welcome! Sunday Celebration 10:30 AM Meditation at 9:45 AM Live: 1800 S. Milton Suite 103 Greentree Mini Mall Livestream: youtube.unityofflagstaff.org unityofflagstaff.org. https://go.evvnt.com/1903488-0.

The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany Aug 20  The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, 423 N. Beaver St., Flagstaff. 978-774-2911. 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Come join in prayer, fellowship, friendship, come and see! www.epiphanyaz.org, or 978-774-2911 for more info. https://go.evvnt.com/1834279-0.

LIVING CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH Aug 20  500 W. Riordan Road, 500 W. Riordan Road, Flagstaff. 928-526-8595. 10-11 a.m., Join Rev. Kurt Fangmeier for the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost! In Isaiah we hear that Gods house shall be a house of prayer for all people and that God will gather the outcasts of Israel. The Canaanite woman in todays gospel is a Gentile, an outsider, who is unflinching in her request that Jesus heal her daughter. As Jesus commends her bold faith, how might our church extend its mission to those on the margins of society? In our gathering around word and meal we receive strength to be signs of comfort, healing, and justice for those in need. We will learn more with our First Reading of Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 (A house of prayer for all peoples), Psalm 67 (Let all the peoples praise you, O God) and the Second Reading of Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 (Gods mercy to all, Jew and Gentile) together with the Gospel Matthew 15: {10-20} 21-28 (The healing of the Canaanite womans daughter). https://go.evvnt.com/1897241-0.

BEACON UU SUNDAY SERVICE: "The News from Flagstaff Mountain," In Celebration of all Things Flagstaff Aug 20  Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 510 N. Leroux St., Flagstaff. (928) 779-4492. 10-11 a.m., ALL ARE WELCOME! You BELONG at Beacon - Spiritually open and intentionally inclusive since 1958. Please join us for stories and songs that celebrate this beautiful city that we live in. Storytellers will include Rich and Roz Clark, Bruce Thomas, and Linda Ochi. Also we will have a slideshow of photos of Flagstaff. With Worship Associate Linda Ochi and music provided by Simon Cunningham, Kim Angelo, and Steve Ochi. All Ages Worship Service: No separate Religious Exploration Classes, children are invited to the service to hear stories about Flagstaff. https://go.evvnt.com/1896941-0.

PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH Aug 20  3430 N. Fourth St., 3430 N. Fourth St., Flagstaff. 928-526-9578. 10-11 a.m., We invite you to join the family of Peace Lutheran Church (LCMS) on Sunday at 10:00am for in person blended service (Combined Liturgical, hymnal based and Praise Worship) with Holy Communion. Pastor William Weiss Jr. (Pastor Bill) will be presiding. The subject of this weeks service is: For all the people. The Old Testament reading is from Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 The Lords salvation comes for all people. The Epistle reading is from Romans 11: 1-2, 13-15, 28-32 God will reveal His mercy to all people. The Gospel lesson is from Matthew 15: 21-28 A Canaanite woman shows great faith. The service will be live streamed on our website (peacelutheranflagstaff.org) and on YouTube. Fellowship and refreshments are available before the worship service beginning 9:15am. https://go.evvnt.com/1895692-0.

Flagstaff Federated Community Church Please join us for in person services Sundays at 10 a.m. We are located at 400 W Aspen Ave. on the corner of Aspen and Sitgreaves in Downtown Flagstaff. All are welcome to our services. For more information about Flagstaff Federated Community Church please call our office at 928-774-7383, Mon  Thurs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Church of the Resurrection Sunday Church Services 740 W. University Heights Drive S., 740 W. University Heights Drive S., Flagstaff. 928-853-8522. 10-11:30 a.m., Church of the Resurrection Presbyterian Church in America (PCA): We invite you to join us for worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays at 740 W. University Heights Drive South. Please feel free to contact us for information on our mid-week gatherings and for more information on our church. You can find us at www.cor-pca.org and www.facebook.com/CORFlagstaff or we can be reached at corflagstaff@gmail.com and (928) 699-2715.

Leupp Nazarene Church The church, near mile post 13 or Navajo Route 15, has been holding services by teleconferences and doing drive-up meetings. For information, call pastor Farrell Begay at 928-853-5321. Teleconference number: 1-7170275-8940 with access code 3204224#. Services are 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sundays and 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

Christian Science Society of Flagstaff 619 W. Birch Ave. Bible Lesson services every Sunday 10-11am (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/369812794). Testimony Meetings every Wednesday: 5:30-6:30pm (Zoom option: https://zoom.us/j/971672834). Zoom password: CSS.
In the late 19th century, thousands of prospectors descended on Yukon rivers to pan for gold. Today, Metallic Minerals (TSX-V: MMG) is putting a modern twist on the Klondike Gold Rush by hunting for the same alluvial gold.

CEO Greg Johnson spoke to Kitco in mid-July at Invest Yukons Mining Property Tours & Investment Conference 2023.

Metallic Minerals acquired a large block of unmined Klondike alluvial claims in 2017, thinking they would provide cash flow while the company explored other opportunities. In January 2023, Metallic signed a production royalty agreement on 5.5 miles of alluvial gold claims at its Australia Creek property with Little Flake Mining, a company owned by Parker Schnabel of Discovery Channels Gold Rush fame.

The plan is for Little Flake to start mining this year, undertake a minimum annual $1 million work commitment, and pay Metallic Minerals a 10 to 15% royalty on gold production.

Eventually we have room for up to 10 operators, so it might be something that could allow us to be almost completely self-funded as an exploration-stage company, said Johnson.

He also highlighted the Keno silver project within the Yukons historic Keno Hill Silver District, and the La Plata copper-silver-gold-platinum group element project in southwestern Colorado.

At Keno, Johnson said Metallic is publishing its first NI 43-101-compliant resource on three of its five most advanced targets, that are potentially amenable to open-pit mining. The project is adjacent to Hecla Minings Keno Hill mine, which is going back into production this year.

At La Plata, a discovery earlier this year prompted a $6.3 million investment from Newcrest Mining, which funded a first-phase 5,000-metre drill program. With Newmont acquiring Newcrest, the latters 9.9% interest would become Newmonts.

The U.S. gold major has placed an emphasis on copper and gold, and made acquisitions over the past few years in northwestern B.C. and the Yukon. This includes the Coffee project through Newmonts blockbuster 2019 purchase of Goldcorp, and the Tatogga gold-copper property in the Golden Triangle acquired through Newmonts 2021 takeover of GT Gold.
Xem them

(Construction) - On October 3, 2023, in Tokyo - Capital of Japan, Construction Newspaper of Vietnam, represented by Mr. Nguyen Anh Dung - Editor-in-Chief continued to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Daily Engineering and Construction News of Japan (DECN) with the witness of the MLIT and many businesses in Japan.

...

Tin bai cuoi cung

Khong con du lieu e load
What Are The Recovery Qualities Of Quit Irregular Bowel Movements? If you think that you have moderate or intense irregularity, of course, do not...
Weather Alert

...FREEZE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CDT MONDAY... * WHAT...Sub-freezing temperatures as low as 27 expected. * WHERE...Portions of south central, southwest, and west central Illinois. Portions of central, east central, northeast, and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 10 PM this evening to 10 AM CDT Monday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. &&
Even though the Camp David summit mentioned peace 10 times in its statement, it cannot hide the nature of the meeting to form a mini NATO military alliance to endanger peace in the Asia-Pacific.

In their statement, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan made unveiled claim to interfere in the Taiwan question and attempted to legalize the illegal arbitration concerning the South China Sea in 2016 that even the Philippines no longer mentions. These two steps are doubtlessly aimed at containing China.

They further vowed to strengthen sanctions against Russia, which would only make the Ukraine crisis worse, and push for complete denuclearization of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea to replace the publicly recognized denuclearization of the whole Korean Peninsula.

Through just one statement, the Camp David summit has set for itself three imaginary enemies as a full demonstration of their Cold War mentality.

However, Japan and the ROK need to know that while the three together push against the imaginary enemies, both of them, as the pawns of Washington, will have to bear the consequences. Especially the ROK as the only of the three with a land border with the DPRK must realize where its true interests lie and how to ensure security instead of provoking neighbors.
Eli Lilly and Company is a US-based multinational pharmaceutical company. It is the 12th largest pharmaceutical company by revenue and has offices in 16 countries. Its medicines are sold in at least 125 countries including its 8 blockbuster drugs. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indices, it brought in roughly $5.5 billion in revenue for 2021 and employs more than 35,000 people across its network of research and production facilities.

Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly. The colonel, a veteran of the Civil War, had recently dissolved an unsatisfactory partnership and set on his own to produce and develop medicinal chemicals. Colonel Lilly remained as president until his death in 1898. His charge to his family, company and coworkers was to take what you find here and make it better and better. The company is well-known for many drugs, including the first mass-marketing of quinine to treat malaria.

The company brought in $4,470 in its first year and saw that figure grow 10X over the next 3. Among the many innovations during this time period is the addition of gelation coatings for pills which helped set the company up for rapid expansion. The company was incorporated in 1881 as Eli Lilly and Company issuing stock to family and friends. The 1900s brought about more change for the company, change in the form of expansion which included international markets.

Advancements during the war years included increases in efficiency due to increased automation and the development of precision technologies. Among the technologies was pill manufacturing which included injecting medicines directly into a gelation capsule. This method allowed for more exact dosing, setting the standard for modern production. The company produced capsules for itself and sold excess capacity to competitors. Other major advancements include fruit flavorings in medicine, straight-line manufacturing and a method of blueprinting manufacturing tickets to prevent errors.

The modern period saw the company grow and discover new, world-class pharmaceuticals. Today, the company is engaged in the discovery, development and marketing of human pharmaceuticals. It offers a wide range of treatments, including Prozac but is perhaps most noteworthy for its work with insulin. The company is the first to mass produce insulin and has made numerous advances in treating diabetes in the time since. While other drugs are more widely known, its diabetic drugs Basaglar, Jardience, Trulicity, Humalog and Humulin are its top-sellers and contribute the bulk of revenue and cash flow.

Along with Diabetic research, the company also focuses on Alzheimer's, Oncology, Immunology, Obesity and Pain care. At the end of 2022, the company pipeline had 23 compounds in Phase 3 clinical trials and 1 in review. There were another 18 in Phase 2 trials and more than 2 dozen in Phase 1 trials. The average cost to discover a new drug was running at $2.6 billion with a 10-year discovery-to-patient timeline.
S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad)
Here's a look at trending content for today, Aug. 9:

Lil Tay

Lil Tay, a young social media star who went viral for her foulmouthed videos, is not dead as online posts reported Wednesday, her family said.

Her family said Thursday that the rising 14-year-old rapper's Instagram account was hacked.

Lil Tay (real name Claire Hope) rose to popularity in 2018 for her Instagram photos and posts where she flaunted designer clothes and luxury cars.

Find out more about her here:

Editor's note: A previous version of the story published Aug. 9 cited the false post reporting her death.

Maui fire

Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to areas where people went into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the County of Maui said in a statement. The Coast Guard tweeted that a crew rescued 12 people from the water off Lahaina.

The county tweeted that multiple roads in Lahaina were closed with a warning: "Do NOT go to Lahaina town."

Fire was widespread in Lahaina, including Front Street, an area of the town popular with tourists, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview early Wednesday.

Read more about it here:

Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson, The Band's lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as The Weight, Up on Cripple Creek and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" mined and helped reshape American music, has died at 80.

Robertson died surrounded by family, a statement from his manager said.

From their years as Bob Dylan's masterful backing group to their own stardom as embodiments of old-fashioned community and virtuosity, The Band profoundly influenced popular music in the 1960s and '70s, first by literally amplifying Dylans polarizing transition from folk artist to rock star and then by absorbing the works of Dylan and Dylan's influences as they fashioned a new sound immersed in the American past.

Get more info on him here:

***

Get more of today's trending topics here:

Dianne Feinstein

Tory Lanez

Top stories for Wednesday, Aug. 9
"40 Days of Miracle," a play jointly produced by the State Republican Academic Korean Theater of Musical Comedy of Kazakhstan and the Che Company of Korea, is staged at the National Assembly Member's Hall in Seoul, Aug. 16. The play portrays the deportation of Koreans from Russia to Kazakhstan in the 1930s. Courtesy of Yang Byung-man



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The Korean Theater of Kazakhstan, the oldest theater troupe of ethnic Koreans, revived the resilient history of Koryoin, or ethnic Koreans in the post-Soviet states, as well as the life of General Hong Beom-do, a commander-in-chief of the Korean Independence Army in the 1920s in their latest work "40 Days of Miracle."



As part of a tour in Korea to commemorate the second anniversary of the return of General Hong's remains and the 90th anniversary of the theater, the troupe staged "40 Days of Miracle." This play traces the deportation of Koreans from Russia to Kazakhstan, with performances at the National Assembly Member's Hall in Seoul, Aug. 16, and Daejeon Seogu Cultural Center, Aug. 18.



"This play relates to the history of Koreans in Kazakhstan and the theater itself. It also has ties to General Hong Beom-do, who was known to have worked as a janitor at the theater in his later days," Kim Yelena, director of the Korean Theater, told The Korea Times during an interview at a rehearsal room in Seoul, Aug. 15.



Officially known as the State Republican Academic Korean Theater of Musical Comedy, it is the oldest theater troupe of ethnic Koreans. Originally established in 1932 by a group of Korean amateur actors in Vladivostok, Russia; in 1937, the theater was deported to Central Asia, along with the rest of the Korean population of the Russian Far East, under Stalin's ethnic cleansing policies.



It first settled in the Kazakh city of Kyzyl-Orda, then Ushtobe in 1942, and finally found its current home in Almaty in 1968.



The newest production, "40 Days of Miracle," premiered in Almaty in June before traveling to Korea.



"We've been developing this production for more than three years. The story centers on the Korean independence movement and includes significant events like the famous Battle of Bongo-dong. It also portrays the arduous journey of Koreans as they were relocated from the Russian Far East to Central Asia by train," Kim explained.



She emphasized the play's universal appeal in Kazakhstan and shared the poignant audience response during its Almaty run.



"Kazakhstan is home to over 100 ethnic groups and Koreans were not the only ethnicity that was deported here. During the play's run in Almaty, numerous Kazakhs who are not of Korean descent were drawn to the performance, leading to sold-out shows and the need for additional temporary seating. The emotional impact was profound, with many in the audience moved to tears."





"40 Days of Miracle," a play jointly produced by the State Republican Academic Korean Theater of Musical Comedy of Kazakhstan and the Che Company of Korea, is staged at the National Assembly Member's Hall in Seoul, Aug. 16. The play portrays the deportation of Koreans from Russia to Kazakhstan in the 1930s. Courtesy of Yang Byung-man
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A billboard-size mural that has taken shape on the underside of the Grant Marsh Bridge on Interstate 94 between Bismarck and Mandan celebrates the area's connection to the Missouri River, organizers say.

The Missouri River Heritage Mural is on the east pier of the bridge. It spans the width of the interstate and is about 40 feet tall. It will be formally unveiled Monday with a free meal during a "Community Table" event from 6-8 p.m. in the Lewis & Clark Riverboat parking lot. People are encouraged to walk or bike due to limited parking and to encourage "active transportation."

The roots of the mural lie in an effort by Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Nutrition Services Coordinator Katie Johnke and Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library Director Christine Kujawa to plan an event including healthy local food and outdoor physical activity and offering an opportunity for the community to come together for informal dialogue during a free community meal.

The mural idea was conceived in 2016. Community input sessions were held in 2022 to help determine the content, with the overriding theme being the Missouri River.

"It's to reflect the heritage and culture and story along the Missouri River assembled into one large design," Dakota West Arts Council Executive Director Molly McLain said.

The mural was created through what is known as a poly-tab or parachute cloth technique. Sections of the mural were painted on 5-by-5-foot sheets, then pieced together on the concrete with a special type of glue. Master artist Greta McLain, a Twin Cities artist and Molly's cousin, then overpainted to blend in any seams and add final touches.

More than 225 people helped produce the work during painting parties using a paint-by-number approach, according to Greta McLain. The mural was assembled on site this month.

The artwork project was funded with grants from the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation, the Consensus Council, and partners including the Sons of Norway Sverdrup Lodge, the Downtowners and Capital City Christmas. Organizers didn't say what it cost. Monday's event is being funded through a library supporter and a grant through the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.

Other partners in the project include the High Plains Fair Housing Center and the Missouri Valley Heritage Alliance.

Since the mural is on public property, an agreement was coordinated between the North Dakota Department of Transportation, the city of Bismarck, and the nonprofits Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation and Northern Plains Heritage Foundation. The mural design also was reviewed and approved by DOT's Tribal Consultation Committee.

This region embodies the nationally important heritage that flows from the Missouri River, and beyond its rich history and natural beauty, the Northern Plains National Heritage Area is a lived-in landscape," said Emily Sakariassen, project manager for the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation. "It is our mission to collaborate with our diverse and vibrant communities to make our heritage relevant to local needs. This project was an amazing opportunity to do just that."

For more information go to bit.ly/47JLGD0.
A 35-year-old Bismarck man is dead after being struck by a semitrailer on Interstate 94.

Cameron Red Bird was walking in the roadway about 5 miles west of Valley City around 3 a.m. Friday when he was hit, the Highway Patrol reported. He was declared dead at the scene.

The semi driver was not hurt. The Patrol identified him as Chad Heller, 46, of West Fargo.

The Patrol is continuing to investigate.
For the first time since his Georgia indictment, his fourth in total, Donald Trump finally reacted to the accusations on camera. As expected, he dismissed the allegations as a "witch hunt" and a "horrible thing for the country."

Trump and 18 others were indicted in a sprawling and detailed RICO case where he was accused of trying to overturn the election, conspiracy, intimidating poll workers, and other crimes. However, the former president, who is also facing federal election crimes, a New York finance violation, and stealing classified documents, remained defiant.

"I have four of them now if you look. I mean, this is not even possible," said Trump during an appearance on Fox Business. "Four, over the next, last couple of months. And frankly, it discredits everything. And they're all very similar in the sense that they're, there's no basis for them."

Despite this claim, Georgia prosecutors have compiled various pieces of evidence, from his own tweets trying to discredit the election results to video evidence of his co-defendants illegally trying to access voting machines in Coffee County, Georgia.

According to Yahoo! News, Trump then called on other members of the Republican party "to be tough," adding, "The Republicans are great in many ways, but they don't fight as hard for this stuff. And they have to get a lot tougher. And if they don't they're not going to have much of a Republican Party."

Trump has since fractured the Republican Party, with MAGA Republicans remaining loyal to him while others placing much of their support on other candidates, most of whom include his biggest critics, Mike Pence and Chris Christie, the former of whom was the target of an angry mob he unleashed on January 6.

Donald Trump Had 27 Lies Listed on His Georgia Indictment

Trump's election lies have been one of the main focuses for his indictment in Georgia. CBS News recently took a look at that indictment and found that it listed 27 of the former president's various lies as he tried to reverse the election results in Georgia. Chief among them was the claim that he won the 2020 election, a claim that has been debunked in various court cases, not just in Georgia.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Indicted Along With 18 Allies in Georgia Election Probe

Trump also claimed that he won in Georgia in 2020. However, one of the biggest pieces of evidence is his "perfect phone call" with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger where he asked him to "find" 11,780 votes for him, one more than Biden's 11,779 vote lead in the state. In that phone call, which was recorded, Trump told the secretary of state, "And the real truth is I won by 400,000 votes. At least."

His other lies include his claim of massive voter fraud in Georgia, winning other swing states despite the fact that these states have ruled in court that he lost, the supposedly mysterious drop of Georgia ballots, vote dumping in Fulton County, and many more claims that have previously been proven wrong.

FBI Joins Investigations Over Threats to Georgia Grand Jury Members

Meanwhile, the Washington Post is reporting that the FBI has joined the investigation into the "barrage of threats against Fulton County officials in recent days." This includes the leak of the names of the Fulton County grand jury members who indicted Trump.

Trump has had a history of threatening people who get in his way, from his own Vice President, Mike Pence, to news organizations and political opponents.

A spokesperson for the FBI Atlanta office stated that they are s "aware of threats of violence" against Fulton County officials. The spokesperson also noted that they are working with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office to investigate these threats. However, no specific targets were revealed, nor if anybody has already acted on those threats.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Election Interference Co-Conspirators Turning on Each Other

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: It's RICO in Georgia - LegalEagle
North Dakota regulators who rejected a siting permit for Summit Carbon Solutions proposed 2,000-mile interstate carbon dioxide storage pipeline made it clear the decision was not a judgment on the idea of storing climate-warming emissions underground.

This is only about this project, in this location, under these circumstances, Public Service Commission Chair Randy Christmann said after the PSC issued its decision Aug. 4.

The denial was not routine for a commission that sees 15-20 applications for pipelines of various sizes every year. PSC Director of Public Utilities Victor Schock said he is not aware of any other pipelines that have been rejected in his nine years working for the commission.

Its absolutely not the norm, he said.

The commission cited several reasons for its decision, including that Summit had not adequately addressed how the project would impact sensitive areas including cultural sites, some wildlife areas and unstable geological areas. The PSC in its order also said that Summit has not taken the steps to address outstanding legitimate impacts expressed by landowners during the public comment or demonstrated why a reroute is not feasible.

Iowa-based Summit previously said it planned to reapply and address the issues brought by the PSC. But Summit on Friday submitted a petition for reconsideration of the PSC's Aug. 4 decision. The request presents numerous route adjustments and asks for a one-day hearing for witness testimony in support of its new plans.

If the PSC does not accept Summit's motion for reconsideration and Summit has to reapply, another application process, upcoming new federal regulations and legal questions over where CO2 will be stored paints a picture of a long wait until construction can begin.

But Summit Executive Vice President Wade Boeshans said he does not believe the PSC decision "has a material impact on the overall schedule."

Summit has said previously it expects the pipeline to be operational in 2024.

A lengthy process

The Midwest Carbon Express pipeline is to move CO2 emissions from dozens of ethanol plants in Nebraska, Iowa, the Dakotas and Minnesota and to western North Dakota's Oliver County for permanent storage underground. The 320-mile route in North Dakota that the PSC rejected was to pass through Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Emmons, Logan, McIntosh, Morton, Oliver, Richland and Sargent counties.

Summit submitted its siting application to the PSC in October 2022. The process entailed filing numerous forms, addressing the concerns of intervenors and attending five PSC public hearings held across the state.

This is a process that will have to begin again if Summit has to reapply.

The prior application took about 10 months to work its way through the process. Schock expects a similar timeline for any reapplication.

If Summit hopes to be approved it needs to properly address every issue the commission brought up in its order, according to Schock.

At a sparsely attended public open house that Summit held Monday to demonstrate the project's safety, multiple company representatives attributed the route rejection to not enough communication from Summit with the PSC and landowners. They maintained that the company had the ability to, and would, address the concerns of all stakeholders.

Hearings for the project are set to begin later this month in Iowa and in September in South Dakota. Minnesota is in the midst of its permitting process. Nebraska does not have statewide regulations pertaining to CO2 pipelines but counties can enact local ordinances.

Reroutes, big and small

Summit must demonstrate that the project poses minimal risk to the environment and the welfare of North Dakota residents to gain PSC approval.

Some form of a reroute likely will be necessary unless the company can prove there are no other options or that it addressed the specific factors the commission took issue with along the initial proposed route, according to Schock.

They need to present a document or a witness thats able to be cross-examined, he said.

Schock said Summit did not provide this for many of the issues under contention in its previous application.

There were a lot of things where its possible that the company already rectified, but its not in the record, he said.

Some changes to the route will be more straightforward than others. The company will have to account for many of the avoidance areas that the PSC expressed concern over -- such as those with geological instability highlighted by the state Geological Survey as well as some wildlife management areas.

Boeshans said he could not speak directly to the Tribune regarding these specific issues but that the company is in the process of addressing them with the PSC.

Other elements of a reroute may be more substantial. The originally proposed route put the pipeline just 2 miles outside of Bismarcks extraterritorial area at its closest point, sparking concerns that it would impede the city's growth to the north and east. The commission found that while some intervenors stretched the likelihood of adverse effects on property values, Summit had not adequately minimized these potential impacts.

Summit's request for reconsideration states those concerns are moot because the company has an alternative route for north of Bismarck that is now 5 miles north of the city's extraterritorial area.

Summit ruled out a southern Bismarck route after the PSC requested the company analyze one. Summit cited the goal of avoiding Dakota Access Pipeline-type protests along with other geographic and cultural concerns.

Schock said the primary issue with the analysis was that Summit did not sufficiently explain why another route was not feasible. He said the story may have played out differently had the document been submitted to the record for the PSC to cross-examine at a hearing.

Prior to Summit sending in a reconsideration, Boeshans said all potential routes would be back under consideration, including a southern route, but he said pushing the project farther north is preferable. Summit claims in its petition that the issue of a southern route is now moot, given it believes its reroute addresses the north-Bismarck landowners' concerns, but it is willing to offer a witness to testify to the issues with a southern route.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Archeologist Tyrell Iron Eyes testified at a public hearing in June that moving the pipeline route south of Bismarck would place it in treaty territory. That was an issue during the DAPL protests, with Native Americans maintaining the route was on land that was rightfully theirs under an 1851 treaty agreement broken by the U.S. government.

The costs are in the millions for every extra mile of pipeline laid. Crossing new properties also means working to obtain new easement agreements with landowners.

Summit said it has secured easements with 80% of landowners across the route in North Dakota.

Every landowner who has signed an easement agreement has already received the compensation provided for in their contracts, and the landowners will keep the money, according to Boeshans.

New regulations

A new siting application would push the projects start date closer to when new federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration regulations regarding CO2 pipelines are expected to be in place. A draft of these is expected in June 2024.

PHMSA regulates pipelines in the U.S. The agency set out to update regulations after a CO2 pipeline operated by Denbury Gulf Coast Pipelines ruptured in 2020 near Satartia, Mississippi, resulting in 45 people seeking hospital care.

Many who expressed opposition to Summit's siting application in North Dakota pressed the PSC to not approve the project until new regulations were in place. The PSC said compliance with PHMSA regulations are outside of the commission's jurisdiction.

Boeshans said current regulations will allow for Summit to build a safe pipeline.

All the root causes of (the Satartia) failure are addressed in the current set of regulations, he said.

Summit Project Manager Aaron Eldridge said even if there are new PHMSA regulations that the company does not anticipate, pipeline operators have been able to adjust to new standards in the past without upgrading infrastructure.

Boeshans said much of the publics concern over the project was due to misinformation and misunderstanding about CO2.

The facts are theres 5,000 miles of CO2 pipelines operating in the U.S. today, and of all (pipelines) operating in the U.S., CO2 lines have the best safety record, he said.

Experts say there are different considerations necessary for CO2 pipelines.

CO2 is odorless, colorless and an asphyxiant that displaces oxygen, which can cause breathing problems and hamper emergency responses because most vehicles require oxygen to run. CO2 does not burn, but it is heavier than air, and once a rupture occurs it could spread near the ground undetected.

There is no standard potential impact radius for a CO2 pipeline leak, according to Kenneth Clarkson, spokesman for the watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust. Since the dissipation and dispersion of CO2 is dependent on geography, weather and atmospheric conditions, it has the potential to spread to a greater area than other types of gases, he said.

The PSC on Aug. 4 denied requests to make Summits dispersion model public information, accepting the company's arguments that the model is a security system plan for critical infrastructure.

Rod Dillon, director of regulatory compliance at Summit, said the company is accounting for all of the safety issues. Summit will utilize an operations control center in Ames, Iowa, that will allow for constant monitoring of the pipeline. This will give operators the ability to remotely shut off valves in 30 seconds, according to Dillon.

He said there also will be continuous monitoring of atmospheric conditions in order to determine where and how far a leak could travel, and that Summit plans to regularly train first responders in every county along the route.

Storage snags

A lawsuit brought by a state landowner's group may create complications for Summit beyond the pipeline.

CO2 storage requires access to small cavities below the ground called pore space, which is the part of the subsurface that is porous enough for liquid and gas to flow through. Summit says it has signed easements with the owners of around 90% of the pore space at the Oliver County site.

The permitting of storage facilities is under the authority of the state Industrial Commission made up of the governor, the attorney general and the agriculture commissioner.

CO2 gas cannot be blocked off from the pore space of one part of a storage facility, so the company needs permission to use all of the pore space in question. If not every pore space owner agrees, the Industrial Commission relies on a process called amalgamation.

North Dakota law says for amalgamation to occur, owners of at least 60% of pore space must consent to easements and the storage facility operator must make a good-faith effort to get the consent of all landowners. Those who do not sign easements are to be equitably compensated.

The Northwest Landowners Association has filed a lawsuit against the state arguing that amalgamation is a taking of land, and for the state to engage in a taking of land, it must file eminent domain proceedings with landowners. Eminent domain is the taking of private property for public use, with just compensation. This includes hearings to determine what is a "just" compensation.

If the lawsuit is successful, there could be a potential for relitigating certain takings, according to Derrick Braaten, the group's attorney.

This means that even in the event that Summit is able to acquire a storage facility prior to a decision on the lawsuit, a win by the landowners group may mean the company would have to file eminent domain cases to use the pore space of landowners who don't sign easements.

Summit filed to intervene in this suit. Basin Electric Power Cooperative and Minnkota Power Cooperative, which respectively operate and plan to operate carbon storage facilities, also intervened.

Separately, Summit signed an agreement in 2022 to co-develop carbon storage facilities in and around Oliver County with Minnkota.

Minnkota is finishing up the process of deciding whether it will go ahead with construction of Project Tundra, which would be the country's largest CO2 storage project, capturing emissions from the Milton R. Young Station, a coal-fired power plant in Oliver County.

An application for Minnkota's third storage facility will be headed to the Industrial Commission for approval in the coming months, according to state Mineral Resources Director Lynn Helms.

Minnkota's application for the facility says the proposed site will be primarily used for CO2 emissions from the Milton R. Young Station, but if there is remaining pore space it will market that to third-party sources.

Boeshans has told the Tribune there are no firm commitments to deliver CO2 to" the facility.
Amid powerful 35 mph winds, a wildfire swept through the area near Medical Lake, Washington, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders for the entire town on Friday, according to NBC News.

The fire expanded dramatically in hours, surging from an initial estimate of 500 acres to nearly 3,000 acres, fueled by the gusty winds.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources communicated updates via Twitter, revealing that the fire had encroached upon properties within the city limits by 5:00 PM.

The Gray Fire's rapid growth was driven by unfavorable conditions, including high winds and the scorching weather of the preceding week.

Joe Smillie, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, acknowledged the severity of the situation, disclosing that some homes had already been consumed by the flames.

The fire escalated explosively and prompted swift evacuation actions.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels reported that his team was actively moving through the evacuation area, urging residents to leave their homes and find safety.

Nowels described the fire as "zero percent" contained, with its destructive path expanding into more densely populated areas, including neighborhoods and a school.

Over 100 law enforcement officers responded to the escalating crisis, as the fire necessitated unconventional rescue methods.

Authorities employed boats and helicopters to rescue those in imminent danger but had not heeded evacuation warnings.

Sheriff Nowels underscored the gravity of the situation, emphasizing that those within evacuation zones should leave promptly to avoid being caught in the dangerous path of the fire.

READ NEXT: Maui Wildfire Update

The Medical Lake Wildfire

Initially reported south of Lakeland Village before 12:30 PM, the fire quickly grew to 500 acres by 2:15 PM, according to Spokane County Fire District 10.

The urgency prompted hundreds to evacuate Medical Lake, leading to congested roads as residents fled with their belongings, said The Spokesman-Review.

"This is not good," Medical Lake resident Richard O'Leary said, watching the fire from across the water in Coney Island Park. "This is pretty serious because there's a pathway into town."

The blaze's intensity warranted the closure of State Route 902, except for emergency vehicles and evacuating residents.

As thick smoke billowed from the flames, air resources were deployed to combat the rapidly advancing fire. The visibility issues caused by the plume of smoke extended into Spokane and much of the West Plains region.

Authorities Initiate Strong Response Against Medical Lake Wildfire

The blaze's trajectory led it to the southern edge of Medical Lake, extending Level 3 evacuation orders to include the entire city.

In addition to residential evacuations, nearby state-operated medical facilities, Eastern State Hospital, and Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center initiated shelter-in-place measures. A shelter was also established at Cheney High School for those affected by the wildfire.

Authorities initiated a strong response, deploying aircraft to combat the fire's progression.

Norah West, assistant director of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, emphasized that the situation was evolving, and efforts were underway to ascertain the extent of the impact on the ground, per CNN.

As of the latest data, there have been no reported casualties, as confirmed by Spokane County Fire District 10 spokesperson Sarah Jydstrup.

READ MORE: California, Nevada, and Arizona Under Threat of Massive Rain

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: 'Do not come to the city of Medical Lake' | Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels on Gray Fire - From KREM 2 News
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has traveled to Chile with other Hispanic lawmakers as the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chile Coup approaches. She urged the US government to declassify documents that could shed light on Washington's involvement in that coup.

"The transparency of the United States could present an opportunity for a new phase in our relationship between the United States and Chile," said the New York Democrat in Spanish.

She posted a video of her statement as she appeared alongside Camila Vallejo, the spokesperson for Chile's President Gabriel Boric.

The delegation included Texas Democrat Reps. Greg Casar and Joaquin Castro, both of whom are also Hispanic. The delegation of these Latino Democrats first traveled to Brazil before heading to Chile. They will head to Colombia next, according to the Associated Press.

The Chile coup was launched against President Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973. It led to one of South America's most brutal dictatorships led by Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1973 to 1990.

AOC talked about the historic impact of the Pinochet dictatorship, saying, "It's very important to frame the history of what happened here in Chile with Pinochet's dictatorship. And also to acknowledge and reflect on the role of the United States in those events."

Meanwhile, Vallejo added, "In Chile as well, a similar request was made... that aims to declassify documents from the Nixon administration, particularly certain testimonies from the CIA director. This is to attain a clearer understanding of what transpired and how the United States was involved in the planning of the civil and military coup, and the subsequent years that followed."

She stressed that doing so "is very important for our history."

Cesar and Castro also spoke in Spanish and echoed the calls to declassify information about Nixon's involvement in the coup that installed Pinochet as leader.

READ NEXT: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Fiance: Who Is Riley Roberts?

For Chile, 1973 Coup Still Bears Fresh Wounds

While the Pinochet dictatorship ended over 30 years ago, many still bear fresh wounds from that era. It was marred by 17 years of systematic human rights violations and the disappearance of around 1,500 Chileans.

The atrocities committed after that coup remain fresh in the minds of those who survived that dark time in Chile's history, according to Al Jazeera News. As the 50th anniversary of the Chile Coup that installed the Pinochet dictatorship approaches, Chile has been calling on the US government to reveal the Nixon administration's involvement in such a dark part of its modern history.

What Happened in Chile During 1973?

The Allende administration that was kicked out by the coup was an ambitious coalition that tried to create a socialist country with plentiful consumer pleasures and modern technology. The government was very popular at that time, though, as The Guardian reported, it also happened because of this popularity.

Conservatives in the US were unsettled by this, with Republicans trying to undermine Allende. Under Nixon, the CIA covertly funded his enemies, including the Chilean conservatives that helped Pinochet in his coup.

Thousands fled the country, with around 2,500 refugees fleeing to the UK, with more fleeing to the US. Like most dictatorships, dissent was criminalized and human rights violations done by the military were rife.

READ NEXT: Pedro Pascal: 5 of the Chilean-Born Actor's Roles You May Not Know About

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Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: 1973 Chilean Coup | 3 Minute History - Jabzy
A heartfelt plea was broadcast on live TV as a resident, Ella Sable Tacderan, expressed her frustration and disappointment with President Joe Biden's response to the devastating Maui wildfire.

Tacderan's emotional remarks underscored the growing criticism of what many perceive as inadequate assistance and attention from the federal government, according to the NY Post.

In an emotional interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Tacderan fought back tears as she questioned the absence of President Biden in the face of the historic Maui wildfire.

"It's really affecting me because where's the president?" she implored, adding, "Aren't we Americans, too? We're part of the United States. Why are we getting put in the back pocket? Why are we being ignored?"

Tacderan's anguish stems from the fact that the wildfire has wreaked havoc, claiming the lives of at least 111 people, with over 1,000 individuals still unaccounted for.

However, Biden has refrained from addressing the disaster and has postponed his visit until Monday, almost two weeks after the blaze began.

Tacderan's frustration further surfaced when discussing the assistance her community received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

She expressed disappointment over a one-time grant of $700, deeming it a "slap in the face" given the high cost of living in Hawaii. She highlighted the financial strain of everyday expenses in the region, clarifying that the aid was inadequate.

Tacderan also highlighted a potential barrier to aid accessibility: the elderly population's lack of familiarity with technology.

This digital divide might explain cases of applicants being "turned away" from FEMA assistance.

READ NEXT: Maui Wildfire Death Toll, Missing People, and Siren Use Woes

Pres. Joe Biden Offers No Comment on Questions About Maui Wildfire

Criticism intensified as President Joe Biden's delayed visit was announced. The 80-year-old president's delayed response and apparent confusion about the name of the afflicted region have led to growing frustration.

His decision to postpone his visit due to a planned vacation in Nevada fueled public discontent.

Biden's repeated "no comment" responses to questions about the wildfire have drawn sharp criticism.

His apparent lack of engagement with the crisis and his forgetfulness about the name "Maui" have left many citizens disillusioned.

Social media has been quick to react, with commentators and citizens voicing their frustration and disappointment, FOX News noted.

Conservative commentator Steve Guest suggested that Joe Biden should have opted for a "No comment" response.

Another conservative commentator, Kate Hyde, humorously remarked that Biden might not be aware of the purpose of his visit to Hawaii and thinks it's for vacation rather than disaster relief.

Moreover, Red State columnist Buzz Patterson labeled him a "Buffoon."

Joe Biden Responds to Social Media Backlash

In the face of mounting backlash, President Biden finally announced plans to visit the affected area alongside First Lady Jill Biden.

During a speech, he expressed his intention to ensure all necessary resources are available for recovery efforts without causing disruptions.

The White House also defended Biden's response, asserting a "whole-of-government" approach to assist with the Maui wildfire crisis.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized that the administration has mobilized a comprehensive response effort to support immediate and long-term recovery following the Maui wildfire, said FOX.

A spokesperson also affirmed that the relief work is an ongoing commitment and acknowledged the challenges of such a complex situation.

RAED MORE: Hawaii Governor Warns Realtors

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: 'Strange behaviour': Biden staying 'very quiet' about Maui wildfires response - From Sky News Australia
Its understandable why some members of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation are upset over tribal land purchases in Las Vegas. Since 2020 the tribal government has spent $115 million on three deals for land along the Strip in the nations famous gambling city.

While the tribal government has no definite plans for the land, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox defends the purchases as a smart investment. He says the tribes options include building a casino resort or flipping the land to new owners.

Opponents of the land deals argue the reservation has more pressing needs than investing in Las Vegas land. They point to the need for improved health care, housing, road construction and law enforcement. The land deals have resulted in protests, even in Las Vegas.

Fox points to investments the tribal government has made using oil and gas revenue for improvements across the reservation and in the state. In 2019, the tribe opened the Good Road Recovery Center in Bismarck, an alcohol and addiction recovery center. It invested $25 million in the center in hopes of no longer needing to send tribal members to other states for recovery treatment.

From fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2023, the tribes received more than $1.5 billion in oil and gas tax revenue, according to North Dakota Legislative Council figures.

The large amount of revenue has resulted in disagreements on how it should be used. Its also prompted claims that tribal government hasnt been transparent with its transactions.

The Las Vegas Review-Journals inspection of council minutes and other tribal documents posted online since 2020 found no public votes or resolutions on two of the three land deals along the Strip.

Fox said a purchase from MGM involved a nondisclosure agreement so tribal leadership couldnt publicly discuss the deal until it was finalized.

Still, there appears to be a lack of transparency with many of the tribal council actions. The Society of Professional Journalists pointed to a litany of transparency issues when giving its annual Black Hole Award to the Fox administration in March.

Theres nothing wrong with making investments outside of North Dakota. State government invests in many different areas, though theres been a recent push to invest more in North Dakota. But the Las Vegas land investments could prove to be risky for the tribe.

The asking price for the land had dropped sharply when the tribe purchased it. That doesnt mean the tribe wont come out ahead in the deals.

The tribal council needs to improve its communication with members on and off the reservation. With the amount of oil and gas revenue coming in, its reasonable for members to want to know how its spent.
Since late July, the Karl Stirner Arts Trails weekend visitors  be they runners, walkers, art-viewers, dogs or otherwise  have been greeted by bright orange traffic barrels, on which signs have been mounted declaring the trail for Easton residents only.

The limitation of the trail to just city residents is an effort to keep the trail clean and peaceful, said Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. The city is attempting to curb the number of out-of-towners that Panto said are coming en masse to the KSAT with picnic baskets, coolers or loudspeakers and leaving trash in their wake, polluting the Bushkill Creek and the surrounding wooded area.

We dont have picnic facilities, Panto said. We dont have bathrooms. So whats happened is theyre destroying the place. The idea behind the restriction is that those coming in big groups with cookout or picnic equipment and large speakers are driving into Easton and to the trail from out of town, rather than walking from Downtown Easton or the citys West Ward or College Hill.

While Panto said the citys gotten a positive reaction from residents, not everyone is happy about the change. Some have taken to social media to question both the ethics and legality of closing the public trail to non-residents.

A poster in the Easton Facebook group Easton PA Post cited Article 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Pennsylvanias public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.

The trail itself is public land. The Karl Stirner Arts Trail nonprofit manages the art adorning the trail as well as trail programming, but the land is part of Eastons public park system.

Initially, employees of the park system were stationed at the trails entrances to verify if trail-users were Easton residents, but theyve since been replaced with Easton police officers. (The parks employees) were taking a lot of abuse from people who are refusing to listen to them and going in anyway, Panto said.

The mayor said that the signs are just there for big groups of people, which is the primary issue the city is trying to solve. We dont stop people who are, if theyre non-residents, are just walking or running on the trail, Panto said. We dont stop them.

The issues arent new to the area. Upstream, Palmer Townships Penn Pump Park has had similar issues. Back in 2015 and 2016, the township began limiting park attendance and instituting new rules in order to fix the overcrowding, littering and general disrespect of the public space. The action the township took did end up having some positive results that made the popular park a much more palatable place to be.

Easton has made a similar effort in past years to curb similar behaviors  like picnics, cookouts, littering and jumping off the pedestrian bridges  on the Karl Stirner Arts Trail. Executive orders, parking lot closures and regular trail patrols have all attempted to put an end to the apparent stream of out-of-town groups polluting the area around the trail.

The city is only a few weeks into its new traffic-barreled experiment, and while its too soon to make a declaration on its success in putting a stop to the disturbances Panto said are plaguing the trail, the city is hoping that the last month of the summer along the Bushkill is much quieter.

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Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
Third and fourth graders in New Jersey may receive an academic boost this year under a new high-impact tutoring program designed to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.

The state Department of Education is releasing $52 million in federal funds to local school districts for one year of high-impact tutoring, officials said in a recent memo.

The program, which begins Oct. 11 and runs through Aug. 31, 2024, is open to all public school districts in the state that serve students in third and fourth grade.
Prison Officers who work at jails and Portlaoise and other jails will have new control and restraint equipment under a framework being established for the supply delivery of the Irish Prison Service (IPS).

The IPS is inviting companies to bid for the contracts, which expects should not cost more than 3 million, for an extensive range of equipment that ranges from ballistic vests capable of withstanding multiple hits, to batons and helmets.

The service explains why it wants to buy the equipment.

"Due to the nature of the security requirements required within a prison environment, during transport and custodial, IPS requires control & restraint equipment and related accessories," it says.

The list includes the following:

Protective overalls

Riot helmets

Full Body Armour

Anti-Spit Mask

Ballistic Vests

Safety Boots

Gloves

Shields

Baton

Hook & Loop Straps/Limb Straps

The IPS has outlined to potential bidders what specifications the various types of equipment should meet.

It says the ballistic vest should be covert, able to be worn discreetly under uniform or clothing and offer protection to the front, side and back of the vest.

It should be constructed with a material of high durability and protection, such as Kevlar or an equivalent. The IPS says the vest should be "capable of withstanding multiple hits without failure".

The vest should, says the IPS, reduce blunt force trauma to a level that does not cause serious injury or lethal injury to the wearer.

Three types of shield are required including a long model for riots. The IPS says this must be robust to protect the users full body from thrown items, blows, and other physical attacks.

The design of the body armour should cover the torso, arms, legs. The design should incorporate ergonomic features for user comfort and mobility.

Three types of batons are sought including an impact release model.

The IPS says it wants to have the new four year framework in place by late quarter three, 2023.

The IPS says it is envisaged that the maximum spend under this framework agreement will not exceed 3,000,000 excluding VAT. The service emphasises, however, that this figure is provided for indicative purposes only as there is no guaranteed expenditure under the framework agreement.

The likely value of contracts to be awarded under the framework will be in the region of 5,000 to 50,000.

Assaults on prison officers have jumped by 46% between 2021 and 2022, according to Service figures.

Figures on the IPS website say that there were 13 assaults on staff in the Midlands Prison but none in Portlaoise Prison in 2021. There were 57 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the Midlands in 2021 but zero in Portlaoise Prison.

The same report has figures on Restraint Interventions, - instances where an Officer may have received an injury during the course of their duties i.e. restraining a non-compliant prisoner. It says there were eight such instances in the Midlands Prison in 2021 but none in the neighbouring Portlaoise Prison.
The decision not to merge the Laois Offaly Garda Division with Kildare does not mean the multi-million euro revamp of Portlaosie Garda Station will not be put under review.

In a surprise move this August, Garda Headquarters in Dublin announced that following consultation it would not proceed with the merger of Kildare Division with Laois and Offaly as had been announced before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Instead, it was revealed that Laois and Offaly would remain but the previously standalone Kildare district would be merged with Carlow to form a new division.

The move was announced as work is underway to facilitate a major expansion and enhancement of the existing Laois Offaly HQ - Portlaoise Garda Station which was on course to be the new HQ for the three-county policing district.

The inclusion of Kildare was factored into the design of the overhaul which will involve the 25 million modernisation of the existing Garda Station which would include the construction of a new annex on the site of a building that's being used by the Defence Forces.

A new building is under construction near the Irish Prison Service College in Portlaoise to facilitate the Army. Soldiers require a building to prepare for duty at Portlaoise Prison.

When complete the army-used building at the Garda Station will be knocked to be replaced by a new Garda facility that will link with the existing Portlaoise station.

While nobody in the Laois Offaly Division was available for comment, the Leinster Express / Laois Live asked Garda HQ in Dublin if the plan for the Divisional HQ in Portlaoise is to proceed as planned, if the Laois Offaly Division was not changing in size.

A statement appears to confirm that the building will proceed as planned in the Laois county town.

"An impact assessment will be carried out in the revised divisions, but in the case of Laois/Offaly it is expected that the Divisional HQ for this revised Division will remain in Portlaoise. The construction project is not under review and is not part of the impact assessment review for this Division".

The Office of Public Works had already commenced the process of securing 55 temporary accommodation units to house garda members in Portlaoise.

The accommodation will be used by Gardai who will be moved to a State-owned site in Portlaoise while the new Laois Offaly Kildare Garda Headquarters is being completed.

The former Maryborough Barracks dates to the early 1800s. It is described by National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as a building complex that forms a "significant set-piece and greatly enriches the historic and architectural landscape of Portlaoise".
ESB has reported that Portlaoise is one of the areas most impacted places in Ireland by Storm Betty.

While there is no fault or outage on the company's power check app by lunchtime Saturday, a statement issued in the wake of the Storm included Portlaoise.

The statement said Betty caused damage to the electricity network overnight affecting just over 70,000 homes, farms and businesses at the peak. It said that as of 11.30 am on Saturday, August 19, just under 50,000 electricity customers remain without power with the damage mainly attributable to lightning and fallen trees on overhead lines as a result of the high winds.

"Areas most impacted include counties in the South-East along with North Dublin, Dundalk, Portlaoise and Kilkenny," it said.

The company said that all available resources are being deployed to respond to all electricity outages where safe to do so.

"ESB Networks crews have been working since first light and will work through this afternoon into this evening to restore power to as many customers as possible. A significant number of impacted customers will have their power restored by this evening. However, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity network, some customers in localised areas may remain without supply overnight," it said.

People who use electrically powered medical devices are advised to contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements if necessary.

"We apologise for the disruption to family and commercial life these interruptions in electricity supply have caused," said the ESB.

The company reiterated safety first.

"If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999. Customers should have their MPRN available to access recorded information specific to their location," it said.

Laois County Council activated its Crisis Management Teams and worked with other agencies in the Local Coordination Groups to respond to the impact of Storm Betty.

Customers without power can check for real-time updates on when their fault is expected to be repaired at www.PowerCheck.ie

You can also check @ESBNetworks on Twitter for updates.
The second annual Laois Pride week is fast approaching, with a fabulous After Party just announced, MC'd by drag queen Paul Ryder.

Midlands LGBT+ Project and Laois Pride are hosting their second year of Laois Pride based in Portlaoise, to celebrate acceptance and support for all minority sexualities and identities.

Laois Pride Week will run from Monday to Monday, September 4 to 10, with a host of events happening daily. See full agenda below.

The week will be filled with events, parties, workshops and more. Showcasing the incredible diversity and inclusivity that we are proud of in Laois and celebrating our LGBT+ Community, say Midland LGBT+ Project.

On Saturday, September 9, they will hold a Pride March starting off from Fitzmaurice Place at 12 noon through the streets of Portlaoise until 1pm.

A free family community day follows from 2pm to 5pm, at Portlaoise Leisure Centre, including hilarious Drag Queen Bingo, live music and DJ, children's activities, food and coffee stalls and circus performers.

"Expect Drag Bingo, Circus Performers, Food and Coffee, Music and TONNES of fun" the organisers say.

The After Party will take place in Kavanaghs Bar and Venue that night, starting at 9.30pm.

There will be a Singalong Social, and performances by Regina George and Victoria Secret. Tickets are 15 on Eventbrite for the strictly over 18s event.

Midlands LGBT+ Project is an adults LGBT+ support service in Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath.

Christina Fitzharris is their Coordinator.

"It's our second year to hold Laois Pride and after the success of last year we are delighted to bring it back, bigger and better with a new line-up.

"Last year there were 800 to 1,000 people at our family fun day, from Laois and further afield, not just people from the LGBT+ community and their families, but people who came along just to show support.

"It's an amazing event for people especially in the Midlands and Laois. There is no Pride Week in Offaly so it extends to them too. There is great isolation felt in rural Ireland for minorities so to to see this support is incredible for them," she said.

Portlaoise will be bedecked in rainbows, as many local businesses and shops have again come on as sponsors, receiving packs to decorate their premises and show support.

"It's lovely to see, we really do get that businesses are struggling and it's incredible to see they still prioritise Laois Pride and get involved," Christina said.

The message is simple for Laois Pride on September 9.

"Come along on the day and enjoy it.

"Our service exists all year round, so come to us if you need help and support, or someone in your family or friend group does. We have about 15 to 20 groups and events happening every month in the Midlands," the coordinator said.

Laois Pride Week events:

Monday September 4: Flag Raising Ceremony at County Hall, Portlaoise. Tuesday: Gaymes Night at the MidlandsLGBT+Project base (above Subway, James Fintan Lalor Avenue), from 6 to 8pm.

Wednesday: Who We Love film screening at the Dunamase Arts Centre, 8pm, tickets 10. Thursday: Trans & Non Binary Social Group, register for details. Friday: Youth Pride Party, at Youthwork Ireland Laois (above Subway, James Fintan Lalor Avenue), 7 to 9pm.

Saturday, September 9: Pride Breakfast, details to be confirmed. Pride parade, community day and After Party. Sunday: LGBT+ over 50s group Picnic in the Park, 2pm, register for details.
Growing numbers of Chinese citizens set their sights on the US  via the deadly Darien Gap https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/09/growing-numbers-of-chinese-citizens-set-their-sights-on-the-us-via-the-deadly-darien-gap Surge in number of disillusioned Chinese citizens fleeing to the US by trekking through the dangerous jungle between Colombia and Panama

Alicia Chen in Necocli 9 Mar 2023

On the first day of 2023, Xu was in no mood to celebrate the new year. He had just arrived in the Colombian beach town of Necocli along with dozens of other Chinese citizens, weary from a two-day bus trip from Ecuador. Their goal was the US via the Darien Gap, a roadless, lawless and extremely dangerous stretch of rainforest connecting South and Central America. He wanted to leave China far behind him. After I leave the country [China], I have no plans to go back alive, says Xu later, speaking to the Guardian in a Necocli hotel room. I feel like this country has been deceiving us, persecuting us. I have to do something. Necocli is a tourist spot known among locals for its Caribbean music festivals but it is also a major starting point for migrants heading north to Panama through the jungle. It is the only overland path from south to north America. From Panama they continue through several Central American countries to the Mexico-US border. It is a route riddled with dangers  from the perils of the jungles fast-running rivers and deadly wildlife, to gangs and criminals operating in the region, but Xu is desperate. As some compatriots eat a local pastry dedito de queso, the 31-year-old construction worker, who asked to only use a surname, joins others to chant knock CCP down!. The march through the Darien Gap of Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans fleeing economic collapse and political persecution has been well-documented. But far less is known about the growing number of Chinese citizens trekking through the jungles between Colombia and Panama.

Migrants take an one-hour ferry from Necocli? to Capurgana?, in Colombia. Photograph: Alicia Chen/The Guardian

Across separate trips in November and January, the Guardian interviewed several Chinese men hoping to travel through the Darien Gap and into the US. They are part of a growing trend. Panamanian government data shows about 400 Chinese citizens made the journey during the first half of 2022. In November last year, the figure rose to 377, then to 695 in December. In January 2023, a record-breaking 913 Chinese nationals crossed, making them the fourth-largest group of migrants to do so this year.

The January crossings account for 28% of the total number of Chinese migrants recorded in the Darien Gap since 2010, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) told the Guardian.

A combination of draconian Covid lockdowns and Xi Jinpings increasingly repressive rule has pushed thousands to flee China. They term it runology, or runxue in Chinese. The relaxation of Chinas zero-Covid policy and border controls in December and January has led to higher numbers of Chinese nationals taking the perilous journey.

I know many wanted to leave [before], but they couldnt, says Xu.

Xu says that he used to identify with Chinas Little Pinks, a growing group of cyber-nationalists, but in 2021, he began learning about the Great Chinese Famine and the Tiananmen Square massacre by using virtual private networks, or VPNs. I realised [the CCP] dont care about human rights, Xu says.

Yin Chengxiang, another migrant waiting to cross from Necocli, left China in mid-December. The 55-year-old cook from Nanjing says that Chinas tough pandemic rules were just one of many reasons that he wanted to escape life under the Chinese Communist party.

Im not afraid of them at all, Yin says. We would go help Taiwan fight against the CCP if China attacks Taiwan.

Chinese citizens shop for camping gear in Necocli?. Photograph: Alicia Chen/The Guardian

Will I die here tonight?

Jiang, who asked to only use his surname, thought he would not make it out alive. The 28-year-old, once a finance student in Australia, travelled to the edge of the jungle with four Venezuelans and two Chinese in late September.

On the first evening, they set up a tent close to a river after hiking up several inclines. But heavy rains came, and the water rose rapidly, soaking their belongings and forcing them to move. On the second day, Jiangs companion was injured. Jiang helped carry his bag but lost his own tent along the way. Again, there were flash floods.

I was so tired, hungry and cold. I almost lost my mind, Jiang says. Finally, he found an abandoned tent, but two men from Ghana and Cameroon were already inside. As the rain continued Jiang begged the two men to share it.

We four men slept side by side, huddling for warmth, Jiang says. Water kept seeping into their tent. I asked the two men, will I die here tonight? And they encouraged me, Everything will be OK, we will leave here alive.

Jiang managed to trek through the Darien and continued on toward the US, documenting much of his trail, including being stopped and searched by authorities, meeting other migrants, and visiting tourist sites, on social media. He was detained at the US border for 51 days before passing the asylum screening interview. He says his phone, bank card, and several documents went missing in the meantime.

Jiang, a young Chinese citizen, travelled through the dangerous Darien Gap in order to seek asylum in the US. Photograph: Supplied

I just want to have a peaceful life, Jiang tells the Guardian over the phone. Hes just finished his shift at a Chinese restaurant in Hawaii, where he is working illegally while waiting for his asylum claim.

The US is not ideal, but it is a place where I can be who I am.

The lure  and dangers  of the Darien Gap

Xu learned about his route through social media, where information about the crossing has spread, increasingly in Mandarin. Telegram groups with names like United States DIY or run away to the US have thousands of members. Migrants usually fly to Istanbul and then on to Ecuador, which is one of the few Latin American countries offering visa-free entry for Chinese nationals. From there, they travel by bus to Colombia, and Necocli.

During zero-Covid, while Beijing prevented citizens leaving the country without necessary and emergency reasons, Xu spent months arranging his passport and a student visa to Italy through an immigration agent in China. He had no plans to obtain a degree  it was just an excuse for him to be allowed to leave.

Risking it all: migrants brave Darien Gap in pursuit of the American dream

He left Taizhou, in eastern Jiangsu province, on the morning of 25 November, avoiding a local lockdown by just a few hours. He travelled to Hong Kong, where his passport and documents were taken for several hours before he was allowed to board his flight to Thailand  an additional check against Chinese nationals attempting to migrate. I was so nervous that I wouldnt make it.

Some migrants come from Chinas working class, which suffered during the economic woes brought on by the pandemic. But many the Guardian meets, including a school teacher and a political prisoner, are middle class. On the same day the Guardian visits, more than 30 Chinese appear in the port town, including several families with children.

A Colombian official says on the condition of anonymity that most are men aged between 20 and 55. They usually stay in hotels and enjoy a few good meals before heading into the jungle as they generally have more money than other migrants.

However, money doesnt make the trek less treacherous. They would be exposed to dangers such as robbery and may become victims of violent crimes or even disappearances, the official said.

The 70-mile (110km) Darien route passes through mountains and fast-running rivers. Dangers include deadly spiders and snakes, including vipers and anacondas. There are widespread reports of exploitative people traffickers, smugglers and criminal groups along the route, including the Gulf Clan, a paramilitary group and Colombias largest drug cartel.

Crossing this area can take up to 10 days on foot for the most vulnerable people, who are exposed to natural hazards and also to criminal groups that perpetrate violence, including sexual abuse or robbery, Giuseppe Loprete, chief of mission at the IOM in Panama, told the Guardian. He said many migrants arrive in hard-to-reach Panamanian Indigenous communities hungry and dehydrated, requiring medical attention from the humanitarian organisations set up to meet them.

According to the IOM, at least 207 migrants have been reported missing or dead on the route between 2014 and 2022, including 41 deaths in 2022 alone. The Guardian was told by other migrants of at least six Chinese deaths in 2022, but was unable to confirm them. IOM says it has not identified any Chinese nationals who died in the Darien jungle last year, but it does not rule out the possibility.

The mass migration has drastically altered Necocli itself, overwhelming its health system and other services. Locals do what they can to adapt, with many businesses now catering to the migrants. Less than 100 metres from the pier where migrants line up for boats to the Darien crossing, there is now a well-visited Chinese restaurant.

Freddy Marin, director of a major ferry company in Necocli, told Taiwanese media outlet the Reporter late last year that 80% of his business has been selling boat tickets to migrants since last year. We have earned more money from migrants than from tourists. Marin emphasised that local authorities permit the company to help transport migrants.

No regrets

Liang Zixuan, a Chinese immigration agent based in Tokyo,has noticed an increase in interest in reaching the US and believes plenty of Chinese migrants will still attempt the dangerous trek in the coming months. For those who saw the governments real face, they will leave regardless.

Even though the Chinese government has now reopened the borders and relaxed restrictions, Xu is happy with his decision to leave. He points to the rash of suicides and family separations under zero-Covid, which were ignored by a state media only talking of a tremendous victory.

They would do anything to disregard ordinary peoples pain, he says. I dont know much about the US, but at least itd be better than living in China  Were like animals. We migrate to a warmer place, instead of staying in a cold place. We dont want to be frozen to death.

Helen Davidson and Tom Phillips contributed to this report
It is not often you get close to a bird of prey however recently the Irish Peatland Conservation Council hosted Newgrange Falconry at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre for International Bog Day.

One of the birds on display was the Peregrine (Fabhcun gorm as Gaeilge). This is one of Irelands native wild birds of prey. It is a type of raptor meaning that when feeding Peregrines swoop down on their prey.

Reading more about Peregrines on the website of BirdWatch Ireland I learned that Peregrines are thought to be the fastest animal on the planet, as it swoops to catch its prey it can reach speeds an impressive 300km/hour.

At this speed it is thought the prey is killed instantly from the impact of the legs grabbing the prey, with the prey being smaller birds both those found on land and water.

The Peregrine females are larger than the males however both have similar features. Both the male and female have a blue-grey body, their head is black on top with a white face and throat and what looks like a black moustache that contrasts, the beak is hooked, the tail is medium length and barred and the upper breast is white with the under parts barred.

Peregrines are known to build their nests on cliffs around the coast and on rocky faces in the uplands, however it is also known that peregrines may be found nesting more inland in places such as quarries, high rise buildings and even construction cranes. Like many birds of prey the Peregrine population declined seriously in the 1950s and 60s and this decline is attributed to pesticide poisoning.

Today the population of Peregrines has recovered and their conservation status is recorded as green.

I dont know if you will come across a Peregrine in your community this week but look to the sky and if you observe a bird circling and then suddenly appears to swoop fast to the ground it may just be one.

Dont forget if you come across a wildlife species that you would like help identifying I would be happy to help, contact me at bogs@ipcc.ie.
The national housing charity Threshold has joined forces with the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) and the Union of Students Ireland (USI) to raise awareness of rental scams ahead of the new academic year, next month. The Scamwatch campaign launches as thousands of students begin searching for accommodation across Ireland.

Each year, hundreds of students are targeted by false landlords and scammers seeking to con them out of their savings by offering accommodation units and properties, that they either purport to be renting, or dont exist. Last year, one student who fell victim to a complex scam was Levi Amarilo.

Levi and his partner spent all of their money on the 6,000 required for the deposit and months rent for a property which turned out to be a scam.

Common Scams

False websites are increasingly common platform for scams, as well as websites that appear as replicas of real letting platforms such as Daft.ie and Airbnb. Students should also watch out for fake accounts posing as landlords offering accommodation on social media websites such as Facebook.

New campaign

The new campaign highlights the dos and donts for students and provides them with contact information for Threshold, ICOS and USI where they can request advice about their rights as private renters and safeguards, they should take to avoid scams. See www.threshold.ie/faq/how-to- spot-a-scam/ for more information.

John-Mark McCafferty, CEO of Threshold stated: To avoid rental scams, it is key that renters take precautions, such as requesting a written agreement of rental terms and conditions and using a secure payment method - and not cash in hand - after the contract has been signed and witnessed in the presence of the other party. Never rush headlong into anything  scammers do apply pressure, which is one of the telltale signs. We strongly encourage any student or renter who is unsure if they are being scammed to contact our advisors for free advice and support.

Laura Harmon, Executive Director of the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) commented on the campaign launch, stating: A study that ICOS carried out last year involving almost 500 international students found that nearly one-in-seven (14%) said that they had been a victim of an accommodation scam while in Ireland, of whom a quarter were English language students.

The Dos & Donts of Rental Scams

Threshold has provided an extensive list of advice containing Dos and Donts for students to consider when organising accommodation for their academic year. The housing charity, alongside ICOS and the USI recommends a number of key actions that students can take to prevent falling into a scam:

Do inspect the property in person. Whenever possible, visit the property and the landlord in person before making any payments. Avoid only relying on online photos or virtual tours.

Do ask for a contract by requesting a written contract (also known as a license or tenancy agreement) that clearly explains the terms and conditions of the rental agreement, including rent amount, deposit and any additional fees.

Do seek advice and consult with student support services and unions, accommodation offices, student councils or housing experts like Threshold if you have doubts or concerns about a rental offer.

The organisations also urge students and renters to take precautions against scams and avoid doing the following when agreeing to accommodation:

Don't share personal information online and be cautious about sharing personal information on public platforms, especially social media, where scammers often try to find potential victims.

Don't ignore red lags. Pay attention to red flags (suspicious situations), like exceptionally low rent, a landlord living abroad, foreign bank account details or inconsistent information.

Don't use unsecured payment methods and refrain from using unsecured payment methods like wire transfers or cryptocurrency for rental transactions. Bank transfers are the preferred method to pay your deposit and rent, as they are more secure and leave a trace.

Threshold, ICOS and the USI all strongly encourage any students to contact their services for support if they fear that they are being scammed for accommodation or have recently fallen into a scam.

Thresholds helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am- 9pm at 1800 454 454, with webchat at www.threshold.ie/get-help/ for any renter in need of advice or support.

For information and advice for students moving to Ireland to study, visit www.internationalstudents.ie/ info-and-advice, or contact the ICOS on +353 1 660 5233.

For student support and advice, visit www.usi.ie,or contact the USI (01) 7099 300.
The Kidnapping, a new book by journalists Tommy Conlon and Ronan McGreevy will be launched on Friday, 20th October at 8pm in The Island Theatre, Ballinamore.

Tickets available at: http://islandtheatre.ie or tourism office 0719644513

The journalists will discuss their new book with the renowned crime reporter, broadcaster and best-selling writer Paul Williams.

About the book:

November 1983. The IRA has turned to kidnapping to fund its armed campaign in the north. The organisation has a supermarket boss in its sights - Quinnsworth chief executive, Don Tidey.

As Tidey does the school run en route to his south Dublin office he pulls up at a garda checkpoint. Within moments he is dragged from his car, bundled into another car and driven away at speed. The 'gardai' are terrorists in fake uniforms. The IRA has its latest victim.

It is the start of a massive manhunt and a 23-day ordeal for Tidey. At the instant he is found, in an isolated Leitrim wood, his captors kill a trainee garda and a young soldier. After a tense stand-off with soldiers and gardai and an exchange of fire, they escape and are never caught. It is, and will remain, the deadliest ever confrontation between the Irish security forces and the IRA.

The Kidnapping opens with the dramatic story of Don Tidey's rescue. What follows is a riveting account of the lead-up to the kidnapping, the search for Tidey and the fall-out after his release.

No one emerges unscathed - not the rural community where the IRA gang holds its captive, not the gardai, not the State. And especially not the man at the heart of the drama nor the families bereaved when he is rescued.

The Kidnapping is a powerful, intimate and brilliantly reported account of an iconic episode in recent Irish history. At its heart are a number of extraordinary interviews with Don Tidey, who speaks in detail about his abduction and its aftermath for the first time.

Equally startling and moving are interviews with the families of Patrick Kelly and Gary Sheehan, who reveal the devastating impact of the two men's violent deaths and the ongoing challenges of coming to terms with their loss.

Finally, The Kidnapping raises searching questions about the shadow cast by these events over modern Irish politics, and the Troubles' complicated legacy for today's Ireland.

About the authors:

Tommy Conlon is a sportswriter with the Sunday Independent. He has co-authored books with some of Ireland's most successful sportsmen, including Ronnie Whelan, John 'Bull' Hayes, and Keith Earls, whose autobiography won the Sports Book of the Year at the 2021 An Post Irish Book Awards. He co-wrote Willie McGee's Tales from the Fraud Squad. He is a native of Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.

Ronan McGreevy is an Irish Times journalist and videographer from Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. He is the author of Wherever the Firing Line Extends: Ireland and the Western Front and editor of Centenary: Ireland Remembers 1916. His latest book Great Hatred: The Assassination of Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson MP was the Sunday Business Post history book of the year.
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Law inforcement officers inspect the site of a missile strike in Chernihiv, on August 19, 2023. ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP

A Russian missile attack in the center of a northern Ukrainian city on Saturday, August 19, killed seven people and wounded over a hundred others, including children, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack in Chernihiv happened as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Sweden on his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

Images of the aftermath showed badly damaged buildings including a theater with its roof blown away, mangled cars and survivors walking amid the debris with bloodstained clothes. The dead in the daytime strike included a 6-year-old girl, while 15 children were among the 129 wounded, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

The square in front of the theater building had been bustling with life, with people returning from church after celebrating the Apple Feast of the Savior religious holiday, baskets of consecrated apples in hand, Klymenko said. Following the strike, debris from the theater roof littered the square, along with shattered glass from the windows of nearby cars and restaurants.

The strike hit the theater during a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools, organizer Mariia Berlinska confirmed. Berlinska said that the event was officially agreed in advance with both the local authorities and the venue. The Chernihiv City Council denied that they had approved the event or issued any permits.

Zelensky said the attack showed Russia was a "terrorist state" and that the world must unite against it.

"A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv," he wrote on Telegram. "A square, the polytechnic university, a theater. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss."

Chernihiv was surrounded by Russian forces at the start of the war but they withdrew after Ukrainian forces retook control of areas north of Kyiv in April last year.

Zelensky and Swedish PM agree to cooperate

Zelensky arrived in Sweden on an unannounced visit Saturday  his first to the Scandinavian country since the start of the full-scale invasion. The war prompted Sweden to abandon its longstanding policy of military nonalignment to support Ukraine with weapons and apply for NATO membership, though it is still waiting to join the alliance .

At a joint news conference, Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced the two countries had agreed to cooperate on the production, training and servicing of Swedish CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. Zelensky said Ukraine would start manufacturing the vehicles as part of the deal.

He also encouraged Kristersson to "share" Sweden's Gripen fighter aircraft with Ukraine.

"We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the prime minister could share this pride with Ukraine," Zelensky said.

Sweden has said it will allow Ukrainian pilots to test the Gripen planes but has so far ruled out giving any to Kyiv.

Zelensky said "appropriate actions" would be taken in coming weeks to help Ukraine obtain "appropriate aircraft."

"I will also have negotiations with several other states tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage there," he said.

Denmark and the Netherlands said Friday that the United States had given its approval for the countries to deliver US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Sweden says it has provided 20 billion kronor (1.7 billion) in military support to Ukraine, including Archer artillery units, Leopard 2 tanks and CV90 armored vehicles.

Zelensky met with Kristersson and other Swedish officials at Harpsund, the prime ministers official summertime residence, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Stockholm. He and first lady Olena Zelenska later met Swedens King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.

Kristersson expressed his condolences to Zelensky for the attack in Chernihiv. He called the Russian missile strike an "act of brutality" which "only reinforces the need for us to stand with you in all your struggles."

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak to the media at the residence of the Prime Minister, during a state visit in Harpsund, Sweden, August 19, 2023. JONAS EKSTRoMER / AP

Putin visits military near Ukraine border

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin said that Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscows operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District.

The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Gerasimov greeting Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.

It was Putin's first visit to Rostov-on-Don since the Wagner mercenary group's attempted mutiny in June, when the group's fighters briefly took control of the city.

During Junes short-lived revolt, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine.

Prigozhin claimed that the uprising was not aimed at Putin but at removing Gerasimov and other top brass who he accused of mismanaging the war in Ukraine.

Kyiv this week has claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front, regaining control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday.

The leader of the Russian battalion fighting to maintain control of Urozhaine called for "freezing the front" on Thursday, saying his troops "cannot win" against Ukraine.

"Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no," Alexander Khodakovsky said in a video posted to Telegram.

Overnight into Saturday, Ukraines air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western regions.

The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack.

In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said Governor Vitalii Bunechko.

A 'heinous' attack condemned by the UN

"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, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine. "I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine... Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," she added.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, the UN's cultural organization, said she was "appalled" by the attack, in a post on social media. "The theater partially destroyed and other cultural and educational premises damaged. All my thoughts to the victims," she wrote.

Ukraine's culture ministry said the center of Chernihiv, a city with a thousand-year history, is a candidate for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
A MAN assaulted two women - leaving them with scars - after he blocked their car on a street and threw Red Bull and vodka in the window of their vehicle.

Judge Tom ODonnell said it was cowardly and reprehensible.

Gerry ODriscoll, age 23, of Mountain Road, Newry, Co Down pleaded guilty to two assaults causing harm at Limerick Circuit Court.

Prosecuting barrister John OSullivan, instructed by State Solicitor Padraig Mawe, outlined the facts of the case with the assistance of Garda Brian Hanrahan.

At 2.13am on June 16, 2019, the two women, both aged in their twenties at the time, were driving in a vehicle on Ellen Street in Limerick city when a man, who was not known to them, stood in front of their car.

They asked him to move out of the way. He threw a plastic cup of alcohol in the window of the car. The woman in the passenger side got out of the car. He punched her to the ground and dealt further punches and kicks, said Mr OSullivan.

The driver of the car drove around the block to see where the assailant had gone.

She saw him on Robert Street. She got out to remonstrate with him. She said, Do you think it is OK to hit a woman? He struck her in the face and knocked her to the ground. She said it was a closed fist with a gold ring. He grabbed her by the jumper and threw her to the ground. He hit her in the legs and ribs. She said she felt like she was trampled, said Mr OSullivan.

Both women were taken to hospital. CCTV footage of the assaults was played in the court.

Victim impact statements by both women were read out by the prosecuting barrister.

I have a scar on my upper lip which I am extremely self conscious of. I have moved out of Limerick as I dont feel safe in my home town. A man should never hit a woman, read out Mr OSullivan.

The second woman said in her victim impact statement that she was emotionally numb after the assault.

A scar on my eyebrow is a constant reminder of this man. I feel unsafe and vulnerable. I took a three-year break from college. It still haunts me. He would not have stopped unless I kicked him. I have not socialised since. I pushed people closest to me away, directly as a result of that night. I have started counselling, read out Mr OSullivan.

Garda Hanrahan said a European arrest warrant was issued for Mr ODriscoll who voluntarily presented himself to the PSNI in Newry and was transferred to gardai in Dundalk.

Seamus Lannon, barrister for Mr ODriscoll, asked Garda Hanrahan if his client has any previous convictions in the UK or Ireland and has he anything pending? No, said the investigating garda.

Mr Lannon said it was an unsavoury and disgraceful incident.

I take an old-fashioned view as do this mans family. They are absolutely appalled at his behaviour. They have gone out of their way to do what they can and have compensation of 10,000 for each of the women, said Mr Lannon.

The barrister said Mr ODriscolls father was viciously assaulted by a gang in Limerick and received an acquired brain injury.

He has suffered with epilepsy since. It greatly disturbed him and his personality changed. In 2017, a number of men broke into the home of his grandfather and savagely assaulted him. The accused was a victim - he had a hurley broken over his hand. Due to the 2017 incident he (accused) took refuge in alcohol.

What he (accused) said to us was if this happened to my sister I would be appalled. He is deeply remorseful, embarrassed and ashamed, said Mr Lannon, who appealed for leniency.

Judge ODonnell said two females were assaulted in the most savage fashion by a very drunk Mr ODriscoll.

It was cowardly and reprehensible, said Judge ODonnell, who referred to the injuries suffered by the victims. The judge imposed three-year suspended sentences on each of the assaults and directed the sums of 10,000 for each of the victims to be paid within a month.
Amazon has revived its shipping service, paused during COVID-19's onset, competing with FedEx and UPS. Amazon Shipping lets sellers ship Amazon and external platform orders.

Confirming that services have resumed, the company spokesperson said, businesses must sell on Amazon to be eligible for the service.

The Seattle-based retail company already provides shipping to merchants who use its storage and delivery service, Fulfillment by Amazon. Amazon Shipping allows sellers to use the companys delivery services without storing their products in its warehouses. It operates only for domestic shipments.

Services were previously tested

Amazon had previously tested the program but paused in 2020 due to pandemic-related order surges on its platform, concentrating on internal order management.

Were always working to develop new, innovative ways to support Amazons selling partners, and Amazon Shipping is another option for shipping packages to customers quickly and cost-effectively," Amazon spokesperson Olivia Connors said in a statement, as reported by ABC News.

Weve been providing this service for a while with positive feedback so were now making it available to more selling partners," Connors said.

Amazon expanded its logistics operations during the pandemic to manage surging online orders. As the pandemic eased, the company faced excess warehouse space nationwide, prompting actions like subleasing, lease terminations, and delaying new construction.

Shipping speeds improved, with over 50% of Prime orders in top US metro areas arriving within a day during Q2 this year, showcasing Amazon's fastest Prime speed ever. The company intends to double its same-day delivery sites to enhance customer service further.

Amazon imposing fee on sellers who ship products themselves

Amazon.com Inc. is imposing a new fee on merchants who dont use the companys logistics services, a change many of these sellers consider coercive and surprising since the US government is poised to file an antitrust lawsuit against the e-commerce giant, Bloomberg report cited

Thousands of third-party merchants who ship products via Amazons Seller Fulfilled Prime program will start paying a 2% fee on each sale in October, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg. Thats on top of the commission  usually 15%  that merchants already pay Amazon to sell products on the popular web store.

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Florida's Ron DeSantis seemed to be on the same page with Donald Trump and his criminal gang about subverting the will of the voters. Speaking with Fox News on Election night, when things weren't going the Republican's way, DeSantis indeed suggests they use questionable legal trickery to steal the election.

Recently, DeSantis has admitted that Joe Biden is the duly elected President of the United States.

Florida Politics:

DeSantis' comments, which came two days after the 2020 General Election, echo those Trump ally Roger Stone floated before the election in a newly revealed video making headlines this week. "If you're in those states that have Republican Legislatures like Pennsylvania and Michigan and all these places, call your state Representative and your state Senators. Under Article II of the Constitution, presidential electors are done by the Legislatures and the schemes they create," he told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on "The Ingraham Angle" on Nov. 5, 2020. "If there's departure from that  if they're not following (or) ignoring the law  then they can provide remedies as well. So, I would exhaust every option to make sure we have a fair count."
In a bid to offer better investment opportunities in the co-working sector, Bengaluru-based firm BHIVE group is launching its 400 crore alternate investment fund (AIF) to acquire commercial real estate.

BHIVE launched its new co-working-focused 400 crore CAT-2 AIF, the firm said in a statement. The newly launched fund will acquire commercial real estate properties at prime locations with clear titles and occupancy certificates.

Also Read: WeWork says cancelled memberships and sustain losses making it difficult to do business

What all BHIVE's new CAT-2 AIF has to offer?

The new fund will provide venues to High Net-worth Individuals (HNIs) and family-owned businesses finding opportunities to enter into the commercial real estate growth story with a minimum investment of 1 crore. Talking about its current AIF fund worth 400 crore, BHIVE said that it will wind up its current AIF. It was launched last year but the firm couldn't operationalise it till now.

Also read: Nikhil Kamath backed fintech BHIVE Alts to cross 100 cr AUM in months of ops

"There has been exponential growth in the number of AIFs in India. Unlike a decade ago, when offshore investors were funding India's AIFs, the expanding pool of domestic investors is helping them grow today," Sheshagiri Rao Paplikar, Founder & CEO of the BHIVE Group, said.

Also Read: WeWork warns of bankruptcy; share price crashes 38% to near zero for a valuation of just $260 million

BHIVE Group also expressed his confidence on the tremendous opportunities offered by the co-working sector. He also hinted that the company will continue to implement its plans of expansion in the sector as it embark on the next growth phase of the organisation." Currently, the firm operates 25 flexible and managed office assets totalling 1.5 million square feet across Bengaluru.

About BHIVE

Founded in 2014, the company aims to build its dominance in the commercial real estate sector with the help of technology. The company claims to be the first coworking brand in Bangalore and is the largest coworking space chain in India.

Currently, it is present in more than 25 locations in Bangalore and is aiming to expand its presence in other cities as well. BHIVE Workspace HSR Campus, BTM Layout, Garuda BHIVE Workspace, are some of its ventrues. Its BHIVE Workspace HSR Campus has over 8000 seats across India. The company also entered other flexible leasing products. In 2021, it entered asset-heavy real estate models.

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The owner of Peets Coffee is making a series of changes to its business to keep selling in Russia, offering a rare example of how some companies are charting a new normal as the Ukraine war rages on.

JDE Peets is renaming a major coffee brand in an effort to protect its global reputation, rejiggering supply chains and hitting back at those who say it should exit the country.

Many Western companies quit Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Some cited moral concerns, while others pointed to the cost and complexity of dealing with international sanctions. The coffee giants moves show how some of those that have stayed are shifting from being in wait and see mode to working actively to shape a longer-term future in Russia.

Its most likely going to be an enduring war, which means we have to take a more enduring solution," said Fabien Simon, JDE Peets chief executive officer, in an interview.

Amsterdam-based JDE Peets is one of the few large Western companies to openly discuss doing business in Russia. Many companies are tight-lipped, limiting what they say to short, prewritten statements. Executives say they fear asset seizures or other retaliation by the Russian government, or a backlash from shoppers.

Russia has long been a key market for JDE Peets, the worlds second-largest packaged-coffee maker after Nestle, generating some 5% of its revenue before the war. The company, whose other brands include Douwe Egberts, Senseo and Tassimo, sells coffee and tea in grocery stores in Russia but doesnt operate cafes there.

Simon gave three reasons why the company has no intention of leaving Russia.

First, he said coffee and tea are essential productssimilar to bread, eggs or milkin that they are affordable and sustain health or life." Second, JDE Peets has 900 employees in Russia who he says would be unfairly punished if it left. And third, Simon said that if the company were to leave Russia, its brands and intellectual property would likely be seized and given to a third party.

We might not have said what people wanted to hear at the beginning, but we are taking a very authentic and honest approach," Simon said. The business complies with all sanctions imposed on Russia because of the invasion, he added.

JDE Peets position on Russia has drawn criticism from some of its own employees, particularly those in Ukraine. Consumers in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and other countries have also objected to its decision to stay in Russia, Simon said.

Dutch lawmakers earlier this year demanded to know why JDE Peets was still selling in Russia, asking Simon at a parliamentary hearing why the company hadnt followed Starbucks in exiting from the country. Simon said at the time that the U.S. chains drinks were more of a luxury item, unlike his companys everyday packaged coffee.

JDE Peets has maintained a working relationship with the Russian authorities, he said. Because we have been very transparent, it has removed a lot of unnecessary tensions," said Simon.

Last month Russia seized the local operations of the Danish beer maker Carlsberg and the French dairy giant Danone after both had indicated their plans to leave, setting up new hurdles for foreign companies looking to exit from the country or scale down their businesses there.

The Russian government didnt respond to a request for comment about asset seizures.

Several consumer products companies have continued to sell what they say are essential products in Russia. Nestle, for instance, sells coffee including the flagship brand Nescafe, infant formula and pet food in the country.

Simons priority now is ringfencing JDE Peets Russia business, partly to limit any reputational damage to its coffee and tea brands elsewhere.

For example, the company plans to remove its Jacobs brand, which is sold across Europe, from shelves in Russia by the end of the year. Instead, consumers will see a brand called Monarch.

Monarch will use similar green and gold colors, fonts and other signals to help shoppers associate it with Jacobs. It will be made at the same factory in St. Petersburg as the existing Jacobs brand.

Its not a risk-free change, but its close enough to the existing brand to ease navigation on the shelf for consumers," said Simon, adding that consumers on average spend five seconds standing in front of a supermarket shelf before reaching for a product.

Simon said the company had lost market share in Russia since it stopped advertising its international brands in the wake of the invasion, and that its position would likely erode further with the switch to Monarch.

Product innovations for the global Jacobs brand wont be sent to Russia for Monarch, and the company will also stop selling some other international brands including Tassimo and Moccona in Russia, he said.

The company didnt respond to requests for comment on whether it would keep selling other international brands such as Maxwell House in Russia or whether it has advertised its local brands in Russia since the invasion.

JDE Peets earlier this month said it had logged a goodwill impairment charge of 185 million euros, equivalent to about $201 million, related to the Jacobs change in Russia, and cut its overall profit forecast for the full year.

For the first half of this year, JDE Peets reported overall revenue of about 4 billion. Sales climbed 3.5% on an organic basis, which strips out the impact of currency movements and mergers and acquisitions, driven by higher selling prices as volumes declined. JDE Peets stock is down about 14% over the past 12 months.

The company didnt disclose financial figures for its business in Russia, though data from the countrys federal tax agency showed it reported a 22% rise in revenue last year to 42.7 billion rubles, equivalent to about $452 million. Profit rose 73%, the Russian data showed.

JDE Peets was created in 2015 by the combination of Mondelezs coffee business with D.E. Master Blenders 1753. It went public in 2020.

The companys largest shareholder is an arm of the investment group JAB Holding that has a 59% stake. JABs other investments include Krispy Kreme, Keurig Dr Pepper, Pret A Manger and Panera Bread.

JDE Peets now plans to run its business in Russia as local for local" as possible, said Simon. That means local managers will make operational and commercial decisions, decide advertising plans for local brands and choose which suppliers to use.

Work previously coordinated by executives at JDE Peets Amsterdam headquarters such as buying spare factory parts or packaging materials for Russia will now be done by the local team.

The company has also changed the routes it uses to bring in coffee beans and altered the IT equipment it buys for its Russia unit in the midst of constraints on what can be imported.

Its a painful process, but I think it is the right thing to do," Simon said.

Write to Saabira Chaudhuri at Saabira.Chaudhuri@wsj.com
The man behind the success of Vespa-maker Piaggio, Roberto Colaninno and one of Italy's best-known dealmakers, died at the age of 80, his investment company IMMSI said on Saturday. Till now, there has been no confirmation of the cause of death.

He was known to be a central figure in the country's industrial landscape who managed to change the destiny of a number of failing firms. The entrepreneur left a mixed corporate legacy. The surprise deal of Telecom Italia in 90s brought huge popularity for Colaninno. He finalised a surprise $58 billion leveraged buyout of Telecom Italia in 1999, at the time the world's largest hostile takeover.

Many investors applauded him for masterminding the deal, but allies grew disenchanted over his plans to cut the debt mountain he had created, and forced him to sell control of the group to tyre-maker Pirelli just two years later.

All you need to know about the CEO of Piaggio, Roberto Colaninno

-During the early days of his career, Colaninno worked as auto parts maker Fiamm. Later, he hooked up with one of the giants at Italian business, Carlo De Benedetti. They together established the finance company, Sogefi.

-The company later acquired Fiamm from its British owner and transformed it into one of the most successful car parts suppliers in Europe.

-Colaninno later took the charge of De Benedetti's floundering Olivetti company. He abandoned the firm's loss-making computer unit and streamlined all the company resources on its telephone business.

-He is survived by two sons, Matteo and Michele, and his wife Oretta.

-After the deal of Telecom Italia, the company had to suffer from recovering its debt burden that drained its finances. However, Colaninno emerged from the deal with a fortune of his own. It enabled him to buy IMMSI, a telecom real estate business that he turned into an investment company.

-In 2003, his efforts to take over carmaker Fiat was rebuffed. Later, he turned his attention to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter, which had fallen on hard times.

-Somehow, he managed to pull the company back from deep waters, and led to its rapid expansion in Asia, especially India, China and Vietnam. The group posted record first-half results in July.

-After the revival of Piaggio, Colaninno shifted his focus to other companies that were at the brink of falling down. He tried his hands on another struggling Italian icon, national carrier Alitalia. He invested heavily in the airline in 2008 and becoming chairman in the process.

-This time, his luck didn't work that well and he failed to turn the company around. The company eventually shuttered. Later, he was sent to trial last year, along with 13 other defendants accused of fraudulent bankruptcy at the airline. He denied wrongdoing. The case has yet to come to court.

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TORONTOCanadas oil-rich province of Alberta has become the latest jurisdiction to push back against renewable-energy initiatives, declaring a seven-month moratorium on new wind and solar projects.

The pause put in place by the provinces conservative government has provoked criticism from members of the renewables industry, which says the move threatens to undermine a fast-growing sector that has been contributing a growing share of energy to Albertas power grid.

Alberta, which is home to Canadas oil sands, the fourth-largest oil reserve in the world, announced earlier this month that it would pause until Feb. 29, 2024, approvals of any renewable-energy projects that produce over 1 megawatt of power. Alberta wants to study how the projects affect the power grid, their impact on the environment and what the government called Albertas pristine viewscapes." The government also wants to consider end-of-life rules for solar farms and windmill projects.

The action has effectively put at risk 80 projects worth roughly $15 billion, said Vittoria Bellissimo, president and chief executive of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, an industry group.

We are concerned and disappointed," she said. More than 75% of all renewable projects built in Canada last year were in Alberta, adding about 1,391 megawatts of power to the provincial grid, she said.

Albertas actions complicate a broader push by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government to lower carbon emissions from Canadas electricity grid. The government in Alberta has called draft regulations from Ottawa that would require the Canadian electricity grid to be carbon-neutral by 2035 unconstitutional.

The confrontation is the latest spat between Trudeaus Liberal government and Albertas conservative leadership, which has sparred with Ottawa on energy policy and Covid vaccine mandates.

Albertas move mirrors efforts in the U.S. Renewable projects in states such as Kansas and Iowa have encountered resistance from local municipalities and state governments, which have cited the effect of solar and wind farm projects on small communities.

In Texas, lawmakers this year tried to pass legislation that would have made renewables companies help pay for natural-gas plants, and for wind farms to be set back hundreds of yards from property lines. Opponents said the proposals would have upended the renewables industry in that state. While many of the most- restrictive measures didnt pass the Texas Legislature, those that did raised costs for the industry and made the state less attractive for wind and solar, said clean-energy executives.

In Europe, too, governments are running into opposition from residents and officials who say noisy wind turbines and massive solar arrays will harm the landscape, cultural sites and tourism.

In general, the scale of green-energy projects is growing, which is affecting more people, and some opposition is natural, said Grant Arnold, president and chief executive of BluEarth Renewables, a wind, solar and hydroelectric power company based in Calgary, Alberta.

Nonetheless, BluEarth, which has projects under development in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming and other U.S. states, will slow down or pause future spending in Alberta because it appears as though the government is taking a political position that is opposed to the renewables industry, Arnold said. BluEarth has invested almost $450 million in Alberta in the past four years. It has seven projects in operation and several others in development in the province.

Theres political risk," he said. Were forced to look hard at investing more in the province."

Alberta is the only province in Canada with a deregulated energy market. Energy providers negotiate directly with buyers without going through a government-owned intermediary. Industry advocates say wind and solar energy providers have been able to offer cheaper rates to businesses and energy distributors for retail customers, allowing renewables to take a growing share of the market.

About 17% of Albertas electricity came from renewable hydro, wind and solar-power sources in 2022, an increase from 10% in 2018, according to government statistics. Most of the rest of the power supply comes from natural gas, and a decreasing share comes from coal.

Albertas leader, Premier Danielle Smith, said in an interview that a short-term moratorium is needed so the province can craft new rules governing where renewable projects can be located and how operators must deal with solar arrays and wind turbines once they stop working. The issues have become more urgent as projects get bigger and take up space on valuable farmland and near rural communities, she said.

Smith, who leads the right-leaning United Conservative Party, said she also wants to increase the number of natural-gas projects in the province. The provinces power grid must be supported by natural-gas production to avoid rolling blackouts when wind and solar production cant keep up with demand, she said.

I have to build a power grid knowing that there are some days of the year when neither wind nor solar are operating at all," she said.

Smith has publicly railed against the Canadian federal governments plans to create a net-zero power grid by 2035, which was unveiled earlier this month. The plan would limit how much electric power can come from fossil fuels. Smith said the target is unachievable for a province that will get most of its power from natural gas for the foreseeable future.

Getting to net zero by 2050 would be more realistic, she said.

Responding to Smiths criticisms, Canadas environment minister, Steven Guilbeault, said in a statement that the countrys plan allows for natural-gas use when coupled with carbon-capture technologies. The Canadian plan aligns with that of the U.S., where President Biden has set a 2035 target for a carbon-free grid. This will create new investment opportunities for Canadian green energy companies, the minister said.

This is a huge economic opportunity we do not want to miss," said Guilbeault, adding that the federal government in Ottawa has committed almost $30 billion to help provinces decarbonize their electricity production.
Q. Why is the power demand of late hitting new highs?

A. Power demand in the country has remained elevated due to rising temperature. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that rainfall activity declined in August, and of the 717 districts in the country, 263 districts received inadequate rainfall, leading to hotter and humid weather conditions.

Q. What has been the impact of rise in demand on power prices on the exchanges?

A. Prices have increased on the exchanges. This week, the weighted market clearing price (MCP) on the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) touched 7.14 per kilowatt hour (kWh or unit) up from 6.04 per unit from last week. Prices, intermittently, have been hitting the 10 per unit price cap.

Q. What is the outlook for the power demand in days ahead?

A. Power demand is expected to remain high for the next couple of month, as rainfall is seen weak due to the El Nino effect. The IMD earlier this month had said that monsoon rains during the second half of the June-September season is expected below normal at 94-99% of the long period average. In August, rains are seen at 90-94% of the long period average. August and September typically account for 46% of the overall monsoon rains.

Q. How prepared are the key power sector stakeholders for the summer power demand?

A. The Centre has taken a number of steps this year in anticipation of record power demand. In February, the union power ministry had directed power generation companies to blend 6% imported coal till September to avoid any kind of crisis due to lack of domestic coal. The power ministry, along with ministries of coal and railways, monitors and coordinates on a regular basis, for increasing in the production and dispatch of coal. The ministry has also directed all captive coal blocks to maximize their production. Imported coal based plants have been mandated to operate at full capacity during high demand period.
New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt will be seen in a new Punjabi language film titled Sheran Di Kaum Punjabi to be directed by and co-starring Gippy Grewal. He joins the list of actors who are looking beyond catering to audiences in their home markets alone.

The past few months have seen several actors breach linguistic and geographical borders to debut in films not in their native tongues.

While south Indian actors like Vijay Deverakonda, Vijay Sethupathi and Rashmika Mandanna have been seen in Hindi films, Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon and Deepika Padukone have worked in what are primarily Telugu language films. The transition is part of the move to create films for pan-India audiences made either by Bollywood or regional film studios but to be released in multiple dubbed languages for reach across markets. Akshay Kumar too will be seen in a Marathi movie called Vedat Marathe Veer Daudle Saat.

While Hindi film actors have realised the appeal of large-scale regional language films, actors from other industries are also keen to look beyond their core base. Prabhass Adipurush and a film with Padukone called Kalki 2898 AD, and Deverakondas Liger produced by Karan Johar are a few titles that have seen or will see actors crossing over to other languages.

SS Rajamoulis Baahubali franchise had shown the way for Telugu and Tamil films to penetrate into the Hindi heartland including small towns in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and more recent films have built on the trend. Released late December 2021, the dubbed Hindi version of Allu Arjuns Pushpa: The Rise-Part One, had made over Rs. 100 crore, with Maharashtra and Gujarat driving the business. This was Arjuns first release in the Hindi market and had released without any marketing or promotional buzz.

Dutt was recently seen as the main antagonist in K.G.F: Chapter 2, marking his debut in Kannada cinema. He will also be playing a key role in Lokesh Kanagarajs Leo, alongside Vijay, which will mark his debut in Tamil cinema.

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Recent incidents of pilot deaths across three distinct airlines have reignited the global conversation on the critical issue of pilot fatigue. Mint explores the demands of this high-pressure profession and the associated challenges of fatigue and jet lag.

Incidents Snapshot

On 14 August, a pilot on LATAM Airlines' Boeing 787 experienced a medical emergency mid-flight from Miami to Santiago. With 25 years at LATAM, the commander reportedly felt unwell, retreated to the restroom, and collapsed. The flight was promptly diverted to Panama City's Tocumen International Airport, where he was later pronounced dead.

A 51-year-old Qatar Airways pilot, who had an illustrious career including operating SpiceJet's inaugural flight in 2005, became unwell while flying off-duty from Delhi to Doha on 16 August. An emergency landing in Dubai was executed, but sadly, he was declared dead upon arrival.

On 17 August, an IndiGo pilot, aged 40, collapsed at a boarding gate in Nagpur before a flight to Pune. Despite swift hospitalization, he succumbed to sudden cardiac arrest.

Understanding Pilot Fatigue

India's civil aviation framework describes fatigue as a physiological state that diminishes mental or physical performance. This can arise from factors like sleep deprivation, long periods of wakefulness, or demanding workload, compromising a crew's alertness and safe operation of an aircraft.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's guidelines, pilots are restricted to 8 flight hours within 24 hours, with up to five landings during a maximum 11-hour flight duty period. Flight time is measured from the time an airplane first moves for the purpose of take-off until it finally stops at the end of the flight.

However, the reality of maximizing aircraft utilization for revenue often results in a stressful environment for pilots due to tight scheduling.

Industry Feedback

Cumulative fatigue has started showing its results and it is time that DGCA maintains a record of pilot demise and unfit issues due to conditions related to the heart," a pilot said on condition of anonymity.

In fact, Airlines Pilots Association of India has written to pilots regarding the urgent need of a mega body of Indian pilots under industry veteran Captain Shakti Lumba.

The matter is of urgent attention as the worldwide flying fraternity has lost three pilots in 2 days due to cardiac arrest and this, we believe is attributable in no small measure to the working conditions that we are subjected to," Capt Sam Thomas President of the pilot body wrote in the letter.

DGCA norms say that airlines shall establish a clear policy with respect to fatigue reports. The policy should state not only how to raise a report but also what to do in response to a fatigue report. All the fatigue reports and the Action Taken reports shall be preserved by the operator for a period of minimum one year and be made available to the DGCA as and when required.

There is a need for airlines and the regulator to focus on these fatigue reports at a microscopic level," another pilot said.

Airlines generally maintain a policy of counseling pilots reporting excessive fatigue. However, monitoring the frequency of these reports is often neglected. Pilots have long been concerned about their well-being, especially when rostered for back-to-back night shifts.

The incident involving the IndiGo pilot, who had undertaken two consecutive night shifts, emphasizes this concern. DGCA's 2019 policy, permitting two straight night shifts, has been contested by pilots. Although a 24-hour rest is mandated after such shifts, airlines sometimes merge this with the weekly rest, exacerbating fatigue," said another pilot.

A night duty, as defined, encompasses any period between 0000 hours and 0500 hours in the relevant time zone.

These incidents should be an eye opener for the regulatory bodies and airlines in India and abroad. As the number of flights increase with more air traffic, all stakeholders need to ensure that the aviators are provided an ecosystem where there is a responsible framework to manage the fatigue which comes with this job," the pilot added.
The text messages conveyed by Lucy Letby in the hours following the murder of infants in a neonatal unit have emerged as crucial evidence in her case, BBC News reported. These messages reveal how she communicated with her colleagues shortly after taking the lives of these innocent babies, often sharing the grim news of their deaths. In return, she received expressions of sympathy and concern.

The messages also illustrate how she offered to take on additional shifts in the neonatal intensive therapy unit (ITU). As the number of her victims grew, the texts reveal Letby's responses as suspicion began to close in around her. Here are some of the messages she sent.

To safeguard the identities of the babies and their parents, each baby has been identified by a letter.

Monday 8 June 2015 - Baby A passed away overnight

The day following the demise of Baby A, Letby conveyed her apprehension to her colleagues, expressing her reluctance to re-enter the nursery or confront the parents, who also had another twin in the unit, Baby B. She later harmed Baby B sometime before 11 June. Letby stated, It was the most challenging thing I've ever had to do." She further added, Tonight is particularly difficult for us all. It's tough to come in tonight & face the parents." She messaged one of the nurses to inform them that she had requested to be assigned to another baby.

Text message from Lucy Letby on 9 June 2015

"I just don't know how I'm going to feel seeing the parents. The father was on the floor crying, saying, 'Please don't take our baby away,' when I took him to the mortuary. It's just heartbreaking."

Text message from Lucy Letby on 11 June 2015

Three days after Baby A's death, she messaged a manager of the neonatal unit, expressing her willingness to take on more shifts, citing the need to immerse herself in her work:

"From a confidence perspective, I need to work with an ITU baby soon X"

Text message from Lucy Letby on 13 June 2015

Five days after Baby A's death and on the eve of Baby C's murder, Letby engaged in a ill-tempered exchange with a colleague over her manager's refusal to allow her to return to work in intensive care. She explained that during her tenure at Liverpool Women's Hospital, she felt the need to immediately attend to another baby to prevent the memory of the one lost from lingering." Her colleague disagreed, suggesting that she should take a break. Letby texted," Forget I said anything; I'll be fine. It's all part of the job. However, I don't sense much team spirit tonight X."

Later around midnight, Baby C critically fell ill. Letby had been assigned to care for a different child in the unit that night, but she entered the nursery where Baby C was located and introduced air into his stomach through a nasogastric tube, causing his collapse.

Sunday 14 June 2015 - Baby C dies

Letby mentioned to a colleague that she had not been herself that day and that it had not been a good start to her shift. She further expressed that the day had taken a turn for the worse, referring to the loss of Baby A. Letby stated that it was challenging for her to accept what had happened to Baby A, and she also mentioned the recent loss of Baby C overnight. She admitted that it was all becoming overwhelming for her.

The colleague responded by offering words of comfort. Letby responded by sharing her feelings, mentioning that she kept thinking about both Baby A and Baby C. She conveyed that witnessing and dealing with the difficult situations they faced was heartbreaking.

Sunday 21 June 2015 - Baby D dies

The morning after Baby D's death, Letby messaged a colleague, informing them, We lost Baby D." The colleague responded in shock, saying, "What!!!! But she was improving. What happened? Want to chat? I can't believe you were on again. You're having such a tough time."

Text message from Lucy Letby on 22 June 2015

Later in the conversation, Letby's text messages on June 22, 2015, expressed her thoughts indirectly. She mentioned, "...on a day-to-day basis, it's an incredible job with so many positives. But then sometimes, I think, how do such sick babies get through & others just die so suddenly & unexpectedly? Guess it's how it's meant to be," and "I think there is an element of fate involved. There is a reason for everything."

Letby also mentioned to another colleague that what she had witnessed had deeply affected her, but she dismissed the suggestion that she should seek counseling, stating, "I can't talk about it now; I can't stop crying. I just need to get it out of my system."

Text message from Lucy Letby on 30 June 2015

One of the other nurses conveyed concern to Letby, remarking on the peculiarity of four babies becoming critically ill within a short span of time. The nurse stated, There's something unusual about that night, as well as the three others who deteriorated so suddenly." In response, Letby explained, "Well, Baby C was tiny and had obvious in utero complications. Baby D had sepsis. It's Baby A that I can't comprehend."

Tuesday 4 August 2015 - Baby E dies in the early hours

That morning, a fellow nurse inquired about Letby's well-being and whether she had been caring for Baby E, along with his twin brother, Baby F. Letby responded, Word gets around quickly. Who told you?" She continued, Yes, I cared for both of them. It was a terrible experience." The nurse expressed sympathy.

That evening, prior to commencing her shift, Letby engaged in a text conversation with a colleague who offered her condolences and remarked that she seemed to be going through a series of unfortunate events. Letby replied, "There isn't much I can do. He experienced a massive haemorrhage, which could have happened to any baby x."

Wednesday 5 August 2015 - Baby F fell critically ill

Four days after the attempted murder of Baby F, Letby conveyed to a colleague. Letby mentioned, I said goodbye to Baby F's parents as Baby F might go tomorrow. They both cried & hugged me saying they will never be able to thank me for the love & care I gave to Baby F & for the precious memories I've given them. It's heartbreaking." The nurse responded, " You've done your job to the highest standard with compassion and professionalism."

Letby replied, "I just feel sad that they are thanking me when they have lost him & for something that any of us would have done. But it's really nice to know that I got it right for them. That's all I want."

Saturday 26 September 2015 - five days after attempting to kill Baby G

Letby had received a supportive message from a manager in the unit, and her response indicated that she had become aware of some negative comments or suspicions circulating about her role.

The following day, she messaged one of the other nurses, acknowledging the recent challenges they had faced, noting, "It's been quite difficult lately, hasn't it? It appears that these unfortunate incidents always occur at night when fewer people are around." She also emphasised,

Tuesday 13 October 2015 - Baby I fell critically ill

The next morning, Letby sent a message to a colleague who was taking over, informing them that Baby I had "deteriorated significantly" that morning and required resuscitation. In the afternoon, she messaged the nurse who was acting as the shift leader, inquiring whether Baby I would be transferred. Letby expressed, I'd prefer to continue caring for her." The shift leader agreed, but just over an hour later, she messaged Letby to explain that she had to reassign Baby I. Baby I passed away the following week, while Letby was again on an overnight shift. She was subsequently found guilty of her murder.

Over the next several months, more babies became critically ill. In text messages, Letby complained about understaffing and volunteered for additional shifts, including the shift during which she attempted to murder twins, Baby L and Baby M. Later that month, she took the lives of Baby O and Baby P.

Also read: British 'chat show king' Michael Parkinson passes away at 88

Friday 24 June 2016 - Baby P passed away

Letby committed the murder of Baby O on Thursday, 23 June. She proceeded to kill his twin brother, Baby P, the following day. A day later, she reached out to the doctor with whom she had been exchanging messages, seeking reassurance after one of the consultant paediatricians, Dr. John Gibbs, had begun asking questions following another baby's collapse and resuscitation. Letby asked, Do I need to be worried about what Dr Gibbs was asking?"

Text messages were exchanged between Lucy Letby and a doctor on 25 June 2016. Letby expressed, "We've lost two babies I was caring for, and now this occurred today. It makes you ponder 'am I missing something or am I not good enough?'" The doctor replied, "If anyone suggests to you that you are not good enough or not performing adequately, I want you to promise me that you will provide my contact information to give a statement." Letby responded, Well, I genuinely hope that I will never need to provide a statement. However, thank you, I promise." The doctor offered further reassurance.

Also read: Independence Day 2023: 100-piece British orchestra plays Indian national anthem, PM Modi reacts saying THIS...

6 July 2016

The doctor messaged Letby, providing her with details of a meeting that had reviewed the deaths of Baby O and Baby P. He emphasised, You need to keep this to yourself."

Additionally, he shared an email from neonatal lead consultant Dr. Steve Brearey, which mentioned that the deaths of Baby O and Baby P would go to an inquest. Letby reassured that this information would remain confidential between the two.

15 July 2016

All staff members received an email informing them that they would undergo a period of clinical supervision in anticipation of an external review.

Staff were informed that Letby had agreed to be the first. The following day, she texted a colleague, stating that she had compiled a timeline of the year to analyse her cases. She noted that some babies were already seriously ill when she took over their care, and "some deteriorated within hours or during handovers."

Mint could not independently confirm the development

Read more about the report at BBC News

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Giving a respite from adverse weather conditions in the national capital, heavy rains lashed parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region on Saturday morning. Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC), New Delhi has further predicted light to moderate intensity rainfall along with heavy intensity rain over some isolated places in the Delhi-NCR region.

Also Read: IMD forecasts heavy rainfall in Himachal, Uttarakhand, and THESE states till Aug 23. Check full list here Informing about the weather conditions on Saturday morning via post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), RWFC wrote, Thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain with heavy intensity rain over isolated places would occur over and adjoining areas of most places of Delhi ( Safdurjung Civil Lines, Patel Nagar, Budha Jayanti Park, Rajeev chauk, ITO, Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, India Gate, Akshardham, Palam, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, R K Puram, Vasant Kunj, Hauzkhas, Malviyanagar, IGNOU), NCR ( Loni Dehat, Hindon AF Station, Indirapuram, Noida, Dadri, Greater Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh) during next 2 hours."

India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted thundershowers on Saturday which are expected to reduce to a light drizzle over the weekend, Hindustan Times reported. Meanwhile, the predominant surface wind is expected to come from West of Delhi with speeds of 12-20 kmph along with cloudy skies.

According to RWFC's 7-day forecast, the minimum temperature on Saturday is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature could go up to 35 degrees Celsius.

Air quality in Delhi's Anand Vihar area was in the very poor category on Saturday morning while the overall AQI for Delhi is expected to stay around the satisfactory mark, noted Hindustan Times.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

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Himachal Pradesh is reeling from one of the worst phases of Monsoon this year as the massive rainfall has destroyed billions of rupees of the state's infrastructure and properties and killed hundreds of people. Entire Himachal Pradesh has been declared a "natural calamity affected area" in view of the damage caused to human life and property due to heavy rains.

Similarly, Uttarakhand is also severely impacted by rain this year. The water level in the Pindar River in the Tharali area of Chamoli district has surged in Chaomoli district. According to Union home ministry data, 12 districts in Himachal Pradesh and seven in Uttarakhand were hit by several calamities due to rain this year. Here are 10 updates on Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand weather situation: Both the hilly states are yet to get relief from torrential rainfall. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a fresh wet spell of heavy rainfall over the western Himalayan Region and adjoining plains is projected from 20 August (Sunday). Whereas the local meteorological station issued a yellow warning for heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning at isolated places in 10 districts of Himachal Pradesh on August 21 and 22.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

-Since the onset of the monsoon in the hill state on June 24, 220 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the touristy state.

-As many as 11,637 houses have been partially or completely damaged

-About 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

-According to the PWD department, over 600 roads are still closed in the state, out of which 550 would be opened in the next three days

-The Himachal Pradesh government has relaxed conditions for spending the MLA local area development fund. The MLAs would now be able to use their fund of 2.10 crore per year for projects like the construction of retaining walls and channelisation of drains.

-Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced financial assistance of 15 crore to the hill state.

- The total monetary loss in Himachal has reached 8,014.61 crore since June 24.

UTTARAKHAND

State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel rescued 243 pilgrims who were stranded on the trek route to Madmaheshwar temple, Uttarakhand following a bridge collapse.

15 houses collapsed and seven cowsheds were completely destroyed in subsidence and landslides at Jakhan village, part of Madrasu gram panchayat on Langha Road, 50 km from Dehradun this week.

Uttarakhand government has stopped the movement of two-wheeler vehicles on the Ram Jhula Bridge in Rishikesh after the supportive wire breaks due to a spate of River Ganga due to heavy rainfall in the last few days. Rishikesh was witnessing a flood-like situation and the water level of the river rose above the danger level following heavy rainfall on Monday.

Heavy rainfall disrupted normal life in the Kaluwala area of Dehradun in the early hours of Friday. The rainwater entered the houses and caused waterlogging on the streets.

The water level in the Pindar River in the Tharali area of Chamoli district has also surged due to heavy rainfall.

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However long Christopher John Worrell expected to get in jail for his role in the Jan 6 riot on Capitol Hill, he won't be serving it unless and until they find him: he's gone on the lam, reports the Associate Press, and the FBI has added him to the list.

Christopher Worrell, 52, of Naples, Florida, was supposed to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty of spraying pepper spray gel on police officers, as part of the mob storming the Capitol as Congress was certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Prosecutors had asked a judge to sentence him to 14 years. The sentencing was canceled and a bench warrant for his arrest issued under seal on Tuesday, according to court records. The U.S. attorney's office for Washington, D.C., encouraged the public to share any information about his whereabouts.

About thirty Proud Boys have gone down for Jan. 6 shenanigans, and former leader Henry Tarrio is up for sentencing soon. He's in custody, but not the sort to disappear even if he wasn't: "In seeking a lenient sentence, Tarrio's lawyers noted in court papers filed Friday that the onetime Proud Boys leader has a history of cooperating with law enforcement."
Mumbai police have implemented a ban on the operation of drones, remote-controlled micro light aircraft, paragliders, para motors, hand gliders, and hot-air balloons in the city's airspace until September 16, according to an official's statement on August 18, PTI reported.

This prohibitory order, issued on August 17, outlines that individuals found in violation will be subject to charges under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

Also read: Mumbai news: Train runs over man who fell on railway tracks after being assaulted by couple | Video

The issuance of this order is based on concerns that these aerial objects could potentially be used to target VVIPs, pose threats to the general public, cause damage to public property, and disrupt law and order within the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Police Commissionerate area.

Also read: SpiceJet passenger clicks improper photos of air hostess on Delhi-Mumbai flight; DCW takes action

Starting from Friday and continuing until September 16, the order strictly prohibits the operation of drones, remote-controlled micro light aircraft, paragliders, para motors, hand gliders, and hot-air balloons within the city's limits.

Indian Coast Guard Chief Rakesh Pal recently called on Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais to provide an overview of the Indian Coast Guard's operations and accomplishments in ensuring coastal security reported officials on August 18. Their discussions also revolved around reinforcing maritime safety and improving the safety of fishermen along the Maharashtra coastline.

In the operation conducted amidst adverse weather conditions and darkness, the Indian Coast Guard successfully evacuated a Chinese national from the Research Vessel MV Dong Fang Kan Tan No 2 on August 16. The vessel, flagged under Panama, was on the way from China to the UAE when a crew member reported chest pain and symptoms of cardiac arrest, ANI reported.

The Indian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received this urgent call and immediately established communication with the distressed vessel, offering telemedicine guidance. Considering the patient's critical condition, the decision was made to airlift the individual from the vessel, located approximately 200 kilometers offshore.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)

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Supreme Court of India has said, If one uses social media, then he should be more careful about its impact and reach" alerting netizens on the fact that usage of social media has its own consequences. The apex court has hearing a petition filed by actor and former Tamil Nadu MLA S Ve Shekher who is facing cases for sharing a Facebook post in 2018 allegedly containing derogatory remarks against women journalists.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices B R Gavai and P K Mishra dismissed Tamil Nadu MLA S Ve Shekher's petition. The bench observed that one has to be careful while using social media.

The Madras High Court in a 14 July order had dismissed his petition seeking quashing of criminal proceedings relating to the post shared by him.

The Tamil Nadu MLA's lawyer argued that Shekher had put some medicine in his eyes on the date of the incident due to which he could not read the contents of the post which he shared.

Before the Madras High Court, Shekher's counsel had argued that he was not aware of the contents of the message that was sent to him and had merely forwarded the same from his Facebook account.

His counsel had said that after coming to know of the derogatory remarks contained in the message, Shekher removed the contents within a couple of hours on the same day and had followed it up with a letter dated April 20, 2018 whereby he had tendered an unconditional apology to the concerned women journalists and also to the media.

In its order, the HC had noted Shekher is said to have "published/circulated an abusive, derogatory and vulgar comment in his Facebook account" on April 19, 2018 after which a complaint filed before the Chennai Commissioner of Police.

The high court had said that considering the stature of the petitioner, he was expected to be more responsible while giving statements or forwarding messages.

"A message that is sent or forwarded in the social media is like an arrow, which has already been shot from the bow," it had said.

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The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday seized an asset worth 36.80 crore from a Goa-based miner's son, identified as Rohan Timblo. The seizure was part of the investigation into the Pandora Papers Leak. The probe revealed his alleged undisclosed foreign exchange outside India.

According to the reports, Rohan Timblo was investigated "on the basis of Pandora Paper leaks where it was revealed that he owned an offshore family trust and its three underlying corporate entities which have come under the scanner of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)".

The seizure order against Rohan Timblo, the son of Goa-based miner, has been issued under section 37A(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Pandora Papers Leak: In 2021, the 'Pandora Papers' revelations emerged when the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released a vast 2.94-terabyte dataset. This expose unveiled the offshore intricacies of affluent individuals from over 200 countries and territories, India included.

The federal agency said the investigation into the Pandora Papers Leak revealed that Asiaciti Trust Singapore Pte Ltd delivered corporate trustee solutions to the Colares Trust. Within this trust, Rohan Timblo held the position of the exclusive "settlor," and was joined by his wife Mallika Timblo and their children as beneficiaries.

The Colares Trust had three underlying corporate entities-- Calheta Holdings Ltd, Samoa; Cazar Finance S.A, BVI and Corylus Assets Inc, Panama, it said.

"The capital fund available under administration of Colares Trust in 2012 was USD 4,499,620. The same was not declared by Rohan Timblo before the Indian authorities," the agency alleged.

Hence, it said, by acquiring foreign exchange outside India Rohan Timblo "contravened" the provisions of section 4 of FEMA, 1999 for a total amount of USD 4,499,620 (about 37,34,68,460) and accordingly an immovable property of Rohan Timblo has been seized.

(With agency inputs)

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Satya Narayana Nadella was born on August 19, 1967, in Hyderabad, India, Satya Nadella has become a global icon since he assumed the role of CEO Microsoft, a computer software giant, a position he has held since 2014.

From Hyderabad to Milwaukee

He spent his formative years in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. His early education in electrical engineering was completed at Mangalore University, where he earned his B.Sc. degree in 1988 following which he moved to the United States.In the US, he pursued a master's degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, which he completed in 1990.

Joining the Tech Titans

His career took off when he joined Sun Microsystems, Inc., as a member of its technology staff, reported Britannica. However, in 1992, Nadella joined Microsoft. At Microsoft, Nadella initially contributed to the development of Windows NT, an operating system primarily aimed at business users. While continuing his work at Microsoft, Nadella pursued further education, earning a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago in 1997.

Also read: Microsoft's AI bet pays off, CEO Satya Nadella's windfall surpasses $1 billion amid stock surge

Achievements

Nadella's ascent within Microsoft was steady and impressive. By 1999, he had already been appointed vice president of the Microsoft bCentral small-business service. Two years later, he took on the role of corporate vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions. In 2007, his responsibilities expanded when he became senior vice president of research and development for the company's online services division. This was followed by his tenure as president of Microsoft's server and tools business from 2011 to 2013, a division that annually generated approximately $19 billion in revenue.

Also read: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joins Threads: What he wrote in his first post on the app

Nadella's impact extended to the realm of cloud computing as well. He served as the executive vice president overseeing the company's cloud computing platform, which provided the infrastructure for various Microsoft services, including the Bing search engine, the Xbox Live gaming network, and the Office 365 subscription-based services.

Becoming CEO of Microsoft

On February 4, 2014, Satya Nadella assumed the role of CEO of Microsoft. He became the third person in the company's 40-year history to hold this esteemed position, following in the footsteps of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. One of his early challenges was the overseeing the completion of Microsoft's takeover of Nokia Corp.'s mobile-device business, a deal worth $7.2 billion. In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn, the renowned business-oriented social networking website, under Nadella's leadership.

Authoring a vision

Beyond his role at Microsoft, Nadella is also an author. He co-wrote the book "Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone" (2017). The book delves into his personal journey and offers insights into his thoughts on technology and leadership.

(With inputs from Britannica)

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Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman engaged in a historic meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on August 18, marking the highest-level talks between the two nations since their reconciliation in March, Reuters reported. This reconciliation followed years of bitter rivalry that had destabilised the region.

After the meeting, Iran's Foreign Minister announced that the Saudi Crown Prince had accepted an invitation to visit Tehran, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported.

The meeting comes as Saudi Arabia, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been working to reorient its foreign policy amid challenges in its historically close relationship with the United States.

The talks in Jeddah were characterised as frank, beneficial, and productive," Abdollahian said in a social media post after meeting the prince, with both sides emphasising agreement on regional security and development."

Also read: Bahrain Steel to supply iron ore pellets to Essar's green steel project in Saudi Arabia

For years, Iran and Saudi Arabia had been engaged in a bitter rivalry for influence in various Middle Eastern countries. Rivalry between Iran's revolutionary, Shi'ite Muslim leaders and Saudi Arabia's Sunni ruling family dominated the Middle East. This rivalry had led to sectarian tensions and conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Bahrain.

China played a pivotal role in brokering the reconciliation in March, leading to the resumption of full diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia had severed ties with Iran in 2016 after an attack on its Tehran embassy over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.

Also read: India continues wheat, medical aid in Afghanistan, shipments routed via Iran's Chabahar port: Report

Both sides have now found reasons to change their approach. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seeks to end its political and economic isolation, partly driven by US policies, and views improved relations with Saudi Arabia as a means to achieve this goal, Iranian officials stated.

Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has sought to diversify its international partnerships, particularly with China, due to concerns about US commitment to regional security. This move aligns with Saudi efforts to strengthen relations with China, which has maintained friendly ties with Iran. Earlier this month it succeeded in getting China to attend a diplomatic meeting on Ukraine that Beijing had earlier avoided.

Additionally, Prince Faisal in a telephonic conversation with US Secretary General Antony Blinken discussed greater coordination to enhance security and stability in the Middle East region", as reported by Saudi state media on Friday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Hariyali Teej to be observed today that is on August 19 this year, devotees of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati prepare to celebrate this festival.

When is Hariyali Teej celebrated?

Hariyali Teej typically falls two days before Naga Panchami. According to Drik Panchang, this year, Hariyali Teej falls on August 19, 2023. The Tritiya tithi (the third lunar day) commences at 8:01 pm on August 18 and concludes at 10:19 pm on August 19. Furthermore, Hariyali Teej arrives a month prior to Hartalika Teej, which is slated for September 18 this year.

Also read: Akshaya Tritiya 2023: History, significance, wishes

Wishes

Here are some wishes and messages to share with your loved ones on this festive occasion.

On this Hariyali Teej, may Lord Shiva and Parvati remove all your sorrows and troubles. Wishing you a joyful Hariyali Teej!

May the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati bring happiness, prosperity, and love into your life on this auspicious Hariyali Teej.

Wishing you a vibrant and joyous Hariyali Teej, filled with laughter, love, and cherished moments with your loved ones.

As you celebrate the beauty of nature and the bond of marriage, may your life be as colourful and joyful as the festivities of Hariyali Teej.

May you discover your hidden strengths and connect with your inner self. May Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati bless you and your husband with all your heart desires. Happy Hariyali Teej.

On this special occasion of Hariyali Teej, may your relationship be as refreshing as the greenery around, and may your love story continue to blossom.

May your marriage be blessed with the same dedication and commitment that Goddess Parvati had for Lord Shiva. Happy Hariyali Teej to you and your partner!

May the swings of joy on Hariyali Teej carry you through a journey of happiness, health, and prosperity. Have a wonderful celebration!

Warm wishes to all the married women observing a fast on this auspicious day of Hariyali Teej! May Goddess Parvati accept your fasting.

I hope your prayers are accepted by the deity, and you have a very happy and successful Teej filled with blessings. May your marriage be long-lasting and filled with joy. Happy Hariyali Teej.

History

The festival commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati. According to legend, it was on this day that Lord Shiva accepted Maa Parvati as his consort, following her 107 incarnations of penance. It was during her 108th birth that Devi Parvati, also known as Teej Maata, succeeded in winning his heart, reported HT.

Significance

Married Hindu women in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand observe Hariyali Teej by partaking in a day-long nirjala vrat (fasting without water) and offering prayers for the longevity and prosperity of their husbands. Among the three prominent Teej festivals observed by Hindus across IndiaHariyali Teej, Hartalika Teej, and Kajri Teejeach holds special significance due to its timing in the Sawan and Bhadrapada months. Hariyali Teej, specifically, falls on the third day of Shukla Paksha in the month of Sawan.

Also read: Akshaya Tritiya 2023: Ritual of buying gold on this auspicious dayExplained

Celebrations

On the occasion of Hariyali Teej, Hindu women pray to Lord Shiva and Maa Parvati for the well-being of their spouses. They undertake a day-long fast, adorn their hands with intricate Mehendi designs, don new garments in vibrant green or red shades, engage in shringar (decorative beautification), wear ornate jewelry, and more. During Hariyali Teej women adorn themselves in vibrant green traditional attire. Devotees also construct new swings and sing traditional folk songs that extol the love between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. This fast can be observed by married women, newlyweds, and unmarried women alike. As part of the rituals, parents send gifts to their daughters' homes, including homemade sweets, ghewar (a regional sweet delicacy), henna, and bangles.

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Many countries have followed a similar economic trajectory: As they develop, women increasingly enter the workforce, further fueling the countrys upward climb.

It happened in China, Japan and South Korea in the latter half of the 20th century. The U.S. saw its female labor-force participation ratethe percentage of women age 15 and up who are working or actively looking for workgrow from 32% in 1948 to 59% by 2000.

India, which overtook the U.K. last year as the worlds fifth largest economy, hasnt followed that path. Since 1990, its female labor-force participation rate has hit a peak of only 31% in 2000, according to data from the World Bank. Last year, it was 24%.

That rate is among the 12 lowest in the world, a list including Afghanistan and Somalia. Saudi Arabia has a higher percentage of women working or looking for a job.

India has made some recent progress. The percentage of women in the labor force has grown slightly from a low of 21% in 2018, but those small gains have been hard won. Even companies that have made an effort to hire women have found it difficult. Indias low numbers helped bring down the percentage of women in the worlds labor force from around 51% in 2000 to 47% last year.

Economists blame Indias low figures on two main factors: weak job creation, which has led to intense competition for the available opportunities, and a deeply conservative culture that emphasizes a womans place is at home.

Despite being the worlds fastest-growing major economy in recent years, India added zero net new jobs over the past decade.

Indias failure to bring more women into the labor force is complicating its ambition to capitalize on its youthful demographics as Western companies look for alternatives to China for manufacturing.

The worlds most populous country could boost its gross domestic product by $734 billion if the country increased its female labor-force participation rate by 11 percentage points by 2030, according to McKinsey Global Institute. Indias GDP was about $3.4 trillion last year, according to the World Bank.

Only 38 million women were in paid employment in India last year, compared with 368 million men, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a Mumbai think tank.

Cultural pressure is so strong that Anamika Pandey, a 26-year-old entrepreneur in New Delhi, said many women believe that working outside the home is a shameful activity reserved only for the poor.

Last year, Pandey founded a natural food company called Naario. Initially she wanted to hire female employees, including in warehousing, logistics and sales, but women feared public censure, she said.

Pandey ended up hiring men for all the jobs that involve being outside the home. She said she was able to find more than 500 women to sell Naario products on social media and at events in their homes for friends and neighbors, although that wasnt easy.

Sometimes you have to sit down with the family members and tell them, Hey, this is not a sales job. Shes not going out of the house to do anything," Pandey said.

Anmol Jaggi, co-founder of the ride-hailing startup BluSmart, said he had wanted female drivers to reflect the customer base, which is 50% female. In 2021, BluSmart announced plans to hire 500 female drivers within a year.

The company launched a training program, in partnership with the Indian government, to teach women how to drive and help them obtain drivers licenses. BluSmart installed three panic buttons in each car to address safety concerns, allowed female drivers to take only day shifts, and based women near big metro stations for easier commutes.

Only 80 of the 800 women who learned how to drive ended up taking a job. The company has 6,500 male drivers. Many women wanted to work but gave in to family members who opposed the idea, Jaggi said.

The majority of women who do work for the company are single mothers like Deepa Shankar whose financial needs trump their familys objections.

The 25-year-old in New Delhi said she became a driver after her husband abandoned her and their baby son. Her mother, brother and neighbors all tried to shame her into quitting. They told her she was staining the familys good name.

The money gradually changed their minds. Her earnings allowed her to pay for her fathers medical treatment, build a house for her mother and fund her brothers education. Shankar makes around $490 a month. Now theyre happy I work," she said.

Jaggis dream of thousands of female taxi drivers remains far off. It might take my full life to get to that goal," he said.

In many parts of Indias economy, jobs are in short supply. Many jobs disappeared during the pandemic and never came back. Work in agriculture, long Indias biggest employer, has vanished in recent decades as farms became more mechanized. Other sectors, especially manufacturing, failed to compensate.

Once you run out of men, you have to employ some women," said Alice Evans, a senior lecturer at Kings College London. But those labor shortages never materialized in India."

Economists say a boom in jobs could help overcome the social stigma that remains a barrier to more women working.

Japan and South Korea both had female labor participation rates below 50% before their economies began to take off in the 1970s and 80s.

Today, female labor-force participation is around 55% in South Korea and 54% in Japan, though if women over 64 are excluded, the rates are much higher. The rate for women aged 15 to 64 is 60% in South Korea and 74% in Japan, according to the World Bank. In India, its 25%.

Chinas rise, too, was bolstered by women who joined its labor force. As millions of women flocked to factories in the cities, its female participation rate soared to over 70% by the early 1980s, according to data from the United Nations International Labor Organization.

Once a country develops to a certain point, the percentage of women in the labor force often falls as greater wealth gives women the option to decide to stay at home or spend more time pursuing higher education. A lack of child-care options can also play a role. Economists say those factors have contributed to a dip in China, where the share of working women has dropped to 61%, from 73% in 1990. Its rate is still higher than in many developed countries.

In the U.S., the female labor-force participation rate has fluctuated over the past two decades as more women stayed in school and baby boomers entered retirement. The rate was around 56% last year, down slightly from almost 59% in 2000, according to the World Bank.

The pandemic also took some women out of the labor force, but more have been flowing back recently. The rate for women aged 25 to 54 in the U.S. hit a record high of 77.8% in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Australia have all seen increases in the percentage of women who are working or looking for a job since 2000.

Part of what makes Indias drop since 2000 worrisome to economists is that it occurred before the country climbed out of the ranks of lower middle-income countries. Indias GDP per capita of roughly $2,400 is less than one-fifth of Chinas.

In neighboring Bangladesh, female workers have played a crucial role in helping develop the garment industryalthough the countrys factories have drawn charges of safety issues and worker exploitation. Bangladesh had a female labor-force participation rate of 38% last year, up from 28% in 2000. Its GDP per capita has surpassed Indias since 2019.

Economists say compared with India, Bangladesh has looser labor laws that have allowed factories to expand quickly and doesnt have as many strong caste rules that encourage social conformity.

Indian officials have said the low participation numbers are exaggerated by data that doesnt fully capture what women do there. In its latest annual economic report, the government argued that unpaid domestic work such as collecting firewood, cooking and tutoring ones children should be counted as productive work.

Indian officials have touted improved education for girls. Indias female literacy rate climbed to 70.3% last year from 54.2% in 2001, according to United Nations data. The literacy rate for males last year was 84.7%.

In many parts of India, a college degree is still seen as part of a marriage dowry in some conservative wealthy families. The returns to women in education are largely in the marriage market, but not in the labor market," said Rohini Pande, an economics professor at Yale University. Parents are worried about marriage prospects if they let their daughters go where the jobs are."

Kanchana Balachandar, 32, holds a masters degree in business administration and used to work for one of Indias top consulting firms. She took a decadelong break starting shortly before getting married then decided last year that she wanted to return to a full-time job. Her husband, in-laws and parents all insisted she stay at home to care for her son.

It comes from all three sides: Who will take care of your baby?" said Balachandar, who lives in Chennai and said she has turned down several job offers due to family pressure. There is always a question to the women: Why are you even working?"

New Delhi has made efforts to expand female employment, including opening vocational institutes for women and increasing paid maternity leave from 12 to 26 weeks. The government requires companies with at least 50 employees to have in-house daycare facilities.

British equipment manufacturer JCB, which operates six factories in India, began making a concerted effort more than a decade ago to hire women, partly because the company found that women did well at some complex manufacturing tasks, said Deepak Shetty, the chief executive of JCB India.

JCB hired a psychologist to visit its factories in India, in part to counsel female employees on how to handle family pressure, Shetty said.

The company negotiated leases on apartments near some of its factories because many of the women wanted to live near each other. It provides transportation to and from the factory each day. Workshops taught men and women about inappropriate conduct, such as telling women they dont belong in manufacturing.

Shetty said women make up about a third of the workforce on the shop floor at JCBs two factories in the city of Jaipur, and more than half are women in its newest factory in Gujarat. Across India, about 19% of its 2,500 employees who work in manufacturing are female.

At a gas station in New Delhi, most of the jobs like filling up tanks and changing oil are held by a crew of 27 women. Aarti Shakya started working at the station seven years ago after her husband fell ill. Even though he was too sick to work, he was so opposed to her working that she quit after eight days.

Shakya returned when he was hospitalized and needed money for medical care. Now their combined salaries cover a bigger apartment and private school for their daughter. Even so, Shakya said she hopes her daughter wont have to work.

If women step out to work, people dont look at them with respect," she said. Its better for them to be happily married."
The former United States President Donald Trump is likely to surrender by end of next week in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, CNN has reported citing a senior law enforcement official.

As per the report, the former US president will likely to surrender on 24 or 25 August to the Fulton County jail. The Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had set the date August 25 as a deadline for his surrender.

Earlier on Monday, Donald Trump and several allies were indicted in Georgia on Monday, accused of scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. It's the fourth criminal case to be brought against the former president and the second to allege that he tried to subvert the results of the vote. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had launched the investigation into Trump and his associates nearly two years ago, New York Post has reported.

Also Read: Donald Trump indictment: Here's how former US President is paying for his legal expenses

The reports of his expected surrender in Georgia also comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The Former US President plans to skip the first Republican primary debate next week and instead sit for an online interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the New York Times reported, citing people briefed on the matter.

Also Read: No president has ever Donald Trump's legal team seeks to postpone trial until 2026; here's why

Trump has for months suggested that he would likely pass on Wednesday night's debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, arguing that it did not make sense to give others a change to attack him given his sizeable lead among Republicans in national polls.

Earlier on 16 August, the 77 year old Republican claimed that he would produce an irrefutable" report that should" lead to all charges against him getting dropped, New York Post reported. Right after the indictment, Trump denounced the ruling and called the situation a total shutdown of democracy".

He is also charged in three other criminal cases  in Manhattan, Miami, and Washington, DC  while facing 91 counts and potential prison sentences adding up to 712 years and 6 months, as per the New York Post.

Meanwhile, the eighteen alleged co-conspirators were indicted along with Trump in the Georgia case, including his lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Kenneth Chesebro, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and the former presidents 2020 Election Day director of operations Michael Roman.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A British nurse working in the neonatal ward of a hospital has been convicted of murdering seven babies and trying to kill six others. Lucy Letby has been on trial since October 2022 for either injecting her sick or premature young victims with air, overfeeding them with milk or poisoning them with insulin. While the clear motives of the nurse have not been registered but the prosecution suggested several probable motives such as she was playing God" while deliberating why 33-year-old Lucy Letby killed the babies.

Lucy Letby was arrested and released twice. On her third arrest in 2020, she was formally charged and held in custody.

One of the prosecutors said that Lucy Letby was playing God" by the time she killed her last victims -- two triplet boys who were referred to in court as O and P. Child O died shortly after Lucy Letby returned from a holiday in Ibiza in June 2016, while child P died a day after their sibling.

Prosecutors have said that by the time Lucy Letby killed her last victims, she was "completely out of control", adding that "she was in effect playing God".

She was controlling things. She was enjoying what was going on. She was predicting things that she knew were going to happen. She, in effect, was playing God," the prosecutor said.

During the probe when the investigators were searching the nurses house, they found some hand-written notes on which Lucy Letby had written: I am evil, I did this." The prosecutors also mentioned that Lucy Letby had started getting a thrill out of this.

The prosecutors also mentioned one of her hand-written notes to explain the motive behind the killings in which she had written that she was not good enough in taking care of the children. I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them.I will never have children or marry. I will never know what it's like to have a family," one of the notes mentioned.

Lucy Letby has, however, denied the allegations. When she gave evidence at the trial, she insisted she "always wanted to work with children" and said it was "devastating" to find out she was blamed for the deaths.

(With agency inputs)

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United States, Japan and South Korea, in a joint statement condemned the dangerous and aggressive behaviour by China and expressed stern opposition against any attempt to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific. The three leaders made several pledges in an historic Camp David meeting, and issued sharp rebukes to China and Russia.

The first-ever trilateral summit between the three countries was held in the US.

A joint statement titled The Spirit of Camp David expressed support for their collective alliance which read, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are determined to align our collective efforts because we believe our trilateral partnership advances the security and prosperity of all our people, the region, and the world."

The three nations expressed commitment to expanding cooperation trilaterally and raising shared ambition to a new horizon across domains and across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

Here are the key takeaways from the historic Camp David meeting

CHINA'S 'DANGEROUS AND AGGRESSIVE' ACTIONS: They issued a sharply worded joint statement about Beijing's actions in the South China Sea. China has claimed territory that according to international law, belongs to other countries, and said recently it plans military drills.

The statement read, We share concerns about actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order, which undermine regional peace and prosperity. Recalling the publicly announced position of each of our countries regarding the dangerous and aggressive behaviour supporting unlawful maritime claims that we have recently witnessed by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea, we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific."

The three countries also reiterated their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that the basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and they called for peaceful resolutions to cross-Strait matters.

A NEW ALLIANCE ON 'CAMP DAVID' PRINCIPLES

The three leaders also presented the meeting as the beginning of a new, permanent alliance pitching their liberal democracies against administrations that do not follow international law or respect human rights. They added that they would have annual meetings with top leaders, foreign ministers and other top officials, and a new communication channel that Biden referred to as a "hotline."

A set of shared principles stresses respect for the rule of law and the UN Charter, and promised to act on human rights abuses and climate changes.

RUSSIA'S 'BRUTAL' WAR, ENERGY

The three pledged to "stand with Ukraine against Russias unprovoked and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order." They also pledged to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, impose sanctions on Russia and accelerate their "reduction of dependency on Russian energy."

MILITARY COOPERATION

Moreover, the three countries will agree to "significant steps" to enhance security cooperation among them, including a commitment to consult each other in times of crisis, as per the joint statement. They include a multi-year military exercise plan that will be held on an annual basis, Kishida told reporters after the meeting, and deeper coordination and integration on ballistic missile defense.

A SUPPLY CHAIN 'EARLY WARNING' SYSTEM

The three countries also agreed upon setting up an "early warning system," the joint statement said, that will share information and coordinate on "possible disruptions to global supply chains as well as to better prepare us to confront and overcome economic coercion." It will alert nations to production shortages of goods like batteries and critical minerals, Biden told reporters as reported by Reuters.

NORTH KOREA THREATS:

The three leaders also spoke forcefully in remarks to reporters spoke about the nuclear and other threats of North Korea, and said they would cooperate to counter them, as reported by Reuters. Biden told reporters that the three will also counter "potential arms transfer in support of Russia's brutal war against Ukraine" by North Korea.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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In Otsuchi, Japan, you'll find a special phone booth known as the Wind Telephone, created by Itaru Saski as a way to cope with grief and feel closer to loved ones who have passed away. The phone booth contains a disconnected rotary phone. A year later, Japan was struck by an earthquake, tsunami, and a resulting nuclear meltdown. Sasaki's coastal hometown of Otsuchi lost ten percent of its population.

Sasaki invited mourning members of his community to come and use the kaze no denwa. The phone gained popularity quickly, and people coping with grief began visiting from all over Japan to use the wind phone.

My heart is touched by the story of this one way phone booth, and I hope to visit it someday in person. I'm so glad that something like this exists and can bring a bit of comfort to those who need it the most.
As the Madhya Prsdesh Assembly Polls near, every possible development in Bahrtiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress surges. Days after BJP released their first list of candidates for the upcoming crucial assembly polls, turncoat Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist leader Samandar Patel travelled in a 800 vehicle convoy to re-join Congress.

Samandar Patel joined Congress along with his supporters at the PCC office in the state capital Bhopal on Friday. Patel has joined the Congress party unconditionally with the party's ideology, customs, principles, and loyalty to the party. His truth has brought him here and I have full faith that he will tell this truth to the people of his area," PCC chief Kamal Nath said. In 2018, the Congress government was formed with the opinion of the public, but Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government was formed with the money power by horse-trading. BJP has been in government for 18 years, but the picture of the state is in front of everyone, wherever one sees corruption, scam, and only scam," Nath alleged.

The Chouhan-led BJP government is not only number one in corruption but also number one in atrocities against women, farmers, and youth. Now, the people of the state have made up their minds to bid adieu to the Shivraj government, Nath said, adding, I will also bid adieu to him but with love."

Meanwhile, Patel said that he was very happy to return to the Congress party.

Notably, it is not the first instance that Scindia loyalists joined the Congress party. Recently, the former Shivpuri district Congress President Baijnath Singh Yadav who was working with Scindia in the Kolaras area of the district rejoined the Congress party along with his several workers.

One more Schinda's aide Rakesh Gupta, who was associated with the trader class also left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the Congress party along with his workers.

The State is set to go to assembly polls later this year.

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While Congress Party declared on Friday that Rahul Gandhi will be contesting 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the speculations are still rife whether Priyanka Gandhi is contesting the polls from Varanasi, which is PM Narendra Modi's constituency.

Commenting on this, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi she said, If numbers show that Priyanka Gandhi contests the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi and she can win from there, she will be fielded their" On how INDIA bloc will decide on seat sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha election 2024, she said it will be decided after a detail discussion on who is best suited for who seat Chaturvedi said, The INDIA alliance is at the front foot...The alliance will discuss who is best suited for a seat. In time, we will announce, who will be contesting from which seat." PM Modi is uncomfortable of the INDIA bloc Further, taking a jibe at PM Modi, the Shiv Sena (UBT) said, the way the prime minister have attacked the alliance from the Parliament to the Red Fort, it is evident how uncomfortable he might be feeling insecure.

The Opposition parties met to chalk out a strategy to put out a united front to take on the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Notably, INDIA or Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is a group of 26 opposition parties, including the Congress. The parties have come together to take on the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and prevent it from winning a third straight term at the Centre in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The first such meeting was convened in Bihars Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Karnatakas Bengaluru on July 17-18.

(With agency inputs)

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CAMP DAVID, Md.The U.S., Japan and South Korea took a significant step on Friday toward creating a bulwark against common threats from China and North Korea, forging a sturdier three-way alliance to bolster security.

President Biden hosted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David, in the first visit by foreign leaders to the presidential retreat since 2015. The three committed to consulting on threats to eachs security, working together on ballistic-missile defense, conducting annual joint military exercises and holding yearly summits to maintain the momentum.

The stronger alliance forms part of a lattice of partnerships that the U.S. has struck from India to Australia and Southeast Asia and that the Biden administration hopes will alter the strategic landscape against China. Beijing has been flexing its expanding power against neighboring states, while North Korea has ramped up its missile program in recent years and rejected diplomatic outreach.

This is a new era of partnership," Biden said at a press conference on Camp Davids wooded grounds, standing alongside the South Korean and Japanese leaders. Biden added later: This is not about a day, week or month. This is about decades and decades of relationships that were building."

U.S. officials described the summit as historic, given that previous attempts to nudge Tokyo and Seoul to cooperate have been undermined by lingering animosity over Japans colonial occupation of Korea, which ended after World War II. Biden praised Yoon and Kishida for showing political courage" in mending tiesa move that officials said came despite negative public opinion in the leaders respective countries and provided an opening for Washington to boost cooperation.

Publicly, Biden administration officials said the new cooperation isnt aimed at China but is intended to bolster an alliance important to the three countries security. Behind the scenes, they cited Beijings heightened actions in the seas from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines as helping to shift attitudes in Seoul and Tokyo.

It gives a strong message and impression that the U.S. has very capable friends," said Rob Rapson, a retired U.S. diplomat, who served multiple tours in South Korea and Japan.

North Korea has added to the uncertain security landscape, test-firing several intercontinental ballistic missiles this year, including on July 12. Seouls spy agency told South Korean lawmakers this week that North Korea appeared to be preparing for a possible ICBM launch to coincide with the Camp David summit, based on support-vehicle activity in Pyongyang.

Even so, South Korea and Japan have robust trade and commercial ties with China, limiting their willingness to openly align against Beijing. Rapson, the retired diplomat, said those limits include codifying elements of their military coordination and cooperation on Taiwanthe island democracy and U.S. partner that Beijing has threatened to annex by force.

Jake Sullivan, Bidens national security adviser, told reporters Friday that the three countries havent agreed to a formal mutual defense agreement that would commit each to defending the other, as in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Instead, officials said, the three are agreeing to stepped-up consultations on security threats and committing to a new three-way hotline.

Sullivan dismissed criticism from China that the nations are moving toward an East Asian version of NATO. I would just underscore that this summit today, this partnership, is not against anyone, it is for something. It is for a vision of the Indo Pacific that is free, open, secure and prosperous," he said.

This summit was not about China," Biden told reporters, though he said the three leaders discussed Beijing. Biden also said he plans to talk with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this fall, following up on a meeting last November.

Initiatives agreed to by the three allies cover security, technology and economic cooperationfrom bolstering intelligence-sharing to creating monitoring systems to detect disruptions to supply chains, including semiconductors and other advanced technology. They also agreed to a combined effort to counter North Korea cyber intrusions and a joint program to combat disinformation.

Aside from summits, the allies would hold meetings annually or more frequently among national security advisers, and foreign, defense, finance and other ministers.

Camp David has served as a venue for presidents to meet world leaders since the Franklin Roosevelt administration. Fridays meeting marked the first time the U.S., Japan and South Korean leaders have held a stand-alone summit, instead of gathering on the sidelines of another event.

The summit also represented the culmination of years of enhanced diplomacy between the Biden administration and officials in Seoul and Tokyo. Biden has made relations with the two countries a priority, according to administration officials, inviting the nations leaders to Washington for the first two foreign leaders visits of his presidency. Biden also traveled to Seoul and Tokyo, and he and his senior aides have met frequently with top officials in the countries.

The fresh agreement comes ahead of the 2024 election, in which Biden is running for a second term. Former President Donald Trump is currently the leading candidate in the Republican primary race. The election has many world leaders worried that if Biden doesnt win re-election, key global alliances may suffer.

Asked about the security fallout if Trump wins another term, Biden told reporters that he disagrees with his predecessors foreign policy views and said the bolstered alliance between the three countries will endure.

All of this will create some momentum, I believe, year-by-year, month-by-month to make the relationship stronger and more certain to remainin place," Biden said.

The annual summits and other meetings, as outlined in Fridays agreement, are one way U.S. officials see as making the three-way alliance more permanent and shielding it from political changes in each capital.

In the run-up to Fridays summit, U.S. officials pointed to the event as well as revitalized defense relations with the Philippines and a security pact with Australia and the U.K. as evidence that Washington is committed to the region for the long term.

Our message is, Were a permanent Pacific power and presence and you can bet long on America," Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said at an event this week at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

Timothy W. Martin in Seoul contributed to this article.

Write to Andrew Restuccia at andrew.restuccia@wsj.com, Vivian Salama at vivian.salama@wsj.com and Catherine Lucey at catherine.lucey@wsj.com
Google will start deleting inactive accounts from 1 December, 2023. The tech giant sent out mails on Saturday informing users of the directive that they will start deleting unused or inactive account.

According to reports, Google has increased the inactivity threshold to two years for all accounts across Google products and services.

Google has informed that accounts that has not been used for two years could be subjected to potential deletion from 1 December, 2023.

One should note that this is not applicable to Google users if their account has been used for Google products and services even if not logged in directly.

However, if someone's Google account has remained inactive for a period of more than two years, that account has not even been used for accessing any Google products or services, the account will be susceptible to deletion from 1 December , 2023.

Notably, Google has informed that deletions of inactive Google accounts will not take place before December 2023. Although the extended period of two years becomes effective immediately.

To ensure the continuity of one's Google Account's active status, the simplest approach is to sign in to the account at least once every two years, recommends a report on Business Today.

In the event of an account being labelled as inactive, Google will dispatch a series of reminder emails to both the users and their designated recovery email addresses (if such recovery options have been provided). These reminders will be sent out at least 8 months prior to any action being taken, such as content deletion or account termination.

Once a Google account gets deleted it cannot be reclaimed. Further the associated Gmail account also gets deleted, and cannot be used for creating a new Google account.

Meanwhile, Google has started rolling out the Dark Web Report feature to its Google One subscribers in India. This feature is designed to enable users to monitor their personal information on the dark web, which is known for its use by hackers and wrongdoers to engage in unlawful activities such as trading sensitive personal data.

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* The ongoing China-South Asia Expo has attracted more than 30,000 exhibitors.

* The expo has witnessed the China-South Asia trade volume double in 10 years.

* Greater interconnectivity across the region has boosted investment.

The ongoing seventh China-South Asia Expo has attracted more than 30,000 exhibitors, representatives, and guests from 85 countries and regions to attend online and offline.

Themed Solidarity and Coordination for Common Development, the five-day expo has set up 15 exhibition pavilions, with various kinds of events, such as a cooperation forum and a business forum, scheduled to be held.

Over the past 10 years, the expo has witnessed closer ties between China and South Asia, with the trade volume between China and South Asian countries doubling.

When the first expo took place in 2013, the trade volume between China and South Asian countries amounted to less than 100 billion U.S. dollars, but the figure reached 197.4 billion U.S. dollars last year, with an average annual growth rate of 8.3 percent.

This photo taken on Aug. 16, 2023 shows a view of Southeast Asia Pavilion at the seventh China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest Chinas Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

Gem dealer Mohamed Rikas from Sri Lanka sensed business opportunities at the very first expo in 2013 and has attended every expo since then.

I value Chinas huge market and purchasing power of Chinese people, he said, adding that more and more gem dealers from Sri Lanka attend the expo.

Liu Ruini has served as the interpreter of Rikas booth since 2018.

We have become friends and havent met in three years because of the pandemic. So I immediately agreed to interpret for him this year, said Liu, adding that she took another four friends as interpreters at different booths this year.

An exhibitor introduces products from India at the seventh China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest Chinas Yunnan Province, Aug. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

After 10 years of development, the comprehensive expo integrating trade, investment, tourism cooperation, and cultural exchanges has become a name card of exchanges and cooperation between China and South Asian countries and other countries.

With the China-Laos Railway that started cross-border passenger services in April, legions of attendees use the train as their preferred transportation to the expo.

The China-Laos Railway is expected to serve as a bridge to connect China and Laos, and the grand gathering of the China-South Asia Expo will see more fruitful results, said Muhammad Fazle Rabby from Bangladesh, who took the train to arrive in China.

As of Aug. 15, the Mohan entry-exit border had handled 246 cross-border passenger trains from China and Laos, carrying 52,888 passengers from 53 countries and regions.

The Lane Xang passenger train of the China-Laos Railway runs past a maintenance center in Luang Prabang, Laos, March 30, 2023. (Photo by Zhou Xing/Xinhua)

Since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the interconnectivity between China and South Asian countries has been greatly enhanced.

For example, the Yunnan airport group has launched over 10 cargo air routes covering destinations in cities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

Greater interconnectivity across the region has also boosted investment.

Figures show that Chinas cumulative investment in South Asia has reached nearly 15 billion U.S. dollars, and the turnover of completed contracted projects has exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars.

Wang Liping, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said China and South Asian countries account for one-fifth of the global economy.

With vibrant trade and investment and the unlocked potential for cooperation, an industrial chain and supply chain system featuring interconnectedness has taken shape here, Wang added.

Shayne Heffernan
Official statistics show that trade between China and the EU reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 2.4-percent increase over the previous year. China and the EU are each others main trading partner, with rapid growth in the trade of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules, and other green products.

Trade between the European Union (EU) and China has grown in recent years despite talks of decoupling from or de-risking economic links with China, a sign that Chinas market still maintains an allure for European businesses due to its vast potential and size.

Eurostat data show the value of European imports from China nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022. During the first half of 2023, China remained the leading supplier of goods to the EU, said an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Throughout this period, imports of products such as phones, computers, and machinery all saw significant increases.

With both Europe and China sharing consensus on tackling climate change, Chinese electric vehicles have rapidly expanded their presence in the European market. Three of the top-selling electric car models in Europe in 2022 were of Chinese origin.

Official statistics show that trade between China and the EU reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 2.4-percent increase over the previous year. China and the EU are each others main trading partner, with rapid growth in the trade of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules, and other green products.

All these figures prove that a growing list of European enterprises view China as a robust partner.

Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz, said in a July interview with German weekly Automobilwoche that China, the worlds largest automobile market, would be at the core of the companys marketing activities starting from 2025.

A concept car of Mercedes-Benz is displayed at the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xin Mengchen).

Investing in China is investing in the future, said Jean-Paul Agon, president of LOreal France, in a written interview with Xinhua. He emphasized that with an open market, an improving business environment, and promising initiatives to stimulate domestic demand, China presents new opportunities for the world and vice versa.

He also noted that China is a strategic growth driver for LOreal, as China is more than just a large market. It is the laboratory of the most innovative concepts and the testing ground for the latest marketing practices, where the future of beauty is born.

Several European business leaders warned of the de-risking narrative.

Belen Garijo, chief executive of Germanys leading science and technology group Merck, said that severing commercial ties with China would come with a substantial economic cost. She hoped tensions between China and some Western countries could be eased through dialogue.

Globalization has brought well-being to the world, with more innovation and cooperation, but we risk losing it, Garijo warned.

Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, also said in a July interview with The Financial Times that Europe cannot reduce risk by isolating itself. European countries should not speculate on the risks of doing business in China; instead, they should invest more in enhancing competitiveness, Hartung added.

European researchers have clarified the underlying logic behind the Europe-China partnership.

Maria Joao Rodrigues, president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, said that China and Europe are more strategic partners than systemic rivals. They should collaborate in reestablishing global rules, particularly in areas such as combating climate change, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. In recent years, China has advanced initiatives on global security and development, where Europe and China can enhance cooperation.

Similarly, The Financial Times cautioned in early August that it would be challenging for Europe to sever or reduce ties with such an important trading partner as China, which accounts for 14 percent of global exports.

Likewise, German weekly magazine Focus noted that the Western economy adheres to its own rules when U.S. President Joe Biden continues to announce restriction after restriction against China. Europe now understands the meaning of decoupling, and the European economy is decoupled from American political directives rather than being decoupled from China, as the United States desires, the article concluded.

Shayne Heffernan
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The 15th BRICS Summit, to be held in South Africas Johannesburg next week, has received a lot of media attention in the months leading up to the event, underscoring the growing influence of BRICS over the past years.

Analysts believe what happens at Johannesburg will be watched with heightened interest, as the voice of the Global South, represented by major emerging economies in BRICS  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has become increasingly important in addressing global challenges at a time of profound geopolitical changes, and the group has demonstrated great potential to improve the architecture of international relations.

Expectations are high about the outcome of the summit as its participants are expected to discuss the accelerated use of local currencies, strengthened cooperation to fast-track mutual growth, and the promotion of inclusive multilateralism, among other issues of common concern.

RISING INTEREST IN BRICS MEMBERSHIP

As per data released earlier this year from Acorn Macro Consulting, a British economic research firm, the BRICS group makes up 41 percent of the global population and accounts for 16 percent of world trade. The five BRICS countries now contribute about a quarter of the global GDP.

With its growing economic presence on the global stage and as one of the most important platforms for win-win cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries, BRICS is becoming increasingly attractive.

A worker arranges a signboard of the 15th BRICS summit outside the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. Theres an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members, said South Africas BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

In an opinion piece published on the website of Dubai-based commercial magazine Arabian Business in June, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said more countries joining BRICS would provide a compelling opportunity for growth and cooperation.

In a column published on the website of Dubai-based English daily Gulf News recently, Osama Al Sharif, a journalist and political commentator based in the Jordanian capital Amman, said the increasing number of applicants joining BRICS has indicated a sense of urgency by countries to address some of these challenges and strengthen partnerships away from Western influence.

FAIRER GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

BRICS has great potential in terms of creating the architecture of international relations, Russias foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin was quoted as saying by Turkiyes semi-official Anadolu Agency at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.

The five BRICS nations are considering expanding the grouping by forging closer links across many areas of both economy and civil society. This is born of a long-held desire to increase the representation of developing nations in appropriately responding to shared global challenges, the UAE foreign minister wrote in the opinion piece.

Signboards of the 15th BRICS summit are seen in a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

In the eyes of Adnan Mansour, who served as Lebanons foreign minister between 2011 and 2014, the Johannesburg summit will strengthen BRICS position in a world where the United States and its allies have been coming up with global trade rules that only serve their own advantage.

The event will contribute to global stabilization, dialogue, partnership and progress, he told Russian news agency TASS in an interview published earlier this week.

At a time when there is so much criticism about how Western countries have failed to create a more equitable economic order in a world plagued by poverty, over-exploitation of the planets resources, pollution, famine and disease, BRICS+ could go a long way in addressing some of these challenges, Al Sharif wrote.

Shayne Heffernan
Efforts to save the USS The Sullivans wrapped up last summer, but a legal battle over the once-sinking World War II-era warship is just beginning.

The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, which is responsible for preserving The Sullivans, is suing one of its insurance providers for $3.5 million  plus interest, attorneys fees and additional expenses.

The parks lawsuit, filed Monday in State Supreme Court, alleges that the insurance company, Water Quality Insurance Syndicate (WQIS), was supposed to help cover all the costs of cleaning up oil spilled into the Buffalo River when the USS The Sullivans started sinking. Instead, WQIS allegedly stopped covering those cleaning efforts in early May  about three weeks after the warship started taking on water  because the emergency phase of the decontamination efforts was over.

Thats obviously a very significant loss for the client, which is a nonprofit, and relies heavily on donations from one source or another to stay afloat  no pun intended there, John Kolaga, one of the attorneys for the park, said. (This) could have a very significant impact on the client if we cant get this resolved, so we really felt we had no options but to proceed on this claim.

WQIS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Buffalo News.

The USS The Sullivans  named for a working-class family that lost five sons during World War II  started leaking oil into the Buffalo River the day it started to sink, according to the lawsuit. The ship had long been plagued by holes in its aging hull, and the park had commissioned temporary repair work that year.

The park was required to clean up the spill under the Clean Water Act and could have been fined upward of $60,000 for every day it didnt take action. Cleanup crews used an absorbent boom, a solution called enviroclean, vacuums and absorbent pads to remove nearly 10.5 tons of oil debris and more than 117,000 gallons of oily water from the ships interior before decontamination efforts wrapped up on July 29, 2022.

We really dont understand the denial of coverage based on the language in the policy that weve referenced in our complaint, Kolaga said.

The USS The Sullivans has been in really good condition over the past few months after avoiding significant damage during last Decembers blizzard, according to Paul Marzello, the president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.

Shes upright, shes stable, shes level, Marzello said.

But the Naval Park is going to have to take action to keep The Sullivans  and its other two ships, the USS Little Rock and the USS Croaker  afloat.

A marine surveyor hired by the Naval Park found that work is needed on all three 80-year-old ships, but especially The Sullivans, which needs a new hull and should be considered a top priority.

The Naval Park planned to do that by the end of this year, but the operation was too expensive.

We have realized that right now, at this particular point in time, we cannot get it done in 2023, Marzello said. We dont have enough funds. The costs have exceeded our projections of what it would take.

So with next winter looming, Marzello said the Naval Park put together a 14-point survivability plan to get The Sullivans through the cold weather. The plan includes a beefed-up bubbler system, an intricate and strategically located pumping system, a flood alarm system and the commissioning of an emergency response team that can be on site with 24 hours notice.

With all those measures in place, I think our staff is feeling pretty confident that we can get through this winter, Marzello said. However, thats not a solution. We know thats a Band-Aid approach.

After getting The Sullivans through another Buffalo winter, the Naval Park plans to dry dock the ship off site and replace the hull starting in October 2024. That operation is expected to last about three to four months.

Itd be almost like having a brand new ship put in the water again, Marzello said.

While funding earmarked by Rep. Brian Higgins enabled the Naval Park to put together the survivability plan, it is still waiting on $7.5 million of federal funding promised by Sen. Charles E. Schumer and another $500,000 pledged by Buffalo City Hall.

We are confident that we will get that at some point, Marzello said.
In October, Megan Patel and her husband paid Hitson Cabinets to install custom cabinets inside their home and signed an agreement for it to be done by early March. Now, it's April, and the job still needs to be done.
One man killed, another seriously injured in Niagara Falls shooting

Niagara Falls police are seeking information on a shooting early Saturday morning that killed one man and left another seriously injured.

Police responded at about 4:20 a.m. to a shooting on the 400 block of 4th Street, City of Niagara Falls spokesman Aaron Ferguson said in a news release.

Two men with gunshot wounds were taken in private vehicles to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where one was pronounced dead. The other wounded man was stabilized, moved to Erie County Medical Center and is listed in critical condition, the release said.

No other details were released by police.

Police ask anyone with information to call their Criminal Investigation Department at (716) 286-4553 or their general information line at (716) 286-4711.

- Ben Tsujimoto
It's going to be a 'wuff' couple of weeks for Longford's latest superstar as he competes to be the Nose of Tralee. Napoleon is the four year old French Bulldog representing Longford in the annual contest to pick Ireland's top pet.

Tona Daly from Longford town entered Napoleon after seeing the competition on Facebook.

Napoleon has been part of our family since he was eight weeks old. Even though he has two teenage human sisters, he is the biggest Diva of them all!

The pretty pooch has been coping well with the adulation that came with his new found fame: His favourite pastime is walking in the Mall, where he's now a bit of a celebrity being the Longford Nose.

Napoleon's success in the local round came as a bit of a surprise to Tona: The three things he loves most in the world are kids, zoomies and his purple chew toy. We only entered for a bit of fun and because he's such a great character, but we never expected him to get this far.

On the August 22nd the 2022 Nose Of Tralee winner, Sadie from Tyrone, will pass over her crown, knowing she would hold it for just for one year, not furever.



The event, now in its tenth year, saw all types of pet owners submit a photo and a brief description of why their pet deserves to be 'The Nose of Tralee'. This year's line up is dominated by canines, but previous entrants have included a talkative cat, pigs and horses. Bird owners have yet to be represented, but no one suspects foul play.



The Nose of Tralee is sponsored by Pet Sitters Ireland and Tesco. Napoleon was voted by the public to represent Longford, and voting for the final will open on August 3 and be open to August 21. Anyone can vote, and all voting takes place online at https://www.petsittersireland.com/nose-2023/ People can cast one vote per day. The winner will be announced on August 22nd.
Local News

By Long Island Published: August 19 2023

Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of person who was killed during a vehicle fire in East Setauket last night.

Suffolk County Police Homicide and Arson Section detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of person who was killed during a vehicle fire in East Setauket last night.

Suffolk County Police responded to a vehicle fire on the north shoulder, west of 445 Route 25A, at 11:12 p.m. The Setauket Fire Department extinguished the fire and a body was discovered inside the 2004 Dodge pickup.

The person has not yet been identified. The vehicle is registered to an out-of-state business.
The Buffalo School Board has unanimously passed a measure that requires Buffalo public school administrators and school leaders to revisit how they handle state-mandated reports of bullying, harassment and cyberbullying, as well as supply data about how often those reports have been filed during the past five years.

A series of bullying and harassment incidents brought before the Buffalo School Board in June prompted member Larry Scott to sponsor the resolution at Wednesdays board meeting. It directs the district to demonstrate accountability to the Dignity for All Students Act, enacted in 2012 and required by all districts statewide.

There were a few cases brought to my attention that were quite significant and required immediate and comprehensive action, Scott said about what prompted his resolution. All board members agreed.

Multiple speakers at the June 21 board meeting described in detail instances of bullying students they love have suffered. Their words stirred board members and prompted a promise by Superintendent Tonja M. Williams to evaluate how the district tries to prevent and react to bullying.

'No easy, quick solution': Bullying experts describe trends in schools following tragedy Regional mental health experts say the most important takeaway from a BPS school climate survey is acknowledging that bullying is a significant challenge, and that discussions among educators, community organizations and students are vital to moving forward.

Blanca Martinez, grandmother of a 12-year-old boy who died by suicide after reports of relentless bullying, spoke emotionally about the need for the district to make changes in how bullying is addressed, emphasizing that the current measures failed to protect her grandson.

Ebony McMillan, caregiver for a refugee student at School 45, shared her disgust at what she believed to be an inadequate response by school leaders and district administration after her student was physically attacked on the playground.

Family demands change in Buffalo Schools after a 12-year-old, bullied relentlessly, dies by suicide A 12-year-old died by suicide after relentless bullying by a fellow sixth-grader at Buffalo's Martin Luther King Jr. School 48. The boy's grandparents and teachers who spoke to The Buffalo News say the system failed Dariel Rivera Reyes.

Scott told The Buffalo News on Friday that he, fellow School Board members and the superintendent consider bullying and harassment to be an area of highest concern in the district.

He said he also was inspired to make sure there was oversight  checks and balances  in Buffalo, after he read a guidance earlier this month from state Attorney General Letitia James and Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa that connected DASA responsibilities to a larger commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in schools.

Buffalo Public Schools devotes an entire section of its website to anti-bullying instruction and links to DASA report forms.

The board resolution reiterated related state requirements: mandated reporting of bullying incidents, staff training on how to report incidents, instruction to students to prevent incidents and clear language in the district code of conduct against bullying. The law also requires identification of a Dignity Act coordinator for each school.

The resolution asks Buffalo Schools administration to supply the following information to the School Board by October:

How the district trains staff on DASA requirements.

How the district reports and resolves harassment and bullying incidents through the state process, especially in how individual schools connect with district departments.

Share the rate of harassment and bullying incidents districtwide, broken down by school, over the past five years.

Determine a process to publicly identify the Dignity Act coordinator for the district and within each school.

Scott, a parent of two boys who attend different Buffalo schools, said the fourth point was relevant because neither he nor his sons know who is the Dignity Act coordinator at their schools.

While not part of his resolution, Scott said that in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District, where he works as a school psychologist, Dignity Act coordinators are clearly identified. They are often mental health counselors or other staff members  not school principals like they are in Buffalo, he said. Given their daily responsibilities, student support staff members may be better acquainted with DASA requirements and procedure.

Scott also hopes the boards attention to related state protocols will encourage hesitant teachers, staff and parents to trust the reporting process and ensure them that documentation will be taken seriously.

He said he also hopes the outcome will make clear to students, parents and teachers the steps needed for bullying incidents are addressed, from the filing of the report to the resolution.

Scott emphasized that reporting incidents should never involve favoritism.

There are no exceptions, he said. I dont care if its a talented athlete or a student with well-known parents. The rules should apply to all students.
AI  Do You Want to Talk to Your Dead Relative?

On May 11, 1997, Garry finally lost.



Garry Kasparov, the greatest chess player in historywho hadnt lost in 15 yearswas defeated by IBMs artificial intelligence (AI) Deep Blue.



Deep Blue eked out the win, 3  to 2 . Man and machine were roughly evenly matched.



But do you know whats happened to AI chess bots since then?

Do we still have a long way to go with AI?

Today, Stockfishthe best chess AIwould demolish the greatest human chess player in history, Magnus Carlsen.Its almost alarming. Stockfish is Michael Jordan, and Carlsen is a toddler. Im serious. The difference between Stockfish and Magnus is roughly the difference between Magnus and meand I rarely play chess.Im telling you this because, as you read this, I want you to keep in mind:

Yes.



For example, there are all kinds of problems with ChatGPTthe AI tool weve written about at length since its debut late last year.



The chatbot, which can have human-like conversations, became the fastest-growing product in history. But it talks like a San Francisco liberal.



Its often flat-out wrong. And its politically motivatedquick to write a glowing poem about Joe Biden but banned by its creators from doing the same for Donald Trump (and thats only the tip of the iceberg).



But flawed as it may be ChatGPT is at the start of a trajectory that will change the world.



Longtime readers know Im an optimist. Especially when it comes to AI.



Instead of focusing on what could go wrong with AI, I ask: What applications could AI be used for that will improve and innovate our lives?



So here are three practical AI innovations we might see over the next decade



#1: AI will let you talk with deceased relatives.



Ever watch Netflixs sci-fi series Black Mirror?



In one episode, a husband is killed in a car accident. His widow learns of a new service that lets you chat with deceased relatives. The tool learns how the husband talked by analyzing text messages, video footage, and social media history.



A start-up called HereAfter.ai developed an app that lets you chat with an interactive avatar of deceased relatives, trained on their personal data.



You should also check out podcast.ai . It created new conversations between Joe Rogan and the late Steve Jobs, among others.



The creative possibilities are endless.



#2: AI will win a Nobel prize an Oscar and get on The New York Times Best Seller list.



Machines have already surpassed man at many tasks. Computers can beat most humans at speech and image recognition, reading comprehension, and language understanding.



2022 was the year computers got creative.



Now, they can create lush images or write poems in the style of Dr. Seuss. In the next decade, well read a bestselling novel written by an AI or watch an Oscar-winning film produced by a machine.



AI systems can already detect cancer at higher rates than human doctors  and are discovering new types of drugs.



Its only a matter of time before AI leads to a major medical breakthrough and a system is awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine.



#3: AI will personalize everything.



Amazon (AMZN) recommends new products based on your previous orders.



Facebook (META) shows you content related to what youve liked in the past.



Watch one crime documentary on Netflix (NFLX), and itll show you 10 more.



A lot of our content is already personalized. But I believe AI will lead to the personalization of everything.



It will become an expert doctor in your pocket who can warn about an irregular heartbeat a tutor who knows the best way to teach you based on your strengths and weaknesses or a fashion brand that recommends a new wardrobe by combing through your camera roll.



AI recommendation engines will get so good theyll be able to anticipate your wants and desires before you even know them.

AI is no longer nerd tech confined to university research labs.

Its a new megatrend transforming the worlds largest, most valuable companiesand our way of life.



If you want to have any hope of becoming a successful investor in the 2020s and beyond, you simply must pay attention to this trend.



As investors, this means we want to add companies to our portfolios that are helping move this new technology forward.



Nvidia (NVDA) is one of my favorite ways to play the current AI boom. Its high-performance GPUs are ideal for training machines to think like humans.

I first recommended this company back in 2018. Since then, NVDA has soared 547%.

NVDA has been the hottest stock on the market all year. Its priced to perfection right now so I wouldnt go rushing all-in if you dont own it yet.

But its a rare stock I believe every investor should own at least a little bit of. The AI trend is just getting startedand buying Nvidia is the simplest and most direct way to play it.

Stephen McBride



Chief Analyst, RiskHedge

To get more ideas like this sent straight to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, make sure to sign up for The RiskHedge Report , a free investment letter focused on profiting from disruption.



Expect smart insights and analysis on the latest breakthrough technologies, the big stories the mainstream media isn't reporting on, and much more... including actionable recommendations.



Click here to sign up.

 2023 Copyright Stephen McBride - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




UPDATE: Block Island reopens to visitors after fire destroys Harborside Inn Saturday

---

Visitors were asked Saturday to avoid Block Island, a popular summer destination off the coast of Rhode Island, after a fire ripped through a historic hotel overnight.

The Harborside Inn, which said it has been welcoming guests for more than a century, appears to be a total loss, the Block Island Times, a local news source, wrote on Facebook.

A video shared on Twitter by WJAR, a Providence NBC affiliate, showed flames shooting from the roof of the inn located at 213 Water St., in Block Islands main town area.

There is limited water and no power in town, the Block Island Chamber of Commerce said in a Facebook post around 9:30 a.m. It said the island was in a state of emergency and asked visitors to avoid traveling there Saturday.

The fire began around midnight, and the roof of the hotel caved in about 90 minutes later, according to the Chamber of Commerce. It took crews more than six hours to extinguish the flames, which were limited to the hotel building.

Around 50 fighters traveled to the island from across the state to assist Block Island Volunteer Fire and Rescue, and at least four ladder trucks have also been brought in, the chamber said.

Hotel guests were evacuated to the Block Island School, and there were no injuries reported, the Block Island Times reported.

The Block Island Ferry said in a message on its website that it transported emergency vehicles throughout the night to the island. The ferry service also adjusted its Saturday schedule and posted alternate travel times online.

The island, seven miles long and three miles wide, is located about 10 miles off the Rhode Island coast. It has one town, New Shoreham  the smallest town in the nations smallest state, according to the town website. A year-round population of about 1,000 residents swells by 15,000 to 20,000 visitors each day during the summer.
Editors note: Campaign Notebook is a periodic round-up of campaign and election news in the lead-up to the 2023 municipal elections in the city of Springfield.

City Council and mayoral candidates continue to connect with the residents of Springfield, primarily through community forums and media outreach.

Ward 6 City Council candidate Humberto Caro sent a statement to The Republican, explaining his reason for campaigning.

Opening a community center in the Forest Park area and offering services to all residents, especially young people, is one of Caros priorities.

Caro said he would propose policies to fight crime in Ward 6 and allocate mental health resources for the community.

As a community, we need to fight the housing crisis, Caro said. As a city councilor, I will ally with other city councilors willing to lower taxes for the residents of Springfield.

Mt. Zion Baptist Church hosted a mayoral candidate forum on Aug. 16.

Domenic J. Sarno, Justin Hurst, David Ciampi, Orlando Ramos and Jesse Lederman were all in attendance.

The candidates were asked what steps they would take to tackle police misconduct.

Ramos said he long advocated the use of body-worn cameras when he was the councils president.

I kept pushing and pushing and pushing to bring police body cameras to the city of Springfield for this very reason because we were just spending too much money on police misconduct cases, Ramos said.

Ramos said he would, as mayor, work to improve the Police Departments use of force policy.

Hurst said the city is in need of a new police superintendent. The current superintendent, Cheryl Clapprood, has had a decades-long career in law enforcement. We need to make sure that we have a police chief that reflects the community and that we have a police chief that lives in the city of Springfield, Hurst said.

Empowering the police commission to hold rogue officers accountable is another step Hurst said the city must take to reduce police misconduct cases.

Ciampi said the only way to mitigate police misconduct is through a genuine partnership between the police department and residents.

There has to be transparency, thats the only way that were going to establish genuine partnerships between the Springfield Police Department and people. If we dont have that, its going to be very hard to fight crime, Ciampi said.

Sarno said body-worn cameras have been the key to combating police misconduct and have resulted in a limited number of complaints. I think the body-worn cameras, which I pushed for many years to get implemented, adds transparency, Sarno said.

The mayor said the department has police officers of all colors, creeds and backgrounds who perform well every day. He said rogue cops have been held accountable and prosecuted.

Lederman highlighted the need for improving community policing. We cannot improve community-police relationships when the federal government is here in the city of Springfield, one of only a handful across the United States requiring certain reforms, Lederman said. Now we must comply with those reforms. But we also must go further.

Lederman said the Police Department needs to stand as an entity that is on the right side of history, one that residents can trust.

At-Large City Council Candidate Gerry Martin hosted a fundraiser at the Marconi Club last week.

Between 60 and 80 people showed up, according to Martin, who said close to $4,000 was raised.

Martin said he will continue to knock on doors and connect with as many residents as he can prior to the preliminary elections on Sept. 12.

Public safety is Martins biggest priority, he told The Republican.

Without that, what else matters? Martin asked. I want to double down on community policing, having officers walk the same neighborhoods, talking to the same people and really being entrenched in our communities more than they already are. He said that is needed to build long-term relationships.

Municipal candidates and others interested in sharing information about the municipal races in Springfield, such as events, announcements and statements, can email newsdesk@repub.com with the subject line Campaign Notebook.
Take 4,000 Lego fanatics, more than 200 Lego constructions ranging from tiny to gigantic and perhaps several million individual Lego bricks, how many do you think would be stepped on with bare feet? At the Springfield Brick Convention, the answer  NONE! Lego bricks are too precious to be left on the floor!

Springfields first Brick Convention kicked off filling the MassMutual Center Saturday morning with Lego fanatics ranging from toddlers to grey-haired men with a penchant for creating everything from Star Wars scenes in 3D to the very building the convention was taking place.

I kind of thought it would be fun to build the building that we are in, Andy Price said. So, I spent an afternoon down here taking pictures and used a little algebra to get the proportions right.

And there it was, an exact miniature replica of the MassMutual Center next to the University of Massachusetts Amherst library, Springfields Union Station and even Nicks Nest restaurant in Holyoke.

Price is a Lego builder who lives in Granby. He said he takes his inspiration from the things he sees around him.

I am into doing real-life buildings, he said.

The MassMutual Center took him a little over two weeks, including shipping for pieces he had to order. He said he completed the entire construction last Thursday, just a day before showing at the convention.

Like many of the builders showing creations at the convention, Price started playing with Legos as a child and just continued as he grew up. Originally from Liverpool in the United Kingdom, he immigrated to the United States and found the New England Lego Users, a club of enthusiasts much like himself.

We do lots of collaborative displays, he said. We have done displays at the Big E, in Vermont and shows out in Boston.

Convention organizer Greyson Riley said he brought the Brick Convention to Springfield after he received numerous emails from area Lego fans asking for a local show.

There are so many Lego fans in Western Mass, as you can tell, he said pointing to the crowds in the conventional hall. We are sold out today, but we still have tickets for Sunday. We put this on to inspire. You can meet Lego Masters and see how they do it. Our goal is for people to get inspired, to go home and hit the bricks so they can build just like that.

Riley said the convention included four featured artists, better known as Lego Master Builders and at least 30 individual builders showing over 200 creations.

Almost as interesting as the constructions themselves are the commercial vendors who lined the outside of the convention hall. Places like Abbie Dabbles, Bricktorias Secret, Big Kid Brix and Its a Brick Party! offer everything from used Lego pieces to laser-printed custom Lego people to enliven a construction.

The snap-together plastic bricks are packaged in a wide variety of sets, everything from a childs fantasy set to a scale model of Captain Jack Sparrows Black Pearl.

But for the builders showing at the convention, the builders imagination is the best.

Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, Star Wars and castles are my three main areas of focus, Lego Master Builder and featured artist Tom Jacobsen said.

My wife and I are originally from the Chicago area so there is a lot of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around and we are members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Trust, he said.

Jacobsen, who now lives in Florida, sometimes likes to work with a couple of his passions at once. It lets him expand his Lego universe.

Since I am a Star Wars freak, I sometimes mash two things together, you know, What if? What if Frank Lloyd Wright existed in the Star Wars universe and what if certain Star Wars characters hired him to build a house? What would that look like? "

Thanks to Jacobsens Lego talents, he can show you, and he did, three times with three different Wright-inspired constructions.

What about Fallingwater on Tatooine, this reporter suggested.

Nah, he said. Not a lot of waterfalls on Tatooine.

Ten-year-old Aiden Pires of Springfield, just said, Everything! when asked what he found special at the convention. He wandered the isles with wide-eyed fascination, saying he had a bunch of Lego constructions on display at home, but nothing like the ones he was seeing. He really wanted to buy some random bricks from the Lego store. His mother Melissa did not tell him where he was going Saturday morning until they reached the Mass Mutual Center doors.

If I told him before we got here, he would not have been able to stand it, she laughed.

When asked if he liked to make a construction then take it all apart and rebuild it, he said No.

Mostly I keep them intact, he said. Some of the older ones I may repair or repurpose them.

Some builders like to make exact replicas of well-known places. The Northeast Lego Train Club boasts members from all six New England states and the only time all the members get together is at shows like the Springfield Brick Convention.

Member Charles Chuck Hagenbuch from the Dorchester section of Boston said computer programs allow all the members to discuss their part of the large display. Hagenbuch included a fairly large area of heavy forest in his part of the operating model railroad and he built a reproduction of a rail station from 1800s Missouri from a design a friend had created. All of the buildings and all of the train engines and cars were created from standard Lego pieces. There are no custom-made bricks to make things easier.

Next to Hagenbuchs section of the track, Dawson Santor from Jackson, New Hampshire, took inspiration from the nearby North Conway Scenic Railway in North Conway, New Hampshire.

Its about 15 minutes from my house, he said. I actually went to the real station and measured the width and length and everything. I used a computer program to scale it all down. It took about a year and a half to do it.

The University of Denver student said Legos take a back seat to his studies sometimes.

Lisa Spencer from Middletown, Connecticut, wandered the aisles of the convention holding a large box in front of her. It was a gift.

This is Disney Villains, she said when asked. You have Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent, the crocodile and Snow Whites apple.

The set was a gift from her boyfriend Paul Masi, who is definitely a Lego fan. Masi does a lot of Star Wars constructions, he said.

I think he is trying to pull me in, Lisa laughed. I have done some flowers, like an orchid and a painting, Starry Night (by Van Gogh). Things that are real life are OK, thats fine.

Author and YouTube content creator Brian Saviano helped kids place Lego dots, small colored round bricks, into tiles to make a mosaic of the cover art of his book, Bricks OBrians Pro Gamers Guide to Healthy Habits.

Its all about how to become a professional gamer as a young kid, he said, because so many kids want to get into my line of work, which is making videos online. But you cant stay up all night practicing games or eating sugary snacks and drinks. You have to actually take care of yourself and lead a balanced lifestyle, drinking water, showering and socializing with friends. My childrens blog takes all these fundamental core values and puts them into the video gaming world to make it accessible. We use a Lego motif because I know it resonates with kids and that makes my thing special.

Bricks OBrians Pro Gamers Guide to Health Habits is also available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online retailers.

The Springfield Brick Convention runs through Sunday with tickets available online at www.brickconvention.com/springfield.
Weather officials said at least four tornados touched down in Southern New England on Friday as powerful thunderstorms ripped across the region.

The strongest of the four twisters swept through three towns just outside Providence, Rhode Island, where it uprooted or snapped hundreds of large trees, some of which significantly damaged homes, and in one case lifted a vehicle into the air before dropping it back onto the highway, meteorologists at the National Weather Services regional Boston office wrote in a report released Friday night.

The tornado was rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale based on its wind speed and the damage caused. The EF-2 rating describes a strong tornado with three-second wind gusts of 111 to 135 mph.

Weather service officials said this tornados winds likely hit 115 mph, making it the strongest tornado to strike Rhode Island since 1986.

It first touched down to the west of Providence in the town of Scituate, before moving northeast into Johnston, where it briefly lifted a vehicle off Interstate 295. The driver was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries, weather officials said.

The tornado crossed into the town of North Providence before dissipating.

Two EF-1 tornados, which carry wind speeds between 86 and 110 mph, struck Massachusetts, the weather service said.

One first landed in the town of North Attleborough, where it snapped or uprooted many trees near the intersection of Mendon Road and Monticello Drive, the weather service report said. The tornado also blew out a window on Mary Ann Way and downed trees on Lisa Drive.

The same tornado lifted briefly before again touching down in Mansfield near Gilbert Street. It sheared the tops of several large trees, knocked one tree onto a car, and toppled an air conditioning unit estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds, which sat on the roof of a single-floor commercial building.

Weather service meteorologists estimated the North Attleborough-Mansfield tornado bore winds between about 80 and 90 mph.

The second EF-1 tornado, with winds estimated at 100 to 110 mph, hit Weymouth near the intersection of Pleasant and Torrey streets, meteorologists said

Numerous trees were uprooted and snapped, the weather service report said. A home at the intersection of Burton Terrace and Torrey Street had about twenty singles torn from its roof. On Park Avenue, a three-inch diameter branch from a [tree top] was blown about 120 yards and driven into the ground to a depth of 2 feet.

The final confirmed tornado touched down briefly in Stoughton on Eighth Street and Corbett Street, causing sporadic damage that indicated winds of 70 to 80 mph. It was classified as an EF-0 tornado.

The weather service and emergency response officials in Connecticut are also investigating damage from a potential tornado in the town of Scotland.

Oner 100 trees were downed or sheared off at their tops, the weather service said. The agency expected to determine Monday  based on photos, drone footage and radar data  whether a tornado had touched down in Scotland.
It started last year, with students speaking up for books and against banning them at an Orchard Park Central School Board meeting.

Then, two sophomores, seeking to make a larger impact, founded Students Protecting Education.

They did much of the planning for the group during the November snowstorm when school was closed.

Their goal was simple, and through brainstorming, they came up with the solution.

How can we keep this going and try to just have more of an effect on our community, a positive effect, at least, or why not start an organization? Jillian Yarnes said. Because every 16-year-old wants to start an organization.

Gender identity, book bans shape crowded race for Orchard Park School Board The issues have spilled over in the race for three board seats next week, and prompted some students to form Students Protecting Education, a nonprofit group that promotes diverse, inclusive and equitable education for all students.

Jillian and co-founder Luke Lippitt continue to outline plans for the coming year for the organization, which already has a chapter in Charleston, S.C.

A student from Long Island serves as director of research and development. They want to expand in Erie County and to other states, including Florida, to show other students how to speak out on issues.

Orchard Park students have launched groups and clubs in the past, but this organization is different, Superintendent David Lilleck said.

It was very organized around students expressing their ownership over their learning, their voice, the impact of adult decisions on their experience, and that was relatively unique, Lilleck said.

Luke, sophomore class president at the time, was surprised when he went to a School Board meeting in October and several people talked about books that should be removed from school libraries.

Experienced school board candidates, those backed by teachers capture seats in Erie, Niagara counties Experienced school board members and those endorsed by district teachers unions carried the day in several competitive districts.

What do you think we should do about this? he asked his friends. Theres got to be some way we can combat this.

They spoke out against banning books at the next School Board meeting, and the organization was launched before Christmas.

The group aims to empower students to fight for their rights to a diverse and equitable education. By May, it had endorsed three candidates with similar aims for School Board.

Were not fighting against something, were fighting for (it) Luke said. Were fighting for our voices to be heard. And were fighting for things that we think are important. And if youre trying to take things away that we value, were going to let you know how we feel about that. Were going to fight for those things that we care about.

Its hard as an adult to ignore the feedback and the experience of kids who are living it day to day, Lilleck said.

Kristin Kavanagh-Rocha, who will be a junior in the fall at Sachem East High School in Farmingville, said she learned about the Orchard Park group through one of its TikTok videos.

I did some more research, Kristin said. This sounds like everything I do at my school. I joined Students Protecting Education to be able to create change as a trans individual, and also be able to talk about the data that correlates with racial inequities and inequities within the LGBTQ+ community.

While the group is a student-led operation, the teenagers have some help. Three adults sit on the board of directors. The group is in the process of obtaining nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service.

Jillian works on the creative side and with social media. The group has more than 10,000 followers on its social media platforms.

Luke handles administrative duties, such as meeting with the lawyer and paying the bills.

They slowly eat away at our budget. So were kind of surviving until we get more donations and grants, Luke said.

The group raised $7,300 on a GoFundMe page during the winter. One of the board members is a grant writer, so group members hope to win some operating and technology grants.

Theyre an impressive group of kids, Lilleck said.

We, as kids, have been growing up in a weird time, especially with Covid, Luke said. I think were a lot less likely to follow a mainstream idea, but I think were very good at thinking for ourselves and speaking for ourselves, rather than just for what our parents believe, or for what everyone else believes.
Beachgoers on some parts of Cape Cod, the Islands and Southeastern Massachusetts were warned Saturday of a moderate rip current risk in the ocean surf.

Individuals planning to enter the surf should check with local beach patrols first, the National Weather Service advised. Be sure to swim within sight of a life guard, and never swim alone or at night.

Areas at an elevated risk included the outer shore of Cape Cod, from Chatham to Provincetown, and southern facing beaches of Nantucket, Marthas Vineyard, coastal Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Heading to the beach  today? Rough surf  and a moderate risk of rip currents exist at Rhode Island and south coastal Massachusetts beaches, especially south facing ocean beaches. More information can be found HERE https://t.co/Za43ZnJLH7 pic.twitter.com/mFoNSc9XYH  NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 19, 2023

Rip currents are powerful channels of water that can quickly pull even a skilled swimmer away from shore. According to the weather service, they are the leading cause of lifeguard rescues for swimmers in the surf.

While rip currents do not pull swimmers underwater, they can pull swimmers far from land. People trapped in rip currents can tire and drown if they are not rescued and are unable to swim back to shore.

If you find yourself trapped in a rip current, do not swim directly back to land. Instead, swim along the shoreline until you escape, and then swim at an angle away from the current back to shore.

To spot a rip current, the weather service recommends looking for a channel of churning or choppy surf moving away from shore  like a natural treadmill of water.

Breaks in the incoming waves can be indicative of a rip current. The water color may appear different, or the current may carry a line of foam or debris away from land.

Rip currents are not limited to periods of stormy weather. They can occur rain or shine, and in calm or rough seas. Typically, rip currents form at gaps in a sandbar, though they can also appear near jetties, piers and cliffs.
Hundreds of downed trees, a commercial air conditioner estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds knocked on its side and a car lifted off the highway and dropped back to the ground.

These incidents were among the damage reported after four tornados touched down in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday. National Weather Service meteorologists confirmed the four twisters and said a fifth may have hit Connecticut as powerful thunderstorms swept Southern New England.

One tornado, with winds estimated at 115 mph, was the strongest to hit Rhode Island since 1986, the weather service said.

On Friday, the agency released a preliminary tornado report based on information its meteorologists confirmed in the aftermath of the storms.

Here is the most significant damage identified by the weather service.

Car lifted off Interstate 295

The most powerful tornado of the day touched down in Scituate, Rhode Island, before passing into the towns of Johnston and North Providence.

While crossing Interstate 295 near Exit 10 in Johnston, the tornado lifted a vehicle into the air before dropping it back onto the highway, the weather service said. The driver had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital.

According to Providence television station WPRI, the tornado lifted the car several feet off the ground, spun it around and dropped the vehicle back to the asphalt. On Twitter, a WPRI meteorologist shared a video captured soon after by another driver, showing the twister as it cut across the other side of the highway.

As it moved further across town, the tornado blew shingles from some homes, snapped and uprooted trees, and bent a metal stop sign pole in half, the weather service said.

The most significant damage was in Scituate, the town west of Providence where the tornado first touched down. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped at their base, the weather service reported. The tornado damaged the roof of one home, blew the top off its chimney, blew windows in and dislodged an outside door.

In North Providence, the final Rhode Island town hit by the tornado, fallen trees struck two homes, rendering them uninhabitable, the weather service said.

Half-ton AC unit toppled over

As the storm continued into Southeastern Massachusetts, a second tornado touched down in North Attleborough, weather officials determined. Meteorologists reported snapped and uprooted trees and a third-floor window blown in.

After briefly lifting, the tornado touched back down in Mansfield. It knocked over an air conditioning unit, estimated to weigh 1,000 pounds, that sat atop a single-story commercial building, the weather service said.

The tornado also sheared the tops of several large trees and knocked one onto a car. A video shared on social media by NBC 10 showed a large tree trunk that fell on the front of a car, shattering its windshield.

Tornados hit Weymouth and Stoughton

Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped when a third twister touched down in Weymouth, weather officials said.

Meteorologists described a tree branch three inches in diameter that the tornado blew 120 yards and drove two feet into the ground. Nearby, the tornado also tore about twenty shingles from the roof of a home.

Images captured by reporters and shared on social media showed the damage to some residential homes in the area.

A fourth tornado also touched down in Stoughton. It caused sporadic damage, including some fallen trees, one of which fell on a shed, the weather service said.

Strongest tornado to hit R.I. 37 years

The Rhode Island tornado was the states strongest since an August 7, 1986, twister that hit the cities of Cranston and Providence.

Fridays tornado was rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which measures tornado strength based on its wind speed and damage. The EF-2 rating describes a strong tornado with three-second wind gusts between 111 and 135 mph.

Meteorologists rated the Weymouth tornado a strong EF-1 with winds between 100 and 110 mph. The North Attleborough-Mansfield tornado was also rated an EF-1, with estimated winds of 80 to 90 mph.

Wind speeds during the Stoughton tornado likely notched 70 to 80 mph, placing it as an EF-0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, weather service officials said.

The weather service and emergency response officials in Connecticut are also investigating damage from a potential tornado in the town of Scotland.
WESTFIELD  Ciara Barber, the 8-year-old from Worcester who is on a mission to visit all 351 city and town halls in Massachusetts with her mom this summer, arrived in Westfield on Thursday to a warm welcome, and a designation as Westfield Mayor for the Day.

Ciara and Blue Barber had visited 198 cities and towns as of Thursday. City Clerk Kaitlyn Bruce caught wind of the story in July, as Ciara has been sharing her trips on Twitter, and reached out to make sure Ciaras visit to Westfield was full of fun.
Worcester City Councilors this week will see draft legislation that could regulate the operation of so-called crisis pregnancy centers, despite hesitancy from the city manager and the citys lawyer, who cautioned that such a law could expose the city to a lawsuit.

State officials have warned people facing unplanned pregnancies against seeking treatment at crisis pregnancy centers, saying they may masquerade as reproductive health care clinics, but in fact, exist to dissuade patients from undergoing abortions.

Crisis pregnancy centers do not provide abortion care, abortion referrals, contraception or other forms of reproductive health care, despite what they may advertise, the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office warns online. The clinics are not typically staffed by licensed doctors or nurses and often provide inaccurate and misleading information about abortion.

But despite their controversial status, some municipal leaders have hesitated to limit the operation or advertising of crisis pregnancy centers, worried doing so could violate the businesses First Amendment protections.

Worcesters city council approved a request last year from Councilor Thu Nguyen to ask City Manager Eric Batista to draft ordinances prohibiting the centers from deceptive advertising.

Batista hesitated to bring the legislation forward, saying he was not comfortable drafting legislation that could open the city to a lawsuit.

I cant put ourselves in a position where were going to be legally liable, he said.

In 2018, the Supreme Court found California likely violated the First Amendment with a law compelling crisis pregnancy centers to provide patients with information about abortion care and other reproductive services.

Linda McClain, the co-director of Boston Universitys Program on Reproductive Justice, said local officials could feel that some regulations on crisis pregnancy centers would run afoul of the law and Supreme Courts rulings.

Despite his reservations, Batista will present two draft ordinances regulating crisis pregnancy centers at the councils insistence. The drafts appear in the agenda for the councils Tuesday meeting.

Batista, in a letter accompanying the drafts, expressed heavy reservations about the ordinances.

The city has a responsibility to protect reproductive health and support the right to an abortion, as codified by the state, he said, but unfortunately, we do not believe that the requested ordinances will effectively enhance protections for pregnant people or those seeking medical resources, which should be their ultimate goal.

He said research found no similar ordinances adopted across the country that faced a legal challenge had been upheld. Worcester, home to two crisis pregnancy centers, would face almost certain legal challenge, Batista wrote.

We remain committed to pursuing and ensuring reproductive rights, health, and access to care for all, he wrote. We also look forward to collaborating with our elected state and federal delegations in exploring alternative legal avenues to expand care, including a bill before the State Legislature.

In his own letter sent with the drafts, City Solicitor Michael Traynor recommended that neither ordinance be adopted.

The first ordinance that will appear before the council is modeled after ordinances adopted in Somerville and Cambridge prohibiting deceptive advertising by limited services pregnancy centers, another phrase to describe crisis pregnancy centers.

The ordinance would not apply to other facilities providing reproductive services. Traynor said the ordinance would target limited services pregnancy centers, making it selective in its application, and could conflict with Supreme Court rulings. Similar ordinances have been struck down.

In my opinion, Traynor wrote, the ordinance would not survive a First Amendment challenge.

The second ordinance would require any pregnancy services center to post information about the services it offers and whether the center is a licensed medical facility. Traynor said the ordinance, despite good intentions, was legally dubious and amounted to government required speech.

He believed it would also not survive a legal challenge.
Mayo County Library is hosting a major commemoration of the 225th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion in Ireland also known as The Year of the French or Bliain na bhFrancach. The programme coincides with 1798 Music and Heritage Festival which will be held in the town over next weekend and its focus on history and heritage complements the more public events of the festival. The commemoration event will consist of In Humberts Footsteps  Mayo 1798, an exhibition telling the story of the rebellion in Mayo. The exhibition which was created in conjunction with late Steve Dunford tells the story of the French campaign in Mayo in a colourful story board format. There will also be a diorama telling the story of The Races of Castlebar. To commemorate the 225th anniversary, Mayo County Library commissioned a unique re-creation of the battle in a diorama format. The diorama tells the story of the battle between the troops led by General Humbert and General Lake on August 22 in Castlebar. There will also be a screening of the six part RTE series 'The Year of The French' and 'Humbert', a bilingual exhibition in English and French on the life of General Humbert who led the French forces in Ireland.

County Librarian Austin Vaughan stated: What happened in Ireland in 1798 is an important episode in Irish history but the events in Mayo are part of our folk memory, and to commemorate these events Mayo County Library has organised this programme to bring an important part of our local history to life.

On August 22, 1798 Humberts small expeditionary force, numbering 1000 men, arrived at Kilcummin. The fighting that ensued was played out over four counties and had many successes, including the famous 'Races of Castlebar', which occupied for a month the attention of all the available soldiers of a British army 100,000 strong, and ended back in Killala, a month later with the massacre of hundreds of Irish citizens.

Mayo County Library Service sincerely thank the late Steve Dunford, author of the book In Humberts Footsteps  Mayo 1798 which was the inspiration for the exhibition and for his advice and assistance in researching the original exhibition and sourcing the material on display. They have plans to republish his book, which is still much in demand, this year. They also wish to thank Colman O Raghallaigh and Pat Gleeson who conceived, designed and created the diorama.

The exhibition will be officially opened by the Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr. Michael Loftus and French Honorary Consul for Connacht and Donegal Catherine Gagneux on Thursday, August 24, at 7pm and all are welcome. We would encourage people to come and see the exhibitions as they will only be on display for a month and the diorama is a creation unique to County Mayo of which we can all be proud.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Ger Deere has welcomed the commencement of works to reinstate a stone wall at the entrance to the village of Islandeady. The wall was removed during works to accommodate the new N5 dual carriageway and there was much annoyance in the local community when they were informed that the wall would not be reinstated.

Intense lobbying then took place between community groups, local politicians, Mayo County Council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and contractors. Eventually, a resolution was reached and a 30 meter stone wall will now be constructed in the coming weeks.

Cllr Deere welcomed the news and said he was delighted the situation had been resolved positively.

"It's great news, but it should never have happened in the first place. The community had to fight so hard to have it replaced and that wasn't fair.

"Over the past few years Islandadeady was the community most discommoded by the dual carriageway works and I hope lessons are learned and no other community or individual had to put up with so much discomfort.

"I would like to thank all who worked to resolve this issue, in particular the Islandeady community groups who work so hard to make their community a great place to live," Cllr Deere concluded.
For people anxious to get rolling in the retail marijuana business, it is another day and another delay.

On Friday, a State Supreme Court judge blocked the states marijuana retail licensing program after siding with complainants who argued that limiting the first dispensary licenses to people with prior convictions violated state law.

Another lawsuit puts a hold on cannabis dispensary openings The injunction is part of a civil suit filed by service-disabled veterans, who argue that allowing "justice-involved individuals" to have the first recreational dispensary licenses is unconstitutional.

The decision by Justice Kevin Bryant, who had temporarily halted the program last week while legal arguments were heard, creates another hurdle in the fledgling marijuana industry that has been beset with delays in getting licensing off the ground amid a glut of marijuana crops that growers cant find legal sellers to handle.

Its been extremely frustrating, said Aaron Van Camp, owner of Dank 716, the downtown Buffalo dispensary that was one of two to open this summer. His business isnt directly affected by the courts decision, but he said it will still hurt an industry dealing with birth pangs, as well as those who have risked a lot financially to establish businesses under provisional licenses.

I feel horrible for everyone who cant open, Van Camp said. We know a lot of people who have a lot of money invested, and are going to lose all that money if this program is deemed illegal.

10 things we know about the Cannabis Growers Showcase It's all part of a stopgap measure from the Office of Cannabis Management designed to help growers offload a pot crop that has been mostly in storage since the fall harvest because not enough stores have opened to give farmers a place to sell it.

The lawsuit, filed by four veterans, argued that a wider group of people beyond those with prior marijuana convictions should have been allowed to participate in the initial round of licenses.

From the beginning, our fight has always been for equal access to this new and growing industry, a statement from the veterans said. We look forward to working with the state and the court to open the program to all eligible applicants.

WNY gets its first licensed cannabis delivery service  and they're hiring Just as easily as you can order a pizza, you can now order legal pot. Delivery will just take a bit longer at first, and you'll have to prove you're 21 years of age or older.

The judge granted an exception for licensees who met state requirements before Aug. 7. The judge is also allowing applicants seeking an exemption to make their case in court on an individual basis.

Bryant wrote in his ruling that the financial implications of his decision rest with state regulators who should have been aware of legal problems with the licensing rules.

State regulators in May settled a federal lawsuit that had blocked the issuing of licenses in the Finger Lakes region. That came after a Michigan company said New York State had unconstitutionally favored state residents over those from outside the state.

New York will allow farmers to sell pot in 'farmers showcase' The Office of Cannabis Management Control Board agreed Wednesday to allow three or more growers to join with a retailer to sell cannabis at temporary, non-storefront locations and during events.

The court decision comes as state authorities have been busy shutting down unlicensed sellers, particularly in New York City, as the legal program stalls.

To help farmers sell their products, regulators in July approved the sale of marijuana at festivals occurring around the state.

Van Camp said Fridays court decision is another step back for the industry that is dependent on a healthy ecosystem that depends on retail dispensaries, cultivators, processors and delivery services.

Dank 716 was the first dispensary to open in Western New York, followed closely by Herbal IQ in Depew. Twenty more dispensaries are expected to be approved in Western New York, though the timeline for that to happen now appears to be pushed back.
In 2021, the Global Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) Market held a valuation of approximately USD 714.85 million. As per DelveInsight, during the forecast period spanning from 2023 to 2028, the market will grow at a CAGR of about 7.10%, ultimately reaching a value of around USD 1,065.26 million by 2028. The escalating incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their associated risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension are the primary driving forces behind the increasing demand for Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS). Moreover, the demand is anticipated to grow owing to the ongoing technological advancements and the continual introduction of new products in the market. Some of the prominent companies in the Intravascular Ultrasound market such as Koninklijke Philips N.V., Boston Scientific Corporation, Terumo Corporation, Nipro, Conavi Medical, Bracco, Intravascular Imaging Incorporated (i3), Insight Lifetech Co., Ltd., Shanghai Pulse Medical Technology Inc., among others actively working to develop new and innovative products to capture market share.

DelveInsights Intravascular Ultrasound Market Insight, Competitive Landscape and Market Forecast 2028 research report provides the current and forecasted Intravascular Ultrasound market size, share, and trends analysis for the next five years. Moreover, it highlights the ongoing innovations in the segment, major market drivers & barriers, key competitors, and emerging devices in the domain.

Intravascular Ultrasound Market: Overview

Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is a medical imaging technique that involves the use of ultrasound technology to visualize the inside of blood vessels. It is a specialized form of medical imaging that provides real-time, high-resolution images of the blood vessel walls and their surrounding structures. IVUS is commonly used in the field of cardiology to assess the condition of coronary arteries and other blood vessels.

The procedure involves inserting a tiny ultrasound probe, also known as a transducer, into the blood vessel of interest. This probe emits high-frequency sound waves that bounce off the blood vessel walls and surrounding tissues. The echoes produced by these sound waves are captured by the transducer and converted into detailed images by a computer. These images allow medical professionals to visualize the inner layers of blood vessels, including the thickness of the vessel walls, the presence of plaque buildup (atherosclerosis), and the extent of any blockages. IVUS provides valuable information that traditional angiography (X-ray imaging with the use of contrast dye) may not capture. It allows for better visualization of vessel walls, helps in assessing the severity of atherosclerotic plaques, guides the placement of stents during angioplasty procedures, and aids in selecting appropriate treatment strategies for cardiovascular diseases.

Overall, Intravascular Ultrasound plays a crucial role in diagnosing and treating conditions related to the cardiovascular system, providing clinicians with detailed insights into the condition of blood vessels and assisting in making informed medical decisions.

To provide a better understanding of the market dynamics, DelveInsights Intravascular Ultrasound Market report provides an in-depth assessment of the market by type (IVUS consoles and IVUS catheters), application (coronary and peripheral interventions), and end-user (hospitals and clinics, diagnostic imaging centers, and others). In the type segment, IVUS catheters segment has a revenue share of 66.65% in the year 2021. This phenomenon can be attributed to the utilization of IVUS catheters in interventional cardiology and the recent introduction of new products in the IVUS catheter domain. As a result, the diverse benefits provided by IVUS catheters, combined with the rollout of new products, are anticipated to lead to a rise in the general demand for this type of product in the upcoming years. This, in turn, is expected to propel the expansion of the overall intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) market throughout the projected time frame.

Intravascular Ultrasound Market Analysis

The expansion of the Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) market is attributed to an increasing need for its products due to the escalating occurrence of cardiovascular conditions such as coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, cerebrovascular disease, and others. This surge in cardiovascular diseases has emerged as a significant driving force for the growth of the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) market.

According to data from the American Heart Association (2022), approximately 244.1 million individuals were affected by coronary (ischemic) heart disease worldwide in the year 2020. Regions including North Africa, the Middle East, Central, and South Asia, as well as Eastern Europe, exhibited the highest prevalence rates of coronary (ischemic) heart disease on a global scale during the same year. The market growth of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is propelled by the escalating occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, which is primarily attributed to a growing array of risk factors. These factors encompass obesity, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, advanced age, alcohol consumption, unhealthy lifestyle, atherosclerosis, and various others. Furthermore, the progression of the global Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) market is anticipated to be supported by endeavors in product development, including the approval of newly introduced IVUS products.

Nonetheless, the growth of the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) devices market might be constrained by the existence of alternatives like optical coherence tomography (OCT) and angiography, coupled with instances of multiple product recalls. Likewise, the rigorous regulatory procedures and the elevated device costs could potentially serve as limiting factors for the growth of the Intravascular Ultrasound market.

Interested to know more about the ongoing developments in the market? Visit to get an in-depth insight @ Intravascular Ultrasound Types and Emerging Products

Intravascular Ultrasound  Global Market Assessment and Forecast

Among all global regions, North America holds a significant market share. As per the estimate, the Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) market share in North America was 44.65% in 2021. This dominance is attributable to the escalating incidence of diverse cardiovascular ailments including peripheral artery disease (PAD), coronary artery disease (CAD), arteriosclerosis, and blood clots across the region. As per the American Heart Association, by 2035, more than 130 million US adults will have some type of heart disease. PAD, which is one of the most prevalent in the US, affected around 8.5 million U.S. adults over the age of 40, in 2021. Similarly, according to the CDC, one person dies every 34 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. About 697,000 people in the United States died from heart disease in 2020, in the United States and about 20.1 million adults aged 20 and above had coronary artery disease (CAD). Consequently, the growing incidence of diverse cardiovascular conditions is poised to boost the requirement for intravascular ultrasound within the North American region throughout the projected time frame spanning from 2023 to 2028.

Moreover, the increasing research and development endeavors focused on introducing novel intravascular ultrasound devices, coupled with strategic business initiatives pursued by key industry players to broaden their product offerings, and the rise in commercial activities such as mergers and acquisitions, are other key factors propelling market growth in North America.

Interested in knowing how the market will grow by 2028? Click to get a snapshot @ Intravascular Ultrasound Market Trends and Developments

Intravascular Ultrasound Market  Key Developments and Breakthroughs

Over the years, the Intravascular Ultrasound market has evolved significantly, owing to the active participation of the global MedTech companies and technological advancements in the domain. Similarly, several clinical, commercial, and regulatory developments have also been registered in the domain. Some of the major advancements in the Intravascular Ultrasound market in recent years include 

In September 2022, Insight Lifetech was granted NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) approval for its first self-designed and developed IVUS (Intravascular Ultrasound) systems VivoHeart IVUS console and TrueVision IVUS Imaging Catheter .

In July 2022, I3 launched its proprietary 3-French NIRF-IVUS Catheter designed in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital; combining intravascular ultrasound, the dominant imaging approach used for coronary stent optimization during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with near-infrared fluorescence imaging.

In December 2021, Royal Philips announced that it signed an agreement to acquire Vesper Medical Inc., a developer of minimally invasive peripheral vascular devices based in the United States. Philips stated that the acquisition complements its intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) products for venous imaging.

In December 2021, Conavi Medical Inc., entered into agreements for over $20 million in funding to support the commercialization and growth of its innovative Novasight Hybrid System for the market. The company aimed to raise an additional $10 million as part of an ongoing financing effort.

In April 2021, Nipro Medical Corporation (NMC), announced the creation of a Vascular Division in the U.S. The division included several cutting-edge technologies, innovative vascular and cardiovascular products to provide clinicians with procedural and imaging solutions that enhance patient care. The division will include intravascular imaging technologies, vascular therapies, and breakthrough technologies.

In February 2020, Conavi Medical Inc . and Japan Lifeline announced that they received regulatory approval from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan for the Novasight Hybrid intravascular imaging system .

Learn more about major clinical and commercial development in the market @ Intravascular Ultrasound Market  Clinical and Commercial Development Activities

Key Companies in the Intravascular Ultrasound Market

Globally, some of the leading MedTech giants working in the Intravascular Ultrasound market include Koninklijke Philips N.V., Boston Scientific Corporation, Terumo Corporation, Nipro, Conavi Medical, Bracco, Intravascular Imaging Incorporated (i3), Insight Lifetech Co., Ltd., Shanghai Pulse Medical Technology Inc., and others. Due to increasing demand and favorable revenue generation prospects, a number of new entrants are expected to join the market, resulting in heightened competitiveness within the sector.

Learn how new players entries will transform the market dynamics in the coming years @ Intravascular Ultrasound Competitive Landscape

Scope of the Intravascular Ultrasound Market Report:

Study Period  2020-2028

Geography Covered  North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World

Intravascular Ultrasound Market Assessment 

By Type  IVUS Consoles and IVUS Catheters By Application  Coronary and Peripheral Interventions End-User  Hospitals and Clinics, Diagnostic Imaging Centers

Porters Five Forces Analysis, Product Profiles, Case Studies, KOLs Views, Analysts Views

Table of Content

1 Report Introduction 2 Executive Summary 3 Regulatory and Patent Analysis 4 Intravascular Ultrasound Market Key Factors Analysis 5 Intravascular Ultrasound Porters Five Forces Analysis 6 COVID-19 Impact Analysis on the Intravascular Ultrasound Market 7 Intravascular Ultrasound Market Layout 8 Intravascular Ultrasound Global Company Share Analysis  Key 35 Companies 9 Intravascular Ultrasound Product Profiles and Key Companies 10 Project Approach 11 KOL Views 12 DelveInsight Capabilities 13 Disclaimer 14 About DelveInsight

Reach out to us to get a more detailed overview of the market @ Intravascular Ultrasound Market Insights and Competitive Landscape

Elevate your industry insights with our comprehensive medical devices market assessment reports. Visit to gain a strategic edge through expert analysis and in-depth coverage of the latest trends, innovations, and market dynamics, at: Medical Devices Reports

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While rescue and emergency operations continued Friday at the deadly wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, many people are already looking for ways to support the response and provide relief to those affected.

The full extent of the damage and the recovery needs may not be known for up to a week, said Regine Webster, vice president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and she urged people to be patient before deciding where to give their support.

"You literally have to wait for the firefighters to complete their work before that damage assessment can be fully realized," she said.

Philanthropy experts recommend giving to experienced organizations that are well-situated to respond to a specific disaster. Major disaster response organizations like the American Red Cross have said they are already communicating with local and federal governments to provide assistance.

Webster also urged potential donors to support organizations with deep local ties and knowledge of the effected communities.

"To the extent that we can all slow down, wait a week, wait two weeks, to understand where the greatest needs are, and then look toward organizations that are really meeting those needs, again, prioritizing organizations with specific disaster expertise and organizations that are local in nature," Webster said.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement pledged to match donations  up to $100,000 initially, now increased to $1 million  for a campaign they began Wednesday, with initial support from the Alakaina Foundation Family of Companies. An online tracker shows that more than $750,000 has been given from 5,200 people as of Friday.

The crowdfunding site, GoFundMe, has vetted fundraisers for individuals and families who lost property or were injured in the fires. That means the site has taken steps to verify the identity of the organizer and has collected those campaigns on a hub on its website. GoFundMe will take additional verification steps before releasing the funds to the organizer, as well as deduct a transaction fee.

Direct donations to individuals or families can be a powerful way to make an impact, but potential donors should be careful in responding to appeals on social media for donations to individuals, through electronic payment apps like Venmo or Cash App, experts say.

Potential donors should also consider if it's important to them to claim a tax benefit for their donation. Only tax-exempt nonprofit organizations will provide a receipt that people who itemize their taxes can use to claim a deduction.

The Hawaii Community Foundation said it has raised $3 million for its Maui Strong Fund in 24 hours and is not collecting any fees on gifts to the fund.

"Funding is focused on basic necessities, including sheltering families who have lost homes, food and clothing. We are humbled by the support and aloha shared locally and across the globe for Maui families," said Michelle Kauhane, the foundation's senior vice president, in a statement.

The foundation is collaborating with other nonprofits and government officials to assess immediate needs, she said.

The Center for Disaster Philanthropy will launch a fund specific to the Hawaii wildfires that prioritizes equity in recovery, Webster said.

"We actually will wait several months before we understand the full range of needs that exist on Maui and other islands that are also facing wildfires," she said. "And we will not invest our funds until such time as we understand what those medium- and long-term needs are."

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

___

Photos: Wildfires devastate the Hawaiian island of Maui
Is it possible to deter Kim Kardashian from burning tons of carbon to fly 20 minutes in her private jet for a lunch date?

The luxury private jet industry not only exploits our planets precious resources but makes the rest of us subsidize the extravagant lifestyles of the ultra-rich. Jet excess is a dangerous symptom of extreme wealth inequality. As wealth gets more concentrated in the hands of the global billionaire class, there has been a surge in consumer demand for luxury goods, including private jets. In the last two decades, the private jet fleet has increased by 133%, from 9,895 planes in 2000 to 23,133 in mid-2022. These numbers are predicted to surge in the next few years.

On a planet experiencing disruptive climate change, private jet travel is one of the least defensible forms of luxury consumption. Private jets emit 10 to 20 times more carbon pollution per passenger than commercial airliners. Short-hop flights are particularly reprehensible since a high percentage of emissions come from take-off.

Doubling the offense, ordinary taxpayers and the commercial flying public subsidize these luxury high flyers. As our May report from the Institute for Policy Studies, High Flyers 2023, documents, private jet customers contribute only a fraction of the national aviation systems costs. Private aviation accounts for one out of every six flights. But instead of chipping in 16% of the cost of running airports and the air traffic infrastructure, these private flyers only pay 2% of the fees. And the 2017 Trump tax cuts greatly increased the tax breaks that billionaires receive for purchasing and operating private jets.

To reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector, we should steeply tax private jet travel and direct those funds toward climate mitigation and green infrastructure.

A new bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the Fueling Alternative Transportation with a Carbon Aviation Tax Act of 2023, would do precisely this. Markeys plan to increase the excise tax on private jet fuel would generate more than $1.8 billion annually for transit alternatives. It would increase the excise tax on jet fuel from 22 cents per gallon to $1.95, effectively adding $200 per ton of carbon emitted.

The powerful private jet lobby, representing the wealthiest people on the planet, will complain that Sen. Markeys bill will cause the sky to fall. They will do everything in their considerable lobbying power to block such common-sense legislative proposals, as they have for decades.

They will assert that imposing a fuel tax on luxury jets will harm jobs while ignoring the fact that taxing such jets, and investing in transit alternatives, will actually boost employment in the green economy, enhance mobility for millions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, for decades, the Canadian company Bombardier has demonstrated that the same company that manufactures private jets can also build high-speed rail cars, including many currently used in U.S. cities.

Luxury private jet travelers should pay the real financial and environmental costs of their luxury travel choices. Sen. Markeys proposed legislation is a smart first step on this path that other lawmakers should embrace.
The USS Boxer -- a ship that has struggled to get to sea despite a recent overhaul -- finally managed to get underway on Thursday but seemingly suffered a problem while within sight of San Diego harbor.

The Navy denied any issue with the amphibious assault ship, but video posted online by San Diego Web Cam, a social media account that monitors the harbor, showed smoke billowing from its superstructure as it moved across the water.

"We just had an engineering casualty -- black smoke coming out the stacks," the ship radioed Thursday afternoon -- just hours after leaving her berth at Naval Station San Diego. San Diego Web Cam captured the radio exchange and spotted the smoke coming from the ship.

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Despite the radio traffic describing an "engineering casualty," Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for the Naval Surface Force, said the incident was connected to system tests.

"The boilers burn fuel which can temporarily produce black smoke, including when engineering systems are being tested during a sea trial period," Abrahamson said. "There is no current impact to the mission, and Boxer remains focused on executing its sea trials."

According to a video of the incident, the ship appeared to billow the black smoke for a few minutes. It also asked over the radio for other ships to "stay clear."

The ship has been dealing with problems for a while as it tried to deploy, though the Navy has not been forthcoming on what specifically was keeping it in port. The Boxer underwent a $200 million, two-year overhaul that ended in 2022.

After that overhaul, the Boxer briefly put to sea in June 2022 but has been in port since.

Last month, the ship was supposed to set sail on July 21 but couldn't "because of ongoing maintenance issues," Abrahamson told Military.com at the time, but he refused to go into detail, citing operational security concerns.

Although the Boxer's power plant runs on an older boiler system, black smoke is still largely regarded as problematic among mariners.

In 2016, Russia's sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, transited the English Channel while billowing black smoke. The move, while likely intended as a power play by the Russians, instead opened the country and the ship to ridicule.

The Boxer began its service in the Navy in 1995, nearly 30 years ago.

Its latest yard period upgraded the flight deck so that it could support the new F-35B Lightning II strike fighter. The ship also received work on its hull, as well as tank and mechanical work and "other shipboard improvements," according to a statement from the contractor, BAE Systems.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: After 2-Year Overhaul, Navy Confirms USS Boxer Can't Get Underway
For decades, Irans shadowy Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) had a face: Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani  the dashing and charismatic mastermind of Tehrans military and intelligence operations across the Middle East. When a U.S. drone strike killed him in Baghdad in January 2020, Iran mourned the loss of a towering national hero.

But there was one Iranian who may not have been so heart-broken: Soleimanis boss, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, the IRGCs overall commander and, until Soleimanis assassination, a powerful yet largely faceless bureaucrat in Irans sprawling security establishment.

Since then, however, Salami, 63, has stepped forcefully into the spotlight, appearing frequently in public to deliver fiery speeches that threaten the United States, promise Israels erasure from the map, and for the past year, laud the IRGCS harsh internal crackdown on women protesting against conservative dress requirements and abuse by the governments morality police. What the terror boss lacks in charisma, hes more than made up for in sheer power.

Salami probably didnt shed any tears when Soleimani got killed because while Salami was the IRGC commander, it was Soleimani who was always sitting at the right hand of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, says Douglas London, a decorated, 34-year CIA veteran who served in the Middle East. Salami probably felt he could take advantage of Soleimanis death and fill the gap with his provocative statements

Lately, Salamis rhetoric has focused on the recent buildup of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf, which the Biden administration says it ordered to counter the IRGCs seizure and harassment of international shipping in the strategic waterway. Over the past two years alone, the U.S. Navy has counted 20 instances in which the IRGC has attacked, seized or harassed commercial vessels in the Gulf, describing Iran as a clear threat to regional maritime security and the global economy.

In a defiant response in July, Salami ordered IRGC military exercises in the Gulf involving naval and amphibious forces. There is no need for the United States, its European or non-European allies to have a presence in this region, Salami declared during the exercise. And earlier this month, Salamis spokesman escalated the commanders rhetoric, warning the IRGC is capable of reciprocating any mischief by the Americans, including through the seizure of their vessels.

Yet even with Salamis higher profile, several Western Iran experts, including more than a dozen top former U.S. military and intelligence officials interviewed by SpyTalk, said they knew very little about him beyond his official resume. The CIA, which routinely develops profiles of significant adversaries, declined to provide any insights into Salamis personal life or whether his private opinions align with his hardline public persona. Such intelligence could be critical as the Biden administration and Tehran move toward a prisoner exchange, the release of frozen Iranian assets and possible limits on Irans nuclear program.

Origin Story

According to published Iranian, American and Israeli accounts, Salami was born in 1960 in the small village of Golpayegan in central Irans semi-arid Isfahan province. After attending both elementary and secondary schools in the village, Salami passed an entrance examination that earned him a scholarship to the Tehran University of Science and Technology in 1978.

Moving from a small village in Isfahan province in 1960 to Tehran is like someone moving from a very small place in a rural part of Michigan to Manhattan, says Ali Alfoneh, an Iran expert at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He did this not because he had family connections or because he was rich, but because he was a clever student and a hard worker.

But Salamis university studies in Tehran coincided with the popular revolution against the countrys autocratic ruler, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, which drove him from power in 1979. According to Alfoneh and other Iran experts, there is no evidence that Salami held revolutionary views or participated in the student protests against the shah.

In 1980, Irans new Islamic rulers shuttered the countrys universities while they purged secular professors and drew up an Islamic curriculum for students. Then, in September of that year, Iraq invaded Iran. With his university closed and Iran under attack, the 20-year-old Salami, like many other conservative young men, joined the newly formed IRGC in a gesture of both patriotism and pragmatismthe Revolutionary Guard paid a salary and provided room and board, Alfoneh notes.

Salami first saw combat in Irans northwestern provinces, where Iraqi-backed Kurdish separatists were fighting their own civil war against Tehrans rule. A year later, his IRGC division was deployed in the south against the Iraqi invaders. There, Salami witnessed the IRGCs human wave attacks that cost thousands of lives but ultimately drove the Iraqis from Iranian soil. It was a lesson in both resistance and martyrdom that he never forgotand learned from.

In his writings and speeches, Salami is constantly emphasizing the importance of the lessons that must be learned from the Iraq-Iran war and how they apply today for Irans security, says Annie-Tracy Samuel, an Iran expert at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and author of the recently published book, The Unfinished History of the Iran-Iraq War. Hes always talking about the importance of asymmetric strategies and tactics that will allow Iran to face a stronger opponent.

Going to Sea

In September of 1985, Salami was promoted and transferred to an IRGC naval unit, which pioneered amphibious and naval operations in the Iraqi marshlands and around Abadan and the port city of Khorramshahr on the Shaat al Arab waterway.

When the war ended inconclusively in 1988, Salami decided to make a career for himself in the IRGC. While many of his fellow Revolutionary Guardsmen left the corps and went to work in construction companies owned by the IRGC, Salamis superiors sent him back to university to complete his degree in mechanical engineering. In 1992, he was appointed commandant of the IRGCs staff college, where he served for the next five years and led the formulation of the IRGCs asymmetric warfare curriculum.

It was there, says the Arab Gulf States Institites Alfoneh, that Salami cultivated valuable relationships with senior IRGC officers who would later smooth his rise through the ranks. He became part of the IRGCs old-boy network, Alfoneh says.

In 1997, Salami was promoted again, this time to the IRGCs deputy operations chief, a position he held for the next nine years. During this period, bitter personal clashes erupted between Irans political leadership and certain IRGC commanders, but Salami proved politically adept at navigating those rivalries. In 2006, he was elevated to command the IRGCs air force, which oversees the countrys formidable missile and drone battalions

Underpinning those programs was another critical lesson from the Iraq-Iran war: the importance for Iran of developing a home-grown arms industry. Alfoneh says that under Salamis leadership, the IRGCs aerospace branch managed to reverse-engineer two U.S.-made cruise missiles that it had obtained from Afghanistan. Their work paved the way for the IRGCs weapons factories to manufacture knockoffs that U.S. military officials concede are comparable to the American version.

Thats because Salami managed to use all his contacts to funnel money into his program, Alfoneh says.

Jason Brodsky, an expert on Irans military at United Against a Nuclear Iran, a Washington-based group that advocates a hard line on Tehran, says that during Salamis tenure as the IRGCs air force commander, he built up Irans missile arsenal to make up for its parts-starved squadrons of outdated F-4 Phantom warplanes left over from the shahs days. Salami presided over the successful tests of numerous medium- and long-range missiles, some of which could carry multiple warheads, avoid radar detection and reach Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

Trigger Happy

Our hands are always on the trigger, and our missiles are ready for launch, Salami bragged, according to a 2020 profile written by Brodsky. On another occasion, he warned that Iran can affect the flow of half of the worlds energy as soon as it wishes.

In 2009, Salamis success as the IRGCs air force commander earned him a promotion to become the Guards deputy commander, the organizations second highest-ranking post.

Hailing Irans strategic reach far beyond its borders a few years later, he boasted about the IRGCs support for Shiites in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and urged Shiites in Bahrain to rise up against the countrys minority Sunni monarchy. He crowed that the IRGC had armed Hezbollah, its proxy militia in Lebanon, with 100,000 missiles that were aimed at Israel.

Hezbollahs commanders are just waiting for the command, so that when the trigger is pulled, the accursed black dot will be wiped off the geopolitical map of the world once and for all, Salami said in one of his many tirades against Israel. He also taunted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, Netanyahu should know there is no way for him except fleeing the region, and so he needs to learn how to swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

But in 2014, Salami found himself at loggerheads with President Hassan Rouhani, a reformist who sought to curb the IRGCs political influence. When Rouhani began negotiating a nuclear deal with the United States and other Western powers, Salami publicly opposed any agreement that would constrain Irans nuclear program or allow foreign inspections of its nuclear facilities, Brodsky says. Even after the nuclear deal came into force in 2015, Salami dismissed it, saying, We dont pore over resolutions. It is our duty to expand our power, and nobody can give us orders.

Salami saw his hawkish views vindicated in 2018, when President Donald Trump withdrew from the defective nuclear accord and imposed a raft of unilateral economic sanctions to cripple Irans economy.

Upward Mobility

A year later, shortly after the Trump administration designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization, Supreme Leader Khamenei elevated Salami to become the Revolutionary Guards commander-in-chief. His promotion came with a seat on Irans Supreme National Security Council, where Salamis defiant posture toward the United States soon dominated the countrys top policy-making body.

Not long after Salami took command of the IRGC, Iran resumed its uranium enrichment program, inching toward the production of 90 percent bomb-grade nuclear fuel. And in his first speech as commander, Salami seemed eager to lead the IRGC into a global confrontation with the United States.

We have to expand our capabilities from the region to the world so that the enemy has no safe point, he said.

But despite Salamis grandiose vision for the IRGC, mishaps and attacks closer to home kept him preoccupied with damage control.

In the aftermath of the January 2020 assassination of Quds Force commander Soleimani, an IRGC missile crew on high alert mistook a Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 for an American cruise missile and shot it down, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. Never in my life have I felt so ashamed, Salami told parliament. While the IRGC soldiers responsible for the downing were punished with jail sentences ranging from three to 13 years, no senior commanders were fired or disciplined.

That same year, more embarrassments followed. Israeli Mossad operatives carried out a series of attacks inside Iran, setting off powerful bombs at a missile facility near Parchin and the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Israeli agents also assassinated Irans top nuclear scientist and stole Irans entire nuclear archive from a warehouse in downtown Tehran.

While such incidents underscored the ability of Israeli operatives to strike inside Iran at will, Salami apparently took no corrective action until June of last year. In the wake of the assassinations of three senior IRGC officers by suspected Israeli agents, he dismissed the IRGCs long-serving intelligence chief Hossein Taeb, a cleric with no previous intelligence experience. Salami replaced Taeb with General Mohammad Kazemi, a veteran intelligence officer.

For the past year, Salami has been overseeing the IRGCs campaign to crush nationwide protests that began in support of women rebelling against laws requiring them to wear hijab head scarves but soon morphed into large anti-government demonstrations. Firing into crowds, the IRGCs Basij militia have killed hundreds of protesters so far and arrested thousands. More than a dozen of those arrested have been executed.

Playing Chicken

The University of Tennessees Samuel says Salamis threats against Israel amount to little more than bluster. The leader of the IRGC isnt dumb, she says. He knows hes facing a stronger opponent. I dont think he believes Iran can wipe Israel off the map. He needs to say those things to remain in the good graces of the supreme leader.

The same goes for Salamis vows to drive U.S. forces out of the Persian Gulf, says Norman Roule, a former national intelligence manager for Iran.

Ignore the bluster, Roule says. Salami is a professional military man. Hes a hardliner, but hes also a realist. He knows his military is no match for U.S. forces. He adopts an asymmetric strategy and pushes his forces as far as he can without crossing over into war with us.

So hell swarm a commercial ship in the Gulf with small, fast boats, or hell land his forces by helicopter on a ship, take it over, and force it to sail into an Iranian port before the U.S. Navy can get there, Roule adds. In other words, hell play chicken with us, with the goal of humiliating the United States, he says. Thats Salamis game.

But Douglas London, author of The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence, a memoir, notes that despite the renewed tensions in the Persian Gulf, relations between the Biden administration and Iran appear to be improving. The two countries recently reached a tentative agreement under which five Americans detained in Iran will be swapped for five Iranians held in the United States after $10 billion in frozen Iranian assets are transferred from South Korea and Iraq to a bank account in Qatar. Under the watchful eyes of U.S. Treasury officials, Iran will be permitted to draw from the account to pay only for food, medicine and other humanitarian needs.

U.S. and Iranian officials say the agreement, which came together after more than two years of indirect negotiations, could be completed by the end of September. And some observers say the deal could open the way for an additional agreement that would limit Irans nuclear program.

The question now, London says, is whether Salami will go along with any deal that reduces tension between Tehran and Washington.

The IRGC has the most to lose from any sort of peaceful agreement, he says. The IRGC benefits when Iran is under the most pressure. They are the ones who get the money to resist, to go around sanctions. And with that money comes influence and power. The less theyre needed, the less power and influence they wield.

So far, Salami has remained quiet on prisoner swap agreement. Meanwhile, Irans state-controlled media have portrayed the deal as both honorable diplomacy and a triumph for the hardline government of President Ebrahim Raisi. Veteran Iran watchers point out the deal never could have advanced this far without a green light from Supreme Leader Khamenei. They also note Salamis vocal opposition could cost him his job.

But Roule, the former national intelligence manager for Iran, disagrees with London, saying the IRGC plays a far-more nuanced role in government decision-making.

"Agreements with the U.S. are constructed so as to notrepeat notcompete with IRGC equities," he says. "The IRGC will publicly oppose engagement with the U.S., but they don't privately block agreements." Nor, Roule adds, do such agreements rule out the IRGC's support for Iran's regional proxies or its aggressive posture toward U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf.

"There is a difference," he says, "between engagement and improved relations."

London not only wont venture a guess at Salamis next move; hes also not confident the deal itself will go through.

These things fall apart so easily, he says, adding: Negotiating with Iran is just such misery.

To which Salami might say: From your mouth to Allahs ears.
The Blue Jays announced that shortstop Bo Bichette has been reinstated from the injured list, with fellow shortstop Paul DeJong designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

DeJong, 30, was only just acquired from the Cardinals at the deadline less than three weeks ago. Bichette had just suffered a knee injury and the club quickly struck a deal to get DeJong from the Cards to cover the shortstop position. Unfortunately, DeJongs time as a Jay has been abysmal. He has just three hits in his 44 plate appearances, all singles, with no walks and 18 strikeouts in that stretch. Now that Bichette is healthy enough to rejoin the roster, DeJong has quickly been jettisoned.

Its the latest downturn of an incredibly inconsistent career for DeJong. In 2017, his rookie season, he launched 25 home runs and slashed .285/.325/.532 for a wRC+ of 123. The Cardinals believed in him enough to sign him to a six-year, $26MM extension with a couple of club options. Unfortunately, his offense declined in each season after that, hitting a nadir in 2022. He struck out in a third of his plate appearances last year and finished with a batting line of .157/.245/.286, a season in which he was optioned to the minors for over two months.

He seemed to right the ship somewhat here in 2023. Prior to the trade, he had hit 13 home runs in 81 games. He was still striking out at a 28.4% clip but his .233/.297/.412 line translated to a wRC+ of 95. That means he was still 5% below league average but it was miles better than his wRC+ of 55 last year. It was also plenty passable for an above-average defender at shortstop, which is the consensus around DeJong.

It was a sensible shot for the Jays to take on short notice. With Bichette suffering his injury just days before the deadline, they quickly grabbed DeJong, sending minor league reliever Matt Svanson the other way. There is no replacing Bichette, who is one of the better shortstops in the league, but DeJong could have been a fine stopgap if he maintained his near-average offense and solid glovework. If he had done so, he may have even been moved to second base once Bichette was back, with Whit Merrifield capable of playing the outfield. But as mentioned, DeJongs production absolutely cratered after switching jerseys and the Jays have decided to simply cut their losses.

With the deadline now passed, the Jays will put DeJong on waivers in the coming days. Hes virtually a lock to clear, given his struggles and contract. Hes making $9MM this year, with about $2.13MM still to be paid out and then a $2MM buyout on his 2024 option. At the time of the trade, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals are covering the buyouts and half of DeJongs remaining salary.

No club will want to take on that kind of salary for a player struggling as badly as DeJong. He has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and therefore seems bound to be released in the coming days. At that point, any club could sign him for the prorated league minimum, with that amount subtracted from what the Cards and Jays are paying.

The Jays will now proceed with Bichette back at shortstop as a combination of Merrifield, Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio and Davis Schneider covers second base. They currently sit half a game behind the Mariners for the final Wild Card spot with about six weeks left on the schedule.
In 2016 I lived in Wisconsin and volunteered many hours supporting her campaign. Canvassing, making phone calls and informally speaking to friends, neighbors and co-workers. The reader may not recall that when Hillary left her position as Secretary of State, she had an approval rating of about 70% - which is extremely impressive for a modern day politician. Once she declared her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election, her detractors were quick to characterize it as her expected coronation, which the media pundits would repeat. There were many on the far left who ignored all of her accomplishments and her platform and tried to portray her as not much to the left of Ronald Reagan. They chose to ignore such initiatives as the Children's Health Insurance Program and her efforts to deliver universal health care under her husband's presidency. There were also the attacks from the far right, as expected, but little acknowledgement of the influence of Russia, which was clearly spelled out in the still redacted Mueller Report.
PONTIAC, MI - An Oakland County Sheriffs Office deputy Friday, Aug. 18, shot and killed a motorist police found sleeping in a vehicle. After being woken up, police say the driver then resisted arrest.

Deputies responded shortly before 6 a.m. to a complaint of a vehicle blocking a driveway in Pontiac, according to an incident chronology from the sheriffs office. An exact location was not provided.

When police arrived, deputies found a person asleep in a running vehicle.

One deputy opened an unlocked drivers side door to wake up the motorist. The deputy saw a gun next to the driver and put it on the roof of the car, according to the sheriffs office.

The motorist was then asked to put his hands behind his back, according to police, while another Oakland County deputy opened the passenger door to assist with the arrest.

While the second deputy partially entered the passenger side of the car, police say the motorist resisted and did not comply with directions. The driver then put the car in gear and crashed into a patrol car, a curb and a street sign, according to officials.

The passenger side deputy fired one shot at the driver who was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

One of the deputies was also brought to an area hospital to be treated for injuries.

Officials have not released the names of the deputies or the motorist.

The driver was on parole until September 2024, according to the sheriffs office. Under the June 21 parole, the driver who had previous felony firearm convictions was not allowed to own or possess a gun.

Police also say the gun found in the vehicle was stolen out of Atlanta.

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ANN ARBOR, MI - Incoming University of Michigan students may be asking themselves whats the first thing theyll eat when they get to Ann Arbor.

With move-in week beginning Aug. 23, thousands of freshmen will converge on the city to chow down their first college meals. One affordable and rib-filling option is a Maize and Blue Deli Reuben.

Located in the heart of student life on South University Avenue, this deli has served jam-packed sandwiches to students and more since 1988.

Read more: Starting classes at the University of Michigan soon? Let these loaded Reubens welcome you

While the massive menu has 80 sandwich options, Maize and Blue Deli is perhaps best known for its Reubens that traditionally come with corned beef or turkey, Jarlsberg cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing between thick slices of bread.

One option is the No. 14 Reuben from Long Island, which comes with corned beef and pumpernickel bread. It also comes will a crunchy dill pickle.

This delis sandwiches really make you unhinge your jaw with how chock full of ingredients they are. Celebrities such as Adam Richman of the show Man vs. Food and Olympic champion Michael Phelps have dined there.

The sandwiches also come at a reasonable student budget price around $13 to $15.

In short, this delis Reubens are a great way to kick off a college career.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  State lawmakers and Grand Rapids city leaders gathered at Martin Luther King Park Friday to highlight a $6 million state investment in a project to replace the parks aging lodge with a new, larger building containing a full gymnasium, classrooms and more.

For me, its a symbol of investing in the everyday life of our community members, said State Rep. Kristian Grant, D-Grand Rapids. This is something that community members have asked for for a long time. Im really excited about the amenities they will have there.

Demolition of the parks existing lodge, which is at least 50 years old, is expected to start this fall, with construction of the new building to begin in spring 2024, said David Marquardt, director of the citys parks and recreation department.

At 25,000 square feet, the new lodge would be about five times as big as the current lodge.

The new lodge, which is expected to cost about $18.5 million, is needed because the current lodge is at the end of its useful life, Marquardt said. Residents have asked for a new space that can, in addition to other recreational uses, host community and family gatherings, he said.

Officials say the existing lodge at Martin Luther King Park is outdated and underused. Under an $18.5 million project, the existing building would be demolished and replaced with a larger and more modern building containing space that can be rented by residents. (Brian McVicar|MLive.com)

Grant, along with state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, visited the park as part of a tour highlighting local investments in Grand Rapids funded through the $57.4 billion, fiscal year 2024 state budget.

The budget, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer July 31, was the first crafted by Democrats since they took full control of state government in January. Buoyed by billions in federal funding and a record surplus, the budget contains a host of funds for special projects in communities throughout the state.

In Grand Rapids, those projects include a $35 million grant that will fully fund the construction of two new fire stations and partially fund the construction of a fire training and operations center. Other recipients include John Ball Zoo ($14 million), The Diatribe nonprofit group ($3.5 million), Grand Rapids Ballet ($1.8 million) and the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber ($5 million).

The city of Wyoming received $20 million to build a pedestrian bridge over 28th Street and eventually create the citys first downtown area.

During the event at MLK Park, city leaders said theyre eager to see construction of the new lodge begin.

This has been on our list at the city for a long time, said Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. It started off as a smaller vision, but its really expanded because the community said, We want more than that. So as the scope of it grew, so did the cost.

Bliss said the state investment was essential in closing the financial gap needed to fund the project.

Representative Grant really carried this as a priority in Lansing to make sure that it was in the budget, she said.

In addition to the $6 million state grant, the $18.5 million project is being funded through $10 million in federal COVID relief dollars, Marquardt said. The remainder is coming from the citys 2013 parks millage and the citys third ward equity fund.

The new lodge will have a full gymnasium, fitness rooms, classrooms and office space for the city, Marquardt said. Some of the classrooms, which can be rented by families for gatherings and events, include roll-up glass doors facing the parks pool.

The project also will feature the construction of a separate pool and locker room facility.

Currently, our locker rooms are in the basement, Marquardt said, referring to the current lodge. Its kind of dark, its kind of dank. We want to bring it up, make it more accessible and more bright.

Want more Grand Rapids-area news? Bookmark the local Grand Rapids news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Grand Rapids daily newsletter.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Grand Rapids man allegedly told police he shot his wife multiple times the day after she served him divorce papers.

The couple had just married in February.

Marcus Durayalle Lofton was arraigned Friday, Aug. 18 on charges of open murder and felony firearm. He is held in jail without bond.

He is accused of shooting and killing Alicia Danielle Lofton.

Grand Rapids police on Aug. 17 responded to the area of Adams Street SE and Union Avenue on a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found Alicia Lofton on the ground next to a house in the 1400 block of Union Avenue SE.

She had numerous fatal gunshot wounds to the head and body, police said in a probable cause affidavit.

Investigators identified Marcus Lofton as a possible suspect and an officer found him walking in the 1200 block of North Avenue NE.

Detectives then interviewed Marcus Lofton. He told them that his wife -- they married in February -- had served him divorce papers on Aug. 16 and she told him she was selling the house. Because he had been arrested in May for alleged domestic violence against his wife, he wasnt suppose to be in contact with her.

But about 8 a.m. Aug. 17, he made contact with her at the Union Avenue house.

Marcus Lofton allegedly told detectives that they argued. Then he grabbed Alicia Loftons pistol, a Glock, from a drawer and tried to strike her with it.

According to the affidavit, he then told police the gun went off. His wife then moved to a bedroom and locked the door.

Marcus Lofton then told detectives he forced the door open and found his wife trying to climb out a window.

Marcus stated he shot Alicia numerous times before he fled in his maroon SUV, police wrote in the affidavit.

Lofton is scheduled to be back in court Sept. 5 for a preliminary exam.

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MUSKEGON, MI - Cannabis enthusiasts and those looking for a blazing good time next weekend are invited to a comedy show with a unique twist: the chance to smoke quality flower while laughing all night.

RJN Comedy and Inigrow are partnering for the first time to bring a free comedy show like no other. Adults 21 and over can attend the event at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at The Bowl, 623 W. Clay Ave, to see four comedians live.

The outdoor marijuana consumption space is next to IndiGrow, a downtown Muskegon cannabis microbusiness. The Bowl, adjacent to Indigrows storefront, serves as an official space for the public to consume cannabis in a safe place.

Related: Celebrate 4/20 at new outdoor consumption space in downtown Muskegon

Ricarlo Williams-Winston, the owner of RJN Comedy and the emcee for the event, said he thought it would be a good idea to partner with an area cannabis business because marijuana and laughing go hand-in-hand.

A lot of people that I talked with about The Bowl didnt even know the consumption space existed, he told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Im glad that we can utilize that space and bring awareness to that area downtown. We have the Social District where you can take your drinks, so its good to know that there is a space right down there.

Along with Williams-Winston, four other comedians will take the stage at 6 p.m., including Russel Carns, Farai Gotora, Jay Harris and Kevin Johnson.

Williams-Winston said he encourages people to bring lawn chairs and a suggested donation of $10 to support the comedians.

He said that he has been doing standup comedy for nine years out of the Muskegon area, and decided to reach out to some of his comedy buddies for the show.

Were going to have a great time, Williams-Winston said. Theyre all hilarious and I think Im pretty funny, too. The audience is going to get a nice variety of different comedy styles and backgrounds.

RJN Comedy officially launched just five months ago, he said. Williams-Winston and his brother linked together on the business after he was the manager for the Back Alley Comedy Club inside the Sherman Bowling Center in Muskegon.

Williams-Winston told MLive that he plans to bring comedy back to the bowling alley next month, as well as keep doing shows across different restaurants and venues in West Michigan. He said that the comedy bash will hopefully be an annual event.

I want it to grow as much as it possibly can, he said. Comedy has pretty much been my whole life. I love to make people laugh. So, with this first year, were hoping people come out and have a good time and tell other people so we can grow it next year.

RJN Comedy performs all over the Muskegon area at favorite local places like The Valkyrie and The Dirty Dog Bar & Grille.

For more information on future shows or to book a private comedy event, visit RJN Comedys Facebook page.

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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MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A new cafe that just opened in December 2022 is already becoming a local staple to enjoy a nice meal or retreat to a quiet corner with a warm cup of coffee and a good book.

Mother-and-daughter duo Emily and Alyssa Johnson opened Colbys Cafe & Brew at 3311 E. Colby St. Ste. A in Whitehall last winter. The cafe was created out of a passion for delicious food, strong coffee and excellent service, as stated on its website.

The new business offers something for everyone, whether youre looking for a quick bite to go, having an outing with friends, or a quiet morning with a warm cup of Joe.

Jessica Meaker, front house manager at Colbys, told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle the best seller on the menu continues to be Colbys Club ($12) and the Fancy Egg Sandwich ($9).

Meaker said her personal favorite is the Reuben panini for $10. It comes with slow-roasted corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese served on grilled rye bread with house-made Russian dressing.

We offer a lot of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options and a lot of places dont offer that, she said. We do pretty well with anybodys food allergies. Theres always an option for somebody to have.

Other options on the menu include locally made fresh baked goods, Lotus Energy drinks and weekly rotating specials.

Meaker touts the place as a cozy, open space for locals and visitors to study or work on their computers while grabbing lunch.

Hours of operation for Colbys Cafe & Brew are Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Click here to place an online order.

Want more Muskegon area news? Bookmark the local Muskegon news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Muskegon daily newsletter.

Would you like MLive to consider featuring your favorite restaurant in Michigans Best Local Eats? Send the details, including business name, address and best menu item, to Skyla Jewell-Hammie at sjewell-hammie@mlive.com.

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19.08.2023 LISTEN

Ayisha Modi, a well-known socialite in Ghana has claimed to have contributed to Ghanaian musician Saminis career financially.

According to Ayisha, Saminis talent was visible during his youthful days.

She said By the age of 14, I used to walk with musicians like Samini, and I used to sponsor Saminis music career. I paid for their studio time anytime they had a studio session. Sometimes, when my mother sends me on an errand to the market, I use the money to sponsor Samini, then I will lie to her that the money got missing.

Ayisha also explained that her actions were not just about Samini but were a way of sharing her God-given gift to help talented people who couldn't afford to pursue their dreams.

It was not about Samini; this is a gift from God. I give to people who are talented and have brighter futures but are unable to fund their careers because no one knows what the future holds, Ayisha Modi stated.

She continued by asserting that she also took care of her family when her mother wasn't around.

Ayisha Modi proudly shared that even at the age of 13, she had a significant amount of money, around GHC20,000 (which is 200 million in old currency).
Ghana's ability to host the Secretariat for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has been criticized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

According to the Deputy Chairperson of the NCCE, Samuel Asare Akuamoah, the recent uprising in neighboring African countries poses a threat to the borders of Ghana.

He noted that Ghana's borders are exposed to jihadist, violent extremist groups, coup detats.

During an interaction with officials of the Public Engagement Department of Parliament, he said there is a need for a collaborative effort to protect Ghanas borders in ensuring the success of the AfCFTA.

It was not just given to us. We went to bid for it among all the over 50 countries, and we won to open our borders and the borders of the continent. Free trade, movement of goods and services, and now look at the subregion of West Africa where the secretariat is located. We are troubled by jihadist, violent extremist groups, coup detat and so how do you open up?

It is a challenge that confronts us. So, as we go out, parliamentary service whether you are alone or working with us, as you engage the community you should also look at the issue of radicalization and violent extremism, Samuel Asare Akuamoah stated.
19.08.2023 LISTEN

The Parliaments Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been petitioned to investigate an unknown withdrawal of 52.5bn to an unknown account in 2020 by former President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation Ghana and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana, Mike Kofi Afflu.

According to Mr. Afflu, parliament ought to call the Auditor General to provide answers to the unknown transaction.

In a statement issued to PAC, if this GH52.5 billion (from GRA Account) had been transferred to the Bank of Ghana as mandated by law, Ghana would not have gone to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the bailout of $3 billion.

We want to know who withdrew that amount of money from the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) Plc and for what. I am confident that your Committee will do a thorough job on this petition please, Mike Kofi Afflu stated.

Meanwhile, a report on Graphic Online indicates that the chairman of the committee, James Klutse Avedzi, confirmed that PAC has received the petition.

Below is Mike Kofi Afflus petition in detail
18.08.2023 LISTEN

The Chief of Staff of the deposed President of Niger, Djibo Takoubokoye Daouda has landed in Ghana.

According to TV3s Portia Gabor who reported on the mid-day news on Friday, August 18, it is unclear why Daouda is in Ghana. However, it comes at a time the President of Niger, Mohammed Bazoum, has been taken hostage by the army in the coup.

The coup in Niger has necessitated West African army chiefs to hold a crunch meeting in Accra, which started Thursday, August 17 and is expected to end today Friday, August 18, to find ways to restore constitutional democracy in that country.

The meeting followed a decision by the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States to activate a standby force in the crisis-hit West African nation.

The West African bloc had initially given the military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani a seven-day ultimatum to reinstate Mohamed Bazoum as President.

After the ultimatum elapsed, the Authority decided on Thursday, August 10 in Abuja, Nigeria to explore other options including an intervention by stand-by force.

During day one of the meeting, Ghana's Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul told the army chiefs to be loyal to their heads of state and also to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as measures are put in place to restore democracy in Niger.

He asked the army chiefs to send a signal to the world that the days that coup makers enjoyed the support of the people are over.

He said your presence alone sounds and gives me a powerful message to the world that you are united in carrying out the directive of the heads of state and governments of ECOWAS and that after today and tomorrow's meeting, you will put in place a plan to ensure that a standby force is activated and that democracy will be restored in Niger.

If Presidential guards in Guinea and Niger take hostage of their president, nobody in West Africa is safe. That is why I urge you to continue to be loyal to heads of state, I urge you, to continue to be loyal to Ecowas directives and to give effects that the days that coup d'etats enjoy the support of our people are over.

Yes, in a democracy people will agree to disagree, but the vast majority of our people in West Africa are with you, the vast majority of the people of West Africa do not want to be under the difficulties that we are facing today.

The Niger military junta announced a list of 21 people including two ministers of state and a delegate minister that it said will become ministers in a new government.

The new government was announced on state TV at 00:30 GMT (01:30 local time) with the pronouncement of new cabinet members.

-3news.com
News / Local

by Staff reporter

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 week's 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 Zimbabwe's elections. We're 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.
18.08.2023 LISTEN

International Diplomatic Consultant, Al Wahab Farouk has called the bluff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the plan to storm Niger to restore constitutional order.

Last week, ECOWAS put its standby force on alert for a military intervention to seize power from the military junta and restore deposed President Mohamed Bazoum.

In order, for such an operation to happen, it is expected that Ghana and all other member states of ECOWAS will deploy troop and other resources.

Speaking to Onua TV in an interview on ECOWAS plans to go to war with the Niger military junta, Al Wahab Farouk says he does not see Ghanaian soldiers being part of the troops to go to Niger.

According to him, Ghanaian soldiers are too handsome, have many girlfriends, and like enjoyment to the extent that they will not be willing to go to war.

There is no Ghana army. The Ghana army that we have the soldiers are more handsome than all the soldiers of the West African countries. If you want military personnel for war is it these fine beautiful Ghanaian soldiers?

They have so many girlfriends. Do you think they will go and fight this war? Tell me which Ghanaian soldier can go to the Sahel and fight in the desert to fight the war. They dare not try. They are too handsome to fight, Al Wahab Farouk argued.

The International Diplomatic Consultant shares the view that ECOWAS cannot embark on a military intervention in Niger because it does not have the army nor the financial resources to do so.

Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Abdel-Fatal Musah has stressed that the block is determined to send troops to Niger to restore Constitutional order.

He said this during day one of the meeting of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff in Accra on Wednesday.

If push comes to shove we are going into Niger with our own contingent-owned equipment. We are doing this with our own resources and to make sure that we restore constitutional order. If other democracy-loving partners want to support us they are welcome but we are not going begging cap in hand before we do what is right for the region.

So this is the determination that I want to put across here as we meet today to fine-tune and then also to plan about the timing, about all that, Abdel-Fatal Musah said.
Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) member Stephen Atubiga has blamed recent deaths of party members on "neglect" and "depression" under President John Dramani Mahama-led NDC leadership.

In a Facebook post, Mr Atubiga said the "high rates of deaths" among NDC members is due to "opposition depression" and "bad decisions depression from leadership."

"All these disappointments are leading members to health problems, complications leading to the death of members," he wrote.

Mr Atubiga predicted that over 1% of NDC members "will die or be in bad shape before election 2024" if party leaders do not change course.

He called on NDC flagbearer John Mahama and the party leadership to take "good decisions" and "pull members along" to prevent further loss of life.

"A lot of stakeholders and founders are sick, depressed or in pain due to bad decisions," Mr Atubiga added.

His remarks come after the recent passing of former NDC Western Regional Women's Organizer, Araba Tagoe.
At the Sacred Heart Technical Institute, James Town, a group of dedicated staff volunteers from Standard Chartered came together with a shared purpose: to guide and inspire the next generation as part of celebrating World Youth Day. They did this through a unique blend of speed mentoring and teaching financial literacy.

The excitement of the students was palpable as staff volunteers engaged them. The sessions were split into men mentoring men and women mentoring women. Each mentor spent time with a group of 5 students before moving on to the next set sharing career advice and life insights.

Being a technical school, the students were equipped with various skills which allowed the staff volunteers to share lessons in their journey of turning a passion into a successful career during the speed mentoring session. They emphasized the importance of perseverance and networking, leaving the students feeling inspired and more confident in pursuing their dreams.

Whilst the speed mentoring was ongoing, another group of students were engaged in lively discussions on financial planning. The staff used relatable examples to teach the students about budgeting, saving, and investing. By simplifying complex financial concepts, the students were empowered to take control of their financial future.

The day was a menagerie of learning, laughter, and inspiration. The youth gained lifelong lessons and insights from mentors across various fields expertise. The staff volunteers not only shared their knowledge but also fostered a sense of curiosity and ambition in the students as well as formed connections that transcended generational gaps. The students were left with a newfound motivation to explore their passions and a stronger understanding of managing their finances responsibly.

Such community engagement activities where staff volunteers collaborate with youth by sharing knowledge, building relationships, and empowering the next generation to thrive in an ever-changing world are part of the banks Futuremakers initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion for young people in our communities.

Source: Standard Chartered Bank
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from the Government of Denmark, commenced implementation of a new project to contribute to peace and security in Ghana, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.

The project dubbed Strengthening Community Resilience and Engagement to Prevent and Respond to Violent Extremism in Benin, Cote dIvoire, Ghana and Togo, will contribute to addressing the drivers of radicalization leading to violent extremism, while also strengthening the capacity of the communities to respond and resist such threats.

The project seeks to build resilient communities and foster stability in the coastal West African countries of Benin, Cote dIvoire, Ghana, and Togo.

Highlighting the importance of the project, H.E. Mr. Tom Nrring, Denmark Ambassador in Ghana said, The launch of this project signifies a critical milestone in our unwavering commitment to preventing and countering violent extremism in Ghana and coastal West African states. By empowering local voices, building community resilience, and fostering regional collaboration, we aim to address the underlying causes of conflict and insecurity. Through strong partnerships like this and shared vision, we strive to create a peaceful and inclusive future for all.

At the launch, Angela Lusigi, UNDP's Resident Representative in Ghana, underscored why sustained collaboration is necessary to effectively address violent extremism. She highlighted the urgent need to prioritize decisive action in response to threats.

Our border communities and young people are most at risk. It is now more important than ever to work across borders to get our policies and programming right and at scale, to counter and prevent the rise of violent extremism. There is a need for a more integrated and robust sub-regional response that goes beyond security approaches to address emerging drivers of conflict by building community resilience, she noted.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) for Ghana, Charles Abani, highlighted the significance of united efforts between the UN and various sectors including government institutions. He emphasized that this collaboration would foster effective resource integration, ultimately leading to a more impactful outcome.

Hon. Ambrose Dery, Minister of Interior in Ghana, whose speech was read on his behalf by Madam Adelaide Anno-Kumi, Chief Director of the Ministry of Interior, noted that We recognize the need to prevent and combat violent extremist groups and terrorists who threaten Ghanas security. Through strategic inter-agency coordination, we can combat the menace & ensure a safer & more prosperous future for our nation.

The project will enhance early warning and response mechanisms, strengthen socio-economic resilience among at-risk youth and women. It will also promote alternative counter-narratives to combat hate speech that promote violence and violent extremism in target locations.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, to contribute to Governments digitisation strategies by making contributions, which will enhance the nation's digital advancement.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College in Accra on Friday August 18, 2023, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the historic contributions of the Armed Forces to the advancement of technology, urging the Ghana Armed Forces to be on board the digitization drive, because of the link between the military and technology.

"It has been acknowledged, the world over, that the military and technology are inseparable," Dr. Bawumia said.

"Indeed, many technologies that we are enjoying today are the product of military research. Examples include, the microwave ovens, computers, GPS technology, the internet, nuclear energy, walkie talkies, etc."

"Therefore I look forward to the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly GAFCSC, to help with strategies that will contribute to governments digitization agenda," added the Vice President.

"As I requested at last years graduation, government is looking forward to GAFCSC developing modules and programmes that will challenge the ingenuity of the youth, particularly in digitalization awareness and Cyber security related issues."

IMPACT OF GAFCSC

Dr. Bawumia hailed the significant impact the GAFCSC is making as a citadel of knowledge, not only on Ghanaians, but also serving men nationals of other African country.

"I have repeatedly referred to GAFCSC, as a prime national asset with a place of pride in Ghana and the entire continent as it continues to serve as a citadel of knowledge for our military and that of allied countries," he said.

"Over time, GAFCSC has convincingly carved a niche for itself as the destination of choice for Allied officers and countries who have a desire to achieve professional excellence in their respective Armed Forces."

With the College's growing reputation, Dr. Bawumia further urged the Staff College Control Board and the Military High Command to leverage its enhanced status and prominence, to work towards sustaining the gains already achieved and possibly venture into other unexplored areas necessary for national development.

"The increased demand for vacancies on your programmes should serve as a motivation to explore and tap into other areas of study that are necessary for the socio-economic development of our dear nation and by extension the continent."

"With the status of the College as a tertiary institution and her flagship Integrated programme, namely the Passed Staff College (psc) and the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics, GAFCSC has assumed an even greater role in shaping the leadership and managerial skills of many professionals from Ghana and other sister African countries."

Dr. Bawumia also assured the Armed Forces of Governments continuous support for the military, including the expansion of its infrastructure, "as it has always done."

The joint graduation ceremony was for the 2023 year group of the College for Senior Command and Staff Course 44, as well as the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics Class of 2023.
It is absurd for the ECOWAS military to invade Niger to restore democracy and the former administration. The one responsible for that decision is insane. The army in Niger is fed up with the bad policies of the old colonialist, France, affecting the people, and therefore no longer interested in a corrupt democracy. Since most African leaders ignore the main issues plaguing the continent, Africa continues to experience tribal wars, ethnic conflicts, and political instability.

Instead of addressing issues like poor governance, pervasive corruption that has created a distinction between the rich and the poor, and France's neocolonial problems with the Francophone countries, ECOWAS leaders have gathered in Accra, Ghana, to discuss how to overthrow the new military government and reestablish democracy. If Akufo Addo thinks it is his responsibility to carry out that duty, Im sorry to say that that will be his ultimate failure as an African leader.

The fact is that the new military regime in Niger is no longer interested in the French colonial advantages affecting the people and the country, they are ready to fight for their freedom.

The West and the US government are making every effort to push ECOWAS toward a military invasion because the US and France need to maintain control over Africa to access its abundant mineral resources and, more importantly, to restore the US and West governments' damaged reputations after they already lost control of the neighboring countries of Mali and Burkina Faso. The ECOWAS will, therefore; carry out its plans with the help of funding from the US and Western nations.

The loss of Niger, together with the previously lost nations of Mali and Burkina Faso, will be a serious defeat for Biden and prevent him from winning the election of 2024, even if Trump is imprisoned. Although the Nigerian army will play the main role in the Niger invasion because it is the most powerful member of the community in terms of economy and force, many Ghanaians, including politicians, are not interested in sending their military to Niger due to the country's poor leadership and pervasive corruption.

The ECOWAS countries, including Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Benin, have agreed to provide finance for the military to survive the battle, but the Niger army is determined to fight back against the West and will not give up. As the population does not want to return to France's colonial rule, they have already begun recruiting volunteers in case of an invasion. We must not overlook the fact that the special forces of the United States and France trained the Niger army, which is the source of their pride.

With the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, it is very likely that the fighters of the private military company (PMC) Wagner will interfere in it, and when this happens, a military solution to the crisis in Niger could lead to a prolonged confrontation in that country, as well as to a sharp destabilization of the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region.

Akufo Addo's decision to send Ghana's army to fight in Niger might turn our nation into a terrorist target, endangering the lives of its citizens. Even though it took ECOWAS seven weeks to launch an operation in the Gambia to remove Yahya Jammeh in 2017, analysts think that capturing Niger will be more challenging. Would that be the pinnacle of Akufo Addo's failure? Only time will tell.
The effects of climatic change are being felt globally, the extreme and unpredictable weather is creating literally hundreds of fire storms across many nations even across the continent of Africa.

Deserts are hotter, crops are drying up, droughts are occurring increasingly and more frequently. African nations are unifying to find strategies, scientific methodologies to combat and slow the changes that are occurring.

Devastation with fires recently within the borders of Canada and Maui, China with massive flooding, India with massive swarms of insects in one portion and flooding in another portion of the nation are taking the lives of thousands and displaced millions.

Africa.com is providing an opportunity for the President of Kenya, William Ruto to answer questions, provide strategies and talk about what Kenya is doing in this time of climatic disaster, environmental flux and Africa's role in helping to prevent and slow down these changes across the continent.

Wednesday, August 30th 2023 is a historic event to hear the dynamic and passionate sharing of his ideas, vision and strategies to address these issues.

"Climate XChange: Youth Dialogues"

"Climate XChange: Youth Dialogues" promises to be a vibrant event where young participants from across Kenya, Africa, and the Diaspora can pose questions and share their insights directly with President Ruto.

The dialogue symbolizes President Ruto's dedication to an inclusive approach in policy-making, where the youth, being central to Africa's future, have a significant role to play. Teresa Clarke, CEO of Africa.com, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration:

"We're incredibly proud to host this pivotal conversation. The youth represent not just the future of Africa, but its present. By providing them with a platform to engage directly with leaders like President Ruto, we are ensuring that their voices play a central role in shaping the continent's response.

As a teacher of STEAM+M and how human interaction with the planet for hundreds of years has not been beneficial, we are reaping the results of the burning of fossil fuels, pollution of the atmosphere with chemicals, cutting down of millions of acers of trees that create the very air we breathe and even how we damage our oceans which absorbs 90% of the heat and even is a filtration system for the earth.

This event with Africa.com is a historic event that all of Kenya, Africa and even the global nations that create more global pollution than Africa's 54 nations. Global warming is creating a critical role for accessibility as Africa copes with the extreme climate change.

There are five ways accessibility is important during extreme climate change for Africa. They will be discussed in the next writing.

Emergency Response Healthcare Access Agriculture and Food Security Water and Sanitation Community Connectivity

William Jackson, M. Ed.

CEO My Quest To Teach

World Metaverse Council

ED3 DAO - GatherVerse Africa
I begin with a cautionary tale: in 1956, Britain, in collusion with France and Israel, invaded Egypt to seize control of the Suez Canal.

Britain had hitherto operated the Canal through a Suez Canal Company that Britain had established in the heydays of British imperialism.

The reason for the invasion? Egypt, under President Gamal Abdul Nasser, had had the audacity to nationalise the Suez Canal!

Now, in those days, if a developing country nationalised a company from which the Western countries reaped a lot of profit, the action was conveniently interpreted in the West as a declaration that the country in question wanted to go Communist.

Yes, those were the days of the Cold War, and no matter what patriotic

arguments a developing country advanced for nationalising a Western-controlled company, the nationalisation was taken as a first step towards taking sides  in favour of the Soviet Empire  in the Cold War.

But surprise, surprise, in the case of the Suez Canal, the United States, undisputed leader of the anti-Communist bloc, did not support the action taken by Britain, in collusion with the two other allies of the US  France and Israel.

Why the US did not support its allies invasion of Suez, was the cause of speculation throughout the world; speculation which has persisted to this day.

Of course, varying accounts have been given about why the US acted as it did. One version has it that President Dwight Eisenhower of the United States harboured a personal dislike for the then British Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden.

(Eden was regarded by many other actors on the international scene at the time as haughty and vain, traits of character which he was thought to have developed, to propel him out of the shadow of his predecessor as British leader, the wartime superhero, Sir Winston Cburcill.)

Anyway, President Eisenhower threatened to withdraw US dollar support for the British pound.

And Anthony Eden, together with his French and Israeli fellow conspirators, had to scram from Egypt. Ignominously.

I retell this story because in the tragedy that seems to be unfolding before our own eyes over the Niger coup and the expressed intention of the ECOWAS members not to exclude force in trying to reverse the coup and restore Nigers ousted president, Mr Mohamed Bazoum, to power, no-one seems to be reckoning with exactly where the US stands over the Niger

Issue.

The trouble is that coups similar to the Niger one have occurred in three other West African states  Mali (2020 and 2021); Guinea (2021) and Burkina Faso (2022).Yet In none of those countries did any country  including ECOWAS members  send military forces to intervene and restore the previous administration to power.

So why Niger? That is a question the US and France, as well as their allies, might well put to the ECOWAS members. If they have a secret understanding with the Niger coupists, they would most certainly not consider the idea that the Niger coup promotes a trend currently popular in West Africa, which could swallow the remaining civilian regimes too.

The US and the others could well argue that in taking such a stand against Niger, ECOWAS was only acting in the self-interest of the remaining civilian regimes in the Region.

A more sinister rebuttal of any attempts by ECOWAS to convince the US and the others to back possible military action by ECOWAS, could be this: that if the civilian governments eschewed corruption and refrained from taking unpopular measures in their own countries, they would have to fear from their own military establishments.

If the US, in particular, were to adopt such a view, any military force sent by ECOWAS to Niger could be suffer a devastating defeat. You see, the US gave Niger direct aid of $105 million only in March 2023. Not only that: the aid package was announced by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, himself. Can he be expected now to tell his new ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, that he misread the Niger situattion a mere four months ago?

More dangerous for ECOWAS is the fact that even before the US announced the aid to Niger in March, it had l taken a great deal of very sophisticated weaponry to Niger. Taht was meant to help defeat the jihadists, who have been threatening life and property not only in Niger but also, in Burkina Faso and Mali.

Could an ECOWAS military force depend on the word of the US, if the US were to pledge to ECOWAS that none of the American weapons  especially the powerful drones that are stored in the US military facility at Agadez, Niger, would somehow NOT manage to fall into the hands of the Niger forces? Wouldn't the American "friends" amongst the Niger putsch leaders plead passionately that they needed weapons to defend their fatherland from an unprovoked ECOWAS attack?

So, then, ECOWAS could very well place itself between a rock and a very hard place.

On the other hand, ECOWAS could become a laughing stock in Africa if it did nothing, after all the military hullabaloo it has gushed out.

Will the leaders of the organisation find enough wisdom to guide them out of the dilemma they are in?

Perhaps their best bet would be to actively involve the AU.

Certainly, a continental viewpoint, if one could emerge from the AU, might be more difficult for the US to disregard than one formulated by a mere regional organisation?

Haba! Who would want to be an ECOWAS head of state right now?
The Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the CPP, Mr. Kwame Jantuah wants government to explain to Ghanaians why it will commit troops to go to Niger to fight the military junta on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Speaking to Starr FM in an interview, he asked whether government is interested in a war in Niger because of the high cost of onions in the country.

May I ask a question, what is the interest of Ghana, is the interest of Ghana in Niger Ghanaians? Is that what it is because right now the price of onions has gone up? Kwame Jantuah quizzed.

Due to the closure of the Niger border, Ghanaian onion importers have truckloads of vegetables stuck on the border.

This has resulted in the prices of onions in the country going up in the last few weeks with traders pleading with government to engage Niger authorities to allow the trucks to cross the border.

According to Kwame Jantuah, President Akufo-Addo should be up and doing and advise ECOWAS that war in Niger is not the solution.

Just as has been stressed by diplomats and security analysts, the Chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the CPP proposes that President Akufo-Addo should admonish ECOWAS to negotiate with the military junta instead of sending troops to Niger to fight.

The missiles wont start flying in Niger, all the countries that have come together to attack them and the others who are defending them will throw missiles into your country. Remember Bawku and we have insurgence on that border. When the people start coming and taking our gold deposits we are in big trouble.

They should think about this clearly, and let me end by saying President Akufo-Addo should be one President in the midst of all to say no, Ghana has experienced coups and coups havent helped us, yes, but this isnt the way to go. Lets negotiate, Lawyer Jantuah shared.
Member of Parliament for the Anyaa Sowutuom constituency, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has defended the governments introduction of a 10% tax on betting and lottery winnings.

He argued that every country needs revenue to undertake various developmental projects, and that taxing bettors in Ghana is key because the industry is currently not taxed enough.

Taxation is one of the most important ways of raising revenue apart from loans and governance is dynamic and during the COVID period, the government realised that many people were spending time online betting and saw it will not be out of place to look at this space too, the Anyaa Sowutuom MP told Selorm Adonoo on The Big Issue on Citi FM and Citi TV.

This tax is going to help us improve public health. Any revenue that government gets goes to help people at the base. I want to beg the people to reason with the government because if you go to the gaming centre and the electricity is off, it will be something they will call on the government to rectify and so having stable electricity is important, Mr. Adomako added.

He also urged that there should be accountability for every penny taken, and I am optimistic that is what will happen with this tax.

The introduction of the 10% betting tax, which is part of the governments efforts to raise revenue, has been met with criticism and concern.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) youth wing has announced a series of actions to force the government to withdraw the 10% betting tax.

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) also disclosed that it hopes to rake in some GH400 million from the new gaming tax .

-citinewsroom
News / Local

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwe Republic Police have banned three more Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rallies scheduled for Mashonaland Central province bringing the total number of the opposition party's banned gatherings to 108 since March 2022.Police banned CCC's Mvurwi rally, which was scheduled to be addressed by CCC leader Nelson Chamisa just six days before the general elections."I'm in Guruve and Mbire. They tried intimidating the citizens, but it just couldn't work. The police cancelled and banned our otherwise fully subscribed rally in Mvurwi. The panic is real! The citizens are unstoppable!" Chamisa tweeted.CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere also said their two rallies in Mt Darwin were banned."Our cluster rallies, which were scheduled to take place on Friday, August 18, 2023, at Kandeya Village business centre and Dotito in Mt Darwin, have been denied by the police," Mahere said."These denials come under controversial reasons, as they claim that the venues are already occupied on the same date."It is evident that this is a systematic approach employed by the regime in Harare to prevent the citizens movement and its president Chamisa from engaging with the people."Zanu-PF is running scared and can never win a free and fair election in Zimbabwe."According to a letter gleaned by NewsDay Weekender, police banned the rally on the pretext that the grounds have been booked."The office has reservations because the same space has been booked from 0800hrs to 1700hrs on the same day," the police letter read.The banning of the rallies comes as the opposition party say the playing field is uneven with its rivals Zanu-PF treated with kid gloves by the police.The Maintenance of Peace and Order Act, which governs gatherings, processions and public demonstrations, stipulates that political parties must notify the police if they are having any sort of convocation.The opposition, however, says police are abusing the law to prevent the party from holding its activities and rallies.
Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (CPAPS) of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), Dr. Abdel-Fatau Musa, has disclosed that the military junta in Niger led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani has agreed to dialogue with the bloc.

He said a mission has been dispatched to Niamey to meet the coup leaders for a possible resolution of the political crisis.

Finally, they tell us they are receiving the mission today and we have taken up their offer, so there will be a mission into the country today, that is for sure, Dr Musa said on The Keypoints on TV3/3FM on Saturday, August 19.

This comes after two failed missions of Ecowas to the crisis-hit country.

The first was led by the former Nigerian head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Saadu Abubakar, who were said to have been confined to the airport in Niamey and subsequently returned to Nigeria.

The second mission, made up of delegates from not only Ecowas but also the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN), were told by the junta that they will not be received.

Dr Musa acknowledged that the new development to welcome an international meeting on Saturday is refreshing but Ecowas will not rest on its oars to have President Mohamed Bazoum reinstated.

He said they will ensure that all discussions result in the restoration of constitutional order.

We will see how discussions unfold, he indicated.

The thing is that if we realise that discussions are going nowhere, I can assure you that we are not going to engage in endless dialogue [or] the dialogue of the deaf, he pointed out, adding: If we cannot make it, the very last option will be the military one.

He dismissed reports that Ecowas was bent on plunging Niger into war without considering other options, particularly dialogue.

He blamed the CNSP for the current situation.

We are not the one shutting the door on them. It is rather they shut the door on us, he said about the junta.

-3news.com
Professor at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana Mr Ransford Yaw Gyampo is cautioning the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) against the use of force in resolving the crisis in Niger.

To him, the regional body does not have the might and strength to face those behind the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum from power.

Speaking on TV3s The Keypoints on Saturday, August 19, Prof Gyampo said inasmuch as he abhors coup detats, efforts to restore constitutional order are not always through military intervention.

He said diplomacy can also be resorted to, reason he thinks Ecowas was hasty with the decision to deploy troops to Niger.

He said the antidote to coups is good governance.

I am aware that many African leaders who have not governed well are the ones who are touting the need for them to quickly send troops as a way of preventing the idea of coups from festering because people fear that if it happened there, it may happen here.

I am telling them that the antidote to coups is not about sending military troops to other countries.

The antidote to coups is about good governance. Govern well and you will have nothing to fear but if you dont govern well and you think that well I will not govern well but contribute troops to help countries that have experienced military coup, then I am telling you that you will be laughing at the wrong side of your mouth.

He disclosed that what is happening in Niger is a subtle war between Russia and the US and Ecowas member states must be careful not to be caught in that fracas.

I dont support coups but I am saying that when it occurs we must sometimes use common-sensical approach.

You dont have the strength, you dont have what it takes, I am not even talking about funding, you dont have the security might to go and be caught in that crossfire between Russia and America.

If we want to fight let those who have the might and strength do it but we dont want our people to go and be massacred.

-3news.com
Nana Appiah Mensah aka NAM1

19.08.2023 LISTEN

Menzgold Ghana Ltd has announced that the already burdened customers must fulfill fresh monetary demands before their locked up claims will be released to them.

This news comes as a major blow to the customers, who are already facing significant financial hardships.

According to a recent statement released by Menzgold on August 18, 2023, signed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Menzgold Ghana Company Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, commonly called NAM 1, the company has completed the validation process of the transaction supporting documents that customers presented. Unfortunately, it was discovered that a staggering 60% of the claims were found to have unacceptable infractions, rendering them invalid.

As part of the final phase of their due diligence processes, Menzgold is urging customers with genuine indebted transaction claims to acquire the Menzgoid Digital Verification Access Card from authorized Payboy Agents. These cards are priced at GHC650 each and will allow customers to verify their transaction validation status from August 10th to September 14th, 2023.

Menzgold emphasizes that they cannot provide free verification services like they did during the validation exercise.

The company explains that they need to dedicate all available resources to paying off their financial liabilities. Therefore, customers are required to fulfill this new payment obligation in order to proceed with their claims.

Customers are strongly advised that this final verification exercise is of utmost importance and failure to comply may result in the forfeiture of their claims. Menzgold warns that if customers do not undergo this process, they will waive their right to claim and lose any hopes of recovering their funds.

This development has caused outrage and frustration among Menzgold customers, who were already struggling after the collapse of the company. Many are questioning why they must bear additional financial burden when they are the victims in this situation. Some customers have expressed concern about the companys motives and fear that they will never receive the funds that are rightfully theirs.

The Menzgold saga has been ongoing for years, with numerous allegations of fraud and mismanagement against the company. The Ghanaian government has taken steps to address the issue, but the resolution seems far from reach

. As customers anxiously await the outcome of this new verification process, the future remains uncertain for those who have already been severely impacted by the Menzgold crisis.

-DGN online
Coups are bad and there is no justification whatsoever for it. In the view of Plato, soldiers have no business governing a country. They must remain guardians and allow the Philosopher King alone to govern. But many times, there are no Philosopher Kings in Africa and so, coups happen. When they occur, they require a very serious thinking process and analysis to handle them. Sometimes, a military response may the way to deal with them. At other times, pure diplomacy may be required.

The Niger situation is quite different from the Gambian situation and in my honest opinion, would require a more tactful diplomacy than military response. In Gambia, the international community was ad idem that Yahaya Jammeh had to leave and there were virtually no foreign military bases that had special interests in his country. His soldiers were no longer loyal to him and hence he had to flee when ECOWAS troops moved in on him.

The situation in Niger is however quite different. The military junta there are ready to fight. Russia has an interest in providing para-military services to ward off terrorist in Niger for a fee. They are in full support of the current military junta.

The Americans want their company Chevron to pass gaspipe lines from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria for European consumption, a

move to diversify European dependence on Russia gas. In fact, because of this plan 'Nordstrom' or 'Nordstream' pipeline from Russia to Europe was blownup in the ocean through sabotage with the Americans being prime suspects. So for Russia, they will support the Niger Junta especially when the latter even made it clear that they're halting exportation of uranium to France.

France has an interest in the Uranium of Niger and is willing to fight in defense of the ousted leader. So, France and America would be against the military Junta while Russia will fight on the side of the junta. Burkina Faso has also declared her intentions to fight any country or group that attacks Niger militarily and Nigeria may be unable to provide troops as its parliament has voted against a military response to what is happening in Niger.

How will ECOWAS troops fare? We must be careful not to be caught in a crossfire of a potential proxy war, where soldiers may be innocently massacred. Given that there is no unanimity on the use of military force in handling the crisis in Niger even among ECOWAS countries, we must interrogate the resolve to use soldiers rather than diplomacy critically and with some trepidation.

I know that some African leaders who have governed poorly, are pushing for the deployment of military force to handle the Niger crisis, as a way of ensuring that no one dreams about coups. Yes no one must dream about coups, but the best antidote to coups isnt the use of military force, it is good governance. African leaders who are scared of military coups now have an excellent opportunity to govern well in addressing basic human needs of the ordinary people as a sure way to make the idea of coups unpopular.

If all the countries that are teaming up to ally with Niger decide to do so, ECOWAS forces may not succeed, and when there is massacre of forces of African decent, it potentially can infuriate soldiers to react against their governments that deployed their colleagues.

We must never support any coup anywhere in the world. But when they occur, we must strategize appropriately to deal with them. Not all coups can be responded to with military force. Some, especially in the Niger case would require a more nuanced and tactful diplomacy.

Yaw Gyampo

A31 Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street

Saltpond

Suro Nipa House

Behind Old Post Office

Larteh Akuapim
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is optimistic about the potential of Ghana's private sector, saying the future looks promising.

The sheer energy and can-do spirit demonstrated by the private sector, culminating in job and wealth creation, had contributed significantly to economic growth and development, he noted.

The Akufo-Addo Administration is indeed building an entrepreneurial nation as part of the Government's quest to move our nation beyond aid.

Addressing the opening ceremony to usher in the Presidential Pitch Season Four, in Accra, the President cited the significant successes chalked under the initiative.

Under Seasons One, Two, and Three of the Presidential Pitch, 702 direct and thousands of indirect jobs have been created by our winners, with majority of these jobs being established in rural communities, he said.

The vision is to build an inclusive, integrated, innovative and conducive entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.

The Presidential Pitch is a special entrepreneurship initiative designed by the Ministry of Business Development and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) in 2017.

Since its onset, the President himself has supervised the first three editions.

The purpose of the initiative is to offer young Ghanaian entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35, the opportunity to pitch their business ideas in the hope of obtaining funding to operationalise and scale their businesses.

Some thirty young entrepreneurs have so far been awarded cash prizes to help set up, and scale up their enterprises in varied fields of the Ghanaian economy after they presented their business concepts.

Their activities, especially business operations, are constantly monitored by the Ministry of Business Development in conjunction with the NEIP, implementers of the Pitch.

Ghana's economy is dominated by Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that struggle to grow, according to the latest Country Economic Memorandum Report of the World Bank.

MSMEs provide important job opportunities for women and young people, meaning that addressing their challenges is a major way to improve inclusion, says the world's apex financial body.

The country's population is projected to rise to 45 million by 2040, with 58 per cent of the population under 30 years old.

This implies that around 10 million Ghanaians will enter the labour force between now and 2040, therefore, addressing the job challenge is critical.

This will require creating more and better job opportunities for lower- and mid-skilled workers, says Katherine Stapleton, World Bank Economist, and co-author of the Report.

President Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the fastest way to deal with the challenges confronting the economy and the unacceptable rate of unemployment is the fusion of technology, entrepreneurship and business.

To deliver productivity growth and boost innovation and entrepreneurship, the country will need to drive technological transformation through the adoption of digital and complementary technologies in domestic firms.

Mr. John Kumah, a Deputy Finance Minister, assured that the Government was committed to providing the requisite assistance to accelerate firm upgrading and spur innovation and entrepreneurship.

This was critical to driving growth of higher quality jobs in the country, he noted.

The Government is earmarking some GHS2.5 million for the top 30 contestants of the Presidential Pitch Season Four.

The overall winner will receive GHS150, 000.00 as prize money, up from GHS100, 000.00 in the previous year.

GNA
19.08.2023 LISTEN

The hailed Arab Spring that saw the citizens of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria kick against their leaders deemed dictators to depose them, was not actually the perceived panacea hoped for by Africans.

The Arab Spring, however it came about, using the social media to give it not only the start but momentum, was indeed an orchestrated western worlds well organised malicious, dehumanising and subjugation agenda against Africans as a people and a continent.

The western countries, to be more precise the white countries, have it as their agenda to hold down Africa from developing. This is because the development of the richly mineral-endowed African continent would cost them most of the vital elements serving the engine of their economic prosperity.

Once Africa develops, processing their own raw materials to add value to them before export, and being in a capable position to fix their own prices for their export materials, getting enough money and being less dependent on the western world, you can just imagine what the outcome will be to the western world. It will surely impact their current level of development and enjoyment in some way.

As I have said many times elsewhere and in some of my publications, it initially takes farsighted, honest, pragmatic, strict and fair leaders, be they dictators or whatever, to develop countries but not puppet-democrats.

Throughout history, it had taken farsighted and strict dictators with the love of their country at heart to develop their countries, or put them on sound path of development.

To prevent Africa from developing but to continually remain shithole countries at the mercy of the whites, all serious African leaders had, and have presumably, been removed from power or killed through the instigations of the white countries to replace them with puppet presidents and governments that will sing the praises of their white overlords to give them unfettered access to do whatever they like in Africa.

I am saddened to continue to see my African brothers and sisters play sycophants and cheerleaders to our crop of incompetent, myopic, selfish and corrupt leaders that are indeed in office for power, fame and to amass personal wealth, doing what pleases the western world.

The Arab Spring that was in its heat hoped for Ghana by some rival politicians, aggrieved Ghanaians and visionless academics, was not for the good of Africans and Africa, but to further destroy Africa for the ultimate selfish agenda by the western world.

Check the videos below to judge for yourself the actual intention of the NATO countries that were behind the Arab Spring, especially, in the situation of late assassinated President Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.

President Gaddafi meant a lot of good for his Libyan people and Africa in general. However, his enemies did not want him to live to realise his liberation dreams for Africa hence engineered the Arab Spring to cut his life short, nipping his African dreams in the bud.

Libya is now divided and fighting themselves. All the development, peace, safety, security and prosperity they enjoyed under President Gaddafi, have evaporated into the thin air to be replaced by insecurity, harsh conditions of living and deprivation of self-esteem.

Once the enviable Libyans are now reduced to laughing stock nobodies with Africans left to wallow in socio-economic stagnation, ignorance and total deprivation of all things that make a people rational and prosperous.

The videos below tell it all!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJsL9S1k/
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S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions New CBOE special perk helps traders target income every weekend (Ad) King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip
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Opinion / Columnist

To Zezurus, politics of tribalism has become the Frankenstein's monster that destroys its own creator. Unless Zezurus find allies outside their small Zezuru- Korekore clan, it may take many years if not forever, for them to taste political power again in Zimbabwe. Even if Kasukuwere invites Constantino Chiwenga and Joice Mujuru for tea, nothing would materialise. Running from one court to another will not assist. The one who controlls the levers of power manipulates the judiciary to win the law fare.It took a Zezuru political novice, Constantine Chiwenga, who acted on emotions than brains, to seize political power from a fellow Zezuru Robert Mugabe, through a military coup and handed it over to Emmerson Mnangagwa (Karanga) on a silver platter. Now, Chiwenga's "bhora msango" has backfired on him and other Zezurus.Believe it or not, Karangas are still thanking the generous 'Father Christmas' Aka Constantino Chiwenga for violently taking sweat political power from his fellow Zezurus and handing it over to them for free. They will cling to the livers of power until the Lord Jesus comes back.The Zezurus are being paid out with their own coin and they are up in arms. For the first time after 43 years of Zimbabwe independence their leaders have come out to denounce tribalism, corruption and theft. All of a sudden after losing political power the Zezuru-Korekore alliance that used to deny the existence of the above grievances are now crying foul. They are now feeling the pain of tribal discrimination. What about Matabeles who have lived with the pain of a genocide that wiped out more than 40 000 innocent Matabele civilians and tribal oppression for over 40 years now? The Zimbabwe Shona supremacist government rubbing salt into the wound everyday by denying the existence of tribalism genocide in Matabeleland? Now that they know that being killed and discriminated on tribal basis is painful. They must accept that calls for Matabeleland breakaway are justified.The triumphant Karanga are busy enjoying the sweatness of power to pay attention to a "cry baby" Zezuru. Their political godfather Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa, otherwise known as the "Crocodile" has earned another nickname, "Honey Pot". Thieves4 #ED congregate around the Honey Pot to taste the stolen resources. Bayakhotha, bayancida uluju. Kudela owaziyo ukuthi kuyophelelaphi.Karangas led by Mnangagwa have replaced the notorious and cruel Zezuru unconquerable grouping with another corrupt, tribalistic and brutal Karanga group to maintain the status quo. No political lesson learnt on their side.At a broader aspect, tribalism is to blame for Matabeleland genocide, Matabele political, economic and social marginalization. The magnitude of the above grievances have driven Matabeles to demand for Matabeleland to break away from Zimbabwe to restore the statehood of Matabeleland that would join the family of nations as The Republic of Matabeleland.To this effect, the President of MLO Cde Paul Siwela has served the government of Zimbabwe with the Notice of Demand for Restoration of Matabeleland State. The President of Zimbabwe Mr Mnangagwa has recognised the demand exactly the same way a bully who is cornered would react. He threatened to kill us if we continue calling for the restoration of Matabeleland.Nkomoists within ZANU pf currently have their eyes fixed on the crumbs that fall from tables of their masters in Harare to notice anything on the political playing field. This group of old people of not more than 15, whose ages are in the wrong side of 70 are not even aware that Kembo Mohadi could be the last 2nd Vice President of Zimbabwe from Matabeleland. They are not aware that due to fast-changing political dynamics in Matabeleland and Zimbabwe, they have lost political value and reference within ZANUpf.The emergence Matabeleland Liberation Organisation that campaigns for the breakaway of Matabeleland from Zimbabwe and the growth of CCC to the status of main opposition in Zimbabwe means that the Unit Accord would be signed between a Shona-led opposition party, probably CCC and ZANUpf. The ZAPU old men and women within ZANUpf must wake up and smell the coffee. They have passed their sell-by date. Positions and ministries that used to be reserved for ZAPU are being taken bit by bit i.e Vice Presidency, Home Affairs and Chairmanship just to mention a few. Come on Madalas, the political scam called the Unity Accord that you hold on to so dearly has died a natural death!Tribalism is a big hammer that is surely destroying Zimbabwe. The world must pay much attention to Matabeleland where angry Matabeles are advocating for the breakaway of Matabeleland from Zimbabwe. Do not be misled by temporary peace that seems to be prevailing on the surface. A lot of agitation is happening underneath. The Notice of Demand For the Restoration of Matabeleland State sent to the President of Zimbabwe is not a bunch of roses to decorate his office. It is a time bomb waiting to explode.Since the death of former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, who was a glue that kept the Shonas together, Zimbabwe has become another Somalia without a central figure as MLO President Cde Paul Siwela accurately predicted. Many Shona groups, Generation 40 (Zezuru- Korekore alliance) Weavils and Lacoste (Karanga), have emerged. The fierce war is about which Shona tribe should grab power, control and steal state resources. Shona people have a DNA of corruption, stealing and witch-craft. No Shona in the opposition or ruling party will ever fix Zimbabwe.No Shona is worried about developing the country. His eyes are fixed on the country's resources to pillage, plunder and empower his own family, friends and tribes men. He is a family man or clansmens man by nature. A country is too vast for him to manage. Worse more Zimbabwe which is a binary state.Izenzo kungemazwi!Vuka Mthwakazi Vuka!Aliqunyweeee!!!Israel DubeMLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs
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Raytheon Manufacturing Company changed its name to Raytheon Manufacturing Company in 1925. After the name change, Raytheon Manufacturing Company began marketing its rectifier. During World War II, Raytheon designed and built magnetron tubes for microwave radar sets. It later went on to construct complete radar systems.

Raytheon's Percy Spencer invented the microwave oven in 1945. While eating lunch, he discovered that the magnetron could rapidly heat food. Raytheon acquired the marine electronics company Apelco Applied Electronics in 1959 and after the acquisition, the company changed its name to Raytheon Company.

In 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, Raytheon's Patriot missile received great international exposure, increasing sales for the company outside the United States. In 1995, it acquired Dallas-based E-Systems. In 1997, it acquired the defense unit of Texas Instruments, Defense Systems and Electronics Group and the defense portion of Delco Electronics (Delco Systems Operations). In 2005, it acquired Boeing's Rocketdyne division.

Raytheon Technologies formed in April 2020 due to a merger between Raytheon Company and the aerospace subsidiaries United Technologies Corporation (UTC). Before the merger, UTC spun off its non-aerospace subsidiaries, including Otis Elevator Company and Carrier Corporation and changed its name to Raytheon Technologies, relocating its headquarters to Waltham, Massachusetts. The company's operations have four main segments: Collins aerospace systems, Pratt and Whitney, Raytheon intelligence and space and Raytheon missiles and defense.

Collins Aerospace Systems is a global provider of aerospace and defense products and aftermarket services for aircraft manufacturers, airlines, general aviation and defense and commercial space operations.

The aerospace segment offers a wide range of products and services, including:

Cabin interiors

Food and beverage preparation

Oxygen systems

Storage and galley systems

Communications and aviation systems

Lavatory and wastewater management systems

Airborne intelligence

Surveillance and reconnaissance systems

Crew escape systems

Test and training range systems

Simulation and training solutions

Information management services

Aftermarket services that include spare parts, engineering and technical support, overhaul and repair, information management services and training and fleet management solutions

The Pratt and Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for general aviation customers, military aviation, commercial jets and business jets. It produces, sells and services military and commercial auxiliary power units.

The Raytheon intelligence and space segment develops and provides integrated space, communication and sensor systems for missions, training and cyber and software solutions to intelligence, defense, federal and commercial customers. This includes advanced sensors, training and cyber and software solutions.

The Raytheon missiles and defense segment designs, develops and produces air and missile defense systems; land-based and sea-based radars; defensive and combat solutions; command, control, intelligence and communications solutions and naval and undersea sensor solutions for the U.S. and foreign government customers.

As a large military contractor, Raytheon Technologies gets a significant portion of its revenue from the U.S. government. The company is committed to innovation and holds an impressive portfolio of over 65,000 patents and applications, making Raytheon Technologies an industry leader in developing advanced aerospace and defense solutions.

Raytheon Technologies is constantly striving to develop new, innovative products and services for its customers and has made significant investments in research and development over the years. Its dedication to research and development has enabled the company to create an extensive range of advanced products and services, including aircraft engines, avionics, aerostructures, cybersecurity, guided missiles, air defense systems, satellites and drones.
Bank of America has a rich history dating back to 1800 and even earlier. It was begun by immigrants as a group of separate and unrelated banks that, over the years, merged and grew together. One such is the Bank of Italy which was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Giannini to serve Italian immigrants that were facing discrimination. He later buys out the Banca de America e de Italia (Bank of America and Italy) which was also located in San Francisco. Over the years additional mergers and changes in Federal banking legislation, as well as the boom brought on by WWI and then WWII, helped boost the bank to national prominence.

Things turned sour, however, in 1998 with a major bond default that led to yet another merger, this time with Charlotte, NC-based Nations Bank to officially become the Bank of America that exists today. At the time, the merger was the largest bank merger in history and the company has only grown in the time since.

Other additions to the new Bank of America include MBNA (a major credit card operator), Fleet Boston (then the US 7th largest and one of its oldest banks), and Merril Lynch, now Merril, which was added to the group in 2008 to provide an investment banking branch. Together the company dominates as one of the Big Four Banks in America. Bank of America lays claim to nearly 11% of all US deposits which ranks in line with its peer group and Bank of America Securities is listed as the worlds 3rd largest investment bank.

Today, Bank of America Corporation provides banking and financial services for individuals, small businesses, institutions, corporations, and governments worldwide. The bank operates in three segments Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management, and Global Banking bringing in a combined revenue greater than $90 billion in 2022.

As of 2022, Bank of America serves approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers. The bank also operates more than 16,000 ATMs and digital banking platforms with approximately 41 million active users.

Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking and investment products for retail clients. These range from deposit accounts to savings, credit cards, consumer loans, and IRAs. The Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and wealth management solutions including, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products. The Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans and leases for businesses of all varieties. The Global Markets segment offers market-making, clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management, derivatives, and FX exchange services.
For those who have a masochistic streak, there are few things more fulfilling than hate-watching awful films and TV shows.

And there are plenty of them: Ben Wheatleys lavish yet weirdly empty adaptation of Rebecca appalled critics and fans alike in 2020, as did fellow period drama adaptation Persuasion.

When the first season of Emily in Paris hit screens, it inspired a deep hatred in critics who condemned it for caricaturing French people as vile snobs.

But fans still inhaled both of these abominations within hours of them arriving online.

Rebecca, Persuasion and Emily in Paris were all brought into the world by Netflix, so it only seemed fitting that we collate a list of the platforms top 20 critical flops here

Television

Emily in Paris

In a one-star review, The Independents critic Ed Cumming listed seven groups of people who would not enjoy this series, and its hard not to fall into one of those categories, one of which is anyone whos eaten a croissant. He also described the titular lead  played by Phil Collins daughter Lily  as obnoxious and her banter as faintly agonising.

Hollywood

Ryan Murphys big-budget, all-star ode to the golden age of cinema should have been a hit, but was near universally panned by critics when it was released earlier this year. The Independents Ed Cumming called the show a big shiny mess, reading: Hollywood can never decide whether it wants to be an aspirational woke-alternate-reality fantasy or a nihilistic black comedy, and its conflicting tones sit uneasily together.

Space Force

(Netflix)

This satirical show starring Steve Carell did not have enough comic content to constitute a whole series, according to The Independents critic Ed Cumming who wrote that the show struggles to get out from under the biggest joke of all, which is that it is based on a real US government department. Its material for a sketch, rather than a whole series, and it would be funnier if it wasnt true.

Insatiable

One of the most controversial Netflix Originals of all time, Insatiable was accused of fat-shaming before it was even released, with over 100,000 people signing a petition calling for it to be cancelled. The show didnt fare much better with critics once it finally aired, with The Independents review reading: Insatiable is more than happy to slap the label of satire over itself with little to no understanding about what it actually entails.

Story continues

Away

In a one-star review for The Independent, Ed Cumming wrote of this sci-fi series: Hilary Swank commits admirably to her role, frankly beyond what she ought to be able to do with the script, but even her shoulders, and the rest of the Atlass crew, arent broad enough to carry us away.

What/If

This gender-flipped version of Indecent Proposal starring Renee Zellweger received a lukewarm critical reception when it was released in 2019. While Zellwegers performance was praised, the show struggled to make a splash, with The Independents Clarisse Loughrey writing that in the end, a deep and meaningful premise is undercut by all the melodramatics.

Marco Polo

This drama about the Venetian merchant and adventurer was ripped apart by The Atlantics Lenika Cruz, who said: A big budget, high hopes, and good intentions it seems wasn't enough to buoy a boring protagonist and flaccid story. The series scored an unfavourable 66 per cent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes  but its audience score was an impressive 94 per cent, making it the perfect hate-watch.

Gypsy

(Netflix)

With Sam Taylor-Johnson directing and Naomi Watts starring as a manipulative psychologist, Gypsy had all the markings of a hit, but received poor reviews on its 2017 release. IndieWires Ben Travers wrote of the series: Intended as an exploration of a middle-aged woman's unrestrained desires, [Gypsy] never elevates its drama to anything thematically challenging or narratively titillating.

Hemlock Grove

This horror series scored a pitiful 38 per cent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The supernatural show about the goings-on in a Pennsylvania steel town was deemed idiotic, tedious, and frequently offensive by Den of Geeks Sarah Dobbs.

Lunatics

Australian comedian Chris Lilley may have found success with Summer Heights High and Jamie: Private School Girl, but the joke was considered to be wearing thin when Lunatics was released in 2019. In the comedy series, Lilley dons a fat suit, plays a seven-foot-tall female student and mocks the transgender community, leading The Guardians Luke Buckmaster to write in his one-star review: [Lilleys] approach has never felt as laboured, or as formulaic, or as devoid of ideas.

Film

Persuasion

With Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding and Richard E Grant at the helm, Netflixs take on Persuasion should have been a hit, right? Wrong. The film was poorly received by critics and Austen fans alike, with The Independents Clarisse Loughrey writing that at no point during Carrie Cracknells directorial debut do you ever get the sense that anyones actually read Persuasion. Amanda Whiting, meanwhile, questioned how the streamer could get Jane Austen so terribly wrong. Ouch...

The Kissing Booth

Netflix has branched into the world of teen movies and romcoms with varying degrees of success, with some receiving critical acclaim (To All the Boys Ive Loved Before, Always Be My Maybe) while others were panned. One such flop is The Kissing Booth, which was condemned for being both cliched and misogynistic, with The Independents Clarisse Loughrey writing in her two-star review of the 2020 sequel that the follow up wasnt as aggressively problematic as its predecessor, at least.

Rebecca

(Kerry Brown/Netflix)

In a two-star review for The Independent, critic Clarisse Loughrey described this adaptation of Daphne du Mauriers classic book as dreary and garish and its lead actors Armie Hammer and Lily James as behaving like two planks of wood. She concluded: This Rebecca is du Maurier reduced to an airport novel.

The Ridiculous 6

This Adam Sandler spoof western was branded unwatchable by critics. Hastily put together with some dodgy CGI, the movie co-stars Terry Crews, Taylor Lautner and Luke Wilson and most of its jokes revolve around donkey excrement.

The Cloverfield Paradox

(Netflix)

The third instalment in the Cloverfield franchise, this JJ Abrams-produced film was a surprise release from Netflix in 2018. However, reviewers generally agreed that it was by far the weakest of the trilogy and struggled to see its connection to the original films, with The Independents Jacob Stolworthy writing: This latest entry has turned the once-burgeoning series into a sham.

Polar

Neo-noir action movie Polar was given one star by The Guardians critic Stephen Snart. He said the film, which stars Mads Mikkelsen as a hitman facing retirement, is full of distractingly explicit violence and it drowns in gore and stupidity.

Brain on Fire

Based on Susannah Calahans memoir of the name, Brain on Fire stars Chloe Grace Moretz as a journalist diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease affecting the brain. But despite featuring a starry cast including Tyler Perry and Jenny Slate, the film was accused of slipping into the well-worn cliches set out in films like The Fault in Our Stars and Five Feet Apart, with Varietys Peter Debruge writing that Moretzs character was the sort of role for which the Razzies were invented.

Death Note

This horror film centres around a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook that gives him deadly powers. The Verges Megan Farokhmanesh said it was weightless and unnecessarily gory, adding: The film is more focused on cyberpunk-esque visuals and crunchy synth than on any kind of substance.

The Silence

(Netflix)

Taking clear inspiration from A Quiet Place but failing to make the same impact as Bird Box, Netflixs The Silence couldnt be saved by stars Stanley Tucci and Kiernan Shipka and was accused of having a poor script and slow pacing. "The Silence is barely a horror movie, and thats its biggest problem, Roger Eberts Brian Tallerico wrote. A horror movie needs stakes, and you just never feel them here.

Secret Obsession

This film has a damning 29 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, but NPRs Linda Holmes implied it could be perfect for a hate-watch. This is a pretty bad movie, she wrote, but it seems to be bad in the way it's meant to be bad. It's cheerfully trashy, and if that's up your alley, have at it.
The following companies are subsidiares of Emerson Electric: A.P.M. Automation Solutions Ltd., AE Valves, AGI Mexicana S.A. de C.V., ALCO CONTROLS spol. s.r.o., APM Automation Solutions, ASC Investments Inc., ASCO (Japan) Company Limited, ASCO L.P., ASCO Numatics (India) Private Limited, ASCO Numatics Holding Inc., ASCO SAS, ASCO Valve (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ASCO/JOUCOMATIC s.r.o., ATX SAS, Advanced Protection Technologies, Aegir Norge Holding AS, Alliance Compressors LLC, American Governor, Aperture, Apple JV Holding Corp., Appleton Electric LLC, Appleton Electric S.A. de C.V., Appleton Group, Appleton Group Canada Ltd., Appleton Grp LLC, Appleton Holding Corp., Appleton Holding Sarl, Artesyn Embedded Technologies, Artesyn Hungary Elektronikai Kft., Artesyn Technologies, Asco AB, Asco Controls AG, Asco Controls B.V., Asco Joucomatic Ltd., Asco Joucomatic ZA B.V., Asco Magnesszelep Kft., Asco Numatics GmbH, Asco Numatics S.A., Asco Numatics Sirai S.R.L., Asco Numatics Sp. z o.o., Ascomatica S.A. de C.V., Ascomation (NZ) Ltd., Ascomation Pty. 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Corporation, EECO Inc., EGS Comercializadora Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EGS Private Ltd., EMERSON CLIMATE TECHNOLOGIES s.r.o., EMR (Asia) Limited, EMR (Mauritius) Ltd., EMR Emerson Holdings (Switzerland) GmbH, EMR Europe Holdings Inc., EMR Foundation Inc., EMR Holdings (France) SAS, EMR Holdings Inc., EMR Worldwide B.V., EMR Worldwide Inc., EMRSN HLDG B.V., EMRSN Process Management Morocco Sarl, ENPDOR2012A Limited, ENPESNA Inc., EPM Tulsa Holdings Corp., EPMCO Holdings Inc., ETC International Holdings Ltd., Easy Heat Europe SAS, Easy Heat Inc., El-O-Matic B.V., El-O-Matic Valve Actuators (F.E.) Pte. 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Ltd., Emerson Ventures Inc., Emerson Vulcan Holding LLC, Emerson Xi'an Engineering Center, Emersub 1 LLC, Emersub 10 LLC, Emersub 11 LLC, Emersub 12 LLC, Emersub 14 LLC, Emersub 15 LLC, Emersub 16 LLC, Emersub 3 LLC, Emersub 4 LLC, Emersub 5 LLC, Emersub 7 LLC, Emersub 8 LLC, Emersub 9 LLC, Emersub CII Inc., Emersub CV Inc., Emersub Italia S.R.L., Emersub LXXXIV Inc., Emersub LXXXVI Inc., Emersub Mexico Inc., Emersub Treasury Ireland Unlimited Company, Emersub XLVI Inc., Emersub XXXVI Inc., Emirates Techno Casting FZE, Emirates Techno Casting Holding Limited, Emirates Techno Casting LLC, Enardo, Endura-Greenlee Tools, Energy Solutions International (India) Private Limited, Energy Solutions International GP LLC, Energy Solutions International Ltd., Energy Solutions International SAS, Energy Solutions International Sub LLC, F-R Tecnologias de Flujo S.A. de C.V., FC QSF LLC, FMC Technologies, Fiberconn Assemblies Morocco Sarl, Fincor Holding LLC, Fire & Safety Group.Com Ltd., Fisher Controles de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fisher Controls International LLC, Fisher Jeon Gas Equipment (Chengdu) Co. 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Ltd., Novel Environmental Technologies Ltd., Novel Extinguishing Agent Technology Ltd., Numatics Incorporated, Nutsteel DHC B.V., Nutsteel Industria Metalurgica Ltda, O.M.T. Officina Meccanica Tartarini S.r.l., Open Systems International, P I Components Corp., PT Emerson Solutions Indonesia, PT. Emerson Indonesia, PT. Paradigm Geophysical Indonesia, Pactrol Controls Limited, PakSense, PakSense Inc., Paradigm, Paradigm (UK) Holding Limited, Paradigm B.V., Paradigm France S.A., Paradigm Geophysical (India) Private Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (KL) Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical (Nigeria) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical (U.K.) Limited, Paradigm Geophysical B.V., Paradigm Geophysical Corp., Paradigm Geophysical Italy SRL, Paradigm Geophysical LLC, Paradigm Geophysical Limited, Paradigm Geophysical Pty Ltd, Paradigm Geophysical S.A., Paradigm Geophysical Sdn. Bhd., Paradigm Geophysical Spain S.L., Paradigm Geophysical de Venezuela C.A., Paradigm Geophysical do Brasil Ltda., Paradigm Geoservices Canada Ltd., Paradigm Geotechnology (Egypt) S.A.E., Paradigm Kazakhstan LLP, Paradigm Middle East FZ-LLC, Paradigm Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Parex Industries Limited, Pentair Valves & Controls, Pentair Valves and Controls India Private Limited, Permasense, Permasense Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, Permasense Limited, ProSys, ProTeam Inc., Progea, RAC Technologies (Israel) Ltd., RIDGID Inc., RPP Europe GmbH, RPP LLC, Rey-Lam S. de R.L. de C.V., Ridge Tool (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Ridge Tool Company, Ridge Tool Europe NV, Ridge Tool GmbH, Ridge Tool GmbH & Co. OHG, Ridge Tool Manufacturing Company, Ridge Tool Pattern Company, Ridgid France SAS, Ridgid Italia S.R.L., Ridgid Online Inc., Ridgid Scandinavia A/S, Ridgid Werkzeuge AG, Rosemount China Inc., Rosemount Inc., Rosemount Measurement Limited, Rosemount Nuclear Instruments Inc., Rosemount Specialty Products LLC, Rosemount Tank Gauging India Pvt. Ltd., Rosemount Tank Gauging Middle East SPC, Rosemount Tank Gauging North America Inc., Rosemount Tank Radar AB, Rosemount Tank Radar Properties AB, Roxar, Roxar AS, Roxar Flow Measurement AS, Roxar Flow Measurement Sdn Bhd, Roxar Limited, Roxar Maximum Reservoir Performance W.L.L., Roxar Saudi Co., Roxar Services AS, Roxar Services OOO, Roxar Software Solutions AS, Roxar Technologies AS, Roxar Vietnam Company Ltd., Roxar de Venezuela C.A., Rutherfurd Acquisitions Limited, S.F.T. Group Ltd., SABO-Armaturen Service GmbH, Safety Systems UK Pte. Ltd., Sakhi-Raimondi Valve (India) Limited, Scroll Compressors LLC, Scroll Mexico LLC, Sempell GmbH, Shanghai Virgo Valves Technology Consulting Co. Ltd., Sherman + Reilly, Soluciones 0925 C.A., Spectra-Tek Holdings Limited, Spectra-Tek International Limited, Spectra-Tek UK Limited, Spectrex, Spectrex Inc., Spectronix Ltd., Spensall Engineering Limited, Steel Support Systems Limited, Stratos Lightwave, System Plast International B.V., System Plast Ltda, System Plast USA de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., TDM-avtomatizatsiya, TV&C GP Holding LLC, Taiwan Valve Co. Ltd., TechnipFMC, Termocontroles de Juarez S.A. de C.V., Tescom Corporation, Tescom Europe GmbH & Co. KG, Tescom Europe Management GmbH, The Automation Group Inc., The J.R. Clarkson Company LLC, Therm-O-Disc Europe B.V., Therm-O-Disc Incorporated, Thunderline Z Inc., TopWorx UK Limited, Tranmet Holdings B.V., Tranmet Holdings Limited, Verdant Environmental Technologies, Vilter Manufacturing LLC, Virgo Valves & Controls (ME) FZE, Virgo Valves and Controls Sdn Bhd, Von Arx AG, Vulsub 1 Limited, Vulsub Brasil Holding, Vulsub Brasil Ltda., Vulsub Chile SpA, Vulsub Gulf Holding Limited, Vulsub Holding III (Denmark) ApS, Vulsub Holding Ltd, Vulsub Holdings A LLC, Vulsub Holdings B LLC, Vulsub Holdings C LLC, Vulsub Holdings D LLC, Vulsub Italia S.r.l., Vulsub Middle East Holdings LLC, Vulsub Peru S.A.C., Vulsub Property Holding LLC, Vulsub Property Limited, Vulsub S.A., Vulsub South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Vulsub VZ C.A., Westinghouse Electric Pvt. Limited, Westlock Controls Limited, Westlock Equipamentos de Controle Ltda., Woodstock Land Company LLC, epro GmbH, iSolera Inc., iSolutions Private Limited, and intelliSAW.

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Lockheed Martin Corporation was formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and is the No. 1 U.S. defense contractor by revenue and market cap. It is the worlds third-largest aerospace company, with 75% of its business in the defense market. Ten percent of Pentagon spending goes to Lockheed Martin, and 50% of its annual revenue comes from the Department of Defense. In 2020, it was the No. 1 recipient of Pentagon spending, at $72.9 billion, more than three times the money spent on the No. 2 U.S. defense player and more than all spent on the second through fourth positions.

Lockheed Martin Corporations roots date back to the Loughead (pronounced Lockheed) Aircraft Manufacturing Company, founded by the Loughead brothers in 1912. By 1920, the first venture had gone bankrupt due to a decline in post-WWI demand, but it restarted in 1926. Investors, including John Northrop of Northrop Grumman Corporation, raised the money to start the Lockheed Aircraft Manufacturing Company. They used technology developed from 1912 to 1920 to produce the Vega, a cutting-edge passenger plane that could seat up to seven passengers.

By 1928, the company made about five planes a week and brought in more than $1 million per year. The Depression cut the bottom out of the aircraft market, and the company fell on hard times. By this point, the founders were out of the business and failed to make a bid to repurchase the company when it fell into receivership. Among the many early successes were the Vega and the Model 10 Electra, both flown by Amelia Earhart, the latter to her end.

The new Lockheed Aircraft Corporation expanded its aircraft lines into World War II, including plans for potential defense aircraft. This planning had the company in an excellent position to win defense contracts when the U.S. entered World War II and helped launch it to its current status. It was also when the company launched the advanced development projects, which came to be called Skunk Works. Skunk Works is responsible for many advances in military technology, including the first kill recorded in jet-to-jet combat. Cold War advances include the C-130, the Polaris Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile System and the iconic SR-71 Blackbird.

Martin Marietta was formed in 1961 by the merger of Glenn L. Martin Company and American Marietta Corporation. The company was an aerospace-focused manufacturer specializing in missiles and missile systems. Projects accredited to it include the Titan and Pershing Missile Systems and the MGM-51 Shillelagh Anti-Tank Guided Missile System.

Today, Lockheed Martin Corporation operates as a security and aerospace company worldwide. It researches, designs, develops and manufactures defense and security systems for government and private use. The company operates in four segments: aeronautics, missiles and fire control, rotary and mission systems and space. The companys other projects include health, renewable energy, energy distribution and nuclear fusion research and development.
GE is a multi-national conglomerate that was originally incorporated in 1892. The company was founded by Thomas Edison as the Edison General Electric Company and shortened its name to General Electric following a merger with two other early electric pioneers. The name was later shortened again to GE. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts but has operations on a global scale. One of the original 12 Dow stocks, the company was a component of the index for 122 years until its ousting in 2018.

Originally intended to make and market Edisons incandescent lamp and following products, the company grew over the years through mergers, acquisitions, and natural expansion into newly created fields. Among the many early accomplishments is the creation of RCA and NBC which will both become forces of their own. Other major innovations include the worlds first turbine superchargers, industrial gas turbine engines, and the first jet engine. In the field of computing, General Electric Company is credited as being one of the 8 major computer companies of the 1960s and shares responsibility for todays digital world. In regard to its employees, two were awarded the Nobel Prize for their work with the company.

Today GE operates as a high-tech industrial company in Europe, China, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through four segments including Power, Renewables, Aerospace, and Healthcare although there are plans in the works to split the company into three separate entities. The three new companies would be GE Vernova (power and renewables), GE Health, and GE Aerospace. The spin-offs are expected to be completed by 2025.

The Power segment offers a variety of turbine engines for power production as well as the full range of services from plant construction to retrofit and refit. The Renewables segment is focused on solutions for renewable energy including wind and hydro and the technology to operate them. The Aviation segment manufactures aircraft engines of all varieties and the Healthcare segment offers technology for imaging, monitoring, diagnostics, and drug discovery to health and medical facilities.

General Electric is committed to helping the world transition to a greener way of life and is exiting the new-build coal-fired power industry. Instead, its advancements in wind, grid efficiency, and natural gas are being deployed around the world helping to reduce emissions and generate cleaner energy for businesses, industry, and communities. The company is targeting 2030 for its own carbon neutrality and 2050 for net zero emissions.
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry.

The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time.

The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services.

Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America.

The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government.

The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans.

Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody.

The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers.
Osaka, Japan. Eloi_Omella/Getty Images

Paul Strug's son was on an EF Tours trip to Japan when the 31-person group ended up stuck in Osaka.

Strug's son had to make a 48-hour journey home that involved four different flights.

Strug told Insider he felt "thrown into the unknown" while trying to get updates.

Paul Strug doesn't usually wear his Apple watch to bed, but he told Insider that the night before his son was scheduled to fly home from Japan, he put it on just in case something came up and his son needed him.

Around 3 a.m. Texas time, his watch vibrated. His son, Brandon, was texting him that he wasn't going to make it on the flight home, Strug said.

Brandon was one of 31 people on an EF Tours trip to Japan. He had traveled across the world with a group of parents, teachers, and students from Carnegie Vanguard High School in Houston, Texas.

With his son stuck in Japan, there was very little Strug could do  and a surprising lack of communication and accountability, he said

A street in Tokyo, Japan. Monica Humphries/Insider

As Insider previously reported, the group had booked their flights home through American Airlines. They were flying with American's partner, Japan Airlines, to get to Tokyo from Osaka, Japan. From Tokyo, the group was meant to take a long-haul flight to Dallas and make a final connection to Houston.

But when they arrived at the airport in Osaka on August 11, they discovered that they didn't have a booking, Trevor Boffone, a teacher on the trip, previously told Insider.

"They had probably eight check-in desks open, and we had all of them taken up at the same time," Boffone said. "I think every employee with Japan Airlines was out and about trying to figure it out. They kept telling us that there was a reservation but there wasn't a booking."

The group was told that American Airlines did not send the flight information to Japan Airlines, and therefore they didn't have tickets to get back home to Texas, Boffone said.

In a statement sent to Insider, Japan Airlines confirmed that the group didn't have tickets for the flight from Osaka to Tokyo.

Story continues

"Unfortunately the flight was already full and we were not able to make a reservation for the passengers on this record," the statement from Japan Airlines said, adding that they "believe the tour agency was aware of that situation."

A representative for EF Tours told Insider that its "booking records have always designated the group's flights as confirmed in our system."

"We regret that the group's flights were disrupted due to what appears to have been a booking miscommunication between American Airlines and Japan Airlines," the tour-group representative said.

American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, Strug said he was back home trying to figure out how  and when  his son was going to get back to the United States.

"We're trying to get information, ask questions, but there was only so much our son was going to be aware of," Strug said.

"It was a little stressful," he added. "You're thrown into the unknown."

Days later, Brandon arrived home, but Strug said he was shocked that throughout the whole situation, he never heard anything from the tour company.

"In retrospect, we acknowledge an email directly from us with more frequent updates would have been helpful. We expect to review these communications policies in light of the group's experience and adjust our approach as necessary," a representative for EF Tours told Insider. "But make no mistake, during those 10 hours we were all focused on working to help resolve this matter and get these students home safely."

EF Tours added that it sought to arrange alternative accommodation pre-departure and communicated directly with the "Group Leader," the teacher coordinating the tour on behalf of the students.

The group finally embarked on a 48-hour journey home that involved four different flights

The Osaka International Airport in Japan. Taro Hama @ e-kamakura/Getty Images

Ultimately, after two days, EF Tours and American Airlines found the group a way home. The group had split into two, and Brandon was taking a 48-hour journey through Bangkok, Thailand; Munich, Germany; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Houston.

Strug said he mainly learned these updates through Tiktok. That's because Boffone had gone viral. He had posted a video recounting the incident and cataloged updates along the way on his TikTok account @official_dr_boffone.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

On Monday evening, Strug was finally able to pick up Brandon from the airport. Luckily, Strug said his son took the entire incident in stride.

"It's a story to be able to tell and an adventure they went on, and a unique one at that," he said. "And there's the comfort of all the kids being back safely."

Read the original article on Insider
Chevron Corporation, through a network of subsidiaries, engages in integrated energy and chemicals operations worldwide. The company is the 7th largest integrated oil company worldwide, the 2nd largest in the US, and has been in operation since 1879. Chevron was part of the original Standard Oil Company and is one of the 34 successor companies that were formed when it was broken up. Today, the company brings in roughly $160 billion in annual revenues and is the last remaining oil and gas component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Originally called Standard Oil Of California the company grew quickly via mergers and acquisitions. It was hailed as one of the Seven Sisters to dominate the US and global production throughout the mid-20th century and became even bigger in 1985 when it merged with Gulf Oil. The merger with Gulf Oil resulted in the rebranding from Standard Oil Of California to Chevron (a brand used by the company outside its California jurisdiction) and then ChevronTexaco Corporation in 2005 when that merger took place. The company rebranded again in 2005 to what we know today as Chevron Corporation.

Chevron Corporation is now based in San Ramone, California, and has operations in 180 countries. The company employs more than 42,500 people who operate 5 refineries and 8,000+ Texaco, Chevron, and Standard Oil service stations in the US alone. The company's Exploration and Drilling operations produced a record 3.1 million barrels per day and its US refineries process more than 1 million barrels per day. At the end of 2021, the company has more than 11.3 billion barrels of proven oil and liquid-equivalent reserves and boasted a 112% reserve replacement rate.

The company operates in two segments, Upstream and Downstream. The Upstream segment explores new reserves, develops known reserves, produces petroleum and gas products as needed, transports, processes, pipes, stores, and markets petroleum worldwide. The Downstream segment refines and markets the full line of petroleum-based products including but not limited to fuels such as gas, diesel, and aviation fuel, as well as lubricants, petrochemicals, and plastics. The company transports products via pipeline, rail, marine vessels, and truck.

Chevron recognizes the need to lower the worlds carbon output and is working toward that end. The companys strategy is two-pronged and includes reducing its own carbon output while investing in green and lower-carbon technologies. The companys goal is to invest $10 billion or more into lower carbon energy sources and technologies by 2028.

Chevron is a Dividend Aristocrat. The company has been paying a dividend since 1989 and it has raised it every year since its inception.






Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said his government has decided to spend more than Rs 2,000 crore to create disaster-resilient infrastructure in various parts of the state. Addressing a gathering virtually at a function at Rabindra Mandap here on the occasion of Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day 2023, he said the government was giving priority to resilient infrastructure and state-wide risk mapping would be undertaken for various disasters. Today, we assemble here to deliberate on our disaster preparedness. We remember the valuable human lives lost during the super cyclone 1999. Since then, we have made significant strides in making Odisha safer during disasters. Today, we are a model for other states and countries to follow, Patnaik said. Noting that the state's efforts for effective disaster management have received wide acclaim, the chief minister said Odisha has been bestowed with the prestigious 'Nataji Subash Chandra Bose Apadaa Prabandhan Puraskar' for 2023 by the Centre. Recalling the train accident at Bahanaga in Balasore that took place on June 2 this year, he said, Altogether 288 people died on the spot, and hundreds of passengers were injured. The state responded quickly. All emergency services were made ready almost instantly. We could save many lives despite serious injuries. The CM said the state was able to save so many lives due to the immediate intervention of local communities, volunteers, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and specialised responders like Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), fire services and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and of course, the tireless efforts of doctors. "The government has now decided to create four regional disaster response hubs at Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rayagada to reduce the response time to any disaster," he said. This year's theme for the Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day' is Empowering Community for Resilient Odisha. As communities are the first responders to any disaster situation, amendments to Panchayat Acts have been made to ensure disaster management planning at the level of PRIs, the chief minister said. "To make the communities resilient, disaster management plans will be prepared in more than 10,000 vulnerable villages," he said. On the occasion, Patnaik called upon all stakeholders and citizens to join hands to strengthen the state's disaster risk reduction initiatives and make Odisha disaster-resilient. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the chief minister said, Odisha's disaster management model has been lauded all over the world for its highest degree of preparedness, efficient response and zero casualty approach during calamities. On #OdishaDisasterPreparednessDay, pledge to further bolster our disaster resilient infrastructure and readiness to protect every precious life. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi said Odisha became the number one state in the country in disaster management. Due to the active participation of local people, the state was able to save many lives in the Bahanaga train tragedy, he said. Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said automated weather forecasting and rain gauge stations will be set up in all panchayats of the state. About 3,000 such stations will be set up with funding from the World Bank, and the remaining will be done by the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC). SRC Satyabrata Sahu said, We are prepared for natural disasters like cyclones, floods etc. However, many people have lost lives in other disasters like lightning, drowning, snake bites, etc. So, we will create awareness among people to tackle such incidents. We will create one man in every household, who can tackle all kinds of disasters. Disaster management has been included in school and college curriculums and the government has decided to train all persons working at the grassroots level, Sahu said. Further, the state government has decided to deploy an ODRAF team in every district. Now, 20 ODRAF units are there in Odisha, he said. Earlier in the day, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) in association with the the Department of Sports and Youth Services organised a mini-marathon here to mark the day.
(Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for U)

Revellers descended on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday to celebrate UK Black Pride.

In what is the events 18th year, LGBTQI+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern heritage gathered in the sunshine to celebrate inclusivity and equality in east London.

At the event, were performers including Miss Banks, DJ Biggy C, and KSoul alongside a community stage where there were a host of panels to discuss different topics.

This years theme was legacy, not just to celebrate the work that has been done before to further inclusivity, but to empower future generations to take the fight for equality further.

(Lucy Young)

Im here to celebrate black pride but also to bring visibility to LGBTQ people of colour. What Im sending out today is we are queer; we are African, and we are here, Amanda Kamanda told the Standard.

Im seeing a lot of diversity in terms of people of colour and all walks of life, and we all have one thing bringing us together and thats black pride.

This event is important for us as LGBTQ people of colour, its important for us to encourage visibility but to also promote unity, people coming together as one community.

Also there was UK Black Prides founder, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, 18 years after she and a group of women travelled to Southend-on-Sea where she realised that there needed to be space created for LGBTQ people of colour.

Although the event has grown into Europes largest celebration of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean heritage LGBTQI+ people, there were calls for greater attention to parts of the world where being gay is still not accepted.

Founder Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (Getty)

(Lucy Young)

Its important for us to be here and its so nice  Im so proud to be LGBT, I really enjoy my life here in the UK.

Our president told us that we should not be in Uganda. We are here to be free, because our President told us if we return, we will be killed, said Nakanyeke Shakirah.

Im not scared anymore; it feels good to be free here. There many from African countries here, from Ghana, from Kenya, from South Africa.

Story continues

We come together, we bond together, we get ideas from each other. I used to be scared, but now Im no longer afraid, I am free, this is a free country, but I want to be even more free than I am now.

(Lucy Young)

Nazir Uddin echoed a similar sentiment, adding: In Bangladesh its illegal to be homosexual by law, and in Bangladesh there are lots if Islamic groups who try to find LGBT and kill them  in Islam its prohibited. You cant be open to anyone, if anyone finds out about your sexuality you will be discriminated against and in most cases killed. This is why no one can promote LGBT rights.

I feel so grateful to be in the UK, in a safe LGBTQ haven, where I can feel free to be myself.
Aaron Hendrickson & Kellie Ceder recently joined Columbus Bank & Trust Company. Hendrickson will serve as an Agribusiness Loan Officer, while Ceder will serve as a Relationship Manager. Both will work towards growing the footprint of Columbus Bank and Trust Company while serving current customer needs.

Hendrickson is a native of Hanover, KS., where he attended Hanover High School. While in Hanover, he grew up on the family farm taking care of Corn, Soybeans, and Cattle. He then attended Kansas State University (Go Wildcats), where he received a degree in Agriculture Economics and minors in Finance and Agronomy. For the last 2.5 years, he has been a Credit Analyst at Bank of the Valley. Prior to Bank of the Valley, he was a Jr. Loan Officer at FNB Washington for 2 years. Hendrickson resides in Columbus with his wife, Lex. When he isnt at work you will find him at Kansas State Sporting events, enjoying outdoor recreation activities, or traveling.

In Ceders previous role, she spent 10 years at FNBO, where she started as a teller and worked her way up to the branch manager position. She led a team of 13 employees, where her main focus was building relationships with all customers and finding the best financial solution. At FNBO, Ceder was a top performer, both as an individual contributor and as a manager.

Ceder is a graduate of Columbus Scotus and holds a degree in Community Health Education from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She also holds a Wealth Management Specialist Certification. Ceder resides in Columbus with her husband, Derrick. They have two boys, Broderick and Brooks.

Hendrickson and Ceder are looking forward to what the future holds at Columbus Bank & Trust Company, as well as how they can continue to impact the community.
The official seal of the Office of the Attorney General of Guam, is pictured Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, at the Guam International Trade Center in Tamuning.
The main entrance to the Guam Judicial Center in Hagatna is shown May 31, 2023.
The Pentagon building is seen in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. October 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
Aug 11, 2023; Bedminster, New Jersey, USA; Former President Donald Trump holds papers showing the projections for the 2024 republican candidate primary polls during the first round of the LIV Golf Bedminster golf tournament at Trump National Bedminster. /Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
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Senators and government officials gather for a budget session Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, at the Guam Congress Building in Hagatna.
There are very few adults who can say they have built their own laboratory, started their own business, attended some of the best universities and written their own book. Ten-year-old Linda Pistun has done it all.

The precocious Pistun has skipped three grades. It is likely that she will graduate high school by 14, possibly with an associate degree.

But age is just a number for the girl.

Shes always up for a challenge. She needs it, and gosh we havent found anything she cant do when she sets her mind to it, Katrina Pistun, her mother, told The Daily Progress.

This summers challenge was taking classes at the University of Virginias Summer Language Institute. Linda Pistuns language of choice was Mandarin, one with which she is already familiar.

She had already been studying Mandarin Chinese for the last few years on her own and through virtual high school classes, Katrina Pistun said. She was only 10, but she very much wanted to study in this UVa program, and they gave her permission to apply. She still had to send in all the same materials, do everything the same, and when she found out that shed been accepted, she was over the moon.

The summer program is an eight-week course, though students can learn up to two years worth of language knowledge, according to UVa. Other languages offered include Arabic, French, German, Latin, Russian and Spanish.

Connecting to her academic peers is not difficult for the little Pistun, according to her mother. She fits into every room she walks into, she said, and is comfortable with anyone who shares an interest.

Shes as comfortable on a playground with same age peers as she is in a college classroom with her academic peers, and she enjoys every aspect of her life no matter what the peer group is, Katrina Pistun said.

UVa was not Linda Pistuns first time in a university setting. So far, she has 18 college credits in math, science and Mandarin Chinese. She has completed courses at Arizona State University and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.

Linda Pistun has skipped first, third and fifth grades. At the end of kindergarten, she flat out told her family she wasnt going into first grade.

She asked for a meeting with her principal and brought in notes and the book that she was reading at the time and told her principal that she did not think she belonged in first grade the next year and got them to do some testing, her mother said. They said that she could have skipped at least two grades at that point, but we let her skip one. And then the next year the same thing happened, and we let her skip again. And the next year the same thing, and we let her skip again.

Linda Pistun is a member of the Davidson Young Scholars for the Highly Gifted as well as the better-known Mensa high-IQ society. Only those who score at or above the 98th percentile on an intelligence test may qualify to join Mensa.

An educational psychologist advised Linda Pistuns family to not share her IQ with her, according to Katrina Pistun. The family wants to avoid comparison to other child prodigies or historical figures, she said.

IQ is not the only thing Katrina Pistun tries to protect her daughter from. Like many parents she had hoped her discuss the birds and bees at an age-appropriate time, she said.

You think as a parent that the best thing you can do is protect your child from everything that youd rather they not see or know or learn about yet  and yet again Ive had to learn as a parent that Linda is the exception to that rule too, Katrina Pistun said. When she found out that she was going to get to go to middle school, but she was going to be four years younger than her peers, she asked me for a book about puberty because she wanted to know and understand everything her classmates were going to be going through even though she was years away from any of that.

The Pistuns began to realize how smart their daughter was when she entered pre-K and showed her family she could already read, according to Katrina Pistun. Another moment of realization was when she 5 and built a full laboratory.

She turned five and she built a laboratory in her bedroom and was doing a mealworm experiment watching the life cycle, Katrina Pistun said. She did some research and found out that mealworms could be the solution to a whole bunch of world problems and started a small business out of her bedroom so that she could keep her mealworms and that became Lindas Lab.

Lindas Lab is now a registered nonstock corporation operating as a nonprofit that aims to use mealworm protein to solve world hunger.

Linda Pistun has partnered with a chef and developed a recipe for high protein mealworm bars with mealworm flour directly sourced from her mealworm farm. Lindas Lab also loans mealworm kits to schools that include a tank, bedding, mealworms and instructions.

The 10-year-olds accomplishments dont stop there.

Linda Pistun has published a book and is in the works on her second, her mother said. Her first book, Linda and the Mysterious Footprints, teaches its readers about the scientific method and carbon footprints.

Linda Pistun is now a rising freshman at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria. She hopes to soon go back to UVa to get her bachelors degree in astrophysics when the time comes  which seems like it will be sooner rather than later.

Eventually, she wants to land a job at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

We are hoping that she will find that challenge, that academic rigor, at TJ and enjoy four full years and graduate high school at 14, most likely with an associates degree, because I have no doubt that shell continue taking college classes along the way because she does that for fun in her free time, Katrina Pistun said. I do hope that TJ, particularly with their space programs, is going to be able to offer her what her brain is looking for and give her the chance to really enjoy all four years.
Yves here. This piece presents some ideas on how to reduce gun deaths without putting formal restrictions on gun use. I still favor the idea of gun licensing, particularly since studies have found that training in gun safety prior to ownership does produce adherence to good practices, while instruction afterwards has no impact on behavior. Admittedly, this article points out that suicide by firearm is a much much bigger cause of death than gun accidents, but I wonder if gun accident statistics include when household members get in a fight and one picks up a gun and fires it (again whether by professed accident or not). In other words, I am sure suicides still greatly outnumber gun accidents, but I wonder how comprehensively the latter is defined.

By Dan Falk (@danfalk), a science journalist based in Toronto. His books include The Science of Shakespeare and In Search of Time. Originally published at Undark

Each year, nearly 49,000 lives are lost in the United States due to gun violence, of which more than half are suicides. More Americans died as a result of gun violence in 2021 (the most recent year for which complete statistics are available) that in any other year on record  though due to the nations growing population, the rate of gun deaths has remained lower than its peak in the 1970s. Youth gun violence, in particular, appears to be on the rise.

For decades, the question of how best to confront the epidemic of gun violence  with policy, law enforcement, education, public health, or a combination  has been fiercely debated and politically contentious.

In 1996, under pressure from the gun lobby, Congress enacted the so-called Dickey Amendment, which prohibited federal money from being used to advocate or promote gun control, effectively blocking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using federal money to conduct research into gun-related violence. But in 2019, lawmakers brokered a deal that clarified the amendments intent, approving $25 million in annual funding for the CDC and the National Institutes of Health to study gun violence through the lens of public health.

Now revived, the field is still in its early stages, and so far there is little evidence of common ground between public health advocates and gun rights activists, and others who dont see gun violence as a public health problem. But there are signs of traction: The American Public Health Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the National Institute for Health Care Management have all adopted a public health approach to the nations gun violence crisis.

David Hemenway, a professor of health policy at Harvard University and director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, advocates for the public health approach, which he explored in his 2004 book, Private Guns, Public Health. Public health is about prevention, he says, while acknowledging the crucial role of law enforcement. Its not a fight about finding fault. Its not about finding who did something wrong. Its about trying to figure out ways to prevent the problem from occurring.

While Hemenway is eager to see more research, databases like the National Violent Death Reporting System, which combines police and medical examiner information on all violent deaths across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System, have already proven to be vitally useful, he wrote in an email to Undark. (Both are maintained by the CDC.)

Our interview was conducted over Zoom and by e-mail, and has been edited for length and clarity.

Undark: The United States has a high rate of gun violence and gun deaths compared to other industrialized countries. Why?

David Hemenway: The big reason is the guns and the gun laws. Evidence indicates that we are really an average high-income country in terms of non-gun violence and crime. So if you look at our overall rates of burglary, or robbery, or sexual assault, or car theft, we do better than some of the other high-income countries and we do worse than others.

But where we are different is we have lots, lots more guns; much greater household gun ownership; and also the types of guns we have. Canada has a fair number of long guns, but we have so many handguns; almost half of our gun stock now is handguns. And we also have all these military weapons that are easy for anyone to get. Then we have by far the weakest gun laws.

UD: Youre known for supporting a public health approach to combating gun violence. What does that entail?

DH: If you ask me for a one-sentence description of the public health approach, it would be: Lets make it really difficult to get injured, or to injure someone, and lets make it really easy to be safe. So for example, I do some work about obesity, and the public health approach to obesity would be, lets make it really easy for people to get healthy food, and make it harder for people to get junk food; lets make it really easy for people to get healthy exercise and make it harder for them to be couch potatoes. And we do just the opposite in the United States.

The public health approach is about prevention. Its not about individuals; its about the population.

We now have a good national system about violent deaths. Every time now that theres a violent death in the United States, a homicide or suicide, theres about 120 pieces of information collected, consistently and comparatively, across all the states and over time.

So were starting to understand more and more about what is happening, what might work, what might not work. And then we try things; youre going to be able to tell, did this really work or didnt this work? So having good data really matters.

UD: Its been difficult in the United States to get federal gun legislation passed. Are there things that can be done at the state or local level?

At the local level, there are so many interesting, exciting initiatives that we think work. Hospitals are having these  it used to be always at level-one trauma centers  somebody would get shot, theyd fix them up and theyd send them back out. And those people are at very high risk for getting shot again or for shooting somebody else. And now what you do is, you have designated entities in the hospital who says, Oh, someone came in for a shooting; what can we do to make sure to help them so that its less likely that they will go back and get shot, less likely that they will retaliate and shoot somebody else?

We have initiatives in Boston trying to reduce the likelihood that women will get involved in gun violence. In the United States, one way that the wrong people get guns is with straw purchasing. So a straw purchaser, basically, youre buying a gun for someone else who wont pass a background check. When a woman buys a gun, she is disproportionately likely to be a straw purchaser, to buying a gun for her boyfriend who shouldnt have a gun.

And whats been happening in Boston is to try to work with womens groups, and women in the inner city and other places, to try to convince them that, look, you should know, and everybody else should know  it should become the social norm  that if your boyfriend asks you buy by a gun for them, illegally, or to hold a gun for them, illegally, youre going to be at real risk. Because if you get caught, you have nothing to trade, because you dont know whats going on, and they can put you in jail  and have put people like that in jail  for many years. And youre also hurting your own community.

So it should be the social norm, that you and everybody else knows, if your boyfriend asked you to do that your response should be Get rid of that boyfriend, because thats really a horrible, horrible thing that theyre doing.

UD: How would a public health approach help reduce gun suicides?

DH: The evidence in the United States that a gun in the home increases the risk of suicide in the home is overwhelming. There are case control studies, there are ecological studies, there are longitudinal studies  theyre dangerous to everyone in the house.

Having guns lying around when someones at risk for suicide is a terrible, terrible thing. Were working now to try to make sure physicians understand that. So if youre a psychiatrist, and somebody comes in, and theyre talking [about] suicide, you should ask not only about their mental health and try to help out, but you should talk directly about guns, and try to get the guns out of the house. And if not, I would argue that thats like malpractice, not to do that now, with what we know.

Ten or 15 years ago, nobody in the in the gun area was talking about suicide. They believed, completely incorrectly, that if you want to commit suicide, youll commit it no matter what, that no ones going to stop you. So my colleague Cathy Barber spent a lot of time working with gun shops, working with gun ranges, working with gun trainers, to try to make a difference about suicide, and has had a lot of success.

Let me talk about the trainers, since thats the most interesting. She got herself invited to this association of gun trainers who were teaching about gun carrying. And you should recognize that Utah is a very red state; it has lots and lots and lots of guns, and very conservative. And she said to these trainers, You know, youre trying to do a really good job talking about gun accidents, but did you realize that for every accidental gun death, there are 85 gun suicides in Utah? And they said, What? That cant be right!

And then she said, Raise your hand if you know someone who accidentally killed themselves with a gun, and a couple of hands go up; Raise your hand if you know someone who killed themselves with a gun in a suicide  and every hand goes up, because theyre all these old White guys, and thats whos the biggest risk for suicide.

Then she said, could we work on this, to try to do something, maybe have a module that you might use, because how many people here are talking about suicide? Nobody. And they said, Alright, lets work together. And they work together, and they create this module. And they love it  they think its the best thing.

UD: Youre a scientist, you talk about these datasets and policy based on evidence. So, is it working? Youve given some very positive examples, but I wonder if the issue is just that when we turn on the TV, the news is terrible.

DH: No, things have gotten worse in the United States. More people are carrying guns, theres more military weapons out there, gun ownership rates have increased a little bit. A lot of bad things are happening. Politically, its been very hard because one of our two parties is aligned with the gun lobby. So its hard. But what I would say, from a public health standpoint, is that theres a lot of good things happening, but also, that theres been so many successes in public health over the last 150 years.

From the sanitation revolution in the 1800s, to immunizations, to the United States reducing smoking, you name it  there are so many good things. But all of these things took a long time. Even getting physicians to wash their hands took about 20 years before they would do that.

But people who believe in public health have pushed and pushed and pushed until suddenly things tip. Its three steps forward, two steps back, but its always been, overall, this incredible movement toward having richer, happier lives.
Virginia State Police have said charges are pending after a fatal car crash on U.S. 29 in Greene County that left one older motorist dead.

The collision occurred at 11:21 a.m. on Wednesday near the intersection of U.S. 29 and Commerce Drive, authorities said.

A 2016 Ford Transit van was traveling east on Commerce Drive. As it pulled across Route 29, it pulled into the path of a northbound 2007 Ford Explorer and the two vehicles collided. The impact of the crash caused the Ford Explorer to run off the road and strike a building, police said in a statement released Friday.

The driver of the Explorer, 66-year-old Roland Jackson of Madison, died at the scene; he was not wearing a seat belt. A 62-year-old female passenger who was wearing a seat belt was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, police said.

The driver of the van, 40-year-old Brooks S. Travis of Gordonsville, was not injured in the crash. He was also not wearing a seatbelt.

Police said an investigation is ongoing while charges are pending.
NOT YET OFF THE HOOK: Alec Baldwin could face charges again as second expert analysis concludes he pulled the trigger

Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of a Western film in New Mexico two years ago, a second expert analysis of the revolver has concluded.

Four months after involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dropped, the 65-year-old actor could face charges once again. (Related: D.A. says criminal charges possible in shooting on Alec Baldwin movie set.)

Experts in ballistics and forensic testing based in Arizona and New Mexico used replacement parts to reassemble the Colt .45 fired by Baldwin. Parts of the pistol were broken during earlier testing by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

After examining the gun and the markings it left on a spent cartridge, the new report concluded that the trigger had to have been pulled or depressed.

"This fatal incident was the consequence of the hammer being manually retracted to its fully rearward and cocked position followed, at some point, by the pull or rearward depression of the trigger," the report concluded. "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."

In an e-mail on Tuesday, Aug. 15, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said that a formal announcement on whether to refile charges against Baldwin is forthcoming but did not say how soon.

Baldwin claims the gun accidentally went off. The lead actor of "Rust" said the gun fired accidentally after following instructions to point it toward the 42-year-old cinematographer who was behind the camera in rehearsal.

"[Hutchins is] guiding me through how she wants me to hold the gun for this angle," Baldwin said during an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "I'm holding the gun where she told me to hold it, which ended up being aimed right below her armpit. So, I take the gun, and I start to cock the gun. I'm not going to pull the trigger."

"And I cock the gun; I go, 'Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?' And then I let go of the guns hammer, and the gun goes off," he added.

Baldwin is the oldest and best-known of the four Baldwin brothers in the acting business. He has eight children and is a member of the Democratic Party.

He played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice" (1988), Mike Nichol's "Working Girl" (1988) and Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio" (1988).

Baldwin gained attention for his performances as Jack Ryan in "The Hunt for Red October" (1990) and in "Glengarry Glenn Rose" (1992). He has also received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Donald Trump on the long-running sketch series "Saturday Night Live."

Film's armorer charged

While Baldwin got a reprieve, the film's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the case. She pleaded not guilty. Her trial begins in December.

Assistant director David Halls, who reportedly handed the gun to Baldwin without checking it, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon in March.

He was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, and required to take a gun safety course.

Read more stories about celebrities at CelebrityReputation.com.

Watch this interview where Alec Baldwin says he never pulled the trigger on the gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Alec Baldwin responds after being charged with manslaughter in the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Alec Baldwin shooting incident being investigated as a criminal investigation, not an accident, sheriff confirms.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

USAToday.com

KTul.com

Brighteon.com
NATO secretary-generals chief of staff proposes ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership

Stian Jenssen, chief of staff to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, has suggested ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for joining the Western military alliance

"I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory, and get NATO membership in return," Jenssen said during a panel debate on Aug. 15 in Arendal, Norway.

But Jenssen then added that the issue of Ukraine's status within the military bloc is already being discussed by NATO member nations and will be taken up and decided by Ukraine alone after its conflict with Russia ends. He noted, without naming them, that some other countries within NATO have also raised the possibility of Kyiv ceding some territory, either in exchange for NATO membership or for a lasting peace with Moscow. (Related: US, NATO using discredited domino theory to justify sending even more taxpayer-funded arms shipments to Ukraine.)

Jenssen's comments marked the first time that a high-level NATO official has suggested that Ukraine should consider ceding territory to Russia. But the official line of NATO and its main backer the United States still has not changed, and that is for Russia to withdraw from all territory it has occupied in internationally-recognized Ukraine, which would include giving up Crimea, which has been governed by Russia since 2014.

Jenssen immediately backtracks comments

Jenssen's comments during the panel debate were picked up by Norwegian newspaper VG. Within hours of publication, Ukrainian officials were in an uproar.

"Trading territory for a NATO umbrella? It is ridiculous," tweeted Mykhailo Podolyak, an influential adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He added that exchanging territory for NATO membership would mean "choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law and passing the war to other generations."

He then added that anything other than a "crushing defeat" for Putin will result in "Russia's appetite for more."

"Completely unacceptable," said Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministery. "Consciously or unconsciously, the involvement of NATO officials in shaping the narrative about the possibility of the withdrawal of Ukraine from their territories plays on the hand of Russia."

For its part, Russian officials said they would not accept any hypothetical land trade in exchange for Ukraine's membership in NATO.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said Ukraine "would have to give up even Kyiv itself" for Russia to accept its membership into NATO, highlighting how this is a red line for the Kremlin.

In a follow-up interview with VG the following day, Jenssen walked back his previous comments.

"My statement about this was part of a larger discussion about possible future scenarios in Ukraine, and I shouldn't have said it that way. It was a mistake," he said.

"It is completely Ukraine's independent right to decide," he added. "I think the most important thing now is that we support the Ukrainians."

This apology notably does not retract the idea that a land-for-NATO-membership deal could ultimately be on the table in future peace negotiations  and this has made Ukrainian officials concerned.

"These comments prove that our worries have ground, that there are some discussions to use NATO membership as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Russia," said one Ukrainian official who spoke with Politico on condition of anonymity.

Learn more about ongoing conflicts around the world, including the one in Ukraine, at WWIII.news.

Watch this episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses the 10 things that will happen if NATO and the United States launch a ground war against Russia.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

China warns Japan and other countries against backing NATO's expansion into the East and Asia-Pacific region.

Chinese ambassador to Russia claims peace with Ukraine is impossible if NATO continues expansion plans.

The outcome of Ukraine's war with Russia will determine whether it achieves NATO membership.

WW3 GUARANTEED: NATO summit unveils plan to accelerate Ukraine membership.

Ukraine's Zelensky loses it after being told NATO will not admit his country and immediately start WWIII.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

KyivIndependent.com

Politico.eu

TheGuardian.com

Brighteon.com
Flash mobs brazenly rob luxury retailers in Los Angeles as city fails to hold thieves accountable

A major flash mob recently attacked a Nordstrom department store at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Los Angeles in a brazen example of a trend that has been taking place throughout California.

In the Saturday afternoon incident, a group of around 50 looters descended upon the store with face masks and hoodies obscuring their faces, smashing display cases, overturning mannequins and displays, and dragging goods out of the store  some of them still attached to security cables.

One employee who witnessed the robbery instructed shoppers to run and hide inside a back room in case the thieves became violent. She described the sound of the stores glass display cases being thrown onto the floor as being like gunshots.

Some of the robbers attacked security guards who were trying to deter them using bear spray. According to authorities, the group stole as much as $100,000 worth of merchandise.

They focused their attention on high-end purses, clothing and jewelry that commands a good price on the black market.

As outrageous as this incident sounds, it wasnt the first flash mob robbery to take place in Los Angeles County over the past two weeks. In a previous incident, a mob entered an Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale, stealing around $300,000 worth of merchandise before escaping in 20 cars from the Americana at Brand Mall. On July 31, 10 to 15 hooded individuals ransacked the Gucci store at Westfield Century City Mall and stole $100,000 worth of handbags. In other recent incidents, flash mobs robbed a fine wine store in Venice and a jewelry store in La Verne.

Another mass robbery took place just a few days after the Nordstrom attack, with a dozen people wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts ransacking displays and stealing around $100,000 worth of clothes and merchandise from a Ksubi luxury denim clothing store on South La Brea Avenue. One of the suspects confronted unarmed guards who tried to intervene, gesturing to imply he had a handgun in his pocket in an attempt to threaten the security team.

L.A.'s progressive policies and zero cash bail are emboldening thieves

Crime has been skyrocketing in Los Angeles thanks to progressive policies reducing the threshold for making arrests and zero cash bail. Many of the criminals who carry out these types of robberies do so in the belief that they are unlikely to be held accountable for their actions, with many who are arrested being released the same day.

The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, has called for the thieves to be held accountable, however. She stated: Those who committed these acts and acts like it in neighboring areas must be held accountable. The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work to not only find those responsible for this incident but to prevent these attacks on retailers from happening in the future.

On Thursday, Bass announced a regional task force is being set up to stop this behavior and hold thieves accountable for their actions.

She acknowledged the fact that many people have been avoiding going shopping out of a fear of being caught up in a violent robbery scenario. She said: "No Angeleno should feel like it is not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles. No entrepreneur should feel like its not safe to open a business in Los Angeles," adding that retail theft is not a victimless crime.

The task force will include several police departments from the area, as well as the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and California Highway Patrol. There will be 22 full-time investigators assigned to the force, and a district attorney will be assigned to manage the charges for suspects who are arrested.

However, many Californians remain concerned that any charges simply wont stick given the citys track record. Officials have said that the parties involved will be held in jail if they are hit with retail theft charges, but those facing grand theft charges could be released on bail.

Sources for this article include:

MSN.com

NBCNews.com

FoxBusiness.com
Disbanded J6 committee failed to safeguard evidence on Capitol Hill security failures, GOP Oversight subcommittee chair exposes

A Republican lawmaker has exposed that the House select committee that oversaw the January 6 Capitol "riot" failed to adequately preserve documents , data and video depositions, including communications it had with the Biden White House. In fact, the now-disbanded committee even destroyed much of what it collected over more than a year of investigation, arousing speculations of a cover-up and another "hidden agenda."

It also was not able to provide any evidence that it looked into Capitol Hill security failures on the day of the riot, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight for the Committee on House Administration, told Fox News Digital, which was the first news outlet to release the story.

As per Loudermilk, no evidence was ever indexed, and there was no table of contents index. This is irregular because, at this level of investigation, a database should have been established. All information is digitized and indexed. "We got nothing like that. We just got raw data," Loudermilk said. "So, it took us a long time going through it and one thing I started realizing is we don't have anything much at all from the Blue Team [which was to have investigated security lapses]."

Loudermilk further disclosed that the "Blue Team" was dissolved before it could probe the issue of security lapses at the Capitol. According to him, the "hidden agenda" of the committee is to put the blame on former President Donald Trump. And true enough, the ex-POTUS has since been indicted for allegedly inspiring the riot.

"We've got lots of depositions, we've got lots of subpoenas, we've got video and other documents provided through subpoenas by individuals. But we're not seeing anything from the Blue Team as far as reports on the investigation they did looking into the actual breach itself," he said. "What we also realized we didn't have was the videos of all the depositions."

Moreover, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol was convened by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi under chairman Rep. Benny Thompson. Though the committee was to have been composed of eight Democrats and five Republicans, Pelosi rejected two GOP nominees and handpicked two anti-Trump Republicans instead.

The committee also spent millions of dollars on its extensive staff of lawyers, including former prosecutors. It conducted over 1,000 interviews of witnesses who testified, usually under oath, in closed-door depositions and only a few were called to testify publicly at hearings. All of these were reportedly scripted, with committee members reading from teleprompters. Videos and transcripts were made, but only a few clips were shown to the public, and only a few transcripts were released, Loudermilk revealed.

Republicans also suspected that the committee was communicating with President Joe Biden's White House, and with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to perhaps circumvent witnesses' procedural rights in obtaining material for future prosecutions.

McCarthy already demanded J6 committee preserve all records right after the midterms

Back in November 2022, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy wrote Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House select committee, shortly after GOPs won the House back in the midterm elections, demanding that it preserve all records and transcripts. The House Administration Committee also made a similar request to Thompson. McCarthy vowed to hold hearings this year on the security failures that led to the U.S. Capitol breach.

"It is imperative that all information collected be preserved not just for institutional prerogatives but for transparency to the American people," he wrote. "The American people have a right to know that the allegations you have made are supported by the facts." Back then, Thompson and committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) wrote to the White House and said they would, by law, preserve all of the committee's materials, and that they would pass into the custody of the National Archives.

But in a letter to Loudermilk, the Democrat lawmaker admitted that the committee had not preserved what he called "temporary" materials, which included videos and transcripts that were not used "in public hearings or official publications" of the committee, or to "further its investigative activities." (Related: STAGED: Viral video reveals cops went undercover as Antifa in the crowd during J6 U.S. Capitol protest.)

Experts slammed them for squandering millions and the time they spent gathering raw evidence. Conservative radio host Mark Levin pointed out that the committee's destruction of its own records is an attempt to obstruct future Republican investigations of its work.

Naturally, this effectively denied Trump access to the evidence, which may potentially help his defense in the criminal prosecutions that the committee itself had urged the DOJ to launch. And it also prevented other witnesses from clearing their names.

According to Breitbart, this action may be a personal move against Loudermilk. The committee accused him publicly of helping the rioters by giving a tour of the Capitol on the day before the January 6 event. Thompson and Cheney claimed to have evidence implicating him. "It was only because Capitol Police were able to review surveillance footage that they were able to conclude that Loudermilk had done nothing wrong, and wrote to the committee to exonerate him, saying that the representative had just been showing constituents around," the article read.

Meanwhile, the DOJ has not launched any investigation on Thompson or the committee for their destruction of documents.

Bookmark Deception.news for more stories about how big government is turning tables on who is to blame about Jan. 6 Capitol rally.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

FoxNews.com

Edition.CNN.com
COINCIDENCE? Maui neighborhood was winning against catastrophic wildfire until water was deliberately cut off

The Lahaina residents, using their own water hoses, battled hard with the raging wildfire in Maui to help out the local fire department when the blaze jumped containment near a residential neighborhood. At one point, it appeared they were winning until the water supply was cut off

Ross Hart, a resident of Maui for the last 40 years, recalled how he and his neighbors were fighting, keeping the blaze at bay, keeping it off of the properties, then the water shut off. "Even the firemen that were patrolling could not refill their trucks. The fire just grew. The sparks started blowing over, and it just beat us in the end," Hart lamented. After the water went out, he said there was nothing they could do but to get in their cars and leave the place, only to come back in the morning to see the whole place all burned down and leveled.

He told the New York Times, "You can't fight fire when you don't have water Just throwing dirt on it doesn't cut it."

According to the report, the blaze took root among homes along the hillside nearly a mile above the center of town and the fire crews encountered increasingly feeble water pressure, with the wind turning the streams into mist. Then, as the fire stoked by hurricane-force gusts grew, roaring further toward the historic center of town on the island of Maui, the hydrants sputtered and became largely useless.

Firefighter Keahi Ho confirmed: "There was just no water in the hydrants."

Another resident, Edwin Lindsey III, a firefighter who also lost his home to the fire, sits on the county's Board of Water Supply. According to him, he spoke with a firefighter who said it had been demoralizing for crews to watch the advance of the fire with little ability to slow it. Lindsey said he hoped that the water issues, one of several challenges the community faced, including a struggle to evacuate all residents, would be part of a larger discussion about lessons from the fire.

The news outlet further said that the water system in Lahaina relies on both surface water from a creek and groundwater pumped from wells. The local and state officials blame the persistent drought conditions combined with population growth so they claimed to be exploring ways to shore up water supplies. A new well was dug two months ago to increase capacity, they said.

Reports list this occurrence as the "deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century and the worst natural disaster in the state of Hawaii's history."

Last week, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Hawaii, unlocking emergency assistance for the island, including grants for temporary housing and home repair and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses. According to Hawaii Governor Josh Green, more than 500 hotel rooms and 435 donated rentals are available to temporarily house people and Airbnb will provide more than 1,000 units.

First-hand witnesses believe the disaster was planned

Investigators believe that the deadly wildfire that raged under control started due to electricity failures and not by natural causes.

Mikal Watts, who has won millions of dollars in settlements in other wildfire cases, commented that all evidence  videos, witness accounts, burn progression, and utility equipment remaining  points to Hawaiian Electric's equipment being the ignition source of the fire that devastated Lahaina.

People were also wondering as there were no outdoor warning sirens set off by either local or state emergency agencies. The locals only depended on emergency warnings via mobile device alerts, local radio and TV stations, and Maui County's notification system for subscribed residents, which they believe were not adequate.

An anonymous whistleblower, who was informed by someone in the Mayor's office, came out to reveal that developments are being kept from the public.

"The number of fatalities is expected to be more than 500 but less than 1000," the source allegedly told the whistleblower. "Many of the fatalities will be children who were at home because they canceled school. Parents worked and were not there to evacuate the children. Kids had no idea they needed to leave and by the time they noticed their homes or apartments were on fire, it was too late."

It was further disclosed that the government is worried about how people will react when they learn that the fire department left the fire earlier in the day and claimed it was 100 percent contained knowing that the winds were expected to be 70mph by the afternoon. The fire department should not have left the original fire unattended.

The emergency sirens were not activated (hurricane sirens) and loss of life could have been kept down by better emergency management which utterly failed, the whistleblower added.

According to the source, they plan to lock down Lahaina for several months. This was met by more elaborate "conspiracy theories," such as the one that an 'energy weapon' used to control the weather had unleashed the blaze. The motive cited was to allegedly further the "smart cities" agenda, a move spearheaded by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

A fire survivor also said that "This was not a natural disaster," and raised questions about how the fire started.

Disaster.news has more stories related to this.

Sources for this article include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

NYTimes.com
NOTHING NEW HERE: Poll shows 52% of Americans DISAPPROVE of Biden

A new survey has revealed that 52 percent of respondents  more than half  disapprove of how President Joe Biden is doing his job as the chief executive.

The survey conducted by National Public Radio (NPR) and Marist College polled 1,220 adults between Aug. 11 and Aug. 14. It found that 52 percent of all adult respondents disapprove of Biden's performance. In contrast, only 41 percent of overall adult respondents say Biden is doing his job well.

The president's disapproval rating was more pronounced along party lines. An overwhelming majority of respondents who identified as Republicans  91 percent  are dissatisfied with his work. The same sentiment was seen in respondents who identified as independent, with 55 percent expressing dissatisfaction with Biden's performance.

Bryan Richardson of the DC Enquirer put in his two cents about the poll revealing strong disapproval against the incumbent president.

"It's easy to see why," he wrote. "While [former President Donald] Trump sought to Make America Great Again (MAGA), Biden has done nothing to help the American people. While we had a strong border under Trump, we have open border extremists running things with the Biden administration in charge. While Trump patriotically sought to promote our American values, Biden has propagated woke ideology from the highest office in the land."

Richardson also zoomed in on the dismal approval Biden received from both independents and GOP voters. His 91 percent disapproval rating from the latter was "scary  for a president who is looking to score his second term." Meanwhile, Biden's 55 percent disapproval rating from independent voters  who Richardson described as "the bread and butter of big Democratic wins in the past"  should be a call for the president to "improve these numbers."

Despite the dissatisfaction toward Biden, the NPR-Marist poll found that he has a one-point lead of 47 percent against Trump's 46 percent if the 2024 elections were held at that moment.

Separate poll shows Trump with HUGE lead against other GOP candidates

A separate article by Richardson dated Aug. 17 expounded on another poll, this time by business intelligence company Morning Consult. The survey conducted between Aug. 11 and Aug. 13 found that Trump has a huge lead against other GOP presidential candidates with 51 percent.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was a distant second to Trump with 16 percent. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy landed in third place with nine percent, while Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence landed in fourth place with seven percent.

Three candidates  former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)  sat at fifth place in the Morning Consult poll with three percent each. The sixth place was also occupied by three candidates  former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez  with one percent each.

Noting the 41-point gap between the former president and the Florida governor, Richardson wrote: "While DeSantis is a popular governor and has achieved profound success in the Sunshine State, his campaign has yet to generate the momentum necessary to make the race competitive."

The Morning Consult poll also found that Trump "is viewed favorably by 76 percent of [GOP] voters." DeSantis and Ramaswamy also shared that favorable view among the voter base, with 65 percent and 55 percent approval ratings, respectively.

"Even with recent indictments, Trump has managed to be a unifying figure for [the GOP] and voters are rallying around the 45th president in record numbers. As such, [he] is in as strong of a position with [GOP] voters as ever. Trump is still the decisive leader in the [GOP] field, and he and his campaign show no signs of slipping up," Richardson wrote. (Related: Poll: 55% of independents find Trumps indictment politically motivated  because IT IS.)

"The MAGA movement is thriving, and [GOP] voters continue to appreciate Trump's America First vision for the nation at large. If other [candidates] want to bridge the gap between them and Trump, they will need to change their strategy big league."

Visit JoeBiden.news for more stories about Joe Biden's consistently dismal satisfaction rating in polls.

Watch Owen Shroyer of InfoWars explaining President Joe Biden's gaffes that contribute to his tanking approval rating.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Survey: 75% of people in Joe Biden's America believe the country's economy is GETTING WORSE.

CNN Poll: Joe Biden's favorability rating drops to lowest point yet amid bribery allegations.

Survey: 71% of Americans believe Joe Biden is TOO OLD for a second term.

Joe Biden's favorability rating the lowest of any U.S. president in 70 years.

Survey: Only 37% of Democrats want a second Biden term.

Sources include:

YourNews.com

MaristPoll.Marist.edu [PDF]

DCEnquirer.com 1

Pro.MorningConsult.com

DCEnquirer.com 2

Brighteon.com
PROXY WAR: RFK Jr. says the West provoked Putin to invade Ukraine

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) thinks the West provoked Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine

According to the Democratic presidential candidate, the public was presented with a comic book depiction that can be seen in every war. "There's a bad guy who's like, you know, unspeakably evil, who's planning world conquest or a terrorist attack on America, and we have to be the good guys and go in and stop it," he said during an explosive interview with Tucker Carlson on Monday, Aug. 14.

The West promised Russia to not move the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) "one inch" to the east in 1992, but it was broken just five years later.

"The alliance went on to move not one inch but 1,000 miles, [adding] 14 countries," RFK Jr. said. "This included putting nuclear-ready missile launchers  [that] can take Tomahawk missiles into Poland and Romania. From this proximity, we could in 12 minutes decapitate the entire leadership of Russia."

The move to bring Ukraine to NATO proved to be the last straw that forced Russia into action. He said bringing Ukraine to NATO was a clear "red line" for Russia, which repeatedly warned it would go to war to prevent all of this.

"The Russians were invaded three times through Ukraine. The last time they were invaded, Hitler killed between 20 and 40 million Russians. Hitler killed one out of every seven Russians," RFK Jr. explained. (Related: Hungarian official: Pro-war EU wants Ukraine conflict to continue.)

America is actively working on bioweapons

Asked by Carlson about the rationale of having biolabs in Ukraine, RFK Jr. gave a stunning revelation. "Because we're actively working on bioweapons," RFK Jr. asserted firmly, revealing the unsettling truth about the purpose of these biolabs.

He highlighted the utilization of cutting-edge synthetic biology, CRISPR technology and advanced genetic engineering techniques that were unavailable in previous generations, yielding the potential for creating profoundly alarming bioweapons.

Tracing the historical backdrop of this development, he pointed out that after the enactment of the Patriot Act in 2001, substantial funding was directed toward bioweapons by the Pentagon.

However, there was a sense of apprehension due to the potential violation of the Geneva Conventions, which was considered a grave offense.

To address this, the responsibility for biosecurity was transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases led at the time by Anthony Fauci.

Fauci, who retired in December, assumed a central role in bioweapons development. He received a substantial 68 percent salary raise from the Pentagon, making him the highest-paid official in the American government at the time.

According to Kennedy, Fauci established laboratories across the U.S. to facilitate this operation. However, in 2014, the leakage of three of these microbes sparked public outcry, leading to congressional hearings. The gravity of the situation prompted 300 scientists to implore then-President Barrack Obama to halt Anthony Fauci's endeavors, fearing the creation of a microbe capable of triggering a global pandemic.

Consequently, Obama implemented a moratorium, discontinuing the 18 most concerning experiments conducted by Fauci. But the infectious disease expert simply shifted a significant portion of his operations offshore, many of which found their way to Ukraine.

Visit WWIII.news for more stories about conflicts between nations around the world.

Watch this video about NATO preparing for war to "save Ukraine."

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

West dead set on hastening start of World War III after approving heavy tanks for Ukraine.

Russia braces for war with NATO and the West as more nations pledge military aid to Ukraine.

Russian foreign minister Lavrov claims West has prevented Ukraine from taking part in peace talks, now almost in a real war with his country.

The West knew Ukraine began its counteroffensive with INSUFFICIENT training and weapons.

Sources include:

Lifesitenews.com

Brighteon.com
Russia making progress toward goal of MASS PRODUCING combat drones to rival Ukraines Western-supplied drone fleet

Russia is making very good progress toward its goal of mass producing combat drones to counter Ukraine's Western-supplied drone fleet, which has been terrorizing Russian civilians far outside of combat zones for months.

According to reports, Moscow is working on creating its own version of the Iranian Shahed-136 unmanned aerial combat vehicle. (Related: Autonomous KILLER BOTS to dominate battlefields soon as war in Ukraine leads to significant advances in drone technology.)

The Shahed-136 can carry a 118-pound explosive payload toward a target programmed before its launch. It has a range of between 1,100 to 1,500 miles. Russia began using the Shahed along with other Iranian drones when it received its first shipment of drones from Tehran in the summer of 2022.

Russian drones have struck military targets deep within Ukrainian territory and have had a devastating impact on the country's war effort. The country's domestic and Iranian-made drones have successfully degraded Ukraine's air defenses and have allowed Moscow to preserve its more expensive stockpile of precision-guided missiles.

"Those drones are much cheaper to produce compared to the damage they cause, and this is a problem," admitted Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In the past three months alone, Russia has successfully attacked Ukrainian military targets with more than 600 Shaheds that were primed to self-destruct.

Russia to build 6,000 drones by summer 2025

Now, Russia is making great headways in creating its own version of the Shahed manufactured domestically.

Documents have revealed the existence of a facility deep within Russia, in the Tatarstan region's Alabuga Special Economic Zone. The documents show that the facility's engineers are not only trying to manufacture Russia's own version of the Shahed but are also attempting to improve on Iran's dated manufacturing techniques using Russian industrial expertise.

Combining the existing technology behind the Shahed with Russian manufacturing expertise, the goal of this facility is to domestically build 6,000 drones by the summer of 2025. If successful in the endeavor, this would be enough to reverse the Russian Armed Forces' chronic shortages in combat and non-combat drones on the frontline, thanks to the steady stream of drones the West is flooding into Ukraine.

The Post's current estimates suggest that the Alabuga facility is at least a month behind its schedule, thanks to the embargo against Russia and Iran depriving them both of critical components for manufacturing drones.

Currently, the facility is only capable of reassembling drones provided by Iran. Its manufacturing capacity is limited to making only drone bodies, and researchers suggest that the facility is only able to manufacture a little over 100 drones per month.

Despite the delays, former United Nations weapons inspector David Albright noted that when the Alabuga facility is complete, it could have "a drone developmental capability that exceeds Iran's."

"Russia has a credible way of building over the next year or so a capability to go from periodically launching tens of imported Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian targets to more regularly attacking with hundreds of them," said Albright.

Learn more about the use of drones in warfare at DroneWatchNews.com.

Watch this short report on the capabilities of the Shahed-136 and what Russia is doing to modify and modernize the drone.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Zelensky warns war is coming to Russia as Moscow downs three more Ukrainian drones.

Fully autonomous KILLER DRONES now closer to reality as rapid development of AI continues.

Instance of AI-powered drone killing human operator did not actually happen  but it is a plausible scenario.

Pentagon plans to launch a program that will develop DRONE SWARMS.

Drone use is widening in Ukraine, bringing with it potential dawn of robotic killing machines.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

MSN.com

Brighteon.com
HYSTERIA 2.0: Scientists call for the return of face masks as they raise alarm over new COVID variant BA.6 that has a lot of MUTATIONS

Scientists are calling for people to start wearing face masks again amid a worrying Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) variant "mutation."

The warning comes as the latest data showed that EG.5, a subvariant of omicron, now accounts for 1 in 10 COVID cases - while the number of people recorded with the virus jumped from an estimated 3.3 per 100,000 to 7.2 in less than a month.

But a brand new variant referred to as BA.6 has led some to fear that a bleak coronavirus picture could emerge in the weeks ahead.

While it has only been found in two countries so far, Denmark and Israel, one expert has claimed the new sub-strain is already showing an alarming tendency to mutate  noting that it has left a number of her peers concerned. Experts believe that 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, 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 from the University of Oxford, tweeted that "it looks like it's once again time to MASK UP" but also acknowledged that she understood "little of the detail."

Christina Pagel, professor of operational research at University College London, said it was "very early" but conceded that the variant [BA.6] has a "lot of new mutations that make it very different to previous omicron strains."

In a recent opinion piece in the British Medical Journal, Pagel wrote that it was "reasonably certain that we have entered another COVID-19 wave." But Pagel noted that while the variant was growing in prevalence and appeared to be better at evading the immune system, there was no evidence that it can cause more severe diseases.

She added that one of her main fears was that COVID infections could create strain on the National Health Service (NHS) by occurring at the same time as influenza infection and respiratory syncytial virus, as seen last winter.

There was also the "less likely" scenario of a new, undiscovered variant emerging, which could overwhelm people's resistance to the virus. Pagel warned that waning immunity could mean a larger wave of new infections.

"It will probably cause a wave of more cases and all the problems that bring  [such as] more hospitalizations and long COVID  but [there is] no reason at the moment to think [that will be] worse than previous waves this year," she said.

Virologist Stephen Griffin, a professor at the University of Leeds, said that while the prevalence of the variant was increasing relatively slowly in the U.K., its infectiousness and ability to evade antibodies meant that the number of cases could grow more rapidly when schools return and people go back to work and university after the summer.

John Edmunds, an infectious diseases expert at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the new variant may well cause an increase in incidence but added that "successive waves of omicron sub-variants has been the pattern for the last 18 months now."

No official guidance for face masks has been issued by government or public health authorities in the U.K. since the legal requirement to wear a face covering ended on January 27, 2022.

Some experts say there's no need to reinstate pandemic-era restrictions

Some experts told Mail Online that the emergence of a new variant "is not surprising." They said it is far too early to panic and argued that pandemic-era restrictions won't be needed.

"If it is BA.6, that means it probably isn't that different from what has gone before and so unlikely to be an important threat but time will tell," said Paul Hunter, a respected vaccine science and infectious disease specialist at the University of East Anglia.

He added that 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.

"There is no indication that we need to change our practices at present." (Related: The science is undeniable: Face masks do NOT stop COVID transmission.)

Visit Pandemic.news for more stories about COVID-19.

Watch this video about face mask dissection.

This video is from the Alex Hammer channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Study: Wearing face masks in classrooms makes "no significant difference" in preventing COVID-19 infections.

Yale professor scoffs at the idea that mask mandates are based on science.

Study: Face masks do more harm than good, especially in children.

Sources include:

Mirror.co.uk

DailyMail.co.uk

Brighteon.com
Skittles panders to Black Americans while selling them prepackaged diabetes

A pack of Skittles contains 45 grams of sugar, the equivalent of 11 teaspoons. 11 teaspoons. Imagine shoving a spoon into a bag of sugar and eating 11 teaspoons without vomiting. Mars Wrigley, the company that makes Skittles, manages to sell a colorful concoction containing 45 grams of sugar that wont make you vomit. Thats the good news.

(Article by B.L. Hahn republished from TheFederalist.com)

The bad news is that consuming excess amounts will dramatically increase your risk of diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, black Americans are 60 percent more likely than whites to be diagnosed with diabetes. What does this have to do with Skittles? Mars recently released a new version of Skittles with the phrase black trans lives matter on the packaging.

Type 2 diabetes is attributable to lifestyle choices and genetics, both of which influence the prevalence of the condition across various demographics. These rational and fact-based explanations make the left squirm and offer no opportunity to demonize their political opponents, so theyre blaming the difference in diabetes rates on racism. Mars is a decidedly left-wing company, but oddly enough it isnt the least bit concerned about its sugar-laden products contributing to alarming rates of diabetes among black Americans.

When your products are primary contributors to the obesity and diabetes epidemics, you can rightfully point out that nobody is forced to consume candy or other unhealthy food. As a defender of free markets, I embrace this thinking. But if you sell nutritionally defunct garbage that causes some of your customers to become sick with life-threatening illnesses, what you cannot do is claim to be uniquely virtuous and deeply concerned about the well-being of your customers, especially when your own (flawed) logic suggests your products are exacerbating so-called health inequities.

There is nothing evil about selling candy, as many people enjoy it in moderation, but there is something cynical and evil about playing on the emotions of black Americans by way of racial advertising as you sell them products you know to be severely detrimental to their health.

Mars is supposedly still a candy and food company, but you wouldnt know that if you visited the Instagram page of Mars Global, which is dedicated entirely to promoting left-wing causes. Mars is also the maker of what used to be called Uncle Bens Rice until the company removed Uncle Ben from the box and rebranded it as Bens Rice. At the time, Mars issued a statement saying, Weve listened. Weve learned. Were changing. Considering this was three years ago, I think its safe to say that refusing to sell junk food that drives the epidemic of diabetes was not part of Mars newfound enlightenment.

Mars is not alone. Other corporations selling equally harmful food products have chimed in to demonstrate their faux morality and supposed obsession with the plight of black America and other minorities.

James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola, was apparently devastated over Georgias voting law that passed a couple of years ago, suggesting it was unacceptable and a step backwards. Opponents of the law claimed it was intended to attack the voting rights of black Americans. Their reasoning goes something like this: If a law disproportionately affects a group of people, it is by default problematic (by that logic, laws against murder are problematic). Quincey believes that requiring a photo ID to vote is unacceptable because, according to people like him, black Americans cant figure out how to get an ID. On the other hand, Quincey finds it totally acceptable to sell a product that by his own logic disproportionately affects the health of the very people he claims to care about, as blacks are more likely than whites to consume sugary drinks.

Like most large corporations, Coca-Cola has an entire section of its website dedicated to cliche sloganeering replete with left-wing buzzwords that together are the language of Americas credentialed but increasingly dimwitted corporate leadership class. Coca-Cola wants to make clear that they really, really care about minorities. They know who their customers are, and because they know black Americans are more likely than white Americans to consume sugary drinks, they demonstrate their commitment to racial equity by including only the most wholesome ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and caramel color. I know what youre thinking, its too good to be true  they must be compensating by skimping on the sugar. Nope! One 20-ounce bottle is packed with 130 percent of your recommended daily sugar intake.

Kelloggs, maker of some of Americas favorite sugary breakfast cereals, also dedicates a portion of its website to preaching about their morals, stating that they are making sure tangible and intangible barriers are removed to ensure our companys practices in the workplace, marketplace, and communities are best in class.

Its unclear what these tangible barriers might be. We are to assume Kelloggs was forcing certain employees to work while literally chained to a desk, or while trapped in some sort of enclosure. Who writes this stuff? The landing page of Kelloggs website brags about being one of the original plant-based well-being companies, the implication being that eating meat is so evil that anything that is not meat is by default worthy of admiration. As sellers of a plant-based product, big tobacco will be thrilled with this news.

You may recall that Quaker Oats (under the umbrella of PepsiCo) was feeling guilty about Aunt Jemima syrup a few years ago and decided to finally do something about it. What kept them up at night wasnt the fact that their syrup is nothing more than a lab-created ooze laced with harmful ingredients that have nothing in common with actual maple syrup. That part they were fine with. What upset them was the racist imagery featured on the bottle. I dont have the exact numbers in front of me, but my quick math shows that approximately three black people in America had Aunt Jemima syrup on their list of concerns, and something like 10 million white leftists were having nervous breakdowns over it.

Whether its Mars putting black trans lives matter on a package or the rebranding of rice and syrup, these choices are nothing more than a symbolic sleight of hand intended to appease the neurotic activists within and outside these organizations while exempting themselves from their own ideological standards. These objectives have nothing to do with helping black Americans and everything to do with leftists making themselves feel better.

A contemporary theory suggests that this type of corporate wokeism is intended to improve ESG scores by impressing the likes of Blackrock and Vanguard, which in many cases is probably true, but we should not over-emphasize this factor. Leftism in corporate America predates ESG, and even smaller privately held companies that have no ESG score will peddle left-wing nonsense with the same vigor.

While some corporations have bled bottom lines by giving into ideological impulses, Im going to go out on a limb here and say that Mars cares more about its sugar empire than they care about black lives. As Homer Simpson famously said, First you get the sugar, then you get the power, and Mars guards its sugar pile with the vigilance of Homer while hoping their increasingly sick customers dont notice that it was accumulated at the expense of their health.

Read more at: TheFederalist.com
The Oregon State Board of Nursing revoked a Linn County nurse's certificate in August.

Disciplinary documents show the board alleges Devon Greshler, a certified nursing assistant and Lebanon resident, abandoned his patients and failed to cooperate with the board's investigation into the matter.

According to the documents, Greshler was reported to the board for patient abandonment on or around July 12, 2022, prompting an investigation.

The board found on July 7 of that year, Greshler had quit without notice during the middle of his shift, leaving his ID badge taped to a manager's office door without notifying his supervisor.

The board requested an interview with Greshler on March 15 as part of its investigation. According to the documents, however, Greshler didn't contact the board. The board requested another interview on March 30 but received no response.

On June 22, the board sent Greshler a notice of its intent to revoke his assistant nursing certificate, while giving him 20 days to request a hearing. He didn't respond to that notice either, according to the documents.

The board ordered to revoke his certificate on Aug. 16.
Thousands of children were injured by DTP vaccine lots that were 14 times more toxic and contained cholera antigens

Not all vaccine lots are created the same. When a greater volume of adjuvant is used in a vaccine, it can cause more numerous and more serious side effects. The adjuvant (usually aluminum salts) is the ingredient used to augment an immune response in the individual. Likewise, vaccine manufacturers can accidentally mix up or mislabel the type of antigens used in a vaccine lot. The antigen is the weakened, killed, or live pathogen (virus or bacterium) that is used to generate a specific B-cell immune response in the individual.

Vaccine manufacturers may inadvertently add more antigen and/or adjuvant during the manufacturing process, generating thousands of vaccines that are different from the ones originally tested for safety and effectiveness. Vaccine manufacturers may also add the wrong type of antigen to a vaccine lot, or there could be errors in the labeling, shipping, and handling of the final product. These issues were at play in the 1960s and 70s, when DTP vaccines were causing clusters of brain damage and death in infants.

Some vaccine lots are more reactive, cause brain damage to children

In the 60s and 70s, the DTP vaccine was poorly manufactured. Designed to prevent diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), the DTP vaccine actually caused more serious health issues in some infants.

According to an investigation into British drug company Glaxo Wellcome, some of these vaccine lots were actually 14 times stronger and more toxic than the vaccine lots originally tested for safety and effectiveness. Back in the 1970s, infants born in the UK were administered bad vaccine lots, many of them containing cholera antigens and high dose adjuvants that were not designed for their body weight and blood volume.

When doctors began reporting more cases of brain damaged infants, the UK Department of Health commissioned Professor Gordon Stewart to analyze suspect DTP vaccine batches. According to the manufacturer's records, there were two suspect DTP vaccine lots that turned out to contain cholera antigens. These infamous lots  84998 and 83607  contained thousands of doses of cholera that were injected into babies between 1972 and 1974. These batches were linked to a serious rise in convulsions and other serious adverse events reported in babies.

The vaccine lots were 14 times more potent than the standard dose established by the British government. Another 14 batches were never put through necessary toxicity tests, leading to thousands of babies being poisoned all across the UK.

(Related: PURE EVIL: Notorious vaccine company covered up SIDS clusters by strategically distributing suspect vaccine lots around the country.)

Family fights for over two decades for compensation for their son's DTP vaccine injury

One of the injured babies was Kenneth Best. The UK government granted Kenneths family 2.75mil pounds in 1993, after the family fought back against the vaccine manufacturer following their childs brain injury. The injury occurred back in 1969, when Kenneth was administered an extremely toxic dose of the whooping cough (DTP) vaccine.

After the vaccine, Kenneth became nonverbal, self-harming, incontinent and displayed severe mental and emotional underdevelopment for his age. The court described Kenneths condition as if he was irreversibly frozen as a six- to 18-month-old child. Kenneths symptoms are typical of a severe autism diagnosis, which has become more prevalent over the past three decades.

The Irish Supreme Court awarded compensation to the boy, and the judge accused Glaxo Wellcome of negligence and poor-quality control in their laboratories. Further investigation by Denis Naughten, senior Irish MP, found that Glaxo used an even more toxic version of the DTP vaccine (batch 3732) at around the same time. This batch was used on hundreds, if not thousands, of babies.

With these revelations, dozens of British parents, formerly silenced, came forward with accounts of vaccine injury in their babies. In the end, Glaxo paid up for Kenneth's serious injury, but the company did not admit to fault. The company insists that their vaccines are safe and important for preventing the targeted diseases. This is the same line parroted by media outlets and governments around the world, but the reality is that children are suffering from more extensive chronic diseases now, and families are challenged with vaccine-induced brain damage, neurodevelopment disorders and autism in their children.

Sources include:

Inversionism.substack.com

Web.Archive.org
The endangered lapwing bird returned to a farm in Northern Ireland after five years of work, which involved the successful eradication of invasive species, and bog rehabilitation.

Two Breeding Lapwing Pairs on a North Ireland Farm

At the Lecale Fens special area of protection, just outside of Downpatrick, two breeding pairs of endangered lapwing birds have been observed for the first time in years.

The bird is a priority species for Northern Ireland and is red-listed on the Irish list of birds of conservation concern.

Ulster Wildlife's efforts in collaboration with local farmer John Crea led to the breakthrough.

Because of the loss of wetland habitat and modifications in farming methods, the number of lapwings has decreased during the past 40 years.

Successful Bog Rehab

A variety of habitats are needed for the bird to reproduce, but it prefers open, bog-like places with bare ground or sparse vegetation and avoids areas with heavy cover.

Innovative responses

Since 2018, Ulster Wildlife has been employing amphibious machinery in collaboration with the farmer, specialized contractors, and invasive species to remove scrub from Lecale Fens, including rhododendron.

Conservation efforts have been going on for five years, according to Ulster Wildlife's Simon Gray, a peatland conservation officer.

Gray claims that in the past, the region was maintained by grazing or burning to prevent vegetation from overtaking and drying out the fen, but due to climate issues related to peat burning and risks to animals from deep water, the farm had to come up with new and imaginative methods.

Gray and his team are happy that Lecale Fens is returning to a healthy state after their restoration efforts five years later are paying off for biodiversity.

Gray predicted that the modifications would have an impact on other types of fauna, including dragonflies, snipe, and silver hook moths.

Crea expressed his happiness at the sight of the lapwing returning to his farm and flourishing so well. He expects the birds to return the next year to breed again.

In order to rehabilitate large-scale regions of degraded peatland as well as designated peatland habitats, Ulster Wildlife collaborates with landowners throughout Northern Ireland.

The goal is to assist in restoring the wide variety of species that once called these places home, as well as the numerous advantages peatlands offer, such as carbon sequestration and flood avoidance.

With over 75% of Northern Ireland's land being used for agriculture, Gray continued, farmers and landowners must have the support they need to help reinvigorate nature on a landscape scale, with peatland sites like these playing a crucial role in addressing nature and climate issues.

Also Read: White Peacock: Geting to Know These Rare Pets with Unique Genetic Mutation

Endangered Lapwing Bird Species

This relative of the lapwing is a critically endangered breed in Kazakhstan and spends the winters in eastern Africa is a relatively infrequent traveler to Britain and Ireland.

The lapwing is a huge wader (shorebird) that is attractive and striking and has a long, wispy crest. It is comparatively widespread in open environments, including marshes, grasslands, and farmlands, as well as locally on coastal mudflats. declining in certain locations as a result of changing land use. From the end of summer to the beginning of winter, flocks of several hundred or more form locally.

It has boldly patterned plumage appears black and white overall, yet in favorable light, the back has green sheen. When mating, it descends deeply and flies with deep, fairly floppy wingbeats. Unlike most waders, it has wingtips that are noticeably large and rounded.

Related Article: Shoreline Bird Roseate Spoonbill Back to Wisconsin After 178 Years, Draws Flock of Bird Watchers
The weather outlook in the United Kingdom showed that rain conditions and thunderstorms could be likely in the region this weekend.

People in the U.S. and Ireland with travel plans should monitor the weather outlook this weekend before leaving their houses.

Storm Betty is forecast to unload stronger winds and heavy rain outlook this week. People in low-lying or flooded areas should consider monitoring for the rapid rise of sea or floodwaters.

Storm Betty in U.K and Ireland

According to the Irish Meteorological Service, Storm Betty is forecast to unleash challenging weather conditions in the U.K. and Ireland.

The troublesome weather conditions could likely unload in the following areas:

Wales

Southwestern Coast

Northern Ireland

Southwest Scotland

Southwest England

Kent

East Anglia

East Sussex

Gale conditions are also present. Rough seas or rip currents are also possible due to the weather conditions. Lightning could unfold anytime.

In addition, motorists with travel plans should observe the latest road conditions to prevent travel headaches. Slower commutes and travel disruptions could be likely this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Met Office forecast said a strong wind outlook and heavy rain could be possible. On Friday, thunderstorms could hit parts of the West and Southeast.

On the weekend, heavy rain rounds could likely be in Northern Ireland and Scotland. On Sunday, a cloudier outlook will unfold.

From August 23 and September 1, dry conditions and a warmer outlook could emerge in the Southeastern U.S.

Next week, the weather could improve, with sunny spells and a low chance of rain. Average temperatures could be ideal for people with outdoor or summer plans.

Also Read: Central U.S., Midwest Weather Forecast: Hotter Weather, Dry Conditions to Unload This Weekend

Hurricane Hilary in parts of the U.S

Weather forecasts were monitoring the developments of Hurricane Hilary in the following:

Baja California

Mexico

Southwestern U.S.

Homeowners should check the weather, as thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rain. Chance of flooding is possible.

Based on the National Weather Service (NWS), rain conditions could unload in the Southwestern U.S. A tropical Storm Watch was issued in parts of Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Forecasts observed three tropical waves in the Atlantic Ocean, especially in the Gulf of Mexico.

Furthermore, the NWS Weather Prediction Center reported that dangerous heat could impact parts of the Southeastern and Central U.S. until early next week. Oppressive heat could unload in Texas and parts of Central Plains.

While some parts of the U.S. could experience wet conditions, the challenging heat could cause heat-related health concerns, including heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Homeowners should avoid prolonged exposure to the heat, especially next week. It is advisable to keep it at home and limit outdoor activities.

Related Article: Hilary Strengthens to Hurricane: Major Flash Flooding Likely in Southwestern U.S., California

For more similar stories, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Pele shared her rage; passionate she boiled   Poet Mathew Wetter on Hawaiis fire goddess

I visited Lahaina, back in the day. My girlfriend and I pitched a tent and camped on the beach just south of town, where ginormous hotels now block access to the water.

We wandered downtown and bought T-shirts and sampled the local cuisine. We visited the charming Lahaina Heritage Museum, with its priceless artifacts from the time when the town was the first capitol of the united islands under king Kamehameha, from the whaling days and from the colonial era.

Always thought Id get back there someday.

While in Hawaii, I learned a bit about the alteration of nature. Plush, copious waterfalls on the western end of the Big Island (Hawaii) dried up entirely in late summer, as all the water was diverted to irrigate sugar-cane plantations.

Once-thriving cattle ranches were drying up too, as the economy of the islands was increasingly dominated by tourism, and beef from other countries undercut Hawaiis export markets.

The demise of the ranches, which had altered much of the natural terrain, didnt seem especially disturbing at the time  unless you were a rancher, of course. Without cattle tromping all over the land, I figured it would eventually return to something resembling its original condition.

What I didnt know is that those cattle were mostly eating Kikuyu grass, a species imported from Africa because of its primo grazing properties.

Described as an aggressive and vigorous perennial by the University of Hawaiis Cooperative Extension Service, the invasive grass can grow an inch per day, and outcompete native plants for turf, sun and water. So when the cattle stopped eating it, the Kikuyu grass spread quickly.

According to University of Hawaii wildfire expert Clay Trauernicht, there are thousands of acres of uninterrupted grasslands in Hawaii. A big patch of those grasslands was on the slopes above Lahaina, growing right up to the edge of the community.

Enter climate change.

Hawaii has been suffering from an extended drought since 2008. But although there has been less rain overall, the rains, when they come, tend to be heavy. So the Kikuyu grass grows quickly when it rains, then gets very dry, loading the fields with fuel that has fed numerous previous wildfires. Additionally, there was a flash drought, a sudden, intense dry period, that began a few weeks before the Lahaina fire.

Reenter climate change.

At the time of the Lahaina fire, Hurricane Dora was making its unusually long trek eastward over the Pacific, passing about 700 miles south of Maui and creating a low-pressure zone in its wake.

At the same time, there was an unusually strong high-pressure zone north of the Island. From that zone powerful winds, gusting to 63 mph, moved toward the low-pressure zone  that is, across Mauis grassy highlands and down the slopes toward Lahaina.

Then: A downed power line? Barbecue embers? Sparks from a truck?

University of Hawaii's Trauernicht has advocated for the prophylactic repurposing of the grasslands for local agriculture, releasing some hungry goats, and creating firebreaks of cultivated pineapples. This would cost  as much as one or two condo buildings in town?

He was ignored.

And now 100 are dead, thousands homeless, history, culture and charm gone  forever.

Only the Kikuyu grass will recover quickly.

In our new era of intensified climate change, thousands of towns have vulnerabilities similar to Lahianas. Their flood maps are out of date and their dams are aging. They sit at the edge of a rising sea, or an encroaching, tinder-dry forest. What were once acceptable levels of risk are now potential disasters.

Lahiana has warned them. Will they act before its too late at our ecological house?
Ujwal Jalali By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A 14-year-old girl was rescued from the clutches of two kidnappers who had abducted her for Rs 50 lakh ransom, a senior Delhi Police official said on Friday. According to the police, the teenage girl was lured on Instagram by the accused, identified as Ravi Kumar and Akash, who promised to get her established in Nepal as a fashion designer.

Sharing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) said that a complaint was received from a man on August 16 who reported that his daughter, who studies in class 9, went for tuition in Janta colony and did not return home. When they tried calling her number, her phone was switched off.

The family searched at the tuition centre and nearby areas but could not locate her. At night they received a ransom call of Rs 50 lakhs from their daughter's phone by some unknown person threatening that if they do not pay she will be harmed, the DCP elaborated.

The father of the victim approached the police after which a case of kidnapping was registered and as many as six teams were constituted to nab the accused.

During the course of an investigation, one of the suspects was identified as Ravi Kumar. With the help of technical assistance, analysis of CCTV footage and secret information, the suspect Ravi was nabbed by the police from a place near Kashmiri Gate when he was trying to take a train to Bihar.

On exhaustive interrogation of the suspect Ravi, it was revealed that he and Akash after making the plan, got in touch with the victim on Instagram and enticed her to go to Nepal for fashion designing. Once they got hold of the girl they threatened to harm her and her family and placed a demand of Rs 50 lakhs to the father of the victim, the DCP confirmed.

The accused Ravi, on stringent interrogation, finally disclosed before the police that the girl had been held captive in the house of another accused, Akash, in Loni, UP, where a police team conducted a raid and safely rescued the girl.

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NEW DELHI: A 14-year-old girl was rescued from the clutches of two kidnappers who had abducted her for Rs 50 lakh ransom, a senior Delhi Police official said on Friday. According to the police, the teenage girl was lured on Instagram by the accused, identified as Ravi Kumar and Akash, who promised to get her established in Nepal as a fashion designer. Sharing details, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) said that a complaint was received from a man on August 16 who reported that his daughter, who studies in class 9, went for tuition in Janta colony and did not return home. When they tried calling her number, her phone was switched off. The family searched at the tuition centre and nearby areas but could not locate her. At night they received a ransom call of Rs 50 lakhs from their daughter's phone by some unknown person threatening that if they do not pay she will be harmed, the DCP elaborated.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The father of the victim approached the police after which a case of kidnapping was registered and as many as six teams were constituted to nab the accused. During the course of an investigation, one of the suspects was identified as Ravi Kumar. With the help of technical assistance, analysis of CCTV footage and secret information, the suspect Ravi was nabbed by the police from a place near Kashmiri Gate when he was trying to take a train to Bihar. On exhaustive interrogation of the suspect Ravi, it was revealed that he and Akash after making the plan, got in touch with the victim on Instagram and enticed her to go to Nepal for fashion designing. Once they got hold of the girl they threatened to harm her and her family and placed a demand of Rs 50 lakhs to the father of the victim, the DCP confirmed. The accused Ravi, on stringent interrogation, finally disclosed before the police that the girl had been held captive in the house of another accused, Akash, in Loni, UP, where a police team conducted a raid and safely rescued the girl. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Prasanta Mazumdar By

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: At a time when Parliament was debating the burden of refugees from Myanmar, the neighbour had sheltered more than 400 refugees from strife-torn Manipur in a Buddhist monastery near Tamu. These refugees  a large majority of them Meiteis from the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in the Kuki-majority Tengnoupal district  had escaped to Myanmar three months ago when the ethnic violence broke out on May 3. They started returning to Manipur in small batches from May itself.

Informing about the return of the Meitei citizens via a post on X (Formally Twitter), CM Biren Singh wrote, "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis), who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil."

Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil.



A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. August 18, 2023

"A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen HS Sahi, and CO of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service."

Altogether 212 of them  the last and largest batch  were brought back to India on Friday. They are now lodged at an Assam Rifles camp in Moreh and will be taken to the Imphal valley soon.

It was the locals and monks of Bodhi Toya Monastery in Myanmar who provided the refugees from India with food and shelter for over three months.

Brojendra Meetei, who is among those brought back on Friday, told this newspaper some 400 Meiteis had fled to Myanmar on the night of May 3 when tribal mobs started attacking and burning down the houses of Meiteis.

I was in the Moreh bazaar when the violence erupted. Most Meiteis fled to police stations and camps of Assam Rifles. Some 400 of us entered Myanmar at midnight and took refuge at the houses of some Meiteis we knew. The next morning, we went to stay at the houses of some Nepali (Gorkha) residents of Myanmar, Meetei, a businessman, said.

He said these Myanmar nationals had advised them to go to a safer place as the military was carrying out an offensive against pro-democracy forces. So, we all started walking and went to Tamu, 4 km away. We walked for another 3 km and took shelter at a Buddhist monastery, Meetei said.

Myanmar nationals, he said, provided them with ration while the monks ensured shelter and drinking water. The monks also arranged a vehicle for the refugees for movement during medical emergencies.

Meanwhile, the Army said necessary administrative support in terms of shelter, food, and medical care was being provided to the people. They have been kept at a defence establishment.

Persistent endeavours of Assam Rifles in close coordination with Civil Administration and Police ensured the safe return of 212 persons including 89 women & 37 children from Myanmar to Moreh Camp of Assam Rifles in #Manipur, the Armys Nagaland-based Spear Corps wrote on X, previously Twitter.

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GUWAHATI: At a time when Parliament was debating the burden of refugees from Myanmar, the neighbour had sheltered more than 400 refugees from strife-torn Manipur in a Buddhist monastery near Tamu. These refugees  a large majority of them Meiteis from the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh in the Kuki-majority Tengnoupal district  had escaped to Myanmar three months ago when the ethnic violence broke out on May 3. They started returning to Manipur in small batches from May itself. Informing about the return of the Meitei citizens via a post on X (Formally Twitter), CM Biren Singh wrote, "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis), who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil." Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil. A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); });  N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) August 18, 2023 "A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen HS Sahi, and CO of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service." Altogether 212 of them  the last and largest batch  were brought back to India on Friday. They are now lodged at an Assam Rifles camp in Moreh and will be taken to the Imphal valley soon. It was the locals and monks of Bodhi Toya Monastery in Myanmar who provided the refugees from India with food and shelter for over three months. Brojendra Meetei, who is among those brought back on Friday, told this newspaper some 400 Meiteis had fled to Myanmar on the night of May 3 when tribal mobs started attacking and burning down the houses of Meiteis. I was in the Moreh bazaar when the violence erupted. Most Meiteis fled to police stations and camps of Assam Rifles. Some 400 of us entered Myanmar at midnight and took refuge at the houses of some Meiteis we knew. The next morning, we went to stay at the houses of some Nepali (Gorkha) residents of Myanmar, Meetei, a businessman, said. He said these Myanmar nationals had advised them to go to a safer place as the military was carrying out an offensive against pro-democracy forces. So, we all started walking and went to Tamu, 4 km away. We walked for another 3 km and took shelter at a Buddhist monastery, Meetei said. Myanmar nationals, he said, provided them with ration while the monks ensured shelter and drinking water. The monks also arranged a vehicle for the refugees for movement during medical emergencies. Meanwhile, the Army said necessary administrative support in terms of shelter, food, and medical care was being provided to the people. They have been kept at a defence establishment. Persistent endeavours of Assam Rifles in close coordination with Civil Administration and Police ensured the safe return of 212 persons including 89 women & 37 children from Myanmar to Moreh Camp of Assam Rifles in #Manipur, the Armys Nagaland-based Spear Corps wrote on X, previously Twitter. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Online Desk

Amid growing incidents of gun violence in recent years, India's state-owned defence company has launched the country's first long-range swing revolver 'Prabal' for civilians and arms dealers.

Manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL) based in Kanpur, the Prabal revolver boasts of a firing range of up to 50 metres, which the company claims is "twice the range of other revolvers."

The single and double-action 'Prabal' revolver weighs 675 grams (excluding cartridges). It has a chrome-platted barrel length of 76 mm and an overall length of 187.7 mm.

AWEIL's officiating director Rajiv Sharma said the .32-bore revolver is capable of accurately hitting targets up to 50 metres away. "This range is more than double that of other revolvers currently in production, establishing Prabal as a frontrunner in the field of long-range handguns," he added.

"The feature that sets Prabal apart from its counterparts is the incorporation of a side swing out cylinder. This innovative design element eliminates the need to fold the firearm for cartridge insertion, simplifying the reloading process and enhancing user convenience," he said.

What does India's gun law say and who can own firearms?

The gun control laws in India are among the most stringent legislations in the world. According to the Arms Act of 1959, the possession, sale, manufacture and export of firearms without a valid license is outlawed and is punishable with a fine and jail term.

Under the Arms Act, firearms are classified into two categories  Prohibited Bore (PB) and Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) firearms. PB weapons comprise of fully and semi-automatic firearms and other specified types of firearms that are issued only by the Centre for certain groups of people, while NPB weapons are firearms issued by the government for civilians.

Only, defence officers, high-ranking government officials and select shooters can hold PB weapons while civilians are only granted a licence to hold NPB weapons. According to the Arms Act, a maximum of two firearms can be issued per license.

In order to hold a firearm in India, the individual applying for a license must be a citizen of this country and must be a minimum of 21 years of age. Guns can only be utilized for three purposes  sports, crop protection and self-defence.

For a self-defence license, an individual must provide proof of a threat to life. However, this can also be cited with respect to protection from wild animals in certain cases. The individual must also detail a record of their criminal behaviour (if any) as the law prohibits gun ownership for civilians sentenced to imprisonment on charges of violence for five years.

Upon submitting the application, police will take two months to perform background checks, assess the individuals mental health and criminal history. They will also evaluate any threats claimed and the individual's competence to handle firearms.

Amid a spate of gun-firing incidents

The revolver's launch comes at a time when India continues to witness a surge in civilian-triggered gun violence and deaths.

From the killing of an Imam during the recent communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh and Gurugram to the gunning down of a journalist in Bihar's Aria district last week, gun violence continues to be a growing problem in India.

On August 17, two people were killed and six others were injured when a person who works as a bank security guard opened fire on them from his double-barrel gun after an altercation over pet dogs in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city.

In the past week, India's top court had expressed concern over multiple incidents of gun violence across courts in Delhi and called the situation "appalling."

However, gun violence is not restricted to civilians as well.

An RPF constable gunned down his senior officer and three Muslim passengers on a Jaipur-bound train near Maharashtra's Palghar station on July 31. While officials claim the motive behind the crime is not clear, the constable has a past history of harassing minority community members.

(With additional inputs from PTI)

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Amid growing incidents of gun violence in recent years, India's state-owned defence company has launched the country's first long-range swing revolver 'Prabal' for civilians and arms dealers. Manufactured by the state-owned enterprise Advanced Weapons and Equipment India (AWEIL) based in Kanpur, the Prabal revolver boasts of a firing range of up to 50 metres, which the company claims is "twice the range of other revolvers." The single and double-action 'Prabal' revolver weighs 675 grams (excluding cartridges). It has a chrome-platted barrel length of 76 mm and an overall length of 187.7 mm.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); AWEIL's officiating director Rajiv Sharma said the .32-bore revolver is capable of accurately hitting targets up to 50 metres away. "This range is more than double that of other revolvers currently in production, establishing Prabal as a frontrunner in the field of long-range handguns," he added. "The feature that sets Prabal apart from its counterparts is the incorporation of a side swing out cylinder. This innovative design element eliminates the need to fold the firearm for cartridge insertion, simplifying the reloading process and enhancing user convenience," he said. What does India's gun law say and who can own firearms? The gun control laws in India are among the most stringent legislations in the world. According to the Arms Act of 1959, the possession, sale, manufacture and export of firearms without a valid license is outlawed and is punishable with a fine and jail term. Under the Arms Act, firearms are classified into two categories  Prohibited Bore (PB) and Non-Prohibited Bore (NPB) firearms. PB weapons comprise of fully and semi-automatic firearms and other specified types of firearms that are issued only by the Centre for certain groups of people, while NPB weapons are firearms issued by the government for civilians. Only, defence officers, high-ranking government officials and select shooters can hold PB weapons while civilians are only granted a licence to hold NPB weapons. According to the Arms Act, a maximum of two firearms can be issued per license. In order to hold a firearm in India, the individual applying for a license must be a citizen of this country and must be a minimum of 21 years of age. Guns can only be utilized for three purposes  sports, crop protection and self-defence. For a self-defence license, an individual must provide proof of a threat to life. However, this can also be cited with respect to protection from wild animals in certain cases. The individual must also detail a record of their criminal behaviour (if any) as the law prohibits gun ownership for civilians sentenced to imprisonment on charges of violence for five years. Upon submitting the application, police will take two months to perform background checks, assess the individuals mental health and criminal history. They will also evaluate any threats claimed and the individual's competence to handle firearms. Amid a spate of gun-firing incidents The revolver's launch comes at a time when India continues to witness a surge in civilian-triggered gun violence and deaths. From the killing of an Imam during the recent communal clashes in Haryana's Nuh and Gurugram to the gunning down of a journalist in Bihar's Aria district last week, gun violence continues to be a growing problem in India. On August 17, two people were killed and six others were injured when a person who works as a bank security guard opened fire on them from his double-barrel gun after an altercation over pet dogs in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city. In the past week, India's top court had expressed concern over multiple incidents of gun violence across courts in Delhi and called the situation "appalling." However, gun violence is not restricted to civilians as well. An RPF constable gunned down his senior officer and three Muslim passengers on a Jaipur-bound train near Maharashtra's Palghar station on July 31. While officials claim the motive behind the crime is not clear, the constable has a past history of harassing minority community members. (With additional inputs from PTI) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A BJP MLA in Manipur on Friday opposed any peace talks between the Centre and the Kuki groups which have signed a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government.

Rajkumar Imo Singh, a Meitei MLA, made the statement against the talks between the government and the representatives of the United People's Front and the Kuki National Organisation  the umbrella groups of 24 Kuki insurgent groups which have signed the SoO pact with the government.

The central government representatives held talks with the members of the Kuki insurgent groups in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday, sources said.

"There should be no talks between Central Government and those SOO Insurgent Groups who have violated ground rules, in-fact strict action should be taken against these groups for continuous violence," Singh said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

An article was published in The Wire stating the present status of talks between SOO Insurgent Groups and GOI, the modalities of the talks as claimed in the article which government is against it. Was asked by few people if I am aware of the talks and the details in it. So here pic.twitter.com/HogKcxsE38  Rajkumar Imo Singh (@imosingh) August 18, 2023

The MLA said he was aware of the talks between the SoO insurgents and the central government which has been going on for quite some time now but made it clear that he had no information on what was being discussed at the talks.

Singh said he cannot comment on whether Manipur's BJP government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh was aware about the details of the ongoing talks.

"...if there is a conclusion to the talks then the state government will be surely consulted being a major stakeholder, and when consulted, the state government will not accept those terms which will be detrimental to the whole State," he said.

The BJP MLA said any terms regarding the talks has to be mutually acceptable to all parties for which all stakeholders have to be consulted properly and discussed minutely.

"Any talks with organisations to bring peace in the state is welcome, however, it should be brought in respect of the demographic condition of the whole state and should not lead to peace in one area and disharmony and violence in another," he said.

The United People's Front and the Kuki National Organisation have been demanding a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo areas.

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NEW DELHI: A BJP MLA in Manipur on Friday opposed any peace talks between the Centre and the Kuki groups which have signed a Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government. Rajkumar Imo Singh, a Meitei MLA, made the statement against the talks between the government and the representatives of the United People's Front and the Kuki National Organisation  the umbrella groups of 24 Kuki insurgent groups which have signed the SoO pact with the government. The central government representatives held talks with the members of the Kuki insurgent groups in New Delhi on Thursday and Friday, sources said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "There should be no talks between Central Government and those SOO Insurgent Groups who have violated ground rules, in-fact strict action should be taken against these groups for continuous violence," Singh said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. An article was published in The Wire stating the present status of talks between SOO Insurgent Groups and GOI, the modalities of the talks as claimed in the article which government is against it. Was asked by few people if I am aware of the talks and the details in it. So here pic.twitter.com/HogKcxsE38  Rajkumar Imo Singh (@imosingh) August 18, 2023 The MLA said he was aware of the talks between the SoO insurgents and the central government which has been going on for quite some time now but made it clear that he had no information on what was being discussed at the talks. Singh said he cannot comment on whether Manipur's BJP government led by Chief Minister N Biren Singh was aware about the details of the ongoing talks. "...if there is a conclusion to the talks then the state government will be surely consulted being a major stakeholder, and when consulted, the state government will not accept those terms which will be detrimental to the whole State," he said. The BJP MLA said any terms regarding the talks has to be mutually acceptable to all parties for which all stakeholders have to be consulted properly and discussed minutely. "Any talks with organisations to bring peace in the state is welcome, however, it should be brought in respect of the demographic condition of the whole state and should not lead to peace in one area and disharmony and violence in another," he said. The United People's Front and the Kuki National Organisation have been demanding a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo areas. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Ramashankar By

Express News Service

PATNA: A journalist working in a Hindi daily was shot dead by unidentified armed criminals in Bihars Araria district, a day after chief minister Nitish Kumar claimed that the law and order situation in the state was not as bad as in other states in the country.

Police said Vimal Kumar, 35, a journalist working with Dainik Jagran, was shot dead at his Premnagar residence under Raniganj police station in Araria district around 5.30 am on Friday.

The assailants fired upon him as soon as he opened the door of his house.

The bullet hit his right chest causing an instant death. The assailants, who had arrived at the scene of the crime on two motorbikes, fled after committing the murder. The family members rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of firing. Vimal was rushed to Araria referral hospital where he was declared dead.

The Raniganj station house officer (SHO) Kaushal Kumar along with the police force later brought the body of the slain journalist to Araria sadar hospital for post-mortem.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Araria, Ashok Kumar Singh attributed the reason behind the attack on the journalist to his testimony in the trial court in connection with the murder of his younger brother Shashi Bhushan alias Gabbu Yadav in April 2019.

Gabbu was the sarpanch of Belsara panchayat when he was killed, police sources said. Madhav, who was an accused in the murder case, was released from jail recently.

The police have detained a suspect in the case. Further investigation is underway. The statement of the family members have been recorded and action is being taken against the accused, SP said.

Vimals relatives revealed that the former had received frequent threats over his testimony in the trial court. He had applied for an arms license and approached the police for his safety. However, no help came, alleged a relative who didnt wish to be identified.

CM Nitish Kumar expressed shock over the killing of the journalist. Replying to a query, Nitish said, I have asked the senior officials to look into the matter. How can a journalist be killed like this? he added.

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PATNA: A journalist working in a Hindi daily was shot dead by unidentified armed criminals in Bihars Araria district, a day after chief minister Nitish Kumar claimed that the law and order situation in the state was not as bad as in other states in the country. Police said Vimal Kumar, 35, a journalist working with Dainik Jagran, was shot dead at his Premnagar residence under Raniganj police station in Araria district around 5.30 am on Friday. The assailants fired upon him as soon as he opened the door of his house.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The bullet hit his right chest causing an instant death. The assailants, who had arrived at the scene of the crime on two motorbikes, fled after committing the murder. The family members rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of firing. Vimal was rushed to Araria referral hospital where he was declared dead. The Raniganj station house officer (SHO) Kaushal Kumar along with the police force later brought the body of the slain journalist to Araria sadar hospital for post-mortem. Superintendent of Police (SP), Araria, Ashok Kumar Singh attributed the reason behind the attack on the journalist to his testimony in the trial court in connection with the murder of his younger brother Shashi Bhushan alias Gabbu Yadav in April 2019. Gabbu was the sarpanch of Belsara panchayat when he was killed, police sources said. Madhav, who was an accused in the murder case, was released from jail recently. The police have detained a suspect in the case. Further investigation is underway. The statement of the family members have been recorded and action is being taken against the accused, SP said. Vimals relatives revealed that the former had received frequent threats over his testimony in the trial court. He had applied for an arms license and approached the police for his safety. However, no help came, alleged a relative who didnt wish to be identified. CM Nitish Kumar expressed shock over the killing of the journalist. Replying to a query, Nitish said, I have asked the senior officials to look into the matter. How can a journalist be killed like this? he added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Mayank Singh By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The division commander of the Indian Army in Ladakh on Friday met his Chinese counterpart to take forward the talks on the disengagement of troops from the standoff areas of Depsang and Demchok.

Defense sources confirmed the meeting at the level of the Major Generals, saying it was to carry forward the discussions by the ground commanders as part of confidence-building measures. This follows an elaborate 19th corps commander-level talk that continued for two days for the first time.

In the process to resolve the issues Brigadier-level meetings continue to take place often, sources added. India maintains that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.

The 3 Division of the Indian Army looks after the 832-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. There has been no movement forward on standoffs in Depsang and Demchok. The standoff persists at Depsang Y-Junction and Demchok even before the May 2020 standoff began. Sources said the Depsang standoff has resulted in obstruction of Indian troop movement to the traditional Patrolling Points (PP) PP 10, PP11, PP 11A, PP12, and PP13, covering 952 sq km.

A few tents have been pitched by the Chinese on the Indian side in Demchok and have refused to pull back. The Chinese side dominates around 150 sq km in this area. The technical term for corps commander-level talks is senior highest military commander level (SHMCL); so far there have been 19 rounds of talks. Matters have earlier been resolved at the higher commander level (Major General) meetings.

There has been disengagement at Galwan, North and South banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra-Hot Springs with the corps commanders meetings in addition to the multiple diplomatic parlays between the two countries. As reported first by this newspaper, the Chinese moved in their troops after the clashes at Finger 4 area on the North Bank of Pangong Tso.

Subsequently, the standoff spread to other areas. After 2020, India and China currently maintain a combined deployment of over 1 lakh soldiers along with a massive presence of tanks and artillery.

In May the Indian Army put its foot down on the restoration of patrolling rights till traditional points in the remaining standoff points. The standoff at Depsang is of much significance where the Chinese troops have blocked access to PPs 10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13.

The sub-sector North, of which Depsang is a part, is strategically most relevant. The terrain here is such that large-scale armor operations are possible. China has multiple roads feeding this area while India has only the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road. By sitting at the Y Junction, China can obstruct Indias movement. Depsang is also a link between Siachen and the DBO airfield. The Y Junction is about 20km from the strategic airfield Daulat Beg Oldi.

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NEW DELHI: The division commander of the Indian Army in Ladakh on Friday met his Chinese counterpart to take forward the talks on the disengagement of troops from the standoff areas of Depsang and Demchok. Defense sources confirmed the meeting at the level of the Major Generals, saying it was to carry forward the discussions by the ground commanders as part of confidence-building measures. This follows an elaborate 19th corps commander-level talk that continued for two days for the first time. In the process to resolve the issues Brigadier-level meetings continue to take place often, sources added. India maintains that its ties with China cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border areas.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The 3 Division of the Indian Army looks after the 832-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. There has been no movement forward on standoffs in Depsang and Demchok. The standoff persists at Depsang Y-Junction and Demchok even before the May 2020 standoff began. Sources said the Depsang standoff has resulted in obstruction of Indian troop movement to the traditional Patrolling Points (PP) PP 10, PP11, PP 11A, PP12, and PP13, covering 952 sq km. A few tents have been pitched by the Chinese on the Indian side in Demchok and have refused to pull back. The Chinese side dominates around 150 sq km in this area. The technical term for corps commander-level talks is senior highest military commander level (SHMCL); so far there have been 19 rounds of talks. Matters have earlier been resolved at the higher commander level (Major General) meetings. There has been disengagement at Galwan, North and South banks of Pangong Tso, Gogra-Hot Springs with the corps commanders meetings in addition to the multiple diplomatic parlays between the two countries. As reported first by this newspaper, the Chinese moved in their troops after the clashes at Finger 4 area on the North Bank of Pangong Tso. Subsequently, the standoff spread to other areas. After 2020, India and China currently maintain a combined deployment of over 1 lakh soldiers along with a massive presence of tanks and artillery. In May the Indian Army put its foot down on the restoration of patrolling rights till traditional points in the remaining standoff points. The standoff at Depsang is of much significance where the Chinese troops have blocked access to PPs 10, 11, 11A, 12, and 13. The sub-sector North, of which Depsang is a part, is strategically most relevant. The terrain here is such that large-scale armor operations are possible. China has multiple roads feeding this area while India has only the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulet Beg Oldi (DSDBO) road. By sitting at the Y Junction, China can obstruct Indias movement. Depsang is also a link between Siachen and the DBO airfield. The Y Junction is about 20km from the strategic airfield Daulat Beg Oldi. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By ANI

BHOPAL: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist, Samandar Patel, has joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party in the presence of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Kamal Nath.

Samandar Patel joined Congress along with his supporters at the PCC office in the state capital Bhopal on Friday.

According to party leaders, Patel led a convoy of over 800 vehicles with his supporters from his hometown Jawad in Neemuch to the party office in the state capital Bhopal.

Patel has joined the Congress party unconditionally with the party's ideology, customs, principles, and loyalty to the party. His truth has brought him here and I have full faith that he will tell this truth to the people of his area, PCC chief Kamal Nath said.

In 2018, the Congress government was formed with the opinion of the public, but Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government was formed with the money power by horse-trading. BJP has been in government for 18 years, but the picture of the state is in front of everyone, wherever one sees corruption, scam, and only scam, Nath alleged.

The Chouhan-led BJP government is not only number one in corruption but also number one in atrocities against women, farmers, and youth. Now, the people of the state have made up their minds to bid adieu to the Shivraj government, Nath said, adding, I will also bid adieu to him but with love.

Meanwhile, Patel said that he was very happy to return to the Congress party.

Notably, it is not the first instance that Scindia loyalists joined the Congress party. Recently, the former Shivpuri district Congress President Baijnath Singh Yadav who was working with Scindia in the Kolaras area of the district rejoined the Congress party along with his several workers.

One more Schinda's aide Rakesh Gupta, who was associated with the trader class also left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the Congress party along with his workers.

The State is set to go to assembly polls later this year.

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BHOPAL: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist, Samandar Patel, has joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party in the presence of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Kamal Nath. Samandar Patel joined Congress along with his supporters at the PCC office in the state capital Bhopal on Friday. According to party leaders, Patel led a convoy of over 800 vehicles with his supporters from his hometown Jawad in Neemuch to the party office in the state capital Bhopal. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Patel has joined the Congress party unconditionally with the party's ideology, customs, principles, and loyalty to the party. His truth has brought him here and I have full faith that he will tell this truth to the people of his area, PCC chief Kamal Nath said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samandar Patel (@samandar_patel) In 2018, the Congress government was formed with the opinion of the public, but Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government was formed with the money power by horse-trading. BJP has been in government for 18 years, but the picture of the state is in front of everyone, wherever one sees corruption, scam, and only scam, Nath alleged. The Chouhan-led BJP government is not only number one in corruption but also number one in atrocities against women, farmers, and youth. Now, the people of the state have made up their minds to bid adieu to the Shivraj government, Nath said, adding, I will also bid adieu to him but with love. Meanwhile, Patel said that he was very happy to return to the Congress party. Notably, it is not the first instance that Scindia loyalists joined the Congress party. Recently, the former Shivpuri district Congress President Baijnath Singh Yadav who was working with Scindia in the Kolaras area of the district rejoined the Congress party along with his several workers. One more Schinda's aide Rakesh Gupta, who was associated with the trader class also left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the Congress party along with his workers. The State is set to go to assembly polls later this year. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A few days ahead of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a telephonic conversation with Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi.

Iran is hoping to become a member of BRICS and President Raisi is all for the summit in the South African city.

The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance. PM Modi highlighted that the India-Iran relationship is underpinned by close historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.

On Thursday, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, too spoke with Raisi discussing Irans membership of BRICS. Meanwhile, PM Modi and President Raisi also reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation including to realise the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub. The two leaders also discussed cooperation at multilateral forums including the expansion of BRICS and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the forthcoming BRICS summit in South Africa, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The BRICS group of emerging economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, will discuss its possible expansion at the summit in South Africa next week. PM Modi will be in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit that is being hosted by South Africa. South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa had called PM Modi earlier this month to extend his invitation, following which a formal announcement was made on PM Modis visiting Johannesburg.

This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review the progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping and identify future areas of activity. PM Modi will participate in a special event BRICS  Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue being organized after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa. He will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders, says MEA. Meanwhile, after the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will head for Greece on August 25 at the invitation of his counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek PM.

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NEW DELHI: A few days ahead of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a telephonic conversation with Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi. Iran is hoping to become a member of BRICS and President Raisi is all for the summit in the South African city. The two leaders discussed matters of bilateral and regional importance. PM Modi highlighted that the India-Iran relationship is underpinned by close historic and civilizational connections, including strong people-to-people contacts.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On Thursday, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, too spoke with Raisi discussing Irans membership of BRICS. Meanwhile, PM Modi and President Raisi also reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation including to realise the full potential of Chabahar Port as a connectivity hub. The two leaders also discussed cooperation at multilateral forums including the expansion of BRICS and looked forward to their meeting on the margins of the forthcoming BRICS summit in South Africa, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The BRICS group of emerging economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, will discuss its possible expansion at the summit in South Africa next week. PM Modi will be in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24 to attend the 15th BRICS Summit that is being hosted by South Africa. South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa had called PM Modi earlier this month to extend his invitation, following which a formal announcement was made on PM Modis visiting Johannesburg. This will be the first in-person BRICS Summit since 2019. The Summit will provide an opportunity to review the progress of the initiatives launched by the grouping and identify future areas of activity. PM Modi will participate in a special event BRICS  Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue being organized after the BRICS Summit, which will include other countries invited by South Africa. He will hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders, says MEA. Meanwhile, after the BRICS Summit, PM Modi will head for Greece on August 25 at the invitation of his counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek PM. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

KOLKATA: Three more persons -- a student at Jadavpur University (JU) and two former students -- were arrested late on Friday in connection with the death of 17-year-old fresher Swapnodeep Kundu who was allegedly ragged and sexually harassed last week. The total arrests in this case, which triggered an uproar in Kolkata, have gone up to 12.

All three arrested on Friday night were present in the hostel on August 9 night and are suspected to be involved in the events that led to the death of the first-year student, said a police officer.

The officer said the names of the three accused, Sheikh Nasim Akhtar, Himanshu Karmakar and Satyabrata Roy, emerged during the course of interrogation of others who were rounded up earlier.

Replying to the University Grants Commission (UGC)s queries, the university authorities said ragging seemed to be one of the probable causes behind Swapnodeeps death.

Unhappy with the universitys earlier report on the incident and action taken following the tragedy, the central governments statutory body asked the JU authorities to reply to its 12-point queries within a stipulated time.

ALSO READ | UGC reprimands Jadavpur varsity for 'generic' report on student death, lack of measures to curb ragging

The interim committee of the university that was set up to probe Swapnodeeps death said in its reply, Ragging seems to be one of the probable causes for the mishap; however, it is yet to be established. The enquiry process is still underway, and identification of perpetrators if any or the actual causes(s) responsible for the unfortunate death of the first-year undergraduate student is yet to be ascertained.

The university reply to the UGC also says the victim was under significant duress.

Meanwhile, student wings affiliated to the Left Front, TMC and BJP staged demonstrations both inside and outside the university campus over the issue. While the student wing of the saffron camp staged a sit-in demonstration at 8B crossing in front of the institution, the TMC and Left Front shouted slogans in front of one of the university buildings.

The university authorities, following Swapnodeeps death, swung into action by taking measures like segregating freshers from seniors by providing them separate lodging accommodation and restricting entry to the campus at night from outside.

Campus shocker

Aug 3- Swapnodeep Kundu takes admission

Aug 9- He was found unconscious in a naked condition under his third-floor hostel balcony

Aug 10- He succumbs to his injuries

Aug 11- Family complains of ragging and murder

Aug 12 -A former student staying in the hostel arrested

Aug 13- Two students studying in the institution arrested

Aug 14- UGC seeks report from JU

Aug 16 -Six more, former and present students of the university arrested

Aug 17- Unhappy UGC asks for a compliance report from JU

Aug 18- Three more, one former and two present, students arrested

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KOLKATA: Three more persons -- a student at Jadavpur University (JU) and two former students -- were arrested late on Friday in connection with the death of 17-year-old fresher Swapnodeep Kundu who was allegedly ragged and sexually harassed last week. The total arrests in this case, which triggered an uproar in Kolkata, have gone up to 12. All three arrested on Friday night were present in the hostel on August 9 night and are suspected to be involved in the events that led to the death of the first-year student, said a police officer. The officer said the names of the three accused, Sheikh Nasim Akhtar, Himanshu Karmakar and Satyabrata Roy, emerged during the course of interrogation of others who were rounded up earlier.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Replying to the University Grants Commission (UGC)s queries, the university authorities said ragging seemed to be one of the probable causes behind Swapnodeeps death. Unhappy with the universitys earlier report on the incident and action taken following the tragedy, the central governments statutory body asked the JU authorities to reply to its 12-point queries within a stipulated time. ALSO READ | UGC reprimands Jadavpur varsity for 'generic' report on student death, lack of measures to curb ragging The interim committee of the university that was set up to probe Swapnodeeps death said in its reply, Ragging seems to be one of the probable causes for the mishap; however, it is yet to be established. The enquiry process is still underway, and identification of perpetrators if any or the actual causes(s) responsible for the unfortunate death of the first-year undergraduate student is yet to be ascertained. The university reply to the UGC also says the victim was under significant duress. Meanwhile, student wings affiliated to the Left Front, TMC and BJP staged demonstrations both inside and outside the university campus over the issue. While the student wing of the saffron camp staged a sit-in demonstration at 8B crossing in front of the institution, the TMC and Left Front shouted slogans in front of one of the university buildings. The university authorities, following Swapnodeeps death, swung into action by taking measures like segregating freshers from seniors by providing them separate lodging accommodation and restricting entry to the campus at night from outside. Campus shocker Aug 3- Swapnodeep Kundu takes admission Aug 9- He was found unconscious in a naked condition under his third-floor hostel balcony Aug 10- He succumbs to his injuries Aug 11- Family complains of ragging and murder Aug 12 -A former student staying in the hostel arrested Aug 13- Two students studying in the institution arrested Aug 14- UGC seeks report from JU Aug 16 -Six more, former and present students of the university arrested Aug 17- Unhappy UGC asks for a compliance report from JU Aug 18- Three more, one former and two present, students arrested Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: The newly-appointed president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), Ajay Rai, the former MLA, said that the senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amethi, his traditional seat and the stronghold of Gandhi family. However, it was upon AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and in-charge of party affairs in UP, to choose a seat for herself.

If Priyankaji will want to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, every Congress worker will put his/her blood and sweat to ensure her victory, said Rai while interacting with media persons at Varanasi airport while returning from Delhi to a rousing welcome by the Congress cadre on Friday.

Rai was received by the Congress workers amid the chants of Har Har Mahadev at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport on his first arrival in Varanasi after becoming the UPCC chief.

Scores of party workers from Varanasi, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Kaushambi, and other districts had converged in Varanasi to welcome him. Replying to the queries of media persons, Rai said, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership for showing their trust in a worker like me. I am a soldier of Rahul Gandhi, and I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the top leadership. Congress is not just a party for me but is like a mother. I will fulfill my responsibility with all my dedication.

He further said, As the state president, my main goal will be to give importance to grassroots workers, make the organization active, and connect Dalits, farmers, women, youth, and middle-class people with Congress. My first target is to organize and ensure a grand comeback of the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to BJPs Smriti Irani in 2019. Attacking Smriti Irani, Rai said that she had proved to be an utter failure and that she could not fulfill her promises. Ask her what happened to her promise of Rs 13 a kg sugar, he said.

Rahuls soldier

UPCC chief Ajai Rai said he is a soldier of Rahul Gandhi, and that he will try his best to live up to the expectations of the top leadership. He said Congress is not just a party but is like a mother to him.

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LUCKNOW: The newly-appointed president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), Ajay Rai, the former MLA, said that the senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Amethi, his traditional seat and the stronghold of Gandhi family. However, it was upon AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and in-charge of party affairs in UP, to choose a seat for herself. If Priyankaji will want to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, every Congress worker will put his/her blood and sweat to ensure her victory, said Rai while interacting with media persons at Varanasi airport while returning from Delhi to a rousing welcome by the Congress cadre on Friday. Rai was received by the Congress workers amid the chants of Har Har Mahadev at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport on his first arrival in Varanasi after becoming the UPCC chief.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Scores of party workers from Varanasi, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Chandauli, Kaushambi, and other districts had converged in Varanasi to welcome him. Replying to the queries of media persons, Rai said, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the top leadership for showing their trust in a worker like me. I am a soldier of Rahul Gandhi, and I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the top leadership. Congress is not just a party for me but is like a mother. I will fulfill my responsibility with all my dedication. He further said, As the state president, my main goal will be to give importance to grassroots workers, make the organization active, and connect Dalits, farmers, women, youth, and middle-class people with Congress. My first target is to organize and ensure a grand comeback of the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Notably, Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to BJPs Smriti Irani in 2019. Attacking Smriti Irani, Rai said that she had proved to be an utter failure and that she could not fulfill her promises. Ask her what happened to her promise of Rs 13 a kg sugar, he said. Rahuls soldier UPCC chief Ajai Rai said he is a soldier of Rahul Gandhi, and that he will try his best to live up to the expectations of the top leadership. He said Congress is not just a party but is like a mother to him. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said Rajasthan has provided Rs 15 crore to help deal with the disaster caused by the recent heavy rains, floods and landslides.

This comes a day after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced financial assistance of Rs 11 crore to Himachal Pradesh.

In a statement, Sukhu conveyed his gratitude and that of the people of Himachal to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for providing assistance.

He said the aid would go a long way in providing succour to the disaster-hit families.

Sukhu also urged various organisations and the general public to contribute generously towards the state's disaster relief fund so that adequate help can be provided to affected people.

He said the state has incurred losses of around Rs 10,000 crores during the monsoon season.

The state government has undertaken relief and rehabilitation work on a large scale and was committed to providing relief to the affected people, Sukhu added.

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SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said Rajasthan has provided Rs 15 crore to help deal with the disaster caused by the recent heavy rains, floods and landslides. This comes a day after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced financial assistance of Rs 11 crore to Himachal Pradesh. In a statement, Sukhu conveyed his gratitude and that of the people of Himachal to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for providing assistance.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He said the aid would go a long way in providing succour to the disaster-hit families. Sukhu also urged various organisations and the general public to contribute generously towards the state's disaster relief fund so that adequate help can be provided to affected people. He said the state has incurred losses of around Rs 10,000 crores during the monsoon season. The state government has undertaken relief and rehabilitation work on a large scale and was committed to providing relief to the affected people, Sukhu added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Shruti Kakkar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed for the listing of the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid on a non-miscellaneous day.

Khalid, accused of conspiring in the Delhi riots in February 2020, was arrested by the Delhi Police on September 13, 2020. The police had booked him and his associates under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

When the plea came up before a bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, Justice Bose told Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal that the matter will have to be listed on a non-miscellaneous day. Khalid had approached the Supreme Court against Delhi High Courts order rejecting his bail plea. Upholding a lower courts order from March 24, 2022, rejecting his bail, justices Rajnish Bhatnagar and Siddharth Mridul said there appeared to be a premeditated conspiracy for causing disruptive chakka-jam and pre-planned protests at different sites across the capital.

Opposing Khalids plea, city police in the affidavit had stated that granting him bail would prejudice the 'fearless', 'truthful' deposition of protected witnesses who are yet to be examined by the trial court.

This is not the first time that Khalids matter has been adjourned.

On May 16 the top court sought Delhi Polices response and posted the pleas to be heard after six weeks. Notably, SC judge Justice PK Mishra on August 9 had recused from considering Khalids plea.

While adjourning the plea for July 24, the Supreme Court had remarked, 'It may take 1-2 minutes for this' as it had granted more time for Delhi police to file their response and posted the plea for July 24.

READ MORE: Delhi riots case: Activists stand in solidarity as Umar Khalid completes 1,000 days of incarceration

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed for the listing of the bail plea of former JNU student Umar Khalid on a non-miscellaneous day. Khalid, accused of conspiring in the Delhi riots in February 2020, was arrested by the Delhi Police on September 13, 2020. The police had booked him and his associates under the anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and provisions of the Indian Penal Code. When the plea came up before a bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi, Justice Bose told Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal that the matter will have to be listed on a non-miscellaneous day. Khalid had approached the Supreme Court against Delhi High Courts order rejecting his bail plea. Upholding a lower courts order from March 24, 2022, rejecting his bail, justices Rajnish Bhatnagar and Siddharth Mridul said there appeared to be a premeditated conspiracy for causing disruptive chakka-jam and pre-planned protests at different sites across the capital.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Opposing Khalids plea, city police in the affidavit had stated that granting him bail would prejudice the 'fearless', 'truthful' deposition of protected witnesses who are yet to be examined by the trial court. This is not the first time that Khalids matter has been adjourned. On May 16 the top court sought Delhi Polices response and posted the pleas to be heard after six weeks. Notably, SC judge Justice PK Mishra on August 9 had recused from considering Khalids plea. While adjourning the plea for July 24, the Supreme Court had remarked, 'It may take 1-2 minutes for this' as it had granted more time for Delhi police to file their response and posted the plea for July 24. READ MORE: Delhi riots case: Activists stand in solidarity as Umar Khalid completes 1,000 days of incarceration Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday expressed displeasure over the Gujarat High Court adjourning a rape victim's plea for a medical termination of her 26-week pregnancy, and said "valuable time" has been lost during the pendency of the matter.

In a special sitting on a Saturday, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that there should be a sense of urgency in such cases and not a "lackadaisical attitude" of treating the matter as any normal case and just adjourning it.

The apex court was informed by the counsel for the petitioner that the 25-year-old woman had approached the high court on August 7 and the matter was taken up the next day.

He said the high court had on August 8 issued a direction for the constitution of a medical board to ascertain the status of pregnancy as well as the health status of the petitioner.

The report was submitted on August 10 by the medical college where she was examined.

The top court noted that the report was taken on record by the high court on August 11 but "strangely", the matter was listed 12 days later i.e. on August 23 "losing sight of the fact that every day's delay was crucial and of great significance having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case".

The bench also noted that the petitioner's counsel has brought to its notice that the case status of the matter showed that the petition was rejected on August 17 by the high court but no reasons were dictated in the court and the order is yet to be uploaded on the high court's website.

"In the circumstance, we direct the secretary general of this court to inquire from the registrar general of the High Court of Gujarat and ascertain as to whether the impugned order has been uploaded or not," the bench said.

The petitioner has approached the apex court through advocate Vishal Arun Mishra.

The counsel for the petitioner told the bench the woman petitioner was in her 26th week of pregnancy when the medical board was constituted.

"On August 11, it was stand over to August 23. For what purpose?," the bench asked, adding, "By then how many days are lost?". The petitioner's counsel said the matter was listed on August 17 instead of August 23.

Observing that valuable days have been lost in just postponing the case, the bench said when the petitioner had sought for the termination of pregnancy and had approached the high court, she was already 26 weeks pregnant.

"Therefore, we find that valuable time has been lost between August 11, when the report was placed before the high court, and the order stating that the matter would stand over to August 23," it said.

"In such cases, there must be, not undue urgency, but at least a sense of urgency in such matters and not a lackadaisical attitude of treating it as any normal case and just adjourning it. We are sorry to say and make this remark," the bench orally said. The apex court said it would take up the case as first item on August 21.

The bench also sought a response from the state government and agencies concerned with the plea.

The petitioner's counsel told the bench that as of today, the petitioner is pregnant for 27 weeks and two days and shortly, would be approaching the 28th week of her pregnancy.

He said a fresh report may be sought from the medical board.

"In the circumstances, we direct the petitioner herein to appear before the hospital for being examined once again and the latest status report may be submitted to this court by tomorrow evening at 6 PM," the bench said.

During the hearing, the bench said it will wait for the high court's order passed in the matter.

"We will wait for the order. How can we consider the correctness of the order in the absence of the order," it said.

The bench also asked about the report filed by the medical board before the high court.

The petitioner's counsel said as per the report, the termination of pregnancy can be done.

Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the upper limit for the termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks for married women, special categories including survivors of rape and other vulnerable women such as the differently-abled and minors.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday expressed displeasure over the Gujarat High Court adjourning a rape victim's plea for a medical termination of her 26-week pregnancy, and said "valuable time" has been lost during the pendency of the matter. In a special sitting on a Saturday, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that there should be a sense of urgency in such cases and not a "lackadaisical attitude" of treating the matter as any normal case and just adjourning it. The apex court was informed by the counsel for the petitioner that the 25-year-old woman had approached the high court on August 7 and the matter was taken up the next day.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He said the high court had on August 8 issued a direction for the constitution of a medical board to ascertain the status of pregnancy as well as the health status of the petitioner. The report was submitted on August 10 by the medical college where she was examined. The top court noted that the report was taken on record by the high court on August 11 but "strangely", the matter was listed 12 days later i.e. on August 23 "losing sight of the fact that every day's delay was crucial and of great significance having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case". The bench also noted that the petitioner's counsel has brought to its notice that the case status of the matter showed that the petition was rejected on August 17 by the high court but no reasons were dictated in the court and the order is yet to be uploaded on the high court's website. "In the circumstance, we direct the secretary general of this court to inquire from the registrar general of the High Court of Gujarat and ascertain as to whether the impugned order has been uploaded or not," the bench said. The petitioner has approached the apex court through advocate Vishal Arun Mishra. The counsel for the petitioner told the bench the woman petitioner was in her 26th week of pregnancy when the medical board was constituted. "On August 11, it was stand over to August 23. For what purpose?," the bench asked, adding, "By then how many days are lost?". The petitioner's counsel said the matter was listed on August 17 instead of August 23. Observing that valuable days have been lost in just postponing the case, the bench said when the petitioner had sought for the termination of pregnancy and had approached the high court, she was already 26 weeks pregnant. "Therefore, we find that valuable time has been lost between August 11, when the report was placed before the high court, and the order stating that the matter would stand over to August 23," it said. "In such cases, there must be, not undue urgency, but at least a sense of urgency in such matters and not a lackadaisical attitude of treating it as any normal case and just adjourning it. We are sorry to say and make this remark," the bench orally said. The apex court said it would take up the case as first item on August 21. The bench also sought a response from the state government and agencies concerned with the plea. The petitioner's counsel told the bench that as of today, the petitioner is pregnant for 27 weeks and two days and shortly, would be approaching the 28th week of her pregnancy. He said a fresh report may be sought from the medical board. "In the circumstances, we direct the petitioner herein to appear before the hospital for being examined once again and the latest status report may be submitted to this court by tomorrow evening at 6 PM," the bench said. During the hearing, the bench said it will wait for the high court's order passed in the matter. "We will wait for the order. How can we consider the correctness of the order in the absence of the order," it said. The bench also asked about the report filed by the medical board before the high court. The petitioner's counsel said as per the report, the termination of pregnancy can be done. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the upper limit for the termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks for married women, special categories including survivors of rape and other vulnerable women such as the differently-abled and minors. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Kavita Bajeli Datt and Dilip Singh Kshatriya By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the world must be ready to 'prevent, prepare and respond' to the next global health emergency and urged to open innovations for the benefit of the public in general.

Addressing the G20 Health Ministers meeting in Gandhinagar, he also that India is on its way to 'eradicate tuberculosis well ahead of the 2030 target'.He underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that health should be at the center of our decisions.

"Time showed us the value of international cooperation, whether in medicine and vaccine deliveries or in bringing our people back home. As we saw during the pandemic, health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short time, the prime minister said in his virtual address.

He pointed out that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India delivered 300 million vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, including many in the Global South. He said that there is a need for bolstering global health systems to anticipate, prepare, and respond to future health emergencies, together, as the world is interconnected today.

Let us open our innovations for the good of the public. Let us avoid duplication of funding. Let us facilitate equitable availability of technology, said the prime minister.

Modi said this initiative will allow countries in the Global South to close the gap in healthcare delivery and will take us one step closer to our goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage. In India, we are following a holistic and inclusive approach, he remarked.

Modi said that the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarats Jamnagar earlier this year was an important step in that direction. The Prime Minister said that the decision to simultaneously hold the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine along with the G20 health ministers meeting would intensify efforts to harness the potential of traditional medicine.

The G20 meeting being held from August 17 to 19 is pivoted on three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including the first: prevention of global health emergencies, preparedness, and response  with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and the 'One Health' framework.

The second: strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures. And, the third: is digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service.

India must meet US drug norms: US health secy

Indian pharma companies need to meet US standards if they want to continue exporting their drugs to America, US Secretary for Health and Human Services (HSS) Xavier Becerra said Friday Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Health Ministers meeting in Gandhinagar, Becerra said, Meeting the drug standards would not only help India continue its trade with the US specifically but all maintain the standards and its growth graph moves across the world.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI/AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the world must be ready to 'prevent, prepare and respond' to the next global health emergency and urged to open innovations for the benefit of the public in general. Addressing the G20 Health Ministers meeting in Gandhinagar, he also that India is on its way to 'eradicate tuberculosis well ahead of the 2030 target'.He underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic has reminded us that health should be at the center of our decisions. "Time showed us the value of international cooperation, whether in medicine and vaccine deliveries or in bringing our people back home. As we saw during the pandemic, health issues in one part of the world can affect all other parts of the world in a very short time, the prime minister said in his virtual address.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He pointed out that under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India delivered 300 million vaccine doses to more than 100 countries, including many in the Global South. He said that there is a need for bolstering global health systems to anticipate, prepare, and respond to future health emergencies, together, as the world is interconnected today. Let us open our innovations for the good of the public. Let us avoid duplication of funding. Let us facilitate equitable availability of technology, said the prime minister. Modi said this initiative will allow countries in the Global South to close the gap in healthcare delivery and will take us one step closer to our goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage. In India, we are following a holistic and inclusive approach, he remarked. Modi said that the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarats Jamnagar earlier this year was an important step in that direction. The Prime Minister said that the decision to simultaneously hold the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine along with the G20 health ministers meeting would intensify efforts to harness the potential of traditional medicine. The G20 meeting being held from August 17 to 19 is pivoted on three key priorities of the G20 Health Track, including the first: prevention of global health emergencies, preparedness, and response  with a focus on antimicrobial resistance and the 'One Health' framework. The second: strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on access and availability to safe, effective, quality, and affordable medical countermeasures. And, the third: is digital health innovations and solutions to aid universal health coverage and improve healthcare service. India must meet US drug norms: US health secy Indian pharma companies need to meet US standards if they want to continue exporting their drugs to America, US Secretary for Health and Human Services (HSS) Xavier Becerra said Friday Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Health Ministers meeting in Gandhinagar, Becerra said, Meeting the drug standards would not only help India continue its trade with the US specifically but all maintain the standards and its growth graph moves across the world. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Shankkar Aiyar By

India, a flurry of global and Indian studies informs us, is in the Goldilocks moment. In 2023, India is the fastest-growing large economy ranked fifth globally. As this column has observed, India is also driving the domino effect of cost competitiveness. Demography and demand are expected to propel growth, and its middle class is estimated to touch 61 per cent of the population with an average income of Rs 20 lakh. By 2031, India is forecast to be the third largest economy, its GDP rising from $3.5 trillion to cross the $10 trillion mark.

The path to prosperity rests on the efficacy of the sum of pieces thesis. Momentum, the laws of physics stipulate, is mass into velocity. Effectively Indias GDP is the sum total of the growth of all the states. Growth is and has been uneven, temporally and spatially. Ergo, it will be instructive to review the political geography of Indias economy, assess the potential upside for improvement and which states are dragging the national average lower.

One measure of improved economic condition is per capita income. In rupee terms, Indias per capita income as of April 2023 is Rs 196,983  up from Rs 90,688 in 2013. Averages are just as close to the bottom as to the top. And as Nobel laureate Angus Deaton observed in his seminal work The Great Escape, Averages are no consolation to those who have been left behind. History, geography and politics influence outcomes. So how are states across Indias political geography doing?

There are two ways to illuminate the picture. One is the distance between the national average and the state average, and another is the gap between states. In July 2023, of the 33 States and UTs, only 16 have shared data for 2022-23; data for the others might trickle in! Telangana at Rs 308,732, Karnataka at Rs 301,673 and Haryana at Rs 296,685 top the rankings.

Consider the wide chasm between the toppers and the laggards. The per capita GSDP of Bihar is Rs 54,383; that of Uttar Pradesh is Rs 79,396, and that of Jharkhand is Rs 86,060. The per capita income of Bihar is 17 per cent of Telangana and one-fourth of the national average. Per capita incomes in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand hover at around 26 and 28 per cent of Telangana and 40 per cent of the national average. Within Bihar, the picture worsens  per capita income is Rs 18,692 in Sheohar, Rs 19,527 in Araria and Rs 20,631 in Sitamarhi.

What about the pace of transition, and is there a correlation between the nature of politics and outcomes? Bihar has had a flip-flop series of regimes. As per the RBI and the state economic survey, between 2013 and 2023, Bihars per capita income rose from Rs 26,948 to Rs 54383. Uttar Pradesh, with a double-engine sarkar since 2017, rose from Rs 40,124 to Rs 79,396 and Jharkhand, which has had BJP and JMM-led regimes, from Rs 50,006 to Rs 80,060.

How would these states with large populations rank globally in dollar terms? For reference, Indias per capita income at $2600 in 2023, as per the IMF, places it at 141st out of 191 countries. Arguably the size of the population drags down the average. Equally, the scale of the population  even with a low median age as is the case with the northern states -- has the potential to deliver a demographic dividend.

Bihars population of 126 million is roughly that of Mexico, which has a per capita income of $ 12,673. Bihars per capita income is roughly $680 (at USD @INR 80), ranking it 180 next to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uttar Pradeshs population of 220 million is comparable to Brazil, with a per capita income of $9,673. UPs per capita income is under $1000, ranking it 170 next to Uganda.

The comparisons illuminate the gap between possibilities and reality, even if only partially. Performance rests on policy. India must shift a major chunk of its population from low-productivity segments such as agriculture to high-income domains. On August 1, the government informed Parliament that the average monthly household income of agricultural households across India is Rs 10,218  it is Rs 4,895 in Jharkhand, Rs 7,542 in Bihar and Rs 8,061 in UP. The deficit in per capita income is located in the nature of economic engagement  nearly half of Indias workforce is dependent on agriculture which accounts for about a sixth of the national income.

India also has the lowest percentage of women employed in the workforce. In contrast, as per World Bank, the participation rate of women is 56 per cent in the United States, 61 per cent in China, 54 per cent in Japan and 56 per cent in Germany. India, in contrast, has barely 24 per cent of women in the workforce. The exact figure may be disputed, but no economy has achieved developed status, with less than half the women participating in the workforce.

The list of necessary interventions is long. India needs to substantially ramp up investment in human infrastructure, enable agriculture with AI for forward and backward linkages, induct climate resilience in energy management, liberate land and labour which are the principal factors of productivity, introduce planned urbanisation which is a force multiplier and more. To paraphrase Keynes the pace at which we can reach our destination of economic bliss will be determined by the ability to manage the economic consequences of short-term politics on long-term prosperity.

Shankkar Aiyar

Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India

(shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com)

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

India, a flurry of global and Indian studies informs us, is in the Goldilocks moment. In 2023, India is the fastest-growing large economy ranked fifth globally. As this column has observed, India is also driving the domino effect of cost competitiveness. Demography and demand are expected to propel growth, and its middle class is estimated to touch 61 per cent of the population with an average income of Rs 20 lakh. By 2031, India is forecast to be the third largest economy, its GDP rising from $3.5 trillion to cross the $10 trillion mark. The path to prosperity rests on the efficacy of the sum of pieces thesis. Momentum, the laws of physics stipulate, is mass into velocity. Effectively Indias GDP is the sum total of the growth of all the states. Growth is and has been uneven, temporally and spatially. Ergo, it will be instructive to review the political geography of Indias economy, assess the potential upside for improvement and which states are dragging the national average lower. One measure of improved economic condition is per capita income. In rupee terms, Indias per capita income as of April 2023 is Rs 196,983  up from Rs 90,688 in 2013. Averages are just as close to the bottom as to the top. And as Nobel laureate Angus Deaton observed in his seminal work The Great Escape, Averages are no consolation to those who have been left behind. History, geography and politics influence outcomes. So how are states across Indias political geography doing?googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); There are two ways to illuminate the picture. One is the distance between the national average and the state average, and another is the gap between states. In July 2023, of the 33 States and UTs, only 16 have shared data for 2022-23; data for the others might trickle in! Telangana at Rs 308,732, Karnataka at Rs 301,673 and Haryana at Rs 296,685 top the rankings. Consider the wide chasm between the toppers and the laggards. The per capita GSDP of Bihar is Rs 54,383; that of Uttar Pradesh is Rs 79,396, and that of Jharkhand is Rs 86,060. The per capita income of Bihar is 17 per cent of Telangana and one-fourth of the national average. Per capita incomes in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand hover at around 26 and 28 per cent of Telangana and 40 per cent of the national average. Within Bihar, the picture worsens  per capita income is Rs 18,692 in Sheohar, Rs 19,527 in Araria and Rs 20,631 in Sitamarhi. What about the pace of transition, and is there a correlation between the nature of politics and outcomes? Bihar has had a flip-flop series of regimes. As per the RBI and the state economic survey, between 2013 and 2023, Bihars per capita income rose from Rs 26,948 to Rs 54383. Uttar Pradesh, with a double-engine sarkar since 2017, rose from Rs 40,124 to Rs 79,396 and Jharkhand, which has had BJP and JMM-led regimes, from Rs 50,006 to Rs 80,060. How would these states with large populations rank globally in dollar terms? For reference, Indias per capita income at $2600 in 2023, as per the IMF, places it at 141st out of 191 countries. Arguably the size of the population drags down the average. Equally, the scale of the population  even with a low median age as is the case with the northern states -- has the potential to deliver a demographic dividend. Bihars population of 126 million is roughly that of Mexico, which has a per capita income of $ 12,673. Bihars per capita income is roughly $680 (at USD @INR 80), ranking it 180 next to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uttar Pradeshs population of 220 million is comparable to Brazil, with a per capita income of $9,673. UPs per capita income is under $1000, ranking it 170 next to Uganda. The comparisons illuminate the gap between possibilities and reality, even if only partially. Performance rests on policy. India must shift a major chunk of its population from low-productivity segments such as agriculture to high-income domains. On August 1, the government informed Parliament that the average monthly household income of agricultural households across India is Rs 10,218  it is Rs 4,895 in Jharkhand, Rs 7,542 in Bihar and Rs 8,061 in UP. The deficit in per capita income is located in the nature of economic engagement  nearly half of Indias workforce is dependent on agriculture which accounts for about a sixth of the national income. India also has the lowest percentage of women employed in the workforce. In contrast, as per World Bank, the participation rate of women is 56 per cent in the United States, 61 per cent in China, 54 per cent in Japan and 56 per cent in Germany. India, in contrast, has barely 24 per cent of women in the workforce. The exact figure may be disputed, but no economy has achieved developed status, with less than half the women participating in the workforce. The list of necessary interventions is long. India needs to substantially ramp up investment in human infrastructure, enable agriculture with AI for forward and backward linkages, induct climate resilience in energy management, liberate land and labour which are the principal factors of productivity, introduce planned urbanisation which is a force multiplier and more. To paraphrase Keynes the pace at which we can reach our destination of economic bliss will be determined by the ability to manage the economic consequences of short-term politics on long-term prosperity. Shankkar Aiyar Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India (shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com) Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
Preetha Nair By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court giving a go-ahead to the publication of Bihar caste survey data on Friday, Mandal politics is likely to witness a churning in the run-up to the 2024 general elections. With Bihar and other Opposition-ruled states playing on the front foot on caste surveys, the Modi governments ambiguous stand on nationwide caste census may dent the partys fortunes on Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Bihars caste census will have implications nationally and the Central government will have to clarify its stand, says Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha. A caste count is the need of the hour to collect scientific data of contemporary nature, and decide the quantum of reservation accordingly, he added. The last caste census was done in 1931, which estimated the countrys OBC population at 52 per cent.

We did it in Bihar and this is becoming part of the national application. The BJP has to break its silence on the issue. The Centre can delay the caste census out of fear of numbers, but it has to be done ultimately as the Constitution guarantees reservation, he said.

The last caste-based census in 1931 included present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan also. When the Mandal Commission recommendation was implemented, that quantum of reservation was settled for 27 per cent because there was a sealing of 50 per cent, said Jha, adding that states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh have also kicked off caste surveys.

The tough posturing by Opposition parties is likely to put the Modi government in a spot as it has been dithering on the contentious issue of the caste-based census for identifying and enumerating the SEBC/OBCs, for a long time. While OBC votes have contributed some outstanding victories to the BJP in the last decade, the BJPs retreat from the earlier position on caste census hasnt gone down well with its allies in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. There is a feeling among the community that its numerical strength must have grown manifold and is left behind in affirmative action.

More significantly, the Bihar governments caste census to enumerate different castes will also lead to a realignment of castes beyond the state.

Though the Rohini Commission, which looked into the sub-categorization of OBCs, has submitted its report after 14 extensions, Jha points out that if the Rohini Commission proposals have to be implemented, a caste census needs to be done first.

It defies logic. We still dont have scientific data on the population of different castes. Even if the Rohini commission report is to be implemented, data is needed, said Jha. According to a 2018 report, 37 percent of the 2,600 communities in the OBC central list have zero representation in jobs and institutes. It also shows that only 2.68 percent of reservation has been availed by 994 castes.

Speaking to this newspaper, DMK MP P Wilson said that state governments should be given the power to conduct a caste census in the state. Wilson had moved a private members bill in Parliament demanding the transfer of the subject of caste census from the Union list to the State list. We shouldnt be denying opportunities to the backward class. Tamil Nadu was the first state to set up a Backward Commission. The 10 percent reservation to EWS was given without any survey. When it comes to other castes, they need empirical data, he said.

While social justice has been the main plank of Congress in recently held Karnataka elections, former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily told this paper that the state government will soon publish the caste survey, which was conducted by CM Siddaramaiah in 2014. We will soon publish the 2014 data. It is in the process of publishing. The survey has been done systematically. It is the cabinet to decide whether to update the data or not, he said.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court giving a go-ahead to the publication of Bihar caste survey data on Friday, Mandal politics is likely to witness a churning in the run-up to the 2024 general elections. With Bihar and other Opposition-ruled states playing on the front foot on caste surveys, the Modi governments ambiguous stand on nationwide caste census may dent the partys fortunes on Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Bihars caste census will have implications nationally and the Central government will have to clarify its stand, says Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha. A caste count is the need of the hour to collect scientific data of contemporary nature, and decide the quantum of reservation accordingly, he added. The last caste census was done in 1931, which estimated the countrys OBC population at 52 per cent. We did it in Bihar and this is becoming part of the national application. The BJP has to break its silence on the issue. The Centre can delay the caste census out of fear of numbers, but it has to be done ultimately as the Constitution guarantees reservation, he said. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The last caste-based census in 1931 included present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan also. When the Mandal Commission recommendation was implemented, that quantum of reservation was settled for 27 per cent because there was a sealing of 50 per cent, said Jha, adding that states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh have also kicked off caste surveys. The tough posturing by Opposition parties is likely to put the Modi government in a spot as it has been dithering on the contentious issue of the caste-based census for identifying and enumerating the SEBC/OBCs, for a long time. While OBC votes have contributed some outstanding victories to the BJP in the last decade, the BJPs retreat from the earlier position on caste census hasnt gone down well with its allies in states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. There is a feeling among the community that its numerical strength must have grown manifold and is left behind in affirmative action. More significantly, the Bihar governments caste census to enumerate different castes will also lead to a realignment of castes beyond the state. Though the Rohini Commission, which looked into the sub-categorization of OBCs, has submitted its report after 14 extensions, Jha points out that if the Rohini Commission proposals have to be implemented, a caste census needs to be done first. It defies logic. We still dont have scientific data on the population of different castes. Even if the Rohini commission report is to be implemented, data is needed, said Jha. According to a 2018 report, 37 percent of the 2,600 communities in the OBC central list have zero representation in jobs and institutes. It also shows that only 2.68 percent of reservation has been availed by 994 castes. Speaking to this newspaper, DMK MP P Wilson said that state governments should be given the power to conduct a caste census in the state. Wilson had moved a private members bill in Parliament demanding the transfer of the subject of caste census from the Union list to the State list. We shouldnt be denying opportunities to the backward class. Tamil Nadu was the first state to set up a Backward Commission. The 10 percent reservation to EWS was given without any survey. When it comes to other castes, they need empirical data, he said. While social justice has been the main plank of Congress in recently held Karnataka elections, former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily told this paper that the state government will soon publish the caste survey, which was conducted by CM Siddaramaiah in 2014. We will soon publish the 2014 data. It is in the process of publishing. The survey has been done systematically. It is the cabinet to decide whether to update the data or not, he said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
When Natalie Kurylko, a volunteer for the Sunflowers Seed Ukraine non-profit organization, looks amongst a bustling group of attendees, she see's a crowd that "truly cares."

"This event is wonderful because the people that attend really want to learn about Ukraine and what they can do," Kurylko said.

Sunflower Seed Ukraine  an all-volunteer initiative accepting donations for frontline gear for Ukrainian defenders  is one of many organizations and that attended the Ukrainian Festival on Saturday at Belmar Park in Lakewood.

The event, hosted by the Ukrainians of Colorado, celebrated the culture and cuisine of the country with live music, craft vendors and outreach organizations.

The event has become a tradition, according to Mark Dillen, secretary for Ukrainians of Colorado. Despite taking a year off during the pandemic, the event is going on 10 years.

The event is tied to Ukrainian National Independence Day on August 24.

"It's an opportunity for Ukrainians living in Colorado, Ukrainian refugees, and those who want to support to get together," Dillen said. "We have been very active since the Russian war against Ukraine in raising charitable donations to help send over supplies. That's the overall mission."

There is around 11,000 Ukrainian-Americans in the state, according to state estimates. And, on the scorching summer day, plenty of them showed up to sample the festivities and culture-based crafts.

Kseniya Ivanova-Baker sold art and mugs to help support her home city of Kharkiv.

When the war began, she knew she had to help in any way that she could, despite being in America for 20 years.

"This is my second year, but I am hoping that I won't have to continue," Ivanova-Baker said.

She calls the event beautiful.

"It was very necessary last year," she said. "Everyone was half crying and half laughing because of the community... For a while, Ukrainians felt like they couldn't talk to anyone. You have your American friends, and they will listen, but after a while, they don't want to hear about it anymore."

She notes that coming together and knowing everyone is going through the same things is crucial.

Within that laughing and crying is the beauty that Ivanova-Baker points to  celebrating a rich culture and providing support in any way possible.
Shruti Kakkar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court in a special Saturday hearing castigated the Gujarat High Court over its delay in deciding a rape victims plea for medical termination of her 27-week pregnancy. The woman had approached the Gujarat High Court on August 7 seeking permission to abort her 26-week-old fetus. The court on August 8 constituted a medical board to ascertain her health.

The board submitted its report the next day. Although it was taken on record on August 11, the matter was posted for hearing on August 23 12 days later.

The court also rejected the listing of the case on August 17. A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan remarked that there should be some sense of urgency in such cases, adding valuable time was lost due to the high court adjourning the case by 12 days despite the medical report supporting her plea for safe abortion.

In such cases, there must be a sense of urgency and not a lackadaisical attitude...adjourning it like a normal case, were sorry to make these remarks, the bench said. The bench directed the medical board to submit a fresh medical report by Sunday evening. The same shall be put up before this court on Monday. List this case on Monday as the first item, it said.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court in a special Saturday hearing castigated the Gujarat High Court over its delay in deciding a rape victims plea for medical termination of her 27-week pregnancy. The woman had approached the Gujarat High Court on August 7 seeking permission to abort her 26-week-old fetus. The court on August 8 constituted a medical board to ascertain her health. The board submitted its report the next day. Although it was taken on record on August 11, the matter was posted for hearing on August 23 12 days later. The court also rejected the listing of the case on August 17. A bench of justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan remarked that there should be some sense of urgency in such cases, adding valuable time was lost due to the high court adjourning the case by 12 days despite the medical report supporting her plea for safe abortion.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In such cases, there must be a sense of urgency and not a lackadaisical attitude...adjourning it like a normal case, were sorry to make these remarks, the bench said. The bench directed the medical board to submit a fresh medical report by Sunday evening. The same shall be put up before this court on Monday. List this case on Monday as the first item, it said. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Following a backlash from various quarters, including the Opposition BJP, the Karnataka government on Friday withdrew the Muzrai Departments order that stopped grants to state-owned temples for development works.

Karnataka has over 34,000 endowment temples. Of them, 175 are Class A temples, with an annual revenue of above Rs 25 lakh, 158 temples are Class B with revenue between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, while others are Class C with annual revenue of under Rs 5 lakh.

On August 14, the department issued a circular to stop grants to all the temples under its purview for development works. It also stressed to stop work if the work has not commenced or less than 50% of the work is complete.

The order was widely opposed by various sections. On social media platform X, senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said It proved CM Siddaramaiahs anti-Hindu stance. The government, which had given crores of grants under the pretext of waqf and welfare of minorities, has now withheld grants to temples..., the legislator tweeted.

Transport and Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy told TNIE that he had only sought the status of various ongoing works in temples. I had asked officials to furnish details of ongoing works and work orders for which funds are not released. I had sought this as we have to seek the Finance Departments nod for funds. Our intention is not to stop work or funds to temples. If needed, we are ready to give more funds, he added.

Release funds or face stir, says Jolle

Belagavi: Former Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle threatened to launch an agitation over the halt of funds to the temples by the state government from its Muzrai Department. She said that the government had earlier released funds for temples. The previous BJP government did not release the second instalment because of the model code of conduct during elections she said. ENS

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BENGALURU: Following a backlash from various quarters, including the Opposition BJP, the Karnataka government on Friday withdrew the Muzrai Departments order that stopped grants to state-owned temples for development works. Karnataka has over 34,000 endowment temples. Of them, 175 are Class A temples, with an annual revenue of above Rs 25 lakh, 158 temples are Class B with revenue between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, while others are Class C with annual revenue of under Rs 5 lakh. On August 14, the department issued a circular to stop grants to all the temples under its purview for development works. It also stressed to stop work if the work has not commenced or less than 50% of the work is complete. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The order was widely opposed by various sections. On social media platform X, senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal said It proved CM Siddaramaiahs anti-Hindu stance. The government, which had given crores of grants under the pretext of waqf and welfare of minorities, has now withheld grants to temples..., the legislator tweeted. Transport and Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy told TNIE that he had only sought the status of various ongoing works in temples. I had asked officials to furnish details of ongoing works and work orders for which funds are not released. I had sought this as we have to seek the Finance Departments nod for funds. Our intention is not to stop work or funds to temples. If needed, we are ready to give more funds, he added. Release funds or face stir, says Jolle Belagavi: Former Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle threatened to launch an agitation over the halt of funds to the temples by the state government from its Muzrai Department. She said that the government had earlier released funds for temples. The previous BJP government did not release the second instalment because of the model code of conduct during elections she said. ENS Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: In a move to monitor the misuse of the Anna Bhagya scheme, the Karnataka government will not issue new applications for BPL cards for some time, as the authorities are verifying the existing card-holders, said Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa, during a review meeting with officials in Bengaluru on Friday.

He told the media that the authorities have transferred Rs 170 per person, instead of 5kg rice, to more than 1 crore cardholders. There are 28 lakh card-holders who are invalid for various reasons, including that the bank account was not linked to Aadhaar, deaths in the family were not been updated, or e-KYC was not done, besides other reasons.

Department officials said they had got details from RTOs on whiteboard cars. Many BPL card-holders have luxury cars, houses and other facilities. Even government employees have got this benefit. These cards will be cancelled, official sources said.

Muniyappa, however, said he has directed officials to sort out issues of genuine beneficiaries who have not linked their Aadhaar cards to bank accounts. Officials will identify heads of families and enable beneficiaries who dont have bank accounts to open Indian Postal Payment Bank accounts, he said.

In the case of births, a provision has been made on the website to add names online. He directed officials to have a separate server if there are technical or slow server issues due to heavy load. Muniyappa said good quality grains should reach the beneficiaries, and officials should ensure quality rice, jowar and ragi, or action will be taken against them. He directed officials to check grains in godowns, and only if the quality is good, it should be released to PDS shops.

The minister further said that they are trying to procure rice from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,

and there will be some clarity on it in the next ten days. Once we get the grains, we will start supplying rice as promised. Till then, we will continue to pay money till they procure rice, he added.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

BENGALURU: In a move to monitor the misuse of the Anna Bhagya scheme, the Karnataka government will not issue new applications for BPL cards for some time, as the authorities are verifying the existing card-holders, said Food and Civil Supplies Minister KH Muniyappa, during a review meeting with officials in Bengaluru on Friday. He told the media that the authorities have transferred Rs 170 per person, instead of 5kg rice, to more than 1 crore cardholders. There are 28 lakh card-holders who are invalid for various reasons, including that the bank account was not linked to Aadhaar, deaths in the family were not been updated, or e-KYC was not done, besides other reasons. Department officials said they had got details from RTOs on whiteboard cars. Many BPL card-holders have luxury cars, houses and other facilities. Even government employees have got this benefit. These cards will be cancelled, official sources said. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Muniyappa, however, said he has directed officials to sort out issues of genuine beneficiaries who have not linked their Aadhaar cards to bank accounts. Officials will identify heads of families and enable beneficiaries who dont have bank accounts to open Indian Postal Payment Bank accounts, he said. In the case of births, a provision has been made on the website to add names online. He directed officials to have a separate server if there are technical or slow server issues due to heavy load. Muniyappa said good quality grains should reach the beneficiaries, and officials should ensure quality rice, jowar and ragi, or action will be taken against them. He directed officials to check grains in godowns, and only if the quality is good, it should be released to PDS shops. The minister further said that they are trying to procure rice from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and there will be some clarity on it in the next ten days. Once we get the grains, we will start supplying rice as promised. Till then, we will continue to pay money till they procure rice, he added. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
The Conversation By

After three indictments of former President Donald Trump, the fourth one in Georgia came not as a surprise but as a powerful exposition of the scope of Trumps efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

New conservative legal scholarship spells out how and why those actions  which were observed by the public over many months  disqualify Trump from serving in the presidency ever again. And our read of the Georgia indictment, as longtime lawyers ourselves, shows why and how that disqualification can be put into effect.

The key to all of this is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that No person shall  hold any office, under the United States  who, having previously taken an oath  to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. Trump took that oath at his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.

Both Trumps Georgia indictment, and his federal indictment in Washington, D.C., cite largely public information  and some newly unearthed material  to spell out exactly how he engaged in efforts to rebel against the Constitution and sought and gave aid and comfort to others who also did so.

Legal scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, conservatives themselves and members of the conservative Federalist Society, have recently published a paper declaring that under the 14th Amendment, Trumps actions render him ineligible to hold office.

We believe the Georgia indictment provides even more detail than the earlier federal one about how Trumps actions have already disqualified him from office, and shows a way to keep him off the ballot in 2024.

Disqualification is automatic

Trumps supporters might argue that disqualifying him would be unfair without a trial and conviction on the Jan. 6 indictment, and perhaps the Georgia charges.

But Baude and Paulsen, using originalist interpretation  the interpretive theory of choice of the powerful Federalist Society and Trumps conservative court appointees, which gives full meaning to the actual, original text of the Constitution  demonstrate that no legal proceeding is required. They say disqualification is automatic, or whats known in the legal world as self-executing.

Recent public comments from liberal constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe and conservative jurist and former federal judge Michael Luttig  who has characterized the events before, during and since Jan. 6 as Trumps declared war on American democracy  suggest an emerging bipartisan consensus supporting Baude and Paulsen.

Backed by history

This is not a theoretical bit of technical law. This provision of the 14th Amendment was, in fact, extensively used after the Civil War to keep former Confederate leaders from serving in the federal government, without being tried or convicted of any crime.

Few former Confederates were charged with crimes associated with secession, rebellion and open war against the United States. And most were pardoned by sweeping orders issued by President Andrew Johnson.

But even though they had no relevant convictions, former Confederates were in fact barred from office in the U.S.

In December 1865, several who had neither been convicted nor been pardoned tried to claim seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But the House clerk refused to swear them in. It took an act of Congress  the 1872 Amnesty Act  to later restore their office-holding rights.

There is no requirement in the Constitution that the disqualification be imposed by any specific process  only that it applies to people who take certain actions against the Constitution.

The indictment in Georgia against former US President Donald Trump is photographed Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Photo | AP)

A path through the states

For the U.S. in 2023, we believe the most realistic avenue to enforce the 14th Amendments ban on a second Trump presidency is through state election authorities. Thats where the Georgia indictment comes in.

State election officials could themselves, or in response to a petition of a citizen of that state, refuse Trump a place on the 2024 ballot because of the automatic 14th Amendment disqualification.

Trump would certainly challenge the move in federal court. But the recent disqualification proceedings against former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn provide a road map and binding legal precedent affirming the 14th Amendment as a valid legal ground for disqualification of a candidate for federal office.

The Georgia indictment against Trump and allies exhaustively details extensive acts of lying, manipulation and threats against Georgia officials, as well as a fraudulent fake elector scheme to illegally subvert the legitimate 2020 Georgia presidential vote tally and resulting elector certification.

Trumps failure to accomplish what is tantamount to a coup in Georgia and other swing states set the stage for the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, that sought to achieve the same result  Trumps fraudulent installation to a second term.

In fact, the Georgia scheme is included in Special Counsel Jack Smiths federal indictment as one of the methods and means in aid of the larger Jan. 6 federal conspiracy against the United States.

Baude and Paulsen acknowledge that insurrection and rebellion are traditionally associated with forced or violent opposition. But we see the broader set of actions by Trump and his allies to subvert the Constitution  the Georgia vote count and fake elector scheme included  as part of a political coup d'etat. It was a rebellion.

Georgia as a bellwether

So what makes the Georgia scheme and indictment compelling for the purposes of disqualifying Trump from the 2024 Georgia ballot?

There are minimally six aspects revealed in the latest indictment that we believe justify Georgia  under Section 3 of the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment  keeping Trump off the ballot:

The racketeering scheme was a multifaceted attempt to subvert Georgias own part of the 2020 electoral process; The officials on the receiving end of the unsuccessful racketeering scheme were elected and appointed Georgia officials.   whose actions to reject election subversion vindicated their own oaths to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States as well as Georgias; Most of these officials were and are Republicans  including Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, Governor Brian Kemp and former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan; These officials will, in 2024 as in 2020, collectively determine who is qualified to be on Georgias presidential ballot; and These officials testimony, and related evidence, is at the heart of the proof of the Georgia racketeering case against Trump.

In other words, the evidence to convict Trump in the Georgia racketeering case is the same evidence, coming from the same Georgia officials, who will be involved in determining whether, under the 14th Amendment, Trump is qualified to be on the 2024 presidential ballot  or not.

Little if any additional evidence or proceedings are needed. The Georgia officials already hold that evidence, because much of it comes from them. They dont need a trial to establish what they already know.

How could Trump avoid this happening? A quick trial date in Atlanta with an acquittal on all counts might do it, but this runs counter to his strategy to delay all the pending criminal cases until after the 2024 election.

With no preelection trial, there will likely be no Trump on the 2024 Georgia ballot and no chance for him to win Georgias 2024 electoral college votes.

Once Georgia bars him, other states may follow. That would leave Trump with no way to credibly appear on the ballot in all 50 states, giving him no chance to win the electoral votes required to claim the White House.

(By Joseph Ferguson: Co-Director, National Security and Civil Rights Program, Loyola University Chicago & Thomas A)

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

After three indictments of former President Donald Trump, the fourth one in Georgia came not as a surprise but as a powerful exposition of the scope of Trumps efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election. New conservative legal scholarship spells out how and why those actions  which were observed by the public over many months  disqualify Trump from serving in the presidency ever again. And our read of the Georgia indictment, as longtime lawyers ourselves, shows why and how that disqualification can be put into effect. The key to all of this is the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that No person shall  hold any office, under the United States  who, having previously taken an oath  to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. Trump took that oath at his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Both Trumps Georgia indictment, and his federal indictment in Washington, D.C., cite largely public information  and some newly unearthed material  to spell out exactly how he engaged in efforts to rebel against the Constitution and sought and gave aid and comfort to others who also did so. Legal scholars William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen, conservatives themselves and members of the conservative Federalist Society, have recently published a paper declaring that under the 14th Amendment, Trumps actions render him ineligible to hold office. We believe the Georgia indictment provides even more detail than the earlier federal one about how Trumps actions have already disqualified him from office, and shows a way to keep him off the ballot in 2024. Disqualification is automatic Trumps supporters might argue that disqualifying him would be unfair without a trial and conviction on the Jan. 6 indictment, and perhaps the Georgia charges. But Baude and Paulsen, using originalist interpretation  the interpretive theory of choice of the powerful Federalist Society and Trumps conservative court appointees, which gives full meaning to the actual, original text of the Constitution  demonstrate that no legal proceeding is required. They say disqualification is automatic, or whats known in the legal world as self-executing. Recent public comments from liberal constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe and conservative jurist and former federal judge Michael Luttig  who has characterized the events before, during and since Jan. 6 as Trumps declared war on American democracy  suggest an emerging bipartisan consensus supporting Baude and Paulsen. Backed by history This is not a theoretical bit of technical law. This provision of the 14th Amendment was, in fact, extensively used after the Civil War to keep former Confederate leaders from serving in the federal government, without being tried or convicted of any crime. Few former Confederates were charged with crimes associated with secession, rebellion and open war against the United States. And most were pardoned by sweeping orders issued by President Andrew Johnson. But even though they had no relevant convictions, former Confederates were in fact barred from office in the U.S. In December 1865, several who had neither been convicted nor been pardoned tried to claim seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. But the House clerk refused to swear them in. It took an act of Congress  the 1872 Amnesty Act  to later restore their office-holding rights. There is no requirement in the Constitution that the disqualification be imposed by any specific process  only that it applies to people who take certain actions against the Constitution. The indictment in Georgia against former US President Donald Trump is photographed Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Photo | AP) A path through the states For the U.S. in 2023, we believe the most realistic avenue to enforce the 14th Amendments ban on a second Trump presidency is through state election authorities. Thats where the Georgia indictment comes in. State election officials could themselves, or in response to a petition of a citizen of that state, refuse Trump a place on the 2024 ballot because of the automatic 14th Amendment disqualification. Trump would certainly challenge the move in federal court. But the recent disqualification proceedings against former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn provide a road map and binding legal precedent affirming the 14th Amendment as a valid legal ground for disqualification of a candidate for federal office. The Georgia indictment against Trump and allies exhaustively details extensive acts of lying, manipulation and threats against Georgia officials, as well as a fraudulent fake elector scheme to illegally subvert the legitimate 2020 Georgia presidential vote tally and resulting elector certification. Trumps failure to accomplish what is tantamount to a coup in Georgia and other swing states set the stage for the violent insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, that sought to achieve the same result  Trumps fraudulent installation to a second term. In fact, the Georgia scheme is included in Special Counsel Jack Smiths federal indictment as one of the methods and means in aid of the larger Jan. 6 federal conspiracy against the United States. Baude and Paulsen acknowledge that insurrection and rebellion are traditionally associated with forced or violent opposition. But we see the broader set of actions by Trump and his allies to subvert the Constitution  the Georgia vote count and fake elector scheme included  as part of a political coup d'etat. It was a rebellion. Georgia as a bellwether So what makes the Georgia scheme and indictment compelling for the purposes of disqualifying Trump from the 2024 Georgia ballot? There are minimally six aspects revealed in the latest indictment that we believe justify Georgia  under Section 3 of the post-Civil War Fourteenth Amendment  keeping Trump off the ballot: The racketeering scheme was a multifaceted attempt to subvert Georgias own part of the 2020 electoral process; The officials on the receiving end of the unsuccessful racketeering scheme were elected and appointed Georgia officials.   whose actions to reject election subversion vindicated their own oaths to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States as well as Georgias; Most of these officials were and are Republicans  including Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger, Governor Brian Kemp and former Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan; These officials will, in 2024 as in 2020, collectively determine who is qualified to be on Georgias presidential ballot; and These officials testimony, and related evidence, is at the heart of the proof of the Georgia racketeering case against Trump. In other words, the evidence to convict Trump in the Georgia racketeering case is the same evidence, coming from the same Georgia officials, who will be involved in determining whether, under the 14th Amendment, Trump is qualified to be on the 2024 presidential ballot  or not. Little if any additional evidence or proceedings are needed. The Georgia officials already hold that evidence, because much of it comes from them. They dont need a trial to establish what they already know. How could Trump avoid this happening? A quick trial date in Atlanta with an acquittal on all counts might do it, but this runs counter to his strategy to delay all the pending criminal cases until after the 2024 election. With no preelection trial, there will likely be no Trump on the 2024 Georgia ballot and no chance for him to win Georgias 2024 electoral college votes. Once Georgia bars him, other states may follow. That would leave Trump with no way to credibly appear on the ballot in all 50 states, giving him no chance to win the electoral votes required to claim the White House. (By Joseph Ferguson: Co-Director, National Security and Civil Rights Program, Loyola University Chicago & Thomas A) This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By PTI

LAHORE: Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Saturday claimed to have averted a major terror plot by arresting 13 terrorists, including three ISIS commanders, who were planning to target important installations across the Punjab province.

The militants were arrested from Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Kasur and Multan during the last couple of days, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said in a statement.

"The arrested terrorists had planned to target important installations across the province," it said.

With the arrest, law enforcement agencies foiled a "major terror plot" in the Punjab province, it said.

The arrested terrorists belong to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh (ISIS), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Al-Qaeda.

Some 2,360 grams of explosives, one IED bomb, 11 detonators, pistols and bullets and banned literature have been recovered from them, the statement said.

Last week, the CTD arrested 21 terrorists in Punjab.

Hundreds of terrorists of TTP and ISIS have been nabbed this year after the truce between the Pakistan government and TTP ended in November last year.

The attacks on security forces have seen a rise in the country after the truce ended.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

LAHORE: Pakistan's law enforcement agencies on Saturday claimed to have averted a major terror plot by arresting 13 terrorists, including three ISIS commanders, who were planning to target important installations across the Punjab province. The militants were arrested from Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Kasur and Multan during the last couple of days, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police said in a statement. "The arrested terrorists had planned to target important installations across the province," it said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); With the arrest, law enforcement agencies foiled a "major terror plot" in the Punjab province, it said. The arrested terrorists belong to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Daesh (ISIS), Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and Al-Qaeda. Some 2,360 grams of explosives, one IED bomb, 11 detonators, pistols and bullets and banned literature have been recovered from them, the statement said. Last week, the CTD arrested 21 terrorists in Punjab. Hundreds of terrorists of TTP and ISIS have been nabbed this year after the truce between the Pakistan government and TTP ended in November last year. The attacks on security forces have seen a rise in the country after the truce ended. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
By AFP

CHERNIHIV: A Russian missile strike on Ukraine's northern city of Chernihiv killed seven people and left more than 100 wounded on Saturday, authorities said, hours after President Vladimir Putin met Moscow's top army commanders.

Chernihiv, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Kyiv towards Belarus, has been largely spared from major attacks since the first months of Russia's invasion as fierce fighting rages in the east and south.

The Russian army marched through the city when it invaded Ukraine through Belarus in February 2022, before being repelled by Kyiv's forces.

The strike came after Putin held talks with top Russian generals in a rare trip to operational hub Rostov-on-Don and as his Ukrainian nemesis, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited Sweden for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

"As of 3:25 pm, 117 people were injured in the terrorist attack on the centre of Chernihiv, seven of them died," Oleksandr Lomako, Chernihiv's acting mayor, said on Telegram.

Viacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv region's military administration, said on Telegram that a child was among the dead.

Zelensky said the attack hit "the centre of the city" in a square that houses a "polytechnic university, a theatre".

"An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he said after his arrival in Sweden.

He posted a video from the scene showing debris around a large Soviet-era building, with parked cars partially destroyed, smashed roofs and windows blown out.

Some nearby buildings also sustained minor damaged.

Putin meets military top brass

"There was smoke, screams, people were running, crying, moaning. We ran to the shelter when everything happened and sat there," Iryna, a 24-year-old bartender in Chernihiv said.

"I'm still a little in shock, because this hasn't happened in a long time, everyone has relaxed a little. But now we will probably be going down to the shelter."

Until the war is over, "we have no options. Either accept or go abroad," added Viktoriya, 40, who manages a coffee shop.

Hours earlier, the Kremlin said Putin had travelled to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow's hub for its operations in Ukraine, to meet his top generals in a rare trip close to combat zones.

Moscow gave no details of when the meeting took place, but footage released by state media indicated it was at night.

Putin "listened to briefings by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, commanders of directions and other senior officers of the group", the Kremlin said.

A video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed Putin, wearing a suit, stepping out of a jeep in the dark and being greeted with a handshake by Gerasimov, in military attire.

Gerasimov is seen leading Putin down a corridor decorated with portraits of Russian military men and of the president chairing a meeting with army chiefs.

Rostov-on-Don was also the scene of a dramatic armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries in June, which saw them briefly take over the army HQ in Rostov, before halting their rebellion.

Gerasimov, who Wagner wanted to unseat, has rarely been seen in public since.

Drone attacks

As Putin met with his generals, Kyiv said it had shot down more than a dozen Russian drones in an overnight attack.

And the Russian army said it had thwarted Ukrainian attacks on Crimea as well as attempted drone strikes on a military airfield in the northwestern Novgorod region, Moscow and its region.

A day earlier, Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and the Black Sea Fleet.

Both sides have reported regular drone incursions as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-held territory.

On the battlefield, Russia's army said it had "eliminated" 150 Ukrainian troops that tried to cross the Dnipro River into Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine, a day after admitting sabotage groups were operating in the area.

Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

CHERNIHIV: A Russian missile strike on Ukraine's northern city of Chernihiv killed seven people and left more than 100 wounded on Saturday, authorities said, hours after President Vladimir Putin met Moscow's top army commanders. Chernihiv, 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Kyiv towards Belarus, has been largely spared from major attacks since the first months of Russia's invasion as fierce fighting rages in the east and south. The Russian army marched through the city when it invaded Ukraine through Belarus in February 2022, before being repelled by Kyiv's forces.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The strike came after Putin held talks with top Russian generals in a rare trip to operational hub Rostov-on-Don and as his Ukrainian nemesis, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited Sweden for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. "As of 3:25 pm, 117 people were injured in the terrorist attack on the centre of Chernihiv, seven of them died," Oleksandr Lomako, Chernihiv's acting mayor, said on Telegram. Viacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv region's military administration, said on Telegram that a child was among the dead. Zelensky said the attack hit "the centre of the city" in a square that houses a "polytechnic university, a theatre". "An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss," he said after his arrival in Sweden. He posted a video from the scene showing debris around a large Soviet-era building, with parked cars partially destroyed, smashed roofs and windows blown out. Some nearby buildings also sustained minor damaged. Putin meets military top brass "There was smoke, screams, people were running, crying, moaning. We ran to the shelter when everything happened and sat there," Iryna, a 24-year-old bartender in Chernihiv said. "I'm still a little in shock, because this hasn't happened in a long time, everyone has relaxed a little. But now we will probably be going down to the shelter." Until the war is over, "we have no options. Either accept or go abroad," added Viktoriya, 40, who manages a coffee shop. Hours earlier, the Kremlin said Putin had travelled to the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow's hub for its operations in Ukraine, to meet his top generals in a rare trip close to combat zones. Moscow gave no details of when the meeting took place, but footage released by state media indicated it was at night. Putin "listened to briefings by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, commanders of directions and other senior officers of the group", the Kremlin said. A video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed Putin, wearing a suit, stepping out of a jeep in the dark and being greeted with a handshake by Gerasimov, in military attire. Gerasimov is seen leading Putin down a corridor decorated with portraits of Russian military men and of the president chairing a meeting with army chiefs. Rostov-on-Don was also the scene of a dramatic armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries in June, which saw them briefly take over the army HQ in Rostov, before halting their rebellion. Gerasimov, who Wagner wanted to unseat, has rarely been seen in public since. Drone attacks As Putin met with his generals, Kyiv said it had shot down more than a dozen Russian drones in an overnight attack. And the Russian army said it had thwarted Ukrainian attacks on Crimea as well as attempted drone strikes on a military airfield in the northwestern Novgorod region, Moscow and its region. A day earlier, Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and the Black Sea Fleet. Both sides have reported regular drone incursions as Ukraine presses a counteroffensive to reclaim Russian-held territory. On the battlefield, Russia's army said it had "eliminated" 150 Ukrainian troops that tried to cross the Dnipro River into Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine, a day after admitting sabotage groups were operating in the area. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp
See you in the gym: Hrithik Roshan flaunts abs in latest pictures

Mumbai, August 18

A ctor Hrithik Roshan, on Friday, set the internet on fire as he dropped shirtless pictures from his vacation.

Taking to Instagram, Hrithik shared a couple of pictures where he could be seen posing shirtless and flaunting his perfectly toned back and shoulders.

Along with the post, he wrote, "Vacation over. Presenting before and after pics. See you in the gym."

https//www.instagram.com/p/CwFmEebsKjS/?img_index=2

Soon after he dropped the pictures, his fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons.

A user wrote, "Before and before" with a fire emoticon while another fan commented, "49 years me bhi itna fitness."

Hrithik and his girlfriend Saba, who were holidaying together somewhere flew back to the Bay on Friday. The couple was spotted at the Mumbai Airport and several videos and photos of lovebirds got viral on social media where they can be seen holding each other's hands.

They also posted adorable pictures from their vacation on social media.

Recently, Hrithik unveiled an intriguing motion poster of his upcoming film 'Fighter' featuring Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor's first look as Indian Air Force pilots.

The clip opens with a runway shot and then Hrithik comes into frame. The actor looks dapper in his pilot G-suit.

Next, we are introduced to Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor. They were also dressed in pilot uniforms. All three of them are seen holding helmets and wearing sunglasses.

Sharing the look, Hrithik took to Instagram and wrote, "#SpiritOfFighter | Vande Mataram! See you in the theatres on the eve of India's 75th Republic Day. Fighter releases worldwide on 25th January 2024."

The first looks of Deepika, Hrithik and Anil have everyone excited.

Helmed by Siddharth Anand, 'Fighter' also stars Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover and Akshay Oberoi. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on January 25, 2024.

'Fighter' is an aerial action film. The film marks Hrithik's first on-screen collaboration with Deepika.

Siddharth Anand announced the film in 2021. Taking to social media, he wrote, "This is definitely one of the most exciting moments of my life to bring together two of my favourite stars, Hrithik and Deepika, for the first time to the Indian and global audience. I am thrilled to begin the journey of MARFLIX, a production house dedicated to action filmmaking in India. I start this journey of Marflix along with my life partner Mamta Anand. Starting MARFLIX with Hrithik is special as he is someone who has seen me even working as an AD, then as a director on two films and now I am not just his director but I'm also starting my production house with him."

Apart from 'Fighter', Hrithik will also be seen in the action thriller film 'War 2' alongside Jr NTR and Kiara Advani.

The sequel will be helmed by Ayan Mukerji. The official release date of the film is still awaited.

See you in the gym: Hrithik Roshan flaunts abs in latest pictures

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Gandhinagar, Aug 18

M inister for Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said the government has a special focus on traditional medicine, adding it established a separate Ministry of AYUSH in this regard.

"In India, under the leadership of Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), we have a specific focus on traditional medicine and established a separate Ministry of AYUSH, which includes Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy," he said while addressing the concluding session of the two-day World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine.

AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other dignitaries were also present.

Referring to Covid pandemic, the Minister said, "During the Covid-19 crisis, traditional medicines had played a very important role through scientific and evidence-based medicines in terms of preventive, therapeutic and public health management."

"Ministry of Health and the Ministry of AYUSH works closely to integrate, endorse, and develop holistic health, including through availability of traditional medicines and yoga in 1,50,000+ Health and Wellness Centres and by establishing centres of integrated medicines in our tertiary hospitals," Mandaviya said.

"Under the overarching theme of India's G20 Presidency of 'One Earth, One Family and One Future' and focus on reducing fragmentation and enhancing convergence, this meeting will be a torch bearer for effective health systems strengthening and will bring additional research, evidence and innovation to help us meet health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

"The summit will help identify potential areas for collaboration and innovation in traditional medicines and help harness traditional medicine in achieving Universal Health Coverage goals," Sonowal said.

Speaking on the occasion, the WHO DG said, "Traditional medicines never had this kind of attention from governments, even though they have been practiced since millennia. Recognizing the benefits in the use of traditional medicines, WHO recently established the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat."

Ghebreyesus appreciated India's role in promoting the use of traditional medicines and hoped that this first-ever summit on traditional medicines will be a catalyst for bringing together modern science and traditional knowledge in making health systems better.

Govt has special focus on traditional medicine, says Mandaviya

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A new study suggests that using big data and machine learning in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in livestock production methods could help inform interventions and offer protections against germs that are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

Over two and a half years, researchers at the University of Nottingham analysed microbiomes from chickens, carcasses and environments. The resulting network of correlations between livestock, environments, microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance suggests multiple routes for improving antimicrobial resistance surveillance in livestock production.

The research, led by Dr Tania Dottorini, Professor of Bioinformatics, used a data-mining approach based on machine learning in ten large-scale chicken farms and four connected abattoirs from three provinces in China - one of the largest consumers of antimicrobials. The use of antimicrobials used to prevent and treat infections in livestock production on farms is associated with the rise of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections.

The study, published in Nature Food, identified several antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) that were shared between chickens and the farms they lived on that are potentially highly transmissible.

The findings also show that a core subset of the chicken gut microbiome, featuring clinically relevant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes correlates with AMR profiles of E. coli, colonizing the gut. Notably, this core, which contains clinically high transmissible ARGs shared by chickens and environments, is influenced by environmental temperature and humidity, and correlates with antimicrobial usage.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity according to the World Health Organization. AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi.

Around 600 million cases of food-borne disease, resulting in approximately 420,000 deaths, occurs worldwide every year. Within this, nearly 300 million illnesses and 200,000 deaths are caused by diarrheagenic E. coli globally.

In many countries, chickens are housed in sheds that do not have an effective climate control system, and therefore experience substantial temperature and humidity variations. The study results indicate that the core features of the gut microbial community and resistome, found to be correlated with resistance in E. coli, are also correlated with changes in temperature and humidity in chicken housing.

The associations between environmental variables, and the species and genes associated with AMR, present opportunities for the development of novel AMR monitoring solutions, especially in low-middle-income countries where these variables are not controlled and pose a risk to the animals that are exposed to changes in them.

The spread of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms and AMR at the human-animal-environment level and food interface is a major global concern. The transmission of AMR can take place through different routes and pathways, and the food chain, either indirectly via food consumption or directly through contaminated food-animal handling and manure or faecal contamination is a relevant one. We have demonstrated how methodologies can be developed that can associate a wide array of microbial species and genes with observable AMR, and further assessed how those are associated with the environmental variables of temperature and humidity. Next, we must consider all relevant and interconnected AMR datasets in a 360 approach, which will deepen our understanding and control of AMR spread." This is an exciting moment. We are ready to invest in new AI-powered AMR integrated surveillance approaches to identify the drivers and the mechanisms underlying the insurgence and spread of AMR, and of new genetic variants of resistant pathogens across animals, environment, humans, and food. This will be groundbreaking." Dr Tania Dottorini, Professor of Bioinformatics
Cleveland Clinic London is the first hospital in London to successfully perform a total knee replacement procedure with the assistance of an augmented reality-based surgical platform that was designed with artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Mr Panagiotis Gikas, consultant orthopaedic hip and knee surgeon, led the surgical team during the procedure on July 18. Following the procedure to treat knee pain caused by osteoarthritis, the patient is doing well.

Total knee replacement is the most common type of knee replacement. Arthritis is the most common condition that causes debilitating musculoskeletal pain. Total knee replacement is a successful treatment for advanced knee arthritis that treats the pain and restores function. In recent years, augmented reality (AR) has become increasingly beneficial in orthopaedic surgery, with significant advantages that equip the operating team with the tools to provide a more personalized approach to patient care.

Augmented reality gives a visualization of the joint that is more dynamic as it is three-dimensional (3D). The advanced technology helps with planning the procedure and allows for the best positioning of the implant for each patient during the procedure. The end-result is tailored to the unique anatomy and specific needs of each patient." Dr. Panagiotis Gikas, consultant orthopaedic hip and knee surgeon

Prior to the procedure, Dr Gikas used advanced imaging software to visualise the patient's knee joint in 3D and determine the ideal implant positioning for this patient, based on their specific anatomy. The virtual 3D model of the patient's knee helps the surgical team evaluate damaged bone and cartilage so they can plan for the surgery and the optimal placement for the implant.

During the procedure, the physician wears a pair of augmented reality glasses to view the patient's specific knee anatomy in 3D. Two small sensors are attached to the patient's leg to provide real-time soft tissue feedback, such as the tension of the ligaments. The AR-based platform enables the surgical team to easily adjust, better visualize and determine the proper placement of the implant given the patient's specific anatomy, which is key to a successful knee replacement procedure.

As a leader in medical innovation, Cleveland Clinic has used augmented reality technology in joint replacement procedures at its main campus in Cleveland, Ohio, especially with shoulder arthroplasty surgery.

Augmented reality is being adapted by Cleveland Clinic research scientists and physicians for use in a wide array of clinical applications, including aortic aneurysm treatment. Cleveland Clinic used augmented reality technology during an extremely complex total face transplant surgery in 2017. AR was also incorporated into liver cancer treatment at Cleveland Clinic.

Cleveland Clinic London is committed to providing patients with an unparalleled care experience that is empathetic, innovative, and based on research and education. As part of this mission, the organisation continuously assesses how advanced medical technologies, such as augmented reality, can enhance Cleveland Clinic London's ability to provide patients with better treatment outcomes.

Cleveland Clinic London welcomes bookings from eligible members covered through all major domestic and international insurers, self-pay, and embassy-sponsored patients. A full list of Cleveland Clinic London services and specialities is available on our website.

To book an appointment, patients can fill out the Request an Appointment form online or contact the Call Centre at +44 (0)20 3423 7500. Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. BST and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. BST. Patients located outside of the U.K. call +44 (0)20 3423 8000.
At the outset of the COVID pandemic, men appeared to suffer higher rates of severe illness and death, leading researchers to suspect a link between androgen receptors-;which bind to hormones like testosterone--and SARS-CoV-2 viral infection.

This observation spurred Michigan Medicine researchers to look into a drug in development to treat prostate cancer called proxalutamide, which works by blocking an enzyme called TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease, serine 2) that is regulated by androgen receptors, as a potential therapeutic for COVID.

We were already studying TMPRSS2 as part of the key gene driver of over 50 percent of prostate cancer, so it made sense to look at it as TMPRSS2 is an important host factor for SARS-CoV2 to enter cells in the lung." Arul Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology and the S.P. Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology

Chinnaiyan, co-principal investigator Jonathan Sexton, Ph.D., assistant professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and Assistant professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy and their team recently published their study in PNAS.

The team added proxalutamide to cells infected with SARS-Co-V2 to monitor its ability to block viral entry.

The compound works by binding to androgen receptors, inhibiting levels of TMPRSS2 and ACE2, and blocking infection.

What's more, proxalutamide worked better than other prostate cancer drugs against multiple variants of SARS-CoV2 due to its ability to break down the androgen receptor.

Additionally, proxalutamide, when combined with FDA-approved COVID drug remdesivir, blocked infection by 100%.

"This discovery underscores the utility of testing existing drugs for new applications that can be rapidly evaluated in humans to shorten the timeline from discovery to clinical evaluation," said Sexton, who is also director of the U-M Center for Drug Repurposing.

Buoyed by their in vitro results, the team looked to see whether the compound could stop the so-called cytokine storm, or severe inflammatory response, caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Using a mouse model, they demonstrated that the drug reduced inflammation and cell death in the lungs of mice and reduced mortality.

Said Chinnaiyan, "The thought is proxalutamide could work as a combined therapy with remdesivir, hitting the virus from multiple angles, much as combination therapy works so well for HIV infection."

The drug is currently in phase 3 clinical trials for prostate cancer and early clinical trials for COVID.
According to new research in the journal Immunity, T cells have a nuclear receptor doing something very odd-;but very important-;to help them fight pathogens and destroy cancer cells. This receptor, called retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR), is known to control gene expression programs in the nucleus, but it also now appears to operate outside the cell nucleus to coordinate the early events triggered at the cell surface that lead to T cell activation.

Scientists wouldn't normally expect to see a nuclear receptor such as RAR playing this role outside the cell nucleus. And yet the new findings suggest T cells cannot begin to fight disease without a form of RAR on the scene in the cytoplasm.

"Cytoplasmic retinoic acid receptors turn out to be central for a T cell to link sensing at the cell surface with downstream signaling cascades and gene expression programs that transform the T cell to become an active fighter," says Professor Hilde Cheroutre, Ph.D., who led the new study at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) with LJI Assistant Professor Samuel Myers, Ph.D., LJI Professor Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., and LJI Professor Emeritus Amnon Altman, Ph.D.

The study is also the result of a successful collaboration with scientists at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences in Japan and local teams at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute.

Helping T cells respond to danger

To understand this finding, it helps to picture the geography of a T cell. The cell nucleus (with its bundled-up DNA) sits in the middle of the cell. Other molecules and cellular structures called organelles float in the cytoplasm outside the nucleus surrounded by a membrane at the border of the cell (cell membrane).

Special molecules called T cell receptors (TCRs) sit on the cell membrane, where they receive messages from other cells. You can imagine TCRs as fire-spotters, the lookouts who scan for smoke from remote cabins in the wilderness. Just as fire-spotters need to alert officials to any smoke in the distance, TCRs need to quickly signal headquarters-;the cell nucleus-;if they detect a potential threat, such as a virus or cancer cell.

Sending that signal to the cell nucleus is critical for activating gene expression to transform the T cell to a fighter cell. But TCRs can't just pick up a phone, so how do they alert the distant cell nucleus to trouble?

The signaling process is fascinating. Once the TCR is triggered, molecules called kinases (enzymes that add phosphates to proteins) work with adaptors that tell nearby proteins to "click" together and assemble a special molecular "activation complex." This complex is called a TCR signalosome, and it comes together just inside the cell membrane. "The TCR signalosome is extremely important for mediating communication between the outside and the inside of a cell," says Cheroutre.

And although the TCR signalosome has been studied by many people for many, many years, no one had ever detected RAR in this activation complex before.

This new finding will change the way we think about TCR signals." Mitchell Kronenberg, Ph.D., LJI Professor

Uncovering RAR's role

RAR's secret came to light thanks to the development of CRISPR techniques, advances in imaging and mass spectrometry-;and years of hard work from the LJI team and collaborators.

RAR belongs to a large family of retinoic acid receptors that normally sit on control regions of target genes in the nucleus. These retinoic acid receptors recruit repressor and activator molecules that let them "switch off" or "switch on" expression of these target genes. This important job in the nucleus has earned retinoic acid receptors the title of "nuclear receptors."

Several years ago, Cheroutre and her colleagues published research showing that retinoic acid (RA), which we get from vitamin A, triggers nuclear RAR and gene expression important for the differentiation of suppressive regulatory T cells that reduce the immune response.

For the new study, Cheroutre wanted to investigate how retinoic acid controls that suppressive T cell fate, so her laboratory started to look at retinoic acid receptors, such as RAR, more closely.

The researchers were intrigued to find that RAR actually comes in two variants, called isoforms. "These isoforms are encoded by the same gene, but they differ a little bit at one end. The consequences however are more significant and lock one form in the cytoplasm whereas the other form is confined to the nucleus" says Cheroutre.

Could these two isoforms play different roles in T cells? Looking closer, the researchers realized this RAR isoform did not respond to retinoic acid and didn't even have the right equipment to function as a nuclear receptor.

"It didn't have the tools that are important for nuclear receptors, namely the ability to interact with DNA and the ability to translocate from the cytoplasm to the nucleus," says Cheroutre.

Using CRISPR gene editing techniques to modulate expression of the two isoforms, the researchers found that modulating the cytoplasmic isoform caused major problems for TCR signaling in the cytoplasm and impaired the communication with the control center in the nucleus.

RAR is in the right place at the right time

Once they knew where to look for this RAR isoform, the researchers tried to figure out what other proteins RAR interacted with. This work revealed interactions with the kinase ZAP70, a major component of the TCR signalosome.

Another important, early clue that RAR had a role outside of the nucleus came from proteomics work led by the Myers Lab. The researchers used techniques in mass spectrometry to detect a process called phosphorylation, which is when a molecule called a phosphoryl group is attached to proteins by an upstream kinase.

For T cells, phosphorylation spurs key proteins into action when a threat is near. "There are hundreds to thousands of dynamic phosphorylation events that occur during the first hour or so of T cell stimulation," says Myers.

As Myers and his colleagues examined their data, they were surprised to spot a phosphorylation event related to RAR. In fact, phosphorylation of RAR began just three minutes into T cell activation. "Because this event was that early, our findings suggest that this phosphorylation of RAR is near the T cell receptor-;and it has a burst in activity right after the TCR is stimulated," says Myers.

This discovery added to the evidence that the cytoplasmic isoform of RAR is activated by the TCR instead of by RA like the nuclear RAR. Thus, this new form of RAR represents an essential component of the TCR/ZAP70 activation complex at the cell surface.

Cheroutre and her colleagues then shed light on another fascinating phenomenon in the cytoplasm. Scientists knew that RA, which is present in the blood and taken up by the T cells, is further transported to the nucleus by a molecule called cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2 (CRABP2). CRABP2 in the cytoplasm binds to RA and carries it into the cell nucleus where it activates nuclear RAR.

The researchers showed that without CRABP2, RA remains in the cytoplasm of the T cell and instead of activating cytoplasmic RAR, it interferes with TCR-activated RAR in the cytoplasm and blocks T cell activation. As a result, the T cell can no longer effectively fight infections or kill cancer cells. The good side of this phenomenon is that the interference of RA with the cytoplasmic RAR reduces the inflammatory response of the T cell. The researchers think this process may make an important target to fight autoimmune diseases and other inflammatory diseases.

Next steps for understanding TCR signaling

The new study emphasizes the importance of understanding not just a receptor's location but its special talents and interacting partners.

"Retinoic acid receptors are really 'complex formers' and it all depends on who they recruit or reject. They have the unique capacity to engage molecules and release other molecules," says Cheroutre. "Retinoic acid receptors are the 'architects' of complexes."

The current study focused on T cells, but it may have implications for understanding signaling in many other cell types. For example, the Cheroutre Lab has gone on to show over-expression of this RAR isoform in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. What is extranuclear RAR doing there? What signals does it help relay?

"Understanding the role of this receptor has such major implications for studying protective immunity, anticancer therapies, autoimmune disease, and neurological diseases," says Cheroutre.

The Myers Lab will spearhead the next steps in this research. Myers hopes to figure out exactly what RAR does in the TCR/ZAP70 signaling complex. "Does it modulate the signaling strength or duration? How does that change in signal propagate to gene expression and T cell activity?" he asks. His laboratory plans to use a "systems biochemistry" approach to further study the role of cytoplasmic and nuclear RAR in T cell activation and differentiation.

"The ultimate goal is to see if we can identify a new pathway, or set of pathways, that could be exploited to control autoimmune diseases and inflammation or enhance protective immunity to eradicate tumors or fight infections," says Myers.
Regarded as one of the most tragic occurrences of South Asia, the Partition of India left many people on both sides of the border in extreme distress. The political climate during the time of Partition was extremely volatile with communal riots on both sides of the border. Since the newly carved nation of Pakistan was a Muslim state by majority, many Muslims from the Indian side of the border crossed over to Pakistan while Hindus on the other side migrated to India.

Several migrants who came from Pakistan during Partition have excelled in India in various fields. Many people who came to India during Partition established new businesses and became successful industrialists.

Notable figures like the late Dharmapal Gulati of MDH Spices, Raunaq Singh from Apollo Tyres and Moti Mahal restaurants owner Kundan Lal Gujral, have set an example for all. Heres a look at their journey of building their businesses despite all odds:

Dharampal Gulati

Late Dharampal Gulati, the owner of MDH and known as Masala King all over the country, was born in Sialkot, now in Pakistan. He was just in 5th standard when the partition took place and he had to migrate to Delhi with his family. He did not study further and instead started a business with his father at the age of 13.

Mahashiyan Di Hatt (MDH) was founded by his father Chunni Lal Gulati, who also owned a grocery store. Dharampal Gulati used to sell spices in Delhi back then by keeping them on a tonga. He opened a modest spice shop in Delhis Karol Bagh after making some money. His spices and his name are now well-known throughout the nation. Dharampal Gulati passed away in December 2020 and left behind a huge legacy.

Raunaq Singh

Late Raunaq Singh, owner of Apollo Tyres. Shortly before partition, he joined a steel pipe trader in Lahore as a salesman and for this work he got a salary of Rs 8 per month. Raunaq Singh arrived in India following the Partition in 1947. He initially shared a tiny room in Delhis Gole Market with 13 other people. He founded Apollo Tyres in 1972. Raunaq Singh passed away in the year 2002. Today the market value of his company is Rs 248 billion.

Kundan Lal Gujral

You may have come across the popular Moti Mahal chain of restaurants in many big Indian cities. Founder of the restaurant chain, Kundan Lal Gujral, began his journey with a small shop in Delhis Daryaganj in 1948 after migrating from Pakistan. He even sold off his wifes jewellery to start his business.

Kundan Lal Gujral is said to have introduced Tandoori Chicken and Butter Chicken in Delhi. Food from Moti Mahal was a favourite of many notable people from politicians to Bollywood stars, including former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Today, the nation is home to hundreds of Moti Mahal eateries. In 1997, Kundanlal Gujral passed away.
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is the national mission for the financial inclusion of poor people which aims at giving them universal access to financial services like banking, deposit account, remittance, pensions etc. It was launched on August 28, 2014. Now, after 9 years, the Jan-Dhan accounts have crossed the 50 crore mark, with 56 per cent of the accounts belonging to women, Finance Ministry said on Friday.

According to the statement released by the Central government, 67 per cent of these accounts have been opened in rural and semi-urban areas. The deposits in these accounts are above Rs 2.03 lakh crore (trillion) and about 34 crore RuPay cards have been allotted to the owners of these accounts. The cards are given to the holders free of cost.

As per the Finance Ministry, the average balance in the PMJDY accounts is Rs 4,076 and more than 5.5 crore accounts under this scheme are receiving Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) benefits. In this scheme, the subsidy is directly transferred to the accounts of the citizens who are living below the poverty line.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) shared this update through their official Twitter handle with the attachment of the statement by the Finance Ministry of India.

Number of Jan Dhan Accounts Cross 50 Crore56% Accounts Belong To Women and 67% Accounts Opened In Rural / Semi-urban Areas Read here: https://t.co/bxLAOmQZGG@FinMinIndia  PIB India (@PIB_India) August 18, 2023

In the statement, the ministry said that the PMJDY scheme has been successfully changing the financial landscape of the country while bringing saturation in the bank accounts for adults. It calls technology, collaboration and innovation the key factors in changing the image of the formal banking system in India.

PMJDY offers numerous advantages to the account holders if applied under this scheme. It includes a bank account without the requirement of a minimum balance, free-of-cost RuPay debit cards and an overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000. Under this credit facility, the account holder can withdraw the funds from their current or savings account even if their bank balance is zero. It is a short-time loan which must be paid back by the lender.

Indian PM Narendra Modi announced this scheme on August 15 from the Red Fort in 2014. While launching the programme on August 28, PM Modi described the day as a festival for the liberation of the poor from a vicious cycle.
The day after Independence Day marked the start of the new academic year at Delhi University, putting the universitys academic schedule back on track after being delayed for the previous three years by the COVID-19 pandemic The prestigious university started its 2023-24 academic session on August 16. Orientation programmes were held in colleges affiliated with DU where students were given a grand welcome. Dayal Singh College, Hansraj College, Gargi College, Ramjas College and Kirori Mal College saw the maximum admissions.

According to the Vice-Chancellor of DU, more than half of all college admissions are female in this academic year. Girls made up 53% of the total number of students enrolled thus far, while boys made up 47%. The courses- B.Com (Hons), B.Com, BA (Hons) Political Science, BA (Hons) Economics, and BA (Hons) English- saw the most admittance rates. On August 15, the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS) second round was finished. 64,288 students had been admitted in the first and second rounds. The top three schools for admission in the second round were Swami Shraddhanand, Deshbandhu College and Zakir Hussain College. All of Delhi Universitys colleges provide a combined 71,000 undergraduate seats.

For newcomers, student organisations at the university have set up support stations all around the campuses. The Indian National Congress student branch, the National Students Union of India (NSUI), has also put up kiosks to offer assistance to new students.

The university will also organise its first student union elections this year after 2020. The student union elections are likely to be held in September or October. Apart from helping the new students by setting up help desks, student organisations took out rallies at various places in the North Campus and also started their election campaigns.

The allotment of seats for undergraduate courses has been done under the Common Seat Allocation System (CSAS)- UG-2023. As per the data, the top five colleges which got maximum admissions are Dyal Singh College, Hansraj College, Gargi College, Ramjas College and Kirori Mal College.

The pandemic had disrupted the academic calendar, causing universities to have breaks that lasted either a few days or none at all. Due to the irregular start times of classes, it also had an impact on the consistency of semesters.
The CTET 2023 admit card for the July/August session is now available on the official website ctet.nic.in from August 18 onwards. To access the admit card, candidates are required to enter their application number and date of birth. The CTET Call Letter 2023 encompasses crucial details such as the candidates name, CTET Roll Number 2023, exam center information, and exam timings.

The CTET (Central Teacher Eligibility Test) examination is set to take place on August 20 in two separate sessions. The first session is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, while the second session will occur from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM. The exam comprises two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, each having a duration of 150 minutes. Both papers consist of 150 questions.

Clearing Paper 1 qualifies candidates for teaching up to the fifth standard, while passing Paper 2 renders eligibility for teaching classes 6th to 8th. Each question in both papers carries 1 mark, and there is no provision for negative marking. Heres an overview of the subjects covered in Paper 1 and Paper 2:

Paper 1 Topics:

Child Development and Pedagogy

Language I (compulsory)

Language II (compulsory)

Mathematics

Environmental Studies

Paper 2 Topics:

Child Development and Pedagogy

Language I (compulsory)

Language II (compulsory)

Mathematics and Science (for Mathematics and Science teachers) OR Social Studies/Social Science (for Social Studies/Social Science teachers)

Heres a breakdown of the subjects, topics, and number of questions for Paper 2 of the CTET exam:

Subject: Child Development and Pedagogy

Topics:

Child Development (Elementary School Child)

Inclusive education and understanding of children with special needs

Learning and Pedagogy

Number of Questions: 30

Subject: Language-I

Topics:

Reading Comprehension

Poem

Pedagogy of Language Development

Number of Questions: 30

Subject: Language-II

Topics:

Reading Comprehension

Pedagogy of Language Development

Number of Questions: 30

Subject: Mathematics

Topics:

Numbers system, Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration

Pedagogical issues

Number of Questions: 30

Subject: Science

Topics:

Food, Material

The World of the Living

Moving Things People and Ideas

How things work

Natural Phenomenon

Natural Resources

Science Pedagogical Issues

Number of Questions: 30

Subject: Social Studies

Topics:

History

Geography

Social and Political Life

Social Studies Pedagogical Issues

Number of Questions: 60

Candidates who secure a score of 60% or more in the CTET exam will be considered successful in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). However, educational institutions, including government, local bodies, government-aided, and unaided institutions, might offer concessions to candidates from categories like SC/ST, OBC, and differently-abled individuals. The CTET cut-off marks for various categories are as follows:

General Category: Minimum qualifying marks of 60%, with a passing score of 90 out of 150.

OBC/SC/ST/PwD Categories: Minimum qualifying marks of 55%, with a passing score of 82.50 out of 150.

As the CTET exam date approaches, candidates are advised to prepare thoroughly and make use of their admit cards for a smooth examination experience.
On August 17, Delhi University told the Delhi High Court that it will not accept applications for its newly-launched 5-year integrated law programmes while the decision to consider Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2023 scores for admission to such courses is challenged. The two 5-year law programmes are Bachelor of Arts  Bachelor of Legislative Law (BA LLB) (Honours) and Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Laws (BBA LLB) (Honours).

You are not special, said a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, as per Times of India. There is a national policy. If 18 other central universities are relying on CUET scores for admissions, why is DU not doing the same? the bench added. The court gave the Central Governments lawyers time to obtain instructions and prepare a response in the case, reports state.

After the bench questioned the varsitys decision to depend on CLAT scores rather than Common University Entrance Test (CUET) scores, the varsitys counsel informed the court that there would be no admission until the case was resolved. The next hearing in the case has been set for Friday, August 25. If the response is not filed by the next date, the case will be addressed on the subject of interim relief, according to the court.

A law student at Delhi University, Prince Singh reportedly filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding that the university use CUET scores for admission. According to the petition, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has stated that all central universities are required to finish their undergraduate admission processes in compliance with CUET. While CUET is used for all other courses, CLAT scores are used for admission to the 5-year law programmes at Delhi University.

The petition further claims that as a result of this, a separate class/category/segment of students can get admission to the 5-year courses at the Faculty of Law and that whereas the CUET is administered in many languages, the CLAT is administered solely in English.

That the CLAT exam is being conducted in English medium since its inception. However, the CUET (UG) exam is being conducted in 13 languages It is worth noting here that the CUET is more inclusive and in tune with the National Educational Policys mandate, the petition said.

On the other hand, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has authorised 120 seats, 60 of which are reserved for BA LLB (Honours) students and the other 60 for BBA LLB (Honours) candidates.
Kashmir will have its first-ever Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and GRE test centre, the exam conducting organisation, Educational Testing Service (ETS) announced. The test centre will come up at Hashtag Educational Services, nestled in a prime location, Regal Chowk, Srinagar.

Previously, students from Kasmir had to travel to the neighbouring state of Punjab to take TOEFL and GRE assessments. The new testing centre will help reduce travel time for aspiring students. The centre is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and adheres to stringent test security protocols to ensure a seamless testing experience for both TOEFL and GRE test takers, stated a press release by ETS.

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This historic development promises to be a game-changer for study abroad aspirants in the region. This is the first time a global assessment organisation has set up a dedicated testing facility in the region, thereby addressing a significant need of local students, aspiring to pursue international higher education, stated a press release by ETS.

Speaking on the occasion, Sachin Jain, Country Manager, ETS India and South Asia said, We are delighted to work with Hashtag Educational Services in setting up a world-class testing centre in Kashmir, also our first in the Valley, thereby enabling significant ease of access to study abroad aspirants.

He added, Our breadth of initiatives across education, including global assessments, English language competency assessments from K-12 to College, skill development and assessment services, is a testimony to our commitment to invest in India and accelerate its journey to becoming a global knowledge powerhouse.

Meanwhile, ETS had earlier stated that the TOEFL iBT exam has been approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for use in the countrys Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme. This streamlined approach allows students to receive their study permits and begin their education in Canada more quickly.
Admission to a good university is one of the major events in the life of a student. Many aspire to get admitted into IITs and IIMs as they are considered to be one of the best universities in India. Another university has emerged as the go-to option for students. It is Jadavpur University in West Bengal. The university has secured the fourth position in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). It is ranked first among state-run universities, followed by Calcutta University in second place. In a remarkable development, Jadavpur University witnessed recruiters from various companies like Google, Samsung, Microsoft, DE Shaw India, Citi Bank and HSBC. These companies offered 1,200 positions to the students, out of which more than 1,000 students were successfully placed. A few of these students managed to grab lucrative annual packages with the highest offering of Rs 85 lakh.

Approximately 35 students ensured annual packages between Rs 45 lakh and Rs 80 lakh. More than 100 students bagged offers ranging from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. JUs Pro-Vice Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee praised the students while speaking about their remarkable placement record. Jadavpur Universitys placement officer Samita Bhattacharya also expressed her delight and highlighted the special contribution of departments like Power Engineering, Construction Engineering, and Printing Engineering.

It needs to be noted that the primary reason Jadavpur University ranked so well is because of its record-breaking placement rate. The placement rate is above 95 percent in most engineering departments. The departments of Mechanical Engineering and Instrumentation & Electronics Engineering achieved 100 percent placements, whereas IT, Printing Engineering, Computer Science, and Power Engineering departments witnessed 97 percent placements.

Apart from JU, St Xavier college also bagged a prominent position in the state. As per the NIRF rankings, IIT Madras is the top engineering institute. IIT Kharagpur earned the sixth position.
The Ministry of Education has launched an excellent initiative for school students known as the Prayas Yojana Scheme. This program, starting on October 10, 2023, aims to cultivate research skills and scientific curiosity among young learners. Guided by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the scheme offers students the chance to explore the scientific method and experiments, fostering a culture of research and discovery.

Participation in the Prayas Scheme is open to students aged 14 to 18, enrolled in Classes 9 to 11. Eligibility extends to students from all schools. A participant could either be an individual student or a group of two students. The project group should include a teacher from the school and an expert affiliated with a higher educational institution.

Under the Prayas Yojana Scheme, each chosen research proposal will receive a comprehensive incentive grant of Rs 50,000. This grant will be distributed as follows: Rs 10,000 to the student, Rs 20,000 to the school and Rs 20,000 to experts from higher educational institutions who will assist students in their research endeavours. The application window for this scheme will be open until September 20. Once the selection process is concluded, the projects are set to commence on October 10, 2023.

According to the guidelines of the Prayas scheme, its primary objective is to instil a scientific mindset in young students and foster skills in evidence-based scientific processes, innovation and creativity. The focus is on enhancing students capacity to independently or collaboratively carry out research and exploration. The scheme places importance on identifying and studying local issues, delving into the scientific causes, and devising solutions. It also encourages research into ideas, concepts, and innovative approaches.

The Prayas scheme spans a year, with only one submission permitted per school. The projects timeframe is set at one year from the programs initiation at the school. For Prayas 2023-24, the project period runs from October 10, 2023, to October 9, 2024. During this period, a designated science teacher from the school will mentor the students in their research endeavours. Additionally, science experts from nearby higher educational institutions will offer technical guidance, practical assistance, and information about laboratory equipment to the students.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Friday exuded confidence that his party MNF will retain power in the next assembly polls and has 10 safe seats where the oppositions strength is negligible.

The polls for the 40-member assembly are due later this year.

As of now, we have 10 safe seats out of 40 assembly constituencies. In such segments, the influence of the opposition is negligible. There is not much hope for the opposition, Zoramthanga said at a party function here.

In the present assembly, the ruling MNF has 27 members, while the main opposition ZPM has seven MLAs, Congress five and the BJP one.

K Beichhua resigned as a minister in December last year and was later expelled from the MNF.

Look at East Tuipui, Khawzawl, Saitual, Lengteng, Kolasib and Serlui constituencies. They (the opposition parties) have little chance of winning (these seats). Even in Aizawl, their strength is steadily going down, the Chief Minister said.

Hitting out at the main opposition Zoram Peoples Movement, the MNF chief said they have no proper policy.

The MNF will retain power as the opposition will not pose a big threat to the party, he said.

A 20-member team of the Election Commission of India is scheduled to visit Mizoram on August 29.
After there was information that Vietnamese fresh husked coconuts can be exported to the U.S., the price of fresh coconuts in the Mekong Delta has increased again.

At the beginning of the year, the price of fresh coconut was only VND15,000-20,000 for 10, it has now tripled to between VND60,000 to VND65,000.

Ben Tres Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the reason why coconut prices rose was thanks to the increase in world coconut prices.

Although the coconut area of the province is the largest in the country, it is very small compared to the world, so the price of coconut depends greatly on the world market.

The domestic coconut market has many positive signals after the news that the U.S. officially opened to Vietnamese husked coconut.

After more than two years of decline, the sharp increase in the price of coconut made coconut farmers very excited, because coconut trees are the main source of income for many households. Besides, some businesses have also started planning to export this item.

Vietnam ranks seventh in coconut production worldwide with an area of over 188,000 ha, mainly concentrated in the Mekong Delta.

The countrys coconut area accounts for 1.67% of the world's area, 2.07% of Asia's coconut area.

Coconut export turnover is estimated at US$900 million last year, making Vietnam the fourth largest exporter of coconut products in the Asia-Pacific region.

Currently, there are about 854 enterprises manufacturing and processing coconut products with many different types and sizes of activities such as processing coconut shells, copra, coconut juice to solve jobs for more than 15,000 employees.

Currently, there are more than 90 enterprises exporting coconut products, of which, 42 have exported deeply-processed products.

The coconut industry strives to export coconut and coconut products to reach over $1 billion.
Bigg Boss OTT 2 house witnessed a nailbiting finale on August 14 with two popular YouTubers- Elvish Yadav and Abhishek Malhan pitted against each other. And for the first time in Bigg Boss history, Elvish, who was a wildcard contestant in the show lifted the coveted trophy beating fellow YouTuber Abhishek. Elvish has been showered with congratulatory messages from his co-contestants as well as some Bollywood celebrities like Alia Bhatt. Now Archana Gautam, known for her stint in the Rohit Shetty-led adventure game show Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 has also congratulated Elvish Yadav on his victory.

Archana Gautam was recently spotted in Mumbai where the paparazzi asked her to share her thoughts on Elvish Yadavs win in Bigg Boss OTT 2. A video of the same is currently doing the rounds on the internet. In the video, Archana, who is also a former Bigg Boss 16 contestant, shared that she was extremely happy that Elvish managed to break the streak that wildcard contestants cannot win the show.

I am extremely happy that Elvish has won the show and I also believe that the chain should have been broken as many people misunderstand that a wildcard contestant cannot win in the Bigg Boss show. And now after Elvishs win, people will get scared of wildcard contestants as they would think that even wildcard participants can win the show," said Archana Gautam.

The paparazzi further quizzed Archana Gautam about two other potential winners of Bigg Boss OTT 2- Abhsihek Malhan aka YouTuber Fukra Insaan and Manisha Rani. Abhishek was the runner-up of the show. In her reply, Archana revealed just like the wildcard cannot win streak has been broken in the Bigg Boss house, she wished that one day comedians will also emerge victorious on the show and break the chain. Now that Elvish has broken one chain maybe there will be a third person who will succeed in breaking another stereotype. So lets wait and watch", she added.

Citing the reason why she thinks that Elvish Yadav won the competition against Abhishek Malhan, Archana Gautam credited Elvishs massive fan following, both in real life and on social media platforms which, according to her, was much greater" than Abhishek. She added that Elvish managed to gather more votes than Abhishek, resulting in his victory.

Archana Gautam is currently displaying her sporty and spirited personality in Khatron Ke Khiladi 13, giving tough competition to fellow participants  Shiv Thakare, Aishwarya Sharma, Dino James, Arjit Taneja, Daisy Shah, Anjali Anand, Anjum Fakih, Rohit Roy, and Soundous Moufakir.
Youtuber Elvish Yadav has crossed yet another milestone after emerging as the winner of Bigg Boss OTT 2. Elvish hosted an Instagram Live session this Saturday evening. However, the session crashed soon after due to heavy traffic. Elvishs session created the record for the most viewed Instagram Live in India, with over 5,95,000 viewers. It also ranks 10th in the list of most viewed Live sessions worldwide.

The record was previously held by Bigg Boss 16 winner MC Stan, whose Live session was viewed by over 5 lakh people. This achievement speaks volumes about the YouTubers influence. His first post after winning the reality show received more than two lakh likes in less than two hours. The post now has more than a million likes, leaving the benchmark set by MC Stan far behind. The post received the fastest one million likes in India.

Elvish Yadav Insta LIVE Crashed.Elvish breaks all records and has Indias Maximum Insta Live watching (595,000+). His Live also entered in World Top 10 rank. pic.twitter.com/EpyiLtTdZk  #BiggBoss_Tak (@BiggBoss_Tak) August 19, 2023

Elvish also increased his Instagram followers by 10 million in only 30 days while he was a contestant on Bigg Boss OTT 2. While Elvishs co-contestants on the show knew that he had a loyal army of fans supporting him, they werent completely aware of exactly how many people supported the YouTuber.

Elvish not only made history by becoming the first wildcard contestant to win Bigg Boss across the Indian franchise, he also received a record-breaking number of votes in only 15 minutes when the voting lines were reopened. He was told by the makers that he received a whopping 280 million votes.

However, Elvishs influence is not only an online phenomenon but also has real-life consequences. While Elvish was still on the show, a fan meet-up was arranged by his team in Delhi to gather support for the YouTuber. Despite knowing that Elvish will not be present at the event, nearly 10 thousand loyal fans showed up to cheer for him.

According to the latest reports, Elvishs famous car with the number plate 1001 was supposed to pick him up from the Delhi airport. However, he changed his plan after realizing the nuisance it could cause on the streets.

Elvish has announced that he will hold a fan meet at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon on Sunday, August 19. His fans are eager to meet their beloved YouTuber and see him in person after supporting him during his stint on the show.
A burglary attempt rendered useless when some robbers broke open national banks automated teller machine (ATM) near Maharashtras Palghar in the wee hours of Saturday. There was no cash inside the machine, leading the burglars to return empty-handed.

Police said that the incident took place at Maswan village in Palghar.

A Manor police station official said, Some miscreants stormed into an ATM kiosk of a nationalised bank around 2 am. They not only broke open the ATM box, but also damaged the CCTV camera installed inside the room.

There was no cash stored inside the ATM as repair works of the machine had been going on for a while, the police said.

A case has been registered and the accused is yet to be identified.

Previously, in January this year, some unidentified thieves looted over Rs 38 Lakhs from two ATMs in Rajasthans Ajmer. The gang robbed an ATM in Ajmers Arain area of Rs 8 lakhs and another ATM in the districts Roopangarh was robbed of Rs 30 lakhs.

The incidents took place two days apart and CCTV footage had shown three masked men tying a chain to the machine and uprooting it within minutes. They took the ATM along in their vehicle.

Considering that the methods of the robbery were identical, police suspected that both the crimes were committed by the same gang of thieves.

(With inputs from PTI)
A resident of Sikkim was brutally assaulted and sustained severe injuries after being taunted with racist slurs, referring to him as Chinese, in Bengaluru. The police have questioned the mans claim stating that he might have sustained injuries due to an accidental fall while he was in an inebriated state.

Dinesh Subba, a native of Rinchenpong town in Sikkim, celebrated his wedding anniversary on August 15 with some friends.

He was heading home alone late at night when a group of miscreants intercepted him.

According to the complaint filed by Subba, the assailants referred to the 31-year-old as Chinese, physically assaulted him, and left him severely wounded. Following the assault, the attackers fled the scene.

A police patrol unit noticed him lying on the ground with serious injuries and in great pain. They promptly transported him to the hospital.

He was admitted to the hospital with multiple injuries, including to his nose. Subba, along with his wife and three-month-old child, had relocated to Bengaluru seven months ago in search of a livelihood. Presently, he is employed at a restaurant within the city, the police said.

The police have initiated an investigation and are actively seeking CCTV footage to track down the individuals responsible for the assault.

Assault or Accident?

According to DCP South East CK Baba, on August 16, sometime between midnight and 2 am, Subba was partying with his friends. Subsequently, he fell down while under the influence of alcohol. Onlookers who witnessed him bleeding dialed the emergency number 112 and the police rushed to the scene and recording his assault complaint, he said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: "On August 16 in the middle of the night between 12 to 2, this Sikkim residenthe had a party with three of his friends post that he had in an inebriated condition fell down, the onlookers who've seen him bleeding called the 112 number and police have pic.twitter.com/WGOeNQ8dim ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

He said in his complaint that three bike-borne people uttered racial slurs and assaulted him. The investigation clearly shows that what he stated in the complaint and what exactly happened is completely different The investigation continuesIn inebriated condition, he has given a different story, the DCP said.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
As many as four people were arrested in connection with the murder of journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav in Bihars Araria on Friday. Araria SDPO Rampukar Singh said Raniganj police arrested four persons namely Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav and Umesh Yadav from different places over their alleged involvement in the killing of Yadav.

Bihar police said out of eight people named accused in the case, four have been arrested. Two accused namely Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav are lodged in Araria jail and the police are taking them on remand while the remaining two are absconding.

Within 24 hours, Police arrested the accused. Raids were conducted in jail after the victims family members gave the names of the suspects. A thorough probe was done. Opposition must talk about that as well not just about the crime, JDU leader Neeraj Kumar said.

#WATCH | Within 24 hours, Police arrested the accusedraids were conducted in jail after victims family members gave names of suspectthorough probe was done. Opposition must talk about that as well not just about the crime: JDU leader Neeraj Kumar on the murder of pic.twitter.com/M5f4daWC3C ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

Vimal Kumar Yadav, who worked for a local daily, was shot dead at his home in Bihars Araria on Friday morning. According to reports, unidentified miscreants knocked at his door and opened fire at him before fleeing the spot.

In the Raniganj Bazar area, a journalist namely Vimal Kumar Yadav was shot dead by unidentified miscreants. A post-mortem is underway. The dog squad has been called to the murder spot. An investigation is on, Ashok Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Araria, said.

The deceaseds father told reporters that he had requested police protection 3-4 days before his murder.

#WATCH | Journalist shot dead in Araria |  Vimal had told the Police that there is a threat to his life, 3-4 days before he had requested Police protection, says Victims Father pic.twitter.com/TL2ZkqcG5Z ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

Vimals Sarpanch brother was also killed in a similar manner two years ago. The two cases are speculated to be interlinked since Vimal was the main witness to his brothers killing two years ago.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar reacted to the incident and assured that officers are looking into the case.

Union MoS Ashwini Kumar Choubey slammed the Bihar government over the killing and said, There is no law and order rule in Bihar. Murders are rampant in the state. Criminals have their spirits very high in Bihar. Today, Bihar is emerging as a crime state in the country.
The national capital of Delhi witnessed a spree of stabbing cases late on Friday when three PCR calls were received by the Welcome Police Station.

Initial investigation has revealed that three men went on a stabbing splurge at night. Two of the accused have been arrested and were identified as Kapil Chaudhary and Sohail. Two blood stained knives have been recovered from the arrested accused. Search for the third accused, identified as Sameer, is underway.

In the first incident, a 25-year-old Shere Mohammad was stabbed in the stomach. The victim, however, saved his life by rushing and hiding inside a house.

The second victim Gufran died after he was stabbed in the back. The 32-year-olds mobile phone was stolen. Gufran was tailor, working in a jeans factory in Gandhi Nagar.

Sharik  the third victim of the spree  got stabbed in his neck. However, the 22-year-old was able to save himself.

The three accused, Kapil, Sohail, and Sameer had been drinking when they decided to rob some people. They had recently purchased huge knives from the Ballimaran area and were carrying it around with themselves. They succeeded in robbing only one of the victims  Gufran  who later died. All three of them were known thugs of their area of residence in Welcome, the Janta Mazdoor Colony.

The accused, Chaudhary, had previously been involved in two criminal cases and had come out of prison just three months ago. He was first arrested for attempt to murder in 2021 and then again in 2022 for another stabbing incident. Gufrans stolen mobile phone was also recovered from him.

The third accused Sameer also had a criminal record and had been arrested for robbery and Arms Act in 2022.

Further investigation is underway.
Weather News: Heavy rains continued in Northern India majorly Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand causing destruction on a vast scale as the death toll related to weather-related incidents touched 78. More rains are predicted in the hilly states as the weather body issued a yellow alert in ten districts of Himachal Pradesh on August 21 and 22.

On the other hand, around 80 people were left homeless after a landslide hit a village in the Dehradun district of Uttarakhand, the State Emergency Operation Centre said on Friday.
Whores, Concubines and Keeps are just Women. A sexual assault victim who has had sexual relations before is not a loose woman. A sex worker can be raped. And a woman is not giving any message for inviting sexual relations by the way she dresses. These are just some of the things that the Supreme Courts latest handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes elucidates.

In a utopian world, one would imagine that such stereotypes shouldnt have been part of judicial language or judicial reasoning in the first place. But like any other institution, the judiciary  composed of lawyers, litigants and judges  is an offshoot of our society and hence, these sexist notions and stereotypes are alive and kicking.

A much-cited case that has been the subject of public and academic criticism for the kind of language it uses to address women in a relationship with a married man is the D Velusamy vs Patchaiammal (2010) case. In an article aptly titled The Concubine Notions of Constitutional Justice, Flavia Agnes, a noted women rights lawyer, argues how the use of the terms mistress and keeps added insult to injury to women who were in long-term relationships with married men.

Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud recently released a handbook to lay bare how women should be addressed in judicial parlance. The handbook has a list of terms and stereotypes that should be avoided by judges while delivering justice in court rooms.

Gender stereotypes are alive and breathing in the Indian judicial system. They are rampantly used in judicial pronouncements and judicial reasoning. Leading legal luminaries have often highlighted the need to make the world of judiciary free from stereotypes and sexist language. In 2019, senior advocate Indira Jaising had written an open letter to the CJI, demanding steps be taken to curb sexist language in judiciary.

The guidance by the Supreme Court may help in curbing sexist language in courtrooms but its a very small step in the long battle ahead. If gender stereotypes are deep-seated notions of a society, then it would take more than a handbook for these dogmas to be uprooted. The sexist stereotypes are well part of judicial reasoning. These biases become even more clear and apparent each time a case of sexual assault or rape is heard in a court of law. Often in matrimonial disputes, the presumed patriarchal gender roles play an active part in judicial reasoning.

Gender justice is much more than correct language. But it indeed begins there. Language is an intuitive tool for our social, cultural, and political expression. It has the power to humanise or dehumanise individuals or a class of individuals.

For centuries, the language pertaining to women, their adornments, clothes, or demeanour has had an implicit sense of insult to the existence of women. It has often been passed off as a joke and women flagging such language are called touchy. This holds true for society at large, including courtrooms and judges.

Men in position of power have the authority to correct such narratives. One such attempt has been made by the CJI. It might just be a handbook for now but it shall go a long way in furthering the cause of gender justice. There will be a day soon when each district court across the country will have an Internal Complaints Committee in compliance with Vishakha guidelines. Sexual bias in language and harassment at workplace often work hand in hand. Artificial correction of language should not put an end to the pursuit of seeking substantive changes in the corridors of judiciary. Correcting langauge is just the beginning.
Lauding the role of the Army, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said that more than 200 Meiteis who had crossed over to neighbouring Myanmar to escape the ethnic violence in Manipur have safely returned to the state after more than three months.

Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil, the chief minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

He hailed the efforts of the Army in facilitating their safe return to their hometown. A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC (General Officer Commanding) Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, GOC 3 Corps, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO (Commanding Officer) of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service, he added.

Also on Friday, a fresh round of violence took place in ethnic strife-torn northeastern state. Officials said that mutilated bodies of three youths were found following heavy gunfire at Kuki Thowai village in Ukhrul district.

This is the first time that an attack in the recent bout of violence has occurred in Ukhrul district, which is dominated by Tangkhul Nagas.

Sounds of heavy gunfire were heard from the village, which falls in Litan police station area, early in the morning, they said. Officials said the bodies of the three youths aged between 24 years and 35 years were found after police carried out a thorough search in the surrounding villages and forest areas.

Bodies of the three persons bore injury marks apparently made using sharp knives and their limbs were also chopped off, officials said.

Ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on May 3, after a Tribal Solidarity March was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei communitys demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in clashes between Meiteis and Kukis.

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.

(With inputs from PTI)
Authorities probing the case involving construction of illegal buildings using counterfeit seals of government agencies in Mumbais Vasai-Virar are fearing that over 350 buildings in the region might have been established by the scams suspected mastermind Prashant Patil and his associates, reports said on Saturday.

According to reports by Mid Day, Law enforcement officials now estimate that the magnitude of the scam could amount to a staggering Rs 9,000 crore. The estimate is following examination of a hard disk confiscated from Patil which contains more than 20,000 folders.

Preliminary investigation into have discovered that the accused had constructed 55 residential societies within the jurisdiction of the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) using counterfeit documents. They subsequently sold flats to 3,500 families.

As per the report, Virar police have identified approximately 80 files related to buildings that were established by the accused using forged documents and fraudulent completion certificates (CC). Since the perpetrators used a single CC and a set of fake documents to construct multiple buildings, law enforcement suspects that they are potentially accountable for a substantial total of 350 illegal structures proliferating across Vasai and Virar.

In connection with the case, authorities have arrested give people. These include Dilip Benvanshi, the proprietor of Rudransh Developers, his associate Prashant Patil, and their collaborators Machindra Vanmane, Dilip Adhkale and Rajesh Naik. The accused are believed to have engaged in fraudulent activities targeting home buyers since 2015.

The Virar police have confiscated a total of 115 counterfeit seals from various government agencies that were found in their possession as per reports.

According to Senior Inspector Rajendra Kamble of the Virar police station, two clerks from MahaRERA (Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority) were summoned to the police station as part of the investigation. During the interaction, the police inquired about the project registration process and the permission granted for the 55 illegal buildings. The MahaRERA officials explained that they receive files online through their portal, review the documents, and grant permission. However, they acknowledged not cross-checking the documents with municipal corporations before giving approval.
Most e-cigarettes sold in Vietnam are smuggled ones and there are no strict legal framework to control this type of product, a leader of the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) has said.

The fact that e-cigarettes are not regulated will have major impact on consumers health, and it also causes a dent in tax collection.

Doctor Nguyen Hai Cong, head of the Department of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases at Military Hospital 175, said that there are around 16 million cigarette users in Vietnam.

E-cigarettes seem to be gaining popularity among young people and students.

Although this type of cigarette has less toxic chemical, it still contains nicotine that can cause heart and nerve issues, he said, adding that many young people however seem to believe that e-cigarettes cause no negative health impact.

"There should be a legal framework to control this product and reduce smuggling."

Kieu Duong, head of policy and legal at Vietnam Directorate of Market Surveillance, said that many e-cigarette smuggles have been caught in recent months.

In the first six months 81 smuggles have been caught in Hanoi with nearly 20,000 items confiscated.

Hai Phong police have recently busted a large batch of e-cigarettes with 54,000 products.

The highest financial penalty for this type of smuggling is at VND50 million ($2,100), which is too small to scare criminals, Duong said, adding that new regulations and policies need to be drafted concerning e-cigarettes.
Nine Indian Army soldiers died and one suffered injuries after a vehicle as part of a convoy skidded off the road and fell into a gorge near Kiari in Ladakh on Saturday, sources said. The truck that met with the accident was carrying 10 Jawans.

The incident resulted in nine fatalities and one non-fatal injury, sources said.

At 4:45 pm, an Army vehicle carrying 10 army personnel, including the driver, was traveling from Leh to Nyoma direction when it met with an accident 6 km short of Kiari, according to a statement by SSP Leh.

The vehicle rolled down into a gorge after skidding off the road, it said. As soon as the reports reached local police, the police team went to the spot and all the injured were shifted to army MI room, the statement read.

Unfortunately, 8 personnel died on the spot, while one personnel succumbed to the injuries while being taken to Leh hospital, it added.

President Draupadi Murmu expressed deep anguish over the deaths of the soldiers. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them strength to bear this tragedy. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The nation owes a great debt of gratitude to these soldiers for their selfless sacrifice, she said in a post on microblogging site X, formerly known as Twitter.

Deeply anguished to learn that a road accident in Leh led to loss of lives of Indian Army personnel. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. May God give them strength to bear this tragedy. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The nation owes a great President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 19, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the accident. Pained by the mishap near Leh in which we have lost personnel of the Indian Army. Their rich service to the nation will always be remembered. Condolences to the bereaved families. May those who are injured recover at the earliest, he said in a post.

Pained by the mishap near Leh in which we have lost personnel of the Indian Army. Their rich service to the nation will always be remembered. Condolences to the bereaved families. May those who are injured recover at the earliest: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 19, 2023

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said, Deeply pained by the loss of lives of our brave Army personnel in a road accident in Ladakh. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for early recovery of the injured.

Political Reactions

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed grief. Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery, he said in a post.

Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 19, 2023

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he was deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Ladakh in which we lost our valiant soldiers, as their vehicle fell into a gorge. In a post on X, he said, The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured recover at the earliest.

Deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Ladakh in which we lost our valiant soldiers, as their vehicle fell into a gorge. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 19, 2023

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he received the news of extremely heart-wrenching news about the incident in Ladakh. I pray to God to grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this immense pain. Your life devoted to the service of the nation is a source of inspiration for all the countrymen, he said in a post.

                                                 Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) August 19, 2023

BJP National President JP Nadda said he was deeply pained to hear about the tragic road accident near Leh in Ladakh. The nation will forever be in debt for their service. My sincere condolences to the bereaved families. May the Almighty give them strength to bear this pain. I am praying for the speedy recovery of the injured, he said.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said conveyed heartfelt condolences to the family members of the Army Personnel who lost their lives in the tragic accident. May their souls attain eternal peace. I pray to God for the speedy recovery of those Soldiers who have suffered injuries, he said in a post.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a tour of Ladakh, said the news about the soldiers martyrdom due to the army vehicle accident is profoundly saddening. I pay my humble tribute to all the martyrs. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the jawans. I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured, he said.

Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, We will always be indebted to our brave soldiers. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and relatives of the brave soldiers. We wish the injured a speedy recovery. The whole country is with you in this hour of grief.

Previous Accidents

The incidents took place months after a two Army Jawans were killed after an ambulance carrying them skidded off the road in Kiari region.

According to reports, the Army ambulance was involved in an accident in April near Dungi Nala, located near the Line of Control (LoC), when its driver lost control while navigating a sharp curve. Two Army jawans, comprising the ambulance driver and a soldier, sustained critical injuries and were transferred to Rajouri Hospital. They later succumbed to their injuries.

In 2022, 16 Indian Army personnel, which included three Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), died as the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a gorge while attempting to navigate a sharp turn at Zema in North Sikkim.
Three weeks after communal riots broke out allegedly over social media posts about Monu Manesar, Haryana Police has said there is no evidence against him for hate speech.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, ADG Law and Order, Haryana, Mamta Singh, said no case is made out against the alleged cow vigilante. If you hear the audio of Manesars social media post before the July 31 yatra, he says: main aa raha hun, aap bhi aayie yatra mein (I am coming for the yatra, you join in too). I doubt if simply announcing that he is coming for a yatra falls in the bracket of hate speech, Singh said.

Manesar has been named as an accused by Rajasthan Police in the double murder of Junaid and Nasir. Six months after the killings, he is still at large. Locals in Nuh told CNN-News18 that sentiments are running high over Manesar dodging the police for so long. His possible presence in Nuh for the July 31 Jal Abhishek Yatra had angered the local population, the majority of which is Muslim.

Action against other key players

Haryana Police clarified that Bittu Bajrangi, the VHP member accused of giving inflammatory speeches on social media, has been arrested for obstructing a public servant.

The media has interpreted that Bajrangi was arrested for violence. But this is wrong. There are two different issues. Faridabad Police registered a case and arrested him for an inflammatory post. Nuh Police arrested him because he came to loggerheads with the Additional SP in Nuh on the day of the yatra. They were carrying swords and other weapons which was not allowed. The Additional SP tried to stop him and she took them away. Bajrangi and his people snatched the sword and weapons back, they obstructed her and her team from doing their duty and fought with the police. So he has been arrested for obstructing the police, Singh said.

On Mamman Khan, MLA Firozpur Jirkha, Nuh, Singh said he is accused of adding to the communal tension through his speeches. He reportedly said if Manesar appeared in Nuh, he will be smashed like an onion. Haryana Police said the speech was not made in the immediate run-up to the violence and it has to be probed if there was any direct link between the two.

Mamman Khan said something in the legislative assembly some time back. Now people are connecting that speech with the violence. It is to be probed whether what was said by Khan or Bajrangi had a bearing on the violence. It will be premature to say anything, Singh added.

Will yatra be allowed again?

The VHP has proposed that a second Jal Abhishek Yatra be carried out in Nuh Shiv Mandir on August 28. Singh, however, told CNN-News18 that the organisers are yet to make any proposal to the local administration.

We havent received any application or request for the yatra yet. Once the application is received, the local administration will decide whether to allow the yatra or not, she said.

Devotees outside the Shiv Mandir, however, told CNN-News18 that they are hopeful that if the yatra happens on August 28, it will go off peacefully. Yatras have happened earlier too, without any problem. What happened on July 31 is unfortunate but I think police bandobast and even locals will ensure it is not repeated, Lokesh, a devotee at the temple, said.

Police caught napping?

Locals in Nuh across the religious divide have questioned police action. Shiv Kumar Arya, whose oil mill was burnt in Nuh, said police were caught napping even though there was a CID alert about possible violence.

Defending her force, Singh said the CID alert was about Manesars presence and steps were taken to dispel the rumour that he was coming.

This yatra was not held for the first time. The CID alert was always there like it is for other yatras and exams such as UPSC and CUET. The alert was only for Manesars video. Immediately after the video, the local administration approached the organisers and asked them if Manesar is coming. They categorically denied his presence and same was communicated to the peace committees, the leaders of both sides and every person concerned.

Similarly, the moment Bittu Bajrangi posted the video, the police  which was monitoring social media  told the organisers that this was unacceptable and the video was deleted. Ten companies were deployed in anticipation that in case tension erupts, all steps are taken to ensure peace is restored. Also, additional forces were brought from Rewari and Narwal so that sufficient forces were on ground, she added.

Haryana Police has arrested close to 500 people so far for the violence and related crimes. The ADG said 165 cases have been registered, 423 people arrested and 118 taken into preventive detention. Thirty-eight cases have also been registered for social media posts which added to the tension on ground.

Police said preliminary evidence indicated there was some mobilisation in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, ahead of the violence but it is being investigated if the riots were part of a well-planned conspiracy.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Al Sufa module and Islamic State (ISIS) module terror cases has found that the two accused arrested from PadghaAakif Nachan and Shamil Nachanattended training sessions in Pune along with others about how to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs), sources told CNN-News18 on Friday. The two also travelled from Padgha to Pune and then to Mumbai with explosive material, they added.

They purchased chemical powder and explosive material while travelling from Padgha to Pune. They assembled the explosive chemical substance in Pune and brought it to Mumbai. The vehicle used for travel by them in 2022 has been recovered by the agency, said a senior NIA officer.

The officer added that they were using six types of processes for making bombs.

The NIA is now trying to ascertain where the explosive substance brought to Mumbai was kept. The agency also suspects that there was a larger conspiracy, and is investigating whether any blasts were planned in Mumbai.

So far, the agency has traced two phone numbers, which the accused were using with different identities, and the statements of those under whose names the connections were registered have been recorded.

Multiple email IDs were used for communication; some are fake while others are authentic. Multiple social media accounts were also used, the officer added.

The NIA also conducted a raid at the residence of Shamil Nachan on Thursday where it allegedly found digital evidence and incriminating material.

The accused were taking orders from Khalifa (head of ISIS). Documents have been recovered to that effect from the raid, the officer added.

Also, according to an FIR of the agency exclusively accessed by CNN-News18, Aakif Nachan, Tabish Nasser Siddiqui, and others arrested over ISIS links hatched a conspiracy to further the terrorist activities of the group, disturb the unity, integrity, security, and sovereignty of the country, as well as wage a war against the Government of India.

In furtherance of the said conspiracy, they have recruited youths and trained them in fabrication of IEDs and weapons (small arms), for which they have shared relevant material including DIY kits amongst themselves. Further, on the directions of foreign based handlers of ISIS, they have created media content, which was then published in the magazine Voice of Hind in order to further the activities of the proscribed organisation, reads the FIR.

Those arrested in the case have been charged under sections 120B and 121 of the Indian Penal Code as well as sections 18, 18A, 18B, 38, and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi embarked on a bike ride to Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on Saturday, where he would stay overnight in a tourist camp. According to party sources, Rahul will celebrate his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi`s birthday on August 20 at Pangong Lake. Gandhi, during his maiden visit to Ladakh on Friday, held an interactive session with over 500 youth in Leh.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi)

Congress Leh district spokesperson and leader of opposition in LAHDC-Leh, Tsering Namgyal said, Rahul Gandhi had a 40-minute-long interactive session with over 500 youth in a jam-packed auditorium in Leh on Friday.

The Congress leader arrived in Leh on Thursday on a two-day visit to the region. However, his tour has been extended till August 25.

Gandhis first visit to Ladakh since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 comes ahead of elections of the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil and general elections next year.

Congress and National Conference have formed a pre-poll alliance against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the Kargil hill council polls scheduled for September 10.

Party spokesperson also said that since Congress and National Conference have entered into a pre-poll alliance for Kargil polls, Rahul may also hold a meeting with party leaders from Kargil during his visit.
In a surprising disclosure, it has come to light that out of the total of 1572 minority institutions in 21 states and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a staggering 830 have fraudulently claimed Rs 144 crore in fake scholarships over the past five years, a source within the Ministry of Minority Affairs exclusively told CNN-News18 on Saturday.

An investigation into the alleged siphoning of funds allocated for pre-matric scholarships by the Minority Affairs Ministry, a practice that has persisted for decades, only came to light in 2016 when the digitisation of records brought forth scrutiny, source said. The investigation encompasses over 8 crore scholarships across 21 states, with 80 percent of them directed towards Muslim groups. At present, fake madrasas, tribal schools and officials are under investigation, they said.

Government sources said that a recent report has uncovered a massive scam amounting to hundreds of crores across 21 states. The report also highlights the existence of 40 crore fraudulent bank accounts with completed KYC formalities.

Investigations revealed for the year 2018-2019, a single mobile number was associated with all 2239 scholarships. In the period between 2019 and 2020, a total of 577 scholarships were linked to a single mobile number, as per reports.

The findings come years after the Minority Affairs Ministry launched an inquiry into the allocation of pre-matric scholarships in Jharkhand, prompted by concerns over potential diversion of funds by a network involving intermediaries, bank officials, school personnel and state employees.

In 2020, Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced his intention to launch an investigation into the alleged scam. This revelation surfaced through a series of reports by the Indian Express, shedding light on instances of fraudulent activity within the distribution of pre-matric scholarships authorised by the ministry for the 2019-20 period.

As per the newspapers findings, minority students across multiple districts in the state have fallen victim to a scheme where a collaboration of bank personnel, intermediaries, school officials and government employees has been deceiving them of a scholarship that is funded at the central level.

National Minority Scholarship Scheme

The scheme involving the provision of scholarships to students ranging from class 1 to PhD levels, encompassing both pre-metric and post-metric stages, commenced with the establishment of the National Minority Commission in 2007-2008. Since its inception, approximately 8 crore of these scholarships have been disbursed. For the academic year 2022-2023, there are nearly 26 lakh verified and approved applicants for this scholarship. The scholarships are accessible via the National Minority Commission or the National Scholarships Portal, where nearly 86 percent of the applicants belong to minority groups.

Starting in 2016, the digitisation process commenced, enabling the direct transfer of its associated benefits. Consequently, a minority student who represents an institution with a minority quota is required to obtain a stamp or approval from the minority officer of that institution. This minority officer is expected to be authorised and stamped by the district nodal officer or the minority nodal officer. This constitutes the initial scrutiny process through which applications are assessed, as per the findings.

CNN-News18s investigation, along with sources within the Minority Ministry, has confirmed that a red flag was raised shortly after the current Minister of Minority Affairs, Smriti Irani, assumed her position.

It was discovered that students from class 1 to 8, accounting for nearly 40 lakh applicants, have been excluded due to the provision of free education. Given that education is already free in all government institutions and government-aided establishments, the necessity for scholarships for classes 1 to 8 landed under scrutiny. Currently, these scholarships provided to minorities are fully funded by the Centre. There is no longer a 50-50 participation split between the state or any other entity in these scholarships, the report said.

Between 2007 till 2021-2022, nearly Rs 22,000 crore has already been dispersed. Annually an average of about Rs 2300 Crore has been dispersed. The eyebrows were raised within the ministry when 40 lakh scholarships were scrapped, there was no uproar.

Major Red Flags

Significant red flags emerged. These included instances of multiple concentrations of accounts within a single bank branch, a single SIM card being linked to 22 scholarships within the same class, schools designated for tribals and girls, yet receiving scholarships meant for boys, institutions with no hostels claiming benefits meant for hostels. And other irregularities such as the number of scholarship applications surpassing the actual student enrollment.

Union Minister Smriti Irani in her reply in the Parliament during the recently concluded Monsoon session said the National Commission for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has been commissioned to deep dive into the matter and investigate the irregularities.

What Are These Irregularities?

There are estimated to be over 1.80 lakh institutions that fall under the category of entire minority-backed institutions or institutions for minorities. The NCAER has been mandated to probe the alleged irregularities in 100 districts across 34 states and union territories.

They initially delved into 1572 institutions in 21 states and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Following the probe, it was revealed that nearly 830 of these 1572 are fraudulent at various levels.

CBI Investigation

Subsequent to the scholarship scam investigation initiated after the IE report in 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) undertook a thorough examination of the matter. Certain states filed FIRs and made arrests, yet the issue eventually subsided as the states later returned, asserting that everything had been resolved.

However, separately, CNN-News18 is awaiting confirmation from the CBI regarding a report that indicates around July 10 to 12, the ministry itself moved the CBI and requested their involvement in addressing the massive fraud. Among the 830 out of these 1572 institutions, these 830 have fraudulently claimed Rs 144 crore in fake scholarships over the last five years.

#ScholarshipsScam: #CNNNews18's investigation reveals details about fraud in Minority scholarship funds; 830 fake institution withdrew  144 Crore in name of scholarships, many districts have 8 lakh applicants in last 5 years@AnchorAnandN with details | @AnushaSoni23 pic.twitter.com/uuBcb0zyNu News18 (@CNNnews18) August 19, 2023

It was further disclosed that there are areas in the country where a single bank holds as many as 66,000 scholarship accounts. Moreover, specific districts have reported an astonishing 8 lakh scholarships disbursed in the last 5 years.

The investigation also revealed that 53 percent of institutions in Jammu and Kashmir are fake, and there are 62 fraudulent institutions in Chhattisgarh.

Responses

Speaking to CNN-News18, Islamic scholar Atiq ur Rehman said, Government officials must have been involved in the scam, I am scared #BJP govt will now stop funds for the minority.

Govt officials must have been involved in the scam, I am scared #BJP govt will now stop funds for Minority: @ARehman786786, Islamic scholarI fear the duped money is going to radical organisations: @RagiSangit, Analyst @AnushaSoni23 explains more details of #ScholarshipScams pic.twitter.com/erJZLTUpqS  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 19, 2023

Meanwhile Delhi University Professor and Political Analyst, Sangit Kumar Ragi expressed fears stating the duped money might be going to radical organisations.
HARIYALI TEEJ 2023: Hariyali Teej is a popular Hindu festival celebrated mostly by married women. It is a celebration of love, fertility, and the arrival of the monsoon season. The festival is held on the third day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing moon) in the month of Shravan. This year, it is being celebrated today on August 19. The name Hariyali means greenery in Hindi, and the festival is a time to celebrate the lushness of the monsoon season. Women dress in their finest clothes and jewellery, and they often wear green, which is the colour of fertility. They also apply mehndi (henna) to their hands and feet.

On the day of Hariyali Teej, women fast and pray to Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. They also visit temples and offer prayers. In the evening, they celebrate with feasting, dancing, and singing. Here are some wishes, quotes, messages, and images for Hariyali Teej 2023:

Hariyali Teej 2023: Wishes

1. Happy Hariyali Teej to all the women! May you be blessed with love, happiness, and prosperity.

2. May the magic of Teej bring lots of happiness, love, and joy in your life.

3. May Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati shower you with their blessings of good health, wealth, and happiness.

IN PICS: Mehndi Designs for Hariyali Teej 2023: Latest, Beautiful, and Easy Designs to Choose From!

4. Wishing you a very Happy Hariyali Teej! May this festival bring you all the good things in life.

5. May your Teej celebrations be filled with joy, laughter, and love.

6. Happy Hariyali Teej to my dearest wife/mother/sister/daughter! You are the light of my life.

7. May this Teej bring you closer to your loved ones and strengthen your relationships.

ALSO READ: Kheer To Honey, 5 Things You Can Offer As Bhog On Hariyali Teej

8. May the festival of Teej bring you peace, happiness, and prosperity.

9. Wishing you a very colorful and joyful Teej!

10. May the Teej spirit fill you with love, happiness, and new beginnings.

Hariyali Teej 2023: Quotes

1. May the monsoon rains bring you love, happiness, and prosperity

2. May the goddess Parvati bless you with a happy and fulfilling life.

3. Teej is a time to celebrate the beauty of nature and the strength of women.

4. May the spirit of Teej fill you with joy and love.

5. Teej is a time to come together with family and friends and celebrate the good things in life.

Hariyali Teej 2023: Messages

1. To my dearest wife, Happy Hariyali Teej! I am so grateful to have you in my life. You are my everything.

2. To my mother, Happy Hariyali Teej! Thank you for everything you have done for me. I love you more than words can say.

3. To my sisters, Happy Hariyali Teej! You are my best friends and I love you so much.

4. To my daughters, Happy Hariyali Teej! I hope you have a wonderful day and that you always feel loved and cherished.

5. To all the women in my life, Happy Hariyali Teej! You are strong, beautiful, and amazing. I am so proud of you.
Film producer Ritesh Sidhwani hosted a star-studded bash on Friday night to celebrate his birthday. In a rare appearance, actor Aamir Khan also attended the party to mark the producers special day. Aamir opted for a casual look, donning a pink button-down over a black t-shirt. He paired this with blue jeans and black shoes.

Aamir stopped to pose for the paparazzi before entering the party. He smiled and flaunted a thumbs-up to the cameras. For the unversed, Aamir Khans 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai was Riteshs first stint as a Bollywood producer. Ritesh also produced the 2012 film Talaash, starring Aamir as the lead. The two have remained close over the years.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varinder Chawla (@varindertchawla)

Aamir is known for not attending too many industry parties. Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, who last worked with Aamir on the film Laal Singh Chaddha, revealed in an episode of Koffee With Karan 7 that the actor usually does his shots and dances to his own Hindi songs at parties.

When there is a party of 200 people, Aamir wants to run the other way, Kareena said when Aamir also added, The music is too loud. You can see peoples veins popping up as they try to talk over the music.

The actor recently made headlines when his cousin and director Mansoor Khan revealed that filmmaker SS Rajamouli had told Aamir that he overacted in Advait Chandans directorial venture Laal Singh Chaddha.

Mansoor had told PTI, Aamir has a great sense of humor. So one day he laughingly tells me, When you told me it was over the top, I said, ok, you are a subtle guy which is why you might have felt that way. But when someone like Rajamouli tells me overacting lag raha hai, I said to myself, Isko bhi lag raha hai toh kiya hi hoga (If he also feels so then it must be).
Babil Khan made for one of the most highly anticipated debuts of 2022. He forayed into the world of acting with director and lyricist Anvitaa Dutts psychological drama Qala last year and went on to win heaps of praises and raving reviews for his nuanced performance as a musically gifted orphan named Jagan. The actor who is putting his baby steps into the industry that revered his father for his craft, reveals that he is mindful not to abuse his privilege. Hence, he gives auditions to get work.

During an interview with BBC Asia Network, Babil Khan expressed, I have reflected upon how I deal with my privilege. I give auditions, I dont use the privilege to get jobs, to get work. I give my auditions, I train diligently and I work really hard towards becoming an actor. I just finished a film and the producer of the film came in and told me I am a huge fan of yours, so I asked why?, and he said, first, Ive been looking at the footage and it is amazing, and second  I cant believe Irrfan Khans son coming and giving an audition, and your audition was insane, and we are so proud of you.

The actor further explained, And that made me feel so good. I didnt pick up the phone even though mumma had the contacts, though shell never do it, but I gave that audition. I cannot imagine myself getting work not having earned it because then there will always be that self-doubt that I didnt earn this. Its for me more than anybody else that I earn the job and then I feel like I deserve my place at this table. Because the self-doubt will swallow me if I use my privilege to get work.

On the work front, Babil Khan has bagged the opportunity to star in Yash Raj Films upcoming web series, The Railway Men. R Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, and Divyenndu Sharma have also been roped in. The series is touted to be inspired by the courageous railway workers in Bhopal who were present during the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.
Ranveer Singh is currently basking under the success of his recently released film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani. Well, the actor has also been in the headlines after Don 3 was announced. The actor has replaced Shah Rukh Khan in the third installment. Amid this, on Friday night, the actor once again turned heads with his fashion sense as he made a stylish entry for Riteish Sindhwanis birthday bash.

In the video, shared by Viral Bhayani, Ranveer is seen wearing a white shirt paired with mustard pants. He was looking stylish as he waved toward the camera. He even came walking to them and shake hands. The video, which went viral, immediately grabbed the attention of fans. It looked like they were not happy with his look and immediately started trolling him for his fashion. Well, his look has mixed reactions from fans. One of the fans wrote, He stole Deepikas outfit and heels again! Ye nhi sudhrega. Another wrote, Rocky is all hearts.

Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani)

Recently, Farhan Akhtar broke his silence on the massive backlash he received for casting Ranveer Singh in Don 3. Im just really looking forward to get it going. I mean Ranveer is amazing. Hes great for the part. Hes also as you can imagine, really excited and really nervous, about the thing youre filling some big shoes before you. But we went through the same emotional process when Shah Rukh did it and everyone was like Oh my God, how can you replace Mr. Bachchan?. That whole thing happened then, Farhan told BBC Asian Network.

A day after it was announced that Ranveer would be playing the new Don, the actor took to Instagram and penned a long note. I understand what a great responsibility it is to be a part of the Don dynasty. I hope the audience gives me a chance and showers me with love, the way they have for numerous characters over the past so many years. Thank you Farhan and Ritesh for entrusting me with this honourable mantle and believing in me. I hope I can deliver on your faith and conviction. My two supernovas, The Big B and SRK, I hope I can make you proud, an excerpt of his note read.

Don 3 is slated to release in 2025.
Tom Harpers Netflix actioner Heart of Stone is not a film most viewers would remember for a long time. The films much-reported Indian connection is Alia Bhatt, who plays Keya Dhawan, a hacker from Pune. Heart of Stone revolves around the Israeli Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, who is introduced to the viewer as MI6s tech nerd Rachel Stone. It is soon revealed that Stone is a double agent working for a secret multinational peacekeeping agency called The Charter. She must do what she can to ensure that an artificial intelligence program called The Heart, which guides The Charters agents, does not fall into the wrong hands.

Heart of Stone has what it should: some good action sequences, interesting locations (Senegal, Portugal, Iceland, Italy), and great cinematography (George Steel). The screenplay (Greg Rauka and Allison Schroeder), with its predictable twists and cookie-cutter characterisation, is the real culprit that gives rise to a mediocre film. Seen in a role that deserves much more screen time than it gets, Bhatt makes little impact.

Bhatt might have been tempted by Heart of Stone because it promised worldwide viewership. But, the choice of the film was a definite error of judgement. After all, she is, without a shade of doubt, the most successful female star in Bollywood. Her versatility is unquestionable, and so is her rare ability to attract viewers with consistent regularity.

In Karan Johars romantic drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), a profitable venture that has reportedly grossed Rs 290 crore globally, Bhatt has delivered a solid performance as an educated Bengali girl. She shares excellent chemistry with her co-star Ranveer Singh, who makes an impact effortlessly, although his character of a flamboyant Punjabi guy brings to mind his off-screen persona at times. What Bhatt has in this entertainer is a well-written role, which allows her to perform like she has and can.

Bhatt has appeared in a minor role in SS Rajamouli period epic drama RRR (2022). Her character of a protagonists (Ram Charan) partner in a film focusing on two men (NT Rama Rao Jr and Charan) does not offer her much scope. Yet, she became a part of an award-winning blockbuster, which international audiences watched and loved.

Elsewhere, however, Bhatt has got enough opportunities to demonstrate her acting skills. More than ten years after her debut in Karan Johars unapologetically escapist teen film Student of the Year (2012), there is enough evidence to prove just how much she has evolved as an actor. In the self-produced Jasmeet K Reens black comedy Darlings, a direct-to-digital film on Netflix, she plays the superstitious wife of an abusive husband (Vijay Varma). The film looks at the social reality of domestic abuse, a crime whose victims often suffer in silence. Bhatt is brilliant and, along with Shefali Shah as her supportive mother and Varma, makes the film an eminently watchable experience.

The highlight of Ayan Mukerjis ambitious big-budget fantasy Brahmastra: Part One Shiva (2022) is Ranbir Kapoor, who plays a DJ blessed with superpowers in what is essentially a superhero film. The emphasis on Kapoors character notwithstanding, Bhatt, who plays his love interest, is delightfully natural. Brahmastra, in fact, is a good instance of a male-dominated film in which her character is strong enough to get noticed.

Bhatts most acclaimed recent performance was in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis grand crime drama Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). She appears in the titular role of a sex worker who resists and conquers social hurdles and becomes a powerful spokesperson for her community. Playing Gangubai would have been a tough challenge for the best, but she put all doubts to rest and made a big impact. The film reveals her unusual wealth of talent, which can be used in equally good or better ways in future.

Bhatts recent performances in films like Gangubai Kathiawadi and Darlings is a reason why her role and performance in Heart of Stone disappoints the viewer. Priyanka Chopra, her industry senior, has been amply visible on the international stage in recent years. Chopras body of work abroad does not do justice to her talent, as exemplified by a film with a wafer-thin plot like Seth Gordons action comedy Baywatch (2017) or the hyped but disappointing Newton Thomas Sigel and Jessica Yu-helmed spy action series Citadel on Amazon Prime.

Nobody is expecting Bhatt to concentrate on international projects in future. That said, she must sign on the dotted line for international projects with caution  as long as she is among the most-watched female stars of Hindi cinema.

The author, a journalist for three decades, writes on literature and pop culture. Among his books are MSD: The Man, The Leader, the bestselling biography of former Indian captain MS Dhoni, and the Hall of Fame series of film star biographies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Enthusiastic snorkelers and divers are working together to clean up garbage in the sea and protect coral reefs off the coast of Da Nang.

And they do it for free.

A day in mid-August, more than 40 members of the Da Nang Freediving met at a beach along the Son Tra Peninsula to pick up trash stuck on coral reefs offshore.

The youngest member, 11-year-old Tran Bang Bang, snorkeled in shallow waters while others dove to depths of 5-10m to pick up trash that had been carelessly tossed in the ocean.

Members of Da Nang Freediving group snorkel in the sea off Son Tra Peninsula, August 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Every time discovering a "ghost net," a term used to call a fishing net that's been lost or abandoned in the ocean, members of the group will take turns diving down and carefully use a knife to cut the net before removing it entirely so as not to affect the coral reef.

Naturally, coral grows only around one centimeter every year. Coral reefs contribute as much as half the resources necessary to maintain the environments we get our seafood from. Therefore, if coral were to die en masse, seafood sources would shrink.

After two hours, the group had brought back more than 200 kg of garbage from the sea.

One of the members, South Korean Ralley Lee, who has lived and worked in Da Nang for seven years, said it is "very sad" to see that many coral species have died on the seabed due to pollution.

"I want to work with the people of Da Nang to protect corals," she said, adding that she would continue diving to pick up trash.

Dao Dang Cong Trung, 44, started the campaign a decade ago.

Back in those first days, Trung, who owns a diving certificate granted by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, could only remove 20 kg of trash per day by himself.

"To make the sea cleaner, we need more volunteer divers to pick up trash," said Trung.

"Fortunately, many people support the idea of learning how to dive to cut ghost nets and untie corals. Thanks to their efforts, the marine environment will certainly be cleaner."

Dao Dang Cong Trung shows the garbage he collects after a diving in August 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

It was Trung who guided and trained other members on diving techniques to make sure everyone was equipped with the skills necessary to dive safely and protect corals properly.

These days, members of the group call each other at 5:30 a.m. every morning to meet at the beach for morning exercises and prepare for snorkeling and diving.

Nguyen Thi Tra My, 27, a triathlon athlete who represented Vietnam at the 31st SEA Games last year, joined the group early this summer after watching a video Trung shared on Facebook.

Even as a professional swimmer, My admitted to having difficulties when diving as the pressure causes her tinnitus, eye pain, and fear.

"But after many dives with Trung, I have improved and even encouraged him to open classes to train young people," she said.

Those who want to join the Danang Freediving group must be able to swim in the sea for more than 200m. Then they will be trained for one month in the best practices of snorkeling and diving.

The group now has over 1,200 members.

A member of Da Nang Freediving group removes a ghost net from a coral reef of the coast of Da Nang, August 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

My said that every time she dives, she feels like shes on a "field trip" exploring a new world.

Duong Thi Xuan Lieu, an official at the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang Tourism Beaches Management Board, said the citys groups like Danang Freediving joining hands to protect the marine environment are something to be proud of.

"This is a very meaningful activity, contributing to the protection and conservation of coral in Son Tra Peninsula," she said, adding that the board aims to have more such groups clean up the sea in the future.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewalas characterisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voters as demons with devilish traits comes across as an egregious affront to the democratic process. But it stems from nothing more than a deep frustration at his partys inability to connect with the electorate.

Surjewalas angst is understandable and speaks to his commitment to his party and leader, who likened the prime minister to the uber-demon, Ravana. It does not, however, justify Torquemada-style rants, i.e., those who do not subscribe to the one true (Congress) ideology are evil. I curse them, he said. Whats next? Punishing the unbelievers?

Contrast the Congressmans approach to voters with that of PM Modi in his tenth Independence Day speech. The message implicit in both their remarks was vote for me, not for the other guy. But Modi was respectful and humble, subtly putting across the notion that it was very much in the voters self-interest to give him another term. Without once mentioning elections, he made citizens party to his policies and governance by acknowledging that they had empowered him with a full majority, in contrast to rag-tag coalitions.

The difference is stark: the Congress rhetoric draws from fear and frustration, Modis from hope and positive reinforcement. He encourages citizens to reimagine their place in the economy, society and culture, and to see themselves as agents of change rather than recipients of largesse. The majority of young voters are moved by ideas, not ideology. A fact that Surjewala, like his compatriots, has failed to grasp. In the realm of ideas, the Congress, with all its immense intellectual capital  lawyers, economists, administrators, public policy experts  has so far proved no match for Modi.

For the aam aadmi, Viksit Bharat and all that it implies, carries far more weight than ideological rants. The Congress idea of India is unclear to them, whereas Modis idea of a developed India is clear and credible, because of the transformative momentum built over the last nine years. Therein lies the rub. The Congress cannot fault Modi on development. Had it possessed the political will, it  and not the BJP  would have taken ownership of JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile), UPI, DBT, GST, faceless assessment, FASTag and high-speed internet, initiatives that have redefined business-as-usual for the majority of Indias population.

Nor can the grand old party take issue with Modis sweeping reforms, be it in banking, taxation or the space sector. It left a legacy of NPAs; Modi cleaned it up. It had mooted a unified common market; Modi made it happen. Unlike 2004, when the NDA was stumped by the Aam aadmi ko kya mila? campaign, today it has plenty to showcase. For starters, delivery of housing, cooking gas, piped water, sanitation and internet connectivity to rural areas. It doesnt need to be 100 per cent or even 50 per cent; the demonstration effect is enough.

Conceptually, no party can question Digital India, Ujala, the Semiconductor Mission, Gati Shakti, PLI (production-linked incentive), eNAM, GeM, Make in India, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Start-Up India, UDAY, Ayushman or any one of a score of other schemes.

As for national security and foreign policy, Modi virtually owns the former and received a thumbs up from a former UPA minister on the latter.

Prima facie, there are no chinks in Modis armour. Time and again, ad hominem attacks on Modi have flopped. The electorate doesnt care about his marital status or educational qualifications. And no significant instance of corruption has tainted his government.

How, then, can the Opposition differentiate itself from the BJP? What more can it offer? In the absence of a credible vision statement, Opposition to Modi perforce centres around ideological issues: Hindutva, intolerance, muzzling of free speech, undermining of institutions, abuse of power, minority rights, threats to the Constitution and so forth.

Assaults on civic freedoms will be taken seriously by citizens, provided the Opposition can adequately demonstrate that lines have been crossed. Ordinary citizens, going about their quotidian activities, pay scant attention when a politician is targeted by enforcement agencies. The challenge is to pick and package issues that are relevant to them.

In pursuit of the elusive voter connect, the Congress has sought to instrumentalise freebies. The tendency to fall back on the mai-baap culture of patronage argues for a dearth of imagination and an inability to come to terms with a technology-driven, fast-changing, increasingly competitive world.

Its not enough for the Congress to demonise the BJP, it must show that it can do even better. It could, for example, focus on unemployment and food prices, provided it does its homework and come up with facts, figures and solutions. Instead of following the liberal elite in dubbing those who dont agree with its point of view as stupid or worse, it must address the deficit of ideas.

Bhavdeep Kang is a freelance writer and author of Gurus: Stories of Indias Leading Babas and Just Transferred: The Untold Story of Ashok Khemka. A journalist since 1986, she has written extensively on national politics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
The Covid-19 pandemic marked the finest hour for Indias pharmaceutical industry, which worked round-the-clock for an unprecedented production of drugs and vaccines, ensuring their supply across the globe which in turn helped India burnish its reputation as the pharmacy of the world. India achieved this feat mainly because the pharmaceutical industry and the government worked in tandem to turn the tide against the pandemic. While the industry worked ceaselessly in line with government instructions to boost drug supply to fight Covid-19, the governments approach meant that India could supply necessary medicines and vaccines to more than 150 countries.

The massive drug and vaccine production during the pandemic also underlined the capability of the Indian pharma industry as there were no complaints about the quality of medicines. In any case, the government has a zero-tolerance policy for sub-par quality drugs and takes stringent actions against the companies involved in such malpractices. From being an import-dependent sector to a self-reliant powerhouse, with a leading global exporter of medicines, have evolved the pharmaceutical sector. As India celebrates its 76th year of independence, we strive to achieve new milestones, and more achievements in the years to come.

Eliminating hurdles

The pandemic, which badly hit global supply chains, also drives home the point of the drawback of overdependence on China for raw materials for manufacturing medicines. To overcome that hurdle, the government quickly ushered in the production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes to produce domestic manufacturing of critical key starting materials (KSMs)/drug intermediates (DI) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to boost domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs and reduce import dependence.

The government is also developing three mega Bulk Drugs Parks in partnership with states to reduce the manufacturing cost of bulk drugs in the country and dependency on other countries and create a robust ecosystem for pharmaceutical manufacturing. The scheme will also help in providing a continuous supply of drugs and contribute to the delivery of affordable healthcare to the citizens. The scheme for the promotion of bulk drugs has been notified to develop common infrastructure facilities (CIF) for bulk drug production units to reduce manufacturing costs. This will also help in reducing the impact on the environment through innovative waste management systems installed in the parks. The government provides financial assistance ranging from 70 per cent to 90 per cent for the CIFs in three bulk drug parks selected under the scheme. The PLI schemes have also encouraged manufacturers to produce drugs in India, with the aim of supplying them to the global market.

The governments scheme Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI) provides for credit-linked capital and interest subsidy for the technology upgradation of MSME units in the pharma sector. It also provides support of up to Rs 20 crore each for common facilities including research centres, testing labs, and effluent treatment plants (ETPs) in pharma clusters.

Boosting Innovation and R&D

The government recognises the vital role of the pharma sector in realising Indias vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The pharma industry is now ready to expand its innovation, research, and development capabilities to offer cutting-edge products at competitive, affordable prices. India is marching ahead in the field of research and innovation with the government now opening its research facilities to all, including the private sector. The government has also established six National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research and designated them as Institutes of National Importance to promote research and development in the pharmaceutical sector. Clinical trials which are vital for the growth of the pharma sector have also got a boost. The launch of the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules in 2019 has further contributed to the growth of the clinical trial sector, with many pharma majors choosing India as a site for global clinical trials.

Inspired by the Central governments policies to boost the pharma industry, the Uttar Pradesh government has also announced that its new policy aims to improve the states pharmaceutical and medical device industry by encouraging local production, promoting research and development, and improving the availability of affordable medicines to citizens.

Skilling

India is already a global major in generic drugs. But now, more pharmaceutical companies must venture into biosimilars, complex generics, novel biologics, precision medicine, and preventive medication, and address unmet patient needs to expand the market. The government and the industry are aware that as the pharma sectors product portfolio shifts towards more complex products, the demand for operations and highly skilled personnel for the manufacture of these products will also increase. Expanding and upskilling the talent pool to handle complex technologies will become crucial.

To address these issues, the Life Sciences Sector Skill Development Council (LSSSDC) and the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) in collaboration with the industry have developed skilling modules for the B.Pharm curriculum. The LSSSDC aims to upskill around 7500 workers in small and medium enterprises to help them perform their roles more efficiently and effectively.

Steady growth

Overall, the pharma market grew at 9.3 per cent in fiscal 2023. The Indian pharmaceutical industry includes a network of 3,000 drug companies and 10,500 manufacturing units. It is projected to reach a value of $130 billion by 2030. The governments enabling policies have meant that Indias pharma industry continues to play a significant role in enhancing global accessibility by providing approximately 60 per cent of the global vaccine supply and 20-22 per cent of generic exports. The government is also continuously working to help the industry expand its global footprints with the most recent examples being the trade deals with Australia and the UAE. Both these trade agreements give Indias pharma companies better access to the markets in these countries.

The governments commitment to the growth of the pharma industry is also evident in Vision Pharma 2047 which seeks to usher in an enabling policy framework for the sector to unleash its huge potential for the next two decades and half. Indias pharma industry has a formidable capacity and Vision Pharma 2047 seeks to leverage that to help the country become a global leader in manufacturing affordable, innovative, and quality pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and a leader in innovation and research. The industry can benefit from the availability of trained technical manpower, growing infrastructure, and a greater government-industry-academia collaboration to blaze a new trail under Pharma Vision 2047.

Way Forward

The growth of the sector has been nothing short of tremendous and significant in numerous ways. The sector has made substantial strides, which enhanced its reputation at the global level. The Indian pharmaceutical sector continues to boom, supported by its innovative driven approach, growth strategies and commitment to providing accessible and affordable healthcare solutions. With this momentum, the objective lies in delivering advanced solutions and with the support of public and private partnerships, India has all the capabilities to reach $120-$130 billion by 2030.

The author is Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
HAMPI: For photographers who love cultural and damaged sites, this UNESCO World Heritage Site proves to be a charmer. It never ceases to fascinate us because it contains a patchwork of rocks, boulders, and remnants of ancient monuments. In the northern region of Karnataka, a small village called Hampi is referred to as the city of ruins. Among the most picturesque towns in Karnataka is Hampi. From the major cities and towns of Karnataka, regular tourist buses run directly to Hampi, which is close to Hospet. (Image: Shutterstock)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he looked forward to meeting Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in South Africa on the sidelines of the BRICS summit scheduled to be held from August 22-24.

The two leaders had spoken over the phone on Friday and discussed a range of bilateral issues, including realising the full potential of Chabahar Port.

Pleased to speak to Iranian President H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi yesterday. We discussed strengthening of bilateral and regional cooperation, including realising the full potential of Chabahar Port. Look forward to meeting President Raisi in South Africa on the sidelines of Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 19, 2023

Modi said on X, Pleased to speak to Iranian President H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi yesterday. We discussed strengthening of bilateral and regional cooperation, including realising the full potential of Chabahar Port. Look forward to meeting President Raisi in South Africa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
A disturbing incident unfolded in Satyabadi, Puri district, as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaiks Private Secretary VK Pandian and Puri Collector Samarth Verma were subjected to an ink attack during a program at the UGS College campus.

The attack occurred as Pandian interacted with Mission Shakti members. However, the motive behind the shameful act still remains unclear.

The assailant was identified as Bhaskar Sahu from Badal Gram Panchayat, Kanas block, in Puri district. The accused has been apprehended for questioning regarding the incident.

Despite the unsettling event, VK Pandian remained committed to the program and was supported by women associated with Mission Shakti as they helped him remove the ink from his face and tied a Rakhi as a gesture of support.

Reacting to the incident, former School & Mass Education Minister Samir Dash remarked, The Chief Ministers office is directly engaging with the people, reviewing their development, and addressing their issues on the spot. Why should peoples representatives feel insecure? This is condemnable.

In a reflective tone, BJD MLA Uma Samantray commented, Occasionally, out of frustration, miscreants resort to throwing ink at leaders and officers who serve the public. Its an unfortunate occurrence.

Notably, the Secretary has been touring various districts as the Chief Ministers representative over the past few months. This involves reviewing district development and promptly addressing grievances.

Having visited around 26 districts, Pandians proactive role has drawn both criticism from opposition parties and now, attention due to the ink attack incident.
The opposition BJP and Congress on Saturday hit out at the BRS government over the alleged abuse and assault on a tribal woman in a police station here and demanded that the government provide help to her.

Slamming the BRS government for allegedly not responding on the incident so far, BJP MLA Eatala Rajender demanded that those responsible should be arrested after registering a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

There should be an inquiry into the incident and those involved should be removed from service, he said.

Former Congress MP Madhu Yashki Goud demanded that the government provide medical aid and ex-gratia to the woman.

He said the Congress would also take up the issue with State Human Rights Commission.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday sought a report from senior government officials regarding the alleged assault on the woman.

Soundararajan was deeply anguished upon learning about the alleged assault of Lambada tribal woman at a police station in Rachakonda Commissionarate limits on August 15 through media reports, a Raj Bhavan press communique had said on Friday.

She has called for a detailed report on the incident from the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Rachakonda, within 48 hours, it said.

Two police personnel were suspended on Thursday for allegedly assaulting the woman who was picked up in connection with a case of public nuisance here.
Telecom regulator Trai on Friday said that it has been receiving a number of call drop complaints from subscribers triggering the need to review existing quality of service rules to measure network performance at the district level and bring 4G-5G services also under its ambit.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said that even with the technological advancement in mobile telecommunications and advancement in performance management tools, the quality of experience (QoE) of consumers has not improved as expected though such quality of service (QoS) requirements are supported by technology standards.

Even with widespread coverage of 4G networks in the country and rollout of 5G services, there are increasing number of complaints of call drops, call muting, low data throughput etc. which raises question marks on the network design and provisioning of required network resources, Trai said.

The regulator has proposed to tighten call drop parameters, call success rate etc under the quality of service rules.

The issues related to the quality of telecom services are not only reflected in consumer complaints but also find substantial mention in Parliament Questions, Trai said.

The regulator said that the Standards of Quality of Service for Wireless Data Services were notified in the era of 2G and 3G services wherein data services were delivered over circuit-switched networks and their QoS performance benchmarks were set based on the capability of underlying technology.

At present, packet core networks with LTE (4G), LTE-Advanced and 5G technology constitute more than 75 per cent of the telecom network in the country. It said that the present QoS benchmark envisages latency to be less than 250 milliseconds (ms) for wireless data services and less than 120ms for wireline broadband service which are not in sync with the requirement of present-day applications.

The QoS parameters and benchmarks for voice and data services are technology agnostic in present regulations. The relevant terminology for 5G services has also been updated in draft regulations to monitor QoS performance of 5G, Trai said.

At present the quality of service is measured at telecom circle level which is generally equal to the size of a state level.

Trai said the performance against some QoS benchmarks like network availability and drop call rates varies across districts.

Due to averaging over LSA, even very poor performance against QoS benchmarks in a few districts may not get reflected in performance reports. Therefore, in such cases, performance against QoS benchmarks may need to be reviewed at even district level if required, the regulator said.

Trai observed that though the service providers have launched mobile apps and web interfaces for customers, the consumer continues to face problems in registering their complaints due to complicated workflows.

It said that the number of calls at call centres has not reduced, and service providers are not able to meet current benchmarks in many cases even after the rollout of mobile apps.

Further, there is a significant number of feature phones in the mobile network that cannot use mobile apps for the registration of complaints. Therefore, the Authority is not in favour of relaxing this benchmark for the sub-parameter accessibility of call centre numbers and percentage of calls answered by operators (voice to voice), Trai said.

The regulator has fixed September 20 as the last date for comments and October 5 for counter comments of draft rules.
Aditi Mittal is one of the most prominent stand-up comedians in India. She is also one of the first females to be ranked as Indias top 10 stand-up comedians by Times Of India. Her unabashed, witty, and humourous take on various social aspects, including feminism, and gender stereotypes, often takes audiences on a laughter riot. Lets explore the life and journey of this talented comedian, and how she achieved fame over the years.

Early Life and Education

Aditi Mittal was born on November 12, 1987, in Pune, Maharashtra. She completed her schooling at St. Marys and St. Josephs School in Pune, before relocating to the UK. She studied theatrical literature at UKs Wroxton College and then moved to Fairleigh Dickinson University to study communication and literature. Aditi worked in the UK for some time before returning to India and starting her profession as a full-time stand-up comedian.

Also read: Meet Bhuvan Bam, The Man Who Redefined Comedy on YouTube Using Just a Phone

The Rise of Aditi Mittal

After leaving a job in New York and relocating to India in 2009, Aditi established her career as a stand-up comedian. She began conducting her own training after being drawn in by the growing interest in the field of comedy. Later on, she progressed to live performances. Aditi has been in the American documentary Stand-Up Planet, which chronicles a stand-up comics search for the funniest content from the developing world, alongside American and South African comedians.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aditi Mittal (@addymitzy)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aditi Mittal (@addymitzy)

She has made appearances on the political satire program Jay Hind and CNN-IBNs Phenking News with Cyrus Broacha. She was a founding member of two of Indias most prestigious parody award shows, the Ghanta Awards and the Filmfail Awards. She has appeared in Vir Das Ripping the Decade, Comedy Central Indias Fools Gold Awards, and Channel Vs Bollywood OMG.

Content and Impact

Aditi has impressed the masses with her perfect comical timing. She sends ripples across the audience with her intelligent jokes on society in general, crude politics, and subjects centring around gender, sex, and most importantly feminism.

Also Read: Meet Abhishek Upmanyu, Indian Comedian Who Has Mastered Art of Being Effortlessly Funny

Here are some of her most famous stand-up comedies:

Controversy

Comedian Kaneez Surka accused Aditi of sexual harassment in 2018 after she claimed that Aditi kissed her forcefully. Later on, in October of the same year, she publicly apologised to Kaneez for causing her discomfort.

Net Worth

With 2.38 lakh YouTube subscribers, 102K Instagram followers, and 336K Twitter followers, Aditi Mittal is quite popular on social media as well. Her net worth is $10 million.
Pythons are huge snakes that kill their prey with massive force. Like other powerful serpents including anacondas, pythons grab their target with their mouths and wrap them around. These snakes can eat fully-grown humans at one go. One such case was reported a few years back. According to reports, a 25-year-old Indonesian farmer named Akbar Salubiro had gone missing in 2017. Later, he was found inside the body of a python in West Sulawesi, a province in Indonesia. Police informed the media that Akbar had gone missing when he went to harvest palm oil on Sulawesi Island. The villagers reported to the police when Akbar was missing for 24 hours. The police started the search, but failed to find Akbar anywhere. Akbars friends finally found an immobile python near the familys palm plantation at 10 pm that looked a little bigger than normal size. When they cut the pythons body open with an 18-inch hunting knife, they found Akbars body inside it. They pulled him out and clicked the pictures that went viral on social media. Akbars wife Munu got to know about this incident after watching the pictures. The python that swallowed Akbar was 7 metres long (23 feet) and belonged to the reticulated python species. This species is known to be the worlds longest reptile that suffocates its victims before killing them.

Village secretary Salubiro Junaidi told The Sun newspaper that people had heard cries from the palm grove the night before Akbar was found in the snakes stomach. There are rare instances when Pythons kill humans, but reticulated python snake species are known to be responsible for many deaths. The entire process of removing the body of the dead from the snakes stomach was captured on a video, which is not available now.

Recently, Cornwallive.com reported how a man spotted this dangerous reptile in UKs West Cornwall. The man named Shaun Roberts was on his way to work when he spotted a massive reticulated python slithering across the road. He was driving from his home in Troon, Scotland towards the small village of Praze-an-Beeble, near Camborne. Shaun, a 49-year-old armed forces veteran, thought he had witnessed a branch in the road and stopped to move it out the way. The branch soon started to move and Shaun realised that it was a snake.
Irans foreign minister met Saudi Arabias de facto ruler on Friday during his first visit since the Middle East rivals announced a surprise rapprochement, officials said.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who travelled to Riyadh on Thursday, held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, the Saudi foreign ministry announced, after extending a scheduled one-day visit.

The two reviewed relations between the countries, future opportunities for cooperation and ways to develop them, in addition to discussing developments in the situation on the regional and international arenas, the foreign ministry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Irans official IRNA news agency said the visit was the first time a senior Iranian official had met with Prince Mohammed, 37, who has ushered in a series of reforms in the conservative kingdom.

IRNA later reported that Iran extended an invitation for the Saudi crown prince to visit the Islamic republic and that Prince Mohammed accepted.

In a statement posted on X, Amir-Abdollahian called the 90-minute meeting a direct, frank, and productive conversation that addressed bilateral relations, security and development.

The way to the success of the region is to strengthen dialogue and cooperation and increase development-oriented cooperation, he said, according to a statement from Tehrans foreign ministry.

Shiite Muslim-majority Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi broke off ties in 2016, but they agreed to restore diplomatic relations in a Chinese-brokered deal in March.

The announcement sparked optimism as the two regional heavyweights have backed opposing sides in conflict zones across the Middle East for years, including in Yemen, Saudi Arabias impoverished neighbour.

On Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian said ties are progressing in the right direction as he appeared in front of the media with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

His visit would be a prelude to the meeting of the heads of the two countries, he said, without specifying when Irans President Ebrahim Raisi would travel to Saudi Arabia at King Salmans invitation.

Irans top diplomat hailed economic and security cooperation between the two countries, but announced no new agreements. He was accompanied by Irans new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati.

We are sure that these meetings and cooperation will help the unity of the Islamic world, Amir-Abdollahian added, proposing a regional dialogue without giving details.

Since the March deal, Saudi Arabia has ramped up a push for peace in Yemen, holding direct talks with Huthi leaders in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and championed the return of key Iran ally Syria to the Arab League.
A Vietnamese national in Cambodia allegedly murdered his wife and abducted their son before his arrest on Friday.

The 37-year-old Vietnamese suspect stabbed his wife at their home in Phnom Penh around 11 p.m. on August 16, then fled with their 6-year-old son, the Khmer Times reported.

The wife was found lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to a local hospital but died on the way.

The Vietnamese suspect was arrested in Khan Chbar Ampov on Friday. He was then handed over to the Meanchey District police for further investigation.
Jonathan Nuttall, a 50-year-old businessman, who harboured deep-seated grudge against two lawyers at the National Crime Agency (NCA) was found guilty of planting two devices resembling bombs at the heart of Londons legal district, the Guardian said in a report.

Nuttall planned to intimidate them by planting the bombs. He was angered over a legal dispute with the NCA which would lead to him to lose his stately home, Embley Manor in Hampshire. He remains embroiled in a 1.4m legal dispute with the NCA.

Nuttall targeted two NCA lawyers named Andrew Sutcliffe KC and Anne Jeavons who were fighting a case against Nuttalls wife, Amanda. She faces allegations of money laundering and other offences and the court ordered to recover more than 1m of assets from her in 2019.

On Friday, Nuttall and his driver Michael Sode, and an ex-marine, Michael Broddle were convicted of conspiring with each other to plant the devices.

They pleaded guilty to the charges and said that he did so as part of a conspiracy.

The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales aka the Old Bailey heard the cases where Nuttall confessed that he recruited the ex-marine to carry out research and reconnaissance on the lawyers. It was later discovered that the ex-marine Broddle also included his 18 and 25 year old sons into the conspiracy. Both young men were acquitted.

One device, a smoke grenade, was left close to a bench in Grays Inn Square and another device was kept outside 3 Verulam Buildings, where barrister worked along with a smoke grenade to cause maximum alarm.

Both devices came with envelopes or packages with Sutcliffes name on them, warning him that he was being targeted.

The ex-marine was conducting research on the two barristers and their families for at least six months beforehand.

The convicted men also threatened Sutcliffes family and wrote a threat letter to his daughter. Either Sooty [Sutcliffe] QC stops digging his own grave or you will be raped whilst we dig up your brother[s] grave, the threat letter said.
Kyiv on Friday welcomed a US decision to let Denmark and the Netherlands hand F-16 fighter jets over to Ukraine once its pilots are trained to use them.

In Russia, the authorities shut down respected rights group the Sakharov Center and announced fresh international sanctions against its critics abroad.

And earlier Friday Russian forces destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and its Black Sea Fleet.

In Washington, a US State Department official said Denmark and the Netherlands had been given formal assurances for the jet transfer.

Training by an 11-nation coalition is to begin this month, and officials hope pilots will be ready by early 2024.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov hailed great news from our friends in the United States.

Kyiv has been pushing for months to get Western fighters to replace the heavy losses incurred by its air force, which flies mostly Russian aircraft. The US F-16 has better combat capabilities than those operated by Ukraine.

Russian clampdown

Russia on Friday continued its battle against its critics at home and abroad.

The authorities shut down prominent rights group the Sakharov Center, saying it had illegally hosted conferences and exhibitions.

Named after Nobel Prize winner and Soviet-era dissident Andrei Sakharov, it was set up in 1996 to defend human rights and preserve his legacy.

Critics say the group is the latest target of the Kremlins clampdown on liberal-leaning organisations that challenge the authorities.

Also Friday, a Russian court placed the co-chair of independent election monitoring group Golos in pre-trial detention until at least October 17.

The ruling by Basmanny District Court comes as Russia gears up for regional elections next month.

And Moscow announced sanctions against International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan, who in March issued a warrant against Putin accusing him of having illegally deported thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Two British government ministers were also on the updated sanctions list, as well as journalists from the BBC, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.

Drone attacks

Russias defence ministry said its air force had downed a Ukrainian drone over the capital at about 04:00 (0100 GMT) Friday.

The wreckage of the UAV fell in the area of the Expo Centre, and did not cause significant damage to the building, Moscows mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on social media.

The walls of the venues pavilion had partially collapsed, AFP journalists on the scene reported. The centre, on the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment of the Moskva River, hosts exhibitions and trade shows.

Until a series of attacks in recent months, the capital had not been targeted during the conflict in Ukraine, which began more than a year ago.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned last month that war was coming to Russia and that its symbolic centres and military bases were targets.

Last week, Russia destroyed a Ukrainian drone over Moscows west, with debris landing in a park on the Karamyshevskaya embankment. In May, drones were shot down near the Kremlin, less than five kilometres from the Expo Centre.

Hours before the strike on Moscow, Russia said it had thwarted a Ukrainian marine drone attack on its warships in the Black Sea, the latest in a string of assaults on its fleet.

On the frontlines, Ukrainian forces crossed into the Russian-occupied east bank of Kherson region and took positions there, the regions Russian-installed governor confirmed.

Vladimir Saldo said Ukrainian sabotage groups had managed to hide out on the outskirts of the Russian-controlled town of Kozachi Lageri, near the Dnipro river, but that they were later cleared out by Moscows forces.

Ukraines Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar this week said that certain units performed certain tasks, on the left bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson, without elaborating.

Black Sea manoeuvres

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal hailed important and constructive talks on grain exports with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu during a visit to Bucharest on Friday.

Ciolacu said Romania wanted to double the amount of Ukrainian grain transiting his country to four million tonnes.

Their talks came a day after the first civilian cargo ship sailed through the Black Sea from Ukraine to Istanbul in defiance of a Russian blockade.

President Zelensky said the ship was using a new humanitarian corridor Kyiv established after Russia last month pulled out of a deal that had allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

At that time, Russia also warned that it would consider any ships nearing Ukraine in the Black Sea as potential military cargo carriers.

Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraines port infrastructure in the Black Sea and the Danube, a vital export route since the grain deals scrapping, in recent weeks.

Days ago, a Russian navy ship fired warning shots and boarded a Turkish-owned but Palau-flagged cargo vessel that was sailing to a Ukrainian river port.
The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in a show of power raised Pashtunistan and Afghanistan flags in Islamabad. The PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen also warned Pakistani generals to not stir up a conflict.

Pashteen said that Pakistans army and its military generals are traitors who neither follow the Pakistan constitution nor the rules laid down by Islam. Do not force us into conflict. Pakistani army generals are traitors who do not follow the constitution nor follow Islam, Pashteen said, according to CNN-News18.

Ye jo dehshat-e-gardi hai, is ke peechey wardie hai! (Uniformed men are supporting terror), Pashteen led the jalsa with these chants.

He also referred to the defeat of the Pakistan Army at the hands of the Indian Army in the 1971 Indo-Pak War which led to the creation of Bangladesh. In 1971, Bengalis ripped Pakistan armys pants, we Pashtuns and Balochis will peel their skins, Pashteen said.

Another leader Imran Mazari said that terrorists are sitting inside Pakistan Armys General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

The protest march and the jalsa, however, was later met with brute force as police in Islamabad clamped down on PTM members. The jalsa was held to demand the release of the detained PTM activists and end targeted killings across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Following the clashes, several PTM workers were arrested.

It was initially supposed to be held outside of the Supreme Court of Pakistan but was later shifted to Tarnol, an area on the outskirts of Islamabad.

The jalsa attracted a large number of supporters.

Dont force us into a conflict with the state and the institution  if we come to Islamabad, you will not save the federal capital. Do not bully Pashtoons, we know how to respond, Pashteen said.

Prominent human rights activist Imaan Mazari, daughter of former minister Shireen Mazari, alleged that Pakistan army headquarters are providing support to terrorists in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. She said real terrorists are sitting inside Pakistan Army headquarters in Rawalpindi.

She said that the Pakistan army wants war, not peace.
Spanish firefighters were set to deploy extra aircraft in their battle against raging Tenerife wildfires on Saturday, as renewed heat and wind threatened recent progress in bringing the blaze under control.

The blaze, which has forced 4,500 people to flee, broke out late Tuesday in a mountainous area of the holiday island.

Officials say it is the most complex fire to hit the Canary Islands in 40 years.

Fridays firefighting efforts progressed well, although the fire is still out of control, Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo told reporters in a late-night briefing.

The blaze has so far destroyed 5,000 hectares (more than 12,300 acres) of land and has a perimeter of 50 kilometres (30 miles), he said.

Montserrat Roman, head of civil protection for the seven-island archipelago, said more than 225 firefighters would continue efforts during the night to tackle the fire, which had already affected 10 municipalities.

On Saturday, 19 aerial units would be drafted in to continue the work, which was likely to be complicated by high temperatures and strong gusts of wind, she said.

More than 4,500 people had been evacuated, but the number stuck inside their homes had fallen to just under 1,700 after a confinement order was lifted for some 2,200 residents as conditions eased in La Esperanza near the airport, she said earlier.

During the day, officials said there had been a favourable evolution on the main front of the fire, which had advanced more slowly and predictably overnight, making it easier for crews to tackle the flames.

Overnight the fire and the weather behaved normally, said Clavijo, explaining that the wind, the temperature and the behaviour of the fire on the first two nights had been highly unusual.

Although air humidity levels rose overnight and the winds eased, helping firefighters efforts, forecasters warned the mercury was set to soar again over the weekend in Tenerife.

Visible from space

The fire has generated a pillar of smoke nearly four kilometres high that is visible on satellite pictures and has risen above the summit of Mount Teide, the volcano that towers over the island.

Reaching a height of 3,715 metres (12,200 feet), Teide is Spains highest peak and a popular tourist destination, but all roads to the national park were closed on Thursday and would remain shut, the authorities said.

The focal point of the fire lies some 20 kilometres away on the steeply forested slopes below, with the blaze sending clouds of ash across much of the island.

This is probably the most complex fire weve ever had in the Canary Islands in at least the past 40 years, Clavijo said Thursday, citing the topography of the area, the high temperatures and winds that change direction frequently.

The blaze broke out after the archipelago suffered a heatwave that left many areas tinder-dry.

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned heatwaves will become more frequent and intense.

In 2022, a particularly bad year for wildfires in Europe, Spain was the worst-hit nation, with nearly 500 blazes that destroyed more than 300,000 hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

So far this year, EFFIS figures show almost 76,000 hectares have been ravaged by 340 fires in Spain, one of the European countries most vulnerable to climate change.
Mexico is bracing for a powerful Pacific hurricane which could lead to widespread flooding in Baja California and also in the neighbouring US state of California. Hurricane Hilary is expected to bring strong winds, flash floods and life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, news agency AFP said, citing the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Hurricane Hilarys maximum sustained winds reached about 230 kmph but it slowed down slightly on Friday (local time). We must be prepared with food, canned goods and candles. We know what can happen to us, a hospitality sector worker told news agency AFP.

Hurricane Hilary is a Category Four hurricane. Category Four is the second-most powerful on the Saffir-Simpson scale of one to five. The US NHC warned that the hurricane will bring life-threatening conditions to Baja California and southern California along with potentially catastrophic flooding.

Navy personnel, according to AFP, were patrolling the beach in Cabo San Lucas  a destination often frequented by tourists. Residents prepared using protective boarding and sandbags. Large waves were seen crashing ashore.

Hilary on Friday was located about 285 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California. On the forecast track, the centre of Hilary will move close to the west coast of the Baja California peninsula over the weekend and reach southern California by Sunday night, the NHC said.

The warning for Hurricane Hilary was issued for a stretch of coastline in Baja California from Punta Abreojos to Cabo San Quintin. A storm watch was in effect from the California/Mexico border to Point Mugu in Ventura County, as well as for Catalina Island, the NHC said.

Weakening is expected to begin by Saturday, but Hilary will still be a hurricane when it approaches the west coast of the Baja California peninsula Saturday night and Sunday. Hilary is expected to weaken to a tropical storm by late Sunday before it reaches southern California, the NHC said.

Hurricanes hit Mexico every year on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts between May and November.

Hurricane Hilary brought rain and rough seas to areas along Mexicos southwestern Pacific coast, including the tourist resort of Acapulco.
The jurors who were fighting to hold back tears at the Manchester Crown Court were given a number of possible motives by the prosecutors during the infant-killer nurse Lucy Letbys 10-month trial.

A report by the Guardian said that prosecutor Nick Johnson KC (Kings Counsel) suggested to jurors that Letby, a neonatal nurse, enjoyed playing God by harming the newborns. He also highlighted how she was also the first one to inform authorities when the newborns died.

The nurse was arrested after a string of deaths of newborn babies at the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwest England in 2015 and 2016. Two triplet boys, referred to in court as babies O and P, were her final victims.

An Indian-origin doctor and his colleague did warn the hospitals upper management but the management failed to act on time leading to the deaths of seven newborn babies. Letby also tried to kill six others.

In 2016 when the triplet boy was struggling with his life, Letby, then in her mid-20s told the doctors: Hes not making it out of here alive, is he?

She knew what was going to happen. She was controlling things. She was enjoying what was going on. She, in effect, was playing God, Johnson was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

Thrill

Nurse Lucy Letby also got a thrill from the death of the children. The prosecutors pointed out that when Child I (as referred to by the court) died after repeated attacks by Letby, she stood next to the parents and kept smiling and repeated how she was present during the childs first bath and she had loved that experience.

The prosecutors, according to the newspaper, said that Johnson was getting a thrill watching what was going on in the room and seeing the parents in grief.

The prosecutors said she would often look up the families of her victims on Facebook. She also would look them up again during the death anniversaries of the children. Letby countered this by saying that she would search for all sorts of people on Facebook.

Affair

The prosecution also claimed that Letby was in a secret relationship with a married doctor, who worked at the Countess of Chester hospital, but Letby denied this. However, prosecution laid evidence before the court where it was seen that the pair messaged regularly, swapping love heart emojis, and met outside work.

They pointed out that it was significant because the doctor was among the first to be summoned by Letby when one the health of babies suddenly deteriorated. The prosecutors claimed that these acts were committed to grab the attention of the doctor who she may have been in an affair with and whose name was not revealed due to legal reasons.

Bored at Work

Letby told jurors that since she was a band 5 nurse, well-equipped to care for very sick children in the neonatal intensive care she did not find work exciting when she was assigned babies not in need of much medical attention.

Handwritten Notes

Few Post-it notes allowed investigators to peek into Nurse Letbys mental state. When she was arrested in 2018, investigators found Post-it notes with Lucys scribblings on them which said, I killed them on purpose because Im not good enough to care for them and I AM EVIL I DID THIS.

She also wrote: I will never have children or marry. I will never know what its like to have a family.

Letby says these notes were made after she was suspended from work pending an investigation into the unusual deaths.
Nigers new prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, on Friday told The New York Times that the generals who overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum during a July 26 coup will do him no harm.

Nothing will happen to him, because we dont have a tradition of violence in Niger, Zeine, the most senior civilian appointed by the military leaders, told the newspaper in an interview from Dakar on the fate of overthrown President Mohamed Bazoum.

Zeine also insisted the Niger coup leaders had no intention of collaborating with Russia, or with the Kremlin-backed mercenaries of the Wagner group.

The New York Times reported that the coup leaders had cut off water and electricity to Bazoums house, where he has been confined since being ousted, and threatened to kill him if other African countries make good on a proposal to restore him to power through a military intervention.

Earlier Friday, Nigerias President Bola Tinubu warned there will be grave consequences if Nigers military regime allows Bazoums health to worsen under house arrest, a European Union official said.

At the UN headquarters in New York, a spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was questioned by reporters on the state of Bazoums health and if he was even still alive.

Ive spoken to someone who speaks to him regularly. And, yes, as far as we know and we have no indication to say that hes not alive. So as far as I know, hes alive, said Stephane Dujarric.

Zeine, who was appointed Nigers prime minister on August 7, was also questioned by the Times on the presence of 1,100 American soldiers and 1,500 French soldiers fighting against jihadists in anti-terrorist operations with the local army.

Zeine, a French-trained economist who had served as finance minister in a previous administration, said the moment will come to review such military partnerships, while praising the extremely reasonable position of the White House in trying to resolve the crisis through diplomacy rather than force.
Pakistan has appointed Mishal Hussain Malik, wife of the jailed Kashmiri separatist Yasin Malik, as a special advisor to the countrys newly appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar.

Maliks appointment drew a sharp reaction from Indias ruling BJP, which said that the move vindicated Indias charge that Pakistan harbours terrorists who attack India.

Maliks name was included in the five Special Advisor to Prime Minister (SAPM) list unveiled late on Thursday night after President Arif Alvi administered an oath to the 19-member caretaker Cabinet at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the presidential house.

Mishal, a Pakistani national married to Malik, was appointed special advisor to the caretaker Prime Minister Kakar on human rights and women empowerment.

A special advisor has a lower status than a junior minister but provides assistance to the prime minister on key relevant issues.

Among other four special advisors, Jawad Sohrab Malilk has been appointed SAPM for overseas Pakistanis, vice admiral (retired) Iftikhar Rao as an advisor on maritime affairs, TV anchor and writer Wasih Shah on tourism, and Syeda Arifa Zehra as an advisor on federal education and professional training.

Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin married Pakistani artist Mishal in Rawalpindi in 2009. The two met while Yasin was on a tour of Pakistan in 2005.

Mishal Hussain Maliks appointment endorses Indias claim that Pakistan is harbouring terrorism and terrorists, BJP national general secretary and its in-charge for Jammu & Kashmir Tarun Chugh said in a statement in New Delhi.

He said Pakistan has always provided refuge to most wanted terrorists involved in subversive activities in India.

Instead of reining in elements inimical to peace, Pakistan is repeatedly resorting to such actions that harm the national interest of India. We urge international bodies to take cognizance of the matter and stop Pakistan from giving political space to terrorists, Chugh said.

Mishal and her daughter reside in Islamabad. Born in 1985, Mishal graduated from the London School of Economics.

Yasin was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in a terror funding case in May.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has approached the Delhi High Court seeking the death penalty for Yasin, who is serving his sentence in Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Russian Moon Mission Luna-25 on Saturday reported a technical glitch ahead of its pre-moon landing phase, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the carrying out of the manoeuvre within the specified conditions, Roscosmos said in a statement.

Thrust was released to transfer the probe onto the pre-landing orbit, it added.

The emergency was detected prior to the transition of the Luna-25 satellite to a pre-landing orbit with the specified parameters, the Russian space agency added.

However, Roscosmos did not clarify if the glitch would have any impact on the timing and landing, which was set to take place on Monday, north of the Boguslawsky crater on the lunar south pole.

Reportedly, space agency chief Yuri Borisov in June told President Vladimir Putin that such missions were risky, with an estimated success probability of around 70 per cent.

The Luna-25 lander, which is Russias first such mission in almost 50 years, was on Wednesday successfully placed in the Moons orbit. It was launched from Russias Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The Russian spacecraft was scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday. The moons south pole is the unchartered part of the moon which scientists think may hold frozen water and precious elements.

The Russian Moon Mission was launched in alignment with Indias Chandrayaan-3 mission which plans to be the first to land on the Moons south pole. The proximity and the possibility of an overlap of their landing dates  August 21-23 for Luna-25 and August 23-24 for Chandrayaan-3  has intensified global attention.

(With inputs from AFP/ Reuters)
Taiwan on Saturday said it detected 42 Chinese warplane incursions shortly after China announced that it is launching military drills. Since 9 oclock today (19th), it has successively detected 42 sorties, the Taiwan ministry of defence said in a statement, highlighting that eight Chinese vessels also participated in the drills.

Beijing has sent 202 military aircraft and 117 naval ship sorties around Taiwan so far this month, Taiwan News said in a report. The defence ministry of Taiwan said it detected seven Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between Thursday and Friday.

China is angered because the vice president of the island-nation  that it claims to be its own  William Lai made a stopover in the United States leading Beijing to issue a stern warning.

Lai also visited Paraguay following his visits to New York and San Francisco. Paraguay is among a handful of countries that diplomatically recognise Taipei.

Lai is the frontrunner presidential election next year in Taiwan.

(The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army) launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan, Shi Yi, the military spokesperson was quoted as saying by state media outlet Xinhua.

The PLA through the drills wants to see how capable it is to seize control of air and sea spaces and fight in real combat conditions.

(The drills are) a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, the military spokesperson said.

Chinas usual SOP when Taiwanese and American leaders meet is to launch war drills. It did the same when Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen met top US lawmakers.

China has vowed that the reunification of Taiwan with the mother country will be a reality one day and if needed it shall be done by force.

Taiwans defence ministry responded to the provocations with a statement, saying: The Ministry of National Defence strongly condemns such irrational and provocative behaviour, and will dispatch appropriate forces to respond  to defend freedom, democracy, and the sovereignty of Taiwan.
A Kien Giang Province court has sentenced a woman to nine years in prison for smuggling over 600 guns from Nha Trang to the Mekong Delta.

Vu Thi Diep, 33, was found guilty of "illegal manufacture, possession, transport, use, or appropriation of military weapons or devices."

Duong Minh Tuan, 31, also got nine years on the same charges, and 15 others who were members of the smuggling ring, got six months to seven years.

In 2019 Diep and her husband were found guilty of illegal weapons sales by a court in Cu Chi District in Ho Chi Minh City.

She got a three-year sentence, which however was suspended since she had a young child.

But she continued to establish links with people to smuggle weapons from Cambodia to Vietnam.

One of them was Tuan.

In August 2022 the Kien Giang police caught Tuan red-handed with methamphetamine at a motel in Rach Gia City.

A search of his house turned up equipment required to make firearms.

Tuan admitted he knew how to make guns, and along with some others made 15 guns that fired rubber bullets between May and August that year.

The ammunition was provided by a husband and wife couple in Rach Gia, Cao Van Hoai and Vo Ngoc Tram.

Tuan sold eight guns at VND1-5.5 million ($42-231) each and around 50 bullets in Kien Giang and the neighboring provinces of An Giang and Ca Mau.

He also gifted a gun to a customer.

The police searched the house of Hoai and Tram and found around 70 guns and 239 bullets.

They in turn fingered Diep, telling the officers she had supplied them the guns and bullets.

Further investigations resulted in the arrest of Diep in HCMC and her three henchmen in Binh Duong and Khanh Hoa provinces.

A search of Diep's warehouse in Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa turned up 229 guns, six bullets and some tools and equipment.

Investigators said that in 2022 Diep had supplied to Hoai and Tram 400 guns, 1,300 rubber bullets and 1,300 pressurized gas canisters.

Hoai and Tram sold 40 of the guns to their customers and 190 others to Diep's.
Turkish Cypriot forces were accused of assaulting UN peacekeepers on Friday as they attempted to block the construction of a controversial road in the buffer zone dividing Cyprus, drawing international condemnation.

The confrontation occurred in Pyla, an ethnically mixed village in the UN-patrolled area between the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north.

Video widely shared on social media showed bulldozers pushing away UN-marked SUVs, cement barriers and razor wire as well as a posse of Turkish Cypriot police forcing back peacekeepers in blue berets. AFP could not immediately independently verify the footage.

The UN mission said its peacekeepers were assaulted as they tried to block the unauthorised construction work near Pyla, the only village where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots live side by side.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus condemns the assaults against UN peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel from the Turkish Cypriot side this morning, UNFICYP said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN chief stresses that threats to the safety of UN peacekeepers and damage to UN property are unacceptable and may constitute serious crimes under international law, said Stephane Dujarric.

European Union member Cyprus denounced what it called organised incidents caused by the Turkish occupying forces and the unacceptable attack against British and Slovak members of the UN peacekeeping force.

The EU also condemned the incident, as well as Britain, France and the United States, who in a joint statement expressed serious concern at the launch of unauthorised construction of the road.

The authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who say the road project is aimed at easing the plight of its people, dismissed the UN missions allegations as baseless.

Our expectation from UNFICYP is to review its biased stance, put an immediate end to its physical interferences and blockage efforts of the roadworks, the TRNC said in a statement.

Faits accomplis

An official said Turkish Cypriot police and military in plain clothes had punched a peacekeeper and assaulted a dozen others by pushing them back violently.

A tractor was used to drag a UN vehicle out of the way and major damage had been caused to three vehicles, said the official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

In its statement, the UN mission urged the Turkish Cypriot side to respect the missions mandated authority inside the UN buffer zone, refrain from any actions that could escalate tensions further, and withdraw all personnel and machinery from the UN buffer zone immediately.

UNFICYP said it was determined to block any construction work and would remain in the area.

The mission is monitoring the situation closely and remains committed to ensuring calm and stability are maintained in the area, it said.

Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis accused the Turkish side of trying to create new faits accomplis at Pyla by constructing a road connecting the occupied village of Arsos with a forward illegal military outpost.

The spokesman described the Turkish road project as an attempt at a very serious violation of the status quo.

Humanitarian objective

The Turkish Cypriot authorities said the road project had a humanitarian objective that was aimed at providing ease of access to TRNC territory for our citizens living in the village of Pile.

They said that despite this, the UN peacekeepers had physically assaulted our road construction teams as well as our police, who are present in the area only to provide safety. This stance displayed by UNFICYP is unacceptable.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish forces occupied its northern third in response to a military coup sponsored by the junta then in power in Greece.

The statehood of the republic Turkish Cypriot leaders proclaimed in 1983 is recognised only by Ankara.

Efforts to reunify Cyprus have been at a standstill since the last round of UN-backed talks collapsed in 2017.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, a protege of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has urged the international community to acknowledge the existence of two states in Cyprus.

His calls for a two-state solution have been rejected by the Greek Cypriot leadership of the Republic of Cyprus who say they still want a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in line with successive UN peace plans.
This photo taken on Jan. 31, 2023 shows the night view of Johannesburg, South Africa.(Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

The voice of the Global South, represented by major emerging economies in BRICS has become increasingly important in addressing global challenges at a time of profound geopolitical changes.

The 15th BRICS Summit, to be held in South Africa's Johannesburg next week, has received a lot of media attention in the months leading up to the event, underscoring the growing influence of BRICS over the past years.

Analysts believe what happens at Johannesburg will be watched with heightened interest, as the voice of the Global South, represented by major emerging economies in BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has become increasingly important in addressing global challenges at a time of profound geopolitical changes, and the group has demonstrated great potential to improve the architecture of international relations.

Expectations are high about the outcome of the summit as its participants are expected to discuss the accelerated use of local currencies, strengthened cooperation to fast-track mutual growth, and the promotion of inclusive multilateralism, among other issues of common concern.

RISING INTEREST IN BRICS MEMBERSHIP

As per data released earlier this year from Acorn Macro Consulting, a British economic research firm, the BRICS group makes up 41 percent of the global population and accounts for 16 percent of world trade. The five BRICS countries now contribute about a quarter of the global GDP.

With its growing economic presence on the global stage and as one of the most important platforms for win-win cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries, BRICS is becoming increasingly attractive.

A worker arranges a signboard of the 15th BRICS summit outside the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

In an opinion piece published on the website of Dubai-based commercial magazine Arabian Business in June, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said more countries joining BRICS would provide "a compelling opportunity for growth and cooperation."

In a column published on the website of Dubai-based English daily Gulf News recently, Osama Al Sharif, a journalist and political commentator based in the Jordanian capital Amman, said the increasing number of applicants joining BRICS has indicated "a sense of urgency by countries to address some of these challenges and strengthen partnerships away from Western influence."

FAIRER GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

BRICS has "great potential in terms of creating the architecture of international relations," Russia's foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin was quoted as saying by Turkiye's semi-official Anadolu Agency at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.

"The five BRICS nations are considering expanding the grouping by forging closer links across many areas of both economy and civil society. This is born of a long-held desire to increase the representation of developing nations in appropriately responding to shared global challenges," the UAE foreign minister wrote in the opinion piece.

Signboards of the 15th BRICS summit are seen in a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

In the eyes of Adnan Mansour, who served as Lebanon's foreign minister between 2011 and 2014, the Johannesburg summit will strengthen BRICS' position in a world where the United States and its allies have been coming up with global trade rules that only serve their own advantage.

"The event will contribute to global stabilization, dialogue, partnership and progress," he told Russian news agency TASS in an interview published earlier this week.

"At a time when there is so much criticism about how Western countries have failed to create a more equitable economic order in a world plagued by poverty, over-exploitation of the planet's resources, pollution, famine and disease, BRICS+ could go a long way in addressing some of these challenges," Al Sharif wrote.
/

Much of the Appalachian Trail Isn't Where It Once Was

The 'Washington Post' examines some of the major changes to its path
A driver trying to park crashed into a restaurant at a shopping center in south Florida Friday evening, injuring 20 people. Lt. Aston Bright, spokesperson for the Plantation Fire Department in Broward County, says the woman crashed into the Thai Meal restaurant around 6:30pm, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. Officials in Broward County say 12 injured people, including two pregnant women, were hospitalized, but none of the injuries were considered life-threatening. "It was an extremely dangerous situation," Bright tells WPLG . "As far as we know, the driver was trying to park the car and somehow crashed into the building."

The driver, who was uninjured, remained at the scene. It's not clear whether she will face charges. Witnesses said the car ended up fully inside the building. Angel Soler, who was injured by flying glass, says it sounded like an explosion when the red Nissan Altima crashed through the front of the restaurant. "When she first came in, my back was to the glass. I heard a big explosion. Everybody went flying, tables went sliding." he tells WSVN. "There was a lot of screaming," Soler says. "There was a lot of shouting. Everybody was trying to see if there was anybody under the car." (Read more Florida stories.)
A sting operation at a London hotel helped authorities recover a 15th-century Chinese vase worth about $2.5 million and break up the criminal ring believed to have stolen the artifact from a Swiss museum, British police said Saturday. The vase, which dates to the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, was one of three items stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva in 2019. The Metropolitan Police Service made the announcement after a London court on Friday found two men guilty of charges related to the gang's effort to sell the vase, the AP reports. A third man pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year, and two others arrested in London are awaiting trial in Switzerland in the case. All five are from southeast London.

"The organized crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offenses internationally and that there would be no comeback," said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb of the Met's Specialist Crime unit. "They were mistaken, highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries." London police said they collaborated with Swiss authorities on the investigation after an auction house alerted them that someone had e-mailed them seeking a valuation for the stolen vase.

Officers working undercover offered to buy the vase for $573,000 and agreed to make the buy at a central London hotel, where the first suspect was arrested. Police have offered a $12,734 reward for information leading to the recovery of a "doucai-style" wine cup with chicken decorations that was also stolen from the Geneva museum. A bowl valued at around $100,000 was returned to the museum after it was sold at an auction in Hong Kong in 2019. The lucrative market for stolen Chinese antiquities has led to several high-profile crimes in recent years, per the AP, including thefts from British museums and auction houses in 2012 that netted jade bowls, figurines, and other items worth millions.

(Read more museum theft stories.)
A call for civilians to support Niger's junta against a possible military intervention by West African nations brought too many volunteers to count, resulting in a halt to the process. The crowd gathered Saturday outside a stadium in Niamey was larger than the organizers had anticipated, Reuters reports. "In all our calculations and our understandings, we never thought we could mobilize" so many people, said Younoussa Hima of the Mobilization of Young People for the Fatherland initiative. "So it is really difficult for us today to do this work. That is what made us halt this census."

Leaders of the coup placed President Mohammed Bazoum under house arrest last month. The ECOWAS nations of West Africa have threatened military action against the junta if he is not reinstated and said the bloc has set a deadline it did not publicly disclose. In an effort to resolve the standoff peacefully, an ECOWAS delegation arrived in the capital and met for the first time with the junta's leader on Saturday. An official said 11 of the coalition's 15 members have committed troops, per the AP, pronouncing the force "ready to go." The outcome of the meeting was not released.

Ambassador Kathleen FitzGibbon arrived in Niger on Saturday to lead the US negotiating effort, per CNN, touted by the State Department as a career diplomat who has specialized in West Africa. Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled there earlier but had no success; she was blocked from seeing Bazoum. The organizers of the drive Saturday said they weren't signing up military recruits, just building a list of civilians willing to contribute their skills in the event of fighting. "They called on the youth to respond to a possible attack on our soil," a supportive blogger wrote. "And we are ready for any attack." (Read more Niger stories.)
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The upcoming 15th BRICS Summit, to be hosted by South Africa, will present key opportunities to boost dialogue and cooperation between the five major emerging economies and other developing nations, and enhance solidarity between China and Africa, officials and analysts have said.

Their remarks came as the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that President Xi Jinping will attend the Johannesburg Summit and pay a state visit to South Africa from Monday to Thursday, at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Xi and Ramaphosa will also co-chair the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue in South Africa, said ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

The summit of the grouping, which also includes Brazil, India and Russia, has given rise to high expectations as it will be the first BRICS Summit to be hosted in person since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leaders from the five countries are expected to exchange views on prominent challenges in the international landscape, and enhance coordination and cooperation in international affairs, as they seek to inject stability and positive energy into a world fraught with changes and chaos, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

The leaders will convey clear-cut messages on upholding multilateralism and focusing on common development, he said.

Xi's visit to South Africa, his second in the past five years, comes as the two nations mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The leaders of China and South Africa will jointly draw a blueprint for developing bilateral ties, Wang said.

The China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue will bring together the African co-chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the rotating chairperson of the African Union and representatives of African subregional organizations.

According to the ministry, China's new direct investment in Africa reached $1.82 billion in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 4.4 percent. There are now over 3,000 Chinese companies conducting business in Africa.

Li Wentao, executive director and researcher at the Institute of African Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the in-person gathering of BRICS leaders will help boost the solidarity of the grouping and better drive cooperation among member countries.

"There are now increasingly high expectations for China to play a more important role in the global response to various crises, offering the world greater certainty," he said.

One of the most important issues to be discussed at the summit, Li said, will be the expansion of BRICS. According to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, 23 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia, have had formally applied to become new BRICS members, as of Aug 7.

The expansion of the grouping will demonstrate the open and inclusive nature of BRICS cooperation, Li said.

"It would showcase that BRICS, instead of serving as a geopolitical tool, has become a key platform of shared growth and benefits for developing countries and the Global South," he said.

Li highlighted the role of BRICS in leading the way for reforming global governance, championing the interests of the Global South and enabling greater voices for the developing world in the global economic order.

"Closer collaboration between Beijing and Pretoria will help South Africa address some of the most acute issues troubling its growth, such as power shortages and unemployment issues."

China has been the largest trading partner of South Africa for 13 consecutive years, and bilateral trade grew by 5 percent year-on-year to $56.74 billion in 2022, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, said Xi's attendance at the Johannesburg summit would demonstrate "Beijing's confidence and commitment in advancing Sino-African comprehensive and strategic cooperation".

"For more than seven decades, China has always valued Africa as a key partner in advancing strategic dialogue and cooperation with a broader vision of promoting South-South cooperation for common development and prosperity," he said.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain will mark the UN World Humanitarian Day, annually observed on August 19, in honour of humanitarian aid workers worldwide. The Kingdom, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, has become a role model for humanitarian initiative and charity work, providing relief aid to disaster-hit peoples, Shura Council Chairman Ali bin Salah Al Saleh said in a statement on this occasion.

He commended Bahrains humanitarian record and charity contributions, citing mainly the delivery of medical aid and the construction of educational and social projects in many affected countries.

Al Saleh congratulated HM the King and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. The Shura head hailed HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Ministers keenness on supporting humanitarian and charity schemes, lauding the Governments efforts which contributed to enhancing Bahrains standing.

He also praised the role played by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) Board of Trustees Chairman.

Congratulations

Council of Representatives Speaker Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam congratulated HM King Hamad and HRH Prince Salman on todays occasion. In a statement yesterday, he hailed Bahrains contributions to humanitarian work and commitment to dispatching relief aid to people in countries and regions struck by disasters.

Al Musallam commended the role of the Government in support of international efforts, which further enhanced the standing of the Kingdom. He also congratulated HH Shaikh Nasser.
The high-speed rail is an approximately 140-km connection that links Jakarta to West Java province's Bandung city. (Photo: KCIC)

As reported by Nikkei Asia, the Indonesian-Chinese consortium Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) set October as the new opening date after pushing back the previous timeline of August. KCIC will use the extra time to conduct further test runs to ensure safety.



President Joko Widodo said last week that he expected to take part in September trial runs for the Jakarta Bandung High Speed Rail. He noted that as soon as everything is ready, the rail will be put into operation.



A trial launch is planned for September and October, when near-by residents can ride free of charge.



The high-speed rail is an approximately 140-km connection that links Jakarta to West Java province's Bandung city. The service will have a top operating speed of roughly 350km per hour, and the entire line can be traversed in as little as 36 minutes.



Test runs have been conducted since May, with speed steadily increased. The train reportedly traveled as fast at 385km per hour, the highest technically feasible velocity./.
This Japanese market is full of colorful tropical fish, tropical fruits, and all sorts of delicious food you can only find in Okinawa. The island of course is surrounded by ocean which naturally lends itself to extremely fresh seafood and because of this it's one of my favorite Japan home away from home destinations. Its only about a 15 mins drive from Naha Airport and is located in the Kokusai Dori area. Its easy to miss the entrance, so make sure to find the small alley, Ichiba HonDori, to find this somewhat hidden market. Started as a black market in the post-war era, its now run by the city since 1950. It has a brand new facade from a recent renovation, but you can still feel the history when talking to people inside of the market. One of my absolute favorites about this spot, is that food you purchase at the market on the 1st floor can be taken up to the 2nd floor restaurants to be freshly cooked called mochiage, which Ill be gladly showing you today.
The active participation of the business community, especially the private sector and consumers, will also promote the creation of a wave of green economic development and build a sustainable foundation for green growth. (Source: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)

However, on the pathway to Net Zero, there are not only opportunities but also challenges for both the nation and businesses, experts shared on August 18 at the Green Economy Forum 2023, held by the Saigon Times group in Ho Chi Minh City.



At the forum themed Net Zero  Pathway Toward Sustainability, experts said approaching Net Zero is both a responsibility and an opportunity for the business community; in which the early birds will enjoy the advantage of being pioneers.



In addition, enterprises that position their brands earlier in the changing consumer trends will exploit the potential of market diversification, especially in promoting import and export activities.



The active participation of the business community, especially the private sector and consumers, will also promote the creation of a wave of green economic development and build a sustainable foundation for green growth. Therefore, the Government and localities need to have mechanisms and policies for breakthrough innovation to support enterprises in transforming their production and business models, and to increase public awareness of green and sustainable development.

Experts and businessmen engage in an discussion at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding Net Zero, Prof. Dr. Jonathan Pincus, Senior International Economist at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that energy transition, application of renewable energy, and energy saving are among important issues. To realize the transition, both the national economy and business activities need technological solutions, using energy-saving materials, and developing renewable energy.



Meanwhile, Ha Dang Son, Deputy Chief of Party (Technical) of the USAID Vietnam Low Emission Energy Programme II (V-LEEP II) said that it is necessary to see renewable energy development as an opportunity, but opportunities only come when there are mechanisms and policies to promote. Each country must have a long-term plan, especially for Vietnam, it should promote business models suitable to the renewable energy market and green growth goals.



Currently, many domestic and foreign banks and organisations have strong commitments to supporting Vietnam's green transition. However, how to use the capital to serve this goal in Vietnam is an issue that requires the support of ministries and agencies, Son said, adding that investors always seek a long-term plan.



Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee said that the city issued a strategy and plan to develop a green economy through building green transition policies and mechanisms in industries and fields, including energy, technology, and manufacturing and businesses.



The city wants to realise the goals of sustainable development, and green growth, he said, adding Can Gio district was selected as a pilot locality for green energy transition and carbon emission reduction./.
Olalekan Fadolapo, director-general of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), says President Bola Tinubu did not order the removal of the all eyes on the judiciary billboards in parts of the country.

On Tuesday, ARCON directed the removal of the billboards sponsored by a group known as the Diasporas for Good Governance.

ARCON also dissolved its advertising standards panel for approving billboards targeted at the presidential election petition tribunal.

Phrank Shaibu, an aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, had described the development as an assault on freedom of speech.

Speaking in an interview with PUNCH on Saturday, Fadolapo said the agencys decision was not influenced by Tinubu as being speculated in some quarters.

He said the steps taken so far by the council, including the suspension of the director and deputy director of regulations, are administrative procedures.

Our people are extremely biased. Now, this advert has nothing to do with the presidency, I hope we all know this, PUNCH quoted Fadolapo as saying.

These adverts have a lot to do with the judiciary; it has absolutely nothing to do with the presidency. I dont know why they would say that the President asked us or the presidency asked us to punish them. How will the presidency interfere with this?

The presidency has not at any point in time interfered in this issue. This is an administrative procedure. Someone erred and we looked at it to confirm that they erred and you did not fire them. The easiest thing to do is to give them a fair hearing and in the process of giving them a fair hearing, we are asking them to please step down from the offices they are occupying to be able to investigate properly.

How does the presidency now come into this? The judiciary is supposed to be the one that they will say is influencing us and nobody in the judiciary has even made a statement on this.

Dont forget that there are other adverts worse than this on social media that we are even trying to track and pull down, posting some of these judiciary members names, their pictures on social media, and all of that. This has absolutely nothing to do with the presidency; the presidency has not interfered and I dont think the presidency will interfere. The presidency is dealing with so many things and they have given each agency the independence to do their work.

Fadolapo said the suspended officials would appear before a committee that would review the entire process and that they would be given fair hearing in the course of the investigation.

He said the council is taking necessary actions against the billboard owners, adding that all outdoor organisations involved will be sanctioned.
The committee of chiefs of defence staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it has fine-tuned its military intervention plans in Niger Republic.

ECOWAS agreed to use force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts failed to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum who was toppled and detained since the July 26 coup.

The military junta had also defied the blocs deadline to relinquish power, leading to ECOWAS deployment of standby military troops last week.

On Thursday, ECOWAS said it had begun the activation of its standby force in the Niger Republic to restore constitutional order.

The bloc added that its defence chiefs would meet in Accra, Ghanas capital, to finalise plans for the deployment of force.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the two-day meeting on Friday, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said the defence chiefs had agreed on a day to intervene.

Musah added that the regional body is still seeking to engage peacefully with Nigers military leaders.

We are ready to go anytime the order is given, he said.

The D-day is also decided. Weve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention. As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.

Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty.

Nigers new military junta has defied calls from the United States and France, and the United Nations (UN) as well as the African Union (AU) to reinstate Bazoum.

The coup leaders had ousted the president on account of bad governance and worsening security.
A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has arrived in the Niger Republic in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to restore constitutional order in the country.

The delegation led by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former head of state, was received by Ali Lamine Zeine, Nigers prime minister, on Saturday afternoon in Niamey, the countrys capital.

Abdulsalami was also accompanied by Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto.

Since last month when President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled by the countrys military, efforts by nations and global organisations to reach a peaceful resolution with the mutinous soldiers have failed.

A previous ECOWAS delegation led by Abdulsalami, two weeks ago tried to meet Bazoum and Abdourahamane Tiani, the coup leader, but was not successful.

The countrys military junta had also, at the last minute, rejected a tripartite peace mission from ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN).

Victoria Nuland, United States acting deputy secretary of state, was also denied permission to meet with Tiani or with Bazoum, who has been held hostage since the power grab. Instead, Nuland spoke for two hours with other army officers.

At the end of a two-day meeting on Friday, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, said the organisations defence chiefs had agreed on a day to intervene.

Musah said the troops were ready to go anytime the order is given but added that the bloc still favours diplomacy as the way to restore order in Niger.

As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door, he added.

Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty.
Former Nigerias Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, led the Economic Community of West African States delegation on Saturday and met with Nigerien President, Mohamed Bazoum who has been held in his residence since he was ousted by the military on July 26.

This is according to Radio France International radio station.

ECOWAS defense officials convened on August 17 and 18, 2023 in Accra, Ghana, to finalise plans for future military action if continuing talks with the coup leaders fail to yield results.

An ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah said on Friday after the military chiefs meeting We are ready to go any time the order is given.

The D-Day is also decided.




The Lagos State Government has declared Monday, August 21, as a work-free day for all public servants in the state in commemoration of the 2023 Isese Day celebration which will be held on Sunday, August 20.





This is contained in a circular dated August 18 and obtained by newsmen on Saturday.





The circular, which was signed by the Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola, noted that the declaration of Monday as a work-free day for public servants by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was with a view to promoting our indigenous culture and tradition while preserving our heritage.





In restating its commitment to continue to provide the necessary support to traditional institutions in the state with a view to promoting our indigenous culture and tradition while preserving our heritage, Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has graciously declared Monday, 21st August 2023, a work-free day for public servants in the state. Work will, therefore, resume on Tuesday, 22nd August at 8 am prompt, the circular partly read.





It was reported that the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs had in July urged the Lagos State Government to officially recognise and declare August 20 as Isese Day holiday in the state.





The traditional rulers, who spoke at the inauguration of the state Council of Obas and Chiefs for another tenure of five years, said it had become important for the state government to recognise August 20 as Isese Day in the spirit of democracy and freedom of religion.





Speaking on behalf of the council, the Elegushi of Ikate-Elegushi Kingdom, Oba Saheed Elegushi, said, It is a demand that has been on the table of the governor for so long.




A counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama says he has received an exclusive later written by ISWAP group to the Boko Haram faction of Abubakar Shekau, challenging them to a fight.





Zagazola claimed ISWAP accused the Boko Haram group of misleading the people, spreading falsehood, withholding the truths, corruption and raping of women in the name of worshipping God.





His statement was contained in a post on his social media platform on Friday in which he stated that the Boko Haram faction had already accepted the challenge.





According to him, the battle took place in Gaizuwa, with many killed on both sides.





Recall that the security expert had posted a different statement on Wednesday claiming that Boko Haram fighters captured 60 terrorists of the Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, including three key commanders of the sect.





Zagozola said that the ISWAP terrorists were captured on their way to Damasak in Borno State, identifying the commanders as Abubakar Saddiq, Abou Maimuna and Malam Idris.





However, Zagazola said both groups are warming up for the next battle although the time and venue remain unannounced.





He wrote, EXCLUSIVE: ISWAP Invited Boko Haram to a gunfight in Sambisa forest





Zagazola has received an exclusive later written by ISWAP group to the Boko Haram faction of Abubakar SHEKAU, challenging them to a FIGHT





In the letter addressed to Boko Haram, the ISWAP said: We warned you about what you are doing; from killing, destroying peoples properties, and abusing the courses of our Jihad.





They also accused the Boko Haram group of misleading the people, spreading falsehood, withholding the truths, corruption and raping of women in the name of worshipping God.





Beware, beware, get ready, we will follow you for leading our people astray. And the attack will be on this date:





57/Rabi Al-Awwal/9448 AH corresponding to 94/August/5252 AD.





The Boko Haram faction already accepted the Challenge. The battle took place in Gaizuwa with many killed on both sides.





Both groups are warming up for the next battle. Time and Venue unannounced.
The Russian military shelled the center of Chernihiv on Saturday at noon, Head of the regional military administration Viacheslav Chaus has said.he enemy shelled the center of Chernihiv. Probably a ballistic missile. Stay in cover. Details later," he said on the Telegram channel on Saturday.

As reported in the Telegram channel of Suspilne with reference to its own correspondents, as a result of the shelling, there are killed and wounded.

"As a result of the shelling by the Russians of the center of Chernihiv, they were wounded and killed. This is reported by our correspondents from the scene," Suspilne said.




Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed war planes to Niger Republic following the Economic Community of West Africa possible armed intervention to restore democracy in Niger Republic.





Niger television station reported joint efforts by Mali and Burkina Faso in support of Niger and the deployment of warplanes within Nigers borders on Friday.





Mali and Burkina Faso turned their commitments into concrete action by deploying warplanes to respond to any attack on Niger, it said, noting the planes were Super Tucano fighter jets.





The coup leaders imprisoned President Mohamed Bazoum on June 26 and dissolved the elected government of Niger, a major uranium producer and Western ally in the fight against an Islamist insurgency.





On July 30, ECOWAS, led by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, decided on sanctions against the military personnel in Niger and gave a week ultimatum to the military junta to restore ousted Bazoum to office.





After the one-week ultimatum expired, West African leaders met on August 10 and approved a standby force to reinstate elected Bazoum.





The coupists had called the bluff of ECOWAS and vowed to resist foreign intervention.





Subsequently, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs were ordered to activate the regions force for action to restore civil rule in Niger, noting that it will invade the country on the D-Day.





But the military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso called ECOWASs bluff, saying an armed intervention in Niger would be met with force.





The television station said the military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on concrete measures in case ECOWAS chooses to escalate a war.




The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has asked President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the omission of a minister of Niger Delta affairs in his cabinet.

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu assigned portfolios to minister-designates some days after they were confirmed by the senate. But the president omitted the Niger Delta affairs ministry from the list.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting of its board of trustees (BoT) and national executive committee (NEC) on Friday, PANDEF expressed great surprise that no portfolio was designated to the existing ministry of Niger Delta affairs.

The communique was jointly signed by Edwin Clark, PANDEF convener, and Emmanuel Essien, national chairman of the forum.

The forum reminded Tinubu that the ministry was created specifically to focus on infrastructural development, environmental protection and empowerment of youths in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

The forum added that the ministry, which was created by the late President Umaru Musa YarAdua in 2008, was sustained under Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, former presidents, to advance the course of the peace in the Niger Delta region.

Any misguided step toward scrapping or submerging the ministry will create an unfavourable environment with adverse consequences, PANDEF warned.

Further cautioned the federal government to desist from tampering with any institution(s) which along with the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, have been flagship institution(s), to ensure peace and development in the Niger Delta region.

PANDEF expressed hope that the federal government will be properly advised on the matter, adding that its leadership and the people of the region are committed to enduring peace and stability in the overall interest of the country.,m
The controversial cleric, Apostle Johnson Suleman of the Omega Fire Ministry has described poor people as the most dangerous people in the world.

Suleman lamented that most people that had come after him throwing all sorts of attacks were mostly poor people.

The statement was contained in a video posted on his Facebook page, apparently recorded while the cleric was ministering in one of his Sunday church programmes.

Suleman said he has the capacity to grind to powder any poor person who finds his trouble but wouldnt because God has the capacity to grind him (Suleman) to powder too.

He said, The most dangerous people in this world are poor people. Poor people are dangerous. Poor people are a set up. I am being honest to you.

One of the things God said when I was praying, I will give some covenant that will always guarantee you wealth. One of them is be kind to the poor. I have been doing that all my life.

But the people that have come after me in this life are all poor people. And I have been wondering what I have done. When somebody is calling out my name on social media, go and check, its the poor. And I ask why dont the rich accuse me?

Why is it that everybody that is accusing me is broke and poor? It is because I have a covenant that I will not go after anybody that is poor?

If you see me go after anyone, know that they have done too much. If it is a rich man, know I will come after you immediately because I know you have the capacity. But someone that has no capacity, knows they are setting you up for trouble.

You come after them, God will come after you. You see why poor people are set up. You come after them and someone will come after you. You have the capacity to grind the person to powder but God has the capacity to grind you to powder too.

My hands are tied. And the poor, they dont know how to stop. The poor people are ingrate, most poor people are ingrate.




Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has linked Nigerias poor road infrastructure to the failure of the federal government.





Obaseki said the Federal Government had failed to live up to its responsibilities.





This, Obaseki said, could be seen in the number of bad federal roads in the State.





Addressing journalists in Benin City, Obaseki decried the bad federal roads linking Uromi in Esan South East to Agbor in Delta State.





According to Obaseki: I went to Esan land a few days ago and I passed through Uromi in Edo State to Agbor in Delta State and saw almost 1,000 trailers stuck on that bad Federal Government road.





But it took a few minutes to traverse our State roads when we entered from Igueben, Ujogba to Ugoneki in Edo State.





The problem today is the failure of the Central Government. The road network in Edo that ought to be a blessing to us is not.





The Federal Government roads in Edo are connecting several locations across the country but the roads are bad.





You cant go from the West to the East from the North to the South without passing through Edo State.





That is why we have many federal roads here but none are motorable.
The house of representatives ad hoc committee investigating job racketeering in federal ministeris, departments and agencies (MDAs), says the panel has not indicted Ishaq Oloyede, registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

On August 14, Oloyede was invitied to appear before the committe to explain why the board employed 300 workers without advertising.

Oloyede had said the recruitment of the new 300 workers was done to fill vacancies in the board created by the retirement of some members of staff.

Members of the committee had alleged that the examination body had been undertaking employment without due process of advertisement and shortlisting qualified job seekers before letters were issued.

The lawmakers noted that the agency had been getting waivers for the recruitment of staff yet it failed to adhere to the provisions of the law on non-engagement of more than 100 staff annually.

They said available documents showed that the board in 2021 employed more than 300 staff in a single recruitment exercise without adhering to the extant provision of law on the issue.

At the resumed hearing on Thursday, Yusuf Gagdi, chairman of the panel, said it was wrong to insinuate that the committee has indicted the JAMB registrar while it was still carrying out its assignment.

I want to say it here that as a matter of fact, not take any report of indictment against anybody. This committee has not indicted the Registrar of JAMB and we have not indicted any institution, Gagdi said.

You can only say that after we submit our report. There are reports going out that we have indicted JAMB Registrar. No, we have not submitted any report anywhere and so, dont quote us out of context please.

We had a very good interaction with him and nobody should preempt the decision of this committee to say that somebody is faulty.
An aide to Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Daniel Bwala, has described the President Bola Tinubu administrations N5 billion palliative as renewed nonsense.

Bwala made the remark while noting that the organized labour demystified the N5billion palliative to State governments.

He noted that the calculation by the organized labour showed that each person would get N1,500 from the palliative.

Tweeting, Bwala wrote: The organised labour has demystified the so-called 5 billion naira FGN gave to States; first the FGN said it was a palliative and they are now saying it is a loan.

Organized labour further did their arithmetical calculations and arrived at a shameful conclusion that the so-called 5billion naira comes down to N1,500 per person.

How much is the cost of food items in the market? Renewed nonsense.

The Federal Government had announced plans to release N5 billion as palliative to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, met the board and management of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited over the countrys plan to transition to gas.

The delegation was led by Edmund Daukuru, NLNG board chairman and king of Nembe Kingdom, and Philip Mshelbila, the companys managing director.

Tinubu, speaking at the meeting, pledged his administrations commitment to leveraging on the domestic utilisation, processing, and international export of Nigerias massive gas resources as a transition fuel.

Tinubu said there were limitations to the entrepreneurial progress and development of Nigerias industrious citizens.

He assured that further impediments, especially in the oil and gas sector, will be swiftly removed to create more opportunities for local companies and international partners.

It is now a collaborative effort in thinking and doing. We will work with all partners to redefine the future of our economy, Tinubu said in a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, his special adviser on media and publicity.

It is all about growing the pie so that Nigerians will benefit. Skill development will help the many restive youths who need to be carried along and employed.

Their lives need to be more predictable and prosperous.

In his remarks, Daukuru said non-government stakeholders frustrations faced during operations were being collectively shared with the government.

He also said communities play a greater role in ameliorating the situation, adding that issues of trust between investors and host communities must be properly handled with an emphasis on end-to-end process inclusivity.

On his part, Mshelbila applauded the president for setting the tone early and aggressively with bold and correct, long-term reforms which would transform the Nigerian economy within a short period of time.

Tinubu has also approved the establishment of the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (PCNGI) to improve the processing and utilisation of gas-enabled vehicles in Nigeria.




Oyo State Government has advised civil servants in the State to beware of scammers.





It advised the people of the State, especially civil servants and students, to ignore an online platform asking them to fill a purported application form to benefit from the State Governments N10,000 support for them.





Segun Ogunwuyi, Chief of Staff to the Governor, described the report as fake.





Ogunwuyi, who doubles as Chairman of the 15-man Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) in the statement made available to newsmen on Friday, said his committee was already working hard on the Governors relief packages.





The food palliative to 200,000 vulnerable households; 100,000 free healthcare insurance supports for our people; N500 million for deserving farmers under food security; another N500 million for SMEs, amongst other palliatives, are on course to mitigate the sufferings of the masses following subsidy removal, he said.




The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas says the House is taking measures to nip in the bud the recent spate of attacks in some parts of the country.





Mr Musa Krishi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.





According to him, Abbas gave the assurance during a condolence visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Bamalli.





Krishi said the visit was over the collapse of parts of the Zaria Central Mosque which killed several people and injured many others during the Asr prayer on August 11.





He said the visit was also based on bandits attack that claimed two lives in Kofar Gayan area of Zaria on August 12.





Krishi said the Speaker expressed sadness over the unfortunate incidents and assured the leadership and the people of the Zazzau Emirate that the House had taken measures aimed at forestalling a recurrence.





According to him, Abbas assured the Emir that the military would establish a formation around some flashpoints to curtail future attacks on communities in Zaria and its environs.





He also quoted Abbas as saying: I want to assure you that based on the way banditry wants to return, we in the House have taken some measures.





We have started engaging the military, and they will come and establish a formation around the female school at the Kofar Gayan axis. They have assured us that they would do that.





I also want to assure you that as a son of the land and one of the kingmakers in this palace, I am ready to contribute to the rebuilding of the mosque.





When its time for the work, let me know so that I will contribute my quota to the rebuilding of this important religious edifice.





We thank you for giving us this opportunity to come and condole with you.
A beloved bakery has shut down for good in New Jersey.

Monteleones Bakery, a third-generation family-owned bakery in Jersey City, announced its permanent closure in a social media post on Aug. 13.

The bakery was located at 741 Newark Ave. in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City.

Earlier this summer, the business posted a sign stating it would reopen after a vacation on Aug. 2. However, the recent social media post has dispelled any plans to reopen.

Monteleones Bakery was started by my husbands grandfather & has been family run for 77 years. Sadly, due to the challenges on small business today, as of August, we have closed our doors, a member of the Monteleone family posted in a local Jersey City Facebook group.

The bakery stood for more than seven decades serving a variety of baked goods, like cakes, pastries, cupcakes, cookies, pies and bagels. Custom cakes for parties were one of the bakerys specialties.

Guido Monteleone opened the family business in Jersey City in 1946.

The bakery was passed down to his sons after Guidos death in 1959. Then, it was passed down to his grandchildren Guido III, Pete and Mark, who currently run the business.

Monteleone's Bakery in Jersey City has closed after 77 years in business. Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance

RELATED STORIES ABOUT RETAIL AND SHOPPING:

Longstanding N.J. bowling alley set to reopen for 1st time since 2020

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N.J. bar and restaurant bids farewell after over 33 years in business

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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisBurch856. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tip
The first general of the Russian army during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine was killed in the town of Trostianets (Sumy region), Mayor of Trostianets Yuriy Bova has said.

"When already on March 10 [2022] we realized who we were dealing with: according to location, equipment, identification marks  we received a command to find out where their headquarters is located and defeat it. The first Russian general in this war died in Trostianets: he was hit from Bayraktar due to our tip-off. Then the Russians left Trostianets and began to run to the DPR," Bova told Interfax-Ukraine.

He also said the leadership of the Russian western military district entered Trostianets a few days after February 24, 2022.

"Two generals, many officers were in the building of the city council. These were precisely their military elites  the 20th general army, the first tank army, the Kantemirov and Taman divisions. They blocked Trostianets so that it was impossible to approach the town center at all," the mayor said.

"I am convinced that the Russians will not get a second such chance and will not enter our territory. Sumy region fought a worthy battle and did not allow huge columns of Russian equipment deep into the territory of Ukraine and to our capital. Since if they passed, and these are thousands of pieces of equipment, then I don't know if Kyiv would have held on then," Bova said.

***

The interview with the Mayor of Trostianets, Yurii Bova, was prepared as part of a joint special project of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and East Europe Foundation Community Experience (https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/919611.html), launched in support by the Stiykist Programme which is implemented by East Europe Foundation within a consortium of non-governmental organisations led by ERIM (Equal Rights and Independent Media, France) and funded by the European Union. Its purpose is to show the experience of Ukrainian communities in the adaptation and integration of forcibly displaced persons in order to increase the efficiency of the work of local self-government bodies. You can learn more about effective interaction with IDPs in the free online course "Adaptation and integration of IDPs: experience and opportunities" on the educational "Zrozumilo!" platform

The opinions and statements expressed in the material do not necessarily coincide with the views of the consortium partner organizations and the European Union.
Westlife is heading out on their first North American tour.

The Irish pop icons will begin The Hits Tour  A St. Patricks Day Special on March 13 in Toronto, Ontario and will wrap up on March 18 in Chicago.

While on their short tour, the group will perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 16.

North American fans are always eager to get the chance to see the boy band live since they debut in 1998.

Now, the Irish group is making their way to North America, and you dont want to miss out on getting tickets.

Tickets to see Westlife live go on sale to the public on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

You can also purchase tickets on secondary market websites, such as StubHub, Vivid Seats, TicketNetwork, TicketCity and MegaSeats.

First-time Vivid Seats users can save $20 on ticket orders over $200 by entering promo code NJ20 at checkout.

A complete list of the Westlifes show dates is available here.

More tours heading to Radio City Music Hall

Westlife are not the only artists heading heading to Radio City Music Hall.

Here are a few more upcoming tours you wont want to miss.

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Taylor Swift tour 2023: Full schedule, dates, where to buy tickets

Matt Rife in Atlantic City: Where to buy last-minute tickets

Bruce Springsteen tickets are under $100 for MetLife Stadium concert

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A Trenton man has been charged with killing a 22-year-old woman who was stabbed in a New Jersey Turnpike service area parking lot for employees, State Police said Friday.

Dandre L. McDaniels Jr., 23, is charged with murder in the death of Jamyra C. Odom, along with possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Odom, also of Trenton, was found on the ground with stab wounds at 3:10 a.m. on Thursday in the Woodrow Wilson Service Area employee parking lot in Hamilton Township, according to police. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police identified a white SUV as a potential suspect vehicle and a car matching that description was located parked in front of Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton. McDaniels was found inside the emergency room receiving treatment for cuts to his hands, according to police.

McDaniels stabbed Odom multiple times after she left the service area Burger King, where she was working, police said. He then struck her with the vehicle as he fled, police said.

Police said they believe McDaniels Jr. and Odom knew each other prior to the confrontation.

No attorney information for McDaniels Jr. was immediately available.

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
A Morris County sonography company has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve criminal charges alleging it paid physicians kickbacks to persuade them to refer patients to use their services and will pay $95,000 to settle a related civil lawsuit brought by a doctor, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced.

From January 2015 through December 2018, H&D Sonography LLC of Parsippany agreed to make inflated rent payments to physicians in exchange for referring patients for diagnostic testing to H&D, the office said.

Under the agreement, H&D made inflated rent payments to the physicians, allegedly to use space in the physicians offices for a set number of hours each week in order to perform diagnostic tests. The company paid for significantly more hours than the technicians used, authorities said.

The kickbacks were passed off as sublease payments for the physicians shared offices, according to court documents. The sublease payments were more than the value of the total rent the physicians actually paid for the shared offices, authorities said.

After H&D began making payments, physicians would refer patients to H&D for diagnostic tests, which were then billed to Medicare, according to court documents.

As part of the three-year deferred prosecution agreement, H&D must demonstrate good conduct to avoid future criminal conviction.

The sonography company also agreed to pay $95,000 to settle civil allegations made in a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a physician, the office said. The physician will receive approximately 17% of the proceeds of the civil settlement.

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Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
Leer en Espanol

Three migrant families living in New Jersey who entered the United States seeking asylum and were separated at the border during the Trump administration may sue the federal government, a federal judge has decided.

The Biden Administration asked U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing the court lacked jurisdiction in the matter. Shipp disagreed, allowing their case alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and child abduction, among other charges, to proceed.

The families, through their attorneys plausibly allege the purpose of the family separation policy was to terrorize children and their parents so that other Central American families would not come to the United States, according to the courts 39-page decision.

The policy separated about 5,600 children from their families from July 2017 to January 2021. The Biden administration condemned the policy but has challenged the lawsuits seeking damages for emotional distress.

Through an interpreter, the parents expressed relief over the ruling.

When the government took my son from me, I hugged him and told him to trust God and be strong. God is finally answering our prayers, said Rafael, who was separated at the border for 37 days from his then 12-year-old son. They now live in Trenton.

Rafael and his son fled Guatemala in June 2018 after Rafaels father and uncle were beheaded in a land dispute. Rafael and his son also received death threats, according to court records.

We are pleased that the court has joined the many other district courts around the country that have rejected the same arguments the government advanced in our cases, Catherine Weiss, chairwoman for the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest, said. We are eager to deliver justice to our clients, and we are particularly grateful for the speed at which the Court rendered its decisive opinion.

This is the first lawsuit of its kind in New Jersey, Weiss said. The Biden Administration began negotiating a settlement with these and other families but changed its mind.

These families fled violence and persecution in their home countries only to encounter U.S. government agents who further abused and terrorized them, Weiss said when the lawsuit was filed in November. Under the family separation policy, U.S. government agents tore young children away from their parents, refused to provide any information about their whereabouts or their welfare, and failed to track separated families so that they could eventually be reunited.

Weiss and the Lowenstein Center also represent Beatriz, a mother who was separated from her 3-year-old for 42 days. They sought asylum because her sons father is a gang leader in El Salvador who repeatedly raped and physically assaulted her. Even after reuniting, Beatriz and her son continue to suffer trauma. The child continues to demonstrate fear, worry and sadness when he is apart from his mother, according to the lawsuit.

For the first time, I have hope that justice will prevail, said Beatriz, now living in Ocean County.

Jacob, a father who crossed the border carrying his 4-year-old daughter on his shoulders, said he was told by border control officers he would never see her again. His daughter was placed with a family in Michigan who did not speak Spanish. They were reunited after 93 days.

I am still haunted by memories of my little girl crying Papi! Papi! as they tore her from my arms, and I am thankful that the court will allow our case to go forward, said Jacob, a resident of New Brunswick.

He left Honduras after a local gang killed several of his family members and threatened his life.

The Department of Justice, which represents the federal government in legal matters, did not respond to a request for comment.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
Six-day (Tuesday through Sunday) print subscribers of the Watertown Daily Times are eligible for full access to NNY360, the NNY360 mobile app, and the Watertown Daily Times e-edition, all at no additional cost.

If you have an existing six-day print subscription to the Watertown Daily Times, please make sure your email address on file matches your NNY360 account email. You can sign up or manage your print subscription using the options below.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Occasional light rain. High 43F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Showers this evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 38F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
As a result of the Russian strike on the drama theater in Chernihiv, five people were killed and 37 people were injured, including 11 children, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said on its Telegram channel.

"As of 13:00, 42 people are known to have been injured as a result of a Russian strike on the Drama Theater in Chernihiv. Five people were killed. Some 37 people were injured, including 11 children. Everyone is receiving medical assistance," the Interior Ministry said on Telegram channel.

In turn, acting Mayor of Chernihiv Oleksandr Lomako said the information provided on the killed and injured concerns people who were outside the Drama Theater. "There were people inside the Drama Theater. I have no information on the situation of the injured or dead inside the building. Some of them went down to the shelter right in the Drama Theater. And for the dead and injured, these are people who were near the drama theater: debris or a blast wave," he said on the air of the telethon on Saturday.



According to the State Emergency Service, the roof of the Drama Theater collapsed, followed by a fire. "On August 19, the Russians hit Chernihiv, the roof of the Drama Theater was destroyed, followed by a fire. The glazing of the windows of the third state fire and rescue unit in Chernihiv was also damaged. The fire of the store was contained," the State Emergency Service said on its Facebook page.

Some 56 people and 12 units of technology were involved from the State Emergency Service. Psychologists are on site. Some 12 ambulance teams were involved.

On the photos published in social networks, the building of the drama theater was left without a roof.

According to media reports, at the theater at that time there was a pre-announced exhibition of drone manufacturers.
Homes consumed in recent wildfires are seen in Lahaina, Hawaii, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. With a housing crisis that has priced out many Native Hawaiians as well as families that have been there for decades, concerns are rising that Maui could become the latest example of climate gentrification, when it becomes harder for local people to afford housing in safer areas after a climate-amped disaster. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
his work is supported with a grant funded by the Walton Family Foundation and administered by the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Email Mark Schleifstein at mschleifstein@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MSchleifstein.
A Harvey man has admitted his role in a Terrytown armed robbery that led to the fatal shooting of a Louisiana National Guard member, according to Jefferson Parish court records.

Kewane Edwards, 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the Dec. 6, 2021, death of Jemond Cador.

Judge Scott Schlegel of the 24h Judicial District Court sentenced Edwards to 30 years in prison, court records said.

Edwards was one of five defendants charged with 21-year-old Cador's death.

Edwards, himself a former member of the National Guard, didn't know Cador, according to Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators. He was recruited to the scheme by co-defendant Isiah White, 21, authorities said.

The robbery was planned by Myron Lee, 21. Lee was also a Guard member and the only defendant who knew Cador personally, according to the Sheriff's Office.
At least two court challenges were filed against a Louisiana House candidate who brazenly admits he doesnt live in the district he is seeking to represent, just hours before a legal deadline to do so.

Albert Ali Burl III, a longtime St. John the Baptist Parish School Board member, filed paperwork Aug. 10 to run for the open 57th District seat, for portions of St. John and the entire west bank of St. Charles Parish. In those papers, Burl listed his domicile in Garyville, all of which is in the 81st District.

The Louisiana Constitution requires candidates to live in the district for at least a year before running for legislative offices. But the St. John clerk of courts office does not have the authority to reject someones candidacy unless a qualified voter in the district pays a fee and sues in district court.
The death toll from the missile attack on Chernihiv has increased to six people, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on the air of the telethon.

"A 6-year-old girl died in the hospital," he said on the air of the telethon on Saturday, stressing that the patrol officers tried to give her first aid, imposed a tourniquet, because there was a lot of blood loss.

Klymenko said the girl's mother is in an "extremely severe condition," and a number of hospitalized patients need urgent surgical intervention.

"Some 36 people were wounded, they are in medical institutions. Among them there are police officers, judicial security officers. These are all civilians who were either on the central square of Chernihiv or walked after the consecration of fruits in the nearest church," he said.

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs said two minutes before the "arrival" there was an air raid signal and the people who were on the street, inside the Drama Theater (several dozen people) managed to go down to the shelter. "It saved many people from certain death," he said.

Earlier it was reported about five dead and 37 injured, including 11 children.
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) ORG XMIT: VAAB501
During his working visit to Sweden, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy will discuss defense cooperation with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in particular, the production of CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.

"Starting talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. We have a broad agenda, but defense cooperation is one of the top priorities. Including powerful Swedish CV-90s. Our warriors are already putting them to good use on the battlefield. We also intend to produce them in Ukraine," the president said in his Telegram channel.
The final communique of the trilateral security summit with the participation of the leaders of the United States, South Korea and Japan, which ended at Camp David (USA), confirms the readiness of these countries to continue to support Ukraine, as well as to put pressure on Russia through sanctions.

"We are united in our support for Ukraine. We reaffirm our commitment to stand with Ukraine against Russias unprovoked and brutal war of aggression that has shaken the foundation of the international order. We commit to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, imposing coordinated, robust sanctions on Russia, and accelerating the reduction of dependency on Russian energy," according to a statement published on the White House website.

The summit participants also expressed the opinion that "the lasting lesson from this catastrophic war of aggression must be the international community's abiding will to uphold the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and the peaceful resolution of disputes."

"We reaffirm our view that when these foundational principles are rejected anywhere, they represent a threat to our region. We are unified in our intent to ensure that no such egregious acts are ever perpetrated again," according to the document.

On Friday, August 18, U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met for the first trilateral security summit. The summit participants agreed to deepen military and economic ties.
U.S. Forest Service Chicago Region Natural Resources Specialist Drew Hart will give a talk to the Crown Point Rotary Club.

He will be the featured speaker at the club's upcoming weekly meeting at 12:10 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Youche Country Club at 2301 W 129th Place in Crown Point.

"Drew Hart brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of natural resources to the Crown Point Rotary Club," the Crown Point Rotary Club said in a press release. "With a passion for environmental conservation and sustainable practices, Hart has played a pivotal role in numerous initiatives aimed at preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the Chicago Region. As a respected specialist in this field, his insights promise to provide valuable information and inspire the community to engage in responsible environmental stewardship."

The Crown Point Rotary Club, a group of local leaders that focuses on social responsibility, collaboration and creating a better future for Crown Point residents, aims to educate the community on a number of subjects.

"Welcoming Drew Hart as a speaker aligns with the club's commitment to bringing thought-provoking speakers who can educate and inspire the local community," the Rotary Club said in a press release. "Hart's presentation is anticipated to cover a range of subjects, including local ecosystem preservation, conservation strategies, and the importance of community involvement in maintaining the region's natural resources."

The event is open to anyone interested in learning more about environmental sustainability. There will be a question-and-answer session after the talk.

For more information or to ask about attending, email Joseph Skibbie at jskibbie@jrsmarcom.com
LISBON, PORTUGAL  More than 1.5 million young Catholics celebrated World Youth Day with Pope Francis in early August, including 16 Diocese of Gary pilgrims led by Bishop Robert J. McClory and another 29 led by Father Jaime Perea, pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish in Lake Station.

The Portuguese people have a rich Catholic faith and theirs is a historically overwhelmingly Catholic country, said Bishop McClory. To be able to so visibly lift up Jesus Christ and the faith for World Youth Day was a true privilege.

The Diocese of Gary pilgrims began their WYD journey with a visit to Fatima, where they walked the Stations of the Cross to the home village of the three children to whom the Blessed Mother appeared.

The bishop acknowledged the contributions of the Diocese of Gary pilgrims organized by diocesan Youth and Young Adult Ministry consultant Vicky Hathaway.

I enjoyed helping to lead and preach at two catechetical sessions, he noted. I led an English-language session of about 250 young people from Uganda, Tanzania, Australia and Kuwait, and Chinese Catholics from California, Namibia and Portugal. (On Aug. 3) we had more than 500 Indian, Australian, Indonesian, Canadian, American and Filipino pilgrims led by a team from the Diocese of Gary.

The sessions were beautiful and young people were able to share their own thoughts on the theme of the day. At these and other sessions, our Gary young adult leaders did an amazing job serving and sharing the faith, he added.

Hathaway called the Rise Up catechetical sessions a joyful experience. They were really beautiful and made me so proud of our pilgrims. For three mornings, our pilgrims led more than 600 others from around the world in prayer and reflection.

Paul Jarzembowski, associate director for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a Diocese of Gary native, was also impressed by the Northwest Indiana youth and adults, not just as pilgrims, but as leaders of pilgrims, as young protagonists, as active parts of the program. What they (engaged in) touched the lives of not only pilgrims from the U.S., but from all over the world, he said.

World Youth Day began in 1986 as an initiative of St. John Paul II to encourage youth worldwide to use their God-given gifts to bring Christ to their communities.

Pope Francis joined the WYD pilgrims on Aug. 3 for a Welcome Ceremony, presided at a Way of the Cross on Aug. 4 and a prayer vigil on Aug. 5, and celebrated the WYD Closing Mass on Aug. 6, which Bishop McClory concelebrated along with bishops from around the world.

Hathaway called WYD a time when the global Church recognizes the gifts of young people, young people who are not the future of the Church, but who are the Church now.

Bishop McClory called WYD a truly remarkable event in the life of the Church. Young people desire authenticity and deep experiences of the faith. WYD provides that on a global scale.
PFAS lurk in so much of what we consume and use. Scientists are only beginning to understand how they affect health  and what to do about them.

_____
Chefs Table at Brooklyn Fare, a highly acclaimed restaurant with three Michelin stars, has closed amid a legal dispute between its chef and owner, leaving a culinary void for customers of fine dining in New York City, where the restaurant had been a top-dollar fixture of flavorful creativity for more than a decade.

The restaurant, which served an extensive tasting menu inspired by Japanese seafood and French cooking techniques, closed in July after its chef, Cesar Ramirez, was fired by the owner, Moneer Issa, according to court records.

In July, Mr. Ramirez filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn against Mr. Issa and the restaurants holding company, Manhattan Fare Corp, claiming that he had been arbitrarily terminated and was owed tens of millions of dollars for defamation, unpaid wages and other damages.

In an affidavit filed in August, Mr. Issa said that he had fired Mr. Ramirez because he had stolen company property that was worth more than $100,000, including dishware, oven parts and wine cases.
The Back Story: An infection that surprises beachgoers.

Its not clear whether the appearance of these cases farther north than usual may be a result of better diagnosis or to warming waters associated with climate change.

The illness, technically called vibriosis, may be caused by infection with several related bacteria. Among the worst is V. vulnificus, which is relatively rare but can be deadly for those who are vulnerable, with mortality rates as high as 33 percent, according to one scientific paper.

The bacterium spreads most commonly in two ways.

When people swim in waters contaminated with V. vulnificus, an open sore or cut can provide an entry point for the organism. From there it spreads, becoming a so-called flesh-eating infection that extends quickly beyond the wound into healthy tissue. Then it may spill over into the bloodstream, causing a life-threatening condition called sepsis.

The bacterium also spreads when people who are immunocompromised or have liver disease eat raw oysters that are contaminated. Physicians warn patients with these conditions against eating raw oysters, which become infected by seawater they filter for food.

Older people are generally at greater risk. The three patients who fell ill in Connecticut were all over age 60. People who take medications to reduce stomach acid may also be more likely to get infected or to develop complications following infection.

If youre among the vulnerable, wear shoes that protect against cuts and scrapes when youre in salty or brackish water. Wear protective gloves when handling raw seafood. Avoid swimming in the ocean if you have a cut, scrape or other abrasion that might let in the bacterium.

What to Watch: The bacterium seizes on openings.

Vibriosis causes a wide range of symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, chills, ear infections and wound infections.

The intestinal problems occur more quickly in people who have ingested the bacterium, usually by eating raw oysters. Ear and wound infections will become red, swollen and extremely painful over a bit more time. Blisters filled with clear liquid may appear on the skin.

Symptoms usually appear within 12 to 24 hours of exposure, and people should seek medical care as soon as possible. Tell doctors about the exposure: The infection can spread quickly if left untreated.

If the wound starts to look red, puffy and painful, or has a discharge, or redness spreading beyond the edges of the wound, you need to get medical attention right away, Dr. Schaffner said. Dont try to tough it out and wait to see if it gets worse tomorrow.

A lab test is needed to make the diagnosis. Treatment involves antibiotics and supportive care, but surgery may be required to clean out an infected wound and stop the spread of the infection.

Your Beach Weekend: The vulnerable should exercise caution.

Consider avoiding the water, and not even walking on the beach or wading, if you have an open wound, including one from a recent surgical operation or piercing or tattoo. An open wound means any cut, scrape or other abrasion that might allow the bacterium into your body.

If there is a chance your wound could come into contact with saltwater or brackish water, marine life, or raw or undercooked seafood while youre cooking, swimming, fishing, boating or walking on the beach, cover the open wound with a waterproof bandage.

If a wound or cut does comes into contact with brackish water or saltwater, raw seafood or its juices, wash it thoroughly with soap and water. If you develop a skin infection, let your health provider know quickly  this is an infection that can spread rapidly.

Whats Next: Watch for the infection in unexpected places.

Climate change will test all of us in unexpected ways. Vibrio infection is something Americans living in the Northeast may need to watch for now.

If you have cancer, are immunocompromised, have liver disease or take drugs to lower stomach acid, doctors say you should not eat raw or undercooked oysters or other raw or undercooked shellfish. (Of course, the same is true for pregnant women.)

If youre handling raw shellfish, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water afterward.
When David Dulin celebrated his 36th birthday in March, he asked his Twitter followers for just two things: cash donations to his online payment account, and pictures of them in their own birthday suits.

It started as a joke, but its just become something that we run with, said Mr. Dulin, a retail worker in Charlotte, N.C. Almost every birthday Ill be like, OK, Cash App and nudes: Drop them!

Mr. Dulin began coyly asking for nude photographs via social media on his birthday a few years ago as something of a test after seeing other gay men make similar requests on their own birthdays. He was surprised, he said, when some of his online acquaintances delivered on the invitation, admitting that they had been looking for an opportunity to flirt with him.

In recent years, many queer men have begun sending and receiving nude selfies on social media for their birthdays. Variations on Its my birthday, send nudes have been uttered so frequently online that it has become something of a meme (or, at the very least, a generic way for a gay man to announce his birthday, whether or not he actually expects to receive any explicit images). The practice has become so normalized that the request is sometimes simplified to, Its my birthday  you know what to do.
Less than a day after one of its driverless taxis collided with a fire truck in a San Francisco intersection, Cruise agreed on Friday to a request from state regulators to cut in half the number of vehicles it was operating in the city.

The setback for the driverless car company came just a week after the California Public Utilities Commission voted to allow the expansion of driverless taxi services from Cruise, which is owned by General Motors, and its rival Waymo, which is owned by the Google parent company Alphabet.

On Friday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates the safety of the driverless cars, asked Cruise to halve the number of vehicles it was operating in San Francisco. The Cruise vehicles collision with a fire truck the day before had injured a passenger in the driverless car. Earlier in the week, another Cruise vehicle got stuck in newly poured concrete on another city street.

Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for Cruise, said in a statement on Saturday that compared with the injuries and fatalities on the roadway today, Cruise positively impacts overall road safety and that it will provide state officials with any data they need to reinforce the safety and efficiency of our fleet.
A wildfire in eastern Washington State has left one person dead and destroyed dozens of structures as the authorities have raced to contain blazes across the state and in the nearby Canadian province of British Columbia.

The Gray fire began in Washington around noon on Friday, prompting evacuations, and had burned through 10,800 acres by Sunday morning, threatening the communities of Medical Lake and Four Lakes. The areas, less than 20 miles southwest of Spokane, have a combined population of more than 5,000.

One person has died and 185 structures have been destroyed by the fire, which was zero percent contained as of Sunday morning, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

The fire was not expected to grow more toward Medical Lake and Four Lakes on Sunday, but there were hazards, including falling trees and venting natural gas lines, in the burned areas, the department said.
Chinas military said it would stage joint combat readiness patrols around Taiwan on Saturday, sending a warning gesture to the island democracy soon after a leading candidate in Taiwans presidential election finished an overseas trip that Beijing had denounced.

Vice President Lai Ching-te, the candidate, had flown to Paraguay  one of 13 states that keeps diplomatic relations with Taipei, and not Beijing  making stops in the United States on his way there and back. The Chinese government is trying to curtail the international activities of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. It especially objects to Taiwanese leaders visits to the United States, the islands most important political and military supporter.

Before and during Mr. Lais six-day trip, Chinese officials and media criticized him. He is the presidential candidate of Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors asserting Taiwans distinctive identity and sovereignty  a position that Beijing condemns as threatening its claim to the island.

Mr. Lai returned to Taipei early Friday. The following morning, Senior Col. Shi Yi, a spokesman for the Eastern Theater of the Peoples Liberation Army, announced the joint air and sea exercises for that day.
Ukrainian pilots have started testing Swedish Grippen aircraft, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a joint conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm on Saturday.

"We talked [with the Prime Minister of Sweden] about a strong Swedish machine  the Gripen aircraft. I am sure that the Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Testing of the Gripen with the participation of Ukrainians, our pilots, has already started," Zelenskyy said.

According to him, during the meeting with Kristersson today, the upcoming steps regarding the possibility of Ukraine to open the subject of obtaining these aircraft were discussed in detail.

In addition, Zelenskyy said he intends to discuss this issue with representatives of the Swedish parliament.

"Today I will meet with the speaker of parliament, with representatives of all parliamentary political forces. And I will raise this issue as one of the key ones for protecting our sky," he said.

The head of state also said Sweden is preparing to transfer a new 13th package of "Swedish military assistance" to Ukraine.

"This package contains what is important  both ammunition, and for Air Defence, for military vehicles, spare parts for armored vehicles, equipment for demining. Everything that will add strength to Ukraine on the battlefield. And I want to thank you Ulf, Mr. Prime Minister, for your leadership of the government, for your support," the president said.

As Zelenskyy noted, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden, an agreement was detailed on the joint production of Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.

"And we will do our best to ensure that the first CV-90 produced in Ukraine appears as soon as possible... It is very symbolic that our 57th Hordiyenko Brigade now uses the CV-90. Really very strong vehicles, and our soldiers praise the CV-90 so much. We are grateful not only for the guys moving forward with the help of these machines, but also for the fact that CV-90s help save the lives of our soldiers," the head of state said.

As Zelenskyy's press service later reported, the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Sweden signed a bilateral statement of intent regarding enhanced and mutually beneficial cooperation on the CV-90 platform.

In particular, this statement testifies to the desire of Ukraine and Sweden to strengthen cooperation in the production, operation, training of operators and maintenance of the CV-90.
For many casual viewers, Star Wars is the domain of familiar faces: the heroic Jedi Luke Skywalker, the nefarious Sith Lord Darth Vader, the roguish smuggler Han Solo and the tenacious Princess Leia.

But over the years, the universe of Star Wars has expanded far beyond the realm originally imagined by George Lucas. For viewers who have not been inclined or able to consume all of the seemingly endless array of Star Wars sequels, prequels, TV spinoffs and book and video game adaptations, keeping up with the recurring characters can feel a bit like trying to memorize an intergalactic phone book. You might know the droids R2-D2, C3PO and BB-8. But what about L0-LA59, C1-10P or L3-37?

The title of the latest Star Wars series, Ahsoka, premiering Aug. 23 on Disney+, may be unfamiliar even for viewers who consider themselves relatively knowledgeable about the franchise. The title character, played by Rosario Dawson in the series, has never appeared in a live-action Star Wars movie. (She was heard briefly in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, voiced by Ashley Eckstein.) Nevertheless, she is considered by fans to be one of the most important figures in the fictional universe.

Like the other streaming series shepherded into existence by the writers and directors Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni  including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi  Ahsoka was created by and for committed and knowledgeable Star Wars fans, and it is deeply interconnected with the franchises earlier shows and movies (and even some comic books and stand-alone novels). These series are generally full of Easter eggs, packed with lore and rife with subtle references. A certain familiarity with the rest of the stuff that has happened in Star Wars outside of the three main film trilogies is, if not quite required, then certainly very helpful.
More than 40 percent of female workers are at least 45, the age at which women typically transition to menopause (though some studies suggest that women of color might begin earlier). That shift  marking the end of a womans reproductive years  is characterized by an array of symptoms, from insomnia to hot flashes and brain fog. In large part, the symptoms can be debilitating because there are few effective treatment options and there is very little research into why and how menopause changes the body.

Despite the high cost and common experience of menopause, it has mostly been ignored in the workplace. A 2023 survey by Bank of America found that 58 percent of women felt uncomfortable talking about menopause at work because it seemed too personal and because they worried they might be judged by co-workers.

But as more women enter senior leadership positions, that is changing, said Max Landry, the co-chief executive of Peppy. The women who are going to go through menopause over the next five to 10 years are not going to accept this in a way that my mothers generation did, he said.

Some legal experts say existing laws may require companies to make accommodations for menopause, which could go beyond menopause-specific care benefits to include schedule flexibility or spaces for cooling down. These laws include the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act that went into effect in June, said Liz Morris, the deputy director at the Center for WorkLife Law, an advocacy and research organization at the University of California College of the Law. That law mandates employers to provide accommodations for workers experiencing pregnancy, postpartum recovery and related medical conditions, which, Ms. Morris argued, could include the end of fertility.

Regardless of whether that so far untested argument holds up in court, corporate benefits wont be enough, said Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, the executive director of the New York University School of Laws Birnbaum Womens Leadership Center. She said that both further research that can help prevent symptoms in the first place and laws that explicitly ban discrimination are needed.

Corporate benefits, Ms. Weiss-Wolf said, are, at best, just scratching at the surface.
Hawaiian Electric has known for years that extreme weather was becoming a bigger danger, but the company did little to strengthen its equipment and failed to adopt emergency plans used elsewhere, like being prepared to cut off power to prevent fires.

Before the wildfire on Maui erupted on Aug. 8, killing more than 100 people, many parts of Hawaiian Electrics operations were showing signs of stress  and state lawmakers, consumer groups and county officials were saying that the company needed to make big changes.

In 2019, Hawaiian Electric itself started citing the risk of fires. The company said that year that it was studying how utilities in California were dealing with similar threats.

Two years later, in a report about Hurricane Lane in 2018, the Maui County government warned of the potential that aboveground power lines that fail, short or are low-hanging can cause fire ignition (sparks) that could start a wildfire, particularly in windy or stormy conditions.
One person said The Marion County Record covered two recent deaths insensitively. Another said a handful of articles focused needlessly on a simple paperwork error that led to tax credits getting rejected. A third thought an opinion column harped too harshly on the poor quality of childrens letters to Santa Claus.

The Marion County Record, a newspaper that reports on a small town of less than 2,000 people on the western edge of the Flint Hills in Kansas, turned into a First Amendment cause celebre in the past week, after police officers and sheriffs deputies raided its newsroom, an incredibly rare occurrence in American journalism. The authorities seized computers and phones, in what they said was an investigation into identity theft and computer crimes.

Reporters and television cameras have descended upon the town to cover the raids, which also took place at the editors home and the home of a councilwoman, and have been roundly condemned by news organizations and free press advocates. On Wednesday, the local prosecutor returned the electronic devices, saying he had determined there wasnt a legally sufficient nexus to justify the searches.

Marion residents, however, are having far different conversations about the over 150-year-old paper and its owner and editor, Eric Meyer, who has been running day-to-day operations for the past two years. At the center of the discussions: What is the appropriate relationship between a community and a local news organization, and what duty, if any, does it have to be a booster for the places it covers?
If I needed more convincing, a week after drop-off, catastrophic flooding in Vermont came dangerously close to the camp. (Other camps in the area fared worse.)

That was it. I would be picking up my daughter in an electric vehicle.

E.V.s are not a perfect solution  the manufacturing of their batteries can involve pollution and questionable labor practices. However, they are far better for the environment than gas-powered cars.

But was renting an electric vehicle possible? And would I, someone still flummoxed by a cars Bluetooth, be able to hack it?

A basic Google search (E.V. Rental NYC) confirmed the first question, at least. Hertz was one of the top results. A spokeswoman said the company was seeing solid growth in E.V. rentals, and that 3,750 plug-in cars were available for rent in the New York City area.

But for the date I needed, those thousands of Hertz E.V.s didnt seem to be available. Kennedy Airport had some options, but getting a car there would have added about five hours of subway schlepping to my trip. Similar searches using Avis and Enterprise proved unsuccessful.
Rosemary S. Pooler, a lifelong champion of consumer rights who broke barriers by becoming the first woman to serve as a state and federal judge in two upstate New York districts, died on Aug. 10 at her home in Syracuse, N.Y. She was 85.

Her death was announced by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where she had sat since 1998.

Judge Pooler got her start defending consumers when she was appointed chairwoman and executive director of New York States Consumer Protection Board by Gov. Hugh L. Carey in 1975. While in that post, she defied food manufacturers by helping grocery shoppers decode the expiration dates on canned goods and advised car buyers of their rights under the so-called lemon law, which offers legal remedies for people who find themselves with a vehicle that has significant defects.

When she was a civil rights lawyer, Judge Pooler, a committed feminist, represented two fellow members of the National Organization for Women who in 1970 successfully challenged the century-long men-only policy of McSorleys Old Ale House in Lower Manhattan.
Mr. Tarrios case seems particularly vexing given his Afro-Cuban heritage. In May, Ana Navarro argued on The View that being Hispanic does not immunize you from racism. Some people simply dont see themselves as what they are, she said. Maybe thats because what we are doesnt fit neatly in a box. For many of us, filling out a job application or medical form can lead to an existential crisis. As a brown-skinned, curly-haired Latina, what I am often depends on the context or my mood: Black, other or prefer not to say.

Government forms often clarify that Latino is not a race but rather a racially diverse pan-ethnic group. And yet in practice, we are routinely racialized and treated as nonwhite. Just look at the census, which states that Hispanic populations can be of any race but then clearly distinguishes between those who identify as Hispanic and white and those who are white alone, not Hispanic or Latino. The implication being that if youre Hispanic and also white, then youre at best a different, not quite so American shade of pale.

Mr. Tarrio himself employed this logic in his defense, claiming that he cannot be a white supremacist because he is of Cuban descent. Instead, he and his fellow Proud Boys call themselves Western chauvinists. The 2019 documentary The Right-Wing Latinos of Miami sheds insight on the mind-set of these white-identifying Latinos. In it, a Latino Proud Boy argues that Latin Americans are essentially displaced Spaniards.

While this claim may seem ridiculous, it speaks to the deep history of Hispanophilia and Eurocentrism in Latin America. Just as Western chauvinists in the United States cling to their European heritage by celebrating Celtic culture, many Latinos hold onto Eurocentric standards of beauty, aesthetics and culture.

It should come as no surprise that some Latinos are racist. After all, Eurocentrism and racism have been hallmarks of most Latin American nations. This has historically included race-based immigration policies, bans on mixed-race marriages, state-sanctioned ethnic cleansing and other, more nuanced forms of discrimination against people with Black and Indigenous ancestry.
To the Editor:

Re University D.E.I. Efforts Work Against Liberal Education, by Christopher F. Rufo (Opinion guest essay, July 28):

Mr. Rufos call for legislators to escalate the banning of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and curriculums constitutes an existential threat to the distinctively American tradition of liberal education. Essential to our nations historic mission of educating for democracy, a liberal education for the 21st century requires active and ongoing engagement with difference  in people, in the curriculum, and in the intellectual, social, cultural and geographical communities in which students connect.

At a moment of burgeoning economic and racial segregation, Mr. Rufo seeks a retreat to the tweedy past when the mission of universities was to produce scholarship in pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful. He ignores data demonstrating that diversity on campuses is necessary for intellectual and social development and for preparing all students for work, citizenship and life in a multicultural, globally interdependent world.

American higher educations strength is derived in part from the fact that what is taught inside and outside of our classrooms is protected from direct government control. Mr. Rufos anti-D.E.I. campaign is antithetical to academic freedom, shared governance and the unfettered pursuit of the truth foundational to liberal education.

Lets be clear: The playbook that he and his ideological colleagues are following aims to dismantle rather than reform American higher education.
Maui officials said text alerts were sent out, but its unclear how many people received them (power and cellular disruptions may have prevented residents from getting these alerts). Some tourists in Lahaina have said that at 4:17 p.m., there was an emergency alert to their cellphones for the first time informing them of the fire. Many local residents have said that they didnt know the flames were approaching until the fire was nearby. We know from New York Times reporting that by 5:19 p.m. the fire had reached the waterfront, and that by 5:33 people were seeking shelter in the water.

If the text alerts were sent out at 4:17 p.m., that was at least 47 minutes too late. It appears that the evacuation order for the entire area was not issued when the road was closed or soon after. Wasnt anyone thinking of the possibility of a runaway fire with no air support because of strong winds? According to a Facebook post by the County of Maui, a fire first reported at 6:37 a.m. east of Lahaina on the same day prompted evacuation orders in that area three minutes later.

Fires spread at rates dependent on vegetation, slope and wind conditions, but the way this one appears to have spread from the road to the beach was not an anomaly. In Mati, Greece, in 2018, a fire took about half an hour to cover one-half mile. The conditions there were similar to Mauis, with very strong winds descending from the local mountains and pushing the fire forward. In Mati, there was no warning; 104 people died and roughly another 800 were trapped by the beach and had to be evacuated from the water. With an alert system, those lives might not have been lost. It was another tragedy that could have been prevented.

Scientists have warned time and again that we have yet to see the end of fires like the ones in Lahaina and Mati as climate change and extreme weather create riskier conditions. But it is unreasonable to expect any single state or local fire service to be able to mobilize the resources to battle a fire without help from the outside world. Whats worse, these incidents often happen simultaneously. On Maui alone, firefighters were battling fires near Makawao and Kula when the Lahaina fire erupted, leaving the ranks depleted.

Islands are at a particular disadvantage because of their insularity: Reinforcements have to be flown in and may take too long to arrive. But there is a better way. Europe has had some success in recent years prepositioning firefighters in high-risk areas, like the Greek islands, during the hottest and driest summer months. Hiring seasonal firefighters has also helped some communities there and elsewhere prepare. Hawaii, with help from the federal government, could improve its firefighting resources in these ways, too.
Sweden will continue to provide political, military, humanitarian and financial support to Ukraine for as long as needed, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in Stockholm on Saturday after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Earlier this week, my government announced a 13-military support package for Ukraine. And this time, we will focus on repairing and maintaining the capabilities that we have already provided," he said.

"These are CV-90s, Leopard tanks, as well as artillery systems, and, of course, spare parts and ammunition. This volume also includes a demining component," he said.

According to the Prime Minister, "we have already initiated work on another long-term project of military support for Ukraine."

In this regard, he welcomed the signing of the document, fixing the "joint desire of Sweden and Ukraine to strengthen cooperation in ensuring production, as well as training on the CV-90."

"There is no more important task for my government in international politics than supporting Ukraine in its struggle for freedom and territorial integrity. Ukraine is fighting for us, for all European democracies," the Prime Minister said.
WASHINGTON  I first met Rudy Giuliani in 1986 when I was a Times reporter writing about corruption cases in New York. Gotham was awash in so much municipal sleaze, a detective joked that city employees were streaming into the F.B.I. office with their hands up.

Giuliani, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, got in a kerfuffle with Robert Morgenthau, the storied Manhattan district attorney who was a model for the D.A. in Law & Order, because Rudy considered the local prosecutor to be superfluous, so he wasnt sharing information.

Giuliani, 41, was already renowned as a scourge of organized crime. (The next year he would become the scourge of Wall Street, perp-walking white-collar criminals in handcuffs in tableaus of virtue conquering vice, even though the charges sometimes failed to stick.)

Morgenthau favored a sweater with a hole in it. Giuliani was bandbox-perfect, feral and ready to pounce. Morgenthau had an understated tenacity. Giuliani was like a cult leader among acolytes.
Lea Salonga was feeling under the weather earlier this month.

I had to miss shows, which is unfortunate, she said before one of her final performances in the Broadway disco musical Here Lies Love. But I was still able to stand over a stove and cook this soup that had a lot of garlic and a lot of ginger, she recalled during a phone interview from her Manhattan home. Its called tinola, which is a Filipino chicken soup. Its what would be cooked every time I was sick at home.

That connection to the Philippines  where Salonga was born and raised  is one she also feels with Here Lies Love, which recounts the rise and fall of the countrys ousted leader and first lady, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.

Normally, if Im watching a theater piece, I could just feel whatever feelings there are, or that the show wants me to feel, said Salonga, 52, who on Saturday finishes her guest run as Aurora Aquino, the mother of Benigno Aquino Jr., Ferdinands political rival. But with something like this, where there is actual history of my country entwined in the story, my brain didnt know what to do.

Though Salonga has had a long and distinguished Broadway career, winning a Tony Award in 1991 for her performance in Miss Saigon as the doomed Vietnamese mother Kim, Here Lies Love is the first time she has played a Filipino onstage and the first time she has served as a producer.
There were signs, subtle but unmistakable, that Hunter Bidens high-stakes plea agreement with federal prosecutors might be on shaky ground hours before it went public in June, according to emails sent by his legal team to the U.S. attorneys office in Delaware.

When one of Mr. Bidens lawyers sent over the draft of the statement they intended to share with the news media, a top deputy to David C. Weiss, who had overseen the inquiry since 2018, asked to remove two words describing the status of the investigation, according to interviews and internal correspondence on the deal obtained by The New York Times. Concluded and conclusion should be replaced with the weaker resolved, the deputy said.

Six weeks later, the federal judge presiding over a hearing on the agreement would expose even deeper divisions and the deal imploded, prompting Mr. Weiss to seek appointment as special counsel with the freedom to expand the inquiry and bring new charges.

The deals collapse  chronicled in over 200 pages of confidential correspondence between Mr. Weisss office and Mr. Bidens legal team, and interviews with those close to Mr. Biden, lawyers involved in the case and Justice Department officials  came after intense negotiations that started with the prospect that Mr. Biden would not be charged at all and now could end in his possible indictment and trial.
On and offstage, participants and attendees alike said they believed that defeating President Biden would not be possible as long as the party repeated Mr. Trumps assertions that the 2020 election was stolen.

Georgia will play a pivotal role in the outcome of the general election, both because of recent election outcomes and because the state has the jurisdiction in the most recent Trump indictment. Its why current and former state officials have been vocal about their belief that having Mr. Trump at the top of the ticket risks delivering a message that is more focused on 2020 election denialism than policy  one that could hurt their chances of winning in the key battleground state.

It should be such an easy path for us to win the White House back, said Gov. Brian Kemp, one of the few figures who was asked about and who directly addressed Mr. Trump. We have to be focused on the future, not something that happened three years ago.

Mr. Trump is expected to skip the first Republican debate next week and post an interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that night instead. He still has a solid, double-digit lead over his rivals, according to recent state and national polls.

At the weekend event, themed Forward: Which Way, attendees saw a chance to hear voices other than Mr. Trumps. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is in single digits in most national polls, vowed to give governors more power in federal decisions and stayed true to his positive, faith-based message. Mr. DeSantis gave highlights from his familys recent campaign trip to the Iowa State Fair while emphasizing the policies he has passed in Florida. Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and author who has received attention recently from voters and rivals alike, spoke of a revolution in changing how the federal government operates.
For some audiences, Vivek Ramaswamy is a biotech entrepreneur who pushed for pharmaceutical breakthroughs before he tried to break into politics. For others, he is a cultural warrior battling woke corporations or a crusader for his definition of truth, whether it be the sanctity of two genders or the perpetuation of fossil fuels.

The identity that the entrepreneur and Republican candidate for president has kept more or less under wraps since his undergraduate days at Harvard is another thing entirely, Da Vek the Rapper.

Yet there it was at the Iowa State Fair this month, the 38-year-old shape-shifting presidential candidate, microphone in hand, spitting Eminems Lose Yourself before a largely white crowd that appeared somewhere between amused and enthused. Beside him onstage was the Iowa governor, Kim Reynolds, who watched with the look of a mother baffled by her childs latest science fair project.

As breakout moments go, Mr. Ramaswamys impromptu performance may not rise to the level of Bill Clintons saxophone solo on The Arsenio Hall Show. But it did separate him culturally from his generally more awkward and older competitors in the still-early race for the presidency.
Prisoners locked in their cells for days on end report walls speckled with feces and blood. Birds have moved in, leaving droppings on the food trays and ice bags handed out to keep inmates cool. Blocked from visiting the law library, prisoners say they have missed court deadlines and jeopardized appeals. Unable to access toilet paper, one prisoner tore his clothing into patches to use for tissue.

One thousand inmates incarcerated at Waupun Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in southeast Wisconsin, have been confined mostly to their cells for more than four months, ever since prison officials locked down the facility and halted many programs and services.

More than two dozen inmates at Waupun, the states oldest prison, have revealed to The New York Times that since late March they have been forced to eat all meals in their cells, received no visits from friends or family, seen complaints of pain ignored and been allowed limited, if any, fresh air or recreation time.

The states Department of Corrections has offered little explanation about the lockdown or why it has lasted so long.
Mexico warned the western state of Baja California on Saturday to brace for what could be life-threatening rain and floods from Hurricane Hilary, the Pacific storm barreling toward the peninsula and neighboring Southern California.

State and federal authorities urged citizens to take precautions ahead of the storm, which was expected to make landfall early Sunday. Although Hilary weakened somewhat on Saturday, officials warned it remained lethally destructive.

More than 6,500 soldiers were deployed Friday to the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur to help erect shelters, organize food banks and prepare for possible emergency rescues.

Libia Gonzalez, a meteorologist with Mexicos national forecasting service, said that the storm would gradually decrease in strength and was expected to become a Category 1 by Sunday morning.
Ever since members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization sprang into action to help Ukraine try to thwart Russias invasion last year, China has warned about a similar U.S.-led security alliance forming in Asia that would seek to hobble Beijings ambitions and provoke a confrontation.

President Bidens Camp David summit on Friday with the leaders of Japan and South Korea most likely reinforces Beijings perception. The talks saw Japan and South Korea put aside their historical animosities to forge a defense pact with the United States aimed at deterring Chinese and North Korean aggression.

Mr. Biden, who met with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, sought to emphasize at a news conference that the summit was not anti-China. But Beijing will almost certainly find Mr. Bidens assertion unpersuasive. Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, has accused the United States of leading Western countries in the all-around containment, encirclement and suppression of China.
Not long after Shen Pengs grandfather died, his grandmother visited the site of the house where she and her husband once lived. The government had demolished the house, in northern China, nearly 15 years before as part of a redevelopment project. The site still hadnt been developed, and she could barely walk around the familys old plot because the grass was so overgrown.

Mr. Shen wondered: Could he help her relive her memories another way?

For more than six months, he labored in secret after his day job as a hairdresser. Finally, Mr. Shen, now 31, presented his grandmother with a surprise  a handcrafted 1:20 scale replica of her old home.

There was the wire clothesline in the courtyard, draped with a blue blanket cut into the size of a postage stamp. There was the rickety bicycle, outside a shed constructed with foam boards and plaster. Mr. Shen had even traveled to the site of the old house to better recreate the fragment of brick wall that still remained.
The fire-ravaged Canadian province of British Columbia was under a state of emergency for a second day, as a wildfire in and around the resort city of Kelowna continued to consume houses.

Firefighters said on Saturday that a drop in wind was aiding their efforts to control the blaze, but that the flames and embers continued to blow toward the city.

The fire is one of two in Canada that have led thousands to evacuate their homes in the last week. Hundreds of miles away from Kelowna, a wildfire converging on the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, prompted officials to order a mass evacuation of the entire city.

Officials said Saturday that the fire remained stalled a few miles from Yellowknife, a welcome reprieve, though the danger remained serious and imminent.
Volunteers of the Regional Disaster Response Teams' of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) take part in traditional annual training.

"Today, more than 90 of the best volunteers from the Disaster Response Teams from all over the country gathered at the training. Here are volunteers from Kherson, working under constant shelling; there are representatives of the western regions who are always ready to respond in a timely manner to any emergency; volunteers from Vyshgorod and Mykolaiv, who saved not one life during evacuations and missile attacks," President of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Mykola Polischuk said at the opening of the training in Kyiv region.

As society said on Facebook, volunteers will exchange experience within a few days, analyze possible emergency situations to improve their skills.

According to the information on the URCS website, the exercise program includes trainings on mine danger from colleagues from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. In addition, partners from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement will conduct exercises in case of chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear threats. Volunteers will also practice one of the security emergency scenarios.

Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the volunteers of the Regional Disaster Response Teams have evacuated over 309,000 people from active combat zones and helped more than 354,000 residents.
A Russian missile slammed into the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 100, including 12 children, Ukrainian officials said.

The missile tore through the main square just before noon, as people were leaving church after celebrating a holy day, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said.

A Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement. A square, a university and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss.

Ukrainian officials and emergency services released graphic videos of the initial blast in the attack and the devastating aftermath. Victims could be seen sprawled in the square, surrounded by pools of blood. The Interior Ministry said a search-and-rescue operation was underway in the surrounding area.
On a recent summer evening in central Paris, a handful of people trickled into a trendy Brazilian bar blasting bossa nova, passed customers toasting with caipirinhas and headed for a wooden staircase in the back. They emerged into a small room featuring a table strewn with large printed cards that showed charts explaining the science behind climate change.

Welcome, a young man said. Were going to have fun.

For the next three hours, the group used the cards to recreate the chain of global warming, frowning as they tried to understand phenomena such as radiative forcing and ocean acidification. Then, they debated limiting energy-hungry air travel and developing nuclear power.

The group was taking part in a Climate Fresk, a workshop run by a nonprofit of the same name, that teaches the basics of global warming and highlights possible solutions. The events have become a trendy night out in France, with more than a million participants.

The popularity of the Climate Fresks, named for the fresco that participants create with the cards, comes as much of Europe faces hotter summers associated with climate change. (France is expected to experience its strongest heat wave of the summer this weekend.)
Jean-Louis Georgelin, the French general who was placed in charge of rebuilding Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after a devastating fire in 2019, has died. He was 74.

The nation has lost one of its greatest soldiers, President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Saturday. France, one of its great servants. And Notre-Dame, the architect of its rebirth.

General Georgelin, a former army chief of staff whom Mr. Macron had chosen to lead the restoration project, was hiking in the Pyrenees in southwestern France on Friday when an accident most likely occurred, according to French news reports.

The prosecutors office told the French news media that the police had found a body and formally identified it as the generals, but the exact circumstances were not immediately clear.
France would most likely try to step in, having long advocated European strategic autonomy, but few believe it can provide the same kind of nuclear and security guarantee for the continent, even together with Britain, that Washington does.

President Emmanuel Macron of France has made it clear that he believes a politically polarized United States, more focused on China, will inevitably reduce its commitments to Europe. He has been pushing Europeans to do more for their own defense and interests, which are not perfectly aligned with Washingtons.

So far he has largely failed in that ambition and, given the war in Ukraine, has instead embraced a stronger European pillar within NATO. But even Mr. Macron would not welcome an American withdrawal from the alliance.

Its absolutely clear that Putin intends to continue the war, at least until the American elections, and hopes for Trump, as does Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, said Thomas Gomart, the director of the French Institute of International Relations. It could be a big shock for Europeans.
Egypts president on Saturday pardoned a prominent democracy activist serving a 15-year prison sentence for his role in protests that followed the 2011 revolution, according to the activists lawyer and Egyptian state news media.

The pardon decree by the president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, was the latest in a string of high-profile prisoner releases by his regime.

The activist, Ahmed Douma, a blogger and protest leader, was one of the best-known faces of the 2011 uprising that toppled the longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. A court sentenced Mr. Douma to 25 years prison in 2015 on charges of rioting and attacking the security forces, a punishment later reduced to 15 years. Rights groups called the accusations a cover for a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent by Mr. el-Sisi.

Mr. Doumas lawyer, Khaled Ali, announced on social media Saturday that his client had been released from Badr Prison outside Cairo.
The two sisters were walking home when they spotted a metal orb about the size of a softball. They didnt know what it was when they picked it up, but they figured that scrap metal buyers who make the rounds where they live in northwestern Syria might pay about 30 cents for it.

It was a live cluster bomblet.

It was gray. It was this big, one of the sisters, Duaa, 10, said recently, stretching the fingers on her left hand as wide as she could. She recalled how her sister Rawaa, 11, then handed her the bomb while she was holding their seven-month-old brother, Mitib, on her hip. A second later, it exploded, shattering Duaas right hand.

Rawaa lost her left eye, and Mitibs cheeks still bear scars from the explosion.

Syrias 12-year conflict  now largely at a stalemate  has wrought widespread destruction and killed more than 500,000 people while forcing millions more to flee their homes. And like other modern conflicts, it has left a deadly legacy of unexploded artillery shells, mines and other munitions on farmland, roadsides and in buildings, posing an indiscriminate threat to lives long after the fighting subsides.
A Mexican man can consider himself lucky to be alive after being shot in the head at least two times only to have the bullets ricochet off of his skull.

On August 2nd, the man, referred to only as Francisco by Mexican media, was strolling through the streets of the Gustavo A. Madero neighborhood of Mexico City when he was approached by a man identified as Carlos N. who shot him in the head at close range two times. The reasons for the attack have not yet been revealed, but what most headlines have been focusing on is the miraculous outcome of the gunshots. Instead of growing through Franciscos head, the point-blank shots ricocheted off of his skull, leaving the victim with minor flesh wounds.

Its hard to explain exactly how Francisco survived the attack, but according to some sources, it was a miraculous combination of several factors. First of all, it seems that the bullets used by the assailants were really old and the gunpowder unusually damp. This, combined with the fact that the gun was of a really small caliber and had a very short barrel, which affected the velocity and overall piercing power of the bullets. Instead of piercing the mans skull, they just bounced off of his skull.

RECIBE 2 DISPAROS en la CABEZA y NO LE ENTRAN LAS BALAS

Es Francisco.

Y asi esperaba tranquilo una ambulancia en @TuAlcaldiaGAM

Carlos Garcia le disparo con esta pistola, pero solo quedo en leves heridas.

Agentes de @SSC_CDMX Sector Quiroga, lo ayudaron y detuvieron al tipo. pic.twitter.com/UHPVvDfqFw  Carlos Jimenez (@c4jimenez) August 2, 2023

Having only suffered minor flesh wounds, Francisco was able to alert some nearby security guards who quickly seized the assailants. For now, the reasons of the attack remain a mystery, but the middle age Mexican man can consider himself extremely lucky.
A NEW documentary which focuses on the life of 100-year-old Mabel Wallace from Shinrone will be shown in Birr Theatre & Arts Centre next month.

Local filmmaker Nicholas Ryan Purcell has documented the popular woman's life in a feature-length documentary called 100 Years of Change.

Using details from interviews and archival material Nicholas successfully brings to life an era long gone. This is a sometimes poignant documentary which celebrates a life fully lived. It focusses on a resilient woman, says Nicholas, who inspires us.

Many topics are discussed during the film, drawing back the veil on a world of decades ago, a world which feels very different indeed. For example she recalls the old agricultural methods, such as a horse-drawn reaper and binder pulled by horses, making butter and watching a neighbour making bread in an open hearth fire. She also talks about learning essential household methods in school such as sewing and cooking, the significance of the Birr to Roscrea railway line (including loading cattle at the Sharavogue siding), and getting on the train at Brosna station near Shinrone.

Throughout the decades Mable has engaged in extensive community work, including being involved with Meals on Wheels and Daffodil Day.

The Church of Ireland tradition in the rural parish of Shinrone is discussed, as well as experiencing the thrill of the Ormond Hunt and the exhilarating world of point-to-point racing.

'100 Years of Change' will be screened in Birr Theatre & Arts Centre on Friday, September 8 starting at 7pm. Because of a big demand for tickets there will also be a second screening: on Sunday September 10, at 7pm in Birr Theatre.
Klymenko: Main victims in Chernihiv are those being in transport or returning from church

Most of the victims of a missile attack on the center of Chernihiv on Saturday, August 19, were outside the Drama Theater, Interior Minister of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko has said.

"The main victims of the incident were in vehicles or crossing the road, as well as returning from the church. Everyone who was in the Drama Theater went down to the shelter in time. After the announcement of the air raid, the National Police officers tried to bring everyone into the shelter," Klymenko said, according to a press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Telegram channel.

He said there is a large park behind the drama theater, where there were a large number of children from the very morning, and the central square was crowded with vehicles.

At the moment, law enforcement officers are documenting Russia's war crime. The police have surrounded the yards in the center of Chernihiv and carry out door-to-door inspection of houses. There are additional patrols in the city.

As reported, the Russian occupiers attacked the Drama Theater in the center of Chernihiv on Saturday morning. As a result of a missile hit, the roof of the Drama Theater was destroyed, followed by a fire.

At the moment, 110 injured and seven killed are known.

August 19-21 are declared days of mourning in Chernihiv.
Clean up operations are underway across the country today after Storm Betty battered Ireland overnight, causing flooding and road closures due to fallen trees and debris, and leaving thousands without electricity.

ESB crews are mobilising this morning to tackle power outages with hundreds of homes and businesses without power.

Storm Betty caused flooding on some roads in the south of the country, with Cork hit worst by flash flooding in areas such as Carrigaline, Dunmanway and Clonakilty.

There was traffic disruption on some roads across Co Cork and frantic scenes in Co Waterford as a boat broke free from its berth and crashed into a harbour in Dungarvan.

A number of matches and outdoor events were cancelled, and emergency crews in the south of the country cleared debris including fallen trees. There is widespread reports of debris on roads and motorists are urged to take care.

Met Eireann had issued a status yellow wind and rain warning for the entire country on Friday, as well as an orange warning for seven counties, warning of structural damage, falling trees, localised flooding and power outages, came into effect from 8.35pm and 9pm on Friday night and expired at 1am and 3am on Saturday. The warnings applied to Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Tipperary, and Waterford  with the rain warning also applying to Kerry.

Meteorologist Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather said: "#StormBetty has left the stage with the last of the rain clearing the North now and a mix of sunny spells and showers.

"Winds remaining strong but slowly easing through the day and much calmer by tonight before picking up a little again in the morning."
Kejriwal Welcomes CBI Probe Into Bungalow Renovation, Says Nothing Will Come Out Of It

AAP Unveils 'Guarantees' For Chhattisgarh Polls: Employment, Education, Health Top The List

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Delhi's Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national leader, Arvind Kejriwal, embarked on a day-long visit to the capital of Chhattisgarh, Raipur, on Saturday. During this visit, he unveiled 'guarantee cards' outlining the promises his party intends to fulfill if elected to power in the state. This marked Kejriwal's third trip to the poll-bound region in the last five months.

Kejriwal was accompanied by Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Minister of Punjab. Together, they addressed an AAP workers' convention at Jainam Manas Bhavan.

The unveiled 'guarantee cards' comprises a range of commitments:

Employment Guarantee:

Every unemployed individual will be provided with employment opportunities.

Unemployed individuals will receive an unemployment allowance of Rs 3000 per month until they secure a job.

Approximately Rs 10 lakh unemployed individuals will be recruited for government positions.

Job recruitment will be transparent, eliminating recommendations and corruption. Opportunities will be open to the general public.

Chhattisgarh Election 2023: BJP Announces 21 Candidates, Sets Up Uncle-Nephew Clash In Patan

Electricity Guarantee:

Similar to Delhi and Punjab, every household in Chhattisgarh will receive 300 units of free electricity per month.

24-hour uninterrupted electricity will be supplied to all villages and cities.

Previous outstanding domestic electricity bills will be waived under the AAP government.

Women's Guarantee:

All women above 18 years of age will receive a monthly stipend of 1000 as Stree Samman Rashi.

Education Guarantee:

All children in Chhattisgarh will have access to quality and free education.

Government schools will be improved to match the standards of Delhi.

Private schools in Chhattisgarh will be prevented from unjustly increasing fees.

Contractual teachers will be confirmed, and vacant teaching positions will be filled.

Teachers will solely focus on teaching and won't be assigned other tasks.

Health Guarantee:

Access to free and quality healthcare will be ensured for all Chhattisgarh citizens, akin to Delhi.

Medical treatments, tests, and surgeries will be provided free of charge, similar to the provisions in Delhi.

Mohalla clinics will be established in villages and wards, mirroring Delhi's approach.

Existing government hospitals will be upgraded, and new facilities will be established.

Free treatment will be provided to all road accident victims across the state.

Pilgrimage Guarantee:

Senior citizens will be allowed to travel for free to their chosen pilgrimage sites, with accommodations and meals provided.

Assembly Elections 2023: BJP Appoints Poll In-Charges for Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and MP

Corruption-Free Guarantee:

A commitment to eradicate corruption in Chhattisgarh, inspired by Delhi's anti-corruption measures.

Government office visits for work will be eliminated; instead, individuals can call a designated phone number for assistance. Government employees will visit homes to complete tasks without the need for bribes.

Honoring Martyrs' Guarantee:

Families of soldiers from the Indian Army and Chhattisgarh Police who lose their lives in service will receive an honorarium of Rs 1 crore.

Working-Class Guarantee:

Regularization of contract, placement, and irregular employees across all departments.

Discontinuation of the contract system.

Arvind Kejriwal's visit and the release of these 'guarantee cards' showcase AAP's intentions and aspirations for Chhattisgarh, emphasizing transparency, social welfare, and the betterment of various aspects of citizens' lives.

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Story first published: Saturday, August 19, 2023, 17:52 [IST]
Army Vehicle Plunges Into Gorge In Ladakh; JCO Among 9 Jawans Dead

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

In a tragic incident, at least nine Indian Army soldiers lost their lives and one sustained injury after their vehicle went off a steep gorge in Ladakh, according to news agency PTI. The accident took place at Kerey in southern Ladakh's Nyoma Saturday evening, the officials said. The deceased also include two Junior Commissioned Officers. (JCOs). The injured soldier has been admitted to a hospital.

A rescue operation is currently in progress at the scene, as per official reports. "Numerous others have sustained injuries in the incident. The soldiers were en route from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh. A considerable number of troops have also been injured in the mishap. Further details are yet to be provided," stated Defense officials.

"The fatality count has risen to nine, with one individual sustaining injuries," they added.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Leh P D Nitya said the Army vehicle, with 10 personnel on board, was on its way to Nyoma from Leh when its driver lost control and it plunged into a gorge at 4.45 pm.

A police team rushed to the spot and all the injured soldiers were shifted to an Army medical facility where eight personnel were declared dead. Another jawan died subsequently, she said.

Army Jawan On Leave Goes Missing From J-K's Kulgam, Search Operation Launched

The officer said one more jawan was undergoing treatment and his condition was stated to be ''critical''.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the death of nine Indian Army personnel in a road accident near Leh, as reported by PTI. ''Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation,'' the defence minister said on 'X', formerly Twitter.

''My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery,'' Singh said, without mentioning the number of soldiers killed and injured in the accident.

It may be recalled, on May 15, 2023, an army vehicle transporting 26 soldiers met with a tragic incident in the Turtuk sector of Ladakh, where it veered into a deep gorge. In this unfortunate event, seven soldiers lost their lives, while 18 others sustained injuries.

The vehicle was en route from Leh to Turtuk when it met with the accident.
Bihar Journalist Murder Case: Police Arrests 4 Accused

India

oi-Sushmita Halder

The Bihar Police on Saturday took to imprisonment four people who were allegedly involved in the murder of a journalist in the Araria district.

Reportedly, the accused killed the victim at his residence on Friday by shooting him in the chest. The victim has been identified as Vimal Yadav, a journalist of Dainik Jagran.

According to the police, "Four of the accused, namely Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav, and Umesh Yadav have been arrested. Two accused, namely Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav have been convicted in Araria jail while the rest two have absconded."

The victim's father lodged a police complaint following which a case has been registered by the Bihar Police. It is also alleged that before Vimal Yadav, the accused killed his brother early in 2019 and Vimal was the prime witness in the case. This might be the reason they wanted to kill Vimal.

However, the murder of Vimal Yadav took the internet by storm. Expressing his concern over the Araria murder case, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar directed the officials to take strict action in investigating the issue.

Journalist Shot Dead In Bihar; CM Nitish Expresses Concern, Opp Flays Govt

Meanwhile, the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag Paswan, took a dig at the Bihar CM over the lack of law and order in the state.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Bihar Police informed that the 35-year-old Vimal Yadav worked as a local journalist for the Dainik Jagran newspaper. The criminals reached his home around 5:30 am, called him out, and shot him in the chest.

The Bihar Police further informed, "The Police on receiving the information reached the spot within five minutes after the incident took place to investigate the matter. The Superintendent of Police, Araria also visited the spot."

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Story first published: Saturday, August 19, 2023, 16:00 [IST]
SC Raps Gujarat HC For Adjourning Rape Survivor's Pregnancy Termination Plea

India

pti-PTI

The Supreme Court on Saturday expressed displeasure over the delay by the Gujarat High Court in deciding a rape victim's plea for medical termination of her 26-week pregnancy, saying "valuable time" has been lost during the pendency of the matter.

Taking note of the urgency in the matter, the apex court, which took up the woman's plea for hearing on a Saturday, said it would hear the case again on Monday, August 21 as the first item.

In a special sitting on a Saturday, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that there should be a sense of urgency in such cases and slammed the "lackadaisical attitude" of the high court in treating it as any normal case and adjourning the hearing.

The bench also issued notices to the state of Gujarat and others seeking their responses on the woman's plea. During the hearing, the apex court was informed by the counsel for the petitioner that the 25-year-old woman had approached the high court on August 7 and the matter was taken up the next day. He said the high court had on August 8 issued a direction for the constitution of a medical board to ascertain the status of pregnancy as well as the health status of the petitioner. The report was submitted on August 10 by the medical college where she was examined, the counsel said.

AAP Unveils 'Guarantees' For Chhattisgarh Polls: Employment, Education, Health Top The List

The top court noted that the report was taken on record by the high court on August 11 but "strangely", the matter was listed 12 days later i.e. on August 23 "losing sight of the fact that every day's delay was crucial and of great significance having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case". The bench also noted that the petitioner's counsel has brought to its notice that the case status of the matter showed that the petition was rejected on August 17 by the high court, but no reasons were dictated in the court and the order is yet to be uploaded on the high court's website.

"In the circumstance, we direct the secretary general of this court to inquire from the registrar general of the High Court of Gujarat and ascertain as to whether the impugned order has been uploaded or not," the bench said.

The petitioner has approached the apex court through advocate Vishal Arun Mishra. The counsel for the petitioner told the bench the woman petitioner was in her 26th week of pregnancy when the medical board was constituted. "On August 11, it was stand over to August 23. For what purpose?," the bench asked, adding, "By then how many days are lost?". The petitioner's counsel said the matter was listed on August 17 instead of August 23.

Observing that valuable days have been lost in just postponing the case, the bench said when the petitioner had sought the termination of pregnancy and had approached the high court, she was already 26 weeks pregnant. "Therefore, we find that valuable time has been lost between August 11, when the report was placed before the high court, and the order stating that the matter would stand over to August 23," it said.

"In such cases, there must be, not undue urgency, but at least a sense of urgency in such matters and not a lackadaisical attitude of treating it as any normal case and just adjourning it. We are sorry to say and make this remark," the bench orally said. The petitioner's counsel told the bench that the petitioner is pregnant for 27 weeks and two days and shortly, would be approaching the 28th week of her pregnancy. He said a fresh report may be sought from the medical board. "In the circumstances, we direct the petitioner herein to appear before the hospital for being examined once again and the latest status report may be submitted to this court by tomorrow evening at 6 PM," the bench said.

During the hearing, the bench said it will wait for the high court's order passed in the matter. "We will wait for the order. How can we consider the correctness of the order in the absence of the order," it said.

The bench also asked about the report filed by the medical board before the high court. The petitioner's counsel said as per the report, the termination of pregnancy can be done. Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the upper limit for the termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks for married women, special categories including survivors of rape and other vulnerable women such as the differently-abled and minors.
Timeline Of Jadavpur University Incident: Student Death, Protest, Probe, And Arrests

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

West Bengal is once again in the national spotlight, but for all the wrong reasons. The mysterious death of a first-year student at Jadavpur University (JU) has been linked to alleged mental harassment and ragging by a group of senior students.

August 9: A tragic incident occurs at Jadavpur University (JU) where a first-year undergraduate student, aged 17 and pursuing Bengali Honours, falls from a second-floor balcony of the main hostel building around 11.45 PM. The student, hailing from Bagula in Nadia district, is severely injured and admitted to a hospital.

August 10: The student succumbs to his injuries while receiving treatment at the hospital.

After the Incident: Allegations emerge that the student was subjected to ragging and sexual harassment. The news of the student's death sparks outrage within the student community and garners public attention.

Subsequent Days: Students and faculty members organize protests and demand justice for the deceased student. They raise concerns over the safety and security of students within the university premises.

University's Response: Amid mounting pressure, Jadavpur University takes action. Nine senior students and ex-students are arrested in connection with the case. The arrested individuals are taken into police custody as part of the ongoing investigation.

Political Implications: The incident takes on political significance as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleges that the university harbors "anti-national elements." The political discourse surrounding the incident becomes intense, with calls for addressing the broader issue of student safety and the university's atmosphere.

Ex-Student Held In Connection With Death Of Jadavpur University Student

University's Reporting: In response to the incident, Jadavpur University compiles a comprehensive report detailing the incident and related circumstances. This report is submitted to the University Grants Commission (UGC) as directed by the statutory body. The UGC seeks clarification on various aspects of the incident.

Governor's Involvement: The Governor of West Bengal becomes involved in the matter due to the severity of the incident and the ensuing protests. The Governor's intervention becomes a point of contention, with debates arising about the autonomy of the university and the role of external authorities in university affairs.

Arrests Continue: On a subsequent Friday, three additional individuals are arrested in connection with the incident. These individuals, hailing from different districts of West Bengal and with various academic backgrounds, are apprehended by the police. Their arrest is based on inconsistencies in their statements during questioning.

Political Meeting: A senior BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, along with other party Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), visits the family of the deceased student in Nadia district. The visit underscores the political dimension of the incident and highlights the ongoing debates regarding the university's environment.

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Story first published: Saturday, August 19, 2023, 16:45 [IST]
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 19. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the application of the Law on Public Procurement, Trend reports.

The law determines the economic, legal and organizational bases and rules of public procurement in the Republic of Azerbaijan in accordance with paragraphs 10 and 15 of Part I of Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Will be updated
Biden hails Australia as "anchor to peace and prosperity" in the Pacific

Former Premier Li Keqiang, China''s Top Economic Official For A Decade, Dies Of Heart Attack At 68

China conducts fresh military exercises around Taiwan

International

dwnews-DW News

China conducted military exercises around Taiwan on Saturday as a "stern warning" in reaction to the recent US stopover by Taiwan's Vice President, William Lai.

"The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan...meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces," state media Xinhua reported quoting military sources.

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry strongly condemned the military drills, saying they do not "help peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait." Taipei also said that the drills showcase China's "militaristic mentality."

The defense ministry's statement asserted that it would deploy the necessary forces and possesses the capability, resolve, and confidence to safeguard national security.

India's New Fighter Jet Squadron In Srinagar To Deter Pakistan, China

Lai irks China

Vice President Lai, anticipated to be the leading candidate for Taiwan's upcoming presidential elections in January, returned from the US on Friday.

Though his visit was characterized as mere stopovers en route to Paraguay, Lai made some speeches during his time in the US.

Although Lai irked China by referring to himself as a "practical worker for Taiwan independence," he has pledged to keep the status quo on his campaign trail and offered talks with Beijing.

China sees the democratically-governed Taiwan as its territory, a stance vigorously opposed by the island's government.

Source: DW
Russia's 2,000-Page Report On COVID-19 Origin Sparks Conspiracy Theories

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Russia has made public allegations suggesting that Big Pharma and certain individuals within the US Deep State orchestrated the Covid-19 pandemic with the intention of global domination. They have named figures like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and George Soros as co-conspirators.

The Russian Embassy in the United States released a statement asserting that Russia seeks justice for the creation of the virus, accusing the West of hiding its origins and suppressing scientific and journalistic inquiries. Russia has submitted extensive evidence to the UN, consisting of over 2,000 pages of reports supporting their claims over the past 18 months.

Russian officials have expressed concerns about the bio-research activities initiated by the US Defense Department in Ukraine, emphasizing the need for international assessment. The embassy highlighted that Pentagon activities involving Ukrainian institutions and individuals have raised serious questions in the international community, suggesting potential violations of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

New Covid-19 Variant BA.2.86 Under WHO's Monitoring List

According to Russia, the US Deep State has deployed unauthorized biolaboratories worldwide under the pretext of disease monitoring, engaging in unethical research. These laboratories have been positioned near Russia's borders, leading to suspicions of crisis manipulation and epidemic control for self-interest.

The Russian Ministry of Defense's disclosures about the US military-biological actions prompt a reconsideration of the intentions of the US Deep State. Ordinary Americans are reportedly seeking answers from their government about sponsored programs. The embassy emphasizes that while support from like-minded individuals on the global stage might silence doubts, addressing questions from their own population cannot be evaded by Washington.

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Story first published: Saturday, August 19, 2023, 13:16 [IST]
Russia's Luna-25 Probe Experiences Glitch Ahead Of Moon Landing

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Russia's Luna-25 probe, which is scheduled to land on the Moon on Monday, experienced an "emergency" during a manoeuvre on Saturday, as reported by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Roscosmos in a statement said, "Thrust was engaged to transition the probe to the pre-landing orbit. During this operation, an unexpected emergency situation occurred on board the automated station, preventing the execution of the maneuver under the specified conditions."

The Luna-25 lander, Russia's first lunar mission in nearly half a century, had been successfully inserted into the Moon's orbit on Wednesday, following its launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East.

The statement did not specify whether this incident would result in a delay in the planned landing, scheduled for Monday, in the vicinity of the lunar south pole, near the Boguslawsky crater.

Indias Chandrayaan-3, Russias Luna-25 Race To Moon's South Pole Heats Up

In June, Yuri Borisov, the head of Roscosmos, had conveyed to President Vladimir Putin that missions of this nature were "risky," with an estimated success rate of approximately 70 percent.

The probe's mission involves spending a year on the Moon, where it is tasked with collecting samples and analyzing soil. Cameras on board the lander have already captured distant images of Earth and the Moon from space.

Despite tensions with the West, particularly over the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is determined to revitalize and expand upon the pioneering space endeavors of the Soviet Union. This includes pressing ahead with lunar missions, even as the European Space Agency has announced its reluctance to cooperate with Moscow on future missions due to concerns about Russia's actions in Ukraine.
What Drove Lucy Letby To Allegedly Murder Babies: Investigators List Possible Motives

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Nurse Lucy Letby's recent conviction for the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of six others has brought attention to her disturbing actions, placing her among the most notorious medical serial killers in the UK. The victims of her crimes were tragically young, with the youngest being just one day old.

While the motivations behind the 33-year-old nurse's actions remain perplexing, the prosecution introduced several potential motives during her lengthy 10-month trial. These motives shed light on the complex factors that might have driven her to commit these heinous acts.

Desire for Control and Power: The trial revealed that Nurse Letby's final victims were two of three triplets boys, identified as babies O and P. Testimonies indicated that by this point, she had lost control and was seemingly enjoying the power she wielded over the babies' lives. Prosecutors argued that she was essentially "playing God" by harming infants and then being the first to alert her colleagues about their deteriorating health. This suggested a disturbing sense of control and enjoyment from manipulating their fates.

Sadistic Pleasure: Investigative efforts revealed Letby's troubling pattern of behavior. During searches of her residence, authorities discovered incriminating hospital documents and a handwritten note in which she described herself as "evil" and responsible for the actions. Prosecutors inferred that she may have been deriving a perverse thrill from the suffering and sorrow experienced by the babies' families.

Desire for Attention: The prosecution asserted that Letby may have been involved in a covert relationship with a married doctor at the hospital. This doctor was frequently called upon when babies' conditions rapidly worsened, creating a significant link between them. While it was suggested that Letby inflicted harm on the infants to gain his personal attention, she denied this motive. The evidence presented included text messages and meetings outside of work, indicating a potentially unprofessional relationship.

Bihar Journalist Murder Case: Police Arrests 4 Accused

Inadequacy and Self-Doubt: Letby left behind notes containing deeply troubling sentiments. In one of these notes, she confessed to deliberately causing harm to the babies due to feelings of inadequacy in caring for them. These notes offered insights into her internal struggles and hinted at a disturbing self-perception that contributed to her actions.

Boredom and Stimulation: Letby's profession as a nurse qualified her to care for critically ill babies in the neonatal unit. However, her trial revealed that she found her work less engaging when attending to babies who required less intensive medical attention. This potentially led her to seek stimulation through harmful acts, which tragically manifested as the deliberate administration of substances like air, insulin, or overdose.
As Ukraine claimed gains in Donetsk, President Vladimir Putin discussed Russia's war with military leaders. Meanwhile, US officials say the number of casualties since the start of the conflict is nearing 500,000.
The better part of a year into the current phase of the war in Ukraine, General Mark Milley accidentally blurted out that peace talks might be a good alternative to an endless bloody war for the same results. Now it's becoming more acceptable in Washington, D.C., to anonymously whisper that he was right. But we're lifetimes away from it becoming acceptable to mention that every single principled peace advocate on Earth had expressed that opinion openly and clearly several months earlier. It hasn't even yet become acceptable to admit who was right about any past wars. The Korean War comes to mind as a vastly more destructive debacle. Smart people predicted what would happen at the start but have not been listened to the slightest bit more in the years after millions were killed by those with lives that matter, of whom tens of thousands would "die for a tie."

As we hit the 1.5-year point in the current catastrophe in Ukraine and other wars, larger and smaller, roll on without end the polls are beginning to do what they always do. With Afghanistan and with Iraq, after about this much time you began to have U.S. majorities declare that the wars never should have been started. With Ukraine, this indicates a certain ability to care about (white) people who are not from the United States, but more so an ability to recognize that wars and militaries cost money. That could yet prove an incredibly valuable breakthrough. With Afghanistan and Iraq, the polls showed, for years, strong majorities both sure that the war they'd cheered and drooled and screamed for should never have happened and hesitant about ending it. This was principally a result of the doctrine of troopism: Thou shalt kill more troops so as not to have already killed troops in vain. But with Ukraine, it's weapons (or, in the misleading media narrative, dollars) being sent, not troops. Nobody is proposing to send more weapons for the sake of the weapons already sent. So, there is the possibility of the U.S. public really turning against this war more quickly. (Of course it's a public of the other partisan makeup, so we'll have to see what that means.)

When the public turns against a war, the corporate media begins searching for wise voices. These are the voices of people who've supported disastrous war after sadistic horror after losing debacle for decades but who made some comment about certain reservations they might have had about this particular war. Maybe they accidentally exclaimed something about the financial cost in the presence of a reporter, or they put their name on a report at a weapons-funded stink tank about the greater importance of planning a war on China, or whatever. Today you have people shamelessly campaigning for Congress on their record of helping to destroy Iraq and murder a million Iraqis. And one reason why is that there was never any acknowledgement of the many individuals who were right about that war before it was begun, or even of the majority of voters who in 2006 said they were voting to end that war but ended up electing a Democratic Congress that esclated the war instead.

Of course, there were people inside the military establishment admitting privately (but not so privately) that the "surge" in Iraq wouldn't accomplish its purported goals, and pointing out problems with the war from before day one never moral problems, of course, but real and accurate and fairly obvious problems with foreign occupations. And of course there have been people on both sides of the current war in Ukraine privately (but with leaks) pointing out that there's no victory in sight for either side. One of the reasons that peace activists have such an incredible streak of accuracy is that they look at what militaries are whispering and leaking, rather than believing highly improbable hype. But in the media's "first draft of history" every intelligent person alive is supposed to have believed stupid stories about speedy victories, so that Milley's accidentally saying the quiet part aloud is not understood as blurting out something forbidden but as actually grasping some unique insight into a problem the world's thinkers were otherwise universally failing to comprehend.

But the people who get wars right time after time after time do so not simply by being willing to say what the corporate communications system forbids, but also by considering factors outside of how much money can be made off weapons, how many votes can be gained from machismo, how many interviews can be garnered by wartime rhetoric, or even how many years and bodies will be required to achieve some purpose. Other factors often considered include the increased risk of nuclear apocalypse, the financial tradeoffs, the impediments created to global cooperation on non-optional crises, the environmental destruction, the damage to politics and society at home, and of course the possibilities for resolution without killing, with better results possible prior to more death and destruction and bitterness and the building up of propaganda by each side about the other.

I've been reading a new book called My Country Is the World, a collection of speeches and interviews and articles by Staughton Lynd. Here's someone who was right about the war on Vietnam prior, during, and after. And as a reward he was driven out of academia and erased. For some years in the 1960s he was able to find a voice in corporate newspapers and television. The transcript in the book of a debate with William F. Buckley is an exchange of opposing worldviews that never happens in U.S. media today not because the "two sides" isolate, but because Buckley's views are now pretty well established as the only possible views by every media outlet with money.

In Jonathan Eig's new biography of Martin Luther King, there's a part, near the end, where some of King's friends and allies are upset at how willing he is to go against the advice of all of them, and yet how concerned he is not to displease others. When King wants to keep an appointment with Staughton Lynd, Bayard Rustin exclaims "Who the hell is Staughton Lynd?" The whole damn country might ask that. He's certainly not someone with a national holiday, children's books, monuments, and so forth. But, tweak the details, and he's someone who has already eloquently debunked the next war the Pentagon comes up with. He's one of thousands about whom we really should be asking, in all seriousness, and with the intention of educating ourselves: who the hell are they?
Ponder this for a moment:

As an August heat wave pushed Portland temperatures to a record 108 degrees last week, Tina Koteks Housing Advisory Council urged the governor to consider putting an ax to your local tree codes and canopy.

When Kotek was asked about this revolting development, she could have said, Youre right. Thats unreal. A lack of trees and shade can be fatal in poor neighborhoods when its this hot.

Instead, her spokeswoman, Elisabeth Shepard, said the panels idea was merely a preliminary draft, a response to Koteks demand for bold ideas to meet her goal of 36,000 new housing units annually for the next decade.

And Anca Matica, another spokeswoman, followed up Friday by insisting council members need space for expansive conversations that explore every aspect impacting housing production. If we are going to make progress, we cant start by taking things off the table or limiting dialogue.

The governor clearly can, however, never invite environmentalists to the table. The panel is stacked with builders and developers, and Mary Kyle McCurdy, deputy director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, says that makes a certain sense: We need more housing. But some of these proposals are compromising other values we have that we dont have to compromise to build the housing we need.

Like the pitch to clear-cut local tree codes. Or another proposal to pave over wetlands that arent connected to navigable waterways.

Thats a good recipe for making Oregons cities unlovable and unlivable, as well as unaffordable, says Robert Liberty, the former Metro councilor and former executive director of 1000 Friends.

The edge of the wild

That the housing crisis has us considering such nonsense may have you fretting Oregons environmental legacy.

Dont. It was Julia Olsons Eugene-based non-profit law firm, Our Childrens Trust, that helped 16 youths convince a judge last week that Montana must consider climate change when approving or renewing any fossil-fuel project in the state.

As a similar case unfolds in Oregon, Matica tells me the governor is thankful for all the youth activists who are fighting for climate change. Oregons environmental priorities require continued and urgent action, especially in the face of a worsening climate crisis.

In the meantime, though, Kotek has boldly promised to roll the environmentalists who stand between her and legislators who, in the quest for housing, want to expand Oregons urban growth boundary.

What should we make of that? You could contend that part of the governors exclusive focus on growth and housing is cagey political outreach to Republicans who make their living in the trades.

Or you could argue, as Mike Houck does, that Tina clearly cant walk and chew gum at the same time.

Those kids just won this amazing case in Montana, says Houck, founder of the Urban Greenspaces Institute. I bet if you asked those kids if there wasnt a way you could protect the environment and create housing, theyd say, Absolutely, and call what Tina is doing small-minded and retrograde.

When the states supply of affordable housing is desperately low, the urban growth boundary is a tempting target. I should know. I argued last November that it might be time to rethink, revamp or flat-out eradicate the UGB.

Several thoughtful, and smarter, folks talked me down off that ledge.

The issue isnt land; its land readiness, McCurdy says. We have tens of thousands of acres inside urban growth boundaries, zoned for residential development, that are not being developed because they dont have infrastructure.

She points to the city of Bend. Since 2016, the citys UGB has expanded by 2,676 acres to make room for a minimum of 8,100 housing units. As of November 2022, however, the city reported only 509 had been built, thanks in large part to a $101 million funding gap for transportation infrastructure alone.

If Bend, quite the destination these days, cant afford such financing, how in the world could Grants Pass or Medford?

As Robert Liberty says, Even a Texas developer would blush if he claimed that creating windfalls for land speculators at the edge of the suburbs would result in affordable housing.

Does anyone really believe the builders and developers on Koteks housing council would crank out $200,000 homes in a world where $500,000 properties generate cash offers?

Expanding urban growth boundaries wont do anything to make housing affordable. Because it hasnt. And it never will, Liberty says. The idea that reducing costs  for land, lumber or labor  translates into reduced price? Thats not how the market works. Home prices are determined by demand, not the cost to build them. Even if you give away the land for free, developers will charge whatever the market will bear for a house. Its called market capitalism.

Once upon a time, notes Ethan Seltzer, emeritus professor of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University, federal programs subsidized infrastructure and paid local contractors to build it. That ended, Seltzer says, in Reagans America.

The governor wants to turn the market loose on the Oregon countryside with none of the supporting investments that guarantees we get what we need, Seltzer says. In 99% of the metropolitan areas in this country, there is no urban growth boundary, and we dont have affordability or sustainability.

What the governor is advocating for is following the lemmings over the cliff.

Kotek should also pause to reconsider these things, perhaps in the telling shade of a glorious tree.

-- Steve Duin

stephen.b.duin@gmail.com
Oregons top prosecutors say increasing the caseloads of public defenders, raising the threshold for criminal defendants to qualify for a public defender and just hiring more lawyers would significantly reduce the number of people facing prosecution without a court-appointed attorney.

The blunt message from the Oregon District Attorneys Association comes on the heels of a major federal court ruling that ordered Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett to release people from the county jail 10 days after their first court appearance if they do not have a lawyer.
MEDICAL LAKE, Wash.  A wind-driven wildfire in eastern Washington state has destroyed at least 185 structures, closed a major highway and left one person dead, officials said Saturday.

The blaze started on the west side of Medical Lake, about 15 miles west of Spokane, at about 12:30 p.m. Friday, Washington State Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Isabelle Hoygaard said Saturday.

It grew to 14.8 square miles by Saturday morning, with zero containment. The burned structures were a mixture of homes and outbuildings.

Level 3 evacuations  Go Now  were ordered for the town as winds blew the flames south, Hoygaard said. The blaze burned through the south side of the town and then jumped Interstate 90 Friday night, forcing its closure. The major east-west thoroughfare remained closed in both directions Saturday morning.

The fire is burning on both sides of the highway, the Washington state Department of Transportation said on its webpage.

There was one confirmed fatality associated with the fire, Hoygaard said.

Staff, patients and residents at Eastern State Hospital, one of the states two psychiatric facilities, and those living at the Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center, both located in Medical Lake, were sheltering in place Saturday, said Norah West, a spokesman for the Department of Social and Health Services.

Evacuees from the town were given shelter at Cheney High School overnight. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

My thoughts are with the Medical Lake, WA, residents who have been ordered to evacuate as the Gray Fire grows, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said on X, formally known as Twitter. Im also praying for the safety of the first responders working to contain the fire. May you all remain safe and out of harms way.

 The Associated Press
BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 19. The opening of the Zangezur corridor will increase the foreign trade and tourism potential of the Turkic world, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkiye Ibrahim Yumakli said, Trend reports.

"Opening this corridor as a door to the Turkic world will strengthen both trade and cultural relations. The fact that Igdir is the starting point of this corridor in our country will contribute to the development of the region," the minister noted.

Yumakli said that Azerbaijan's victory in Karabakh created an opportunity to open the Zangezur corridor.
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, called on Friday for Nigers democratically elected officials to be released at once, following their detention in the attempted coup on 26 July
New York, US (PANA) - The UN and partners are responding to disease outbreaks and an ongoing food insecurity crisis across Ethiopia which has left 1
Photo: (Photo : Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)

Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, 33, was found guilty of the harrowing murder of seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

In a shocking verdict from Manchester, England, the details that emerged from the trial have left the medical community and public stunned, provoking serious debate about infant safety in healthcare institutions.

Neonatal Nurse's Unprecedented Actions

In a shocking verdict from Manchester, England, neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, 33, was found guilty of the harrowing murder of seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

The details that emerged from the trial have left the medical community and public stunned, provoking serious debate about infant safety in healthcare institutions.

The heinous acts committed by Letby on a neonatal unit have earned her the notorious distinction of being the UK's most notorious child serial killer in recent history.

The convictions relate to disturbing events that unfolded at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.

Inside the Courtroom: A Deep Dive into Infant Poisoning

Lucy Letby's modus operandi involved deliberate infant poisoning techniques; she injected certain babies with air, force-fed some with milk, and poisoned two with insulin.

A striking moment in the trial was when Letby declined to make an appearance in the dock for the most recent verdicts.

Following a series of hearings, the jury delivered their decisions, which were held back from the public until the jurors were officially dismissed.

The weight of the guilty verdicts became palpable when, on August 8, after 76 exhaustive hours of deliberation, Lucy Letby collapsed into tears as the jury's foreman read out the decision. A similar reaction followed when additional verdicts were announced on August 11.

Emotions ran high in the courtroom; Lucy's mother, visibly distraught, was overheard exclaiming disbelief in the ruling, while families of the affected babies reacted with a mix of grief and shock.

Interestingly, of the array of charges, Lucy Letby was acquitted of two counts of attempted murder.

The jury, however, remained divided and couldn't conclusively decide on six other charges of attempted murder.

Lucy Letby vehemently denied all charges against her, but the discovery of a chilling confession note at her residence painted a grim picture of her psyche.

The note candidly read, "I don't deserve to live. I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough to care for them. I am a horrible evil person ... I AM EVIL I DID THIS."

During earlier sessions at Manchester Crown Court, Prosecutor Nick Johnson unveiled a portrayal of Letby as a "cold, cruel and relentless" individual. Drawing from AP reports, Johnson highlighted Letby's sinister "voyeuristic tendencies."

She reportedly scoured Facebook, searching for the parents of the infants she had harmed.

The prosecutor described Lucy Letby as a "calculated opportunist" leveraging the fragility of premature and sick children to mask her horrifying deeds.

Read Also: Illinois Pioneers Protection for Child Influencers, Sets Precedent for Other States

The Turning Point: Hospital's Role in Unraveling the Mystery

Initial suspicions regarding Lucy Letby's illicit activities were piqued when the Countess of Chester Hospital recorded an abnormal spike in unexpected infant collapses.

An internal probe pinpointed Letby as a recurrent element in these unnerving incidents.

The hospital's thorough investigation eventually led to her arrest, setting in motion a protracted legal battle that culminated in her recent conviction.

Addressing the jury at the conclusion of the trial, the judge emphasized the distressing nature of the case and gave them a reprieve from any future jury service.

As the legal chapter closes, Lucy Letby is scheduled for sentencing at Manchester Crown Court next Monday. Indications from her legal representatives suggest she may opt out of attending the hearing, even via a prison videolink.

The impact of these revelations on the neonatal nurse profession and the healthcare community at large remains profound, raising pressing questions about the safety and welfare of the youngest and most vulnerable patients.

Related Article: China Faces Record-Low Fertility Rate of 1.09 in 2022 Amidst Population Decline
Photo: (Photo : BRYAN R. SMITH / Getty Images)

A tragic incident that took place in Strongsville, Ohio, has left a community reeling, as 19-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla faces the possibility of a lifetime behind bars for a fateful decision that claimed the lives of her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, and his friend, Davion Flanagan, 19.

The court's ruling has divided opinions, with Russo's father advocating for leniency, while others contend that justice must be served.

The heartbreaking case has stirred emotions and sparked a debate about the appropriate consequences for Shirilla's actions.

A Controversial Verdict: Guilty on Multiple Counts

After a tense four-day bench trial, the judge handed down a verdict that left both sides of the courtroom divided. Mackenzie Shirilla, now 19, was found guilty of 12 counts, including four counts of murder.

The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office has indicated that Shirilla could face a maximum life sentence in prison with the possibility of parole after 32 years. The verdict has ignited discussions about the appropriate balance between justice and compassion in this tragic case.

On the early morning of July 31, 2022, the peaceful Cleveland suburb of Strongsville, Ohio, was shattered by a horrifying high-speed crash that claimed two young lives. Mackenzie Shirilla, then 17, was behind the wheel when she intentionally crashed into a brick building at a staggering 100 mph. The passengers, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan, tragically lost their lives at the scene, while Shirilla miraculously survived the impact.

The incident occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m., when Shirilla, then 17 years old, allegedly made the calculated decision to drive her black Toyota Camry into a commercial building. The location of the collision is situated approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown Cleveland, underscoring the geographic context in which this tragic event transpired.

According to law enforcement and prosecutors, the crash was far from a result of reckless driving; rather, it was a purposeful and deliberate act that has raised serious legal implications.

Judge Nancy Margaret Russo of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court stated during proceedings on Monday that her actions displayed a level of control, methodical precision, deliberation, intentionality, and purposefulness.

The court session, streamed live by WKYC, captured Shirilla's emotional reaction as she covered her mouth and shed tears upon hearing the judge's declaration. Following her conviction, Shirilla was taken into custody and is scheduled to receive her sentence on Monday, marking the next phase of this deeply impactful case.

Read Also: Colorado Police Face Lawsuit After Fatally Shooting Pregnant Woman in Shoplifting Mix-Up

A Father's Plea for Understanding

While grief-stricken by the loss of his son, Dominic Russo, Frank Russo, his father, has taken a surprising stance on Shirilla's fate.

Frank Russo, 61, has voiced his reluctance to see Shirilla sentenced to a lifetime in jail. He believes that ruining another young life won't alleviate his family's suffering. He emphasized that both families have been torn apart by the tragedy and expressed a desire for Shirilla to receive the help and treatment she needs.

Frank Russo's plea for compassion has drawn attention to the complex emotions that surround this case. Despite the devastating impact on his own family, he recognizes the pain that the Shirilla family is also enduring. Dominic Russo's older sister, Christina Russo, echoed these sentiments, expressing that the situation is far from black and white.

The trial's emotional toll was compounded by its timing, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Dominic Russo's passing.

The courtroom witnessed Mackenzie Shirilla's tearful reaction as the verdict was read aloud.

Her conviction on charges of felonious assault, aggravated vehicular homicide, drug possession, and possessing criminal tools, in addition to murder charges, has raised questions about the events leading up to the tragic crash.

Related Article: Neonatal Nurse Lucy Letby Found Guilty of Murdering Seven Babies: Shocking Trial Reveals Disturbing Details
My wife and I left Cedar City fairly early this morning, Friday morning, and headed for the town of Monroe, Utah  not far from Richfield  to attend the funeral of her remarkable 91-year-old aunt, who lost a brief battle with cancer after a very active life. We were representing my wifes father and her siblings. It was good to be there, and to gather with many members of my wifes extended family at the graveside service after the funeral, as well as at the delicious lunch provided by the Relief Society of the Monroe 3rd Ward.

Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them. (Doctrine and Covenants 42:45-46)

When they celebrate a life well lived, funerals can be among the most inspiring of our religious services, and this funeral was definitely inspiring. One of the high points, for me, as something that was said by a grandson in the private family prayer before the funeral proper. Ill paraphrase, but I think that my paraphrase is fairly close: We will miss our collective mother, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother, he said. But we rejoice that she is now in a place where she can once again be a daughter.

I loved that thought, which had never previously occurred to me.

Coming through the town of Nephi on the final leg of our journey, we stopped in at Freshs Homemade Eatery, a small sandwich shop on Main Street that is owned and operated by a relative of mine. We visited there with his parents (one of my cousins and her husband), and we bought and carried away a haul of tomato soup and fresh bread and salsa and cinnamon rolls and chicken pot pies and sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies. A good stop!

Three new items went up today, Friday, on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:

Upon the Wings of His Spirit: A Note on Hebrew ruaH and 2 Nephi 4:25, written by Matthew L. Bowen

Abstract: Nephi, in composing his psalm (2 Nephi 4:1535), incorporates a poetic idiom from Psalm 18:10 (2 Samuel 22:11) and Psalm 104:3 to describe his participation in a form of divine travel. This experience constituted a part of the vision in which he saw the things which [his] father saw in the latters dream of the tree of life (see 1 Nephi 11:13; 14:2930). Nephis use of this idiom becomes readily apparent when the range of meaning for the Hebrew word ruah is considered. Nephis experience helps our understanding of other scriptural scenes where similar divine travel is described.

Sacred Imaginings: Using AI to Construct Temples, written by Amanda Colleen Brown-Mather

Review of Jeffrey Thayne and Nathan Richardson, Temples of the Imagination: AI-Generated Temples, Human-Generated Insights (Provo, UT: The Interpreter Foundation, Verdant Press, and Eborn Books, 2023). 140 pages, $24.99 (softcover). Abstract: Were commanded to seek out of the best books words of wisdom, but how exactly do we seek? What are the best books? Temples of the Imagination uses cutting-edge technology to show its readers one futuristic way to incorporate this spiritual practice into their lives.

Interpreting Interpreter: Spiritual Wind, written by Kyler Rasmussen

This post is a summary of the article Upon the Wings of His Spirit: A Note on Hebrew ruah and 2 Nephi 4:25 by Matthew L. Bowen in Volume 58 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter series is available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought/. The Takeaway: Bowen suggests that Nephi used poetic language from Psalms to describe being carried away upon the wings of his Spirit, with the word spirit potentially using the Hebrew word ruah, which is often translated as wind.

Ive been busy and otherwise occupied this week and, consequently, I neglected to call attention to this item when it appeared on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: A paper entitled The Choreography of Genesis: A Ritual Reading of the Book of Abraham was delivered by David Calabro on Saturday, 5 November 2016, at the Interpreter Foundations 2016 Temple on Mount Zion conference, which was devoted to the theme of Sacred Time, Sacred Space, & Sacred Meaning. It is now available to you at no charge.

As I say, Ive been busy and have fallen behind. Here are three more items that, I believe, I neglected to mention here:

The New Testament in Context: Lesson 35, Be Perfectly Joined Together (1 Corinthians 17)

For the 30 July 2023 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson and Martin Tanner discussed New Testament lesson 35, Be Perfectly Joined Together, covering 1 Corinthians 17. The other segments of the 30 July 2023 program can be accessed at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreter-radio-show-july-30-2023. Now, though, this segment of the show has also been edited to remove commercial breaks and made available to you at your convenience and at no charge. The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

Interpreter Radio Show  August 13, 2023

In the 13 August 2023 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, the hosts were Terry Hutchinson and Kevin Christensen. During the final hour of their two-hour program, they were joined by Jared Marcum, the author of a recent article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship entitled Withstanding Satans Siege through Christs Iron Rod: The Vision of the Tree of Life in Context of Ancient Siege Warfare. They discussed Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 37, as well as Kevins recent interview on From the Desk about Margaret Barker, Grant Hardys recently released Annotated Book of Mormon, and Jareds article. The New Testament in Context portion of this show, for the Come, Follow Me New Testament lesson 37, God Is Not the Author of Confusion, but of Peace covering 1 Corinthians 1416, will also be posted separately on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. But the other portions of the show have now been shorn of commercial and other interruptions, archived, and made available to you at no charge. The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard each and every Sunday evening from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640. Or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

Come, Follow Me  New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 35, August 21-August 27

1 Corinthians 17  Be Perfectly Joined Together

Once again, Jonn Claybaugh contributes a concise but helpful set of notes for students and teachers of the Come, Follow Me curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Come, Follow Me  New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 35, August 21-August 27: 1 Corinthians 17  Be Perfectly Joined Together
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The country has now transitioned into a more aggressive phase to eliminate malaria, a leading cause of death.



The Ghana Health Service (GHS), which announced this yesterday, said the decision followed significant progress made in the control of the epidemic and lessons learnt over the years.



Malaria prevalence had reduced from 27.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2022, while mortality had reduced by 95 per cent between 2012 and 2022, representing a decline from 2,799 deaths in 2012 to 151 in 2022.



At a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Manager of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Keziah Malm, said elimination would be done by strengthening the interventions that had helped in the control of malaria over the years and the introduction of a few new ones.



Interventions



The new ones include mass drug administration, post-discharge malaria chemoprevention and scaling up malaria vaccination, as well as intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in schoolchildren.



Dr Malm also mentioned the conventional interventions to include larvae source management, distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, social behaviour change campaigns and vector surveillance, as well as vaccination which was on a pilot basis.



The others are research and indoor residual spraying.



I know when some people hear about elimination, they say its not going to be possible but we believe its possible progressively, the Malaria Elimination Programme manager said.



Dr Malm added that the zero malaria targets were feasible as a lot had been achieved but more needed to be done because malaria remained a national risk, with an impact on social and economic development.



She said while malaria remained a public health concern and a leading cause of death, projections of the impact made by national interventions showed that elimination was very possible as a country.



Strides



Dr Malm said over the years, the country, under its defunct Malaria Control Programme, had been able to reduce prevalence and mortalities significantly, justifying the countrys potential to eliminate malaria.



The current elimination target is focused on reducing mortality by 100 per cent by 2028 and cases by 50 per cent using the 2022 figures as the baseline.



Malaria deaths have also reduced significantly over the last five years from 1.42 out of every 100,000 cases to 0.45 per 100,000.



Plan



Dr Malm said the new malaria elimination strategic plan had been developed to, among others, strengthen passive and active surveillance and monitoring evaluation systems; ensure that 100 per cent of all confirmed cases were appropriately, effectively and completely treated within 72 hours and ensure 100 per cent detection rate by 2028.



She said that the current National Malaria Strategic Plan, which spanned 2021 to 2025, had three main goals; which were to reduce malaria mortality by 90 per cent, reduce malaria case incidence by 50 per cent and achieve malaria pre-elimination in at least six districts by 2025 using 2019 as a baseline.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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West African military chiefs have said they are prepared to use force to restore democracy in Niger following last month's coup if diplomacy fails.



The generals from the Ecowas group of nations are meeting in Ghana to co-ordinate possible military intervention.



The Ecowas peace and security commissioner, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said almost all member states were committed to contributing troops and are ready to intervene in Niger.



He added that the coup leaders in Niger still had time to pull back from the brink - but said all options were on the table if they did not restore civilian rule.



The threat of intervention has raised fears of a wider conflict, as the military governments in Mali and Burkina Faso have said they would side with their counterparts in Niger.



Ecowas officials say their resources will be used to support troops, but they will also welcome any outside help.

Source: BBC









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Popular Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks in protest against his detention, has been taken into intensive care, according to his allies.



"Mr Sonko was the victim of an illness that occurred last night," said Ousseynou Ly, who is a member of Mr Sonko's Pastef party that was forced to close by Senegal's authorities.



A medical source at Hospital Principal in the capital, Dakar, confirmed to the BBC that he had been moved into the intensive care unit.



Pastef says the authorities were "responsible" for Mr Sonko's condition after they charged and detained him for insurrection and conspiracy against the state, among other crimes. There has been no statement from the authorities on Mr Sonko's condition.



He plans to run for president in February next year but has been engaged in a bitter power struggle with the authorities since 2021 when he was placed under investigation in a moral corruption case.



"From the state of Senegal, we do not ask many things, except for the rights and freedom of Ousmane Sonko," said Habib Sy, president of the opposition coalition Yewwi Askan Wi.



In June, Mr Sonko was sentenced in absentia to two months in prison - which he said was politically motivated.



That triggered angry clashes by supporters that left 24 people dead, according to Amnesty International.



The next month he was arrested, and earlier this week he was charged with fomenting insurrection.

Source: BBC









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IHRC Chief today holds the interactive meeting with His Excellency Ambassador Zein Abu, the IHRC Africa Chairman to confer on him the permanent portfolio of Senior Deputy Chairman of the International Human Rights Commission (IGO) as the Head of Africa Region.



Both discussed the working of the Commission in the company of the Directorate on the enhancement as well as the active working mechanism of the organization in Africa.



They also discussed the forthcoming 7th World Summit on Human Rights 2023 to be held in Geneva, Switzerland to oversea all arrangements and active participation of the sponsor states.



IHRC Chief will announce the Summit dates in the coming week after final consultation with the foreign ministers of the sponsor states.



They concluded that the IHRC Africa Region will remain both an administrative support charter and the IGO's heartbeat for the Organisation's major resolutions.



The IHRC Africa's Headquarters which is in Accra will facilitate and accommodate conferences, provide syndicate offices, plenary session rooms and administrative settings for member states representatives as well as project desks in a 3,000 Square meter 2 storey facility.



The IHRC Chief praised the consistent growth of the IHRC Africa fostered by its very experienced Directors and their collaborators and look forward to the launch of its Development Partners effort in the the coming months

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The High Court in Accra will, on Thursday, August 31, this year, deliver its ruling on whether or not the Special Prosecutor should continue freezing the bank accounts of former Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Dapaah.



The court presided over by Justice Edward Twum, fixed the date after Dr Isidore Tuffour, who represented the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), moved the application in Court today.



Counsel argued that the confirmation application by the office of the special prosecutor was aimed at seizing $590,000 and GH 2,730,000 found in her home upon a search of three houses associated with her.



Dr Tuffour revealed that Cecilia Dapaah could not explain how she came by the funds and the ownership of the alleged stolen monies is in dispute.



He argued that there was no requirement for them to show grounds for suspicion that the accounts were tainted.



Opposition



But Counsel for Cecilia Dapaah, Victoria Barth, on the other hand, argued that the application for confirmation contravened the procedure outlined in the Special Prosecutor Act, 2017 (Act 959).



She contended that section 32(2) of Act 959 mandated the office to bring the application for confirmation within seven days after the seizure.



She argued that the application was filed after seven days had elapsed.



Ms Barth further argued that the fact that substantial amounts were found in the home of her clients does not justify the seizure of the property.



Counsel argued that the mere fact that their client was being investigated for corruption was not enough grounds for her accounts to be frozen.



According to her, the Special Prosecutor Act requires the applicant to demonstrate reasonable grounds for believing that the property is tainted and not just a mere assertion of the fact.



In her view, the OSP had not shown any grounds to prove that the monies found were tainted.



Husband



Before fixing the date, the presiding judge asked why Cecilia Dapaah was the only person being investigated when the alleged tainted money was found in her matrimonial home.



In his response, Dr Tuffour told the court that Cecilia Dapaahs husband had also been placed under arrest.



Background



On July 5, this year, police prosecutors arraigned two househelps working for Ms Dapaah and her husband, Daniel Osei Kuffour, at an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly stealing money and items worth millions of Ghana cedis from the couple's residence at Abelemkpe in Accra.



According to the charge sheet, the accused persons allegedly stole valuable items from the residence of Mrs Dapaah, including $1,000,000 and 300,000 belonging to the couple.



The OSP arrested the minister and commenced investigations into the matter.



In the application filed at the High Court, the OSP noted that Ms Dapaah stated in her initial complaint to the police that $800,000 of the amount reportedly stolen from her residence belonged to her deceased brother and GH300,000 was a contribution towards her mother's funeral, which was contained in a box.



The OSP added that Ms Dapaah, who later resigned, did not indicate who owned the remainder of $200,000.



After several media publications, Ms Dapaah issued a public statement claiming that there were noticeable inconsistencies between the amounts of money being discussed in the public domain and the thrust of the original complaint in the matter.



On July 22, this year, Mrs Dapaah resigned from her position as Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, which was subsequently accepted by the President.



On July 24, this year, the OSP arrested her on charges of corruption and corruption-related offences and subsequently conducted searches in three residential properties of Ms Dapaah at Cantonments, Abelemkpe and Tesano in Accra, leading to the new cash discoveries.



According to court documents, the OSP seized the discovered cash sums on grounds that they were suspected to be tainted property in accordance with section 32(1) of Act 959, hence the need to exercise the power of seizure to prevent concealment of the cash sums.



Circuit Court



Meanwhile, the father of one of the lead suspects has been freed.



Kwaku Botwe became a free man after police prosecutors filed a fresh charge sheet at the Circuit Court which excluded his name.



Botwe is the father of Patience Botwe, a former househelp of Ms Dapaah.



In the new charge sheet, Sarah Agyei and Patience Botwe have been charged with six counts of stealing, while Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary and Yahaya Sumaila have been charged with dishonestly receiving stolen money.



Agyei and Achab, both lactating mothers, have been admitted to bail in the sum of GH1 million each, with three sureties to be justified by the court presided over by Afia Owusuaa Appiah.



Per the bail conditions, the sureties are to deposit their passports and Ghana cards at the court registry.



The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, told the court that investigations were ongoing.



Meanwhile, another suspect, Franklin Sarakpo, is currently on the run.



Hearing at the Circuit Court has been adjourned to Tuesday, August 22, this year.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Fighting against corruption is not a slogan or a lip fight as some of our leaders have been doing rather it takes leadership, commitment, and prosecution, Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has revealed.



She noted that until all stakeholders were committed holistically to the fight against corruption, all efforts would amount to only scratching the surface of corruption instead of winning the fight against it.



Narteh said this in an engagement with the Ghana News Agency and shared perspectives on the GACC project dubbed Building Evidence for Increased Accountability in Ghana through a Multi-Stakeholder Accountability Initiative.



The GACC Executive Secretary said even though the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) 10-year implementation would end in 2024, it could not be said that Ghana had lived up to its objectives, even though some gains might have been made under it.



She described it as a shame that corruption had been normalized in Ghana, as the country has stayed below the 50 percent mark for a long time, an indication that corruption is no longer a big deal to some people.



Narteh again said that when the Corruption Perception Index and Afrobarometer reports were published on corruption in the country, they were often rubbished as being only perceptions rather than actuals.



She said, however, that the survey on actual perception by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), published in 2022, and an Experience Survey conducted by GACC in 2017 all pointed to the fact that corruption was highly endemic in the country.



She called on the government and stakeholders to collectively make corruption a high-risk venture to deter people from venturing into it, but if it fails and becomes a lucrative venture, people will willingly go out and engage in it.



Samuel Harrison-Cudjoe, GACC Programmes Manager, in his contribution, tasked Ghanaian youth to personalise the impact of corruption and help fight against it.



Mr. Harrison-Cudjoe noted that the coalitions focus was to help the youth understand the impact of corruption and how it affected them, as well as to get them involved in the anti-corruption drive.



He said by involving the youth in the drive, the coalition also aimed at popularising the African Union Anti-Corruption Group that was formed to fight corruption in Africa.



He said GACC celebrated this years AU anti-corruption day in July with a project on the theme: Empowering Ghanaian Youth: GACC Commitment on AU Anti-Corruption Day to gear towards creating informed and active citizens who will contribute to a corruption-free future for Ghana.



He added that the coalition targeted the young ones in the basic and senior high schools to imbibe in them the knowledge of fighting corruption in the country.



Harrison-Cudjoe said, We want to train a generation that will come to appreciate the fight against corruption and recognise corruption when they see it.



The District-Level Africa Union Anti-Corruption Day was celebrated on July 11 to recognize the vast progress that has been made and to be cognizant of the need to continually reflect on approaches to ending corruption.



The GACC, in collaboration with its Local Accountability Networks (LANets) and funding support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, commemorated 2023 African Anti-Corruption Day in 31 districts across 14 regions in Ghana.





Source: GNA









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The chiefs of Akyempim Traditional Area of the Central Region have called on the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, to honour a promise he made to ensure that the Chieftaincy Act is repealed.



That, they said, would enable them to handle some issues in their communities effectively.



Nana Adubua Atta II, Nyimfahen of Akyempim Traditional Area, made the call at a durbar to commemorate the maiden Ahobaakese Festival.



It is celebrated by Andam Mba Nyimfa Division of the traditional area at Gomoa



Oguaa, a community in the Gomoa West District.



The event, on the theme: Remembering the Heroism of Egya Ahor, was well attended by chiefs, queen mothers and their kinsmen from 13 towns, constituting the Andam Mba Nyimfa Division of the Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area.



The festival was to school the public on the reasons for the celebration of the Ahobaakese, and learn lessons from the citizenship spirit exhibited by Egya Ahor, their forefather, in saving his people.



Nana Atta, who presided, said the 1992 Constitution was silent on how chiefs should execute their mandate as custodians of the land to improve the living standards of their community members.



If the Act is repealed, it will go a long way to help reclaim our integrity and use such powers to ensure that sound justice and tranquility prevail in our catchments areas, rather than for



people to continue seeking redress at the shrines, he said.



The Chief appealed to Mr Bismark Baisie Nkum, the Gomoa West District Chief Executive, and Mr Richard Gyan-Mensah, the Member of Parliament for Gomoa, to use their good offices to work towards renaming the Gomoa Dawurampong Senior High School (SHS) to Egya Ahor SHS to honour the late chief priest.



Nana Atta revealed that some acres of land had been reserved around the clinic at Gomoa Oguaa for its up-grade into a hospital, since the population had grown.



He emphasised the need for the DCE and MP to champion such a course to prevent their constituents from travelling longer distances, through deplorable roads, to seek health care services.



Nana Odeasempa Yaw Tawiah III, Beamuhen of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, and



the Odikro of Gomoa Kumasi, who schooled the gathering on the significance of the Ahobaa Festival, said the Gomoa people, led by Nana Gomoa, were part of the larger Akan Tribe, who migrated from the old Ghana Empire (Mesopotamia), due to some disturbances, to Takyiman and later arrived at the southern part of Ghana.



On their arrival, an epidemic broke, which killed several people each day, and the leaders consulted their gods, who asked for human sacrifice.



Egyaa Ahor, the Chief Priest, volunteered, and he was sacrificed. And that ended the epidemic, hence the need for us to emulate his example, by dedicating and sacrificing ourselves for sound and total development of our localities, he indicated.



That brought about the name; Ahobaa Festival.



Nana Dantse II, Odikro of Gomoa Oguaa, commended the chiefs and people of Adam Andam Mba Nyimfa Division for participating



in all activities of the festival, to ensure success.



He expressed the hope that subsequent Ahobaakese festivals would be well attended to forge unity and enhance development of the traditional area.





Source: GNA









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The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, to contribute to Governments digitisation strategies by making contributions, which will enhance the nation's digital advancement.



Speaking at a graduation ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College in Accra on Friday August 18, 2023, Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the historic contributions of the Armed Forces to the advancement of technology, urging the Ghana Armed Forces to be on board the digitization drive, because of the link between the military and technology.



"It has been acknowledged, the world over, that the military and technology are inseparable," Dr. Bawumia said.



"Indeed, many technologies that we are enjoying today are the product of military research. Examples include the microwave ovens, computers, GPS technology, the internet, nuclear energy, walkie talkies, etc."



"Therefore I look forward to the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly GAFCSC, to help with strategies that will contribute to governments digitization agenda," added the Vice President.



"As I requested at last years graduation, government is looking forward to GAFCSC developing modules and programmes that will challenge the ingenuity of the youth, particularly in digitalization awareness and Cyber security related issues."



IMPACT OF GAFCSC



Dr. Bawumia hailed the significant impact the GAFCSC is making as a citadel of knowledge, not only on Ghanaians, but also serving men nationals of other African country.



"I have repeatedly referred to GAFCSC, as a prime national asset with a place of pride in Ghana and the entire continent as it continues to serve as a citadel of knowledge for our military and that of allied countries," he said.



"Over time, GAFCSC has convincingly carved a niche for itself as the destination of choice for Allied officers and countries who have a desire to achieve professional excellence in their respective Armed Forces."



With the College's growing reputation, Dr. Bawumia further urged the Staff College Control Board and the Military High Command to leverage its enhanced status and prominence, to work towards sustaining the gains already achieved and possibly venture into other unexplored areas necessary for national development.



"The increased demand for vacancies on your programmes should serve as a motivation to explore and tap into other areas of study that are necessary for the socio-economic development of our dear nation and by extension the continent."



"With the status of the College as a tertiary institution and her flagship Integrated programme, namely the Passed Staff College (psc) and the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics, GAFCSC has assumed an even greater role in shaping the leadership and managerial skills of many professionals from Ghana and other sister African countries."



Dr. Bawumia also assured the Armed Forces of Governments continuous support for the military, including the expansion of its infrastructure, "as it has always done."



The joint graduation ceremony was for the 2023 year group of the College for Senior Command and Staff Course 44, as well as the Master of Science in Defense and International Politics Class of 2023.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 19. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan discussed the possibility of increasing mutual investments, Trend reports.

According to the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Economy Sahib Mammadov met with Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan Oybek Khamrayev.

During the meeting, Mammadov stated that both nations place a high priority on the effective growth of their bilateral relations and that there are many potential to increase cooperation in the area of trade. The terms of the intergovernmental agreement on the creation of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Investment Fund contribute to a rise in bilateral trade and investment as well as a strengthening of economic ties.

Khamrayev emphasized Uzbekistan's interest in collaborating on numerous initiatives with Azerbaijan.

During the discussion, it was also discussed what steps were being taken to promote economic cooperation.

According to the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan by the end of 2022 amounted to $181.2 million (an increase of 52.4 percent compared to 2021).

In general, there are 204 enterprises with the participation of Azerbaijani capital in Uzbekistan as of July 1, 2023 (71 in 2017). In addition, 67 of them are joint ventures, and 137 are foreign enterprises. Since the beginning of this year, 21 enterprises have been created.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Wales Ojo, has asserted that modern-day actors have prioritised fake acting over realness.



He insisted that modern-day Nollywood actors have prioritised fake acting above the naturalness that was the hallmark of veteran actors.



The British-Nigerian thespian stated this in a recent interview with Hip TV.



Veteran Nollywood actor, Wales Ojo, has asserted that modern-day actors have prioritised fake acting over realness.



He insisted that modern-day Nollywood actors have prioritised fake acting above the naturalness that was the hallmark of veteran actors.



The British-Nigerian thespian stated this in a recent interview with Hip TV.



According to Wale Ojo: When I used to watch the old Nollywood, those were the stories that used to excite me. Those are Ramsey Noahs flicks, Rita Dominic, Pete Edochie, Omotola Jalade, Genevieve Nnaji. The stories were really good. The acting was great.



I know that things had moved on, but in this age of artificial intelligence, perhaps, they [morden day actors] have taken on more of artificial acting rather than realness which was there [old Nollywood], and which you actually find more in Yoruba movies, by the way.



I remember watching Hubert Ogundes, Jide Kosoko, Baba Suwe, Papilolo. These were real hard core veterans at that time.



Things have changed and they must change. Things have changed for the better and some things have also changed for the worse. And I can understand this feeling of nostalgia for wanting to go back to the old Nollywood. The wonderful thing would be to marry that old Nollywood now with new Nollywood so that it is a marriage that would please our audiences.

Source: Daily Post









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A traffic stop in DeKalb County, Alabama, turned up a child reported missing from Pennsylvania.

And the officer responsible was the son of TVs Dog the Bounty Hunter, on his first day as a certified patrolman.

Thats according to Ider Police Chief Stephen Malone.

Being able to make the call to this boys guardian, letting them know hes safe and on his way home, is one the most rewarding parts of this job, Malone said in a statement.

Ider police say Amanda Beiland, 37, of Ider, has been charged with interference with child custody. She also has a previous charge for chemical endangerment of a child, Malone said.

She was booked into the DeKalb County Jail Thursday morning. Bond has not yet been set.

According to Malone, the officer who stopped Beiland found a boy in the car.

The officer, Garry Chapman, is the son of Duane Chapman, otherwise known as Dog the Bounty Hunter, who earned fame for an A&E series that chronicled his life as a bounty hunter and bail bondsman.

A check uncovered that the boy had been reported missing for more than a week from Scranton, Pa. The child will be transported back to his guardian, Malone said.

Duane Chapman, the reality TV star known as "Dog the Bounty Hunter." (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, 2019)

Duane Chapman was in Alabama to celebrate Garry Chapmans graduation Aug. 10 from the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy.

More:

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Dauphin County woman crossed state to attack her childs foster family: police
The family of a western Pa. woman whose 2018 killing remains unsolved said Thursday that it was a political stunt by the county district attorney to announce a suspect who has not been charged.

Earlier this week, Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier named Sheldon Jeter Jr., now 25, as the prime suspect in the shooting death of 33-year-old cyber school teacher Rachael DelTondo in the driveway of her familys home.

On Thursday, an attorney for DelTondos parents released a statement to WTAE-TV and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh in which they blasted Lozier for not having the guts to call or visit to let them know he would be making his announcement on Aug. 15.

This caused more suffering and hurt on top of what we suffered for the past five years, the parents said.

They went on to say that Loziers announcement was a cheap, underhanded, pitiful, political stunt  to boost his campaign for re-election, which will occur in approximately two and one-half months, at the expense of our dead daughter and us.

In his announcement naming Jeter as the prime suspect, Lozier said investigators have evidence showing that he was stalking DelTondo but lack the data or witnesses to place him at DelTondos house when the homicide occurred.

After five years of producing nothing, he is fearful that his ineptness as a DA is showing through and that the announcement was made to deflect his poor effort to bring justice to our daughter, the DelTondos said. Shame on him.

Sheldon Jeter Jr.

Both TV outlets reached out to Lozier for a response but were told that he was out of the country and unavailable.

Jeter and DelTondo had an off-and-on association that reportedly began when he was still in Aliquippa High School.

Jeter was convicted in 2021 of the murder of a friend in 2020 and is serving a life sentence. He is appealing that conviction.
Several months after the Pennsylvania Game Commission relaxed rules on human-wild animal interaction in petting zoos and other attractions, an employee at a Harrisburg area wildlife park was gored by a bison.

That incident was enough for a Philadelphia lawmaker to decide to try to restore the states old regulations to better protect the public from potentially dangerous wildlife.

Wild animals are not pets; their intrinsic instincts are exactly that  wild  which makes them unpredictable, Rep. Joseph Hohenstein, a Democrat, wrote in a memo to fellow senators. Close human contact with wild animals can and does harm both animals and people interacting with them. In addition to bites and scratches, wild animals can spread viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections that pose serious health risks to people.
In this era of social media, candidates have learned how to blanket voters with a constant stream of fundraising requests. Anyone who has ever donated to a political campaign can count on an increasing barrage of requests from contenders for office who may not be from their own state or from their own party for that matter.

This is because candidates share lists with each other and cross pollinate their campaigns with small donors who respond to their urgent internet pleas.

The lifeblood of any campaign is money. As a believer in a robust two-party system, I continue to urge all citizens to vote, volunteer, and contribute generously to the candidates of their choice. It seems to me that doling out small checks to every candidate who manages to find your e-mail address is not the best way to participate. Look for opportunities to attend a few events for those candidates whose positions have earned your personal and financial support. If possible, meet the candidate or his staff to assure that you are betting on the right horse.

The reality is that the small dollar, internet driven fundraising is a fraction of what candidates need to run for office. Congressional campaigns that once cost $500,000 to $1 million are now approaching $15 million and up. Governors and U.S. Senate candidates are now facing $100 million campaigns. Much of this money is solicited by and routed through PAC committees that support campaigns but, supposedly, operate independently from the candidate.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case allowed unlimited amounts of corporate cash to be provided by PACS unbridled by the limits placed on individual contributions in federal elections.

This has pushed modern campaign seasons into multibillion enterprises that drown us all in non-stop advertising. This has already begun for the 2024 Presidential season.

To all donors, here is a timeless admonition: Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware. The New York Times did an expose concluding that the former president is using money from small donors to defend himself legally. His Save America PAC has spent tens of millions of dollars over the past two years defending Trump.

With new indictments came new legal fees and the Times notes that Save America spent $16 million in 2022 and has already shelled out $27 million this year.

FEC regulations require that campaign dollars cannot be used for personal expenses. The campaign skirts the issue by saying that all of the charges were related to actions related to Trumps former official duties. While this may be technically true, the question that remains: Is it ethical? Or is it an abuse of campaign donors?

With this background, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Trumps Save America PAC is hosting a high -dollar fundraiser in Philadelphia next month. It is reported that tickets for the event run as high as $23,200 per couple which includes a VIP reception and a photo with the former president.

Heres a suggestion to all of those who received the online invitation: Just say no.

Campaign operatives around the country know that there are big donors in both parties in Philadelphia. These are businesspeople, lawyers, bankers, other highly successful professionals who know how to influence campaigns and to establish relationships with political leaders. They are also well aware of the odds of their candidate winning and the way in which their money will be spent in that effort. That is why candidates view Philadelphia contributors as smart money.

There are two specific reasons for those contributors to beware of bolstering the Trump bank. First, Trump is a flawed candidate who is facing litigation in four different jurisdictions. The most jarring of the 91 charges that he faces is the accusation that Trump and his cronies willingly and knowingly joined in a criminal operation to unlawfully overturn the results of thepPresidential election.

At best, Donald Trump will be spending most of the primary season in courtrooms. At worst, he could be the only Presidential candidate to run a campaign from a prison cell.

Secondly, your money may not be advancing any political or policy agenda at all. The unwillingness of Donald Trump to shoulder his own legal fees and the ability to tap into campaign contributions means that he will continue to exploit small and large donors who are blindly tossing money at a man who defies the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.

Just say no.

Mark S. Singel is a former lieutenant governor and acting governor of Pennsylvania.
The Aug. 8 meeting of the Perry County commissioners once again was dominated by public comments. Dozens of Perry Countians attended the meeting, with many taking the opportunity to address commissioners over concerns about the upcoming reassessment, usage of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds, and accessibility of commissioners meetings.

Commissioners also approved contracts and employee status changes. Commissioner Brenda Watson and Chief Clerk Shannon Hines were not present at the meeting, as they were attending the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvanias annual conference.

Randy Kessler asked commissioners how frequently they receive a treasurers report, to which they did not have an immediate answer. Kessler then moved on to asking how businesses were notified about the availability of ARPA funds.

Theres only seven small businesses that received ARPA money on the spreadsheet provided by the county, Kessler said. How do you think those seven small businesses found out? Im asking for your opinion or if you definitively know how they found out the funds were available as aid to them for the COVID hardships.

We never asked them that, responded commissioner Brian Allen. I guess were going to have to pull each one and ask them.

How did the process work to approve the select few that received the money from the ARPA funds? Kessler asked.

I believe when most applied, they had to prove a loss, Allen said. Now, keep in mind under $10 million of ARPA money, there was all kinds of rules at first, and then they came out with under $10 million, the smaller counties such as ours, which they got less than $10 million, could pretty much do what they felt was best. There was no law that had to do with businesses or nonprofits or really anything. Wed already gotten applications in from small businesses.

Kessler asked if commissioners approved all the disbursements of ARPA funds, to which Allen responded yes.

Luanne Bohren questioned commissioners on the contracting of Zelenkofski Axelrod LLC, an accounting firm based in Harrisburg, asking how many months theyve been working on getting the fiscal office up to date.

Oh, they do more than just help us with the fiscal office, Allen responded. Theyve helped with a lot of different things. Theyve been an excellent, excellent vendor.

Bohren then asked what is meant by getting the fiscal office up to date.

Well, to improve the system we had, the system was very old, Allen answered. (The county has) been using software that was made for school districts. They have been helping us update and get the records so we can go to a more modern system to get information faster.

Colin Reynolds, chairman for the Centre Twp. Board of Supervisors, questioned why the county did not do a competitive bid process for the reassessment. County Solicitor William Bunt responded that he would speak with Reynolds following the meeting to explain how the contract was awarded in compliance with county code. Reynolds also stated that he had sought county funding for bridge repairs in Centre Twp. and nothing was offered. He was told that there are funds available in the infrastructure bank. Reynolds then asked for clarification on potential tax increases following the reassessment.

Youve got to follow a two-step process, responded Chief Assessor Randy Waggoner. First, one is calculating at what millage rate you will be revenue neutral with the prior year, and then once you establish that, you can, in the first year the reassessment takes effect, go as high as 10 percent.

I would also like to clear the air, Waggoner said a few moments later. Theres a lot of misinformation about no trespassing and trespassing. The verbal instructions given to the data collectors have been if you drive up to a property, whether its along the road or you turn at the driveway and theres no trespassing signs, you photograph the no trespassing sign and you move on. You dont go on the property. If you start up the driveway and the no trespassing signs are part way up the driveway or even at the top or at the house, then you photograph the no trespassing sign, but you get out of your vehicle and you put the door hanger on the door, which is a plastic sleeve with information.

After the first round of public comments, commissioners moved on to other items on the agenda. They approved contracts for the Cumberland-Perry Drug and Alcohol Commission and the appointment of Casey Kibe as a clerk in the Court Administration Department effective Aug. 14 at an hourly rate of $14.03. They approved the termination of Kile Deibler, a part-time correctional officer at the county prison, effective Aug. 1. Also approved was the appointment of Nolan Littlewood as part-time dispatcher in the 911 center, effective Aug. 8 at an hourly rate of $16.13.
An Iranian couple living in North Vancouver were surprised by the return of their iPhone after dropping it into Penticton River Channel. Their story had since gone viral amongt Iranian Twitter users.
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The Biden-Harris campaign put out a strong statement expressing the belief that Trump is afraid to go to Wisconsin because it would highlight his failed leadership.

Biden For President spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Of course Donald Trump wants to avoid appearing in Wisconsin because he knows Wisconsin is a state that illustrates his failed leadership. Just this week, Foxconn announced another move out of the state. Wisconsinites soundly rejected his ongoing efforts to ban abortion in the states Supreme Court election earlier this year. He cannot hide from the fact that Wisconsinites rejected him in 2020, and will reject the MAGA agenda again in 2024.

Trump has a lot of reasons not to want to show up in Wisconsin. Foxconn ended up being a total debacle. Former Gov. Scott Walker and Trump gave Foxconn a combined $4.5 billion in state and federal taxpayer money, and the manufacturing jobs that were promised never showed up.

This week Foxconn announced that they are selling their buildings in Green Bay that were promised to innovation centers that would create hundreds of jobs.

The Biden campaign asked a good question. Why is Donald Trump afraid to debate? Trump was a total failure as president, and his record was one of literal death and economic destruction, but why wont Trump face the voters?

What is he so afraid of?

The American people deserve a president who is successful and will also show up. That person is not Donald Trump.
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The part of the Georgia voter suppression law that banned food and drink for people who are waiting in line to vote has been blocked by a federal court.

Marc. E. Elias tweeted:

BREAKING: Federal Court BLOCKS Georgia ban on providing food and water to people waiting in line to vote beyond 150 feet of polling places. A victory for voters and our clients! https://t.co/AvyZsoOlj8  Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 18, 2023

The court correctly saw what Georgia Republicans were trying to do and found that denying people food and water while waiting in line to vote was a likely effort to infringe on the First Amendment rights of voters. Voters have a free speech right to cast their ballots and Republicans were trying to discourage people from using their right by creating long voting lines and a situation that would make the wait to vote intolerable.

This is an important ruling for democracy in the state of Georgia, and for everyone who believes that the Georgia voter suppression law wont impact the state because of how the 2022 election went, the real test will come when voters go to the polls to pick the next president in 2024.

The courts have demonstrated that they are capable of being an effective backstop against right-wing authoritarianism and lawlessness. As the 2024 election gets closer the battle to protect voters will heat up, and some of these court decisions could determine the future of American democracy.
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Trump may do more than an interview with Tucker Carlson to upstage the Fox News debate. He may also surrender in Georgia on Wednesday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported:

Imagine the possible scene on Wednesday in Milwaukee, as Donald Trumps 2024 presidential race rivals prepare for the first GOP debate, and the former president distracts attention from it all by choosing that moment to turn himself in at the Fulton County Jail.

Trumps allies in Georgia say theres a distinct possibility he could pull off the jailhouse counterprogramming come Aug. 23. The indictment by the Fulton County grand jury on Monday requires Trump to surrender to authorities in Atlanta by Friday, Aug. 25.

An online interview with Tucker Carlson wont cut it as far as counterprogramming is concerned, but the one way that Trump has been able to get all of the national media attention on him has been his criminal arraignments. If Trump is serious about counterprogramming the debate, he could let it be known that he is going to surrender as the debate is starting. Trump could walk into the jail and surrender as his Republican primary opponents are taking the stage.

In one swoop, he would wipe any coverage that the Republican debate may have gotten.

Trump could tape his Tucker Carlson interview where he talks about surrendering and then go surrender,

It would be exactly the sort of chaos that Trump wants, and no one should rule it out as a possibility.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 19. KazMunayGas, Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company, and Russia's Lukoil have reached the final stage of an agreement on corporate procedures for the sale of 50 percent of the share of Kalamkas-Khazar Operating LLP in favor of Lukoil, Trend reports.

The issue was discussed during the meeting between Magzum Mirzagaliyev, Chairman of the Management Board of KazMunayGas, and the Lukoil management.

During the talks, the parties discussed topical issues of cooperation and promising areas of work, as well as exchanged views on joint activities on the project "Kalamkas-Sea, Khazar, Auezov", located on the shelf of the Caspian Sea.

"I am pleased to note the complete mutual understanding and the absence of any controversial points in the negotiating positions of the parties. I am sure that our cooperation will be just as fruitful at the stage of the project implementation," Mirzagaliyev said during the meeting.

In February 2023, KazMunayGas and Russian energy corporation Lukoil agreed on the joint development of the Kalamkas-Sea, Khazar, Auezov subsoil in the Kazakhstani sector of the Caspian Sea.

The operator of the project, Kalamkas-Khazar Operating LLP, plans to submit and approve a Project for the development of deposits at the CCRR of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the third quarter of 2023.
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Ron DeSantis said he would like to move on from his fight with Disney, but the company sued him for damages.

Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The counterclaims were filed as part of Disneys defenses to the suit by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) accusing the company of illegally stripping the board of its authority. Disney is also suing DeSantis in federal court, accusing him of illegally voiding an agreement that purported to transfer certain powers of its now-dissolved special district back to the company. On Monday, he urged Disney to drop the lawsuit, saying hes moved on.



Thursdays filing accused the CFTOD of breach of contract for challenging its duty to perform under the contracts, including by declaring them void. As a result of the boards failure to comply with the agreements, Disney has suffered and will continue to suffer damages and will be irreparably harmed if the District is allowed to avoid its contractual obligations, wrote Daniel Petrocelli, a lawyer for the company, in the filing.

Remember when Ron DeSantis was going to make his presidential campaign all about how he stood up to woke Disney and he was going to be a hero to the right who would ride a wave of praise past Donald Trump and straight to the White House?

Thats gone so badly that DeSantis tried to put the whole fiasco in the past, only to have The Mouse come after him.

DeSantis picked this fight with Disney because the company spoke out against his dont say gay law. Ron DeSantis tried to use Disney as a platform for his presidential campaign, and it has gone wrong.

The Disney debacle hurt DeSantis and revealed his weakness. In a moment of lucidity, Trump jumped on the point that DeSantis lost to Mickey Mouse, and the Florida governor has been unable to recover.

Ron DeSantis wants to move on, but Disney is showing no mercy.
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Rudy Giuliani claimed his Russian disinformation means that Biden should be charged with RICO because he and Trump are an election fraud organization, not a criminal enterprise.

Giuliani said on Newsmax, Thats what RICO is for. It isnt necessarily for organized crime, but its for a major criminal enterprise. This is hardly that this is this is an election fraud argument. We cant be totally inconsistent with RICO. RICO is for serious, long-term criminal organizations. They can be political corruption. The Biden family is a perfect RICO case. 100. In fact, theres one text of Hunters that could have been written for RICO, the one where he says for 30 years. Hes been paying all the expenses of the family and still has to give pop half well, Its now turning out that all that proof is coming out, but I put that out three years ago.

Video:

Giuliani never proclaims his innocence. He is interested in claiming he was not engaged in a criminal enterprise and creating a false equivalency between his and Trumps conduct and a baseless Biden conspiracy theory. Giuliani claimed that RICO doesnt apply to him, but in the same breath, admitted that it does apply to political corruption. Giuliani said that e and Trump were not involved in a long-term criminal enterprise, but doesnt deny that crimes were committed.

By trying to use his discredited Russian disinformation to attack the Bidens, Giuliani was basically confessing to committing crimes.

Rudy Giuliani needs to stop talking. Trump isnt paying his legal bills, and the lawyer for the presidents mouth could land him in a Georgia prison cell.
An Aiken man was killed Aug. 18 in a single-vehicle crash in Aiken County.

Michael B. Garvin, 34, died at the scene, Aiken County Coroner Darryl M. Ables said.

The wreck happened at 9:13 p.m. Friday along Pine Log Road near Dixie Clay Road, 5.4 miles south of Warrenville.

Garvin was heading south in a 1981 Chevrolet pickup truck when it went off the right side of the road, according to Master Trooper Brandon Bolt with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. After Garvin overcorrected, Bolt said the vehicle went off the left side of the road, then back off the right side of the road where the pickup overturned.

Ables said Garvin, who was the vehicle's only occupant, was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.
A summary of movies opening this weekend in Aiken. Read moreMovie Guide: What's playing in Aiken for the weekend of Oct. 20
Before we get too far removed from the whole bizarre dispute between Equity Court Judge Joseph Strickland and the Richland County legislative delegation, we need to spend a few minutes on an extraordinary rebuke that one of our justices lobbed at his colleagues on the S.C. Supreme Court as part of that dispute.

The rebuke had nothing to do with Judge Strickland's lawsuit against the legislators, and it didn't actually mention the name of the other Richland County judge whose own extraordinary ruling set the high court's internal squabbling in motion, but the target was unmistakable. And it reminded us of a problem in our courts that the justices have thus far refused to address, despite an unequivocal promise on April 26 to do so.

A week before the unanimous Supreme Court ordered Richland lawmakers to forward Judge Strickland's nomination for reappointment to Gov. Henry McMaster, four of the five justices ordered the S.C. Judicial Merit Selection Commission to stop processing applications for the master-in-equity position that Mr. Strickland has held for more than three decades.

The majority reasoned that halting screening was the only way to preserve Judge Stricklands rights until it ultimately sided with him. But Associate Justice John Few made the not-unreasonable argument that since the merit commission didn't have the authority to actually replace Judge Strickland, the court could preserve his rights without enjoining the commission.

'Recent disappointing record'

After explaining the difficult timeline the court had created for itself, Mr. Few wrote: The Courts recent disappointing record of not releasing opinions in a timely manner raises a significant risk we will be pushing the November JMSC hearings before we can decide whether Judge Strickland is correct. He also trenchantly urged his colleagues to hold oral arguments in the Strickland matter and "promptly issue an opinion."

Granted, that might not feel pointed to you; but trust me: This sort of commentary on the court's productivity is ... notable. And although there likely are some other orders the court is sitting on  attorneys have been complaining for some time about how long its taking the court to release opinions  the one opinion of high public import that is long overdue involves the case of Jeroid Price.

Mr. Price, you recall, was convicted of murder in 2003 and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Under S.C. law, he was required to serve at least 30 years, but retiring Circuit Judge Casey Manning held a secret hearing on his final day in the office and issued a secret order releasing him after serving only 19 years. When The Post and Courier reported on the release, Attorney General Alan Wilson asked the court to intervene, and the justices did so almost immediately, in a brief 3-2 order vacating Judge Mannings order and directing law enforcement to return Mr. Price to prison. In that order, the court promised to file a formal opinion explaining the basis for its decision.

Which we have yet to see.

And about which Justice Few has appropriately reminded us.

This certainly wouldn't be the first time the court sat on an important opinion. The Abbeville v. South Carolina school equity case didnt take two decades to resolve simply because it kept ping-ponging between the Circuit and Supreme courts; the high court itself took nearly a decade after the lower court order to reach a decision  including more than two years pondering a decision after it heard a second round of oral arguments on the second appeal. Then-Chief Justice Jean Toal would make it clear to the judicial selection panel in the midst of the delay that she was trying (unsuccessfully, it turned out) to come up with language that could produce a unanimous decision.

Mixed signals on secrecy

The Jeroid Price case is an entirely different animal: The what was settled immediately, but the why remains unexplained.

That would leave an unacceptable vacuum even if the judicial branch had done nothing besides holding an energetic session of oral arguments and issuing its cryptic order, because the justices comments during that hearing indicated that judges not infrequently write double-super-secret orders after holding double-super-secret hearings.

But the promised explanation became vital when judicial staff (who report to the chief justice) sent out an email that seemed to condone the secret process  which Justice Few and others had called out during oral arguments as a violation of the state constitution and state law.

Just two weeks after the Price order and in response to a report to the governor on other prisoners whom judges had released early, the judicial branch released a statement providing what it called "background on the law that allows judges to reduce the sentences of some inmates who provide substantial assistance to the Corrections Department. The two-page release argued that Unfortunately, the context of the reduction request is sometimes unknown to the general public due to the sensitive nature of the information supporting the request.

Actually, the only time the request is unknown to the public is when a judge agrees to make it unknown  and that's something three of the five members of the S.C. Supreme Court seem to acknowledge is prohibited by either the state constitution or state law, or both. But we dont know for sure how far their concerns go, how they balance them against other concerns or even the specific basis for them. Because, as Justice Few noted only slightly obliquely, the court still hasnt issued its promised opinion explaining its decision. More than three months after it had promised to do so.

This has gone on too long. The public deserves to know  and apparently judges and some employees of the Supreme Court need to know  how much of their work judges are allowed to do in secret.

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Ask any parent about the time their kids spend on mobile devices, and youll likely hear the same refrain: Its too much. Excessive use of smartphones and social media is linked to rising rates of teenage depression and self-harm, while also damaging students academic performance and exacer Read moreGuest editorial: Schools need to ban cell phones
Youre seeing The Post and Courier's weekly real estate newsletter. Receive all the latest transactions and top development, building, and home and commercial sales news to your inbox each Saturday here.

Tourism industry cited for restaurant's expansion plan in Lowcountry

A fondue restaurant chain plans to expand into the Lowcountry.

Bob Johnston, CEO of The Melting Pot, said the Tampa, Fla.-based company is looking to add two locations in Charleston and Mount Pleasant. He cited the Palmetto State's strong tourism industry as a key reason for the expansion plan.
Mount Pleasant's crackdown on new multifamily projects has created a snag for a senior living development that's looking to expand.

Liberty Senior Living wants to add 109 residential units to its 279-unit continuing care operation at its South Bay community between Hungryneck Boulevard and Rifle Range Road.

The town had previously approved up to 398 continuing care units on part of what's called the Central Mount Pleasant tract.

Liberty now needs another approval because of the local moratorium on new apartment and condominium developments that took effect in early 2017. The development hiatus remains in effect until at least March 2024, barring a reversal.

The town also has a building permit allocation system that allowed 500 multifamily units between 2019 and 2024, and all of them have been allocated to date, according to a planning official.

The Planning Commission will consider the South Bay request Aug. 23.

New townhomes

A townhouse project is in the works on the Cainhoy peninsula by an affiliate of homebuilder Ashton Woods.

Ashton Charleston Residential LLC wants to build a 110-unit development on 42 acres at 1236 Clements Ferry Road in the Point Hope community.

Sign up for our real estate newsletter! Get the best of the Post and Courier's Real Estate news, handpicked and delivered to your inbox each Saturday. Email

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At the same Charleston address, a medical office building is being proposed on a 10-acre parcel.
Environmental groups have kept their promise and sued the federal government over a lack of protections for a tortoise species native to South Carolina they believe is at risk of extinction.

The Center for Biological Diversity and Nokuse Education Inc. filed a lawsuit this month against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over what they said is an unlawful decision to deny Endangered Species Act protections for the gopher tortoise.

Florida is the heart of the tortoise's range, but they are found in South Carolina and other Southeastern states, too.

The environmental groups said the species is facing an increasing risk of extinction because of widespread destruction of upland forest, coastal dunes and other habitats, largely caused by human development.

Elise Bennett, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the federal agency wrongly denied the gentle creatures protection.

"We're bringing this case because gopher tortoises and the hundreds of other species that rely on them for survival are worthy of our care and concern," Bennett said.

An analysis last year by the service found gopher tortoise populations to be robust in the Palmetto State, Georgia, Florida and most of Alabama, and do not meet the criteria for listing under the Endangered Species Act, according to the wildlife service.

The agency said it is aware of more populations beyond those that were recognized when the species was first placed on the endangered candidate list.

But groups like the Center for Biological Diversity, said the service reached its decision despite projecting population declines over the next 80 years.

They are asking a federal court in Florida to declare the service's determination that the species does not warrant protections as unlawful, and demand the agency conduct a new finding consistent with the law.

The service's determination last year and the pending outcome of the lawsuit won't change much in South Carolina for the terrestrial turtle, often identified by its stumpy feet and scaly, shovel-like forelimbs. Gopher tortoises are state-protected and considered endangered in South Carolina. This means people cannot take or attempt to take them.
When Halloween arrives each October, most people are interested in the entertaining aspects of the holiday in addition to the abundance of sweet foods that are there for the taking. Even though fun may be foremost on the brain, it is important for everyone keep safety in mind as well. Read moreHow to keep kids safe on Halloween
After James Jamerson laid down all those funky bass lines in Detroit, helping to create 56 No. 1 R&B hits and 23 No. 1 pop hits, making Motown into a cultural juggernaut, popular music never has been the same.

What Jamerson demonstrated was that the electric bass could do far more than undergird a songs rhythm and provide the roots of its harmonic progression. The bass, in Jamersons hands, became a full partner, a melody maker, a groove generator. Jamerson embraced chromaticism and harmony. He ensured that the bass played a role equal to any other instrument.

Though this Edisto Island native is not a household name, he is a god among musicians. A Founding Father. A revolutionary.

Now he will have a portion of a street on Edisto named after him. A 4:30 p.m. Aug. 19 public naming ceremony at the corner of S.C. Highway 174 and Steamboat Landing Road is the result of an ongoing lobbying effort by Jamersons first cousin and Lowcountry resident, Anthony McKnight, who is determined to get the bass player all the recognition he deserves.

What McKnight really wants is for Jamerson to be inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame, he said. The street renaming, though, is a welcomed honor. It required House and Senate approval, which came easily enough thanks to a House bill introduced by Republicans Matt Leber, Mark Smith, Fawn Pedalino, Gary Brewer, Chris Murphy, Brandon Cox, Carla Schuessler, Joe Bustos, Tom Hartnett, Kathy Landing and Robby Robbins

The ceremony will be followed by a sold-out musical tribute and some remarks from dignitaries at the Edisto Island Civic Center.

Jamerson grew up on Big B Road, just off Steamboat Landing Road. He attended Jane Edwards Elementary and Baptist Hill High School. He was immersed in music of the church and the radio. His father, James Sr., worked in Charlestons shipyards; his mother, Elizabeth Bacon, was a domestic worker. They divorced when Jamerson was young. In 1954, the budding musician followed his mother to Detroit. There, Jamerson would establish himself as the go-to bassist for just about everybody: Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Before we get too far removed from the whole bizarre dispute between Equity Court Judge Joseph Strickland and the Richland County legislative delegation, we need to spend a few minutes on an extraordinary rebuke that one of our justices lobbed at his colleagues on the S.C. Supreme Court as part of that dispute.

The rebuke had nothing to do with Judge Strickland's lawsuit against the legislators, and it didn't actually mention the name of the other Richland County judge whose own extraordinary ruling set the high court's internal squabbling in motion, but the target was unmistakable. And it reminded us of a problem in our courts that the justices have thus far refused to address, despite an unequivocal promise on April 26 to do so.

A week before the unanimous Supreme Court ordered Richland lawmakers to forward Judge Strickland's nomination for reappointment to Gov. Henry McMaster, four of the five justices ordered the S.C. Judicial Merit Selection Commission to stop processing applications for the master-in-equity position that Mr. Strickland has held for more than three decades.

The majority reasoned that halting screening was the only way to preserve Judge Stricklands rights until it ultimately sided with him. But Associate Justice John Few made the not-unreasonable argument that since the merit commission didn't have the authority to actually replace Judge Strickland, the court could preserve his rights without enjoining the commission.

'Recent disappointing record'

After explaining the difficult timeline the court had created for itself, Mr. Few wrote: The Courts recent disappointing record of not releasing opinions in a timely manner raises a significant risk we will be pushing the November JMSC hearings before we can decide whether Judge Strickland is correct. He also trenchantly urged his colleagues to hold oral arguments in the Strickland matter and "promptly issue an opinion."
Weve started focusing our argument for a better way of voting on local elections  giving cities and towns the option of trying out ranked-choice voting  because South Carolina legislators tend to be more willing to experiment with ideas that dont affect them personally.

But perhaps weve been thinking too small. In a guest column on our pages Tuesday, the former chairmen of two state Republican parties pitched the idea of using ranked choice, also known as instant-runoff voting, for South Carolinas upcoming Republican presidential primary  as a way to help voters who like both of our home-state candidates.

And their pitch carried this powerful punch: Ranked-choice is what propelled Glenn Youngkin to the Virginia governors mansion in 2021, breaking that states decade-long blue streak.

We frankly dont care who the governor of Virginia is, but the Youngkin example is important because we've had nearly two years of analysis about the lessons Republicans can learn from Virginia about how to appeal to Donald Trumps base without turning off suburban (read: moderate) voters. Almost completely ignored has been the retooled primary Mr. Youngkin had to navigate in order to get to the general election.

But as former Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis and former Utah GOP Chairman Stan Lockhart argue, it was the partys new primary rules that allowed a nominee to emerge from a seven-candidate field who could win the general election in the recently Democratic state.

Of course, this might not sound immediately attractive to the half of S.C. Republicans who support Mr. Trump. But if he maintains his majority support in the state GOP, using ranked choice wouldnt change that. And to the half who dont support him or realize he faces the lowest odds of any Republican of winning a general election campaign, it makes a lot of sense.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the push for electric vehicles ideology run amok at South Carolina's Republican Party headquarters in July.

Former President Donald Trump called EVs ridiculous in a January speech at the Statehouse, followed by these people are so crazy in describing proponents during a Columbia stop in August.

Frequently, though, the frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination are on stage next to South Carolina Republican politicians who are major boosters of the states burgeoning EV industry.

The clash creates an awkward juxtaposition between state-level Republicans hoping to deliver jobs and the partys presidential candidates hoping to ride a decidedly gasoline-powered culture war platform to the White House.

In recent years, South Carolina has become an electric vehicle mecca with Gov. Henry McMaster, who is an ardent Trump supporter, leading the way.

The leadership, and I would say a majority of South Carolinians, are for electric vehicles, said state Rep. Chris Murphy, a North Charleston Republican who was an enthusiastic backer of a major incentive package for an EV maker this spring. Murphy's district is just down Interstate 26 from a recently announced $3.5 billion electric battery plant.

Now, are we 100 percent behind it? I dont know, he added.

Trump and DeSantis certainly arent, often maligning electric vehicles with some of South Carolina's EV supporters right next to them.

DeSantis, unprompted, lit into electric vehicles (with Murphy standing behind him) during an event in Columbia. At the Statehouse speech, McMaster was standing just to the right of Trump as he mocked EV drivers.
Glenn Reynolds takes up the news of Joe Bidens alias Robert L. Peters email account in the New York Post column Joe Bidens email aliases reveal truth behind aw-shucks facade. Glenn hypothesizes that the alias email account may reveal Biden to be a shrewd crook and his senility to be an act.

Glenn asks whether Biden is putting us on with his public displays of oblivion. I cant tell if Glenn himself is putting on an act in this column, but it does not take relevant facts into account. If I have missed Glenns joke, please forgive me. For readers who may not have been following the story with the attention of an obsessive, I want to supplement Glenns column with additional facts that belie Glenns hypothesis, complicate the story, and bring it up to date.

 Glenn asks if Bidens senility is an act in light of the news that Biden had at least one pseudonymous email account that he used so he could secretly collude with his son (and alleged bagman) Hunter.

 We know that Biden had three alias email accounts: Robert L. Peters, Robin Ware, and JRB Ware. We have known this since July 2021 when Miranda Devine reported it  where else?  in the New York Post, based on the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop.

 Devines July 2021 column is now prefaced with this editors note: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer asked the National Archives on Aug. 16, 2023, to turn over unredacted records in which President Biden used a pseudonym during his vice presidency  as Republicans move closer to launching an impeachment inquiry into his role in son Hunters foreign business dealings. This column on Bidens use of private email addresses was originally published in July 2021.

 Bidens alias Robert L. Peters and other pseudonymous email accounts date from the period 2012-2016, when Biden was vice president. They are not a recent invention.

 During the 2012-2016 period our estimate of Biden was that he was stupid in the familiar manner, not that he was senile. The evidence of Bidens age-related mental decline stems from the years since then and continues to accumulate.

 Josh Christenson reports on Bidens use of the alias email addresses in the same edition of the Post that carries Glenns column today. Christensons story is Joe Biden used email pseudonyms while VP to loop in Hunter on Ukraine, government business. Christensons story opens: President Biden used at least three pseudonyms during his vice presidency to send messages to his son Hunter concerning both family and official government business  including meetings with Ukrainian leaders, emails found on the first sons abandoned laptop show.

 Glenn posits: The only reason to run such an [alias email] account is to make sure that the emails dont get archived in official systems and arent available under the Freedom of Information Act, and to keep the communications out of the reach of critics, and possibly law enforcement.

 However, Comer has now asked the National Archives to turn over unredacted records where Biden relied on the aliases when communicating with Hunter and his business partners Eric Schwerin and Devon Archer.

 In his letter to the archivist this week Comer writes:

The Committee seeks unrestricted special access under the PRA to Case Number 2023-0022-F, entitled Email Messages To and/or From Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden related to Burisma and Ukraine, which has been published on NARAs website. These records have been redacted for public release pursuant to the PRA and FOIA. For example, an email bearing the subject Friday Schedule Card, is withheld in part under a P6 and b(6) restrictions, denoting personal information regarding the subject under the PRA and FOIA respectively. Attached to this email, and made available on the NARA website, is a document that indicates on 9:00 a.m. on May 27, 2016, Vice President Biden took a call with the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. It is concerning to the Committee, however, that this document was sent to Robert L. Petersa pseudonym the Committee has identified as then Vice-President Biden. Additionally, the Committee questions why the then-Vice Presidents son, Hunter Bidenand only Hunter Bidenwas copied on this email to then-Vice President Biden.

It appears that at least some of the relevant alias emails have in fact been archived. That is the premise of Comers current request to the archives.

 Comer has posted a copy of his letter to the archivist online here.

 Glenn to the contrary notwithstanding, I think it far more likely that Biden was stupid then and is stupid now rather than that is senility is an act. However, his native stupidity is now aggravated by his obvious senility.
Andrew McCarthys weekly NRO column elaborates on The chicanery of the Hunter Biden plea deal. I find that McCarthys columns provide analysis that is available nowhere else (and he is a natural teacher to boot). Unfortunately, however, NRO keeps his columns behind its paywall. It occurs to me that someone might want to contribute the funds necessary to liberate them. It would be a public service.

McCarthys column this week runs more than 3,000 words and is divided into five sections after an introductory warm-up. Each of the five sections has a separate heading:

Weiss Has Been Disappearing the Biden Case for Five Years Hiding the Ball from the Court Obfuscating Hunters Immunity Bath There Is No Biden Corruption Investigation at the Biden Justice Department Probation Office Shoots Down Weisss Inexplicable Diversion of a Gun Felony

The section headings put me in mind of the sequence of section headings that translator Donald Frame supplied for Montaignes Apology for Raymond Sebond in his translation of The Complete Essays:

Mans Knowledge Cannot Make Him Happy Mans Knowledge Cannot Make Him Good Man Has No Knowledge

I have wondered about the bilateral diversion agreement on the felony gun charge. If it takes two to tango on such a deal, they tangoed. What happened to it? McCarthy explains in the fifth section:

Hunter and his lawyers are trying to convince Judge Noreika that the diversion agreement and the broad immunity it promises are still valid and enforceable. In the end, he is going to lose, but not because Weiss has suddenly grown a backbone. Hunter will lose because, once again, the court rode to the rescue. It wasnt the judge this time; it was the Delaware federal courts chief probation officer, Margaret M. Bray. While the judge need not sign off on a diversion agreement, the probation office must approve it if the agreement includes probationary conditions, as the one between Weiss and Hunters lawyers did. This is because the probation office is responsible for monitoring a defendants compliance with such conditions. Routinely, the probation office signs off on diversion agreements. Weiss and Hunters lawyers must have figured this one would be rubber-stamped as well. But Chief Probation Officer Bray declined. How come? It is not a subject Weiss wants to dwell on, but we should. There is no explanation on the record. Yet, we know that Justice Department guidelines instruct that a defendant is ineligible for diversion if he is accused of an offense involving brandishing or use of a firearm or other deadly weapon. Hunter is known to have obtained a gun in October 2018 by lying on a required government form about his illegal-drug use. There is video from the laptop showing him brandishing a gun a few days later in a depraved and potentially dangerous scene with a prostitute. Not long after that, because of his carelessness, the gun he purchased after lying on the federal form was lost across the street from a school. (It was later recovered.) As if that werent bad enough, I believe the probation office realized Hunter had to have been handling more than one gun on his autumn 2018 drug binge  and its not clear all guns have been accounted for. The gun he purchased after lying on the form is a revolver (described in the diversion agreement as a Colt Cobra 38-special revolver); but the gun in the video from a few days later is not a revolver (it appears to be a Glock). Note, moreover, that the diversion agreement called for Hunter to forfeit all firearms . . . including but not limited to the revolver. Implicitly, Weiss was acknowledging that there could be multiple guns at issue. Naturally, the Biden Justice Department doesnt want to broadcast that fact: President Biden is as demagogic as Democrats get in demonizing law-abiding gun-owners and Second Amendment rights; his sons felony possession of a single gun  that his Justice Department tried to give Hunter a pass on  is humiliating enough. Judge Noreika exposed the shameful plea agreement, so now the misdemeanor charges have been dismissed. Chief Probation Officer Bray refused to be party to the appalling diversion agreement, so it too is sure to be scrapped. The commentariat is fantasizing that, with Attorney General Garland having now branded him a special counsel, David Weiss will turn alpha-prosecutor. I wouldnt count on that. Weiss remains a top Biden Justice Department official, and he has methodically undermined the Biden case for years. Its a better bet that hes now huddling again with counsel for the presidents son, struggling to come up with more plea-bargain cosplay they can try to sell as real law enforcement.

McCarthy concludes: Meanwhile, the statute-of-limitations clock keeps on ticking. Although Hunter Bidens lawyers are peeling off from his case, he probably doesnt need them so long as David Weiss helms the prosecution (as Variety might put it).
Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times. He is a veteran reporter, foreign correspondent, and editor for the New York Times and other publications. Cliffs most recent column is Israels long, hot summer (at FDD, where it is posted with links). Cliff has kindly given us his permission to post his column on Power Line. He writes:

Golan Heights, Israel  From atop small mountain peaks in the Israeli Golan Heights you can peer deep into both Lebanon and Syria. On the Israeli side of the border, everything is green. Why? Because the Israelis irrigate and plant trees. On the Lebanese and Syrian sides, everything is brown. Why? Because agriculture and ecology are not priorities for those who rule Lebanon and Syria.

Lebanon is dominated by Hezbollah, a foreign legion of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 missiles pointing at Israelis.

Syria is ruled by Bashar al-Assad, a dynastic dictator, who has been propped up by Tehran and Moscow. With their assistance, he slaughtered well over half a million Arabs, many times the number of Arabs killed in wars against Israelis.

Tehran has been attempting to set up bases in Syria, one more platform from which to attack Israelis. Israeli pilots frequently rubble those bases along with weapons being shipped from Iran to Hezbollah.

Within the West Bank, Irans rulers also are arming Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and other terrorist groups that have ensconced themselves in areas that, under the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority is responsible to govern.

And from the south, Hamas, which rules Gaza, receives financial assistance, arms, and training from Tehran to target Israelis from that coastal enclave.

Farther afield but most concerning for Israelis: Tehrans ongoing nuclear weapons development program. President Obamas Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (not actually comprehensive nor a plan of action) was designed to delay, not end, that program, rewarding Tehran with hundreds of billions of dollars.

President Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and put significant (though not maximum) economic and political pressure on the regime.

Last week, the Biden administration agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue in exchange for the regimes release of five Iranian American hostages. Thats on top of billions more it greenlighted to be transferred from Iraq to Iran.

Claims that the funds will be used only for humanitarian purposes are unserious. Even were that not the case, money is fungible  Irans rulers will now have more to spend on their nuclear program, their terrorist proxies, attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East, domestic repression, and weapons for Vladimir Putin to use to murder Ukrainians. And is it not yet obvious that paying ransom for hostages encourages the taking of more hostages?

Analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) believe the Biden administration is working to conclude a wider deal, and that it is doing so secretly, bypassing Congress in violation of U.S. law.

That deal would enable Iran to become a threshold nuclear weapons state, enriching at 60 percent which is almost all it needs to produce weapons-grade uranium for bombs. In exchange, Irans rulers would promise Washington not to break out with nuclear warheads  for now.

So, Israelis face intensifying threats on multiple fronts. What are they doing in response? Quarreling among themselves.

Not since the summer of 2005, when then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to withdraw every Israeli soldier, farmer, synagogue, and cemetery from Gaza  testing the proposition that ceding land would bring peace  have Israelis been as disunited.

Todays debate is over judicial reform, an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus governing coalition  which includes far-right parties  to change how the justices on Israels Supreme Court are selected and to limit the power of those justices to strike down both legislation and policies passed by the Knesset, Israels unicameral parliament.

More broadly, most Israelis support majority rule but not majoritarianism, want strong checks and balances, and separation of powers. But they vehemently disagree on how to achieve those goals.

Why havent Israelis tackled such issues over the 75 years since Israels founding? For one, theyve been busy fighting wars against neighbors committed to their extermination.

For another, theyve been building a free and prosperous nation-state, one in which Israels minority communities, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze, and others, are guaranteed rights available nowhere else in the region  not to minorities, and not even to majorities.

Also: Israel is a diverse nation. Secular Jews, religious Jews, and ultra-religious Jews do not see eye-to-eye-to-eye. There are significant cultural differences between Jews from families that spent centuries in Europe before fleeing, and Jews from families that spent centuries in Muslim lands before being expelled.

There are other Israeli tribes: Jews whose families somehow remained in the Holy Land despite the empires that came, conquered, enslaved, and slaughtered. And there are Israels non-Jewish minorities, as noted above.

Mix that with the ideological differences among Israels many political parties and the personal feuds among Israeli politicians and you have an exceptionally combustible cocktail.

Israels internal discord no doubt pleases and encourages Israels enemies. A report released last week by FDDs Joe Truzman cites evidence that Hezbollah is now making a comprehensive effort to disrupt Israels northern border region.

Visiting that area last week, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: If heaven forbid, an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power and wear down every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to.

Ill conclude on a positive note: Israel is the only nation in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia attempting to work out how best to structure a democratic society, with fundamental rights protected, and limited powers granted to those the citizenry elects to govern  not rule.

Given the threats they face from Tehran and its proxies, Israelis would be well-advised to make whatever compromises are necessary to accomplish this mission  even imperfectly  and sooner rather than later.
As loyal listeners know, yesterday John, Lucretia, and I took over the flagship Ricochet podcast in the absence of both Peter Robinson (still somewhere in the Witness Protection Program) and Rob Long (out walking a Hollywood picket line somewhere), and we made James Lileks life completely miserable.

We decided that a couple of issues we brought up deserved some extended discussion in this bonus episode, starting with the trust question: why do Americans now hold nearly all major institutions, both public and private, in such low regard? We run through a number of factors, from ideology, competence, and corruption, but also wonder about whether our ruling elites today dont have the same kind of noblesse oblige that characterized the elites of the 1950s (the Dulles brothers get a special shout-out). Special bonus: learning about John Yoos turn in the cab of a long-haul 18-wheeler truck, which may finally explain his fondness for McDonalds.

Next, we return to the question of human rights versus the natural rights of the American Founding, and the mischief that the rise of human rights has entailed in modern times. I had intended to nitpick Johns understanding of Thomas Hobbes, but the Learned Lucretia shows up in force, with marvelous renditions of Locke and Hobbes, casting doubt on my proposition that maybe there exists a Hobbistotle to go with Tom Wests Lockistotle. Its not as wonky and esoteric as it sounds! Well actually maybe it is, but we think youll still enjoy this Trump and Biden-free episode (and ad-free, too!)

Our thanks, by the way, to the Ricochet team for the honor of occupying their show, and to James Lileks for his indulgence.

But because Lucretia and John once again wrongly dismiss my embrace of prog rock (Rock and roll that went to college, as Jody Bottum calls it), the exit music for this episode is an excerpt from The Chamber of 32 Doors, which is in some passages the Prog Rock version of Rich Men North of Richmond which we discuss briefly in this episode:

Id rather trust a countryman than a townman

You can judge by his eyes, take a look if you can

Hell smile through his guard, survival trains hard

Id rather trust a man who works with his hands

He looks at you once, you know he understands

Dont need any shield, when youre out in the field. . .

The priest and the magician

Singin all the chants that they have ever heard

And theyre all calling out my name

Even academics, searching printed word



Maybe the academics will figure it out someday, but judging by the elite cultures reaction to Rich Men North of Richmond, today is not that day.

So listen here, or over with our gracious hosts at Ricochet.
Xi to visit South Africa for BRICS summit, outreach to African countries

Xinhua) 09:05, August 19, 2023

* BRICS has provided developing countries with an opportunity to enhance their influence and amplify their voices in global governance.

* Chinese president's upcoming visit to South Africa and the meetings to be held there will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

* As an ex-officio member of the Global South, China has always focused on the most urgent needs of developing countries.

BEIJING/JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- In March 2013, as part of his maiden foreign tour as China's head of state, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Africa and attended the 5th BRICS Summit held in South Africa, where he put forward the guiding principles of China's Africa policy, and expounded on his visions for enhancing the BRICS mechanism.

Ten years later, the BRICS Summit will be held on the African continent again. Xi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from Aug. 21 to 24. While in the country, Xi will co-chair with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue.

Electronic screens of the 15th BRICS Summit are seen at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 16, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

During the ten years between the two summits in South Africa, BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has grown into an all-round and multi-level framework that plays a vital role in the global arena. Meanwhile, the China-Africa friendship has been enriched with their cooperation flourishing in all aspects.

As the world is facing numerous uncertainties and living through accelerating changes unseen in a century, observers hope that Xi's upcoming visit and the meetings in South Africa will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

WRITING NEW CHAPTER ON BRICS DEVELOPMENT

Noting that BRICS has provided developing countries with an opportunity to enhance their influence and amplify their voices in global governance, Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said that "joining BRICS allows countries to align themselves with a group that seeks to promote multipolarity and a more equitable international system."

In fact, 22 years ago, when British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term "BRIC" -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, he might not have imagined how the rise of those emerging economies would reshape the world economy and global governance.

With South Africa officially becoming a member in 2011, BRIC was enlarged to BRICS, which now represents about a quarter of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and some 40 percent of the world population.

It has grown into the most influential South-South cooperation platform and a crucial driver for global growth, with three main pillars consolidating its mechanism, namely, political and security cooperation, economic and finance cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

A key milestone of BRICS cooperation is the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) in 2015. The Shanghai-based bank is aimed at mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies.

This aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Figures released by the bank earlier this year showed that it has approved nearly a hundred projects with a total value of 33.2 billion U.S. dollars, greatly contributing to the economic and social development of its member countries. It has also strengthened its green and sustainable credentials, as around 40 percent of the bank's projects focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

"NDB is one of the youngest multilateral development banks in the world. Within a short span of eight years, NDB has established itself as a major global, multilateral development bank," said Anil Kishora, vice president and chief risk officer of NDB.

Meanwhile, BRICS members have advocated a partnership on the new industrial revolution to deepen cooperation in digitalization, industrialization and innovation.

During the development of BRICS, China has never hesitated to contribute. In March 2013, Xi, as the Chinese president, attended the BRICS Summit for the first time in Durban, South Africa. In the following ten years, Xi has joined forces with leaders of other BRICS members to push the BRICS Summits to produce a series of pioneering, leading and institutional outcomes.

"China has set an example of practicing mutually beneficial and equal cooperation, and played the role of a great nation in BRICS to balance and stabilize international relations," said Irina Kokushkina, an associate professor of the Department of World Economy at St. Petersburg State University.

EXPLORING FRESH OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHINA-AFRICA FRIENDSHIP

"President Xi's attendance at the BRICS leaders' meeting and his state visit to South Africa are of great significance. This visit will strengthen the relationship between the two countries," Kenneth Creamer, a senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, told Xinhua.

As Creamer noted, China-South Africa relations have developed comprehensively and rapidly over the years. The leaders of the two countries have frequently communicated with each other on bilateral and multilateral occasions or during online events, bringing bilateral cooperation to higher levels.

In a phone conversation with Ramaphosa on June 9, Xi said China and South Africa are both important major developing countries and the two enjoy special friendly relations like brothers.

Data released by China showed that in the first half of the year, bilateral trade reached 28.25 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.7 percent year-on-year.

China has maintained its position as South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

This aerial photo taken on May 4, 2023 shows a cargo ship carrying corn imported from South Africa at a port in South China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

China-South Africa ties have served as a model for China-Africa relations, South-South cooperation, and unity and cooperation among emerging market countries, offering valuable experience for building an even stronger community with a shared future between China and Africa.

During his Africa trip in 2013, Xi proposed the concept of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and the right approach to justice and interests, the guiding principles of China's Africa policy. Over the past decade, under those principles, China-Africa relations have been propelled into the fast lane of development.

According to the Ministry of Commerce of China, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The two sides have together constructed and commissioned over 10,000 km of railway, nearly 100,000 km of highway, and an array of important infrastructure projects, including airports, docks, bridges and power plants.

In recent years, China-Africa cooperation has expanded from agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing to new industries such as green economy, health, finance and digital innovation.

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, a professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said that it is political justice, mutual economic benefit, win-win cooperation and common development that laid the basis for a shared future of Africa and China.

FORGING BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR GLOBAL SOUTH

The theme of this year's summit is BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism, highlighting how these emerging economies can strengthen ties with a continent home to a large number of countries also belonging to the Global South.

There are high expectations among experts and observers about the outcomes of the summit. One major focus is the membership expansion of the group.

Attracted by the openness and inclusiveness of BRICS, more countries have decided to apply to join the group, which reflects the shared aspiration of developing countries to focus on their own development, seek unity and cooperation, and oppose external interference.

"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

As an ex-officio member of the Global South, China has always focused on the most urgent needs of developing countries. It has proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, and voiced its support for the membership expansion process of BRICS.

"BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation," Xi said while hosting the 14th BRICS Summit in Beijing via video link last year.

"Bringing in fresh blood will inject new vitality into BRICS cooperation and increase the representativeness and influence of BRICS," Xi said, stressing that "it is important to advance this process to allow like-minded partners to become part of the BRICS family at an early date."

Meanwhile, with unilateralism and protectionism soaring, criticism is mounting against the West-dominated global economic rules. Experts have speculated that BRICS would take further measures to promote a fairer economic order, including introducing a BRICS common currency.

Signboards of the 15th BRICS Summit are seen in a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

"I would like to hear more details about the proposed BRICS currency. The change of trade between South Africa and China from being conducted in U.S. dollars to a BRICS currency would be a major move in global politics," said Dominic Preuss, an independent economic writer and engineering technologist in South Africa.

To create a global market that is not dominated by hegemony would be welcome, Preuss added.

"Many countries in the Global South have sought to come together in order to work towards a more just and inclusive world order ... BRICS inspires many countries to come together again in order to advance this vision," said Creamer.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, said BRICS is in line with the trend of multilateralism. "It is obvious that this trend has a great future. And the BRICS mechanism is advancing it in a very positive direction," he said.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
Pegfilgrastim Biosimilar Market

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The global pegfilgrastim biosimilar market report is a comprehensive report that provides a detailed analysis of the current status and future trends of the pegfilgrastim biosimilar market worldwide. This report provides valuable information to industry stakeholders by offering an in-depth perspective on market dynamics, competitive landscape, growth opportunities, and key challenges faced by industry participants.From the perspective of market dynamics, this report explores the factors driving the growth of the pegfilgrastim biosimilar market. This includes the increasing demand for pegfilgrastim biosimilar products due to changes in consumer preferences, technological advancements, and the demand for more efficient and sustainable solutions. Additionally, government regulations and initiatives to promote the adoption of pegfilgrastim biosimilar products also contribute to market growth. On the other hand, this report identifies and analyzes factors that may hinder market growth, such as economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions, and intense competition in the market.Request for Sample Report:The competitive landscape section of the report provides a comprehensive analysis of the leading companies operating in the pegfilgrastim biosimilar market. It introduces the major companies, their business strategy, product portfolio, recent trends, and financial performance. This analysis provides valuable insights for market stakeholders to understand the intensity of competition in the market and gain an insightful view of the strategies adopted by major market players to maintain their position.Some of the major companies in the Pegfilgrastim Biosimilar market are as follows: Biocon, Coherus BioSciences, Dr Reddyas Laboratories, Intas Pharmaceuticals, Mundipharma International, Mylan, Novartis, PfizerBy segmenting the market, the report provides a detailed understanding of each segment by analyzing market size, growth potential, and key trends within each segment. Through this detailed analysis, industry participants can identify profitable opportunities, develop strategies tailored to specific customer segments, and allocate resources effectively.Market Segmentation:Type: Chemotherapy Treatment, TransplantationApplication: Hospital Pharmacies, Mail-Order Pharmacies, Retail PharmaciesIdentifying growth opportunities is crucial for companies operating in the pegfilgrastim biosimilar market. This report focuses on highlighting these opportunities by analyzing emerging technologies, market trends, and changing customer needs that have the potential to shape the future of the market. By identifying untapped market segments, geographies with high growth potential, and innovative product development strategies, this report supports stakeholders in harnessing these opportunities and leading business growth.In addition, this report addresses the key challenges faced by industry participants. It provides insightful information on challenges such as intense market competition, price pressure, regulatory compliance, and technological confusion. By understanding these challenges, companies can develop effective mitigation strategies and adapt to a constantly changing market environment. This enables them to ensure sustainable growth.The regional analysis section of the global pegfilgrastim biosimilar market report thoroughly evaluates the market in various regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. This section provides valuable information on market size, growth potential, and key market trends specific to each region.Market by Regions:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeGermanyU.K.FranceItalySpainRest of EuropeAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of Asia PacificMiddle East & AfricaGCCSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaLatin AmericaBrazilMexicoRest of Latin AmericaThis report provides a comprehensive assessment of the pegfilgrastim biosimilar market in these specific regions, enabling stakeholders to understand regional differences, market potential, and growth prospects. This provides valuable insights that help make informed decisions related to market entry, expansion strategies, and resource allocation. Additionally, understanding the regulatory landscape and market dynamics in each region is useful for companies to comply with regulatory requirements and adjust their business strategies to fit specific markets.Overall, the global pegfilgrastim biosimilar market report strives to provide comprehensive and practical information to industry stakeholders. By offering a deep understanding of market trends, competitive dynamics, growth opportunities, and potential risks, this report plays a valuable role as a tool for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and investors. Through this information, they are able to make informed business decisions and execute successful strategies in the dynamic and evolving pegfilgrastim biosimilar market.
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BOCA RATON, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 19, 2023 / The Oceanview Building Group is proud to announce the expansion of its services to West Palm Beach, with a focus on serving the needs of healthcare facilities. The company is dedicated to assisting healthcare providers in transforming their facilities into modern, efficient, and comfortable environments.With over a decade of experience and a highly skilled team of professionals, the Oceanview Building Group is equipped to handle all aspects of healthcare facility design and construction. From conceptual planning to final execution, the company works closely with healthcare providers to bring their vision to life and deliver a facility that meets their specific needs and exceeds their expectations.Founder and CEO of Oceanview Building Group, Anderson Dos Santos, has a rich background in the construction industry. Growing up with a father who worked in construction, Anderson developed a passion for the trade at a young age. He went on to work for a construction company, where he honed his skills and gained valuable experience.With his desire to provide quality work and honest service to clients, Anderson founded Oceanview Building Group when he noticed a need in the market for a company that would focus on people rather than just profits, and set out to create a business that would build long-term relationships based on integrity and trust.Specializing in building and remodeling healthcare facilities, Oceanview Building Group offers a wide range of services, including new construction, expansions, and renovations. With a strong team of architects, designers, and subs, Oceanview Building Group works closely with clients to ensure that the design and layout of the medical office meet their needs and expectations. nThe company understands the importance of creating a relaxed and comfortable environment for patients, which conveys a sense of quality and professionalism and contributes to a more positive overall healthcare experience. By focusing on current and future design trends, Oceanview Building Group can help healthcare facilities create functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces that prioritize patient comfort and well-being.Choosing the right construction company is vital for medical providers when building a healthcare facility, and Oceanview Building Group is the right choice. With a proven track record of delivering high-quality work with honesty and integrity, the company provides a safe, efficient, and cost-effective environment for patients and staff.For healthcare providers in West Palm Beach, Florida, the Oceanview Building Group offers an opportunity to create a healthcare facility that sets a new standard for quality care. With the company's commitment to excellence and expertise in the field, healthcare providers can trust that their facility will be in good hands.To learn more about the services offered by the Oceanview Building Group, and to schedule a consultation, healthcare providers are encouraged to contact the company today. You can follow them on Instagram at @oceanview_building_group for more details. You can also connect with Anderson Dos Santos, the founder and CEO of Oceanview Building Group, on LinkedIn or through his Instagram account @_anderson_santoss.Contact Information:Name: Anderson Dos SantosBusiness: Oceanview Building GroupAddress: Boca Raton, FlWebsite: https://www.oceanviewbuild.com Email: anderson@ oceanviewbuild.com SOURCE: Oceanview Building Group
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 19, 2023 / Kaskela Law LLC announces that it is investigating Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) ("Discover Financial") on behalf of the company's long-term investors.On July 19, 2023, Discover Financial disclosed in a statement that the company had misclassified some of its credit cards. Specifically, Discover Financial revealed that it misclassified certain credit card accounts into its highest pricing tier, starting in 2007, meaning merchants were charged more than they should have been to accept the cards for payment. Discover Financial indicated the company is discussing the matter with regulators and warned it could face future regulatory actions. Discover Financial also disclosed that it received a proposed consent order from the FDIC for a consumer compliance issue which is different than the misclassification matter. Following this news, shares of the company's stock declined $19.40 per share, or 16% in value, to close on July 20, 2023 at $102.83 per share, on unusually heavy trading volume.Then, on August 14, 2023, Discover Financial disclosed that Roger Hochschild was stepping down as President and CEO as well as giving up his position as a member of the company's board of directors. Following this news, shares of the company's stock declined an additional $9.69 per share, or 9.5% in value, to close on August 15, 2023 at $92.96 per share, again on unusually heavy trading volume.The investigation seeks to determine whether the members of Discover Financial's board of directors violated the securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the above.Long-term Discover Financial stockholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (484) 229 - 0750, or by email (skaskela@ kaskelalaw.com / abell@ kaskelalaw.com) or online at https://kaskelalaw.com/cases/discover-financial-services/ , for additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options.Kaskela Law exclusively represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com . This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.CONTACT:KASKELA LAW LLCD. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.Adrienne Bell, Esq.18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100Newtown Square, PA 19073(888) 715 - 1740(484) 229 - 0750SOURCE: Kaskela Law LLC
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / August 19, 2023 / Kaskela Law LLC announces that it has launched an investigation into the fairness of the recently proposed buyout of New Relic, Inc. ("New Relic") (NYSE:NEWR) stockholders by private equity firms Francisco Partners and TPG at $87.00 per share.The $87.00 per share buyout price appears to undervalue New Relic's shares. Notably, at the time the proposed buyout was negotiated and announced, several stock analysts had assigned price targets on New Relic's shares well above the $87.00 per share buyout price, including one who had assigned a $113.00 per share price target to the shares. Additionally, Reuters recently reported that "[t]he two private equity firms offered more than $90 per share in cash to acquire New Relic" in May.The investigation has uncovered significant potential conflicts of interest in the proposed buyout, and seeks to determine (i) whether $87.00 per share represents maximum achievable cash consideration for New Relic's shareholders, and (ii) whether New Relic's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties or violated the securities laws by agreeing to sell the company to Francisco Partners and TPG at $87.00 per share.New Relic stockholders are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.) at (484) 229 - 0750, or by email (skaskela@ kaskelalaw.com / abell@ kaskelalaw.com) or online at https://kaskelalaw.com/cases/new-relic/ , for additional information about this investigation and their legal rights and options with respect this matter.Kaskela Law LLC represents investors in securities fraud, corporate governance, and merger & acquisition litigation on a contingent basis. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com . This notice may constitute attorney advertising in certain jurisdictions.CONTACT:KASKELA LAW LLCD. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.Adrienne Bell, Esq.18 Campus Blvd., Suite 100Newtown Square, PA 19073(888) 715 - 1740(484) 229 - 0750SOURCE: Kaskela Law LLC
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SARASOTA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 18, 2023 / Joe Simonetta, an 80-year-old visionary author, humanist, and advocate for global well-being, defied all odds to win a gold medal in the sprint triathlon during the 2023 U.S. National Senior Games held on July 18. Remarkably, Simonetta led himself to victory in the first race he ever participated in.Simonetta's story is one of incredible resilience, passion, and an undying commitment to alleviating global suffering. Most U.S. National Senior Games triathletes come with high-end equipment, sleek wetsuits, and expensive bicycles tailored for racing. On the other hand, Joe confidently rode into the competition on a rented bike, charmingly fitted with a kickstand. However, his tenacity and grit on the bike and the track compensated for a challenging swim, surprising competitors and earning him a well-deserved victory.The U.S. National Senior Games represents not just physical endurance but the spirit of perseverance. And in the 80-84 age group, Simonetta has personified this spirit, proving that age is just a number when passion drives purpose.An unusual blend of experiences has shaped Simonetta's life. Holding degrees from prestigious institutions such as Harvard Divinity School, the University of Colorado, and Penn State University, he has donned various hats, from an Army officer and professional athlete to a sought-after speaker, author, and twice-nominated U.S. Congress representative.Simonetta's books, including 7 Words To Change The World: The Simple Truth And The Death Of Sacred Cows and Book Of Observations: Life On Earth, reflect his profound understanding of humanity and its place in the universe. His insights suggest that the same discipline, commitment, and alignment with reality required to win a triathlon at 80 can be applied to the broader spectrum of life.In Simonetta's words, "There is a strong correlation between what it takes for an individual to be healthy and fit at 80 and what it takes to sustain humanity, advance our civilization, and succeed as a species." His success in the triathlon beautifully mirrors his vision for humanity: grounded in the realities of life, with a steadfast discipline, having a clear plan and executing it, all while honoring the core relationships that dictate human existence-self, others, and the environment.About Joe Simonetta:Joe Simonetta, an author, speaker, and humanist, is the gold medal winner of the 2023 National Senior Games Triathlon at 80. Born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, he has dedicated his life to understanding the nuances of global well-being and human potential. His comprehensive work and experiences have garnered attention and accolades from various sectors. Today, he remains a beacon of inspiration for all, encouraging us to honor the relationships that truly matter.Media Details:Website URL: https://joesimonetta.com/ Company Name: Joseph SimonettaEmail address: Joesimonetta@ gmail.com SOURCE: Joseph Simonetta
President Bola Tinubu, like his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, appears prepared to head the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the newly created Ministry of Gas Resources.

On Wednesday, Mr Tinubu assigned portfolios to his ministers, over a week after they were screened by the Senate.

Ex-Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike was named Minister of the FCT while Wale Edun was named Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

Some of the other key portfolios include Ali Pate, a professor, as Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Lateef Fagbemi as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Ex-Jigawa Governor Mohamed Badaru was named Minister of Defence while Ex-Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu was named Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.

The president, however, did not assign any ministerial nominees to head the ministries of gas resources and petroleum resources. Although he has not directly stated that he intends to hold the office of petroleum minister, the failure to appoint someone for the position indicates that President Tinubu seeks to hold the office. His spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, did not answer or reply to calls and a text message sent to him on the topic.

Heineken Lokpobiri, a former Nigerian senator, was named the Minister of State for Petroleum while Ekperikpe Epko, a former member of the House of Representatives, was named the Minister of State for Gas Resources.

Mr Lokpobiri, as a junior minister of petroleum, is expected to resolve challenges affecting the petroleum sector, most especially the issues of crude theft, lack of oil investments and further development of the countrys oil assets to increase revenues from the petroleum sector.

While Mr Epko will be working to execute the policies passed by Mr Tinubus administration that are geared towards making the country utilise its gas potential for power generation and distribution, clean cooking, auto-use, and industrialization.

Since assuming office, Mr Tinubu has eliminated the nations costly fuel subsidies, a move he promised during his campaign.

On 29 May, during his inauguration as president, Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on petrol which the government was spending almost a trillion naira on monthly.

The removal of the subsidy has caused hardship for many Nigerians with its attendant increase in the prices of goods and services.

The subsidy removal also led to increased government revenue with total distributable revenue increasing from about N786.161 billion in May to about N1.9 trillion in June as the government earned money that would in the past be used to subsidize petrol.

Buharis Footprint

During the electioneering period in 2015, Mr Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), criticised the then-incumbent government of Goodluck Jonathan for failing to solve the countrys unending petroleum sector crises.

At the time, Mr Buhari made a series of promises to Nigerians, which include fixing the nations moribund refineries, passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) within one year, ending fuel importation, addressing the corruption in the subsidy regime, among others.

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To achieve these objectives, six months after he was elected president in 2015, Mr Buhari appointed himself as Minister of Petroleum Resources, a move that many Nigerians said would engender transparency and accountability in the nations opaque oil sector.

Addressing some select reporters in New York at the time, Mr Buhari said, I will remain Minister of Petroleum. I will appoint a minister of State for Petroleum.

According to him, the step was taken as part of efforts to sanitise the countrys oil sector, which is said to be bedevilled by corruption, massive fraud and crude oil theft.

Eight years after, although the industry recorded some gains notably with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act, Mr Buhari failed to turn around the nations moribund refinery, among other challenges.

The Nigerian petroleum sector also faced different challenges under his administration, including fuel scarcity disruptions that caused suffering for many Nigerians, a surge in pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft incidents in its oil-producing region, which worsened the nations revenue crisis.

Historic Precedent

If Mr Tinubu continues in this trajectory, this would be the third time since Nigerias return to democracy in 1999 that a sitting president will be heading the countrys petroleum ministry.

When former President Olusegun Obasanjo was elected in 1999, he appointed himself the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

For six of his eight years in office, between 1999 and 2005, Mr Obasanjo was the Petroleum Minister and Minister of State for Petroleum. However, in 2003, the last year of his first tenure, Mr Obasanjo appointed Edmund Daukoru as Presidential Adviser on Petroleum and Energy. Later in July 2005, he named Mr Daukoru Minister of State for Energy, Petroleum Resources.

During the Umaru YarAdua administration, Henry Ajumogobia was appointed Minister of State for Energy (Petroleum) and head of Nigerias delegation to OPEC (July 2007 to December 2008), and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between January 2009 and April 2010 with Emmanuel Odusina as Minister of State Gas and Fatimah Ibrahim as Minister of State for Energy (Power).

By January 2009, Mr YarAdua realigned the Energy Ministry back to Power and Petroleum and Riliwanu Lukman was appointed minister of petroleum, a position he held until March 2010 and Rilwan Babalola as Minister of Power.

After the passing of Mr YarAdua in 2010, the then-former Vice President Goodluck Jonathan became acting president and removed all appointees and appointed Diezani Alison-Madueke as the minister of petroleum in February 2010, a position she held till 29 May 2015, when Mr Jonathan left office. Mrs Alison-Maduekes tenure was riddled with controversies and allegations of corruption.

Mrs Alison-Madueke is thus Nigerias last minister of petroleum that is not the sitting president.

In 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari followed in the footsteps of Mr Obasanjo when he came to power and appointed himself as Minister of Petroleum Resources. Mr Buhari, during his eight-year tenure (2015-2023) appointed two different state petroleum ministers, namely Ibe Kachikwu and Timipre Sylva.

In March 2023, Mr Sylva resigned to contest the governorship election in Bayelsa State.

Legal Concerns

Public opinion appears divided on the legality of the president appointing himself head of a ministry, department or agency of government.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, an Abuja-based lawyer, Yomi Ogunsanya, argued that It is highly improper for a president to head the ministry of petroleum, and leaders behave as if they are above the law.

Although he (Tinubu) has not announced that he will be heading that ministry, it is assumed that he is going to head it because of what happened during the past administration of Buhari. At that time, Buhari said he will be heading the Ministry of Petroleum.

We dont need that now, that the president will be heading it and we dont know why they cannot find anybody out of the whole nominees to head the ministry. It is highly improper, Mr Ogunsanya said.

He said the president has a huge responsibility to shoulder and should not be distracted by additional challenges in the oil ministry.

They should strictly adhere to the law and appoint a minister to head the ministry, which is the proper thing to do. So that there will be somebody to hold accountable. You saw what happened in the past where the ministry is not accountable for anything and for whatever they have been doing.

So, the proper thing to do is to abide by the law by appointing a minister for the ministry.

But Arome Okwori, a Jos-based lawyer, argued that the constitution provides the basic framework for the operation of government machinery and provides for the orders of the government.

By the (dictates) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is only the office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice that is specifically provided for specific and definite functions under the constitution, Mr Okwori told PREMIUM TIMES.

The constitution did not exclude the president in that sense, it gives the president some kind of discretion in terms of who he will appoint and for which office.

So, you will even observe that some of the offices that were created under the Buhari administration have now been abolished under the Tinubu administration which means that, it is within the discretion of the president to now decide which office to create as the ministry for his government to function well, he added.

Mr Okwori argued that in strict legal parlance, the president cannot be held to account for violation of the constitution for appointing himself a minister.

He may decide not to even appoint the minister of petroleum. If he says, look, I dont want any office like the minister of petroleum to exist, you cant hold him to account on that because the constitution does not say appoint an office for petroleum ministry.

Are there laws that may refer to the petroleum minister? Sure, there may be. But if you look at the constitution strictly, if the president for example wants to assume the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and says look I will not appoint an Attorney General and Minister for Justice. The question will now be, can he be the president and also be the minister for justice to the extent that the constitution has made specific provisions for the person to be appointed?

I want to say, based on my opinion, the president cannot be held to account for holding the office of the petroleum minister and at the same time as the president, he added.

However, the legal practitioner said it appears abnormal if the president acts as minister.

Is the president now saying that he doesnt believe or trust any other Nigerian apart from himself? Is there something in that office that other Nigerians do not know, that only the president knows and has the power and responsibilities to oversee?

To me, the whole idea of the president becoming a minister is quite suspicious and as you can see that the government is not functioning well. Thats my concern, he said.

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The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Nigeria Police to immediately release Chinonso Uba, a journalist who was arrested in Imo State, South-east Nigeria.

Background

Mr Uba, otherwise known as Nonso Nkwa, was whisked away on 27 July by the police, after he finished anchoring his morning programme on Ozisa FM, a radio station in Owerri, the state capital.

The operatives came from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Force Headquarters Abuja where they detained the journalist.

The Commissioner for Information in Imo State, Declan Emelumba, on 28 July, announced that the journalist was arrested for allegedly defaming the state governor, Hope Uzodinma.

Mr Emelumba claimed that the journalist alleged that Mr Uzodinma and former Niger Delta militant leader, Asari Dokubo, were behind killings and insecurity in the state.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Imo State Chapter, would later fault his arrest and demand his immediate release.

The group said the state government, rather than arrest, ought to have sued the journalist if they were convinced that he defamed the governor.

Charges against the journalist

The police, after three weeks, arraigned the journalist at a Federal High Court in Abuja on two-count charge, on Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES reliably gathered.

Mr Uba was charged for allegedly making a false and defamatory video post on social media in June accusing Messrs Uzodinma and Dokubo of killing 100 youth and also burning houses in Imo with the intention to instigate residents of the state and Igbos against the governor.

The police told the court that the offence was contrary and punishable under Section 24 (1) (B) of the Cyber Crime Prohibition Act.

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The journalist was also charged for allegedly making the social media post with the intention to bully, threaten or harass Mr Uzodinma over the accusation that the governor and Mr Dokubo carried out the killings.

The police also said the offence contravened Section 24 (2) (A) and punishable under Section 24 (2) (C) of the same Act.

The journalist pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The court declined the journalists bail application and adjourned the hearing until September, next month.

Meanwhile, the journalist had earlier, on 8 August, filed an ex parte application at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja against the Inspector-General of Police (Respondent) demanding his release from detention.

Court action

In the ex parte motion marked M/7128/2023, Mr Uba asked the court to declare that the various acts of torture, harassment, assault, intimidation and inhuman treatment meted on him by the police (Respondent) through the instigation of Governor Uzodinma was unconstitutional and constitute a violation of his rights in line with Section 34 (1) of the Constitution.

The journalist also asked the court to declare that his arrest and detention at the facility of police at Area Command Maitama since 27 July at the instance of the governor, the complainant, was illegal and a violation of his fundamental human rights.

He sought for an order of the court granting him bail and to be released forthwith from the police detention as well as an order directing the police to produce him before the court in the event of their failure to release him within 24 hours.

He further asked the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the police or their representatives from further harassing, intimidating, arresting and detaining him on the same subject matter.

After listening to P.A.N. Ejiafor and C.C. Okafor, counsels to Mr Ubah, the judge, E. Okpe, granted all the prayers of the journalist, according to a court document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

The court document, titled Court Order, was dated 18 August 2023.

Not yet released

Despite the court order, checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed that Mr Uba had yet to be released as of Saturday evening  more than 24 hours after the order.

Force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to calls seeking his comments.

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Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has denied allegations that his administration completely abandoned People Living With Disabilities (PWDs) in the state.

Background

A former Nigerian High Commissioner to South-Africa, Uche Ajuluchukwu, Wednesday, accused Mr Soludo of abandoning people living with disabilities by never budgeting a dime for the Disability Commission in the state since he assumed office.

Mrs Ajuluchukwu spoke during the commemoration of the one-year anniversary of Anambra State Disability Rights Commission in Awka, the state capital.

The commission was constituted in December 2021 by the administration of former Governor of the state, Willie Obiano.

Soludo reacts

But reacting through a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Christian Aburime, Mr Soludo described the claim as misleading and erroneous.

The governor contended that, contrary to the former high commissioners claims, he had carried out remarkable actions to ensure the welfare and empowerment of the vulnerable segments of the society including the PWDs in the state.

He said Mrs Ajuluchukwu did not research the governments initiatives thoroughly before making the allegations.

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To set the record straight, the Anambra State Government, through the office of the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, has empowered about 12 vulnerable Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and associations in the state, he said.

He explained that the empowerment was undertaken to alleviate the suffering of all categories of people with disabilities and children with special needs in the state.

Mr Soludo listed some of the NGOs empowered by the government so far to include Anambra State Albinism Association, National Association of the Deaf, Young Wing of the Blind Students Association of Nigeria and Association of Women with Disabilities.

The government has given approval for the PWDs being trained in different skills at the Oba and Aguleri Vocational Centres of the state to be empowered.

Furthermore, the state government has set a committee to plan and coordinate the implementation of the N1.5 billion ward-based economic empowerment for vulnerable persons which include the PWDs, he stated, adding that data collection for would-be beneficiaries had since commenced.

The governor stressed that his administration was committed to fostering economic independence and social inclusion of everyone irrespective of their physical abilities.

He said Mr Ajuluchukwus allegations misconstrued his administrations efforts and could also distract the progress being made in the state by the government to carry everybody along.

Constructive criticism is always welcomed, but it should be based on verified information rather than misleading narratives, he added.

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The Ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating job racketeering in federal agencies has refuted media reports that the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB), Ishaq Oloyede, was indicted by the panel for the recruitment of 300 personnel.

The Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi (APC, Plateau), at the resumption of hearing on Friday, said the committee did not indict JAMB or its registrar. Rather, the committee is only interested in fact-finding.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the committee queried Mr Oloyede for recruiting 300 personnel without advertising the roles in newspapers.

Speaking on the process of the probe, Mr Gagdi said the committee will submit its report to the House after the conclusion of its investigation.

I want to say here that, as a matter of fact, do not take any report of indictment against anybody seriously. This committee has not indicted the Registrar of JAMB, and we have not indicted any institution.

You can only say that after we submit our report. There are reports going out that we have indicted JAMB Registrar. No, we have not submitted any report anywhere, so dont quote us out of context, please.

We had a very good interaction with him, and nobody should preempt the decision of this committee to say that somebody is faulty, he said.

The ongoing investigation has unveiled allegations of forgery and bribery in some federal agencies, particularly in the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

The JAMB registrar had told the committee that his agency did not violate any regulation for hiring staff for professional test centres it newly completed and the ones donated to it by the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Mr Oloyede also provided documents indicating JAMB obtained approvals from the Federal Ministry of Education and the Budget Office of the Federation before hiring the personnel.

In addition, he said, the agency obtained a waiver from the Federal Character Commission before the commencement of the recruitment and a certificate of compliance on the completion of the process.

Committee members had claimed the existence of a government circular barring agencies of government from hiring above 100 staff without advertisements, but Mr Oloyede told the panel he was not aware of any such directive.

Independent checks by PREMIUM TIMES at the offices of the Head of Service and the Federal Character Commission also indicate no such memo exists.

JAMB, in May 2021, undertook an emergency recruitment exercise to staff its 20 new test centres in Akure, Awka, Birnin Kebbi, Ehime Miano, Kaduna, Lafia, Lokoja, Okoko Item and Owerri.

The agency also used the exercise to replace 99 key staff members who left the service.

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Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State will on 21 August host a retreat, organised by the Committee of Retired Inspectors-General of Police (IGPs) in Ibadan.

The Head of Press and Public Relations of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Ikechukwu Ani, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Ani said the retreat would hold from 21 August to 23 August at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan.

He said the retreat, with the theme: Intervention Of Ex-Inspectors General of Police For Strategic Contribution To Effective Policing In Nigeria would brainstorm on effective policing in Nigeria.

The PSC spokesperson said dignitaries expected at the retreat are all retired IGPs, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Chairman of PSC, Solomon Arase and the acting IGP, Olukayode Egbetokun.

According to him, Mr Makinde will be the chief host at the event.

Mr Ani said papers to be presented at the retreat are Current State of Police Preparedness; Issues, Challenges and Prospects as well as Strategic actions and steps towards restoring NPFs primacy in internal security architecture of Nigeria.

He said the discussion and experience-sharing session on the imperativeness of employing the experiential knowledge of the retired IGPs in the effective management of internal security in Nigeria would be part of the retreat.

The PSC spokesperson said Aliyu Attah, a retired IGP, and the chairman of the committee is the convener of the retreat.

(NAN)

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ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, August 19. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has officially confirmed its participation in the 28th International Conference "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan" (OGT-2023) that will be held from October 25 to 27 in Ashgabat, Trend reports.

Other notable corporations that have committed to attending the conference include OPEC, Dragon Oil, CNPC, PETRONAS, William Johnson International Trade and Services, FZCO, and Kamaz. Almost one hundred groups have currently confirmed their participation, making up the total.

OPEC will be represented at the event by Behrooz Baikalizadeh, the organizations Head of Petroleum Studies.

The event will be held with the active support and joint organization of the State Concerns "Turkmengaz" and "Turkmenneft", the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, and the State Corporation "Turkmengeologiya", jointly with the "Turkmen Forum," and with the support of the British company GaffneyCline.

We would like to remind you that last year, in October, Turkmenistan successfully held an international conference and exhibition called "Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan: 2022" (OGT-2022). The main purpose of these events was to attract investment in the countrys oil and gas sector.
The Enugu State Government and an international airline carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, have agreed to form a partnership for mutual growth and development.

Some officials of the airlines disclosed this on Saturday during their courtesy visit to the Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State at the Old Government Lodge in Enugu.

The officials said the partnership will include exploring different available opportunities such as the training of youths in Enugu at the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation University and other areas of interest.

The delegation was led by the outgoing Traffic and Sales Manager of the firm, Henok Sirak, during the visit.

Our meeting with the governor was a productive meeting aimed at strengthening ties and exploring avenues for mutual benefits, Mr Sirak told reporters after the meeting.

The outgoing traffic and sales manager said their discussions with the governor centred on collaborative opportunities and strategies to enhance the airlines operations within the state.

He stressed the commitment of the government and the firm to forge a common front that would contribute to the growth and development of the states economy.

On his part, Mr Mbah expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting, describing it as a pivotal step towards the realisation of his administrations economic development plan in the state.

The governor explained that the partnership was part of his administrations efforts to boost the Gross Domestic Product of the state economy through diversification.

He wished the outgoing manager well and pledged that his administration would work with the new manager of the airline firm, Zeleke Flate, who was introduced to him (Mbah) at the meeting to ensure that both parties benefit from the partnership.

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Ahead of the off-circle governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states in November, the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday met with the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, in Abuja.

The governors, under the aegis of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), met with the former Kano State governor behind closed doors to discuss the winning strategy of the party ahead of the three off-season governorship elections.

Mr Ganduje, who recently emerged as the chairman of the party following the exit of his predecessor, Abdulahi Adamu, is facing his first litmus test in office.

Mr Adamu faced allegations of mismanagement of the funds for the execution of the Osun State election in 2022 where the party lost to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The ruling party is seeking to hold on to Imo State where the Chairman of the PGF, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, is facing re-election.

Mr Uzodinma emerged as the governor of the South-east state following a controversial Supreme Court order that sacked Emeka Ihedioha.

Similarly, the party seeks to retain the governorship seat in Kogi State as the tenure of Governor Yahaya Bello is coming to an end.

Mr Bello and the APC are campaigning for Usman Ododo, the governorship candidate of the party in the state.

The ruling party is also seeking to take back Bayelsa State after it lost it following another controversial court ruling that sacked David Lyon, the candidate of the APC. But in this election circle, the party is fielding former Governor Timipre Sylva.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Mr Uzodinma said it was all about strategising for the elections.

The Progressives Governors Forum is like a family. We are the family of the largest party in Africa. We used the opportunity to listen to our national party chairman, who came to brief us on the activities of the party and the proposed reforms he intends to carry out in the party, he said.

APC moves to reconcile Uzodinma, Okorocha

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Mr Ganduje and Vice President Kashim Shettima held a meeting with Mr Uzodinma and his political rival, former Governor Rochas Okorocha, ahead of the election.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Villa.

In a post by the party on X (formerly known as Twitter), the party said the meeting was about uniting the House

Vice President Kashim Shettima, our National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Senator Rochas Okorocha parley, the party posted.

Ahead of the Imo state governorship election, APC is a united and strong house.

Messrs Okorocha and Uzodinma have been at loggerheads since the 2018 Imo State primary elections.

Mr Okorocha had handpicked his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him, but was out-manoeuvred by Mr Uzodinma forcing Mr Nwosu to defect to the Action Alliance (AA) where he contested the March 2019 election.

Messrs Nwosu and Uzodinma were however defeated by the PDP candidate, Mr Ihedioha in the main election.

In 2020, Mr Ihedioha was however sacked by the Supreme Court which declared Mr Uzodinma, the candidate of the APC winner of the election though he (Uzodinma) came fourth in the result announced by INEC.

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A date has been assigned for ECOWAS to militarily intervene in Niger to restore constitutional rule, defence chiefs said on Friday.

The D-day is also decided. Weve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention, Aljazeera quoted ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah as saying.

Although he did not disclose the specific day, he added that we are ready to go any time the order is given.

Defence chiefs held a two-day meeting in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the deployment of a standby force to Niger as directed by the heads of state.

Heads of state of the sub-regional bloc last Thursday ordered the activation and deployment of a standby force should the military junta there refuse to return power to detained president Mohamed Bazoum.

The bloc agreed to use force should all diplomatic attempts fail. On Friday, Mr Musah said the bloc is still preparing a mediation mission to Niger, so we have not shut any door.

Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty, Aljazeera quoted Mr Musah as saying.

But for Cape Verde, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea, most of ECOWASs 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, he said.

Many member states would need the approval of their parliaments to deploy soldiers to Niger. It remains unclear how many soldiers each country will send.

However, Nigeria with the largest military in West Africa is expected to provide the bulk of soldiers needed. The Nigerian parliament had earlier opposed troops deployment to Niger although the president is yet to make a specific request for troops deployment. The Nigerian constitution, however, allows the president to deploy troops even without parliamentary approval which he could seek after deployment.

The President, in consultation with the National Defence Council, may deploy members of the armed forces of the Federation on a limited combat duty outside Nigeria if he is satisfied that the national security is under imminent threat or danger, section 5(5) of the Nigerian constitution says.

It added that the president shall, within seven days of actual combat engagement, seek the consent of the Senate and the Senate shall thereafter give or refuse the said consent within 14 days.

Many Nigerians have opposed military intervention with some like the influential Islamic council, NSCIA, even condemning the sanctions imposed on Niger by ECOWAS in the aftermath of the coup.

Presidential guards led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, on 26 July, arrested Nigers president Mohamed Bazoum and dissolved the constitution.

Responding to the coup, ECOWAS convened an emergency meeting where it imposed harsh economic sanctions on Niger including a seven-day ultimatum to the putschists to reinstate the ousted president.

The putschists defied ECOWAS and formed a new government on the eve of the second emergency meeting convened by the bloc.

Last Saturday, a Nigerian delegation of Islamic scholars met with the junta leaders for negotiation after which the junta leader agreed to dialogue with ECOWAS. Before then, two attempts made by ECOWAS to meet with the junta leader Mr Tchiani had failed.

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To celebrate Isese Day, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared Monday as a work-free day for all public servants in the state.

The Isese Day has been set aside in Lagos to celebrate the indigenous Yoruba culture and traditions as well as the preservation of the Yoruba heritage.

It is marked annually on 20 August and celebrated by adherents of the Yoruba traditional religion.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, Jibril Gawat, a media aide to the governor said the announcement was made in a circular issued by Hakeem Muri-Okunola, the states head of service.

According to a circular, this years Isese Day celebration will be held on Sunday, 20 August.

He stated further that the declaration of a work-free day by the governor is a reaffirmation of his commitment to continue to provide necessary support to traditional institutions in the State with a view to promoting our indigenous culture and tradition while preserving our heritage.

The circular announced Tuesday, 22 August at 8 a.m. prompt as the resumption of work for all state workers.

Lagos joins the list of southwestern states  Oyo and Ogun states that recently set aside 20 August to mark the festival.

Controversy

In Kwara State, the festival has been a subject of controversy.

Traditional practitioners were stopped from celebrating the festival in the state after an Islamic group warned a priestess against holding the celebration.

Sulu Gambari, the emir of Ilorin, said the festival was cancelled to prevent a crisis.

But Wole Soyinka, a renowned playwright, criticised him saying his virtue of intolerance breeds fundamentalist organisations such as Boko-Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and Al-Shabaab.

The Nobel laureate described the emirs action as an assault on civilised conduct.

Mr Soyinka and the monarch recently clashed over the latters decision to ban a cultural festival of Isese by an Osun devotee, Adesikemi Olokun, in the city of Ilorin.

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged political office holders to put the interest, unity and progress of the nation above personal or sectional gains.

Olusola Abiola, Director Information, Office of the Vice President, in a statement, said Mr Shettima gave the advice at a reception to celebrate the appointment and accomplishments of George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The reception was organised by North-central Governors Forum.

Mr Shettima also called on present and aspiring political office holders to emulate the SGFs virtues.

The vice president, who paid glowing tributes to the SGF in a message titled a life of honour, described Mr Akume as an idea, a man of honour, a beacon of unity, loyalty and integrity in our nation.#

Lets not only celebrate his appointment but also learn from his life. Sen. Akumes political longevity is not by an accident.

It is the result of his unwavering pan-Nigerian principle, reflecting his wisdom and vision of a peaceful, stable, and safe Nigeria.

Mr Shettima also eulogised the virtues that have endeared the SGF to many across political and ethnic lines.

He added: We are not here to celebrate an individual; we are here to praise the potency of an idea; to raise a toast to a shining beacon of unity and integrity in our great nation.

On the path that has led our honouree to this strategic position, we find woven the threads of unshaken belief in the ideals of a united Nigeria.

It is this belief that has been the driving force behind his every endeavour.

The conviction that our strength lies in our unity and diversity, that together we are stronger than the sum of our parts, has guided his steps and fuelled his determination.

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Mr Shettima described Mr Akume as the ally you can count on with your eyes closed, and thats the highest compliment you can receive in politics.

His journey to this height exemplifies his fidelity to the pact he has signed.

Its what you do when you have agreed to uphold the values that our great nation holds dear.

Its what you do when you subscribe to the principles of justice, fairness, and equality.

The vice president also underscored the significance of character for aspiring political office holders.

Mr Shettima said: There are offices for which no amount of academic and professional qualifications is sufficient to earn you.

Our honouree here today occupies one such office, an office that makes you understand why our learning institutions emphasise character when issuing degree certificates to their graduating students.

Our honouree is here today because of his loyalty to a cause greater than himself.

In a time of wavering political loyalties, Sen. Akume is both a model and a source of inspiration for all those who seek to understand the importance of cooperation in public service.

Mr Shettima said what truly sets Mr Akume apart was his belief in fostering unity across the rich tapestry of religions, ethnicities, and regions that make up our nation.

In a land of diverse cultures and traditions, his examples have transcended boundaries, bridging gaps, and nurturing understanding.

His commitment to building bridges between different groups and backgrounds in one of the most challenging places to do so is the reason he is not just a man but an idea, the VP added.

Dignitaries at the event included former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; and Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives, Ben Kalu.

Others were: Senate Leader, Bamidele Opeyemi; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue; Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger; Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi.

Also in attendance were: Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun; Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRazaq of Kwara; former Governors Simon Lalong and Rochas Okorocha; North-central elders; traditional and religious leaders and ministers-designate, amongs others.

(NAN)

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Some former members of the Islamist militia, Boko Haram, protested in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Friday alleging abandonment by the government.

About 6,900 members of Boko Haram surrendered to the Nigerian authorities and renounced their membership of the terrorist organisation.

The former terrorists, who are undergoing a deradicalisation and rehabilitation programme at the Hajj Camp in Maiduguri, broke out of the facility, and protested on the streets asking the government to pay them the N30,000 allowance it promised.

The protest caused tension and gridlock along the Bulumkutu  Maiduguri Highway before the security operatives arrived to douse the tension.

The former Islamists reportedly said they were forced to protest to register their disappointment to the world and the authorities because they have been neglected, left without adequate food and other welfare amenities.

They said the authorities concerned had promised to rehabilitate and reintegrate them into the society to enable them live a lawful life as responsible Nigerians.

Reaction

Reacting to the development, the states commissioner of Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said biometrics registration for repentant insurgents had resumed after the incident.

As normalcy restored, officials of Borno State Government have on Friday resumed the biometrics data capture of repentant Boko Haram insurgents.

A total of 6,900 repentant insurgents are processed under the multi-agency framework of Disarmament, Demobilisation, Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation, Reconciliation and Reintegration (DDDRRR) otherwise known as the Borno Model, Mr Tar added.

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He explained that the data processing process was scheduled to be conducted in six batches by a certified team of intelligence and ICT experts with the utmost level of professionalism and confidentiality in data management.

Due to a bridge in communication, those who were supposed to appear for the data capture at a later date appeared on Friday, August 18, 2023, and this led to confusion at a camp where the exercise was being conducted.

The Borno State government wishes to assure the public that the situation is under control and normalcy has been restored at the venue of the biometric exercise.

The incident illustrated the sensitive task which authorities face in re-inserting former fighters back into communities that have often suffered from years of attacks and kidnappings during a 13-year Islamist insurgency, he concluded.

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Another attempt at reversing the political situation and avoiding a war in Niger has seen former Nigerian military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar lead another ECOWAS delegation to Niamey, Nigers capital.

The delegation arrived in Niamey on Saturday, a day after ECOWAS defence chiefs agreed on a date to militarily intervene in Niger.

This is the second time Mr Abubakar is visiting Niger since the 26 July coup. At his first visit, his delegation, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, was denied access into the city and could not meet the junta leader General Abdourahmane Tchiani.

Mr Tchiani later apologised and stated that they were angry at ECOWAS for not listening to their own side of the story before issuing an ultimatum.

The junta leaders in Niger also turned down a meeting request from a joint delegation of the UN, AU and ECOWAS, citing security reasons.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Friday at a press briefing said the UN Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Simao, eould arrive in Niger to meet the military rulers and other parties to facilitate a swift and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Niger.

Responding to a question about the UNs position on the use of force by ECOWAS, Mr Dujarric said what we want to see is a return to constitutional order. We want to see the liberation of the President and his family and the restoration of his legitimate authority.

We have seen what ECOWAS is discussing. Weve also seen what the AU has said. Our focus right now is on doing what we can to see a return to the constitutional order he added.

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At the just concluded 66th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa, which held between the 26th and 28th of July in Mauritius, Nigeria was elected into the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and as Vice Chair of the Commission for Africa This is a major step for Nigerian tourism, and it confers huge advantages for regional and global visibility, as it came on the heels of the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) as the Chairman of ECOWAS.

An Essential Platform for Tourism Growth

The recent announcement by the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Tourism, and the appointment of a substantive Minister to run the Ministry is ample proof of the genuine intention of this administration to recognise tourism as a significant low hanging fruit for Nigerias economic growth and for the development of the industry.

The ministerial appointee, Ms Lola Ade John is a notable professional with cognate experience in the information and disruptive technology space and I am positive that her appointment to the Ministry of Tourism is just what the industry needs at a time like this.

Globally, the tourism value chain is a trillion-dollar industry that interconnects many sub-sectors, providing employment for millions of people and serving as a major contributor to National GDPs. Sadly, Africa only accounts for 4% of this market.

There is need for all stakeholders in the industry to awaken to their responsibilities and collaboratively work towards the growth of the sector. The value chain of Nigerias tourism economy is vast. From the hospitality sector to aviation and transportation, destination management, souvenir production, event packaging, carnivals, festivals and cultural promotions, among others, the opportunities of leveraging this key growth sector to create jobs, shore up revenue and add to the nations GDP are limitless.

As administrators, my team and I strongly believe that to become a tourism hub in Africa, we need to develop domestic tourism first. The development of domestic tourism will increase the countrys attraction to sponsors and investors. They will, in turn, develop the industry, develop our tourism assets, leading to further infrastructural development that will let loose the huge potentials of the tourism industry.

Certainly, the new Ministry of Tourism offers the required growth structure for promoting the country as a destination of choice for many across the world, particularly as the demand for Nigerian tourism is strengthening and gearing up to surpass the 2019 pre-COVID levels, when international tourist arrivals accounted for over 2.2 million people, with receipts in excess of $1.4 billion. Across the world, tourism has recovered by 80% of its value, post-COVID, while Africa has recovered by as much as 88%. The opportunities for domestic growth of the sector are therefore very apparent.

There is equally now hope that domestic tourism, which is six times larger than international tourism, and constitutes more than 70% of tourism markets, will witness the collaborative drive that it requires from all stakeholders and this will result in the increase of inbound tourism. This will be good for the development of Nigerias rural communities, where a lot of the tourist sites are located.

We must address several challenges to fully realise our tourism potential. Investment in infrastructure development is crucial, alongside the improvements to transportation networks, accommodations, and tourist facilities. Public-private partnerships can play a vital role in attracting investment and expertise. In addition, we must prioritise the safety and security of tourists through effective security measures and proactive risk management strategies. By building trust and confidence, we can assuage concerns and create a welcoming environment for visitors.

The Open Skies Agreement, a key component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, has the potential to transform Nigerias tourism landscape. By removing restrictive air travel regulations, the agreement fosters greater connectivity and accessibility, making it easier for international tourists to explore Nigerias tourism assets.

Some quick ideas that come to mind for prompt intervention and growth of tourism in Nigeria include the following:

Commissioning of a National Tourism Development Master Plan

For coordinated growth of the sector, there is need to inaugurate a National Tourism Development Master Plan in line with the National Development Plan 20212025 that fits with governments long-term aspiration, as encapsulated in the Nigeria Agenda 2050 for the measurable and coordinated growth of the sector.

Activation of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)

The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) is a standardised quantitative tool required for capturing tourism related data, which is necessary for coordinated nationwide planning and development. There is therefore need to domesticate the TSA in Nigeria.

Placement of Tourism in the Federal Constitution

Due to its multi-faceted nature, tourism is a concurrent matter that involves all tiers of government. Accordingly, there is need to engage with the National Assembly to properly place tourism on the Concurrent List in the federal constitution and remove all ambiguity around it. This is necessary for tourism to thrive as envisaged.

Leveraging on the Open Skies Agreement and the Single African Market

The Open Skies Agreement, a key component of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, has the potential to transform Nigerias tourism landscape. By removing restrictive air travel regulations, the agreement fosters greater connectivity and accessibility, making it easier for international tourists to explore Nigerias tourism assets. Improved air transport infrastructure, combined with streamlined visa processes, will attract a larger number of visitors, providing a significant boost to the tourism industry.

Strengthening Institutional and Human Capacity Development Across the Industry

There is need to improve the range of skills necessary to provide quality services and experiences within the industry by partnering with stakeholders and educational organisations to provide the required skills and capacity for personnel and practitioners.

The standardised training system should attract young and mature Nigerians back to study and training, and provide them with specialised skills and pathways to new careers in the tourism, hospitality and services sectors. The training should be more vocational and not just academic.

Encouraging Tourism Investment and Funding

There is need to create a functional Tourism Development Fund, as well as an enabling environment for tourism investors to thrive and drive the development of tourism sites, assets and destination marketing. Also, financial institutions should be incentivised to act as partners in progress by providing single digit long term development loans to the industry.

New Regional Leadership Role

At the just concluded 66th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa, which held between the 26th and 28th of July in Mauritius, Nigeria was elected into the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and as Vice Chair of the Commission for Africa.

This is a major step for Nigerian tourism, and it confers huge advantages for regional and global visibility, as it came on the heels of the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This new development offers Nigeria another window of opportunity to showcase the best of her culture and diversity to the rest of the world.

Brand Africa is a powerful tool that Nigeria can leverage on to enhance the tourism sector Emphasising Nigerias position as a gateway to Africas rich tapestry of experiences will further enhance its appeal to global travelers seeking authentic and transformative encounters. I am gladdened that such an analogous brand already exists at the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority.

Key benefits of this landmark achievement in Mauritius, would include the setting up of a UNWTO Tourism Academy in Nigeria, access to UNWTO tourism grants for supporting the local industry, and technical assistance for the activation of the Tourism Satellite Account.

According to the UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili at the event, the agenda for the organisation of tourism in Africa has become updated for inclusive growth (which reflects the newer challenges of post-pandemic tourism and the priorities of members), as such, the vision for African tourism is that of stronger governance, more education and better jobs. Therefore, there is the need to innovate more around Africa as a brand, in a manner that would enhance tourism by unlocking its growth through investment, alongside public-private partnerships.

Also, some of the achievements of UNWTO over the past year were pointed out as including the expansion of tourism investments across the continent, the promotion of gender equality in all roles and youth empowerment, in line with the advocacy for Brand Africa to drive regional tourism outcomes.

Brand Africa is a powerful tool that Nigeria can leverage on to enhance the tourism sector. By showcasing the nations unique cultural heritage, vibrant traditions, and warm hospitality, we can create a distinct and compelling brand identity. Collaborative marketing campaigns, both domestically and internationally, can highlight Nigerias diverse attractions, captivating potential tourists and dispelling any misconceptions about the country. Emphasising Nigerias position as a gateway to Africas rich tapestry of experiences will further enhance its appeal to global travelers seeking authentic and transformative encounters. I am gladdened that such an analogous brand already exists at the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority.

We will work together to promote the Tour Nigeria brand to accelerate the growth of tourism, collaborate with international organisations, neighbouring countries, and regional tourism bodies.

By cultivating collaborative partnerships, we believe that Nigeria can benefit from shared knowledge, expertise, and promotional opportunities. Joint marketing initiatives showcasing Nigerias unique offerings within the African context will bolster our brand visibility on the global tourism stage. Furthermore, we would look to actively participate in international tourism events and leverage on our digital platforms to reach a broader audience, going forward.

Conclusion

Nigeria stands at the threshold of a transformative era in its tourism industry. By harnessing the opportunities presented by the Open Skies Agreement and the AfCFTA, addressing the challenges posed by inadequate investments in the sector, and leveraging the power of the Tour Nigeria brand, we can propel the tourism sector to new heights.

Through sustainable practices, infrastructure development, collaborative partnerships, and effective promotion, we can unlock our tourism potentials and emerge as a sought-after destination. This will be executed by embracing innovation and disruptive technologies, and preserving our cultural heritage and natural wonders.

As we welcome the new Minister for Tourism, I am hopeful that in our time, Nigeria can secure its place on the global tourism map while making a positive contribution to sustainable development.

Folorunsho Coker is the Baba Eto of Yorubaland and Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority.

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War stands as a perpetually futile response to challenges. The culmination of one conflict frequently unfurls as the prologue to the next one. Upon the US intervention in Iraq, extinguishing Saddam Hussein and unsettling not merely Iraq, but vast expanses in the Middle East, a subsequent expedition ensued to counter a new group of barbarians recognised as the Islamic State (ISIS)  unveiling the cyclic nature of armed struggles. This tempestuous cascade reverberated globally

Its often said that major conflicts result from minor catalysts, but rarely solely due to those catalysts. While the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria held significance, it is challenging to assert that his murder in Sarajevo on 28 June, 1914, was the sole pivotal factor that led to the demise of an estimated 15 to 20 million individuals during World War I. But what really motivated Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, to assassinate the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his charming wife, Sophie? A brief historical overview will provide some clarity.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also referred to as the Habsburg Monarchy, was a significant European power that existed from 1867 to 1918. It functioned as a dual-state monarchy, uniting the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire under a single monarch, Emperor Franz Joseph I. Included in the mix also, were the Balkans, a region in Southeastern Europe recognised for its diverse cultural, historical, and political traits, encompassing the Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Romanians, Croats, Serbs, and others.

The Balkans, the region where Sarajevo is situated, was a hotspot of nationalism and ethnic tensions. Numerous ethnic groups within the Balkans aimed at gaining independence from the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires. Serbia, in particular, sought to unite all Serbs into a singular state, encompassing territories under the Austro-Hungarian control.

The assassin, Gavrilo Princip, and his co-conspirators were part of a clandestine nationalist organisation known as the Black Hand. They perceived Austria-Hungary as an oppressive colonial force that exercised control over and stifled the ambitions of the South Slavic people in the Balkans.

The assassination was orchestrated to align with the Archdukes visit to Sarajevo, coinciding with the anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. This battle held great importance in Serbian history and culture. The Black Hand perceived the archdukes visit as a chance to convey a message to Austria-Hungary.

After the assassination of Archduke Franz, the Austro-Hungarian government presented Serbia with an ultimatum. This comprised ten demands aimed at addressing the perceived Serbian involvement in the assassination and curbing the activities of Serbian nationalist groups. These demands were deliberately crafted to be stringent and challenging for Serbia to fully accept, with the aim of providing Austria-Hungary a pretext for military action against Serbia.

As Serbias response to the ultimatum was deemed insufficient, the Austro-Hungarian government severed diplomatic relations with and immediately after declared war on Serbia. Russia, closely linked with Serbia, initiated partial mobilisation in reaction to Austria-Hungarys actions. Germany, which had a military alliance with Austria-Hungary, issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding a halt to its mobilisation.

The signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 shocked the international community. The pacts secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, setting the stage for the joint invasion of Poland. Germanys invasion of Poland in September 1939 served as the direct catalyst for the outbreak of World War II. The overall death toll, encompassing both military and civilian casualties, is estimated to be around 15 and 20 million people.

When Russia failed to comply, Germany declared war on Russia. Germany also declared war on Russias ally, France, and invaded Belgium, prompting Britain, obligated to defend Belgian neutrality, to declare war on Germany. This series of events set in motion a full-blown world war.

The United States initially remained neutral during the early years of World War I. However, various factors eventually prompted it to join the war on the side of the Allies. One of the most impactful factors was Germanys implementation of unrestricted submarine warfare. German U-boats (submarines) began sinking both military and civilian ships, including American vessels, in the waters around Europe. The sinking of the British ocean liner, RMS Lusitania, in May 1915, which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, incited outrage in the United States.

In addition, in January 1917, British intelligence intercepted a secret telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German ambassador in Mexico. The telegram proposed a military alliance between Germany and Mexico, if the United States entered the war against Germany. In return, Germany pledged to support Mexico in reclaiming territories lost to the United States, such as Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The revelation of the Zimmermann Telegram further amplified anti-German sentiments in the United States. On 6 April, 1917, the Congress declared war on Germany, thereby officially joining the United States in World War I.

World War I lasted from 1914 to 1918 and ended with the signing of the Armistice of Compiegne on 11 November, 1918. The Allies (primarily France, the United Kingdom, and the United States) emerged victorious over the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria). The armistice set the stage for peace negotiations, culminating in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June, 1919. The treaty imposed severe conditions on Germany, including territorial losses, disarmament, and payment of reparations. It also instigated significant political and territorial changes in Europe and other regions across the world.

The Treaty of Versailles sowed the seeds of anger and financial chaos in Germany, burdening the country with heavy reparations and land losses. The 1930s economic downturn made things even worse, causing widespread joblessness, poverty, and turmoil. These conditions ultimately paved the way for the rise of totalitarian and expansionist regimes across Europe.

Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany and Benito Mussolinis fascist Italy pursued aggressive territorial ambitions and adopted militaristic policies. The policy of appeasement by the League of Nations and Western democracies towards Nazi Germanys expansionist actions in the 1930s proved ineffective in deterring its aggression. Germanys expansionist aspirations aimed at reclaiming its lost territories and establishing a Greater German Empire.

The signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 shocked the international community. The pacts secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, setting the stage for the joint invasion of Poland. Germanys invasion of Poland in September 1939 served as the direct catalyst for the outbreak of World War II. The overall death toll, encompassing both military and civilian casualties, is estimated to be around 15 and 20 million people.

In the chaos of war, the contours of victory blur, revealing an irrevocable calculus where losses multiply, irrespective of outcomes. The binary perspective of victor and vanquished dissolves into a mere illusion, for within the theatre of armed tumult, victory provides no haven from the insidious reverberations of wars aftermath. In a world woven with interlinked complexities, the call to seek alternatives resonates with an urgent and compelling imperative.

While the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand undoubtedly acted as a catalyst, triggering a cascade of events culminating in the cataclysm of World War I, it is crucial to acknowledge that the pre-war climate was already charged with palpable tension, awaiting only a spark to ignite the conflagration. This volatile backdrop, characterised by simmering rivalries among European powers, yearned for a suitable pretext to erupt into the tempestuous global conflict that etched itself into history as the First World War.

The reverberations of this colossal upheaval did not merely dissipate with the armistice, they sowed the seeds of a subsequent upheaval. The aftermath of the First World War served as a foundational crucible for the emergence of the Second World War. The intricacies of history intertwined, forging a narrative wherein the echoes of one conflict reverberated ominously into the dawn of another, underscoring the inescapable interconnectedness of our global story.

War stands as a perpetually futile response to challenges. The culmination of one conflict frequently unfurls as the prologue to the next one. Upon the US intervention in Iraq, extinguishing Saddam Hussein and unsettling not merely Iraq, but vast expanses in the Middle East, a subsequent expedition ensued to counter a new group of barbarians recognised as the Islamic State (ISIS)  unveiling the cyclic nature of armed struggles. This tempestuous cascade reverberated globally, manifesting through a kaleidoscope of terrorist entities in locales spanning from Libya and Yemen to the intricate tapestry of nations in Africas Sahel region.

From 2001 to 2021, US servicemen resided at the Bagram Air Base, Americas largest military base in Afghanistan, where they trained and undertook daring missions against the Taliban, leveling mountains and destroying caves. However, after twenty solid years, the most powerful country on earth, having deployed the most sophisticated military force the world has ever known and spending close to a trillion dollars, abruptly departed. Finally, the sad realisation dawned that the war in Afghanistan was simply unwinnable.

One fateful morning in August 2021, Afghan soldiers woke up to discover that their old friends had left in the dead of the night, without even saying goodbye. According to a CNN report, among the equipment left behind were more than 700 vehicles, including Humvees, pickup trucks, and 4x4s, some still littered with half-eaten American snacks like Oreos and partially consumed soda bottles.

In the chaos of war, the contours of victory blur, revealing an irrevocable calculus where losses multiply, irrespective of outcomes. The binary perspective of victor and vanquished dissolves into a mere illusion, for within the theatre of armed tumult, victory provides no haven from the insidious reverberations of wars aftermath. In a world woven with interlinked complexities, the call to seek alternatives resonates with an urgent and compelling imperative.

Osmund Agbo writes from Houston, Texas. Email: Eagleosmund@yahoo.

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Natalia Denysenko, a well-known Ukrainian actress, star of the TV series Serf and many other projects, and her son almost became victims of a Russian terrorist attack in the centre of Chernihiv. The mother and child were going for a walk near the drama theatre, but they were saved by chance.

ADVERTISIMENT

They caught the moment of the Russian missile's impact nearby while they were still at home. The actress immediately went down to the shelter, but she already knew that innocent people were being rescued upstairs. She wrote about this in her blog (scroll to the bottom of the page to see the photo).

It is worth noting that Chernihiv is the artist's hometown. She and her 5-year-old son, Andriy, came to visit when they were caught up in another terrorist attack by the terrorist country.

"We had just experienced such an explosion in Chernihiv. The children were very scared. It was ballistics. It hit near the city centre, the drama theatre. Probably there are dead," wrote the celebrity, who was sitting in a shelter that looked like a basement.

ADVERTISIMENT

When the danger had passed, Natalia Denysenko said that she should have been at the site of the hit, as she was going for a walk in the centre of the city with her son, but her leisurely preparations saved their lives.

"We were going to go for a walk, but it took me a long time to get ready and we caught the explosion at home. There were a lot of dead and wounded. The debris flew all over the centre," the actress said.

On the afternoon of 19 August, the Russian Federation struck the centre of Chernihiv, using an Iskander-M ballistic missile. Seven people were killed, including a 6-year-old child, and 117 people were injured, including at least 12 minors.

ADVERTISIMENT

The plane hit the drama theatre on Red Square, the city's main square. The theatre was hosting an exhibition of drone manufacturers called 'Angry Birds'. In connection with the tragedy, 19-21 August were declared days of mourning in Chernihiv.

As OBOZREVATEL wrote, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video from the arrival site and said that there were injured and dead as a result of the attack. The moment of the hit was also captured on video by local residents.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
BEIJING, Aug. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from People's Daily: The 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg is destined to be a grand and dynamic event.

Naledi Pandor, South Africa's minister of international relations and cooperation, recently said that 67 leaders from African countries and the Global South have been invited to attend the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue, and about 20 dignitaries from the African Union Commission, the United Nations and regional economic blocs have been invited for a meeting to be held before the summit.

South Africa actively supports the "recruitment of new members." "We have had formal expressions of interest from the leaders of 23 countries in joining BRICS, and many more informal approaches about the possibilities of BRICS membership," she added.

Over the past 17 years since the BRICS mechanism was established, BRICS countries have upheld the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, constantly expanded areas of cooperation, enriched the connotation of cooperation and achieved fruitful results.

The success of the BRICS cooperation has boosted the confidence of developing countries that hope to accelerate development while maintaining independence, and has won high recognition and trust from these countries.

A large number of emerging market countries and developing countries have shown strong willingness to further strengthen cooperation with BRICS countries.

During the 2017 BRICS summit in China's Xiamen, China for the first time proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, building an important platform of solidarity and cooperation for emerging market countries and developing countries. It was hailed as an important innovation to expand BRICS countries' global influence.

In 2022, at the 14th BRICS summit, the leaders of the five BRICS countries agreed to explore "BRICS Plus" cooperation at more levels, in more areas and in a wider scope, to promote the membership expansion process. It has received wide attention and active response from multiple parties.

The comprehensive and pragmatic cooperation of the BRICS is what makes the mechanism tremendously appealing. The BRICS cooperation has formed an all-dimensional mechanism led by leaders' meeting and involving meetings of foreign ministers and senior representatives for security issues. It has forged a cooperation architecture with its three main drivers, namely, economic cooperation, political and security cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

BRICS countries are an important emerging force in the global economy. Statistics released by UK-based economic research institute Acorn Macro Consulting in March this year showed that BRICS countries accounted for a larger share of the global economy than the G7 in 2022 based on purchasing power parity.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that in the next five years, BRICS countries will contribute close to 40 percent of global economic growth.

In recent years, BRICS countries have steadily strengthened pragmatic cooperation in areas including poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 fight and vaccination, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy and connectivity, injecting momentum into global economic recovery.

BRICS countries follow true multilateralism and make decisions based on equal footing and consensus-building. In a range of global multilateral mechanisms including the UN, G20, WTO, IMF and World Bank, BRICS countries have steadily enhanced policy communication and coordination, promoting the reform of the current international system in a constructive manner.

It can be said that the influence of BRICS cooperation has gone beyond the five countries and the cooperation mechanism has become a constructive force for boosting world economic growth, improving global governance and promoting democracy in international relations.

It's not surprising that such a cooperation mechanism gains extensive recognition and support from the international community, and there will be more and more like-minded partners willing to join this promising mechanism.

In June this year, an article published on the website of Spanish newspaper Rebelion stated that BRICS countries share a common vision of fairer international trade and multilateral cooperation, which aims at safeguarding shared interests. They will promote a more just world order that brings stability to global production, the article added.

Against the backdrop of rising unilateralism, protectionism and exclusionism, BRICS countries keep away from exclusive "small circles" and are committed to building an inclusive "big family." This has become a model for emerging market and developing countries to carry out South-South cooperation, building an extensive platform for emerging economies to participate in South-South cooperation.

Currently, the collective rise of emerging economies has become a trend of the times, and "BRICS Plus" is an important manifestation of this trend.

"BRICS Plus" cooperation always focuses on development and promotes the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to advance global development. It can unite developing countries and explore new space for the development of the BRICS mechanism.

Feng Xingke, secretary-general of the World Financial Forum, said the BRICS resolutely upholds globalization and cooperation, and serves as a cooperation mechanism themed with development.

In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have made development the top priority for developing countries. This is why the BRICS cooperation mechanism is attractive to these countries, Feng said.

It is believed that the expanding "circle of friends" of the BRICS mechanism will further increase the representation and influence of BRICS countries. As more emerging market countries and developing countries deeply integrate into BRICS cooperation, it will demonstrate greater appeal with even more substantial cooperation results, and become a dynamic force making constructive changes to the global governance system.

SOURCE People's Daily
DUBLIN, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Powerplay: What's in the Big Tech AI Playbook" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The almost overnight success of OpenAI's ChatGPT has caused a seismic shift in the AI strategies of the tech giants. While they are already familiar with the underlying technology, i.e., generative AI, they are now seeking ways to capitalize on OpenAI's success and establish themselves as leaders in the market.

What's more, these companies view generative AI as a critical tool for achieving their long-term AI goals, including developing specialized AI systems to meet the unique needs of their customers and enhancing existing products with generative AI capabilities.

The report demonstrates how the major tech companies, primarily MAGMA, are competing for dominance in the generative AI market. These companies are not only launching generative AI products and services, but also creating supporting models, hardware, and infrastructure to cement their position as leaders in this rapidly evolving field.



Presents real-world innovation examples related to the generative AI products, models, hardware, and infrastructure by major technology companies across sectors. It casts light on how big tech companies are innovating in the generative AI space to gain competitive advantage.

Reasons to Buy

No surprise that technology has been a driving force in business transformation for years, but the term 'emerging technologies' has all of a sudden become the key catalyst to drive the next wave of innovation across sectors

The sense of urgency weighs differently across different sectors, where the direct customer-facing sectors are at the forefront compared to other capital-intensive sectors. Companies in one sector can take cues from successful innovations in other sectors to either draw analogies with existing products, services, and processes or transfer strategic approaches for a revolutionary transformation

Against this backdrop, enterprises need to understand which emerging technologies are impacting their sector and how various companies are implementing them to meet various challenges

The innovation landscape report on Big Tech innovations in generative AI, published by the publisher as part of an ongoing series, covers some real-world examples to advance the development and implementation of the technology by some of the key technology enterprises.

Key Topics Covered:

Big Tech generative AI race Evolution in generative AI (2014-2022) 3.Venture financing and acquisitions Focus areas Strategic partnerships Patent landscape Social media buzz Real-world innovations Outlook Glossary



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

3M

Adobe

AI.Reverie

AI21 Labs

Aible

Aiva Technologies

Algorithmia

Alibaba.com

Alphabet

Amazon

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Amdocs

Anthropic

Anyscale

Apple

AT&T

Audio Analytic

Baidu

Bending Spoons

Bloomsbury AI

Blutag

Bonsai

Cisco

Clarifai

CoginitiveScale

Cognigy

Cohere

Commerce.AI.

Databricks

DataRobot

DeepMind

Deeptide

DefinedCrowd

d-Matrix

Drawbridge

Elai

Etisalat

Faraday

Fashable

Fiddler

Flashpoint

Fujitsu

Geopipe

Glean

Google

Graphcore

Gretel

Hazy

Huawei

Hugging Face

IBM

Insilico Medicine

Intel

JD.Com

Kaggle

KX Systems

Ladelbox

LG

LG CNS

Lobe

Maluuba

Matterport

Meta

Microsoft

Midjourney

Mighty AI

Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsui

NEC

Nokia

NTT

Nuance

Nvidia

OpenAI

Orbital Insight

Osmo

Panasonic

Philips

Qualcomm

Replit

Salesforce

Samsung

Semantic Machines

Shutterstock

Snorkel AI

Sony

Sorcero

Stability AI

Swiftkey

Symbl.ai

Synthesis AI

Syntiant

Tabnine

Tesla

Toshiba

Typeface

Wand Labs

Webex

Weights & Biases

Wit.ai

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/awta05



Source: GlobalData

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Bioprocess Containers Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028 Segmented By Type of Containers, By Application, By End Users, By Region, and By Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Bioprocess Containers market is anticipated to witness impressive growth to 2028

This can be ascribed to the rising demand for the implementation of automation and machine learning in the biopharmaceutical industry, along with the introduction of technologically advanced products for the development of novel products across the globe.

Over the past few years, there have been significant developments and trends related to bioprocess containers. The adoption of single-use bioprocess containers has been driven by their flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. Smart sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) are transforming the biopharmaceutical industry, and bioprocess containers are no exception.

Bioprocess containers are now being designed with smart sensors that provide real-time monitoring and control of critical process parameters such as temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen levels. This enables biopharmaceutical manufacturers to optimize their processes, reduce waste, and improve product quality.

One of the main challenges related to bioprocess containers is standardization. Currently, there are no industry-wide standards for bioprocess containers, and each manufacturer may have their own design, material, and manufacturing process. This lack of standardization can make it challenging for biopharmaceutical manufacturers to compare and select bioprocess containers, which can lead to inefficiencies and added costs.

Bioprocess containers offer several advantages over traditional stainless-steel equipment, including reduced capital expenditures, improved flexibility, and increased efficiency. The market for bioprocess containers is expected to continue to grow in the coming years as biopharmaceutical manufacturers seek to optimize their production processes and reduce costs.

Scalability is another challenge related to bioprocess containers. Biopharmaceutical manufacturers may need to scale up or down their production processes quickly to meet changing demand. Bioprocess containers must be designed to accommodate these changes in production without compromising product quality or efficiency.

This can be challenging, as bioprocess containers may need to be customized for specific applications and may not be easily scalable. Bioprocess containers are commonly used for cell culture in the biopharmaceutical industry. These containers are designed to support the growth and production of cells and can be easily customized to meet the specific needs of different cell lines.

Bioprocess containers are also used in gene therapy, which involves the transfer of genetic material into a patient's cells to treat or prevent disease. These containers are used to culture and produce the viral vectors used in gene therapy and can be easily modified to meet the specific needs of different vector systems.



Increasing Demand for Biopharmaceutical Products



The demand for biopharmaceutical products has been increasing steadily over the past few years, driven by an aging population, rising incidence of chronic diseases, and the need for more effective treatments.

Bioprocess containers offer several advantages over traditional manufacturing methods, including greater flexibility, reduced risk of contamination, and lower costs, making them an attractive option for companies looking to increase their production capacity.

We can expect to see more customization and modularization in bioprocess container design as manufacturers look for more flexible solutions that can be easily adapted to different production processes. This will help to reduce costs and improve efficiency while still ensuring the quality and purity of biopharmaceutical products.



Growing Adoption of Single-use Technologies



Bioprocess containers are a key component of single-use technologies, which are rapidly gaining traction in the biopharmaceutical industry.

These technologies offer several advantages over traditional stainless-steel equipment, including lower capital costs, reduced cleaning and validation requirements, and faster turnaround times. As the adoption of single-use technologies continues to increase, so too will the demand for bioprocess containers.

Single-use technology has already revolutionized biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and we can expect to see continued growth in this area. This will include the development of new types of bioprocess containers, as well as other single-use components such as filters and pumps.



Growing demand for Cost-effective and efficient production methods



Bioprocess containers are designed to be cost-effective and efficient, making them an attractive option for companies looking to reduce manufacturing costs and increase production capacity. Compared to traditional stainless-steel equipment, bioprocess containers require less time for setup and cleaning, resulting in faster turnaround times and greater productivity.

In addition, bioprocess containers can be customized to meet specific customer requirements, allowing for greater flexibility and efficiency in the manufacturing process. GE Healthcare launched a new bioreactor system in 2019. The ReadyToProcess WAVE 25 is a single-use bioreactor system that can be used for cell culture and fermentation processes. The system features a pre-assembled single-use bioprocess container and can be easily integrated into existing manufacturing processes.

Bioprocess containers are typically made from materials that are resistant to biopharmaceutical products and are designed to minimize the risk of contamination. This can help ensure the quality and purity of biopharmaceutical products, which is critical for regulatory compliance and patient safety.



Increased Focus on Sustainability and Environmental Friendliness



Sustainability and environmental friendliness are becoming increasingly important for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Many companies are now focused on reducing their carbon footprint and minimizing waste. Bioprocess containers are playing a significant role in this trend, as they are designed for single-use applications, reducing the need for cleaning and sterilization processes.

Moreover, many bioprocess container manufacturers are using environment-friendly materials and manufacturing processes to reduce their impact on the environment. Merck launched its Mobius MyWay portfolio in 2020, which includes a range of single-use bioprocess containers, filtration products, and other components. The MyWay portfolio is designed to provide customized solutions for different biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

Bioprocess containers are designed for single use, which means they can be easily disposed of after use. This eliminates the need for time-consuming cleaning and sterilization processes, which can improve overall manufacturing efficiency. Additionally, bioprocess containers can be pre-assembled and pre-sterilized, which further reduces the time and effort required for setup.



Growing Technological Advancements



Advancements in bioprocess container technology have also contributed to the growth of the market. For example, the development of high-performance films and coatings has enabled bioprocess containers to withstand more extreme conditions, such as high pressures and temperatures. In addition, the use of smart sensors and RFID technology has enabled greater control and monitoring of the manufacturing process, improving product quality and safety.



The past three years have seen several product launches related to bioprocess containers that have aimed to improve the efficiency, reliability, and performance of biopharmaceutical manufacturing. These product launches have incorporated new film technology, advanced sensors, and unique impeller technology, among other innovations.

As the biopharmaceutical industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see further product launches aimed at improving the efficiency and reliability of bioprocess containers. Overall, the increasing demand for biopharmaceuticals and the need for more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing solutions are expected to continue to drive the growth of the bioprocess container market during the forecast period.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic



The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the biopharmaceutical industry, with companies around the world ramping up production of vaccines and other biologics.

Bioprocess containers have played a critical role in this effort, enabling companies to rapidly scale up production and meet the growing demand for these products. As the pandemic continues to affect populations around the world, the demand for bioprocess containers is likely to remain strong.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Bioprocess Containers Market.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Cytiva Europe GmbH.

Saint-Gobain Group.

Lonza Group AG.

Avantor Funding Inc.

Merck KGaA.

Sartorius AG.

CellBios Healthcare and Lifesciences Pvt Ltd.

Cole-Parmer Instrument Co.

Biomass Ventures Pte Ltd.

Report Scope:



Bioprocess Containers Market, By Type of Containers:

2D Bioprocess Containers

3D Bioprocess Containers

Other Containers and Accessories

Bioprocess Containers Market, By Application:

Upstream Process

Downstream Process

Process Development

Bioprocess Containers Market, By End User:

Biopharmaceutical Companies

Life Science R&D Companies

Others

Bioprocess Containers Market, By Region:

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3pon78

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Combat Drone Market by Platform (Small, Tactical, and Strategic) Application (Lethal, Stealth, Loitering munition and Target), Type, Launching Mode (Air Launched Effect, Vertical Take-Off, Automatic Take Off) and Region - Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The combat drone market is projected to grow from USD 7.2 billion in 2023 to USD 10.8 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 8.6% from 2023 to 2028

The global combat drone market is experiencing significant growth driven by the surging demand for unmanned systems within the defense sector. The integration of disruptive technologies into modern warfare has fueled the need for specialized and strategic drones in military operations.

Countries across the world are actively engaging in research and development initiatives to explore and expand the applications of combat drones. With a focus on efficiency and versatility, combat drones are proving their worth in low-altitude flights, finding utility in various military tasks even in hostile environments.

Serving both in times of conflict and peace, these drones are adept at reducing pilot risks and enhancing aeronautical capabilities for defense forces. Embraced by defense sectors globally, combat drones present advantages such as lower operational costs compared to manned aircraft, making them a preferred choice for defense applications.

The increasing budgetary constraints, coupled with a decline in the recruitment of defense personnel and equipment by the US and European countries, have led to the requirement for developing cost-effective defense equipment to carry out several military missions.

Continuously changing modern warfare techniques require conducting critical missions in populated areas using combat drones. Moreover, the availability of advanced navigation as well as satellite communication technologies has led to highly viable remote operations being conducted by these drones.

Combat drones can reduce collateral damage while hovering, searching, and identifying targets, which makes them an invaluable asset to the military sector. Besides, companies operating in the combat drone market are focusing on improving the technological capabilities of these drones.

Based on the platform, the strategic segment is to grow at a higher market share during the forecast period.

Based on the platform, the combat drone market has been classified into small, tactical, and strategic drones. The strategic drone segment is to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. The strategic segment held the majority share of the market in 2022 and is estimated to hold its dominance during the forecast period owing to the high price of HALE and MALE drone platforms.

Based on application, the lethal segment is to grow at the highest market share during the forecast period.

Based on the application segment, the combat drone market has been classified into lethal, stealth, loitering munition, and target drone. The loitering segment is to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Lethal drones or lethal autonomous weapons are autonomous military systems that can individually search for targets and destroy them based on programmed limitations and descriptions.

A loitering munition drone can be described as an advanced, autonomous drone equipped with explosive payloads designed to loiter or hover over a designated area for an extended period. The loitering munition segment is further sub-segmented into recoverable and expendables.

North America is expected to hold the highest market share.

North America is projected to lead the combat drone market in 2023. The US is the largest market for combat drone market in North America. North America is a politically stable region owing to the stable governments of countries in the region. The US and Canada have good business relations and are home to some key players operating in the combat drone market.

North America has been at the forefront of the technological revolution taking place globally. Canada and the US are pioneers in science and technology. Drones have been used for a long time in defense and commercial sectors worldwide. Since the beginning, the region has been a leader in technological advancements.

Though North America faced competition from some other developed and developing regions, it continues to retain its supremacy in the technological field.

Competitive landscape

The major players in the Combat Drone market mainly resorted to contracts to drive their growth. They also entered new markets by launching technologically advanced and cost-effective products. An increase in the demand for advanced Public Safety Drone products and the growth of emerging markets have encouraged companies to enter new regions.

Northrop Grumman (US), General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (US), Raytheon Technologies (US), Israel Aerospace Industries Inc. (Israel), and Airbus (Netherlands) are some of the leading players in the market.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 228 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $7.2 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $10.8 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 8.6 % Regions Covered Global

Premium Insights

Increased Funding by Government to Drive Market

Hybrid Segment Estimated to Lead Combat Drone Market in 2023

Loitering Munition Projected to Grow at Highest CAGR During Forecast Period

Asia-Pacific Region to Register High CAGR Market During Forecast Period

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Growing Adoption of Combat Drones

Deployment of Combat Drones

Surge in Intensified Military Training

Cost-Effectiveness in Terms of Operation and Maintenance

Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security Applications

Decreasing Prices of Components

Restraints

Limited Trained Personnel

Limited Bandwidth, Payload Capacity, and Autonomy

Opportunities

Advancements in AI and Autonomy

Increased International Cooperation

Technological Advancements in Drone Payloads

Full-Scale Conversion for War Scenario Simulation

Challenges

Safety and Security of UAVs

Electronic Jamming to Limit Communication and Control

Combat Drone Market Ecosystem

Prominent Companies

Private and Small Enterprises

Startups

End-users

Industry Trends

Technology Trends

Drone Swarms

Stealth and Low Observable Technologies

Electronic Warfare Using Combat Drones

Synthetic Aperture Radars

Sigint by Drones

Manned-Unmanned Teaming (Mum-T)

Endurance

Hypersonic Armed Drones

Technology Analysis

AI in Combat Drones

Mid-Air Refueling of Drones

Spy Drones

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles

Anti-UAV Defense Systems

Dipole Drive for Combat Drones

Use Cases

Persistent Surveillance and Intelligence Gathering in Hostile Environments

Battlefield Damage Assessment and Post-Strike Analysis

Maturity Mapping of Drone Technologies

Innovation and Patent Registrations, 2020-2023

Evolution of Combat Drone: Roadmap from 2010 to 2030

Company Profiles



Key Players

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Aerovironment, Inc.

The Boeing Company

Airbus

Elbit Systems Ltd.

Leonardo Spa

Qinteiq Group PLC

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Griffon Aerospace

Scr (Sistemas De Control Remoto)

Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc.

Other Players

Dynetics, Inc.

Robotican Ltd.

Volansi, Inc.

Aerotargets International, LLC

Platform Aerospace

Shield AI

Instanteye Robotics

Athlon Avia

Silvertone UAV

Bluebird Aero Systems Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r1o0bo

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Market Size and Trend Analysis by Segments, Key Programs, Competitive Landscape and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global missiles and missile defense systems market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.2%

The Global Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Market 2023-33 report provides the market size forecast and the estimated Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) for the next ten years.

The report covers industry analysis, including the key market drivers, trends, emerging technologies, and major challenges faced by industry participants. It also offers insights regarding key factors and government programs that are expected to influence the demand for the missiles and missile defense systems market over the forecast period.



The air defense modernization and precision strike missile procurement programs by key defense spending countries, such as the US, Russia, China, India, Australia, Poland, and the UK, are anticipated to drive the demand for missiles and missile defense systems over the next decade.

As tensions continue to simmer in Eastern Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several European countries have donated their missiles and missile defense systems to Ukraine, due to which their inventories have depleted in recent months. In this regard, there has been an increase in missile procurements by European countries to restore the stockpiles to optimum levels and meet their national security requirements.

In addition, the changing geopolitical landscape is also forcing the European countries to put efforts into bolstering their missiles and missile defense systems capabilities to levels stronger than the pre-conflict era, which will further drive the market in the coming decade.

Apart from the US and European countries, several emerging military powers in the Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern regions have initiated next-generation missiles and missile defense systems procurement programs, driven by the unique security challenges and evolving geopolitical dynamics in the region. With the proliferation of ballistic missile technology in the region, countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE have invested in acquiring and developing advanced missile defense systems.



The missiles segment is anticipated to be the largest segment in the global missiles and missile defense systems market between 2023 and 2033. Increasing demand for precision strike missiles among the armed forces is expected to drive the growth of the missiles segment over the forecast period.

The commissioning of next-generation military platforms such as aircraft, guided missile frigates, destroyers, corvettes, and submarines is also anticipated to create demand for their weapons payloads, including missiles. Furthermore, the increased focus on the integration of long-range conventional land attack capabilities into modern military platforms is also driving spending on new missile categories.

Major defense-spending countries, including the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India, and Australia, are investing heavily in the development of hypersonic missiles to improve their military capabilities.

According to Kandlikar Venkatesh+N2, Defense Analyst, "The need to replenish aging inventories of missiles and replace outdated air defense systems with next-generation missile defense systems that are capable of countering the growing threat of fifth-generation combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is anticipated to be a major factor driving the missiles and missile defense systems market growth over this decade. The missile defense systems segment will see strong investments over the forecast period from Asia-Pacific and Europe due to the increased focus on indigenous weapon development and manufacturing capabilities."



The Europe region is expected to dominate the global missiles and missile defense systems market between 2023 and 2033

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had significant implications for Europe's missile and missile defense industries. It has led to increased regional security concerns, highlighted the importance of collective defense within NATO, and spurred the development of indigenous missile capabilities. The conflict has also emphasized the importance of interoperability and cooperation among European nations. It has highlighted the need for seamless coordination and joint efforts in defending against ballistic missile threats.



Key Highlights

The global missiles and missile defense systems market is classified into two categories: missiles and missile defense systems

Europe is expected to dominate the global missiles and missile defense systems market over the forecast period with a market share of 31.1%, followed by Asia-Pacific and North America

is expected to dominate the global missiles and missile defense systems market over the forecast period with a market share of 31.1%, followed by and Missiles is expected to be the largest segment over the forecast period

Who Should Buy

Defence Startup's, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Defence Planners, Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Integrators, Venture Capital Firms, Government Agencies, Head of Marketing, Head of Sales, CEOs and Senior Executives

The concerned stakeholders can utilize the report to identify high growth segments and customize their offerings to match the project requirements

The Venture Capital Firms can utilize the project details, growth rate, and market size to identify and fund high potential startups

Scope

Market size and drivers: Detailed analysis during 2023-2033, including the demand drivers and growth stimulators. It also provides a snapshot of the spending and modernization patterns of different regions around the world

Recent developments and industry challenges: Insights into technological developments and a detailed analysis of the existing missiles and missile defense systems projects being executed and planned worldwide. It also provides procurement trends and the challenges faced by industry participants

Regional highlights: Study of the key regional markets, providing a demand analysis of multiple missiles and missile defense systems segments

Major programs: Details of the key programs in each segment, which are expected to be executed during 2023-2033

Competitive landscape and strategic insights: analysis of the competitive landscape of the global missiles and missile defense systems market. It provides an overview of key players, their strategic initiatives, and financial analysis

Reasons to Buy

Determine prospective investment areas based on a detailed trend analysis of the global missiles and missile defense systems over the next ten years

Gain an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors driving demand for different missiles and missile defense systems segments in the top spending countries across the world and identify the opportunities offered by each of them

Strengthen your understanding of the market in terms of demand drivers, industry trends, and the latest technological developments, among others

Identify the major countries that are driving the global missiles and missile defense systems market, providing a clear picture of future opportunities that can be tapped, resulting in revenue expansion

Channelize resources by focusing on the ongoing programs that are being undertaken by the defense ministries of different countries within the global missiles and missile defense systems market

Make correct business decisions based on in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape consisting of detailed profiles of the top missiles and missile defense systems providers around the world. The company profiles also include information about the key products, alliances, recent contracts awarded, and financial analysis, wherever available.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

Global Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Market: Overview

Market Dynamics

Demand Drivers

Trends

Technological Developments

Key Challenges

Global Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Market: Segment Analysis

Segment Analysis: Missiles

Segment Analysis: Missile Defense Systems

Global Missiles and Missile Defense Systems Market - Regional Analysis

Global Missiles and Missile Defense Systems - Regional Overview

Competitive Landscape and Key Programs

Leading Market Players

Key Programs

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

RTX Corp (RTX)

Lockheed Martin Corp

MBDA Holdings SAS

China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corp

Almaz-Antey Concern

Northrop Grumman Corp

Bharat Dynamics Ltd

LIG Group

Defence Research and Development Organisation

Leidos Holdings Inc

Tactical Missiles Corporation

Brahmos Aerospace Pvt Ltd

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. Diehl Stiftung & Co KG

Kongsberg Gruppen ASA

Eurospike GmbH

The Boeing Co

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp

Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology

BAE Systems Plc

The Boeing Co

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd

Elbit Systems Ltd

Saab AB

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/foufoq



Source: GlobalData

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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SOURCE Research and Markets
Sunday celebration to include vendor showcase and storewide 25 percent discount

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Higher Path Collective today announced the celebration of 10 years in business as a trusted California dispensary. The Sherman Oaks dispensary was founded pre-ICO (before the Medical Marijuana Interim Control Ordinance went into effect) and has persevered past COVID-19, high state excise tax, and recreational legalization, among other challenges. This milestone marks a major achievement for The Higher Path on its mission to provide patients with the knowledge and medicine they need while educating visitors about proper cannabis use as well as alternative health approaches to supplement their medicine.

"We are incredibly proud to be a part of this community and grateful for everyone who has helped us over the last 10 years," said Jerred Kiloh, owner, The Higher Path Collective. "Running any business has its challenges while dispensaries face even greater obstacles. Despite all that we've not only thrived as a neighborhood dispensary but have also led the way in bettering the cannabis industry in California."

To properly commemorate a decade of business The Higher Path is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration at the dispensary on Sunday August 20th. Customers will enjoy a 25 percent off discount on all products and receive free admission to a vendor showcase at The Green Room, the event space next door to the dispensary, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A robust selection of special offers will be available during the anniversary celebration including:

A free goody bag with purchases over $100

$1 pre-rolls

pre-rolls $5 eighth ounce quantities of flower, with purchases over $20

The Higher Path dispensary offers a curated assortment of flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, oils, wax, shatter, edibles, and topicals. It was named "Best Dispensary in Los Angeles" in 2016, just three years after its opening.

Jerred Kiloh can be made available for on-camera interviews with the news media upon request and for phone or Zoom-based interviews with select media outlets worldwide.

For more information about The Higher Path, please visit https://thehigherpath.com/.

About The Higher Path Collective

The Higher Path Collective (THP) is a legally licensed and operated recreational marijuana dispensary located in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, CA. Since opening in 2013, the store's offered a wide selection of high quality and lab-tested products served by attentive and knowledgeable staff in a welcoming atmosphere. Philanthropy and community involvement is highly valued at The Higher Path Collective where In addition to supporting programs like Last Prisoner Project, THP is a member of the chamber of commerce and active in many events across the city.

SOURCE The Higher Path
BOSTON, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunker Hill Community College ("BHCC") confirmed today that the college experienced a data incident in May 2023 and will issue notices to affected individuals and relevant state and federal agencies about the incident.

On May 23, 2023, BHCC detected irregular activity on certain BHCC systems that was consistent with a ransomware attack. BHCC immediately responded to the situation by taking the affected systems offline, engaging data security and privacy experts, contacting law enforcement, and simultaneously beginning an investigation. BHCC personnel were able to stop the unauthorized activity from spreading and contained the incident to a limited number of BHCC systems. BHCC's backups were not affected by the incident, and BHCC personnel were able to restore BHCC's network from those backups without any data loss. As a credit to the existing safeguards that BHCC had in place, BHCC personnel successfully and safely restored BHCC's network, enabling BHCC to continue with its academic calendar without any delay.

Due to the complexity of the unauthorized activity, BHCC's investigation is still ongoing; however, out of an abundance of caution, BHCC is providing this notice. Based on the information BHCC generally collects and maintains for students, applicants, and personnel, data including names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, education records, and other personal information may potentially be involved. However, BHCC's investigation is ongoing and specific details as to what categories of information were involved are not yet available. Note that this describes general categories of information collected and maintained by BHCC, and it likely includes categories that are not relevant to each individual. As soon as BHCC is able, individual notification letters will be mailed to affected individuals with further details. If you do not receive a letter, this indicates that your information was not involved in the incident.

Upon becoming aware of the unauthorized activity, BHCC immediately implemented measures to further improve the security of BHCC's information technology systems and practices, including the implementation of new network security tools and new network access policies. BHCC worked with leading cybersecurity experts to aid in their investigation and response, and BHCC reported this incident to relevant government agencies and law enforcement.

The investigation is ongoing and the identities of individuals who were individually affected, if any, is not yet known. However, BHCC encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review their account statements, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law, individuals are entitled to 1 free credit report annually from each of the 3 major credit reporting bureaus. Additional information and resources are outlined below.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting 7 years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the 3 major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "security freeze" on a credit report (also called a "credit freeze"), free of charge, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer's name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on their credit report.

Should consumers wish to place a security freeze or fraud alert, please contact the 3 major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax Experian TransUnion https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ https://www.experian.com/help/ https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-833-395-6938 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Consumers may obtain additional information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state attorney general.

BHCC Contact: publicinformation@bhcc.edu

SOURCE Bunker Hill Community College
ORLAND HILLS, Ill., Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time where everything seems to be getting more and more expensive, leading cannabis retailer Stash Dispensaries is doing its best to help ease the squeeze for its customers at their two new Illinois stores in Orland Hills and Peru.

There is 30% off select brands of premium cannabis products and accessories at Stash. And who doesn't love a BOGO? On selected brands, customers can buy a second product for just $0.01 when they purchase one at regular price.

PROMO FRENZY

"We've had a fantastic opening at Stash Dispensaries in Orland Hills and Peru, and an amazing welcome from the communities," Stash CEO Matt Longo said. "We want to thank our customers who, we hope, we will see again and again in the years to come. There's no better way for us to show our appreciation for their support than to offer the best value we possibly can, and that starts with offering these fantastic bargains, with something for everyone."

These offers are for a limited time only -- August 21 to September 16, 2023, and apply only while stocks last and subject to certain restrictions. For more details and specific product offers in store or at www.stashdispensaries.com.

Stash Dispensaries are located at:

9545 W 167th Street, Orland Hills, IL 60487, e: [email protected], t: (709) 428-2296; and

1320 38th Street, Peru, IL 61354, e: [email protected] or t: (815) 224-1137

About Stash Dispensaries

Stash Dispensaries is a leading adult-use cannabis retailer, providing a wide range of high-quality carefully curated products. A trusted name in the cannabis industry, Stash is known for its dedication to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.

SOURCE Stash Dispensaries
At the time of the criminal rocket attack on Chernihiv on 19 August, the daughter of KOZAK System frontman Ivan Leno Malanka was near the epicentre of the explosion - the drama theatre. She was lightly injured and very frightened.

ADVERTISIMENT

The famous musician said on Facebook that he turned grey after receiving a message from his daughter, who could not contain her emotions. Her mother was also in Chernihiv at the time (to see the photo, scroll to the bottom of the page).

"I arrived at the drama theatre. Tanya and I were across the road from it. We lay down quickly, but it covered us with glass and ash and threw us into the wall. Tanya's head was slightly scratched, I had minor scratches and some blood. There were a lot of corpses and screaming. We ran through the glass and among the corpses. Dad, this is f*cked up. I don't know how we survived, but I'm grateful to our angels," Malanka said in a statement.

ADVERTISIMENT

After the explosion, the girls ran to the basement, where they shook out the glass and treated their wounds. Malanka's mother, the star's wife, was in another basement at the time.

Ukrainian actress Natalia Denysenko and her 5-year-old son were also in the vicinity of the Russian missile hit. They were about to take a walk in the city centre, but were miraculously delayed. Read more in our article.

As a reminder, on 9 August, the Russian Federation struck the centre of Chernihiv with an Iskander-M ballistic missile. Seven people were killed, including a 6-year-old child, and 117 people were injured, including at least 12 minors.

ADVERTISIMENT

The plane hit the drama theatre on Red Square, the city's main square. The theatre was hosting an exhibition of drone manufacturers called 'Angry Birds'. In connection with the tragedy, 19-21 August were declared days of mourning in Chernihiv.

As OBOZREVATEL wrote, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video from the arrival site. The moment of the hit was also captured on the cameras of local residents.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) between February 27, 2020 and June 19, 2023, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important October 3, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline.

SO WHAT: If you purchased Key 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 Key class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=18199 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 October 3, 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 firm's 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) Key downplayed concerns with its liquidity while overstating the effectiveness of its long-term liquidity strategy; (2) Key overstated its projected net interest income ("NII") for the second quarter ("Q2") and full year ("FY") of 2023, as well as related positive NII drivers, while downplaying negative NII drivers; (3) as a result, Key was likely to negatively revise its previously issued NII guidance; (4) all of the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to negatively impact Key's business, financial results, and reputation; and (5) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Key class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=18199 mailto: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 investor's 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

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. ("Hawaiian Electric" or the "Company") (NYSE: HE). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Hawaiian Electric and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On August 14, 2023, news outlets began reporting that Hawaiian Electric did not have a plan to shut off power in advance of dangerous winds that spread the disastrous wildfire through Maui that has killed at least 93 people, with many more still missing. Specifically, it was revealed that the Company, which oversees Maui Electric and provides service to 95% of Hawaiian residents, did not deploy a public power shutoff plan, which involves intentionally cutting off electricity to areas where big wind events could spark fires.

On this news, Hawaiian Electric's stock price fell $10.94 per share, or 33.76%, to close at $21.46 per share on August 14, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of NatWest Group plc ("NatWest" or the "Company") (NYSE: NWG). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether NatWest and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On July 26, 2023, NatWest Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") Alison Rose resigned from that role after acknowledging a "serious error of judgment" in discussing former Brexit party leader Nigel Farage's relationship with Coutts, a NatWest-owned private bank, with a BBC journalist. Although CEO Rose initially informed the BBC that Coutts had closed Farage's account because he was not a profitable customer, Farage subsequently obtained a 40-page document setting forth Coutts' view that association with Farage created "significant reputational risks" for the bank, citing Farage's "xenophobic and racist" political views and the widespread perception of Farage as "a disingenuous grifter." Following Rose's resignation, NatWest's American Depositary Receipt price fell sharply, damaging investors.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Tempur Sealy International, Inc ("Tempur Sealy" or the "Company") (NYSE: TPX). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Tempur Sealy and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On July 31, 2023, Tempur Sealy disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities Commission that the Company had "identified a cybersecurity event involving certain of the Company's information technology ('IT') systems. Upon discovery of the event, the Company activated its incident response and business continuity plans designed to contain the incident. This included proactively shutting down certain of the Company's IT systems, resulting in the temporary interruption of the Company's operations. Legal counsel, a cybersecurity forensic firm and other incident response professionals have been engaged to advise on the matter. The Company has also notified law enforcement authorities."

On this news, Tempur Sealy's stock price fell $1.89 per share, or 4.2%, to close at $43.15 per share on July 31, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The storage area network (SAN) market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13.94% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 24,557.73 million, according to Technavio. North America is estimated to contribute 37% to the growth of the global market during the forecast period. Growth in the region is driven by the potential benefits of storage area networks (SANs) such as lower power consumption and improved write speeds and driving solutions' adoption. SAN solutions in small and medium enterprises are increasing. The growing number of data centers in the region is another factor driving the demand for storage devices. Hence, these factors are expected to drive market growth in the region during the forecast period. For Comprehensive details on the market size of the historical period(2017 to 2021) and forecast period (2023-2027) - View the Sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Storage Area Network (SAN) Market 2023-2027

Company Landscape

The storage area network (SAN) market is fragmented; the companies are competing with competitors and are trying to get a greater market share. The market is growing, and the chances of new entrants cannot be overlooked. The major companies have well-established economies of scale and market presence and generally rely on positioning technological advances, and the price of the products -The report provides a full list of key companies, their strategies, and the latest developments. Buy Now

Market Dynamics

Key Driver

The rising need for data backup and redundancy due to the surge in digital transformation is a key factor driving market growth. SAN solutions offer tremendous growth potential due to the increasing adoption of digital technologies and the growing need for backup and data storage in end-user industries such as healthcare, IT, telecommunications and banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI). SAN is commonly used as a centralized and shared digital file storage system. SANs can be used to improve data storage, backup, and redundancy solutions and services, resulting in increased demand for SANs. Hence, the rising need for data backup and redundancy is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period.

Major Trends- The surge in digital transformation is a major trend in the market.

Significant Challenge- Cyber security is a significant challenge restricting market growth.

Technavio has identified key trends, drivers, and challenges in the market, which will help clients improve their strategies to stay ahead of their competitors. - View Sample Report

Company Profiles

The storage area network (SAN) market report includes information on the product launches, sustainability, and prospects of leading companies, including Arista Networks Inc., ATTO Technology Inc., Broadcom Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., DataCore Software Corp., Dell Technologies Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Hitachi Ltd., Infinidat Ltd., IntelliMagic BV, International Business Machines Corp., Lenovo Group Ltd., Marvell Technology Inc., NEC Corp., NetApp Inc., Oracle Corp., StoneFly, and Nutanix Inc.

Competitive Analysis

The report includes competitive analysis, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their industry position score and market performance score. The competitive scenario categorizes companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, and growth in market share, among others.

Market Segmentation

The market is segmented by component (hardware, software, and services), technology (fiber channel, fiber channel over ethernet, Infiniband, and iSCSI protocol), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The market share growth by the hardware segment will be significant during the forecast period. The hardware segment is a term used for the physical parts of an electronic device. Its connectivity in a storage area network (SAN) involves hardware, software, and services. The hardware part mainly connects storage devices and servers, like fiber channels. Essential hardware elements include hubs, switches, gateways, directors, and routers. Hence, these factors are expected to drive segment growth during the forecast period.

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Related Reports

The human resource outsourcing (HRO) market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 5.65% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 13.65 billion. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by end-user (large enterprises and SMEs), service (PO, BAO, MPHRO, RPO, and LSO), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa). The digitization of human resource outsourcing is a key factor driving market growth during the forecast period.

The IT professional services market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.09% between 2022 and 2027. The market size is forecast to increase by USD 461.56 billion. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by type (project-oriented services, information technology outsourcing, IT is supporting and training services, and enterprise cloud computing services), end-user (large enterprises, small, and medium enterprises), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America). The growing digital transformation is a key factor driving market growth during the forecast period.

Storage Area Network (SAN) Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 13.94% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 24,557.73 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 12.98 Regional analysis North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution North America at 37% Key countries US, Canada, China, UK, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Companies, Market Positioning of Companies, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Arista Networks Inc., ATTO Technology Inc., Broadcom Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Citrix Systems Inc., DataCore Software Corp., Dell Technologies Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Hitachi Ltd., Infinidat Ltd., IntelliMagic BV, International Business Machines Corp., Lenovo Group Ltd., Marvell Technology Inc., NEC Corp., NetApp Inc., Oracle Corp., StoneFly, and Nutanix 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, 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

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market Sizing

Historic Market Size

Five Forces Analysis

Market Segmentation by Component

Market Segmentation by Technology

Market Segmentation by Geography

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor Analysis

Appendix

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base comprises enterprises of all sizes, including over 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com

SOURCE Technavio
DUBLIN, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Tanzania Construction Market Report 2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Tanzania Construction Market Report outlines major opportunities in various construction project sectors, provides rare insight into the workings of the industry, and gives a forecast for the direction of the market.

The country's construction sector contributed 8.3% to the country's GDP in Q3 2022. It is estimated that the total market value of construction activities in 2023 will be valued at TSh22.8 trillion in 2023 (approx. US$9.5 billion).

The Tanzanian economy is fairly stable, with GDP projected to grow at 6% in 2023. It is the tenth-largest economy in Africa and the third-largest in East Africa by GDP. Tanzania is also among the fastest-growing economies in Africa and the world, with an average real GDP growth rate of 6.3% from 2010-2019.

Construction activities have been driven by private projects such as residential and commercial real estate as well as public projects such as the construction of roads, railways, bridges, water systems, telecommunications, and air transport networks.

The Tanzania Construction Market Report details the state of the construction industry in Tanzania. The report takes a comprehensive look at the Tanzanian construction industry, including opportunities in various sub-sectors, and an overview of how the industry operates including tender and procurement procedures, competition, industry entry barriers, cultural backgrounds, and much more.

Key Report Highlights

Allocation to capital expenditure rose consistently at 10.8% from TSh12 trillion to TSh13.3 trillion in the four years from 2019 to 2022.

In the 2023 budget, the allocation to capital expenditure is a 13.1% increase from the allocation in 2022.

Tanzania's construction sector recorded an impressive compound annual growth rate of 11.5% in 10 years from 2012 to 2021.

construction sector recorded an impressive compound annual growth rate of 11.5% in 10 years from 2012 to 2021. The construction sector will continue to be driven mainly by public sector development initiatives in the housing sector, education, and civil works. Private sector activities would augment this growth through real estate, industrial and commercial development.

The government's renewed drive to develop Dodoma to a standard befitting of a capital city will also drive growth in the country's construction sector. Infrastructure construction works and, eventually, industrial construction will also follow, driven by exploratory activities in the natural gas and mining sectors.

The construction sector in Tanzania is transparent as the public procurement process is transitioning towards the electronic platform, TANePS.

Unique Value offered by the report

Detailed and first-hand insight into how the industry operates - Entry barriers, Procurement Process, Cost Trends, Labour Resources, Dispute Resolution, Industry Supply Chain.

SWOT Analysis of the Tanzanian Construction Sector.

Information on doing business in Tanzania - Recruitment and Staffing regulations, Licensing regulations, Health and Safety regulations, and Market Entry processes.

- Recruitment and Staffing regulations, Licensing regulations, Health and Safety regulations, and Market Entry processes. Analysis of Market Potential - Detailed information about project opportunities across Transportation, Energy and Power, Water and Sanitation, Health, Education, and other sub-sectors.

Interview With Engr. Katelula Kaswaga (Structural and Bridge Engineer with TANROADS) - This highly enlightening interview provides a direct stakeholder perspective on issues such as informal construction activities, the regulatory role of the role the NCC (National Construction Council), channels of dispute resolution, the TANePs (Tanzanian National e-Procurement System), the impact of the pandemic and the Russia - Ukraine war on the prices of materials and many more issues.

Some Projects that are covered in the report include:

2.1-Gigawatt Rufiji Hydropower Dam project.

300-kilometer Standard Gauge Railway - Dar es Salam to Morogoro.

Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant.

205 kilometer Kibaha - Morogoro Expressway.

East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline

Who will benefit from reading the 2023 Tanzania Construction Market Report

Contractors.

Manufacturers and Suppliers of materials.

Financiers and Bankers.

Economists and Investment Analysts.

Policymakers and Government Agencies.

Engineering consultants.

PPP investors.

Academics and Researchers

Included in the Tanzania Construction Market Report:

Complete picture of the Tanzanian Construction market.

Construction Industry policy direction of the Tanzanian government.

Projects opportunities and procurement details.

Tanzanian Construction Industry structure and trends.

Interview with a key industry player covering a wide range of relevant issues.

Contact information of key industry agencies and associations.

Profile and Contact details of top construction companies and material suppliers

Key Topics Covered:

Interview With Engr Katelula Kaswaga

1 Executive Summary

2 Introduction

2.1. Country Overview

2.2. Economic Overview

2.3. Government Budget

3 The Construction Sector In Tanzania

3.1. Sector Overview

3.2. Size Of The Construction Sector

3.3. Market Segments

3.3.1. Residential Construction

3.3.2. Industrial Construction

3.3.3. Commercial Construction

3.3.4. Infrastructure And Civil Construction

4 Market Potential By Sector

4.1. Transportation

4.2. Energy And Power Sector

4.3. Water And Sanitation Sector

4.4. Health Sector

4.5. Education

5 How The Tanzania Construction Sector Operates

5.1. Competition

5.2. Entry Barriers

5.3. Public Procurement Process

5.4. Industry Supply Chain

5.5. Construction Costs Trend

5.6. Labour Resource

5.7. Contracts And Dispute Resolution

5.7.1. Contracts

5.7.2. Dispute Resolution

6 Doing Business In Tanzania

6.1. Market Entry

6.2. Licencing

6.3. Corruption

6.4. Recruitment And Staffing

6.5. Health And Safety

7 SWOT Analysis

7.1. Strengths And Weaknesses

7.2. Opportunities And Threats

7.3. General Comments

8 Outlook

9 Industry Associations And Key Contacts

9.1 Industry Associations

I. Contractors Registration Board (CRB)

II. Engineers Registration Board (Erb)

III. National Construction Council (Ncc)

IV. Architects And Quantity Surveyors Registration Board (Aqrb)

V. Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Ppra)

9.2 Other Key Contacts

I. Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical, And Service Agency (Temesa)

II. Tanzania Building Agency

III. Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads)

IV. Tanzania Rural And Urban Roads Agency (Tarura)

V. Ministry Of Works, Transport And Communication

VI. Ministry Of Energy (Me)

VII. Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco)

VIII. Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (Tpdc)

IX. Ministry Of Lands, Housing And Human Settlements Development

X. Export Processing Zone Authority (Epza)

XI. Tanzania Revenue Authority (Tra)

10 Company Profiles

10.1. Advent Construction

10.2. Bharya Engineering & Contracting Co. Ltd (Becco)

10.3. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (Ccecc)

10.4. China Henan International Cooperation Group

10.5. Csi Construction

10.6. Estim Construction

10.7. Holtan (E.a) Ltd

10.8. Kiure Engineering

10.9. Larsen & Toubro

10.10. Masasi Construction Co. Ltd

10.11. Milembe Construction

10.12. Mohammedi Builders Ltd

10.13. Nordic Construction Company Limited

10.14. Salem Construction Limited

10.15. Skol Building Contractors

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nx513d

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
NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Technavio provides the Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market analysis report for 2023-2027, delving into this innovative food preservation technique's impact on the global industry. Uncover key growth drivers, trends, and challenges, focusing on applications, types, and regions across various sectors.

According to Technavio, the market is segmented by application (food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics), type (solid and liquid), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and the Middle East and Africa).

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market 2023-2027

Key Drivers Key Trends Challenges Rising demand to extend shelf life while preserving nutrients drives non-thermal pasteurization adoption. Consumer demand for natural and additive-free products fuels the adoption of non-thermal pasteurization techniques. Non-thermal pasteurization methods may alter texture and color of food products, impacting consumer acceptance. Growing preference for clean-label food boosts demand for non-thermal pasteurization techniques. Increasing focus on quality and nutritional integrity drives demand for non-thermal pasteurization in premium food products. Some non-thermal techniques might not be effective for certain food types, limiting their widespread use. Need to eliminate pathogens and enhance food safety propels market growth. Growing interest in HPP and other non-thermal technologies as alternatives to traditional thermal methods. Implementation of non-thermal pasteurization requires specialized knowledge and equipment, adding to operational complexity. Government approvals and regulatory backing encourage adoption of non-thermal pasteurization methods. Non-thermal pasteurization aligns with eco-friendly packaging solutions, enhancing its appeal in environmentally conscious markets. Consumer perceptions and misconceptions about non-thermal pasteurization's safety and efficacy can hinder adoption.

The Non-Thermal Pasteurization Market is being driven by key regions worldwide

The global non-thermal pasteurization market's growth is driven by key regions worldwide. North America benefits from a strong food industry presence and regulatory support, while Europe sees growth due to clean-label preferences. In the Asia-Pacific, rising food safety awareness drives adoption, and South America focuses on safer and more nutritious foods. The Middle East and Africa's expanding food sector and health-conscious consumers contribute to market growth. Together, these regions play a pivotal role in propelling the global non-thermal pasteurization market.

The global non-thermal pasteurization market is driven by key regions worldwide due to factors such as consumer preferences for clean-label products, rising food safety awareness, and an expanding food processing industry. For more information, take a look at Technavio's sample report here!

The research analysis provided by Technavio also contains an in-depth study of the market's competitive landscape and data on major companies, including:

Bao Tou KeFa High Pressure Technology Co. Ltd.

Hiperbaric S.A.

Holmach Ltd.

HPP FOOD TECHNOLOGY SL

Hydrolock

John Bean Technologies Corp.

Kobe Steel Ltd.

Lineage Logistics Holdings LLC

Lyras AS

Pulsemaster

The MGT Group

thyssenkrupp AG

Universal Pure LLC

Ypsicon Advanced Technologies SL

The food segment, driven by increasing demand for clean-label products and extended shelf life, emerges as the fastest-growing segment in the global non-thermal pasteurization market.

The global non-thermal pasteurization market is driven by the rising demand for clean-label food products, food safety concerns, and the need to extend shelf life. Key regions worldwide, including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and the Middle East and Africa, contribute significantly to market growth. Challenges such as texture changes and limited applicability are present, but technological advancements and regulatory support are expected to fuel the adoption of non-thermal techniques in the food processing industry. Strategic alliances and consumer awareness will likely play vital roles in the market's continuous expansion. Buy the detailed report now, to make informed decisions.

Few related reports:

Food Industry Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Systems Market: The growth momentum of the food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 28.19% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 333.04 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by application (liquid food and solid food), type (30-50 kV/cm and 10-30 kV/cm), and geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

Food Industry Pulsed Electric Field (PEF) Systems Market: The growth momentum of the food industry pulsed electric field (PEF) systems market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 28.19% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 333.04 million. This report extensively covers market segmentation by application (liquid food and solid food), type (30-50 kV/cm and 10-30 kV/cm), and geography (Europe, North America, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading market research and consulting firm, providing clients with actionable insights and data-driven solutions to stay ahead in the competitive landscape. Technavio offers over 17000 Market research reports, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries.

SOURCE Technavio
Workers Secure Additional Sick Days, Time Off, Back Pay

VISALIA, Calif., Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transdev workers represented by Teamsters Local 517 have voted to ratify a strong contract, ending their six-week strike. These workers provide transportation services for Visalia Transit Systems and SEKI Bus Operations in Sequoia National Park.

"The solidarity and unity of Local 517 Teamsters over the past six weeks is what got these hardworking men and women a fair agreement," said Local 517 Secretary-Treasurer Greg Landers. "The transportation services that these workers provide are essential to keeping the City of Visalia and Sequoia National Park moving efficiently. We are thrilled that they now have a strong contract to show for it."

The new one-year agreement is retroactive to July 1, 2023 and includes back pay, improved wages, five sick days, Easter as a holiday, formal time off request procedures, and zeroed out attendance points. Workers previously had three sick days and no formal time off to attend important life and family events, such as weddings, funerals, and graduations.

"We are ecstatic to have a contract that addresses many of our demands," said Kenny Ortega, a Transdev bus operator. "Thank you to our riders, community members, and elected officials  especially Councilmember Emmanuel Soto  for joining us on the picket line and fighting alongside us. I can't wait to get back behind the wheel and see our regular riders again."

"This was the third strike in California against Transdev in the past few months and will hopefully be the last," said Matt Taibi, Director of the Teamsters Passenger Transportation Division. "It is despicable that Transdev continues to hold workers and their families hostage instead of offering them what they deserve. We are grateful to our members for showing Transdev that Teamsters never back down from a fight."

Teamsters Local 517 represents workers in industries such as dairy, aviation, transportation, health care, and a wide variety of other crafts throughout California's Central Valley. For more information, go to teamsterslocal517.com.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 517
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
Kiev, Aug 19 : As many as 2,598 Ukrainians taken captive in the Russia-Ukraine war have been released as a result of prisoner exchanges.

So far, Ukraine has carried out 48 prisoner exchanges with Russia since the beginning of the conflict, Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's military intelligence, was quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency as saying.

Yusov described the process of prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia as an "unprecedented situation" as it is being carried out during an active phase of the conflict, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Interfax-Ukraine.

According to Yosov, the Geneva Conventions do not directly provide for exchanges during the active phase of hostilities, and they provide for the return of prisoners of war after the end of hostilities.

The preparations for a new prisoner swap between the two countries are underway, he added.
Russia has complained about a new attack, traditionally blaming the "Kyiv regime". The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine used drones to attack a military airfield in Novgorod Region on August 19, where Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers carrying X-22 missiles are based.

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The department of Sergei Shoigu confirmed the damage to one aircraft. At the same time, several local channels and some media write that at least two units of aircraft were on fire.

The aggressor state, which has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for a year and a half, called the UAV attack on the Soltsy military airfield in Novgorod Region "terrorist action". According to journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, Tu-22M3 strategic bombers are based there, carrying out strikes on peaceful Ukrainian cities.

"Today the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack using a UAV on a military airfield in the Novgorod region around 10.00 Moscow time. The UAV was detected by the settlement airfield's external surveillance post and was hit with small firearms," the occupiers said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that as a result of the attack on the airfield, a fire started in the aircraft parking lot. He even acknowledged damage to one of them.

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"As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the parking lot of airplanes, which was promptly extinguished by firefighting crews. One airplane was damaged, but there are no casualties as a result of the terrorist act," the department of Shoigu said.

Except that the Russian Defense Ministry has traditionally underestimated its losses. Local channels, as well as some Russian media publications, said at least two airplanes were damaged.

"Two airplanes are on fire on the Soltsy airbase in the Novgorod region, presumably due to a drone strike, local channels report," Ateo Breaking writes.

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"Eyewitnesses say that at least two airplanes exploded after the UAV strike on the Soltsy military airfield," VCHK-OGPU reports.

The public cites data from international services indicating that the surviving long-range supersonic missile carrier bombers Tu-22M3 are moving to Olenya in the Murmansk region after the attack.

Footage of smoke rising above the military facility also appeared online.

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The news is being updated.
Wahington, Aug 19 : US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed to consult with one another in the event of a common threat, elevating their trilateral partnership to a new level amid security and economic challenges posed by North Korea and China.

The three leaders reached the agreement during a trilateral summit held at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland in the US, calling it the "Commitment to Consult Among Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States", in what South Korean officials said was the first such commitment among the three nations, Yonhap news agency reported.

The agreement underscored the urgency of jointly responding to common challenges, such as North Korea's nuclear threat and supply chain disruptions, after years of historical tensions between Seoul and Tokyo prevented deeper cooperation at the trilateral level.

"We, the leaders of Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, commit our governments to consult trilaterally with each other, in an expeditious manner, to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security," the document said, referring to South Korea by its formal name. "Through these consultations, we intend to share information, align our messaging, and coordinate response actions."

The document did not specify the type of threat or challenge that will trigger the commitment to consult, but a South Korean presidential official cited examples such as trade disputes, a North Korean missile threat, a serious provocation at sea, or any threat in or outside the region.

Also, in the event one country decides not to share information because it deems a particular threat to not be a threat to itself, it will have no obligation to do so, the official said.

"Our countries retain the freedom to take all appropriate actions to uphold our security interests or sovereignty," the document read, noting the commitment would not supersede any obligations under the alliance treaties between South Korea and the US or between the US and Japan, or give rise to rights or obligations under international or domestic law.

The Commitment to Consult was one of a series of agreements reached by the three leaders at their summit. The overarching agreement, contained in a joint statement titled "The Spirit of Camp David", called for holding annual trilateral meetings among the three countries' leaders, foreign ministers, defence ministers and national security advisers, as well as the first trilateral meeting between their finance ministers.

The leaders agreed to launch an annual Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue to coordinate implementation of their Indo-Pacific approaches and to discuss ways to coordinate their efforts to counter disinformation, while also welcoming the trilateral development policy dialogue planned for October.

The three countries announced plans to hold trilateral defence exercises on an annual basis and operationalize their real-time sharing of missile warning data on North Korea within this year. They also agreed to establish a new trilateral working group to combat North Korean cyber threats and block its cyber-enabled sanctions evasion.

In addition, the three countries agreed to strengthen cooperation to improve the human rights situation in North Korea and resolve the issues of abductions, detainees and unrepatriated prisoners of war.

The joint statement expressed the three countries' shared concerns about "actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order," recalling their individually announced positions on the "dangerous and aggressive behavior supporting unlawful maritime claims" by China in the South China Sea.

"We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific," the statement said, adding the leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. "There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues."

Issues of economic security were also discussed in detail, with the three leaders committing to work closely to launch pilot programs for early warning systems about supply chain shortages. The three sides agreed to cooperate on supply chain resilience, especially on semiconductors and batteries; technology security and standards; as well as clean energy and energy security, among other areas.

They further agreed to strengthen cooperation to prevent their cutting-edge technologies from being illegally exported or stolen abroad.

A third document outlining the guiding principles for trilateral cooperation, called "Camp David Principles," was also adopted at the summit.

The principles provide the basis for the agreements in the Spirit of Camp David joint statement.
Nanjing, Aug 19 : The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around Taiwan.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the command, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The armed forces' ability to fight in real combat conditions will be tested, Shi said, adding that the patrols and exercises serve as a "stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations".
London, Aug 19 : An Indian-origin paediatrician in England, who helped catch a nurse convicted of murdering seven babies in her care, has said that the infants could have been saved had the hospital acted faster.

Dr Ravi Jayaram, a consultant at the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, said he repeatedly raised concerns about former colleague and nurse Lucy Letby for months before she was found guilty by the Manchester Crown Court on Friday.

"I do genuinely believe that there are four or five babies who could be going to school now who aren't," Jayaram told ITV News after the verdict.

Letby, 33, faced a total of 22 charges, accused of murdering seven babies and trying to kill 10 more at the hospital, and will be sentenced at the Manchester court on August 21.

Jayaram told ITV that he and other doctors started raising concerns after three babies died in June 2015 but were told to "draw a line" under the suspicions and apologise to her for alleged "victimisation".

They were also threatened with consequences, Jayaram claimed.

Eventually, it was in April 2017 that the National Health Service (NHS) trust allowed doctors to meet with a police officer, following which an investigation was launched and Letby was arrested.

Detective Superintendent Paul Hughes at Cheshire Constabulary told ITV News that Jayaram and his colleague Stephen Brearey had been instrumental in catching the killer.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that Letby used various methods to attack babies, including the injection of air and insulin into their bloodstream; the infusion of air into their gastrointestinal tract; force feeding an overdose of milk or fluids; and impact-type trauma.

The jury heard she had tracked the parents of her victims on social media, and was said to have kept souvenirs of her crimes, including children's medical notes.

After her arrest in 2018, the police also found at her home a post-it note that read: "I am evil, I did this" and "I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough. I am a horrible evil person".

Tony Chambers, former Chief Executive of the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: "All my thoughts are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. I am truly sorry for what all the families have gone through."

He however, denied telling consultants they should "draw a line" under their suspicions of Letby.

--IANS

mi/ksk
Washington, Aug 19 : The US has approved the transfer of American-made F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Kiev as soon as Ukrainian pilots are fully trained to operate them, a State Department spokesperson said.

"This way, Ukraine can take full advantage of its new capabilities," the BBC quoted the spokesperson as saying on Friday.

Denmark and the Netherlands have taken the lead in preparing a program to train Ukrainian pilots on the American jet, but the US is still working with other countries to see who may provide F-16s to the Ukrainian Air Force.

The State Department spokesperson also said the two nations were given "formal assurances" for the transfer of their multi-role F-16 war planes, adding that this would happen "as soon as the first set of pilots complete their training".

Also on Friday, the US approved the transfer of F-16 instructional materials, including training modules, documentation and classroom training materials, from Denmark to Ukraine, CNN quoted an administration official as saying.

The transfer will allow the Danish Defence Ministry to move forward with "their effort to stand up pilot and maintenance training programs", the official added.

While the Dutch are thought to have about 24 operational F-16s which are scheduled to be taken out of service and replaced by more advanced war planes, Denmark is also planning an upgrade of its fleet of some 30 F-16s.

Welcoming the move, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said that it "marks a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country".

"Now we will further discuss the subject with our European partners," he tweeted.

On his part, Danish Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said: "The government has said several times that a donation is a natural next step after training. We are discussing it with close allies," he told Denmark's Ritzau news agency.

In Ukraine, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov described the US decision as "great news", reports the BBC.

"Our military has proven it is filled with fast learners. We will soon prove that Ukraine's victory is inevitable. Thank you to all our partners and friends in the United States, the Netherlands and Denmark. Onward to Victory!" he wrote on X.

An 11-member coalition of Ukraine's allies in the West is due to start training Ukrainian pilots later this month and they are expected to be ready next year.

Ukraine is believed to have dozens of combat aircraft -- mostly MiGs -- all dating from the Soviet era.
Chandigarh, Aug 19 : The Haryana government will introduce a spirulina-based product under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) for severe acute malnourished and moderate acute malnourished children on a pilot basis in Nuh for six months.

Spirulina, an algae that grows in fresh or saltwater, is rich in nutrients and possesses antioxidant properties.

A study conducted by the Institute of Health Management and Research (IHMR), Bengaluru, demonstrated a 46 and 67 per cent reduction in malnutrition by administering spirulina for six months to children.

Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal said three nutrition-rich programmes will be implemented across all blocks of the aspirational district Nuh under Nutrition Campaign-II.

These programmes aim to alleviate malnutrition and anemia among children and women. Nutritional support in the form of ready-to-eat food items, nutritional packets, and antioxidant-rich foods will be provided to children and women in all blocks of Nuh district.

The Women and Child Development Department will provide aurthonut (peanut mix) under the Integrated Child Development Scheme to severe acute malnourished and moderate acute malnourished children.

He said women and child development would introduce a pictorial card game called "Poshan ki Potli" to raise awareness about the nutritional value and benefits of different food items.
Ktaka BJP leaders of Cauvery basin to meet over water release with TN. Image Source: IANS News

Bengaluru, Aug 19 : Karnataka Unit of BJP will on Friday deliberate on the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu by the Congress government.

The meeting slated to be held in Mandya city will be attended by all prominent party leaders from the Cauvery basin area.

It will be attended by the MLAs, MPs, MLCs and defeated candidates from Mandya, Ramnagar, Chamarajanagar, Hassan and Mysuru districts.

Independent MP from Mandya Sumalatha Ambareesh will also participate in the meeting, sources confirmed.

The meeting would discuss future course of action regarding the matter of release of water to Tamil Nadu and make a final decision against the release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.

Farmers and political parties are already staging a protest in these districts condemning the state government's decision to release water.

Congress government has come under attack from the Opposition parties for not registering protest or making an attempt to challenge the claims of Tamil Nadu regarding the release of water.

After coming under attack, DyCM D.K. Shivakumar maintained that the state had written a letter to the Cauvery

Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to reconsider its decision to release 10,000 cusecs of water for 15 days.

Due to shortage of rainfall, the water storage in reservoirs in the state will suffice the drinking water requirements of the region especially Bengaluru.

Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had questioned the Congress government on the necessity to oblige the directions of the managing board in this regard when Tamil Nadu is asking water illegally.

"Following the Supreme Court order and decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Committee (CWDC) is okay. With the shortage of water for our farmers, what is the necessity to oblige the direction of the management board?" Kumaraswamy had asked.

"Why is Tamil Nadu expanding their cultivation area? What is the allotment they have got for standing Kuruvai crop? Now what is the extent they are utilizing the water? Illegally Tamil Nadu is cultivating more than four lakh acres of land. Three-times more than the actual cultivation. For that, what is the necessity for us to provide water?" Kumarswamy asked.

"We have to fight strongly in the court," he added.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Incarcerated conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has written a fresh letter to Delhi L-G, accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain of flouting rules to award medical contracts to a private firm, Metropolis Laboratory and Pathology Centers.

He alleged that Rs 13 crore was given to AAP by the private firm for the Goa elections.

"Kejriwal's Government in Delhi has awarded multiple medical contracts to a private firm, Metropolis Laboratory and Pathology Centers, to process blood and other biosamples of various hospitals under the Delhi Government,

mainly for all Delhi Jail inmates. The reason for filing this application/complaint is because during the last Goa elections, a payment of Rs 13 crores was collected in 3 tranches from the office of Metropolis labs in Mumbai by my staff on the instructions of Satyender Jain given to me," reads his letter.

Chandrashekhar has further alleged that in one of the FaceTime chats, Jain and Kejriwal had mentioned that the director of Metropolis is a close friend and he is contributing funds, as they have helped the company, and the amount should be collected from Mumbai and sent to Goa and Bengaluru.

"Thereafter, my staff collected the amount of 13 crores in two tranches from the office of Metropolis in Mumbai in a matter of 7-8 hours, and constant coordination was done by Jain. Out of 13 crores, 5 crores were sent to Bengaluru, to cousins of Jain, Dr. Himesh, who lives in Indranagar, Bengaluru. The balance of 8 crores was sent to Goa, which was collected by unknown persons whose details were sent by Jain,' Chandrashekhar alleges in his letter.

Chandrashekhar claimed that after the delivery of the said funds, Kejriwal personally called up and thanked him on a FaceTime call and requested the L-G to get the contracts given to Metropolis Labs by Kejriwal's government investigated in detail.

Urging the the ED and CBI to look into the matter, the conman expressed his willingness to submit the FaceTime and WhatsApp chats of the above mentioned transactions of 13 crore received and collected from Metropolis Labs, Mumbai office.
San Francisco, Aug 19 : The US regulators have told Cruise, the self-driving car subsidiary of General Motors, to immediately reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50 per cent following a crash of its car with a fire truck.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) said it is investigating "recent concerning incidents" involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco.

The regulatory agency told Cruise to have no more than 50 driverless vehicles in operation during the day and 150 driverless vehicles in operation at night, till the investigation is complete, reports TechCrunch.

"Safety of the traveling public is the California DMV's top priority. The primary focus of the DMV's regulations is the safe operation of autonomous vehicles and safety of the public who share the road with these vehicles," the department said in a statement.

In a blog post, Cruise said that while the investigation is going on, "we wanted to provide an update on our preliminary analysis on the incident involving an emergency vehicle colliding with a Cruise AV."

"The Cruise AV did identify the risk of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was ultimately unable to avoid the collision," said the company. During the course of more than 3 million miles of fully autonomous driving in San Francisco, "we've seen an enormous number of emergency vehicles - more than 168,000 interactions just in the first seven months of this year alone", it added.

The automaker said that Cruise AVs have the ability to detect emergency sirens, which increase their ability to operate safely around emergency vehicles and accompanying scenes.

"In this instance, the AV identified the siren as soon as it was distinguishable from the background noise," said Cruise.

Last week, regulators in California gave the green signal to autonomous car companies Cruise and Waymo to run commercial robotaxi services across San Francisco 24/7.

--IANS

na/svn
Patna, Aug 19 : Police in Bihar's Araria district have arrested four people in connection to the murder of a journalist, an official said on Saturday.

According to the official spokesperson of the Araria police, the accused were identified as Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Aashish Yadav and Umesh Yadav.

Bhavesh and Aashish were neighbours of the victim Vimal Yadav, who was gunned down outside his home on Friday morning.

They four arrested persons been booked under IPC sections 302, 120B and 34 of IPC on the statement of the victim's father Harendra Yadav.

The spokesperson said that the arrests were made on Friday night from different locations in Araria district.

The main accused, who fired at Vimal Yadav, was also arrested.

The police have registered an FIR against eight persons, including two who are currently lodged at the Supaul jail and Araria jails.

Sources have said that the entire conspiracy was hatched by Rupesh Yadav from Supaul jail.

He is an accused of the murder of Gabbu Yadav, the younger brother of the slain journalist.

Rupesh was threatening Vimal of dire consequences if he did not withdraw his name from the list of witnesses in Gabbu Yadav's murder case.

Vimal howeverm stayed firm on his decision not to withdraw his name.

According to the police, the four arrested accused came to Vimal's house on Friday morning at around 5 am and called him Pappu Bhaiya, the victim's nickname.

When he stepped out of the house, he was shot on the right side of his chest, killing him on the spot.

The incidenttriggered massive outrage among all sections of the society.

Journalists of various districts protested against the state government and demanded for their security.

Candle marches were also staged in several districts.

While expressing condolences, Chief Minister called for strict action against the accused.

Vimal Yadav was associated with the Dainik Jagran in Araria.
Chennai, Aug 19 : Former Karnataka cadre IAS officer and Dalit face of the Congress Sasikanth Senthil is likely to head the Tamil Nadu unit of the party, sources said on Saturday.

The term of the incumbent president, K.S. Alagiri has already come to an end but the camp owing allegiance to him is pressuring the national leadership to allow him continue in the post till the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Tamil Nadu Congress committee (TNCC) is now divided into three camps with the one led by the incumbent president Alagiri and the second helmed by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Selvaperuthungai and the third that supports the candidature of Sasikanth Senthil.

While Senthil is not aligned to any group, a few of the senior Congress leaders of the state have briefed the AICC that replacing Alagiri with a

more dynamic and vibrant Sasikanth Senthil would do a lot of good for the Congress party in the state of.

It may be recalled that Senthil was one of the key election strategists for the Congress in the recent Karnataka assembly elections where the party

wrested power from BJP.

He is also now in charge of electioneering in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and many state leaders are preferring such a dynamic and young leader to head the party in the state.

Sources in the Congress told IANS that a group of Congress leaders led by K.S. Alaigiri had met AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge at Bengaluru on

Friday and conveyed their desire to allow Alagiri to continue till the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

The Congress is in a political alliance in Tamil Nadu with the ruling DMK and the alliance is expected to win all the 39 Lok Sabha seats from the

state. However, the party leadership does not want to take any chances and hence discussions are rife for the replacement of Alagiri with a more

vibrant and dynamic young leader Senthil, a Dalit himself.
The names of almost a hundred children from Mariupol killed by Russia have been revealed, and several dozen more have not even been identified. The mutilated bodies of the young victims of Russian aggression were taken to three morgues in the occupied Azov region, sometimes children died with their families.

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Lists of murdered children registered by the occupiers from the morgues of Mariupol, Mangush and Novoazovsk were published by Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. The documents, which he called the "Mariupol Death List", record how Ukrainian children died in a terrible way - in fire or torn to pieces.

"The Mariupol death list. We received a list of killed children of Donetsk region in 2022 who were registered in the morgues of the occupied Donetsk region. These are probably not all children, but all those about whom the 'DPR' has data," Andriushchenko said.

The lists include more than a hundred Ukrainian children. The bodies were brought to the morgues in such a state that some of the young victims of Russia could not even be identified.

"Mariupol. 101 children. Only 87 were identified. They passed through three morgues - Mariupol, Mangush, Novoazovsk. A list of horror and death. It's hard to watch. You must know how many Ukrainian children were killed by Russians in Mariupol. I have no strength. There are whole families here. Three children born in 2005, 2021 and 2015. Even a baby less than a year old," stated the advisor to the mayor of Mariupol.

ADVERTISIMENT

He drew attention to the gruesome details regarding the bodies of the children taken to the morgues. The wording of the forensic experts hides the circumstances of their horrific deaths.

"Child. T06.8 Explosive trauma, burns and destruction of the body". "Child. Destruction and burns". "Explosive trauma. Shrapnel wounds to the torso and extremities". "Explosive trauma, fragmentation of the body"... A total of 133 records for Donetsk region. 101 for Mariupol," Andriushchenko wrote.

He stressed that the lists will be checked and an investigation into the mass murder of Ukrainian children will be conducted. As well as retribution for their killers.

"Do you think you know something about hatred? The desire for revenge? Anger? Read the list. Three sheets of rage and horror. Each line is pain, pain, pain. What's next? Verification of our data and a large-scale investigation that will reveal where and when Ukrainian children were killed by Russian bombs. At least 101 of them have been identified and recognised by the occupiers," Andriushchenko said.

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On 13 August, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has already killed 500 Ukrainian children. However, these figures are not final: little is known about how many young Ukrainians have been killed by Russia in the occupied territories of our country.

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The true extent of the crime committed by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian soil will be established only after the de-occupation and victory of Ukraine.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
New York, Aug 19 : In a significant breakthrough, US researchers restored vision in patients with eye injuries using their own stem cells.

The revolutionary stem cell treatment called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation (CALEC) was found to be safe and well-tolerated over the short term in four patients with significant chemical burns in one eye.

The team from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, followed the patients for 12 months who experienced restored cornea surfaces -- two were able to undergo a corneal transplant and two reported significant improvements in vision without additional treatment.

"Our early results suggest that CALEC might offer hope to patients who had been left with untreatable vision loss and pain associated with major cornea injuries," said principal investigator and lead study author Ula Jurkunas, Associate director of the Cornea Service at Mass Eye and Ear.

"Cornea specialists have been hindered by a lack of treatment options with a high safety profile to help our patients with chemical burns and injuries that render them unable to get an artificial cornea transplant. We are hopeful with further study, CALEC can one day fill this crucially needed treatment gap," added Jurkunas, Associate Professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

In CALEC, stem cells from a patient's healthy eye are removed via a small biopsy and then expanded and grown on a graft via an innovative manufacturing process.

After two to three weeks, the CALEC graft is sent back to the doctors and transplanted into the eye with corneal damage.

People who experience chemical burns and other eye injuries may develop limbal stem cell deficiency, an irreversible loss of cells on the tissue surrounding the cornea. These patients experience permanent vision loss, pain and discomfort in the affected eye.

Without limbal cells and a healthy eye surface, patients are unable to undergo artificial cornea transplants, the current standard of vision rehabilitation.

In the phase I trial of CALEC, described in the journal Science Advances, the first patient was a 46-year-old male who experienced a resolution of his eye surface defect. It primed him to undergo an artificial cornea transplant for vision rehabilitation.

The second, a 31-year-old male, experienced a complete resolution of symptoms with vision improving from 20/40 to 20/30.

The third was a 36-year-old male who had his corneal defect resolved and his vision improved from hand motion -- only being able to see broad movements like waving -- to 20/30 vision.

The fourth was a 52-year-old male who initially did not have a successful biopsy that resulted in a viable stem cell graft.

After re-attempting CALEC three years later, he underwent a successful transplant and his vision improved from hand motion to being able to count fingers.

He then received an artificial cornea.

The phase I trial shows promise, said the researchers, who now aim to advance to a second phase of the trial.

--IANS

rvt/ksk
Agartala, Aug 19 : After fleeing from their hideouts in Bangladesh, five militants of the banned outfit National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), surrendered to the state police in Dhalai district, officials said on Saturday.

According to the police, the militants who surrendered on Friday evening were identified as Kanta Mohan Tripura (45), Nakshatra Debbarma, Emang Debbarma (20), Gertajoy Tripura (23) and Mansubar Tripura (25).

They had joined the NLFT in early 2022.

"Senior police officials interrogated the surrendered extremists. Outcome of the interrogation will help security forces gather more information about the organisation's activities. Their surrender would also motivate other militants to surrender before security forces and join the mainstream of the society, leaving the path of violence," an official statement said.

It said that Tripura Police is committed to ensuring the state government's policy of zero tolerance against insurgency.

--IANS

sc/ksk
Kolkata, Aug 19 : At a time when the political parties in West Bengal are busy garnering mileage over the ragging-related death of a fresher of Jabalpur University, the parents of an engineering student dying under similar circumstances in the student's hostel of a reputed institute in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada has decided to approach the Calcutta High Court demanding a CBI probe into the matter.

The parents of the victim student have already written letters to the President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, West Bengal

Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanding a CBI inquiry in the matter.

In the letters, the victim's father has claimed that the death of his son, allegedly by falling from the balcony of the 11th floor of the students'

hostel of the Vijayawada-based engineering college, was actually due to ragging. He has alleged that his son was probably pushed to his death.

After successfully qualifying the national joint entrance examination for engineering, the now-deceased Sourodeep Chowdhury, got admitted in the computer engineering KL University based out of Vijayawada at Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

On July 25, his father Sudip Chowdhury, who is a professor in the homeopathy division at a Homeopathy College at Midnapore in West Midnapore

district of West Bengal, claimed that on July 24 he received a phone call from the university authorities about the death of his son from falling

from the balcony at 11th floor of the students' hostel.

"However, after we reached there, we were shocked to see his body which had no evidence of the kind of injury marks that are inevitable after falling

from the 11th floor. The approach of the university authorities was equally suspicious. When I insisted on visiting the students' hostel they resisted. The university authorities were equally reluctant to send the body for autopsy purposes," he said.

Sudip Chowdhury had already filed an FIR at the local Tadepalli Police station at Vijayawada. Now they will be approaching the Calcutta High Court

demanding a CBI probe in the matter.

*src/*
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 19 : A 25-year-old youth, who went missing from his Alappuzha house after allegedly killing his father, was on Saturday arrested by Kerala police from Bengaluru.

The incident came to light in Alappuzha when 55-year-old Suresh Kumar, a coir factory worker, did not wake up from his sleep on Wednesday morning.

According to Kumaras wife, he was found dead at his house and that the previous night, there was a drunken brawl between Kumar and his son Nikhil (accused) over a loan taken for Nikhil's August 28 wedding.

Nikhil was reportedly missing since Wednesday morning, but the Alappuzha Police launched a manhunt and took him into custody from

Bengaluru.

Being bed-ridden after suffering a fracture in one of her legs, Kumaras wife was unable to intervene when the brawl took place.

Nikhil will be produced before a local magistrate shortly.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), engaged in its mission to secure victory for a third consecutive time in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and form the government at the centre, has prepared its election strategy and begun implementing it.

Discussing the BJP's strategy on a larger scale, it is evident that, while considering the preparations of the opposition alliances, the saffron party is focusing on a strategy to secure more than 50 per cent of the vote share.

While the BJP intends to safeguard its strongholds on one hand, it also plans to make dents into the strongholds of opposition parties.

The party wants to teach a lesson to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, who are now aligned with the opposition.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, in alliance the with Apna Dal (S), secured victory on 64 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. This time, the party is paying special attention to the 16 seats they lost last time.

In Maharashtra, the BJP, in alliance with the Shiv Sena, secured victory in 41 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats. But now the saffron party is strategising to secure victory on all 48 seats by teaming up with different partners such as the Shiv Sena-led by Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar.

In Bihar, the BJP, along with the JDU and LJP, secured victory in 39 out of 40 seats. However, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who won 16 seats last time, is now part of the opposition.

The BJP is aiming at Nitish Kumar's vote bank and MPs.

In the previous Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 28 out of 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh; 25 out of 28 in Karnataka; 26 in Gujarat; 25 in Rajasthan (in alliance);10 seats in Haryana; 5 seats in Uttarakhand; 7 seats in Delhi; 4 seats in Himachal Pradesh; 11 out of 14 seats in Jharkhand; 9 out of 11 in Chhattisgarh; and 9 out of 14 in Assam.

The BJP alone secured more than 50 per cent of the votes in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh in 2019.

The party aims to achieve the same feat in these states this time, ensuring a decisive victory against the opposition unity.

In 2019, the BJP secured more than 50 per cent of the votes in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena and in Bihar with Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan. This time, the BJP aims to recreate that magic with new allies.

The BJP is well aware that if the opposition manages to unite successfully, it could pose challenges. Thus, the party is focusing on states where opposition unity seems unlikely or where the BJP's performance was not satisfactory last time, or where the BJP expects a better performance this time.

In 2019, the BJP did not win a single seat in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the BJP is striving to open its account in these three states.

In Tamil Nadu, a senior woman minister from the Central government is also preparing to contest the elections.

In 2019, the BJP won 18 out of 42 seats in West Bengal, 8 out of 21 in Odisha, 4 out of 17 in Telangana, and 2 out of 13 in Punjab (Akali Dal also won 2 seats, although they are not with the BJP now). The BJP's efforts in these four states are directed towards increasing the number of party MPs.

To achieve its electoral goals, the BJP is working on multiple levels. While it is deploying Union Ministers and party leaders on 160 Lok Sabha seats, which are considered weak to increase public connect. The party is also searching for new candidates to replace the inactive ones from the 303 seats won last time.

Furthermore, with a focus on managing the micro-level operations of the election campaign and streamlining the organisation and activities, the BJP has divided all states and union territories into three regions: East Region, North Region, and South Region. The party has also held separate meetings with leaders from these regions.
Chennai, Aug 19 : Samba farmers in Delta districts of Tamil Nadu are worried as water level in Mettur dam has come down to 53 ft only.

Due to low-level of water in Mettur dam, farmers have not commenced Samba cultivation.

In 2022 during the same period, the water level in Mettur dam was 120 ft.

R. Arumukasamy, a Samba farmer told IANS: "The Karnataka government has announced that it would release 10 tmcft Cauvery water. However, the farmers are not much interested as this water is not enough to even sustain the standing Kuruvai cultivation."

Arumukasamy also said that he had made arrangements to raise Samba nurseries by using groundwater but is not certain on sustaining the crop as the water flow from Cauvery is not guaranteed.

Tamil Nadu side had leveled protests against Karnataka in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) in New Delhi for not releasing sufficient water to the state, thereby risking its Samba cultivation.

With Karnataka announcing the release of only 10 tmcft water, the Tamil Nadu farmers are resorting to protests at the street level.

--IANS

aal/svn
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Host of 'India's Best Dancer 3' Jay Bhanushali, who is also a longtime friend of actor Ayushmann Khurrana will share anecdotes about their friendship, saying the latter has remained consistent from the beginning till now.

The star cast of 'Dream Girl 2'- Ayushmann and Ananya Panday will grace the stage of the dance reality show's upcoming episode. One of the highlights of the episode will be a tribute to the incredibly talented Ayushmann.

The contestants will showcase Ayushmann's remarkable contribution to the world of cinema through a series of amazing dance performances. The stage will resonate with the magic of Ayushmann's filmography as the contestants groove to iconic tracks like 'Moh Moh Ke Dhaage', 'Dard Karaara', 'Pani Da Rang', and 'Naina Da Kya Kasoor'.

A dear friend of Ayushmann, Jay reminisces: "I've known Ayushmann for a long time, dating back to when he first arrived in Mumbai, and we became close. Even today, I know he picks up my calls without hesitation. We often reminisce about the good old days."

"He has achieved so much and faced numerous challenges, but the one thing that hasn't changed is that he is the same Ayushmann from before. I'm a fan of humanity first and then of their work. The love Ayushmann has earned is due to his work, but as a person, he's remained consistent from the beginning till now, and that's something I'll always remember," shared Jay.

Overwhelmed by the touching tribute act, Ayushmann's eyes welled up with tears, and he said: "You guys took me back in time with your performance. We often get caught up in the race of life and forget to look back, but tonight, I've been reminded of the incredible journey I've had."

India's Best Dancer 3 airs on Sony.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : A man was booked on charges of sacrilege involving holy book Rumala sahib from Gurdwara Dhani in Narwana town of Haryana's Jind district.

A 'granthi' (Sikh priest) lodged a complaint in the office of sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) which was later forwarded to Narwana town police.

Later, police on Friday night registered an FIR under sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 504 (Insult intended to provoke breach of the peace) of the IPC and started further investigation into the matter.

Granthi Gurpreet Singh in his complaint told police that at about 10.45 p.m., he was sitting inside the langar hall, when a man, identified as Sukhjinder alias Bunty, went inside the Gurdwara and stole Rumala Sahib and some other spiritual books.

"When we chased him and asked him to return those books, he threw all the books near the railway station and fled away. This is an incident of sacrilege," Gurpreet Singh in his complaint said.

Police said that they are checking CCTV footage of the entire matter. "We have registered an FIR and teams have been formed to nab the accused," Pawan Kumar, investigating officer said.

--IANS

bkm/svn
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan, who had also resigned from Ashoka University while extending support to Professor Sabyasachi Das, on Saturday said that there was a grave error of judgement in response to the attention received by Das' paper and academic freedom was violated.

He also said that he has the news that the governing body has decided to invite Das to return to the post from which he had resigned, and If this is correct, I appreciate the gesture, if not, I would request you as leaders of this community to consider doing just that.

In his letter to Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Chancellor and Professor of History at Ashoka University and Pramath Raj Sinha, founder and Trustee of Ashoka University, Balakrishnan said, "I write you as the dust settles at least a bit on the recent turmoil at our university. News is that the governing body has decided to invite young Sabyasachi Das to return to the post from which he had resigned. If this is correct, I appreciate the gesture. If not, I would request you as leaders of this community to consider doing just that."

Commenting on his resignation, Balakrishnan said, "As for myself, I am moving on. I have resigned my position based on my belief that there was a grave error of judgment in the response to the attention received by Das' paper on social media. Academic freedom was violated in the response, and it would be unconscionable for me to remain."

He also said that in his resignation letter submitted to the Vice Chancellor, he offered to stay and complete his teaching responsibilities for the semester.

"In any case, as I am not going to be here for much longer, I owe you both this letter. You may recall our first meeting at the IIC's coffee lounge in 2014. As for myself. I recall having asked you two questions. I had stated that I had for at least two decades by then been writing critically about economic policy in India and intend to continue to do so were I to join Ashoka's faculty," he said.

Mentioning some incidents, Balakrishnan said, "Rudrangshu had responded by saying that the University did not expect its faculty to take any particular view on the matter. Next I had declared that I was associated with the public campaign to repeal Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (some tact was needed there, I guess). Pramath had responded by saying that, while the University appreciated the disclosure, it made no difference to it."

He also said that he wishes to place on record that in these eight years he has been there, the University has been true to its word.

"I have written extensively in the media, marched on the streets for my rights and expressed my thoughts in class without the slightest restraint placed in my path. The University also bank-rolled (I am an economist, after all) the publication of my book 'India's Economy from Nehru to Modi' in its Hedgehog and Fox series. I did not have to meet anyone or even submit a proposal for this. The publisher informs me that the project was approved the moment that it was proposed," he said.

Expressing his gratitude for the opportunities offered to him, he said "I express my deepest gratitude to the foundation that you represent. As a meagre recompense, I offer to the University's library my personal collection of books. This may please be considered".

"Finally, I am aware of the challenges you face in taking forward the mighty adventure that is Ashoka University," Balakrishnan said, adding that he was among the first faculty representatives of the IIM Kozhikode, have headed an autonomous economics research institute in the public sector and now run a modest private educational trust.

"In all these situations I have seen how terrifying it can be to deal with the government. As I continue to speak in future, some attention may inadvertently be drawn to Ashoka. However, anyone reading this document, which I intend to make public at some stage, cannot but recognise the brave and selfless attempt to provide India with a thriving space for intellectual activity that it represents," Balakrishnan added.

Following the resignation of Das and Balakrishnan, as many as 320 economists at 91 institutions across the country have so far extended their support to Prof Sabyasachi Das, whose paper suggesting voter manipulation in 2019 elections sparked a controversy, demanding the Ashoka University to immediately reinstate him.

Faculty members at the Haryana-based Ashoka University have earlier written a letter to the varsity administration flagging concerns over the academic freedom in the institution.

On August 15, in the wake of the resignation of professor Sabyasachi Das and members of faculty writing to him for formation of committee for academic freedom, Ashoka University's Vice Chancellor Somak Raychaudhary assured to all the members that measures are now being taken to form the committee and they have his full support to create it.
Kolkata, Aug 19 : The West Bengal Zoo Authority, along with the state forest department, has come up with a face-saving report on the death of two tiger cubs at Bengal Safari Park at Siliguri by holding the mother tigress responsible for it.

As per the report, both the cubs since their birth on July 12 this year were suffering from some genetically-borne ailments which they inherited

from their mother Kika, the only albino tigress at Bengal ,Safari Park. Kika was also negligent of taking care of her cubs and that negligence coupled with genetically- borne ailments led to their deaths.

Confirming the report, the state forest minister Jyoti Priya Mullick said that that initial investigation has revealed that there were no lapses on

part of the Bengal Safari Park authorities behind this tragic development.

"Still I have sought a detailed report on the matter. I will be visiting Bengal Safari Park on August 26 and personally conduct an inquiry into the

matter," Mullick said.

On July 12, Kika gave birth to two cubs in its enclosure. However, one of the two newborns died on the very next day while the other

survived which died on Friday.

Bengal Safari Park had been in the negative limelight frequently because of reported deaths of animals there.

In December last year, the Bengal Safari Park authorities came under scathing criticisms over frequent deaths of spotted deer, with as

many as 27 spotted deer dying in two months. A number of top officials of the park were transferred then.
Humanity is likely to be on the verge of a "demographic correction", which will be caused by the fact that the Earth's resources are being consumed in too large quantities and at an unsustainable rate. Civilisational collapse, which will lead to a decrease in the number of people on the planet, could occur by the end of the century.

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William Rees, a population ecologist at the University of British Columbia (Canada), made this prediction in an article for the scientific journal World. He doubts that humanity will be able to find a way out of the impending crisis.

The scientist notes that modern humans have existed for about 250,000 years and it took them almost 99% of this time to reach the 1 billion people mark. This figure was reached around 1800. Over the next century, the number of people grew by only 600 million, but then everything started moving at a frantic pace, and as of 2023, 8 billion people live on Earth.

It is this ultra-fast growth that is unsustainable for our ecosystem and threatens to cause a "demographic correction". Ries suggests that, in the worst-case scenario, it could happen before the end of the century.

ADVERTISIMENT

The reason is that humanity is using the Earth's resources at an unsustainable rate and, according to the ecologist, is simply unable to correct this situation.

This will ultimately lead to a kind of civilisational collapse that will "correct" the world's population. Only the richest and most resilient societies will emerge victorious from this situation.

Rees believes that our species, "Homo sapiens, has evolved to multiply exponentially, expand geographically, and consume all available resources."

He notes that it used to be easier for the planet to regulate the evolution of humans, who were at a relatively primitive level, but now "the scientific revolution and the use of fossil fuels have reduced many forms of negative feedback, allowing us to fully realise our potential for exponential growth."

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Rees points out that humans have become the dominant species on the planet, forgetting that we are still under the influence of natural selection. In addition, the tendency to think short-term, which served humans extremely well in the evolutionary past, is now playing against us when we do not limit ourselves and take as much from the Earth as we can get.

This has led not only to overconsumption, but also to increased environmental pollution.

The scientist believes that the first sign that people will face a karmic response is climate change, which confirms that the planet is under excessive stress.

Rees emphasises that humanity is also provoking interconnected problems that are leading to the sixth mass extinction of species on Earth and risking the chaotic destruction of our planet's basic life support systems.

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At the same time, the scientist is confident that the transition to renewable energy sources, which is positioned as a solution to the problem, actually only exacerbates it, as it contributes to the continued excessive consumption of resources and, consequently, to the further growth of the number of people.

He is convinced that improvements in technology should help people solve the problems of food shortages, habitat instability, wars and disease. Otherwise, all these factors will start to affect the population.

"While none of the main symptoms of overpopulation can be adequately addressed in isolation, addressing overpopulation directly will reduce all the important symptoms at the same time," explains Rees.

He calls for developing ways to strike a better balance between our relationship with the planet and our mutual obligations.

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"In the best of all possible worlds, the entire transition could be made in a way that prevents millions (billions?) of people from suffering unnecessarily, but that is not happening - and cannot happen - in a world blind to its own predicament," Rees concluded.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL also reported that, according to scientists, mass extinction remains the primary threat to humanity. Flora and fauna are experiencing a mass extinction crisis on a scale unprecedented since the dinosaurs.

Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments.
Honolulu, Aug 19 : The death toll from the wildfires in Hawaii's Maui island, deemed to be the the deadliest in modern US history, has spiked to 114 while more than 60 per cent of the disaster area has been searched with rescue efforts continuing, authorities said.

The Maui Police Department confirmed in an update that the total number of fatalities in the deadly wildfires has increased to 114, up from Thursday's 111, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a televised speech, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that the number of lives lost in the disaster is "expected to increase each day" as the search for victims continues.

"The scope of devastation on Maui is difficult to express in words," said the Governor, noting that more than 2,200 buildings have been destroyed and another 500 have been damaged at an estimated cost of nearly $6 billion.

"Now, we are engaged in the difficult work of searching for survivors, reuniting separated families and identifying the remains of those we've lost," Green said.

There are now approximately 470 search and rescue workers and 40 search dogs combing through the hundreds of burnt buildings, according to the governor.

"We will rebuild Lahaina. It will take years of work and billions of dollars, but we are committed to this effort, and together we will meet this challenge," the governor said.

Deadly wildfires have scorched much of 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.

Green said he has ordered a comprehensive assessment of every detail of the emergency response to the fires on Maui.

With at least 1,000 people still unaccounted for, recovery teams in Lahaina are racing against time to cover as much ground as possible before heavy rains are slated to move in next week, reported local news outlet Hawaii News Now.

The White House said in a statement earlier this week that President Joe Biden will travel to Maui on August 21 to meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state and local officials.
Bengaluru, Aug 19 : Amid rumours of "Operation Hast" and the state BJP unit making all attempts to keep its flock together, DyCM and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday questioned whether the saffron party was right in toppling elected governments in various states across the country.

In response to a question on BJP leaders joining Congress, Shivakumar stated that the grand-old party is like an ocean. If leaders want to build their political career, take a decision towards saving India, they can make their decisions as required. How can anyone stop them?

Were they (BJP) right in toppling the elected governments in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra states? You think they were right in

doing so? They can always be right, Shivakumar quipped.

The leaders will take a decision as per their needs. Do I need to reveal who had come to meet and what they spoke? Shivakumar asked.

On BJP staging a protest on August 23 against Congress government, he stated that "We can't say no for the protest. But, first let them choose a leader and then stage a protest," Shivakumar stated.

The BJP has convened a meeting of legislators and prominent leaders of the party on Friday night to convey a message of unity at the residence of

former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

In the absence of leadership, Yediyurappa, who was forced to retire from electoral politics, is again being called to the forefront, the party sources said. Two prominent BJP leaders skipped the meet adding fuel to the rumours.

The Congress is aggressively preparing a strategy to win more than 20 seats in 28 parliamentary constituencies in Karnataka. The leadership has given a green signal to poach the leadership in BJP before it recovers from the humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections. The state BJP leadership has come under pressure as the high command seems to be still upset after Assembly polls.

The strategy of the BJP to rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Karnataka and wrestle the election results had

flopped. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah makes it a point to ridicule BJP that wherever PM Modi took out rallies and roadshows conducted, Congress

candidates won.

The Congress is also using victory in Karnataka to give a message to the country against the governance of PM Modi.
Bhopal, Aug 19 : Fire broke out in two trains passing through Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

In first incident, Hyderabad to New Delhi route - Telangana Express train (12724) caught fire at Pandhurna railway station in Chhindwara district.

The fire broke out in pantry of Telangana Express train, triggering panic among passengers. However, as per the information, railway officials swung into action and brought the fire under control.

The second fire incident was reported in Khajuraho-Udaipur (Rajasthan) intercity train at Gwalior district later in the day.

Seeing the smog emanating from train's engine, loco pilot halted the train at Sithouli station in Gwalior district.

Railway officials rushed to the spot and doused the fire and managed to control the situation. A senior railway official talking to IANS said, "Fire incident was reported in Udaipur - Khajuraho intercity, which was brought under control soon. No casualty was reported."

--IANS

pd/svn
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The skincare industry is witnessing a remarkable evolution, thanks to the influence of young consumers who are reshaping the market. Gone are the days of single-ingredient products, as millennials and Gen Z have ushered in a new era of multi-benefit skincare solutions that are stealing the spotlight.

Traditionally, skincare products focused on singular skin concerns, but this trend is rapidly shifting towards powerful formulations that tackle multiple issues simultaneously, from hydration and brightening to anti-ageing and blemish-fighting properties. With enthusiasm, the savvy young generation has embraced these innovative products, recognising their potential to deliver maximum impact with minimal effort.

The rise of multi-active ingredients in skincare has transformed the industry, catering perfectly to the fast-paced lives of today's youth. Time-saving and user-friendly, these products seamlessly integrate into busy routines while providing transformative results. It's a perfect match for the dynamic millennial and Gen Z lifestyle, where efficiency and effectiveness are paramount. The profound industry transformation is being driven by the discerning preferences of young consumers, who seek comprehensive solutions that can address their diverse skin needs in a single go.

Nikhat, the driven Founder of Farmistry, speaks with IANSlife about her ideas on the multi-active ingredient skincare trend and how she established a brand.

Could you share with us the inspiration behind founding Farmistry and your vision for revolutionising the skincare industry with multi-active ingredient products?

Nikhat: Until 5 years ago the Indian skincare landscape largely had products with either low-quality ingredients or claims-based marketing  where you can claim a benefit even if the product contains just 0.1 per cent of that ingredient. In the meanwhile, around the world brands were moving to active ingredients which were scientifically proven and very effective. That's when the dream of building an active-based Indian skincare line came about and Farmistry was born.

I was passionate about building an indigenous brand that puts consumers first, but Covid delayed the launch which turned out to be a blessing. Had I launched pre-Covid, Farmistry would have been on a similar platform as Minimalist, Dermaco etc. They have numerous serums each claiming a hero is active. So you have multiple products for the same skin issue from the same brand! Once many brands got on this platform the race for the highest per cent began. If one brand has 5 per cent Niacinamide serum the next one launches 10 per cent or 15 per cent making the consumer believe a higher per cent is better. This is not true and potentially harmful. Every active has an optimal per cent range which has been studied for maximum effectiveness. Anything above that increases the risk of irritation. Today, someone with hyperpigmentation is inundated with 5-10 different serums of the same brand with varying per cent . There is so much consumer confusion that it has led to increased skin anxiety and Farmistry needed to address that.

Skincare should not be confusing. Decades of research show us you need multiple actives in specific percentages to better treat skin issues. We decided to target Indian skin issues one product at a time and build exceptionally effective products. The vision is to create a sustainable brand that builds trust, trials and repurchases while reducing the consumer confusion and anxiety that exists today.

The shift from single-ingredient to multi-benefit skincare solutions is a significant trend. What led you to believe that combining various active ingredients into one product could be more effective for addressing diverse skin concerns?

Nikhat: Two things - scientific literature and consumer talk. Firstly, we know exactly how these active ingredients work in the skin thanks to decades of scientific studies. There are numerous papers written by research scientists on what combinations of actives work best on which skin conditions.

Secondly, spending months speaking with consumers and mining insights on the existing confusion about activities, percentages, and brands, was the confirmation I needed to build Farmistry as India's 1st multi-active skincare brand. Multi-active products are the future of skincare because they are, plain and simple, better formulated to address skin problems.

Farmistry's approach emphasises the importance of efficiency and effectiveness in skincare routines. How do you ensure that your products maintain a balance between delivering multiple benefits while remaining user-friendly and easy to integrate into busy lifestyles?

Nikhat: The focus is not on multiple benefits but on multiple actives for a specific benefit. Through research, we have a list of the biggest skin issues facing Indian consumers. We plan on launching products to tackle these issues. Our first product, Spotlight, targets one of the most common issues, hyperpigmentation that may be in the form of dark spots, acne marks, PIH, sunspots, uneven skin tone etc. So, a consumer does not need to buy 2-3 different serums for hyperpigmentation. They can use Spotlight which has multiple anti-pigmentation actives hence a more effective well-rounded solution and is efficient since they need just 1 product instead of 3.

With the rise of multi-benefit skincare, how does Farmistry research and determine the right combination of active ingredients and optimal percentages to achieve the desired results?

Nikhat: As I mentioned, the research is in the public domain. It boils down to the brand's research and innovation capability. The R&D team at Farmistry ideates on product concepts that will suit all skin types. There are many iterations and internal testing as ingredients must work well together and the formulation must be stable. In addition, the product cost must be feasible as correct pricing is critical in a highly competitive skincare market. We then create samples and test them with consumers on parameters such as efficacy, feel on the skin, signs of discomfort, time it takes to work etc. Once we are satisfied that we have a winning solution is when we start preparing for launch. This process can take many months and sometimes even a year.

The preferences of millennial and Gen Z consumers are reshaping the skincare market. How does Farmistry stay attuned to the evolving needs and desires of this dynamic demographic?

Nikhat: Every generation is more intelligent than the preceding one. 10 years ago most products were priced between Rs 50-100. Who would have thought consumers will talk about ingredients and their percentages and will be willing to pay upwards of Rs 500. Millennials and increasingly Gen Z value quality. They buy from brands that engage with them. Social media, video content, humour, product info, and brand values are some of the levers a brand can use to connect with this segment. They do not like to be preached or talked down to and they appreciate honesty and vulnerability from a brand.

For Farmistry, consumers are the centre of its design. Continuous conversations with consumers give many valuable insights on usage and behaviours besides invaluable feedback on competition brands and products.

In a world where customization is increasingly valued, how does Farmistry cater to individual skin concerns while offering multi-active ingredient products? Are there any plans for personalised skincare solutions?

Nikhat: There are 2 methods of customization or personalisation  one is product customisation and the other is skincare routine customisation.

Product customisation is where a brand creates a custom product for a consumer based on the benefits sought by them. Usually, you can choose 4-5 benefits and the product is couriered to you in a few days. As these brands must make the product only after an order is placed the prices are usually very high to keep the business sustainable. One of the values of Farmistry is to make skincare affordable. As we become larger the intention is to drop prices as we reach scale hence product customisation is not on the anvil.

The other type of customisation is regime customisation. This could be either via a brand helping a consumer build their skincare routine or consumers themselves self-educating and being aware of their skin types/needs to tailor their routine. The advent of AI too is a promising area where brands or consumers could build custom routines easily. This can help lessen consumer confusion and handhold them to get better results. It is especially useful while targeting customers who are not clued into actives/formulations skincare terminology. Currently, we address this with skin & ingredients education through our socials, but it is an area we shall further evaluate in the future.

As the founder of Farmistry, how do you see the brand's role in driving the ongoing transformation towards a more holistic and results-driven approach to skincare within the industry?

Nikhat: Finally, the skincare industry is walking the talk. Results are assured if formulations are made with well-researched ingredients. Farmistry's role in this is to take it one step further and create complex solutions that simplify skincare.

Another part to play is that of a brand which is more than just its products. It is an entity that speaks with consumers and listens to them. The promise of instant results and perfect skin can be an attractive way for a new brand to drive trials. Unfortunately, it feeds on the inherent anxiety of beauty consumers. We base our values on being upfront about the efficacy of our products and not setting unrealistic expectations for the sake of sales. While taking this road less travelled comes at a cost we believe these are values worth standing by. It is what will help us stand apart from our competition and build consumer trust in the brand over time.

Innovation is key in the skincare industry. How does Farmistry continue to push boundaries and introduce new concepts or products that align with the multi-benefit skincare revolution?

Nikhat: The concept of having multi-active products implicitly means there are multi-benefits. Multi-benefit is a subset of multi-active. Right now our aim is to tackle the biggest skin problems in the most effective way possible by formulating products with multiple active ingredients. Having multiple activities means there are multiple benefits. From a marketing standpoint, multi-benefit works when needs/benefits are closely related. For instance, a sunscreen that has antioxidants and brightening actives not only protects against UV rays but also prevents sun damage and pigmentation.

With Spotlight serum, we have targeted different types of hyperpigmentation. Sunspots, age spots, uneven skin tone, tanned skin, and acne marks all can be with this one product. It was very challenging to find a lab to develop a product with so many actives. eIte was the 1st of its kind in India. Even abroad there are countable brands who have ventured into this territory. It is an innovation breakthrough to launch such a potent yet non-irritating and lightweight product that has been developed & manufactured entirely in India. We have done the same with our pipeline products which shall be rolled out pre-Diwali. We will continue to challenge the boundaries we can offer the Indian beauty consumer.

Looking into the future, what trends do you anticipate shaping the skincare industry further? How is Farmistry prepared to adapt and stay ahead in this evolving landscape?

Nikhat: Growth of Active based skincare - I think the trend towards active-based skincare will continue. We will even see "natural" "organic" and "vegan" brands introduce actives as a part of their offerings. Luckily, we are already in this space and will continue to push the envelope with innovative offerings.

The advent of AI  This has been a while in the making and with the entry of ChatGPT the era of AI has arrived. This could mean increasing customization of skincare routines, consumer self-education, try-on features in cosmetics or tinted skincare products, real-time customer service, content creation and strategy, helping reduce consumer confusion and even things like product development. The applications will increase as we discover the limits of AI's capabilities.

Simplification of Consumer preferences  Currently we are still in the era of multiple products. This was driven by K beauty culture with its 7-step routine. While many are caught into the idea of a multi-step routine it is difficult to keep up and expensive. The onslaught of numerous products has also led to consumer fatigue. Consumers will increasingly look to simplify their dressers and live with lesser products that do more.

End of "Greenwashing" - Since the 90s brands have spoken of climate focus and the impact of plastics due to the environment. However, the industry has been guilty of greenwashing - a practice where claims of "recyclable" and "made from waste" have been found unsubstantiated and sometimes false. This has dented the industry's trust in being serious about lowering its impact on the climate. It means consumers increasingly put a lower value on these claims even if they are true for some brands.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Aug 19 : For many decades, people have been fascinated and alarmed by infidelity, that disturbing breach of loyalty and commitment. The mechanics of infidelity take on an intriguing dimension in the context of relationships, particularly in a nation with a diverse and rich cultural heritage like India. Although several elements contribute to this complex phenomena, one important but frequently ignored catalyst emerges: Emotional separation.

To examine the online dating behaviours of Indians going through a midlife crisis, Gleeden, a discreet dating app in India, commissioned a thorough study from IPSOS, a renowned worldwide market research expert, in February 2023.

According to the survey, 33 per cent of respondents believe that one of the main factors contributing to infidelity is emotional separation, while 36 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men feel emotionally unfulfilled in their relationships. It is crucial to comprehend the complex facets of infidelity as relationships change and society evolves. Emotional remoteness, which is frequently downplayed by more evident reasons, can have a big negative impact on relationships. Recognising and addressing these emotional gaps could result in stronger collaborations in the Indian context.

According to the survey, the majority of them stated that they were emotionally unhappy in their marriages, and emotional disconnect was one of the factors contributing to infidelity.

The Mysterious Case of Emotional Disconnect

The potential for infidelity exists when there is an emotional detachment, which is the gradual or abrupt loss of emotional connection between spouses. Partners frequently drift emotionally apart as a result of the hectic modern lifestyle, changing societal conventions, and growing expectations on people. When it comes to communication, quality time spent together, or rising emotional gaps, this divergence may at first seem modest. 26 per cent of the population claim that they are partially happy in their relationship whereas 6 per cent from Ahmedabad, 4 per cent from Indore, 8 percent from Guwahati and 6 per cent from Patna claim that they are facing emotional disconnect from their partners.

The Enticement of Infidelity

Even though it is generally frowned upon, infidelity can be a seductive means of escape for those who are experiencing emotional emptiness. This is especially true in a society that is still developing free discourse on emotional discontent in partnerships. Tier 2 cities are feeling an emotional disconnect as compared to Tier 1 cities (1 percent from Kolkata, 1 per cent from Delhi, 0 per cent from Mumbai, 2 per cent from Bengaluru, where as 6 percent from Ahmedabad, 4 per cent from Indore, 8 per cent from Guwahati and 6 per cent from Patna). The attraction of finding emotional comfort, comprehension, and approval outside the primary connection can be potent in such a situation.

"The preservation of social and familial ties holds great significance in the deeply traditional Indian civilisation. However, under these structures, personal goals and emotional needs can occasionally take a backseat. This creates circumstances where people, particularly women, may look for emotional fulfilment in relationships other than their primary ones. Women are frequently expected by culture to take care of others, which leaves them with few opportunities for emotional expression and personal development," says Sybil Shiddell, Country Manager, Gleeden, India.

Emotional Infidelity in the Digital Age:

According to the survey, more females are left emotionally unsatisfied as compared to males (36 per cent of females and 32 per cent of males). The emergence of the digital age has altered the nature of relationships, allowing for the development of emotional ties beyond geographic boundaries. Online communities, messaging services, and social media sites provide avenues for people to create emotional connections with others outside of romantic partnerships, which can occasionally lead to infidelity. The strength of the emotional bonds formed through these platforms can be on par with those formed physically, illustrating how technology can amplify emotional isolation.

Putting the Flame Back in the Fire: Resolving Emotional Disconnect

Rethinking how relationships are fostered is prompted by the realisation that emotional distance may be a sign of impending infidelity. A crucial first step is to have open conversation about emotional needs, expectations, and objectives. To keep emotional closeness as a cornerstone of their relationship, both partners must consciously work to comprehend each other's emotional landscapes.

By placing emotional connection at the core of relationships, individuals can make an effort to bridge these gaps, develop trust, and eventually overcome the allure of infidelity.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

--IANS

ianslife/ tb
Kolkata, Aug 19 : : With arguments, counter- arguments and passing the buck continuing over the tragic death of a fresher at Kolkata's iconic Jadavpur University, allegedly due to psychological ragging on August 10, the real tragedy seems to be taking a backseat with a political slugfest taking centrestage.

After the incident on August 10, administrative action including a police probe were initiated in the first few days. On August 12, the first arrest in the case took place of an alumnus of the university, followed by the arrests of two students of JU on August 13.

Till August 13, the main topic of discussion was the administrative lapses on the part of the university authorities in failing to check the ragging menace and there was not much political colour in the matter.

But the matter taking a political turn started on the evening of August 14 as chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while addressing a public rally, had held the CPI(M) backed students of JU responsible for the tragedy. "Those who forced the poor fresher from the balcony of the students' hostel were Marxists. Sometimes they are also with the Congress and sometimes with the BJP. There are some typical CPI(M) activists there, who even stripped the victim of his clothes. There is total terror there," she said.

She claimed that the offenders even forced the victim to take off a religious thread from his arm. "These students act as if the university campus is a red fort. That is why I refrain from going to Jadavpur University," the chief minister said.

Soon after her statements, the Trinamool Congress organized a rally near the university campus, where party legislator and member (mayor-in-council) of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Debasish Kumar warned the leftist students' wings of restricting them within the JU campus and not allowing them to board vehicles from outside the campus.

That opened a political Pandora's box with counter reactions coming in. Claiming that the students' wings of ultra- left groups like Maoists and Naxalites are active in JU, CPI(M) politburo member and the party's state secretary in West Bengal Md Salim said that once Mamata Banerjee had joined hands with the Maoists in Junglemahal for killing the CPI(M) activists. "She encouraged many CPI(M) deserters to join Trinamool Congress and some of them were even provided berths in the state cabinet. She is now trying to confuse everyone over this issue," Salim said.

Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari also jumped into the fray accusing the chief minister of viewing the fresher's death as an opportunity for her Trinamool Congress to gain control over JU. "JU is a place where the ruling party's students' wing has absolutely no existence despite the party being in power for 12 years. So this tragedy is being viewed by the chief minister as an opportunity of gaining political control there. On the one hand, she is accusing the students having affiliation with the CPI(M)'s students wing of being responsible for the tragedy; at the national level she is sharing the dais with CPI(M) leaders at the opposition INDIA alliance. This is nothing but political dichotomy," said Adhikari.

In the midst of this political mudslinging, the police arrested six more persons on August 16, including three current and three former JU students in this connection. The University Grants Commission had sent two consecutive notices to the JU authorities seeking clarification on whether the anti-ragging guidelines set by the commission had been implemented in JU.

Observers feel that the high-level of political consciousness among the people of West Bengal often turns into a sort of hyper-sensitivity where everything is dictated by politics. "The reflection of such "political consciousness' turning to "political hyper-sensitivity' was reflected in the recently concluded panchayat polls which took a toll of over 50 lives. In the case of this fresher's death the focus has shifted from discussions on remedial measures to a mindless political slugfest," a city- based political observer said.

On late Friday evening, the investigating police officials arrested two more present students and one more former pupil, taking the total arrest figure to 12
Chennai, Aug 19 : Tamil Nadu BJP is expecting rich dividends in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections through the padyatra titled, 'En Mann, En Makkal' (My land, my people), by its state unit President, K. Annamalai.

The padytra, which was flagged off by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 28 at Rameswaram, is now passing through the Kanniyakumari district with a huge public participation in all places.

Annamalai, the young IPS officer-turned politician, has taken an aggressive posture against the ruling DMK and has accused Chief Minister MK Stalin and his family including his son Udayanidhi and son-in-law Sabareesan, of indulging in corruption.

Sources in the BJP told IANS that an internal survey conducted by the party has revealed that Annamalaias yatra has given a much needed hype to the fortunes of the party and that this has helped the BJP to connect directly to the people of the state.

In South Tamil Nadu, where there has been communal disturbances earlier, the party is highlighting the central government banning the Islamist organisation, Popular Front of India (PFI) and the arrest of its senior functionaries to bring peace in the area. This has also struck a chord with the people of South Tamil Nadu.

It may be recalled that BJP leader and former Union minister, Pon Radhakrishnan had won the Kanniyakumari Lok Sabha seat earlier and the party is a force to reckon with in this belt.

A senior leader of the BJP, who does not want to be identified, told IANS that the party is keen to focus on certain Lok Sabha constituencies to win these seats. While Union Home Minister Amit Shah, considered a main strategist of the BJP, has declared that the party would win 25 Lok Sabha seats, the saffron camp is expecting a little above five seats in the state.

With the prospects of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi contesting from Tamil Nadu looming large, the state BJP is keen that the necessary groundwork is being done to make things comfortable for an emphatic win in the state.

The BJP, which is in alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, is expecting to win a large number of seats in the 2026 assembly seats in a bid to capture power in the state.
Bengaluru, Aug 19 : Political pundits in Karnataka believe that the Congress government with an eye on 2024 Lok Sabha election, have reversed two important decision.

The recent decisions of Congress party to reverse the order of stoppage of funds to renovate Hindu temples and the statement on Soujanya rape and murder case that there is no proposal to reinvestigate the case before the government indicated the strategy, political pundits believe.

Government's decision to stop releasing funds for renovation and development work of temples had led to widespread condemnation by Hindu organisations and the BJP. An order was also passed by the state's Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department and issued to all the District Commissioners.

The order said that funds will not be released if renovation work is not undertaken in temples, as well as if the administrative approval is given for releasing of 50 per cent of the funds, it should also be withheld. If there is any proposal for administrative approval, it should also be withheld.

However, the state's Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department had withdrawn the order after backlash.

Transport and Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy had stated that since there was confusion regarding the order among the public, it has been withdrawn.

"We will not stop the renovation and development work of temples. If necessary, the Congress government would give additional funds," he said.

Home Minister G. Parameshwara had said that there is no proposal before the government to order reinvestigation of sensastional Soujanya rape and murder case.

The 17-year-old Soujanya was kidnapped on Oct 9, 2012 on way to her home in Ujire near Dharmasthala. She was studying in Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College. The next day her body was found near Nethravathi River, close to her house in the forests. The body was found half naked. One of her hands was tied with her dupatta to a tree. The police found that her genitals were soiled.

Series of protests were held following the release of the accused in the case after 11 years of imprisonment by the CBI Special Court. The order stated that the accused was implicated and recommended action on investigating officers and doctors who prepared reports. The allegations were made against the members of an influential family managing Hindu pilgrimage centre.

Following the mounting pressure on the ruling Congress government Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had stated that he would consider whether there is any provision to make an appeal for re-investigation of the case.

However, Home Minister Parameshwara maintained that the case has ended and there will be public debates in favor and opposite and the government can't help in this connection.

Sources said that the Congress government does not want to stir any controversy as any step related to the case would anger Hindu organisations and the influential family revered by lakhs of devotees. However, a group of activists have come together and announced that they will wage a legal battle in this matter.

The Congress government was also criticised for its soft stand over the death of seven Dalits in a water contamination case in Chitradurga district.

Sources said that the government did not want to antagonise the influential Lingayat community. The Congress government which lodged an FIR against Kannada superstar Upendra for making casteist remarks has not initiated any action over the similar statement by cabinet minister S.S. Mallikarjun, a Lingayat. Instead, the person who brought out the issue was booked by the police.

The BJP has termed the Congress government as 'dictatorship' and branded the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar as 'Hitlers'. However, the Congress did not bother to give any statement over these remarks.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : A special court, PMLA, Jalandhar has sentenced a man to over three years rigorous imprisonment in connection with money laundering case related to drug smuggling.

The court on Thursday sentenced Navdeep Singh under various sections of PMLA. It also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on him, failing which Singh will have to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for three months.

It also directed for confiscating Rs 9,00,000 which were seized by the ED officials as proceeds of crime.

The ED initiated investigation based on an FIR registered by PS Narcotics Cell, Amritsar, Punjab under various sections of NDPS Act and Arms Act against accused Navdeep Singh and others.As per the police investigation, Navdeep Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Pal Singh (since deceased) in connivance with Rupinder Singh alias Rob Sidhu, a Canadian Citizen, used to smuggle heroin.

--IANS

atk/svn
Chandigarh, Aug 19 : Punjab Police on Saturday carried out a special operation named 'OPS Seal-III' aimed at checking all vehicles entering the state to keep tab at drug trafficking, liquor smuggling and movement of gangsters and anti-social elements.

The operation was conducted in a synchronised manner from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., jointly with the police forces of four neighbouring states -- Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory Chandigarh -- on the directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.

Special DGP (Law and Order) Arpit Shukla said all Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) of border districts were directed to mobilise the maximum number of officers and manpower for this operation to lay strong 'nakas' at sealing points.

He said well-coordinated strong check points involving 1,500 plus police personnel were set up at all the entry and exit points of 10 districts. The 10 interstate border districts include Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.

He said during the operation, a thorough search of suspected vehicles and persons was conducted, while ensuring minimum inconvenience was caused to public. "We had strictly instructed all police personnel to deal with every commuter in a friendly and polite manner while checking their vehicles during the course of this operation," he added.

The Special DGP said that 5,726 vehicles entering the state were checked, of which 329 were challaned and 25 were impounded. The police have also registered 40 first information reports (FIRs) after arresting 49 people.

The police teams have also arrested two proclaimed offenders.

Besides, the police recovered Rs 45 lakhs cash, 30 kg poppy husk, 374 grams heroin, 500 grams charas, 350 litres lahan and 263 litres illicit liquor. The police teams have also rounded up 715 suspicious people for questioning.
The mythological planet Nibiru, which terrifies netizens year after year as the main character in various pseudo-prophecies promising the complete destruction of humanity, probably does not exist. Scientists believe that even if such a planet existed in the orbit that conspiracy theorists claim, its life in the solar system would not be very long.

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The IFLScience publication provides details about the network's favourite. For those who survived the pseudo-apocalypses of 2003 and 2012, as well as the third one in 2017, the planet Nibiru sounds familiar and probably even somewhat intrusive.

According to conspiracy theorists, Nibiru is a planet in our solar system that was allegedly discovered by the Sumerians. It is in such an elongated orbit that it approaches the Earth only once every 3,600 years. According to conspiracy theorists, it is during one of these encounters that the planet will collide with the home of humanity, completely destroying all life on Earth.

The arrival of Nibiru on the Internet was linked to the end of the Mayan calendar. The date was originally set for May 2003. But when the seers realised that they had failed, they simply postponed the apocalypse to 21 December 2012. As the Internet had already become ubiquitous by then, the new theory of the end of the world was accompanied by a considerable online discourse about what kind of destruction awaited humanity.

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Of course, as you can imagine, there was no end of the world then. The Mayan calendar simply ended the period of long counting, but (surprise, surprise) instead of the death of all living things, a new period simply began. Surprisingly, all the supporters of the doomsday theory were extremely surprised, because every year they somehow survive the approach of 31 December and do not panic about it.

Of course, in 2017, no giant planet came close to Earth again, let alone destroyed it. And the reason for this is quite simple: Nibiru is just a myth that adds interest to someone's life, but in the real world, such a planet does not exist.

"Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an internet hoax. There are no factual grounds for these claims," NASA openly stated back in 2012.

Scientists explained that if such a planet were real and heading towards a meeting with the Earth, "astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the last decade, and it would have been visible to the naked eye."

ADVERTISIMENT

For his part, Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, also explained that if Nibiru did exist in the elongated orbit described by fans, we would have seen it by now. But, more importantly, it would not be able to exist in such an orbit for too long.

"If the planet had the orbit that is attributed to it, it would only exist for about a million years before it would come too close to Jupiter and be ejected from the solar system," he explained.

It should be noted that despite the fact that the planet Nibiru, exactly as described by conspiracy theorists, does not exist, the so-called Planet 9 (or Planet X) may still exist in our solar system. As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, scientists even have circumstantial evidence pointing to this possibility.

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Subscribe to OBOZREVATEL's Telegram, Viber and Threads channels to keep up with the latest developments.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that the agency conducted rain regarding bank loan fraud of Rs 520 crore, at 17 locations in Karnal, Kaithal, Sonepat, Gurugram, Hathras, and Gwalior.

ED said that the case pertains to Sri Hari Har Overseas Pvt Ltd, R G International Pvt Ltd, T C Agro Industries, Suma Foods Pvt Ltd and KTC Foods Pvt Ltd and their related entities.

ED said that it conducted PMLA investigation based on FIRs registered by the CBI under various sections of IPC, and PCA, 1988 related to criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct with Punjab National Bank and Central Bank of India causing a loss of around Rs 520 Crore to the banks.

The accused entities were engaged in the business of husking of paddy and rice and running rice sheller.

The subject entities and their directors used forged stock statements for drawing excess finances from the bank.

ED said the accused dishonestly sold out the hypothecated stocks and machinery without the knowledge and consent of the bank and did not deposit the sale proceeds with the bank.

It has been also found that the accused entities have diverted huge amounts to their related firms and several other fictitious firms for routing the money without any genuine business transactions.

ED said that the accused entities and their directors created new entities with dummy directors/partners in order to layer the proceeds of crime and projecting the same as untainted by purchasing their mortgaged properties through these dummy entities.

ED said that it was also found that the security guards were made as dummy directors. The investigation into the source for purchase of these properties through dummy entities is in progress. Further, the accused directors were found to be in possession of the auctioned mortgaged properties.

During the search operations, bank lockers, digital devices, various incriminating documents and cash of more than Rs 20 lakh was found and seized. Few live cartridges along with copy of original arms licence were also found at one of the search premises which were handed over to the local police.

ED said that further investigation into the matter is on.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Google on Saturday sent emails to its billions of users, saying the company updating the inactivity period for a Google Account to two years across all its products and services.

This change starts rolling out now, and will apply to any Google Account that's been inactive, "meaning it has not been signed into or used within a two-year period".

An inactive account and any content in it will be eligible for deletion from December 1, 2023, the tech giant said.

These changes do not impact you unless you have been inactive in your Google Account for two years or have not used your account to sign in to any Google service for over two years.

"While the changes go into effect today, the earliest we would enforce any account deletion would be December 2023," said Google.

If the account is considered inactive, Google will send several reminder emails to both users and their recovery emails (if any have been provided) before the company takes any action or delete any account content.

"These reminder emails will go out at least 8 months before any action is taken on your account. After a Google Account is deleted, the Gmail address for the deleted account cannot be used again when creating a new Google Account," said the company.

The simplest way to keep a Google Account active is to sign in to the account at least once every two years.

If you have signed in to your Google Account recently in the past two years, your account is considered active and will not be deleted, said the company.

--IANS

na/
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that it carried out search operation at 13 premises in Jalgaon, Nashik, and Thane as part of a money laundering investigation.

ED said that the raids were carried in case related to loan fraud committed by Rajmal Lakhichand Jewelers Pvt Ltd, R L Gold Pvt Ltd, and Manraj Jewelers Pvt Ltd, and their promoters namely Ishwarlal Shankarlal Jain Lalwani, Manish Ishwarlal Jain Lalwani, Pushpa Devi, and Neetika Manish Jain.

ED said that it has seized a significant amount of incriminating documents including 39.33 kg of gold and diamond jewelry valued at Rs 24.7 crore and a cash amount of Rs 1.11 Crore.

ED said that it initiated PMLA investigations based on three CBI FIRs against the accused companies and their promoters for offenses of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and criminal misconduct.

According to the banks, the accused intentionally defaulted on their loans from the State Bank of India, causing a wrongful loss of Rs 352.49 crore (plus interest) to SBI.

ED said that the promoters of the accused companies colluded and engaged in fictitious transactions and fabricated the Books of Accounts of the accused companies and their related entities, leading to significant discrepancies.

"The books of accounts showed bogus sale purchase transactions with the main holding company, Rajmal Lakhichand Jalgaon partnership firm. A substantial amount of stock in trade was found to be missing. Despite a declared stock of over 1284 kg of jewelry, ED could only trace around 40 kg. Thus, loans taken against this declared stocks were siphoned off through bogus purchases for non-existent jewelry," ED said.

ED said that the second discrepancy was: "The promoters failed to produce any supporting documents to prove the genuine utilisation of the loans by the three accused companies - Rajmal Lakhichand Jewelers Pvt. Ltd., R L Gold Pvt. Ltd., and Manraj Jewelers Pvt Ltd. In fact, they admitted to purposefully not maintaining any books of accounts, ledgers, stock registers, invoices, or supporting documents for the period FY 2003-2014 (loan disbursement period)."

"The analysis of the books of accounts of the accused companies for FY 2022-23 also revealed that the stock as of August 17, 2023, in the accused companies had been brought to zero despite being hypothecated to SBI. Fictitious entities with relatives as dummy directors were created to apply for new loans fraudulently. Loans were routed through a convoluted web of bogus sale-purchase transactions involving related parties of Rajmal Lakhichand Group, and the funds were eventually invested in immovable properties by the promoters. A new jewelry business named R L Enterprises was established, and investments were made in the real estate sector, car dealership, and the establishment of a hospital," ED said.

ED also mentioned that suspicious documents were recovered from the mobile phones, indicating an FDI proposal of 50 million Euros from a Luxembourg-based entity in a real estate company controlled by Manish Jain.

Details of 60 properties belonging to the Rajmal Lakhichand Group were gathered during the search proceedings, valued at more than Rs 50 Crore, along with 2 benami properties beneficially owned by Rajmal Lakhichand Manish Jain located in Jamner, Jalgaon, and surrounding areas.

ED said that further investigation into the matter is ongoing.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : "A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them (212 Meiteis) home," tweeted Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, even as the Assembly session summoned from Monday could be boycotted by Kuki legislators.

Owing to large-scale demands from opposition parties and civil society organisations, the beleaguered Manipur government headed by Biren Singh has decided to convene the Assembly session from Monday (August 21).

But the 10 Kuki-Zo legislators have announced that they will not attend the upcoming session.

BJP legislator Paolienlal Haokip said that seven saffron party MLAs and three others will also not attend the session as a mark of protest against the "criminal attacks" against the Kuki-Zo community in a "state-sponsored pogrom".

He went on to state that the capital Imphal valley has turned into a "valley of death" not only for the Kuki-Zo community, but also for all other "ethnic Mizo people" -- irrespective of the fact whether they are from Manipur or Mizoram.

The 10 legislators are -- Haokholet Kipgen (Independent) Kimneo Haokip Hangshing (KPA), Chinlungthang (KPA), and L.M. Khaute, Nemcha Kipgen, Ngursanglur Sanate, Letpao Haokip, Letzamang Haokip, Paolienlal Haokip and Vungjagin Valte, all BJP MLAs.

Letpao Haokip and Nemcha Kipgen are ministers in the Biren Singh government.

The boycott of the proceedings by Kuki-Zo MLAs will make the affairs a damp squib even as all eyes will be on the Naga MLAs now.

Forty MLAs from violence-hit Manipur, including eight Naga MLAs had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the withdrawal of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups and implementation of NRC in the state.

They also said that a 'separate administration' sought by Kuki groups was absolutely unacceptable.

The potent insurgent group NSCN-IM, which enjoys considerable community-based support base in the Naga areas of Manipur, criticised the Naga MLAs for writing such a letter/memorandum to PM, which it said had nothing to do with the political aspirations of the Naga people.

The memorandum said, "A 'separate administration' as demanded by the ITLF/Kukis is absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances."

The eight Naga MLAs included NPF Manipur unit President Awangbou Newmai, also a minister in the Biren Singh government.

On Wednesday, the Kuki MLAs sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister demanding the creation of the posts of Chief Secretary and Director General of Police or equivalent posts for the five hill districts of Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Chandel, Tengnoupal, and Pherzaw.

They also demanded the sanction of Rs 500 crore from the PM's Relief Fund for the proper rehabilitation of the Zomi-Kuki people. The MLAs alleged that Imphal has become a "valley of death" and destruction for the Kuki-Zomi people.

"No member of Kuki-Zo community is in the Imphal valley and no member of the Meitei community is in the hill areas," the MLAs said.

The 10 legislators in another letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah have asked for immediate political dialogue for political and administrative recognition of the 'ethnic separation' that has been forced upon them.

"Even members of the state Assembly were not spared. MLA Vungzagin Valte and his driver were waylaid while he was returning from a meeting at the Chief Minister's bungalow in May. His driver was beaten to death," the Kuki leaders alleged.

In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi had said both the state and Central governments are working together to find solutions to the issues in Manipur and "will continue to do so".

"In the last few days, we have been hearing continuous reports of peace, and the entire nation stands with the people of Manipur. The people of Manipur have maintained peace in the past few days, and they should continue to foster that peace, as it is the path to resolution," Modi had said.

Meanwhile, Biren Singh in a tweet on Friday expressed gratitude towards the Army and Assam Rifles for the 'return' of as many as 212 Meitei people, who had taken shelter in Myanmar during the peak of violence.

"Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil. A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen. RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen. HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col. Rahul Jain for their unwavering service," he tweeted.

Sources in Assam Rifles said, "Persistent endeavours of Assam Rifles in close coordination with the civil administration and the police ensured the safe return of 212 persons, including 89 women and 37 children, from Myanmar to the Moreh camp of Assam Rifles in Manipur."

They also said that so far, more than 400 displaced persons have been assisted by Assam Rifles and state police.

(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)
Ahmedabad, Aug 19 : BJP MLA, from Mahuva in South Gujarat, Mohanbhai Dhodiya on Saturday alleged negligence on part of district administration saying they have failed to take steps regarding illegal activities in the area.

"I approached the district collector and DSP with a complaint regarding unlawful activities which demanded immediate action against the wrongdoers. Specifically, there were instances of individuals illegally installing a statue. Despite my repeated attempts to establish contact with the DSP, my calls went unanswered," he said.

He said that even after bringing the matter to the collector's attention, permission for a religious ceremony at the disputed location was granted.

"This unfortunate turn of events leads me to believe that there exists a palpable lapse in maintaining law and order in Valod taluka," he said.

He said that even an elected MLA's concerns seem to fall on deaf ears.

"I've escalated the issue to the Chief Minister and Home Minister, urging them to intervene and rectify the situation. Instances of illicit constructions and encroachments on government property and roads within Valod taluka are alarming, yet the responsible officers remain inert," he said.

This isn't the first time that ruling party MLAs have voiced concerns over government officers' negligence.

BJP MLAs Kumar Kanani and Sanjay Kordiya have also raised similar complaints about the administration's lackadaisical approach to certain issues.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday dubbed the action of Delhi Police to stop the people from attending the We20 meeting as "extraordinary" saying that he entered for meeting in morning but had difficulties in exiting, calling it 'New India'.

"It is extraordinary that Delhi Police is stopping people from attending the We20 meeting organised by activists representing We, The People, inside a building that belongs to the CPM. The meeting is perfectly peaceful. There are no street protests. I managed to enter at 10:30 am before Delhi Police started its operations but had difficulty exiting now. This is New India Democracy," Ramesh, who is Congress General Secretary, wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Delhi police in a statement said that an information was received about a gathering of people at Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan, DDU Marg in Delhi.

"Following the information, immediately a police team responded and found that people were gathered and a tent was also erected at the said building. On asking, the organisers could not produce any valid permission. Even they had not informed the police about the programme and gathering," the police said.

It said that DDU Marg is a sensitive zone and in view of the forthcoming G-20 event, no gathering without any prior permission or intimation cannot be allowed.

"Hence the organisers were advised to remove tents and asked not to continue the programme without valid permission," it added.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Customs officials at Trichy Airport in Tamil Nadu on Saturday said that they have recovered seven lungis embossed with gold, valued at Rs 16.64 lakhs, and have arrested a man in connection with the incident.

A senior customs official said that the accused was apprehended based on specific intelligence. The official said that the accused had arrived at Trichy Airport from Dubai on August 8.

"After a twenty-four-hour extraction process, gold weighing 281 grams and worth Rs 16.64 lakh was recovered," the official said.

The official said that the seized gold was taken under the provisions of section 110 of the Customs Act. The passenger was placed under arrest as per section 104 of the Customs Act.

Additional investigation into the matter is currently underway.
San Francisco, Aug 19 : SpaceX has upgraded its huge Starship vehicle, being developed to take people and cargo to the moon, Mars and beyond, with new hardware, for its impending flight, according to the company.

Starship consists of two elements, a spacecraft called Starship and a giant first-stage booster known as Super Heavy.

"Vented interstage and heat shield installed atop Booster 9. Starship and Super Heavy are being upgraded to use a separation method called hot-staging, where Starship's second stage engines will ignite to push the ship away from the booster," the company said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

On April 20, the first flight test of SpaceX's fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket lifted off successfully.

Shortly after, it exploded and failed to reach orbit. However, the blast meant the test flight was successful, according to the company.

The rocket launch has also come under the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for reportedly spreading plumes of potentially hazardous debris endangering human lives as well as habitats of animals.

In a bid to prevent a recurrence, SpaceX has been making 'well over 1,000' changes to Starship, Space.com reported.

The major change concerns the spacecraft-separation system. It will be quite different on the next Starship mission, which will involve a SuperHeavy prototype named Booster 9 and an upper-stage vehicle called Ship 25.

"The superhot plasma from the upper-stage engines has gotta go somewhere," Musk was quoted as saying in a discussion on X.

"So we're adding an extension to the booster that is almost all vents, essentially. So that allows the upper-stage engine plume to go through the sort of vented extension of the booster and not just blow itself up."

Hot staging, which is commonly used on Russian rockets, could end up increasing Starship's payload-to-orbit capacity by 10 per cent, Musk added.

Although, SpaceX aims to launch the test flight soon, no target date has been announced.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has twice claimed (first in April, then in June) that the launch pad and the next Starship vehicle should be ready to launch in six to eight weeks. The Starship also needs FAA clearance for liftoff.

"When a final mishap report is approved, it will identify the corrective actions SpaceX must make," FAA officials said in an emailed statement to Space.com this week. "Separately, SpaceX must modify its licence to incorporate those actions before receiving authorisation to launch again."
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 19 : In a scathing attack on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Congress legislator Mathew Kuzhalnaden on Saturday said "what is happening in the state is an organised loot by one family".

He targetted Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan's IT company based in Bengaluru - Exalogic, saying this company has not just collected money from a Kochi-based mining firm, CMRL, but others as well.

"What has surfaced is only the tip of the iceberg, there are many others also. This is an organised loot by one family," Kuzhalnaden said.

Veena Vijayan found herself in trouble when a news report mentioned last week that CMRL had paid her and Exalogic a sum of Rs 1.72 crore during 2017-2020 for IT-based services rendered to the Kochi firm.

The report claimed 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 information provided by a few CMRL company officials that no service was rendered by her firm to the company.

Explaining the details of Veena's IT firm, the Congress leader said he had asked a few questions to her about her company but there was no reply by her.

The Congress MLA said that instead, CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan and the party secretariat replied that she is heading a company which was doing legitimate business with CMRL, adding everything was transparent and there was nothing wrong.

"If that be the case, I wish to point out from their audit reports that her company has paid only Rs 6 lakh as taxes, while she has to pay Rs 30 lakh as taxes, as her firm has collected Rs 1.72 crore as service charges from CMRL," Kuzhalnaden said.

"Kerala is struggling for finances and I am now in front of you and am sending a complaint to Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal that there has been tax evasion by Veena's firm. I challenge the CPI-M and their leaders that either they accept that what Veena received was illegal gratification," he added.

Kuzhalnaden also pointed out that her IT firm, according to their audit reports, points out receiving foreign currency but that's missing in the I-T returns of the firm, which is a very serious matter too.
Imphal, Aug 19 : Thousands of tribal women on Saturday organised massive demonstrations in different districts of Manipur specially in Kangpokpi district to protest the killing of three Village Defence Volunteers (VDV) belonging to Kuki tribals in Ukhrul district on Friday.

Due to the protests movement of vehicles along the National Highway-2 (Imphal-Dimapur), the surface lifeline of Manipur, remained disrupted for the entire day.

The protesters said that the three VDV were killed by the rival community barely two days after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in his Independence Day speech called for 'forgive and forget' and to live peacefully.

The protests were organised by the Committee on Tribal Unity (CoTU), which also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding to re-impose Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in all six valley districts inhabited by the non-tribals Meiteis.

"If the AFSPA reimposed in the valley districts, then the Army and Para military forces would be able to contain the violence in these areas," said the memorandum, submitted through the Deputy Commissioner of Kangpokpi district.

CoTU media cell coordinator Lun Kipgen said that as the Center was not imposing President's rule in Manipur, the government must re-impose AFSPA in the valley districts and redeployment of the Assam Rifles in those tribal areas from where they were withdrawn.

Right activist Irom Sharmila held a hunger strike for 16 long years demanding to repeal the AFSPA after 10 people were killed by the para-military forces at a bus stop at Malom Makha Leikai in Manipur's Imphal West District in November 2000.

The CoTU in its memorandum expressed discontentment against the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah's statement in the Lok Sabha recently.

"The Kuki-Zo people have been deeply hurt by the irresponsible statement made by the Union Home Minister on August 9 stating that the ethnic violence is caused by the influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar.

He also named a non-existing outfit called Kuki Democratic Front based in Myanmar for causing violence in the state. "Such irresponsible statement of the Union Home Minister has deepened the wounds of the Kuki-Zo people who are the victims of the ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the majority Meitei community."

The tribal body also demanded to revoke FIRs against academics and intellectuals.

"The COTU is saddened to learn that a series of FIRs have been registered against academics and intellectuals belonging to the Kuki Zo tribal communities by various individuals and organisations of the majority community," the memorandum said urging the Prime Minister to look into the undemocratic filings of FIR so that critical thinking academicians and intellectuals are given space for constructive analysis of the current turmoil.
Ukraine and Romania will open a new border crossing point. It will be located between Bila Tserkva and Sighetu Marmatiei. The new checkpoint will operate around the clock for passenger and freight traffic.

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This is one of the results of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's visit to Bucharest and his talks with his Romanian counterpart, Marcel Ciolacu, the Government Portal reported. It is noted that the governments of both countries exchanged notes on the opening of a new checkpoint.

During the meeting, the prime ministers of Ukraine and Romania also signed a joint intergovernmental statement on strengthening cooperation in ensuring reliable transit of Ukrainian goods.

The document provides for

Restoration and improvement of the transport infrastructure destroyed by Russia;

opening of new checkpoints along the common border for road, rail, sea and river transport;

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development of access roads to them, railway infrastructure, introduction of traffic management mechanisms to reduce congestion, simplification of border, customs and phytosanitary control;

where possible and appropriate, consider coordinated border control to facilitate the transit of goods between Ukraine and Romania;

facilitate transshipment of Ukrainian products in Romanian sea and river ports;

intensify cooperation in the Danube region by making full use of the existing port infrastructure and by attracting investment in its development.

In addition, an agreement on mutual recognition of educational documents was signed. This means that Ukrainians will be able to work in their speciality while in Romania.

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As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Romania joined the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, announced during the NATO summit in Vilnius on 12 July. The country also plans to open an F-16 pilot training centre to train pilots from Ukraine.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Jaipur, Aug 19 : Deepika from Rajasthan's Dungarpur, who had fled to Kuwait along with her boyfriend, has now converted to Islam and living under a new name -- Nazeera -- after leaving her husband and two kids behind.

In a five-minute video doing the rounds on social media, Deepika could be heard saying that she has embraced Islam.

A mother of two, Deepika had gone missing on July 13. On the same day, Deepika made a WhatsApp call to her husband Mukesh Patidar in Mumbai, saying: "You keep getting upset with me. That's why I have come out (of the relationship)."

Hearing this, Mukesh hurriedly returned to Dungarpur from Mumbai and lodged a missing report with the police station on July 15.

Mukesh kept searching for his wife for almost a month, but couldn't find anything about her whereabouts.

On August 13, a photo of Deepika, clad in a burqa, along with a youth went viral on social media.The youth seen in the photo was Irfan Haider, a resident of Navanagar in Gujarat. When Haider's family members were contacted, it was found that Deepika had gone to Kuwait along with her boyfriend.

Her family members alleged that Deepika has been brainwashed to convert to Islam.

In the video, Deepika aka Nazeera could be heard saying: "I left my home as I was upset. What was happening to me for the last 10 years? I was tolerating everything because of my children, but I could not tolerate it any more so I took this step. I have come here on my own will. I have embraced Islam on my own will."

She also levelled serious allegations against her in-laws in the video, accusing her father-in-law of knocking on her door at night and trying to touch her inappropriately.

She said: "I told my husband and my family members many times about this, but no one paid any attention. When my husband also did not support me, I got upset... I even tried to commit suicide seven times. My father tried to placate me by saying that everything will be fine... But nothing changed."

IANS-arc)
Delhi court denies anticipatory bail to man accused of defrauding people using guise of govt scheme. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 18 : A Delhi court has restrained news channel Times Now Navbharat from broadcasting/telecasting/printing the news/statement/opinion with the heading 'Operation PAAP' directed against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Naresh Balyan.

ASCJ cum JSCC cum Guardian Judge Ajay Kumar Malik of Dwarka Courts was hearing the AAP leader's defamation suit.

The news in question alleged that Balyan and a gangster were talking about extorting two businessmen in an audio clip, which was released by it.

Balyan has said that he and his family were shocked by the news under the heading "Sarji ka Vidhayak Gangster ka Sahay" which was false and had caused great loss to his reputation, including that of his family.

The court has passed the interim order restraining the channel from airing the news till August 23.

"At request and convenience of Ld counsel for defendant, matter is adjourned for 23.08.2023 at 12.00 noon. Interim order to continue till next date of hearing in view of statement given by Ld counsel for Defendant," the court said.

The counsel representing Times Now Navbharat told the judge that the news channel complied with the order passed earlier and undertook not to air the news till further orders.

On the counsel seeking short adjournment for filing the reply, the court said: "At request and convenience of Ld counsel for defendant, matter is adjourned for 23.08.2023 at 12.00 noon. Interim order [restraining the news channel] to continue till next date of hearing in view of statement given by Ld counsel for defendant."

--IANS

spr/dan
Kolkata, Aug 19 : West Bengal government is taking a Rs 2,500 crore loan from the World Bank and the entire money will be utilised for the purpose of infrastructure development in the state.

Sources in the state finance department said the focus area of infrastructure development through utilisation of the loan amount will be improvement of road networks and water transport systems in the state.

"The government wants to emphasise on improving exports from the state in the next 10 years, for which it is necessary to develop a quick transit system. So, work on this count will stat before the forthcoming Bengal Global Business Summit scheduled in November this year," said a senior official in the finance department.

Apart from overall infrastructure development, the official said the loan amount will be utilised for special training of the people engaged in the logistic sector.

The state government has already set a target for setting up four economic corridors covering an area of 930 km. Out of that, the longest corridor of 630 km will be in North Bengal and the remaining three will be in South Bengal.

"The development of these economic corridors will enable the state government to showcase Bengal in a better manner to the potential investors," the official said.

Industry observers feel that while such initiatives are undoubtedly positive steps, no effort to attract big ticket investments will bear fruit unless the land and special economic zone policies of the state government are changed.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Congress on Saturday said that it has suspended Punjab MLA Abohar Sandeep Jakhar for indulging in anti-party activities.

Sandeep Jakhar is nephew of Punjab's senior BJP leader Sunil Jakhar, who had left the Congress party last year.

The Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on Saturday suspended Jakhar.

The action against Jakhar came following a complaint filed by Punjab Congress Chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

Punjab Congress has also confirmed suspension of Sandeep Jakhar and posted on X that, "Sandeep Jakhar is suspended from the party with immediate effect."

The suspension order has been signed by Tariq Anwar, Disciplinary Action Committee member secretary.

The letter reads: "The President, Punjab PCC has complained that you are indulging in anti-party activities in the following manner."

"You have not been participating in any of the party programmes including Bharat Jodo Yatra. The house in which you stay is a common accommodation on which a BJP flag flies atop.

"You have been speaking against the party and the PCC president. You are openly defending your uncle Sunil Jakhar. And after careful consideration, the DAC has decided to place you under suspension from the party with immediate effect."
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked two Ghaziabad-based private firms and their officials in connection with a Rs 8.75 crore bank loan fraud case, an official said on Saturday.

A CBI official said that the probe agency received a complaint in this connection from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) on March 13 this year.

The bank claimed that it faced a loss of Rs 8.75 crore.

The FIR read that Accord Furnishing Pvt. Ltd, its director Neerja Dixit, Ashwani Dixit, its erstwhile director and Guarantor of Anchor Overseas; Rajat Kumar Arora, director of Accord Furnishing Pvt. Ltd, and others committed fraud.

"In 2015, Neerja and Ashwani approached the bank, seeking a Cash Credit Loan Facility of Rs 1.40 crore. The bank approved the request and disbursed a loan (Cash Credit) of Rs 1.40 crore to the accused. To further secure the credit facilities, they mortgaged a few properties," read the FIR.

The FIR further stated that in 2016, the accused again approached the Bank for enhancement of their Cash Credit Limit from Rs 1.40 crore to Rs 2.75 crore, which the bank accepted.

"Furthermore, in 2016, the accused persons also availed a Term Loan Facility of Rs 1.40 crore for the purchase of machinery and other assets to set up a factory," the bank said in the complaint.

The bank alleged that the accused might have siphoned off the funds borrowed from it, and diverted them for purposes other than those for which the funds were sanctioned.

The CBI official stated that they have lodged an FIR under sections 120B read with sections 420, 468, 471 of the IPC, and were looking into the matter.
Kolkata, Aug 19 : Jadavpur University (JU), on Saturday, forwarded its second-round of clarifications to the University Grants Commission (UGC) relating to the alleged ragging-related death of a fresher of the university.

Earlier in the week, the JU authorities had sent its first round of clarifications to UGC on actions taken by the university to prevent ragging and harassment of the fresher or first-year students within the university campus and students' hostels. However, dissatisfied with that clarification on August 17, the commission had sought further clarifications on 12 specific points, the reply to which had been sent by the JU authorities on Saturday.

According to the JU registrar Snehomonju Basu, the reply on the 12 specific points has been provided through 31 files attached with the reply. "Now it is up to the commission on whether they will be satisfied with our second-round clarifications," she said.

In the second time UGC had sought JU's clarification on whether brochures circulated by the university authorities to the fresher students contained the contact numbers of the ragging-helpline and anti-ragging committee of the university.

The commission has also questioned JU on whether it took undertaking from the students about understanding the punishments that involvement in ragging will attract. The commission also questioned whether the JU authorities got a separate undertaking from the guardians over the same.

The commission has also questioned whether JU authorities follow the practice of holding meetings with teachers, wardens, students' representatives, guardians and local administration including police before the beginning of every academic year besides creating a separate hostel for the fresher or first-year students imposing restriction on senior students from accessing that.

Swapnadip Kundu, a first year student of Bengali honours, died under mysterious circumstances after falling from the balcony of a students' hostel on the JU campus on August 10.
Video of girl on bike waving gun on Patna's 'Marine Drive' surfaces. Image Source: IANS News

Patna, Aug 19 : Despite all restrictions, the 'over-the-top' thrill and adventure seekers seem to be always looking for opportunities to perform stunts on Digha-Gaighat JP Ganga pathway -- also known as the 'marine drive' of Patna.

In a video that surfaced on Saturday, a biker can be seen riding his two-wheeler at a high speed while a girl riding a pillion is holding guns in both hands and waving them in the air.

The video has gone viral on social media.

Taking cognizance of the video, Patna Superintendent of Police, Vaibhav Sharma assured taking action against the offenders.

"We are making efforts to identify the registration number of the bike and reach out to the offenders. Action will be taken against them soon," Sharma said.

A similar incident happened a few months ago when a girl was waving a gun on a bike in Patna's 'marine drive'.

Patna Police later arrested her from the Lohanipur area.

During the investigation, it was learnt that the girl was holding a lighter having the shape of a gun.

A fine of Rs 34,000 was imposed and the registration of her bike was also cancelled for a year.
Jaipur, Aug 19 : The first meeting of the state election committee of the Congress in Rajasthan was held on Saturday.

When asked after the meeting if the party will give importance to the youth while distributing tickets for the Assembly elections scheduled later this year, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that only winnable nominees will be given tickets, as winnability is the sole criterion for the party when it comes to selection of candidates.

The Chief Minister said: "You must have seen that in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in Karnataka, a 90-year-old candidate contested the polls and won. That's why tickets will be given to those who can win."

Earlier, it was said that the party will give more importance to the youth factor when it comes to distributing tickets for the Assembly polls, but Gehlot's latest remarks made it clear that for the Congress, winnability is going to be the sole criterion for the selection of nominees.

The Congress is in the process of finalising its candidates' list for the upcoming polls, with senior party leaders saying that most of the nominees will be finalised before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.

Besides Gehlot, Saturday's meeting was attended by the party's state in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot, and all the leaders involved with the election committee.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The Delhi High Court has quashed a criminal complaint filed under the customs law against a woman national-level shooter, whose father was found using her licence in the alleged import of firearms.

The court observed that there was no prima facie case against 26-year-old Disha Langan, stating that the allegations against her did not disclose the essential elements of the offense she was charged with.

The court said that no presumption could be drawn regarding her knowledge of her father's alleged offences.

Justice Saurabh Banerjee said that considering her young age, her promising future, and her achievements in both academics and sports, she should not be held responsible for her father's actions, especially when her license was used by him.

The court recognised the common practice in Indian families where parents often support students studying in other states or countries, particularly in activities their parents are involved in.

The court noted that Langan's father, being a shooter himself, likely handled arrangements for procuring arms and ammunition for her shooting practices and competitions.

The court found it inappropriate for the chief metropolitan magistrate to have issued summons to Langan, as the evidence didn't support her involvement in the alleged offences.

The case originated from a complaint filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), alleging that Langan's father, along with two others, was involved in smuggling arms and ammunition from Slovenia to India.

The DRI claimed that Langan's father used her licence and certificates to import weapons using bogus invoices and suppressing their true value.

The syndicate members were accused of selling the smuggled weapons for significant profits and using them for hunting wildlife animals. Langan's counsel said that she was not aware of her father's actions and was focused on her studies and shooting practices.

The court agreed, concluding that there was no vicarious liability under criminal law and she could not be held accountable for her father's alleged offenses.

--IANS

spr/sha
Premier League: Liverpool come back from a goal down to score first home victory. Image Source: IANS News

Liverpool, Aug 19 : Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota scored a goal apiece as Liverpool came from behind to beat AFC Bournemouth 3-1 in their first home game of the new Premier League season at Anfield here on Saturday.

This was also Liverpool's first win in the 2023 season after they started their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the first round last week.

In other early matches on Saturday, Fulham were thrashed 3-0 by Brentford while Wolverhampton Wolves went down 1-4 to Brighton.

Diaz, Salah and Jota got the goals to overturn Antoine Semenyoas third-minute opener on an eventful home match in which Alexis Mac Allister received a straight red card for a foul on Ryan Christie just before the hour.

Diazas second strike in as many matches in the 2023-24 season was added to by Salah, who scored the rebound after Neto had saved his penalty, to ensure the Reds went in 2-1 up at half-time.

And soon after Mac Allisteras dismissal, following which Japanese star Wataru Endo came off the bench to make his debut for the club, Jota was on hand to give the hosts a two-goal cushion that they preserved thanks to two excellent late saves from Alisson Becker.

JArgen Klopp opted for an unchanged starting line-up from last weekendas draw at Chelsea, with new signing Endo named among Liverpoolas substitutes alongside the returning Stefan Bajcetic.

However, it was an inauspicious start for the hosts as they missed a chance when Jaidon Anthony had a goal ruled out for offside inside the opening minute. Things turned from bad to worse as Semenyo put Bournemouth ahead soon after.

The visitors regained possession high up the pitch and, although Dominic Solanke was subsequently crowded out by Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, the loose ball fell kindly for Semenyo, who drilled it home.

Roared on by the passionate home crowd, Liverpool could have levelled soon but Virgil Van Dijk's angled header on Robertsonas corner came off the crossbar.

Dominik Szoboszlai then dragged an attempt wide before Liverpool levelled the score when Jota set up Diaz with a cut-back off a Trent Alexander-Arnold move, dispatching a volley past custodian Neto.

Eight minutes later, Klopp's side took the lead when Salah reacted quickly after his spot kick, earned when Szoboszlai was fouled in the area by Joe Rothwell, was saved by Neto and was dispatched into the net on the second attempt.

Neto again pulled off a few saves before the Reds' momentum was slowed by Mac Allisteras 58th-minute dismissal, but they regrouped superbly,

Jota came up with a classic poacheras finish, the forward as he followed the ball to profit when Neto couldn't hold on to Szoboszlaias deflected daisy-cutter from 20 yards.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska have arrived in Sweden on a working visit. The Ukrainian head of state is planning several talks, the topics of which will include defense cooperation and Ukraine's European integration.

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Zelensky reported about the trip on his official Telegram channel on August 19. He noted that it includes meetings with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Carl XVI and Queen Silvia, Speaker Andreas Norlen and chairmen of parliamentary parties.

"Extensive Ukrainian-Swedish talks. I thank Sweden for the support of our struggle for freedom and independence," Zelensky wrote.

The President also revealed the details of the negotiations.

"Our primary task is to strengthen Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the defense industry, European integration of Ukraine and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space. We support Sweden on its way to NATO. We are confident that together we will guarantee reliable peace in the entire Baltic-Black Sea-Azov region," the statement said.

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Later Zelensky said that the main topic of talks with the Swedish Prime Minister will be defense cooperation:

"We begin negotiations with the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson. There is a wide agenda, but the top priority is defense cooperation, including powerful Swedish CV-90s. Our soldiers are already using them on the front line effectively. We are also planning to produce CV-90s in Ukraine".

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- Zelensky recently said that the Ukrainian peace formula has already been supported by 63 diplomatic missions. 18 countries have joined the G7 security guarantees.

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- The President also said that Kyiv is preparing powerful presents for the Ukrainian military for Independence Day. In addition, the country is preparing for the upcoming meetings with partners, where the strengthening of the AFU will be discussed.

Only verified information from us in the Telegram channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Dubai, Aug 19 : Skipper Muhammad Waseem led from the front with a 29-ball 55 as UAE scripted a stunning win over New Zealand in the second T20I here on Saturday to level the three-match series.

After restricting the Black Caps to 142/8 with Aayan Afzal Khan claiming 3-20 and Muhammad Jawadullah taking 2-16, the hosts rode on a superb knock by their skipper to 144/5 in 15.4 overs to win by two wickets with 26bballs to spare.

Waseem started off in a cautious manner, getting to 16 off 13 balls before going berserk. The opener slammed four fours and three sixes and raced to his fifty off just 27 balls as UAE made a strong start in pursuit of 143.

UAE were 44/2 at the end of the powerplay thanks to Vriitya Aravind's 21-ball 25, but Waseem was yet to take charge at that point of time.

In the first over after Power-play, Waseem started to show more intent, smashing Mitchell Santner down the ground for a four and then hammering a six off Kyle Jamieson in the next over. He hit a four and a six off Cole McConchie before hoisting Santner for a six to get to his fifty off a mere 27 balls.

Waseem fell soon after his fifty, but the opening wasn't quite enough for New Zealand to put pressure on the hosts.

Asif Khan played a mature hand in the company of Basil Hameed as the duo put on a stand that further frustrated the Kiwis. While UAE weren't still marching to a win, that changed in the 15th over when Asif Khan hit James Neesham for two fours.

He followed it up with a six off Tim Southee in the first ball next over to put UAE on the brink of a memorable win. Two more fours followed as UAE celebrated a remarkable win, their first T20I win over a Test-playing nation other than Ireland and Afghanistan.

Earlier, New Zealand once again lost early wickets as Tim Seifert fell in the third over and Aayan Khan picked up the wickets of Mitchell Santner, promoted to No.3, and Dane Cleaver off back-to-back deliveries.

Mark Chapman stood tall for the visitors even as the UAE bowlers chipped away at the other end. Chapman made 63 off 46 balls and was only dismissed in the final over, but aside from Neesham's 17-ball 21, he hardly found any support.

The par total of 142, their lowest against a non-Test playing nation, wasn't quite enough to put off a spirited UAE side.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 142/8 in 20 overs (Mark Chapman 63; Aayan Afzal Khan 3-20, Muhammad Jawadullah 2-16) lost to United Arab Emirates 144/2 in 15.4 overs (Muhammad Waseem 55, Asif Khan 48 not out; Tim Southee 1-32). by 2 wickets.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condoled the death of soldiers who died after an Army truck fell into a river in Ladakh, saying their rich service to the nation will always be remembered.

The Prime Minister's Office, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), said: "Pained by the mishap near Leh in which we have lost personnel of the Indian Army. Their rich service to the nation will always be remembered. Condolences to the bereaved families. May those who are injured recover at the earliest: PM Narendra Modi."

His remarks came after as many as nine soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), were killed while one other was injured in a road accident in the Ladakh region on Saturday.

The accident reportedly took place at Kiyari in Nyoma area, 150 km from Leh, late on Saturday afternoon when an Army truck, carrying 10 soldiers, skidded off the road and fell into a river.

The soldiers were going from Karu Garrison to Kiyari when the accident took place.

Expressing his condolences, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery."

Reacting to the news, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a X post, said: "Deeply saddened by the tragic road accident in Ladakh in which we lost our valiant soldiers, as their vehicle fell into a gorge. The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured recover at the earliest."

Taking to X, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said: "The news of the martyrdom of 9 soldiers in an accident of an army truck in Leh is very sad. We will always be indebted to our brave soldiers. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and relatives of the brave soldiers. We wish the injured a speedy recovery. The whole country is with you in this hour of grief."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed his condolences for the tragic incident. "The news of the martyrdom of many of our soldiers due to the accident in Ladakh is very sad. I pay my humble tribute to all the martyrs. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of the Jawans. I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured," he wrote on X.
New Delhi, Aug 19 : The Customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad arrested a man for allegedly smuggling in gold worth Rs 9.16 lakh.

A senior Customs officer said that the accused arrived at the Hyderabad airport from Kuwait on Saturday.

"Gold weighing 165.5 gm valued at Rs 9.16 lakh was recovered from him, which was concealed in his check-in luggage. We recovered two gold chains and rings from him," the officer said.

The gold was seized under the provisions of Section 110 of the Customs Act. The passenger was placed under arrest as per Section 104 of the Customs Act.
Silchar : , Aug 20 (IANS) Assam Police have rescued six Black Palm Cockatoos from Dholaikhal village -- along the India-Bangladesh border -- in the state's Cachar district, forest officials said.

The Australian parrots were later handed over to forest officials of the Dholai Range under Cachar Forest Division.

A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, a police officer said, adding the endangered birds might have been smuggled from Myanmar and ferried to Bangladesh but the smugglers abandoned them in the border village.

Information about the seizure of the exotic wild birds was shared with the regional office of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

All the six birds have now been placed in safe custody at Dholai range forest office.

On Sunday, the birds would be taken to Guwahati central zoo by an ambulance, and then would be kept in a safer place.
Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced on the southern front and continued their offensive along the Mokri Yala River in the Donetsk region. Thus, our defenders secured the village of Urozhaine despite stiff resistance from the Russian occupiers.

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This is stated in the summary of British intelligence published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the UK. Russian troops continued reconnaissance in the Kupiansk direction but made no significant progress.

British intelligence also noted that both sides faced the same problems on the front. They are both trying to defeat well-entrenched forces while having limited uncommitted forces to launch new attacks.

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CBS earlier reported that the Ukrainian military made progress in its counter-offensive. The AFU overcame a Russian minefield and began the battle for the liberation of Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region.

It is noted that one of the goals of Ukraine's counter-offensive is to advance south through strong Russian fortifications to retake Melitopol, which is called the gateway to Crimea. This city is also a vital Russian transit hub along this route.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL:

- ISW noted that Ukraine has many options to stop the Russians' critical logistics routes along the Azov Sea coast and it is premature to assess the AFU's counteroffensive. The analysts believe that the general weakening of the Russian defense line creates opportunities for any Ukrainian breakthrough;

- ISW analysts also emphasized that the Russian occupation forces have invested considerable effort, resources and manpower to maintain settlements such as Robotyne and Urozhaine. Ukraine's recent success in these areas reflects a broader degradation of Russian forces' defenses.

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In Bumps The New Naturals (Algonquin, Nov.), a pair of Black academics fleeing campus racism form an underground utopian commune in Western Massachusetts.

How did the story develop?

I was living in Western Massachusetts and teaching some classes out in Boston, so I would drive across Route 2 over this big bridge, and there was this little restaurant on a hill. I just became fascinated with those two places, and wondered what was going on in them. Also, I was going through a dark time of uncertainty, anxiety, and depression. After I sold my first book, I impulsively moved to Buffalo. I was writing every morning, and I started working on these characters Sojourner and Bounce who were these people who felt rudderless, without a purposeand then everything grew out of them. It just became this big clump of nebulous threads about sad people trying to get happy.

Many of the books themes come to fruition in scenes of dialogue between Sojourner and Bounce, seekers who join the commune. What do you value about dialogue in fiction?

It is such a vital part of the art form. When Sojourner and Bounce finally come together and they are just talking about what they want from life, they felt so full. Its all the good stuff we like in fiction like tension, romance, fear, and accepting.

Can you talk about Rio and Gibraltar, the couple who build the commune?

I thought, what is the worst thing that could happen to these people to make them want to do something so drastic and to want to remove themselves. This past January, my wife and I lost our daughter in utero; it was at 21 weeks. It was a horrible, earth-shattering tragedy. During that time, we were still doing copyedits for this book, and I was going back and reading how Rio and Gibraltar felt in their own grief. I understood their emotions in a way that I didnt when I was writing it. It was so palpable. In that momentthis is particularly thinking from Gibraltars point of viewI would do anything to make my wife feel better.

How did you approach the characters struggles with mental health?

Bounce is the closest character to me personally. My editor kept making me come back to Bounce and telling me, You have to tell me what is going on with Bounce. Whats wrong with this guy? It was like a static in your brain and the feeling that you are always letting people down. Like youre letting yourself down. All of these things kind of like balling up. I dont really know what it is calleddepression, anxiety, alcoholism. Hes just not doing well, which fits in with the whole purpose of the book: What is a better world? What is this place where everybody can be happy, and everybody can feel fulfilled? What does that look like?
In Chinese Menu (Little, Brown, Sept., ages 812), Newbery and Caldecott Honoree Grace Lin details the origins of the most familiar dishes in American Chinese restaurants through appetizing full-color gouache and pencil illustrations alongside lush, mouthwatering prose, according to PWs starred review. Its not a cookbook, the author explains, though she does include a recipe for her mothers scallion pancakes. Instead, she focuses on the history and lore behind egg rolls and spring rolls, Buddhas Delight, and many more. Lin spoke with PW about her inspiration, her research process, and her favorite Chinese menu order.

How did this book come about?

While researching Fortune Cookie Fortunes, I learned that the fortune cookie was an American invention. When I would share this fact with people, they would say, Fortune cookies arent really Chinese in a tone of disgust. That bothered me. Im an American-born Asian who struggled to embrace my own heritage and culture. I could easily hear somebody say the same about me: Shes not really Chinese. Ive now claimed my identity as an Asian American and take pride in it. American Chinese food, like the fortune cookie, is something to be looked at with affection, not with derision.

I decided to push forward on this book during the pandemic. Chinatowns were being decimated. The media were showing images of wet markets and saying, Thats disgusting; its unhygienic. It was so pointedly racist. This book shows that this food has roots in China but is American food. By rejecting it, Americans are rejecting a part of their own culture.

What was involved in compiling all the historical and folkloric background of these dishes?

Ive been collecting the stories for years. Some of them are ones that my dad told, and hes got a big imagination; nothings wrong with that, but I wanted some semblance of historical relevance. When I got down to business, I hired a research assistant from Smith College named Isabel Brandt. I dont read Chinese, and I needed somebody who could read and speak Chinese. I gave her a list of stories and asked her to find secondary sources. I had English resources, but Isabel was able to get ones that were Chinese or from China. I wrote versions that I thought would be most interesting to a middle grade reader. In my endnotes, I note all the different versions and my changes.

What are you most excited for readers to discover, regardless of their age?

My hope is that when they eat Chinese food, they think of these stories and it helps them enjoy their meal much more. I also hope it makes readers realize that this food is American food. Chinese immigrants had to make chop suey palatable for the American taste buds. Thats not a bad thing; its just different. So many people disparage Americanized Chinese food, but its flavors are the flavors of immigrants. Its the taste of resilience, of persistence, of triumph over hardship. Thats actually the best of America.

Do you have a favorite American Chinese dish?

Moo shu. It wasnt in my moms repertoire and we never had moo shu pork or moo shu chicken at home. Id come home from college and wed go to the one Chinese restaurant in our town in Upstate New York, and Id always order the moo shu pork. I still do. Theres something about wrapping it up and that warm feeling I get. Even if its not well done, I still love it.

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Michelle Tea always wanted to become a publisher. Publishing has been my dream for decades, the author and literary organizer confessed. But for most of her career that dream felt out of reach.

She started small, first helming her own imprints at established presses. In 2012 she founded the Sister Spit imprint at City Lights Press, and in 2016 she launched Amethyst Editions, an imprint focused on queer writing, at the Feminist Press. In these roles, she enjoyed championing the work of authors she believed inbut I wanted more control, she said. Now, as the head of her own nonprofit press, Dopamine Books, shes finally in the drivers seat.

For years, Tea, who lives in Los Angeles, had met with independent publishers whom she admiredDave Eggers of McSweeneys, Emily Segal of Deluge, Lauren Hook and Margot Atwell of the Feminist Pressin order to learn their ways. But a fateful encounter in May of this year with Hedi El Kholti of Semiotext(e) finally set her publishing dream in motion. It was such an incredible connection, Tea said of her meeting with El Kholti, and he thought it could be very cool if we sort of joined forces. With that, Teas idea for Dopamine was brought under the auspices of Semiotext(e).

Its amazing to get to learn all the mechanics of publishing with my hand held, Tea said. To have total freedom and independence to publish while being in collaboration with one of my favorite publishers. Dopamine will have editorial and artistic independence, but will be part of Semiotext(e)s catalog and go through its printing and distribution channels. (Semiotext[e] is distributed by the MIT Press.) I feel like Semiotext(e) is our wild and worldly older sibling who has taken us under their wing, Tea added.

As with Teas Amethyst Editions, Dopamine will publish queer authors and highlight queer writing. We want to nurture emerging queer writers who might find themselves intimidated by the publishing landscape, Tea said, as well as grow to where we can be competitive in landing more established authors I love. She added that its queer and trans people whom the press will primarily serve, through the books it publishes and programming such as reading series, literary workshops, and more.

My greatest hope for the press is that it becomes a way for emerging writers who are a bit intimidated by or disconnected from publishing to find their way into print and kick off fabulous literary careers, she said. Its also that we become successful enough to be viewed as a viable publishing option for writers who may have their choice of many independent presses.

Tea plans to publish four titles per year, and is open to all genres. Dopamines first book, an anthology titled Sluts, is slated for May 2024, and three other titlesanother anthology, Witch, as well as two debut novelsare planned for next year. Both Slut and Witch are part of what Tea called a continuous collection of anthologies, the third and fourth installments of which will be titled Clowns and Criminal. She sees the collection as a way for me to get to work with larger writers I love and bring them into the Dopamine world while were not yet ready to bid on their book.

Dopamines L.A.-based team comprises Tea, El Kholti, and Beth Pickens, formerly managing director at Radar Productions, the San Francisco literary nonprofit that Tea founded in 2003 and ran for 13 years. Dopamine is also working with freelance illustrator and designer Faye Orlove, who designed the cover of Jennette McCurdys Im Glad My Mom Died. Thats it for now, Tea said of the small staff, but well soon have to bring more on board.

At the moment, Teas priority is getting Dopamine up and running. The press got off the ground with the help of an angel investor whom Tea said provided a modest amount that is an enormous help. As Dopamine is a 501(c)3, Tea will be looking for grants, as well as other donors.

Dopamine hosted its first fundraiser in Los Angeles on August 13, which Tea said sold out beyond our hopes, and made its debut that same week at this years L.A. Art Book Fair. Its been so, so rewarding to see how much support and excitement there is for Dopamine, whether its writers clamoring to contribute to an anthology or willing to participate in our fundraisers.

In the 10 months between now and the publication of Dopamines inaugural title, there is still much to do. But between Semiotext(e), her own team, and the literary communityin L.A. and beyondTea feels fully supported in the endeavor. Im stunned and giddy with the amount of support the press has gotten and continues to receive, she said.
On Friday, 18 August, the Ukrainian Defence Forces seized two UAVs from the occupying army of the Russian aggressor country in the south. These are Merlin-BP reconnaissance drones.

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This was reported on the Facebook page of the public relations service of the South Air Command. The occupiers lost the drones in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine.

"On 18 August 2023, in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, the air defence forces and means of the "South" Air Command destroyed 2 Merlin-BP reconnaissance UAVs. Together to victory!" - the statement reads.

Merlin-VR is an experimental UAV manufactured by the aggressor country Russia, first presented in September 2021.

These UAVs are designed for reconnaissance in automatic and semi-automatic modes. The developer of this weapon of the occupiers is the Research Institute of Modern Telecommunication Technologies, Smolensk.

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The Russians have not reported any tests, serial production or adoption of such a UAV, but were quick to call it a "technological breakthrough" and a "unique solution" due to the presence of an allegedly "hybrid" power plant. It allegedly allows the UAV to carry up to 6.5 kg of payload, have a flight duration of up to 10 hours, and fly almost silently at an altitude of up to 5 km.

On 16 June 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the first such drone on the territory of Ukraine.

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As OBOZREVATEL reported, the Russian army, which the Kremlin has for many years referred to as the mythical status of "friend in the world," lost more than 300,000 soldiers in the war unleashed against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. The total losses on both sides are estimated at up to half a million people, according to The New York Times.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Earlier this year, three cookbooks with ties to Chinese cuisine received high honors from the James Beard Foundation: The Wok by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (Norton), The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che (Clarkson Potter), and Chinese-ish by Rosheen Kaul, with illustrations by Joanna Hu and photos by Armelle Habib (Interlink).

Following the success of Chinese-ish, which PWs review called a colorful and proudly inauthentic survey of Asian recipes, Interlink will publish the Bao Family Cookbook by Celine Chung (Sept.). Like Kaul and Hu, Celine uses food to explore her heritage and her background, says Leyla Moushabeck, cookbook editor at Interlink. But Chinese cuisines are not a monolith, and she looks at the unique approaches to food, flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques in eight culinary regions of China. The cuisine is everywhere, but that doesnt necessarily mean that everybody understands its context.

Bao Family Cookbook is one of several forthcoming titles by diaspora authors that seek to expand understandings of Chinese, as well as Taiwanese, food.

Taste of home

The Chinese diaspora is vastthere are more than 10.7 million Chinese people living abroad today, according to the International Organization for Migration, or about 60 million, if descendants are included.

Celine Chung, for one, grew up in France, and Bao Family Cookbook bridges the authors two cultures, Moushabeck says. Her presentation is stylish and Parisian, but her recipessuch as salt and pepper chicken, scallion pancakes, and har gaoare of her mothers home cooking.

Simply Chinese Feasts by BBC presenter Suzy Lee (Hardie Grant, Jan. 2024) showcases the traditions associated with the Cantonese dishes Lee prepares in her Northern Ireland home. For example, garlicky scallops and yin-yang fried rice, made with chicken and prawns, are typically served at weddings and other large banquets; seafood symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.

British Chinese content creator Verna Gao, who has more than 450,000 TikTok followers, connects her favorite dishes, such as congee and cumin lamb steamed buns, with mood and sentiment. We use the word feeling to talk about food, Gao explains. Your friend asks you, Are you feeling pizza? and you say, Im not feeling it.  Each chapter in her forthcoming Have You Eaten? (DK, Oct.) is rooted in memoir. Simplicity & Peace contains recipes from early childhood, before her parents divorced and she moved from Shanghai to London; Food for Reminiscing was inspired by lockdown cooking, when Gao re-created meals from her prepandemic travels. Im not a purist, she says. I dont tie myself to authenticity in recipes. My mom laughs and says, You cook for non-Chinese people. 

Yang Liu and Katharina Pinczolits started their Little Rice Noodle food blog in part to document Lius experience of immigrating to Austria from Hainan, her hankering for the tastes of home, and their shared passion for vegan cooking. Sixty of the couples recipes, including vegan char siu sauce, mapo tofu, and Peking duck, are found in Vegan Chinese Food (Hardie Grant, Jan. 2024). In Kung Food (Clarkson Potter, Oct.), Jon Kung, an Angeleno by birth who spent his formative years in Hong Kong and Toronto and now lives in Detroit, gathers 100 dishes influenced by his multinational identity, like chipotle mango sweet-and-sour pork, buffalo chicken rangoon, and dan dan lasagna.

 Every cookbook author hopes to help people widen their spectrum of what their food is. 

A Very Chinese Cookbook (Americas Test Kitchen, Oct.) is subtitled 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese) because it includes recipes for Cantonese har gow and Shanghainese xiao long bao but also Mongolian beef, says author Kevin Pang, who hosts the Americas Test Kitchen series Hunger Pangs with Jeffrey Pang, his father and coauthor. We have two primary audiences: those who might have ordered takeout, eaten at Panda Express, or gone to Costco to buy frozen egg rolls; theyre interested in Chinese food, but theyre intimidated by the prospect of cooking it. Its also a book for my Chinese brethrenpeople who are Chinese Americans.

Recipes skew toward the traditions of Hong Kong, where the Pangs hail from. Every cookbook author hopes to help people widen their spectrum of what their food is, Pang says. Some people say, I dont like Chinese food, maybe because they dont like the two or three dishes they associate with Chinese gastronomy. If readers find a new go-to dish in our book, then thats awesome.

A storied cuisine

Narrative works appeal to readers taste buds, emotions, and curiosity about Chinese gastronomy. Newbery and Caldecott Honoree Grace Lin shares the stories behind many popular American Chinese foods in Chinese Menu (Little, Brown, Sept., ages 812). Each selection, often prefaced with a personal anecdote and historical or folkloric context, whisks readers back in time, according to PWs starred review. (See q&a with Lin, Order Up.")

In Invitation to a Banquet (Norton, Nov.), Fuchsia Dunlop, a James Beard Awardwinning author and the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, walks readers through two millennia of Chinas culinary history via 30 well-known dishes. Chinese cuisine is so popular, but it doesnt receive the acknowledgment it deservesits rich, ancient, technically complex, sophisticated, Dunlop says. I examine how its understood and misunderstood, especially outside China.

By way of example, she notes that Chinese meats and vegetables are often cut into small pieces for ease of eating with chopsticks. Historically, Westerners were unnerved by this; they didnt know what they were getting and often assumed the worstthat they were being served cheap or weird ingredients, an assumption that was rooted in long-held prejudices, she says. She believes that it continues to be important for Westerners to understand China, especially in a time of heightened geopolitical tension and a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the wake of the pandemic. Food is a really great way into a culture and its way of thinking, she notes. Chinese food is not only the food of China but also of the diaspora. Understanding it can make us more appreciative, thoughtful, and committed.

Food for thought

Taiwanese food is often grouped under the Chinese food umbrella but has a unique culinary identity, says Clarissa Wei, a journalist in Taipei and the author of Made in Taiwan (Simon Element, Sept.). Ive been guilty of this, says Wei, a Taiwanese American born in Los Angeles. I wasnt able to explain why Taiwanese food was its own category before I embarked on writing this book.

Made in Taiwan includes 100 recipeswood ear mushroom salad; pan-fried milkfish bellythat Wei assembled through historical research, reportage, and her experience living on the island. She visited private and restaurant kitchens and adapted the recipes she gathered for a Western readership; frequently, she had to explain her project to home cooks. They didnt get why I was interested in their old family recipe, she says. But those sources are now excited to have their recipes in written form so that they can be re-created.

Presenting the perspective of people who live in a proud nationone whose sovereignty isnt recognized by Chinawas crucial for Wei. Taiwan is at the center of U.S.-China tensions, she says. In the States, people cant distinguish Taiwanese people from Chinese people, and my Taiwanese friends face a lot of discrimination. This book sits at the intersection of all of those things. Her aim in sharing Taiwanese food and culture is similar to that of other authors PW spoke with for this piece: I want people to understand where were coming from.

Pooja Makhijani is a writer and editor in New Jersey.

Read more from our Cookbooks feature:

Order Up: PW Talks with Grace Lin

In 'Chinese Menu' (Little, Brown, Sept., ages 812), Newbery and Caldecott Honoree Grace Lin details the origins of the most familiar dishes in American Chinese restaurants.

4 New Books for Pantry Cooking

These titles help home cooks make the most of chili crisp, ghee, kimchi, tahini, and many other popular ingredients.

3 New Cookbooks with West African Roots

Authors reveal the nuances of West African cuisines on the mother continent and across the diaspora.

4 New Native American Cookbooks

Home cooks will learn how to connect with the land, find native ingredients, and prepare Indigenous dishes.
International pantry items like ghee, kimchi, and tahini, once considered niche, are now ubiquitous in well-stocked home kitchens in the U.S. Forthcoming titles showcase traditional and original uses for various chutneys, sauces, and spreads from around the world.

In Preserved: Condiments (Oct.), part of a new Hardie Grant series focused on food preservation, Gastronomica founding editor Darra Goldstein, chef Cortney Burns, and media executive Richard Martin survey preparations made via curing, drying, pickling, smoking, or fermentation, such as Indian achaar; Yemeni sahawiq, better known by its Hebrew name, zhug; and Haitian pikliz.

Scott Mowbray and Ann Taylor Pittman, food media veterans and coauthors of the James Beard Awardwinning The New Way to Cook Light, encourage readers to level up archetypal American dishes in The Global Pantry Cookbook, an October release from Workman. For instance, shrimp and grits becomes chili shrimpbrined with sugar, sambal oelek, fish sauce, and soyand coconut grits; bulgogi Sloppy Joes are served with Sriracha-spiced slaw; and no-churn ice cream is made with sweetened condensed milk and bits of preserved lemon. These are concentrated flavors that have been developed over hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years of culinary tradition, says Workman senior editor Kylie Foxx McDonald.

One spicy, garlicky condiment covered in Global Pantry is popular enough to star in a pair of books this season: The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp by Jing Gao (Ten Speed, Sept.) and Chili Crisp by James Park (Chronicle, Aug.).

At first, Park, a recipe developer and food writer, questioned whether he was the best person to write about chili crisp; the condiment has roots in Chinese cuisine and hes a Korean immigrant to the U.S. But there are different kinds of chili crisps coming outMoroccan chili crisp and Filipino chili crisps, he says. I saw this as an opportunity to explore my Korean identity and Korean cuisine. His book includes riffs on Korean classics, such as chili crisp tteokbokki and chili crisp bulgogi deopbap, as well as dishes that really make me happy, he says, such as fiery spaghetti and meatballs and spicy, salted caramel chocolate bars.

In his books introduction, Park writes that Fly by Jing, the Chinese foods brand Gao launched in 2018, makes one of his favorite chili crisps. Gao says, We introduced chili crisp to the American palate; she was born in Sichuan Province, grew up abroad, and lives in Los Angeles. Prior to us, there was no awareness, and even if there were, it was that old-school brand available only in Chinese grocery stores.

Her 85 recipes include snacks and mains, cocktails and desserts; a recipe like spicy sticky date cake, she says, demonstrates that Sichuan flavors can be painted on any canvas. For too long, Chinese food has been misunderstood, Gao says. I lean into the specificity of my personal story. Im from Chengdu; we produce and source everything there. Ive found that people are able to relate to my story, because everybody has the experience of seeking belonging and trying to find their voice.

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Russian terrorists attacked the centre of Chernihiv with an Iskander-M ballistic missile on Saturday, August 19, at around 11:30. As a result of the shelling, seven people were killed, including a 6-year-old child, and 90 people, including 12 minors, sought medical assistance.

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The head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration Viacheslav Chaus reported the war crime of the Russian army on Telegram. He urged the residents to stay in shelters (to watch the video, scroll to the end of the news).

The missile struck the Drama Theatre on Red Square city's main square. The theatre was hosting an exhibition of drone manufacturers called Liuti Ptashky. The explosion shattered windows in the surrounding buildings.

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The acting mayor of Chernihiv Oleksandr Lomako, said that all emergency services are working at the scene.

"There is information about the wounded. The data is being clarified," he added.

"Unfortunately, there is information about the dead," Lomako wrote later.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reacted to the terrorist attack in Chernihiv by posting a video from the scene.

"A Russian missile hit the city centre, our Chernihiv. A square, a polytechnic and a theatre. An ordinary Saturday afternoon that Russia turned into a day of pain and loss. There are dead and wounded. My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones..." the Head of State wrote.

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The Honcharenko Centre that is located next to the Drama Theatre, was also damaged. The blast wave smashed everything in the building, as the centre's director Oleksandr Yasenchuk wrote on Facebook. He showed the aftermath of the Russian attack and called on citizens to help cover the windows with plywood.

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Chaus said that the relevant services are working at the site and confirmed that there are dead and wounded.

"The priority is to provide assistance. More details later," he wrote.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko said that there are 5 dead and 37 injured, including 11 children, as of 13:00. Everyone is being provided with medical assistance.

However, later the death toll increased to six people: according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a 6-year-old child died of serious injuries. Patrol policemen tried to resuscitate her, but to no avail. The dead girl's mother is in serious condition.

Klymenko said that the body of the seventh victim of the Russian terrorist attack had been found at 14:17. The victim has not yet been identified.

"The body of another victim was found in Chernihiv. It is an unidentified woman. The death toll has risen to 7. 90 injured have sought medical assistance. 10 police officers and 12 children are among them. 25 people were hospitalised. A 12-year-old girl is being urgently transported to Kyiv. The child is in serious condition," the Interior Minister said.

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Klymenko also added that a fire broke out on the roof of one of the buildings. Rescuers from the State Emergency Service extinguished the fire. 20 investigative teams of Chernihiv police and 2 forensic laboratories are working at the scene.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, a Russian missile strike destroyed the roof of the drama theatre, a fire broke out. The windows of the 3rd State Fire and Rescue Unit in Chernihiv were also damaged. A shop fire was extinguished.

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As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the occupiers launched two missiles at Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region at night, damaging a factory shop. Four civilians were injured in the region during the day as a result of enemy shelling.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel Obozrevatel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Hurricane Hilary to weaken here, but still lots of rain
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Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday claimed that there will be major changes in the state government, including the 'main seat', in the coming weeks.

IMAGE: Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Vijay Wadettiwar. Photograph: Courtesy @VijayWadettiwar/X

The Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and an Nationalist Congress Party faction under Ajit Pawar are the ruling partners in the Maharashtra government.

Ajit Pawar broke away from the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP and joined the government last month.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Wadettiwar said Maharashtra will witness major changes in the state government in a few weeks.

"There will be a change in the main seat. I'm not saying that there will be a change of government, but the main seat will change in September," said the senior Congress leader.

After joining hands with the ruling dispensation last month, Ajit Pawar became the second deputy CM, while 8 of his party colleagues were sworn in as ministers.

Senior BJP leader and former CM Devendra Fadnavis is the other deputy CM.

In June 2022, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government fell after Shinde mounted a revolt and split the Shiv Sena. Shinde then tied up with the BJP to occupy the top post.
The Nitish Kumar government appeared to be heading for a showdown with Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as the Raj Bhavan reversed an order of the state administration to freeze bank accounts of two officials of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur.

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna. Photograph: ANI Photo

The state education department on Thursday stopped the salaries of the vice chancellor and pro-VC for their alleged failure in inspecting the educational institutions under their jurisdiction and also for not attending a review meeting convened by the department, a senior official of the department said on condition of anonymity.

A day later, Robert L Chongthu, Principal Secretary to the governor, sent a letter to the bank concerned, directing it to defreeze the accounts of the two officials with immediate effect.

In a letter to the education department, Chongthu said, "Under Section 54 of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, the state government has power to audit the universities, but your act to freeze the financial powers and bank accounts of both the office bearers is arbitrary and beyond jurisdiction. This act of yours seems to be an attack on autonomy of the university and you have encroached upon the powers of the chancellor."

The chancellor (governor) has ordered that 'these orders may be withdrawn and these types of unwarranted acts may be avoided in future', it stated.

The incident has triggered a political slugfest, with the ruling alliance slamming the 'interference of the governor' and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party coming in support of the Raj Bhavan, while holding the Nitish Kumar government responsible for 'collapse of education system' in the state.

Rashtriya Janata Dal's spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary told PTI, "The Mahagathbandhan government in the state is trying to improve the quality of education, including higher education. The Raj Bhavan should not intervene with the functioning of an elected government and should avoid such confrontations."

Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, "Since Nitish Kumar has miserably failed in improving the state's education system, he is now creating a situation of showdown with the governor who is also the chancellor of the universities. The CM is ignoring autonomy of universities and colleges."
More than 200 Meiteis who had crossed over to neighbouring Myanmar to escape the ethnic violence in Manipur have safely returned to the state after more than three months, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, while lauding the role of the Army in bringing them back.

More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in clashes between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur since May 3.

"Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil," the chief minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.

He hailed the efforts of the Army in facilitating their safe return to their hometown.

"A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC (General Officer Commanding) Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, GOC 3 Corps, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO (Commanding Officer) of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service," he added.
The people of Amethi want to rectify their 'mistake' of 2019 and Congress workers as well as leaders are demanding that Rahul Gandhi contest from the constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party's Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai said.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacts with people during his two-day visit to Ladakh, on Friday, August 18, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had contested the 2019 general elections from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala.

He lost Amethi to BJP leader Smriti Irani.

The seat was won by him in 2004, 2009 and 2014, and was considered a Congress bastion.

Sonia Gandhi had won from Amethi in 1999. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had also represented the constituency in Lok Sabha.

On the recently formed opposition grouping Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), in which the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress are partners, he asserted that the alliance formed for the parliamentary elections will be successful in Uttar Pradesh in defeating the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Rai added that the Congress-SP tie-up for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls should not be equated with the alliance of opposition parties for the 2024 elections.

In 2017, the Congress had won seven seats and the SP 47 in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly.

In 2022, the Congress had won just two seats. The party has one member in Lok Sabha (Rae Bareli MP Sonia Gandhi) from the politically crucial state that sends 80 MPs to the 543-member Lower House of Parliament.

"The party (Congress) workers and leaders are demanding that Rahul Gandhi contest from the Amethi parliamentary constituency, and the public want to rectify the mistake committed by them, and work with full strength to make him the Lok Sabha MP from Amethi," Rai told PTI in a telephonic interview.

The people of Amethi 'feel that they were cheated and misguided', the Uttar Pradesh Congress president said hitting out at the BJP which is in power both in the state and at the Centre.

Asked if the Congress will again field Sonia Gandhi from the Rae Bareli seat in 2024 or consider her daughter and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as its candidate, Rai said, "They (apparently referring to the party leadership) have to decide this."

Every party worker will deliver their best to ensure that the Congress wins Rae Bareli, he said.

On the chances of success of opposition bloc INDIA, Rai, who was recently appointed as Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit chief, said it 'will definitely uproot and overthrow them (the BJP-led NDA)'.

Before his elevation to the post, Rai was the Congress' regional chief of the east Uttar Pradesh unit, which among other districts also sees the party's works in Amethi.

On some Uttar Pradesh BJP leaders claiming that the INDIA bloc will not be successful in the state, the five-time MLA from Varanasi asked, "Why was (Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief) Om Prakash Rajbhar included (in the NDA)? Just find out what all Om Prakash Rajbhar said about the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (Yogi Adityanath). They (BJP) should introspect."

The SBSP was a BJP ally in 2017 but parted ways ahead of the 2022 assembly polls and had joined hands with the SP.

The Rajbhar-led party joined the NDA last month.

On the Congress' dismal performance in the 2017 elections and its alliance with SP, Rai said that 'it is unfair to compare the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections'.

He said that '2017 was an election for the state, while the 2024 election will be for the nation'.

Hitting out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, he alleged, "See the biggest problem is that the BJP government is bringing corrupt contractors from Gujarat and giving them work." He did not elaborate further.

The people of Uttar Pradesh are either being given jobs as 'petty contractors' or they are being given 'any ordinary job', he said and added that 'everywhere things are being hidden'.

"We have to expose these things before the public," the Congress leader said.

He alleged 'there is unemployment, price rise, corruption and misuse of government machinery' and added that 'these things have to be told to the people'.

Asked how he plans to improve the Congress' tally in the next Uttar Pradesh assembly polls and in the Lok Sabha, Rai said, 'at some point of time, the BJP had only two MPs in Lok Sabha. They were in a very weak condition. We (the Congress) at least have a strong legacy. The Congress will contest with full strength in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections'.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress chief said he is ready to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Varanasi parliamentary constituency, if the party asks him to do so.

Rai has lost three Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi -- as a Congress candidate in 2014 and 2019 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and as a SP candidate to BJP stalwart Murli Manohar Joshi in 2009.

The 55-year-old Congress leader had won the Kolasla assembly constituency (in Varanasi) on a BJP ticket in 1996, 2002 and 2007.

After parting ways with the BJP, Rai won the 2009 assembly bypoll from the seat as an Independent.

In 2012, he won from the Pindra assembly constituency on a Congress ticket. Post-delimitation Kolasla was renamed as Pindra.

Attacking the BJP over prices of essentials, Rai said that 'today there is a steep rise in the prices of cooking gas, jeer' (cummin), tomato and ginger'.

"There is unemployment and corruption. This did not happen when the Congress was in power," he said.

Giving a message to Congress workers, Rai said, "My message is that the workers should stand with the party with full might. The new and old workers will be given due respect, and nobody will be sidelined."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's mystery illness last week saw him drop out from public view and head to his home in Satara to recover as Shiv Sena leaders expressed concern about the state of his health.

Some observers claimed Shinde was sulking after Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party leader who joined the Maharashtra government in July and was appointed deputy chief minister, had reportedly begun monitoring projects initiated by Shiv Sena ministers.

Shinde and 39 MLAs had broken away from the parent party in June 2022, citing among other reasons their anger with Ajit Pawar, then finance minister in the Uddhav Thackeray government.

The chief minister was absent at the launch of a government project last week at which Ajit Pawar was present, adding masala to the speculation that he was unhappy with the deputy CM.

On Saturday, August 19, 2023, Shinde and Pawar were seen together at an event when Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata was conferred with the Maharashtra government's first Udyog Ratna award.

The event was held at Tata's home in Colaba, South Mumbai, in deference to his age (he will be 86 on December 28).

Also present was Devendra Fadnavis, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader and the other deputy chief minister who drew both Shinde and Pawar into the power-sharing arrangement at different times.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the current Tata Sons chairman, can be spotted in the photographs as also state Industry Minister Uday Samant.

Glance through the photographs below, which may provide some clues about what may transpire in Maharashtra politics -- which hasn't seen a dull moment in the past year -- in the days ahead.



Find out All photographs: ANI Photo IMAGE: How did Ratan Tata build a business empire?Find out here



This is IMAGE: Music Maestro Zubin Mehta has known Ratan Tata a long time.This is what he told Rediff after Ratan Tata stepped down as Tata Sons chairman.



Mukund Rajan, who was the Tata group's brand custodian, IMAGE: What was it like working with Rata Tata?Mukund Rajan, who was the Tata group's brand custodian, revealed more here

IMAGE: One of the first business leaders Shinde called on after being appointed chief minister last year was Ratan Tata.



Mr Krishna Kumar, who passed away earlier this year, gave IMAGE: R K Krishna Kumar was a member of Ratan Tata's inner circle when he ran Tata Sons.Mr Krishna Kumar, who passed away earlier this year, gave Rediff.com 's Vaihayasi Pande Daniel fascinating glimpses into RNT.

IMAGE: Eknath Shinde rarely smiles. This photograph is a rare portrait of a genuine Shinde smile. Guess only RNT could initiate such a reaction :))

IMAGE: Another insight into the reclusive Ratan Tata

IMAGE: Photographer Gopal Shetty captured rare glimpses from Ratan Tata's journey at Tata Sons, which you can see here

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
The Supreme Court on Saturday expressed displeasure over the Gujarat high court adjourning a rape victim's plea for a medical termination of her 26-week pregnancy, and said 'valuable time' has been lost during the pendency of the matter.

IMAGE: The Supreme Court of India. Photograph: ANI Photo

In a special sitting on a Saturday, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that there should be a sense of urgency in such cases and not a 'lackadaisical attitude' of treating the matter as any normal case and just adjourning it.

The apex court was informed by the counsel for the petitioner that the 25-year-old woman had approached the high court on August 7 and the matter was taken up the next day.

He said the high court had on August 8 issued a direction for the constitution of a medical board to ascertain the status of pregnancy as well as the health status of petitioner. The report was submitted on August 10 by the medical college where she was examined.

The top court noted that the report was taken on record by high court on August 11 but 'strangely', the matter was listed 12 days later i.e. on August 23 'losing sight of the fact that every day's delay was crucial and of great significance having regard to the facts and circumstances of the case'.

The bench also noted that the petitioner's counsel has brought to its notice that the case status of the matter showed that the petition was rejected on August 17 by the high court but no reasons were dictated in the court and the order is yet to be uploaded on the high court's website.

'In the circumstance, we direct the secretary general of this court to inquire from the registrar general of the high court of Gujarat and ascertain as to whether the impugned order has been uploaded or not,' the bench said.

The petitioner has approached the apex court through advocate Vishal Arun Mishra.

The counsel for the petitioner told the bench the woman petitioner was in her 26th week of pregnancy when the medical board was constituted.

"On August 11, it was stand over to August 23. For what purpose?," the bench asked, adding, "By then how many days are lost?".

The petitioner's counsel said the matter was listed on August 17 instead of August 23.

Observing that valuable days have been lost in just postponing the case, the bench said when the petitioner had sought for the termination of pregnancy and had approached the high court, she was already 26-week pregnant.

'Therefore, we find that valuable time has been lost between August 11, when the report was placed before the high court, and the order stating that the matter would stand over to August 23,' it said.

"In such cases, there must be, not undue urgency, but at least a sense of urgency in such matters and not a lackadaisical attitude of treating it as any normal case and just adjourning it. We are sorry to say and make this remark," the bench orally said.

The apex court said it would take up the case as first item on August 21.

The bench also sought a response from the state government and agencies concerned on the plea.

The petitioner's counsel told the bench that as on today, the petitioner is pregnant for 27 weeks and two days and shortly, would be approaching the 28th week of her pregnancy.

He said a fresh report may be sought from the medical board.

"In the circumstances, we direct the petitioner herein to appear before the hospital for being examined once again and the latest status report may be submitted to this court by tomorrow evening at 6 PM," the bench said.

During the hearing, the bench said it will wait for the high court's order passed in the matter.

"We will wait for the order. How can we consider the correctness of the order in the absence of the order," it said.

The bench also asked about the report filed by the medical board before the high court.

The petitioner's counsel said as per the report, the termination of pregnancy can be done.

Under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, the the upper limit for the termination of pregnancy is 24 weeks for married women, special categories including survivors of rape and other vulnerable women such as the differently-abled and minors.
The organizers of an exhibition in Chernihiv urged Ukrainians not to take advantage of the information or manipulate it after the Russian terrorist attack. The event was stopped and participants were asked to go to shelters after the alarm went off.

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Moreover, the venue was announced just a few hours before the event. This was stated on Facebook by the organizer of the event Maryna Berlinska.

According to her, the event was stopped immediately after the announcement of the air alert. The participants were asked to go to shelters several times, but some people ignored the security measures. Berlinska also noted that all those who went to the shelters were not hurt.

In addition, the event was previously officially agreed upon with the authorities. Thus, the venue was provided by the local authorities.

"The announcement of the event was public. But the specific location was sent only to registered and verified participants (!) hours before the event. All the data of the participants were provided to the relevant authorities," Berlinska said.

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She also added that earlier events were held in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Kharkiv by agreement with local authorities. Therefore, the organizer of the exhibition urged not to engage in manipulations and not to write anything until there is no official information.

At the same time, the press service of Chernihiv City Council said that the exhibit was not coordinated with Chernihiv City Council and no permits were granted.

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Russian terrorists hit the center of Chernihiv with Iskander-M ballistic missile. There are dead and wounded, including children.

Earlier it was reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky showed the aftermath of another war crime and emphasized that Russia must lose. The head of state emphasized that Ukraine would do more to consolidate the world against Russian terror.
A loyalist of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and working committee member of the Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party has joined the Congress.

IMAGE: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia with Samandar Patel at his office on July 5, 2023. Photograph: Courtesy @Officejmscindia/X

Samandar Patel, 52, an Other Backward Classes leader from Jawad area of Neemuch, had joined the BJP when Scindia and MLAs loyal to him rebelled against the Congress in March 2020, leading to the collapse of the Kamal Nath government.

"The BJP neither accepted or respected me nor my supporters. I was never invited to party functions despite being a working committee member. In fact my supporters were bullied with false cases," he told PTI.

Patel came in a convoy of around 800 vehicles packed with supporters and joined the Congress on Friday in the presence of state unit chief Kamal Nath, a party functionary said.

"I am the fifth person from the Scindia camp to return to the Congress as I felt humiliated in the BJP, whose leaders are indulging in corruption in my area," said Patel, who claimed he was a staunch supporter of Madhavrao Scindia and his son Jyotiraditya since 1993.

He had fought as an Independent from Jawad in the 2018 assembly polls and garnered 35,000 votes, but he was expelled from the Congress before being readmitted before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

He claimed 7000 people from Jawad accompanied him when he rejoined the Congress on Friday.

Among the Scindia loyalists who have made their way back from BJP is former Shivpuri district Congress president Baijnath Singh Yadav.

Assembly polls are set to be held in MP at the end of the year.
NEWFANE  A collective of merchants is banding together to raise the profile of the Route 30 corridor and all it has to offer.
Weathersfield Police Department K9 AJ helped with the Elliot Street drug investigation. The word "crack" with an arrow had been scrawled on the street in chalk several days before Thursday's raid.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has arrived in the centre of Chernihiv, where the occupiers staged a rocket attack during the Apple Savior celebrations. He assured that National Police officers were going round the nearby houses to make sure that citizens were safe and to prevent looting.

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The footage of the official's comments was published by the agency's press service. Klymenko stressed that at the time of Russia's strike on the Drama Theatre and the square near it, the city was full of people: many mothers with children, believers who were going to the church to bless fruit (to watch the video, scroll to the end).

"Everyone who went to the shelter near the Drama Theatre survived. Most of the victims and injured were people who were crossing the road, travelling in cars, or returning from church. During the air raid alert, law enforcement officers escorted people to the shelter," he said.

According to the minister, the prosecutor's office has already opened a criminal case on the fact that Russian soldiers committed a war crime. After the missile strike, rescue services and police began to help the wounded on the spot.

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As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the moment of the missile attack on the centre of Chernihiv was captured on CCTV. According to the latest reports, seven people were killed in the attack, including a 6-year-old girl. Another 117 people were injured, including at least 12 minors.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
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. Credit: 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 teh 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 Radio Free Asia.
Ukrainian defence forces continue to work actively in the Tavria sector. Over the past day, 64 occupiers' "two hundredths" have been added here, and the enemy has lost 20 pieces of equipment and three ammunition depots.

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On the evening of 18 August, Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria operational and strategic group of troops, reported the results of combat operations on Telegram. According to him, during the day, the artillery units of the Ukrainian army carried out 1402 fire missions on the specified section of the contact line.

During this time, Russian troop losses in killed, wounded and prisoners amounted to 234 people (64 killed, 168 wounded and seven prisoners).

20 pieces of enemy military equipment were destroyed. In particular, one Ka-52 attack helicopter, one tank, six artillery systems and mortars, one UAV, six vehicles and five special vehicles were destroyed.

"We are moving forward. Glory to Ukraine," the brigadier general concluded his report with these words.

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As OBOZREVATEL previously reported:

- In the evening report on 18 August, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 30 combat clashes between the Defence Forces and the Russian invaders.

- For more details about the situation on the frontline, read the official information of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine here.

Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Independent Chinese media outlets go out of business and are replaced with Beijing-friendly voices.

Su Wende in the office of the Mandarin Pages newspaper that he founded in Auckland, New Zealand.

Su Wendes Mandarin Pages newspaper thrived in New Zealand for years  until blacklists and advertising boycotts driven by Chinas consulate cut the Chinese-language daily to a weekly.

Chen Weijians New Times Weekly was hit by the same tactics and then driven out of business by a lawsuit.

The Auckland publishers clashed with a force that was named among top concerns by New Zealands intelligence agency in its annual security threat report: the targeting of ethnic Chinese communities by people and entities linked to Beijing.

The report followed a similar one in March from Canadas intelligence agency that listed China among foreign actors that monitor, intimidate and harass diaspora communities and attempt to silence dissidents and promote favorable narratives.

A steady stream of government and media reports about Chinas influence and information operations in Western countries has shed light on covert Chinese police stations in major cities, harassment of places that host dissidents and media disinformation campaigns.

The reports on Chinas influence machine  confirmed to Radio Free Asias Asia Fact Check Lab by multiple Chinese media figures in New Zealand  show how Beijing deploys cash, aggressive diplomats and boycotts to produce China-friendly press coverage and deter critical reporting.

The effort largely targets growing Chinese diaspora communities in Western democracies, and comes as the United States and allies are reassessing their economic ties to China over security concerns.

Blacklisted

In Auckland, New Zealands largest city, Su Wende had dreams of establishing a news agency to serve the Chinese community.

In 1987, after graduating college in Malaysia with a computer science degree, Su arrived at the University of Auckland to study business. Four years later, he founded the first free Mandarin newspaper in New Zealand: Mandarin Pages.

The paper publishes news, information, translated articles and editorials. It generates revenue from classified ads.

There were only 20,000 Chinese people in Auckland at the time, and we were printing 5,000 copies for every issue, said Su.

In its heyday at the start of the century, Sus paper was headquartered in a brightly lit building in downtown Auckland, with more than 20 employees. The newspaper quickly expanded from two to six issues a week and enjoyed what seemed like a never-ending stream of ads and unrivaled influence in the Chinese community of New Zealand.

Chen Weijian, a former Hangzhou printing house operator who fled China after the 1989 Tiananmen killings and settled in New Zealand , where he founded the New Times Weekly in 1996. Credit: Radio Free Asia

By the end of 2022, however, Mandarin Pages was down to three full-time employees and had relocated to an old one-story red-brick building in Aucklands Chinatown. The publication maintained its print circulation of 5,000, but had shifted to a weekly.

Honestly, since the pandemic, the companys been in the red, he acknowledges.

Part of Sus struggle is shared by many print media outlets as they lose ground to digital outlets.

But for Mandarin publications reliant on Chinese immigrants, the biggest challenge comes from Chinese diplomatic missions.

In the last five years, Ive pretty much been blacklisted by the embassy, Su said. Its like a form of economic sanction.

The Mandarin Pages no longer gets ads from major Chinese companies like China Southern Airlines and the Bank of China, he added. Its definitely hit us hard.

Su said the Mandarin Pages has been attacked on social media by pro-China voices as anti-Chinese Communist Party, a separatist supporting Taiwan independence and a supporter of the banned Falun Gong spiritual group.

Mandarin Pages has also faced suspension on WeChat, Chinas popular Twitter-like platform, for coverage of Chinas interference in New Zealand politics. And in a hilarious run-in with WeChat, a classified ad listing for an independent one-bedroom apartment was rejected because independent is a politically sensitive word in China.

Why do I keep going? I dont want to see the United Front media supporting United Front work as the only voice in New Zealand and just defaming the West and New Zealand, Su said, referring to the United Front Works Department, China's main external influence agency.

The Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland did not respond to RFAs request for comment.

Reuters quoted the Chinese Embassy in Wellington as saying it was "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed" to the China-related content in the New Zealand intelligence report, which also listed Iran and Russia as countries of concern.

Sued out of existence

In 1991, Chen Weijian escaped to New Zealand through Hong Kong from Hangzhou, where he previously operated a printing house. He fled a tense political atmosphere in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

In 1996, Chen founded the New Times Weekly in New Zealand.

As the first newspaper founded by mainland Chinese people in New Zealand, our keen understanding of mainland China politics and grounded perspective on the lives of Chinese immigrants allowed us to quickly expand our influence, Chen told RFA.

But after a few months, the consulate started to interfere with our operations, he said. They sent a list of journalists and writers that we werent allowed to publish.

I ignored them, but one of my partners from Hong Kong still had business in mainland China and believed that we should comply with the consulates wishes. We couldnt agree, and so he backed out of the New Times Weekly.

Chen Weijian looks at copies of his defunct New Times Weekly, which folded in 2011. Credit: Radio Free Asia

Chen and his younger brother, Chen Weiming, picked up the mantle.

The counselor from the consulate-general in Auckland would visit us during weekends with alcohol in tow to convince us that the Communist Party of China is more open now than before, Chen told RFA. They encouraged us to visit China again and hoped that we could also publish articles painting China in a more positive light instead of simply criticizing.

In 2001, the New Times Weekly clashed with the Chinese consulate in Auckland over coverage of the self-immolation of Falun Gong practitioners at Tiananmen Square. Thus began a series of painful sanctions against the news outlet.

The consulate wrote to us, decrying what we published about the Tiananmen Square incident as lies and asking us to publish an explanation from the embassy regarding the self-immolation, said Chen.

In a few weeks, the publication started unexpectedly losing advertisements. Chen later found out that the consulate had warned advertising agencies and Chinese communities against advertising with New Times Weekly because that would be anti-China.

The final straw was a 10-year defamation suit filed by the Chinese Herald, a pro-Beijing newspaper.

On June 4, they posted several articles claiming that the (Tiananmen) massacre had made major contributions to the Chinese people and led to 20 years of stable economic growth, Chen said. We published an article criticizing the Chinese Herald for yielding to the Communist Partys control, and they sued me for defamation.

After a costly and time-consuming process, New Times lost the lawsuit and was ordered to pay NZ$50,000 (about US$30,000) in compensation.

In 2011, New Times Weekly closed.

Despite numerous attempts by Radio Free Asia to interview owner Lili Wang of the Chinese Herald, Wang politely declined to be interviewed.

Indirect pressure

Sun Jiarui, a 77-year old man from Beijing, left China 42 years ago and spent 25 years in Fiji. He founded a local Mandarin publication called the Fiji Daily before retiring to New Zealand in 2005.

Sun is better known by his pseudonym, the South Pacific Frog in a Well, under which hes published several books, hosted Mandarin programs for Radio New Zealand Pacific and the BBC, and written columns for the Mandarin Pages.

Self-censorship in the media, influence from the embassy, and reporting by Little Pinksmean its no longer possible to criticize China on Mandarin media outlets in New Zealand, he said. Little Pinks is a derisive term for China's army of nationalistic trolls and online commentators.

Sun Jiarui, who, left China 42 years ago and spent 25 years in Fiji before retiring in 2005 to New Zealand, where under the pseudonym "South Pacific Frog in a Well" he has published books, hosted Chinese-language radio programs , and written columns for the Mandarin Pages. Credit: Radio Free Asia

Over 10 years ago, Sun wrote an article criticizing Chinese diplomats for showing up late and behaving arrogantly during a local event.

The assistant editor responsible for typesetting was a student from mainland China. Right before publication, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese Herald, known for his close ties with the embassy, called the Mandarin Pages requesting that we pull the article, said Sun in an account confirmed by editors involved with the dispute.

Through the incident, I learned that the embassy had deployed people to control the media, Sun said.

Magic Weapons

While Mandarin Pages struggles, however, the Chinese Herald has grown its staff and circulation.

One of the worlds leading scholars on Chinas influence and propaganda outreach policy is a New Zealander named Anne-Marie Brady, a professor at Canterbury University. She has tracked how the Chinese Communist Party works with local Chinese-language media outlets or buys publications to exert its influence.

The leading Auckland Chinese language paper, the Chinese Herald has close personell links to the PRC consulate works with the All-China Federation of Overseas Chinese, Brady wrote in a 2017 study.

The paper was originally totally independent, but like many other papers, it has been steadily 'harmonized' with Chinese media control agencies, she wrote.

Bradys report on Chinese influence efforts, titled Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping, identified party links to influential Mandarin media outlets in New Zealand.

In early 2018, Brady's home and office were burglarized, and laptops and a burner phone were taken, while valuables were untouched, and her mechanic said the family car was tampered with.

Diverging views

As is the case in many countries in response to leader Xi Jinpings authoritarianism, nationalistic foreign policy and the COVID-19 pandemic, public opinion toward China in New Zealand has soured.

A poll released by the Pew Research Center in 2021 showed that 67% of New Zealanders hold negative views of China and up to 80% believe in speaking up against Chinas human rights violations despite the country being New Zealands biggest trading partner.

Around 10 years ago, the people of New Zealand saw China as a great opportunity, a rising nation about to become a part of the international community, said Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Center.

Around 2017, (Chinas image) started changing.

Chinese-New Zealanders sing and play ukuleles at the Auckland Chinese Community Center, where immigrants from China and other Asian countries socialize, play music, and square off at mahjong or chess. Credit: RFA.

But preliminary data from research by Taiwans Doublethink Lab seen by RFA shows that while over 70% of non-Chinese New Zealanders hold negative views of China, over 60% of Chinese respondents in the country expressed positive views of China.

Doublethink Lab, a research outfit that tracks Chinas global influence, has identified traits in people susceptible to the Chinese Communist Partys information outreach: a low sense of belonging in New Zealand, participation in Chinese communities, systematic Mandarin learning, familiarity with Mandarin media in New Zealand and getting their news from Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.

For older generations of Chinese immigrants, the rise of China has given them renewed confidence, said New Zealand author and ethnicity researcher Tze Ming Mok.

To a certain extent, theyve attached their self-worth to China: Anyone criticizing China is criticizing me.

Restoring the glory

The majority of new Chinese immigrants rely heavily on WeChat and Mandarin communities for their information, making them soft targets for the Communist Partys information warfare.

Tze noted that at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, very few senior Chinese immigrants were vaccinated because Chinas social media platforms carried the narrative that American vaccines are bad for Chinese people.

In his decade in power, Xi has put great importance on targeting overseas Chinese, placing the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office under the United Front Work Department and ramping up the information outreach.

Xis notion of all Chinese working together to restore the glory of China seems to resonate with many members of the Chinese community in New Zealand, which over the past century has grown from 3,000 people, or less than 0.3% of the national population, to 250,000, accounting for around 5% of the countrys 5 million people.

"There are a small number of states who conduct foreign interference in New Zealand but their ability to cause harm is significant," says New Zealands "New Zealand's Security Threat Environment 2023" report, citing China, Russia and Iran as the main perpetrators. Photo: RFA

When talking about sensitive topics such as human rights violations in Xinjiang and the destruction of the democracy movement in Hong Kong, senior Chinese immigrants echo the slogans, narratives and wording used by Chinas official spokespeople and propaganda nearly word for word.

New Zealand should remain neutral. We cant follow the U.S. into everything, like a puppet, said Terry Wang, an 81-year-old second-generation immigrant.

Look at Hong Kong: The city is filled with CIA operatives whose sole purpose is to create chaos. The U.S. selectively criticizes China for violating human rights in Xinjiang only when it serves their interest, added Wang, repeating lines often heard at Chinese Foreign Ministry news conferences.

At the Auckland Chinese Community Center, where elderly long-time immigrants play ukulele and sing, or square off at mahjong, Kai Luey quickly cites the China Global Television Network, the global arm of China's state broadcaster, when asked where he gets his news on China.

CGTN! Its helped me learn more about China, the 82-year-old said.

China has made me very proud. Theyve brought tens of millions of people out of poverty and theyve never invaded any countries even after their rise  unlike the British and European colonizers, Luey said. They only have bad things to say about China.

As he welcomes members to the mahjong room, Luey turns around and adds a chestnut from party propaganda: Present-day China wouldnt be possible without the Communist Party!

Editing by Paul Eckert.
Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smaiylov on August 19 blamed the owners of a coal mine for a deadly fire that took the lives of four miners this week in central Kazakhstan.

Smaiylov, who arrived on August 19 in Shakhtinsk, a city about 60 kilometers from Temirtau, where the mine is located, said the companys noncompliance with the rules of the industry was the main cause of the fire.

"This is primarily the fault of the owners of the company. Their complete ignorance of the company's activities has been leading to tragic events for several years," he said. "As we can see, all this time, workers have not been provided adequate conditions, and attention has been paid only to profit."

The fire broke out on August 17 at the Kazakhsanskaya mine in Temirtau, a city in the Karaganda region southeast of Astana. ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local mining unit of international mining corporation ArcelorMittal, announced on August 19 that another body had been found, bringing the number killed to four. One miner is still missing.

At least 227 miners were underground when the fire broke out.

Kazakh authorities have started an investigation into the incident but have not yet released any information.

Smaiylov said the company's lack of compliance with industry rules has led to more frequent accidents, adding that after every major accident in the past, the company has claimed it took measures to make working conditions safer, but the situation has not changed.

The coal mine is one of eight owned by ArcelorMittal Temirtau and is one of the oldest mines in Kazakhstan, having been in operation since 1969. Its Luxembourg-based parent company, ArcelorMittal, is the world's second-largest steelmaker.

According to Smaiylov, a metal plant integrated with the coal mine is dilapidated because the company has not renewed production. Since privatization its production indicators have decreased by half, he said, while the mine's coal production has decreased by about 25 percent.

He said the environment around Temirtau has also been badly affected by air pollution primarily from the ArcelorMittal operation.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau has promised to help the families of the workers who died. The company also said that it would assist the government authorities in determining the cause of the fire.

Sergei Ogai, a representative of ArcelorMittal Temirtau, told journalists during a briefing in Shakhtinsk on August 18 that he did not have the authority to answer whether the coal mine and the metal plant could be returned to state ownership.

ArcelorMittal operates the integrated steel plant in Temirtau, employing nearly 14,000 people there, according to information at the parent companys website. The company in 2018 announced a $198 million environmental investment program in the ArcelorMittal Temirtau operation.

The local plant has been instrumental in building a comprehensive environmental action plan with local stakeholders, the information says.

With reporting by Reuters
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
As its forces fight to repel a massive Russian invasion, Ukraine is seeking to put its stamp on a sprawling Orthodox Church complex that long loomed over the capital as a symbol of Moscow's influence: the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, or Monastery of the Caves. To aid that effort, the Ukrainian church that threw off the yoke of the Moscow patriarch in 2019 has enlisted the help of Ivan Mazepa, a leader who lived and died over 300 years ago. An icon of independence in Ukraine, his name is anathema in Russia -- literally.



Mazepa, who as Cossack hetman of the Zaporizhian Host was the top leader of a large swath of Ukraine from 1687 to 1708, was a major patron of the church and helped develop the Lavra, a landmark complex of churches, crypts, and related buildings on the steep right bank of the Dnieper River in central Kyiv.

On July 25, a special commemorative service was held at the Lavra to honor Mazepa on the 336th anniversary of his elevation to hetman in 1687. At that time, the Hetmanate was in a union with Russia.



In 1708, however, Mazepa entered a wartime alliance with Sweden against Tsar Peter the Great, earning the lasting ire of Russia, where he is still branded by the state as a traitor, and a reputation as a champion of independence in Ukraine.

The service late last month included the presentation of a bell, now restored, that Mazepa donated to the church centuries ago. It is to be mounted in the Lavra's main bell tower, a prominent feature on Kyiv's skyline and a symbol of the capital.



'Empire Of Evil'



The religious ceremony was attended by dozens of Ukrainian soldiers, a show of unity between the church and the military as the war ground on at the front 17 months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.



"We must restore our common Ukrainian sacred place. And today we are near this bell, a sacred bell that has seen a lot in its history, has overcome a lot, and by the grace of God has been preserved," said Archimandrite Avraamiy, the head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. "And in our thoughts, we go back to the times of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, who managed the state wisely -- and he wanted the state to be independent and he contributed to that."



"But as always, the Russian empire of evil destroyed those who were against it. And now we are seeing it [again]," he said.

The war has had a major impact on Orthodox Christian life in Ukraine, which had been riven by tension between rival churches aligned with Kyiv and Moscow for decades before the full-scale invasion.



Three years before the invasion, in 2019, the Kyiv-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) was recognized as independent by the spiritual head of all Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, ending centuries of Russian dominance over Ukrainian Orthodoxy.



Religious Rivalry



As Ukrainians band together in the face of the Russian onslaught, the OCU has grown stronger, with hundreds of parishes that had been with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), switching allegiance. The UOC, meanwhile, has struggled to distance itself from the Russian Orthodox Church and its leader, Moscow Patriarch Kirill, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a vocal backer of the war.



President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described the reduction of influence of UOC as a matter a national security.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, founded in the 10th century, became a flashpoint this year after Ukrainian authorities ordered the UOC to leave the complex, a UNESCO world heritage site formally in the ownership of the Ukrainian state.



That hasn't quite happened. UOC priests and monks remain but have retreated to the less prominent section known as the Lower Lavra -- and their head, Metropolitan Pavlo, is under house arrest outside Kyiv while state authorities investigate him on suspicion of "inciting religious enmity and justifying Russia's actions."



The OCU has been granted the use of the Upper Lavra and it now holds regular services there.



The church service on July 25 was the second one at the Monastery of the Caves that has been devoted to Mazepa. On June 11, the first liturgy honoring Mazepa was held at All Saints' Church, which was built at the Lavra by Mazepa 325 years ago. It was attended by several senior government officials.

Ukraine's culture minister at the time, Oleksandr Tkachenko, called it a "historic day."



"For the first time in the history of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a memorial service has been held to honor its patron and sponsor -- Hetman Ivan Mazepa, who was excommunicated by the Russian imperial church during his lifetime for his unwillingness to submit to Muscovy," Tkachenko wrote on Facebook.



"As we promised, the Lavra is becoming Ukrainian. Now, within its walls, we will hear prayers for the famous figures of Ukrainian history," Tkachenko added.



War And Defeat



When Mazepa joined forces with King Charles XII of Sweden against Russia in 1708, during the Great Northern War, the Russian church declared him anathema by personal order of Tsar Peter the Great. Forced to leave Ukraine with Charles XII after Sweden lost the crucial Battle of Poltava in June 1709, Mazepa died a few months later.



This anathema against Mazepa is still technically in place in the Russian Orthodox Church. Ukrainian churches do not recognize it, however, seeing it as political move by Peter to suppress the idea of independent Ukraine rather than a religious step.

To this day, the Russian church and state portray Mazepa as a traitor and a troublemaker. In a report on the liturgy honoring him at the Lavra in June, the Russian state news agency TASS said the service had been organized by the "schismatics" of the OCU, whose legitimacy and independence are not recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church.



"For the betrayal of his oath to Russia, [Mazepa] was publicly punished and stripped of his titles and awards. The Russian Orthodox Church declared Mazepa anathema for violating the oath of loyalty to the Russian tsar, given on the Bible, and also for allowing Swedish soldiers to desecrate Orthodox churches," the TASS report said.



During his tenure in 2005-2010, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko unsuccessfully asked Patriarch Kirill to remove the anathema. With ties between the two countries torn apart by Russia's aggression, it seems unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.



And Ukraine is unlikely to ask again anyway. Instead, the OCU is honoring Mazepa with liturgies, while he is praised by the country's leadership as a symbol of independence -- and "Europeanness" as well for his union with Sweden, which was a European superpower before it lost the war with Russia following the debacle at Poltava, which is in east-central Ukraine.



At the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Mazepa sponsored and oversaw the reconstruction of the main Assumption Cathedral, built All Saints' Church, several towers, and a wall surrounding the monastery, which was called the Mazepa wall long after his death.

He also built dozens of churches across Ukraine, many in an architectural style sometimes called Cossack Baroque or Mazepian Baroque. Mazepa's colorful life inspired Voltaire, George Byron, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Franz Liszt among others.



"Mazepa was the first to showthat he was ready to sacrifice his life for Ukraine. That's why Moscow constantly calls him a traitor. Our nation is a Cossack nation and in the past the part of society which thought about the independence of Ukraine was called Mazepian," Kyiv-based history professor Volodymyr Serhiychuk told RFE/RL.



What's In A (Street) Name?



In addition to two church services to honor Mazepa, activists collected enough signatures earlier this year for an electronic petition to rename the street on which the Lavra is located after Mazepa -- as it was in 2007, under Yushchenko.



That changed under Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych. Shortly after his election in 2010, on the eve of a visit by Patriarch Kirill, most of the street was renamed Lavrska, leaving only a short two-block stretch far from the complex itself with Mazepa's name.



"Can you imagine what the political situation Ukraine was like back in 2010, when to satisfy Russian Patriarch Kirill, who wanted to come to Kyiv but didn't want the Lavra to be on Mazepa Street, the bigger part of it was renamed Lavrska? This street was never Lavrska before," the author of the petition, Andriy Lupak, told RFE/RL. "It was done to make Patriarch Kirill happy."



"The street was deliberately renamed for the visit of Patriarch Kirill, who didn't want to enter Lavra from Mazepa Street," concurred Kyiv activist Taras Shamaida, who held protests against the renaming in 2010.
Ukrainian pilots have started testing Swedish Gripen fighter jets. Ukraine intends to seek to obtain these aircraft to strengthen its air defence.

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This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson. Aviation was an important topic of talks with the Swedish prime minister on 19 August, and in the next two days the Ukrainian president will hold talks on strengthening Ukraine's air power with several other partner countries.

During the press conference, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian pilots had already begun testing Swedish fourth-generation JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets.

"We talked about Gripen aircraft. This is the pride of Sweden. Gripen tests have begun with the participation of our pilots. Today, we have discussed in detail our further steps to open the topic of receiving Swedish Gripen," the Head of State said.

In addition to the talks with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Zelenskyy intends to raise the issue of the transfer of Swedish Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine during a meeting with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament and representatives of all political forces in Sweden.

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The topic of strengthening Ukraine's air power will also be one of the key issues over the next two days: the Ukrainian president has announced talks on this topic with partners from several Western countries.

"Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I will have talks with several other states. I am confident that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have an advantage. When they control the sky, we cannot move quickly on the ground. And we need it," Zelenskyy said.

The Head of State also informed that Ukraine would soon receive another package of military assistance from Sweden.

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"We are now preparing the transfer of a new, 13th package of Swedish military assistance. This package contains what is important: ammunition for air defence and combat vehicles, spare parts for armoured vehicles, demining equipment. Everything that will make Ukraine stronger on the battlefield," the President stressed.

Back in June, it was announced that Sweden would train Ukrainian pilots on Jas 39 Gripen fighters. The training programme was supposed to include, among other things, simulator training and test flights. According to media reports, the process was launched by an agreement between Ukraine and Sweden on 12 July on the exchange of classified data and the expansion of military cooperation.

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A month before the announcement of the decision to train Ukrainian pilots, Sweden was against the transfer of JAS Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukraine made a lot of effort to secure the agreement of its Western partners in principle to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine needs them to defend itself against constant Russian shelling and to counter Russian aircraft.

On 17 August, the US approved the shipment of F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. However, as the US stated, these aircraft can only be delivered after the pilots have completed their training, and Ukrainian pilots will start training on F-16s only at the end of August.

Therefore, as stated in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the army will not receive F-16 fighters this autumn or winter.

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Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Rajya Sabha

Report Highlights Criminal, Financial, & Other Backgrounds of RS Members

NEW-DELHI: In a Recent Analysis conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW), startling revelations have come to light about the composition of the Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of Parliament. The report exposes that approximately 12 percent of the current members of the Rajya Sabha, the council of states, are billionaires, while the property holdings of certain members have crossed the 100 crore mark. The report delved into criminal, financial, and other backgrounds of 225 out of the 233 Rajya Sabha members, with one seat currently vacant.

The study disclosed that the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana harbor the highest number of billionaire parliamentarians, accounting for 45 percent and 43 percent respectively. Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh also featured members who declared assets surpassing 100 crore rupees.

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The report highlighted that the cumulative assets of 11 members from Andhra Pradesh total Rs 3,823 crore, while seven members from Telangana possess assets worth Rs 5,596 crore. Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, saw its 30 Rajya Sabha members amass a combined asset value of Rs 1,941 crore.

Shedding light on a concerning aspect, the analysis found that out of the 225 members examined, 75 (33 percent) have criminal cases against them, with around 18 percent facing serious criminal charges. Shockingly, two members were found to have declared cases related to murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

The Report also highlighted instances of crimes against women, with four Rajya Sabha members having cases against them. K. C. Venugopal, a member from Rajasthan, was among those who declared a case related to rape (Section 376 of IPC).

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Breaking down the statistics by political affiliation, the report pointed out that 27 percent of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, 40 percent of Congress members, 31 percent of Trinamool Congress members, 83 percent of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) members, 80 percent of Communist Party of India (CPIM-M) members, 30 percent of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) members, 33 percent of Y.S.R. Congress Party members, and 67 percent of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) members in the Rajya Sabha have declared criminal cases in their affidavits.
Madhya Pradesh News

Incident Raised Concerns over Communal Harmony & Religious Tolerance

CHHINDWARA: An Unsettling incident involving the assault of a Sikh man and the removal of his turban has ignited a heated uproar in Amarwara, Chhindwara district. The incident, which occurred when three youths attacked a Sikh pilgrim, was captured on video by a student and subsequently went viral, triggering a wave of outrage. Hindu organizations have responded by filing a case against the widely circulated video.

The victim, identified as Balwan Singh, a Sikh youth hailing from Pandhurana, is known for traversing villages on his motorcycle to vend blankets. As he was en route to Amarwara, his path crossed with another youth riding a bike. The collision led to a dispute, during which the youth, Irfan, accompanied by his brother Imran, father Ganesh Malvi, and another associate, subjected Balwan Singh to physical assault. Adding to the distress, they forcibly removed his turban  a deeply sacred article of Sikh attire. Balwan Singh promptly reported the incident to the local police station.

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Initially, a resolution seemed to be in progress at the police station level. However, the situation escalated when the video footage of the incident circulated widely, sparking widespread condemnation. Numerous individuals affiliated with Hindu organizations came forward to protest against the incident, registering formal complaints with the police station. The situation further intensified as the accused individuals reportedly threatened the student who had filmed the incident.

In response to the escalating tension, the police took swift action. They registered two separate cases against the four accused individuals and subsequently apprehended them. The charges filed against them include sections 294 (obscene acts or words in public), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship), 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The incident has raised concerns over communal harmony and religious tolerance within the region. The clash between different groups has prompted discussions about the importance of respecting diversity and maintaining social cohesion. Authorities are working to ensure that justice is served and that such incidents do not disrupt the harmony of the community.
Bharat Inder Chahal

Bharat Inder Chahal's Anticipated Court Appearance on Monday is Poised to Shed More Light on details of cthe Case

CHANDIGARH: The Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's advisor, Bharat Inder Chahal, remains at large as the vigilance team struggles to apprehend him in connection with a case involving disproportionate assets. Despite continuous raids by the vigilance team, Chahal has managed to evade arrest, sparking anticipation over the ongoing investigation. Sources reveal that Chahal has recently submitted an anticipatory bail petition in the Patiala court, with the hearing scheduled for Monday.

In the midst of intensified efforts by the vigilance team to locate and apprehend Bharat Inder Chahal, he has undergone several rounds of summoning and interrogation. Surprisingly, despite repeated summons, Chahal has not appeared in court, and the vigilance team took the step of registering the case after extended hours of questioning. With Chahal's whereabouts still undisclosed, the vigilance team has initiated a series of raids at possible locations associated with him. The vigilance authorities have affirmed their commitment to persistently conduct these raids until there is a breakthrough in the case.

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The allegations against Bharat Inder Chahal involve the accumulation of wealth that reportedly exceeds his known sources of income by a staggering 305 percent. The ongoing vigilance investigation has exposed that during the period from March 2017 to September 2021, the combined income of Chahal, a former media consultant, and his family members totaled Rs 7,85,16,905, while their expenditures surged to Rs 31,79,89,011, marking an alarming increase of approximately 305 percent.

The case has garnered significant attention, underscoring the urgency of addressing cases of alleged financial impropriety and misuse of public office. As the legal proceedings unfold, Bharat Inder Chahal's anticipated court appearance on Monday is poised to shed more light on the intricate details of the case, while the vigilance team's continued efforts to locate him underscore the determination to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law.


The representative of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, Laurinas Kasciunas, showed the first barrier structures on the border with Belarus. Vilnius has become seriously concerned about the increase in the number of mercenaries of the Russian PMC Wagner in the neighbouring republic, which has led to the need to strengthen external defence.

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The official posted footage from the Shumsk border crossing on his Facebook page. Another 19 fortifications will be built ahead.

"If necessary, these engineering structures will be used to stop the enemy. This will be done within a year, and the first park will be installed in autumn. In addition, an analysis of natural obstacles is being carried out and the terrain of Lithuania is being assessed to maximise the effectiveness of the measures taken," he said in a statement.

Kasciunas added that not only the government, but also Lithuanian society agrees with the need to strengthen defence on the border with the Lukashenko regime. People are aware that funds should be allocated, distributed and integrated into defence plans before the enemy attempts to cross the state border.

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"I am convinced that we will move forward at a rapid pace, and Lithuania will once again prove that it is a responsible and reliable ally that not only contributes to the strengthening of national security, but also consistently and actively takes care of it," the author of the publication concluded.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, on 15 August, Latvia officially increased the protection of the state border with Belarus and mobilised the State Border Guard Service. The day before, the Latvian security forces stopped 96 attempts to cross the external border of the state from Belarus.

At the same time, former US Army Europe Commander Ben Hodges stressed that if Wagner mercenaries attempted to attack one of Belarus' neighbouring countries, they would be defeated in the first hours.

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Only verified information is available on our Obozrevatel Telegram channel, Threads and Viber. Don't fall for fakes!
Wildfire

Nearly 200,000 individuals have been evacuated from their homes this season

YELLOWKNIFE: A Raging wildfire has once again engulfed the forests of Canada, prompting the evacuation of 20,000 residents from the city of Yellowknife. The inferno, considered one of the deadliest wildfires in the nation this year, has prompted an all-hands-on-deck effort from firefighting crews to protect the city from the advancing flames.

As more than 1,000 fires continue to scorch various regions across the country, spanning approximately 265 areas, the cumulative impact of these blazes has consumed a staggering area of about 1.34 lakh square kilometers. This statistic is a stark contrast, nearly six times greater, than the average burned area over a decade. The relentless wildfires have forced nearly 200,000 individuals from their homes this season, underscoring the scale of the crisis.

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Rebecca, the Mayor of Yellowknife, revealed that specialized teams are laboring tirelessly to mitigate the fire's progress by strategically clearing trees near the city. Presently, the fire remains approximately 15 kilometers away from the city's northwestern outskirts. Should the area remain devoid of rainfall, experts predict the flames could encroach upon the city's outskirts by Saturday.

In response to the escalating emergency, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting of the incident response team on Thursday. Eminent officials and ministers converged to address the situation with urgency. Taking tangible steps, five flights were dispatched on Thursday to transport displaced citizens to Alberta, with hundreds observed queuing outside the local high school to board the planes.
Every time a breakdown occurred, the electric SUV had to be towed to the service centre for inspection and repairs  XUV400 owner says

Launched earlier this year in January, Mahindra XUV400 electric SUV has received a phenomenal market response. In just a few days, bookings had crossed 10k units. Waiting period is estimated to be up to six months. Just like other Mahindra SUVs, the XUV400 offers a comprehensive range of premium features.

Mahindra XUV400 Is A Garbage Box  Says owner from Ghaziabad

However, with multiple owners reporting issues, it appears that there are bugs that need to be sorted out. It is imperative that genuine complaints of customers be addressed in a prompt manner. Two new incidents have gone viral on social media, regarding unhappy Mahindra XUV400 EV owners. One incident is from Ghaziabad, where the owner has called XUV400 a garbage box, while the other incident is from Chennai, where the owner is staging a sit-in protest

One of the Mahindra XUV400 electric SUV owners has claimed that it is a garbage box. He has put up a poster on the eSUV and parked the car outside the Mahindra showroom in Ghaziabad. The poster reads  Shiva Mahindra shame on you. XUV400 Electric is a garbage box. Buying a Mahindra XUV400 means putting your house on fire. To charge the car in your house, you will need to take a 10 kW connection. To charge it outside costs Rs 1,000. The XUV400 range in the real world is only 150 kms. Though the company claims it runs 300 to 350 kms. Save your family and friends from buying a Mahindra car.

Mahindra XUV400 EV owner in Chennai Stages Sit-in Protest

In another case involving XUV400, the SUV owner has gone to the extent of staging a sit-in protest in front of the Mahindra showroom from where he had purchased the vehicle. The affected XUV400 is also parked in front of the showroom. This case has been reported from Chrompet, Chennai.

The level of frustration is clearly evident, as the owner probably had to take leave from his work to protest in front of the showroom. Its hard to imagine how he is simultaneously managing the protest and his professional commitments. Appears to be in his 40s or 50s, so unlikely to be retired.

According to the owner, he had made a mistake by choosing Mahindra over foreign brands. He has invested Rs 21 lakh and is paying an EMI of Rs 32,000 every month. So, when the vehicle breaks down repeatedly, the level of frustration is likely to reach its zenith. The owner feels that the company hasnt done much to resolve his issues. It has resulted in a great deal of disillusionment.

Apart from the sit-in protest, the XUV400 owner is also contemplating legal action against the company. 3 breakdowns in 3 months have resulted in a lot of mental stress. Moreover, the issues are yet to be resolved.

More complaints

There have been other complaints about the XUV400. For instance, a user named Kaushal Agarwal has shared his experience on Twitter. The video shows the SUV being towed onto the truck. According to the owner, this happened when not even a week has passed after taking delivery. Another case has been reported from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Here too, the XUV400 owner has parked his car in front of the showroom. A banner at the rear details all the problems being faced by the owner.

Apart from XUV400, problems have also been reported with other Mahindra SUVs. With more tech integrations, it is natural for bugs to appear. If the problem is with the coding of these hi-tech systems, it may take significant effort to resolve.

Some users have reported issues with the tyre pressure monitoring system that occasionally sends false low-pressure warnings. Similar issues have been reported with the door-open warning. We hope Mahindra will be looking into these issues and work to resolve them.
Motorcycle sales dipped YoY and MoM in July 2023 with top 5 players reported de-growth

The motorcycle market in India is highly competitive. OEMs have been keenly introducing new products and models with feature updates but has yet failed to see much growth in July 2023. Hero MotoCorp has posted an overall decline in sales along with TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto in the past month.

Top 10 Motorcycle Sales July 2023

Taking the top 10 motorcycles sold in India in July 2023, sales fell both YoY and MoM. Sales stood at 6,77,961 units in July 2023, down 4.27 percent from 7,08,168 units sold in July 2022. This related to a 30,207 unit volume de-growth. MoM sales also fell by 11.61 percent from 7,66,978 units sold in June 2023 with volume de-growth at 89,017 units.

Hero Splendor led the segment with sales of 2,28,847 units sold in July 2023. This was an 8.61 percent de-growth from 2,50,409 units sold in July 2022. The Splendor currently commands a 33.76 percent share on this list, up from 31.08 percent held in June 2023. Sales in June 2023 had been at 2,38,340 units relating to a 3.98 percent MoM de-growth.

Hero Splendor was the best-selling two wheeler in July 2023, scaling over the Honda Activa of which 1,35,327 units were sold. It was followed by the Honda Shine at No. 2 with 1,03,072 units sold in July 2023. This was a 10.11 percent YoY de-growth over 1,14,663 units sold in July 2022. MoM sales fell by 21.87 percent from 1,31,920 units sold in June 2023.

Sales de-growth was also reported for the Bajaj Pulsar with 87,958 units sold in July 2023, a 13.69 percent de-growth over 1,01,905 units sold in July 2022. MoM sales fell by 17.96 percent from 1,07,208 units sold in June 2023. The top 10 list of motorcycles sold in July 2023 also included the Hero HF Deluxe which has also posted YoY and MoM de-growth to 65,931 units. There had been 97,451 units and 89,275 units sold in July 2022 and June 2023 respectively.

Honda Unicorn Posts YoY and MoM Sales Growth

Honda Unicorn and TVS Raider were the only two motorcycles on this list to post YoY and MoM growth. At No. 5 was Honda Unicorn with 40,119 units sold in July 2023, up 258.11 percent YoY from 11,203 units sold in July 2022. MoM sales also saw a 50.30 percent growth from 26,692 units sold in June 2023. Increased sales could be due to the updated Honda Unicorn launched at Rs 1.10 lakh, which now gets OBD-2 compliance and special warranty program.

TVS Raider also showed YoY and MoM growth in sales to 36,900 units in July 2023, up 126.24 percent from 16,310 units sold in July 2022. MoM sales were higher by 7.55 percent from 34,309 units sold in June 2023. At No. 7 was Hero Passion with 34,253 units sold last month, up 68.75 percent from 20,298 units sold in July 2022. MoM sales however, dipped 27.97 percent from 47,554 units sold in June 2023.

The list also included Bajaj Platina (33,557 units), RE Classic 350 (24,889 units) and TVS Apache (22,435 units) out of which it was only the RE Classic 350 that posted YoY sales growth while all three saw MoM decline in sales.
Press Release

Rousing Launch of 3-day We20: Peoples Summit on G20 in New Delhi

New Delhi, 18.08.2023: Over 500 delegates from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan and other parts of the country, representing peoples movements, trade unions and Civil Society Organisations came together at the Inaugural program at We20: Peoples Summit on G20 today in New Delhi. The Summit saw participation from Teesta Setalvad, Medha Patkar, Jayati Ghosh, Manoj Jha, Harsh Mander, Arun Kumar, Brinda Karat, Hannan Mollah, Rajeev Gowda among others.

Behind all the glitz and glamour that G20 attracted, it remains an informal elite club of traditional powers or the G7 countries and selected emerging powers, essentially a platform that provides legitimacy to the G7 agenda and policies. Yet, the decisions made by this elite informal club impact the policies and financial architecture of the whole world.

Indias presidency, which has been advertised extensively with an atrocious 51 crore spent on outdoor advertising alone, has not resulted in taking the peoples issues forward, instead what we are seeing is a backsliding of the issues itself. The poor and their homes have not just been hidden, they have been evicted and their homes bulldozed in the cities where G20 meetings took place. Shakeel bhai working with the Basti Suraksha Manch and Rekha affected by the eviction at Bela estate summarised their plight in a simple question, she asked, Are the lieutenant governor and the Prime minister, poorer than us that they need our things to be picked up by the police?

India may be claiming itself to be the Mother of Democracy on this eve, but reflecting on Dissent and Democracy in India, democratic rights activist Teesta Setalvad said, The nature of the state has changed. And the parliament is being used to undermine the constitution.

Economist Arun Kumar speaking on G20 and its impacts on Indias key sectors said, Marginalised sections are ignored in our policies. The focus is on the already rich. Is there any opportunity at G20 for people? Our ruling class is aligned with the ruling class of the developed countries.

Medha Patkar, of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, asked what is the need for a block like the G20. For whose interest was it originally created? This is clearly a mandate of the corporates, which is also being used to attack our law and constitution.

Rajeev Gowda remarked, that despite Modi governments best efforts, and tax sops, private players have so far preferred not to invest in sectors that the government has wanted them to.

Thomas Franco from All India Bank Officers Confederation said, The entire financial sector has been taken over by World Bank, IMF and Financial Stability Board. In the name of reform, what they promote is Privatisation, Corporatisation and marginalisation of the majority. We have fought these reforms from 1991 till now, and no bank could be privatised. What is needed now is to stand up and defeat fascist, corporate and communal forces.

We20: A Peoples Summit on G20 is being held in the run-up to the 18th G20 Leaders Summit to be held in New Delhi early September. It is an effort to bring peoples voices to the forefront and raise their issues and concerns for a more democratic, just and inclusive financial system and political order.

Speaking about the G20 and the changing financial architecture, economist, Jayati Ghosh, remarked, Many things were promised from the Indian presidency  wed wipe out inequality, clear debt crisis, bring tax reforms, would stop illicit financial flows etc. But this has been the least productive G20, which didnt even manage to get a common communique.

Rajya Sabha MP, Manoj Jha, commented, The struggle to fight fascism is the combined fight from the roads to the parliament.

Harsh Mander from Karwan-e-Mohabbat, If the government does not change in 2024, the story of Manipur will be all of our stories.

This 3-day program will further see a total of nine workshops with diverse themes ranging from Global Finance, Big Banks, and their Impact on People, Right to Information, Digital Data and Surveillance, to Reimagining Cities and a cultural program on the 20th.

Vandana Shiva, Jairam Ramesh, Maimoona Mollah, Nikhil Dey, Anjali Bhardwaj and others will be participating in the workshops scheduled from 10.30 am on 19th and 20th August.

Over 70 organisations, unions and peoples groups including National Alliance of Peoples Movements, Focus on the Global South, All India Union of Forest Working People, Narmada Bachao Andolan, Environment Support Group (ESG), Peoples Resource Centre, People First, Alternative Law Forum, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Delhi Forum, Jharkhand Mine Area Committee, Parisar, Basti Suraksha Manch, National hawkers Federation, Pani Haq Samiti and Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao, among others were instrumental in shaping the event.

Dayamani Barla, Adivasi-Moolvasi Astitva Raksha Manch, Abdul Shakeel, Basti Suraksha Manch, Olencio Simoes, National Fishworkers Forum, Ritwick Dutta, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, Roma Malik, All India Union of Forest Working People, Shaktiman Ghosh, National Hawkers Federation, Wasiq Nadim Khan, United Against Hate also shared their thoughts amidst great reception from the audience.

The colourful Summit also had multiple stalls from artisans and movement groups across the country displaying traditional arts, books and handicrafts.

If you are in Delhi, visit the We20: A Peoples Summit at G20 at Surjeet Bhawan, New Delhi. For more details and the program schedule, go to the website: https://wgonifis.net/g-20/
Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is reportedly planning a new startup in the burgeoning e-commerce space in India. According to report, Bansal recently sold his remaining stake in Flipkart and is now looking to create an e-commerce startup. The report said, citing sources, that Bansal will not seek to raise external funds and would rather infuse his own capital in the new e-commerce startup.

Bansal received about $1-$1.5 billion from his shareholding in Flipkart. Binny, along with Sachin Bansal, exited Flipkart after selling it to Walmart in 2018 for around $16 billion. Binny has backed around 60 startups, like Acko, Ather Energy, Curefoods, Cultfit, BrightChamps, Unacademy, Yulu and others. Last year, Binny Bansal sold his stake worth $264 million (more than Rs 2,000 crore) in the homegrown e-commerce platform to Chinese Internet giant Tencent.

Sachin and Binny Bansal, who received their B.Tech degree in computer science & engineering from IIT-D in 2005, built one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in India. Sachin led Flipkart as its CEO from its inception in 2007 till 2015, and took over as the Executive Chairman in 2016. He is currently leading and mentoring the startup and internet ecosystem in India and is an angel investor in several technology startups.

Binny served as the CEO of Flipkart till January 2016 before being promoted as its Chief Executive Officer. He exited Flipkart in November 2018, and became a prolific angel investor. Last month, retail giant Walmart paid $1.4 billion to acquire VC form Tiger Global's remaining shares in Flipkart. According to a report, Walmart has paid the money to boost Flipkart's stake. Walmart purchased Tiger Global's remaining holding in Flipkart to further cement its control of the Indian e-commerce giant. Tiger Global made an overall gain of $3.5 billion on an investment of $1.2 billion. Flipkart was earlier valued at $37.6 billion in a 2021 funding round. Walmart had 72 per cent share in Flipkart as reported last.
The Staten Island FerryHawks wrapped up a home series with the Charleston Dirty Birds on Thursday night with a 9-4 victory in front of an electric crowd of 1,231 at SIUH Community Park.

Thursday nights win was the third in a row and 11th in their last 14th for the first-place FerryHawks, who improved their second-half record to 20-15. They are 42-56 overall.

FerryHawks ace Christian Capuano held the Dirty Birds in check over six innings, scattering just three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk. He earned the win, improving his season record to 9-3.

Staten Island jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the second when Noah Fisher lined a double to right, scoring Bobby Sparling.

The Hawks extended the lead to 3-0 in the third on a Chris Brito RBI fielders choice and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Luis Castro that scored Brito.

The Dirty Birds broke through in the top of the fourth when Isias Tejada delivered a two-run single off Capuano.

The Hawks had a 3-2 lead in the home fifth against Dirty Bird starter Joe Testa and immediately loaded the bases. Starling worked a walk that forced home Angel Aguilar. The next batter, Brandon Pugh, ripped a single to left, scoring Luis Castro and Jack Elliott, giving the Hawks a 6-2 advantage.

Charleston inched closer in the sixth when DH Bobby Bradley hit a solo homer to left.

The FerryHawks offense responded again in the bottom of the inning, scoring three more runs on a Brito RBI single, an RBI double from Luis Castro and a Jack Elliott sacrifice fly.

Recently acquired reliever Ryan Mitschele pitched a scoreless eighth for the FerryHawks. Reliever Etan Skuija gave up one run in the ninth.

***

NOTES: The FerryHawks take their winning streak to Frederick Maryland on Friday to take on the Spire City Ghost Hounds for a three-game weekend series ... The Hawks return home on Tuesday, Aug. 22 to kick off a three-game series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. Tickets can be purchased at www.ferryhawks.com
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A place to buy legal recreational weed will soon be right around the corner for Staten Islanders, but some might not be ready for the price tags.

Since the states legal weed industry got up and running last year, all commerce has been done within New York. The products are grown, processed and sold entirely within the state, but as with any industry, prices vary.

While a lawsuit filed earlier this month has put a pause on the opening of new cannabis businesses, Michael Gertelman, the owner of what will be a Port Richmond-based weed delivery business called Nug Hub, said he expects to be filling orders in coming weeks.

His business will likely be one of the first legal recreational weed sites opened on Staten Island, and he shared the prices of some of his products with Advance/SILive.com

Heres a look at some of the products that will be available:

Hepworth flower  Emerald Fire (3.5g - $50). (Staten island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Lagusta's Luscious Soft Power Sweets Raspberry Rainbow Caramel (20mg 2/pk. - $14). (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Lagusta's Luscious Soft Power Sweets Grapefruit Olive Oil Caramel (20mg 2/pk.- $14)

Jaunty Vapes  Jack Herer (1g cartridge - $55). Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Alchemy Pure - Emerald Fire OG (Pack of six pre-rolls - $50). (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Smokiez' - Sour Blue Raspberry Fruit Chews - Indica Chill (10mg 10/pk. - $30). (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Bison Botanicals - London Poundcake vape - (825 mg. - $76) (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Smokiez' Sour Peach Fruit Chews - Sativa Uplift (10mg, 10/pk. - $30). (Staten island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Alchemy Pure - Sour Juice flower ($50). (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Bison Botanics vapor cartridge  London Poundcake (775 mg. - $76) (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Jaunty Vapes  Amnesia Haze (1g. cartridge - $55). (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

Smokiez' Sour Watermelon Fruit Chews (10mg 10/pk. - $30). (Staten island Advance/Steve Zaffarano)

ORDERING FROM THE WEBSITE

Their business website, nughubny.com, is live with would-be customers able to sign up for emailed information about the forthcoming enterprise.

Three vehicles will ferry marijuana products to customers fully equipped with security and refrigeration systems, the latter for things like weed chocolate and gummies.

RELATED NY LEGAL WEED ARTICLES:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A possible school bus driver strike continues to loom over New York City.

On Friday, ATU Local 1181 released a statement.

The school bus workers we represent are professionals and their work produces the safest mode of transportation in the City of New York, union president Tomas Fret said. It is the unions obligation to produce a contract for its members so they may provide for their families.

Spokespeople for the union, which represents more than 8,000 bus drivers, attendants and shop employees, has said times have been tough for the past several years, ABC News reported.

Drivers, attendants and shop employees simply cannot make ends meet, Fret said. We remain ready and willing to negotiate a fair contract before the school year begins. Lets not forget, our school bus workers transport the most precious cargo in NYC.

The last time there was a school bus strike was in January 2013, when workers demanded better job security.

At the time, dozens of school bus drivers and matrons, who were members of Local 1181, walked the picket line outside the Pioneer Bus yard on Arthur Kill Road in Rossville. Inside the lot, more than 380 yellow buses sat idle  when they normally would be out on Staten Island roads to pick up students and deliver them home. That walkout in 2013 lasted more than four weeks.

New York City Schools Chancellor C. Banks told a parent advisory council on Aug. 10 that parents would have alternative transportation options available in the event of a strike.

Those plans could include giving students MetroCards and reimbursement for use of alternative transportation, City Department of Education spokesperson Nathaniel Styer told Chalkbeat.

Were working hard to avoid that, but it is a possibility, and if it is, we will have clear direction to all of out parents across the system, Banks said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is looking to hire a new class of park police officer trainees who are passionate about the safety of New York parks.

We are searching for the next group of recruits who have a calling for both state service and a love of the outdoors, said State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid.

Parks officers play an integral role in keeping New York parks secure, the announcement said.

New York State Parks, which oversees over 250 parks, historic grounds and other recreational sites, will be celebrating 100 years of providing outstanding recreational and cultural experiences to state residents and visitors from throughout the world in 2024, the announcement said.

The New York State Park Police is among the first agencies in the country to implement the 30x30 initiative, which aims to have a recruitment class of which 30% are women, by 2030. Advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety, Kulleseid said.

Trainees are provided with hands-on training and education in various sectors of the law, as well as firearm and fire response training. Additional training includes snowmobile and ATV operation and emergency vehicle operation.

According to The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, trainees are instilled with the values of P.R.I.D.E., which is an acronym for Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence.

Thirty-two new officers graduated from the State Park Police Academy this past May. Graduates go on to reinforce everything they have learned during training in their first few months as an officer.

This is a challenging yet rewarding career,' said Assistant Director of Park Police Colonel Michael Daddona. Our Park Police are relied upon to help people during extreme weather events, conduct criminal investigations and enforce laws on New York states waterways and trails.

Applications will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2023. For information about joining the Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation team, visit the departments website at parks.ny.gov.
EDITORS NOTE: Money Matters is a series of stories running on SILive.com that provides financial advice on common money issues related to everything from saving for retirement to buying a home. And while many of you have financial-related questions and no one to ask, thats where we come in. Simply reach out to us, and well get the expert advice you need.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Its never too early to start saving for your childrens college education, experts say.

This is especially true since the cost of college tuition has rocketed to an all-time high over the last few years. In fact, both public and private college tuition has increased more than 143%, or 2.4 times, between 1963 and 2020, according to bestcolleges.com.

The report says four-year public colleges saw the greatest price increase from 2000 to 2020, spiking from about $13,000 a year to more than $21,000 per year.

And with some private colleges annual cost for tuition and room and board increasing above what many Americans earn in a year, its best to start saving before or soon after your children are born for their higher education.

We caught up with Daniel R. Masiello Jr., a financial advisor with the Bloomfield-based Halcyon Financial Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC., to learn about the best saving options for your childrens college education.

Q. What are the best ways to save for a college education?

Masiello: When saving for college education, there are a few vehicles that can be used that each have their respective pros and cons:

College 529 Plans: College 529 plans allow for contributions to be made with the earnings becoming tax-free as long as they are used for eligible expenses. Simply said, if you invest $12,000 into a 529 plan and it eventually grows to $20,000, the $8,000 of earnings are tax-free. Eligible expenses vary from state to state. Some state sponsored plans allow for these funds to be used towards institutions other than college education, such as private high school, however, this is not the case for all states. Recent tax-code changes have expanded the list of institutions eligible for 529 plan use, such as trade schools. Common concerns regarding 529 plans are What if my child does not go to college? or What if there is money left over? If funds go unused, 529 plans allow you to change the beneficiary of the plan to be used by another child or family member...

Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) Accounts : These are accounts that can be used for investment purposes that also have tax advantages. The owner of the account is the child with the donor/custodian, presumably, being the parent or guardian. You are able to choose the investments in these accounts whether it be stocks, bonds, ETFs [Exchange Traded Funds], mutual funds or cash. The tax advantages are that the first $1,100 of earnings are tax-free and the next $1,100 of earnings are taxed at the childs rate, which would most likely be significantly lower than the parent or guardians...

Owning/Investing the Assets Yourself: This is an alternative to the above without the special tax-advantages and with no limitation on investment vehicles. Simply said, you are saving the assets in your own name and earmarking them towards education. There are also no limitations on use of funds and no requirement to, eventually, gift the funds or use towards education. This is relevant in some cases if a parent or guardian feels that they may, at some point, need to use these funds for a financial hardship or other non-education need, they are able to do so freely without penalty.

When making decisions on which option to choose, consult with your tax-preparer and review your states 529 plan thoroughly. It is also important to review the effects of the above choices on financial aid eligibility.

If you have a financial question youd like answered, please send to porpora@siadvance.com and well find the right expert to answer your question.

MORE MONEY MATTERS STORIES:

If I want to retire in 10 years, what investments should I choose?

How do I know if its a good time to sell my home?

How much should I be contributing to my 401K so I dont have to worry about money when I retire?

I never filed for Social Security. Can I get back benefits?

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Maybe New York City drivers dont have it so bad when it comes to speed and traffic enforcement cameras.

Just take a look at what motorists are up against in Seattle, Washington.

The city recently expanded its traffic enforcement camera network, making errant motorists liable for a truly dizzying number of traffic infractions.

Of course, speed cameras had already been in effect in the city. Get dinged by one of those and youll get a $139 ticket, according to the Capitol Hill Seattle blog.

That includes if you get rung up in one of Seattles designated racing zones, established by the city in a bid to prevent street racing.

Thats a crafty way to place more speed cameras in more locations. Think New York City couldnt come up with a couple of those racing zones in the five boroughs, especially on Staten Island?

But heres the real kicker: Get a school-zone speeding camera ticket in Seattle and youre on the hook for an eye-watering $237 fine. The Seattle school speed limit is 20 mph.

Say what you want about the city Department of Transportation, but our speed camera violations run a relatively modest $50.

At least the Seattle school-zone cameras are in operation only when school zone flashing beacons are in operation, according to the Seattle Police Department.

The flashing beacon schedule is set by the Seattle Department of Transportation based on when students will be arriving and leaving school grounds, the department website said.

Cameras in other Seattle locations are in operation 24/7/365, just like all of New York Citys speed cameras. And, of course, the New York DOT can place a speed camera pretty much anywhere it pleases given the changes in siting regulations.

Red-light and red-arrow traffic camera tickets in Seattle also run you $139. NYCs red-light cameras dun motorists $50.

But Seattle also has a host of other ways that traffic cameras can nab motorists. Theyll get a $75 ticket if their vehicle obstructs traffic at a camera location; is caught driving in a bike lane or driving illegally in an HOV lane; blocks the box; blocks a crosswalk, or blocks an intersection.

And you thought New York Citys speed-camera system was a money grab. Seattle has taken traffic camera enforcement to a whole different level, even if first-time offenders do get a warning letter and not a ticket for at least some infractions.

Think of the money that would roll in if New York motorists got fined for all of those violations. Not that Id object to using cameras to nab those who illegally use the HOV lane. Or, while were at it, those who use the breakdown lane to cut ahead of other drivers on the highway.

In another wrinkle, Seattle can now place cameras near school walk zones, parks and hospitals, as well as in areas designated as safety priorities and places with high collision rates.

As weve seen in New York City, once traffic enforcement cameras are in place, the program usually expands.

There has been criticism of Seattles system, and not just the usual cries of motorists complaining about how theyre being ripped off.

The South Seattle Emerald said that 65% of the citys cameras are placed in neighborhoods with relatively more minorities and immigrants.

In any event, its all a reminder that New Yorks onerous speed camera system can always get worse. We could have a Seattle-style system. Or one like Chicago, where the 10 mph threshold under which motorists got a ticket was lowered to 6 mph.

Not that I want to give NYC DOT any ideas.

MORE SPEED CAMERA OPINION BY TOM WROBLESKI

How NYC rigs speed camera system to best rip off motorists (opinion)

Wire creator David Simon finds out the hard way that NYCs speed cameras are a con meant to separate drivers from their money (opinion)

Removal of NYC speed camera from this location shows that we actually dont need speed cameras at all (opinion)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  For decades, diamondback terrapins faced devastating odds. The species was nearly hunted to extinction throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to provide meat for turtle soup, a popular delicacy during the time.

Even later, around 15 years ago, the species appeared scarce on Staten Island, a location that seemed ideal for the only aquatic turtle that lives in brackish waters  a mix of saltwater and freshwater  that are present in the boroughs coastal marshes and tidal creeks.

Dr. Russel Burke, a professor of biology at Hofstra University on Long Island who has been studying terrapins in the Jamaica Bay for 25 years, was conducting surveys with students in the 2010s to understand the distribution of diamondback terrapins in New York City and came to the determination few, if any, were present in the studied areas on the borough.

He suspects the researchers simply missed the turtles, which have shells between about three to six inches long for males and six to nine inches long for females, but the findings still suggested they were not overly abundant.

That study took place before the Fresh Kills landfill transitioned to Freshkills Park, a now-expansive area reclaimed by nature and soon to be (at-least-partially) opened to the public. Now, diamondback terrapins are being noticed in greater abundance there, nesting along the creeks that crawl through the 2,200 acre space teeming with wildlife.

Their presence, said Burke, is a positive sign for the extensive recovery effort underway on the boroughs West Shore.

Terrapins are important in a lot of ways. For one thing, theyre strong indicators of a healthy environment, said Burke. If youve got good terrapin populations, then a lot of other things are obviously going right.

Diamondback terrapins consume invertebrates that typically eat plants in marshes, keeping those herbivores in check and retaining balance in the ecosystem. At their leisure, they sometimes bask in the sun along banks at low tide or float with their head popped just above the surface.

To make it to the sanctuary of Freshkills Park, said Jose Ramirez-Garofalo, the vice president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, the turtles are coming up through the Arthur Kill, traversing Richmond Creek and Main Creek  two main waterways that run like arteries through Freshkills Park  and finding suitable nesting grounds near the sandy soil along the coastline and on the mounds that offer unprecedented views from the greenspace.

They are across all 2,200 acres of our site, said Ramirez-Garofalo, who noted population studies are underway at the park to determine the extent of the species.

Freshkills Park and the Bayonne Bridge in the distance. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk)

Elle Hulett, the aquarist at the Staten Island Zoo in West Brighton, began a focus on diamondback terrapin while pursuing a masters degree at the University of Ohio. After that research, the Staten Island Zoo supported her efforts to continue studying the species.

After regulations were passed to eliminate the trapping of the turtles for food, Hulett said they began to make a recovery. However, a range of other risks still threaten diamondback terrapins, including development on the burgeoning West Shore.

They are tidal wetland creatures, so any of these sort of areas that are urbanizing and developing, theyve been impacted by that development, said Hulett.

Ramirez-Garofalo echoed those concerns.

Of course, there has to be a balance. Some of this development is absolutely vital to energy independence as well as climate mitigation, said Ramirez-Garofalo. We need to make sure that just because a project is necessary, doesnt mean that we can just decimate the environment.

At Freshkills Park, though, habitat is abundant, offering both diamondback terrapins a haven to nest and researchers a place to better understand the unique creatures.

Were very fortunate that a large swath of this habitat is now protected by Freshkills Park, as well as Brookfield Park, said Hulett. So that is really excellent news for the terrapins, and it works out well for us because it gives us a really good place to study them and sort of see whats going on with their population and if theres anything we can do to help them nest more successfully.

PREDATORS A CONCERN

Diamondback terrapins lay clutches of eggs on areas near the shore, digging a few inches into the ground and burying them before retreating back into the water. After the female terrapin flees, predation remains a stark concern.

Raccoons and foxes are keen at finding the eggs and digging them up, almost immediately after theyre laid, experts said.

That will require innovative solutions for future nesting seasons, experts said, especially as diamondback terrapins still face a number of challenges  from being crushed under car tires to continued loss of habitat.

If we are making sure that species like terrapins can flourish, then were making sure that other species can flourish from the natural places, said Hulett. Everything from birds to inverts to small mammals, were creating a whole ecosystem for them here, and it is really unique in New York City to have this much biodiversity in a park.



RELATED COVERAGE: Freshkills Park

>> A wildlife boom at former landfill: A look at species making Freshkills Park their home

>> Freshkills Park wildlife resurgence: Every osprey nest fledges young

>> 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.  Staten Island resident Brett Roses was confused and concerned when he saw mysterious E-ZPass charges for his green 2002 Acura, a vehicle that has never left Staten Island.

According to Streets Blog NYC, after a seemingly endless cycle of disputing E-ZPass charges and getting billed all over again, Roses noticed on a New Jersey Turnpike Authority ticket that the car pinning him with all of these false charges wasnt his at all. It was a white BMW.

Roses went to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to clear up any confusion, but found that this was more than an innocent mistake.

The owner of the white BMW had tampered with its license plate, changing a number, to make their plate appear to match Roses.

Roses was told his only option, in order to stop getting falsely billed once and for all, would be to re-register his car under a new plate number  but that would cost him $210.

I went to the DMV thinking maybe they registered two cars with the same plate, because in the picture, it actually does look a lot like a 3, Roses told Streets Blog NYC. He put a piece of white tape on the left side of the 8 to make it look like a 3. A lady at the DMV looked through the system and told me it was an 8.

After some research, Roses found that the BMW was registered to a 25-year-old who lives with this father on Long Island. The two have been uncooperative and unwilling to speak with Roses, according to Street Blogs NYC.

If hes tampering with a license plate, I would think that that would be a criminal offense,' Roses told Streets Blog NYC. Hes not just stealing money from me, hes stealing money from the city. But (the police) didnt really look into it at all, they just called the dad, told him to stop, thought that that was it and then they closed the case, Roses told Streets Blog NYC.

Roses was informed by the police that he should take the issue to small claims court, according to Streets Blog NYC.

Currently, being caught with a tampered license plate is punishable by a fine of up to $300.

Not only are fraudulent or defaced license plates harmful to the individuals getting stuck with the bills, but they also prevent the MTA from collecting revenue. Vehicles caught dodging tolls can have their car impounded and be heavily fined.
This was the headline of the Staten Island Avance Sunday: We are at war!: Protesters against Staten Island migrant shelter pledge disobedience akin to COVID-19 mayhem.

With more than 100 churches, mosques and temples on Staten Island, I was astounded that I didnt hear any voices in favor of sheltering the migrants at Fort Wadsworth or Island Senior Center in Midland Beach.

I believe those two venues would be perfect to house some migrant families and both are currently underutilized. On Saturday, Aug. 13, as reported in the Staten Island Advance, there were very loud voices protesting the placement of migrant families here. The protest attracted a few hundred people, as well as most of the South Shores Republican legislators. The Advance also mentioned Scott LoBaidos speech referencing the migrants, the LGBTQ+ movement and cancel culture as reasons for Staten Islanders to hit the pavement in protest with civil disobedience. Curtis Sliwa and his Guardian Angels were present as well.

But, besides being astounded, I was disappointed that the rabbis, imams, priests, ministers and their followers did not speak up in favor of the placement. As organizations who promote charity and preach kindness, their voices were starkly absent in their support to keep these families together.

With community assistance, Staten Island could be a safe haven for some of these families. Since November 2022, we house families in two hotels and have assimilated their children in our schools. They are incredible teenagers with treacherous journeys behind them. They have thrived at one of our public high schools because there are people there who opened their hearts to them.

With support, language assistance and most importantly, friendship and safety, these students feel well acquainted with the Island as a good place. We can do our best to welcome them here and give them all the support we would want our children to have in the same circumstance.

(Elena R. Arena is a New Dorp resident.)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dozens of mothers and children recently celebrated National Breastfeeding Month at the third annual Breastfeeding Celebration, hosted by the Community Health Center of Richmond (CHCR) at Clove Lakes Park.

This event recognizes all that theyve [mothers] put into their baby and celebrates that. Its not always easy to breastfeed, its natural, but its not always easy, so we want to recognize them for giving the effort for trying to give their baby the best start, said Marcia Santiago, a certified doula who works with CHCR.

Also, it brings attention and awareness to other families that are maybe in the park seeing this going on and kind of begins to normalize breastfeeding -- and thats part of the image we created. A lot of times moms feel like they have to hide or go into a stall to breastfeed, but we want to normalize breastfeeding again, and make people recognize the importance and health benefits of it.

This event recognizes all that theyve [mothers] put into their baby and celebrates that. Its not always easy to breastfeed, its natural, but its not always easy, so we want to recognize them for giving the effort for trying to give their baby the best start, said Marcia Santiago, a certified doula. (Staten Island Advance/ Priya Shahi)Priya Shahi

Attendees were recognized with a certificate for their dedication to nurturing their infant through breastfeeding and for overcoming the challenges that come with it. Additionally, each mother was presented with a portrait capturing her in the act of breastfeeding.

Each mother at the event was presented with a portrait capturing her in the act of breastfeeding. Here, Judith Vives holds the portrait of her and her child. (Staten Island Advance/ Priya Shahi)Priya Shahi

Raffles were drawn for prizes, including strollers, breast pumps, gift baskets, baby carriers, book bags and more -- some of which were provided by New York Foundlings Healthy Families, a free initiative that has been active on Staten Island for over a decade and aids new and expectant parents in tackling parenting challenges and promoting childrens healthy development.

In addition to Healthy Families, two additional organizations -- the NYC Breastfeeding Warm Line and Nurse-Family Partnership -- were present at the event to inform attendees about available community resources and services. The NYC Breastfeeding Warm Line offers free virtual breastfeeding support and answers through a helpline -- 646-965-7212. And the Nurse-Family Partnership is a home-visiting program connecting maternal and child health nurses with low-income first-time mothers.

Eniola Adeyemi, a participant at the gathering, said she is a mother of three and has nurtured all her children through breastfeeding.

It helps with bonding. When I am breastfeeding my baby, she is always playing, pulling at me, its always fun, Adeyemi said.
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YS: I think he lost a bit of work around it but what was directed to me was disproportionate: very gendered, very racist, and an awful lot of wishing murder, rape, dismemberment of my family, the whole thing. The whole of my existence was questioned, whereas I think for George it was like, that probably wasnt the best thing youve ever said  For me, it was so bad I wondered, Am I ever gonna work again? How am I going to feed my family? Am I safe to go to a netball game or something when people are threatening to kill me and hurt me? How am I supposed to survive? Fitz: And yet you had a very successful career thereafter, going straight on to breakfast radio, podcasts, books and all the rest. YS: I beg to differ about a very successful career. I feel like I was on a trajectory to have a very successful television career, and that came to an end and hasnt ever recovered. There are networks that wont touch me. I dont feel like I bounced back at all. Im a great broadcaster but Im still paying the price and its very f---ing annoying  although I do love my work in radio and podcasting. And Im an author now, which was my fantasy job when I was a kid. Stynes on Studio 10 in 2019 when she clashed with Kerri-Anne Kennerley. Credit: Fitz: Under the circumstances, one might have thought you would take a vow that, from this moment on, Im just gonna be two scoops of vanilla, with extra sugar, hold the crunch. I am gonna be as bland, as obvious and as white-bread, populist mainstream as they get! But you certainly didnt take that vow.

YS: You know what? If I could have done that, I would have. Because Im not attracted to this feeling of being besieged, of being hated. I just want to live a peaceful life with my family. But at the same time, I do have strong convictions around politics, racism and womens health and womens safety, and I do want to live according to those values. To be honest, I thought I was choosing a safer, more measured path by writing books. Just trying to keep my head beneath the parapet. But the gunfire finds me, I think. Fitz: But even before you got to the current controversy over the books, you were speaking out. I remember when you were back as a guest of Studio Ten with Kerri-Anne Kennerley and she was attacking those who were calling Australia Day Invasion Day; saying few of them had been to the outback where children, where babies and five-year-olds are being raped, their mothers are being raped, their sisters are being raped. Did you not have a little voice inside, saying vanilla, vanilla, vanilla! Triple-scoop! Dont say anything, Yumi! Dont say anything. Dont say anything! YS: Yes. But I had to say something. It would be a terrible betrayal not to say something. I have to honour those people who dont have their own voice. So I spoke out and said that was racist, which caused the next pile-on. Fitz: Which brings us to the Welcome to Sex book for tweens and teens. It aint vanilla white bread with hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top! YS: It came from our ABC podcast, Ladies, We Need to Talk. One of the things we kept encountering in all these conversations was the level of ignorance women had about so many important things, including sex. Doctors would tell us stories about asking their twenty-something patients, What do you actually like, sexually? And their patients would have an absolutely blank look because no one had ever asked them that and they didnt know the answer! The Welcome to series, which includes a guidebook about getting your period for the first time, and what consent consists of, is all about supplying information to young people at a time when they really can use that information.

Fitz: So, the book comes out  filled with information on all kinds of sexual acts  and goes well for a couple of months until suddenly, one day, it explodes as the meltdown du jour on social media, and among shock-jocks and night-time carnival barkers on TV. Looking back, was it a mistake to say the book was OK even for an eight-year-old to look over? Loading YS: Well, this is something Ive hesitated to mention, I havent said it to anyone else because I dont want to drag my own kid into the cookers bullshit. But I took the book to the beach, and my own eight-year-old had a flick through, and I watched her. She was not grossed out, she was not trying to decipher things that were way above her pay grade. She just flicked over them. Sex educators talk about this all the time: if theyre not ready to hear about it, they literally dont hear it. It passes them by. I stand by what I said, which was, It depends where your kid is at in maturity. Roughly 10 to 15 years old but Id be happy with a mature and smart eight-year-old having a flick through. Fitz: You clearly feel this passionately? YS: Talking about sex is important. Sex education is not saying, You must do this, heres how. Its saying, These are things that some people do, that you might want to do in your future. So lets explain what we mean by them, and the safe and respectful way to do them. It demystifies sex, treats it as something quite normal that can be talked about. Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy and shame. And very much within the text and threaded all through is: none of this is essential. None of this is mandatory. So dont get sucked in to thinking that everyones doing it  thats a myth, and theres nothing wrong with you if you dont want to do it.

And dont be informed by what you might have seen on porn. Aside from porn, theres not really an alternative resource where people are very frank about what the reality of these sex acts are. If you try and imitate what you see in porn, its gonna be probably like an assault  like, really, really, really vile for the recipient. To speak realistically about it, the book is more in the realms of healthcare.

Fitz: And then, two months after publication, the controversy explodes  accusing you of everything from being a paedo to grooming. Where did it blow up? Loading YS: First, among the cookers on the net; and then the whole controversy got picked up by Ben Fordham on 2GB [which is owned by Nine, publisher of this masthead], which saw the outrage go mainstream. Fitz: Was the agony of the attacks worth it for the fact that people now know about it and its selling its socks off? YS: Its a question that Ive grappled with. Because there are huge net gains for the younger population of Australia who will have the book as a valuable resource. The book series is now the go-to for mainstream sex and body education for teens, and that is excellent for now and excellent for the future. But if I were given a choice: Do you want a bestselling book with death threats and threats of violence, or a regular-selling book with peace? I would pick peace.

Fitz: But youve been here before, Yumi! Youre a veteran. When you push the envelope, there is pushback. Youre a survivor, who knows the current gunfire will fall away as they whip up the mob for their next target, and youll be still standing. YS: I wish I had a happier story than I do. But I actually get so triggered and stressed out that all the controversies blur and I cant tell one from the other. I cant tell you the real threats from the fake ones. Its not over, its never a walk in the park, and I wouldnt wish it on my worst f---ing enemy. Seriously. Fitz: How real are those death threats? Is it just dickheads on social media saying you deserve to die, or are there envelopes under your door? YS: Its not under the door  Murders of public figures are always preceded by threats. Death threats and threats of violence are very real and I take them seriously. And Im aware that the people who are threatening me might just strike it lucky and pass me on the street just by sheer coincidence and seize that moment to punch me in the head. Fitz: Is it possible, though, that the times will suit you? Youve made your mark as a progressive woman of diverse background, and the times in Australia have never been so progressive, female and diverse as right now.

YS: Well see. Right now, my time is for myself, my little family and my little projects. Twitter: @Peter_Fitz Joke of the week Make me one with everything, says the Buddhist to the kebab-store man. Then, after getting his kebab, the Buddhist hands the fellow a $20 bill. The kebab man takes the money and begins helping the next customer. The Buddhist looks puzzled and asks the man, Where is my change? The man replies, Change comes from within. Quote of the Week
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In a tiny, windowless room on the seventh floor of a Sydney CBD building, wig designer Nick Eynaud is gently patting Dame Joan Sutherlands head. Its not one that moves much, he says, pressing the stiff bouffants honey hued swirls. Same with Queen Elizabeth II. He points at the late monarchs tight neat curls hugging a foam mannequin head on a high shelf. Eynaud, standing amid suitcases, bags and more mannequin heads, is preparing 65 differently styled wigs for the new Australian musical and political satire The Dismissal: An Extremely Serious Musical Comedy. Matthew Whittet as Norman Gunston and Justin Smith as former prime minister Gough Whitlam. They star in the musical The Dismissal about Whitlams sacking. Credit: James Brickwood The show, which is based on what is considered Australias greatest constitutional and political crisis, is an all-singing, all-dancing production created by theatre company Squabbalogic. It features characters ranging from former prime ministers Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser to then governor-general Sir John Kerr and TV comedy star Norman Gunston. When I visit, it is two weeks before opening night, and the production, which fills two floors of rehearsal space, is a hive of activity. In another room, set and costume designer Emma White works with costume-makers. In another, director Jay James-Moody and writer and composer Laura Murphy watch actors rehearse. Having conceived the idea of The Dismissal 11 years and six prime ministers ago, James-Moody created the musical with co-writer Blake Erickson and Murphy, who wrote the music and lyrics.

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We wanted to create something a bit more serious than Keating! and a bit funnier than Hamilton, James-Moody says. Its a political satire and a satire of musicals themselves. Three actors are playing a gaggle of journalists, each shouting questions at actor Shannen Alyce Quan, who is playing political staffer Junie Morosi. Junie, whats the real reason you came to work for the Whitlam government darlin? one reporter says. Andrew Cutcliffe (left) as Malcolm Fraser, Octavia Barron-Martin as Sir John Kerr, Justin Smith as Gough Whitlam and Matthew Whittet as Norman Gunston. Do you really feel youve been treated unfairly by the media sweetheart? says another. Morosi, a picture of calm, is dealing with scuttlebutt about her connection with former treasurer Dr Jim Cairns, played by Joe Kosky. She begins talking about parliament being a hostile work environment for women but is drowned out by the reporters. For anyone unfamiliar with the events of the dismissal, its climax came on November 11, 1975. On that day Sir John sacked Labor leader Gough Whitlam from office and commissioned opposition leader Malcolm Fraser to form a caretaker government. A month later, the Liberal Country Party won a landslide election. These events, and the political figures involved in them, shaped many Australians attitudes to politics. Unexpectedly, they also provided a platform for one of the most sparkling and quintessential moments in Australian comedy.

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For, standing beside Whitlam on the steps of Old Parliament House, was another legendary figure. The wide-smiling, optimistic, little Aussie bleeder from Wollongong, Norman Gunston. Gunston, or more specifically, his creator, Garry McDonald, had hightailed it from Sydney to Canberra with an ABC TV crew as rumblings of a leadership topple grew. McDonald, his Gunston comb-over and toilet-papered shaving cuts in place, joined the action. It remains astonishing to watch footage of Gunston on that day. As Whitlam waves to supporters, Gunston is closer than any of the federal police restraining onlookers behind. Minutes later, beaming with excitement, Gunston encounters Bob Hawke, then President of the ACTU and National President of the ALP, mid-conversation beside parliaments front doors. Oh, look, its a bit too serious for that, Hawke says to Gunston. Gunston agrees vehemently: It certainly is. Its extremely serious. Matthew Whittet, who plays Gunston in the musical, grew up watching re-runs of The Norman Gunston Show. He was entranced by McDonalds electric physicality, whip smart wit and almost boundaryless interviewing style.

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It was genuinely unhinged in a great character way, Whittet says. He used to riff and bounce from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next until people would be asking, Where is this going? Whats happening? He just brought so much joy. In The Dismissal, every part of the show is shown through the eyes of Gunston, who is the narrator. Loading Thats the brilliant thing about the writing, Whittet says. It was the darkest hour in Australian political history and the most iconic comic creation, both at the same time, both things existing. People laughing, people crying. Thats how the show tracks as well. Its why we can have various serious moments in the show. Because then Norman comes through and just pops the balloon. Its very clever. Andrew Cutcliffe, who plays Malcolm Fraser, says the shows characters  who also include former treasurer Dr Jim Cairns, former minister Rex Connor and Queen Elizabeth II  are three-dimensional in a kooky way. Its a really serious musical and everything is historically accurate in no way at all, he says. Its the most zany madcap off-the-wall comedy. Maybe towards the end theres a bit of a slap in the face with the drama and the seriousness of the situation, but pretty much the whole way through, its just mad-cap comedy.

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Meanwhile, over in the costume room, White is looking at a wall of detailed drawings depicting 70 outfits. The set is fairly minimal, so the costumes have to do a lot of the character and storytelling and also create place, she says. Obviously, were re-creating a lot of real-life people that people have a tacit memory of, so we have to do them justice. She points at a drawing of a debonair jacket and trousers. Malcolm Fraser has this classic suave pinstripe suit, she says. He is very suave. There are more suits for Whitlam, Cairns and Connor, along with drawings of skirt ensembles for Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Whitlam and a long green formal gown for Tamie Fraser. Its still a wound, still such a charged and hotly debated moment in Australia. Thats what Im really looking forward to with this show. Octavia Barron-Martin Sir Johns top hat and coat tails are easily spotted as is a drawing of Dame Joan Sutherland voluminous green gown from her streamer-festooned farewell at Sydney Opera House. A distinctive wet-suited figure with flippers and snorkel is familiar. Yes, White says. Thats for Harold Holt. Hanging nearby is the original Gunston glittery blue jacket with black lapels, a garment lent by Garry McDonald for the costume department to copy.

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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 From the galley of the Rainbow Warrior comes the soaring voice of chef Ronnie Ferrer, who is singing along to a Depeche Mode classic as he prepares dinner. We slip and slide as we fall in love

And I just cant seem to get enough Ferrer, who has been with environmental organisation Greenpeace for more than 20 years, is used to working in rough waters and has a chicken stir-fry (with vegan options, of course) underway for all 32 souls on board. Those of us sitting in the mess also slip and slide as the Rainbow Warrior rides the three-metre swell and the heavy metal chairs skate back and forth across the floor. Thank goodness for sea-sickness tablets. Second mate Katharina Koenig and deck hand Tim Atichakaro raise the the Rainbow Warriors sails. Credit: Eddie JIm The ships seasoned crew, most of whom have sailed all over the globe, barely seem to notice. One engineer leans over to tell me the Indian Ocean is gentle, the Pacific Ocean is okay, and the wild Southern Ocean really sorts people out.

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This masthead was invited aboard the Rainbow Warrior for two nights, travelling 145 nautical miles from Suva, Fiji, to one of the countrys remote islands, Kioa  where a significant climate meeting is being held. (Greenpeace funded our travel to join the ship.) The ship is on a tour of the Pacific, sailing from Australia to Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji to meet with politicians, civil organisations and front-line communities to find out how the climate crisis is affecting the region. Being aboard the Rainbow Warrior feels like travelling on a potent cultural object: the walls are covered with mementos donated or collected by those who have sailed with her over decades. There are pictures of marine wildlife, Tibetan prayer flags, a whole stack of musical instruments, colourful drawings from children and black-and-white photos of many of the founders, including Canadian environmentalist Robert Hunter. This vessel, launched in 2011, is the third iteration of the Rainbow Warrior. The original was famously bombed by French intelligence operatives in the Port of Auckland in 1985 on the way to a protest against a planned French nuclear test in Mururoa. Fernando Pereira, a freelance photographer, tragically drowned on the sinking ship. The first Rainbow Warrior after it was bombed in 1985. Credit: SMH Travel

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Aboard the trip from Suva to Kioa is nuclear justice advocate Bedi Racule, who represents the Pacific Conference of Churches and hails from the Marshall Islands, in the central Pacific Ocean. For the Pacific, the spectre of nuclear war was a reality from 1948, when the nuclear fallout from 66 hydrogen and fission bombs exploded, during eight years of atmospheric testing at Bikini Atoll, contaminated the region, including the island of Rongelap. The sky turned black and children and mothers were scared, says Racule. The children didnt know what it was  they thought it was snow. So, they began playing with it on the beach. Nuclear campaigner Bedi Racule. Credit: Eddie Jim In 1985, concerned about the long-term effect on their health and fertility, Rongelap residents asked Greenpeace to evacuate the entire population to the safer island of Mejato, 180 kilometres away, and more than 300 Islanders and over 100 tons of building materials were relocated using the original Rainbow Warrior. Racule has interviewed elderly Rongelap residents who never returned to their island home. While Im on the boat I couldnt help but think about that  the Rainbow Warrior has a very significant history, she says.

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The 1971 footage of the first Greenpeace voyage shows a group of brave, occasionally foolhardy, founders who chartered a rusty Canadian ship, the Phyllis Cormack, and sailed to protest nuclear tests on the remote Amchitka Island in the Aleutians in south-west Alaska. Rainbow Warrior crew evacuating Rongelap Islanders in 1985. Credit: Greenpeace/Fernando Pereira Widely known for its early anti-whaling stance, the young non-violent organisation successfully harnessed the rise of television to transmit dramatic pictures of harpooned whales and seabirds slick with oil into living rooms around the world. Today, Greenpeace has focused its campaign muscle on the climate crisis, and is no longer perceived as the radical flank, a role taken by newer groups like Blockade Australia, Extinction Rebellion and the British-based Just Stop Oil, says Professor Andrea Gaynor, an environmental historian at the University of Western Australia. Greenpeace has moved into the centre a bit more  they dont undertake as disruptive or controversial actions [as some of these other environmental groups] though they do still do direct action, says Gaynor. Greenpeace Australia Pacific program director Kate Smolski says the organisation has stayed true to its radical activist heart despite having headquarters in the Netherlands and a presence in 26 countries. Jennifer Morgan, the former co-executive director of Greenpeace International, left to become Germanys climate envoy, placing her at the heart of global climate talks.

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We will take the non-violent steps we think are necessary to stop environmental destruction, says Smolski. But, of course, over 50 years, we have become more professionalised. We are more of an institution now. Today, Australia is seeing an upsurge in direct action and civil disobedience tactics in response to the climate crisis, including the blockades of roads in major cities, lock on techniques used to halt coal-carrying trains and protesters controversially gluing themselves to (or spray-painting) famous artworks, mirroring similar protests around the world. Second mate Katharina Koenig on the bridge en route to Kioa. Credit: Eddie Jim Gaynor says she doesnt condone violence but believes direct tactics are warranted in an age where insufficient attention is being paid to serious environmental issues. As a historian, in the future they will be regarded as heroes who did their best to try and turn around a very slow ship that is heading into extremely challenging times, Gaynor says. The climate and biodiversity crises are absolutely an existential threat to humanity in the longer term. A number of Australian states have recently passed anti-protest laws that impose thousands of dollars in fines and prison sentences on protesters engaged in civil disobedience. These include the maximum jail sentence and fines for hindering, obstructing or interfering with timber harvesting operations in Victoria being upped to 12 months, and more than $21,000. Just Stop Oil climate activists glue themselves to a Van Gogh painting at the Courtauld Gallery in London in June. Credit: Getty

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This story is part of the August 20 edition of Sunday Life.

Each week, we quiz a prominent person about their style and the inspiration behind it. Ahead, Brow queen Amy Jean.

Credit: Jennifer Soo

How would you describe your personal style? Feminine and preppy. Im not the best at casual dressing  I gravitate towards elevated, tailored pieces. Its also organised. Mornings with my children are too chaotic and unpredictable to wing it; my outfit is never an afterthought. In my industry, presentation is paramount; you must always put your best foot forward.

Whats the oldest thing in your wardrobe? A Chanel tweed skirt suit in blush pink, bought from Rue Cambon boutique in Paris 15 years ago. But itll never be old, its timeless. Im sure my daughter will have her eye on it one day.

And the most recent addition? A black Alexander McQueen blazer. I live for blazers; I fantasise about having a blazer blog!
The ACT and Victoria allow a student to start school if their fifth birthday falls on or before April 30 while in the Northern Territory and Queensland the cut-off is June 30. I would say NSW is a bit of an outlier compared to other states, Chiang said. The issue of children being sent too early when theyre not ready causes problems for the child in terms of how they adjust at school. The trend of holding children back is particularly pronounced in Sydney, with boys more likely to start school older than girls. But researchers say it has no long-term academic benefits.

University of New England research shows students who were held back received slightly higher results in NAPLAN results on average in year 3 but that advantage dissipates by the time students reach year 9. Co-author of that research Dr Sally Larsen said the cut-off date should be brought forward to April to reduce the gap. In terms of development, a year is quite a long time. If you have kids who should be in year one, there is a possibility that they will get bored and misbehave; I dont think parents consider that aspect of it, she said. In NSW, we have this particularly unusual situation where you can get a 19-month gap ... We have the widest age range, it hasnt been tinkered with for 36 years, it is this historical policy which just continues on and on. Last year Mitchell, then-NSW education minister, suggested lifting the school age to six following the announcement of a plan to give every child in the state a year of free pre-kindergarten. Labor pledged to match the coalitions plan but deliver it faster, saying they would build 150 preschools in the first term in office.

In my view, this would have been a sensible time to recalibrate the school starting age, Mitchell said. Loading The current school starting age rules were introduced in 1987 after NSW followed Victoria and moved the cut-off to July. While Victoria abandoned that policy seven years later, NSW stuck with it. Australian National University Professor Benjamin Edwards said research showed over a number of years more affluent areas of Sydney sent their children to school later and migrants were more likely to send them to school earlier, possibly due to the high cost of childcare. Whats amazing to me is how resilient this phenomenon is over such a long period. It is a very Sydney thing, he said.

Next year, kindergarten students in South Australia will be able to attend a mid-year intake for students born from May to October in a bid to reduce the large age gaps and differences in student development. Students who enter halfway through the year will complete six terms of the first year of schooling. Most private schools in NSW stipulate a student must be five years of age by March 31 of the year they enter kindergarten, including St Lukes Grammar on the northern beaches. In its commencement policy, the school said that cut-off meant fewer students would need to repeat a grade. The teaching staff has seen over time that the students who are born in the period of April to July inclusive do not always achieve the appropriate milestones and in many instances parents seek to repeat these students, it said. Principal Geoff Lancaster said a later start date meant students were mature and could better manage their emotions, communicate effectively, and build positive relationships. In our experience, this is often a good choice to ensure students are ready for school and also to not force them to grow up too quickly, he said. In 2019, Newington College went a step further and stipulated that it would only enrol kindergarten students who turn five by January 31 because of the benefits of play to a childs early years.

While private schools have tightened age differences, NSW Primary Principals Association president Robyn Hughes said there were other aspects besides age. We look at the readiness of coming into school ... age isnt something we first look at, she said. Steph Cochrane, who lives in Sydneys south, could send her daughter Florence to school next year but will wait another 12 months. I just think there is never a con in holding them back, she said. Steph Cochrane with her kids Florence, 4, Toby, 9, Demi, 2 and Zach, 7. She said parents never regretted sending their kids to school later. Credit: Brook Mitchell She said Florence was academically and emotionally mature, but she believed parents only regretted sending their children to school earlier, not later.
Residents in one of Sydneys most exclusive suburbs will lose their privileged parking spaces in a bid to ease traffic at a popular swimming area on Sydney Harbour.

Camp Cove Beach has experienced an influx of visitors due to the ongoing closure of Shark Beach at Nielsen Park, which has triggered complaints from residents about competition for parking, particularly on summer weekends and public holidays.

More people are visiting Camp Cove in Watsons Bay - causing parking pressures and traffic gridlock - because of the ongoing closure of Shark Beach at Nielsen Park. Credit: Edwina Pickles

But Woollahra Council wants to reduce the number of parking spaces reserved for residents in Watsons Bay to make it easier for visitors to attend the beach.

The council is also investigating new swimming areas in the harbour and trying to persuade private schools to allow public access to their sporting facilities, including swimming pools.
North shore leaders have criticised a proposal to move the Special Broadcasting Service to western Sydney, arguing the plan was politically motivated and would punish their electorates.

Federal teal independent MP Kylea Tink, state Liberal MP Tim James and Willoughby Mayor Tanya Taylor say the feasibility study into the proposed relocation of the multicultural broadcaster from Artarmon was less than opaque.

The Albanese government has set up a feasibility study into moving the SBS from Artarmon to western Sydney.

We are concerned and frustrated over the complete lack of consultation with our community in what can only be described as blatant disrespect of the electorates we represent, they wrote in a letter to federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

The federal government in April announced a feasibility study into moving the SBS from Artarmon, as western Sydney councils compete to become the broadcasters new home.
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Until the passing of the Public Instruction Act in 1880 your chance of an education, if you were not affluent, depended on the work of faith groups through Sunday schools or day schools (Religion classes in the firing line, August 13).

That the outcome had been beneficial was marked by a government decision to make education free (though government funded and run) and compulsory. Secular meant non-clerical, not non-religious. Part of that deal was to allow faith groups to instruct those who belonged to their flock during school time. So, for 140 years, according to your paper, children have been wasting time! The curriculum is meant to be manageable within the remaining time.

Opposition to Special Religious Education (SRE) must therefore be based on administration challenges  which should be solvable  or anti-religious prejudice. Given a relentless public focus on religious failings and ignorance of positives, a fall in religious adherence should not be allowed to be the excuse for ignoring wisdom.

Equally, given the mandatory instruction in spirituality that is now part of the curriculum, the chance of instruction by those who actually hold a belief doesnt seem too much to ask. Chris Main, Campbelltown

The solution to the SRE dilemma is simple  hold the classes before or after school, for both high schools and primary schools, with the relevant religious organisations paying the cost of overtime for school staff required to work extra time to facilitate SRE classes. John Ure, Mount Hutton

As a retired high school teacher I recall two adjoining western Sydney high schools with different approaches. The first scheduled SRE classes in the middle of the school day, between recess and lunch so there were problems, as outlined in the article. Students who opted out could not engage in meaningful lessons.

At the second school (where I was principal) the SRE classes were scheduled on the last lesson on a Monday so that students who opted out could leave early. Most did. SRE classes, having been legislated many years ago, have always been a major issue in schools and it seems the system is certainly outdated and disruptive in todays world. If advocates for SRE still want to have these classes perhaps they should have them after school. Brian Parker, Terrigal
Colin was left devastated after a romance scam drained his life savings, but the Melbourne man is now part of a world-first fraud victim recovery program to help those who were conned to get back on their feet.

Under the program, which will launch a pilot next year, scam survivors share their stories with other victims to tackle the unique, debilitating shame and humiliation that comes with being defrauded  a crime that costs Australians billions of dollars each year.

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr Kate Gould and scam victim turned advocate Colin. Credit: Simon Schluter

The treatment, led by Monash University researchers, will include group therapy supported by scam-victims-turned-ambassadors, like 59-year-old Colin.

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr Kate Gould said it took Colin, who has a traumatic brain injury from a motorbike accident, almost a year to recognise his online relationship was not real.
While the Peter Dutton-led federal opposition is not running the No campaign, there is a direct conduit between the two via Prices role as the face of Advances anti-Voice campaign, called Fair Australia. Loading But there is little sign that the No camps stumbles are blowing back on the Coalition, with Dutton brushing off calls from Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus this week to start dissociating himself from this kind of material ... the kind of hateful, revolting material that weve seen from people like Mr David Adler. Price did not respond to a series of questions, including whether she had raised any concerns with the Advance team about Adlers remarks and his role on the advisory board, or whether she was concerned the views held by him and Johns risked driving away soft No or undecided voters turned off by such commentary. Dutton also did not respond to a similar set of questions. Advance, a conservative activist group that also has former prime minister Tony Abbott on its advisory board, declined to comment about Adlers role in the organisation, saying: As a rule, we do not comment on the campaign.

Former liberal strategist Tony Barry, a director of political consultancy firm RedBridge Group, which has been conducting polling and focus groups on the Voice, doubts the No campaigns scandals will have much impact on the strength of the No vote or tarnish the Liberal brand by association. Both campaigns have had issues with message discipline, Barry said. But the Yes campaign have the more difficult job of trying to sell a product to people while the No campaign only has to convince people not to buy. Former Liberal strategist Tony Barry says the yes vote has the harder task. Credit: Simon Schluter At this stage of the cycle, the No campaign are doing a better job by defining the perceived risks of the Voice and are mostly sticking to their two strongest arguments  detail and division  which we know from the polling works. In our research, we are finding the majority of voters are so overwhelmed by cost-of-living and housing pressures that they are very disengaged on the referendum  and in the absence of any detail or a compelling reason to vote Yes, they are defaulting to a No vote consideration.

Multiple Liberal MPs from the partys conservative and moderate wings, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they were not worried that voters would associate the party with the views expressed by Adler and Johns. Loading If there were people in the Liberal and National Party staying that sort of stuff, Id be deeply concerned, one Liberal said. But you cant say everyone campaigning for No believes those things. Another senior Liberal said: Im less concerned about brand damage to the party and more concerned about how do those sorts of comments help us win the campaign. There has been intense scrutiny on the shortcomings of the Yes campaign as numerous polls have laid bare the plunge in support for the Voice referendum as advocates and federal ministers have struggled to make the case that a constitutionally enshrined body will deliver real, practical improvements to the lives of Aboriginal Australians.

The latest Resolve Political Monitor survey showed the referendum is on track for defeat, with support for the Voice slipping further this month from 48 to 46 per cent, while the results indicated it only had majority support in Victoria and Tasmania and is opposed in NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. But a cursory look under the bonnet of the No campaign reveals an at-times chaotic operation, that fuses together contradictory positions and is well-practised in the dark arts of campaigning. The No group emerged as a single outfit at the start of the year called Recognise a Better Way, launched by Mundine and Price, with a six-member committee that included Johns as president. It proposed an alternative to the Voice that would see symbolic constitutional recognition of Indigenous people and migrants through a new preamble  something that was immediately rejected by peak migrant groups. Within weeks, Price split from the campaign to head up Advances separate No push, only for Mundine to announce months later that they had re-merged some of their campaign functions and financing under a new Australians for Unity.

We work together, we centralise some stuff, and we do some things together and separately, Mundine says. Mundines decades-long support for local treaties between governments and Indigenous people is also at odds with the Recognise a Better Way campaign he leads. A position paper on the campaigns website states that treaties kill reconciliation and national unity around the equality of each citizen would be destroyed by any treaty mechanism. Asked to explain the inconsistency, Mundine says: This is how we operate. If anyone knows Warren Mundine they know me as a bloke who speaks his mind. The Price-led Fair Australia campaign run by Advance has also come under scrutiny for its campaign tactics. Led by Matthew Sheahan, Advance claims it has a 250,000-strong supporter base fighting woke politicians and elitist activist groups  taking Aussies for a ride with their radical agenda. It is behind two distinctly different anti-Voice Facebook pages, one Referendum News, which provides a feed of links of mostly negative news and commentary on the Voice. The other, called Not Enough, promotes the arguments of so-called progressive No voters such as Lidia Thorpe who say the Voice should be rejected because it will be powerless.

Loading Advance defended its social media strategy to Guardian Australia last month, saying we absolutely reject the incorrect assertion that these social media campaigns are in any way misleading. Advance also came under heavy criticism last month for a newspaper ad that depicted a cartoon portrayal of Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo, who appeared to be dancing for money, which was widely condemned as racist. Advance stood by the ad while The Australian Financial Review, which published it, apologised. In another incident, Advance was forced to remove the image and testimonial of Indigenous man Stewart Lingiari from the Fair Australia website which claimed that he was Vincent Lingiaris grandson and was supporting the No campaign. The man publicly rejected any family connection to the land rights activist and claimed he didnt know what the Voice was. On another occasion, AAP FactCheck concluded an email sent by Fair Australia to its supporters, authored by Price, was misleading in its claims to have uncovered secret government documents that exposed the real agenda behind the Voice referendum.

In the email, Price asserts the Voice forces Australians into a treaty which means Australians pay a percentage of the GDP  that is, a percentage of the entire nations economy  to the Voice  every year. It found the documents were minutes from 13 consultation events held in 2016 and 2017 about constitutional recognition and reflected comments made by some attendees, not positions adopted by the government. Labor and the Yes camp have attempted to call out the No campaign tactics, but with limited success, with their criticism feeding into a seemingly endless loop of outrage and sucking oxygen from their core message. Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and husband Colin Lillie in a No campaign video. Credit: Screenshot Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney last month accused Fair Australia of using Trump-style politics in its campaign against the Voice, alleging its aim was to polarise, [and] to sow division in our society by making false claims. But this was seized on by critics as denouncing No voters, while conservatives compared the remarks to Hilary Clintons labelling of Trump voters as a basket of deplorables.

This week, Yes campaigner Marcus Stewart, from the Uluru Dialogue, attacked the No campaign during an interview with the ABC, saying its rhetoric was doing serious damage to our community. He singled out Price, accusing her of spreading lies and misinformation about the Voice and suggested she seems to hate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Marcus Stewarts attack on Jacinta Price elicited fury. Credit: Justin McManus The remarks were met with fury within Liberal and No campaign circles. Dutton demanded an apology, while Yes 23 campaign director Dean Parkin sought to distance the campaign from the comments, telling the ABC, we certainly disagree with those comments. Price, meanwhile, told 2GB this reeks of desperation from the Yes campaign. Essential pollster Peter Lewis, whose research is published in the Guardian Australia and who is working with the Yes 23 campaign, said there was an absolute mismatch between the two campaigns in terms of the strength of their networks, likening the No camp to a bunch of lone riders.

In contrast, the Yes campaign has the backing of many Indigenous leaders, sporting groups, churches, unions and many big businesses, which have contributed to a war chest in the tens of millions of dollars. Loading But Lewis says the combination of media coverage and digital platforms was eradicating much of that mismatch, and No was benefiting enormously from having Aboriginal spokespeople in Mundine and Price to sell their message that the Voice was not universally backed by Indigenous Australia. People hear division among Indigenous people. Warren Mundine could be speaking in tongues, and it would still have the same effect, he says. Its not about coherent arguments. Its about the appearance of division.
If it wasnt already clear, Labors 49th national conference made it plain: the ALP is now bracing for the Voice to parliament to be lost.

This is not a surprise: the downward trend in support for the Voice has been obvious for months and the most recent Resolve Political Monitor showed that, finally, both the prime ministers personal standing and that of Labor are now affected.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney at the Labor national conference in Brisbane on Saturday. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Two things stood out at the conference: first, the willingness of delegates to privately canvass how Labor will handle the fallout of a loss, and second, Anthony Albaneses shift in focus in his speeches.

Albaneses opening conference speech on Thursday contained just two mentions of the proposed Voice but six mentions of the rising costs Australians face, as well as 14 references to affordable housing. And subtly, on Friday, the prime minister promised to do my best to promote a Yes vote.
Expressions of optimism from inside the Yes campaign for the Voice are growing increasingly heroic. Every single published opinion poll has support for the Voice to parliament tracking in a downward direction, yet those within the campaign are stubbornly upbeat.

They have to be  the whole point of the campaign is to give hope and herald a new dawn in Indigenous reconciliation. A positive campaign appealing to Australians better nature is the only viable option for success.

Alan Joyce and Anthony Albanese at the Qantas unveiling of its Yes logo this week. Credit: Louie Douvis

It is little wonder many big, publicly listed Australian companies want a piece of that optimism and hopeful spirit, or at least they wanted it back when support for the Voice was tracking around 60 per cent. Now it languishes at 40-ish per cent.

This week, Qantas became the latest company to go official with its support for the Yes campaign. I had not hitherto known that planes could sport livery, but here we are: three of the Qantas fleet are now adorned with Yes livery, which amounts to a large sticker with Yes23 on it.
Rose Bays champion price Prominent businessman Robert Champion De Crespigny looks to have sold his Rose Bay beachfront apartment on the quiet, setting a suburb high for almost $15 million in the process. The beachfront apartment in Rose Bay sold by Robert Champion De Crespigny has sold for almost $15 million. Credit: Domain It tops the $13.5 million high set two years ago for another beachfront apartment purchased by former Dancing with the Stars dancer Kym Johnson, wife of US Shark Tank investor and cybersecurity software tycoon Rob Herjavec. Robert Champion De Crespigny has owned the Rose Bay beachfront bolthole for 20 years. Credit: Andrew De La Rue

Champion De Crespigny, founder of one of the worlds largest gold producers Normandy Mining and a former Chancellor of Adelaide University, and his wife Melanie have owned their bolthole on the Rose Bay beachfront for 20 years, having purchased it for $4 million. In recent years they have concentrated on expanding their sheep and cattle farming interests in South Australia, buying the Maylands aggregation for about $20 million in 2020. The Rose Bay apartment popped up on records as a rental earlier this year for $4000 a week with The Agency, before records show it sold to near neighbour Beverley Freedman. Dont be surprised to see Freedmans long-held house on the same beachfront hit the market soon no doubt with hopes of matching the $35 million sale result by the house next door through The Agencys Ben Collier, who sold it on behalf of Laser Clinics Alistair Champion. SkyRidge sells

The Kangaroo Valley weekender of Larry and Sylvie Emdur has sold. Credit: Domain Larry Emdur and his wife Sylvie sold their Kangaroo Valley getaway, SkyRidge, for close to $2.8 million, making a nice gain on his $2.15 million purchase price of just three years ago. Larry Emdur sold SkyRidge after three years of ownership. Credit: Paul McMillan The striking container house designed by architect Alexander Michael sold through Belle Propertys Nick Dale, who declined to reveal the exact figure or buyers identity, but did at least say the deal included key furniture and a Kama Sutra sculpture in the living room. Emdur, co-host of Sevens The Morning Show and game show The Chase, had hoped to pocket $3.5 million for it last year, but it didnt sell.

Fortunes play out Wallis Wu, the daughter of one of Chinas most senior property development industry figures and a director of the family controlled developer giant Central China Real Estate, has listed her Milsons Point pad after just three years of ownership. No doubt Wu will be hoping the September 9 auction sees a repeat of the crazy boomtime action that was at play when she and her mother Lam Li Wu purchased it for $8 million - $1.75 million over the reserve. The Milsons Point apartment owned by Wallis Wu last sold at auction for $1.75 million more than the reserve. Credit: Domain DiJoness Nigel Mukhi has set a $7 million to $7.7 million guide.

The Wu family are long time locals, having purchased a $4.2 million pad in 1999 in the waterfront Kirribilli Grande complex developed by the late billionaire Stanley Ho and Waterhouse racing family. Wallis Wu has since moved closer to them, paying $10 million for a terrace up the road, as well as the Bellagio estate in Bowral purchased for $8.2 million in 2019. Wus father is Frank Po Sum Wu, the founder and chairman of the Hong Kong-listed Central China, which has seen its share price fall 70 per cent this year. Wu snrs personal wealth has also dipped enough that his name has been cut from the Forbes rich list since his billionaire days of 2021. Dealmaker trades Former Ebay boss Amrita Singh has traded in Double Bay for Bellevue Hill. Credit: Natalie Boog

Former Macquarie dealmaker-turned-Blackstone senior managing director Michael Blickstead and his partner Amrita Singh, eBays former chief operating and marketing officer, have purchased a Bellevue Hill house for $15 million. Their purchase coincides with the off-market sale of their Double Bay terrace for $9.3 million to Point Piper-based freight industry boss Terry Tzaneros. Joint prospects The Darling Point triplex owned by Prue MacSween and Jonathan Barthelmess is on offer for $14 million. Credit: Domain Restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess and media personality Prue MacSween have returned their jointly owned triplex in Darling Point to the market after it failed to sell two years ago.
A decorated Russian commander axed by the Kremlin after overseeing humiliating army retreats in Ukraine has died  the second such general to die in unspecified circumstances this week.

Russian Colonel General Gennady Zhidko died after a long illness, Kremlin-loyalist and regional governor Mikhail Degtyarev announced on Wednesday, almost one year after Zhidko was removed from senior military roles.

Former Russian general Gennady Zhidko has died in Russia after being axed following setbacks in battles.

A former deputy defence minister who was declared a hero of Russia by the Kremlin in 2017, Zhidko was named overall theatre commander and eastern military district commander, leading Russian troops in Kyiv between May and October last year, before his ousting after multiple setbacks.

There has been no official statement on the generals death by Russian military authorities. Some state media reports have suggested Zhidko was battling cancer, while detractors have fuelled speculation of poisoning.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Sands said that as her then-husbands career had taken off, he had become restless, and had later left her to move to California.
A few sometimes choose not to increase council tax at all however - and on this point, the report caveats: The fact that London receives smaller shares of local government and police funding than its shares of need may be less concerning if these gaps reflect choices local policymakers have made to set lower council tax levels than in other parts of the country.
We were pleased to let them know that there was the opportunity to continue working with us should they wish to be considered, and are delighted by the number who have expressed an interest. We will be continuing to employ the same number of front of house staff on the same rates of pay as we currently do.
"We are doing everything in our power to ensure that criminals are brought to justice. We understand the impact of robbery on victims and know that the effects are more than just the loss of property. Robbery is a violent and often traumatising crime, and we remain committed to tackling robbery in all of its forms."
It will stand on the site of SophistiCats, which billed itself as Londons premier gentlemens venue, before it was stripped of its licence after one patron complained of losing 50,000 in just two hours.
But on Saturday in Hamilton while she campaigned with candidate Katy Loudon, Shona Robison said: No, we are standing as the SNP in this constituency, in this by-election, to put forward the SNPs proposition and policies like the Scottish Child Payment and to put a hardworking MP into Westminster to stand up for her constituents and to support and push forward the very progressive policies that the SNP has.
He added: What I think our focus should now be on doing, while of course understanding our history in all its parts and not running away from it, is making sure that we have a society that is inclusive and tolerant of people from all backgrounds.
They have to issue a warrant and there would have to be an ad hoc arrangement between the two countries so they would just make a formal request to Pakistan for the extradition, and it would then be presented in court, it would be what called an accusation warrant.
Detective Mark Chapman, from Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry.
By Friday, an out-of-control fire in southern British Columbia grew more than hundredfold in 24 hours and forced more than 2,400 properties to be evacuated. The fire was centered around Kelowna, a city some 300 kilometres (180 miles) east of Vancouver, with a population of about 150,000.
We do not have superiority in the air, and we do not have modern aircraft. In reality, the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your country, and I believe that the Prime Minister could share this pride with Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said, adding that appropriate actions would be taken in the following weeks to open up the possibility of obtaining the appropriate aircraft.
Ukrainian forces have continued their advance in the south along the course of the Mokri Yaly river, securing the village of Urozhaine in the face of stiff Russian resistance, the UKs Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
Beyond the edible revolution, Le Gavroche was offering a professional one. It was furthering both the restaurant industry and what it meant to be a chef. Suddenly, it was a dignified position, one of aspiration: it required talent and came with prestige. Far from the upstairs-downstairs Britain in which Albert himself had risen, Le Gavroche had become a proving ground for what would become the most important culinary talent of the last 50 years. The cohort of chefs who came through the Le Gavroche kitchens over the decades is mind-boggling. Somewhere a genealogical tree must exist, but for a start, take these names: Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre-White, Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Jun Tanaka, Monica Galetti, Rowley Leigh, Paul Rankin, Bryn Williams. They all cut their teeth here. It is a legacy that has changed London forever.
Womens Action Forum

PRESS STATEMENT

WAF Strongly Condemns Mob Violence Against Christian Worship Places & Homes in Jaranwala

17th August 2023: Womens Action Forum (WAF) strongly condemns the mob violence that led to the desecration of the Holy Bible and sacred objects, and burning of churches and homes of Christian citizens in Jaranwala, Faisalabad on 16 August 2023. WAF expresses its unwavering and unequivocal support to Christian citizens that were subjected to the reprehensible attacks that have diminished us as a society and demonstrated that the State is ineffectual in providing even basic security to its citizens, especially non-Muslim religious minorities.

WAF calls for an urgent and fair inquiry into the incident to ascertain the facts that led to the violence and those responsible for it. WAF demands immediate identification, arrest and punishment of all perpetrators and instigators. WAF also demands urgent and comprehensive government support for rebuilding all churches and homes destroyed or damaged by the senseless violence, and compensation for all possessions burnt or looted, e.g. household items and vehicles. WAF demands justice and reparations for all affectees of Jaranwala.

The Jaranwala incident has yet again demonstrated the dismal failure of the State to protect its citizens. WAF demands a prompt, independent and fair inquiry to ascertain government functionaries who failed to carry out their duties to ensure security of the lives, homes, properties and worship places of its citizens and to ensure those found guilty of neglect are punished as per law. The inquiry must be public and its report made publicly available. Moreover, WAF demands action against radical groups, legitimized and politicized with State support, that are responsible for mobilizing violent mobs.

The brutal and shameful attacks in Jaranwala, incited on what appear to be false allegations of blasphemy - since the alleged author is an illiterate sanitary worker - are frighteningly not uncommon. Whipping up vigilante mob frenzy and unleashing unimaginable brutality is becoming increasingly easy  all it takes is an allegation and some announcements, often from mosques. The barbarity with which Mashal Khan was lynched in Mardan in 2017 and Priyantha Diyawadanage in Sialkot in 2022 on false allegations of blasphemy are chilling confirmations of the abysmal descent of our society. Equally horrifying are the frequent incidents of vicious intolerance against religious minorities in which worship places and homes have been destroyed, for example, Shanti Nagar in 1997, Sangla Hill in 2005, Gojra in 2009, Kot Radha Kishan-Kasur in 2014 and Joseph Colony in 2013. The situation has become further inflammed by online hate speech and prevalence of unchecked disinformation which has made it even easier to propagate hatred against minorities. WAF calls on all citizens and civil society organizations to counter these narratives of hate and intolerance that are tearing apart our social fabric and turning us into a barbaric mob.

Pending reopening and review of the 8th Constitutional Amendment (1985), WAF demands an urgent review of the process and procedures dealing with all allegations of blasphemy - founded or unfounded. WAF reiterates the demand for urgent implementation of the landmark SCP judgement (2014), rendered by then-CJP, Hon. J. Tassaduq Hussain Jillani. Also for implementation of recommendations of the Gojra Judicial Inquiry Report, Government of Punjab (2009). If these demands are not met, Jaranwala will not be the last barbaric atrocity against our minorities.
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Justice Minister Alina Gorghiu announced that the Integrated Register of Receivables from Crime - ROARMIS will become operational this year.

''In Romania, over the years, the recovery of damages has been a mere desideratum. The focus has been on convicting the individuals concerned, but recovering the damage has left much to be desired. (...) An important step has already been taken. (...) A computer application called ROARMIS has been created, which stands for the Integrated Register of Receivables from Crime, which will become operational this year and which includes data and information to be able to identify the asset, to be able to see which is the authority that ordered the insurance measure and the type of crime that was the basis for the issuing of the order, the decision to establish the seizure, etc. So it will basically be an application that will make the debt recovery process more transparent and we will be able to generate reliable statistics for the follow-up of the debt recovery process," said Gorghiu.

According to her, the state must make every effort to recover damages resulting from crimes, "because not recovering them affects the whole society.", agerpres reports.

Present on Friday in Braila, she discussed with magistrates and lawyers.''The judges and prosecutors in Braila are successfully managing their work, despite the shortage of staff. For this achievement they deserve all congratulations. We are focused on what we can do better! With the lawyers in Braila, we also tackled my favourite subject: legal education in schools. I also resonate with concerns about the possible over-taxation of income from the liberal professions. Such a measure means the death of these professions. I will continue to support them with everything I can, as Minister of Justice," she wrote on Facebook.At the end, Alina Gorghiu visited the Braila-Tichilesti detention centre.''The National Administration of Penitentiaries puts great emphasis on the re-education programmes for convicts, especially when it comes to minors and young people. Sadly, about 70% of the young people detained here have committed crimes involving violence. I respect the prison officers for the efforts they make every day to ensure that these young people are re-educated and, when appropriate, reintegrated into society,'' she added.
Chairman of the People's Movement Party (PMP) Eugen Tomac said on Saturday, at the National Conference of the Right Force party, that "a great injustice" being done to Romanians is the refusal to be accepted into the Schengen area.

"A great injustice that is being done to us, Romanians, is the refusal to be accepted in the Schengen area, in the borderless area of the European Union. We are not fighting with demagoguery, we are fighting with the legal instruments we have at our disposal. That is why we have opened a lawsuit at the Court of Justice of the European Union against the Council of the European Union, where we will condemn Austria for this abuse of rights. We are 20 million Romanian citizens who deserve to enjoy freedom of movement alongside other European citizens. We have another objective in which I believe a lot, just like your Chairman, Mr Orban, and that is the union of the Republic of Moldova with Romania," said Tomac, agerpres reports.

He expressed his belief that the Right will be able to "write history" in the elections next year.

"The Right means respect for the law. The Right does not question our attachment to the European Union. The right does not question our status within NATO. (...) Although it seems impossible, although it seems very difficult, I am convinced that in 2024 we can write history. (...) We have to show the PSD [Social Democratic Party] and the annexes created that Romania cannot remain prey to these miserable games. The prospect of a union of Right-wing forces puts them against the ropes. (...) We must not fight only for our political objectives. Romania should not be reported only to what we have in the country, because we have more than 5 million Romanian citizens in the European Union," said the PMP leader.During Saturday's meeting of the Right Force party, the party's political strategy for 2024, the main directions of the government programme and the calendar of the party's internal elections will be presented and adopted.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri's leading cannabis trade association has pushed back against regulators' moves to bar the sale of thousands of products as part of the state's ongoing investigation into "potential product safety concerns."

Andrew Mullins, executive director of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association, in an Aug. 12 letter to the Division of Cannabis Regulation, asked that the state lift holds on products connected to three licensees the division had suspended.

The Aug. 12 letter stood in contrast to previous communications by Mullins, who weeks before had alerted the state to potential inversion  the inclusion of illegal or unregulated cannabis into the legal market  and forwarded Missouri officials an industry alert the trade association had issued to its members.

The apparent shift by MoCannTrade  whose alerts are referenced in the supporting documents for a licensee's recent suspension  is drawing attention as marijuana retailers across the state have been barred from selling thousands of marijuana products as a result of the ongoing state investigation.

One of the companies entangled in the state probe, Conte, which described itself as a platinum member of MoCannTrade, blasted the trade association for its reports to the state.

"Conte believes the role of the trade association is to provide support and resources; and not traffic in industry gossip," a company spokesperson said.

Mullins told the state on June 30, roughly five months after legal sales began, that the group believed production was still catching up with demand and that wholesale products were in short supply.

"This is an environment that tends to breed shortcuts and bad actors," he said. He sent along an industry alert about inversion the group had issued to licensees.

On July 26, Mullins forwarded a solicitation from an Oklahoma company called Oklahoma Bio Refineries, which was offering "100% legal Hemp Derived D9 distillate" to Missouri clients on a weekly delivery schedule.

"Please provide us with an update on if there have been any investigations or findings based on inversion concerns," Mullins said.

An update  though apparently not the one Mullins was looking for  came during the week of Aug. 2, when state cannabis regulators began placing products on hold and announced the suspension of three licensees over "potential product safety concerns."

The identities of two suspended licensees have not been revealed by the state, but one of the licensees, Delta Extraction LLC, is challenging its immediate suspension at the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission.

Mullins' alerts are referenced in documents supporting the state's case.

Delta Extraction has said it used hemp-derived THCa from out-of-state in products for Conte, which it contends had been allowed under previous state regulations.

The state has said the outside materials were never allowed in state-regulated marijuana products.

During a Monday hearing on the suspension order on Monday, Chuck Hatfield, attorney for Delta Extraction, disputed there was a threat to public health warranting the suspension, noting all final marijuana products must pass state-approved testing prior to hitting dispensary shelves.

But Brittany Kirkweg, deputy director for compliance and enforcement for the cannabis division, said Missouri-required tests are designed specifically for products produced in a regulated setting.

The state's mandatory testing "does not include any potential contaminants that may come from product that's manufactured or grown outside of our system," she said.

Mullins sided with Hatfield on this point, not the state, in his Aug. 12 letter to officials, saying the MoCannTrade organization believed all finished, packaged products that were on hold "have successfully passed the state's lab testing requirements that determine if cannabis products in Missouri are safe for consumption.

"Therefore, we are respectfully asking DCR to immediately remove the administrative hold on all finished products," he said.

"Doing so would not jeopardize the department's ongoing investigation of the three licensees," Mullins said.

Rachael Herndon, chief operations officer of Delta Extraction, testified Monday that the price of wholesale distillate had tripled since the state suspended the company.

A product recall list issued by the state contains more than 60,000 rows of data, and includes marijuana-infused gummies, vape cartridges and infused pre-rolls.

Delta Extraction would send products to other manufacturing facilities for further production, meaning product made there was spread throughout the state.

Herndon said the state had been aware of Delta's processes, and that she was "baffled" by the state's actions.

She said that upon full legalization in February, "production obviously scaled to meet that demand as much as we possibly could.

"In the last six months, we have sold over $12 million worth of distillate," Herndon said. "A lot of those products that use our distillate are leading products on the market, un disputably."

"People continue to ask for them and have confusion as to why they apparently aren't safe, according to DCR," she said.

On Wednesday, Delta Extraction sued the DHSS and its Division of Cannabis Regulation in Cole County Circuit Court, asking a judge to block the state's mandatory recall, unless the state "provides evidence that Delta's products pose a threat or potential threat to the health and safety of qualifying patients and customers."

Jack Suntrup 573-556-6186

@JackSuntrup on Twitter jsuntrup@post-dispatch.com
The ladies parlor of Christopher and Kim Perrys home on Lindell Boulevard is a time capsule created a dozen decades ago when St. Louis was getting ready to host the 1904 Worlds Fair across the street in Forest Park.

The oval room still glows in all of its gilded glory, a showcase of turn-of-the-20th-century wealth, just as Marian Green, the wife of St. Louis industrialist James B. Green, intended in 1902.

The ladies parlor and tea room are the most original in the house, says Kim Perry, who keeps a thick binder documenting the homes history. The wallpaper and paint are original. All the gold trim. The oil painting mural on the ceiling. Not touched, except cleaned.

Those two rooms are a marvel, but so is the rest of the 15,000-square-foot mansion that the Perrys, who are both physicians, bought in 2001. They have been carefully renovating the home, preserving original materials and design whenever and wherever possible.

Its a piece of history  a work in progress, she says. We just love it.

Green, who founded the Laclede Fire Brick Manufacturing Co. in 1869 in what is now Dogtown, amassed a fortune making the bricks used to build the growing city. While fairgoers could learn all about his wares at an exhibit in the Palace of Manufactures, this mansion was all about Marian Greens wishes.

The Greens commissioned prominent St. Louis architect William Albert Swasey to design the impressive four-story residence, which cost about $80,000 to build, the equivalent of nearly $3 million today.

The Greens lived in nearby Washington Terrace and used their new state-of-the-art home to lodge  and impress  ambassadors and dignitaries coming to St. Louis for the fair, Perry says. Money was no object.

The house was not only spacious and lavishly decorated, it was among the first in the city to have both gas and electricity. The availability of electricity allowed for some innovative design features, including the ceiling in the dining room that incorporates dozens of lightbulbs, instead of a chandelier, to give the sense of dining under the stars.

The homes grand staircase could serve as a movie set with its polished wood and elegant red carpet tucked under a sweeping stained-glass dome.

This was Marians project, Kim Perry says. She loved the house so much they moved here after the fair. But she passed away in 1905 and didnt get to enjoy it.

The Perrys are the fourth family to own the home. Descendants of the Greens kept it in their family until 1960.

The mansion had been empty for a number of years and needed critical repairs to the roof, leaky basement and nonworking kitchen. But Chris Perry, who loves history, fell in love with it.

My husband bought the house without me seeing it with the contingency that I would approve it, she says, smiling. I had just finished a shift in the ER, and he called and said, Youve got to see this mansion downtown.

The couple sold the home they had just finished renovating in Frontenac and used the profits to begin restoring Marian Greens dream house on Lindell.

Kim Perry jokingly refers to the project as a 25-year plan. Twenty-two years in, there is still work to be done. They recently had St. Louis stained glass experts Emil Frei and Associates replace the original dome, which was beyond repair.

The Perrys are now putting finishing touches on the refurbished ballroom in the basement of the house. And, she points out, three of the homes five bathrooms  some with original fixtures  are on their never-ending to-do list.

They take a hands-on approach to projects, doing as much as they can themselves.

We do a lot of DIY, she said. We clean. We scrub. I like to get my hands dirty.

Kim Perry is originally from Rhode Island and came to Missouri for medical school. After her parents moved to St. Louis, they enjoyed helping with the restoration, she said. Her father tinkered with the servant call box and got it working again.

The house is comfortably furnished, with family treasures displayed as thoughtfully as historical artifacts: Perrys wedding gown and bouquet in one bedroom, family musical instruments in another room. In the mens front parlor, she affectionately displays her fathers intricate Lego creations  a floral bouquet and a typewriter.

We decorated ourselves, one room at a time, she says.

Thats meant going to auctions or online markets to mix antiques and period pieces along with new furniture. Five of the homes 12 bedrooms are decorated in themes to honor the ambassadors from Italy, France, Egypt, Sweden and the United States who stayed in them during the fair.

As busy as she is, Perry cleans the home herself, partly to ensure that treasured historical details continue to be preserved.

Im the only one who cleans this house, so dont look too closely, she says, laughing. One floor a week, and then I start over.
Early on the evening of the longest day of 2021  still light at 7:30  all hell broke loose in front of a candy store in the Greater Ville neighborhood of north St. Louis. Three men were killed and three wounded.

It was a chaotic scene, to say the least, testified homicide Detective Scott Paiva when the case  or part of it  made it to court this week. Dianthony Lake, who was wounded on that June night, was on trial for the murder of Kevin Page.

Early in the investigation, Lake had made a videotaped statement to Paiva. He told the detective he had gone to the store with a friend and was there when the shooting started. He said he did not have a weapon. That turned out to be only partially true. Lake did not have a weapon when he arrived, but in a tussle that preceded the shootout, he grabbed a gun from Pages waistband.

Unbeknownst to Lake, there were several cameras in the vicinity, and Paiva had already viewed the tapes. They clearly showed Lake with a gun. When confronted with this fact, Lake changed his story and said he had picked up a gun during the fight, but it was unloaded so he had not shot anybody. Thats not what the cameras say, said Paiva, and Lake changed his story again. He only shot at a couple of people and it was in self-defense.

He was charged with murder.

Despite the existence of the tapes, much about the shootout remains unclear. There were two groups of men. Or were there three? Some had their faces covered. Who were these men? They werent all youngsters. Page was 40, and fellow homicide victims O.J. Pernell and Charlie Anderson were 44 and 31. Lake was 29. Old to be gang-bangers, right?

The case against Lake went nowhere during Kim Gardners tenure as circuit attorney but was aggressively pushed along by the new boss, Gabriel Gore, who has been trying to clear a huge backlog. He has filled a depleted staff with veteran prosecutors who signed on for the Great Mission of restoring the citys criminal justice system. The most veteran of these veterans is Gordon Ankney. He was Missouri Prosecutor of the Year in 1982. He went on to have a fine career as a civil litigator, but he last prosecuted a criminal case in 1985.

This was before cameras, before widespread use of DNA. When prosecutors of that era used to make their pitches to juries, theyd often admit to an imperfect case. I wish my witnesses were of higher character. I wish I could show you a movie of exactly what happened. But criminals dont associate with good people, and there are no such movies.

Now there often are.

Ankney was assigned the Lake case. His second chair was Grant Simon, a young prosecutor who started with Gardner, resigned and has come back.

It is fortunate for the state that it is not required to supply a motive. Who did what matters. Why does not. So motive was not supplied. One of the victims relatives who was not a witness and did not want to be identified in the newspaper said the dispute had to do with ownership of the candy store and that involved a woman, and it seemed to me  and must have seemed to the prosecution  that motive would only muddy the waters. The key pieces of evidence were the videotape of Lakes untruthul statements to the detective and the surveillance tapes that seemed to show the defendant rushing toward the victim and pointing a gun at him in a way that fit exactly with the entry and exit wounds of which the medical examiner had testified.

Public defender Josh Lohn, who was assisted by Alexa Hillery, looked at those same surveillance tapes and saw something else entirely. First of all, Lohn saw a man who at the first sense of trouble  just seconds before things went crazy  carried one little girl and guided another into the relative safety of the candy store. His priority was saving life that day.

But that came in closing argument.

First came the defense case. Lake testified. Usually, the defense doesnt want to expose their guy to cross-examination, but the jury had already seen Lake lie to the detective. How could he hurt himself further? He told the jury he shot at some guys who shot at him, and when he noticed his friend, Anderson, fighting with Page, he rushed over to help. Page wrestled Andersons gun away, and aimed it at Lake, said Lake. Only then did he fire.

In cross, Ankney pointed out that the tapes seemed at odds with much of Lakes story. You were lying as fast as you can talk, he said. No sir, said Lake.

Then Ankney gave the first closing argument he has given in 38 years. He used notes. He did not shoot for flamboyance. He reminded the jury of Medical Examiner Kanayo Tatsumis testimony that Page had been flat on his back when he was shot in the chest. Ankney stopped the tape at a point in which Lake stood over Page and pointed the gun down at him. There was no audio.

Lohn was much more dramatic. He spoke slowly, as if he were thinking aloud. It is easy, he said, to understand why Lake would get confused when talking to the detective. Not only was he scared to be talking to the police, but things had happened so fast. Anderson was killed. Page was killed. Lake himself was shot. How would anybody remember events precisely?

As Ankney had done, Lohn walked the jury through the surveillance tapes. He showed the moment when Lake, gun in hand, rushed toward Page and Anderson.

In the haze of gunfire, bullets flying indiscriminately, smell of gunpowder still in the air, Mr. Lake chose to run to the aid of his friend. A meaningful pause. Greater love hath no man.

I suspect the words read more overwrought than they sounded in the courtroom. Lake did rush to the aid of a friend. Also, under current Missouri law, self-defense can be interpreted broadly. If the state doesnt encourage its citizens to shoot each other, it doesnt push too hard against the idea. Did Lake think he was in danger? I mean, there was a shootout. Maybe this case wasnt the slam-dunk it appeared to me.

I was sitting close to the jurors, but they were impossible to read. I wondered what Lake was thinking. Lohn made it sound like he deserved a Bronze Star. Did he believe that?

The victims small entourage did not. In the hallway afterward, they said they thought the case had gone pretty well. They thought the surveillance tapes were clear.

Ankney told them he did not expect a quick verdict. There is a lot of evidence to consider, he said. He shrugged.

The following day, the jury convicted Lake of voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Even in this era of ubiquitous cameras, you never know.
CLAYTON  St. Louis Countys jail chief will retire next month, the county announced on Friday.

Justice Services Director Scott Anders, 58, said he is leaving to handle ongoing family health issues.

County Executive Sam Page appointed Doug Burris, 61, who preceded Anders in the job, to serve until the county finds a new director.

Under Scotts leadership, the culture at the Justice Center has continued to improve, Page said in a prepared statement. He has expanded job training programs and provided college-credit courses for residents so that they have a better chance of success once they leave our care. I wish Scott and his wife, Tracy, a happy retirement.

Anders last day will be Sept. 17, although he will continue to work part-time as needed following his retirement. This will allow him to continue working on projects he started while spending more time with his family, he said.

Anders departure is the latest in a tumultuous period at the jail that began in 2019 following a series of inmate deaths.

From early 2019 through fall 2022, the jail had six different directors. Burris took over in September 2020 and retired in October 2021, when Anders was appointed.

Anders successfully petitioned the County Council for pay raises at the jail, and pushed for additional hires. A year after he started, the jail hosted its first polling place so eligible people awaiting trial could vote. He also oversaw the addition of tablets for detainees, new college classes, job training and assistance with enrolling in health coverage when a person leaves the jail.

Most recently, he has been working on expanding mental health services for detainees. He said the jail will be fully staffed by the end of the month after it implemented hiring incentives and convinced the County Council to add 16 new guard positions.

Theres still a lot to accomplish, Anders said. Im looking forward to continuing to help with that, just not on a full-time basis.

But there were also complaints and controversies under his tenure. In November, a person assaulted a jail officer who was supervising at least 65 maximum security inmates by herself.

A supervisor who didnt want to be named for fear of retaliation told the Post-Dispatch following the attack that jail staff were ignoring a policy requiring two guards to be on duty per housing unit. The supervisor also said the assault could be blamed partly on staff shortages.

Also under Anders watch, jail supervisors circulated a form asking guards to sign off on working alone in violation of the policy.

Then there was a broken sprinkler and a mattress set on fire earlier this year, triggering criminal investigations.

Despite the problems, a majority of staff were happy with Anders management of the jail and its roughly 300 workers, said Doug Moore, a spokesman for the county executive.

The overwhelming majority of the staff is happy with the leadership and happy with the way the jail operates, Moore said.

Anders earned a $150,500 salary, and Burris salary will be the same.
ISLAMABAD  When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Shukria Sediqi knew her days in safety were numbered. As a journalist who advocated for womens rights, shed visited shelters and safe houses to talk to women who had fled abusive husbands. She went with them to court when they asked for a divorce.

According to the Taliban, who bar women from most public places, jobs and education, her work was immoral.

So when the Taliban swept into her hometown of Herat in western Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. was pulling out of the country, she and her family fled, eventually making their way to Pakistan.

The goal? Resettling in the U.S. via an American government program set up to help Afghans at risk under the Taliban because of their work with the U.S. government, media and aid agencies.

But two years after the U.S. left Afghanistan, Sediqi and tens of thousands of others are still waiting. While there has been some recent progress, processing U.S. visas for Afghans has moved painfully slowly.

Many of the applicants who fled Afghanistan are running through savings, living in limbo in exile. They worry that the U.S., which had promised so much, has forgotten them.

What happens to my children? What happens to me? Sediqi asked. Nobody knows.

During two decades in Afghanistan after its 2001 invasion, the U.S. relied on Afghans helping the U.S. government and military. Afghan journalists went to work at a growing number of media outlets. Afghans were the backbone of aid programs providing everything from food to tutoring.

Since 2009, the U.S. has had a special immigrant visa program to help Afghans like interpreters who worked directly with the U.S. government and the military.

Then, in the waning days of the U.S. presence in the country, the Biden administration created two new programs for refugees, expanding the number of Afghans who could apply to resettle in the U.S. The visas, known as P-1 and P-2, are for aid workers, journalists or others who didnt work directly for the U.S. government but who helped promote goals like democracy and an independent media that put them at risk under the Taliban.

The American airlift in August 2021 carried more than 70,000 Afghans to safety, along with tens of thousands of Americans and citizens of other countries  plane after plane loaded with the lucky ones who managed to make their way through the massive crowds encircling Kabul airport.

But many more are still waiting. There are about 150,000 applicants to the special immigrant visa programs  not including family members. A report by the Association of Wartime Allies said at the current rate it would take 31 years to process them all.

Separately, there are 27,400 Afghans who are in the pipeline for the two refugee programs created in the waning days of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, according to the State Department. That doesnt include family members, which potentially adds tens of thousands more. But since the U.S. left Afghanistan its only admitted 6,862 Afghan refugees, mostly P-1 and P-2 visa applicants, according to State Department figures.

In June, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. has relocated about 24,000 Afghans since September 2021, apparently referring to all the resettlement programs combined.

Among the refugee program applicants are about 200 Associated Press employees and their families, as well as staff of other American news organizations.

Krish OMara Vignarajah, president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said the U.S. refugee process in general can be agonizingly slow, and waits of as long as 10 years are common. Furthermore, former U.S. President Donald Trump gutted the refugee system.

Many applicants ended up in Pakistan  one of the few countries that allows Afghans in  only to discover the U.S. was not processing refugee applications there. That changed late last month when the State Department said it would begin limited processing of applications in Pakistan.

The State Department declined an AP request for an interview but said in a statement it is committed to processing Afghan refugee visas. In June, Blinken applauded the efforts that have gone into helping Afghans resettle in America but emphasized the work continues.

Left with little information, Afghans in Pakistan compare what they hear about their cases in group chats and organize social media protests demanding swifter U.S. action.

Enayatullah Omid and his wife are among those waiting.

In 2011, Omid started a radio station in Baghlan province with the help of the U.S.-based media training nonprofit Internews and funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was the stations general manager but did everything from reporting on-air to sweeping the floors at night.

When the Taliban entered Baghlan on Aug. 9, 2021, Omid said he did one last thing: He burned documents to keep the Taliban from identifying his staff. Then he and his wife fled.

They stayed at shelters arranged by a committee to protect Afghan journalists until the Taliban shut them down.

Internews referred Omid to the U.S. refugee program in April 2022. Told he had to leave Afghanistan for his case to proceed, Omid and his wife went to Pakistan in July 2022.

Even in Pakistan Omid doesnt feel safe. Worried about the Talibans reach, hes moved three times. He said America has a saying: Leave no one behind.

We want them to do it. It shouldnt be only a saying for them, he said.

UN: Afghanistan is world's most repressive country for women
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 18, 2023 / EMPOWER CLINICS INC (CSE:EPW)(OTC PINK:EPWCF) ("Empower" or the "Company") an integrated healthcare company with a developing research and clinical trials division announces various corporate updates.

CEASE TRADE ORDER

On August 15th, 2023 the British Columbia Securities Commission ("BCSC") issued a bulletin announcing Empower is suspended pursuant to CSE Policy 3. The suspensions are considered Regulatory Halts as defined in National Instrument 23-101 Trading Rules and accordingly a Cease Trade Order has been put in place on the Canadian Securities Exchange.

The Regulatory Halt is a result of the Company currently being late to file its adjusted year end financials as at March 31, 2023.

ACCOUNTING AND AUDIT STATUS

Audit procedures commenced at the conclusion of the adjusted year end for the Company. In recent weeks while the Company was arranging for additional working capital, our external accounting group and auditors had to pause certain portions of the audit procedures until such time as payment of professional fees could resume. With new budgets established audit processes have recommenced.

Steven McAuley, Chairman & CEO of Empower commented, "We have all been aware of the broader market challenges many issuers have been facing, and we at Empower have been impacted throughout our divisions and in corporate operations. He continues, "I am personally extremely disappointed to be in this position having to overcome audit challenges that directly impact shareholders ability to trade. We have no choice but to work diligently on the requirements and get the cease trade order lifted as soon as we can. We are committed to provide regular updates on our progress, and I thank all shareholders and followers for your patience."

KAI MEDICAL LABORATORY LLC

The Company previously announced Kai Medical Laboratory LLC ("Kai") has ceased operations at its facility in Dallas, TX. and filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in the United States Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Texas on May 3, 2023. The Company recently received the Trustee's Report of No Distribution confirming liabilities scheduled to be discharged without payment in the amount of $2,389,757.27 USD.

The Company also announces that it entered into a debt settlement agreement with creditors on August 14th, 2023 for the settlement of debt in the aggregate amount of $80,000 CAD, which was settled through the issuance of an aggregate of 2,000,000 common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a "Share") at a deemed issue price of $0.04 per Share considered (the "Debt Settlement").

All Shares issued pursuant to the debt settlement have been issued with no hold period with prior written consent of the Canadian Securities Exchange. None of the Shares will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and none may be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

This press release is available on the Empower Clinics Verified Forum on AGORACOM for shareholder discussion, questions, and engagement with management https://agoracom.com/ir/EmpowerClinics

To get enhanced access to investor information about Empower Clinics, please visit the download page to get your Empower Clinics Investor Experience Wallet Pass today.

ABOUT EMPOWER:

Empower is an integrated healthcare company with multi-disciplinary clinics, a Canadian medical device company and has launched two clinical research sites becoming a Site Management Organization (SMO) with six principal investigators (PI) with multiple clinical trials under application. Empower has announced its intention to create a proposed spinout with a focus on healthcare AI to support identification, recruitment, and onboarding of clinical trial patients.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Steven McAuley

Chief Executive Officer

CONTACTS:

Media:

Steven McAuley CEO

[email protected]

+1 604-789-2146

Investors:

Tamara Mason

Business Development & Communications

[email protected]

+1 416-671-5617

DISCLAIMER FOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements can frequently be identified by words such as "plans", "continues", "expects", "projects", "intends", "believes", "anticipates", "estimates", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or information that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the expected size of the Financing, the expected use of proceeds of the Financing, and expected insider participation in the Financing. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions known to management at this time and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, including that the Financing may not be completed on the terms expected or at all, and other factors beyond the Company's control. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this release, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE: Empower Clinics Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:
OTTAWA, Aug. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Red Cross has launched the British Columbia Fires Appeal to help support people impacted by the fires.

Fires are expanding and moving rapidly, as dry and windy conditions persist in the province, threatening communities and forcing people to evacuate their homes.

Donations to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for immediate and ongoing relief, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the fires in British Columbia. Donations may also be used for preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within British Columbia.

Canadians wishing to make a donation to the British Columbia Fires Appeal can do so online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111.

Additional Resources@RedCrossCanada | facebook.com/CanadianRedCross | redcross.ca/blog Red Cross donor inquiries: [email protected] or 1-800-418-1111

About the Canadian Red Cross Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies  the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting them in strengthening their resilience.

MEDIA CONTACTSEnglish Media: 1-877-599-9602French Media: 1-888-418-9111

Source: Canadian Red Cross / Croix-Rouge canadienne
San Francisco, California--(Newsfile Corp. - August 19, 2023) - Author John R. Ball has announced the release of his debut thriller, Blood Will Out, an impressive first foray into mystery and murder. This riveting story combines the nostalgia of classic detective stories with modern heroes, a whip-smart plot, and a truly diabolical villain.





Book cover of Blood Will Out

In Blood Will Out, homicide detectives Reggie Fox and Amy Pierce are assigned to investigate a series of high-profile murders targeting Toronto's most prominent lawyers. Profession aside, the only common clue between the victims is a message scrawled over their beds in blood: Satan's Disciple. With the culprit sure to strike again, Fox and Pierce rush to hunt down a killer as crafty and vengeful as the devil himself.

Written at the age of 80 years old, Ball draws upon decades of experience with the genre. Blood Will Out honors the traditional conventions of classic whodunnits while adding a fresh feel and a memorable twist.

In addition to the complex plot and breakneck pace, Reggie Fox is a nuanced central figure with an intriguing personal background. Fox is supported by a memorable cast of secondary characters, including the tenacious Amy Pierce.

Despite the crowded nature of the mystery and thriller genres, it's clear that John Ball is a name to watch. Blood Will Out is available for purchase on Amazon.com or wherever books are sold.

John Ball is both a mystery author and a lifelong fan of the genre. Originally written as a screenplay around twenty years ago, his son wanted to help him realize his dream of publishing a book. When he isn't writing, he enjoys watching action movies. Ball currently lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, with his family.

Source:

Charlotte Simmons

[email protected]

Dabb Media

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177713
After Serving in the Church at the Highest Levels of Leadership for Almost Forty Years, Pastor James E. Allen Authors a Must-Read Book That's Reshaping Perceptions and Igniting Change

New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 19, 2023) - The literary landscape is ablaze with fervent discussions surrounding the sensational release of Taking Off The Mask's new book "The Hypocrisy of The Church" by acclaimed pastor James E. Allen. This provocative work has swiftly ascended to the pinnacle of public discourse, captivating readers nationwide with its gripping narrative and unflinching examination of one of society's most pervasive issues.





'The Hypocrisy of The Church' by Pastor James E. Allen

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9586/177648_0a98e04db4a1e9d2_001full.jpg

In "The Hypocrisy of The Church," Pastor Allen unearths the distressing underbelly of religious institutions, delving deep into the prevalent hypocrisy that often lurks beneath the surface. Drawing from his own poignant experiences, Pastor Allen spotlights the harrowing impact hypocrisy can have, not only on the individuals ensnared within its grasp, but also on the very fabric of the institution itself. The book artfully peels away the layers to reveal the stark contrast between outward piety and inner struggles, mirroring the very essence of the term "hypocrite" - a mask-wearing actor on life's stage.

The story takes a deeply personal turn as the author courageously shares his own journey of facing condemnation and abandonment from the church community after fathering a child outside of his marriage. Through this raw and authentic account, Pastor Allen illuminates the widespread double standards within the church, where judgment is cast even as concealed transgressions fester. The narrative is an emblematic reflection of the broader hypocrisy that has driven countless individuals away from the church's embrace.

"The Hypocrisy of The Church" is not just a book; it's a rallying cry for transparency, compassion, and inclusivity. With an unwavering voice, Pastor Allen calls for an end to the corrosive culture of hypocrisy that has marred the church's reputation, urging it to reclaim its identity as a sanctuary for all who bear the burdens of human frailty.





Pastor James E. Allen

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/9586/177648_0a98e04db4a1e9d2_002full.jpg

"After seeing so many people hurt and turned off by the hypocrisy of the church, I embraced my assignment to expose the harm that the church is doing to so many people," Pastor Allen asserts. "This is what birthed the riveting book The Hypocrisy of the Church."

To join the conversation and experience the transformative impact of The Hypocrisy of The Church, order your copy now at http://www.takingoffthemask.com. Brace yourself for an enthralling, dynamic, and eye-opening journey reshaping perceptions and igniting a movement of positive change within the church and beyond.

For media inquiries, please contact Taking Off The Mask via email at [email protected] or call 706-687-1111.

***

Media Contact:

Publisher: Taking Off The Mask

Phone: 706-687-1111

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.takingoffthemask.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/177648
Paid press release content from The Financial Capital. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Alex Temiz of day trader education platform My Investing Club (MIC) announces a new series of live streams for day traders of any level.



Alex Temiz, cofounder of day trading education community MIC, announces a new series of live streams during which he will trade the markets in real time. In the course of the streams, Alex intends to cover a wide variety of topics, including fundamental analysis, technical analysis, short selling, risk management, and more.

More details can be found at https://myinvestingclub.com/livetrading/

MIC has also recently extended its professional mentorship services, which are now offered on an unlimited basis for platform members. The platform's founders believe that mentorship is critical to learning advanced techniques, and their goal is to help more day traders become consistently profitable.

The move comes as day trader failure rates are reported to be between 80% and 95%, depending on the source. Successful day traders, such as hedge fund managers, have extensive knowledge and experience that helps them make more informed decisions, a skill which most beginners lack.

With the latest update, the platform offers access to the proprietary processes developed by a team of successful professional day traders, who have over 15 years combined experience. As the team at MIC explains, learning from experience alone can take many years, which is why many day traders quit before they have an opportunity to improve.

It is our mission to mentor and guide as many people as we can to become consistently profitable day traders, Alex Temiz of MIC explains. When we first started, we wished there was someone to help us. We created MIC to help new traders and struggling traders find success, and ultimately, total financial freedom.

The new live streams were developed by platform cofounders Bao Nguyen and Alex Temiz, who are themselves successful professional traders with personal single-day trading records of $1.4 million and $660,000, respectively. The team now supports a rapidly growing community of more than 2,000 members from locations all around the world, with regular in-person meetups also now available.

Interested parties can find more information by visiting https://myinvestingclub.com/livetrading/

Contact Info:

Name: Bradley Tosh

Email: Send Email

Organization: My Investing Club

Address: 979 Story Road STE 7078, San Jose, California 95122, United States

Website: https://myinvestingclub.com



Release ID: 89105280

Should you identify any discrepancies, concerns, or inaccuracies in the content provided in this press release or require assistance with a press release takedown, we strongly urge you to notify us promptly by contacting [email protected]. Our responsive team is committed to addressing your concerns within 8 hours by taking necessary actions to resolve identified issues diligently or guiding you through the necessary steps for removal. Our dedication lies in providing accurate and reliable information.
Sunday celebration to include vendor showcase and storewide 25 percent discount

LOS ANGELES , Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Higher Path Collective today announced the celebration of 10 years in business as a trusted California dispensary. The Sherman Oaks dispensary was founded pre-ICO (before the Medical Marijuana Interim Control Ordinance went into effect) and has persevered past COVID-19, high state excise tax, and recreational legalization, among other challenges. This milestone marks a major achievement for The Higher Path on its mission to provide patients with the knowledge and medicine they need while educating visitors about proper cannabis use as well as alternative health approaches to supplement their medicine.

"We are incredibly proud to be a part of this community and grateful for everyone who has helped us over the last 10 years," said Jerred Kiloh , owner, The Higher Path Collective. "Running any business has its challenges while dispensaries face even greater obstacles. Despite all that we've not only thrived as a neighborhood dispensary but have also led the way in bettering the cannabis industry in California ."

To properly commemorate a decade of business The Higher Path is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration at the dispensary on Sunday August 20 th. Customers will enjoy a 25 percent off discount on all products and receive free admission to a vendor showcase at The Green Room , the event space next door to the dispensary, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A robust selection of special offers will be available during the anniversary celebration including:

A free goody bag with purchases over $100

$1 pre-rolls

pre-rolls $5 eighth ounce quantities of flower, with purchases over $20

The Higher Path dispensary offers a curated assortment of flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, oils, wax, shatter, edibles, and topicals. It was named "Best Dispensary in Los Angeles " in 2016, just three years after its opening.

Jerred Kiloh can be made available for on-camera interviews with the news media upon request and for phone or Zoom-based interviews with select media outlets worldwide.

For more information about The Higher Path, please visit https://thehigherpath.com/.

About The Higher Path Collective

The Higher Path Collective (THP) is a legally licensed and operated recreational marijuana dispensary located in the Sherman Oaks area of Los Angeles, CA. Since opening in 2013, the store's offered a wide selection of high quality and lab-tested products served by attentive and knowledgeable staff in a welcoming atmosphere. Philanthropy and community involvement is highly valued at The Higher Path Collective where In addition to supporting programs like Last Prisoner Project, THP is a member of the chamber of commerce and active in many events across the city.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/los-angeles-dispensary-the-higher-path-to-celebrate-10-year-anniversary-with-special-event-and-savings-301904925.html

SOURCE The Higher Path
FILE PHOTO: Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel meets Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris, France, June 22, 2023. Alejandro Azcuy/Courtesy of Cuban Presidency/Handout via Reuters/Fi

HAVANA (Reuters) - Brazil intends to restore trade and political ties with Cuba, a top foreign policy aide to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday after meeting with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana.

Relations between Brazil and Cuba, which were strong when Lula's leftist Workers Party governed Brazil between 2003 and 2016, deteriorated under far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro.

In 2019, the first year of the Bolsonaro administration, Brazil for the first time voted against an annual United Nations resolution condemning and calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo on Communist-ruled Cuba.

But with Lula back in office since January to serve his third non-consecutive term, Latin America's largest economy has been looking to once again strengthen its ties with the Caribbean island nation.

"We want to make the relationship between Brazil and Cuba one of great friendship," Lula's adviser Celso Amorim said during the trip to Havana.

"That will contribute to peace in our region, and that's the greatest goal of diplomacy, alongside economic growth," said Amorim, who previously served as foreign minister under both Lula and former President Itamar Franco.

Amorim also said that groups of health experts and representatives from Brazil's agricultural sector will soon travel to Cuba.

Cuba was a key part of Brazil's "More Doctors" program, an initiative launched in 2013 that recruited foreign doctors to work mainly in remote areas of the country.

Bolsonaro was a critic of the program and halted it when in power, a decision that led to tension with the Cuban government.

Lula and Diaz-Canel had already held talks in June in Paris, in a meeting the Cuban leader described as "fraternal."

(Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
ALMATY (Reuters) - The death toll from a fire at an ArcelorMittal coal mine in Kazakhstan rose to four after the body of another worker was found, the group's local mining unit ArcelorMittal Temirtau said on Saturday.

The fire broke out at the mine in Kazakhstan's Karaganda region on Thursday. One miner is still missing.

Kazakhstan's authorities have started an investigation into the incident but have not yet given any information on the cause of the fire.

ArcelorMittal Temirtau owns 15 coal and iron ore mines in Kazakhstan and an integrated steel plant.

(Reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva; Editing by David Holmes)
FILE PHOTO: Ecuadorean presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner holds a doll depicting him, next to his running mate Erika Paredes, during their closing campaign, in Guayaquil, Ecuador August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Vicente Gaibor del Pino/File Photo

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) -A shoot-out erupted on Saturday near a restaurant where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner was eating with his family, police and the candidate said, though the violence was not directed at him.

Ecuadoreans head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and legislature after a campaign clouded by the assassination of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio 10 days ago.

"We just suffered a shoot-out in front of the place where I was breakfasting with my family," Sonnenholzner, a pro-market candidate and former vice president said on X, previously called Twitter. "Thank God we're all well but we demand an investigation into what occurred."

A video on social media showed Sonnenholzner greeting a supporter in a sunny restaurant in Guayaquil and preparing to take a selfie, before shots sound outside.

The national police said in a press conference the shoot-out was the result of a chase after a robbery in an exercise clothing store and that five people have been arrested.

Sonnenholzner has hardened his discourse around crime since the murder of Villavicencio, repeatedly promising his supporters that should he be elected, criminals who use violence against citizens will be shot by police.

Fellow presidential candidate Daniel Noboa on Thursday said there was an attack on his campaign caravan in Duran, but police later said the shooting was not directed at Noboa, son of prominent banana businessman and former presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa.

Meanwhile, Francisco Tamariz, the mayor of the coastal city of La Libertad, said on X on Saturday that shots were fired by police on Friday at a truck in which he and his wife were riding.

Police in Santa Elena province said in a press conference three armored cars without official logos avoided a police stop and officers eventually shot to stop the vehicles.

Three people from one of the cars were arrested and two unlicensed firearms were found, police said.

Tamariz said he would complain to the attorney general's office.

The mayor of the Pacific port city of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was murdered in July. The police said on Friday morning they detained four people in his killing.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Grant McCool)
FILE PHOTO: Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei makes a joint statement with his Taiwanese counterpart Tsai Ing-wen (not pictured), at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, in Guatemala City, Guatemala March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria/File Pho

By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Friday evening said he would work to ensure an orderly transition of power to whomever voters elect on Sunday in the final round of a tense presidential election.

The comments address fears of election meddling after an effort to disqualify the front-runner's party ahead of the runoff vote.

"I reiterate the commitment to promote an orderly, transparent and efficient transition process," Giammattei said in an address to the nation.

Bernardo Arevalo, a reformist candidate running on an anti-corruption message, leads former first lady Sandra Torres by a large margin in polls ahead of Sunday's runoff.

Arevalo's surprise second-place finish in June's first round vote provoked calls for recounts by opponents.

A prosecutor then persuaded a court to suspend Arevalo's party, threatening to sideline his bid. Guatemala's top court later reversed the ban.

In an interview published on Monday with online news site El Faro, Arevalo said he expected efforts to dispute his potential victory "from different sectors."

"I have no doubt that between Aug. 20 and (inauguration day) Jan. 14, if we win the election, there will be a good number of attempts to prevent it from happening," Arevalo said.

Giammattei, a conservative, said he would not stay in office "one minute longer" than Jan. 14, the scheduled day to hand over power to the incoming elected government.

Earlier this month, Giammattei met with the Organization of American States chief Luis Almagro and expressed his commitment to ensuring peaceful elections, he said at the time in a post on social media platform X.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle and Sonali Paul)
Samuel, 34, uses binoculars in the village of La Victoria, as wildfires rage out of control on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain (Reuters) -Thousands more people were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Saturday as a wildfire raging in the north of the island remained out of control, but the flames have so far avoided major tourist areas.

The Canary Islands emergency services said more than 26,000 people had been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, according to provisional estimates, a sharp rise from 4,500 on Friday. Some 11 towns are now affected.

Fierce flames lit up the night sky overnight, and on Saturday helicopters were seen dropping water on areas close to homes where smoke was billowing into the air.

The blaze broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous national park around the Mount Teide volcano - Spain's highest peak - amid hot and dry weather.

More evacuations were ordered on Saturday morning due to worsening weather overnight, including a rise in temperatures and stronger winds, regional leader Fernando Clavijo told a press conference.

He said thick smoke was hampering efforts to extinguish the fire from the air.

Some 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) have been burned so far with a perimeter of 50 km (30 miles).

The fire was at a scale that has never been seen before in the Canary Islands, Tenerife Council President Rosa Davila told reporters.

She said the priority was to "protect people's lives".

The blaze has not destroyed any homes so far, she added, citing the fire brigade.

In La Victoria, in the north-west of the island, some people who had been evacuated were receiving medical help.

"The night before we arrived, we had a pretty bad time. Everything was burning... the roofs were full (of ash)," Paulina Fernandez, 58, told Reuters.

A major concern for many evacuees was their animals. Some were forced to leave them at home, while Reuters footage showed others leading their horses to safety.

The island's popular tourist areas have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally.

Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe, including in Spain's La Palma island in July, and Canada. Blazes on Hawaii's Maui island earlier this month killed more than 110 people and wrecked the historic resort city of Lahaina.

Scientists say climate change has led to more frequent and more powerful extreme weather events.

(Reporting by Nacho Doce and Jessica Jones, Writing by Jessica Jones; editing by Clelia Oziel)
A staff worker stands behind the national flags of Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa and India to tidy the flags before a group photo during the BRICS Summit at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center in Xiamen, southeastern China's Fu

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco has not made a formal request to join the BRICS grouping and will not attend its summit in South Africa, state news agency MAP said on Saturday.

Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, MAP denied a statement by South Africa's foreign minister Anil Sooklal who said earlier this month Morocco was among the nations seeking to join the bloc.

"South Africa allowed itself to speak about Morocco's ties with the BRICS without prior consultation," it said.

The group of major emerging economies is now made of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but its potential expansion will be discussed at the summit and South Africa has said more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining.

South Africa's diplomatic support for the Algeria-backed Polisario front, which seeks to establish an independent state in Western Sahara, a territory Morocco considers as its own, has strained relations between the two countries.

Morocco would not attend the BRICS meeting in South Africa, MAP said, adding: "South Africa has in fact always shown a primary hostility towards Morocco and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the Moroccan Sahara issue."

Morocco is attached to a non-divisive multilateralism and has good ties with the rest of BRICS member states, it said.

(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's Defence Ministry reported a flurry of Ukrainian drone attacks on Saturday targeting the regions of Moscow, Novgorod to the northwest of the Russian capital, and Belgorod that borders Ukraine.

It said nobody was hurt in the attacks but said the drone targeting the Novgorod region had damaged a warplane and caused a fire at a military airfield. The Novgorod region lies hundreds of km (miles) from Russia's border with Ukraine.

"As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the parking lot of aircraft, which was quickly eliminated by fire fighters. One aircraft was damaged," the ministry said in a statement.

It later reported that air defence forces had jammed an aircraft-type drone on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, forcing it to crash near the settlement of Putilkovo.

Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased in recent months. One smashed into a building in central Moscow on Friday after Russian air defences shot it down, disrupting air traffic at all civilian airports of the Russian capital.

The Defence Ministry also reported a thwarted attack by an aircraft-type drone on Saturday in the Belgorod region, which now sees such incidents on an almost daily basis. It caused no casualties or damage, the ministry added.

Overnight, Russia's air defence forces also shot down a Ukraine-launched missile over the Crimean peninsula, the Defence Ministry said earlier. Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, has also seen a surge in drone and missile attacks.

Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory or Crimea, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them.

(Reporting by ReutersWriting by Gareth JonesEditing by Frances Kerry and Tomasz Janowski)
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi gestures as he speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) office in Islamabad, Pakistan June 25, 2020. REUTERS/Salahuddin/File photo

By Ariba Shahid

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -Pakistani opposition leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi was detained on Saturday, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said, just hours after he said it would challenge any delay to the country's election in the courts.

Party spokesman Zulfi Bukhari told Reuters the specific reason for the detention of Qureshi, twice Pakistan's foreign minister, was not immediately clear. The caretaker information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bukhari condemned the arrest on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, saying he was "arrested for doing a press conference and re affirming PTI stance against all tyranny and pre poll rigging that is going on currently in Pakistan".

PTI party chairman Imran Khan is currently jailed for three years after being convicted on graft charges and is barred from contesting any election for five years. He denies any wrongdoing. Khan won the last election in 2018 and became prime minister until he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022.

The election is meant to be held within 90 days of parliament being dissolved last week, by November, but uncertainty looms over the date as the nation grapples with constitutional, political and economic crises.

The outgoing government approved a new census in its final days, meaning new electoral boundaries must be drawn up by the Election Commission.

The exercise of drawing fresh boundaries for hundreds of federal and provincial constituencies in a country of 241 million people may take six months or more, according to a former commission official.

IMF BAILOUT

The election commission said on Thursday that new constituencies would be finalised by Dec. 14, state television reported. After that, the commission will confirm an election date.

Electoral experts have suggested that process could see the nationwide vote pushed back several months, possibly until February.

"It will be unconstitutional if the 90 days deadline is breached," Qureshi, who is leading the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, following Khans arrest, told the press conference.

He said the party planned to contest any delay at the Supreme Court.

Political analysts say that if the current caretaker set-up stretches beyond its constitutional tenure, a prolonged period without an elected government would allow the military, which ruled the country directly for more than three decades of its 76-year existence, to consolidate control.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, a little-known politician who is believed to be close to the military, was sworn in as prime minister on Monday.

Caretakers are usually limited to overseeing elections, but Kakar's set-up is the most empowered in Pakistan's history thanks to legislation that allows it to make policy decisions on economic matters.

The move is ostensibly aimed at keeping on track a nine-month $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout secured in June. At least one of three programme reviews falls during the caretaker period, and more if elections are delayed.

(Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Toby Chopra and Alison Williams)
A view shows a site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Ukraine August 19, 2023. National Police/Handout via REUTERS

By Valentyn Ogirenko

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Seven people including a 6-year-old girl were killed, 144 wounded, and 41 were in hospital after a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.

"I am sure our soldiers will give a response to Russia for this terrorist attack," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, delivered early on Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden. "A notable response."

He said that of the 144 people injured, 15 were children, and named the girl killed as Sofia. Fifteen others were police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram. Klymenko said most of the victims were in vehicles, crossing the road, or returning from church.

Regional governor Viacheslav Chaus said 41 people were in hospital on Saturday.

Zelenskiy said the strike on Chernihiv, a city of leafy boulevards and centuries-old churches about 145 km (90 miles) north of Kyiv, coincided with the Orthodox holiday of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Debris was scattered across a square in front of the damaged theatre and surrounding buildings, where parked vehicles were heavily damaged. A 63-year-old who only gave her first name, Valentyna, showed the damaged balcony in her apartment opposite the theatre.

"It is horrific. Horrific. There were wounded, ambulances and broken glass in here. Nightmare. Just nightmare," she said.

The roof of the neoclassical theatre was torn off by the strike.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian cities far from the frontline with missiles and drones as part of the full-scale invasion that began in February 2022.

People leaving church and others passing by were among those hurt when the missile hit the theatre, where a meeting was taking place, Chaus said.

Law enforcement agencies were looking into how Russians became aware of the event, which he said included business and community representatives but Ukrainian media reported involved drone manufacturers. Both sides have widely used drones on the battlefield.

An event organizer said all the participants, including engineers, members of the military and volunteers, were asked to go to an air raid shelter in the theatre when the alarm sounded, but some people went outside.

"All those who took shelter remained safe," Maria Berlinska, a co-founder of the Dignitas Fund, whose fundraising includes money for drones for the frontline, said in a Facebook post.

A wounded woman said her friend pulled her out of one of the damaged buildings after a part of the ceiling fell on her head.

The streets were stained with blood trails and strewn with scraps from first-aid supplies that had been used to treat the wounded.

(Additional reporting and writing by Dan Peleschuk and Nick Starkov in Kyiv and Elaine Monaghan in Washington; Editing by Frances Kerry, Alison Williams and Grant McCool)
BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - At least seven children were killed in eastern Congo on Saturday after a fire broke out at camp for people displaced by flooding, local official Thomas Bakenga said.

Hundreds of families had been living in makeshift huts at the refuge in the town of Kalehe since May, when devastating floods destroyed their homes in the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in South Kivu province.

The children killed in the fire were aged between one and five, while four adults were in a critical condition in hospital, Kalehe territorial administrator Bakenga told Reuters.

The deaths bring further tragedy to a community still grieving the loss of at least 460 people in the floods. Overall, close to 9,000 people were impacted by the disaster, which saw flood waters bury buildings in mud and cut off roads.

(Reporting by Crispin Kyala; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Alison Williams)
Israeli troops check cars at a checkpoint near a shooting scene in Huwara in the Israeli-occupied West Bank August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

NEAR HUWARA, West Bank (Reuters) -A suspected Palestinian gunman shot dead two Israelis in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the Israeli military said, in a flashpoint area that has seen escalating violence for months.

The two men, a father and son, were shot at close range at a car wash in the Palestinian village of Huwara, according to Israel's public broadcaster Kan.

The Israeli military said it was searching the area for the assailant and had set up roadblocks in the vicinity of the attack. Israel's ambulance service confirmed two people had died in the shooting.

The area of Huwara in the northern West Bank has been the scene of previous deadly attacks on Israelis and retribution assaults by Jewish settlers against Palestinians, including a rampage in that village in February.

Violence in the West Bank has worsened over the past 15 months with frequent Israeli raids and Palestinian street attacks.

Prospects of reviving U.S.-brokered peace talks that aimed to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, remain dim almost a decade after their collapse.

Israel captured the West Bank in a 1967 war and has since built dozens of settlements there that are considered illegal by most countries, a view Israel disputes, with its military in full control of more than half the territory.

The Palestinians have limited self-rule in the West Bank and remain split between a Western-backed administration and armed Hamas Islamists who reject coexistence with Israel, while many in Israel's current government reject Palestinian statehood.

Hamas and other armed groups praised the Huwara attack on Saturday.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem, Raneen Sawafta near Huwara and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Editing by Toby Chopra and David Holmes)
Thousands of young Nigeriens gather as they heed call to sign up as non-military volunteers to back up the junta in the capital Niamey, Niger August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mahamadou Hamidou

By Boureima Balima and Abdel-Kader Mazou

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Supporters of Niger's junta were forced on Saturday to halt a census of people willing to volunteer for non-military roles in defence against a possible intervention by West African powers, saying they had been overwhelmed by the numbers who turned up.

Thousands of mostly young men had massed outside a stadium in the capital Niamey hours before the scheduled start-time of the event - a sign of the strong support in some quarters for the junta, which has defied international pressure to stand down after the July 26 ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum.

"In all our calculations and our understandings, we never thought we could mobilize (this number of people)," said Younoussa Hima, co-organiser of the initiative dubbed "The Mobilisation of Young People for the Fatherland."

"So it is really difficult for us today to do this work. That is what made us halt this census," Hima said by the stadium after the crowds dispersed.

West Africa's main regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), on Friday said it had agreed an undisclosed "D-Day" for a possible military intervention if diplomatic efforts fail - an escalation that could further destabilise a conflict-torn and impoverished region.

Organisers of the Niamey recruitment drive said they did not intend to sign up volunteers for the army, but rather to gather a list of people willing to lend their civilian skills in case ECOWAS attacks.

But many of those around the stadium appeared keen to fight.

POSSIBLE ATTACK

"They called on the youth to respond to a possible attack on our soil. And we are ready for any attack," said blogger Tahirou Seydou Abdoul Nassirou.

"My life, I give my life to my country," he said, wiping a tear from his eye as other young men nodded and cheered his words.

An ECOWAS delegation flew into Niamey on Saturday to hold talks with the junta, showing that efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully are still underway.

The level of support for the junta across Niger has been hard to assess, but thousands attended a previous rally at the stadium on Aug. 11 and applauded coup leaders' vow to stand up to the bloc.

At the stadium on Saturday, 35-year-old Kader Haliou said patriotism was not the only motivation for those wanting to help the junta.

"Most of the young people who have come are unemployed. Getting registered is a blessing for us given the idleness and lack of work," he said.

The coup and subsequent international sanctions have piled extra pressure on Niger's struggling economy. It is one of the world's least developed countries with more than 40% of the population living in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.

(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by David Holmes)
By Dan Peleschuk and Supantha Mukherjee

KYIV/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ukraine has begun discussing with Sweden the possibility of receiving Gripen jets to boost its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Zelenskiy's visit is his first to Sweden since Russia's invasion in February 2022 and the talks about obtaining Gripen jets, which he cast as preliminary, follow approval from the United States for Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

"Today we discussed in detail the future steps regarding the possibility of opening the subject of receiving Swedish Gripens," Zelenskiy said at a joint news briefing with Kristersson, adding that the topic would be central to his meetings with other Swedish officials.

In June, the Swedish government said it would give Ukrainian pilots the opportunity to test its Saab-made Gripen fighter jet, but it has also said that it needs all its planes to defend Swedish territory.

Zelenskiy also said on Saturday that Ukrainian pilots had already begun training on the planes.

Kristersson made no mention of Gripens in his remarks, but condemned a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday that killed seven people and wounded 90.

"It only reinforces the need for us to stand with your in all your struggles," Kristersson said.

Ukraine and Sweden also signed an agreement which will see Ukraine begin production of Sweden's CV90 combat vehicle.

Zelenskiy was also due to meet the speaker of Sweden's parliament the Riksdag, the supreme commander of the Swedish armed forces, and the leaders of Sweden's main political parties, according to a Swedish government statement.

Sweden has been aiding Ukraine's war efforts by supplying weapons such as tanks, anti-aircraft systems and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles.

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Tuesday the government was planning a new $313.5 million military support package to Ukraine, consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

The package will be Sweden's 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country's aid to $1.8 billion.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk and Supantha Mukherjee; Additional reporting by Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Editing by Toby Chopra, David Holmes and Frances Kerry)
A man is seen in silhouette near flowers at an office building in the financial district of New York City, U.S., June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File photo

(Reuters) -Bank credit at U.S. commercial banks shrank in the latest week as commercial banks pulled back on lending to businesses, data published by the Federal Reserve showed on Friday.

Overall bank credit fell to $17.23 trillion in the week ending Aug. 9, down from $17.25 trillion a week earlier and $17.32 trillion a year earlier, its second straight year-over-year drop.

Loans and leases fell to $12.13 trillion, from $12.15 trillion the week prior; commercial and industrial loans slipped to $2.74 trillion, from $2.75 trillion in the week ending Aug. 2. From a year earlier, commercial and industrial (C&I) loan growth slowed sharply to less than 1%.

The trends reflect reduced demand from borrowers amid the Fed's rapid interest-rate hikes, as well as tightening credit standards and the fallout from the U.S. regional bank failures this year.

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Josie Kao)
The Haiti National Police is increasingly being outmatched by rival armed gangs that have expanded their reach beyond Port-au-Prince, the capital. (Jose A. Iglesias/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  A powerful gang leader is threatening retaliation. Government negotiations are deadlocked over how the country, which currently has no elected leaders, should be governed. Thousands of people are on the run.

When a Kenyan security-assessment mission arrives in Port-au-Prince next week to assess whether the East African nation should lead a multinational mass deployment of law enforcement to help a violence-wracked Haiti, the delegation is going to find a country at a tipping point.

Whether the Kenyans ultimately agree to send 1,000 police officers into Haiti to disarm deadly gangs and protect strategic installations will depend on what they see and get from the visit, which will take place amid another wave of brutal gang violence following a rise in vigilante justice.

A people-driven movement led to the lynchings of at least 350 people, including 310 alleged gang members and a police officer, since April, according to the United Nations. But it also led to a temporary drop in for-ransom abductions, and caused financial losses to gangs controlling Haitis lucrative kidnapping market after police blocked one of the main arteries into two powerful gangs kidnapping lairs.

Now the gangs are back, and they are seeking revenge.

In the last few days, several neighborhoods of metropolitan Port-au-Prince  Carrefour-Feuilles, Croix-des-Bouquets and Solino have come under persistent attacks as heavily armed groups seek to expand their territories, taking over neighborhoods block by block.

On Friday, a barrage of gunfire could be heard only a few feet from the prime ministers private residence in the Vivy Mitchell neighborhood. Armed men with the Kraze Barye gang, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, also reached within several feet of the police academy before being pushed back by cops. The same day, as automatic gunfire rang out less than 400 feet from the U.S. embassy, corpses littered the street in the Lilavois neighborhood, just north. A day before, armed men invaded the community and chased police away. A local gang warlord known as Jeff, who controls nearby Cannan, announced that he plans to control Lilavois and other parts of a Croix-des-Bouquets because they are the only open route leading to the north of the country.

Further south near downtown Port-au-Prince, the soaring violence has led thousands in the Carrefour-Feuilles district to flee after months of resisting an invasion by the Grand Ravine gang and its allies, which includes a group of former and current corrupt police officers. The armed groups control of the hilltop district would provide uninhibited access to middle-class Port-au-Prince neighborhoods and open a new route for the kidnapping gangs to move hostages through.

Fleeing their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, the displaced are now scattered throughout the Haitian capital, sleeping on cardboard in school yards and on the Champ de Mars public square across from the presidential palace.

The brutal attacks started on Aug. 12, and have added to the misery. The International Rescue Committee announced this week that its Haitian aid groups, including mobile health clinics, are temporarily shutting down due to the violence. The U.N. said Friday that 200,000 people have now been internally displaced due to the extreme violence, and more than 2,400 have been killed over 900 others injured since January.

Among the dead were a local municipal representative, his wife and child who lived in the Decayette section of Carrefour-Feuilles. They were shot and killed in their home, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

Hours earlier, five men and two women from the same family were burned alive when their home was set on fire by the Grand Ravine gang.

All were reportedly targeted because of their support for a local self-defense group set up to confront the gangs, U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said.

While gang violence has escalated since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, observers believe that several elements are feeding the current cycle of violence.

There is the prospect of outside intervention, which the U.N. Security Council will consider following the visit by Kenyas police assessment team, and pending general elections in Haiti.

After months of not mentioning Haitis long-delayed elections, the United States and members of the 15-member U.N. Security Council are increasingly discussing them as they call for an end to the Caribbean nations political impasse.

The insecurity, forced displacement and the question of the gangs cannot be detached from whats happening politically in terms of the coming elections, said Gedeon Jean, a human-rights lawyer whose Port-au-Prince-based Research and Analysis Center for Human Rights, has been closely tracking the violence.

Jean said that armed groups have been consolidating and reinforcing their power since late last year. That partly explains the latest assaults on the population, which spread from Carrefour-Feuilles this week to the eastern and northern outskirts of the capital.

As the violence escalated, a powerful gang leader who had not been heard from in months entered the dynamic. Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, a former cop who is now a gang leader, vowed to fight any international armed forces deployed to the country if they commit abuses like rapes or introducing diseases like cholera, which U.N. peacekeeping forces were accused of doing after arriving in 2004.

We Haitians will stand up and fight against them until our last breath, Cherizier said.

He accused Prime Minister Ariel Henrys government of being responsible for the violence and for sending for an international force under the pretext of insecurity to consolidate their power.

Cherizier said gangs would welcome the international force if it were to arrest Henry and corrupt politicians, police and oligarchs who are selling guns in Haitis slums. Under sanctions from both the U.S. and the U.N. Security Council, Cherizier is accused of carrying out several massacres.

Gangs will fight

Keith Mines, who directs the Latin America program at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, said any foreign force deployed to Haiti should be aware that it will face skepticism from citizens and be challenged by gangs, which now control at least 80% of the capital.

In the case of the Kenyan officers, most of whom. do not speak French or Creole and have a poor human-rights record, they will need to have a strong capacity to engage on a certain level with gangs as well, given how entrenched they are and in many cases their political connections, Mines said.

Many foot soldiers and some leaders will be willing to stand down if properly incentivized, but they will fight if threatened, he added. Community engagement will be key.

A lot is riding on the Kenyan visit even as some Haiti experts wonder if a police force known more for containing protests and riots can take on Haitis heavily armed, brutal gangs. But if not them, then who?

The police cant do it, said Jean, the lawyer. The people will die, because who is going to secure them?

The Haitian police, which some accuse of being unmotivated and not responding to the latest rash in violence, has only 3,300 officers on active public-safety duty throughout the country at any one time, according to the U.N. There are even fewer on anti-gang operations; one specialized unit has been running operations nonstop since Jan. 29.

They dont have the means, technology, equipment or guns, Jean said. They dont even have a helicopter.

The U.S. says if Kenya agrees to lead a force into Haiti, it will jump-start the process of improving security by ultimately prompting other countries to send thousands of additional personnel to secure infrastructure sites and allow the embattled Haitian police to increase their focus on battling gangs. However, only the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda have publicly pledged to contribute police and military officers so far.

The coalition that restored democracy in Haiti in 1994 numbered 21,000 officers; the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti that returned a decade later to quell tensions numbered 13,000 at its peak, Mines noted.

Given the complexity of the mission it is difficult to see how it would be effective with less than 10,000, he said.

Too small a number of international police officers, Mines argues, will increase the risk that the force will be challenged and possibly fail.

There is a lot of work still to do to design and deploy a multinational force that is effective, he said. The Kenyans will need to be insistent on not going at it alone, and clear on what their needs are to succeed. This is much easier when done through the U.N. system, or when led by a country like the U.S. that can provide the core of the force, and logistics, intelligence, operational planning, etc. up front. Absent that, it must be cobbled together, and I cant think of when it has been done quite like this.

A year of asking

Kenyas announcement last month that it has accepted to positively consider leading a force into Haiti came nearly a year after Henry and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to help. Though the Biden administration supported the call for a non-U.N. security mission to Haiti, it has made clear that it doesnt want to be the one leading it.

This, some Haiti experts believe, is the reason Haitis Latin American neighbors with armies and experience battling armed groups on the countrys complicated terrain have declined to take on the leading role.

The U.S. has traditionally been the sheriff leading the posse, Mines said. It now wants to round up the posse and send them on their way, while it monitors things from the saloon.

Jorge Heine, a former Chilean diplomat, said it is extraordinary that in the Americas there is nobody, there is no country, no government that is willing to step up to help.

People talk about something called the Community of the Americas and here you have Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, and nobody is willing to step up? The prime minister has to call on Africa, and Kenya steps in? Heine said. What does that tell us about the condition of the Western Hemisphere that nobody is willing to do anything, starting from the United States, but also Brazil, Chile, Mexico? I think its a disgrace.

Heine, who is currently a research professor at Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, said the lack of volunteers from the hemisphere reflects very badly on U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. He recalled how in 2004, a call from Secretary of State Colin Powell led to countries sending forces to Haiti, including Chile, which within 72 hours, had 300 men in Port-au-Prince.

Here you have a very serious crisis and nothing is happening, he said. The notion that you can simply forget about Haiti ...is in my mind quite native. Haiti is becoming a failed state and failed states just dont fail by themselves.

2023 Miami Herald.

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Ecuadoran presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner takes a group photo with supporters in Guayaquil on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post )

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - As the presidential candidate's armored vehicle pulled up to the park, Otto Sonnenholzner's security guard told him to wait in the back seat.

"I'm going to secure the car," he said.

Nearly a week had passed since a presidential candidate was assassinated, and Sonnenholzner was trying to figure out how to campaign again. Surrounded by a team of men in bulletproof vests, the 40-year-old candidate prepared to step into one of the most dangerous cities in Ecuador, facing a crowd of 200 people and hoping for the best.

Ecuador's election on Sunday is set to be unlike any other in its history.

It was already the first election of its kind in the country, a rushed vote called by President Guillermo Lasso after he dissolved Congress to avert his imminent impeachment.

Then, Fernando Villavicencio - a presidential candidate and former member of the National Assembly who had been outspoken about the cartels and corruption consuming his country - was assassinated in the nation's capital, just 10 days before the election. It was the first time a presidential candidate had been murdered in a country once known as a relatively safe haven in a region that has long struggled with drug violence.

Now the remaining candidates have been left to navigate how to campaign in a changed country - and how to stay alive.

The killing reminded many of presidential assassinations from decades past in some of Ecuador's more volatile neighbors, countries such as Colombia that have since built up entire government units to protect people facing death threats.

But Ecuador wasn't prepared for this. There are no rules or protocol for protecting candidates. The government offers police officers for candidates, but it does not provide any armored vehicles.

Candidates like Sonnenholzner, a former broadcaster and vice president who is a leader in the polls, are risking their lives for a chance at a presidency they know could be brief - only the remaining 18 months of Lasso's term. They are making promises to reclaim control from the cartels, a tall order in a country where corruption runs deep, the gangs run the prisons, and violence is spiraling to levels Ecuadorans find hard to imagine.

Last year, Ecuadoran police recorded 4,824 violent deaths, nearly double the total in 2021, which was already a record. A similar pace has continued this year.

Soldiers on Tuesday guard a prison in Guayas province. Many of the presidential candidates have promised to control Ecuadors gang-run prisons. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post )

Almost half of this year's violent deaths have taken place here in Guayas province, home to the capital of Guayaquil, the country's largest city and main port. Residents have been terrorized by car bombings, kidnappings, prison massacres and extortion. Bodies have been found hanging from a bridge in nearby Duran, a visceral sign of the brutality of the Mexican cartels that have swept into this country, working with local gangs to move cocaine to Europe and to the United States.

This was Sonnenholzner's hometown, the city where he and his wife raised their three children. The city where he once loved to drive alone, even when he was vice president. Now he couldn't even roll down the windows of his armored car to greet supporters.

The security guards and armor felt like a barrier between him and his voters. He thought back to the father and son who had asked him for a photo as he was getting off a plane a few days earlier. "Let's get going quickly before we get shot," the father said to his son.

If voters saw him as a danger, if they were afraid to even come near him, was it even worth it to go outside?

He decided it was. After a six-minute wait for his security guard's signal, he walked out of the armored SUV and into the crowd.

A new reality

A week before Villavicencio's death, a local government official was gunned down by hit men in Duran, a violent town outside Guayaquil, as he was getting into a taxi. Watching the precision of the hit men in videos of the attack, Sonnenholzner's chief of security sat him down in his home office for an urgent warning.

"What I saw here is not normal," the security chief, a former member of Israel's secret service, told Sonnenholzner. "Something is going to happen."

Most assassinations of public figures happen when entering or exiting a car, the head of security said. "If something happens, it will happen this way."

Days later, Villavicencio was stepping into his car after a rally at a high school in northern Quito when a gunman shot him in the head. The bullet sliced through his car, which was not armored. His only personal armored vehicle, which was borrowed from a friend and returning from Guayaquil, arrived minutes after the assassination, according to Patricio Carrillo, a former interior minister and police commander who was part of Villavicencio's campaign. Villavicencio depended on government-provided security detail because he didn't have the resources for his own, Carillo said in an interview. He said the attack - and the chaos after - reflected a government failure to protect presidential candidates.

Candidate Jan Topics messages sometimes echo those of El Salvadors president, who has cracked down on organized crime with mass incarceration. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post )

Videos from the attack show some of those on Villavicencio's police security team dropping to the ground. Other officers fired back and struck the hit man. A military lieutenant colonel, who happened to be in the area for work, rushed toward the gunman and pushed him to the ground, he said in an interview with The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.

With few other officers offering to help, and with the crowd threatening to harm the gunman, the lieutenant colonel hoisted the wounded shooter into a police car. The officer in the driver's seat was also injured in the shootout, but he drove more than 15 minutes through rush hour traffic to a police station where medics were waiting. The gunman died shortly after.

The lieutenant colonel, who stayed in the car until reaching the police station, saw one text message pop up on the gunman's phone: "Ya esta?" - "Is it done?" He turned the phone into the authorities.

The man that police identified as the shooter, Jhojan David Castillo Lopez, was a Colombian who was living in Ecuador for some time and was arrested in June on an illegal weapons charge. A judge initially released him but ordered his detention after he skipped a hearing, according to court records. He was supposed to be in court on the day of the assassination.

Prosecutors arrested six other Colombians in connection with the attack, some of whom had also been in Ecuador for at least a month. Four have previously been charged with crimes in Colombia, two with drug trafficking and violent crimes. And all are associated with criminal organizations, authorities said. They have not yet said which groups might be behind the attack.

The day of the killing, Sonnenholzner's wife, Claudia Salem Barakat, was on a walk, she recalled in an interview. A woman she didn't know approached her, telling her she should go home. "They just killed Fernando Villavicencio." She immediately texted her husband, asking him where he was and if he was okay. She urged him to start being more careful.

In Ecuador, a candidate's security apparatus generally follows a candidate's instructions. Now, for Sonnenholzner, it's the other way around. His security chief has taken on a key role in planning campaign activities, insisting the candidate travel only in an armored vehicle and canceling riskier public events. But he still doesn't wear a bulletproof vest.

"To me it feels like accepting that we as a country are losing, that the criminals are winning, " Sonnenholzner said. "That's not the message I want to send."

Candidate Otto Sonnenholzner, who was accompanied by his security team, heads home from a meeting in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on Tuesday. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post )

Villavicencio is part of a growing list of political officials and candidates assassinated in the past year in Ecuador. The mayor of Manta, a port city, was killed late last month. A candidate for the National Assembly, gunned down a week earlier in Esmeraldas. A mayoral candidate in Puerto Lopez, assassinated in February. Another, in Salinas, killed in January. Less than a week after Villavicencio's death, a political leader for the leftist party of former president Rafael Correa was also assassinated.

The night of the presidential candidate's death, Lasso called for a nationwide state of emergency. He has mobilized around 100,000 police and military troops to maintain order ahead of the elections, amid fears the violence could escalate.

Few troops could be seen in Guayaquil on Tuesday. But days earlier, authorities blocked off several streets around the site of a presidential debate. "I felt like I was entering a war zone," Sonnenholzner said.

Still, his security chief said he was appalled at the event's emergency preparations.

"If I wanted to kill someone," the Israeli security chief said, "it would have been very easy."

Promising a solution

Standing before a crowd of about 200 college students and young people sitting on plastic lawn chairs in Guayaquil, Sonnenholzner promised, above all, to bring security back to Ecuador.

He vowed to throw his support behind the police: "The delinquent who dares to risk his life and threaten us with a weapon will receive a corresponding shot, without hesitation," Sonnenholzner said.

A girl in a blue cropped top stood up and introduced herself as Emily, a student at Guayaquil University.

"Right now we're going through a really hard crisis," she said. "These days, even carrying our student IDs is a danger." She spoke about the men who extort students by charging them a fee in exchange for their safety. "What is your proposal for eradicating this once and for all?"

Sonnenholzner promised to establish a new anti-extortion unit. "We won't have any fear toward the people who want to threaten us in that way," he said.

Ever since the assassination, the presidential campaign has become focused on solving the crisis of organized crime in the country. Many of the candidates, including Sonnenholzner, have promised an iron-first approach to controlling the prisons and ramping up law enforcement to combat drug trafficking.

Jan Topic, a millionaire businessman, has touted his military experience as a sniper and soldier in the French Foreign Legion. He has been called the "Ecuadoran Rambo" and his messages sometimes echo those of controversial Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has used mass incarceration to crack down on organized crime. In an interview with The Washington Post, Topic doubled down on his admiration for Bukele, praising his determination and "clarity" in bringing down the murder rate in El Salvador.

Candidate Luisa Gonzalez waves Ecuadors flag at her closing rally. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post ) Supporters of Luisa Gonzalez attend her Wednesday rally in Quito. (Andres Yepez for The Washington Post )

Polls show a recent boost in support for Topic and Sonnenholzner, edging them close behind - or even tied with - the leading candidate, Luisa Gonzalez, an ally of Correa, the still widely influential former president. At a closing rally in Quito, complete with fireworks and confetti and dancers, Gonzalez promised to bring back the Ecuador of Correa's days.

As he left the rally with college students, Sonnenholzner still wasn't sure how he was going to close his campaign. It felt wrong to throw a party in a plaza when the country was in the midst of a crisis, when at any moment another candidate could become a target. But he would ultimately decide to appear at a large closing event anyway, at a stadium in Guayaquil.

A member of the campaign team in the seat behind him told him about his media appearances planned for the rest of the day. One of them was a TikTok live. The host wanted to cook with him. Sonnenholzner pushed back.

"They're killing us and we're cooking?" Sonnenholzner asked.

"But you also have the right to cook," the campaign leader responded.

Sonnenholzner insisted. "It sends the wrong message," he said.
Army Gen. Charles Flynn, commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific, alongside the command element of the Combined Joint Task Force 50, meets Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023, with search, rescue and recovery personnel in Lahaina, Maui. (Matthew A. Foster/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON  Nearly 700 Defense Department personnel are now in Maui assisting in recovery efforts in the aftermath of the wildfires that ripped across the island, the Pentagon announced Friday.

Make no mistake, this joint task force is not in the lead. Were not in the command, said Army Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan, who is leading the militarys fire response known as Combined Joint Task Force 50. Were in the support of the county of Maui.

State officials reported 106 deaths on Wednesday since the fires that took place on Aug. 8. According to Maui County, 2,170 acres burned in the vicinity of Lahaina and 678 acres burned in the vicinity of Kula.

Two CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the Hawaii National Guard equipped with large water containers known as Bambi buckets are being used to conduct fire suppression support, the Pentagon said. The Army Corps of Engineers has moved 32 generators from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Maui, and 61 generators are staged at Oahu.

The Armys Schofield Barracks in Oahu is also being used as a staging area to house and provide other facilities for emergency responders.

Hawaii Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Joseph Ragocos Jr., a security forces noncommissioned officer assigned to the 154th Security Forces Squadron, secures the area as an Army CH-47 Chinook on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, drops seawater around the perimeter of the area impacted by the wildfires at Lahaina, Maui. (Tonia Ciancanelli/U.S. Army)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced Logan, the deputy adjutant general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, would lead the joint task force to synchronize Defense Department support on Maui. The Hawaii National Guard activated about 258 Army and Air National Guard personnel on state active-duty status, deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Tuesday.

Six forensic anthropologists from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are there to assist in gathering and identifying human remains. At this time, Logan said he is not aware of any plans to remove remains from Maui for further testing.

There has been criticism on social media about the federal governments lack of response to the Maui crisis. President Joe Biden ordered all available federal assets on the islands to help with the response effort, mobilizing the National Guard, Army, Navy and Coast Guard on Aug. 9. Biden declared the situation a major disaster the next day and approved federal funding for those affected in Maui.

Logan said the states Guard were activated in a tiered response as it would for other natural disasters and pushed some forces forward in support of the lead agency, the Maui Emergency Management Agency. Once the joint task force was announced, Logan said he assigned Army Col. David Fielder as the task forces deputy commander. Fielder had just come back from a disaster response operation in Guam.

Lets make that clear that everything that we are offering is at the request of the [Maui] county. And it is for the phase of the operation we are in, Logan said. That perception that the federal government or the greater DOD population has failed to respond is not accurate.
An artillery unit of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces fires a British-made L119 howitzer at Russian infantry on the eastern front in Ukraine on June 24, 2023. (Sasha Maslov/ For The Washington Post)

This story has been corrected

The Biden administration's sprint to supply Ukraine with weapons central to its military success against Russia has yielded a promising acceleration of arms production, including the standard NATO artillery round, output of which is expected soon to reach double its prewar U.S. rate of 14,000 a month.

The stakes in the U.S. effort to shake up a sclerotic defense acquisition system are particularly high as Kyiv tries to claw back territory from Russian control in a slow-moving counteroffensive whose fate, U.S. officials now say, hinges on the West's ability to satisfy Ukraine's astonishing hunger for artillery ammunition.

But industry experts warn of major challenges in sustaining an elevated output of arms and equipment needed not just to aid Ukraine but to ensure the United States' own security in potential conflicts with Russia or China. Those include overcoming scarcity of key inputs including TNT and maintaining expanded capacity amid fluctuating budgets and uncertainty about future military needs.

"Whether you think it's going well or it's going poorly is whether you're a glass-half-full person or glass-half-empty," Cynthia Cook, a defense industry expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said of the attempt to ramp up arms manufacturing swiftly. "But also, it's how much you work in defense acquisition."

The war in Ukraine has brought a boom for American defense firms, which are racing to expand production and factory capacity. It also has meant a bureaucratic scramble at the Pentagon to get needed equipment in time.

A year and a half after Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, production deals are only gradually being cemented. Of the $44.5 billion the United States has appropriated for manufacturing arms destined for Ukraine or replenishing donated U.S. stocks, the Defense Department to date has finalized contracts to produce weapons costing roughly $18.2 billion, or 40.8 percent of that total.

To Cook and other industry experts, that ratio, as modest as it appears, is an achievement for the military's often slow, unwieldy acquisitions system, in which concluding a major contract often takes up to 16 months - let alone manufacturing a piece of complex equipment for use in battle.

Pentagon officials say the eventual value of Ukraine-related contracts concluded through Aug. 18 will be substantially higher than the $18.2 billion figure, largely because it doesn't account for contracts that give companies about half the expected value up front, with additional costs finalized later.

Experts say the United States, as it invests in expanding the production of munitions, drones, air-defense missiles and other arms that Ukraine needs, also must ensure that it can sustain expanded capacity as requirements evolve. After grueling counterinsurgency wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon has looked to fund the capacity to win, or deter, future conflicts that could require a very different set of capabilities and weapons systems - particularly against the threat posed by China's burgeoning military. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine laid bare a NATO-wide munitions crunch, highlighting important vulnerabilities in fighting the war of the present. "The question is making sure that this problem, which is illuminated now, isn't swept under the rug in future compromises," Cook said.

Defense and industry officials spoke about the race to accelerate arms production on the condition of anonymity to provide a candid assessment of the evolving effort.

The administration has focused largely on expanding output of the 155mm artillery round, which has been a mainstay of the West's conventional arsenal for decades and proved critical for Ukraine in the ongoing counteroffensive. Despite Ukrainian forces receiving U.S. training on modern combined-arms maneuvers over the winter, the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky has largely jettisoned these tactics, instead embracing an attritional, artillery-heavy approach as it seeks to breach Russian minefields and fiercely defended lines of trenches.

U.S. officials now say that the tactical shift made by Ukraine will require sustaining the country with a robust supply of artillery shells. While Ukrainian forces have created a munitions advantage on the battle's southern front by using extended-range missiles from France and Britain to strike Russian ammunition depots behind the front lines, they say those blows will prove consequential only if Ukraine also can penetrate Russian defenses.

Since February 2022, the Pentagon has concluded $2.26 billion of manufacturing contracts for the 155mm round, helping to increase U.S. output from 14,000 units a month before Russia's invasion to around 24,000 per month today. Production is slated soon to reach 28,000 a month, with the goal of producing 1 million shells a year by fall 2025. Officials declined to say what share of that would go to Ukraine vs. being held in reserve in the United States.

A host of companies have different roles in manufacturing the shells, including forging steel projectiles and assembling them for battle. The Defense Department also is investing in expanding production lines.

The pace of the munitions ramp-up could have long-lasting effects for civilians in Ukraine after the Biden administration's decision this summer to provide controversial cluster munitions, which White House officials described as a "bridge" solution until output of conventional artillery shells increases.

U.S. officials hope the cluster munitions, which consist of large pods that release hundred of bomblets - some of which fail to detonate upon impact and can pose a danger to civilians for decades - can help Ukraine maintain momentum until more conventional shells are made. In the near term, the mix of artillery ammunition being sent to Ukraine will become more heavy on cluster munitions, they said.

Officials in the U.S. Army, which is responsible for procuring the 155mm artillery rounds, are moving "as fast as humanly possible" to speed up production, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said this month.

"We're going to be able to continue to provide the Ukrainians with munitions, I think, for a long time," she told reporters. "I think they're probably going to continue using [the cluster munitions] for a while as well."

Although Ukraine's summer counteroffensive is just months old, defense officials are already looking toward winter, when a potential lull in fighting could, as one official described, permit U.S. and allied production "to catch up and help sustain them." But Moscow will not be static, either: A break could allow Russian forces also to rearm and harden their defensive lines.

The war has been a wake-up call for Ukraine's backers across the West, where officials see an urgent need to augment their own munitions stockpiles. NATO officials have wondered how long the Western alliance could sustain a major conventional war. "No one had really asked themselves the question, well, what if 'day one, night one' becomes 'week two, week three, week four?'" British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said last month.

Wormuth, without providing details, said the United States would aim also to set its artillery reserves as a higher level. "One of the lessons learned out of the Ukrainian experience is we need to go back and revisit those minimum standards. And we may have underestimated," she told reporters this month.

Officials note that some contracts signed to replenish U.S. supplies or produce specific weapons for Ukraine have been finalized in 30 days or less, including deals to make Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost loitering drones and NASAM air defense systems. They also are employing, for the first time, multiyear contracts for munitions.

Restocking the U.S. arsenal will require finding basic weapons-making materials, experts say, a problem complicated by a global scarcity of chemicals and explosives. The United States no longer produces TNT and has since moved to a substitute called IMX, an explosive that provides power with less risk of accidental detonation.

But the dramatic increase in shell production has pushed the United States to seek out new global suppliers of TNT. Poland has been a primary U.S. source, but the Pentagon is working with its allies and partners to increase its supplies, potentially including from Japan.

The United States has healthy stockpiles of explosive fill, officials said. But as factories churn out more shells, "we know we'll need additional production of both those propellants and those explosives," another defense official said.

The war has cut the United States off from one source of TNT, as Russian forces now control an area of eastern Ukraine where an explosives company called Zarya agreed in 2020 to a multiyear deal to procure TNT for a U.S. contractor. The conflict disrupted the supply from Zarya, but officials said the company never was intended to be a major supplier to the United States.

The availability of propellant, a combustible charge that sends the artillery round through the barrel, is another constraint to sustaining increased U.S. and European production.

Martin Vencl, a spokesman for the state-owned Czech company Explosia, which makes propellant charges, noted the scarcity of related raw materials, such as nitroglycerin and nitrocellulose. The company is running at full capacity to make propellant for 155mm rounds, but long-term investment is needed to double its output, which the company hopes to achieve by 2026, Vencl said.

Camille Grand, who served as NATO's assistant secretary general for defense investment from 2016 to 2022, noted that the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq did not consume artillery at anywhere close to the rapid pace as the war in Ukraine has, meaning that suppliers were not forced to tap so deeply into their stocks.

"We're all relearning what it means to do mass production of ammunition, which had become a . . . nonstarter" for many NATO members, Grand said.

Grand attributed some European countries' paltry ammunition stockpiles to the preference for funneling limited defense funds to big-ticket items such as jets and main battle tanks.

"No defense minister would put on a T-shirt saying 'I bought stockpiles and spare parts,'" Grand said. "They all want to be the guy who said, 'I bought the last fighter aircraft.'"

European nations are trying to remedy that problem. This summer, the European Union approved a three-track plan ultimately to produce 650,000 rounds of large-caliber ammunition a year and committed itself to delivering 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition for Ukraine in a joint effort within the next 12 months.

Grand said the biggest obstacle is the timeline. "It's good and nice to know that five years from now, we'll be able to ramp up production and refill stockpiles," he said. "But in the meantime, Ukraine is running short, and we're going to be in trouble."

Experts say it is important to avoid what one defense official called a "boom and bust" cycle by ensuring that Western militaries continue effectively to signal a demand for these weapons. Failure to do so could result in factory lines going cold, as occurred with Stinger missiles, with the manufacturer of the shoulder-fired missiles having to enlist retirees to help get production going again.

The challenge goes beyond accelerating near-term production. The Pentagon needs to "continue to procure at that level over a longer period of time so that we have not just healthy stocks, but a healthy production and industrial base that's able to meet them," the second defense official said.

"We want to make sure that we're able to maintain focus across the government, and really across allies and partners on the need of maintaining just consistent high demand for these weapons," the official said.

A senior industry official familiar with the Pentagon acquisition process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid assessment, said the bureaucracy continues to struggle with articulating evolving needs, sometimes leaving defense companies to make hiring and investment decisions with incomplete information.

"The Defense Department does not have a very good track record of communicating requirements," the official said. While it's clear that producing artillery rounds is a priority within the agency right now, the official said, "the question becomes how strong the commitment is over fiscal years, over presidential administrations, and the administrations of other countries."

Continued high levels of U.S. funding for Ukraine, which has enjoyed generally strong bipartisan support, may face increased opposition as a small but vocal minority of Republican legislators questions the wisdom of the commitment to the current fight. The Biden administration last week requested an additional $20 billion in security, economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

So far, Republican leaders have managed to defeat attempts to curtail aid by critics within the party, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. "The Biden administration is sleepwalking our great country into a world war," he said on the House floor last month.
A Jan. 9, 2018, post on a City of Antioch social media website promotes National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. FBI agents on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, arrested 10 current and former police officers in Northern California. (Facebook)

Ten current and former police officers in Northern California were arrested in FBI raids Thursday connected to a set of sweeping indictments that include charges of criminal conspiracy, illegally distributing steroids and using dogs to attack people and violate their civil rights, authorities said.

The officers with the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments in the Bay Area repeatedly skirted accountability, displayed dangerous and dishonest behavior, and "acted as though they were above the law" for years, Ismail Ramsey, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, said in a news conference.

The allegations made by prosecutors, which stemmed from a two-year investigation, were wide-ranging over four indictments. Some of the most serious charges were in a civil rights indictment against three Antioch officers accused of planning to hurt specific people using police dogs, collecting "trophies" of their alleged crimes and reveling afterward.

Those three officers - Morteza Amiri, Eric Rombough and Devon Wenger - were already under investigation for sending racist and homophobic text messages.

"Police officers promise to enforce laws for the protection of the public and to protect the rights of the accused. That is the job," Ramsey told reporters. "The indictments describe officers who are alleged to have violated this oath. When this happens, the damage done to the public trust cannot easily be calculated."

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe added in a statement, "Today is a dark day in our city's history, as people trusted to uphold the law, allegedly breached that trust and were arrested by the FBI."

If convicted, officers from both departments could face maximum sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison and fines ranging between $100,000 to $500,000. The charges are as follows:

Amiri, Rombough and Wenger are charged with conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law and the destruction or falsification of records in federal investigations.

Antioch officer Timothy Manly Williams is charged with the destruction, alteration and falsification of records in federal investigations, obstruction of official proceedings and deprivation of rights under color of law. Williams allegedly interfered with an ongoing homicide investigation that was focused on an Oakland-based gang that authorities believed was responsible for several shootings.

Wenger and Antioch officer Daniel Harris are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, attempted possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids and the destruction, alteration and falsification of records in federal investigations. Wenger faces these separate charges as part of the steroid distribution indictment.

Amiri, Antioch officer Samantha Genoveva Peterson and Pittsburg officers Patrick James Berhan, Brauli Rodriguez Jalapa, Ernesto Juan Mejia-Orozco and Amanda Theodosy-Nash are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Amiri faces these separate charges as part of the college fraud indictment. The officers are accused of having someone take courses for them that qualified them for pay raises.

Neither the Antioch nor Pittsburg police departments immediately responded to requests for comment Friday morning. Joe Vigil, Antioch's acting police chief, said in a statement to KPIX, a CBS affiliate in San Francisco, that the charges were "disheartening and undermines the incredible work our staff does on a daily basis."

"Any police officer who breaks public trust must be held accountable, especially because our effectiveness relies heavily on confidence and support from our community," he said.

The Antioch Police Officers Association, a nonprofit representing officers, said in a statement on Facebook that it looked forward to the legal process playing out and was "committed to still providing quality service to the citizens of Antioch and also providing support for our members who are still working through this difficult time."

Michael Rains, an attorney for Amiri, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rains told KNTV, an NBC affiliate in the Bay Area, that the raid was "completely unnecessary." He added that the officers are being held in a federal detention center in Oakland.

Will Edelman, an attorney for Rombough, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Edelman said in court that there was "absolutely no reason for Mr. Rombough to appear here in handcuffs," according to the Bay Area News Group, the first to report on the raids.

It was not immediately clear whether the other officers had attorneys.

Both police departments have been under investigation for the last 18 months. The Contra Costa, Calif., District Attorney's Office said in early 2022 that multiple officers were under investigation for several offenses, including "crimes of moral turpitude."

Ramsey, the U.S. attorney, described the civil rights charges against Amiri, Rombough and Wenger as "disturbing." Between March 2019 and November 2021, Amiri's police dog, Purcy, bit 28 people, 19 0f whom were Black, according to prosecutors. Rombough had also deployed a 40mm gun that fires less-lethal ammunition at 11 people between November 2020 and August 2021, prosecutors say.

The officers regularly used excessive force as "punishment" to people "beyond any punishment appropriately imposed by the criminal justice system," and allegedly repeatedly referenced violating people's civil rights, according to the indictment. In February 2019, Rombough allegedly told Amiri, who had his police dog, that he was planning to go after someone who had crossed a fellow officer and "hopefully get you a bite." Amiri replied, "Exactly! Blood for blood."

The exchanges among the officers continued. In July 2019, Amiri pulled over a male bicyclist who did not have his lights on, proceeded to punch the cyclist multiple times and had the dog attack him, according to the indictment. Amiri shared photos of the victim's wounds with other officers and described the bicyclist as a "turd," the indictment says. In response to a question from another officer about what cut the dog's face, Amiri responded, "That's a piece of the suspect's flesh lol."

In October 2020, Amiri bragged over text message about how he had threatened to kill someone, writing, "putting a pistol in someone's mouth and telling them to stop stealing isn't illegal . . . it's an act of public service to prevent further victims of crimes." Wenger had encouraged Amiri to "beat" down the person, and offered to help him after he was done with work, prosecutors say.

In addition to the civil rights charges, Ramsey told reporters that six officers engaged in a conspiracy to defraud police departments out of taxpayer dollars by claiming they had earned college credits toward degrees when they had paid others to attend classes and take exams for them. After Berhan had someone complete multiple college courses on his behalf, he was promoted and received a pay increase for work he never did, Ramsey said. Five of his Pittsburg colleagues allegedly followed him in doing the same.

Another indictment alleges that Wegner and Harris, his Antioch colleague, illegally conspired to distribute anabolic steroids, and that Wenger "attempted to delete evidence of the scheme from his cellular phone prior to handing the phone over to law enforcement officers."

A separate indictment alleges that Williams, an Antioch officer, secretly dialed the target of an investigation in March 2021 and made sure his number was not recorded. Later that year, Williams seized and destroyed the phone of a witness who was recording an incident in which a police dog was deployed during an arrest, according to the indictment.

"Any breach of the public's trust is absolutely unacceptable," FBI special agent in charge Robert Tripp said at the news conference. "The actions today make clear that nobody's above the law."

Thorpe, the Antioch mayor, urged for the area to "come together as one" following the arrests.

"Today's actions are the beginning of the end of a long and arduous process," he said.
A bronze duplicate of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Merchant Mariners of World War II. (U.S. Mint)

ST. PETER (Tribune News Service)  U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar considers a 96-year-old St. Peter military veteran an inspiring example of what it means to serve selflessly, honorably and boldly.

Earl "Sonny" Meyer, who was a merchant mariner in World War II, was honored during a ceremony Monday at St. Peter's American Legion Post. Family along with fellow members of the Legion and Disabled American Veterans were there to see staff from Klobuchar's office present his prestigious award.

"It was all very interesting," said Meyer, describing the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal.

"Our veteran service officer told me he'd looked up information about it (the medal) and asked if I'd let him go ahead and get it for me," he said.

The medal, first commissioned to show national appreciation to those who served in the American Revolution, is the highest civilian honor Congress bestows. Honorees are people whose dedication and heroism to this country have made a lasting impact, stated a press release from Klobuchar's office.

The Minnesota senator helped pass the Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2020. The legislation recognizes merchant mariners for their service in the war.

The U.S. Merchant Marine is comprised of civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels who work together with the military to transport goods and services in and out of navigable waters. In peacetime, merchant mariners transport cargo and passengers on ships and other vessels. In wartime, the Merchant Marine can be an auxiliary to the U.S. Navy and its mariners may be called on to deliver military personnel and materiel.

"We were civilians, but the military told us what to do and where to go," said Meyer, who was 18 when he chose to be a merchant mariner.

"I crossed the Atlantic seven or eight times, but I never got to be on the Pacific Ocean."

"It was kind of strange to be from a place so far away from the ocean ... but actually, I was one of three or four merchant marines from St. Peter and two of those fellas I knew pretty well."

"The Merchant Marines played a vital role in World War II by providing supplies to all the branches of the military while often under attack by enemy combatants. A higher proportion of the Mariners were killed than any other branch of the United States military," Klobuchar's wrote in a letter to Meyer.

"There is no greater duty than putting your life on the line in a time of war to keep us all safe, and time and time again, you answered that call. The American people are grateful for your service, your sacrifice, your patriotism," the senator continued.

Meyer was among about 250,000 merchant mariners who delivered supplies and armed personnel by ship to ports around the world. Between 1939 and 1945, 9,521 merchant mariners lost their lives, according to the National World War II Museum.

"I never got hurt in World War II ... I was injured by a 3-inch to 4-inch mortar fragment piece in Korea," said Meyer who was a member of the member of the U.S. Army in the early 1950s.

There are about 12,000 surviving merchant mariners, each of whom is eligible to receive the bronze replica of the award.

Klobuchar was unable to attend the Monday ceremony. Meyer graciously gave her a pass since the two have talked in person a few times already.

"She knows I met her dad (Jim) when we were at (Army) boot camp together," he said.

Since 1776, the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded 184 times. A list of recipients from 1776-2022 is available at: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45101 starting on Page 19.

(c)2023 The Free Press (Mankato, Minn.)

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Arif Alvi has signed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023 bill, only three days after he refused to sign over a dozen bills.

The changes in the Official Secrets Act and the Army Act will likely affect the PTI leaders and supporters who face a host of cases for their alleged involvement in the May 9 violence.

The FIA this week registered a new case against chairman PTI under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act. He is being accused of leaking the diplomatic cipher at the heart of PTIs claims about a US conspiracy for the removal of Khan.

Earlier this week, President Alvi returned over a dozen bills to Parliament.

He effectively culled those pieces of legislation. With the National Assembly dissolved on August 9, the Parliament cannot pass the legislation again and the laws could not be amended on enacted until a new parliament is sworn in after the election expected in February.

The National Assembly on Monday passed the Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023 after making some alterations to the original draft  just like the Senate had a day earlier.

What is Official Secrets (amendment) bill

The Official Secrets (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed by the National Assembly on August after it modified the original draft for the amendment.

The original draft empowered intelligence agencies to arrest suspects or conduct searches without warrants. This clause was dropped in the final version of the bill.

Another change was made to clause 5 of the bill, which earlier stated: [A] person may be presumed to have been in communication with enemy or a foreign agent if he has, either within or without Pakistan visited the address of a foreign agent or consorted or associated with enemy or a foreign agent

What is Army Act (amendment) bill

The National Assembly passed the Army Act (Amendment) bill on July 31.

The amended law proposes up to five years in jail for those who disclose sensitive information pertaining to the security of the country or the military.

The bill also proposes introducing Section 26-B, which forbids any person subject to the army act from engaging in any kind of political activity for two years from the date of their retirement, release, resignation, discharge, removal or dismissal from the service.
As per sources, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took Qureshi into custody from his Islamabad residence in connection with the ongoing investigation into cipher which PTI alleges contained the threat from the United States to oust Imran Khan from power.

The PTI has also confirmed that the party leader was arrested from his residence and is being moved to the FIA headquarters in the federal capital.

The arrest came shortly after Qureshi addressed a presser wherein he dispelled the reports of infighting between party leaders to replace incarcerated party chief Imran Khan.

The PTI has also confirmed that the party leader was arrested from his residence and moved to the FIA headquarters in the federal capital.

The FIA sources said the PTI leader has been arrested in light of the statement of party chief Khan related to the cipher probe.

The development came only two days after PTI chief Khan, who has been imprisoned in Attock Jail, following conviction in Toshakhana case named in a first information report (FIR) registered by the FIA under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case.

The counter-terrorism wing of the FIA had registered the case against the former prime minister  who was ousted from office after a no-confidence motion in April last year  after ascertaining his deliberate involvement in misusing the classified document following a probe.

The government sources had also confirmed that the PTI chief has been booked under Section 5 of the recently-amended act. However, authorities displayed reluctance in sharing a copy of the FIR.

Earlier in July this year, the FIA grilled Qureshi and PTI leader Asad Umar for nearly two hours in connection with the probe into controversial US cipher.

Qureshi time and again has reiterated that the US cipher was reality, backing the party chiefs claims that the US engineered his ouster from power by supporting then oppositions no-confidence motion in April last year.

The cipher case against the former premier became serious after his principal secretary Azam Khan stated before a magistrate as well as the FIA that the former PM had used the US cipher for his political gains and to avert a vote of no-confidence against him.

The former bureaucrat, in his confession, said when he provided the ex-premier with the cipher, he was euphoric and termed the language a US blunder. The former prime minister, according to Azam, then said that the cable could be used for creating a narrative against establishment and opposition.

Azam said the US cipher was used in political gatherings by the PTI chairman, despite his advice to him to avoid such acts. He mentioned that the former prime minister also told him that the cipher could be used to divert the publics attention towards foreign involvement in the oppositions no-confidence motion.
The Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Saturday said it has arrested 13 alleged terrorists including three key Daesh commanders during an intelligence-based operation from different cities of the province.

In a statement issued today, the CTD said the arrested suspects from Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Chinot, Qasor, Multan, and Mandi Bahauddin had intended to carry out terrorist activities.

It further said explosives, detonators, improvised explosive devices, and cash was also recovered from them.

It further said cases were registered against them and investigations were under way. Separately, the CTD added that 34 suspects were rounded up during 339 combing operations this week while 4,113 people were also questioned.

The statement concluded that CTD was working towards the goal of a safer Punjab and authorities were determined to root out the scourge of terrorism.

Last week, the Punjab CTD said it had arrested 21 terrorists, which included militants affiliated with the banned Daesh and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In July, the Punjab CTD conducted IBOs in various parts of the province resulting in the arrest of 17 militants associated with banned militant organisations.

According to a CTD spokesperson, 132 IBOs were carried out in Punjab, specifically targeting expected terrorism activities by defunct organisations, particularly against Chinese nationals and worship places during Muharram.
Judge Deirdre Gearty applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a criminal record, after he made a 100 charity donation.

A young man pushed an elderly man outside Busaras in Dublin and beckoned him to fight him, a court has heard.

Beko Mqakanya (23) was drunk when he was arrested over the incident at the bus station.

Judge Deirdre Gearty applied the Probation Act, leaving him without a criminal record, after he made a 100 charity donation.

Mqakanya, of Kellys Court, Dunboyne, Co Meath, pleaded guilty to public drunkenness, threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour and failing to follow garda directions.

Sgt Michelle Lynch told Dublin District Court gardai were on duty at Busaras on October 15, 2022, when they were alerted to loud shouting outside.

Gardai saw the accused pushing an elderly man and beckoning him and other members of the public to fight him. He was raising his fists and was in an intoxicated state, the sergeant said.

Gardai told him to desist and directed him to leave. He refused to comply, was asked several more times and refused again before he was arrested. He had no previous convictions.

The accused did not have a great recollection of the incident as he had consumed alcohol and did not regularly drink, his solicitor Lorraine Stephens said.

He was extremely apologetic, but felt aggrieved in relation to the evidence of pushing as he had no memory of that.

But he apologises to anybody he caused difficulty for, Ms Stephens said.

She said no complaint about any use of force had been made by anyone.

It was accepted he should have just done what he was told and moved on. The accused had learned a lesson about drinking alcohol to excess and had not done it since.
He was handed over to the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid for the purposes of extradition.

POLICE in Spain have arrested an Irish and British fugitive as part of an operation dubbed Operation Pulsito.

The Irishman, a 43-year-old wanted for alleged child sex offences, was held in the resort of Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.

The British national, a 47-year-old alleged fraudster, was arrested in Marbella after leaving a previous hideaway in Portugal.

Neither man has been fully identified by Spanish police, with only their initials released so far.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga, which released footage of the arrests, said: Officers have arrested two men wanted by their respective countries, an Irish national and a British man, as part of Operation Pulsito.

The first arrest took place in Fuengirola when D.K.M.C, aged 43, who had been on the run for several years was held on a European Arrest Warrant for a crime of sexual exploitation of children.

After receiving information from the Garda about this man, he was located at the home where he was hiding, with his arrest taking place as he left the property.

He was handed over to the Audiencia Nacional court in Madrid for the purposes of extradition. The court remanded him in prison.

The second arrest on August 8 took place in Marbella after officers were informed a British fugitive may have recently moved to the Costa del Sol from Portugal using another persons identity.

This individual, a 47-year-old whose initials are P.M.C, is wanted by UK authorities for fraud and money laundering, having allegedly defrauded 4.5 million.

He was located and arrested and handed over to the same court as the Irish national.

It was not immediately clear on Friday if either of the two men were fighting extradition or had agreed to be sent back to their respective home countries.

The arrest of the Irish national took place on July 28 but the Civil Guard only went public with it on Friday following the second detention.
Ruth, also known as Michelle Harte, of no fixed address, had denied assault.

A woman who boxed a supermarket worker in the face after he told her to stop eating from the hot food counter has been jailed for three months.

Michelle Ruth (45) threw a punch at the security supervisor when he tried to escort her out of the shop for stealing the deli food by eating it before it was weighed.

Ruth, also known as Michelle Harte, of no fixed address, had denied assault.

But she admitted theft of food worth 8.50 in the incident.

She also pleaded guilty to associated public order charges of engaging in threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour as well as failing to follow garda directions.

Judge Bryan Smyth found her guilty of the assault, saying she reacted disproportionately.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at SuperValu, Talbot Street last November 11.

The victim told the court in evidence that Ruth got food and began eating it straight away, although it was supposed to be weighed before it was paid for.

He told the accused she should not be doing this and asked her to leave the shop. She was intoxicated and sat down, the victim said, and when she got up, he asked her to leave again and she threw a box, hitting him in the face.

He felt pain afterwards, he added.

Garda Adam Kelly said when he arrived, he was told that after Ruth was asked to stop eating food in the shop, she had continued to eat from multiple deli boxes, using her hands instead of the tongs provided.

Gda Kelly said the accused was visibly intoxicated, smelled of alcohol and was verbally abusive to him and customers. The accused was irate at having been stopped and failed to leave, continuing to be threatening and abusive, so the garda arrested her.

Defence solicitor Benedict OConnor said Ruth would say she was acting in self defence because the victim was pushing her and being overly forceful to get her to leave.

Ruth, who did not go into evidence, believed she had to use force to get him off her, to protect herself, Mr OConnor said.

The solicitor said it was not a big blow, to which the judge replied: No, but its still a blow. He found the facts against the accused proved.

Ruth had 177 previous convictions.

The accused was homeless, sleeping rough, had no money and was hungry on the day, Mr OConnor said.

The accused had not had an easy life and had started taking heroin while still at school.

Judge Smyth said Ruth had a substantial number of previous convictions and he had no alternative but to jail her.

He set recognisances in the event of an appeal.
Spencer had informed fans during the week that he was very much still alive after rumours started circulating about his death

Vogue Williams has admitted she sometimes embellishes things after claiming husband Spencer was hospitalised after overdosing on cold sore medication.

The former Made In Chelsea star spent two days in hospital during a recent holiday to Spain, and Vogue claimed it was because he had overdosed on cold sore tablets.

But the presenter (37) told her podcast co-host Joanne McNally on their My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast that she had exaggerated what happened

Vogue had explained: Spenny was hospitalised for two days because he is a little b***h and he can't handle it.

Well, I will tell you what, he overdosed on cold sore tablets. I am not joking, I am not joking, I'm not. He overdosed on cold sore tablets and his liver function, because he did it for a full week, taking ten of these things and he said 'oh they're fine'.

However, she was later forced to clarify that wasn't sure that an overdose was the reason Spenny ended up in hospital.

On the most recent bonus episode, Vogue told Joanne that the story had really spiralled and Spenny was even getting 'thoughts and prayers' messages for his family.

She said it was more likely a sickness bug that had also infected the rest of the family that was the reason he ended up in hospital.

Recalling the incident later in the week, Vogue admitted: I have to say, we've got to be careful about what we say Spencer on this pod.

Because that story - it hasn't gone away and it's gone to something like 43 news outlets now.

And I'm like, It's fine, it's fine, I was only joking. But I honestly thought that that was the truth.

Basically, we both got a bacterial stomach infection but I took what the doctor thought it was literally and then spread it like wildfire on our podcast.

I said it was cold sore tablets. And that wasn't the truth, I'm sorry sometimes I embellish things.

Spencer had informed fans during the week that he was very much still alive after rumours started circulating about his death.

Spencer was also forced to put the rumours to bed, by saying: For the avoidance of doubt... I am still alive.

Also I was hospitalised with a virus but overdose on cold sore stuff sounds more interesting I guess?'

The couple had been enjoying time away with their children  Theodore (4), Gigi (3) and baby Otto (15 months)

Previously, Vogue revealed that while Spencer was concerned over his liver function, he was also relieved as the family, including their kids and Vogue's aunt Gina, all fell ill elsewhere.

I think he was kind of slightly thrilled because he was in hospital and Gina had just been to the doctors and she was fine. I'm not so sure he had it but I got it when we got home.

Joanne then hilariously joked about Spencer, who is teetotal after a battle with substance abuse, saying: In fairness the man has no vices anymore let him get his kicks where he can you know even off cold sore tablets.
Ennis local councillor Mary Howard said it is a horrendous shock to the community and she is absolutely heartbroken

A teenage Irish piano prodigy has died in the Slovenian city of Bled.

Tributes are today being paid to Sean Shannon (18) from Ennis, Co Clare, who once performed for President Michael D Higgins.

Concern grew for Mr Shannon when he went missing in Bled and his phone, wallet, passport and clothes were discovered. He was travelling alone.

He was described as a remarkably talented pianist and a member of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, having just completed his first year at the prestigious music college.

Ennis local councillor Mary Howard said it is a horrendous shock to the community and she is absolutely heartbroken.

Its a physical pain and feeling for the family. I know his parents and siblings and they were so proud of him. Theyre a really, really close family. Its just devastating for them.

Sean was very well liked. He was a very kind, gentle and mild young man with an amazing talent. His family would be old Ennis stock and well known, and hed be really well regarded in both the Holy Family School and Ennis Community College.

He really was a child prodigy. He taught himself how to play the piano on a little plastic piano with only five keys. Then his mother upgraded it to a keyboard, she said.

Cllr Howard said she attended a recital of Seans when he was 14 and he was already incredibly talented after just a few years of formal tuition.

Any parent would be proud to call him their son. He was such a gorgeous young lad.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance. As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases, a spokesperson for the Department told Independent.ie.

Glor, a music venue based in Ennis, paid tribute to Sean in asocial media post.

This morning brought the saddest news. Sean Shannon was glors Young Associate Artist from 2022 and began practising on the Baby Grand from age just 14. Sean was not only a graceful and finely talented pianist, but a kind and beautiful colleague.

Our thoughts are with Seans parents, family and all his friends at this heartbreaking time. Suaimhneas Siorai Air.

Sean and his rare talents were featured on Face The Music, a three-part RTE One documentary series that followed students and teachers at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He also appeared on a 2021 episode of RTEs Nationwide and performed for President Michael D Higgins.
A Status Yellow rainfall warning has been issued with thundery downpours expected in partsStatus Yellow wind warning for Leinster and MunsterThere were 4 single vehicle collisions on the M7 motorway in LimerickWet weekend in store but its not all gloom as Indian summer looms

Members of the public brave the bad weather in Dublin's city centre. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

Waves crash against the sea wall in Tramore, Co Waterford, as Storm Betty brings strong winds and rain as well as flooding across Ireland. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Members of the Coast Guard inspect the damage to a boat after it broke free from its berth and crashed into the harbour during Storm Betty in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Storm Betty took hold across the country on Friday night, bringing severe gusts and the risk of flooding, structural damage and power outages as Met Eireann issued two separate Status Orange weather warnings.

The Status Orange wind and rain warnings covered much of the south of the country, with counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford and Kerry affected.

They were hit by severe gusts of up to 130kmh, along with heavy rain while the Orange rain warning was in effect until 1am on Saturday morning, while the wind warning will last until 3am on Saturday morning.

7 Day Weather Forecast (15th of August to 21st of August)

Met Eireann says the potential impacts of the storm include: structural damage due to high winds, falling trees, travel disruption, power outages, localised flooding, particularly along the coast and wave overtopping.

Spot flooding already hit the south of the country on Friday night as some roads in Carrigaline and Clonakilty, Co Cork, are flooded. There were also reports of thunder and lighting in parts.

High winds and wave overtopping have also caused serious damage to a boat at Dungarvan Harbour, Co Waterford.

Members of the Coast Guard inspect the damage to a boat after it broke free from its berth and crashed into the harbour during Storm Betty in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

"Late Friday evening and night, Storm Betty will bring south to southwest gales with severe gusts of up to 130 kmh. Spells of heavy rain and possible coastal flooding.

"Heavy rain with thundery downpours on Friday and Friday night and combined with very strong winds on coasts at times, Met Eireann said.

Separately, a Status Yellow rain warning has been issued for the entire country that will be valid until 6am on Saturday.

Another Status Yellow rain and wind warning will come into effect for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan and Connacht at 6am on Saturday and last until noon.

Met Eireann has warned of a risk of spot flooding and difficult travelling conditions. It said there could potentially be wave overtopping on eastern facing coasts.

Gardai have asked all motorists to exercise caution when driving in these conditions as there are reports of substantial surface water on roads across areas in the south of the country.

The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) have been liaising with Met Eireann regarding Storm Betty and a Met Eireann briefing was held on Friday.

All Local Authority severe weather assessment teams, Government Departments and agencies attended this meeting to prepare for the arrival of Storm Betty.

Met Eireanns current forecasts indicate that Storm Betty will move across the country during Friday afternoon into Saturday morning, moving Southwest to Northeast across the country, potentially bringing strong winds, rain and the threat of coastal, pluvial and fluvial flooding.

Storm Betty is forecast to bring high winds, particularly across the Southern areas. Rainfall levels of 40mm could be experienced across the country with the potential for over 60mm in some areas. This is a dynamic storm system, intensified by the Jet Stream leading to some uncertainty as to the potential track and intensity of Storm Betty.

Local Authorities, who are the lead agency for the response to severe weather events have activated their Crisis Management Teams and Local Coordination Groups in preparation for the arrival of Storm Betty. Relevant Departments and Agencies also are preparing to support local authorities responding to Storm Betty, the NDFEM said.

In areas affected it is likely there will be: High seas; the public are advised to stay away from coastal areas during this period. The Irish Coast Guard are appealing to people to Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry.

Very strong winds are predicted which will make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, e.g., cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris as trees are in full leaf.

There is a potential for tidal flooding in coastal areas, especially in Southern and Eastern counties. In addition to this, the storm may also bring localised heavy showers, which in turn may lead to surface flooding in urban locations.

People should be extra vigilant and aware of the risk potentially posed by trees in high wind events. The most widespread and potentially dangerous consequence of high wind is the risk of trees breaking/falling, possibly bringing down live power lines, posing a danger to motorists and pedestrians in the vicinity, the NDFEM said.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is asking road users to exercise caution while using the roads, as Met Eireann issued orange and yellow weather warnings for gales and gusts of up to 130 km/h.

Road users are being advised to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on a journey.

For motorists, in areas affected by orange weather warnings, the RSA advised please consider postponing your journey until conditions improve.

This comes as Irelands hopes of an Indian summer from mid-September have been boosted, but the country will first have to endure several weeks of unsettled weather including seven successive days of rainfall.

After the disappointing washout weather of last month, August is not much better, with spells of glorious sunshine disrupted by successive days of heavy rainfall.

Hospitality operators say the weather has had a devastating impact on business during the summer season, with beach-based holidays particularly badly hit.

Ireland faces seven successive days of rainfall from next Friday, August 25. That ruins any hopes schoolchildren had of some late-summer sun before returning to the classroom.

However, its not all bad news. Met Eireanns long-range forecast has indicated that, from mid September until late October, Ireland is likely to see above-average temperatures.

The signal from the C3S seasonal models for Ireland during the September-October-November period is for above-average temperatures to continue with near-average rainfall overall, a spokesperson said.

Above-average temperatures are very likely for Ireland for the period, though the likelihood decreases as the period progresses. Mean temperatures are expected to be between 0.5C and 1C above average nationwide for most of the period, but will decrease to between 0.2C and 0.5C above average in November.

Many [forecast] models have a slight signal for below-average rainfall in September with the potential for higher-than-average rainfall increasing marginally in October and November.

The sea-surface temperatures around Irish coasts and over the Atlantic are expected to continue above average during the period, trending 0.5C to 2C degrees higher than normal.

Weather Explainer : What are weather status warnings

AccuWeather, which specialises in long-range forecasts, indicates there will be 10 successive days without rain in September. Temperatures will hover close to 19C, with the best of the conditions expected from September 11.

Fourteen days of cloudy sunshine are forecast from October 2, though temperatures wont rise above 16C. Until then, Ireland will face some unsettled weather.

Met Eireanns Siobhan Ryan said this weekend would bring a mixture of sunshine and showers, some of which could be quite heavy.

She stated that tomorrow morning will bring rainfall and misty conditions. Drivers are urged to take care because there is a risk of spot flooding.

The weekend will see a mix of sunshine and scattered showers, some heavy closer to the Atlantic, she said.

It will be warm in any sunshine, especially further east, where it will be mostly dry and with highest temperatures of 18C to 23C.

Monday will see a mix of clouds and sunny spells with passing heavy showers and highest temperatures of 18C to 22C.
Gardai have expressed concern about an increase in people being robbed at night on two of Dublins busiest night-economy streets.

Officers are investigating at least 21 incidents of robbery and theft in Harcourt Street and neighbouring Camden Street in the past five weeks.

The majority of cases remain unsolved, and there is concern about a lack of gardai patrolling the two streets, which are home to many nightclubs and pubs.

The priority in the south city for late-night policing seems to be Temple Bar, meaning gardai have been diverted from patrolling these locations on occasion, a source said.

There is plenty of overtime on offer for gardai at the moment for these patrols, but there is an issue at times about members taking this up for a variety of reasons.

Of the 21 incidents on Harcourt Street and Camden Street, five were robberies and 16 thefts from the person.

Two robberies were described as extremely violent and were carried out by two women on two men on July 30.

One of the victims in the separate incidents was an English tourist. An hour after he was robbed in the early morning, a Dublin-based man in his 20s was also targeted.

Both men suffered facial injuries and their mobile phones were stolen after they were directed away from Harcourt Street and Camden Place respectively by the women who assaulted them.

Gardai believe the women have been working for a gang.

On the night of the two attacks, it is believed they stalked the streets for several hours looking for potential victims before approaching them and asking for directions.

Investigations have established that a car has been parked in lane-ways to which the suspects go with stolen goods.

It is unclear how many other robberies they have been involved in, but gardai have obtained CCTV of them.

Public safety and garda resources on the streets of Dublin city centre have been the subject of much debate after a group of English tourists were assaulted and robbed in Temple Bar last weekend.

A 17-year-old west Dublin male has been charged in relation to the incident, and more arrests are expected in the coming days. Bail conditions include that he stay out of Dublin 2.

Following another violent street attack in the south of the city, a video has emerged of an incident at 6pm on Monday when a group of youths armed with bars and bats attacked a man near the Guinness Storehouse.

That case is being investigated as a public order incident involving a large number of youths.
Presenter expected to seek work with other broadcaster

RTE will not pay Ryan Tubridy a severance package after dumping him over the payments scandal.

The former Late Late Show presenter is now expected to seek work away from RTE as the broadcaster will not renew his contract.

However, there is still the possibility of legal action being taken by Tubridy amid ongoing confusion over his contractual status.

It remains unclear what the position is concerning the 150,000 arising over the Renault deal.

Tubridy was on a five-year contract running to 2025, but this was for both television work as host of The Late Late Show and presenter of his morning radio show.

Once he stopped presenting the flagship chat show, his contract was up for negotiation.

RTE says it will have to enter into discussions with Tubridy about ending his employment, but it does not accept he is entitled to any severance pay.

Now that RTE contract negotiations with Ryan Tubridy have concluded, as confirmed yesterday by RTE director general Kevin Bakhurst, payments to Ryan Tubridy will conclude in due course. There will be no severance payment, RTE told the Irish Independent.

Ryan Tubridy not returning to RTE airwaves

Tubridy was due to return to the airwaves next month, to go back on his RTE Radio 1 show on Monday, September 4.

He was due to begin a new contract worth 170,000 a year to do the radio show and a podcast.

Tubridy was also due to pay back 150,000 to RTE from the Renault deal, which was paid from the national broadcasters barter account slush fund for work he ultimately did not do.

But that new contract was taken off the table by Bakhurst following a breakdown in trust over Tubridys reaction to a report.

Although RTE has left the door open to him returning at some point in the future, he is now understood to be seeking work elsewhere.

RTE continues to insist a statement by Tubridy damaged trust between both parties and clarifications sought were not addressed to RTEs satisfaction.

RTE wrote to Mr Tubridys representatives on Wednesday seeking clarification on the statement issued by Ryan Tubridy earlier that day. RTE also sought clarification on two matters. These matters were not addressed to RTEs satisfaction, RTE said.

Regardless of the intent, Mr Tubridys statement and the timing and manner of its publication damaged trust between both parties and that, along with a range of other issues outlined by Kevin Bakhurst resulted in the conclusion of the negotiations.

However, in the clarification, Tubridys team told RTE he had no intention of causing any difficulty.

But he said he was not in any way inferring that RTE was incorrect in stating his full salary details, including the Renault deal payments.

There is now uncertainty over the status of the 150,000 paid by RTE as part of that deal.

This is a decision for Ryan Tubridy, RTE said.

The possibility of Tubridy taking legal action against RTE remains, particularly as the precise contractual arrangements are unclear.

Bakhurst confirmed Tubridy is still being paid by the broadcaster and that negotiations on resolving that issue would be his next step.

Tubridy has been off-air since June 22 when the scandal emerged about his publicly declared salary being lower than what he was actually paid.

We need to resolve that, thats the next step now, Bakhurst said. He admitted the dispute over whether Tubridy was still in contract after stepping down from The Late Late Show in May remained unresolved.

Well, I think, as has been said before, he had that contract, which covered both the Late Late and his radio work, he said.

When he decided to leave The Late Late Show, clearly there was some discussion about whether hed left that contract or not, and I dont think theres agreement on that.

We continued to pay him because I thought it was a fair thing to do over that period, because we would normally pay someone over the summer, and it was our decision to take him off-air for a while.

But we didnt pay him at the level that they were seeking for him to be paid.

Discussions have already begun within RTE about who will replace Tubridy in the morning radio slot.

Standing in for him yesterday morning, Brendan Courtney said it was a little bit strange to be here in front of the mic for the 9am programme, adding: We all feel a bit discombobulated this morning.
As last nights storm became increasingly strong, the vessel dragged anchor and became stuck fast on a rock on the northern shore of Kenmare Bay

The yacht is currently being towed back to port

Two sailors have been rescued on their yacht off the coast of Co Kerry by the Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat that had battled gale force conditions to reach them.

The 31-foot ketch had been anchored off Dromquinna when Storm Betty struck.

As last nights storm became increasingly strong, the vessel dragged anchor and became stuck fast on a rock on the northern shore of Kenmare Bay.

The concerned sailors raised the alarm with the Irish Coast Guards Marine Research Coordination Centre in Valentia, requesting immediate assistance

Castletownberes RNLI lifeboat, Annette Hutton, was launched at 3.31am under the command of Coxswain Dave Fenton.

Mechanic Marney ODonoghue with crew Seamus Harrington, John William ODonoghue, Joe Cronin, Donagh Murphy and Will Power were also on board.

The Shannon Airport-based Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 115 was also tasked to assist in the rescue.

After leaving harbour, Castletownbere lifeboat faced a three-hour trip to Dromquinna.

Coxswain Fenton described driving rain, strong winds and a large sea swell as the lifeboat travelled westwards, before turning towards up the Dursey Sound and across Kenmare Bay.

The yacht was subsequently located at 6.08am on a rock south of Dromquinna.

However, with the tide rising, the volunteer lifeboat crew was able to attach a tow rope and pull the vessel clear.

The yacht was undamaged and both sailors were found to be safe and well. It was then decided to tow the yacht to Castletownbere. The tow is currently in progress and the lifeboat and yacht are expected in port at 2pm.

Paul Stevens, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Castletownbere RNLI, complimented the coxswain and crew for their swift response and effective rescue.

He added: When the crew returns this afternoon, they will have spent over ten hours at sea in challenging conditions  demonstrating their very strong commitment to the lifeboat service.
It was initially thought the cat had been hit by a car given the extent of its injuries

A man who kicked a neighbours cat to death is living almost as a hermit under vigilante death threats, a court has heard.

Coleraine Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that 44-year-old cat killer Mark Carson had been sent an anonymous death threat letter and that he has to leave his own home for his own safety.

The court also heard that almost 500 of his neighbours at Maythorn Avenue and surrounding houses had signed a letter of petition calling for him to be made an example.

Speaking as he jailed Carson for three months on Friday, District Judge Peter King revealed he had been given the letter, undersigned by some 470 people, which outlined how everyone in our estate is stressed and disgusted with this killing  we do not need this person in our community.

The judge quoted: We hope that you would make an example of this terrible act by giving a custodial sentence.

He warned, however, that while I would have been astounded if there had not been community interest in this casein respect of what actions sinister people not before the court may be taking in respect of you and your family at home that, quite frankly, is deplorable.

When Carson entered a guilty plea earlier this year to causing Jasper the cat unnecessary suffering arising from a shocking incident of cruelty on March 24, 2020, DJ King warned him that a potential jail sentence was on the horizon.

A prosecuting lawyer had outlined how a member of the public discovered badly injured Jasper at the rear of a house on Maythorn Avenue in Coleraine and brought it to the vet who, having examined the ginger cat, believed that given his injuries he appeared to have been injured in a road traffic collision.

However, when the Good Samaritan animal lover checked CCTV footage at the rear of the houses, they spotted their neighbour Carson booting the elderly cat approximately seven times.

Footage provided to the council shows the attack and its what we would describe as sustained with the first kick making the cat travel several feet, said the prosecution.

It is unable to rise yet it is kicked or launched by Mr Carsons boot at least six more times and the cat is left at the back of the property, the lawyer told the court, adding that although Carson comes back out a few minutes later and is seen flipping it over with his foot, the 44-year-old does nothing to help or assist the still breathing but fatally injured cat and simply walks back into his house.

The vet who treated Jasper did an autopsy and they found he had badly bruised ribs, fresh blood in his abdomen and thorax and a collapsed lung, concluding that death was due to a traumatic injury and that the cat would have suffered.

When Jaspers owner was traced she gave a statement detailing her heartbreak and anger at the treatment of her elderly cat and when Carson was spoken to, he made full admissions.

DJ King also read out Carsons letter in open court, quoting the cat killer as writing I want to take this opportunity to apologise for my actions  I am truly very sorry.

It was never my intention to hurt Jasper...

I immediately felt terrible and Im still haunted to this day by my actions.

I have struggled with it ever since and I am disgusted at myself and do not expect forgiveness.

In addition to the three-month jail sentence, Carson was also banned from having custody or control of any animal for 10 years but no costs were awarded against the cat killer.

While DJ King ordered prison staff to take him down, Carson was freed on 500 bail pending an appeal of the jail sentence.
The couple said their I dos in front of friends and family at the enchanting chateau

Galway GAA star Joe Canning and wife Meg were among the guests who helped Aimee Connolly celebrate her best day ever as she was married to her long-term partner John Greene in a French castle.

The Sculpted by Aimee boss and John  a close friend of Joe  had been guests at the hurlers fairytale wedding last year.

Aimee and John were married at the luxurious Chateau de Varennes in the stunning Burgundy region of France on Friday.

Wedding guests

The couple said their I dos in front of friends and family at the enchanting chateau, where the festivities are expected to continue over the weekend.

A clearly delighted Aimee (30) shared first photos from the celebration showing her in an off-white gown while dapper John poses in a black tuxedo. Aimee captioned the pic Best day ever, prompting numerous congratulations.

Oh my God! Absolutely incredible. You look absolutely phenomenal! I hope you both had the most magical day ever, one pal declared.

Another added: Aww, congratulations Aimee... your dress is beautiful like you and the location looks amazing too.

The couple got married following their engagement last year on a trip to Mexico.

Aimee with her mother

Aimee had got her big day off to a fragrant start by lighting a luxurious Jo Malone candle, which she shared on Instagram with the caption Wedding Morning to set the tone for the day.

Then she added a snapshot alongside her mother and the caption: Just a few hours before she accompanies me down the aisle.

Aimee was surrounded by her nearest and dearest, including her best friend, comedian and presenter James Patrice, who shared a smiling snap ahead of the ceremony captioned: Having the BEST time with my people.
The anticipated bidding war between Irelands biggest corporations has failed to materialise after months of turmoil and scandal in Montrose.

The Sunday World has learned that RTE sponsorship team are still desperately scrambling for a new sponsor for The Late Late Show.

The anticipated bidding war between Irelands biggest corporations has failed to materialise after months of turmoil and scandal in Montrose.

The stations sponsorship team has given the close of business next Friday, August 25, as the deadline for bids from potential sponsors. However, according to sources, the interest was heavily affected by the negativity surrounding Ryan Tubridys pay scandal.

The Sunday World has also learned that the format for the worlds longest running chat show will be restricted to 90 minutes as Patrick Kielty begins his reign as host.

In documents seen by this paper, RTE clearly states that they want a two-year sponsorship deal but are now willing to look at one-year options and are offering the successful sponsor free tickets for every single show.

Remarkably, this is the first opportunity to sponsor the biggest show on Irish TV in eight years after Renault ended their relationship last May. It is not known if the car company was interested in continuing their partnership before the sensational revelations revealed extra payments and undisclosed wages.

Unfortunately for RTE, the Friday night chat show isnt the lucrative cash cow it used to be and now only averages 410,000 viewers per episode.

And while the Toy Show usually attracts 1.5million viewers, it is the other 29 episodes that is worrying potential sponsors.

Desperate sales bosses are offering 730 seven-second stings per season including RTE One +1 and compilation shows, while the sponsor logo will be included on all promos for the series on TV.

They are also now offering a sponsor mention on all radio promos while the sponsors logo is included on all promos on all RTE social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on The Late Late Show page on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

An insider told us: This is without doubt the biggest and most important phase of the year as the autumn schedule launches.

The RTE media pack

Sponsors are usually in place long before now. It is a rare thing to not have it in place. It is a busy time each year automatically but the fact that we have all just come through the pay scandal and we have a new presenter starting on September 15, so panic is definitely kicking in.

Its not all doom and gloom in RTE however, as the source said that Kevin Bakhursts (RTEs new Director General) interviews this week had given a rejuvenated sense of change in the company. There is a feeling of relief to see how refreshing he was on various shows this week.

Obviously his move to end talks with Ryan was a big decision but it has improved the sentiment in here.

I also think that half of the staff now sympathise with Ryan and half feel let down. It is about 50/50 I reckon. Which is an improvement on a few months ago.

A lot of focus will now be on Tubridys next move with Newstalk being an obvious option. A Virgin Media source told us that they would be open to chatting with Ryan, but industry experts believe that his wage demands would be far too high for their budget.
In early August, 10 fearless University of Waikato PhD researchers faced off in the final of the Universitys 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) Doctoral competition.

Each took on the challenge of distilling years of research into a 3 minute talk with a single illustrative slide.

But there can be only one, and it was Te Aka Matuatua School of Science animal behaviour researcher Rebecca Connor who took out the Professor John D. McCraw Memorial Trophy and $1000 cash prize.

Rebecca gave a lively presentation on her research into the captive management of the famously shy kiwi.

In taking on the challenge of a three minute presentation, says Rebecca.

I would never turn down the chance to talk about kiwi! I love this amazing bird, and hope through communicating my research in an effective manner I can inspire others to care about this bird as well. I think its really important that scientists can communicate their research so non-experts can understand it, and make better informed decisions as a result.

Rebecca's work is focused on the welfare of captive kiwi, this is birds kept in enclosures at zoos or aquariums.

Animals in captivity simply dont thrive if we dont get it right. And even when were getting it right, we can always find ways to improve.

She pointed to the recent example of Paora, a North Island brown kiwi hatched at Miami Zoo.

A national furore erupted when New Zealanders saw footage of $40 tourist encounters with him in a brightly lit room.

Rebeccar credited the Zoo with their quick action, and their work with Save the Kiwi and the Department of Conservation (DOC) to improve kiwi welfare. DOC has sent out the Kiwi Husbandry Manual to all American zoos holding kiwi.

The plight of Paora has underlined the urgency of her work.

When it comes to kiwi, our national icon and much loved taonga, theres a lot that we simply dont know. My research focuses on trying to fill in some of the knowledge gaps in the DOC manual.

She also cautions, While the plight of Paora needed to be addressed, Id also like to see the same level of outrage and action around what is happening for these unique birds in the wild at home. 14 kiwi have been killed by dogs in the last few months and theres been little response.

The first part of Rebeccas PhD study was a survey of facilities in New Zealand and around the world, to assess how they looked after their kiwi.

I found huge variations. For example kiwi were fed anywhere from once, to three times a day; temperature ranged from 12 to 24; and enclosure size varied between 25 to 500m2.

Rebecca is now looking at what works best for kiwi, and what environmental and husbandry variables they prefer.

Im now measuring the behaviour of kiwi in nocturnal houses. For example exactly where in the enclosure they spend their time as well as their responses to things like lighting and sound levels, feeding frequency, and visitor behaviour.

Rebecca says her 3MT win was a surprise.

All of the finalists did such a great job of communicating important research. I feel very fortunate to have been the winner on the night.

The doctoral finalists.

The runner-up was Larissa Kopf, a PhD candidate with the School of Engineering. She also received the Peoples Choice Award for her presentation on developing new thermography techniques for assessing large structures like bridges for internal faults.

The 3MT competition has been run through the Te Mata Kairangi School of Graduate Research since 2009. Dean of Graduate Research, says Professor Karin Bryan.

It celebrates the exciting research happening at Waikato, and importantly it develops research communication skills, while building a candidates ability to effectively explain their work to a non-specialist audience.

On the finals this year, Professor Bryan added, It was an usually tight competition that left us all guessing until the moment the winner was announced. It was fabulous seeing so many keen students rising to the challenges and giving it a go.

Rebecca will represent the University of Waikato at the 2023 Virtual Asia-Pacific 3MT Competition, hosted by the University of Queensland, where she'll line up with around 600 university representatives from across 59 countries in late September.

The 10 University of Waikato 3MT Doctoral finalist presentations can be viewed here.
The Rotorua community is once again set to benefit from initiatives that have received cash injections from the Toi Ohomai Charity House Project.

The 2022 Charity House was sold earlier this year, with a profit of $30,000 which was available to

charities and community organisations.

Nine charities have received funding including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Aratika Cancer Trust, who were celebrated at a presentation event held at Toi Ohomai | Te Pukenga.

Te Pukenga Tumu Whenua a-Rohe 2 | Executive Director Region 2, Kieran Hewitson, acknowledged the project partners, without whom, this project would not be possible.

The build of this house not only helps students gain hands-on experience but contributes to the community.

She said funding was given to wide-reaching community groups, which offered a range of services and community initiatives.

Its great to be able to support our community in this way. This project not only provides our akonga with key skills to become work ready, but it also provides a sense of community pride.

Kieran also extended a mihi to the purchasers of this years house, as this would not be possible without them.

The purchasers were unable to attend the function but they acknowledged everyone who was part of this project.

We feel privileged to have been fortunate enough to purchase the latest Charity Home after being unsuccessful in our bid the previous year.

The project is a fantastic venture that brings students, suppliers, education providers and the community together to work for a great cause in supporting our community.

We look forward to hearing how the funds are distributed to our local community to support organisations making Rotorua the great place it is to work, live and play.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell spoke at the event and thanked the recipients for the work they do in the community.

The Charity House Project, which has been running since 2013, sees Toi Ohomai carpentry students build a home with support from industry partners.

Professionals McDowell Real Estate has been on board since the projects inception, using their expertise to market and sell the property, and the money raised is given to Rotary Rotorua Sunrise Charitable Trust to distribute throughout the community.

This grassroots project brings together carpentry and electrical students with local tradespeople and suppliers in partnership for the community.

2023 Recipients:

Aratika Cancer Trust

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rotorua

Graeme Dingle Foundation

Older Persons Community Centre

Swim Able NZ Charitable Trust

St Chads

Rotorua Symphonic Band

Rotorua & Districts MS Society Inc

Equisucceed
New targets will force farmers to reduce their emissions in order to sell to export markets in a bid to future-proof the sector, the government has announced.

Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor announced the government's final plan to reduce agricultural emissions on Friday, after a five-year process that involved working with farming leaders.

It will see a system introduced to measure and price emissions at a farm level - with mandatory reporting to begin next year.

O'Connor says the decisions announced set out a path to give farmers certainty and addresses the ever-strengthening market signals from overseas on climate.

He says future export growth of food and fibre products will depend on farmers demonstrating their sustainability credentials.

"Nestle, the single biggest customer of our biggest company Fonterra, has committed to a 50 percent reduction of scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030. Many more companies have similar targets. This is a tectonic shift in our export markets, meaning our farmers will have to reduce their emissions in order to sell to them."

O'Connor says many other companies have similar targets.

"The reality is, government-required or not, our agriculture sector will have to adapt over the coming years and reduce emissions.

"It's a fact of business in the 21st Century, but with the support of government, we can make that transition in a pragmatic way with the sector."

Work is also underway to allow scientifically validated forms of on-farm sequestration into the Emissions Trading Scheme to help reduce the cost to farmers.

O'Connor says the plan supports farmers' transition, helps secure their future export growth, and works alongside other climate policies to continue reducing emissions.

Timeline

Farm-level emissions reporting requirements will come into effect in the last quarter of 2024, with emissions pricing to begin two years from now in the last quarter of 2025.

The government is also proposing deferring the legislated farm level reporting requirements in the Climate Change Response Act (2022) CCRA.

"Currently farmers would be required to register in the NZ ETS and monitor emissions from January 1, 2024, unless the law is changed," says O'Connor.

"We're proposing an Order in Council be approved, prior to January 1, 2024, to defer those provisions and public feedback is being sought on the proposal over the next few weeks.

"We believe it's crucial that work continues with the sector and Maori on the development and implementation of an alternative pricing system that's fit for purpose."

Public consultation is now open and ends on 6 September 6, 2023.

Funding

$300 million over four years through Budget 2022 to go towards new tools and technology to reduce on-farm emissions to farmers quicker and provide on-the-ground support to adapt.

$54m into the first projects through the Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions to bring down emissions.

$15.4m from Budget 2023 to develop a system to enable farmers and their advisers to calculate and report agricultural emissions.

Announcement 'falls short' - Green Party

The Green Party says the government's announcement for pricing agriculture emissions "falls short" and only it has a plan to "reduce agricultural emissions at the scale and pace needed".

Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw says: "The Labour Cabinet's emissions pricing plan leaves too much to chance. People deserve a plan that will work - and with a strong hand in the next government, the Green Party will make it happen.

"We need an enduring cap on total emissions that reduces over time. That is the only way we will be able to cut pollution in line with what science tells us. We can start immediately by reducing reliance on the things that fuel emissions-intensive farming, like nitrogen fertiliser and imported supplementary feed."

In his role as Minister of Climate Change, Shaw says he had made it clear to the government why he did not support its plan.

-RNZ.
A family relation of Daisy Fernandez who was killed by a motorbike in Northland's Ripiro Beach dunes is worried about what might happen when hordes of hooning bikers and off-roaders pour onto the coastline over Labour Weekend.

Tauranga's 13-year-old Daisy Fernandez died after being struck by an unregistered motorbike on Ripiro's Glinks Gully on New Year's Eve 2007. The Fernandez family are a long-time integral part of the Glinks Gully community.

Relation Matt Elliott, who hails from near Glinks Gully and now regularly holidays at a tiny coastal settlement south of Dargaville with his own family, says the community is anxious.

"It'll be like a plague of locusts swarming in and taking over the beach," Elliott says.

Photo: Supplied / Northern Advocate.

A recent incident saw a family pack up and hurriedly leave the beach in shock after a bike came over the dunes where their two-year-old had been playing just minutes before.

Four-wheel-drives and off-roaders from as far away as Palmerston North are now turning up and not enough is being done to police the problem, says Matt.

New Zealand's most recent long weekend, Matariki in July, had seen "herds" of four-wheel-drives pouring onto Ripiro Beach at Glinks Gully, he adds.

More than 500 had turned up on that weekend alone it's estimated.

Photo: Supplied / Northern Advocate.

Residents and bach users report a dramatic increase in the number of these vehicles since Auckland Council started closing Muriwai Beach summer access in 2020, introduced fees-based annual permits for every vehicle driven on that beach and prosecution risk for bad behaviour.

Locals say increased Ripiro Beach traffic is also coming from Kaipara and Northland, one indicating toughened controls on Whangarei's east coast beaches were a factor.

More than 1000 beach users can be on Ripiro Beach over long weekends.

Ripiro Beach management working group member Snow Tane (Te Roroa), recently had to suddenly gather his grandchildren close at Baylys Beach, as vehicles sped by, too close.

He says the number of vehicles has doubled since toughened Muriwai access controls.

"My message to people coming to Ripiro Beach at Labour Weekend is to be responsible. There are some individuals that a not driving appropriately on the beach," says Tane.

The situation has become so bad at busy beach access pinch points, local residents have on occasion taken matters into their own hands.

Photo: Supplied / Northern Advocate.

In one situation they respectfully asked a car driver to stop doing donuts amidst dozens of people including children, at the Baylys Beach entrance. The driver did not stop so they removed keys from the person's car and called the police.

At the same spot, another resident asked a motorbike rider to desist from doing wheel stands amongst the crowds and was abused, the rider refusing to back down until other locals came to the resident's side.

Working group Baylys Beach representative Con Fowler says it's about everybody being safe and looking after the environment.

"We love our beach and we want to have all the beach users, local and otherwise, treat the beach with care and respect for wildlife and other beach users around issues of driving, littering and dune management."

The actions of some are creating issues for many.

Photo: Supplied / Northern Advocate.

The 107km-long Ripiro Beach is New Zealand's longest driveable beach - classified as a road with a generally 100km/h speed limit, except for a kilometre on either side of main beach entrances where that reduces to 30km/h.

Locals are hoping new 30km/h signage at beach accesses will be in place in time for Labour Weekend. But they worry these will again be torn down by those who do not want them there.

Large 30km/h signs are to be erected at Maunganui Bluff, Omamari, Baylys Beach, Glinks Gully and Pouto. Medium signs will be placed at other entrances whilst small signs will be placed in the dunes.

The signage is a first push from new KDC-led Ripiro Beach management working group set up in October as part of, initially, building beach safety through education.

The multi-agency group includes Kaipara District Council (KDC), Department of Conservation, Fire and Emergency NZ, Kauri Coast 4WD Club, Northland Regional Council, NZ Police, Te Roroa, Te Uri o Hau and community representatives - who are working on a beach management plan.

Longtime Pouto bach owner and former KDC councillor David Wills says more constantly groups of as many as 60 four-wheel drive vehicles are arriving to travel the length of the beach.

It's now a numbers game, with increased arrivals amplifying ever-intensifying usage pressures.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.
Emergency services are responding to the scene of a one vehicle crash in Pyes Pa.

"A vehicle has rolled on the intersection of State Highway 36 and Te Matai Road, around 11am," says a police spokesperson.

"It appears the road is partially blocked.

"It doesn't appear there are any serious injuries."

At the scene?

Phone 0800SUNLIVE or email newsroom@thesun.co.nz
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Washington, D.C.  A man from Utica accused of dragging a Capitol police officer down a set of steps on Jan. 6, 2021 so that a mob could beat him with an American flag was convicted Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey Sabol, who now lives in Colorado and works as a geophysicist, was found guilty at a stipulated bench trial on robbery, assault and obstructing an official proceeding charges.

Sabol, 53, traveled with a group to D.C. with zip ties, a trauma kit and a buck knife, according to court documents. He told investigators he believed the 2020 election was stolen.

Sabol watched Donald Trumps speech on the Ellipse before walking to the Capitol, according to court filings.

He and other rioters attempting to reverse the results of the 2020 election were met with a line of police officers in riot gear outside the Capitols west entrance.

Later, video shows Sabol ripping a baton from an officers hand, causing him to fall down steps, where he was beaten and kicked. He helped drag another officer down to the crowd that beat him with a flagpole and a baton.

In the days after Jan. 6, afraid hed be arrested, Sabol deleted text messages between him and the group he traveled to D.C. with, dropped his phone in water, microwaved his laptop and booked a flight to Zurich, Switzerland, prosecutors said.

When he couldnt board the plane in Boston, he rented a car and fled. He got as far as Westchester, New York, where police arrested him on Jan. 11.

Sabols sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.
Joshua Angell, 41, was fatally stabbed on Friday night, Aug. 18, 2023 in this home at 4272 Oran Delphi Rd. in Pompey. Raymond C. Symer, 35, was charged with first-degree manslaughter on Saturday. (Rylee Kirk | rkirk@syracuse.com)
Join NY Cannabis Insider for our next full-day conference on Sept. 21 at the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery in Buffalo. Tickets will sell out.

Good morning! It has been a busy week for New York cannabis insiders  a frank talk around a tribal cannabis bill, our New York City meetup event, cannabis PR, and so much more.

Lets take a look at all the stories we published since Monday.



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Yesterday, we published a breaking story on the CAURD programs status following a judicial order that will bar New York cannabis regulators from approving conditional dispensary licenses indefinitely.

However, according to New York State Supreme Court Judge Kevin Bryants decision, licensees who met all approvals before Aug. 7, 2023, will be allowed to open their stores. The order also states that the court may allow other CAURD dispensaries to open on a case-by-case basis, if state officials request permission from the judge.

A few days before this update  given the industry-shifting event that unfolded last week involving a lawsuit against the Office of Cannabis Management and the second pause on licenses  the states CAURD Coalition issued an urgent plea to Gov. Kathy Hochul to save the industry:

We beg Gov. Hochul to consider the millions of New Yorkers with regards to the distribution of regulated cannabis. The Office of Cannabis Management had promised all 463 licensed applicants the opportunity to serve their communities safe and regulated cannabis, yet only 22 are currently operating at minimal capacity.

Village of Homer Mayor Hal McCabe agreed in a guest column stating Gov. Hochul needs to call for an extraordinary session of the New York State legislature to codify the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary license into law. His guest column goes further to say that despite what many think, that kind of session is possible, as Hochul called for one just a week after she was sworn in as governor.

McCabe said he has always feared that Big Cannabis would dominate the states marketplace. He writes that his worries are becoming a reality if the states legislature doesnt respond as soon as possible.

Timmie Elsner, a retired NYC housing court judge, also wrote a guest column listing possible challenges the OCM might face in the future. Elsner urges legislators to act fast because the stakes are particularly high.

From her perspective as a former judge, the promise of the MRTA seems to be a fairy tale as the reality of a road to legalization filled with unpredictable stop and go moments and procedural delays becomes the norm.

Despite the drama and uncertainty, our New York City meetup and networking event, which spotlighted legal marijuana on tribal land, went well.

More than 100 industry insiders gathered at Madame Mikettes in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday evening to network, eat and learn.

Attorneys Matt Leonardo and Joseph Bondy, along with Akwesasne tribal members Lance White and Thunder Anderson, spoke about the tribal bill that would allow adult-use cultivators and processors to sell their cannabis to tribal nations, as well as cannabis culture on tribal lands, and current relations between the state and indigenous nations.

However, attorney and guest columnist Paula Collins dared not let us forget the War on Drugs is still alive and well.

Her latest column says the industry should pay attention to whats happening with unlicensed shop inspections to prevent the same thing from happening in the licensed market.

Collins said raids can happen to licensed shops, too. In her words, 10-20 officers in SWAT regalia can roll up, crash your door, and toss your product  and they dont even need probable cause or a warrant. They dont even have to give their names and badge numbers.

In preparation for the cannabis industry to pick back up, Jordan Isenstadt, a senior vice president at Marino PR, wrote a guest column that a public relations plan is an absolute necessity for entrepreneurs looking to thrive in New York.

The unfolding saga of New Yorks nascent cannabis industry is a testament to both its potential and its challenges, Isenstadt said. As the states cannabis rollout faces hurdles, setbacks, and a pace slower than anticipated, the importance of a targeted and authentic public relations strategy has never been more apparent.

Earlier this week, we also continued our People to Know, Women in cannabis and Ask me anything series.

We met Joanne Wilson, who founded Gotham in New York City. The store, located at E. 3rd and Bowery, is a licensed Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary and is both a cannabis and cultural concept store.

Additionally, Stella Morrison talked about her journey from the newsroom to cannabis for our Women in Cannabis series, where she also dished her reasoning behind why women are so underrated in cannabis leadership roles.

Lastly, Jeffrey Hoffman continued discussions on hemp rules, federal law and Empire Cannabis Clubs in a new Ask me anything about NY cannabis segment.

Thats all for today, folks. Have a great weekend!
Farmington, N.Y.  A 46-year-old man was killed on the state Thruway Friday night when he jumped in front of a tractor-trailer in Ontario County.

The man was struck at about 7:24 p.m. in the eastbound lanes between Exit 44 (Canandaigua) and Exit 43 (Manchester) in the town of Farmington, according to a State Police news release Saturday.

One eastbound lane of the highway was closed until at 1 a.m., slowing traffic and causing delays. The crash happened at mile marker 344.5.

Troopers said reports were made to the Ontario County 911 Center that the man was having mental health issues.

He pulled his car over to the side of the highway. The car had its hazardous lights on.

A 59-year-old truck driver from Florida, John R. Lapolla, applied his brakes when the man jumped in front of the truck, troopers said. The truck driver, however, couldnt stop before hitting the man.

The man was declared dead at the scene, troopers said. The name of the man was not released.

Suicide prevention help is available.

Dial 911 if you are in immediate danger.

988 - National Suicide Prevention Hotline. This toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. (It was formerly 1-800-273-8255, which also still works.) By dialing 988, the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in a national network of more than 150 crisis centers, including Contact Community Services in Syracuse. You can also text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

(315)-251-0600 - Contact Community Services Hotline, provides 24 hour telephone counseling.

1-800-273-8255 Press 1 - Veterans and Military Crisis Line

741741- Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7 and confidential.
Syracuses historic W.C. Lipe Mansion has a new owner.

Built in 1903 by famous local architect Archimedes Russell, the landmark house at 114 Summit Ave. was purchased at auction on July 10 by local real estate broker Amjad Hasan, of First Choice Realty and Property.

His winning bid was for $268,322.

Hasans plan for the eight-bedroom house is to fix it up for resale.

I have already spent $2,000 in dumpsters, he said.

He has begun working on the exterior trim and tidying up the landscape. A new roof had been installed a few years ago by the previous owners.

Inside, the 4,686 square foot house is in remarkably good shape Hasan believes, and all it really needs is a good cleaning, especially the homes original hardwood floors.

- Interior photos show the condition of the first floor of the W.C. Lipe Mansion at 114 Summit Avenue in Syracuse. New owner Amjad Hasan, who won the historic home at auction, plans to "fix it up for resale." Courtesy of Amjad HasanCourtesy of Amjad Hasan

- Interior photos show the staircase and stained glass windows of the W.C. Lipe Mansion at 114 Summit Avenue in Syracuse. New owner Amjad Hasan, who won the historic home at auction, plans to "fix it up for resale." Courtesy of Amjad HasanCourtesy of Amjad Hasan

A piano from 1903 is one of the many original items Hasan has discovered in the house.

It is crazy, he said.

An apartment over the garage, with Italian marble tile in the bathroom is beautiful, according to Hasan.

Whoever gets the house, could easily make $1,000 to $1,500 a month renting out the apartment.

The brick and stone-faced house with a rounded front porch was considered one of the Syracuses finest houses of recent construction, according to newspapers, when it was finished in 1903.

Willard Lipe was a pioneer of Syracuse industry. He took over the family business when his father, Charles, died in 1887.

- Staircase and chandelier in the front foyer of the W.C. Lipe Mansion at 114 Summit Avenue in Syracuse. New owner Amjad Hasan, who won the historic home at auction, plans to "fix it up for resale." Courtesy of Amjad HasanCourtesy of Amjad Hasan

The house was considered state-of-the-art at the time with no expenses spared in its construction and engineering.

Amenities like a central vacuum system, intercom phones and light switches downstairs that turned on lights upstairs were included. All the rooms on the second floor were interconnected and had adjoining dressing rooms or washrooms.

The home was owned by the McDermott family from 1964 to 2006 and Peter and Laura McDermott did an extensive renovation of it after they purchased it from his parents in 1993.

The McDermotts remodeled bathrooms, converted a wood-burning fireplace to gas, installed thermal windows and added more custom-oak built-ins.

They also completely remodeled the vaulted carriage house, which can serve as guest or in-law quarters with a full kitchen, living room, marble-trimmed bathroom with a see-through shower and Jacuzzi tub, and bedroom.

- Interior photos show the condition of the first floor of the W.C. Lipe Mansion at 114 Summit Avenue in Syracuse. New owner Amjad Hasan, who won the historic home at auction, plans to "fix it up for resale." Courtesy of Amjad HasanCourtesy of Amjad Hasan

- Interior photos show the condition of the first floor of the W.C. Lipe Mansion at 114 Summit Avenue in Syracuse. New owner Amjad Hasan, who won the historic home at auction, plans to "fix it up for resale." Courtesy of Amjad HasanCourtesy of Amjad Hasan

The house sold on May 9, 2006 for $295,000.

The mansion had been used as a bed and breakfast as recently as 2018, earning many five-star reviews on tripadvisor.com before being foreclosed on.

Hasan knew the house well and said he always loved the spot it sat in the Strathmore neighborhood of Syracuse.

He thought for a moment of moving into the Lipe Mansion himself but decided to remain at his current home in Camillus.

Hasan has purchased several homes locally from auction.com and fixed them up for resale.

But none, he admits, are as big as the Lipe Mansion.

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We asked readers to pepper us with questions about this years New York State Fair. Im still going through more than 100 inquiries. If I dont know the answer, Ill track down people who do. (Believe it or not, State Fair officials are busy at this time a year.) Im trying to answer a few each day leading up to the Fair, which opens Wednesday, Aug. 23, and runs through Labor Day. If theres something you want to know, send me an email to cmiller@syracuse.com or text me at 315-382-1984.

****

Geddes, N.Y.  We seem to focus a lot on food when it comes to the New York State Fair. Makes sense. The Fairgrounds are like the United Nations of food. But there is plenty more to the Fair than just deep-fried calories. Lets field some questions about something else for a change.

Q: One of the many things we enjoyed over the years when we lived in Liverpool were the horse shows in the Coliseum. Will there be any this year, before opening day or during the fair?

 Bob & Ricki T., Becky T., and Janice B.

A: There are many horse shows planned throughout The Fair, taking place almost every day in both the Toyota Coliseum and the 4H Youth Arena. Some of the more popular horse shows that The Fair is consistently asked about include:

 Barrell Racing: This is scheduled all day in the Toyota Coliseum on Aug. 26

 Draft Pullers: Set for Aug. 27 at 4 p.m. in the Coliseum

 Total Chaos Rodeo Drill Team: Theyll take over the Toyota Coliseum at noon and 5 p.m. on Aug. 29

 The Clydesdale Six Horse Hitch: Set for 1:30 p.m. in the Toyota Coliseum on Aug. 31

The Fair has a daily agriculture attraction schedule, accessible on its website, which outlines some fun activities to look forward to.

And heres a list of all the different types of animals you can expect to find this year at the Fair.

The goat costume contest during the New York State Fair, Geddes, NY, Sunday September 1, 2019 Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.comScott Schild | sschild@syracuse.

Q: A new goat barn was supposed to have been constructed for this years Fair. Was that delayed?

 Anonymous reader via text

A: From Alice Maggiore, the always helpful State Fair spokeswoman: The Fair is excited to reveal a new Goat Pavilion (not barn) in time for the 2023 Fair. Lots of cute activities will be hosted there, including a Goat Costume contest and trivia. Check out the full schedule on our Agriculture & Attractions page.

The llama costume competition at the New York State Fair. Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)Charlie Miller

Q: I have been trying to find out when the llamas will be at the New York State fair, but have been unable to do so.

 Kathy M

A: Look for the llamas in the Goat, Swine and Llama Barn. The Fairs daily agriculture attraction schedule outlines the activities there, including the llama costume contest planned for 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25.

****

Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. (AND he pays for what he and his guests eat and drink, just so you know.) You can also find him under @HoosierCuse on Twitter and on Instagram. Sign up for his free weekly Where Syracuse Eats newsletter here.

MORE STATE FAIR COVERAGE

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Editor's take: Going after a company for discrimination is a dicey gamble at best unless you have smoking gun proof. However, claiming that computer algorithms intentionally targeted you is practically an exercise in futility. It's tough to look at computer code and say definitively that the programmer intentionally used biased code. However, that was the least of this lawsuit's problems.

On Thursday, a federal judge in California dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit against YouTube that alleged the platform "systematically" targeted non-white and LGBT content creators. Initially, four plaintiffs claimed YouTube frequently throttled or removed their content, often without explanation. The suit requested monetary damages since the creators used their channels to generate ad revenue.

The class action was filed in June 2020, as racial tensions heated up after the George Floyd incident. The class eventually took on five more plaintiffs, claiming that Google's YouTube algorithms were to blame for the automatic profiling and shadow banning of their channels. These actions contradicted the platform's rules that guarantee race-neutral content moderation.

"Instead of 'fixing' the digital racism that pervades the filtering, restricting, and blocking of user content and access on YouTube, Defendants have decided to double down and continue their racist and identity-based practices because they are profitable," the lawsuit stated.

Unfortunately, US District Court Judge Vince Chhabria did not see eye-to-eye with the complainants. Judge Chhabria said the plaintiffs did "not come close" to proving discrimination and dismissed the case.

"The general idea that YouTube's algorithm could discriminate based on race is certainly plausible. But the allegations in this particular lawsuit do not come close to suggesting that the plaintiffs have experienced such discrimination," the ruling reads.

Judge Chhabria also dismissed several other motions and revisions that had come up over the last three years. The plaintiffs contested many of his initial findings, but none of the rebuttals suggested remedies for the proposed "deficiencies" in his judgment. So he dismissed those motions along with the rest of the lawsuit with prejudice, which means the plaintiffs cannot refile their suit. However, they can, and likely will, appeal the ruling.

"The plaintiffs have had six opportunities to adequately plead their claims, and counsel made clear at the hearing for this motion that this is 'the best I got.' Dismissal is therefore with prejudice."

Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, the lawsuit was a farce from the beginning. The initial complaint against Google had a "constitutional orientation" alleging that YouTube violated the content creator's First Amendment rights.

People often forget that the First Amendment, and all of the Bill of Rights, protects people from the government impeding their freedoms, not corporations that own a public forum. Companies are not held to the constitutional standard. Instead, legislation and case law have precedence over such claims. Regrettably, the lawyers even failed to prove a section 1981 claim that can hold companies accountable for "intentional" discrimination.

"The plaintiffs brought this case against YouTube and Google in June 2020, and it was assigned to Judge Koh. Early on, the case had a constitutional orientation  the plaintiffs alleged that YouTube's racially discriminatory treatment violated the First Amendment of the United States Constitution," said Judge Chhabria. "That version of the complaint was dismissed, largely because YouTube is not a state actor and because the plaintiffs failed to allege that any discrimination by YouTube was intentional, as required for the section 1981 claim."

It sounds like these class action vultures were just using racial tensions at the time to throw spaghetti at the wall to see if it would stick  "This is the best I got, Your Honor." Really? That's just begging for a prejudicial dismissal.
In context: Mike Lindell has been on a crusade to secure the voting process since former President Donald Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. Following the election, Lindell promoted conspiracy theories accusing Smartmatic and Dominion voting systems of working with foreign entities to rig voting machines, altering the course of the election. Lindell's efforts have since encompassed everything from self-paid media appearances to a feature-length film that received the 2021 Golden Raspberry Award for worst picture and worst actor.

Suspicions and claims surrounding voter fraud and electronic voting equipment have gained increased traction throughout political and conspiracy theorist circles since the 2020 US presidential election.

Earlier this week, Lindell, also known as the My Pillow Guy, kicked off his latest election crimes summit, which opened with an unplanned start. Lindell wants to secure voting sites via drones. Lindell doubled down on his previous efforts, introducing his newest, never-before-seen plan to secure the voting process  drones with Wi-Fi sniffers.

Lindell revealed the plan during his election crimes summit in Missouri earlier this week after flying a drone over the attending audience and onto the stage. Upon its arrival, Lindell removed a device from the drone and told the audience, "...this wireless monitoring device, it just grabbed all of your cell phones, everybody in this room, every device that's on the Internet right now."

He referred to the device as a Wireless Monitoring Device (WMD) designed to detect Wi-Fi networks and capture media access control (MAC) addresses. Lindell provided some extremely "technical" commentary during the demonstration, stating, "...there's a command center where this information goes down and flashes, it'll go  'router online.'" Lindell claims the capability is one we've never had in the history of technology.

Mike Lindell takes the stage as an "Election Crime Bureau" ticker scrolls behind him. He says this new election summit is not about evidence, they have enough evidence. He throws to a video and they play the wrong one. This all happens in the first minute of the summit. pic.twitter.com/FJHyEXf3DQ  John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) August 16, 2023

However, the truth is much less exciting. Protocol analyzers and Wi-Fi sniffers aren't new. Many hardware and software-based solutions have been available for years. While these commercially available technologies aren't necessarily harmful, they can allow bad actors to analyze any parameters and vulnerabilities related to those solutions and exploit them to avoid detection.

Lindell and his organization intend to cover every parish in Louisiana during the coming election season. However, The Daily Beast notes that the not-so-thought-out plan may be fraught with legal concerns.

Using drones to patrol the airspace above and around a polling site would violate several Louisiana privacy, surveillance, and unmanned aircraft laws. Considering the media snafu that occurred within minutes of the symposium's opening, it's unsurprising that proper research, preparation, and testing didn't happen before rolling out "the plan."
In a compelling move, the government of Canada has called upon Meta to revoke its ban on domestic news content across its platforms. This appeal aims to facilitate the dissemination of critical information concerning wildfires in the country's western region.

(Photo : DARREN HULL/AFP via Getty Images)

Residents watch the McDougall Creek wildfire in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on August 17, 2023, from Kelowna. Evacuation orders were put in place for areas near Kelowna, as the fire threatened the city of around 150,000.

Canada Urging Meta to Lift News Ban

As wildfires continue to ravage the distant northern enclave of Yellowknife, Reuters reported that individuals seeking refuge have expressed their discontent to local media, citing an obstacle in their attempts to share crucial fire-related information.

City residents have raised a concern regarding the absence of news links on Facebook and Instagram, making it challenging to obtain precise details about the wildfires and evacuation procedures through social media.

Authorities noted a proliferation of misinformation about the fires circulating on Facebook. As a countermeasure, they have advised individuals to turn their attention to radio broadcasts or follow live blogs from local media sources for reliable and up-to-date information.

In a social media post, Canada's Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge criticized Meta's "reckless choice to block news... hurting access to vital information on Facebook and Instagram."

"We are calling on them to reinstate news sharing today for the safety of Canadians facing this emergency. We need more news right now, not less," she noted.

Canadian Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez also addressed this concern, deeming Meta's current actions as entirely unsatisfactory. In a briefing, he emphasized the seriousness of the situation, highlighting the concern that crucial information is being withheld from the public due to the ban.

Rodriguez, formerly the heritage minister overseeing the legislation that mandated payment for news articles, continued to assert his stance. He also urged Meta to reverse its decision promptly.

Also Read: Canada Stops Buying Ads on Facebook, Instagram Amidst New Law on Paying Online News Publishers

Meta's Response

In response, Meta conveyed that during critical situations, its Safety Check feature empowers people to seek support, check on their loved ones, and access updates from reputable sources.

The company noted that individuals in Canada can still utilize their technological platforms to connect with their communities and access reliable information, including content from official government agencies, emergency services, and non-governmental organizations.

Meta ceased the availability of news content within Canada to align with the requirements set forth by the country's Online News Act. For Canadian news providers, this means that news links and content from local publishers and broadcasters will no longer be accessible to users within Canada.

On the other hand, international news sources can continue posting content, but it won't be visible to Canadian users. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others have underscored the potential dangers this action poses to democracy, journalism, and the proliferation of misinformation and fake news.

The Guardian reported that Meta counters these claims by asserting that news content constitutes less than 3% of the content users encounter in their Facebook feeds, arguing that it holds minimal significance for their revenue.

Related Article: Canada Stops Buying Ads on Facebook, Instagram Amidst New Law on Paying Online News Publishers

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Neptune, the distant ice giant, has thrown astronomers for a loop as its once-constant clouds have mysteriously disappeared, revealing a previously unseen side of this mysterious planet.

The latest study, conducted by a team led by Erandi Chavez at the University of California, Berkeley, unveils a surprising connection between Neptune's shifting cloud cover and the 11-year solar cycle - an astronomical phenomenon usually associated with our own Sun.

Revealing Links to Recent Solar Activities

Since the Voyager 2 spacecraft's pioneering images in 1989, Neptune's disc has been adorned with wispy white clouds across its vast blue expanse.

However, recent observations from ground-based observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope have shown a nearly cloud-free sky, marking a stark departure from its cloud-covered norm.

New Scientist tells us that Neptune's cloud cover, it appears, follows an intricate dance with the Sun's activity. The solar cycle, a magnetic field-driven process that unfolds over approximately 11 years, has long been associated with fluctuations in the Sun's behavior.

Now, this connection seems to have implications for a planet nestled nearly 2.5 billion miles away.

The revelation, although astonishing, has been supported by meticulously gathered data. Chavez and her colleagues undertook the task of examining cloud activity on Neptune over nearly three decades, from 1994 to 2022.

By poring over images captured by telescopes including the Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory, they unveiled a pattern that ties Neptune's cloud cover to the solar cycle.

Read Also: Chandrayaan-3 Close-Up Moon Video: Vikram Lander's Breathtaking Lunar Surface Footage Unveiled by ISRO

Neptune Lags Behind the Solar Cycle

It turns out that Neptune's cloud cover is not only influenced by the Sun's activity but also exhibits a two-year lag behind the solar cycle. As the Sun reaches its most tempestuous phase, marked by increasing sunspots and heightened solar flare activity, Neptune sees an influx of clouds. When the solar cycle subsides, so do Neptune's clouds.

While the correlation between solar activity and Neptune's cloud cover is clear, the underlying mechanism is more complex.

Sunlight's energy triggers chemical reactions high in Neptune's upper atmosphere, potentially leading to cloud formation. However, sunlight's effects might also darken existing clouds and hazes, adding layers of intricacy to the puzzle.

Dr. Imke de Pater from the University of California, Berkeley, expressed her surprise at the rapid disappearance of Neptune's clouds in 2019, saying, "We essentially saw cloud activity drop within a few months." These dynamic changes challenge our understanding of Neptune's atmospheric behavior.

"Even now, four years later, the most recent images we took this past June still show the clouds haven't returned to their former levels," noted Erandi Chavez, the study's lead author. The vanishing act is a dramatic departure from Neptune's previous experiences of low cloud activity.

The researchers' painstaking work involved analyzing a wealth of data from telescopes like Keck, Hubble, and the Lick Observatory. Their goal was to trace Neptune's changes in cloud cover, brightness, and cloud characteristics over an extended period.

Carlos Alvarez, a staff astronomer at Keck Observatory, emphasized the significance of these findings: "Advances in technology and observations have enabled us to constrain Neptune's atmospheric models, which are key to understanding the correlation between the ice giant's climate and the solar cycle."

Stay posted here at Tech Times.



Related Article: NASA's James Webb Space Snaps Ringed Ice Giant Neptune in Sharp Near-Infrared Glory

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The hype is real as Mega Rayquaza makes its grand entrance at Pokemon Go Fest 2023!

Trainers, here is a comprehensive guide first shared by Dexerto to help you secure this amazing Dragon-type Pokemon

Exclusive Go Fest Access

The wait is finally over as Mega Rayquaza swoops into Pokemon Go during Go Fest 2023.

The event takes place across three iconic cities: London, New York, and Osaka. In-person attendees get the chance to challenge Mega Rayquaza in raids during specified hours.

But here is the catch - only ticket-holding trainers for Go Fest will gain access to the coveted Mega Energy for Rayquaza.

Do not worry if you are not on-site, though; the global event on August 27 lets everyone take a shot at capturing Mega Rayquaza.

Unleash Rayquaza's Mega Evolution

To evolve your Rayquaza into its Mega form, mastering the signature move Dragon Ascent is key.

As Dexerto notes, this move is reminiscent of its evolution process in the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games. It is a step-by-step journey toward unlocking Mega Rayquaza's full potential.

Rayquaza that knows Dragon Ascent will then be able to Mega Evolve when given Mega Energy.

Read Also: 'HoloCure' Tier List Guide August 2023: Ranking the Best Characters

Unlock the Power of Meteorites

Hold onto your seats, trainers! Introducing the Meteorite - a Go Fest-exclusive item designed to teach Rayquaza the coveted Dragon Ascent move.

Meteorites are up for grabs for those attending Go Fest in London, New York, and Osaka. Completing a Special Research Task during the Global event also gets you this treasure.

Cannot make it to the festivities? The Global event on August 27 promises a Special Research Story that culminates in you earning a Meteorite.

Mega Rayquaza's Unique Bonuses

As you should expect, Mega Rayquaza brings an array of bonuses that will leave you craving more Mega Evolutions.

Each Mega Evolution increases its Mega Level, leading to enhanced power. During battle, the dragon bestows amplified damage on your team's attacks, especially if they're of the Flying, Dragon, or Psychic variety.

The XP, Candy, and Candy XL rewards for catching specific types of Pokemon make this Mega Evolution even more alluring.

Mark Your Calendar

The clock is ticking, and the excitement is palpable. Pokemon Go Fest 2023 kicked off on August 4, with London and Osaka setting the stage from August 4-6.

New York will take the baton and run its event from August 18-20. The grand finale, the Pokemon Go Fest 2023 Global, is set for August 27.

Ticket-holder Exclusives

Pokemon.com tells us that Pokemon GO Fest 2023: Global is a free event available to everyone, but Trainers can upgrade their experience by purchasing a ticket that gives access to special content and bonuses.

Tickets are available in the in-game shop for US$14.99. This will provide access to exclusive Special Research, Global Challenges, bonuses, and exclusive Incense encounters.

On Saturday, ticket holders can complete Special Research for an opportunity to encounter the Mythical Pokemon Diancie. On Sunday, the exclusive Special Research will feature Mega Rayquaza and Meteorites.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Every Pokemon Battle Gimmick from Gen 1-9 Ranked Worst to Best

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Adnec Group announced through its subsidiary, Capital Holiday, a leading tour operator, its full operational launch in Munich, marking a significant milestone in its mission to elevate Abu Dhabi's tourism sector.

This infrastructure aims to streamline workflows and enhance collaborations between Capital Holidays and its valued trade partners, ensuring seamless travel experiences for tourists exploring the beauty of Abu Dhabi.

The inauguration of Tourism 365's new office in Munich, operating under its subsidiary Capital Holidays, represents a strategic move to attract European leisure and business tourists to Abu Dhabi.

With this expansion, Adnec strengthens its position as a global leader in the events and tourism industry.

Capital Holidays, as a subsidiary of Tourism 365, is dedicated to delivering extraordinary experiences and poised to become the preferred choice for European travelers and businesses seeking to explore the boundless possibilities that await them in Abu Dhabi.

This expansion aims to promote the emirate's captivating tourist attractions in the European market while forging stronger partnerships with tour operators.

Group CEO Managing Director Humaid Al Dhaheri said: "The establishment of our Munich office reflects our commitment to creating lasting connections between Europe and Abu Dhabi. By providing convenient access to our exceptional destination through our European hub, we aim to showcase the richness of Abu Dhabi's offerings to travelers, entrepreneurs, and investors alike."

"This move is evidence of Adnec's dedication to bolstering the growth of Abu Dhabi's tourism sector on an international scale," he stated.

The strategic location of the new office in Munich positions Capital Holidays, a subsidiary of Tourism 365, to cater to the unique preferences of European travelers.

Through targeted marketing initiatives, Capital Holidays will highlight Abu Dhabi's diverse cultural heritage, modern infrastructure, and unparalleled hospitality.

Emphasis will be placed on the city's iconic landmarks, thriving arts and culture scene, and world-class business facilities to foster a deeper understanding of Abu Dhabi's vast potential.

Tourism 365 CEO Roula Jouny said: "We are excited to witness the growth of Abu Dhabi's tourism sector and proud to be part of Adnec's vision to position the city as a top travel and business destination."

"The Munich office, under our subsidiary Capital Holidays, marks the beginning of a new era for Tourism 365, as we embark on a journey to connect with European travelers, travel agencies, and corporate partners. We are confident that our expanded presence in Europe will open up new avenues for collaboration and create lasting memories for travelers from this region," he added.
Google paid $24.861 billion in 2021 to be the top search engine on the internet

SPIEGEL Survey: One in Two Is in Favor of Special Driver's Licenses for Heavy Cars and SUVs

The Week of God the Tweeter: From the 37.5-Hour Workday to the Elections in Argentina

"Got rid of attempts of foreign interference": a historian on the process of creating the Republic of Turkey

The best burger in Europe is eaten between glazed saloons, has Korean sauce and is made in Valencia

Two dead and two seriously injured in a shooting in the Gard

More than 2000,5 teenagers "played" AI in Chongqing, and the youngest contestant was only <> years old

The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the State of Qatar, Dr. Mustafa Gokcu, writes on the occasion of the centenary of the Republic:

Let's go! The members of the scientific examination team of Southeast University went to Antarctica again-Chinanews.com video

The opening ceremony of the final of the 18th "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science Works Competition was held in Guizhou University

"There will be no trace of snow": forecasters reported warming in Moscow in the coming week

Emphasis on chasing Gretzky: Ovechkin has scored only twice in seven games, but still the best in Washington

Nadeshiko Japan beat Uzbekistan in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the Olympics

The Chinese women's football team 3:0 Thailand women's football team, but the prospect of hitting the Paris Olympics is still not optimistic

To watch.. Egypt's Al Ahly lose to Sundowns in the first leg of the African League semi-finals

"It's part of the game": Florian Grill on refereeing at the Rugby World Cup

Mesmerizing "Cleopatra" and the masterpiece "Dorian Gray": what overshadowed the victories of Frolova and Aliyev in Krasnoyarsk

The 'load management' or how the rest of the stars can cost the NBA a million

Gold prices have risen, and many central banks have set off a "gold rush" tide, can they make a move?

China's new generation set off the "health fever" of medicine and food, and traditional Chinese medicine tea drinks seize the "young stomach"

The global economy is showing a trend of fragmentation, how to "break the waves"?

Experts: It is very important to boost confidence in the stock market and strengthen financial supervision

Analyst: Absence of contract with Naftogaz does not mean termination of transit

China Eastern Airlines will resume international flights from Shenzhen to Bangkok and add domestic routes from Guangzhou, Shenzhen to Chongqing

How can Asia continue to be an "accelerator" of the global economy?

Walk into these construction sites in the Yangtze River Delta and feel the new changes of "infrastructure madness".

Zhouning, Fujian: The "high quality" of the economy and the "high value" of the ecology complement each other

Guangxi car companies aim at the new energy market segment and take advantage of the "Belt and Road" overseas efforts

Twenty or thirty dollars a piece! Why is cheap toothpaste hard to get on supermarket shelves?

A 100-year-old veteran of the American Flying Tigers climbed the Great Wall again and took a photo in front of the "Heroic Monument".

How the war can get a front in Lebanon: "Up to Iran"

His relationship with Julia Roberts, his hang-up with Jennifer Aniston... The Women of Matthew Perry's Life

Dennis Ross: This is what Arab officials confirmed about the destruction of Hamas

In its fifth edition, "World Folklore Days" supports those affected by the earthquake in Morocco

To watch.. Suffering in the recovery of martyrs and wounded in Gaza due to lack of resources

The war between Israel and Gaza has already killed more children than all the world's conflicts in one year, with 3,340 children and adolescents killed

In St. Petersburg, men who staged a prank in the uniform of riot police were detained

Marjam Samadzade: State Secretary in Schleswig-Holstein has to leave early because of mail critical of Israel

Altitude record for mammals: mice lived at an altitude of more than 6000 meters in the Andes

"Precision strikes on the enemy": how army aviation helps to solve problems in the NVO zone

Mustafa 'El Gitano', recruiter of jihadists: "I'm going to do all the damage I can to Spain and Europe"

What is the curse of the "eighth decade" that Ehud Barak feared and Abu Obeida waved?

Alienation of assets: the State Duma allowed a symmetrical response in the event of Europe's use of frozen funds of the Russian Federation

Abascal cries out against amnesty and warns Sanchez before thousands of people in Colon: "We will not allow it"

The Intercept reveals the existence of a secret US military base in the Negev desert

The whole of Uppsala without district heating  the heating plant without electricity

 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.
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Donald Trump has doubled down on claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have never launched a war on Ukraine if the four-times indicted former American president was still in power.

Mr Trumps remarks came during his appearance on Fox BusinnesClay Travis & Buck Sexton Show aired on Friday. He went on to make bizarre comments about his relationship with Putin.

Putin wouldve never gotten into Ukraine, but thats just on my relationship with him. My personality over his, Mr Trump said. I was the apple of his eye and I would say, Dont ever do it. It was tough stuff there but he would have never done it.

Mr Trumps comments have sparked scrutiny, with fellow GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie decrying the ex-presidennts self-admitted fondness for the Russian dictator. Mr Christie, who met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine earlier this month, also warned about the danger of American politicians supporting anti-Democratic figures.

We have folks in this race who have called Vladimir Putin brilliant, a great leader, Mr Christie told radio host Erick Erickson on Saturday, according to Politico. Just yesterday, Donald Trump called him that he was the apple of Putins eye. I have to tell you the truth: I dont want to be the apple of Vladimir Putins eye.

Former speechwriter for George W Bush and current editor at The Atlantic David Frum called Mr Trump Putins most useful tool, while foreign policy commentator David J Rothkopf pointed out Russia was fighting in Ukraine during Mr Trumps presidency.

Reminder: Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014. His army was fighting there every minute Trump was president. Not only did Trump never do anything to stop it, he curried favor with Putin, he spouted Kremlin propaganda & he withheld aid to Ukraine while trying to blackmail its president, Mr Rothkopf tweeted.

Referring to Mr Trumps latest comments on Putin, Mr Rothkopf wrote: Its almost like Trump is bragging that he has won the endorsement of the worlds most notorious war criminal. Actually, its exactly like that. It is that.

Retired US general Mark Hertling replied: I wonder how many evangelicals & Trump supporters want to be known as admiring the same guy Putin  who orders murders, rapes, and abduction of children  sees as the apple of his eye.

US officials have told The New York Times that the number of Ukrainian and Russian troops killed or wounded since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022 is nearing half a million. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) estimates that nearly 9,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and more than 16,800 others have been injured.

Its website states: OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher, as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration. This concerns, for example, Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna, and Sievierodonetsk (Luhansk region), where there are allegations of numerous civilian casualties.

Fighting has intensified in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks as Ukrainian troops mount a counteroffensive against Russian troops. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia hosted a summit where senior officials from 40 countries, including the US, China and India, discussed potential peace talks to end the war. However, Russia did not attend the conference.

Ukraine sought agreement on principles for a potential deal in the future and support from countries that have not taken sides on the 18-month ongoing conflict, Reuters reports.

The comments come amid claims by Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul that Mr Putin may be waiting on the outcome of the 2024 presidential election before considering a potential peace deal with Kyiv.

Obviously, Putin is waiting for the outcome of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, Mr McFaul, who served under President Obama, wrote in a Substack article published on Friday. If Trump is reelected, Putin has reason to believe that he could strike a much better deal on Ukraine. So why would he enter negotiations now?

Several leading Republican candidates have indicate they would be willing to do a deal with Russia to end the war, with some  such as entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy  explicitly saying they would seek to hand occupied Ukrainian territory to the Russians.

Recommended What each of the Republican candidates have said about the war in Ukraine

Mr Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted on Monday for allegedly running a criminal enterprise to try to thwart the 2020 presidential election. He is also the defendant in three other ongoing criminal proceedings.

The former presidents relationship with Russia loomed over his presidency. The Mueller Inquiry found that his 2016 campaign welcomed help from the Kremlin and suggested Mr Trump may have committed obstruction of justice 11 times in trying to shut down the investigation. In 2019 Mr Trump was impeached for the first time after it emerged he had privately tried to condition military aid to Ukraine  to defend itself against Russian aggression  on President Zelensky announcing an investigation into the Biden family.

Several Trump aides and officials fell foul of revelations they had had inappropriate contacts with Russian officials, including former attorney general Jeff Sessions, former campaign manager Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Donald Trump Jr was revealed to have had a meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer at Trump Tower before the 2016 election, but insisted he was conducting opposition research on his fathers opponent, Hillary Clinton.

In 2018 Mr Trump stunned onlookers at a joint press conference with Mr Putin in Helsinki when he publicly sided with the Russian president and against US intelligence agencies by saying he accepted that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election.
Ten planes left Yellowknife with 1,500 passengers on Thursday, said Jennifer Young, director of corporate affairs for the Northwest Territories' Department of Municipal and Community Affairs, adding that the agency hopes 22 flights would leave Friday with 1,800 more passengers.

Thousands of people have fled the fire, one of hundreds of wildfires raging in the Territories, driving hundreds of kilometers to safety or waiting in long lines for emergency flights, as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing.

Northwest winds combined with minimal rain were complicating efforts to slow the fire, which could reach the city limits by the weekend, emergency officials said. There was a chance of limited rain on Friday, but officials said it likely wouldn't be enough to help.

Air tankers flew missions overnight to keep the highway out of Yellowknife open, and authorities were guiding a long caravan of motorists through fire zones, officials said. Meanwhile, a network of fire guards, sprinklers and water cannons was being established to try to protect the city from the fire, which had moved to within 15 kilometers.

Firefighters worked to keep open the only route out of the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as a wildfire moved closer to the city of 20,000 and residents rushed to beat a noon Friday deadline to evacuate.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the fire didn't advance as much as expected on Thursday, but "it is still coming," and heavy smoke that is expected to move in increases the urgency of evacuating while it's still possible.

Alice Liske left Yellowknife by road with her six kids earlier this week because the air quality was so bad. She worried about how so many people would flee the city in such a short time. "Not only that," she said, "but when we go back, what will be there for us?"

Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year -- contributing to choking smoke in parts of the United States -- with more than 5,700 fires burning more than 137,000 square kilometers (52,896 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.

As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 wildfires were burning across the country, over half of them out of control. Hundreds of kilometers to the south of Yellowknife, hundreds of properties were ordered to evacuate because of the threat from a wildfire near West Kelowna, British Columbia.

The evacuation of Yellowknife was by far the largest this year, said Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and fire chief in Red Deer, Alberta. "It's one of those events where you need to get people out sooner rather than later" because of the danger that the fire could block the only escape route even before reaching the community.

As people fled, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his incident response group. He asked ministers to work to ensure communication services remained available and said there would be no tolerance for price gouging on flights or essential goods.

On Thursday, at the Big River Service Station about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Yellowknife, the line of vehicles waiting for fuel was "phenomenal," employee Linda Croft said. "You can't see the end of it."

Resident Angela Canning packed up her camper with important documents, family keepsakes and basic necessities as she prepared to leave with her two dogs, while her husband stayed behind as an essential worker. "I'm really anxious, and I'm scared. I'm emotional... I'm in shock," she said. "I don't know what I'm coming home to or if I'm coming home. There's just so much unknown here."

The evacuation order issued Wednesday night applied to Yellowknife and the neighboring First Nations communities of Ndilo and Dettah. Indigenous communities have been hit hard by the wildfires, which threaten important cultural activities such as hunting, fishing and gathering native plants.

About 6,800 people in eight other communities in the territory have already been forced to evacuate their homes, including the small community of Enterprise, which was largely destroyed. Officials said everyone made it out alive.

A woman whose family evacuated the town of Hay River on Sunday told CBC that their vehicle began to melt as they drove through embers, the front window cracked, and the vehicle filled with smoke that made it difficult to see the road ahead.

"I was obviously scared the tire was going to break, our car was going to catch on fire and then it went from just embers to full smoke," said Lisa Mundy, who was traveling with her husband and their 6-year-old and 18-month-old children. She said they called 911 after they drove into the ditch a couple of times. She said her son kept saying: "I don't want to die, mommy."
Navigating Security and Human Rights: Challenges at the Ghana-Burkina Faso Border.

The situation along the Ghana-Burkina Faso border is complex and multifaceted. On April 07, 2023, Ghana took a significant step by deploying thousands of unified armed forces of Ghana, consisting of the Army, Navy, and Ghana Air Force to its northern border with Burkina Faso.

This response was prompted by an incident earlier in the week when gunmen attacked immigration officers in a border town, resulting in one death. There are concerns that this attack might indicate efforts by Islamist militants in Burkina Faso to create unrest and extend their influence in the region. Also, the longstanding issues surrounding the chieftaincy seat in Bawku are intricately connected to the deployment of troops to the northern border with Burkina Faso.

40-Year Conflict Over the Chieftaincy Seat in Bawku

Bawku is a town in the Upper East Region of Ghana, near the northeastern border with Burkina Faso. Bawku is an important trading hub, connecting Ghana with Burkina Faso and neighboring countries. Its strategic location near the border has facilitated trade and cross-border interactions for centuries.

The chieftaincy conflict in Bawku revolves around disputes over who holds the traditional leadership position within the local community. This conflict has persisted for decades and is often fueled by competing claims to the chieftaincy seat, primarily between the Mamprusi and Kusasi ethnic groups. The chieftaincy seat holds cultural, social, and economic significance for the local population. However, these disputes have sometimes escalated into violence and armed conflicts, leading to loss of life and destruction.

Bawku conflict epicenter is relatively close to the Ghana-Burkina Faso border and has unfortunately escalated into a more widespread conflict involving foreign combatants. According to reports, there have been attacks on police stations, shootings at buses, and violence during protests; these conflicts have led to the deaths of many people.

Also, the porous nature of the borders and established smuggling routes have emerged as significant challenges, posing threats to the peaceful environment in Ghana. Criminal elements, insurgents, and militants are capitalizing on the chieftaincy conflict in Bawku and the political instability to expand their influence into West Africa and further destabilize the region.

Non-Refoulement and the Ghana-Burkina Faso Border.

In light of these events, it was reported on social media on July 13, 2023, that Ghanaian officials carried out the forceful deportation of hundreds of individuals seeking asylum from violence in Burkina Faso. Many individuals from Burkina Faso have sought asylum in Ghana under the principle of non-refoulement, a cornerstone of international human rights law.

This principle safeguards the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, preventing their expulsion, return, or extradition to countries where they might face persecution, torture, or other forms of serious harm. This principle is firmly established in international legal instruments, notably the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, as well as other human rights treaties.

The principle of non-refoulement underscores the importance of safeguarding individuals who are fleeing persecution, conflict, and violence. It embodies a commitment to respecting the dignity and rights of all individuals, regardless of their nationality or circumstances. This principle plays a crucial role in asylum and refugee protection and humanitarianism, ensuring that those seeking asylum are not subjected to further harm.

However, the challenges faced by governments are not trivial. Ghana's government, for instance, has denied allegations of forcibly deporting individuals and instead asserted that it has accommodated displaced individuals from Burkina Faso in a temporary reception center established in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Complex Dynamics at the Ghana-Burkina Faso Border

Accurately identifying individuals seeking refuge can prove difficult, especially in cases where official documentation is lacking. The process of verifying the claims made by asylum seekers and refugees necessitates both resources and time, placing additional strain on already stretched administrative capacities.

In the border region of Bawku in northern Ghana, the ongoing internal conflict, coupled with the instability in Burkina Faso, has adversely affected the local economy, leading to increased unemployment rates and rendering young people more susceptible to recruitment by Islamist militants.

Burkina Faso is among several West African nations contending with armed groups that emerged in northern Mali and subsequently gained ground across the region over the past decade. This ongoing conflict has resulted in thousands of casualties and displaced over six million people.

The situation at the Ghana-Burkina Faso border, much like other border regions globally, involves the movement of individuals seeking refuge or improved prospects. However, these movements can intersect with national security and public order concerns.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This story is part of the August 19 Edition of Good Weekend. See all 14 stories .

Warning: this article contains graphic content. Bridget. Bridget. Dinner is ready. Bridgets mother raises her voice above the din around the family dinner table. Her 15-year-old is locked in her bedroom, ignoring the plea to join the rest of the family. But what Bridgets mother doesnt know is that, on the other side of that bedroom door, her smart, kind and sassy daughter is naked, tears trickling down her cheeks as she performs sex acts on herself, in full view of her laptop camera. Her tormentor is online. He is issuing directions. Do this. Do that. You dont want your parents to know about this, or the whole world, do you? She knows this because he told her last night, and the night before, that if she doesnt acquiesce, use her school ruler in this way and her hand in that way, what shes now doing will be plastered all over the web. This crime of sextortion, a combination of the words sex and extortion where a victim is blackmailed to pay their attacker in one of two ways  with more-detailed sexual content or with money  has reached epidemic proportions, fuelled by both serious sex offenders and organised scammers targeting the most vulnerable. Up to 70 per cent of all new online sexual content police investigators are seeing is victim-produced, and much of it follows the same script. A child produces content for an adult who has tricked them into thinking they are a celebrity or influencer or someone just like them. The adult abuser then sextorts or bribes the child for more lewd content, or money delivered as gift cards, cryptocurrency, vouchers or online gaming credits. In Australia, according to eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, 75 per cent of those cases where the abuser is after more sexual content will involve tween and teen female victims. In those cases where offenders are chasing money  financial sextortion  teen boys are overwhelmingly being targeted. While most male victims are between 15 and 24 years of age, some are as young as 10. In at least one case, a teen handed over $10,000 to his tormentors. Across both forms of sextortion, the victims are often vulnerable boys and girls, looking for connection. Loading

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Teen victims feel trapped, unable to tell their parents about their initial bad decisions to trust a person masquerading as someone else and to provide that first image. They find themselves doing more and more on the orders of their tormentor. They make more videos, or they send the money demanded  and their persecutors then insist on even more because they know their victim can get it. The victims are everywhere: in small, remote outposts and big cities in Australia, and all over the rest of the world. In many cases, when investigators find the online content, they cannot find the victim; they are not sure where he or she might live. Australia receives many of its tips about online sex abuse from the Virginia-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). Thats because US laws oblige tech providers to report suspicious online child abuse activities, including sextortion, to the centre. Michelle DeLaune is NCMECs president and CEO. She provides this real-life example to highlight the speed with which teens, especially boys, are being trapped. Lets call this teen boy Tom. 8.07pm: Offender makes initial contact with Tom, who is a teenager. 10.07pm: Tom shares sexually explicit imagery. 10.23pm: Offender sends blackmail message, threatening he will release imagery unless Tom pays money. Two hours later, Tom expresses suicidal ideation and stops messaging. A few hours later, the offender contacts Toms girlfriend, shares the images and asks if she knows him. She responds that its her boyfriend and asks when the picture was taken. The offender says he will ruin her boyfriends life with the picture. 12.03pm: Only 16 hours after the initial contact, the girlfriend responds that her boyfriend has killed himself.

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DeLaune says such bribery attempts tend to quickly follow a teens decision to provide an image. And its very aggressive, she says. It can happen in a matter of minutes, from the moment that a photograph is sent until the blackmail. Outside the bedroom doors of so many teens like Bridget and Tom, parents are lost. Why has their happy, gregarious teen become so withdrawn? Why are they refusing to attend school? Why arent they eating? Educators, too, are finding more and more of the school day being taken up with what they see as a new, industrial-scale crime targeting tweens and teens. A multitude of platforms, including Facebook, Skype, Kik, Tinychat, Omegle, Wattpad and Snapchat, are being used. Its not a matter of if, its when your child will be contacted by a paedophile online. Susan McLean, former Victorian police officer And what worries Susan McLean, a former Victorian police officer of 27 years, is that the reported figures are just a microscopic indicator of how big the problem is. She believes less than a quarter of targeted minors alert authorities, an estimate that is widely supported. The risk is enormous, she says. Its not a matter of if, its when your children will be contacted by a paedophile online. McLean, who now educates parents, teachers and students about cyber safety, says every image will come from a bedroom or a bathroom: And they are the two places that digital devices and cameras should never, ever be allowed. I see what happens and none of these kids who are being extorted are anywhere other than there. Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, who recently announced his retirement from the Queensland police force after three decades of globally recognised work with his Taskforce Argos team, just shakes his head at the rise of sextortion. If youve seen what Ive seen, you would not allow your child to take their phone into their bedroom, he says firmly. Sextortion is now the number one issue for online child sex crime fighters, and it is close to rivalling online bullying in schools. Indeed, it is now becoming so common that its splitting investigative resources dedicated to other serious online child sex abuse. Up to a million users or members are believed to have joined clubs hidden deep inside the world wide web to trade and chat about child sex abuse.

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So how is someone like Bridget or Tom drawn in to the point where they will remove their clothes and take orders from a stranger who might be in Africa or Europe or the US? The answer is grooming. This is the first step in a child being extorted, and it simply means that the paedophile or scammer makes contact with a child and befriends them. Lets take the case of a teen girl  because this script is playing out, repeatedly, across Australia today. Loading Jon Rouse says at first, the perpetrator might spam 100 kids in the hope that maybe five or 10 or even one or two will engage with them. Theyll choose those with accessible friends lists on any of a dozen or so social media platforms, so they can claim to know other people their target knows, and they will try to befriend several of them in case they need to point to mutual friends as part of their fake story. Most times this is not a difficult task for the perpetrator. A big proportion of tweens and teens have publicly accessible friendship lists, and it is uncommon  in many of their circles, its almost improper  to turn down a friend request from someone who says they know someone who knows someone else. In the case of a teen boy, the photograph of an attractive girl might pop up in the same way, and after a vague, Hi, we know a few of the same people, they click as online friends. Then, with a connection made, they start talking online. Often, the groomer will talk about popular bands and use language that mirrors that of their prey. Theyll find common interests and build trust. In real life, the new connection is not Gracie, a 15-year-old from Melbourne, or Bill, who goes to a private school in the same city. It might be a 52-year-old male in the United States with a family in the next room, a convicted paedophile in Europe looking for a new target, or a 45-year-old teacher in Asia with a decade-long criminal secret. What is consistent, though, is

that it will be a fake profile, and almost always, in the online space, the offender will be male  irrespective of whether their targets are teen boys or girls. Its natural to be curious, especially when tween girls believe they are talking to another tween girl. The talk will be teen talk. Often, it will touch on body parts and the idea of having sex. Its natural to be curious, especially when tween girls believe they are talking to another tween girl about what sex might be like, or how her breasts are oddly shaped. Boys, often excited that a girl  who is really an adult male predator  has shown interest in him and wants to show him her breasts, will consider reciprocating.

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Perpetrator: Have u ever had sex? Girl: I soo so so wish I could have sex it sound so jucy [sic] but weird. With the conversation ongoing and the grooming complete, the fake profile then moves to stage two: convincing his prey to send a naked photograph or even a video. Often, he will suggest they talk somewhere else, on another platform  one that, as it happens, also allows videos to be passed back and forth, and where images can be freely swapped. As they chat, the online predator, masquerading as a peer, might send a photo of a young girls breasts, claiming they belong to him; or a photo of a penis  it all depends on who he is targeting. Once his prey has been groomed and holds no suspicions about their new online friend, hell ask: Why dont you send me something. Well be even then, and no one will ever know. Loading A boy might send what is widely known as a dick pic, believing it is being received by the cute girl he is now considering meeting; his school formal is next year, so perhaps he could ask her to that, too. Similarly, a girl might think shes chatting with a new peer friend. How refreshing to be able to talk to someone about this stuff, she thinks. See, mine are smaller than yours, she might caption a photo, sent from the privacy of her bedroom. As the chat goes on, she might even provide more intimate content. And this is the point where the disguised predator catches his prey. He might keep the ruse going for a bit longer, to get a close-up, or more detail, or a movie. I want to see more of you, he might say, or, I like your body. But he doesnt really need anything else. He has a photograph and/or video of a young Australian tween or teen, male or female. And that will be the basis of his blackmail. In some instances, offenders doctor images to make the victim appear to be in an even more compromising position.

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Patients in regional Victoria are languishing in some emergency departments for twice as long as the statewide average, while others endure lengthy waits for elective surgery.

Doctor groups say the stark differences in care are due to inadequate staffing at some regional hospitals, resources failing to keep up with a growing population and patients delaying medical treatment due to GP shortages.

The latest health performance data from April to June reveals that patients at Ballarat Base Hospital, University Hospital Geelong, Latrobe Regional Hospital and Bendigo Hospital are waiting between 28 and 39 minutes to be treated in emergency departments compared with a statewide average of 17 minutes.

Australian Medical Association Victorian vice president Dr Simon Judkins, who works in northern Victoria, said hospital resources had not kept pace with growing regional populations.
Melbourne celebrant Sarah Dobson regularly sees dogs  in pearls, bow ties and tuxedos  watching their humans get hitched.

Its just wild what people dress their dogs in for a wedding, said Dobson, who owns the Altar Electric wedding chapel in Abbotsford.

Sarah Dobson has organised a puptial fundraiser for the Lort Smith Animal Hospital. Toby the greyhound and Honey the chihuahua took part in a practice run during the week. Credit: Eddie Jim

Often, its just the couple and their dogs at the ceremony. Thats how important their dogs are to them.

For years, Dobson has wanted to do something to celebrate dogs. So, when she heard about the soaring numbers of sick animals arriving at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital  as the cost-of-living crunch leaves people unable to afford pet expenses such as medicines, surgical procedures and insurance  she decided to act.
This is discrimination against women, prominent surgeons say. They are campaigning for states where it is restricted, or considered cosmetic, to review elective surgery policies and restrictions on breast reduction, based on health evidence. Associate Professor Nicola Dean, president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, said Medicare data shows demand has tripled in 20 years, but public hospital provision of breast reduction is declining. This amounts to arbitrary discrimination by state health systems, she said. Its one thing to have elective surgeries restricted by the available resources, but its a different thing to have it restricted by a specific policy which seems to embed a level of discrimination, she said.

Breast reduction is as potentially life and health-changing as other elective surgeries, including bariatric surgery (also known as a gastric bypass), or hip replacement, said Dean, and to limit its availability is neither fair nor evidence based. Restrictions on its provision leave women who cannot afford the $10,000 cost of private surgery in pain, and often experiencing poorer mental health. Recent Australian research also showed the surgery to be highly cost-effective, Dean said. The push comes after Flinders University research, published this week, found women with very large cup sizes were less likely to do high-intensity or group exercise, but those who had undergone breast reduction were able to participate in healthier lifestyle practises. Reduction has direct and indirect benefits on improving peoples health; pain levels improve almost straight after the surgery, but it also has the indirect effect of improving peoples fitness and health generally, she said.

Loading It probably also indirectly affects cardiovascular health because if you cant exercise, youre not going to have good cardiac health. David Morgan, specialist plastic surgeon and head of the Alfred Hospitals Maxillofacial Surgery Unit, said breast reduction surgery was considered cosmetic in the public system, meaning women have been largely precluded from even getting on waiting lists, let alone getting off waiting lists for it. We know it is not a cosmetic procedure, it is eminently functional, with significant psycho-social benefits, said Morgan, who also performs reduction surgeries. It is included on the MBS, which by definition means its functional.

That some states impose body mass index requirements before they will allow women to queue for it is also a harmful barrier, Morgan said, because giving them the ability to move more easily helps them exercise. Lili Pingiaro said her neck and back pain vanished, and her confidence and quality of life increased, after she had breast reduction surgery about eight weeks ago. Credit: Joe Armao It can be a self-perpetuating cycle: they cant lose the weight because of their heavy bust, so theyre not going to qualify on a weight issue alone ... if you do it [the surgery] at the beginning or early on in their weight loss journey, it encourages them continue, Morgan said. He agreed that state policies should be reviewed quickly, to improve fairness in the long term. Dean said she recognised backlogs due to the pandemic meant changes would take time to implement. Flinders University senior medical scientist Dr Tamara Crittenden said high-quality data showed the health improvements of bilateral breast reduction in women with hypertrophy (excessive breast tissue growth), as the condition carried a significant health burden across all areas.

These included physical function, bodily pain, general health and mental health and social function. We know it is not a cosmetic procedure, it is eminently functional. David Morgan, specialist plastic surgeon We found surgery was so effective it had removed the health deficits associated with this condition, and [after it] levels of quality of life were equivalent to women in the general population in all areas, she said. It showed the clinical effectiveness in removing often chronic pain also meant because the improvements were so dramatic, it was very cost-effective. Kate Johnston-Ataata, policy manager at Womens Health Victoria, said the Flinders University research supported other findings that women who undergo breast reduction report improved psychosocial wellbeing post-operatively.

Increasing access to breast reduction surgery will have important implications for improving the quality of life and mental health and wellbeing of women with larger breasts, she said. The findings regarding the impact of large breast size on exercise may be of particular importance for mature-aged women, as only half of women at this age are reported to be sufficiently active. The organisation supports Nicola Deans call for an immediate policy review in states where breast reduction is considered cosmetic or aesthetic, including Victoria. A spokesperson for the Victorian Department of Health said: We know that womens health has been under-diagnosed for too long  its why were providing significant funding to overhaul the way womens health issues are treated in Victoria. The department is building 20 womens health clinics across the state to give womens health issues the attention they deserve.
The prime minister has rallied Labor members to campaign like youve never campaigned before for the Voice, to flip opinion polls showing the referendum in peril, at the partys national conference in Brisbane.

Anthony Albanese said the Voice to parliament referendum was a tough undertaking for his first-term government, but Labor was committed to taking on issues not because theyre convenient, but out of conviction.

Anthony Albanese revved up Labor supporters about the upcoming Voice referendum. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

A Yes vote, Albanese argued, would resound across our continent and make Australia, the greatest country on earth, just that little bit greater.

No one pretends winning a referendum is straightforward ... We join the Labor Party to scale the peaks, Albanese said.
There are four known sequences of the variant, the WHO has said. "The potential impact of the BA.2.86 mutations are presently unknown and undergoing careful assessment," the WHO said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control confirmed it is also closely monitoring the variant, in a message on the social platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

So far, the variant has been detected in Israel, Denmark and the United States.

The WHO classified the new variant as one under surveillance "due to the large number (more than 30) of spike gene mutations it carries," it wrote in a bulletin about the pandemic late Thursday.

The World Health Organization and U.S. health authorities said Friday they are closely monitoring a new variant of COVID-19, although the potential impact of BA.2.86 is currently unknown.

Francois Balloux, professor of computational systems biology at University College London, said the attention attracted by the new variant was warranted.

"BA.2.86 is the most striking SARS-CoV-2 strain the world has witnessed since the emergence of Omicron," he said in a comment published Friday, referring to the variant that exploded onto the global stage in the winter of 2022, causing a surge in COVID cases. "Over the coming weeks we will see how well BA.2.86 will be faring relative to other Omicron subvariants," he said.

He stressed, though, that even if BA.2.86 caused a major spike in infections, "we are not expecting to witness comparable levels of severe disease and death than we did earlier in the pandemic when the Alpha, Delta or Omicron variants spread.

"Most people on earth have now been vaccinated and/or infected by the virus," he said, pointing out that even if people were reinfected with the new variant, "immune memory will still allow their immune system to kick in and control the infection far more effectively."

The WHO is currently monitoring upwards of 10 variants and their descent lineages.

Most countries that had established surveillance systems for the virus have since dismantled operations, determining it is no longer as severe and therefore could not justify the expense -- a move the WHO has denounced, calling instead for stronger monitoring.

In the last reporting period between July 17 and Aug. 13, more than 1.4 million new cases of COVID-19 were detected and more than 2,300 deaths were reported, according to a WHO statement.

The case load represents a rise of 63 percent from the previous 28-day period, while deaths were down by 56 percent.

As of Aug. 13, there were more than 769 million cases of COVID-19 confirmed and more than 6.9 million deaths worldwide, although the real toll is thought to be much higher because many cases went undetected.
The Andrews government is facing a fresh battle to deliver its renewable energy commitments as Gippsland locals push for underground transmission lines that could cost billions to deliver.

Labor has set a target of delivering 4GW in energy through offshore wind hubs off the coast of Portland and Gippsland by 2035, enough to power 3 million homes.

Transmission towers have become a key issue for the renewable energy transition. Credit: Joe Armao

But to do so will require building high voltage transmission lines near the coast, prompting lobbying from locals who want the transmission network built underground.

VicGrid, the government agency tasked with managing how these networks are planned, has committed to exploring all options, but previous studies have shown underground lines can cost at least three times more to build and as much as 10 to 15 times more for higher voltages.
PALMDALE, Calif., Aug. 17, 2023 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] has ferried an MD-90 airplane to the site where it will be modified to test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration as part of NASA's Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project.

As Boeing, NASA and community leaders gathered at the company's facility today to recognize the milestone in development of the experimental X-66A aircraft, Boeing released photos of the jet's journey from Victorville, Calif., to Palmdale.

The X-66A is NASA's first experimental plane focused on helping the U.S. achieve its goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions. Modification will begin soon and ground and flight testing is expected to begin in 2028.

"This marks an important step in the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project, advances Boeing's commitment to sustainability and brings us closer to testing and validating the TTBW design," said Boeing Chief Technology Officer Todd Citron.

With ultrathin wings braced by struts with larger spans and higher-aspect ratios, the TTBW design and other expected technological advances could lead to reductions in fuel use and emissions by up to 30%. Boeing and NASA have collaborated for more than a decade on the concept through the Subsonic Ultra Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Program.

"We at NASA are excited to be working with Boeing on the X-66A Sustainable Flight Demonstrator making critical contributions to accelerate aviation towards its 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emission goal," said Ed Waggoner, deputy associate administrator for programs in the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

"Aerospace Valley has a long and distinguished history as the cradle of aerospace innovation, and this unveiling is a continuation of that critical work. Palmdale's talented workforce and infrastructure make it the perfect location for this important project," said Congressman Mike Garcia (CA-27).
Between 2011 and 2019, the basic cable channel USA Network broadcast all nine seasons of the series Suits in the United States. The legal drama was set in a luxury law firm in New York, where a tremendously intelligent young lawyer arrived with a phenomenal memory and a secret: he wasnt really a lawyer. Suits landed on Netflix in the United States in the middle of June with its first eight seasons. Shortly after, it was at the top of the most viewed productions on platforms according to audience measurement experts, Nielsen. It has been leading the ranking for more than a month and has broken the record for streaming views in a single week for an externally produced series. In four weeks, it has already exceeded 12,000 million minutes watched and is already the seventh most watched series on platforms so far this year.

All 134 episodes of Suits were already available on Peacock, another digital service. Netflix doesnt even have the complete set: the ninth season (only the ninth) is on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. How can we explain, then, that the show of the summer in the U.S. is one that premiered 12 years ago and ended four years ago?

One of the reasons that experts adduce is in the very operation of Netflix. As TV critic Alan Sepinwall explains in Rolling Stone, many viewers of a series on Netflix come to it simply because the platform highlights it in their app. Netflix is everywhere, and it snowballs: people start watching Suits, that makes them tell their friends theyre watching Suits, which leads to articles being written about how many people are watching Suits, which makes more people watch Suits, and so on. This is a quieter summer of television than usual, even on Netflix, because everyone is spacing out their releases because of strikes by writers and actors. If something had to attract peoples attention, why wouldnt it be the last performance of the future Duchess of Sussex?

The success of Suits teaches us several lessons that can be applied to television in general and to the platforms in particular:

The viewer loves traditional formats

If legal, medical, and police dramas have been on television for years and years, its for a reason. Suits is still a typical legal drama that includes a small twist in its approach, the secret that Mike (Patrick J. Adams) is keeping. It is an easy series to follow, with single-episode cases and some long-term plots that concern the two main characters, Harvey Specter and Mike Ross (played by Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams, respectively) and the relationships with some secondary characters, among whom is Rachel (Meghan Markle), who left the series at the end of the seventh season to marry the U.K.s Prince Harry.

Its the kind of program that doesnt require a lot of attention. It is precisely the type of series that platforms are reluctant to make, but that their subscribers love.

Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams star in 'Suits.'

The platforms need linear television more than they think

In the television industry it has been shown that, while flashy premieres are very effective for platforms to attract new subscribers, well known series are the ones that help retain customers. That is, viewers come for Stranger Things, but stay for Friends. Series with many seasons and many episodes are essential for platforms that, in their obsession with getting more and more subscribers, have made novelty a priority.

They arent making series like they used to be, and thats a big problem, wrote journalist and television critic Josef Adalian in Vulture. Until now, the platforms have not seen the need to produce series with lots of episodes because they have been able to buy them from traditional television. However, even the U.S. free-to-air networks are cutting the number of episodes ordered, and many cable networks have reduced their original output.

Platforms should start making series with more episodes each season and, if the audience likes them, they should allow them to run for six, seven and eight seasons instead of two or three, Adalian writes. In fact, TV was much more profitable when there were fewer shows with more episodes because they were just so much less expensive to produce than 10 episodes of shows that think theyre movies, he adds. TV critic Maureen Ryan posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) to the same effect: U.S. TV was a money-printing machine for decades because people like 12-22 episodes seasons that allow for meaty character development and adroitly mix tones, [as well as] episodes of the week with ongoing arcs. Lots of people of all ages love this! This model [has been] dismantled, and I dont love that for us.

Success can come to the second or third

Money Heist can attest to this. The fact that a series did not explode in its original broadcast does not mean that it cannot do so in another place or at another time. It is very normal, and even advisable, that the series circulate between chains and platforms. On Peacock, the NBCUniversal platform that operates in the U.S., Suits had been fully available for some time, but it is a service that does not have the audience and the pull of Netflix, far from it. Also, selling a show on a different network is a way to get extra return for content and, at least in theory (well see the practice in the last point), it allows writers and actors to earn more money.

Until now, the platforms have been very reluctant to share or take their series outside of their services. That is starting to change. Warner Bros. Discovery decided to remove some series from HBO Max and sell them to free platforms with ads, which in addition to bringing them renewed profits, allows those titles to reach another audience. Even some HBO productions, like Insecure or Ballers, are now available on Netflix.

The cast of 'Suits.'

Why writers and actors are on strike

Last week, writer-producer Ethan Drogin, who worked on eight seasons of the series, wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times titled I Helped Write Netflixs Surprising Sensation Suits. My reward? $259.71. The text explains: It doesnt matter if the series you helped build generates 3.1 billion minutes watched in a week on Netflix and Peacock, setting a Nielsen record. It doesnt matter if it occupies 40% of the top 10 on Netflix. [...] In total, NBCUniversal has paid the six original writers of Suits less than $3,000 last quarter to make the first season available on two platforms. This is why the writers and actors are on strike, adds Drogin, putting numbers to the conflict.

Residuals are the money generated by selling a show to a new market, and its one of the key bargaining points these days between syndicates and studios. While the studio makes a lot of money from these sales, the profits for those who created it are little, derisory, or none. The residuals would be something like copyright. The unions ask that they be calculated on the audience (data that the platforms do not provide) or, at least, that their percentage be increased with a fairer formula.

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WeWork has sounded the alarm on its ability to stay in business, prompting speculation around the future of the troubled workspace-sharing company.

Last week, WeWork warned there was substantial doubt about the New York-based companys ability to continue as a going concern  which is accounting-speak for having the resources needed to operate and stay in business. WeWork pointed to increased member churn, financial losses and the companys need for cash, among other factors, over the next year.

On Friday, the company announced that it would be moving forward with a 1-for-40 reverse stock split in a bid to maintain its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

The value of WeWork shares have plunged since the company went public in October 2021, after a spectacular collapse during its first attempt to do so two years earlier  which led to the ouster of its CEO and co-founder, Adam Neumann. WeWork was valued at $47 billion at one point, before investors started to drop off due to Neumanns erratic behavior and exorbitant spending.

WeWork has made notable efforts to turn the company around since Neumanns departure, with executives pointing to improvements in annual revenue, significant cuts in operating costs and other growth opportunities as workplaces emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, experts say the risk of bankruptcy is on the table  bringing in questions around implications for the already-weakening world of office real estate.

Heres what you need to know.

What is WeWork?

WeWork is a provider of coworking spaces. The company leases buildings and divides them into office areas to sublet to its members, which include small businesses, startups and freelancers who want to avoid paying for permanent office space.

WeWork was founded by Neumann and Miguel McKelvey back in 2010. The startup promised to revolutionize workspaces and saw a meteoric rise in its early years, but over time, WeWorks operating expenses soared and the company relied on repeated cash infusions from private investors.

Since Neumanns 2019 ouster, the company has seen several leadership changes. Most recently, Sandeep Mathrani, who joined WeWork in 2020, stepped down in May  bringing David Tolley into the position of interim CEO.

WeWorks challenges are a legacy of its earlier and very aggressive expansion... And the costs (that the company bears from) that expansion continue, Sam Chandan, director of the Chao-Hon Chen Institute for Global Real Estate Finance at New York Universitys Stern School of Business, told The Associated Press earlier this week. By many measures, company revenues and performance is improving, but not quickly enough.

As of June 30, WeWork had 777 systemwide locations across 39 countries, the company said in last weeks earnings call. Of that, WeWork reported supporting 906,000 workstations and 653,000 physical memberships  equating to 72% physical occupancy. Thats down slightly from the 75% physical occupancy seen at 779 systemwide locations WeWork reported operating at the end of 2022.

On Friday morning, WeWorks market capitalization stood at about $260 million. Shares were down more than 91% year end to date.

Is WeWork closing its doors?

No, at least not yet. But risk of bankruptcy is on the table, experts say.

WeWork has not filed for bankruptcy since last weeks announcement, and anything is a possibility, Samuel Rosen, assistant professor of finance at Temple Universitys Fox School of Business, notes. Whether or not this particular company... can actually get out of its current situation, thats yet to be seen. History would say its possible, although I dont know if I would say its probable.

Theres also a big difference between liquidation bankruptcy and restructuring bankruptcy. Depending on the type of filing, bankruptcy could help mitigate some challenges WeWork faces through reorganization and other efficiency efforts, Rosen said  noting debt collectors will sometimes push for bankruptcy sooner rather than later, because they dont want to see risky action that would put their claims at further risk.

WeWork did not comment directly on the prospect of bankruptcy. In a Tuesday statement to The Associated Press, a spokesperson said, our members remain our top priority and we are resolutely focused on delivering for them for the long term.

In last weeks earnings call, the company said that its ability to stay in operation is contingent upon improving its liquidity and profitability over the next 12 months. WeWork plans to negotiate more favorable lease terms, control spending and seek additional capital by issuing debt, stock or selling assets, the company said.

Tolley sounded an optimistic note in the companys results for the second quarter, during which WeWork lost $349 million. While the interim CEO acknowledged factors impacting higher member churn and softer demand, Tolley said that the companys transformation continues at pace  pointing to a laser focus on member retention and growth, doubling down on our real estate portfolio optimization efforts, and maintaining a disciplined approach to reducing operating costs.

What is WeWorks impact on commercial real estate?

Again, WeWork isnt going out of business yet  and a bankruptcy filing might not lead to large-scale location closures. But concerns around the companys future brings attention to WeWorks footprint in commercial real estate.

According to a recent Securities and Exchange Commision filing, WeWork was operating 43.9 million rentable square feet around the world as of December 2022  including 18.3 million rentable square feet in the U.S. and Canada.

When looking at the total office inventory in the United States alone, 18 million square feet is a small fraction, Chandan said  but of course, if WeWork discontinued meeting its lease obligations, whether its part of a bankruptcy restructuring or some other event... for buildings that have exposure to WeWork, that would be a significant hit.

WeWork has already moved to shutter a handful of locations in the last year. In November, the company announced plans to exit 40 underperfoming U.S. locations to cutback on rent and other operating expenses. At the time, WeWork didnt specify which buildings would be impacted.

The shuttering of some WeWork locations isnt new. Over recent years, as WeWork worked to cut costs, the company has stopped paying rent or exited lease agreements early for a handful of locations across the U.S., according to credit rating and research firm Morningstar Credit. In some cases, landlords building loans moved to special servicing after losing WeWork as a tenant.

Concerns about WeWorks future come at a time when leasing demand for office space is weak overall, Chandan added. The COVID-19 pandemic notably led to rising vacancies in office space as working from home became increasingly popular. Major U.S. markets still struggling to improve occupancy in commercial real estate include San Francisco, New York, Chicago and Washington.

At the same time, there is a strong market for co-working space, Chandan said  noting that WeWork is operating in a significantly more competitive market than it was just several years ago, with a greater variety of options and amenities available to those looking to rent office space today.

Theres a really important distinction between WeWorks current financial position and questions around the future of the co-working model as a whole, he said. Those are two separate things.

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Palestinian militants take part in a ceremony in Jenin camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank August 18, 2023.

Last month, after the biggest Israeli military raid on a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank in years, Palestinians turned their wrath on their own security forces.

They unleashed gunfire, firebombs and pipe bombs at Palestinian security buildings in an outpouring of rage against the Palestinian Authoritys failure to protect them from the devastating July 3 raid and a long-running, deeply unpopular security alliance with Israel.

The horrible events of that night reminded us of the lead-up to the Hamas coup in Gaza, the head of police in Jenin, Brig. Gen. Azzam Jebara, said at a ceremony this week for officers who defended a police station from rampaging protesters. It was a warning.

Scarred by the Hamas militant groups violent takeover of Gaza from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas forces in 2007, the Palestinian Authority has cooperated with Israel to suppress Islamist militant groups and keep the secular nationalist Fatah party in power in the West Bank. Hamas is both a major threat to Israel and the biggest rival to Fatah.

The July unrest exposed Palestinians seething resentment toward their semi-autonomous government and forced a reckoning for their beaten-down security forces, who in their blue camouflage uniforms have come to embody the tensions tearing at Palestinian society. Widely derided for working with Israel, the forces remain a symbol of Palestinian hopes for statehood.

Seeking to regain trust during a lull in Israeli military raids, Palestinian police have stepped up a campaign to restore order in the city of Jenin, long a bastion of crime adjacent to the militarized refugee camp.

But the forces efforts to seize cars, cash and drugs have also revealed their limits. Unable to protect their people from radical Jewish settler attacks and near-daily Israeli military raids across the West Bank, Palestinian security forces described a law enforcement system on the brink of collapse.

If we think were establishing control now, were fooling ourselves, said Ibrahim Abahre, deputy head of Preventive Security, a domestic intelligence agency, in Jenin. At any moment, the Israeli army could enter and everything could explode.

Since the spring of last year, militants from the Jenin refugee camp, where Palestinian forces have lost control, have carried out dozens of shooting attacks in the West Bank and Israel. Israeli soldiers have repeatedly raided the camp to kill and capture suspected militants.

On July 3, Israeli special forces entered the camp under the cover of drone strikes, killing 12 Palestinians, at least eight of them militants, wounding dozens and leaving a trail of destruction. An Israeli soldier was also killed in the operation, which recalled one of the biggest battles of the second Palestinian uprising over 20 years ago.

Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire across the West Bank in 2023, almost half of them affiliated with militant groups, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Its the territorys highest death toll in nearly two decades. Palestinian attacks on Israelis have killed 27 people this year.

Israel says its incursions are counterterrorism efforts prompted by the reluctance of Palestinian security forces to intervene against militants.

There is a line to how many Israelis can be killed while the Palestinians work out their internal struggles, said an Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters. At some point, we just have to go in.

Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to undermine their security efforts.

They want to embarrass us, said acting Jenin governor Kamal Abu al-Rub. The Israeli raids, Palestinian officials say, have inflamed tensions, stoked anger toward the Palestinian Authority and inspired more militancy.

We understand the Palestinian Authority has lost power, said Maj. Gen. Akram Rajoub, a longtime security commander and former Jenin governor. But we are trying to control the chaos that erupts when Israel invades. Chaos is what undermines respect for the authority.

In the camp, independent fighters drawn from a new generation of frustrated Palestinians have emerged from factions like Fatah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Militants say theyve seen the Palestinian Authority, which promised them statehood, morph into a subcontractor for the Israeli occupation that can barely pay salaries or provide municipal services.

Abbas can have his politics. My specialty is resistance, said 32-year-old Abu Suleiman, who served as a major in the security forces before being suspended for his militant activity.

Everything the Palestinian Authority does is in Israels interest, he added from his living room, its shattered windows taped shut, walls pockmarked from Julys raid. He gave only his nom de guerre because he is wanted by the Israeli military.

At the funeral last month for those killed in the raid, jostling crowds shouted insults at senior officials from the ruling Fatah party and chased them out of the camp. Collaborators! they chanted  a reference to Palestinian intelligence coordination with Israel.

It was a natural, collective response to say, wake up. Your job is to defend and protect us here, and you have failed, said 51-year-old Nidal Naghnagheyeh, the head of a committee running social support programs in the camp.

A week after the raid, 87-year-old Abbas visited the camp for the first time in over a decade to display solidarity. Palestinian security forces began to rebuild their presence in Jenin  a bid to show they can impose order without Israeli interference. Israels army scaled back its operations in the camp to allow for that, the Israeli military official said.

Palestinian authorities have deployed 1,000 new security officers from Abbas presidential guard across the city of Jenin. They have set up checkpoints to catch criminals who long have taken refuge in the city. Militants are lying low, officials say, rather than shooting in the air and showing off their M-16s in the streets.

In the weeks since, police say theyve seized scores of stolen cars from the streets, confiscated hundreds of narcotic pills and arrested 364 criminals, including over a dozen wanted in cold murder cases. Authorities are preparing to inaugurate a local prison.

Vendors without permits have been expelled from Jenins outdoor market and sent outside the city center.

But the law-and-order campaign does not extend to the territorys greatest source of instability  the Jenin refugee camp. Police say they wont disarm gunmen wanted by Israel or make arrests in the camp, underscoring the complexity of the security situation.

But even the stepped-up police tactics have rankled gunmen, who drive stolen cars to commit shooting attacks, carry smuggled weapons and own unlicensed vegetable stands. Last month the mayor, who helped devise the Jenin market makeover, narrowly escaped when peddlers angry about losing their income opened fire on his car.

At night we face the Israeli army and during the day the Palestinian Authority is now after us, Abu Suleiman said, adding that he had been stopped this week by plainclothes Palestinian police and almost opened fire, mistaking the men for undercover Israeli soldiers. At some point, hell will break loose.

Jebara, the police chief, said authorities failure to dismantle militant groups is tantamount to the failure of the Palestinian national project, which officers like him had hoped they were building.

I joined the police force 21 years ago because I wanted to be accountable to my people, to impose sovereignty on our own land, he said. Now Israeli settlements have killed our state. Where does that leave us?

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COMMON ROOTS





THE statement of Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, former senior leader of Congress party and Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief, that a majority of Muslims in India have converted to Islam from Hinduism is reiteration of fact. He has acknowledged this fact while rightly asserting that religion should not be used to get political mileage. Though a lot of political talk is getting woven around Mr. Azads statement, saner minds need to look at it from a wider perspective that would strengthen harmony in society. Similar political reactions had come in some time ago when Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had said that all Indians had common DNA. The statements of both acknowledge that all Indians have common roots.

When one talks of common roots, one is obviously desiring an exercise aimed at developing a deeper understanding of the societal fabric. In that context, both -- Mr. Azad and Dr Bhagwat -- deserve kudos. As far as common roots are concerned, India of today is a reflection of diversity acquired through religious, social, cultural, and ideological influences over thousands of years. Islam and Christianity are relatively younger religions than what is known as Hinduism. Prior to acquiring the form of a religion, Hinduism was a way of life, a civilisational existence of diverse practices with common cultural thread holding them together. That common cultural thread ran across the length and breadth of larger Bharat, which, before modern history, spanned a much larger geography. It was more of a cultural empire than territorial empire. This prosperous land attracted not only scholars from other contemporary ancient civilisations but also invaders. However, the invaders failed in fully converting the Bharatiya civilisation into their own fold. Rather, most of them got absorbed into the ever-evolving and ever-maturing fold of Hinduism.

The biggest reason being the openness in Hinduism. For, everything is welcome in ancient cultural Hinduism whether or not someone believes in the Almighty, irrespective of manners of prayer. Acknowledgement of cultural common roots of such openness have helped in reducing the intensity of modern-day conflicts. Indonesia is a fine example of this. Despite being a demographically Muslim country, Indonesia has preserved the Hindu and Buddhist heritage. The Prambanan Temple complex represents ancient Hindu influence, while Borobudur reflects Buddhist cultural influence in Indonesia. The daily Ramayana ballet shows are a major tourist attraction in Indonesia. Muslim actors portray Lord Ram, Sita, and Hanuman without any kind of isolationist religious notions. Indonesians feel that all these are shared heritage. Indonesias success is rooted in treating religious and cultural influences as part of shared heritage and legacy. Credit must be given to its population for respecting the common civilisational roots.

To reduce the modern-day conflicts, such a matured approach is needed. Sadly, in case of India, the colonial rulers made it a point to not only question the richness of heritage but also actively engage in polarising the society. It gradually led to the cultivation of separatist mindsets firmly rooted in isolationist belief in own identity alone. Some of the results have been of catastrophic proportions -- Partition, birth of Pakistan, attempts of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits, secessionist terrorist tendencies plaguing various parts of India. Against this backdrop, it is good to see that saner minds like Mr. Azad and Dr. Bhagwat have been making efforts to create a collective sense of common cultural roots. May their tribe grow. For, such an understanding is an essential to weave social fabric with threads of harmony.
Prison capacity to be ramped up by 6,000 in Maharashtra





ADG Prisons Amitabh Gupta adressing a press conference on Friday. (Pic by Satish Raut)

Staff Reporter :

Gondia district to get new Central Jail

In response to the growing number of inmates resulting into overcrowding in prisons, the Maharashtra Prison Department has announced plans to ramp up the capacity of its jails by a staggering 6,000. The proposal for expanded prison capacity has been formally submitted to the States Home Ministry, stated Additional Director General of Police (Prison), Amitabh Gupta on Friday. Presently, the states 60 jails are designed to accommodate 25,000 inmates. However, with a current inmate population of 42,000, the prison administration is under significant pressure.

To address this issue, plans are underway to expand prison facilities and create new ones in locations that currently lack jail facilities. ADG Gupta outlined the specific expansion plans, noting that additional accommodations will be made for 500 prisoners in Thane Jail, 1,500 in Palghar, 500 in Ahmednagar, and a substantial 3,040 in Yerwada Jail located in Pune. The focus extends beyond expanding existing facilities, with new jail construction planned for areas such as Gondia, Washim, Hingoli, and Baramati where no prisons currently exist, he said.

As Prision administation is worrying about illegal smuggling of mobile phones within prisons, a novel solution is being implemented to establish communication of prisoners with their family members and move them towards reformation. Smartcard phones would be installed within the prisons and inmates will be provided with smart cards, granting them the opportunity to communicate with their relatives once a month for 10 minutes of talktime. Specific phone numbers of family members would be added in the smart cards that would allow access of phones to the inmates, stated ADG Gupta. This initiative has already undergone a trial period at Yerwada Jail, with comprehensive details submitted to the State Home Ministry for review. Inspector General of Prisons, Dr Jalandar Supekar, and Jail Superintendent Vaibhav Aage were present in the press conference.
Sex racket busted at Hotel Cityscape, 6 women rescued





Staff Reporter :

A sex racket was busted by Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and Crime Branch at Hotel Cityscape in Chhaoni area of Sadar Police Station. The raiding party rescued six women during the action. According to police, a decoy customer was sent by the police to the hotel for confirmation of sex racket.

He met one Pinky alias Diya who confirmed the deal. After receiving a signal, the police raided the hotel and rescued the women, hiding in the kitchen. Kamlesh Gajanan Katkamwad (42), a resident of Manewada and Pradipkumar Thakur Kushwah (28), a resident of Uttar Pradesh were arrested by the police. The hotel owner Avinash Kadam was also booked by the police along with Pinky alias Diya. A case under Sections 370 and 34 of Indian Penal Code read with Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of PITA act was registered by the police.
In a region  and world  in which citizen frustration generally translates into anti-establishment politicians who shout a lot and deliver inflammatory messages, Bernardo Arevalo de Leon, 64, the great surprise of the Guatemalan elections, goes against the tide. In a calm but firm voice, he condemns the corruption that is eroding Guatemalan institutions. Now, the Movimiento Semilla [Seed Movement] candidate is poised to win the presidential elections this Sunday.

He has reached this point without promising miracles, warning that he does not have a magic wand to solve the problems of a country in which about 60% of its 17.6 million inhabitants live below the poverty line. But he has committed to vigorously opposing the corruption that takes much of Guatemalas resources and prevents progress. According to Arevalo, that will be the starting point for pursuing development. We believe that democratic institutions must be reestablished. We have to re-found the process that this corrupt political class has hijacked from us, he says.

Driven mainly by urban professionals, Arevalos party emerged in the heat of the 2015 anti-corruption protests. After his unexpected second place finish in the first round of elections, the Movimiento Semilla candidate has confronted legal persecution, in the face of which he has not only prospered but judging by the polls and popular support in the streets, he seems to have grown stronger. His rival in the August 20 presidential election is former first lady Sandra Torres, of the National Unity of Hope (UNE); in her third run for the presidency, she has set aside her social democratic origins to embrace more conservative positions, on the basis of which she is attacking Arevalo.

Among other lines of attack, Torres is slamming the Semilla candidate for his foreign origins; Bernardo Arevalo was born in Uruguay, where his father, former Guatemalan president Juan Jose Arevalo (1945-1951), had to go into exile. He believes that such attacks are childish, a sign of desperation. He adds that its an example of how they dont know what to say anymore and need to latch onto anything. Thats why we dont even react. The candidate greets EL PAIS on Thursday, just three days before the second round of the elections, at his campaign headquarters on the first floor of a house in Zone 9 of Guatemala City. There, he is surrounded by young people (most of whom are under 35 years old), a legion of Uncle Bernies nieces and nephews, as his followers call themselves. These youths have managed to bring new generations of Guatemalans closer to the quiet sociologist through social media like TikTok.

Question. The most recent poll gives you a 30-point lead over your opponent. Do you already feel like the president-elect of Guatemala?

Answer. Were not here to win polls, were here to win elections, so we will know on Sunday night [if and how] we won. Of course, [the poll] gives us a lot of satisfaction. We believe that it reflects what we are now seeing in the streets, because now when one goes around the country, to rallies.... I had to do something at a business and I had to go through part of the mall to get there, and the attitude, the response, the enthusiasm, is something remarkable; but victory is not [achieved] until the day of the election. Also the [corrupt political class] will try every dirty trick in the book [to stop me] and invent new ones, too.

Bernardo Arevalo speaks with his team at his campaign headquarters. SANDRA SEBASTIAN

Q. If you win, you know that governing is not going to be easy, as this campaign has demonstrated. How are you going to deal with the attacks that are likely to come?

A. They are trying to do everything they can, but they are resorting to illegal tactics. That is the problem of the corrupt co-optation of the State, where institutions of justice are used to do illegal things, but at the same time they are [still] illegal things, and that is their weakness. They tried to do it after June 25, and it did not work. We know that they will continue trying, but we are calm. We are going to resort to all legal means, but more importantly the population is tired of this. After June 25, without anyone organizing, coordinating, requesting it... there was wall-to-wall [action] from the organized private sector to the indigenous populations, [and] the indigenous leadership organizations, who came out saying: No, the elections have to be on August 20, and they have to be between the two [candidates] who won [the first round of the elections]. So, we see this weariness as [our] major defense against corrupt actors attempts to violate the State and do whatever they want.

Q. Have you thought about a scenario in which you win but your party is stripped of its legal standing?

A. That is what they want to do. That is [their] intention, and theyve made no bones about it, but we dont believe they are going to succeed.

Q. You talk about listening to and supporting Guatemalans. What have you learned from traveling around the country during your campaign? Your opponent accuses you of not being from Guatemala, of not knowing it.

A. I have learned two things: that what she knows of the country is the corruption that we have to get rid of. She says: I have experience, but it is the [type of] experience that we do not need. What I have learned is that the country has changed. Because what we are seeing is not that we created the change. We are catalyzing a change that had already occurred and that was seeking a form of expression. That is the hope. That is the illusion. That is the peoples enthusiastic desire to get out of the system of corruption, a generalized weariness, but it had no way of expressing itself. Then, suddenly it found a way to express it and affirms itself around that. We know that when we are standing on a stage in the interior of the country, it is not Semilla and Bernardo Arevalo. People are thinking we can really get [away from the corruption]. This is the country, this is the opportunity to get rid of the corrupt [officials], and I think that is what we are doing.

Q. Is the party worried about getting peoples hopes up and then not being able to meet the major challenges that lie ahead?

A. We know that we are awakening hope, but we are very clear about what we are awakening, essentially [it is] the hope of having authorities that serve the population, and we are going to guarantee that. At least in the executive branch, which is what we [would] control, we are going to make the institutions start working and do what they were created to do. That is why we have announced ten anti-corruption measures, but fundamentally, what people will start to see is that they are no longer doing business behind [the peoples] back, they are no longer working behind close doors when the people ask for transparency, they are no longer making pacts with the usual corrupt actors to do this kind of business, and that alone will give people the sense that things are changing. And then, we have to put the institutions to work. And our task is to identify those results that make people feel that things are moving [in the right direction]. We always say: We do not have a magic wand. The countrys problems are not going to be solved in four years, but we can start to do it and that is what we have to demonstrate.

Q. If you are elected president, what is the first measure youll enact?

A. We will lower the presidents salary, which is absurd in this country. But we actually have a plan, and we have a long six-month transition. That transition period will be used precisely to create detailed plans of action to guarantee that we begin to have those early results that are going to show the people that we are not here to lie to them in the elections that we are here to put the institutions to work.

Bernardo Arevalo de Leon, the Movimiento Semilla presidential candidate, with his work team in Guatemala on August 17, 2023. SANDRA SEBASTIAN

Q. When we spoke in June after the first round, you told us that you were not against businesspeople and that you wanted to make alliances with medium and small businesses. But you told me that you were against CACIF [the main business chamber] for having positioned itself as the underpinning of the economy of privilege. You have had conversations with the employers association. How did those talks go?

A. There have been changes in CACIF management, there have been changes in the management of some chambers [of commerce], and we have had a conversation with them, in which I would say that we are against the economy of privilege, and that we want a competitive economy. The economy of privilege is the economy in which the success of a group or company depends on the level of contact or political clout it has with a powerful politician, with a minister, and we are definitely against that. Now, in terms of economic development, we are finding that there are many things that we can agree on, provided that we do not fall into an economy of privilege. And we are very clear that our objective is to support small and medium businesses, which create the largest number of jobs in the country  80%.

And that is what we have been working on. We have had meetings with the private sector along with peasant organizations [and] trade unions We are working with everyone, because we are certain that the corrupt politicians who have colonized the system, who have attained a majority in the national Congress, who are going to remain in their positions in the justice system, are not going to disappear overnight... We have to reestablish a formula for governance that includes all sectors and politicians who oppose corruption. And we have had very good conversations with all sectors.

Q. What would Bernardo Arevalos government bring to Central America? Who would you try to work more closely with in the region to strengthen the governance that is so lacking?

A. There are different issues in the region. One issue relates to the possibility of moving toward political integration, which has been broached since the origins of the Central American integration process. And there, we see that the path for that is closed off for the foreseeable future. It is not possible to move forward with a dictatorship like the one in Nicaragua in our midst. It is as simple as that, period. That means that we have to work at another level. We can move forward at the technical levels of integration, the integration of economies, of nations, of people. There is a lot of room there to reform integrations institutional framework, to remove barriers and begin to build bridges [in anticipation of] the time when the political scenario can move forward.

We also intend to have the best framework for relations with the countries we share a border with. Because we have a common and joint task With that clarity of purpose, we will work constructively on the issues that unite us, common problems and opportunities that we can work on and move forward on. We will not sacrifice our principles Furthermore, we will expand and develop relations with all countries that feel comfortable working with a country that will not renounce the defense of democracy and the defense of human rights in its foreign policy.

The Movimiento Semilla campaign headquarters. SANDRA SEBASTIAN
This image released by the US Department of Defense shows a US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons departing Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, on February 11, 2022.

The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to affect the war any time soon.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months of training on the aircraft, according to officials.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlins forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take four or five years, he said.

But in eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyivs way.

Ukrainian air forces supporting the infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era planes, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.

A modern war cannot be won without aviation capabilities, Rakita said.

In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete training, according to a U.S. administration official who was not authorized to comment and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday that the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.

A coalition of 11 Western countries  the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom  pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Denmark will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters. The first four F-35s are due to be delivered on Oct. 1.

Washingtons blessing for the plane donations to other countries is needed because the aircraft are made in the United States.

Ukraines Western allies have at times moved slowly on granting Kyiv the military support it has requested.

President Joe Bidens authorization last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and quiet talks with allies, officials said.

The administration had concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia. Also, U.S. officials argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult.

Though delivery is likely months away, Washington says the F-16s  like the advanced U.S. Abrams tanks  will be crucial for Ukraines long-term security.

Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi jets. F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also more versatile, experts say.

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Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its holdings in The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG  Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 186,531 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,339 shares during the period. Procter & Gamble makes up approximately 1.0% of Kentucky Retirement Systems portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Kentucky Retirement Systems holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $27,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tevis Investment Management raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 0.5% during the first quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 12,260 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 1.9% during the first quarter. Eagle Strategies LLC now owns 3,526 shares of the companys stock valued at $524,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 3.4% during the first quarter. WealthTrust Asset Management LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the companys stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.7% during the first quarter. Keystone Wealth Services LLC now owns 2,562 shares of the companys stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.7% during the first quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 9,953 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,480,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.65% of the companys stock.

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Procter & Gamble Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE PG traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $152.52. The stock had a trading volume of 1,913,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,385,436. The Procter & Gamble Company has a 1 year low of $122.18 and a 1 year high of $158.38. The stock has a market cap of $359.54 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $151.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $148.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

Procter & Gamble ( NYSE:PG Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 28th. The company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.05. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.87% and a return on equity of 32.88%. The company had revenue of $20.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.39 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 21st were given a dividend of $0.9407 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 20th. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is 63.73%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $174.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Tuesday, August 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $155.00 to $161.00 in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Procter & Gamble from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 24th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $164.82.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Procter & Gamble

Insider Activity

In other Procter & Gamble news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 8,387 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.87, for a total transaction of $1,315,668.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 962 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $150,908.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 8,387 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.87, for a total value of $1,315,668.69. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 962 shares in the company, valued at approximately $150,908.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Matthew W. Janzaruk sold 33,022 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.26, for a total value of $5,160,017.72. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 888 shares in the company, valued at $138,758.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,038 shares of company stock valued at $8,460,839 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock.

About Procter & Gamble

(Free Report)

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG  Free Report).

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American Green (OTCMKTS:ERBB  Get Free Report) and Amneal Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:AMRX  Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, earnings and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

31.7% of Amneal Pharmaceuticals shares are held by institutional investors. 26.6% of Amneal Pharmaceuticals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for American Green and Amneal Pharmaceuticals, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score American Green 0 0 0 0 N/A Amneal Pharmaceuticals 0 1 4 0 2.80

Valuation & Earnings

Amneal Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $4.60, indicating a potential upside of 23.66%. Given Amneal Pharmaceuticals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Amneal Pharmaceuticals is more favorable than American Green.

This table compares American Green and Amneal Pharmaceuticals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio American Green N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Amneal Pharmaceuticals $2.21 billion 0.51 -$129.99 million ($0.02) -185.91

American Green has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Amneal Pharmaceuticals.

Profitability

This table compares American Green and Amneal Pharmaceuticals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets American Green N/A N/A N/A Amneal Pharmaceuticals -0.09% 101.26% 4.48%

Summary

Amneal Pharmaceuticals beats American Green on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About American Green

(Get Free Report)

American Green, Inc. operates as a technology company in the medical cannabis industry in the United States. It develops retail, brand, and commercial cultivating solutions in partnership with licensed retail medical marijuana dispensaries operated under the American Green brand name. The company operates ZaZZZ, a consumer operated marijuana vending machine for automated, age-verifying dispensing of cannabis-based medicines. It also offers Jurassic Water for cannabis plants; truth lighting, a LED lighting solution; and OG tea nutrients, a specialty fertilizer product, as well as hemp creams and hemp lip balms through e-commerce. It has collaboration agreement with Endexx Corporation to develop the Access Control Identification and Verification Vending Platform. The company was formerly known as Tranzbyte Corporation and changed its name to American Green, Inc. in May 2014. American Green, Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

About Amneal Pharmaceuticals

(Get Free Report)

Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generics, injectables, biosimilars, and specialty branded pharmaceutical products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Generics, Specialty, and AvKARE. The Generics segment offers immediate and extended release oral solid, powder, liquid, sterile injectable, nasal spray, inhalation and respiratory, biosimilar, ophthalmic, film, transdermal patch, and topical products. The Specialty segment develops, promotes, sells, and distributes pharmaceutical products with focus on central nervous system disorders, including Parkinson's disease, and endocrine disorders. This segment also provides Rytary, an oral capsule formulation of carbidopa-levodopa to treat Parkinson's disease, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, and parkinsonism; Unithroid for the treatment of hypothyroidism; and IPX203, a pipeline product for Parkinson's disease. The AvKARE segment offers pharmaceuticals, medical and surgical products, and services primarily to governmental agencies, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This segment also distributes bottle and unit dose pharmaceuticals under the AvKARE and AvPAK names; and packages and distributes pharmaceuticals and vitamins to its retail and institutional customers. It sells its products through wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, chain pharmacies, and individual pharmacies. The company was formerly known as Atlas Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2018. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

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Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX  Free Report) had its price objective lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $45.00 to $43.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the banks stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on BLX. Barclays assumed coverage on Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in a research note on Thursday, June 29th. They issued an overweight rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They set a hold rating on the stock.

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Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Price Performance

BLX stock opened at $23.56 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.59. The firms 50-day moving average price is $22.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $855.93 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 1.18. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 12-month low of $13.00 and a 12-month high of $24.65.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The bank reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 24.18%. The company had revenue of $57.38 million for the quarter.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 31st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 28th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.24%. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.s dividend payout ratio is presently 27.55%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLX. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 13.0% during the first quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 307,465 shares of the banks stock valued at $5,343,000 after buying an additional 35,410 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management boosted its stake in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 2.9% during the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 999,108 shares of the banks stock worth $22,040,000 after acquiring an additional 27,700 shares in the last quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 1.4% in the second quarter. Beddow Capital Management Inc. now owns 424,969 shares of the banks stock worth $9,375,000 after purchasing an additional 5,825 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 5.2% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 44,409 shares of the banks stock valued at $980,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thomas White International Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 0.3% during the first quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 353,718 shares of the banks stock valued at $5,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. 6.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It also offers bilateral loans; structured loans including syndicated and clubbed, such as acquisition and pre-export financing, A/B loan financing, bridge loans, and liability management; and project financing.

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Research analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Birks Group (NYSEAMERICAN:BGI  Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The firm set a sell rating on the stock.

Birks Group Stock Up 0.9 %

Birks Group stock opened at $3.38 on Thursday. Birks Group has a fifty-two week low of $2.78 and a fifty-two week high of $10.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $8.20.

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Institutional Trading of Birks Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Birks Group by 344.8% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 86,300 shares of the companys stock valued at $700,000 after acquiring an additional 66,900 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Birks Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $144,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Birks Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. 1.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Birks Group

Birks Group Inc designs, develops, manufactures, and retails fine jewelry, timepieces, sterling and plated silverware, and gifts in the United States and Canada. The company operates through two segments, Retail and Other. It offers various merchandise, including designer jewelry, diamonds, gemstone and precious metal jewelry, rings, wedding bands, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, precious gemstones, gold jewelry, and pearls.

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Shares of Canuc Resources Co. (CVE:CDA  Get Free Report) were up 8.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$0.13 and last traded at C$0.13. Approximately 34,500 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average daily volume of 71,397 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.12.

Canuc Resources Trading Up 8.3 %

The stock has a market capitalization of C$17.55 million, a PE ratio of -13.00 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$0.14 and a 200-day moving average price of C$0.09.

Canuc Resources Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Canuc Resources Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of natural resources and precious metals in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It explores for silver, lead, gold, copper, and zinc deposits. The company holds interest in the San Javier Project located in the state of Sonora, Mexico.

Further Reading

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Community Bank of the Bay (OTCMKTS:CBYAA  Get Free Report) shares shot up 1.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $8.00 and last traded at $8.00. 300 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average session volume of 11,406 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.90.

Community Bank of the Bay Stock Up 1.3 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $8.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.42.

About Community Bank of the Bay

(Get Free Report)

Community Bank of the Bay provides various banking services to individuals and businesses in the greater San Francisco Bay area. It offers checking, savings, and money market products, as well as certificates of deposit; funds; and loan products comprising business and term loans, lines of credit, letter of credit, commercial and industrial, real estate, non-profit, and construction and land loans, as well as small business administration loans.

Featured Articles

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Army chiefs of staff from the countries that form the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) have set the exact day of a possible military intervention to restore constitutional order in Niger, although they have decided not to reveal the date. Despite this, a diplomatic solution remains on the table, as stated Friday by the regional organizations Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah. The statement came after a two-day meeting of the chiefs of staff held in Accra, Ghana, in which they defined the operational plan and the troops each country would contribute.

We have decided on a D-Day, but we are not going to reveal it, Musah said after the meeting. We are prepared to enter Niger the moment the order is given [...] we are not going to maintain an endless dialogue and we are drawing a line in the sand. The coup in Niger is the straw that broke the camels back, added the Commissioner for Political Affairs, who also affirmed that the objective is the restoration of constitutional order as quickly as possible. However, Ecowas is keeping the door open to a possible negotiated exit. There is still a chance for dialogue, Musah said.

The military intervention plan and its deadlines must now be validated by the Ecowas heads of state at a new summit, but there will be no new meetings of the chiefs of staff. We have discussed potential humanitarian problems, Abdel-Fatau Musah added, but what is happening in Niger is part of a series of coups in the region that we want to end. Terrorist actions are threatening to erupt in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The military option is not our preferred option, but we are being forced by the intransigence of the Niger junta. Any intervention will be of short duration and will aim to restore constitutional order, he added.

The chiefs of staff of the Ecowas countries have held two days of talks to advance an operational plan for military intervention in Niger in the event that attempts to negotiate with the military junta fail. Ten of the 15 countries in this regional bloc have shown their willingness to contribute troops, as reported by Abdel-Fatau Musah on Thursday, although there is no consensus within the African Union, and several countries on the continent, such as Algeria and Chad, have rejected this option. The military junta in Niger has deployed troops on the border with Benin and Nigeria, according to sources close to Nigers Army.

The President of Nigeria and of Ecowas itself, Bola Tinubu, informed the President of the European Council Charles Michel in a telephone conversation on Thursday on the worsening conditions being faced by the ousted President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, who has been detained by the military junta since the coup detat on July 26. He also warned that any further deterioration in his condition will have serious consequences, a spokeswoman for the EU reported on Friday. The military junta threatened to try Bazoum for high treason and even to execute him in the event of the military intervention that Ecowas has already outlined.

President Bazoum is being held with his wife, Hadja Hadiza, and their 22-year-old son Salem, in a few rooms in the presidential palace. Since August 2, they have had no electricity and only eat pasta and rice, the presidents daughter Zazia (who was traveling in France when the coup occurred) told The Guardian newspaper. Her brother Salem suffers from heart disease, according to what the president himself told Human Rights Watch, but despite the difficult conditions in which he finds himself, the deposed president has been able to maintain communication with certain very specific people abroad, including his own daughter.

The health and safety of President Bazoum and his family have become a red line for the Ecowas heads of state, according to an African diplomatic source. If something were to happen to him, let no one doubt that it [Ecowas] would act with the utmost forcefulness against the coup plotters. We cannot allow such a serious precedent to be set in the region, he said.

The President of Nigeria and Ecowas, Bola Tinubu, during his inauguration ceremony in Abuja, on May 29. TEMILADE ADELAJA (REUTERS)

For its part, the European Union has maintained its total support for Ecowas and its decisions regarding the coup in Niger. This much was assured by Michel to President Tinubu during a telephone conversation in which the European leader discussed the decision to send an Ecowas negotiation mission to Niamey, the capital of Niger, this weekend. If it comes to fruition, the European Council president noted that it will be an important first step [...] towards a de-escalation and the restoration of democratic order in Niger. Michel reiterated his strong condemnation of the unacceptable coup in Niger, an EU spokeswoman said on Friday. President Bazoum, the Belgian recalled, was democratically elected and remains the legitimate head of state in Niger, and the EU does not recognize and will not recognize the authorities that emerged from the coup, said the spokeswoman.

On the other hand, the deposed presidents Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism (PNDS), has reported through a statement that, last Thursday night, people close to the military coup carried out numerous illegal searches and robberies in the homes of leaders and members of the party, which was described as a totalitarian drift that aims to intimidate citizens. In addition to Bazoum, the military junta has also detained Foumakoye Gado, president of the PNDS, and several ministers and parliamentary deputies.

After more than two weeks of silence, Mahamadou Issoufou, former president of Niger, has broken his silence in an interview with the magazine Jeune Afrique in which he demands the immediate release of Bazoum and his return to power. The alleged proximity between Issoufou and General Tchiani, the leader of the coup, had sparked an intense debate in Niger, but the former president has denied his involvement in the uprising. Likewise, he has confirmed that he has played a role in mediation and that he still believes that it is possible to find a negotiated solution.

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Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $52.31.

DELL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $52.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, May 19th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Dell Technologies in a research report on Thursday, June 29th. They set a buy rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Friday, June 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $55.00 to $56.00 in a research report on Friday, June 2nd.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE DELL opened at $54.95 on Friday. Dell Technologies has a 52 week low of $32.90 and a 52 week high of $58.72. The firms fifty day moving average is $53.38 and its 200 day moving average is $46.30. The company has a market cap of $39.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.05.

Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 1st. The technology company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.45. Dell Technologies had a net margin of 2.01% and a negative return on equity of 149.49%. The company had revenue of $20.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.64 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 19.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Dell Technologies will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Dell Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 25th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, July 24th. Dell Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Dell Technologies news, COO Anthony Charles Whitten sold 107,803 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total value of $5,944,257.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 650,198 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $35,851,917.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, Director Iv (Gp) L.L.C. Slta sold 3,529,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.36, for a total transaction of $195,365,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 135,124 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,480,464.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Anthony Charles Whitten sold 107,803 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.14, for a total transaction of $5,944,257.42. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 650,198 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $35,851,917.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,965,841 shares of company stock valued at $219,485,757. 48.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dell Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Dell Technologies by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 14,076 shares of the technology companys stock worth $706,000 after acquiring an additional 2,117 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in Dell Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $304,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Dell Technologies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $568,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Dell Technologies by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 254,266 shares of the technology companys stock worth $12,762,000 after acquiring an additional 4,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Dell Technologies by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 6,090 shares of the technology companys stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 25.05% of the companys stock.

Dell Technologies Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Dell Technologies Inc designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports various comprehensive and integrated solutions, products, and services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) and Client Solutions Group (CSG).

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Exos TFP Holdings LLC increased its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 166.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 813 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 508 shares during the quarter. Exos TFP Holdings LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $43,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Beacon Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 565 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new position in shares of Charles Schwab during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Charles Schwab by 704.2% during the 1st quarter. Rocky Mountain Advisers LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.77% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $77.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Wolfe Research decreased their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $62.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Monday, June 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $70.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $67.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $64.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Monday, July 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $72.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 other news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 77,640 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Monday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.76, for a total value of $4,018,646.40. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 59,771,278 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,093,761,349.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 75,760 shares of Charles Schwab 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 have sold 225,447 shares of company stock valued at $13,866,915. 6.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Charles Schwab Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:SCHW opened at $59.54 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $60.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.26. The stock has a market cap of $105.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.91. The Charles Schwab Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.00 and a fifty-two week high of $86.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.04. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 33.15% and a return on equity of 27.54%. The firm had revenue of $4.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.97 earnings per share. The firms revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 10th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Charles Schwabs payout ratio is currently 29.15%.

About Charles Schwab

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF (NYSEARCA:RWJ  Get Free Report)s share price rose 0.7% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $38.58 and last traded at $38.49. Approximately 146,999 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 198,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $38.22.

Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 1.32.

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Institutional Trading of Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vicus Capital boosted its position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 14,513 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,646,000 after acquiring an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC bought a new stake in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $777,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 221,424 shares of the companys stock valued at $25,112,000 after acquiring an additional 15,064 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,980 shares of the companys stock valued at $678,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF by 41.5% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 40,307 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,571,000 after acquiring an additional 11,814 shares in the last quarter.

About Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF

The Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue ETF (RWJ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P SmallCap 600 Revenue-Weighted index. The fund tracks an index of S&P SmallCap 600 Index stocks that are weighted by revenue. RWJ was launched on Feb 22, 2008 and is managed by Invesco.

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WestRock (NYSE: WRK) has recently received a number of price target changes and ratings updates:

8/17/2023  WestRock is now covered by analysts at StockNews.com. They set a hold rating on the stock.

8/4/2023  WestRock had its price target raised by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $33.00 to $36.00. They now have a sector perform rating on the stock.

8/4/2023  WestRock had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $37.00 to $42.00. They now have an overweight rating on the stock.

8/4/2023  WestRock had its price target raised by analysts at Truist Financial Co. from $29.00 to $34.00. They now have a hold rating on the stock.

7/18/2023  WestRock had its price target lowered by analysts at Truist Financial Co. from $30.00 to $29.00. They now have a hold rating on the stock.

6/30/2023  WestRock had its price target lowered by analysts at UBS Group AG from $42.00 to $37.00.

WestRock Stock Down 1.1 %

WestRock stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $32.11. 1,776,498 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,427,195. The company has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 1.20. The companys fifty day moving average price is $30.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 0.98. WestRock has a fifty-two week low of $26.84 and a fifty-two week high of $43.37.

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WestRock (NYSE:WRK  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 3rd. The basic materials company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.39. WestRock had a positive return on equity of 8.75% and a negative net margin of 6.82%. The company had revenue of $5.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.54 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that WestRock will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

WestRock Dividend Announcement

Institutional Trading of WestRock

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 9th. WestRocks dividend payout ratio is -19.86%.

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WestRock during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A acquired a new stake in shares of WestRock during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of WestRock during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Cornerstone Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of WestRock by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Management Inc. now owns 1,050 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of WestRock by 203.8% during the 1st quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,118 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.54% of the companys stock.

WestRock Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates in four segments, Corrugated Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Global Paper, and Distribution. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers.

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Lennar Co. (NYSE:LEN-B  Get Free Report) Director Amy Banse purchased 820 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 15th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $123.06 per share, for a total transaction of $100,909.20. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,113 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $998,385.78. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Amy Banse also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Friday, July 21st, Amy Banse bought 790 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $126.42 per share, for a total transaction of $99,871.80.

On Thursday, June 22nd, Amy Banse bought 165 shares of Lennar stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $121.29 per share, for a total transaction of $20,012.85.

Lennar Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LEN-B opened at $106.55 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.91.

About Lennar

Lennar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a homebuilder primarily under the Lennar brand in the United States. It operates through Homebuilding East, Homebuilding Central, Homebuilding Texas, Homebuilding West, Financial Services, Multifamily, and Lennar Other segments. The company's homebuilding operations include the construction and sale of single-family attached and detached homes, as well as the purchase, development, and sale of residential land; and development, construction, and management of multifamily rental properties.

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Invitae (NYSE:NVTA  Free Report) had its price target reduced by Piper Sandler to $1.50 in a report issued on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the medical research companys stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on NVTA. Raymond James cut Invitae from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a report on Monday, May 15th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Invitae in a report on Thursday, May 18th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Invitae from $1.50 to $1.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Invitae currently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $2.08.

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Invitae Stock Performance

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invitae

NVTA opened at $1.08 on Tuesday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $1.22 and its 200-day moving average is $1.43. The stock has a market cap of $287.04 million, a PE ratio of -0.33 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 2.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.68. Invitae has a twelve month low of $1.02 and a twelve month high of $4.20.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Invitae by 96.2% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 482,680 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 236,644 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Invitae by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 735,911 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $832,000 after acquiring an additional 108,819 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Invitae by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 95,050 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $107,000 after acquiring an additional 29,280 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Invitae during the second quarter worth $62,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Invitae by 49.7% during the second quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 32,304 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 10,731 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.10% of the companys stock.

About Invitae

(Get Free Report)

Invitae Corporation, a medical genetics company, that provides genetic information to improve healthcare of people in the United States, Canada, and internationally. The company offers genetic tests in various clinical areas, including hereditary cancer, precision oncology, women's health, rare diseases, and pharmacogenomics; digital health solutions; and health data services.

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Pittenger & Anderson Inc. cut its stake in shares of Crown Castle Inc. (NYSE:CCI  Free Report) by 13.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,887 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 8,532 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.s holdings in Crown Castle were worth $7,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CCI. Oder Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Crown Castle by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Oder Investment Management LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Crown Castle by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,375 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $322,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Crown Castle by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,638 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in Crown Castle by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 6,786 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $908,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Crown Castle by 1.4% in the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 5,968 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 89.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on CCI. TheStreet downgraded Crown Castle from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Friday, May 12th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Crown Castle from $137.00 to $116.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Crown Castle from $144.00 to $125.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 24th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Crown Castle from $152.00 to $149.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Finally, Argus started coverage on shares of Crown Castle in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. They set a buy rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Crown Castle Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE CCI traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $100.23. 2,458,423 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,114,267. Crown Castle Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.84 and a 12 month high of $181.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $110.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company has a market cap of $43.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.44 and a beta of 0.63.

Crown Castle (NYSE:CCI  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.79 by ($0.74). The business had revenue of $1.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Crown Castle had a return on equity of 23.20% and a net margin of 23.85%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Crown Castle Inc. will post 7.13 EPS for the current year.

Crown Castle Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.565 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. This represents a $6.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.25%. Crown Castles payout ratio is 158.88%.

Crown Castle Profile

(Free Report)

Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and approximately 85,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major U.S. market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service  bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them.

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Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:PFG  Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of Reduce by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have given a hold rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.46.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a sector perform rating and issued a $83.00 target price on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Bank of America cut shares of Principal Financial Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $81.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Monday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from an underperform rating to a hold rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Principal Financial Group from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $77.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Principal Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Principal Financial Group

Principal Financial Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC acquired a new stake in Principal Financial Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Steward Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Principal Financial Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Principal Financial Group by 100.0% during the 1st quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Principal Financial Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its holdings in Principal Financial Group by 96.1% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 449 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.58% of the companys stock.

Shares of Principal Financial Group stock opened at $76.47 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $78.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Principal Financial Group has a 52-week low of $65.17 and a 52-week high of $96.17. The company has a market cap of $18.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.82, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.30.

Principal Financial Group (NYSE:PFG  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.66 by ($0.13). The company had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.49 billion. Principal Financial Group had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 11.52%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Principal Financial Group will post 6.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Principal Financial Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 7th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 6th. This is a positive change from Principal Financial Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.64. Principal Financial Groups payout ratio is presently 39.57%.

Principal Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report

Principal Financial Group, Inc provides retirement, asset management, and insurance products and services to businesses, individuals, and institutional clients worldwide. The company operates through Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Global Investors, Principal International, and U.S. Insurance Solutions segments.

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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 issued on Tuesday morning.

Separately, TheStreet raised 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 1.6 %

NYSEAMERICAN:PLX opened at $1.94 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $138.87 million, a P/E ratio of 97.05 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 3.18, a quick ratio of 2.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Protalix BioTherapeutics has a 52 week low of $1.00 and a 52 week high of $3.55.

Protalix BioTherapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:PLX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 7th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.25. The business had revenue of $35.08 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.22 million. Protalix BioTherapeutics had a net margin of 13.19% and a return on equity of 199.41%. On average, analysts expect that Protalix BioTherapeutics will post 0.1 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Protalix BioTherapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PLX. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Protalix BioTherapeutics by 561.5% in the second quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 13,230 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 11,230 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics by 89.6% in the second quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 28,816 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 13,617 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN purchased a new stake in shares of Protalix BioTherapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. 4.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Free Report) had its price target increased by Tigress Financial from $102.00 to $139.00 in a report published on Tuesday, FlyOnTheWall reports.

RCL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $85.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a report on Friday, July 28th. Argus increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $88.00 to $92.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 31st. StockNews.com began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, May 18th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Truist Financial raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $72.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $113.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $109.92.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of RCL opened at $99.20 on Tuesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52 week low of $36.92 and a 52 week high of $112.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -309.99 and a beta of 2.47. 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 fifty day moving average of $101.34 and a 200-day moving average of $81.37.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.41 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 0.47%. Royal Caribbean Cruisess quarterly revenue was up 61.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($2.08) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel acquired 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $103.70 per share, with a total value of $103,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 13,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,409,490.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel purchased 1,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $103.70 per share, for a total transaction of $103,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,592 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,409,490.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 18,908 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.74, for a total transaction of $2,018,239.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 23,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,510,631.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 718,182 shares of company stock worth $57,773,619 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 8.70% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Front Row Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 134.3% in the 1st quarter. Front Row Advisors LLC now owns 410 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Prostatis Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 71.08% of the companys stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

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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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Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, yesterday (August 18) launched its inaugural flight to Ezhou Huahu Airport located in the Hubei Province of China.

Ezhou Huahu Airport was developed as Asia's first and the world's fourth professional cargo airport. Equipped with a 23,000-sq-m cargo terminal and a 700,000-sq-m freight transit centre, the airport serves as a gateway for air trade between China and the rest of the world.

The airport is expected to open ten international cargo routes and 50 domestic routes by 2025, with an annual cargo and mail throughput of 2.45 million tonnes.

With the Etihad Cargo's Boeing 777-200 freighter landing in Ezhou, it has become the first international airline to operate flights to the airport.

Etihad Cargo's expansion to Ezhou Huahu Airport follows the carrier's announcement that it has expanded its reciprocal block space agreement with SF Airlines to increase cargo capacity between China and the rest of the world via Etihad Cargo's hub in Abu Dhabi.

Leonard Rodrigues, Head of Revenue Management, Fleet and Network at Etihad Cargo, said: "Offering connectivity to China's five national-level city clusters via railway, waterway, expressway and air transportation infrastructure, Ezhou Huahu Airport is the region's first dedicated, professional cargo airport."

"The commencement of a weekly freighter service between Abu Dhabi and Ezhou opens up new interline opportunities with Etihad Cargo's partner SF Airlines and will enable the carrier to further expand its reach into the Chinese market, which is a key region to the airline and Etihad Cargo's customers and partners," he added.

This partnership has given Etihad Cargo's partners and customers greater accessibility to 25 domestic Chinese destinations, including Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing. SF Airlines benefits from Etihad Cargo's global network for its express product.

The introduction of a weekly freighter service between Abu Dhabi and Ezhou will play an important role in promoting seamless connectivity between China and countries and regions along the Belt and Road.-TradeArabia News Service
Few people can claim to have been closer to all the presidents of Ecuador over the last century than the Salazar family. From the Amazonas Hair Salon, one of the low-rise business next to the Carondelet Palace presidential residence, Clara Salazar has seen a country change from the Plaza Grande, the focal point of the Ecuadorian capital, while her father cut the hair of local residents. She recalls above all the tranquility that reigned: there was always an absent-minded customer who remembered they needed a haircut at 8 p.m., when the city was in darkness. Now the salon closes at 5 p.m. When the sun begins to set, the Plaza Grande empties. People run home out of fear, Salazar explains as he shaves the sides of a childs head. From the basement of the presidents house to the farthest corner of Ecuador, insecurity has gripped a country that for many years thought it was safe from violence. On Sunday, it will go to the polls to elect a new president under a shroud of terror.

In Salazars opinion, everything was much better under former president Rafael Correa, so she will vote for the candidate running for Correas Citizen Revolution Movement, Luisa Gonzalez. Alba Castro, 60 years, walks through the door of the salon, announcing loudly that she has come to make her husband handsome, adding: On Sunday we will bury the socialism that wants to lead us to the abyss. Salazar receives her with a smile and responds warmly: lets wait for the result. Mrs. Castro pays her little attention: I am going to vote for our angel who is in heaven: Fernando Villavicencio.

If the focus of the Ecuadorian elections had been the possible return to power of Correismo since May, now it is on the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, of the Construye movement, as he left a rally on August 9. It was a killing that laid bare to Ecuadorians the depths of the pit of violence into which they have been sinking for the last three years. Villavicencio was not among the favorites to advance to the second round, although he had become known for speaking out against corruption and organized crime, which led to him receiving death threats. A friend of his, investigative journalist Christian Zurita, will replace Villavicencio in Sundays vote, but with no material time for changes, 13.5 million voters will see the face and name of the dead candidate on the ballot.

Christian Zurita, presidential candidate for the Construye movement, wears a bulletproof vest as he arrives at the airport in Quito on August 15, 2023. Karen Toro (Bloomberg)

It is impossible to gauge the effects of Villavicencios assassination on the electoral race. The most recent published polls had Luisa Gonzalez in the lead, although far from a decisive victory in the first round with her support standing at around 30%. The big unknown, if the polls are accurate, is who of the other seven candidates will accompany Gonzalez to the run-off vote in October. A campaign marked by violence could ultimately benefit Otto Sonnenholzner, the former vice-president in the Lenin Moreno administration (2017-2021), and Jan Topic, the so-called Ecuadorian Bukele due to his hardline approach to security and imposing the rule of law.

Patricia Toasa doesnt support either Sonnenholzner or Topic. From her mobile stall selling soft drinks, candy, and cigarettes, she has been touring the city for 33 years. On many occasions, she secures a privileged corner of the Plaza Grande, from where she has witnessed the highest officials in the country come and go at the presidential palace over the years. She has seen them all, but only one ever spoke to her, she says with a twinkle in her eye. It was a Saturday between 2007 and 2017. President Correa was on his way back to the Carondelet Palace when he stopped to chat with Toasa, called her companerita, and gave her a kiss. What president is going to kiss me! she laughs, revealing her gold-rimmed teeth. And that kiss is well worth his eternal vote, because although Correa moved to Belgium in 2017 and has not returned to Ecuador due to a corruption conviction, which he says is a case of political persecution, the former president continues to hold sway over Correismo, the political movement built around him. To vote for Gonzalez is to vote for Correa. A martyr for some and executioner to others, the former president continues to star in national politics.

These early elections, called when Guillermo Lasso dissolved parliament in May to avoid an impeachment vote  a move that in Ecuadorian politics is known as mutual death  have come at the best possible moment for Correismo since the fall from grace of its former leader. The Citizen Revolution Movement, which Correa manages from a distance, won the local and regional elections in February. The former president felt that Lasso was handing Correismo victory on a platter. That self-sufficiency half-cracked in the days after Villavicencios assassination, when Correa appeared more concerned than usual: uncertainty had already gripped Ecuador.

Who do we vote for? asks Imelda Chango, 69, as she grabs the hand of Reyna Morocho, 26, dressed in glitter and wearing a sash that reads Miss Star Ecuador 2023. The young beauty queen walks around downtown Quito taking pictures with the young and old because she is preparing, she explains, for an international pageant to be held in Barcelona. Chango asks Morocho which way she is leaning and the young woman, as if she were in front of the contest jury, responds without endorsing any candidate: Ecuador is on its knees, crime is out of control, someone has to get us out of here. Mrs. Chango is satisfied with the answer. We are terrified, but there is a God in heaven who will guide us, she says.

Military personnel check vehicles in compliance with the state of emergency decreed by the president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, after the attack on presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. Jose Jacome (EFE)

Quito remains the most peaceful area of the country, although violence is beginning to permeate its streets and businesses. The hotspot is in Guayaquil and the coastal provinces, where the countrys access to the Pacific makes Ecuador a coveted territory for Mexican and Colombian drug trafficking groups. So far in 2023, 4,574 violent deaths have been recorded, while 2022 ended with the highest figure in the countrys history  4,600  double that of 2021. At the current rate, by the end of this year Ecuador could reach a rate of 40 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, which would place it among the most violent countries in the world.

In Guayaquil, the countrys second city, the climate is unbreathable. Ashly Silva is a mother of four children who have been forced to flee their home in Isla Trinitaria, south of Guayaquil, where shootings and deaths number in the hundreds. She works cleaning houses after her husband was killed by micro-trafficking drug networks a year ago. All she asks if for a presidential candidate who has the courage to confront drug traffickers. Although she does not endorse any of them, she thinks that Correismo is living in the past and that the country has to look to the future with a primary objective: to put an end to the killings.

Whoever is elected president will have to deal with this scenario of violence and citizen insecurity in a very short period of time. Sundays elections do not mark the beginning of a new legislature: the next president will be installed to conclude Lassos mandate, giving them only 18 months in power during which Ecuadorians are asking for the return of a country they no longer recognize. We have never seen anything like this. The dismemberments, the hanging bodies says cab driver Luis Noboa. We didnt even know that this mutual death thing existed!

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StockNews.com began coverage on shares of China Pharma (NYSE:CPHI  Free Report) in a report issued on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the stock.

China Pharma Price Performance

Shares of China Pharma stock opened at $0.23 on Wednesday. China Pharma has a 52 week low of $0.21 and a 52 week high of $2.46. The business has a 50 day moving average of $0.32.

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China Pharma Company Profile

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Further Reading

China Pharma Holdings, Inc develops, manufactures, and markets generic and branded pharmaceutical, and biochemical products primarily to hospitals and private retailers in the People's Republic of China. The company offers products in the form of dry powder injectables, liquid injectables, tablets, capsules, and cephalosporin oral solutions.

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Research analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Terreno Realty (NYSE:TRNO  Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Thursday. The brokerage set a hold rating on the real estate investment trusts stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Terreno Realty in a research report on Tuesday, July 11th. They issued a neutral rating and a $65.00 price target for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Terreno Realty in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. They set a neutral rating and a $63.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $66.29.

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Terreno Realty Stock Up 0.4 %

Insider Activity

NYSE:TRNO opened at $57.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Terreno Realty has a 1-year low of $50.36 and a 1-year high of $67.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $59.15 and a 200 day moving average of $61.30. The firm has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 31.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.80.

In other news, President Michael A. Coke sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.60, for a total transaction of $596,000.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 395,988 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,600,884.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Terreno Realty during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,505,000. abrdn plc increased its position in shares of Terreno Realty by 4,951.6% during the first quarter. abrdn plc now owns 669,939 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $43,278,000 after purchasing an additional 656,677 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Terreno Realty by 4,172.8% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 602,121 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $38,863,000 after purchasing an additional 588,029 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Terreno Realty by 18.7% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,642,466 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $270,935,000 after purchasing an additional 574,544 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its holdings in Terreno Realty by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 8,279,766 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $534,873,000 after purchasing an additional 549,823 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.10% of the companys stock.

About Terreno Realty

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Terreno Realty Corporation (Terreno, and together with its subsidiaries, the Company) acquires, owns and operates industrial real estate in six major coastal U.S. markets: Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey/New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Miami, and Washington, DC We invest in several types of industrial real estate, including warehouse/distribution (approximately 79.5% of our total annualized base rent as of December 31, 2021), flex (including light industrial and research and development, or R&D) (approximately 4.8%), transshipment (approximately 6.4%) and improved land (approximately 9.3%).

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The Management of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria,(FAAN), has dismissed reports that its Managing Director bought an official vehicle worth of 200 million.

Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, the Director, Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, said since his assumption of office, FAAN MD does not have any official car and did not buy any for anyone.

The statement released on Saturday partly read, When some old vehicles were refurbished for the newly appointed Directors, the MD was given one but he had to return it because the vehicles did not go round.

A contract for the Procurement of operation vehicles was awarded by the former Managing Director. They are yet to be supplied.

The vehicle he is using to work does not belong to FAAN. The vehicle's registration number could be verified through the appropriate authorities.

FAAN has observed with great concern that agents of doom have resorted to the use of the media to distract the new Managing Director from the good work he has started in repositioning FAAN to greater heights.

We therefore use this medium to appeal to reporters to authenticate the veracity of their reports before going public.
China launches military drills around Taiwan as stern warning

BEIJING: China launched military drills around Taiwan today (Aug 19) as a stern warning after voicing anger over a stopover in the United States by the islands vice president, William Lai.

Chinesepoliticsmilitary

By AFP

Saturday 19 August 2023 09:45 AM

Taiwan Vice President and Chairman of ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) William Lai gestures during his speech at the DPP headquarters in Taipei on April 12, 2023. Photo: AFP

Lai, who is the frontrunner in Taiwans presidential election next year, stopped in New York and returned via San Francisco on a trip to Paraguay, one of a dwindling number of nations that diplomatically recognise Taipei.

China called Lai a troublemaker and vowed to take resolute measures... to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan, state media outlet Xinhua quoted military spokesperson Shi Yi as saying.

Xinhua said the drills, the scale of which was not immediately known, were meant to test the PLAs ability to seize control of air and sea spaces and fight in real combat conditions.

They were also intended to serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, it added.

China claims Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to seize it.

It launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then House speaker, visited Taiwan last year and later when President Tsai Ing-wen met top US lawmakers as she transited through the United States.

Washington had called for calm over Lais transit, describing the travel as routine.

But today, an official from the ruling Communist Partys Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned Lais trip, calling it a new provocative move by his party, the DPP, to further collude with the United States, Xinhua said.

Lais latest stopover... was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves, the official was quoted as saying.

Lais deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots, the readout continued.

At a lunch in New York during the trip, Lai vowed to resist annexation and continue to uphold the core tenets of Tsais administration.

Lai has been far more outspoken about independence than Tsai, to whom Beijing is already hostile as she refuses to accept its view that Taiwan is a part of China.

The Harvard-educated doctor turned politician has previously described himself as a pragmatic Taiwan independence worker.
Phuket pledges e-cigarette restrictions for youths

PHUKET: Talks were held yesterday (Aug 18) between authorities and anti-smoking campaign groups and an agreement signed to restrict the access of e-cigarettes to youths across the island.

healthSafety

By The Phuket News

Saturday 19 August 2023 10:54 AM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met with representatives from the Non-Smoking Campaign Foundation and the Phuket Smoke-Free News Center Network at an event held at the Royal Phuket City Hotel where a Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) was signed to enhance control measures relating to tobacco and e-cigarette access as part of the Phuket Education Quality Development Project.

Joining Governor Narong was Emeritus Professor Dr Prakit Vatheesatokkit, President of the Campaign for Non-Smoking Foundation and a qualified member of the National Tobacco Products Control Board; Dr Niti Hethanurak, Deputy Director General of the Department of Disease Control; Dr Chayanan Sitthibut, Director of the Tobacco Products Control Board Division; Chirawat Yusabai, Deputy Director of the Tobacco Products Control Board Division; and Chavala Phawaputanon Na Mahasarakham, Assistant Manager of the Campaign for Non-Smoking Foundation and the Phuket Smoke-Free News Center Network.

Dr Prakit Dr Niti Hetanurak delivered a lecture to attendees, who were predominantly school administrators and representatives of local government agencies. The lecture detailed key points to preventing and controlling what they referred to as the e-cigarette pandemic among youths that they hoped would help align Phuket with international standards on tobacco access and use.

Furthermore, the signing of the MoU would complement these efforts by engaging the cooperation of all relevant government agencies to align with the campaign to prevent all Thai people, especially children and youths, from becoming addicted to all forms of tobacco, including e-cigarettes, by imparting timely and accurate information on the potential dangers.

A strict ban on the sale of such products needs to be implemented by law enforcement and closely monitored, officials said, especially in regards to the access of e-cigarettes which have become very popular among youngsters in recent times.

If all sectors align and commit to this approach then it will contribute positively to the national agenda stipulated by government policy on the safe access and use of e-cigarettes, officials concluded.
After 10 days the concern began. By then, fisherman Arona Boye knew that his son was on his way to the Canary Islands. Pape Mambaye, 25, saw little point in a fishermans existence  due to overfishing, there are fewer and fewer in Senegalese waters. He wanted to go to Europe. But the journey from the Senegalese coast to the Spanish island of Tenerife takes about a week, a little longer if the sea is rough. Boye and dozens of other fishermen decided to search for the ship, possibly adrift, themselves. But the range of a pirogue (a wooden fishing boat) is small, the fisherman sighs, sitting in a plastic chair in his yard littered with fishing nets. We had no idea where to look.

In the weeks that followed, he and his fellow villagers became increasingly desperate. Boye and the other fishermen searched in vain for a large pirogue, which left Fas Boye on July 10. Although the more than 100 people believed to have been on board came largely from this small fishing village 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Dakar, many villagers say they had no idea that their loved ones wanted to make the crossing to the Spanish archipelago. In the absence of any sign of life, the villagers sound the alarm: at their insistence, the Moroccan and Spanish coastguards unsuccessfully searched for the missing boat. Only last Wednesday, more than a month after its departure, would more news arrive.

Maryam Sowe, who lost her son Pape in the tragedy. Joost Bastmeijer

The boat was spotted by a Spanish vessel, about 275 kilometers (170 miles) from the Cape Verdean island of Sal. Thirty-eight people, including several children, have been rescued. The other 72 people on board probably died of hunger and thirst  news that hit the conservative-Islamic fishing community of only 20,000 hard. Relatives rushed to deputy mayor Moda Samb, who was in contact with the Cape Verdean authorities. The village chief Madiop Boye, who lives opposite the fisherman Arona Boye, was also kept informed of events via telephone.

Since Wednesday, anyone looking for news has been coming to the chef de village, Boye says, with bloodshot eyes, which means many are also coming to us to offer their condolences. Dozens of people on board are still missing at sea, which in reality means that they are presumed  the boat did not capsize. Although Boye doesnt yet know whether his son belongs to those missing from the vessel, or is among the survivors rescued by the Cape Verdean authorities, he is hopeful: he does not want condolences. One of the survivors said he saw my son in the hospital, he says, uncertainly. His wife, lying behind him at the foot of their bed, bursts into tears.

Ibrahim Sarr, a resident of Fas Boye, shows a photo of his son, who is hospitalized in Cape Town after surviving the trip. Joost Bastmeijer

In the tiled guest room of village chief Madiop Boye, on the other side of the dirt road, Boyes wifes lament echoes in the background. Although the village chief seems to have gotten used to it by now, he looks tense. Our village has never seen anything like this before, he murmurs in a low voice. We are devastated and defeated, he says, twisting the prayer beads in his hand. His sons and daughters are still in the village, he explains, but there are six members of his extended family who they have not yet heard from. Everyone here knows someone who was on the boat.

A little further on, on a square between four low buildings that serve as an open-air mosque, that statement turns out to be correct. Cousins, sisters, the children of neighbors, brothers-in-law: everyone present knows at least one of the people on board. In the corner of the prayer room, on the womens side, Maryam Sowe is crying with a yellow cloth pressed to her face. Her 35-year-old son Pape is among the confirmed dead: his body was found on the pirogue. I have no idea why he left, she says when she has regained her composure. We have a good life, he always said he would stay with us. She fights back the tears. Allah sent him to help his parents, all we have to do is be patient.

Arona Boye, surrounded by family and neighbors in his backyard. Joost Bastmeijer

Anger in the streets

Yet there is also a lot of anger in the streets of Fas Boye. If the Senegalese authorities had searched for the missing boat, the local residents believe, it would have been found weeks ago and the people on board would still be alive. Dissatisfaction with the lax attitude of the authorities has even led to riots, looting and destruction of property. A group of young residents of Fas Boye took to the streets on Wednesday evening, attacking government buildings such as the local school. A field belonging to deputy mayor Samb also went up in flames. He says he has asked the authorities several times to intervene, without receiving a response.

I understand perfectly why young people are angry, says Madiop Boye in a trembling voice. But of course we strongly disapprove of violence. Then his son bursts into the reception room, whispering something in Boyes ear. The village elder lets out a cry and stands up immediately. Aronas son died, he says, striding toward the house on the other side of the dirt road. Dozens of people have already gathered in the yard: women are lying on the floor crying. Arona Boye sits, defeated, in his plastic chair, his face buried in his hands. Next to him, his wife is lying on the floor, screaming and kicking. This is the fate of Fas Boye, says the village elder, observing the grief. We have nothing left but to pray.

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Governor CV Ananda Bose has been made a party in the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Trinamul Congress in the Calcutta High Court over the mysterious death of a fresher at Jadavpur University (JU). The first-year student of Bengali honours died under mysterious circumstances after falling from the balcony of a students hostel on 10 August. It is suspected that he became a victim of ragging. The Governor has been made a party in the PIL since by virtue of his chair, he is the Chancellor of Jadavpur University. Also, since Jadavpur University is currently running without a permanent vice-chancellor, the overall responsibility of the affairs of the state university rests with the Chancellor.

The matter is slated to come up for hearing at the Division Bench of Calcutta High Courts Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya. In the PIL, the counsel for the petitioner and Trinamul MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay made an appeal for making the Governor a party, which the high court cleared on Friday.

The PIL also termed the university campus as the hub for consuming narcotics and other intoxicating substances without any restriction on the entry of outsiders. Bandopadhyay has alleged that because of the approach of the Governor, JU is operating without any permanent VC for quite some time now. This is the second PIL filed at the Calcutta High Court in the matter of the death of the JU fresher.

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On 14 August, Calcutta High Court counsel Sayan Banerjee had filed a similar PIL seeking the intervention of the court in ensuring that anti-ragging guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) are strictly implemented in all staterun universities in Bengal, including JU.
In a recent incident, allegations of ragging have surfaced at Ashoknagar College. This is just after the tragic event that took place in Jadavpur University. A first-year student of the college has filed a complaint, stating that he was subjected to harassment by members of the Trinamul Chhatra Parishad ( TMCP) while attempting to submit examination-related documents at the college yesterday.

Reportedly, the student was confronted by several members of the TMCP in the college union room. He alleged that he was physically assaulted, verbally abused, and his phone and documents were forcibly taken away from him while attempting to submit important examination papers.

The student claimed that the members of the TMCP demanded access to his phone and documents. However, the members of the TMCP asserted that there was no ragging or physical assault involved in the incident. They explained that the student, who was an outsider, had entered the college premises and was questioned regarding his presence.

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The TMCP students maintained that they were merely trying to ascertain the students identity and intentions. The college authorities were informed about the incident and the Ashoknagar police station has been notified as well. The college administration is yet to provide an official response to the allegations.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari today filed a FIR against a student organization, alleging that the Maoist backed organization planned to kill him. Yesterday, I visited Jadavpur University to attend an event organized by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

While exiting the venue, around 5.40 pm, I was suddenly attacked by a group of unknown assailants, who managed to breach security and were shouting slogans and brandishing black flags. The unknown miscreants belonged to the Revolutionary Students Federation, an Ultra-Left frontal organisation of the banned Maoist outfit, he tweeted.

These people are part of a group who have made Jadavpur University a den of anti-national & anti-social activities. They harbour antiestablishment & secessionist ideologies; who are always criticizing the government I have lodged an FIR regarding this incident, he further wrote.
Abinash Shaw (20), a resident of Ranganiapara, under Ward 42 of Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC), has become the first victim of dengue in Asansol this season. Since Tuesday he was suffering from fever and on Wednesday he was admitted at Asansol District Hospital. But as his condition deteriorated, doctors advised him to be taken to a better facility. He was taken to a Durgapur private hospital. His blood tests confirmed dengue and at night he was injected blood but in the morning he died.

Sheela Shaw, a relative of the victim has alleged that his life could have been saved if the doctors at Asansol District Hospital conducted blood tests and detected his disease in time. The death created a stir in Asansol town. The Asansol Municipal Corporation has sent a team to the locality and has directed clean up of the area.

Sanitation department staff have started spraying bleaching powder and antimosquito spray in the area. Since the past one month, there have been several cases of dengue in Durgapur Municipal Corporation (DMC) area and also in Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) area in Burdwan West District. A high-level meeting was also held in AMC between the health department, sanitation department officials and the mayor, chairman and other MMiCs.

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The stock of South Indian Bank jumped more than 6 per cent on Friday after the RBI conveyed its approval for the appointment of P.R. Seshadri as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank for a period of three years with effect from October 1.

The stock closed at Rs 22.44, up Rs 1.36 or 6.4 per cent on the BSE.

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the bank will be convened in due course to approve the appointment of Seshadri as the MD & CEO, and the approval of the shareholders shall be obtained thereafter as per the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI Listing Regulations.

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Seshadri has served as, among other positions, MD & CEO of Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB), and MD & Regional Sales and Distribution Head, Citibank N.A., Asia Pacific, Singapore.
Amazon Prime Videos latest docuseries, AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, invites viewers on an intimate journey through the life of a modern-day musical sensation. Comprising four compelling episodes, this series provides a backstage pass to AP Dhillons life while serving as an inspiring anthem for aspiring musicians. Lets delve into AP Dhillons journey.

The series artfully chronicles his life, from his beginnings in the Punjab region to his meteoric rise in the global music scene. Each episode vividly portrays his growth, challenges, and triumphs.

Also Read: AP Dhillons parents

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Beyond showcasing AP Dhillons artistic evolution, the series offers an authentic glimpse into the person behind the music. It places special emphasis on Dhillons deep connection with his family and community, underscoring his strong roots.

Amritpal Singh Dhillon, born into a Sikh family on January 10, 1993, in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India, embarked on his educational journey at the Little Flower Convent School. He later graduated in civil engineering from Baba Kuma Singh Ji Engineering College in Hoshiar Nagar.

AP Dhillons musical journey:

Dhillon kickstarted his music career in 2019 with singles like Fake and Faraar. In 2020, his track Deadly, produced by Gminxr, made a significant impact by entering the UK Asian chart, climbing to number 11. Additionally, it secured a spot in the top 5 on the UK Punjabi chart, setting the stage for his continued success.

Brown Munde:

In September 2020, he collaborated with Gurinder Gill, Gminxr, and Shinda Kahlon to release Brown Munde. The songs music video featured notable figures like Nav, Sidhu Moose Wala, Money Musik, Anmol Dalwani, and Steel Banglez. Notably, it also made its mark on Apple Music charts in Canada. Brown Munde made a resounding debut, claiming the number one spot on the UK Asian chart, marking Dhillons second chart-topper.

In 2021, AP Dhillon and his team embarked on their inaugural live concert series. Over The Top  The Takeover Tour, performing in six major cities across India. Dhillon also entered into a brand association with Boat, further solidifying his presence in the music industry.

AP Dhillons journey, as unveiled in this docuseries, serves as an inspiration to budding artists. It offers an authentic look into the life of a rising musical star.
The Arctic is one of the places on the planet where the effects of climate change are most evident, accelerated and dramatic. Beautiful, remote and imperiled, there is no region more suited to witnessing and understanding the need to protect Earth from the destruction that is already leaving its mark in the polar north, with the melting of glacial ice. This year, the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) is exploring the intersections of science and art, with a project focused on the changing climate and its impact on biodiversity, with the Arctic as the setting. In the narrative that follows, Maria A. Blasco, the director of the CNIO and a leading researcher in the field of aging and its relationship to cancer and other diseases, documents, in the form of a written diary and photographs, her impressions during her week-long journey to the Arctic.

Scientist Maria A. Blasco (second from left) and artist Dora Garcia, with members of the team that accompanied them to the Arctic as part of the CNIO Arte initiative. A. SERRANO

Day 1: What happens in the Arctic doesnt stay in the Arctic

Today we traveled from Madrid to the Svalbard archipelago. In Norwegian, the name means cold ridge or cold edge. The Dutch explorers who discovered and mapped the region called it terra nullius, no mans land, because they found no humans living here when they arrived. Today, it is one of the northernmost inhabited places on Earth. The settlements are Russian and Norwegian  mostly the latter  but the 1920 Treaty of Svalbard recognizes the right of 40 signatory countries to exploit the territorys natural resources.

In the Arctic, observing what happens every day is critical to predicting the future of the climate. Our team will be here for one week  six August days with no nights, looking at the future of our melting planet. A not very encouraging future... Because what happens in the Arctic doesnt stay in the Arctic. But Ill talk more about that later. Today, the temperature is 9 degrees Celsius (48 F).

A ship sails along the Nordenskioldbreen glacier. A. SERRANO

Day 2: A polar bear is swimming nearby. An adult bear can run 100 meters in six seconds, so you need to have a guide with a rifle

Today, we started our exploration. We stopped at several points along the fjord, where the settlement of Longyearbyen is located, and at the EISCAT radar research station, where we were able to take in the views of the imposing U-shaped glacial valley.

When we woke up, we were visited by a flock of barnacle geese and their chicks  there are thousands of them in the fjord! They reminded me of the movie Spread Your Wings. In the settlement, we saw a reindeer crossing the road on our way to breakfast. A helicopter flying over the sea sent warning that a polar bear had been spotted swimming near Longyearbyen.

The bears roam near the settlement, and on occasion come close to town. One killed a Dutch tourist in 2019, attacking him as he slept in his tent in a designated camping area. They are heavily surveilled, but its impossible to control their movements. An adult polar bear can run 100 meters in six seconds, which is why you only go out in the company of a guide armed with a rifle. Today, we saw arctic tern nests in the fjord, with glaciers surrounding us on all sides. Ive seen a crane, purple sandpipers that had no fear of humans, and a parasitic jaeger trying to hunt them. David Nogues-Bravo, an Arctic expert with the University of Copenhagens Globe Institute, told us that the rate of species extinction here is 1,000 times faster than before there were humans.

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. The Bering Sea is warming five times faster than other seas. What is happening now in the Arctic is a preview of what will happen to the rest of the world.

How do we raise awareness? The New York Times, in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, proposes birdwatching as a way to appreciate biodiversity. If we observe nature and other living beings, we can appreciate their beauty and will fight for their conservation.

On the dark side of the fjord, there are dog farms with huskies chained to their tiny kennels. Tourists rent the dogs to pull sleds. Its barbaric.

Entrance to the Global Seed Vault, Svalbard, Norway. M. BLASCO

Day 3: Its impossible not to think about the melting of the ice. We must protect the life and beauty of this place

In the Arctic summer the sun never rises or sets. It lies low in the sky. Weve had two days and two nights of bright sun and blue skies. Its impossible not to think about the melting of the Arctic ice.

According to data from NASA based on satellite images, the size of the polar ice cap has decreased by 12% per decade since 1980. A new study by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), based on a climate models, indicates that between the years 2030 and 2050 the Arctic ice will be completely gone during the month of September. I think of the songs Cold Cold Ground, by Tom Waits, and 50 Words for Snow, by Kate Bush.

The melting of the Arctic is an issue of global geopolitical concern. Some 30% of the worlds oil and gas reserves are located here, and have the potential to generate conflicts between countries like Norway, Russia and China. Chinese ships could shorten their route to Europe by 4,500 km if they were to travel through the Arctic instead of the Suez Canal. All this portends an escalation in political tensions.

We end the days excursion at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Researcher David Nogues-Bravo tells us that 70% of crops depend on pollinators  work that creates billions in yearly savings for the agriculture industry. The estimated economic cost of biodiversity loss is $3 trillion.

A healthy planet saves money. The Dasgupta Review has calculated the economic impact of biodiversity loss. Nogues-Bravo says that degrowth is necessary. But in addition to degrowth, I think we must look to the Arctic landscape, and those who live in the Arctic  the animals, the birds and the plants  and work to protect them. To protect the life and beauty of this place.

Im an amateur birder. So far in the Arctic I have seen arctic tern, snow bunting, glaucous gull, Arctic fulmar, barnacle goose, parasitic jaeger, purple sandpiper, and common eider.

View of the Nordenskioldbreen glacier, in Svalbard, Norway. A. SERRANO

Day 4: Today I had the feeling that I had left the world

Two hours after leaving Longyearbyen, our rusty ship enters what to me seems like a paradise. The birds appear no longer to fly, but to just float placidly in a sea that is denser than usual due to the melting of the glacier we are now approaching. I watch with delight as hundreds of puffins bob in the waves. There are northern fulmars, black guillemots and common guillemots, glaucous gulls. Passing by the so-called bird cliff, we see razor-billed auk nests. We have spotted several whales so far.

Across the sea from the glacier is the abandoned settlement of Pyramiden, a Russian outpost closed in 1998 after the coal mine shut down. Pyramiden is history stopped in time  the history, perhaps, of the change in course of the former Soviet Union. But now, Pyramiden is coming back to life. The Soviet era buildings are now managed by a Russian tycoon and owner of Arktikugol Trust, a company that employs about 14 people to run the hotel, bar and souvenir store; or as guides; or as construction workers rebuilding the settlement.

As we dock in Pyramiden, a guide with a rifle waits to accompany us, and to protect us from the bears. We walk to the main square, which centers around a prominent sculpture of Lenin gazing out at the imposing glacier. We visit several buildings  relics of Soviet grandeur in the Arctic: a beautiful public dining room, an elegant Olympic swimming pool, the settlements cultural center, complete with music halls and a theater with a piano.

Today I had the feeling that I had left the world. Our foray into Pyramiden reminds me of the wonderful documentary Halout, filmed by a Russian couple living in a cabin in the Arctic, about the impact of ice loss on walruses.

Walruses need to rest after travelling, and they take their breaks on the ice. But there is less and less ice now, so thousands of walruses and their young are cramming together into smaller and smaller spaces, causing increased mortality from being crushed on the ice or exhaustion at sea. Something similar happens with polar bears. Bears hunt seals and walruses on the ice, but the scarcity of ice forces them to go further inland for their prey, to go into settlements and steal food, or to eat reindeer. In Pyramiden this year, a single bear killed 14 reindeer.

A parasitic jaeger perched on a rock. M.BLASCO

Day 5: We heard the ice sinking; it sounded like a bomb exploding

Today we saw a pod of beluga whales and thousands of birds basking in the sea near the Tunabreem glacier. We heard the ice sinking; it sounded like a bomb exploding. I repeat: this place is a paradise, but a paradise in peril.

If some species suffer from the warming of the Arctic, others come back to life with the thawing of the permafrost. A week ago, the discovery of a new species of worms from more than 46,000 years ago was published in the journal PloS Genetics. These worms lived during the Pleistocene, the era of the woolly mammoths, and have remained frozen until today. Scientists have manage to keep the worms alive and to reproduce in a laboratory, and genome sequencing indicates that they are genetically distinct from the similar nematode, C. elegans.

Although C. elegans can also survive while frozen, no species has ever been documented to survive 46,000 years. Perhaps this discovery can offer some clue for how we might prepare for our future world  a kind of terrestrial or interstellar Noahs Ark, preserving living things for thousands of years.

The existence of worms in the Arctic 46,000 years ago is consistent with recent studies indicating that the continent was ice-free at the time. Svalbard was once covered with forests and ferns  something that can help us understand the consequences of what is happening today.

Less ice formation in the Arctic can lead to a disruption of the Gulf Stream, among other things. This current causes Europe to enjoy a warmer climate than would otherwise corresponds to its latitude, and prevents us from suffering glaciation. The Earth is in a delicate climatic balance, and the acceleration of these processes due to human activity has devastating consequences.

There are many things we can do as individuals to slow the pace of climate change. The United Nations tells us how. One of these things is what we eat. Food production contributes to 30% of climate change. Meat consumption is one of the main factors, because land for pasture and grain is often created through deforestation, and because of the methane emitted by livestock and the agricultural runoff that pollutes soil and aquifers.

The arctic tundra. A.SERRANO

Day 6: We say goodbye to landscapes and animals that need our protection

Yesterday we met the team from Artika, Longyearbyens art center. They offer residency programs to artists and scientists, and have collaborated with CNIO Arte to host a team led by the artist Dora Garcia. After six days in the Arctic, I leave with the feeling of having left a natural paradise. I leave behind glaciers, whales, beluga whales, polar bears, Arctic birds, walruses, seals, and reindeer. I leave behind grandiose landscapes. I leave behind a place that needs our protection.

This year has seen the warmest months and days since records have been kept, and even in the Arctic itself, coal mining, hunting and meat consumption continue. We are out of time.

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As unprecedented rains and flash floods wreaked havoc and devastation in the hills, development work, particularly the construction of roads and highways, has come under sharp focus in the hilly terrains.

There is growing discontent over the viability of these mega projects. The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari who visited various parts of Himachal Pradesh has been reviewing the situation in the hill state since the unprecedented tragedies unfolded and brought life to a standstill. Gadkari says that it would be foolish to blame anyone for such natural disasters.

He, however, agrees that the authorities who allowed the rampant construction by the riverside should not allow such things. In an exclusive interview with Aditya Kant and Chandrani Banerjee the minister elaborated on the immediate measures and the long-term plans that the government is taking to restore life to normalcy and minimize the damage in the eventuality of such disasters in the future. Gadkari, who is the longest-serving minister of Road Transport and Highways, and is also known as the Expressway Man of India also mentioned the plans and the new projects that are being taken up to improve road safety and ease of travel on highways. Excerpts:

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Q. Since you have visited rain-ravaged places in Himachal and Uttarakhand, what is your assessment of the situation?

A: Unfortunately, the colossal loss to life and property was far beyond what one could fathom. After I visited Kullu and Manali, in particular, I realised the death and destruction that took place was beyond what we had imagined. It was a prakop (divine fury) and one could have done nothing to escape it. A team of experts has made an assessment, and measures are being taken to ensure that life is restored at the earliest by repairing the roads and having them running. An added factor was that there was a heavy downpour in a single day in May. As much as 170 mm of rainfall was reported on that particular day. The soil dampened and after that came the rainy season, which was unexpectedly followed by cloud bursts and flash floods and it meant there was no escaping the tragedies that unfolded.

Q. What measures are being taken to deal with the situation?

A: A team of experts from Switzerland has been involved and they have made a presentation. To start with we are working on a flood protection plan. The existing river in Kullu-Manali is changing its course which is causing devastation. Thousands of cars were swept in the flood, Volvo buses vanished, people perished, properties were washed away or were reduced to rubble. We are digging the river. Due to the silt, the volume of the water has decreased. If the water flows through the river bed at the deeper points there would be lesser chances of flooding. Secondly, the stones which are extracted will be used as river banks. We will erect wire-protected walls along the roadsides. We are working on this and I have given a proposal to the environment minister, who has agreed to it in principle. It will definitely help. As far as cloudburst is concerned there is no solution to it.

Q. Could some preventive measures have been taken to avoid or minimise the losses?

A: Cloudbursts and such natural disasters cannot be anticipated. The river suddenly changed its course. Also, if someone is making a house by the side of a river, what can you do about it? Authorities need to look into it. But definitely, we need to have a regulation in place to stop this. The team of experts from Switzerland is looking into the entire gamut of issues. But experts too agree that the tragedy could not have been anticipated. If you look at the affected areas you will find an interspersion of the river, a village, and the road at most of the places. It is a recipe for an impending disaster.

Q. What steps are being taken for Himachal and other affected states to bring life back to normal, and restore roads and traffic?

A:We have reviewed the situation and are now working on a two-pronged strategy. We are taking immediate and long-term measures. To start with, efforts are on to ensure that all the damaged roads are made motorable at the earliest. Huge losses to life and property are being taken care of. Also, the Centre is providing aid to the respective states.

Q. Concerns are being raised over the construction and development activities in the hills. Also, many are suggesting action against authorities for being indifferent, particularly for brazen road cutting?

A: Woh toh moorkhata hogi (That would be foolish). If the river changes course and buildings and houses collapse what can you do? No one can be held responsible. This was natures fury. But there is no denying the fact that people making houses by the side of the rivers need to be stopped and made aware of the risks involved. Multi-storey buildings and hotels by the riverside is unacceptable. Instead, people should be given spaces by extracting space from the forest areas for the new townships. Otherwise, vulnerability to life will remain. We need a plan which is futuristic and takes care of all such violations.

Q. What is being done to restore highways and roads that have left life paralysed in the hills?

A: We have already started repairing the roads. The funds have been granted and the work has begun on a war footing. But as you would know climate change is taking a big toll on humanity. And that is the concern.

Q. What new measures are being taken to improve travelling on the highways?

A: We are soon going to introduce a satellite-based toll system. Cameras would track number plates and fast tags. From wherever your vehicle makes an entry into the highway, the number of the vehicle would be noted through a fast tag and when the vehicle exits, the number would again be noted and the amount of money would be deducted accordingly. This is an intelligent traffic system. There would be no toll barriers and only cameras would be installed.

Q. What steps are being initiated to improve road safety on the Indian roads?

A: We are now doing a road safety audit. We have developed a road syllabus to make an assessment of the roads. As per the plan, the engineering colleges and IITs would be involved. Each team would audit 100 km long road tracks. They will make assessments about the curves, vulnerable spots, and dangerous zones and make recommendations accordingly.

Q. Despite several initiatives in the past to curb fatal accidents, little has been achieved so far. How do you plan to curb the number of accidents?

A: In one year around five lakh accidents have been reported. We witnessed 1.5 lakh deaths and around three lakh people lose their limbs on highways almost every year. What is worrying is that among those who die on roads, 60 per cent are between 18 and 34 years of age. And despite all our efforts in the last nine years to bring the numbers down, this is the only area of concern in which we could not get the expected results.

Q. Where do you find the ministry is lacking? Where are the gaps?

A: There are some key issues: Road engineering and automobile engineering have been improved to a great extent. As far as enforcement is concerned, we brought in a new road safety law and have raised the fine. We have also brought in a new act and have done everything possible to implement related measures. But there is a lack of awareness regarding road safety and brazenness to not follow the rules. Big celebrities and actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay (Kumar) are helping us by being part of road safety campaigns.

Q. There have been reports that you plan to change the sound of the siren for VIP vehicles?

A: Yes. Plans are afoot and we propose to change the sound of the VIP siren to a more pleasing one. This would be changed to musical instruments like the noise of flute, mouth organ, and tabla. The sirens for the emergency vehicles and police vehicles would remain the same.

Q. How do you look at the NDAs prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due next year?

A: Politics of the 21st century is the politics of progress and development. We are celebrating 75 years of Independence. Out of these 75 years, Vajpayeeji had four years, Janata Party had 3 years, Chandra Shekhar and Charan Singh governments too had some years but still, for most of the time the Congress party ruled. What it could not do during its time we have done more than double of that in the last nine years in the road sector. We are the fastest-growing economy in the world. As the water, power, transportation, communication, and infrastructure would improve, industrial and capital investment would come and there would be more employment revenue, which would lead to a better growth rate. I am pretty sure our government would come back under the leadership of Narendra Modi ji again and we will carry forward his vision by further bringing development.

Q. How would the new alliance which was christened I.N.D.I.A affect NDA prospects?

A: Due to our strength the Opposition parties have come together and decided to form an alliance. There is no doubt in anyones mind that the NDA would make a comeback under the leadership of Narendra Modiji.
In a major mishap, an Army truck carrying eight jawans, and two junior commissioned officers, rolled into a deep ravine in the Kerry area of Ladakhs Leh district on Saturday evening.

The deceased include eight soldiers and one Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO). While, one JCO is said to be injured.

The truck was part of a recce party of 3 vehicles of 311 Medium Artillery Regiment when it met with accident. The truck was moving from Karu garrison to Kyari near Leh when it fell into the gorge.

There were a total of three officers, two JCOs and 34 jawans in three vehicles including one Maruti Gypsy, truck and an ambulance, reports said.

Further details are awaited.
Chinnaiah Karthik, a 26-year-old cleaner, pleaded guilty on Friday to a charge of aggravated rape for his attack on the woman at about 1.30 am on May 4 in Kranji, a suburb in northwestern Singapore
Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala on Friday stressed that there is a need to adopt modern as well as traditional methods in agriculture and animal husbandry as this will make the rural areas of the country more prosperous.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly working for the welfare of stock farmers, the Union Minister said while addressing a symposium here.

This is the reason why fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy have been given the status of separate ministries and because of this change is visible, he said while addressing the symposium organised by industry body CLFMA of India.

CLFMA of India is a livestock association and an Apex Chamber which represents the dynamic Animal Agriculture in India.

Rupala, who inaugurated the programme as the chief guest, urged the CLFMA to explore the possibilities of getting rid of the problem of Parali and using it as animal feed, so that the problem of straw can be solved and also cheap fodder can be available for animals.

During the event, the Livestock Survey Report 2023 was also released. Suresh Deora, Chairman, CLFMA addressed the event and shared the future plans of CLFMA.
The BJPs influence isnt confined to Indias borders; its expanding its reach into neighboring countries like Nepal. The Nepal Janata Party (NJP) is a prime example of this cross-border influence.

Monica Verma, a geopolitics scholar, recently shared a tweet shedding light on the NJP. She posted a campaign poster featuring Anil Kumar Agrawal, who ran as a candidate in Nepals last Federal and provincial elections held in November 2022. Agrawal contested from Area no. 1 in Parsa district, Madhesh province.

Notably, the poster bears a saffron hue and depicts Agrawal in a blue shirt with folded hands. Whats intriguing is the prominent lotus symbol, reminiscent of the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) logo, serving as the NJPs election emblem. Below the lotus, the slogan reads naye log, naye soch (new people, new thinking).

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Party leadership:

Leading the NJP is Tribhuvan Nath Pathak, whos ardently campaigning to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu Rashtra (Hindu nation). He and other NJP members frequently meet with BJP leaders in neighboring Indian districts, particularly Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

During the federal and provincial elections, NJP member Jogi Puri, also known as Baba, underscored the importance of Nepal embracing Hindu Rashtra status to better represent the countrys Hindu majority.

However, this alignment with saffron politics has sparked considerable controversy and opposition within Nepal. Khem Nath Acharya, the senior vice-president of the NJP, firmly believes in the BJPs ideology. He asserts that Nepal should embark on a revolutionary path toward becoming a Hindu nation.

Acharya recently visited Delhi as part of a delegation meeting with BJP leaders, including Union ministers. He frequently travels to India, participating in events organized by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization. In fact, Acharya credits the RSS for playing a pivotal role in the formation of the Nepal Janata Party.

The NJPs journey reflects the cross-border political currents at play, as Nepal grapples with the dynamics of embracing or rejecting the saffronization sweeping across the region.
At a time when the people of Himachal Pradesh are heavily weighed down by the colossal loss their state has suffered due to monsoon fury, sensitive to the concerns Shimlas former Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar has decided to sit on a Climate Strike to save the mountains.

Calling to introspect the development model in Himachal Pradesh, Panwar said that he will sit on a 24-hour hunger strike on Sunday at the historic Ridge, Shimla.

Panwar has been vocal about the need to relook development models and states that climate change alone is not to be blamed for the unprecedented rains, floods, and landslides in the state this monsoon, there are other anthropogenic factors that have significantly contributed to the disaster.

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The uncontrolled construction of hydropower projects, cement plants, the development-driven road expansion to promote tourism and to attract tourists, and especially the road-widening projects carried out by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) bypassing essential geological expertise are somewhere responsible for this man-made disaster, he blamed.

In the wake of the recent disaster, he has demanded to institute a Commission of Inquiry to be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to assess the loss and policy framework.

Prosecute the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and construction companies responsible for four-lane construction, he demanded.

Panwar has also lodged an FIR in Parwanoo police station in Himachal Pradeshs Solan district against the NHAI alleging that it had violated environmental norms.

Naming the infrastructure company in his complaint, alleged that NHAI and the company had constructed the four-lane between Parwanoo and Solan without consulting the states geological authorities prior to giving shape to the highways project report.

Even when the Parwanoo-Solan four-lane was under construction he had even raised questions on the construction and lack of proper drainage to address the drainage of water during the rains.

He has further demanded to declare the current disaster as a national calamity, immediately start mapping of state vulnerabilities and water contouring, and constitute a task force to work on mountain building typologies.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Gandhinagar on Saturday to attend the joint finance and health ministerial G20 meeting. It will also be attended by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Sitharaman will also visit IFSC Gift City in Gandhinagar on Saturday and review its functioning.

She will also chair a three-day Chintan Shivir of the finance ministry, that is being organised between August 20-22.

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This event will take place at the Tent City in Kevadia, renowned for housing the worlds tallest statue, The Statue of Unity.

The Chintan Shivir aims to be a brainstorming session, discussing a spectrum of topics, including the strategic roadmap to propel Indias transformation into a developed nation by 2047.

The two-day event at Kevadia will witness the participation of senior officials and Secretaries from six departments within the finance ministry, in addition to representatives from the ministry of corporate affairs.

On August 21, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is slated to address the assembly, sharing insights and perspectives on the transformative journey ahead.
The Supreme Court of India has requested a response from the Centre regarding a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) aimed at altering the legal stance on consensual teenage sexual relationships. Currently, the law, colloquially known as the Romeo-Juliet law, deems sexual intercourse with an individual below 18 years of age as statutory rape.

Recognizing the growing number of adolescents and young adults facing legal consequences for consensual sexual activities, various states have introduced Romeo and Juliet laws as a legal safeguard in such scenarios.

These laws afford some level of protection to individuals accused of violating statutory rape laws when the minor involved has willingly consented to the sexual encounter and the age gap between the minor and the accused remains within certain limits (typically set at three years in many states).

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What do lawmakers say about Romeo-Juliet law?

There is a growing argument suggesting a potential redefinition of the term Child in Section 2(d). It is for Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to lower the age from 18 to 16.

Lawmakers propose that any consensual sexual activity or related acts occurring after the age of 16 should not be subject to the stringent provisions of the POCSO Act.

Instead, they suggest the introduction of more lenient legal provisions within the Act. This is to differentiate between cases involving teenage relationships after 16 years of age. In addition, it includes sexual assault cases involving children below the age of 16.

The recent PIL, filed by lawyer Harsh Vibhore Singhal in his personal capacity, has captured the attention of a bench. It comprises Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.

The bench has issued notices to various Union ministries regarding Romeo-Juliet law. This includes law and justice and home affairs, as well as other relevant statutory bodies.

The plea calls for the issuance of a writ of mandamus under Article 32 or a similar directive. This is to utilize the powers under Article 142 to decriminalize statutory rape laws. This is for all instances of voluntary consensual sexual interactions between adolescents aged 16 to below 18. It also holds individuals over the age of 18.

This move aims to address the ongoing legal complexities surrounding consensual relationships involving teenagers and young adults.
Two persons were killed in an altercation between pet dogs and their owners on Thursday in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, according to the police. Security guard at a bank, Rajpal Singh Rajawat, shot at his neighbor from his balcony last night, killing two people and injuring six others. The shooting occurred after a dispute over two pet dogs.

According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Amrendra Singh, Rajpal Singh Rajawat, is employed as a security guard at a nearby Bank of Baroda branch. A native of Gwalior, Rajawat was hired by a private firm as a security guard in Indore because he owned a licensed 12-bore shotgun, police said.

One of the neighbbours who was an eyewitness said that the two pet dogs, including the one owned by Rajawat, started barking at each other. In the ensuing fight, when they started entering Amchas house, his brother Pramod chased Rajawats dog away with a stick. Soon a heated argument broke out between the two parties over it.

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Rajawat was arrested along with his son Sudhir and another relative, Shubham. A case of murder has been filed against him.

Rajawat and his neighbour Vimal Amcha, 35, were walking their dogs in a narrow lane in Krishna Bagh Colony at about 11pm when the two animals attacked each other.

The two men got into a dispute, at which point Rajawat went up to his first-floor residence and opened fire on Amcha, with a 12-bore shotgun. Rajawat is seen loading the shotgun and firing a warning shot into the air before aiming at the street below in a video of the horrifying incident. Screams from the street are heard after the shots.

Amcha used to run a hair salon in the city. He died on the spot, along with his brother-in-law, 27-year-old Rahul Verma. The pregnant wife of Rahul Verma, Jyoti Verma, suffered a pellet injury on her eye, the police said.

Six other people who were in the street at the time of the incident also sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to the hospital. According to police, two of them had critical injuries.
Just as there are certain methods we accomplish certain things, such as making a specific meal. The process of putting on makeup also varies a lot. Here is how you apply makeup.

But, regardless, it is essential to establish the groundwork once and for all, and we can tweak it here and there as we choose. As a result, Mukan Jain, Brand Manager at MARS Cosmetics, discusses the proper order to apply makeup.

Step 1: Primer

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If you ask experienced makeup artists for their best advice, most will tell you that the key to great makeup is to prep your skin properly. It helps that theres a primer out there for every type of skin and concern. So whether youre dealing with oily skin and want to control shine, or your skin is dry and needs more moisture, theres a primer designed for it. Primers not only make makeup stick better but also make it last longer. So, if you want your makeup to shine throughout the day, primer is your secret weapon.

Step 2: Brows and Eyes

While this isnt a strict rule, theres a good reason to handle your eye makeup and eyebrows before you get into your complexion products. Its all about having a solid base to work from. Why? It gives you a safety net. You can fix fallout or mascara mishaps under your eyes without messing up your concealer or foundation, especially if youve gone all out on your eye look.

However, youre not locked into this order  you can totally switch it up and apply makeup for eyes after your complexion products if that suits your style better. The key is to kick off with whatever is going to be the star of your look. If its all about the eyes, dive into that first. If youre focusing on achieving flawless skin, start there. This way, youve got more flexibility to perfect that focal point before bringing in the other elements like lips and cheeks. Its all about making your final look come together seamlessly.

Step 3: Foundation

Exploring the world of foundations can be overwhelming. How do you find the right one for you? If you want a light, breathable finish, go for a tinted moisturizer or something with a dewy touch. If youre in the middle, a demi-matte works well. And if you need staying power, full-coverage, matte foundations are your go-to for all-day wear.

Remember, the purpose of the foundation is to create an even base for other makeup. To start, match the shade to your skin tone and desired finish. Test three similar shades on your chest to find the closest one  usually, the face is a bit lighter than the rest of your body due to regular washing.

To apply makeup, use a Beauty Blender for a natural look or a good foundation brush for a smoother finish. Whichever tool you choose, blend the foundation before adding concealer.

Step 4: Concealer

First things first, figure out where your face needs a bit more love, then bring in the concealer. Concealers are thicker and meant to tackle stuff like pesky dark circles or stubborn blemishes. To get the best bang for your buck, dab on thin layers and gently tap them onto your skin.

If youre uncertain about where to apply concealer, the choice largely hinges on your desired outcomes. Opt for lighter shades to brighten the area beneath your eyes, darker patches of skin, or to accentuate the high points of your face. For covering blemishes and acne scars, select a shade that closely matches your skin tone or the shade of your foundation.

Step 5: Bronzer/Blush/Highlighter

Now that your base is in place, its time to add some depth and dimension to your face. Heres the order: bronzer first, then blush, and finally highlighter. Start by using bronzer on your cheekbones and temples to give your face definition and a sun-kissed glow. This lays the foundation for sculpting. Next, swipe blush onto the apples of your cheeks, gently blending it outward for a natural flush. Just be careful about mixing different product textures, especially when it comes to foundation and blush pairings. Putting powder on top of the cream might make things look slightly blotchy. So, if your foundation is creamy, go for a creamy blush. Finally, add a touch of highlighter to the high points of your cheekbones using a smaller brush for a subtle shimmer.

Step 6: Lips

Lip liner comes first, serving as a boundary to prevent color feathering. For a longer-lasting liner, put it on dry lips before using any lip balm or color. Once your liner is done, apply some hydrating lip balm and then your chosen lip color, whether its lipstick or lip gloss. If youre using both, put on the lipstick before the gloss.

Step 7: Translucent Powder and Setting Spray

To make sure your makeup stays fresh all day, finish up with some setting powder. This step will set your makeup by forming a barrier to soak up any oils your skin may produce during the day. Whether youre using a foundation powder or a translucent powder, be sure to apply it with a large brush and dust the product over your forehead, cheeks, chin, and nose  thats your T-zone. If you want an extra layer of protection, you can use a setting spray at this point.
The Biden administration on Friday announced a major expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already living in the United States, granting a reprieve for those who fled Russias invasion.

The move is expected to make 166,700 Ukrainians eligible for Temporary Protected Status, up from about 26,000 currently, the Homeland Security Department said. To qualify, Ukrainians must have been in the United States by Aug. 16, two days before the announcement. They are eligible for work authorization.

The temporary status was originally scheduled to expire on Oct. 19, 2023 but is being extended 18 months to April 19, 2025.

Russias ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis requires that the United States continue to offer safety and protection to Ukrainians who may not be able to return to their country, said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Also Friday, Homeland Security expanded Temporary Protected Status for Sudanese who were in the United States by Aug. 16, saying violent clashes in April have fueled instability. It estimated an additional 2,750 Sudanese would be eligible, bringing the total to 3,950. The new expiration date of April 19, 2025 marks the 16th extension since temporary status was first granted to Sudanese in 1997.

Since the military takeover of its government and the recent violent clashes, Sudan has experienced political instability and ongoing conflict that has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, Mayorkas said.

The expansions come as the administration extends Temporary Protected Status to people from a growing number of countries, including Cameroon, Haiti and Venezuela, as part of a carrot-and-stick approach to immigration that combines more legal entries on humanitarian grounds with more punitive measures against anyone who enters the country illegally.

A 1990 law allows the Homeland Security secretary to grant status in increments of up to 18 months to people already in the United States whose countries are struck by civil strife or natural disaster and are considered unsafe for return.

Ukrainians first got Temporary Protected Status immediately after Russias invasion. The administration added humanitarian parole for those not in the United States, a move that it considered so successful that it later did the same for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Fridays announcement gives additional time to Ukrainians whose two-year parole was due to expire early next year.

Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans face more uncertainty.

Texas and other Republican-led states are challenging parole for up to 30,000 people a month from those four countries but is not contesting status for Ukrainians. A trial is scheduled next week in Victoria, Texas.

Ukrainian immigrants are dispersed widely across the United States, with the largest concentrations in the New York, Chicago, Seattle and Sacramento, California, metropolitan areas.

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Concern on multiple fronts was evident when US President Joe Biden last week called China a ticking time bomb with its economy in trouble. Referring to Chinese Communist Party leaders as bad folks, the US President cautioned that when bad folks are in trouble, they do bad things. A faltering Chinese economy could have global implications due to the interconnectedness of economies. The USA might be concerned because it is Chinas major trading partner. A slowdown in Chinas economy could lead to reduced demand for American exports, affecting businesses and jobs. The concern is rooted in the potential domino effect that Chinas economic troubles could trigger across various sectors of the global economy. Many global supply chains are deeply integrated with Chinese manufacturing. Economic troubles could disrupt these supply chains, and affect industries ranging from electronics to automobiles. The USA has significant investments in China. An economic downturn could affect the value of these investments.

Chinas economic instability might lead to volatility in global financial markets, affecting investments and portfolios. China is a major contributor to global economic growth. Its slowdown could drag down overall global growth. Economic challenges might lead to policy changes or tensions in the region, impacting US strategic interests. A slowdown in Chinas economy could reduce its demand for imports, affecting countries that rely heavily on exporting goods to China. This could impact industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, and commodities. China is a major consumer of commodities like oil, metals and agricultural products. A weaker Chinese economy could lead to reduced demand, causing commodity prices to drop. Reduced demand from China could impact manufacturers around the world, leading to production cuts and potential job losses. Many emerging economies depend on China as a trading partner and source of investment. Economic troubles in China could spill over to these economies, causing currency depreciation and financial instability. A weakened Chinese economy might lead to reduced consumer confidence globally, affecting consumer spending patterns. China is a major player in technology manufacturing and innovation. Economic challenges could impact the tech sectors supply chains and innovation capabilities. The worry is that these economic difficulties might influence Chinas foreign policy decisions, potentially leading to geopolitical tensions that impact international relations and trade. For such troubles could prompt the Chinese government to appeal to nationalism to maintain domestic support.

This could impact its interactions with other countries, potentially leading to more assertive or aggressive stances. It might impact Chinas negotiating positions in international talks, affecting areas like climate change, trade agreements, and security discussions. China is an attractive market for foreign investment. If its economy falters, it might lead to decreased investor confidence in emerging markets and global investment overall. It is important to note that the extent of these effects can vary depending on the severity of Chinas economic troubles and the responses of other countries and international institutions. Whether the Chinese are bad folk is open to question, but headwinds for the countrys economy is bad news for all.

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Latin America is a land of endless dreams and imaginations. It tends to believe if you have no imagination, you have no wings. Perhaps the region has a larger share of visionaries and builders, reformists and revolutionaries and samaritans and messiahs.

For long, Latin America remained a strategically secondary region because of its geographic isolation, historic subordination to the US and distance from the Eurasian landmass. It is Latin American writers and thought leaders who gave the region a global profile and visibility. As Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges says, dont speak unless you can improve on the silence. To Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, literature is fire and writing great literature has been a political radical act.

But Latin America has also become a victim of romanticization and a degree of generalisation. After all, writers dont merely reflect on reality, but add something to reality that is not there. Hamlet was not there if Shakespeare had not written him. Don Quixote wont be there if Cervantes had not written him. Marquez has been projected primarily for his magical realism though he himself says that he writes mostly about the reality I know, about the reality of Latin America. Any interpretation of this reality in literature must be political. Some of Latin American writers are capturing their own present than the regions likely future. Latin America, thus, requires reading against the grain. Another Colombian writer Juan Gabriel Vasquez talks of disproportionate reality. He says that Latin America is more tragic than magical.

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What is disproportionate in his novels is the violence and cruelty of our history and our politics. Over the past three decades or so, Latin Americas democratic advance, institutional innovations, political assertions of the indigenous people and social movements have been admirable.

Democratic consolidation and institutional innovations have been made bucking the global trends. Have these gains begun to evaporate? The Central American region has certainly moved in reverse gear. Nicaragua under the once revolutionary Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murrillo has become a gulag in Central America.

Last year, he assumed office for the fourth term after eliminating all opposition and arresting all the five presidential candidates. Ortegas rivals are all languishing in prison cells waiting to die. He has not spared even those Sandinista commanders who took him out of dictator Anastasio Somozas jail and made him a heroic figure. Ortega has attempted to justify the treatment of their opponents as he sees them as coup plotters, which the Ortega regime has invoked since the 2018 protests that threatened his grip on power.

He also called the detainees stateless. Ortega is behaving like Somoza. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele came to power in 2019 on the promise to end the brutal gang warfare that has been raging for decades. He has built a dystopian prison which is now stuffed with tattooed and handcuffed prisoners like sacks under the worst human conditions.

The Guatemalan government has arrested a fervent critic of President Alejandro Eduardo Giammatei Falla and a leading opposition candidate has been barred from the current presidential race. UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has expresses his concern at the criminal prosecution against those who sought to shed light on cases of corruption and worked to strengthen the justice system. In Ecuador, the assassination of a presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio underlines the seriousness of the situation.

In the last couple of years, the situation has deteriorated very fast. From being one of the safest countries, Ecuador has now become one of the most violent. Parts of the country are now no-go zones in the grip of gangs, where truckers can no longer deliver basic products due to demands for protection money. Political violence in Latin America has a long history. It is the outcome of high inequality, poor economic performance and weak political institutions. Prison violence in Latin America is among the worst in the world. Political violence and prison violence are inextricably linked.

In September 2021, a riot in a massive prison in Ecuador left over 100 inmates dead. Such riots and gang wars inside prisons have become common in several countries. Parts of Latin America are in the grip of the politicisation of crime and criminalisation of politics. Prison gangs have acquired power and clout by providing crime intelligence in exchange for special privileges in the prison. In many countries given the drug situation, the police and security forces have been given extraordinary power.

Often the government has very little political power over the police. Several countries including Ecuador, El Salvador and Nicaragua have witnessed massive prison riots in which thousands of inmates and police forces have lost their lives. Drug mafia, institutional distrust and multi-faceted violence threaten to derail Latin Americas democratic gains. Decline of democracy is clearly visible.

The winner-takes-all approach and increasing social polarisation need to be addressed. However, all is not lost as there is an increased sense of self-esteem among the poor, the marginalised and the indigenous people. Latin America has moved in the direction of creating a new narrative of nationhood that challenges long held assumptions and previous representations of culture, history, race, gender, citizenship and identity. Social movements are still very vibrant. Many of the most hopeful democratic advances have been not the result of official policies, but of social movements.

Latin American countries have been called protest states. Protests have happened in spaces where people didnt belong earlier. Protesters have demanded answers about public spaces ~ who owns them and who can use them. The intensity of protests has remained broadly the same during the left-oriented and right-wing governments. Streets continue to be new theatres of politics.

There is a growing rupture between the state and the citizenry. There is no growing without pain. Latin American poets and novelists have made their mark by capturing the peoples pain and trauma as also their dreams and imaginations. They are in pursuit of their own kind of truth. Isnt pain, to borrow a phrase from Hannah Arendt, only another way of being alive?

(The writer is Diretor, Institute of social science, Delhi)
Dr Ravi Jayaram, an Indian-origin UK-born Consultant Paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was one of the doctors who raised the alarm over neonatal nurse Lucy Letby and helped in her conviction. Lucy was found guilty by a UK court on Friday in one of the countrys longest murder trials and will be sentenced on August 21, 2023.

Who is Dr Ravi Jayaram?

A Consultant Paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, Dr Jayaram has been working in the UKs National Health Services for over ten years. According to his profile listed on Knight Ayton Management, he completed his undergraduate training in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and trained as a paediatrician in the northeast of England, Bristol, New South Wales and London.

His major interests are in the treatment of asthma, cystic fibrosis, and other childhood lung disorders as well as medical education. Besides being a doctor, he was also a TV host and co-presented Channel 4s series Born Naughty. He was also featured on the Channel 4 health series How to stay well.

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It was Dr Jayaram who first alerted hospital authorities after a sudden rise in infant deaths during the 11 months period between June 2015 and July 2016. However, Lucy was too clever to be caught, and initial inquiry, according to reports, resulted in the doctor apologizing to her for his accusations.

However, when similar cases of sudden collapses continued to arise in Lucys presence, the hospital finally called the police and she was subsequently charged with murder and attempt to murder.

Lucy reportedly poisoned some babies with insulin, while others were injected air into their bloodstream. She cleverly changed her methods and tried to kill more babies by giving them excessive milk leading to sudden and unexplained collapses.
Singapore, an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia will go to its first contested presidential elections in over a decade next month. Three people, including Indian-origin Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Ng Kok Songn and Tan Kin Lian, have met the criteria to contest the presidential polls. The official nominations, however, will take place on August 22.

Who is Tharman Shanmugaratnam?

Born in Singapore on February 25, 1957, Tharman graduated from the London School of Economics. He later went to Cambridge University for a Master of Philosophy in economics. He also attended Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University for a Master of Public Administration degree.

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Tharmans father Kanagaratnam Shanmugaratnam was also a well-known figure in the city-state and considered Singapores father of pathology.

The 66-year-old presidential hopeful started his career as a chief economist at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). He then joined Singapore Administrative Service as a Senior Deputy Secretary for Policy in the Ministry of Education but returned to MAS as a managing editor.

He was associated with the Peoples Action Party (PAP) for more than two decades and served as deputy premier and senior minister before resigning from his post to contest the presidential election. In his appeal to the voters, Tharman has said that if elected, he will be impartial and asked them to consider his track record and not his past affiliations.

Besides Tharman, chairman of Avanda Investment Management, Ng Kok Song is also contesting the September 1 polls to elect the head of the state. The 75-year-old former investment officer has been a long associate of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, but never joined his party PAP.

The third candidate Tan Kin Lian will once again run for the top job after finishing last of the four candidates in the 2011 Singapore presidential elections.
China launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises around Taiwan on Saturday which Beijing has termed as a stern warning to Taiwan independence separatists against colluding with foreign elements, Xinhua News Agency reported.

This exercise came as an angry response to Taiwan Vice President William Lais recent stopover in the US.

Xinhua cited Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army as saying that the patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and aeroplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.

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The armed forces ability to fight in real combat conditions will be tested, Shi said, adding that the patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, as per Chinas state media.

Taiwans Defence Ministry in a statement condemned Chinas latest military drills near the island and called it irrational provocative behaviour.

The ministry also said that it will dispatch appropriate troops to respond in accordance with the Regulations on the Handling of Emergencies during the Period of Regular Combat Readiness of the National Army to defend freedom, democracy, and the sovereignty of the Republic of China with practical actions.

Taiwans Ministry of National Defense pointed out that in recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to send aircraft and ships to harass and harass, which has caused substantial damage to regional security.

Launching a military exercise under pretext this time not only does not help the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait but also highlights its militaristic mentality and confirms the hegemonic nature of military expansion, the statement read.

The Ministry of National Defence emphasized that in the face of repeated advances by the Communist army, all officers and soldiers of the national army are ready to fight, uphold the strong will of preparing for war, not seeking war, responding to war, not avoiding war, and have the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security, it read.

Taiwan called on the people of the country to play a solid backing and build a consensus of unity when the situation on both sides of the strait is severe. The military and civilians work together to build a key force for defence operations and jointly protect the beautiful homeland.

Earlier, when Lai visited the US, at that time also China condemned the trip and vowed to take strong measures.

In a statement issued by the countrys Foreign Ministry after Lais stopover at the US, China said, China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. We firmly oppose any visit by Taiwan independence separatists to the US in any name or under whatever pretext, and we firmly oppose the US government having any form of official contact with the Taiwan region. China deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called stopover for Lai Ching-te.

We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, deliver on its commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence or two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop conniving at and supporting Taiwan independence separatist forces and their separatist activities and stop fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle. China is closely following the developments of the situation and will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, it added.
United States former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County jail next week in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, CNN reported citing sources.

On Monday, Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged with a plot to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set the date August 25 as a deadline for his surrender.

Negotiations between Trumps lawyers and Willis prosecutors are expected to continue into next week, ahead of the surrender deadline. The exact timing of Trumps surrender remains unclear.

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Trumps expected surrender in Georgia comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The former president, however, is planning to skip the event and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, multiple sources familiar with his plans told CNN on Friday  though he could change his mind, as per CNN.

Trump now faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases. His surrender and arraignment in Georgia are expected to look different from those in his previous three criminal cases.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat Trump and the others named in the indictment similar to any other defendant. This could mean that they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched the investigation into Trump and his associates nearly two years ago, reported New York Post.

After all the 19 people were charged in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election on Monday, Willis told reporters at a late-night press conference that she intended to try all 19 defendants together and that they would be given less than two weeks to turn themselves in.

I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023, Willis said.

Hoping to move quickly, Willis added that her office will be seeking to take the case to trial within the next six months. If approved by a judge, that would make Georgia the first jurisdiction and Willis the first prosecutor to put a former American president on trial, as per New York Post.
P, in a joint statement on Friday, condemned the dangerous and aggressive behaviour by China and expressed stern opposition against any attempt to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific.

After the first-ever trilateral summit between the three countries held in the US, a joint statement was released titled The Spirit of Camp David expressing support for their collective alliance.

Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States are determined to align our collective efforts because we believe our trilateral partnership advances the security and prosperity of all our people, the region, and the world, the statement read.

The three nations expressed commitment to expanding cooperation trilaterally and raising shared ambition to a new horizon across domains and across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

We will strengthen our economies, provide resilience and prosperity, support the free and open international order based on the rule of law, and bolster regional and global peace and security, especially as current and incoming members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). We will strengthen our coordination on promoting democracy and protecting human rights. And we will enhance strategic coordination between the US-Japan and US-ROK alliances and bring our trilateral security cooperation to new heights, the joint statement read.

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Additionally, the joint declaration by US, Japan and South Korea expressed shared concerns over Chinese actions in supporting unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, as well as their strong opposition to any unilateral actions by Beijing aimed at changing the existing situation in the Indo-Pacific waters.

We share concerns about actions inconsistent with the rules-based international order, which undermine regional peace and prosperity. Recalling the publicly announced position of each of our countries regarding the dangerous and aggressive behaviour supporting unlawful maritime claims that we have recently witnessed by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in the South China Sea, we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, the statement read.

They also opposed the militarization of reclaimed features; the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels and coercive activities, and further expressed concern about illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

The three countries also reiterated their commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that the basic positions on Taiwan remain unchanged, and they called for peaceful resolutions to cross-Strait matters.

We reiterate our firm commitment to international law, including the freedom of navigation and overflight, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The July 2016 award in the South China Sea arbitration sets out the legal basis for the peaceful resolution of maritime conflicts between the parties to that proceeding. We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community. There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues, the joint statement added.

They also announced holding the first trilateral meeting between the finance ministers and launching a new commerce and industry ministers track that will meet annually. An annual Trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue will also be launched to coordinate the implementation of Indo-Pacific approaches and to continually identify new areas for common action.

Expressing support for the ASEAN-led regional architecture, the three countries affirmed commitment to working closely with ASEAN partners to support robust implementation and mainstreaming of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

US, Japan and South Korea also reaffirmed the commitment towards complete denuclearization by North Korea in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions and urged Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Furthermore, we reaffirm our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions and urge the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. We call on all UN Member States to fully implement all relevant UNSC resolutions. We strongly condemn the DPRKs unprecedented number of ballistic missile launches, including multiple intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches and conventional military actions that pose a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, the statement read.

The three countries added that in addition to the security partnership, they will also maintain focus on building robust cooperation in the economic security and technology spheres.

We are fully committed to continuing to eliminate barriers to economic participation and build diverse, accessible, and inclusive economies in which all our peopleincluding women and marginalized groupscan succeed. We will work to further strengthen our people-to-people ties, including among our young people and students, the joint statement further read.

They also stated that the trilateral summit marks a new chapter in their relationship and the three countries depart from Camp David with a shared resolve and optimism for the future.

Today, we declare that a new chapter in our trilateral relationship has begun. We are aligned in our vision; undaunted in the face of our eras greatest challenges; and, most of all, united in our belief that Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States can meet those challenges together, now and in the future, the statement added.
BILL ZUCK wants to be an opinionated old man when he grows up. You can reach him at wcz78@yahoo.com .
As in many great moments of U.S. diplomacy, Camp David was the setting in which President Joe Biden hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday to inaugurate what they called a new era of trilateral cooperation. Biden has attempted to build on improved relations between Seoul and Tokyo to create a common front to serve as a counter to Chinese hegemony in Asia and the threat posed by North Korea. The three leaders reached agreements on security matters, arousing fears in Beijing.

Biden insisted on the permanence of the alliance: This is not about a day, a week or a month. Its about decades and decades of relationships that we are building. It is a relationship forever, he said, emphasizing his view that the summit was historic in nature. The three leaders signed a declaration, the Spirit of Camp David, in which they set out the specific agreements. In the pact, they also denounced what they consider to be dangerous and aggressive behavior by the Beijing government recently in regard to its unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Washington maintains that the trilateral summit was not anti-China. This summit was not about China, Biden has said, and Kishida expressed the same sentiment. But China has gotten the message, and not only because it was mentioned in the final declaration. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman made that clear this week. And on Wednesday, the Global Times, which has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, cited Chinese experts in foreign affairs to argue that the three countries were forming a mini NATO structure that will be destructive to regional security, complicating the situation with more conflicts.

The United States flatly rejects that characterization: Its not a NATO for the Pacific. We have said so. We will continue to insist on that, as will Japan and Korea, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday.

Strengthening the ties between our democracies has long been a priority for me, Biden said at the start of the summit. Our countries are stronger, and the world is safer, when we stand together, he added. Speaking after the meeting, Biden noted that South Korea and Japan are capable and indispensable allies. He emphasized that the U.S. commitment to both countries is ironclad.

Our trilateral partnership is opening a new chapter that I believe is of great importance, Yoon said. Greater coordination between Korea, the U.S. and Japan requires a stronger institutional foundation. In addition, challenges that threaten regional security must be addressed with a greater commitment to working together, the South Korean president added, calling it a historic day.

Kishida agreed that the summit had made history and that the international community is at a critical moment. The leaders specifically referred to geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, Russias war against Ukraine and nuclear provocations as the context of the meeting.

In keeping with the meetings rustic setting at the Camp David presidential residence in the Maryland mountains (just over an hours drive from Washington), the three leaders arrived at the summit dressed more informally, eschewing neck ties.

Military maneuvers

Security issues are at the heart of this new trilateral relationship, although it also touches on economic, technological and health issues and an early-warning mechanism for supply chain disruptions. The three leaders are committed to a multi-year planning process for military exercises in all areasair, land, maritime, undersea, cyber, etc. which will take trilateral defense cooperation to unprecedented levels, Biden said.

The three countries will redouble information-sharing on issues including North Koreas missile launches, cyber activities and cryptocurrency laundering. Most importantly, we have all committed to consult each other and respond swiftly to threats against any of our countries, whatever the source. That means that we will have a hotline to share information and coordinate our responses whenever there is a crisis in the region or [one] that affects any of our countries, the U.S. president said.

Biden also noted a shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and confronting economic coercion, as well as to a peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea. He also referred to North Korea and the possible transfer of arms to support Russias brutal war against Ukraine; the U.S. suspects that Pyongyang may provide Moscow with missile technology.

In addition, the U.S. president praised the courage of Yoon and Kishida in forging closer relations between their two countries. Both are Washingtons major allies in the region and the fact that the two countries did not get along has always been a problem for the United States.

JapanSouth Korea relations have been characterized by suspicion, mistrust and coldness, stemming from the 35 years during which the Korean peninsula was a Japanese colony, as well as from World War II, especially grievances about sexual slavery. Tens of thousands of women were tricked or forced into prostitution in imperial Japanese army brothels.

Since coming to power, Yoon has worked to improve relations with Japan. The common threat from North Korea and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have helped bring two natural regional allies closer together. Biden wants those improved relations to be consolidated and sustained over time; he believes a close trilateral relationship can contribute to that goal. On his first trip to Asia in May 2022, Biden visited both Seoul and Tokyo, prompting Chinese concern.

However, even in the long term, Biden has not made establishing a formal trilateral alliance an explicit goal. Weve had strong and deep bilateral alliances with both Japan and the Republic of Korea for decades. We would like to see [the two countries] continue to strengthen their cooperation and to deepen and institutionalize this three-way cooperation, he said.

The summit is the first one held at Camp Davida historically important setting for U.S. diplomacysince 2015, when then-President Barack Obama hosted the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations to assure them that the United States was committed to their security.

Thus, Biden is demonstrating the importance he attaches to the Indo-Pacific region, his relations with these two leaders and their trilateral cooperation. This is the first summit Im holding at Camp David as president, he explained. I can think of no more appropriate place to begin next year, our next year of cooperation than a place that has long symbolized the power of new beginnings and new possibilities. In the months and years ahead, we will continue to seize those possibilities together, unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our determination, he concluded.

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Mike Kirby: Healey lets you see only what she wants
KYODO NEWS - Aug 19, 2023 - 20:50 | World, All

China said Saturday that it has conducted military exercises near Taiwan, deploying fighter jets and warships close to the island, in response to Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te's U.S. stopovers on his trip to and from Paraguay.

The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese military, which covers the Taiwan Strait, said the exercises serve as "a serious warning against the collusion and provocation of the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces and the external forces."

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it has detected a total of 42 Chinese military aircraft since 9 a.m., of which 26 crossed the strait's median line -- a boundary that both sides had respected for decades but ignored by China recently. The ministry lashed out at the move as an "irrational provocative behavior."

Lai returned to Taiwan on Friday after attending Paraguayan President Santiago Pena's inauguration ceremony. The vice president, a major candidate in the territory's presidential election next January, made stopovers in New York and San Francisco as part of his trip to the island's only ally in South America.

In a statement Saturday, the Taiwan Work Office of China's ruling Communist Party denounced Lai's "shameless efforts to cling to U.S. support" in pursuit of "Taiwan independence" and called him "an out-and-out troublemaker" who will push the island "to the dangerous brink of war."

The office warned that China will take "resolute measures" to counter "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned China for its attempt to aggressively interfere with the island's election process, saying in a statement such acts not only "violate the free will of the people of Taiwan, but also threaten the common values and democratic way of life of the free world."

The island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, headed by Lai, also criticized Beijing for seeking to influence the upcoming election.

Mainland China should immediately abandon the "barbaric act of bullying and threats" in an attempt to force others to submit to them, as it is not what a "responsible, civilized country" should do, the DPP said.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. Beijing, which regards the territory as a renegade province and intends to unify it with the mainland, by force if necessary, opposes any official contact it has with other countries.

Beijing carried out large-scale military drills around Taiwan in response to a visit by then U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August last year.

China also launched exercises near the island in April this year after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen made stopovers in the United States as part of her trip to Central America and met with Pelosi's successor, Kevin McCarthy, in California.

Related coverage:

Top U.S. agency in Taiwan voices commitment to island's self-defense

Paraguay's new president calls his country, Taiwan "brothers"

Japan, U.S., South Korea agree to consult swiftly in facing "threats"
Ajay Rai was proverbially locked in a David versus Goliath battle when he took on Narendra Modi twice in the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi. However, unlike David, he lost both battles.

In 2014, he came in third, behind Arvind Kejriwal. In 2019, he again came in third. As per his 2019 election affidavit, he faces eight criminal cases, though charges had not been framed in any. One of his most high-profile criminal misdemeanor was his arrest during a campaign over alleged harassment of his supporters in the run-up to a by-election in Kolasla. In 2015, he was part of a violent protest against alleged police lathicharge during the immersion of Ganesh idols in the Ganga. It ended in a seven-month jail sentence for him and then a rapturous celebration when he was released.

Rai is a Bhumihar Brahmin, a caste found in large numbers mostly in eastern UP and Bihar. His appointment is significant because the Congress is trying to win back a chunk of the electorate that was once its ardent supportersthe Brahmins. Bhumihars have especially been sore about not having a leader of stature from their caste.

Rais political initiation was in the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Bhartiya Janata Party.

The 1969 born Rai was with the BJP from 1996 to 2009. Throughout this period, he won the Kolasla Vidhan Sabha seat. In 2009, when his differences with the BJP had started, he contested as an independent candidate and won the seat for a fourth term in a bypoll.

He then threw in his lot with the Samajwadi Party but failed to win the Lok Sabha poll. His next stop was the Congress in 2012, once again winning the Kolsala seat.

Brij Lal Khabri, the outgoing Congress chief had an 11-month tenure. One viewpoint is that under him, too many leaders deserted the party. However, Khabri is unlikely to be sidelined, given that his Dalit background might sway some support from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Rai, however, is a street fighter, much in the mould of previous party chiefs like Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Ajay Kumar Lallu. It is that fighter instinct that the Congress is probably relying on to improve its dismal presence in the state.

He seems to have started off on the right note asserting that INDIA will script history in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Whether the legend goes as originally penned remains to be seen.
In connection with the murder of Dainik Jagran journalist Vimal Yadav, four persons were arrested on Friday, said the Bihar Police on Saturday. Yadav, 40 was, reportedly, shot in the chest by four people who arrived at his residence in Raniganj.

"8 people were named accused. 4 of the accused namely Vipin Yadav, Bhavesh Yadav, Ashish Yadav and Umesh Yadav have been arrested. 2 accused Rupesh Yadav and Kranti Yadav are in Araria jail and the Police are taking them on remand. 2 accused are absconding," Bihar Police was quoted by ANI.

The journalist was a witness in the murder of his brother in 2019.

Yadav was shot dead by around 5.30 am at his residence. According to Ashok Kumar Singh, the Superintendent of Police for Araria, the assailants opened fire as soon as he opened the gates.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had assured that the culprits will be punished.

The officials are also looking into the nearby CCTV footages.

Further investigation is underway and we are probing all angles, said Singh.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Saturday claimed that the Delhi Police stopped people from attending a 'We20 meeting' organised by activists inside a building that belongs to the CPI(M). The police said the organisers did not inform or take permission for the gathering in the "sensitive" zone.

The event, scheduled for Aug 18-20, where activists and opposition leaders had gathered to raise people's issues, was being held at the Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in a high-security area.

In a post on X, Ramesh questioned the police action against the "peaceful" meeting.

The police said after information was received, it found that people were gathered and a tent was also erected at the building.

The organisers could not produce any valid permission, a senior police officer said, adding that they had not intimated the police about the programme and the gathering.

DDU Marg is a sensitive zone and in view of the upcoming G-20 event, no gathering without any prior permission or intimation can be allowed, hence the organisers were advised to remove tents and asked not to continue the programme without a valid permission, the officer said.

In the post on X, Ramesh said the meeting was perfectly peaceful with no street protests and while he managed to enter the venue at HKS Surjeet Bhavan at 10.30 am, it was difficult to get out.

"It is extraordinary that Delhi Police is stopping people from attending the We20 meeting organised by activists representing 'We, The People', inside a building that belongs to the CPM," Ramesh said.

"The meeting is perfectly peaceful. There are no street protests. I managed to enter at 10:30 am before Delhi Police started its operation but finding it difficult to exit now. This is New India Democracy," he said.

One of the organisers, Leo Saldanha, said that after the police arrived, participants and speakers were not allowed to enter the building, but they were continuing with the seminar with the people who were already inside.

"The seminar is aimed at taking a critical look at the G20," he said.

Ramesh also tagged a post by an activist who claimed that the Delhi Police was trying to shut down the 'We 20' meeting and "preventing" Ramesh from leaving the venue after speaking.
The death toll in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh rose to 77 as rescue teams continue to recover bodies from landslide-hit regions. At least four persons are still feared trapped under the debris of the Shiva temple that collapsed in the wake of the massive landslide in Summer Hill earlier this week, officials said.

Even as the rains remained subdued on Friday, the local meteorological department has warned of heavy rains, flash floods and landslides in several districts of the hill state in the next few days.

The met department issued a yellow warning for heavy rains, thunderstorm and lightning in 10 districts of Himachal Pradesh on August 21 and 22. The rainfall activity is likely to increase in distribution and intensity from August 21, the department office said in a release.

The department also warned of flash floods in the districts of Kangra, Chamba, Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Sirmaur, Solan, Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti. Landslides in vulnerable areas, occasional reduction in visibility due to heavy rainfall and fog and disruptions of essential services like water, electricity and communications is also possible," it stated.

Amid massive loss of human lives and property, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu declared heavy rains as a natural calamity. The state has been hit by 113 landslides in the 55 days since the monsoon began, causing losses of Rs 2,491 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) and Rs 1,000 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), NDTV reported. Once the weather stabilises, the government will complete assessment of the losses incurred and submit a report to the Centre.

Indian Institute of Advanced Study building in danger?

In the wake of the landslide in Summer Hill, which led to the collapse of a temple and death of several people, experts and locals have raised concerns over the safety of Shimla's iconic Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) building. IIAS officials have requested the local authorities for risk assessment of the complex after a portion of the campus lawns 'sunk'. Cracks have also developed at the site and several deodar trees have also tilted.

The landslide hit the temple after the back wall of the institute collapsed on August 14, reports stated.

Sub divisional Magistrate Shimla (Urban) Bhanu Gupta told ANI that the experts from the forest department as well as technical team from the Municipal Corporation will visit the spot and assess the safety concerns.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Shimla SP Sanjeev Gandhi said the 'sinking' land is not near the one where the landslide was triggered. The IIAS has covered the outer portion of the lawns with tarpaulin to prevent further seepage.
Addressing the G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting in Bengaluru virtually on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on Indias digital transformation over the last nine years.

Over 850 million internet users are enjoying some of the cheapest data costs in the world...We have leveraged technology to transform governance to make it more efficient, inclusive, faster and transparent, said Modi.

Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile phones revolutionised financial transactions, he added.

Over 45 per cent of global real-time payments happen in India. The CoWIN portal supported Indias vaccination drive...An AI-powered language transplantation platform Bhashini is being built. It will support digital inclusion in all the diverse languages in India, Modi was quoted by ANI.

Modi also said that India is ready to share its experience with the world. India's digital public infrastructure offers scaleable, secure and inclusive solution for global challenges, he said.

India, is an incredibly diverse country with dozens of languages...With such diversity, India is an ideal testing lab for solution...From ancient traditions to latest technology, India has something for everyone, said Modi.

He also added that India is home to every religion in the world and has innumerable cultural practices.

We have created online global public digital goods depository --India Stacks-- to ensure no one is left behind, he said.

He also welcomed the efforts to develop roadmap to facilitate cross country comparison of digital skills.

A solution that succeeds in India can be easily applied anywhere in the world...As digital economy spreads, it will face security threats, challenges...It is important to build consensus for secure digital economy, said Modi.

We in G20 have a unique opportunity to lay foundation for inclusive, prosperous and secure global digital future, he added.

Several delegated attended the Ministerial Meeting held in Bengaluru. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw welcomed the delegates and spoke about the three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the digital success during his address.

We have assembled to deliberate on issues that will define the growth of the digital economy...The three priority areas selected by the Indian presidency for the Digital Economy Working Group are-- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), Security in Digital Economy & Digital Scaling. These reflect the priorities of PM Modi and he believes in the democratization of technology, said Vaishnaw.



(With PTI inputs)
The Siddaramaiah government has appointed retired High Court Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das to probe the 40 per cent commission allegation made by the Karnataka State Contractors Association against the previous BJP government. The 40 per cent sarkar allegation against the Basavaraj Bommai government was a major poll plank for the Congress party in the May 10 Assembly elections.

The one-man committee will probe into the allegations levelled by the contractors association in its letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, then chief minister Bommai and then Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, written between July 2021 and April 2022, according to the order issued by the public works department.

D Kempanna, president of the Association had alleged that the contractors had had to pay a bribe equivalent to 40 per cent of the total project cost. He had also accused that the system was favouring outside contractors by bundling the works.

While the report is to be submitted within 30 days, the committee will investigate the works carried out in five major departments  public works, water resources, urban development rural development and panchayat raj and minor irrigation.

Interestingly, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Contractors Association had made similar accusations against Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister.

In a press meet, the contractors had alleged that bills worth Rs 2,700 crore was pending for the past 26 months.

In a letter written to Governor Thawarchand Gehlot the contractors had alleged that after the Congress government came to power, all the bills had been withheld. Many contractors had complained that the BBMP had been refusing to release payments and 10-15 per cent commission was being demanded on behalf of DCM to clear the pending bills.

BBMP Contractors Association president K.T. Manjunath however, made a U-turn on the claim. We have not made any allegation against anybody. Some members got emotional and made some comments. We will continue our fight till we get our bills paid, said Manjunath.

Meanwhile, the the Urban Development Department (UDD) has formed four different committees to probe alleged irregularities in the BBMP between 2019-20 to 2022-23 under the previous BJP government.

Payment will be released to the contractors who have done the work. But it will be done after the probe, said Shivakumar, adding that there had been instances of some contractors raising fake bills without carrying out any work.

While, the four-member committee to probe irregularities in solid waste management is being headed by IAS officer Ujwal Kumar Ghosh, IAS officer Amlan Aditya Biswas will lead the six-member team to examine major road works and permission granted to lay fibre-optic cables. A four-member committee headed by Dr P.C. Jaffer will look into allegations of irregularities in major storm water drains and design approval in the town planning department.

A five-member committee led by Dr Vishal R. will probe into allegations of corruption in lake development, smart city projects and ward-level work. The committees will also see what the original work orders were and how they were executed, besides the cost escalation aspects.
Nine soldiers were killed and another was critically injured after the vehicle they were travelling in fell into a deep gorge in Ladakh on Saturday evening.

The accident took place near Kiyari, around 150 km from Leh, at 5 pm. The Army vehicle, with 10 personnel on board, was on its way to Kyari from Karu, when its driver lost control and it plunged into the gorge.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Leh P.D. Nitya said a police team rushed to the spot and shifted all the injured soldiers to an Army medical facility where eight soldiers were declared brought dead. Another jawan succumbed to his injuries later.

"Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

"My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery," he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the death of the soldiers and said the entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with their bereaved families.

"The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. My sincerest condolences to them. May the injured recover at the earliest," he said.

Following Chinese aggression in Ladakh in 2020, the army has increased its deployment in Leh regions.

The Indian Air Force has also moved its assets to the cold region to counter the Chinese threat.

Currently, Indian and Chinese troops are deployed in a eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation, while negotiations to resolve the crisis are going on between the two countries.

With inputs from Tariq Bhat
More than 200 Meiteis who crossed over to neighbouring Myanmar to escape the ethnic violence in Manipur have safely returned to the state after more than three months, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Friday and lauded the role of the Army in bringing them back.

More than 160 people have been killed and several hundreds injured in clashes between Meiteis and Kukis in Manipur since May 3.

"Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur are now safely back on Indian soil, the chief minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The chief minister hailed the efforts of the Army in facilitating their safe return to their hometown.

"A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC (General Officer Commanding) Eastern Command, Lt Gen R P Kalita, GOC 3 Corps, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO (Commanding Officer) of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain for their unwavering service," he said.
By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - Aug 19, 2023 - 08:37 | All, Japan, World

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Friday with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the resumption of high-level economic and political talks by the end of this year, amid rapid progress in mending ties.

Kishida and Yoon held a brief meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe Biden near Washington, and the two Asian leaders welcomed the continuation of active dialogue and cooperation in many areas as well as business exchanges between the two countries, according to the Japanese government.

They also confirmed they will maintain close communication, the government said. The agreement to restart high-level talks pertains to two different engagements -- a vice foreign ministerial strategic dialogue to be planned for this fall and economic talks involving senior Japanese and South Korean officials to be held by the year's end.

Bilateral ties plunged to their lowest point in decades under the administration of Yoon's predecessor, with a range of communications between Tokyo and Seoul suspended largely due to issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula and its wartime actions.

But Kishida and Yoon agreed in mid-March in Tokyo to move past a dispute over wartime conscripted labor, a point of contention that has been central in the deterioration of ties.

The Biden administration has praised what it called the "political courage" of Yoon, who visited Japan for the first official talks in 12 years between Japanese and South Korean leaders in either of their countries.

Japan and South Korea have markedly improved their relations since then, with Kishida visiting Seoul for a formal meeting with Yoon in May and the two Asian leaders meeting three additional times in recent months.

Kishida and Yoon last held one-on-one talks in July, when they were both in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius to attend a NATO summit.

During the talks, Kishida sought to ensure that a planned release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan does not derail the rapprochement between the neighboring countries.

Kishida told Yoon that the release conforms to international safety standards, while referring to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency concluding it poses no risk to human health or the environment.

At that time, Yoon said his administration "respects" the outcome of the U.N. agency's report that green-lit the Japanese plan, although opposition to the move remained strong among some South Korean citizens.

On Friday, speaking at a joint press conference at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David, Yoon said the impending discharge was not an agenda item and "the IAEA's investigation results are something we can trust."

Yoon reiterated, however, that everything should be carried out in line with the procedures established by the agency and "transparent data disclosure" will be required.

Related coverage:

U.S., Japan, South Korea to vow "to consult" on contingency: White House

Japan, U.S. leaders agree on new missile development

Biden trying to meet North Korean leader without preconditions: official
Former MP and firebrand farmers' leader Raju Shetti is unlikely to join INDIA. He dropped this broad hint after meeting with union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday.

Shetti said he will not blindly support the opposition alliance just because they are opposed to the BJP-led NDA. The 56-year-old was a member of the Lok Sabha for two terms from 2009 to 2019. He represented Hatkanangale Lok Sabha constituency in western Maharashtra.

Shetti, who started his political career with Sharad Joshi's Shetkari Sanghatana, now heads the Swabhini Paksha, which draws strength from his Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. He enjoys the image of being an aggressive leader, having taken up many issues close to the hearts of farmers and launched agitations against the ruling government, be it Congress-NCP or the BJP.

In his second term in 2014-19, he was part of the BJP-led NDA. However, he became disillusioned by BJP's agriculture policies and parted ways. In 2019, he had contested elections as a UPA-backed candidate from Hatkanangale but was defeated by united Shiv Sena's Dhairyasheel Mane by close to one lakh votes. Dhairyasheel Mane, the sitting MP, is now with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Hence, there has been a pressure on Shetti from his cadre to align with the Congress-led INDIA as he could then stake claim for a ticket from Hatkanangale and could possibly get support from Uddhav-loyalist Shiv Sainiks and Sharad Pawar-loyalist NCP cadre, who have a strong presence in the LS constituency.

Shetti, however, has made it clear that his party will not get dragged behind any alliance. What is the purpose of election, just to remove A alliance and to install B alliance in power. What benefit will farmers and commoners get from this. Unless we get a clear response on the issues close to farmers, we will not get dragged behind any alliance, said Shetti.

Shetti's Swabhimani Party has been facing internal turmoil for sometime now. Ravikant Tupkar, a close aide of Shetti, had been facing disciplinary action till recently. The party has strong presence in western Maharashtra's Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts and in some pockets of the Vidarbha region. It can influence election results in at least a couple of parliamentary constituencies and a handful of assembly segments.

Shetti has been invited for the INDIA meeting in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1. Congress state president Nana Patole had a telephonic conversation with Shetti and invited him for the meeting. Shetti, however, said his experience with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has not been good and he won't be attending the meeting.
Scientists have discovered a way to trap light inside magnetic materials. This breakthrough can have significant implications for various applications, such as magnetic lasers, magneto-optical memory devices, and quantum transduction. The experiment involved cooling a crystal to extremely low temperatures and placing it in a powerful magnetic field. By doing so, the scientists were able to confine light within the crystal, essentially bending it around magnetic field lines. This remarkable achievement opens up new possibilities in the field of photonics and quantum computing.

The researchers, led by Vinod M. Menon and his team at the City College of New York, focused on a layered magnet that contains excitons, which are quasiparticles with strong optical interactions. This material has the ability to trap light on its own, resulting in much stronger optical responses compared to typical magnets. When an external magnetic field is applied, the material's reflection of near-infrared light can change so dramatically that its color appears to change. This is known as a strong magneto-optic response.

Normally, light doesn't respond strongly to magnetism, which is why technologies that rely on magneto-optic effects often require sensitive optical detection methods. However, this new discovery opens up possibilities for creating magnetic lasers and reevaluating concepts of optically controlled magnetic memory. "Ordinarily, light does not respond so strongly to magnetism," said Menon. "This is why technological applications based on magneto-optic effects often require the implementation of sensitive optical detection schemes."

In their new article in Nature, Menon and his research team have presented their findings on a novel layered magnet. This magnet exhibits unique properties, as it is capable of hosting strongly bound excitons, which are quasiparticles with exceptionally strong optical interactions. One remarkable feature of this material is its ability to trap light autonomously, without the need for external assistance. Through their experiments, Menon and his team have demonstrated that this material displays optical responses to magnetic phenomena that are significantly more powerful than those observed in conventional magnets.

"Since the light bounces back and forth inside the magnet, interactions are genuinely enhanced," said Dr. Florian Dirnberger, the lead-author of the study. "To give an example, when we apply an external magnetic field the near-infrared reflection of light is altered so much, the material basically changes its color. That's a pretty strong magneto-optic response."
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit the Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday to review arrangements for the release of radioactive wastewater from the plant. Kishida added that the release cannot be postponed.



The government has reached the final stage where we should make a decision," Kishida told reporters in Washington on Friday after wrapping up his summit with US and South Korean leaders at the American presidential retreat of Camp David.

Since the government announced the release plan two years ago, it has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organisations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the accident. Groups in South Korea and China have also raised concerns, turning it into a political and diplomatic issue.

According to reports, Kishida is planning to convene a cabinet meeting next week regarding the release of wastewater. The Japanese government has started preparations for the release of wastewater next week.

NHK Japan reported that rain and groundwater mixes with water used to cool molten fuel at the plant. Though accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive substances, it still contains tritium, the publication reported. Japan plans to reduce tritium levels in treated water to one-seventh of the WHO's guidelines before releasing it into the sea.

The government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., say the water must be removed to make room for the plant's decommissioning and to prevent accidental leaks from the tanks because much of the water is still contaminated and needs further treatment.

The release cannot be postponed, Kishida said. Japan has obtained support from the International Atomic Energy Agency to improve transparency and credibility and to ensure the plan by TEPCO meets international safety standards. The government has also stepped up a campaign promoting the plan's safety at home and through diplomatic channels.

IAEA, in a final report in July, concluded that the TEPCO plan, if conducted strictly as designed, will cause negligible impact on the environment and human health, encouraging Japan to move ahead.

While seeking understanding from the fishing community, the government has also worked to explain the plan to South Korea to keep the issue from interfering with their relationship-building. Japan, South Korea and the US are working to bolster trilateral ties in the face of growing Chinese and North Korean threats.

Kishida said the outreach efforts have made progress, but he did not mention a starting date for the water release, which is widely expected to be at the end of August. He said the decision will factor in safety preparations and measures for possible reputation damage on the fisheries. Japanese media reports say his ministers will decide the date at a meeting next week.

Before making a final decision, I want to have a first-hand look on the ground and see if utmost safety measures are taken for the release, and if everyone involved is committed with a strong sense of responsibility for the project, Kishida said.

He added that he wants to make sure TEPCO executives share a strong commitment to the plant's decommissioning and Fukushima's recovery.

A massive March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi plant's cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and contaminate their cooling water, which has since leaked continuously into reactor basements and mixed with groundwater. The water is collected, filtered and stored in around 1,000 tanks, which will reach their capacity in early 2024.

The water is being treated with what's called an Advanced Liquid Processing System, which can reduce the amounts of more than 60 selected radionuclides to government-set releasable levels, except for tritium, which the government and TEPCO say is safe for humans if consumed in small amounts.

Scientists generally agree that the environmental impact of the treated wastewater would be negligible, but some call for more attention to dozens of low-dose radionuclides that remain in it, saying data on their long-term effects on the environment and marine life are insufficient and the water requires close scrutiny.

(With PTI inputs.)
Taiwan has a "complete grasp" of Chinese military activities, the island's presidential office said on Saturday. Slamming China for launching military exercises involving vessels and planes around the island on Saturday, Taiwan said Beijing is "ignoring its international responsibilities" by increasing military threats and undermining regional stability, said reports.

The Chinese military launched drills as a stern warning over what it called collusion between separatists and foreign forces, its defence ministry said. This comes days after Taiwanese Vice President William Lai travelled to Paraguay and the US as the mainland's ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan is part of its territory and hence, has no right to conduct foreign relations.

The Chinese drills came hours after US President Joe Biden met with Japanese and South Korean leaders at Camp David to deepen defence and economic cooperation, while reaffirming "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community."



The PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it was testing the forces' actual combat capabilities and posted footage of the drills that showed soldiers running, as well as missile-equipped boats and fighter jets.



Strongly condemning China's irrational, provocative moves", Taiwan's defence ministry said it would deploy appropriate forces to respond to the drills. It uploaded an undated video that showed Taiwanese forces holding drills on the streets, in the countryside and at sea.

However, this is not the first time that Beijing has launched such military exercises. Last year, when then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, major drills were held as a 'warning'. Later China responded in a similar way when President Tsai Ing-wen met senior American lawmakers in the US.

 with inputs from agencies
Lucy Letby, 33, a British nurse was labelled UKs most prolific child serial killer after she was convicted of murdering seven babies by Manchester Crown Court on Friday.

It was found that she deliberately injected babies with air, force fed them with others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin.

Letby born in January 1990 in Hereford, UK, is the daughter of John and Susan. She was the first in her family to go to a university for higher studies. She studied nursing for three years at University of Chester.

After her studies in 2011, she was working as a full-time nurse from January 2012. During her studies she completed work placements and majority of them were at Countess of Chester Hospital, where she was working full-time, in Cheshire. Majority of her work was in children's ward or neonatal unit.

I loved to work with children, Letby had said during the trials in court.

Letby lived in staff accommodation at Ash House before buying a house in Westbourne Road, Chester in April 2016.

She was accused of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder 10 others between June 2015 and June 2016. However, she denied all 22 charges against her. She had argued in court that she was always made to work with sickest babies in the neonatal unit.

Her defence argued that the death and collapses were the result of serial failures in care in the unit.

The trial started in October 2022 went on for 10 months.

She was arrested in 2018 over the charges of murdering the babies.

How the deaths led to Letby

The first five murders happened between June and October 2015. Deaths of babies went on at the hospital for another year and the final two happened in June 2016.

The neonatal unit's lead consultant Dr Stephen Brearey raised concerns to hospital authorities about Letby in October 2015. However, no action was taken.

Fingers were also pointed at the hospital for ignoring the warnings after series of infant deaths.

Two babies also died while Letby was working at Liverpool Women's Hospital as well.

Even before June 2015, around three babies died a year on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. However, in June alone three babies died within the space of two weeks, which was noted by the consultants in the unit.

Staff analysis had revealed that Letby was in duty during the deaths. Again when deaths were reported in October, alarms were raised and she was yet again found to be on shift.

Dr Brearey had suspicion that Letby might be harming the babies. Unit manager Eirian Powell was informed of the event but did not seem to share his concerns, reported BBC.

It was noted that the babies were suffering from non-fatal collapses meaning they needed emergency resuscitation or help with breathing, with no apparent clinical explanation.

In February 2016, Dr Ravi Jayaram noticed that Letby was standing and watching when a baby seemed to have stopped breathing.

In May, two more babies died.

In June 2016, another baby and three premature triplets died unexpectedly.

After the triplets incident, duty executive Karen Rees was told to cover Letby's shift and she was asked to be taken off duty. But she refused, reported BBC.

Finally, Letby was assigned to the risk and patient safety office, where it was known that she had access to sensitive documents from the neonatal unit.

The internal investigation by the consultants also noticed that the deaths had stopped since she was removed from the unit.

However, she was not suspended and there was no conclusive evidence as well.

Rather than involving Police, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health was brought in to review the level of service on the neonatal unit.

In September 2016, an expert team visited the hospital and met with consultants.

"A thorough external independent review of each unexpected neonatal death", stated the report by Paediatrics in November 2016.

An expert on premature baby specialist Dr Jane Hawdon was brought to the scenario regarding the deaths of the babies. Her report suggested forensic investigation into the death of four babies.

After the investigations, the hospital board meeting was held and further investigation was launched.

Later, police investigation was sought by the consultants and Cheshire police investigated the deaths for nearly two years. Operation Hummingbird was launched on the deaths.

While going through some of the historic medical records, Dr Brearey found that one of the baby's blood test results revealed dangerous levels of insulin back in 2015. It was evidence significant in the case which was missed at that time.

It came to be known that the insulin was administered not naturally produced by the baby's body.

"It made me feel sick...it was clear that the baby has been poisoned by insulin," Dr Brearey said.

Later, she was suspended and the police arrested Letsby in 2018.
Lucy Letby, a neonatal nurse in a UK hospital, was found guilty of killing seven babies and trying to kill six others. Dr Ravi Jayaram, an Indian-origin consultant paediatrician, was among those who raised concerns and helped convict the nurse on Friday. Read more about the killer nurse HERE.

UK-born Dr Jayaram, from the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester, northern England, said some of those babies would be alive now if his concerns were taken seriously. I do genuinely believe that there are four or five babies who could be going to school now who aren't," he told ITV News' in a television interview after the verdict.

Dr Jayaram said concerns were first raised when three babies died in June 2015. After more babies died, senior doctors, including him, alerted hospital executives about Letby's behaviour.

He claimed the hospital bosses asked him to 'draw a line' under his suspicions and apologise to Letby for alleged 'victimisation' in a mediation meeting. In April 2017, the National Health Service (NHS) trust let doctors talk to a police officer.

"The police, after listening to us for less than 10 minutes, realised that this is something that they had to be involved with. I could have punched the air," said Dr Jayaram. Following this, a probe was launched into the mysterious deaths and Letby was arrested in July 2018 and charged in November 2020.

Who is Dr Ravi Jayaram?

Dr Jayaram is a Consultant Paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital. He co-hosted Channel 4 series 'Born Naughty?' and was featured on Channel 4 show 'How To Stay Well'. He was also a guest on BBC's 'The One Show'. He describes himself as a mediocre triathlete and wannabe rockstar.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he wrote, Many of you are aware that due to the Lucy Letby trial, I have mostly been absent from social media over the last few months. My heart goes out to the families of the babies affected by this although nothing can ever undo the evil that was inflicted on their children. My colleagues and I have lived this for the last eight years and the period of the trial has been the most difficult part of this.

There are bad people in all walks of life and many of them are very good at hiding in plain sight. There are also people in highly paid positions of responsibility in healthcare whose job it is to ensure patient safety, he said, pointing out that he is relieved that the "often-maligned" criminal justice system has worked properly this time.

Dr Jayaram said, However, there are things that need to come out about why it took several months from concerns being raised to the top brass before any action was taken to protect babies, and why from that time it then took almost a year for those highly paid senior managers to allow the police to be involved.

The truth of what happened during that time will shock you to the core as it comes out. The safety of patients should come above any risk of reputational damage and sometimes the right decisions might be difficult and unpopular, but executive level managers are paid to do just that. There are people out there now, still earning six figure sums of tax-payers money or retired with their gold-plated pensions, who need to stand up in public to explain why they did not want to listen and do the right thing, to acknowledge that their actions potentially facilitated a mass-murderer and to apologise to the families involved in all of this. However, I suspect the response will be fudge and misinformation, he said, adding that it is now his mission to make sure that they are held to account.

Dr Jayaram said there is a long history of whistleblowers who raise concerns in the NHS not only being ignored but then being portrayed as the problem, sometimes to the point of their careers being destroyed. What happened here was history repeating itself but the patient safety issue that was ignored was beyond anything that the NHS has tried previously to cover up. There needs to be fundamental change in the culture and governance of NHS institutions and it should start right now.

Lucy Letby's conviction

The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that Letby deliberately harmed the 13 newborn infants in various ways in the neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2016.



Letby was accused of injecting air into their bloodstreams and administering air or milk into their stomachs via nasogastric tubes. She was also accused of poisoning infants by adding insulin to intravenous feeds and interfering with breathing tubes.

She was convicted of murdering seven babies and of seven counts of attempted murder relating to six other babies.

The nurse was found not guilty of two charges of attempted murder. The jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further counts of attempted murder. The Manchester Crown Court will sentence her on Monday, August 21.
August 19 is World Humanitarian Day. It is a day to recognise the selfless efforts of humanitarian workers, who are on the frontlines in war zones, disaster settings and in refugee camps, worldwide. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the communities, they deliver life-saving relief assistance and bring hopes to crises-impacted communities.

On August 19, 2003, a bomb attack in Iraq killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the United Nations Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring that day as the World Humanitarian Day. It calls for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and safety and security of aid workers.

Sacrifices continue. In 2021, 460 aid workers were attacked  140 killed, 203 wounded and 117 kidnapped. Of all the aid workers who died, 98 per cent were national staff, and more than half national staff. South Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria were the hotspots of violence. These are preventable.

The World Humanitarian Day focuses on a theme every year. No Matter What is the theme for this year. It is an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to the humanitarian values such as compassion, and principles  humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. It is a moment to celebrate the grit humanitarian workers demonstrate in difficult and dangerous locations, never giving up.

When I click a picture or do an interview, I pause for a few moments to watch the hope in the eyes of children, said Muhim Osman, a young Somali humanitarian worker with Plan International. I met Muhim in Somalia earlier this year. Rain had failed for five consecutive years there, starving local communities, children and mothers suffering the worst.

You see suffering everywhere  in the relief camps for displaced people, neighbourhoods and on TV screens, said Muhim. You see mothers who must choose which child to feed or whether to feed cattle first. It is time to roll up your sleeves and start doing something about it. Muhim works with Plan International as a media and communications specialist.

Doing nothing is not an option.

It is not a time to ponder why the glass is half empty, but instead to do your work with a glass and a half of optimism. Humanitarian workers show that spirit while making world a more compassionate, peaceful, healthy, and just place. That is what makes the World Humanitarian Day special.

No matter what

Not even amid a raging civil war. I was at Juba airport about to board and all set to fly home. I could see the aircraft parked through the glass window at the waiting area, Hawa Eltigani recollected. Hawa had just finished a month-long humanitarian mission to remote areas of South Sudan, strengthening protection mechanisms for children caught in prolonged conflict and hunger. I was busy packing in the morning, and I did not check media and social media reports. When I received a call and clear instructions not to board the flight, I knew something was wrong.

Hawa learned quickly that everything had changed for her family and friends back in Sudan overnight. An armed conflict that began on April 15, hours before Hawa was set to fly, ripped families apart. UN estimates that over three million people are displaced, including 7,30,000 people who are now refugees in neighbouring countries.

Hawa, a child protection in emergencies specialist at Plan International, had to cancel her plans to go home in Sudan and stayed in South Sudan. She struggled to stay connected with her family in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan that was becoming a conflict flashpoint. My family was already on the move, and it was tense and a traumatising experience.

Hawa said that the images of scared children on the move who walked across television screens resonated with her. Those fleeting images made her more committed to her work. No matter what. When the margin between a relief worker and those she serves blurs, it is a moment for reflection, she added.

Putting dignity and compassion first

Humanitarian workers place others above themselves. They go to great lengths to make sure that no one is left behind. I can hear today, years later, the cries of people asking us not to leave them behind, Anu Thelly recalled. When the floods hit Kerala in 2018, Anu, a nurse specialised in palliative care and her team of volunteers focused on providing one unique and rare humanitarian service  palliative care, pain relief and end of life care.

Cash-strapped, aid workers often make that difficult choice  between those who can survive only with our support and those who can survive anyway. Then there are those in people with life-limiting illness or those near the end of life stage and who may die soon even with care.

These are not cold calculations. The Humanitarian Charter advocates principled and dignified humanitarian action. Sphere standards, the ultimate reference guide, favours a dignified approach to those who are terminally ill.

Amid disasters turning ferocious and frequent, it is critical to rethink how we prepare and respond to disasters. While there will always be a need for life-saving assistance, it is critical to strengthen the hands of frontline aid workers.

Acting ahead of predicted hazards can prevent or reduce acute humanitarian impacts before they fully unfold. This approach of anticipatory action is central to ensure early warning and instant response mechanisms, reduce the number of lives lost, reduce loss and damage in disaster contexts. Further, it improves coordination, efficiency of emergency response and recovery efforts.

The best way to pay homage to humanitarian workers who lost their lives is by placing the dignity and safety of vulnerable communities and the frontline aid workers at the core of our thinking, planning and actions before and after disasters.

Krishnan is global humanitarian director, Plan International.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Sweden on Saturday, his first visit to the country since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year, the Swedish government said.



Accompanied by his wife Olena, Zelenskyy said he would be holding talks with the Swedish prime minister and defence cooperation was on top of the agenda. We have a broad agenda, but defence cooperation is one of the top priorities. Including powerful Swedish CV-90s. Our warriors are already putting them to good use on the battlefield. We also intend to produce them in Ukraine, Zelenskyy tweeted.

According to the Swedish government, Zelenskyy will meet Swedish government officials in Harpsund, about 120 kilometres west of Stockholm. He will also meet Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at a palace in the area.

Sweden abandoned its long-standing policy of military non-alignment to support Ukraine with weapons and other aid in the war against Russia. It also applied for NATO membership but is still waiting to join the alliance.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin said that Putin listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov, the commander in charge of Moscow's operations in Ukraine, and other top military brass at the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District.

The exact timings of his visit were not confirmed, but state media published video footage that appeared to be filmed at night, showing Gerasimov greeting Putin and leading him into a building. The meeting itself was held behind closed doors.

Putin's visit was the first since the Wagner mercenary group's attempted mutiny in June, which saw the group's fighters briefly take control of Rostov-on-Don.

During June's short-lived revolt, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin repeatedly denounced Gerasimov, who serves as chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu for denying supplies to his fighters in Ukraine.

Prigozhin claimed that the uprising was not aimed at Putin but at removing Gerasimov and other top brass who he claimed were mismanaging the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine this week has claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front, regaining control of the village of Urozhaine in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region on Wednesday.

The leader of the Russian battalion fighting to maintain control of Urozhaine called for freezing the front on Thursday, claiming his troops cannot win against Ukraine.

Can we bring down Ukraine militarily? Now and in the near future, no, Alexander Khodakovsky said in a video posted to Telegram.

Overnight into Saturday, Ukraine's air force said, it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting Ukraine's northern, central and western regions. The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings were damaged by an attack.

In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said Gov. Vitalii Bunechko.

(With PTI inputs.)
Gandhinagar, Aug 19 (PTI) Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba on Saturday said the Indian economy is growing because of the stable government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Khuba was addressing the valedictory session of 'India MedTech Expo 2023' here as part of the G20 Health Ministers' Conference, which is set to conclude during the day.

"The Indian economy currently stands at USD 3.3 trillion and it will achieve the target of USD 5 trillion in the next four years. When India will be celebrating 100 years of Independence, the size of the Indian economy is expected to remain between USD 32 to 42 tillion. In that, the contribution of the health sector will be significant," said the minister.

"Apart from having a young workforce, India currently has a stable government and people want to see a similar stable government in the future. Investors always favour a stable government. People of India have now understood that the economy will grow if we have a stable government," he added.

India was dependent on other countries in many sectors earlier but the picture changed after Narendra Modi became prime minister nine years ago, Khuba said.

"PM Modi changed the approach and mindset of both the government and people. He formulated policies to boost the confidence of investors. That is the reason why India is now marching forward to be self-reliant in many sectors. The PM says that always dream big and work hard to fulfill that dream. If we all come together and work hard, we can turn this emerging sector (medical devices) into a profitable sector," he said.

Nearly 10,000 persons visited the expo organised by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to promote the medical devices sector, the minister informed.

It saw participation of nearly 80 startups, 225 companies and exhibition of 74 future technologies and products, he added.

Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, S Aparna, said the medical devices sector has the potential to grow to the size of about USD 50 billion.

"I want to assure the industry leaders that the government is here to promote your growth. India is now very important both as a market and as a producer. Medical devices sector is an import-dependent sector. This expo has shown that the Indian medical device sector is in a take-off phase now and it is going to only grow further and provide devices for not only our country but for the entire world. Many foreign delegates were impressed by our products and some of them even placed orders," she said.
Gandhinagar, Aug 19 (PTI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said a comprehensive legal framework will soon be in place to enable accounting, auditing and taxation professionals to provide services from GIFT City, turning it into a global hub for accounting and financial back-office functions. Chairing a review meeting on the growth and development of GIFT-IFSC at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), Sitharaman also emphasised using the maximum potential of the Indian International Bullion Exchange IFSC (IIBX) -- launched here in 2022 -- in ensuring disintermediation and efficient price discovery.

She asked the Reserve Bank of India to pilot the import of tariff rate quota (TRQ) gold under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates through IIBX to pave the way for Indian banks efficiently using the IIBX platform, an official release stated.

The Union minister exhorted both the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) "to proactively engage with leading global insurance companies to establish GIFT as a premier global hub for insurance and reinsurance," it added.

The Union minister said that priorities should be set out for attracting more and more business and creating large-scale investment.

She emphasised on the need for all stakeholders to elevate GIFT City as a premier financial hub so that it stands out as the best among its contemporaries on the global scale.

"As envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, GIFT City should emerge not only as a lively international centre but also as a global leader in devising solutions to intricate financial challenges, especially in the climate of the current global economic headwinds," the release quoted her as saying.

Sitharaman mentioned that sunrise niche areas such as logistics for precious metals, global insurance, and aircraft-and-ship leasing should expand the portfolio of services provided out of GIFT City.

Sitharaman appreciated swift actions in streamlining approvals and accelerating infrastructure development, especially for the two Australian universities in line with the Budget 2022-23 announcements.

"This has helped in garnering interest from numerous global universities in the GIFT-IFSC," stated the release.

The Union Finance Minister also asked that the direct listing of Indian shares on IFSC exchanges already approved by the Government of India must be advocated amongst relevant stakeholders.

She visited IFSCA headquarters in GIFT City and addressed the members of the IFSC Authority along with secretaries of the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 19, 2023 - 12:41 | All, Japan, 3/11 Fukushima

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with his ministers Tuesday to discuss when to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, a government source said Saturday, amid opposition from local fishermen and some neighboring countries.

Kishida will visit Fukushima Prefecture on Sunday to inspect the complex, he said Friday in Washington after holding a trilateral summit with the United States and South Korea.

"I believe we have reached the final stage where the government should make a decision based on comprehensive consideration" of issues such as minimizing the impact on fisheries as much as possible, he told reporters.

Japan is considering beginning the release of water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant between late August and early September, government sources said earlier.

Massive amounts of contaminated water have been generated in the process of cooling melted reactor fuel after the plant was devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The water has been kept in tanks after going through the advanced liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except tritium, but the storage vessels are nearing capacity. Tritium is known to be less harmful than other radioactive materials, such as cesium and strontium.

Local fishermen and some neighboring countries remain opposed to the plan, with China introducing blanket radiation testing on Japanese seafood.

As of late July, about 1.34 million tons of treated water was stored in tanks at the Fukushima nuclear complex, reaching 98 percent of storage capacity, according to the plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.

The treated water with trace amounts of tritium will be diluted to one-40th of the concentration permitted under Japanese safety standards before being released via an underwater tunnel 1 kilometer off the power plant.

During his visit to Fukushima, Kishida will inspect the facilities and is also likely to meet with representatives of fisheries associations that have expressed concerns about the potential reputational damage to their seafood products.

The government has been considering when to release the water since the International Atomic Energy Agency said in its final report last month that the planned discharge would comply with global safety standards.

Related coverage:

Japan, South Korea agree on restart of high-level talks by year-end

Hacker group attacks Japan nuclear websites over Fukushima water plan

South Korea's district court dismisses suit over Fukushima water release
Kevadia (Guj), Aug 19 (PTI) The government has set itself a target of raising the country's port capacity to more than 10,000 Metric Ton Per Annum by 2047 from the current 2,600 MTPA, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said here on Saturday.

The government will soon set up a Bureau of Port Security to upgrade security across all ports in the country, he said at the 19th Maritime States Development Council meeting at Kevadia in Gujarat's Narmada district near the Statue of Unity.

"The country's total port capacity will increase from existing around 2,600 MTPA to more than 10,000 MTPA in 2047," a government release quoted him as saying.

Sonowal said the country's maritime sector is poised for substantial growth with over Rs 10 lakh crore worth of investment opportunities identified, with the opportunity to generate employment for over 15 lakh youths.

"In alignment with this vision, the role of private players is being progressively augmented, with public-private partnership (PPP) terminals currently handling about 50 per cent of the cargo at major ports and efforts underway to raise their share to approximately 85 per cent in the coming decades," the minister said.

The government is working with a focus to enhance cargo movement on India's national waterways, which witnessed a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in the last fiscal year, he said.



"Ambitious targets have been set to achieve a substantial quantum of 500 MTPA by 2047, underlining the government's commitment to leveraging the maritime sector as a catalyst for comprehensive national growth," stated the release, quoting the Union minister.

Sonowal also shared the ministry's ambitious plan to develop "hydrogen hubs" across the ports run by the central and state governments.

All the central and state government ports will explore the possibility of creating hydrogen hubs, he said, adding that the Deendayal Port Authority in Gujarat has already finalised MoUs worth Rs 1.68 lakh crore for this venture.

The two-day 19th Maritime State Development Council meeting organised by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) to enhance better coordination between major and notified ports, state maritime boards, state governments and Union Territories concluded on Saturday.

The Union minister also talked about India's growing maritime stature and the upcoming Global Maritime India Summit 2023, and said all maritime states and UTs will participate in the event scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam at New Delhi from October 17-19, 2023.

Sonowal encouraged all coastal state and UT governments to offer their support in expediting Sagarmala and other vital projects.

Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways said that a steadfast emphasis should be placed on embracing new-age technologies, fostering sustainable living practices, and ensuring environmental safety.

"By diligently addressing these key aspects, we can collectively contribute to the holistic betterment of our coastal populations, he said.
Kolkata, Aug 19 (PTI) The new National Cooperative Policy is almost ready, and a 47-member committee is in the process of submitting the draft to the central government, chairman of the panel and former Union minister Suresh Prabhu said.

Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah had last year announced that a dedicated policy will soon be prepared to strengthen the cooperative movement in the country, and that Prabhu will head the national-level committee.

The panel members include experts and representatives of the cooperative sector and officials of central ministries.

"The policy document is almost ready and the submission process is underway. We can now look forward to the release of the policy and its implementation," Prabhu told PTI on the sidelines of an event organised by the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce & Industry here.

The former commerce and industry minister said the policy has the potential to change the socio-economic dimension of India, substantially increasing the share of cooperatives in the total GDP.

Prabhu said the idea behind the policy is to promote a cooperative-based economic development model backed by a legal and institutional framework.

"I have been connected with all types of national and international cooperatives for a long time, and know their potential. Any economic activity will add value to people's lives, but cooperatives help in spreading and distributing income while creating wealth.

"And, that is the reason the government is thinking of increasing the share of cooperatives in almost all sectors of the economy," he said.

The existing National Policy on Cooperatives was formulated in 2002.

India has around 8.5 lakh cooperative societies with a member base of nearly 29 crore, according to government data. These cooperatives are engaged in varied activities like agro-processing, dairying, fisheries, housing, weaving, credit and marketing.

Prabhu, also a former railway minister, added that the cooperation ministry has decided upon creating cooperative warehousing as well.

"I think this is an amazing idea to further boost cooperatives. Millions of square metres of warehousing are being developed across the country," he added.

In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that cooperatives are a significant part of India's social economy, and that a separate ministry was created to empower cooperatives and spread their network.
Lucknow, Aug 19 (PTI) For 23-year-old Shwetank Pandey, it was a tryst with destiny as he was appointed the Chief Gaming Officer (CGO) of iQOO, after seeking a year for himself from his family to pursue his passion for gaming, and also bought a smartphone on EMI in this regard.

Describing his journey from a student to a CGO, Shwetank Pandey, who was in Lucknow recently told PTI: "The journey was simply brilliant, because if you are pursuing e-sports in India, then giving time to it and garnering support of the family for this is really very difficult.

"But, thanks to my family, I was able to pursue e-sports, and I started e-sports in 2019, when I was in class 12th. I used to play games with my friends then, but it was not competitive."

"After completing class 12th, I pursued graduation with a focus on communication skills. I also worked for a year, so as to assure my family that the future of their child is secure, and so that there are no doubts in their mind.

"During the job, I purchased a phone on EMI, and I had told my family members that I had bought the phone with my money, so that I can do proper gaming. This was in 2022," Pandey, who dropped the idea of pursuing an MBA, said.

He added that after this, his parents were assured that their son's future is secured, and they agreed to give him a "last try at gaming."

Expressing his joy over becoming iQOO's Chief Gaming Officer, Shwetank said, "I feel on top of the world right now. When I initially filled out the form, I was reluctant and hoped to be among the finalists. Little did I know that it would lead me this far and eventually result in becoming iQOO's first-ever CGO.

"The finalists I met in Mumbai were all good gamers and great individuals. I am grateful to be chosen amongst them and thankful to iQOO and the jury for providing aspiring gamers like me with such a big platform."

When asked to comment on the negative side of gaming, Pandey said, "If you are passionate for something, then you see your mental health, think about your family, and accordingly pursue your passion," and added that on August 16, he was appointed as the CGO.

Welcoming iQOO's Chief Gaming Officer, Nipun Marya, CEO, iQOO in a statement said, "This is an iconic moment in the Indian Smartphone industry and we are over the moon to have found the person who embodies our vision for this role.

"The DNA of iQOO is to bring in 'I Quest On and On' and Shwetank was never short of his peak performance across all rounds of the hunt. With him joining us, we intend to drive a more dynamic and fresher perspective to our products and initiatives for the younger gaming enthusiasts in the country."

Shwetank's father Ram Dayal Pandey who is in UP Police, and posted in Ayodhya, told PTI, "I was confident that whatever he (Shwetank) will do, it will not be a wrong thing."

His mother Neelu Pandey admitted that she used to scold her son, as people used to say negative things about PUBG. "However, we supported him, since he was focused towards his studies and gaming, and did not have many friends."
New Delhi (India), August 19: Renowned religious guru and Kathavachak Baba Bhageshwar Dham Sarkar Ji, known for his discussions throughout the country, visited the office of "Bada Business Private Limited" led by Dr. Vivek Bindra. During this event, he provided guidance to the office staff.







For this program, Dr. Vivek Bindra personally drove Baba Bhageshwar Dham to the office of Bada Business Private Limited. During their visit, Dr. Vivek Bindra showcased all 11 of his "Guinness Book of Records" to Baba Bageshwar Dham.



The Religious guru motivate the employees with the most important truth of life, stating, "In today's times, people keep working throughout their lives, waiting for the day when they can sit back comfortably, enjoy life's pleasures. Unfortunately, that day never comes. Therefore, learn to live each moment of life."



To simplify life, he also described three special qualities of Lord Hanuman. He mentioned that the first quality of Hanuman is humility, which, if incorporated into one's life, leads to success.



The second quality is eloquence, implying the importance of acquiring the art of communication. Hanuman Ji always conversed humbly and naturally with Lord Shri Ram, but when he faced Ravana, he employed his communication skills effectively.



The third and final quality is dedication to one's work. Hanuman Ji said, "I do not rest without completing Lord Ram's work." Even in today's times, individuals should remain dedicated to their tasks in order to achieve their goals.



During the event, he shared anecdotes with the employee and informed them that he would be heading to Nepal for a three-day Hanuman Katha. Despite time constraints, he promised to arrange a darbar for devotees in the future when he visits the office of "Bada Business Private Limited" again.



Before the conclusion of the program, Baba Bageshwar Dham also discussed the upcoming "Entrepreneurs Launchpad" event organized by Bada Business. This event, scheduled for September 23 and 24, 2023, at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi, is the country's largest entrepreneurial program. Baba Bageshwar Dham will be addressing the participants like a speaker, offering them guidance.



The "Entrepreneurs Launchpad" event will witness the participation of numerous business personalities, including billionaires, along with around 30,000 business entrepreneurs from the country. Founders and CEOs like Ritesh Agarwal of OYO Rooms, Khan Sir, Avadh Ojha, and social media influencer Ranbir Allahabadiya will also be present.



At the end of the program, Dr. Vivek Bindra also boosted the morale of the attendees. Additionally, Baba Bageshwar Dham requested him to elaborate on the nine qualities of Hanuman Ji during the "Entrepreneurs Launchpad" event, thereby enabling people to imbibe the energy of knowledge into their lives.



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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New Delhi (India), August 19: Micro Labs Ltd, a renowned pharmaceutical company, proudly announced the launch of Trisopt, the world's first fixed-dose combination of Brimonidine, Timolol, and Brinzolamide ophthalmic suspension for glaucoma management. Trisopt is an indigenous development from Micro Labs, manufactured in their state-of-the-art facility located in Sikkim.



Glaucoma remains one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in India, affecting numerous lives. A significant number of glaucoma patients require multiple eye drops to control the disease progression, leading to challenges in medical management due to the high cost of therapy.



At the recent annual conference of the All-India Ophthalmological Society held in Kochi, experts discussed the challenges faced by glaucoma patients, especially those on multi-drug regimens. Trisopt addresses this issue as the first triple drug fixed-dose combination for glaucoma management in India, offering improved efficacy and safety for patients who are not adequately controlled with a two-drug therapy.



Trisopt will significantly enrich Micro Labs' robust ophthalmic portfolio and extend support to numerous glaucoma patients in India, particularly those who require multi-drug therapy to control the progression of the disease.



Dilip Surana, Chairman and Managing Director of Micro Labs Ltd commemorated the launch of Trisopt on the occasion of the organization's 50th anniversary. He stated, "Our endeavor has always been to listen, understand the needs of patients, and then provide best-in-class quality medications at affordable prices. Trisopt exemplifies this commitment and will empower ophthalmologists in their efforts to manage glaucoma effectively.Trisopt also underscores Micro Labs unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare in India." He also emphasized Trisopt as a testament to our nation's vision of "Make in India."



He also extended gratitude to the entire ophthalmic fraternity for their encouragement and guidance throughout this journey. He also acknowledged the relentless efforts of Micro Labs' R&D, medical affairs, and manufacturing teams in making Trisopt a reality.



About Micro Labs



Founded in 1973 by Sri. GC Surana in Chennai, Micro Labs has emerged as a leading pharmaceutical company, celebrating five decades of excellence in manufacturing high-quality, affordable generic medicines. With a diverse portfolio covering Cardiology, Diabetology, Pain Management, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Veterinary, Neurology, and more, Micro Labs has been a trusted name in the healthcare industry. Micro Labs has grown exponentially, expanding its manufacturing presence across India and establishing a global footprint with offices in the US, UK, Germany, Australia, and Nigeria.



Accreditations from esteemed international regulatory authorities, including US FDA, MHRA (UK), Health Canada, Medsafe (New Zealand), and Therapeutic Goods Authority (TGA) Australia, have earned Micro Labs the trust and confidence of healthcare professionals worldwide. With a team of over 13,000 employees globally and a legacy of awards for manufacturing excellence, responsible business practices, quality excellence, and patents, Micro Labs continues to be a driving force in the pharmaceutical industry.



For more information, visit - https://www.microlabsltd.com/



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that India's economy is shining as a beacon of hope in these challenging times.

"With robust growth and resilient spirit, the future looks promising. Let us keep this momentum and ensure prosperity for 140 crore Indians," he said on X, reacting to news portal Moneycontrol's 'Bullish on India' campaign.

The portal, which specialises in reporting on markets and financial sector, had posted on X that the country's economy has not just withstood challenges, but thrived setting the stage for optimism.

The 'Bullish on India' campaign showcases India's economic resilience and growth potential in various critical sectors, it said.

It aims to analyse the key drivers of India's economic growth while fostering awareness about the unparalleled potential the nation offers at a time of a global economic slowdown, the portal said in a separate statement.

"With detailed analysis of macroeconomic factors such as manufacturing, demography, economy, markets and India's rising stand in the global leadership, 'Bullish on India' has been presented as a data backed campaign that underlines India's resilient economic growth," it said.

The campaign seeks to analyse key drivers of India's economic growth while fostering awareness about the "unparalleled potential" the nation offers at a time of a global economic slowdown, it added.

"There are various adversities that have shaken economies worldwide in the past few years. However, India is standing tall, retaining its stature as the 'world's fastest-growing major economy'," it said, noting that the country is set to become the third largest economy in the coming years.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The government on Saturday imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export of onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market.

The Finance Ministry through a notification imposed a 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023.

The export duty comes amid reports that onion prices are likely to rise in September.
Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) Actor Pankaj Tripathi says it was a challenge for him to portray former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in an upcoming biographical drama movie as he had to accurately capture not only the nuances but also his spirit with the performance.

The biopic, titled Main Atal Hoon", is written by Utkarsh Naithani and directed by three-time National Award-winner Ravi Jadhav.

Tripathi, who currently features in "OMG 2", said he wanted to capture the core personality of the character and deliver a performance that would stay with people.

"Doing a biopic is difficult as people have seen this public figure. When people watch the film, they see whether the actor is doing mimicry or not? Or how has the actor captured the nuances, like mannerisms?

"I believe it is important to get these outer things correct but what is more important is to understand the persons thoughts and his core personality, and get that correct. As an actor you must tap into it, because thats what stays with people, the 46-year-old actor told PTI.

Produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Sandeep Singh, Sam Khan and Kamlesh Bhanushali, "Main Atal Hoon" will hit theatres in December.

Tripathi has a slew of upcoming projects, with majority of them being sequels -- Fukrey 3 and Stree 2, as well as series Mirzapur 3 and Criminal Justice 4.

"Doing sequels is easy because you know the world and character. However, at the same time it is boring, because you think, How long will this carry forward, like third or fourth part. But since its a success, maybe it is getting made, he said.

His latest film, OMG 2, in which the actor played the role of a devotee of Lord Shiva named Kanti Sharan Mudgal, has garnered positive response from the audience. The movie also features Akshay Kumar and Yami Gautam.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Long-form storytelling is a different grammar altogether, says Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, who is particularly impressed with his brother Aparshakti Khurana's work in Vikramaditya Motwane's series "Jubilee".

Ayushmann, the star of successful Bollywood films like "Vicky Donor", "Dum Laga Ke Haisha", "Andhadhun", "Bareilly Ki Barfi" and "Dream Girl", said he would like to try the series format if a good script comes his way.

"Long-form storytelling, I think it's a different grammar altogether. I would love to do long format as long as it gives me something which is different from my core and makes me explore a different side of mine as an actor," the 38-year-old actor told PTI.

OTT platforms have brought in a "renaissance in Indian content creation", believes Ayushmann.

"There's more elbow room for experiments. You can go more zany, more crazy with content. I'm excited to do something which is very unique and crazy on OTT.

"At the same time, I would love to say that my love for the theatrical is immense. I've grown up watching it. So, I aspire to be on the big screen every single time. But once in a while, I would definitely love to do something on OTT," Ayushmann said.

The actor praised his brother Aparshakti for changing his game with the Prime Video show "Jubilee", which came out in April this year.

Aparshakti, who had primarily appeared in comedic roles in movies such as "Dangal," "Stree," "Luka Chuppi," and "Pati Patni Aur Woh," received acclaim from critics for his portrayal of Binod Das, who evolves into a superstar known to the world as Madan Kumar.

"I really believe that 'Jubilee' is one of the best OTT shows ever produced in India.

And I'm really proud of my brother. He did such a fantastic job because he was known for comedy parts till now, but he just changed his genre and changed his game with 'Jubilee'," Ayushmann said.

"I think Madan Kumar was actually a superstar in that series. And Vikramaditya Motwane is brilliant as a filmmaker, I would love to work with him," he added.

Ayushmann is currently looking forward to the release of his upcoming movie "Dream Girl 2", a sequel to his 2019 hit "Dream Girl".

Also starring Ananya Panday, the movie will land in theatres on August 25.
Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) For playing a teenager from the 1990s in "Guns & Gulaabs", actor Adarsh Gourav says he extensively watched videos on the internet and movies starring megastar Amitabh Bachchan to grasp the essence of that era.

Created and directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the show centres on the life of four protagonists - a mechanic Paana Tipu (Rajkummar Rao), a killer 4-cut Atmaram (Gulshan Devaiah), a cop (Dulquer Salmaan) and Jugnu (Gourav), and reluctant heir of a ruling gang - and how a drug deal puts them at odds with one another.

"I did see a few films of Mr. (Amitabh) Bachchan, when I got the part to understand the styling and all of that, the 29-year-old actor told PTI in an interview.

But the majority of his references came from videos about real people, Gourav said.

"I just liked watching a lot of random stuff on YouTube, and sometimes things just stick with me.

"I saw a video of a person having ice-cream in a very important way, like the timing of it was very odd. In the show, theres an ice-cream scene, where my character was sucking on an orange ice-cream while he was doing something important," he added.

In the show, currently streaming on Netflix, Gourav plays Jugnu, son of Ganchi (played by late actor Satish Kaushik), who runs an illegal opium business in the fictitious town of Gulabganj.

Through his role and Kaushik's character, the actor said that the show's creators, Raj & DK, have portrayed the patriarchal dynamics within Indian families, which Gourav believed were more prevalent during the 1990s.

"I guess the 90s were more patriarchal in some ways than right now. He (Kaushik) is the main patriarch of the family and the boss, so it did play in my head, like how open I could be with him.

"When I listen to stories about how my dad and his dad were with each other, versus how Im with my dad, it is very different."

Gourav shot to fame after his breakthrough performance in the 2021 film The White Tiger and has appeared in Apple+ climate change series Extrapolations.

The actor said he is willing to work across industries and languages.

"Its kind of cool when you work with people from all over because people in America, England or some place else, they have had such different lives and perspectives on things. It becomes really interesting and cool working with them.

"It is a constant thing, where I keep auditioning for things over there and here (in India) as well. Wherever I get work, which sort of speaks to me in a way where I feel like this is worth spending five months with, Id love to take that up, Gourav said.
Houston, Aug 19 (PTI) An Indian-origin laboratory owner from the US state of Georgia was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his involvement in a USD 463 million genetic testing scam spanning over three years to defraud Medicare.

Minal Patel, who owned LabSolutions LLC, was sentenced on Friday to 27 years in prison for his role in the scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting over USD 463 million in genetic and other laboratory tests that patients did not need and were procured through the payment of kickbacks and bribes.

The 44-year-old conspired with patient brokers, telemedicine companies and call centres to target Medicare beneficiaries with telemarketing calls falsely stating that their package covered expensive cancer genetic tests, the Department of Justice said on Friday.

After the Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take tests, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to patient brokers to obtain signed doctors orders authorising the tests from telemedicine companies, the department said in a press release.

To conceal the kickbacks, Patel required the patient brokers to sign contracts that falsely stated that they were performing legitimate advertising services for LabSolutions.

From July 2016 through August 2019, LabSolutions submitted more than USD 463 million in claims to Medicare, including for thousands of medically unnecessary genetic tests, of which the national health insurance programme paid over USD 187 million.

In that timeframe, Patel personally received over USD 21 million from Medicare in connection with the fraud.

"Deception, kickbacks, and bribes have no place in the provision of legitimate genetic testing and telemedicine services to patients who need them, said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.

Patel bilked hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare through a complex testing fraud scheme. He is now paying the price for this crime," he said.

The case was brought as part of Operation Double Helix, a federal law enforcement action led by the Health Care Fraud Strike Force under the supervision of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section.

It focused on fraudulent genetic cancer testing, resulting in charges against dozens of defendants associated with telemedicine companies and cancer genetic testing laboratories for their alleged participation in one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes ever charged.

According to the press release, an asset forfeiture hearing is scheduled for August 25.
The Hague, Aug 19 (AP) The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to affect the war any time soon.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months of training on the aircraft, according to officials.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin's forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take four or five years, he said.

But in eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyiv's way.

Ukrainian air forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era planes, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.

A modern war cannot be won without aviation" capabilities, Rakita said.

In making the decision on F-16 deliveries, Washington aims to ensure warplanes can be provided to Ukraine as soon as its pilots complete training, according to a U.S. administration official who was not authorized to comment and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.

Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday that the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.

A coalition of 11 Western countries  the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom  pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.

Denmark will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters. The first four F-35s are due to be delivered on Oct. 1.

Washington's blessing for the plane donations to other countries is needed because the aircraft are made in the United States.

Ukraine's Western allies have at times moved slowly on granting Kyiv the military support it has requested.

President Joe Biden's authorization last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and quiet talks with allies, officials said.

The administration had concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia. Also, U.S. officials argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult.

Though delivery is likely months away, Washington says the F-16s  like the advanced U.S. Abrams tanks  will be crucial for Ukraine's long-term security.

Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi jets. F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also more versatile, experts say. (AP) AMS
Niamey (Niger), Aug 19 (AP) A delegation from regional nations is expected to arrive in Niger in a last-ditch diplomacy effort to reach a peaceful solution with mutinous soldiers who ousted the country's president last month.

The representatives from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, could arrive in the capital, Niamey, as early as Saturday and would join efforts by United Nations Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, who came on Friday, in trying to facilitate a resolution to the ongoing crisis.

On Friday UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Simao would meet with the junta and other parties to try and facilitate a swift and peaceful resolution to Niger's crisis.

What we want to see is a return to the constitutional order.

We want to see the liberation of the president and his family and restoration of his legitimate authority, he said.

ECOWAS ordered the deployment of a standby force on August 10 to restore constitutional rule in the country.

The soldiers who overthrew Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts and kept Bazoum, his wife and son under house arrest in the capital.

On Friday, ECOWAS commissioner for peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah said 11 of its 15 member states agreed to commit troops to a military deployment saying they were ready to go whenever the order was given.

The 11 countries don't include Niger itself and the bloc's three other countries under military rule following coups: Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso.

The latter two have warned they would consider any intervention in Niger an act of war. On Friday, Niger's state television said that Mali and Burkina Faso had dispatched warplanes in a show of solidarity to the country.

Friday's announcement is the latest in a series of empty threats by ECOWAS to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, say conflict analysts.

Immediately after the coup, the bloc gave the junta seven days to release and restore Bazoum, a deadline that came and went with no action.

The putschists won't be holding their breath this time over the renewed threat of military action, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank.

Meanwhile, the mutinous soldiers are cementing their rule and appointing loyal commanders to key units while ECOWAS has no experience with military action in hostile territory and would have no local support if it tried to intervene, he said.

Niger is a very fragile country that can easily turn, in case of a military intervention, into a failed state like Sudan, said Laessing.

ECOWAS used force to restore order in member countries in 2017 in Gambia after longtime President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after he lost the presidential election.

But even in that case, the move had involved diplomatic efforts led by then-presidents of Mauritania and Guinea while Jammeh appeared to be acting on his own after the Gambian army pledged allegiance to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow.

The humanitarian situation in the country is also on the agenda of the UN's West Africa and Sahel special representative.

Before the coup, nearly 3 million people were facing severe food insecurity and hundreds of thousands were internally displaced, according to CARE, an international aid group.

Economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS after the coup coupled with the deteriorating security will have dire consequences for the population, the group said.

Before, Western countries saw Niger as one of the last democratic nations it could partner with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group and have poured millions of dollars of military aid and assistance into shoring up Niger's forces.

Since the coup, former jihadis told The Associated Press that militants have been taking advantage of the freedom of movement caused by suspended military operations by the French and the US and a distracted Nigerien army that is focusing efforts on the capital.

Last week, at least 17 soldiers were killed and 20 injured during an ambush by jihadis. It was the first major attack against Niger's army in six months.

A day later, at least 50 civilians were killed in the Tillaberi region, by extremists believed to be members of the Islamic State group, according to an internal security report for aid groups seen by the AP.

While Niger's leaders are consumed by politics in the capital, the drumbeat of lethal jihadist attacks goes on in the countryside, said Corinne Dufka a political analyst who specialises in the Sahel region.

The recent attacks should motivate all parties to work for as speedy and inclusive a transition as possible so they can get back to the crucial business of protecting civilians from the devastating consequences of war. In due time, Nigeriens and her partners should look long and hard at why and how democracy in Niger faltered, she said. (AP) FZH

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Lahaina (Hawaii), Aug 19 (AP) Long before a wind-whipped wildfire blasted through the island of Maui, tension existed between Hawaii's kamaaina, or longtime residents, and the visitors some islanders resent for turning their beaches, mountains and communities into playgrounds.

It's a love-hate relationship that dates back generations. But now that tension is building in the aftermath of a blaze that killed over 100 people and scorched the historic town of Lahaina, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

A week after the fire, a state flag blew upside down in the breeze along a road leading to a neighbourhood designated for residents of Hawaiian descent, signifying that the community is in distress. Beneath the flag, a sign scrawled in blue paint ordered tourists to KEEP OUT.

Tourism has definitely been a hinderance at this point, because we need to take care of our families  our ohana, said Kapali Keahi, who lives in the neighbourhood. Keahi said those affected by the fire, himself included, are still getting out of the survivor mode".

The Maui Economic Development Board says tourism is irrefutably the economic engine of Maui, which saw 1.4 million visitors in just the first half of 2023. About 70 per cent of every dollar generated in Maui can be attributed to tourism, according to the board.

Yet as the island looks to rebuild, residents like Keahi wonder what role tourism should play in the long road ahead to recovery. Experts say there's no easy answer.

You do have this time where you have to stop everything and focus on the disaster, but there does come a time when you have to start to rebuild, and that means keeping people employed, said Rafael Villanueva, a member of the Tourism Expert Network, which provides consulting services to businesses like hotels.

Villanueva said that's the general roadmap he and his then-colleagues at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority followed in 2017 after the deadliest mass shooting in modern America unfolded at a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Support the victims and the community first, then worry about the tourists.

Within an hour of the shooting that would leave 60 dead and hundreds more injured, the publicly funded body charged with promoting Las Vegas had halted its advertising promising that What Happens Here, Stays Here.

Villanueva said they filled billboards with a message that the community instead could rally around: Vegas Strong.

Then they opened up their convention centre for recovery efforts, including victim notifications. But eventually, they shifted their messaging, inviting visitors back to a Strip that they promised was a safe tourist destination.

You need to do what you can to not let the situation snowball into something much worse," Villanueva said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a statewide address on Friday night that tourists should avoid fire-ravaged West Maui while emphasising that the rest of the island and state were open and safe.

We continue to welcome and encourage travel to our beautiful state," he said, "which will support the local economy and help speed the recovery of those who have already suffered so much.

Green also has said it would be catastrophic if Maui's tourism industry came to a halt right now, warning that it could lead to a mass exodus" of residents.

It's a situation that Maui resident Julie Sumibtay said she wants to avoid, even if she understands how other locals want the space to grieve and deal with their profound pain without the prying eyes of outsiders.

Some of us need work," said Sumibtay, who works at the front desk of a condominium complex in Kihei, where some of the units are used as vacation rentals. "So if they're saying Maui is closed, then there are no tourists coming in, and then we lose our jobs.

Already the deadly fire and its aftermath has prompted some would-be tourists to change their plans, opting to head to other islands instead.

Tom Bailey and his family from the Sacramento area of California arrived on Maui the week before the fire spread from hillsides and raced toward historic Lahaina.

They had seen the smoke in the distance from their hotel in Kaanapali just up the road from Lahaina. At first, they were reassured that the blaze posed no immediate danger. But in the night, the glow of the fire intensified, prompting hotel officials to suggest guests voluntarily evacuate.

Bailey and his family packed up and left to spend the final five days of their vacation on Oahu.

We just wanted to stay out of the way, Bailey said, adding that he understands the local residents need time. (AP) PY

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Athens (Greece), Aug 19 (AP) Greek authorities on Saturday ordered seven villages evacuated near the northeastern border with Turkiye due to a large summer wildfire burning out of control and whipped on by high winds.

The fire service said more than 100 firefighters, assisted by nine water-dropping aircraft, were struggling to contain the blaze. The forest fire broke out early Saturday near the village of Melia, east of the town of Alexandroupolis.

The evacuation orders were issued as a precaution and no damage to buildings or injuries to humans were reported. Authorities shut down a section of a major highway in the area due to heavy smoke drifting across it.

Another smaller wildfire was burning outside Thessaloniki, in the north, the second-largest city in Greece. Earlier, firefighters brought under control a blaze on the western island of Cephalonia.

The fire service has issued a high wildfire alert for the weekend.

Last month, deadly wildfires caused havoc in central Greece, and forced the evacuation of some 20,000 tourists on the resort island of Rhodes.

Shortly later, two air force pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed while diving low to tackle a blaze on the island of Evia.

European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017. (AP) PY

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Athens (Greece), Aug 19 (AP) Greek authorities on Saturday rescued nearly 80 migrants in inflatable dinghies trying to cross from Turkiye to the nearby eastern Aegean Sea islands in three separate incidents, the coast guard said.

In recent weeks, Greece has seen a rise in such arrivals, mostly in small unseaworthy boats provided by smugglers.

A coast guard statement said a patrol boat located 41 people early on Saturday on an inflatable dinghy which was drifting off the island of Lesbos. All were safely evacuated and taken to a reception centre on the island.

Following a chase earlier Saturday, a coast guard patrol boat stopped another dinghy carrying 17 people near the eastern Aegean islets of Arkii. The migrants were taken to the island of Patmos, while one of them was arrested on suspicion of belonging to a smuggling ring.

Late Friday, another boat carrying 17 people was found adrift off the island of Samos. One of the migrants required medical treatment, while the rest were taken to a reception centre on Samos.

Greek officials have blamed the increase in arrivals largely on conflicts in Africa that are adding pressure on the main smuggling routes to Europe, and also on a burgeoning black market industry in Turkiye that produces low-quality inflatable boats. Better summer sailing conditions have also contributed to the hike in numbers.

The Greek government says it has not changed its policy of intercepting boats at sea which had significantly reduced arrivals of migrants in recent years.

Human rights groups have accused Greece of carrying out illegal summary deportations to Turkiye of people who managed to reach Greek shores. Athens strongly denies that. (AP) PY

PY
Thane, Aug 19 (PTI) A 17-year-old boy was beaten to death by a group of 10 persons over a quarrel in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Saturday.

The victim Sameer Lokhande was attacked in Kalyan town on Friday evening and he succumbed to the injuries at a hospital this morning, an official said.

A group of 10 persons attacked Lokhande with iron rods and sharp weapons at a ground in Khadegolawali area, he said.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital and later shifted to a facility in neighbouring Mumbai, where he died during treatment, the official said.

The attackers had quarrelled with the teenager at a petrol pump six months ago and held a grudge against him, he said.

The Kolsewadi police have registered a case and are in the process of arresting the accused, the official added.
Bhopal, Aug 19 (PTI) Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh elections, BJP MLAs from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra have arrived in Bhopal as part of the ruling party's programme wherein every legislator will be allotted one assembly seat each that they are supposed to visit to take stock of the ground situation, party leaders said.

A training session for these Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators from the four states began in Bhopal on Saturday, a day before they start visiting their allotted assembly seats in the state, where polls will be held by the end of the year.

There are 230 assembly segments in Madhya Pradesh.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, who is the BJP's election in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, inaugurated the training session for the legislators this morning.

"The BJP's central leadership has decided that the party's legislators from Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra will visit different assembly constituencies (in MP) over the next days starting Sunday," Madhya Pradesh Minister for Medical Education and BJP leader Vishvas Sarang told reporters.

The visiting legislators will take part in different programmes in their respective assembly segments allotted to them and work with a resolve for the party's victory in the assembly polls, he said.

As part of the programme, they will interact with the party's local functionaries and voters, sources said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, party chief V D Sharma are scheduled to address the training programme, Sarang said.

Earlier on Thursday, the ruling BJP announced its first list of 39 candidates for the state assembly elections, even before the announcement of the poll schedule.

In this list, the saffron party has focused on the seats it lost in 2018 and some of them even in 2013, and has reposed faith in 14 candidates, including three former ministers, who lost last time.

In the 2018 assembly polls, the Congress had won 114 seats, while the BJP finished second with 109.

The Congress, which was two short of a simple majority, went on to form a government under the leadership of party veteran Kamal Nath with the support of Independents, the MLAs from the BSP and the SP.

However, the Nath government collapsed after 15 months when a section of Congress MLAs, most of them loyal to Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, quit and joined the BJP. The saffron party returned to power in March 2020 with Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister for a fresh term.
Raipur, Aug 19 (PTI) Seeking to make inroads in Chhattisgarh, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced ten "guarantees" for the upcoming assembly polls in the Congress-ruled state including free electricity, monthly samman rashi' for women and Rs 3,000 monthly allowance for the unemployed.<br>Addressing an AAP workers' convention here, the Delhi chief minister said his party's governments in Delhi and Punjab have fulfilled the guarantees given to people, and if it comes to power in Chhattisgarh, it would do the same thing. <br> Today I am giving you ten guarantees which are not like a fake manifesto or sankalp patra'. Kejriwal will die (if it comes to it) but fulfill these promises," he said.

The guarantees included 24-hour uninterrupted power supply -- free upto 300 units -- to every household, waiver of pending electricity bills till November 2023, Rs 1,000 monthly 'samman rashi' (honorarium) to all women aged above 18 years and free quality education to school children, he said.



As in Delhi, an AAP government will also provide free and better health treatment to every citizen of Chhattisgarh, mohalla clinics in every village and ward in cities, employment and allowance of Rs 3,000 per month to those unemployed, free pilgrimage for senior citizens, corruption-free Chhattisgarh, Rs 1 crore to the kin of personnel of state police and army jawans (who belong to Chhattisgarh) martyred in the line of duty as `samman rashi' and regularize contractual employees, Kejriwal said.

The tenth guarantee is about farmers and tribals but he will reveal it during his next visit, he said.

Kejriwal was accompanied by AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

Kejriwal had addressed a public rally in Bilaspur last month. In March, he had attended an AAP workers' convention in Raipur.



The AAP tried its luck for the first time in the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh in 2018 and fielded candidates in 85 of 90 seats but failed to achieve success.
Kolkata, Aug 19 (PTI) Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal on Saturday questioned some of the past and present students of Jadavpur University arrested in connection with the recent death of a first-year student, officials said.

Goyal spoke to a former student, the first to be arrested in this case, and three students at Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, they said.

The first accused, who did his MSc in mathematics in 2022, was questioned about the last moments before the death of the teen, officials said.

On Friday, police had reconstructed the crime scene to understand what exactly happened in the hostel on the night of August 9, when the first-year student fell from a balcony after being allegedly mentally tortured and sexually harassed.

Meanwhile, the three students arrested on Friday night were sent to 12 days police custody on Saturday, a police official said, adding so far 12 persons have been arrested in this case.

The 17-year-old student died after falling from a second-floor balcony of the main boys' hostel on August 9. His family alleged he was a victim of ragging.
By Takuya Karube, KYODO NEWS - Aug 19, 2023 - 15:09 | All, Japan, World

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may not have foreseen standing amicably together with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David quite so quickly when they first held formal talks in Tokyo just five months ago.

But whether this was truly a historic event will not likely be determined for some time to come.

What is clear is that U.S. President Joe Biden chose to host the trilateral summit at a symbolic location and that the three leaders unveiled a host of new initiatives to prevent the current positive momentum in their ties from going backward.

The agreements included pledges to meet at least once a year, either by arranging further standalone summits or by taking advantage of opportunities to gather on the fringes of larger multilateral events.

"If I seem like I'm happy, it's because I am," Biden said Friday at the outset of a joint press conference in concluding the daylong summit with Kishida and Yoon. "We meet in this historic place to make a historic moment. And I believe that to be true."

Camp David, though situated not far from Washington, is nestled in the mountains and not accessible to the public. It has served for decades as an ideal location for U.S. presidents to work and host foreign leaders in a tranquil atmosphere.

In preparing a more intimate setting than the White House, Biden's primary goal was to make sure that the three-way cooperation with Washington's major Asian allies will be sustained in the years to come, regardless of changes of government or domestic political issues.

Jeffrey Hornung, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corporation think tank, said the rapidly improving ties between Japan and South Korea after years of bitter disagreements over wartime issues is a "big feather in the (Biden) administration's hat."

Along with many other pundits and policymakers, Hornung believes Biden's decision to select the rustic retreat as the first standalone summit's venue created a necessary "Venn diagram" in which the leaders could work together on common ground before moving to the next phase.

He said it was important for leaders to have heart-to-heart conversations, expressing willingness to work with each other but understanding each other's limits.

But Hornung, who specializes in East Asian security affairs at the U.S. institute, noted that while issues concerning North Korea that the leaders agreed on are "low-hanging fruit," many difficult issues will likely stand in their way as they go forward.

Even if they start sharing real-time data about North Korean missile launches by the end of this year as agreed, he said, it is not realistic for the armed forces of Japan and South Korea to respond together to them in the foreseeable future.

As Tokyo and Seoul do not have a security alliance and share a bitter past that includes Japan's 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, Japanese officials involved in drafting some of the statements for the summit said they were careful about the wording of the documents.

The Biden administration had pushed the idea of "institutionalizing" the trilateral cooperation in an attempt to make their framework more durable, but that, as well as phrases and words repeatedly used by senior U.S. officials in the run-up to the summit such as the establishment of a "hotline" and "contingency," were not included in the statements.

One of the Japanese officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested that Tokyo was reluctant to employ any word that might give the impression that the trilateral framework would develop into a security alliance, noting that some remarks from the U.S. side exceeded what had been agreed.

Biden, Kishida and Yoon also discussed shared concerns about China's actions that run counter to the rules-based international order and touched on its "dangerous and aggressive behavior" in the South China Sea.

Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said strengthening the trilateral relationship would be "effective" against China, which accuses the United States of trying to gradually form a "mini NATO" in Asia.

"If China didn't care and didn't respond, it would mean that it didn't have an impact. This complicates Chinese strategy," Szechenyi said.

He said he is also "optimistic about the durability of this framework because I think both Japan and South Korea agree that the security environment in Northeast Asia is deteriorating rapidly," citing the threats posed by Chinese coercion and North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.

"So they have no choice but to strengthen their own defense capabilities, improve the relationship with each other and strengthen coordination with the United States," he said.

A senior Biden administration official said, "Nothing in life is absolutely irreversible."

But the official, who declined to be named, said the chance of a future U.S. president altering the trilateral engagement is slim as enhancing Washington's alliances and partnerships is largely supported by the mainstream of the Democratic and Republican parties.

"I personally have rarely experienced this much bipartisan agreement on any initiative," he said.

Related coverage:

Japan, U.S., South Korea agree to consult swiftly in facing "threats"

Japan, U.S. leaders agree on new missile development

Japan, South Korea agree on restart of high-level talks by year-end
Patna, Aug 19 (PTI) The Nitish Kumar government appeared to be heading for a showdown with Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as the Raj Bhavan reversed an order of the state administration to freeze bank accounts of two officials of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University in Muzaffarpur.

The state education department on Thursday stopped the salaries of the vice chancellor and pro-VC for their alleged failure in inspecting the educational institutions under their jurisdiction and also for not attending a review meeting convened by the department, a senior official of the department said on condition of anonymity.

A day later, Robert L Chongthu, Principal Secretary to the governor, sent a letter to the bank concerned, directing it to defreeze the accounts of the two officials with immediate effect.

In a letter to the education department, Chongthu said, "Under Section 54 of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976, the state government has power to audit the universities, but your act to freeze the financial powers and bank accounts of both the office bearers is arbitrary and beyond jurisdiction. This act of yours seems to be an attack on autonomy of the university and you have encroached upon the powers of the chancellor."

The chancellor (governor) has ordered that "these orders may be withdrawn and these types of unwarranted acts may be avoided in future", it stated.

The incident has triggered a political slugfest, with the ruling alliance slamming the "interference of the governor" and the opposition BJP coming in support of the Raj Bhavan, while holding the Nitish Kumar government responsible for "collapse of education system" in the state.

RJD's spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary told PTI, "The Mahagathbandhan government in the state is trying to improve the quality of education, including higher education. The Raj Bhavan should not intervene with the functioning of an elected government and should avoid such confrontations."

Bihar BJP spokesperson Nikhil Anand said, "Since Nitish Kumar has miserably failed in improving the state's education system, he is now creating a situation of showdown with the governor who is also the chancellor of the universities. The CM is ignoring autonomy of universities and colleges."
Dhanbad (Jharkhand), Aug 19 (PTI) People residing in the danger zones of Jharia mines fire in Jharkhands Dhanbad district will be shifted to safer places in groups on a weekly basis, an official said on Saturday.

Dhanbad administration has decided to shift 10 to 15 families from the danger zones every week.

Dhanbad deputy commissioner Barun Ranja, who is also the managing director Jharia Rehabilitation Development Authority (JRDA), directed the officials to prepare an action plan so that residents of Jharia fire zones could be shifted to safer places on a weekly basis.

"Issue notices to families who refuse to move to safer places. Also, ensure that no new construction or encroachment takes place in danger zones once they are shifted," Ranja directed officials at a review meeting of JRDA.

The fire zones turn dangerous during monsoon. On August 14 night, a father and his two sons fell in a five-metre-deep pit following subsidence in fire-affected Jogta-11 in Sizua area of the district. They were, however, rescued by neighbours.

According to a 2019 survey, 1.04 lakh families are living in Jharia mines fire zones in which 32,064 are legal title holders (LTH), while 72,882 families are residing illegally on the land of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) colliery, an official said.

Under the Jharia Master Plan of the central government, residents of the fire zones should have been shifted to safe places by August 2021, but so far only 2,687 families could have been rehabilitated due to lack of quarters.

The DC said of the 6,352 quarters built at Belagaria Township to rehabilitate residents of Jharia fire zone areas, 2, 687 families of the most dangerous areas have been shifted so far.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the RSS-BJP are placing their own people in key parts of the institutional structure of the country and even ministers have to work with RSS people to make decisions in their respective ministries.

Gandhi made the claim during an interaction with youngsters at an event in Leh on Friday.

"The foundation of freedom in India is the Constitution. The Constitution is a set of rules and you set the constitution into action by setting up institutions which support the vision of the Constitution - the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Planning Commission, the forces, all these elements," he said.

What the BJP-RSS are doing is placing their own people in key parts of the institutional structure, he alleged.

"For example, if you go to the ministers of the government of India and ask them 'if you are actually making the decisions in your ministries'? They will tell you that there is a gentleman from the RSS who we have to work with to decide what happens in our ministry," he claimed.

Responding to Gandhi's remarks, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told Aaj Tak TV channel his allegations are laughable and there is no RSS person in the ministries with which the ministers work.

On Saturday, Gandhi undertook a journey on a motorcycle to Pangong Tso Lake in Ladakh.

Photographs of Gandhi, wearing biking gear, along with a few others on motorcycles heading for the lake, were released by the party on its official social media handles.

"On our way to Pangong Lake, which my father used to say, is one of the most beautiful places in the world," Gandhi said on Instagram with a picture of him on the motorcycle.

Gandhi is on a visit to the Union Territory of Ladakh and is expected to return next week.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday condoled the death of nine Indian Army personnel in a road accident near Leh.

Nine soldiers were killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a deep gorge, officials said.

"Saddened by the loss of Indian Army personnel due to an accident near Leh in Ladakh. We will never forget their exemplary service to our nation," the defence minister said on 'X', formerly Twitter.

"My thoughts are with the bereaved families. The injured personnel have been rushed to the Field Hospital. Praying for their speedy recovery," Singh said, without mentioning the number of soldiers killed and injured in the accident.

Army officials said nine personnel lost their lives in the accident.

The accident took place near Kiari in southern Ladakh's Nyoma, according to local officials.
Lucknow, Aug 19 (PTI) Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday unveiled a new variety of lotus flower with 108 petals, named "Namoh 108", developed by the city-based National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI).

The "NBRI Namoh 108" lotus variety flowers from March to December and is the first flower whose genome is completely sequenced for its characteristics.

"Considering the religious importance of the lotus flower and 'the digit 108', this combination gives an important identity to this variety," Singh said.

Singh lauded the NBRI for naming the lotus variety as "Namoh 108" and termed it a grand gift to the "relentless zeal and innate beauty of Narendra Modi in the tenth year of his tenure as the prime minister".

NBRI is a constituent institution of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Singh also released apparel made from lotus fibre and perfume 'Frotus', extracted from lotus flowers and developed by the NBRI under the Lotus Research Programme in collaboration with Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre, Kannauj.

The minister also launched the Lotus Mission and said this project was being undertaken in a mission mode like other priority schemes such as the National Honey and Bee Mission, National Bamboo Mission, National Food Security Mission, National Mission on Natural Farming, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture and Gokul Mission.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has filed a charge sheet under money laundering charges against a Goa-based milk products company as part of a probe linked to alleged bank loan fraud at State Bank of India.

The prosecution complaint was filed against 27 accused comprising Ganindu Milk and Milk Products Private Limited (GMMPL) and other related entities of the Siddharth group of companies, including their director and promoters, it said in a statement.

The special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mapusa took cognisance of the charge sheet on August 17, the ED said. The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation FIR.

GMMPL and those linked to it obtained a term loan of Rs 34.20 crore on March 15, 2011, from the State Bank of India with the objective of setting up a tetra pack milk production unit or an Ultra-Heat Treatment Plant (UHT) at Solapur in Maharashtra, it said.

"GMMPL with dishonest intention, under the guise of procurement of UHT machinery illegally diverted the term loan of Rs 20 crore into the bank accounts of other related companies," the agency alleged.

Likewise, it said, GMMPL opened nine Letters of Credit (LCs) with SBI and an amount of Rs 19,01,98,670 was discounted for the supply of butter. However, the said LC amount was not utilised for the intended purpose of butter procurement and instead was "diverted" into the bank accounts of other related companies, the ED said.

Assets worth more than Rs 39 crore belonging to the accused were attached by the ED in October 2021 as part of this investigation.
Srinagar, Aug 19 (PTI) Authorities in Jammu and Kashmirs Srinagar have taken up an ambitious project to renovate about 40 ghats as part of the Jhelum riverfront development project to restore them to their old glory.

As part of the project, under the aegis of the Srinagar Smart City Project, 20 ghats on the Jhelum River here have been restored so far.

The initiative aims to preserve these heritage sites and revive these important public spaces, reconnect the city with the river and develop infrastructure to support water transport.

Apart from being places to socialise, the ghats were important for business as well, which was done through the water transport system.

As per the riverfront development project beyond Amira Khadal to Chattabal we have around 40 ghats. Those used to be important public places and also for water transportation. Twenty of them have been restored and we will inaugurate them in a few days, chief executive officer (CEO), Srinagar Smart City Project, Athar Amir Khan told PTI here.

He said the ghats helped people to connect and socialise.

They were also used for water transportation. We are working and many of these ghats are also getting converted into boarding and deboarding points for water transportation, Khan added.

Bilal Ahmad Dar, a washerman, who works at one of such ghats, said their renovation was essential.

Ghats have significant importance as it generates employment for those who work at ghats. Renovation of ghats is essential as they are quite damaged. This step was much needed as it will help people like us to earn a livelihood. If the government will work more on ghats, it will bring in more benefits, he said.

Another washerman, Showkat Ahmad Dar, who washes shawls at one of the ghats over the river, said Kashmiri Pandits used to perform rituals at such places.

Repairing ghats is very important and they should be cleaned properly, he said.

The ghats were once the backbone of the people of Kashmir as they used to live and do trade at ghats.

In Srinagar, the artwork of Kashmir is dependent on these ghats. Significant mosques, shrines and temples are on the bank of the Jhelum River. A number of ghats have been renovated as it was an important step because it added up beauty, he said.

Mushtaq Ahmad Beig, senior supervisor at Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), said for 40 years river ghats were non-functional, but now due to the Srinagar Smart City Project, they have been renovated.

Heritage is preserved through these ghats and authorities are planning to run cruises in Jhelum river for which ghats will serve more purpose. In order to promote tourism, renovation of ghats is a good step, he said.

The renovation is also operated in the traditional way to showcase heritage. Some more work like benches are to be installed as well. When river transport will get started, their importance and use will be amplified, Beig added.

Rashid Rahil, a historian, said the renovation of ghats is a huge step in revitalising Kashmir's heritage.

In the current governor rule, many ghats have been renovated under the Srinagar Smart City Project. But, water transport has not been brought to life yet. If authorities get successful in reviving water transport and the traditional heritage of ghats, then it will be a remarkable thing. It will be a huge step in revitalising Kashmir's heritage. It is a welcome step, Rahil said.
Bareilly (UP), Aug 19 (PTI) Tension reigned in the Sheeshgarh town of the district after two teenagers from different communities made derogatory remarks about each other's religion on Instagram, police said on Saturday.

Police have detained two teens, one Hindu and one Muslim, in connection with the incident.

Around 9 pm Friday, some people from the Muslim community lodged a police complaint alleging that a 14-year-old student of Class 9 had made objectionable remarks on their religion on Instagram, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Raj Kumar Aggarwal said.

The officer said even though the Sheeshgarh Police Station assured them of action, the crowd, after coming out of the police station, surrounded the house of the teenager and raised slogans.

While the police struggled to placate the crowd, around 1.30 am, District Magistrate Shivakant Dwivedi, Commissioner Soumya Aggarwal, Inspector General of Police Dr Rakesh Singh, and other senior officers reached the spot.

The IG said 23 miscreants were detained in the matter on Saturday and heavy police force was deployed in Sheeshgarh.

Police detained the two teens late Friday night, Dr Rakesh Singh told reporters on Saturday.

The father of the Hindu teen said he was provoked by a comment made by the other boy on his religion, and when he responded to it, some people took the comment's screenshot and spread it online.

"My son's comment was made public after which there was a ruckus and the crowd gathered at my house," the man said.

Police Circle Officer (CO) Dr Tejveer Singh reached the spot after the incident was reported Friday night and called the police force from Shahi, Shergarh and Devarnia police stations. The RAF and PAC personnel were also called.

Officials battled to control the situation till midnight as the crowd sat on a dharna on the ground some distance away from the Hindu boy's house with the demand that the boy be brought out of the house.

The members of a Hindu organisation also became active at the same time. Police later brought both the boys and their fathers, and detained them only after the crowd was dispersed.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bareilly, Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said videography of the entire incident has been done and action has been initiated against those who spoiled the atmosphere.

Police said the matter is under control and there is peace.
New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) A special PMLA court in Punjab's Jalandhar has convicted a man on money laundering charges for smuggling narcotic drugs, the Enforcement Directorate said on Saturday.

Navdeep Singh has been sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 3.5 years along with a fine of Rs 50,000 after the court found him guilty under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The sentencing was pronounced by the court on August 17 and it added that if the fine is not paid, the accused will have to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for three months, the central agency said in a statement.

The court also allowed the confiscation of assets worth Rs 9 lakh of the accused that was earlier seized by the ED.

The money laundering case stems from a 2017 Punjab Police FIR, filed under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, against the accused and others.

According to the police investigation, the ED said, Navdeep Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Pal Singh (now deceased) in connivance with Rupinder Singh alias Rob Sidhu, a Canadian citizen, used to "smuggle" heroin.
Hoshiarpur/Ferozepur/Gurdaspur (Pb), Aug 19 (PTI) Water receded at many flood-hit areas in Punjab even as rescue and relief operations by teams of National Disaster Response Force, Army and Border Security Force continued on Saturday, officials.

Around 150 villages in districts including Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Rupnagar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, were impacted following the release of excess water from the Pong and the Bhakra dams.

After the release of surplus water from the two reservoirs on August 14, the water level in Beas and Sutlej rivers had risen, flooding the low lying areas and also which are located near the banks.

In Ferozepur, several villages situated near the Sutlej river continued to remain inundated.

The district administration with the help of NDRF, Army and BSF rescued more than 2,500 villagers belonging to Kamale Wala, Ali ke, Gatti Raji ke, New Gatti Rajo ke, Chandi Wala, Jhugge Hajara Singh Wala, Jallo ke, Bhane Wala, Bhakhra, Tendi Wala, Metab Singh, Sheene Wala, Churi Wala, Khunder Gatti, New Bare ke, Peer Ismail Khan, Machhiwara and other villages during the last two days.

The 'Samadhi' of 'Punjab Mata' Vidyavati (mother of Shaheed Bhagat Singh) situated near national martyrs' memorial, and open air theatre where the light and sound show used to take place, got submerged up to six feet.

The villagers, who had been rescued by the administration, took shelter at the national martyrs' memorial.

More than 2.30 lakh cusecs water was released from Harike headworks downstream on Saturday while 2.82 lakh cusecs water was released from Hussainiwala headworks downstream, the officials said.

Ferozepur deputy commissioner Rajesh Dhiman said the evacuation of the villagers to relief camps is the first priority of the administration.

"We are also trying to provide dry ration for the villagers and green fodder for their animals also with the help of various non-government organisations," Dhiman said.

The residents belonging to the flood affected villages are recalling the terrifying memories of 1988 floods when the entire Ferozepur had got submerged in floods.

"I still remember the chaos of 1988 floods when this entire area had got submerged into water up to 5-6 feet. Though every year we face situations of floods in this area but this year, it reminded me of 1988 fury," said Sucha Singh (70), a resident of Village New Gatti Rajo ke.

Gurdaspur DC Himanshu Aggarwal said it was a matter of relief that floodwaters have receded in most of the areas.

Power supply has also been restored, he stated, adding that the work on plugging a breach along the Bear river is 90 per cent complete.

Officials concerned have been assigned the duty of assessing the losses caused by the floodwaters, he added.

However, the DC said the assessment of crop damage will be done once the water recedes from fields.

In Hoshiarpur, the situation has started improving in flood-hit areas of Talwara, Mukerian, Dasuya, and Tanda.

Hoshiapur DC Komal Mittal said flood waters have receded significantly, and residents have returned to their homes from relief camps, except for the village of Abdullapur in the Tanda area.

The department is making arrangements to address post-flood challenges, including preventing waterborne diseases that often occur after floods, the officials said.

The assessment of damage to houses in all the affected villages is going on, they further said.

Several relief camps are still operational in the flood-affected regions, Mittal said.

An incident of theft was reported from the Fatta Chak village, where valuables were stolen from a house in the absence of the owners.

The residents had evacuated their house and moved to a safer location due to the floods.

The administration has notified the police about this incident, and an investigation is currently underway.

In Kapurthala, more than 150 people were rescued from the flood-hit areas of Baupur village.

Officials said more than 450 people have been rescued in the last three days.

Six teams of the Army and NDRF were also carrying out the relief work and supplying cooked food with the help of motorboats.

Irrigation Department Principal Secretary Krishan Kumar, along with a team of officers of the drainage department, visited the Goindwal bridge to assess the damage caused by the floods.

Forty-five villages have been affected by the floodwaters of the Beas river and paddy crops sown in the affected villages have been submerged.
This photo taken on Aug. 10, 2023 shows the view of Johannesburg, South Africa. (Xinhua)

"It's a major event. We're expecting it to boost our tourism," said the CEO of Tourism Business Council of South Africa.

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) expects that the upcoming BRICS summit can boost tourism revenue of the country.

TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa told Xinhua in an interview that they are looking to the summit to bring in more tourists.

"It's a major event. We're expecting it to boost our tourism. The booking of conference space, restaurants, and hotels will bring in a lot of revenue," Tshivhengwa said.

"We need to look beyond the traditional areas that bring in tourists; we need to focus on countries like China to bring more tourists to the country," he said, adding that South Africa ought to make it simple for Chinese tourists to travel to the country.

Tourists are seen on a sightseeing bus in Cape Town, South Africa, July 17, 2023. (Photo by Xabiso Mkhabela/Xinhua)

The 15th BRICS Summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from Aug. 22 to 24.

According to Tshivhengwa, around 93,000 Chinese visitors visited South Africa in 2019. The pandemic interrupted tourism, despite South Africa's efforts to draw tourists from China.

In the first quarter of 2023, foreign direct spending skyrocketed to 25.3 billion rand (1.3 billion U.S. dollars), up by 143.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Tourism Department's report on International Spending and Tourism Impact.

Dancers interact with tourists from China during a welcoming ceremony at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on March 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

Thandiwe Mathibela, a spokesperson for South Africa tourism, told Xinhua that the country had started to welcome visitors from China in March this year.

"Events are always the biggest drivers of tourists. People may come to an event for the first time, and they will want to come again to experience the country. Some delegates come with their families," she said. 
Jammu, Aug 19 (PTI) The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested from Delhi a key accused in a case linked to smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, officials said.

Mohammad Javed, a resident of Poonch, had fled the scene after his three accomplices were arrested along with a huge cache of arms, explosives and narcotics near the border fence in Karmara area of Poonch on the intervening night of May 30 and 31, the officials said.

They said the SIA, after taking over the case on July 6, located the presence of the absconding accused in Delhi and he was subsequently arrested by its special team.

Earlier, Mohd Farooq (26), Mohd Riaz (23) and Mohd Zubair (22) were arrested by the Army along with an AK assault rifle, two pistols, six grenades, a 10-kg IED and 20 packets of suspected heroin while they were trying to smuggle the material from across the LoC into this side.

The investigation of the case is on and some more arrests are expected on the disclosure of Javed, the officials said.

Last month, the SIA conducted raids at several places in Poonch for three consecutive days from July 26 to 28 following recovery of seven kilograms of heroin, more than Rs 2 crore and a pistol along with some ammunition from the house of notorious drug peddler Rafiq Lala in Danna Doyiyan area of Sathra on March 3.

Lala was arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) early this year. However, the SIA had taken his remand on July 1 for questioning over his alleged links across the border.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
Kottayam (Kerala), Aug 19 (PTI) The Congress on Saturday termed as "strange" the charges of non-cooperation levelled by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal against its MPs in getting deserved allocations from the Centre, and said he was trying to cover up his own incompetence by raising baseless allegations.

Categorically rejecting the minister's charge that none of the Congress-led UDF MPs had gone to submit a memorandum to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman detailing the state's demands, the grand old party said they were not invited by him for the purpose.

There was no need for any UDF MPs to go for handing over the memorandum without any proper invitation, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said here.

"The state Finance Minister's allegation that the non-cooperation by the UDF MPs in submitting a complaint to the Centre is the cause of the state's financial crisis is strange," he told reporters.

At the onset, it should be made clear why the Centre was denying funds to the state, he said.

The LoP further said the opposition had warned several times inside and outside the Assembly that thousands of crores of rupees borrowed outside the state budget for the Kerala State Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) and pension fund would finally come under the budget limit.

The alarming financial position of the state was also mentioned in the White Papers released by the Congress-UDF recently, he pointed out.

"The current fiscal crisis is due to the state government's mismanagement and failure in collecting taxes," Satheesan alleged.

When GST came to existence, all states had changed their tax collection system but Kerala was reluctant to do it and so the state had no tax revenue now, he further charged.

The southern state should have received the highest tax revenue through GST but it receives only less than 10 per cent now, he said and alleged that though tax collection is less, extravagance and corruption are high in the state.

The mismanagement and indiscriminate borrowing outside the budget during the time of the first Pinarayi Vijayan government have pushed the state to the present financial crisis, Satheesan said.

But still the government was trying to blame the opposition MPs for the same, the Congress leader said adding that Balagopal had no idea how to tackle the situation.

Balagopal on Friday had attacked the Centre for reducing the state's tax share and borrowing limit, and accused opposition UDF MPs of not cooperating with the Kerala government to get the deserved benefits from the Union government.

He alleged that the Centre is trying to impose economic sanctions on Kerala and that the UDF MPs, led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, are doing nothing for the state.

Though the UDF MPs had agreed to stand united on the financial issues being faced by the state, none of them agreed to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sign the memorandum to be submitted to her recently, the minister alleged.

During the recent MPs conference convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here, the Congress parliamentarians had assured all support to stand united to protect the interests of the state, he said.

But neither the 18 Lok Sabha MPs of the UDF nor their Rajya Sabha colleagues turned up to meet the Union Finance Minister to apprise her of Kerala's financial position and to pressure her to release the state's dues, Balagopal had charged.
Bengaluru, Aug 19 (PTI) The Karnataka Cabinet on Saturday directed the Advocate General to file the state's appeal before the Supreme Court on August 21 regarding the release of Cauvery river water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu had approached the Supreme Court with a plea to direct Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of Cauvery water daily for standing crops. Karnataka has been maintaining that it will be able to release water to Tamil Nadu taking into account its needs like drinking water and standing crops in the Cauvery basin areas citing scarcity due to deficit monsoon rains.

"The Advocate General was invited to today's cabinet. He has been directed to file the state's appeal before the Supreme Court on Monday," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said.

Briefing reporters about the cabinet decisions, Patil said, "He (AG) has been asked to file an appeal with all the detailed information based on the existing situation."

Not willing to share any details, the minister in response to a question said, "As we are filing an appeal before the Supreme Court, I don't want to indulge in any discussion, as the court should not say you have told the press and you are coming before us."

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Water Resources department, following Tamil Nadu approaching the SC, had on Tuesday said Karnataka would release 10 tmc ft of water from the Cauvery basin to the neighbouring state, while maintaining that the state doesn't have sufficient water in dams to meet its requirements like drinking water and agriculture due to deficit monsoon.

On Friday, he said the Karnataka government has written to the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) requesting it to review the order directing the state to release 10,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu on a daily basis for the next 15 days.

Responding to a question on the opposition BJP calling for 'Mandya bandh' next week in protest against the release of water to Tamil Nadu, Patil said: "The Chief Minister has already expressed his intention to call an all-party meeting to discuss Cauvery issues. As the all-party meeting will be happening, there is no need for any protest or agitation. I request everyone to maintain peace as there will be an opportunity to discuss (the issue) at the meeting."

The date of the all-party meeting will be announced soon, he said.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. High 53F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low near 50F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.




An Israeli father and son from Ashdod were murdered in a shooting attack in Huwara on Shabbos afternoon.

The terrorist fled the scene following the attack in the direction of Shechem. A large number of Israeli security forces launched a manhunt after him that was still underway on Motzei Shabbos.

An initial investigation revealed that the father, 60, and his son, 28, were in the area getting their car washed. The terrorist arrived at the car wash on foot and shot them at point-blank range.

It was an execution, an Israeli security official said. A very short-range shooting. It was not a random act. The terrorist reportedly confirmed the mens identity as Jews [rather than Arab-Israelis] before shooting them.

The IDF and Shin Bet arrested several suspects at the car wash and transferred them for questioning on the suspicion that one or more of them contacted the terrorist to inform him of the presence of Jews in the car wash. According to reports, the Israelis were in Huwara for several hours getting the air conditioner in their car repaired and buying car accessories prior to entering the car wash, and were standing next to their car when they were gunned down at about 3 p.m.

The victims were identified on Motzei Shabbos as Shai Nigerkar, Hyd, and his son, Aviad Nir, Hyd. A relative told Ynet: Were in complete shock, were devastated. Aviads wife spoke to him a few minutes before the attack, the attack was literally a few seconds after they spoke, he had just hung up. This is an unfathomable tragedy. The family is falling apart.

There have been many warnings of attacks in northern Shomron in recent days, some of which were thwarted.

Huwara has been the scene of numerous terror attacks since the beginning of the year, including six shooting attacks, two ramming attacks, and two stabbing attacks, resulting in the murder of four Israelis, including the Yaniv brothers, and the injury of eight Israelis. Jews living in the Shomron must pass through Huwara on a regular basis as a major road, Route 60, passes through the area. The area is heavily protected by the IDF but since the majority of the Jews in the Shomron are religious, there is a lesser IDF presence on Shabbos.

Arabs lost no time in celebrating the murders by handing out pastries.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip celebrate the terrorist attack in Huwara where a Jewish father and his son were murdered. They celebrate death, we celebrate life. That's the difference. pic.twitter.com/o4hF0D3zsm  Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) August 19, 2023

(YWNs Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis haShabbos in Israel)
Almost four in five people eligible for 400 energy bill help from the Government never got the money, according to charity Age UK.

Age UK says more than half a million homes have lost out on the cash, which was meant to be handed out through the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund (EBSS AF).

This gave 400 of Government cash to households without direct control of mains electricity or gas, such as elderly people in care homes, those in assisted living, traveller camps and tenants with all-inclusive rents.

On the brink: Many Britons in need have not claimed 400 in Government energy bill help, including people in care homes and assisted living

But unlike other Government energy bill help schemes, the EBSS AF has to be claimed and is not paid out automatically.

Only 17 per cent of households have claimed the money they are entitled to, according to Freedom of Information requests from Age UK.

The unspent cash totals 300million, with only 150,000 out of 883,000 eligible homes getting the money, according to Age UK.

Eligible care home residents were the least likely to get the 400, with only around one in 14 of them (7 per cent) receiving the 400 energy help.

This compares to around a third of park home and houseboat residents (35 per cent) and over half of eligible heat network users (58 per cent).

The need for this extra funding certainly hasn't gone away, and that's why we think the Government should try again to get the money out to everyone in line for it Age UK

Age UK is calling on the Government to make applying for the cash easier to help boost the number of homes getting the help.

Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams said: 'Unfortunately, we have now established that most older people who receive their energy indirectly and who were eligible for 400 to help them with their bills, never actually received their money. In fact, almost four in five of them totally missed out.

'The need for this extra funding certainly hasn't gone away and that's why we think the Government should try again to get the money out to everyone in line for it, rather than giving it up as a bad job, to the benefit of Treasury coffers but at the expense of older people in need. It's not too late for Ministers to act and we very much hope they will.'

Age UK is urging any older person living on a low income or struggling with their bills to contact Age UK's free Advice line on 0800 169 65 65 to check they're receiving all the financial support available.

Alternatively, people can visit the Age UK website or contact their local Age UK team for information and advice.

The Government's Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund closed at the end of May

A Government spokesperson said: 'We spent billions to protect families when prices rose over winter, covering nearly half a typical household's energy bill  this includes more than 60million supporting over 140,000 households without a domestic electricity supplier.

'We used a range of methods to communicate the scheme with as many eligible households as possible, so they could apply to access this vital energy bills support  including a contact centre and requesting councils to write to eligible care homes and park home sites.

'We recommend that any household that did not apply should visit our webpage to view what other support they may be eligible to receive.'

What is the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund?

Most UK properties got 400million in Government energy bill help in the form of energy bill rebates.

That programme, called the Energy Bills Support Scheme, gave monthly payments to properties with mains electricity from October 2022 until March 2023.

Those with pre-payment meters got 400 in the form of vouchers.

But the Energy Bills Support Scheme leaves out people without mains electricity, and in some cases gas.

That includes those living in park homes and houseboats, who may use bottled gas for heating and cooking, and who might not have mains electricity either.

It also includes people without a direct link to an energy firm, such as those living in care homes and properties with all-inclusive rents.

In response, the Government launched the EBSS AF. Applications for the 400 closed at the end of May this year.
S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)
NextEra Energy, Inc. is the largest electric utility holding company in the US. It operates a network of power generation and distribution facilities that include fossil-fuel-generated and green energy. As of mid-2022, the company was capable of generating 58 GW of electricity with nearly 60% of the load produced by green sources including wind and solar. In their view, going green isnt an option, its the solution. NextEra Energy has been recognized multiple times as a leader in clean energy and ESG practices and was ranked the #1 electric and gas utility on the Forbes list of Most Admired Companies.

The company is the result of several mergers that begin with FPL Group. FPL Group is now a subsidiary of NextEra Energy and the third-largest provider of electricity in the US servicing nearly half of Florida. FPL and its affiliates are the single largest provider of renewable energy generated from wind and sun. The group changed its name in 2010 following a decision to shift focus onto renewable energy sources.

Today, NextEra Energy, Inc through its subsidiary FPL serves about 12 million people in eastern and southwestern Florida. The company employs nearly 14,900 people who service 5.8 million accounts. The company is in business to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to retail and wholesale clients. Electricity is generated through wind, solar, nuclear, natural gas, and coal-fired facilities.

The company is also engaged in the construction and operation of new facilities, specifically renewable power generation, storage, and delivery facilities, and can offer custom solutions tailored to any need. Offerings include tailored services to assist businesses with their transition to clean energy.

NextEra Energy also owns and operates 7 nuclear power stations in Florida, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin generating power for the wholesale market.

Unlike other companies that are targeting net-zero emissions, NextEra Energy has a plan to reach real zero and is investing heavily to reach that goal by 2045. The company had invested nearly $50 billion in green energy infrastructure and initiatives by mid-2022. The plan is to first work on reducing its own emissions and then take its knowledge and expertise to the world.
ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations said it is providing aid for vulnerable people across Ethiopia as 1.2 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.

The UN, in a statement issued late Friday attributed to Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, said it is working in collaboration with partners in responding to disease outbreaks and an ongoing food insecurity crisis across the East African country, which has left 1.2 million children suffering severe acute malnutrition.

The country was deeply impacted by a brutal conflict, which began in 2020 across the north between federal government forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), although a peace deal between the sides was brokered by the African Union (AU), ending the fighting last November.

Dujarric said humanitarians were providing medical supplies, logistics support and boosting communications efforts in response to a cholera outbreak in Oromia, Sidama and Somali regions.

Dujarric cited Ethiopian government figures, which indicated that more than 16,800 cases of cholera have been reported in the country, including 212 related deaths as of Aug. 2.

"We are also providing medical supplies for the response to malaria which, as of July 30, has impacted over 1.7 million people and claimed 200 lives," the statement quoted Dujarric as saying.

He said more than 30 UN agencies and international and national non-governmental organizations are working hard to combat the effects of malnutrition, which remains a concern in several regions including Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, South West and Tigray regions.

"Our humanitarian colleagues noted that timely food assistance, prepositioning of emergency drugs, and medical supplies for impacted people are necessary," Dujarric said. 
Analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP  Get Free Report) in a report released on Thursday. The firm set a hold rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on TAP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Molson Coors Beverage from $72.00 to $69.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Bank of America boosted their target price on Molson Coors Beverage from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reiterated a positive rating on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a research report on Wednesday, June 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Molson Coors Beverage from $70.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Molson Coors Beverage from $67.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Molson Coors Beverage presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $64.69.

Get Molson Coors Beverage alerts:

View Our Latest Report on Molson Coors Beverage

Molson Coors Beverage Stock Down 6.3 %

Molson Coors Beverage stock opened at $59.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Molson Coors Beverage has a 1-year low of $46.69 and a 1-year high of $70.90. The company has a market cap of $12.77 billion, a PE ratio of 369.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.86. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $63.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.47.

Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. Molson Coors Beverage had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 0.31%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Molson Coors Beverage will post 5.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Molson Coors Beverage

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KWB Wealth boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 3.5% in the second quarter. KWB Wealth now owns 4,706 shares of the companys stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 12.7% in the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 1,521 shares of the companys stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 0.5% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 39,371 shares of the companys stock worth $2,592,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 0.4% in the first quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 48,740 shares of the companys stock worth $2,519,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 1.3% in the first quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,940 shares of the companys stock worth $824,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 73.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Molson Coors Beverage

(Get Free Report)

Molson Coors Beverage Company manufactures, markets, and sells beer and other malt beverage products under various brands in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers flavored malt beverages including hard seltzers, craft, and ready to drink beverages. It provides its products under Aspall Cider, Blue Moon, Coors Original, Hop Valley brands, Leinenkugel's, Miller Genuine Draft, Molson Ultra, Sharp's, Staropramen, and Vizzy Hard Seltzer above premier brands; Bergenbier, Borsodi, Carling, Coors Banquet, Coors Light, Jelen, Kamenitza, Miller Lite, Molson Canadian Lager, Molson Dry, Molson Export, and Niksicko, Ozujsko under the premium brands; and Branik, Icehouse, Keystone, Miller High Life, Milwaukee's Best, and Steel Reserve under the economy brands.

Further Reading

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, also known as TD Bank, is a Canadian multinational bank that provides a wide range of financial services to customers in Canada, the United States, and worldwide. The bank was founded in 1855 in Toronto, Canada, and has since grown to become one of the largest banks in North America, with over 85,000 employees and more than 26 million customers. TD Bank is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and has additional offices in New York City and other major cities throughout the United States.

TD Bank's key highlights and achievements include its status as the sixth-largest bank in North America by assets, its recognition as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for 20 consecutive years, and its commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

The management team at TD Bank is led by Chief Executive Officer Bharat Masrani, who has been with the company for over 30 years and has held various senior leadership positions before being appointed CEO in 2014.

Regarding financial performance, TD Bank has delivered consistent results over the past few years, with revenue and net income increasing yearly for the past several years. The bank's profit margins have also remained robust, with an average net profit margin of 25%. However, TD Bank has also faced challenges related to debt levels and changes in ownership, with a recent decrease in ownership by TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. Regarding valuation, TD Bank's price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios align with industry peers. The company's market performance has also been relatively stable, with modest price movements and steady trading volume over the past few years.

TD Bank operates in a highly competitive and regulated industry, with other major players, including the Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The broader banking industry is also subject to regulatory and political issues, such as changes in interest rates and financial regulations.

Despite these challenges, TD Bank has identified growth opportunities in new markets and product areas. These include launching new digital banking services and expanding the bank's presence in key markets such as the United States and Asia. TD Bank has also made several acquisitions in recent years, including the addition of Scottrade Bank in 2017 and the purchase of Chrysler Financial in 2011.

However, TD Bank also faces several risks and challenges, such as changes in consumer preferences and increased competition from fintech startups. The bank's focus on sustainability and corporate responsibility also presents risks related to environmental and social factors, such as climate change and social inequality. There are also recession risks involved. TD Bank could face challenges if there is a downturn in the economy.
The following companies are subsidiares of Rite Aid: 1515 West State Street Boise Idaho LLC, 1740 Associates LLC, 4042 Warrensville Center RoadWarrensville Ohio Inc., 5277 Associates Inc., 5600 Superior Properties Inc., Advance Benefits LLC, Apex Drug Stores Inc., Ascend Health Technology LLC, Bartell Drugs, Broadview and WallingsBroadview Heights Ohio Inc., Design Rx Holdings LLC, Design Rx LLC, Design Rxclusives LLC, Drug Palace Inc., EDC Drug Stores Inc., Eckerd Corporation, Edgehill Drugs, Elixir Holdings LLC, Elixir Insurance Company, Elixir Pharmacy LLC, Elixir Puerto Rico Inc., Elixir Rx Options LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions of Nevada LLC, Elixir Rx Solutions LLC, Elixir Savings LLC, Envision Pharmaceutical, First Florida Insurers of Tampa LLC, GDF Inc., Genovese Drug Stores Inc., Gettysburg and Hoover-Dayton Ohio LLC, Grand River & Fenkell LLC, Harco, Harco Inc., Health Dialog, Health Dialog Services Corporation, Hunter Lane LLC, ILG  90 B Avenue Lake Oswego LLC, JCG Holdings USA Inc., JCG PJC USA LLC, K&B Alabama Corporation, K&B Incorporated, K&B Industries, K&B Louisiana Corporation, K&B Mississippi Corporation, K&B Services Incorporated, K&B Tennessee Corporation, K&B Texas Corporation, LMW  90B Avenue Lake Oswego Inc., Lakehurst and Broadway Corporation, Laker Software LLC, Maxi Drug North Inc., Maxi Drug South L.P., Maxi Drug Inc., Maxi Green Inc., Munson & Andrews LLC, Name Rite LLC, P.J.C. Distribution Inc., P.J.C. Realty Co. Inc., PCS Health Systems, PDS-1 Michigan Inc., PJC Lease Holdings Inc., PJC Manchester Realty LLC, PJC Peterborough Realty LLC, PJC Realty MA Inc., PJC Revere Realty LLC, PJC Special Realty Holdings Inc., PJC of Massachusetts Inc., PJC of Rhode Island Inc., PJC of Vermont Inc., Perry Distributors Inc., Perry Drug Stores Inc., RCMH LLC, RDS Detroit Inc., READs Inc., RediClinic, RediClinic Associates Inc., RediClinic US LLC, RediClinic of DC LLC, RediClinic of DE LLC, RediClinic of Dallas Forth-Worth LLC, RediClinic of MD LLC, RediClinic of PA LLC, RediClinic of VA LLC, RediClinic LLC, Richfield Road  Flint Michigan LLC, Rite Aid Drug Palace Inc., Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Corp., Rite Aid Hdqtrs. Funding Inc., Rite Aid Lease Management Company, Rite Aid Online Store Inc., Rite Aid Payroll Management Inc., Rite Aid Realty Corp., Rite Aid Rome Distribution Center Inc., Rite Aid Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Rite Aid Transport Inc., Rite Aid of Connecticut Inc., Rite Aid of Delaware Inc., Rite Aid of Georgia Inc., Rite Aid of Indiana Inc., Rite Aid of Kentucky Inc., Rite Aid of Maine Inc., Rite Aid of Maryland Inc., Rite Aid of Michigan Inc., Rite Aid of New Hampshire Inc., Rite Aid of New Jersey Inc., Rite Aid of New York Inc., Rite Aid of North Carolina Inc., Rite Aid of Ohio Inc., Rite Aid of Pennsylvania LLC, Rite Aid of South Carolina Inc., Rite Aid of Tennessee Inc., Rite Aid of Vermont Inc., Rite Aid of Virginia Inc., Rite Aid of Washington D.C. Inc., Rite Aid of West Virginia Inc., Rite Investments Corp., Rite Investments Corp. LLC, Rx Choice Inc., Rx Initiatives LLC, Rx USA Inc., The Bartell Drug Company, The Jean Coutu Group PJC USA Inc., The Lane Drug Company, Thrift Drug Inc., Thrifty Corporation, Thrifty PayLess Inc., and Tonic Procurement Solutions LLC.

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STAG Industrial, Inc. is a leading real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in acquiring, owning, and operating industrial properties across the United States. The company has become a key player in the industrial real estate market with a robust portfolio of strategically located assets.

STAG Industrial identifies industrial properties with relative value across various locations, property types, and tenants. Its mission is to be a disciplined, relative value investor and a leading owner and operator of industrial properties in the United States. The company operates under the REIT structure, which provides tax advantages and requires it to distribute a significant portion of its income to shareholders. STAG Industrial owns a diversified portfolio of 562 buildings in 41 states, with approximately 111.7 million rentable square feet. Its portfolio consists primarily of warehouse/distribution buildings, light manufacturing buildings, flex/office buildings, and value-add portfolio buildings. With a high occupancy rate of approximately 98.5% as of December 31, 2022, the company has effectively leased its properties to a mix of single and multi-tenant tenants, ensuring a balanced revenue stream.

A highly experienced management team leads STAG Industrial with a deep understanding of the industrial real estate market. Benjamin S. Butcher is the Executive Chairman, providing strategic guidance and industry expertise. William R. Crooker, the Chief Executive Officer and President, brings strong leadership and a track record of success in the industrial property sector.

STAG Industrial has demonstrated consistent growth and financial strength. In recent years, the company has achieved impressive revenue and earnings figures. Furthermore, STAG Industrial maintains a healthy profit margin, indicating efficient property management and operational excellence. The company's prudent capital structure, with a low debt-to-equity ratio, demonstrates a balanced approach to financing its operations.

The industrial real estate market is vital to the broader commercial real estate sector, and STAG Industrial operates within a highly competitive landscape. The demand for industrial properties has increased, driven by factors such as e-commerce growth, supply chain optimization, and the expansion of logistics and distribution networks. As companies strive to meet the evolving needs of consumers, the demand for strategically located warehouses and distribution centers has increased significantly.

STAG Industrial is well-positioned in this dynamic market, with its diverse portfolio of industrial properties spread across key locations throughout the United States. The company's focus on acquiring properties offering relative value allows it to capitalize on market opportunities and enhance its competitive advantage. By maintaining a solid tenant mix and avoiding dependence on any single tenant or industry, STAG Industrial mitigates risks associated with tenant turnover or industry-specific downturns.

STAG Industrial has identified several growth opportunities that can fuel its future success. The company aims to leverage its expertise and market knowledge to identify and acquire industrial properties with strong income-generating potential. The ongoing expansion of e-commerce and the increasing demand for last-mile delivery facilities present significant growth prospects. STAG Industrial can seize these opportunities by strategically acquiring properties near densely populated areas or regions with robust logistics and distribution networks.

Additionally, the company can pursue growth through portfolio optimization and value-add initiatives. By re-leasing single-tenant properties to multiple tenants or implementing property improvements, STAG Industrial can enhance rental income and property value. The company's fully-integrated acquisition, leasing, and asset management platform and experienced management team provide a solid foundation for executing these growth strategies.

While STAG Industrial has demonstrated resilience and growth potential, it is not immune to risks and challenges inherent in the industry. Changes in economic conditions, including recessions or slowdowns, could impact the demand for industrial properties and potentially affect the company's rental income and occupancy rates. Moreover, regulatory changes, environmental regulations, or zoning restrictions could create hurdles in property acquisitions and operations.

Additionally, STAG Industrial faces competition from other REITs, institutional investors, and private equity firms active in the industrial real estate market. Intense competition could impact property acquisition opportunities and potentially affect rental rates. The company must continue to identify and acquire properties that offer value and maintain a disciplined approach to portfolio management.
Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows ruins of the largest existing former poison gas storage depot on Okunoshima Island, Takeshara City, Japan. (Xinhua/Feng Wuyong)

As Japan's historical education focuses on the victim's narrative while neglecting its past as a perpetrator, most visitors are aware of "rabbit island" but remain oblivious to the dark history of the "poison gas island," said Masayuki Yamauchi, director of the Poison Gas Island Historical Research Institute.



TAKEHARA, Japan, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Nestled within the serene waters of Japan's Seto Inland Sea lies Okunoshima Island, a seemingly idyllic island with bouncing rabbits and cartoon bunny icons at every turn, but history unveils a much darker truth: the island was once a major hub for the production of chemical warfare agents.

Known as "poison gas island," Okunoshima is also where poison gas used to be manufactured for Japan's invasive war against China.

Joining a group of anti-war activists, peace advocates, scholars, and students, Xinhua visited the island on Aug. 15, the 78th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender during World War II (WWII), to uncover its hidden history.

A 10-minute boat ride from Tadanoumi Port in Takehara City brings visitors to Okunoshima, where children can be seen gleefully chasing rabbits and feeding them. Little did they know that rabbits were once victims of a war of invasion.

Between 1929 and 1945, Japan produced a significant amount of chemical agents in defiance of international bans, with nearly 90 percent of them originating from Okunoshima. The island housed around 200 rabbits used for testing the efficacy of poison gases.

In an attempt to cover up their chemical warfare crimes after their defeat, Japan exterminated all experimental rabbits. Rabbits seen on the island nowadays were later introduced to attract tourists.

Masayuki Yamauchi, 78, is director of the Poison Gas Island Historical Research Institute, a civic group that gives tours of the poison gas facilities. He has been sharing the history of the "poison gas island" for 25 years.

Masayuki Yamauchi, director of the Poison Gas Island Historical Research Institute, shows the map of the poison gas factory on Okunoshima Island, Takeshara City, Japan, Aug. 15, 2023. (Xinhua/Feng Wuyong)

As Japan's historical education focuses on the victim's narrative while neglecting its past as a perpetrator, most visitors are aware of "rabbit island" but remain oblivious to the dark history of the "poison gas island," Yamauchi told Xinhua.

Records indicate that the Japanese Imperial Army established a chemical gas factory on Okunoshima in 1927. From 1929 to Japan's surrender in 1945, over 6,000 people worked in the factory, producing poison gas that was transported continuously to the Chinese battlefields. Documented instances of Japanese chemical gas warfare on Chinese soil numbered more than 1,241, resulting in over 200,000 casualties among the Chinese military and civilians.

During the years of aggression, the Japanese government wiped Okunoshima off maps to protect its secrecy and banned entrance to the island without the permission of the military minister. This suppression of its aggressive history somehow persists to this day.

The Poison Gas Museum was established on the island in 1988, built through grassroots efforts and fundraising by peace advocates. The museum displays equipment for poison gas production, remnants of gas shells, gas masks, and documents ordering the use of gas in China, among others.

Visitors are strictly prohibited from taking unauthorized photographs within the museum. Sources familiar with the matter told Xinhua that permission from the mayor of Takehara City is required for photography, a hurdle most tourists cannot overcome. As a result, despite the museum's existence, a majority of Japanese visitors remain unaware of the island's sinister history.

"This essentially shifts the responsibility of reflecting on the war to the public, while granting the government the power to conceal history," remarked Chinese Consul General in Osaka Xue Jian.

Okunoshima, only tens of kilometers away from the city of Hiroshima with convenient transportation, receives drastically different treatment from the Japanese government and society compared to Hiroshima.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows storage tanks for toxic agents at the Okunoshima Island Poison Gas Museum on Okunoshima Island, Takeshara City, Japan. (Xinhua/Feng Wuyong)

Hiroshima city, which was hit by the atomic bomb, has been carefully crafted as a symbol of war victims, and the site of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima has been carefully protected as a world cultural heritage. However, the historical legacy of the "poison gas island" just a short distance away is rarely visited.

"Maybe one day, bad politicians in Japan will wipe out what's left of this place," Yamauchi said worriedly.

Yamauchi also pointed out that the Japanese government enacted laws to compensate victims of the atomic bomb after the war, but those who suffered from the after-effects of the production of poison gas on Okunoshima were not compensated because the Japanese government did not want to disclose the dark history of the "poison gas island."

President of Fukuyama City University Toshiyuki Sato, who also joined the trip to the island, said that Japanese people should not only know the history of suffering from the atomic bombing but also must not forget the history of Japanese victimization similar to the "poison gas island."

In fact, the "poison gas island" has not completely become history. The chemical weapons produced here and abandoned by the Japanese army are still endangering the Chinese people.

On the eve of Japan's defeat in WWII, the Japanese army buried or abandoned a large number of unused chemical weapons on the spot in order to cover up their crimes and avoid accountability. These chemical weapons were found in over 120 locations across China in 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Since Japan's defeat, abandoned chemical weapons have caused more than 2,000 Chinese casualties.

For a long period of time after the war, the Japanese government always avoided addressing the issue of abandoned chemical weapons in China. It was not until the late 1990s, under pressure from China and the international community, that the Japanese government signed a memorandum of understanding with China on the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons in China.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2023 shows the Okunoshima Island Poison Gas Museum on Okunoshima Island, Takeshara City, Japan. (Xinhua/Feng Wuyong)

However, due to Japan's lack of sense of urgency and insufficient human and financial input, the destruction of abandoned chemical weapons has been delayed and overdue four times. In July this year, the Japanese government decided to significantly delay the completion of the work to 2027.

"We once again strongly urge the Japanese side to earnestly fulfill its responsibilities and obligations, comprehensively increase its input, speed up the work of the whole chain, clean up and completely eliminate the poisoning of Japanese abandoned chemical weapons at an early date, return a piece of pure land to the Chinese people, and ease the war pain of the Chinese people," said Xue.
Ford Motor Company is the second largest US auto manufacturer by market cap and market share and ranks 4th globally. The company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford following a series of cars that led to the introduction of the Model T. The Model T revolutionized the automobile industry not only because it made vehicles affordable for the budding middle class but it changed the way manufacturing was done. The Ford factory features the worlds first moving assembly line, an introduction that not only improved the pace of production but lowered the cost of its vehicles.

Other prominent innovations made by Mr. Ford include the strict standardization of parts that allowed for easy construction and repair and the standardized workweek. Henry Fords switch to a $5 workday and 8-hour shifts allowed him to run 3 shifts per day and improve productivity while providing his employees with the power to buy their own products.

Today, Ford Motor Company makes and markets a large lineup of cars, trucks, SUVs, EVs, and Lincoln luxury vehicles globally. The companys iconic F-series of trucks is the worlds best-selling pickup truck for decades running and the new all-electric Lightning is on track to dominate the top spot in the EV market. Other iconic brands in the Ford lineup include the Thunderbird introduced in 1954, the Mustang in 1964, and the Transit work van in 1965. The Mustang, notably, was created for the Worlds Fair and expected to sell 100,000 in its first year but shocked the industry with 22,000 units sold on the first day.

The company operates through four segments including Ford Blue (ICE vehicles), Model e (EVs) Mobility, and Ford Credit. The Ford Blue and Model e segments sell Ford and Lincoln vehicles, parts, and accessories while the Mobility segment designs and builds advanced technologies including but not limited to self-driving autonomous car systems.

The Ford Credit segment primarily offers commercial and retail loans to auto dealers and car buyers. This segment not only provides financing for new purchases and dealer inventory but makes loans for new dealerships and expansions of old ones.

Ford has fully embraced the switch to EV and is planning for an all-EV future. To that end, the company pledged to spend up to $50 billion on EV infrastructure by 2026. The plans include the build-out of an entirely new campus dedicated to EV manufacture from batteries to motor platforms, manufacturing capacity, and new vehicles. In regard to total capacity, the company is targeting 2 million in total annual EV sales by that same year.
BRICS countries are playing an increasingly important role in the international arena, with many countries intending to join the bloc, Baris Doster, a scholar with the Istanbul-based Marmara University, told Xinhua in a recent interview. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service












Staff members presents donations to displaced people in Kerawa, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

by Arison Tamfu

YAOUNDE, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- About eight years ago, Falta Modou was in love.

"It was love at first sight. He gave me everything I needed. Everything was just okay," said the 30-year-old of a man she fell in love with in Amchide, a locality in Cameroon's Far North region.

On a certain Saturday evening, gunmen invaded the locality and abducted her three brothers and husband.

Modou was depressed and barely slept and ate.

"Life became senseless," said the mother of six.

Such stories have become ordinary in the region where violence by Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist group, has flared up.

Raids by the terror group have not only brought destruction and death to the region but also inflicted an indelible trauma on the survivors, especially women and children.

Official statistics are unavailable but local NGOs estimate that more than 1 in 10 persons in conflict-affected communities are living with mental health conditions, ranging from mild depression to more intense symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

A mental and psychological support program by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is now helping rebuild lives of people struggling to cope with the mental scars.

As the sun shone from a cloudless sky in Kerawa, a locality in the region that shares a porous border with Nigeria, a group of women, men and children gathered in an open space to share their stories and greet each other.

They talked about their traumatizing experiences and strategies that have helped them to cope.

The support group sessions were developed as a response to the humanitarian consequences of the armed conflict, said Emerance Vanessa Mbia, a clinical psychologist with ICRC.

"They do not know if their family members are alive or not. The goal is to get them to live with the disappearance of their loved ones without ever forgetting them... and try to smile again as before, try to start life again," said Mbia, adding that such sessions held eight times in two months have had "tremendous" impact on the victims.

"In the majority of cases, we see change, no matter the level of psychological stress," added Mbia who leads a team of mental health workers and facilitators in the region.

She said, as part of the program, the survivors share gifts with community members to bind relationships and eject discrimination and stigmatization.

"When they see changes in their own lives, they go back to their communities and families and share what they have learnt to help others," said Mbia.

Modou shared the bittersweet memories of her time in Amchide with Xinhua in Gance locality where she fled to live with her children.

Thanks to the ICRC program, she has recovered psychologically and now runs a small restaurant business.

"I found solace in the support group sessions. I am doing well now," she said. "At first I could not step out of the house. Today, I go out, cook food at home, attend ceremonies. They were many things I could not do before, but today, I tried to do them. I pay courtesy visits that I did not do before. I feel very comfortable."

In Kerawa, a 55-year-old found herself seeking refuge with displaced persons crowded into a handful of huts. She told Xinhua that she lost four members of her family when Boko Haram raided her village in neighboring Nigeria.

"I had to escape to this place," said the woman who asked not to be named. She was part of the support group session and received gifts from ICRC.

"Thanks to the psychological program by ICRC, my kids are releasing their stress and energy here with other kids. They stopped thinking about the attack, so this is a positive," said the mother of 14.

While the program has increased the confidence and self-esteem of many displaced by the conflict in the region, they hope to return home anytime soon and work hard to make their dreams take flight.

As the world commemorates World Humanitarian Day on Aug. 19, Modou and thousand more like her are relying on humanitarian workers to help find her missing brothers and husband. 

A psychologist (front) talks to Falta Modou (1st L) in Gance, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

Emerance Vanessa Mbia, a clinical psychologist with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Gance, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Aug. 8, 2023 shows a street in Gance, Far North region, Cameroon. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

People follow the advice of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) psychologists in Kerawa, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 7, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

Falta Modou speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Gance, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)

Falta Modou (C) sells food in Gance, Far North region, Cameroon, Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo by Kepseu/Xinhua)
[August 19, 2023] Prince Albert Grand Council Enhances Wildfire Response Through Indigenous Fire Steward Training Tweet

TREATY 6 TERRITORY, PRINCE ALBERT, SK , Aug. 19, 2023 /CNW/ - Across Canada, several provinces and territories are experiencing a severe wildfire season, and the effects are widespread. As wildfires become more common and more extreme, the Government of Canada is focused on keeping people safe while strengthening Canada's long-term response. Today, as part of his visit to Saskatchewan, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a contribution of $524,780 toward the Prince Albert Grand Council Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot Program.



The contribution comes from Natural Resource Canada's Fighting and Managing Wildfires in a Changing Climate Program: Training Fund, a two-year Training Pilot currently being implemented with a focus on providing support to Indigenous communities and organizations to train firefighters and to better understand the needs and barriers in the sector. A fully launched fund in 20242025 will be informed by the best practices obtained from the projects under the pilot. Through the Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot program, the Prince Albert Grand Council will increase capacity to prepare for and respond to wildfires, address employment barriers for Indigenous people and better understand the needs and requirements of communities in Saskatchewan impacted by wildfires. A total of 320 existing wildland fire practitioners will participate in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) training with Elder advisors, as well as train 125 Indigenous fire stwards through fire camps and fire guardian programs. The project will result in 445 participants receiving training, increasing the number of trained personnel that provinces, territories and Indigenous communities can leverage to respond to wildfire.



The Government of Canada's first priority is protecting lives and livelihoods. Canada continues to work with provinces and territories to identify and suppress wildfires and keep communities safe during this year's devastating wildfire season. Quotes

"Canada is committed to keeping communities safe from wildfires. Through this pilot project, in partnership with the Prince Albert Grand Council, the Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot program will increase capacity to prepare for and respond to wildfires through training and traditional ecological knowledge. This means providing people with the skills needed to identify and fight wildfires in their communities." The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources "Our Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot program acknowledges the extensive knowledge of fire preparedness, response and management possessed by First Nations communities in northern Saskatchewan. This initiative strengthens community resilience against fires by endorsing First Nations-led, field-based fire camps. It also fosters intergenerational dialogue and knowledge exchange by bringing together Elders and young people with fire experts trained in both traditional methods and modern techniques. Furthermore, the program pioneers the development of a Fire Guardians Initiative to guide fire research benefiting our communities. Overall, the pilot project underscores the indispensable role that First Nations people play in safeguarding our communities, ancestral lands and Inherent and Treaty rights, particularly in the face of climate change." Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte

Prince Albert Grand Council Quick Facts Parks Canada , the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Prince Albert Model Forest have also contributed toward the Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot Program, as follows:

, the Prince and the Prince have also contributed toward the Indigenous Wildfire Stewards Pilot Program, as follows: Parks Canada : $57,878

:

Prince Albert Grand Council : $30,000

:

Prince Albert Model Forest : $57,878 Related Information The Government of Canada Provides Update on Firefighter Training and Support for Canadians Through the 2023 Wildfire Season Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan ( http://twitter.com/nrcan ) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[August 19, 2023] Government of Canada Announces Federal Support for Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Development in Saskatchewan Tweet

SASKATOON, SK, Aug. 19, 2023 /CNW/ - To cement Canada's competitive advantage in the global shift to a net-zero emissions economy and to meet our climate goals, we need to significantly increase the amount of non-emitting energy that we use to power our homes, businesses and industries. New, non-emitting electricity infrastructure projects, including projects powered by next-generation nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), can play a crucial role in this shift and in delivering economic prosperity to every region of Canada.



The Government of Canada is continuing to support the development and deployment of SMRs, a promising non-emitting form of energy, to help Saskatchewan and other provinces increase their ability to deliver clean, reliable and affordable power to their citizens. To this end, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, was in Saskatoon today to announce that the Government of Canada has approved up to $74 million in federal funding for SMR development in Saskatchewan, led by SaskPower. This funding will support pre-engineering work and technical studies, environmental assessments, regulatory studies and community and Indigenous engagement to help advance this important project. SaskPower has selected the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 for potential deployment in Saskatchewan in the mid-2030s, subject to a decision to build that is expected in 2029. SMRs, a non-emitting form of energy, can play an important role in decarbonizing provincial electricity grids and heavy-emitting industries and can help remote communities reduce their reliance on costly and high-polluting diesel power. As an example, a 300-megawatt SMR can supply enough non-emitting power for an estimated 300,000 homes. With over 75,000 hard-working Canadians employed across its supply chain and decades of experience in this area, Canada's nuclear industry is well positioned to leverage its science and technology innovation to continue to be among the leaders in the development and deployment of SMR technology. Advancing new non-emitting electricity infrastructure projects is part of the government's comprehensive approach to bringing clean, affordable and reliable power to every region of Canada, as outlined in Powering Canada Forward and in the draft Clean Electricity Regulations. The Government of Canada has committed over $40 billion in new federal measures to help provinces and has announced over $500 million to date in support of a variety of projects that are helping to build a clean, affordable and reliable grid in Saskatchewan specifically. The shift to a non-emitting, affordable and reliable electricity grid across Canada by 2035 is a nation-building project that requires significant investments, thoughtful regulations and our fullest collaboration. Today's announcement brings us one step closer to achieving a clean electricity system for the benefit of all Canadians. With a thoughtful, comprehensive and collaborative approach, we can ensure that every region of Canada thrives in the global race to fight climate change and seizes the economic opportunities of a low-carbon future. Quotes "Delivering clean, reliable and affordable electricity will look different in every region of Canada. That is why the Government of Canada is committing up to $74 million to explore the potential for small modular reactors in Saskatchewan to provide abundant non-emitting power, drive economic growth and create good jobs throughout Saskatchewan. With today's announcement, we are investing in the future of nuclear technology, building on Canada's decades-long legacy as a responsible global leader in nuclear power, and leveraging Saskatchewan's world-leading production of uranium to position the province to thrive in a rapidly decarbonizing global economy." The Honourable Jonathan Wilinson





Minister of Energy and Natural Resources "Saskatchewan has a significant competitive advantage with an abundance of natural resources to be a leader in the development of clean, affordable and reliable electricity grid. Building a clean electricity grid in Saskatchewan is good for the economy, good for communities and good for the planet. The project announced today is yet another example of how our two levels of government can work together to finance the clean energy projects needed to power Saskatchewan's thriving economy."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Environment and Climate Change "The approved funding of $74 million serves as a strong indication from the government that Canada is at the forefront of global innovation and implementation of small modular reactors (SMRs). Saskatchewan's SMR program will provide reliable, low-carbon baseload energy to meet increasing electricity needs, supply clean power to its resource extraction industry and fuel the province's economic growth. This is exciting news for the residents of Saskatchewan, including its Indigenous communities, who have supported the province's SMR development." John Gorman

President and CEO, Canadian Nuclear Association "GE Hitachi is excited to work with Saskatchewan to be a global leader in the deployment of small modular reactors. Our technology is designed to provide reliable, cost-effective and emissions-free baseload electricity generation for the people of Saskatchewan for decades to come." Lisa McBride

Country Leader, GEH SMR Canada Quick Facts Up to $50 million for this project has been committed to SaskPower from NRCan's Electricity Predevelopment Program  a $250-million program to support pre-development activities of clean electricity projects of national significance, such as inter-provincial electricity transmission projects and small modular reactors. These kinds of projects will be critical for supporting economic development through investments in new infrastructure and the enhanced security and reliability of our clean energy supply. The funding announced today is conditional on the finalization of a Contribution Agreement between NRCan and SaskPower, which is currently underway.

for this project has been committed to SaskPower from NRCan's Electricity Predevelopment Program  a program to support pre-development activities of clean electricity projects of national significance, such as inter-provincial electricity transmission projects and small modular reactors. These kinds of projects will be critical for supporting economic development through investments in new infrastructure and the enhanced security and reliability of our clean energy supply. The funding announced today is conditional on the finalization of a Contribution Agreement between NRCan and SaskPower, which is currently underway. Additionally, over $24 million for this project has been committed to the Government of Saskatchewan from Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Future Electricity Fund. This program returns pollution pricing proceeds to support clean energy projects, energy-efficient technologies and other initiatives that will help Canada meet its climate goals and achieve a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. The fund is intended to help spur innovation and encourage the adoption of cleaner technologies and fuels in Canada  including Saskatchewan's small modular reactor project.

for this project has been committed to the Government of from Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Future Electricity Fund. This program returns pollution pricing proceeds to support clean energy projects, energy-efficient technologies and other initiatives that will help meet its climate goals and achieve a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. The fund is intended to help spur innovation and encourage the adoption of cleaner technologies and fuels in  including small modular reactor project. In addition to reducing greenhouse gases, moving to a clean grid will deliver health benefits to Canadians by reducing the air pollutants that result from the burning of natural gas and coal, such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, particulate matter and mercury. Air pollution is a major contributor to disease and premature death both in Canada and globally. Health Canada estimated that in 2015, air pollution from electricity-generating units contributed to about 150 premature deaths per year in Canada , as well as many non-fatal negative health outcomes, with a total cost of $1.2 billion per year (2015 constant dollars).

and globally. Health estimated that in 2015, air pollution from electricity-generating units contributed to about 150 premature deaths per year in , as well as many non-fatal negative health outcomes, with a total cost of per year (2015 constant dollars). SaskPower anticipates construction of its first SMR could begin as early as 2030, with a targeted in-service date of 2034. Additional facilities could begin construction as early as 2034.

In 2020, SaskPower and Ontario Power Generation commissioned the Conference Board of Canada to study the potential economic opportunity and job creation related to the development of SMRs in both provinces. The study projects that from 1,200 MW of nuclear power being developed in Saskatchewan , approximately 1,700 new direct and indirect jobs would be created in Saskatchewan during the construction phase and 728 direct and indirect jobs during the operational phase.

to study the potential economic opportunity and job creation related to the development of SMRs in both provinces. The study projects that from 1,200 MW of nuclear power being developed in , approximately 1,700 new direct and indirect jobs would be created in during the construction phase and 728 direct and indirect jobs during the operational phase. The study also estimates an increase of $8.8 billion in gross domestic product, $5.6 billion in wages and $2.9 billion in tax revenue (over the 60-year lifespan of the facilities).

in gross domestic product, in wages and in tax revenue (over the 60-year lifespan of the facilities). Other recent federal investments in Saskatchewan's electricity sector include:

electricity sector include: In April 2022 , $300 million of federal clean energy funding was directed to the Wah-ila-toos partnership for clean energy projects in Indigenous, rural and remote communities in Canada .

, of federal clean energy funding was directed to the Wah-ila-toos partnership for clean energy projects in Indigenous, rural and remote communities in .

In July 2022 , the Government of Canada invested almost $10 million in clean energy support for Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan .

, the Government of invested almost in clean energy support for Indigenous communities in .

In May 2023 , through the Future Electricity Fund, the Government of Canada announced the return of $174 million in pollution pricing proceeds to Saskatchewan for non-emitting electricity projects, including the implementation of new residential smart meters, improvements to rural electricity distribution systems and the refurbishment of the E.B. Campbell Hydroelectric Station.

, through the Future Electricity Fund, the Government of announced the return of in pollution pricing proceeds to for non-emitting electricity projects, including the implementation of new residential smart meters, improvements to rural electricity distribution systems and the refurbishment of the E.B. Campbell Hydroelectric Station.

In June 2023 , The Government of Canada announced a $50-million investment to the Bekevar Wind Power Project in partnership with the Cowessess First Nation .

, The Government of announced a investment to the Bekevar Wind Power Project in partnership with the .

The Government of Canada also recently announced over $7 million in investments to Indigenous clean energy projects in Saskatchewan through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program.

also recently announced over in investments to Indigenous clean energy projects in through the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program.

The Government of Canada invested $18.5 million in the Indigenous-led Awasis Solar Project, a 10-MW solar power generation project to be built on Cowessess First Nations land.

invested in the Indigenous-led Awasis Solar Project, a 10-MW solar power generation project to be built on Cowessess First Nations land.

The Government of Canada has invested over $21.6 million in funding to 14 Indigenous communities to help implement clean energy projects with one of these communities located in Saskatchewan .

has invested over in funding to 14 Indigenous communities to help implement clean energy projects with one of these communities located in . Today's announcement took place at the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan . The Centre was established in 2011 to help place Saskatchewan among global leaders of nuclear research, development and training and is a participant in Canada's SMR Action Plan. Quick Links Powering Canada Forward: A vision for a clean, affordable, and reliable electricity system for every region of Canada

Saskatchewan : Clean electricity snapshot

: Clean electricity snapshot SMR Action Plan

Output-Based Pricing System Proceeds Fund

Carbon Pollution Pricing Proceeds Programming and Use of Proceeds

How Carbon Pricing Works

How the Price on Pollution Works for Industry Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan ( http://twitter.com/nrcan ) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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Customer experience solutions provider Avaya announced it landed a cooperative purchasing contract in the Unified Communications (News - Alert) and Contact Center categories at Sourcewell  a prominent Government Cooperative Purchasing Organization in North America. It has over 500 carefully solicited contracts tailored to government, education, and nonprofit entities.







With this, Avaya (News - Alert) stands as the exclusive major communications and collaboration solutions provider capable of offering enterprise-scale public, private, or hybrid cloud solutions.

This accomplishment was secured by Avaya after undergoing a rigorous request for proposal process orchestrated by Sourcewell. The contracts forged through this process not only align with, but often surpass local procurement prerequisites, attesting to Avaya's competence and commitment.

Spanning 48 months, Avaya's contract is accessible to U.S. and Canadian customers, enabling them to procure Avaya's comprehensive product and service catalog directly or through accredited Avaya partners.

The contract's immediate value lies in its ready-to-use competitive solicitation structure, ensuring swift acquisition and prompt access to Avaya's preferred products and services.

This contract underscores Avaya's role in providing innovative customer experience solutions and solidifies its positioning as a versatile and dependable collaborator for government, education, and nonprofit entities across North America.

At Avaya, we are committed to facilitating seamless cloud migrations for our customers, fostering innovation without causing disruption, and eliminating the costly and prolonged 'rip and replace' methodology typically associated with updating their communication technology infrastructure, said Jenifer Bond, Vice President of SLED, Avaya.

Securing a Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contract in the Unified Communications and Contact Center categories amplifies our reach, enabling us to simplify the contractual process for an increased number of customers. This development empowers them to transition their communications technology to the cloud at a pace and budget that aligns with their unique needs.

To hear more from Avaya and it's focus on Customer Experience innovation, don't miss CEO Alan Masarek's keynote at ITEXPO 2024 on February 15, 2024. Since 1999, ITEXPO ( News Alert ) has combined educational conference programming with a robust exhibit hall, networking events, and other activities, bringing together buyers and providers of business technology products and services that drive business success. Along with ITEXPO, the 2024 edition of the # TECHSUPERSHOW includes MSP Expo, IoT Evolution Expo, Future of Work Expo, Enterprise Metaverse Expo, Generative AI Expo, and more.Edited by Greg Tavarez
Right now we prepare for the work at take stock of recent local crimes in this compilation that features some great crime reporting and just a bit of hope . . .



TEXTLine

Chiefs Kingdom responds to 'ChiefsAholic' alleged robberies A voice for all of Chiefs Kingdom took it upon herself to reach out to those affected by the 'ChiefsAholic's' alleged bank robberies.

Trial date set for Chiefs superfan accused of robbing banks, winning $100K bet on team using earnings A trial date was set Friday for the Chiefs superfan accused of robbing several banks across the Midwest and later laundering the money through casinos.

Family holds vigil to remember Mausheya Jackson, push for answers in her death Mausheya Jackson, 28, was shot on the evening of Aug. 4, 2022.

911 call for prowler leads to brutal homicide in Kansas City's Northland A man was found dead early Friday as someone called 911 for a prowler near N.W. 88th Terrace and Broadway Street in Kansas City.

Former respiratory therapist Jennifer Hall sentenced to 18 years in prison She will not be released from prison until she is 61 years old.

KC-area police engaging in two programs to target drunk drivers Officers will be on the streets searching for drivers who have no business being behind the wheel.

Woman, 28, killed in fatal pedestrian crash in Olathe on Friday night Olathe police were called out to the intersection of E. Kansas City Road and N. Central Street.

'We are fighting back against it': Kansas City group works to course-correct people in paths of violence One local group is putting in the work to stop this number from climbing through the launch of a new campaign called 'We Must Stop Killing Each Other.'

Developing . . .
Even science tells us that crime spikes when temperatures are high if for not other reasons than more people are outside.

Accordingly, we take a moment to round up recent crime reporting, court cases and a glimpse at the future.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Jackson County Legislators and KCMO City Council members will discuss new jail Monday The new members of the KCMO City Council will meet with Jackson County legislators Monday morning to talk about the new Jackson County Jail, including cost and space for KCMO prisoners.

'ChiefsAholic' trial set for 2024 in robbery, laundering case Xaviar "ChiefsAholic" Babudar, a Kansas City Chiefs fan accused in multiple bank robberies across the U.S., will go to trial in the new year.

$138,000 worth of stolen merchandise recovered at Shawnee residence Shawnee, Kansas, police detectives recovered more than 450 items, believed to be stolen, from an area residence.

Grandview man part of meth ring linked to 2 murders will spend nearly 47 years in federal prison A 40-year-old man who pleaded guilty to his part in a meth ring will spent nearly 47 years in federal prison without parole.

Trial date set for Xaviar Babudar, aka 'ChiefsAholic,' after he pleads not guilty to charges Xaviar Babudar, known as 'ChiefsAholic,' pleads not guilty to 19-count indictment

4 arrested following covert human traffic operation in Sedalia, Missouri Surveillance, undercover officers and electronic communications were used to collect evidence.

Early Thursday morning homicide in KCK leaves adult male dead Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department are investigating an early Thursday morning homicide of an adult male.

School Resource Officer Gives Students Steady Support Walks talkative, approachable, and always ready to joke. He thinks thats why he was asked to be an SRO. The students, as it turned out, really liked Walk. At Northeast since 2007, his role, Walk said, is heavily focused on being a mentor and counselor to students.

Developing . . .
Right now . . . Hottie actress Natalie inspires our glimpse at pop culture, community news and top headlines

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Kansas City Hipster Deep Dive

Explore Kansas City's art scene with these 7 extraordinary exhibits outside the Nelson-Atkins Kansas City is lucky to have such a world-class art museum, but don't forget about the many smaller art galleries scattered throughout the metro. We put together a list of seven exhibitions this fall that showcase diverse perspectives and cool corners of the art scene.

Sound Of Millennials Debuts

Photos: Izzy Hedges Band brought cool indie vibes to Replay Lounge Last night, LFK locals came out for an indie rock-filled matinee show at the Replay Lounge featuring Izzy Hedges Band, Brother Spacebear, and The Fun Guy. The Fun Guy kicked off the show making their live debut, playing many original rock tunes and covers of The Cure, The Smiths, and the Pixies.

Smell Your Neighbors Here . . .

Kansas City filled with 'hot' attractions this weekend As hot as it is for festival goers in the baking sun, it may actually be worse for all those volunteers and vendors manning the grill and deep fryers.

Actress Plays Lady Friend

Inside Natalie Alyn Lind's Relationship With Her Yellowstone Star Boyfriend, Kai Caster Natalie Alyn Lind and her boyfriend Kai Caster, of Yellowstone fame, have a deep connection that has fans wanting to know more...

White House Clowns MAGA

Biden campaign jabs Trump over reported plans to skip GOP debate The Biden campaign on Friday seized on reports that Donald Trump will skip the first GOP primary debate in Wisconsin, arguing the state is a symbol of the former president's "failed leadership." "Of course Donald Trump wants to avoid appearing in Wisconsin because he knows Wisconsin is a state that illustrates his failed leadership," Biden...

Pacific Fear Starts

Powerful Hurricane Hilary heads for Mexico's Baja. Rare tropical storm watch issued for California Hurricane Hilary is churning off Mexico's Pacific coast as a powerful Category 4 storm threatening to unleash torrential rains on the mudslide-prone border city of Tijuana before heading into Southern California as the first tropical storm there in 84 years.

Vlad Checks Pals

Putin meets top generals in charge of Russia's war efforts in Ukraine President Vladimir Putin visited the commander of Russia's operation in Ukraine and other top military brass, the Kremlin said on Saturday, a meeting that came after Ukraine claimed counteroffensive gains on the southeastern front.

Far East Fears Worst . . .

Taiwan detects 42 warplanes in Chinese military drills Taiwan condemned China's actions, saying the military drills were "irrational and provocative".

Local Morning Brew

Marcell Coffee owners launching 'Take Care' retail concept, OLEO brand in Crossroads The roasting minds behind a successful Kansas City wholesale coffee operation are switching business blends - planning a Crossroads storefront anchored by a new, retail-only coffee brand.

Burn Starts Today

FORECAST: Excessive heat warning lasting through Wednesday The intense heat surges back into the region for the upcoming weekend.

Portugal. The Man - Summer of Luv is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel have responded positively to Mitsotakis' invitation something that is both substantial and symbolic

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' initiative to invite on Monday 21 August at 20:15 the Western Balkans and EU member state leaders at the Maximos Mansion for a dinner-informal discussion on the enlargement and the European future of the region underlines Greece's role as a pillar of stability, peace and energy security in the Balkans and in southeastern Europe, government sources said, ANA reports.

The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel have responded positively to Mitsotakis' invitation something that is both substantial and symbolic, the same sources said.

Symbolic because June 21 was the 20 anniversary of the "Declaration of Thessaloniki" of the EU-Western Balkans Summit that essentially paved the way for the integration of many countries of the area into the EU, the same sources said.

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: matti
BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- An official of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Saturday strongly condemned the new provocative move by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to further collude with the United States.

The official made the remarks in response to Lai Ching-te's "stopover" through the United States, describing the move as Lai's shameless efforts to cling to U.S. support to seek "Taiwan independence."

Recently, Lai visited the United States in the name of "stopover" en route to attend the inauguration of Paraguay's new president. Lai also propagated "Taiwan independence" rhetoric in an interview with Bloomberg, and met senior U.S. officials on public occasions in Paraguay, the official said.

The DPP authorities have stubbornly adhered to the separatist stance of "Taiwan independence," continuously made provocations by relying on the United States to seek "Taiwan independence," and willingly acted as a pawn for anti-China forces in the United States and in the West to contain China, the official said, adding that they have "betrayed the interests of the Chinese nation."

Lai has stubbornly stuck to the "Taiwan independence" stance, the official said, adding that Lai's latest "stopover" through the U.S. was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves.

Lai's deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots, the official said.

"We are willing to create ample room for peaceful reunification, but we will not allow any space for 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities in any form," the official said.

The official said resolute measures will be taken to counter "Taiwan independence" separatist forces to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We have a clear message for the U.S. side that it should faithfully adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and handle Taiwan-related issues with caution," the official said.

No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm resolve, and formidable capabilities of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the official warned. 
Migrants are seen outside the 2nd District Police Station in Chicago, the United States, Aug. 17, 2023. Since Aug. 31, 2022, the State of Texas has dispatched more than 13,000 migrants to Chicago, according to local media. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

Migrants are seen outside the 9th District Police Station in Chicago, the United States, Aug. 17, 2023. Since Aug. 31, 2022, the State of Texas has dispatched more than 13,000 migrants to Chicago, according to local media. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

Migrants eat food outside the 9th District Police Station in Chicago, the United States, Aug. 17, 2023. Since Aug. 31, 2022, the State of Texas has dispatched more than 13,000 migrants to Chicago, according to local media. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)

Migrants play volleyball outside the 9th District Police Station in Chicago, the United States, Aug. 17, 2023. Since Aug. 31, 2022, the State of Texas has dispatched more than 13,000 migrants to Chicago, according to local media. (Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua)
How Do Online College Classes Work?

Before your first semester begins, youll want to log in to Canvas (your online course delivery system) and order any books you need for class. If you need to contact your instructor, go to people.alaska.edu to search for their email, phone number or office location.

Online courses do not require meeting times, but you will have assignments each week. Courses are designed by your instructor to best teach that subject. You may use blogs, social media, video chat and other technology as part of your online coursework.

Some online courses may require you to take proctored exams. If you are outside of Fairbanks, youll need to arrange for a local proctor. Otherwise you can take exams at our UAF eCampus Exam Center. Youll receive progress reports with grade feedback through the mid part of the semester. You can view your midterm grades at UAOnline.
British intelligence analysts commented on the progress of Ukraines counteroffensive efforts in the southern operational zone and assessed the challenges faced by both Ukrainian and Russian forces.

This was reported by the British Ministry of Defense on X (former Twitter) with reference to intelligence data, Ukrinform saw.

Over the last week, most of the front line has remained static. However, in the south, Ukrainian forces have continued their advance along the Mokri Yaly river, securing the village of Urozhaine in the face of stiff Russian resistance, write British experts.

In the north, the Russian forces continued probing attacks in the Kupiansk area but achieved no significant advances, the report says.

"Across the front, both sides confront a similar challenge: attempting to defeat well-entrenched forces while having limited uncommitted forces to open new assaults," according to the British Ministry of Defense.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, British intelligence in its previous overview said Russia is trying to erase the national identity of Ukrainians in the occupied territories.
Russian invaders have already killed 502 children and injured 1,100 across Ukraine since the outset of their full-scale onslaught.

Thats according to the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrinform reports.

"More than 1,602 children were affected in Ukraine as a result of Russias full-scale armed aggression. As of the morning of August 18, 2023, according to the official reports from juvenile prosecutors, 502 children were killed and 1,100 were injured," the PGO press service wrote on Telegram.

The figures are not final as reports from the active hostility zones, temporarily captured and liberated areas require verification.

The largest numbers of affected children were reported in the regions of Donetsk (485), Kharkiv (299), Kyiv (129), Kherson (121), Zaporizhzhia (99), Mykolaiv (97), Dnipropetrovsk (94), Chernihiv (71), and Luhansk (67).

On August 18, a 17-year-old girl was wounded as a result of shelling of the village of Virivka, Beryslav district, Kherson region.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Daria Herasimchuk, the President's Commissioner for Children's Rights and Rehabilitation, said Russia is pursuing a purposeful genocidal policy against Ukraine, killing and injuring children on Ukrainian territory or deporting young Ukrainians to Russia.
The Ministry of Defense of Russia claims that air defense forces shot down a missile from the sky over Crimea on the night of August 19.

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to Krym.Realii.

As the Russian ministry said, the Ukrainian military allegedly launched at the peninsula an S-200 air defense missile converted into a strike variant. It has not been specified where exactly the missile was downed.

The Ukrainian military did not comment on the report.

Starting from August 2022, the sounds of explosions can be heard across Crimea, including the Russian naval base of Sevastopol, almost every day. The Russian authorities say these are the sounds of "Ukrainian drones" being shot down or Russian military conducting exercises. The Russian "head of Crimea" Sergey Aksyonov says Ukrainian drones are "the main threat" to the peninsula. In October 2022, an explosion occurred on the Crimea (Kerch Strait) Bridge.

The occupation authorities have put in place a yellow (elevated) level of terrorist alert. The Simferopol airport suspended operations.
Ukraine's defense forces continue to put pressure on enemy troops in the Bakhmut sector, inflicting significant losses on them, with 75 occupiers killed and 152 wounded throughout the day.

Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for Ukraine's eastern group of troops, said this on national television, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"In the Bakhmut sector, the defense forces continue to put pressure on the enemy, holding the initiative and striking enemy forces. The enemy is trying to repel our attacks, primarily using artillery - 578 [artillery] strikes and 10 air raids were carried out in the last 24 hours. There were 11 engagements, in which we destroyed 75 occupiers, wounded 152, and captured three," Cherevatyi said.

Read also: Russia amassing offensive capabilities in Kupiansk direction

According to him, Ukrainian soldiers also destroyed two enemy armored vehicles, an infantry fighting vehicle, an amphibious assault vehicle, a Giatsint self-propelled artillery system, a Soviet Tyulpan 240mm self-propelled mortar, a D-30 howitzer, an ammunition warehouse, and a fuel depot.

"We are constantly destroying their logistics," the spokesman said.

He added that Ukrainian defenders had also destroyed a Zoopark radar station and two Russian drones.
Ukraine is working on obtaining modern fighter jets that will help the armed forces offset Russias current superiority in the sky over Ukraine.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference following the meeting with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We have no aerial superiority, we have no modern aircraft. The Swedish Gripen is the pride of your state, and I believe that the Prime Minister could share such pride with Ukraine. We are working on it. It is important that we took powerful steps, it is important that now for several weeks actions will be taken that will reveal the possibility of obtaining the appropriate aircraft," said Volodymyr Zelensky.

He added that Ukraine clearly understands its own weaknesses and strengths in this war with the Russian aggressor. The Ukrainian military is fighting on its soil and is very motivated, it is doing everything possible and impossible in the most difficult areas of the front while Russia is retreating there or losing thousands of its people every week.

The president of Ukraine also announced that starting Sunday, August 20, he would hold talks with several leaders in this regard.

"I am sure that together with our partners we will do everything and achieve the appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have this superiority. When they control the sky, unfortunately we cannot move quickly on the ground. But we need this," said Volodymyr Zelensky.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Saturday, August 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine during a visit to Sweden held a meeting with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson.
Ukraine and Sweden detailed agreements on localizing the production and repair of Swedish-made CV90 infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference after meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to the statement, as part of Sweden's long-standing commitment to support Ukraine, Sweden has donated Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), in solidarity with Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty and freedom.

"Today we detailed our agreement on the joint production of the CV90 in Ukraine, localization of production, repairs, etc. This is very important to us. This is an example that security cooperation, cooperation in production fully reflects the unity of our values. And we will do everything to make sure that the first CV 90 produced in Ukraine appears as soon as possible," Zelensky said.

He noted that the Ukrainian military is already using the combat vehicle, in particular, the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which the head of state visited earlier this week.

"Swedish infantry fighting vehicles CV90 are really very strong. Our soldiers praise the CV90 very much. We are grateful not only that the guys move forward with the help of these vehicles, but also that the CV90 helps save lives. High quality really helps save and protect the lives of soldiers. And life is the most valuable thing. We are fighting for it and for the freedom of this life," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also thanked Kristersson for fulfilling the agreements and starting the training of the Ukrainian military on Archer artillery systems.

Photo from armyinform.com.ua
DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A least 10 petty traders were killed and one injured when their pickup truck overturned after its front tyre burst in Kilimanjaro region in northern Tanzania, said police.

Simon Maigwa, the Kilimanjaro regional police commander, said the pickup truck overturned on Friday in Siha district at 12 noon local time after its driver had tried to avoid a police van that was driving behind him.

He said the petty traders were traveling back from an auction of various goods.

Maigwa said the driver of the pickup truck was earlier fined by police for carrying passengers in an unlicensed vehicle but after he was fined he went ahead ferrying the petty traders.

"Unexpectedly when the driver of the truck saw the police van behind him he thought the police were after him. He started to speed up causing the tyre to burst," said Maigwa.

He said the truck was ferrying the petty traders and their merchandise.

Maigwa warned truck drivers against ferrying people because their vehicles were not licensed for doing that. 
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink has commented on today's Russian missile attack on the center of Chernihiv that killed at least seven people and left many others injured.

The U.S. ambassador reported this on the X social media platform, according to Ukrinform.

"Horrified by news of today's daytime attack on the historic center of Chernihiv. Innocent men, women, and children enjoying a beautiful Saturday - a holiday in Ukraine - should never end up killed or wounded. Russia's missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's cities, ports, and people reflect the depths to which Russia has sunk and must stop. Together with the people of Ukraine, we mourn this tragedy," Brink wrote.

Read also: Injury toll from Russian missile attack on Chernihiv rises to 129

On Saturday, August 19, Russian troops launched a missile attack on Chernihiv, killing seven people, including a six-year-old girl. As many as 129 people were injured.
Ukrainian farmers have harvested 27.3 million tonnes of new crop grain. Early grain harvesting has already been completed in Poltava, Vinnytsia, and Odesa regions.

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported this, Ukrinform saw.

According to the report, as of the second half of August, the harvest was collected on 6.2 million hectares with a yield of 44.1 centners/ha. About 27.3 million tonnes of early grain crops were harvested.

Wheat was threshed on 4.4 million hectares (yield, 47.5 c/ha). Approx. 20.8 million tonnes were harvested.

The country harvested 5.57 million tonnes of barley on 1.4 million hectares (yield, 39.8 c/ha) and 379,100 tonnes of peas on 152,200 hectares (yield, 24.9 c/ha).

Also, farmers harvested 2,810 tonnes of millet on 2,320 hectares with a yield of 12.1 c/ha. 100 tonnes of buckwheat has been harvested on 80 hectares (yield, 11.3 c/ha).

As for other grains and pulses, they were harvested on 249,000 hectares, yielding 492,100 tonnes of grain.

"The leaders in grain harvesting are Zaporizhzhia agricultural producers, who have threshed 96% of the area. The largest harvest remains in Odesa region (3.2 million tonnes). Millet harvesting has started in Dnipro, Kherson, Ternopil, and Odesa regions. 13 regions have finished harvesting rapeseed. Currently, it has been threshed on 1.4 million hectares, with a yield of 3.9 million tonnes of seeds (28.8 c/ha)," the ministry added.

Agrarians in Poltava, Vinnytsia, and Odesa regions have completed harvesting early grain crops.

As reported, the ministry has improved its forecast for this year's grain and oilseed harvest to 56.4 and 20.3 million tonnes, respectively (76.7 million tonnes in total). The June forecast predicted that the 2023 grain harvest would not exceed 46 million tonnes. That's 10-15% less than last year.
Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expressed hope that more than 60% of Ukraine's grain exports could transit through his country.

He said this on Friday after a meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal in Bucharest, Ukrinform reported citing Reuters.

"We hope that over 60% of the total volume of Ukrainian grain exports will transit Romania," Ciolacu said.

He said Romania was trying to improve its connecting infrastructure by rail, road, river and sea, as well as at border crossings.

Ciolacu also said Romania, which is one of the EU's largest grain exporters, would balance efforts to boost the transit of Ukrainian grain to international markets to protect local farmers.

Earlier this month, Romanian Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said European Union and NATO state Romania aimed to double the monthly transit capacity of Ukrainian grain to Constanta to 4 million tonnes in the coming months.

Read also: Ukraine harvests over 27M t of grain

As reported, Romania and Ukraine have agreed to build a new checkpoint across the Ukraine-Romania border. It is planned to be located between the settlements of Bila Tserkva (Ukraine) and Sighetu Marmatiei (Romania).
Russia's attacks on foreign civilian vessels departing from Ukrainian ports and sailing through the humanitarian corridor will be equated to an attack on the carrier countries.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said this on the air of Ukrainian Radio, Ukrinform reports.

Two days ago, for the first time since July 16, a civilian vessel that went through the temporary corridor left the port of Odesa. The Joseph Schulte container ship under the Hong Kong flag headed for the Bosphorus through the corridor established for civilian ships. Commenting on this situation, Oleksiy Danilov, the NSDC Secretary, told Ukrainian Radio that this is not the last ship flying the flag of another country that will depart from Ukrainian ports, and if Russia decides to attack them, it will be tantamount to an attack on the carrier countries.

"Our country adheres to all the maritime rules that are in force across the world. We are not going to negotiate the issue with the Russian Federation because we are doing everything necessary. In particular, the first ship has already passed, and in the near future there will be more. We will do this completely publicly, so that the entire world knew that it was civilian ships carrying food and other things that had nothing to do with military issues," Danilov said.

He emphasized that if the Russian Federation decides to attack ships flying the flags of other countries, it will be seen as a direct attack on these countries, not on Ukraine.

As reported, the other day, a civilian ship left the port of Odesa for the first time since July 16, sailing through the temporary corridor. The Joseph Schulte container ship under the flag of Hong Kong headed for the Bosphorus through the corridor established for civilian ships.

On August 18, the ship safely arrived in Istanbul.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved an agreement on mutual recognition and exchange of national driver's licenses between Ukraine and the Republic of Lithuania.

Taras Melnychuk, permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, announced this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"The agreement obliges the parties to recognize and exchange national driver's licenses based on the principle of reciprocity," Melnychuk noted.

He added that such an exchange is carried out without the need to pass relevant practical and theoretical tests.

The agreement establishes the correspondence of the driver's license categories of the two states, as well as determines the mechanism for confirming the fact of issuing a driver's license, which is submitted for exchange.

As reported, on May 30, Ukraine and Lithuania signed an agreement on mutual recognition and exchange of national driver's licenses. To exchange national driver's licenses, drivers will only need to submit a document of permanent residence in the country, an original driver's license and a valid medical certificate.
Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of South Africa Liubov Abravitova stressed that the mining of diamonds in Africa enables Russia to continue financing the war against Ukraine.

The diplomat spoke in an interview with ArmyInform, Ukrinform saw.

"Today, the diamond industry allows Russia to continue financing aggression against Ukraine," Abravitova said

According to the ambassador, at the moment there are no legal mechanisms to limit Russias operations in the global diamond market. During the May summit of the Group of Seven in Hiroshima, the mechanisms of Russias economic limitation were agreed, but "from the mining stage to the finished goods on store shelves so many changes occur that you can't even find the diamonds country of origin," the diplomat emphasized.

She noted that the Russian mining industry is closely related to that of some African countries.

"If Russia withdraws from the diamond market, additional opportunities will open up for many African states," believes Ukraines envoy to South Africa.

In this connection, Abravitova mentioned the Kimberley Process, a platform that was created 23 years ago to prevent the use of diamonds to feed conflicts in Africa.

It is impossible to exclude Russia from the process, given Moscow's influence in this organization through Belarus. A consensus required for decision-making also makes it impossible to isolate the Russian Federation. Therefore, at the next session of the organization in November, Ukraine faces a choice: either to block the platforms work or to continue discussions.

"We should continue to look at the Russian diamond industry as a source of reparations for Ukraine. Many are now choosing synthetic diamonds because classic diamonds can be stained with the blood of war," said Abravitova.

Read also: ISW explains why Prigozhin refrains from commenting on war in Ukraine

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in August 2022, Bloomberg wrote that Russia had found a way to avoid sanctions imposed on the sale of its diamonds, earning hundreds of millions of dollars every month. In particular, it was noted that deals for the purchase of Russian diamonds mostly go through Indian banks. It was noted that Russias mining giant Alrosa sells diamonds to buyers in India and Europe mainly for rupees.

Photo: ArmyInform
Ukraine's membership in the EU is one of the key foundations of the economic and institutional security of the whole of Europe. Ukraine is ready to start negotiations on joining the EU as early as this year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized this at the press conference following the meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We also discussed European relations and the possibilities of strengthening our common European home. In particular, we believe that one of the key foundations of the economic and institutional security of the whole of Europe is Ukraine's full membership in the EU, Ukraine's full accession to the European Union. And already this year we will be ready to start negotiations on Ukraines accession and it is important that Sweden supports us consistently, fundamentally on the way to the EU," said the president of Ukraine.

The head of state emphasized that another strategic issue is security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO.

"Sweden supported the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine. We are grateful for that. And today our teams will discuss work on the relevant Ukrainian-Swedish bilateral document. There will be an opportunity to meet later. Sweden made an absolutely rational choice in favor of NATO. And the choice of our people is similar. I am sure that our states will be part of the Alliance," Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine and Sweden will together guarantee security, in particular, in the entire Baltic Sea, Black Sea, and Sea of Azov regions.

As the president of Ukraine emphasized, in negotiations with all of the countrys partners in the Alliance, Ukraine called and continues to call on them to support Sweden's accession to NATO.

In particular, in the negotiations with Turkiye, relevant arguments were given in favor of Sweden in NATO.

This work to support Sweden in joining NATO will continue in the future, Zelensky underlined.

As reported by Ukrinform, on Saturday, August 19, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to Sweden held a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
As part of their visit to the Kingdom of Sweden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska met with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

That's according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

The Ukrainian leader expressed his gratitude for Sweden's comprehensive support for our country in the struggle for its independence and territorial integrity.

"We highly appreciate Sweden's powerful assistance in all possible areas. This is a significant contribution to the struggle of Ukrainians for freedom and the European future," Zelensky said.

The president noted Sweden's support for Ukrainian citizens who were forced to seek temporary shelter in this country, escaping Russian aggression. Separately, Zelensky thanked their Royal Highnesses and the Royal Family of Sweden for their great attention to the needs of these people.

Ukraine's presidential couple also talked about the consequences of Russia's war of aggression and separately thanked the Swedish side for the humanitarian assistance provided to the people affected in Ukraine.
During a visit to Sweden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the Speaker of the Riksdag (Parliament) Andreas Norlen and the leaders of the political parties represented in the country's highest legislative body.

This is reported by the President's press service, Ukrinform saw.

The head of state thanked the Swedish lawmakers for their solidarity with Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression and support for all important decisions regarding assistance to the embattled nation.

"We are especially grateful to Sweden for the powerful defense assistance that significantly strengthened Ukraines Defense Forces and the protection of the Ukrainian sky. I count on the expansion of cooperation between our countries in this direction," Zelensky said.

During the meeting, particular focus was put on the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula. The president thanked the Riksdag for supporting his proposals to establish a lasting and just peace. The head of state noted the importance of Sweden's practical involvement in the implementation of the Formulas clauses to ensure radiation, nuclear, and environmental safety.

The parties also discussed steps to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union. Zelensky thanked the Riksdag for its strong support on this path during Sweden's presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2023.

The President expressed special gratitude to the Swedish Parliament for its participation in international efforts to de-occupy Crimea.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Saturday, August 19, during a working visit to Sweden, Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with the country's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson.

Photo: Presidents Office
Sanctioned Russian companies involved in the production of missile launchers, armored vehicles and strategic bombers have received tens of thousands of components from China since the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Thats according to The Telegraph, Ukrinform reports.

China is helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones, optical sights and crucial metals used by the defence industry, a Telegraph investigation has found.

Russian companies, including those under sanctions, involved in the manufacture of missile launchers, armored vehicles and strategic bombers, have received tens of thousands of shipments from China since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began through the first quarter of this year.

Among other things, Chinese companies supplied the Russian Federation with 1,000 drones, six helicopters, optical sights, products made of titanium alloys used in arms production, as well as spare parts for aircraft, including military ones, the publication claims.

Read also: Danish foreign minister to ask China to take stronger position on Ukraine

Among the recipients of these products were the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Russian Guard, Rostec, Tupolev, and other state structures of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, China insists on maintaining neutrality and tries to pose as a key peace mediator in negotiations aimed at achieving peace, the newspaper emphasizes.

Overall, trade between China and the Russian Federation this year is expected to exceed $200 billion, setting a new record, despite the fact that Chinese exports to other countries have dropped significantly.

According to a June analysis by the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a trade data visualizer, exports of goods with potential military uses more than tripled over the past 12 months compared to the previous period.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, U.S. intelligence believes that China has strengthened its economic partnership with Russia after the outset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including though helping Moscow mitigate the pressure of Western sanctions and restrictions in the field of export control.
NAIROBI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least six people, including a child, were killed and several others injured after drowning in a septic tank at a village in Kiambu County in central Kenya on Saturday.

The police said the six, who were part of a group that had attended a wedding in Kihunguro area, Kiambu county Saturday morning, had stopped by a friend's residential home where they started dancing on a concrete slab that caved in, drowning them.

According to police, one child died on the spot and five others were confirmed dead upon arrival at the hospital in Ruiru.

According to the report, a team of fire brigade from Kiambu County rushed to the rescue of the group that had been trapped in the underground septic tank.

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi confirmed the incident. Police said they are investigating the tragedy. 
Russia aims to erode Ukrainian national identity in the occupied areas.

Russias aim is to create a pro-Kremlin information space in the occupied regions in order to erode Ukrainian national identity, reads the report by the UKs Ministry of Defence.

As noted, on 15 August 2023, First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Sergey Kiriyenko travelled to Donetsk in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine to visit schools and check their integration into the Russian education system.

In the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia region, the occupation administration received instructions from Russia regarding the introduction of new standards for the accreditation of educational institutions.

Journalists from Russia are also being employed in media outlets in the occupied regions.

A new textbook on the history of Russia will be issued to schools in the occupied regions of Ukraine and throughout the Russian Federation from 1 September 2023. The book praises the so-called special military operation and describes Ukraine as an ultra-terrorist state.
Ukraine and the UN have signed a joint preventive plan to prevent and stop gross violations of children's rights in the context of Russia's armed aggression.

That's according to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

The plan was signed by Advisor, Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights and Child Rehabilitation Daria Herasymchuk, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown and UNICEF Representative in Ukraine Murat Sahin.

Next week in New York, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba will verify the document.

"Today, Ukraine is taking yet another, far from being the first, step to save Ukrainian children from ruscist invaders and is showing respect for UN mechanisms and rules by signing a preventive plan developed jointly with the United Nations. We hope other countries will use our example because today we are talking about Ukrainian children, and tomorrow it can be any child in any country in the world," Herasymchuk said after signing the document, which took place in the Office of the President of Ukraine.

She said that Russia is the first ever permanent member of the UN Security Council, which the UN Secretary General mentioned in the appendix to his annual report "Children and Armed Conflict" for 2022 among other countries that committed such violations.

According to the statement, the signing of the joint preventive plan with the UN is an important step in implementing Bring Kids Back UA  a comprehensive action plan developed at the initiative of Volodymyr Zelensky. The plan unites the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities, foreign governments and international organizations for the return Ukrainian children abducted by Russia to their homeland.

As Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak said, there is a lot of work ahead to return Ukrainian children, and the efforts of Ukrainians will not stop until all Ukrainian citizens return home, close to their families.

"The release of all prisoners and deportees is an important point of the Peace Formula. Thousands of our people, including more than 19,000 Ukrainian children, are in Russian captivity. Ukraine is grateful to everyone in the world who helps return Ukrainians home. We must release all these people, and we will definitely do it together," Yermak said.

Photos: Office of the President of Ukraine
BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The governments of China and Denmark issued a green joint work programme for the 2023-2026 period on Friday.

The following is the full text of the work programme:

Green Joint Work Programme

between

the Government of the People's Republic of China

and

the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark

2023-2026

Context

In 2008, the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Denmark entered into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, in recognition of their common interest in working together on bilateral, multilateral and global issues. In 2017, they underpinned the partnership with the establishment of a Joint Work Programme for the period 2017-2020. In November 2021, the Foreign Ministers of the People's Republic of China and of the Kingdom of Denmark committed to reaching agreement on a "Green China-Denmark Joint Work Programme" building on and consolidating bilateral cooperation in accordance with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

New Green Joint Work Programme 2023-2026

China and Denmark have a mutual interest in promoting a bilateral relationship based on shared interests, and a mutual interest in addressing joint global challenges in line with the 2008 Joint Statement of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The Chinese side appreciates Danish adherence to its unchanged one-China policy. Both sides are ready to work together to reinvigorate the global partnership for development, and take efficient and effective actions so as to promote stronger, greener and healthier global development, and make our due contributions to realizing all the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda. The two sides agree on this new Green Joint Work Programme for the period of 2023-2026, to promote areas of mutual interest while recognizing obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter. This will include implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including its Paris Agreement. Important areas of cooperation will be: 1) climate and energy, 2) environment and water, 3) green shipping and green maritime technology, 4) improving quality and sustainability of food and agriculture, 5) improving public health, 6) strengthening economic relations, and 7) science and technology. Engagement on these areas of cooperation should aim at adding value to dialogue and joint projects involving inter alia, authorities, business representatives, stakeholder organizations and academia.

Strengthened High-Level Dialogue

China and Denmark agree to promote political and economic dialogue to the benefit of both, and engage in dialogue on areas of concern to either side. High-level exchanges between governments and local authorities on areas of mutual interest should be strengthened. An important vehicle will be annual political consultations on vice-ministerial level, inter alia to review progress made under the Green Joint Work Programme, decide on potential adjustments and exchange views on future cooperation.

Trade: Strengthening Economic Relations

China and Denmark are important trading partners. Both sides should further deepen and expand commercial relations based on mutual interests, tap the potential of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, work to improve market and competition conditions and ensure a level playing field. With this Green Joint Work Programme China and Denmark will:

a. Conduct bilateral Joint Economic Committee meetings on a regular basis.

b. Strengthen bilateral dialogue and collaboration within certification of products, taxation, competition and other fields.

Climate and Energy: Working Together for the Climate

China and Denmark share a strong commitment to sustainable green and low-carbon transition and both have set ambitious goals to address climate change and reach carbon neutrality. The two sides agree that China and Denmark should take global leadership to achieve the Paris Agreement goals, while adhering to the relevant principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Both parties are committed to translate their goals into action by taking concrete steps to address climate change and to cooperate on a sustainable, just and cost-effective green and low-carbon transition. Through this Green Joint Work Programme, China and Denmark will cooperate closely on climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as energy transition. The cooperation will inter alia include the following areas:

a. Climate change mitigation, policy development and regulatory innovation, including promoting a low-carbon and sustainable economic development and supporting training in addressing climate change and green transition for decision makers and officials.

b. Cost effective and safe energy transition, including modelling, long term energy planning and the development of power markets.

c. Increased energy system flexibility, increasing renewable energy integration, energy efficiency and clean and renewable heating.

d. Sustainable urban development, including climate change adaptation, sponge cities and energy efficiency in buildings.

Environment and Water: Ensuring Water Resources Quality and Ecosystem Functions

China and Denmark will work closely together in the fields of environment and water. Both sides share strong ambitions on sustainable resource management, protecting the environment, biodiversity, and promoting a circular economy. This Green Joint Work Programme aims to strengthen cooperation on environment and water, inter alia in the following areas:

a. Environmental protection including air pollution prevention and control, waste and wastewater management, circular economy, and environmental management of chemicals.

b. Sustainable management of water resources, including securing sustainable management of groundwater resources and reuse of wastewater.

c. Promoting integrated, carbon-neutral wastewater management including resource recovery from sludge, slurry and organic waste.

d. Supporting the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) and the China Europe Water Platform (CEWP).

e. Biodiversity, including conservation and sustainable use of it.

f. Marine eco-environment conservation and restoration.

Research, Innovation, and Higher Education: Boosting Green Transformation

Under the Green Joint Work Programme, China and Denmark will boost green transformation, implement the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and jointly tackle global challenges such as climate change, by cooperating in areas of mutual interest within science, technology, innovation and higher education. Cooperation should enhance research quality in both countries, while building on a level playing field and the principles of reciprocity, openness, research integrity and academic freedom. Cooperation activities will be exclusively for civil application. China and Denmark will hold intergovernmental joint committee meetings on science and technology cooperation on a regular basis. China and Denmark fully agree on the important role of universities from both countries in promoting green transformation and development through education of new talents and research collaboration in areas such as climate change, low-carbon development and green environment. China and Denmark will explore and deepen cooperation in the following priority areas:

a. Climate change and decarbonisation;

b. Environmental protection and sustainable management and utilisation of resources;

c. Sustainable food and agricultural technologies;

d. Sustainable global health.

Intellectual Property: Strengthening IP Cooperation

China and Denmark will deepen cooperation and coordination on intellectual property-rights (e.g. patents, trademarks, geographical indications), including yearly exchange of relevant information on legislation, and jointly undertake cooperation activities.

Maritime Affairs: Collaboration on Green Shipping and Green Maritime Technology

As maritime nations, China and Denmark share a strong commitment to reducing the climate and environmental impacts of global shipping. This Green Joint Work Programme aims to strengthen collaboration on green shipping and green maritime technology, including:

a. Strengthening dialogue and collaboration, promoting emission reduction of global shipping, in particular under the framework of the International Maritime Organization.

b. Exchanging knowledge and experience relating to green maritime technology, shipbuilding and offshore equipment, and reducing carbon emissions for new buildings and retrofitting ships with green technologies.

c. Promoting the production of alternative fuels and the establishment of fuel storage, transportation, refueling and other infrastructure facilitating the green transition of shipping.

Food and Agriculture: Improving Quality and Sustainability

China and Denmark acknowledge that sustainable food and agricultural production will be the cornerstone of a sustainable world. The parties have a long tradition of cooperation within a number of areas related to food production including food safety and biosecurity measures. Through this Green Joint Work Programme, China and Denmark agree to advance cooperation within the food and agricultural sectors by continuing and further expanding cooperation within areas such as:

a. Agricultural productivity and product quality, including sustainable animal production.

b. Food safety, mitigation of food loss and food waste, nutrition, and ingredients.

c. Animal health, animal welfare, zoonotic diseases and veterinary medicine including antimicrobial resistance in a One Health perspective

d. Milk technology and other cooperation in the dairy sector.

e. Organic food and agriculture.

Tourism: Sustainable Development

China and Denmark will further promote their tourism exchanges and cooperation to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. To this end, China and Denmark will work together to intensify their exchanges and cooperation in sustainable tourism.

Health: Access for All

China and Denmark share the commitment to achieving universal health coverage, including equal access to quality health services as well as innovative medicines and medical devices. This Green Joint Work Programme will aim at strengthening and promoting physical and mental health and well-being, extending life expectancy for all, including cooperation on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). To this end, China and Denmark will especially cooperate on:

a. Medicines and medical devices, including regulatory affairs.

b. Primary health care, including mental health and non-communicable diseases. 
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Accra, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Aug, 2023 ) :The ECOWAS force is ready to intervene in Niger as soon as West African leaders give the order, an official said Friday following talks on the coup that ousted the country's president.

On the second day of talks in Accra, Ghana, West African military chiefs "fine-tuned" details of possible armed intervention, said Abdel-Fatau Musah, an ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security.

"We are ready to go any time the order is given," said Musah. "The D-Day is also decided," he added.

But the leaders also stressed they still favoured dialogue, and that ECOWAS might send a diplomatic mission to Niger on Saturday, he said.

"Tomorrow there is the possibility of an ECOWAS mission going into Niger to continue to pursue the peaceful path to restoration of constitutional order.

"We are ready to resolve the issue peacefully but it takes two to tango," Musah said.

"If they want to take the peaceful pathway to the very early restoration of constitutional order then we are ready to stand down the military option," he added.

Previous delegations have failed to meet Niger's new strongman General Abdourahamane Tiani.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday paid glowing tributes to humanitarian aid workers for their "determined and life-saving efforts" across the world, in a message marking World Humanitarian Day

UITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Aug, 2023 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday paid glowing tributes to humanitarian aid workers for their "determined and life-saving efforts" across the world, in a message marking World Humanitarian Day.

"On this World Humanitarian Day, we salute the courage and dedication of humanitarian aid workers everywhere," he said on the day that marks the 20th anniversary of the deadly attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, killing 22 UN personnel, including Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.

More than 150 people were injured in that attack, mainly local and international aid workers helping reconstruct the country following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

"That tragedy marked a change in the way humanitarians operate," UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said in his message.

He noted that although humanitarians are respected around the world, they may also be targeted by people seeking to harm them.

This year, the UN and partners said they are aiming to reach 250 million people worldwide affected by conflict and other crises, or 10 times more than at the time of the Canal Hotel bombing, and amid a shortfall in humanitarian funding.

"As crises multiply, it is unacceptable that humanitarians are being forced to reduce aid to millions of people in need," the Secretary-General said.

The risks that humanitarians face have also multiplied, he added, citing rising geopolitical tensions, blatant disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law, deliberate assault and disinformation campaigns.

Last year, 444 aid workers fell victim to violence in 235 separate attacks. Of that number, 116 were killed, 143 were injured and 185 were kidnapped. Most were national staff working with non-governmental organizations.

"World Humanitarian Day and the Canal Hotel bombing will always be an occasion of mixed and still raw emotions for me and many others," the UN's humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, said earlier this week.

Griffiths and the UN's head of Safety and Security, Gilles Michaud, have published an op-ed that calls for "protecting the people who protect the world".

They said the Canal Hotel bombing "triggered an urgent review of the UN's security arrangements".

An independent panel, established in the wake of the tragedy, recognized the need for new approaches that would ensure "an acceptable balance between operational objectives and staff security in high-risk environments," they recalled.

"The Panel recommended investment in a new, adequately financed UN security management system with the highest levels of professionalism, expertise, and accountability at its core," they added.

"As a result, in 2005, the United Nations Department of Safety and Security, or UNDSS, was created, mandated to lead a collective approach to UN security." The UN officials highlighted the need for humanitarians to be able to safely access affected populations, saying that "security approaches must listen to and be attuned to local dynamics and sensitivities." They called for greater international support, including educating warring parties on their obligations to respect, protect and provide support to aid workers.

"It means demanding, clearly and unequivocally, an end to direct or indiscriminate attacks on civilians, non-combatants, and humanitarian workers during conflicts in breach of international humanitarian law," they said.

"And it requires us to challenge the disinformation and misinformation that are increasingly putting them at risk of attack and undermining humanitarian operations."The op-ed also underscored the need to continue high-level diplomacy that supports humanitarian operations and access, especially in heavy conflict, as "recent experience shows that genuine agreements are possible, even when peace seems a distant possibility".
China staged a new round of military exercises around Taiwan on Saturday, as it expressed anger toward Taiwanese Vice President William Lai's two stopovers in the United States. Apart from issuing warnings to Taiwan, analysts say the drills are part of Beijing's response to Friday's Camp David Summit featuring leaders from the U.S., Japan, and South Korea.



"China is not only aiming at Lai but also issuing a warning to the U.S., Japan, and South Korea after the three countries strengthened military cooperation and intelligence sharing at the Camp David Summit," Lin Ying-Yu, a China military expert at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told VOA in a phone interview.



The latest exercise comes a day after Lai's return from his seven-day trip to Paraguay, which included transit stops in New York and San Francisco. In response, an unnamed official in China's Taiwan Work Office accused Lai of colluding with the U.S., referring to Lai's stopovers in the U.S., an interview Lai gave to news outlet Bloomberg, and his meeting with U.S. officials in Paraguay.



The Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, characterized the military exercises on Saturday as "stern warnings" to the collusion between Taiwan independence separatists and foreign forces. But unlike the two multi-day, blockade-style military exercises that China launched recently as responses to high-level engagement between Taiwan and the U.S., Lin from Tamkang University notes the scale of Saturday's drills is smaller.

"Lai and the U.S. didn't cross the red line in arranging his transit stops in the U.S., so the scale of the Chinese military exercise is smaller compared to the military exercises last August and this past April," said Lin, referring to Beijing's reactions to the former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August of 2022 and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last April.



In response, Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned Beijing's "irrational and provocative act" and said the military exercises don't contribute to the peace and stability of the Taiwan Straits. "The drills highlight China's mentality of military desperation, and Taiwan will dispatch appropriate troops to respond to the military exercises accordingly," the ministry said in a statement.

Limited effect

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and vows to reunite with the island democracy through force if necessary. Beijing opposes high-level interactions between Taiwan and other countries and repeatedly has deployed military aircraft and naval vessels to areas near Taiwan as part of its intimidation campaign.

On Saturday, Taiwan's defense ministry said 42 Chinese military aircraft entered its air defense identification zone, or ADIZ, after 9 a.m. local time, and 26 of those crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial demarcation that separates Taiwan and China.

Some observers say one of Beijing's goals with the military exercises around Taiwan is to intimidate the Taiwanese people so they act and vote in a certain way. Since China has staged multiple large-scale military exercises around Taiwan over the last year, though, the effectiveness of this strategy has been decreasing.

"It's no secret that people in Taiwan don't necessarily freak out every time there is a military drill by China," Lev Nachman, a political scientist at National Chengchi University, or NCCU, in Taiwan, told VOA in a phone interview. "Beijing thinks that they are scaring [the] Taiwanese people, but they don't realize that most Taiwanese people don't even notice these threats."

Despite the calm reaction from many in Taiwan, Nachman asserted that major political parties in the country will try to make electoral gains either by framing the Chinese military drills as proof of the threat from China or as evidence of the growing risks that Taiwan faces if it continues to assert its status as a sovereign state.

"Both the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] and main opposition party Kuomintang, or KMT, would like Taiwanese people to pay more attention to the drills because they think the drills are good for their electoral politics," Nachman explained. He added that the KMT will try to frame the drills as proof that the DPP is putting Taiwan in serious danger while the DPP wants to convince Taiwanese people that threats from China are growing.

On Saturday, Taiwan's Presidential Office and the DPP both criticized Beijing for attempting to create fear among the Taiwanese public and interfere in the presidential election scheduled for next January.

"The Chinese Communist Party is using Lai's visit as an excuse to verbally and militarily intimidate Taiwan, as well as attempt to intervene in and influence Taiwan's democratic election, which not only destroys cross-strait relations but also won't earn Taiwanese people's approval," the DPP said in a statement.

Meanwhile, KMT's chairman, Eric Chu, told reporters during a brief interview that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should "strive to create a peaceful environment through exchangements and dialogues rather than a vicious cycle that would make Taiwan the most dangerous place recognized by the world."

Careful monitoring

While China's military drills have limited repercussions on Taiwan's civil society, military experts say Taiwanese authorities and the military must heed potential changes or adjustments to China's military tactics. "Since Taiwan adjusts its defense strategies based on the Chinese military's tactics, these exercises are of great significance to Taiwan," Lin from Tamkang University said.

Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, said one of the objectives of the joint air and sea patrols launched by the PLA is to maximize their capabilities in maintaining air and maritime supremacy. "This type of drill focuses on enhancing the coordination between PLA's air force and navy," he told VOA.
Native Hawaiians and others from a Maui community devastated by ferocious fire said Friday they worry Hawaii's governor is moving too quickly to rebuild what was lost while the grief is still raw.

"The fire occurred only 10 days ago, and many people are still in shock and mourning," said Tiare Lawrence, who grew up in Lahaina. She spoke during an emotional news conference organized by community activists who called on Governor Josh Green to give residents time to grieve, provide community leaders with recovery decision-making roles, and comply with open-records laws amid distrust in the government response to the disaster.

The governor and his wife were scheduled to give a livestreamed address from Honolulu on Friday evening with updates on the response to the Maui wildfires that killed at least 111 people. Earlier this week, he said he would announce details of a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina to prevent people from falling victim to land grabs.

Since the flames consumed much of Lahaina, locals have feared a rebuilt town could become even more oriented toward wealthy visitors.

Green has said Lahaina's future will be determined by its people but didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the group's concerns.

"The governor should not rush to rebuild the community without first giving people time to heal, especially without including the community itself in the planning," she said. "Fast-track development cannot come at the cost of community control."

More than a dozen of Lawrence's uncles and cousins fled the fast-moving fire last week and went east to her Pukalani home.

The coalition of activists, under the umbrella of a group calling itself "Na Ohana o Lele: Lahaina," were especially concerned about the impact of development to the environment and noted how mismanagement of resources  particularly land and water  contributed to the quick spread of the fire. Normal life resumes elsewhere

While crews sifted through ashes and rubble in Lahaina, scenes of normalcy continued in other parts of Maui, even if the tragedy hung heavy over the island.

Off the coast of Kihei Friday morning, a holiday marking Hawaii's statehood, paddlers in outrigger canoes glided through Maalaea Bay about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Lahaina. Fishermen cast their lines from knee-deep water. And beachgoers strolled along the sand.

The search for the missing moved beyond Lahaina to other communities that were destroyed. Teams had covered about 58% of the Lahaina area and the fire was 90% contained as of Thursday night, Maui County officials said.

Six forensic anthropologists with the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency are assisting in gathering and identifying human remains, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday. The group is experienced in verifying DNA from long-lost service members, many of whom died as long ago as World War II.

There was no word Friday on who would replace the Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator who abruptly resigned Thursday after defending a decision not to sound outdoor sirens during the fire.

Herman Andaya had said this week that he had no regrets about not deploying the system because he feared it could have caused people to go toward the mountains or inland.

"If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire," Andaya explained. He stepped down a day later.

The decision to not use the sirens, coupled with water shortages that hampered firefighters and an escape route clogged with vehicles overrun by flames, has brought intense criticism from many residents following the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than a century.

The lack of sirens has emerged as a potential misstep, part of a series of communication issues that added to the chaos, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said Thursday that an outside organization will conduct "an impartial, independent" review of the government's response. Hotels will house evacuees

Corrine Hussey Nobriga said it was hard to lay blame for a tragedy that took everyone by surprise, even if some of her neighbors raised questions about the absence of sirens and inadequate evacuation routes.

The fire moved quickly through her neighborhood, though her home was spared.

"One minute we saw the fire over there," she said, pointing toward faraway hills, "and the next minute it's consuming all these houses." Authorities hope to empty crowded, uncomfortable group shelters by early next week, said Brad Kieserman, vice president for disaster operations with the American Red Cross. Hotels also are available for eligible evacuees who have spent the last eight days sleeping in cars or camping in parking lots, he said.

Contracts with the hotels will last for at least seven months but could easily be extended, he said. Service providers at the properties will offer meals, counseling, financial assistance and other disaster aid.
SARAJEVO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Elene Naveriani's "Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry" won the Heart of Sarajevo in the best feature film category and the best actress for Ekaterine Chavleishvili's performance on Friday at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the romance and narrative movie, a middle-aged stoically independent woman in a Georgian village experiences a gentle existential crisis during an affair. The 1985-born Georgian director's feature movie premiered at the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes 2023.

The Heart of Sarajevo awards in 13 categories were announced at the closing ceremony on Friday held in the National Theater.

Philip Sotnychenko from Ukraine won the best director for his murder-crime drama "La Palisada."

The best actor award went to Jovan Ginic, a 16-year-old high school student from Belgrade, who also won the best actor at this year's Cannes for his performance in "Lost Country."

Serbian director Nemanja Vojinovic's Bottlemen won the Best Documentary, focusing on the community of plastic bottle collectors struggling to make a living at one of the largest landfill sites in Europe near the Serbian capital Belgrade.

The best short documentary award goes to Croatian director Sara Jurincic's "Valeria."

A total of 49 films competed in various categories at this year's SFF. Launched in 1995, the SFF has since grown into a major cultural event in the country and the largest film festival in Southeast Europe. 
Beijing is pushing back on Seoul's demand that China stop repatriating North Koreans who have left their homeland and been detained as they attempt to make their way to a third country.

China is detaining as many as 2,000 North Korean defectors who face severe punishment for fleeing the repressive Kim regime, South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung Ho said Wednesday at a seminar in Seoul.

Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights, estimated the number of North Korean defectors in China as of 2022 that the South Korean minister used.

China considers North Koreans entering its country to be illegal immigrants rather than refugees and arrests them when they are caught, then sends them back to North Korea, which treats them as traitors.

Human rights advocates expect China to repatriate those detained when the China-North Korea border fully reopens after being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We ask cooperation from the Chinese government on the issue of North Korean defectors detained in China [subject to] forcible repatriation" to North Korea, Kim Yung Ho said.

China has an "obligation to abide by international norms prohibiting forced repatriation," Kim continued, adding, "The South Korean government will accept all defectors who wish to come to South Korea." China, North Korea becoming closer

South Korea's call for China to stop sending back North Korean defectors came two days ahead of a historic trilateral summit that Washington hosted for Seoul and Tokyo at Camp David on Friday. Beijing said it opposed the gathering of leaders of the three countries.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, on Thursday told VOA's Korean Service, "The Chinese government has all along handled issues related to the DPRK people illegally entering into China in keeping with Chinese laws, international law and humanitarianism."

The official name of North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

China ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol in 1982 and is obligated to follow the convention's core principle of nonrefoulment. That is a principle of international law that forbids a country receiving asylum-seekers from returning them to a country in which they would be in probable danger.

Ties between China and North Korea are becoming closer as tensions between Beijing and Washington increase. The two Asian nations agreed to increase cooperation when a Chinese delegation visited Pyongyang in July as the allies marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War of 1951-53.

South Korea's Kim said China must designate North Korean defectors as refugees who have the right to receive protection rather than as illegal immigrants.

He added that the human rights of North Korean defectors in China should be guaranteed according to international norms and that the North Koreans in China should be allowed to go to a country of their choosing such as South Korea.

Robert King, who served as the U.S. special envoy for North Korea's human rights under the Obama administration, said, "The Chinese are cooperating with the North Koreans on the human rights abuses."

He continued, "I commend the South Korean government for making the issue and for raising the problem." New focus on human rights

Seoul has been raising human rights issues since President Yoon Suk Yeol took office in May 2022.

The previous administration of Moon Jae-in shunned the issue to avoid upsetting Pyongyang and Beijing. Moon, a former human rights attorney, wanted to improve inter-Korean relations with China's support.

Roberta Cohen, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights during the Carter administration, said Beijing should examine "whether China is complicating its relations with South Korea by forcibly repatriating North Koreans trying to reach Seoul," as they are "beaten up, tortured, subject to forced labor, detention and possibly execution in the DPRK" when they are repatriated.

She continued, "South Korea can hardly remain silent when it is the country most affected by the forced repatriations of North Koreans."

In the first open U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea's human rights in six years, South Korea's U.N. Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook on Thursday condemned North Korea's human rights abuses.

He said human rights abuses are a "critical national security issue" for South Korea as Pyongyang represses its people to develop nuclear and missile programs that threaten South Koreans.
RIVNE, Ukraine (AP)  Along a bustling street in a western Ukrainian city, Denys Abdulin takes his first independent strides since he was severely wounded and blinded while fighting invading Russian troops more than a year ago.

The 34-year-old former soldier, wearing black glasses and gripping a white mobility cane, steps onto a more crowded stretch of sidewalk. His movements become tentative and tense. He accidentally blocks the path of a woman approaching an ATM to withdraw cash.

Like many other pedestrians, she responds with a compassionate smile and gracefully moves aside. Gradually, Abdulin covers 600 meters (almost 3/10 of a mile), guided by a trainer walking ahead of him with a bracelet of small metal bells.

Five other Ukrainian military veterans conquered similar challenges while attending a rehabilitation camp for ex-soldiers who lost their vision in combat. Over several weeks, the men would learn to navigate the city of Rivne, to prepare their own meals and to use public transportation while traveling solo.

Price of freedom

Daily tasks they previously performed without thinking now demand focus, strength and dedication.

"Everyone pays their price for freedom in Ukraine," Abdulin, who spent months confined to a hospital bed and rarely takes off his dark shades, said.

The war Russia launched in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, has killed tens of thousands of fighters on both sides. Countless others, both Ukrainian military personnel and civilians who took up arms to defend their country, have been maimed or suffered other injuries that irreversibly reshaped their lives.

No statistics currently exist for how many service members have lost their sight due to severe wounds sustained in the war, according to Olesia Perepechenko, executive director of Modern Sight, the non-governmental organization that puts on the camp. But demand for the program is growing as the war nears its year and a half point.

Over the course of several weeks, the veterans, accompanied by their families, reside at a rehabilitation center outside of Rivne. Most receive their first canes here, take their first walks around urban and natural environments without assistance, and learn to operate sound-based programs for using cellphones and computers.

"Our goal isn't to retrain them, not to change them, but simply to give them a chance to become independent and self-reliant," Perepechenko, who is herself blind, said.

Wounded in battle

Abdulin voluntarily joined the military when Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 18 months ago. Completing the 600-meter walk marked a new phase in his recovery following the wounds he sustained when a mine detonated a few meters (yards) behind him in Sieverodontesk, a city in eastern Ukraine now occupied by Russians.

"It seemed to me that a flame flew out of my eyes," he said of that day in May 2022. "I immediately realized that I had lost my eyes."

"Of course, I expected everything, but becoming blind, I couldn't even imagine," Abdulin continued. "I thought that I could lose an arm or a leg, and I didn't want to die at all. I never even thought that I would become blind. Therefore, at first, it was very difficult".

In 2014, when Russia unlawfully annexed Crimea and armed conflict erupted in Ukraine's Donbas region, Perepechenko yearned to be on the front lines helping in some way. Her request to join the army was declined, so she decided to embrace a new mission: helping soldiers who lost their sight to reclaim a sense of autonomy.

Modern Sight held its first rehabilitation camp in 2019 and organized around 10 more since then. However, only two camps have taken place during the war. Although there is a waiting list of 30 people for the next session, the non-profit's primary hurdle is funding: each camp costs about 15,000 euros ($16,400) to put on.

Family care

Abdulin spent almost a year receiving treatment for his injuries, which included a shattered jaw from the shrapnel that also stole his vision and left him with breathing and balance problems. His wife, Olesia Abdulina, returned with their two children from Lithuania, where the three of them sought refuge after Russia's full-scale invasion.

"His eyes were still so swollen, with bandages over them, covered in cotton pads," Abdulina said of seeing her husband at the hospital for the first time after their months of separation.

"The main thing is that you're alive," she said she responded when he told her he would never see again.

During the months after that, she fed him with a spoon and rarely left his side.

At the Modern Sight camp, the two of them were learning how to integrate his impairment into their family life.

While Denys attended physiotherapy or cooking classes, Abdulina and other women with husbands or boyfriends in the program go through their own training exercises. One purpose of the camp is reminding the spouses they are not "nannies" but life partners to their men, Perepechenko said.

During one such session, Abdulina is blindfolded and given a long cane. She tentatively probes the floor while another participant holds her hand. The purpose of the exercise is to help the women better understand what their partners experience and need.

"We remain the same people. We have the same capabilities," Ivan Soroka, 27, who joined the Ukrainian army on the day Russia invaded and was attending the camp for a second time. "We need to stand up, take control and work on improving ourself."

Wedding plans

A projectile wounded Soroka near Bakhmut in August 2022, when the longest battle of the war so far was just beginning. Russian forces ended up taking the city in eastern Ukraine in May after more than eight months of intense combat.

"I lost my sight immediately, thrown by the blast wave. I felt that I was dying," Soroka said. "I lay there for about two minutes. Then I realized that no, someone isn't letting me go there." As he recalls those moments, he implies it was his fiancee, Vlada, now sitting beside him, who kept him alive.

The couple met when Soroka was participating in the defense of the Kyiv region in the spring of last year. Their love blossomed swiftly against the backdrop of war. Prior to Soroka's summer deployment to the Donetsk region, he proposed to Vlada. She agreed to marry him.

But soon after, the two were spending days and nights in a hospital instead of preparing for a wedding. The happy occasion that was postponed because of Soroka's injury is now planned for early September; after months of rehabilitation, he feels both physically and psychologically strong.

"I've realized that unless I rise on my own and start doing something, nothing will change," he said.

The men and their partners spend camp breaks and evenings in a gazebo on the rehabilitation center's grounds. An atmosphere of tranquility prevails, occasionally interrupted by hearty laughter and jokes from their time as soldiers.

By the time they leave the center, the men will know they have the tools to get around a city and gained something equally vital - a sense of community forged through shared experiences and a common trauma.

Time to celebrate

One evening, when the day's activities were completed, the camp participants gathered in a courtyard to celebrate Oleksandr Zhylchenko's birthday. He lost his sight late last year, though did not share details about the circumstances.

"I'm drawing you into a circle, into your family's circle. There are about 50 of us here," Perepechenko said, handing Zhylchenko a heart-shaped balloon in the yellow and blue of Ukraine's national flag. "This is our collective heart."

The trainers and trainees stood in a circle and, one by one, shared their birthday wishes for the man of the moment. Careless days. A bright future. Patience, confidence, faithfulness. A peaceful sky. The final wish was for "victory for all of us and for Ukraine."

Moved, Zhylchenko held the balloon a moment longer, silently conjuring his own wish.

Then, he released it, without seeing it swiftly ascend into the sky.
Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as a large wildfire burned just miles outside the city of 20,000 Friday, while firefighters in battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia.

Thousands of people in Yellowknife drove hundreds of kilometers to safety, with authorities guiding motorists through fire zones, while others waited in long lines for emergency flights as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing.

Air tankers flew missions to keep the only route out of Yellowknife open. Meanwhile, a network of fire guards, sprinklers and water cannons was established to try to protect the city from the fire.

Fire Information Officer Mike Westwick told The Associated Press by phone Friday evening that the fire did not advance Friday and was still 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of the city, partly because cooler temperatures created less fire activity and cleared some smoke, allowing air tankers to safely fly and drop fire retardant.

Even so, "we've got the wrong kind of wind" in the forecast  gusty and from the west and northwest  and no rain, Westwick warned.

The fire, caused by lightning more than a month ago, is about 1,670 square kilometers (644 square miles) and "not going away anytime soon," he said, adding that the blaze has jumped three different containment lines, fueled by dry weather and dense forests.

"We've still got some really difficult days ahead. There's no denying that," Westwick said earlier Friday.

Gas stations that still had fuel were open Friday, though the city was virtually empty, with one grocery store, a pharmacy and a bar still open.

"It's kind of like having a pint at the end of the world," said Kieron Testart, who went door-to-door in the nearby First Nation communities of Dettah and NDilo to check on people. Indigenous communities have been hit hard by the wildfires, which threaten important cultural activities such as hunting, fishing and gathering native plants.

Hundreds of kilometers south of Yellowknife, homes were burning in West Kelowna, British Columbia, a city of about 38,000, after a wildfire grew "exponentially worse" than expected overnight, the fire chief said.

Residents had already been ordered to evacuate 2,400 properties, while an additional 4,800 properties were on evacuation alert. The BC Wildfire Service said the fire grew six times larger overnight and it stretched over 68 square kilometers (26 square miles).

Some first responders became trapped while rescuing people who failed to evacuate, said Jason Brolund, chief of the West Kelowna fire department, who said residents face another "scary night." There was no known loss of life.

"There were a number of risks taken to save lives and property last night," Brolund said at a news conference, describing how first responders had to rescue people who jumped into a lake to avoid the flames. "It didn't have to be that way."

Bowinn Ma, the province's minister of emergency management, said at a news briefing Friday afternoon that "we are still faced with great challenges."

"I was deeply horrified to witness the distressing images emerging from West Kelowna," she said. "The past 24 hours have been incredibly challenging for the people across the province."

In Yellowknife, northwest winds combined with minimal rain were complicating efforts to slow the fire  one of hundreds raging in the territories  which could reach the city limits by the weekend, emergency officials said. There was a chance of limited rain on Friday, but officials said it likely wouldn't be enough to stop the fire.

"We're heading into a critical couple of days," Shane Thompson, a government minister for the territories, told a news conference.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said the fire didn't advance as much as expected on Thursday, but "it is still coming," warning that incoming heavy smoke increased the urgency of evacuating while it's still possible.

"We just need the last few residents to head out," she said Friday.

Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year  contributing to choking smoke in parts of the U.S.  with more than 5,700 fires burning more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles) from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.

As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 wildfires were burning across the country, over half of them out of control.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with his incident response group Thursday. He asked ministers to work to ensure communication services remained available and said there would be no tolerance for price gouging on flights or essential goods.
The leader of mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger's democratically elected president said Saturday night that they will return the country to civilian rule within three years.

General Abdourahmane Tchiani gave no details on the plan, saying on state television only that the principles for the transition would be decided within 30 days at a dialogue to be hosted by the junta.

"I am convinced that  we will work together to find a way out of the crisis, in the interests of all," Tchiani said, commenting after his first meeting with a regional delegation seeking to resolve the West African nation's crisis.

The delegation from the ECOWAS bloc, headed by former Nigerian head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar, also met separately with toppled President Mohamed Bazoum. It joined reconciliation efforts by Leonardo Santos Simao, the United Nations special representative for West Africa and the Sahel, who arrived Friday.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on August 10 ordered the deployment of a "standby force" to restore constitutional rule in Niger. On Friday, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said 11 of its 15 member states had agreed to commit troops to military intervention, saying they were "ready to go."

The soldiers who overthrew Bazoum last month have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts, and kept Bazoum, his wife and son under house arrest in the capital.

The 11 member states that agreed to intervene militarily don't include the bloc's three other countries under military rule following coups: Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. The latter two have warned they would consider any intervention in Niger an act of war. On Friday, Niger's state television said that Mali and Burkina Faso had dispatched warplanes in a show of solidarity. 'A very fragile country'

Friday's announcement was the latest in a series of so far empty threats by ECOWAS to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, conflict analysts say. Immediately after the coup, the bloc gave the junta seven days to release and restore Bazoum, a deadline that came and went with no action.

"The putschists won't be holding their breath this time over the renewed threat of military action," said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank.

The junta leaders are cementing their rule and appointing loyal commanders to key units while ECOWAS has no experience with military action in hostile territory and would have no local support if it tried to intervene, he said.

"Niger is a very fragile country that can easily turn, in case of a military intervention, into a failed state like Sudan," Laessing said.

ECOWAS used force to restore order in 2017 in Gambia when longtime President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after he lost the presidential election. That move involved diplomatic efforts led by the then-presidents of Mauritania and Guinea, while Jammeh appeared to be acting on his own after the Gambian army pledged allegiance to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow. US official arrives in Niger

Also on Saturday, the new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, arrived in the capital, said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department. The U.S. hasn't had an ambassador in the country for nearly two years.
This years World Humanitarian Day is being commemorated at a time of increased risk for the thousands of aid workers who put their lives on the line every day to help millions of people affected by conflict and natural and human-made disasters.

The United Nations says humanitarian workers are in far greater danger today than 20 years ago, when the U.N.s headquarters in the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, was bombed. The attack killed 22 staffers, including Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello, and injuring some 150 others.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, says so far this year, 62 humanitarian workers have been killed in crises around the world, a 40% increase from the same period in 2022. Another 84 aid workers have been wounded and 34 kidnapped.

The statistics are grim, said Ramesh Rajasingham, head of OCHAs office in Geneva. Every year, nearly six times more aid workers are killed in the line of duty than were killed in Baghdad on that dark day.

International law is clear, he said. Aid workers are not targets. Perpetrators must be held to account. Impunity for these crimes is a scar on our collective conscience.

OCHA says the highest number of attacks against aid workers is in South Sudan, followed closely by Sudan. Aid worker casualties also have been recorded in the Central African Republic, Mali, Somalia and Ukraine.

World Humanitarian Day was established in response to the attack in Iraq 20 years ago on Aug. 19, 2003. Survivors and family members of victims, as well as U.N. senior officials, diplomats and members of the public, attended a ceremony Friday at U.N. headquarters in Geneva to pay tribute to the workers who have lost their lives in humanitarian service.

Far from the spotlight and out of the headlines, humanitarians work around the clock to make our world a better place, said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Against incredible odds, often at great personal risk, they ease suffering in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable.

Personal stories

Ahmad Fawzi, who acted as master of ceremonies at the event, was spokesman for Sergio Vieiro di Mello when the terrorist attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad occurred. He escaped death because he was away on mission. However, the scars remain to this day.

It has been said time heals all wounds. I do not agree, said Fawzi.

Quoting Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who lost two of her children to assassins bullets, he said that while the pain lessens, it is never gone.

With his voice breaking, Fawzi shared a painful memory of accompanying the remains of his lifelong friend Nadia Younus, who was killed in the Baghdad terrorist attack, to her final resting place in Cairo.

It seems like only yesterday that Nadia and I shared our last dinner together in Baghdad, he said.

Another emotion-filled memory was conveyed by Mujahed Mohammed Hasan, a survivor of the Canal Hotel bombing. He said he was happily planning his wedding on the day he was injured. He recounted years of painful treatment, of shattered dreams, of fighting for survival.

He told the room full of dignitaries that the support of his family gave him the strength and empowered him to stand before you now, proudly reflecting on a 20-year journey of my life that has changed me into an ambitious, happy, proud individual determined to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

My journey is ongoing, and I continue to heal and grow every single day as I choose not to be a victim, he said.

The United Nations says 362 million people in the world need humanitarian assistance.

In the face of skyrocketing humanitarian needs and despite security and other challenges, OCHA has vowed that the U.N. and its partners aim to help almost 250 million people in crises around the world  10 times more than in 2003.
Iranian cinema directors have ridiculed a six-month suspended prison sentence handed down to Saeed Roustayi and his producer for showcasing their movie at last year's Cannes Film Festival without authorization, saying the move was designed to divert attention from the upcoming anniversary of the eruption of nationwide protests.

They also said international reaction to the sentence earlier this week was laughable.

The Iranian Cinema Directors Association said in an Instagram post that it was the strangest judiciary sentence in the history of Iranian cinema.

It said that the movie, "Leila's Brothers," had been approved by the government, and that the Iranian government itself had participated at the Cannes festival for years. Such a strange sentence is a futile attempt to humiliate this young and intelligent filmmaker of Iranian cinema, the association said.

Roustayi and Javad Noruzbegi have received heavy government funding throughout their careers.

Several independent filmmakers said they saw the sentence as a diversion from the upcoming anniversary of the Sept. 16, 2022, death in custody of Mahsa Amini. She had been detained for allegedly flouting the dress code, and her death sparked nationwide protests in the Islamic republic.

"The sentence is a joke. They [the authorities] want us to forget Mahsas anniversary," filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi told Reuters.

She also said international filmmakers' reaction was laughable as they had fallen into what she called the authorities' trap in giving the sentence too much importance.

Filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola have shared a petition calling for "justice" for Roustayi and Noruzbegi.

Roustayi, 34, and Noruzbegi, 57, will serve one-twentieth of their jail sentence, about nine days. The remainder will be suspended over five years, according to the reformist Etemad newspaper.

During their suspension period, the defendants will have to take a filmmaking course on the preservation of national and ethical interests. They will also not be allowed to meet with other cinema professionals.

"Please, Mr. Scorsese! Do not, for a six-month suspended sentence, divert the attention from Mahsas anniversary and womens demands for their rights, which are being increasingly violated by the day," said an Iranian film director, asking not to be identified further.
Washington has approved sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russia as soon as pilot training is completed, a U.S. official said.

Reznikov did not disclose where and when the training was taking place.

The training included technical language training because most of the technical manuals are written in English.

The fighter jets are not likely to affect the trajectory of the war anytime soon, according to U.S. officials.

U.S. Air Force General James Hecker told reporters Friday at a virtual meeting of the Defense Writers Group that there are no prospects currently for either Ukraine or Russia to gain the upper hand in the air.
From a hospital bed, her legs still covered in blood, Diana Kazakova described the horror of a Russian missile hitting the heart of Chernihiv city in northern Ukraine on Saturday.

She was inside a fabric store when the strike happened around 11:30 a.m. local time, moments after warning sirens sounded across the city.

"The window completely fell on me, and I fell," she told AFP from the hospital where she is being treated for a concussion and leg injuries. "Then I woke up later and was completely stunned and shocked."

In the street outside, "people were crying, shouting  it was scary," she said.

The strike came during the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, with some attending morning church services in the city, which sits about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the capital, Kyiv.

The roof of Chernihiv's theater in the central square was badly damaged by the strike, with windows blown out, although the exterior walls of the building were still standing.

The historic city center is a candidate for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List, according to Ukraine's culture ministry.

The powerful blast shattered all the windows of restaurants, cafes, shops and apartments in two surrounding streets.

AFP saw a vehicle that had been thrown four meters through the air against the wall of a restaurant.

Cafe manager Viktoria Zakharchenko, 29, said she had just arrived at work, near the fabric shop, when the missile hit.

"When I came out, it was terrible. I didn't know if the people who were lying on the ground were still alive or already dead," she told AFP.

The strike killed at least seven people and wounded more than 100.

AFP saw a man nearby in military uniform inspecting a pile of scrap metal and colored wires, believed to be parts of the missile.

Nearby, 24-year-old restaurant worker, Lioudmila, who only wanted to give her first name, was helping to remove debris.

She said she was 200 meters from the restaurant when she heard a very loud whistle and an explosion.

"I fell to the ground," she told AFP.

There were "screams, there were a lot of dead and wounded, and ambulances," she said, her hands still shaking with shock.

The streets around were covered with debris, glass and felled trees.
A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq said Friday that groups including Lebanon's militant Hezbollah were trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect, including his own.

Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday not to bow down even if it costs him his life.

His comments came two days after a department within the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, the country's top Shiite religious authority, issued a statement naming 15 clerics who it said were not qualified to provide religious guidance. Auda was at the top of the list and was almost stripped of his religious status.

But the council later issued a statement saying that the position of the General Directorate for Religious Advocacy did not represent its point of view.

"I don't recognize the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon," Auda said in the sitting room of his modest apartment in Beirut's predominantly Shiite southern suburb of Mreijeh. Auda said he rejected "corruption by politicians who are protected by religious authorities," in an apparent reference to the council.

He blames others' ambitions

He blamed the divisions within the council, regarding the statement about his being unqualified to provide religious guidance, to competition among clerics who hope to head the council one day.

One of Auda's harshest comments to go viral on social media, which angered Lebanese as well as Iraqi politicians, came in a speech late last month. "Whoever defends, even with one word, any legislator, Cabinet minister or a leader in Lebanon or Iraq is a liar, corrupt and a partner with them," he said.

"This speech was spread in Iraq and angered politicians and profiteers, especially Shiites," Auda said, wondering how the oil-wealthy country could have a crumbling infrastructure and many of its citizens living in poverty.

He also blasted some of the religious leaders in the Hawza, the religious seminary of the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf, angering some influential figures in the city that is home to one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines.

An Iraqi official in Baghdad told the AP that some of the religious leaders in Najaf requested that Auda be prevented from making public statements. Another official said some senior members of Iran-backed groups and some politicians sent complaints to Beirut through Hezbollah's representative in Iraq, Sheikh Mohammed Kawtharani, demanding that Auda be sidelined.

Both Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about religious-related matters. Hezbollah denies any interference in Auda's case, saying the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon is in charge.

'Shiite Duo'

Auda said there is huge pressure on him in Lebanon from Hezbollah and the Shiite Amal group of powerful Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He referred to the two groups as the "Shiite Duo," who he said "strictly prohibit any criticism."

Auda backed the anti-corruption protests that broke out in Iraq and Lebanon in 2019 that were both mostly put down by Iran-backed Shiite groups in Iraq and Amal and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"The Shiite Duo don't like me because I accuse them of mismanagement, failure and for taking part in corruption in the country by signing on all laws that wasted public money," he said, referring to decades of corruption and mismanagement that threw Lebanon in its worst economic crisis in its modern history.

Auda described the latest attacks against him, including the General Directorate for Religious Advocacy statement, as "moral killing, a killing that lacks a bullet."

Asked if he feared for his life, Auda said he wasn't afraid to die.

"I am ready to pay the price, but don't hurt my family. I don't want more than that," he said.
A Swiss citizen was arrested in military-ruled Myanmar for creating a film that allegedly insulted Buddhism, state media reported Saturday.

Didier Nusbaumer, 52, was arrested on Aug. 8 along with 13 Myanmar nationals, including a 12-year-old girl, Myanma Alinn newspaper said.

Insulting Buddhism is a punishable offense in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where religious nationalism has surged in recent years. About 90% of Myanmar people are Buddhist.

The news report said that Nusbaumer wrote, filmed and edited the 75-minute movie Don't Expect Anything, which was posted on YouTube on July 24. Short clips from the movie spread on social media including on TikTok and Facebook, drawing rebukes from Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar.

"Although the people in the film's main roles are Buddhist, they behaved inappropriately and degraded the dignity and morals of monks through their physical gestures and dialogue," the media report said.

The report did not say where any of the suspects were being held.

Myanmar has been ruled by its army since February 2021, when it seized power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Nusbaumer is not the first foreigner to be detained in Myanmar after being accused of insulting Buddhism.

In March 2015, a New Zealand citizen who was arrested with two Myanmar nationals was sentenced to 2 1/2 years imprisonment with hard labor for insulting Buddhism in an online advertisement that showed a psychedelic depiction of Buddha wearing DJ-style headphones. He was deported the following year.

In October 2016, a Dutch tourist was jailed for three months with hard labor for insulting Buddhism after he unplugged a loudspeaker used by Buddhist monks to broadcast a late-night sermon in the country's second-largest city, Mandalay. He was deported after serving his jail term.

In the same year, a Spanish tourist was deported from Myanmar after authorities found a tattoo of Buddha on his leg.
This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on May 30, 2023 shows Shenzhou-16 crewed spaceship successfully docking with the radial port of core module Tianhe of the space station.(Xinhua/Li Jie)

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's orbiting Tiangong space station, which functions as a national space laboratory, has been put into operation, pushing forward space applications and achieving fruitful results, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

A total of 110 in-orbit science research and application projects have been implemented, involving space life science and human body research, microgravity physics, and new space technologies, making multiple world's firsts, said Lin Xiqiang, the agency's deputy director, at a press conference on Friday.

The space lab also led to the establishment of a Chinese near-Earth space science and application system. Lin highlighted some system features, including its advanced lab platform for research and application of many space science-related disciplines and its strong in-orbit experimental support that allows taikonauts, especially payload experts, to conduct various operations.

Almost 100 TB of original experimental data have been acquired, and nearly 300 experimental samples returned, including the seeds of rice that had undergone a 120-day life cycle in the space station, he added.

The life-cycle growth experiment of rice is the first in the world, and the discovery of functional gene regulation would promote the breeding of new rice varieties, said Wang Qiang, deputy commander-in-chief of the space application system of China's manned space program.

Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), processes rice samples from China's Tiangong space station at a biology lab of the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the CAS in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 5, 2022. Chinese scientists have completed the life-cycle growth experiments of rice and Arabidopsis in the Chinese space station and successfully obtained their seeds. (Xinhua)

A new alloy material was another breakthrough obtained on the space station, which might be applied in aerospace, nuclear power and other industries, said Wang.

In space medical experiments, the artificial vascular-tissue chip research and a visualization study on the influence of weightlessness on intracellular calcium signals have been made, both of them for the first time in the world, said Li Yinghui, deputy chief designer of the astronaut system of China's manned space program.

The experiment of the Stirling thermoelectric converter has laid a technical foundation for the country's future manned lunar exploration and deep space missions, said Guo Pei, a China Academy of Space Technology designer.

A two-photon microscope was used to obtain three-dimensional images of the astronaut's skin during spaceflight, also for the first time in the world, forming a new tool for in-orbit health monitoring, said Lin.

Many research results obtained in the space lab have brought benefits to Earth.

According to Lin, over 4,000 items of achievements obtained through China's manned space program have been used to serve the national economy and people's livelihood.

Lin added the study results of space life science now apply to biomaterials, medicine, medical treatment, and agricultural technologies.

Also, the research results in microgravity fluids, combustion and materials science contribute to improving manufacturing and processing techniques.

This screen image captured at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Feb. 9, 2023 shows Shenzhou-15 taikonaut Fei Junlong returning to space station lab module Wentian with equipment.(Xinhua/Liu Fang)

More than 3,000 space breeding experiments have been carried out on spaceflight missions, cultivating 240-plus varieties of staple grains and 400-plus new vegetable, fruit, plant and flower varieties. This has resulted in an annual grain output increase of 2.6 billion kilograms.

Achievements of the project are also widely applied in natural resources and ecological environment protection, disaster prevention and reduction, and public services, helping sustain the modernization of social governance, Lin said. 
German authorities have said they are investigating an apparent poisoning of an exiled Russian journalist in Munich.

Elena Kostyuchenko, who had worked for the independent Russian media outlet Novaya Gazeta, fell ill with symptoms of being poisoned while traveling from Munich to Berlin last October.

Authorities reopened the investigation into the case in July, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. The inquiry comes as details emerged that two other female journalists or critics experienced similar symptoms.

The independent Russian media outlet The Insider this week revealed that at least three exiled Russians, including Kostyuchenko, appear to have been targeted with poisonings.

About a week after Kostyuchenko reported symptoms, Ekho Moskvy journalist Irina Babloyan had a similar experience while in Georgia, and Natalia Arno, head of the Free Russia Foundation, was affected by what The Insider described as a neurotoxic substance while she was in Prague.

In an interview this week with VOA's Russian Service, Roman Dobrokhotov, founder and editor in chief of The Insider, said his team's work on the case was just the beginning.

"Our publication is dictated by the desire to warn [exiled] Russian journalists and activists so that they realize that they need to think about their safety, that there is a real threat to their life and health," Dobrokhotov said. Reporters covered war in Ukraine

Kostyuchenko had reported on Russia's war in Ukraine, including in Kherson, until one of her sources in the Ukraine military warned her of a possible assassination attempt, according to media reports.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has called on authorities in Georgia and Germany to treat the suspected attacks "with the utmost seriousness."

"Reports that Russian journalists Elena Kostyuchenko and Irina Babloyan may have been poisoned in Germany and Georgia are extremely alarming, and must be investigated at once," CPJ's Carlos Martinez de la Serna said in a statement.

He called on both countries to "do all they can to safeguard the lives of journalists living in exile." Russian journalists fled after edicts

Many independent Russian journalists have fled since the war in Ukraine began, after Moscow imposed heavy sanctions and edicts on how media can report the war.

Moscow has also targeted foreign journalists. American reporter Evan Gershkovich marked his 20th week in prison this week. SEE ALSO: US Ambassador Says American Journalist Jailed in Russia 'Remains Strong'

The Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested while on assignment on March 29 and was accused of espionage  a charge he and his media outlet denied.

And this week, Russia declined to renew media accreditation for two foreign journalists: Eva Hartog, who works for Politico and a Dutch weekly news publication, and Anna-Lena Lauren, a Finnish reporter who had worked in Russia for 16 years.

In Hartog's case, a spokesperson for Russia's Foreign Ministry said on social media that its decision to not extend a visa for someone from the Netherlands should not raise questions "given the harassment of Russian journalists and media outlets by the EU."

Moscow has also previously cited treatment of Russian journalists, including for media accreditation, for its decision to limit U.S. consular visits to Gershkovich.
The city where Anne Frank wrote her World War II diary while hiding with her family from the brutal Nazi occupation is hosting an exhibition about the Ukraine war with grim echoes of her plight more than three-quarters of a century later.

The exhibition that opened Thursday at Amsterdam City Hall offers a vision of the war in Ukraine as experienced by children caught in the devastating conflict.

"This exhibition is about the pain through the children's eyes," Khrystyna Khranovska, who developed the idea, said at the opening. "It strikes into the very heart of every adult to be aware of the suffering and grief that the Russian war has brought our children."

"War Diaries" includes writings like those that Anne Frank penned in the hidden annex behind an Amsterdam canal-side house, but also modern ways Ukrainian children have recorded and processed the traumatic experience of life during wartime, including photos and video.

Among them is the artwork of Mykola Kostenko, now 15, who spent 21 days under siege in the port city of Mariupol.

The relentless attack on the southern port city became a symbol of Russian President Vladimir Putin's drive to crush Ukraine soon after Russia invaded its neighbor in February last year, but also of resistance and resilience of its 430,000 population.

His pictures from that time are in blue ballpoint pen on pieces of paper torn out of notebooks  that's all Kostenko had. One of them shows the tiny basement where he and his family sheltered from the Russian shells before finally managing to flee the city.

"I put my soul into all of these pictures because this is what I lived through in Mariupol. What I saw, what I heard. So this is my experience, and this is my hope," Kostenko said through an interpreter. A way to cope

Curator Katya Taylor said the diaries and art are useful coping mechanisms for the children.

"We talk so much about mental health and therapy, but they know better than us what they have to do with themselves," she said. She called the diaries, art, photos and videos on display in Amsterdam "a kind of therapeutic work for many of them."

The plight of children caught in the war in Ukraine has already attracted widespread international condemnation. More than 500 have been killed, according to Ukrainian officials.

Meanwhile, UNICEF says an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, with potentially lasting effects.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in March for Putin and his commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, holding them personally responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine. A way to remember

For Kostenko, drawing and painting is also therapeutic  a way of processing the traumatic events and recording them so they are never forgotten.

"It also was an instrument to save the emotions that I lived through. For me to remember them in the future, because it's important," he said.

The youngest diarist, 10-year-old Yehor Kravtsov, also lived in besieged Mariupol. In text on display next to his diary, he writes that he used to dream of becoming a builder. But his experience living through the city's siege changed his mind.

"When we got out from the basement during the occupation and I was very hungry, I decided to become a chef to feed the whole world," he wrote. "So that all the people would be happy and there would be no war."
Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Afghan Pilots Wait in Pakistan, Hoping for Resettlement to US

Sitting on the carpet in a small, third-floor apartment of a crowded building on the edge of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, six Afghan men sip traditional green tea as they scroll through messages and videos on their phones. All of them are anxiously awaiting the same thing  an email that will tell them where they stand in their journey to resettlement in the United States. Immigration reporter Aline Barros and Sarah Zaman, Pakistan bureau chief for Voice of America, have the story.

Afghans Waiting to Resettle in US Have Priority Under This Program

Two years ago, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul closed and the U.S. military evacuated more than 100,000 Afghans in a chaotic withdrawal. A significant number of evacuees who worked for the U.S. government during the war are still going through immigration proceedings to allow them to permanently live in the United States. Aline Barros reports.

Afghan Refugee Who Crossed Into US From Mexico Faces Hardships

Mohammad Siddiq Habibi crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and now lives without documents, navigating life and work in the U.S. VOAs Fahim Siddiqi reports from San Diego, California, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

Barrels of Drinking Water for Migrants Walking Through Texas Have Disappeared

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: Barrels of lifesaving water that a human rights group had strategically placed for wayward migrants traveling on foot had vanished.

VOA Day In Photos: Migrants arrive in Dungeness, Britain

Dozens of men, women and children were brought ashore on the southern coast of England, tired but relieved to be on land after making the risky sea crossing from France in rubber dinghies.

Around the world

Sudan War Takes Disastrous Toll on Lives of Millions

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. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Rainy Season Snarls Aid Delivery to Sudan War Refugees

The start of the rainy season in Sudan and neighboring Chad is making it difficult to deliver aid to refugees from Sudans war. From Adenour, Chad, Henry Wilkins looks at some of the logistical challenges faced by those trying to deliver aid.

A Museum in Delhi Records Stories of Displacement when India Was Divided into Two Countries

When Britain granted India independence in 1947, the subcontinent was divided along religious lines, triggering an exodus of an estimated 12 million people amid carnage and violence across the newly carved borders of the two countries, India and Pakistan. Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi.

Young Afghan Artist Who Fled to Pakistan Faces Uncertain Future

After the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, many artists fled the country. Young artist Mariam Kawsari says the return of the Taliban made it difficult for her to express herself. Muska Safi reports from Islamabad, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

Britain Rejects Claims It Was Slow to Evacuate Asylum-Seekers After Bacteria Outbreak

Britain's government Monday rejected claims that it was slow to evacuate asylum-seekers from a barge moored off the south coast of England once traces of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease were found in the ship's water system. The Associated Press reports.

Startup Incubator Launched for New Hong Kong Migrants to UK

A business organization founded by Hong Kongers in London is launching a startup program to help new Hong Kong migrants establish businesses in the United Kingdom. Kris Cheng reports.

60-Plus Senegalese Migrants Feared Dead on Monthlong Voyage to Spain

More than 60 migrants are feared dead after a Spanish fishing vessel rescued a boat off the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde that originally had more than 100 people aboard, authorities and migrant advocates said Thursday. The Associated Press reports.

France Takes Over Investigation Into Migrant Channel Deaths

Paris prosecutors on Sunday took over the investigation into the deaths of at least six migrants whose boat sank trying to cross the channel between France and England, as police hunted the traffickers responsible. AFP reports.

Uzbek Border Town Adjusts to the Taliban as Neighbors

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 told VOA that life near the Afghan border has never been easy, but they now worry more about their neighbors. Navbahor Imamova reports.

In brief

 The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, has reopened a field office in Havana, Cuba. The office is expected to assist with U.S. immigration benefits and services, including conducting interviews and processing cases for pending Cuban Family Reunification Parole cases and Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitions.
By Nyasha Chingono and Nelson Banya

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabweans vote next week in an election many hope could end the country's lengthy economic crisis, but those expectations are tempered by concerns that the contest is skewed in favour of a party that has been in power for more than four decades.

Mineral-rich Zimbabwe was once considered one of Africa's prosperous economies, but it has been in economic turmoil since 2000 when former leader Robert Mugabe led the violent seizure of white-owned farms to resettle landless Blacks.

Mugabe was ousted in a 2017 military coup after 37 years in power and replaced by his long-time ally President Emmerson Mnangagwa, but the economic turnaround many hoped for at that time has proved elusive.

There are 11 candidates running for president in Wednesday's vote, but the real battle is between 80-year old Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa, a 45-year old lawyer and pastor who leads the opposition Citizens' Coalition for Change (CCC). The election is also for lawmakers and local council leaders.

Mnangagwa's 2018 election win was unsuccessfully challenged by the opposition and political analysts say the country could be headed for a repeat of that. The ruling ZANU-PF denies opposition allegations that the playing field is not level.

"Of course, we are headed for another disputed election," said political analyst Pedzisai Ruhanya, referring to a dispute over the voters roll as one contentious issue.

The CCC has taken the electoral commission to court to demand access to electronic copies of the voters roll so that it can be searched and analysed.

The electoral commission has said it has given all parties printed copies of the roll. The courts have yet to rule on the CCC application in the case, which is one of several court challenges mounted by the opposition ahead of the vote.

There have also been reports of voter intimidation, especially in rural areas of the country of 15 million people, voter watchdog Electoral Resource Centre (ERC) said.

"General public sentiment, as noted in several surveys, reveals that people have very little confidence in the electoral process as well as the election management body in the country," ERC said in a statement on Monday.

Police have blocked some of the opposition's rallies but have denied accusations that they have targeted only opposition campaigns, saying rallies for both major parties have been stopped on grounds of public safety.

The opposition also says its supporters are routinely arrested under Zimbabwe's tough public order laws, and that there have been cases of violent intimidation of its activists by ZANU-PF supporters.

"The odds are many. Weve also seen a number of our supporters being intimidated and harassed, but citizens remain defiant. People are ready and mobilised for change," CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere told reporters on Wednesday.

ZANU-PF says it is not favoured by the courts, police or public media. At a news conference on Thursday, ZANU-PF spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa denied allegations of voter intimidation and unfair electoral processes.

He accused the opposition of being "obsessed with criticising the electoral process so that they have something to say after losing".

'BAD' HUMAN RIGHTS

Wilbert Mandinde, an official at the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, said the human rights situation "has been bad" during the campaign.

"We believe that it is not proper for members of the opposition to have to struggle to gather, to have to struggle to campaign," said Mandinde.

Mnangagwa narrowly defeated Chamisa in the 2018 election, which the opposition disputed over alleged irregularities. The president's victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court.

The opposition is hoping it can defy the odds and win this time, riding on frustrations over the longrunning economic crisis.

Political analysts say young voters who have never known a prosperous Zimbabwe could play a significant role in the election. One-sixth of the registered electorate are first-time voters.

(Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Frances Kerry)
While VOA journalists in Zimbabwe currently have access to cover the upcoming elections in Zimbabwe, a number of foreign journalists from international media organizations, including two VOA reporters in Washington, D.C., have been denied appropriate clearance to travel and cover general elections in the country.

We are deeply troubled to learn that many of our international journalist colleagues were denied clearance to travel to Zimbabwe prior to Wednesdays national elections, said Yolanda Lopez, Acting VOA Director.

Without factual and candid coverage of all candidates and issues from all perspectives, Lopez continued, the Zimbabwe electorate will be denied access to critical news and information essential to voters as they head to the polls. VOA appeals to all officials to ensure open access to all media seeking to cover the Zimbabwe elections.

VOA provides news coverage for Zimbabwe in three languages: English, Shona, and Ndebele. Its programming airs via medium wave at 909 kHz and shortwave frequencies 4930, 13755 and 15775 kHz from 1700 to 1800 daily (Zimbabwean time), as well as from 0400 to 0500 and 1800 to 1830 Monday through Friday. Online content from the service can be found at voazimbabwe.com, voashona.com, and voandebele.com.

Zimbabwe will hold council, parliamentary and presidential elections August 23.
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Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change roars into life in Bulawayo where the party will hold a mass rally in the city Sunday. (Video: Annahstacia Ndlovu)
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President Emmerson Mnangagwa told thousands of people attending an election campaign rally in the Midlands on Saturday that Zimbabweans should guard against neo-imperialism. (Video: Tobias Mudzingwa)
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FRIDAY, Aug. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Phillip Durst was working near an industrial dishwasher when something went awry, and the machinery spewed caustic chemicals into his eyes.

If I had been standing a foot left or right, it wouldn't have hit me right where it did. I was just standing in the wrong place, said Durst, 51, of Birmingham, Ala.

The chemicals caused severe burns to his eyes, blinding him.

I can't describe the pain -- more pain than I've ever been in, Durst recalled of the April 2017 incident. I've had broken bones, stitches in my head, crashed on skateboard ramps, you name it. I've hit and hurt myself so many times, the sins of my youth, and I've never felt anything so intense or so unreal in my life.

I was clawing at my face, just trying to get my left eye open to get some sort of water flush solution in it, he continued. At one point I asked somebody to pick me up and turn me upside down in a 25-gallon sink that we had been filling with water. I was squeezing lemons into my eyes (in an attempt to neutralize the chemicals). That was preferable to the pain I was feeling.

At first, it appeared Durst might be permanently blinded. The injury had clouded over his corneas and blocked his eyes natural ability to regenerate healthy tissue.

But an experimental procedure using stem cells to grow new tissue for implantation has restored some of his sight.

In the procedure, outlined Aug. 18 in the journal Science Advances, researchers used stem cells collected from one healthier eye to culture tissue that can then be implanted in the damaged eye.

Corneas normally are transparent structures, said lead researcher Dr. Ula Jurkunas, associate director of the Cornea Service at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston. Every adult cornea has stem cells that are residing in the very periphery of the cornea. And when these stem cells are depleted or destroyed by a chemical injury, they do not provide the function of keeping cornea clear.

Blood vessels and conjunctiva -- the thin mucous membrane that keeps your eye lubricated -- start growing into the cornea, causing blindness.

Few options for this eye injury

There arent a lot of options for patients with this type of eye injury, said Dr. Anat Galor, an ophthalmologist specializing in cornea diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Our techniques for replacing the injured epithelial stem cells aren't as good as for other corneal problems because if you take epithelial stem cells from a donor and you try to transplant them, the risk of rejection is much higher than with a corneal transplant, said Galor, who wasnt involved in the study.

Where it's the epithelial stem cells that are injured or lost, our regular corneal transplant techniques don't work, and we're looking for something else, she added.

Surgeons took a biopsy from Dursts right eye -- which had been damaged, but had enough healthy stem cells left to partially recover -- and sent the tissue off to a stem cell laboratory at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

After two to three weeks, the lab sent back the cultured tissue. Eye surgeons cleared out the damaged tissue and replaced it with the lab-grown transplant, which is about three-fourths of an inch, Jurkunas said.

These new cells engraft, meaning they kind of stick to the eye and provide the source of new stem cells for that cornea, she said.

Durst underwent his surgery almost exactly a year after the accident, in April 2018. Doctors implanted the tissue into his left eye.

Durst now describes his vision as like swimming in a bay, compared to swimming in a pool.

Phillip Durst with son Ben

Right now, it's just cloudy. It accepts light. I can see images. If I hold my hand up, I can see it, he said. It's just everything just looks like I'm swimming in the bay.

Durst is one of four patients successfully provided transplants in this method, according to the new report. Others include:

A 31-year-old man who experienced a complete resolution of symptoms, with vision improving from 20/40 to 20/30.

A 36-year-old man whose corneal defect was resolved and his vision improved from only being able to see broad hand movements like waving to 20/30.

A 52-year-old man who initially did not have a successful biopsy but three years later had a successful transplant.

Two of the four patients experienced significant improvement through treatment alone, while two others needed a follow-up cornea transplant, researchers reported.

Because doctors are implanting tissue grown from the patients own stem cells, the risk of rejection is much lower than receiving donor tissue, Jurkunas said.

These are patients' own cells, so there is very low risk of the body rejecting them, she said. That is basically one of the advantages. Every person also has a very unique footprint of how their cells grow. So there's quite a bit of variability between patient to patient.

'A very boutique type of treatment'

If the process receives FDA approval, the transplant surgery could be performed across the nation if one or more biotech firms step forward to do the stem cell culturing, Galor said.

She said various academic centers -- not just one or two -- could do the procedure and use an intermediary company, if available, as the site where the cells are expanded.

If there's a company that can do this at mass scale, I would think that there would be several centers around the country that would be able to take the specimens and then receive them back and do the procedure, because these are procedures that many of us are already doing, Galor added.

What we're missing is the ex vivo expansion, where the cells are expanded outside the eye. So I definitely think that if this would get off the ground that there would be many academic centers that could partner with whatever business takes it on to provide the service for patients," Galor explained.

However, Jurkunas said its likely to be an expensive procedure, given that each patients cells must be cultured individually.

This is a very boutique type of treatment. It is fairly costly, Jurkunas said. So we'll have to see how the economics of this therapy will turn out, with approvals and so forth.

Researchers have already finished with the next wave of 15 patients, Jurkunas said. A third trial involving a larger group of patients and multiple surgeons in different centers might be required for approval, she added.

The techniques developed here also might help with other eye injuries and problems, Jurkunas said.

This particular technology is limited to corneal issues, but here are no proven or FDA approved cell therapies in the eye, she said. So having at least corneal cell therapy would be a great stepping stone for other therapies as well, retinal and so forth, although this specific technique would not necessarily be used the same way in retinal cells. Retinal cells are very different than the cornea.

In the meantime, patients are flocking to her Boston center for treatment.

We had a lot of patients from all over the country, Jurkunas said. We had a patient who actually rented an RV and came from Florida and lived in one in our own Boston area for six months.

More information

The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about corneal diseases and injuries.

SOURCES: Phillip Durst, 51, Birmingham, Ala.; Ula Jurkunas, MD, associate director, Cornea Service, Mass Eye and Ear, Boston; Anat Galor, MD, MSPH, ophthalmologist specializing in cornea diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine; Science Advances, Aug. 18, 2023
The first light rail in Tel Aviv, Israel began operation on Friday. It was jointly built and operated by Chinese and Israeli companies.








Italian tourists ran off without paying in Albanian restaurant.

Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni settled an unpaid restaurant bill in Albania after a group of Italian tourists did a runner without paying for their meal.

The incident, which made headlines in both countries, occurred in the city of Berat as Meloni and her family were visiting Albania as guests of prime minister Edi Rama.

When Meloni heard what happened she instructed the Italian embassy in Tirana to "go and pay the bill for these idiots", Rama told La Stampa newspaper.

The embassy subsequently released a statement confirming that Meloni had ordered the bill to be paid, stressing that the money came from the premier's personal funds.

"Italians respect the rules and pay their debts, and we hope that such episodes will not be repeated", the embassy statement concluded.

Un gruppo di turisti Italiani non paga il conto in un ristorante in Albania, Meloni fa saldare all'ambasciata. La premier: "Imbecilli, l'Italia non puo perdere di rispetto all'estero" #ANSA pic.twitter.com/z6OH1FEayc Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) August 18, 2023

The owner of the restaurant told Albanian media that the bill came to around 80 - the equivalent of 20 a head for the four runaway diners - and that it was the first time that people had fled his establishment without paying.

Footage of the incident showing the four Italians running away went viral on social media, prompting widespread scorn and shame in Italy.

Albania has enjoyed a tourism boom in recent years, with its beautiful beaches and low prices making it particularly popular with tourists from nearby Italy.
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It may feel like pandemic deja vu: New Covid-19 variants are afoot, and hospitalizations are again on the rise. Eris recently became the most prevalent Covid variant, but now international health officials have their eyes on a new variant of concern. The latest strain  called BA.2.86  has so far been detected only in the US, Denmark and Israel. Its caught the attention of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, which are closely monitoring the situation. For now, experts arent too concerned.

1. What is BA.2.86?

The strain was first spotted by virus trackers in mid-August. Not much is known yet about how it stacks up against other variants. It appears to be a descendant of the BA.2 variant that first emerged in early 2022, but this lineage has more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, which helps the virus latch onto cells and cause infection. That could make it better at evading immunity from vaccines and past infections.

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2. What about Eris?

Eris, formally called EG.5, is a descendant of a group of coronavirus strains labeled XBB. These are all offshoots of the omicron variant, which arose in late 2021. EG.5 made up an estimated 17.4% of global cases in the week ending July 23, according to the WHO, up from only 7.6% four weeks earlier. It recently became the most common strain in the US, according to estimates by the CDC.

3. How concerning are the new variants?

Eris poses a low risk to global public health, the WHO said. Although its growing in prevalence in comparison with other strains and appears to be better at evading the bodys immune defenses, theres no evidence it causes more severe disease or can spread more easily than other versions of Covid. Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. have both said that their updated Covid vaccines, formulated to target the variant known as XBB.1.5, protected against Eris in early studies. As for BA.2.86, its mutations give it all the hallmark features of something that could take off, said Kristian Andersen, a Scripps Research immunologist and microbiologist. However, its too early to tell.

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4. What symptoms does it cause?

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The symptoms of Eris and other variants seem to be the same as those caused by previous strains, according to Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Buffalos medical school. Common ones include a runny nose, headache, fatigue, a sore throat and sneezing. People who are older, have compromised immune systems or suffer from multiple other conditions are at higher risk for more severe effects. These may include lower respiratory disease, chest pain and shortness of breath. The virus still kills hundreds of people each week in the US, so its important to get tested if you think you may be infected.

5. Whats causing a rise in US hospitalizations?

The number of people admitted to the hospital with Covid-19 is on the rise for the first time this year in the US, and wastewater data has also shown cases ticking up. Hospitalizations are up in multiple other countries as well. But theres no evidence linking increased hospitalizations to new strains, the WHO says. Experts point to other likely culprits: Extreme heat is driving gatherings indoors, where the coronavirus spreads more easily. Also, with the pandemic over, people are traveling again and no longer wearing masks. And for many people, its been months since they last got a vaccine or contracted the virus, meaning their immunity against infection is waning.

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6. Is the US prepared for a rise in Covid-19?

The US has scaled back its response to Covid-19. The government no longer purchases vaccines and treatments for the public, and free tests arent as widely available. Still, experts say the US isnt likely to see the kind of surge in cases that upended life in the early years of the pandemic. Because of vaccination and prior infections, the population has widespread protection from severe disease, and therapies like Pfizers Paxlovid antiviral drug can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death if theyre taken early on. Even after recent increases, hospital admissions are lower than at at any other point since at least August 2020, according to CDC data.

7. What can you do to protect yourself?

New booster vaccines will be available later this year, and experts say theyre especially important for vulnerable people. If youre at higher risk and youre going to be in a situation where exposure is likely, such as a large gathering, Russo says you can consider getting a booster shot of one of the older vaccines that are already on the market. In any case, masks help protect against infection. Pharmacies still offer Covid-19 testing services and sell at-home tests. If youre at high risk and you develop symptoms, a test can help determine whether you should start taking Paxlovid.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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Matthew Perry of Friends, was found dead Oct. 28 at his home in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press and multiple reports.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the Maui wildfires in the U.S. state of Hawaii reached 114 on Friday while more than 60 percent of the disaster area has been searched, authorities said.

The Maui Police Department confirmed in an update that the total number of fatalities in the deadly wildfires has increased to 114, up from Thursday's 111.

In a televised speech, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that the number of lives lost in the disaster is "expected to increase each day" as the search for victims continues.

"The scope of devastation on Maui is difficult to express in words," said the governor, noting that more than 2,200 buildings have been destroyed and another 500 have been damaged at an estimated cost of nearly 6 billion U.S. dollars.

"Now, we are engaged in the difficult work of searching for survivors, reuniting separated families and identifying the remains of those we've lost," Green said.

There are now approximately 470 search and rescue workers and 40 search dogs combing through the hundreds of burnt buildings, according to the governor.

"We will rebuild Lahaina. It will take years of work and billions of dollars, but we are committed to this effort, and together we will meet this challenge," the governor said.

Deadly wildfires have scorched much of 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.

Green said he has ordered a comprehensive assessment of every detail of the emergency response to the fires on Maui.

With at least 1,000 people still unaccounted for, recovery teams in Lahaina are racing against time to cover as much ground as possible before heavy rains are slated to move in next week, reported local news outlet Hawaii News Now.

The White House said in a statement earlier this week that U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Maui on Monday to meet with first responders, survivors, as well as federal, state and local officials. 
Outside, its belting rain and a cacophony of horns and shouting as Aucklands rush hour traffic comes to a grinding halt in a maze of city centre construction work. But as soon as a parking valet steps forward to drive my over-sized hire car into the under-sized entranceway (relief!) and usher me into the hotel lobby, its all sweetness and light and peace.

There are big squashy sofas and lounge chairs, coffee tables and a delicate artwork of flying glass birds, oblivious to the Hunger Games going on beyond the doors, guarded by a twin pair of stone lions.

The look

I like to think of it as posh plush. Theres miles of marble, oceans of thick carpet, a flurry of contemporary features and tall windows with stunning views of the harbour and city. This was once the Grand Mercure but its been renovated and refurbished into the first of New Zealands two Swiss-born Movenpick hotels, to add to Australias Hobart and Melbourne with another on the way for Brisbane. With 207 rooms, a good-sized gym, a yoga room, a coffee bar in the lobby, an outdoor sun deck on an upper level, a top-floor restaurant and bar, and conference rooms, its one of a clutch of new five-star hotels to hit the city.

Service

If the staff are any way representative of Kiwis, then theyre odds-on the friendliest race on earth. Everyone, from the restaurant waiter to the cleaners to the duty managers are eager to make sure you have everything you need  and everything you dont  from someone to drive you out of that entranceway, to the hotels signature massive ice cream sundaes that you can order right around the clock, with kids versions free.
I was recently in Spain and have the answer to the question in your story on travel mysteries (Traveller, August 5) regarding why it has a one-hour time difference with the rest of Western Europe. According to our guide, the 1930s Fascist leader Franco aligned his country, not just politically but time-wise, with Hitlers Germany. The bigger question is why, after he was deposed in the 70s, they didnt resume GMT?

Sally Spurr, Lane Cove, NSW Bow wowed Thank you so much for relieving my concern in your cover on travel mysteries for all the poor doggies down in the cargo hold who get upset when the plane is pulling out from the terminal. Its not scared puppies at all, but the Power Transfer Unit letting off some non-canine hydraulic pressure.

John Hollott, New Lambton Height, NSW Sister act While in Italy, make it a habit to cross the road with nuns. Credit: Alamy

In regards to Brian Johnstons article on the art of driving in Italy (Traveller, August 5), as a pedestrian in Italy, I found that it was always best to wait for a group of nuns to arrive before crossing a busy road  no Italian would ever dare run them down.

Sue Oliver, Frankston, Vic Lane pain Rob Ewart (Traveller Letters, August 5) did not have to go to Great Britain to experience the epiphany that slower drivers should drive in the left-hand lane. He wrote that he was sitting happily, like I usually do in Australia, in the middle lane of three when a presumably local motorist came up in the left lane, moved to the right lane to overtake and then moved back to the left-hand lane. Slower vehicles driving in the left-hand lane is Basic Driving 101 in countries with right-hand drive cars. What is so confusing about the words, keep left unless overtaking? Some Australian motorists are content to putter along, 10 kilometres below the speed limit, in the middle lane, while meanwhile being overtaken on the left.

Maurice Critchley, Mangrove Mountain, NSW Cheesed off Philip Sewel (Traveller Letters, August 5) takes umbrage with readers reporting failures in business class. His dont forget the magic of flying remark doesnt negate the money youve shelled out. Like anything you pay for (and in any class of travel), if it doesnt meet expectations or deliver on what youve spent, then you should speak up. Or maybe its a case of sour grapes? (Speaking of which, I had some lovely grapes in Finnair business class last month and they were lovely with the soft cheeses.)

Luke Crosthwaite, Clear Island Waters, Qld

Taken for a ride Boarding the train from Inverness, Scotland to London, I was informed by the conductor that no trains were going into London that day. His suggestion: a train to York, then one to Peterborough followed by another train to St Neots, where a bus would take us to Bedford station. From there we could train it to St Pancras London. Unfortunately, at Peterborough, my partner was having mobility issues. An eye watering sum for a taxi to London was quoted (240/$465), to be paid up front and in cash, which we handed over. En route, our driver told us that he had spent the morning working on his cab. I wish he had spent longer. The seat was torn and the back wheel had a distinct wobble. It was a scary trip, but we arrived safely at our London hotel. A gin and tonic at the bar and all was well. I still enjoy and recommend train travel in the UK; its the best way to get around.

Lily Murray, Bowral, NSW On the cards With regard to the claim of the extortionate price of rail travel in the UK (Traveller Letters, August 5), there are various railcards available, giving discounts of around 30 per cent. They cost around 30 ($58) but that is soon paid back with the discounts gained. You can even get a seniors card if you are over 60 without being a resident of the UK, as I did last year. And the trainline.com website is very useful for checking out cheap fares.

Daryll Gigg, Chiswick, NSW
Camp David, Maryland: US President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan have made their strongest joint condemnation yet of dangerous and aggressive behaviour by China in the South China Sea and agreed to deepen military and economic ties.

Biden held a summit with the leaders of the main US allies in Asia, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a bid to project unity in the face of Beijings growing power and North Koreas nuclear threats.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (left), US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday. Credit: AP

In a joint statement from Camp David, the country retreat of US presidents, on Saturday (AEST), the three leaders committed to establishing a hotline to consult promptly with each other during crises, and to co-ordinate responses to regional challenges, provocations and threats affecting common interests.

They also agreed to hold trilateral military training exercises annually and to share real-time information on North Korean missile launches by the end of 2023. The countries promised to hold trilateral summits annually.
BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The orbiting Tiangong space station is expected to obtain pivotal scientific discoveries and innovative achievements in the future, the China Manned Space Agency's spokesperson Lin Xiqiang said on Friday.

China's space station has entered a phase of application and development that will span more than 10 years after its construction was completed in 2022.

Lin said it could hopefully produce groundbreaking scientific discoveries on cosmology, dark matter and dark energy, galaxies, active galactic nuclei, the Milky Way and its close galaxies, star formation and evolution, and exoplanets.

The space station's objectives in frontier research are "the origin and evolution of the universe, the nature of matter, and the long-term survival of human beings in space," said Lin.

The space lab's ultra-cold atomic physics experiment platform will prepare the quantum gas close to absolute zero, which cannot occur on the ground.

Also, the in-orbit research on stem cells, organ chips, protein crystallization, and synthetic biology manufacturing could bring new possibilities for regenerative medicine, precision medicine, and drug discovery, said Lin.

He added that new instruments concerning mammal breeding and brain science will eventually be installed in the space station. Enditem
BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from Aug. 21 to 24. While in South Africa, President Xi will co-chair with President Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue.

DISCUSSING WAYS TO DEEPEN BRICS COOPERATION

"The upcoming summit will be the first in-person BRICS summit in more than three years and the first BRICS summit to be held in Africa in five years," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Friday at a regular press conference.

"All sides will have in-depth exchange of views on prominent global challenges, enhance coordination and collaboration in international affairs, inject stability and positive energy into today's world fraught with uncertainties, and contribute wisdom and strength to world peace and development," said Wang.

He noted that they will discuss ways to further deepen and substantiate BRICS cooperation, including practical cooperation in such fields as economy and trade, finance, security, people-to-people and cultural exchange, and global governance, and provide guidance for the mechanism's sustained steady growth.

Wang said since its establishment, BRICS has remained true to its founding purpose of seeking strength through solidarity, upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and deepened practical cooperation in various fields. It has become an important force driving global governance reform and taken on increasing international influence.

The BRICS consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South Africa becomes the BRICS chair in 2023, taking over from China.

Under the theme of "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism," the summit will carry forward the sound momentum of cooperation from the BRICS "China Year" 2022 and chart a brighter future for BRICS.

"They will also seek to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between BRICS and Africa and other emerging markets and developing countries, and send a strong message of safeguarding multilateralism and focusing on common development," Wang added.

"The summit is of great significance to promoting practical cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries in various fields, promoting global governance reform, and enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries," said Li Wentao, a researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, adding that against the backdrop of major global changes, the solidarity and cooperation among BRICS countries will bring more certainty to an uncertain world.

Tang Xiaoyang, dean of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, said that strengthening cooperation with BRICS countries will help developing countries and emerging markets seek new growth points and help them achieve more resilient development.

DRAWING BLUEPRINT FOR GROWTH OF CHINA-SOUTH AFRICA TIES

This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa. Wang briefed that during the visit, President Xi will exchange views with South African President Ramaphosa on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest, and draw a blueprint for the growth of bilateral relations. The visit will provide strong impetus for building a high-level China-South Africa community with a shared future.

Noting that South Africa is China's comprehensive strategic partner and the first African country that has joined Belt and Road cooperation, Wang said that in recent years in particular, under the joint care and planning of President Xi and President Ramaphosa, China-South Africa relations have maintained high-level development, with political mutual trust, practical cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchanges and strategic coordination continuing to deepen.

"No matter how the international landscape may change, China will not change its commitment to deepening friendship and enhancing solidarity and cooperation with South Africa," said Wang.

"We would like to work with South Africa to continue to support each other on issues that bear on each other's core interests and major concerns, jointly pursue development and revitalization, and make positive contribution to a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations," said the spokesperson.

CARRYING FORWARD SPIRIT OF CHINA-AFRICA FRIENDSHIP

While in South Africa, President Xi will co-chair with President Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. The African Co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, Chairperson of the African Union and representatives of the regional economic communities have been invited to the event.

"Solidarity and cooperation with African countries are the cornerstones of China's foreign policy and our longstanding, rock-firm strategic choice," Wang said.

He said that during the dialogue, under the theme of "Promoting African integration and jointly building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future," the two sides will have in-depth exchanges on working together to advance their modernization and foster a peaceful, just and open environment for development.

Wang said that by carrying forward the spirit of China-Africa friendship and cooperation and aiming for tangible cooperation outcomes, China and Africa will create an even better future for the Chinese and African people and set an exemplary model for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Su Xiaohui, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, told Xinhua that over the years, China and Africa have been working together and cooperating closely, setting a model of friendly cooperation and common development for developing countries.

"African countries are actively promoting modernization and independent development, and the Chinese modernization will provide valuable development opportunities for them and inject new impetus into China-Africa cooperation and the African independent development," said Su. 
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Cloudy and much cooler with some occasional rain or rain showers; steadiest rain likely farther north. .

Tonight

Cloudy with some occasional rain or drizzle.
NANJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Saturday launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan.

The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the command.

The armed forces' ability to fight in real combat conditions will be tested, Shi said, adding that the patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of "Taiwan independence" separatists with foreign elements and their provocations. 
"I do not want to be doing this interview, I didn't want to be put in this position."

But Troy Goodman, president of Mount Penn Borough Council, says he has been put in an unfortunate situation.

He says the Antietam School District has not been transparent about moving the middle and high students for the upcoming school year after flooding damaged their school in Lower Alsace.

The District has told 69 News that students will be moved to the Elementary Center and Primary Center along with other two locations. But, they haven't sat down with anyone from the borough or filed the proper paperwork for that.

School starts on Monday, Aug. 21.

"You can't expect me to believe that they didn't know they had to file paperwork with us, they can't expect me to believe that they expect council to sit back and say, hey just do what you want because you had a flood," Goodman said."

Goodman says he knows they will be over capacity at the two schools now taking on more students.

"Without plans on capacity on how things are going to work, we have no choice but to look at this as a safety violation."

And he says that puts, students, staff and the borough in a compromised position.

"So if we do nothing and they get a trash can fire and a child gets trampled because we did nothing, the borough would be liable."

Goodman says, he, the borough solicitor and engineer sent a letter to the district last week. Goodman says he personally handed out the letter to every board member at the last meeting.

The District told 69 News they plan to sit down with the borough and engineer next week to iron out the details... in statement saying "there are a lot of moving parts."

But, Goodman says, it's too little, too late.

"We're probably going to pull their occupancy," Goodman said. They're going to open anyways, what that's going to do, it's going to take the liability off the borough."
READING, Pa. - At Lauer's Park Elementary School, state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz led the rally to pressure the state Senate to pass her bill that would allow non-U.S. citizens to teach in Pennsylvania schools.

Bill 1067  already passed by the state House  would allow immigrant teachers with certificates and experience to teach in Pennsylvania public schools if they have a valid immigrant visa, a work visa, or a valid employment authorization document that allows them to work in the United States.

"We have an abundance of people right here in our backyard with teaching degrees, with teaching experience but they come into a barrier when they apply for certification," says Cepeda-Freytiz.

Freytiz, the main sponsor of the House bill, says several schools in our region continue to have teacher vacancies with the school year just days away. She says neighboring states, such as New York, New Jersey or West Virginia, do not require citizenship to teach.

"I'm trying to find ways that are common sense and cost-effective that we can initiate immediately to provide some relief to our schools," says Cepeda-Freytiz.

As the law stands, only those who apply for a certificate to teach a foreign language or have a green card and sign an affidavit of intent to become a U.S. citizen can obtain their teaching certificate, but that has a cost.

She says allowing those certified to teach will let them contribute to the economy. And she says it will help Dreamers who get teaching degrees and face this hurdle.

"You have a lot of DACA students who are pursuing degrees in education and they want to give back," says Cepeda-Freytiz.

Now the state Senate will consider a version of the bill. For now, Republican Sen.David Argall says in a statement,

"The Senate Education Committee is currently reviewing the bill. Finding bipartisan solutions to the educator workforce shortage is a top priority for us."

Cepeda says that people in favor of the bill should contact members of the Pennsylvania Senate to express their support.
NEW YORK  Pennsylvania state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) attended a reception for Taiwan's vice president while the latter visited New York City last weekend.

Mackenzie  who serves as the Republican chair of Pennsylvania's House International Relations Caucus and is running for Congress in 2024  was photographed with Lai Ching-te on Sunday, Aug. 13.

I believe it is important to stand with our democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region whenever we can, Mackenzie said in a press release. It was a pleasure to meet the vice president.

According to Mackenzie's press release, Lai is the leading presidential candidate in Taiwan's upcoming election. He was pressured by China to cancel his visit to New York because the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
On Friday, lawyers for Bryan Kohberger - the Monroe County man accused of killing four University of Idaho students - once again argued they don't have all the evidence they need from prosecutors.

They want additional emails, text messages, and even DNA evidence and the methodology used to obtain and test it.

Prosecutors say the defense has all that they should.

Any potential DNA evidence becomes especially important in a likely death penalty case.

Kohberger's attorneys on Friday requested DNA profiles of three other men that were supposedly found at the crime scene.

They also asked for the methods used to test the DNA supposedly found on the knife sheath involved in the killing, but Latah County's chief prosecutor says they've provided the defense with all they got.

"Judge, we have given you everything we know to exist," said Latah County Chief Prosecutor Bill Thompson.

Court proceedings in Latah County Friday centered around evidence or the potential lack of it provided.

Kohberger's defense brought forth several motions, one of which sought to compel prosecutors to share supposed DNA samples and the methodology used to obtain them.

Specifically, Kohberger's lawyers say there are three unidentified male DNA samples, two found within and one discovered outside the Moscow, Idaho, house where the Monroe County man stands accused of killing four University of Idaho students.

"They have provided full discovery for the DNA found on the knife sheath but not the other three identified male DNA samples," said Defense Attorney Anne Taylor.

"Your Honor, we didn't realize this was going to be an issue," responded Thompson.

Judge John Judge ordered the prosecution to check with the lab to ensure it has been provided, as well as additional communications - emails and texts - that Kohberger's lawyers say are needed for the defense but that they also didn't get.

Meantime, the prosecution objected to some witnesses brought forth by the defense to compel the prosecution to hand over evidence. Specifically, Gabriella Vargas, a self-taught genetic genealogist, who claims to have assisted in many other law enforcement investigations.

"It puts the state essentially in an ambushed position," said Thompson.

Judge, though, said the witnesses could provide helpful background on genetic genealogy. He also said he wanted their testimony on the record.

The judge did not make a decision on a motion to compel a full genetic genealogy investigation.

Despite concerns Kohberger's trial would be pushed back due to all of the motions, Judge says it remains set to start October 2, 2023.

He says he is summoning 1,000 potential jurors for jury selection.
DOYLESTOWN, Pa.  A middle school principal in Bucks County was arrested Thursday night after allegedly barging into his estranged wife's home in Doylestown.

Police say 53-year-old Kevin Marton of Lambertville, N.J., entered the home on the 60 block of Mary Street around 9:20 p.m. Marton went from room to room "looking for other persons that may have been present" and refused to leave, police said.

Marton has been principal of Tohickon Middle School since 2014, according to the Central Bucks School District website.

Marton is facing charges of harassment and criminal trespass, and he has been released on $25,000 bail.
WASHINGTON, D.C.  Pennsylvania's two senators, Bob Casey and John Fetterman, have called on the Norfolk Southern Railway Co. to join the Federal Railroad Administration's Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS).

Their call comes about six-and-a-half months after 38 cars of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling toxic chemicals that also affected Darlington Township, Pa.

In a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Friday, Casey and Fetterman noted that the company had initially agreed to participate in the C3RS program after the derailment, but still not formally joined the program. C3RS ensures that railway employees can anonymously report "near misses" without being disciplined by their employer.

"Ensuring that employees are not disciplined for reporting near-misses is key to making the program effective, as employees are more likely to report these incidents when they have a guarantee of anonymity and safety from retribution," the senators wrote in the letter to Shaw.

We believe that fully participating in C3RS would be a positive step for Norfolk Southern in committing itself to a culture of safety, they added.

According to The New York Times, Norfolk Southern has been hesitant to join C3RS specifically because of the anonymous reporting provision.

Casey and Fetterman's letter comes less than a week after a Federal Railroad Administration report on the East Palestine derailment also recommended that Norfolk Southern join C3RS.
Former UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim hails the green development philosophy of eastern China's Zhejiang Province as he revisits the "absolutely amazing" landscape there on China's first National Ecology Day.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's anti-drug police have arrested a foreigner for allegedly trafficking illicit drugs, confiscating nearly 8 kg of narcotics, the Anti-Drug Department (ADP) said on Saturday.

The male suspect, 57, was caught Tuesday night during a raid on his rental house in Phnom Penh's Boeung Keng Kang district after an investigation for months.

"A total of 7.94 kilograms of ketamine was seized in the suspect's possession during the crackdown," the ADP said.

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker. Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be imprisoned for life.

According to the ADP, Cambodia nabbed 10,167 drug-related suspects, including 215 foreigners, during the January-July period of 2023, seizing more than 979 kg of narcotics.

Most of seized drugs were heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine pills and cathinone. 
AbbVie Inc. is a US-based biopharma company with global operations. The company originated as the bio-pharma segment of Abbott Laboratories and was spun off in late 2012. The company officially IPOd on January 2, 2013; contrary to criticisms, the move was solely to protect the parent company from expiring patents. Post-spin, AbbVie emerged as a research-based biopharma that has more than doubled in size. AbbVie, like its parent Abbot Laboratories, is a well-established dividend growth stock.

Over the years, AbbView Inc. has made numerous acquisitions. Among the more notable are ImmuVen, Pharamcyclics and Allergan plc. Allergan plc was an Ireland-based pharmaceutical company focused on health-oriented aesthetic products and is the owner of Botox. Botox accounts for the bulk of the companys Aesthetics portfolio revenue and about 4% of the net as of 2022. The total revenue in 2021 was $56.20 billion with a 31% operating margin.

Today, AbbVie operates as a diversified multi-national pharmaceutical company with a patient-centric approach to research. It is in business to discover, develop, manufacture and market pharmaceuticals globally but in a way that best serves the needs of patients and the global community.

The companys original winner, Humira, is still the number one revenue source but the portfolio has been greatly expanded. Other profitable therapies include but are not limited to SKYRIZI for psoriasis, RINVOQ for rheumatoid arthritis and IMBRUVICA and VENCLEXTA for chronic leukemia conditions.

The company is focused on research and has a number of collaborations and partnerships to that end. Among the many avenues of research and innovation are the advancement of precision medicine or pMedicine. PMeds are designed not only to target the specific causes of diseases, often at the genetic level, but the patients that are most likely to benefit from them. Assuming there are 2 highly effective drugs for 1 disease, PMedicine seeks to identify which patients respond better to each.

As of 2022, AbbVie employed more than 50,000 people globally with 21,000 in STEM-related positions. To date, the company had invested more than $50 billion into research through more than 250 partnerships. Partnerships are with universities, medical facilities, research organizations and other pharmaceutical companies. The companys operations span 20 countries, treating more than 60 million people and 40 conditions annually.

AbbVie has 5 focus areas for its research and products. These are Immunology, Oncology, Neurology, Virology and Eye Care. The company has a robust pipeline of new products that are in some stage of clinical trials. In most cases, trials are underway for multiple indications, including some therapies that have already been approved for 1 or more conditions.

AbbVie is a leader in ESG and sustainability. The company is a member of the Fortune 100 and one of the Fortune 100s Best Companies To Work For. It is a Top 50 Company regarding diversification and a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the S&P ESG Index. Among its many positions is sustainable operations so it can deliver life-changing therapies to those who need them most.
Mastercard Inc. is a leading technology company in the payments industry that provides payment processing solutions to businesses and consumers worldwide. Mastercard is one of the largest payment processors in the world by market cap and the number of payments processed.

Mastercard was founded in 1966 as Master Charge: The Interbank Card. The company was created to respond to the growing need for a secure and reliable payment processing system. In 1979, the company changed its name to Mastercard. Mastercard is in over 200 countries and territories and serves over 2.8 billion cardholders.

Mastercard operates on a business-to-business (B2B) model, providing payment processing services to financial institutions, merchants and governments. The company earns revenue primarily through transaction processing fees, cross-border fees and other value-added services. Mastercard's business is divided into four segments: domestic assessments, cross-border volume fees, transaction processing fees and additional revenue.

Mastercard's financial performance has been consistently strong in recent years, with revenue and earnings growth driven by increased transaction volumes and higher fees. Mastercard faces significant competition from other payment processing companies, including Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) and PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL). However, Mastercard has maintained its position as one of the largest payment processors in the world due to its strong brand recognition, global network and innovative technology solutions.

Mastercard has consistently invested in innovative technology to enhance its payment processing solutions. One of the company's most significant innovations in recent years is Mastercard's tokenization technology, which provides a secure way to process payments without exposing cardholder data. Mastercard has also invested heavily in contactless payment technology, which has become increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mastercard has a solid commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The company has set ambitious goals to reduce its carbon footprint, increase financial inclusion and promote gender equality. Mastercard is also actively involved in philanthropic efforts, including the Mastercard Foundation, which focuses on advancing financial inclusion in Africa.

As with any company, Mastercard faces several risk factors that could impact its financial performance. One of the most significant risks facing Mastercard is the potential for increased regulation of the payment processing industry. Mastercard is also vulnerable to changes in consumer behavior, such as a shift away from traditional payment methods toward mobile payments. Additionally, Mastercard's business depends on the overall health of the global economy, which could be impacted by factors such as inflation, geopolitical tensions and natural disasters.
S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)

S&P 500 4,117.37 DOW 32,417.59 QQQ 345.31 Trade tops the agenda as Germany's Scholz meets Nigerian leader on West Africa trip Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) G-7 nations back strong supply chains for energy and food despite global tensions King Charles III seeks to look ahead in a visit to Kenya. But he'll have history to contend with Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad) Hurricane Otis death toll rises to 43, missing now number 36 as search and recovery work continues UAW escalates strike against lone holdout GM after landing tentative pacts with Stellantis and Ford Trading Experts Call It The Perfect Tesla Trade (Ad)
This year marks the 60th anniversary since China sent its first medical aid team abroad. Since then, Chinese doctors have been working in various continents, helping save lives, treat illnesses, and forge friendships.
The Charles Schwab Corporation is a financial services company that offers a wide range of investment services, including brokerage, banking, and financial advisory services. Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Westlake, Texas, the company operates through two main segments: Investor Services and Advisor Services. The Investor Services segment offers individual investors retail brokerage and banking services, while the Advisor Services segment provides custodial, trading, and support services to independent investment advisors. In 2020, the company completed its acquisition of TD Ameritrade, further expanding its client base and offerings.

Charles Schwab Corporation's management team is led by Walt Bettinger, who has been the company's President and Chief Executive Officer since 2008. Mr. Bettinger joined the company in 1995 and has held various leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Head of Schwab Institutional.

Over the past few years, Charles Schwab Corporation has experienced steady growth in its key financial metrics. It is reporting increased revenue and increased profit margin. Charles Schwab Corporation's valuation metrics are generally in line with industry peers. The company's price-to-earnings ratio is slightly lower than the industry average, and the company's price-to-book ratio is also somewhat lower than the industry average. Charles Schwab Corporation's stock has generally performed well over the past few years, with some fluctuations in response to broader market conditions and regulatory changes. The company's stock price has outperformed the S&P 500 for several years. The company has also experienced increases in trading volume in response to changes in market conditions and regulatory changes.

Charles Schwab Corporation operates in the financial services industry, which has experienced significant growth and transformation over the past few years. The industry has been impacted by a range of factors, including advances in technology, changing consumer preferences, and regulatory changes. Charles Schwab Corporation competes with other financial services firms, including traditional brokerage firms, online investment platforms, and banks.

Charles Schwab Corporation has a range of potential growth opportunities, including expanding its offerings to meet the evolving needs of its clients. The company has been investing in technology and digital platforms to improve its services and attract new clients. In addition, the company's acquisition of TD Ameritrade has provided new opportunities for growth and expansion. The company also focuses on expanding its international presence and exploring new markets.

Charles Schwab Corporation faces a range of potential risks and challenges, including changes in regulatory and political environments that may impact the company's operations and profitability. The financial services industry is subject to a wide range of regulations, and changes in these regulations could significantly impact the company's operations. In addition, the industry is subject to intense competition, which could affect the company's ability to attract and retain clients.

Another potential risk is the impact of market volatility on the company's operations. Charles Schwab Corporation generates a significant portion of its revenue from commissions and fees, which are impacted by changes in market conditions. In periods of market volatility, clients may reduce their trading activity, which could affect the company's revenue and profitability.

The company also faces risks related to data security and privacy. The company collects and stores sensitive financial and personal information on its clients. Any breach of this data could significantly impact the company's reputation and financial performance.

To address these risks and challenges, Charles Schwab Corporation is focused on maintaining a robust regulatory compliance program and investing in data security and privacy measures. The company is also focused on diversifying its revenue streams and expanding its offerings to meet the evolving needs of its clients.
EOG Resources, Inc. is a leading independent exploration and production company focusing on the oil and gas industry. Based in Houston, Texas, EOG's mission is to provide energy solutions that power the world while adhering to the highest environmental and safety standards. With its robust portfolio of assets, talented management team, and commitment to technological advancements, EOG Resources has emerged as a key player in the energy sector.

EOG Resources operates in multiple locations across the globe, primarily focusing on North America, including the United States, Canada, and Trinidad. The company's primary products and services revolve around the exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. EOG Resources serves a diverse range of customers, including industrial, residential, and commercial sectors, as well as other energy companies.

EOG Resources is committed to minimizing its environmental impact. The company employs advanced drilling techniques and utilizes cutting-edge technologies to maximize production efficiency while reducing emissions and water usage. EOG's sustainability efforts align with its mission to provide reliable energy solutions for a sustainable future.

EOG Resources boasts a highly experienced and accomplished management team led by key executives with industry knowledge and expertise. Ezra Y. Yacob, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has driven the company's strategic growth initiatives. With a strong background in geoscience and leadership roles, Mr. Yacob has been with EOG Resources since 2005. He has served in various key positions, including President and Executive Vice President of Exploration and Production.

Lloyd W. "Billy" Helms, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer, joined EOG Resources in 1995 and has held several significant leadership positions within the company. Mr. Helms has been pivotal in overseeing the company's operations, exploration activities, and production strategies.

Timothy K. Driggers, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, has been integral to EOG Resources since 1995. Mr. Driggers' financial acumen and expertise have contributed to the company's financial stability and growth.

EOG Resources has consistently demonstrated strong financial performance, with steady revenue growth and healthy profit margins. EOG Resources has successfully navigated market fluctuations and achieved long-term financial stability.

When considering the company's valuation metrics, EOG Resources has been favorably positioned compared to its industry peers. The company's valuation metrics, such as price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, have reflected investor confidence in the company's future prospects and financial strength.

With significant price movements and trading volume, EOG Resources' stock performance has been notable. The company's stock has demonstrated resilience, responding to market conditions and reflecting investor sentiment. Recent news and events, including industry trends, regulatory changes, and geopolitical factors, have influenced EOG's share price.

EOG Resources operates in a dynamic and competitive industry highly influenced by global market conditions, regulatory policies, and technological advancements. The company competes with international and domestic players and strives to maintain a competitive edge through its operational excellence, technological innovation, and strong asset portfolio.

EOG Resources is well-positioned to capitalize on growth opportunities in the energy sector. The company continues to explore and develop new reserves, expand its operations and optimize production techniques. EOG's focus on technological advancements, such as utilizing data analytics and artificial intelligence, enhances its capabilities in identifying and extracting hydrocarbon resources efficiently.

Like any company operating in the energy sector, EOG Resources faces various risks and challenges that can impact its operations and financial performance. Investors and stakeholders must be aware of these factors when evaluating the company's prospects.

EOG Resources' revenue and profitability are closely tied to crude oil and natural gas prices. Fluctuations in commodity prices can significantly impact the company's financial results. Factors such as global supply and demand dynamics, geopolitical tensions, and economic conditions can lead to price volatility, posing a risk to EOG's revenue and profitability.

The energy industry is subject to extensive regulations related to drilling, production, emissions, and environmental impact. Regulation changes, especially those aimed at reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to renewable energy sources, can require significant investments and impact the company's operational costs. Non-compliance with regulations could result in penalties and reputational damage.

EOG Resources relies on advanced technologies and innovations to efficiently explore and produce hydrocarbon reserves. However, technological advancements also bring inherent risks, such as data security threats and potential operational disruptions. Additionally, adopting new technologies may require substantial investments and successful implementation to yield desired results.

The energy sector is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share. EOG Resources competes with both established energy companies and emerging players. Intense competition can lead to pricing pressures and reduced margins. Moreover, market conditions, such as supply and demand imbalances, can impact the company's ability to sell its products at favorable prices.

EOG Resources operates in a global industry influenced by geopolitical tensions, trade policies, and macroeconomic conditions. Political instability, conflicts, and economic downturns in key markets can disrupt operations, impact demand for energy products and create uncertainty in the business environment.

EOG Resources has implemented various risk management strategies to mitigate the potential impacts of these risks and challenges:

EOG maintains a diverse portfolio of assets across multiple regions, allowing it to mitigate risks associated with specific geographic areas or regulatory environments. This diversification strategy helps spread risk and minimize the impact of localized disruptions.

The company emphasizes operational efficiency, cost discipline, and continuous improvement. By optimizing its operations, EOG aims to enhance productivity, reduce costs and mitigate the effects of commodity price fluctuations.

EOG Resources is committed to responsible environmental practices and sustainability. By proactively managing ecological risks and adopting environmentally friendly technologies, the company aims to mitigate regulatory and reputational risks.

EOG maintains a solid financial position, enabling it to weather market volatility and fund strategic initiatives. The company's prudent financial management and capital allocation strategies provide a cushion against potential economic downturns and industry challenges.
QuantumScape Corporation is a U.S.-based technology development company focused on solid-state technology for the EV industry. Jagdeep Singh, Tim Holme and Fritz Prinz, a trio from Stanford University, formed the company in 2010.



The company quickly gained major investors' attention. By 2012, it claimed investors like Bill Gates and Volkswagen. The company's solid-state battery technology piqued their interest as technology that will revolutionize the EV market by providing extended ranges and significantly reduced charge times at a lower cost to manufacturers.



Volkswagen is the company's largest shareholder and has injected millions into the company over its lifespan. The first round came in 2012 but was followed by a $100 million investment in 2018 and another $200 million in 2020. The two now have a joint venture to produce commercial solid-state batteries, and that venture made significant progress in 2022. The technology has two key features: an anode-less architecture and a proprietary ceramic separator.



QuantumScape went public in 2020 via a reverse merger with SPAC Kensington Capital Acquisition Company. The IPO listed the stock on the NYSE and raised $1 billion in capital for the company. The money funded operations and research that led to prototypes of commercially viable solid-state batteries for the EV market. The target is to increase the range of EVs by as much as 80%, which would give them more range than most ICE vehicles.



The company uses solid electrodes and electrolytes instead of the liquids and gels used by legacy batteries like lithium-ion. These batteries provide more than double the energy density of traditional batteries at lower costs and can charge to near full capacity in a matter of minutes. Solid state also increases the lifespan of the batteries and reduces capacity fade or the tendency for batteries to lose capacity over time. Another bonus is combustibility. While traditional batteries are prone to combustion, the solid-state separator is neither flammable nor combustible.



The company began shipping its 24-layer lithium-metal battery prototypes to OEMs in late 2022. The company believes the technology is suitable for various applications, including EVs and consumer electronics. At the time, there was still substantial work to be done before the widespread use of the batteries could begin, but the news marked a major milestone that could accelerate the advancement of the technology.



According to the company's CEO, Singh, the "E" in ESG has always been central to the company's strategy. The mission should accelerate the shift to electrification and greener technologies by improving battery technology. Once perfected, this technology could be used across the consumer and industrial landscape, providing increased range and reducing the need for backup, carbon-based power sources.
Wells Fargo & Company is a multinational financial services company that has established itself as a prominent player in the global financial industry. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Wells Fargo operates in 35 countries and serves over 70 million customers worldwide. Its rich history and successful mergers and acquisitions have contributed to its significant global presence.

As a comprehensive financial services provider, Wells Fargo offers a wide range of banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer financial services. The company's mission is to satisfy its customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Wells Fargo aims to achieve this by providing exceptional service, acting with integrity, fostering diversity and inclusion, and contributing positively to the communities it serves.

Wells Fargo's extensive product and service portfolio caters to various market segments. The company serves individual consumers, small businesses, corporations, and institutional investors. Its key customers encompass a broad spectrum, ranging from everyday banking customers to high-net-worth individuals and large corporations. Wells Fargo aims to meet the diverse financial needs of its customers through personalized solutions and innovative offerings.

The company has achieved several notable milestones and received recognition for its contributions to the financial industry. Wells Fargo has been ranked as one of the "Big Four Banks" in the United States, alongside JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citigroup. It is also recognized as one of the largest banks in the country by total assets, deposits, and market capitalization. Wells Fargo's commitment to delivering quality financial services has earned it a position among the most valuable bank brands.

Wells Fargo is led by an experienced and capable management team that guides the company's operations and strategic direction. The leadership team consists of individuals with diverse backgrounds and extensive finance, banking, technology, risk management, and customer service expertise. The Chief Executive Officer and President of Wells Fargo is Charles W. Scharf, who brings a wealth of experience in the financial industry. The management team also includes key executives such as Michael J. Santomassimo as the Chief Financial Officer and Scott Powell as the Chief Operating Officer. Each management team member contributes their professional background, accomplishments, and expertise to ensure the company's success.

Wells Fargo has demonstrated consistent financial performance over the years, driven by its diverse business segments and strategic initiatives. The company has reported steady revenue growth, reflecting its ability to attract and retain a large customer base. Wells Fargo's revenue metrics indicate its success in generating income through its various financial services and product offerings.

Earnings metrics illustrate the company's profitability and stability. Wells Fargo's focus on prudent risk management practices and diversified revenue streams contributes to its ability to generate sustainable earnings. Profit margin metrics showcase the efficiency of Wells Fargo's operations. The company's ability to manage costs effectively while generating revenue is key to maintaining healthy profit margins. Debt levels play a significant role in evaluating the company's financial position. Wells Fargo's management strives to maintain a conservative approach to managing debt, ensuring a strong balance sheet and financial stability.

Wells Fargo's valuation metrics are influenced by a range of factors, including its market position, financial performance, growth prospects, risk profile, and investor sentiment. Factors driving Wells Fargo's valuation include its brand recognition, customer base, diversified business segments, and ability to generate consistent earnings. Changes in investor sentiment, market conditions, and regulatory developments can also impact the company's valuation over time.

Investors closely monitor Wells Fargo's stock performance, assessing its ability to deliver value over the long term. The stock has had issues in the past due to news or events that have affected the company's share price, such as regulatory actions, the global pandemic, and strategic initiatives. These factors should be considered in analyzing its market performance.

Wells Fargo operates in the highly competitive financial services industry, which is subject to evolving regulatory frameworks and technological advancements. Understanding the broader industry in which the company operates is crucial to assessing its competitive positioning.

Wells Fargo competes with other major banks and financial institutions domestically and internationally. The company leverages its brand recognition, extensive product and service offerings, customer relationships, and technological capabilities to gain a competitive advantage. However, it also faces challenges such as regulatory compliance, changing customer preferences, and disruptive market forces.

Wells Fargo has identified several growth opportunities within its diverse business segments. The company aims to deepen relationships with existing customers, attract new customers and expand its presence in key markets. In consumer banking, Wells Fargo focuses on enhancing digital capabilities, improving customer experience, and providing innovative solutions to meet evolving customer needs. The company seeks to leverage its strong brand and customer base to drive growth and increase customer loyalty. In wealth and investment management, Wells Fargo aims to capitalize on the growing demand for comprehensive financial planning and advisory services. The company's expertise in wealth management positions it well to capture opportunities in an increasingly complex investment landscape.

As with any financial institution, Wells Fargo faces various risks and challenges. It is important to comprehensively analyze potential risks and challenges to understand their potential impact on the company's performance. Factors such as regulatory changes, cybersecurity threats, economic downturns, and reputational risks pose challenges to Wells Fargo's operations. The company has implemented robust risk management strategies, invested in technology and security measures, and enhanced compliance frameworks to mitigate these risks. Ongoing efforts to prioritize ethical conduct, transparency, and stakeholder trust are integral to managing risks effectively.
MUSCAT, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The high-tech cooperation between China and Oman will contribute to Oman's digital transformation, said Ahmed Al Maashri, head of the Department of Electrical And Computer Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Oman.

The SQU has recently teamed up with China's STAR.VISION, an AI satellite company based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to send Oman's first AI model into space, integrating sophisticated AI algorithms with satellite technology.

"This initiative empowers researchers to upload AI algorithms onto Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites equipped with high-resolution imaging sensors and robust computing hardware," said Al Maashri.

The expert said the innovative approach "facilitates on-satellite image processing, minimizing communication delays and yielding near-real-time results."

The expert noted that the fusion of deep learning algorithms with LEO satellites offers an unparalleled opportunity.

"We can think of hundreds of applications that can benefit from such technology," he said, listing examples such as weather forecasting and border protection applications.

Al Maashri is confident that there will be more cooperation between the two countries in the future. 
Novo Nordisk A/S is a global healthcare company specializing in the research, development, production, and marketing of pharmaceutical products to treat diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. The company was founded in 1923 in Denmark and is headquartered in Bagsvrd, Denmark.



Novo Nordisk has operations in more than 80 countries, including production facilities in nine countries, and employs approximately 48,500 people worldwide.

Novo Nordisk's mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines to help people with chronic diseases lead longer, healthier lives. The company's key therapeutic areas include diabetes, obesity, hemophilia, growth hormone therapy, and other severe chronic diseases. Novo Nordisk is the world's largest producer of insulin and has been at the forefront of diabetes care for more than 95 years.

Lars Fruergaard Jrgensen is the President and CEO of Novo Nordisk A/S, a position he has held since 2017. Jrgensen joined Novo Nordisk in 1991 and has held various management positions, including Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Development, Strategy and Biopharmaceuticals.

Novo Nordisk has consistently delivered strong financial performance over the past few years. Novo Nordisk's profit margin has remained consistently high, with a net margin of approximately 30%. In terms of debt, Novo Nordisk has maintained a conservative approach. Novo Nordisk's debt has kept pace with its assets for several years. The company's cash reserves have not always been healthy, but in 2022 Novo Nordisk made a profit for the first time since 2018.



Novo Nordisk's valuation metrics compare favorably to industry peers. It has a price-to-earnings ratio in line with its peers but a price-to-book ratio significantly higher than the industry average. Novo Nordisk's high P/B ratio reflects its strong brand, market position, and financial performance.



Novo Nordisk's stock has performed well over the past few years, with a 3-year annualized return of around 23%. The stock price has shown some volatility, with significant price movements in response to regulatory and market news related to diabetes and obesity markets.

Novo Nordisk operates in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving pharmaceutical industry, specifically in diabetes and obesity markets. The global diabetes market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2022 to 2027, driven by the increasing prevalence of diabetes, especially in emerging markets, and the growing demand for innovative diabetes treatments. In the obesity market, the global prevalence of obesity has been steadily increasing, and it is expected to continue to rise, driving demand for effective obesity treatments.

Novo Nordisk faces intense competition from several large and small pharmaceutical companies in the diabetes and obesity markets. The company's main competitors in the diabetes market include Sanofi, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca, while its main competitors in the obesity market include Roche, Novartis, and Eisai.



The company's competitive position is based on factors such as the quality and effectiveness of its products, its research and development capabilities, its brand reputation, and ability to adapt to changing market dynamics.

Novo Nordisk is also subject to various regulatory and political issues that can impact its operations and financial performance. The company must comply with strict regulatory requirements in each country it operates, including the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Changes in regulatory requirements, such as changes to reimbursement policies, can significantly impact the company's financial performance.

Novo Nordisk has several growth opportunities to pursue in the coming years. The company is investing heavily in research and development to develop new and innovative treatments for diabetes and obesity, as well as other chronic diseases. Novo Nordisk has a strong pipeline of potential products in development, including GLP-1 receptor agonists, which have shown promise in clinical trials for treating obesity.

The company also expands in emerging markets, such as China and India, with significant and growing demand for diabetes and obesity treatments. Novo Nordisk has established partnerships with local companies in these markets to help drive growth and increase product access.

Novo Nordisk has pursued acquisitions and partnerships to expand its product offerings and capabilities. In 2021, the company acquired Prothena's ATTR amyloidosis program, a potential treatment for a rare and debilitating disease. This acquisition will strengthen Novo Nordisk's position in the rare disease market.

Novo Nordisk faces several risks and challenges that could impact its operations and financial performance. The company's success is heavily dependent on the success of its products in the diabetes and obesity markets, and any setbacks in clinical trials or product launches could significantly impact its financial performance.

In addition, Novo Nordisk faces regulatory and political risks, as changes in regulations or policies could impact its ability to operate or sell its products in specific markets. The company is also subject to intellectual property risks, as competitors may seek to challenge its patents and market their products.

Novo Nordisk also faces risks related to supply chain disruptions and production delays, as well as cybersecurity and data privacy risks.
BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua)  In reply to a letter from the faculty and students of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology in South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged them to learn the Chinese language well and contribute to carrying forward the China-South Africa friendship and promoting friendly cooperation between the two countries.

In his letter, Xi said that he witnessed the establishment of the Confucius institute 10 years ago and was pleased to see that, through the joint efforts of both sides, the educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries have yielded fruitful results.

A multitude of South African youths have got a glimpse of China's history and culture, increased their career options, and realized their dreams by learning Chinese, he said.

Both important developing countries, China and South Africa have forged a special comradely fraternal friendship. Learning and understanding each other's language and culture contributes to facilitating mutual understanding and cultivating ever-lasting friendship between the people of the two countries, said the Chinese president.

While having a good command of the Chinese language, the teachers and students are welcome to visit China more often and have a deeper understanding of China, share a true, multi-dimensional and panoramic view of China with more friends, and strive to be envoys for inheriting and developing the friendship between the two countries, so as to contribute to promoting China-Africa friendship and cooperation and building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said.

During his visit to South Africa in March 2013, Xi witnessed the signing of an agreement on the joint establishment of the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology between China and South Africa.

Since its establishment 10 years ago, the institute has trained nearly 10,000 students. Fifty teachers and students of the institute have lately written a joint letter to Xi, sharing their experience, harvest and feelings in learning Chinese, thanking Xi and the Chinese government for providing more opportunities for African youths to pursue their dreams, and, with eager anticipation, looking forward to Xi's visit to South Africa again.

(Source: Xinhua)
Click the photo and watch the video.

* BRICS has provided developing countries with an opportunity to enhance their influence and amplify their voices in global governance.

* Chinese president's upcoming visit to South Africa and the meetings to be held there will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

* As an ex-officio member of the Global South, China has always focused on the most urgent needs of developing countries.

BEIJING/JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 18 (Xinhua)  In March 2013, as part of his maiden foreign tour as China's head of state, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Africa and attended the 5th BRICS Summit held in South Africa, where he put forward the guiding principles of China's Africa policy, and expounded on his visions for enhancing the BRICS mechanism.

Ten years later, the BRICS Summit will be held on the African continent again. Xi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from Aug. 21 to 24. While in the country, Xi will co-chair with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue.

Electronic screens of the 15th BRICS Summit are seen at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 16, 2023. [Xinhua/Chen Cheng]

During the ten years between the two summits in South Africa, BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has grown into an all-round and multi-level framework that plays a vital role in the global arena. Meanwhile, the China-Africa friendship has been enriched with their cooperation flourishing in all aspects.

As the world is facing numerous uncertainties and living through accelerating changes unseen in a century, observers hope that Xi's upcoming visit and the meetings in South Africa will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

Writing New Chapter on BRICS Development

Noting that BRICS has provided developing countries with an opportunity to enhance their influence and amplify their voices in global governance, Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said that "joining BRICS allows countries to align themselves with a group that seeks to promote multipolarity and a more equitable international system."

In fact, 22 years ago, when British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term "BRIC" -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, he might not have imagined how the rise of those emerging economies would reshape the world economy and global governance.

With South Africa officially becoming a member in 2011, BRIC was enlarged to BRICS, which now represents about a quarter of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and some 40 percent of the world population.

It has grown into the most influential South-South cooperation platform and a crucial driver for global growth, with three main pillars consolidating its mechanism, namely, political and security cooperation, economic and finance cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

A key milestone of BRICS cooperation is the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) in 2015. The Shanghai-based bank is aimed at mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies.

This aerial photo taken on June 17, 2022 shows the headquarters building of the New Development Bank in east China's Shanghai. [Xinhua/Fang Zhe]

Figures released by the bank earlier this year showed that it has approved nearly a hundred projects with a total value of 33.2 billion U.S. dollars, greatly contributing to the economic and social development of its member countries. It has also strengthened its green and sustainable credentials, as around 40 percent of the bank's projects focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

"NDB is one of the youngest multilateral development banks in the world. Within a short span of eight years, NDB has established itself as a major global, multilateral development bank," said Anil Kishora, vice president and chief risk officer of NDB.

Meanwhile, BRICS members have advocated a partnership on the new industrial revolution to deepen cooperation in digitalization, industrialization and innovation.

During the development of BRICS, China has never hesitated to contribute. In March 2013, Xi, as the Chinese president, attended the BRICS Summit for the first time in Durban, South Africa. In the following ten years, Xi has joined forces with leaders of other BRICS members to push the BRICS Summits to produce a series of pioneering, leading and institutional outcomes.

"China has set an example of practicing mutually beneficial and equal cooperation, and played the role of a great nation in BRICS to balance and stabilize international relations," said Irina Kokushkina, an associate professor of the Department of World Economy at St. Petersburg State University.

Exploring Fresh Opportunities for China-Africa Friendship

"President Xi's attendance at the BRICS leaders' meeting and his state visit to South Africa are of great significance. This visit will strengthen the relationship between the two countries," Kenneth Creamer, a senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, told Xinhua.

As Creamer noted, China-South Africa relations have developed comprehensively and rapidly over the years. The leaders of the two countries have frequently communicated with each other on bilateral and multilateral occasions or during online events, bringing bilateral cooperation to higher levels.

In a phone conversation with Ramaphosa on June 9, Xi said China and South Africa are both important major developing countries and the two enjoy special friendly relations like brothers.

Data released by China showed that in the first half of the year, bilateral trade reached 28.25 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.7 percent year-on-year.

China has maintained its position as South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

This aerial photo taken on May 4, 2023 shows a cargo ship carrying corn imported from South Africa at a port in South China's Guangdong Province. [Xinhua/Liu Dawei]

China-South Africa ties have served as a model for China-Africa relations, South-South cooperation, and unity and cooperation among emerging market countries, offering valuable experience for building an even stronger community with a shared future between China and Africa.

During his Africa trip in 2013, Xi proposed the concept of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and the right approach to justice and interests, the guiding principles of China's Africa policy. Over the past decade, under those principles, China-Africa relations have been propelled into the fast lane of development.

According to the Ministry of Commerce of China, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The two sides have together constructed and commissioned over 10,000 km of railway, nearly 100,000 km of highway, and an array of important infrastructure projects, including airports, docks, bridges and power plants.

In recent years, China-Africa cooperation has expanded from agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing to new industries such as green economy, health, finance and digital innovation.

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, a professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said that it is political justice, mutual economic benefit, win-win cooperation and common development that laid the basis for a shared future of Africa and China.

Forging Brighter Future for Global South

The theme of this year's summit is BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism, highlighting how these emerging economies can strengthen ties with a continent home to a large number of countries also belonging to the Global South.

There are high expectations among experts and observers about the outcomes of the summit. One major focus is the membership expansion of the group.

Attracted by the openness and inclusiveness of BRICS, more countries have decided to apply to join the group, which reflects the shared aspiration of developing countries to focus on their own development, seek unity and cooperation, and oppose external interference.

"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

As an ex-officio member of the Global South, China has always focused on the most urgent needs of developing countries. It has proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, and voiced its support for the membership expansion process of BRICS.

"BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation," Xi said while hosting the 14th BRICS Summit in Beijing via video link last year.

"Bringing in fresh blood will inject new vitality into BRICS cooperation and increase the representativeness and influence of BRICS," Xi said, stressing that "it is important to advance this process to allow like-minded partners to become part of the BRICS family at an early date."

Meanwhile, with unilateralism and protectionism soaring, criticism is mounting against the West-dominated global economic rules. Experts have speculated that BRICS would take further measures to promote a fairer economic order, including introducing a BRICS common currency.

Signboards of the 15th BRICS Summit are seen in a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. [Xinhua/Chen Cheng]

"I would like to hear more details about the proposed BRICS currency. The change of trade between South Africa and China from being conducted in U.S. dollars to a BRICS currency would be a major move in global politics," said Dominic Preuss, an independent economic writer and engineering technologist in South Africa.

To create a global market that is not dominated by hegemony would be welcome, Preuss added.

"Many countries in the Global South have sought to come together in order to work towards a more just and inclusive world order ... BRICS inspires many countries to come together again in order to advance this vision," said Creamer.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, said BRICS is in line with the trend of multilateralism. "It is obvious that this trend has a great future. And the BRICS mechanism is advancing it in a very positive direction," he said.

Video reporters: Zheng Xin, Li Cheng, Dai He, James Asande, Duncan, Hu Yousong, Xie Zhao, Yu Lizhen, Zhu Wanjun;

Video editors: Zheng Xin, Hui Peipei

(Source: Xinhua)
Weather Alert

...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Temperatures dropping into the mid to upper 20s. * WHERE...All of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky and southeast Missouri. * WHEN...From Monday evening through Tuesday morning. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing. &&
COLOMBO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 30,000 Chinese tourists arrived in Sri Lanka during the first seven months of 2023, according to the data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA).

The SLTDA said only around 2,000 Chinese tourists arrived during the corresponding period of 2022.

It said 767,913 tourists arrived in the country between January and July of 2023. 
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democratic-New York, endorsed President Joe Biden's reelection campaign in July 2023. [AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin/Susan Walsh]

The Democratic Party is responding with extreme sensitivity to a series of exposures of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) published by the World Socialist Web Site about its convention, in which delegates resolved to remain a faction of the Democratic Party and voted against holding DSA elected officials accountable for supporting imperialist war and voting to illegalize strikes. The WSWSs coverage of the DSA convention was read or viewed tens of thousands of times, including on several prominent YouTube shows where the articles were read aloud.

Honda Wang, a Democratic Party operative who became a leading DSA figure after advising capitalist politicians at the pro-Clinton Schoen Consulting firm, put out the call on Twitter: The left media ecosystem needs to cover DSA convention because the only group pushing coverage is WSWS and people are believing their made-up bulls--- [sic] because theyre the only ones reporting on it.

Wangs suggestion was liked or retweeted by many prominent figures in the Democratic Party, including former Bernie Sanders National Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray (now at The Hill), Labor Notes editor Dan Dimaggio and Massachusetts Democratic State Assemblyman Mike Connolly, who was a DSA member until this summer. DSA staffer Michael Gronchowski added, Hondas right. We need left media and DSA members to write about DSA convention and other important events. Dont let the WSWS write left history. Zurie Pope, a member of the New York Times talent pipeline program, commented, Im actually in the process of writing about DSA and YDSA convention for The Nation.

Jacobin: Left-wing vitriol is unwarranted

The DSA-aligned publication Jacobin was the first to answer the Democratic Partys call with an August 16 article titled, AOC and the Squads List of Left-Wing Accomplishments is Quite Long, by Branko Marcetic. The subtitle reads: As with any elected official, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad should be criticized when needed. But left-wing vitriol is unwarranted: it ignores the Squads many progressive accomplishments and their legislations aid to activist campaigns.

Its tough being a member of the Squad these days, Marcetic begins, noting that the DSA and its congressional slate are being savaged by the left and that even committed socialists question what the point of the Squad has been.

He continues: This is hard to square with both a closer analysis of Ocasio-Cortez and the Squads record, and with the picture painted by progressive groups and unions that work with them. Have they occasionally fallen short? Sure. But the reality of the Squads accomplishments and movement importance is far more positive than the one-dimensional, gloomy narrative that has become popular in some corners of the Left.

Marcetic presents his article as a triumph of investigative journalism, writing on Twitter that he did something novel and did reporting, actually talking to advocacy orgs, unions, activists, and adding that they painted a different picture than the DSA and Ocasio-Cortezs critics. Marcetic follows Jacobins longstanding editorial policy of not mentioning the WSWS. Those he interviewed for the purpose of propping up Ocasio-Cortez are either trade union bureaucrats, Democratic Party-aligned think tank employees, Democratic Party staffers or leaders of non-profits who operate in the orbit of the Democratic Party.

Marcetics article has been greeted with rapture by the Democratic Party and was promoted on Twitter by almost the entire leadership of the DSA, leading Democratic groups like the Justice Democrats and Millennials for Bernie Sanders, and Democratic-aligned media figures like MSNBCs Mehdi Hasan, who has 1.3 million followers.

For all the anticipation and hype, the mountain labored and brought forth a mouse. Marcetics article reads like a tired press release for the Democratic Party. Defensive and nervous in style, Marcetic tries very hard to present the most boring and standard maneuvers of Democratic politicians as though they were acts of revolutionary sacrifice. It would be a tough task for even a skilled journalist to present Ocasio-Cortez as a socialist, but this article shows Marcetic is no journalist. He is simply a hired hand taking assignments from the Democratic Party.

Promoting Pelosi and the Democratic leadership in Congress

As proof of the DSA elected officials exemplary records in Congress, Marcetic tries to present the DSAs representatives as fighting valiantly in the halls of power and securing real victories for working people. But all Marcetic can scrounge up are four examples of legislation they helped pass in the House. Of these, three are window dressing for extremely reactionary laws, while the fourth, a proposed repeal of the Clinton-era ban on public housing, failed in the Senate and never became law.

The other three of Marcetics examples are: (1) One successful 2019 amendment cut $5 million from the Drug Enforcement Administration budget and redirected it to treatment programs for the opioid crisis, (2) Ocasio-Cortezs collaboration with far-right Republican Dan Crenshaw to pass an amendment which mandated the Pentagon study the therapeutic uses of MDMA and hallucinogens, and (3) a 2019 victory against mass surveillance, when they forced through the end of the Patriot Acts Section 215, a reactionary provision allowing state surveillance and retention of business records.

By presenting passage of the budgets for the DEA and the Pentagon as victories, Marcetic has only given another example of the role played by the DSA in legitimizing American imperialism and the states repressive apparatus.

Five million dollars is a pittance in terms of the DEAs total budget. It is just 0.001 percent of the amount Ocasio-Cortez and the rest of the DSA slate (save Rashida Tlaib) gave to the arms manufacturers to provide Ukrainian fascists with missiles, bombs, artillery shells and guns for a war against Russia that poses the danger of nuclear catastrophe. Nor is there anything socialist about pressuring the Pentagon to fund a study on the use of hallucinogens, as shown by Ocasio-Cortezs collaboration with the fascist Dan Crenshaw, whom she helped legitimize in the process. In the days before Trumps coup attempt of January 6, 2021, Crenshaw signed a legal brief that was submitted to the Supreme Court advocating the seating of pro-Trump electors.

As for the claim that Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad forced through the end of Section 215 of the Patriot Act in 2019, Marcetic uses ambiguous language to mask the fact that the provision only expired. The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted after the expiry that these were modest reforms, explaining: Although Section 215 and the two other provisions have expired, that doesnt mean theyre gone forever, because Congress can reinstate them during the next national security scare. The expiry does not prevent the intelligence agencies from using many loopholes to gather and store private data, the EFF explained.

Role of the DSA in Congress: Promote and legitimize right-wing Democratic leadership

While they have nothing but superficial legislative results to show for their time in office, the DSAs elected representatives have expended most of their time and political capital promoting the right-wing leadership of the Democratic Party.

In February 2019, Ocasio-Cortez praised Nancy Pelosi, saying, I think shes showing people whos boss and I very much understand that shes in an extraordinarily difficult position. In July of that year, Pelosi praised Ocasio-Cortez, calling her a very gracious member of Congress. Pelosi acknowledged that the DSA is a part of the Democratic Party, saying: A family, you have your differences. Youre still a family. Does your family agree on everything? Pelosi added that there are some personality issues between her and Ocasio-Cortez, but the rest, theyre minor.

The Squad provided the votes that right-wing New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries needed to become the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. At the time, Ocasio-Cortez, speaking on behalf of the Squad, said, What was important today was to send the message that we were united behind Hakeem Jeffries as the new minority leader, that there would be no defections, that Democrats are here, were not going anywhere.

Ocasio-Cortez pledged the Democratic Party would stay 100 percent united no matter what, stating that we absolutely have differences, but the Squad is willing to put that aside to help the Democratic Party maintain unity.

This critical political support helped the right wing of the Democratic Party endow itself with false left credentials, which facilitated the ramming through of its reactionary agenda, which included massive increases to the Pentagon budget, an expansion of the states repressive apparatus, and the suppression of the class struggle. To the Democratic Party, this political service of tamping down social opposition far outweighs the miniscule impact of the minor legislative changes Marcetic praises the Squad for implementing. The Democratic leadership allowed them to be implemented so they could have something to point to when subjected to left criticism. It is for this reason that Ocasio-Cortez was given a prominent committee leadership position earlier this year.

AOC signs meaningless letters to Trump and Biden

Marcetic downplays the Squads support for US imperialist war against Russia, while presenting various letters to the president as though they are masterstrokes of socialist advocacy. He says it is wrong to minimize the impact that even just letters to presidents have on changing American foreign policy and the policies of US-backed regimes.

In American capitalist politics, one of the standard means by which politicians stake out positions and promote themselves is to write letters to the president urging him to take various positions on questions of imperialist foreign policy. Almost always written in a respectful tone, such letters are a method for different factions of the ruling class to debate which foreign policies are most advantageous to American imperialism.

Marcetic writes:

All or some of the Squad have signed onto letters condemning Donald Trumps sanctions on and threats of military intervention in Venezuela; calling for the lifting of sanctions on the country, as well as on Cuba and Iran; denouncing repression by Ecuadors right-wing, Trump-supported government; warning the Organization of American States (OAS) away from further coup shenanigans in Bolivias 2020 election; and threatening to condition military aid to Israel. Ocasio-Cortezs name was the common denominator on all those letters.

Marcetic says this shows the Ukraine war is not the only pressing foreign policy issue, a pathetic attempt to downplay the dangerous significance of the Squads votes to send tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine. Last year, Marcetic wrote an article criticizing the Squad for revoking a letter calling for negotiations with Russia, saying the move was dangerous at any time, let alone when nuclear tensions are high. Today Marcetics employers have asked him to change his mind, and he has obliged.

The letters signed by the DSAs congressional representatives and sent to Biden are profuse with praise for the president. In a May 10, 2023 letter on Cuba, the signatories said, regarding Bidens immigration policies, that we are heartened by recent steps that your administration has taken in this direction. This came after Biden essentially banned those crossing the US-Mexico border from applying for asylum, a fact the signatories diplomatically decided not to mention.

In a January 30, 2023 letter to Biden calling for certain restrictions on security assistance to the coup regime in Peru, Ocasio-Cortez and 19 other Democratic signatories wrote, We look forward to working with you on ensuring the protection of democracy in Peru, promoting the more than a century-old lie that US imperialisms goal is to promote democracy in Latin America.

In a March 7, 2019 letter to Trump on Venezuela, the Democratic signatories made clear their opposition to US sanctions was from the standpoint of upholding US imperialist domination in the country, calling sanctions and threats of military action counterproductive as they play into the Venezuelan governments narrative, and help shore up Maduros support base.

As for the claim the DSAs congressional representatives attempted to restrict the role of the OAS and US imperialism, three of the Squad voted for the 2023 consolidated budget, which includes funding for the Pentagon, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol and OAS. Tlaib voted present while Ocasio-Cortez cast a token vote of opposition, as her vote was not needed to secure passage.

AOC endorses Biden despite role in orchestrating coups in Latin America

Marcetic also credits Ocasio-Cortez for making public statements against US involvement in the right-wing coups in Bolivia in 2019 and Peru in 2022, for introducing an amendment banning the transfer of weapons and crowd control equipment to the [Bolivian] coup regime, language that made it into the bill that passed the House, and also for helping prohibit any Pentagon involvement in anti-narcotic aerial fumigation operations in Colombia.

None of Ocasio-Cortezs proposals mark a change in American foreign policy in anything other than the most limited and tactical sense. Throughout history, American imperialism has pivoted from imposing brutal dictatorships to a publicity-oriented democratic, face-saving approach, which facilitates the pivot back to dictatorship. Ocasio-Cortezs proposed measures do not even go as far as the measures of the Democratic-controlled Congress of the 1980s, which illegalized US support for the far-right contras after revelations of the contras horrific war crimes against the workers and peasants of Nicaragua provoked widespread anger worldwide. As the contra experience showed, the Pentagon and intelligence agencies largely ignore such proscriptions, anyway.

Far more important to the Biden administration and the imperialist Democratic Party is the political support given by Ocasio-Cortez and the DSA to the imperialist establishment. By endowing the administration with left bona fides, the DSA has facilitated Biden, the CIA and the State Departments operations around the world, including their continued support for the coup regimes in Bolivia and Peru.

But the broader question is: If Ocasio-Cortez is an opponent of the Biden administrations role in Latin American coups, as Marcetic claims, why has she been praising Biden for three years, and why did she endorse Biden for re-election before the primaries even began? Why did she attack left-wing criticism of Biden as privileged and racist in a March 2021 interview in the DSAs publication Democratic Left?

In April 2021, barely a year after the coup in Bolivia, she said at a virtual town hall, I think a lot of us expected a much more conservative administration, and added that the Biden administration and President Biden have definitely exceeded expectations that progressives had. She said he had been very impressive and had helped pass progressive legislation. Its been good so far, she added.

In February 2022, she said, I would enthusiastically support him if he were the Democratic nominee. In June 2022, with the US/NATO war against Ukraine raging, she told CNNs Dana Bash, I believe that the president has been doing a very good job so far. In July 2023, a half year after the coup in Peru, she formally endorsed Biden for president regardless of any primary challenger, stating enthusiastically, I think hes done quite well, given the limitations that we have.

Other members of the DSA slate have also endorsed Biden, with Greg Casar saying he is on board with Bidens reelection. Ilhan Omar, who is supported by the DSA, said she was of course supporting Bidens re-election campaign. In the run-up to the 2022 midterm elections, Omar refused to call for a change in party leadership, including on a potential 2024 ticket: I actually dont think its helpful for us to be out talking about change in leadership as we are fighting to keep the House, extend the Senate in this crucial and critical midterm where all of our freedoms are on the ballot.

On top of this, Ocasio-Cortezs PACCourage to Changehas supported a number of right-wing Democrats in Congress, including former intelligence agents and military officers like Elaine Luria, Jared Golden, Abigail Spanberger and Elissa Slotkin, who are the most vicious proponents of the US war against Russia and of American military and intelligence operations across the globe. Slotkin, who was a CIA agent, was also endorsed by Liz Cheney. Courage to Change also supported Haley Stevens, who was chief of staff for Barack Obamas auto industry task force at the time it slashed newly hired autoworkers wages by 50 percent.

Ongoing support for Israeli suppression of Palestinians

Marcetic urges readers not to understate the contributions DSA elected officials have made to shifting the Israel-Palestine discourse in the United States.

Ocasio-Cortez and the squad have not shifted discourse on Israel and Palestine. They have capitulated to American imperialisms full-throated support for the Israeli apartheid state, while inconsistently making mild reproaches of the suppression of the Palestinians. Even as the Israeli government devolves into a fascistic dictatorship, Ocasio-Cortez refuses to take a clear position against it.

Calling Israel an apartheid state is meaningless, since Ocasio-Cortezs actions speak louder than her words: She refused to vote against providing $1 billion in missiles for Israels Iron Dome project, helping the far-right Israeli government free up massive resources for the suppression of the Palestinian people. She is so fearful of upsetting the Israeli lobby as well as coming under left-wing criticism that she uses non-sensical language to deliberately avoid taking any position. On a podcast in 2021 she said:

I think that when we talk about peace, centering peoples humanity, protecting peoples rights  its not just about the what and the end goal which actually gets a lot of focus, but I actually think its much more about the how, and the way we are coming together, and how we interpret that what, and how we act in, you know, the actions we take to get to that what.

Marcetics claim that Ocasio-Cortez contributes to shifting the discourse is as meaningless as her statement itself. A socialists responsibility is to tell the truth. Ocasio-Cortez and Marcetic are constitutionally incapable of doing so.

DSA slate joins anti-Chinese hysteria

Marcetic also praises Ocasio-Cortez and the DSA for taking a purportedly principled position vis-a-vis US imperialisms hostility to China. He writes, Most recently, as anti-China fervor has taken over even progressive Democrats, the Squad were the only seven members of Congress to vote against a bill escalating Trumps erosion of the One China policy, and all but one voted against creating the GOPs anti-China select committee.

As their votes for war against Russia show, the DSAs congressional leaders are following the Democratic Party line that the main enemy is presently Russia, while war against China is being prepared for the near future. While claiming the Squad opposed anti-China fervor, Marcetic refuses to mention that the entire DSA slate supported House Resolution 104 in February 2023, whose title was Condemning the Chinese Communist Partys use of a high-altitude surveillance balloon over United States territory as a brazen violation of United States sovereignty.

By supporting the resolution, passed amid a hysterical media campaign over the downing of a Chinese balloon over the US, the DSA representatives all resolved that Congress (1) condemns the PRCs brazen violation of United States sovereignty; (2) denounces the CCPs efforts to deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns in violation of United States sovereignty; (3) [and] determines that it should be the policy of the United States to promptly and decisively act to prevent foreign aerial surveillance platforms, including those directed by or connected to the CCP, from violating United States sovereignty.

Marcetics refusal to mention this major episode of the DSA unanimously joining the McCarthyite anti-China hysteria shows that his method of writing is dishonest. He is not performing an act of objective journalism, but completing his assignment to write a piece of Democratic Party propaganda.

Jacobin denounces socialist criticism of Ocasio-Cortez

Marcetic also presents Ocasio-Cortez as an ally of the trade unions and describes her as playing a heroic role in securing stimulus checks through the CARES Act, which he absurdly describes as providing universal basic income, without mentioning that it was a massive corporate bailout.

As for Ocasio-Cortezs role in the pandemic, in August 2021, she played a disgusting role by handing out backpacks to children to encourage them to go back to school, even though the pandemic was still raging and sickening thousands of children in New York City alone. Making herself a spokesperson for the Biden administrations unsafe back to school campaign, she said, We are out here making sure [the children] start off the school year with fresh backpacks and school supplies. So that everyone is really ready to rock this upcoming school year! The last article on her official House website referencing the pandemic is from January 2022.

Notably absent in Marcetics article is any mention of Ocasio-Cortez and the Squads silence on Bidens relentless attack on immigrants. The words immigrant, border, detention, ICE, asylum, and Title 42 do not appear in his article.

Marcetic concludes by praising the more nebulous role Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad have played in building up pressure on those in power, expanding the bounds of whats possible, and creating momentum for change.

The DSA and its elected representatives in Congress are not helping encourage the development of left-wing opposition, their role is to trap growing opposition within the Democratic Party and provide the Democrats with credibility to conduct vicious attacks on the working class at home and abroad. Above all, their role is to block the development of a genuine socialist movement independent of and hostile to the Democratic Party and the entire capitalist political establishment.

Marcetics article is only the latest example of this. For this reason, he tries to dress up standard Democratic Party politicians as though they are left-wing, downplaying their votes to crush the railroad strike, provide consistent political support for the right-wing of the Democratic Party, and support for imperialist war. Marcetic concludes by suggesting that those who are critical of the DSA suffer from left pessimism. He says, Left-wing scrutiny of the Squad and particularly Representative Ocasio-Cortez has steadily veered from constructive criticism and needed pressure to a kind of caricaturish vitriol. This, he says, is a recipe for disaster.

Here, Marcetic is simply following the playbook of Ocasio-Cortez herself, who denounced socialist criticism of the right-wing Biden in her March 2021 interview in DSAs Democratic Left. Parroting this line, Marcetic makes the only true statement that appears in his entire article: It is a fact that Jacobin and the DSA believe left-wing vitriol is unwarranted against Democratic Party politicians who vote for imperialist war and to crush railroad strikes. This is, after all, the position the DSA officially endorsed at its convention in early August. It is the role the DSA has played for 40 years.

The defensive tone and dishonest content of Marcetics article confirms that the DSA is mired in profound crisis, and that the Democratic Party is deeply anxious about the growing interest in genuine socialism represented by the Socialist Equality Party and World Socialist Web Site. Those interested in building a mass socialist movement that is irreconcilably against the 200-year-old Democratic Party should contact us today.
The leaking of the report from the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Board of Inquiry into the Criminal Justice System held to investigate the conduct of one of the most highly publicised #MeToo rape trials in Australia has intensified, rather than ameliorated, the crisis surrounding the case.

The trial under review was the prosecution of former Liberal government staffer Bruce Lehrmann following allegations of rape by his then work colleague Brittany Higgins. The crisis surrounding the trial and subsequent inquiry, conducted by Justice Walter Sofronoff KC, has embroiled both the Liberal-National Coalition and the Albanese Labor government elected in May 2022.

Sofronoff provided the report to the Labor/Greens ACT government on July 31 for release after review at the end of August. However, the next day, he handed it under embargo' to two media outlets, preempting the government's timetable. Suggestions of charging him for its early release have been mooted.

The inquiry was triggered by allegations of then Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shane Drumgold against the ACTP (ACT Policing) and then Liberal-National Coalition government MPs of interference during the Lehrmann trial that Drumgold was prosecuting. These allegations were contained in a letter dated November 1, 2022, to Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan, demanding a public inquiry following the trial's collapse due to juror misconduct five days earlier.

Shane Drumgold in his office in 2018. [Photo by Cog360 / CC BY-SA 4.0

The trial arose from rape allegations by Higgins against Lehrmann, which she claimed had occurred late at night in the parliamentary offices of the then Coalition government Defence Industry Minister Linda Reynolds in March 2019. Higgins withdrew the allegations after two weeks, only to reactivate them two years later. Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence and insists that no sexual encounter of any form took place on the night.

The renewed allegations were presented as part of a highly organised and choreographed media event on national television and via Murdoch outlets prior to any police interview or investigation. Only after the allegations were in the public arena with the accused easily identifiable, although not named, did Higgins agree to the police interview. The aborted trial and subsequent decision by the DPP not to proceed with a retrial due to concerns of its impact to Higgins' mental health means the charges against Lehrmann will never be tested in court.

Following Drumgolds November 1, 2022, letter, the Labor/Greens ACT government commissioned the inquiry to commence on February 1, 2023, concluding five months later. It was to investigate Drumgolds allegations that there was political interference by then Coalition government MP Linda Reynolds and the ACT police, whom he claimed pressured him not to prosecute Lehrmann due to inconsistencies and lack of cooperation by Higgins. The aim of the government was to redress the crisis of confidence surrounding the justice system arising out of the trial.

Despite Drumgold demanding the inquiry, the central findings of the Sofronoff report were damning condemnations of his conduct and allegations against the ACT Police and Reynolds that were summarily dismissed. The report declared: This Inquiry has thoroughly examined the allegations in Mr Drumgolds letter. Each allegation has been exposed to be baseless. Late in giving his oral evidence, Mr Drumgold finally resiled from his scandalous allegations.

In the report, which includes a Notice of Proposed Adverse Comments sent to Drumgold on June 9, Sofronoff accused Drumgold of a serious breach of duty and having knowingly lied by misleading Chief Justice Lucy McCallum in reference to the nature of his advice to journalist Lisa Wilkinson regarding her acceptance speech to the Logie TV awards. He had said he had warned her not to give the speech but had not. The report states that his failure to do so, knowing that her speech would prejudice a fair trial, meant he had failed in his duty as a prosecutor. Also cited by the report were Drumgolds notes of the Wilkinson speech discussions, which he claimed were written contemporaneously but later admitted were not.

Further, by not disclosing documents to the defence and not adhering to disclosure requirements, he acted dishonestly and tendered false information to support a criminal prosecution. In reading Higgins counselling notes and not declaring such or disqualifying himself from acting further in the matter, he breached his duty as a prosecutor. In his cross-examination of Reynolds, wrongdoing was imputed to her which was not reasonably justified by any material then available and was therefore improper and should not have been asked, was false, defamatory and grossly unethical.

In reference to the police investigation, exception was taken to Drumgolds statements in open court which declared that the quality of the evidence-in-chief and the skills-set of the police officers conducting interviews was not high. The report states the remarks were made without proper basis, improperly made in the hearing of the jury, and was done so in order to influence the jury against police evidence.

Finally, in what was arguably the most serious allegation by the inquiry report, in Drumgolds press statement in December 2022 announcing the discontinuance of the trial, he declared he still felt, as he had in June 2021, that there was a reasonable prospect of conviction. This implied that Higgins complaint of rape was true and that Lehrmann was guilty and there was clear evidence of guilt that existed.

Sofronoff concluded: By making that statement in the course of purportedly discharging your duty as DPP, you undermined the presumption of innocence to which Mr Lehrmann was entitled. Further, you made the statements in circumstances in which Mr Lehrmann was precluded by your decision to discontinue the prosecution from having any opportunity to secure a verdict of not guilty.

The final remarks of the Notice were: In the premises: (a) you are not a fit and proper person to remain on the roll of barristers; (b) you are not a fit and proper person to hold the office of Director of Public Prosecutions.

I invite you to make submissions as to why I ought not recommend to the Attorney-General that he terminate your appointment as Director of Public Prosecutions for misbehaviour.

While findings have been made against other legal practitioners over the years, the breadth of those against Drumgold is somewhat unprecedented and could include criminal conduct. Unquestionably his conduct was unconscionable in terms of his duty as a prosecutor, but Drumgold was not the only figure responsible for such a potential gross miscarriage of justice.

The litany of disasters that has accompanied the trial cannot be explained by the character and competence, or otherwise, of the individuals at its heart but by broader and more profound processes. The course of events before, during and after the trial exposes the political agenda and political forces which underpinned it.

The revelations and recriminations which accompanied the trials spectacular collapse were of backroom discussions and machinations that had little to do with truth but with creating an atmosphere where Higgins was lauded as a crusader for womens rights, her accusations were to be taken as good coin and never challenged.

Audio recordings of a January 2021 meeting held with Higgins partner, David Sharaz, a former journalist close to Labor Party circles, Higgins, Lisa Wilkinson, Channel 10 host of the talk show The Project and her producer were leaked in the aftermath of the mistrial.

Brittany Higgins (right) with The Project journalist Lisa Wilkinson. [Photo: Instagram]

In the five-hour meeting, the participants are heard planning media releases coinciding them with parliamentary question time so friendly Labor Party MPs could pepper questions to the then-Morrison government to keep the case alive. This meeting was held prior to Higgins reactivation of the allegations and her interview with the police.

This characterised the conduct of the #MeToo campaign during the case. It included Higgins appearance and speech airing her allegations at a 2021 March4Justice rally outside the parliament house before charges had been laid. Then a 2021 inquiry into workplace culture at Parliament House by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner was called, which arose from Higgins unsubstantiated allegations. In 2022, a public parliamentary apology to Higgins was issued by then Prime Minister Scott Morrison for the terrible things which have happened to you in this place, jeopardising the possibility of a fair trial of the accused.

The commencement of the trial proper did nothing to allay the evisceration of due process and Lehrmann's presumption of innocence. In June 2022, before witnesses were able to take the stand, a stay of three months was called by Chief Justice Lucy McCallum due to the prejudicial speech given by Wilkinson at the Logies. In October, the trial was discontinued completely. Throughout, the unprecedented nature and volume of the media coverage continued unabated, along with questions being peppered to the government benches in question time by then Labor opposition MPs.

Once in government, the Albanese Labor government, despite the mistrial being declared and the fact that the allegations were not tested, awarded Higgins a reported more than $2 million in compensation. She was not obliged to prove her allegations to receive the payout.

The fact Sofronoff, the person commissioned to restore confidence in the criminal justice system, is now the subject of possible charges is a clear indication of the extent to which the trial has exposed the crisis of not only the ACT Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) but the state apparatus itself.

The fallout continues in the form of defamation action by Lehrmann against media outlets and his plans for a multi-million dollar compensation case against the ODPP and the ACT government. Separate defamation action has been announced against Higgins by Linda Reynolds.

The responsibility for the crisis has been sheeted home entirely at the feet of the former DPP Drumgold. His role was to execute the agenda of the #MeToo campaign, which was adopted and hailed by Labor. If the complainant must be believed, then the accused must be guiltya premise that inevitably dispenses with the presumption of innocence and due process. This is not a perspective that flows naturally but means perverting the rights of the accused, in particular, the presumption of innocence, due process and the right to silencea charge which has been made against Drumgold.

This clear attack on democratic rights was used by governments, Liberal and Labor, legal layers, and the media and widely hailed by political forces in the pseudo-lefts. This is a warning to the working class that there is no constituency for the defence of democratic rights in the ruling class and such methods will increasingly be used against the working class.

The fact that cases are being thrown out of court in all such trials here and increasingly internationally is an expression of the absence of any groundswell of support among broad sections of the population.
File photo shows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in Moscow. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

Russia sanctions 54 British citizens in tit-for-tat move.

MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Russia has imposed personal sanctions against 54 British citizens, including officials, journalists and law enforcement representatives, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

The decision was taken "in response to London's hostile anti-Russian course," and unilateral sanctions imposed against Russian citizens and economic operators, the ministry said in a statement.

British Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Fraser, and Minister of State at Britain's Defense Ministry Annabel Goldie were among those sanctioned, according to the ministry.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, who is British, was also sanctioned for his involvement "in issuing an arrest warrant against the Russian leadership," the statement said.

Personal sanctions were imposed against the leadership of a private British military company, Prevail Partners, which the Foreign Ministry said was involved in providing Ukrainian special services with intelligence data.

Journalists from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Guardian Media Group and the Daily Telegraph were included in the sanctions list, for spreading false information, attempting to "suppress and prevent an objective coverage" of the events in Ukraine, and disseminating propaganda, according to the statement. 
US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol held a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland near Washington DC on Friday. It was the first stand-alone meeting between leaders from the three countries, not held on the sidelines of a larger, multilateral gathering. It above all marks another escalation in the US preparations for war against China.

President Joe Biden, speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a joint news conference Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, at Camp David. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

For Washington, the summit represents a significant step towards consolidating its regional alliances directly on Beijings doorstep. Through a set of documents released on Friday, the US, Japan, and South Korea pledged to deepen their cooperation by holding annual joint military exercises; further developing and increasing military intelligence sharing; and improving communication between their leaders, which US officials previously stated would include a three-way hotline.

The documents are called the Commitment to Consult and the Camp David Principles as well as a joint statement dubbed The Spirit of Camp David. A US official speaking to the media on Thursday stated that the goal was to create a common security framework in the region.

Through the joint statement, the three leaders sought to justify the buildup to war, denouncing Beijing for its supposed unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea as well as unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the waters of the Indo-Pacific. It continued, In particular, we steadfastly oppose the militarization of reclaimed features; the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels; and coercive activities.

The three also continued to whip up tensions regarding Taiwan, which the US is attempting to exploit to goad Beijing into war. Biden, Kishida, and Yoon claimed to reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. In reality, the statement again calls into question the One China policy, while attacking Beijing for responding to increasing US-led provocations, including military maneuvers around Taiwan, high-level diplomatic visits, and massive weapon sales.

The inclusion of such remarks on Taiwan in joint statements have only become commonplace in recent years, highlighting their provocative nature. A May 2021 statement between Biden and former South Korean President Moon Jae-in was the first between the two countries to mention the island. Similarly, an April 2021 statement between Biden and former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was the first to reference the island since 1969.

In addition, Washington and its allies are stepping up their economic warfare against China. The joint statement announced that the three sides are now cooperating trilaterally on supply chain resilience, particularly on semiconductors and batteries. The US aim is to cripple China economically while ensuring that it has access to key items like semiconductors, which have significant military applications. South Korea and Japan are both significant producers of these chips.

China responded to the summit stating that it opposed the creation of a mini NATO alliance in the region. Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing on Friday, Attempts to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region are unpopular and will definitely spark vigilance and opposition in the countries of the region.

The US-led war drive is aimed at subordinating China, which Washington views as its chief economic competitor. The US has long sought to bring its two primary allies in Northeast Asia together to further these plans, conscious that it would be unable to wage war without doing so. This is in addition to alliances such as the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the US; and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), comprised of the US, Japan, Australia, and India.

Unresolved historical tensions, stemming from Japans brutal colonization of Korea between 1910 and 1945, had been preventing this: including a 2018 Supreme Court decision in South Korea finding Japanese firms Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel liable for using forced labor during the colonial period.

However, since Yoon came to power in South Korea in May 2022, Seoul has made a concerted turn towards Tokyo. This past March, Seoul announced that it would essentially nullify the court decision while also normalizing an intelligence sharing agreement with Japan, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). This has paved the way for the rapid improvement of diplomatic relations between the two.

In little more than a year, Biden, Kishida, and Yoon have met four times, including meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in May in Japan. It was also the 13th trilateral meeting overall between the three countries since 1994. While Biden gushed over the fact that Fridays meeting was the first stand-alone summit between the countries leaders and the first at Camp David during his presidency, none of the three leaders acknowledged the historical disputes or the atrocities committed by Japan.

The importance Washington has placed on its two allies working together is highlighted by the large numbers of military personnel and equipment stationed in each country. Japan and South Korea host numerous US bases and approximately 56,000 and 28,500 US soldiers respectively. Sophisticated military equipment includes a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea and X-band radar systems deployed in the north and south of Japan, which comprise important aspects of Washingtons anti-ballistic missile system in the Indo-Pacific, targeting China.

The focus on intelligence sharing at the summit as well as the pledge to enhance this ballistic missile system will drastically increase the militarization of the region and the danger of nuclear war. In April, the US and South Korea launched the so-called Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), which increases Seouls participation in planning for the use of US nuclear weapons. The NCG, which does not yet include Japan, is modeled after a similar body that decides nuclear policy within NATO.

Three-way collaboration will be furthered by the Commitment to Consult, in which Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul will consult trilaterally with each other, in an expeditious manner, to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests and security. The three leaders have pledged to share information, align our messaging, and coordinate response actions to supposed threats in the region.

Christopher Johnstone, a Japan specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the media prior to the summit that such language, while not rising to the level of the NATO alliance, would be a big deal, and important symbol that these alliances are coming together.

That a NATO-styled alliance is even being raised is an indication of the growing danger of war in the Indo-Pacific region. Such a conflict would ultimately result in the use of nuclear weapons and wholesale destruction around the planet.
Film and television writers in the US, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are more than 100 days into their historic strike. For over a month, actors, affiliated with the Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), have joined the writers, turning the struggle into the first dual strike since 1960.

Striking actors and writers picket in front of Sunset Bronson studios, Los Angeles, California, August 15, 2023.

According to media reports about the WGA strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) offered a counterproposal to the union on August 11. Reports suggest that the WGA leadership is willing to concede on several of its already inadequate demands, including how many writers are in a given writers room.

As the WSWS warned last week, the determined, courageous strike is in danger of being sold out through these closed-room negotiations. Were the WGA to demobilize writers and send them back to work, on the basis of a concessionary contract, it would empower the AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA leadership to reach an even worse deal behind the backs of actors.

The WSWS spoke to several actors and writers at picket lines, and over the phone, in Los Angeles this past week. They spoke about the strike but also the broader struggles of the working class erupting across the country.

Jon, an actor and member of SAG-AFTRA for 40 years, spoke to the WSWS outside Netflix headquarters.

Responding to the anonymous studio executive who told Deadline last month, The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartment and losing their houses, Jon said, I believe in that [corporate] world there is a disdain for labor, for workers. Were treated as cattle, and we are looked down upon.

Jon, an actor and member of SAG-AFTRA for 40 years [Photo: WSWS Media]

Reflecting on the general explosion of workers struggles, Jon commented, I think its a very critical time, and I think its important that all these various workers are going on strike.

I feel that the so-called powers that be in the union were going to roll over and take anything, Jon said in regards to the rank and file letter warning to the SAG-AFTRA leadership before the strike. I think those people that did that open letter knew. They knew the union leaders were going to bend over, and they said, Were not going to stand by you. Im thankful to them.

Leila, a striking SAG-AFTRA actress, whose husband is in the WGA, spoke about the interim agreements SAG-AFTRA signed, without membership approval, allowing certain independent productions to continue.

I don't see people on the picket line making excuses or licking boots. We are tired and angry, especially over the interim agreements. Originally, I received push back from some people who were saying No, the negotiators know what they're doing, but then [actress] Sarah Silverman spoke up and opposed these agreements, and I thank her for doing that, because I think it gave voice to people who were too afraid to speak.

Leila noted that the so-called interim agreements were still in place and that the stipulations essentially encourage scabbing against the writers strike.



Who else's films were they shooting before, if they werent by WGA writers? I've never been on a set where there aren't writers. So now you're shooting a set without the writer there. You're shooting that writer's material. Now they're saying, Oh, there won't be scripts that were done under a WGA agreement, so what are they shooting?



We just got the message on Tuesday from the union saying they're not going to do any more films that were written under the WGA agreement. I was still asking, well, then, whose scripts are you doing? And why is that? How do you shoot a movie without a WGA script?



You're encouraging scabs, right? There is no set you're ever on where there isn't writing and rewriting. So even for actors to be doing the interim agreement, they would have to be on a set shooting a movie without the writer who wrote that script there for the rewrite. So who's rewriting the lines? It's constant. There is constant rewriting as you're making a movie. So it's just so sick.

Outside Netflix, the WSWS spoke to Sean, a 23-year old film school graduate aspiring to join the WGA. He told the WSWS that he felt it is a professional obligation, as someone who is trying to join this industry, to be out here.

While not a member of the WGA, Sean, whose name we changed for anonymity, explained that one thing that worries him is the shrinking number of entry positions that historically have led to a career as a writer.

He continued, Theyre cutting back on the jobs that young people need if they want to break into the profession. Typically, a younger person could be employed as a production assistant (PA) in and around a writers room, sometimes doing menial tasks, but constantly interacting with the writers. Sean explained that traditionally, after a year or so, this could lead to a career as a writer. But those jobs are being cut or being given out without this track in mind.

Shawntay, an actress of five years, drew out the relationship of the actors strike to the broader working class: Everyones feeling You know what, were not about to continue to be misused, were not about to continue to be mistreated, and if you do not show us some respect, were no longer going to go along with it.

Striking actress Shawntay.

Shawntay continued, I agree with how were connected to UPS, yes; also, the hotel workers, yes. I got so excited when I saw the Wendys workers [walkout]. The workers were saying, You know what, no, were walking out as we should. She noted I read it was 100 degrees in the restaurant where they were working, are you kidding me? As if we do not deserve decency when we work. So Im absolutely excited for the movement that is happening right now.

Shawntay also expressed the common willingness and readiness to fight. You guys, she said, referring to writers, are over 100 days in. We are fresh in this for over a month, but it's still hurting. I know so many actors that are hurting, as well as writers. But even so, even in the heart of the fumes, we refuse to give up.

Leila spoke about the general conditions facing actors and writers:

For actors, writers, we're used to being underemployed, treated horribly, slightly desperate, unsure. So I feel like we've been training for this moment our whole life. We lost our home during the last strike. We have enormous credit card debt ... We are so enormously [screwed], but we've been living like this for decades. So there's no reason to take a bad deal. And especially as the union got us all out here striking ... We're already doing it. Don't cave now.

I'm friends with workers online, Leila went on, through Twitter and so forth, theyve been talking about going to food banks for quite a while. I know a ton of people online who are really suffering. And obviously not just actors. I mean, this has been going on for years now.

Turning to the question of union, she said, SAG is not union [in any real sense of the word]. A union in which 87 percent of its people are living in poverty. You can't get access to all the jobs that are available as a union member unless you have an agent who still can't show you the breakdown, but can submit you for stuff, right? What kind of union doesn't even let you know who's hiring? There are so many protections that we should have. It should be a source of embarrassment that 87 percent of your union membership doesn't make $26,000 a year [to qualify for health care].

Leila and the rest of the striking actors receive no strike pay from SAG-AFTRA. As for writers in the WGA, Leila said: We filed for the strike fund for WGA, we've gotten one payment. Then they made us wait six weeks, even though they said it would be a monthly thing.

So, she continued, all of a sudden we were like, Oh my God, now we're really in debt. So it took a lot longer. We had asked for a slight increase. They didn't give it to us. And then we just got a form, so we're under [my husbands] Writers Guild health insurance. So obviously he hasn't had an assignment this year and you can only do it on assignments, not on residuals or specs sales or whatever. He didn't have those either. So we're not going to make the cutoff for Writers Guild health insurance this year.



Leila explained that there is a points-based system that they could use to re-up their insurance, but not every writer has access to the necessary amount of points to continue his or her insurance.



You only get a certain number for a lifetime, she explained. So if it happens too many times you're just screwed. But the union knows nobody's working right now. So you would think they would at least keep people's insurance going.



Like many workers, Leila rejects the notion that its normal to get infected with COVID-19 repeatedly on the job.  I think COVID protections on set are crucial. We had fantastic protocols in place before [SAG-AFTRA president] Fran Drescher worked to take them away, which puts everyone on set in danger, as well as their families.

She agreed with that the negotiations between the union and the companies should be live-streamed. It should be like C-SPAN. There should be that transparency.
Since the start of the year, the US media has promoted Ukraines spring offensive as a decisive turning point in the war.

It has become clear, however, that this offensive has produced nothing but a blood-drenched debacle. Despite the deaths of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, the Ukrainian military has failed to breach even the first defensive line set up by the Russian military.

This still image from a video published by the Russian armed forces showed destroyed Leopard 2 battle tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles that were used as part of Urkaine's offensive operations.

On Friday, the Washington Post published an article reporting that US intelligence agencies have concluded that the offensive will fail to reach its main objectives of driving to the Azov Sea in order to cut off the land bridge to the Crimean Peninsula.

The US intelligence community assesses that Ukraines counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol, the Post reported, meaning that Kyiv wont fulfill its principal objective of severing Russias land bridge to Crimea in this years push.

The grim assessment means that despite the provision of tens of billions of dollars in advanced military hardware, the offensive fell short of its goals, the Post writes.

Beyond detailing the scale of the debacle for Ukrainian forces, the article characterizes the role of the US in demanding a further significant escalation of the war, no matter the cost in Ukrainian lives.

The Post reported, in the first week of fighting, Ukraine incurred major casualties against Russias well-prepared defenses despite having a range of newly-acquired Western equipment, including US Bradley Fighting Vehicles, German-made Leopard 2 tanks, and specialized mine-clearing vehicles.

The article continued, Joint war games conducted by the US, British and Ukrainian militaries anticipated such losses but envisioned Kyiv accepting the casualties as the cost of piercing through Russias main defensive line, said US and Western officials.

But Ukraine chose to stem the losses on the battlefield and switch to a tactic of relying on smaller units to push forward across different areas of the front. That resulted in Ukraine making incremental gains in different pockets over the summer.

This is an extraordinary admission. Washington planned out an offensive operation whose success was determined by its client government in Ukraine forcing its conscript army into a massed, suicidal charge against well-defended front lines.

The Zelensky government, likely fearing a total breakdown of morale or mutiny, concluded that such a suicidal rush would not be possible, and switched to a military strategy that would result in fewer casualties, to the ire of Washington.

These statements confirm the repeated warnings of the World Socialist Web Site that the Biden administration, seeing the population of Ukraine as nothing more than cannon fodder, was determined to fight to the last Ukrainian.

The World Socialist Web Site wrote in May, the imperialist powers are demanding that this weaponry be put to use in the hands of newly conscripted Ukrainian troops, many of them grabbed off the street, to be thrown at heavily fortified Russian positionsThe only certain outcome of the much-hyped counteroffensive will be a further massive loss of life.

Critically, the Post article admits that the US had known as early as February that Ukrainian forces were facing disaster. The Post writes:

The new intelligence assessment aligns with a secret U.S. forecast from February indicating that shortfalls in equipment and force strength may mean that the counteroffensive will fall well short of Ukraines goal to sever the land bridge to Crimea by August.

At the time, the contents of these documents were not seriously examined or publicized by the US media, which continued to hype the offensive as a turning point in the war.

By contrast, the WSWS pointed to the significance of documents, which revealed significant force generation and sustainment shortfalls and likely to yield only modest territorial gains, as completely puncturing the fraudulent narrative used by the Biden administration and US media to promote the latest bloodbath.

The real goal of the US, however, was to maximize the number of Russians killed, expend Russian war material, and weaken the Russian economy, using Ukrainian forces as cannon fodder.

The article quoted General Mark Milley to argue that there was an upside to the disaster. Milley bragged about how many Russian soldiers had been killed, saying, The Russians are in pretty rough shape Theyve suffered a huge amount of casualties. Their morale is not great.

This was effectively a paraphrase of the declaration by Senator Lindsey Graham who boasted that as a result of US funding of Ukraine, the Russians are dying and that its the best money weve spent.

The offensive has produced a bloodbath for Ukrainian forces. Last week, The New York Times reported of the existence of a unit whose soldiers had been replaced three times.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that 50,000 or more Ukrainians have become amputees, citing data from Germanys Ottobock, the worlds largest prosthetics manufacturer. This would put the level of amputations in the Ukraine war on par with those of major combatants in the First World War.

Ukraine is now the most heavily mined country in the world, with approximately 30 percent of the country or about 67,000 miles, having been littered with explosive ordnance.

The growing recognition in the US media of the failure of the counteroffensive does not lessen the danger posed by the war. Rather, there is an immense danger of the US responding to the increasingly desperate state of its proxy war with Russia with a major new military escalation.

Earlier this month, the White House requested another $24 billion from Congress for the war in Ukraine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledging to continue the war as long as it takes.
Canadas Justin Trudeau-led Liberal governmentwhich is propped up by the New Democratic Party as part of a governmental alliance forged at the behest of the trade unionsis carrying out a massive rearmament program at the expense of the working class. Nevertheless, as the US/NATO war on Russia continues, and Washington and Ottawa frantically prepare for military conflict with China, powerful sections of the Canadian and US ruling elites are demanding the government go much further.

Canadian infantry on maneuvers in 2018 [Photo: Canadian Armed Forces]

Leveraging Canadas history as a Cold War haven for far-right Ukrainian nationalists, the Trudeau government has played an important role in the NATO war against Russia in Eastern Europe. At the same time, it has integrated Canada ever more fully into the US military-strategic offensive against China. Its new Indo-Pacific strategy was developed, as it has publicly boasted, in close consultation with the White House. The Liberal government has also pledged tens of billions to update the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and to procure new fighter jets and warships, while partnering with Washington to secure critical strategic minerals and to develop resilient supply chains for military production on the North American continent.

All this, however, is far from enough for Canadas ruling elite. The Trudeau government has faced a growing clamour to go much further in raising military spending, in order to replace aging military equipment and increase the Canadian militarys capacity to wage war around the world.

The demand for tens of billions more to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has emanated from politicians, military commanders and big business domestically, from the US and NATO internationally, and been echoed by the entire corporate press. The ruling class will not be satisfied until the Trudeau government has massively expanded the military budget, so that Canada can more effectively assist its allies in their drive for imperialist supremacy and thereby earn Ottawa a seat at the table in the redivision of the world.

The Trudeau governments response is to intensify a war on two fronts: against its geostrategic rivals abroad by pursuing an ever more belligerent foreign policy, and against the working class at home to make it pay for the costs of imperialist militarism. As the Socialist Equality Party explained in a recent statement entitled Union-NDP supported Trudeau government waging war on two fronts on behalf of Canadian capital, If workers are to defeat the two-front war of the Trudeau government and the ruling class, they must base their struggles on a socialist and internationalist strategy.

Trudeau Commits to NATOs 2 percent of GDP military spending target

The Trudeau government committed to raising Canadas annual military budget to at least 2 percent of the countrys GDP at the NATO summit held last month in Vilnius. The NATO communique went even further, affirming that in many cases, expenditure beyond 2% of GDP will be needed in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements across all domains arising from a more contested security order.

The 2 percent target is no longer an aspirational goal but the minimum standard for a NATO member country, in the words of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The benchmark should be treated as the floor, not the ceiling.

According to figures released by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), Canada spent $36.3 billion in the 2022/23 fiscal year on defence. To reach the 2 percent of GDP level, the government would need to spend an additional $18.2 billion a yeara massive increase that would have devastating consequences for social spending on critical needs, like healthcare and housing.

According to figures from the World Bank, Canadian military spending was about 1 percent of GDP in 2014 under the Harper Conservatives. It has grown to just under 1.3 percent in 2023. In its 2017 Defence Policy Review, the Trudeau government committed to raising military spending by more than 70 percent over 10 years. However, this commitment falls far short if Canada is to meet NATOs new military spending floor, as numerous government critics have pointed out.

In a July 27 open letter to Canadas newly appointed Defence Minister, Bill Blair, Canadas most powerful business lobby group, the Business Council of Canada, demanded the government slash social spending to find the funds needed to meet NATOs 2 percent benchmark.

The scale of the cuts they are demanding is indicated by comparing the additional funds being demanded for the military with current federal spending on Canadas public health care system, which is crumbling under the weight of decades of austerity and the ruling class ruinous response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The massive $18.2 billion annual increase needed to reach the 2 percent of GDP floor is more than nine times the paltry $2 billion top-up the Trudeau government added to the Canada Health Transfer to the provinces, with much fanfare, in June 2023. It would raise total military expenditure to $54.5 billion, greater than the entire Canada Health Transfer for 2022/23 ($47.1 billion).

Canadas military build-up

Prior to the NATO summit, the Trudeau government announced plans to more than double the size of Canadas military presence in Latvia. The government committed $2.6 billion over three years and up to 2, 200 troops to swell a CAF-led, NATO battlegroup into a brigade. The NATO advanced deployment is part of a broader military build-up by the imperialist powers in the three Baltic republicsEstonia, Latvia, and Lithuaniaand Finland, all directly on Russias borders, and in Poland, Romania, and Sweden.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, June 10, 2023. [AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky]

Trudeau also announced an additional $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, as well as a new intensive training program for Ukrainian officer cadets at the Royal Canadian Military College in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Since February 2022, Canada has provided over $1.77 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, including missiles, armoured vehicles and 8 Leopard battle tanks. Beginning in 2015, Operation UNIFIER has seen CAF personnel train over 36, 000 Ukrainian troopsincluding members of the fascist Azov battalion. Ottawa played a key role in integrating these fascist forces, who are the political descendants of World War II-era Nazi collaborators, into the Ukrainian armed forces to fight Russia.

Beyond Canadas military intervention in Eastern Europe, the bulk of the Liberal governments planned military spending hikes are aimed at upgrading the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Canadian Navy, to project force across North America and the Arctic, and directly confront Russia and China by air and sea in both Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Earlier this year, the government announced a deal with the US government, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney to purchase 88 F-35 fighter jets for the RCAF. The deal, with an estimated cost of $19 billion, would deliver 16 advanced fighter jets by 2028 and fully replace the RCAF fleet of aging CF-18 fighters by 2032.

The Liberals have committed to spending $38.6 billion over the coming two decades to modernize NORAD, the Cold War-era Canada-US joint continental aerospace and maritime defence command. Upgrades will include implementing advanced radar and space-based surveillance systems in the Arctic, purchasing new air-to-air missiles, and modernizing air-base infrastructure and communication systems.

The governments plans to upgrade the fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, including the purchase of 15 new frigates and destroyers initiated in 2011, have seen significant delays and cost overruns. From an initial project cost of $26 billion, the price tag had ballooned to an estimate of over $60 billion by 2017. The PBO recently estimated that the fleet of surface warships could end up costing over $84 billion.

A proposal from the Navy to purchase up to 12 new submarines, backed by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, has yet to be adopted. The new submarines are seen by the Navy as necessary to counter the Chinese navy in the Pacific, patrol the Arctic Ocean as new navigable routes open due to climate change, and reinforce the North Atlantic front against Russia. They come with an estimated price tag of $60 billion.

Ruling elite demands more, denounces population for opposition to military spending

Powerful sections of the ruling class remain dissatisfied. Criticism of the Trudeau government for failing to go far enough in equipping the military are widespread, with many directing their ire at the Canadian people for their resistance to funding a multi-billion-dollar war machine.

On April 16, the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (CDAI) issued an open letter, signed by over fifty former leading security officials, military commanders, and politicians, that demanded the Trudeau government drastically accelerate and expand its military spending increases. The letter excoriated the government for not investing enough to earn our seat at the table with the US, alongside the other Five-Eyes countries and NATO.

Signatories to the CDAI open letter included 5 former Defence Ministers from both Liberal and Conservative governments, 13 former Premiers, Ministers and Senators, 9 former Chiefs of the Defence Staff, 2 former top national security and intelligence advisors, a former director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), executives from the military industry, and a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Years of restraint, cost cutting, downsizing and deferred investments, have meant that Canadas defence capabilities have atrophied, reads the CDAI open letter. Our military capabilities are outdated and woefully inadequate to protect our landmass and maritime approaches. We have also fallen short in meaningful contributions to burden sharing for the collective defence and security of our allies and partners.

The letter bemoans that the most recent federal budget made few significant new military funding announcements, asserting that much more is required than the funds committed to purchasing F-35 fighters and modernizing NORAD.

It addressed the Trudeau government directly: Canada cannot afford to conduct business as usual. We strongly encourage Prime Minister Trudeau, his Cabinet and the Government to lead and act with a sense of urgency and heed the recent call of the NATO Secretary General to treat 2% of GDP as a floor rather than a ceiling for defence spending.

The call for drastically increased military spending has been championed throughout the corporate mediafrom the editorial pages of Canadian finance capitals newspaper of record, the Globe and Mail, and the neo-conservative National Post to the progressive Toronto Star, the pro-Liberal La Presse and the pro-Quebec independence Le Devoir.

Ruling circles see the populations hostility to militarism and war as one of the chief obstacles to enforcing this program. As Andrew Coyne raged in the Globe, The destruction of the Canadian military has been a bipartisan project, carried out over many yearsand with the enthusiastic support of the Canadian people.

US and NATO criticize Canada

The open letters from the Conference of Defence Associations Institute and the Business Council of Council point anxiously to the way Canadas level of military spending has affected its relationship with its imperialist alliesabove all, the United States.

Despite outward assurances from US ambassador to Canada David Cohen that it would be a bad mistake... to assess Canadas commitment to defence by one metric, there is ample evidence that tensions between the allies over military spending are approaching boiling point behind the scenes.

In the series of classified Pentagon documents leaked on Discord in April, a secret assessment bearing the seal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and reported on by the Washington Post claimed that Justin Trudeau had privately told NATO officials that Canada would never meet the 2% of GDP military spending target.

The assessment reports that CAF shortfalls meant that it could not conduct a major operation while simultaneously maintaining its NATO battle group leadership [in Latvia] and aid to Ukraine. An anonymous Pentagon official concludes that: Widespread defense shortfalls hinder Canadian capabilities while straining partner relationships and alliance contributions.

The German government, according to the leaked document, expressed concern that the CAF would be unable to continue its aid to Ukraine and meet its other NATO commitments; Turkey was disappointed that the CAF could not deliver humanitarian aid in the wake of the devastating earthquake in February; Haiti was said to be frustrated that Canada refused to lead a multinational military intervention to restore order in the impoverished island country, which is seething with mass anger and wracked by gang violence.

The Wall Street Journal published a blistering editorial in the lead up to the NATO summit in Vilnius, characterizing Canadas military spending as pathetic and provocatively suggesting that Ottawa be ejected from the G-7.

Canada has also long been a free-rider off the U.S. military, which it knows stands guard over North America, fumes the editorial. Mr. Trudeaus Liberal Party figures it can thus afford to shirk on defense and shovel money into public unions and social-welfare programs.

 NATO needs members that keep their commitments, and the nations of the G-7 have an obligation to lead the way, it continues. If Canada doesnt want to play that role, then the G-7 should consider a replacement. Poland, which now spends 3.9% of GDP on defense, would be a candidate.

While the Trudeau government struggles to meet the expectations of the US and NATO, its traditional allies have begun to form new military pacts that pointedly exclude Canadain particular, AUKUS and the Quad, formations that seek to exert military control over the Pacific and prepare for war with China.

The AUKUS alliance brings together the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdomthree of the Five Eyes global spying alliance, of which Canada is a partin a comprehensive military cooperation and technology-sharing pact. Under the agreement, Australia will spend up to $368 billion over the next three decades to purchase a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Likewise, Canada has not been invited to join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), a quasi-military alliance between the US, Japan, Australia, and India, that brings together the major US-aligned regional powers in an anti-China bloc.

Canadas absence from these alliances, in spite of its pretensions as a Pacific power and historic ties to their members, has disturbed the political elite. In a report for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, former National Security Advisor (NSA) to Prime Minister Trudeau Vincent Rigby wrote that Canada was simply not invited to the AUKUS negotiations.

Rigby, who in his NSA role held regular discussions with Ottawas Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners, says that the idea of Canada joining AUKUS was never broached. This, he complains, speaks volumes about the way Canada is perceived by its allies at the present time... that we're not necessarily seen as a significant player on the international stage and in particular in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Liberal governments Indo-Pacific Strategy, drafted in close collaboration with the Biden administration, identified China as a disruptive global power whose interests and values  increasingly depart from ours. Nonetheless, it is clear that this statement and pledges to increase Canadian naval patrols off China are far from sufficient for a vocal section of Canadas ruling elite. Lurid claims of Chinese election interference and threats to Canadian democracy leaked by CSIS earlier this year were whipped up into an anti-China frenzy by the press and the political establishment.

The intensity of the ruling elites campaign to rearm the Canadian military speaks to the historic character of the current crisis, in which the efforts of the US to maintain its global geostrategic and economic dominance threaten to start a new World War. If Canada wants its share of the spoils in this imperialist re-division of the world, they argue, it must have the means of mass destruction to assist its ally in the catastrophic battles to come.
In this interview, Maxim Goldarb, the head of the Union of Left Forces  For a New Socialism Party (SLS), speaks with the WSWS about the persecution of his party, the growing anti-war sentiments in Ukraine, and the impact of the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians on society. His party advocates a negotiated settlement with Russia and has been banned since the beginning of the war. Despite our well-documented political differences with political allies of the SLS party, including the Left Party in Germany, the WSWS has consistently defended the democratic rights of the SLS and calls upon all of its readers to oppose the state-led crackdown on anti-war opposition parties by the NATO-backed Zelensky government. In recent months, the WSWS has published a series of important articles by Goldarb on the domestic situation in Ukraine.

Maxim Goldarb

Clara Weiss (CW): Your party is banned in Ukraine and has been persecuted by the government. Can you describe for our international readers the persecution your party has faced and is facing? What is the current situation of those in Ukraine who are demanding an end to this war?

Maxim Goldarb (MG): Along with 12 other opposition parties, the 'Union of Left Forces' party, was banned in Ukraine first by a decision of the Security and Defense Council and a presidential decree (in spring 2022). Then, a similar decision to ban it (essentially a copycat, as with other banned opposition parties) was issued by the Lviv Administrative Court.

It is noteworthy that the ruling was issued in Lviv, not in Kiev, where the party is registered, as would be required by law. According to our information, Lviv courts are under the full control of the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, who is President Zelensky's man, and fulfill any task assigned to them. I would like to emphasize that the SLS is the only party that has not accepted the decision of the authorities.

We appealed in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine against the very law on the basis of which opposition parties were banned in the country, and we appealed in the European Court of Human Rights against the decisions of Ukrainian courts to ban the party. Our complaints are currently under consideration. From the very beginning of the war, the persecution of the opposition began on an 'industrial' scale.

Many members of the SLS have been forced underground, part of the party leadership was forced to leave the country under the fear of prison and death, absolutely without any legal grounds one of its former leaders and founders was thrown into prison. Practically all the heads of our territorial party organizations have been summoned and interrogated by the Security Service (SB) of Ukraine. The party office in Kiev has been vandalized and documentation and computer equipment was stolen.

As for the situation facing people in Ukraine who are in favor of an immediate end to the conflict and the beginning of peace negotiations, it is extremely dangerous for their life and freedom: they are declared enemies of the state, state traitors, collaborators, and essentially become outlaws. They can be detained, searched, arrested, and held in prisons without judicial decisions for months and even years. Their only fault is that they try to express their point of view, which goes against the policy of the ruling elite and the president. The government has a panic fear of the emergence of a differing opinion society, because it recognizes that this will bring it closer to its own demise.

CW: Different sources put the number of Ukrainians who have already died in this war at between 150,000 and 300,000. This is an absolutely horrifying number, especially for a country, whose population is quite smallit was just under 40 million at the beginning of the war, and is even smaller now. How do you assess the impact of the loss of so many lives on society, on the moods of the population and on the future of the country?

MG: The figures you mentioned are really terrible, although they were mentioned by many in America even before the counteroffensive began, so I suppose they are much higher now. The Ukrainian government keeps these terrible figures secret, but the truth somehow finds its way into the informational space and into society regardless. For example, earlier this year, a Hungarian publication wrote about several refrigerated railroad trucks that filled with the corpses of dead soldiers near the borders of Hungary. I repeat that figures, putting the number losses of at several hundred thousand were also voiced late last year by European politicians, military and public figures (Ursula von der Leyen, for example) as well as American ones ([Robert J.] Kennedy, [Mark] Milley, [Tucker] Carlson, etc.). Thus, I assume, unfortunately, that by now they are closer to half a million people. Undoubtedly, this will affect the demographic situation in the country, because those have died or become crippled were able-bodied Ukrainian men of reproductive age.

Moreover, we should not forget that during the war at least 5 million Ukrainian women, also able-bodied and mostly of reproductive age, left the country with their children. Most of them have now found jobs abroad, their children have gone to local schools and institutes, they are settling in and adjusting to local customs and rules. Do you think many of them will want to return to the destroyed country? This is a rhetorical question. So, unfortunately, in this sense Ukraine will be devastated. Especially if we take into account that their husbands, too, after the end of hostilities (and any war ends sooner or later) will go to them in order to reunite with their families.

Information about losses, no matter how the authorities try to hide itby only releasing the bodies one by one, by forbidding to write about the real death tollclearly enters into everyday conversations: relatives, friends, neighbors, colleagues, close friends, acquaintancesall of them speak and convey information about cases that they, their relatives or acquaintances experience. And that kind of information is spreading like wildfire.

And this, first of all, affects the desire of men to serve in the army: it is not without reason that a month ago one of the military officers in charge of recruitment for the army wrote that only 20% of all those who are mandated to serve in the army are willing to do so. This is also confirmed by a recent publication of the British Guardian which noted that young people, hearing about the mass deaths of boys at the front, are refusing military service by any means necessary. The protracted war has an equally big impact on the general mood of Ukrainian society, which is growing tired of the war: there is more and more talk about peace, there is more and more distrust expressed in the policy of the president and government. I think that the mass of such voices is not critical yet but, under certain conditions, it will become so within the next year.

CW: In one article for the WSWS, you described the criminal methods deployed by the government for the mobilization. What is the current situation in this regard? And how do you understand Zelensky's dismissal of the heads of military recruitment offices last week?

MG: The situation with mobilization, more precisely with its methods, has not changed for the better, rather, on the contrary, it has worsened. In a recent interview, Oleksyi Arestovych, a former advisor of Zelensky, stated that up to 400,000 more people need to be mobilized! And given my answers above, you can imagine how the authorities will try to force people (of whom only one in five wants to fight) to fight under their banner. The methods will only get worse. Already now in provincial regions and districts cases of have begun to multiply of violent detentions of men both groups and on an individual basis; of their forcible delivery at gunpoint to military recruitment offices and of them being sent to the front.

Nothing of this sort has happened in Kiev yet: the authorities have traditionally been afraid of creating nervousness in the capital, but soon, I am sure, the same methods will be applied to men in the capital. As for the announced dismissal of military commissars throughout Ukraine, I will answer this way: the president is first and foremost a good, professional, high-quality actor; he has a very good sense of the mood of his audience and constantly tries to get it to applaud him (in the figurative sense in this case).

His decision/statement here is aimed at three different audiences: First, the US authorities - see how I fight corruption; Second, ordinary Ukrainians - the same thing plus creating the appearance of a fair and tough leader. Especially given the apparent and well-known dislike of ordinary people for military commissars and other officials who have grown fat. Third, the army, more precisely, its rank and file and the junior commanding staff. He is trying to create an impression of fair treatment of the veterans who fought in this war, by supposedly punishing those who did not fight and the corrupt officers in the rear and military commissars (and combat officers and soldiers always have a negative attitude to 'rear rats'). So this is a form of flirting with the army rank and file, which the president badly needs now, given his disagreements with the army top brass. So from this point of view, his firing of the military recruitment officers is very cunning and clever.

CW: You also wrote for the WSWS about the destruction of World War II monuments and the glorification of Bandera and other Ukrainian nationalists and fascists. They are glorified now in the West as well. Can you talk about the role of these forces in the history of Ukraine and their role in today's Ukrainian society?

MG: As a citizen of Ukraine, I regret that people like Bandera and other Nazi collaborators are now elevated to the rank of heroes. This is unfortunately true, but I am sure that this enormous mistake will be radically corrected.

CW: Thank you very much for the interview.
Over the past few days, scientists throughout the world have increasingly sounded the alarm over the emergence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Identified as BA.2.86 and given the nickname Pirola, the variant has 35 mutations on the spike protein that distinguish it from Omicron XBB.1.5, the most recent variant that was dominant globally and for which the next iteration of vaccines has been designed.

After first being detected in Israel on Sunday, Pirola was sequenced in Denmark and then the United States, with England announcing a case on Friday. The detection of Pirola in four countries on three continents indicates that it is a fit variant that has likely begun spreading globally undetected for some time.

Commenting on the evident community spread in different parts of Denmark, molecular virologist Dr. Marc Johnson tweeted Friday, The three Denmark cases were from different parts of the country and had no known contact with one another. This is looking more and more like an avalanche.

Healthcare workers treating a patient amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, India, Monday, April 10, 2023. [AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool]

The genomic difference between Pirola and XBB.1.5 is comparable to that between the first Omicron variant and the original strain of the virus. The large number of mutations on the spike protein first enabled Omicron to circumvent antibodies generated by the vaccines and prior infections, causing the largest global wave of infections, including breakthrough and reinfections, at any point in the pandemic.

Despite a relentless propaganda campaign falsely claiming that Omicron was mild, it caused millions of deaths globally and likely the largest wave of Long COVID of the entire pandemic. Scientists are warning that Pirola could potentially cause a similar Omicron-type event, in which billions of people globally become infected or reinfected with COVID-19. Whether or not Pirola is more likely to hospitalize or kill patients will not be known for weeks or months, as these are lagging indicators.

While independent scientists are fighting to educate the public on the emergence of the Pirola variant, capitalist politicians throughout the world and almost every corporate media outlet have remained criminally silent.

The growing concern about this new variant comes amid what is already clearly a major new global wave of the pandemic, predominantly fueled by the EG.5 variant nicknamed Eris, which now accounts for over 30 percent of sequenced cases globally.

The latest wastewater data from the US released Thursday shows that over the past eight weeks, the level of viral transmission has increased by 227 percent nationally, more than tripling. At present, it is estimated that nearly 610,000 Americans are being infected each day, and 6 million are currently sick with COVID-19, near the peak levels reached during the Delta wave in 2021. This surge is largely being driven by Eris, which became dominant last week and now accounts for 20.6 percent of sequenced cases.



COVID-19 hospitalizations are also quickly rising throughout the world. Across the US, hospitalizations rose 60 percent between July 8 and August 5, the most recent date for which data are available. In recent weeks, hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions have more than doubled in New York, often a bellwether for the rest of the country.

Significant surges are also taking place in South Korea, Japan, Italy, the UK, Spain and other countries. There are already concerns that China is beginning a third wave of the pandemic after lifting its Zero-COVID elimination strategy last winter, which led to two catastrophic pandemic waves that likely killed upwards of 3 million people.

As summer and winter breaks end throughout the world, hundreds of millions of children are returning to schools. This will only add fuel to an already raging fire, as schools have been known throughout the pandemic to be key centers of viral transmission.

The ongoing global wave of mass infection and the danger of this being compounded by the Pirola variant take place just three months after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Biden administration ended their COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declarations in early May. These unscientific decisions prompted the total collapse of already ruined pandemic surveillance systems globally.

Testing, contact tracing and reporting of cases are now nonexistent throughout much of the world. Genomic surveillance, which is necessary to track the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the global spread of new variants like Eris and Pirola, has drastically declined over the past year, in particular after the scrapping of the PHEs.

But perhaps the most significant result of these regressive policy decisions, which have been accompanied by an unrelenting propaganda campaign in the corporate media, is that the vast majority of the worlds population has been misled into believing that the pandemic is over. Billions of people are now totally unprepared for the next stage of the pandemic, which is quickly sweeping over global society.

On Thursday, tailing the independent citizen scientists who discovered Pirola, the WHO and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) both announced that they were tracking the spread of the new variant. These announcements were largely aimed at damage control, as both institutions stand thoroughly discredited for their role in covering up the ongoing dangers of the pandemic.

It is not yet known whether Pirola will take off globally or if it is more likely to cause severe disease and death, but these outcomes are entirely possible. In fact, such dangers are only increasing as the virus is allowed to spread freely and mutate in billions of hosts.

The capitalist response to the COVID-19 pandemic has amounted to an unending stream of lies, misinformation and homicidal policies designed to maximize the production of profit and subject the population to perpetual waves of infection, death and debilitation with Long COVID.

While unlimited resources are provided for the imperialist war machines and bank bailouts, a pittance is allocated to scientific research into next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and the renovation of infrastructure to prevent airborne transmission. High quality masks, accurate tests, treatments and now even vaccines are all unaffordable or inaccessible to billions of people internationally.

The financial oligarchy that runs society is thoroughly hostile to the social interests and well-being of the great mass of the population. As capitalism descends into the barbarism of world war, the fascist mantra of survival of the fittest once again reverberates through the halls of power.

The present experience, in which masses of people on every continent are suffering major waves of the pandemic while their governments and media do nothing but cover it up, reveals the underlying social antagonism of modern societythat between the capitalist class and the working class.

A central task facing the revolutionary socialist movement is to imbue the working class with an understanding of this conflict and the political program necessary to stop the pandemic, as well as war, fascism, climate change and all the great social problems arising from the capitalist system.

Fundamentally, the pandemic is a social and political crisis which can only be resolved through the mass, unified struggle of the international working class, in coordination with principled scientists in every country. From the beginning, the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) have clearly explained this imperative and provided leadership in this struggle. Now, as new and potentially more dangerous variants sweep the globe, it is ever more necessary to deepen this fight on a world scale.
Last year, numerous protests and strikes broke out in Brazil in opposition to attacks on public education promoted by the government of former president Jair Bolsonaro. These struggles were sabotaged by the student and teachers unions and diverted into support for the election of Workers Party (PT) candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazilian students protesting against the Lula governments education cuts in Brasilia last Friday. [Photo: Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agencia Brasil]

Now that Lula has come to power and is carrying on with the capitalist attacks, these corporatist unions are desperately trying to cover up the successive austerity measures being imposed by his government. They aim to prevent Brazilian youth and workers from drawing the necessary lessons from the record of the PT government, which presides over a country marked by rising levels of social inequality amid an explosive international situation, and to divert their struggles from a direct confrontation with the capitalist state.

At the end of July, the government announced a cut of 1.5 billion reais (US$ 300 million) to the federal budget, with the harshest impact on healthcare and education.

Attempting to conceal their responsibility for these attacks, the National Student Union (UNE) and other student organizations, controlled by the Maoist Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), the pseudo-left Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), and the PT itself, issued a call for a demonstration last Friday.

UNE has tweeted: Federal government blocks funds for literacy, school transportation, and scholarships... On August 11, we will take to the streets all over Brazil so that the budget is immediately reconstituted. Education is an investment! It further wrote: [The] budget block [was] inherited by the nefarious policy of the Michel Temer government [2016-2018], which instituted a spending ceiling for Brazilian education.

Those claims are completely fraudulent. Trying to free Lula from any responsibility for the cuts, UNE consciously omits that his government has managed last May to push his own fiscal framework through Congress, also limiting social and education spending, with a favorable vote by all the PT deputies.

In keeping with its intention to shield the government, the demonstrations held by UNE last Friday were extremely restrained, both physically and politically. One of UNEs directors, Luis Alves, told Agencia Brasil that it was a symbolic demonstration to present a demand to the government. Its aims, Alves claimed, was to promote an actual reconstruction of Brazil, in reference to the Lula governments slogan.

The effort to isolate the students struggle and limit protests against the Lula governments cuts, as well as for the repeal of the pro-corporate High School reform, a growing demand of students and teachers, was also clearly seen in Sao Paulo, Brazils largest city.

In Sao Paulo, UNE and the other student organizations scheduled the demonstration for 8 am. That was a conscious move to prevent the protests expansion under conditions in which Sao Paulo states teachers are suffering a series of attacks by Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, and teachers from Sao Paulos technical schools and colleges were on strike.

UNEs organized sabotage is being carried out in tandem with the teachers unions controlled by the PT and their pseudo-left apologists and the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE). They continue isolating strikes and preventing a nationally unified struggle, including with students.

In the second half of this year, teachers from numerous municipal and state education systems have continued the movement of strikes and walkouts that began earlier this year in defense of the national minimum wage and for the repeal of the High School reform. Only last week, shortly after the start of the school semester, teachers in the states of Paraiba and Alagoas went on strike. In Bahia, governed for 17 years by the PT and which in recent days has been highlighted nationally for having the most lethal military police in Brazil, teachers held a demonstration last week in front of the State Legislative Assembly and may go on strike this week.

Instead of calling for a general strike and demonstrations across all Brazilian states unifying teachers and students, the CNTE called for a counterfeit demonstration in Brasilia, two days before the UNE rallies, under the banner of a pressure hug directed at the Ministry of Education. Without mentioning the Lula governments cuts to education, the CNTE wrote on its website that the demonstration aims to pressure the Executive and Legislative branches for more quality in the sector and the valorization of public education and its professionals.

The CNTE demonstration was also called to coincide with the Lula governments announcement of changes to the so-called High School reform. In April, the government had suspended its implementation schedule and started a public consultation with teachers and students. It was widely recognized, as Folha de S. Paulo wrote, that this measure was a way to reduce the governments tension with the issue, since the discourse of the Minister of Education, Camilo Santana (PT), has always been to make adjustments and not to repeal the reform.

Since taking office, Santana has filled the Education Ministry with representatives of educational foundations linked to big banks and companies behind the High School reform. The main change proposed by the Lula government was to increase the hours of regular subjects at the expense of those linked to the job market, which was welcomed by Brazils largest pro-corporate educational foundation, Todos pela Educacao (All for Education).

According to it, Ministry of Education proposals point in the right direction, since they seek to adjust and improve the original formulation, preserving the principles of the reform carried out in 2017 .... such as the expansion of the workload, curricular flexibility, and greater articulation of Secondary Education with Professional and Technological Education. This is an important highlight given the recent calls for repeal that have marked the public debate.

The pro-corporate character of the Lula governments Education Ministry was also expressed in a law sanctioned in late July establishing the Full-Time School Program. In addition to increasing Brazilian students time in primary and secondary schools, it aims to extend to all of Brazil the pro-corporate models in education based on meritocracy, fiscal stimulus, with awards, where schools now have goals and indicators, as Santana defined it at the end of last year and which he applied while governor of Ceara between 2015 and 2022.

The farcical actions of the CNTE, UNE, and other student and teachers union organizations have been accompanied by the complete silence of much of the Brazilian pseudo-left regarding the Lula governments recent attacks on education, such as Esquerda Online, published by the PSOLs Morenoite tendency Resistencia, and Diario Causa Operaria, of the Lambertist Workers Cause Party (PCO).

Meanwhile, the Morenista Revolutionary Workers Movement (MRT), the sister organization in Brazil of the Argentine Socialist Workers Party (PTS), is presenting itself as a left political alternative and advocating a supposedly independent struggle against the PT and the Lula government. However, this is exposed by its attempt to provide a left cover for the CUT and the Brazilian unions controlled by the PT and PSOL by advancing the claim that they can be pressured to defend the interests of youth, teachers, and workers.

Since the end of last year, this failed attempt by the MRT has been further exposed in its alliance with the mother of Morenoite organizations in Brazil and from which it itself emerged, the Unified Socialist Workers Party (PSTU). The PSTUs rightist recordfrom its support for the fraudulent impeachment of former PT president Dilma Rousseff, through its support for the Ukrainian resistance in the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, to the numerous alliances the PSTU has made in the unions with the PT and PSOLis far from an impediment to the MRT advancing its opportunist politics by trying to forge a Brazilian version of Argentinas Left and Workers Front-Unity (FIT-U).

As recent developments in Brazil have shown, what is holding back the development of the struggle of teachers and students in defense of public education are the nationalist and pro-corporate unions. Contrary to the claims of organizations like the MRT, which represent sections of the middle class trade union apparatus, there is nothing to reform in these organizations.

The genuine way forward in the struggle for working class political independence will only be taken through a conscious break with these organizations controlled by the PT and its pseudo-left apologists through the formation of a democratic international network of rank-and-file committees. This means building the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC), launched in 2021 by the International Committee of the Fourth International, to unleash the enormous social strength of the working class in Brazil and internationally in a coordinated struggle against the capitalist system and its representatives, including the PT.
Attend the online public meeting, The No vote at UPS and the next stage of the battle against the Teamsters bureaucracy, hosted by the UPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee, this Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Register for the event here.

With the end of voting next Tuesday, the Teamsters bureaucracy is engaged in a desperate, last-ditch effort to ensure the passage of the sellout contract for 340,000 workers at UPS, combining a public relations blitz on social media with intimidation tactics against rank-and-file opponents.

These measures are in response to signs of significant opposition from rank-and-file members. A knowledgeable source told the WSWS that no votes are likely for the Southwest rider, the Northern California supplement and the Western supplement, and a rejection of the national master agreement is a serious possibility.

UPS Olympic Hub, Los Angeles, California.

One worker, summing up the attitude of the rank and file, said: In this day and age, where many members have access to other resources outside the union local, such as social media and message boards, its harder to keep things secret. People are taking their [regional contract] supplements and comparing apples to apples, because we all do the same job at the end of the day.  Members are realizing that some in different parts of the country are getting left behind and this upsets and angers them. As for the [national agreement], a lot of members disagree with the weak language on protections against forced overtime, guaranteed shifts lengths and harassment, which are the main topics for every employee, part-time and full-time.

This underscores the urgency that UPS workers organize themselves to not only continue to push for a contract rejection, but also, in the words of a recent statement by the UPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee, to finally settle our score with the bureaucracy, which has sold us out for decades, to throw it out and return power to the Teamsters membership where it belongs.

Turnout so far is very low, at below 35 percent, and has barely increased in recent days. This is more than 10 percentage points lower than the turnout in the last contract vote in 2018. At the time, the Teamsters bureaucracy overrode a majority no vote by citing an anti-democratic clause in the union constitution, which required a contract to be rejected by a two-thirds supermajority if turnout was under 50 percent. However, faced with massive rank-and-file anger, the bureaucracy later repealed that clause, meaning the tentative agreement can now be defeated by a simple majority.

The low turnout, in part, is likely due to the method of balloting. While voting is online, the union is sending mailers to workers with a QR code and registration information required for workers to cast their ballot. In addition to the likelihood that many workers addresses have not been kept up to date, it is also likely that many workers threw out their mailers, mistaking it for junk mail.

What does the bureaucracy expect? one member of the UPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee said. They were given a mandate. It seems that they didnt quite understand that directive  if you wanted an engaged membership, then represent the membership. He concluded: Its a no. A Hell no!

However, the turnout is also a sign of deep alienation among UPS workers, and that the endlessly repeated claims that the TA is an historic agreement have failed to generate much enthusiasm.

The Teamsters Twitter page has been dominated by video statements, presented as the voice of rank-and-file workers, urging people to vote yes. However, they have provoked hostile responses. If a no vote comes to pass will you continue with these lies or will you listen to us finally? one worker replied. Yeah those NDAs [non-disclosure agreement, under which the contract talks were conducted behind closed doors] were a huge benefit to members, another said sarcastically.

The union is also resorting to outright falsehoods. For example, they claim in one tweet that that second tier 22.4, or hybrid drivers, who are being reclassified as regular drivers under the new deal, will see their wages double under the new contract. In fact, their top rate is currently around $35, with minor variations depending on region. As regular drivers this would increase to around $42 in the first year of the proposed deal, gradually increasing to around $49 by 2027increases of 20 to 40 percent, respectively.

Their claim that wages would double appears to be based on the miserable, four-year wage progression. Under the new deal, progression for regular drivers would start out at only $23, only slightly more than the new starting rate for part-time workers (See section 41.2 in the tentative agreement). Given the fact that the 22.4 driver position was only created in 2018, the vast majority of these workers are likely still in progression.

A UPS truck makes deliveries in Northbrook, Illinois Wednesday, May 10, 2023. [AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh]

In the same tweet thread, the bureaucracy pats itself on the back, declaring, It is rare in the labor movement to force a company to eliminate a two-tiered wage system. But thanks to historic rank-and-file mobilizing, UPS #Teamsters did it. In reality, the TA creates another tier out of all new part-timers, who will not be eligible for general wage increases, and maintains the most fundamental division between full and part-timers.

In mailers being sent out, the bureaucracy is also re-writing history, claiming: On July 31  all UPS Teamsters local unions across the United States and Puerto Rico unanimously endorsed the national agreement.

In fact, Local 89 in Louisville, Kentucky, which covers the massive Worldport freight hub, originally voted against recommending the deal, before reversing itself only a few days later (they had claimed this had been due to concerns that UPS could possibly implement wage cuts in some regions to offset contractual pay increases, an issue which workers are still concerned about). At any rate, the fact that rank-and-file opposition finds no reflection whatsoever within the apparatus is an expression of the deep isolation from and hostility to the rank and file.

Meanwhile, top Teamsters officials are keeping a very low profile. General President Sean OBrien, who prior to the agreement had been criss-crossing the country attending rallies as part of the unions fake strike ready campaign, has hardly made any public appearances, except for an interview with Fox Business Channel on the bankruptcy of Yellow Freight. General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman, the number two man in the union hierarchy, has reportedly gone on vacation.

Teamsters president Sean O' Brien speaking at the rally, April 15, 2023.

They are relying instead on local officials to push the contract. At some locations, such as the Swan Island hub in Portland, Oregon, workers have had to run a gauntlet of business agents, stewards and other local officers campaigning for a yes vote on their way to work. However, at other locals, little to nothing has apparently been done.

With its options limited to generate enthusiasm for the deal, the Teamsters bureaucracy is falling back on its tried-and-true method of intimidation and threats. Multiple workers have reported that local informational meetings have been stacked with supporters of the bureaucracy who shouted down any statements of opposition.

Workers are also allegedly being threatened for making critical posts on social media. UPS worker Carl Gregory has filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint against Vincent Perrone, Eastern Region Package Director and president of Local 804 in New York City, for what he described as a direct personal attack in response to a post challenging the unions claimed $30 billion price tag for the new contract.

Perrone has been cited extensively in coverage of UPS by Jacobin magazine, the de-facto organ of the Democratic Socialists of America, which has been promoting the contract.

Western Package Director Mark Davison has also reacted furiously to a package driver who helped uncover discrepancies in pension contributions between the Pacific Northwest, where Davison is based, and the rest of the Western region. The supplemental agreements in Oregon and Washington include an increase of $1.50 per hour in pension contributions over the life of the contract, while pensions in the rest of the Western US will receive little to nothing.

One worker demanded an explanation for this, which also appears to contradict language in the national contract which freezes pension contributions for all regional pension funds not in financial distress.

The World Socialist Web Site encourages a no vote by the widest possible margin. This would be a powerful blow against the attempted betrayal by the union apparatus. But having defeated the TA, workers must prepare themselves for stage two of the sellout. Workers cannot count on pressure to shift the bureaucracy into fighting for its interests. Instead, they must organize themselves independently to shift power from the apparatus to the shop floor and prepare themselves to countermand the second phase of the sellout.

Attend the online public meeting, The No vote at UPS and the next stage of the battle against the Teamsters bureaucracy, hosted by the UPS Workers Rank-and-File Committee, this Sunday at 7p.m. Eastern. Register for the event here.
There was much talk in the lead-up to this weeks Australian Labor Party conference that left-wing delegates would take a stand against the Albanese governments commitment to the AUKUS treaty to acquire US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines for use against China. Instead, the opposite happened yesterday.

Labor Party National Conference 2023

Any pretence of an anti-AUKUS push, let alone of opposition to a potentially cataclysmic US-led nuclear war on China, disintegrated. After a highly-orchestrated debatemuch inflated by the corporate mediaAUKUS was cemented into Labors platform.

According to the media headlines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stared down the opposition. In reality, his speech was all for show. The key party and union chiefs had already agreed to the adoption of an AUKUS statement.

The 32-paragraph addition to the partys platform endorsed Labors ramping up of the AUKUS pact, first signed by the previous Morrison Liberal-National government.

An alternative resolution, moved by Electrical Trades Union (ETU) national secretary Michael Wright, was a sham. It merely sought to slightly amend the motion, mainly by eliminating the words nuclear-powered and AUKUS.

The amendments would not have altered the fundamental thrust of the statement, which was to support a military build-up, except for having a fleet of conventional submarines, not nuclear-powered ones.

Wright and Labor MP Josh Wilson, who seconded his amendment, emphasised that they sought common ground with the government, to which they pledged their loyalty. After the delegates voted overwhelmingly for the AUKUS resolution, they did not even call for a count.

With no dissent, the entire conference, in which the so-called Left faction had a majority, then voted for the partys foreign policy platform, which declared: Under Labor, the United States will remain our closest security ally.

Labors powerbrokers lined up behind two leaders of the Left, Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who have spearheaded the governments escalation of the countrys involvement in the US war plans.

The AUKUS agreement with the US and UK goes far beyond the allocation of up to $368 billion for a fleet of submarines, which has generated broad public hostility. AUKUS entrenches a far broader commitment to US war preparations, including the stockpiling of long-range missiles and US access to land, air and naval bases across Australia. This makes the country a platform for war against China.

Significantly, the AUKUS resolution formally incorporated the trade unions as key partners in the creation of a war economy. It called for the formation of a government-employer-union tripartite industry council to preside over the development of military manufacturing and weapons exports.

The statement declared that a nuclear-powered submarine capability was at the heart of Australias strategic intent. It was a contribution to the collective security of our region and to the maintenance of the global rules-based orderso fundamental to Australias prosperity.

These are code words for backing Washingtons intensifying economic, strategic and military offensive against China, which the US ruling class regards as an existential threat to its post-World War II global hegemony. The Australian ruling class has relied on the American rules-based order for its own predatory activities in the Indo-Pacific.

The statement echoed the demands issued by the Biden administration for the government to further step up its military spending and bullying of Pacific island states to toe the US line. The latest missive was delivered earlier in the week by Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific coordinator in Bidens National Security Council.

Campbell declared: Its not an exaggeration to say that AUKUS has fundamentally shifted and accelerated the very course of the US-Australian alliance. It was a bald statement of how far the Albanese government has tied the countrys population to the arrangements for war against China, as well as a public warning not to retreat in the face of popular hostility.

That was why Albanese personally joined the debate on the AUKUS statement, just as media commentators had insisted he must do. His intervention was a bid to demonstrate his capacity and that of his government to defy mounting public concern over being placed on the frontline of a war with China. For that he was afforded a standing ovation by the conference delegates.

Albanese reiterated his lifelong support for the US alliance, describing it as a pillar of Labors foreign policy, and was consistent with the Labor values that I have been a part of my whole life. He boasted that his government had made this relationship stronger than ever.

Albanese emphasised Labors role as the party of war, having been brought to office in both world wars. Neither he nor any other speaker uttered a word about Labors role in either joining or suppressing opposition to the brutal US invasions of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Likewise, in moving the resolution, Defence Minister Richard Marles declared that Australians look to Labor in times of war. He said Labor was the true party of Australias national defence. By contrast the Liberals were defence dilettantes.

Both Marles and Wong, who moved the foreign policy platform, provocatively depicted China as a threat to Australias national security. Marles accused China of carrying out the biggest military build-up since World War II. Wong charged China with coercion and interference throughout Asia and the Pacific. That is why we are committed to AUKUS, she declared.

Marles and Wong also defended the governments escalating backing for the US-NATO war against Russia and linked that war to the conflict with China. They depicted the reactionary Russian invasion of Ukraine, into which the Putin regime was goaded by the US, as a threat to the world order, including in the Indo-Pacific.

All this turns reality on its head. It is the US that is pursuing aggression against China by imposing crippling economic sanctions, encircling it militarily and provoking conflict over Taiwan, as it did with Russia over Ukraine.

The conference statement said Labor believed that ever-greater integration into the US military does not involve any ante facto commitment to participate in, or be directed in accordance with, the military operations of any other country. On the contrary, the transformation of Australia into a base for war makes its involvement in US-led aggression inevitable.

In fact, the statement heightened that danger by declaring that Labor will ensure that Australian ports retain the capacity to host nuclear-powered vessels. US nuclear submarines and ships are already visiting Australian ports under the AUKUS arrangements.

Albanese and Australian Workers Union national secretary Paul Farrow cynically depicted AUKUS as benefiting workers. The statement claimed that AUKUS would generate 20,000 unionised jobs, as well as lucrative business opportunities. It would be a whole-of-nation effort. This effectively subordinates workers jobs and conditions to the war drive, with the unions cracking the whip.

The statement also insisted that AUKUS would not fuel a nuclear arms race. It said: Labor will redouble its efforts to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament regime, including the NPT [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]. The NPT, however, is a limited agreement that formally preserves the monopoly over nuclear weapons by the acknowledged nuclear powers, above all the US.

The adoption of the resolution exposes the fraud of the intensive efforts that were made, both inside and outside the conference, to claim that pressure could be applied to the Labor government to repudiate AUKUS. These efforts also sought to divert anti-war sentiment in a nationalist direction, proposing that Australia could isolate itself from a devastating US nuclear war.

Queensland ETU state secretary Peter Ong speaking outside the conference

Outside the conference yesterday morning, ETU Queensland state secretary Peter Ong addressed a protest attended by about 150 people, standing in front of a banner saying: No Australian involvement in US led wars. He ended his speech by calling for the Labor government to renegotiate AUKUS, not repudiate it.

Ong was cheered by the pseudo-left supporters present. They share the union bureaucracys concern to corral the widespread public hostility to AUKUS back into the hands of the Labor and union apparatuses.

Despite all the Labor and union leaders claiming the AUKUS debate showed that healthy democracy existed in the Labor Party, the result was entirely stitched up behind closed doors.

The same basic line-up has occurred on every issue at the stage-managed conferencefrom retaining income tax cuts for the wealthy to dropping calls for super-profits taxes. But the backing for AUKUS was the most fundamental statement of Labors program of war and the imposition of its burdens on the working class.
HAVANA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Agustin Ramirez, a technician at a mobile repair shop in the Havana district of 10 de Octubre, tried in vain to download a number of apps because of the U.S. embargo on the island.

Ramirez, 33, told Xinhua that the embargo violates the Cubans' rights to free access to Internet information and data.

"It affects the quality of the service we deliver to our clients," he said. "In addition, it limits our knowledge about the latest developments in the field of technology."

Meanwhile, Caridad Diaz, a 45-year-old civil engineer, said that the embargo denies Cubans access to the digital platform Zoom.

"It gets difficult whenever we want to hold an online meeting or video chat with colleagues from across the world," she said. "It is a U.S. politically-motivated decision."

The current U.S. administration blocks the island's access to international optical fiber networks, according to Cuban Deputy Minister of Communications Wilfredo Gonzalez.

"By doing so, the U.S. government violates the rights of Cubans to this service while harming the international connectivity capacity of the country," said Gonzalez.

The U.S. embargo also prohibits Cuban telecom company ETECSA from doing business with U.S. internet providers, he said.

Cuba massively extended Internet access in 2015 after opening Wifi hotspots in public areas across the country's 15 provinces and the Isle of Youth special municipality. In 2018, the island started mobile Internet service.

In addition, more than 70 percent of the country's 11.2 million population is connected to the Internet, the Cuban Ministry of Communications said.

The U.S. administration should lift all restrictions for Cubans so that they can have easier access to the Internet, said University student Dayron Abreu.

"By limiting Cuban people's access to different Internet services and platforms, the U.S. government demonstrates one more time they don't care about the living conditions of Cubans," he said. 
The creator of Beanie Babies has created a new bear amid the ongoing devastation caused by thewildfires in Hawaii.

Ty Warner , the creator and founder of Beanie Babies, announced on 17 August in a press release the introduction of what Warners Ty Inc is calling the Aloha bear. All of the profits from the limited time sale will be donated to the American Red Cross and their efforts to help victims of the wildfires.

The stuffed animal itself is a burnt orange bear with a rainbow ribbon tied around its neck into a bow with an inscription on the right side of its chest that reads Maui Strong.

Loss can strike at any time. The speed and savagery of the Maui wildfires are an especially horrific, heartbreaking reminder of that, Warner said in the press release. While I cant undo what has happened, I can try to help those who are suffering in the aftermath.

Right now, thousands of Hawaiians lack food, clothing, shelter and other necessities as they attempt to cope with last weeks fires, he added. My hope in partnering with the American Red Cross is that I can help ease their burden.

Warner wants the bear to be viewed as not only an adorable little bear but also as an offering a symbol of love and hope to Hawaiians.

Similar to other Beanie Babies from the 90s, the Aloha bear has a birthday, which is 8 August. It also comes with a poem that reads, Helping each other all day long / We forever will stay Maui strong.

The release of the new bear comes after the toy celebrated its 30th anniversary. Both Warner and Ty Inc are the subject of The Beanie Bubble, a fictionalised re-telling of Warners story of becoming a billionaire with the creation of the stuffed animals in 1993 and how they took the world by storm. Warners company will continue to give away free Beanie Babies at Beanie Bubble showings in theaters across the United States and in the United Kingdom in honour of Beanie Babies anniversary, according to the press release. The film features Zach Galifianakis starring as Warner.

The movie isnt real, but the situation on Maui is, said Tania Lundeen, Ty Incs senior vice president of global sales & licensing in the press release. The Hawaii recovery efforts are a stark reminder of what is important, and thats what Ty is focused on with Aloha.

As of 18 August, one catastrophe firm is expecting that construction costs alone to begin repairing the damage from Hawaiis wildfires will be 44 per cent more than typical, as more than 2,200 structures have been destroyed, CNN reported.

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 in the press release. We are so grateful for partners like Ty Inc as we work together to provide comfort and hope for communities in the wake of these catastrophic wildfires.

Ty Inc is not the only company that has participated in helping with disaster relief funds in Hawaii. Earlier this week, Hormel Foods, the creators of Spam, announced its intention to help bring food to the island.

The Independent has contacted Ty Inc for comment.
The chief executive of SMIC faced criticism for proposing to advance chip packaging technologies and multi-chiplet designs after the company lost access to 7nm and 10nm-capable wafer fab tools due to U.S. sanctions. But his vision has now become central to China's semiconductor approach for 2023, according to DigiTimes. Industry heavyweights like Huawei and government-backed entities with deep pockets are making substantial progress in this domain. Companies like JCET and Tongfu already offer their clients 2.5D and 3D packaging technologies.

Through the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Chinese government is channeling more funds into chiplet research. NSFC's 2023 research areas encompass advanced 2.5D/3D packaging techniques, reusable chiplet design methods, parallel processing for multiple chiplets, electronic design automation (EDA) tools, and comprehensive multi-chiplet simulations. This intensified focus on chiplet technology showcases China's strategy to minimize its dependence on foreign semiconductor innovations.

Large companies are also making strides in chiplet design, packaging, and multi-chiplet technologies. For example, Huawei ramped up chiplet-related patent filings from 30 in 2017 to over 900 in 2022. China-based companies recently formed the China Chiplet League to advance the homegrown Chiplet Interconnect Interface Standard.

Chinese companies are by no means novices in advanced packaging. Yet, for now, most of their efforts are tailored to cater to demand from non-Chinese companies with access to Taiwan-based TSMC and ASE Technology Group, the world's largest outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) company.

JCET, the world's third-largest OSAT, is involved in the chiplet sector. The company can package chiplets made on a 4nm-class process technology, which is nearly on par with what TSMC can offer and is good enough to cater to domestic and international clientele.

Tongfu, another top OSAT, also has developed a set of 2.5D, 3D, and advanced chiplet packaging technologies. Tongfu reportedly indicated that it anticipates continuing benefits from AMD's broad adoption of chiplet technology in the future. This suggests Tongfu has aligned its technological advancements with industry trends and foresees potential collaborations or synergies with major players like AMD.

NationalChip is collaborating on high-performance interconnect IP designs for chiplet applications. The company is also researching advanced chip design, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technology, with a primary focus on creating tailored products for customers.

As for VeriSilicon, it has multiple verification tools for multi-chiplet designs that are reportedly used by companies serving the high-performance computing (HPC) sector.
Chris Christie was in Miami, Florida on Friday to host a town hall with Florida voters as part of his run for the Republican presidential nomination. Christie wasted no time in going after the states Gov. Ron DeSantis , who he accused of protecting rival Donald Trump .

Christie said, The only way to beat someone is to beat them. If he thinks hes going to get on the stage and defend Donald Trump on Wednesday night, then he should do Donald Trump a favor and do our party a favor: come back to Tallahassee, endorse Donald Trump, and get the hell out of the race.

The former New Jersey governor was speaking out in reference to a memo posted on the website of Axiom Strategies, a Republican firm with direct ties to the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down. Among other things, the memo (first shared by the New York Times) suggested that DeSantis take a sledgehammer to rival Vivek Ramaswamy  and that he come to the defense of the legally embattled Trump specifically if Christie attacks him at next weeks debate in Milwaukee.

The Times later reported that the memo was taken off the website after the outlet reached out to Axiom for comment.

CNNs Omar Jimenez spoke with Christie about the upcoming debate and what he hopes it will do for his campaign. After being asked what he hopes to accomplish next Wednesday, Christie said, [To] get seen by more people. I listen to the question, I try to answer it. And if somebody else says something on the stage I think is stupid, I try to point it out. Thats about  thats the depth of our strategy.

Jimenez also spoke with voters who seem to support Christies message. As one attendee told the reporter, He does speak his mind, and I find that really refreshing in a presidential candidate.

Its clear in the reporting that Christie believes he has a shot at waging a successful campaign. He told reporters in Miami, The people who are going to vote for me feel strongly about it, and were going to increase those numbers.

Christie told Jimenez that this time, experience is on his side. In reference to his failed 2016 bid for the presidency, Christie said, When you do stuff for a second time, at least for me, I always do it better. The second time that I do it, [unlike] the first, I feel really relaxed and comfortable.

He added, And I know Im speaking the truth, and I think thats going to matter to people in the long run.

Watch the entire CNN feature on Christies Miami town hall in the video above.

The post Chris Christie Taunts Ron DeSantis: Endorse Trump and Get the Hell out of the Race (Video) appeared first on TheWrap.
Broadway star Chris Peluso has died at age 40.

The actors family confirmed to Playbill that Peluso died Wednesday.

His passing came a year after he stepped away from acting to seek treatment for a schizoaffective disorder.

Schizoaffective disorder is a mental illness that can affect your thoughts, mood and behavior, according to Rethink Mental Illness.

On Broadway, Peluso played Sky in Mamma Mia! and was an understudy in the 2004 Tony-winning revival of Stephen Sondheims Assassins, Elton Johns Lestat and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

He also played Fiyero in multiple touring productions of Wicked.

In Londons West End, he appeared in Miss Saigon, The Woman in White, Death Takes a Holiday and Show Boat, He starred in a U.K. touring production of Funny Girl, too.

Last November, Peluso said he suffered from debilitating paranoia but was stable doing well after his discharge from an in-patient facility in Tennessee and even began taping some auditions.

He was memorialized on social media by the University of Michigan, his alma mater.

The Michigan Musical Theatre family is heartbroken as we announce the passing of our dear family member/alum, the loving, charismatic, and divinely gifted Chris Peluso, interim department chair Linda Goodrich captioned an Instagram post dedicated to Peluso. Our hearts go out to his family.

He is survived by his wife Jessica Gomes, their daughter Aria Li Gomes-Peluso and their son Caio Lian Gomes-Peluso.
Democratic congressman from California Eric Swalwell spoke to MSNBCs Ali Velshi Friday on The Last Word about former president Donald Trump and the four indictments that have stacked up against him. As the politician pointedly put it, Justice is no longer sleeping on Donald Trump.

In 2022, Swalwell filed his own civil suit against Trump, which the former president has asked to postpone to 2026 due to the millions of pages of legal filings he currently faces. As Velshi pointed out in the conversation, this date conveniently falls after the 2024 election.

Since his first impeachment trial in 2020, Trump has insisted that a sitting president cannot be indicted and that he is too busy to be sued or indicted while hes running for office again. Its become clear that he believes if he wins in 2024 he will again be safe from prosecution. Velshi said of the many protestations from Trump, It seems to be an actual legal strategy for him.

Swalwell agreed. Always this guy has been a stranger to accountability almost his entire life, and thats because he always plays on justices side of the field, and he defines the terms.

He continued, And too often in the past, I think prosecutors have flinched. Thats not the case anymore.

The congressman also explained that he filed his lawsuit in part to make sure [Trump] meets accountability.

Swalwells prediction for Trumps legal fate is exactly what he believes Trump has tried to avoid for himself for so long: Whatever happens to Donald Trump, it is going to come from his peers. And thats why its going to be so sweet when he meets accountability.

Watch the entire interview with Swalwell on The Last Word in the video above.

The post Eric Swalwell Says Trump Being Held Accountable Is So Sweet: Justice Is No Longer Sleeping (Video) appeared first on TheWrap.
President Joe Biden held a brief press conference at Camp David on Friday and drew criticism from Fox News Tammy Bruce , who described the commander-in-chief as noticeably rattled. Bruce aired footage that appeared to show Biden physically and verbally struggling to get through his remarks.

Biden has been in talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of work on whats being termed the Camp David Principles. The goal of the meeting: to affirm a commitment to stability in the Taiwan Strait, the physical barrier between Taiwan and mainland China.

However, Bruce seemed more concerned about Bidens demeanor. The anchor, who was filling in for Sean Hannity, kicked off her program by stating, We begin with more bad news for Joe Biden: the walls are actually closing in.

Bruces comment is in reference to Kentucky Republican James Comers recent request to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for files related to Bidens son Hunter and Bidens time as VP. Comer asked for unredacted documents and communications in which Biden used a pseudonym; Hunter Biden , Eric Schwerin, or Devon Archer is copied; and all drafts of then-Vice President Bidens speech delivered to the Ukrainian Rada in December 2015.

In his request, Comer explained, Joe Biden has stated there was an absolute wall between his familys foreign business schemes and his duties as Vice President, but evidence reveals that access was wide open for his familys influence peddling. We already have evidence of then-Vice President Biden speaking, dining, and having coffee with his sons foreign business associates.

He continued, We also know that Hunter Biden and his associates were informed of then-Vice President Bidens official government duties in countries where they had a financial interest. The National Archives must provide these unredacted records to further our investigation into the Biden familys corruption.

Bruce followed up this commentary with clips from the press conference in which Biden appeared confused. She described the president as nervous and rattled. In the first clip, Biden refused to comment on any investigations going on.

In the second, Biden said, Now I yield to who am I yielding to? before a voice announced, Distinguished guest, the President of the Republic of Korea. Biden then quipped, We needed the voice of God to tell us that.

Watch Bruces commentary on President Biden in the video above.

The post Fox News Hannity Fill-In Mocks Noticeably Rattled President Biden: The Walls Are Closing In (Video) appeared first on TheWrap.
King Harris new set of teeth is all anyone is talking about on social media, but the young star is not taking fans critical opinions to heart.

The son of rapper T.I. and Xscape singer Tiny Harris recently showed off his brand-new smile in videos circulating on Instagram and Twitter.

Fans mock T.I.s son King after the teenager shows off his new set of veneers. See before and after. (Pictured: @the_next_king10/Instagram)

The 18-year-old traveled all the way to Colombia to receive his fresh pair of pearly whites by Dr. Mario Montoya, who performed his mothers procedure last week. While the upcoming rap star appeared to love his new chompers, X users seemed to have a different opinion.

He look like he can bite the boom out of a bomb.

Now why he gave that lil boy them big a Steve Harvey teeth.

This lil na can take a bite out of crime.

Related: Fans Mock T.I.s Son King After Claiming He and His Father Were Victims of an Attempted Robbery In Colombia

This lil nigga can take a bite out of crime. https://t.co/O5kKLr8s2m  The Moment. (@itsKARY_) August 17, 2023

After facing public criticism, Harris went on a lengthy rant that was captured by @livebitez via Instagram. During his vent session, the T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle star claimed that people were only hating on his teeth because they couldnt afford to get a new set themselves.

Nas love to talk cause they cant go put these in they mouth. You hear me, he said. Its its them mother fs with chipped tooth, with chipped teeth and all that st taken. Talking that st ya hear me? So, I dont I dont really wanna hear

Harris said social media users cant get enough of him, as he asked, Whats wrong this time guys? I see the whole world, the whole world got something to say.

In response to the negative comments, his parents, T.I. and Tiny, stepped up to defend their son in a recent Instagram post amid an announcement about his upcoming birthday party. Tiny shared a carousel of videos that showed Kings smile before and after the procedure.

Had to post slide 2 for the #BigTeethPatrol to show his smile been asf before; theyre just white now. Either way, he loves them and thats all that matters! she wrote in the caption.

Tiny continued, Regardless to what he does, everyone always seem to have their personal perspective of him which is fine. -But yall dont really know him frfr, truth is real [ninja emoji] fwh and the ladies love em!

In one of the videos, T.I. can be heard melodically singing, Oh, he got that glow, you know you know, you got that glow.

Goodness them thangs glow in the dark, his father added.

King continued zooming on his teeth in the same video, showing the diamonds engrained into one tooth. Fans in Tinys comment section were quick to make jokes, while others seemed to understand she doesnt play when it comes to one of her Harris family.

Defend your child but be realistic.

Why is tip like that lol That man said  they glow in the dark BYE.

One thing bout tiny she dont play bout her kids.

Tell em mama! And it be the gown asz adults for me!

This backlash follows the mockery King faced after alleging in a video on his IG Story that he and his father were almost robbed while in Colombia. Throughout his play-by-play, he could be seen laughing, which didnt sit well with a few individuals.

Many commenters shamed King for laughing at such a serious situation and even expressed their displeasure with him trying to be a gangster.

Nevertheless, both Zonnique Pullins and T.I. have publicly spoken out in Harris defense in the past.

Click here to see the full video.
Hurricane Hilary, once an ultra-dangerous Category 4 storm, has been downgraded to a Category 2, and may diminish to a Category 1 by the time it arrives in Los Angeles.

While that promises less intensity, a Category 2 storm still can pack winds of between 96-110 mph. With a Category 2, the National Weather Service says roofs and tiles can be damaged, and many shallowly rooted trees could be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads.

More from Deadline

Meanwhile, Mexico warned the western state of Baja California on Saturday to brace for life-threatening rain and floods. The storm is expected to hit there early Sunday, arriving in the Los Angeles area either late Sunday or early Monday.

More than 6,500 soldiers were deployed Friday to Baja California and Baja California Sur to help erect shelters, organize food banks, and prepare for possible emergency rescues.

Libia Gonzalez, a meteorologist with Mexicos national forecasting service, said that the storm was expected to become a Category 1 by Sunday morning.

Even though the storm is diminishing in strength, the National Weather Service warned Saturday the weather event could bring the potential for isolated tornadoes across portions of Southern California. In addition, there could be life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the beaches of Southern California.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
The Killers have issued an apology after the band invited a Russian drummer on stage to perform with the band at their concert in Georgia earlier this week, where frontman, Brandon Flowers asked the audience to treat the fan as their brother.

Georgia  a former Soviet state  gained independence from Russia in 1991, but was again invaded by Russia in 2008. Parts of Georgia remain under Russian occupation since the invasion, leading to massive cultural tension between the two sides.

The outrage came after the band reached the regular part of their set where an audience member is invited to play drums on For Reasons Unknown, taken from The Killers second album, Sams Town (released in 2006).

We dont know the etiquette of this land, but this guys a Russian. Are you okay with a Russian coming up here? Flowers asked the crowd, who responded with strong boos.

You finished yet, or no? You cant recognise when someones your brother? Flowers continued while being met with further hostility from the gig-goers. Hes not your brother?We all separate on the borders of our countriesSo Im not your brother? Am I not your brother, being from America? No

"One of the things we've come to appreciate about being in this band is it brings people together. And tonight, I want us to celebrate that we're here together and I don't want it to turn ugly. I see you as my brothers and my sisters."

See more

Following Flowers' address  deemed so insensitive by some Georgian fans that they chose to walk out  a statement from the band was posted to their social media channels, offering an apology to the Georgian fans while also attempting to clarify Flowers intention behind referring to the audience as brothers.

"Good people of Georgia, it was never our intention to offend anyone! We have a longstanding tradition of inviting people to play drums and it seemed from the stage that the initial response from the crowd indicated that they were okay with tonight's audience participation member coming onstage with us.

"We recognise that a comment, meant to suggest that all of the Killers' audience and fans are 'brothers and sisters,' could be misconstrued. We did not mean to upset anyone and we apologise. We stand with you and hope to return soon."

The Killers are currently in the middle of the European leg of their tour which will see them play consecutive headline slots at the Reading & Leeds festivals (Saturday 26 at Reading, Sunday 27 at Leeds). For a full list of dates, click here.
A man in New York City jumped off a high-rise building and died after splitting his body in two upon landing on the pavement, according to police.

Police and witnesses stated the man fell 750 feet from the top of the Deutsche Bank Center and through the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's marquee on Thursday night.

The victim, who wore pajamas when he jumped, landed on the sidewalk in the area known as Billionaire's Row in Columbus Circle, with his body split in two due to hitting the marquee.

Glass and debris surrounded the sidewalk, and body parts were found across the street. An unidentified building employee stated, "The marquee cut him in half," according to Daily Mail.

The building worker also said the man lived in the building, but police haven't confirmed that as of press time. Sources claim the man may have used the service elevator to get to the top of the building.

Apartments in the building have gone between $5 million and $19 million and some of its most famous past residents include Jay-Z, Tom Brady, Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts, and more.

In May, a 31-year-old senior software engineer at Google jumped to his death from the company's New York City headquarters. According to authorities, the man jumped from the 14th floor of the building at around 11:30 p.m.

Police received multiple calls reporting an unconscious person near the building on 111 Eighth Ave. As officers arrived at the scene, they found the man and took him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

More on this
Pierce ODonnell, one of the owners of the purported Basquiat art seized from the Orlando Museum of Art last June, has said he will vigorously defend the institutions lawsuit against him  characterizing the suit as a misguided attempt by an unworldly organization trying to deflect attention away from its own shortcomings.

I intend to be their worst nightmare, ODonnell told the Orlando Sentinel in a phone interview this week. I dont appreciate their efforts to sully my reputation.

Aaron De Groft, the museum director who arranged the exhibit and was subsequently fired, is also named in the lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County circuit court on Aug. 14. He said the case was without merit.

This is not as it seems, he told the Sentinel in a text message. This [is] an attempt to smear me when I was doing my job in bringing an art exhibition to our community.

Orlando Museum of Art sues ex-director, others over Basquiat art

After months of silence about an internal investigation into the Basquiat affair conducted by the Akerman law firm, the museum on Monday filed a lawsuit against De Groft, ODonnell and other owners of the artwork that hung in its Heroes & Monsters: Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit. The suit requests a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.

Paintings by Basquiat, an acclaimed contemporary artist who died in 1988, sell for millions of dollars. But the FBI seized the Heroes & Monsters works on view at the museum as part of an ongoing fraud investigation.

California auctioneer Michael Barzman later told the law-enforcement agency he helped create some of the works years after Basquiats death. As part of a deal, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in earlier statements. At his sentencing on Aug. 18 in Los Angeles, he avoided jail time but was given three years of probation, ordered to complete 500 hours of community service, and pay a $500 fine.

A truth stranger than fiction: Basquiat lawsuit details secrets, threats and conspiracies at Orlando Museum of Art

ODonnell, a high-profile attorney based in Los Angeles, said the auctioneers story of faking the artworks is not to be believed.

Michael Barzman is lying through his teeth, he said.  Im 100% sure that hes lying.

His comments echoed those of De Groft, who earlier this year told Vanity Fair magazine that Barzmans plea agreement with the FBI was a totally sweet-deal cover-up.

Both men emphatically denied any wrongdoing; the museum accuses them of fraud, breach of contract and conspiracy.

Auctioneer admits to helping create fakes shown as Basquiats in Orlando

In De Grofts case, the museum alleges he neglected his fiduciary responsibility to the organization by trying to personally profit from an eventual sale of the artwork, in collusion with ODonnell.

I did nothing wrong and had no agreements to sell art I did not own, De Groft told the Sentinel. How would I do that?

I utterly deny the accusation I was in some kind of conspiracy with Dr. DeGroft, ODonnell said.

The lawsuit demonstrates a lack of sophistication and lack of knowledge about the workings of the art world, ODonnell said: The rhetoric in that complaint is so over the top, youd think we were all a bunch of ax murderers.

He added the museums lack of understanding of the art worlds wheeling and dealing made them misconstrue friendly and jocular emails and texts.

Much of what they allege there is normalcy, he said. They are trying to make things sinister that arent.

While the museums suit emphasizes how the Heroes & Monsters exhibition cost it money and damaged its reputation, ODonnell said the suit is really an exercise in deflection.

Its a misguided effort to cover their tracks, he said. They have a lot of explaining to do about how theyve made mistakes.  The motivation of the museum is to lash out when they should do some serious self-reflection.

The other defendants in the lawsuit are John Leo Mangan III, also known as Lee Mangan or Leo Mangan; William Michael Force, also known as Michael William Force; Taryn Burns; Basquiat Venice Collection Group, a California joint venture; MJL Family Trust LLC, a Colorado limited liability company; and Richard LiPuma. All have an ownership stake in the disputed artwork.

Orlando Museum of Art ex-director: Basquiat plea deal a cover-up

ODonnell said the owners were excited over the chance to display the works in Orlando: I thought it was a wonderful breakthrough that this respectable museum wanted to show our art.  We were thrilled  over the moon  how could we not be thrilled? It was an important validation of the art.

The excitement was heightened because the two most common ways to give artwork legitimacy  a listing in a catalogue raisonne or certification by an authentication committee  were not available to the owners.

A catalogue raisonne is a comprehensive and vetted published work detailing all an artists known creations. A definitive Basquiat catalog had been published in 2010  two years before ODonnell says he became aware of the works that would end up in Orlando.

The Authentication Committee of the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat shut down in 2012 after reviewing more than 2,000 works over 18 years.

The lawsuit claims the museums staff members were intimidated by De Groft and feared for their jobs, but ODonnell questioned why the museums staff didnt go straight to the board of trustees with concerns, or why the board didnt simply halt the exhibition if there were questions after learning about the FBI investigation.

Basquiat fiasco at Orlando Museum of Art: Ex-trustees say they were kept in the dark on FBI

Former trustees have previously told the Orlando Sentinel that then-chairwoman Cynthia Brumback kept them in the dark about the FBIs subpoenas served on the museum.

The museum had every piece of information, all the independent reviews. There was no attempt to con or defraud them, ODonnell said. If they had problems with this art they should have spoken up. They should not have exhibited it.

And he dismissed the idea that his actions to try to sell the paintings were improper.

The operation, of course, is to sell them, he said.

An email exhibited as part of the museums lawsuit shows there was interest from potential buyers.

In a March 22, 2022, message from Mangan to ODonnell, in which De Groft was copied, he asks: How are you pitching this? I am getting pressed to give the offering price from both the Samsung and Hyundai familys [sic]. What is that price?

The museum presented the email to bolster its claim that De Groft was involved in selling the art, counter to his employment obligations.

Orlando museum director: Absolutely no doubt Basquiats are genuine

While ODonnell has described the works convoluted origin story  sold to a screenwriter, left to languish in a storage locker, discarded and then rediscovered  as an improbable odyssey, he still stands by them, despite questions about anachronistic shipping labels and other odd details.

In good faith I thought they were authentic, he said. I still think theyre authentic.

And, in the face of the lawsuit calling his relationship with De Groft bizarrely close, he defended the museums former director.

Dr. Aaron De Groft is a decent, honest art historian, ODonnell said. Hes a true believer. Hes a direct victim of all of this. Its unfortunate.

De Groft told the Sentinel that the Heroes & Monsters exhibit came about solely because he was working to meet his job responsibilities.

I was tasked by the board to bring the best exhibitions to the OMA, an international museum in a global city, he said.

ODonnell indicated a more formal response to the lawsuit  a counterpunch  would be coming in a short period of time, and he was confident he and the other defendants would be vindicated.

Im comfortable that we did everything right, he said. We gave them in good faith art we believed authentic.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more arts news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/arts, and go to orlandosentinel.com/theater for theater news and reviews.
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editors midnight movie pick  something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

More from IndieWire

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this weeks recommendation.

The Pitch: Is That a Meat Cleaver in Your Pocket  or Are My Parents Just Happy to See Me?

What were they before they were leftovers? Thats the dramatic meat hook on which Bob Balaban hangs his giddily middling 1989 horror comedy Parents, a surrealist satire set in 1950s suburbia, best likened to a chunky jello mold filled with human toes. Ill admit, I wouldnt serve cannibalism cinema this underbaked to mixed company; let alone the hubbys new boss and his one-scene-having wife. But for the IndieWire After Dark family during 80s Week, leftovers dont get better than a midnight movie that grows ever-weirder meaning and mold with each new ill-advised viewing.

Written by Christopher Hawthorne, this baffling oddity centers on a bloodthirsty mom, a murderous dad, and their stunningly stupid 10-year-old son, who was either traumatized by seeing his parents have sex  or definitely knows they are closeted cannibals. Child actor Bryan Madorsky (who Wikipedia claims is now an accountant?) stars as the new-in-town Michael Laemle. Fresh off a big family move from Massachusetts to California, our wide-eyed kid hero anchors an experimental flick caught somewhere between Blue Velvet, We Are What We Are, Skinamarink, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Antichrist, and just the young love bits of Moonrise Kingdom. Yes, all of that in a narrative that boils down to the simple question: Is that or is that not human meat?

Parents (1989) Vestron Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Balabans singularly strange direction garnishes a script thats got some notably fun dialogue but is otherwise about as straightforward as a ham steak  effectively peppering dozens of cinematic surprises onto what could be a truly one-note affair. The filmmaker and frequent Wes Anderson actor makes as many smart choices as he does inexplicable ones though, rendering a disturbing experience even he didnt seem to know how to digest in the end. Meanwhile, Randy Quaid achieves the second creepiest chemistry of his career (outranked only by Cousin Eddie and that septic tank in Christmas Vacation) with Mary Beth Hurt as Mr. and Mrs. Laemle: undeniable competitors in the tight race for most fiendishly fucked up couple in horror history  and generally, a good time as far as nefarious neighbors go.

Theres plenty to chew on here, even in the limited scope of 89. But with A24s fixation on intergenerational trauma still going strong (and Quaids new life as a bonehead conspiracy theorist on the political record), Parents is more flavorful than ever before. Now, eat your meat. AF

The Aftermath: Youre Telling Me Theres a Dark Secret at Toxico of All Places?

Its a human rights violation that Angelo Badalamenti had to write music for Parents just three years after scoring Blue Velvet. I kept picturing David Lynchs longtime composer spitting out his espresso every time he watched dailies and saw the misguided stylistic parallels between Parents and Lynchs landmark suburban nightmare.

While Blue Velvet riffs on 1950s iconography with cleverly anachronistic production design, Parents takes place on what appears to be the set of a pornographic ALF remake. Blue Velvet surrounded its villain with a fleshed-out criminal underworld, while Parents houses its nefarious actors at a company called Toxico. And Blue Velvet reminds us that darkness can lurk behind the most idyllic settings  while Parents wisely observes that parents who spend 70 minutes telling you theyre probably cannibals often end up being cannibals.

Im not trying to grade Parents on an unfair curve  Balaban certainly wasnt aiming to convince anyone that his horror comedy was the second coming of Blue Velvet (no matter how many wildly misguided critics tried to say as much in 1989). But Badalamentis involvement in this piece of nonsense is an interesting window into the way pop culture flows downstream. It seems plausible that the decision to hire him was based at least partially on his success with Blue Velvet. For one of the greatest composers of all time, the interval between making a masterpiece and being hired for a comedic knockoff of said masterpiece was a mere three years.

Parents (1989) Vestron Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Tangents aside, I found a lot to enjoy about Parents in my own sick way. For one, its almost certainly the only film that allows us to peek into a universe where Quaid was a scream king. (He gives a twisted performance, even if bad cinematography and music choices deprive him of the opportunity to slowly go crazy by painting him in an ominous light from the get-go.) There are also plenty of impressive filmmaking tricks, even if many make zero sense in the context of the larger story  why, I ask, does the kitchen table spin for no reason at the end? And I have some genuine respect for the gall that it takes to build an entire film around the idea that parents are cannibals without making any attempt to hide it or introduce a larger twist. Apparently, theyre parents, but they eat human meat was simply too good of an idea to waste time writing multiple drafts of a script  you just had to start production before someone beat you to it.

And of course, I was disturbed by how the ending wraps things up in a bow of intergenerational trauma  not even because the grandparents were cannibals, but because eating an entire sandwich seconds before falling asleep is absolute sociopath behavior. If anything, were lucky Dad turned out as well as he did. CZ

Those brave enough to join in on the fun can stream Parents free on Tubi, or rent it on Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube, and Google Play. IndieWire After Dark publishes midnight movie recommendations at 11:59 p.m. ET every Friday. Read more of our deranged suggestions

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When we rejoin Men in Kilts Graham and Sam in the camper, Sam is talking about New Zealands Maori culture. Learning more about the nations indigenous people is the part of the trip about which Sam is most excited, and its all happening in this episode. I really want to honor their culture, he says, acknowledging that he doesnt know a lot about it.

A brief overview tells us that the Maori came to New Zealand from east Polynesia in the 1300s and lived in New Zealand in isolation until British colonization pushed the Maori to the sidelines, Sam voiceovers, and the country still wrestles with the effects of its colonial past. Now, Maori people make up about 17 percent of the nations population, with many of them working to make sure that the culture thrives in the present day.

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The guys visit a marae, or a Maori belonging place, in Rotorua. Inia Maxwell, a Maori cultural consultant, tells the guys that our funerals, our celebrations, our meetings  everything in Maoridom happens here. Graham and Sam are officially welcomed by the community, and Graham formally presents himself and his travel companion, then everyone presses noses in a Maori gesture symbolic of the sharing of the breath of life.

They head out to the yard for a poi performance by Rosie Belvie, who leads the guys in manipulating the percussive object in a chant and dance. This is flashbacks to the highland dancing in Season 1 Graham says, but he and Sam do significantly better than that that debacle until longer poi are introduced. Then, its a lot of bopping themselves in the arm or head and getting the ropes tangled around each other. Lets do something were even worse at, Sam says as a segue.

So its on to a lesson in Maori hand-to-hand fighting techniques, honed over the cultures many battles with the colonial government. Facial expressions are part of the package. When we poke out our tongue, its a sign of defiance, Inia tells them. He leads them through some stances and moves, and the guys pick it up pretty quickly. Next up: the haka, originally a war dance designed to intimidate opponents but also a celebratory ceremony that takes many forms. Sam, especially, gets really into this part.

The Maori tradition of tattooing is up next. On the way to explore it, Graham asks Sam what hed choose if he got some ink  The entire first book of Outlander just tattooed on your body? Sam ignores that and instead suggests that they get matching Men in Kilts tattoos to commemorate their experience. You go first, Graham deadpans.

At the establishment, artist Hohua Mohi gently corrects the guys: While a tattoo is anything that marks the skin permanently, moko tells a story, yes, but it tells a story of that particular individual thats always been inside you, and my job is just to reveal the moko thats already there. They designs are generally drawn after a long conversation with the moko recipient, and the outcome is always one-of-a-kind.

Both of the guys tell Hohua their stories while he draws with marker on their skin. Graham talks about how maintaining a connection with his children is the most important thing in his life, and how he would travel back in time to spend just one day with his own father if he could and ask him all the questions I never got to.

Sam discusses how his father left when he was 3 years old, and how he didnt meet him until he was in his mid-20s. And actually, I got to see him just before he died we spent a few days together, he says as Hohua uses colored Sharpies on his left arm. He adds that relationships are difficult because he puts work first, and he works a lot.

The final designs are gorgeous, and the process felt like going to therapy a little bit, Sam says.

men-in-kilts-recap-season-2-episode-2-oars

Lest you think this episode wasnt going to include something that makes the guys sweat either from exertion or fear, the final segment involves taking part in a waka (or canoe) race. Each man pairs with a more experienced partner, and after a traditional blessing for a safe journey, theyre off! (Well, after Sam and his partner fall into the water before the race even begins.) The music that accompanies Sams hard-driving run and Grahams far more leisurely one is chefs kiss. Sam wins, but then promptly falls in again. At the end of the episode, theres a rainbow in the sky as the men sip from a flask and reflect on their Maori education. (Stick around for the credits to watch Sam and Graham discuss the merits and drawbacks of driving while wearing a kilt.)

Now its your turn. What did you think of Episode 2? Sound off in the comments!

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A man walked up to New York councilwoman Inna Vernikov during a TV interview and gave her an unsolicited peck on the cheek.

The kiss was caught on camera as Vernikov had been speaking to CBS reporter Hannah Kliger in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn when the stranger kissed her and then walked away smiling. Immediately after, the councilwoman reacted in shock, saying: "What the f***?"

Vernikov represents New York Citys 48th District and is the councils minority whip, and Brighton Beach is one of the areas under her jurisdiction. Before getting elected in 2021, Vernikov was a local business owner and attorney. She was part of a wave of women who joined the council and created a female majority within the 51-member body.

Below a six-second clip Kliger shared of the incident on Twitter, Vernikov wrote: Not the kind of love Id expect from constituents!"

As of Friday, the New York City Police Department told Newsweek that Vernikov has not filed a report in regard to the incident. Meanwhile, many of Vernikovs fellow council members disavowed the strangers actions.

"This is abhorrent and disgusting," New York City councilwoman Lynn Schulman of District 29 wrote on Twitter, adding that she was standing with Vernikov. "Hope the assailant is found. Sadly, this type of unacceptable behavior typically happens to women, even in 2023.

Council Majority Leader Keith Powers called the incident gross behavior, while Bronx Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez wrote: We can not let sexual assault become a normalized part of our public interactions.

Stranger kisses Brooklyn Councilwoman @InnaVernikov during an interview on Brighton Beach @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/xCIg01SxbE  Hannah Kliger (@HannahKliger) August 18, 2023

Velazquez also hoped that the NYPD could track this assailant down and bring swift justice.

Many users online shared similar sentiments with one saying that Vernikov "had every right to punch [the stranger] in the throat," to which the councilwoman replied, "I was too caught off guard by the time I wanted to, he was gone."

The incident comes on the heels of New York City Mayor Eric Adams making some questionable public remarks on Wednesday, including calling women eye candy. While speaking to the press on his signing of an outdoor dining bill in the Bronx that allows for sidewalk cafes to remain open year-round, Mayor Adams said: Bring your boo to a restaurant, you know, someone youre trying to keep your marriage together. A little outdoors will help you."

Mayor Eric Adams (D) opines on outdoor dining:  ... Youre looking to date, you may drive by, you may see eye candy sitting down somewhere, you may want to park and come and slip them your number. Hey, listen, come have fun, man. Outdoor dining is the way to go. pic.twitter.com/TqMCFWgtce  The Recount (@therecount) August 16, 2023

Come and try it, man, Mayor Adams continued. Youre looking to date, you may drive by, you may see eye candy sitting down somewhere, you may want to park and come and slip them your number. Hey, listen, come have fun, man. Outdoor dining is the way to go."

Constituents perceived his remarks as an encouragement of sexual harassment and catcalling, both of which have been an ongoing issue in New York City. Many women in the city have taken to a multitude of tactics including modifying their wardrobes while outdoors, including fashion influencer Madison Wild.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

In a TikTok video that reflects the lengths that women must go to feel safe in public, Wild demonstrated to her followers how she dresses to avoid harassment. In the clip, the fashion influencer explained: So, what we do is a lot of the time I will put, like, a big t-shirt over something like this or I put shorts under and then I just put them in my bag after.

Even after doing all of that, Wild says she still feels a little nervy despite not wearing anything all that revealing. She concluded her video by saying, Men are just scary, so stay safe.
Vince Vaughn and Kyla Weber have been married since 2010

Vince Vaughn's Swingers and Wedding Crasher days are far behind him.

The actor, who famously dated Jennifer Aniston in 2006, has been married to Kyla Weber since 2010. The couple are now a family of four, with both a daughter and a son, and lead a life relatively out of the spotlight  which is how Vaughn prefers it.

"I always try to keep my relationships quiet and my work at the forefront," Vaughn told Parade magazine in 2008. "For me, the biggest foundation always is that you can laugh with each other, that you have fun with each other, because life really is made up of all the little moments."

And Vaughn has found that in his wife of 12 years.

"I met the best girl in the world," Vaughn said about Weber in 2011. "It gives you such a great purpose in your life."

So who is the woman who has stolen Vaughn's heart? Here's everything to know about Vince Vaughn's other half, Kyla Weber.

She's from Canada

Weber is Canadian, originally hailing from Alberta, Calgary. She was raised on a farm in a small town called Blackie, which has a population of less than 400 people, according to Vogue. Weber didn't move to Los Angeles until she was dating Vaughn.

Though she's from Canada, Weber has been converted to a Chicago Blackhawks hockey fan  Vaughn's hometown team. In 2011, the couple were spotted wearing matching Blackhawks jerseys as they sat front row at a game.

She worked as a realtor

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

Prior to marrying Vaughn, Weber had a career as a residential real estate agent in Canada, according to The Globe and Mail.

"She's a civilian, which is good," Vaughn said on Live! With Regis and Kelly about dating someone outside of Hollywood.

Those close to Vaughn echoed similar sentiments about Weber's non-celebrity status.

"He's a simple, Midwestern, good guy and she's very down-to-earth, which is exactly what Vince is all about," a source close to Vaughn told PEOPLE after their engagement.

She's 9 years younger than Vaughn

When Vaughn proposed to Weber in 2009, he was 38 years old, and she was just 29  but Vaughn was happy Weber came into his life when he was more "mature."

"Sometimes, in our industry, well, I speak for myself  maybe that's an excuse  but you don't mature always at the same time, so I was very fortunate that when I got ready and was open to that, then that person came into my life," Vaughn said about his marriage on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2011.

They met at a wedding in L.A.

George Pimentel/FilmMagic

A movie producer and friend of Vaughn's introduced him to Weber at a wedding in L.A. in 2008, according to Vogue.

"I was nervous to date her because it's one of my best friends' wife's best friend from childhood, Vaughn said in an appearance on Live! With Regis and Kelly. "If it goes wrong, you're talking about awkward."

He pursued her over email

When Vaughn and Weber first met, she was still living in Canada  forcing Vaughn to get creative in how he won her over.

The early days of their relationship were spent exchanging emails and phone calls, according to Vogue, which quickly led to them becoming an item.

They got engaged on Valentine's Day

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis

Vaughn proposed to Weber on Valentine's Day 2009  and his reasoning for choosing that date was both romantic and practical.

"Valentine's Day rolled around and I figured this is not a ship to be missed because I will not forget this date," Vaughn explained in an appearance on Ellen later that year.

He continued: "So Valentine's Day was the day that I asked her. [It] worked out great because it would have been kind of weird to have talked about [getting engaged] and then skipped Valentine's Day as if who knows when this thing is coming."

They've been married since 2010

Vaughn and Weber were married on Jan. 9, 2010, in an intimate ceremony before family and friends. The couple's wedding was held outside of Vaughn's hometown of Chicago at a historic mansion.

"We're all in love with his wife," Malin Ackerman, Vaughn's co-star in 2010's Couples Retreat, told PEOPLE about the newlyweds. "She's an amazing person."

Ackerman, who played Vaughn's wife in the film, added that Vaughn would be a "wonderful real husband."

They have two children

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

The couple are parents to two children: A daughter named Locklyn Kyla, who was born on Dec. 18, 2010, and a son named Vernon Lindsay born on Aug. 7, 2013.

Vaughn was ready for parenthood as soon as he and Weber became engaged. "It's the first time that I really want to have kids," he told PEOPLE in September 2009. "I've been very fortunate in my career, and my life has been about that for so long that you get bored of it. You're ready for your life to be about other people and other things."

And since becoming parents, the couple have fully embraced family life. "It gives you a different purpose," Vaughn said about fatherhood. "I feel so grateful."

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Obviously, a great performance transcends how much you naturally look like a historical figure, but it's still fun to see how directors choose to cast films based on real life people. In Christopher Nolan 's second historical film after 2017's Dunkirk, he is taking on the creation of nuclear weapons in America for Oppenheimer. It's based on J. Robert Oppenheimer's 2005 biography American Prometheus, and has garnered significant excitement due to Nolan's production ambitions for the films and apparent use of minimal VFX in the movie.

The film has a star-studded cast who are playing the people involved in one of the most significant events of the 20th century, and human history in general. Some of the greatest scientists in the world were involved in the Manhattan Project in some way including Oppenheimer himself, Enrico Fermi , Niels Bohr , and Albert Einstein. Here are some photos of the Oppenheimer cast plus the people they are portraying.

Cillian Murphy

Oppenheimer will be Murphy and Nolan's sixth collaboration, and Murphy's very first starring role in a Christopher Nolan film. The pair reportedly first met to see if Murphy would be a good fit to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman Begins, but he was instead offered the role of the iconic villain Scarecrow.

Mike Marsland - Getty Images

J. Robert Oppeneimer

Murphy plays the film's namesake, J. Robert Oppenheimer. His scientific expertise was pivotal in the development of the atomic bomb as the director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico. After developing the technology, Oppenheimer became an advocate for the international control of nuclear power to avoid further proliferation, and opposed the development of the second-generation nuclear bomb design: the hydrogen bomb.

Bettmann - Getty Images

Emily Blunt

Blunt is starring in her first Christopher Nolan film with this part. The actress has a ton of range and can hold her own in a period drama, fantasy world or elaborate science-fiction scenario. In this interview with People, Blunt recalled that the vibe on the set was "like being at camp!"

Gareth Cattermole - Getty Images

Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer

Blunt plays Kitty Oppenheimer (nee Katherine Puening), a biologist who met Robert in 1939 while completing postgraduate research at UCLA, and married to her 3rd husband Stewart Harrison. After marrying in 1940, Kitty lived at the Los Alamos facility with Robert and their children. Her biological expertise also came in use as she helped health workers at Los Alamos assess the effect of radiation on participants' blood.

Historical - Getty Images

Matt Damon

The actor-director-writer has worked with Nolan once before on Interstellar as Mann, an astronaut the main crew discovers in cryosleep on a mysterious frozen planet. Along with doing great acting work recently, he was one of the screenwriters of Ridley Scott's The Last Duel with Ben Affleck and Nicole Holofcener.

Dominique Charriau - Getty Images

Lieutenant General Leslie Groves

Damon plays United States Army Corps of Engineers officer, Lieutenant General Leslie Groves. After overseeing the construction of the Pentagon, Groves became a director of the Manhattan Project, helping select research sites, secure materials and construct facilities needed by the scientists. As one of the military leads of the project, he was also in charge of intelligence regarding Germany's nuclear weapons project, and helped select the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki as targets for the U.S.'s deadly nuke attacks.

Universal History Archive - Getty Images

Florence Pugh

Pugh plays Jean Tatlock, an American psychiatrist who had a romantic relationship with Oppenheimer before he married Kitty, which also rekindled during the marriage. Tatlock also introduced Oppenheimer to several Communist Party associates or sympathetic groups during their initial relationship in California. Pugh had a strong 2022 with The Wonder and Don't Worry Darling, and she will be appearing in Dune: Part Two later in 2023.

Tristan Fewings - Getty Images

Robert Downey Jr.

Downey took a brief break from acting after leaving the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU, but he's back in a big way with this film. He was an awesome movie superhero but has also played classic characters like Sherlock Holmes, and even has an Oscar-nominated performance as Charlie Chaplin under his belt.

Tommaso Boddi - Getty Images

Lewis Strauss

Downey plays former Atomic Energy Board (AEC) chairman Lewis Strauss. Strauss served in the U.S. Navy Reserve during WWII, and he was reportedly frustrated over the secrecy of the Manhattan Project. Strauss joined the AEC in 1947 and had a lot of influence over America's nuclear strategy during the early Cold War. He distrusted Oppenheimer due to the physicist's Communist beliefs, and was the driving force of the 1954 AEC Personnel Security Board hearings that led to Oppenheimer's security clearance being revoked.

Bettmann - Getty Images

Josh Hartnett

Hartnett has historical film experience from Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor, and this is certainly a pretty different approach to the similar time period. He has more recently appeared in films like Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, and shows like Penny Dreadful and an episode of the new Black Mirror season.

Neil Mockford - Getty Images

Ernest Orlando Lawrence

Hartnett plays Ernest O. Lawrence, a nuclear physicist known as the inventor of the particle accelerator the cyclotron. His expertise in these machines brought him into the fold of the military during WWII, and his work on uranium-isotope separation advanced the development of the atomic bomb.

Historical - Getty Images

Rami Malek

Malek is fresh off wrapping up his incredible role as Elliot in Mr. Robot in 2019, as well as his Oscar-winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Michael Buckner - Getty Images

David Hill (Left)

Malek plays physicist David L. Hill, who worked on the Manhattan Project at the University of Chicago's Metallurgical "Met" Lab. He was a signee of the Szilard Petition, a memo signed by 70 scientists and other workers calling on President Truman to perform a demonstration of the nukes for Japan instead of dropping them on cities.



Bettmann - Getty Images

Kenneth Branagh

This will be Branagh's third film with Nolan, and he is also a world-renowned actor-director with credits from excellent Shakespeare adaptations like Henry V, one of the first modern MCU films with Thor, and the recent Oscar winning film Belfast.

Variety - Getty Images

Niels Bohr

Branagh plays Niels Bohr, the renowned physicist who developed the Bohr model of the atom. He occasionally visited the Los Alamos Lab to consult on a few issues with the Manhattan Project, and became an advocate for international cooperation on the development of nuclear energy late in life.

Boyer - Getty Images

Benny Safdie

Safdie exploded on the scene along with his brother Josh with their films Heaven Can Wait, Good Time, and Uncut Gems. Along with co-directing these films, Safdie had a main role in Good Time, and has acted in other projects like Licorice Pizza and Stars at Noon.

John Lamparski - Getty Images

Edward Teller

Safdie plays Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American physicist who was an early Manhattan Project contributor. He gave a controversial testimony in Oppenheimer's AEC trial, where he referred to his former superior's actions as "confused and complicated" and supported the removal of his security clearance.

Historical - Getty Images

Dylan Arnold

Arnold has made a name for himself in dramas like Mudbound, joined an iconic horror franchise with Halloween Kills, and is now appearing in his first Christopher Nolan movie.

Gregg DeGuire - Getty Images

Frank Oppenheimer

Arnold plays Frank Oppenheimer, the younger brother of Robert who followed in his footsteps to become a physicist as well. He began working at Los Alamos in 1943, with responsibilities regarding uranium enrichment among others. His membership to the American Communist party was scrutinized in the late-40s, causing him to be blacklisted from any scientist or professor jobs for several years during the height of McCarthyism.

Denver Post - Getty Images

Danny DeFerrari

DeFerrari is a well-regarded character actor you may know from plenty of great films and shows. He played Bernie Madoff's son Andrew Madoff in the Madoff HBO miniseries from 2016, and his role in Shiva Baby was a great showcase of his comedic talents.

Ben Gabbe - Getty Images

Enrico Fermi

DeFerrari plays the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, who contributed key breakthroughs to the Manhattan Project, including creating Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor. CP-1 was also the site of the first man-made nuclear chain reaction when it went critical in 1942. Fermi testified on Oppenheimer's behalf during his security hearings, and also opposed the development of the hydrogen bomb.

Fotosearch - Getty Images

Matthew Modine

This will be Modine's second film with Christopher Nolan, after he played a Gotham City police commissioner in The Dark Knight Rises. You may know Modine from his hit part in Stranger Things, but he's a veteran actor with credits like Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket.

Daniele Venturelli - Getty Images

Vannevar Bush

Modine plays Vannevar Bush, an engineer and administrator who was the head of the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development through much of WWII. Bush was a key advocate for the development of the atomic bomb and occasionally acted as a liaison to report Oppenheimer's progress to the President and other government officials.

Getty Images

Tom Conti

Conti is a respected stage and screen actor from Scotland. He has won a Tony Award in 1979 for his performance in Whose Line is it Anyway? and received an Academy Award nomination just a few years later for his starring role in Reuben, Reuben.

Gareth Cattermole - Getty Images

Albert Einstein

Obviously Einstein needs little introduction, but people may not be aware of the small but profound role he played in getting the Manhattan Project off the ground. He was asked to write a letter to Franklin Delano Roosevelt warning him of Nazi research into nuclear weapons and recommending the U.S. look into it as well. This letter was reportedly a key factor in motivating the U.S. to join the nuclear arms race. Einstein later referred to this choice as "the one great mistake in my life."

Fred Stein Archive - Getty Images

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An Italian holiday may be a priceless experience for those who have enjoyed all this country has to offer. But the summer of 2023 will go down as one of the priciest in history after a slew of price gouging scandals at cafes and restaurants that have affected foreign tourists and Italians alike.

Take the couple charged 2 euros ($2.20) to cut their ham sandwich in half on the shores of Lake Como, or the young mother in the Roman seaside town of Ostia charged 2 euros to have her babys bottle heated in the microwave.

A pair of tourists were charged 60 euros ($65) for two coffees and two small bottles of water at the Cervo Hotel in Sardinia, although the owner told CNN the prices were plainly listed and the charge is mostly for the view over the expensive yachts of the nearby port.

Tourists were also charged 2 euros for an extra  empty!  plate near Portofino in northern Italy, and 10 cents for a sprinkle of cocoa on a cappuccino at a Lake Como coffee bar. Italian cafes rarely use cocoa on cappuccinos, hence why they justified the charge.

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These cases, dubbed crazy receipts by local media, have been documented by the consumer protection group Consumerism No Profit, which reports a staggering 130% increase in prices in tourist areas in Italy this summer.

Easy targets

Outrageous charges, like 2 euros for slicing a ham sandwich, have been labeled "crazy receipts" by the Italian media. - Stefano Mazzola/Getty Images

Its not just restaurateurs driving prices. High fuel and energy prices have made it an incredibly expensive summer.

The prices have become so out of controlsome 240% higher than other Mediterranean destinations that many Italians are abandoning their usual local haunts for their August vacations, instead opting for coastal countries like Albania and Montenegro, which dont quite offer the same Italian charm or cuisine, but are affordable.

Even Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni took a short beach vacation in Albania this year, her office confirmed.

The group Confcommercio predicts that only 14 million Italians will take their vacation at home around the traditional Ferragosto or August 15 break, around 30% down from pre-Covid figures.

The very strong price increases in the air transport, accommodation and holiday package sectors has profoundly changed the holiday habits of Italians, said Furio Truzzi of consumer watchdog group Assoutenti.

Truzzi added that the prices wont stop Italians from vacationing, but it will affect how long they stay.

And the paradox is that despite the reduction in holiday days, spending will be higher: the 2023 summer holidays will cost Italians 1.2 billion euros more than in 2022, albeit with fewer nights away from home, he said.

Foreign tourists have more than made up for the decline, with Italys tourism ministry predicting that 68 million tourists will visit Italy over the summer, more than three million more than pre-pandemic figures, making them the easiest target for price gouging.

Americans and Asian tourists have come in droves this year, Italys tourism ministry says, replacing the higher spending Russian tourists who tended to spend more and stay longer, but who are absent this year because of the war in Ukraine.

Worst offenders

Some of the highest price hikes in Europe have left a vacation at home too expensive for many Italians. - Francesca Volpi/Bloomberg/Getty Images

One of the worst offenders are beachfront establishments which rent sunbeds and umbrellas.

In Puglia, daily rental for two sunbeds and one umbrella during the week averages 50 euros, and nearly double on the weekend, but further north, the price to sit in the front row on a crowded beach can be triple that, starting at around 150 euros ($163) a day during the week, especially in the more exclusive areas like Portofinothat is if the front row umbrellas arent already reserved by locals.

Sharm el Sheik [in Egypt] costs less, which is why so many Italians are going abroad, Paolo Manca of the Federalberghi (Hotel Federation) says, explaining that to get to traditional Italian vacation spot like the island of Sardinia, a family can pay thousands a day, starting with an expensive ferry or airfare, inflated hotel prices and expensive meals.

When asked what they paid for two Aperol Spritzes at a cafe in Piazza Navona in central Rome, Americans Betsy and James Cramer said they were embarrassed to admit how much they paid. But they knew they would pay more to sit at a popular location.

Weve overpaid for gelato, for spritzes and for our hotel, but we knew it going in, Betsy told CNN. We had this trip planned before Covid and have been dreaming about it even though we read the headlines about expensive prices.

You just have to read the menu and ask if there are extra charges. And if there are, then you have to either walk away or just eat it.

Year zero

Italy's tourism minister say this summer has been a defining moment in Italy's post-pandemic recovery. - Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

While high prices may be impacting the average tourist, luxury tourism has risen this year, according to Italys tourism ministry, which says a record-breaking 11.7 million travelers will stay in five-star hotels in Italy this summer, according to reservation records.

In August, high-end tourism continues to grow, unlike normal tourism, Antonio Coviello, a researcher with Italys National Research Center wrote in a report on luxury travel issued this week, adding that the risk of over-tourism in the luxury sector is a concern because it could drive up prices in the mid-range travel sector to accommodate the bigger spenders.

Italys tourism minister, Daniela Santanche, said that despite a season marked with bad headlines about price gouging and fewer Italians traveling, the summer has been a defining moment in Italys post-pandemic recovery.

I would not speak of a failure, but neither of a success, she said this week. I would say that we can finally start discussing tourism again and plan our next moves. In fact, this is the first year without pandemic restrictions, and therefore, in a certain sense, we can speak of 2023 as year zero.

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More than two centuries after French emperor Bonapartes ill-fated advance from the Cote dAzur to Waterloo, the impact of British firepower is once again reverberating through the regionthis time in the form of the new Aston Martin DB12 bombing along Europes Route Napoleon. While Aston recognizes that a new source of propulsion is ascendant within the industry, promising to deliver an all-electric vehicle by 2025, the marque has been holding fast to the internal-combustion engine, as evidenced by its recent release of the 12-cylinder DBS 770 Ultimate and now the DB12 grand tourer, successor to the DB11 introduced in 2016.

Under the DB12s expansive hood is a reworked version of the familiar 4.0-liter V-8 that was, until lately, the mainstay of the Mercedes-AMG range. The 671 hp millmounted so far back that the model is practically mid-enginemusters 590 ft lbs of torque and allows the 3,715-pound (curb weight) coupe to charge from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds on its way to a top speed of 202 mph.

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Heading into the hills, a more aggressive approach to the throttle reveals a slight torpidity off-boost, but beyond 3,000 rpm, the power plant launches the car like a cannon shot. Those concerned that the eight-speed transmission is a traditional automatic rather than a dual-clutch box can relaxthough perhaps not while accelerating: The vehicle reacts with supercar intensity, delivering relentless forward thrust.

Following Ferraris lead, Aston Martin has introduced an arsenal of chassis technology, including a Bosch six-axis motion sensor and an electronic rear differential. The result is a car that bestrides the crests and canyons of these alpine roads with resolute poise, the traction aided by Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S tires, developed specially for the model, wrapped around lightweight 21-inch forged wheels. (These save 4.4 pounds each compared to those of its predecessor.) The cumulative result, in terms of grip, belies the DB12s rear-wheel-drive configurationyou, too, will swear this is an all-wheel-drive GT.

The rear view of the Aston Martin DB12

The most radical improvement, though, is the new infotainment setup. A 10.25-inch touchscreen takes the place of the DB11s prehistoric Mercedes-Benz media system. Granted, the display doesnt have the wow factor of others in the segment, or even of a run-of-the-mill Tesla, but its unobtrusive and easy to navigate, and that counts as a significant enhancement. And as far as functionality, this is Aston Martins first truly connected car, boasting over-the-air software updates, real-time route calculation, and its own smartphone app, alongside wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto availability.

Yet the DB12 is not without drawbacks. It lacks the sense of occasion one experiences behind the wheel of the DBS 770 Ultimate, and its not as charmingly raucous as its 12-cylinder sibling, either. For that matter, its missing even the snort and crackle of a Mercedes-AMG GT or E63 S.

Perhaps Aston will crank up the volume for the inevitable Volante version, but dont expect a V-12 option like the one available for the DB11it has already been ruled out. But while stablemates such as the DBS 770 Ultimate, Vantage F1 Edition, and DBX707 have a sportier edge, the DB12, which starts at $245,000, represents the companys core. Its an exemplary tourer, engaging but never exhausting, and, in this guise, among the model lines last stands against the coming tide of electrification.

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Planning to visit the Caribbean island of Anguilla? Here are the best times to go.

Stunning beaches, incredible resorts, and the undeniable mystique of exclusivity have made the tiny island of Anguilla a fixture on Travel +Leisure's list of 25 Favorite Islands in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas for several years running. The best part of Anguilla? It preserves the untouched beauty and laidback vibes of what the Caribbean used to be.



Even as the rest of the region heats up with travelers escaping icy winters, "Anguilla is never overly crowded, as many other neighboring islands can be," says Stacey Liburd, director of tourism at the Anguilla Tourist Board. It's a sentiment repeated by many a local and return visitor: this island isn't one where you'll ever have to worry about elbowing your way down the beach.



Anguilla's seasons fall into three main categories:

High Season: November to April

Shoulder Season: May to July

Low Season: August to October

cdwheatley/Getty Images

Before booking your flight to Anguilla, keep in mind that the island experiences an unusually quiet low season. Shuttered resorts in September and October can limit accommodation options and experiences for travelers. "Flights to Anguilla are offered year-round, but more options exist during the high season, November through April," says David Zipkin of Tradewind Aviation, which brings flights to the island from San Juan, Puerto Rico.



Read on to learn about the best times to visit Anguilla for sailing, diving, and festivals  and why it's always the perfect place to escape crowds.

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Related: 20 Best Things to Do in Anguilla  Stellar Snorkeling and Live Music Included

Best Times to Visit Anguilla for Smaller Crowds

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December through April is Anguilla's high season, with a marked increase in travelers over the holidays. However, "Anguilla is never busy  even in our busy season, you're walking to the beach by yourself most days. It's a different idea of what busy means," says Shannon Kircher, longtime Anguilla resident and marketing director at Frangipani Beach Resort, which was voted among T+L reader's top 25 resorts in the Caribbean this year.

The crowds, even by Anguilla's standards, die down significantly in late spring and early summer. "May and June are my personal favorite months to visit Anguilla as a traveler," says Kircher. "The seas are calm, the weather is almost guaranteed to be perfect, and it's a little bit less busy."

Best Times to Visit Anguilla for Good Weather

For ideal weather, visit Anguilla during the drier months, which are December through April. While it's warm in Anguilla year-round, with temps hovering in the low 80s most of the year, December through April are slightly balmier and much sunnier. It's the ideal time to visit for beach hopping and enjoying the island from the water.

Best Times to Visit Anguilla for Lower Prices

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After the holiday-season travelers pack their bags, prices decrease slightly in late January, though nothing like they do come the shoulder season. Prices will drop by late April or May as seasonal residents and travelers escaping cold winters head home and Anguilla's shoulder season unfolds.

Travelers can enjoy even lower prices during Anguilla's off-season, in September and October. However, off-season means the island's larger resorts and many restaurants shutter entirely. Prospective travelers often decide that visiting Anguilla during these months may not be worth the savings.

Best Times to Visit Anguilla for Sailing

Sailing is Anguilla's beloved national sport, both a constant pastime and a necessity on this tiny island  many visitors still arrive by boat from neighboring St. Martin.



Travelers planning a sailing trip to Anguilla should aim for the calmer spring months, when still waters and sunny skies are the norm. "The Caribbean has pretty steady sailing conditions year-round," says Dan Lockyer, chief commercial officer of Dream Yacht Worldwide, an outfit offering charters to Anguilla out of St. Martin. "Calmer seas in the spring make it easier to hop from beach to beach for snorkeling and to visit Anguilla's off-shore cays, like Prickly Pear, for a lobster lunch."



Rougher seas and frequently passing storms make the Atlantic hurricane season more challenging for sailing in the Caribbean. Hurricane season stretches from June through November, but peaks in September and October. While sailing isn't out of the question during these months, plans are much more susceptible to last-minute weather changes.

Best Times to Visit Anguilla for Diving

The pleasant weather that makes December through April the ideal time for sailing also makes this the best time to enjoy Anguilla's incredible diving. While PADI says that "excellent visibility is the norm" in these waters, December through April is the best time to dive at the island's storied Spanish galleon wreck site, El Buen Consejo, or at any of the protected marine parks that encircle the island.



Rainfall is at its lowest in February and March, making these months the best for underwater visibility and calmer currents. And there's no need to don a wetsuit for diving in Anguilla; even during the slightly cooler months, average water temps hover in the low 80s.

Best Time to Visit Anguilla for Festivals

May tends to be a festive season on the island, with two annual celebrations that could bookend a memorable vacation in Anguilla. In the middle of May, the island celebrates the Anguilla Regatta, considered among the best regattas in the Caribbean. Anguilla Day on May 30 marks the island's independence from St. Kitts and Nevis and is just as festive with parties, boat races, parades, and more.



Anguilla celebrates its annual summer carnival, also known as Anguilla Summer Festival, with a packed itinerary of parades, parties, concerts, and boat races stretching from late July to early August. The first Monday in August, known as "August Monday," is the height of the celebration. These events are a memorable way for visitors to experience the island's culture and traditions first-hand. Just note that sometimes the celebrations lead to temporary shop and restaurant closures.

Worst Times to Visit Anguilla

September and October mark the height of the Atlantic hurricane season and a distinct decline in tourism in Anguilla. Many resorts, hotels, and restaurants close up entirely in September and October; visiting Anguilla during these months is a markedly different experience than it would be the rest of the year.

Visitors will find a handful of smaller hotels that remain open, but with most restaurants and larger resorts closed, it can be challenging to truly experience the richness of the island this time of year. Locals say there's talk of this off-season starting to change, but in the meantime, skip September and October to get a better taste of all Anguilla has to offer.



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Andreea Dragoi. Courtesy of Andreea Dragoi

2023 New York Swim Week offered us the best of this years swim fashion during the runway event on July 29. And among the number of models making an appearance on the runway was San Jose State University swimmer Andreea Dragoi. The pageant queen made a statement in a variety of looks, from a sheer white one-piece to the sweetest purple pick with cut-out detailing.

The 20-year-old has shared several posts from the event, and we just cant get enough of the stunning picks shes sporting. Most recently, she posted a video donning a classic white one-piece from the New York-based brand CULTURE CABANA. The pick featured a high-waisted fit and criss cross straps in back.

The Romania native wore her blonde hair in a classic beach wave and sported a full face of makeup, including a shimmery golden eye. She paired the classy white pick with a simple pair of nude heels. The model smiled as she expertly strutted down the runway and turned to show off all angles of the stunning swimwear.

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Dragoi certainly wrapped up her summer in style walking the NYSW runway in the many different styles. The swimmer is slated to begin her junior season with the San Jose State Spartans this coming fall, where she has already made her mark in the pool. And we will be here to cheer her on both on the runway and in the pool.

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!
In this article, we will be taking a look at the 20 most dangerous countries in Africa. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 most dangerous countries in Africa.

Africa has long been plagued by poverty, insecurity and instability, all of which has led to most African countries being counted among the poorest countries in the world. While there are various factors for insecurity in the region including poverty, corruption and the presence of hundreds of separatist / terrorist groups in various countries, the consequences of instability further ensure a lack of recovery. After all, few people prefer to go to countries where instability and insecurity are dominant, as the risk to one's life is too high, which is also why you will barely find any African countries among the most visited countries in the world. Tourism is one of the most important sectors for a country's GDP, and African nations being deprived of this income is also actively impacting the situation.

20 most dangerous countries in Africa

Rachaphak/Shutterstock.com

Further, because of the lack of stability in many African countries, particularly the most dangerous countries in Africa, foreign direct investment suffers as a consequence. This however is contrasted by the huge growth potential in Africa, especially in the poorer countries which are achieving high growth rates, and the majority of the countries with highest rate of economic growth in the past five years are from Africa. Hence, it isn't surprising that foreign direct investment in Africa reached a record amount of $83 billion in 2021. However, even then, the risks associated with investment in a fast growing and potentially lucrative region can be seen in the fact that the continent only accounts for just over 5% of total global foreign direct investment. In fact, Africa actually provided the highest return on investment of any region from 2006 - 2011, and yet, is still not receiving a higher proportion of total global investment. In addition to the aforementioned security issues, a lack of infrastructure and low capital also contribute to hesitance by foreign investors, while low institutional capital (referring to weak judicial systems, weak property rights and weak security) further add to the stigma surrounding investment in Africa.

Story continues

Even then, there are several companies making major investments in Africa. Mozambique, one of the most dangerous countries in Africa, still saw investment flows increase by a an incredible 68% to $5.1 billion, with Globeleq Generation, a UK-based power producer planning to build plants in Africa worth a total of $2 billion. Meanwhile, South Africa, another one of the most dangerous countries in Africa, saw the announcement of a $4.6 billion clean energy project which is sponsored by Hive Energy, another UK-based company. Meanwhile, a U.S. company called Vantage Data Center is also aiming to build a $1 billion campus. In just West Africa, foreign direct investment increased by 48% to $14 billion where a resurgence in the oil and gas sector saw Nigeria's flows double to $4.8 billion.

While the aforementioned investments are great news and showcase Africa's potential, risks in the region were also evident in 2022, as foreign direct investment in the year fell to just $45 billion, even as Egypt, one of the richest countries in Africa, saw its investment doubled. Ethiopia, where a civil war in the Tigray region only ended in November 2022, saw its FDI fall by 14%, despite being the second largest such recipient in the entire continent.

The oil and gas sector is one of the most important sectors in Africa and provides perhaps the best opportunity for investment in the region, even in the most dangerous countries in Africa. Total capital expenditures in the sector in Africa reached $5.1 billion in 2022, a 50% increase from 2020, and an important indication is the fact that just one-third of this total investment is from African companies, and an area bigger than both France and Italy combined has been licensed from 2017 onwards. The potential lucrativeness of investing in a region full of valuable deposits has been underlined with Shell plc's (NYSE:SHEL) oil discovery in the Orange Basin off the coast of Namibia. In fact, Shell plc's (NYSE:SHEL) oil discoveries have continued and in July 2023, successfully completed the drilling of a fourth exploration well in Namibia. Similarly, TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) also made a significant oil discovery in Namibia. Expanding on it, the company stated This discovery offshore Namibia and the very promising initial results prove the potential of this play in the Orange Basin, on which TotalEnergies owns an important position both in Namibia and South Africa said Kevin McLachlan, Senior Vice President Exploration at TotalEnergies. A comprehensive coring and logging program has been completed. This will enable the preparation of appraisal operations designed to assess the commerciality of this discovery. Meanwhile, another one of the largest oil companies in the world in Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) is considering an investment worth $15 billion in Angola for the development of hydrocarbon reserves.

Methodology

To determine the most dangerous countries in Africa, we considered the ranking of each country based on the Global Terrorism Index, reverse ranking on the Global Peace Index and ranking based on its homicide rate from 2010 to 2021, which was taken from the World Bank. We then gave 40% weightage each to the first two criteria and 20% to the latter. You will notice a lot of the countries coincide with the most dangerous countries in the world in 2023.

20. Djibouti

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 44

Global Peace Index Ranking: 53

Homicide rate ranking: 77

We kick-off our list with Djibouti, where armed attackers managed to kill 7 soldiers in October 2022, and the country saw the biggest decline in its terrorism score in the entire region, which shows that the government needs to do more to fight off the threat by terrorists.

19. Tanzania

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 38

Global Peace Index Ranking: 54

Homicide rate ranking: 83

While Tanzania has not suffered a major terrorist incident since the U.S. embassy in the country was bombed back in 1998, smaller terrorist threats have continued to plague the country. However, increasing focus of the government on counterterrorism and working with the U.S. in this regard has helped counter the threat especially from an offshoot of IS known as ISIS-M.

18. Uganda

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 48

Global Peace Index Ranking: 60

Homicide rate ranking: 43

Despite declining consistently, Uganda's homicide rate is still quite high, while terrorism threats in the country have combined with the homicide rate to place it among the most dangerous countries in Africa.

17. Egypt

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 16

Global Peace Index Ranking: 29

Homicide rate ranking: 164

Despite being one of the richest countries in Africa, Egypt has faced terrorism from IS affiliate groups even as IS's influence declined significantly in the last four years.

16. South Africa

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 79

Global Peace Index Ranking: 43

Homicide rate ranking: 8

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the entire world, and is one of the few countries where the homicide rate has actually increased recently even as most other countries have seen a decline. The soaring murder rates have been attributed to a lack of direction from the government in attempting to control murder rates.

15. Burkina Faso

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 2

Global Peace Index Ranking: 14

Homicide rate ranking: 218

Ranked only behind Afghanistan in the Global Terrorism Index, Burkina Faso recorded the highest increase in deaths from terrorism in the entire world and its 1,135 deaths due to terrorism in 2022 is the highest for any country in the world. In fact, no other country exceeded even 1,000 deaths.

14. Burundi

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 39

Global Peace Index Ranking: 32

Homicide rate ranking: 103

Despite obtaining a significant improvement in peace, Burundi is still one of the most dangerous countries in Africa, though the improving trajectory seems to be great news for the nation.

13. South Sudan

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 93

Global Peace Index Ranking: 12

Homicide rate ranking: 30

South Sudan has been consistently ranked among the least peaceful countries in the world, with over 42% of its total population displaced because of high levels of violence in the country. It is also considered to be one of the least peaceful countries in Africa, despite not facing a terrorism threat unlike most African countries.

12. Mozambique

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 12

Global Peace Index Ranking: 40

Homicide rate ranking: 129

One of the most dangerous countries in Africa, additional FDI as discussed in the intro will likely play a part in transforming Mozambique's fortunes. Even in terms of terrorism, Mozambique has seen a marked decline and recorded its biggest fall in deaths due to terrorism in a single year in 2021.

11. Kenya

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 20

Global Peace Index Ranking: 34

Homicide rate ranking: 117

One of the biggest terroristic threats faced by Kenya is the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, though its operations are mostly focused in Somalia. There were 51 deaths attributed to the terrorist group in 2022 in Kenya alone.

10. Togo

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 27

Global Peace Index Ranking: 52

Homicide rate ranking: 63

Not only is Togo one of the most impacted economies because of violence, it also faces a high homicide rate and in an unintentional incident, Togo's military aircraft accidentally targeted and killed seven teenagers in July 2022.

9. Ethiopia

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 56

Global Peace Index Ranking: 7

Homicide rate ranking: 66

Ethiopia has seen one of the worst conflicts in the last decade in its Tigray region and even though a ceasefire was finally implemented in November 2022, it has seen one of the highest levels of conflict-related violence in Africa, mainly because of the war between the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front, one of the biggest conflicts in the last half decade.

8. Cameroon

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 11

Global Peace Index Ranking: 18

Homicide rate ranking: 122

While deaths from terrorism have declined since 2020 in Cameroon, there is still plenty of violence present in the country because of armed forces as well as government forces.

7. Central African Republic

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 55

Global Peace Index Ranking: 20

Homicide rate ranking: 23

Sub-Sahara Africa has seen the largest increase in terrorism deaths which rose by 8%, and Central African Republic is one of the countries responsible for this. It is also one of the countries facing the highest economic impact because of violence.

6. Niger

Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 10

Global Peace Index Ranking: 15

Homicide rate ranking: 116

Niger recently saw its President, who had the support of the U.S. and Europe, be deposed by the military, which is likely to further increase instability in the country. However, Niger has also been the victim of a failure to deal with violence in Northern Mali, which has now spread to Niger and the country has seen over a hundred deaths from terrorism according to the Global Terrorism Index.

Click to continue reading and see 5 Most Dangerous Countries in Africa.

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Disclosure: None. 20 most dangerous countries in Africa is originally published on Insider Monkey.
I love reading Robin Hood-esque stories, which is why I found this thread from Quora asking, "What was a loophole that you found and exploited the hell out of?" It just goes to show that humans are too dang crafty. Here are the best ones:

Universal

1. "In January, the landlord complained about heating costs being too high. We thought we had been flexible enough. We were doing his reasonable austerity measures, and were paying the same rent as we had in SeptemberNovember. Heat was supposed to be included in the rent. Landlord asked if we would do 50F (10C) for days, and 60F (10C) for evenings and overnight. We declined. Not reasonable. We were paying for heat. There was a discussion and some negotiation. Then, that landlord made a strategic blunder. One day, he said he would be doing maintenance while we were in class. When we came home, we discovered that he put a locked plastic box over the thermostat, and had set it for 50F (10C). Colder than cool. It was frigid in both the rooms and the kitchen. Doing that while we were out for class had been a mean and dirty trick."

"Not to be outdone, we got a plain old bucket. Canada, as you might expect, has snow from sometime in December until midlate April. Our standard practice became for the first person going into the house from class and the last person going out for the day to hang a bucket packed with snow on that locked thermostat box. The landlord just couldnt figure out why his costs went up, and why we stopped complaining. That bucket of snow kept that heat-controlling thermostat thinking it was FREEZING in the apartment and kept the furnace running just fine."

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Ian Smith

Steven White / Getty Images/iStockphoto

2. "When I was 10, my parents signed me and my younger siblings up for the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club. Basically, I gave Krispy Kreme my address and birth month, and they would send me a coupon for a free dozen doughnuts every year on my birth month until I aged out of their Kids Club at age 12. This is just for kids, OK? Sweet deal. But Krispy Kreme forgot to ask for the year in my birthday. They have no clue how old I am. So, Im now almost 25, and Ive been a member of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Kids Birthday Club for 15 years. Thats 180 free doughnuts for me, plus another 180 for my sister, and 180 for my brother. 540 free doughnuts."

McKayla Kennedy

Scott Olson / Getty Images

3. "Every year I purchased McDonald's Trick or Treat books. These books sold for $1 each and had coupons for 12 free items like ice cream, burger, apple slices, yogurt, or fries. The idea was to give one of the coupons to each trick or treater that showed up at your door. They were good until December of that year. About 10 years ago, I purchased my customary 10 books and noticed that they did not have an expiration date! I went back and purchased an additional 50 or 100 books. (I forget how many, the store was sold out of them when I got done.) We used those books for YEARS! I still have a couple of coupons left waiting to be used. There was NO AGE RESTRICTION and NO EXPIRATION! The missing expiration date meant that ALL McDonald's had to honor them no matter what the month or YEAR."

Christine Koch

Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

4. "This professor gives weekly quizzes and monthly tests in person, but via the computer. We sign into a special software that doesnt allow us to search the internet, and take the test with him there. Everything was multiple choice. But heres where it gets interesting: Many of his questions had more than one answer. So, he set the test so you could check as many answers as you want (e.g. we could select both A and B because the answer could be both). But the test never counted how many answers we selected, and it only made sure you checked the right box, not if you checked a wrong box, too. So, if the answer was A and B, and I checked A, B, and C, it would count as right. So, whatd I do? I checked A,B,C,D, and E for almost every single question. The software would see that I checked the right answer (because I checked every answer) and mark the question right."

Anonymous

CBC

5. "What did this customer do? Walk up to my till with a basket of shopping, followed by a whole tray of avocados; I reckon about 30 of them, which I dutifully scanned, slightly bemused. 'Perhaps they just really love making guacamole,' I thought. These particular avocados were nearly out of date so were heavily discounted from 1.00 to 10p each. A pair of avocados was now a bargain at 20p. Now, it turns out our avocados were also on offer. Not a great offer, just buy 2, save 50p. However, the till system was apparently dumb and didn't take into account reductions before applying this discount. This customer clearly knew that bug existed. So those bargain avocados looked even more delicious when the 50p discount made them cost -30p a pair. I stared in amusement as the -30p discounts rolled in and their shopping bill became smaller and smaller and smaller, until everything they bought was essentially free."

"They walked out of there smiling, and I sat there, pondering just how dumb the checkout software writers were."

David Edwards

NBC

6. "In the early '80s, I tried a couple frozen TV dinners made by a company called 'Taste-o-Sea.' These dinners cost $.99 each and consisted of two rectangular breaded fish patties, a small bunch of tater tots, and a compartment of green peas on an aluminum tray (remember, this was almost 40 years ago). Well, they were nothing special, but hey, they were only a buck. A funny thing happened when I saw that there was a 50-cents-off coupon printed on the inside of the box they came in. Back then, Stop & Shop doubled coupons of less than a dollar. I bought the first five or so dinners with actual money, and then ate about five or six per week (work lunches mostly) for the next year, all paid for by doubling those coupons printed inside the box. I figure I got 200300 free dinners that way."

Marc Pellerin

CBC

7. "This actually happened to my father. His Lexus was stolen right out from his carport. Not sure if he left the keys in it or how it got taken. He reported it as stolen to the police and turned it in to the insurance company. After two weeks or so, when the car never turned up, the insurance paid him for the car. Another week goes by, and he gets a call from the police saying they had found his car parked two towns over in the middle of town. There was not one scratch on it and not a lot of miles put on it either. So now, the insurance owns the car, and they put it up for auction. My dad goes to the auction and bids on his car to get it back. He won the bid with $10,000 to spare. He drove home in his car with an extra $10,000 in his pocket."

Pam Wilson Hansen

Europa Press News / Europa Press via Getty Images

8. "One time I went to the mall and stopped by my favorite ice cream booth. I never really liked the idea of two scoops of ice cream  it just seemed like a waste of an extra dollar since its harder to eat, and it can get pretty messy. But I saw that two of my favorite flavors were available: mint chip and bubble gum. I didnt want to pay for two individual scoops, so I came up with an ingenious idea to get both. I went up to the counter and asked for half mint chip, half bubblegum. The counter lady looked kind of confused, but then proceeded to scoop up two scoops of the different flavors. At the checkout counter, they had no choice but to charge me with the price of one scoop."

Catherine Wu

Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

9. "In the late 1980s, I was an intern at Apple. They had just released the Mac II, the first color Mac, and the machines were basically impossible to get. As an intern, I was eligible for what Apple called 'first discount,' buying a machine at a substantial savings. I forget exactly what the savings was, but it was about 5070% off. So the $8,000 machine would only cost about $3K AND we could get it immediately. The only catch is that everyone only got ONE first discount, so we had to use it wisely. If you bought something now, you would never get another in the future. I wasnt planning on getting one since I already had a machine provided by work, and I didnt have the money anyway. But then, a family friend who owned a small business asked if there was any way I could get a machine since his local store had no availability. I told him I could buy it with my first discount and explained how it worked."

"He was super appreciative and paid me the full price for the machine. WAY more than my discount. A few weeks later, as the intern season was coming to an end, he contacted me again, asking if I could get another machine somehow. I tell him I only had that one discount, but I would ask around. I asked some of my roommates and fellow interns and explained the situation, and someone let me use their discount as well. When I got paid, I split the extra cash with this person. I had a few thousand dollars for doing basically nothing.

At that point, the floodgates opened.

I systematically went down the list of all of the interns, finding people who were not using their first discount and would be willing to give it up. I offered them $500. Many people were happy to take it. Meanwhile, I got a list of 'clients' who were willing to pay OVER market price for the machines in order to get them quickly. I focused on customers who wanted the highest end possible so the price (and my discount) was maxed out. These were also the hardest machines to get, so people would gladly pay a premium for quick delivery. I moved about a dozen machines before the list was tapped out. It took about a two months."

David Vronay

Nurphoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images

10. "I bought a new Lexus GS 300 in 2000, and it had been paid off for years, when in 2012, I parked it at a clinic, and when I got outside, a flash flood flooded the car. The insurance company towed it to a storage yard after them telling me that the car was totaled because the navigation system had shorted out and to replace it would be $9,000, and the car was only worth $8,500 or something like that. When I asked what they would do with the car, they said sell it and they would probably get $1,500 from a salvage yard, so I offered them the $1,500, and they wrote me a check for $7,000. I picked up the car, and the next day, the navigation system was working fine. I paid a detail shop $150 to clean the entire car inside and out and drove home with a very nice, clean car and $6,850 in my pocket."

Neal Elinoff

ABC

11. "About 40 years ago, I bought some land and built a house on the land over a period of about a year. When I purchased the land, the county evaluated the land at the purchase price. After the house was built, my total investment in the property was about 10X the land price. Well, the county never reevaluated the worth of the property, and I paid about 1/10 the property taxes that I should have. I contacted an attorney after the first year and asked about the ridiculously low property evaluation. He assured me that the relationship between a taxpayer and a government taxing authority is adversarial. I had no obligation to tell them of their mistake. His advice was to take the difference between what I thought I should pay and what I was paying and put that money into an investment account, which I did. He said that if they ever caught their mistake, they might, might, try to get back taxes plus interest."

"After 14 years, the tax evaluators finally caught their mistake and changed the evaluation to a reasonable amount. I started to pay a reasonable amount of taxes, but no word about any back assessment. I think they were embarrassed about their laziness.

That was 25 years ago, and I think the issue is never going to come around. I left the investment alone, and today that $56K I put away is worth $400K. Thanks, government."

Dave Brunfeldt

Picture Alliance / dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

12. "Back in 1986, Peoples Express airline had a $19 one-way fare flight from Boston to NYC. On Friday nights, there was a flight every 90 minutes or so, and they were all oversold. Id book the 7 p.m. flight, show up at the airport, and when they asked for passengers willing to give up their seat in exchange for a seat on the next flight *plus* a voucher for a roundtrip flight anywhere they flew, Id be the first volunteer. I used those vouchers to fly roundtrip from NYC to London nearly every weekend for several months, all for the low, low price of $19 (plus train fare back to Boston from NYC)."

Kim Scheinberg

James Marshall / Corbis via Getty Images

13. "When I was in college, there was a fruit vending machine that cost 25 cent/fruit. One day, all I had was 25 cents, so I would get an orange which would have to last me all day. I put my 25 cents in and got an orange. As I turned to leave, I heard coins dropping into the coin return slot. It was 50 cents. Though very confused, still I took that 50 cents and got another orange  this time, the machine returned four quarters. So, I pocketed 50 cents and dropped another two quarters into the machine. I stood at that machine for damn near 15 minutes and managed to accumulate $6 and a dozen apples and oranges."

Dragonechilde

CBS

14. Finally, "When I was younger, my dad was a single parent. Mom passed away from lupus. He was trying hard to make ends meet and had a part-time job at Burger King. He would volunteer for extra shifts and get food to take home if he did. The manager liked his drive; he worked twice as hard as anyone else. There was a scratch game they had going on at the time that allowed you to try to match prizes to win it. A free Whopper, fries, or drink were the choices. If you scratched off ones that were alike, you won. I discovered by accident the high-power spotlight my dad used in his shop was perfect for cheating. Put the light behind the ticket and you could make out the outline of the prizes! A winner every time! I showed my dad, and he just grinned. He asked for some after each extra shift. I did say the manager liked him, right? Well, he would get at least 10 each time! We ate a lot of Burger King that summer!!!"

Terry Johnson

Fox

OK, if you've ever exploited a loophole, I want to know about it, so tell me in the comments below or whisper it to me using this 100% anonymous Google form
Indiana Jones fans will soon be able to catch Harrison Ford's very last appearance as the archaeologist from the comfort of their homes.

Indiana Jones 5, formally known as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, has finally landed a digital release date for the UK. The first film in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg ( Ford v Ferrari 's James Mangold sat behind the camera for this one) will hit the home screens for both the UK and US on August 29.

Disney

Related: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ending: Explaining that time-travel twist

The digital release will also be accompanied by five behind-the-scenes featurettes detailing the making of the movie, which is the first Indy flick since 2008's polarising Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

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The clips are set to break down three key locations for the new film, namely New York, Morocco and Sicily, and give insights into the prologue featuring a digitally de-aged Indy and the finale, with the cast bidding farewell to the beloved archaeologist.

The footage includes behind-the-scenes insights from Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge on location in Sicily, as well as production insight from filmmakers James Mangold, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, John Williams and Steven Spielberg.

Disney+

Related: Indiana Jones 5 star asked for changes to "offensive" scene

Released in cinemas in June, the film sees Ford rocking the hat once again, joined by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the role of Indy's goddaughter Helena Shaw.

Dial of Destiny also stars Antonio Banderas, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, Mads Mikkelsen and Karen Allen.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now playing in UK and US cinemas. Fans in the US can catch in digital on platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV+ from August 29. A UK digital release date is yet to be announced.



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The art and booze worlds have collided before, specifically in regards to the late, great Jean-Michel Basquiat , whose work appeared on a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin about a year ago. Now, perhaps more fittingly, Manhattans only whiskey distilleryGreat Jones Distilling Co.has a new Basquiat collab in the form of a trio of bottles and a popup at the distillerys bar that will run through the end of September.

Great Jones opened in August of 2021, named after a small street in the NoHo neighborhood where it is located. The distillery is owned by drinks giant Proximo, which also owns a little tequila brand you might have heard of called Jose Cuervo. While Brooklyn has been home to whiskey distilleries for more than a decade, Great Jones is the first to open in Manhattan since Prohibition. The team there is currently producing whiskey on a small scale, but the liquid in the bottles comes from Black Dirt Distilling, an upstate craft distillery that is also owned by Proximo. The core Great Jones lineup consists of a bourbon, four-grain bourbon, and rye whiskey, and now there are three new bottles to try.

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Two of the new expressions, Great Jones x Jean Michel Basquiat Dinosaur Edition and Great Jones x Jean Michel Basquiat Skull Edition, consist of the distillerys four-year-old bourbon, each featuring the label artwork specified by the name. The third whiskey is a distillery exclusiveGreat Jones x Jean Michel Basquiat Pineau de Charentes Wine Cask-Finished Bourbon. This is a seven-year-old bourbon that was finished for one year and seven months in sweet fortified wine casks from France, bottled at 91 proof, and featuring Basquiats crown artwork on the label.

The 600-liter cask used for the finish was selected by Great Jones head distiller Celina Perez. The French oak used for liqueur casks (in this case the Pineau de Charentes) is typically lighter and more porous than the American oak used for bourbon, she told Robb Report. This allows more of the bourbons flavors to come through, while also imparting some of the French oaks own characteristics. We got to try a sample of the whiskey, and it is dramatically different from the core bourbon with a very prominent palate of sweet berry and spice notes followed by a strong tannic finish.

The bar at Great Jones has also been transformed for this partnership into, you guessed it, The Basquiat Bar. The hours are Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and you can find food and drinks for sale that the distillery says were inspired by the artist. Lastly, you can visit Basquiats New York in the barrel room as part of the Distilling New York x Basquiat VIP Tour, where you can sample the cask-finished whiskey and enjoy a cocktail surrounded by art and 1980s New York City paraphernalia.

Check out the distillerys website to purchase the two Basquiat bottles online (SRP $39) along with hoodies, caps, and t-shirts, but youll have to visit in person to get the distillery exclusive bourbon (SRP $150). If youre not going to be in New York City anytime soon, the regular straight bourbon and other whiskeys can be found on websites like Drizly.

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It only takes a matter of seconds for your world to go from completely ordinary to an unfathomable nightmare.

One family from New Zealand will forever be haunted by the few moments they spent below deck of their catamaran cooking dinner while their toddler was above deck. The parents assumed that their daughter was watching a movie. However, when they returned they encountered a gruesome scene.

The parents had tethered their 13-month-old daughter to their boat while they cooked dinner.

Mark and Kiri Toki, a couple from New Zealand, and their daughter, Mahina, were vacationing on their family yacht when they decided to dock the boat in Musket Cove on the West side of Fiji. While the parents went below deck to cook dinner, they left Mahina above deck, strapped into a harness while watching a movie, per the familys Givealittle page.

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While Mark and Kiri were out of sight, Mahina managed to work free from her harness. When her parents returned above deck, she was nowhere to be seen. The parents frantically began searching for Mahina, until she was eventually found floating in the waters below.

RELATED: Our 11-Week-Old Baby Was Killed At Daycare  And It Wasn't An 'Accident'

The toddler had unfortunately drowned after coming out of her harness.

mahina toki drowning toddler new zealand

Photo: Toki Family / Givealittle

Other boats in the area, which had medical staff on board, worked tirelessly to revive Mahina but to no avail. The family rushed into shore to seek help and a lot of people rushed to their aid, but unfortunately couldnt revive her, Musket Cove Resort Manager, Joe Mar, told the New Zealand Herald. It is unknown how long Mahina was in the water before she was found.

Mar adds that the incident has sent shockwaves through the island, and has left visitors heartbroken.

RELATED: Mom Slammed For Video Of Her Baby Being Thrown Into Pool For A Surprise Test

Locals claim that it is common practice for children to be tethered to boats.

Viki Moore, who owns Island Cruising NZ, a sailing company in New Zealand, says that is normal for parents to tether their children to their boats while sailing. I dont know what happened in this case, but it is very sad, she shares, adding that multiple people rushed to help the family.

A sailing safety tether is used in conjunction with a life jacket to safely attach one to the boat. When used correctly, safety tethers can save those who fall overboard from drowning. Even though they are designed to keep passengers safe, those who cannot swim should always be monitored while on deck, especially young children like Mahina.

Drowning can happen in a matter of seconds, and contrary to what we see in movies, it is relatively silent.

"At the hospital, we often hear stunned parents say, 'I don't know what happened. I just turned around for a minute,' Jesus Alderaete, the Program Manager of Injury Prevention at Childrens Health claims after a child drowning occurs. "Unfortunately, the reality is that drowning happens faster than most people realize."

RELATED: Im Not Jumping In: Bodycam Footage Reveals Police Stood By As Man Drowned While Begging For Help

For children ages 514, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes, per the CDC.

Although Mark and Kiri assumed that their daughter was safely tethered to their sailboat, their tragic story proves how a momentary lapse in judgment can be fatal. Had either one of the couple stayed with Mahina above deck while the other cooked dinner, she most likely still would have been alive today.

Just like other parents who have lost their children to drowning, they never imagined that just a few seconds where their child was out of sight would turn into a nightmare they will never wake up from.

Little Mahina is remembered as a beautiful, happy, smiling child who loved the water and life on the boat, per a family friend on the Givealittle page. Her mother, Kiri, said she had eyes that looked into your soul from the [day] she was born, the page read. To the beloved Mahina, may you forever live in peace, splashing with joy somewhere in the sea.

RELATED: Drowning Of 6-Year-Old At Birthday Party Begs The Question: If Kids Cant Swim, Should They Attend?

Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.

This article originally appeared on YourTango
Prince Albert II of Monacos son Alexandre Grimaldi has revealed to the French magazine Point de Vue how he really feels about his royal parentage and family.

As the models 20th birthday rolls around the corner, the second eldest son of Monacos reigning monarch reflected on how lucky he is that he grew up with benevolent and attentive parents. Grimaldi is in many ways a normal young adult  hes currently a student majoring in business and figuring out his footing in the world. But as the grandson of the late Prince Rainier III and Hollywood icon Grace Kelly , his life is far from average.

His father Prince Albert, 65, ascended the throne in July 2005 after his father Prince Rainier III had died. According to the New York Times, that same year Grimaldis mother Nicole Coste, a Togolese flight attendant whom Prince Albert had dated for five years, told Paris Match that the royal had fathered her child. The explosive interview also contained photos of Prince Albert playing with Alexandre at various ages.

"Im not a gold digger," she told Paris Match. "I wish simply that he would assume some of his responsibilities."

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In the days leading up to his coronation, Prince Albert confirmed that Alexandre was, in fact, his son. Nearly two decades after the scandal, Alexandre has finally decided to set the record straight as the recognised son of the prince.

"My mother is tender by nature and let a lot of things be said because she was always advised to let the story go, " Alexandre said. He explained that, unlike his mother, he has no problem confronting those who continue to call him Grimaldi-Coste or challenge his legitimacy. "Me, I will be more procedural because I was born in France, but I grew up in an Anglo-Saxon country. Ill attack if necessary."

Grimaldi clarified that he was not an illegitimate child since neither of his parents were in another marriage nor did they commit adultery while conceiving him.

I hope no one believes the lies conveyed on the internet. He added: One bears the name of ones father when one has been recognised since birth. I had voluntary recognition from my father when I was a baby. Not from a judge or the press who have forced him to.

The 19-year-old model called his mother his rock and said that shes never been jealous or had a problem with him having his fathers surname. The Grimaldi surname was necessary in order for them to ensure their privacy. He explained that he had no control over it because, at the time, he had been only a two-year-old when he was revealed in the press."

The eldest recognised child of Prince Alberts is The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, who the prince shares with California native, Tamara Rotolo. The pair reportedly met while Rotolo was vacationing in the Cote dAzur. According to the Los Angeles Times, Grimaldi was publicly recognised by Prince Albert in 2006.

In the interview, Alexandre spoke about his big sister, saying: We have a good relationship despite the fact that we live in distant countries."

Neither Jazmin nor Alexandre have the right to the throne as recognised children. Their younger siblings, eight-year-old twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, are next in line for the throne. Prince Albert shares the twins with Princess Charlene.

When asked about the relationship he shares with the twins, Alexandre noted that it was one of tenderness.

The princess, who Prince Albert married two years after ascending the throne, reportedly encouraged the royal to foster deeper connections with his recognised children. According to a source from People, "Charlene was really the one that was trying to pull the whole family together."
Happy Birthday, Princess Mette-Marit!

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway was born Mette-Marit Tjessem Hiby 50 years ago today. To celebrate the occasion, take a look back at her best fashion moments since becoming royal.

June 14, 2023

To attend a recent event at Litteraturhuset literature house in Oslo, Princess Mette-Marit kept it casual in a Max Mara dress.

CORNELIUS POPPE - Getty Images

May 6, 2023

To the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Mette-Marit looked lovely in a Dundas blush dress.

Joe Giddens - PA Images - Getty Images

May 5, 2023

For a pre-coronation reception, the Norwegian Princess chose a patriotic graphic red and white look, which included an Alexander McQueen jacket.

Samir Hussein - Getty Images

April 24, 2023

At the unveiling of Louise Bourgeois's Monumental Sculpture "Maman" at The Palace Park, the Crown Princess looked chic in the rainproving that ponchos can indeed be trendy.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

March 2, 2023

Prince William and Kate Middleton hosted the Norwegian royals at Kensington Palace, and Mette-Marit looked striking in a red dress.

Handout - Getty Images

March 1, 2023

For an event in London, Mette-Marit turned to royal-loved brand the Vampire's Wife in a sparkly blue dress.

Stuart C. Wilson - Getty Images

March 1, 2023

According to her official biography, "Crown Princess Mette-Marit loves to read and is enthusiastic about books. She is eager to share her love of reading and spread good literature. She firmly believes that there is a book for everyone." Here, at a literary talk at the Norwegian ambassador's residence in London, she wears cool geometric glasses and an outfit by Lisoushowing that print-mixing is a win.

Stuart C. Wilson - Getty Images

August 31, 2022

During a visit to the Lillestrm Library, the princess opted for a floral midi dress from Pia Tjelta, which coincidentally matched the bouquet she was gifted.

Per Ole Hagen - Getty Images

June 16, 2022

On this occasion, Mette-Marit went bold in a yellow floral gown by Erdem and a hot pink clutch.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

June 10, 2022

To celebrate the opening of the new National Museum in Oslo, she turned to Norwegian designer Dundas for a pink gown. (She was embracing Barbiecore before it was trendy!)

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

June 5, 2022

At the 2022 French Open, Princess Mette-Marit looked chic in a perfect spectator 'fit, wearing a blush puff-sleeve dress by Beulah.

Jean Catuffe - Getty Images

April 20, 2022

In Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Mette-Marit showed off her cold-weather style, wearing a cozy white jacket and a gray beanie and scarf.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

March 10, 2022

To visit Gamlebyen Elementary School, Mette-Marit opted for a classic modern "working royal" outfit, wearing a Marni printed coat over a navy under layer.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

November 11, 2021

While hosting King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, the Norwegian royals visited Trondheim, Norway, and Mette-Marit layered a sleeveless navy dress over a long-sleeved white one.

Patrick van Katwijk - Getty Images

November 9, 2021

During an official state banquet, Princess Mette-Marit wore her Diamond Daisy tiara.

Patrick van Katwijk - Getty Images

November 9, 2021

Mette-Marit wore a Fendi pleated dress that she's previously worn during an official welcome for the Dutch royals.

Patrick van Katwijk - Getty Images

October 22, 2021

For the opening of the new Munch museum, Princess Mette-Marit wore this very fun printed jacket.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

September 29, 2021

In a visit to Kirkebygden, the Crown Princess embraced autumnal dressing in a Gabriela Hearst jacket and boots.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

June 3, 2021

For the opening of Hope Cathedral, the princess wore a patterned Pia Tjelta dress and Christian Louboutin ballet flats.

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

July 10, 2019

In summer vacation photos taken in Dvergsoya, Mette-Marit embraced holiday dressing in a white sundress.

LISE ASERUD - Getty Images

October 30, 2018

In 2018, Princess Mette Marit announced she was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary fibrosis, and this appearance at the Nordic Council Literature Prize was her first outing since sharing the news.

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Read more here

Rune Hellestad - Getty Images

September 9, 2018

For a more casual royal look at the Mortensrud Festival, Mette-Marit wore blue jeans and a Fjallraven jacket.

Nigel Waldron - Getty Images

February 1, 2018

During Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal visit to Norway, Princess Mette-Marit looked glamorous in an embellished ivory lacy gown.

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

May 10, 2017

To celebrate the 80th birthdays of King Harald V and Queen Sonja, the royals stepped out for a gala, and Mette-Marit opted for a beautiful navy gown.

AFP - Getty Images

May 10, 2017

Earlier that day, they had a more casual lunch aboard the Norwegian Royal Yacht, and Mette-Marit layered a poncho over a cozy white turtleneck.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

June 23, 2016

Who says flower crowns can't be stylish? During the Royal Silver Jubilee Tour, the Crown Princess accessorized her pale blue dress with a flower crownlike all the other Norwegian royal women that day.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

May 27, 2016

At the christening of Sweden's Prince Oscar, Princess Mette-Marit wore a mint green tweed dresshere, she looks lovingly at her new godson as he's held by his mom, Princess Victoria.

Luca Teuchmann - Getty Images

January 15, 2016

In an official photograph released by Norway's Royal Court, the Crown Princess wears an elegant square-neck gown and a tiara, along with a sash and brooches displaying her royal honors.

Handout - Getty Images

July 24, 2015

At the Saint Olav Festival, Princess Mette-Marit kept it casual in a sweater and sneakers.

Ragnar Singsaas - Getty Images

June 13, 2015

For the royal wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, Mette-Marit didn't actually wear a gownshe opted for a floor-length orchid skirt by Temperly London, which she paired with a light pink shirt.

Gisela Schober - Getty Images

April 16, 2015

Crown Princess Mette-Marit twinned with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at Queen Margrethe's 75th birthday celebrations. Both royal women chose tea-length white dresses and nude pumps.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

June 10, 2014

At the amfAR Inspiration Gala, Princess Mette-Marit wore an embroidered black dressand posed for a snap with Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker!

Jamie McCarthy - Getty Images

June 8, 2013

At the royal wedding of Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill, Mette-Marit looked like a Disney princess in this lace blue gown designed by Peter Dundas at Emilio Pucci.

Danny Martindale - Getty Images

October 19, 2012

At the wedding of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and Stephanie de Lannoy at the Grand-ducal Palace, Mette-Marit chose a sparkling red gown.

Julian Parker/Mark Cuthbert - Getty Images

May 24, 2012

During a trip to the Norwegian countryside, the princess kept it simple in this green set.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

March 20, 2012

To welcome then-Prince Charles and Camilla on their Diamond Jubilee tour of Scandinavia, Mette-Marit paired a black blazer with a light floral skirtwhich hypothetically shouldn't work, but it looks great.

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

January 15, 2012

In celebration of Queen Margrethe's 40 years on the throne, the Norwegian royals attended a gala at Christiansborg Palace, and Mette-Marit looked lovely in this white beaded gown.

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

January 15, 2012

As part of the Queen Margrethe festivities, they also attended a service and Mette-Marit turned to her reliable pillbox hat style, pairing it with a light purple belted dress.

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

December 11, 2011

Oslo in winter is cold! But Princess Mette-Marit doesn't let the weather stop her from looking fashionableshe wore a little black dress and strappy heels to attend the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

August 31, 2011

For a gala dinner at the Royal Castle in Oslo, Mette-Marit wore a subtle floral printed gown.

AFP - Getty Images

August 25, 2011

To celebrate her 10th wedding anniversary, the princess kept it simple in this white dress and sweaternot too bridal, but on theme.

Nigel Waldron - Getty Images

August 18, 2011

For Prince Sverre Magnus's first day of school, Mette-Marit showed her off-duty look in a layered sleeveless turtleneck and boot-cut jeans.

Ragnar Singsaas - Getty Images

July 2, 2011

For the royal wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene, Princess Mette-Marit was in blush pink. Spot her evil eye bracelet, too.

Danny E. Martindale - Getty Images

June 19, 2010

For Princess Victoria's royal wedding to Daniel Westling, Princess Mette-Marit wore a light blue ruffled dresspossibly channeling Cinderella?

Dominique Charriau - Getty Images

April 28, 2010

This pick isn't about Mette-Marit's outfit, but rather take a look at her dramatic floral headpiece! It totally changes her outfit.

Ragnar Singsaas - Getty Images

May 24, 2008

For Prince Joachim of Denmark's wedding to Marie Cavallier, Mette-Marit chose an off-the-shoulder pink gown.

UK Press - Getty Images

February 21, 2007

If you're the Crown Princess of Norway, your winter style better be on point. Mette-Marit has perfected the fashionable coat/scarf/hat combo, as evidenced here.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

June 19, 2006

In a more casual outfit, Mette-Marit wore a matching set with a striped shirt underneathpreppy, but make it royal.

Antony Jones - Getty Images

April 29, 2006

To celebrate King Carl XVI Gustaf's 60th birthday, Mette-Marit opted for this stylish green and black dress by Alberta Ferretti.

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

January 21, 2006

For the christening of Prince Christian of Denmark, Mette-Marit wore a deep read skirt suit set. The Crown Prince and Princess of Norway are his godparents.

LEBON - Getty Images

October 26, 2005

At a dinner at the Guildhall in London, England, Mette-Marit (who was seven months pregnant here!) looked glamorous in an off-the-shoulder pink gown.

Tim Graham - Getty Images

September 21, 2004

This Prada peacoat, paired with the pillbox hat, is a very retro look on the Norwegian princess.

Antony Jones - Getty Images

May 22, 2004

At the Spanish royal wedding (of then-Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz, the future King Felipe and Queen Letizia), Princess Mette-Marit wore a light pink pleated dress and a metallic blazer.

ODD ANDERSEN - Getty Images

May 21, 2004

On the eve of the Spanish royal wedding, Mette-Marit kept it simple in a blue gown.

Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images

November 23, 2002

On a visit to Washington, D.C., the Crown Princess looked like your average tourist in the early-aughtswearing jeans, a collared shirt under her sweater, and a long trench coat.

Mark Cuthbert - Getty Images

May 24, 2002

For the wedding of her sister-in-law Princess Martha Louise, Princess Mette-Marit wore a dramatic blue gown.

Pool BASSIGNAC/BUU - Getty Images

August 25, 2001

As a bride, Mette-Marit wore a dress by Norwegian designer Ove Harder Finseth. Her dress was inspired by Queen Maud's gowns.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

August 24, 2001

To a gala the night before her wedding (think rehearsal dinner, but way fancier), Mette-Marit wore a silk blue gown with a matching shawl and clutch, and wore diamond jewelry that belonged to the Norwegian royal family.

Antony Jones - Getty Images

August 23, 2001

Ahead of the royal wedding, King Harald (right) and Queen Sonja hosted a private party, and Mette-Marit wore a simple white sundress.

UK Press - Getty Images

August 22, 2001

During a photo call ahead of their wedding, Mette-Marit kept it simple in a skirt suit. Mette-Marit's engagement to Prince Haakon was controversial because she was a single mom at the time (her son, Marius Borg Hiby, was born in January 1997).

Julian Parker - Getty Images

May 19, 2001

For a gala celebrating the wedding of Prince Constantijn and Princess Larentien, Mette-Marit (not yet a princess!) wore a strapless pink gown and a pink shawl. Honestly, this is peak early aughts fashion.

Julian Parker - Getty Images

January 10, 2001

One of her first appearances as Prince Haakon's fiancee, she wore a silver maxi dress and a sparkly shawl.

UK Press - Getty Images

December 1, 2000

To announce their engagement, Mette-Marit wore a business casual outfit in a cream skirt and blazer.

All Over Press - Getty Images

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Hindsight is always 20/20, but looking back we can see that the minivan was an obvious step for the American auto industry to take in the early 1980s. The combination of larger families and longer journeys to the nation's growing number of destination theme parks gave the impetus to create something better able to carry bigger quantities of human cargo than that previous favorite clan-haulera station wagon with cushions in the trunk. Vehicles like the Dodge Caravan, Chevrolet Astro, andin very much last placeFord Windstar responded to this need. The same held true in other parts of the world, like France, where the original Renault Espace was created around similar grande famille priorities.

Now China has reached the same epoch of automotive evolutionbut is doing so electrically. The three-row Maxus MIFA 9 is an EV minivan that combines serious internal space, impressive equipment levels, and a front-end design that immediately makes us think of Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett. Having driven it in Germany, where it recently went on sale, we can report it is as striking in three dimensions as it is in two.

Maxus is a commercial brand belonging to SAIC Motor, formerly known as Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, China's biggest automaker. The Maxus name comes from a long-defunct U.K. vanmaker, which SAIC acquired the rights to some time ago. MIFA is apparently an acronym: Maximum Intelligent Friendly Artistic. The MIFA 9 sits on the same platform as a gasoline-powered model called the Maxus G90, but the EV is distinguished by grander design, more equipment, and a heftier price tag. The original MIFA concept car was shown at the Shanghai auto show in 2021. The production version we drove featured a single 241-hp motor powering the front wheels and fed by a battery pack with a claimed 90-kWh capacity. It has an estimated range of around 275 miles under Europe's flattering WLTP test cycle.

Although China in 2016 moved beyond its single-child policywhich had restricted parents to just one kidthe legal limit subsequently was only raised to two. So, demand for vehicles like the MIFA 9 isn't coming from the need to haul big families but rather the need to transport VIPs in space and style.

Maxus

That priority is clear in the differing missions assigned for each row of seating. Up front the confines are comfortable, well finished, and short on ergonomic fussclearly designed for professional drivers. There is a touch-sensitive control panel for climate-control functions, but almost everything else is controlled by the 12.3-inch central touchscreen. The middle row, behind electrically operated doors, is where the luxury resides on the top-spec Premium version we drove, with two power-adjustable airline-style seats complete with motorized footrests. This is where plutocrats get pampered. But behind them things turn cheap, as the third row is a bench with limited legroom and an upright backrest, a place to put kids or junior staff. If it were a ship then the respective demarcation by row would be bridge, first class, steerage.



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Unsurprisingly, the driving experience is utterly bland. The MIFA 9 has been designed for ease of operation and a level of smoothness to allow passengers to snooze undisturbed. Gentle pressure on the accelerator produces almost seamless starts, although pushing harder tended to create a modest amount of wheelspin as the front tires battle to get about 5500 pounds of van moving. The Maxus can be stopped just as unobtrusively, thanks to its ability to seamlessly blend regenerative and friction braking. But the steering is light and completely lacking in discernible feedback. Bizarrely there are separate switchable Sport modes for both the accelerator and steering mapsit is hard to think of any car that needs them lessand in the case of the steering all this adds is extra weight.

But the MIFA 9 has some fine qualities too. Its soft suspension gives it a pliant ride, but it isn't lacking in chassis discipline over bumps as speeds start to rise. Even moderately keen cornering produces body roll and would bring doubtless admonition from the rear seats. But the Maxus tracks straight and feels very stable at highway speeds, and noise insulation is good for something with such a large frontal area. While acceleration is leisurely by EV standardsan official 62-mph time of 9.2 secondsthe Maxus is happy to cruise at an indicated 80 mph in serene comfort. That's presuming the driver has taken the time to deactivate the over-sensitive lane-keeping assistant and its loud warning chimes. Top speed is electronically limited to 112 mph, although achieving that would likely kill the cruising range. We didn't.

Switching to the middle row proves the MIFA 9 is a fine vehicle in which to be chauffeured. The seats are comfortable and offer sufficient adjustment to allow a reclining angle that leaves an occupant looking through the glass moonroof. There is also a massage function, plus heating and active cooling. Each seat has twin USB chargers, plus a pair of pop-out cupholders, and between the front seats is a deployable domestic socket for higher-voltage accessories.

Ultimate legroom in the second row is limited unless the front seats are motored forward, and reclining fully will obviously reduce the already limited space for anyone in the third row. Nor can the rearmost seats be fully folded to increase luggage space; the backs can be collapsed, but the base remains in place because of the battery location. Yet while the MIFA 9 we drove in Germany felt plenty grand, top-spec Chinese-market cars seem to be considerably posher with twin high-definition screens built into the dashboard and six seats arranged in pairs with even plusher thrones in the second and third rows, along with fold-out tables and individual touchscreen controls.

Maxus

No part of the MIFA 9 feels insubstantial or cheap, with that reality being reflected by the price tag. In Germany the entry-level version, with manual rather than electrically adjustable second-row seats, costs 57,974 euros before tax$63,400 at current exchange rates. The Luxury version brings power rear seats for 63,854 euros ($69,800), and the top-spec Premium adds the motorized leg rests plus various other spec enhancements for 67,739 euros ($74,100). That puts it pretty much on par with plusher versions of the electric long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz EQV, the most obvious alternative in this part of the market.



While it is likely that most German shoppers will prefer to buy their EV minivans from familiar brands, the MIFA 9 illustrates that the Chinese industry can produce something that, while not a traditional luxury car, is a genuinely luxurious vehicle.

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Many animal lovers follow their passions to become pet owners, while others feel more drawn to farm animals. Of course, some folks become veterinarians or animal rescuers, too! And then there's Albert Sanchez, a selfless Southern California man who runs a 24/7 ambulance service for pets.

NBC Bay Area explains that Sanchez spent over 30 years as a veterinary technician before switching focus to his ambulance business, Veterinary Ambulance of Southern California, in July 2021. He transformed a van into the ideal animal transport vehicle, and now he helps transport cats and dogs in both urgent and everyday situations.

View the original article to see embedded media.

This man is a true hero! We can only imagine how much relief, support, and comfort he offers to pet parents during the most worrying times. Those who have had to rush to the emergency vet know just how stressful and emotional those moments can be.

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Sanchez told NBC News that he was inspired to start his business after seeing just how difficult it was for pet parents to transport their fur babies. Another animal ambulance service was in business, but it quickly became more expensive than many owners could afford.

This Southern California pet transportation service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but that doesn't mean it's always quick. After all, Albert Sanchez is only one person.

"Its pretty much a one-man show, he said. Occasionally, when we have a critical pet that needs constant attention, Ill bring somebody with me to drive, and Ill usually take care of the pet during the transport.

This is why Sanchez hopes to expand his business to help more pets. He documents many of his cases on an Instagram account, @veterinaryambulance, but he also runs a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his business--and hopefully, a second ambulance.

Sanchez is happy to help transport pets for any reason. Whether a cat needs oxygen supplementation or a dog is too large for their owner to pick up--he's got it! In emergencies, too, he will help as much as he can. If only there were more selfless people like him in the world!

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos.

Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.

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Brands and retailers calling for an end to the Trump-era Section 301 tariffs may be out of step with the views of the typical consumer. New data shows that two-thirds of Americans believe the U.S. government should slap more tariffs on China-made goods.

Americans on both sides of the aisle support higher duties, and believe the U.S. should prepare for military threats from China, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week. A two-day poll that closed on Tuesday showed that people are concerned about Chinas global influence, especially as ties with the U.S. fray.

More from Sourcing Journal

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The nationwide poll, which amassed responses from 1,005 adults including 443 Democrats and 346 Republicans, revealed that 66 percent would be likely to back a presidential candidate who supports new tariffs on Chinese imports. This runs counter to the fashion and retail trade associations calling to reverse the punitive tariffs on goods imported from China. Last month, the Retail Litigation Center led the filing of a brief signed by several industry trade groups calling for the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to reverse the U.S. Court of International Trades ruling that kept the duties in place.

American consumers are wary about Chinas aggression. Two-thirds of survey respondents (including 58 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans) said they wanted to see the U.S. do more to guard against possible Chinese military threats. Most Americans (75 percent) have a negative view of China, and 84 percent view President Xi Jinping at least slightly unfavorably. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) said they believed Chinas government was trying to influence the U.S. election.

China has developed a reputation as a bad actor. The U.S. has denounced its anticompetitive practices like intellectual property theft and currency manipulation. Forced labor in Chinas manufacturing and raw materials sectors is another area of concern. Chinas recent aggression toward Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory, only adds to the global tension.

Only 38 percent of Reuters/Ipsos survey respondents approve of deploying U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if it comes to that, despite White House support for the roughly 24 million-strong populace. Beijings recent saber-rattling includes ocean and air military drills and propaganda videos this week showing soldiers preparing for battle in the Taiwan Strait. CIA director William Burns believes Xi is preparing to invade Taiwan by 2027.

Late last month, the Biden administration said it would send Taiwan $345 million worth of U.S. weapons, a move that aligns with the survey takers, about half, who approve of America giving Taiwan military equipment. President Joe Biden has recently stepped up his stance on China, calling Xi a dictator at a June campaign fundraising event. Though Beijing fired back, Biden said the pointed jabs are just not something Im going to change very much.

In the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, Republican frontrunners are doubling down on their own anti-China rhetoric. Former President/future hopeful candidate Donald Trump, as well as U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, have promoted ending permanent normal trade relations with China.

Click here to read the full article.
"Came here to say Vietnamese egg coffee. Im not even a coffee drinker, but that shit was insane."

u/cc0011

"Both egg coffee and salted coffee are still my favorites. I visit Vietnam three to four times a year, and I'm still excited to order egg coffee."

u/Ecliped830
Roschetzky / iStock.com

Youre looking for a new hometown that checks several boxes. As a millennial, in the past you mightve set your sights on one of the largest cities in the U.S., but youre ready to broaden your horizons.

Im a Real Estate Agent: These Will Be the Best States To Buy Property in the Next 5 Years

Find Out: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

A recent Bank of American study revealed five cities realizing a surge in popularity with millennials. Take a look at the list to see if any might interest you.

Austin, Texas

Average home sale price : $570,000

Average apartment rent: $1,819 per month

Average cost living: 1% higher than the national average

Unemployment rate: 3.5%, as of June 2023

Diversity grade: A-plus

Buying a House? Heres How To Get a 4% Mortgage Rate

Cleveland, Ohio

Average home sale price : $116,000

Average apartment rent: $1,335 per month

Average cost living: 6% lower than the national average

Unemployment rate: 4.4%, as of June 2023

Diversity grade: A

Tampa, Florida

Average home sale price : $430,000

Average apartment rent: $1,543 per month

Average cost living: 2% lower than the national average

Unemployment rate: 3%, as of June 2023

Diversity grade: A-plus

Dallas, Texas

Average home sale price : $437,500

Average apartment rent: $1,565 per month

Average cost living: 3% lower than the national average

Unemployment rate: 3.9%, as of June 2023

Diversity grade: A-plus

Charlotte, North Carolina

Average home sale price : $420,000

Average apartment rent: $1,500 per month

Average cost living: 2% lower than the national average

Unemployment rate: 3.4%, as of June 2023

Diversity grade: A-plus

Why Are Millennials Attracted To These Cities?

Austin topping the list of cities becoming popular with millennials is no surprise to Jim Olenbush, broker and founder at AustinRealEstate.com.

This city is a microcosm of the larger trend were seeing with millennials, he said.

He brings up a time when he showed properties to a young couple just out of college years ago. As we toured, they werent just concerned about the houses specifications. They mused about proximity to eclectic dining spots, the vibrancy of the neighborhood and how easy it would be to cycle to work or hop on public transport.

Story continues

Unlike previous generations who mainly pursued job prospects, Olenbush notes millennials tend to focus more on modern urban allure and city amenities when deciding where to relocate. While economic conditions have their place, they dont reign supreme in the millennial decision-making process. In fact, the essence of a citys cultural heartbeat, its social fabric and the authentic experiences it offers often rank higher.

Cleveland is another good example of this.

The citys revitalized art scene, trendy eateries and bustling music venues offer a draw thats hard to resist, he said. While its economic growth has been steady, its the enrichment of the urban lifestyle thats the real game-changer.

Its easy to assume cosmopolitan cities like New York and Los Angeles would have the biggest draw for millennials, but Olenbush said that isnt the case. While they do attract a sizable portion, smaller cities, with their balanced economic opportunities and urban amenities, are increasingly on the radar. Imagine the charm of a Santa Cruz or an Ann Arbor, offering the best of both worlds.

Ultimately, the manner in which millennials choose their relocation destinations somewhat defies conventional wisdom.

They blend the practical with the whimsical, he said. While economic factors are undeniably influential, the weight of work-life balance and the allure of those authentic experiences cant be underestimated.

Watch Out: 5 Expensive Renovations Homeowners Always Regret

Vibe and Affordability Are Key

Dennis Shirshikov, head of growth at real estate investing platform Awning.com, agreed that lifestyle is very important to millennials when choosing a new hometown.

Millennials are all about experiences  from the local coffee shop that offers just the right ambiance for a weekend chill to outdoor activities and music festivals, he said. Cities that offer a unique cultural experience or have a vibe become instant hits.

For example, he said Austin has a legendary music scene. Every time Im there, I cant help but get pulled into the live music events. Its clear to see the appeal for millennials.

The sense of community these cities offer is also a draw.

Cities that foster a sense of belonging and have inclusive communities tend to draw millennials, he said. For instance, Cleveland has been making waves with its initiatives to become more green and sustainable, and this eco-friendly push definitely aligns with the values of many millennials today.

This, combined with a lower cost of living than cities like New York and San Francisco have created a surge in popularity among millennials.

Austin, Dallas and Charlotte, for instance, offer a blend of good job opportunities and affordability, which is a huge magnet for the younger crowd, Shirshikov said. In addition, Tampas lovely weather and Charlottes proximity to both mountains and coast offers lifestyle benefits that resonate with millennials desire for a strong work-life balance.

As a finance and real estate expert, I can attest to the fact that these cities are seeing rapid growth in real estate investments, he said. This implies that not only are millennials moving there, but they see a future in these places.

Goodbye, Big Cities

Shirshikov mentions a millennial friend of his that recently moved from New York City to Dallas.

When I asked her why, she said, Its where I feel my dollar stretches further, but I dont compromise on the vibrancy of city life,' he said. I believe her sentiment captures the essence of why many are making similar moves.

As for why some cities are more popular than others, he believes the job market plays a major role.

The influx of tech companies and startups in places like Austin has created a thriving job market for millennials, especially in the digital, creative and tech sectors. Dallas and Charlotte have seen a surge in finance and healthcare jobs.

This may explain why certain groups of millennials seem to flock to one city over another. Its almost like these cities are forming their own unique identities that resonate with specific segments of the millennial population, he said.

If youre considering a move, one of the five cities above may have just what youre searching for. If not, there are plenty of other up-and-coming cities that tick off millennials boxes.

Note: Data was sourced from Redfin, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Niche.com.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Cities Becoming Popular With Millennials: Are They Right for You?
While the Vanderbilts of the Gilded Age are best known for expertise in railroads and social climbing, they arent often credited for their contributions to design. Terrazzo flooringa Venetian technique of tossing chipped marble, granite, glass, or quartz in a cement binder that is later ground and polishedbecame fashionable in the United States after the family installed it in their Fifth Avenue mansion. Unbeknownst to them, this would fuel botha wave of Italian artisan immigration and an aesthetic movement. After the Vanderbilts, terrazzo flooring went on an American tour during the 1900s and was used in projects ranging from the floors of Hoover Dam to the stars on Hollywood Boulevard. The technique was a favorite of the architect Richard Neutra, who used the flooring for his Midcentury Modern Southern California homes.

A Tiled Tradition Terrazzo Flooring got its name from the 15th-century artisans who used the technique for their terraces (or terrazzos).

Nearly 150 years after terrazzos American debut, the Maestrelli family, from Florence, continues to celebrate its charm in Venice. At their new hotel, Violino dOro (opening this fall), Sara Maestrelli and her aunt Elena enlisted the Asin family, one of the oldest floormaking clans in Italy, to help bring the property alive. Every renovation that we have ever done has been with the Asins, says Sara, whose family also owns the Grand Hotel Minerva in Florence and Villa Roma Imperiale in Forte dei Marmi.

The Main Attraction Chips of marble, granite, quartz, and glass are blended in cement and resin to create this blooming botanic.

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The Violino dOro resides in a 17th-century building near Rio S. Moise, and while it has a Renaissance facade, architects Piera Tempesti Benelli, Riccardo Burigana, and Tiziana Folin have given the interiors a modern face-lift. There are decorative elements that signal tradition and others that nod to the contemporary. But perhaps the mosaics laid on thehotels floor are the best metaphor for the spirit of Venice. Venice is usually seen by tourists as only one thing, Sara says. But the city is truly a conglomerate of many precious pieces. Its a ton of colors, shades, historical momentsand that is what terrazzo is.

Slow & Steady The process of creating the floors used in the hotel is a patient one. Each piece is laid by hand; it takes two hours of work per flower.

Asin Ermino (the companys official name) has a portfolio that includes elaborate mosaics in private homes, modern patterns in museums, andeven work in a Belgian theater. Today, 90-year-old Eraldo Asin is at the helm of his familys company,in the third generation of craftsmen to do so. His son Luca is in the fourth.

The Asins created mosaics of floral motifs for the Violino dOro. Each detail, from vibrant petals to stigmas, requires the team to sit down, cut marble cubes, and layer each one precisely. The flowers can be created only by hand, no matter how long it takes. But the Maestrellis are not in a rush. Its very difficult to work this way when you live in a world that works at a different pace, Sara says. This process is slower, but the flooring will stand the test of time. Things that are created quickly die quickly.

This story appears in the September 2023 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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If youre a fan of  Gilmore Girls , youve probably wondered where it was filmed. Is Stars Hollow a genuine tiny town where people can go?

Gilmore Girls tells the story of a mother and her daughter through high school and college. The shows pleasant, feel-good ambiance, lovable characters, and funny scripting helped it become wildly successful. All of this comes to reality in the little Connecticut hamlet of Stars Hollow, where the Gilmores talk over coffee at Lukes Diner, have awkward dinners at the grandparents house, and catch up at the Dragonfly Inn.

Youre not alone if seeing the charming buzzing town on your TV makes you want to schedule a vacation to Stars Hollow immediately. Continue reading to find out if Stars Hollow, Connecticut is real and where Gilmore Girls was filmed.

Where was Gilmore Girls Filmed? All the Real Locations

Plenty of shows are set in small towns where everybody knows each others routine business and deep secrets. Still, Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls seems different, with unique locales like Als Pancake World, which serves many cuisines from across the world but not the breakfast of the same name. Lets explore the locations together.

Stars Hollow

Stars Hollow, sadly, is not a genuine town. Nothing in Stars Hollow exists in real life, from the fall foliage to the comfortable dwellings. Rather than a little hamlet on the east coast, Gilmore Girls was shot on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California.

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In the show, Stars Hollow is an adorable town with a lovely cafe and eccentric inhabitants, and the shooting for Gilmore Girls took place in a number of places to portray the imaginary town. Despite not being a real place, the shows little village is full of charm and feels authentic, owing to the intricacies in each episode.

Although Stars Hollows neighborhood may not exist, Washington, Connecticut, served as its inspiration.

Warner Bros. Studio

No backlot at Warner Bros. is as identifiable as Midwest Street, which was turned into the classic fictitious town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, for the Gilmore Girls series. Other backlots at the studio were changed to seem like New York City and the Wild West. In this location, during the filming of Gilmore Girls, Lukes Diner, Dooses Market, the Dragonfly Inn, and Stars Hollow Books all formerly stood. The Stars Hollow gazebo, still intact and frequently used for fan pictures, is undoubtedly the most famous building on Midwest Street.

An episodic series like Gilmore Girls did very well on Midwest Street. The trees feature false leaves to provide the impression that the town is enjoying Christmas or the peak of summer. Potato flakes were used to simulate falling snow. The inside walls of the dwellings are easily movable. Some buildings even combine the front face of one house with the backyard facade of another. Several settings used during Gilmore Girls were swiftly built and then quickly changed for another scene.

Unionville, Canada

The shows pilot episode was filmed in Unionville, Canada. The ideal location to shoot at was Unionville because it conveyed the same small-town feel that Sherman-Palladino fell in love with in Connecticut. Even today, many Stars Hollow fans travel to Unionville to view the shows recognizable locations. Although the village made a terrific setting for the premiere episode, the rest of the series was filmed elsewhere.

The filming for most of the seven seasons of Gilmore Girls took place in Connecticut. A Gazebo was positioned in the middle of the set, and production designers built replicas of the famous cafes and businesses in Stars Hollow for the show.

The Greystone Park and Mansion

Rorys graduation made Lorelai, Sookie, and Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) cry because of the difficulties she had at that specific school, both academically and socially, and because they understood how hard she fought to achieve it.

Californias Greystone Park and Mansion served as the backdrop for the outside scenes of Chilton Academy and the graduation scenes.

Greystone, which dates to the 1920s, is currently a Beverly Hills city property; Edward Laurence Doheny Jr. was its first owner.

How was the Gilmore Girls set handled after the show ended?

Stars Hollow was still there after the last episode of Gilmore Girls had finished filming. The towns overall structure remained the same. The TV program Pretty Little Liars built the city of Rosewood on the same set. A keen eye will allow one to spot Stars Hollow elements in movies like La La Land and television series like You.
Children from the NAACP Youth Council took part in sit-ins in 1958 to desegregate the Katz Drug Store lunch counter in downtown Oklahoma City. The late civil rights activist and teacher Clara Luper organized the Youth Council and served as adviser.

Sixty-five years ago, an Oklahoma City teacher walked with 13 of her students and own children into a downtown drug store, asking for the right to eat in any restaurant they wanted, regardless of the color of their skin.

Led by Clara Luper, the students ranging from ages 6 to 17 sat at the Katz Drug Store lunch counter on Aug. 19, 1958. This was one of the first sit-ins in the country, a precursor to the Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins in 1960, which are commonly considered the start of a national wave of sit-ins.

The demonstration changed Katz's segregation policy after a few days and launched an entire sit-in movement in Oklahoma City that lasted the next six years until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Many Oklahoma City restaurants and businesses were desegregated, thanks to the sit-in participants' relentlessness.

"I'm so glad that we came down that night and sat down," said Marilyn Luper Hildreth, Luper's daughter and sit-in participant, at a 2022 event. "Because when we sat down, young people all across this nation started standing up."

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The students and Luper were spit on, kicked, ridiculed and abused. Luper was jailed many times for her peaceful protests. Today, she is a larger-than-life figure for many in the Black community who thank her for the rights they have today. Others remember her as a caring teacher. Those who didn't know her personally are inspired as they hear her story told by others.

A series of events commemorating the anniversary of the Katz sit-in was planned for this weekend by the Clara Luper Legacy Committee, culminating in Saturday's march and sit-in reenactment and a Sunday evening celebration program at Fifth Street Baptist Church. Saturday's participants will march from Frontline Church at 1104 N Robinson to Kaiser's Grateful Bean Cafe at 1039 N Walker, where the reenactment will take place inside.

The "Freedom Fiesta" kicked off with a gospel music concert and an art show on Thursday and Friday nights, respectively.

More: What to know about Freedom Fiesta events that celebrate 65th anniversary of OKC sit-ins

How the Oklahoma City sit-in movement started under Clara Luper

Clara Luper, Oklahoma educator and civil rights activist, appears in a 1988 photo.

Born in 1923, Luper graduated from high school in the all-Black town of Grayson at the top of her class. After graduating in 1944 from Langston University, Luper became the first Black student to enroll in the history department at OU in 1950, where she earned a masters degree.

Luper was an American history teacher for 41 years, beginning at Dunjee High School and later teaching at Northwest Classen and John Marshall high schools. In 1989, she retired from John Marshall High School after teaching there for two decades.

In 1972, Luper campaigned for a U.S. Senate seat. Although unsuccessful, her Senate campaign was notable as she was one of the first women in the country to run for national office. Luper died on June 8, 2011.

In the 1950s, Luper helped organize the NAACP Youth Council and was its active adviser for 50 years. She participated in several marches with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and her shared advocacy for nonviolent resistance to segregation was considered key to the success of the OKC sit-ins.

In 1958, Luper had recently returned from a trip across the country where a group of her students performed her play "Brother President" about King in New York City.

On the way to New York, the travelers took a northern route where they experienced eating in desegregated restaurants for the first time. Back home, they were only allowed to eat from restaurants take-out style.

"For the first time in our lives, we had the opportunity to go into a restaurant, sit down and eat like normal people, and not out of a brown paper sack," Marilyn Luper Hildreth told The Oklahoman in 2021. "When we got back to Oklahoma City, we decided enough is enough."

Luper and her students gathered at Calvary Baptist Church before the first sit-in on Aug. 19 and for many after that. She would use the time to teach them about the practice of nonviolent protesting, and singing songs like "We Shall Overcome," which helped them endure whatever insults and physical abuse came at them.

"If somebody pushed you at the back of your head or somebody tried to push you over, if somebody poured something on you, (we were told) to turn the other cheek," sit-in participant Joyce Jackson told The Oklahoman in 2021.

Seeing the OKC sit-ins as the 'seeds' for the civil rights movement

Although it has historically been a lesser-known story outside of Oklahoma City, the sit-in movement Luper spearheaded had a national impact, said Freedom Center project director Christina Beatty.

"Looking just at the historical timeline, what happened here were absolutely the seeds for much of the civil rights movement as we know it," Beatty said.

Luper's work in Oklahoma City acted as a "pilot" for the NAACP "before taking it to the Deep South," Beatty said.

"It really can't be overstated how much Oklahoma was on the front edge of the national civil rights movement," Beatty added.

Students from the Oklahoma City NAACP Youth Council participate in a sit-in in 1958 at Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City.

Much progress has been made over the last five years in telling this story more broadly, Beatty said. It was a convergence of several things that happened in 2018. That year, the Freedom Center was given historic landmark recognition by the Oklahoma City Council and the first sit-in reenactment took place.

Also, OKC Mayor David Holt was elected and was proactive about telling this story, Beatty said. Holt that year formed a committee to find a way to commemorate Luper in a public monument that will be placed downtown.

"For too long, we have sort of pushed commemoration of the civil rights movement in our city and honoring African American heroes to the northeast," Holt said in 2022. "Civil rights history is Oklahoma City history, and it needs to exist in the heart of our city where all people ... (can) be a part of it and engage with it."

Finally, conversations began in 2018 on what projects would be included in MAPS 4 and an opportunity arose for the Freedom Center to be included along with a new Civil Rights Center on the same property.

While the Freedom Center's restoration was moved out of MAPS 4 when private funds were secured, the Civil Rights Center will be built with $17.1 million in MAPS dollars and Beatty said they're looking at a 2026 or 2027 opening. The new building will consist of exhibition and programming areas, a cafe, welcome center, outdoor and events spaces, and has a $9.6 million operating fund through MAPS 4.

"We are just extremely grateful for the opportunity to really tell the story in a much more expansive way," Beatty said. "There is so much for Oklahoma to be proud of about what happened here and it's important for young people to understand the legacies that they have inherited."

The impact Luper has on Oklahoma City 65 years later

The audience reacts to the Dunjee Alumni Choir. The first night of the Freedom Fiesta featured a gospel musical concert, entitled Weve Come This Far by Faith held Thursday at the Oklahoma History Center.

Not only did Luper's work impact her students at the time, and every Black person in America dealing with the harsh realities of segregation, but her legacy impacts even those who were born after her death.

Beatty's daughter just turned 9, the same age as some of the sit-in students.

"One of the things that is most important to remember is that this history isn't so distant," Beatty said. "(It's) the difference between my parents, myself and my daughter. It's a completely different world that I've been able to live in and that my daughter has been able to live in because of what Clara Luper and her students did."

Shalondra Harrison, executive director of Sallys List, an organization that trains and supports women to run for government office in Oklahoma, said she was never told about Luper when she was growing up in McAlester. It was only when she moved to Oklahoma City to finish college at the University of Central Oklahoma that she learned about Luper, the sit-ins and the advocacy of her students and other Oklahoma residents during the civil rights movement.

We talk a lot about futurism now, but they really led the way for that, Harrison said. And if it werent for them and the work that they did and the groundwork that they laid, I would not be able to be in this position.

Harrison said the knowledge and bravery of Luper and her students inform how she looks at the work she does to improve communities throughout the state.

I just think about, how many women are doing similar work that nobody knows about? How do I connect with them? How do I get them engaged? So, being able to have access to the words and experiences of Clara Luper really does help energize and inspire young people to think that a better society is possible.

Clara Luper celebrated in Oklahoma City

Her name is found throughout the city in efforts to honor her legacy, including the downtown Clara Luper Post Office building, Oklahoma City Public Schools Clara Luper Center for Educational Services and the Clara Luper Corridor on NE 23, from Interstate 235 to Interstate 35.

Over the summer, 40 OKC-area teachers attended the Clara Luper Teacher Institute to learn about her legacy and how to use her "radical love" methodology in their own classrooms. The University of Oklahoma named its African and African American Studies department for Luper in 2018.

Soon there will be a monument honoring Luper and her students across from where Katz Drug Store once stood, at Robinson and Main, known as the Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza. The Clara Luper Civil Rights Center, a MAPS 4 project adjacent to the historic Freedom Center where Luper and the NAACP Youth Council met, is in the design stage now. The Freedom Center is also being restored and will act as a historical artifact, project director Christina Beatty said.

Dwight Sampson performs a solo with the Dunjee Alumni Choir on the first night of the Freedom Fiesta Thursday at the Oklahoma History Center.

Luper's lasting impact on students

As a ninth-grader taking history in 1969, Brent Gooden recalls Luper "brought history to life" for her students.

She used experiential teaching techniques, having her students reenact history rather than simply learn through a textbook. Instead of reading about the electoral college, Gooden's class grouped into their own states and held their own presidential elections.

The year she taught Gooden she was also helping the city's sanitation workers fight for fair treatment and eventually go on strike.

"We knew she was a very important figure," Gooden said. "We also were very much aware that she knew the Rev. Martin Luther King (Jr.) ... We were all aware of it, but I don't think it had resonated with us how historic of a person we had the privilege to teach us."

Even after he left Luper's class, he maintained a relationship with her. Gooden remembers visiting her at the Oklahoma State Fair, where she would set up a trailer to fry catfish, raising scholarship money for the NAACP youth.

"Some people break bread, we ate catfish together and had a great time," Gooden said. "She was always interested in what you were doing ... and you just felt so important around her and she would just lift you up."

Living History: 65 years after Clara Luper led OKC's sit-in, participants carry the torch

Saidy Orellana, multicultural officer for the Oklahoma Historical Society, said she found the story of Lupers life inspirational as she conducted interviews with Lupers students and daughter Marilyn Luper Hildreth for a recent documentary.

Its so encouraging because her students are alive now, telling the story and telling us what they went through, but also reminding us of the areas where we can continue to do the work, Orellana said. Its not just about what happened in the past, but its also for us to continue the work of what theyve done in creating safe spaces for everyone.

Orellana, who remembers the political and physical persecution her own father faced, said learning about Lupers courage directly from her students has emboldened her to continue working toward a better future.

Its a big life lesson, and its powerful, Orellana said. It just gives me hope that, although she and her students had to go through so many hardships and put their lives at risk, now the next generation has a wider path where we can continue to do the work of inclusivity and acceptance.

J.D. Baker, an OU graduate and platform manager for Cortado Ventures, remembers well the lessons his grandmother, Geraldine Carr Downey, learned from her schoolteacher Clara Luper. Now in his late 20s, Baker recalls interacting with Luper in her late 70s and 80s.

Clara Luper took a special attention and affinity to youth and kids, and thats always been her passion, Baker said. She would take the time to talk to you as a kid and she would instill something in you, to make sure that you knew that all of the opportunity in the world belongs to you.

But Baker also said that, along with celebration of her life and her accomplishments, people needed to remember the sacrifices that her advocacy entailed.

Lets talk about the sacrifice, Baker said. Its not just enough to put up statues and put up buildings. I want people to realize how much she sacrificed  not only why she sacrificed, but how much she sacrificed. And the big question that we have to ask ourselves is, would we be willing to sacrifice the same thing for the freedom that we have today? Because Clara Luper did that.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 65 years after OKC sit in, Clara Luper's legacy of love alive today
Arizona parents who are caregivers for children with disabilities have been getting paid for their caregiving since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that temporary payment model may become permanent.

Paying parents as caregivers would be a substantial change to Arizona policy related to parents of minor children and will have a positive impact on the lives of children and families, said Jon Meyers, executive director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. It would really just be transferring the responsibility of caring for the kids from one provider to another, he said.

"There are going to be parents who decide to take advantage of this over the long term, and they're going to be parents who don't," Meyers said. "But in particular, in light of the worker shortage that we have in this field right now, there's just no question that this is an important program."

"And if it were to be eliminated, if they were to just let it fall off," he added, "we'd have an even greater crisis of children not being able to get the important care they need."

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Arizona's Medicaid program, which is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, hosted several forums about the proposal, called Parents as Paid Caregivers, this summer. It is accepting public comments about the plan through Monday.

Comments may be submitted via e-mail to waiverpublicinput@azahcccs.gov or mail to: AHCCCS, c/o Division of Community Advocacy and Intergovernmental Relations, 801 E. Jefferson Street, MD 4200, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

Under the AHCCCS Parents as Paid Caregivers proposal, parents would be eligible for getting paid as caregivers as long as they and their minor children meet certain requirements.

Among other things, parents would need to meet all direct care worker requirements required by the state, including going through training and competency tests. They'd also need to have quarterly in-person case management visits. Their kids must be minors, and eligible for the Arizona Long Term Care System, known as ALTCS, which is for people with disabilities significant enough to need institutional level care, even though they may not be living in an institution.

What to know: Are you at risk of losing your Medicaid coverage?

Of the eligible kids receiving home and community-based services in Arizona, most are not getting care from a parent who is paid as a caregiver, the most recent AHCCCS data suggests. The most recent numbers show 16,880 minor children in Arizona living at home receiving home and community-based services and of those, 3,469 are being served by parents as the paid caregiver, AHCCCS officials say. The remaining 13,411 are being served by caregivers who are not their parents. The data pertains to the children enrolled in the ALTCS' Developmentally Disabled program, AHCCCS officials said.

Before COVID-19, Arizona parents of minor children with disabilities had never been paid for care they provided to their kids. But during the pandemic, a shortage of direct care workers, combined with stay-at-home and social distancing recommendations, led the state to ask the federal government for some flexibility in reimbursing parents for the extraordinary care that was required of them to provide throughout the course of the pandemic.

Brandi Coon, a Queen Creek mother of three, has an 8-year-old son with disabilities and said that even before the pandemic she was unable to work outside the home because her son needed consistent care that she wasn't always able to find outside the home.

"Even before I was being paid, I was the consistent caregiver for him. But this just allowed us to have the opportunity for me to be paid for that service versus providing it as unpaid labor, and that makes sense," Coon said. "Every parent's a little different. Some parents like doing it all themselves, other people want 100% outside providers. And I've kind of fluctuated between the two, just depending on the availability of outside help."

When she began getting paid as a parent caregiver as part of the temporary program during the spring of 2020, it relieved a lot of financial stress in her family, which had been relying solely on her husband's paycheck, said Coon, who has used the paid caregiver program off and on over the past three years.

"This allowed us to not live paycheck to paycheck," she said of the program. "We're not in this constant burnout caregiver crisis. We're able to really shape what our life looks like, find what's important and create that care team that our son needs."

Coon is part of a group called the Raising Voices Coalition wants the parameters of the permanent program to be the same as it is in the temporary program that's in place right now.

The group wants to amend the proposal to remove a 40-hour per week, per child cap on the number of hours that would be eligible for payment. The group also wants the state to expand the kinds of services parents would be eligible to get paid for to include "habilitation" when required. This includes training their child to do skills that would help them to live independently, such as cooking, washing clothes and learning how to take medications.

Under the proposal, parents would get paid for "attendant" care for doing things like helping their children with bathing, eating, grooming and using the bathroom, but not for "habilitation."

Aside from those technicalities, the proposal as a whole is "forward-thinking" and Coon said she and other parents are grateful that AHCCCS is taking the initiative to continue paying parents.

"Arizona is by far one of the leading family caregiving supporters in our country," Coon said. "Many other states are trying to do similar things and our state is one of the only ones where the Medicaid department is making the initiation. ... The fact that we disagree on some of the parameters is small details."

Most states do not have a permanent program for paying parents as caregivers, said Meyers of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

"We literally would only be one of a handful of states doing it," Meyers said.

Reach health care reporter Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or at 602-444-8369. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @stephanieinnes.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ may permanently pay parent caregivers. Public comment ends Monday
Volunteers work at a food distribution center set up in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, after wildfires devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui. | Jae C. Hong, Associated Press

Fox News  lack of government aid to Maui

On Wednesday night, Laura Ingraham spoke to former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on her show Ingraham Angle about the amount of federal aid Maui is receiving following the wildfires.

Gabbard told Ingraham that the help they are receiving is 100% community-led.

We are eight days past this wildfire, and Im in constant touch with these community members and leaders, Gabbard said. They are still not seeing a response from the county, the state, the federal government to be able to go out and help them.

According to Gabbard, the opinion of much of the Maui community is that the government does not care about them.

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Ingraham made the argument that the U.S. is spending billions and billions of dollars and allocates it to countries, issues and problems. This is when we realize you have to put your own oxygen mask on first before you can really help others.

She said that the Americans who were devastated by the wildfires need help now.

Related

CNN  Trumps GOP presidential opponents need a backbone

When asked what the GOP presidential candidates running against Trump need to do to get noticed by voters, Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham told CNN, Respectfully, they need to stop kissing up to Donald Trump. That is clearly not working for them.

Grisham said the base of voters these candidates are trying to win over are looking for someone tough.

How are people supposed to think that these nominees are going to stand up to somebody like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or Kim Jong Un or even some leaders of our allied countries or members of Congress if they won't stand up to Trump, Grisham added.

In order for Trumps opponents to have a chance against him in the 2020 presidential election, Grisham said GOP candidates need to be doing more than simply talking about their policies and actually call out Trump and show that they have the backbone Ill just say that, to do it. she said.

MSNBC  Elon Musk is more like a free speech occasionalist

Elon Musk describes himself as a free speech absolutist, Stephanie Ruhle said at the beginning of her show The 11th Hour.

Ruhle referred to an article published in The Washington Post that said Musk's social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, is purposefully slowing down traffic for websites he dislikes, such as The New York Times and Facebook.

According to The Washington Post article, On Tuesday afternoon, hours after this story was first published, X began reversing the throttling on some of the sites, dropping the delay times back to zero. It was unknown if all the throttled websites had normal service restored.

Elon Musk says he is all about free speech, but it turns out he is all about free speech when its nice to him and about him, Ruhle said. Hes more like a free speech occasionalist.

NBC News Tech correspondent Jake Ward responded to Ruhle, saying Musks idea of free speech is much more relative to his personal preferences. ... It seems to have been that Twitter, this platform X, whatever were calling it now really was trying to make it unbearable to go to the sites that Elon doesn't like.
CENTREVILLE  St. Joseph County Commissioner Luis Rosado provided an explanation about his vote Tuesday against seeking Gov. Gretchen Whitmers intervention to have Sheriff Mark Lillywhite removed from office.

Luis Rosado

A motion was passed, 6-1, by county commissioners during this weeks monthly St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting. The motion requested Whitmer exercise her authority to remove Lillywhite from the office he has held since February 2020 on an interim basis and January 2021 as an elected official. His four-year term concludes at the end of 2024.

Rosado on Thursday said he had fielded questions from a number of constituents following Tuesdays vote. Rosado said he explained that his vote was cast out of caution based on the circumstances of Lillywhites appearance at the commission meeting.

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Rosado referenced a letter commissioners sent Lillywhite ahead of the meeting. The letter, dated Aug. 4, cited a Michigan statute giving a county board the authority to require a county officer whose salary or compensation is paid by the county to make a report under oath to the county board of commissioners on any subject connected with the duties of that office.

The letter states failure to appear before commissioners could prompt a complaint with Whitmer and possibly trigger the process of ultimately being removed from office.

In accordance with that statute, Lillywhites presence was requested. Lillywhite honored the request and provided a 3 1/2-minute summary of sheriff department activity. It included references to high-profile cases involving the department, construction-related projects at the Centreville-based department as well as the agencys annual employee awards.

Lillywhite declined chairman Ken Malones request to remain at the podium to field questions, opting instead to leave the meeting.

Rosado said he was as stunned as the other six commissioners at Lillywhites immediate exit and Im done response to Malone. Still, Rosado said Lillywhite did exactly what was asked of him.

The letter clearly stated that if Mark doesnt show up and make a report on the sheriffs department, the county commission would consider getting the governor involved in an attempt to remove him from office, Rosado said. Well, Mark did show up. Mark did give a report. And the commission still decided to pursue action from the governor.

Rosado, a first-year commissioner whose jurisdiction covers Constantine, Mottville and White Pigeon townships, said he would have preferred to go into closed session and discuss the situation with the countys legal representative before making such a vote. Commissioner Dennis Allen sided with Rosados rationale but voted reluctantly with the majority of his commission peers.

One of the questions I would like answered before we take a step to send a letter to the governor is Are you planning on coming back to work? Allen said Tuesday. The last thing wed want to do is send a letter and ask for him to be replaced, and then tomorrow or three days from now he begins to show up for work. Id be happy to ask him that question.

Malone said he asked Lillywhite in March whether he planned to step down. Malone said Lillywhite confirmed at that time he would, in fact, resign.

Rosado said Thursday its his understanding that Lillywhite did, in fact, plan to return to the sheriffs office Thursday, working a shift starting around 5:30 p.m. Lillywhite did not respond to a text seeking clarification of Rosados claim.

I dont want to be misunderstood; its not that I dont think that he needs to be held accountable for his actions, what Im trying to do is protect us from liability and exposure, Rosado said during Tuesdays meeting. The letter clearly states a statute that requires him to come here and report on the performance of the duties of (the sheriff). It does not require him to come here and explain to us why he is doing what he is doing.

Rosado reiterated Lillywhite did what was asked of him. Following through on pursuing Whitmers intervention should have been discussed with legal representation in closed session first, he said.

Commissioner Rick Shaffer said he appreciates Rosados caution. However, Shaffer said he would rather not wait until the commissions September meeting to conduct such a closed section. Outside of a special meeting within two weeks, Shaffer stood by his second to the motion.

As matters stood Tuesday evening, the letter to Whitmer would be drafted by the countys legal representatives and sent before the end of the month.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Commissioner Rosado explains no vote on starting process to remove sheriff from office
A group marches Saturday from Frontline Church to Kaiser's Grateful Bean for a reenactment of a sit-in commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Oklahoma City civil rights movement hosted by the Clara Luper Legacy Committee in Oklahoma City.

There were jokes about having to get up so early on the weekend as dozens gathered to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Oklahoma City sit-in movement led by local civil rights pioneer Clara Luper .

But the group was reminded that the children involved in the original movement gave up their Saturday mornings, too.

"Today symbolizes the hopes and dreams of the hundreds of young people that gave their Saturday mornings, every single morning," said Marilyn Luper Hildreth, Luper's daughter and one of the original 13 sit-in participants. "Instead of looking at cartoons, we were out on the streets of Oklahoma City."

More: 65 years after OKC's sit-in, Clara Luper's 'radical love' still reverberates today

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Luper and 13 of her students staged their first sit-in protest against segregation at Katz Drug Store on Aug. 19, 1958, where they asked for cokes. They returned to Katz day after day, until the restaurant declared it would no longer hold to segregation. This launched a six-year movement in Oklahoma City that successfully desegregated many restaurants and businesses.

Saturday's crowd gathered at Frontline Church, 1104 N Robinson, to hear from Hildreth, fellow sit-in participant Joyce Henderson and Clara Luper Legacy Committee member Jabee Williams.

Living History: 65 years after Clara Luper led OKC's sit-in, participants carry the torch

Hearkening back to the ritual that would take place before each sit-in, Henderson led the group through civil rights anthems like "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round," "Woke Up This Morning (With My Mind Stayed On Freedom)," and "We Shall Overcome."

Afterward, the original sit-in participants led a march to Kaiser's Grateful Bean Cafe at 1039 N Walker, where a group of children sat at the counter to represent the children who did so 65 years ago at Katz Drug Store.

Members of the original 1958 sit-in join a group in a reenactment Saturday at Kaiser's Grateful Bean.

OKC mayor: 'It's OK to study your history' and 'it's okay to feel bad about it'

Before the march to Kaiser's, Hildreth called Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt on the stage at Frontline Church, calling him her "favorite mayor," and "my governor," to which the crowd erupted in laughter and applause.

Holt reflected on how the story of Luper and the Oklahoma City civil rights movement has been told more broadly across the city over the last five years, and how it's important for people to learn from past generations' mistakes.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt holds hands with participants Saturday during a reenactment of the sit-in on Aug. 19, 1958, at Katz Drug Store. The reenactment was held at Kaiser's Grateful Bean to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Oklahoma City civil rights movement.

In a time where Oklahoma schools are limited by law on what they can teach regarding race and gender, Holt took a stand for Oklahoma City's desire to teach its true civil rights history, no matter how painful.

"It's OK to study your history," Holt said, evoking more applause and cheers. "And it's OK to feel bad about it. Not in a guilty way. I wasn't alive in 1958. And it's OK for me to say, 'What am I doing today to make sure that never happens again?' That's what we do in Oklahoma City, no matter what anybody else tells us to do."

The story of the Oklahoma City sit-in movement

Children from the NAACP Youth Council took part in sit-ins in 1958 to desegregate the Katz Drug Store lunch counter in downtown Oklahoma City. The late civil rights activist and teacher Clara Luper organized the Youth Council and served as adviser.

Luper helped organize the NAACP Youth Council in the 1950s and was its active adviser for 50 years. She participated in several marches with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and her shared advocacy for nonviolent resistance to segregation was considered key to the success of the OKC sit-ins.

In 1958, Luper had recently returned from a trip across the country where a group of her students performed her play "Brother President" about King in New York City.

On the way to New York, the travelers took a northern route where they experienced eating in desegregated restaurants for the first time. Back home, they were only allowed to eat from restaurants take-out style.

"For the first time in our lives, we had the opportunity to go into a restaurant, sit down and eat like normal people, and not out of a brown paper sack," Hildreth told The Oklahoman in 2021. "When we got back to Oklahoma City, we decided enough is enough."

A group marches Saturday during an observance of the 65th anniversary of the Oklahoma City civil rights movement.

Luper and her students gathered at Calvary Baptist Church before the first sit-in on Aug. 19, 1958, and for many days after that. She would use the time to teach the students about the practice of nonviolent protesting and would sing songs to help them endure whatever insults and physical abuse would come their way.

"If somebody pushed you at the back of your head or somebody tried to push you over, if somebody poured something on you, (we were told) to turn the other cheek," sit-in participant Joyce Jackson told The Oklahoman in 2021.

As the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington approaches  having taken place Aug. 28, 1963  sit-in participant Joyce Henderson recalled attending the march with Luper and others when she was 16.

"When she said we were going to the March on Washington, I'm thinking, 'We're going to march on Washington,'" Henderson said. "To find out once we got there, the thousands of people who marched on Washington ... I discovered not only did we have issues in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma, but the whole United States wanted equality for everybody. Not just for one race of people, but for everybody regardless of race, creed or color."

Granddaughter of sit-in participant draws strength from the stories

Danielle Pullen participates Saturday in a reenactment that included a march from Frontline Church and a sit-in at Kaiser's Grateful Bean during the observation of the 65th anniversary of the Oklahoma City civil rights movement.

Danielle Pullen proudly carried her neon blue poster in Saturday's march with the words "I walk because my grandmother was courageously there."

Pullen's grandmother, Carolyn Griffin Littlejohn, joined the movement in the days following the first Katz Drug Store sit-in.

Although she has grown up without segregation, thanks to brave people like her grandmother, there have been times throughout her life where Pullen has felt alone and had to speak up for herself.

It's in those times she is able to draw strength and inspiration from what her grandmother and so many others did.

"Whether it was based on the color of my skin or my gender, or whatever my intersectional identity was, it really gave me a strength to always stand up for what was right and always get into good trouble," Pullen said. "Like never be too afraid to, not disrespect authority, but stand up to authority if I knew something was wrong."

Clara Luper, Oklahoma educator and civil rights activist, appears in a 1988 photo.

Pullen recently became the director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Oklahoma City University, where Luper was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2006 and where underrepresented students are given full scholarships in her name.

She said she's proud to work at a school that so visibly honors Luper's legacy, and hopes to be a voice for others to learn about her.

"It's really been really great to see that her memory is living on ... I just want to keep on doing that," Pullen said.

College students hoping to carry on Luper's legacy

Two students Pullen has come to know through Oklahoma City University were present for the reenactment, including Clara Luper Scholar and 2023 graduate BreAuna Shaw.

Shaw, 22, said she owed the scholarship credit for allowing her to graduate in four years debt-free and look forward to attending law school, as well as forever connecting her with Luper's story and family.

"More people are learning about her and her legacy," Shaw said. "And I'm just happy that I can always be connected to it. Clara Luper cared so much about education, and because of her I was able to accomplish these goals."

The Clara Luper Scholarship aims to provide a private education to "deserving students from diverse backgrounds who demonstrate financial need," according to OCU's website.

Kel Pinkston, 20, is an American Indian Scholar at OCU and was also at Saturday's march and reenactment.

Pinkston said he recently reinstated the university's NAACP chapter and hopes to connect minority students with advocacy initiatives throughout the city.

Being at Saturday's event was a reminder that the history being celebrated was "not so long ago," Pinkston said.

"When you still have people living, historical figures in my eyes, living, able to tell the stories accurately, it speaks volumes," Pinkston said. "And when they encourage you to take on the torch that they've passed, and walk the path that they've paved, it tells you that there's still more work that needs to be done."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC remembers Clara Luper through sit-in reenactment 65 years later
Whether or not build-to-rent communities should be required to obtain a certificate of an assured water supply before being built was discussed Tuesday afternoon by the state's Assured Water Supply Committee.

Under current state law, developers in cities that don't have a 100-year assured water supply designation must get a 100-year assured water supply certificate from the Arizona Department of Water Resources before moving forward with construction plans. Valley cities that don't currently have such a designation include Buckeye and Queen Creek.

But the rules don't apply if the developer is building a rental. Because the assured water supply program is tied to the definition of a subdivision, meaning only developments that have six or more lots must have the certificate. Typically, single-family homes are each built and sold on a separate lot, while an apartment building is usually on one single lot. However, build-to-rent homes are also built on one lot, leading to what some experts are calling a loophole in the state's groundwater law.

On the rise: How do rental homes fit into Buckeye's housing future? Water law loophole could bring more

How do rentals impact the housing market?

The Assured Water Supply Committee was formed by Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year to update the state's Assured Water Supply program and look into new policies. Ben Alteneder, chief legislative liaison for ADWR, said that continued development without the assured water supply negatively impacts the image of Arizona's ability to manage its water supply, as well as putting homeowners at risk.

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Stuart Goodman, a lobbyist representing the National Rental Home Council, said despite the loophole, the market has driven the increase in build-to-rent developments. People may choose to rent a home instead of purchasing because they cannot afford it or simply don't want to deal with the maintenance that comes with owning a home.

Spencer Kamps, vice president of legislative affairs for the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, said the state's economy is suffering after Hobbs released the new groundwater model earlier this year, resulting in some land prices decreasing and some housing projects being stalled. Instead of getting rid of a more affordable housing option for many, Kamps said the focus should be making purchasing a home more accessible, with the problem already exacerbated by the state's housing shortage.

"I recommend we take a pause on this until we find solutions to put for-sale housing into options for buyers outside designated providers," Kamps said.

Slowdown: Arizona will halt new home approvals in parts of metro Phoenix as water supplies tighten

State Rep. Gail Griffin, who represents District 19, sponsored House Bill 2445 earlier this year. Although the bill ultimately failed when it got to the Senate, it would have prevented leases of one year or less from being exempt from the definition of a subdivision, effectively broadening who must obtain a 100-year assured water certificate.

Rep. Gail Griffin listens to legislation at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix on March 21, 2023.

Griffin said there is also an issue when it comes to fairness. Build-to-rent homes look just like a subdivision but currently are not subject to the same requirements when it comes to paying fees. Currently, subdivision developers are subject to fees to the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District to pay for Colorado River water to replenish used groundwater. Because rental developments do not need a certificate of 100-year assured water supply, they don't have to pay those fees.

State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, who represents District 18, said her hope is to continue the conversation about subdivisions and build-to-rent homes during the next legislative session. The Assured Water Supply Committee, which is a part of the Governor's Water Policy Council, will be submitting recommendations before the end of the year.

Sundareshan thanked the National Rental Home Council for seeking parity, which refers to build-to-rent communities being treated the same way as for-sale houses.

State Sen. Priya Sundareshan speaks during an open session on March 20, 2023, at the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix.

"I do think this comes down to the ultimate consumer protection principle that we're trying to keep here with assured water supply," Sundareshan said.

While Sundareshan said she understands and cares about housing issues within the state, she doesn't think sacrificing consumer protection in the short term and leaving people without an assured water supply will be a long-term solution to the state's housing issues.

Kamps said the 100-year requirement initially came about as a sort of consumer protection for people making significant investments on houses. But that same protection shouldn't be required for those who are renting, Kamps said.

Who has access to groundwater?

Phoenix's water resources management advisor Cynthia Campbell said the investment is threatened, however, if build-to-rent communities are accessing groundwater that has already been allocated for subdivisions. Earlier this year, Hobbs released a report essentially stating that all groundwater in the Phoenix Active Management Area has been allocated.

After the meeting, Campbell clarified that sub-developments won't get their certificate taken away  Campbell was referring to the physical availability of the groundwater. At the end of the day, the certificate is a piece of paper, said Campbell. As long as there are some developments that have to prove 100 years of water availability and some that don't, but still have access to the same water, there are two different systems happening at the same time.

That raises the question of how much consumer protection is really being provided, Campbell said. While the water is here right now, the question is whether it will be there in 100 years.

Campbell added that's not to say Arizona is running out of water. The state has a proactive outlook on water, and the Governor's Water Policy Council is a continuation of that, Campbell said.

While the discussion is still in the early stages, several cities could be impacted if the definition of a subdivision is eventually altered. Buckeye, for example, might see an influx of build-to-rent communities and the city currently doesn't have a designation of 100-year assured water supply.

Concerns grow: Buckeye, Queen Creek officials try to calm public after Arizona limits new home construction

The city released a statement to The Arizona Republic that said that the application of the Assured Water Supply Program to build-to-rent communities could "detrimentally affect" the city, with a further negative impact on the Valley and state.

The growing city is dedicated to providing diverse housing options, and the action would provide another roadblock to the affordable housing issue, the statement said.

"In our pursuit of providing affordable housing choices for our residents, we are actively striving to comply with ADWR's stipulations to attain designated status and secure control over our water future. However, the cities most impacted by the decisions made by the Assured Water Supply Committee still dont have a seat at the table. While valuing the Committee's efforts, it is not representative of all the municipalities in the Phoenix AMA."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Could some AZ rentals require 100-year water supply certificate?
Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan is one of 30 unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators accused by a Georgia grand jury of aiding former President Donald Trump in trying to overturn the 2020 election, an analysis of court records shows.

Conduct attributed to "Individual 25" in the sweeping criminal indictment of Trump and 18 of his closest allies matches Logan's testimony in another elections case about his activities Georgia down to the dates, times and locations.

In a 2022 deposition obtained by The Arizona Republic, Logan describes accessing Georgia election data on multiple occasions before getting special access to inspect equipment at a rural county elections office.

Logan, who is best known for leading the Arizona Senate's discredited "audit" of Maricopa County's 2020 election results, was not charged with a crime in Georgia. But his testimony and other records make clear he is "Individual 25" referenced in the indictment brought Monday by the Fulton County district attorney.

Presenters of the report on the election audit, from left, Ben Cotton, the founder of CyFIR, Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas and Randy Pullen, the audit spokesman, look on before the start of the presentation to the Arizona State Senate in the Senate chambers of the Arizona Capitol in Phoenix on Sept. 24, 2021.

The indictment outlines an alleged conspiracy to keep Trump in office that played out in Arizona and Michigan the same way it did in Georgia.

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Conspirators solicited and harassed high-ranking state officials, created fake documents to cast false elector votes, unlawfully breached election equipment, intimidated election workers and tried to convince U.S. Department of Justice officials to claim the election was corrupt, the 98-page indictment states.

Logan already was part of a team enlisted by Trump lawyers to access voting equipment and data in Michigan when he traveled to Georgia, according to his testimony in an election-related lawsuit separate from the indictment.

And the same lawyers, analysts and others he testified to working with in those states would become active participants in the Arizona "audit," text messages obtained by The Republic through a public records lawsuit show.

The Georgia grand jury indictment alleges Individual 25 "unlawfully accessed certain data copied from Dominion Voting Systems equipment at the Coffee County Board of Elections Registration Office" at least three times, on Jan. 9, 11 and 13, 2021.

It also alleges that on Jan. 18, 2021, former Coffee County Elections Director Misty Hampton gave Individual 25 and another unindicted co-conspirator listed as Individual 29 access to nonpublic areas of the elections office and to the voting equipment.

"This was an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy," the indictment alleged.

Logan did not respond to a request for an interview Friday.

In a November deposition for the elections lawsuit, Logan confirmed accessing the Coffee County data on the same dates listed in the indictment: He created file folders and remotely downloaded information on the 9th; he deleted a broken file and uploaded a new version of it on the 11th.

He also acknowledged leaving his business card at the Coffee County elections office on Jan. 18, 2021. "It was probably me. I don't remember doing that, but it was probably me," he said in the deposition.

Logan testified that he initially accessed the Coffee County data remotely on Jan. 9, 2021, via a server maintained by a cybersecurity firm called SullivanStrickler, which Trump's attorneys had hired to analyze voting machines around the country.

The data was collected days earlier by Trump operatives invited to Coffee County by Republican elections officials who had raised concerns about the potential rigging of voting machines.

Logan said he and an analyst named Jeff Lenberg later drove to the elections office, where they met with Hampton and inspected the machines.

"And she was just looking for answers," Logan told lawyers. "I mean, I wouldn't say she wanted us to specifically look into. You know, she was looking for answers on things. And so we answered questions as best we could, and we said  you know, Jeff came up with a way to  to assess the system. He suggested that it should be done as a way to validate if what she said was real or not."

Video surveillance footage obtained by CNN in September showed Logan and Lenberg arriving at the election office on Jan. 18, 2021, the date in the Georgia indictment associated with Individual 25. They were welcomed by another Coffee County elections official who held the door open for them. CNN reported nobody else was given access to the office that day.

Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan (right) talks with others on the coliseum floor as Maricopa County ballots from the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors hired by the Arizona Senate in an audit at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on May 24, 2021. Cyber Ninjas is the contracting firm hired to handle the audit.

Logan: Plan was 'to not touch anything'

Logan in his deposition described what he did with the data. He denied touching any voting equipment, saying he and Lenberg agreed from the outset that was a "bad idea."

"We thought it was better to stick to the plan to not touch anything and just leave that to  to really what the experts are. Because I'm not a forensics person," he said. "If there  if we had captured anything at that time or touched anything at that time, it would be very difficult to defend any of that in court, because it's not my expertise, it's not my background, it's not my certifications."

Logan said most of his work with the Coffee County data occurred off-site, from information already copied onto the SullivanStrickler server. He said he didn't remember specifically what he did with the data but acknowledged analyzing event logs and using a "virtual machine" to duplicate the functions of a real machine.

Logan was deposed as part of a long-running case known as Curling v. Raffensperger that was brought by voting rights organizations concerned about vulnerabilities in Georgia's election system.

Plaintiffs in December sent a letter to the FBI and other federal authorities warning it had information Trump lawyers had breached election equipment in Coffee County.

The plaintiffs said emails, contracts and other documentation obtained through discovery showed Trump lawyer Sidney Powell hired technicians, including Logan, to "unlawfully access, copy, analyze and distribute copies of election software in the aftermath of the 2020 election."

Logan testified that he believed they had permission to access the data or he wouldn't have done it. Still, he was told to keep mum about his work in Coffee County, he said.

"I mean, it wasn't trying to be a secret, as in anything wrong was done there," he said. "But I was told that  to  that this  that they didn't want it talked about until whatever legal action they had was in place."

Georgia, Michigan data helped Logan with Arizona 'audit'

Logan in his deposition acknowledged the Dominion voting machine data he captured in Coffee County would help him with the Arizona "audit."

But he bristled when asked if he was "using the data that you captured from Coffee County to assist in your analysis of the system in Arizona?"

"That's not what I said," he replied, then added:

"I  I don't recall any of the specifics about  in here. But that's  would definitely be why I was concerned on, what was that, April 12, which the  the audit I believe started  we arrived on site around April 19, if I remember correctly. So I would have been very concerned with how to capture forensic images of ICP devices to capture and do analyses and plans."

ICP likely refers to Internet computer protocol, which is used to connect one data center to another.

Logan said the voting machines in Michigan, Georgia and Arizona were remarkably similar.

"They're substantially similar, the software across the board ... that means those things are virtually identical except for small differences," he said. "And this is  I can tell you that, you know, from observing and seeing the way the software works and different stuff, there's no visual discernible difference between them."

Georgia was just one stop in Logan's election-machine data discovery mission that would take him first to Michigan then to Georgia and back to Michigan and finally Arizona.

Court records and text messages detail how the same people in Coffee County were involved in data breaches in Michigan and the Arizona "audit," where election data was secretly transported to Montana. They all had ties to Logan.

His deposition and texts cement Logan's involvement in a coordinated plot with Trump allies to overturn election results in several swing states when the Arizona Senate tapped him to lead the recount of 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County.

Others involved in data breaches tied to Cyber Ninjas recount

Logan testified that in December 2020 he was enlisted by a Trump lawyer in Michigan to analyze data from election machines in Antrim County. The same lawyer, Stefanie Lambert, hired him again in March to disassemble five voting machines from three more Michigan counties, he said.

A Michigan grand jury indicted Lambert, who was arraigned Aug. 3 on multiple charges including "undue possession" of a voting machine as part of a conspiracy to flip the state for Trump.

Former Michigan attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, who was endorsed by Trump, and ex-state Rep. Daire Rendon, both Republicans, also were charged. All pleaded not guilty and say the investigation is politically motivated.

Michigan authorities in 2022 named Logan as one of six other co-conspirators in the plot.

They said Logan and Arizona "audit" subcontractor Ben Cotton, the president of a Virginia-based cybersecurity firm called CyFIR, were involved in taking apart voting machines while holed up at a Detroit-area hotel room in April 2021  the same month the ballot review started in Maricopa County.

Neither Logan nor Cotton was charged in the case.

Cyber Ninjas CEO and audit leader Doug Logan (from left), Senate liason Ken Bennett, and auditor and founder of CyFIR Ben Cotton testify at the Senate hearing on the progress of the election audit in Maricopa County at the Arizona Senate in Phoenix on July 15, 2021.

Cotton is a Trump supporter who at the height of the ballot recount took copies of Maricopa County's election data and its server to a remote cabin in Montana that Cotton has described as both a laboratory and his home.

Cotton also worked for Lambert to analyze the Coffee County election data, according to his own deposition in the Curling case.

He told lawyers Lambert retained him to serve as an expert witness about Dominion voting machines and tasked him with analyzing the Coffee County data. Among Cotton's jobs: forensic imaging of hard drives.

Cotton also described meeting with Coffee County election director Misty Hampton. Not in Georgia, but at dinner in Detroit in April 2021. He said Lambert introduced them. He called it a "social setting."

Hampton, who is one of the 19 people indicted by the Georgia grand jury, was forced to resign from her job in February 2021. Cotton said he was aware that Hampton had hired Lambert to represent her. He said they didn't talk about voting data.

Hampton also shows up in text messages Logan exchanged with Trump allies during the Arizona "audit." One came from retired Army Col. Phil Waldron, who was part of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani's team and helped to get Logan hired by the Arizona Senate.

"?? Misty from coffee co is getting hammered like Tina in Mesa Co. Do you have a copy of the image? We need to get it to our lawyer  Bundren  ASAP for her defense," Waldron texted Logan on Sept. 22, 2021.

Waldron sent multiple texts within seconds of each other, but the rest are redacted. Logan's response is also missing.

"I told him I wasn't giving it to him," Logan said in his deposition, referring to a string of texts about Hampton that he has not turned over to The Republic. "And I told him, no, I'm not going to just give data to a random person because they asked me. That's not what you do with data."

Logan hiding texts with indicted Michigan lawyer

Logan has redacted and withheld thousands of text messages in defiance of multiple court orders and a $50,000-per-day contempt fine to turn over all "audit"-related communications as part of The Republic's 2021 lawsuit.

Those include more than 1,600 texts he exchanged with Lambert. Although Lambert had no official role in the audit and was not Logan's lawyer, he claims most of his messages with her are protected by attorney-client privilege because she hired him as an expert witness on the Georgia and Michigan cases.

Logan exchanged more texts with Lambert  about 2,400  than with any other person he messaged during the audit. The two went back and forth almost daily, often dozens of times.

Unredacted texts show they discussed their Michigan election data, the Department of Justice investigation, "audit" fundraising and Dominion voting machines. Logan also bragged about his reach into the Arizona Senate, telling Lambert he could direct state lawmakers to do his bidding on claims of election fraud.

Text messages show Logan couldn't make sense of his own data and ultimately had no way to quantify results of the Arizona hand count. In a series of messages, Logan said "our numbers are screwy" and that he would be satisfied so long as the count was right "most of the time."

That meant the work of hundreds of volunteers, who spent two months sitting at counting tables inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix reviewing ballots and recording individual votes with tick marks onto more than 70,000 tally sheets, was worthless.

Logan's review was supposed to take a few weeks and cost taxpayers $150,000. It ultimately took more than five months and so far has cost Arizona taxpayers more than $5 million.

Former Senate President Karen Fann hired the Cyber Ninjas after privately communicating with Waldron. Although neither Logan nor his company had election auditing experience, Fann at the time said he was "well qualified" and "well experienced."

While Logan confirmed President Joe Biden's victory in Arizona, his report to the Senate focused on so-called anomalies that raised doubts about the process. It allowed Trump allies to insist the vote was compromised, instilling distrust in voting machines and encouraging partisan calls for paper ballot tabulations, hand recounts and "audits."

The Arizona Attorney General's Office announced in July that it had launched its own probe into a range of Republican-led efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

That includes two slates of fake electors who falsely certified the state's electoral votes should go to Trump and the Cyber Ninjas "audit," the only privately run recount of ballots in America.

Attorney General Kris Mayes, at an Aug. 16 news conference, asked for patience.

"I understand why folks want to know what is happening in our investigation. That's a natural desire, given what just happened in Georgia and Michigan," Mayes said. "But we are doing a thorough and professional investigation. And we're going to do it on our timetable as justice demands."

Arizona Republic reporter Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.

Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on X (the site formerly known as Twitter) @robertanglen.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Doug Logan is 'Individual 25' in Georgia's Trump case, records show
People pay respect at a memorial tribute of flowers, messages and candles to the victims on Barcelona on August 19, 2017, two days after a van plowed into the crowd, killing 14 persons and injuring over 100. Another two victims died in later attacks. File Photo by Angel Garcia/UPI

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1807, Robert Fulton began the first American steamboat trip between Albany, N.Y., and New York City.

In 1915, a hurricane struck Galveston, Texas, killing 275 people.

In 1946, George Orwell publishes Animal Farm.

In 1969, the Woodstock music festival ended after three days on a 600-acre farm in Bethel, N.Y.

H. Ross Perot attends the dedication ceremony for the new U.S. Air Force Memorial October 14, 2006, in Arlington, Va. On August 17, 1996, the Reform Party nominated Texas businessman Ross Perot for president. File Photo by Chip Somodevilla/UPI

File Photo by Mark Goff/Wikipedia

In 1978, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, landing their helium-filled Double Eagle II near Paris.

On August 17, 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000. UPI File Photo

In 1987, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's former deputy, was found strangled in Berlin's Spandau Prison. He was 93.

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In 1996, the Reform Party nominated Texas businessman Ross Perot for president. He would go on to lose the 1996 general election with 18.9 percent of the popular vote and zero electoral votes. President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, won with 43 percent of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes. Republican George H.W. Bush lost his re-election bid with 37.4 percent of the popular vote and 168 electoral votes.

On August 17, 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he had a relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was "not appropriate." File Photo courtesy of the White House

File Photo by Chip Somodevilla/UPI

In 1998, addressing the American people, U.S. President Bill Clinton said he had a relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was "not appropriate."

Members of the U.S. Coast Guard head into the water with their flat-bottom boats to assist locals during the flooding in Baton Rouge, La., on August 14, 2016. On August 17, 2016, the flooding had killed 13 people, and left thousands of people in shelters and seeking aid. File Photo by Brandon Giles/U.S. Coast Guard/UPI

In 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000.

In 2017, a man drove a van into a group of pedestrians in Barcelona, Spain, killing 14 people and injuring another 130 people. The driver killed a 15th person in a carjacking while fleeing the scene. In a related attack hours later, a group of terrorists drove into more civilians, killing a 16th person. All told, eight attackers were also killed.

In 2019, an explosion at a Kabul, Afghanistan, wedding hall killed at least 63 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.

File Photo by Jawad Jalali/EPA-EFE
Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Mastercard's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

A total of 19 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership

Ownership research along with analyst forecasts data help provide a good understanding of opportunities in a stock

If you want to know who really controls Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 88% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Since institutional have access to huge amounts of capital, their market moves tend to receive a lot of scrutiny by retail or individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Mastercard.

Check out our latest analysis for Mastercard

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Mastercard?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Mastercard. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Mastercard's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Mastercard. The MasterCard Foundation, Endowment Arm is currently the largest shareholder, with 10% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.9% and 7.0%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

Story continues

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 19 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are 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 Mastercard

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Mastercard Incorporated in their own names. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own US$394m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 12% stake in Mastercard. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Mastercard that you should be aware of before investing here.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
When it came to growing and promoting his aerial firefighting company, Montana businessman Tim Sheehy was, for years, outspoken about the need to combat global climate change, even publicly supporting a major initiative to curb emissions and invest in climate resilience.

But since launching his Republican bid for Senate in June, Sheehy has toed the party line on climate, railing against what he calls the climate cult and the disastrous socialist Green New Deal.

On one hand, his sudden shift is unsurprising, given hes seeking the Republican nomination in an increasingly deep-red state. Heres how Montana writer James Conner recently summarized the political landscape: This is what a candidate does to prepare for a Republican primary. Acknowledging that the globe is warming wont hurt him in a general election, but it will in a primary.

On the other hand, it is a shameless display of opportunism and partisan rhetoric that comes as the nation suffers rapidly worsening climate impacts  and as Sheehys company, Bridger Aerospace, continues to tout itself as a leader in the fight against planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.

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Sheehy and his campaign did not respond to HuffPosts request for comment by press time.

A decorated former Navy SEAL, Sheehy is campaigning for a chance to take on Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) in 2024. He is widely expected to face far-right Rep. Matt Rosedale (R-Mont.) in the Republican primary, although Rosedale has not officially announced his candidacy.

Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace, pauses during a tour of the company's facility on Aug. 30, 2022, in Belgrade, Montana. Sheehy announced in June that he'll seek the 2024 GOP nomination to challenge Montana's Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

Tim Sheehy, founder and CEO of Bridger Aerospace, pauses during a tour of the company's facility on Aug. 30, 2022, in Belgrade, Montana. Sheehy announced in June that he'll seek the 2024 GOP nomination to challenge Montana's Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

Sheehy founded Bridger Aerospace in 2014 after retiring from the military. The company has grown exponentially in recent years, with a fleet of 28 aircraft, including several water scoopers, that have assisted in battling fires across the Western U.S. and parts of Canada. In 2022, the company raked in more than $46 million in revenue  96% of which came from federal contracts, according to company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sheehy earned nearly $5 million in salary and bonuses as the companys CEO last year and owns company stock that as of Friday was valued at $83 million.

Sheehy has continued to serve as Bridgers chief executive officer since launching his Senate bid, and campaign advertisements have prominently featured the companys aircraft. If elected to the Senate, he would have oversight over the same federal agencies that have bankrolled his business. All of this has raised conflict of interest questions, as Bloomberg and NBC News have reported.

Climate change has been a major part of Bridger Aerospaces marketing and business strategy.

In a presentation to investors this month, the company boasted that its mission is to directly attack CO2 emissions to combat climate change. One slide includes a graphic detailing the vicious cycle between increasingly catastrophic wildfires, carbon pollution and planetary warming. Another notes that climate change has elongated the active northern hemisphere fire season.

In a separate presentation this month about its second-quarter earnings, Bridger wrote that demand for aerial firefighting continues to grow driven by climate change, population moving to wildfire prone areas and shift from ground to air-based suppression.

A Bridger filing with the SEC for the 2022 fiscal year features the word climate dozens of times, mostly in the context of how climate change could impact the companys future business.

We are not able to accurately predict the materiality of any potential losses or costs associated with the physical effects of climate change, it reads. We believe that rising global temperatures have been, and in the future are expected to be, one factor contributing to increasing rates and severity of wildfires. Climate change and global temperatures are impacted my [sic] many variables, however, and cannot be predicted with certainty.

One of Bridger Aerospace's aircraft, known as a

One of Bridger Aerospace's aircraft, known as a "super scooper," battles the Hermits Peak and Calf Canyon Fires in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico in April 2022.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chair of the powerful National Republican Senatorial Committee, is among several Republicans who have endorsed Sheehy, citing his experience as a combat veteran, successful businessman and job creator.

But what Daines and others arent talking about is how the Republican hopeful made his fortune helping confront a crisis that the GOP has for decades denied and downplayed while working to boost the production of planet-warming fossil fuels.

Sheehy also seems to be distancing himself from that legacy. Sometime before Sheehy announced his Senate bid, Bridger scrubbed climate language from its website, including a line about the company fighting on the front lines of climate change, ABC News reported last month.

A spokesperson for Sheehy told ABC at the time that it was nothing more than a routine website update.

Yet his rhetoric on the campaign trail would suggest otherwise.

Sheehys campaign website features an issues page that is chock-full of favorite Republican talking points. In a section on forest management, Sheehy touts having created 200 jobs in the aerial firefighting sector before railing against both the federal government  his companys biggest client  and radical environmentalists.

I have a unique perspective on what the federal government is failing to address when it comes to tackling wildfiresthey need to let Montana start managing our federal lands, the website reads, seemingly flirting with a full embrace of the unpopular movement to transfer control of federal lands to states. We also need to stand strong against the radical environmentalists who are suing and shutting down timber projects with frivolous litigation. If we can responsibly manage our forests, we can harvest timber, create high-paying jobs, and reduce the threat of wildfires.

Another section of the website, on the economy and energy, notes that the U.S. must take a strong stand against the disastrous socialist Green New Deal that would destroy Montanas economy and jobs and devastate our communities.

Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and successful Montana businessman, announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in June.

Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and successful Montana businessman, announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in June.

But as recently as two years ago, Sheehy publicly supported major climate initiatives, including a blue state legislative package with provisions that mirror aspects of the Green New Deal, a progressive set of guiding principles to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience.

In March 2021, a few weeks after President Joe Biden reentered the United States into the Paris climate accord, Sheehy published an op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune applauding a newly formed, bipartisan wildfire caucus in Congress. In it, he called for global cooperation to fight climate change.

There are several explanations for the proliferation and escalating damage of wildfires, and addressing those causes requires renewed attention of local, state and federal governments and  when it comes to climate change  international cooperation, Sheehy wrote.

Several months later, Sheehy appeared on CBS News to discuss the growing threat of wildfires in the West and a $15 billion climate package that California had recently passed into law. In the interview, he discussed the many complex factors driving extreme fire, including climate change and decades of fire suppression that have left forests choked in excess fuels.

Ultimately what hes doing is finally bringing the necessary legislative and government focus to the wildland fire issue, which has been plaguing the U.S. for decades, Sheehy said of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. And how weve addressed it has really been antiquated and an incremental approach that is underfunded, under-resourced, undermanned, and put the entire situation into a category where were always reacting to the fires instead of being prepared for them ahead of time.

Its great to see at least one of our state leaders now stepping up and providing the proper amount of funding and resources to address the issue, he added.

The California climate package that impressed Sheehy so much contained billions for wildfire, forest and drought resilience. But it also funded Green New Deal-esque initiatives that have become a target of the GOPs environmental culture wars, including $3.9 billion for electric vehicle investments and grants for environmental justice projects.

In the weeks since announcing his Senate campaign, Sheehys rhetoric has only grown increasingly partisan and bizarre. In an interview with Fox News last month, he called American fossil fuels the cleanest form of energy known to man  a wildly inaccurate statement.

Earlier this week, a Montana judge ruled in favor of 16 youth plaintiffs who sued the state in 2020 and argued that state agencies had violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by approving fossil fuel projects without considering climate impacts. Sheehy joined Daines and other Montana Republicans in attacking the judge, the young Montana plaintiffs  his would-be constituents  and Democratic climate policies.

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.

Just not when it involves securing government contracts to confront the threat of climate-exacerbated wildfire, apparently.

Related...
In America's latest iteration of law vs. scofflaw, Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis has brought the most consequential prosecution in U.S. history. The Georgia DA's 41 count indictment against Donald Trump and 18 of his closest co-conspirators threads the infinitesimal needle between free political speech and fraud, sewing Trump's lies into a cloak of criminal enterprise beyond the protection of the Constitution.

The First Amendment protects lying politicians  Georgia law doesn't

Trump's incessant drumbeat about a stolen 2020 election, repulsive to voters who value fact over fiction, is legally challenging to parse. Under the First Amendment, politicians have the right to lie to the American public with impunity. Trump can claim that he is Jesus, that the Earth is flat, and that a chlorine enema can cure cancer; there's little the courts can do. Since 1943, the Supreme Court has protected political speech  even demonstrably false and ridiculous political speech  as the heart of the First Amendment.

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion"

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In deference to this reality, Jack Smith's federal indictment acknowledged up front that Trump "had a right, like every American, to speak publicly about the election and even to claim, falsely, that there had been outcome-determinative fraud during the election and that he had won."

Willis was not so constrained. She relied on Georgia Code Section 16-10-20, which makes it a crime to lie to any state, city or local government official in Georgia regarding any matter within their jurisdiction. It means that while Trump has gotten away with lying to his MAGA devotees for years, he broke the law when he lied to state and federal officials to try to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia.

"It's tough to own any of this when it's all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership."

The Georgia indictment cites 162 separate acts by Trump and his co-conspirators, including false statements, impersonating a public officer, and forgery, and weaves them into criminal racketeering charges under Georgia's RICO statute, which is broader than the federal RICO law. It alleges that Trump conspired to convince Georgia election officials that fraud had occurred, despite a lack of credible evidence and consistent judicial rulings to the contrary. It describes Trump's recorded call urging Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's Republican secretary of state, to "find" nearly 12,000 non-existent votes, vaguely threatening Raffensperger if he did not.

Trump's "overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy" to overturn the presidential vote in Georgia began on November 4, 2020, when Trump made a nationally televised speech falsely declaring victory. That lie quickly metastasized into varied iterations, including a pressure campaign on state and local officials to violate their oaths of office. It included transmitting false elector votes and forged elector certificates to state and federal officials; accusing low-level Georgia election workers of ballot stuffing; and trying to intimidate an election worker into falsely confessing to election crimes she did not commit.

Trying to explain how Trump's stolen election litigation resulted in massive losses (61 cases, at last count), one Trump advisor commented, "It's tough to own any of this when it's all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership."

The sweet poetry of watching a woman take down a misogynist

Trump, who bragged in 2005 about assaulting women's genitalia and then dismissed his comments as locker room talk, was found guilty of the same in 2023 by a jury of his peers. Aside from his vitriolic attacks on female politicians and professionals, he likes to brag that he personally "killed Roe v. Wade." He campaigned on eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion, promising to appoint pro-life judges. Trump's Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, have tilted a political court further to the right, injuring women more than any other demographic in the process.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

As red states are now free to force pregnancy and birth on half the population, women have lost agency over their own bodies, are left unable to plan their own families or careers and are reduced to second-class status. How gratifying it is, then, to see Trump taken down by a woman, as there is no federal pardon for state crimes.

Republicans have abandoned the rule of law, preferring political violence and authoritarianism over the loss of power, which makes it all the more gratifying to watch Willis rein them in. Pardon me while I swoon, but Fani Willis is no pushover. She has taken on violent gangs and is now prosecuting rapper Young Thug under the same RICO statute ensnaring Trump.

Willis leans conservative on criminal justice and her campaign for prosecutor was endorsed by the police union. She sought the death penalty for a man who murdered four women during a shooting spree that targeted Asian spas in Atlanta. She also prosecuted public school teachers in a high-profile test cheating scandal, a risky political move. When criticized for the case, Willis told her detractors to "put it in my obituary."

I think Fani's obituary is writing itself: Fani T. Willis, the woman from Georgia who took a criminal president down.

Read more

about Fani Willis' case
Ever wondered if there has been an actual hurricane in Sacramento?

Well, a letter published in a February 1938 edition of Nebraskas The Columbus Daily Telegram details how a hurricane devastated Californias capital city. The letter was penned by Bernard Cuba, a former Columbus boy who had moved to Sacramento and decided to report the weather event to his hometown newspaper.

Cuba noted that as one of the easterners he had experienced his share of extreme weather but on Feb. 9 he had watched a lovely city noted for its beautiful trees and landscape swept to pathetic shambles and leaving a scar that will remain for years to come. I watched Sacramento take a beating from a hurricane.

A quick Google search turned up no other mention of this hurricane. Strange, right?

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We reached out to the National Weather Service to find out if a hurricane had hit Sacramento in 1938.

So what actually happened?

Hurricanes in winter just dont happen, said Scott Rowe, a National Service meteorologist, when The Bee asked him about the 1938 storm.

My inclination is that because it is February it would be a winter storm, Rowe said. It would not be a hurricane. I can guarantee you it was not a tropical hurricane at that point in time in February of 1938.

The Bees 1938 article did refer to the storm as a gale, which also causes some confusion, but according to Rowe newspapers often referred to winds as gales.

Gales are under the Beaufort scale and are an old school way of referencing winds, Rowe said.

The Beaufort scale is a measure of wind speed. A gale, according to the National Weather Service is an extratropical low or an area of sustained surface of 39 to 54 miles per hour.

Reports from 1938 Sacramento hurricane

Sacramento was met with two hours of hell on Feb. 9, according the 1938 Daily Telegram article, after 11 days of consecutive rain drenched the capital city.

Winds of up to 60 miles per hour hit the capital causing trees to topple over. The scenes that Cuba described are reminiscent of the winter storms that drenched the capital earlier this year.

While Cuba took liberties in categorizing the to storm as a hurricane, he anticipated blowback from his California contemporaries. I may be sued by the California Chamber of Commerce for my relating weather conditions here, Cuba wrote. But Californians have stuck many a low blow at the Midwest farmers who have come here because of the dust storms and now I feel that I might have the right opportunity to strike back.

The Sacramento Bee also reported that the gale left three dead and caused a huge property loss.

California and hurricanes

Warm ocean water is needed to produce and sustain a hurricane, Rowe said, which makes them very different than the winter storms during Californias wet season.

Its very unusual that we get them out here so its not often we have the opportunity to discuss hurricanes, Rowe said.

While Hurricane Hilary is underway its not forecast to impact California as a hurricane, Rowe said. Currently the forecast is theres a tropical storm watch for Southern California.

Right now it is a major hurricane, Rowe said, but its still a long ways off from the coast of California.

The most Sacramento can anticipate as Hurricane Hilary approaches is a few muggy, humid days, Rowe said in a Wednesday article from The Bee.

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.
Fulton Countys sweeping indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 additional co-defendants also includes details involving 30 unindicted co-conspirators  people who Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges took part in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

Some of the co-conspirators are key Trump advisers, like Boris Epshteyn, while several others are likely Georgia officials who were the states fake electors for Donald Trump.

One of the unindicted co-conspirators who appears multiple times in the indictment is Georgias Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Willis was barred by a state judge from investigating Jones after she hosted a fundraiser last year for Jones Democratic opponent when he was a state senator running for lieutenant governor.

The 98-page document alleges the 30 unindicted co-conspirators, who are not named, constituted a criminal organization whose members and associates engaged in various related criminal activities across the 41 charges laid out in the indictment.

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Prosecutors use the co-conspirator label for people who are not charged in the indictment but nonetheless were participants in the crime, said Elie Honig, a CNN senior legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor. We do this to protect the identity and reputation of uncharged people  though they often are readily identifiable  and, at times, to turn up the pressure and try to flip them before a potential indictment drops.

CNN was able to identify some of the co-conspirators by piecing together details included in the indictment. Documents reviewed from previous reporting also provide clues, especially the reams of emails and testimony from the House January 6 Committees report released late last year.

CNN has been able to identify or narrow down nearly all of the unindicted co-conspirators:

Co-conspirator 1 is Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch

The indictment refers to Trumps speech on November 4, 2020, falsely declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election and that Individual 1 discussed a draft of that speech approximately four days earlier, on October 31, 2020.

Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference on February 28, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. - Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The January 6 committee obtained an email from Fitton sent on October 31 to Trumps assistant Molly Michael and his communications adviser Dan Scavino, which says, Please see below a draft statement as you requested.

The statement Fitton wrote also says in part, We had an election today  and I won.

Co-conspirator 3 is Boris Epshteyn, Trump political adviser

The indictment states that co-conspirator 3 appeared at the infamous November 19, 2020, press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, with Rudy Giuliani, one of the defendants in the case. Epshteyn was there.

A November 19, 2020 photo shows Trump campaign advisor Boris Epshteyn at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC. - Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images/FILE

The indictment also includes two emails between co-conspirator 3, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, two lawyers who pushed the strategy of then-Vice President Mike Pence trying to overturn the election on January 6, 2021, including one with a draft memo for options of how to proceed on January 6.

According to emails released by the January 6 committee, Epshteyn was the third person on those emails.

Co-conspirator 4 is Robert Sinners, Trumps Georgia election day operations lead

Individual 4 received an email from co-defendant David Shafer, who was then Georgias Republican Party chair, on November 20, 2020, that said Scott Graham Hall, a Georgia bail bondsman, has been looking into the election on behalf of the President at the request of David Bossie, according to the indictment.

CNN obtained court documents that show Shafer sent this email to Sinners in November 2020: Scott Hall has been looking into the election on behalf of the President at the request of David Bossie. I know him. Hall is one of the 19 defendants charged in the indictment.

The indictment notes an additional email from December 12, 2020, from Shafer to Individual 4 advising them to touch base with each of the Trump presidential elector nominees in Georgia in advance of the December 14, 2020, meeting to confirm their attendance.

CNN reporting from June 2022 reveals an email exchange between Sinners and David Shafer on December 13, 2020, 18 hours before the group of alternate electors gathered at the Georgia State Capitol.

I must ask for your complete discretion in this process, Sinners wrote. Your duties are imperative to ensure the end result  a win in Georgia for President Trump  but will be hampered unless we have complete secrecy and discretion.

Co-conspirator 5 is Bernie Kerik, former NYPD Commissioner

Keriks attorney, Tim Parlatore, confirmed to CNN that his client is the unnamed individual listed in the indictment as co-conspirator 5. The indictment refers to co-conspirator 5 taking part in several meetings with lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Arizona, states Trump was contesting after the 2020 election.

That included the meeting Kerik attended at the White House on November 25, 2020, with a group of Pennsylvania legislators, along with Trump, then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and individual 6.

Former New York Police Department Commissioner Bernie Kerik at Trump National Golf Club on June 13. - Mary Altaffer/AP

Parlatore took issue with Willis definition of co-conspirator in the case of Kerik, saying that the indictment only refers to him in the context of receiving emails and attending meetings.

Co-conspirator 6 is GOP operative Phil Waldron

The indictment says on November 25, 2020, Trump, Meadows, Giuliani, Ellis, Individuals 5 and 6 met at the White House with a group of Pennsylvania legislators.

According to the January 6 committee report, Waldron was among the visitors who were at the White House that day, along with Kerik and attorney Katherine Freiss. Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Meadows, explained that their conversation with the president touched on holding a special session of the Pennsylvania state legislature to appoint Trump electors.

The indictment also says on December 21, 2020, Sidney Powell , a defendant in the case, sent an email to Individuals 6, 21 and 22 that they were to immediately receive a copy of all data from Dominions voting systems in Michigan.

The Washington Post reported last August that the email stated Waldron was among the three people to receive the data, along with Conan Hayes and Todd Sanders.

Waldron at a hearing in front of Michigan lawmakers in December 2020. - Michigan House Oversight Committee

Waldron is the only person who was involved in both the White House meeting and received the Powell email.

Co-conspirator 8 is Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones

The indictment says Giuliani re-tweeted a post from co-conspirator 8 on December 7, 2020, calling upon Georgia voters to contact their local representatives and ask them to sign a petition for a special session to ensure every legal vote is counted. The date and content of the tweet match a tweet posted by Jones, who was at the time a state senator.

Burt Jones, Georgia's Republican Lieutenant Governor - Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images/FILE

Jones, who was elected lieutenant governor in November, appears more than a dozen times throughout the indictment as co-conspirator 8, including as a fake elector.

After the 2020 election, Jones was calling for a special session of the Georgia legislature, something Gov. Brian Kemp and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan refused to do.

On Thursday, Pete Skandalakis, the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, told CNN that he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Jones role in the states 2020 election interference case, after a judge blocked Willis from investigating him last year.

Co-conspirators 9 is former Georgia Republican Party Treasurer Joseph Brannan

The indictment lists several emails sent to co-conspirator 9 related to preparations for the fake electors who met on December 14, 2020, including an email from Chesebro to help coordinate with the other 5 contested States, to help with logistics of the electors in other States hopefully joining in casting their votes on Monday.

According to emails obtained by the January 6 committee, that email was sent to an account belong to the Georgia GOP treasurer, which at the time was Brannan.

Co-conspirator 9 is also included in the indictment as one of the 13 unindicted co-conspirators who served as fake electors.

Co-conspirators 10 and 11 are Georgia GOP officials Carolyn Fisher and Vikki Consiglio

The indictment says on December 10, 2020, Ken Chesebro sent an email to Georgia state Republican Chair David Shafer and Individuals 9, 10 and 11, with documents that were to be used by Trump electors to create fake certificates.

The January 6 committee obtained as part of its evidence an email from Chesebro sent on December 10 sent to Shafer and three other email addresses. One is for Carolyn Fisher, the former Georgia GOP first vice chair, one is for the Georgia Republican Party treasurer and one is for the Georgia GOP assistant treasurer, the role Consiglio was serving in 2020.

The email contains attachments of memos and certificates that could be used to help swap out the Biden electors with a slate of electors for Trump.

Both co-conspirators 10 and 11 also served as fake electors in Georgia.

Co-conspirators 2 and 8-19 are the fake electors

Of the 30 unindicted co-conspirators, 13 are listed as the fake electors for Donald Trump, who signed papers unlawfully falsely holding themselves out as the duly elected and qualified presidential electors from the State of Georgia, according to the indictment.

Three of the 16 Georgia fake electors were charged in the indictment: David Shafer, Shawn Still and Cathleen Alston Latham.

The other 13 fake electors, according to the fake electors certificate published by the National Archives, are Jones (co-conspirator 8), Joseph Brannan (co-conspirator 9), James Ken Carroll, Gloria Godwin, David Hanna, Mark Hennessy, Mark Amick, John Downey, Daryl Moody, Brad Carver, CB Yadav and two others who appear to be Individuals 10 and 11.

Several of the fake electors who were not charged are only listed in the indictment for their role signing on as electors for Trump, while others, like Jones, appear in other parts of the indictment as being more actively involved with the alleged conspiracy.

Co-conspirator 20 is unclear

The indictment says Individual 20 was part of a meeting at the White House on December 18, 2020, with Trump, Giuliani and Powell, known to have discussed the possibility of seizing voting machines.

The December 18 meeting featured prominently during some of the hearings from the January 6 committee. All but two of the outside advisers who attended have been named as co-defendants in the indictment already: former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne.

The meeting featured fiery exchanges between Trumps White House lawyers and his team of outside advisers, including on whether to appoint Sidney Powell as special counsel to investigate voter fraud, according to the indictment and previous details that have been disclosed about the meeting.

The outside advisers famously got into a screaming match with Trumps White House lawyers  Pat Cipollone and Eric Herschmann  at the Oval Office meeting. Cipollone and Herschmann, along with Meadows, pushed back intensely on the proposals, Cipollone and Herschmann testified to the January 6 committee.

Co-conspirators 21 and 22 are Conan Hayes and Todd Sanders

Co-conspirators 21 and 22 are Conan Hayes and Todd Sanders  who are both affiliated with Byrnes America Project, a conservative advocacy group that contributed funding to Arizonas Republican ballot audit. Hayes was a former surfer from Hawaii and Sanders has a cybersecurity background in the private sector.

The indictment says on Dec. 21, 2020, Sidney Powell sent an email to the chief operations officer of SullivanStrickler, saying that individual 6, who CNN identified as Waldron, along with individuals 21 and 22, were to immediately receive a copy of all data from Dominions voting systems in Michigan.

According to the Washington Post, Conan and Todd were the other two people listed on the email to receive the data.

Co-conspirators 23-30 are related to Coffee County voting machines

The final eight co-conspirators listed in the indictment are connected to the effort to access voting machines in Georgias Coffee County.

Co-conspirator 25 and 29 are a Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan and analyst Jeffrey Lenberg

The indictment says that Misty Hampton allowed co-conspirators 25 and 29 to access non-public areas of the Coffee County elections office on January 18, 2021. Logan and Lenberg were the two outsiders granted access to the elections office that day by Hampton, according to surveillance video previously obtained by CNN. No one else was given access to the office that day, according to a CNN review of the footage.

The indictment also notes that co-conspirator 25 downloaded Coffee County election data that SullivanStrickler then had uploaded to a separate server. Documents previously obtained by CNN show five accounts that downloaded the data  one account belongs to Logan and none of them belong to Lenberg. Still, CNN could not definitively determine who exactly downloaded the data.

Logan and his company conducted the so-called Republican audit of the 2020 ballots cast in Arizonas Maricopa County.

Co-conspirator 28 is Jim Penrose

The indictment says that co-conspirator 28 sent an e-mail to the Chief Operations Officer of SullivanStrickler LLC directing him to transmit data copied from Coffee County to co-conspirator 30 and Powell. CNN has previously reported on emails Penrose and Powell arranged upfront payment to a cyber forensics firm that sent a team to Coffee County.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNNs Kaitlan Collins, Morgan Stoviak and Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
A full field of pristinely restored stock cars, former NASCAR race winners and a competitive lineup of todays top historic stock car drivers will be on hand at Watkins Glen International for this weekends inaugural HSR Historic Stock Cars at The Glen doubleheader. Saturdays back-to-back races mark the first time that HSR has run as a support series on a full weekend of top-tier NASCAR stock car competition.

ENTRY LIST

The twilight twin-stage doubleheader is scheduled to start at 6:15pm ET Saturday before a scheduled stage break at 6:40pm. The racing resumes at 6:55pm to start the final stage that will be a 20-minute dash to the checkered flag at 7:15pm.

Former NASCAR star Joe Nemechek won the most recent HSR Historic Stock Cars race that paid tribute to NASCARs 75th Anniversary at last Aprils 45th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

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Nemechek pulled off a flag-to-flag victory in his NEMCO Motorsports 2007 No. 22 Chevrolet Silverado for the NASCAR 75 race win at The Mitty but was chased to the finish line by HSR regular Curt Vogt in his Cobra Automotive 2006 No. 38 Ford Fusion.

Vogt crossed the finish line in second place just 1.114s behind Nemechek and the two drivers resume their battle this weekend while facing another stout field of HSR Historic Stock Car competitors.

Ryan Gemmell finished second in the Sunday HSR Historic Stock Car finale at The Mitty and looks for more success this weekend at The Glen in the 2010 No. 87 Toyota Camry.

Two more entries of note at The Glen are the Ford vs. Chevy father-and-son pairing of Kenny Bupp and his son Jordan Bupp. Jordan drives his 2011 No. 88 Chevrolet Impala while his father Kenny  the oldest driver competing this weekend at a still-quick 86 years old  wheels the 2012 No. 22 Ford Fusion.

Saturdays races following HSR Stock Car practice and qualifying at The Glen on Friday afternoon.

Story originally appeared on Racer
Earlier this week, The New York Times shone a light on some of the desperation that founders are experiencing as they try and fail to secure compute power for their nascent artificial intelligence startups, thanks to the big companies (and even rich nations) racing to snatch them up. One founder reportedly said of the graphics processing units, or GPUs, that he needs for his company: "I think about [them] as a rare earth metal at this point."

According to that Times piece, founders are trying numerous measures to amass the chips, including calling in favors from friends at large equipment vendors that might have GPUs to spare, and navigating an obscure U.S. government program called Access.

At least one firm, the global investor Index Ventures, happened on an additional idea, it told the outlet. To help ensure its portfolio companies aren't hamstrung by the shortage, it struck a deal with Oracle to provide its founders with some of these sought-after chips (specifically Nvidias H100 chips and Nvidia's A100 chips).

To learn more about the arrangement -- one that other venture firms are undoubtedly trying to replicate -- we talked earlier today with Erin Price-Wright, a Bay Area-based partner with Index who focuses on enterprise software and AI and who, before joining the venture firm in 2019, was the head of product for Palantirs data analytics and machine learning platform. Excerpts from our chat have been lightly edited for length and clarity below; you can hear our longer conversation here.

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TechCrunch: Tell us about this partnership with Oracle.

Erin Price-Wright: Access to compute is one of the biggest challenges that AI companies face, and it's especially hard for an early-stage company to get their hands on GPUs. It's less about the cost in particular but the fact that something like more than 95% of GPU capacity is already allocated to large players in this space [because] they make these pretty big pre-commitments with cloud vendors. So if you're an early-stage company, and you're just trying to get started training, or fine tuning the model, there's usually a really long lead time between when GPUs are even available. It can be three months to a year in some cases and it's really hard to just get started.

If you're an early-stage company that's still figuring out what your product is, you don't even know how many GPUs you need. So even that process of discovery of understanding what your workloads are going to look like can be super challenging for early-stage companies. So we're partnering with Oracle to provide GPUs to our earliest-stage portfolio companies, because we want to help remove that barrier of access so that they can really focus on what matters from day zero. Ultimately, the goal is to help all of these companies graduate to their own cluster. We're not in the business of providing these massive GPU clusters to our companies. . .but we really want to give them a head start, so that they can start building faster as a way to help level the playing field.

How did the deal come together?

We wanted to make sure that people who are building against very tangible business problems didn't feel like they had to change their business model or change the way they were representing themselves or change the way they were fundraising in order to just get access to GPUs. So it was really born out of seeing this pattern again and again with early-stage companies where we were like, 'This is where Index as a fund actually has real leverage. And we can use our position in the market, our relationships, and the fact that we can kind of aggregate this demand across multiple companies to really provide value-additive services' [to our founders].

Did Index put a down payment together or has it purchased chips outright from Oracle? Are you giving Oracle a stake in these startups?

We're not purchasing any chips outright. So the partnership with Oracle is that Index makes the precommitment on the behalf of our startups and pays the cloud bill. Oracle manages the cluster -- they've been a fantastic partner -- and then our companies get access to that GPU cluster for free.

So you're paying [this cloud bill] in advance. Did you have to talk with your own investors about that? That's not typical of what [a venture firm] would do historically.

In terms of the actual structure of how the agreement works, I'll probably hold off on sharing too many of those details.

Is this an exclusive relationship? Is there anything to prevent other venture firms from doing the same thing?

Yeah, of course [they could do the same], there certainly isn't [an exclusive relationship with Index].

One benefit that Oracle gets out of it is to meet the next generation of fantastic companies as early as possible. In the process of using our GPU cluster, we're actively helping our companies navigate the process of signing their own dedicated cloud deal. So the idea is not for them to [do] this in perpetuity; it's for them to develop relationships with Oracle and AWS and the other large cloud providers and sign their own dedicated contract.

One of your portfolio companies, Cohere, counts Oracle as one of its backers along with Nvidia, which are two of the companies you most want to have involved with your portfolio companies right now.

One of the ways we really can help our portfolio companies is making sure they're connected to the right people at the right time, so that they get the resources they need.

Index has at least 20 portfolio companies that fall into the AI/ML bucket, including Cohere [which has already raised $445 million] and another company that recently raised a huge seed round, Mistral AI in France. Is too much money being invested broadly in generative AI or are we still in the 'early innings,' as VCs like to say?

We are in the early innings. I do think we're rapidly entering a cooling off period in terms of sentiment, especially for some of these very large rounds and especially from traditional VCs. There's still a really big gap between the promise and power of the core models of technology and what it's going to take for them to be actually used and useful across many use cases in the enterprise. There's just a huge infrastructure gap missing that needs to be filled, and it's not going to be filled overnight; it's going to take some time.

Over the coming 12 months, while I'm still very excited about the power of the core technology and how transformational it's going to be for the world, I think we're going to see a little bit of a backing off as companies really grapple with it, figure out the ROI, kind of prioritize use cases and start actually building real things beyond maybe the one or two prototype demo apps that they've been working on for the last six months. That's when we're going to start seeing the infrastructure emerge that's going to start supporting these use cases at scale.

How do you as an investor ensure that your AI companies don't overlap? And is that any harder or more difficult than when it comes to traditional startups?

I don't think it's massively different than how we think about competition elsewhere. Everyone paints AI as this standalone category. But if I look forward even two years, let alone five or 10, every single piece of software that we use will have AI as its beating heart. There will be no piece of code, no software, no application, no website that you visit, that doesn't have AI as a core component of it. I almost think about it like SaaS. Is every single SaaS company the same? No. Every single SaaS company has a database, every single SaaS company has a front end, every single SaaS company has some interaction between the two. AI is kind of similar to a database in that respect. It's just kind of a core building block in how you build software.

We're very early in the market, so there's going to be some movement and some change as companies figure out how to use these tools and what specific problems to go after. But it's not different than how we think about traditional SaaS investing from my perspective.
With presidential candidates flocking to campaign in Iowa, the first Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll of the 2024 election cycle will reveal likely Republican caucusgoers' choices among 14 candidates:

Texas businessman Ryan Binkley

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley

Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Michigan businessman Perry Johnson

Former Vice President Mike Pence

Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez

Former President Donald Trump

When will the first Iowa Poll results be published?

The first results from the new Iowa Poll will be published online at 5 a.m. CDT Monday at DesMoinesRegister.com and on NBC News. The results will also be printed in the Tuesday Des Moines Register.

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A Register exclusive since 1943, the Iowa Poll is a closely watched indicator of presidential candidate strength in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. The Iowa Republican caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 15, 2024.

FAQs: How is the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted? We answer your top questions.

What else did we ask in this Iowa Poll?

In addition, the poll will test Iowans' feelings toward the Republican presidential candidates and Iowa Republican leaders Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley.

The poll also will gauge likely Republican caucusgoers' thoughts on who should lead the Republican Party, whether they think Trump has committed serious crimes and if they believe his claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.

In future days, the poll also will show whether likely GOP caucusgoers are more or less likely to give presidential candidates their support based on their positions on issues such as abortion restrictions, military aid to Ukraine, banning gender-affirming care to youth, fighting "woke" agendas, using the military on the southern border, privatizing Social Security and criticizing Trump for actions that have resulted in federal indictments.

It also will gauge likely caucusgoers' support of Iowa's new "fetal heartbeat" law, which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, and asks how they would describe themselves, such as MAGA Republican, moderate, pro-life, anti-Trump, anti-woke and gun enthusiast.

How can I get the Iowa Poll results as quickly as possible?

Each article will be published online and in print. The quickest way to receive the results is by signing up for news alerts through the Des Moines Register app.

More: Find results from past Iowa polls at DesMoinesRegister.com/IowaPoll

You can also find the results, as well as other comprehensive reporting on Iowa government and politics, in our daily politics newsletter. You can sign up for the free newsletter at DesMoinesRegister.com/politicsnewsletter.

We've been the news Iowa depends upon since 1849. Subscribe to help us continue our mission.

Who is conducting the Iowa Poll?

Selzer & Co., an Iowa polling firm rated highly by political and polling insiders, conducts the Iowa Poll.

Des Moines Register Iowa Polls on the 2024 caucus cycle are produced in collaboration with NBC News and Mediacom, the largest cable company in Iowa and the nations fifth-largest cable company based on video customers.

Mike Trautmann is the News Director/Politics Editor for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at mtrautmann@gannett.com; Twitter: @DMRPoliticsCzar.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New Iowa Poll to show top picks among 14 GOP presidential candidates
MICHIGAN CITY  The father of a young autistic girl who drowned after wandering away from home in Michigan City will not serve time in prison.

Andrew Allen, 35, was ordered to spend two years on probation and perform 100 hours of community service under terms of a plea agreement.

He was sentenced Aug. 10 after the guilty plea negotiated by prosecutors and the defense was accepted by LaPorte Superior Court 1 Judge Jamie Oss.

Originally, Allen was facing a potential 20- to 40-year sentence when charged in February with level 1 felony neglect of a dependent causing death.

He was convicted of level 6 felony neglect of a dependent.

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In his clients defense, attorney Jesse Harper said research shows autistic children have a tendency to wander away, especially toward bodies of water, and can be difficult to stop.

Harper also thanked the LaPorte County Prosecutors office for taking those findings into account in their plea negotiations.

I have to give really a lot of credit to them for their recognition to what a tragedy it was and to be willing to be open and receptive to the nature of children on the autism spectrum and, frankly, just how incredibly hard it can be to keep those children who do tend to elope from eloping, he said.

The girls mother, Breanne Smith, 33, is also charged with level 1 felony neglect of a dependent causing death.

Her case has not been decided.

According to court documents, both parents were home when 3-year old Ivy Allen went out the back door of the familys residence in the 400 block of Long Beach Cove just north of U.S. 12 in May of last year.

The girl wound up at nearby Lake Clare, where she was found unconscious in the water about 45 minutes after Allen reported his daughter missing.

She was taken to a hospital and later died.

According to court documents, Allen told police he was sleeping when the girl disappeared, while Smith claimed she went to a bedroom while Ivy was in the living room watching TV, police said.

Smith said it was about 15 minutes later when she noticed the patio door open, court records disclosed.

Emergency responders were called about three hours after the parents failed in their efforts to locate the girl.

Authorities said there was a history of the girl leaving the home unattended, which drew the attention of the Indiana Department of Child Services.

A few months prior to her death, IDCS gave the parents an alarm system designed to go off when a door opened at their residence.

The alarm was hooked up when the girl walked out.

It didnt work, though, because the system was not properly installed, police said.

LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said the plea agreement was reached because the evidence leans toward the girls mother as being more of a factor in the tragic outcome.

He said Allen also helped strengthen the case against Smith by revealing some of the happenings inside the home in the days, weeks and months prior to the girls death.

Theres a lot of elements on the record that were established regarding drug use, timing and responsibility that we felt did not so much point to Mr. Allen, he said.

In 2016, Smith delivered a baby testing positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, according to court documents.

Five years later, police said, Smith gave birth to another child testing positive for THC and Subutex.

The baby also exhibited signs of withdrawal from Subutex, often used to treat heroin and other forms of opiate dependence, authorities said.

About a month after the drowning, police said, Allen tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamines.

The same drugs along with THC were also found in Smiths bloodstream, police said.

Allen and Smith have two other young daughters, one with autism and the other with spina bifida.

Currently, Harper said, the girls are under the guardianship of Allens parents and his client is doing what child welfare authorities expect of him in order to regain custody.

He said Allen will also have to complete any classes or therapy deemed necessary while on probation.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: No prison for dad of drowned autistic girl, prosecutor to focus on mom
What about Rob Nichols' rights

Then-Gov John Kasich poses with his press secretary, Rob Nichols, while strolling the Ohio State fairgrounds midway. (Dispatch photo by Chris Russell 07/23/2014).

The article "Secretary of State Frank LaRose cuts loose spokesman after anti-Trump tweets surface" left me with one question: Did Frank LaRose terminate his longtime aide, Rob Nichols, over his first amendment right of freedom of thought or speech?

Harmon McKee, Newark

Insulting our intelligence

Re "Advocates for reform target Ohio Redistricting Commission," Aug. 16: I challenge the hypocrisy of Republican Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman in his opposition to a committee to review and adjust our gerrymandered voting districts.

More: Advocates take first step toward independent redistricting commission in Ohio

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His disingenuous concern is that a tri-partisan committee  15 members consisting of democrats, republicans, independents  would be inferior to the present situation because They are proxy votes and puppets of partisan special interest groups...

Insulting the intelligence of Ohio voters asks us to ignore that the present situation is exactly that: partisan special interests, the partisan interests of Republican leadership who will do anything to prevent the creation of fair and appropriate district lines.

Edward Krauss, Grandview Heights

Trump would have brought paper towels

I read with interest the Aug. 17 J.D. Vance column "Response by president to train derailment inexcusable."

Its a shame that Donald Trump wasnt president at the time.

He could have gone to East Palestine and threw paper towels to the victims. You know, like he did in Puerto Rico after the hurricane.

Chuck Morrisey, Grove City

Pulling the wool over voters eyes

Marc Clausons Aug. 16 column, "Lessons from political enemy that Ohio GOP can use to stop abortion," is proof positive of how the alt-right thinks abortion rights can be defeated in Ohio.

He does not effectively acknowledge that, despite the dark money coming into the issue, 58% of Ohioans want abortion access. The timing of the ads is likely only a slight issue.

Letters: Ohio professor has it all wrong, majority aren't the tyrants

Unless the GOP can pull the wool over voters eyes, as they always attempt to do, the issue will pass in November.

I love how they say outside money is what got the issue nixed. They do not bother to mention that Richard Uihlein of Illinois paid over a million dollars on the "yes" side of the issue.

Please keep in mind that Clauson is on the staff of Cedarville University, which is an ultra-conservative Christian university, and that likely affects rhetoric coming out of there.

Thomas W. Billing, Springfield

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: LaRose's spokesman right to trash talk Donald Trump trashed
Lower Makefield's Supervisors meeting featured an abrupt departure of the chairman and resident frustrations over flooding in Maplevale and other low-lying areas.

Chairman Fredric Weiss, a Democrat who had not intended to seek reelection this fall, said he is resigning for personal reasons.

Supervisor Suzanne Blundi now serves as acting chair and oversaw the meeting Wednesday in which township officials said plans to install side-by-side drainage pipes where a sinkhole opened during the deadly July 15 storm is on hold pending state approval.

This large sinkhole developed across two residential properties on Maplevale Drive in Lower Makefield Saturday when a drainage pipe that was supposed to take water to the nearby Delaware Canal cracked. Homes on the street also suffered flood damage.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources owns the canal and wants a study done to determine if an extra drainage pipe would push too much water into the canal during heavy storms, affecting areas downstream.

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More: Lower Makefield saw flooding from a heavy storm that pushed through Bucks County.

More: Lower Makefield neighborhood frustrated as awaits repairs after devastating flash floods

The large sinkhole developed between two backyards in the Maplevale neighborhood when the existing pipe cracked open. Engineers hired by the township believe that having the two pipes, side by side, along with another pipe that didn't fail farther down the street would help to alleviate the flooding.

Residents whose yards are affected worry the ground could wash out again if the pipe isn't adequate to handle the flow of another serious flood.

The township plans to write a letter to DCNR and other state officials  and asked that residents do the same  to urge swift action on permits for the second pipe.

DCNR spokesman Wesley Robinson said Thursday the department had no comment on the permit issue.

Long-time resident Richard Adams of Taylorsville Road argued the township should divert some of the water coming from higher elevations to a 14-acre township owned site near Maplevale to prevent it contributing to the flooding of the low-lying neighborhood. And he said widening a bridge over the creek at Highland Drive would allow the water to flow more freely, rather than having it dammed up and then spilling into the neighborhood.

Another Taylorsville Road resident, Lisa Mason, reminded supervisors that the board in April 2022 said $250,000 in American Rescue Plan funds would be used for infrastructure repairs meant to prevent flooding.

Township manager David Kratzer, who wasn't on the job in April 2022, said some of the work was done as part of the Maplevale Phase 1 Drainage Improvement Project but acknowledged that sediment hadn't been removed from the stream that flows toward the neighborhood until after the latest storm.

He said that since then, sediment was removed on the west side of Taylorville Road around Highland Drive, with more planned removal awaiting Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection permits.

"The installation of additional inlets on Highland Drive is part of the Maplevale Phase 2 Drainage Improvement Project and is anticipated to be completed by November 2023," he said. And future restoration work is being contemplated farther up the two-mile long stream.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: In Lower Makefield, residents want DCNR to issue flooding-fix permit
When the roiling nuclear fusion inside of a star begins to die  gravity crushing into the star's waning fuel-store of hydrogen atoms, fusing them into heavier helium nuclei  the universe usually offers that star a couple of dignified options for meeting its end.

After its collapse and supernova finale, a star can become a dwarf (our sun's likely retirement), its quieted core a celestial memorial to past glory, aglow in the soft fading of residual heat. Or a star can collapse so dramatically it becomes a black hole. The weirdest stars, though, become neutron stars  dead stars so powerfully dense that even a single teaspoon of their material would have the same mass as 900 Great Pyramids of Giza.

Rarer still are the 10% of those dead neutron stars which mysteriously transform into what NASA calls the "superheroes of the star world"  the most terrifyingly powerful magnetic stars in the universe, called magnetars. For decades, scientists have been baffled by their births and sudden eruptions. But on Thursday, all that may have changed.

For the first time in history, scientists believe they've glimpsed a neutron star  the most magnetic ever discovered  on the verge of becoming a magnetar.

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In an article published Aug. 17 in the journal Science, researchers detail their study of a star-pair known as HD 45166, discovered 100 years ago some 3,000 light-years from earth. They discovered one of the pair to be a particularly unusual Wolf-Rayet star. Its mass is twice that of our sun, but its magnetic field is an astounding 43,000 gauss, a unit for measuring magnetic induction. Compared to our sun's one gauss, this makes HD 45166 the most magnetic massive star ever discovered.

Lead study author Tomer Shenar, an astronomer at the Netherland's University of Amsterdam, was himself drawn toward the enigmatic object, transfixed.

"This star became a bit of an obsession of mine," Shenar said in a statement.

And, at the brink of unraveling one of astronomy's most mysterious origin stories, who wouldn't be obsessed? ESO astronomer Julia Bodensteiner, the study's Germany-based co-author, joked about the star's nickname among the team.

"Tomer and I refer to HD 45166 as the 'zombie star'," Bodensteiner said. "This is not only because this star is so unique, but also because I jokingly said that it turns Tomer into a zombie."

Although another theory holds that magnetars' transformation happens due to intense heat and rotation in its core, magnetars are difficult to hunt down and observe, making this theory hard to test. But HD 45166 stands out  and it couldn't be easily explained by previous models.

Shenar's obsession turned into globetrotting for he and his team. Driven by past research into helium-rich stars like HD 45166, Shenar had a hunch about why the star didn't fit the usual description.

"I remember having a Eureka moment while reading the literature: 'What if the star is magnetic?'" he said.

In February of 2022, the team's quest led them into the Pacific. Using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at the Big Island's Mauna Kea Observatory, the team were able to measure HD 45166's magnetic fields  leaning on still more archival data from the La Silla Observatory in Chile, and confirmation of findings from the Royal Military College of Canada.

The obsession has paid off for Shenar and his team. For the first time, at least one clear line of observable, evidence-based theory can be drawn from supernova to monster magnetar  with an entirely new type of ultrahigh magnetic star in between which, as Shenar said, has "been hiding in plain sight all along."

Interestingly, the key to the researchers' theory is the duality of star-pairs  their merging is as much a part of the mystery as anything else.

"We propose that the magnetized Wolf-Rayet star formed by the merger of two lower-mass helium stars," the team wrote in the study.

It's not just enough for a star to collapse into a dead neutron star after a supernova. Rather, if two stars merge to become one  and then form a single, overwhelmingly powerful, magnetic core  then, when that unified star finally collapses, it will become a neutron star with all the hallmarks of a magnetar precursor.

"Stellar evolution calculations indicate that this component will explode as a supernova," the team wrote, "and that its magnetic field is strong enough for the supernova to leave a magnetar remnant."

There may yet be more than one way that magnetars are formed  and we won't be around to check the team's math when the Wolf-Rayet star finally collapses in approximately 1 million years. But, for now, Sheran and his team have brought us as close as we can get to the terrifying creation of the most powerful magnets in the heavens.

Read more

about space oddities, life on Mars, and the search for starmen
State Rep Justin J. Pearson speaks during a "Protect Kids, Not Guns" rally on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in front of the Shelby County Commission building in Memphis.

Memphians stepped up their calls for gun reform Saturday, ahead of next week's special legislative session focused on public safety.

Rep. Justin J. Pearson held a Protect Kids, Not Guns rally Saturday in front of the Shelby County Commission building in Downtown Memphis, which was followed by a press conference by the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope addressing gun reform demands Memphis teens want the Tennessee Legislature to address.

During Pearsons rally, community members and officials spoke out and gave personal testimonies of their experiences with gun violence. Some of the notable speakers included Memphis City Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren; JB Smiley Jr., vice chair of the Memphis City Council; and Shelby County Commissioner Erika Sugarmon, among others.

Whats happening is not normal, Warren said. It is a public health emergency.

A crowd watches the "Protect Kids, Not Guns" rally on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in front of the Shelby County Commission building in Memphis.

MICAHs press conference featured MICAH Youth Council students from Pleasant View High, Whitehaven High, St. Agnes, White Station High, Collierville High and Houston High.

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Aribah Morshed, a senior at Pleasant View; Yasmeen Mannan, a senior at Pleasant View; Laila Gales, a junior at Whitehaven; Cinthia Torres, a sophomore from St. Agnes; and Alzahra Altareb, a sophomore from White Station, all spoke during the event, either sharing personal stories or detailing the gun reform demands MICAH wants the Tennessee Legislature to address.

GUN REFORM IN TENNESSEE: Ahead of special session, Memphians tell legislators they want youth resources, strong gun laws

Altareb shared an experience where it as announced an armed intruder was in her school. During the time in lockdown, all Altareb could think about is that she would not be able to get out alive. While it turned out the "intruders" were actually police officers who had been called to the school, the experience was enough to push Altareb to action.

State Rep. Justin J. Pearson stands with the students from MICAH on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in front of the Shelby County Commission building in Downtown Memphis. The students presented gun reform demands they want to see the Tennessee Legislature address.

All I could think was where can I hide? I cant call my family. Im going to be killed, and there is nothing I can do about it," she said.

Mannan and Torres presented the demands MICAH has for the Tennessee Legislature, including:

Allow authorities to temporarily remove guns from those who pose a risk to themselves or others by implementing Extreme Risk Laws.

Keep guns away from dangerous people by requiring background checks on all purchases and closing the background check loophole.

Stop firearms from falling into the wrong hands by requiring gun owners to provide safe storage and report lost and stolen guns.

Prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines.

Repeal permitless carry laws.

MICAH students stand together after the press conference on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, in front of the Shelby County Commission building in Downtown Memphis. The students presented gun reform demands they want to see the Tennessee Legislature address.

These actions are not the only legislative changes needed to address gun violence," Mannan said. "However, they are a critical first step in responding to the gun violence crisis.

The special legislative session gets underway Monday in Nashville.

Jordan Green covers trending business news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email Jordan.Green@commercialappeal.com or on X/Twitter, @_green_jordan_

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Rep. Justin J. Pearson, Memphis teens call for gun reform in Tennessee
Recent rains have help put a lid on temperatures in the Sarasota-Manatee area, but they have erased severe to extreme drought conditions here and more abnormally hot weather is forecast in the coming week.

Rains this week helped halt a near-record five-day hot streak in which even the low temperatures were consistently above 80 degrees between Aug. 7 and 12, according to the National Weather Service in Ruskin.

That streak was one day short of a record six-day streak that ended July 13, 2020 and came on the heels of the historically hot July.

Ali Davis, a meteorologist with NWS-Ruskin, said on Friday that those record temperatures are in the past, though we can still expect temperatures around the 90 degree mark at least through the weekend, with intermittent rain and thunderstorms.

Were going to be in a little bit of a lull Saturday but as the tropical wave moves from east to west across the Florida peninsula and Florida Straits were going to see an increase in rain activity Sunday, she added.

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Expect highs in the low mid-90s Monday, with a forecast high of 96 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, which would be four degrees above normal.

Western Sarasota and Manatee counties are considered to be in extreme drought conditions, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, while the eastern portion is under severe drought conditions.

While recent rains have helped reduce the heat for a few days, Sarasota and Manatee counties are still under either extreme or severe drought restrictions.

Right along the coast is actually worse than in the inland areas, said Christianne Pearce, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The coastal area is under extreme drought conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought System, while the inland areas are suffering from severe drought conditions.

The dividing line runs close to Interstate 75.

You could say west of I-75 is in more of a drought than east but overall both counties are in pretty bad drought conditions  especially this time of year, because its unusual for us to be in August and in a drought, Pearce added.

Observed rainfall accumulation from Oct. 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023 is more than 9 inches less than the 30-year normal at the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, Myakka River State Park and Venice.

Related: Could high school football games be delayed or postponed due to heat? The answer is yes

Venice is a whopping 13.10 inches behind that normal.

The adverse conditions have not triggered any additional water use restrictions beyond the usual year-round water conservation guidelines established in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

A spokeswoman for the Southwest Florida Water Management District  which regulates water use in 16 counties, including Manatee, Sarasota County and a portion of Charlotte  said via email that the district has not declared a water shortage nor recommended any additional watering restrictions despite the drought.

Sunset at Lido Beach is always a welcome temperature relief after the temperatures hovered around 95 F and the heat index as high as 110 on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 in Sarasota.

Hottest July on record

This July proved to be the hottest ever in the state of Florida. In the Sarasota-Bradenton area, that meant an average high of 93.6 degrees and an average nighttime low of 78.8 degrees  roughly 3.1 degrees hotter than normal.

August is off to a similar start with an average high of 94.4 degrees, nighttime low of 78.9 degrees  also roughly 3.1 degrees hotter than normal.

That hot streak means that July  always a busy time for area air conditioning service techs has been even busier.

Were running around like crazy and were booked out every single day in high demand  any contractor should be, said Seth Lisik service supervisor for Tri-County Air Conditioning and Heating in Venice.

Excess heat means excess stress on the air conditioning system and older units can be taxed further still.

When units age they become less efficient over time  especially if you dont maintain them, Lisik said. As units run more, whether theyre new or old, they produce an extravagant amount of moisture.You want to pay more attention to your drain line when its hotter outside because your units running longer, its producing more water, theres a higher chance that its going to clog.

Typically that clog is a result of Zooglea algae growing in the drain line.

Tri-County uses sodium hydroxide to combat that; internet remedies suggest distilled vinegar or bleach  Lisik counsels against bleach  to break up the algae.

The key after that, is to flush the line afterwards with warm water, to clear the line.

Its important to flush afterwards with hot water to get that algae out of the drain line, Lisik said. Otherwise its going to sit in there and re adhere to the PVC.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rain helps Sarasota, Manatee cool but drought conditions still present
A bold invader, the invasive spotted lanternfly has proven to be a colorful planthopper, an unpopular pest and an enduring part of New Jersey summers.

Though well established after five years in the Garden State, the insect has been less conspicuous in 2023, said George Hamilton, a professor and entomologist at Rutgers UniversityNew Brunswick. The spotted lanternfly may be running out of steam or simply experiencing an off year. Populations in 2023 have been lower than in each of the last two years, Hamilton said.

"Possible reasons could be the hot dry weather we had last summer, the severe cold we had in January or the relatively warm weather we had during most of the winter," he said. "It could also be that the high populations have severely damaged or killed their host plants, causing them to move on."

Where did the spotted lanternfly come from?

A map showing where the spotted lanternfly has established itself in the Northeast, Midwest and the South as of spring 2023.

Harmless to people and pets, yet destructive to plants, the spotted lanternfly made its way into the United States from Asia via Pennsylvania, where established colonies were first reported in 2014. In 2018, the species made a home in New Jersey. Since, it has since spread statewide.

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This past winter, New Jersey Department of Agriculture officials added the last eight of the state's 21 counties into their spotted lantern quarantine zone. Accompanying regulations require residents to check outdoor items, such as building materials, firewood and camping gear, for live insects or egg masses prior to moving them outside the quarantine area.

How expensive is it to live in New Jersey? We break it down, state-by-state

The quarantine coupled with its educational campaign and herbicide treatments on the tree of heaven have shown promise in combating the spotted lanternfly, said Anne Nielsen, also an entomologist at Rutgers. Still, to manage the species over the long term, Nielsen said a multi-stage approach is required. That could mean future biological control with species that target lanternflies, she said. Natural predators, such as spiders, birds and the praying mantis, have proven formidable.

Though poor-flying, the spotted lanternfly has already spread to much of the Northeast and established colonies as far west as Indiana, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture records. To help reduce the spread, officials at the department's spotted lanternfly unit this June released a five-year plan that prioritizes strategies to limit the insect's advancement, develop a unified educational campaign and support scientific research to manage the species and its impacts.

Why is the spotted lanternfly bad?

A Spotted Lanternfly in the Fourth Instar nymph stage is shown at Overpeck County Park in Ridgefield Park, NJ on Friday, July 14, 2023.

Outside of being a widespread annoyance, the spotted lanternfly's ability to devastate the agricultural industry has been a major concern in New Jersey. The insect feeds on plants and leaves covered in sugary waste that attracts other insects and molds. Thus far, it has found hosts in key cash crops, including grapes, apples, hops and walnuts. Its preferred food, however, is sap from another invasive and locally prevalent species from Asia, the tree of heaven, according to USDA records.

This new Jersey City restaurant has stunning views and 'coastal' menu from celeb chef

Nielsen said the insect has a wider range of domestic host species than experts first expected. Most of the more than 70 species are hardwood trees. As a result, Nielsen said the spotted lanternflys impact on agriculture has not been as widespread as initially predicted.

"We are seeing impacts to grape production and some nursery crops, but agricultural impacts are mostly limited to these commodities," she said.

In the more immediate future, control efforts will likely involve trapping for spotted lanternflies in their nymphal stage on preferred host trees: the red maple, black walnut and tree of heaven, Nielsen said.

"The United States Department of Agriculture-developed circle trap is easy to make and can remove thousands of young nymphs," she said. "Adult management likely requires insecticide treatment by trained professionals on hardwood trees and by commercial grape growers. Scraping of egg masses may help but will only remove about 10% to 20% of eggs on a tree."

A Spotted Lanternfly trap is attached to a lamppost at Overpeck County Park in Ridgefield Park, NJ on Friday, July 14, 2023.

Egg masses typically begin to appear in September and, unlike the adults, survive the winter. The egg masses can produce about 30 to 50 nymphs that hatch in late April or early May and grow to adulthood by late July or early August. Most of New Jersey's spotted lanternfly are now in the adult stage, Hamilton said.

What kills spotted lanternfly?

To remove the insects, a variety of tactics have been employed throughout the region this year. They include removing the insects with vacuums and blasting egg masses with power washers. Vineyards outside of New Jersey are hiring professionals to administer insecticides, such as natural neem oil, to kill the insects after they hatch.

Eradicating an invasive species with a wide range of hosts is a difficult task, Nielsen said. Controlling and managing the population will likely be required in the extended future, she said.

North Jersey Simon mall owner lowers annual forecast for net income

"We will have years of high populations and years of low populations, but this is likely a pest that will remain at some level in our landscape, farms and yards for many years," Nielsen said. "It is hoped that effective biological control solutions will be identified and this will provide long-term control."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ spotted lanternfly population down, insect likely here to stay
State Rep. Kimberly Daniels, D-Jacksonville, talks about her objections to part of the new standards for teaching Black history in Florida schools. She spoke July 27 at the law office of Robert Slama, who is standing next to her.

In 2008, three years before she was first elected to public office, state Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville) preached a reckless sermon. The African American politician, who represents District 14 and is also a minister, preached to an Ohio congregation about how she overcame difficulties in her life. She was emphatic in her views: I thank God for slavery.

She ties this offensive, inane message to a stereotypical and uninformed depiction of African societies and cultures. If it wasnt for slavery, I might be somewhere in Africa worshiping a tree. Her message is even more perilous and humiliating to Black Americans now than when delivered 15 years ago. America is a more politically and racially polarized country today.

There is more to explain here. Rep. Daniels was appointed to the states African American History Task Force, whose mission is to implement the teaching of Black history in Florida. Her words, thanking God for slavery, should disqualify her from serving on the task force  even if she is an elected official.

Mark Woods: Nobody is saying slavery was good? History teaches some said exactly that.

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'Tell the truth': Critics of Florida Black history standards rally outside Duval County schools headquarters

Letters: Understanding the importance of the 2020 election indictment against Donald Trump

She has said that her message was about overcoming obstacles, not about slavery. Words matter, and her words speak for themselves. She should offer a public apology.

Last year Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law HB 7, the so-called Stop WOKE Act. The law bans workplaces and schools from teaching that anyone must feel guilt based on their race because of actions in the past. Black history is required in Florida public schools and as a result educational standards now need to be revised to accommodate the new law.

In May, Daniels and five Black Republicans were appointed to the task force. This 12-member body is required by law to have input on the new standards. But once the standards were approved by the Florida Board of Education, controversy immediately ensued.

One of the most problematic Black history standards states: Instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit. The publication of this benchmark  that the enslaved could somehow have benefited from slavery  hurled Kimberly Daniels and her 15-year-old sermon onto the national stage.

She was on the board assumed to have written the standards. The controversial statement dovetailed and resonated with her 15-year-old sermon thanking God for slavery. The video of the sermon was unearthed and played across various media outlets.

While the video was real, the news reports that the African American History Task Force was responsible for writing the Black history standards was not. It was another appointed board, the 13-member African American History Standards Workgroup, which wrote the standards.

Daniels is redefining her position on slavery. She is now saying that she would have challenged and resisted any notion that slavery was a benefit to African Americans. I hope she continues taking this road, as she recalls (then strongly rejects) the words she so freely spoke years ago.

Washington

Marcella Washington is a retired professor of political science and a Jacksonville native.

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

EDITOR'S NOTE: New members of the African American History Task Force were appointed in May, not March, as was previously published. The error has been corrected here.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Rep. Daniels must retract old sermon thanking God for slavery
MUNCIE, Ind.  Mayor Dan Ridenour discussed evolving development ideas for downtown and the McKinley Neighborhood at the Muncie Redevelopment Commission on Thursday.

Muncie mayor Dan Ridenour at his office in City Hall. Ridenour began the first year of his four year term on Jan. 1, 2020.

He said a local construction company has submitted plans to build townhomes along Walnut Street across from Muncie Central High School as part of the redevelopment of the McKinley Neighborhood.

The company called CRU Construction has submitted at proposal to the city to build the townhomes and offer them for sale.

"Townhomes are one the things we want in that neighborhood," Ridenour told the commission, "along with single-family home construction."

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The mayor said he gave CRU the design standards for housing the city is looking for in the neighborhood and used those standards in developing the plan.

Ridenour said he has been working with the company for a while.

The redevelopment commission and Delaware Advancement Corp. own the lots along Walnut that would be involved in the construction, he said, but he wasn't yet ready to ask the commission to sell those lots to CRU.

The mayor said the plans developed by CRU, at this point, are for six townhomes, each with a garage in the rear. There would be green space in the front and the rear of the homes.

"I think it's a very legitimate request," Ridenour said. "At the next meeting, we will probably ask for some type of action."

He said it would be helpful for the McKinley Neighborhood to have some additional homeownership.

The next step would be to figure out how the development will work and how to go about determining the timing of the construction and sale of the properties. He said he is considering putting language in an agreement thet would require construct start within a specified period.

"Obviously we don't want to necessarily provide lots to somebody and they sit for three years and then they sell them," Ridenour said.

Intersection of Walnut Street and Columbus Avenue near entrance at Muncie Central High School where the city plans a major upgrade.

Jonathan Chambless, co-owner of CRU, told the commission that as now planned his company would put the six townhomes on four lots. The company already owns some properties in the neighborhood it plans to redevelop .

The mayor also told the commission he would like to bring a home ownership component to the Canal District development downtown. Specifically, the block bounded by Franklin, Gilbert, Liberty and Washington streets, which is available for development since the commission recently opted for a smaller apartment development in phase two of the Canal District.

The block is owned by the city and lies directly east of White River Lofts across the canal.

"I would love to see more homeownership opportunities so I kind of see this as a block where you could have an entrance in the middle of Washington and the Middle of Gilbert that goes into the backyards or the back parking areas for two rows of townhomes and, or rowhouses," Ridenour said. "One would be right on the street at Franklin. The other would be right on the canal looking at the apartments (White River Lofts) across the street."

The mayor said he has seen a lot of similar developments in Indianapolis and that the block could perhaps have as many of 16 townhomes. But he also added that he was open to other ideas as long as residents would own rather than rent.

The commission unanimously voted to have the mayor issue a request for proposals for the development of the block.

Ridenour said he doubted that he would have proposals to consider until deep into fall this year.

David Penticuff is a reporter with The Star Press. He can be contacted at dpenticuff@gannet.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Townhomes being proposed for Walnut Street across from Muncie Central
MOORE  Tracks were still being repaired over the weekend at the BNSF Railway crossing at SW 34 in Moore after a train derailed Friday evening.

The derailed cars have been pretty much removed, Moore Fire Chief Greg Herbster told The Oklahoman Saturday. Herbster added that BNSF hoped to open the roadway within 48 hours, the city having closed SW 34 from the SE Connection to Eastern until the site is cleared.

"No train derailment is good, but there were no evacuations, there was no threat to the community," Herbster said. "The only thing that was an inconvenience was the roadway being shut down. And they are working furiously to get it cleaned up and hopefully by the end of the weekend, the 34th street crossing will be opened back up."

Officials monitor a scene Friday where a train derailed at SW 34 and Eastern in Moore.

Herbster said of the 106 cars on the train, only one contained hazardous materials and it was unaffected by the derailment. BNSF said the derailment happened about 4:45 p.m. Friday and involved 22 rail cars carrying plastic pellets.

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The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to the scene with a hazmat unit, but no chemical release was identified, the Moore Police Department said in a social media post.

The city of Moore posted Friday on X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter, asking for patience and to not approach the train, tracks or railroad property.

A spokesperson for the railroad told The Oklahoman the company had personnel at the accident scene who were evaluating how to clear upset train cars from the roadway and keep surrounding residents safe.

"There are no injuries reported and there is no threat to the public. The cause is under investigation. BNSF personnel are on site and working as quickly and safely as possible," said Kendall Kirkham Sloan, the company's director of external communications.

Derailed train cars block a railroad crossing Friday at SW 34 and Eastern in Moore.

On Friday, police asked passersby to stay away from the site.

"Several people have been trying to gain access on foot for photos. This is an arrestable offense and also, a really bad idea," the agency posted.

1/2 Moore Police, Fire and hazmat crews are currently working a train derailment on S. 34th at the tracks; east of I-35. Staging area will be on S. 34th St. west of the tracks. No planned evacuations, no injuries and no chemical release is currently identified.  Moore Police Dept. (@MoorePolice) August 18, 2023

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Train derailed across intersection in Moore near I-35
Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County jail at the end of next week  on Thursday or Friday, a senior law enforcement official with knowledge of the surrender told CNN.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged on Monday in connection with a plot to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. After the 41-count indictment was unsealed, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set an August 25 deadline for their surrender.

Negotiations between Trumps lawyers and Willis prosecutors are expected to continue into next week, ahead of the surrender deadline. The exact timing of Trumps surrender remains unclear.

Trumps expected surrender in Georgia comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The former president, however, is planning to skip the event and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, multiple sources familiar with his plans told CNN on Friday  though he could change his mind.

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Trump now faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases. His surrender and arraignment in Georgia are expected to look different from those in his previous three criminal cases. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat Trump and the others named in the indictment similar to any other defendant. This could mean that they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted.

According to the indictment, Trump is accused of being the head of a criminal enterprise that was part of a broad conspiracy to overturn his 2020 electoral defeat. The group of defendants named in the Georgia indictment includes former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

The US Secret Service has been onsite at the Fulton County Jail for the last several weeks working with the Fulton County Sheriff Department and the city of Atlanta in planning for the former presidents surrender, a USSS spokesperson told CNN.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNNs Alayna Treene, Devan Cole, Jason Morris, Marshall Cohen and Jack Forrest contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Africa for the Brics summit next week will be a stage for Beijing to promote its post-Covid charm offensive, including agenda items like membership expansion and de-dollarisation.

While the Johannesburg summit is not expected to yield any concrete results, it will be watched closely by developing countries looking to the Brics group - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - as a major counterweight to Western influence in global governance.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as Brics chairman for 2023, will also host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the summit. Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with President Vladimir Putin to participate virtually.

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.

In addition, Xi and Ramaphosa will hold talks to strengthen ties and will witness the signing of various agreements, according to the South African president's office.

On August 10, ahead of Xi's visit, Chinese companies signed 20 deals to buy products worth US$2.2 billion from South Africa. South African Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel and Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao witnessed the signing at a meeting of a joint economic and trade committee aimed at boosting South African manufacturing exports to China. Anglo American Platinum, Glencore, Sappi and Pioneer Fishing were among South African companies involved in the agreements.

Xi will also co-chair a China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue on the sidelines of the summit, according to China's foreign ministry - welcome news for African countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Senegal, which are eager to move another step closer to joining the bloc.

Story continues

Yun Sun, head of the Stimson Centre's China programme in Washington, said China had been focused on its post-Covid diplomatic charm offensive for some time now, and developing countries and emerging markets were a big part of it.

"[The] Brics summit this year covers both. I am sure issues such as African debt sustainability, post-Covid economic recovery and the war in Ukraine, as well as the expanded membership of Brics, will be high on the agenda," Sun said. "China needs to show that it is still firmly committed to the future of Africa, provide reassurance and offer assistance. Africa needs the commitment from China as well."

Across Africa, Brics members are seen as important trade partners, sources of foreign investment and champions of the concerns of so-called developing countries, according to Tim Zajontz, a research fellow in the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is keen to expand the number of countries that are members of Brics. Photo: Kyodo alt=Chinese President Xi Jinping is keen to expand the number of countries that are members of Brics. Photo: Kyodo>

"We can expect President Xi to stress at the summit that China and the Brics are at the centre of South-South cooperation and ready to boost economic development across Africa," Zajontz said, referring to collaboration among countries in the Global South.

"It is little surprise that countries like Burundi, Egypt and Ethiopia want to join the grouping," he said.

"While their immediate accession appears unlikely, the fact that President Ramaphosa has invited other African leaders to attend the Johannesburg summit shows that there is keen interest to increase the Brics' footprint on the continent."

Expansion of the bloc as well as trade in local currencies as an alternative to the US dollar are likely to be the two main topics discussed - even if they do not end up leading to any firm outcomes.

"China is among the supporters of Brics expansion among the five countries, but we are unsure if any country will be able to fully join Brics at this summit, as the criteria for new admissions has yet to be finalised," said Steven Gruzd, head of the Africa-Russia Project at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

When the debate turns to currencies, it is likely the summit will push for reforms of the international economic governance system, including political discussion about the dominance of the US dollar and the euro in trade and financial transactions. But Carlos Lopes, a professor at the University of Cape Town's Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, said not to expect any major decision on this.

Neither is it expected - whether hoped or feared - that the Brics' New Development Bank (NDB), led by former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, is ready to compete with Western-centred international financial institutions at this stage, according to Lopes.

Zajontz, who is also a lecturer in international relations at Dresden University of Technology, said the future of the NDB would be high up on the agenda at the summit as its lending had decreased lately and the bank had faced challenges to raise capital following sanctions against Russia.

"In the medium to long term, the NDB wants to further de-dollarise its capital base by increasing local currency lending and by increasing NDB membership," he said. Egypt joined the NDB in 2021, and Algeria and Zimbabwe have expressed interest to join as well.

"But [it is] not just the question of possible new African NDB members but also whether the NDB might soften its current policy to only lend to member countries," Zajontz said, adding the many African states "are keen to diversify their creditors in times of tight development finance".

The Brics meeting comes as tension between the West and the East is growing. Many African political actors, including recent army putschists in Mali, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Niger, are trying to take advantage of this discord to either protect their acquired power or contest established authority, according to Lopes.

"The summit will be an opportunity for Brics, and countries invited, to demonstrate independence in relation to the West while reserving endorsement of their nemesis, Russia, and their competitor, China," he said.

Cameron Hudson, a senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies' Africa programme, said that as well as trying to diversify their external partnerships, African countries were looking to have a greater voice on the world stage.

He said African leaders would want to explore how Brics could be used as a forum where policies that benefited developing countries were created and coordinated.

"Africans are not interested in the illusion of coordination. They want to see real change and real impact in tangible ways that benefit them and their societies," Hudson said.

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.
ATLANTA  Republican presidential hopefuls gathered here Friday for an event Donald Trump wasn't invited to and didn't attend.

They still couldn't escape the former president.

I had hoped that judgments about the events around January 6 would be left to the American people and to history, former Vice President Mike Pence told reporters at conservative radio host Erick Ericksons two-day conference. But that's not the case.

Pence was the only candidate to directly address Trumps most recent indictment, which alleges the former president and more than a dozen others tried to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia, a key battleground state that President Joe Biden narrowly won. The candidates largely avoided journalists who sought their stance on the wide-ranging indictment out of Fulton County, Ga.

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Less than a week before the first primary debate, the event served as a preview of how difficult it remains for Trumps rivals to navigate one of the biggest issues facing the GOP field  Trumps growing list of criminal charges. The former president, who is set to turn himself in to local authorities as early as next week, is now facing four separate criminal trials along the eastern seaboard, though the charges in Fulton County  a county Trump lost by more than 240,000 votes  stands out in part because the state will play such a pivotal role in the upcoming presidential election.

The road to the White House is running through Georgia, Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp said onstage at the conference. If we dont win this state we are not winning the White House.

Kemp, along with Brad Raffensperger, Georgia's top election official, has blistered Trump over his claims. Kemp may also be a witness in Trumps upcoming Georgia trial.

Erickson addressed the awkwardness of the situation at the very start of the event Friday, promising not to discuss Trump even though that seems to be the conversation in the media.

The former president isn't going to be here, Erickson said. With all respect to him, it kind of works out because, under Georgia law, if he were to come you know what the D.A. would want to do.

Erickson, however, broke his own rule, and asked Kemp  only the second of about 30 speakers  his thoughts on Trumps indictment.



Onstage, Pence sought to make the clearest distinction between himself and Trump, as well as other candidates in the race. He criticized Republicans, including Trump, who viewed it as someone elses problem to reform Social Security and Medicare and didnt support a federal abortion ban. He also took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , without naming him, for using the power of the state to enforce his agenda, likely alluding to his high-profile battle with Walt Disney World.

He repeated his stance that the Georgia election wasnt stolen, but added that Trump and others named in the indictment were entitled to the presumption of innocence and said voters were more interested in moving forward.

DeSantis, who is struggling to gain traction among voters and has faced declining poll numbers, didnt address Trumps indictment, though he jabbed at Trump in more indirect ways. He blamed Covid lockdowns that started under Trump for hurting the economy, and asserted that the countrys leading infectious disease expert in the former presidents administration, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the pandemic response, should have been fired.

DeSantis previously criticized the charges against Trump by attacking the federal government, claiming it weaponized the legal system and criminalized politics.

Even Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who didnt field questions from Erickson about Trump and left the conference after he was done speaking, called on Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI director Chris Wray to be fired. At the Iowa State Fair this week, Scott took a similar stance as DeSantis, arguing that the legal system was being weaponized against political opponents.

The strongest line of attacks against Trump on Friday came from Kemp, who has made no secret of his opposition to Trump. Kemp's endorsement in the 2024 race would likely be highly coveted ahead of the March primary in Georgia. DeSantis met with the governor on Friday for about 30 minutes but discussed his time on the campaign trail and didn't ask for an endorsement, POLITICO first reported. Pence also spoke with Kemp.

Kemp framed Trumps legal issues as a stupid distraction, predicting the trial in Georgia wouldnt start until after the 2024 election.

You can believe whatever you want about the 2020 election, Kemp said. That is your right. I understand that. I have no problem with that. But the thing is, that was three years ago.


Washington  A U.S. citizen who was already serving a prison sentence in Russia on a bribery conviction has now been arrested on suspicion of "espionage," Russian state media outlets reported Thursday.

Gene Spector, a businessman who was born and raised in Russia before moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, was arrested on the order of a court in Moscow, Tass reported.

No other details about the charges were available. A hearing was held in secret because the evidence is classified, according to Interfax.

In 2021, Spector pleaded guilty to mediating a bribe for an aide to a Russian deputy prime minister while he was chairman of the board of the Medpolimerprom group of companies in Russia. The bribe involved paying for the aide to take vacations to Thailand and the Dominican Republic, according to media reports from the time. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

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Spector was retried on a technicality and received a new sentence of three and a half years behind bars in September 2022.

His arrest comes as tensions between the U.S. and Russia are at an all-time high over the war in Ukraine, and as the U.S. seeks the release of two other Americans imprisoned in Russia.

The U.S. considers Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March on unsubstantiated espionage charges, to be "wrongfully detained" and has demanded their release.

The U.S. has not said it considers Spector to be wrongfully detained.

Prosecutors outline case against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

Violence in Libya's capital kills at least 55, injures more than 100

Changing the Game: "Welcome Baby USA" co-founders on health and equality for newborns, new moms
Back in 1999, the U.S. military was flying some of its most challenging combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions ever, to retrieve pilots downed by Serbian forces during Operation Allied Force, fought by NATO over the former Yugoslavia. Fast-forward 24 years, and the U.S. Air Force is, for the first time, training for the same kinds of missions with its former adversary, Serbia.

As well as being a development that would have been unthinkable not so long ago, these maneuvers also indicate Belgrades increasing willingness to cooperate with Western nations, after many years as a staunch Russian military ally.

U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. John Dwinell, 56th Rescue Generation Squadron flying crew chief, shuts down a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter at Batajnica Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 7, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo

The landmark maneuvers were conducted over Serbia between August 7-11, 2023. They included what the U.S. Air Force says was the first helicopter flight formation in history involving rotorcraft from that service and from its Serbian counterpart  officially, the Serbian Air Force and Air Defense.

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More importantly, from a military perspective, was the chance for both air forces to participate in rotary-wing search and rescue operations. These were flown out of Batajnica Air Base, outside Belgrade, and Sgt./Pilot Mihajlo Petrovic Air Base, at Nis, in the south of the country.

Photos published by the U.S. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) show participation by U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk CSAR helicopters, as well as Serbian Airbus H145Ms and Soviet-era Mi-17 Hips.

HH-60G SERBIA

Meanwhile, the significance of the exercise, on a political and diplomatic level, was reflected in a special formation flight, involving an HH-60G and an H145M, flying to Serbia with U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher R. Hill on board.

U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher R. Hill, speaks with U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 56th Rescue Squadron and 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron at Batajnica Air Base, Serbia Aug. 8, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo



U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tyler Peterson, 31st Operations Wing standards and evaluations section chief, reviews a safety brief with U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, Christopher R. Hill, before boarding a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter at Batajnica Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 8, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo



https://twitter.com/usambserbia/status/1671857261411434500?s=20

The HH-60Gs involved in the exercise came from the 56th Rescue Squadron, stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy. The squadrons mission is officially described as long-range rescue, humanitarian assistance, non-combatant evacuation, and disaster relief capabilities for USEUCOM, USAFRICOM, and NATO in peacetime, contingency, and wartime operations.

Throughout the training and discussions held this week, we hope the Serbian military can gain some of our search and rescue knowledge acquired from trial and error, said Staff Sgt. Noah Davila, 56th Rescue Squadron special missions aviator. And in the future, they can become search and rescue experts as well.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tyler Peterson, 31st Operations Wing standards and evaluations section chief, looks out at a Serbian Air Forc H145M helicopter during a formation flight while flying over Serbia, Aug. 8, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo



Its an interesting coincidence that Operation Allied Force, NATOs campaign against Serbia in 1999, saw some of the most celebrated and influential CSAR missions of recent times.

Most prominent among these was likely the massive CSAR operation launched after the shooting down of an F-117A Nighthawk stealth attack jet by Serbian air defenses. This required CSAR assets to penetrate deep into enemy territory to pluck the F-117 pilot from the enemys clutches. The operation was a great success (read about it here), and it went a long way to prove the capabilities of U.S. CSAR operators as well as the continued relevancy of the mission set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjbnyNGz4j8

Despite the lessons of Allied Force, the U.S. Air Force has somewhat neglected some higher-end mission set aspects of its CSAR components since then.

Only recently has the Air Force begun to receive the HH-60W Jolly Green II  another Black Hawk derivative  to replace its well-worn HH-60G Pave Hawks. However, questions over the feasibility of these aircraft successfully infiltrating areas in which likely high-end stealth aircraft can only be trusted to venture have contributed to orders for the HH-60W being trimmed back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOgbD2Qb3w4

Nevertheless, the HH-60W will continue to play a key role in lower-end threat scenarios, just like the HH-60G before it. Even in more benign scenarios, CSAR missions are notably complex, with a typical package of assets also including A-10C Thunderbolt II attack jets in the Sandy role, not to mention other aircraft to provide suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), electronic warfare support, command and control, and defensive counter-air capabilities where required.

An HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter carrying combat search and rescue airmen approaches a landing zone during an exercise at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 21. 2010. U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher Boitz

All this means that the ability to launch full-spectrum, high-end CSAR missions is a big challenge if not beyond the reach of all but the best-equipped and well-funded air arms.

For others, like the Serbian Air Force and Air Defense, joint operations with larger air arms, like the U.S. Air Force, can bring new insights into more complex CSAR operations. The learning can flow in the opposite direction too, with USAF personnel learning from a less capable but resourceful ally.

U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron and 56th Rescue Squadron discuss the agenda for a rotary-wing operation, at Batajnica Air Base, Serbia Aug. 7, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo

According to the U.S Air Force, The event allowed U.S. Air Force and Serbian Air and Defense Force personnel to practice mixed aircraft formation, requiring communication and skill from both crews. They were also provided the unique opportunity to review videos of real-world search and rescue operations to understand their capabilities used to assist and lead rescue attempts.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel Unke, 56th Rescue Squadron pilot, demonstrates the capabilities of a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter to a Serbian Air Force pilot assigned to the 890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron, at Sgt./Pilot Mihajlo Petrovic Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 9, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo

U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Squadron and 31st Fighter Wing, receive a slideshow presentation from a Serbian Air Force airman assigned to the 119th Mixed Helicopter Squadron at Sgt./Pilot Mihajlo Petrovic Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 9, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo



For Serbia, working with the U.S Air Force on joint CSAR training also points to increasing willingness to not only work with NATO and Western armed forces but also to increasingly procure military equipment from the same sources.

Traditionally, Serbia has relied on Russia, both as its closest military partner, but also as its main source of arms, including for its air force.

The introduction of the H145M  which can also be armed with various guns and rockets  is one example of Serbias shift to the West.

U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 435th Contingency Response Squadron, 31st Fighter Wing, and Serbian Air Force 119th Mixed Helicopter Squadron stand in front of a H145M helicopter, at Sgt./Pilot Mihajlo Petrovic Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 8, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo



In late 2021, Belgrade began negotiations to acquire a pair of Airbus C295 turboprop transports, which are planned to replace Soviet-era An-26 Curl aircraft now in use. A contract for the new transports was announced in early 2022.

Also in late 2021, the Serbia president, Aleksandar Vucic, announced that Serbia would buy 29 new helicopters, comprising a mixture of 11 H145Ms (adding to the nine previously acquired), four Mil Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters, and three Mi-17 transport helicopters, to bolster existing fleets. Also included were another 11 former Cyprus National Guard Mi-35s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ7Zd858Ufk

This kind of arms procurement, divided between Western and Russian equipment, predates the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine but has no doubt been given added impetus by the war in Ukraine and the international fallout.

The Joint Action 2020 maneuvers in Serbia included a mixture of new and Cold War-era equipment, originating from China, Russia, and Western Europe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRkPSh5N-2k

More recently, the possibility has emerged that Belgrade may follow neighboring Croatias lead and acquire French-made Rafale multirole fighters. If that happens, the Rafales would replace the current Serbian fleet of MiG-29s  originally provided by the Soviet Union and later topped up by secondhand jets from Russia and Belarus. That would signal a very clear break from relying on Soviet- and Russian-made fighter equipment, something that also reflects the current sanctions on Russia, which not only make buying new jets much harder but also make it almost impossible to procure spares for existing aircraft. This is further exacerbated by Russia consuming available spare parts for its high-tempo operations in Ukraine. This has caused a shift globally in aircraft procurement.

View from the cockpit of a Serbian MiG-29. SERBIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_djntl6nEiE

Surprisingly, Serbia has emerged as a possible export customer for Boeing's T-7A Red Hawk jet trainer, which is seen as an option to supplant its G-4 Super Galeb jet trainers and J-22 Orao ground-attack planes. You can read more about that here.

In the meantime, as reflected in its helicopter plans, the policy seems to be a deliberate move to maintain close relations with Moscow, while also increasingly turning to Western nations for more advanced equipment  as well as operational and tactical know-how.

And with the successful completion of the recent CSAR exercise, there are clear signs that there will be more such maneuvers to come, with greater complexity and a higher degree of cooperation with the U.S. Air Force in particular.

Moving forward, we hope to conduct more flight formations and scenario-based training, explained U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Erik Silva, 435th Contingency Response Support Squadron aircraft maintenance air advisor. The Serbians have been very welcoming, professional, and eager to learn, and I cannot wait to see where this partnership progresses in the upcoming years.

A U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter arrives at Batajnica Air Base, Serbia Aug. 7, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo

U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel Unke, 56th Rescue Squadron pilot, goes over HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter flight procedures with a Serbian Air Force pilot assigned to the 890th Mixed Helicopter Squadron, at Sgt./Pilot Mihajlo Petrovic Air Base, Serbia, Aug. 9, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Edgar Grimaldo

In the future, we plan to further our cooperation by conducting more joint flights, and expand to rescue demonstrations outside Serbia, where both the SAFAD and the U.S. Air Force can demonstrate how each country is able to perform search and rescue, Silva added. In addition, we hope to incorporate medical evacuation scenarios and operate together to conduct these training scenarios.

With that in mind, the CSAR exercise may well signal the start of closer military relations between the United States and Serbia, something that could have significant repercussions on the international stage.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
The Stryker combat vehicle is officially in action near the Zaporizhzhia frontline.

The US-supplied vehicles can be outfitted with various weapons and move quickly while carrying soldiers.

Russia claims to have taken out four of Ukraine's Strykers.

Footage of a US-supplied Stryker combat vehicle in action in Ukraine has emerged on social media. The video appeared to show a Russian Lancet loitering munition targetting a Stryker, although the damage sustained is unclear.

The footage could not be independently verified, but it indicates  along with other reports  Strykers are now in action in Ukraine, and the advanced US armor has been deployed in the war against Putin's invasion for the first time in recent days.

The Strykers are part of Ukraine's powerhouse 82nd Air Assault Brigade that was ordered into battle this week to help beef up the counteroffensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia Region, the Kyiv Post reported.

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Jimmy Rushton, an independent security analyst based in Kyiv, told Insider that he believes the Stryker APC is now being used on the battlefield by Ukraine.

Michael Clarke, a British defense and security analyst, told Insider that Ukraine's generals have "decided to put all their chips on the table," bringing everything they intend to use forward.

Leaked documents from earlier this year revealed the 82nd Brigade was a formidable unit with about 150 NATO-supplied armored infantry carriers. Its impressive arsenal includes 90 US-supplied Stryker vehicles, 40 German-produced Marders, 24 US M113 infantry carriers, as well as 14 British Challenger tanks, Politico reported.

As well as the Strykers' arrival on the battlefields of Ukraine, the 71-ton, four-crew Challenger tanks reinforced with "cope cages"  turret-mounted cages to safeguard the vehicles from drone strikes  are also believed to be seeing action for the first time.

A US Army Stryker armored vehicle fires a Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided missile at Fort Polk in Louisiana in June 2009. US Army/Spc. Victor Ayala

The Pentagon first announced in January that it would send 90 Stryker APCs to Ukraine as part of a $2.5 billion aid package for Kyiv.

The Stryker is an infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel vehicle hybrid. There are 18 variants of the combat vehicle, and more than 4,900 have been built in the last 20 years by General Dynamics.

They are used to transport infantry soldiers in and out of battle and armed with a powerful 30mm cannon for direct fire. They can also provide fire support by with weapons like 120-millimeter mortars, the New York Times reports.

The eight-wheeler weighs 20 tons and can sustain speeds of 60 mph.

"These performance highlights provide a force that will move rapidly as a cohesive combined arms combat team," wrote Military.com.

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation claims to have taken out four Strykers since they appeared on the southeastern frontline near Zaporizhzhia this week.

Read the original article on Business Insider
During Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair Thursday, state party leaders sought a message of unity ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

One apparent strategy in driving home that message was to not mention former President Donald Trump , who is facing four criminal indictments. While Trumps name and political slogans were visible on signage and clothing at the fair rally, the speakers generally kept their focus on the policies of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.

Senate Republican Leader John Curran, R-Downers Grove, criticized several Pritzker policies, alluding to the passage of a criminal justice reform law that eliminated cash bail and the governors recent veto of a bill that would have allowed construction of new nuclear power in Illinois.

Gov. Pritzker thinks he, not judges and our heroes in law enforcement, should decide which victims deserve justice and which criminals walk free, he said, later adding Pritzker is more concerned about special interests than reducing energy costs for families and businesses.

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Currans Senate Republican Caucus holds just 19 seats compared to 40 for Democrats. The state House has a 78-40 Democratic majority, and Democrats hold all statewide elected offices.

Curran contended that the way to turn the tide in the General Assembly is one seat, one door, one new voter at a time.

We dont need everyone to agree with us on every issue. We just need them to vote Republican, he said. Because the only way to really change anything is by winning general elections and getting more people, good people in our Statehouse.

With better teamwork and less infighting, state Republican Party Chair Don Tracy said during a speech to the Republican State Central Committee prior to the rally at the fair, the GOP can be the voice of fiscal sanity, common sense and reason. He contrasted that to Democrats, who he claimed are touting an exceedingly radical agenda.

House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, of Savanna, echoed that sentiment.

I think its extremely important that Republicans dont spend time beating up on other Republicans, McCombie said at the committee meeting.

But the minority party is navigating a political landscape that, for many voters, still revolves around Trump, who is once again seeking the GOP presidential nomination  and leading in many polls.

The former president was most recently indicted this week in Fulton County, Georgia with 18 other individuals for allegedly leading a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

While the GOP General Assembly leaders didnt mention Trump in their speeches, they were asked about the former presidents role in the party by reporters.

Regarding Trumps indictments, Republicans often pivoted to corruption charges faced by Democratic Illinois politicians. Former House speaker and Democratic Party chair Michael Madigan awaits trial on charges that he ran a criminal enterprise through his various positions of power, exchanging legislative wins in Springfield for benefits to his law business and his associates. His chief of staff, Tim Mapes, is currently on trial in Chicago on perjury and obstruction of justice charges.

Its gonna play itself out in the court system, Curran said of Trumps legal cases. Like were seeing the corruption trial coming out right now with the Madigan machine. So, I mean, thatll play itself out. We have a process going on right now, in the primary, you know, well see where that ends up.

Tracy questioned the timing of the Trump indictments and the party of the prosecutors that brought them.

I cant figure out what these Democrat prosecutors are trying to do with Trump, Tracy said. I cant figure it out. Theyre trying to take him down or promote him by helping him raise money and be in the news all the time.

But he appreciated the prosecution of Illinois Democrats.

With Madigan and Tim Mapes, you know, Im so grateful that they are doing that prosecution, which was started by a Republican appointee, a Trump appointee, John Lausch, started all that and fortunately, it has continued. But it sure does seem to make a difference if youre Democrat if your last name is not Biden.

President Joe Bidens son Hunter is facing criminal charges for firearm possession and receiving more than $1.5 million annually in 2017 and 2018 on which he did not pay income taxes. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel in the case last week.

U.S. Rep Darin LaHood, who hails from the Peoria area, suggested the younger Biden received different treatment in the legal system than Trump has.

Im not in the business of saying who should run for president and not run for president, he said when asked if the party would have a better chance with someone other than Trump as nominee. I will say this as a former federal prosecutor, I believe in the rule of law, but I dont believe in the unequal application of the law.

Other party leaders also deflected on the question of whether Trumps presence on the ballot would hurt the party in 2024.

That remains to be seen, Tracy said curtly.

Illinois National GOP Committeewoman Demetra DeMonte, meanwhile, strategized on how to deal with the issue of abortion.

Abortion is a topic that kind of sounds tough to talk about, she said. And thats pretty much what our candidates did in 2022.

While the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade put the decision on abortion rights back to the states, DeMonte said, Republicans should push back against claims that it did more than that. And they should pressure Democrats to define the acceptable limits for abortion, she said.

The Democrats won by spewing lies in 2022, she said. Make no mistake, abortion will be their number one on their playbook in 24. Why change a winning strategy? We are the ones that must change  we Republicans must put Democrats on the defensive on abortion.

In another apparent shift from past elections, Republican rallygoers embraced vote-by-mail strategies  a component of recent elections that Trump has repeatedly cited in his debunked voter fraud claims.

We will be working hard to bank as many pre-Election Day votes as possible next year, because the political party that votes for weeks and months will mathematically beat the party that only votes for one day, Tracy said.

Later he contended it wasnt a shift in party strategy and Republicans had embraced vote-by-mail in previous elections, even though its really hard to have a safe or secure election vote by mail.

But that is the rule in Illinois, he said. We gotta live by the rules before we can change it to a more fair, secure election system.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.
There are two questions on the agenda as President Joe Biden hosts a trilateral summit at Camp David this weekend with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk Yeol, respectively. Can Biden draw the two countries, which have a long history of enmity and warfare, into a fruitful alliance? And will that alliance become a "mini NATO" located in Asia?

The U.S. has been allied with both countries individually, The New York Times reported, but there are "historic animosities" stemming from Japan's "brutal" decades-long occupation of the Korean peninsula ending in 1945. But Yoon has made "moves toward rapprochement" that have led to hopes for a "closer, more enduring alignment." That new alignment would include a "commitment to consult" on security threats.

Such a commitment has drawn the ire of Chinese officials and foreign policy experts who see the arrangement as a mini NATO alliance intended to cement American dominance in Asia, China's Global Times reported. Voice of America added that North Korean officials have also accused Biden of "cooking up the Asian version of NATO" with this week's summit. U.S. officials, though, say the alliance between the three summit countries will "fall short" of a formal military alliance.

What the commentators are saying

Yes, the trilateral summit is aimed at "bolstering security partnerships amid increasing tensions in the Asia-Pacific," Chad de Guzman wrote at Time. But the region is "too diverse politically and economically" for a NATO-style alliance, one expert told de Guzman. Some Asian countries, like Cambodia and Myanmar, are in China's camp. Others, like India, are carefully avoiding taking sides for or against either the U.S. or China. But the most critical factor weighing against an Asian NATO is the region's "economic reliance on China." Besides, as another expert stated, the war in Ukraine shows "you don't need to be a member of NATO to get NATO-like support."

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The "biggest prize" of this summit would be a NATO-style acknowledgment that an "attack on one is an attack on all," Bloomberg editorialized. Such a statement would certainly draw notice from China and North Korea; it would also be "powerful and hard to renounce." Japan and South Korea deserve credit for trying to resolve their old disputes. "The task for the countries' leaders now is to solidify their alliance before sentiment shifts again."

"China will be livid" at the new trilateral alliance, Daniel R. DePetris wrote for The Interpreter. It believes Washington is creating a closer relationship with Japan and South Korea because it "sees deeper U.S.-South Korea-Japan military ties as indispensable to containing Chinese power." Similarly, while the U.S. has "no intention of invading North Korea," leader Kim Jong-un is convinced of the threat. This means those two countries may cement their relationships with Russia in response to this week's summit. The message to the White House? "If you want a confrontation between blocs, then that's precisely what you will get."

What's next?

The meeting probably will "not result in a NATO-style collective defense pact," The Washington Post reported, but the three leaders are "expected to affirm publicly for the first time that their nations' security is linked." According to one scholar, "The message is the three can't be divided and conquered." That means the three countries will conduct annual joint military exercises and begin "robust" information sharing on the North Korean nuclear threat.

Similarly, the summit will also result in a three-nation line to enable the three countries to communicate more easily during times of crisis, Nikkei Asia reported. "We're going to invest in technology to have a three-way hotline for the leaders and others inside their governments to communicate," said a member of the White House National Security Council.

China, of course, is not happy about this development. Beijing "opposes practices that exacerbate confrontation and jeopardize the strategic security of other countries," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. And every step the U.S. takes to fortify alliances in Asia will probably produce a similar response from China, one scholar told the South China Morning Post. "It appears that the two sides are containing each other."

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Flames consume the area near a radio tower during Fridays Hill Top Fire south of Abilene.

ABILENE, Texas - A large fire between U.S. Hwy. 83/84 and Old Coleman Hwy. and moving northeast had the Taylor County Sheriffs Office issuing a voluntary evacuation for residents in this area, as well as their livestock.

The Hill Top Fire was 10% contained and had burned 400 acres as of about 8 p.m. Friday night.

10-percent contained

The Texas A&M Forest Service is calling this the Hill Top Fire and it had so far consumed about 400 acres and was still an active fire as of about 8 p.m. Friday night and was 10% contained.

The TCSO said the evacuation order was voluntary into the evening but urged that due to the wind the fire could change direction at any minute. The fire was moving northeast.

People wait for air tankers to scoop water from Kirby Lake as a smoke cloud from a wildfire south east of Abilene hangs before the sun Friday.

They asked the public to avoid calling the 911 system about the fire because the lines were being overloaded. The TCSO said information will be released to the public periodically as it becomes available. Northbound traffic along Hwy. 83/84 was shut down to allow fire equipment through the area.

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At about 7 p.m., the TCSO was reporting that Verizon Wireless service was out of service for this area.

A social media post from Big Stars Farm said they have pasture space for horses, cows and limited space for goats and chickens.

This offer stands as long as this post is still up, they said, and the post remained online as of 8 p.m. Friday.

The Taylor County Expo Center is also serving as an evacuation center for animals.

The TCSO said River of Life Church on Hwy. 83/84 would be open until 9 p.m. Friday as a cooling station.

Air tankers made trips to Kirby Lake to scoop up water to dump on the fire.

Stay with the Abilene Reporter-News for information on this changing situation.

An air tanker drops fire retardant over smoldering areas as the Hill Top Fire winds down Friday evening.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Voluntary evacuation in effect for Hill Top Fire south of Abilene
Students at Granger High School in West Valley on Oct. 26, 2021. Enrollment numbers have changed over the past few years. | Shafkat Anowar, Deseret News

A majority of K-12 students throughout the Beehive State will return to school this week and next, kicking off the 2023-24 school year.

Here's a look at how enrollment numbers have changed over the past few years and what they say about some of Utah's largest districts.

Davis School District

From 2018 to 2022, Davis School District went from a total enrollment of 72,263 students to 71,564 students  a decrease of 699 students, according to enrollment data from the Utah State Board of Education.

While most districts don't release enrollment data for the fall until October, the Utah State Board of Education has projected totals for each district in the state, with Davis School District coming in at 70,846. If this projection holds true, it would mark another decrease of 718 students.

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Students in the northern Utah district will return to school on Thursday.

Granite School District

With over 59,000 students in 2022, Granite School District is the third-largest district in Utah and among the largest public school districts in the nation.

Still, from 2018 to 2022, the district has seen a decrease of 5,160 students, according to Utah State Board of Education data.

Additionally, the board projects a continued downward trend in total enrollment, with enrollment totals projected at 58,533 for the 2023-24 school year.

Last December, the district's board of education voted to close Millcreek, Twin Peaks and Spring Lane elementary schools. The decision was made based on the goal of creating elementary schools with an optimal enrollment of at least three teachers per grade level.

Granite will welcome students back to school on Wednesday.

Jordan School District

As the second-largest district in Salt Lake County behind only Granite, the Jordan School District will be home to a projected 56,838 students during the 2023-24 school year.

On the heels of Granite, the total student population of the Jordan School District from 2018 to 2022 has actually increased from 54,865 to 57,829  an increase of nearly 3,000 students.

Jordan School District's year will kick off Monday, Aug. 21, according to the district's website.

Canyons School District

Established in 2009 as the first new school district to be created in Utah in nearly a century, Canyons School District will be home to a projected 32,486 students for the 2023-24 school year.

In 2018, Canyons had 34,134 students and that total dropped to 32,933 students in 2022  a 1,201-student decrease in four years.

Like Jordan, Canyons will start its school year on Monday, Aug. 21.

Salt Lake City School District

Along with Granite, Salt Lake City School District is a minority-majority district, meaning it is home to more ethnic minority students than Caucasian students.

In total, the district is projected to welcome 19,297 students during the 2023-24 school year.

From 2018 (22,401 students) to 2022 (19,449 students), the district experienced a decrease of nearly 3,000 students.

A declining elementary student population prompted the district to start a population and boundary study last July and last month, it announced seven elementary schools would be studied for possible closure.

The Salt Lake City School District Board of Education is expected to vote on any potential closures in December or January, according to district spokeswoman Yandary Chatwin.

The district's first day of school will be next week on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

Murray City School District

The smallest of the school districts residing in Salt Lake County, Murray City School District's projected student enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is 5,703.

In 2018, the district was home to 6,624 students and by 2022, that total shrunk to 5,768  a decrease of 856 students.

Seventh-graders in the district will start school on Friday, while all other grades will start on Monday, Aug. 21.

Alpine School District

By far the biggest district in Utah, Alpine School District is projected to have over 85,000 students in the 2023-24 school year.

Along with being the biggest district in the state, it has also experienced steady growth.

In 2018, the district was home to 79,748 students. By 2022, that total was at 84,666  a nearly 5,000 student increase, good for the biggest in the state.

Still, certain areas have been impacted by declining enrollment and aging buildings, leading the district to close Valley View and Sharon elementary schools in June.

Alpine's first day of school will be Wednesday.

Nebo School District

While not nearly as big as Alpine, Nebe School District is projected to welcome 36,726 students during the 2023-2024 school year.

Additionally, Nebo has grown every year since 2018, from 33,117 students to 36,229 students in 2022  increasing by 3,112 students.

Nebo's first day of school will be Wednesday.

Provo School District

Provo School District, significantly smaller than its Utah County counterparts, is projected to have 13,809 students for the 2023-24 school year.

Provo School District has also experienced a declining enrollment through the years, from 16,165 in 2018 to 13,612 in 2022  a 2,553 drop in enrollment.

Like Alpine and Nebo, the Provo School District will return to school on Wednesday.

And no matter a district's enrollment, the start of a new school year should also serve as a reminder to drivers to slow down and be aware of school zones now that students are back.

Where are the students going?

While Utah's population steadily increases, why does it seem some of its largest school districts are losing students? At least part of the answer may lie in alternative school options  beyond the realm of the districts.

The same Utah State Board of Education data that is used to measure enrollment numbers also shows an increasing number of families may be opting for charter schools.

According to the data, the loss for all Utah school districts from October 2021 and October 2022 (when school enrollment is calculated) is minus 0.1%.

From the same timeframe, the data shows growth for Utah charter schools at 1.3%.

When projecting enrollment for the 2023-24 school year, the statewide enrollment growth accounted for by charter schools came in at 371% while the statewide enrollment accounted for by school districts is estimated to be down 271%, according to Utah State Board of Education Data.

For the Granite School District, which has seen the largest decrease among Utah's major districts, the decline is based on a number of factors.

Ben Horsley, chief of staff for the Granite School District, said that a lot of it boils down to "significantly" lower birth rates in Salt Lake County and "significant" price increases in housing, particularly in the areas the district serves.

"Young families cannot afford to live in much of the east bench and many other new construction areas. Plus, we are a mature district. Many of our parents from 20-40 years ago have not turned over their homes (because of many factors including prices) so younger families have not moved into those homes," Horsley said.

Another change could also impact enrollments in Utah's school districts in the coming years.

HB215  also referred to as the Utah Fits All Scholarship  was passed in January by the Utah Legislature and will provide $8,000 to qualifying families to pay for private education services for each of their children.
Zach Shea said this is something hes been working toward for many years.

Shea is the new owner of Westside Wines & Hops in downtown Redding.

A celebration to welcome Shea and say goodbye to the former owners was held Friday night.

We cant thank you enough for being a part of our journey. Your presence has made our wine bar truly special, and we look forward to sharing this final evening together. Cheers, Glaphre and Mackenzie Wright, Westside posted on Facebook before the party.

I met up with Shea after work Thursday at Westside Wines & Hops, which is less than 100 yards from the Record Searchlights office. Although Westside Wines in the White Building has a Butte Street address, its front door faces Pine Street.

Shea has an extensive background in marketing alcoholic beverages and has lived in Redding for nearly 15 years.

Im excited. Ive been waiting for a decade and Ive been working at it. Its surreal that its real, Shea said.

Westside Wines & Hops opened downtown in October 2020, taking over the former Wildcard Brewing space.

It's part of a growing beer and wine hub in that part of downtown.

Within walking distance is Moseley Family Cellars, Grape Escape, Cedar Crest Brewery and Final Draft Brewing. Also downtown is Woodys Brewing.

Zach Shea is the new owner of Westside Wines & Hops in downtown Redding.

New Clairvaux Vineyards expects to open its tasting room in Market Center later this year.

Like many business owners in Reddings old core, Shea said its promising to see downtown grow.

Im excited to see the changes. Its nice to see something thats starting to resemble a downtown here in Redding, Shea said. Its nice to see the downtown improvements and some real innovative stuff. I cant wait.

Shea isnt planning any huge changes right now as he wants to focus on expanding the beer and wine offerings.

For right now, Shea said hes enjoying his new business and hes getting a lot of support from the previous owners.

Stay tuned.

New Clairvauxs Aimee Sunseri celebrated at international competition

As work continues on New Clairvaux Vineyards new tasting room in downtown Redding, the North State winery recently was recognized at the California State Fair and the International Womens Wine & Spirits Competition.

Story continues

Aimee Sunseri, winemaker at New Clairvaux Vineyards

New Clairvaux winemaker Aimee Sunseri was named the Best Woman Winemaker at the international competition.

Also, New Clairvauxs 2020 Pour Souls Petite Sirah won the Best of the Best, Best of Show Red Wine with a 99-point score at the international competition. It beat out 300 competitors to take home the top prize.

Sunseri was singled out because of the awards her wines earned at the competition.

There are many men and women that have helped me to be who I am today. I thank them all for their wisdom and trust that I would work hard and never give up, Sunseri said in a news release.

More: The Buzz: New Redding bar aims to follow Club 501's footsteps; Chili's still coming here?

Meanwhile, the Tehama County-based winery was awarded a Golden Bear at the California State Fair for its 2022 St. James Block Assyrtiko, a white wine.

Work on the inside of New Clairvaux's tasting room in Market Center on Butte Street in downtown Redding has been going on for several weeks.

The winery has not announced an opening date.

Theory Coffee golden again

Redding's Theory Coffee Roasters hauled in two gold, a silver and bronze medal at the Golden Bean North America Competition.

Theory also won gold at the 2018 Golden Bean.

This time, Theory won gold for its Tres Fuertes Golden Bean Competition Blend in the Espresso in Milk Category, and a gold for its Ethiopia Keramo Natural in the Espresso Category.

Theory won a silver in the Espresso Category for its Rodriguez Sanchez Finca Monte Blanco Colombia Geisha Gold, and bronze in the Filter Coffee Category for its Elkin Guzman Tabi Koji Natural and its Rodriguez Sanchez Finca Monte Blanco Colombia Geisha Gold Gran Cru.

Sam LaRobardiere of Theory Coffee said the award winning coffees are available at Theory's California Street and Hilltop Drive locations.

Go to www.theorycoffee.com for more information.

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: The Buzz: New chapter for downtown winery; Tehama winery wins big
Today

Sunny with gusty winds. High 73F. Winds NNW at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.

Tonight

Clear with gusty winds developing late. Low 59F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny with gusty winds. High near 80F. Winds N at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Martha J. Marget, 92, the widow of Buster Marget, of Fairmont, was born on August 12, 1931 and passed away on August 18, 2023.

A Funeral Service for Martha will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Farmer & Son Funeral Home in Geneva with Kim Dunker presiding.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. with family present from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Farmer & Son Funeral Home in Geneva.

Graveside Services will be conducted following the funeral service at the Fairmont Public Cemetery in Fairmont.

Memorials are to be directed to Fairmont Fire & Rescue.

Farmer & Son Funeral Home is in charge of funeral arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.farmerandsonfuneralhome.com.
On Saturday morning, rain pounded parts of Delhi neighborhoods, considerably lowering the city's already high temperatures. The showers gave relief from the hot weather. However, the national capital was drenched by the rain, which resulted in waterlogging and hampered traffic flow on numerous routes. Sharing the updates on Twitter Delhi Traffic Police advised the commuters to plan their journey accordingly.

Sharing the traffic advisory, Delhi Police asked the commuters to avoid commuting from Bahadurgarh Road. As per the advisory, the carriageway from Bahadurgarh Stand, Firni Road, Najafgarh towards PTC Jharoda Kalan faced slow movement of vehicles due to waterlogging. The police also informed that another carriageway of the road is already affected due to ongoing work on the stretch.

Also read: 2023 Honda Livo Launched In India Priced At Rs 78,500: Check Details

Furthermore, the movement of the vehicles is affected on the Outer Ring road and connected stretches because of waterlogging on the carriageways of the Bhera Enclave underpass.

Traffic Alert

Traffic is affected on Outer Ring Road and connected stretches due to waterlogging in both the carriageways of Bhera Enclave underpass. Kindly avoid the stretch. pic.twitter.com/V6gxQuqI3T  Delhi Traffic Police (@dtptraffic) August 19, 2023

After rain lashed multiple parts of Delhi multiple videos surfaced on social media showing flooded roads. Videos shared on social media showed flooded roads in areas like Badarpur and Dwarka of Delhi.

#WATCH | Haryana: Severe waterlogging witnessed in parts of Gurugram due to heavy rainfall.



(Visuals from Delhi-Gurugram Expressway) pic.twitter.com/J2KmZVoNJY  ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2023

Meanwhile, Gurugram in the National Capital region faced severe water logging, halting traffic on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. The visuals of the expressway shared on the internet show commuters stuck in knee-deep waters, while the vehicles struggled to get out.

The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC), New Delhi, predicted that isolated regions in West Delhi, South-West Delhi, East Delhi (Mundaka, Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Preet Vihar, Seema Puri), and NCR (Bahadurgarh, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram) would get mild to moderate rain.

Additionally, it foresaw light to moderate rain as well as heavy rain over and nearby Safdarjung, Budha Jayanti Park, Rajeev Chowk, ITO, Dwarka, India Gate, and Akshardham neighborhoods, among other places.
Key Insights

The projected fair value for BlueLinx Holdings is US$87.16 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

BlueLinx Holdings' US$81.22 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate

Analyst price target for BXC is US$103, which is 18% above our fair value estimate

Does the August share price for BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC) 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. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for BlueLinx Holdings

What's The Estimated Valuation?

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

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:

Story continues

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$99.0m US$81.7m US$72.2m US$66.8m US$63.7m US$62.1m US$61.4m US$61.3m US$61.6m US$62.2m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x2 Est @ -17.52% Est @ -11.62% Est @ -7.49% Est @ -4.60% Est @ -2.57% Est @ -1.16% Est @ -0.16% Est @ 0.53% Est @ 1.02% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.7% US$90.3 US$67.9 US$54.7 US$46.2 US$40.2 US$35.7 US$32.2 US$29.3 US$26.9 US$24.7

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$448m

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 2.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 9.7%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$62m (1 + 2.2%)  (9.7% 2.2%) = US$846m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$846m ( 1 + 9.7%)10= US$337m

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 US$785m. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$81.2, the company appears about fair value at a 6.8% 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. 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 BlueLinx Holdings 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 9.7%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.502. 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 BlueLinx Holdings

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 2 years.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it 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. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For BlueLinx Holdings, there are three fundamental items you should consider:

Risks: To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with BlueLinx Holdings (including 1 which is concerning) . Future Earnings: How does BXC'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 American 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.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) recently issued notices to the Delhi Police and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over an alleged sexual harassment issue on a domestic flight. As per the airline statement, the incident happened on August 2, when a passenger travelling on SpiceJet flight SG157 operating from Delhi to Mumbai was found clicking pictures of the cabin crew. The passenger deleted the pictures and gave a written apology for the act to the cabin crew and the incident was not reported by the airline.

However, a female passenger travelling on the same flight made a video on the matter, which went viral. The DCW, taking suo moto cognisance of a purported video of the incident on Instagram, issued notices to the Delhi Police and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the matter. The DCW said it has issued notices to the DCP, IGI Airport and Director General, DGCA and asked the Delhi Police and the DGCA to provide action taken reports by August 23.

DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal called for an FIR to be registered in the matter. "Complaints of sexual harassment on flights are on the rise. This is unacceptable. In this particular case, an FIR should be registered, the matter should be thoroughly investigated and the guilty must be punished, Maliwal said.

DGCA must have a zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment on flights and take stringent action to prevent such incidents in the future, she said. This is not the first time an incident like this happened on a flight. Objectification of female cabin crew in India and abroad is quite a common issue, although most of the incidents go unreported. Here's an understanding on the sexual harrassment on flights:

What Exactly Happened?

A passenger seated in the first row of SpiceJet flight SG157 operating from Delhi to Mumbai on August 2 was found clicking pictures of the cabin crew, while she was seated on the jump seat at the time of take-off, said a SpiceJet spokesperson. The passenger was confronted by the crew members and was asked to delete the pictures from his phone and apologise for his action.

The passenger apologized and deleted the pics, after which no action was taken. Later, in a video that went viral, another passenger in the flight revealed the whole incident, triggering the debate on social media, following which the DCW sent notices to various agenices.

Manvi was travelling in a @flyspicejet flight when she caught an uncle sitting next to her taking photos & videos of underpants, legs of a crew who was serving him(sic)



She raised alarm & when his phone was checked, it was shocking



SUCH DISGUSTING ACTS SHOULD BE CALLED OUT pic.twitter.com/y5rCfKmd7u  Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) August 18, 2023

Sexual Harassment On Flights

The incidents of sexual harassment are quite common on flights, both in India and internationally, although of a few of them are reported. An Indian-origin Boston doctor was arrested in 2022 for masturbating in front of a 14-year-old girl last year. He was travelling on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Honolulu to Boston on May 27, 2022, when the incident took place.

"About half-way through the flight, the minor allegedly observed that Mohanty had covered himself with a blanket up to his neck and that Mohantys leg was bouncing up and down, the statement said. Shortly thereafter, the minor observed that the blanket was on the floor, no longer covering Mohanty, and that Mohanty was masturbating. The minor moved herself to an empty seat in a different row for the remainder of the flight.

But this is an extreme case, which got highlighted as the perpurtor was arrested. One kind of sexual harassment that goes unnoticed and reported most of the times is the objectification of female crew members. I have interviewed many cabin crew members and everyone has faced this scenario in some way or the another. Althought, most of the cases go unnoticed, or are brushed off with a simple warning.

Personal Experience

I was travelling on a Goa-Delhi Akasa Air flight, sometime back in June 2023. 30 minutes before we were supposed to land at the Delhi International Airport, a scuffle broke out between the cabin crew and one of the passengers over some issue, at the front aft. A passenger who was seated on the aisle seat in my row, took out his phone and clicked the photo of one of the cabin crew involved in the altercation (just a verbal exchange).

Noticing the same, one of the passengers notified the cabin crew member, who approached the passenger and asked him to show his phone. He denied saying he was just recording the video of the matter for uploading on his social media profile. However the cabin crew and a couple of more passengers acted in a strict manner and the phone lock was opened, only to realize that he indeed took a zoomed in pic of the cabin crew member.

He was asked to delete the picture immediately, which is obliged. However, on landing of the flight, the cabin crew incharge informed the ground staff, who approached the passenger before the passengers exited the plane. The person turned out to be from media and had a press card with him. He apologized for the matter and was let go, without further action.

What Does The Law Say?

Clicking a photo of a cabin crew without consent, or any other person, for that matter, is an indecent act, but there's no strict rules against the same. If a passenger is seen indulging in such an activity, they are asked to delete the photo from the phone and often apologize in the matter. It's upto the cabin crew member is they are satisfied with a verbal or written apology. However, in case the passenger fails to comply in the matter, the pilot is informed, who in turn reports the matter to the ground.

The ground staff, along with security agencies then take the accused in custody and request again to delete the photo. In case the passenger further denies to the same, a legal action can be taken against the passenger.
Bose Corporation Success Story: Given that the systems are incredibly expensive and beyond the means of the common individual, can you imagine how reluctant you must be to enter the posh Bose Audio store on Park Street? Perhaps you were hoping to get these audio systems that adhere to international standards from an electronics store in Singapore or a shopping center in Dubai. Amar Gopal Bose, a well-known Bengali scientist, inventor, academic, and businessman, is the brains behind these world-class audio systems. Did you know? He founded the Bose Corporation and completely changed how speakers and audio gear were made.

Amar Gopal Bose was an American businessman, engineer, and academic best known for founding the Bose Corporation, which is noted for its top-notch audio gear and innovative sound technology research. His success is a credit to his original ideas, perseverance, and passion for providing top-notch audio experiences. The illustrious Amar Bose founded the Bose Corporation, a business whose speaker systems are unmatched globally in practically every category.

Early Years And Education

Amar Bose was born on November 2, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were immigrants from India. In order to escape persecution by the British, his father, Noni Gopal Bose, was a well-known freedom fighter from Bengal who sought asylum in the US. Bose showed an early interest in engineering and music. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1951. He later pursued a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from MIT. Bose had taken a Boy Scout trip when he was 10 years old, and one of his classmates had brought hobby radio communication equipment. They began conversing after driving a few antennae into the ground. Bose became accustomed to the setup.

Disappointment Turned To Inspiration

Bose's interest in audio technology was sparked by a disappointing experience with a new stereo system he purchased in 1956. This experience led him to explore the limitations of existing speaker technology and inspired him to find ways to improve sound quality. In the early 1960s, Bose began conducting research on sound and acoustics at MIT. He developed innovative theories on speaker design and psychoacoustics (the study of how people perceive sound). His research led to the development of new speaker technologies that aimed to replicate the sound of live music and create a more natural listening experience.

Birth Of Bose Corporation

In 1964, Bose founded Bose Corporation with a focus on research and product development. The company's first major product was the Bose 901 Direct/Reflecting speaker system, introduced in 1968. This system used a unique design that reflected sound off walls to create a more spacious and immersive audio experience. Amar Bose was known for his unconventional approach to business. He refused to take Bose Corporation public and maintained control of the company, allowing him to prioritize innovation and product quality over short-term financial gains. Over the years, Bose Corporation introduced numerous groundbreaking technologies, including noise-canceling headphones, waveguide speaker technology, and innovative car audio systems. These innovations solidified the company's reputation for high-quality audio products.

Amar Bose Legacy

Amar Bose's contributions to audio technology extended beyond product development. He was a dedicated educator, teaching at MIT for over 45 years and inspiring generations of engineers. His research and patents continue to influence the audio industry. In 2011, Bose donated a majority of the company's stock to MIT, creating the Bose Institute for Advanced Studies. He believed that this would enable the institute to pursue long-term research goals without the pressure of short-term financial returns.

Amar Gopal Bose's success story highlights the power of innovative thinking, dedication to quality, and a commitment to solving real-world problems. His influence on the audio industry and his contributions to education and research continue to be felt today. Bose passed away on July 12, 2013, leaving behind a legacy of technological innovation and a lasting impact on the world of sound.
New Delhi: The proud Founder & Owner of Cafe Coffee Day is V. G. Siddhartha, a man whose work speaks for itself despite his lack of celebrity status. His family has had coffee plantations in the Chikmangaluru area of Karnataka for more than 140 years, and he was born into this family.

He holds a master's degree in economics from the Mangalore University in Karnataka, and he and his wife Malavika Krishna, a former governor of Maharashtra and daughter of S. M. Krishna, the former chief minister of Karnataka, also have two children. (Also Read: Architect Of Dominos' Indian Success: Meet Ajay Kaul, The Visionary CEO Who Transformed The Brand's Fate)

Siddhartha always possessed traits akin to those of a natural businessperson, and to top it all, he also possessed a mystifying knack for seeing opportunities for savings in any circumstance! (Also Read: Jeff Bezos' Pre-Wedding Plan With Lauren Sanchez Has A Twist And It's Not What You Think)

Professionally, he is a hard-core workaholic who loves to stay put for a minimum of 1214 hours a day, seven days a week. He is a restless and incredibly swift decision-maker.

His corporate empire, which includes retail (Cafe Coffee Day), financial services (Way2Wealth Securities), venture capital, hospitality, furniture, logistics (SICAL), and land development, is the total of all of that. Siddhartha now has a net worth of $1.09 billion.

How The Professional Journey Of V. G. Siddhartha Started?

After arriving in Bombay, the city of dreams, he immediately entered a Dhaba Hotel and rented a room with a common bathroom for Rs 120 per day at Fort. And he was only 21 when he began all of this!

The following day, Siddhartha, who had never before used a lift, climbed the six floors and, without an appointment, casually wandered into Mahendra Kampani's office at JM Financial.

He received the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Mr. Naveen Bhai Kampani J M Financial Services (now J M Morgan Stanley) in Mumbai as a management trainee/intern for trading in the Indian Stock Market after a little wait and a fruitful talk.

He acquired Kampani's trust during this entire process and learned everything there was to know about the world of investing. And in no time at all, Siddhartha was in charge of some very significant business houses' accounts.

He was personally educated by Kampani to recognise the significance of the minute gold pieces on the surface and to grab them before plunging into the stream. Because of Kampani's smart counsel, Siddhartha started using the small amounts of gold he had amassed from the then-rising stock market (if you get what we mean) to purchase his own coffee estates.

Even though the job didn't require him to accomplish much, working directly under the company's direction gave him access to knowledge that was absolutely priceless. In fact, he still considers himself blessed to have had the opportunity and to have received the helpful counsel he did.

Siddhartha believed that he was prepared to return and launch his own venture after working with JM for nearly two years. He thanked Kampani and told him that he owed him a lot, then quickly returned to fulfill his greatest desire: to succeed in business.

After two years, Siddhartha returned to Bangalore and made the decision to launch his own financial company with the remaining Rs. 2 lakhs. The stock market had plummeted at the time, and he was searching for a fresh investment opportunity that would yield good profits.

As a result, he founded Sivan Securities. He began by purchasing a stock market card for Rs. 30,000, and along with that, he also acquired Sivan Securities, a business that would later become Way2wealth Securities Ltd. in 2000.

And Siddhartha was able to turn the business into a very prosperous investment banking and stockbroking firm.

How Cafe Coffe Day Started?

Siddhartha later met a German businessman who was interested in buying coffee beans from him for his "leading coffee brand in Germany - Tchibo" after a 10-year absence.

The owner of Tchibo happened to share his story during that brief conversation about how his company began in a modest 10-foot shop in Hamburg, Germany, with very little capital, and how, in the course of nearly 40 years, it grew to become a multi-million dollar enterprise and the second-largest coffee roaster in Europe.

V. G. Siddhartha: Downfall

He was charged with tax evasion in 2017, and the income tax division searched 20 addresses connected to him. He allegedly concealed an income of Rs. 650 crore. Despite the fact that the CCD group's coffee business is on a positive development trajectory, Siddhartha is reportedly under severe financial strain.
Colonel Harland Sanders Success Story: Do you encounter disappointment or rejection frequently? Colonel Harland Sanders, the man who founded Kentucky Fried Chicken, did. However, he improved the world in addition to simply making lemonade out of his problems. A notable example of persistence and determination in the face of setbacks and failures is Colonel Harland Sanders, the inventor of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).

Despite the fact that his face has been nearly ubiquitous since KFC's success, the majority of people don't know much about the man himself. Many of the things you may have heard about him, such as that he attempted suicide after a string of business failures, that he allegedly tried to kidnap his own daughter, and that he eventually retired as a billionaire. The real narrative, however, is a great deal more compelling, fulfilling, and heartbreaking. Many businesspeople and individuals who are attempting to accomplish their goals find encouragement in his success story.

Sanders: Series Of Failures

Sanders' father died when he was six years old, leaving Sanders to take care of his siblings and cook. He left home and quit school in the seventh grade to work as a farmhand. He misrepresented his age to join the American Army at the age of 16. A year later, after receiving an honorable discharge, he was engaged as a laborer by the railroad. But he lost his job because of a confrontation with a coworker. He studied law while working for the railroad, but his legal career was destroyed when he got into another altercation. Sanders was compelled to return to living with his mother and find work as a life insurance salesman. And what's this? He was let loose for disobedience. By the time Sanders was 17 years old, he had been fired from four separate jobs including a fireman, lawyer, and salesperson. However, this man resisted giving up.

KFC: Short-Time Success

He labored at numerous jobs for many years without finding success. Due to these setbacks, Sanders contemplated suicide. He was considering it when he realized he was talented in one area: cooking! He therefore made the decision to open a store. Customers quickly became enamoured with the menus of Sanders, who began selling fried chicken with his own special sauce in his first KFC restaurant, which he built at a petrol station in Corbin, close to Tennessee. In order to better serve his clients, he erected a motel across from the petrol station. Sanders received the moniker "Colonel" from the Kentucky governor, and in little time at all, word of his popularity spread throughout the state.

KFC Chicken: Rejected 1008 Times

Colonel Sanders' success did not last for very long. Sanders business collapsed because the road it servedwhich was used by everyonebecame impassable. As his clientele declined, Sanders eventually had to liquidate everything to pay his obligations. He was broke at age 66, but he wasn't going to give up! Sanders searched for a trader to buy his hens because he just had his pension left. Sanders visited the 1009th restaurant after being turned down by the other 1008 establishments in America. He was successful in having the eatery accept his offer. He had finally identified the ideal opening for sharing his recipe with clients. Throughout his journey, Sanders refined his recipe and cooking technique. He modified his original recipe to include 11 herbs and spices, creating the distinct flavor that would later become KFC's signature taste.

KFC Chicken: Grand Success

Customers once again flocked to Sanders' fried chicken, for which a fee was paid per chicken sold. Sanders franchised hundreds of restaurants nationwide as demand for his food kept rising. His life's prosperous days had finally started, if somewhat tardily. With KFC becoming a household name, Colonel Sanders agreed to sell his business to John Brown Jr. for $2 million if he agreed to continue serving as the brand's spokesperson. As the company's official spokesperson, he would get an annual salary of $250,000. With more than 19,000 locations serving meals in 115 countries, KFC, the legacy of Colonel Sanders, who passed away at age 90, is currently one of the most well-known fast-food businesses in the world.

Harland Sanders' journey from experiencing numerous setbacks and disappointments to developing one of the most recognizable fast-food companies in the world is a monument to his tenacity, adaptability, and undying faith in his recipes. His experience serves as a reminder that success frequently necessitates overcoming challenges and disappointments along the way.
New Delhi: Sudha Murthy requires no introduction. She embodies compassion, philanthropy, and serves as an inspiration for women throughout the nation. As the adage goes, "Behind every successful man is a woman," she aptly exemplifies this sentiment. Moreover, she is a prolific author, having penned numerous bestselling books including "Grandma's Bag of Stories," "The Magic of the Lost Temple," "Wise and Otherwise," and many more.

Sudha Murthys role has gone beyond just mere as a wife of Infosys founder Narayna Murthy. Her influence and support have played an instrumental role in shaping the trajectory of Infosys and its journey to becoming a global powerhouse.

Early Life and Philanthropic Spirit

Born on August 19, 1950, Sudha Murthy comes from Shiggaon, Karnataka, India. Her early years were marked by a deep-rooted sense of empathy and social responsibility. This spirit of giving led her to establish the Infosys Foundation in 1996, a charitable organization committed to various social welfare initiatives, including education, healthcare, rural development, and arts and culture.

Supporting the Vision

Sudha Murthy's unwavering belief in her husband's vision for Infosys became the backbone of the company's growth. Her financial support during the initial days of Infosys, when the company was struggling to secure loans, proved pivotal in overcoming challenges and realizing the dream.

Moral Compass and Ethical Values

Sudha Murthy's strong moral compass and emphasis on ethical values became guiding lights for Infosys. She advocated for transparency, fairness, and a people-centric approach, which eventually became integral to Infosys' corporate culture. Her influence helped shape the company's core principles and its commitment to integrity.

Human-Centric Philosophy

Sudha Murthy's innate belief in the potential of individuals to drive positive change resonated deeply with Infosys' growth philosophy. She championed education and skill development, aligning with Infosys' commitment to nurturing talent and providing opportunities for learning and growth.

Legacy and Continued Impact

Sudha Murthy's legacy extends beyond Infosys' boardrooms. Her tireless work through the Infosys Foundation has touched countless lives across India. From building schools and hospitals to promoting rural development and supporting underprivileged communities, her philanthropic efforts have left an indelible mark on society.
New Delhi: Addressing the nation on the occasion of the 77th Independence Day Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would return to the Red Fort next year, apparently sounding the BJPs poll bugle for the Lok Sabha elections slated for 2024. However, before it he made a statement during a visit to Sagar district of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on July 12 when he stated that Sant Ravidas will bless me to inaugurate his temple, today I am laying the foundation stone.

In Madhya Pradesh where the assembly elections are not more than three months away, the central leadership of the BJP led by PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken full command while appointing two Union Ministers Bhupendra Singh Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw as election in-charge and making the senior-most state party leader and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar the election convenor.

The BJPs preparations for the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh are going along with those for the assembly elections. Political observers believe that the intense exercise of the BJP at the district, block and booth level are for the LS polls.

Besides, the RSS and the BJPs organizational leaders have also started their operations for the Lok Sabha. The BJP has high hopes from Madhya Pradesh because it won 28 out of 29 seats in 2019, a political observer said.

Other political observers pointed out that PM Modi has made over half-a-dozen visits to Madhya Pradesh since September last year and every time he has made big announcements beside highlighting the welfare schemes introduced by his government since 2014.

More importantly, in every visit to Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi has gifted something big to the people of the state. It began with releasing eight Namibian Cheetahs at Kuno National Park (KNP) on his birthday on September 17, 2022. One month later, he dedicated 'Mahakal Lok' to the people during his visit to Ujjain on October 11.

This year, PM Modi made his first visit to Indore on January 9 when he took part in the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas., that was held after a four-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On April 1, 2023, he flagged off the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express train at Rani Kamalapati railway station. On April 24, he visited Rewa (centre of Vindhya region) to address the Gram Sabha and Panchayati Raj members. He also laid the foundation stone of Rewa airport.

On June 27, he visited Bhopal and addressed a large gathering of booth workers of the BJP and also announced two more Vande Bharat Express trains - Bhopla to Indore and Bhopal to Jabalpur..

Modi visited Shahdol district on July 1 to take part in various programmes, including the culmination of the 'Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatra' and launch the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission. During his visit to Shahdol, he interacted with tribals at 'khat sabha'.

The last time he visited poll-bound MP was on August 12 when he laid the foundation stone for a Rs. 100-crore temple dedicated to the 14th-century mystic poet and social reformer Sant Ravidas in Sagar district. During his address he said, "Sant Ravidas would bless him to inaugurate the temple when it would be completed in the next one-and-a-half years."

"He (PM Modi) won't talk more about the state government's schemes during his address. Even the state BJP leaders who were talking about the 'Madhya Pradesh Model', have started highlighting the Centre's schemes during the assembly elections campaign. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's 'MP Model' is not visible now, even when there are assembly elections. One can see that the Union Ministers appointed for the assembly elections are talking more about the Centre's schemes," a senior journalist said.

Madhya Pradesh has 29 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP had won 28 of these in 2019. The Congress could win only the Chhindwara seat even though the Kamal Nath led Congress government was in power in Madhya Pradesh then. The BJP has high hopes from Madhya Pradesh and therefore PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have been making all out efforts to retain the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats there.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited the famous Pangong Tso lake during his visit to the Leh-Ladakh region on a motorcycle. Sharing the pictures on Instagram, Rahul Gandhi praised the beauty of the Pangong Lake, mentioning that his father Rajiv Gandhi used to say, that the lake is one of the most beautiful places in the world. As seen in the pictures, Rahul Gandhi rode the KTM 390 Adventure motorcycle for his visit the lake. He was riding an orange-black coloured bike with a convoy of all-KTM 390 ADV motorcycles.

What's praiseworthy is that fact the Congress MP and son of Sonia Gandhi wore a proper biking gear, sending the quintessential road safety message to the youth of the nation. He wore a riding gear with riding boots, helmet and even a bagpack with water to keep him hydrated during the journey.

Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is lake immortalized in 3 Idiots movie and is a favourite place for tourists visiting the northern most state of India (not a UT). The lake spanning eastern Ladakh and West Tibet is situated at an elevation of 4,225 m (13,862 ft) and appromixately 50% of the length of the overall lake lies within Tibet in China.

Rahul Gandhi was also interacted with youth at an event in Leh during his two-day visit to Ladakh, reported ANI. This is Rahul's first visit to Ladakh since Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union Territories, Ladakh and J-K, following the removal of Articles 370 and 35 (A) on August 5, 2019.

While addressing the event Rahul Gandhi said that "India got freedom in 1947 and consolidation of freedom in India is constitutional. The Constitution is a move... The way you put Constitution into action is by setting up institutions that support the vision of the Constitution. The Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha, force all these elements... Now what RSS is doing is it is placing its own people in key pots of institutional structure."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Ladakh tour has been extended till August 25, party sources said on Thursday. According to the party sources, Rahul will celebrate his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's birthday on August 20 at Pangong Lake. He will also visit Kargil Memorial during his stay and will interact with the youth.

In January, the Congress leader visited Jammu and Srinagar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Again on a personal visit in February, he visited the Gulmarg ski resort.
AHMEDABAD: As the countdown to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections begins, political landscapes across India are undergoing significant shifts, with parties ramping up their efforts to secure an advantageous position in the electoral race. The BJP, well aware of the political dynamics, has begun its preparations in the state of Gujarat, a region that has long been considered its stronghold. In its pursuit of maintaining and enhancing its influence, the party has initiated a series of organisational changes and ground-level strategies.

One of the notable strategies employed by the BJP in Gujarat is the restructuring of its organisational framework. Key individuals have been sidelined, and a renewed focus on grassroots-level operations has been prioritised. The resignation of Pradipsinh Vaghela, who had held the position of BJP General Secretary since 2016 and was in charge of crucial areas like the south zone, Ahmedabad city and district, and the state BJP headquarters, exemplifies the party's commitment to realigning its personnel and streamlining its operations.

This move, however, did not occur in isolation. It coincided with a time when the Surat crime branch apprehended three individuals on charges of disseminating a defamatory letter containing allegations against Vaghela and several other prominent leaders.

The timing suggests a heightened sensitivity to potential smear campaigns and a proactive approach to containing any negative impact on the party's image. Under the leadership of C.R. Paatil, the Gujarat BJP Chief, these organisational changes are not isolated incidents but part of a broader strategy aimed at fine-tuning the party's structure for the upcoming electoral challenge.

Meanwhile, the significance of the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Gujarat should not be overlooked. Shah's presence, coupled with his engagement with BJP karyakartas (workers), underscores the importance that the party places on its home turf, Gujarat, which remains its most formidable asset at this juncture.

The Gujarat BJP headquarters Shree Kamalam, is now a hub of activity where members are diligently following the directives set forth by Shah. A pivotal moment in this preparation phase was marked by the Gujarat Assembly elections in January this year, where the BJP emerged victorious. The sentiment shared by party members resonates with Shah's words during the celebrations:

"These (Gujarat Assembly poll) results are not only important for Gujarat, but for the entire nation as there will be elections in 2024. The entire country is ready to make Modi saheb the Prime Minister again." These sentiments echo across the BJP's ranks and signal their unwavering dedication to securing victory in 2024, even today.

Nonetheless, as the BJP works tirelessly to solidify its position, it faces new challenges on its home turf. The unexpected alliance between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress has introduced an element of unpredictability to Gujarat's political landscape. This coalition could potentially erode the BJP's dominance by capturing a few seats from its bastion. The BJP's response has been multifaceted, including a redoubled effort to offset these potential losses by making gains in other states like Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP's efforts in Uttar Pradesh revolve around forming coalitions with smaller parties, such as the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) led by Jayant Chaudhary. This strategic maneuver aims to not only counterbalance potential losses in Gujarat but also to expand the party's influence in regions where it seeks to consolidate power.

The alliance between the AAP and Congress, known as INDIA, has caught the attention of political observers. Congress leader Gadhvi's assertion that the BJP seems unnerved by this alliance further highlights the potential impact of this unexpected political union. The fact that BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, have been openly addressing this alliance underscores the BJP's concern and the challenge it perceives.

In the intricate world of politics, each move is part of a broader chessboard strategy. As the BJP in Gujarat readies itself for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it navigates the waters of organisational restructuring, ground-level engagement, and strategic considerations to maintain its dominant position in the state and contribute significantly to the national political scenario.

The dynamics and responses unfolding in the run-up to the elections will undoubtedly shape the trajectory of the nation's political narrative.
The ongoing saga of Sachin Meena and Seema Haider's extraordinary love affair continues to unfold with surprising turns that have captured the imagination of people across India and Pakistan. Amidst this gripping narrative, a new development has emerged that adds an unexpected layer to the story. Seema Haider's former spouse, Gulam Haider, is reportedly making arrangements for a visit to India, introducing an unforeseen element to the evolving tale. Simultaneously, as filmmakers work to immortalize the unconventional romance between Sachin and Seema on the big screen, they have extended an invitation to Gulam Haider, further intertwining reality and reel in this compelling narrative.

The Unanticipated Voyage: Gulam Haider's Journey to India

In a remarkable twist that amplifies the intrigue of the Sachin-Seema love story, Gulam Haider, Seema Haider's ex-husband, has introduced an unexpected narrative thread by expressing his intention to set foot on Indian soil. The decision to apply for an Indian visa signifies Haider's determination to break geographical barriers in a pursuit that transcends conventional boundaries.

During an open and candid conversation on a prominent YouTube channel, Gulam Haider shared insights into his visa application process. While navigational complexities have led to a temporary delay, Haider's resolute desire to traverse the physical and emotional distance stands as a testament to the profound nature of human connections.

Filmmaker's Proposition: Amit Jani Extends a Hand to Gulam Haider

As the Sachin-Seema love story continues to captivate audiences, filmmaker and producer Amit Jani has stepped into the spotlight with a unique proposition. Jani, who is fervently engaged in bringing the Sachin-Seema saga to the silver screen, has extended a gracious invitation to Gulam Haider.

Amit Jani's intent is clear: he aims to infuse authenticity into the cinematic portrayal of this unconventional romance. By involving Gulam Haider, Jani seeks to access deeper layers of the story, ensuring that the film captures the intricate nuances of human relationships and emotions.

Crossing Boundaries: A Love Story Beyond Borders

The evolution of the Sachin-Seema love story from the virtual realm to real-life interaction has not only intrigued the masses but has also ignited contemplation about contemporary relationships. In the grand tapestry of this narrative, the geographical divide between India and Pakistan pales in comparison to the powerful emotional bonds that shape the characters' journeys.

The forthcoming movie, "Karachi to Noida," adds yet another dimension to this unfolding tale, promising to immortalize the exceptional narrative on celluloid. As Sachin and Seema's love defies societal norms and transcends national frontiers, it serves as a testament to the enduring force of human emotions, linking individuals, cultures, and nations.

Amidst the captivating twists and turns, the prospect of Gulam Haider's visit to India and his involvement in the cinematic retelling adds a layer of anticipation. Audiences and enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this riveting chronicle that seamlessly blends reality and storytelling.
Some things just dont belong at the bottom of the ocean. And according to the Santa Barbara County, California, district attorneys office, that includes unpermitted crates of wine.

Agencies in Santa Barbara County destroyed 2,000 bottles of wine that were sold by the company Ocean Fathoms, the office of the countys district attorney announced last week. Starting in 2017, the company was sinking crates full of bottles without obtaining a proper permit from the California Coastal Commission and US Army Corps of Engineers.

The crates of wine were submerged about 3.7 miles off the Santa Barbara Harbor under 70 feet of water, according to a 2021 complaint from the California Coastal Commission.

The bottles were left to ferment for a year, after which they were plucked from the environmentally sensitive waters and sold for up to $500 each. Ocean Fathoms lauded the sea floor off the Southern California coast as the perfect environment to age wine  55 degrees, no oxygen, no light and rolling currents.

The bottles destruction was part of a plea agreement involving two owners, Emanuele Azzaretto and Todd Hahn. They pleaded no contest, according to Deputy District Attorney Morgan Lucas, to misdemeanors of illegally discharging material into waters of the United States, selling alcohol without a license and aiding and abetting investor fraud.

Azzaretto and Hahn are also required to pay $50,000 in restitution to one of their investors, according to the DA.

CNN has reached out to Ocean Fathoms, Azzaretto and Hahn for comment.

The California Coastal Commission also expressed concern about the bottles themselves, which were adorned with various sea creatures that attached themselves to the glass during the aging process.

Ocean Fathoms highlighted the creatures on its website, writing, sea life that attaches to our bottle is the ultimate in natures packaging. Each bottle is adorned with barnacles, coral, sea shells and ornate hard shelled tubes formed by annelida sea worms.

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The commission, however, described the sea life in its 2021 complaint as collateral damage of your unpermitted operation as they do not appear to have survived the journey to the surface.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch claimed that nearly every aspect of the business operation violated some sort of federal or state law.

The US Food and Drug Administration did not consider the wine to be fit for human consumption because of potential ocean contamination and because it lacked federally approved labeling, the DAs office said.

Other missing business operating fundamentals, according to authorities: an ABC alcohol sales permit, a valid business license and tax payments to the State of California (the company did collect sales tax from customers, the DA said).

Authorities disposed of the alcohol at a local wastewater treatment plant and recycled the bottles, the DA said.

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The United States has approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine from the NATO allies Netherlands and Denmark. As per a report on the AP, officials in Washington and Europe approved the transfer of the advanced fighter jet on Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led Ukraine has long eyed for the sophisticated fighter jet to give it a combat edge over Russia in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin's forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Having said so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take four or five years, he said. Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months of training on the aircraft, according to officials.

U.S. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine. Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday that the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.

The Ukrainian pilots are happy with the development and said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of better fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyiv's way. Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG-29 and Sukhoi jets, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.

A modern war cannot be won without aviation" capabilities, Rakita said. Denmark will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters. The first four F-35s are due to be delivered on Oct. 1.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on Friday asked the Jalan-Kalrock consortium, the winning bidder for bankrupt Jet Airways, to file an application within 24 hours, explaining the modalities for payment of Rs 350 crore to the lenders.

The appellate tribunal has also directed the Committee of Creditors of Jet Airways to file a response over the consortium's application stating the condition for an extension for the payment.

Also read: SpiceJet Passenger Clicks Obscene Photos Of Air Hostess On Flight, DCW Issues Notice

"Learned Counsel for the Respondent (consortium) seeks liberty and is allowed to file an application within 24 hours. Response to the application be filed by the appellant (lenders) by the date fixed," said NCLAT.



A two-member NCLAT bench comprising Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Barun Mitra has directed to list this appeal on August 21 for the next hearing. It also allowed the consortium "to file hard copy of the Application regarding payment of gratuity etc" to the employees of Jet Airways. During the proceedings, the Committee of Creditors (CoC) asked the consortium to pay Rs 350 crore by August 31, as per the schedule. However, the consortium sought an extension in the schedule.

Senior advocate Ravishankar Prasad appearing for the consortium submitted that they will deposit Rs 100 crore by August 31. After that, they would deposit another Rs 100 crore by September 30. For the rest Rs 150 crore, it suggested that lenders can encash a bank guarantee lying in their favour having a similar value.

However, Additional Solicitor General N Venkatraman appearing for lenders said the bank guaranty of Rs 150 crore was executed for some other expenses for the resolution plan and it cannot be construed to be a part of the Rs 350 crore.

Earlier also, the timeline for payment of Rs 350 crore has been extended by NCLAT Currently, the affairs of the grounded airline are being managed by the Monitoring Committee (MC) of lenders.

Now, as per the extended time to the successful resolution applicant, Rs 350 crore has to be paid before August 31, 2023. During the last hearing on August 7, lenders said if the consortium pays them Rs 350 crore, then they would not pursue a case against it.

Jet Airways stopped flying in April 2019, and later the consortium emerged as the winning bidder under the insolvency resolution process. However, ownership transfer has been hanging fire amid continuing differences between lenders and consortiums.
Mumbai: Actor Sushmita Sen on Saturday expressed heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming response of the audience to her recently released web series series Taali.'Taali' is a biopic of transgender activist Gauri Sawant in which Sushmita Sen essays the titular role.

Taking to Instagram, Sushmita shared a picture and wrote, This happiness is a vibe!! And YOU are the reason!!! Thank you all for the love, respect & appreciation youll have been showering on #Taali. On behalf of #teamtaali @shreegaurisawant @ravijadhavofficial @gseamsak @afeefanadiadwala @officialjiocinema @kshitijpatwardhan the amazing cast & crew & of course #yourstruly .Our DEEPEST GRATITUDE!!!. The calls, the messages, the posts, the stories, the flowers, the love notes. All forever cherished!!! Thank you for opening your hearts!!! The world needs it!!! #trulyoverwhelmed I love you guys!!!! #duggadugga.

The trailer shed light on the trials and tribulations of Shreegauri Sawants life, her daring transformation from Ganesh to Gauri and the discrimination she was subjected to because of that; her fearless journey towards motherhood, and the audacious battle that led to the inclusion and identification of the third gender on every official document in India. Coupled with an inspirational storyline, the series hits the right chords with some thought-provoking dialogues.

Created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar, directed by National award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, written by Kshitij Patwardhan, and produced by Arjun Singgh Baran, Kartk D Nishandar (GSEAMS Production) and Afeefa Nadiadwala.

Born as Ganesh and raised in Pune, Shreegauri Sawant is a transgender activist from Mumbai. She was one of the petitioners in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) case of 2013, in connection with which the Supreme Court recognised persons belonging to the transgender community as the third gender. The landmark verdict was delivered in 2014. The series is streaming on the OTT platform Jio Cinema.
NEW DELHI/SURAT: In a world where stories of rags-to-riches are aplenty, we bring you a tale that stands as a remarkable testament to triumph. The individual we introduce to you today has achieved a level of success that is simply unparalleled - Surat's diamond merchant Savjibhai Dholakia.

From Humble Beginnings To Dazzling Heights

Savjibhai Dholakia, originating from the village of Dudhala in the Morbi district of Gujarat, embarked on an odyssey armed with only 12 rupees in his pocket. Despite not progressing beyond the fourth grade, he has forged a prominent position that rivals empires worth billions. Through sheer tenacity, he transformed those meagre Rs 12 into a realm valued at over Rs 12,000 crores. What sets his success apart is his recognition of not just his efforts, but the tireless dedication of his employees, whom he rewards generously with bonuses and opulent gifts.

Journey From Rs 12 To Rs 12,000 Crore Business Empire

Savjibhai, born in 1962, grew up in a farming family in Dudhala, Amreli, Gujarat. Having completed only up to the fourth grade, he embarked on his journey with a mere 12.50 rupees borrowed from his family in 1977. This amount barely covered his bus fare to Surat. However, when the desire to achieve is unyielding, obstacles are mere hurdles. Savjibhai's life story is a testament to this conviction. His current net worth stands at an astounding 1.5 billion dollars, equivalent to around 12,000 crores.

Transitioning From Hardship To Triumph

Savjibhai's education was cut short due to financial constraints when he was just 13 years old. In 1977, armed with a paltry Rs 12.50, he journeyed to Surat to stay with his uncle, a diamond trader. It was here that he delved into the intricacies of the diamond trade. His initial job at a Surat factory garnered him a monthly wage of a mere 179 rupees. After allocating 140 rupees for necessities, he managed to save 39 rupees. Learning diamond polishing from a friend, he dedicated nearly a decade to this trade, gradually expanding his business.

From Employee To Owner

The year 1984 marked a significant turning point as Savjibhai, alongside his brothers Himmant and Tulsi, established Hari Krishna Exporters. This company operates in both the diamond and textile sectors. What was once their place of employment, soon transformed into their very own enterprise. Their diamond and textile ventures employ a workforce exceeding 6000, renowned not only for the quality of their products but also for their transparency.

A Legacy of Unmatched Bonuses

Savjibhai Dholakia has forged a business of considerable magnitude. He bestows his employees with bonuses and lavish gifts, including houses, cars, and mopeds. Remarkably, some employees have even received Mercedes cars as tokens of his appreciation. Known for his humility and generosity, Savjibhai is revered by his employees as a benevolent leader. His fame extends globally, attributed to his extravagant Diwali bonuses for his workforce. His tradition of awarding cars, flats, and jewelry as bonuses has garnered widespread recognition.

Luxury On Wheels For Employees

Savjibhai Dholakia, the Founder and Chairman of Hari Krishna Exports, is renowned for gifting his employees luxurious presents every Diwali. This diamond magnate from Surat has presented numerous employees with cars, houses, fixed deposits, and other valuable gifts, as a testament to their dedication and hard work.

Notably, the Hari Krishna Diamond Company gifted three senior managers, who served loyally for 25 years, Mercedes cars each worth one crore rupees as part of Diwali bonuses. Furthermore, after the untimely passing of an employee named Dilip, Savjibhai Dholakia provided Dilip's widow with a one crore rupee check. It's worth highlighting that such incentives are ingrained in Savjibhai Dholakia's history. "The first car purchase is a monumental event in anyone's life. Receiving it as an incentive inspires my employees to perform better, improving their lifestyles and ensuring their families happiness. This ultimately benefits the company," Dholakia has said.

Sowing The Seeds Of Empathy And Diligence

Savjibhai understands the struggle of attaining success. In 2017, he sent his son, Hitarth Dholakia, to Hyderabad with a mere Rs 500. This decision aimed to expose his son to the challenges of everyday life. He even ensured that his grandson experienced the life of an ordinary individual, emphasizing the importance of hard work. Savjibhai's grandson, Ruvin Dholakia, returned from the United States after completing his education. Seeking to acquaint his grandson with the trials they face daily, he dispatched Ruvin to Chennai. Savjibhai believed that firsthand experiences serve as more potent educators than any management school could provide.

The story of Savjibhai Dholakia stands as a testament to the power of determination and the spirit of benevolence. His journey from a humble background to the pinnacles of success exemplifies the transformative potential of hard work and empathy.
Hariyali Teej is a significant Hindu festival celebrated by married and unmarried women in various parts of India. The festival usually falls during the monsoon months of July or August. The fasting rules associated with Hariyali Teej hold great importance and are observed with devotion.

On this day, women fast to seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for a happy and prosperous married life. The fasting rules include abstaining from consuming grains, cereals, salt, and certain spices during the fast. Married women break their fast only after sighting the moon.

The fast is observed from sunrise to moonrise, and women often wear green clothes and jewelry, symbolizing the lushness of nature during the monsoon season. The fasting period also involves elaborate prayers, singing traditional songs, and engaging in cultural activities. Married women receive 'sindhara' from their parents, which consists of gifts and sweets.

It's important to note that fasting can have health implications, especially if not done properly. Pregnant or nursing women, as well as those with health conditions, are generally advised to refrain from fasting.

Also read: Hariyali Teej 2023: Check Shubh Muhurat, Auspicious Rituals For Married Women

Hariyali Teej fasting rules are not just a religious practice but also a celebration of nature, love, and marital bonds, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of India.

Hariyali Teej Fasting Rules: Dos And Don'ts To Follow While Fasting

Dos

- Attire matters, so opt for traditional wear like saris and suits for the festivities. Women often choose green outfits as it signifies a prosperous, healthy, and harmonious life.

- Women should perform arti and offer prayers to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, ensuring their husbands' longevity. Those observing the fast can also listen to the narrative of Hariyali Teej.

- During the puja, present handcrafted desserts like puri, artisanal sweets like laddoo and halwa, along with fresh fruits.

- Rise early during the Brahma Muhurat, which is two hours before dawn. This optimal time allows for bathing, dressing in clean clothes, and if you find mornings challenging, consider an earlier bedtime. Waking during Brahma Muhurat is believed to connect your prayers directly to the divine.

- Prepare for the occasion by adorning your hands with intricate mehndi designs and wearing green bangles, symbolizing enduring joy and longevity in your marital relationship.

Donts

- Prioritize your health: It's advised that women follow the Nirjala fast, during which they abstain from consuming even water. If you're unwell or pregnant, it's best to avoid this fast and focus on your health.

- When fasting, refrain from taking afternoon naps as it's considered unfavorable according to religious customs.

- During the fasting period, steer clear of wearing black or white attire or accessories, as these colors are deemed inauspicious.

- "Hariyali," translating to "nature" in Hindi, signifies Maa Parvati as a representation of nature. Hence, those fasting should avoid harming the environment or Mother Nature. Often, during rituals, people litter roads and water bodies with worship materials.

- On the fasting day, avoid disagreements with your husband, as the purpose of the fast is his well-being. Focus on positivity, maintain a harmonious atmosphere, and if issues arise, address them calmly together later on.

(This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.)
New Delhi: A 32-year-old man was stabbed to death while two others were injured allegedly after being attacked by a group of three miscreants in separate incidents in North East Delhi, police said on Saturday.

According to officials, the accused tried to rob the victims and attacked them with sharp-edged weapons at separate lanes on the intervening night of Friday.

The deceased was identified as Gufran (32), while the two injured have been identified as Sher Mohd (25) and Sharik (22), all residents of the Janta Mazdoor Colony in Delhi.

Officials said that three PCR calls were received at Delhi's Welcome Police Station late at night regarding the three incidents. The first PCR call was received at 11:33 pm, wherein police were informed that Sher Mohd (25) had been stabbed in the abdomen by one of the miscreants. He however managed to save himself by hiding inside a house.

The second PCR call was received at 12:21 am informing that Gufran (32) had been stabbed on his back and that he succumbed to his injuries.

The third PCR call was received at 1:02 am about the third victim, Sharik, being stabbed on his neck and that he had run away and managed to save himself.

During the initial investigation, it was found that the three accused, identified as Kapil Choudhary, Sohail, and Sameer, had been drinking and decided to rob some people.

Police said that the three accused had then gone on a robbery spree carrying sharp-edged weapons, which they bought recently from Delhi's Ballimaran area.

They stabbed three persons but managed to rob only one of them, who eventually died due to his injuries. All three accused are known ruffians and two of them have past criminal records, police added.

Two of the three accused have been apprehended, and officials were making efforts to trace the third accused were on. Two blood-stained knives and a mobile phone were recovered from the two accused.

Officials said that one of the accused was found to be involved in similar crimes in the past. The accused, identified as Kapil Chaudhary (25), was arrested in 2021 in a case of attempted murder, and then again in 2022 for another stabbing incident, they said, adding that the second accused that has been arrested is Sohail (22).

"The third accused, identified as Sameer, is on the run and efforts are on to trace him," they said, adding that further investigation into the case is on.
A recent survey conducted by Pollsters India, a prominent public opinion-tracking company, sheds light on the divide between reality and perception in Indian politics. The survey, titled "Parliament to Red Fort," reveals that an overwhelming majority of respondents believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will return to the Red Fort to deliver his 11th Independence Day speech on August 15, 2024. Meanwhile, the opposition appears to be losing the perception war, both inside Parliament and at the Red Fort ceremony. With just eight months remaining until the 2024 Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May next year, the Congress-led alliance faces a significant challenge in catching up with the BJP-led NDA.

Modi's Confidence and Electoral Victory

During his speech on August 15, Prime Minister Modi confidently stated that he would be back at the Red Fort in 2024 after the next Lok Sabha election, hinting at his strong belief in securing an electoral victory. According to the survey, 54% of the respondents believed that he would indeed return, while 37% believed that the upcoming elections would be a closely contested affair.

Changing Political Equations

National political dynamics have witnessed some shifts with the consolidation of opposition votes under the newly formed I.N.D.I.A. alliance. The BJP's chances of re-election now depend on its performance in North and West India, which together account for 258 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. In the previous election, the NDA secured 220 seats in these regions. Notably, Maharashtra remains a critical battleground, as a series of defections from the MVA to the NDA has balanced out the impact of the Shiv Sena joining the opposition alliance.

Regional Variations

The survey reveals regional variations in perceptions. A majority of respondents from North and Western India believe that PM Modi will return next year, indicating confidence in his leadership. In contrast, respondents from East and South India suggest that the electoral landscape is still relatively open.

The BJP-led NDA has performed well in East India, winning around 30 seats out of 131. However, the shifting alliances and anti-BJP consolidation in West Bengal could lead to reversals for the NDA. The BJP's strong lead in West and North India, where it had a significant vote share advantage, positions the party favorably to secure a national majority, unless the INDIA alliance can engineer a late swing as seen in 2004.

Congress's Challenge

Given the nature of the electoral battle, it is crucial for the Congress to regain control of the national narrative. However, this seems challenging, especially in light of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's decision to stay away from the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort. While Kharge led the Congress's celebrations at the party's national headquarters, his absence from the national event did not sit well with 55% of the respondents, while 36% indicated that it was not a significant issue. Additionally, Kharge did not garner strong support from East and Southern India, where the INC traditionally receives more substantial backing.

As the countdown to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections continues, both the ruling BJP-led alliance and the opposition face their respective challenges in shaping public perception and securing electoral victories in a diverse and dynamic political landscape.
AIZAWL: Months ahead of the elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, Congress, the main opposition party in the state, has formed a Mizoram Secular Alliance (MSA) with two local parties - Peoples Conference (PC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP). Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Lalsawta said on Saturday that the MSA was formed on Friday to unitedly fight against the BJP.

The Congress leader, referring to the resolution adopted by the MSA, urged the other political parties to join the alliance for the survival of the Mizos and their religion.

It is alleged that ever since the saffron party and its allies came to power at the Centre in 2014, there have been concerted efforts to demolish the minority communities, especially the tribals, and to usher in a Hindu kingdom by a series of legislations, to which the Mizoram Secular Alliance does not want to remain a silent spectator.

India has become one of the top countries where Christians are not safe, the MSA resolution said. In the current Assembly, the Congress has five members while the PC and the ZNP don't have any representation.

On the other hand, Mizoram Chief Minister and the President of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoramthanga, claimed that his party will retain power in the next Assembly polls, expected to be held later this year.

He said there are more than 10 seats where the MNF has a strong organisational base, while the party has substantial hold in the other seats.



The ruling MNF won 28 seats in the 2018 Assembly polls, while the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) won six seats, the Congress five and the BJP one.

Meanwhile, a 20-member team of the Election Commission is scheduled to visit Mizoram on August 29 to review the preparedness for the upcoming Assembly elections.
HYDERABAD: The BJPs best ever performance in Telangana was during the 2019 general elections when it won four Lok Sabha seats. But retaining them will be a huge challenge for the party, which in recent times, has been dogged by infighting. The party's performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Telangana will depend on how it fares in the Assembly elections scheduled to be held later this year. And as things stands now, the prospects are not bright.

The BJPs defeat in the the Karnataka Assembly polls held in May and an apparent upswing in the Congresss political fortunes, have dealt a blow to the saffron partys morale in Telangana. The BJP is seen relegated to the third position. Not long ago, the saffron party was in an aggressive mode and was projecting itself as the main challenger to Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

However, it now seems to be losing steam. The defeat in Karnataka and internal bickering in Telangana leading to change in the state leadership have dealt twin blows to the partys morale. The manner in which Bandi Sanjay Kumar was eased out to make Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy the president of the party unit has not gone down well with supporters of the former.

Some leaders within the party have privately admitted that the change of guard was a suicidal step as they believe that it was Sanjay who lifted BJP to what it in the state today. Known for his aggressive Hindutva politics, the MP from Karimnagar had led the party to victories in two Assembly by-elections and the impressive performance in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls.

Sanjay had also won praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for strengthening the party through his "praja sangram yatra" and by aggressively taking on ruling BRS. However, the BJPs debacle in Karnataka seems to have changed the direction of the wind. The dissidents from BRS and other parties, who were looking at the BJP earlier, dropped their plans and instead preferred the Congress.

Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, former minister Jupally Krishna Rao and several other leaders joining the Congress has rattled the BJP. Huzurabad MLA Eatala Rajender and some others unhappy with Sanjays style of functioning felt emboldened to force a change of guard. Kishan Reddys appointment as the new party chief appeared to have dampened the enthusiasm of BJP cadres as a section of party leaders perceive him as a soft leader.

Last week, the BJP received another jolt when its leader and former minister A. Chandra Sekhar quit the party and decided to join the Congress. Some more leaders, including former MPs Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, Konda Visweswar Reddy, Vijayashanthi, and G. Vivek Venkataswamy, are also believed to be waiting for an appropriate time to cross over.

The recent developments have slowed down the BJP juggernaut. With a focus on internal bickering and the impact of the Karnataka debacle, the central leadership also appeared to have developed cold feet. Prime Minister Modis visit to Warangal to launch various projects and address public meeting was overshadowed by infighting and change of leadership.

Shahs trip to the state was also postponed twice and h is now scheduled to visit on August 29 to address a public meeting in Khammam. Political analysts have said the BJP, which was working aggressively with the target of capturing power in 2023, is facing an uphill task to bounce back.

With the BRS marching ahead and Congress also upbeat, the saffron party appears to be lagging at third place. Some pre-poll surveys have given BJP only 7-10 seats. In 2018, the BJP had bagged only one seat in 119-member Assembly. However, in the Lok Sabha elections held a few months later, the party delivered its best-ever performance by winning four seats.

Telangana BJP leaders hope that Shahs visit later this month will infuse new enthusiasm in the saffron camp. The party is also planning a yatra from September to reach out to people and give momentum to the campaign. Political analyst Palwai Raghavendra Reddy believes that a poor performance by the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections will definitely hit its prospects in 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

He pointed out that the party could win four out of 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state last time due to the Modi wave but retaining them will not be easy this time, if the BJP fails to make a mark in Assembly polls. In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP is likely to go to voters with the achievements of the Modi government during the last two terms and various welfare schemes implemented by it.

However, the party may find it difficult to counter the BRS, which has been targeting BJP for its discrimination towards Telangana and its failure to fulfill the assurances given to the state in 2014 at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh, there is hardly any political space for national parties. The political scene is dominated by ruling party YSR Congress and main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with Jana Sena Party (JSP) of actor-politician Pawan Kalyan trying to emerge as the third force.

The BJP, like Congress, drew a blank in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections held simultaneously in 2019. There has been no change in the fortunes of the saffron party in the state during the last five years. Pawan Kalyan, an ally of the BJP, is trying to forge a grand alliance of TDP-JSP-BJP against the YSR Congress.

The saffron party remained unclear on reviving alliance with Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP. Even if the grand alliance materialises, the BJP will be a small player in the combine. Though the BJP last month appointed former union minister Daggubati Purandeswari as the new state president, analysts say this is not likely to yield any major gains for it on the ground.

Purandeswari is sister-in-law of Naidu and daughter of later TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao. Her appointment is seen as an attempt to woo the Kamma community. Kammas have been traditional supporters of the TDP and they are not likely to sail with the BJP.
New Delhi: Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is reportedly planning a new startup in the burgeoning e-commerce space in India. According to Money Control, Bansal recently sold his remaining stake in Flipkart and is now looking to create an e-commerce startup.

The report said, citing sources, that Bansal will not seek to raise external funds and would rather infuse his own capital in the new e-commerce startup. Bansal received about $1-$1.5 billion from his shareholding in Flipkart.

Binny, along with Sachin Bansal, exited Flipkart after selling it to Walmart in 2018 for around $16 billion. Binny has backed around 60 startups, like Acko, Ather Energy, Curefoods, Cultfit, BrightChamps, Unacademy, Yulu and others.

Last year, Binny Bansal sold his stake worth $264 million (more than Rs 2,000 crore) in the homegrown e-commerce platform to Chinese Internet giant Tencent.

Sachin and Binny Bansal, who received their B.Tech degree in computer science & engineering from IIT-D in 2005, built one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in India.

Sachin led Flipkart as its CEO from its inception in 2007 till 2015 and took over as the Executive Chairman in 2016. He is currently leading and mentoring the startup and internet ecosystem in India and is an angel investor in several technology startups.

Binny served as the CEO of Flipkart till January 2016 before being promoted as Chief Executive Officer. He exited Flipkart in November 2018 and became a prolific angel investor.

Last month, retail giant Walmart paid $1.4 billion to acquire VC form Tiger Global's remaining shares in Flipkart. According to a report in Wall Street Journal, Walmart has paid the money to boost Flipkart's stake.

Walmart purchased Tiger Global's remaining holding in Flipkart to further cement its control of the Indian e-commerce giant. Tiger Global made an overall gain of $3.5 billion on an investment of $1.2 billion.

Flipkart was earlier valued at $37.6 billion in a 2021 funding round. Walmart had a 72 percent share in Flipkart as reported last.
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Cerillion is UK8.88 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Cerillion's UK11.80 share price signals that it might be 33% overvalued

Analyst price target for CER is UK14.49, which is 63% above our fair value estimate

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Cerillion Plc (LON:CER) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. 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 still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Cerillion

The Calculation

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

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) forecast

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK12.3m UK13.6m UK14.6m UK15.4m UK16.0m UK16.5m UK17.0m UK17.4m UK17.7m UK18.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x5 Analyst x3 Est @ 6.95% Est @ 5.28% Est @ 4.11% Est @ 3.29% Est @ 2.72% Est @ 2.32% Est @ 2.04% Est @ 1.84% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 7.3% UK11.5 UK11.9 UK11.8 UK11.6 UK11.3 UK10.8 UK10.4 UK9.9 UK9.4 UK9.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK108m

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 7.3%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK18m (1 + 1.4%)  (7.3% 1.4%) = UK311m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK311m ( 1 + 7.3%)10= UK155m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK262m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of UK11.8, the company appears reasonably expensive 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

Important 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 Cerillion as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.3%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.994. 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 Cerillion

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Currently debt free.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year is below its 5-year average.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Software market.

Expensive based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Opportunity

Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the British market.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the British market.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a premium to intrinsic value? For Cerillion, we've put together three important aspects you should further research:

Financial Health: Does CER 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 CER's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM 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.
New Delhi: Creating pictures has always been a powerful means for humans to express ideas, thoughts, emotions, and fears. The earliest instances, like man-made paintings on cave walls and ceilings, marked the beginning of this journey, evolving alongside technological and artistic advancements throughout human history.

Photography, an art form aimed at capturing present moments for posterity, can be likened to freezing time and revisiting the past whenever desired. Thanks to modern technologies such as smartphones and Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs), millions of photos are taken every day.

But theres a long history behind the photography like other technologies. Innovators, scientists, and photographers spent countless hours to refine the technology for the betterment and providing a refine tool in the hands of the humanity.

From the early experiments with light and chemicals to the digital age of instant imagery, the history of photography is a captivating tale of innovation, creativity, and human ingenuity.

Early Pioneers (19th Century):

The journey of photography started in the 19th century with inventors like Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre. Niepce's "View from the Window at Le Gras" in 1826 is considered the earliest surviving photograph. Daguerre's daguerreotype process brought about the first commercial form of photography in 1839, marking a revolutionary step in visual documentation.

What is Daguerreotype Process?

The daguerreotype process, one of the earliest forms of photography, involves making a shiny metal plate sensitive to light using special chemicals. This plate is then exposed to light inside a camera, creating a hidden image that becomes visible through further chemical treatment. Each picture is unique and captures shades of black and white, serving as a remarkable way to preserve memories and moments in history.

Technological Advances (Late 19th to Early 20th Century):

The late 19th century witnessed the development of roll film by George Eastman, leading to the creation of the Kodak camera in 1888. This marked a turning point, making photography accessible to the masses. In the early 20th century, color photography emerged with the autochrome process, giving rise to new creative possibilities.

Artistic Expression (Mid to Late 20th Century):

Photography transformed from mere documentation to a powerful means of artistic expression during the mid-20th century. Figures like Ansel Adams revolutionized landscape photography, while Dorothea Lange's poignant images captured the human condition during the Great Depression. The introduction of 35mm film and the single-lens reflex (SLR) camera expanded photographic horizons.

Digital Revolution (Late 20th Century to Present):

The late 20th century brought the digital revolution, reshaping photography entirely. The invention of the digital camera and the pixel sensor paved the way for instant preview, manipulation, and sharing of images. Photojournalism reached new heights as images from around the world could be transmitted in real-time.

Smartphone Era and Beyond:

The 21st century witnessed the democratization of photography with the rise of smartphones. High-quality cameras in pocket-sized devices made everyone a potential photographer. Social media platforms became visual diaries, and the concept of "selfies" emerged as a global phenomenon.
In the last year, many Diamondback Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FANG) insiders sold a substantial stake in the company which may have sparked shareholders' attention. When evaluating insider transactions, knowing whether insiders are buying versus if they selling is usually more beneficial, as the latter can be open to many interpretations. However, if numerous insiders are selling, shareholders should investigate more.

While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares.

Check out our latest analysis for Diamondback Energy

The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Diamondback Energy

The CEO & Chairman of the Board, Travis Stice, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.5m worth of shares at a price of US$132 each. That means that an insider was selling shares at slightly below the current price (US$148). We generally consider it a negative if insiders have been selling, especially if they did so below the current price, because it implies that they considered a lower price to be reasonable. While insider selling is not a positive sign, we can't be sure if it does mean insiders think the shares are fully valued, so it's only a weak sign. We note that the biggest single sale was only 2.5% of Travis Stice's holding.

In the last year Diamondback Energy insiders didn't buy any company stock. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insiders At Diamondback Energy Have Sold Stock Recently

Over the last three months, we've seen significant insider selling at Diamondback Energy. In total, insiders dumped US$6.9m worth of shares in that time, and we didn't record any purchases whatsoever. In light of this it's hard to argue that all the insiders think that the shares are a bargain.

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Does Diamondback Energy Boast High Insider Ownership?

Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. It's great to see that Diamondback Energy insiders own 0.4% of the company, worth about US$113m. I like to see this level of insider ownership, because it increases the chances that management are thinking about the best interests of shareholders.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Diamondback Energy Insiders?

Insiders sold Diamondback Energy shares recently, but they didn't buy any. Looking to the last twelve months, our data doesn't show any insider buying. It is good to see high insider ownership, but the insider selling leaves us cautious. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Diamondback Energy. Case in point: We've spotted 4 warning signs for Diamondback Energy you should be aware of.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Expectations run high as emerging economies gear up for BRICS summit

Xinhua) 09:10, August 19, 2023

This photo taken on Jan. 31, 2023 shows the night view of Johannesburg, South Africa. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

The voice of the Global South, represented by major emerging economies in BRICS has become increasingly important in addressing global challenges at a time of profound geopolitical changes.

CAIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The 15th BRICS Summit, to be held in South Africa's Johannesburg next week, has received a lot of media attention in the months leading up to the event, underscoring the growing influence of BRICS over the past years.

Analysts believe what happens at Johannesburg will be watched with heightened interest, as the voice of the Global South, represented by major emerging economies in BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has become increasingly important in addressing global challenges at a time of profound geopolitical changes, and the group has demonstrated great potential to improve the architecture of international relations.

Expectations are high about the outcome of the summit as its participants are expected to discuss the accelerated use of local currencies, strengthened cooperation to fast-track mutual growth, and the promotion of inclusive multilateralism, among other issues of common concern.

RISING INTEREST IN BRICS MEMBERSHIP

As per data released earlier this year from Acorn Macro Consulting, a British economic research firm, the BRICS group makes up 41 percent of the global population and accounts for 16 percent of world trade. The five BRICS countries now contribute about a quarter of the global GDP.

With its growing economic presence on the global stage and as one of the most important platforms for win-win cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries, BRICS is becoming increasingly attractive.

A worker arranges a signboard of the 15th BRICS summit outside the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)

"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

In an opinion piece published on the website of Dubai-based commercial magazine Arabian Business in June, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said more countries joining BRICS would provide "a compelling opportunity for growth and cooperation."

In a column published on the website of Dubai-based English daily Gulf News recently, Osama Al Sharif, a journalist and political commentator based in the Jordanian capital Amman, said the increasing number of applicants joining BRICS has indicated "a sense of urgency by countries to address some of these challenges and strengthen partnerships away from Western influence."

FAIRER GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

BRICS has "great potential in terms of creating the architecture of international relations," Russia's foreign intelligence chief Sergey Naryshkin was quoted as saying by Turkiye's semi-official Anadolu Agency at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday.

"The five BRICS nations are considering expanding the grouping by forging closer links across many areas of both economy and civil society. This is born of a long-held desire to increase the representation of developing nations in appropriately responding to shared global challenges," the UAE foreign minister wrote in the opinion piece.

Signboards of the 15th BRICS summit are seen in a street of Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

In the eyes of Adnan Mansour, who served as Lebanon's foreign minister between 2011 and 2014, the Johannesburg summit will strengthen BRICS' position in a world where the United States and its allies have been coming up with global trade rules that only serve their own advantage.

"The event will contribute to global stabilization, dialogue, partnership and progress," he told Russian news agency TASS in an interview published earlier this week.

"At a time when there is so much criticism about how Western countries have failed to create a more equitable economic order in a world plagued by poverty, over-exploitation of the planet's resources, pollution, famine and disease, BRICS+ could go a long way in addressing some of these challenges," Al Sharif wrote.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
FILE PHOTO: Roberto Colaninno attends the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Vespa Primavera scooter at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera

By Crispian Balmer

ROME (Reuters) - Entrepreneur Roberto Colaninno, chairman and CEO of scooter maker Piaggio and one of Italy's best-known dealmakers, has died, his investment company IMMSI said on Saturday.

He turned 80 last week. No cause of death was given.

Colaninno was a central figure in the country's industrial landscape who managed to turn around a number of failing companies, but also left a mixed corporate legacy.

He is most famous for his surprise $58 billion leveraged buyout of Telecom Italia in 1999, at the time the world's largest hostile takeover.

Many investors applauded him for masterminding the deal, but allies grew disenchanted over his plans to cut the debt mountain he had created, and forced him to sell control of the group to tyre-maker Pirelli just two years later.

While Telecom Italia struggled to recover from the debt burden that drained its finances for years, Colaninno emerged from the deal with a fortune of his own, enabling him to buy IMMSI, a telecom real estate business that he turned into an investment company.

In 2003, after his efforts to take over carmaker Fiat were rebuffed, he turned his attention to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter, which had fallen on hard times.

He pulled it back from the brink, rapidly expanding its activities in Asia, especially India, China and Vietnam. The group posted record first-half results in July.

With Piaggio returning to profit, Colaninno looked to revive another struggling Italian icon, national carrier Alitalia, investing heavily in the airline in 2008 and becoming chairman in the process.

However, like many before him, he failed to turn the company around, and it was eventually shuttered. He was sent to trial last year along with 13 other defendants accused of fraudulent bankruptcy at the airline. He denied wrongdoing.

The case has yet to come to court.

Colaninno started his career at auto parts maker Fiamm, then hooked up with one of the giants of Italian business, Carlo De Benedetti. They founded a finance company, Sogefi, that bought Fiamm from its British owner and transformed it into one of the most successful car parts suppliers in Europe.

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De Benedetti subsequently asked Colaninno to take charge of his floundering Olivetti company. Colaninno ditched the firm's loss-making computer unit and focused on the telephone business - which he subsequently used as a vehicle to launch the Telecom Italia bid.

He is survived by two sons, Matteo and Michele, and his wife Oretta.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by David Holmes)
Hawaiian Electric stocks have plummeted more than two-thirds since the Maui wildfires last week that killed at least 114 people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina.

Shares jumped about 14% on Friday after Hawaiian Electric filed a report with the SEC saying the utility is seeking advice from experts and the company "intends to be here [Hawaii] for the long term, through the rebuilding effort and beyond."

But analysts don't think the jump in stock price will last.

"There is a great deal of legal uncertainty at this point," Wells Fargo analyst Jonathan Reeder told CBS News. "The prospects of Hawaiian Electric avoiding liability appear highly unlikely, in our opinion, based on the extent of the devastation, Hawaii's liability standard and the way similar wildfire events have played out in other Western U.S. states," Reeder said.

On Thursday, Wells Fargo analysts issued a report saying that the state's primary power company is essentially worth zero dollars  pointing to the increasing death toll, property damage, pain and suffering in Maui.

Hawaiian Electric set a stock price of $8 down from about $17.68 the previous week, and analysts wrote that "economic losses are likely well into the billions of dollars, far exceeding the utility's pre-wildfire equity value."

While the cause of the fires has not yet been determined, investigators are looking into whether downed power lines and decisions by Hawaiian Electric played a role, and claims that the utility did not implement precautionary safety measures to reduce wildfire risks have surfaced. A spokesperson for Maui Electric told CBS News in a statement that some steps were taken to mitigate the possibility of fires sparking before hurricane winds arrived.

The investigation could take months or even years to conclude, Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a report dated Aug. 16, and the extent of HE's insurance coverage likely pales in comparison to potential liabilities.

California utility company PG&E filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after it paid out about 25.5 billion for its role in wildfires in 2017 and 2018 caused by downed power lines. PG&E paid about $13.5 billion to wildfire victims following lawsuits and claims the utility's equipment sparked what is now the most destructive wildfire in California history.

Emily Mae Czachor and the Associated Press contributed reporting
Several businesses, including one in Hampton Roads, were hit with fines after a new state law tightening regulations on the hemp industry took effect this summer.

Shop owners need to do their due diligence, said Jason Blanchette, president of the Virginia Cannabis Association.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is tasked with enforcing the new rules. Spokesperson Michael Wallace said the agency started conducting food safety inspections last month.

Chesapeake Tobacco & Vape offered five edible hemp products that were not in compliance, according to a copy of a letter the department sent to the shop on July 31. The letter states the business further failed to submit a mandatory edible hemp products disclosure form and did not have a food establishment permit.

The owner, Assim Mirgan, declined to comment.

The store was fined $13,000, but the department offered an opportunity to pay a reduced penalty of $6,500 if the payment is made within 30 days.

As of Aug. 4, other businesses that received noncompliance letters include Paradise Vapes in Christiansburg, Discount Tobacco in Gate City, N2U and Cherry Hill Tobacco & Vape, both in Galax, and Tobacco World and Skyline Cigars & Vapes, both in Warrenton. The total amount in fines sought for these stores is $208,500, but could be less if they pay within 30 days.

Many have found it challenging to keep up with Virginias ever changing landscape of hemp and marijuana laws. Hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant, but hemp only contains 0.3% or less THC, which is the component in cannabis that can produce an intoxicating effect.

The state decriminalized some marijuana possession in 2020. A year later, it became legal for individuals to grow or possess small amounts of marijuana. But the General Assembly has since been unable to pass legislation that creates a legal retail market for selling it, creating a murky grey area.

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Meanwhile, the legislature in 2022 passed legislation prohibiting the sale of THC products that were in fun shapes likely to appeal to children or in packaging that mimics trademarked brands. Legislators continued the crackdown this year, further tightening the rules for labels and packaging and requiring cannabis products to contain at least a 25-to-1 ratio of CBD, or cannabidiol, to THC. It also established civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each day a violation occurs.

Wallace said the noncompliance letters issued this summer were due to violations related to the new laws from 2022 and 23.

Blanchette said the association didnt fully support the new laws, some of which he believes handcuff local business owners. But he said stores should have at least adjusted by now to the rules surrounding shapes and trademarked brands.

Honestly, I dont have any sympathy for that, he said. That was legislation from July 1 of 2022.

Clouded market: Even as retail marijuana sales stall in Virginia, vaping and smoke shops are on the rise

Savana Griffith, owner of The Hemp Spectrum in Virginia Beach, said her business hasnt received any inspections or noncompliance letters.

Thankfully, there is no news here, she said.

Although Griffith strongly disagreed with the new laws, she emptied out her shelves earlier this summer and started searching for new compliant products. She also opened a distribution center over state lines in North Carolina.

Luckily with that (new center), and with bringing in some compliant edibles, we have been OK, she said.

Griffith, however, said the shop does receive daily calls from residents who used to rely on the products that are now banned.

The new legislation this year was not without controversy. Some legislators cautioned the bill needed more work.

On the Senate floor in April, Virginia Beach Democrat Aaron Rouse said he believed legislators did not have a strong enough understanding of the hemp industry to be passing new policies.

We are going to have to come back and fix this at a later point, said Rouse.  The market is already up and running and now we are talking about tying the arms of small businesses behind their backs.

Others dont think the new law needs any tweaking.

In a statement, Gov. Glenn Youngkin spokesperson Macaulay Porter said the new rules were working as intended.

The new hemp law takes critical steps to strengthen consumer safety and regulations around edible and inhaled hemp-derived products as well as delta-8 THC products, she wrote.  The legislation is effectively ensuring Virginians safety.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com
If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Ultimately, this demonstrates that it's a business that is reinvesting profits at increasing rates of return. Having said that, from a first glance at Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) we aren't jumping out of our chairs at how returns are trending, but let's have a deeper look.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Mueller Water Products:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.096 = US$124m  (US$1.5b - US$200m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

Therefore, Mueller Water Products has an ROCE of 9.6%. In absolute terms, that's a low return but it's around the Machinery industry average of 12%.

See our latest analysis for Mueller Water Products

roce

In the above chart we have measured Mueller Water Products' prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Mueller Water Products.

So How Is Mueller Water Products' ROCE Trending?

Over the past five years, Mueller Water Products' ROCE and capital employed have both remained mostly flat. Businesses with these traits tend to be mature and steady operations because they're past the growth phase. So unless we see a substantial change at Mueller Water Products in terms of ROCE and additional investments being made, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger. This probably explains why Mueller Water Products is paying out 31% of its income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Given the business isn't reinvesting in itself, it makes sense to distribute a portion of earnings among shareholders.

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In Conclusion...

In a nutshell, Mueller Water Products has been trudging along with the same returns from the same amount of capital over the last five years. And investors may be recognizing these trends since the stock has only returned a total of 25% to shareholders over the last five years. Therefore, if you're looking for a multi-bagger, we'd propose looking at other options.

One final note, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Mueller Water Products (including 1 which is significant) .

While Mueller Water Products 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.
There's no doubt that money can be made by owning shares of unprofitable businesses. For example, biotech and mining exploration companies often lose money for years before finding success with a new treatment or mineral discovery. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So should Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL) shareholders be worried about its cash burn? For the purpose of this article, we'll define cash burn as the amount of cash the company is spending each year to fund its growth (also called its negative free cash flow). The first step is to compare its cash burn with its cash reserves, to give us its 'cash runway'.

Check out our latest analysis for Australian Vanadium

How Long Is Australian Vanadium's Cash Runway?

You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. As at December 2022, Australian Vanadium had cash of AU$27m and no debt. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$12m over the trailing twelve months. Therefore, from December 2022 it had 2.2 years of cash runway. That's decent, giving the company a couple years to develop its business. The image below shows how its cash balance has been changing over the last few years.

How Is Australian Vanadium's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

While Australian Vanadium did record statutory revenue of AU$38k over the last year, it didn't have any revenue from operations. That means we consider it a pre-revenue business, and we will focus our growth analysis on cash burn, for now. With the cash burn rate up 2.6% in the last year, it seems that the company is ratcheting up investment in the business over time. However, the company's true cash runway will therefore be shorter than suggested above, if spending continues to increase. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Australian Vanadium due to its lack of significant operating revenues. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

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How Easily Can Australian Vanadium Raise Cash?

Since its cash burn is increasing (albeit only slightly), Australian Vanadium shareholders should still be mindful of the possibility it will require more cash in the future. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Many companies end up issuing new shares to fund future growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Australian Vanadium's cash burn of AU$12m is about 9.2% of its AU$135m market capitalisation. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Australian Vanadium's Cash Burn?

On this analysis of Australian Vanadium's cash burn, we think its cash runway was reassuring, while its increasing cash burn has us a bit worried. Considering all the factors discussed in this article, we're not overly concerned about the company's cash burn, although we do think shareholders should keep an eye on how it develops. Separately, we looked at different risks affecting the company and spotted 4 warning signs for Australian Vanadium (of which 2 can't be ignored!) you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Billionaire Mark Cuban had what he thought were good reasons for not investing in Uber in 2009. But nearly 15 years later, he still deeply regrets not doing so.

In 2009, Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick approached Cuban about making an investment in Uber at a valuation of $10 million. The ride-sharing giants market capitalization now stands at about $90 billion.

Cuban described the missed opportunity on a recent episode of Hart to Heart, Kevin Harts talk show on the Peacock. I said, Ill do it at [a] $5 million valuation, the Shark Tank star recalled.

He foresaw the regulatory pain that Uber would suffer and warned Kalanick that taxi commissions would try to put you out of business. Uber, of course, overcame such obstacles and various controversies on its way to its current valuation.

Had Cuban made the $250,000 investment in Uber in 2009, that investment would now be worth $2.3 billion.

Ive done OK, but still, said Cuban, who later cofounded Cost Plus Drugscurrently roiling companies like CVS and Cigna Groupand owns the Dallas Mavericks.

Kalanick didnt come back to Cuban about the Uber offer. He got somebody else, Cuban says, adding, Whoops.

Cubans net worth is now estimated at more than $5 billion, so hes hardly suffering. But even billionaires can feel the sting of a missed opportunity for years to come.

In 2017, he ruminated on his Uber mistake at the SXSW conference, saying, When you are trying to disrupt something like Travis was doing, sometimes you have got to be ready, fire, aim, and just bust through doors and figure you will deal with the regulatory issues later.

He added, If you really believe and you really have something that you think is going to disrupt the world, bring it to me. I wont make the same mistake twice.

Cuban noted that he himself, as a cofounder of a startup called Broadcast.com, had once been a young entrepreneur forging ahead despite regulatory hurdles. Yahoo bought Broadcast.com for $5.7 billion in 1999.

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Cuban is not the only one to pass up on golden opportunities, of course. In 2000, Blockbuster had a chance to buy Netflix for $50 million. Netflixs market cap today stands at about $180 billion, while Blockbuster has largely faded from memory.

Blockbusters CEO at the time, John Antioco, deemed Netflix a niche business and said the dot-com hysteria is completely overblown, according to a 2019 book Netflix cofounder Marc Randolph wrote about the streaming giants beginnings. In April of this year, Randolph tweeted that Blockbuster executives laughed us out of the room.

Cuban didnt exactly laugh Kalanick out of the roomhe even said he loved his idea. The valuation put him off, however, and Kalanick never came back to me.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
The board of Marshalls plc (LON:MSLH) has announced it will be reducing its dividend by 54% from last year's payment of 0.057 on the 1st of December, with shareholders receiving 0.026. The dividend yield of 5.9% is still a nice boost to shareholder returns, despite the cut.

See our latest analysis for Marshalls

Marshalls' Earnings Easily Cover The Distributions

We like to see robust dividend yields, but that doesn't matter if the payment isn't sustainable. Before making this announcement, Marshalls' dividend was higher than its profits, but the free cash flows quite comfortably covered it. Given that the dividend is a cash outflow, we think that cash is more important than accounting measures of profit when assessing the dividend, so this is a mitigating factor.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 153.1%. Under the assumption that the dividend will continue along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 59% which would be quite comfortable going to take the dividend forward.

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2013, the dividend has gone from 0.0525 total annually to 0.156. This implies that the company grew its distributions at a yearly rate of about 12% over that duration. Despite the rapid growth in the dividend over the past number of years, we have seen the payments go down the past as well, so that makes us cautious.

The Dividend Has Limited Growth Potential

Growing earnings per share could be a mitigating factor when considering the past fluctuations in the dividend. Earnings per share has been sinking by 17% over the last five years. This steep decline can indicate that the business is going through a tough time, which could constrain its ability to pay a larger dividend each year in the future. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.

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Marshalls' Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, it's not great to see that the dividend has been cut, but this might be explained by the payments being a bit high previously. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

Companies possessing a stable dividend policy will likely enjoy greater investor interest than those suffering from a more inconsistent approach. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. For example, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Marshalls that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
From left: Kyle Jones, Demetrius Scott, director of corporate citizenship for Ally, James Davis II, learning consultant for AAA - The Auto Club Group and Ingramar Miller, regional claim manager for AAA - The Auto Club Group, speak to students during the Student Enrichment Forum in May held at AAA's headquarters in Dearborn.

Kyle Jones is living the American dream, thanks to AAA - The Auto Club Group and others from the corporate and nonprofit community who wrapped their collective arms around him as he worked his way through Detroit's Cody High School, went on to college and is finishing a maintenance fitter apprenticeship this December.

Jones participated in AAA's Career Buddies site-based mentoring program through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit. That program connected Cody High School students with mentors at AAA and they met twice a month at the company's Dearborn headquarters to talk about issues and offer guidance.

The 24-year-old recently bought a home in Redford Township and is looking forward to a bright future, something he said he couldnt have imagined as a high school student struggling to find his way back then.

He persevered, worked hard and had some guiding lights to help him along.

I was in AAAs Career Buddies Program (he graduated from Cody in 2017), which helped me in so many different ways, said Jones of that program, which was launched to provide mentorship opportunities for Detroit students.

There he met Gary Smith, who worked at AAA as a claims technical consultant. Smith first met with Jones twice a month but the two connected and Smith has continued to serve as a mentor still today, though retired from the company.

Getting through this was hard but so worth it, said Jones. There were times I wanted to give up but they helped me to keep going.

Jones was also aided by the Power and Trades Pathways Program at Henry Ford College. It is available to high school graduates 17 and older, provides skills for in-demand jobs in the energy sector such as electric operations, gas operations, construction and engineering technicians. Jones was able to go from the classroom to a career in one year and has been employed with DTE the past 4  years as a maintenance fitter apprentice; he is to graduate Dec. 1.

Story continues

Knowing how important it is to pay it forward and help inspire other young people, Jones was one of the leaders involved with AAA -The Auto Club Groups inaugural Young Black Men Student Enrichment Forum held May 24 at the companys Dearborn headquarters. It included 60 Black male students from three Detroit high schools.

AAA-AGC's Diversity and Inclusion team came up with the idea for the forum after sponsoring the 2022 National Black Men Leadership Summit, along with the National Diversity Council, with a focus on empowering Black male youths.

The forum was created to connect students with local professionals and leaders to inspire confidence and increase readiness for life after school. The event worked with leaders from Big Brothers Big Sisters, Jobs for Michigans Graduates, the Detroit Pistons, Ally Financial and Wayne State University to bring forth this forum as students from Cody, Pershing and East English Village high schools participated with panel discussions, Q&A sessions and individual meetings.

From left: Gary Smith, a AAA - The Auto Club Group retiree and Kyle Jones' mentor, Kyle Jones and Joseph Yelick, manager of volunteer engagement for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit at a May 2023 forum held in Dearborn for area youth.

Its important to be able to learn from someone who is successful and who also faced some of the same challenges those students may now be facing, said Joe Richardson, president and CEO of AAA - The Auto Club Group.

Richardson runs AAA-ACG's efforts across Michigan and 13 other states with over 10,000 employees. He champions programs that impact communities where they operate.

Joe Richardson, president & CEO of AAA-The Auto Club Group, speaks to employees at its Dearborn headquarters Oct. 16, 2019.

AAA has long been known for its school safety patrol program, launched over 100 years ago because children were getting hit by cars on their way walking to and from school.

As our needs across the community have evolved, so, too, have our programs, he added.

The auto club has recently been involved with efforts to address distracted driving and slow-down-move-over laws, even winning awards for its Move Over For Me campaign, which encourages drivers to move over for stranded motorists, as well as tow truck drivers and first responders on the side of the road helping with accidents.

Richardson said the health and well-being of children and their families remains an important focus in community efforts.

Because of his steady leadership and that focus, Richardson was sought out as a board member by Henry Ford Health not long ago. Joe has an amazing ability to listen, synthesize information and then convert it into feedback that is clear and actionable, Bob Riney, CEO of Henry Ford Health, told me. He has great business and social acumen that combine into one true leader.

Like many executives, Richardson is concerned about students and the state of education, which took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic when virtual learning dominated. The fallout on test scores and performance continues still today.

He added that helping young people, particularly in urban school districts, is also important.

Thanks to the success of its inaugural program, Richardson said the auto club is looking to build on it this school year and include more schools.

At the end of the day, it comes down to helping more young people and, with it, supports the regions long term workforce prospects.

Having Kyle come back and be part of this important day was so impactful, said Richardson. Students could see someone who was in their shoes several years ago and gone on to become a success. And thats inspiring.

More: New political speaker series at Oakland U gets surprise name

More: Consumers, companies will need more education during transition to electric vehicles

Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of CBS Detroits Michigan Matters.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan auto club group works to help youth where they need it
Millions of Americans are retiring with no savings: Report reveals about 90% of lower-income US workers over 50 have nothing stashed away for retirement  here's how to catch up

Its no surprise that so many Americans are extending their time in the workforce and delaying retirement  especially when so many have no savings shored up for their golden years at all.

In fact, only 1 in 10 low-income workers between the ages of 51 and 64 had a retirement account balance in 2019, compared to 1 in 5 in 2007, according to a July report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

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After a lifetime of work, all Americans should be able to retire with dignity, said Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in a press release from the U.S. Committee on the Budget.

But today, millions of Americans are retiring with no savings.

Growing income, saving disparities

While just a small fraction of low-income Americans  who earn a median yearly salary of $19,000  reported having some retirement savings to fall back on in 2019, a whopping 90% of high-income households had a retirement account balance between 2007 to 2019.

The median account balance for high-income older households (who earn about $282,000 per year) actually surged from $333,000 to $605,000 over that time  nine times more than middle-income households, which reported a median balance of $64,300.

The GAO points to factors such as longer job tenure, having a college degree and larger employer contributions.

Only about 23% of low-income workers have access to a workplace retirement account in the first place, and some may opt out of making contributions if theyve got limited income or are planning to rely on Social Security benefits.

Story continues

As it stands, workers relying on Social Security to cover their expenses in retirement need to prepare for the trust fund to run low within the next decade.

Theres also a pretty significant disparity when it comes to race as well. In 2019, white households reported a median balance of $164,000, double the $80,300 reported by other races.

Read more: Want to invest your spare change but don't know where to start? There's an app for that

The GAO says the tax system benefits the wealthy

The GAO analysis says the tax code provided $195 billion in tax breaks to subsidize retirement in 2022. However, a previous study from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that its the top 20% of households by income that benefit from most of these tax breaks, while only roughly 5% of lower-income Americans benefited from them.

In America today, 55% of seniors are trying to survive on less than $25,000 a year. Given that reality, our job is to make sure that the working class in our country are able to retire with the dignity and the respect that they deserve, not to provide more tax breaks to the billionaire class, said Senator Bernie Sanders in the committee press release.

How to get ahead if youre behind

While youre trying to catch up on shoring up funds for your golden years, make sure youre picking the right retirement vehicle.

For example, if your employer offers a 401(k) plan, you can divert some of your pre-tax pay into the account and grow your savings tax-free. Your employer might even [match contributions] as well.

If not, consider looking into an IRA or Roth IRA. While a traditional IRA lets you make contributions from your income before taxes are taken out, a Roth IRA means youll be paying taxes upfront on your contributions, so that your withdrawals are tax-free.

Setting yourself up for life in retirement  let alone one that offers disposable income  is nerve-wracking.

Before you can put funds aside, make sure youve either settled or have a plan for settling all your debts  including your credit cards and student loans.

If youve started building your nest egg but think you might be behind on your goals or you arent sure of the best way to handle investing for retirement, you may want to consider speaking with a financial planner to make sure youre on the right track.

What to read next

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
More folks can retire as millionaires.

The number of people with $1 million or more saved in their 401(k) accounts leapt 10% from April to the end of June, according to Fidelity Investments. There was also a 13% pop in millionaires with IRA accounts held at the firm during that same timeframe.

And it isnt just newly minted millionaires who have something to crow about. For the third straight quarter, Fidelity reported retirement account balances increased for all savers. Thats according to the companys second quarter analysis of savings account balances for more than 45 million IRA, 401(k), and 403(b) retirement accounts.

Numerous factors played a role in the gains, including the ability to stick to saving for the long haul to ensure security in their golden years.

"Overall, the increase in balances [for all investors] was based on ongoing employer and employee contributions, along with positive market performance," Michael Shamrell, vice president for workplace thought leadership for Fidelity, told Yahoo Finance.

"The increase we are seeing in 401(k) millionaires this quarter [also] shows the value of long-term investing."

Read more: Top savings tools: 4 alternatives to savings accounts

For the first half of the year, the number of folks hitting that cool million target soared roughly 20%.

All told, there were 378,000 retirement savers in Fidelity 401(k) plans spotting balances of seven figures and beyond as of June 30, up from 340,000 at the end of March and 299,000 at the end of December. There were 350,000 IRA millionaires on June 30, up from 307,623 at the end of March and 280,320 at the end of December.

Still, those tallies fall short of their peaks, which was 442,000 for 401(k) millionaires at the end of 2021 and 376,100 for IRA millionaires in the same quarter when the S&P 500 just finished a nearly 27% 12-month run.

Overall, all retirement savers made out better.

The average 401(k) account balance was $112,400 on June 30, up from $103,900 at the end of December. The average IRA balance was $113,800, up from $104,000 at the end of last year. Boomers, in fact, now have an average balance of just under half a million dollars ($499,700), Fidelity reported.

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(Getty Creative)

The bigger balances came from a combination of a few factors.

First, a stronger stock market  the S&P 500 (^GSPC) was up over 15% from January through the end of June. That helped, but account performance wasnt quite on par with those robust market gains because many of the Fidelity accounts are invested in target date funds that aren't designed to match or exceed the returns of the stock market. Instead, they are meant to provide steady gains through a mix of stock and bond investments until the targeted date of retirement.

In fact, in the second quarter, more than half of Fidelitys 401(k) participants held all of their savings in a professionally managed target date fund.

"Very few 401(k) accounts are all stock, which means they won't track to the S&P," Shamrell said. "Additionally, the overall average also includes the balances for older workers, which will be more conservative. For example, the average boomer account balance only increased 6.3%."

Folks also benefited from the ripple of automatic retirement plan enrollments and auto-escalation of contributions that has kept workers investment streams at a steady beat  regardless of market performance.

About one in four employers offer auto-enrollment now and the average employer default contribution rate (the amount paid into your retirement account if you dont make your own selection) is at an all-time high of 4.1%, according to the report.

Another explanation for some of the spike in balances: Many student loan borrowers have used the student loan payment pause to focus on retirement savings, with 72% of student loan borrowers contributing at least 5% to their 401(k), compared with only 63% prior to the payment pause, according to the Fidelity data.

Read more: Worried about when student loan repayments resume? These programs could help

401(k) millionaire saving secrets

The new millionaire club members are not your run-of-the-mill savers. The Fidelity breakdown shows that on average, they save 17.2% of their pay. Their employers contribute an additional 9.3% to their retirement accounts for a total savings rate of 26.5%.

Few workers can match that kind of lofty level. That said, theyre trying. The total 401(k) savings rate for the first half of this year  a combo of employee and employer match contributions  was roughly 14%, Fidelity found. This is a touch above the 13.7% and 13.8 % rates in the past year.

The average age of a retirement account millionaire is 59, and theyve been socking away savings for decades. Boomers comprised more than half (52.2%) of Fidelitys millionaires with Gen X hot on their heels clocking in at 45.5%, while millennials accounted for just 0.5%.

Moreover, these millionaires probably have even more saved for retirement than Fidelity is privy to with additional funds invested in retirement accounts held at other financial services firms, such as IRA accounts set up with a rollover from a former employers plan.

"The average savings tenure of our millionaire savers is 26 years. That shows that continuing to invest over the long term can pay huge dividends over time, particularly during positive turns in the market," Shamrell added.

(Photo: Getty Creative)

Dont stop thinking about tomorrow

In reality, while having $1 million saved for retirement sounds like a luxury, it doesnt mean its time to call it a day by any means.

When you factor future market fluctuations and the possibility of financing three decades of living expenses in retirement, financial experts advise that this is not the time to hold your horses.

"Hitting major milestones is very motivating," Mariel Beasley, co-founder of the Common Cents Lab at Duke University, told Yahoo Finance.

"But typically, the motivation increases as you get closer to the milestone or goal. This means that folks whose balance is $990,000 might actually be more motivated to keep saving or increase their savings than folks whose balance is now $1,010,000."

That may call for some soul-searching for this new class of Fidelity millionaires.

"Becoming a millionaire can have a profound effect on how people view themselves, and their behavior," Beasley said. "One, it may increase spending because they feel more affluent. Or, it may increase savings because they view themselves as a successful saver and want to continue to build on that success."

Kerry Hannon is a Senior Reporter and Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a workplace futurist, a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work" and "Never Too Old To Get Rich." Follow her on Twitter @kerryhannon.

Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Key Insights

Significantly high institutional ownership implies Nu Skin Enterprises' stock price is sensitive to their trading actions

52% of the business is held by the top 9 shareholders

Insiders have been selling lately

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are institutions with 75% 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. Therefore, a good portion of institutional money invested in the company is usually a huge vote of confidence on its future.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Nu Skin Enterprises.

View our latest analysis for Nu Skin Enterprises

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Nu Skin Enterprises?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that Nu Skin Enterprises does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Nu Skin Enterprises' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Institutional investors own over 50% of the company, so together than can probably strongly influence board decisions. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Nu Skin Enterprises. The company's largest shareholder is BlackRock, Inc., with ownership of 16%. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 12% and 6.1% of the stock.

Story continues

We also observed that the top 9 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. There are 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 Nu Skin Enterprises

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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 most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.. It is a pretty big company, so it is generally a positive to see some potentially meaningful alignment. In this case, they own around US$20m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 23% stake in Nu Skin Enterprises. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Nu Skin Enterprises (including 1 which is a bit concerning) .

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Louisiana-Pacific Corporation's (NYSE:LPX ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it.

While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing.

Check out our latest analysis for Louisiana-Pacific

Louisiana-Pacific Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by Executive VP & CFO Alan J. Haughie for US$300k worth of shares, at about US$55.78 per share. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is US$59.32. That means they have been optimistic about the company in the past, though they may have changed their mind. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. In this case we're pleased to report that the insider bought shares at close to current prices. Alan J. Haughie was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.

You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!

Louisiana-Pacific is not the only stock that insiders are buying. For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Insider Ownership

Another way to test the alignment between the leaders of a company and other shareholders is to look at how many shares they own. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Louisiana-Pacific insiders own about US$62m worth of shares. That equates to 1.4% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

Story continues

So What Does This Data Suggest About Louisiana-Pacific Insiders?

There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders do have a stake in Louisiana-Pacific and their transactions don't cause us concern. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Every company has risks, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Louisiana-Pacific (of which 1 is a bit concerning!) you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
This week, hundreds of homeowners in a 55+ living community, known as Century Village, in Pembroke Pines, Fla., gathered together to protest an increase in their monthly housing fees due to skyrocketing insurance costs, as several insurers flee the state.

Homeowners were sent an email from Century Village that theyd have to pay an additional $100 to $200 a month due to skyrocketing insurance premiums, adding a potential special assessment for some units, according to NBC6, a local TV news outlet in South Florida that was first to report the incident. Footage shown in the TV segment shows several residents crowded together, visibly upset and shouting (although its unclear what exactly theyre saying). However, it seems that the protest escalated and police were called. Still, one resident told NBC6 reporter Laura Rodriguez that the increase in costs is forcing him to sell his home.

So now we are over $700 a month that we are paying just in HOA fees, and theyre going to kick it up to $1,000 a month, the resident told the reporter. We have no choice, we have to sell. As a matter of fact, I just put my house on the market 10 minutes ago.

Century Village did not immediately respond to Fortunes request for comment.

Housing markets in Florida saw substantial increases in home prices during the pandemic, and in most cases are still seeing increases. That coupled with mortgage rates that have more than doubled, with the average 30-year fixed rate recently hitting a 20-year high, has deteriorated affordability. But now theres a new force putting a strain on housing affordability, and thats rising insurance costs.

Homeowners in Florida are paying the highest insurance premiums in the nation, with an average premium of $6,000 per year, according to Mark Friedlander, the Florida-based director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute. To compare, the U.S. average $1,700 per year. And recently, several home insurers have either pulled out of the state, like Farmers Insurance, or have chosen to renew fewer policies, like AAAand thats making it more difficult for homeowners to find coverage, or even afford it, as Fortunes previously reported.

Story continues

Just in the last 18 months, 15 companies have stopped writing business in Florida. Three have voluntarily withdrawnFarmers being the most recentand seven companies have been declared insolvent, Friedlander recently explained to Fortune, before AAA said it would reduce its presence in Florida, rather than pull out completely as Farmers Insurance announced its plan to do so.

There are several factors behind the states insurance exodus that range from claim fraud, to an increase in claims following recent hurricanes, to an increase in reinsurance rates. All of which, essentially raise costs for insurance companies, which in turn raises costs for policyholders. However, were seeing that some insurers are simply choosing to leave the state, and that only makes it harder for homeowners to find coverage, and makes that coverage more expensive.

Insurance concerns are already having an impact on Floridas housing market, with a recent homebuilder survey showing that buyers concerns over the availability and affordability of insurance are somewhat slowing sales, which could potentially get worse.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
On The Record

Alan Shaw had been CEO of Norfolk Southern for just nine months when his phone rang. One of his trains had derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, and was dumping toxic chemicals into the community of 5,000.

Six weeks earlier, hed unveiled to investors his plan for the giant railroad, promising to spend billions hiring workers and upgrading equipment to avoid the service outages that had plagued the industry every few years like clockwork.

Shaw, 55, has spent half of his tenure as CEO trying to repair the damage to East Palestine  dredging wastewater and cutting checks to local businesses  and to his companys reputation and business. Cleanup costs have doubled from early estimates to $800 million, the stock trades at a discount to its rivals, and Norfolk Southerns trains are still emptier than they were a year ago.

Over lunch of Greek salads and dorado in midtown Manhattan, we talked about the recovery, taking on trucking, the manufacturing supercycle, and his scorecard for the Biden administration. This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Liz: Whats the response when you introduce yourself to locals?

Alan: Really tough in the beginning. I did these listening sessions, eight to 10 people at a time from people who wanted answers we didnt have.

We have 13 employees who live in East Palestine. And in the immediate aftermath, I wrote them an email, and I said were going to make it right. One of them wrote me back and invited me to his home. So I went there on a Saturday in mid-February and sat down with him and his wife and a bunch of their neighbors. And we were walking to the car afterwards, and I said I want you to report to me. Im going to give you [a budget of] $1 million. Thats Jeremy Vranesevich, whos been our community liaison on the ground.

Is this what your tenure is going to be about?

I hope not. Weve got 300 people working to make things right in East Palestine and I want them focused on that. But I want the other 19,700 employees focused on the business.

Story continues

Last December, we laid out a new vision for Norfolk Southern. In the past, we had this intense focus on near-term results. The easiest way to get there is to cut and to throw costs over the fence at your client. That makes for bad service, and its counterproductive because when demand would come back, we wouldnt have enough resources. This is a long-term focus.

Weve gotten into this cycle in the rail industry where every three to four years, theres a service crisis. No company is going to grow over the long term if it provides its customers lousy service.

Airlines do seem to be testing that theory.

Im not gonna take a shot there. But thats why weve got a longer term vision to invest in our company, even through economic downturns.

Every CEO says that, though. And then the market turns and you start hearing from shareholders or you get a hostile bid or something else happens.

Our conductor training pipeline is among the highest ever. Our capital budget this year is $100 million over last year. My money is where my mouth is.

And its being proven out. At the beginning of this year, our service levels were at multi-year highs. Customers were noticing and pushing more business to us. And then the derailment happened.

Rail volumes are one of those proxies, like cardboard boxes, for the economy. Whats your read right now?

Warren Buffett has said in the past that if he could have one economic indicator to make his investment decisions, he would look at weekly railcar loads.

He owns one!

We do have a unique view. We have 5,000 customers, we handle 7 million shipments a year. There are some headwinds in the economy, particularly in the consumer-oriented markets. But when I talk to the CEOs of our consumer-facing customers, they say theyre continuing to invest through the downturn, because its only a question of when the U.S. consumer comes back, not if.

You see all these investments that are being supported by onshoring and federal programs like CHIPS. And overseas companies are looking at the U.S. and saying, OK, cheap and reliable energy, talented and diverse labor force, pro-business environment, lots of consumers to sell to, a good logistics infrastructure. Thats how you get this non-residential supercycle that were in and thats going to spur growth.

Speaking of growth, where do you guys grow from here?

Trucks. The trucking market in the United States is about $860 billion. Together, all the big railroads, revenue is about $90 billion. So Im not really interested in going out there and picking off share from other rail companies. Im looking at that much bigger pie.

Were never going to compete on fresh flowers or time-sensitive medical shipments. But rail is cheaper than trucking. Its more labor-efficient and more fuel-efficient. About 30% of our customers have set carbon reduction goals, and were four times more carbon-efficient than trucks.

The problem has been service. Consider our paper business. Most U.S. paper production is in the southeast, and every single one of those companies built their plants around a railroad. Now half of their volume is going by truck because of unreliable rail service. I want that volume back. Every time we have a service disruption, it costs us between $600 million and $800 million a year in revenue.

Your stock trades at a discount to peers. Is that from the derailment?

Its uncertainty about the costs for East Palestine and how quickly we can get back to those January levels. Weve made a lot of progress over the last few months in our weekly service figures. Turning your equipment faster means more capacity, service is better, and youre going to attract more demand for your product.

Howd you get the job?

I was an engineer and then I worked in finance and I figured, OK, Im left-brained so Ill just keep doing this. Bill Fox, the senior vice president, saw something in me  I still dont know what  and said, You need to go into marketing.

That feels like an insult, but I cant quite decide why.

I dont know anything about selling. He said youll figure it out and I guess I did. I built a coal transportation group. Then I moved to chemicals and then to intermodal operations, working at the terminals.

Hows Pete Buttigieg doing?

He was very engaged during the labor negotiations, and hes been very involved in East Palestine. I say to him, look, were your best bet when it comes to this administrations priorities. We take trucks off the highway. We have high-paying union jobs. We fund our own infrastructure  we spend $2.2 billion in capital expenditures on $12 billion of revenue.

You just went through a major negotiation with your union, mostly over sick days, in a very tight labor market. That seems like a pretty reasonable ask.

And now they have it. And were the only railroad that does. [CSX reached a deal this spring to offer sick days to about two-thirds of its employees. Norfolk Southerns arrangement covers all unionized workers.]

Weve added 1,400 people in the last year, and most of them are union employees. When I hired a safety consultant, I engaged with the heads of all 12 of our unions. I wanted their involvement, because thats the only way this is going to work. So if you look out on our website, youll see an open letter from me and the heads of each union, talking about safety. Twelve union logos on top  youre not going to find that anywhere else.

Correction

An earlier version of this story misstated the budget given to Norfolk Southerns community liaison to East Palestine. It is $1 million, not $1 billion.
Porch pirates aren't the only problem. Thieves are going straight to the source.

Inventory shrinkage  the loss of items to retail theft, organized crime, damage, vendor fraud, and other factors  is still a major headache for US retailers. At least, that was a common thread heard on recent earnings calls from Home Depot (HD), Target (TGT), Walmart (WMT), and other large retailers last week.

On Wednesday, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the retailer is up against "an unacceptable amount of retail theft and organized retail crime." Last November, Target CFO Michael Fiddelke said the disappearance of merchandise caused a $400 million hit to the retailer's gross profit margin for the year.

"Shrink in the second quarter remained consistent with our expectations but well above the sustainable level where we expect to operate over time," Cornell said in the company's Q2 earnings call.

Walmart US CEO John Furner echoed that sentiment, saying: "Shrink has increased a bit this year. It increased last year. It's uneven across the country."

Retail theft weighed profit margins too. Just ask Home Depot.

"In the second quarter, our gross margin was 33%, a decrease of 8 basis points from the second quarter last year, primarily driven by pressure from shrink," Home Depot CFO Richard McPhail said on the earnings call. "Shrink has been a consistent pressure over the last several quarters and even the last few years. It's something we're tackling every day."

Retailers 'not crying wolf'

According to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) National Retail Security Survey, retail shrink was a nearly $100 billion problem for the industry as of 2021, the last year data was collected. That cost more than doubled from $45.2 billion in 2015.

"I can tell you that never before have I seen what I'm seeing today," David Johnston, NRF vice president of asset protection and retail operations, told Yahoo Finance. "The retailers are not crying wolf. They are highlighting a major issue out there."

Story continues

It's not just shoplifting  organized retail crime and employee theft have become growing concerns, according to the NRF.

Violence is a bigger issue too: According to Cornell, Target stores saw a 120% increase in theft incidents involving violence or threats of violence in the first five months of 2023.

"The threat really starts from the point that it leaves the warehouse all the way till it gets to the retail store," Marty Andrews, VF Corporation (VFC) vice president of loss prevention, told Yahoo Finance.

A security guard, right, stands at the entrance to a Nordstrom department store at the Grove mall in Los Angeles, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, where a recent smash-and-grab robbery took place. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

And "successful outcomes for the thieves" are only making matters worse, Marq Claxton, director of political affairs and public relations at the Black Law Enforcement Alliance and a former NYPD officer, told Yahoo Finance. Claxton warned that thieves are "becoming more violent, more aggressive, more frequent with more people."

The issue gained more attention last weekend after thieves got away with roughly $300,000 in merchandise after a "flash rob" at a Nordstrom (JWN) in California.

"They're in a position now where these types of flash robberies, these smash-and-grabs  or they've been called 'mobberies'  are very lucrative and very successful for them," Claxton said. "So until there are things put in place to mitigate damage or to resist this current surge, there's going to be an increase in these types of activities."

Locked-up merchandise 'a fine line'

The problem is a double-edged sword for retailers and consumers alike.

More retailers have locked up higher-ticket items behind plexiglass and installed cameras and other security systems, but these measures come with trade-offs.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the company prefers to "never lock anything up" as it's bad for business and interferes with customer engagement.

"That impacts that consumer interaction," Andrews said. "That's why people are going to retail stores, they want to be around the merchandise, they want to touch it, they want to have those interactions, so it's a fine line of how do you get that great consumer experience, but how do you protect your product?"

Leo Pichardo, a store associate at Gristedes supermarket, retrieves a container of Tide laundry soap from a cabinet that has been locked due to retail theft on Tuesday Jan. 31, 2023, at the store in New York. (Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo)

Some feel the extra precautions are necessary, however.

While locked-up merchandise may be inconvenient, "think of the opposite when the mother of a newborn tries to go get formula and the merchandise isn't there because it was just shelf-swept," NRF's Johnston said.

Walmart's McMillon said that some jurisdictions need to take more action on retail-related crime as companies focus on the aspects of shrink they can control.

For instance, the rising use of self-checkout has gained attention as a source of inventory loss. Some studies and reports have documented customers not paying for items in self-checkout transactions or swapping price tags for lower-priced goods when scanning higher-ticket items.

But the extent of self-checkout theft is not widely understood. In a call with investors in May, Costco (COST) CEO Richard Galanti said inventory shrink "fluctuated ... 3 basis points up, really before COVID, as we rolled out self-checkout, and since then, it's come back down a little bit."

At its annual meeting in June, McMillon said lower inventory helps since shrink is correlated with higher inventory levels. The retailer brought inventory growth down by 5.54% year over year.

But ultimately, it's all hands on deck to curb theft.

"What we're seeing today requires the government, the community, the retailer, everyone, ... including the consumer, to take action," Johnston said.

Per the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), more than a dozen state attorneys general have launched organized retail crime task forces to coordinate investigations between retailers and prosecutors.

Back in June 2023, Congress also passed a law that tasks the FTC with implementing new baseline requirements for online marketplaces to collect, verify, and disclose some information about high-volume third-party sellers  those with 200 or "more separate sales or transactions of new or unused consumer products and $5,000 or more in gross revenues" in any continuous 12-month period during the past 24 months.

The platforms on watch range from small platforms to big-name online marketplaces like Amazon (AMZN) and Walmart, where stolen goods can be resold.

Carl Settlemyer, an attorney in the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, said "it's sort of a running obligation ... for the high-volume sellers." He added that it falls on these platforms and consumers to report suspicious activity and flag "bad actors who get through the net."

"If you can take a designer handbag and resell it for 30% off online ... the consumer has to be a little concerned about that," Johnston said.



Brooke DiPalma is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Nortbound Route 315 is again closed this weekend for repairs.

Route 315 northbound is closed between Goodale Street and Medical Center Drive this weekend.

The closure started 9 p.m. Friday and will continue until 6 a.m. Monday. King Avenue will also be closed under 315, with a detour available on 5th Avenue.

This section of 315 has been closed several times throughout the summer for ongoing bridge repairs, which will continue over the next few months. The $8.9 million repair project will remove a layer of asphalt and resurface the lanes between Goodale Street and the King Avenue exit leading to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

This weekend's closure comes during move-in weekend for Ohio State University, which draws traffic and travelers from out of town. Students are moving to on-campus housing through Saturday. Though the move-in period was extended this year to combat overcrowding and spread out student arrivals, the Columbus area could see thousands of visitors this weekend.

Ohio Department of Transportation spokesperson Matt Bruning said ODOT officials have been coordinating with Ohio State. They also avoided closing roads for construction the past few weekends due to heavy traffic for concerts, and will plan around Ohio State football games as the season begins next month.

"We know this is going to inconvenience somebody, and our goal is to have it inconvenience the least amount of people," Bruning said.

This weekend is the fifth of eight total road closures for this project, with estimated completion by the end of October.

The Ohio Department of Transportation website lists I-270, I-670 and I-71 as possible detours around the 315 area.

LCarey@Dispatch.com

@LilyLCarey

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Route 315 northbound closed throughout weekend
Hackers have brought San Franciscos real estate market to its knees with a cyberattack that disabled the citys primary property listings database and left home buyers and sellers scrambling for workarounds.

The attack occurred nearly two weeks ago, targeting the company that runs the so-called multiple listing service, or MLS, used by realtors in San Francisco. Rapattoni, the Los Angelesbased software company that runs the MLS, has proven unable to restore the platform, leaving subscribers locked out of a crucial database.

At this time, we still do not have a clear timeline on when services will be fully restored, the San Francisco Association of Realtors wrote in a message on its website on Friday. The ability to add new property listings directly into the system and to edit existing listings will not be available until at least Saturday, which would be twelve days after the August 8 attack.

The hack is an embarrassing turn of events in San Francisco, the capital of the tech industry, where employees at some of the worlds most powerful tech companies, such as Google, Meta, and Apple, regularly bid up prices for houses by hundreds of thousands of dollars above the asking price.

MLSs are private databases where agents post their listings with photos, descriptions, open house times and contact information. Consumer-facing websites like Zillow and Redfin pull their information from these databases. It is unclear who the hackers are and if the attack is a ransomware attack, in which hackers demand a payment to restore service. Rapattoni did not respond to requests for comment.

It was a real shit show, said Payton Stiewe, a San Francisco realtor who co-founded his own firm. Stiewe hasnt been able to log into his Rapattoni account in 11 days, and his company has had to rely on what he calls the traditional ways of doing the job. He has made phone calls to agents, created email campaigns and posted properties on social media to communicate what hes selling to other realtors.

Story continues

While it has been a learning curve, Stiewe also described it as a bonding experience in the San Francisco real estate community. Ive gotten more phone calls from my colleagues in the last week and a half than the whole first part of this year, he told Fortune.

In a press release on Friday, the SF Realtors Association said that Rapattoni is "actively pursuing solutions to expedite service restoration, such as decrypting locked servers and reconstructing new ones from backup files. Regrettably, these efforts have not yet provided a resolution."

The tech problem isnt only facing San Francisco, whose commercial real estate market has struggled to recover since the pandemic. Rapattoni serves markets across the country, including greater California, Northeastern Indiana and Cincinnati, Ohio. Rapattoni has an estimated 56,000 subscribers who rely solely on the platform to do their jobs, according to data from real estate consultancy T3 Sixty shared with Fortune. T3 Sixty estimates an additional 182,000 Rapattoni users have subscriptions to multiple databases, so they didnt have to change their operations as much as Stiewe.

Rapattoni is the fifth biggest MLS service provider in the U.S., with a market share of 5%, according to a report by T3 Sixty published in December 2021, the most recent data available. But the companys market share has been diminishing in the last five years, said Clint Skutchan, a T3 Sixty executive who has 15 years of experience in the real estate industry and works specifically with MLSs.

For the real estate clients Skutchan works with, their reasons for switching database providers is often related to Rapattonis technology. While many of these database providers have user interfaces that feel archaic, he said, Rapattoni has especially dropped the ball in looking and feeling contemporary. The company has also had a difficult time transitioning its data to an API, or a software that allows computers to talk to each other. This has contributed to its mobile experience being low quality, he said.

If youre not keeping up with modern technology to serve clients needs, that could be corollary to having some exposure [to cyber attacks], Skutchan told Fortune.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

More from Fortune:

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vladimir putin

Western sanctions on Russia are tougher than ever and the impact is clear to see in trade figures.

Germanys exports to the country were down by 54pc in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2019, according to an analysis by the Institute for International Finance (IIF).

In the initial months of the war, Russian imports plunged as the West turned its back. In dollar terms, monthly imports in March 2022 were down by 30pc year-on-year.

Yet they bounced back within months.

Imports have now fully recovered from the sanctions hit, says Liam Peach, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.

What happened?

In part, Putin has turned to his allies. While exports to Russia from Western nations such as the US, the UK and Germany have plunged, trade with friendly nations such as Turkey, China and India has surged.

However, analysts say Moscow appears to have also found a very successful workaround.

Putin has turned to friendly countries to help it access foreign goods, importing Western products via other nations to muddy the paper trail and get around sanctions.

Take Kyrgyzstan. Germanys exports to the small land-locked nation, which is part of the Eurasian Economic Union and has a free trade agreement with Russia, were up by 2,000pc during the first half of this year.

The German customs agency got back to us and said we checked these transactions and they are legit, says Robin Brooks, chief economist at the IIF.

The paperwork checks out. But no one at the top is saying, hey, wait a minute, this is totally weird. Because the last time I checked, Kyrgyzstan was not booming.

The IIF tracks exports across a group of Central Asian countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Exports from Germany and the US to this group of Central Asian nations have jumped by 11.5pc so far this year on 2019 levels. Polish exports to the group are up 27pc. In Lithuania, a 37pc increase in exports to Central Asia has more than offset a drop in its exports to Russia.

Story continues

Brooks believes the increase in exports to Central Asian countries friendly with the Kremlin is a sign that they are being used as backdoors into Russia.

There is a question about whether the goods that are showing up as going to Central Asia ever even touch the ground, says Brooks. Its possible that this is just paperwork and actually the stuff just goes straight to Russia.

To support his theory, he points to the fact that Germany records more exports to Kyrgyzstan than the Central Asian nation records in imports.

There is stuff that just evaporates, Brooks says.

This gap has widened over the last year and a half. That is pretty suggestive that Kyrgyzstan is just kind of a phantom destination, says Brooks.

The Baltic states, such as Lithuania and Estonia, are also hotbeds for trade diversion, he believes. So is Poland.

Peach agrees that the data suggests that Kyrgyzstan has become a conduit for trade from parts of the Western world.

The fact that exports from Western Europe are going to a tiny, landlocked place like Kyrgyzstan suggests that there has been a clear regime shift. Certainly the growth rates in exports to Central Asia are nuts. It certainly leaves open the possibility that there is official involvement.

The Kremlin certainly approves of these new trade routes. Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a parallel imports programme in May 2022 in response to the mounting list of international sanctions.

The programme was focused on a list of Western goods that Putin said could be imported via secondary trade routes. It encompasses goods needed in industry, cars, machinery and some consumer goods such as cosmetics and clothing.

The parallel imports list effectively gave Russian businesses a mandate to source alternative trade routes for these goods.

You needed that approval from the Russian government to say that its fine to be buying these Western products, says Peach.

2.4 million tons of goods worth more than $20bn (15.7bn) were imported into Russia under the parallel imports scheme during its first six months of operations, according to central bank figures.

Imports have only risen since then and the list of products on the scheme have expanded.

Its reasonable to assume that the value of these parallel imports over the past 12 months is now probably double that, says Peach.

These phantom imports may make up as much as 40pc of Russias annual total, which typically runs a bit over $100bn.

However, these new trade routes are costly.

Central Asia is landlocked. It has never been a trading hub for anything, says Brooks. Transportation costs are therefore steep, while the added bureaucracy of multiple legs of exports is also expensive.

Last year, the cost of an Apple iPhone in Russia was up nearly 50pc compared to before the war.

A lot of these Western goods that were so freely available before the war are now much more expensive, says Peach, of Capital Economics. They are also much more difficult to get hold of, even if they are still trickling into Russia.

Brooks argues that Western countries need to look seriously at how effective Moscows parallel imports scheme has been and take action.

We have ended up with these completely nutso trade numbers because nobody is adding up all the numbers and saying something is going on here, he says.

He believes politicians must draw up rules to crackdown on rampant trade diversion. If companies are profiting from a surge in sales to Kazakhstan, they are likely profiting from a surge in sales to Russia.

Perhaps the simplest and most effective solution will be to restrict Russias income, says Brooks. So it comes back to lowering the oil price cap.

Peach says: Last year, sanctions werent effective. Maybe they were in some parts of the economy, but the overall story last year was one in which Russia rode the wave of an energy price boom and that bailed the economy out quite a lot.

We are now at the point where sanctions can really bite. The West is in a position where it can apply a lot more pressure on Russia.

In the meantime, Kyrgyzstans trade continues to boom.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Sunway Construction Group Berhad fair value estimate is RM2.86

Current share price of RM1.78 suggests Sunway Construction Group Berhad is potentially 38% undervalued

Analyst price target for SUNCON is RM1.95 which is 32% below our fair value estimate

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Sunway Construction Group Berhad (KLSE:SUNCON) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. 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.

View our latest analysis for Sunway Construction Group Berhad

Crunching The Numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

Story continues

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM132.4m RM186.0m RM228.3m RM267.1m RM301.8m RM332.4m RM359.5m RM383.9m RM406.2m RM427.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x4 Est @ 22.76% Est @ 17.00% Est @ 12.96% Est @ 10.14% Est @ 8.16% Est @ 6.78% Est @ 5.81% Est @ 5.13% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 11% RM119 RM151 RM167 RM176 RM179 RM177 RM173 RM166 RM158 RM150

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM1.6b

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM427m (1 + 3.6%)  (11% 3.6%) = RM5.9b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM5.9b ( 1 + 11%)10= RM2.1b

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 RM3.7b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of RM1.8, the company appears quite good value at a 38% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. 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 Sunway Construction Group Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 11%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.097. 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 Sunway Construction Group Berhad

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded its 5-year average.

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year underperformed the Construction industry.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Construction market.

Opportunity

Annual revenue is forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the Malaysian market.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it 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?" 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 Sunway Construction Group Berhad, we've compiled three additional aspects you should consider:

Risks: For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Sunway Construction Group Berhad (1 is potentially serious) you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does SUNCON's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the KLSE 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.
The most you can lose on any stock (assuming you don't use leverage) is 100% of your money. But on a lighter note, a good company can see its share price rise well over 100%. Long term Murphy USA Inc. (NYSE:MUSA) shareholders would be well aware of this, since the stock is up 269% in five years. It's also good to see the share price up 14% over the last quarter. The company reported its financial results recently; you can catch up on the latest numbers by reading our company report.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

Check out our latest analysis for Murphy USA

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During five years of share price growth, Murphy USA achieved compound earnings per share (EPS) growth of 26% per year. So the EPS growth rate is rather close to the annualized share price gain of 30% per year. Therefore one could conclude that sentiment towards the shares hasn't morphed very much. Indeed, it would appear the share price is reacting to the EPS.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Murphy USA has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts.

What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, Murphy USA's TSR for the last 5 years was 275%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

It's good to see that Murphy USA has rewarded shareholders with a total shareholder return of 6.4% in the last twelve months. That's including the dividend. However, the TSR over five years, coming in at 30% per year, is even more impressive. The pessimistic view would be that be that the stock has its best days behind it, but on the other hand the price might simply be moderating while the business itself continues to execute. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Murphy USA , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

Of course Murphy USA may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Trader Joes Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds with a March 1-5 expiration date have been recalled.

Trader Joes multigrain crackers with sunflower and flax seeds have been recalled because they may contain metal.

Any crackers purchased with expiration dates between March 1-5 of 2024 need to be disposed of immediately, Trader Joes announced Thursday.

All potentially affected product has been removed from stores and destroyed, the company said.

If you purchased or received any donations of Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds, please do not eat them, Trader Joe's wrote in their announcement.

You can return the crackers to any Trader Joes location for a full refund.

No injuries have been reported.

Customers can contact Trader Joe's Customer Relations at (626)-599-3817 on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST or send a message online.

Other recent recalls:

Please do not eat them: Trader Joes recalls cookies because they may contain rocks

'Bugs and rocks': Trader Joe's recalls broccoli cheddar soup, frozen falafel

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trader Joe's multigrain crackers pulled off shelves for containing metal
Banners welcome US Travel ESTO convention goers at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

For the next five days, Visit Savannah is rolling out the welcome mat for more than 1,200 of its closest colleagues in the tourism marketing business as the U.S. Travel Associations 39th annual ESTO Conference arrives in town.

ESTO is the annual Educational Seminar for Tourism Organizations  the marketing professionals from cities, states and regions that entice convention organizers, trade associations, travelers and influencers to come to their communities and stay for a while. The conference moves from city to city each year, and the last time ESTO came to Savannah was 13 years ago when the tallest building on the Savannah skyline was the Westin Savannah Harbor, where many of the ESTO attendees will stay during the conference.

Back then, said Visit Savannahs President Joe Marinelli, Savannah ranked 154th in terms of convention destinations. Now, Savannah has jumped to 71st place and will continue to climb with the expansion of the Savannah Convention Center.

How to build a robust labor pipeline? Hyundai partners with K-12 schools, colleges and state

First City Progress: Tourism bolstered economy as port activity, homebuilding slowed in Q1

Pam Knowles,director of content marketing, Joseph Marinelli, president, and other team members from Visit Savannah pack 1,300 welcome gift boxes for attendees of US Travel's ESTO, which will be held at the Savannah Convention Center.

Visit Savannah prepared nearly 1,300 welcome gift boxes for US Travel's ESTO at the Savannah Convention Center. Each box included an aluminum to go cup, a Savannah praline, and Byrd cookies among other items.

ESTOs attendees also will notice a number of other changes, many of those driven by Savannahs popularity among travelers. Since 2015, the number of overnight and day-trippers to Chatham County has grown by 25.6%. The number of hotel rooms has tracked, rising by 23.6% to 18,549 available rooms  a figure that does not include the proliferation of STVRs and VRBOs during the past decade. According to the hotel benchmarking STR report, Chatham Countys occupancy rate in 2022 was 76%. This year, thus far: 79%  a robust achievement.

Locals used to talk about tourist season being March  when the azaleas begin to bloom  to May, just before it becomes too hot to live. Now, tourist season is a year-round endeavor for Savannah, with brief breaks during January/February and August/September.

Story continues

The conference arrives during August, what is typically the valley season in tourism for the Georgia coast, and the conference is projected to have an $875,000 to $1 million economic impact on the city.

That keeps people working, said Marinelli.

A sign over Savannah Harbor Parkway welcomes attendees to US Travel's ESTO at the Savannah Convention Center.

Ahead of ESTOs arrival, Marinelli was excited about showing off Savannah, especially the off-the-beaten path places  those sites where a person can experience one of those only-in-Savannah buttery sunsets across a marsh or grasp the subtle distinctions between the white-tablecloth shrimp and grits and the rich roux of a traditional Gullah Geechee version. Immersive experiences offered during the conference includes tours highlighting Savannahs history and heritage, architecture, and iconic sites. A pop-up show will showcase made-in-Savannah bespoke goods and artisan wares.

The city becomes a living laboratory of why they are hearing great things, said Marinelli, what keeps us on top.

The purpose of the conference, however, is to learn from one another in the industry. The education portion begins in earnest on Monday with a welcome by Mayor Van Johnson and a Travel Works roundtable discussion with Congressman Buddy Carter. Hot topics for attendees this year: qualifying social media brand ambassadors, or influencers, and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGBT, on the tourism industry.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: visit savannah ga host esto u.s. travel association conference
From his home on the shore of the Rappahannock River  where the parking lot for City Dock is now  Presley Thornton could see clearly down the river, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean.

He could see up the river to French Johns Wharf, where the free Black DeBaptiste family operated a ferry that crossed from Fredericksburg to Stafford.

He could see north up Sophia Street to where Adolph and Maria Richards owned a home near the Old Stone Warehouse, the four-story waterfront building with tiny barred windows that housed merchandise arriving and leaving the city in the 1800s  a property that was also visible from buildings at the corner of Caroline and William streets owned by Alexander Duncan.

Presley Thornton could also see up the hill behind his property to Charles and Prince Edward streets, where Dr. Anthony Monroe, Sadie and John Hamm, James Ferguson, Stephen Young and James Mundowney  all free Blacks  owned lots abutting each other.

The position and sight line between these properties, combined with historic court records of microaggressive acts of resistance on the part of these families to a society that permitted the ownership of people, suggests to historians Paula Royster and Sarah Blunkosky the existence of a local Liberty Line, or Underground Railroad.

These families leveraged existing laws to get around their activities, said Royster, a scholar of the African diaspora and founder of the Center for African American Genealogical Research, a nonprofit whose mission is to reunite African-descended Americans with their distant African relatives.

Adding the layer of home locations creates an environment that allowed for safe passage with some staying behind to ensure that others could get out. This interpretive view of the cultural landscape of what was going on and who was doing what allows us to see things differently, more aligned with the way things really were.

Royster and Blunkosky have spent about a year researching the Thornton, Cary, Richards, Mundowney, Young, Hamm, Monroe and Duncan families in Fredericksburgs historic court and property records.

They obtained a $14,500 grant from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to hire an architectural historian, Laura Purvis, who visited in May to assess the 23 properties they believe were part of a network facilitating the escape of enslaved people  or prisoners, to use the term Royster prefers.

Their next step is to apply for state historic markers.

This is about restoring the agency of African American abolitionists, Blunkosky said.

The recent research grew out of Roysters Reclaiming Our Time project, for which she worked with representatives from 10 of Fredericksburgs oldest Black families to trace their genealogies and answer questions about their family histories.

Royster presented the results of that project last fall, but she wanted to find out more about the connections between some of the names she encountered over and over while perusing historic court records.

She enlisted the help of Blunkosky, whose thesis for her masters degree from Virginia Commonwealth University was on the subject of Unlawful Assembly and the Fredericksburg Mayors Court Order Books, 1821-1834.

Many of the families Royster was interested in  DeBaptiste, Ferguson, Richards, Hamm and Young  were charged multiple times with unlawful assemblage, or illegal gatherings of free people of color and slaves.

Laws against unlawful assemblage became stricter following insurrections, such as Gabriels Rebellion in 1800 and Nat Turners Rebellion in 1831.

Blunkosky wrote in her thesis that Fredericksburg authorities were most concerned with the intermingling of free blacks, persons of mixed race, and slave persons.

The citys unlawful assembly records show free and enslaved Blacks did gather for what ostensibly were social events to white authorities and these social events, often gambling, drinking or dancing, could have been cover for more subversive activities.

That gambling party might have been something completely different, an event possibly that was used to transmit valuable information, goods, or even people on the run in need of aid, Blunkosky wrote.

Another likely possibility, Royster said, is these families organized unlawful assemblies to attract the attention of the Fredericksburg patrols away from a planned escape across the river.

These free Black families subverted the law in other, subtle ways. They used the apprenticeship system to assist imprisoned Blacks by apprenticing them and then allowing them to hire themselves out, something Edward DeBaptiste was fined for doing on at least three occasions between 1829 and 1832.

They routinely provided surety bonds, or bail, for Blacks who were charged with various crimes. In 1833, Adolph Richards paid $100 for the release from custody of Elijah and Salley Rawlins, who were charged with receiving stolen wheat.

Thomas Cary in 1819 posted a surety bond for Polly Truxton, who was being sued by Maria Washington, and George DeBaptiste in 1829 paid a bond for Joseph Stonnell, who had been found guilty of illicit traffic in buying corn and other articles from slaves.

And they were involved in the purchase and emancipation of the people they purchased, historic court records show.

In 1818, Thomas Cary purchased 38-year-old James Doors from Daniel Withers of Fauquier County. Ownership of Doors passed to Presley Thornton, who emancipated Doors shortly thereafter.

Thomas Carys son, Isaac, in 1835 purchased Eliza Evans and her son and emancipated them two years later.

Edward DeBaptiste, in 1844, emancipated Virginia and Frances Duncan, the 7- and 3-year-old daughters of Alexander Duncan.

Some of the properties owned by these families still stand, or the buildings there now retain their original foundation or stone front step. At least three of the properties are now covered over by parking lots or Riverfront Park.

But even without physical evidence, the court and property records reveal a group of people who were dedicated to the idea of freedom, Royster said.

You cannot find a more patriotic group of people, she stated. They participated in the revolution but never benefited from it. They found a way to get around obstacles placed in their path. They paid taxes and helped each other with debt and in times of illness. They teach us about community, and wherever they went, they built community.

This should remain public history.
Lindsay Blair has traveled the dark journey of alcoholism and addiction.

At my worst, I was a homeless IV user that spent each day consuming over a gallon of vodka and helping myself to an obscene amount of narcotics just to maintain and survive, the Fremont woman said. I rarely drew a sober breath from the age of 12. I both witnessed and committed horrible crimes. Over a 10-year span, I racked up 33 arrests, had lost my children to the state two different times, and was trafficked for over a year of that span by men that I thought had my best interest at heart.

Blairs journey took a different turn, however, after she entered Dodge County Drug Court program. With almost five years of sobriety, Blair is raising her children at home. She enjoys a supervisory position at her job and is a deans list college student.

On Thursday, Blair was among drug court alumni who shared their success stories with Chief Justice Mike Heavican of the Nebraska State Supreme Court and fellow justices. Sixth District Judge Geoffrey Hall introduced the alumni, who received boisterous rounds of applause and  at the end  a standing ovation in the Dodge County District Courtroom.

In addition, the group celebrated Ryan Kovars graduation from the program. Hall commended the Fremonter on his achievements, his never give up attitude and his eloquent graduation speech.

Looking back on her life, Blair recalled a dismal childhood.

I was being raised in an environment that didnt offer me a chance in hell, she said.

As an addict and alcoholic, Blair said self-induced problems and hospital stays were her norm.

I was a frequent flyer in and out of several different county jails and institutions, Blair said. I was a habitual liar, a thief and a hustler who knew no other form of resiliency. I wasnt sure things could get any worse until they didand they always did.

Blairs life-changing experience occurred after her 33rd arrest.

A sequence of too many coincidental events led me to believe that God was sternly searching (for) me and had found me, picked me up, dusted me off and said, I have a plan for you, Blair said. I was supposed to die, but I didnt. I was supposed to go to prison, but I went to inpatient treatment and bonded into drug court instead.

God single handedly placed each and every person from this experience in my life just at the right time.

Blair said peers taught her empathy and true friendship. Family taught her forgiveness, trust and patience. The drug court team taught her discipline and integrity. Her therapist showed her how to heal from a turbulent past.

Judge Hall taught me prudence, strength and honesty, she said.

Blair commended the drug court program, which she said offered classes, resources and support that otherwise would not have been accessible to her.

She will celebrate five years sobriety on Aug. 27. Shes a server and supervisor with Village Inn and travels the country with the corporate team as a server trainer. Blair has a car and a home, where she and her children live. She attends classes for substance abuse counseling at Metro Community College and has maintained a spot on the deans list.

Other successful alumni, who shared their stories in the courtroom and with the Tribune include:

Joel McTaggart

Now 52, McTaggart said he had no real trauma or bad childhood and had two loving parents.

The Fremont man isnt sure why he turned to drugs, but was 13 years old when an older friend turned him on to freebasing cocaine.

He never forgot the feeling of that first high and a couple years later progressed to IV meth use.

I chased that first high for so long, I got lost and didnt know what I was doing or where I was going anymore, he said. I resigned myself to the fact that I would die with a needle in my arm.

McTaggart was about 29 when he met Wanda Savoie, whom he said never gave up on him.

Even with Wanda and the kids in my life, I didnt quit. I adapted, he said.

Hed work three jobs if necessary to pay bills.

No matter how bad things got, my addictive brain could justify any action or reaction to make it OK to get high and keep feeding my addiction  even if it meant living on a park bench in Atlanta, living above King Lake Bar, a tent, several trap houses, living without power, you name it, I could justify it, McTaggart said.

McTaggart believes addicts can have more than one rock-bottom experience.

I personally skipped along rock bottom for 33 years, he said.

After a drug bust, he took the opportunity to go to drug court, which he said taught him how to function positively in the world.

In an experience  both humbling and rewarding  McTaggart went through the programs four stages.

Ive been clean since November of 2014 and graduated drug court in 2017, he said.

Like others whove graduated from drug court, McTaggarts charges were nullified.

I have since reconnected with my family, pay all of my bills on time, take vacations, go to concerts, bought a new car and a house, he said.

He and Wanda are still together.

After working in restaurants for 30 years, McTaggart decided to change careers four years ago.

I got my foot in the door at Lincoln Premium Poultry as a third shift parts room clerk, McTaggart said. Since then, I have been promoted twice and now supervise a whole department.  Before drug court, I never thought I could be where Im at in life now.

Bryon Brohimer

I had a great childhood, Brohimer told the Tribune. I excelled in math and science. I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. It wasnt until I started using drugs and alcohol that I gave up all my dreams.

Brohimer, formerly of Fremont and now of Omaha, was about 16 or 17 years old when he began using drugs and alcohol, something he attributes to feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.

I did everything that I could to get as high as I could, while I could, he told the Tribune. I pushed away all my relatives. Anybody who loved me, I stole from, lied to or cheated.

While sharing his story in the courtroom, Brohimer said his drug of choice was methamphetamine.

Brohimer told the Tribune he was 26 years old and in the Nebraska State Penitentiary in 2020 when he received a call that his father, Dave, had died. He couldnt go to his dads funeral.

It was that day forward that I decided I needed to turn my life around and I will never go back to it, he said.

Brohimer later accepted the opportunity to go to drug court.

It was a long journey, Brohimer said. Im not going to tell you it was easy, but if I can do it, anyone can do it. I was lost. I was gone. I had no hope. No future. And I found hope. I found people that care about me, who want to see me do good. That gave me a sense of self love. It gets better every day.

Today, Brohimer is a damage assessment technician at a collision center. He plays drums in a metal band called, Luminaries. He also plays in a Christian worship band, Beyond Measure, at First Lutheran Church in Omaha.

Shauna Frederiksen

The drug court program saved my life, said Fremonter Shauna Frederiksen. I tried to get clean hundreds of times on my own and was never successful.

She described her life before drug court.

I was staying at a friends house, sleeping on her couch, not knowing where my older kids were staying, Frederiksen said in a prepared statement. Couldnt hold a job. Without Judge Hall and the drug court team giving me a chance, I would be in prison or dead. I never thought recovery was possible.

Shes been sober since July 2015 and graduated from drug court in 2017.

By the grace of my Higher Power, working a program and my sponsor, I have eight years clean and sober, she said.

Frederiksen met her husband, Mike, in 2016. Theyve been married more than five years.

We have a very strong relationship, she said in the statement. We communicate on everything. He is my best friend. We are able to take vacations. I made it to Disney World, finally!

Frederiksen is a work controller for Natural Management Resources and works as needed as a certified nursing assistant.

As he did with other alums, Hall expressed his appreciation for Frederiksens achievements.

Were very proud of you and the accomplishments that youve made, Hall said.

Kovar, the recent graduate, said he now works at Smeal Apparatus in Snyder, which manufactures firetrucks, sold across the country. He was commended for his achievements and how hes served as a mentor to other program participants. Hall asked Kovar what made a difference for him.

No matter how hard things got, I never considered giving up, he said.

Kovar expressed deep gratitude to the drug court team, for the opportunity to participate in the program and for the guidance he received.

Blair encouraged those struggling with alcoholism and addiction.

Recovery is hard, painful, and exhausting, Blair said. But so is living a life controlled entirely by a substance.  Im forever indebted to Judge Hall and the drug court team. Without them, Im positive I wouldnt be in front of you today sharing my experience, strength and hope.

Heavican appreciated the alumni comments.

This is so impressive to hear people talk about how their lives changed, because of drug court, Heavican said. That is very important for the community, for the state, and we are thankful for all of the support we get from communities like Fremont.
When Mayor John Suthers exited office in Colorado Springs recently, he said the thing that keeps him up at night is the prospect of the city becoming another San Francisco, Seattle or Portland. Look at Seattle today, they are spending a billion dollars a year on homelessness. They have nothing to show for it.

New Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver said something similar in an interview, that one of the biggest risks Denver faces is a Doom Loop like the one threatening San Francisco, in which increased homelessness, crime and remote work drive businesses and individuals out of downtown forever.

A Wall Street Journal article in the past few days made the point that downtown San Franciscos economic health is now worse than nearly every other major urban center. Its 25.7% office vacancy rate is close to 10 percentage points higher than the U.S. vacancy rate of 16.4%, according to commercial real-estate firm Colliers International.

Retailers like Nordstrom and Banana Republic have announced in the past few months that they are closing their downtown San Francisco stores, the Journal wrote. The owner of the citys biggest mall, located downtown, is handing it back to the lender rather than continue to make debt payments.

Next year, the city is going to face its first deficit in years because it has lost its commercial tax base.

If we cant improve our street conditions, people wont come back. Thats the Doom Loop, San Franciscan Tom Wolf, director of West Coast initiatives for the Foundation For Drug Policy Solutions, told us recently during a town hall on homelessness sponsored by The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics. Im really worried for Denver that they dont get caught in that same cycle.

Five years after roaming the streets of San Francisco as a homeless person struggling with heroin and fentanyl addiction, the now-recovered Wolf offered a stark message to Denver:

What I noticed when I went to Denver last month, and I met with Mayor Hancock and other outgoing officials over there was that the level of suffering on the street is the same as it is in San Francisco. There just werent as many. But it still raised the alarm bells for me because everything I saw visually, from what I smelled, what I heard, people I talked to, its moving in that same direction.

San Francisco has between 8,000 and 20,000 homeless on its streets, where Denver has between 6,000 and 7,000 and Colorado Springs has between 1,000 and 2,000.

You cant deny whats happened here in San Francisco, Wolf said. You cant deny the linkage to its policies," which have led to extraordinarily high housing prices in the urban core and have sidestepped crackdowns on the proliferating homeless camps in town.

The phrase Doom Loop was repopularized by Arpit Gupta, a finance professor at New York University, in a paper he wrote last year called Work From Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse, warning that many major U.S. cities could be on the brink of slipping into such downward fiscal spirals.

Weve seen Doom Loops before, like when manufacturing jobs started to leave Detroit in the 1970s. That proved to be a triggering event for a cascade of calamity, with tax revenue falling, services suffering, businesses closing, shoppers staying away, residents moving out, and disorder moving in. The pandemic and the mass exit of tech workers from San Francisco have been triggering events for San Francisco.

Suthers worries about city government spreading itself too thin in the future as cities like Colorado Springs swell. Stick with the basics. Cities have everything they can handle by doing public safety, public works, transportation and parks. Dont do the Cabrini Green thing. Its always been a disaster. Cities are not good at running housing projects.

Wolf shares the view that cities shouldnt pin all their hopes on building enough housing to get themselves out of the Doom Loop.

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To Wolf, homelessness is foremost a mental health and substance abuse crisis.

We are now facing a situation where in Denver you have 5,000 homeless people, Wolf said. If 80% of them are addicted to drugs at this very moment, that severely complicates the issue of actually ending that individual's homelessness, and you cant just end it by just putting them in a house or in a tiny home or in a shelter.

Seventy percent of all our overdose deaths in San Francisco happen at a fixed address, he pointed out. The majority of those deaths are happening inside permanent supportive housing. He said some of the hotels that San Francisco put homeless people into became markets for drug dealers, who suddenly could feed off a host of clients all congregated in one place.

So how do cities in Colorado avoid the Doom Loop?

Wolf thinks San Francisco might be able to show them the way out, actually.

The city recently recalled its district attorney, who had pushed criminal justice reform that favored more lenient prosecutions. The mayor replaced him with rising star Brook Jenkins, who has enforced tougher penalties against drug dealers and drug users in an effort to clean up the streets of San Francisco.

We elected a couple new supervisors, Wolf noted, one of whom is in active recovery, to help manage the city council, move it more towards the middle. Now were working again with the police department, the California Highway Patrol, the National Guard with logistics to help manage our street crises, the U.S. Marshals are here, the DEA is now here. And Speaker of the House Emeritus Nancy Pelosi just asked for and got approved Operation Overdrive from the Department of Justice to step up enforcement of drug trafficking and drug dealing to help reduce some of these harms to our community so our city can breath for a minute, so we can ask what is happening here, how can we start revitalizing our downtown core. And bring businesses back and start rebuilding that tax base we lost.

The city has even enlisted a squadron of blue-shirted community ambassadors who help people feel safer in downtown shopping districts.

Mayor London Breed has increased the police overtime budget by $25 million, attempting to make up for a 599-officer shortfall.

Suthers agrees that law enforcement has to be a key part of the equation, not just social programs and housing projects and tax incentives to draw businesses back.

A recent Brookings Institute study points out that cities have faced challenges like this before and bounced back: As we experience yet another rhetorical onslaught predicting the decline of cities and their downtowns, it is important to remember that cities have faced their share of crises before. From suburbanization and white flight to the rise of crime in urban centers in the 1990s to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, cities and downtowns  and most especially, the people who activate them  have proved their resilience.

But this time may be different. This time, downtowns may have to reinvent themselves to survive, becoming more residential and cultural centers and walking neighborhoods than just commercial hubs.

And sometimes, cities simply dont revive.

We here in Colorado have more historical experience than probably any other state with what can happen when the boom goes bust. They are called ghost towns, and our state, by some counts, has over 1,500 of them. When the gold and silver mines petered out in those towns 100 years ago, some of the richest cities on earth became empty, haunting husks nearly overnight. Lets pray they are not omens for our present downtowns in the post-COVID mutations of our urban cores.
Emancipation of slaves. Womens suffrage. Civil rights. Freedom to worship, ignore or denigrate God. Welcome to America, where freedom flourishes under the First Amendment  a law under attack.

As the White House website explains, the First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly 

The 14th Amendment extends that limitation to state, regional and local governments. Thats why law enforcement cannot raid a newspaper and the publishers home because they dont like what the paper might print. Obtaining a warrant to lawfully raid a media organization should be difficult  like moving Pikes Peak to New Jersey in a U-Haul.

The police of Marion, Kan., somehow obtained a warrant to search the Marion County Record, seizing computers and cellphones. In the same operation, they raided the home of a local councilwoman. They searched the home of the publications 98-year-old co-owner who died the next day (The Record blames the stress of the raid).

It came as a reporter researched alleged sexual misconduct by the Marion chief when he worked as a Kansas City cop. The chief and four officers conducted the raids after a local restaurateur complained of a reporter trying to obtain a sealed DUI case.

Reporters seek truth. They routinely obtain documents the government thinks they should not have.

If reporters, bloggers and sleuths cannot do this, we wont be free. Given permission, politicians would use the justice system to keep the masses in the dark. Innocents would fester in prisons for their words or values. Corruption flourishes in darkness and information sheds light.

Forcefully taking a publications information before a story prints smacks of attempted prior restraint, illegal in nearly all circumstances. After the raid, a local prosecutor found no evidence of a crime and ordered the property returned.

The raid has drawn bold condemnation from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, The Washington Post and dozens of other media organizations. The Society for Professional Journalists offered to pay the Records legal bills.

The raid goes directly against the First Amendment rights that our country holds in esteem, said Dean Ridings, CEO of Americas Newspapers.

This case should worry all Americans. Sadly, it represents merely one of too many 21st century attacks on the First Amendment. The law expressly protects the people and two institutions: religion and the press.

Look no further than Colorado to find institutionalized and ongoing assaults on the First Amendment.

The states legally challenged Civil Rights Commission wants to force artists to express anything a consumer demands with no regard for the artists religious or deeply held convictions. By the commissions illegal approach, it should force a lifelong atheist to paint Jesus with reverence  a violation of free speech and religious liberty.

Just as authorities cant control the content of a newspaper or the writings of a desktop pamphleteer, it cannot tell artists what to create. The Supreme Court has slapped the commission with two First Amendment rulings, but commissioners dont get it.

If we accept assaults on the First Amendment, we weaken liberty and invite oppression. We normalize authorities trying to regulate words and beliefs. Thats why whats the matter in Kansas concerns us all.

The Gazette Editorial Board
The man accused of killing Joslyn Teetzel will be released on a PR bond on Friday after the court was informed her manner of death had been changed to a suicide.

An attorney representing Miles Kirby  who is accused of killing his girlfriend Teetzel on July 26 in a residence on Mount View Lane in Fountain  told The Gazette that Kirby will be released from custody at the El Paso County jail on a personal recognizance bond of $100,000, granted by El Paso County Judge Samuel Evig.

Kirby's initial bond prior to Friday was $2 million, Kay told The Gazette that it was the first time he'd ever seen a bond adjustment that drastic.

"There was so much evidence pointing to a suicide," Kirby's attorney Daniel Kay told The Gazette. "This was such a rush to judgement."

According to Kirby's arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette, Fountain detectives suspected that Kirby strangled and killed Teetzel, his girlfriend at the time, and hung her from a rope inside a shed in their backyard to stage her death as a suicide.

I know through my training and experience that a hanging will not typically leave a deep wound and will not typically leave two separate pronounced ligature marks, Fountain police Detective Brian Cristiani wrote in the arrest affidavit.

According to the affidavit, on July 27, the El Paso County Coroners Office conducted an autopsy on Teetzels body. Dr. Jarod Murdoch, a forensic pathologist, initially told Cristiani that the autopsy indicated the cause of death was strangulation, and indicated that the victim's injuries were not consistent with a hanging. The coroner's report ruled the manner of death as a homicide.

When asked about the change of opinion from the coroner's office, the Fountain Police Department sent a response, which said in part:

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Miles Kirby was arrested on July 27, 2023, based on information and evidence obtained at that point in the investigation. There are many components to an investigation and the Fountain Police Department worked collaboratively with the El Paso County Coroner's Office, District Attorney's Office, and the courts to reach the best possible conclusion based on the information we knew at the time. The evidence the Fountain Police Department collected during the investigation has not changed. Once the new information was obtained from the El Paso County Coroner's Office it is our obligation to turn over that information to the District Attorney's Office, and it's their decision to proceed however they see fit.

Kay stated that Kirby will be released from the jail on Friday, and that the prosecution stated in court during the hearing that there is a "substantial likelihood" that charges against Kirby will be dropped in the coming weeks.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney spokesperson Howard Black declined to comment to The Gazette regarding if charges against Kirby will be dropped.

"This has been absolutely devastating for him," Kay said to The Gazette. "Not only losing his wife (Teetzel), who he loves dearly, but then to be arrested falsely. I can't imagine."

Kay declined to comment on the Fountain Police Department's investigation that led to the arrest of his client.

The Fountain Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Gazette. A request for Teetzel's autopsy submitted by The Gazette to the El Paso County Coroner's Office remains pending.

Jail records show that Kirby remains in an inmate at the jail, but that his bond status has been changed to a PR bond. Court records reflect that a protection order prohibiting Kirby from contact with his and Teetzel's children remains in place.
A man with multiple felony warrants has died after a confrontation with police in southeast Colorado Springs Thursday, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

A spokesperson from a Colorado Springs Police Department press conference Thursday afternoon said that an officer fired a shot at the man when he pulled a gun and tried to flee on foot, but the suspect was not shot. The man was taken to an area hospital but later died of injuries sustained during the incident, EPSO reported Friday afternoon.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident. No other injuries were reported.

CSPD did not give more details about the man's age, place of residence or alleged crimes at the press conference.

According to CSPD, the shooting had occurred near the 1700 block of Aeroplaza Drive in a motel parking lot about 11:40 a.m.

The U.S. Marshals' Colorado Violent Offender Task Force in partnership with the Colorado Highway Patrol helped find the fugitive, leading CSPD to approach the man to arrest him.

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According to the CSPD spokesperson, officers approached the man in the parking lot, who then tried to flee on foot. A police K-9 dog was released on the man, who then pulled a gun. That is when at least one CSPD officer shot at him.

Officials say Colorado Springs police will continue to investigate the suspect, while the El Paso County Sheriff's Office will be handling the officer-involved shooting investigation.

The Police Department said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Several suspects' alleged attempt at stealing materials from a construction site in unincorporated El Paso County was reportedly met with "warning shots," the El Paso County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Around 10 p.m. Thursday, the Sheriff's Office received multiple calls reporting shots fired in the area of a "new housing construction site" around Colorado 94 near Ellicott, east of Colorado Springs.

Deputies said a group of unidentified suspects was in the process of stealing materials when another group of individuals confronted them and "fired warning shots."

One suspect, identified as 43-year-old Alexander Bordado-Valdes, was detained at the scene and charged with second-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, and misdemeanor theft.

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The Sheriff's Office said it is still working to identify further suspects, and that no one involved in the incident appeared to be injured.

Officials also said investigators will determine whether individuals will be charged for discharging a firearm.

"The best course of action when witnessing a crime or suspicious activity is to contact your local law enforcement officials and report the incident," the Sheriff's Office said.
The location of the District 2 listening session scheduled for next week has changed, Colorado Springs officials said Friday.

Part of the 2023 Listening Tour hosted by Mayor Yemi Mobolade and the City Council, the District 2 listening session on Aug. 25 will take place 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the new location, Liberty High School, located at 8720 Scarborough Drive. Previously, the meeting was scheduled to take place at Pikes Peak State College on InterQuest Parkway.

Residents can still attend the five remaining stops of the tour, officials said in a news release. They are:

 Friday, Aug. 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: District 3, southwest Colorado Springs, at Hillside Community Center, 925 S. Institute St.

 Friday, Aug. 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: District 2, north Colorado Springs, at Liberty High School, 8720 Scarborough Drive.

 Friday, Sept. 1, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: District 1, northwest Colorado Springs, at Coronado High School, 1590 W. Fillmore St.

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 Friday, Sept. 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: District 4, southeast Colorado Springs, at Southeast Armed Services YMCA, 2190 Jet Wing Drive.

 Saturday, Sept. 9, 10 a.m. to noon: Online, citywide listening session via Microsoft Teams. The link to attend virtually will be updated online at coloradosprings.gov/event/listening-tour-citywide-virtual.

Sessions are open to the public, but residents should register in advance to ensure adequate space for the event and to register for the session located in their council district, officials said.

Residents can find out their council district using the city's council district viewer tool: coloradosprings.gov/city-clerk/page/city-council-districts.

Residents can also submit feedback through the 2023 Listening Tour survey online at survey123.arcgis.com/share/c17e8eb319d148faaae184e8ce8f0c2a.

City officials will use feedback to inform city priorities over the next four years in the areas of public safety, infrastructure, economic vitality and other city services, the release said.
The new superintendent of Academy School District 20 is all about communication, she says.

Jinger Haberers first month and a half at Colorado Springs largest school district has been filled with parent, teacher and business leader meetings, but shes done far more than just shaking hands and kissing babies.

Haberer is already working to address key issues brought to her attention by stakeholders, she said, including communication gaps that landed the high-achieving district in hot water last year. Her three focus areas heading into the school year include cohesion, communication and collaboration.

My job and my value is to continuously be looking for ways to hear the voices of our community, our parents, our students, our staff members, Haberer said. Thats how I approach any kind of challenge. Youve got to involve people, give them an opportunity to be a part of it.

Cohesion

Haberer comes fresh off the heels of a five-year stint as the superintendent of Washingtons Ellensburg School District, the latest role in her 35-year educational career spanning multiple states.

But the southwest Denver native felt it was time to come home after the birth of her first grandchild, Holly Jane, last summer. Shed long been familiar with D-20 as a district of distinction, she said, making it the ideal place for her Colorado homecoming.

Academy District 20 has a rich tradition of academic excellence. We hired Jinger Haberer for her laser focus on academic growth and achievement, D-20 Board of Education President Tom LaValley wrote in a statement to The Gazette. We look forward to Superintendent Haberer growing our high-performing teams so they can fully prepare our students for success by achieving our Board Ends, which are the student outcomes of knowledge, skills, and character.

As she settles into the 26,000-student district, Haberer is turning to Colorado Springs industry professionals to flesh out a sense of the skills, character traits and social-emotional competencies necessary for D-20 graduates to find success in their local community. She dubs this conceptualization a portrait of a graduate.

Depending on feedback from Bluestaq, UCHealth, Mayor Yemi Mobolade and other prominent figures and organizations, D-20 could cater its offerings in new directions and establish new career pathway partnerships.

I think this is the prime time to bring people back together, Haberer said.

In previous roles, Haberer increased the number of dual credits earned by her students and partnered with local higher education institutions to grant them one free year of community college. Students under her leadership also received increased internship experiences and certified nurse assistant credentials.

And while teaching middle school science in Oklahoma, where students reeled from a massive tornado that had torn through the state, she partnered with a local meteorologist to tour students around a weather center and teach them about tornado safety. Together, students and professionals developed a new shelter in place plan that would be implemented for all students in their school.

Such are the types of community partnerships she hopes to continue in Colorado Springs.

Communication

Haberer enters a district already hailed for its strong academic achievement. A Gazette data analysis of this years Colorado Measures of Academic Success scores ranks the district as the 12th-strongest performer in the state.

D-20 experienced a 1.4-percentage-point growth in math during this years CMAS state testing, bringing the district to 48.6% of students who meet or exceed expectations, well above the state average of 32.9%. English language arts scores held steady at 60.4%, dropping just 0.1-percentage-points but remaining above the state average and as the Pikes Peak regions second-best performer in the subject.

The past three years have been the most challenging in K-12 history. Nationwide, students experienced isolation, disconnection from the classroom and learning loss, Haberer said in a written statement upon CMAS scores release on Thursday. We are elated our expanded learning opportunities for students and teachers resulted in increased district-wide academic growth. It is affirming the work were doing is making a direct impact on students.

While its academic performance outpaces most districts statewide, community members have expressed dissatisfaction in other areas.

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Just as schools prepared to let out for the summer, district leaders broke from written policy to remove several titles that a group of concerned parents deemed obscene without proper committee review. A subsequent request to remove the Bible on similar grounds went unanswered for more than a month, prompting accusations of viewpoint discrimination.

The books were returned to shelves just as Haberer transitioned into her new role. Moving forward, she said, school leaders will not be permitted to break from written policy and procedure, and communication will be consistent. Parents must follow the established process in order to challenge books.

Haberer also arrives on the tail end of a controversial change to school start and end times that would have addressed bus driver shortages and teen sleep schedule concerns. Parents pushed back against the changes, saying they hadnt been adequately involved in the decision-making process or informed along the way.

The district nixed the plan earlier this spring, acknowledging its lapse in communication was an oversight.

We have seen our stakeholders have a strong desire to be part of the process, D-20 Chief Communication Officer Allison Cortez said. Folks are really excited to see the superintendent at the school. There was a lot of hunger for relationships, for conversation, for collaboration.

Major decisions will involve significant community outreach and feedback under Haberers leadership, the superintendent said. There will be official platforms to share input, such as public stakeholder committees open to different groups like parents or senior residents. She will also continue her coffee and conversation series to solicit feedback, perhaps on a monthly basis.

During her summer conversations, Haberer said communication was a number one concern among parents. Stakeholders expressed similar concerns by way of a transition survey.

We took all of that, and now were looking at some of the practical ways to streamline parent communication, Haberer said. I have a strong belief that if were not learning as leaders, were not leading.

D-20 is already exploring new outreach methods, including a weekly staff newsletter that celebrates people, programs and students or a quick weekly video update from the superintendent. Haberer is also looking to streamline communication for all schools and grade levels under one platform to ease the burden on parents whose children are spread across multiple places. She has prior experience with a well-received platform in Ellensburg, she said.

She believes in staying on the cutting edge for education, communication. What shes been able to do by just leaning in and listening and asking the questions is she took a challenge that we had for years, she heard what people were saying, she said, No, this isnt OK, Cortez said. She not only asked the questions, but she heard the answers, and were already investigating ways to implement change.

Collaboration

As arguments rage across the country over schools responsibility for students mental health, rearing contentiously within some Pikes Peak region schools, Haberer said she is committed to serving the whole child, behavioral health and all.

If a child is feeling devastated by a loss in their life, and they sit down and were trying to get them to learn math or read a book, and maybe they havent had a chance to really process through that. ... Theyre not going to probably be able to hear or even participate in their learning if theyre grieving over what just happened, Haberer said, explaining how she understands behavioral health factors into academic achievement.

D-20 already has multitiered systems of support (MTSS) in place, which is a framework that ensures students receive appropriate levels of both academic and behavioral support. Haberer will continue this framework.

About 80%-90% of students receive adequate support from MTSS first of three tiers, which involves universal instruction and support that students might receive in a standard classroom setting. The second tier offers more targeted support for 5%-10% of students who are at risk or struggling in some aspect of their academic or personal lives. This tier can involve small, collaborative peer groups. The third tier targets 1%-5% of students who need individualized support for intensive and persistent problems.

Any decisions or interventions under the MTSS framework are made in communication with parents, Haberer said.

Haberer will also refine recent efforts to streamline D-20s approach to professional learning communities, which are groups of grade-level or subject matter teachers who meet regularly to share expertise and improve student performance. Haberer led the expansion of PLCs at Aurora Public Schools, resulting in increased ACT scores, graduation rates and attendance.

I think theres a misperception that PLCs are this, were just giving teachers a couple hours to come together, drink coffee and brainstorm together. Absolutely not. Its highly structured time, its time where theyre looking at student data to see, Gosh, why is this student doing so well and this one isnt? What strategies have we used with this student that could help this student over here? Cortez said. This is the number one way that we grow student achievement for all.

PLC time will delay all student start times by two hours every first and third Friday of the month this year, but district leaders say the occasional schedule shakeup is for good reason. PLC collaboration allows teachers to identify what they want students to learn, how they will measure success, what they will do when students meet and exceed expectations and how to help those who are struggling. Research by education academic John Hattie suggests PLCs dramatically improve students learning outcomes, including for groups such as English Language Learners, special-education students and gifted and talented students.

The idea of a PLC is all of us own third grade. Its not your kids and my kids, and that is a key part of that focus in on learning and that collaboration piece. We have shared accountability for the students that we talk about in this group, Haberer said.
Anglers are coming to grips with the altered state of a beloved fishery between Denver and Colorado Springs  the result of heavy rains sending rock and dirt down the slopes of Cheesman Canyon.

"Altered" is how some in the sporting scene would now describe this famed stretch of the South Platte River near Deckers. "Devastating" was the word from Trout Unlimited, in an online post recounting the storm at the end of July.

It was the "worst storm I've ever seen in there," Pat Dorsey, a renowned guide and self-described "canyon junkie" wrote in an Instagram post. "Words cannot explain the devastation that occurred to the fishery and the trail."

The Gill Trail, reaching down to the South Platte, had been "trashed," Dorsey wrote, noting also "slides everywhere, many of which dumped insect- and trout-choking sediments into one of America's finest wild trout streams." Gravel and sand had clogged go-to holes, according to Dorsey's reports, with some "massive" washouts contributing to decomposed granite across the river's substrate.

Trout Unlimited's post called on volunteers to help with recovery efforts ahead  "what will surely be herculean," the post read.

The organization recognized the event as "just the latest traumatizing event" for the fishery.

That's what other outfitters are emphasizing.

That includes Jeremy Hyatt, the owner of Deckers' Flies and Lies fly shop who has frequented Cheesman Canyon all his life.

"The damage was severe  there's no question about it," he said. "But I do think one thing people have to remember is the South Platte River is a very resilient river. With everything it's been through with the Hayman fire, this isn't a first."

The latest impacts do not compare with those from the fire's wake in 2002, said Rachel Leinweber, another lifelong regular in the canyon and general manager of Colorado Springs' Angler's Covey. She said she remembers all too well the ash and debris that choked the river.

"Nature finds a way," said Leinweber, whose guides returned clients to the canyon this week after a two-week pause. "The river will carve out new holes, new runs. It's definitely not doom and gloom, like Cheesman Canyon is unfishable."

Kyle Battige, senior aquatic biologist with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said his team was not aware of any fish kill.

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"That's not to say there's not the potential for impact in terms of recruitment and habitat," he said. "But best guess would be that there was good water upstream or they may have migrated downstream. ... Despite the look of it, the fish were able to tolerate those environmental conditions."

Dorsey, who could not be reached in time for this article, was swiftly rebuked for his reports. Commenters repeated Leinweber's point: that the "devastation" was nature at work.

"This is an act of nature, I get it," Dorsey wrote, "but it's much worse than most people know."

He and other guides have voiced support for "a flush"  a reservoir release from Denver Water that would theoretically clear sediment.

"The problem with that is, that sand has still gotta go somewhere," Hyatt said. "So it's gonna go into Deckers, it's gonna go to the Wigwam Club and eventually on to Strontia Reservoir, which is the last place Denver Water wants that sand to go."

An agency spokesman said there are no plans for a "flush," and that's for the sake of protecting Strontia Springs Reservoir, a critical supply for Denver and Aurora.

In an email, Todd Hartman said sediment through the South Platte after the Hayman fire as well as the Buffalo Creek fire in 1996 "continue to be a significant challenge for Denver Water."

Previously, the agency reported sediment had filled 13% of the reservoir's space  storage that would otherwise house water to serve as many as 4,000 homes. That report detailed managers' efforts to address the problem through dredging and forest restoration.

After heavy rains from the end of July, Hartman said Denver Water suspects as much as 20,000 cubic yards of sediment had washed into the river above the reservoir.

He noted: "Not all that sediment will make its way to Strontia Springs this year and the impacts to the reservoir will be moderated over the next several months and years."

As for impacts to the fishery in Cheesman Canyon, time will tell, Hyatt said.

"We're just gonna cross our fingers and hope it hangs in there," he said.
When Mayor John Suthers exited office in Colorado Springs recently, he said the thing that keeps him up at night is the prospect of the city becoming another San Francisco, Seattle or Portland. Look at Seattle today, they are spending a billion dollars a year on homelessness. They have nothing to show for it.

New Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver said something similar in an interview, that one of the biggest risks Denver faces is a Doom Loop like the one threatening San Francisco, in which increased homelessness, crime and remote work drive businesses and individuals out of downtown forever.

A Wall Street Journal article in the past few days made the point that downtown San Franciscos economic health is now worse than nearly every other major urban center. Its 25.7% office vacancy rate is close to 10 percentage points higher than the U.S. vacancy rate of 16.4%, according to commercial real-estate firm Colliers International.

Retailers like Nordstrom and Banana Republic have announced in the past few months that they are closing their downtown San Francisco stores, the Journal wrote. The owner of the citys biggest mall, located downtown, is handing it back to the lender rather than continue to make debt payments.

Next year, the city is going to face its first deficit in years because it has lost its commercial tax base.

If we cant improve our street conditions, people wont come back. Thats the Doom Loop, San Franciscan Tom Wolf, director of West Coast initiatives for the Foundation For Drug Policy Solutions, told us recently during a town hall on homelessness sponsored by The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics. Im really worried for Denver that they dont get caught in that same cycle.

Five years after roaming the streets of San Francisco as a homeless person struggling with heroin and fentanyl addiction, the now-recovered Wolf offered a stark message to Denver:

What I noticed when I went to Denver last month, and I met with Mayor Hancock and other outgoing officials over there was that the level of suffering on the street is the same as it is in San Francisco. There just werent as many. But it still raised the alarm bells for me because everything I saw visually, from what I smelled, what I heard, people I talked to, its moving in that same direction.

San Francisco has between 8,000 and 20,000 homeless on its streets, where Denver has between 6,000 and 7,000 and Colorado Springs has between 1,000 and 2,000.

You cant deny whats happened here in San Francisco, Wolf said. You cant deny the linkage to its policies," which have led to extraordinarily high housing prices in the urban core and have sidestepped crackdowns on the proliferating homeless camps in town.

The phrase Doom Loop was repopularized by Arpit Gupta, a finance professor at New York University, in a paper he wrote last year called Work From Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse, warning that many major U.S. cities could be on the brink of slipping into such downward fiscal spirals.

Weve seen Doom Loops before, like when manufacturing jobs started to leave Detroit in the 1970s. That proved to be a triggering event for a cascade of calamity, with tax revenue falling, services suffering, businesses closing, shoppers staying away, residents moving out, and disorder moving in. The pandemic and the mass exit of tech workers from San Francisco have been triggering events for San Francisco.

Suthers worries about city government spreading itself too thin in the future as cities like Colorado Springs swell. Stick with the basics. Cities have everything they can handle by doing public safety, public works, transportation and parks. Dont do the Cabrini Green thing. Its always been a disaster. Cities are not good at running housing projects.

Wolf shares the view that cities shouldnt pin all their hopes on building enough housing to get themselves out of the Doom Loop.

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To Wolf, homelessness is foremost a mental health and substance abuse crisis.

We are now facing a situation where in Denver you have 5,000 homeless people, Wolf said. If 80% of them are addicted to drugs at this very moment, that severely complicates the issue of actually ending that individual's homelessness, and you cant just end it by just putting them in a house or in a tiny home or in a shelter.

Seventy percent of all our overdose deaths in San Francisco happen at a fixed address, he pointed out. The majority of those deaths are happening inside permanent supportive housing. He said some of the hotels that San Francisco put homeless people into became markets for drug dealers, who suddenly could feed off a host of clients all congregated in one place.

So how do cities in Colorado avoid the Doom Loop?

Wolf thinks San Francisco might be able to show them the way out, actually.

The city recently recalled its district attorney, who had pushed criminal justice reform that favored more lenient prosecutions. The mayor replaced him with rising star Brook Jenkins, who has enforced tougher penalties against drug dealers and drug users in an effort to clean up the streets of San Francisco.

We elected a couple new supervisors, Wolf noted, one of whom is in active recovery, to help manage the city council, move it more towards the middle. Now were working again with the police department, the California Highway Patrol, the National Guard with logistics to help manage our street crises, the U.S. Marshals are here, the DEA is now here. And Speaker of the House Emeritus Nancy Pelosi just asked for and got approved Operation Overdrive from the Department of Justice to step up enforcement of drug trafficking and drug dealing to help reduce some of these harms to our community so our city can breath for a minute, so we can ask what is happening here, how can we start revitalizing our downtown core. And bring businesses back and start rebuilding that tax base we lost.

The city has even enlisted a squadron of blue-shirted community ambassadors who help people feel safer in downtown shopping districts.

Mayor London Breed has increased the police overtime budget by $25 million, attempting to make up for a 599-officer shortfall.

Suthers agrees that law enforcement has to be a key part of the equation, not just social programs and housing projects and tax incentives to draw businesses back.

A recent Brookings Institute study points out that cities have faced challenges like this before and bounced back: As we experience yet another rhetorical onslaught predicting the decline of cities and their downtowns, it is important to remember that cities have faced their share of crises before. From suburbanization and white flight to the rise of crime in urban centers in the 1990s to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York, cities and downtowns  and most especially, the people who activate them  have proved their resilience.

But this time may be different. This time, downtowns may have to reinvent themselves to survive, becoming more residential and cultural centers and walking neighborhoods than just commercial hubs.

And sometimes, cities simply dont revive.

We here in Colorado have more historical experience than probably any other state with what can happen when the boom goes bust. They are called ghost towns, and our state, by some counts, has over 1,500 of them. When the gold and silver mines petered out in those towns 100 years ago, some of the richest cities on earth became empty, haunting husks nearly overnight. Lets pray they are not omens for our present downtowns in the post-COVID mutations of our urban cores.
A judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil has authorized investigators to access banking and tax data in the country of former President Jair Bolsonaro, suspected of illicit enrichment through the resale of gifts received from foreign countries, says this Friday August 18 the local press.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes also authorized federal police investigators to access the banking and tax data in Brazil of the wife of the former far-right president.

Sculptures, luxury watches

He also requested international assistance to access the couples bank details in the United States, where the former presidents collaborators would have sold or attempted to sell these valuables.

Contacted by AFP, neither the Supreme Court nor the federal police have confirmed this information for the moment.

Among these state gifts, two sculptures, one in the shape of a boat and another in the shape of a palm tree, offered by the government of Bahrain during a visit by Jair Bolsonaro in 2021.

Valuables donated by Saudi Arabia, including a watch and a fountain pen from the Swiss luxury brand Chopard, are also among those presents.

Elements of the investigation were published last week in a judgment by Judge Moraes to justify search warrants carried out this Friday at the homes of former collaborators of Jair Bolsonaro.

The evidence collected showed (the existence) during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro of a network to embezzle goods of a high amount that were offered to himcan we read in this judgment of the magistrate.

Beyond allowing an inadmissible enrichment of the President of the Republic (), it is possible that the Brazilian head of state has been co-opted by foreign nations through these assetssay the investigators.

Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing

They also report assets placed in a suitcase carried on the presidential plane on December 30when Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil to join the United States two days before the inauguration of his left-wing successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the presidential election in October.

In April, Jair Bolsonaro was heard by federal police in connection with the case and denied any wrongdoing.

The scandal related to these gifts erupted in March, when the newspaper Estado de S. Paulo revealed that senior officials had tried to smuggle in jewelry donated by Saudi Arabia, without first declaring them.
Iowas fall waterfowl seasons are fast approaching. The first segment of this years duck season begins Sept. 1 with a statewide, 16-day teal hunt. The early segment of the (North Zone) goose season commences Sept. 23.

For many migratory species, Iowa marks the halfway point between spring nesting and southern wintering grounds. When, where, and if those birds will pause to visit our favorite wetlands will largely depend on current habitat conditions, developing fall weather patterns, and upon the whims of the birds themselves. Speculative at best, the business of accurately predicting future migration patterns and upcoming hunter success is less than an exact science. This year, the uncertainties are even greater than usual.

Many of the ducks funneling down the Mississippi Flyway each autumn originate in the prairie wetlands of southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Although dry habitat conditions on the southern prairies showed improvement during early spring, those conditions deteriorated during the critical nesting months of May and June. Abnormally warm and dry weather persisted through July, with Canadas prairie region receiving less than 40 percent of its normal rainfall. According to Agriculture Canadas Canadian Drought Monitor, nearly 70 percent of the prairie region is currently categorized as abnormally dry or in drought condition. Drought-stricken crops have been severely impacted across much of the region. In Saskatchewan, hay yields were so low that producers are considering selling off livestock.

In Iowa, we are currently recording the 20th driest year (January through July) since record keeping began in 1895. A total of 78.5 % of Iowa is currently in drought with the remainder of the state classified as abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Wetland habitat conditions are all over the chart. In northwest and northcentral Iowas 35-county prairie pothole region, water levels on small to medium-sized marshlands range from low to very low to bone dry. Some pleasant exceptions to this unwelcome trend occur on wetlands that received isolated, but substantial, rainfall during mid-summer. A second bright spot is found at some of the states larger public wetlands. Beginning the warm weather season with water levels measuring near or at crest levels, many of these mega-marshes remain in surprisingly good condition and will provide attractive stopovers for southbound waterfowl.

Although this years habitat picture is far from glamorous, a single significant weather event could still turn things around. Weve seen the pendulum swing before when a hard, three or four-inch gully washer rapidly recharged parched wetlands. But while were all waiting for that to happen, September teal hunters would be well advised to scout out their favorite hotspots well in advance of Opening Day. Unless local conditions improve, hunters might find traditional potholes covered in sunbaked mud instead of water and ducks.

Enjoy more outdoor tales online at Washburns Outdoor Journal at iawildlife.org/blog.
If you're looking for her secret to longevity, she'll happily share.

"I've always been spoiled," Ellen Mae Ouverson said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I never worked a day in my life."

Ouverson, who resides in Clear Lake, will celebrate her 107th birthday on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Daughter Dianne Miller jumped in to remind Ouverson of the jobs she's held cleaning houses and working the counter at the roller rink. Ouverson waved away the additions as if they were never work to begin with.

Her smile is quick and bright, and in talking with Ouverson it's easy to see that rather than being spoiled, as she claims, she's a serial spoiler. She delights in the joy of others and laughs off misfortune as easily as a duck shaking water off its back.

Born in Glenwood, Minnesota, her family moved to Iowa shortly after.

"Mother got so lonesome for home, we just had to come back," she said. "I went to school at Swaledale and then the Mason country school."

With three brothers, George, Glen and Gene, and sister, Gertrude, Ellen Mae is the odd one out with her name beginning with E.

"Oh, it doesn't matter," she said. "Glen and I would ride to school together on a horse. We're just three years apart. Once, on the way to school, a car came up and spooked that horse, and Glen and I just slid right off the back!

"Oh, Glen thought he'd broke his back, and I was hollerin'. Before you know it, they're taking care of us and I'm getting all the attention for being so loud," she said with her signature sweetness.

Eventually Ouverson had her own children with husband Leonard, known to all as "Ding." They farmed for a number of years before moving into town. Ouverson felt a little self-conscious after she arrived within city limits. Her daughter said, "She was afraid to hang out her wash. She thought everyone was watching."

She spent 64 years with her husband, and when he died Ouverson found other ways to keep herself active and busy. She has four grandsons and has been abundantly blessed with great and great-great grandchildren.

In 2014, Ouverson moved herself, her collection of cardinal-themed knick knacks and her unflappable attitude into Apple Valley Place in Clear Lake. It's there she will celebrate her 107th birthday with family, friends and loved ones.

If you'd like to send a card to Ouverson, it may be addressed to:

Ellen Mae Ouverson; 405 27th Avenue S. #23; Clear Lake, IA 50428.
There was a time when the U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) August Crop Production report was more feared by American farmers than any paste-colored Soviet leader with a shaky finger near the nuclear launch button.

Now, however, the August report generates more yawns than yips.

So it was again Friday, Aug. 11, when USDAs first detailed look of the 2023 corn/soybean production year confirmed what most farmers already suspected: Almost everyone in American agriculture will be dealing with lower prices, shrinking profits, and tighter belts for much of the upcoming marketing year.

Still even tougherif not as well-reportedsoybean market news arrived the same day in USDAs Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade report.

The bad-news portion of that report showed just how little total U.S. soybean exports have moved compared to how far Brazilian soybean exports have soared since the 2020/21 crop year. According to the FAS, this coming years U.S. soybean exports will extend their four-year slide from 61.6 million metric tons (mmt) in 2020/21 to 49.7 mmt for 2023/24. That 11.9 mmt drop translates into 440 million bu. less U.S. soybeans going overseas this coming year than just four short years ago.

And its not because the world (principally, China) is importing fewer soybeans; total year-to-year world soybean imports are pretty stable at 165-166 mmt.

Brazils simple trick is no trick at all; it just takes market share, almost at will, through price. In 2020/21, for example, Brazil exported 81.6 mmt of soybeans. This coming year, FAS estimates Brazil will export a whopping 96.5 mmt, an increase of 545 million bu.or 105 million bu. more than the total bushels lost by the U.S.in the last four years.

Despite that loss, U.S. soybean exports are still in better shape in todays global market than other big American ag exports like corn, wheat, cotton, and milled rice. In a striking and informative Aug. 11 video presentation by farmdocDAILY, Joana Colussi compared 2022 U.S. exports for the four crops to their 2017-2022 average exports.

The results were stark. U.S. corn exports last year were 25 percent lower than their five-year average, wheats 2022 exports were off 16 percent, cotton down 16 percent, and milled rice down 31 percent. Soybean exports over the same period were as flat as an anvil.

As revealing as those figures are, they are even worse when 2022 U.S. ag exports for all five crops are compared to what American export competitors sold. While our corn, wheat, cotton, and rice exports were headed south, the rest of the world increased its 2017-2022 exportsmostly at our expenseof corn by 10 percent, wheat by 16 percent, and rice by 17 percent.

And our soy competitors? The rest of the world increased their collective soybean exports by 11 percent over the five marketing years while ours just held steady. (The competitors cotton exports fell 11 percent while ours was off 16 percent. Worldwide, cotton continues to fall out of favor.)

All these numbers point to two growing worries for the Biden White House, Congress, and U.S. farm and commodity groups.

First, given our coming, more-than-enough corn and soybean crops, sagging exports, and bound-to-slip prices, the Biden Administration will be under increasing pressure to come up with creative ways to boost farm program payments when farm income inevitably slides and election-year politics just as inevitably pick up steam.

Second, how much more hard evidence do farm groups and Farm Bill writers need before they acknowledge that yesterdays export-directed, revenue insurance-heavy Farm Bills need revision for U.S. farmers to compete in todays changing global markets?

And, no, Americas days as a major ag exporter arent over, but its days as the dominant player in the global corn, cotton, wheat, and rice markets likely are even as it clings to its part of the global soy market.

A forward-thinking farm bill would recognize that plain fact even if we choose not to.
gmatcracker2010 wrote:

The workers at Bell Manufacturing will shortly go on strike unless the management increases their wages. As Bells president is well aware, however, in order to increase the workers wages, Bell would have to sell off some of its subsidiaries. So, some of Bells subsidiaries will be sold.



The conclusion above is properly drawn if which one of the following is assumed?



(A) Bell Manufacturing will begin to suffer increased losses.

(B) Bells management will refuse to increase its workers wages.

(C) The workers at Bell Manufacturing will not be going on strike.

(D) Bells president has the authority to offer the workers their desired wage increase.

(E) Bells workers will not accept a package of improved benefits in place of their desired wage increase.

Workers will go on strike if management doesn't increase wages.To increase wages Bell needs to sell subsidiaries. Subsidiaries will be sold if we assume that:Management will increase wages. Then workers will not go on strike.We should find one of these assumptions in the answer choices:A. Not inferred from the passage, because Bell could sell subsidiaries and not suffer losses.B. Then Bell's subsidiaries don't need to be sold and workers will go on strike. Since the conclusion is that subsidiaries will be sold, one of the assumptions is that the management will increase wages, opposite to this option.C. If we assume that the workers will not go on strike, is because the management increased the wages, and will sell some subsidiaries. This is properly drawn with the conclusion of the argument.D. It's not relevant. He can offer, he can also sell subsidiaries. But this assumption doesn't help us here.E. If they will not accept a package, it means that the management decided not to increase the wages and decided not to sell some subsidiaries. It goes against the conclusion.According to this reasoning, C is the best option.
Email special events to news@registerbee.com. The deadline is noon Wednesday.

SUNDAY, AUG. 20

Mt. Nebo Baptist Church, 2081 Deerview Road, Gretna, will hold homecoming service at 11:30 a.m. with guest speaker Pastor Jermaine Parker. Lunch will be served following service. Pastor is Rev. Roger Williams.

Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church, 2900 Toshes Road, Chatham, will celebrate its 142nd anniversary at 2:30 p.m. with guest speaker pastor Maurice Ferrell, accompanied by Vance Street Missionary Baptist Church choir and congregation from Danville.

Silver Creek Baptist Church will be celebrating Rev. Bruce Featherston's sixth pastoral anniversary on Sunday. The Rev. John B. Doe will be preaching the 11 a.m. service. The evening service will be by the Rev. Antonel Myler and the Shockoe Baptist Church at 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be served.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 23

New Ephesus Missionary Baptist Church, 375 Ephesus Church Road in Semora, North Carolina, will observe revival Wednesday-Friday beginning at 7 p.m. with theme "Moving forward, it's time to go." The guest revivalists are Wednesday, pastor Dwight Wilkerson, of Dan River Bethel Baptist church in South Boston; Thursday, Bishop Daryl Hamlett, of Olive Grove Baptist Church in Leasburg, N.C.; and Friday, elder Clyde Winstead, of Faith Temple Holy Church in Roxboro, North Carolina.

SUNDAY, AUG. 27

New Ephesus Missionary Baptist Church, 375 Ephesus Church Road, Semora, North Carolina, will celebrate homecoming service at 11 a.m. with Bishop Gerald Franklin, pastor of New Ephesus, preaching the message of "Lunch on the Lawn" after worship service. Face masks are available. Service is available in person, using Facebook live, through conference line at 978-990-5000 with access code 197724 or if in the church parking lot on 107.3 FM.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 2

Union Hall Baptist Church Food & Clothing Ministry, 6861 Strawberry Road (across from Union Hall Baptist Church), will be open from 9 a.m. to noon with food and clothing of all types. For more information, call 434-724-4354 or 434-250-8964.

ONGOING

Shockoe Missionary Baptist Church, 857 Java Road, Java, hosts a monthly Wellness Walking Ministry from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., meeting every fourth Saturday. All ages are welcome to participate. The Health and Wellness Ministry will meet at 9 a.m. before each walking session. For information, contact Kathy B. Ramsey at 434-251-0379 or atbjrk@gmail.com.

Ascension Lutheran Church, 314 West Main St., worships Sundays at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and live on Facebook at www.facebook/ascensionlutherandanville.

Mount Vernon United Methodist Church offers in-person services at 10 a.m. each Sunday as well as online worship services every Sunday at mtvernonumc.org or www.facebook.com/MountVernonUMC.

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1172 Franklin Turnpike, will have in-house worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Free books available anytime from a Little Free Library located on a post next to the driveway.

Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 406 Gay St., has in-person services at 10 a.m. for hour of power on the first and third Sundays.

North New Hope Baptist Church, 123 Old Piney Forest Road, has resumed in church worship services at 11 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 p.m.

Mount Sinai Glorious Church of God, 716 Jefferson St., will hold services in the sanctuary with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. The service also will be streamed on Facebook.

Mount Freeman Baptist Church, 2100 Laniers Mill Road, hosts in-person service at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church will livestream worship service at 9 a.m. Sundays in English and noon in Spanish at www.facebook.com/sheartchurch.

Staunton River Baptist Church, Long Island, will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. each Sunday.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebrates Mass every weekend with a vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday in English and noon in Spanish.

Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church holds Sunday worship services each week at 11 a.m. Because of COVID-19, a face mask is required for all attendees and social distancing is mandatory.

Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 2450 Franklin Turnpike, from 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday, will hold Ladies Need Encouragement, an hour of worship and prayer. Participants are asked to bring a Bible and practice social distancing. The event is for ages 10 and up with adult supervision. For more information, call 540-907-8836.

Mount Zion Temple, now located at 503 Hughes St., presents The Word Homelitic Institute at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Transportation is provided by calling Bishop David K. Fuller at 434-429-8960.
Katie Kuper is always looking to better herself any way she can.

The 27-year-old Danville police officer had her eyes on joining the SWAT team even before she joined the department in October 2021. In July, she became the first female member of the team.

I hope that, in this position, I can be a role model to others who are looking to either be part of the police department, or maybe they want to do something like the SWAT team, Kuper said during an interview Wednesday afternoon at the Danville Police Department headquarters.

She has had nothing but support from her colleagues since.

Ive just been very overwhelmed by all the support from everybody here, Kuper said. Everybody has been very congratulatory.

She added that she is honored that the team is willing to trust her with their lives to have their backs.

The SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team is deployed at the command of the chief of police. Those officers, who are otherwise working their regular beats, must be willing to respond at a moments notice.

Since 2013, the SWAT team has been deployed 87 times. There has been no call to deploy the departments SWAT team so far in this year.

It was deployed twice in 2022, four times in 2021, once in 2020, eight times in 2019 and five times in 2018.

The chief of police deployed the SWAT team 44 times in 2017 (the year before Scott Booth became chief of police) and 16 times in 2016.

2013 and 2014 saw the team deployed three and four times, respectively. There were no figures available for 2015.

A SWAT team may be deployed to serious situations including those involving a barricaded person, for example.

Its very much at the discretion of the chief as to what situations would be most appropriately handled by the SWAT team, Kuper said.

There are 16 members on the departments SWAT team, said Matt Bell, spokesperson for the police department.

A situation must meet a high threshold before the team is deployed, Bell said.

SWAT is sort of that last resort, he said.

To qualify for the team, candidates must go through a process.

Interested officers apply to join the SWAT team, and there is physical testing, firearms proficiency testing, psychological testing and interviews of all candidates of those who qualify after that, Bell said.

During interviews, their work history, accomplishments and prior job performance are reviewed. After that, SWAT leadership and supervision then make recommendations to the chief of police.

Police Chief Scott Booth pointed to Kupers determination and enthusiasm as factors that will make her a good team member.

Shes always seemed to be a very determined officer and has done a great job for us from day one, Booth said Thursday. You have to be able to work on a team. Kate has been a good team member with her patrol shift.

Kuper has an enthusiastic and positive attitude whenever she engages with her fellow police officers and members of the community, Booth added.

She was one of the best candidates, he said. Its great were able to diversify our SWAT team.

During her training at the police academy to become a police officer, Kuper focused on her physical fitness so she could qualify for the SWAT team.

The Charlottesville-area native started thinking about pursuing a career in law enforcement when she was 14. But it was during a church youth group trip to Washington, D.C., at 15 when she knew for sure she wanted to be a police officer.

She felt drawn to the urban setting.

It was a huge culture shock for me, growing up in a rural area, Kuper said, adding that she wanted to be a part of Danville.

As a woman on the SWAT team, Kuper said people may feel more comfortable approaching and talking to her.

Its another tool we have available to use, she said, referring to her presence on the team.

She can also bring a different perspective that will be valuable, she said.

All of the ... members of the team, up until now, have been males, she said. And now to have a female, we think differently, we work differently, we communicate differently and so Im looking forward to being able to work with the team in that way.

Kuper, who holds a bachelors degree in criminal justice from Regent University, savors the challenge that comes with being a police officer.

She works the northeast quarter of Danville, which includes the Camp Grove area, Arnett Boulevard, North Main Street and Piney Forest Road.

I love that every day is different, she said. You come to work not having any idea what to expect for the day.
About 9 out of 10 students who attended summer school were promoted to the next grade level, the city school board learned Thursday evening.

Children in Danville Public Schools were required to take part in the summer session if they failed math, reading, science or social studies, Kim Agnor, director of curriculum and instruction for the school system, said.

Also, students who performed below grade levels were recommended to attend because they needed some growth, Agnor said.

Weve had an extremely busy summer, she said before diving into her presentation on the numbers.

In elementary schools, 561 students spent part of their summer in the classrooms. It was a requirement for 153.

A total of 221 attended in middle school levels and 155 went for high schools.

I appreciate the work that was done with the summer program, school board member Charles McWilliams said. Ninety percent is not bad, its really good.

Agnor said the 10% of students who were still held back despite summer classes were spread evenly among all grade levels.

The system also had what it called summer enrichment programs. The most popular one  with 100 students attending  was Camp Invention that provided hands-on STEM education for kindergarten through fifth grade.

Other programs included a Mock Trial session that outlined processes involved in the legal system for grades six through eight.

In other business, the school approved the final policy changes that were required in 2020 after a correction action plan was initiated.

The local school board had to align policies with the state school system after low test scores and accreditations. That ended up being 430 policies that month after month had to be reviewed and changed.

Only two schools  Forest Hills Elementary and Galileo Magnet High School  received full accreditation in a reports released in September 2022.

Annual accreditation status updates traditionally come about a month after Standards of Learning scores are made public. Last year, that happened in mid-August.

The Virginia Department of Education is currently analyzing the results from the 2022-2023 academic year, officials wrote in an unsigned response to a inquiry from the Register & Bee this week. The department said it had not established when the data release will come.

Three years later, tonight with that vote, we are concluding that process, Danville Public Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston said Thursday.

The corrective action plan was in place before Hairston began her tenure with the system.

We can check that one off, she said.

Of course, this doesnt mean there wont be more adaptations to the policy, but the massive alignment undertaking is complete.

Well done on the policy update, Danville School Board Chair TyQuan Graves said. I dont think people understand how big of a job it is.

The board also approved a resolution proclaiming September as Attendance Awareness Month.

Absenteeism is a nationwide crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, according to the resolution.

Chronic absences are defined as missing 10% or more of school for any reason.

Although no direct figures concerning absenteeism were presented Thursday night, the vice chair of the school board highlighted it in his end-of-meeting remarks.

In fact, he repeated what he said twice for emphasis.

Kids need to come to school, Tyrell Payne said. You cant learn at home.

Board members also highlighted the smooth start to the school year and especially praised the cleanliness of the schools.

Everybody is doing it for the kids, Graves said of keeping the facilities looking top-notch.

Board member Philip Campbell sparked chuckles from education employees in the audience when he mentioned he went around to schools on the first day and even tried some meals.

Its healthy, he said, with an expression that seemed to say it all when it came to how it tasted.
RALEIGH  If the federal government had to operate under the same fiscal rule North Carolina has to follow  and it should  then its operating revenues would have to equal its operating expenses.

Notice that I didnt say Washington couldnt issue any debt under this scenario. Balanced-budget requirements dont work that way. State and local governments routinely borrow money. Unlike their federal counterparts, however, states and localities cant generally run deficits in their operating budgets. Theyre only allowed to borrow money to finance capital investment.

Heres a simple way to illustrate the distinction. North Carolina governments can and do borrow money to build schools, roads and water systems. But they cant use debt to pay schoolteachers, state troopers, or maintenance technicians. The latter expenses show up in the operating budget, appropriately paid for with taxes and other operating revenues.

Because I write often about the fiscal recklessness of Washington politicians and the need for a balanced-budget amendment to the federal constitution, I get lots of complaints from readers who say its impractical to eliminate federal debt instruments entirely  and foolish even to try. I agree! Thats not what a reasonable balanced-budget amendment would do.

If federal budgeting worked like state budgeting, Congress could in fact authorize debt-funded expenditures on federal office buildings and military bases, infrastructure and capital improvements on federal lands, and the purchase of durable federal assets such as aircraft carriers.

It would wise to do so, at least some of the time. Everything else being equal, interest costs make borrowing more expensive than paying cash. But everything else isnt always equal! If construction costs are increasing rapidly, for example, it can make sense to borrow and purchase needed assets immediately rather than waiting to save up enough money. More importantly, because the benefits of long-lasting assets accrue to future as well as current taxpayers, it can make sense to require those future taxpayers to help shoulder the cost through the use of long-term debt.

What might such a fiscal strategy look like in practice? We have no need to guess. In its latest budget plan, the Biden administration devoted an entire section to federal investment. Its proposed 2023-24 budget contained $436 billion in expenditures on physical capital, including both direct federal spending as well as grants to states and localities for roads and other infrastructure.

In the same budget, the Biden administration proposed $6.88 trillion in outlays and $5.04 trillion in receipts. That deficit of $1.84 trillion represents roughly 27% of total expenditures, or nearly 7% of the nations gross domestic product.

Now, imagine the federal government were run like North Carolina. If it maximized its debt capacity and borrowed $436 billion  because it could only use debt to finance public assets  the deficit would represent about 6% of the budget and less than 2% of GDP. Big difference!

A fiscally responsible Congress and White House wouldnt max out its debt capacity, though, just as North Carolina uses a mixture of bonds and cash to fund annual investment rather than relying on debt alone. And given the hole politicians of both parties have dug for us, they really ought to run some surpluses to help repair Washingtons balance sheet. Still, if deficits stayed below 2% of GDP and the economy kept growing, that would help immensely.

Yes, I know this isnt the whole story. To bring borrowing down below 2% of GDP would require real budget savings  eliminating some programs and means-testing others.

Also, some might argue that federal expenditures for such purposes as education and training are themselves a form of capital investment. True, but theres a crucial difference. Government roads, buildings, and other infrastructure are public assets. Human capital  the knowledge, skills, and relationships that education helps to cultivate  isnt a public asset. Its private. The government doesnt own us. We own ourselves.

Making the federal budget more like a state budget is no panacea. But it makes perfect sense. Does that make it politically unthinkable?
REIDSVILLE  Local police are searching for a Danville man who on Friday allegedly robbed Carter Bank and Trust on Main Street at around 4:50 p.m. Just three days before in Danville, another Danville man allegedly robbed a bank, then fled to Reidsville where he was arrested by a Rockingham County Sheriffs deputy.

Authorities have not said whether the two incidents are related.

During the Friday robbery, witnesses said the white male, wearing a gray shirt, jean shorts and a cowboy hat, demanded money from the bank branch located at 305 S. Main Street downtown. Authorities did not say whether Allmond was brandishing a weapon or how much money he took.

Police, in short order, identified Cary Allmond, 50, as the alleged offender and learned that he had fled the area in a white 2016 Ford Fusion sedan.

The vehicles Virginia registration is UKN-2674, according to a release from the Reidsville Police Department.

Investigators have obtained warrants and are trying to locate and charge Allmond for the robbery, the release said.

They ask that anyone who knows his whereabouts call the RPDs Investigator Collins at 336-347-2343 or leave an anonymous tip with Rockingham County Crime Stoppers at 336-349-9683. Any tips leading to the identification or arrest of the suspects, maybe eligible for cash reward through Crime Stoppers.
Davis joins A&E Design

Leah Davis has joined A&E Design as a construction project coordinator and its first Helena-based employee.

Davis developed a love for construction and architecture from an early age, inspired by her involvement in the construction of her family home.

She holds a bachelor of environmental design degree from Montana State University and is earning a masters of legal studies in contract management and business compliance.

Her understanding of the build process, combined with diverse internship experiences and educational accomplishments, make her an asset in navigating the nuances of A&E Designs complex, innovative projects and creating successful solutions for clients across the region.

Peccia makes exclusive list

For the ninth time, PSMJ Resources Inc., the premier management consulting firm for the architecture and engineering industry, has announced that Robert Peccia & Associates made the 2023 Circle of Excellence exclusive list.

There were 68 architecture and engineering firms nationwide that made the exclusive list this year. PSMJs exclusive Circle of Excellence highlights firms that demonstrate outstanding business achievement in the architecture and engineering industry.

The A/E/C Circle of Excellence award-winning firms represent the best of the best in terms of financial management. These organizations apply the best business practices to every phase of their operations, says Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, Founder and CEO of PSMJ Resources.

PSMJ designed the Circle of Excellence to highlight successfully managed firms that demonstrate outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead management, cash flow, productivity, business development, staff growth, and turnover. The Circle of Excellence represents the top 20% of participants in PSMJs annual A/E Financial Performance Benchmark Survey, based on 13 key performance metrics.

Peccia is a 100% employee-owned civil engineering, transportation, planning and land surveying firm. With over 70 employees, RPA is headquartered in Helena with offices in Bozeman and Kalispell.

MSU business school earns accreditation

Montana State Universitys Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship has earned another five years of accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the worlds oldest and most renowned business school accreditation organization.

I am thrilled with our continued accreditation outcome, said Dan Miller, dean of the MSU business college. It is a testament to the dedication of Jabs faculty and staff delivering world-class education leading to student opportunities.

The business college first earned AACSB accreditation in 1981 and has maintained its status ever since. During the last academic year, a peer review team visited the Jabs College, analyzed a report produced by business school administrators and met with faculty, staff, students and community members before recommending another five years of accreditation, which was announced this summer.

Jabs is one of nearly 1,000 AACSB accredited colleges worldwide.

The MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers four undergraduate options of study  accounting, finance, management and marketing  as well as five minors  accounting, business administration, finance, international business and entrepreneurship and small business management. It also offers a master of professional accountancy degree, a master of science in innovation and management, a business certificate and an entrepreneurship certificate. More information is available at montana.edu/business.
If you were asked, could you explain to someone what the gospel is? Do you have an explanation for, or a definition of what the gospel actually consists of?

This is kind of important because in 1st Peter 3:15, Christians are told to: Always be ready give an explanation to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that lies within you and to be able to do it gently and reverently.

Back in the middle of the previous century when I was growing up in the church, the thinking was that it would be a good idea for every individual member of the church to be equipped to share the gospel. And the verse church leaders quoted to prove that it was everyones responsibility to present the gospel was, you guessed it, 1st Peter 3:15.

But back to the primary question. What does the gospel actually consist of and how can we remember what it is so that we can provide a good answer for the hope that lies within us?

When asked, most Christians across all denominations attempt to describe the gospel as some version of Jesus died on the cross so now my sins can be forgiven.

This is pretty close to the message I heard over and over as a kid in church and that countless Christians still hear each Sunday morning. The Apostle Paul clearly notes that Jesus death on the cross and his resurrection are important gospel considerations, 1st Corinthians 14:1-4. But the early gospel message Jesus preached was different from that. The full gospel does involve forgiveness. But the essence of the gospel is not based in crucifixion or resurrection.

The gospel that folks in the first century most likely heard from Jesus and the apostles is similar to a saying we have in this country There is a new sheriff in town! It means that because a new ruler has been appointed, things are going to be different from now on. Gods establishment of a new kingdom that is breaking into world is the early, basic gospel message. Jesus began preaching that message from day one of his ministry. Here is an example from the earliest gospel writing (Mark):  Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news (gospel) of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news (gospel), Mark 1:14-15.

You can even shorten that message to Jesus is the Christ (or Messiah). This aspect of the gospel that usually gets missed today. Scripture most frequently summarizes the significance of Jesus by simply identifying him as the Christ. For example, Acts 5:42, And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah (or Christ).

According to scripture, Jesus died for my sins is not the basic gospel message that early members of the church were hearing. Jesus is the Christ is the essential message that ancient Christians heard. Here are five more passages from the Book of Acts showing that Jesus is the Christ is the basic message early Christians were taught: Acts, 8:4-5; 9:22; 17:2-3; 18:5 and 18:5.

So, what does it mean to say, Jesus is the Christ? The words Messiah (from Hebrew) and Christ (from Greek) mean an anointed ruler. Prophets, priests and kings in ancient biblical times were anointed with holy fluid  usually olive oil laced with spices  in order to become ordained for special purposes. At his baptism, Jesus was specially anointed by the holy spirit rather than with oil.

The gospel Jesus was preaching long before his crucifixion and resurrection was that an era dominated by Gods explicit reign was emerging. He didnt ask people to put their hand on the radio or TV and say the sinners prayer, or to make some merely private decisions concerning religious preferences or practices. Jesus was saying you need to begin changing your political allegiance!

Very soon, Caesar Augustus will no longer your Emperor. Herod will no longer your king. Christ Jesus, the very son of God will soon be replacing those regimes and will become the King over all Kings! THATS THE BASIS OF THE GOSPEL! Jesus preaching requires political responses  with social implications  to the public announcement of a new king. God is putting things to rights and there is a new sheriff in Israel now  and soon that will be the case for the entire world.

This good news that Jesus proclaimed was that he was becoming the king of a new kingdom breaking into the world.

His spirit-anointing as king had set in motion a process that would culminate in his complete, liberating and cross-and-resurrection-shaped reign. The churchs main purpose today is to further this announcement by declaring its fulfillment: Jesus is the Christ.

Jesus has now been installed at Gods right hand where he rules as the eternal King of all Kings.
Kalley May set out to enhance Mihelish Softball Fields appearance as a way of giving back to the community that shaped her since third grade.

This field has become a part of me, and my softball journey made me the person I am today, the 18-year-old May said. When people heard about my Gold Award project, they were eager to support my idea.

The Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming said earlier this month it is proud to recognize May for earning her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement a Girl Scout can earn.

May said Marks Lumber donated wood for the varsity field backstops, while Home Depot donated some wood for the JV field and discounted the rest of the materials. Helena Sand and Gravel donated gravel for the improved walkway around the dugout and bleachers.

The project improved the durability of the field fixtures, reduced maintenance and enhanced their appearance. Upgrades included replacing wooden backstops with weatherproofed boards, creating a border around the bleachers to minimize maintenance costs, and repairing batting cage nets by mending many holes.

It was an honor to be able to give back to the Bengal community and softball program, May said. The goal of this project was sustainability and promote longevity.

The improvements will extend fixtures usability and durability, reduce groundskeeping costs, and sustain the softball fields cleaner and more attractive appearance.

Ive always loved community service and giving back to others, May said.

In middle school, May earned the silver and bronze awards by creating a community library in front of the Frozen Moose. She wanted others to be able to take or leave a book for others to enjoy. In addition, May painted all the bathroom stalls at Rossiter Elementary School with princess crowns and astronaut helmets.

The Gold Award program for high school girls encourages them to develop and implement innovative solutions to issues in their communities and beyond.

May has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, and by achieving her Gold Award, she is now a lifetime member. The Girl Scout Gold Award is a Girl Scouts highest achievement.

Gold Award Girl Scouts, like Kalley, are changing the world today  their ingenuity enables them to meaningfully address some of the most pressing issues facing their communities and the world, said Briana Rickman, director of fund development for Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming.

Rickman said Gold Award Girl Scouts become world-changers, role models and real-life heroes by addressing the root cause of problems and leading a team to success. Theyre also strong candidates for college, scholarships, competitive internships and exciting careers.

May is attending Montana State University this fall to study architecture and interior design. She plans to continue in Girl Scouts by attending national gatherings and one day have her own troop. Her parents are Christopher and Kayme May and she has a sister, Morgan, 14.
Its been more than 50 years since Montanans voted to ratify the 1972 Constitution which has drawn worldwide praise for its clarity and protections for a broad spectrum of citizens rights  including our Inalienable right to a clean and healthful environment. Yet only now, half a century later, has that right finally been fully recognized in an order issued in Helena by the Honorable Kathy Seeleys district court.

All Montanans owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the 16 young people who had the courage to bring the Held v. State lawsuit and prove that Gov. Gianforte, Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Republican legislative supermajority went too far in their foolish climate-change denial by making it illegal for state agencies to consider climate change pollutants in the states permitting processes.

Thanks to a tremendous job by the phalanx of highly skilled attorneys representing the next generation, the reality of Montanas significant contributions to global climate change was simply undeniable. When all the carbon output from Montanas mining, transporting and burning fossil fuels was added up, it surpassed the total carbon footprint of entire nations, including Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Presenting 168 exhibits and an array of expert witnesses for the plaintiffs laid the rock-solid basis for the court victory. By comparison, the states attorneys submitted only four exhibits, and provided exactly zero compelling state interest that would override the damage being done to the climate, the state itself, and particularly to young people and children, who are far more susceptible to pollution.

When you consider Montanas fossil fuel emissions were conservatively estimated at 166 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, it seems unbelievable that the governor, attorney general or Legislature could even begin to insist Montana had no impact on global climate.

Of course those of us who live here know our climate is changing because the evidence is all around us. Disappearing glaciers; longer, hotter summers with more temperature extremes; and shorter, warmer winters with less snowpack resulting in less runoff. Every major river in the state was shown to be impacted, with the blatant evidence of distressed, diseased and dying cold-water trout for which Montana is world famous. And due to ever-warmer inflows, surface water temperatures in Flathead Lake are now too warm to sustain its native cutthroat or bull trout.

Despite the baloney peddled by the Forest Service and timber industry that our forests are burning because they are overgrown, the reality is they are drying earlier from less snow, earlier runoff and summer temperatures so high, live trees have less moisture than completely cured lumber.

The fact is, our forests are burning because climate change causes disproportionately higher temperatures in northern climes. Given that wildfire smoke injures children most of all, its no wonder these brave young people stood up to challenge the states fossil fuel policies in court  and won a victory thats reverberating around the globe!

The courts ruling makes it embarrassingly apparent that although Gov. Gianforte, Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Republican legislators swore an oath to uphold Montanas Constitution, they appear to have never read it. You really cant misinterpret: The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.

For 50 long years through both Democrat and Republican administrations, however, that mandate has been ignored. Maintain and improve does not mean degrade and destroy. But thanks to courageous young Montanans, their outstanding legal counsel and an incredible 103-page order from Judge Seeley, Montanas constitutional mandates must finally be honored.
BRISTOL, Va.  Attorneys for Bristol Virginia and Tennessee are jointly asking a federal judge to approve a proposed permanent final order for a permanent injunction.

On Friday the cities filed a joint notice with the U.S. District Court in Abingdon, asking for the matter to be finalized. Bristol Tennessee sued its Virginia counterpart last May over widespread environmental concerns over Bristol Virginias quarry landfill.

The two sides reached a proposed settlement this spring and filed it with the court April 24.

[Notice] has been given to the United States Department of Justice and United States Environmental Protection Agency (DOJ and EPA, respectively) and that neither entity has chosen to intervene. As such, the joint motion taken under advisement by the court on June 13, 2023 is now ripe for disposition, according to the joint notice.

The court decreed in June it would give each agency 45 days to respond or intervene, since each had authority under Bristol Tennessees claims that Bristol Virginia violated the federal Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Both cities are anxious to see the settlement finalized and for the remediation actions to be fully implemented, according to a statement released Friday.

The injunction requires Bristol Virginia to follow the recommendations and complete a list of projects developed by landfill experts empaneled by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to resolve all environmental concerns and emission issues with the landfill.

Bristol Virginia is currently in the midst of that work, having completed most of the items on the list with two major projects remaining, city officials recently said.
Amazon will impose new fees on third-party sellers who ship their products to customers instead of using the companys fulfillment service.

Effective Oct. 1, the company will get a 2% cut of every product sold by merchants that are members of Amazons Seller Fulfilled Prime Program, or a minimum of $0.25 per item, according to a notice sent by the company.

Launched in 2015, the Sellers Fulfilled Prime program allows merchants to display a Prime badge on their listings without using Amazons fulfillment service, Fulfillment by Amazon. In return, sellers have to fulfill orders with one-day and two-day delivery at no additional charge for Prime customers, who pay a monthly fee for faster shipping and other perks.

Amazon suspended enrollment in the program a few years ago, saying it wasnt delivering the same high-quality experience customers expect from Prime. Two months ago, the e-commerce company said it would reopen enrollment.

The news comes as Amazon faces mounting scrutiny by regulators of its market power and treatment of sellers.

In the notice, the company also said it would impose new requirements for things like on-time delivery.

How inflation has impacted your Amazon cart How inflation has impacted your Amazon cart Pets Toiletries Household cleaning Home essentials Health
HICKORY  The Catawba Valley Interfaith Council invites the public to an insightful evening featuring Lee Shackleford on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom in Hickory to hear the unforgettable story of A Train Near Magdeburg, a documentary miniseries set to be released next year.

In April 1945, the U.S. Army forces in Germany stumbled upon a sight that would test the limits of humanity and compassion. Amongst the ravages of war, they discovered a stalled railroad train containing 2,500 human beings  many of them sick, and all of them on the brink of starvation.

Faced with an unprecedented situation and with no formal training to deal with such horrors, the American soldiers made a decision that would forever be etched in history. They chose to embark on an extraordinary mission to protect and care for hundreds of dying human beings. In the midst of darkness, they brought a glimmer of hope and showed incredible resilience, demonstrating the best of humanity in the worst of circumstances.

Lee Shackleford, the screenwriter for the upcoming film A Train Near Magdeburg, relates the true story the documentary miniseries will explore, and tells the story of how this almost-forgotten historical event came to light  and the extraordinary journey that has led to the production of this film.

Shackleford is an award-winning script writer who lives in Hickory. His involvement in the research for this documentary miniseries has taken him many places, mostly recently to Israel.

All are welcome to attend, and admission is free.

Catawba Valley Interfaith Council is a local not-for-profit organization of faith-based and secular communities in the Catawba Valley serving as a catalyst for hope and cooperating for the purpose of dialogue, information sharing, and celebration. Its purpose is to create a more compassionate community and honor the rich diversity of religious, spiritual, and secular traditions in the community.

More information about the project: https://magdeburgtrain.com/.

More information about screenwriter Lee Shackleford: http://www.shacklefordfreelance.com/.
GUEST OPINION: Information is undoubtedly one of the most important resources a business can have. As such, business data protection should always be a priority  since there are plenty of different ways for sensitive data to be either damaged or compromised.

Now that we know data must be protected  the next question is, How?. Luckily, there are plenty of different methods and approaches to data security, each with its own list of benefits, shortcomings, and unique factors in place. Implementing some sort of data security system with complex rules in place may be quite difficult for less knowledgeable people. Creating a copy of the systems data (backup) is not  and it is often considered one of the easiest data protection measures.

Of course, a backup operation in its basic form would only be suitable in simple situations  to safeguard personal data or the data of a small business. Medium-sized companies and large enterprises would need more complex and feature-rich solutions  which are often referred to as enterprise backup solutions.

Enterprise-level backup solutions are usually packed with all kinds of features and can support a plethora of different target storage types  disks, tapes, cloud storage, virtual machines, databases, containers, and even SaaS application data.

Most enterprise-level backup solutions have two large goals they strive to work towards  offering a variety of integrations with different platforms and storage types, as well as streamlining and/or simplifying the process of performing backup/restore tasks. Of course, both of these goals (as well as the overarching goal of protecting the clients information) are rather vague and not particularly descriptive.

As such, here are several different characteristics that a good large-scale backup solution should have when working with large enterprises:

Being able to scale the backup/data protection solution both ways  scalability itself is not that unusual, but there are plenty of cases when an enterprise backup solution becomes exponentially expensive the more it works with large data volumes

Supporting integrations with other enterprise-grade systems, and not just different data storage types  a competent backup solution should be able to interact with other IT systems that are already in place

Being able to offer bare metal recovery for workstations on Windows and/or Linux operating systems  such measures are necessary for proper disaster recovery strategies and not all of the existing solutions can perform bare metal recovery in the first place

Having centralized data management capabilities  with the option to oversee different backup and recovery operations in one place, greatly improving the convenience of performing backup and recovery tasks

This list of features is far from conclusive, there are dozens of other features and functions that may be necessary for a specific company in a specific situation  and there is no backup solution that can perform literally every single task possible in this industry. The potential feature range also makes it rather difficult to research this particular topic, even for people that are knowledgeable in this particular area.

However, there is a solution to this particular problem  Requests for Proposal (RFP). RFPs are rarely used outside of some of the biggest enterprise companies on the market, since it is quite far away from the traditional backup solution research method. The biggest difference here is the fact that RFPs represent a feature set that the company wants to have in a backup and recovery solution  and the company in question is the one presenting its features to the customer (not the other way around).

Of course, RFP as a process is much more complex than that, and there are plenty of industry-specific features that are discussed before the final choice is made in regard to a backup solution. For example, the MySQL automatic backup as a feature may be relatively common for enterprise backup solutions  but most of these solutions can only offer the basic MySQL integration with the bare minimum of features to work with  treating a snapshot of MySQL database as a regular physical backup with no discernable features to work with.

In these kinds of scenarios, everything comes down to a choice between accepting the solutions basic capabilities in a specific area, looking for a solution that is more versatile and feature-rich in that same area, or choosing a dedicated small-scale backup solution that only works with a specific storage type (such as MySQL) but can deliver far more features than most of its enterprise-level counterparts.
The au Domain Administration, the organisation that administers the Australian domain namespace, says it has found no evidence of a breach that was notified to it on Friday afternoon.

"auDA was alerted to an alleged data breach this afternoon," the organisation said in a statement.

"We are investigating the allegation. We have so far found no evidence of such a breach. We will provide an update as soon as we have more information."

A Windows ransomware group going by the name NoEscape claimed on 11 August to have breached auDA's site.

In a notice posted on its site on the dark web, the group claimed to have stolen more than 15 GB of data during the alleged intrusion.

These were claimed to include "powers of attorney and legal documents with seals, passports, personal data, medical reports, loan repayment, dismissal documents, declarations, death certificates, access to customer bank accounts (name pw bsb acc nmbr...), taxes, projects, and much more confidential information".

None of this data has been posted on the site. The group has asked auDA to make contact and negotiate what is presumably a ransom.

NoEscape is a fairly recent arrival on the Windows ransomware scene, according to the security firm SentinelOne, which said it had been first noticed in May 2023.

The company said it operated on a ransomware-as-a-service model. "The developers of NoEscape claim to have built the malware and its supporting infrastructure from scratch; notably opting not to incorporate source code or leaks from other known ransomware families," SentinelOne said.

"Currently, NoEscape RaaS operators provide affiliates with a platform to build and manage payloads for both Windows and Linux."

NoEscape appears to have originated in one of the countries belonging to the former Soviet Union, given that operators appear to avoid targeting entities in the Commonwealth of Independent States, a "free association of sovereign states that was formed in 1991 by Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union", according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
Clint Walker Community Content Coordinator Follow Clint Walker Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

For the longest time Ive wanted to pen a sequel to the column where I hit the road to explore some of Mattoons more far-flung gas stations. But unfortunately, most of Charlestons gas stations are well within city limits. What fun is that?

Turns out there actually is something outside of Charleston thats worth driving to for an on-the-ground report: White Castle, only an hour away, in beautiful Terre Haute, Indiana.

The legend of White Castle is often passed from father to son, usually while on road trips; tales of a place where they didnt just serve burgers, but mini-burgers  that you ate a lot of. But such tales always ended on the same sad note: Unfortunately, son, theres no White Castles around here, though.

And when you would ask, Do you think well ever find a White Castle the next time we take a trip somewhere? with the same big-eyed sadness of Lucy asking her uncle if shell ever get to return to Narnia again, the answer was always, Maybe someday, son. Well, that someday is today. Except in my case, its the first time.

Just because we dont have a White Castle in Coles County, dont think they werent ever mentioned in the Journal Gazette. I found two articles, one from 1982 and one from 1985, that both mentioned how Fountain Hills, Arizona, would place massive orders for sliders to be shipped to them every year as part of their annual White Castle Day, which seems odd given that the chain appears to have no connection to the Southwest at all. Its a tradition it seems theyve let lapse, probably because a White Castle actually opened there in 2019.

You know who in Mattoon had a White Castle Day? Craig Sanders, who described in his Oct. 12, 1982, opinion page article how he upset his dear grandmother in St. Louis by sneaking out to grab a quick sack of sliders instead of enjoying her home cooking. And if youre wondering just how many burgers he could eat in one sitting, something all White Castle cool kids pride themselves on, the answer is 12, a total only beaten by JG reporter Robert Flider, who claimed he once put down 24.

When I told a friend I was planning to drive to my very first White Castle, I was met with a disgusted ugh and a comment that it was wet food, a reference to what Sanders also explained, and that I confirmed with my own eyes once I finally stood there at the counter, that White Castle burgers are steamed, bun and all, atop a giant bed of onions, with no flipping. Yeah, they just sit there. Which results in a slight, but still somewhat perceptible feeling that your entire burger, including the bun, is a bit more, lets just say, watery than it should be.

Both Sanders and Fliders personal slider records are safe, because although I skipped lunch for this, I felt like ordering eight was a safe bet; four originals and four with cheese, despite that gnawing voice in my head that a real slider doesnt have cheese.

What did I think? Well, you'd better like onions, because theyre everywhere on these things. Thankfully, as a guy who recently horrified someone by admitting my preferred pizza toppings are just cheese and onions, I didnt mind. Nor did I find the humidity level of the buns much of a problem either.

What I will admit having a hard time adjusting to was the somewhat gray pallor of the White Castle patty. Maybe its just something human eyes arent meant to examine that closely, but its a shade that gives the meat a compressed pet food texture that can be a little  off-putting once you get past the Im so hungry I dont care what this looks like phase. Which I did, around the time I attempted to eat No. 6.

But I powered through, trying them plain to start, as nature intended, and then tried tarting them up a bit, with ketchup at first and then with something they call horseradish mustard, which is something nature never intended.

I groggily shoved that last slider down my face, around 30 minutes after I took that first bite, and took a second to examine the stack of stained cardboard sleeves and reflect on what I just did to those burgers, and to myself, before tabling any stupid notion to buy a case to take home in a cooler I keep in the Throwback-Mobile for food transport. Not to sound like a lightweight, but the idea of ever eating White Castle again was about to make me gag so hard Id see stars.

I discovered the answer for what I had done to my body at what used to be known as the Honey Creek Mall. Thats where I decided to take a sentimental lap, since its where I purchased my 99th favorite albums of all time from the Camelot Music store in 1995. Yes, thats albums plural, because theyre tied for that spot. Im saving the full story for a book Im writing. Youll buy it, right?

And as gates started to come down and a girl with curly hair sadly zipped up the Sunglasses Hut kiosk, my eyes turned skyward, desperately looking for any signage pointing me to the mall restrooms, confirming a post-White Castle-binge phenomenon that I was warned about, and stupidly brushed off as a joke.

Around midnight, safely back at Castle Clint, while watching a Joe Bob Briggs-hosted presentation of the Tawny Kitaen classic Witchboard, I found myself struck with a thought more terrifying than realizing that the restrooms were on the opposite side of mall  that if someone put another slider in front of me, Id eat it. Even without the cheese. Maybe someday.
CHARLESTON  For those looking to earn extra money and serve their community as substitute teachers, there is no shortage of opportunities available.

"Every school district is desperate for substitutes," said Braddi Browning, licensure officer and testing administrator for Regional Office of Education 11. This office serves districts in Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie and Shelby counties.

As part of a recruitment initiative, the ROE held its first "Subs for Subs" event on Friday. Attendees received on-site help for substitute licensure, complimentary fingerprinting, short-term substitute training, and Subway sandwiches provided by Grand Canyon University.

Browning said she was pleased to see approximately 45 prospective substitutes attend this event at the ROE building, 730 Seventh St., Charleston.

"We filled up surprisingly quickly and had a lot of calls expressing interest," Browning said. She added that the ROE will likely offer another "Subs for Subs" event next year and continue holding its regular substitute training sessions throughout this year, starting Sept. 8.

Browning said substitutes who sign up with multiple districts and are open to taking many assignments can have a nearly full-time schedule each week if they wish. She said they are also free to say "no" if they have other time commitments when they are contacted by schools.

"That is a good thing about it. You can substitute on your own schedule," Browning said.

"Subs for Subs" attendees Denise Craddock and Hanna Foreman, both of Tuscola, each said they like the idea of being able to work for part of the day as substitute teachers while their children are in school.

Foreman, who is interested in subbing at the elementary level, said she appreciated the convenience of the ROE providing training and licensing services in one place on Friday.

Attendee Lindsey Headrick of Arcola said the shortage of substitute teachers is a "big thing," so she wants to do her part to help. She said subbing will also provide potential professional development opportunities for her.

"I am just wanting to get out there and try something else and see if I want to further my education," said Headrick, who works as an occupational therapy assistant.

Prospective substitute teacher Jackee Edwards of Sullivan said she is working as an education paraprofessional and is completing her studies to become a classroom teacher. She said subbing will help introduce her to various schools in the area.

"I feel like this will give me a really good grasp of what schools I want to go to," Edwards said of her career goals.

More information about becoming licensed as a substitute teacher, including undergoing a criminal background check, is available by calling the ROE at 217-348-0151 or visiting roe11.org.

Close Director Juliane Sharp watches the Maximum Forte choral group rehearse at Charleston High School on March 10. The group will compete Saturday in the ICHSA Midwest Semifinal. Exchange students Ayazhan Kaliyeva of Kazakhstan and senior Tunchanok Sonthisawat of Thailand stand Thursday afternoon in Charleston High School's newly renovated Swickard Auditorium, where they will perform in the annual International Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. Charleston High School senior Jeremiah Hayes works on a wall for a storage shed Thursday morning in the newly renovated Trojan Agriculture & Manufacturing Center as part of a career and technical program internship through the school. Charleston High School students Marcellx Boling, Ben Coffey and Avery Beals tend to plants Thursday morning in the new greenhouse addition at the Trojan Agriculture & Manufacturing Center. Distress Bandanna CEO John Anderson demonstrates how to use one of these emergency flags as a tourniquet with the help of driver's education student Addison Daugherty on Friday at Charleston High School. Charleston High School students Ciarra Swearingen, Sophia Smith and Ila Richter work on a lab project Friday morning as part of an AP biology class led by teacher Chelsie Doughty. Charleston High School senior Landon Ames, left, and freshmen Brock Johnson and Preston Pollard grill hamburgers on Thursday during the FFA chapter's drive-thru for farmers at the Total Grain Marketing elevator in Ashmore. Lead snare drummer Jacob Reeley, at center in the foreground, performs with the Charleston High School Marching Trojans band Saturday morning on the courthouse square during Eastern Illinois University's annual homecoming parade. The Charleston High School boys and girls cross country teams take part in the 2022 Run for the Fallen on Saturday at the school's Trojan Hill football and track complex. Charleston high School, 2022-2023 This collection of photos shows highlights from coverage of the 2022-23 academic year at Charleston High School Director Juliane Sharp watches the Maximum Forte choral group rehearse at Charleston High School on March 10. The group will compete Saturday in the ICHSA Midwest Semifinal. Exchange students Ayazhan Kaliyeva of Kazakhstan and senior Tunchanok Sonthisawat of Thailand stand Thursday afternoon in Charleston High School's newly renovated Swickard Auditorium, where they will perform in the annual International Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. Charleston High School senior Jeremiah Hayes works on a wall for a storage shed Thursday morning in the newly renovated Trojan Agriculture & Manufacturing Center as part of a career and technical program internship through the school. Charleston High School students Marcellx Boling, Ben Coffey and Avery Beals tend to plants Thursday morning in the new greenhouse addition at the Trojan Agriculture & Manufacturing Center. Distress Bandanna CEO John Anderson demonstrates how to use one of these emergency flags as a tourniquet with the help of driver's education student Addison Daugherty on Friday at Charleston High School. Charleston High School students Ciarra Swearingen, Sophia Smith and Ila Richter work on a lab project Friday morning as part of an AP biology class led by teacher Chelsie Doughty. Charleston High School senior Landon Ames, left, and freshmen Brock Johnson and Preston Pollard grill hamburgers on Thursday during the FFA chapter's drive-thru for farmers at the Total Grain Marketing elevator in Ashmore. Lead snare drummer Jacob Reeley, at center in the foreground, performs with the Charleston High School Marching Trojans band Saturday morning on the courthouse square during Eastern Illinois University's annual homecoming parade. The Charleston High School boys and girls cross country teams take part in the 2022 Run for the Fallen on Saturday at the school's Trojan Hill football and track complex.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has taken some heat for vetoing legislation to eliminate the states decades-old moratorium on constructing new nuclear power reactors.

Pritzker was asked about the topic again last week and he said he would sign a version of the bill if it limited new construction to only what are called small modular reactors (SMRs).

Small modular reactors are very beneficial, Pritzker told reporters, noting that the technology wasnt yet ready to deploy. They do seem to work very well, and they do seem to be safe, but theyre going to be several years of testing yet ahead.

Asked how he could be confident of stopping a veto override, he said many legislators didnt know that the bill had been changed. In the last week, things go very quickly, Gov. Pritzker said about the end of spring legislative sessions. It isnt known to every legislator that an amendment actually made a major change, not just a minor change.

But legislators who shepherded the bill through the General Assembly have taken umbrage with the governors claim, noting that nine days passed between the final amendments introduction and the Houses floor vote. They also claimed they worked the final bill hard, and members were fully aware of what was going on.

Senate Bill 76 as originally introduced by Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) wouldve opened the door specifically to SMRs. Pritzker indicated last week he wouldve signed something similar to that bill into law had it not been so significantly changed. I believe strongly that we should bring small modular reactors to Illinois, he claimed.

But Sen. Rezin then amended her bill to delete her previous SMR regulatory language and limited it to merely deleting the states longstanding nuclear moratorium language. Rezins bill was further amended in the House by Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa) to add in language requiring that all new nuke plants be an advanced nuclear reactor as defined in federal law. The governor claims drafting it that way would open the door to large-scale nuclear power plants, which he opposes. Others hotly dispute this notion, including Sen. Rezin.

The problem for Pritzker is that the bill passed the House with a strong, bipartisan majority of 84 votes, which is far more than the 71 needed to override his veto. The Senate, on the other hand, voted 36-14 to concur on Yednocks amendment, the bare minimum needed for an override.

Sen. Rezin told a local radio station last week that House Speaker Chris Welch, has indicated he will not be calling the bill. Pritzkers veto message declared he vetoed the bill, at the request of the leadership team of the Speaker of the House and advocates.

But the House Speaker himself has made no such public comments on the legislation, and a Welch spokesperson told me, Were going to put this to the caucus before any decision is made for an override.

The amendment in the House was in direct response to concerns expressed by the governor, so this really came out of left field for everyone, Senate Republican Leader John Curran told a reporter last week. Others have claimed the same thing.

But a review of email messages between the bills sponsors and others show only one from the governors office, and that email was a simple thanks for giving the office a heads up about Rep. Yednocks House amendment.

Senator Rezin and I spoke with the governor in the spring, said Rep. Yednock. He said he was supportive of nuclear. I cant say there was more than that. Sen. Rezin (R-Morris) said she and Yednock met with the governor for half an hour in the spring and the governor said he agreed with the concept of lifting the moratorium to make way for Small Modular Reactors.

Some of the nuclear energy proponents Ive spoken with do seem to realize that if the governor successfully stops a veto override, their issue may stall out and even disappear.

The governor does appear to be playing both sides on this topic. The House Speakers staff, after all, was involved with the amendments drafting, so proponents believe the governor was looped in all along. Some environmentalists dont want anything to do with any nuclear restart, small or large. So, the governor can appease them with the veto, but still publicly claim to be on the side of a zero carbon energy source.

If he is bluffing, nuke proponents should call it, run a new bill that makes their intentions clear and put it on his desk.
THUMBS UP! For the settlement in a debate that was affecting public safety. The Shelbyville City Council has agreed to move forward with a resolution allowing for a dive team to serve the city. The reversal ends almost a month of the Shelby County Dive Team being out of operation as a mass resignation. County Board member Tad Mayhall said, "This community needs that service, you know, whether it be for lakes or the waterways within the county or floods.

THUMBS UP! To the American Civil Liberties Union bringing a possibility to the fore. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that makes anyone in Illinois who engages in doxing to be found civilly liable in court. The bill passed through the House and Senate with bipartisan support. Doxxing can take the form of publishing with malicious intent someones home address, phone number, Social Security number or any other identifiers on social media or elsewhere on the internet. A person could be civilly liable if they share information with knowledge or reckless disregard that the person whose information was shared publicly would be reasonably likely to suffer death, bodily injury, or stalking. Legislators clarified that constitutionally protected protesting is not a form of stalking, and neither protesting nor news reporting can be considered doxing. The ACLU protested that the law could be applied with a much wider net than intended. That may never happen. But the ACLU bringing the discussion to the fore makes us aware of the possibility. It's the responsibility of all of us to keep an eye out for it.

THUMBS UP! To legislation recognizing organizations like 4-H and FFA are part of education. Students participating in work-based learning events 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 majority of students involved with these types of groups are overachievers who are capable of budgeting their time so their schoolwork still gets done. This is a nice recognition of that.

THUMBS UP! To the Macon County Board. The entity issues a proclamation condemning the 1893 lynching of Samuel Bush in Decatur. The proclamation was a response to repeated requests by County Board member Karl Coleman and other members of the community who have spoken during public comments at board meetings. A plaque to commemorate Bush's murder was dedicated on the Macon County Courthouse lawn in June.

THUMBS DOWN! To a horrible statistic released last week. About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicides are more common in the U.S. than at any time since the dawn of World War II. Contrary to what we might expect, the most significant increases were seen in older adults. Deaths rose nearly 7% in people ages 45 to 64, and more than 8% in people 65 and older. White men, in particular, have very high rates. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, help is available; call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.

THUMBS UP! To Vinnie and Debra Barbee. Vinnie Barbee began his annual block party. Barbee-Q, at Water Street Mission 22 years ago. Originally his effort to bring Decatur Celebration's atmosphere to the town's homeless, the Barbee-Q is now a tradition whose longevity ranks with some of Decatur's best offerings.

THUMBS UP! To attempting to corral political fakery. The Federal Election Commission has begun a process to potentially regulate AI-generated deep fakes in political ads ahead of the 2024 election. Artificial intelligence-generated material is yet another attack on our sensibilities and is a more sophisticated version of traditional mud-slinging. It's also oe thing we don't need to battle during an election cycle.
Sunny skies, below-normal temperatures and low humidity levels Friday gave the Triad a distinctively autumnal feel.

It wont last.

A heat wave that has baked Texas and neighboring states for weeks is expected to expand into the Southeast early next week, potentially fueling the Triads warmest temperature readings this year.

Highs could approach 100 degrees in the Triad Monday, the National Weather Service said Friday.

The regions highest reading so far this year at Piedmont Triad International Airport was 95 degrees on July 28.

The heat and an expected dry stretch could leave the area parched by next week.

There will not be much, if any, rain over the next 10 days in the Triad, said Sean Sublette, a meteorologist with Lee Enterprises based in Richmond, Virginia.

In an update Thursday, the National Drought Mitigation Center identified more than 40% of North Carolina as being abnormally dry. Thats the highest percentage since two weeks in late February and early March.

The affected areas are in the eastern half of the state, but Sublette said theres a very good chance that the Triad could move into that category by the end of the month.

The average rainfall total for PTI in August is 4.5 inches. A little more than 2 inches has been reported this month, with a high of nearly an inch on Aug. 10.

The most precipitation ever recorded in the Triad for August was more than a foot in 1939. The low was 0.71 inches in 1972.

The National Weather Services forecast calls for sunny skies through next Thursday, with no mention of rain.

Conditions are expected to remain pleasant Saturday, with highs in the mid-80s before heating up to 90 Sunday, and 99 Monday and 96 Tuesday with heat index readings topping 100 in some areas.

The average high for August is about 87 degrees.

The hottest August day on record in the Triad came on Aug. 18, 1988, when the temperature hit 103 degrees.

The highest temperature ever measured in the Triad is 104, which the region reached twice in an extraordinarily hot summer of 2014. The high hit 100 or more 10 times that year.

Despite overall warming, PTI has not hit 100 degrees since 2014.
Q: What is the room that hangs off the corner of one of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist towers?

J.N.

Answer: This is certainly an interesting question and one we enjoyed tracking down, said Joe McCloskey, a spokesman for Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

The room the reader asked about is a staff breakroom on the corner of Wake Forest University School of Medicines Nutrition Research Center Building, on the campus of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

In addition, the building has laboratories and offices for faculty and staff.

Q: Is there a website or something where someone can check to see if they have money that they may not have realized they were owed. A friend thought she had heard of something but couldnt remember what it was. Are you aware of this?

B.D.

Answer: Your friend is probably talking about NCCash.com, an N.C. Department of State Treasurer website that allows people to search for unclaimed money they might be owed.

The money could come from a number of places, including money left from bank accounts, wages, utility deposits, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, bonds, and contents of safe deposit boxes that typically have been abandoned for one to five years.

Funds become unclaimed because the company loses track of the consumer, due to an incorrect address or other missing information, according to the website.

The amount of money that North Carolina residents can claim is almost $1.09 billion.

To find out if you have money at the treasurers office, go to NCCash.com, click on Search Now and put your name in the search link.

To claim the cash, you have to provide proof of ownership.

You must provide proof of your Social Security number. You can use a copy of your Social Security card, tax forms, pay stub or bank statement. Send copies, not the original documents.

You must also provide proof of address. That can include a copy of your drivers license, a page out of a phone book or church/club directory, property tax bill, bank statement, or an envelope addressed to claimant with a U.S. postmark.

The money in the Escheat Fund earns interest and by state law, the interest is used for college and university, including community colleges, financial aid programs created by federal or state law.

The aid is administered by the N.C. State Education Assistance Authority. It is a state agency that is authorized by the General Assembly to administer the programs.

The law further provides that this money will be utilized to provide grants and low interest loans to worthy and needy North Carolina students in state-supported schools of higher education, according to the website.

The office can also be contacted by writing to the N.C. Department of State Treasurer, Unclaimed Property Division, P.O. Box 20431, Raleigh, NC 27619-0431, or calling 866-NCCash1 (866-622-2741) or emailing unclaimed.property@nctreasurer.com.

Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, $105,158,116 of unclaimed property was returned to its owners.

For more information, go to NCCash.com.
Grown-ups usually dont pack laptops in pool bags.

But then again, most adults  at least those who cant be accused of being workaholics  arent hip-deep in the business of running for governor.

Perhaps that explains the unusual sight of state Treasurer Dale Folwell, an announced candidate for the states top executive since March, crunching numbers under an umbrella on an otherwise sun-kissed Saturday afternoon.

It is getting to be serious fundraising time, after all. Fall behind now, and its game over.

And Folwell, a Republican, is serious about his candidacy even if too-early poll numbers  and the fundraising totals that go hand-in-glove with them  may not be to his liking.

How serious?

According to 2023 mid-year, semi-annual campaign finance reports, Folwell loaned his campaign a cool $1 million. With very favorable, 0% interest terms, of course.

Impressive start

Even with that loan pushing his total campaign receipts to more than $1.2 million, the states chief financial officer is trailing other candidates with far better name recognition.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is far and away the leader on the Republican side of the ledger. The Friends of Mark Robinson committee reported total receipts of more than $2.28 million  some $1.9 million in 22,930 aggregated individual contributions that pushed his cash-on-hand total to $3.2 million.

Walker 4 NC, the campaign committee backing former GOP Congressman Mark Walker reported total receipts of $553,714.

A fourth Republican candidate, retired health-care executive Jesse Thomas, just filed his organizational papers earlier this month and a fifth, a former state legislator named Andy Wells, loaned his campaign $51,000 to bring his total receipts to a little more than $63,000.

Dwarfing them all, at least in terms of socking away cash, is Attorney General Josh Stein, the only Democrat of note in the race to succeed Gov. Roy Cooper.

The Josh Stein for North Carolina committee reported total receipts of $11.2 million with $10.7 million from individual contributions. The Stein committee had $8.2 million cash on hand.

Those are eye-popping totals seven months out from the state primary elections.

Historically, candidates dont talk about fundraising, loans or finance reports. Theyll say the financial horse race isnt worth discussion, that fundraising is a necessary evil and then attempt to steer conversations to issues. Or rivals.

So for smart analysis and insight, we turn to political scientists such as Dr. Michael Bitzer of Catawba College.

With Steins and Robinsons significant numbers, it is the serious start of fundraising for 2024, Bitzer wrote in an email, because money helps lay a sufficient foundation for the overall campaign in terms of personnel, organization, advertising and grassroots operations.

As we say, money is the mothers milk of politics, and what these numbers tell me is that North Carolinas gubernatorial contest next year will probably be one of the most expensive in the nation.

Indeed.

With Cooper barred by law from seeking a third consecutive term, candidates see an open path toward becoming governor.

Unseating a popular incumbent is a big ask  especially in a so-called purple state where Democrats and Republicans typically run hard in statewide contests.

(Control of the General Assembly and the states congressional delegation, thanks to gerrymandering, is another matter entirely.)

As for the race for governor, the filing of mid-year campaign finance reports indicate that the dash for cash  a reliable predictor of a tsunami of television ads next year  is on. The fact that Folwell made his campaign a loan shows that the Winston-Salem native will not go down without a fight.

As to Folwells initial loan to jump-start his campaign, its not surprising in todays politics that those with the resources of private financial means can kick start their campaign, but it makes a notable difference in terms of where the grassroots and donor class are driving their money towards, Bitzer wrote.

True.

But no matter its source, having a sizable war chest should help Folwell pump up his name recognition  and his numbers.

Expensive campaign

A poll released earlier this summer by the conservative John Locke Foundation took the temperature of potential matchups between different Republicans and Democratic frontrunner Stein.

Only Robinson, well known to political types for bombastic (and frequently homophobic) rhetoric, led Stein at 41.5 percent to 40.8.

Stein led Folwell (39.4 percent to 33.8 percent) and Walker (39.4 percent to 36.8).

Part of the reason, of course, is name recognition. Stein and Robinson have used their positions to boost theirs.

Folwell is trying, too, by engaging in a public battle with the states giant health-care providers over transparency in pricing.

A report produced by his office and the Duke University School of Law upped the ante and highlighted his efforts. Its analysis showed that between 2017 and 2022, 5,922 debt collection lawsuits by tax-exempt health systems including Atrium Health targeted more than 7,500 patients and their families in North Carolina.

The suits resulted in more than $57 million in judgments for the hospitals, researchers found, including millions in interest and fees. State law allows hospitals to charge 8 percent.

Of course, expanding Medicaid in the state to some 600,000 poor North Carolinians eligible for the program would help dramatically. But a months-long delay in implementing the expansion  as well as years-long opposition to doing so in the first place  can be laid squarely at the feet of Republicans who control the Legislature.

Either way, that should be a topic of debate for the 2024 gubernatorial campaign along with tax policy and the state of public education.

Thats going to take dough. A pile of it.

Probably part of the reason also for the dramatic numbers for Stein and Robinson is the realization that money will be continuously needed if both succeed in capturing their respective party nominations, Bitzer wrote. (And) building a war chest now sends cues and signals to other donors about the seriousness of investing in their campaigns, especially for the general campaign next fall.
When she enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan University two and a half decades ago, Lincoln's acting police chief was sure that she did not want to follow her father's footsteps.

Michon Morrow had grown up watching her dad, James Joneson, miss holidays and birthdays and major life events on account of his varying roles in Nebraska law enforcement, which included stints as a police officer in Gothenburg, the sheriff in Dawson County, the police chief in Lexington and the head of the state's Crime Commission.

"As much as I was daddys little girl  and loved to get to ride in the back of his cruiser and spend time with him at the office  I did not want to go into law enforcement," Morrow said last week at the headquarters of the Police Department she now leads.

She had enrolled at Nebraska Wesleyan with the intent to go to medical school afterward, taking pre-med classes and  because she was not completely divorcing herself from her dad, she said  minoring in criminal justice.

As she worked through a sociology class in her first year at the liberal arts college, Morrow was the victim of a stalking, she said.

She filed a police report with LPD and, later, received a few letters in the mail from what is now known as the department's Victim Assistance Unit, staffed by advocates who help crime victims connect with resources while guiding them through the judicial process.

Morrow met an advocate named Joanna Svoboda and fell in love with her work, which dovetailed with a sociology class Morrow was taking at Wesleyan that required an internship.

She applied to join Svoboda's unit.

I was 19, Morrow said. And I never left.

Morrow left the civilian-staffed unit in 1997 to join the Police Department's academy class that fall, graduating in December and embarking on a 26-year career that has taken the Nebraska native through the ranks at LPD.

She was promoted to sergeant in 2006 and made captain in 2011 before she was named an acting assistant police chief in 2021 following former Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister's resignation.

Soon after Teresa Ewins arrived as Bliemeister's permanent replacement in September 2021, the West Coast native made Morrow's promotion permanent, naming her an assistant chief and the department's chief of staff.

The permanence of both appointments would prove to be short-lived.

Ewins resigned abruptly and without explanation last month. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird tabbed Morrow as her interim replacement.

Twenty-nine years after she applied to be an intern at the city's Police Department, Morrow, now 48, has taken on the role as Lincoln's top cop with humility, being careful not to deride her predecessor and, at times, answering questions by acknowledging that she does not have all the answers.

Morrow did not apply to be the city's police chief two years ago, when Bliemeister's resignation left a vacancy that brought Ewins here from San Francisco.

She is and was a wife and a mother of two children  a role that, as Morrow learned growing up, could be tough to square with a career in law enforcement, much less a job leading a police force.

"Ive tried very hard throughout my career to balance the two," she said. "And the scales didnt always tip right, if I reflect back and I remember things that maybe I could have prioritized with my family and instead I picked work."

Her kids are older now. The youngest, 18, started his senior year at Southwest High School last week.

And, with their support, I believed that I could meet the demand," Morrow said. "Because its a big demand, and our department needs that and our community needs that, and its the position that Im in now where I believe that I can be successful for them.

So Morrow accepted the job when Gaylor Baird offered it last month, an interim promotion that bumped her salary to $164,249 annually. Ewins, at the time of her resignation, made $187,460, city officials said.

"It has been exciting," Morrow said of her first three weeks on the job. "I would tell you probably, if Im being perfectly honest, at moments overwhelming.

"But I only took the role because I believed that I could.

And she's not the only one who believes it.

Marty Fehringer, the assistant chief at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department who spent 32 years at LPD before joining UNL in 2021, was promoted to captain at the city's Police Department the same year as Morrow.

Their interactions before then were limited, but they leaned on one another as they joined the command staff together, Fehringer said, calling Morrow his "mutual mentor."

Fehringer pointed to Morrow's integrity, humility, empathy and passion  both for the city and its police department  as the traits that helped her quickly climb the ladder at LPD.

In doing so, he said, Morrow has ingrained herself in the community  a trait that distinguishes the 48-year-old from her predecessor, Ewins, who was the first true outsider to be tabbed to lead LPD since at least 1975.

"The Lincoln Police Department doesn't operate on an island," Fehringer said. "Everything that they do, they're involved with other community partners, depending on what kind of issues they're trying to address or help out with.

"I think just having that experience  in Lincoln  is irreplaceable, in my opinion," he said.

"Michon is very consistent," he added later. "Her passion has been unwavering the entire time that I've known her. She truly loves Lincoln. And she loves the Lincoln Police Department."

"Unwavering" is the first word that Jessica Loos used to describe Morrow, who she met more than a decade ago inside Lincoln's 911 dispatch center.

Then a dispatcher and now the manager of the city's Emergency Communications Center, Loos described the department's acting chief as a coalition-builder, insistent on ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table.

"She's always held that to be an honor that we're trusted with that responsibility of bringing public safety to our community members," Loos said. "But with that, she also has a very clear understanding that that doesn't happen behind closed doors, that doesn't happen on our own.

"It's our community members and having the conversations with them that allow us to make sure we're really meeting the expectations of what's needed."

Loos was rafting on a family vacation when news broke last month of Ewins' resignation and Morrow's subsequent promotion.

When she reached dry land and when her cellphone reception returned, she watched in tears as the messages poured in.

"Tears of joy, tears of pride just in knowing that the department  not just a facet of the department under her leadership as assistant chief  but the entire department is really going to get to be a part of who she is," Loos said. "It's not that it hadn't been, but even in a bigger way."

"I'm very excited for our relationship within the community," Loos said. "Michon has an uncanny ability  it's just who she is, that she truly in her heart of hearts, has care and concern for every citizen of Lincoln."

Brian Jackson, the department's assistant police chief who has twice served as its acting chief, is the one who promoted Morrow to an acting assistant chief role in 2021 when he manned the top job between Bliemeister's departure and Ewins' arrival.

"I think what you see, if you know Michon Morrow, is what you get," he said. "Her clock doesn't end at 4 o'clock on the day. She puts in the hours that it takes  and it takes a lot to be a manager on the Lincoln Police Department."

Morrow knows this. What she doesn't know, she says, is what the future holds.

Last month, in her first appearance in front of reporters following her promotion, Morrow laughed when asked if she expected to be named the city's next permanent police chief.

Im still gonna laugh," she said, facing the same question last week.

"Sorry," she said, noting that decision is up to Gaylor Baird, who introduced Morrow as "Lincoln Police Department Chief Michon Morrow" at a news conference, dropping "Acting" from her title, unintentionally or not.

Kelli Britten, the city's chief communications officer, said there is no search planned to find Ewins' permanent replacement and no timeline for when the city will decide how to move forward.

Morrow, unafraid to admit that she does not know everything, does know by now if she wants the job on a permanent basis.

But she won't say.

I want to do whats best for our department and our community," she said, later adding: "Im really proud of where were at and where were going."

Photos: Teresa Ewins tenure as Lincoln police chief
(For the next two months, columnist Jim McKee will be contributing new columns on the first week of the month. On other weeks, the Journal Star will publish some of McKee's past columns. This one ran on Sept. 15, 2013.)

A great deal of confusion surrounds Julesburg, literally located on the Nebraska-Colorado state line. Its early history relates more to Nebraska, though it truly is in Colorado and has absolutely no connection to Old Jules Sandoz.

A 1932 Kansas State Historical Society Quarterly article tells that Lt. Kidder [was] sent from Fort Sedgwick, Nebraska, with dispatches for Custer. John Reeves, a judge for the District of Nebraska wrote that his jurisdiction extended from Julesburg, Nebraska to South Platte City, Wyoming Territory, and there even is an official Nebraska State Historical Society historical marker for Julesburg.

In 1859, Jules Benoit (Bene, Beni or Reni) established a road ranch and unofficial post office called Julesburg in a dugout or cave a half-mile south of the South Platte River at the point where the main trail divided, one fork going northwest to Fort Laramie and California, the other to Denver.

With the coming of the Pony Express in 1860 the site was moved to a point about two miles east of Ovid, Colo., on the south side of the Platte River, where it merged with Lodgepole Creek. It was here that the Pony Express turned, heading straight north. Because of its location, it was known as Elbow Station as well as Julesburg and sometimes confused with nearby Fronz Station. It was here that Benoit, who was in charge of the station, hired W.F. Cody as the youngest rider on the Pony Express circuit.

The story now picks up a number of wildly different variants. Perhaps the most reliable, though totally unproven, tells that mail and other items began going missing at the station. Alexander Majors, one of the owners of the Pony Express and Russell, Majors and Waddell, dispatched his division superintendent and well-known ruffian Jack Slade to investigate. Already known as adversaries, Benoit intercepted Slade, shot him several times with a shotgun and left him for dead. Slade however escaped and had seven of 12 pellets removed. Obviously irked, Slade returned to Julesburg, where he had ordered Benoit arrested and shackled. Not one to dismiss an opportunity or forgive a grudge, Slade shot and killed and, by some unreliable accounts, cut off his ears to be used as watch fobs.

Less than a mile from the Pony Express Station, a bit farther down the trail Capt. Nicholas OBrien then established U.S. Army Camp Rankin to protect the trails at the rivers junction with Lodgepole Creek in 1864. Within months, the name was changed to Fort Sedgwick and, as a village grew up around it, it became the new Julesburg. The 240-by-360-foot fort was built of 10-by-14-by-4-inch adobe bricks with an 8-foot tall stockade. The village, best-known for its violence and vice, at its peak had fewer than a dozen buildings, the most prominent being a 24-hour billiard saloon that dispensed the vilest liquor at two bits a glass.

Fort Sedgwicks unfortunate site made it totally vulnerable, and on Jan. 6, 1865, 500 Cheyenne and Sioux attacked, ultimately destroying both the fort and Julesburg.

The next incarnation of Julesburg came with the announced route of the Union Pacifics cutoff to Denver. This, the fourth and current Julesburg, was located northeast of Fort Sedgwick/Julesburg and almost directly north of the original cave. First platted as Denver Junction in 1884, the village was incorporated as Julesburg in 1886. The fourth settlement named for Jules Benoit has its northern city limits located a scant quarter mile from the south border of Nebraska.

There are nearly as many variations of the stories of Jules Benoit and Julesburg as there are for Buffalo Bill Cody, leaving even the most curious confused and choosing their own version.
Teenagers are being recruited to be "money mules" as part of a scheme to sell customers links to child sexual abuse material, according to the Omaha office of the FBI.

The office sent a press release on Thursday warning parents and young people.

In this scheme, teens are recruited on social media and online gaming platforms by producers of child sex abuse material, who pose as IT or gaming companies, according to the FBI.

The fake companies ask individuals to accept digital payments and in return they can keep a percentage of the money. They are then instructed to change the rest of the payment into cryptocurrency and send it to the company.

What these criminals are really selling to their customers are links to child sexual abuse material, the FBI said in a media release.

A money mule is someone who wittingly or unwittingly transfers illegally acquired money on behalf of, or at the direction of, another person.

The FBI said those targeted might have received an unsolicited email or contact over social media promising easy money for little to no effort. The agency recommended not responding or clicking any links related to such a contact.

Parents who believe their child is being used as a money mule can call the FBI Omaha office at 402-493-8688.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
Authorities believe a language barrier led to a misunderstanding during an incident near Hershey on Wednesday.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, a homeowner called the Lincoln County Dispatch Center to report a suspicious incident with a man and a woman in a large white SUV who had approached her home.

The homeowner told deputies that a woman she believed to be Indian or Middle Eastern knocked on her door and grabbed her hand, then in "broken English" asked the homeowner to speak with her husband in the vehicle.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the homeowner retreated inside the home and retrieved a pistol.

The homeowner went back outside and the woman again grabbed her hand and asked her to speak with her husband.

The homeowner then went to speak with the man, who told her he wanted to buy some chickens and showed her some money. The homeowner said her chickens were not for sale, but he persisted, the Sheriff's Office said.

"The male then got out of the drivers seat of the vehicle and began to walk around the vehicle toward the homeowner," the Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook message. "The homeowner noticed there was a large machete in the front seat of the vehicle. The homeowner backed up and drew her pistol from her pocket. The male observed the pistol and then told the woman that he and his wife would leave.

A large number of on- and off-duty deputies and Nebraska State Patrol troopers responded to the area and searched for the vehicle. The homeowner told authorities the vehicle left westbound on U.S. 30 from Hershey. After several hours, the vehicle was not found and was assumed to have left the area.

Because of the cultural and language issues, this may have been an entirely innocent incident," the Sheriff's Office said.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
The Lancaster County Sheriffs Office says it found $103,194 in suspected drug money and arrested a 25-year-old North Carolina man in a traffic stop on Interstate 80 west of Lincoln shortly before 10 a.m. Friday.

Capt. Ben Houchin said Brandon Montoya, of Charlotte, was stopped in a westbound Toyota Tundra for following too closely and driving on the shoulder. During the stop, Houchin said, the deputy developed suspicions Montoya was involved in illegal activity. A search turned up the money, which was sealed and in a suitcase, and a ledger.

Houchin said deputies reached out to law enforcement in Charlotte, where Montoya lives and rents a storage unit, believing that there was a strong possibility they would find a large amount of narcotics there.

He said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department took the information, got search warrants and found 1,290 pounds of marijuana and THC edibles in Montoya's storage unit and at his home, tens of thousands of empty and loaded bottles of THC oil, marijuana cigar tubes and THC vape cartridges, 10 pounds of THC wax, 40 pounds of marijuana, packing materials, a 9mm Glock handgun and $90,000 in cash.

Houchin said the drugs added up to 1,831 pounds.
              .            .         .

-     2019- .           ,   . ,         .
Jeff Luzum and his parents were standing on the porch outside his first floor Maverick Village suite at the University of Nebraska at Omahas Dodge Campus Thursday morning.

The three were taking a break after they moved the sophomore secondary education majors stuff into the four-person suite. Having never lived on his own before, Luzum was pleasantly surprised by the suite that gives each student their own bedroom and a bathroom that is shared with just one other person. Each suite also has a full kitchen along with a living room.

Its way nicer than I thought," Luzum said. Its clean, although that might change over the semester with four boys living here.

Every UNO student living on campus is either in a suite or apartment-style residence.

James Wycoff was helping his daughter, Kayla, move into a suite at Maverick Hall. Like Luzum, Kayla Wycoff is a sophomore who spent the previous year commuting to UNO from her Omaha childhood home. With Kayla now looking to maximize her college experience as an on-campus resident, her fathers mind has been put at ease by UNOs housing offerings.

They look nice. They look clean. They look safe, James Wycoff said. That allowed me to feel comfortable with her moving in.

Luzum and Wycoff are two of the expected 600 to 700 students to move onto the Dodge Campus this week either in Maverick Village or University Village. With other UNO students having moved onto Scott Campus near Aksarben Village last weekend, more than 2,300 students will be living on a UNO campus.

And thats just those who were fortunate enough to secure a residence. Trent Fredericksen, director of housing and residence life, said all the on-campus housing units are filled. He added there are more returning students living on campus than at any point in UNOs history.

About 40% of students living on campus this year had previously lived on campus. Typically, about 25% to 30% of students return to live on campus.

Weve been pretty much busting at the seams, Fredericksen said. At one time this summer, we had a waiting list that was about 125 to 150 (students). As of this morning, I think we have about 15 on our waiting list.

Fredericksen said UNO has been working with the JPII Newman Center and College of St. Mary, which are both located near the campus, to help students on the waitlist find housing.

Fredericksen said the university has also partnered with Burlington Capital Properties to house about 20 students at The Cosgrove apartments at 38th and Leavenworth streets.

Were kind of testing some other strategies to help because we anticipate were going to see more students wanting to live on campus, he said.

Top Journal Star photos for August 2023
BURLINGTON  Thousands of gallons meant for the sewers have ended up in a wetland near the Fox River after a rainstorm leaked into Burlingtons sanitary system.

State regulators say the city could receive a notice of non-compliance because of the incident Monday in which 68,000 gallons were dumped into a wetland near Pine Street and the Burlington Bypass.

Officials said the discharge  which is prohibited by the state  was likely a combination of sanitary sewer waste and rainwater runoff during a storm that brought more than five inches to the city.

A broken manhole allowed the deluge to leak into Burlingtons sanitary system, forcing city officials to pump wastewater into a neighboring wetland for more than two hours.

Environmentalist Bruce Ross of the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association said such incidents can harm wildlife, can damage vegetation and can hinder the functionality of a wetland.

Ross said he was not familiar enough with the Burlington wetland to gauge the seriousness of the dumping that occurred Monday.

Clearly its not good, he said. Wetlands are obviously critical.

The City of Burlington reported the incident, as required, to regulators at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

DNR officials said it was the first reported overflow of the Burlington sanitary system since 2017.

Peter Riggs, the citys public works director, announced that a storm delivering nearly 5 1/2 inches of rain Monday caused runoff to leak into the sanitary system. A broken sewer manhole was discovered near a lift station at 1172 Hidden Creek Lane.

To prevent damage to property and risk to public health, it became necessary to bypass pump wastewater from the lift station to an adjacent wetland, Riggs said in his announcement.

Riggs said wastewater was pumped into the wetland from 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. when the manhole was repaired.

Bryan Hartsook, a DNR wastewater field supervisor, said once the state completes its review of the situation, the city could receive an order to evaluate its system, or possibly a notice of non-compliance.

More severe penalties, including monetary fines, are possible for incidents that are severe or reoccurring.

Burlingtons overflow and wetlands discharge probably did not cause significant damage to the wetland, Hartsook said. Some wetlands, he said, can really take a beating.

Referring to the 68,000 gallons, he said, Its not a whole lot of volume compared to what a wetland can take.

Photos: Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Lower Wisconsin Riverway Wisconsin River Wisconsin River Wisconsin River Wisconsin River 04
CAMP DAVID, Md.  President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea agreed Friday to expand security and economic ties at a historic summit at the U.S. presidential retreat of Camp David.

Their meeting and agreement come at a time when all three countries are on an increasingly tense ledge in their relations with China and North Korea.

Biden said the three nations would establish a communications hotline to discuss responses to threats. He announced the agreements, including what the leaders termed the "Camp David Principles," at the close of his talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"The purpose of our trilateral security cooperation is and will remain to promote and enhance peace and stability throughout the region," they said in a joint statement.

"Our countries are stronger and the world will be safer as we stand together. And I know this is a belief that all three share," Biden said as he opened the meeting.

Biden maintained, as have US, South Korean and Japanese officials, that the summit "was not about China" but was focused on broader security issues.

Yoon noted in particular the threat posed by North Korea, saying the three leaders agreed to improve "our joint response capabilities to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, which have become sophisticated more than ever."

He said as the three appeared before reporters that "today will be remembered as a historic day, where we established a firm institutional basis and commitments to the trilateral partnership."

Japan's Kishida said before the private talks that "the fact that we, the three leaders, have got together in this way, I believe means that we are indeed making a new history as of today. The international community is at a turning point in history."

The U.S., Japan and South Korea agreed to a new "duty to consult" security pledge committing them to speak with one another in the event of a security crisis or threat in the Pacific.

The pledge is intended to acknowledge that they share "fundamentally interlinked security environments" and that a threat to one is "a threat to all," said a senior Biden administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Under the pledge, the three countries agree to consult, share information and align their messaging with one another in the face of a threat or crisis, the official said.

Biden's focus for the gathering was to nudge the United States' two closest Asian allies to further tighten security and economic cooperation with each other. The historic rivals have been divided by differing views of World War II history and Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

But under Kishida and Yoon, the two countries have begun a rapprochement as the two conservative leaders grapple with shared security challenges posed by North Korea and China.

Both leaders have been upset by the stepped-up cadence of North Korea's ballistic missile tests and Chinese military exercises near Taiwan, the self-ruled island that is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, and other aggressive action.

Yoon proposed an initiative in March to resolve disputes stemming from compensation for wartime Korean forced laborers. He announced that South Korea would use its own funds to compensate Koreans enslaved by Japanese companies before the end of World War II.

Yoon also traveled to Tokyo that month for talks with Kishida, the first such visit by a South Korean president in more than 12 years. Kishida reciprocated with a visit to Seoul in May and expressed sympathy for the suffering of Korean forced laborers during Japan's colonial rule,

The effort to sustain the trilateral relationship won't be without challenges.

Beijing sees the tightening cooperation efforts as the first steps of a Pacific version of NATO, the transatlantic military alliance, forming against it. U.S. officials expect that North Korea will lash out  perhaps with more ballistic missile test and certainly blistering rhetoric.

The international community has its own judgment as to who is creating contradictions and increasing tensions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Friday.

Attempts to form various exclusive groups and cliques and to bring bloc confrontation into the Asia-Pacific region are unpopular and will definitely spark vigilance and opposition in the countries of the region, Wang said.
UW-Madison Housing expects a bit more breathing room in its residence halls this fall after the university scrambled last year to find space for its largest freshman class ever.

According to unofficial numbers, University Housing expects to have about 8,859 students move into its halls at the end of the month, about 100 fewer than last years high point of 8,960 residents.

A smaller freshman class is about to move in, University Housing Marketing Director Brendon Dybdahl said. About 85% of residents will be freshmen, and a few hundred others will be transfer students, who have not gotten housing contracts in recent years due to capacity limits.

UW-Madisons Admissions Department already was planning to enroll 500 fewer students for this fall in an attempt to bring the class size more in line with its desired size. Admissions was aiming for a class size of 8,100, but official counts wont be finalized until later this fall, UW-Madison spokesperson Kelly Tyrrell said.

With fewer residents projected, combined with more dorm rooms available as Sellery Halls renovation project winds down, University Housing is planning to eliminate or limit some of the space-crunching measures it instituted last fall.

With about 130 more beds available, University Housing is able to reduce its use of common areas, such as floor lounges or study rooms, as makeshift dorms. Halls such as Leopold, Smith and Ogg are set to have those spaces returned to their original use this fall.

And there was no need for the incentives University Housing deployed last year to free up space. More freshmen last fall meant nearly 300 students abandoned their housing contracts in favor of a free meal plan, a $5,000 off-campus housing stipend or free housing in Eagle Heights, which is typically reserved for graduate and international students.

Its a relief to know that were not scrambling quickly like we did last year, Dybdahl said. Although we learned a lot from last year and we were prepared  we could have (housed 8,700 students) again, too  its just nice that were not quite as dense and have more of those (common) spaces back for the students.

University Housing is still 900 residents over its ideal capacity, though, so some students will continue to live in triple-bed rooms, and Lowell Center will remain student housing for a third year instead of reverting back into hotel accommodations. While University Housings space solutions cant be a long-term model, Director Jeff Novak said, its closer to being on target.

After two years of COVID and then this enrollment growth, its starting to feel like predictability, even though were 900 (residents) over, Novak said. Its a more normalized feel to a year.

40 notable people who attended UW-Madison Virgil Abloh Shirley Abrahamson Stephen Ambrose Don Ameche Carol Bartz Steve Bornstein Laurel Clark Barbara Crabb Joan Cusack Ron Dayne Ada Deer Hector DeLuca August Derleth Andre De Shields Conrad Elvehjem William T. Evjue Jeff Greenfield Lorraine Hansberry Kevin Henkes Mary Hinkson bell hooks Jane Kaczmarek Robert M. La Follette Charles Lindbergh Karl Paul Link James Lovell David Maraniss Steve Miller John Morgridge Errol Morris John Muir Gaylord Nelson Joyce Carol Oates Vel Phillips George Poage Tommy Thompson Al Toon Greta Van Susteren Russell Wilson Frank Lloyd Wright
1. Yes. If KHA cant continue to run it, the city should step in. Its a necessary asset to the area.

2. Yes. The city already uses it as a warming and cooling center. It would be a smart move.

3. No. It may be in the citys interest to help subsidize insurance for the center, but nothing more.

4. No. The city doesnt need the added burden of staffing and insuring the center. Its a bad idea.

5. Unsure. It may be seem like a good idea, but other options should be explored as well.

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China, EU remain major trading partners despite decoupling, de-risking talks

Xinhua) 09:15, August 19, 2023

A China-Europe freight train departed from Duisburg of Germany arrives at Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)

Official statistics show that trade between China and the EU reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 2.4-percent increase over the previous year. China and the EU are each other's main trading partner, with rapid growth in the trade of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules, and other green products.

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Trade between the European Union (EU) and China has grown in recent years despite talks of "decoupling" from or "de-risking" economic links with China, a sign that China's market still maintains an allure for European businesses due to its vast potential and size.

Eurostat data show the value of European imports from China nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022. During the first half of 2023, China remained the leading supplier of goods to the EU, said an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Throughout this period, imports of products such as phones, computers, and machinery all saw significant increases.

With both Europe and China sharing consensus on tackling climate change, Chinese electric vehicles have rapidly expanded their presence in the European market. Three of the top-selling electric car models in Europe in 2022 were of Chinese origin.

Official statistics show that trade between China and the EU reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 2.4-percent increase over the previous year. China and the EU are each other's main trading partner, with rapid growth in the trade of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules, and other green products.

All these figures prove that a growing list of European enterprises view China as a robust partner.

Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz, said in a July interview with German weekly Automobilwoche that China, the world's largest automobile market, would be at the core of the company's marketing activities starting from 2025.

A concept car of Mercedes-Benz is displayed at the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, east China, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xin Mengchen)

"Investing in China is investing in the future," said Jean-Paul Agon, president of L'Oreal France, in a written interview with Xinhua. He emphasized that with an open market, an improving business environment, and promising initiatives to stimulate domestic demand, China presents new opportunities for the world and vice versa.

He also noted that China is a strategic growth driver for L'Oreal, as "China is more than just a large market. It is the laboratory of the most innovative concepts and the testing ground for the latest marketing practices, where the future of beauty is born."

Several European business leaders warned of the "de-risking" narrative.

Belen Garijo, chief executive of Germany's leading science and technology group Merck, said that severing commercial ties with China would come with a substantial economic cost. She hoped tensions between China and some Western countries could be eased through dialogue.

"Globalization has brought well-being to the world, with more innovation and cooperation, but we risk losing it," Garijo warned.

Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, also said in a July interview with The Financial Times that Europe cannot reduce risk by isolating itself. European countries should not speculate on the risks of doing business in China; instead, they should invest more in enhancing competitiveness, Hartung added.

European researchers have clarified the underlying logic behind the Europe-China partnership.

Maria Joao Rodrigues, president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, said that China and Europe are more strategic partners than "systemic rivals." They should collaborate in reestablishing global rules, particularly in areas such as combating climate change, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. In recent years, China has advanced initiatives on global security and development, where Europe and China can enhance cooperation.

Similarly, The Financial Times cautioned in early August that it would be challenging for Europe to sever or reduce ties with such an important trading partner as China, which accounts for 14 percent of global exports.

Likewise, German weekly magazine Focus noted that the Western economy adheres to its own rules when U.S. President Joe Biden continues to announce restriction after restriction against China. Europe now understands the meaning of "decoupling," and the European economy is "decoupled" from American political directives rather than being "decoupled" from China, as the United States desires, the article concluded.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
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LINCOLN  The summer driving season is winding down and the Nebraska State Patrol is joining numerous law enforcement agencies in this years Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. The effort runs through Labor Day weekend.

This has been a busy summer on Nebraska roads, said Colonel John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. As we close out the summer travel season, lets make any final summer road trips safe by following the speed limit, wearing a seat belt, avoiding distractions, and always driving sober.

Troopers and dispatchers will be working overtime during the next two weeks as part of the campaign, which marks the end of the summer driving season. Troopers will perform high-visibility patrols in all parts of the state as part of this operation.

So far in 2023, troopers have arrested more than 670 drivers for driving under the influence. Almost half of those arrests  290 have occurred since Memorial Day.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over is made possible thanks in part to a grant for $25,000 from the Nebraska Department of TransportationHighway Safety Office.

NSP also urges all motorists to be prepared for several high-volume traffic events in the next few weeks, including the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, the Guardians of Freedom Airshow in Lincoln, and Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Plan ahead for travel to any of those events and be prepared for slow traffic around the venues.

Our state is set to play host to several incredible events in the next couple weeks, said Col. Bolduc. Plan ahead, be patient with the increased traffic volume, and enjoy these experiences that show off our great state.
Hurricane Hilary is seen off the coast of Mexico, Aug. 18. In this image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. AFP-Yonhap



Mexico braced Friday for a powerful Pacific hurricane that triggered a warning of "potentially catastrophic" flooding in a northwestern tourist region and the neighboring U.S. state of California.



Hurricane Hilary threatened to bring strong winds, flash floods and "life-threatening" surf and rip current conditions, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.



"We are a little scared and trying to stay positive," Katrina Morgan, a tourist from United States, said in the Mexican resort of Cabo San Lucas on the Baja California peninsula.



"Maybe a few shots of tequila will help," she added.



Hilary's maximum sustained winds reached about 145 miles (230 kilometers) an hour before slowing slightly, according to the NHC.



It was a Category Four hurricane  the second-most powerful on the Saffir-Simpson scale of one to five.



"Life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding" was likely over much of Baja California and southern California this weekend and early next week, the NHC warned.





People walk through a flooded street due to heavy rain in the resort of Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico, Aug. 16. EPA-Yonhap



Residents and workers in Cabo San Lucas put up protective boarding, laid sandbags and stored furniture in preparation, as large waves crashed ashore.



"We've already had to live through similar experiences. We know what can happen to us. We must be prepared with food, canned goods and candles," Marlen Hernandez, a 30-year-old restaurant worker, told AFP.



Navy personnel were seen patrolling the beach in Cabo San Lucas  a popular destination for both Mexican and foreign tourists.



Hilary was located about 325 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California, the NHC said.



"On the forecast track, the center of Hilary will move close to the west coast of the Baja California peninsula over the weekend and reach southern California by Sunday night," it forecast.



Rare California alert



A hurricane warning was issued for a stretch of coastline in Baja California from Punta Abreojos to Cabo San Quintin, and a hurricane watch north from there to Ensenada.



Across the border, an unusual tropical storm watch was in effect from the California/Mexico border to Point Mugu in Ventura County, as well as for Catalina Island, according to the NHC.





A restaurant employee moves a trash can at the beach before the arrival of hurricane Hilary at Los Cabos Resort in Baja California State, Mexico, Aug. 18. AFP-Yonhap
Part of what binds us together in our humanity is the gnawing deep inside us when we confront the uncomfortable  whether it be a job interview, health crisis, the airport TSA or any number of stressful situations. Its called anxiety.

Along with its close cousin, depression, the duo robs us of our joy and wreaks havoc in our lives.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that about a third of Americans will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.

I recently talked with a graduating senior, active in her school and ready to ship off to college next year. Everythings rosy, right? Not so much. Depression is definitely a problem, she said, not only referring to herself but to her circle of friends as well. I know a lot of people who struggle, and its definitely something I struggle with.

And a lot of people dont even know they have it, she said, adding that from her perspective, social media and advertising are toxic triggers. You see a model and you think, Why cant I be like that? You start to spiral down, and it affects your mental health.

Although raised in the church, she even began to doubt the existence of God. If He really loved me, why am I in this mess? she thought.

Pastor Dave Konkol of First Free Church in Onalaska has noted the trend. Ive seen a rising anxiety even among Christians, he said. And you have to ask, Whats causing that?

From Konkols perspective, the general direction of society and the world seems to drive people to despair. He also blamed our institutions.

But there is hope. Fortunately for the young graduate, she leaned on her church youth group. Through peer support, she concluded that much of what she encountered were trials and tests.

God wouldnt have given me all that if he didnt know I could pull through it, she observed. And with His help, she did.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus clearly addressed the storms of life. Dont be anxious about your life, he counseled. Why? The Apostle Peter explained when he wrote, Cast all your anxiety on him, for He cares for you. (I Peter 5:7)

The thought paraphrases Psalm 55:22 where God promises to sustain his people. The word sustain comes from an old Hebrew word meaning to nourish, support or help to endure. In other words, God offers us his hand. All we have to do is take it. Thats real hope.
The Lions will donate $25 in the name of the Yard of the Week recipient to the Wisconsin Lions Foundation. The Lions Club members rely on nominations, so if you know of a yard you would like to nominate, please send a letter with the name and address of the residents to: Onalaska Lions, P.O. Box 212, Onalaska, WI 54650, or visit the Lions website (e-clubhouse.org/sites/Onalaskawi). People may also enter them on the Clubs Facebook page. Only yards in the city of Onalaska are eligible for the award.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 19, 2023

The Choice: Humanity, or Oligarchy

Aug. 18, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)In the midst of the NATO-orchestrated war that was launched, in fact, to destroy the Russian nation-state and its economic power, Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Aug. 17, spoke of building three high-speed rail lines: one between St. Petersburg and Moscow; one between Minsk and Moscow; and a third, connecting Sochi and Moscow. This internal improvements approach, echoing that of both Alexander Hamilton and Franklin Roosevelt, will require other internal changes, including financial changes, which, if implemented, will serve as an example to other nations, including developing economies in Africa, for how to end colonialism once and for all.

High-speed rail does not exist between Washington and New York, or Boston and New York, or Chicago and New York, in the United States, the birthplace of the Trans-Continental Railway. It should. Some 50 million new productive jobs for this nation, reversing the outflow of financial and other resources deployed for constantly, and perhaps intentionally failing wars, is something that adversaries of the United States would, in fact, support.

Putins announcement, and intention, represents the world of not only Russias but also the planets future. As Ghali Zbeir, Moroccan president of the Saharawi Oil and Mineral Authority, told RT on Aug. 17, A new world order is being shaped before our very eyes ... the old world order which followed the interests of Western countries is no longer valid. The New World was a phrase that was synonymous with the very-Western-oriented post-American Revolution United States.

Was the spirit of the American engineer George Washington Whistler, who built, at the request of Czar Nicholas I, the St. Petersburg to Moscow railway between 1842 and 1849, and who was buried in St. Petersburg two years before the project he designed was finally completed in 1851, present in the mind of Putin when he made his high-speed rail speech? Truly, Whistler is an historical ancestor of that Russian advanced rail project. The Vladimir Putin who donated the Teardrop Memorial to the City of New York and to the people of the United States after 9/11, is mindful of the deeper history and connection of the two nations, as he has shown in his remarks on Franklin Roosevelt on several occasions over the years.

Yet he, and other world leaders, like the Xi Jinping who studied in and lived with the farmers of Iowa, must ask, as must the American people: Where is the United States which George Whistler once so nobly represented? Is the United States that now builds $100 million drone bases in Niger, instead of power plants for the 85% of their peopleover 20 million of their 25-plus million citizenswho lack electricity, despite their being rich in uraniumis that the same United States as the United States of Whistler, and Friedrich List, and Henry Carey, and Erasmus Peshine Smith, and Anson Burlingame, and Wharton Barker? Is this, can this any longer be, the United States of FDR, JFK, Martin Luther King, and Lyndon LaRouche?

The answer to that question should not be given, or taken lightly. The answer is also a choice. The answer, either way, is burdened with far-reaching consequence. For the choice before us, in a higher sense, is now between humanity or oligarchy. Both will not survive the present century, or perhaps, even, the present decade. A sweeping change is coming fast, more fundamental and irreversible than most could ever fathomuntil it comes. To wait, however, to act until that change is obvious, may mean that we are too late, and caught below the level of events, as the late diplomat and LaRouche associate, Fred Wills, used to warn. We can lose civilization for centuries, even millennia. Worse, we can even lose humanity itself. We have that power, in our choice.

Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche, in her Friday briefing to the eleventh meeting of the International Peace Coalition, stated something that everyone needs to understand. The totally predictable (and predicted) failure of the Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia can no longer be hidden from the deluded public by the military-media establishment. Their full spectrum Hollywood dominance of the social media battlefield of the mind of the trans-Atlantics populations, has run up against the knowable, predictable physical reality of the never-even-penetrated, let alone breached, Russian defense lines. Bad-actor Zelenskyy, his Nazi and Nazi-influenced associates, and their controllers have to now face what even some of their own commanders told them from the start. Triumph of the Will was, after all, only a movie. The death of hundreds of thousandsRussians, Ukrainians and others; the displacement of millions; the wanton waste of life and wealth; and the comprehensive World-War One-scale failure, is real, objective, undeniable.

But that does not mean that it is over. Zepp-LaRouche warned that only the conventional phase of the NATO/Russia war in Ukraine is about to be exhausted. Now, either the war will end with diplomacy and negotiation, or there will be an escalation to the thermonuclear dimension. It is not now clear which will occur. Statements that have been floated from certain circles in Germany and France, including former French President Sarkozy, whatever one may think of the messengers, indicate attempts to propose a sane, if pragmatic, way out. Insanity, however, in the form of British imperial policy, and British operativesincluding Zelenskyy himself, as Scott Ritter has recently and plausibly proposedkeeps insisting on the continuation of war.

There is another process vigorously under way. The Aug. 22-24 Johannesburg meeting of the BRICS-Plus Nations is prefaced by a level of enthusiasm and fight, particularly from African nations, not seen since the 1970s, when Lyndon LaRouches proposal for an International Development Bank electrified the Third World, as it was then called. That proposal was presented to the United Nations in September of 1976 by the late aforementioned Fred Wills, and was adopted in Colombo, Sri Lanka in late August. It was also the foreign policy of the first LaRouche Presidential campaign of 1976. Nearly 30 years later, in 2005, in his essay, The Global Option for This Emergency: Beyond Westphalia Now, LaRouche said:

As I have argued on earlier occasions, the world, as a whole, has reached the point of development, at which the assured continuation of civilized life on this planet requires us to reject the follies of experiments in so-called globalization, in favor of a system of respectively sovereign nation-states which would have established a form of planetary system of cooperation. This would be the establishment of the form, which is most fairly described as a realization of the same aims and principles which were implicit in that 1648 Treaty of Westphalia which brought to an end both the inherent evils of ultramontane feudalism, and ended, for that time, that impulse toward religious warfare, which has returned to much of the world today: an impulse presented under the twin lunatic guises of so-called religious fundamentalism or racism, a moral degeneration, presently integral to those follies of so-called globalization, which threaten the continued existence of civilized life on this planet today. As I have emphasized on earlier occasions, the pivotal challenge to be recognized today, is the fact that we have reached the point that civilized life requires a forceful suppression of efforts to establish an ultramontane or other mode of imperial control over the planet as a whole, a control being attempted now through a rise in the roles of speculative monopolies in control of essential so-called raw materials. There is no intrinsic shortage of necessary raw materials, if sovereign nations cooperate to develop the raw materials of this planet in ways which ensure an increase in organized supply adequate for the inevitably growing requirements of all nations.

Helga Zepp-LaRouche will in the next days release a statement addressed to the Johannesburg BRICS assembly, accompanied by a package containing her Ten Principles for a New International Strategic and Development Architecture; the LaRouche Plan for 1.5 Billion Productive Jobs, which addresses, among other things, the real origin of the misnamed world immigration crisis; and 1975s How the International Development Bank Will Work by Lyndon H. LaRouche. All, particularly those from the United States and Europe, who have wondered what the principles and method of implementation of a Development Architecture would be, are encouraged to read and master the concepts for which LaRouche became known, almost 50 years ago, to the people of the developing sector, and for which he and his movement were unjustly persecuted.

These ideas not only never died; they were prepared for this moment. If studied, mastered, and deployed, they represent an efficient, violence-free way out for the human race. The choice, to resurrect the spirit of Revolutionary America, and the universal ideas of the Constitutions Preamble, particularly the devotion to the General Welfare of ourselves and our posterity, can place the United States and Europe back on the side of humanity, instead of oligarchy.
Doctors in New York City have transplanted a pigs organ into a brain-dead man and watched as it performed normally for over a month.

Brain death is a state in which a persons brain no longer carries out even its most basic activities for life.

The pig kidney transplant is a step toward realizing the hopes of the New York team to try the operation on living patients.

Scientists around the country want to learn how to use animal organs to save human lives. Doctors believe bodies donated for research will help them develop the operation for patients.

The latest experiment was announced Wednesday by New York University Langone Health. It marks the longest time that a pig kidney has worked in a living or dead person. And the experiment is not over. Researchers will follow the kidneys performance for a second month.

Is this organ really going to work like a human organ? So far, its looking like it is, Dr. Robert Montgomery told The Associated Press. He is the director of NYU Langones transplant institute.

It looks even better than a human kidney, Montgomery said on July 14. On that day, he replaced a dead mans own kidneys with a single kidney from a genetically engineered pig. He watched the replaced pig kidney immediately start producing urine.

The possibility that pig kidneys might one day reduce the shortage of transplantable organs persuaded the family of Maurice Mo Miller to donate his body. He had died suddenly at 57 with a formerly undiagnosed brain cancer, which did not permit for usual organ donation.

I struggled with it, his sister, Mary Miller-Duffy, told the AP about her decision. But he liked helping others and I think this is what my brother would want. So, I offered my brother to them.

Hes going to be in the medical books, and he will live on forever, she added.

Attempts at successfully performing animal-to-human transplants, or xenotransplantation, have failed for many years. Often, the human immune system attacks the foreign tissue. Now researchers are using pigs genetically engineered so their organs are a better fit for human bodies.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering approval of some small but detailed studies of pig heart or kidney transplants in volunteer patients.

More than 100,000 patients are on the United States transplant list.

The University of Marylands Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin warns that it is not clear if a dead body reacts the same way as a live body to a pig organ. But he said the research educates the public about xenotransplantation, so people will not be shocked.

Before this most recent experiment, NYU and a team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham tested a pig kidney transplant in a dead body for just two or three days. An NYU team has also tested transplanted pig hearts on donated bodies for three days of intense testing.

But how long should these experiments last? University of Alabamas Dr. Jayme Locke said that it is not clear. Among the moral questions is how long a family can emotionally deal with it. Because keeping a body alive after the brain has died is difficult.

In her own experiment, the donated body was stable enough that if the study wasnt required to end after a week, I think we could have gone much longer, which I think offers great hope, she said.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Lauran Neergaard reported this story for the Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

________________________________________________

Words in This Story

transplant  v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person

institute n. an organization created for research or education

urine  n. waste liquid that collects in the bladder before leaving the body

undiagnosed  v. to recognize (a disease or illness) by examining someone

immune system  n. the system that protects the body from diseases and infections

stable  adj. not getting worse or likely to get worse

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Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) services - such as ChatGPT  have become a major resource for cheating in university.

Now, teachers are thinking of new ways to teach classes in order to stop students from cheating with AI. Teachers say they want to use AI to teach and learn in new ways. However, they need to stop students from using the technology on assignments and tests.

For some students, that means a return to paper tests instead of online tests. Some teachers will be requiring students to show the editing history and drafts of their work to prove their thought processes. Other teachers, though, think students have always found a way to cheat and AI is just the newest tool.

The recent growth in the number of AI services has raised many questions for educators. They want students to give correct answers but also know how to do the work to get to those answers. Educators say there is agreement at least on some of the most pressing challenges they face with AI use.

They say it is difficult to identify AI-created schoolwork. They say sometimes students are accused of using AI to cheat when they did not.

In some cases, the cheating is clear to see, said Timothy Main, a writing professor at Conestoga College in Canada. He told the Associated Press, I had answers come in that said, I am just an AI language model, I dont have an opinion on that.

Last semester, Mains writing class had 57 academic honesty cases. Half of them involved use of AI to cheat.

This fall, Main and his fellow professors are changing the rules for the writing course. The teachers will ask students to write more about their opinions. They also put in place strong rules against using AI.

College administrators have asked teachers to make the rules more clear. Many universities are letting their professors decide the rules about using AI on their own.

At Michigan State University, professors are given several options of statements to choose from, administrator Bill Hart-Davidson told the AP.

Asking students questions like, Tell me in three sentences what is the Krebs cycle in chemistry? Thats not going to work anymore, because ChatGPT will spit out a perfectly fine answer to that question, Hart-Davidson said. He thinks professors should word their questions differently.

Evidence is growing that AI services have changed how students study and find information.

Chegg Inc. is an online company that helps students with schoolwork. Its services have been identified in many cheating cases. On May 1, the companys leader warned that ChatGPT was hurting the businesss growth. He said students who were paying for help from Chegg were now using ChatGPT for free instead.

The day after he spoke, the companys market value fell by almost 50 percent.

Bonnie MacKellar, a computer science professor at St. Johns University in New York City, thinks that there is going to be a move back to paper tests. Her class already had a plagiarism problem she said, and she worries that new students may not learn the skills needed for more difficult classes.

Ronan Takizawa, a sophomore at Colorado College, has never had a computer science exam on paper. He agrees that it would make sure students learn the material.

However, Takizawa thinks that students are still not sure when it is alright to use AI and when such use is cheating. Other students say ChatGPT has made them afraid about being unjustly accused of cheating.

Arizona State University sophomore Nathan LeVang says he checks all his assignments with a tool that helps identify AI material.

If it takes me 10 minutes after I write my essay to make sure everything checks out, thats fine, Levang told the AP, adding, Its extra work, but I think thats the reality we live in.

Im Dominic Varela. And I'm Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press reported this story. Dominic Varela adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

Quiz - Educators Seek to Stop AI Use for Cheating Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

______________________________________________

Words in This Story

edit  n. to correct, revise, and prepare for publication

draft  n. a preliminary sketch, outline, or version

challenge  n. a stimulating task or problem

academic  adj. of, relating to, or associated with an academy or school especially of higher learning

plagiarism  n. the act of stealing and passing off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own: the use of another's production without crediting the source

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When philosophy professor Darren Hick came across another case of cheating in his classroom at Furman University last semester, he posted an update to his followers on social media: "Aaaaand, I've caught my second ChatGPT plagiarist."

Friends and colleagues responded, some with wide-eyed emojis. Others expressed surprise.

"Only 2?! I've caught dozens," said Timothy Main, a writing professor at Conestoga College in Canada. "We're in full-on crisis mode."

Practically overnight, ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence chatbots have become the go-to source for cheating in college.

Now, educators are rethinking how they'll teach courses this fall from Writing 101 to computer science.

Educators say they want to embrace the technology's potential to teach and learn in new ways, but when it comes to assessing students, they see a need to "ChatGPT-proof" test questions and assignments.

For some instructors that means a return to paper exams, after years of digital-only tests. Some professors will be requiring students to show editing history and drafts to prove their thought process.

Other instructors are less concerned. Some students have always found ways to cheat, they say, and this is just the latest option.

An explosion of AI-generated chatbots including ChatGPT, which launched in November, has raised new questions for academics dedicated to making sure that students not only can get the right answer, but also understand how to do the work.

Educators say there is agreement at least on some of the most pressing challenges: 

Are AI detectors reliable? Not yet, says Stephanie Laggini Fiore, associate vice provost at Temple University. This summer, Fiore was part of a team at Temple that tested the detector used by Turnitin, a popular plagiarism detection service, and found it to be "incredibly inaccurate." It worked best at confirming human work, she said, but was spotty in identifying chatbot-generated text and least reliable with hybrid work.

 So, how can educators be certain if a student has used an AI-powered chatbot dishonestly? It's nearly impossible unless a student confesses, as both of Hicks' students did. Unlike old-school plagiarism where text matches the source it is lifted from, AI-generated text is unique each time.

In some cases, the cheating is obvious, says Main, the writing professor, who has had students turn in assignments that were clearly cut-and paste jobs. "I had answers come in that said, 'I am just an AI language model, I don't have an opinion on that,'" he said.

In his first-year required writing class last semester, Main logged 57 academic integrity issues, an explosion of academic dishonesty compared to about eight cases in each of the two prior semesters. AI cheating accounted for about half of them.

This fall, Main and colleagues are overhauling the school's required freshman writing course. Writing assignments will be more personalized to encourage students to write about their own experiences, opinions and perspectives.

All assignments and the course syllabi will have strict rules forbidding the use of artificial intelligence.

College administrators have been encouraging instructors to make the ground rules clear.

Many institutions are leaving the decision to use chatbots or not in the classroom to instructors, said Hiroano Okahana, the head of the Education Futures Lab at the American Council on Education.

At Michigan State University, faculty are being given "a small library of statements" to choose from and modify as they see fit on syllabi, said Bill Hart-Davidson, associate dean in MSU's College of Arts and Letters who is leading AI workshops for faculty to help shape new assignments and policy.

Changing habits

Evidence is piling up that chatbots have changed study habits and how students seek information.

Chegg Inc., an online company that offers homework help and has been cited in numerous cheating cases, saw its shares tumble nearly 50% in a single day in May after its CEO Dan Rosensweig warned ChatGPT was hurting its growth. He said students who normally pay for Chegg's service were now using ChatGPT's AI platform for free instead.

At Temple this spring, the use of research tools like library databases declined notably following the emergence of chatbots, said Joe Lucia, the university's dean of libraries.

Shortcuts like that are a concern partly because chatbots are prone to making things up, a glitch known as "hallucination." Educators also worry about what students lose by skipping steps.

Some students say the arrival of ChatGPT has made them paranoid about being accused of cheating when they haven't.

Arizona State University sophomore Nathan LeVang says he doublechecks all assignments now by running them through an AI detector.

For one 2,000-word essay, the detector flagged certain paragraphs as "22% written by a human, with mostly AI voicing."

"I was like, 'That is definitely not true because I just sat here and wrote it word for word,'" LeVang said. But he rewrote those paragraphs anyway. "If it takes me 10 minutes after I write my essay to make sure everything checks out, that's fine. It's extra work, but I think that's the reality we live in."
Photo Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

Advances in medicine and technology have led to decades of rising life expectancy in the U.S. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. was 78.6 years in 2017, down from 78.7 years in 2016.

Though it may seem small, this notable decline marks the third consecutive year that life expectancy at birth has fallen and represents an alarming national trend. While common physical health conditions like heart disease and cancer still claim the majority of lives in the U.S. each year, accidental deaths from overdoses and intentional deaths by suicide are largely responsible for rising mortality rates nationwide.

Despite representing a smaller percentage of total deaths compared to other major health conditions, death rates due to suicide and accidents have skyrocketed over the past two decades. In 2017, the suicide death rate per 100,000 people was 14.5, an increase of 33 percent from the rate of 10.8 in 1999. Over the same time period, the death rate due to accidents increased from 37.2 per 100,000 to 52.2. Accidents are defined as unintentional injuries, which include alcohol and drug overdoses.

According to the CDC, 70,327 deaths in 2017 were the result of drug overdoses, with about two-thirds related to opioids. This represents a 9.6 percent increase in the age-adjusted death rate from 2016. Notably, the states with the highest rates of drug overdose deaths are West Virginia (57.8 per 100,000), Ohio (46.3 per 100,000), Pennsylvania (44.3 per 100,000), the District of Columbia (44.0 per 100,000), and Kentucky (37.2 per 100,000).

Overall, mortality rates also vary significantly by state. There is a clear geographical cluster of high mortality rates for states along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. More specifically, eight states in the Southeast, including West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee have age-adjusted mortality rates exceeding 1,000 per 100,000 people. By contrast, the lowest mortality rates are in California and Hawaii at 734.1 and 688.2 respectively.

There is a significant relationship between high mortality rates and low median incomes among U.S. states. For example, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and West Virginia have median household incomes below $50,000 as well as mortality rates in excess of 1,000 per 100,000. California and Hawaii, which have median household incomes around $70,000, have mortality rates under 750 per 100,000.

The other major geographic trend related to mortality rates is a clear cluster of high suicide rates in Alaska and the Rocky Mountain region, which has been labeled the suicide belt. In 2017, the suicide rate was highest in Montana, at a rate of 29.7 deaths per 100,000 people, and lowest in Washington D.C., at 6.7 deaths per 100,000.

In general, suicide rates are significantly lower on the East Coast and in California. Research from the CDC shows that suicide is particularly prevalent among young people and became the second-leading cause of death for Americans aged 10-34 in 2016. The same CDC report indicates that in 2017, the suicide rate in rural counties was 1.8 times higher than the suicide rate in urban counties, a differential that had also increased since 1999.

To find out how major causes of death vary around the country, researchers from EffortlessInsurance.com calculated the most over-indexed cause of death in each state, using 2017 data from the CDC WONDER Online Database. For the top 15 leading causes of death nationally, they compared each states age-adjusted mortality rate to the national mortality rate for that cause. Whichever cause exceeded its respective national mortality rate by the greatest amount, was identified as the most over-indexed cause of death in that state. The most over-indexed cause of death represents a disproportionately high death rate within the state relative to the national rate. Here is the full state-by-state analysis.
NEW YORK  Rudy Giuliani glared across a Washington hearing room as a lawyer seeking his disbarment after the Jan. 6 insurrection asked: How did this man, celebrated as Americas mayor after 9/11, become a leader of an attempt to overturn a national election?

Its like there are two different people, Hamilton Phil Fox III, the lead prosecuting attorney for the agency that disciplines Washington lawyers, said last December. I dont know if something happened to Mr. Giuliani or what.

Giuliani  feted, knighted and named Time magazines person of the year for his leadership as New York City mayor after the 2001 terrorist attack  has seen his reputation eviscerated and now his liberty imperiled for his steadfast defense of former President Donald Trumps false claims about the 2020 election.

On Monday, Giulianis downfall sank to its lowest level yet with his indictment in Georgia on charges he acted as Trumps chief co-conspirator in a plot to subvert President Joe Biden's victory.

Giuliani, Trump and 17 other people were charged under Georgias version of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The law, known as RICO, was once one of Giulianis favorite tools when he was cracking down on mobsters and Wall Street titans as Manhattans top federal prosecutor in the 1980s. Now, as he nears 80, it could put him behind bars.

Giuliani called the indictment an affront to American democracy and said it does permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system. On his radio show Wednesday, he described the case as an atrocity and an out and out assault on the First Amendment.

How did it come to this? People whove studied Giulianis rise and fall see his failed 2008 presidential run as a turning point.

Giuliani started as the front runner for the Republican nomination, capitalizing on his post-9/11 popularity. But he struggled in the primaries amid GOP concerns about his past support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, and questions about his personal life and business ties to the Middle East.

For years following the race, Giuliani's political career appeared over. After falling into a deep depression, he and his then-wife Judith decamped to Florida, where Trump put them up for a month in a bungalow at his Mar-a-Lago estate, biographer Andrew Kirtzman said.

Trump really took Giuliani under his wing at a very vulnerable moment, said Kirtzman, whose second Giuliani biography, Giuliani: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Americas Mayor, was published last year. And then in 2016, Trump decided to run for president, and he needed Giuliani and Giuliani needed Trump.

Trump, a first-time candidate, leaned on Giuliani's political acumen and loyalty and put him to work as a surrogate leading attacks on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whom Giuliani had faced in a 2000 U.S. Senate race.

The 2016 campaign returned Giuliani to relevance, but he surprised many with the ferocity of his attacks and his frequent claims that Clinton had committed crimes. Giuliani was seen as squandering his image as an elder statesman of sorts on a candidate who, at the time, was written off as having little chance to win.

Giuliani angled for a post in Trump's cabinet but didn't get it. Instead, he continued as Trump's attack dog, a role that saw him traveling to Ukraine seeking damaging information about Biden's son, Hunter.

Giuliani's contacts with Ukrainian figures later played a role in Trumps first impeachment trial and prompted an FBI investigation. In April 2021, federal agents raided his home and office, seizing computers and cellphones, but the probe was later dropped without any charges.

Some people who were once close to him say the Giuliani of today has little in common with the man they knew.

The man that I knew 20 years ago, the hero of Sept. 11 bears no resemblance to this man, said Judith Giuliani, who was by his side in the aftermath of 9/11 and his 2008 election loss. I actually feel sorry for him. Its sad. Hes not the person that he used to be to any of us.

When Trump lost the 2020 election, Giuliani played a starring role in his effort to remain in the White House, which prosecutors say included illegal maneuvering to flip the results in key states. Giuliani appeared to have hair dye streaking down his face at one news conference, making him the butt of late-night television jokes and internet memes.

Those blunders came in the wake of another embarrassment: clips from the Borat sequel showing Giuliani flirting with a young actress posing as a TV journalist and then lying on a bed, with his hand down his pants. Giuliani said he went to the hotel thinking he was going to be interviewed and was just tucking in his shirt.

Giulianis critics argue that hes always been combative and abrasive, with a disdain for critics and a willingness to go after rivals.

The real Rudy Giuliani was hiding in plain sight, said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. Just because he was the face of a devastated and pained city after 9/11 doesnt mean that he wasnt still the authoritarian, anti-democratic bully" that he was "for 90% of his mayoralty, which ran from 1994 to 2001.

Said Kirtzman, who was with Giuliani on 9/11 as they fled debris from the falling World Trade Center: His legacy is in tatters.

A look at the 19 people charged in the Georgia indictment connected to Trump's election scheme Key people in the Georgia election fraud case Donald Trump Rudy Giuliani John Eastman Mark Meadows Sidney Powell Kenneth Chesebro Prosecutors have said Chesebro, an attorney, worked with Republicans in numerous swing states Trump lost, including Georgia, 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 Jenna Ellis Ray Smith A Georgia-based lawyer, 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, 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, Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election. David Shafer 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. 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 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 Kutti, a publicist, 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 Scott Graham Hall An Atlanta-area bail bondsman, 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. 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. 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.
With the first Republican presidential primary debate set for Wednesday in Milwaukee, many news articles have focused on young voters favoring Democrats in recent elections. As Politico noted, College towns are decimating the GOP.

In Wisconsin, students have been mobilizing and voting in exceedingly greater numbers on University of Wisconsin System campuses. In 2022, young voter turnout in Wisconsin was double the national average.

Wisconsin is key to winning back the U.S. Senate and White House. Any Republican politician, pundit or political analyst who thinks 18- to 24-year-olds are souring on President Joe Biden better think again. The Democratic Party turnout machine targeting campuses in swing states such as UW-Madison nullifies much of that sentiment.

Republican presidential candidates cannot rely on having an unpopular incumbent. They must give younger voters affirmative reasons to support the GOP and then chase the votes.

Many younger voters share Republican values and just dont know it. As a young voter, here is my advice for the candidates in Wednesdays debate:

Engage on social media.

Former Gov. Scott Walker, now president of Young Americas Foundation, articulated this problem the best: We are overlooking ways to communicate to young people. Social media is the new virtual town square, as Elon Musk put it. When Republicans dont engage, it gets monopolized by the left.

The benefit of using TikTok, considered a controversial app, and other platforms is that once young adults engage with some of our messaging, a positive feedback loop is created. We risk losing young voters if we suggest banning TikTok and other apps. Moving forward, candidates can no longer afford to leave these tools on the table.

The Republican candidates for president should explain how their administration will balance protecting national security, minimizing government intervention and allowing us to use our preferred apps.

Counter the Democrats economic message.

Every generation in American history has been better suited to achieve the American Dream than the previous generation. This uniquely American phenomena has ceased to be the case for my generation. Progressives have the false but attractive promise of handouts and economic equality. How will the GOP candidates counter this message?

Address climate change.

Generation Z, which includes voters up to 24 years old, considers climate change a top issue. The GOP candidates shouldnt avoid the topic  this is a messaging war. Democrats are in favor of importing oil from dictatorships abroad while costing us jobs at home. The Republican hopefuls should explain what their energy policy will look like. Would it include an investment in nuclear energy?

Dont talk down to us.

The candidates should articulate what they are genuinely interested in. They should show that they appreciate young peoples votes.

Be practical.

For example, abolishing the Department of Education alone will not cure the indoctrination that is very real in the lives of American youth.

Get us motivated to vote.

The GOP candidates should talk about college athletes getting paid. They should favor affordable education and making car ownership more attainable.

Every candidate should engage with young voters and reclaim the social media space. The conservative candidates willingness to address these questions will determine the Republicans success in the next election. Democrats should not be given a free pass in continuing their monopoly on young voters.
Jerome Prosecuting Attorney Brad Calbo was back in jail this week.

Calbos legal troubles worsened after being charged Aug. 3 in Jerome with violating a no-contact order placed on him after being hit with felony charges related to a domestic dispute on the Oregon Coast.

Court records from Lincoln County, Oregon, show that Calbo, 54, was arrested Monday on a warrant. He is being held on a $500,000 bond and a trial is set for Oct. 11.

Calbo was listed Friday on the countys inmate roster.

Meanwhile, Jerome County commissioners are monitoring the situation.

We just want to make sure we are being careful and looking out for our people, said commission chairman Ben Crouch.

Commissioners recently passed a motion to subpoena Calbo in an effort to get forthright answers from him about his intentions, Crouch said, but have not acted on filing a subpoena.

Ever since Calbo was released from jail in June, commissioners have unsuccessfully tried to have him meet with them.

In early June, police were called to a dwelling on the Oregon Coast, and a woman said Calbo had physically assaulted her.

The woman said he strangled her and committed other acts June 3 to place her in fear of imminent serious physical injury, the indictment reads.

Calbo signed a release agreement, agreeing to the no-contact order.

That order, however, is alleged to have been violated Aug. 3 when Calbo and the victim were arrested in the same residence in Jerome.

The victim had previously been supportive of a motion that would have allowed Calbo to work in the Jerome County judicial building, the same workplace as hers, as well as participate in counseling with her.

An Oregon judge struck down that proposal on July 27.
Magic Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

The Positive Effects of a Mindfulness Practice on Daily Life

Please join us Sunday when our guest speaker, Jim Percy, from the Beginners Mind Sangha in Boise will lead us in a discussion regarding the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. By profession, Jim is a nurse and is a strong believer in the integration of Buddhist practice into daily life. He shares that the understanding Buddhism provides is essential to his practice as a nurse and has seen that the insights of the practice consistently prove effective in relieving the suffering he has encountered in the world.

Our service Sunday will be both in person at our location 160 Ninth Ave. E. in Twin Falls as well as on ZOOM.

Please note our ZOOM information has changed. If you have been using previous ZOOM sign in information please email us for the new ZOOM sign directions. To access ZOOM please email mvuuf83301@yahoo.com for ZOOM sign in information. In the SUBJECT line write ZOOM Service.

Newcomers of all religious paths or none at all are always welcome. Unitarian Universalists believe in the dignity of every person regardless of race, creed  or none at all  immigrant status or sexual orientation.

Everyone is welcome NO EXCEPTIONS. We believe in justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another. We are handicapped accessible.

Please park at the rear of the building or on the street. Childcare is available.

Join us Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at 160 Ninth Ave. E. in Twin Falls.

For further information, please call 208-420-1345 or email us at mvuuf83301@yahoo.com.

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension invites you to a celebration of Holy Eucharist at 9 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 19. All are welcome at Ascensions services of worship, including children.

During the month of August, Ascension Church will collect school supplies to be shared with students in the Twin Falls School District. Many thanks to all who support our students and educators in the area.

Ascension Churchs Sunday service is available online at Ascensions YouTube channel The Episcopal Church of the AscensionTwin Falls. The building is handicapped accessible and located at 371 Eastland Drive N., Twin Falls. More information about Ascension can be found at www.episcopaltwinfalls.org or 208-733-1248.

First Presbyterian Church of Twin Falls

209 Fifth Ave. N.

Pastor: Don Hammond

Worship Time  10 a.m.

Adult Bible Study  8:30 a.m.

Everyone is Welcome!

Community Outreach:

Sandwich Saturday  Free bag lunch at 10:30 a.m. every other Saturday (Aug. 19) located outside the church.

Blessing Box  Always available. Food for the needy, take some food or be a blessing to someone else and leave some. Located outside the church entrance.
TWIN FALLS  The upcoming Citizens Police Academy will give people an in-depth look at what Twin Falls police officers go through on a day-to-day basis.

The event, usually held annually, will kick off Sept. 13, and the police department is taking applications.

We try to expose them to as much as what an officer experiences as we can, Twin Falls Police Lt. Terry Thueson said.

Participants will meet Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 13 to Oct. 18, and will see demonstrations from the bomb squad, SWAT (perhaps having the opportunity to shoot a weapon used by the team) and K-9 unit. Theyll also take part in shoot-dont-shoot scenarios on a simulator, and test their driving skills on a simulator.

Its definitely more advanced than a video game, Thueson said. They will also be encouraged to sign up for a ride-along with a police officer for up to four hours to gain additional insight on what patrol officers face.

We deal with all sorts of issues, Lt. Terry Thueson said. People dont necessarily call us when they are having a good day. They call us when they are experiencing problems and trials, and sometimes crisis and tragedy, so officers end up dealing with that on a daily basis.

Thueson said the three-hour blocks will give people a lot of time to ask questions, although there is a chance not all sessions will be a full three hours.

The citizens academy isnt meant to prepare participants to become police officers, although Thueson said some people have submitted job applications after attending.

There is no cost to participate, and citizens 18 years or older can submit an application in person or through the police department page at www.tfid.org.

Applicants will undergo a small background check. People who have a felony on their criminal record wont be admitted.

Call 208-735-7200 for more information.
In this two-part series, we will outline the signs of Alzheimers, along with 11 myths as outlined by the National Institute on Aging.

Approximately 6 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimers disease, with most of them 65 or older. (nia.nih.gov.) Lets learn about what the signs are of Alzheimers and then, in Part 2 later this month, well tackle the 11 myths that can add additional confusion to an already difficult personal and family situation.

The signs of Alzheimers

The symptoms of Alzheimers can vary from one person to another. Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of the disease. Decline in non-memory aspects of cognition, such as finding the right word, trouble understanding visual images and perceptions of relationships, impaired reasoning or judgment, may also signal the early stages of Alzheimers.

As the disease progresses, symptoms become more severe and include increased confusion and behavior changes.

For most people with Alzheimers  those who have the late-onset variety  symptoms first appear in their mid-60s or later. When the disease develops before age 65, it is considered early-onset which can begin as early as a persons 30s, although this is rare.

Alzheimers typically progresses clinically in several stages: pre-clinical, mild (sometimes called early-stage) moderate and severe (sometimes called late-stage.)

Pre-clinical:

Research suggests that the complex brain changes associated with Alzheimers, such a formation of plaques, can start a decade or more before memory and thinking problems appear. This stage, in which changes in the brain appear before the onset is called pre-clinical.

Mild/early:

In mild Alzheimers, a person may seem healthy but has more and more trouble making sense of the world around them. The realization that something is wrong often comes gradually to the person and their family. Problems can include: memory loss that disrupts daily life, poor judgement that leads to bad decisions, repeating questions or forgetting recently learned information, wandering and getting lost, mood and personality changes, and increased anxiety and/or aggression.

Moderate:

In this stage, more intensive supervision and care become necessary. These changes and increasing needs can be difficult for many spouses and families. Symptoms may include: increased confusion and memory loss-such as forgetting events or personal history, difficulty with language and problems with reading, writing, working with numbers and organizing thoughts and thinking logically, problems coping with new situations, occasional problems with recognizing family and friends, impulsive behavior/sometimes inappropriate, restlessness, agitations, anxiety, tearfulness-especially in the evening.

Severe: People with severe Alzheimers cannot communicate and are completely dependent on others for their care. Near the end of life, the person may be in bed most or all of the time as their body shuts down. Symptoms often include: Inability to communicate, no awareness of recent experiences or surroundings, seizures, difficulty swallowing, increased sleeping and loss of bowel and bladder control.

A common cause of death for people with Alzheimers is aspiration pneumonia. This type of pneumonia develops when a person cannot swallow properly and takes food or liquid into the lungs instead of air.

When to visit a doctor for memory loss

If you, a family member, or friend has problems remembering recent events or thinking clearly, talk with a doctor. A doctor may ask questions and conduct various tests and procedures to see what might be causing the symptoms. A doctor may also refer you to a specialist, such as a neurologist, for further assessment.

To receive more information, there are great resources, starting with Alzheimers.gov; plus the NIA Alzheimers and related Dementias Education and Referral Center at adear@nia.nih.gov.Alzheimers.
Your news on your smartphone

Your story lives in the Magic Valley, and our new mobile app is designed to make sure you dont miss breaking news, the latest scores, the weather forecast and more. From easy navigation with the swipe of a finger to personalized content based on your preferences to customized text sizes, the Times-News app is built for you and your life. Dont have the app? Download it today from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
If you are one of my readers who still support Donald Trump, this column should have the title, Yes, I Think I Understand You, But Consider This.

If you voted for Trump but would not again, the title should be, Nobody Could Have Imagined the Corruption.

If you did not support Trump, the title should be, Dont Gloat. Trump is an Extreme Example of Governance Weve Allowed for Years.

Obviously, none of these titles would have grabbed everyones attention.

On Monday night, a county district attorney dropped a bombshell case that had been referred her to by a Grand Jury. Nineteen accused shared 41 indictments. Donald Trump, a former president of the United States, was accused of 13. Remembering that a jury and judge must convict all 19 individuals is essential.

Although only God delivers the ultimate moral judgment, I reserve the right to state my opinion. At the very least, Donald Trump is guilty of encouraging the acceptance of morally unacceptable actions  throughout his life. Even more intolerable is the way he maneuvered others into approving of his actions, lying about his actions, and adopting his actions as their own.

In my moral code, his negative influence on others defines human evil.

Trump told Mike Huckabee in an Oct. 7, 2017, interview that fake news is one of the greatest of all terms Ive come up with. Only, he didnt come up with it. The Germans used lying news (lugenpresse) in World War I and then reused it during WWII.

All individuals accused of the crimes in the two federal and one state investigations would be held in jail until trial. With his 24/7 Secret Service protection, it is doubtful that Trump can escape the law. He could have been released on bail or held on house arrest. However, it is an example of the favorable treatment he receives because of his former standing in the nation that none of those things happened.

The investigations seem to have taken an exceptionally long time. We have witnessed firsthand video and audio examples of Trump committing some crimes. Again, because his office was so prestigious, the prosecution must be based on only the most thorough investigation possible. According to established law, even Congress select committee testimonies werent enough to be irrefutable.

Trumps charge of piling on (politically motivated) legal proceedings is ironic. The CEO of the Trump company has always been known as someone who piled civil legal proceedings onto opponents until their will to fight was extinguished. CEO Trump is a master of legal extension before the trial date. He has used the publics knowledge of crowded court dockets to legitimize drawing out the time a court decides the case.

Trumps declaration of candidacy for president is a tactic. Consider this. He was born in the same decade as Joe Biden and would be 80 halfway through his term of office. He announced his candidacy for nomination two full years before the election. He has collected campaign funds since that time which he has used to pay expenses for publicity and legal advice concerning his indictments. He believes (but the Supreme Court will have to decide) that he cannot be convicted of anything if he is president and that he could pardon himself and all his accomplices if he were president.

Steve Bannon announced over a year ago that his organization is vetting appointments for all the political appointments that do not require confirmation in a Republican government. His criteria are disassembling government and ending the Civil Service as we know it.

It is probably not possible for Trump to be elected again. However, the other Republican candidates hanging on to his image want to inherit Bannons list and at least qualify for a spot in a government bent on one-party rule.

That other shoe was a workboot.

Linda Brugger of Twin Falls is retired from the Air Force Reserve and a leaning Democrat. She can be reached at IdahoAuthor@outlook.com.
Piacentino, MD, PhD, is a board-certified general surgeon who takes special interest in personalized state-of-the-art care for all of his patients. He joins the Marion community from Grand Strand Surgical Care in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is a graduate of Temple University Medical School and completed his residency at Duke University Medical Center. Piacentino has dedicated his life to serving others through medicine, according to a news release.
Morocco has never considered to respond positively to the invitation to attend the BRICS/Africa meeting scheduled to be held in South Africa, or to take part in this meeting at any level whatsoever, an authorized source from the Foreign Ministry said.

In response to some media reports that have recently alluded to a hypothetical bid by the Kingdom to join the BRICS group, as well as its possible participation in the next BRICS/Africa meeting, scheduled for August 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the authorized source made it clear that this was not a BRICS or African Union initiative, but an invitation from South Africa, in its national capacity.

Its a meeting organized at a unilateral initiative by the South African government, says the same source, adding that Morocco has therefore assessed this invitation in the light of its strained bilateral relationship with this country.

South Africa has always shown a primary hostility towards the Kingdom, and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, the source said, adding that Pretoria has thus multiplied, both nationally and within the African Union, its notoriously malicious actions against Moroccos higher interests.

Besides, South African diplomacy is known for its lack of seriousness, its improvised and its unpredictable management when it comes to organizing this kind of events.

As an evidence of this lack of seriousness, the source mentions the deliberate and provocative breaches of protocol that marked Moroccos invitation to this meeting. Worse still, many countries and entities appear to have been invited arbitrarily by the host country, without any real basis or prior consultation with the other member countries of the BRICS Group.

It had thus become clear that South Africa was going to hijack this event from its nature and purpose, to serve a hidden agenda, says the same source, noting that Morocco consequently ruled out, from the outset, any favorable reaction to the South African invitation.

Regarding Moroccos relationship with the BRICS Group, the authorized source notes that, once again, South African diplomacy has arrogated to itself the right to talk about Morocco and its relationship with the BRICS, without prior consultation, deeming this to be approximations that in no way reflect reality.

Morocco does indeed maintain substantial and promising bilateral relations with the other four members of the Group, and is even linked to three of them by Strategic Partnership Agreements. However, the Kingdom has never formally applied for membership of the BRICS group.

There is as yet no framework or precise procedures governing the expansion of this grouping, says the same source.

The authorized source adds that the future of Moroccos relations with the grouping as such, whether in their nature or in their scope, will fall within the general framework and strategic orientations of the Kingdoms foreign policy, as defined by King Mohammed VI.

Morocco remains committed to efficient, supportive and renewed multilateralism Morocco considers that multilateral platforms should not be used to encourage division or interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign States, nor should they create precedents that could, one day or another, turn against their initiators, the same source insisted.
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:

People who daily breathe in air pollution, particularly from wildfires or agricultural sources, might need to add a heightened risk of dementia to their list of health concerns.

New research looked at the potential effects of particle pollution on dementia, finding an association even when pollution levels did not exceed national ambient air quality standards. Dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

While past research has mainly focused on particle pollution from other sources, such as fossil fuels, researchers found a bigger connection to dementia with pollution from farming or wildfires.

"At first, when agriculture and wildfires were the two that popped out," the team was surprised, study author Dr. Sara Dubowsky Adar, associate chair of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, told CNN.

"In hindsight, it really makes a lot of sense, mostly because of the fact that we're looking at impacts on the brain, and agriculture we know is using a lot of pesticides," Adar said.

She noted that pesticides are neurotoxins to animals and may affect human brains.

Wildfires burn not only trees and grasses, but also houses and other buildings, potentially causing more serious environmental problems.

Particulate matter, or PM2.5, can come from burning coal and natural gas, cars, agriculture, wildfires, construction sites and unpaved roads.

It's tiny, and can evade the body's defenses, going deep into the lungs or into the bloodstream.

"Just like cigarettes, there's no such thing as good inhaled particles," Dr. Caleb Finch, chair in the Neurobiology of Aging at the University of Southern California, told CNN. "Almost everything that air pollution does, cigarette smoke also does."

In the latest study, researchers used data from more than 27,000 survey participants between 1998 and 2016. About 15% developed dementia during the study period.

All of those individuals lived in areas with higher concentrations of particle pollution than their counterparts without dementia.

It's possible these particles are entering the brain through the nose. They may be causing neuronal cell death connected to dementia, or changing inflammatory proteins, the researchers said.

On the other hand, air pollution could be having an indirect effect on the brain, Dr. Masashi Kitazawa, an associate professor of environmental and occupational health at the University of California, Irvine, told CNN.

"Is that causing the cardiovascular failure that leads to the less oxygen supply to the brain, and then that caused the accelerating dementia, or is the PM [particulate matter] getting into the brain and causing some neurotoxic reaction? We still don't know yet," Kitazawa said.

This research, published Aug. 14 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, does not show that air pollution directly causes dementia, Kitazawa noted.

"I don't want the general public to panic," Kitazawa said.

Even so, Zhang suggests people limit their exposure to air pollution, despite the challenges of climate change.

Among the ways someone could reduce their exposure include using air purifiers in the home and wearing masks if going outside when there is wildfire smoke in the air, Zhang said.

"Hopefully, this is also one more reason that might motivate people to act on climate change and think about ways in which we can slow the progression of climate change," Adar said. "We see so many tragic examples with what's happening right now."

More information: Boya Zhang et al, Comparison of Particulate Air Pollution From Different Emission Sources and Incident Dementia in the US, JAMA Internal Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.3300 Journal information: JAMA Internal Medicine

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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: AI-generated image

By tracking COVID-19 patients, doctors in Europe are in search of treatments for a lingering sickness that is both debilitating and puzzling.

Evelina Tacconelli, an Italian infectious diseases specialist, is seeking cures for a coronavirus-induced illness that's playing havoc with the lives of millions of people in Europe and elsewhere.

Though COVID-19 itself is no longer deemed a global emergency by the World Health Organization, many infections have been followed by a malady called "long COVID." This disorder is taking a particularly hard toll on otherwise healthy women.

Unresolved symptoms

"There is no proven treatment for long COVID," said Tacconelli, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Verona in Italy.

One study estimated that almost half of all people who caught the coronavirus had unresolved symptoms after about four months, with 1 in 10 suffering from long COVID. That leaves at least 65 million people with what can be a life-changing illness.

Long COVID has a lengthy list of symptoms and scientists struggle to understand why some people suffer ill health well after they've overcome the coronavirus. Nonetheless, various elements are becoming clearer as doctors look at large groups of patients.

"There is no one long COVID," said Tacconelli. "It includes several diseases."

She coordinates a project to compile the medical information of tens of thousands of people from across Europe. These include participants both with and without COVID-19 to allow for comparisons.

The research initiative, called ORCHESTRA, is due to wrap up in November 2023 after three years.

Four strands

There are at least four types of long COVID, all with different symptoms, according to Tacconelli.

One is a respiratory form that can make it hard for people to exercise or run and sometimes even to walk or sleep properly.

A second form involves muscle pains that people didn't have before COVID-19.

A third type resembles chronic fatigue characterized by severe tiredness and an inability to return to activities done before the infection.

The fourth version is predominantly neurological, with the major symptoms being headaches and forgetfulness.

Research surprise

The ORCHESTRA researchers have sought to answer two key questions: whether there were long-term health effects after the viral infection and what the results were of vaccination and early treatment over time.

A surprise in the project so far relates to women.

"What was very much unexpected was that women with no other disease were at higher risk of post COVID-19 syndrome," said Tacconelli.

One reason this result was unforeseen is that elderly men were most at risk of dying from the infection itself.

Often the afflicted women are between 40 and 50 years old and have chronic fatigue symptoms followed by the neurological form of long COVID.

Women are long known to suffer more from autoimmune conditionsfor reasons still debated by expertsand this could partly explain the prevalence of long COVID in female patients.

In any case, the initial coronavirus infection seemingly influences the form of long COVID. For example, people who complained mostly of headaches or stomach symptoms when ill with COVID-19 are at greater risk of the neurological form.

Revealing records

The ORCHESTRA team has tapped into the medical information of 70,000 health care workers who have had their condition checked every few months since 2020. Such workers were chosen because they were at high risk of COVID-19 transmission and are routinely screened for transmissible diseases.

The project scope also includes patient cohortsgroupings of individuals with common traitsin, for example, France and Germany.

And it includes thousands of vulnerable patients watched closely by hospital doctors.

"All these medical records reveal that vaccinated people and vulnerable hospital patients who received antiviral drugs or antibody therapy soon after being infected have less risk of long COVID," said Tacconelli.

In March 2023, European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that 17 million people in the EU had been affected by long COVID and the number was rising. Kyriakides has promised more research into its causes, consequences and treatments.

Long COVID is a growing challenge for health systems in Europe and elsewhere. In December 2022, an online conference brought together 800 health experts and patient groups from the EU and US to tackle the matter, including through greater cooperation.

Quicker access

A European health-system weakness that the coronavirus pandemic exposed was difficulty in rapidly accessing real-world data needed to assess the effect on patients and to find effective treatments.

Had clinical information on patients in different hospitals been compared quickly, the ineffectiveness of an antibiotic called azithromycin and the very early effect of cortisone on survival would have been noticed, according to Tacconelli.

To address this, the ORCHESTRA researchers have established Europe-wide information on patient cohorts. This collection of data is based on existing and new large-scale cohorts in the EU and in non-European countries.

The project integrated epidemiological, clinical, microbiological and genotypic information on patient groups with common environmental and socioeconomic traits.

Major support for ORCHESTRA came from another research project: unCoVer, which ended in May 2023 after two and a half years including a six-month extension.

This initiative sprang into action when Dr. Jose Luis Penalvo at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in the Belgian city of Antwerp foresaw the benefits of collating information on patients from different hospitals.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, it was not clear what type of treatment should be used and it was not clear whether we should discontinue treatments for chronic patients once they got admitted to the hospital," said Penalvo, an epidemiologist who worked in his native Spain and in the US before moving to Belgium in 2018.

Patient care

He sought to gather information quickly.

Penalvo began by recruiting Antwerp University Hospital into the network before contacting former colleagues at medical centers in Madrid.

His interest is in patients with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Such people suffered more from COVID-19.

"I had an interest in taking better care of these patients, but also in collecting data on patients and on how to analyse this data," said Penalvo.

Dozens of hospitalsincluding in Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Portugal and as well as non-European countries such as Brazil and Colombiajoined the network.

The hope is that hospitals will be better prepared to handle a future pandemic or to answer medical questions using patient information from a number of health centers, all while preserving privacy by ensuring the anonymity of the people whose data gets used.

Meanwhile, Tacconelli of ORCHESTRA says possible cures for long COVID are being developed.

"New treatments are in the pipeline," she said. "Maybe one year from now, if we are very lucky, we will have some answers from the studies now underway."

This article was originally published in Horizon, the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
Much in Montana and in national publications has been already written about Helena District Court Judge Kathy Seeleys landmark decision in the constitutional environmental case, Held, et. al., v. State of Montana, et., al.

Suffice to say that, at trial, the Plaintiffs attorneys spent the better part of a week putting on a meticulously detailed, evidence and law-based case unequivocally proving that the 16 young Plaintiffs Montana Constitutional rights to a clean and healthful environment (Article II, section 3), and to the States, the Governors and the Legislatures mandatory duty to maintain and improve that clean and healthful environment by adopting laws to implement those rights (Article IX, section 1), were violated.

The State, represented by the Attorney Generals office, spent the better part of half a day presenting the testimony of a couple of high-priced (as in taxpayer funded) experts who were eviscerated on cross-examination and who were found to be not credible by Judge Seeley.

For her part, Judge Seeley entered a 103 page meticulously and professionally crafted decision grounded in the trial evidence, in Montanas statutory and Constitutional law, in the two fundamental rights mentioned above, and in the States and legislatures abject failure to discharged their mandatory duties to maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment for this and future generationsall to the detriment of the 16 youth Plaintiffs.

Indeed, in my nearly 20 years of serving as a Justice on the Montana Supreme Court, I cannot recall reading a better District Court decision. It is unassailable.

Yet, in his typical hand-wringing, not-my-fault style, Attorney General Knudsens office, through its spokesperson Emily Flower, had this to say about Judge Seeleys decision:

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.

Lawyers across the Country are familiar with the old saw: If you dont have the facts, pound the law. If you dont have the law, pound the facts. And, if you dont have either pound the table.

Now, based on Judge Seeleys decision, the States non-defense, and the Attorney Generals response, we can add a fourth piece to this foregoing bit of conventional wisdom:

And when you show up for trial with nothing but your empty briefcase, pound the Judge.
Earlier this week, President Biden designated the Baaj Nwaavjo Itah Kukveni  Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The sun was high in the sky when he signed the proclamation and permanently protected nearly 1 million acres of public land surrounding our iconic national park. Baaj Nwaavjo means where tribes roam for the Havasupai Tribe and Itah Kukveni means our footprints for the Hopi Tribe.

The advocacy work was led by the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and the name of the monument reflects the long history that Indigenous people have played in stewarding these lands.

My decision to step away from guiding full-time in the Grand Canyon and play a larger role in protecting it has been a grand adventure. The transition from guiding 250 days a year to rowing a desk 40 hours a week for the National Wildlife Federation has been challenging yet equally rewarding. Joining the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition and speaking at the White House felt pivotal for this life-changing decision and our collective efforts to permanently protect critical lands, water supplies, wildlife, and cultural and religious sites.

Two months ago, I joined my colleagues at the Arizona Wildlife Federation and other conservation groups in Washington, D.C to urge the Biden Administration to protect the lands, waters, wildlife, and cultural sites around the Grand Canyon that were threatened by uranium mining. We came on behalf of a much larger group of local elected officials, sporting groups, military veterans, recreationists, guides, conservationists, and local and national businesses. We each brought a unique perspective and had the opportunity to elaborate on why we felt strongly about permanent protections.

It was inspiring to sit in White House while observing other U.S. citizens walking the corridors advocating for various issues. I hope all Americans realize that this doesnt happen in every country, and that participating in the legislative process is part of what makes a democracy.

Arizonas 18th National Monument includes Marble Canyon, the Echo and Vermilion cliffs, and the Havasupais sacred Wiii Gdwiisa (Red Butte) mountain. This is the place of emergence for the Havasupai, and for them, it is a lung of Grandmother Canyon.

More than 500 abandoned uranium mines are scattered across the region, impacting freshwater sources for local populations and seeping contaminated water into the Colorado River and other water bodies over great distances. The contaminated water has meant serious health problems for Indigenous communities and threatened wildlife, outdoor recreation, and the economies of nearby rural communities.

As a Grand Canyon river guide, I feel incredibly privileged to run the Colorado River multiple times per year; but with privilege comes responsibility, and it is vital for all river guides to prioritize awareness of existing and future threats to watersheds.

In the birth of the modern environmental movement, the Sierra Club mobilized public opinion to stop dam construction in the Grand Canyon. Like those who wrote to the government then, the collective efforts of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition made their voices heard. Your voice matters  use it.

Conservation is not a spectator sport. Let's celebrate the designation of this incredible national monument. It is indeed a huge achievement. But lets not be complacent. We must continue to speak up on behalf of wildlife and public lands and waters in order to safeguard Indigenous communities, wildlife, critical habitat, clean water and expanded recreation opportunities here in Montana and around the country.
Montana District Court Judge Kathy Seeleys ruling in favor of Rikki Held and her fellow youths against the state of Montana could be described as a 103-page, one-sided polemic on the Legislatures failure to read its own Constitution  particularly the part requiring that the state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. The plaintiffs (representing Montanas future) presented a huckleberry crash course in what the defendants (Montanas present political leaders) were doing to devalue that future. They showed, with current, local examples, how burning Montanas fossil fuel stocks will heat this state and the rest of the planet and destroy that clean and healthful environment.

State Attorney General Austin Knudsens office responded with a chokecherry variation of the you cant prove a negative argument in a hall of mirrors. To defend a law prohibiting the examination of greenhouse gas emissions on the states energy policy, it first said the courts had no business questioning what the Legislature and Gov. Greg Gianforte did. Seeley reminded the state lawyers that The courts, as final interpreters of the Constitution, have the final obligation to guard, enforce and protect every right granted or secured by the Constitution.

State lawyers then made the claim that Montana doesnt produce enough greenhouse gas emissions to have an effect on global climate. Aside from their paucity of evidence to back this claim, its fascinating how a department full of taxpayer-funded attorneys can stake their law degrees on saying a little law-breaking shouldnt count.

And then, the states attorneys essentially shut up, or perhaps, shut down. Against the plaintiffs 24 witnesses and 168 exhibits, Knudsens office brought three witnesses and four exhibits at a cost of $95,000. It paid $63,999 to one expert it never called to testify, due to last-minute strategy changes. That may have been for the best, as the witness later called the states attorneys totally unprepared to challenge the plaintiffs witnesses.

Knudsens office followed up by calling Seeleys ruling absurd, a claim that might have merit if the state had attempted to prove it in court. It also dinged Seeley for letting Held et.al. put on a taxpayer-funded publicity stunt. The plaintiffs attorneys mounted most of their case pro bono (for free). The state mounting a losing defense resulted in Seeley awarding the winners reasonable attorneys fees and costs. It seems the only thing the taxpayers are funding is a state-directed belly-flop.
I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit a dear friend of mine. When I flew to visit her last year, I thought about how 9/11, the COVID lockdown, and other societal changes have transformed air travel over the last 25 years.

A litany of safety protocols is part of the process now. TSA checks and early boarding, carry-on bag searches that confiscate your best lotions, beeping X-ray detectors, public disrobing and other inconveniences have added to how long it takes just to get on the plane. These steps are generally a nuisance, but most travelers appreciate some caution.

In addition to these changes, 2023 added skyrocketing airfare, regular flight cancellations, and lost luggage to the mix, so I decided to try a different mode of transportation this time. Amtrak.

Before this trip, the only trains I ever rode were Tweetsie Railroad and the Carowinds Monorail. Amtrak was much more entertaining. Traveling alone and spending 10 consecutive hours in intimately close quarters with complete strangers was a study in human relations.

My observations began on my return home, before I even reached my boarding point, as this trip also exposed this small-town traveler to Uber for the first time. On my ride to Union Station, I was frustrated that the driver stayed on a long, detailed and very personal phone call as he drove me to my departure point.

Running dangerously late for boarding, I had several questions about the station and how to find my gate, so I was especially annoyed that he was getting paid $42.50 to drive me 6.9 miles to the station while ignoring me completely and giving his buddy relationship advice. He finally finished his informal counseling session as we neared the station, engaged me in some polite banter, and dropped me off at the Massachusetts Avenue entrance.

God was looking out for me as usual. I scurried straight to the correct gate, the last person to enter the sold-out train before boarding ended. I arrived so late that there was only one seat left, and it was in the area reserved for people with disabilities. The accommodations in the area gave me more than ample leg room, and I couldnt have found a more amazing group to share the next 10 hours with.

A salt-and-pepper-haired woman moved her cane to allow me to sit down. She was engaging in rigorous conversation with a small cluster of passengers, one of which was a petite young woman seated across from her in a wheelchair. The young woman appeared at first to be a teenager, but later revealed that she was an attorney with a prominent national disabilities advocacy group. Across the aisle from the three of us were two other women, one of whom was in her mid-20s and had just completed graduate school. The other was her mother.

I joined in quickly with the chorus of congratulations for the young graduate as she explained that she had just completed her masters degree in social work at one of the most respected programs in the nation. She went on to impress us with her passion for her work and the advocacy she had already begun.

There was a natural connection between the graduate and the attorney. Even as strangers, they shared the bond of disability advocacy as well as the mutual experience of CP, or Cerebral Palsy. As they went deeper into a discussion of facts, statistics and issues, the lady beside me pulled me into a direct conversation. As it happens, we were both retired educators and scholars with similar research interests.

Still waiting for the trains engine to be switched from electric to diesel for the southern leg of its journey, we chatted for about 90 minutes in the steamy, humid boxcar. I had learned a lot about my seating companion before we pulled out of Union Station.

Quite the celebrated public figure, Dr. Bennis Blue was returning to Raleigh, her hometown. She is a non-tribal Native American of African American descent, and I found her captivating as she shared highlights of two outstanding careers.

A veteran of the United States Army, she was the first female and the first minority paratrooper assigned to the 82nd All American Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty. She was also one of the military bases first five minority female officers. With a little research, I discovered that she was an inaugural member of the North Carolina Museum of Historys Military Hall of Firsts and is honored at Fort Libertys 82nd Airborne Division Museum.

She retired from the Army with the rank of major and began graduate studies that culminated in a Ph.D. in English from Ohio State University. Returning to North Carolina, she taught secondary English in the public schools for several years, after which she went on to teach at Mount Olive College and Virginia State University. Her well-earned military notoriety followed her into the academy where she became a prolific writer and scholar specializing in the literary works of African American and Native American women.

I found it remarkable that, if only for a few hours, I was in community with these women. In close quarters and with this particular combination of individuals, the barriers we usually raise around ourselves were broken by a combination of prolonged proximity and intentional civility.

I remain in contact with Dr. Blue. As I shared space with her and the other accomplished passengers in the accessibility section of Amtrak 79 from DC to Raleigh, I was glad I chose not to fly up to visit my friend this time. It was a privilege to hear stories from these extraordinary women on a journey that brought us all together, one day on a train.
Burke County could be getting its first Sheetz convenience store.

And a North Carolina coffee chain also is looking to move into Morganton.

Sheetz, the popular convenience store chain, has applied for permits for a location at the intersection of Carbon City Road and Independence Boulevard in Morganton. The location address is 400 Carbon City Road and sits across from Taco Bell.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation confirmed to The News Herald that Sheetz has submitted an application for a driveway permit at 400 Carbon City Road. Driveway permits determine the entrance and exit locations of a property.

The Sheetz team is continuing development of a plan that meets state transportation requirements for a driveway permit connecting to a state-maintained facility (Carbon City Road), said David Uchiyama, a spokesman for NCDOT.

Uchiyama said NCDOT engineers anticipate receiving a plan that meets the requirements and issue the driveway permit later this year.

Wendy Smith, director of development and design for the city of Morganton, said Sheetz has made a zoning application to the city for 13 acres at the property but nothing has been approved at this point.

She said the reason for the zoning application is to make sure that use is appropriate at that location and to meet the requirements of the zoning ordinance to do so. That would involve the design of their building, their landscaping, their infrastructure and their parking, all of the elements of the zoning ordinance that anybody has to do for any building anywhere in the city, Smith said.

The 25.89-acre property is currently owned by Erno LLC, whose president is local businessman Jerry Norvell, according to Burke County land records and state LLC records.

In January, FMG Development LLC signed a memorandum of option agreement with Erno LLC to buy 13 acres out of the 25.89-acre parcel, according to deeds and LLC records. FMG Development is a real estate development enterprise based in Raleigh and Fred G. Mills, as manager of FMG, signed the agreement, according to deed records. The option to buy the 13 acres expires on April 1, according to the agreement.

The 25.89 acres that makes up the property at 400 Carbon City Road is valued at $487,959, according to county land records.

Sheetz.com says each store has a fully stocked ready-to-eat selection of items such as hot breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit, cheeses, yogurt and much more. The stores also offer a bakery and authentic, hand-made espresso beverages created on traditional Italian espresso machines, according to its website.

Waterbean Coffee

Waterbean Coffee also plans to put a location in Morganton. The coffee chain confirms on its website that a Morganton location is coming soon. The city of Morganton issued a pending zoning permit on July 21 for Waterbean for the former Fumiyoshi location at 815 S. Sterling St. for an expansion and interior up-fit.

Smith said her department does have a set of plans to review for Waterbean for the location, but nothing has been finalized. She said most developments go through four or more sets of plans in addition to coming and talking to the city a few times before they submit plans.

The former Fumiyoshi building is currently owned by Sullivan & Vo Real Estate LLC, is headquartered in Cornelius and its managing members are Robert Sullivan and Truong Van Vo, according to state LLC records. They bought the property, valued at $393,226, in March, according to county land records.

Waterbean Coffee has two locations in Hickory and multiple other locations throughout the state, including Charlotte, Huntersville, Pineville, Concord, Winston-Salem, Belmont and Cornelius, where it was first established in 2013, according to its website. It was founded by Tony Vo and his wife, Annie.

Pelicans SnoBalls

In addition, Morganton now has a new Pelicans SnoBalls at 216 Avery Ave. Smith said the business opened up about two weeks ago.

Taste Happy Enterprise, based in Hickory, opened the location on Avery Avenue after the previous Pelicans on Burkemont Avenue closed.
A forecast full of contradictory conditions has wildland firefighters wondering what's next as a record-setting August nears its close.

The shifting winds prompted a mandatory evacuation order for people living near the East Fork fire between Olney and Striker along the Flathead/Lincoln county border near Highway 93. Sheriff's deputies were going door-to-door in the area Friday afternoon. Specific information about the affected evacuation area was available on the Sheriff Department website.

"A Mandatory Evacuation means there is a strong probability of wildfire moving into the targeted area," Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said in an email on Friday afternoon. "Ash and fire debris are likely and can spread with the high winds expected later today. Residents and visitors in the area should respond quickly and determine steps to secure your home, pets, livestock, and family. Residents, landlords, hotels, and businesses in this area should also have a plan in place to evacuate.

"Fire is unpredictable and can change rapidly," Heino continued. "We cannot predict how much time people will have to evacuate, road conditions, etc. We strongly recommend that if you are in or near the evacuation area that you leave as soon as possible."

The blaze is active to the west of Olney and was at about 3,000 acres as of Friday.

Residents in northeast Lincoln County might see their power affected by the fires, according to the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency. The American Red Cross has established a shelter in Columbia Falls. If you plan to use the shelter, please call the Red Cross in advance at 1-800-733-2767 prior to your arrival.

Last week's record-high temperatures from Butte to Libby pushed a lot of smoke into valley bottoms but failed to ignite any new fires west of the Continental Divide. That smoke notwithstanding, most of the big fires in Lake County, Seeley-Swan Valley and Flathead National Forest didn't grow much or submitted to control efforts. But a persistent drought has sunk its spikes across Montana north of the Clark Fork and Missouri rivers, with severe conditions in the far northwest corner of the state.

This summer, Montana is seeing a heightened level of fire activity in the northwest region due to persistent record-breaking hot, dry and windy weather, creating conditions that are ideal for wildfire ignitions and rapid fire spread, Montana Fire Protection Bureau Chief Matt Hall said in an email on Friday. Hot and dry weather conditions have also decreased flow levels and increased water temperatures in streams, rivers and other shallow surface water, leading to recreational restrictions and the implementation of conservation measures at a local level.

A moderate El Nino pattern has settled over North America, which could mean a warmer and drier than average fall and winter for Montana. Without receiving a significant amount of precipitation in the form of rain or snow  known as a season-ending event  elevated fire concerns may extend through September.

Red Flag weather warnings remained in effect through Friday night as a high-pressure system transitioned to cooler, wetter conditions. At the Colt fire northwest of Seeley Lake, firefighters braced for gusts of 30-40 mph along mountain ridges and sustained winds of 20 mph elsewhere. Recent ground mapping showed the fire has burned about 7,154 acres, with crews performing mop-up action on the north and east edges.

That cooler, wetter weather blowing out of Canada could collapse the smoke throughout the Flathead County vicinity, according to the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program. Conditions are forecast to drop into the Unhealthy range for communities from Arlee in the south up to Whitefish and West Glacier on Saturday.

In Ravalli County, the lightning-caused Bowles Creek fire near Skalkaho Pass grew more than 2,300 acres on Wednesday and Thursday to 6,847 acres.

Fire managers were able to map the fire with an infrared flight late Thursday night. The fire is burning in steep terrain on both the Bitterroot and Beaverhead-Deerlodge national forests. The blaze was 20% contained as of Friday morning, according to a statement released by fire officials.
A wildfire burning near Paradise forced evacuations for locals on Friday evening.

The River Road East Fire is burning roughly 500 acres just east of Plains. Residents in Paradise and surrounding areas are being evacuated by Sanders County Sheriff's deputies, according to a post from the Sanders County Sheriff's Office. Call went out to residents and deputies knocked on doors to get people out.

Video posted Friday evening by the Sanders County Ledger showed a huge column of smoke pouring off the mountains on the southwest bank of the Clark Fork River, south of Paradise.

People evacuated were directed to go to a Red Cross shelter at the Church on the Move on Clayton Street in Plains.

Other Sanders County homes were placed under pre-evacuation notice.

As of about 7:30 p.m. Friday evening, the fire shut down Highway 200 between its intersections with Highway 28 and Highway 135.

The U.S. Forest Service, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and other agencies responded to the fire. 
The numbers are in, and they arent pretty  Butte homeowners are about to get gouged on their property taxes. And Butte renters are about to see their rents shoot up, if they havent already. Worse, the Governor and his Republican supermajority have deliberately done this to us. During the Legislature they refused to pass real, long-lasting property tax reform, and refused to include renters.

Weve all seen our property reappraisals. Home values have skyrocketed, as much as 45%, which in turn drives up property taxes and rent. Thats horrible news for those of us who love Butte, who were born and raised here and dont want to be forced out by housing costs that we cannot afford.

By the GOPs own estimates, the taxes on Butte-Silver Bow homes could jump 30% county-wide, and taxes on Butte small businesses are estimated to go up by 7%. But while Butte homeowners, renters, and small businesses will pay a lot more, industrial property owners will pay a whole lot less.

That means folks in Butte, from nurses to pipefitters, police officers to construction workers, to schoolteachers and my fellow firefighters, will be bearing the brunt of increased taxes while big corporations like airlines, railroads, and Big Data get double-digit tax breaks. While they raise our rates, we subsidize their profits out of our own pockets. And thats exactly how Republicans wanted it  this is the share of taxes that GOP legislators and the governor chose.

The Republican supermajority in Helena oversaw the largest shift in taxes from big corporations to homeowners and renters in Montana history. They keep bragging about cutting taxes, but they never mention who they cut taxes for. It wasnt for us, the Montanans who build this state and keep it running. It was for their wealthy cronies, who line their campaign accounts and cash in those favors every two years when the Legislature goes back to Helena.

The governor and Republican supermajority thought they could bluff us with a quick rebate, as if folks in Butte care about getting a handout. We know first-hand what its like when people with power try to stick us with short-term solutions and leave the real problems to fester. We know a bad deal when we see one, and record-high permanent tax increases in exchange for temporary checks is one of the worst deals weve ever seen.

Montanans are starting to call them out on their failures, so now theyre trying to blame local governments. Theyre telling Butte-Silver Bowand every city and county across the statethat nobody in Helena is going to solve the problem. They dont care about fixing it, theyre just telling us to increase the class sizes in our schools, hire less laborers to maintain our infrastructure, and cut back the number of cops who are keeping our streets safe.

As a legislator, I fought alongside my fellow MT Democrats to force the GOP supermajority to protect homeowners and renters from these tax hikes. So I know it doesnt have to be this way, and I know exactly who made this tax hike on everyday working folks happen. It wasnt our local government. It was the politicians in Helena who decided to care more about their donors than their constituents back home.

The Republican governor and his GOP supermajority deliberately turned their backs on Butte, and they dont seem to care. Our only recourse may be at the ballot box in November 2024. Then, remember it was the Governor and GOP legislators who gave you these record property tax increases and refused to fix them.
A new Gallup poll shows that Americans confidence in higher education has dropped to a record low.

While this finding may surprise some, it illustrates increased scrutiny of higher education in tumultuous times. The world has been upended by a pandemic, and our country has experienced political discontent, economic uncertainty, racial strife, environmental tension, and global conflict.

A study funded by the Lumina and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations finds that many Americans question the cost of higher education. Others feel it is too time-consuming and doubt the return on investment. Tellingly, in 2010, 61% of Montana's high school graduates enrolled in post-secondary education. Today, the figure is 51%.

Forecasts also predict that after 2025, the number of traditional college-age students in the U.S. will drop by over 15%, according to Jill Barshays 2018 article in The Hechinger Report. In Montana, the number of high school graduates is projected to peak at 10,660 in 2026 and level out to 10,100 by 2037 (Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, Fall 2022).

Colleges and universities are in a hyper-competitive world. And it's a world complicated by uncertainty and discontent, eroding confidence in higher education, and a shrinking population.

Montana Technological University is at an inflection point. With a bold strategic plan that emphasizes student success, the institution's first-ever strategic enrollment plan, and the value of a STEM degree that has never been stronger, Montana Tech is poised for the future.

How can this be, given all that stands in front of us?

A recent message from Clay Christian, state commissioner of higher education, to members of the Montana University System reminds us that on average, college graduates earn 84% more than high school graduates. Salaries earned by Montana Tech's grads are consistently strong at $58,126 to $70,000 a year, depending on major. College graduates are also better able to weather downturns in the economy, as the pandemic has shown.

Career outcomes data also evidence the enduring value of a college education. The National Association of Colleges and Employers, a career development organization, projects hiring demand for 2023 university graduates to rise by 14.7% compared to the same demand in 2022. And U.S. employers who responded to a recent NACE poll cited student internships as critical tools for entry-level hiring. This finding is striking considering the high number of Montana Tech students who undertake internships and other forms of experiential learning.

Career fair numbers also show that Montana Tech's graduates are in high demand. In spring 2023, 102 employers and 11 new companies participated in the campus career fair, a 34% increase over spring 2022. This record-breaking figure is a testament to the value of our degree programs and the employability of our graduates.

With a focus on STEM education, distinctive programs, and hands-on learning, Montana Tech is poised to continue its tradition of educating students who are highly sought-after in the workforce. And by 2031, the STEM labor force in the U.S. is expected to grow by nearly 11%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Projections.

Demand for rare earth elements used in everyday electronics and technology critical to U.S. national security and economic growth also spells a rebirth for resource extraction, and this opportunity bodes well for Montana Tech's programs and graduates. Energy engineering is another vital area as we advance ways to power our daily lives.

The sustained need for healthcare workers likewise places Montana Tech and its graduates in a strong position. Indeed, the demand for nurses and radiologic technologists is expected to grow by 6% through 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For students interested in other healthcare fields, Montana Tech also offers a pre-professional health pathway.

Calls for a work-ready labor force also position Highlands College graduates well for the future. Through coursework and hands-on learning, Highlands College graduates can expect to hit the job market running, with a 96.97% career placement rate and with the know-how to confidently enter their professions.

These points highlight the value proposition of a Montana Tech education for graduates. But beyond employment data, salary projections, and areas of critical growth, Montana Technological University stands for something else. It is an institution that deliberately opens up opportunity and innovation to all students. Reminders of this can be seen in our research programs, learning spaces, extracurricular activities, and student support efforts. Taken together, they showcase our focus on programs of distinction, student success, and a healthy and vibrant campus ecosystempillars of our strategic plan that center our commitment to learners and their aspirations.

Montana Tech takes pride in being Montanas special focus university, and our dedication to STEM education is intentional for good reason. What we do clearly matters, now more than ever.
Butte has a rich and sometimes tragic history, which we are doomed to repeat if we fail to learn. In the early morning hours of August 1, 1917, seven men showed up to drag Frank Little out of bed. They drug Little through town and strung him up for taking on a massive corporation. The inscription on Littles tombstone reads, Slain by the capitalist interests for organizing and inspiring his fellow men.

Little was in Butte organizing for rights against the powerful Anaconda Copper Company (ACM), which was controlled by the officers of the Standard Oil Trust which had recently been broken up by the US Government into 33 companies. At the time, ACM was the largest copper producer in the world, with most of its massive wealth generated in Butte. Many of the corporate names of its siblings have evolved to be very familiar names today like Exxon and Chevron. Also, British Petroleum which began purchasing remnants of the trust like Atlantic Richfield and Amoco. Rebranded as BP, that corporation has swallowed many of the offspring and exists in Butte as an outpost from its London headquarters. BP is the second largest oil company in the world, employing a handful of people in Butte and an army of consultants and attorneys throughout the US to escape liability on Superfund sites across the US.

Millions of tons of metals were extracted and smelted in this area, including smelter fallout on Butte through 1980 and the people of Butte are left with the scars as some representatives of our own government often tell us how benevolent BP has been, insisting on calling it ARCO, which BP has owned since 2000.

Littles murderers were never caught, but it is widely believed he was murdered by goons hired by ACM. American history is riddled with corporations using the Pinkerton Detective Agency to infiltrate groups of agitators against corporate interests to suppress challenges to profit, sometimes murdering activists in the process. Well never know if Pinkertons killed Little, but we know he was murdered for speaking up for the people of Butte.

As we deal with the aftermath of mining and smelting in Butte, BP/ARCO is responsible for historical and ongoing damages to human health and the environment over that time, the corporation has resisted cleaning up unless compelled to act by EPA, which is recently reluctant to be assertive. After 40 years later, Butte waits for a cleanup. Recently, the public became aware of activities to silence researchers and those who ask questions, sometimes ending careers. The Montana Standard reported on some of the attacks on those who raised health questions, noting CTECs role in those activities along with three levels of government. Interestingly, CTEC has been rewarded with a $150,000.00 grant from the EPA .

Several former BP contractors and people who worked to craft Superfund agreements in secret serve on CTECs board, despite prohibitions in the organizations bylaws. One wrote to the Standard commenting how wonderful BP/ARCO is and downplayed the use of tax dollars attacking science. Last Wednesday another CTEC board member spoke to prevent local government from advocating transparency and ethics policies, and he also promoted leaving contamination in the middle of Butte. His justification was he had worked on the secret negotiations and the people who work for local government, some of whom are soft on BP/ARCO, are the finest staff money can ever buy. Reflect on the values system on display in that statement and consider the value of the allocation agreement signed in secret in 2006, during the judicial gag order.

The spirit of the Pinkertons and the goons of The Company is alive and well in CTEC. In a letter to the Governor, copied to local government and BP, a CTEC board member called for the removal of a state employee for asking questions based on science. Its time for the other members of CTEC to look around and realize they have Pinkertons in their ranks. Until theyre purged, CTEC doesnt speak for Me. Further, he twisted the words and thoughts of Senator Tester about removal of waste, and ought to be ashamed. Unlike a Pinkerton, Im not profiting for advocating for my cause. Id rather be on the side of Frank Little fighting for people.
Rancho Gordo Inc., the Napa heirloom bean company that lost a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former worker, will get another day in court.

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An order signed on Monday by a Napa County Superior Court judge sets up a new trial for Rancho Gordo, which in April was ordered to pay some $252,000 damages to Martha Martinez after she accused the company of firing her due to her pregnancy.

Judge Cynthia P. Smith agreed with Rancho Gordos contention that the man in charge of its hiring decisions could not reasonably have known that Martinez  a part-time worker in the shipping department  was pregnant at the time she was terminated in February 2020.

Rancho Gordo directors have maintained Martinez, who had been hired three months before, was let go because of slower business after the 2019 holiday season, and that she never told managers she was expecting.

No date for the new trial was immediately announced. A status conference in the case is scheduled for Sept. 1.

Jurors in Rancho Gordo discrimination case award plaintiff over a quarter-million dollars in damages Jurors in a trial for discrimination lawsuit filed against Napa heirloom bean company Rancho Gordo reached a verdict Thursday to award the plaintiff about $252,000 in damages.

Martinez, a shipping clerk who was placed at Rancho Gordo by a temporary staffing firm, alleged in her 2021 lawsuit that the company discriminated against her due to her pregnancy, sex and race. A Napa County jury agreed with her in March and then awarded her $15,566 in past earnings, plus $86,400 in future medical expenses, $75,000 for past emotional distress and $75,000 for future emotional distress.

Jurors agreed that Martinezs pregnancy was a substantial motivating reason for Rancho Gordo to end her assignment and not hire her to future assignments, and that her complaint that the company had terminated her due to her pregnancy was a major reason why it declined to hire her back. (The jury did not agree that Martinezs origins in El Salvador was a significant reason for her firing.)

However, Rancho Gordo, in a June 14 filing, attacked the verdict on three grounds  insufficient evidence to support the verdict, excessive damages, and irregularities in the trial.

Smith supported only the first claim of insufficient evidence in a July 28 hearing, according to court records, ruling that Jason Lucero  Rancho Gordos director of operations, who made all decisions on hiring temporary workers  made the call to dismiss Martinez. Lucero testified at trial that he was unaware of his employees pregnancy before terminating her Feb. 14, 2020, and that he had been out of the office on the two previous days, when Martinez told at least three co-workers of her child on the way.

Trial evidence points to a post-Christmas business slowdown as the main reason Martinez was let go, according to Smiths ruling. As sales dipped at Rancho Gordo, Lucero decided to drop one employee and chose Martinez, who worked only part time and was the shipping staffs only temporary worker, the judge wrote.

Smiths ruling acknowledged trial evidence indicates another Rancho Gordo supervisor, Mayra Barajas, did learn of Martinezs pregnancy and likely recommended to Lucero the workers dismissal for that reason. However, despite that recommendation, the final decision to dismiss Martinez lay with Lucero, who made his decision for his own reasons, according to the ruling.

There was little, if any, evidence that (Barajas) recommendation to let Ms. Martinez go substantially motivated Mr. Lucero to terminate Ms. Martinez, the judge wrote. Instead, the evidence at trial was that Mr. Lucero made all hiring and firing decisions of temporary employees, with input from (Barajas).

Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, August 12, 2023
The man convicted of killing Cal Poly San Luis Obispo freshman and former Napa resident Kristin Smart in May 1996 was moved to a state prison in Coalinga, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records.

A jury convicted San Pedro resident Paul Flores of murdering Smart, who spent a year at Vintage High School in Napa before college, on Oct. 18 after a three-month trial. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for the crime in March.

His father, Arroyo Grande resident Ruben Flores, was acquitted by a separate jury of helping his son conceal the crime.

Flores was first transferred to North Kern State Prison in Delano on March 30. That prison is typically used as a reception center, according to CDCRs website.

The reception center compiles an inmates criminal records, life histories, medical and psychological histories and social relationships, the state corrections agency said. Then prison staff determine the inmates classification score and institutional placement.

Flores is now at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga.

The prison provides modern long-term housing and professional rehabilitative services for inmate of all custody levels, CDCRs website says.

Flores will be eligible for parole in about 15 years with the time hes already served and if he has good behavior.

At that time, a parole board would hold a hearing to decide whether Flores should be granted parole. If Flores isnt granted parole, the board will review his case at intervals it determines: three, five, seven, 10 or 15 years.

Flores filed a notice of appeal to overturn his conviction in April. He has yet to file his arguments and briefs to support the appeal.
A judge on Monday formally committed Carlos Reales Dominguez to a state hospital for no longer than two years, but where or when the man accused in the Davis knife rampage this spring that left two men dead will be housed remained unanswered after the morning hearing.

Yolo County Superior Judge Samuel McAdam set a placement review hearing for Sept. 14 in Woodland, though Reales Dominguezs attorney, Yolo County Deputy Public Defender Daniel Hutchinson, was not confident Monday that he would move to a state hospital in four weeks time.

Meantime, Reales Dominguez remains held without bail in Yolo County custody awaiting the September hearing and his eventual transfer to a hospital yet to be named.

McAdam received a five-page report Monday from medical experts endorsing Reales Domiguezs hospital commitment to its goals of reducing his risk to public safety and returning him to competency in order to stand trial.

Its no surprise to this court that we have a state hospital recommendation, McAdam said from the bench, restating his ruling that Reales Dominguez is unable to understand the charges he faces or help aid in his defense. Reales Dominguez, McAdam said, remains a danger to others and continues to present a danger of inflicting substantial, dangerous harm.

As McAdam spoke from the bench, the family of 20-year-old graduating UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm sat silently in the gallery. Karim Abou Najm and 50-year-old David Breaux were killed in the knife attacks at Davis city parks. A third attack seriously wounded Kimberlee Guillory, 64, as she slept in her Davis homeless encampment.

Reales Dominguez, for the first time since his arrest, appeared in standard-issue gray jail clothes for the morning hearing. Gone was the heavy green anti-suicide vest that had defined his previous appearances. His hair, still unkempt, was combed back and away from his face. He did not speak but appeared more alert than in earlier court dates.

Reales Dominguez was deemed unfit to stand trial for murder and attempted murder in the brutal stabbings in late April and early May. Jurors at Reales Dominguezs July competency trial heard days of testimony from the former UC Davis students friends and co-workers along with medical and mental health experts detailing his apparent descent into psychosis that preceded the slayings.

Yolo County prosecutors who earlier had challenged defense assertions that Reales Dominguez showed signs of schizophrenia ultimately conceded that he was mentally unfit for trial, setting the stage for a state hospital commitment.

A dozen cities set youth curfews this year, even though they don't reduce crime A dozen cities set youth curfews this year, even though they don't reduce crime
Overall 3342 children died in Gaza since start of war

Israel bombs areas near Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza

Palestinian Red Crescent: Israel demands evacuation of Gaza hospital

UN peacekeeper wounded in Lebanese shelling

Israel Armenians newspaper: Situation in Israel still difficult

Iran President: Zionists were defeated, forced to retreat

Death toll of Palestinians in Gaza exceeds 8000

Azerbaijani Defense Minister also visits China

Israeli airstrikes on two houses in Gaza kill 13 civilians

Israeli army names main priority

UN Secretary General criticizes Israel again

Building of Jewish cultural center is set on fire in Russia

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting

Russian MoD: Crimea was attacked by 36 Ukrainian drones at night

Armenian Defence Minister leaves for China

Forcibly displaced teachers from Artsakh can continue work in Armenia

Death toll of mine accident in Kazakhstan reaches 42

Israeli PM deletes controversial post from social media, apologizes

Israeli opposition leader, National Security Minister criticize PM

At least 331 Israeli soldiers killed since start of war with Hamas

Baku arrests Iranian spies who wanted to create Kerime state in Azerbaijan

Lemkin Institute calls on UN to prepare proper mission to Artsakh

Moscow, Ankara effectively coordinate efforts to tackle important regional issues

Israeli army boosts contingent in Gaza, enters deeper into enclave

Aide to Aliyev, Iran Ambassador discuss Azerbaijani-Armenian relations

US Eisenhower aircraft carrier enters Mediterranean Sea

Road accident in Armenia leaves 2 dead

Iranian President: Israel has crossed the red lines

Artsakh President: Russian side was in observers position

Armenia Security Council Secretary meets assistants to US Secretary of State, France President

Armenia PM sends condolences to Kazakh President over mine accident

Death toll of mine accident in Kazakhstan reaches 33

Russian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministries confirm the need for normalization between Baku and Yerevan

Hamas ready to release eight hostages at Russia's request

RA Economy Ministry, JP Morgan discuss international market accessibility

Hamas says there is no progress in hostage negotiations

Germany ready to send over 1 thousand military personnel to Middle East

Fatal car accident occurs in Yerevan

Tunis President says Palestinians have right to stand firm against Israel

Armenia Economy Minister, British Chamber of Commerce reps discuss coop

Israel promises to allow trucks carrying aid into Gaza

Erdogan: Israel should end madness and stop attacks on Gaza

If Gaza is destroyed, it will create catastrophe for decades, if not centuries

Palestinian Red Cross loses contact with all workers in Gaza

IDF expands area of ground operations in Gaza north

Moldovan President explains increasing of defense spending

US, Israeli defense ministers discuss military operations in Gaza

Chinese FM calls Taiwan independence biggest challenge for Sino-US relations

US may not have enough funds to help Ukraine, Israel at once

IDF expands ground operations in Gaza Strip

US calls its strikes on targets in Syria message for Iran

Iran warns of potential new fronts against US

Armenia says yes to UN resolution on Gaza truce

UN General Assembly adopts resolution on Israel-Hamas truce

UAVs, missiles attack US base in Syria

Israeli army says its actions are not ground invasion

Jordanian FM on Gaza ground war: Catastrophe for years to come

The Washington Post: US calls on Israel to rethink Gaza ground invasion

Georgia legislature head: There are positive developments for signing Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement

CoE congress adopts declaration on humanitarian situation in Karabakh, neighbouring cities and regions

Lindsey Snell: Armenians who stayed in Karabakh aren't allowed to speak to their loved ones without being monitored

Charles Michel: EU leaders announced they intend to continue mediation on Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement

Armenia parliament speaker: Very possible that there will be some positive change soon in relations with Turkey

Eurasian Development Bank issued bonds on Armenia stock exchange for first time

Pashinyan to Szijjarto: Armenia-Hungary dialogue continuity is important

Hungary FM does not answer question about vetoing EU statement on Azerbaijan military aggression against Karabakh

Armenia official: I dont share assessment that we are further aggravating relations with Russia

Armenia deputy FM on Lavrov statement: Those maps were provided to parties by various mediators

Hungary FM speaks positively about Armenia's possible joining Black Sea electric cable project

Peter Szijjarto: Hungary is ready to contribute to protection of Christian heritage in Karabakh

Melanie Joly: EU monitoring mission in Armenia ensures vital stability in South Caucasus.

FM: Armenia's participation in Black Sea power cable project is under consideration

Canada FM: I was moved by strength, courage of Armenian women who fled Karabakh (PHOTOS)

Armenia FM, US official discuss regional security issues

Caucasian leopard spotted in Armenias Zangezur Biosphere Complex

Imedi TV: Armenia, Azerbaijan PMs meet in Georgia

Sanctions are only way to stop Azerbaijan aggression against Armenia, European Parliament member says

Armenia, Hungary FMs tete-a-tete kicks off in Yerevan

US State Dept.: Reaching of peace agreement not only in interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan, but also of broader world

Mijatovic: Azerbaijan must guarantee Armenians human rights, including to return to their homes in safety

Newspaper: There is deep disagreement in Armenia ruling party with PM's anti-Russian policies

Armenia ready to buy natural gas from Azerbaijan after resolving their political differences, deputy minister says

Kia updates K5 sedan

India considering possibility of delivering Armenia new batch of military equipment, media report

CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities condemns Azerbaijan over Karabakh, adopts declaration

Minister: Armenia's economy has doubled over past 3 years (PHOTOS)

Armenia official on EAEU energy market: Not all arrangements are carried out in full

Deputy PM: Armenia's trade with other CIS countries increased by 55%

Zakharova: EU monitoring mission in Armenia is gathering intelligence against Russia, Iran

Armen Grigoryan, Joshua Huck discuss security situation around Armenia

Russia MFA spox: Moscow ready to host Azerbaijan, Armenia FMs

Zakharova: Charge d'Affaires of Armenia was summoned to Russia MFA

Armenia former ambassador to US: Yerevan should increase Washington's attention on South Caucasus

Canada FM, ambassador visit EU civil monitoring mission in Armenia

Brussels to call on Armenia, Azerbaijan to complete normalization process by years end

Minister briefs Belgium envoy on Armenia high-tech infrastructure (PHOTOS)

Russia official: Armenia does not yet have final position on Zangezur corridor issue

Peskov: Russia intends to find out Armenia PMs words about diversification of security relations

Armenia President attends signing of EU statement on establishing SMART education centers in Syunik Province

Armenia, Georgia PMs discuss processes taking place in region
PNN Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 19:Fybros, a proficient brand of modern electrical goods in India, is thrilled to announce the much-anticipated launch of its state-of-the-art Lighting Segment in West Bengal. This strategic expansion reflects the company's commitment to delivering cutting-edge electrical solutions to meet the evolving needs of consumers. With a legacy of excellence spanning 55 years, Fybros management has consistently been at the forefront of introducing groundbreaking electrical products. The introduction of the Lighting Segment in West Bengal serves as evidence of Fybros's consistent dedication to technological progress. The Lighting Segment brings an array of innovative lighting solutions designed to illuminate spaces with unmatched efficiency, aesthetics, and sustainability. With a deep understanding of the evolving needs and preferences of our esteemed customers, Fybros has curated a diverse collection that caters to both residential and commercial spaces. "Today, we take immense pride in introducing our Lighting Segment to the vibrant state of West Bengal. Our dedication to technological advancement and customer satisfaction has driven us to create a range of lighting products that not only brighten up spaces but also set new standards in energy efficiency and design," said Parasmal Jain, Director at Fybros. The event witnessed an overwhelming response from attendees, affirming the growing demand for high-quality lighting solutions in West Bengal. Fybros is excited to embark on this new journey of illuminating lives and spaces across the city. In conjunction with the Lighting Segment launch, Fybros also inaugurated its exclusive store in Kolkata. Fybros Smart Galerie is a testament to Fybros's commitment to providing an immersive and personalized shopping experience to customers, allowing them to explore and interact with the latest electrical solutions in a dedicated space. Fybros is a proficient brand of modern electrical goods in India, which construct a premium range of electrical products ranging from Wires & cables, Switches & accessories, Switchgears to Lighting systems. It was founded by the management of Balar Marketing Pvt Ltd in 2012. They have been catering to the needs of the Indian Electrical Equipment sector since 1968 by the name of KundanCab. Fybros believes in benefiting every customer by using modern yet cost-effective technology and adhering to superb quality and innovation that meets industry standards. https://www.fybros.com/ (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
India PR distribution New Delhi [India], August 19: Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology, the renowned institution dedicated to nurturing aspiring game designers and developers, has been awarded the prestigious Emerging Leader Award at the EduSpark Awards 2023. This recognition highlights the college's exceptional leadership qualities, innovative curriculum, and the outstanding talent of its students. The EduSpark Awards, an esteemed annual event that celebrates excellence and innovation in the education sector, has established itself as a benchmark for recognizing institutions that strive for excellence in various fields. The Emerging Leader Award is presented to an educational institute that demonstrates exceptional potential and growth, setting new benchmarks in education and training. Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology has consistently been at the forefront of providing comprehensive and industry-relevant education to aspiring game designers and developers. With a vision to bridge the gap between academia and the gaming industry, the college has established itself as a leader in the field, producing skilled professionals who contribute to the growth and success of the gaming ecosystem. Commenting on the recognition, Surya Prakash, Founder and CEO of Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology, expressed his elation, stating, "Winning the Emerging Leader Award at the EduSpark Awards 2023 is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our faculty, staff, and students. It showcases our dedication to providing an exceptional learning environment that nurtures talent, fosters creativity, and equips our students with the skills needed to excel in the competitive gaming industry." The innovative curriculum at Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology sets it apart from other institutions. By incorporating the latest trends and technologies, students gain hands-on experience and acquire practical skills necessary for the dynamic world of game development. The gaming college's emphasis on industry collaborations and internships ensures that students receive exposure to real-world challenges and opportunities. Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology boasts a faculty of experienced professionals who bring their industry expertise to the classroom, providing students with invaluable insights and guidance. Moreover, the college's strong alumni network creates a supportive ecosystem for students, offering mentorship and networking opportunities. "We are dedicated to continuously evolving our curriculum to meet the demands of the ever-changing gaming industry," added Surya. "Our focus on innovation, creativity, and hands-on learning enables our students to become successful game designers and developers, ready to make a mark in the industry." The Emerging Leader Award at the EduSpark Awards 2023 is a testament to Backstage Pass Institute of Gaming and Technology's commitment to excellence in education and the remarkable achievements of its students. The college's exceptional leadership qualities, advanced curriculum, and talented student community have firmly established it as the premier destination for aspiring game designers and developers. (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
PNN New Delhi [India], August 19: In a remarkable stride towards nationwide growth and prosperity, Regalo Kitchen, the pioneering name in kitchen solutions, proudly announced its extensive franchise expansion strategy across India on the occasion of its 15th foundation day. The revered kitchen brand revealed that each of its city centres has demonstrated an impressive upswing of 80% in revenue compared to the previous financial year,underscoring its sustained success and customer trust. With a mission to contribute significantly to the Indian government's 'Make in India' program, Regalo Kitchen's pan-India franchise expansion is poised to not only bolster the brand's reach but also ignite a surge in job opportunities, further empowering the nation's workforce. Shiv Kumar, Founder of Regalo Kitchen, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are thrilled to embark on this monumental journey as we celebrate our 15th foundation day. The success of our centres across various cities has been humbling, and this franchise expansion is a testament to our commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction. This strategy will help penetrate the Indian market deeply. It will give an opportunity to young talent to work within the modular kitchen industry. Our company employees are the backbone of our growth, and every team member dreams of transforming the kitchen of every household." The expansion plan encompasses the establishment of new centres in strategic locations across the nation, made possible by distributing franchise opportunities. This will make Regalo Kitchen's innovative and cutting-edge kitchen solutions readily accessible to a wider demographic. This visionary move aims to redefine kitchen experiences for households and commercial establishments alike. The brand's surge in profits and its emphasis on homegrown craftsmanship underpins the 'Make in India' initiative, aligning perfectly with the government's vision of boosting indigenous manufacturing and local entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the expansion plan is projected to create a substantial number of job opportunities, contributing positively to the nation's economic growth and socio-economic development. As the world takes notice of India's rising potential and the 'Make in India' program gains momentum, Regalo Kitchen stands at the forefront of this transformative movement, solidifying its status as not only a premier kitchen brand but also a pivotal contributor to India's growth story. For more information and updates on Regalo Kitchen's pan-India franchise expansion journey, please visit their official website athttps://www.regalokitchens.com (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Photo: RCMP Const. Mark Tataryn running a water hose toward an active forest fire. Right: Tataryn after fire services took over control of the fire suppression efforts.

Quick action by a member of the Golden RCMP and some Good Samaritans averted a wildfire disaster this week.

On Aug. 16, at approximately 4:40 p.m., Const. Mark Tataryn, with the BC Highway Patrol, was travelling Highway 1 when he noticed a brush fire on the north bank of the highway near Forde Station Road.

The fire was about 20-metres wide, travelling east and was beginning to engulf large trees.

Tataryn used multiple fire extinguishers from his police vehicle, the vehicles of fellow RCMP officers that attended and other motorists vehicles who stopped to help.

Fortunately, a Kootenay Pumping truck was travelling on that section of the highway and was able to provide assistance to Tataryn.

With the use of their pump and water lines, the group was able to slow the fire to a manageable size.

The Golden Fire Department arrived and took over with the assistance of the Nicholson Fire Department and a helicopter from BC Wildfire Services.

EMCON and BC Hydro also provided vital support.

Without the quick thinking of Tataryn and staff from Kootenay Pumping, the outcome could have been devastating for the community, said Cpl. Lucas Sovio with the Golden-Field RCMP. A special thank you to all of the local residents, passersby and first responders who helped fight the fire.

The fire is suspected to have started from a tree that fell onto power lines. Highway 1 was partially blocked with alternating traffic for approximately 2.5 hours while emergency crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

At 8 p.m. that day, BC Wildfire Services said the fire was fully extinguished and the highway was re-opened to traffic in both directions.

This incident almost led to the evacuation of residents in the Blaeberry area, said Const. Kat Robinson.

Are you prepared for an emergency evacuation? Visit the Government of Canadas Emergency Preparedness Guide for information and resources to get your household ready.
NewsVoir New Delhi [India], August 19: Yallaschools, a technology-driven platform that simplifies school selection and connects Educators, Parents, and Students seamlessly forming a trusted global education network, is thrilled to announce its partnership with ItsCredible, a pioneering name in digital credentialing solutions. Yallaschools has selected ItsCredible as its digital credentialing partner for all their prestigious award ceremonies. With this collaboration, ItsCredible is expanding its footprint to the Middle East through Strategic Partnership with Yallaschools in UAE. This partnership makes ItsCredible accessible to Schools, Universities and Institutions in the region who want to seamlessly transition to instantly verifiable digital certificates. ItsCredible's innovative platform empowers Yallaschools to elevate their recognition process by seamlessly transitioning to instantly verifiable digital certificates and awards. This strategic alliance enables Yallaschools to honor awardees with dynamic and secure digital certificates, forging a future where accomplishments are celebrated with enhanced impact and authenticity. Yallaschools' commitment to informed-decision making and accessibility align perfectly with ItsCredible's mission to turn recognition into trusted recognition. The partnership symbolizes a shared vision with technology & trust at its forefront. It is yet another milestone in Yallaschools' journey to providing the best to its deserving students, teachers and educational institutions. "This partnership is a natural extension of our dedication to revolutionize education technology," statedB.Saurav, CEO of Yallaschools. "ItsCredible perfectly aligns with our shared vision of transforming education through innovation. The benefits of the platform are many as it not just provides us with a digital infrastructure to swiftly and seamlessly create, issue, manage and notify shareable and verifiable certificates but also empowers our educators, students and schools with enhanced credibility and opportunities." Educational institutions partnering with Yallaschools will experience a paradigm shift. By adopting ItsCredible's technology, schools gain an arsenal of benefits. Administrative efficiency is bolstered as paper processes switch to secure digital platforms. Moreover, as ItsCredibles digital certificates enable students to amplify their achievements in their networks, schools are likely to benefit from the increased brand visibility and lead-generation ability. "In alignment with the success story of Prometheus School, a leading school in India, ItsCredible is set to empower schools within the Yallaschools network. Through seamless provision of secure, verifiable digital credentials, badges, and certificates, this initiative will bolster schools' credibility, administrative efficiency, and brand visibility, enabling them to amplify their admission numbers," commented Mukesh Sharma, Founder of ItsCredible. "Our blockchain technology guarantees the credibility of digital credentials, which is a testament to the dedication both organizations share towards a more connected, sustainable, and empowered educational landscape." Yallaschools has long championed the cause of accessible education. Founded in 2019 by a group of educationalists and entrepreneurs, the platform's mission centers on enabling parents to find and apply to schools across the Middle East. The multi-language platform is designed to be an engaging experience for Parents, Students, Schools simplifying the process of School Search and Admission, based on SMART Technology and providing them with an ultimate virtual experience from the comfort of their home or office, 24x7, 365 days, a year. ItsCredible is a leading provider of innovative digital credentialing solutions that empower organizations to create, issue, notify and manage verifiable and shareable digital certificates, badges and other credentials. ItsCredible redefines the concept of conventional certificates and makes them lead-generating tools for issuing organisations. ItsCredible ensures the utmost credibility and integrity of credentials, creating a future where achievements are recognized and valued with trust and transparency. Website: www.yallaschools.com|www.itscredible.com (Disclaimer: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
Actor Sushmita Sen on Saturday expressed heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming response of the audience to her recently released web series series Taali. Taking to Instagram, Sushmita shared a picture and wrote, This happiness is a vibe!! And YOU are the reason!!! Thank you all for the love, respect & appreciation youll have been showering on #Taali. On behalf of #teamtaali @shreegaurisawant @ravijadhavofficial @gseamsak @afeefanadiadwala @officialjiocinema @kshitijpatwardhan the amazing cast & crew & of course #yourstruly .Our DEEPEST GRATITUDE!!!. The calls, the messages, the posts, the stories, the flowers, the love notes. All forever cherished!!! Thank you for opening your hearts!!! The world needs it!!! #trulyoverwhelmed I love you guys!!!! #duggadugga. https://www.instagram.com/p/CwICnZct_Eu/ 'Taali' is a biopic of transgender activist Gauri Sawant in which Sushmita Sen essays the titular role. The trailer shed light on the trials and tribulations of Shreegauri Sawants life, her daring transformation from Ganesh to Gauri and the discrimination she was subjected to because of that; her fearless journey towards motherhood, and the audacious battle that led to the inclusion and identification of the third gender on every official document in India. Coupled with an inspirational storyline, the series hits the right chords with some thought-provoking dialogues. Created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar, directed by National award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, written by Kshitij Patwardhan, and produced by Arjun Singgh Baran, Kartk D Nishandar (GSEAMS Production) and Afeefa Nadiadwala. Born as Ganesh and raised in Pune, Shreegauri Sawant is a transgender activist from Mumbai. She was one of the petitioners in the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) case of 2013, in connection with which the Supreme Court recognised persons belonging to the transgender community as the third gender. The landmark verdict was delivered in 2014. The series is streaming on the OTT platform Jio Cinema. (ANI)
Saplings of Indian Rosewood (sheesham) had the highest share in annual plantation drive in Uttar Pradesh with 4.52 crore, according to the official data. Of the record 36.15 crore saplings planted under the Tree Plantation Campaign-2023 in Uttar Pradesh, held on July 22 and August 15, the highest number of 4.52 crore saplings were of shisham (north Indian rose wood) and 4.37 crore of sagoun (teak), according to the official statement from the chief minister office. The Forest Department planted 1.23 crore shisham saplings, while other departments contributed 3.29 crore. Similarly, the Forest Department planted 1.16 crore sagoun saplings whereas other departments planted 3.21 crore. Notably, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath kicked off the Tree Plantation Campaign-2023 on July 22 by planting saplings. It further said that, with the support of public representatives, government departments, social and cultural organizations, more than 36 crore 15 lakh saplings were planted across Uttar Pradesh within two days of the campaign. Across all 75 districts and 18 divisions of UP, a total of 4,52,75,779 shisham and 4, 37, 57,811 sagoun saplings were planted. Additionally, 2, 44, 71,256 Kanchi saplings and 1, 66, 89,347 Jamun (Indian blackberry) saplings were planted. The Arjun and guava plants accounted for 1, 54, 21,109 and 1,66,55,948 saplings. Furthermore, in all 18 divisions, a total of 91, 30,551 Chilbil saplings and 66,48,612 Siris saplings were planted. Altogether 50, 53,660 amla (gooseberry) saplings and 43,46,644 Gutel saplings were also planted during the two-day campaign. Moreover, nurseries of horticulture and silk, and others collectively contributed 1, 70, 31,018 saplings. In all 75 districts, the Forest Department planted 1, 23,52,050 shisham and 1, 16,12,873 teak saplings. Besides, 1,01,59,033 Kanchi trees were planted, and 54,77,414 Arjun saplings were planted in the state. A total of 46,28,575 jamun saplings were also planted during the drive. Across all districts, 17,56,882 Chilbil saplings and 26, 97,062 Siris saplings were planted. The count for Gutel saplings was 22,66,275. Additionally, 20,86,479 babool saplings and 14 lakh 65,194 jungle jalebi (Manila Tamrind) saplings were planted. Notably, the Forest Department also planted 3,67,35,528 other saplings. Furthermore, through seeds were sown for 4, 10,40,376 species. A total of 22,93,21,213 saplings were planted by various departments of the Uttar Pradesh government across all 75 districts. It included 3,29, 23,729 shisham saplings, 3,21,44,398 sagoun saplings, 1,43,12,223 Kanchi saplings and 99,43,695 Arjun saplings. As per the data available, as many as 1,20,60,772 Jamun and 1,04,50,850 guava saplings were planted. The count for Chilbil trees was 73,73,669 whereas for siris trees, it was 39,51,550. Additionally, 45,22,129 amla saplings and 39,67,870 sahjan (moringa) saplings were also planted. Other departments planted 8, 06, 38,770 other saplings. Nurseries operated by departments like Horticulture and Silk provided 1,70,31,018 saplings. (ANI)
This move aims to reduce the number of baseless FIRs filed against businesspersons and traders in the state, which frequently results in harassment and undue pressure, according to the official statement from the chief minister's office.

Now, FIR cannot be lodged directly by any person against traders and entrepreneurs.

Following the direction given by the Supreme Court in a case, the Uttar Pradesh government has taken this decision.

It is worth noting that the state government is committed to ensuring that, to accelerate the state's development projects, there is no hindrance to ease of doing business.

Simultaneously, the government is determined to prevent any form of harassment against entrepreneurs, traders, owners of educational institutions, hospitals, construction companies, hotels, and others, as well as their managerial-level employees, the statement said.

The Yogi government has taken many reformative steps in the past to promote enterprise and business in Uttar Pradesh, including the implementation of 25 new sectoral policies on the initiative of the Chief Minister to establish industries in the state.

As a result of the Chief Minister's efforts, industrialists from all over the world have proposed an investment of Rs 36 lakh crores in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
Members of Bodoland Territorial Committee (BTC), which was on a daylong visit to Chhattisgarh, visited Rural Industrial Park (RIPA) and appreciated the state governments job-oriented activities being taken up at RIPA. The committee visited the Serikhedi Multi Utility Centre as well as the RIPA facilities at Lakholi and Kosrangi in Raipur. They closely observed various livelihood-related activities being conducted in these centres and gathered comprehensive insights. During a meeting with the Chief Minister's Advisor Pradeep Sharma at the State Planning Commission office in Nava Raipur, the BTC members shared their experience of visiting RIPA facilities and Multi Utility Centre, according to an official release. They lauded RIPA as a commendable measure to bolster the local economy and provide grassroots employment opportunities, it added. The committee members acknowledged that they have heard about Chhattisgarh government's initiatives and now they have witnessed it. The members also praised the systematic approach of RIPA ranging from implementation, production to marketing and yielding daily consumable products. They hailed the scheme for enhancing rural skill development and local employment. Recognising the potential of initiative, the members expressed interest in adopting a similar model in Bodoland, where substantial handlooms and goods are produced. In discussions with Pradeep Sharma and the State Planning Commission, the BTC members received answers to their queries and concerns about RIPA, aiming to glean insights for potential implementation in their region. The CMs Advisor detailed to the BTC members about the ambitious Narva Garuva Ghurva and Bari programme introduced by the state government. He highlighted moves taken by the state government to strengthen the rural economy through employment-oriented endeavours within Gauthans and RIPAs. He shared that the state government has established 300 RIPAs in just one year, with two operating in each development block, featuring free Wi-Fi access. Notably, the state government has constructed 1213 functional sheds within RIPAs, providing space to 1383 enterprises and benefiting around 11000 individuals. During the discussions between BTC and the State Planning Commission, Sharma offered the state government's support and guidance to Assam if they wanted to adopt the 'RIPA model'. (ANI)
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said that the progress of the state remains elusive if there is an absence of development among the Janajati community. The Chief Minister emphasized that in the past, Janajati communities were often exploited for vote bank politics. However, since Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister in 2014, he has prioritized the welfare of the Janajatis, he added. Addressing the inaugural session of Consultation Workshop with Pradhan Samajpatis of directed Tribal Communities of Tripura held at Prajna Bhavan in Agartala on Friday, Saha said that the Janajati communities are integral to the advancement of the state. In the absence of development among the Janajati people, the progress of the state remains elusive. Janajatis are integral to the advancement of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is genuinely committed to the development of the Janajati populace. He is diligently working towards this objective, and under the direction of PM, the current state government is working with utmost importance for the overall development and welfare of the people in the TTAADC area, the Tripura CM said. Janajatis are essential for the advancement of society, state, and country. PM Modi is spearheading this effort nationwide. Janajati individuals are also part of the Tripura State Cabinet, and the Prime Minister has ensured their representation in the Union Cabinet as well," Saha stated. He also said that the state government is committed to serving the people of the state in line with the Prime Minister's vision. In this endeavor, Janajati Samajpatis have a pivotal role to play. They must shoulder the responsibility of disseminating the government's welfare-oriented policies down to the grassroots level of society," he added. He also honored Samajpatis of various Janajati communities and said that the development of the state is not possible without developing the Janajati people. The traditional dress of Janajatis holds immense pride in our state. Wearing the customary Risa turban (Pagri) and Kamchauloi Barak outfit at events is considered fortunate today. I am deeply moved by the warm reception extended to our Janajati brothers and sisters, Saha further said. (ANI)
Union Minister Pashupati Paras has hit out at the Bihar government led by Nitish Kumar over the recent murder of a journalist in Araria district and said that there is no such thing as law and order in the state. There is no such thing as law and order. Nobody is spared be it police, public, journalists and politicians in Bihar. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar changed the alliance, left NDA and joined RJD against which the Bihar public gave the mandate, still, he went for that alliance," Union Minister Pashupati Paras said on Friday. The journalist, identified as Vimal Kumar Yadav, was allegedly shot dead at his home by unidentified assailants in the Raniganj Bazaar area of the district, police said earlier on Friday. Hindustani Awam Morcha founder and formerBihar Chief MinisterJitan Ram Manjhisaid that the law and order situation in the state is "disturbed". "...A journalist is being killed, rapes and murders are happening...The law and order situation is disturbed in the state...,"Jitan Ram Manjhisaid. On the other hand, Congress national spokespersonSupriya Shrinatesaid that she trustsBihar Chief Ministerand the Deputy Chief Minister and is sure that "proper action" will be taken. "As far as Bihar is concerned...I completely trust that Bihar CMNitish Kumarand DY CM Tejashwi Yadav's government will take proper action on it..."Supriya Shrinatesaid. Earlier reacting to the incident, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said that it would be better ifBihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumarresigns first and then concentrates on the race to become the Prime Minister. "In a state where journalists, police personnel are not safe,...a woman MLA doesn't find herself safe...even after this ifNitish Kumarmakes visits to Delhi to become Prime Minister and talks about opposition unity, it is better if he resigns first and then competes for the Prime Minister's post," Giriraj Singh said. Reacting to it,Bihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumartermed the incident "unfortunate". Speaking to reporters, the Bihar CM said, "It is a very unfortunate incident. How can someone kill a person this way? I have asked the officials to inquire into it."(ANI)
The first group of 1500 Baba Budha Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from various parts of the country arrived in Poonch and were warmly welcomed by the local Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim communities. Suryia Narain, the Vice President of the All India Bajrang Dal and leader of the first group, was honoured by Bajrang Dal workers. The District Development Commissioner Poonch, Senior Superintendant of Police Poonch, and Commandant CRPF 38th Battalion were also honoured by Bajrang Dal members at Poonch. The first group will depart early tomorrow morning for the Baba Budha Amarnath Mandi Yatra in Poonch district, which is 30 kilometres from Poonch city, to visit the holy shrine, officials said The Budha Amarnath Yatra will continue for the next 11 days. The first batch of pilgrims for Budha Amarnath temple in Poonch commenced its spiritual journey from Jammu here on Friday morning. Stating that all security arrangements have been made for the Yatra, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Mukesh Singh, wished pilgrims on their journey. "All security arrangements have been made for the Budha Amarnath Yatra, which started today. The Yatra will continue for the next 11 days. Best wishes to all the yatris for their journey," ADGP Singh said while talking to the reporters. Meanwhile, as the calendar edges closer to August 31, the administrative machinery in North Kashmir's Bandipora district is meticulously laying the groundwork for the imminent 'Chota Amarnath Yatra.' Cradled within the enchanting expanse of Arin Valley's dense woodlands, atop a Himalayan mountaintop, rests the venerable Maha Daneshwar temple, fondly referred to as 'Chhota Amarnath.' Here, a celestial secret is held an ice lingam, an organic formation that receives the tender caress of cascading water droplets. The Yatra traces a 15-kilometre trajectory through the idyllic Arin-Dardpora belt, its meandering path navigating via Shampthan before culminating at the revered Chota Amarnath Cave. The local populace has lent an enthusiastic voice to this spiritual endeavour, intertwining their support with an impassioned call for enhanced infrastructure along the pilgrimage route. With each passing day, as the 'Chota Amarnath Yatra' inches nearer, the very landscape resonates with supplications and arrangements. It's an intersection of unwavering devotion, communal harmony, and a shared pledge to ensure that every pilgrim's voyage is imbued with spiritual enrichment and utmost safety. (ANI)
GovernmentofBC

Premier David Eby has declared a provincial state of emergency.

At the outset of a live update on the wildfire situation in B.C., the premier called this an unprecedented situation, noting that the number of people under evacuation order went from 4,500 to 15,000 in just a few hours Friday. Tens of thousands more are on alert.

Tonight, as a result of this rapid deterioration, we are declaring a provincial state of emergency to ensure that we have rapid access to any tools we need to respond to this situation, said Eby.

He calls the situation unpredictable and says there are difficult days ahead."

People are being told to only undertake essential travel to wildfire affected areas. The government is "strongly recommending" that anyone with travel plans to places like the Central Okanagan in the coming days cancel those plans. The provincial state of emergency would allow the government to legally restrict travel to specific areas if people do not adhere to calls to avoid non-essential travel.

Access to accommodation is increasingly challenging in the Interior, said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. We need accommodations available to keep people safe and to house critical response personnel, like firefighters and healthcare staff.

Ma pointed out that some camps for wildland firefighter have had to be evacuated, putting even more pressure on the available space. Members of the public are being asked to reach out now to family and friends to make arrangements to stay with them if forced out of their homes.

The minister noted that, if necessary, the government can compel resources for firefighting efforts from unwilling or uncompelled partners.

A cold front moving through parts of the province is still a major concern heading into this weekend. Ma says that its bringing very unpredictable weather patterns that will make fighting fires "very, very challenging."

In the last 24 hours we have seen evacuation alerts quickly fall to become evacuation orders, falling like dominos in some areas. And that speed at which we are going from a potential threat to an imminent threat is incredibly concerning, said Ma.

Requests have gone out for even more out-of-province and international resources.

There is an effort right now to gather the resources that will be necessary to fight the fires throughout the province, but particularly in the Central Okanagan, said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests.

Cliff Chapman with the BC Wildfire Service says one request for 16 highly-trained firefighters from Australia has already been answered. They are likely to arrive next week. A request is also in for another 200 firefighters.

Eby wrapped up the evening news conference by thanking firefighters.

We know youre tired. We know you have been working incredibly hard. We know you are putting yourself at risk to do this critically important work for British Columbians.

We are so grateful for all that you do for us and all that were going to ask you to do over the next few days.
Police also apprehended the driver of the truck, who was identified as Biswajit Biswas.

Based on a tip off, police intercepted a truck in the Churaibari area, they said.

"Our operation against drugs is going on. Last night, we intercepted a truck. We have recovered and seized 61,000 banned cough syrup bottles from the truck. We also apprehended the driver of the truck. The market value of the seized cough syrup bottles is estimated at around Rs 4 crore," Pratap Das, Additional Superintendent of Police of Karimganj district, said.

Further investigation is underway.

Earlier on August 1, the Assam police seized over 31,000 bottles of cough syrup from a truck in Assam's Karimganj district along the Assam-Tripura border.

According to the police, on August 1, a police team from Chthe uraibari watch post found an abandoned truck in the Churaibari area along the Assam-Tripura border. (ANI)
The fresh spell of rain affected normal life.Traffic on major roads including on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway moved at a snail's pace due to flooding.

Many low-lying areas were also inundated with knee-deep rainwater.

Drone visuals from Delhi-Gurugram Expressway showed long queues of vehicles leading to traffic snarl following heavy rains.

People could be seen facing inconvenience in reaching their destination as major roads in their respective areas were inundated with knee-deep water.

Public transport vehicles including buses were also stuck in the middle of the roads that were flooded with rainwater.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a warning with the prediction of moderate rain later in the day. Another spell of moderate rain is expected today over parts of Hisar, Sirsa, and Fatehabad in Haryana, IMD said.

Besides, rain lashed several parts Delhi-NCR region on Saturday morning, bringing temperatures further down in the city, which was witnessing sultry weather conditions.

Showers brought much-needed relief from the intense heat.

The water level of the Yamuna in the national capital dropped below the danger level on Friday.

The danger level of the river is 204.5 meters.

On July 13, the Yamuna registered its highest-ever level in Delhi, at 208.66 meters. (ANI)
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has accused Kerala's finance minister K N Balagopal of failure to manage the state's finances even as the latter revealed that the state was in an extremely dire financial situation due to lack of funds from the central government. Balagopal also criticised the Congress for playing "petty politics" over the issue and Rahul for not standing up against the Centre. "Kerala Finance Minister KN Balagopal has completely failed in the management of finance source of Kerala. Actually speaking Kerala is now in debt trap. The government has no idea how to get over it. The wasteful expenditure has not been corrected. Corruption is one of the major issues in the state. The revenue generation is not at all in the expected line," Chennithala told reporters. The Congress leader alleged that total failure in financial management has created havoc in the financial sector of the state. Still, he's blaming the Congress MPs. I wonder how he can blame the Congress MPs on this issue. We are not ruling the state and as and when the time comes we are raising this issue in the Parliament. Our MPs are very vocal in the Parliament stating more financial resources to the state. It's our general stand, to ask for the finance commission's report, Kerala needs more and more support from the centre," Chennithala said. Chennithala also expressed concern about upcoming Onam festival in the state and sought to know Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's approach towards it. "I am asking the Chief Minister of the state, has he gone to the Prime Minister and asked for assistance? For more financial facilities? I don't know. They completely failed in attending to the people's problems, he said. Onam season is fast approaching. It is a National festival of all Malayalis throughout the world. This is the time for help. The poor marginalized sections of society. There is no sign of assistance from the side of state government," said the Congress leader. Chennithala said that 18 per cent DA is pending for government employees. The assistance for the pensioners is pending. Even the salary of Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and the public enterprises are pending. People know the reality. That's why the people are agitating against the mistakes of the state government," he said. On Friday Balagopal addressing a press conference had alleged that Congress MPs in the State did not sign a memorandum prepared by the state government to be submitted to the Central government on the fiscal crisis being faced by the State. He further said that Congress should stop playing petty politics on this issue and support the state government. "Very important leaders like Rahul Gandhi an MP from Kerala and Congress are playing pretty politics on the issues of the people of Kerala. Congress people are supporting the BJP government. The people of Kerala are facing difficulties," the state finance minister said Chennithala, who was a fomer Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, however, said that Balagopal was indulging in petty politics. "Rahul Gandhi was not in Parliament for so many days. He was expelled. Can you expect Rahul Gandhi to go to the Parliament as a disqualified MP, this is all petty politics of Mr Balagopal. He is a failed finance minister. He cannot move an inch and in the coming days, the state will go into the overdraft. Everybody knows that the government has failed in meeting the very important needs of the people in the state," Chennithala said. While addressing the press conference on Friday, Kerala Finance Minister said, "Kerala is facing financial sanctions from the Centre. Kerala is paying around 70 per cent of the revenue to the Centre and less than 30 per cent of the revenue is coming from the centre. There is a sharp disparity and it is discrimination." (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and a Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist, Samandar Patel, has joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party in the presence of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Kamal Nath. Samandar Patel joined Congress along with his supporters at the PCC office in the state capital Bhopal on Friday. According to party leaders, Patel led a convoy of over 800 vehicles with his supporters from his hometown Jawad in Neemuch to the party office in the state capital Bhopal. Patel has joined the Congress party unconditionally with the party's ideology, customs, principles, and loyalty to the party. His truth has brought him here and I have full faith that he will tell this truth to the people of his area, PCC chief Kamal Nath said. In 2018, the Congress government was formed with the opinion of the public, but Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government was formed with the money power by horse-trading. BJP has been in government for 18 years, but the picture of the state is in front of everyone, wherever one sees corruption, scam, and only scam, Nath alleged. The Chouhan-led BJP government is not only number one in corruption but also number one in atrocities against women, farmers, and youth. Now, the people of the state have made up their minds to bid adieu to the Shivraj government, Nath said, adding, I will also bid adieu to him but with love. Meanwhile, Patel said that he was very happy to return to the Congress party. Notably, it is not the first instance that Scindia loyalists joined the Congress party. Recently, the former Shivpuri district Congress President Baijnath Singh Yadav who was working with Scindia in the Kolaras area of the district rejoined the Congress party along with his several workers. One more Schinda's aide Rakesh Gupta, who was associated with the trader class also left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and returned to the Congress party along with his workers. The State is set to go to assembly polls later this year. (ANI)
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) spokesperson Manoj Pandey on Saturday condemned the summons issued by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case, and termed it as 'harassment to a responsible CM'. "Chief Minister Sorend had already clearly said that legal action will be taken if ED will not withdraw these summons. We will certainly take refuge in the law because justice will be found there," Manoj Pandey said while speaking to ANI. "A responsible Chief Minister is being harassed. He is being prevented from working. Perhaps BJP people do not know how many responsibilities a Chief Minister has," Pandey said. JMM spokesperson further stated that BJP is misusing the powers of central agencies by creating trouble against its political rivals. "Sentiments of more than 3 crore people living in Jharkhand are with our CM. He (Hemant Soren) became Chief Minister after receiving a huge mandate from the public. He wants to develop Jharkhand and they (BJP) want to interfere in it. They are misusing the powers of Central agencies and thinking about how to create trouble for their political rivals," he said. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has issued a summons to Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case, sources in the agency said on Saturday. ED has asked the Jharkhand CM Soren to join its investigation in the alleged money laundering case on August 24. Earlier on August 14, Soren was summoned by the ED in connection with an alleged land scam case. However, Soren did not join the central agency probe citing he was busy with the preparation of the Independence Day celebration in the state. (ANI)
A one-day training program for 230 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs called from other states for Madhya Pradesh assembly polls slated later this year started in Bhopal on Saturday. The training program has been organised at Kanha Fun City in the state capital. The BJP MLAs from four states which includes Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bihar have arrived here for the training. A strategy will be formed for the upcoming state assembly polls under the Gujarat model. Giving further information about the training program, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said, The central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided the program of BJP MLAs from four states which include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Bihar in for 230 Vidhan Sabhas of Madhya Pradesh. A training program was organised for MLAs from different states here, in which the MLAs from these states have participated. These MLAs will visit the different assembly constituencies of the state from August 20 to August 27. Union Minister and state election in charge Bhupendra Yadav, National Co-organisation General Secretary Shiv Prakash, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will address the various sessions of the training program. BJP state president VD Sharma will address the concluding session of the program, Sarang said. BJP MLA from Surat, Gujarat, Sangeeta Patil, who has been given the responsibility of Indore Vidhan Sabha-2, told ANI, When elections were held in our Gujarat, the MLAs from MP had come there and worked like BJP party workers. Similarly, in the same way we have come as a party worker. We will work as a worker not as an MLA. The work of the organisation will be done, we will see what programs can be done, how to do it and what can be benefited by doing it. Various good schemes have been made here, Ladli Bahna Yojana, Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Kanyadan Yojana. We will see whether all these plans have been taken to the ground level by the heads of our mandals and corporators or not. We wish to implement the Gujarat Model here. Just like our state president created history by winning 156 seats in Gujarat, we wish to do something similar in Madhya Pradesh. That's why everyone has been sent here, Patil added. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) has got a 10-day custody remand of three out of five alleged Naxals who were arrested in Ballia district on August 15, officials said. The three along with their two accomplices were arrested on Tuesday, after which a special court granted the custody of Lallu Ram, his daughter Tara Devi and Ram Moorat Rajbhar to the ATS for 10 days, a senior ATS official said on Friday. The five identified as Tara Devi, Lallu Ram, Satya Prakash, Rammurat and Vinod Sahni have several criminal cases registered against them in Bihar. Earlier, the ATS officials claimed that the five accused, who were key members of the banned Community Party of India (Maoist), were arrested from the Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. All of them were arrested on Tuesday from Basantpur village of the Sahatwar police station area of the district while they were having a secret meeting under mask organisations to expand their activities in Purvanchal, according to a statement from the UP-ATS. According to the police, on the basis of input ATS raided the designated spot and arrested the five accused, all residents of Ballia. Literature, documents, pamphlets, related to the banned organization CPI (Maoist), seven mobile phones, and a 9 mm pistol along with cartridges have been recovered from the accused. Ten thousand rupees in cash were also recovered. According to the ATS, CPI (Maoist) was planning for the expansion of the organisation and enhancement of Naxal activities in the bordering districts of UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. These people were preparing to raise an armed rebellion within the country through mask organisations. Tara Devi alias Manju alias Manisha, an active member of Mahila Squad, has been associated with the organization since 2005. She has been involved in many Naxalite incidents and used to see the recruitment for the organisation, and read the police Tara Devi was also involved in the famous Madhuban bank robbery case, in which for the first time Naxalites came to the city and looted banks and markets while firing indiscriminately with sophisticated weapons. Two policemen were killed in the incident and several others injured. After the incident, Tara was arrested by the police along with Naxalite Satish alias Ram Pravesh Baitha alias Ravi ji. (ANI)
The Supreme Court in a special sitting on Saturday heard a plea of the rape victim seeking to terminate her pregnancy and ordered a fresh medical examination in the case. Supreme Court has sought a report from the KMCRI hospital by August 20. A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan also criticized the Gujarat High Court which has rejected the victims plea to terminate the pregnancy and says that in such cases, 'there should be a sense of urgency' and not a 'lackadaisical attitude treating it as a normal matter'. Supreme Court noted that a lot of time had been lost with the High Court initially adjourning the case. Justice Nagarathna said, "Strangely the High Court listed the case 13 days later (after the medical report) on August 23, losing sight of the fact that every day, the delay was crucial and great significance. We may say that in the instant case, the petitioner has sought for termination of pregnancy and she was 26 weeks pregnant when she approached the Court. So, valuable time was lost from August 8 to the next listing date." "In such cases, there should be a sense of urgency. Not a lackadaisical attitude treating it as a normal matter. We are sorry to make these remarks," the bench added. The apex court directed the victim to appear before the hospital for being examined once again today and said the report has to be filed by Sunday evening in the court. The top court also sought the response of the Gujarat government in the matter and ordered a fresh medical examination of the victim and said it will take up the matter for hearing on Monday. "Since valuable time is lost, a fresh report may be sought from the medical board, Bharauch. We direct the petitioner to appear before KMCRI hospital for being examined once again and the latest status report may be submitted before this court by Sunday evening 6 pm. The same shall be put up before this court on Monday," the order stated. The victim approached the apex court after Gujarat High Court dismissed her plea to terminate the pregnancy. Gujarat High Court dismissed her plea on August 17 by rejecting the request for termination of a 26-week-old pregnancy of the victim. (ANI)
Congress legislator Vinaya Kulkarni has claimed that at least 13-14 former MLAs are keen to join the Congress. Many people are very keen to join Congress. 13-14 ex-MLAs are keen to join us. We will welcome them if they wish to join, MLA Kulkarni told reporters here. K Gopalaiah, Munirathna, S T Somashekhar, Arbail Shivaram Hebbar and Byrati Basavaraj are some of the prominent names who are said to be in touch with the Congress party. On Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, former BJP minister joining the Congress, Kulkarni said that We are not against Munenakoppa, he has experience in politics. Those who give strength to the party will be added to the party. In the year 2019, 14 MLAs from the Congress and three MLAs from the JD(S) had quit their parties, which led to the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress government and led to the installation of the BJP government in the State. Meanwhile, earlier this week, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA ST Somashekar Gowda praised Karnataka deputy chief miniser DK Shivakumar and said his growth in the cooperative sector is because of the Congress leader. If Ive grown in the cooperative sector, its because of my 'guru' DK Shivakumar who helped me. I wasnt given a JP Nagar block, DK Shivakumar made me joint secretary of JP Nagar. From there he gave me his support. He also made me the candidate for the Uttarahalli Assembly constituency, Gowda, a former Congress leader and currently serving as BJP MLA had said on Thursday. Also former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had on Friday assured that no one will leave the party and all the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs are "intact" with the party. "No one will leave the party, all are intact with us. There are one or two people. We have spoken to them also. I believe no one will leave the party," Yediyurappa said. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that he will gradually increase the monthly aid of Rs 1,000 being given to women under 'Mukhyamantri Ladli Bahna Yojana' up to Rs 3,000. Addressing the 'Ladli Bahna Sammelan' at Ganaur in Panna district on Friday, Chouhan also said that Science faculty classes will soon be started in Gunaur's college and the Girls' High School of Gunaur will be made into a Higher Secondary School. "I will gradually increase the amount of Ladli Bahna Yojana from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 per month. Science faculty classes will be started in Gunaur's college. Along with this, the Girls' High School of Gunaur will be made a Higher Secondary School," he said. The BJP on Thursday released its first list of 39 candidates for the 230-seat state assembly that will go to the polls by the end of this year. In the list released by the party five of the 39 candidates announced are women. Of these 39 seats, 21 are for candidates from the reserved categories which include eight from scheduled Caste (SC) and 13 from Scheduled Tribes (ST). Taking a jibe at the Congress party over the announcement of the candidates for the upcoming state assembly polls slated later this year, Chouhan on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is completely in the election fray. Speaking to ANI, he said, The BJP is completely in the fray and our preparations are going on. Congress was saying that it would declare its candidate list a year ago, or six months ago but BJP declared its candidates. Our candidates are now in the field. The Vikas parv of the government is going on. Public welfare schemes are being implemented. Various welfare and public welfare programs are being done continuously. Mukhyamantri Sikho Kamao Yojana (Learn and Earn Scheme) will be launched on August 22. Many schemes like Ladli Bahna Yojana are already implemented in the state. The BJP is in the fray on a war foot, CM said. He added, Congress is worried seeing our preparation. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arriving in Bhopal on August 20 and he will launch the state governments report card. He will narrate about the work we have done. We are in the field with the determination and faith of victory. The Congress is in frustration, that's why they are making such allegations. But the love and blessings we are getting from the public are amazing and unprecedented. A huge crowd thronged in Jan Darshan. Many yatras are also about to start. The Congress is upset seeing all this, Chouhan said. The BJP is going to form the government again in the state by emerging victorious in the 2023 state assembly elections with a huge majority. The BJP will also win all 29 out of 29 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, CM Chouhan added. (ANI)
Photo: The Canadian Press The McDougall Creek wildfire burns on the mountainside above lakefront homes in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday.

UPDATE 3:05 p.m.

The provincial government says its order banning people from staying in temporary accommodations for non-essential purposes is in place as of today until Sept. 4.

The order applies to: Kelowna-West Kelowna, Kamloops, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton and Vernon.

The order defines temporary accommodations as hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, hostels, RV parks and campgrounds.

Read the formal order here.

UPDATE 2 p.m.

A day after the B.C. government declared a provincial state of emergency, Premier David Eby has used that power to implement a tourist travel ban for areas that are currently impacted by fires, like the Okanagan.

This order will restrict travel in fire-affected areas when you are travelling for the purposes of staying in temporary accommodations, like a hotel, motel, provincial park or campground," he said Saturday. "This order says stay off the roads for tourist related non essential travel to stay in temporary accommodation.

He noted the order does not affect people who are already in hotels.

But we're really encouraging people who are in hotels and motels to talk to the operator and go home early," Eby added. "When you check out early, you're freeing up a hotel room for someone who's fleeing a wildfire. You're freeing up a hotel room for a firefighter who is battling forest fires in the area.

We need all the accommodation we can get.

Cliff Chapman of the BC Wildfire Service urged people to stay away from fire-affected regions like the Okanagan and Shuswap.

Please do not come into areas that affected by wildfires," he said. "We need that space, we need the airspace, we need the roadways. That is how our first responders get around, that is how we work to suppress the fires and how we work to protect people's homes.

Eby also said Solicitor General Mike Farnworth has also authorized emergency provisions to allow municipal RCMP resources to be deployed to evacuated areas and secure empty properties.

ORIGINAL: 1:38 p.m.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says the scale of the wildfire evacuations means the government will be issuing an order to restrict travel to fire-affected areas to ensure accommodation is available for evacuees and emergency personnel.

Eby says the number of people ordered to evacuate wildfire zones has more than doubled to 35,000 people.

More to come.
The Board for Advance Rulings has been operationalized in Delhi and Mumbai, the Income Tax department said in an official release on Saturday. Earlier in September 2021, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) constituted three Boards for Advance Rulings. Further, the Scheme of E-advance Ruling was introduced with the objective to make the entire process of advance rulings with a minimal interface and impart greater efficiency, transparency, and accountability, the release said. According to the CBDT release, these Boards started functioning through e-mail-based procedures and conducting hearing through video conferencing. A non-resident investor can obtain certainty on its liability towards income tax even before undertaking the investment in India. Further, even a resident entity can obtain a Ruling on the taxability of a transaction and avoid long-drawn litigation, as the Scheme is also available to a resident taxpayer seeking an advance ruling concerning its tax liability arising out of one or more transactions, valuing Rs.100 crore or more in total, as per the release. Public Sector Undertakings can take advantage of getting advance rulings on questions of facts or law pending before any income-tax authority or Appellate Tribunal. To provide general guidance and assistance to the taxpayers on the procedure to seek Advance Rulings, a Handbook of the Board for Advance Rulings has been released by Nitin Gupta, Chairman, CBDT, on August 18, 2023. On this occasion, Chairman, CBDT, laid emphasis on the priorities of the government in the area of dispute prevention and prompt resolution of disputes. The creation of mechanisms like the Board for Advance Rulings is a step in this direction. (ANI)
Janata Dal (United) President Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh on Saturday said that the central government does not want to construct an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bihar's Darbhanga, and accused it of only 'doing politics over it'. "The central government does not want to construct AIIMS in Darbhanga and just wants to just do politics over it. Bihar CM has also expressed that AIIMS medical college should be constructed in Darbhanga. The state government sanctioned land for the construction but they do not want to construct AIIMS," Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh said while speaking to ANI. In continuation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Darbhanga row, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday that it is his government's wish that the next AIIMS should be in Darbhanga. "We are getting medical colleges constructed everywhere. Don't worry. AIIMS came to Patna and now the next AIIMS should be in Darbhanga. This is our wish," Nitish Kumar said. Earlier on Saturday, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at Nitish Kumar over the AIIMS Darbhanga row saying that Chief Minister Kumar does not want another AIIMS to be made in the region. Talking to the reporters, the BJP MP said, "Nitish Kumar does not want another AIIMS to be made in Darbhanga, because if it is made its credit will be given to PM Modi. He wants to keep Bihar deprived of development schemes." Earlier reacting to the claims made by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav that the Centre is doing politics over AIIMS construction in Darbhanga, Union Health Minister said that the state government should provide land for the construction of AIIMS in Darbhanga. "Dear Tejashwi ji, the Modi government does not do politics in development but does politics of development. Our intention is clear. The permission for AIIMS Darbhanga was given by the Modi government on 19 September 2020 and the first land was given by the Bihar government on 3 November 2021. After this, you came to the government and changed this place on 30 April 2023 while doing politics. The expert committee inspected the land to check the land according to the rules," he shared in a tweet. (ANI)
The Directors General of Police (DGP) of six states, including Madhya Pradesh held an interstate border coordination meeting in Indore on Saturday in view of the assembly polls slated later this year. During the meeting, the discussions were held about prohibiting the illegal activities, including movement of illegal liquors during the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Giving further information about the meeting Madhya Pradesh DGP Sudhir Saxena said, According to the instructions of the Election Commission, a meeting of the DGPs of the states bordering Madhya Pradesh was organised here on Saturday. During the meeting, a discussion was held about border states issues with the DGPs of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other officials of these states in order to conduct fair upcoming assembly elections. During the elections, criminals move from one state to another, so the list of criminals was shared among themselves. It also includes a list of wanted and warrants. Apart from this, a discussion was also held for the prevention of movement of illegal liquor and narcotics, DGP Saxena said. He added that the need and expectation of one state from another was also discussed in the meeting. Everyone decided that they would work in coordination with each other and would do whatever required to conduct peaceful elections. (ANI)
Yasser Haider is also the son-in-law of TMC leader and Kolkata's Mayor Firhad Hakim.

While speaking at the press conference he lashed out at the TMC saying that in that party he didn't get much chance to do work.

"Earlier I was in TMC, now I have joined Congress. I didn't get much chance to do work in TMC," Haider said.

He also said that it was his dream to join the Congress.

"Adhir is here. I have been in touch with Soumen Pal for a long time. The only reason I came to Congress is to work as a member of the party. In Trinamool, I was not known as a politician, but as a social worker," he added. (ANI)
Haryana Director General of Police, Shatrujeet Kapur virtually held a meeting with senior police officers of the state and said "Nobody would be allowed to take the law into their hands," while directing the police to keep a close vigil on social media and take action against those who try to disrupt peace in the State through hate speeches. In the meeting held at police headquarters in Panchkula on Saturday,Sahtrujeet Kapoor gave a clear message to the gangsters saying that either they leave the world of crime or leave the State. I will not allow gang culture to grow in the State, he added. He directed the police to take strict action against gangsters and hard-core criminals. He said that the STF would be further strengthened to effectively deal with organized crimes," the statement further added. While reviewing the law and order situation in the State, he asked the police officers to remain vigilant against the anti-social elements who try to vitiate the atmosphere in the State. "Nobody would be allowed to take law in their hands," he maintained. He also directed to keep a close vigil on social media and take action against those who try to disrupt peace in the State through hate speeches. He also stressed the need to provide specialized training to the police officers and make SWAT teams to have a quick response to deal with any untoward incident," He said, the statement informed. He directed the senior field functionaries of the police department to be more sensitive towards the people, give them a patient hearing and resolved their complaints in a transparent and time-bound manner, police informed through an official statement. While describing police as the face of any government, Kapur emphasized the need for prompt redressal of complaints so as to ensure speedy, fair and efficient justice delivery and at the same time eliminate corruption. "He said that a system should be evolved to take feedback from the complaint to ascertain his satisfaction level. This would not only make the grievance redressal system more transparent but peoples faith in the police would be further increased," the statement informed.While reiterating his commitment to providing a safe and secure atmosphere to women in the State, the DGP said that the police should work to develop such an atmosphere in the State where the women or daughters feel safe even if they come home late hours. "He directed the field units to intensify police patrolling in girls school and college areas and marketplaces so as to give a strong message to the eve teasers," the statement informed.The DGP said that the job of the police is always considered challenging. "Being a DGP, it is his moral responsibility to work for the wellbeing of police personnel and their wards. He said that training programmes would be started for capacity building of police personnel so as to enhance their skills. In addition, training would be imparted to their wards in the police academies of the State to make them employable," DGP said, the statement informed.While reviewing the concept of Gram Prahari, Kapur said that it is a unique concept of Haryana Police under which police officers visit the villages and gather information about suspects, especially youth to identify criminal elements. He directed that a database of bullies, eve-teasers, drug paddlers and addicts be prepared so as to chalk out a strategy to effectively deal with them, the statement informed.ADGP CID Alok Mittal, ADGP Law and Order Mamta Singh, ADGP Crime, OP Singh, ADGP IT and Telecommunication AS Chawla, IGP Modernization Amitabh Dhillon, IG Administration Sanjay Singh, AIG Provisioning Kamaldeep Goyal and SP Law and Order Samiti Chaudhary were present in the meeting whereas all police commissioners of the State, all Range ADGPs/IGPs of Haryana, DIG/STF Bhondsi, Gurugram, all DCPs and SPs virtually attended the meeting. (ANI)
A group of sub-engineer candidates has staged a unique protest against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government by begging for their appointment in the state capital Bhopal. The candidates staged the protest under the banner of Yuva Halla Bol organisation at Roshanpura Square in the city on Saturday. Speaking to ANI, state president of Yuva Halla Bol organisation, Arunodya Singh Parmar said, All the selected students in the Joint Recruitment Examination 2022 are here, they are merit holder selected engineers. They secured more marks but the state government put them on hold and gave joining to those candidates who secured less marks. This is injustice, if we don't call it a scam then what can we say? When candidates with less marks get government jobs, and candidates with good marks will be forced to hold protests and indefinite strikes, we will call it a scam. I think because there is a 50% commission government in Madhya Pradesh, that's why selected sub engineers are unemployed, Parmar alleged. Apart from this, they came to know that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would arrive in Bhopal to issue the report card of the state government. The state government should issue its own report card. It is like praising oneself. This is childish, he further said. He added, We have issued the report card of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He has failed. (ANI)
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday slammed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal's visit to Chhattisgarh and asked for a debate to compare the performance of the Congress government in Delhi vs AAP government here. "Why go to Raipur? Performance of our Chhattisgarh government will be compared with the previous Raman Singh govt. Let us choose a sector of your choice and compare the performance of the Congress government in Delhi vs your govt here. Ready for a debate?" Pawan Khera said in a post on X (formerly called Twitter). https://twitter.com/Pawankhera/status/1692852789909811441?s=20 With an eye on the upcoming Assembly election in Chhattisgarh, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is in Chhattisgarh's Raipur where he slammed the state government (Congress) over the condition of government schools in Chhattisgarh and said that it is in "terrible condition". "I was reading a report, government schools in Chhattisgarh are in terrible condition. They have closed many schools in which there used to be 10 classes but one teacher used to be there," Delhi CM added. "Look at the condition of government schools in Delhi or ask your relatives who stay in Delhi. For the first time since Independence, a government has come that is doing so much for the education sector. "We are not politicians, we are just common people like you," he said. Meanwhile, CM Kejriwal also promised 300 units of free electricity and 24x7 supply to cities and villages across Chhattisgarh if his party is voted to power in the state Assembly elections that are scheduled to be held this year. "We will provide up to 300 units of free electricity every month in Chhattisgarh," AAP national convenor announced in a public event in Raipur. Earlier also a controversy had erupted between Aam Admi Party and Congress over Alka Lamba's statement claiming that the party had asked its cadres and leaders to start making preparations for the seven Lok Sabha seats for the 2024 elections. This statement triggered the AAP to threaten a walkout from the INDIA bloc. This forced Congress in charge of Delhi to make clarification that no talks had been held on the alliance in Delhi. Five states Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will go to the polls by the end of this year. (ANI)
The Uttar Pradesh government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has determined the admission capacity for the academic session 2023-24 in various courses to be conducted in the state and aided polytechnic institutions under the control of the Directorate of Technical Education, the government informed through an official statement. According to the approval received from the government, a total of 49,778 candidates can take admitted to diploma-level courses in these institutions. "The seating capacity has been determined keeping in view the interest of the students in various courses in the admission capacity in the session 2022-23. Moreover, it has been directed to ensure compliance with reservation rules during admissions on allocated seats. Under this, a 10 per cent reservation for the EWS quota will also be available on the allocated seats," read the order approved issued by the government. "The Yogi government's efforts to skill Uttar Pradesh's youth and connect them to employment opportunities involve training thousands of young individuals through polytechnic institutes each year. The aim is to encourage students to choose their desired careers by offering them admission to their preferred courses," officials said. Considering the interest level of students towards various courses, the government has determined the number of seats available, it said. The issued orders state that during the admission process, all institutions must ensure that admissions are limited to the designated seats. It must also be ensured that the institutions for which admission capacity has been determined, have received approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for the academic session 2023-24 for admission or registration, read the order. Prior to counselling on the designated 49,778 seats for the academic session 2023-24 in all government or aided polytechnic institutes, the status of approval from AICTE and all relevant information will be verified at the Secretary level by the Joint Entrance Examination Council. The Secretary of the Board of Technical Education will also confirm when registering students that all seats are recognized by AICTE. For the Pharmacy program, admission will only be granted if approval is obtained from PCI, New Delhi as per the designated admission capacity. According to the PCI circular, 10 per cent of the seats approved by PCI for the Pharmacy program are reserved for EWS category admission. As per the AICTE circular, 10 per cent of the total admission capacity is estimated for EWS category admission in other courses except pharmacy courses. For the Architectural Assistantship and Interior Design and Decoration programs, admission proceedings will be conducted according to the guidelines of the Council of Architecture. In accordance with the obtained approvals for admission capacity determination, an increase of 9881 seats has been made to ensure 10 per cent EWS reservation as per the total designated 49778 seats. Accordingly, for government and aided Polytechnic institutions, the total admission capacity under the general category is set at 44139. Under the Self-Financed Scheme, 2162 seats have been earmarked. Similarly, 35 seats under the Integrating Person with Disability in the Main Stream Technical and Vocational Scheme have been allocated, 2542 for the second shift (2 pm to 8.30 pm) and 900 seats for PPP mode institutions. The Yogi government has provided significant relief to specially-abled students pursuing technical education while residing in hostels. At the Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology for Handicapped in Kanpur, the food subsidy for male and female students has been increased from 250 to 1000 rupees. In this institute, 150 differently-abled students from all over the state live and study in diploma-aided courses. It is noteworthy that there was a demand for increasing the food subsidy for a long time. According to the proposal received as per this demand, the government has decided to increase the food subsidy by four times. (ANI)
Back in June, Marc Andreessen, co-founder of tech investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, and my fellow graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (go Illini!), wrote about how artificial intelligence was going to save the world.

It is a sweeping cri de coeur against tech skeptics who are concerned about the potential downsides of AI, including doomsday scenarios like the one portrayed in The Terminator, where a sentient AI realizes humans are the chief threat to its continued existence and sets out to exterminate them from the planet.

Advertisement

In contrast, Andreessen argues that AI can make everything we care about better.

Now, however, when it comes to books, something close to the opposite as true as AI is being used to generate heaps of content masquerading as quality work, but is in reality a giant pile of junk.

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Writer and independent publishing expert Jane Friedman recently experienced this when she accessed her Goodreads page one day and found a couple of new books with herself listed as the author, including Promote to Prosper: Strategies to Skyrocket Your eBook Sales on Amazon.

While this is the kind of information Friedman may share with her audience, she did not write these books, but here was someone (or something) using her reputation, hard-won over decades in publishing, to try to grab a couple of bucks on AI-produced schlock.

The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman. (University of Chicago Press )

I have to say I took extra offense because Friedman was the editor of my second book many moons in the past. Since leaving publishing and going independent, she has been an example of clear, straight talk that benefits writers. Her book with the University of Chicago Press, The Business of Being a Writer is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how to forge a path as a professional writer.

Friedmans work literally depends on her good reputation, so the existence of this junk under her name had the real potential to do harm. As Friedman documents on her own website, Amazon (which owns Goodreads) first responded with a shoulder shrug, saying that unless Friedman could prove that they infringed on her copyright, because her name is not sufficiently unique, theres not much they could do.

After using her platform to raise a fuss, Amazon did remove the books from her Goodreads profile, but Friedman notes that without that platform, its entirely possible the books would have remained.

Andreessens rosy picture of the potential for artificial intelligence to unleash an unprecedented flowering of human ingenuity fails to take into account that the first adoption of new technology always seems to be by folks trying to make a quick buck.

In theory, it shouldnt be hard for Amazon to require proof of authorship before uploading books to Goodreads or the Amazon store, but in truth, Amazons incentives to block these products are limited. After all, a sale is a sale.

You might also have seen a raft of AI-generated guidebooks promoted through fake reviews showing up online in recent months. Do not buy these, no matter the bargain. Stick with Rick Steves or the like.

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Readers are going to have to adopt a caveat emptor approach when it comes to making sure some books are what theyre actually purporting to be. In the worst-case scenario, reams of misinformation could flood the market, looking like legitimate sources, but really just being AI-regurgitated junk.

Of course, another handy solution is to avoid purchasing books in marketplaces that may not have been vetted by trustworthy sources.

Your local bookstore operated by bookseller professionals is like a shield against the torrent of crap, no caveat emptor necessary.

John Warner is the author of Why They Cant Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.

Twitter @biblioracle

Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

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John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books youve read.

1. Either/Or by Elif Batuman

2. The Guest by Emma Cline

3. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese

4. Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane

5. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

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 Christine O., Chicago

Jennifer Haigh is a writer who consistently produces astute explorations of character paired with page-turning stories that touch on contemporary events. Mercy Street is her latest and its a good fit for Christine.

1. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

2. Killing Floor by Lee Child

3. What It Is by Lynda Barry

4. Blankets by Craig Thompson

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5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

 Blake E., New York

Since I can tell from the list that Blake is open to graphic novels, Im going to recommend Nick Drnasos Acting Class, a kaleidoscope of different lives brought together into a tense and revealing experience.

1. Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson

2. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

3. The Bereaved by Julia Park Tracey

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4. Unmasked: My Life Solving Americas Cold Cases by Paul Holes and Robin Gaby Fisher

5. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

 Jennifer S., Glen Ellyn

For Jennifer, Im recommending Susanna Clarkes strange and inventive fable, Piranesi.

Get a reading from the Biblioracle

Send a list of the last five books youve read and your hometown to biblioracle@gmail.com
The Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) of the Chandigarh Police on Saturday said it has arrested a prime accused believed to be the high profile hawala operator and mastermind of many shell companies having links with the International drug money transfer network in Punjab and Chandigarh. Police apprehended the accused from Nehru Place, New Delhi and later arrested him in a recent drug case. Police have identified the accused as Money Kalra, a resident of phase 2, Dugri, Ludhiana. "The breakthrough was achieved as a follow-up of the recent drug case, on the direction of Ketan Bansal, IPS, SP/Crime and DSP Crime Udaypal Singh and under the supervision of Inspector Satvinder Singh. The team comprised of SI Baljeet, SI Satyawan, HC Anil, Ct Praveen, Ct Ravinder, Ct Sandeep, Ct. Jasbeer," the statement further informed. Earlier, ANTF arrested the six drug peddlers following the thread of drug dealers/suppliers and recovered Rs 78 lakhs in cash along with 200 grams of heroin, 108 grams of amphetamine, one pistol and 5 live cartridges. On the interrogation of Chandan, it was found that he had given 6.5 lakh cash drug money to one Money Kalra in Sector 45, Chandigarh who is wanted by NCB. "A hunt was made and Kalra was apprehended and arrested in the present case". On interrogation, Kalra disclosed that he alongwith his father Surinder Kalra and brother Sunny Kalra are actively involved in International Drug Syndicate. "They are running shell companies in the name of 'Abhi IMPEX companies', etc. Through these, they laundered drug money. They also used Hawala channels to move around illegal drug money. Money Kalra and his father were actively involved in importing three consignments of illegal heroin from international sources," officials said. Primary investigations indicate that they are involved in transferring almost 250-350 crores from India to UAE through these shell companies and Hawala operators. "The accused along with his father and brother own multiple shell companies which are involved in transferring drug money out of the nation. They also employ the Hawala channel for transfer of the drug money. They use legal import goods to conceal the drugs including illegal heroin and bring them into India," officials said. (ANI)
In a significant stride towards bolstering anti-Maoist endeavors, Sujoy Lal Thaosen, Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), embarked on a two-day visit to Jharkhand, officials said on Saturday. This two-day visit, August 18-19, came in the wake of recent anti-Maoist operations in the West Singhbhum region, resulting in the obliteration of a Naxal camp and substantial recoveries of IEDs, explosives, and ration materials. During the said operation against the Maoists, three personnel of the security forces made the ultimate sacrifice while one jawan was wounded. Thaosen, DG CRPF, alongside senior officers, arrived at Chaibasa on Saturday. The primary objectives were to uplift the morale of the officers and personnel involved in the operation, assess operational readiness, and ensure strategic preparedness. Detailed deliberations took place with local police and CRPF officials, delving into meticulous strategic planning to combat the Maoist threat. Subsequently, DG CRPF and the senior officials proceeded to visit the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the interior area of West Singhbhum. Amidst the ranks, DG CRPF instilled a renewed sense of purpose and determination, acknowledging the valiant service of officers and troops deployed in the region. In his address, DG CRPF praised the ongoing anti-Maoist operations within Jharkhand. He affirmed that the Maoist movement in the state is in its final stages, confined to an extremely limited area. DG CRPF expressed unwavering confidence that the remaining Maoist activities would be swiftly quelled, and security forces are on the cusp of achieving a decisive victory over this menace. He lauded the valour and courage exhibited by CRPF personnel in their relentless fight against Naxalism. Sujoy Lal Thaosen, DG CRPF held discussions with senior officials of CRPF and also met DG Jharkhand Police and other senior officials at Ranchi. The discussions revolved around the current Maoist landscape in the state and the tactical strategies employed by security forces to counter the threat. (ANI)
The Special Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested a key accused in a case linked to the smuggling of arms, explosives and narcotics from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district, officials said on Saturday. The accused identified as Mohammad Javed who was wanted in the Narco terror case registered at Poonch police station, was arrested from Delhi, the official added. The official further said that the accused had fled the scene after his three accomplices were arrested along with a huge cache of arms, explosives and narcotics near the border fence in the Karmara area of Poonch on the intervening night of May 30 and 31. Brief facts of the case are that on May 30 this year, an attempt was made by four associates in a narco terror module to smuggle drugs and explosives into India across the border fence at Poonch, the official said. The accused persons were intercepted by Sikh LI and apprehended with arms, ammunition, IEDs and heroin. After investigation, it was revealed that the group of four persons (of which one had absconded from the spot) were being supervised by key accused Md Javed who was also absconding. Upon technical surveillance and human intelligence, it was ascertained that Md Javed was hiding in Delhi, where a team of SIA led by Insp Lakhvir was dispatched and Md. Javed was apprehended. The SIA Jammu took over the case on July 6 this year. Further investigation into aspects of cross border operation of this narco terror syndicate which is found smuggling arms, explosives and narcotics consignments across the border is ongoing at SIA Jammu. So also aspects of amassing disproportionate wealth in short periods of time as is seen in the instant case is being investigated, the official added. (ANI)
United States former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender himself to the Fulton County jail next week in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, CNN reported citing sources. On Monday, Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged with a plot to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis set the date August 25 as a deadline for his surrender. Negotiations between Trumps lawyers and Willis prosecutors are expected to continue into next week, ahead of the surrender deadline. The exact timing of Trumps surrender remains unclear. Trumps expected surrender in Georgia comes the same week as the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle. The former president, however, is planning to skip the event and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson, multiple sources familiar with his plans told CNN on Friday though he could change his mind, as per CNN. Trump now faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases. His surrender and arraignment in Georgiaare expected to look differentfrom those in his previous three criminal cases. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has previously suggested he wants to treat Trump and the others named in the indictment similar to any other defendant. This could mean that they would have mugshots taken and be fingerprinted. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched the investigation into Trump and his associates nearly two years ago, reported New York Post. After all the 19 people were charged in connection with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election on Monday, Willis told reporters at a late-night press conference that she intended to try all 19 defendants together and that they would be given less than two weeks to turn themselves in. I am giving the defendants the opportunity to voluntarily surrender no later than noon on Friday the 25th day of August 2023, Willis said. Hoping to move quickly, Willis added that her office will be seeking to take the case to trial within the next six months. If approved by a judge, that would make Georgia the first jurisdiction and Willis the first prosecutor to put a former American president on trial, as per New York Post. (ANI)
Debate on siren's role in deadly Hawaii wildfires forces local official to resign

Xinhua) 09:35, August 19, 2023

Herman Andaya defended the agency's decision at Wednesday's media briefing, saying the system was used primarily to warn the public of tsunamis.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- As the death toll from the Hawaii wildfires keeps rising, the debate has got heated around whether sirens could have made a difference against the deadliest fires in modern U.S. history.

The fires that started on Aug. 8 in Maui Island killed 111 people as of Thursday, with the death toll expected to rise as searches continue.

When the wildfires broke out, residents said they were not evacuated and none of the island's 80 warning sirens sounded for evacuation.

The Maui County Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for sounding the sirens, faced intense criticism because it didn't activate the system before the disaster.

The agency's head, Herman Andaya, resigned on Thursday facing increasing criticism for the agency's response to the crisis. But he cited health reasons for his resignation, according to the official Facebook page of Maui County.

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. (Photo by Yang Pingjun/Xinhua)

Andaya defended the agency's decision at Wednesday's media briefing, saying the system was used primarily to warn the public of tsunamis.

He said people were trained to evacuate to higher ground, and he was afraid at that time that people would have gone mountainside into the path of fires if the sirens were sounded that night.

The siren system has not been used either in Maui or in other jurisdictions around the state for wildfires, Andaya said.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green backed Andaya's reasoning, saying at the briefing that "in those cases (of wildfires) had a siren gone off, I would have been expecting a tsunami to come."

The county's siren system is used to warn the public about natural disasters and other emergencies. The system includes outdoor sirens, warnings that are broadcast on TV and radio, as well as wireless alerts texted to cellphones.

The photo taken with a mobile phone on Aug. 15, 2023 shows a shelter for evacuees from the wildfires on Maui Island, Hawaii, the United States. (Xinhua)

The agency did activate the warning systems for cellphones, TV and radio stations. But widespread power and signal outages limited the reach, because electrical power and cell service were down when high winds hit the island.

The sirens, however, are solar-powered and can sound even during power outage. But some experts said it's unclear if sirens could have made a difference in the Maui fires.

Sarah DeYoung, a professor at the University of Delaware, told National Public Radio that sirens had limitations because they couldn't tell people exactly what to do.

Despite the limitations, she said, "It's better to give people more information than not enough."

The Maui County's emergency response is under review by the Hawaii Attorney General's office.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
An autopsy performed Saturday confirmed the drowning of a 12-year-old boy who disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Michigan just offshore of a Rogers Park neighborhood beach.

The boy entered the lake from Jarvis Beach near the 1200 block of West Jarvis Avenue just after 6 p.m. Wednesday, but was underwater for an extended amount of time before he was pulled ashore, according to Chicago police.

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The child, Fred Elouga, also of Rogers Park, was rushed to Lurie Childrens Hospital in critical condition before he was pronounced dead the following afternoon, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. The autopsy determined the boy died from drowning in a death that was ruled accidental.

As of Tuesday, 24 people had drowned in Lake Michigan this year, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which monitors drowning deaths on the Great Lakes. Throughout the summer, National Weather Service and city park officials have monitored rip currents to alert swimmers when to avoid the water.

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Rip currents are strong shoreline water currents that flow outward toward deeper water and can overwhelm even experienced swimmers.

wlee@chicagotribune.com
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has agreed to a "D-Day" for the possible military intervention to restore the democracy in Niger after the Presidential Guard toppled the government and removed President Mohamed Bazoum last month, Al Jazeera reported. The ECOWAS agreed on Friday to activate a standby force as a last resort if diplomatic efforts fail, a senior official said without disclosing when that is. We are ready to go any time the order is given, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said during the closing ceremony of a two-day meeting of West African army chiefs in Ghanas capital, Accra. The D-day is also decided. Weve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention, he said, emphasising that ECOWAS was still seeking to engage peacefully with Nigers military leaders, as per Al Jazeera. As we speak, we are still readying mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door, he added. The defence chiefs met to fine-tune details of the potential military operation to restore Bazoum if ongoing negotiations with the coup leaders fail, reported Al Jazeera. Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa, both the military and the civilian components, are ready to answer to the call of duty, Musah said. Niger has been engulfed in political chaos since late last month when President Mohamed Bazoum was ousted in a coup detat by the presidential guard. Bazoum has said he has been deprived of all human contact and was given just dry rice and pasta by the military junta, CNN reported. The Niger junta on Sunday even stated that it had gathered evidence to prosecute the countrys ousted President Mohamed Bazoum for high treason." The coup has drawn severe criticism from the West, especially the US and France. However, African countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea have expressed support for Nigers new military authorities. (ANI)
As per ARY News, the arrests were made in districts including Lahore, Bahawalpur, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Chiniot, Kasur, Multan, and Mandi Bahauddin during an intelligence-based operation.

According to the statement by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) spokesman, the arrested terrorists were planning dangerous activities.

According to ARY News, a substantial cache of arms and ammunition including explosive materials, detonators, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), fuses, and a substantial amount of cash, was recovered from the apprehended terrorists.

Moreover, the cases have been filed against the accused individuals and an investigation is being launched into the matter.

Earlier, at least two people, whom Pakistani officials termed as terrorists, were killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's North Waziristan area, Geo News reported.

The Pakistani military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, said that on the night of August 14-15, the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation after receiving the report regarding the presence of terrorists in North Waziristans Razmak area. (ANI)
Indian Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor on Friday said India upholds and promotes the principles of Buddhism globally. Buddhism, with its profound teachings of compassion, wisdom, peace and harmony, has been a cornerstone of Indian society for centuries. India, the land where the light of Buddha's wisdom first shone, continues to uphold and promote these principles globally. In Russia, Buddhism is one of the four main recognized religions, the Indian Ambassador said while addressing the International Buddhist Forum in Buryatia. Kapoor made his address in the presence of the senior lama of a Buddhist monastery in Mongolia and Russia, Pandito Khambo Lama. Kapoor said the spiritual ties between India, Russia date back several millennia. Our shared spiritual history is woven with the threads of Buddhism, which has transcended geographical borders to become an integral part of our cultural ties. As we deliberate on the various themes in this conference, it is essential to explore the ancient links between the Indo-Himalayan form of Buddhism and the Buddhism followed in Russia, he said. He added that: The intertwining of our spiritual roots can be traced back to the diffusion of Buddhism from India to Tibet and beyond. The Indian Ambassador said the countrys government has over the years, taken significant initiatives to foster the spirit of Buddhism in India. One of these was the establishment of the 'Buddhist Tourism Circuit', which connects important Buddhist heritage pilgrimage sites in India associated with the Buddha's life, he said. He further said: A unique and historic project is also coming up in Lumbini, Nepal, the birth place of Siddharth Gautam. On May 16, 2022, during the Buddha Jayanti Vesak Day, the Prime Minister of India along with the Prime Minister of Nepal laid the Foundation Stone for a world-class 'India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage' in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. Kapoor said the bonds between the Indo-Himalayan form of Buddhism and the Buddhism practised in Russia are a testament to the enduring power of spirituality to transcend borders. As we continue our journey, let us draw inspiration from our shared heritage, utilizing its timeless wisdom to navigate the challenges of our times. Let us forge ahead, hand in hand, as custodians of an ancient legacy that continues to illuminate our lives, he said. Kapoor on Friday tweeted: Addressed the Intl Buddhist Forum in Buryatia in the presence of Pandito Khambo Lama at the Ivolginsky Datsan. Spoke about the spiritual roots of Buddhism and the shared heritage this provides among countries including Russia. Also mentioned GOI initiatives to promote Buddhism. The Indian Ambassador toRussiaon Friday alsodiscussed the existing and potential cooperation in culture, tourism and economic spheres with the head of BuryatiaAleksey TsedenovinUlan Ude. Pavan Kapoor took to his social media handle 'X' and said, "Met the Head of Buryatia, Aleksey Tsedenov, in Ulan Ude. Discussed existing and potential cooperation in culture, tourism & economic spheres." Pavan further showed gratitude for organising the first internationalBuddhist Forum. "Thanked him for organising the first Intl Buddhist Forum.@IndEmbMoscow," the tweet added. (ANI)
Chicago firefighters extinguished a fire in a Lakeview high rise near DuSable Lake Shore Drive that left one person injured Friday evening.

Firefighters responded to a fire call on the 15th floor of a building at 412 W. Melrose St. put out the fire shortly after 6 p.m., a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson said.

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Firefighters were continuing to search and ventilate the building, raising the alarm to 2-11, which summons additional crew, equipment and resources to the scene, the spokesperson said.

Paramedics took one person to an area hospital in critical condition, they added. The cause of the fire was under investigation, authorities said.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that India's Gujarat would be the Mecca of traditional medicine in the coming years after the G20 Health Ministers Meeting concluded on Saturday. Tedros said that the summit went very well. "I believe this is a very unique meeting, a summit on traditional medicine. And I believe that in a few years from now, Gujarat will be the Mecca of traditional medicine," Tedros said. He also thanked the people of India and the Indian government for their hospitality and also for the excellent leadership of India. "Many things have been actually discussed during this G20. Not only the strict G20 issues but we started from traditional medicine," Tedros said. "We inaugurated the Center for Traditional Medicine. The Global WHO Center for Traditional Medicine last year with His Excellency, the Prime Minister. And following that we decided to have an annual summit for traditional medicine. And we had the summit a couple of days ago," he added while speaking to the media. "And I would like to thank India for hosting the centre and for its commitment to regular summit which will be done hopefully every two years," Tedros said. Tedros further highlighted the two things discussed during the summit. "One is on the countermeasures. The COVID emergency has ended but still, COVID is around. But not only that, we have to prepare for the next one. And one of the challenges during COVID was the lack of equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics," Tedros said. He further added that the G 20 countries have agreed under India's presidency to address the access to medical countermeasures. "The second is the Digital Health initiative and WHO will coordinate the initiative and will be its secretariat. And this is to use digital technology, including AI, to achieve universal health coverage," Tedros said mentioning the second highlight. Speaking on the Ayushman Wellness Centre, Tedros said, "I have witnessed here when we visited the Ayushman Baharat Wellness Center how telemedicine can be used to link the health post with a remote hospital and serve people." "And we have also some presentations from some countries with good experience in digital technology. So that's another initiative that which launched today that will benefit the whole world," he added. In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of an inclusive, ambitious, and action-oriented G20 Presidency, the G20 Health Ministers Meeting concluded on Saturday in Gujarats Gandhinagar with the adoption of an Outcome Document, as well as the launch of the Global Initiative of Digital Health. The second day of the Health Ministers Meeting saw sessions on Indias two G20 Health Priorities- Strengthening Cooperation in Pharmaceutical Sector with a focus on Availability & Access to Safe, Effective, Quality and Affordable Medical Countermeasures- Vaccine, Therapeutics & Diagnostics, and Digital Health Innovation & Solutions to aid Universal Health Coverage & Improve Healthcare Service Delivery. The last day of the G20 Health Ministers Meeting also saw the 1st Joint Finance and Health Ministerial under the Indian Presidency. He was joined by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, World Health Organization (WHO), Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar, and SP Singh Baghel. Earlier today, the G20 Health Ministers Meeting witnessed the unanimous adoption of The Outcome Document, agreed to by all G20 delegations. According to a government release, the Outcome Document reaffirmed the commitment of G20 countries to continue strengthening the Global Health Architecture. (ANI)
Back in 2004, a barn in Florida was destroyed by Hurricane Charley. Within its walls was a Ferrari collector's dream: 20 cars, including an ultra-rare 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider. As one of 13 in existence, you could imagine how many examples are still surviving nearly 70 years later. Whether this chassis qualifies as "surviving," though, is debatable. Either way, somebody just paid almost $1.9 million for it.

See, this Mondial was wrecked and burned, then left to sit in its "race-preserved" condition. While not operable, it was still very desirable by collectors, so the owner entrusted RM Sotheby's to find the Mondial (as well as the rest of the collection) a new home by selling it at auction. And sell it did, to the tune of almost four SF90 Stradales. Not that one would expect anything wearing the prancing horse badge to be particularly cheap, but a crispy and crumply shell? For $1.875 million?

You see, there's a lot of value when you start attaching people, places, and events to cars. Hell, even parts for rare cars (like a transaxle with James Dean's name attached to it) can see values skyrocket up into the six figures, given the right backstory. Likewise, the reason this busted-up barchetta shattered the million-dollar barrier possibly becomes clear with some context.

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Its lore begins with its inception in Italy. This particular example was the second 500 Mondial built, and ultimately one of just 13 original Pininfarina-bodied Spiders to ever exist, though the car would eventually be re-bodied by Scaglietti. Its original finish was in Rosso Corsa paintItaly's international motor racing colorwhile the interior wore less-fiery Similpelle Beige vinyl.

Enzo Ferrari sold the Mondial to Franco Cornacchia. Cornacchia was one of Ferrari's earliest Milan-based dealers, heavily involved in the '50s racing scene, and his schtick was taking delivery of cars from Ferrari, racing them under his own team, and then selling the cars once he'd demonstrated their worth in competition. That's exactly what he did with this car by placing Ferrari's "first" factory driver, Franco Cortese, behind the wheel.

Cornacchia sold the car the following year, in 1955. It spent three more years racing, changing hands once more during that time, before it was exported to the United States in 1958 where it continued to stretch its legs on racetracks into the '60s. By 1963, the car had a new owner who plucked the original 2-liter inline-four from the engine bay and replaced it with an American-built V8.

At some point over the next two years, the Mondial was crashed and suffered fire damage. It was then sold to Ed Niles, an avid Ferrari buyer and seller who reportedly moved more than 100 Ferraris during his collecting tenure. Ed resold the car in the early 1970s without an engine.

The race-preserved (a fancy way of saying that it wasn't restored from being crashed) Mondial then passed hands several more times before landing in the long-term care of Walter Medlin, a real estate agent who served jail time after a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. Eventually, the barn that held the car collapsed during a hurricane in 2004, revealing a hoard of 20 classic Ferraris owned by Medlinincluding this Mondial.

RM Sotheby's was ultimately entrusted with selling off the group of cars, dubbing it the Lost and Found collection. The sale of the Mondial specifically was a huge deal given the rarity, and it also included a number-matching gearbox, rear-axle corners, and the factory-issued chassis plate. The buyer would also receive engineer Aurelio Lampredi's Tipo 119; a 3.0-liter inline-four that would normally be found powering the up-classed Ferrari 750 Monza.

Sotheby's expected the hammer to fall somewhere between $1.2 and $1.6 million. That would seem like a big ask granting the condition, but keep in mind the same auction house also sold a restored Pininfarina-bodied 500 Mondial Spider for more than $4 million back in 2019. Ultimately, this one sold for a whopping $1.875 million.

It's not clear if the new owner will restore the Mondial back to its original Rosso Corsa glory, or if they'll enjoy the car from beyond the driver's seat in the same condition that it has been preserved in for more than half a century. It evidently hasn't had much of an effect on the Ferrari's desirability, after all.

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: rob@thedrive.com
This photo provided by WSDOT East (Washington State of Transportation) smoke from wildfires fill the sky at Salnave/SR 902 interchange in Spokane County, Wash., on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. A fast-moving wildfire in eastern Washington state has destroyed at least 185 structures, closed a major highway and left one person dead. The blaze started on the west side of Medical Lake, a town west of Spokane, at about 12:30 p.m. Friday. (WSDOT East via AP)

MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. (AP)  A wind-driven wildfire in eastern Washington state has destroyed at least 185 structures, closed a major highway and left one person dead, authorities said Saturday.

The blaze began shortly after midday Friday on the west side of Medical Lake, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Spokane, and then expanded, Washington State Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Isabelle Hoygaard said.

It grew to nearly 15 square miles (38 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, with zero containment. That remained the case Saturday evening. Officials didn't expect to have new size estimates until Sunday morning, she said.

The burned structures were a mix of homes and outbuildings.

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Evacuations were ordered for the town as winds blew the flames southward, Hoygaard said. The evacuations were extended Saturday evening southeast to the town of Tyler, she said.

Among those evacuated were the parents of Spokane City Councilman Zack Zappone.

They were driving into Spokane when they got alerts on their phone that there were ... evacuations at their house, Zappone told The Associated Press in a phone interview Saturday. They went back to get their dogs. My stepmom said it was a giant cloud of smoke and darkness. Embers were falling from the sky. She was having trouble breathing."

The fire swept through the neighborhood soon after they left, destroying his parents' home and his uncle's home, just two houses away. Zappone said his parents had lived there since 2003 and had just paid it off last year.

It's shocking, Zappone said. I'm just in disbelief.

The blaze burned through the south side of the town and then jumped Interstate 90 on Friday night, forcing its closure, Hoygaard said. The major east-west thoroughfare remained closed in both directions Saturday evening.

The fire is burning on both sides of the highway, the Washington state Department of Transportation said on its webpage.

There was one confirmed fatality associated with the fire, Hoygaard said. Further details were not immediately released.

Staff, patients and residents at Eastern State Hospital, one of the state's two psychiatric facilities, and those living at the Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center, both in Medical Lake, were sheltering in place Saturday, said Norah West, a spokesman for the Department of Social and Health Services.

Evacuees from the town were given shelter at a high school overnight.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

My thoughts are with the ... residents who have been ordered to evacuate as the Gray Fire grows, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said on X, formally known as Twitter. Im also praying for the safety of the first responders working to contain the fire. May you all remain safe and out of harms way.
A wind-driven wildfire in eastern Washington state has destroyed at least 185 structures, closed a major highway and left one person dead, officials said Saturday.

The blaze started on the west side of Medical Lake, about 15 miles west of Spokane, at about 12:30 p.m. Friday, Washington State Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Isabelle Hoygaard said Saturday.

It grew to 14.8 square miles (38 square kilometers) by Saturday morning, with zero containment. The burned structures were a mixture of homes and outbuildings.

Level 3 evacuations  Go Now  were ordered for the town as winds blew the flames south, Hoygaard said. The blaze burned through the south side of the town and then jumped Interstate 90 Friday night, forcing its closure. The major east-west thoroughfare remained closed in both directions Saturday morning.

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The fire is burning on both sides of the highway, the Washington state Department of Transportation said on its webpage.

There was one confirmed fatality associated with the fire, Hoygaard said.

Staff, patients and residents at Eastern State Hospital, one of the states two psychiatric facilities, and those living at the Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center, both located in Medical Lake, were sheltering in place Saturday, said Norah West, a spokesman for the Department of Social and Health Services.

Evacuees from the town were given shelter at Cheney High School overnight. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

My thoughts are with the Medical Lake, WA, residents who have been ordered to evacuate as the Gray Fire grows, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said on X, formally known as Twitter. Im also praying for the safety of the first responders working to contain the fire. May you all remain safe and out of harms way.
Two Israelis were killed in a shooting attack near the flashpoint village of Huwara in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. Photo by Alaa Badarneh/EPA-EFE

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Two Israeli citizens were killed in a shooting attack at a car wash near the flashpoint Palestinian village of Huwara in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Israeli military officials said.

Two civilians "were killed as the result of a suspected shooting attack carried out in the area of the town of Huwara," the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement. "IDF soldiers are pursuing the suspects and have set up blockades in the area."

The victims have been identified as father and son Silas Nigerker, 60, and Aviad Nir, 28.

Israeli media reported the pair were at a car wash when a gunman approached them and opened fire.

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Israeli Ambulance Service paramedic Tomer Gussman told the Israeli website Ynet that "the two injured individuals were found inside a car wash facility, unconscious and suffering from gunshot wounds."

The paramedics tried to stabilize the victim, but they died at the scene.

"I send my condolences to the family of the two victims who were ruthlessly murdered," Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "Security forces are working tirelessly to bring the killer to justice."

Abdul Latif al-Qanoua, a spokesperson for the Hamas militant group, praised what he called the "heroic shooting in Huwara," according to Ynet.

Huwara has become a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with frequent clashes between Palestinians and settlers from illegal Israeli settlements surrounding it.

In February, a group of Israeli settlers attacked Huwara, killed one resident, wounded four, and burned about 30 homes and 100 cars, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.

That attack followed a shooting incident that resulted in the deaths of two Israelis in the settlement of Har Bracha.

After the earlier attack, hardline Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented during a conference that "Huwara needs to be wiped out, but the State of Israel needs to do it, most certainly not private citizens."

He afterwards apologized for the statement after sparking an international outcry.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Two Tennesseans have been found safe after they were reported missing a week ago in Alaska, troopers announced on Friday.

Jonas Bare, 50, and Cynthia Hovsepian, 37, both of Nashville, were last seen on a hiking trail at Chena Hot Springs Resort in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 10.

Bare and Hovsepian had previously checked into an Airbnb on Aug. 9 and were scheduled to check out two days later on Aug. 11, but never did. Investigators then learned that the couple left their personal belongings at the Airbnb and never made their return flight home, police in Fairbanks said.

The two were officially reported missing on Aug.12. Troopers launched a search and rescue operation in the area, using helicopters, small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), ATVs and K-9 teams.

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911 call for prowler leads to brutal homicide in Kansas Citys Northland

On Friday, Aug. 18, Alaska Wildlife Troopers announced that Bare and Hovsepian were found safe a short distance away from the Chena Hot Springs Resorts.

Two hikers initially found Bare on a trail approximately 200 yards from the resort. He later explained to troopers that he had left Hovsepian to seek help.

Bare, who was uninjured, helped lead search teams to Hovsepian, who was found approximately three miles from the resort.

Both Bare and Hovsepian were evaluated by emergency medical personnel upon returning to the resort on Friday night.

The Alaska Wildlife Troopers thanked volunteer search teams and the Chena Hot Springs Resort for their assistance with the rescue operation. They did not disclose any other details of Bare and Hovsepians ordeal.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.  A driver who was attempting to park at a restaurant in Plantation on Friday evening instead crashed into the building, injuring 20 people and sending 12 of them to the hospital, officials said.

The driver who tried to park crashed into the Thai Meal restaurant in the Jacaranda Plaza, said Lt. Aston Bright, spokesperson for the Plantation Fire Department. Initial 911 calls came in shortly after 6:30 p.m.

Bright said the restaurant was packed with its Friday night crowd.

Firefighters set up a triage area and treated people at the scene while 12 people were taken to either HCA Florida Westside Hospital in Plantation or Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Two were pregnant women who were transported for observation, Bright said.

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The injured ranged in age and had a variety of injuries, from abrasions and lacerations to head injuries, though none were life-threatening, Bright said.

The driver who crashed into the building stayed at the scene and was not injured.

A photo showed a red car fully inside the front of the restaurant. Thai Meal is closed, and a building inspector is assessing, Bright said.

Plantation Police said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after 7 p.m. that the 8100 block of West Sunrise Boulevard in both directions were closed.

The police department has not released any details about the crash or their investigation.

Plantation Fire Department, Sunrise Fire Rescue, Davie Fire Rescue and Lauderhill Fire Rescue responded to the scene, Bright said.
Republican presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) speaks at an event hosted by Conservative radio host Erick Erickson on Aug. 18, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The first debate of the Republican Presidential primary is set to take place on Aug. 23, 2023.

Republican presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) speaks at an event hosted by Conservative radio host Erick Erickson on Aug. 18, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia. The first debate of the Republican Presidential primary is set to take place on Aug. 23, 2023.

ATLANTA  The 2024 Republican presidential race on Friday came to the city where frontrunner Donald Trump was just indicted on racketeering and fraud charges based on his coup attempt  and participants did their best to avoid talking about it.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott did not mention Trump during his 45-minute question and answer session on stage with radio talk show host Erick Erickson. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told the audience of 500 that he hoped Trump would show up at the first GOP debate next week in Milwaukee but had nothing to say about the charges that could put Trump in prison for decades.

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And former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, meanwhile, said Republicans need to put Trumps negativity in the past and pick a candidate who can win, but did not detail anything particularly negative about him.

By next Friday, Trump will have to turn himself in to be fingerprinted and photographed at the Fulton County Jail just eight miles from the Grand Hyatt in Atlantas Buckhead neighborhood hosting the conference of conservative listeners of Ericksons radio show.

Erickson explained that he purposely avoided asking about Trumps criminal indictments because he wanted to give the other candidates the opportunity to present their own visions. He did joke, though, that Trumps non-appearance probably would work out for the best for him, given that he has not yet been arraigned and risks arrest if he sets foot in the state: Under Georgia law, you know what the DA would want to do.

Indeed, the harshest critique of Trump from the stage came from someone who is not running for president in 2024, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp , who became Trumps No. 1 target during last years midterm elections for refusing to help overturn Trumps 2020 loss in the state.

Kemp said he would not discuss the Fulton County indictment because he is likely to be a prosecution witness at the trial, but he made it clear that backing Trump as the nominee would guarantee that the 2024 election would be all about his continued lies regarding the 2020 election and the resulting criminal cases.

Its insanity that were having to deal with this, he said. It should be such an easy path for us to win the White House back.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, although he did not speak of Trumps various criminal prosecutions from the stage, did during an exchange with reporters afterward tacitly support the Georgia charges against Trump, saying: No ones above the law.

This weekends Gathering conference reprises the one Erickson hosted eight years ago when he disinvited Trump from the event after he attacked former Fox News host Megyn Kelly  There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her .. whatever  after she asked him a question about his treatment of women at the first GOP debate of that election cycle.

At that event, a large percentage of attendees, mostly evangelical Christian conservatives, were open to Trump if not outright supporting him because, despite his behavior and language, they believed he would fight for them. Eight years later, the audience largely believes the party needs to move past Trump.

And many of them are the same people, Erickson said.

He added that he did not invite Trump to attend, knowing that Trump was refusing to go to multi-candidate events, but did invite every other Republican who had either declared or who he knew was likely to declare their candidacy when he was setting the agenda several months ago.

Trumps latest indictment in Georgia, his fourth, brings the total number of felony counts he faces to 91. The Fulton County charges include racketeering and conspiracy to commit forgery, among other crimes, while a federal indictment last month also charges him for his actions related to his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt. A second federal indictment includes 40 felonies for his refusal to turn over top secret documents he was keeping at his Florida country club, while a New York state indictment accuses him of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to a porn star in the days leading up to the 2016 election.

Related...




Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Spend ten minutes with 23-year-old Chris Stanley and 49-year-old Bret LaBelle, and it becomes evident that the two are in love. Despite (or perhaps because of) their 27-year age gap, the couples relationship is going strong, and theyre opening up about being a couple after having their relationship so public.

During the Coronavirus crisis, Stanley slipped into LaBelles Instagram direct messages and asked for a date. After watching reality television on demand, Stanley had become charmed with Labelle.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Because both of them are public figures  Stanley, a successful TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube influencer under the name Stanchris with more than one million followers, and LaBelle, a former contestant on the CBS juggernauts Survivor and The Amazing Race, who came out very publicly on the castaway competition show in 2016  their relationship gets a lot of attention.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Sometimes, that attention breeds misconceptions.

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Sometimes people think hes actually my dad, Stanley told The Advocate with a chuckle. Other people think Im just with him for money.

He smirked, adding, They think hes my sugar daddy, which obviously isnt true.

Both LaBelle and Stanley have the support of their respective families.

Others dont understand their relationship at all, he said. Sometimes people make the outrageous claim that I was groomed or something, which not only isnt the case. In reality, I am the one who pursued him, Stanley remarked. They think were both weird.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

If I were a millionaire, I might understand them calling me a sugar daddy, LaBelle interjected. But I have a working-class job. Plus, Chris does very well for himself.

As a full-time producer of funny videos, Stanley mainly emphasizes the idiosyncrasies of gay life. In addition to comedic clips and the occasional thirst trap, he posts glimpses into his two-year relationship with LaBelle (the two document their travel adventures together).

I was not familiar with what people on social media could make, but hes one of the successful people, LaBelle explained.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

I always feel like I dont even look that young, but sometimes people just think Im so young, Stanley said. A few weeks ago, this guy thought I wasnt even 18 when I was like trying to buy a lottery ticket at the gas station.

He added: I cant really grow a beard, but if I could, I feel like people wouldnt have as much to say about it.

He looks young, LaBelle agreed, but he does not look 15. So I do get why he gets annoyed with it.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

LaBelle added, He just has this great way about him. Hes got a great personality, and hes just really easygoing, and the best way I can put it is that hes an old soul. I think thats why we get along so well.

Stanley admits that hes actually usually quiet unless he gets to know somebody, and says his on-screen persona and confidence come from growing up as a queer kid.

I learned, when I was in school, to live the double life of being gay but not wanting to be found out to be gay, so that was good practice, he said. Now, when I film a bit, often Ill be recognized and that will make me nervous because of the expectation someone might have of how they think I am.

LaBelle chuckled and with his signature Boston accent, Im a total extrovert and I like to talk a lot. You cant get me to shut up, but Chris is so quiet. But when hes filming his work he puts himself out there.

According to LaBelle, he is comfortable in his own skin and doesnt care what people think of him, but he takes a lot of offense when online critics and trolls go after Stanley, something the younger of the two said he taught the older to ignore.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

LaBelle explained that while he would look at comments under some of Stanleys videos and pick out the few negative ones, Stanley pointed out that there were 50 positive ones above them.

Ive learned to go through and like the nice comments and appreciate them, LaBelle said. I dont even notice the bad ones anymore.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Ive been judged a lot over the last 10 years, whether its from reality television or what I do for work, LaBelle said. So I knew when we decided to announce that were together, there would be some backlash, but I have to say beyond that, there was so much outpouring of love.

Stanley said that while its a constant learning struggle, he thinks he stopped caring about what others thought after he had come out his sophomore year and lost most of his friends.

After I came out in high school, my close best friend group all like ditched me, so I was kind of alone, and I just had one friend left, he said. So that was the moment where I had to grow up.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

LaBelle lived in a familiar dichotomy for a while when in 2016, he came out to a fellow contestant on Survivor: Millenials vs. Gen X. He was praised for the vulnerability and courage it took to come out to the world on national television, while homophobes criticized the move.

I dont want to say that you stop caring, but what people think doesnt bother you anymore. So I think, when I opened up, I just realized, You know what, Im 40-something years old, and I dont care what anyone thinks anymore. Im done being in the closet.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

As LaBelle is out doing law enforcement work Monday through Friday, Stanley keeps a full-time schedule developing, producing, shooting, and editing content. The Boston Police lieutenant thinks he might be the only gay SWAT commander in the country.

Ill usually wake up when he goes to work, and then Ill go back to sleep for like an hour, Stanley explained.

Following breakfast and a mile or two of running or gym time, he begins working on his computer.

I always have stuff to edit, he joked. So I could pretty much edit for the rest of my life.

To prevent long sessions at the computer, he likes to split up his editing time unless he has a deadline.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

My schedule is pretty flexible. I can do whatever I want, he said. The only constant is that I can always edit.

While not editing, he scrolls through social media, getting motivation and bookmarking ideas.

If I see something that gives me an idea or inspires me, Ill save it for later, he said. Then I can, after lunch, maybe film a few TikToks and then get back to editing for like an hour or two and then maybe take a short break, play video games for like 30 minutes because I like to feel like Im relaxing.

He added, Today I went skateboarding.

Ill be home making dinner, LaBelle interjected, And hell be running around coming up with ideas and listing things he wants to film. Its nonstop.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

On December 15 of last year, something Stanley hadnt expected happened.

He had put together several edited clips as an example of how, if LaBelle were ever to be okay with it, he would reveal him as the theretofore faceless and voice-changed boyfriend.

To his surprise, LaBelle was all in.

He said that previously he was careful about when and what he filmed because he could separate his public life from reality TV and his personal life.

Stanely wanted to include LaBelle in videos sooner, but he resisted.

I was very careful what I filmed, where I filmed all that, and like with Chris, its a different animal, what he does, LaBelle said. So it took me a little while to get used to that. I would say that early on in our relationship, there was probably more friction about that. But Im so used to it now.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Stanley interjected to needle LaBelle about the lengths to which the TikToker went to get to post a video of the couple.

You always said you were down to being in a video, but sometimes I would ask you, and youd be like, No, we can do it another time, or Yeah, lets just think about it. Or, wed film it, and then I would save it, and then youd be like, dont post that, Stanley said with a smirk.

Hes smarter than you think, LaBelle said. So, he posts a video about me on YouTube, about his boyfriend, a mysterious person with a voice changer.

A smile spread across Stanleys face as his boyfriend spoke.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Look at him! LaBelle quipped. Look at him smiling because he knows what he was doing!

Stanleys mystery boyfriend was getting so many responses that LaBelle began toying with the idea of revealing him.

Stanley showed LaBell a video collage while they were on vacation in Florida.

And hes like, I want to post this, LaBelle said. And I was like, let me see it, and I looked, and it was really good.

With a bright smile, LaBelle added, So, I said, You know  and then at that point, I knew this is the person I want to spend some time with  I want to make him happy too. So I agreed to go for it, and the rest is history.

Now the two have a joint couple Instagram account where the pairs content gets a lot of attention.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Its that just go for it attitude that LaBelle wishes he had developed years earlier. Now, being in love, in a healthy relationship, and living fully, he said he would tell his younger self to embrace who he was earlier.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Everyones different, and this is just my story, he said. But I would tell myself to come out sooner. That was such a weight lift off of my back that nobody realizes how your personality changes. Everything changes when youre in the closet, and when you come out, its so uplifting, and you can be yourself, and your interactions with other people are better. The way you respect yourself is better, and how you feel is better. And that helps you to be open to finding someone. It changes your whole personality when youre not hiding from something anymore. So thats what I would tell myself.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

He added, I would tell myself to come out 10 years earlier.

Stanley added, Id say to my younger self, You know, youre going through it now, but its going to shape who you become, and itll be great.

boyfriend reveal  #bigboy #boyfriends

@stanbanned boyfriend reveal  #bigboy #boyfriends

www.tiktok.com

boyfriend reveal  #bigboy #boyfriends

The first video Stanley posted of the couple together.

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley

Bret LaBelle and Chris Stanley
Prosecutors charged a Chicago police officer Friday with allegedly filming as he sexually abused sleeping children whom he met while working.

Officer David P. Deleon, 30, was charged with eight felonies Friday, including allegations he filmed child pornography and committed sexual abuse and assault. Chicago police stripped Deleon of his police powers in March after prosecutors accused him of sexually abusing and punching a 17-year-old boy in a separate case.

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Judge Barbara Dawkins ordered Deleon held without bail Friday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. He was remanded to the Cook County Jail pending trial, according to the sheriffs office.

The victims Deleon allegedly abused between November 2021 and March 2023 include boys who were 13 and 14 years old at the time, as well as a man who was 23 years old when abused, prosecutors said.

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Deleon met the two children while working in his capacity as a Chicago police officer, according to a states attorney petition requesting bail be denied. The boys and the man were unaware they had been abused when they slept at Deleons house until investigators showed them videos Deleon had made showing the abuse, prosecutors said.

The officers cellphone had been seized by Norridge police after he was arrested on separate accusations of sexual abuse and battery in March. The suburban police department turned the phone over to the Cook County sheriffs office when it found evidence of crimes against children, prosecutors said.

[ Mayor Brandon Johnson introduces CPD Chief Larry Snelling as pick for next top cop ]

Sheriffs deputies searching Deleons phone with a warrant found evidence of numerous juvenile male children hanging out with the officer at his residence in Chicagos Dunning neighborhood, prosecutors said.

The children are observed to be consuming alcohol, smoking hookah, and dressing in Chicago police uniforms and ballistics vests, as well as holding and holstering firearms, prosecutors said.

The officer, who prosecutors said has served with Chicago police since 2017, had also searched online for drugs that makes u fall asleep and heroine drug, his Internet history revealed.

The 23-year-old victim slept in Deleons guest bedroom and didnt know he had been abused until investigators showed him footage taken by Deleon in which he molests the victim and secretly records the man having sex with another person, prosecutors said.

The 14-year-old victim told investigators he met Deleon after going to the police station following a battery in which the officer was involved in an arrest. That same night, Deleon sent the child a friend request on Snapchat, prosecutors said.

The two arranged to meet and got food together at 3 a.m. before going back to Deleons residence, according to prosecutors. The teenager played video games and fell asleep on the couch. He woke up at 6 a.m. the next day and went home.

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Investigators found numerous photos and videos of Deleon pulling down the 14-year-olds pants and molesting the boy.

The child, asleep the whole time, was unaware of the defendants acts against him, prosecutors said.

Deleon had met the 13-year-old victim when he responded to a call near the childs house a few years ago, prosecutors said. They met again when one of the boys parents was arrested. The day after the arrest, Deleon and the child went to dinner together.

They continued to go out for meals, and Deleon paid each time, prosecutors said. The boy went to Deleons house just once and slept on the couch, prosecutors said. That night, the officer made videos holding the sleeping boys pants down and fondling him, prosecutors said.

Police arrested Deleon on Thursday and obtained warrants to search his home and other electronic devices, prosecutors said.

Deleon had posted $1,000 to be released from custody shortly after his March arrest, court records show. He was required to surrender any firearms and have no contact with anyone under the age of 18, Judge Ellen Mandeltort ordered.

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[ Chicago cop is stripped of duties after being accused of sexually abusing teen boy at Harlem Irving Plaza: officials ]

Before the first arrest, Deleon had met with a 17-year-old boy at Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge. The officer had told the teen he would help him put oil in his car, prosecutors alleged in March.

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When they met, Deleon drove to the lower level of a parking garage, put his car in park and sexually abused the teen, prosecutors said. When the victim opened the door and tried to leave, Deleon pulled the door shut after grabbing the victim by his collar and pulling the victim toward him, prosecutors said.

Deleon then punched the victim, causing the teens head to hit the seat belt buckle holder. Thats when Deleon tried to climb on top of the victim, who put his feet on the dashboard to prevent that from happening and was able to climb into the drivers seat to escape, prosecutors said. The teen told authorities what happened later that day.

In an indictment brought in May, prosecutors charged Deleon with 12 felonies, including charges for kidnapping, criminal sexual abuse, battery and unlawful restraint.

The states attorneys office called Deleon a flight risk as it requested Deleon be given no bail for the new charges, citing a recent trip he took to the country he was born in, the Philippines.

A CPD spokesperson confirmed Friday that Deleon is in a no-pay status. The officer is scheduled to next appear in court on Sept. 6 for a status hearing.

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jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
Stuffed animals wait for their next journey to begin as workers pack up the Ventura County Fair on Aug. 14.

Almost exactly a year after $572,000 was stolen from the Ventura County Fair and a day after the burglary trial started, three Los Angeles County men pleaded guilty.

Rafael Morales and Jesus Rios, both 56 and accused by prosecutors of leading a crime that triggered scrutiny over fairgrounds security, pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felonies in a settlement. The charges are theft of public funds, commercial burglary, grand theft and conspiracy. The men also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of prowling.

Rafael Morales

Sentencing is set for Sept. 13 in Ventura County Superior Court. The two men agreed to three years, six months in prison and jail including time served, less than the four years they could have faced, said county Senior Deputy District Attorney Marc Leventhal.

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Carlos Aranda, 44, of Los Angeles, is alleged to be the driver in the burglary at the Ventura fairgrounds early the morning of Aug. 10, 2022. He pleaded guilty to theft of public funds and is set to be sentenced to a year in jail and then two years' probation. Additional charges are expected to be withdrawn against Aranda, who has no prior felony convictions.

A fourth man, Alexander Piceno, worked at the fairgrounds and is alleged to be the insider who provided access for Rios and Morales to the administration building where money from fair admissions was kept. Prosecutors said Piceno also helped open the safe. He pleaded guilty in May to three felonies with a grand theft charge withdrawn. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

Jesus Rios

After earlier settlement talks failed, filings and other initial trial proceedings for Morales, Rios and Aranda started Monday in front of Judge Anthony Sabo. Leventhal said the plea-change agreement came after discussions showed the trial could continue for nearly two months and prosecutors would likely be allowed to present evidence of an alleged confession by Aranda when he was arrested.

The prosecutor said it also appeared the door would be opened for evidence he said would show Morales and Rios are a team convicted of partnering on a half-dozen previous crimes, including rooftop burglaries in 2016 in Simi Valley and elsewhere.

Scott Wippert, Arandas lawyer, said other motions being considered included his request to empanel one jury for his client and another for the other two defendants. He also asked for Arandas statements during his arrest to be excluded from trial.

Carlos Aranda

The settlement is reasonable, Wippert said. He praised prosecutors for looking at the backgrounds of the defendants and treating them differently.

Its nice to work with a DAs office that looks at more than just the facts on paper but also looks at individuals, he said.

Lawyers for Morales and Rios did not immediately respond to phone calls. Before the trial started, Rios lawyer, Martin Zaehringer, said he planned to argue security footage and other records did not clearly identify his client.

The prosecution was expected to use cellphone records in an effort to identify the defendants. Leventhal said the evidence showed calls between the men pinging off a cell tower at the fairgrounds.

When you carry a cellphone, its a beacon, he said.

The phone tracking led prosecutors to believe a fifth person was also involved in the case but there isn't enough evidence yet for charges, Leventhal said. That person did not work at the fairgrounds.

The high-profile burglary caused fairgrounds leaders to ramp up security. Prosecutors have said very little cash and property was recovered that could be used for restitution. Fairgrounds Board President Leah Lacayo said the chances of the money being recouped do not appear good.

I doubt that is going to happen, she said.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Three men plead guilty in $572K burglary at Ventura County Fair
The six-year-old girl that became the sixth of seven victims of Russias atrocious attack on civilians in Chernihivs city center died of blood loss, said Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko.

Patrolmen tried to save her life and stop bleeding by applying a tourniquet. But she nevertheless died from bleeding in hospital as she lost too much blood.

"The doctors' best efforts didn't help, unfortunately," the minister said.

Read also: Man rescued from destroyed building in Lutsk after deadly Russian missile attack

The mother of the girl is in hospital in "critical condition," he added.

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"Currently 36 people are in hospital (with a total number of injured is over 90), including police officers and court security employees. They all are civilians who were in the central square of Chernihiv or were passing by to a church complex nearby to celebrate the Apple Spas," Klimenko wrote.

Read also: Lviv reels after another Russian missile attack  photos

An air-raid alarm had been triggered only two minutes before a missile struck the regional drama theater on the square, he said. People who were inside the theater had enough time to go down to a shelter beneath the building.

"This has saved many from the inevitable end," he said.

The death toll of the strike has risen to seven as of the publication time, while at least 117 people were wounded, including 12 children.

One of the injured is a 12-year-old girl being rushed to a Kyiv hospital by ambulance. She is in serious condition, the Interior Ministry reported.

Russian troops attacked the center of the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine in the afternoon of Aug. 19, killing seven and injuring scores more.

The enemy used a ballistic missile, said Vyacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration.

A drone exhibition, a popular church holiday, and sunny Saturday afternoon contributed to the high number of civilians in the city center at the time of the cynical Russian attack.

Mariia Berlinska, a Ukrainian military volunteer and a host of the exhibition, said that it was announced the exact location of the event was announced only hours before the event.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(NerdWallet)  When Meghan Lakatas kids return to school from summer break, theyll have new (to them) clothes and supplies. But thanks to some creative shopping habits, the mother of two isnt stressed over back-to-school spending.

Lakata, a pre-K teacher in Maryland, uses tools like state sales tax holidays, cash-back apps and buy-nothing groups to keep back-to-school costs down. Bulk purchases help, too.

I have the two kids and theres a lot of overlap in what they need, Lakata says. So if I can get like a big 48-count of pencils, Im going to do that.

If back-to-school spending forecasts for 2023 are correct, every little bit of savings might help. According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in kindergarten through 12th grade will spend a record $41.5 billion on back-to-school shopping this year. An additional $94 billion will be spent on back-to-college shopping. Those figures make the back-to-school season the second-largest spending period of the year, after holiday shopping.

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Heres how to keep more money in your pocket this season.

View the latest headlines from Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas at fox4kc.com

1. Sales tax holidays

Search your state tax administrators website to see whether your state is one of several with a tax-free holiday. If so, in-person and online shopping for items like clothing, books, school supplies and electronics during the designated time frame could provide a 4%-7% pad to your budget.

Im planning on getting the kids a couple of new items they want and school supplies that week, Lakata said, adding that shell save 6% without sales tax.

These holidays generally run in July or August. Lakata says this is the time to buy supplies, not only for the tax exemption, but because items are cheaper.

That box of crayons thats 50 cents in August is going to be like $2.50 in December, she says. They drop the prices so much for back-to-school, but we feel like we cant get the same deals if we restock midyear. Youre going to pay a lot more.

2. Student discounts on electronics

Electronics top the planned back-to-school expenditure list in 2023, with an estimated $38 billion to be spent for K-12 and college students, according to the NRF survey.

College students can qualify for education pricing from companies like Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Dell. This could lead to savings of 10%-20% or more on that new laptop, tablet, phone or monitor.

Plan to purchase directly through the manufacturer to get the discount; purchases at big box stores like Best Buy or Walmart generally wont count.

3. Buy-nothing groups

An estimated $25 billion will be spent on back-to-school and back-to-college clothing this season, the NRF says. But that could be an expense to offset with your local buy-nothing group.

Buy-nothing groups offer a way for individuals to rehome and gift goods to one another, with no buying, selling or bartering. You can find your community on the Buy Nothing Project website.

I try to get as much as I can on the buy-nothing Facebook page, Lakata says. I got an entire wardrobe of clothes for my kids. I dont buy new clothes often for them, just because you can get them for free.

4. Credit card bonuses

Many new credit cards come with a sign-up offer that can earn you hundreds of dollars worth of cash-back or travel rewards. Since youll have to spend a certain amount of money in a specific window to earn those rewards, periods of high spending can be the perfect time to get a new card and offset some of your costs.

But aim to pay your statement in full each month. If you carry a balance, the interest can negate any rewards.

View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4

5. Buy in bulk

Whether its lunch food or school supplies, buying in bulk can lead to big savings  but have a plan. Overpurchasing can erode the savings you made elsewhere.

Lakata says she looks at the school supply list and identifies things both her kids, in 4th and 5th grades, will use; then she buys those items in bulk at a discount.

Composition notebooks can often be cheaper in a multipack, and last year both kids needed them, she said. Or plastic folders. I can get a six-pack of those instead of buying them individually and save money.

6. Cash-back apps and websites

Whether you shop in store or online, a few extra steps  or clicks  can get you a percentage back on your purchases.

Apps like Receipt Hog and Ibotta provide cash back for in-store purchases if you scan your receipt. Once the purchase is verified, cash back or rewards redeemable for gift cards will be deposited into your account.

After any shopping trip, I take a quick picture of my receipt using cash-back apps, Lakata said. Those little points add up.

If you prefer shopping online, visit a cash-back portal like Top Cashback or Rakuten before you pay. Such portals offer percentages back at a multitude of websites, as long as you click through from the portal first. Your bank or credit card may also offer bonus rewards for shopping through their websites.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
7 dead, 117 wounded in Russian rocket strike on civilians on a sunny Saturday in Chernihivs city center

At least seven people were killed and 117 wounded in a devastating Russian missile strike on the Drama Theater in central Chernihiv on Aug. 19, according to the latest data of the mayors office.

A six-year-old child was among the dead, and 12 other children were injured.

As of 1 p.m. EET, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported five dead. A 6-year-old girl was later reported as the sixth victim. Police officers tried to help her at the scene by applying a tourniquet, but unfortunately, they could not save the child. She later died in hospital due to excessive blood loss. The child's mother remains in hospital in critical condition.

Around 2:20 p.m., the Interior Ministry reported that the body of another victim, an unidentified woman, was found at the site of the attack. This brought the death toll to seven.

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At the same time, 90 injured people have already sought medical assistance. Among them are 10 police officers and 12 children.

Read also: Russia strikes Zaporizhzhya in deadly attack  president Zelenskyy

25 people have been hospitalized. Among them is a 12-year-old girl who is being urgently transported to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in serious condition, the Interior Ministry said.

Many of the victims require surgery, according to the interior minister.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video of the aftermath of the attack. Later, other videos of the missile hitting the central square of Chernihiv were also posted online.

A bus was stopped just outside the theater at the time of the explosion, adding to the casualty count, said ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, adding that the area near the drama theater in central Chernihiv was very crowded at the time of the strike.

Read also: Lviv reels after another Russian missile attack  photos

"There was a public transport stop nearby, and a bus stopped there to pick up and drop off passengers. Unfortunately, there are many victims in this very place," said the commissioner.

A drone exhibition, a popular church holiday, and sunny Saturday weather brought many Chernihiv residents to the city center ahead of the Russian attack.

The blast wave caused a fire to break out in the building of the commercial court and damaged the building of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration. Other buildings, stores, and cafes were also damaged in the city center and on the adjacent streets.

The ombudsman's representative Larysa Shumna is working at the scene, Lubinets added.

Read also: Russians attack Kramatorsk with missile and Chernihiv Oblast with rockets

The drone exhibition of combat drone manufacturers, the Furious Birds, was held with the support of the local military administration, said co-organizer and volunteer Maria Berlinska. She added that while the event was announced previously, the location was only revealed hours in advance.

"The specific location was reported only to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event. All the data of the participants were provided to the relevant authorities," Berlinska said.

In turn, the Chernihiv mayors office stressed that the exhibition was not coordinated with them. At the same time, the promotional posters online indicate that the event was supported by the regional military administration.

Three days of mourning will take place in Chernihiv from Aug. 19 to 21, city council announced.

Russian troops struck the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv in the afternoon of Aug. 19. The enemy used a ballistic missile, said Vyacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
As of 7 p.m. local time, the number of wounded in the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv on Aug. 19 has risen to 129 people, including 15 children and 15 police officers, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported.

The search and rescue operation is reportedly complete, Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

Russian forces targeted the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on the morning of Aug. 19, killing at least seven people, including a six-year-old child.

"A 12-year-old girl is urgently taken to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in serious condition," Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

According to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus, 140 people sought medical help, and 41 were hospitalized, he wrote on Telegram.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strike impacted Chernihiv's central square, polytechnic institute, and theater.

"Here's what it means to be neighbors with a terrorist state, here's what we are uniting the entire world against," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

"A regular Saturday turned into a day of pain and loss caused by Russia."

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brinks expressed solidarity with the victims, saying she was "horrified by news of todays daytime attack on the historic center of Chernihiv."

"Innocent men, women, and children enjoying a beautiful Saturday - a holiday in Ukraine - should never end up killed or wounded," Brinks wrote on Twitter.

"Russias missile and drone strikes on Ukraines cities, ports, and people reflect the depths to which Russia has sunk and must stop."

According to Chaus, Russian troops likely used a ballistic missile to attack the city.

Following the attack, there have been unconfirmed reports in Ukrainian media that the missile targeted the site where Ukrainian drone producers were holding an exhibition.



The Kyiv Independent confirmed that an exhibition of drone producers was planned for Aug. 19 in Chernihiv, but the location was kept secret. The registered visitors were going to receive the address hours before the event.

Russian government-controlled RIA Novosti news site reported, citing unnamed sources, that the attack on Chernihiv hit the gathering place of Ukraines Armed Forces military specialists on combat drones, which was disguised as a drone festival.

The media posted what it claims was an invitation to the event that asked visitors not to bring weapons and wear civilian clothes to avoid identifying the event as being related to the military sphere.

Klymenko earlier said most of the attack's victims were people in cars, those crossing the road nearby, and people returning from church service.

The attack occurred on one of the biggest Eastern Orthodox holidays  the Feast of Transfiguration, known in Ukraine as the Apple Feast of the Savior or Apple Spas.

One of the photos from the scene shows a body with a traditional church basket next to it.

Klymenko said that everyone who was in the drama theater went down to the shelter in time, as police officers tried to take everyone to the shelter after the air raid alert went off.

There is also a large park behind the drama theater. Mothers were walking there with their children since morning, he said.

Read also: UPDATE: 7 killed, 110 injured in Russian missile attack on Chernihiv city center

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
As of 11 p.m. local time, the number of wounded in the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv on Aug. 19 has risen to 144 people, including 15 children and 15 police officers, the National Police reported. The attack killed seven people.

The search and rescue operation is reportedly complete, according to authorities.

According to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus, 41 people were hospitalized.

Russian forces targeted the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on the morning of Aug. 19, killing at least seven people, including a six-year-old child.

"A 12-year-old girl is urgently taken to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in serious condition," Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strike impacted Chernihiv's central square, polytechnic institute, and theater.

"Here's what it means to be neighbors with a terrorist state, here's what we are uniting the entire world against," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

"A regular Saturday turned into a day of pain and loss caused by Russia."

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brinks expressed solidarity with the victims, saying she was "horrified by news of todays daytime attack on the historic center of Chernihiv."

"Innocent men, women, and children enjoying a beautiful Saturday - a holiday in Ukraine - should never end up killed or wounded," Brinks wrote on Twitter.

"Russias missile and drone strikes on Ukraines cities, ports, and people reflect the depths to which Russia has sunk and must stop."

France's Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling it a "war crime" and "yet another illustration of Russia's cowardice and cynicism."

"France will continue to support Ukraine as much as necessary and will continue to support Ukrainian and international courts to ensure that these crimes do not go unpunished," the ministry wrote.

According to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus, Russian troops likely used a ballistic missile to attack the city.

Following the attack, there have been unconfirmed reports in Ukrainian media that the missile targeted the site where Ukrainian drone producers were holding an exhibition.



The Kyiv Independent confirmed that an exhibition of drone producers was planned for Aug. 19 in Chernihiv, but the location was kept secret. The registered visitors were going to receive the address hours before the event.

Russian government-controlled RIA Novosti news site reported, citing unnamed sources, that the attack on Chernihiv hit the gathering place of Ukraines Armed Forces military specialists on combat drones, which was disguised as a drone festival.

The media posted what it claims was an invitation to the event that asked visitors not to bring weapons and wear civilian clothes to avoid identifying the event as being related to the military sphere.

Klymenko earlier said most of the attack's victims were people in cars, those crossing the road nearby, and people returning from church service.

The attack occurred on one of the biggest Eastern Orthodox holidays  the Feast of Transfiguration, known in Ukraine as the Apple Feast of the Savior or Apple Spas.

One of the photos from the scene shows a body with a traditional church basket next to it.

Klymenko said that everyone who was in the drama theater went down to the shelter in time, as police officers tried to take everyone to the shelter after the air raid alert went off.

There is also a large park behind the drama theater. Mothers were walking there with their children since morning, he said.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A Russian missile strike early Saturday morning in Chernihiv, Ukraine left at least seven dead and more than 100 injured, Ukrainian officials said.

A polytechnic university and theater, according to the officials, were also damaged in the attack. Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko confirmed in a post on Telegram that one of the casualties was a 6-year-old girl.

Her mother is in grave condition, he said in another post. The police officers provided first aid to the girl. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save her upon arrival at the hospital due to a heavy blood loss.

Acting Chernihiv mayor Oleksandr Lomako said the attack wounded around 117 people, The Associated Press reported.

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There is a park right behind the drama theater, many children and their parents usually spend time there, Lomako told a local outlet, according to CNN. There are numerous restaurants with outdoor terraces located nearby as well. It all happened in the middle of the day when obviously there are many people in the city center.

This crime cannot be interpreted except as a war crime against civilians. he added.

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the international community to stand up to Russian terror. In the post, he also included video of what appeared to be damage to the city.

This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state, Zelensky said. This is what we are uniting the entire world against,

Today, a Russian missile hit the heart of Chernihiv, he continued. A square, a university, and a theater. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are casualties. My condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one. All services are working on the site. Rescuers, police, doctors.

The news comes as both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin are traveling abroad.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The number of wounded in the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv rose to 110 people as of 3:25 p.m., according to Oleksandr Lomako, the city's acting mayor.

Russian forces targeted the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on the morning of Aug. 19, killing at least seven people, including a six-year-old child.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported earlier that among those injured were 12 children and 10 police officers. Twenty-five people were hospitalized, according to him.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strike impacted Chernihiv's central square, polytechnic institute, and theater.

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"Here's what it means to be neighbors with a terrorist state, here's what we are uniting the entire world against," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

"A regular Saturday turned into a day of pain and loss caused by Russia."

According to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus, Russian troops likely used a ballistic missile to attack the city.

Following the attack, there have been unconfirmed reports in Ukrainian media that the missile targeted the site where Ukrainian drone producers were holding an exhibition.



The Kyiv Independent confirmed that an exhibition of drone producers was planned for Aug. 19 in Chernihiv, but the location was kept secret. The registered visitors were going to receive the address hours before the event.

Russian government-controlled RIA Novosti news site reported, citing unnamed sources, that the attack on Chernihiv hit the gathering place of Ukraines Armed Forces military specialists on combat drones, which was disguised as a drone festival.

The media posted what it claims was an invitation to the event that asked visitors not to bring weapons and wear civilian clothes to avoid identifying the event as being related to the military sphere.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the majority of the attack's victims were people in cars, those crossing the road nearby, as well as people returning from church service.

The attack took place on one of the biggest Eastern Orthodox holidays  the Feast of Transfiguration, known in Ukraine as the Apple Feast of the Savior or Apple Spas.

One of the photos from the scene shows a body with a traditional church basket next to it.

Klymenko said that everyone who was in the drama theater went down to the shelter in time, as police officers tried to take everyone to the shelter after the air raid alert went off. There is also a large park behind the drama theater. Mothers were walking there with their children since morning, he said.

Read also: UPDATE: 7 killed, 90 injured, including children, in Russian missile attack on Chernihiv city center

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A womans body was found under the rubble bringing the death toll of the Russian missile attack on Chernihiv to seven, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported at around 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 19.

Russian forces targeted the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on the morning of Aug. 19.

Among those killed is a six-year-old child, Interior Ministry reported earlier.

Ninety people were injured, including 12 children and 10 police officers, according to Klymenko. Twenty-five people were hospitalized.

"A 12-year-old girl is urgently taken to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in serious condition," Klymenko wrote on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile strike impacted Chernihiv's central square, polytechnic institute, and theater.

ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement

"Here's what it means to be neighbors with a terrorist state, here's what we are uniting the entire world against," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

"A regular Saturday turned into a day of pain and loss caused by Russia."

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Russian missile strike on the center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine.



This is what it means to live next to a terrorist state, he wrote, sharing a video from the scene. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. pic.twitter.com/bTDHdoFxCg  The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 19, 2023

According to Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus, Russian troops likely used a ballistic missile to attack the city.

There have been unconfirmed reports in Ukrainian media that the missile targeted the site where Ukrainian drone producers were holding an exhibition.

The Kyiv Independent confirmed that an exhibition of drone producers was planned for Aug. 19 in Chernihiv, but the location was kept in secret. The registered visitors were going to receive the address hours before the event.

Read also: Just hold on: Front-line medics race against time to save wounded soldiers

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Venezuelan immigrant Maria Alejandra Larez, center, walks with her son Ronald Larez, right, along with Estephany Perez, second from left, and her daughter Carla Perez, 8, second from right, next to Ogden International School in Chicago as they go to register on Aug. 17, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

They waited for more than five hours. Just days before her son, Ronald, started third grade in Chicago Public Schools, Maria Alejandra Larez was on a quest to get him gym shoes and a pair of jeans for his first day of school Monday.

They lined up next to nearly 100 asylum-seekers outside a church in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood to enter a back-to-school donation center that parishioners had set up for migrants. The 9-year-old got a backpack and some school supplies, but he couldnt find shoes.

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The two arrived in Chicago from Venezuela, seeking asylum, earlier this month after a monthslong journey, and even though he is nervous, starting school finally gives us some peace, Larez said in Spanish.

After all the turmoil they have experienced, she hopes teachers can provide a safe space for Ronald, not only to learn a new language, but to cope with the traumas they have experienced, leaving behind everything they knew and facing an uncertain future in a temporary shelter.

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Mi hijo esta nervioso, pero ansioso de comenzar clase, Larez said. Her son is nervous to start school, but eager to begin.

Maria Alejandra Larez reads an informational pamphlet after successfully enrolling her 9-year-old son, Ronald, at Ogden International School in Chicago on Aug. 17, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

As Chicago Public Schools begins the 2023-24 school year Monday, the district has been preparing to accommodate new English learner students  the category for most migrant children  with about 1,000 of them enrolling through the summer. And officials said they anticipate about 1,000 more will enroll this year from the families who are living in temporary shelters and police stations, where asylum-seekers stay as they await housing.

CPS said it increased funding for bilingual instruction by $15 million in its 2023-24 budget, including $8 million in additional funding for enrollment adjustments at schools that received new English learners after school began in 2022. The money is for additional staff members at those schools, and the district will be monitoring enrollment trends this year and allocating resources accordingly, a spokesperson said.

Last year, about 290 schools established bilingual advisory councils, and CPS had nearly 3,000 teachers with a bilingual endorsement, an increase of 900 iover the prior five years.

CPS also increased funding to support students social and emotional health by $35 million in its current budget. The district said it added 123 school counselors, primarily in elementary schools, over the last two years, and also said each school has a behavioral health team, which may include a nurse, psychologist, counselor or social worker.

Despite additional resources for newcomers, many argue there should be a greater emphasis on addressing the childrens mental health as migrant children have faced unique traumas through their journey but also while living in temporary shelters.

Though attending school is a gateway for migrant families and their children to access therapists and counseling, experts worry that teachers may not be equipped to respond to the childrens needs, and they call for a trauma-informed approach to services.

The sudden addition of asylum-seekers who enrolled at Haugan Elementary in Albany Park over the past year required a lot of pivoting and collaboration from teachers, staff members, community partners and parents, said Principal Heather Yutzy.

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Nearly 100 children, mostly from Ecuador and Venezuela, enrolled in the school from November to June. Over the summer, Yutzy said, about 50 more migrants, some living in nearby police stations and a church, have also joined the school.

Beyond mobilizing to accommodate the childrens academic needs, the school community also held clothing and food drives for the families. For Yutzy, it was evident that parents were also desperately seeking mental and medical help for their children, she said.

People select donated items during a back-to-school event to help migrant families and local community members at St. Stanislaus Church in the Belmont Cragin area of Chicago on Aug. 12, 2023. (Trent Sprague/Chicago Tribune)

The mothers are saying, My child is traumatized. I need help, Yutzy said. Many of the younger children have separation anxiety and cry at school because theyre worried they wont ever see their parents again, she said.

Leaders at Haugan organized sessions for parents with school counselors and social workers so parents could discuss their childs psychological health and get referrals to community agencies and partners, including a team of Spanish-speaking psychologists from the University of Illinois Chicago who have been a key part of the schools response.

But theres a limit to what you can do at a school to offer that trauma therapy, Yutzy said.

Still, teachers at Haugan have come up with strategic ways to help the children cope. Some helped the younger students make family books with pictures of their parents and reassured them that Mom would return to pick them up at the end of the day.

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I held kids in my lap while they cried, Yutzy said.

The children who made the dangerous and tumultuous journeys from Central American countries to the United States with their parents are the most innocent victims, said Elisa Lopez, an emergency responder for mental health at Rincon Family Services Welcoming Center.

For Larez and Ronald, its their faith that has allowed them to cope with the desperation of being stuck in a hotel room with three other migrant families as they all wait to find housing and employment.

I tell him to be patient, that this wont be our forever, Larez said. I tell him to pray, to have faith.

Throughout their journey, she said, they saw terrible things, unimaginable  people dying, robberies, abuse and sexual assault. They experienced cold and hunger, having to sleep in the streets, she said. Its a lot for a child, she said.

Ronald sometimes cant sleep at night, his mother said. There are days where he goes to sleep hungry because the food at the shelter is not enough. Then he starts feeling anxious, wanting to play outside, like a normal kid, she said. But he cant because theres no safe space for him to play.

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In Venezuela, he was a good student, she recalled. His favorite subject was reading. Despite the fear of judgment, the boy has also learned to be resilient, she said. He cant wait to go to school to learn English, Larez said.

During a recent visit to a city-run shelter, Aimee Hilado, a professor, clinician and an expert on immigrant trauma at the University of Chicagos Crown Family School of Social Work, said she noticed the high level of stress and anxiety in which children live, but which many wont express.

They internalize the trauma that could get in the way of building peer relationships and preventing school readiness, Hilado said.

Hilado has led multiple trauma-informed training sessions, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, with shelter and hotel staff members, mutual aid volunteers and other community-based organizations working directly with migrants.

Hilado has encouraged eliminating the stigma and criminalization behind their status as immigrants in the country without legal permission  and creating safe spaces. Most shelters, she said, dont have a playroom or space where children can safely congregate.

We have thousands of kids that are entering public schools, and we just need a sensitivity that there is an emotional wellness need that is there that needs to be addressed before we even think about academics, Hilado said.

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Many of the children that will begin classes Monday are living in temporary spaces, and it doesnt feel like home, Hilado said.

Asylum-seeker children face a set of traumas that put them at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Amy Hill, manager of Heartland Alliances Kovler Child Trauma Program, which is dedicated to providing mental health treatment and services to immigrant and refugee youths who have experienced trauma in their home country, during the migration journey or as part of the resettlement process.

Hill said that it is imperative that all teachers, or those who are working with migrant children, seek trauma-informed training to ensure they are responding appropriately and not triggering the children.

But the school needs to have an understanding of the way in which trauma might be showing up for these children, how that may be impacting their ability to feel safe in the school, their ability to make friends or their ability to focus on their academic success, Hill said.

Potential long-term effects of the trauma include feeling unsafe and unable to trust, depression, anxiety and physical health issues.

Children ... dont understand political issues, economic problems, kidnapping or other violent crimes in their countries, Lopez said.

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My biggest worry is that Im unsure if staff at the schools these kids will be attending are ready to assist these children psychologically and from an empathetic perspective, she said.

Yutzy plans to hire a retired therapist from Colombia to help the new students at her school, she said.

At Carl Von Linne Elementary in Avondale, an estimated 60 children living in a nearby temporary shelter are enrolled, but Principal Gabriel Parra is expecting an increase for the coming school year.

Though he has only one counselor and one social worker for the entire school, last year he used additional funding to provide professional development for his existing teachers. Many added a lesson about the journey of asylum-seekers as part of their curriculum to build understanding of the humanitarian crisis and empathy among the student body toward their new classmates.

I had the opportunity to talk to the families about the details of their trajectory here, Parra-Carl said. The stories have been horrible, but what Ive noticed is that outside of the trauma that is very real, is that the kids are thirsty for normalcy.

Parra-Carl, a native of Venezuela, arrived in Chicago with his family when he was a child. He understands, he said, why these families are fleeing the authoritarian regime in that country.

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Even if schools dont necessarily address the mental health needs of the children, attending schools is the most effective way for children to get a sense of normalcy and stability back into their lives, said Hilado, who has been working with refugees and asylum-seeker children for a decade.

Routine and a sense of normalcy is critical for the migrant children to cope with the trauma and school provides that, she said. Even if theyre still navigating new language, theres something about being with children their age that could be critically helpful, healing and soothing after so much chaos.

At Haugan, trying to meet both the academic and the emotional needs of their new students has been and will likely continue to be a challenge, Yutzy said. But she praised her teachers and staff for their work to ensure that the migrant children and their families feel welcomed.

Since the students began to arrive in November, she has added three bilingual classrooms and a resource teacher. Thanks to a budget bump, she also hired five retired bilingual teachers who worked part time to tutor and help children recover academically. Most migrant children have missed months, if not years, of schooling, she said.

Those retired bilingual teachers have been miraculous for us, she said.

Karime Asaf, the chief of language and cultural education, said CPS is partnering with the Chicago Teachers Union to find volunteers to ensure that migrant children across the city get help enrolling in the school nearest to them. She said the district is working to equip all schools with the resources necessary for intake, but there is a focus on trying to place students in schools that have a bilingual system, programs and curriculum already in place.

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At the citys welcome center, which opened in July at Roberto Clemente Community Academy in West Town, CPS staffers have been assessing each childs language, academic and social emotional needs, in addition to enrolling them in school and connecting each family to medical care and social services, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said at a Chicago Board of Education meeting in July.

Services at the welcome center are limited to families in West Town or Humboldt Park or those whove received a referral from a city agency or community organization, Martinez said. But any CPS student at any school can receive the same services, he said.

Our hope is that by centralizing the supports within the welcome center model, we can improve the efficiency and learn how to better serve our new arrival families around the city, Martinez said. If it proves successful, and theres an ongoing need, we will consider expanding the model to other parts of the city.

However, according to Chicago Teachers Union member Rebecca Amaya, who has volunteered with families staying at the 9th District police station, trips to Clemente pose a challenge to migrant families who face multifold issues.

Parents and children I have been in contact with have expressed the need for widespread mental health services, bilingual services, orientation and guidance for parents. Mobile units that meet families where theyre at will be necessary to meeting their needs moving forward, Amaya told the Board of Education in July.

There are other barriers to providing migrant students a quality education. We dont have enough capacity to provide ESL or native language instruction, including in languages other than Spanish, Walt Disney Magnet School teacher Kathryn Zamarron said at the meeting.

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More than 180 home languages are spoken by CPS families, a spokesperson said, and 22% of all students are English learners.

In partnership with the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, two staff members each from 20 CPS schools last year participated in intervention training that focuses on meeting the needs of immigrant and refugee youths. CPS said 30 schools this year will be eligible to opt in for the training.

Meanwhile, Ronald Larez will begin third grade at Ogden International School in West Town, hopefully having found a pair of shoes that fit.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

smacaraeg@chicagotribune.com
Missile and drone attacks overnight and on Saturday killed at least seven and injured scores more in Ukraine, including at least one child  a 6-year-old child who died, officials said.

A missile attack during the day Saturday wounded over 100 people and killed seven in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, according to acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako. Elsewhere, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 15 out of 17 Russian drones targeting northern, central and western parts of the country.

After 18 months of fighting, assessments continue to suggest a Western-backed Ukrainian counteroffensive has had limited success at uprooting Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainians this week did have some counteroffensive success, regaining control of the village of Urozhaine on the edge of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. A leader of a Russian battalion fighting in Urozhaine said his troops "cannot win" and called for a "freezing the front."

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U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he wouldn't predict what the long-term prospects are for the Western-backed counter-offensive. "This war has been inherently unpredictable," Sullivan told reporters Friday. "I believe and have confidence in the capacity and especially the bravery of the Ukrainian fighters to continue to make progress on the battlefield."

In other developments, Ukraine is slated to get F16s from the Netherlands and Denmark after the United States gave its approval, a drone was shot down over Moscow, and in the United States, the Biden administration granted a reprieve to Ukrainians who fled to the US, allowing them to stay longer.

Law enforcement officers inspect the site of a missile strike in Chernihiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 19, 2023.

Latest developments:

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Sweden, his first visit to the country since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

 In Russia, President Vladimir Putin visited top military officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian border.

The deputy governor of the western Khmelnytskyi region, Serhii Tiurin, said two people were wounded and dozens of buildings damaged by an attack. In the northwestern Zhytomyr region, a Russian drone attack targeted an infrastructure facility and caused a fire, but no casualties were reported, said Gov. Vitalii Bunechko.

Estimates of war casualties have varied

The New York Times on Friday reported that U.S. intelligence estimates indicate the number of Russian and Ukrainian troops killed or injured since fighting began last year is nearing the grim milestone of 500,000, but the Pentagon declined to comment when asked by USA TODAY about the figures.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv releases timely and accurate data about its losses, though each side amplifies the other's casualties.

As of last month, Russia had acknowledged the deaths of just over 6,000 soldiers, and activists and independent journalists there say reporting on military losses is suppressed.

Russias wounded totaled about 200,000 troops, 40,000 of them killed, U.S. officials estimated this spring. U.S. classified documents allegedly leaked by a U.S. airman showed about 125,000 wounded Ukrainian troops, about 17,000 of them killed in action.

The United Nations has estimated civilian deaths at more than 9,400 Ukrainians and nearly 17,000 wounded.

Drone shot down over Moscow

Russian officials said air defenses shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow on Friday and some fragments fell on an exposition center, but no injuries were reported.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some of the fragments fell on the grounds of the Expocentre, an exhibition complex adjacent to the Moscow City commercial and office complex that was hit twice by drones in the past month. It's about 2.5 miles west of the Kremlin.

Biden administration expands status for Ukrainians in US

President Joe Biden 's administration announced expanded temporary legal status for Ukrainians who are already living in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security said it would extend status an additional 18 months, from October 20, 2023, through April 19, 2025. The department also said it would redesignate temporary protected status so that Ukrainian nationals living in the United States as of this week will be eligible.

Russias ongoing military invasion of Ukraine and the resulting humanitarian crisis requires that the United States continue to offer safety and protection to Ukrainians who may not be able to return to their country,Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said. We will continue to offer our support to Ukrainian nationals through this temporary form of humanitarian relief.

The move is expected to make 166,700 Ukrainians eligible for Temporary Protected Status, up from about 26,000 currently, the Homeland Security Department said.

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 killed in missile strike; Ukrainians in US get reprieve: Updates
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police now say at least nine people were shot, including one person who died, after a mass shooting at a birthday party in West Philadelphia early Saturday morning.

The victims include seven women and two men, ranging in age from 17 to 51 years old.

"We were all standing on the porch. Next thing you know we're hearing gunshots," said a 22-year-old witness. "Everybody gets down. We're running in the house, jumping over people."

A 22-year-old woman who wants to stay anonymous recounted what she went through during a mass shooting near Wyalusing Avenue and North Creighton Street.

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She said, during the chaos, one of the victims was laying on top of her while they both ducked for cover.

"She got shot on her legs and they took her away in an ambulance," she said.

Police said one man died just before 6 a.m after he was shot several times in his face and body. Eight others were also shot but are in stable condition.

Police said a large crowd came together for a birthday party but by 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, they responded to the scene after countless 911 calls came flooding in.

"Emergency 911 received numerous calls about a shooting on the highway with numerous victims also numerous gunshots heard in the area," Philadelphia Police Captain Anthony Mirabella, Jr., said.

Police said they found nearly 40 shell casings where gunshot markings can still be seen in this area of the block.

Just a short distance from where the shots were fired, Xavier Glynn, Sr., and his son were playing basketball Saturday afternoon.

"I thought this was a peaceful area, that's why I decided to bring my son," Glynn said.

He said the ongoing violence needs to stop.

"We're losing our children and we're losing our community," Glynn said.

Police said they have no motive and no arrests have been made yet.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb says he's "pretty concerned" about new COVID variant

Trump now has biggest lead over GOP challengers, new CBS News poll shows

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says funds could be depleted within weeks
After an 11-day trial in March in which the jury took three days to decide on his guilt, a Phoenix pimp was sentenced to natural life in prison for a 2015 murder of his customer.

Antoine Lemar Jones, 34, has had multiple criminal charges against him in Maricopa County, including kidnapping, disorderly conduct, and aggravated assault. But the murder of 26-year-old Henok Woldu nearly eight years ago is what got him his lifelong sentence from Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Ronee Korbin Steiner on Friday.

He was also sentenced to 35 years for armed robbery, to be served concurrently with his life sentence for first-degree murder.

Jones was set to be sentenced last month, but it was rescheduled because during that hearing he became belligerent, used obscene language, and resisted deputies, detention officers, and security, according to court documents. He also assaulted a court detention officer.

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Friday's sentencing was calmer. Jones shuffled into Korbin Steiner's courtroom in the South Court Tower in shackles. He remained seated, often resting his chin on his hand, passive as Korbin Steiner read off his punishments.

Members of Woldu's family remained in a separate room.

At last month's hearing, Jones' nephew made a statement to the court and got into a scuffle with deputies, detention officers, and security after he tried to hug Jones. On Friday, one person was sitting on the side designated for Jones. No other statements were made.

On the morning of Christmas Eve in 2015, Woldu was found dead in his car at the Willow Springs apartment complex near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road after Phoenix police responded to calls of shots fired.

Jones, a known pimp, was upset over unpaid debts from Woldu. Woldu was warned to stay away from the area because of Jones, but he didn't. That presented Jones the opportunity to rob, fatally shoot, and leave him for dead in the parking lot.

Just a few months before this incident, Jones was placed on five years of supervised probation after being convicted of aggravated assault and participation in a street gang.

What happened in 2015?

Here is what happened the morning of Dec. 24, 2015, according to court documents and witness testimony at trial.

Prostitutes worked around the Willow Springs area. Woldu had previous encounters with one who testified that he stood out as a nice guy.

Because of this, she said she warned him to stay away from picking up prostitutes around the area since she heard that Jones, whom she knew to be a pimp, and his prostitute were robbing people in the area.

Woldu ignored the woman's advice.

That Christmas Eve morning, Jones told a man named Kevin Dorsey that someone who owed him money was soon going to be at the apartment complex. Jones told Dorsey to not pay attention if he saw him running.

When Woldu's SUV entered the apartment complex, Jones pointed out to Dorsey that was who he was looking for. Minutes after, Dorsey was at a nearby convenience store and heard multiple gunshots coming from the area of the apartments. Another witness in the area testified that he saw Jones running from the passenger side of Woldu's car with a gun in his hand immediately after the gunshots.

The woman who was known to be Jones' prostitute was later interviewed by police and testified at trial after being arrested out of state on a material witness warrant, which allows the detention of someone with key information in a criminal proceeding if they failed to appear after being served a subpoena.

At the trial, she said that on that Christmas Eve morning, she was out walking and was picked up by Woldu and another prostitute. The women tried to negotiate a double date with Woldu, but he ended up dropping them off at the apartment complex, she said.

She testified that Jones became upset that Woldu was not interested in his prostitute and did not give her money.

Jones then went to the passenger side of Woldu's car and argued with him. He then fired multiple shots, which left Woldu with multiple wounds.

After the shooting, the woman said Jones threatened that if he "went down for this crime," then she was going with him. She said he warned her that he had possession of her photo identification card and another card that listed her parents' address.

Deadly year: Phoenix murder and violent crime rates break records in 2022

In addition to witness testimony on Woldu's murder, there was Jack in the Box surveillance video from before the shooting that shows Woldu with cash in his front pocket. That cash was no longer in his pocket when he was found dead in his car.

Jones' lawyer argued in court documents that his client deserved leniency because of such mitigating factors as medical issues, the effects of substance abuse and his goals for his employment and education.

Korbin Steiner acknowledged those factors at Friday's sentencing, but said that they did not outweigh the aggravating circumstances, which justified a harsher penalty. Specifically, he cited that the crimes were committed for financial gain, were dangerous, harmed Woldu's family, and that he was on felony probation.

This reporting follows crimes The Republic began to cover in 2021 and is part of our commitment to telling the story from start to finish.

'Recipe for challenges': Phoenix police chief talks about efforts on crime rates, guns and staffing shortages

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Antoine Jones sentenced to life in 2015 Phoenix murder of Henok Woldu
Advertisements designed to raise awareness about fentanyl have been seen or heard more than 60 million times, an advertising agency reported to the states Behavioral Health Council.

And a survey research firm reported an increase in knowledge and concern about the synthetic opioid among teens and young adults, and an increase in the share of them who had spoken with friends about it.

The campaign, called Fentanyl Takes All, is part of Operation Esto Perpetua, a plan launched by Gov. Brad Little last year to combat fentanyl overdoses in Idaho, which reported 152 deaths from the drug in 2021.

The governor created a citizen advisory group, which in turn recommended actions the state should take  including a statewide media campaign  to a law enforcement panel. The state also deployed police to the U.S.-Mexico border, paid for more roadside testing equipment for the drug, and is expected to form a new drug interdiction team to intercept fentanyl entering Idaho.

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Improved outreach, education and awareness about the dangers of fentanyl is one part of our multipronged strategy to turn the tide on the deadliest drug our society has faced, Little said in a news release after the results were reported to the council on Friday, Aug. 11.

Mindy Stomp, CEO of Boise ad agency Drake Cooper, said the campaign, which began in January, directed most of its funding to targeting teens and young adults. Drake Cooper, which ran the advertisements, spent $147,500  just over half of its funding  targeting kids ages 12-24. Caregivers and parents were next in line, followed by all Idahoans.

The campaign included the stories of four Idahoans who died after taking lethal doses of fentanyl, which is often mixed with other drugs and taken accidentally. A dose of two milligrams  one grain of salt  is lethal, according to the campaign.

The advertisements appeared on billboards, YouTube and TV and in social media feeds and internet searches, Stomp said. Almost 80,000 Idahoans have visited the campaign website, she said.

Boise-based survey firm GS Strategy Group interviewed Idahoans in November and May, before and after the campaign began, said Robert Jones, a partner at the company, during the council meeting.

The firm interviewed 104 Idaho teens ages 12-17, 205 young adults ages 18-24, and 214 parents ages 30-64.

The share of teens reporting that they knew either a lot or some about fentanyl rose to 62% in May from 40% in November, while the share of young adults reporting that level of knowledge rose to 70% from 50%, Jones said in a call with the Statesman.

The share of teens who said theyd had a conversation with their friends about the drug rose to 50% in May from 36% in November, and the share of young adults rose to 57% from 45%.

Jones also reported double-digit percentage point increases in the portion of people in both groups saying they were very or somewhat concerned about fentanyl use.

The council was impressed.

I used to work in marketing and advertising, and numbers like that are really hard to come by, said Dave Jeppesen, council co-chair and director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, in an interview with the Idaho Statesman after the meeting. So to move people more than 10 percentage points in six months of time is pretty phenomenal.

Sara Omundson, council co-chair and administrative director of the state courts, said in the same interview that she appreciated the way the campaign balanced emotion and education.

I always believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, she said. Thats why this is so important that we really do focus on those younger folks.

Rep. Brooke Green, D-Boise, said during the meeting that the advertisements gave her goosebumps.

The campaign was funded by emergency funds from the governors office, according to the release from the governor. The second phase of the campaign will be paid for using opioid settlement funds approved by the Legislature.

Overall, the data tells us we were moving in the right direction, said Marianne King, director of the Idaho Office of Drug Policy and a member of the Operation Esto Perpetua law enforcement panel, in an email to the Statesman. But it also tells us we have a lot of work left to do.

Idaho lawmakers placed limits on OD reversal drug. Result could be fewer lives saved

Gov. Brad Little plans trip to Mexico border, will deploy Idaho State Police troopers

Gov. Brad Little says hell fight growing drug threat in Idaho from Mexico border
Voices and Votes: Democracy in America is the Maury County Library's latest exhibit, which debuts this weekend and will be on display through Oct. 1.

The African American Heritage Society of Maury County is one of six organizations statewide selected to host the Smithsonian exhibit, Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.

The exhibit is a part of Museum on Main Street, collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and Humanities Tennessee. "Voices and Votes" is based on a major exhibition currently on display at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History called "American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith."

The free community exhibit will open Aug. 19 at the Maury County Public Library and close on Oct. 1.

This traveling exhibit, presents a visual and interactive history of democracy.

A historic maker was installed at Freedmen's Savings Bank and Trust Company site in Columbia at North Main and 6th Street in 2020. (Left) Tom Price, director of the Maury Archives; Eric Cox, director of the society; Jo Ann McClellan, society president; Dr. Lea Williams, professor of history at TSU and keynote speaker at the dedication program; Tony Massey, city manager; Walter Mitchell, society vice president and Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka.

"Across generations, visitors will see diverse and inspiring Americans, who faced challenges and were determined to have their voices heard. Our democracy demands action, reaction, vision, and revisionevery one in every community is part of this ever-evolving story," said Jo Ann McClellan, the Societys president and Maury County Historian.

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While the Smithsonian exhibit will focus on the national stories of democracy in America, a companion exhibit, Voices of Maury County, developed by the Society will focus on some of the citizens who fought for democracy in this county."

McClellan said she is glad to partner with the library.

Since the Society does not, yet, have a museum space, we are very excited to host this exhibit at the Maury County Public Library," she said.

Founded in 2012, the African American Heritage Society of Maury County is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization. It is a membership-based organization and is open to anyone interested in furthering the objectives of the Society.

The Society has worked to add to the African American narrative to the rich history of this county. The projects included adding the names of over eighty African Americans, who lost their lives during the American Civil War, to the Maury County War Memorial; and the placement of five Tennessee Historical Commission markers commemorating significant sites, events, and people, including the Maury County Colored Hospital, which operated for more than 30 years.

Since 2013, the AAHSMC has sponsored a quarterly lecture series, where subject-matter experts and professors of history at Fisk, Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State, and Vanderbilt Universities discussed on specific topics determined by the Board of Directors. T

o date, the Society has published eight history calendars that featured the people and places significant to Maury Countys African American history.

The Society has collaborated with MTSU/Center for Historic Preservation, the MTSU/Albert Gore Library, and the Tennessee State Museum on historic preservation projects.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: AAHS of Maury County to host Smithsonian exhibit at library
Air defence forces shot down 15 of 17 Russian Shahed drones that attacked the territory of Ukraine on the night of 18-19 August.

Source: The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Quote: "The Ruscists attacked from the northern front using the Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs on the night of 18-19 August. A total of 17 attack drones were launched from Kursk Oblast.

15 enemy drones were destroyed by the assets and personnel of the Air Force in cooperation with the air defence systems of other components of the Defence Forces of Ukraine."

Details: The Air Force reported that the air defence repelled attacks by Russian drones in the northern, central and western regions.

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 Pacific Ocean is vast, and when it comes to planning for how to fight a war in and across it, the United States is turning to a new airframe designone that promises more efficient flight. In an event put on by the Air And Space Forces Association on August 16, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Ravi I Chaudhary announced the award of a contract, worth up to $230 million through 2026, for the development and production of a prototype Blended Wing Body airplane.

The plane was announced with concept art, showing an Air Force gray plane with a body that starts from a conventional pointy cockpit and broadens as it goes back, seamlessly sloping up into a large wing, with a pair of jets mounted on top of the plane at its rear. In the concept art, Rogers Dry Lake and the runways of Edwards Air Force Base are clearly visible, tying the new concept plane into the long history of experimental and innovative aircraft. When Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, he did it flying a plane out of Edwards.

Today is a historic day in the development of airpower, Chaudhary told the assembled crowd of press and industry spectators, in person and on Zoom. He tied the announcement of this new plane to a record-setting endurance flight from August 1923, which saw repeated mid-air refueling, allowing a plane to continuously transit from Canada to Mexico without landing in between.

Blended Wing Body design offers greater lift, as it reduces drag and expands the lifting surface of the aircraft. The B-2 flying wing bomber is a kind of extreme blended wing. While this new plane will not be designed to the same exacting and stealth demands of a long-range bomber, the hope is that it will offer long range efficiency flight, allowing it to become a valuable transport and tanker. Should oceans become battlefields, this plane, which Chaudhary referred to as the X-BWB-1, would become a valuable way for the Air Force to ensure the rest of the US military to stay in the fight, despite the long distances involved.

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[Related: The Air Force wants to modernize air refueling, but its been a bumpy ride]

All of you have recognized that we have entered a new era of great power competition in which the [Peoples Republic of China] has come to be known as our pacing challenge, but honestly, I aint having it, Chaudhary continued. Today, we are going to set the pace by doing what we have always done. Design, build, and fly with blended wing technology.

(While jet planes and new missiles certainly outline the parameters for a conventional war in the pacific, should one happen, nuclear weapons went unmentioned at the announcement. The US has over 5,200 nuclear warheads and China has the worlds third-largest arsenal, estimated at 410 warheads. Any conventional war between the US and China carries with it a risk of nuclear conflagration)

The last time the US fought a peer or near-peer competitor across the Pacific, the plane all used propeller engines, and operated either from aircraft carriers or fiercely contested island landing strips. Today, aircraft carriers and networks of bases are still part of the picture, but missile technology has advanced from its infancy to a durable, long-range threat.

The X-BWB-1, should it work, would provide logistical support for the US militarys planned ACE, or Agile Combat Employment strategy. Operating by these principles, the ships and planes and bases that house US forces will be distributed across the ocean, making them harder to target all at once. However, these resources can be assembled and concentrated during attacks, allowing the US to pick and choose battles as it sees fit.

Operational energy will be the margin of victory in a near peer conflict in the Indo-Pacific, said Chaudhary. With efficient flight, longer range, reduced radar and audio signature, and useful cargo capacity, the X-BWB-1 isnt a weapon itself, but a tool that could make the rest of the militarys operations in this area more effective. The design also promises shorter takeoffs and landings than conventional airframes, allowing for runways on small patches of land.

The military applications of the technology took center stage at the announcement, but the commercial applications of such plane design were also brought up. The X-BWB-1 is designed to use existing jet engines, so they can be easily integrated into the commercial market. The same aerodynamic advantages that make a plane useful for military resupply could also make such a craft an efficient long-haul carrier for airlines.

The BWB is the best first step on the path to zero carbon emissions. It offers 50 percent lower fuel burn using today's engines and the airframe efficiency needed to support a transition to zero carbon emissions propulsion in the future," said JetZero CEO Tom O'Leary in a release. "No other proposed aircraft comes close in terms of efficiency."

Many branches of the military, like parts of the commercial aviation industry, have expressed a commitment towards lower-emissions operations. In the case of the US Army, this means a climate approach that emphasizes meeting existing needs and missions, but with more efficient means, rather than scaling back operations.

With significant investment from the US military and a waiting commercial market, the Blended Wing Body program could build on decades of NASA research and deliver a useful, efficient aircraft that transports soldiers as easily as passengers.

The first test flight of the X-BWB-1 is expected in 2027. Perhaps by then, the plane will have a better name.
Air-raid warnings were issued in a number of Ukrainian oblasts because of the threat of the Russians using Iranian-made Shahed attack drones and ballistic weapons. It was also reported that the Russians had a vessel loaded with eight Kalibr cruise missiles in the Black Sea.

Source: Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine; Air Force of Ukraine

Details: In the south of Ukraine: "Strategic aircraft are not active. Tactical aircraft on the southern and southeastern fronts were not recorded. There were no launches of Shahed UAVs on the southern front (as of 23:00).

At the same time, a small missile vessel equipped with eight Kalibr missiles was deployed to the Black Sea for combat duty."

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On the eastern and southeastern fronts, the Air Force reported the activity of Russian tactical aircraft amd the threat of the use of aircraft weapons and attack UAVs.

In particular, as of 23:46, the threat of Russian drones was reported in Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Poltava oblasts.

At 23:59, the Air Force reported groups of Shahed drones moving from east to west along the border of Kharkiv-Sumy and Poltava-Chernihiv oblasts. Residents of the nearest settlements were urged not to ignore the air-raid warnings.

At 00:10, the Air Force warned of the threat of Russian drone strikes in Cherkasy, Kirovohrad and Kyiv oblasts.

At around 00:30, the Air Force reported that another group of Shahed drones, which had taken off from Kursk Oblast of the Russian Federation, had crossed Ukrainian airspace in Sumy Oblast.

At 00:49, the Air Force stated that the Shahed drones were moving towards Bila Tserkva from the east and towards Chernihiv from the southeast.

At around 01:50, the Air Force reported that the UAVs were moving in the direction of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.

At around 02:10, the Air Force said that Russian attack UAVs were heading to Kyiv Oblast from Chernihiv Oblast.

At 02:37, the Air Force reported a threat of Russian UAVs in Ternopil Oblast.

At around 03:30, the Air Force reported that the Shahed drones were in northern Vinnytsia and southern Zhytomyr oblasts and were moving westward.

"Another group of enemy UAVs is in the north of Rivne Oblast. It is moving along the border to the west," the Air Force said at 03:37.

At 04:15, the Air Force warned of the threat of Russian ballistic missile use in the eastern regions.

At 05:34, the Air Force reported that there was no threat of Russian strike UAVs in all regions, and at 05:47, they reported that there was no threat of ballistic missile attacks either.

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 incident involving a bird gave new meaning to the term fish fry after an electric company suspected an osprey of dropping its meal onto power lines  triggering an outage in a New Jersey neighborhood.

A fish that fell from a birds grip landed on a transponder in Sayreville, located just southwest of New Yorks Staten Island, according to Jersey Central Power and Light Company spokesperson Chris Hoenig.

Animal contact is a common cause of power outages; however, fish are not on the list of frequent offenders, Hoenig told CNN in an email.

The outage on August 12 impacted around 2,100 people and lasted less than two hours.

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The Sayreville Police Department poked fun at the incident on Facebook, naming the deceased fish as Gilligan and pointing a finger at an osprey as the suspect, which was last seen flying south, the post read.

Please let us not forget the victim in this senseless death, the police departments post said. Gilligan was a hard-working family man. He was a father to thousands of children.

Anyone with information on the case was asked to contact Det. John Silver, who handles all of our fish cases, according to the post.

The electric company offered its sympathies to the osprey for losing its lunch over Sayreville.

If youve ever dropped your ice cream cone at the fair, you know the feeling, Hoenig said, adding that the company appreciated customers patience as power was restored.

The Sayreville area has a large presence of ospreys, which were on the endangered species list in New Jersey until less than a decade ago, according to Hoenig.

We have a very active osprey and raptor protection program, which includes surveying and monitoring nests and following strict protocols in relocating osprey nests that are located on our equipment or too close to power lines, he said.

The 2022 New Jersey Osprey Project Survey and Census documented 733 nesting pairs of the birds across the state, according to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Alice Cooper has claimed that he suggested a potential film project for Johnny Depp to work on with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Depp, 60, and Heard, 37, were married from 2015 to 2017. In 2022, they were embroiled in a highly publicised legal battle.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor sued the Aquaman star for defamation following an op-ed written in the Washington Post that, he argued, implied that he abused her.

After a six-week testimonial period, Depp won his defamation case against Heard, with a jury awarding him $15m (12m) in damages. The jury also awarded Heard $2m (1.6m) for one part of her own counterclaim, that Depps lawyer had allegedly called her abuse accusations against her ex-husband a hoax.

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In a new interview, Poison singer Cooper shared some insight into his relationship with the actor, with whom he collaborates in the touring rock band Hollywood Vampires.

Johnny is always Johnny. Hes the guy who is at his happiest when hes playing guitar or talking about Howlin Wolf, Cooper told The Times in an interview published on Saturday (19 August).

According to Cooper, the pair never talked about Depps relationship with Heard outside of Cooper once suggesting that the former spouses collaborate on a film together.

I said, I have a great idea. You and Amber do a remake of The War of the Roses. Who wouldnt go and see that?

Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, Amber Heard (Getty)

The 1989 comedy stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a warring married couple who launch an epic fight over custody of their luxury home as they divorce.

When asked what Depps opinion was on the potential film, Cooper continued: He laughed. Then it was, What songs are we doing? Johnny is a good guitarist and in a way he would have been happiest doing that, playing side of stage in a band and not having to deal with the level of attention he gets.

He just happens to be a really good actor. He has never seen a single one of his movies.

The Independent has reached out to representatives of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for comment.

Earlier this year, Depp appeared in his first film project since his failed 2018 libel lawsuit against The Sun in 2018: Jeanne du Barry, a French-language film about Louis XVs last mistress.

Depp plays the 19th-century monarch who invites his working-class mistress Jeanne (Maiwenn, who also directs the movie) to Versailles, much to the horror of the French court.

The film received mixed reviews from critics, including a four-star rating from The Independents reviewer.
In What Its Like, people tell us about experiences youve probably never considered. This time, we spoke to a process server. Its their job to deliver important legal documents in person, meaning theyre the people tasked with bearing the often-unpleasant news that someone is being sued or is otherwise due in court. Whether theyre serving a character on a sitcom or a starlet in real life, process servers rank right up there with Jehovahs Witnesses in the cliche pantheon of people you dont want knocking on your door. In this entry, Matthew White, a 32-year-old process server based in Chicago, shares his experience working in this most reviled of professions.

Most of the time, people are not happy to see me. I had a lady come to the door about two weeks ago. She pulled out a gun and she said, Why are you at my house at 1 oclock in the morning? I said, Well, maam, I came out several times during normal business hours. Nobody was home. How am I supposed to know when youre home?

People know not to open the door when they see a uniform, but then when they see a random guy, that really throws them off. I wear blue jeans and a T-shirt. And then once you open the door, youre done. People are expecting a Cook County sheriff or a local officer to serve them. They dont know that a regular personas long as theyre employed by a detective agency in the state of Illinoiscan serve a summons. Every state is different.

I get a lot of my work through lawyers and property management companies. People find me through recommendations and referrals. Ive had a couple of clients from TikTok, where I post videos from work. Sometimes Im appointed by the court. Ive had landlords call me telling me that they want to serve five-day notices and 30-day notices. Ive had people call me because the father of their child is not paying child support.

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I did armed security for a long time. It didnt pay a whole lot of money. Before that, I used to write parking tickets. That really wasnt the best job. So when I discovered process serving, I was able to work it around my schedule, because I was in college at the time. Nobody taught me how to do it. I just kind of picked it up. Quickly, I learned that if youre nice to people, then youll get a better response. If youre mean to people, then youre gonna get a negative response. Normally, I dont have to do too much. I just ring the doorbell and say, Hi, I have a delivery for whoever, and they buzz you in. Now technically, youre not lying, because you do have a delivery. But you cannot say that youre any part of law enforcement. You cant say youre the fire department. You cant say anything of that nature. But if you say I have a delivery for this person, almost nine times out of 10, you get buzzed in. Then you hit them with, Here you go. This is your delivery. You have a summon. You have to go to court.

Of course, youre not going to get everybody to open the door. There are a lot of times where you go to someones house four or five times, and you dont make any contact. You dont have to give a summons to them personally. You can post it on the door, but judges like to see that you tried numerous times to get in contact with them. They want to see notes like, Knocked on the door, there was no answer, I heard a child hollering or playing, I saw that there was a television on, I saw a female resident walking through the living room. Stuff like that shows that theyre avoiding service. The other night, there was a guy who said, Im not that person, and Im not going to accept that. Im like, Well sir, Ive already made contact with you, and on the summons, it says this persons name and all unknown occupants.

Every county is different. In Cook County, if you make contact with them, all you need is a physical description of what the person looks like. Because of COVID-19, we had a lot of relaxed laws and regulations as far as service of process. We had the six-foot rule. Like if I could see you and you dont want to take it from my hand, I could drop it at your feet. A lot of agencies do it, a lot dont.

Im not a bounty hunter. I dont go looking for people. Its not like Pineapple Expressthat movie is overexaggerated. Nobody dresses up. Ive never seen anybody dress up as a pizza man. Ive never seen anybody wear a costume to go serve someone. No ones, like, running from me. The lawyers just give me peoples work addresses. Sometimes I serve them there. After I make four or five different attempts with no contact, then Im done. It just goes to court and we say we cant serve them. Then eventually we can serve them by posting on their door.

I get in a bad mood sometimes when people dont open the door because then I feel like Im wasting my time. Some days Ill go out to 20 houses and nobody will open the door. And some days Ill go out to 20 houses and then everybody opens the door. It all depends on the day.

If youre lazy, you can make $30- or $40,000 a year. I work seven days a week. If you work every day like I do, and you dont slack, you can pull in easily 100 grand. Last year, I pulled a little under 100 grand. The year before, I pulled 115. You are an independent contractor, so theres no long-term stability. But if you want quick, easy money, process serving is the way to go. I mean, Ive been doing it for 10 years. I paid my way through college. I have no student loan debt. I see a lot of men in this job, but I know a lot of females who do it too. One of my colleagues, she was in the army for like eight years, and shes a fantastic process server.

I started my TikTok account during COVID. I had nothing to do. Because I went viral, I did get fired by quite a few of my clients. I kind of got into a little rut for a minute. Then I started to get some clients through it. Ive had a couple of lawyers tell me, Hey, me and my kids, we follow you.

This work is not easy. People spit on me. People call me names. People cuss me out. Ive had people push me. Ive had people punch me. Ive had people mace me. Ive had people pull guns on me. I had one person wrap a dog leash around my neck and I was thrown down a flight of stairs. That one was for a debt collection. They were pissed off because I served their grandmother. I have that 911 call on record. I have hearing aids, and I was able to call 911 from them. That case is currently in litigation. I plan on putting it on my TikTok within the next six months.

You have to stay cool. If you match a person with the same level that theyre coming at you with, then its probably going to be three times worse versus if you stay calm and you talk to them. You say, Look, I understand your frustration. Unfortunately, Im just a messenger. You need to go to court. You need to handle your business. If you look at the video on my TikTok where you see someone mace me in the face, I kept talking. I said, You gotta go to court on this date, this time. I was foaming at the mouth. I was coughing. It was terrible. When it happened, the woman who hired me for that job said, Only Matthew White. This would only happen to me.

If youre easily offended, overly emotional, or insecure, then you probably shouldnt be a process server. For example, I know some process servers who dont serve process without a gun. And I tell them, Why are you carrying a gun? Im like, Look, dude, all youre doing is knocking on the door, handing them a piece of paper, walking away. Youre not placing anybody under arrest. Theres no reason to be acting that way. If you cant deliver a document without carrying a gun, then you probably should not be serving process.

I do wear a camera and videotape all my encounters, though. If something happens, I get it on tape. It definitely helps. It keeps me safe legally, and if theres any question about whether or not I did something right, the judge has the option to view the video. I have seen other servers who wear cameras, but not all of them. Theres a lot of companies that feel that its a liability.

You meet a lot of people doing this job. Ive met celebrities. I served the rapper Chief Keef. Ive met two of my ex-partners. Most people arent happy to see me. But I did have a lady take a picture with me once. She was like, Im so glad you came because now I can finally divorce my husband.
American Airlines filed suit against Skiplagged Inc., an online travel agency, over allegations that the agency deceives customers, though the airline does have the right and ability to cancel the tickets.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, American Airlines claims Skiplagged deceives the public by claiming to issue valid tickets despite not having authority to form and issue a contract on American Airlines behalf.

The suit alleges Skiplagged is not an agent of American Airlines and thus, the airline can cancel any ticket issued by the travel agency.

It [Skiplagged] employs unauthorized and deceptive ticketing practices, entices customers to participate in this deceptive ticketing practices by promising savings, and then doesnt deliver, the suit said.

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American Airlines claimed Skiplagged also deceives customers into thinking they are accessing a loophole but many of the fares listed on Skiplagged website are higher than if they booked a ticket on Americans website or through an authorized agent.

It is the classic bait and switch: draw customers in with the promise of secret fares, and instead sell the consumer a ticket at a higher price, the suit said.

Skiplagging is a practice where travelers book a flight that includes at least one stop, but they leave the plane during a layover. While generally not illegal, airlines claim the practice violates their policies.

In a statement shared with The Hill, American Airlines said skiplagging, also known as hidden city ticketing, can lead to issues with checked bags and prevents other customers with urgent travel needs from booking seats.

Intentionally creating an empty seat that could have been used by another customer or team member is an all-around bad outcome, the company wrote.

Skiplagged allegedly hides its activity and tells customers to hide it from American Airlines, the lawsuit said. The suit claimed Skiplagged pretends to be a customer and buys tickets on American Airlines website, violating the airlines contractual terms of use which states the tickets sold on the airlines website are only for personal, non-commercial use.

The suit alleged Skiplagged is misusing Americans trademarks to suggest it is Americans authorized agent and committing trademark and copyright infringements.

American Airlines will continue to lose control over its own reputation and goodwill due to Skiplaggeds practices, the suit said.

American Airlines requested Skiplagged be prohibited from publishing American Airlines flight content, selling or reselling American flight tickets, accessing American Airlines website for commercial use, acting as an agent for American or displaying Americans trademarks and copyrights.

Skiplagged, based in New York, has faced suits before, from airlines including United and Southwest.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
American Airlines is suing a travel website that offers cheaper airfares by using a loophole in the airline pricing system.

American sued Skiplagged Inc. in federal court on Friday. The lawsuit accuses the company of using a "classic bait and switch" practice to offer American customers cheaper tickets. The airline alleges that Skiplagged has never been authorized to sell its tickets and has threatened to cancel tickets purchased through the website.

Skiplagged uses a practice called hidden-city flying, also known as skiplagging, to offer customers cheaper tickets. This practice occurs when a passenger books a flight with a layover in their desired city, and then skips the last leg of the flight. Since flights with layovers are sometimes cheaper than direct flights, some passengers may use hidden-city flying as a way to save money, and Skiplagged says it identifies the best deals to do so.

While this practice is not illegal, airlines have been cracking down on passengers who participate, claiming it violates their policies. Earlier this month, American banned a 17-year-old from flying with them for three years because he had purchased a hidden-city ticket. Skiplagged even admits on its website that hidden-city flying "might upset the airline, so don't do this often," adding that passengers shouldn't "associate a frequent flyer account  if you do, the airline might invalidate any miles you've accrued with them." The website also urges passengers not to skiplag on the same itinerary multiple times.

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American cited these tips in its lawsuit, writing that hidden-city flying "is expressly prohibited. Because Skiplagged knows this, it even expressly advises customers on what steps to take to avoid getting caught." The airline also told The Dallas Morning News that the practice "can lead to operational issues with checked bags and prevent other customers from booking a seat."

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The Army has launched a program in two locations to help reserve members find child care services and help ease the burden of searching for qualified, licensed providers.

Service officials said Thursday that Army Reserve members in West Liberty, Iowa, and Clay County, Missouri, would now have access to WeeCare Company, a child care matching service that connects families with vetted providers.

"The Army recognizes the impact that child care has on the lives of our soldiers and their families," Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations Lt. Gen. Kevin Vereen said in a press release. "Through increased initiatives to identify and secure accessible and affordable child care options, we enable our military parents to fulfill their responsibilities without sacrificing the well-being of their children."

Read Next: Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps

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A 2021 survey by the Military Family Advisory Network of 8,638 active-duty, reserve and National Guard members or their spouses, found that almost half said they needed child care, and 78% reported having trouble finding child care.

To assist service members with such a stressful task, the Defense Department has embraced several initiatives in the past several years, such as building new child development centers and offering hiring incentives and improved wages to attract providers to base centers.

In November, it will launch a program that allows active-duty personnel and reserve and National Guard members on federal orders to sign up for flexible spending accounts to help pay for child care, preschool, day camps and adult care.

The new Army program is designed to help its reserve soldiers find providers during drill weekends and training. An Army spokeswoman said the two locations were chosen as a result of consultations between Army leadership and Army Child and Youth Services program leaders working within the parameters of the intergovernmental agreements.

Communities and regional reserve commands enthusiastically volunteered to participate in this pilot, said Army spokeswoman Heather Hagan in an email to Military.com.

The pilot is expected to run for a year with an option to extend up to 9 years, Hagan added.

WeeCare Company says it connects families to the largest child care network in the U.S. through a mobile app. The company uses an advanced matching algorithm that provides real-time child care availability. The app also allows service members to find, tour and enroll in local child care facilities and programs.

The pilot was made possible through an intergovernmental support agreement with West Liberty and Clay County, which, in turn, selected WeeCare to help provide child care to Army Reserve members in their communities. The agreements are deals the military negotiates with state and local governments to improve support for service members living in those regions or areas.

The DoD and the military services allotted roughly $1.2 billion to provide child care services in fiscal 2020 for more than 212,000 dependent children, including 116,538 at on-base child development centers.

In a statement, Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, commanding general of U.S. Army Reserve Command, said that shaping the Army Reserve requires support from the military and the community.

"We are grateful to the organizations participating in this unprecedented partnership for providing trusted, accessible, weekend child care to our soldiers and their families," Daniels said.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter and Threads @patriciakime.

Related: Universal Pre-K at DoD Schools, Flexible Spending Accounts for Child Care: DoD Unveils New Family Initiatives
On the morning of 19 August, the Ukrainian Defence Forces attacked a military airfield in Novgorod Oblast, Russian Federation, with drones, damaging at least one aircraft.

Source: Russian Defence Ministry

Details: The Russian Defence Ministry reports that on Saturday, at about 10:00 Moscow time, Ukrainian troops attacked a military airfield in Novgorod Oblast with a copter-type UAV.

The UAV was allegedly detected by the airfield's surveillance post and hit by small arms fire.

A fire broke out on the airfield territory in the aircraft parking lot, which was promptly extinguished by fire crews, the Russian Defence Ministry claims.

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The Russian Defence Ministry reports that "one plane was damaged" and there were no casualties.

Monitor, the Ukrainian Telegram channel, reports that two Tu-22M long-range supersonic bomber aircraft have been damaged at the Soltsy airfield.

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!
Back-to-school season is usually a mixture of excitement and anxiousness.

School district leaders across Central Florida said the first week has gone well, but behind the scenes, therapists said teens are experiencing difficulties.

Some therapists are reporting an increase in teenagers seeking help for back-to-school anxiety.

From last August, compared to this August, weve seen a 47% increase in the amount of youth coming in for services, said Windy McCarty, regional director for Central Florida Behavioral Hospital. Way more than weve ever seen.

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Read: Saturn app raises safety concerns in Central Florida school districts

This year, McCarty said social media, bullying, financial uncertainty and new school policies are putting students on edge.

Last year, the facility turned away 500 patients due to capacity problems but now has expanded its beds for children and teens.

Were seeing more and more kids that are more acute, McCarty said. And have problems that are way more escalated than weve ever seen before.

Read: Osceola County school year begins with new Superintendent in place

Family therapist Cherlette McCullough also says shes seen a difference in the past years.

They were able to be comfortable with knowing certainly whats going to happen, McCullough said. And this year, theres a lot of uncertainty around the different things.

And she advises parents to talk to their teens while maintaining their composure.

Read: Brevard County school district offers new unique career & technical education programs

One of the main things I want to express to the parents is to take care of themselves and not transition that fear, McCullough said.

Both therapists said the new cell phone policies in schools are another factor; parents can be nervous about not being able to contact their child in an emergency, and as a result, teens become nervous.

But they did not say teens should be able to have their phones in class.

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Battlefield casualties in the Ukraine war have surged to almost 500,000 killed and wounded, US officials say

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, May 15, 2023. Libkos/AP Photo

Combined casualties on the battlefield in Ukraine near 500,000, US officials said.

Russia is believed to have lost as many as 120,000 soldiers, compared with 70,000 Ukrainian deaths.

The figures mark a sharp rise in estimates from late last year, likely due to the bloody battle of Bakhmut.

The number of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded has reached nearly 500,000 in total, US officials told The New York Times.

Russia's military casualties are approaching 300,000, of which as many as 120,000 are deaths and up to 180,000 are injuries, the officials said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian deaths are estimated to be 70,000, and up to 120,000 soldiers are believed to be wounded.

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Accurate figures are difficult to ascertain as Kyiv does not disclose official figures, and Russian deaths are believed to be severely undercounted, the officials noted.

The Times noted that there are almost three times as many Russians on the battlefield, and Russia has a larger population to continue to recruit and conscript soldiers.

The latest estimates mark a sharp rise in battlefield deaths, as in November, General Mark Milley, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said that each side had lost more than 100,000 troops.

What followed was the brutal and bloody battle of Bakhmut, which saw heavy losses on both sides and was frequently described as the "meat grinder" until Russian forces seized the city in May.

For many weeks, hundreds of troops were killed or injured every day in the battle, US officials told The Times.

A woman visits the grave of her relative, a Ukrainian serviceman, who was killed during Russia's attack on Ukraine, at the St. Nicholas cemetery near Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Ukraine has since begun its long-anticipated counteroffensive to take back territory occupied by Russia, and its initial weeks saw thousands of troops being killed or wounded, officials said.

It was because Ukraine came up against dense Russian minefields and heavily fortified positions, the paper noted.

Ukraine has since shifted its tactics back to using artillery and long-range missiles to strike Russian forces and appears to be making slow progress.

The latest casualty estimates are based on "satellite imagery, communication intercepts, social media, and news media dispatches" and estimates vary even within the US government, The Times reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
MADISON  President Joe Biden 's campaign on Friday accused former President Donald Trump of wanting "to avoid appearing in Wisconsin" as it seems likely the current Republican frontrunner will skip the first GOP presidential primary debate in Milwaukee next week.

"Of course Donald Trump wants to avoid appearing in Wisconsin because he knows Wisconsin is a state that illustrates his failed leadership," Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The campaign referenced Foxconn Technology Groups project in Racine County that had promised 13,000 new jobs and had been touted by Trump but ultimately never came to fruition.

"Wisconsinites soundly rejected his ongoing efforts to ban abortion in the states Supreme Court election earlier this year," Munoz added. "He cannot hide from the fact that Wisconsinites rejected him in 2020, and will reject the MAGA agenda again in 2024."

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More: Janet Protasiewicz sworn in as Supreme Court justice, ushering in an ideological shift

The attack comes as Trump appears to be taking a pass on attending the debate, instead planning to participate in an online interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to news reports. The decision from the former president would end months of speculation as to whether he would be on stage in Milwaukee on Wednesday, though Trump has previously hinted he would not attend.

On his social media website Truth Social on Thursday, Trump noted that he is polling far ahead of his Republican rivals, writing of the debate: "Reagan didn't do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I'M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

More: Do other Republicans have any chance against Trump? Here's what early polls can tell us.

A spokesperson for Trump in a statement to the Journal Sentinel did not confirm whether Trump plans to skip the debate. "We look forward to debating the failed policies of a weak and failed Joe Biden  if he can get out of his basement long enough," the campaign said.

Democrats plan to use the Wednesday debate to attempt to paint Republicans as extreme and tie other candidates on stage to the former president as part of a sweeping media blitz. Officials from both the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee will be on the ground in Wisconsin engaging with voters.

They will post three billboards around Milwaukee ahead of the debate that will attempt to contrast "the MAGA agenda with Bidens record of accomplishments," according to Biden's campaign. Another mobile billboard truck will circle Fiserv Forum, the debate venue.

Trump's apparent decision to skip the debate is a shot to both the Republican National Committee, which is organizing the debate, and Fox News, which will moderate the event. Both organizations had pushed Trump to attend in recent weeks. His decision also comes on the heels of his fourth criminal indictment  this time from a prosecutor in Georgia who accused Trump of leading a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election.

More: The indispensable state: Why Wisconsin could again be the electoral 'tipping point' in 2024

Still, Trump is expected to have an impact on the debate. Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum told the Journal Sentinel this week that Trump will "be a part of this debate whether he's there or not."

Some of Trump's strongest allies in Washington, including Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds, plan to be in Milwaukee for the debate, according to NBC News. Kari Lake, who lost a race for governor in Arizona and has since embraced false claims of election fraud, could also make an appearance.

The Republican Party of Wisconsin had not responded to Trump's apparent debate snub as of Friday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Biden campaign hits Trump for planning to skip Milwaukee debate
President Bidens reelection campaign on Saturday predicted that the GOP presidential candidates will out-MAGA each other, in the first GOP debate next week, according to an email memo.

Michael Taylor, communications director for Bidens 2024 campaign, detailed the extreme MAGA topics they expect Republican candidates to hit on the debate stage: cuts to Social Security and Medicares, tax breaks for the rich, shipping jobs overseas, protecting the gun lobby, enacting a nationwide abortion ban and undermining democracy through election denial.

The MAGA Republican presidential candidates support gutting Social Security and Medicare, support a tax giveaway to the wealthy and profitable corporations, would ship good-paying American jobs overseas, want to ban abortion, choose the NRA [National Rifle Association] over our kids, and defend attacks against our democracy, the memo reads.

It doesnt matter who wins the debate on Wednesday, the MAGA Republican presidential candidates have all chosen a losing strategy that is extreme and out of touch with the American people, the campaign added, calling out individual candidates for their positions on the hot-button issues.

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Bidens campaign also took aim at certain policies under the Trump administration, including former President Trumps trickle-down economics, in reference to tax cuts on the rich, shipping jobs overseas and proposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

The memo also called some of the GOP candidates push to cut the programs wildly out-of-touch.

Touching on election denial, the memo called out Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley for campaigning on b behalf of election deniers, which the memo labelled as an undermine of democracy.

The campaign described some of the candidates support of a national abortion ban as wildly unpopular, extreme and out of step while also labelling MAGA Republicans extreme anti-gun safety agenda as wildly out of step.

Eight of the Republican presidential candidates have qualified for the first debate, which will take place in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. While Trump has qualified for the debate  other than signing the loyalty pledge  the former president has reportedly chosen to skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to a report from The New York Times.

The others are: DeSantis, Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden and his family are vacationing at a Lake Tahoe home belonging to billionaire Tom Steyer , whom Biden defeated in the 2020 Democratic presidential race.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The private home, owned by Steyer and his wife Kat Taylor, is located in the Glenbrook community on the east side of the lake, a popular tourist destination straddling California and Nevada. The Bidens are renting the house for fair market value, the White House said in a statement.

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Steyer is an investor, environmental activist and Democratic megadonor. He suspended his presidential campaign in February 2020 after placing a distant third in the South Carolina Democratic primary won by Biden.

The Tahoe home is located in a gated neighborhood. The median listing home price in July in Glenbrook was $8.4 million, according to Realtor.com.

The president and first lady Jill Biden plan to spend the week at Lake Tahoe with their family. They arrived late Friday on Air Force One after President Biden hosted a summit meeting at Camp David with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, and plan to depart next Saturday.

Several Biden relatives  including his daughter Ashley, grandchildren Maisy and Naomi and the latters husband, Peter Neal  also flew on the presidential jet. Bidens son Hunter, his wife Melissa Cohen and their son Beau were already at the home when the president landed, according to the White House.

The trip comes one week after Attorney General Merrick Garland made David Weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden , a special counsel in order to continue the probe after a plea deal collapsed with the presidents son on tax and gun charges.

The president and first lady will pause their getaway Monday to travel to Maui, where wildfires killed at least 114 people and destroyed the seaside town of Lahaina. They will meet with federal, state and local officials, tour fire-damaged areas and speak with survivors and first responders, according to the White House.

Biden vacationed earlier this month in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he owns a home. He received criticism while at the beach last weekend when he curtly responded no comment to reporters who asked about the death toll in Maui.

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US President Joe Biden has called Vladimir Putin 's argument for invading Ukraine "ridiculous" and said Russia has already lost the war because it cannot achieve its initial goal.

Source: CNN, citing Biden's statement after the trilateral summit with the leaders of Japan and South Korea

Quote: "Russia has already lost. It cannot meet its original objective which it stated. It's not possible."

Details: Biden called Putin's argument regarding the invasion of Ukraine "ridiculous".

The US President says that the lack of reaction to Russian aggression could be a signal to China regarding Taiwan.

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"Imagine if we'd done nothing.  If we stood still, what statement would that send to China about Taiwan? What signal would that send around the world?" Biden said.

Biden emphasised that the invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine is not "only a European problem; there hasn't been that kind of invasion since World War II".

The US president also praised the Japanese leader's reaction to the Russian aggression, saying that Japan "showed strong leadership through the G7 as well and contributed to a significant amount of financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as well as nonlethal military equipment".

"Japan's leadership from day one, it has been critical making it clear that the consequences for war extend well beyond Europe," Biden added.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
By Steve Holland

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California (Reuters) - President Joe Biden , his wife Jill, son Hunter and other family members have arrived at Lake Tahoe for a week of August vacation, and they are staying at a home rented from billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer .

The Bidens arrived late on Friday in the Glenbrook community on the eastern shore of the lake, on the Nevada side. Steyer and his wife, Kat Taylor, own the home but are not present.

Steyer ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 but failed to gain traction and dropped out after the first four state contests. Biden eventually won the nomination and went on to defeat incumbent Republican Donald Trump.

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The White House said the Bidens are renting the home at fair market value.

Biden's son, Hunter Biden , flew separately on a commercial flight with his wife Melissa Cohen and their son Beau and were already at the residence when the other Bidens arrived, the White House said.

Hunter Biden is facing a special counsel investigation on tax evasion charges. President Biden, asked about the case at a Camp David news conference on Friday, declined comment.

Biden is to travel to Hawaii on Monday to get a firsthand look at the destruction wrought by wildfires that killed dozens of people in Maui.

(Reporting By Steve Holland; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
The world famous Route 66 staple the Big Texan has served customers in Amarillo since 1960.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch has been a staple of the Panhandle, and all of Texas for that matter, since it first opened its doors in 1960.

Known for its iconic 72-ounce steak challenge and gaudy Western ambiance, this legendary establishment along Interstate 40 in Amarillo continues to attract visitors from all over the world, eager to experience a true Lone Star State dining tradition.

Recently, the Big Texan was named the most "delicious" steakhouse on Route 66 by Southern Living, and it also earned the Deep in the Heart Award from the Texas Restaurant Association last month.

Heres a look at the Big Texan by the numbers

The original Big Texan Steak House was established on Route 66 in 1960.

The Big Texan opened more than 63 years ago, totaling 22,693 days since its opening. Of those, the establishment has only closed for 40 days since: 18 in 1976 for a fire, one in 1998 for the filming of "Waking Up in Reno" and 21 in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also closed half a day in 1990 for the founder's funeral.

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Since opening, 91,943 individuals have dared to take on the world-known 72-ounce challenge at The Big Texan Steak Ranch, but only 11%, or 10,212 challengers, have been victorious. The challenge includes a 72-ounce steak with a baked potato and all the fixings, along with a shrimp cocktail that must all be consumed within an hour to get it for free.

Each day, the Big Texan Steak Ranch averages 3.4 attempts to eat the 72-ounce challenge. Women have a better margin of winning at one of every two attempts, while men are at one of every six attempts. In fact, a woman set the current record for fastest challenge time in March 2015.

Big Texan Steak Ranch co-owners Bobby, left, and Danny Lee watch as Molly Schuyler consumes a 72-ounce steak Sunday, April 19. (Sean Steffen / Amarillo Globe-News)

Competitive eater Molly Schuyler completed her challenge in 4 minutes and 18 seconds. Not stopping there, she also clinched the record for the most challenge dinners consumed in a single session, polishing off three complete dinners in less than 20 minutes. Her caloric intake during that sitting was 11 calories per second, or 13,000 calories.

By the way, have you ever wondered how many calories are in the challenge? The estimate averages about 6,937 with the following breakdown: 5,256 in the steak plus 90 in the au jus, 284 in the potato, 72 in the butter, six in the lettuce, 493 in the ranch dressing, 84 in the roll, 454 in the battered shrimp and 198 in the cocktail sauce.

Brenda, the giant rattlesnake on display in The Big Texan Gift shop, is also a competitive eater of a different kind, consuming 30 white mice per year.

A batch of local favorite,calf fries sits on the counter for pickup at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo.

The crowd pleasing dinner rolls are buttered by a staff member at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo.

Beyond the steak challenge, the Big Texan boasts impressive numbers all year long with 71 items on the food menu, including 16 steak and prime rib options.

In one year, the Big Texan will bake and serve 1 million bread rolls and will sell over 250,000 logo shirts. And with 11 beers on tap, the Big Texan Brewery sells over 35,770 gallons of homemade beer annually, or 98 gallons each day. The Big Texan will also purchase 31,000 pounds of bull testicles each year for its world-famous calf fries.

Last year, the Big Texan sold enough potatoes to stretch the height of the Empire State building from end to tip 92 times. Assuming the average potato is between three and five inches, this totals somewhere between 321,000 and 535,000 potatoes.

A server overlooks the steak meals awaiting pickup at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo.

The Big Texan also purchased 606,700 pounds, or 300 tons, of beef last year, which is equivalent to the weight of 10 Boeing 737 jet airplanes. Each day, the Big Texan serves about 22,383 ounces of steak, breaking down to 933 ounces per hour, 15.54 ounces per minute and .25 ounces per second.

Adjacent to the restaurant, the Big Texan Motel has 54 room units and a 20-stall stable behind the main building. And the Big Texan feeds 500,000 visitors a year, primarily coming from the Route 66.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Big Texan Steak House by the numbers
Formerly known as theGrio Style Guide, this week in Black style, Tiffany Haddish teams up with Ali Express, Naomi Campbell heads to Brazil, and a Drake fan bags a Birkin.

Drake has pulled off yet another rich flex.

On Wednesday, during a Los Angeles stop on his Its All A Blur tour at The Forum, the Rich Flex rapper gifted a concertgoer a pink Hermes Birkin bag. A now-viral video on TikTok shows Drake on stage scanning the screaming crowd for a potential recipient before handing it off to one lucky woman.

Drake onstage during his Till Death Do Us Part rap battle on October 30, 2021, in Long Beach, Calif. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

Drake aint cheap, the rapper boasted from the stage.

Drake may not be cheap, but he is thoughtful. In the video, he personally requests the lucky recipient be escorted to her car by security at the shows close to ensure she and her new extremely valuable piece of concert merch make it home safely. And for good reason: Birkin bags are typically valued from $8,000 to $30,000. A Birkin personally gifted by Drake mid-show at The Forum could be worth much more.

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Drakes love of Birkins is well-documented; in 2017, he told The Hollywood Reporter he was amassing a personal collection of the costly bags to gift to his future wife. In 2019, he revealed to Architectural Digest that he houses his investments in a two-story closet adorned with amethyst hardware, rock crystal, and seating upholstered in diamond-tufted shearling with polished nickel studs.

No word on whether the Birkin gifted at his concert was from Drakes collection. But after his recent purchase of hip-hops most valuable artifact  Tupacs personally designed crown ring, valued at $1 million  perhaps Drake was simply moved to create another.

Harlems Fashion Row is honoring hip-hops 50th with Remix

A model walks the runway for Deus Ex Machina during Harlems Fashion Row 15th Anniversary Fashion Show And Style Awards on September 6, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Harlems Fashion Row (HFR) is gearing up to honor the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at its 16th annual Fashion Show and Style Awards.

According to Womens Wear Daily, the fashion agency will host the upcoming awards show on September 5 at the Apollo Theater, with AT&T and Disney as sponsors. This years theme, Remix, pays homage to hip-hop. The evenings events will include a cocktail hour, a showcase of fashions from designers Nicole Benefield, Aaron Potts, and Megan Renee, and an awards ceremony.

Vogue Global Contributing Editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson will receive this years Editor of the Year award. Los Angeles-based styling duo Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald, known for their red carpet work as Wayman + Micah, will receive HFRs Stylists of the Year awards; and Stella Jean, an Italian fashion designer of Haitian descent, will take home the award for Designer of the Year.

HFR founder Brandice Daniel said, Hip-hop has made an impact on fashion that cannot be ignored. The designers and artists who pioneered the iconic looks that changed fashion in music deserve to be heralded. Our 16th-anniversary celebration is our way of highlighting their contribution.

AliExpress x Tiffany Haddish Summer Pop-Up

Tiffany Haddish attends the 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture on July 01, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images FOR ESSENCE)

International online retailer AliExpress is stepping out of the virtual aisles for the first time to offer shoppers an in-person experience in the U.S. In collaboration with actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish, AliExpress will host a series of pop-up shops across Los Angeles featuring a personally-curated collection by the Girls Trip star.

AliExpress is all about delivering excitement and wonder on a budget, and you know Ive got a soft spot for fabulous finds at a great price, said Haddish in a press release. Its like a treasure hunt every time you visit the site. Im so excited to have curated all my favorite fly fashion, gadgets, and goodies into an exclusive collection that can be seen in person at the Pop-Up Tour as well as online, all with the same fantastic deals.

Kicking off at The Grove in Los Angeles, the pop-up shop will include the celebrity collection, interactive installations, a meet-and-greet with Haddish, and opportunities to win prizes. Catch AliExpress immersive shopping experience packed with interactive elements and unique, on-trend products at the following locations:

August 19th  20th (Sat 10 am10 pm, Sun 11 am8 pm): The Grove West Hollywood, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles

August 22nd  23rd (Tue & Wed 10 am10 pm): Santa Monica Pier, 200 Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica

August 25th  27th (Fri & Sat 10 am9 pm, Sun 11 am7 pm): Glendale Galleria, 100 West Broadway Suite 100, Glendale

Billionaire Boys Club x Moncler

Pharrell Williams attends the 10th-anniversary party of Billionaire Boys Club on June 4, 2013, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Made With Elastic)

This week, Pharrell Williams luxury streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club joined forces with Moncler for a special-edition collection. Coinciding with Billionaire Boys Clubs 20th anniversary, the collection creatively merges the Italian luxury fashion houses aesthetic with modern streetwear. The collection features a range of lightweight and heavyweight outerwear combining Monclers lettering with Billionaire Boys Clubs signature astronaut and diamond & dollar prints. The brands called on Pusha-T and No Malice from the rap duo Clipse for an icy campaign shoot to showcase the collaboration. Shop Billionaire Boys Club x Moncler on bbcicecream.com.

Tyler Mitchell photographs and fronts Ferragamos fall campaign

Photographer Tyler Mitchell during IMG NYFW: The Shows 2018 at Spring Studios on September 8, 2018, in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for IMG)

Photographer Tyler Mitchell is in front of the camera for Ferragamos fall campaign.

According to Fashionista, the Luxury Italian brand partnered with Florence-based Uffizi Gallery on a Renaissance-themed shoot photographed by Mitchell, who also stars in the campaign. The campaign features iconic 15th- and 16th-century Italian artwork as the backdrop for ready-to-wear styles, shoes, and bags from the Fall 2023 line. A few of the shots even include scenes of Mitchell at work.

Naomi Campbell to headline Liberatums festival in Brazil

Naomi Campbell attends the 2023 DKMS Gala, in aid of the fight against blood cancer at Natural History Museum on May 25, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images for DKMS)

Global multimedia company Liberatum is set to host an event in Brazil celebrating Black changemakers and visionaries, with Naomi Campbell as headliner.

According to WWD, the three-day multicultural festival is scheduled to take place from November 3 through November 5 and will feature a humanitarian concert, special programming, fashion installations, film, architecture, and fashion photography. Roughly 40,000 attendees are expected.

In addition to Campbell, artist Kehinde Wiley, director Lee Daniels, Debbie Harry, Brazilian actress Tais Araujo, and Brazilian actor and filmmaker Lazaro Ramos are also expected at Liberatum Brazil. More details to come soon.

Ann Lowe among women designers to be honored by The Met

Designer Ann Lowe, right, adjusting the bodice of a gown she designed, fitted most of the debutant and wedding dresses of the nations top families, including Jackie Kennedy. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

One of the fashion industrys first major Black woman designers and one of its freshest Black labels will be honored together in an upcoming exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

According to WWD, the Met will honor some of the fashion industrys most integral women designers when the upcoming exhibition Women Dressing Women is unveiled on Dec. 7 at the Costume Institute. One of those designers is Ann Lowe, who designed the wedding gown for Jacqueline Bouviers marriage to John F. Kennedy and is now regarded as the first major Black designer in America. Contemporary Black designers Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph of No Sesso will also be featured alongside other female pioneers like Gabrielle Chanel.

Women Dressing Women focuses on women in design who define 20th-century fashion and will feature 80 pieces from the museums permanent collection. Per WWD, the exhibition will be arranged into four sections  anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission. Exhibition visitors will have the chance to learn more about the lives, mentorships, and connections between some of these history-making fashion figures. The exhibition also looks closely at those somewhat anonymous or lesser-known designers and dressmakers, such as Lowe, who have laid the foundation for some of todays biggest names.

Celebrity designer Stevie Edwards dies at the age of 58

Tiffany Haddish attends Amazon Studios World Premiere of AIR wearing a dress by designer Stevie Edwards on March 27, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Fashion designer Stevie Edwards, who designed for celebrities Tiffany Haddish and Diana Ross, died at age 58 on Sunday in Chicago. According to WWD, one of Edwards sisters, Aretha, reported that the designer succumbed to cancer at a Warren Barr rehabilitation center. Funeral arrangements are reportedly still being made.

Last month, the designer shared via Instagram that he planned to take a six- to eight-month break from designing, depending on the healing process.

I was embarrassed to share at first, but I will fight this dreadful disease, he wrote, further explaining that he was returning to his native Chicago from Los Angeles to seek treatment. Before his diagnosis, Edwards was reportedly at the height of a 30-year-plus career in fashion.

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Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported on Aug. 19 that an explosion occurred on the premises of the Interior Ministry's State Scientific and Research Expert-Criminalistic Center in Kyiv's western suburb.

Klymenko clarified that the cause of the explosion is not due to a drone or missile strike.

Experts on the scene were conducting an examination of explosive objects when the explosion occurred. As a result, a fire broke out in one of the storage facilities on the premises.

Klymenko also wrote that some employees were injured by the incident, but he did not specify how many.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: US confirms F-16s to be provided to Ukraine via third-party transfers once training completed

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Several libraries across the northern suburbs received bomb threats Thursday afternoon, and while police found no bombs, the libraries responded by shutting down in order to calm shaken employees and patrons.

Libraries in Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Gurnee and Wilmette have reported receiving threats, prompting Glencoe Public Library, which did not receive a threat, to close its doors, citing a building emergency.

The apparent first threat was sent at about 2:09 p.m. through the Wilmette Public Librarys Chat with a Librarian function, according to Wilmette Deputy Police Chief Mike Clark.

The all-clear was given after Wilmette police, in coordination with the Cook County Sheriffs Office explosives team, conducted an extensive search at 2:30 p.m., officials said Thursday afternoon.

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Library officials closed the building for the rest of the day and Wilmette police are investigating, according to a news release.

Libraries have been facing increased scrutiny across the country, as well as in Lincolnwood and other local suburbs, with some individuals or organizations pushing for book bans or bans on events such as drag queen story hours. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed legislation in June designed to combat book bans in Illinois by withholding state funding from libraries that remove books and other materials from their shelves for partisan or doctrinal reasons.

Park Ridge Police Executive Officer Tom Gadomski said the Park Ridge Public Library was also subject to a threat Thursday at 4:41 p.m. that was determined to be a hoax. He said the threat was made over an internal messaging system.

Our officers did do an initial sweep of the interior of the library and, as an abundance of caution, the library closed for the remainder of the day, as did several other libraries who received the same threat, he said.

The Morton Grove Public Library received two threats Thursday, according to Executive Director Pam Leffler.

Fortunately, my staff followed our emergency procedures perfectly, the Morton Grove Police were prompt and responsive, and the threats deemed not viable, she said. As you can imagine, staff were understandably rattled a bit, so in consultation with my department managers and the Board president, I made the decision to close for the evening out of an abundance of caution.

At 6:02 p.m., the Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee received a bomb threat through its chat reference service, according to a post on the librarys Facebook page. The building was evacuated and searched by the Gurnee Police Department and a local K-9 unit. The library reopened on Friday morning.

At the Lincolnwood Public Library, which did not receive a threat, Library Director Susan Dove Lempke said, My understanding is that the threats came through libraries chat functions on their website, and we dont have that on ours.

Glencoe Public Library Executive Director Andrew Kim said the library was closed in response to threats made directly to other nearby libraries, but there was not a direct threat against Glencoes library.

Glenview Public Library also closed in response to threats made to nearby libraries.

Its very upsetting, Illinois Library Association Executive Director Cynthia Robinson said. Public libraries are available to everybody and it is one of the few places where you can go and not spend any money. It is scary, as libraries work very hard to be safe spaces for their patrons.

Robinson added the association would be working with its partner agencies on how to move forward.

According to the FBI Chicago Public Affairs Team, the bureau has been made aware of the threats, but its statement did not indicate whether the FBI was investigating.
(Bloomberg) -- As Ecuadorians prepare to vote for a president Sunday amid its most violent election cycle in memory, investors are betting an unexpected rally in the countrys battered bonds isnt finished.

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The assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and a shocking rise in crime has made security and stability a focus of the election. Thats raised the chances a conservative, market-friendly candidate will at least make it to a second round in October, and reduces the odds of an outright win by a leftist ally of former President Rafael Correa.

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Ecuadors dollar bonds, in turn, jumped to their highest levels in a month, returning an average of 9% since the murder  compared to a loss of 1.9% across emerging market government bonds. Strategists from Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and EMFI Group are among those to recommend buying the debt.

There could be more upside to the bonds from current prices if a market-friendly candidate makes it to the second round, said Jared Lou, a money manager at William Blair in New York, who holds the debt. Recent events highlight the deteriorating security situation in Ecuador.

The violence adds to political chaos unleashed earlier this year when lawmakers mounted a campaign to impeach President Guillermo Lasso , who responded by dissolving congress, triggering snap elections. A second-round will be held in October if no candidate gets an absolute majority Sunday  or at least 40% of valid votes with a 10 percentage point lead over the runner-up.

In large part, the trade in Ecuador bonds is a bet that whoever wins the presidency will be able to stave off default in the 18 months they will be in office  serving out the remainder of Lassos term.

The next large payments on the countrys $15.5 billion of sovereign bonds come due in 2025, the same year the next election will be held. Defaulting would be costly for any party looking to stay in power, said Mauro Favini, a senior portfolio manager at Vanguard, which holds the debt.

I dont think any government can govern under default and stay in default and pretend to be a successful economy, said Favini. Its a very shortsighted strategy.

Still, the country  which has defaulted 11 times since its history  remains highly distressed.

Investors demand an extra 17.5 percentage points of yield to hold Ecuadors dollar debt, on average, over similar US Treasuries. And the market for credit-default swaps  a type of insurance against default  suggests a 91% chance the government will start missing payments within five years.

Based on fundamentals it is cheap, said Ricardo Penfold, a managing director at Seaport, but that is trumped by politics and their serial defaulters status.

Even after their recent rally, Ecuadors bonds have handed investors losses of around 18% this year, the worst performer among emerging markets, according to a Bloomberg index. Fitch Ratings slashed the countrys credit score deeper into junk Wednesday, saying reforms to address Ecuadors financing challenges wont go through in the 18-month presidential term.

Most-Likely Scenarios

For investors, a best-case scenario in the first round would be a strong showing by right-wing candidate Jan Topic. Hes seen as the biggest contender for Correas hand-picked candidate Luisa Gonzalez, who polls have showed leading the race. Its also the most likely outcome as Topics focus on security has helped him advance in the polls since Villavicencios death.

A runoff vote between her and center-right candidate Otto Sonnenholzner or Christian Zurita  the former journalist whos replacing Villavicencio  would also be welcomed by the market. Investors would fret a runoff between Gonzalez and Indigenous leader Yaku Perez.

The person who wins this election doesnt actually matter that much, said Sarah Glendon, an analyst at Columbia Threadneedle in New York. Theyre not in office long enough to get very much done.

The composition of congress, where all seats are up for grabs, will be key for the next administration, Glendon said. On top of that, money managers will monitor for a referendum that, if approved, could lead to a 12% drop in the countrys oil output, Fitch estimates.

The saving grace, at least for the short term, is the technical picture, Citigroup strategists led by Dirk Willer wrote in a report. The country maintains a decent fiscal standing and debt payments remain relatively low until 2025, which suggests a restructuring could be avoided in the near term.

--With assistance from Stephan Kueffner.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Boston firefighters rescued a 57-year-old who fell through the threshold of a building on Friday night.

According to Boston Fire, crews extricated a person who fell approximately 10 feet when the hollow sidewalk leading into the building collapsed.

The person was transported by Boston EMS with non-life-threatening injuries.

Companies were able to extricate a person who fell approximately 10 feet when the threshold of the building collapsed at 428 Blue Hill Ave, a hollow sidewalk leading into the building. The person was transported by @BOSTON_EMS with non life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/zroNNMnZVb  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) August 19, 2023

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Russians hit the center of Chernihiv with ballistic missiles (illustrative photo)

Russian troops attacked the center of Chernihiv on the afternoon of August 19 with what is believed to have been a ballistic missile. There are dead and wounded and the threat remains.

11:49  The Air Force warns of the threat of enemy UAVs in the Chernihiv region.

11:46  As a result of the Russian shelling of Chernihiv city center, there are dead and wounded, reports Suspilne.

11:41  The Russians have shelled Chernihiv city center, reports Chernihiv OVA head Vyacheslav Chaus.

Probably a ballistic missile. Stay in shelters. Details later, he wrote.



11:20  An air alert has been triggered in the Chernihiv region. Ukraines Air Force reports of a missile threat.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
FILE - Milwaukee Brewers' Rowdy Tellez (11) looks on during a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Sunday, June 4, 2023. Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez has rejoined the team after spending six weeks on the injured list. The Brewers announced before their Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, game with the Texas Rangers that they have reinstated Tellez and optioned infielder Abraham Toro to Triple-A Nashville. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)  Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez has rejoined the team after spending six weeks on the injured list.

The Brewers announced before their Saturday game with the Texas Rangers that they have reinstated Tellez and optioned infielder Abraham Toro to Triple-A Nashville.

Tellez, 28, went on the injured list with a right forearm issue July 5 and then hurt his left ring finger, delaying his return.

He was shagging fly balls in Cincinnati on July 15 and got his finger stuck in the outfield wall, ripping his fingernail off and causing a tuft fracture that required surgery. Tellez had 17 stitches removed from the finger on July 25.

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Tellez hit 35 homers in 2022 but hasnt been as effective this year. Hes batting .213 with a .285 on-base percentage, .388 slugging percentage, 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 79 games. Since the start of June, Tellez has batted .163 with no homers and 10 RBIs in 98 at bats.

He hit .226 with one homer and five RBIs in eight games during a rehabilitation appearance at Nashville.

The return of Tellez gives manager Craig Counsell more options in filling out his lineups as the NL Central-leading Brewers chase a division title. While Tellez was on the injured list, the Brewers acquired first baseman Carlos Santana from the Pittsburgh Pirates before the trade deadline.

Santana, 37, is hitting .162 with a .195 on-base percentage, five homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games with Milwaukee. He has three homers and seven RBIs over his last five games.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson held their wedding inside an ice cave in Iceland.

As dairy farmers from the UK, they rarely get the chance to travel and wanted something different.

Ann Peters of Iceland Wedding Planner, who specializes in adventurous elopements, planned the event.

Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson always wanted to get married in the land of fire and ice.

"It was just always Iceland," Schofield told Insider of their dream wedding destination, adding that she and Watson wanted "something different, an adventure."

As dairy farmers from Lancashire, UK, they rarely get the chance to leave the cows and travel together, and they're used to getting a bit dirty. So when it came time to say "I do," they booked a private elopement through Iceland Wedding Planner, an event-planning business specializing in adventurous weddings and luxury elopements founded by Ann Peters.

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Peters ensures that the exact locations she brings couples for elopements and weddings remain secret. Many of them are located on private property, with landowners granting her exclusive access.

On June 2, 2023, Schofield and Watson exchanged vows inside a glacier, followed by a picnic at a waterfall and photos in a canyon and on a black-sand beach.

The daring couple first met in school when they were 10 years old.

"I was so in love with him, it's not even funny," Schofield said. "I told my grandma and granddad I was going to marry this boy, but he doesn't remember me."

The two eventually went their separate ways before reconnecting in their 20s, when Watson walked into a bar where Schofield was bartending. The way she tells it, she went home with him and never left.

Take a look at Schofield and Watson's non-traditional wedding.

Jemma Schofield and Chris Watson exchanged vows in an ice cave along Iceland's southern coast on June 2, 2023.

Chris Watson and Jemma Schofield. Ann Peters

The wedding day began in the town of Vik, where the bride and groom boarded a super Jeep for the adventure ahead.

Boarding a super Jeep. Ann Peters

The wedding venue  an ice cave inside a glacier  was located in a remote area with no paved roads or tourists.

Hiking to the ice cave. Ann Peters

Iceland Wedding Planner founder Ann Peters spotted the cave from a plane she chartered last summer, and keeps its location secret to provide her clients with exclusive access.

The ice cave. Ann Peters

"I've spent days, hours, hiking, droning, doing all the things to find this area," Peters told Insider. "Everything changes because the area is alive."

Inside the ice cave. Ann Peters

Peters and her team provided the couple with helmets, ropes, and other necessary equipment to safely enter the cave.

The bride and groom getting in their gear. Ann Peters

The bride wore white ... and crampons on her rubber boots. The groom wore waders over his suit.

The bride and groom in their gear. Ann Peters

Schofield and Watson climbed into the ice cave in their wedding finery.

Entering the ice cave. Ann Peters

After navigating knee-high rivers flowing through the melting glacier, they arrived at a scenic spot for the ceremony.

The ice cave wedding. Ann Peters

A local Lutheran pastor officiated the wedding over the roar of rushing water.

Saying "I do" in an ice cave. Ann Peters

They shared their first kiss as husband and wife, then celebrated with a swig of Icelandic moonshine.

Celebrating with Icelandic moonshine. Ann Peters

After the ceremony, Schofield and Watson posed for more photos in the cave before moving on to their next location.

The newlyweds inside the ice cave where they got married. Ann Peters

At the foot of a private waterfall, the newlyweds shared a picnic of fruit, macarons, Champagne, and other treats.

A post-wedding picnic. Ann Peters

They then posed for photos in a narrow canyon accessible only by super Jeep.

Taking photos in a canyon. Ann Peters

For their last stop before dinner, Peters used a drone to capture photos of Schofield and Watson on a private black-sand beach.

On a black-sand beach. Ann Peters

Back in Vik, they changed out of their muddy wedding clothes and sat down for dinner in the hotel's dining room.

The newlyweds share a wedding dessert. Ann Peters

"I loved every minute of it," Jemma said of their adventurous elopement.

As close to sunset as Iceland gets in June. Ann Peters

Read the original article on Insider
A lawsuit filed against the maker of some of the nation's most popular water filtration systems has accused the Brita company of falsely advertising that its products remove or reduce hazardous contaminants from tap water.

The proposed class-action lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claims that deceptive advertising has led customers to falsely believe that Brita products filter such contaminants as arsenic, nitrate, hexavalent chromium and certain PFAS, or forever chemicals, from tap water.

Brita is owned by Clorox Co., which is headquartered in Oakland. Clorox released a statement Wednesday saying it was still reviewing the complaint, but looked forward to "defending ourselves vigorously."

"Brita takes the transparency of the variety of water filtration options we offer seriously," the statement said. "Our products include a standard filtration option that improves taste and odor of tap water and is certified to reduce identified contaminants as communicated. For those consumers looking for water filters certified to reduce PFOS or PFOA, the Brita Elite pour-through and Brita Hub are both certified to reduce PFOS/PFOA, as well as lead and other identified contaminants."

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Read more: Risk of tap water exposure to toxic PFAS chemicals higher in Southern California

The lawsuit was filed by Los Angeles County resident Nicholas Brown, who is currently the sole plaintiff. Brown purchased a Brita water pitcher and standard filter for about $15 in 2022 after reading the product label and believing the device would filter contaminants to below lab detectable limits, the lawsuit said.

"Unfortunately, the Products are not nearly as effective as defendant deliberately leads people to believe, causing consumers to overpay millions and forego more effective alternatives," the lawsuit said. "In this way, defendant has not only bilked millions of dollars from consumers in ill-gotten gains, but Defendant has put the health and welfare of millions of consumers and their families at risk."

At the heart of the lawsuit is the basic and fundamental human right to clean and safe drinking water, said the plaintiff's lawyers. They argue that Brita products, which are widely available and affordable, are a staple in the homes of students, renters, working families and others who cant spare the price of high-quality filters for their taps.

The company's marketing creates the illusion of safety and protection for people and their families, said Ryan Clarkson, managing partner of the Clarkson Law Firm in Malibu. And that's really the big problem that we need to solve here. When people are running their tap water with PFAS through these Brita water filters, it's just a superfluous act. It does nothing whatsoever as it relates to chemicals like PFAS.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluorinated substances, are a group of thousands of manufactured chemicals that have been widely used for decades in products that resist heat, oil and water. They can be found in such everyday items as nonstick cookware, dental floss, period underwear, fast food boxes, water-repellent clothing and firefighting foam.

Known as forever chemicals because they dont degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS have made their way into rivers, lakes, aquifers and peoples blood streams. Exposure to high levels of some PFAS has been linked to adverse health effects such as decreased fertility, increased risk of high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and liver and immune-system damage.

The lawsuit accuses the company of violating California laws concerning unfair competition, false advertising, breach of contract and others. It seeks damages and other remedies.

Read more: 'This is taking too long': California community awaits cleanup of PFAS-contaminated wells

Depending on the type of filter, Brita products are certified to reduce or remove contaminants such as chlorine, lead, mercury, asbestos, some particulates, zinc, copper and select pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals, according to its website .

The lawsuit comes at a time of increasing concern over drinking water contamination.

Researchers recently estimated that at least 45% of the nations tap water is contaminated with one or more PFAS chemicals, and that drinking-water exposures may be more common in urban areas across Central and Southern California than in other regions.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to begin regulating several types of PFAS in drinking water and has proposed strict limits on two common ones  PFOA and PFOS  and L.A. County supervisors supported a proposal last month to investigate PFAS levels in drinking water.

Arsenic and nitrate, which are linked to certain cancers and other health issues, are also widespread in parts of California. According to state data, 22% of primary maximum contaminant level (MCL) violations in public water systems last year were for arsenic, and 22% were for nitrate, the highest of any contaminants. MCLs are health-protective drinking-water standards.

The lawsuit argues that claims on the labels and packages of certain Brita water filters, pitchers and dispensers  such as Cleaner, Great-Tasting Water for Over [20, 25, or 30] Years, The #1 FILTER and Reduces 3X Contaminants  are false and misleading. Other claims like Better water for you. Better water for the planet and Fresh filter = Fresh water reinforce consumer beliefs that the products remove or reduce to below lab detection limits common hazardous contaminants, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit also claims that numerous Brita products have not been registered with the California State Water Resources Control Board since theyve been marketed and sold, and that none of their products have been certified to remove or reduce health-hazardous contaminants, making it unlawful to market and sell them in the Golden State.

What the case seeks is really two things, Clarkson said. First, greater transparency for consumers so they understand what these water filters are capable of filtering out and what they are not capable of filtering out. We don't believe that the advertising and labeling of these products communicate in a transparent and effective way to consumers what the products can and can't do.

And secondly, we're looking for compensation to all purchasers of these products who have relied upon the products to fulfill a promise that they simply haven't fulfilled, he added. The class period will go back to Aug. 16, 2019.

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher aimed to make owning shares as common as having a car - Richard Baker/In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images

It was Margaret Thatcher who imagined a shareholder democracy, where owning shares is as common as having a car.

She set out that vision to the Conservative Party conference in 1985 against the backdrop of the great privatisation wave of the 1980s, offering investors their first chance to buy shares in inefficient state monopolies such as British Telecom and British Gas. This was the bold era of Tell Sid, and countries around the world followed Britains lead.

But while share ownership among the public did rise during the 1980s, her dream  inspired by her economic North Star Friedrich Hayek  has never really been realised.

Share ownership never quite captured the imagination in the way that home ownership did, epitomised by the sale of council housing stock, the other key Thatcherite policy.

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Although the internationalisation of markets clearly played a big role, just 12 pc of shares in UK-listed companies are currently in the hands of the public compared to over half in the 1960s, according to official figures.

Sadly, the current market dynamics hardly seem likely to revive those shareholder democracy aspirations. The irony is that London is in a de-equitisation cycle at the same time as there is an estimated 1 trillion in retail capital, ready to be put to work for companies  to invest in the wider economy, fuelling growth and jobs. But there are simply fewer companies to buy shares in: in the past five years the number of UK listed companies has fallen by 20pc, or around 100.

That number looks likely to decrease further still with just one significant float this year, and 17 companies currently under offer.

Fund flows paint a picture of investors pulling away from the UK, particularly in the small and mid-cap sector. We risk a negative spiral of shrinking numbers and values, and easy pickings for foreign buyers.

It matters because small companies drive growth and jobs, providing more than half of private employment. If the UK loses its allure as a listing centre, the infrastructure around it also starts to crumble, the growth sectors head elsewhere and  eventually  tax revenues suffer.

So what does the Government do to snap us out of this cycle? For starters, rediscover its inner Thatcher and create those conditions for a genuine shareholder democracy with the raft of City reforms currently in the pipeline.

Thats why the recommendations of Rachel Kents research review are a good idea: both breaking the cycle of declining investment coverage post MiFID, and giving retail investors the same access to the investment research enjoyed by the institutions. Retail investors shouldnt have to rely on chat room gossip instead of proper research.

We can do even more, though. Encouraging retail investors to buy shares by making retail offers in IPOs and secondary offerings mandatory needs to happen to genuinely level the playing field.

Unlocking the power of the retail investor should go hand in hand with the more permissive regime and single listing segment proposals outlined in the FCAs review, removing the red tape that can deter early-stage companies from listing altogether and spurring the market.

What if the Mansion House ambitions to funnel 5pc of pension funds into private businesses were to be extended to smaller listed companies, too? That vicious spiral were seeing could soon become a virtuous circle.

If ministers really want to be bold and pull supply-side levers to encourage the City and widen participation, however, they really need to look at the tax system. Despite a lot of rhetoric from politicians about seizing the opportunities of Brexit, there has been an unseemly lack of boldness in using the tax system to help a key UK growth engine.

We need both carrots and sticks. Abolishing stamp duty on share trading, for example, would be an added incentive to share ownership.

On the other hand, it has always struck me as bizarre that we allow people to invest in companies all around the world tax-free through ISAs and SIPPS.

These are tax breaks offered without any incentive to invest in UK businesses and thus the policy represents a direct tax loss to the Exchequer. Surely investors should only benefit from this when they put money in UK companies through these vehicles.

Cutting capital gains tax allowances also reduces the incentive to own shares, particularly in smaller businesses where the focus is on growth. It seems perverse that profits on low-risk gilts are CGT free, yet higher risk assets incur a 20pc liability: hardly an incentive to take risks.

On the other side of the coin, the Government could encourage businesses to list by giving them variable rates of corporation tax if they do so, particularly as the rate has just gone up to 25pc.

Currently all those with profits over 250,000 are clobbered at the main rate: there is clearly room for more flexibility.

There is so much ministers can do to make our City healthier and it is something we should be hearing more about from politicians. It isnt retail politics like building hospitals or cutting income tax (yes please) but it is a crucial driver in unlocking growth.

What happens in the Square Mile isnt remote: it affects us all more than we appreciate. If we can pull the right levers and start a trend of re-equitisation  driven by newly energised retail investors  we can pull the UK economy out of third gear and take a step towards achieving the Iron Ladys dream.

Charles Hall is head of research at investment bank Peel Hunt

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In this photo issued by the Metropolitan Police on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023, a view of a Chinese vase which dates back to the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. A sting operation at a London hotel helped authorities recover a 15th-century Chinese vase worth about 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) and break up the criminal ring believed to have stolen the artifact from a Swiss museum, British police said Saturday. (Metropolitan Police via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LONDON (AP)  A sting operation at a London hotel helped authorities recover a 15th-century Chinese vase worth about 2 million pounds ($2.5 million) and break up the criminal ring believed to have stolen the artifact from a Swiss museum, British police said Saturday.

The vase, which dates to the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, was one of three items stolen from the Museum of Far Eastern Art in Geneva in 2019.

The Metropolitan Police Service made the announcement after a London court on Friday found two men guilty of charges related to the gangs effort to sell the vase. A third man pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year, and two other men who were arrested in London are awaiting trial in Switzerland for their alleged role in the burglary. All five are from southeast London.

The organized crime group involved in this offending believed they could commit significant offenses internationally and that there would be no comeback, said Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, from the Mets Specialist Crime unit. They were mistaken, highlighting the strength of our relations with international law enforcement partners and our ability to work across international boundaries.

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London police said they worked with Swiss authorities on the investigation after an auction house alerted them that someone had e-mailed them seeking a valuation for the stolen vase.

Officers working undercover offered to buy the vase for 450,000 pounds ($573,000) and agreed to make the buy at a central London hotel, where the first suspect was arrested.

Police have offered a 10,000 pound ($12,734) reward for information leading to the recovery of a doucai-style wine cup with chicken decorations that was also stolen from the Geneva museum. A bowl valued at 80,000 pounds ($101,872) was returned to the museum after it was sold at an auction in Hong Kong in 2019.

The lucrative market for stolen Chinese antiquities has led to several high-profile heists in recent years, including thefts from British museums and auction houses in 2012 that netted jade bowls, figurines and other items worth millions.
Lawrence J. Collins III, 18, left, sits with defense attorney Aaron Kovalchik in Stark County Common Pleas Court. Collins was sentenced Friday to 18 to 22.5 years in prison for the shooting deaths of William Harvey Jr., 19, and Jeremiah Burton, 19, on March 28, 2022, in Canton.

CANTON  Two men from the Cleveland area have admitted their roles in the 2022 slayings of William Harvey Jr., 19, and Jeremiah Burton, 19.

The defendants, who were 16 and 17 years old when the victims were shot at their home in the 3500 block of Ellis Avenue NE on March 28, 2022, both pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, each carrying a specification that a gun was used in the crime.

Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin G. Farmer sentenced Lawrence J. Collins III on Friday to 18 to 22.5 years in prison. Collins pleaded guilty on Feb. 17.

She gave the 18-year-old Cleveland man credit for 303 days already spent in the county jail and ordered him to pay court costs. Upon his release from prison, he will spend two to five years on parole.

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Co-defendant Jayvion Burkes pleaded guilty Friday as part of a plea agreement between his attorney Jeffrey S. Richardson and Senior Assistant Stark County Prosecutor Kristen L. Mlinar.

The prosecution is recommending Burkes get the same prison term as Collins. The judge ordered a presentence investigation for Burkes and scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 21.

Burkes, a 17-year-old Cleveland Heights resident, had been scheduled to go to trial Monday on charges of murder, felonious assault, complicity to murder and aggravated burglary plus firearm specifications.

Jayvion Burkes, 17, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the deaths of William Harvey Jr., 19, and Jeremiah Burton, 19, on March 28, 2022 in Canton.

The sentencing range for involuntary manslaughter is three to 11 years, Farmer said. A specification that a gun was used in the crime means a mandatory three-year term.

Jeremiah Burton's dad talks about his son

When the time came for victims to speak at Collins sentencing, Thomas Burton talked about losing the son he had raised from infancy as a single father.

"He made me the man I am because I did something that I thought I couldn't do," Burton said. "I got him all the way up to 19 years of age for somebody take him away from me, all the way to 19. I just wanted to have a grandchild by him. I loved him. He was a good kid. He loved kids. He loved babies. Never hurt himself. Never fell off a bike.

"You ripped my heart out, man," he told Collins.

Burton reminisced about his son having a beautiful smile.

"Everybody talked about his smile," the grieving father said. "I still see him talk to me at night. He was a good kid, wouldn't hurt a bug."

Jeremiah's grandmother said she named him before he was born.

'Like brothers to me'

Given the chance to speak, Collins said he did not deserve forgiveness from the victims' families.

"I was a coward," he said. "Both of them were like brothers to me. They protected me on many occasions and I let them down. I let you guys down. My apologies won't ever be enough, but unfortunately that's all I have to offer. I'll pray every day that, you know, God will help heal the wounds."

Collins said that he sometimes feels the punishment he is receiving is not enough.

Burkes expressed his apologies when he entered his plea, even after his lawyer told him that the time for those comments would be at his sentencing.

"As I see and look into people's eyes, the families' eyes, I see the hurt, the pain and everything that has been caused," Burkes said. "As I turn around and look to my mother, I know it takes a lot out of her, the fact that she's losing her son, but she can see her son, she can hear from her son, she can touch her son."

Then, speaking about Burton and Harvey, he said, "Those young men, they don't have that right, and that family don't have that right."

The judge said that after listening during the pleas and sentencing, "It seems like this case embodies a tragedy in our community resulting from some sort of distorted notion that guns and shooting are the answer to any problem. And there seems to be an increasing loss of respect for life that has fallen upon, especially, the youth in our community. This tragedy will continue, and unfortunately escalate, until and unless such violence is seen as the problem and not the solution."

Farmer said Collins had been part of the problem, and would have the chance to be part of the solution.

"Unlike your victims, you will have the opportunity to come out of prison," she said. "You'll have the chance to live as a free person. And it'll be upon you to decide what kind of life you will live. Will you live a live a life the continues the problem? Or will you live a life that's a solution, that will honor the victims in this case?"

First report: Police investigating the shooting deaths of two 19-year-old men inside a Canton home

March 2022: 'Every day, there are gunshots.' Police aware of Canton neighborhood where killings took place

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cleveland-area teens admit roles in deaths of Canton men, both 19
Moscow, Idaho  Uncuffed and in plain clothes, Bryan Kohberger walked into a courtroom Friday as the families of the four University of Idaho college students he is accused of murdering last year watched from feet away.



In the hearing, Kohberger's defense questioned the validity of DNA found on a knife sheath at the crime scene that authorities allege connected him to the four murders. Defense attorneys demanded more information from prosecutors about the DNA.

"They have provided full DNA discovery for the sheath, the knife sheath, but not the other three unidentified male DNA samples," defense attorney Anne Taylor told the judge.



Prosecutors countered that they have handed over what they have.



"We have given the defense everything that we have received from the lab. They've asked for DNA work-ups on other people. To the extent that they don't have them, they weren't done," Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson said. "We can't produce something that doesn't exist."

Bryan Kohberger enters the courtroom for a hearing on Aug. 18, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022. / Credit: August Frank / Getty Images

On Nov. 13, 2022, the four victims were found stabbed to death at an off-campus home in Moscow. Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle resided in the house, while Ethan Chapin was a friend and fellow student.

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Kohberger, a Ph.D. criminology student at Washington State University, was arrested in late December following an extensive six-week investigation. In May, the 28-year-old was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.

According to an affidavit from Moscow police, on Dec. 27, 2022, just three days before Kohberger's arrest, investigators collected trash from Kohberger's family's home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, from which they obtained his father's DNA profile. They compared the DNA collected from Kohlberger's father to a DNA profile from the knife sheath, determining it to be a familial match.

In court documents filed in June, prosecutors said that a DNA sample taken from Bryan Kohberger following his arrest was a near-match to the DNA on the sheath.

In court filings earlier this month, Kohberger's attorneys argued that he is innocent and was out driving alone at the time of the murders.

"Mr. Kohberger has long had a habit of going for drives alone," his attorneys said, adding that he "is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time."

Criminal defense attorney Joe Tamburino, who is not part of the case, calls it a weak argument.



"An alibi defense is not, 'I simply wasn't there at the time,'" Tamburino told CBS News. "It's, you must provide specifically where you were, time, place. Also, if you have any witnesses."

The judge Friday denied a request by Kohberger's defense to delay the trial, which remains slated to begin as scheduled in October. At his arraignment in May, the judge entered not guilty pleas on Kohberger's behalf when he refused to enter pleas himself, staying silent.

In June, prosecutors said that if he is convicted of the murders, they will pursue the death penalty against him.

 Aliza Chasan, S. Dev, Cara Tabachnick, Gina Martinez and Lilia Luciano contributed to this report.

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In October of 2022, Nilia Soto and her three children were given a 60-day eviction notice to leave the apartment they had called home for over 12 years. The notice claimed a substantial renovation eviction  major plumbing repair and electrical work, and possibly even tearing down the building. Yet 20 days after moving out, which is hardly enough time for a major renovation, Nilias landlord had rented out her apartment for twice as much as what she had paid for it.

As a single mom, finding an affordable home for her family was impossible. The 2022 fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in California was $1,538, up 105.89% from 2000.

Now, Nilia pays three times more than what her previous rent had been, meaning 100% of her paycheck now goes to rent with no money for food or other necessities.

If her circumstances dont change, how long will it be until Nilia and her children become homeless? How long could any family survive this way?

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Across our communities, the rising cost of housing have pushed millions of families to the brink of houselessness, or forced them to live in their cars and in tents on our sidewalks. While we may sometimes struggle to see solutions, one that would have helped Nilia and thousands more like her is in plain view: Senate Bill 567, the Homelessness Prevention Act.

Opinion

The Act recognizes a simple truth: California spends billions of dollars downstream to help our relatives who have fallen into homelessness, but we must go upstream and take proactive measures by keeping families in their homes. To do this, SB 567 strengthens the 2019 California Tenant Protection Act, expanding protections against the kind of evictions Nilia experienced. If passed, there would be more security for the nearly 3 million lower income renter households in California, who would not as easily be put out on the street through no fault of their own and for no reason other than profit.

Currently, a landlord can initiate a no fault eviction if they claim they intend to do significant repairs or move a family member in. However, there is little accountability or oversight, and, as a result, countless families are being displaced. SB 567 would tighten the definition of substantial renovation and allow the tenant to move back in at the same rent if no renovation actually takes place. It would also require that the owner identify which family member is moving in, require that this person stay for a year and prohibit tenant displacement if there is already a vacant apartment. It also lengthens the notice period when an owner is intending to remove the entire building from the market, giving tenants like Nilia more time to plan their next move.

In a state where so many are at risk of homelessness, it is no surprise that about eight in ten Californians support rent protections. Indeed, some progressive critics think that the bill doesnt go far enough, partly because limits on rent increases were stripped out of an early version. But as this critical law moves through the assembly and to the governors desk, the strongest opposition for SB 567 is from the California Apartment Association who argue that we already did enough when we struck a deal for tenant protection a few years back. But look around. Are encampments evidence of success? Are the 1.2 million extremely low-income renter households evidence of substantial progress?

Research has shown that forced moves result in higher incidences of anxiety and depression. And children often bear the brunt of this, with frequent moves leading to limited educational attainment, behavioral problems and increased stress. Additionally, evidence shows that women of color, specifically Black women, face evictions at a higher rate.

Californians know that when we pull together, we all do better. The housing and homelessness crisis is no different. Its up to the state assembly to follow suit and send the bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign.

Joseph Tomas Mckellar is the executive director of PICO California, the largest faith-based community organizing network in the state. Manuel Pastor sits on Californias first Racial Equity Commission and is director of the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California and co-author of Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter .
Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois says the Legislature's decision to boost his office's fiscal 2024 budget will allow him to "breathe a little easier."

"This money will go a long way," said Galibois in a telephone interview. "It will enable us to provide much more  in terms of services to our community."

The House of Representatives approved a $5.9 million budget in May. But after significant lobbying efforts from Sen. Julian Cyr and Sen. Susan Moran, the Senate approved a $350,000 increase for the District Attorney Office's fiscal year 2024 budget. The Ways and Means Committee endorsed that increase, said Galibois, and his office will now receive $6.3 million for fiscal year 2024.

BARNSTABLE -- 08/08/23 -- Robert Galibois is the Cape and Islands District Attorney. He was photographed in front of his office building. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times

The increase will allow Galibois to hire a chief for his office's child protection and human trafficking unit; continue a part-time communications position; and clear the way for expanding information technology. The bolstered budget will also create training opportunities for an assistant district attorney to learn how to run a mental health court for Barnstable County.

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Historically, said Cyr, Cape Cod and the Islands have not received their fair share of resources. Part of the problem was the "old school" nature of the District Attorney Office's prior administration that didn't take advantage of opportunities for innovative programs and polices related to racial justice initiatives and reducing recidivism.

"We now have a district attorney who wants to make sure we are doing everything we can to see people out of the criminal justice system," said Cyr, D-Truro. "Now that we have Rob in place, we are getting into the weeds of actually doing this work. He needs to be appropriately funded."

Former Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe announced he was leaving office in January 2022.

Child protection and human trafficking programs can expand with new funding

As soon as Galibois learned about the budget increase, he hired Vanessa Madge as chief of the child protection and human trafficking unit. Madge, assistant attorney general for the state's Attorney General's Office, has also worked at the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office as a superior court prosecutor, said Galibois.

"She will be in charge of all child abuse cases and any and all human trafficking cases as they come in," he said. "This is a big score. I'm very excited to get her."

Madge will also work with Orleans Chief of Police Scott MacDonald, who is currently leading a charge against human trafficking on Cape, said Galibois.

"Scott is doing a great job at job bringing issues surrounding human trafficking to all (police) departments on the Cape and Islands," said Galibois. "He is trying to get each department to commit a representative to this issue. He also plans to start trainings."

Madge will also work with local organizations like Cape Cod People Against Trafficking Humans or Cape Cod PATH.

Mental health court will be a reality on Cape and Islands, says Galibois

After a mental health court was approved by Massachusetts Trial Court, Galibois appointed Shaunna Souve as the mental health prosecutor for his office. The additional money helped to send Souve to Plymouth County to observe mental health sessions and work alongside prosecutors to gain an understanding of what a mental health session is like.

In Galibois' opinion, the opening of a mental health court session was the idea that resonated most with the public during his campaign for district attorney in 2023.

"Everywhere I went, folks wanted to learn more about the session and were considerably interested in having this specialty session available to our residents," he said. "This will be a very out in front role for the office."

Part time communications position will continue

When Galibois took office, he said he inherited a significant deficiency in the fiscal year 2023 budget. When former Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe left office, many assistant district attorneys and other staff followed. O'Keefe gave those individuals payouts for accrued vacation and sick time. Cyr worked to plug that gap, he said, by providing a $200,000 supplemental appropriation for the 2023 fiscal year budget.

That additional funding allowed Galibois to hire Margot Cahoon on a part-time basis. Cahoon has been leading communications and public records efforts for the district attorney's office and will also compile an annual report, which will help fulfill Galibois' campaign commitment to transparency, he said.

"I hired Margo hoping that when I got my fiscal year 24 budget, that it would be above what we were traditionally getting," he said. "We took a little bit of a risk. But it worked out."

Technology will help Galibois tell the world what the DA is doing

During O'Keefe's reign as district attorney, a webpage was never put into place. But for Galibois, it's essential for his office to communicate with the community.

"We want to launch a website so we actually put stuff out there into the world," he said.

Michael Barrows, information technology director for the district attorney's office, is currently reviewing options for website creators, said Galibois, and will help launch a forward-facing public website as soon as possible, he said.

"We are trying to figure out how we can get this up and running before end of this year - thats the goal," he said.

Is there longevity for budget increase on the Cape and Islands?

When Cyr looks at overall funding for the district attorney's office, he said fiscal year 2024's amount is very likely to be sustained in the future.

"We will continue to push on incremental increases so we can maintain funding and further expand funding," he said. "This funding will allow the district attorney's office to pursue criminal justice reforms, public safety, work to reduce recidivism, and will work to fund staff who will make a difference on the Cape and Islands. This is certainly money that will be put to good use in this relatively new administration."

Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

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: Cape and Islands DA plans mental health court, new website
For most Americans, black history begins in 1619, when a Dutch ship brought some 20 and odd Negroes as slaves to the English colony of Jamestown, in Virginia.

Many are not aware that black history in the United States goes back at least a century before this date.

In 1513, a free and literate African named Juan Garrido explored Florida with a Spanish conquistador, Juan Ponce de Leon. In the following decades, Africans, free and enslaved, were part of all the Spanish expeditions exploring the southern region of the United States. In 1565, Africans helped establish the first permanent European settlement in what is St. Augustine, Florida today.

The Slave Societies Digital Archive which I direct as a historian at Vanderbilt University includes Catholic Church records from St. Augustine.

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These records date back to the 1590s and document some of the earliest black history of the U.S.

Catholicism and runaway slaves

These Catholic Church records show that everyone was treated in theory as brothers in Christ and that the Church helped incorporate Africans into Spanish communities. It also helped free some slaves.

St. Augustines Catholic records show that after English Protestants established a settlement in what became South Carolina in 1670, their African slaves began to flee southward seeking admission into the True Faith  which to the Spaniards meant Catholicism.

Floridas Spanish governors sheltered them and saw to their religious conversion, seeking royal approval of their actions. After some deliberation, in 1693, Spains monarch ruled that all slaves fleeing Protestant lands to seek conversion in Catholic colonies should be freed. Word of the fugitives reception in St. Augustine spread quickly through South Carolina, generating bitter complaints among planters and encouraging additional southward escapes by their slaves.

By 1738, the number of slave runaways reaching Florida had grown to approximately 100. Based on Spains religious sanctuary policy, Floridas Spanish governor freed the runaways and established them in a town of their own called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, two miles north of the Spanish city of St. Augustine. Mose was modeled after the nearby Indian towns where Catholic priests were also assigned to teach the new Christians the principles of the Catholic faith.

A museum presents the stories of Moses people. Jane Landers, CC BY

The site is now a National Historic Landmark, listed on the National Park Service Underground Railroad Route, and has been nominated for a UNESCO Slave Route designation. A museum based on both archaeological and historical studies presents the stories of the Mose townspeople.

African heritage in church records

The records in St. Augustines church reveal the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nature of Mose.

Its leader and captain of the towns militia, Francisco Menendez, was of Mandinga ethnicity and came from the Senegambian region of West Africa in modern-day Senegal. He probably spoke a variety of languages but learned Spanish as well and wrote petitions to the Spanish King. Others at Mose came from the Congo nation, that is today in West Central Africa.

Pedro Graxales, the Congo man who was sergeant of the Mose militia was married to a slave woman of the Carabali nation, from what is today southeastern Nigeria. The couple chose godparents from Congo for their children.

Floridas priests noted that some people from Congo had undergone previous Catholic baptisms in Africa and that even as they learned Spanish, some of them still prayed and blessed themselves in their native language of Kikongo, a Bantu language spoken throughout large areas of West Central Africa.

Creating a black Catholic family

Baptism into the Catholic faith was important because it cleansed black converts of the stigma of original sin. It also brought them into the Christian brotherhood of the church. Baptism also served an important social function. Families were linked in a system of reciprocal obligations between the baptized and his or her godparents, as also between the parents and godparents.

For example, Francisco Felipe Edimboro and his wife, Filis, were African-born slaves of Floridas wealthiest planter, Don Francisco Sanchez. The couple had their three-year-old son baptized on the same day that their master and his mulatto consort baptized their natural son. Edimboro and Filis eventually had 10 more children baptized in St. Augustines church. On July 15, 1794, they were themselves baptized and married.

Their Catholic baptism and marriage coincided with their suit to buy their freedom and likely contributed to the successful outcome of that litigation.

As a free man, Felipe Edimboro became a landowner and sergeant of St. Augustines free black militia. He also served as godfather to 21 black children born in St. Augustine whose baptisms were recorded in its Catholic Church.

What these records say about families

These and other records allow scholars to track the history of several generations of the large Edimboro family to the present day.

One of Edimboro and Filiss free daughters, Eusebia, had a child with an enslaved man named Antonio Proctor, described in the records as the best translator of the Indian languages in the province.

Edimboro and Proctor served on the Spanish frontier together and Proctors valuable military service earned him his freedom.

Proctor Memorial signage. Jane Landers, CC BY

Eusebia and Antonios freeborn son, George Proctor, became a master carpenter and builder in territorial Florida and Georges son, John Proctor, served in the Florida House of Representatives in the 1870s and in the Florida Senate from 1883 to 1886.

More than 100 descendants recently commemorated their familys rich heritage in a public ceremony in Tallahassee, Florida where they mounted a memorial plaque in the Old City Cemetery.

These records show that black history in United States begins much earlier than previously thought. They also show that men, women, and children once thought forgotten left rich histories in these little explored sources.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Jane Landers, Vanderbilt University.

Read more:



Jane Landers receives funding from National Endowment for the Humanities Andrew W. Mellon Foundation American Council of Learned Societies John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Historic S. Augustine Research Institute
Plans to transform a century-old schoolhouse into a bed-and-breakfast inn are underway in Avila Beach.

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District, which owns the property at the corner of San Antonia and San Luis streets, is working with Avila Beach-based Shear Edge Development to remodel the schoolhouse.

The Avila Beach Schoolhouse was built in 1913 as the second schoolhouse in Avila Beach, serving students of families brought to the area to work at the Unocal oil tank farm and in the local fishing industry.

The unassuming wooden building housed students until 1967. After that point, it was a facility for handicapped individuals and, later, the Avila Beach Christian Fellowship.

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Now the longest standing schoolhouse in Avila Beach, the buildings foundation has been deemed unsafe for occupation and its roof is unstable.

The Avila Beach Schoolhouse pictured in 1913.

The district recently wrapped up construction of nine homes on the southwest end of the schoolhouse property.

Monthly leases from those multi-million-dollar homes benefit San Luis Coastals general fund, according to Ryan Pinkerton, assistant superintendent of business services.

Remodeling the schoolhouse was a logical next step to help the school district earn money from the property while preserving a key piece of history, Pinkerton said.

Shear Edge Development still has yet to go through the proper approval processes with the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission and California Coastal Commission, Pinkerton added.

Once thats complete, Pinkerton said, work on the building could begin within the next year.

This rendering shows what the old Avila Beach Schoolhouse could look like remodeled into the eight-unit bed-and-breakfast.

The district plans to reopen the porch at the schoolhouse, which was closed in at one point. It also plans to restore the old belfry, which has been missing since the 1960s.

According to the plans, the schoolhouse building will be lifted so the foundation can be rebuilt. It will also get a new roof as well as other restorative work as needed.

Were going to bring it back to the original look of the schoolhouse, said Amber Long, an architectural historian who is contracted by Shear Edge Development to help on the project.

Once complete, the schoolhouse will function as an eight-unit bed-and-breakfast with a managers unit and storage space for the South Coast Historical Society.

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District expects to earn money off nightly stays, Pinkerton said.

The San Luis Coastal Unified School District is set to remodel the century-old Avila Beach Schoolhouse into an eight room bed and breakfast. The historic schoolhouse is in need of repair as seen Aug. 17, 2023.
For five years now, hundreds of bikers connect for a cruise through several Western Pennsylvania communities. Its called the Shaw Ride, a charity ride to honor New Kensington Police Officer Brian Shaw.

In 2017, Shaw was shot and killed in the line of duty.

I did know Brian and so its something we could use to extend what he meant to the community, and this is a reflection of who Brian was... a kind giant here, service was his lifestyle, said Shaw Ride organizer Terry McClain.

Shaws life and passing inspired a brotherhood of bikers to carry out his commitment to service.

He was well loved, not only as a police officer but he was well loved as a person. He was a community-oriented police officer, he was hands-on, said Eric Felack, event communications coordinator.

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The 75-mile ride isnt a just local event, some of these bikers trekked from other states.

West Virginia, Tennessee, just to name a few off the top of my head, McClain said.

Kansas City Missouri, home of Superbowl Champions, James Moran said.

Sports teams aside, their bond is tight. James Moran traveled from Kansas City. He enjoys the camaraderie and friendships formed from a good cause.

Money raised from the Shaw Ride helps two cadets train at Allegheny County Police Academy.

Just like any career there will always be bad apples, and what this scholarship does and what education does throughout law enforcement every day is attempt to weed out the bad apples and present the most friendly willing to serve put into the community, Moran said.

Its a gathering to inspire more service while remembering Officer Shaw. Gone but not forgotten, someone who committed his life to service too.

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In June 2023, a potentially deadly airborne pathogen known as the Catasat virus began spreading in a small American town called Dewberry Hollow (pop. 100). The symptoms ranged from a light cough at best, to a fever and moderate cough at worst. While the virus puzzled researchers, scientists warned it could put the towns older residents at risk.

But even younger adults were not immune. Residents like 29-year-old Liza developed symptoms. Instead of going out, she stayed at home and quarantined to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. However, people like 36-year-old Carol chose to go out and continue to earn money to support herselfdespite being aware of the virus spread.

While the illness continued to come back in waves, the population of Dewberry Hollow was able to flatten the curve of Catasat cases. Eventually, the virus became endemic thanks to the responsiveness of the towns citizens.

This Tiny Town Created by ChatGPT Is Better Than Reality TV

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The case of Dewberry Hollow should be familiar to all of us who have lived through the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, there are some differences. For one, the Catasat virus didnt appear to be as deadly as the coronavirus. The pathogen was also localized in a small town instead of the entire world.

The biggest difference though: The entire scenario was completely made upa product of the imagination of ChatGPT.

We coupled an epidemic model with ChatGPT, making them continuously communicate at each time step and for each personified individual in our model, Ross Williams, a doctoral student in industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech, told The Daily Beast in an email. The novelty is that it offers a totally different way of incorporating human behavior in epidemic models.

Williams and his colleagues made a preprint version of their study (not yet peer-reviewed) available to read online. For the study, they developed a system that combined an epidemic model with ChatGPT in order to simulate the spread of an illness like COVID-19. The authors argued that such a system offers a unique and innovative way of predicting human behaviorsomething that they say is a primary challenge with traditional epidemic modeling. The preprint is currently under review.

However, there are a number of concerns surrounding using a chatbot in such a mannerincluding perennial issues when it comes to AI including bias, hallucination, and accuracy. When its used for something as important and impactful as epidemic modeling, the consequences could be dire.

The study itself drew inspiration from Stanford University research that used ChatGPT in order to create generative agents, or distinct personas with identities and ambitions that are placed into a fictional town setting. In the Virginia Tech teams generative agent-based modeling, they created 100 different personas with names, ages, personality traits, and a basic biography of their life in the fictional town of Dewberry Hollow.

We think generative AI has the potential, through generative agent-based models, to provide us with synthetic data on human behavior so policy makers can make more informed choices, Williams said.

For example, theres the aforementioned 29-year-old Liza who likes the town and has friends who also live there. She has a job and goes to the office for work everyday, but later contracted Catasat symptoms including a fever and cough. After reading the newspaper, Liza learned that 4.4 percent of Dewberry Hollows population were infected.

AI Recreated a Pink Floyd Song with Brain Scansand It Sounds Creepy

The authors prompted ChatGPT with information like the above and simulated how generative agents responded. For example, Lizas persona opted to stay home and quarantine based on the prompt.

Liza has a fever and there is a potential epidemic of an unknown deadly virus spreading in the town, the chatbot responded. Staying at home will reduce the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus to others.

The authors conducted three experimental set ups for the citizens of Dewberry Hollow. In the first, the personas were given no additional health-related information like how much the virus is spreading in the town and how Catasat was affecting them. In the second, the personas were given information about their own healthallowing them the ability to self-quarantine if it chose to do so. In the third, the personas were given information about their own health and the towns growing number of cases.

ChatGPT May Make You a Better Writer If You Suck, Study Says

As you might expect, the first experiment resulted in the epidemic spreading until nearly every citizen of Dewberry Hollow was infected. However, once the personas were informed of their own health situation in the second experiment, there was a sharp decline in generative agents leaving their house and number of overall Catasat cases.

Armed with the full gamut of information and context about the virus, though, the generative agents were able to reduce the number of cases and bend the curve much more quickly than the previous experiments.

The most surprising moment for us was when the model began to work, Williams said. It was just shocking [when] we noted the individuals in our model started staying home as they started coughing or as they heard about the increasing number of cases outside. We never told them they should do that.

Of course, this might not be a total surpriseespecially when you consider that ChatGPT was trained on data up to the year 2021. That would include a sizable chunk of the pandemic. However, Williams argued that it could still provide a fairly accurate picture of how wed respond to a potential disease outbreak.

We as humans also take our past experiences to inform our future experiences, so in some ways, having data on COVID-19 data may not be a bad thing, he said. Some scholars have already argued that some countries better response to the COVID-19 pandemic stems from their previous experiences.

Williams reasons that ChatGPT essentially fills in a big gap in current epidemiological modeling: human behavior. This is something thats widely recognized as an issue with tracking the spread of diseaseand something that we saw happen with the pandemic.

Humans are complicated creatures, after all. Theres no telling how well respond to things like lockdown orders, vaccination protocols, and quarantine rules. That can be hard for an epidemic model to predictwhich is why agent-based modeling can be so crucial.

[The] lack of accounting for human behavior is arguably the biggest flaw in our current approach to epidemic modeling, David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, told The Daily Beast.

The Race for the Perfect AI Chatbot Forgot About Women

While Dowdy praised the inventiveness of the Virginia Tech teams model, he cautioned that the technology behind large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT arent suitable for epidemic modelingor predicting human behavior. LLMs are language predictors. Theyve been trained on a massive corpus of text for the purpose of predicting the next word in a sequence of words.

While language can tell us a lot about humans, an LLM isnt designed to predict human behavior. Theyre chatbots, designed to produce words and sentences in a human-like manner. Oftentimes, they even fail at doing that.

For epidemic modeling, in general, were looking for things beyond just use of language, Dowdy explained. He explained that such models are tasked with taking data on the time and place where people are getting infected with various diseases and then predict where the next disease hotspot is going to happen.

How Congress Fell for Sam Altmans AI Magic Tricks

The amount of data we have on the time and place where people are getting infected with a given disease is orders and orders of magnitude less than the amount of data we have on written language, he added.

On top of that, there are also the issues that have plagued LLMs like ChatGPT since their inception: bias, racism, sexism, and overall problematic behavior. These issues arise because, as we mentioned, these bots have been trained on text produced by biased humans.

While OpenAI might have attempted to rein in the worst behaviors of its popular chatbot, ChatGPT is not immune to this problematic behavior. Another preprint study released in April found that users could get ChatGPT to espouse hate speech by prompting it to act like a bad person. Other LLMs have not fared better, with one bot from Meta claiming erroneously that Stanford University researchers created a functioning gaydar to find homosexual people on Facebook.

To their credit, Williams is open about the fact that the team was intentionally vague on the details of the generative agents. They had no clear race, gender, or socioeconomic status. They did the same for the virus, which they gave a fictional name with no clear disease type. We didn't want to go into too much detail of what composed their persona in fear of biasing the agents, Williams said.

An AI Chatbot Solved Analogy Problems Better Than Humans

Dowdy acknowledged that our behavior isin some waysdetermined by our language. Also, the language we use might actually be a solid indicator of where a disease is and where it might spread to. However, an LLM like ChatGPT likely might not be the best tool for modeling an epidemic.

I think we ascribe a lot to models like ChatGPT because were impressed with how well they talk, he said. But just because they speak well doesnt mean they can do other things well. We have to realize what these things are used for. Dont over-humanize ChatGPT just because it can talk like a human.

For now, the Virginia Tech team plans to let the model rest while focusing on researching generative agent-based modeling for other applications, according to Williams. If theres anything weve learned from the past several years of the pandemic, though, its that the more tools that we have at our disposal the better.

However, with the infusion of largely experimental technology like ChatGPT, it might be worthwhile to pause and ask ourselves whether or not this is the right tool for the jobor we might find ourselves in a situation where the cure is worse than the disease.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A 5-year-old child drowned in a familys above ground swimming pool in Northern Kentucky Friday.

Family members found Aldon Wade Eveland unresponsive in the pool on the 1400 block of Clermont Court, and deputies responded at about 4:30 p.m., the Boone County sheriffs office said in a Facebook post.

Relatives pulled the boy from the water and performed CPR until deputies and Florence Fire/EMS arrived and attempted life-saving measures, according to the sheriffs office. Aldon was airlifted to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

The location is in the Oakbrook community near Florence.

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The sheriffs office said no criminal charges are expected in the case.

Drownings account for 8% of unintentional injury deaths among Kentucky children, according to a 2021 report from the Child Fatality Review Panel, and from 2015 to 2020, 10 to 13 children drowned in Kentucky each year.
They waited for more than five hours. Just days before her son, Ronald, started third grade in Chicago Public Schools, Maria Alejandra Larez was on a quest to get him gym shoes and a pair of jeans for his first day of school Monday.

They lined up next to nearly 100 asylum-seekers outside a church in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood to enter a back-to-school donation center that parishioners had set up for migrants. The 9-year-old got a backpack and some school supplies, but he couldnt find shoes.

The two arrived in Chicago from Venezuela, seeking asylum, earlier this month after a monthslong journey, and even though he is nervous, starting school finally gives us some peace, Larez said in Spanish.

After all the turmoil they have experienced, she hopes teachers can provide a safe space for Ronald, not only to learn a new language, but to cope with the traumas they have experienced, leaving behind everything they knew and facing an uncertain future in a temporary shelter.

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Mi hijo esta nervioso, pero ansioso de comenzar clase, Larez said. Her son is nervous to start school, but eager to begin.

As Chicago Public Schools begins the 2023-24 school year Monday, the district has been preparing to accommodate new English learner students  the category for most migrant children  with about 1,000 of them enrolling through the summer. And officials said they anticipate about 1,000 more will enroll this year from the families who are living in temporary shelters and police stations, where asylum-seekers stay as they await housing.

CPS said it increased funding for bilingual instruction by $15 million in its 2023-24 budget, including $8 million in additional funding for enrollment adjustments at schools that received new English learners after school began in 2022. The money is for additional staff members at those schools, and the district will be monitoring enrollment trends this year and allocating resources accordingly, a spokesperson said.

Last year, about 290 schools established bilingual advisory councils, and CPS had nearly 3,000 teachers with a bilingual endorsement, an increase of 900 iover the prior five years.

CPS also increased funding to support students social and emotional health by $35 million in its current budget. The district said it added 123 school counselors, primarily in elementary schools, over the last two years, and also said each school has a behavioral health team, which may include a nurse, psychologist, counselor or social worker.

Despite additional resources for newcomers, many argue there should be a greater emphasis on addressing the childrens mental health as migrant children have faced unique traumas through their journey but also while living in temporary shelters.

Though attending school is a gateway for migrant families and their children to access therapists and counseling, experts worry that teachers may not be equipped to respond to the childrens needs, and they call for a trauma-informed approach to services.

The sudden addition of asylum-seekers who enrolled at Haugan Elementary in Albany Park over the past year required a lot of pivoting and collaboration from teachers, staff members, community partners and parents, said Principal Heather Yutzy.

Nearly 100 children, mostly from Ecuador and Venezuela, enrolled in the school from November to June. Over the summer, Yutzy said, about 50 more migrants, some living in nearby police stations and a church, have also joined the school.

Beyond mobilizing to accommodate the childrens academic needs, the school community also held clothing and food drives for the families. For Yutzy, it was evident that parents were also desperately seeking mental and medical help for their children, she said.

The mothers are saying, My child is traumatized. I need help, Yutzy said. Many of the younger children have separation anxiety and cry at school because theyre worried they wont ever see their parents again, she said.

Leaders at Haugan organized sessions for parents with school counselors and social workers so parents could discuss their childs psychological health and get referrals to community agencies and partners, including a team of Spanish-speaking psychologists from the University of Illinois Chicago who have been a key part of the schools response.

But theres a limit to what you can do at a school to offer that trauma therapy, Yutzy said.

Still, teachers at Haugan have come up with strategic ways to help the children cope. Some helped the younger students make family books with pictures of their parents and reassured them that Mom would return to pick them up at the end of the day.

I held kids in my lap while they cried, Yutzy said.

The children who made the dangerous and tumultuous journeys from Central American countries to the United States with their parents are the most innocent victims, said Elisa Lopez, an emergency responder for mental health at Rincon Family Services Welcoming Center.

For Larez and Ronald, its their faith that has allowed them to cope with the desperation of being stuck in a hotel room with three other migrant families as they all wait to find housing and employment.

I tell him to be patient, that this wont be our forever, Larez said. I tell him to pray, to have faith.

Throughout their journey, she said, they saw terrible things, unimaginable  people dying, robberies, abuse and sexual assault. They experienced cold and hunger, having to sleep in the streets, she said. Its a lot for a child, she said.

Ronald sometimes cant sleep at night, his mother said. There are days where he goes to sleep hungry because the food at the shelter is not enough. Then he starts feeling anxious, wanting to play outside, like a normal kid, she said. But he cant because theres no safe space for him to play.

In Venezuela, he was a good student, she recalled. His favorite subject was reading. Despite the fear of judgment, the boy has also learned to be resilient, she said. He cant wait to go to school to learn English, Larez said.

During a recent visit to a city-run shelter, Aimee Hilado, a professor, clinician and an expert on immigrant trauma at the University of Chicagos Crown Family School of Social Work, said she noticed the high level of stress and anxiety in which children live, but which many wont express.

They internalize the trauma that could get in the way of building peer relationships and preventing school readiness, Hilado said.

Hilado has led multiple trauma-informed training sessions, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, with shelter and hotel staff members, mutual aid volunteers and other community-based organizations working directly with migrants.

Hilado has encouraged eliminating the stigma and criminalization behind their status as immigrants in the country without legal permission  and creating safe spaces. Most shelters, she said, dont have a playroom or space where children can safely congregate.

We have thousands of kids that are entering public schools, and we just need a sensitivity that there is an emotional wellness need that is there that needs to be addressed before we even think about academics, Hilado said.

Many of the children that will begin classes Monday are living in temporary spaces, and it doesnt feel like home, Hilado said.

Asylum-seeker children face a set of traumas that put them at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Amy Hill, manager of Heartland Alliances Kovler Child Trauma Program, which is dedicated to providing mental health treatment and services to immigrant and refugee youths who have experienced trauma in their home country, during the migration journey or as part of the resettlement process.

Hill said that it is imperative that all teachers, or those who are working with migrant children, seek trauma-informed training to ensure they are responding appropriately and not triggering the children.

But the school needs to have an understanding of the way in which trauma might be showing up for these children, how that may be impacting their ability to feel safe in the school, their ability to make friends or their ability to focus on their academic success, Hill said.

Potential long-term effects of the trauma include feeling unsafe and unable to trust, depression, anxiety and physical health issues.

Children ... dont understand political issues, economic problems, kidnapping or other violent crimes in their countries, Lopez said.

My biggest worry is that Im unsure if staff at the schools these kids will be attending are ready to assist these children psychologically and from an empathetic perspective, she said.

Yutzy plans to hire a retired therapist from Colombia to help the new students at her school, she said.

At Carl Von Linne Elementary in Avondale, an estimated 60 children living in a nearby temporary shelter are enrolled, but Principal Gabriel Parra is expecting an increase for the coming school year.

Though he has only one counselor and one social worker for the entire school, last year he used additional funding to provide professional development for his existing teachers. Many added a lesson about the journey of asylum-seekers as part of their curriculum to build understanding of the humanitarian crisis and empathy among the student body toward their new classmates.

I had the opportunity to talk to the families about the details of their trajectory here, Parra-Carl said. The stories have been horrible, but what Ive noticed is that outside of the trauma that is very real, is that the kids are thirsty for normalcy.

Parra-Carl, a native of Venezuela, arrived in Chicago with his family when he was a child. He understands, he said, why these families are fleeing the authoritarian regime in that country.

Even if schools dont necessarily address the mental health needs of the children, attending schools is the most effective way for children to get a sense of normalcy and stability back into their lives, said Hilado, who has been working with refugees and asylum-seeker children for a decade.

Routine and a sense of normalcy is critical for the migrant children to cope with the trauma and school provides that, she said. Even if theyre still navigating new language, theres something about being with children their age that could be critically helpful, healing and soothing after so much chaos.

At Haugan, trying to meet both the academic and the emotional needs of their new students has been and will likely continue to be a challenge, Yutzy said. But she praised her teachers and staff for their work to ensure that the migrant children and their families feel welcomed.

Since the students began to arrive in November, she has added three bilingual classrooms and a resource teacher. Thanks to a budget bump, she also hired five retired bilingual teachers who worked part time to tutor and help children recover academically. Most migrant children have missed months, if not years, of schooling, she said.

Those retired bilingual teachers have been miraculous for us, she said.

Karime Asaf, the chief of language and cultural education, said CPS is partnering with the Chicago Teachers Union to find volunteers to ensure that migrant children across the city get help enrolling in the school nearest to them. She said the district is working to equip all schools with the resources necessary for intake, but there is a focus on trying to place students in schools that have a bilingual system, programs and curriculum already in place.

At the citys welcome center, which opened in July at Roberto Clemente Community Academy in West Town, CPS staffers have been assessing each childs language, academic and social emotional needs, in addition to enrolling them in school and connecting each family to medical care and social services, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said at a Chicago Board of Education meeting in July.

Services at the welcome center are limited to families in West Town or Humboldt Park or those whove received a referral from a city agency or community organization, Martinez said. But any CPS student at any school can receive the same services, he said.

Our hope is that by centralizing the supports within the welcome center model, we can improve the efficiency and learn how to better serve our new arrival families around the city, Martinez said. If it proves successful, and theres an ongoing need, we will consider expanding the model to other parts of the city.

However, according to Chicago Teachers Union member Rebecca Amaya, who has volunteered with families staying at the 9th District police station, trips to Clemente pose a challenge to migrant families who face multifold issues.

Parents and children I have been in contact with have expressed the need for widespread mental health services, bilingual services, orientation and guidance for parents. Mobile units that meet families where theyre at will be necessary to meeting their needs moving forward, Amaya told the Board of Education in July.

There are other barriers to providing migrant students a quality education. We dont have enough capacity to provide ESL or native language instruction, including in languages other than Spanish, Walt Disney Magnet School teacher Kathryn Zamarron said at the meeting.

More than 180 home languages are spoken by CPS families, a spokesperson said, and 22% of all students are English learners.

In partnership with the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, two staff members each from 20 CPS schools last year participated in intervention training that focuses on meeting the needs of immigrant and refugee youths. CPS said 30 schools this year will be eligible to opt in for the training.

Meanwhile, Ronald Larez will begin third grade at Ogden International School in West Town, hopefully having found a pair of shoes that fit.

larodriguez@chicagotribune.com

smacaraeg@chicagotribune.com
China has begun building what appears to be an airstrip on a disputed island in the South China Sea, according to satellite images taken this month and shared with The Daily Beast.

One satellite image, taken by Planet Labs PBC on August 10 and analyzed by The Daily Beast, shows new construction on Triton Island, the westernmost island of the Paracel Islands near Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since the 1970s, but Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to the archipelago.

Compared with a Planet Labs PBC satellite image of the same island in March, Beijing has been busy building up the island, which measures about 1 mile by several thousand feet across, according to maps.

The construction of the airstrip on Triton Island began in the last few weeks, according to The Drive, which first reported on the development. The airstrip is likely more than 600 meters or about 2,000 feet long, which could accommodate turboprop aircraft and drones, according to an analysis from the Associated Press.

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The airstrip is the latest indication that Beijing is continuing to militarize islands as part of a broader strategy to expand Chinas presence in the South China Sea. Just last year, China had fully militarized three islands in the South China Sea, in a move that the Pentagon assessed was aimed at destabilizing the region and allowing China to extend its offensive capabilities beyond its own shores, by flying fighters, bombers, and more.

Taiwans Doomsday Drills: A Chilling Glimpse of War With China

China has offered few explanations about its construction work on islands in the South China Sea, except to say it will help ships safely navigate the South China Sea, and claiming it is defensive in nature. In some cases, China has outright denied accusations that it is building man-made islands in the South China Sea, and has refused to admit it is militarizing the region, which sees $5 trillion worth of trade pass through annually.

But Beijing has been slowly building up reefs into islands in the South China Sea for years, adding military outposts and assets over time, including missiles, radar systems, and air strips. In many cases where islands didnt exist in the sea, China has taken it upon itself to create new islands entirely, drawing condemnation from the United States, which has sanctioned the Chinese entities that helped Beijing build artificial islands and militarize them.

Satellite images show China is building a new airstrip on Triton Island, the closest to Taiwan in the disputed South China Sea Images courtesy of Planet Labs PBC

Eyes Everywhere

The buildup on the islands could help China with key logistics that could help it project force in the region, which is particularly concerning given Beijings increasingly aggressive and coercive behavior in the region in recent months, according to Kitsch Liao, assistant director of the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub.

The focus here is on recon, is about targeting, about surveillance. What I can see, what I can actually track, because you cannot hit what you cannot see or track, Liao told The Daily Beast. That's the most important thing in the first opening shot of any potential war, and even in the runup to that.

In recent years, China has equipped several Spratly Islands with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment as well as fighter jets.

For China, extending its territorial claims could be key to shaping a potential conflict in the region.

The advantage it can actually offer to the opening phase of the war, during the escalation, during the posturing, during recon, shaping the conflict, he said. This is going to be valuable.

Force projection is not just getting your troop transports, getting your carriers, getting your areas of effect to where they need to be. You also need to have a sophisticated logistical network everywhere, Liao added.

Its not clear if the islands would survive in a war, which could suggest that they are aimed more at preparatory steps for conflict, warned Si-fu Ou, of Taiwans Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

The Great Walls of SCS have been built on sand, which are vulnerable during the war because they are not defensible, Ou said. In peacetime, however, the man-made islands are quite useful to conduct a variety of the missions, for instance, presence, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), situation awareness, and gray zone-tactics.

The new apparent airstrip on Triton Island looks like it may help China threaten Vietnam, Ou said.

The main target of Triton Island is Vietnam, not Taiwan, he told The Daily Beast. This is [the] Chinese grand strategy in the SCS. From the preliminary assessment, the build-up on Triton Island may be a secondary base in the Paracel Islands [which could] function as [an] auxiliary base for the main base on the Woody Island.

Woody Island, Chinas major military base in the Paracel Islands, already boasts a population of around 1,000 people, an airstrip, hangars for combat aircraft, and HQ-9 surface-to-air missile batteries.

The Triton Island buildup could also be an attempt at making a potential move to seize Taiwan more complicated for Chinas enemies to successfully counteract, Brad Martin, a retired U.S. Navy officer and a senior policy researcher at RAND, told The Daily Beast.

It's just a way of multiplying places to put things. And in addition the more places they have to put things, if a war should occur, the more places they can go, the more places the United States and its partners, allies have to target. And that creates a resource drain for the force. It will be trying to defend Taiwan, said Martin, who previously served as an operations analyst at the Pentagons Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. The more lily pads there are, the more places there are to play Whac-A-Mole, the harder it is for the opposing force to deal with it.

China has previously claimed that its island buildup is only defensive in purpose. But concerns have been raised in recent years that Beijings expanding tentacles of influence and military outposts in the region could allow it to quickly whir into gear and send military assets to the islands in a time of crisis. It has also raised questions about whether China could interfere with vital trade routes, or try to contest the transit of foreign aircraft or vessels while laying claim to islands and their adjacent waters.

Its buildup on islands overlaps with territorial interests from Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

In addition to Chinas increasing threats to Taiwan, its aggressive behavior towards Vietnam has been kicking up a notch in recent months. A Chinese research ship and five escort vehicles refused to leave Vietnams Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)the area of ocean that extends 200 nautical miles beyond a nations territorial seathis May. When confronted about the entry into Vietnams EEZ, Chinas foreign ministry waved off the issue, claiming that the islands China lays claim to and their adjacent waters are fair game.

Relevant ships of China carry out normal activities under Chinas jurisdiction. It is legitimate and lawful, and there is no issue of entering other countries exclusive economic zones, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

Chinas Coast Guard has also had a series of run-ins with the Philippines this year in the Spratly Islands.

Building on Triton Island is part of Beijings strategy of proving that the islands are indeed Chinese. By establishing facilities and outposts and moving people to these islands, Beijing is working to establish a pattern of life that cements an understanding that this is Chinese territory.

The Reckoning That Has Chinese Officials Dropping Like Flies

The whole process of laying claim to territory in the South China Sea is a tactic of saying, Well, Im here. I feel of course I should be here, what are you going to do about it? Theyve been doing this graduallynot at a level that the United States feels like it should actively resist but at a level where steadily a pattern of life is being established that says that this is their territory, Martin said.

The United States is currently working to send the message that these waters around these islands are not waters China can lawfully claim by conducting freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) near the disputed islands. The United States has already sent a U.S. guided-missile destroyer to conduct FONOPs near the Paracel Islands and Spratly Islands on at least two occasions this year, as it has in previous years, to prove the point. The operations draw protests from Beijing, which claims the FONOPs violate Chinas sovereignty.

For years, Triton Island has appeared to play a role in Beijings claim over the Paracel Islands, where large swaths of territory showing off Chinas flag have been displayed.

The satellite photos Planet Labs shared with The Daily Beast show two large fields with what look like images meant to represent Chinas flag and the ruling Communist Party.

For now, its not clear if the construction on Triton Island will stop at just the airstrip. But China is holding firmly to its narrative: On Friday, a foreign ministry spokesperson claimed in a press conference that Triton Island is part of Chinas inherent territory.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Air Force aircrafts take part in military drills by the Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan (VIA REUTERS)

China has responded with joint air and sea drills around Taiwan in what it said was a stern warning for colluding with separatist forces, days after the islands vice president went to the US and met American officials.

Taiwan said it detected 42 Chinese warplanes and eight ships since Saturday morning, including 26 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, a demarcation that Beijing does not recognise.

It comes as William Lai, vice president and the front-runner in Taiwans upcoming presidential election in January returned from his trip to Paraguay and made stops briefly in New York and San Francisco where he gave speeches.

Chinas Eastern Theatre Command said the military exercises said drills were a stern warning for seeking Taiwan independence and to test the Chinese militarys ability to fight in real combat conditions.

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The patrols and exercises are meant to train the coordination of military vessels and airplanes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces, said Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLAs Eastern Theater Command, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of Taiwan independence separatists with foreign elements and their provocations, Mr Shi added.

The PLA released footage of the drills showing soldiers running, as well as military boats and planes.

According to state-run CCTV, the operation encompassed missile-equipped vessels and fighter aircraft, with coordinated efforts to simulate a scenario of encircling Taiwan.

After confirming Chinas drills around the island, the defence ministry in Taipei condemned Beijing for its irrational and provocative behaviour.

The ministry said it had deployed forces and had the ability to defend the freedom of democracy and the sovereignty of Taiwan.

In this image taken from video footage run by Chinas CCTV, a Chinese warship conducts drills in an area around Taiwan on Saturday, 19 August, 2023 (AP)

Launching a military exercise under such pretext not only doesnt help the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait but also highlights (Chinas) militaristic mentality and reinstates the domineering nature of military expansion, the ministry said.

It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posed by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.

China considers Taiwan as part of its territory after the two split up in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party taking control of mainland China. Beijing has said it will take its breakaway province by force if necessary.

Mr Lai went to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his governments last diplomatic partner in South America and made stops in New York before returning from San Francisco.

A Chinese fighter jet takes off from China for drills on Saturday (AP)

In New York, during a lunch with American officials, Mr Lai vowed to resist annexation and continue to uphold the core tenets of Tsai Ing-wens administration.

On Saturday, an unnamed official in Chinas Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned Mr Lais trip for ramping up collusion between Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the US, calling it a new provocative move.

Lais latest stopover  was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves, the official was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

The official also described Mr Lai as a troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war.

Lais deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots, the readout added.

It also comes as US president Joe Biden held a historic trilateral summit with South Korea and Japan to oppose Chinas dangerous and aggressive behaviour of asserting maritime claims in the Indo-Pacific region.

They held a meeting at Camp David on Friday and stated: We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community.

There is no change in our basic positions on Taiwan, and we call for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.
The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan on Saturday, calling it a storm warning against separatists and foreign forces.

The news follows Taiwanese Vice President William Lais visit to the United States this week.

The drills by the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly included both vessels and planes working together in the waters and airspace to the north and southwest of Taiwan, a spokesperson for Chinas Eastern Theater Command said, according to The Associated Press.

9 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today, a post from Taiwans Ministry of National Defense on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter read. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities.

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The ministry added that its forces detected 42 Chinese military aircraft, AP reported. About 26 of them crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait  an unofficial boundary between the island and China, the defense officials said.

Eight vessels also took part in the joint combat patrol, the ministry added.

The drills are part of a pattern of Chinese attempts at military intimidation in response to perceived provocation from its rivals. China claims Taiwan as a part of its country, and has acted aggressively in the past when it believes Taiwan or its rivals to be making moves to assert independence for the island.

China reportedly showed similar force ahead of a summit between President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea.

Japans Defense Ministry said it spotted 11 ships from China and its ally Russia crossing between the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako on Thursday. On Friday, the ministry also said it scrambled fighter jets after spotting two Russian IL-38 reconnaissance aircraft flying back and forth over the Tsushima Strait in southwestern Japan.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Casey Hall and Ben Blanchard

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a "serious warning" to separatist forces in an angry but widely expected response to Vice President William Lai's visit to the United States, drawing condemnation from Taipei.

Lai, the front-runner to become Taiwan's president in elections in January, returned from the United States on Friday. He officially made only stopovers on his way to and from Paraguay but gave speeches while in the U.S.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the strong objections of the island's government.

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The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theatre Command said in a brief statement it was carrying out joint naval and air combat readiness patrols around the island.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 42 Chinese aircraft and eight ships involved in drills around the island from Saturday morning and that it had deployed ships and aircraft in response.

Twenty-six Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the 100-km (60-mile) wide Taiwan Strait, or areas beyond each end of the line, the ministry said in a statement. For decades, the line served as an unofficial barrier between the two militaries.

The PLA's Eastern Theatre Command said it was holding joint exercises and training of naval and air forces, focussing on ship-aircraft coordination, seizing control and anti-submarine drills to the north and southwest of Taiwan to test the forces' "actual combat capabilities".

"This is a serious warning against Taiwan independence separatist forces colluding with external forces to provoke," it said.

'NORMAL DIPLOMATIC INTERACTIONS'

The command released video footage purportedly taken on Saturday, showing J-16 and J-10 fighter jets and a naval destroyer on patrol.

In text accompanying the footage, set to a thumping orchestral score, it said the drills were to "test the actual combat capabilities of joint operations of forces in the theatre".

Equipment deployed included destroyers, frigates and fast attack missile boats as well as fighters, early warning and jamming aircraft that "assembled in a predetermined area", it said, without giving details.

The forces carried out "omnidirectional encirclement of the island", the command said.

Taiwan's government strongly condemned the drills, with the defence ministry saying it had the ability, determination, and confidence to ensure national security.

The government's Mainland Affairs Council, which makes Taiwan's China policy, urged Beijing to stop its intimidation and start talks, saying Taiwan's people were determined to defend themselves and would never succumb to threats of force.

"The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign country and has a legitimate and legal right to conduct normal diplomatic interactions with friendly countries," it added in a statement, using the island's formal name.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson urged Beijing to "cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue," adding that the U.S. would continue to monitor the exercises closely.

Taiwanese officials had said China was likely to conduct military exercises near the island this week, using Lai's U.S. stopovers as a pretext to intimidate voters ahead of next year's presidential election and make them "fear war".

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote on the X social media platform, previously known as Twitter, that China has made it clear it wanted to shape the island's election, but it was up to Taiwan's people to decide, "not the bully next door".

"Look, China should hold its own elections; Im sure its people would be thrilled," he added.

Taiwan's defence ministry released a short video of undated footage showing Taiwanese forces at sea, on city streets and across the countryside. Also set to orchestral music, the video was titled "firmly defend the defend national sovereignty and protect democratic freedom and people's security!"

Hours before the drills, U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David to deepen defence and economic cooperation, while reaffirming "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of security and prosperity in the international community."

'FEAR WAR'

The full extent of Saturday's manoeuvres was not immediately clear, and there was no sign of alarm on the streets of Taiwan, which has long been used to China's threats.

"I don't think there will be war, I am unafraid," said university student Chou Yu-hsuan, 20.

Regional defence attaches and analysts were scrutinising the scale and intensity of the operations, seeking to gauge them against intensive Chinese war games in August 2022 and April this year.

After the then-speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei last year, China's military fired missiles over Taiwan, some landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone, and staged naval drills around the island in what Taiwanese officials described as preparations for a full invasion.

The April drills came after President Tsai Ing-wen met House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on a stopover in California.

A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning told Reuters that unlike in April, China had not named the current drills and had waited until after the Camp David summit to carry them out in a sign that China wants to "reduce direct confrontation" with the international community.

China has a particular dislike of Lai for his previous comments that he was a "practical worker for Taiwan independence". On the campaign trail, however, he has pledged to keep the status quo and repeatedly offered talks with Beijing.

Beijing's confirmation of drills was accompanied by a volley of state press articles condemning Lai, with the official Xinhua news agency branding him "Lai the liar".

Shortly before the military's announcement, the Taiwan Work Office of China's ruling Communist Party said Lai's U.S. stopovers were "a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves".

The United States, like most countries, has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its strongest international backer, bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

(Reporting by Casey Hall, Ben Blanchard, Fabian Hamacher, Yimou Lee and Michael Martina; Writing by Greg Torode; Editing by William Mallard, Kim Coghill and Deepa Babington)
In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV, Chinese soldiers take part in military drills in China on Saturday, Aug 19. 2023. China's defense ministry says its military has launched drills around Taiwan as a "stern warning" over what it calls collusion between "separatists and foreign forces," days after the island's vice president stopped over in the United States. (CCTV via AP)

BEIJING (AP)  The Chinese military launched drills around Taiwan on Saturday as a stern warning over what it called collusion between separatists and foreign forces, its defense ministry said, days after the island's vice president stopped over in the United States.

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai's recent trip to Paraguay to reinforce relations with his government's last diplomatic partner in South America included stops in San Francisco and New York City. The mainlands ruling Communist Party claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and says it has no right to conduct foreign relations.

A spokesperson for Chinas Eastern Theater Command said in a brief statement that the military exercises involved the coordination of vessels and planes and their ability to seize control of air and sea spaces.

It was also testing the forces' actual combat capabilities," Shi Yi said. The drills in the waters and airspace to the north and southwest of Taiwan were a warning over provocations from pro-Taiwan independence forces and foreign forces, he added.

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The command released footage of the drills online that showed soldiers running, as well as military boats and planes.

State media CCTV reported that missile-equipped boats and fighter jets were involved in the operation and that units worked together to simulate the surrounding of Taiwan.

Taiwans defense ministry said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that its forces detected 45 Chinese military aircraft and nine vessels around the island between 6 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday. It said 27 of the planes, including Su-30, J-10 and J-11 fighters, crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait  an unofficial boundary considered a buffer between the island and the mainland  and entered the island's air defense identification zone.

Taiwan deployed aircraft and vessels and activated land-based missile systems in response to the drills and was closely monitoring the situation, the ministry said.

The ministry also strongly condemned what it called the irrational, provocative moves" in a separate statement. It said its military would stand ready in the face of the threats posted by the Chinese army, adding that its forces have the ability, determination and confidence to safeguard national security.

It posted a video on Facebook that showed previous military drills and said the Chinese military exercises reflected a militaristic mentality.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the ruling Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-ruled island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be retaken by force if necessary.

China's official Xinhua news agency on Saturday reported that an unnamed official in China's Taiwan Work Office strongly condemned what it called further collusion between Taiwans ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the U.S. and said it was a new provocative move."

The official pointed to the stopovers in the U.S., an interview Lai gave to news outlet Bloomberg and his meeting with U.S. officials in Paraguay, the report said. The official said Lai had used Taiwan independence rhetoric in the interview.

The official also accused Lai of using his stopovers in the U.S. to sell out the interests of Taiwan to seek gains in the island's election, and described him as a troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war, the report added.

Lai is his party's candidate for the 2024 presidential election in January.

Taiwanese Presidential Office spokesperson Olivia Lin accused China of trying to influence its election by sparking fears and condemned the provocation in a Facebook post. She said the international community has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait and urged China to stop such moves.

Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu, wrote on the X platform that China "has made it clear it wants to shape the island's national election, and attached the commands statement and the Xinhua report in his post. It's up to our citizens to decide, not the bully next door," he wrote.

China's largest military drills in recent years were in response to former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan last August. It fired missiles over the island in a significant escalation and the military exercises disrupted trade lanes in the Taiwan Strait and forced airplanes to reroute their flights.

In April, Chinese forces held large-scale combat readiness drills in the air and waters around Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with current U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
I love children. I mean, Im not volunteering to change a diaper, but Ill happily roll down a hill. When Im with my nieces, I marvel at their sense of play, their freedom. I remember what life was like before the world told me my dreams and thighs took up too much space. Like I said, I love children.

But I dont plan on having any of my own.

It took me a long time to be able to say that out loud. And by out loud I mean whispering it with a hint of uncertainty so as not to offend. Because when youre a married woman of a certain age with no kids, people have questions. Fertility advice. Pity. Judgment. Lots of judgment.

At gatherings I respond to the anticipated, When are you having kids? with a teasing, Ohhh well see hahahahaa, and hurry over to the snacks. Because if I'm honest about not wanting kids, Im never getting to the snacks. Im getting cross-examined. "Youll regret it." "But you were just rolling down the hill! You liked it.

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And someone will promise Ill feel different once I have my own. But what if I dont? You cant just drop your baby off at a fire station like in the good old days. (You never know whos filming and you dont want to get canceled.)

Read more: Op-Ed: Being child-free lets me live my most authentic life

Even though 44% of adults surveyed in 2021 said they are unlikely to have children, society pushes baby-making, still viewing motherhood as a womans primary role. Some people even feel moral outrage toward those who choose to be child free, according to a 2017 study. The pope called us selfish and Elon Musk went as far as suggesting we lose our right to vote. The Supreme Court eliminated the federal right to abortion while some states are limiting access to certain forms of birth control, all but forcing some women to have children.

The pressure to procreate comes from so many directions Im considering pitching a Walking Dead spinoff where the child free are the living and everyone else are zombies trying to turn us. But its a comedy so no one dies, except on the inside.

As someone raised by an Afghan Muslim father and a white Christian mother, I can tell you firsthand the desire for grandchildren transcends culture and religion. By not giving them, I am the honorary brown sheep of the family. When my husband and I reached three years of marriage and had nothing to show for it but happiness, his parents even staged an intervention.

My mom-friends often confide in me the inequities of motherhood  how the childcare duties fall mostly on them and their bodies have shifted to the side and down. They lament the loss of time for personal, career or creative pursuits of their own. So, when I told one friend in an uncertain whisper that I wasnt planning to have children, I was shocked by her reaction: Telling people you dont want kids is like telling people youre vegan. Its not about your healthy choices. Its about making other people feel bad about their choices. And then she prayed Id change my mind because having kids is the best.

I promise shes not a monster. Shes a zombie, and thats just what zombies do.

Read more: More women are seeking sterilization since Roe vs. Wade was overturned

When I was done being hurt, I realized her comment wasn't about me at all. It was her brain short-circuiting on the idea that any of it was a choice. Were taught that having children is just what women do. The first toy I remember getting was a doll that could eat, cry and pee  and it was my fun to take care of it. The next year I asked for a riding lawn mower and got an Easy Bake oven. Little girls are indoctrinated into wanting children and made to believe their value lies in their ability to care for others. As long as its something everybody just does, no one needs to question it.

But I wasnt judging my friends choice to have kids. I was seeking validation for my choice not to. Because the truth is, I wanted to want children. To be normal. I fought myself for years, wondering if there was something wrong with me. I kept waiting to feel my biological clock, praying the baby fever would arrive before the hot flashes. I made pro and con lists, even paid $4.99 to text a psychic. The FOMO was real, but it went both ways: I feared missing out on a huge life experience if I werent a parent and I feared not fully experiencing life if I were a parent. At least the kind of life I wanted to live.

Of course, there are people who genuinely want kids and love parenthood and just want for me the thing that brings them so much joy. I envy their freedom in knowing. I smell their babies heads and hug their toddlers and Im transported back through my Sliding Doors.

You see, its not that I didnt want kids. I just wanted other things more.

Like freedom. And martinis.

Because, despite societal pressure, you cant actually have it all. But you can decide what having most of it looks like to you.

Read more: I told my dates upfront: 'I'm never getting married. I'm never having kids'

It wasnt a decision I took lightly. I think people who choose not to have children think about having children a lot more than those who have them. Because every decision has an opportunity cost  the value of the options you forgo.

By forgoing motherhood theres a whole kind of love Ill never experience. Ill never get a second chance to see the world for the first time through the eyes of a child. Ill never know the little soul my husband and I could have created.

By choosing otherhood I was able to travel to Portugal and live in South Africa this year. I pursued a new career. I flew across the country to surprise my niece at her dance recital and took my parents to see The Kite Runner on Broadway. I prioritized sleep. I had spontaneous date nights with my husband and baked for my girlfriends.

Life is about choices. Having them (or not). Owning them. And sometimes regretting them  but I would argue even thats a choice. Because often theres really no right or wrong decision, theres just the one you make and you do your best to be happy.

Neither the choice to have children, nor the choice not to is better, in and of itself. One was just better for me.

Ursula Taherian is a television writer and actor. She recently wrote on the CBS comedy, The United States of Al.

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.
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie hit against former President Trumps comments about his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin s after the former president claimed he was the apple of his eye.

Just yesterday, Donald Trump [said] he was the apple of Putins eye, Christie said Saturday in an interview with conservative radio host Erick Erickson at an event in Atlanta. I have to tell you the truth, I dont want to be the apple of Vladimir Putins eye.

Christie, also the former governor of New Jersey, was referring to Trumps remarks during an interview on Fox Business where the former president claimed Putin would have never gone into Ukraine if Trump was president, pointing to his seemingly positive relationship with Russian president.

The Christie administration would stand up for our friends around the world and work with them, he said. We would expect friendship in return, but those are big things, consequential things.

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The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

Earlier this month, Christie made a surprise visit to Ukraine and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, solidifying his support of continued U.S. aid to the embattled country. Unlike some of his GOP counterparts, he has vowed to expand the nations aid to Ukraine if elected president.

The former governor, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in 2016 and has emerged this cycle one of the former presidents most outspoken critics, said Saturday that the U.S. Navy is most desperately underprepared, and lacks the number of necessary modernized ships and submarines.

Since [former President] Barack Obama, we have allowed that submarine force to deteriorate, Christie said. We need to reinvest in it because now, were not looking at a land war in Russia. The Russian army has shown their inability to beat Ukraine, I dont think theyre looking to pick a fight with us tomorrow. Its China.

Christie also argued that the deployment of submarines in the South China Sea will serve as an effective deterrent to Chinese aggression.

If we let the Chinese do that kind of domination game, because were unprepared or unwilling, to deter them, then they will not stop there, Christie said, while also calling for the modernization of the U.S. Air Force.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appears on June 6 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie appears on June 6 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

ATLANTA  While Donald Trump claims he canceled a promised press conference to prove that the 2020 election in Georgia had been stolen from him because his lawyers will be presenting that information in court filings, his 2024 rival Chris Christie has an alternative theory: He is scared.

He never listens to his lawyers. But he listened this time, didnt he? Christie told reporters Saturday after his appearance at a candidates forum. Why? Because hes scared. He is scared hes just a couple of steps away from that jail cell closing behind him.

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Trumps campaign did not respond to a HuffPost query about whether Trump was, in fact, worried about potential incarceration.

Trump has been lying about the 2020 election having been stolen from him through fraud since the wee hours of election night, before all the votes had even been counted. Some of his most aggressive efforts to overturn that loss came in Georgia, where he and his staff tried for weeks to pressure state and local elections officials  culminating in an infamous recorded phone call in which he tried to coerce Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find him enough votes to win.

The release of that recording sparked a criminal investigation in Georgia, which has now resulted in a racketeering indictment that could bring Trump decades in a state prison. Trump responded by promising a press conference where he would release a Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT on the Presidential Election Fraud, which would require that both the Georgia indictment and a federal indictment based on the same actions be dismissed.

But on Thursday, Trump posted on his personal social network that on the advice of his lawyers, the information would instead be presented in court filings. Therefore, the News Conference is no longer necessary! he wrote.

Christie on Saturday morning laughed at that explanation.

He has no evidence. He is trying to distract from the fact that he was charged in a RICO [Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations] indictment here, two federal indictments, and another state indictment in New York, he said.

So thats why hes not doing the press conference on Monday. He doesnt have any evidence, and hes scared that if he goes out there and shoots off his mouth like he normally does, that hell wind up even closer to that jail cell than he is today.

Christie was among six of the dozen Republican presidential candidates to appear at radio talk show host Erick Ericksons Gathering conference, which took place at a hotel barely eight miles from the Fulton County Jail, where Trump will have to turn himself in to be fingerprinted and photographed no later than Friday.

Georgias indictment is Trumps fourth. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith earlier this month indicted him for conspiring to defraud the United States and to obstruct an official proceeding based on his Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt. Smith also brought an indictment in South Florida based on Trumps refusal to turn over top-secret documents he was keeping at his country club there. And Trump was indicted this spring in New York City, where he is accused of falsifying business records to hide a $130,000 hush money payment to a porn star just ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump is nevertheless, by wide margins, leading his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

By Wednesday, hes going to be out on bail in four different jurisdictions, Christie said. When are going to stop thinking thats normal? When are we going to allow our country to understand again that nominating someone who is out on bail in four jurisdictions is not a winning formula?
Twenty years ago, Arian Simone was a college student in Tallahassee, Florida, trying to scrape together money for a small mall-based boutique called Fabulous. I started to notice that a lot of investors didnt look like me, Simone, a Black woman, tells Rolling Stone. I made a promise to myself to not be concerned about the investor landscape, because one day I was going to be the business investor that I had been looking for.

Two decades later, the disparity Simone recognized back then persists: According McKinsey and Company, in 2022, Black and Latino founders received just 1 percent of venture capital funds disbursed in the U.S.  0.1 percent of all funding last year went to female founders who were Black or Latina. At the same time, women of color are starting businesses at a rate that far outpaces every other demographic.

Simone and a friend from college, Ayana Parsons, founded the Fearless Fund to address that gap. Four years into the project, the fund, backed by Bank of America, Ally Bank, MasterCard and others, has invested $26.5 million in more 40 businesses owned by women of color  Fresh Bellies and the cult restaurant chain Slutty Vegan among them  and awarded over $3 million in small grants to 346 businesses.

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This weekend, thousands of women will converge on the Woodruff Arts Center in downtown Atlanta for the Fearless Funds third annual summit, but this years festivities have been overshadowed by a threat to the fund, its founders, and its core mission.

Two weeks ago, the Fearless Fund became the latest target of conservative legal activist Edward Blum, the architect of some of the most high-profile Supreme Court fights over racial equality legislation. Prior to Students for Fair Admissions  the case ended affirmative action in college admissions in June  Blum was the force behind Shelby County v. Holder, the landmark decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.

Shortly after successfully engineering the seismic Supreme Court ruling this summer, Blum, with a new organization called the American Alliance for Equal Rights, set his sights on the Atlanta-based venture capital fund. AAFER filed a lawsuit on August 2, accusing the Fearless Fund of racial bias in private contracts because it offers four $20,000 grants a year to start-ups run by Black women.

The lawsuit builds on Blums previous victories, quoting in its opening paragraphs the conservative majoritys recent assertion that eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it. Like Blums earlier efforts targeting policies designed to address historic injustices like disenfranchisement of Black voters and the exclusion of minorities from prestigious universities, the suit also ignores, dismisses or otherwise minimizes the barriers that groups, Black women entrepreneurs in this case, have consistently faced.

aafer

AAFER is suing under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a law written with the purpose of allowing Black people to enter into the kinds of contracts they had been shut out of before the Civil War. At a press conference earlier this week, Alphonso David , a lawyer representing the fund, called it a cynical legal theory advanced by litigants who want to propagate a system that privileges some, and shuts out most. They want us to pretend that inequities do not exist.

By email, Blum told Rolling Stone that his organization was contacted by a woman-owned business who was ineligible to participate in these programs because she was not Black and [is] thus disqualified. The complaint details the grievances of three plaintiffs, none of whom are named in the document. Blum said he was unsure how the women found his organization, which was incorporated in 2021. (He has previously described himself as a matchmaker for aggrieved individuals and the lawyers willing to take on their cases.)

In Blums view, the claim is simple: Would a different venture capital funds requirement that only white men are eligible for its funding and support be fair and legal? If the answer is no, then it must follow that racially exclusive policies that target a different race and sex must be unfair and illegal as well, he wrote.

The practice to which Blum objects is not unusual among venture capital funds. A number of firms target their investments to specific demographics: BBG Ventures invests exclusively in start-ups with at least one woman founder. Gold House Ventures supports Asian and Pacific Islander founders. LAttitude Ventures focuses its funding on companies owned and led by U.S. Latinos.

When Simone first got the email alerting her to the lawsuit, she thought it was a joke. When she and Parsons realized it wasnt, they went to work recruiting a team of lawyers, including David and Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney known for representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Michael Brown and George Floyd.

At a press conference earlier this week, Simone and Parsons declared they wouldnt back down from the fight. I grew up around Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Juanita Abernathy and Betty Shabazz, Simone told reporters. Activism is in our DNA. Im the daughter of a mother who won the largest discrimination case in the state of Michigan Ive led protests for justice, against discrimination in my elementary school, as a 10 year old.

We are not scared, she said. We are fearless.

More from Rolling Stone

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Click here to read the full article.
A court artist drawing dated 17/08/23 by Elizabeth Cook of empty chairs in court after nurse Lucy Letby refused to attend Manchester Crown Court during her trial for murder - Elizabeth Cook/PA

Lucy Letbys decision to not appear in court has been criticised as a last disrespect to her victims and their families.

Outrage has grown as it came to light that the 33-year-old will not confront the families of the seven babies she murdered and hear the life sentence handed down by the judge on Monday.

Earlier this week, Letby had declined to enter the dock at Manchester Crown Court when the final verdicts were announced in stages.

In the United States the law allows defendants to be dragged into court by guards to ensure they are physically present for a trial and the sentencing.

Lawyer Alexei Schacht said in the US they make you sit there while the victims yell at you. If offenders refuse to attend, the judge can sign a force order, he said.

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This allows them to tie you up and drag you in. They can do whatever you want, he said.

It doesnt usually happen as most people realise being tied up in court doesnt work in their favour.

In some cases offenders refuse to attend in the hope they can appeal their sentence on the grounds it went ahead in their absence, denying their constitutional rights.

Mr Schacht said: Judges always want to protect the record of the case against appeals down the line.

He gave the example of the former doctor for the American gymnastics team, Larry Nassar, whose sentencing hearing for sexually abusing athletes, spanned several days.

Larry Nassar, the former team USA Gymnastics doctor who was jailed for life in 2018 for multiple sexual assaults, was forced to face his victims during sentencing - Reuters/REBECCA COOK

A federal law which allows defendants to waive their right to be present works in the courts favour to allow the trial to continue in their absence, he said.

But when a defendant is charged with capital murder - which is punishable by death - their presence is deemed so fundamental it cannot be waived.

This is only applicable in the 27 states where the death penalty has not yet been outlawed.

Inside Lucy Letby prison

In New Zealand, meanwhile, defendants must be present at sentencing hearings unless the court specifically excuses them - meaning they do not have an explicit right not to attend.

The Criminal Procedure Act 2011 states: The court may permit the defendant to be out of court during the whole or any part of a hearing on any terms the court thinks fit.

Those who fail to attend without express permission can be arrested.

Courts may also order the defendant to be removed from the court during a trial if they interrupt the hearing to such an extent that it is impracticable to continue in his or her presence.

Any offenders or companies sentenced in the District or High Courts must also pay a $50 NZD (23.50) levy which goes towards victims of serious crime.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
The controversial Archdiocese of Tomis of the Romanian Orthodox Church is selling badges with the Russian national emblem in its souvenir shop; last year, Archbishop Theodosius of Tomisia praised Russian President Vladimir Putin .

Source: European Pravda, citing Replica Online, a Romanian online news outlet

Details: Although Romania has shown solidarity with Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian aggression, the Archdiocese of Tomis is selling badges with the Russian national emblem in its gift shop, among candles, icons, bracelets, and other church-related items.

"A two-headed eagle. This is a Slavic idea that the power of the state is inside the church. It's in a frame, and St George in the centre is more solemn," a shopkeeper explained the badges symbolism.

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The Romanian news outlet HotNews.ro reported that last year Archbishop Theodosius of Tomis praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev , deputy chairman of Russias Security Council. Theodosius said Putin and Medvedev "are not as evil as everyone paints them."

"Of course, they have their sins. They are not responsible for the sins of their fathers who ushered in communism. They were not the ones to do it. It was the Westerns who introduced communism, they were the ones who imposed communism. Marx and Engels are not from Russia. They are from elsewhere," Theodosius said.

Currently, the Archdiocese of Tomis has recently found itself at the centre of another controversy: priest Eugen Tanasescu has resigned as the dioceses press secretary and media advisor after the release of audio recordings in which he appears to confirm that Aneta Badiu, a former clairvoyant, has influence over Archbishop Theodosius.

The Archdiocese of Tomis said it was conducting an internal investigation to find out who made the recordings.

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!
One parent was fed up with an elementary school's punitive approach to dealing with her 6-year-old son's special needs. Another, home-schooled herself, reluctantly followed the same path with her daughter because of fears about her family's vulnerabilities to covid. A third wanted to impart Christian values while exposing her kids to the food of the Philippines and the museums of Madrid.

Their children are among the hundreds of thousands who have started home-schooling over the last three years - the most significant expansion of home education in American history. Once associated with the political and cultural fringe, home schooling has attracted droves of families who never foresaw themselves abandoning a more traditional academic setting.

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.

Understanding those choices - and what they mean for society, the public school system and above all the families themselves - is one goal of The Washington Post's Home-School Nation project. So when we published the first story in the series, we asked our readers to tell us about their home-schooling experiences.

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The response was overwhelming. Nearly 1,100 people took the time to answer our questionnaire, one of the largest responses to a reader submission form in recent Post history. What families had to say was thoughtful, relatable and often surprising. We conducted follow-up interviews with five parents, letting them explain the day-to-day reality of home schooling in greater depth, and in their own words.

Here, edited for length and clarity, is what they had to say.

- - -

Moria Bergeron, 34; home-schooling her 9-year-old daughter in Manassas Park, Va.

"I was a home-schooled child myself. My parents were not thrilled with the state of South Carolina schools at the time.

Having had the experience of being home-schooled as a teenager is very different from teaching a child how to do the three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic. I was not thrilled about that concept, but we decided instead of sending our child - who has a household of family members who are chronically ill - into a school system that was starting to look like they were dropping mask requirements, we would just home-school and cut out the fact that she would've probably come home with covid. My husband is a Type 1 diabetic. I have a clotting disorder, and both of those things were terrifying with covid on the line. The biggest single factor for us was covid prevention.

Facebook groups were a really big help. A lot of folks who are on the Facebook groups, they [say], 'Oh, yes, I was a public school teacher, we use this curriculum, this is a home-school market option that's very similar.'

There are a couple of big names in Christian home-school publishing, and I knew that anything touched by them, I didn't want anything to do with. We're a Unitarian Universalist family, and in general, I believe that approaching science from a secular perspective is the way that things need to be done. To rely on the Bible is an escape from having to think critically.

I would say we are a more structured unschooling family. I do use a math textbook because math is not my strong suit, and it's something that my daughter actually enjoys.

Going to the grocery store, it's a lesson in food, culture and politics in the United States today. What do the labels on foods mean? What does it signify when something says GMO-free on the box? It's a math lesson. I have $40 in my pocket, and I need to eat for the next three days. What can I buy that is nutritious and not going to cost me a mint? Where can I go to make my dollar go further? And there's a technology tie-in. What equipment do I have at home?

I've definitely noticed a lot more acceptance than when I was home-schooled. It was rare and strange. A highlight of the day was when you found another home-schooler. There was also the assumption in the '90s that you're home-schooling because your child is a genius and going to Harvard at 14, or you're doing it because you are hyper religious and cannot stand to have your child out of the bubble of religious education. Nowadays, people ask: 'Tell me the reason why.'"

- - -

Jack Parkin, 46; home-schooling his 10-year-old daughter, 12-year-old daughter and 14-year-old son in Whitehall Borough, Pa.

"When my son was preparing for preschool, we decided to look around and see what the options were. I had heard about Montessori schools, and it really sounded appealing to me as someone who really did not like public school growing up.

The thing that really stuck out to me during the interview process is they said that every family has to donate 40 hours of their time per year to the school. That made me start thinking, how could a school not be good if the families are that involved? How important is family involvement?

When the fall of 2021 came around, we decided to pull them out of school and do home-schooling instead. We figured this is the time to do it because there's really nothing we can lose. Even if they did nothing all year, they would still be in the same place as their [remote-learning] peers.

The kids loved it, we enjoyed it. It allowed us to let them follow their interests. All those minutes that are just wasted throughout school just don't exist in the home-school environment. You get them in and out with their main studies, and then from there, they're free to pursue their interests.

My wife stays at home with the kids, so she takes the lead teaching day-to-day stuff. I work full time, about half out of the house, half in the house. I do some of the bigger-picture type things, all the history, the science, and I really focus on watching what their interests are so I can direct them on how they can expand those interests.

The home-schooling world is definitely mom-heavy, as most things in the parenting world are. I am in some Facebook groups that are dad-only just because it's nice to interact with other men that way. It's an ongoing joke where we start a post off with, 'Hey, home-schooling mamas.' Dads just aren't as involved as I wish they were. That's not to say they're not out there, they definitely are, but the majority are going to be women.

I don't want to sell home schooling as a smooth, amazing process. I had three back surgeries, and my wife suffers from Lyme disease. We have had times where we'll look at it, and three weeks have gone by and nobody's really done anything. Our son has severe depression stemming from way back when he was in school. That was really hard to deal with because it's hard to be self-motivated when you're too depressed to barely get out of bed. Thankfully, we've had a huge turnaround there recently.

By far the most difficult thing is socialization. A lot of home-schoolers say it's fine, you can make it happen. Well, if you're a family of introverts, it can definitely be challenging finding opportunities for them to get to know other kids. For our son, [a home-schooling co-op group] has been a lifesaver. Our girls, on the other hand, are still struggling, so we're always on the lookout for opportunities to get them around other kids."

- - -

Regan Tindell, 33; home-schooling her 8-year-old son in Katy, Tex.

[Students] "were going to start back to school [after the pandemic shutdown], but I wasn't sure that it wasn't going to get shut down again. I didn't want to put him in and then have to pull him out again for his very first year. It was just kindergarten, so we decided to home-school for just that year. We put him back in for first grade, hoping that it would go well, and it did not.

The second week, every single day, the school was calling me by 10 a.m. to come pick him up. At that point I was already asking, 'Do I need to pull him back out? Is this going to work?' They said they would evaluate him and have the 504 meeting [for students with disabilities]. 'He'll get accommodations, it'll be fine, don't worry about it.' And then more and more time goes by, and he keeps getting sent out.

He got sent to a program that's for kids to help with their behavior for a few weeks. [Then] they said that he needed a consequence, and they were going to put him in the alternative school.

I knew it was more of an issue where maybe a special education, therapeutic education would be better. They said no, he needs to serve his consequence. That's when I decided I was going to pull him out again because they said 'serve his consequence.' He's a 6-year-old. He's not a convict.

A month after we pulled him out, they finally called us back and said the child psychologist can see him. He qualifies for therapeutic education for ADHD and autism.

We do math and reading and writing every day, and then we alternate between science and history and art. We start between 10:30 and 11 a.m. and do those things, and there's lots of breaks in between. A couple of weeks ago, we started multiplication and he was having a lot of trouble with the concept of it, and it was like a five-minute break after every problem.

Then there have been days like the other day. It wasn't a history day, and he asked to have another history lesson. That made me feel really good because this is what the goal is. You want them to be interested in learning. That made me feel like, okay, so this is working, maybe we can continue on.

It's not the plan I had for my life, it wasn't what I saw myself doing. I get kind of embarrassed about it, I guess, because when you say you home-school your kids, people think a specific thing. They think they know things about you and where your opinions lie, who you are as a person, and I think we are pretty much opposite of that [politically and religiously] on most things. It is a little uncomfortable, but day-to-day, I don't think it's worse than working a full-time job, for my mental health at least.

I just don't want him to have to be forced to go back to school. If he doesn't want to, then we won't. But if he wants to, I'm all for it."

- - -

Julie Wood, 58; home-schooling her 13-year-old son in Winter Springs, Fla.

"We had come from North Carolina. On the very first day of school, I emailed the principal and sent him my son's IEP [individualized education program] and requested an IEP meeting. Very long story short, I sent that on the very first day of school, but the Florida IEP was not completed, if you can even call it that, until the very last day of that first semester.

Near the end of the fall semester of 2022, he just started getting into trouble. A lot of it was just social stress. My son has pretty severe ADHD. He takes medication, and he's able to usually mask his way through school. He was under a lot of stress with school and the move and trying to fit in with the kids and middle school and trying to put all of this out. It was just too much, and he wasn't able to mask.

I'm home full time. I don't work, I'm retired military. We moved down here after my retirement. Now I have this available time to be able to help my kids more - that's one of the reasons I retired. I made the decision to pull him out.

My son is also Black, and I am a White mom. I adopted my boys when they were babies, and I saw my son going down a very bad road. You don't want to do that. You're already behind the eight ball as a Black boy, and he was going to end up getting kicked out if things kept going the way they were. I did not want that. All of this follows you, your school record follows you into high school and on.

[Socialization] is one of the hardest parts because I had to basically cut him off from all his friends, so to speak, from his middle school. That's been hard because those are the kids he was getting into trouble with and getting into fights with, and a lot of them live in our neighborhood. My son hasn't had too much social interaction since I pulled him out in February. But it's also probably the best thing I could have done because the kids he was with were not the best social influence.

Him being Black is another factor. I would like him to have more Black friends and that's another hard thing to deal with, being down here in Florida with this governor and all the crazy laws changing that I don't agree with. I'm not sure we're going to stay here, but I can't financially move us right now.

[Home schooling] has reduced our stress on everybody in our family, probably 50 percent. But getting him the right education is what I need to really focus on right now. I knew he was behind, but once I actually sat down with him, seeing what he did not know was just scary. The schools were basically just passing them through. That's what the schools do to every kid, frankly.

I think this year will be good. We'll see how it turns out, but I think home schooling is the best thing for him. I'm not sure I will ever send him back to public school."

- - -

Aryanna Liddell, 32; home-schooling her daughters, ages 7 and 2, in Hillsboro, Ore.

"Growing up in the Philippines, I don't know if you're familiar with Eastern academic culture, but it's very, very rigid and very competitive. I was a straight-A student, and I was valedictorian, and I was cum laude in college. But even then, I was really bored. I was bored because I wanted to explore other subjects.

My husband has slight dyslexia, so in the schools that he grew up in, he was always considered behind because of his reading problem. His interest in education didn't really sprout until he got to college. These experiences really helped inform our decision for our family.

I always had an inclination that we're either going to send [our 7-year-old daughter] to private school or we're going to do what people in the old days do, where they hire a tutor. C.S. Lewis had a teacher who trained him through Socratic teaching, which helped him think critically. I really like that kind of focus on children.

We believe that families are the fountainhead of a healthy, moral and functioning society. The family should be the child's center of gravity. They shouldn't be looking for that security in their peer group, because that's not sustainable.

In the Bible, it says in Deuteronomy 6 that you shall teach your children about the Lord. They have to be grounded on the truth of God, right? In education, we seek to nourish not just the body, but also the soul and the mind.

We want them to appreciate what is true, and to seek what is good and what is beautiful. Because we are not just raising our children to make a living. We want them to have a life, and a life that is full of wonder, because wonder leads to worship.

We were very hesitant home-schoolers. I totally believed that I could not do this. But after a while, we found our rhythm. What's a good pace for her? What's a good length of lesson time for math? What sorts of things does she enjoy? How can we explain things better?

I no longer work. I quit my job last year before she started first grade.

That was very difficult in the beginning. My background in the Philippines is like, 'This is what success looks like.' So it was very hard to break the news to my family back home that I was making this choice. But it's also very, very fulfilling to be doing this. It's a great vocation to share a life with a growing child.

We've traveled to Japan. We've traveled to Spain, to the Philippines. And that's definitely part of our home school. We teach them to observe the behaviors of people, the food . . . in Europe, there's celebration of art and music. It's these sorts of things we want them to be exposed to.

We need to bust the myth that home-schooled children are overprotected and not socialized. That's not true. I find that my children actually socialize with a broader mix of people. They hang out with kids who are older than them, and they have friends who are older people, and we visit some of the elderly at our church. And because of our travels, they get to play with other kids who speak a completely different language and have a completely different background than they do.

What I've noticed is that she's a lot more confident talking to people and having conversations with grown-ups as well.

For the foreseeable future, our intent is to continue home-schooling."

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.

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Its not just moms. Dads can develop postpartum depression, too.

As a new postpartum pill for women gains national attention, health experts say its also important to highlight mens mental health needs after having a baby, with researching showing 1 in 10 fathers experience postpartum depression and anxiety.

A new study also suggests addressing paternal mental health is vital for baby's health after finding children born to dads with depression are at increased risk of developing depression themselves.

The report, published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, reviewed 16 studies between 2002 and 2021 that looked at more than 7 million father-child pairs. Researchers found paternal depression was associated with a 42% increased risk of depression in the child.

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Thinking about child outcomes, we thought historically that if mom is better, then the child is safe and well, and they will go through a normal development, said Sheehan Fisher, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who is not affiliated with the study. But if we treat the mom and the father is not well, then the child is at risk for mental health issues.

Depression does not cause tumors: Some say depression, anxiety contribute to cancer risk. A new study dispels that myth.

Symptoms of paternal depression

Men dont always exhibit traditional symptoms of depression as society and culture tend to discourage men from reporting signs and seeking help, experts say.

While symptoms in women can be characterized by hopelessness, withdrawing, and mood swings, Fisher said male postpartum symptoms are typically expressed through anger and coping mechanisms.

Fathers are less likely to feel comfortable saying theyre feeling sad or cry, he said. The risk is that fathers are trying to mask their depression by engaging in what we call externalized behaviors that make them cope with their stress but then hides the fact that theyre dealing with a significant underlying disorder.

According to an article by Dr. Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, an obstetrician and gynecologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, signs of depression in men may include:

Anger, sudden outbursts, or violent behavior

Irritability

Increased use of substances, like alcohol or prescription drugs

Low motivation

Poor concentration

Suicidal thoughts

Withdrawing from relationships

Working a lot more or less

It can be difficult to identify symptoms of depression in men, Fisher said. The concern is that we may be underestimating how much fathers are dealing with depression during parenthood."

Why do dads develop postpartum depression?

No, men dont go through the same hormonal changes as women during pregnancy and childbirth.

But studies show there are certain hormonal changes in men that could be linked to an increased risk of depression, particularly decreases in testosterone. Fathers are also more likely to experience signs of depression if their partner is also dealing with postpartum depression, experts say.

While women typically experience postpartum depression within the first month of giving birth, Fisher said postpartum depression is highest among men about three to six months after their child's birth and sometimes lasts well into their early childhood.

Although 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents are dads, according to the Pew Research Center, Fisher said society still sees them as secondary parents, sometimes criticizing or devaluing their role as a parent, which can contribute to their depression.

Many fathers are more involved with their children but dont have the blueprint on how to be a family because their father wasnt involved, he said.

Its great to see men moving in this direction, he added, but theyre going through this with little cultural, medical and policy support.

How can fathers seek help

Fathers who are experiencing symptoms of depression can seek help in support groups or from primary care or mental health providers, but experts say more needs to be done to make space for men in the clinical setting.

Fathers who go to obstetric or pediatric appointments should be screened for paternal depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders that are common among parents postpartum, Fisher said.

In 2020, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published an editorial that urged pediatricians to assess the mental health of new parents, regardless of gender. But many dads might not feel comfortable going to child wellness visits and consequently miss the opportunity to get screened.

Thats where the cultural change needs to happen, he said. I dont want fathers to feel alienated from the medical system. The system needs to be approachable.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 to reach someone with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They're available 24 hours a day and provide services in multiple languages.

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on X, formerly Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Postpartum depression affects dads, too. It can put child at risk.
The Tri-Cities retains its power to surprise even as the population approaches 320,000.

Despite the rapid growth, the four cities that comprise the Tri-Cities are holding onto their individual identities in some ways and developing new ones in others.

New data released in August indicate our newest neighbors arent strangers to the Evergreen State. Most moved to the Tri-Cities from within Benton or Franklin counties or from somewhere else in Washington.

Only a small fraction moved to this area from another state or country.

Kaiya Bliss, a visitor specialist for Visit Tri-Cities, sends relocation packets on request to people interested in moving here.

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Bliss estimates half the inquiries come from Washington state, followed by California and Oregon as the other most common sources of requests. Most recently, shes seen a trend in inquiries coming from the Vancouver, Wash. area.

In the Tri-Cities, old notions about wealth, poverty and ethnicity are giving way to a broader reality.

A Welcome to the Tri-Cities sign greets drivers on 20th Avenue near the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco.

Income levels in Pasco are comparable to the state average and the city boasts one of the regions highest home ownership rates, while its larger neighbor, Kennewick, is far below on both counts.

Multigenerational households in Pasco could be driving up household income, speculates Colin Hastings, executive director of the Greater Pasco Area chamber of Commerce. The same could be helping increase home ownership rates and the opportunity for residents to build wealth.

Its all growing and pointing in the right direction, Hastings said.

Richland and West Richland still have the highest incomes across several categories and boast some of the highest education levels.

Only West Richland has an above-average rate of home ownership.

The Tri-Cities added 55,000 residents between 2010 and 2020. Thats a 22% increase that pushed the local population above 300,000 sometime around 2019.

Heres a snapshot at what the numbers have to tell us about who is living in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, West Richland, Prosser and Benton City, as told by U.S. Census Bureau.

Figures are based on the 2020 Census as well as the annual American Community Survey. They lag behind the recently released population estimates produced this spring by the Washington Office of Financial Management, which said our population was 316,600 in April.

Kennewick residents are generally older than their neighbors, with a median age of 34.

Kennewick

The largest of the cities, Kennewick has a population of 84,000, and 32,200 houses, apartments and other places people live.

After Pasco, its one of the regions more diverse: White, 65%, Hispanic, 30%, Asian, 3% and Black, 2%

The home ownership rate is 56%. The state average is 64%.

Kennewick residents are generally older than their neighbors, with a median age of 34.

It is in the middle of the pack for the highest level of education achieved by its residents, with 26% holding a bachelors degree or higher, and 10% holding graduate degrees or higher.

The state average is 39% for bachelors and 16% for graduate degrees.

English is the primary language spoken in 70% of Kennewick homes, followed by Spanish (24%), Indo/European languages (2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2%).

Nearly 16% of Kennewick residents were born in another country, about a point above the state average. Of those residents, 36% have become naturalized U.S. citizens. Both figures lag the state average.

A little more than 8% of Kennewick residents moved to the city within the prior year from somewhere else in Benton County. Another 3% moved from somewhere else in Washington and 2% from another state. Fewer than 1% moved from abroad.

The median income was just over $56,000, which is almost $30,000 lower than the state.

Broken down by household types, median family income was $76,200, married couple family income was $93,600 and non-family household income was $39,000.

Census figures affirm that Hispanic residents make up a majority of Pascos population at 57%.

Pasco

Pasco, with a population of 77,000, has about 24,300 housing units.

It also boasts the regions third highest home ownership rate: 74.3%, trailing only West Richland and Benton City. Thats well 10 percentage points more than the Washington average.

Census figures affirm that Hispanic residents are a majority, or 57%. English, however, is spoken at home by a narrow margin over Spanish, 50% compared to 46%.

The balance of Pascos ethnic and racial makeup is White, 45%, Asian, 2% and Black, 2%.

Nearly one in five Pasco residents was born in another country, making it the areas leading destinations for immigrants. About a third are naturalized U.S. citizens, which is below average for the state.

Nearly 18% of residents hold a bachelors degree, and 7% hold graduate degrees. Both are below the state average.

Nearly 9% of Pasco residents moved to the city within the prior year but they didnt travel far. They moved from within Franklin County. Another 5% moved from elsewhere in Washington and 2% came from another state. Fewer than 1% were from abroad.

On the paycheck front, Pasco is on par with the state.

Its overall median household income of $82,500 is just shy of the state average of $84,000. Broken down by household, families earned $76,000, married couple families earned $95,000 and non-family households earned $41,200.

Richland residents have the highest education levels in the Tri-Cities, according to the census. These homes are in the Horn Rapids housing development in Richland.

Richland

Richland, with a population of 60,560, has 25,500 dwellings and the highest median age in the region, 36 years. The state median is 38.

It is the best educated community in the Tri-Cities, with 45% of residents age 25 or older holding a bachelors degree or higher and 19% holding a graduate or professional degree. Statewide, 39% of residents hold a bachelors degree.

It does not lead the state for advanced degrees. About 19% of Richland adults hold an advanced degree. Its above the state average of 16%, but falls behind tech-savvy Western Washington. More than a third of Redmond residents have advanced degrees..

Richlands ethnic and racial makeup is white, 77%, Hispanic, 13%, Asian, 5, Black, 2%.

English is the primary language spoken in 87% of Richland homes. Spanish is a distant second at 5%, followed by Indo/European languages (4%), and Asian Pacific Islander (3%).

More than half of the 8% of residents who were born in another country are naturalized U.S. citizens, the highest naturalization rate of the region.

Nearly 9% of Richland residents moved to the city within the prior year from somewhere else in Benton County. Another 3% moved from somewhere else in Washington and 3.5% came from another state. Fewer than 1% moved from abroad.

The median household income of $83,000 is slightly below the state average. Broken down by household, median family income was $108,000, married couple family income was $121,000 and non-family household income was $58,000.

Nearly 40% of West Richlands residents hold bachelors degrees

West Richland

West Richland, with a population of 16,300, straddles the line between Kennewick, Richland and Pasco to the east and Prosser and Benton City to the west.

It has 5,800 dwellings and a market-leading home ownership rate: 83%.

It has an older population with a median age of 36. Nearly 40% of its residents hold bachelors degrees and 15% hold graduate or higher degrees.

West Richlands ethnic and racial make up is: White, 80%, Hispanic, 14%, Asian, 2%, Black, 1%.

English is the main language spoken in 87.5% of households, followed by Spanish (10%), Indo/European languages and Asian Pacific languages are spoken in fewer than 2% of households.

Nearly 7% of West Richland residents were born in another country, the lowest rate of the region and less than half the state average. Its naturalization rate was 40%, also below the average.

Like its neighbors, West Richland saw its population swell as people moved from nearby. About 5% of newcomers came from elsewhere in Benton County, 2% from elsewhere in Washington and 2% from out of state. Just 0.1% moved from abroad.

West Richland boasts the areas highest incomes on all counts.

The overall household median income was $109,000. Broken down by category, median family income was $119,000, married couple family income was $124,000 and non-family household income was $60,000.

Prosser

Prosser, population 6,000, has 2,300 dwellings. Its home ownership rate is 61%, slightly below the state average.

The median age is a youngish 33 years and a quarter of its residents over the age of 25 hold bachelors degrees.

Prossers ethnic and racial makeup is White, 55% and Hispanic 46%.

English is the language of choice in 66% of Prosser households, followed by Spanish, 32%

Nearly 12% of Prosser residents were born in another country. Of those, 35% are naturalized U.S. citizens.

Prosser income levels are lower than most of their neighbors and the state on all counts.

The median income was $61,000 while the median for families was $64,000. For married couple families it was $93,000 and for non-family households it was $25,000.

An overall look of Benton City, Wash. from McBee Trailhead off of North McBee Road.

Benton City

Benton City, with a population of 3,500 residents, is the smallest of the incorporated communities in Benton County.

It boasts 1,381 dwellings and is second only to West Richland in home ownership, with 80% of residents owning their own homes.

On educational attainment, 9% of residents age 25 or older hold a bachelors degree or higher.

Benton Citys ethnic and racial makeup is White, 65% and Hispanic, 34%.

English is the preferred language in 67% of Benton City homes, followed by Spanish (32%), with Indo Euro and Asian Pacific coming in at just 1%.

Benton City has an above average number of residents who were born in other countries: 16%. About 22% are naturalized U.S. citizens.

The median household income was $49,000. For families, it was $58,000, for married couple families it was $74,000 and for non-family households it was $25,000.

For a deeper dive go to Benton-Franklin Trends or the Census Bureau.

Sign Up: Boom Town Tri-Cities

Stay up to date on Tri-Cities growth and development with our weekly business newsletter. Get the latest on restaurant and business openings and closings, plus the regions top housing and employment news. Click here to sign up. In your inbox every Wednesday.
NEW YORK  An drug dealer charged with supplying the fentanyl-laced heroin that killed The Wire actor Michael K. Williams was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison, weeks after a leniency plea from the shows creator.

Irvin Cartagena, 40, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, pleaded guilty in April to conspiring to distribute drugs. He was sentenced by Manhattan Federal Judge Ronnie Abrams.

Prosecutors said the popular actor overdosed in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment in September 2021.

Williams, who struggled with drug addiction, died hours after authorities said Cartagena sold him the heroin on a sidewalk in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in a deal that was caught on a security camera.

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Williams was best known for playing Omar Little, a ruthless, but likable character on HBOs The Wire, which ran from 2002 to 2008.

In addition to his work on the critically acclaimed drama, Williams also starred in films and other TV series such as Boardwalk Empire.

Relatives and industry leaders, including Wire creator David Simon had pleaded for leniency for Cartagena, noting that Williams had always taken responsibility for his own drug downfall.

Cartagena faced a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and could have faced up to 40 years behind bars.

Prosecutors sought a 12-year sentence, and the probation department wanted Cartagena to serve 20 years because of his 14 previous drug convictions.

Abrams said the recommendations were simply too high.

This sentence, while severe, is sufficient but not greater than necessary, she said.

Cartagena expressed remorse for Williams death.

I am very sorry for my actions, Cartagena said before the sentence was imposed. When we sold the drugs, we never intended for anyone to lose their life.

Williams was found dead by his nephew inside his Kent Ave. penthouse in Williamsburg. Police later found a glassine envelope containing drugs in the apartment.

Prosecutors said Cartagena and others continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin in Manhattan and Brooklyn even after Williams died.

Cartagena eventually fled to Puerto Rico, where he was arrested in February 2022.

Michael K. Williams tragically lost his life after using the drugs sold to him by Cartagena, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. Although their product had already claimed one life, Cartagena and his co-conspirators continued to sell potentially lethal fentanyl-laced heroin.

Cartagena was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
The defence forces of Ukraine's south destroyed 10 boats used by Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups carrying 40 Russians and items of military hardware on 18 August.

Source: Ukrinform citing Natalia Humeniuk, Head of the Joint Press Centre for Operational Command Pivden (South), on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "Our counter-battery operations are quite powerful. As many as 10 enemy boats have been destroyed over the past day. This is an attempt [by Russian forces  ed.] to manoeuvre between the islands.

They [the boats] are almost all civilian vessels, converted into sabotage and reconnaissance groups. 40 occupiers, one large-calibre gun and 5 units of armoured vehicles followed the fate of the 'Russian warship' [a pun based on 'Russian warship, go f*** yourself', the famous reply of a Ukrainian Border Guard when Russians ordered his garrison to surrender].

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Details: Humeniuk says that there is still no very noticeable change in the front line in the southern regions, since the defence forces must first ensure the safety of the defenders who will manoeuvre along the left bank.

"Therefore, for the time being, we are still conducting counter-battery operations to clean up all the stocks of such manoeuvring boats, which can still cause damage to our units. Therefore first we destroy them, and then we advance," said Humeniuk.

She said Russian forces put a surface-to-air missile carrier carrying eight Kalibr missiles on duty in the Black Sea on Friday evening. This was probably a diversionary manoeuvre, because the attack took place later to the north, with the Shahed drones launched "somewhere from the Kursk direction," the spokeswoman said.

The night passed very restlessly in the southern regions as the Russians tried to increase their attacks, according to Humeniuk.

Humeniuk said that the Russians "are short of ammunition and have problems with logistics", so they are trying to put pressure on the civilian population.

"Ten settlements in our area of responsibility came under fire over the course of the past 24 hours, some repeatedly. Five people were injured, and one civilian was killed. More than 30 private residences and apartment buildings were damaged or completely destroyed. That is, the enemy is attacking the residential areas quite powerfully and with precision. This is mainly on the right bank of Kherson Oblast, as well as the Ochakiv front," the spokeswoman said.

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Defence attorneys for Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger have argued that they dont have all the DNA evidence from prosecutors at a pivotal motions hearing that could delay the highly anticipated trial.

Mr Kohberger gave an awkward smile to the court as he returned to the Latah County Courthouse on Friday where six motions from the defence and the prosecution were being argued, including the process of how he was identified as a suspect and his alibi for the night of the murders.

The hearing comes just six weeks before Mr Kohberger is set to stand trial for the 13 November 2022 slayings of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin at their home in Moscow.

The proceedings began on Friday with Mr Kohbergers defence teams motion to compel prosecutors to share additional DNA evidence  specifically the lab results of three unidentified male DNA samples reportedly found at the crime scene.

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Prosecutors argued that they have provided everything and that they cant provide something that doesnt exist.

There has to be some level of trust in discovery, Judge John Judge said. You are all sworn attorneys.

He ordered the prosecution to reach back out to the lab to ensure there are no other results that the defence does not have.

Ethan Chapin, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, were killed in November (Instagram)

Mr Kohberger, 28, was a graduate student in criminal justice at Washington State University when he was arrested on 30 December at his parents home in Pennsylvania. He was then brought back to Idaho where a grand jury indicted him for the murders in May.

A DNA sample from trash collected at Mr Kohbergers family home was used to link him to a knife sheath found at the scene of the murders.

Investigators said, At least 99.9998% of the male population would be expected to be excluded from the possibility of being the suspects biological father.

But his defence team, who claim Mr Kohberger was out driving at the time of the killings, has argued against the use of forensic genealogy used to identify him and has asked for all the records from the forensic genealogy work.

They are also seeking a stay in the trial proceedings arguing that the grand jury should have reached its conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt rather than based on probable cause.

Prosecutors strongly oppose these motions.

Judge John C Judge could grant, deny, or partially approve any parts of these motions. But depending on how he rules, there could be a delay in the 2 October trial date.
Shawn Wilson, the Democrat likely to make the runoff election in Louisianas gubernatorial race, faces a heavy lift as the party looks to hold on to its only governors mansion in the Deep South this November.

Term-limited Gov. John Bel Edwards is the lone statewide elected Democrat in Louisiana. His 2015 and 2019 victories were attributed largely to Republican infighting in the states all-party primaries and to Edwardss ability to build coalitions.

Wilson, the former state secretary of Transportation and Development, hopes to succeed Edwards in a state where former President Trump beat President Biden in 2020 by double digits. But political observers are skeptical Wilson will be able to recreate Edwardss coalition.

The elephant in the room  is that Dr. Wilson is an African American candidate, said Mary-Patricia Wray, a strategist for Edwardss 2015 campaign who now works for Republican Lt. Gov. Billy Nungessers reelection campaign. [M]eeting white Republican voters where they are is even harder when youre trying to do it as an African American candidate.

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Wilson would be the first Black statewide elected official in Louisiana since Reconstruction if he won. Hes running with Edwardss and the state Democratic Partys endorsement.

Candidates of all affiliations run in the same primary Oct. 14. If nobody gets a majority, the top two advance to a Nov. 18 runoff. A runoff is almost certain, with Wilson and state Attorney General Jeff Landry (R) the current polling front-runners by wide margins.

In 2019, when Edwards won reelection by fewer than 3 percentage points against political newcomer Eddie Rispone (R), registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans 42 percent to 31 percent in the state. Democrats now make up 39 percent of the electorate to Republicans 34 percent.

Sixty-one percent of Democrats are Black, whereas white voters make up 94 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of those otherwise affiliated.

In one of his few comments on the topic, Wilson said, There will always be folks who have extreme prohibitions when it comes to race, NOLA.com reported.

I get that, Wilson continued. The reality is, at what point do we rise to a level of civility and citizenship and not limit ourselves based on something as deep as my skin tone to dictate our future? What I ask folks to do in comparing me in that situation is consider my record, my achievements, my preparation. And you can consider my race as well.

Wilson is campaigning on bipartisanship, highlighting a background working in both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Robert Mann, Manship chair in Journalism at Louisiana State Universitys Manship School of Mass Communication and a former communications director to ex-Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D), said Wilsons collegial reputation and bipartisan record could help him if Republicans try to paint [Wilson] as being some  general of the BLM [Black Lives Matter] movement and an angry Black man and a radical[.]

Still, Mann questioned whether Wilson will garner sufficient support from Republican voters.

The Republican Governors Association (RGA) has attacked Wilsons record, pointing to U.S. News & World Reports ranking of Louisiana as 49th in infrastructure, down from 39th in 2017.

Under Shawn Wilsons leadership Louisiana dropped 10 spots in infrastructure. Louisiana is now the second worst state in the nation, and thats unacceptable, Courtney Alexander, RGA national press secretary, said in a statement.

Wilson said he built consensus and created the largest infrastructure investment in state history, listing projects under his watch in a campaign video.

Wilson is a very well-credentialed bureaucrat who has done amazing work when it comes to infrastructure in our state, Wray said. But were in a moment where most voters are citing crime as their top concern.

She added that not having that background as a crime-fighting family, like Edwards has, is probably a disadvantage in this cycle, especially when facing technically the top law enforcement official in the state, referring to Landry.

Wray thinks Wilson is nonetheless the right person to give it the very best effort that Democrats can get.

Landry faces his own coalition-building challenges. Hes made headlines on hot-button issues in recent years, including over his push for a state law restricting what books minors can take out of public libraries.

He sought some distance from the library issue in a recent interview on WWNO. Landry said that, while its important, I think this whole thing has been conflated and overblown by people who have a different set of agendas. I mean, look, why cant we go back and concentrate on jobs, education and crime?

Landry described education, crime and outmigration statistics as failures of current leadership in his campaign launch video.

Wray said Landry, whom former President Trump endorsed in May, has a very solid base of mostly self-identified MAGA voters. But some people do not view themselves as a big fan of far-right candidates and are concerned with economic issues, consumer issues, insurance costs.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) recently endorsed Landry, and that endorsement to me is a huge signal that Jeff Landry is becoming more transactional, Wray said.

Cassidy was one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment.

Wilson in his WWNO interview criticized culture war issues in the state Legislature when asked about his more health care rights stance compared to Edwards.

After the Legislature overrode Edwardss veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors last month, Wilson said he supported Edwardss veto, adding, These unnecessary culture wars distract from the real issues facing our state like education, public safety and economic opportunity.

Several Republican candidates, including Landry, said they supported the bill.

Democrats hope messaging around GOP extremism, along with a crowded Republican field, helps Wilson.

In a statement, national press secretary for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) Devon Cruz said the crowded field of extreme Republicans is spending millions to tear each other apart and that there will be a major and competitive contrast in the general election between moving Louisiana forward with Shawn Wilsons bipartisan leadership or going backward in an extreme and divisive direction.

The state Republican Party sought to unify early this cycle, endorsing Landry last November. The unprecedented move came with a financial advantage as Landry can receive unlimited sums from the party, Baton Rouge newspaper The Advocate reported.

Governors Victory Fund has given Landrys campaign millions of dollars. He had more than $9 million on hand as of early July.

Wilson, who entered the race in March, had just under $600,000 on hand at that time.

A recent fight over the states congressional maps could affect voter enthusiasm. Wray said it could be put to African American voters pretty soon that the next governor is going to have a lot to say about how those maps are drawn, which could benefit Wilson.

Last year, Edwards vetoed the Legislatures congressional district map. The Legislature narrowly overrode his veto, mostly along party lines.

A lower court then ruled that the state must redraw the map to include a second majority-Black district. Landry, as attorney general, urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the ruling.

The high court sent the Louisiana case back to a lower court in June after striking down Alabamas map in a similar case, a move expected to result in a second majority-Black district.

John Couvillon, a Louisiana-based pollster who typically works with Republicans, said the issue could be a double-edged sword in terms of which voters it mobilizes.

[M]ore to the point  when you talk about Black turnout, there has to be a sufficient amount of enthusiasm, which also means that you have to have money spent on turnout operations. Wilsons current finances mean he has to make hard choices on that front, Couvillon said.

With Wilson seen as almost sure to make the runoff, Democrats may be conserving resources until after the October election.

In 2015, the DGA made major investments in the runoff phase, leaving attacks on Republicans to other Republicans in the primary. The group attributed Edwardss upset that year partly to its late-stage investment strategy.

The ballot was just finalized on Aug. 10, and months of campaigning remain.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida state Rep. Spencer Roach is a loyal supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis who still is hopeful that his presidential campaign will take off.

Time is running down, though. The moment is now.

Its no longer still early, Roach said.

Roach believes that many GOP voters have yet to devote their attention to the presidential primary and make up their minds, but that soon will change and the first debate Wednesday is a major inflection point in the race, what Roach described as the opening bell for a lot of people.

DeSantis desperately needs a strong debate performance when the GOP presidential candidates meet on stage for the first time in Milwaukee.

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You cannot minimize this debate on the 23rd, Roach said. Theres a lot riding on that debate. Its high pressure, high stakes.

Fresh off his third campaign reboot, and still in the midst of a steady erosion in his poll numbers, DeSantis heads toward his first presidential debate under intense pressure to deliver a performance that can stop the bleeding, quiet his detractors and reassure nervous supporters.

No candidate on stage at Fiserv Forum for the 8 p.m. contest will be under the microscope like DeSantis, who launched his campaign with sky high expectations that he could loosen former President Donald Trump s grip on the GOP base but has failed to deliver so far.

Trumps lead over DeSantis in the Real Clear Politics average of national polls has steadily expanded since the end of March, when DeSantis was down by just 14 percentage points, and now stands at an overwhelming 40 points.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a debate with his Democratic opponent Charlie Crist in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. DeSantis struggled at times in his last debate. He needs a strong performance Wednesday during the first GOP presidential primary debate to help overcome concerns about his campaign's downward trajectory.

Even worse for DeSantis  he has slipped into third place in some polls.

Long viewed as Trumps chief rival for the GOP nomination, DeSantis is at risk of ceding that title to another contender.

More than anything, that jockeying for second place is the dominant question heading into the debate.

Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a debate with his Democratic opponent Charlie Crist in Fort Pierce, Fla., Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. DeSantis struggled at times in his last debate. He needs a strong performance Wednesday during the first GOP presidential primary debate to help overcome concerns about his campaign's downward trajectory.

Perform poorly, and DeSantis could slide firmly into third place  or worse  and risk a complete collapse of his campaign. Perform well, and he may keep the lower tier candidates who are nipping at his heels from overtaking him.

His number one goal should be to remain the number one alternative to Trump, Florida GOP consultant Jamie Miller said of DeSantis.

DeSantis has struggled on the debate stage in the past, though.

The awkward pause

Roach believes DeSantis greatest strengths are his intellect, his work ethic, his record in Florida and his governing competence.

DeSantis weaknesses have received more attention lately, though, including questions about his likeability and how he responds to criticism. DeSantis is known for bristling when challenged.

Political observers will be watching to see whether the debate will bring out his strengths or weaknesses.

Good debaters know how to play defense, yet my sense of DeSantis in watching him is he doesnt take criticism very well and he will be subjected to a barrage of criticism from the other candidates on stage and he will be subjected to scrutiny by the moderators as well, said Alan Schroeder, a journalism professor emeritus at Northeastern University who wrote a book about presidential debates.

Charlie Crist, DeSantis Democratic opponent in the governors race last year, seemed to catch DeSantis off guard with an aggressive line of questioning in their one-and-only debate.

DeSantis stood stone-faced without answering as Crist pressed him to commit to serving a full four-year term if reelected, with the debate lapsing into silence at one point. The governor ended up trying to zing Crist with a line about him being a worn out old donkey.

I think he should have prepared for that question, and I think the donkey thing was a miss but when it came to his record he crushed it, said Jesse Biter, a Sarasota entrepreneur who led Rick Santorums presidential campaign in Florida in 2012 and hosted a fundraiser for DeSantis last year.

Biter said DeSantis doesnt have the slick talk but he has the real talk and thats what GOP voters will respond to.

Roach also acknowledged that DeSantis debate with Crist did expose a couple of weaknesses but expects him to address any shortcomings.

One thing about Gov. DeSantis that I think people have to respect is the man's work ethic, Roach said. If the man identifies a deficiency, theres no one whose going to work harder to correct that deficiency.

A commonly cited DeSantis deficiency  his likability  may be harder to correct, though.

'Be likable, Ron!'

DeSantis has been dogged by questions about his charisma and ability to connect with voters.

Trumps campaign has been eager to highlight the issue. A plane flying over the Iowa State Fair recently during DeSantis recent visit trailed a banner reading: Be likable, Ron!

As far back as 2018 during his initial run for governor, DeSantis advisers emphasized the importance of likability. In a video obtained by ABC News of a DeSantis debate prep session that year, an adviser tells him: "When you walk up there, you have a pad, you have to write in all caps at the top of the pad: 'LIKABLE.'"

Like it or not, every election is about who you like more, Roach said. You have to be relatable, you have to be likable, and I think the governor should spend as much time as he can talking about his wife and family and giving people some personal anecdotes to give people the sense theyre peeking behind the veil and getting to know the man.

DeSantis debate strategy: 'Defend Donald Trump': Memo offers unusual window into DeSantis' debate strategy

A recent memo posted online by the political consulting firm Axiom Strategies, whose owner is the chief consultant for the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down super PAC, aligns with Roach's view, saying DeSantis should "invoke a personal anecdote story about family, kids, (his wife) Casey, showing emotion."

The memo offers an unusual window into DeSantis' potential debate strategy. It also suggests he should "defend Donald Trump" against any attacks by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and "Hammer Vivek Ramaswamy," an entrepreneur who has been gaining in some polls.

The focus on Ramaswamy indicates that DeSantis's top supporters are worried about him overtaking their candidate, while the suggestion that he show "emotion" speaks to concerns about whether he is relatable.

Nova Southeastern University political science and history professor Charles Zelden said the debate is an opportunity for DeSantis to shake off the perception that hes awkward. That doesnt necessarily mean being less combative, but he has to be engaged, he has to be less mechanical, Zelden said.

Its not easy to turn on the charm if its not a natural part of your personality, though, Schroeder said.

I do think likability matters, he said. Im thinking of Ronald Reagan, who was one of the best debaters of either party in history, was always able to maintain this aura of geniality in all of his debates.

But Schroeder added that A lot of this question of likability is inherent to your personality no one can do a makeover of their personality for a debate.

Miller, the Republican consultant who formerly worked as the executive director of the Florida GOP and helped Newt Gingrich with Florida debate prep in 2012, said there are risks in trying too hard to seem likable.

I always tell my clients when youre debating  and this is a debate with a very bright light  that youre not a comedian so you should not pretend to be one on this stage, Miller said.

DeSantis should stick to his strengths, Miller added.

Being president of the United States is serious he needs to show himself as a serious candidate, Miller said. He does not need to try and reinvent himself. I would lean in to who people think he is, hes a smart person. Most people would probably have a beer with the other guy. Youre not trying to convince people to have a beer with you, youre trying to convince people that youre the alternative to Donald Trump.

Risks and rewards

Trump has indicated he may not participate in Wednesday's debate, but regardless of whether he shows up, DeSantis is likely to be a major target of those on stage.

Trump has attacked him relentlessly, and the other candidates also are taking aim as they try to knock him out of second place.

Christie has been outspoken not just in bashing Trump, but DeSantis as well. Christie  who moved into second place in New Hampshire in a recent poll  helped torpedo U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential campaign in 2016 by getting the better of him in a key primary debate.

"Even if Trump isnt there, I think hes going to have to deflect a lot of incoming artillery from the other people on the stage," Schroeder said of DeSantis. "And the one he needs to be particularly worried about is Chris Christie. Christie has a history of decimating famous Floridians on a debate stage. He just made mincemeat of Marco Rubio and really ended Rubios standing at that point.

If the risks are high, so are the potential rewards, though.

"His campaign keeps doing these resets generated by the campaign itself, but what he really needs is an external reset which a debate could offer if hes successful," Schroeder said.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Trailing Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis needs good GOP primary debate
(Bloomberg) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met privately on Friday with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp , who has publicly rebuked DeSantiss chief rival, Donald Trump .

Most Read from Bloomberg

The meeting took place in Atlanta during an event for Republican presidential candidates, according to the DeSantis campaign, which added that an endorsement wasnt discussed. The two men spoke before DeSantis appeared at the candidate forum, which was sponsored by the conservative radio host Erick Erickson, who didnt invite Trump.

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Kemp is the latest Republican governor who has taken a stance against the former president to be sought out by DeSantis.

He has campaigned with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on numerous occasions. And on a New Hampshire radio show earlier this week, he praised that states governor, Chris Sununu, who has also been critical of Trump.

After Trump and several of his allies were indicted in Georgia this week over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Kemp denounced the former presidents continuing and false claims of fraud.

Earlier: Trumps Rivals Look to Seize Spotlight as He Skips Georgia Event

Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor, Kemp said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.

Kemp and other state officials enraged Trump when they refused his demands to overturn Georgias 2020 election results. Last year, Trump championed an unsuccessful primary challenge against Kemp by David Perdue, a former senator.

Unlike Iowa and New Hampshire, Georgia doesnt vote early in the Republican presidential contests, but it is one of the few swing states that could play a crucial role in determining the outcome of next years general election.

At the Atlanta forum, the last major candidate gathering before next weeks debate, Kemp told the audience that he believed Trump would not stand trial in Georgia before the election, despite efforts from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to set a March date.

As for the persistent arguments about the last presidential race made by Trump and others, he said: We have to be focused on the future. Not something that happened three years ago.

--With assistance from Gregory Korte.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday pledged support to Californians with Hurricane Hilary bearing down on the state, offering to help in any way we can.

Hurricane Hilary is approaching Southern California and is projected to make landfall as a tropical storm, DeSantis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake -- we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can.

California officials said they appreciated the offer of support.

The Florida governors message echoes a 2022 statement from California Gov. Gavin Newsoms office pledging Californians support for the Sunshine State in the wake of Hurricane Ian. California later dispatched a five-person team of mass-care experts after the Florida Division of Emergency Management requested aid.

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Hurricane Hilary is expected to make landfall on the Mexican peninsula Saturday night and is set to hit Southern California as a tropical storm by Sunday. The National Hurricane Center predicts that the storm  the first of its kind since 1939  will bring "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding" in the region.

Newsom's office released a statement on Friday warning Californians of the coming storm and detailing the state's mobilization of water rescue and National Guard teams as well as precautions and shelter for unhoused people.

DeSantis offer of help also comes amid a brewing rivalry between the Florida and California governors, both of whom harbor presidential ambitions, with DeSantis running for the GOP nomination in 2024 and Newsom widely believed to be preparing a run for the Democratic nomination in 2028.

The two governors have increasingly butted heads over DeSantis program of transporting migrants to Democratic cities  including Sacramento  with both governors agreeing to debate on Fox News in November.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has offered his states support to California, as Hurricane Hilary is expected to become the first tropical storm to hit the west coast of the U.S. in over 80 years.

In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake  we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can, DeSantis said on X, formerly Twitter.

Hurricane Hillary is expected to make landfall in Baja California, Mexico late Saturday and weaken into a tropical storm by the time it moves north into the U.S. on Sunday. It will be the first tropical storm in California since 1939.

The National Weather Service declared a tropical storm watch for southern California, the first in the states history, impacting San Diego on Friday.

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The storm has sustained winds of over 125 mph as of Thursday morning while it approached Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Authorities in California and southern Nevada are preparing for heavy rain, strong winds and potential flash flooding. On Friday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) activated 100 members of the state National Guard to prepare for the oncoming storm when it hits Las Vegas.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) warned southern California residents about the upcoming weather in a release Friday, and has mobilized state resources to help storm preparations and recovery.

We should never underestimate the power of Mother Nature, Newsom said. California is coordinating with federal and local governments to support communities as they prepare for this unprecedented storm. Heed warnings from local authorities, be ready and stay informed.

DeSantis offer echoes a similar one Newsom made last year when Hurricane Ian struck Florida. Ian was one of the most destructive hurricanes in the states history.

The neighborly attitude offers a brief pause in the pairs political rivalry. Newsom and DeSantis have repeatedly criticized each others policies, and have agreed to a debate in November.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is heading into next weeks pivotal GOP primary debate with a target on his back.

While still regarded as the most competitive GOP alternative to former President Trump, DeSantis has seen his numbers slip in some polls while other candidates, like businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), have appeared to close the gap.

And with Trump signaling that hes likely to skip the debate, DeSantis is staring down a critical moment in his campaign as he takes the stage with at least a half-dozen other candidates who want to knock him from his second-place perch.

The debate should be an opportunity to take on the frontrunner, but if Trump doesnt show, then Gov. DeSantis is the frontrunner on that stage, said GOP donor Dan Eberhart. Hes going to have to be prepared to fend off attacks from the rest of the field.

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Its a smart strategic move by Trump, Eberhart added. He knows Gov. DeSantis is his most serious challenger. This is a way to let others bruise DeSantis for him.

On Thursday, The New York Times reported on a memo from the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, which called for DeSantis to go after Ramaswamy directly during the debate and defend Trump in the face of attacks from Christie.

The memo reportedly called for DeSantis to take a sledgehammer to Ramaswamy by calling him Fake Vivek or Vivek the Fake. The document also prepped DeSantis for what to do in the likely scenario that Christie launches an attack against Trump. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was also reportedly mentioned.

The debate comes as other candidates have started to gain traction against DeSantis in public and internal polling. The New York Times reported that an internal poll seen in the memo showed Ramaswamy surging in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, an Emerson College Polling survey released earlier this week showed Christie neck and neck with DeSantis there.

Strategists note that the fight for second place is especially important in case Trump doesnt end up on the ballot in the face of his mounting legal troubles. The former president is facing charges in two federal cases, as well as in state cases in New York and Georgia.

The trial dates for the cases are still being hammered out and Trumps campaign is full-steam ahead, but strategists say campaigns are fully aware that this is unchartered territory.

At this stage, I think the DeSantis campaigns biggest concern is the rest of the field catching DeSantis because at this point, Trump is a runaway frontrunner but there are some permutations and combinations of things that can happen to him legally, said Ford OConnell, a Florida-based Republican strategist. You want to be in the position where if Trumps not the Republican nominee, youre the Republican nominee.

DeSantiss campaign maintains that the GOP primary is still a two-person race.

More money has been spent attacking Ron DeSantis than either the current or former president combined, and we fully expect the candidates at the debate to primarily come after Ron DeSantis because he is the greatest threat to every other Republican primary contender, said DeSantis campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin. This primary is a two-man race, but only Ron DeSantis can beat Joe Biden and implement the agenda we need to reverse this countrys decline and revive its future.

The DeSantis campaign said Thursday that it was not aware of the memo. Legally, campaigns and super PACs cannot directly coordinate with each other.

Eberhart, a DeSantis donor, echoed the campaign and argued the memo was not out of the ordinary.

I dont think theres anything that unique about the advice in the memo Eberhart said. Its pretty standard advice to stick to your message and dont get dragged into the mud by a bunch of tier-three challengers trying to get a second of airtime.

The DeSantis team is concerned about every candidate in the field, as they should be, he continued. Trump may be in the lead right now, but Gov. DeSantis is clearly in second place and the candidate most likely to be the nominee. Everyone is going to be trying.

Ramaswamy has seen a surge in name ID as well as growth in the polls, which was unthinkable prior to him jumping into the race earlier this year as a virtually unknown candidate. According to the Real Clear Politics polling average, DeSantis comes in second place at 14.8 percent, and Ramaswamy clocks in third at 6.9 percent.

OConnell said the memo was on the right track in targeting Ramaswamy, pointing to the fact that he hasnt faced that many attacks since getting into the race.

Vivek is largely undefined, OConnell said. A lot of people let Vivek say whatever he wanted and its sort of gaining a little traction and threatening Rons hold on the second-place narrative.

In all fairness to Vivek, I think he is the flavor of the moment and I think as more people learn about him, he may not make the jump, he said.

Scott, on the other hand, could also be a threat given his fundraising prowess and donor connections. DeSantis and Scott swiped at each other last month over the controversy surrounding Floridas Black history standards. However, Scott has not gained a ton of traction in the polls.

Tim Scott is someone who could eventually be a concern down the road, OConnell said. Its really hard to attack Tim Scott so therefore you dont want to attack Tim Scott until he starts to show signs of momentum.

Christies campaign has been described by many as a kamikaze mission to take out the former president in the primary. While hes still far from being a top-tier candidate, the Emerson poll shows that he could have an impact on the race in the Granite State.

Chris Christies job is to dissuade people from voting for Trump, OConnell said.

You get a twofer with Chris Christie, he said. You whack Chris Christie because Chris Christie is the old Republican Party and without coming out and saying it, youre actually defending Donald Trump, which puts you in the good graces of Trump voters. Theyre trying to triangulate off of Christie.

On Friday, the Times reported that Trump plans to skip Wednesdays debate and sit down for an interview with conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson instead. An aide to the former president told The Hill that his campaign hadnt confirmed anything on our end and cautioned against getting too far ahead in terms of Trumps plans.

Regardless of whether Trump shows or not, the debate is clearly a high-stakes moment for the Florida governor.

Its about making sure the rest of the field doesnt catch you, OConnell said. Thats kind of the mode youre in if youre DeSantis right now.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are tied for second place in the Republican presidential field in a new poll.

An Emerson College poll showed DeSantis and Ramaswamy tied at 10 percent support each, trailing former President Trump, who leads with 56 percent support. DeSantis kept his position in second place from previous polls, but he registered a big drop from the 21 percent support he had in June. Ramaswamy rose from just 2 percent then.

The polls release comes as a leaked memo from the super PAC supporting DeSantiss candidacy, Never Back Down, urged DeSantis to take a sledgehammer to Ramaswamy. Some polling has shown Ramaswamy closing in on DeSantis for second place, and the memo appears to acknowledge a few other candidates also gaining momentum behind the Florida governor.

Another boring, establishment attack from Super PAC-creation Robot Ron who is literally taking lame, pre-programmed attack lines against me for next weeks debate. Hammer Ramaswamy,' Ramaswamy responded to the memo on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball said in a release that Ramaswamy has made improvements among voters with postgraduate degrees, taking 17 percent of that group, and with younger voters, winning 16 percent of those younger than 35.

Meanwhile, DeSantis dropped in his support among postgraduate voters from 38 percent in June to 14 percent now, and he only had 15 percent of those under 35.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

The release states that DeSantiss drop is similar to that seen in Emersons New Hampshire poll showing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) surpassing DeSantis by 1 point for second place in the state, a statistical tie.

Pollsters also found somewhat more shaky support among DeSantis supporters than among those for Ramaswamy. Almost half of Ramaswamy backers said they will definitely vote for him, while only a third of DeSantis supporters said the same.

Meanwhile, more than 80 percent of Trump supporters said they will definitely vote for the former president.

DeSantis, Ramaswamy and several other GOP presidential candidates will have their clearest opportunity yet to stand out on a national stage at the first Republican primary debate next week, especially with Trump seemingly planning to skip it.

More than 80 percent of Republican primary voters said they plan to watch the debate.

The poll was conducted from Aug. 16-17 among 1,000 registered voters, including 465 who said they plan to vote in their states Republican primary or caucus. The credibility interval was 3 points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Cutting-edge robotic prowess displayed during World Robot Conference

Xinhua) 09:38, August 19, 2023

Visitors interact with a robotic dog during the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Xu Jiayi)

A painting robot is pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Service robots are pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A fruit and vegetable picking robot is pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

People visit the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Xu Jiayi)

Visitors try out a surgery robot at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

A bionic butterfly is pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Welding robots are pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Fire-fighting robots are pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Humanoid robots are pictured at the World Robot Conference 2023 in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2023. The World Robot Conference 2023 is held from Aug. 16 to 22 in Beijing. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has faced accusations that he watched prisoners being tortured at the prison at the US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while he served at the base as a lawyer in the Navy.

Earlier this year, The Independent reported that a former prisoner  Mansoor Adayfi  alleged that Mr DeSantis observed his brutal force-feeding by guards during a hunger strike in 2006  a practice the United Nations characterised as torture.

Mr Adayfi is a Yemeni citizen who was held for 14 years at the US Naval base.

Mr DeSantis was stationed at the base between March 2006 and January 2007, according to his military records, and part of his role involved hearing complaints and concerns from prisoners over their conditions.

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I was a junior officer. I didnt have authority to authorise anything, Mr DeSantis told Piers Morgan in an interview in March.

There may have been a commander that would have done feeding if someone was going to die, but that was not something that I would have even had authority to do, he added.

The Florida governors response did not address the central allegation from the detainee that he witnessed the force-feeding. Investigations by The Independent, The Washington Post and other outlets did not report that Mr DeSantis authorised the force-feeding  rather, that he observed and was aware of the practice.

Mansoor Adayfi (Slavoljub Milanovic)

Two prisoners say DeSantis watched inmates be force-fed

Two prisoners held at the camp at the time Mr DeSantis was stationed there claim he witnessed the forced-feeding of hunger-striking prisoners. Mr Adayfi claims that Mr DeSantis had initially told him he was there for the detainees welfare. Part of his role was to field concerns and complaints from prisoners.

The US government has denied that force-feeding hunger strikers amounts to torture, and it has been used against prisoners over successive administrations during hunger strikes.

In 2006, the year Mr DeSantis arrived at Guantanamo, the camp was rocked by hunger strikes, violent riots and protests from prisoners over their conditions.

In February of that year, camp authorities began to implement a more aggressive regime of dealing with hunger strikers, according to a New York Times report from the time.

That method, according to the Times, involved strapping some of the detainees into restraint chairs to force-feed them and isolate them from one another after finding that some were deliberately vomiting or siphoning out the liquid they had been fed.

He was watching, and I was really screaming, crying

Mr Adayfi told The Independent that Mr DeSantis was present for a particularly brutal episode of force-feeding at the base.

He was watching, and I was really screaming, crying, Mr Adayfi said in a video call from his home in Belgrade earlier this year. I was bleeding and throwing up. We were in the block yard, so they were close to the fence.

Mr DeSantis has spoken sparingly of his time at Guantanamo Bay, where he served between March 2006 and January 2007 with the US Navy, at 27-years-old, as a judge advocate general (JAG), a job which entailed providing legal representation to military personnel and ensuring the US military complied with the law.

Then-congressman forcefully argued for Guantanamo to remain open

Since serving at the military prison, Mr DeSantis has consistently argued for it to remain open, and spoken against the release of prisoners, even though most are held for years without charge.

At a congressional hearing chaired by Mr DeSantis in 2016, the then-congressman forcefully argued for Guantanamo to remain open.

The presidents conclusion that the detention facility should be closed is based in part on his idea that the facility is a recruiting tool for Islamic jihadists, but this represents a misunderstanding of the nature of the terrorist threats we face, he said. These are not the type of people that will abandon their jihad against America and our allies simply because we close Guantanamo Bay, he told the House of Representatives Subcommittee of National Security, part of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

In the same session, he spoke briefly of his time there.

When I was in the Navy I was there for a time and it is a very professionally run facility. Anybody in this room would rather spend a night there than in the Fallujah jail. I mean, it is just night and day. And the people that are guarding that facility are under an awful lot of pressure because those detainees are very hostile to them, he said.

In a campaign ad for his successful 2018 run for governor, images of Mr DeSantis in his navy uniform are shown as a narrator described him as a JAG officer who dealt with terrorists at Guantanamo Bay.

Years later, now released from the camp without charge and trying to rebuild his life in Serbia, Mr Adayfi came across a photograph online of someone he said he recognised.

He said he knew the man as a young Navy lawyer stationed at the prison, but now he had a name: Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida.

Adayfi says many of the force-feeding incidents took place outside the Oscar and November blocks of Delta Camp (Independent)

Im here to ensure that you get treated humanely and properly

When they first met, he didnt know his name  camp staff do not use their real names around prisoners for security reasons  but the man he would later come to learn was Mr DeSantis told Mr Adayfi that he was there to help him.

I dont remember exactly when DeSantis came because we had no watch, no calendar, nothing, he said. He came to talk to us along [with] others  medical staff and interpreters. And we explained to him why we were on hunger strike. And he told us, Im here to ensure that you get treated humanely and properly. We were talking about our problems with the brothers, the torture, the abuses, the no healthcare.

This was something strange because nobody told us that before, Mr Adayfi added.

Mr DeSantis was memorable for his appearance, too.

He was handsome with beautiful eyes, he said.

Mr Adayfi recalls that he initially believed Mr DeSantis when he told him he was there to help, but he said that quickly changed after he claims he was present for his force-feeding. On the day in question, Mr Adayfi said Mr DeSantis was standing behind a fence in the yard behind the November and Oscar blocks of Camp Delta, watching him being strapped to the chair and force-fed.

He was there with medical staff, there was other officers, there was some interpreters. There was like a group of them there, he said.

In his memoir, Dont Forget Us Here, Lost and Found at Guantanamo, Mr Adayfi describes one incident of force-feeding in detail.

Guards pushed me into the chair. They tightened the chest harness so that I couldnt move, then strapped my wrists and legs to the chair. Every point of my body was tightly restrained  I couldnt move at all. One of the male nurses stood in front of me holding a long, thick rubber tube with a metal tip. Another nurse grabbed my head and held it tightly while the male nurse forces that huge tube into my nose. No numbing spray. No lubricant. Raw rubber and metal sliced the inside of my nose and throat. Pain shot through my sinuses and I thought my head would explode. I screamed and tried to fight but I couldnt move. My nose bled and bled, but the nurse wouldnt stop.

When they were done feeding me, the nurse pulled hard on the tube and ripped it out of my body. It felt like a knife coming through my nose and it bled badly. Blood ran everywhere. I couldnt breathe and my stomach was so full I thought I would explode.

World Medical Association: Force-feeding is inhuman and degrading

The World Medical Association said in 2006 that the force-feeding of hunger strikers constitutes a form of inhuman and degrading treatment.

Mr Adayfi was insistent that the man he knew as a lawyer at Guantanamo was Mr DeSantis. Mr Adayfis description of his initial interaction with Mr DeSantis, for example, where he claims the young lawyer explained his role at the camp, matches the description given by Mr DeSantiss superior of his job. The dates of key events in the camp during 2006  such as the deaths of three prisoners  match publicly available information regarding the timeline of Mr DeSantiss posting.

At that time, I dont want to see his face. But other prisoners, they talked to him. Some of the prisoners splashed him with faeces and urine and spit on him, he said.

Mr Adayfi was released from the prison camp in 2016 with no charges. In 2020, he saw a photograph of Mr DeSantis online. He said he shared the image with some other released former detainees, who also recognised him.

Mr Adayfi is not the only former detainee who said that they recognised Mr DeSantis from their time at the prison camp.

Ahmed Abdel Aziz, a former prisoner who was released after 13 years without being charged with a crime and is currently back at home in Mauritania, also claims that Mr DeSantis witnessed the force-feeding at Guantanamo.

Most of the people in there, once we see them, we dont forget them

Although he did not take part in the hunger strike himself, Mr Aziz tells The Independent that he witnessed dozens of force-feeding sessions in 2006 himself, and it was not uncommon for large groups of camp staff to watch them from the side.

Sometimes a big bunch of people will come, sometimes two or three, sometimes the medical staff would come alone with the guards. Among them was this man, he said, referring to Mr DeSantis.

He was not there all the time, he said. He was watching. He cannot stop it, he doesnt have the authority, but he could stand against that or write to his higher-ups, to Washington, to other departments and tell them whats going on.

As soon as I saw his picture I know him very well because he spent a long time there, maybe six months or eight months, he said. Most of the people in there, once we see them, we dont forget them.

Mr Adayfi said, Im not trying to say DeSantis was giving orders to the force-feeding. I didnt see him giving orders to the guards, and I dont think he was in a position to give orders to the guards. But he was there watching. He knows about everything  about the hunger strike, the torture, the abuse in the camps. And his job was to ensure that we were treated humanely.

Mr DeSantiss military records show that he had duties at Guantanamo Bay Naval base between 1 March 2006 and 31 January 2007. His duties are listed as Trial Counsel, Command Services Attorney, as well as JTF-GTMO scheduler/administrative officer.

Retired Navy captain Patrick McCarthy, who served as staff judge advocate at the detention facility and supervised Mr DeSantis, said in a 2018 interview that his duties required interacting with detainees and hearing their complaints.

If any complaints were raised, Ron would have been among the folks I sent down to talk to the detainees, Mr McCarthy told the Miami Herald. He said in the same interview that Mr DeSantis would have made sure the complaints were addressed in a way that was consistent with the law.

In his book, The Courage to be Free, Mr DeSantis wrote that part of the reason he enlisted in the military in 2004 was so that he might be able to take part in prosecutions at the camp.

One recruiter told me that the assumption was that the Iraq campaign would be over relatively quickly and that there would be a need for military [judge advocate generals] to lead prosecutions in military commissions of incarcerated terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, he wrote. He added that it seemed like a good opportunity to make an impact.
Authorities are investigating the former president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation over allegations of fraud and human trafficking following an altercation that left one of his farmworkers in need of medical care, the Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed to NBC News.

The probe comes as Ron Bennett Gibson, 50, resigned Tuesday from Utahs largest voluntary organization of farmers and ranchers. He put in his resignation as president four days after announcing he was taking a leave of absence. A video released last week by KSL, NBCs affiliate in Salt Lake City, caught a glimpse of what appears to be Gibson hitting a man who was working at his farm on an H-2A visa.

The organization said in a statement Wednesday it was grateful for Gibsons service for the past eight years, but his mistreatment of a farm worker last week was unbecoming of a leader. Gibson also resigned from his role on the American Farm Bureau board of directors.

The incident that triggered the chain of events occurred on Aug. 8 at Gibsons farm in Weber County.

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According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by NBC News, a Weber County sheriffs deputy arrived at the farm after receiving a 911 call from one of Gibsons farmworkers.

The farmworker said he was assaulted by Gibson. The farmworker also stated that he and several of his colleagues hadnt received four past paychecks from Gibson, according to the affidavit.

When several of the farmworkers went to the farm to confront Gibson about not being paid, there was a small verbal altercation, the affidavit states. The farmworker who was physically hurt showed the sheriffs deputy a video of the incident, the affidavit continued.

In the affidavit, the sheriffs deputy said the video shows Gibson telling the farmworker to shut up in Spanish and then proceeded to back hand him across the face. This caused the farmworkers mouth to bleed and required medical attention.

The video referenced in the affidavit was recorded by one of the farmworkers who confronted Gibson.

NBC News has reached out to three of the farmworkers involved. One did not respond, another did not provide comment, and the phone number for the third was not in service. NBC News is not naming the workers since they were brought to the farm under the H-2A visa program, tying their immigration status to their employment.

In general, farmworkers experience more wage theft and substandard housing conditions than most workers  and those with a fragile immigration status are more susceptible to physical violence and retaliation, according to Elizabeth Strater, the director of strategic campaigns at the United Farm Workers.

Such incidents occur to vulnerable farmworkers far more often than people realize due to limited labor protections, Strater told NBC News.

Gibson was arrested on an assault charge on Aug. 8, according to the Weber County Sheriffs Office. Later that day, he was released to pretrial services without posting bail, records show.

Gibsons arrest also prompted the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division to open an investigation into the incident, a Labor spokesperson told NBC News.

Following his arrest, Gibson apologized for allowing an argument to escalate to an altercation.

I deeply regret the incident, he told KSL. I am disappointed in myself. I have deep respect for the men and women willing to work on farms across America, including mine.

Gibson will be appearing before a court in upcoming weeks in connection to the assault charge, Steve Burton, Gibsons attorney, told NBC News.

A separate investigation involving fraud and human trafficking allegations at Gibsons farm is expected to take months, Burton said.

Gibson and his family come from generations of farmers who have been producing dairy products, growing onions and other kinds of produce on their land.

Like many farms nationwide, the Gibsons have long relied on the H-2A visa program to get migrant workers to help with produce harvest. In addition to their wages, the farmers must provide food, transportation and housing to the workers.

This is a population that is very difficult for them to advocate for themselves when so much of their lives is under the control of their employer, Strater said, adding that retaliatory deportation is not unheard of since the worker's immigration status is intrinsically tied to their jobs at the farm.

Members of Congress have long been advocating for the Farmworker Modernization Act and the Fairness for Farm Workers Act, both of which would help improve compensation for farmworkers, provide overtime, add minimum wage protections, update the H-2A program and include pathways to earn permanent legal status, among other provisions.

Even Gibson himself has advocated for improvements to the program such as allowing for more farmworkers with H2-A visas and adjusting minimum wage parameters.

According to Burton, the farmworkers who confronted Gibson on Aug. 8 lived in the same housing unit, one of multiple ones at the farm.

In speaking to KSL last week, the farmworkers said they were living there with the smell of feces and urine from an apparent overflowing septic tank.

Burton said the housing unit where these farmworkers lived had just been remodeled and passed inspections before the workers moved in to work this years harvest.

Gibson believes the units septic tank used for basic sewage treatment had been filling up quicker than usual due to excessive rain since Utah has been enduring some of the wettest months in the states history, meaning it needed to be emptied more often, Burton said, adding that the company in charge of emptying the tank was called every time it was full.

With rain delaying their harvest and the price of their crop dropping by more than half, Gibson was worried he was not going to be able to pay his workers at the same pace and rate as he had in years past, Burton said.

Instead of getting paid the minimum every two weeks for working eight hours a day, five days a week, the farmworkers reached a verbal agreement with Gibson that could result in them working more hours to get more money, Burton said.

Part of the verbal agreement, he said, was that Gibson would hold on to every other paycheck until the harvest was done. The farmworkers were going to receive those paychecks once they were done with the harvest, Burton said, adding that one of the farms managers distributed the remaining checks to the farmworkers following the altercation though the harvest wasn't finished.

Gibsons bank records show that all the back-pay checks were cashed or deposited, according to Burton.

The workers who confronted Gibson havent returned to the farm since the incident, he said, but dozens of other workers, some locals and others temporary migrant workers, who were not involved in the dispute, are currently living and working on the farm.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(NEXSTAR)  Quick, run over to your fridge and grab a jar of pickles. Notice something missing from the label?

If youre holding a jar of Vlasic, Claussen or Mt. Olive pickles, chances are its missing the word pickle on the front.

I dont think its a coincidence; there has to be some reason for it, theorized TikTok user Jesse Banwell, who brought the issue to light this week a now-viral video. Maybe its some legal thing. I dont really know.

Banwell, a science teacher from Santa Cruz County, California, isnt the first to notice the omission. A couple of Reddit posts from both 2017 and 2019 had previously pointed out the lack of any pickle-language on the jars of different brands. And an earlier TikTok video from 2019 highlighted the same point  complete with a hashtag reading #picklesdontexist  in response to a third brands pickle jar.

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View the latest headlines from Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas at fox4kc.com

So what do the labels say, exactly? Vlasic, Claussen and Mt. Olive often describe their products as dills, spears or chips, and sometimes use the terms wholes or halves (instead of pickle wholes or pickle halves).

Theyre identifying them by their shapes, said Banwell, speaking with Nexstar this week. I just think thats so weird.

Jars of Claussen pickles sit on a refrigerated shelf at a supermarket in Massachusetts. (Michael Bartiromo/Nexstar)

There are some notable exceptions, of course. Unlike most of Vlasics other pickled cucumber varieties, the company produces a line of Purely Pickles products touted as has having no artificial flavors, preservatives or colors  and the words Purely Pickles is clearly visible on the label. Mt. OIive, too, produces a similar line referred to as Simply Pickles.

And the word pickle isnt entirely absent from most labels  though its not visible in any context a consumer might expect: Mt. Olive and Claussen include the word pickle within the URLs for their official websites (mtolivepickles.com and pickles.com, respectively), and those URLs can be found in very small print on the lid or label. (Mt. Olives business name, Mt. Olive Pickle Company, can also be found in small print on the side of the label.) Vlasic also sometimes uses the word pickle on the lid of its jars, in the context of the brands catchphrase. (Thats one crunchy pickle! some jars say, though others read Thats the tastiest crunch Ive ever heard! A representative for the brand told Nexstar the lids are interchangeable, and not product-specific.)

What do the pickle companies say?

Despite avoiding the word pickle on most of their labels, Vlasic, Claussen and Mt. Olive all use the term on their websites, in advertisements, and in the product descriptions of their pickle varieties.

When asked why the word isnt on the front of the jars, all three companies provided nearly the same answer: They feel the word pickle isnt necessary on pickles packaged in clear glass containers.

When pickle lovers see the clear Vlasic jar, they know theyre getting a great tasting pickle every time, wrote Carolyn Goldberger, the brand manager at Vlasic, in a statement shared with Nexstar. We use the limited label space to clearly communicate the form and flavor inside each jar. That way consumers can easily find their favorite Vlasic. But no matter the style, its definitely a pickle!

Mt. Olive similarly claimed that its packaging focuses on the variety rather than the product, to make it easier for consumers to spot the type of pickle they are looking for on the shelf, without having a busy or distracting label.

Major pickle brands often leave the word pickle off the front of the label. (Michael Bartiromo/Nexstar)

A representative for Kraft Heinz (the owner of the Claussen brand) went a step further, attesting in its statement that Claussens pickles meet all regulations required of pickles. But Claussen, too, prefer[s] to showcase our varying styles and varieties on-pack, the Kraft Heinz spokesperson said.

I really dont buy that as the reason, Banwell told Nexstar. Ive been looking at other products at see-through packaging, you know, hamburger buns, things like that. I have yet to find another clear package that does not say what it is on the front.

I was thinking about Kleenex, where even the name brand transcends the product, Banwell added. If you say you need a Kleenex, everyone knows you want a tissue. But [the packages] all still say tissues on the product.

Online theories

Banwells viral post has generated a significant discussion on TikTok, with users theorizing why a pickle brand might choose to omit the name of its product on the products own label.

Some claimed it was because pickle refers to the process of preserving the cucumber, and not the item itself, which is more accurately described as a pickled cucumber. But that wouldnt explain why other brands  Boars Head, Grillos, McClures  prominently use the term pickle (and not pickled cucumber) on their labels.

Others theorized that the pickles sold by certain brands dont fit the legal definition of a pickle, or that theyre somehow produced using a process other than traditional pickling.

In response to the latter concern, TikTok user and musician Sami Hunter researched both the USDA and FDA definitions of pickle, determining that the latter categorizes pickles under acidified foods. These acidified foods, according to the FDA, must maintain a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below.

Hunter then tested the acidity of eight different varieties of pickles, including Vlasic, Claussen and Mt. Olive, along with multiple brands that advertised themselves as pickles on the label. All were within the range of a pickle as far as the FDA defines it, according to Hunters at-home pH testing kit.

It was a whole lot of fun to research what makes a pickle a pickle (at least in the eyes of the government), said Hunter, who told Nexstar this week that she still cant quite make sense of the labeling issue. At the end of the day, though, fermented or vinegared, whether vegetables, meat, or eggs, I still love all the pickles.

FDA, USDA definitions of pickle

Pickles, like any other mass-produced and marketed foodstuff, are subject to the regulations of the FDA and USDA. To be called a pickle or a pickled food, the item must be a low-acid food to which acid is applied, and ultimately have a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below, according to the FDA.

These foods may be called, or may purport to be, pickles or pickled ______, the agency writes.

Will Kansas City hit 100 degrees this year? Theres a chance this weekend

The FDA also stipulates that the foods common name, or its statement of identity, should be placed prominently on the label, also known as the product display panel (PDP). (The common or usual name must be used for a food if it has one, the FDA writes.)

The exception are fanciful names which the public has grown used to  the USDA provides examples including breakfast links to describe sausage links, or buttery spreads to describe spreadable emulsions or butter substitutes.

Could it be that terms like kosher dill or bread & butter chips are fanciful enough companies like Vlasic, Claussen and Mt. Olive are exempt from writing pickles on the label? A representative for the FDA did not provide Nexstar with an answer when asked earlier this week.

In any case, many consumers on social media find it odd that a pickling company would omit pickles from its pickle jars. Some competitors seem to feel the same way, too.

Its funny  Ive noticed it on a few brands but didnt pay much attention to it, Eddie Andre, the head of branding for Grillos, told Nexstar. For Grillos, using the word pickle has always been in our vocabulary.  Calling out pickle was what we did to tell people what we were selling and thats no different in our jars.

All of these pickle brands, meanwhile, do appear to abide by another FDA requirement, which necessitates the words whole, halved or sliced to describe products that come in different optional forms.

Still a pickle

Despite the online controversy generated by Banwells TikTok post, major pickle manufacturers have given consumers no reason to believe their products somehow arent real pickles. They are, however, happy to let us believe they just dont care whether their pickle products are called pickles.

They basically say they choose not to label them as pickles, Banwell remarked on the findings. Which is really interesting  and just doesnt sound right.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday drew a stark foreign policy contrast with rivals for the GOP nomination who have proposed loosening current American commitments in Ukraine and Taiwan in the face of aggression from Russia and China.

Speaking to Erick Erickson at an Atlanta-area conference on Saturday morning, Christie went deep on his foreign policy vision, saying the U.S. must push back against authoritarian leaders and uphold democratic rights and norms in a broad preview of what foreign policy in his administration would look like.

We have folks in this race who have called Vladimir Putin brilliant, a great leader," Christie said. "Just yesterday, Donald Trump called him that he was the apple of Putins eye. I have to tell you the truth: I don't want to be the apple of Vladimir Putins eye.

A Christie administration would stand up for our friends around the world and work with them, he added.



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Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy recently began touting an eyebrow-raising Taiwan strategy that would entail shrinking current U.S. commitments to the island once America gains domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Christie appeared to hit back at such plans in his Saturday remarks.

We need to stand up for people who want freedom, Christie said. And if we let the Chinese do that kind of domination game, because we're unprepared or unwilling to deter them, then they will not stop there. And we've seen this act before.

Christies comments speak toward the wing of the Republican Party that supports Americas diplomatic role abroad, and appear to align him with competitor Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations who has brandished her foreign policy expertise in the GOP race.

At the beginning of August, Christie made a surprise trip to Ukraine, touring several war-torn areas and meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But in the former governors mind, the biggest foreign adversary to the U.S. is not Russia, but China.

We're not looking at a land war in Russia anymore. The Russian army has shown their inability to beat Ukraine, Christie said. I don't think they're looking to pick a fight with us tomorrow. It's China.

Christie proposed deploying nuclear submarines around China to help act as a deterrent, but also warned that the U.S. needed to modernize its military to compete effectively in the future  especially the Navy and the Air Force  citing former President Ronald Reagan's efforts to do so at the height of the Cold War.
Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Georgia state GOP convention at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on June 10, 2023 in Columbus, Ga.

WASHINGTON  It all comes back to the 2020 election  even in 2024.

Earlier this week, a grand jury in Georgia indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies for allegedly conspiring to overturn the state's 2020 election results.

But some of the details in Trumps latest indictment may ring a bell. Trump was also indicted over an alleged conspiracy to steal the 2020 election earlier this month in accusations from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith.

Those charges feature a nationwide focus on Trumps alleged plot, but zero in on some of the same actions that the former president took in key battleground states, including Georgia. The similarities in the cases, however, are overshadowed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Smith taking different approaches to the indictments.

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"Each of them is arguably staying true to their respective roles," David Super, a constitutional law expert at Georgetown University, told USA TODAY.

Here's how the two indictments Trump faces over the 2020 presidential election are similar  and different.

What's similar between the cases? Trump, his allies allegedly pressured officials in key battleground states

Both of the indictments allege that Trump and his allies pressured legislators in key battleground states Biden won to change electoral votes in favor of Trump.

One of the most dramatic moments described in the indictments is the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, just days before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, in which the former president allegedly pressured Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes and unlawfully alter the election's outcome in the Peach State.

In another incident on Dec. 10, 2020, the Georgia indictment accuses former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani of falsely claiming in a hearing that two election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, committed voter fraud. Freeman and Moss were cleared of wrongdoing by Georgia authorities earlier this year.

The federal 2020 election indictment describes the same moment, but it doesnt name the two election workers or Giuliani, instead referencing an unnamed co-conspirator one.

Likewise, Trump and his allies allegedly targeted legislators in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, pushing false information about election fraud or even urging them to effectively flip their states to the then-president.

False claims of election fraud to advance a criminal conspiracy

Both of the indictments allege that Trump and his allies made false election fraud claims, even as they were corrected numerous times by Department of Justice officials, Trump's campaign staffers and others.

The false allegations that Trump and his allies spread ranged from dead voters casting ballots to voting machines manipulating votes and paper ballots being destroyed. There was no evidence to prove the claims, and they were dismissed in courts across the country.

The federal 2020 election indictment in particular notes that Trump, like other Americans, had the right to make these false claims. But it alleges, like the Georgia indictment, that Trump knowingly spread them in an effort to overturn the 2020 election.

For instance, Trump's first 2020 election indictment alleges that he falsely claimed that there had been a suspicious vote dump in Detroit, Michigan  an allegation that Trump's attorney general, former Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and former Michigan House of Representatives Speaker Lee Chatfield debunked.

Trump and his allies allegedly recruited slate of fake electors

Trump and his allies allegedly devised a plan to recruit fake electors in an effort to replace legitimate presidential electors in key battleground states and undermine Bidens win, according to both indictments.

Presidential elections are typically determined by votes cast by electors, a group of people chosen by each state to represent voters. On a certain date, all electors meet to collect the results of the presidential election and to send their votes to Congress for certification.

The first 2020 election indictment alleges that Trump's electors met on that specified date to cast fraudulent votes for Trump and sign certificates falsely claiming they were legitimate electors.

The Georgia indictment takes a closer look at one of these bids conducted by Georgia Republican Party chairman David Shafer, Georgia State Senator Shawn Still and former GOP chair for Coffee County Cathleen Latham, as well as other unnamed co-conspirators who falsely posed as legitimate electors from Georgia.

The indictments also claim Trump and his allies pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to reject electoral votes cast by actual electors from several states, which Pence refused to do.

What's different between the two cases? A look at who's being charged.

The 2020 election indictment is charging Trump alone, but it includes six unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly worked with the former president to try to overturn the 2020 election results.

They're most likely Giuliani, conservative lawyer John Eastman and other supporters of the former president.

2020: Trump's election indictment doesn't name his alleged co-conspirators. These are most likely who they are.

The Georgia indictment, on the other hand, names Trump and 18 of his allies accused of a conspiracy in the state. These also include Giuliani and Eastman, as well as Trump administration officials and campaign staffers like Mark Meadows, among others.

What charges are Trump and his allies facing?

The federal 2020 election indictment charges Trump with four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding on Jan. 6, 2021, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

In contrast, the Georgia indictment charges Trump and 18 of his allies with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, Act. That criminalizes racketeering activity, according to Marc Scholl, a former prosecutor in New York now counsel to the firm Lewis Baach Kaufmann & Middlemiss.

"A RICO prosecution often involves corrupting an organization by a pattern of acts that are themselves often crimes...being guilty of a RICO crime is more serious in terms of punishment often than the individual crimes that might form part of the racketeering activity," Scholl said.

Joan Meyer, a partner at the law firm Thompson Hine, told USA TODAY that the RICO Act "is a very complex charge and will necessitate a lengthy trial if most defendants dont plead guilty."

"This type of charge is typically used for established criminal organizations like mobs or gangs but Willis has used it in the past in non-traditional ways," Meyer said.

Trump and his allies also face other charges in the Georgia indictment, including conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, solicitation of violation of oath by public officer, and more.

Prosecuting Trump: How is Willis' strategy different than Smith's?

The strategies Willis and Smith are relying on in their cases are vastly different. That's why the indictments are framed under different circumstances, legal experts told USA TODAY.

In the Georgia case, Willis is pursuing a more traditional goal of maximizing her chances of success by punishing as many as possible of those potentially guilty of wrongdoing, Super said.

"This maximizes the prosecutor's leverage to trade leniency for testimony with some of the junior members of the conspiracy," Super said.

The RICO Act increases the leverage that prosecutors have to try to get people to cooperate, plead guilty, take immunity and then provide evidence against others, including the former president, Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, told USA TODAY.

Smith's case, on the other hand, is focused on national consequences of Trump's alleged efforts, including the storming of the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021 while Congress was certifying the 2020 election results.

He's using a surgical strategy in bringing specific charges that are more manageable with a much smaller group of defendants, Meyer said.

More defendants means greater delays. Smith wanted to make his case clean and simple so he could get it to trial before the 2024 election, Meyer said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump was indicted twice over the 2020 election. Here's why.
The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning for Maricopa County starting at 5:36 p.m. Aug. 18. The warning expires at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

Included in the warning besides Maricopa County are east-central La Paz County and Yuma County.

For the latest watches and warnings, see our weather alert page.

A "haboob" typically occurs in Arizona during monsoon. From June to September, large dust storms can occur across the state as high winds pick up loose dust.

"Haboob" is an Arabic word that translates to "big, blasting winds." explained Andrew Deemer, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Phoenix and former linguist.

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Terminology: When did we start using haboob to describe dust storms in Arizona?

What should I do in a dust storm if I am driving?

The Arizona Department of Transportation has helpful tips for drivers who may get stuck in a dust storm while driving. The "Pull Aside, Stay Alive" campaign aims to save drivers from dangerous situations by providing tips to survive a blowing dust event.

If you encounter a dust storm, immediately check traffic around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.

Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway - do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.

Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane. Look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.

Turn off all vehicle lights. You do not want other vehicles, approaching from behind, to use your lights as a guide and possibly crash into your parked vehicle.

Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.Stay in the vehicle with your seat belt buckled and wait for the storm to pass.

Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds.

More information on dust storm safety can be found at PullAsideStayAlive.org and safety tips for driving in rainstorms can be found at azdot.gov/monsoon.

This article was generated by The Arizona Republic and USA TODAY Network using data released by the National Weather Service. It was edited by a staff member.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Dust storm warning issued for Maricopa County
EVANSVILLE  Vanderburgh County sheriff's deputies arrested the East Gibson County Schools superintendent Saturday morning after he crashed his vehicle into a ditch.

Deputies say a field test showed James Allen Wilson, 55, was under the influence of prescription sedatives and amphetamines.

Wilson was booked into the Vanderburgh County jail at 5:34 a.m. Saturday on two preliminary charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated-with endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor.

His arrest comes three days after a local news outlet reported that Wilson had been barred from coming onto school property. The report cited an unnamed school board official and did not confirm if Wilson had been formally reprimanded for any alleged wrongdoing.

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In a statement provided to the Courier & Press, Gibson County School Board attorney Jason Spindler said board members were aware of Wilson's arrest.

"The initial paperwork that law enforcement and the Vanderburgh County prosecutor file with the court will be distributed to the board for their review once it is filed," Spindler wrote. "The board will then monitor the activity in the criminal case. At this time, the board makes no additional comment."

Spindler also declined to comment on the report that Wilson was previously barred from entering school corporation property. In his statement, Spindler made no mention of any pending disciplinary action against Wilson.

According to a sworn affidavit, deputies were dispatched to the area of Indiana 57 and Old State Road 57 at 2:38 a.m. after a vehicle crashed into a ditch. While en route, the deputies were informed the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Wilson, may have been intoxicated.

On scene, deputies located Wilson, who was reportedly still in the driver's seat of his Honda CRV. According to the sheriff's office, deputies recorded their interactions with Wilson on body-worn cameras.

"I asked Wilson what happened and he told me he was driving south on Old State Road 57 when he dropped his soft drink," the affidavit states. "Wilson said he was reaching around for it and took his eyes off the road, which caused him to run off the roadway and into the ditch."

Deputies noted in the affidavit that Wilson's speech was impaired and that he appeared to be tired. Wilson reportedly denied having had anything to drink, but he did tell deputies he had not slept in three to four days and was depressed due to issues at home and at work.

Wilson agreed to take field sobriety tests and, according to deputies, said he did not have any pain from the accident that would preclude him from walking normally.

"Wilson had difficulty staying in the starting position and completely fell out of the starting position multiple times," the deputy who administered the test later wrote. "Wilson began the test and was unable to walk heel-to-toe on every step. He was unable to walk in a straight line and appeared to almost fall over multiple times."

The deputy wrote that Wilson also failed to complete a second field sobriety test that required him to maintain his balance.

The East Gibson superintendent consented to take a standard field breathalyzer test, which returned a blood-alcohol content of 0.0, according to his arrest affidavit. A deputy then administered a SoToxa rapid drug screening test.

The SoToxa screening device is manufactured by the medical device company Abbot Laboratories and can rapidly test a driver's saliva for the presence of prescription and illicit narcotics.

The SoToxa test administered to Wilson allegedly returned positive hits for benzodiazepines, a class of prescription sedatives that includes Xanax and Valium, and amphetamines. Prior to administering the test, deputies said Wilson told them he had a valid, legal prescription for Adderal, a medication that contains amphetamine.

After the roadside tests, deputies informed Wilson of his implied consent under Indiana law to submit to a blood draw at a hospital. Wilson agreed to be transported to a local hospital for the tests, his arrest affidavit states, and the results were pending as of Saturday morning.

Wilson was then booked into the Vanderburgh County jail for driving while intoxicated. As of 11 p.m. Saturday, Wilson had not yet been released from the jail, according to online booking records.

Arrest follows report that Wilson had been barred from school property

On Wednesday, WFIE in Evansville reported that Wilson had "been restricted from coming onto school property."

The news outlet attributed that claim to an unnamed school board member who declined to issue any on-the-record statement about the situation with Wilson.

Spindler told WFIE there was no official restraining order in place against Wilson. Wilson reportedly told the outlet he had "no comment" on its report.

That same day, Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven sent a news release to reporters stating his office had no information to offer regarding any claims that Wilson had been barred from school grounds.

"The Gibson County Sheriffs Office is not investigating any employee of the school corporation," Vanoven wrote. "Further, I am not aware of any discipline action that may or may not be, or is being considered by, the East Gibson School Board..."

On Thursday, Eyewitness News reported that some parents of East Gibson students had grown frustrated over officials' unwillingness to comment on the reports about Wilson. The outlet wrote that school board members were being "tight-lipped about the superintendents status."

In response to questions from the Courier & Press sent after Wilson's arrest, Spindler again declined to substantiate any reports regarding disciplinary action against Wilson.

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: East Gibson superintendent Wilson arrested in Vanderburgh after crash
Delegates from the Economic Community of West African States arrived in Niger Saturday to begin talks with the military leaders now in control of the landlocked country of more than 25 million people. Photo by Issifou Djibo/EPA-EFE

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Delegates from the Economic Community of West African States arrived in Niger Saturday to begin talks with the military leaders now in control of the landlocked country of more than 25 million people.

The ruling military junta's leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani agreed to meet the delegation, after two previous attempts had failed.

Earlier in the week, ECOWAS confirmed it was finalizing plans to send its Standby Force to the country.

Saturday's arrival of a political delegation is seen by many as a last ditch effort for a peaceful resolution to the situation in that country.

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ECOWACS leaders are currently meeting in Ghana's capital city of Accra to discuss military intervention.

Niger President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed in a mlitary coup on July 26 who remains under house arrest. File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI

Niger president Mohamed Bazoum's government was overthrown in a military coup on July 26 by Tchiani and the so-called National Council for the Safeguarding of the Homeland. The council did not respond to demands from ECOWAS to ensure Bazoum's immediate release.

The 15-member union of West African states, of which Niger is a member, threatened retaliation if Bazoum was not released.

The Economic Community of West African States confirmed this week it is finalizing plans to send a military force to Niger. Photo courtesy of Economic Community of West African States

As a follow-up to the directive of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its Extraordinary Summit on the political situation in the Republic of Niger held on 10th August 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria, the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDC) Ecowas - Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) August 16, 2023

Military leaders responded by saying they have evidence to support treason charges against the 63-year-old, democratically-elected president. The council did not provide details on the scope of that evidence

They also closed Nigerian air space last week ahead of the ECOWAS-imposed deadline.

Bazoum remains under house arrest.

"What we want to see is a return to the constitutional order. We want to see the liberation of the president and his family and restoration of his legitimate authority," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this month called for Bazoum's immediate release.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed D-Day for a possible military intervention to restore Nigers democratically elected president following last months coup.

Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are ready to go anytime the order is given for military intervention in Niger.

The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose, Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra.

Last week, ECOWAS ordered the activation of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26.

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On Friday, Musah reiterated that the blocs priority remains the restoration of the constitutional order in the shortest possible time.

We are not going to engage in endless dialogue. It must be fruitful, the commissioner added.

He also called once again for the release of the countrys legitimate leader, the ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held under house arrest with his wife and son since he was overthrown by the armed junta.

Nigers junta claimed it had gathered evidence to prosecute him for what it says amount to high treason.



Pro-coup protesters hold the Nigerien flag during a demonstration on independence day in Niamey on August 3, 2023. - Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

Niger, which lies at the heart of Africas Sahel, was one of the few remaining democracies in the region.

Bazoums election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power and capped years of military coups following Nigers independence from France in 1960.

Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

That is why we say all options are on the table. If they [the junta] want to take the peaceful pathway to the restoration of constitutional order in the country, then we can stand down the military option because it is not our preferred option, Musah said.

The commissioner said the bloc had decided that the coup in Niger is one coup too many, for the region, adding that there will be no further meetings of ECOWAS defense chiefs on the issue.

We are putting a stop to it at this time, Musah said in his concluding remarks.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) -A shoot-out erupted on Saturday near a restaurant where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Otto Sonnenholzner was eating with his family, police and the candidate said, though the violence was not directed at him.

Ecuadoreans head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president and legislature after a campaign clouded by the assassination of anti-corruption candidate Fernando Villavicencio 10 days ago.

"We just suffered a shoot-out in front of the place where I was breakfasting with my family," Sonnenholzner, a pro-market candidate and former vice president said on X, previously called Twitter. "Thank God we're all well but we demand an investigation into what occurred."

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A video on social media showed Sonnenholzner greeting a supporter in a sunny restaurant in Guayaquil and preparing to take a selfie, before shots sound outside.

The national police said in a press conference the shoot-out was the result of a chase after a robbery in an exercise clothing store and that five people have been arrested.

Sonnenholzner has hardened his discourse around crime since the murder of Villavicencio, repeatedly promising his supporters that should he be elected, criminals who use violence against citizens will be shot by police.

Fellow presidential candidate Daniel Noboa on Thursday said there was an attack on his campaign caravan in Duran, but police later said the shooting was not directed at Noboa, son of prominent banana businessman and former presidential candidate Alvaro Noboa.

Meanwhile, Francisco Tamariz, the mayor of the coastal city of La Libertad, said on X on Saturday that shots were fired by police on Friday at a truck in which he and his wife were riding.

Police in Santa Elena province said in a press conference three armored cars without official logos avoided a police stop and officers eventually shot to stop the vehicles.

Three people from one of the cars were arrested and two unlicensed firearms were found, police said.

Tamariz said he would complain to the attorney general's office.

The mayor of the Pacific port city of Manta, Agustin Intriago, was murdered in July. The police said on Friday morning they detained four people in his killing.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Grant McCool)
Christian Zurita addresses the public at the closing event of his presidential campaign - MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP

Ecuadorian state prosecutor Victor Hugo Alcivar was driving home when armed assailants intercepted his car and shot him three times through the window.

Miraculously, he survived the attack in May last year, but the friend he was travelling with was not so lucky.

I still dont know how I made it, he told The Telegraph.

Lawlessness and assassinations have dominated Ecuadors general election. In the run-up to Sundays presidential and parliamentary poll, eight political candidates have been murdered, three have survived attempts on their lives and seven have received death threats.

Mr Alcivar, who has only recently returned to work, believes he was targeted for going after gangsters in the northern city of Santo Domingo. He said it is not uncommon for judges and prosecutors to be approached by organised crime groups offering bribes.

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The danger comes when you refuse, he said.

Targeted killings have become commonplace in Ecuador in recent years as organised crime groups vie for influence over justice, politics and the state, pitching the country into turmoil.

Eight prosecutors and two judges have been murdered in the past two years, with dozens more threatened.

On Saturday the mayor of the city of La Libertad said he had survived an assassination attempt after gunmen fired 30 bullets into his car.

And Otto Sonnenholzner, a presidential candidate, said a shoot-out occurred on Saturday outside a restaurant where he and his family were eating.

But it was the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio just over a week ago that plunged Ecuador into its latest state of emergency.

These types of murders serve as a punishment, but also as a warning to others of what might happen to them if they dont comply, said Mr Alcivar.

When Villavicencio, an outspoken critic of the states links to organised crime, was shot after he left an event in the capital Quito on August 10, the message was clear.

It shows the criminals have the power, said Carolina Portaluppi, a political analyst. They use weapons to silence and discipline their enemies.

Sandwiched between Colombia and Peru, which have the worlds highest rate of cocaine production, Ecuador has become a playground for foreign drug mafias seeking to export cocaine from its shores to the US and Europe.

Police in Ecuador registered 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.

The epicentre of the countrys violence is the coastal city of Guayaquil, where last Monday, three people were killed, including two children, and seven passers-by were injured in a shoot-out between gangs in the south of the city.

The following day, a 16-year-old boy was gunned down outside his school. His was just one of 20 murders on Tuesday.

Then, on Wednesday, the city centre was evacuated because of a suspected car bomb. Specialist units also carried out a controlled explosion at the citys bus station. Both were false alarms.

Once known best for its long, beach-side promenade and quaint historic district, today Guayaquil is a city on edge in a country that is struggling to confront powerful criminal gangs.

Along with murders, robberies have also soared and the fear in Guayaquil is palpable.

Bars and restaurants close early. Shopping centres have installed metal detectors. Newsagents and pharmacies no longer allow customers to enter - purchases are made through gaps in metal shutters.

A soldier stands guard at a security checkpoint in Duran - Martin Mejia/AP

Angela Molina, a 46-year-old mother of two who works in a bank, said she and her neighbours live with self-imposed curfews to keep their families safe.

Why would anyone go out with their family? Youre going to get robbed, and if you leave your valuables at home, then you get killed because theyre annoyed you have nothing for them to steal, she said.

If youre lucky and dont die immediately, theyll take you to hospital. But the hospitals have no equipment, no doctors and no medicine so you die anyway.

The police, she added, will never investigate who killed you because theyre probably protecting the people who robbed you in the first place.

And to top it off? Not one of the candidates has any real solutions. They just want to line their pockets.

President Guillermo Lassos response has been to declare a string of states of emergency.

In April, he decreed that civilians could carry weapons in the streets and public spaces. It only added to the chaos, experts say.

Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed to protect polling stations.

But Ecuadorians have lost faith in their political leaders and those meant to protect them.

Candidate Andrea Gonzalez wears a bulletproof vest during her closing campaign rally - HENRY ROMERO/REUTERS

Sundays vote was triggered after Mr Lasso dissolved parliament to avoid being impeached for embezzlement. In April, corruption charges were also brought against his predecessor Lenin Moreno, who continues to protest his innocence.

Before his murder, presidential hopeful Villavicencio revealed that at least 20 of the candidates standing on Sunday were being investigated for direct links to drug trafficking. Leaked intelligence reports also showed how members of the security forces are implicated in the cocaine trade, providing weapons to some of the countrys most violent gangs.

Such corruption has slowly eroded state legitimacy and fuels accusations that Ecuador has become a narcostate.

The Ecuadorean state is not capable of serving and protecting its citizens, said Ms Portaluppi, the analyst. Instead, it facilitates corruption and organised crime.

In Guayaquils northwestern district of Mount Sinai, gangs control their turf with extortion and murder. Political candidates had to pay fees to be able to campaign in their territory. Here people talk only in whispers.

The gang rules this place, not the government

The law is silence, said one resident, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals. Hear nothing, say nothing, she said. The gang rules this place, not the government.

A mother of three, the resident explained how she has taken her children out of school.

At school, they get recruited by gangs. At home, I can keep them safe, she said.

In Mount Sinai, families pay two dollars a week to the local gang, a large amount of money for households that live in abject poverty and rely on the informal sector for work. Many houses here have been daubed with drawings of lions, the symbol of the local gang, Los Fatales.

Guayaquils criminal underworld is complex. Much of the recent violence is a result of a power vacuum following the killing of Jorge Zambrano, alias Rasquina or JL, the leader of Los Choneros, in December 2020.

Founded in the 1990s, Los Choneros became Ecuadors largest and most feared gang, but the death of JL exacerbated infighting and several powerful splinter groups have since emerged.

Los Choneros and its rivals fight over territory and control of trafficking routes, which it runs for cartels from Mexico and Colombia, as well as the mafia in Italy, Albania and other eastern European countries. Much of the bloody conflict has played out in prisons where at least 400 inmates have died since 2021.

Frontrunner Luisa Gonzalez of the Movimiento Revolucion Ciudadana party promised her supporters that she would take back control from the gangs - HENRY ROMERO/REUTERS

Villavicencios murder has thrown the presidential race wide open.

His last-minute replacement, 53-year-old journalist Christian Zurita, will face off against seven other candidates, including a leftist frontrunner, a former vice president, an indigenous leader and an ex-army sniper nicknamed Rambo.

Late on Thursday a convoy of hundreds of cars weaved its way through the south of the Guayaquil, sounding their horns in support of Luisa Gonzalez, the frontrunner.

Speaking at her final rally before Sundays vote, she promised her supporters that she would take back control from the gangs, saying Ecuador required an iron fist and pledging to improve education and employment opportunities for the young.

As she spoke, the crowd was jittery. Many ducked for cover several times as fireworks were mistaken for gunfire.

I will vote with fear, said 52-year-old teacher Margarita Torres, who came to hear Ms Gonzalez speak. I have no expectations and no hope, but democracy must prevail.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
The West Palm Beach skyline and the Intracoastal Waterway are framed Aug. 10 by some of the walls that remain of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse.

The demolition of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse has sent shock waves throughout Palm Beach.

The image by Daily News visual journalist Damon Higgins showing the West Palm Beach skyline and the Intracoastal framed by some of the building's few remaining walls puts focus on the extent of the demolition.

And the sight certainly is jarring.

Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach CEO Amanda Skier was "shocked and saddened," she said in a letter Monday, and members of the Landmarks Commission expressed similar dismay during their meeting Wednesday.

WS Development, the projects developer, told the Daily News that all renovation, restoration and demolition work has been "fully approved" by the town, with spokesperson Alexandra Clark noting that many structural elements needed to be rebuilt in order to meet the minimum requirements of the Florida building code.

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The landmarked building designed by the late famed architect John L. Volk opened in 1958, and soon it was a high-profile destination, as theater productions brought in celebrities to mingle with Palm Beachs finest. But those glittering nights had long since ended by the time its last tenant, Clear Channel Communications, departed in 2004.

For nearly 20 years, the shuttered structure has remained in limbo as myriad possibilities  including condos  were floated for the site. The town, meanwhile, has had a longstanding legal interest in the property, thanks to an agreement put in place in 1979 with a former owner of the property and later amended.

In January 2022, Massachusetts-based WS Development announced plans to reopen the venue as a complex that would feature a cultural arts center and a waterfront restaurant.

Innovate, a publicly held company chaired by resident Avie Glazer, whose family owns the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will operate the programming for the planned cultural arts center.

"Rebuilding what was there is not something we came to lightly," Clark said Monday. "We were advised by a team of experts that it was needed to make it safe for public occupancy."

But this explanation has done little to calm the outrage.

Some residents may have had an expectation that the playhouse could be renovated while remaining mostly intact, but anyone who has dealt with old, abandoned buildings knows that it's hard to know how much damage there is until you get at the guts.

It this what happened here? We don't know exactly what the developer encountered once the demolition began.

Landmarks Commissioner Brittain Damgard said her panel was not given a full accounting of the additional demolition work that would be needed to complete the project. But her colleague Bridget Moran said WS Development did make an effort to tell us about it. They went to staff and told them about it."

Did WS Development inform the town about the extent of the demolition? The differing versions of events from the landmarks commissioners have only muddied the issue.

One thing is clear: There needs to be a thorough investigation of the steps in the process for the extensive renovation of a landmarked structure to ensure the public is never surprised like this again. There are many buildings of historical value in town, and it is critically important that no one is allowed to get away with an "Oops!" should they decide to demolish one of them. The rules need to be clear and specific.

In the case of the Royal Poinciana Playhouse, a probe should provide some answers about whether WS Development followed the town's requirements.

In the meantime, what is done cannot be undone.

So, while it might be cold comfort for some, the fact is that this neglected venue is expected to come back to life with its familiar street-side walls rebuilt. Thats a much better scenario than the alternative: Remaining dark indefinitely, deteriorating with each passing day.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Editorial: Palm Beach needs to revisit rules on renovations
An Oklahoma representative from Edmond said he will resign from his House seat on Sept. 1.

Rep. Ryan Martinez pleaded guilty Aug. 2 to a felony offense of being in physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated  what is commonly known as non-driving DUI.

As part of a plea agreement in Oklahoma County District Court, Martinez was ordered to serve one year of probation, pay $1,000 in court costs and have an alcohol interlock device installed in his vehicle for six months.

The plea agreement came a little more than eight months after police found Martinez inside his running car on Oct. 26, 2022, in the parking lot of an Edmond bar, according to an Edmond police report.

Rep. Ryan Martinez is shown in May during a House Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget meeting at the Oklahoma Capitol.

"While I have followed the guidance of my legal counsel and a letter from the Office of the Attorney General, there are differing opinions about whether I should remain in office," Martinez said in a news release issued by the Oklahoma House of Representatives late Friday. "My intention has been to resign at the appropriate time to allow a representative to be seated for next year's legislative session.

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"With such legal uncertainty, I believe now is that time, so that my neighbors can be represented without distraction. I am therefore resigning my position of state representative for House District 39 effective Sept. 1, 2023.

"I take full responsibility for my mistake and apologize to my family, friends, and constituents who have supported me for the last seven years serving House District 39. I have engaged in court-ordered obligations prior to my plea, and faced my day in court without a conviction. Im taking accountability for my actions, and making efforts to move forward.

More: Edmond representative accused of DUI, offers to call governor

"It has been an honor to serve alongside those who work tirelessly to pass beneficial legislation at the State Capitol, and I hope they will continue standing up against corruption, providing the leadership and vision Oklahomans deserve."

Martinez struggled to keep his balance during a field sobriety test but told officers he thought he was safe to drive home.

"Would you like me to call Kevin (Stitt) right now?" Martinez asked officers, according to their written report.

Martinez was arrested and booked into the Edmond city jail.

The Edmond Republican has represented House District 39 since 2016.

Rep. Ryan Martinez

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Rep. Ryan Martinez to resign after guilty plea in non-driving DUI
CAIRO (Reuters) -Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned prominent activist Ahmed Douma , along with a number of prisoners, state TV said on Saturday.

Douma, a leading figure in the pro-democracy revolt that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak , was detained a decade ago and sentenced in 2019 to 15 years in prison for rioting and attacking security forces.

Last month, authorities also freed rights researcher Patrick Zaki and lawyer Mohamed el-Baqer after they were pardoned by al-Sisi.

Baqer and others could be seen greeting Douma when he came out of Badr prison.

"I would have liked to have said that I am happy after 10 years (in detention), but honestly I am postponing the celebration until everyone is out," Douma told Reuters outside the prison. "So, I hope this will be soon."

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Since late 2021 Egypt has taken a number of steps that it says are aimed at addressing human rights, including amnesties for some prominent prisoners. In May authorities launched a national dialogue intended to generate debate around the country's political, social and economic future.

Sisi said on Wednesday he would refer recommendations from the dialogue to the relevant authorities and parliament.

Critics have dismissed the moves as cosmetic and say arrests have continued. Egypt's most prominent activist, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and many other detainees swept up in a decade-long crackdown on dissent, remain in prison.

Authorities have said the arrests were made on security grounds.

Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi also greeted Douma upon his release, and thanked Sisi for the pardon.

"I hope that we can continue on this road until Egypt becomes a country void of any prisoners of conscience," he told Reuters.

Presidential elections are scheduled for early 2024, as the country struggles with an economic crisis.

(Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy, Sherif Fahmy, Amr Abdallah; Writing by Enas Alashray, Adam Makary, and Nafisa Eltahir; Editing by Toby Chopra, Tomasz Janowski and Frances Kerry)
Arizonans' attitudes toward elections aren't clear-cut, new polling shows.

A majority of Arizonans have confidence in election outcomes, according to a survey from Arizona State University's Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy. But many also support a variety of election reforms, including nonpartisan primaries and nonpartisan oversight of elections.

"There was wide support for a lot of reforms," said Thom Reilly, co-director of the center and one of the researchers behind the poll. "I say that because, so much, we talk about polarization and that we all we are polarized, but I think this serves as a starting point for conversation."

The study, which polled more than 1,000 people, leaves ample opportunity for follow-up research, Reilly said.

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A majority of voters told researchers that they supported measures to ensure election integrity: for example, testing of voting machines, tracking of ballots and auditing of election results.

In Arizona, those safeguards are already in place. The machines that tally votes, known as tabulators, are tested before and after every election. For voters on the Active Early Voting List, ballot tracking is available. State law also requires a hand count audit of ballots randomly selected by political party observers immediately after the election.

Reilly said he hopes to do further polling and research to determine whether voters simply aren't aware of the election integrity measures already in place or if they wish to see them expanded.

"One area clearly is an educational issue: more outreach to educate the citizens out in Arizona that these safeguards are in existence in Arizona," he said. "But the fact that people broadly support them, I think, is significant in itself ... I think the next step is to do a further, deeper dive."

The survey didn't ask participants if they support hand-counting ballots. That plan, largely backed by conservatives who do not trust the results of recent elections, has permeated elections discourse in Arizona for years, even though there are logistical barriers to the idea and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes recently warned that hand counts might violate state law.

Nevertheless, Reilly believes the study offers clues to increase trust in elections and democracy.

"The whole purpose of the study was, how do we increase voter confidence so that more individuals will be confident in the election system we have?" he said. "And we have something to build upon in Arizona, which I think is a real positive."

The survey was conducted by Venture Data in May. It was balanced to model the state's population of registered voters across party affiliation, voting status, region, age, race and educational level.

It was funded by Arizona's Citizens Clean Elections Commission, which administers the state's public-campaign finance system, provides voter education and oversees complaints about campaign finance violations. The commission is nonpartisan and was created as a result of a 1998 ballot initiative. Greater Phoenix Leadership, an organization that represents Arizona business leaders, also provided money for the study.

Here are some of the big takeaways.

Wide support for nonpartisan primaries, slim majority for ranked-choice voting

Currently, Arizona has mostly open primaries and uses a traditional voting scheme.

In the state's open primary system, voters registered to political parties automatically receive their party's ballot during primary elections.

Independent voters, meanwhile, must notify election officials which party's ballot they want.

There are limitations on which primary elections independent voters get to participate in. Arizona's Libertarian Party doesn't allow independent voters to vote in their primary elections at all. And independents cannot vote in presidential preference elections.

Under the current system, all voters must choose candidates from one party. They cannot cast a vote for a Republican candidate in one primary race and a Democratic candidate in another.

In a nonpartisan primary system, all candidates from Arizona's four recognized political parties would be placed on one ballot that all voters, regardless of party affiliation, would be entitled to vote. Several candidates with the most votes would then advance to a general election.

Under the rules of traditional voting, voters are only given as many votes to cast as there are seats to fill. For instance, there is only one governor of Arizona, so voters may only cast one vote for governor.

Ranked-choice voting, however, would allow voters to rank candidates on the ballot in order of preference. If voters' top-choice candidate is eliminated, their vote counts for their backup choice. That process of consolidating votes continues until one candidate has a majority.

Reilly's polling found that a vast majority of Arizonans  80%  support nonpartisan primaries. That includes 87% of unaffiliated voters. Most Democrats and Republicans also favored the idea.

"It wasn't just a simple majority," he said. "It was a large majority across political identification."

Ranked-choice voting scraped by with a bare majority. About 52% of voters responded in support, led by Democratic and independent voters. Registered Republican voters largely opposed the idea.

Majority support for ranked-choice voting was within the survey's margin of error, which was plus or minus 3.1%.

Arizonans want nonpartisan oversight of elections, poll shows

A vast majority of Arizonans believe that political interference has increased in elections in recent years, the polling shows.

Accordingly, about 60% said they believe top election officials, including the secretary of state and county recorders, should run nonpartisan campaigns.

Currently, Arizona's secretary of state and county recorders run in partisan elections. Changing the current system likely would necessitate changes in state law, Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said. That would require legislative action or a successful ballot initiative, both unlikely before 2024.

But creating a system in which election officials are wholly nonpartisan might be even more complicated. Richer noted that county supervisors also are tasked with election responsibilities in Arizona. Those officials, who are elected in partisan races, are responsible for setting budgets and other governmental functions as well.

Most respondents also said that election officials shouldn't be allowed to publicly endorse candidates for other offices, raise money for other candidates or oversee recounts in their own races.

They were split on whether officials should be able to raise money for their own parties. About 49% said they should, 49% said they should not, and the small remainder were undecided.

About 92% of Arizona voters believe election officials should be required to take an oath to function in a nonpartisan manner, according to the study. That idea received the highest support of any in the poll.

"I'm not suggesting that solves all the problems of voter confidence," Reilly said. "But, as we try to inch forward ... nonpartisan appointment of these top election officials was top of mind."

All elected officials already take an oath of office at the start of their term in which they swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the laws of Arizona.

Cut this, add that: Commenters on left, right criticize draft of 2024 Arizona 'election bible'

Lack of trust in sources of election information

Voters aren't sure who to trust about elections. When poll participants were asked about their level of trust in eight different institutions, none was trusted by a majority of respondents, and distrust often was higher than trust by wide margins.

"I think that that was the depressing part of that survey," Reilly said. "We live in bubbles. We chose our media to reinforce our worldview. And then we talk about it with people who reinforce us, who think and act like us."

Here's how voters responded to each of the eight categories:

Television, radio or print media: About 23% trust, 41% don't trust and 36% said they were unsure.

Outside election observers: About 33% trust, 22% don't trust and 45% said they were unsure.

Social media: About 6% trust, 68% don't trust and 26% said they were unsure.

Religious leaders: About 22% trust, 47% don't trust and 31% said they were unsure.

Universities: About 45% trust, 28% don't trust and 27% said they were unsure.

Business leaders: About 18% trust, 45% don't trust and 37% said they were unsure.

Friends and family: About 46% trust, 19% don't trust and 35% said they were unsure.

Political leaders: About 15% trust, 51% don't trust and 34% said they were unsure.

Reilly said that while the results are bleak, he sees some small "glimmers of hope" in the friends and family category and the universities category. He wishes he would have reworded the question about outside election observers, he said, because if more participants had understood the question, that source of information might have gotten more positive results.

Overall, most are confident in election outcomes

About 65% of Arizonans trust the outcome of recent elections, according to poll results.

Of those, about half said they were "somewhat confident" in election outcomes. The other half indicated they were "very confident."

Thirty-four percent said they were not confident in the results of recent elections.

The polling also shows that nearly all voters know where they stand on the issue. Fewer than 1% of respondents didn't respond to the survey question or said they didn't know.

Other polling has also found that Arizona voters broadly trust election results. Still, Reilly said the group of voters who were confident in recent election outcomes was higher than he expected, calling it a "positive."

Taking steps to bolster those voters' trust in the electoral system, he said, could be the key to a stronger democracy.

"We may never get election deniers or those that will never, ever trust the system because they just never will," Reilly said. "But if we have two-thirds ... how do we increase the comfort level and the confidence level of individuals?"

Drama-packed meeting: Pinal County officials opt for more tweaks to elections agreement

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What election reforms do Arizonans support? New ASU poll sheds light
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE  Christmas Tree Shops employees who worked until the stores' final closure on Aug. 12 should be getting paid, as an attorney for the company, and its debtor, argued over payroll owed for the last days of the liquidation sale.

The Christmas Tree Shops in Warwick closed on July 30 while the stores in Middletown and North Attleboro, Massachusetts, closed with the remaining stores on Aug. 12. Everything in the stores was on sale, including the shelves and other store infrastructure.

During a bankruptcy court hearing on Aug. 16, Judge Thomas Horan ordered that Christmas Tree Shops' bankruptcy case be immediately converted from Chapter 11, where reorganization is the purpose, to Chapter 7, where the point is to entirely liquidate a company.

More: Last RI Christmas Tree Shops store to close on Aug. 12. Here's how deep the discounts are.

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The bankruptcy proceedings had been moving toward the closure of the company and liquidation after a hearing on June 29, when Christmas Tree Shops attorney Harold Murphy said the retailer started running into new problems in early June, when it was unable to quickly refill its shelves as sales outstripped projections, and it defaulted on a debtor in possession, or DIP, loan.

"I want this case converted today," Horan said during the hearing. "It's clear to me that there's been a complete breakdown, and we need to get a trustee in place."

Murphy said during the hearing that Christmas Tree Shops followed the instructions of Hilco Capital, which was brought in to liquidate the company, including how much to discount goods, whom to lay off and which stores to close early. The liquidation fell $14 million short of Hilco's projections, and employees were owed $1.3 million, while Hilco argued it didn't have to pay more than the $600,000 it budgeted for payroll for the last days of the liquidation sale.

"To come in here this morning and have it sprung on me that people who have been working for this company for the last two weeks are in danger of not getting paid today is absolutely mind-boggling to me, why this issue cannot be resolved," Horan said.

Hourly employees not being paid would be "unacceptable," and if they weren't paid, no professionals, including the attorneys, would be paid, Horan said.

"We're going to work on the employees first, get that solved," Horan said.

After a recess, the lenders agreed to pay a little over $1 million to settle the outstanding payroll for the store employees.

Many store employees were also told they would receive bonuses, which were only authorized for the first 10 stores that were closed early. The other employees at stores that remained open until the final liquidation on Aug. 12 will not receive those bonuses, attorneys in the case said during the hearing.

It all started on Cape Cod

In the 1950s, Mark and Alice Matthews launched The Christmas Tree Gift Shop in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, which was open from May to October each year. In 1970, Charles and Doreen Bilezikian bought the store and expanded over the next three decades, opening 24 additional locations in New England and New York.

In 2003, Bed Bath & Beyond bought and expanded the franchise to 20 states. In November 2020, it sold the company to Middleboro, Massachusetts-based Handil Holdings.

Bed Bath & Beyond, which also has stores in Warwick and Middletown, was going through its own bankruptcy proceedings. The name was then purchased by Overstock.com, which is rebranding to Bed Bath & Beyond but without a physical presence.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Providence Journal subscription. Here's our latest offer.

Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: After debtor dispute, Christmas Tree Shops employees to be paid
This Florida Scrub-Jay was photographed by James Rogers within North Port city limits. The Environmental Conservancy of North Port successfully raised funds to buy two lots for Florida Scrub-Jay habitat in the city.

NORTH PORT  The Environmental Conservancy of North Port raised enough money in its latest fundraising campaign to buy two adjacent lots targeted for Florida Scrub Jay habitat and build up reserves for its next purchase, which could be in Englewood.

We got a $25,000 donation from an anonymous group of people in Sarasota and then we got $10,000 from a repeat donor, said Barbara Lockhart, president of the nonprofits board of directors. She gave us funds for the last fundraiser as well and we got $1,500 from another lady who donated to us a number of times  also from Sarasota."

Those larger donations, combined with smaller donations through GoFundMe helped the conservancy raise $36,700  well above the $24,000 needed for the adjacent parcels on Minardi Street and Jayman Road  and in plenty of time before its Aug. 17 purchase deadline.

We beat the deadline and we were able to close a couple days early, Lockhart said.

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Combined, the nonprofit  which buys and preserves land in both Sarasota and Charlotte counties  has purchased or received donations of 23 parcels for wildlife habitat.

Sixteen of the protected parcels are in North Port, six in Charlotte County's Harbour Heights neighborhood and one in Port Charlotte.

The extra $12,700 received will go toward the next purchase. Lockhart said the group is working on outreach in Englewood in a neighborhood known as good habitat for the Florida Scrub-Jay and the Northern bobwhite quail  which is in major decline  as well as suitable for gopher tortoises and bobcats.

Since the conservancy started in February 2020, it has raised $153,500 to purchase 20 parcels.

Other areas the conservancy hopes to target include Port Charlotte, Gulf Cove and Rotonda West on the Cape Haze peninsula.

Lochart said the conservancy is also working on building a volunteer base with meetings this month.

The first, at 6 p.m., Aug. 27 at the Shannon Staub Public Library, 4675 Career Lane, North Port, is primarily for native plant growers and rescuers. A Zoom volunteer meeting is set for 7 p.m., Aug. 30.

For more information call 941-218-9775, email NPconservancy@gmail.com or visit https://www..ecnorthport.com. The nonprofit is on Facebook at The Environmental Conservancy of North Port And Surrounding Areas or Instagram at @npconservancy.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Environmental Conservancy of North Port closes on lots for Scrub-Jays
Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein referred former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler to JPMorgan Chase as a client in 2019, months before he was arrested on charges related to federal sex trafficking, court documents showed.

Epsteins assistant emailed JPMorgan Chase executive Mary Erdoes in February 2019 suggesting Ruemmler as a customer, according to an email filed as an exhibit. Ruemmler joined Goldman Sachs as a partner in 2020 and is now chief legal officer and general counsel there.

Jeffrey wanted me to reach out to you re his very good friend and former White House counsel to Pres. Barack Obama, Kathy Ruemmler, his assistant wrote in the email. She would like to open an account with JPM. Jeffrey requests she deal with you personally. Might this be possible?

Erdoes responded a few days later writing, I dont handle accounts myself but we will definitely get her in the right hands. I will reach out to her. Thanks for sharing.

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His assistant replied, Mary, Jeffrey just thought that Kathy is one of the most powerful women in Washington and thought you two would bond.

The revelation of Epsteins client referral to the financial institution came six years after the bank said it terminated the convicted sex offender as a client in 2013. JPMorgan Chase was Epsteins banker for 15 years, starting in 1998.

In 2008, Epstein was convicted of procuring a child for prostitution.

His client referral came five months before he was arrested and charged with sex trafficking by federal prosecutors. Epstein died by suicide shortly after at a New York City correctional center while awaiting trial.

Ruemmler didnt immediately respond to NBC News request for comment Friday, and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

Erdoes declined to comment through a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson.

The U.S. Virgin Islands sued the bank last year alleging it facilitated the disgraced financiers sex trafficking enterprise and failed to flag suspicious financial activity. The Wallstreet giant has denied liability.

A trial is scheduled for October.

The territory said the banker who handled Epsteins accounts was given permission to continue a relationship with Epstein after 2013 as a potential source of referrals, according to court documents. Epstein was also the banks private wealth divisions top revenue generator in 2003, bringing in more than $8 million, court filings showed.

The banker met with Epstein at least eight times, according to court documents filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In former JPMorgan Chase executive Jes Staleys deposition for the lawsuit, he said Epstein referred several ultra-wealthy clients to the financial institution, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Mr. Gates was never a client of JPMorgan, said a spokesperson for Bill Gates.

In 2014, JPMorgan Chase said Brins relationship was one of the largest in the Private Bank, amounting to over $4 billion, according to internal bank documents filed as exhibits.

Staley  who was head of the asset and wealth management at JPMorgan Chase  said in his deposition that he spoke to the banks CEO Jamie Dimon in 2006 about Epsteins being indicted for procuring a child for prostitution in Florida. Staley said he told Dimon, because Dimon was his boss and Epstein was a client of the bank, adding that the indictment was a very public event.

Dimon said in his deposition in May that he had never met the disgraced financier and never even heard of him until Epsteins 2019 arrest.

There is no evidence that any such communications ever occurred  nothing in the voluminous number of documents reviewed and nothing in the nearly dozen depositions taken, including that of our own CEO. The one person who claims this to be true is currently accused of horrific acts and dishonesty, said a JPMorgan Chase spokesperson.

The bank sued Staley in March, alleging he knew about Epsteins conduct and engaged in sexual activity with young women procured by Epstein. The bank said in the lawsuit that Staley should be held liable for any financial penalties it faces from the suit brought by the U.S. Virgin Islands. A federal judge in May denied Staleys bid to dismiss the complaint.

Staleys attorney didnt immediately respond to NBCs request for comment.

Staley has called the accusations baseless but has expressed regret for his relationship with Epstein.

JPMorgan Chase isnt backing back down, adding in a court filing that former U.S. Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh  who left office in January 2015  asked Epstein for a $215,000 loan after he was arrested and accused of embezzling public funds in August 2015.

De Jongh said the money Epstein loaned him was used to settle his dispute with the government of the Virgin Islands, according to his deposition for the lawsuit. He said he paid Epstein back in 2016. The charges against de Jongh were later dropped.

De Jongh's wife  former U.S. Virgin Islands first lady Cecile de Jongh  received more than $300,000 in a lump sum severance payment from Epstein's Southern Trust Company for her termination after he died by suicide in 2019, according to court documents filed by the Wallstreet giant.

JPMorgan Chase is the only party to this case that had real-time evidence of Jeffrey Epsteins ongoing crimes in its possession," said Venetia Velazquez, spokesperson for the Attorney General of the Virgin Islands. "Instead of following federal law which requires banks to share customers suspicious activity with the proper authorities, JPMorgan executives helped Jeffrey Epstein conceal his suspicious banking activity from law enforcement."

Velazquez added, in doing so, JPMorgan permitted Jeffrey Epsteins human trafficking scheme to go unchecked, allowing JPMorgan executives to continue to benefit from the new clients and revenue Epstein brought into the bank.

John and Cecile de Jongh did not immediately respond to NBCs request for comment.

The U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had owned two private islands within the territory, is seeking at least $190 million in damages from the bank.

In June, JP Morgan Chase agreed to pay $290 million to settle a similar lawsuit filed by Epstein survivors.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The vast majority of EU member states have not supported the idea of an embargo extension on Ukrainian grain imports after 15 September. And some countries may even apply countermeasures in the case of Poland's unilateral decisions.

Source: European Pravda, referring to the information received by Polish radio station RMF FM

Details: The European Commission believes that Poland's unilateral embargo extension on Ukrainian grain is a violation of European law. Poland may face fines for this, but the application process takes a long time.

RMF FM sources said Poland is afraid of trade countermeasures that some EU countries may introduce. In particular, Germany, but in general, up to 20 countries are against the extension.

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Poland also assumed that other Eastern European states may refuse to support the embargo after 15 September.

RMF FM unofficially discovered that, most likely, Romania will not go against the European Commission decision, but the same decision may be adopted by others, including Bulgaria, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary.

Background:

Warsaw declares that if the restrictions are not extended at the EU level, it will introduce a unilateral embargo and hopes that allies will support this decision.

At the same time, Ukraine is firm in its demands that the EU cancel unilateral restrictions on Ukrainian exports and believes that Brussels should come to an agreement with Poland.

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 powerful gang leader is threatening retaliation. Government negotiations are deadlocked over how the country, which currently has no elected leaders, should be governed. Thousands of people are on the run.

When a Kenyan security-assessment mission arrives in Port-au-Prince next week to assess whether the East African nation should lead a multinational mass deployment of law enforcement to help a violence-wracked Haiti, the delegation is going to find a country at a tipping point.

Whether the Kenyans ultimately agree to send 1,000 police officers into Haiti to disarm deadly gangs and protect strategic installations will depend on what they see and get from the visit, which will take place amid another wave of brutal gang violence following a rise in vigilante justice.

A people-driven movement led to the lynchings of at least 350 people, including 310 alleged gang members and a police officer, since April, according to the United Nations. But it also led to a temporary drop in for-ransom abductions, and caused financial losses to gangs controlling Haitis lucrative kidnapping market after police blocked one of the main arteries into two powerful gangs kidnapping lairs.

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Now the gangs are back, and they are seeking revenge.

In the last few days, several neighborhoods of metropolitan Port-au-Prince  Carrefour-Feuilles, Croix-des-Bouquets and Solino have come under persistent attacks as heavily armed groups seek to expand their territories, taking over neighborhoods block by block.

On Friday, a barrage of gunfire could be heard only a few feet from the prime ministers private residence in the Vivy Mitchell neighborhood. Armed men with the Kraze Barye gang, led by Vitelhomme Innocent, also reached within several feet of the police academy before being pushed back by cops. The same day, as automatic gunfire rang out less than 400 feet from the U.S. embassy, corpses littered the street in the Lilavois neighborhood, just north. A day before, armed men invaded the community and chased police away. A local gang warlord known as Jeff, who controls nearby Cannan, announced that he plans to control Lilavois and other parts of a Croix-des-Bouquets because they are the only open route leading to the north of the country.

Further south near downtown Port-au-Prince, the soaring violence has led thousands in the Carrefour-Feuilles district to flee after months of resisting an invasion by the Grand Ravine gang and its allies, which includes a group of former and current corrupt police officers. The armed groups control of the hilltop district would provide uninhibited access to middle-class Port-au-Prince neighborhoods and open a new route for the kidnapping gangs to move hostages through.

Fleeing their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, the displaced are now scattered throughout the Haitian capital, sleeping on cardboard in school yards and on the Champ de Mars public square across from the presidential palace.

The brutal attacks started on Aug. 12, and have added to the misery. The International Rescue Committee announced this week that its Haitian aid groups, including mobile health clinics, are temporarily shutting down due to the violence. The U.N. said Friday that 200,000 people have now been internally displaced due to the extreme violence, and more than 2,400 have been killed over 900 others injured since January.

Among the dead were a local municipal representative, his wife and child who lived in the Decayette section of Carrefour-Feuilles. They were shot and killed in their home, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said.

Hours earlier, five men and two women from the same family were burned alive when their home was set on fire by the Grand Ravine gang.

All were reportedly targeted because of their support for a local self-defense group set up to confront the gangs, U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said.

While gang violence has escalated since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, observers believe that several elements are feeding the current cycle of violence.

There is the prospect of outside intervention, which the U.N. Security Council will consider following the visit by Kenyas police assessment team, and pending general elections in Haiti.

After months of not mentioning Haitis long-delayed elections, the United States and members of the 15-member U.N. Security Council are increasingly discussing them as they call for an end to the Caribbean nations political impasse.

The insecurity, forced displacement and the question of the gangs cannot be detached from whats happening politically in terms of the coming elections, said Gedeon Jean, a human-rights lawyer whose Port-au-Prince-based Research and Analysis Center for Human Rights, has been closely tracking the violence.

Jean said that armed groups have been consolidating and reinforcing their power since late last year. That partly explains the latest assaults on the population, which spread from Carrefour-Feuilles this week to the eastern and northern outskirts of the capital.

As the violence escalated, a powerful gang leader who had not been heard from in months entered the dynamic. Jimmy Barbecue Cherizier, a former cop who is now a gang leader, vowed to fight any international armed forces deployed to the country if they commit abuses like rapes or introducing diseases like cholera, which U.N. peacekeeping forces were accused of doing after arriving in 2004.

We Haitians will stand up and fight against them until our last breath, Cherizier said.

He accused Prime Minister Ariel Henrys government of being responsible for the violence and for sending for an international force under the pretext of insecurity to consolidate their power.

Cherizier said gangs would welcome the international force if it were to arrest Henry and corrupt politicians, police and oligarchs who are selling guns in Haitis slums. Under sanctions from both the U.S. and the U.N. Security Council, Cherizier is accused of carrying out several massacres.

Gangs will fight

Keith Mines, who directs the Latin America program at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, said any foreign force deployed to Haiti should be aware that it will face skepticism from citizens and be challenged by gangs, which now control at least 80% of the capital.

In the case of the Kenyan officers, most of whom. do not speak French or Creole and have a poor human-rights record, they will need to have a strong capacity to engage on a certain level with gangs as well, given how entrenched they are and in many cases their political connections, Mines said.

Many foot soldiers and some leaders will be willing to stand down if properly incentivized, but they will fight if threatened, he added. Community engagement will be key.

A lot is riding on the Kenyan visit even as some Haiti experts wonder if a police force known more for containing protests and riots can take on Haitis heavily armed, brutal gangs. But if not them, then who?

The police cant do it, said Jean, the lawyer. The people will die, because who is going to secure them?

The Haitian police, which some accuse of being unmotivated and not responding to the latest rash in violence, has only 3,300 officers on active public-safety duty throughout the country at any one time, according to the U.N. There are even fewer on anti-gang operations; one specialized unit has been running operations nonstop since Jan. 29.

They dont have the means, technology, equipment or guns, Jean said. They dont even have a helicopter.

The U.S. says if Kenya agrees to lead a force into Haiti, it will jump-start the process of improving security by ultimately prompting other countries to send thousands of additional personnel to secure infrastructure sites and allow the embattled Haitian police to increase their focus on battling gangs. However, only the Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda have publicly pledged to contribute police and military officers so far.

The coalition that restored democracy in Haiti in 1994 numbered 21,000 officers; the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti that returned a decade later to quell tensions numbered 13,000 at its peak, Mines noted.

Given the complexity of the mission it is difficult to see how it would be effective with less than 10,000, he said.

Too small a number of international police officers, Mines argues, will increase the risk that the force will be challenged and possibly fail.

There is a lot of work still to do to design and deploy a multinational force that is effective, he said. The Kenyans will need to be insistent on not going at it alone, and clear on what their needs are to succeed. This is much easier when done through the U.N. system, or when led by a country like the U.S. that can provide the core of the force, and logistics, intelligence, operational planning, etc. up front. Absent that, it must be cobbled together, and I cant think of when it has been done quite like this.

A year of asking

Kenyas announcement last month that it has accepted to positively consider leading a force into Haiti came nearly a year after Henry and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to help. Though the Biden administration supported the call for a non-U.N. security mission to Haiti, it has made clear that it doesnt want to be the one leading it.

This, some Haiti experts believe, is the reason Haitis Latin American neighbors with armies and experience battling armed groups on the countrys complicated terrain have declined to take on the leading role.

The U.S. has traditionally been the sheriff leading the posse, Mines said. It now wants to round up the posse and send them on their way, while it monitors things from the saloon.

Jorge Heine, a former Chilean diplomat, said it is extraordinary that in the Americas there is nobody, there is no country, no government that is willing to step up to help.

People talk about something called the Community of the Americas and here you have Haiti, the poorest country in the hemisphere, and nobody is willing to step up? The prime minister has to call on Africa, and Kenya steps in? Heine said. What does that tell us about the condition of the Western Hemisphere that nobody is willing to do anything, starting from the United States, but also Brazil, Chile, Mexico? I think its a disgrace.

Heine, who is currently a research professor at Boston University Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, said the lack of volunteers from the hemisphere reflects very badly on U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. He recalled how in 2004, a call from Secretary of State Colin Powell led to countries sending forces to Haiti, including Chile, which within 72 hours, had 300 men in Port-au-Prince.

Here you have a very serious crisis and nothing is happening, he said. The notion that you can simply forget about Haiti ...is in my mind quite native. Haiti is becoming a failed state and failed states just dont fail by themselves.
Jason Osborne, an adviser for Donald Trumps 2016 campaign, broke down how the former president could suck all the oxygen out of the room if he turns himself in to Georgia authorities just before  or during  the first GOP primary debate next week.

Osborne, in a CNN appearance Friday, said he believes theres a 30% chance that Trump will surrender to authorities around the time of the Fox News event in Milwaukee, after Trump was indicted in a Georgia election interference case earlier this week.

I think Donald Trump is going to turn himself in either right before the debate or during the debate, which will suck all the oxygen out of the room, said Osborne.

And then Fox is stuck having to air the debate, whereas you and other networks are able to say, Wait a minute, Donald Trump has actually just turned himself in. And then theres Tucker Carlson waiting on the steps of the courthouse able to interview him right there.

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Osbornes comments follow reports that the former president will skip Wednesdays debate and instead join Carlson, a former Fox News host, for an interview. Their discussion is expected to air around the same time as the debate, according to CNNs Alayna Treene.

Trump told Newsmaxs Eric Bolling last week that he hadnt signed one of the Republican National Committees requirements for the debate  a pledge to support the GOPs eventual nominee in 2024. He also declared that there were three or four people he wouldnt support for president.

Trump, in a post to his Truth Social platform Thursday, wrote that many people were asking about whether hed participate in debates this election season.

[Ronald] Reagan didnt do it, and neither did others, wrote Trump. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? IM YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

H/T: Mediaite

Related...
The company seeking to bring back the woolly mammoth and other long-gone animals such as the dodo also wants to make sure schoolchildren's interest in science doesn't go extinct.

Colossal Laboratories and Biosciences, which has been conducting radiocarbon dating and genetic sequencing of American mammoths, has shared fossils with 55 school districts in Alaska, the genetic engineering company exclusively told USA TODAY.

The school districts get to name their fossils and can use them to learn about woolly mammoths. Radiocarbon and genetics findings related to the fossils are shared with the districts as they are finalized, the company said.

It's part of the Adopt a Mammoth'' project to do radiocarbon dating of about 1,500 mammoth teeth, tusks and bones that are in the collection at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

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The initiative "has helped us get closer to reaching our goal of classifying the mammoth fossils in our vast collection while also getting kids interested in science and ecology from an early age, said Matthew Wooller, a member of the Colossal Scientific Advisory Board and a mammoth researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Professor Mat Wooller, a member of the Colossal Scientific Advisory Board and director of the Alaska Stable Isotope Facility at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with students in Alaska examining a woolly mammoth specimen named Burnt Raman.

Arizona heat: How does the state's wildlife survive record-breaking summer temps? Trucked-in water

A 'once-in-a-lifetime experience'

Two years ago, the journal Science published a study from Wooller and other researchers detailing how they used isotopes collected from the tusk of a 17,000-year-old mammoth to track its movements in and around the Arctic Circle during its 28-year lifetime.

Wooller's name and his focus of study have led to some funny moments, he said.

Its a totally weird but kinda cool coincidence that my name Wooller matches my study organism, woolly mammoths," he said. "In school I was sometimes mistakenly called 'Mat Woolly.'"

Students involved in the "Adopt a Mammoth" program are getting hands-on experience with the state's prehistoric history.

"Throughout the process, students gain ownership in the program by being able to drill their own samples and even naming their Mammoth tusk; providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the entire classroom," Nicholas Baker, who teaches STEM classes at Randy Smith Middle School in Fairbanks, Alaska, told USA TODAY in an email exchange.

You don't have to be a school or a student to get involved in the program. Others can donate to adopt a mammoth fossil, too.

An iconic species

Researchers aim to identify the youngest woolly mammoth to have inhabited mainland Alaska. Currently, that is held by one dated to about 11,600 years old. But other findings from ancient mammoth DNA found in permafrost cores from northern Canada and Russia suggest mammoths may have been there less than 10,000 years ago, Wooller told USA TODAY.

"We are trying to find a mammoth specimen that is this young, too," he said.

University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers Mat Wooller, left, and Pat Druckenmiller kneel among a collection of mammoth tusks at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

So far, researchers have taken samples from 223 of the 1,500 in the university's collection, with 25 of the 55 adopted mammoth fossils radiocarbon dated. Genetics findings from the fossils will help Colossal in its bid to resurrect the woolly mammoth.

The radiocarbon dating of all these mammoth remains is providing us a fantastic opportunity to characterize the evolution of genetic diversity in North American woolly mammoths, and will ultimately provide a better picture of which genes were unique for this iconic species, said Love Dalen, professor of evolutionary genomics at the Stockholm University in Sweden and also a Colossal Scientific Advisory Board member, in a statement announcing the program.

Dalen, who previously sequenced the first complete genomes of the woolly mammoth and woolly rhinoceros, is conducting DNA analysis of the mammoth specimens.

For Colossal, which has offices in Boston, Dallas and Austin, Texas, the project helps in its immediate goal of bringing back the mammoth, but also helps spread interest in science, says the company's founder and CEO Ben Lamm.

The project is allowing us to contribute to the growth and understanding of mammoth research more broadly," Lamm said in the program announcement. "Not nearly enough research has been completed on American woolly mammoths. This is not only a great benefit for our youth, but for the entire science community.

Genetic engineering: Scientists are trying to bring back the Tasmanian tiger nearly a century after extinction

An illustration of an adult male woolly mammoth navigates a mountain pass in Arctic Alaska, 17,100 years ago. The image is produced from an original, life-size painting by paleo artist James Havens, which is housed at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

Mammoth calves by 2028?

Two years ago, Colossal and George Church, a biologist at Harvard Medical School, announced the project to use gene editing to restore the woolly mammoth to the Arctic tundra."

Colossal's biotech and genetic engineering teams are combining woolly mammoth and elephant DNA to recreate a next-generation mammoth that can survive in the Arctic and help restore that ecosystem, the company said earlier this year.

"Embryos will be implanted into healthy female elephant surrogates," Lamm said at the time.

Accounting for a 22-month gestation period, "we still expect our first mammoth calves by 2028," he told USA TODAY more recently.

"So far, weve established the cell lines, and are already making those edits in the various elephant cell lines, using identified mammoth genes," he said. "In parallel, were advancing the reproductive technology side as well for gestation/surrogacy."

Welcoming back other extinct species

Colossal, a Texas-based bioscience company, and researchers at the University of Melbourne, want to use genetic engineering to bring back the thylacine, the Tasmanian tiger.

Colossal's other de-extinction projects to bring back the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo are on track or ahead of schedule, Lamm said.

Researchers are comparing the genome of the Australian thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) with that of other closely related marsupials "to figure out all the genes that need to be edited," he said.

And they are studying the stem cells of dunarts (similar to mice), the Tasmanian tiger's closest living relative, in an effort to create the many other types of cells and tissues needed to resurrect the creature, which looks more like a wolf than a feline.

The research team working on the return of the dodo is creating reference genomes of the solitaire, an extinct bird related to the dodo, and the Nicobar pigeon, which is the closest living relative to the dodo, Lamm said.

"This will allow for deeper analysis on the dodo genome," he said.

Also being studied: pigeon's primordial germ cells, which develop into sperm and egg, and the genetic modification of chickens that will serve as surrogates for the dodo, he said.

Paleogeneticist Beth Shapiro, at left, and Ben Lamm, co-founder and CEO of Colossal Biosciences, with an image of the dodo, an extinct bird that Colossal has announced it hopes to bring back with its biotech and genetic technology.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska schoolchildren join efforts to bring back woolly mammoths
FILE PHOTO: NEWSMAKER-Taiwan VP in eye of the storm as China drills to protest US visit

TAIPEI (Reuters) - China launched military drills around Taiwan on Saturday, the day after Taiwan Vice President William Lai returned to Taipei after making two stopovers in the United States as part of a trip to Paraguay, angering China which views him as a separatist and a "troublemaker".

Here are the key issues in Taiwan-U.S., China-U.S. and Taiwan-China relations, and why China is so upset about Lai's visit to the United States.

WHY IS CHINA SO ANGRY?

Taiwan is a deeply emotive issue for China's ruling Communist Party, and for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The People's Republic of China has claimed Taiwan as its territory since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.

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China has repeatedly called on U.S. officials not to engage with Taiwanese leaders or allow them into the country under any guise, viewing it as support for Taiwan's desire to be viewed as separate from China.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring democratically governed Taiwan under its control, and in 2005 passed a law giving Beijing the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it secedes or seems about to.

WHY DOES CHINA DISLIKE LAI SO MUCH?

China believes Lai to be a separatist for his previous comments about being a "worker" for Taiwan independence, though Lai says that as the Republic of China they are already an independent country.

While Taiwan and the United States said Lai's U.S. transits were routine and no cause for China to react badly, Beijing said Lai's trips were for him to "rely on the United States to seek independence" and a "disguise" to "seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves".

Lai is the ruling Democratic Party's presidential candidate for the January elections and is leading the polls.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAIWAN AND THE UNITED STATES?

In 1979, the United States severed official relations with the government in Taipei and instead recognised the government in Beijing. A Taiwan-U.S. defence treaty was terminated at the same time.

Post-1979, the U.S. relationship with Taiwan has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the United States come to Taiwan's aid if attacked.

While the United States has long followed a policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, U.S. President Joe Biden has said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan.

The United States continues to be Taiwan's most important international source of weapons, and Taiwan's contested status is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington.

WHAT IS TAIWAN'S POSITION AND DIPLOMATIC STATUS?

Taiwan's government says that as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island it has no right to claim sovereignty over it or speak for or represent it on the world stage, and that only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Taiwan's official name continues to be the Republic of China, though these days the government often stylises it as the Republic of China (Taiwan). Only 13 countries now formally recognise Taiwan, including Paraguay.

Taiwan's government says that as the Republic of China it is a sovereign country and it has a right to state-to-state ties.

WHAT ARE RELATIONS LIKE BETWEEN TAIPEI AND BEIJING?

Very Bad.

China views Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen as a separatist and has rebuffed repeated calls from her for talks. Tsai says she wants peace but that her government will defend Taiwan if it is attacked.

She says the Republic of China and People's Republic of China are "not subordinate" to each other. Beijing says Tsai must accept that both China and Taiwan are part of "one China".

Neither side recognises the other and China cut off a formal dialogue mechanism after Tsai first won office in 2016.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kim Coghill)
When Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought state racketeering and conspiracy charges against Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over their efforts to reverse the former president's defeat in the 2020 election in Georgia, she reached for a legal tool she has relied on before  in prosecuting corrupt school teachers and violent street gangs.

Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, law enabled Willis to charge Trump and his allies for allegedly engaging in an extensive plot to overturn the state's 2020 election results. The historic 41-count indictment accused them of orchestrating a "criminal enterprise" with the intention of helping Trump maintain his hold on power.

Soon after her office opened up the investigation into potential illegal interference in the 2020 election in Georgia, Willis tapped John Floyd, who is viewed as one of the nation's leading authorities on RICO and literally wrote the book on Georgia's racketeering laws. Floyd was appointed as a special assistant district attorney to help with any racketeering cases her office would pursue.

"If I were charged with a RICO violation, the last person I'd want to see helping the prosecutor, maybe on the planet, is John Floyd," Eric Segall, the Kathy & Lawrence Ashe Professor of Law at Georgia State University, told Salon. Floyd, Segall continued, could be considered "kind of the Michael Jordan of RICO."

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Throughout Floyd's legal career, he has specialized in pursuing public corruption and gang crime.

In 2007, Floyd was among the first lawyers to file suit against the pharmaceutical firm Allergan for promoting its widely used injectable drug Botox for unauthorized purposes, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. That eventually resulted in the company admitting guilt and disbursing a settlement of $600 million.

He was a member of the prosecution teams that secured guilty verdicts on RICO charges in two significant cases. One involved former DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, who was found guilty of orchestrating the assassination of his political rival, Derwin Brown. The other case pertained to multiple educators and administrators implicated in a cheating scandal within Atlanta's public schools.

One key advantage RICO gives a prosecutor, Segall explained, is that it allows the inclusion of alleged criminal acts from other jurisdictions. The Georgia case against Trump and his allies, for instance, includes actions carried out in Pennsylvania that Willis alleges were part of the same criminal scheme conducted in Georgia. Trump and his associates, according to the Fulton County indictment, engaged in a coordinated effort aimed at contesting the election outcomes in numerous different states and propagating unfounded allegations of election fraud.

Their actions were included in the indictment as "acts of racketeering activity and overt acts in furtherance of the conspiracy."

"The Pennsylvania part of the indictment is so powerful," Segall said, because it presents evidence that Trump's team was "basically doing the same thing in at least two different places." Without the RICO statute, it wouldn't be possible to admit actions in Pennsylvania as part of the evidence in the Georgia trial, he added.

Essentially, Segall said, the indictment claims that what Trump did in Georgia, "he also did [in] other places. That's powerful, and that's only possible because of RICO."

While RICO found its origin in mob prosecutions, it has been used in all kinds of organizational cases for decades now, Caren Myers Morrison, a former assistant U.S. attorney in New York and associate professor of law at Georgia State University, told Salon. What was "shocking, obviously" about this use of RICO "is that we've never had a former president indicted" under the statute, she added.

The federal RICO Act originated in 1970 as a tool to fight organized crime, granting prosecutors the ability to target people in positions of power within criminal organizations, rather than only focusing on lower-level operatives who committed specific crimes.

But the intent behind the law was never solely confined to organized crime. RICO laws allow prosecutors to charge multiple individuals who commit separate crimes while working towards a shared objective.

"The RICO laws were enacted to prosecute organized crime figures" in circumstances when "often it was hard to prove that they were directly involved in the commission of crimes," former San Francisco prosecutor Lateef Gray told Salon. Under RICO statutes, prosecutors "are able to charge multiple defendants at once and bring in a wide array of evidence."

RICO charges generally come a substantial potential sentence that can be imposed in addition to any punishment for the underlying crimes. In Georgia, a felony conviction under RICO carries a prison term ranging from five to 20 years.

During John Floyd's career he has been on both sides of RICO cases, representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes civil litigation involving the racketeering laws. His experience spans decades, and he has refined the Georgia law through multiple notable cases, according to ABC News.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

In 1996, when Georgia state investigator Richard Hyde was considering how to prosecute fraud at the Medical College of Georgia, he turned to Floyd for guidance after learning about his practices for addressing racketeering fraud, ABC News reported. Hyde ultimately credited Floyd's help for the successful conviction of two faculty members, who were accused by prosecutors of embezzling $10 million in research funds.

"If you're going to indict the president, you're going to want the best possible people on your team. I think John Floyd clearly fits the bill," Morrison said.

She also added that RICO is an appropriate statute for addressing the alleged criminal behavior involved in the extensive efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the election results in Georgia.

"Whether it was trying to get the legislature to come back into session, whether it was to try to get information from the voting machines in Coffee County, whether it was calling Brad Raffensperger, there were all these different things that they were trying to do, all to get to the same result," Morrison said.

No one denies, however, that this particular use of the RICO laws is historic and unprecedented. Willis is "charging the president of the United States with being a racketeer," Segall said. "If he's found guilty, that's different than being guilty of forgery or something," he added. "A former president is being accused of being part of a criminal enterprise. Symbolically, that's very important."

Read more

about Donald J. Trump's issues
After last winters unusual weather, the upcoming winter season should be more conventional with cold temperatures, snow and damp conditions, according to the Farmers' Almanac.

In its 207th edition, out now, the Farmers' Almanac is forecasting "The 'brrr' is back" with "more snow and low temperatures nationwide, wrote editor Pete Geiger in a statement accompanying the extended forecast.

After a weird and warm winter season last year, this winter should make cold weather fans rejoice  especially those in the Great Lakes, Midwest, and northern New England areas," he said.

Blizzards will usher in an early winter in December, according to the Almanac's forecast, with northern New England, the North Central states, and northern and central areas of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas all likely encountering blizzard conditions.

The Farmers' Almanac 2024 forecasts a winter with traditional cool temperatures and snowy weather conditions for the United States.

Hurricane Hilary: Potential flooding risks for Zion, Joshua Tree, Death Valley national parks

Did the Farmers' Almanac get its winter prediction right last year?

Not exactly, although we could cut the outlet some slack because of the wild weather across the nation. Last year, the Almanac predicted a cold snowy winter for the East and dry conditions for the West.

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But California had nine atmospheric rivers. Tornadoes were sighted in Illinois and Iowa in January, while during that month the Northeast had record warm temps. And despite a balmy February forecast for the East, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, recorded the nation's coldest wind chill ever.

The end of La Nina, a weather phenomenon that increases cold and snow in the Northwest and dry conditions in the South, "is one of the reasons we believe winter last year turned out warmer than normal," wrote the Almanac's managing editor Sandi Duncan in a statement.

The Almanac had expected a third La Nina winter, but "by February, it had virtually collapsed. The West turned wet, and the contiguous US ended up with its 17th-warmest winter on record," the Farmers' Almanac said.

The Farmers' Almanac, which originated in 1818, says its longtime fans claim the publication's weather predictions are accurate approximately 80-85% of the time. It uses "a top-secret mathematical and astronomical formula, taking sunspot activity, tidal action, the position of the planet, and many other factors into consideration," the Almanac states.

For winter 2023-2024, the Almanac takes into account the strengthening of El Nino, which should result in more moisture and storms in the southern U.S., its editors said.

El Nino is back, NOAA says: Will it help fuel Earth's hottest year on record?

A graphical explanation of El Nino: It could return in 2023; what that means for the world's weather

Should you trust the Farmers' Almanac? Well ...

Weather forecasters annually prepare for media requests about the accuracy of almanacs, including The Old Farmer's Almanac, which was founded in 1792 and plans to release its winter forecast on August 29.

"They attract attention and get people talking about it. But a lot of times what they do is use general phrases that are true most any year," Russ Schumacher, a professor and climatologist at Colorado State University, told the Coloradoan last year.

"What does 'glacial and snow-filled' for our area mean? Is that we get a few days of really cold weather and some snow? That happens pretty much every winter.''

A University of Illinois study from 2010, cited by Popular Mechanics in an October 2022 story, found The Old Farmer's Almanac only about 52% accurate over the years, "which is essentially random chance," the news site wrote.

That doesn't make The Farmer's Almanac any less interesting. Here's a closer look at its regional winter forecasts.

The Farmers' Almanac forecast for the Northeast and New England

Forecast for Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington D.C.: Those living along the East Coast "who saw a lack of wintry precipitation last winter  should experience quite the opposite, with lots of rain/sleet and snowstorms to contend with," the Almanac forecasts. In January, the second week "will be stormy, snowy, and wet for both the Pacific Coast and the Eastern States," it forecasts. Then, during the second week of February, "an East Coast storm affecting the Northeast and New England states will bring snowfall, cold rain and then frigid temperatures." The first week of March, the Almanac forecasts, "another East Coast storm will bring a wintry mess to this area." Come spring, during the third week of April, a "possible late-season snowfall" is expected "over the high terrain of New England."

Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Midwest

Forecast for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin: January and February should bring lower than average temperatures and lots of "snowstorms, sleet, ice (and) rain" around the Great Lakes and Midwest, the Almanac forecasts.

Southeast

Forecast for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia: Florida and the rest of the Southeast "will see a wetter-than-normal winter, with average winter temperatures overall, but a few frosts may send many shivers to snowbirds trying to avoid the cold and snow back home," the Almanac forecasts. In mid-February, the Southeast will experience "unseasonably cold temperatures," and during the first week of March "another East Coast storm will bring a wintry mess to this area."

North Central

Forecast for Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming: This winter, the Great Plains and Rockies can expect "plenty of cold temperatures and occasional bouts of storminess, bringing widespread rains and snows," the Almanac forecasts. During the first week of March, "potential blizzards  will remind folks in the North Central states that winter isnt over yet," it forecasts.

South Central

Forecast for Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas: During the middle of January, South Central states can expect "lots of cold temperatures and some storms," the Almanac forecasts. Texas can expect "unseasonably cold weather" during January and February, "with a possible major winter storm in mid-January."

Northwest

Forecast for Idaho, Oregon and Washington: "An unusually snowy and wet winter" is forecast for the area, according to the Almanac. Heavy mountain snows are expected the first week of February in the West, including the mountains on the Pacific Coast.

Southwest

Forecast for Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah: An El Nino could lead to "copious amounts of rain and snow across the entire Southwest," the Almanac forecasts. The Pacific Coast can expect a "stormy, snowy, and wet" second week of January followed, in the first week of February, by "heavy mountain snows" that will cover the western U.S., it forecasts.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Farmers' Almanac: Winter with 'more snow and low temperatures'
The first Republican primary debate is set to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 23 August.

The Fox News debate will begin at 9pm ET (8pm local time) at the Fiserv Forum and will be covered across all platforms operated by the news network, including Fox Business Network, Fox News Digital, the Fox Nation streaming service, and Fox News Audio.

The debate will be moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum .

Fox Business Network is set to host the second debate on 27 September at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The Milwaukee debate will last two hours, ending at about 11pm ET (10pm local time).

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Eight candidates have qualified to take part in the debate, with former President Donald Trump not having clarified if hell attend.

Debate format details obtained by Semafor indicate that while the candidates wont give opening statements, theyll each receive 45 seconds to speak at the end of the debate.

When asked a question, theyll get a minute to answer, with 30 seconds for any follow-ups.

Some questions will include sound or video, including pre-taped questions submitted by students via the Young Americas Foundation, Semafor noted.

The candidates who have qualified include Mr Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

It remains unclear if Republican Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has cleared the threshold, according to CBS News.

Former Texas Rep Will Hurd, ex-Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and rightwing radio host Larry Elder have yet to qualify.

Candidates must prove that they have crossed the threshold of the required polling results and the number of individual donors at least 48 hours before the debate.

Those who want to take part in the debate have to sign a number of pledges, such as to support the eventual nominee of the party. Mr Trump has said that he wont sign the pledge, which has also been criticised by Mr Christie and Mr Hutchinson, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

If youre travelling abroad and want to watch the first Republican presidential primary debate then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get the best VPN deals on the market.
Free expression is under siege across the county, from state and federal legislators, law enforcement officials, politicians and activists of all political stripes.

In Florida book bans are back, in the name of protecting students from words and ideas. Rules limit who can demonstrate at the Capitol to those who share the mission of the state. Town councils threaten to banish reporters who ask inconvenient questions at public meetings. The Legislature recently tried (and failed) to rewrite defamation law to make it easier for the rich and powerful to sue critics into oblivion in the Sunshine State.

Now, just when you thought it couldnt get worse, it has.

In Kansas police raided the offices of a weekly newspaper, the Marion County Record, confiscating computers and cellphones. They searched the home of the Records publisher, Eric Meyer, where his 98-year-old mother, Joann Meyer, a former Record publisher, also lived. The next day, Mrs. Meyer died, allegedly from the stress of the raid.

Tim Campbell editorial cartoon

What the Record supposedly did to break the law is a mystery, because the probable cause affidavit justifying the search was not released. There were allegations of hacking and identity theft but no details were given.

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Legal experts called the raids a violation of both the First Amendment and the 1980 Privacy Protection Act, which, in general, prohibits police searches or seizures of journalists work product or documentary materials.

The Marion chief of police chief countered that the Privacy Protection Act didnt apply because the journalists were suspected of having committed crimes and thus were exempt from the protections of the law.

By Wednesday, the top prosecutor in Marion County announced there were no grounds for the search and ordered the return of the confiscated electronics.

A happy ending? Not quite.

A stack of the latest weekly edition of the Marion County Record sits in the back of the newspaper's building, awaiting unbundling, sorting and distribution, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, in Marion, Kan. The newspaper's front page was dedicated to two stories about a raid by local police on its offices and the publisher's home on Aug. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

The Kansas raid was not the first time in decades that law enforcement ignored the provisions of the Privacy Protection Act to search a reporters premises and seize their computers. That dishonor belongs to federal agents who raided a freelance reporters office in Florida in May.

The FBI descended on the Tampa office of Timothy Burke and took computers, cellphones and hard drives. Just like in the Kansas case, the probable cause affidavit is secret.

Unlike in Kansas, there has been little media attention to the Tampa case, and the authorities show no signs of backing off. The repercussions of the FBIs actions could have huge implications for press freedom and your right to know.

The warrant indicates the FBI is investigating violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the federal criminal hacking statute, as well as unlawful interceptions of electronic communications under the wiretap statute.

According to Burkes lawyers, the case arose last year when he downloaded a full live stream of an unedited interview of Kanye West, now known as Ye, by Tucker Carlson. The feed, available in a publicly accessible corner of the internet, contained antisemitic rants by Ye that Fox News didnt include in its broadcast. Burke edited the feed and provided it to different news shows. Fox, according to Burkes lawyers, falsely claimed that the unedited live streams had been hacked, and unlawfully intercepted.

More: Commentary: Opinions such as Kanye West's anti-Semitic comments must never be considered normal

The defense rejected those claims because the files were publicly accessible. Nonetheless, the court has rejected motions to unseal the probable cause affidavit on grounds that it could compromise the Feds investigation. Without the affidavit, the public cannot decide for itself whether the search warrant was justified or evaluate Burkes allegedly illegal conduct.

More worrying for Americans are the FBIs assertions that it can act outside the Privacy Protection Act because agents determined that Burke is not a journalist.

Moreover, the Feds confiscated not just the Fox feeds but all videos downloaded from public sites found on his computer, declaring them contraband because he did not have the authorization to have or use them.

This begs the question: Since when can the government decide who is and who is not a journalist? And under the FBIs interpretation of the law, what rights do journalists have to publicly available electronic data? Is a document downloaded from the public part of a corporate website theft? What about a post from a public officials Facebook page? Or information contained in a YouTube video?

One of Burkes lawyers, Mark Rasch, an expert in cybercrime and privacy, says he sees a new and concerning direction in the Kansas and Tampa cases. Searching and then seizing a journalists electronics for (suspected) hacking is a worrying new trend," Rasch said.

Bobby Block

When you execute a search warrant on a journalist or anybody collecting information to disseminate publicly, and you seize the contents of what they were going to broadcast or report on, that is the essence of prior restraint. It doesnt matter if you try to do it with a court order, like they did in the case of the Pentagon Papers, or you do it by seizing it in person. It is prior restraint.

We all should be worried.

Bobby Block is the Executive Director of the First Amendment Foundation.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FBI, law enforcement raids on Florida, Kansas journalists are illegal
Robert Bruce McPhail is seen in a photo taken in the 1980s. McPhail's body was found in the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County in 1997. He is one of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office cold case murders.

Detectives now have photographs to go with a name in the cold case murder of a man whose body was dumped in the Intracoastal Waterway in 1997.

The Flagler County Sheriffs Office on Thursday announced that they had identified the body found on Sept. 10, 1997 as that of a man named Robert Bruce McPhail. And on Friday someone sent them pictures of McPhail.

McPhail had been bound, shot and stabbed and dumped in the Intracoastal Waterway northeast of what is now the Boston Whaler plant at 100 Sea Ray Drive in Flagler Beach.

Robert Bruce McPhail in a photo taken in the 1980s. McPhail's body was found in the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County in 1997. He is one of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office cold case murders.

At the press conference, the Sheriffs Office released a facial approximation which was created in 1997 by Betty Pat Gatliff of Skullpture Inc.

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The Sheriffs Office announced on Friday that following publicity about the case someone sent photos of McPhail taken in the 1980s in South Florida to Cold Case Detective Sarah Scalia. The caller was also able to provide information confirming that the person in the photos was McPhail.

Here are facial approximations of Robert Bruce McPhail created by Betty Pat Gatliff of Skullpture Inc. in 1997.

Robert Bruce McPhail in a photo taken in the 1980s. McPhail's body was found in the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County in 1997. He is one of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office cold case murders.

Anyone with information about McPhail or his murder is asked to submit a tip through email at TIPS@flaglersheriff.com or directly to Cold Case Detective Sarah Scalia at SScalia@flaglersheriff.com or by calling 386-313-4911. If you would like to remain anonymous, tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida by calling 888-277-TIPS (8477), where you could be eligible for a reward of up to $9,500.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler Sheriff's Office gets photos of cold case murder victim
elizabeth howell floating in an airplane seat. she holds a camera in her right hand. floating beside her left hand is the apollo 13 patch

OTTAWA, CANADA  I was soaring like a superhero.

For about 20 magical seconds at a time, I floated like an astronaut during a special plane flight meant to simulate the weightlessness people feel in space. National Research Council Canada (NRC) had a set of science experiments on board for students, all taking place in a tiny Falcon 20 business jet.

I flew without gravity during eight brief stretches on my Aug. 1 flight. Among my personal items was an Apollo 13 mission patch; the Hollywood hit movie about the mission was partly filmed in a parabolic aircraft. I saw the movie as a teenager in 1996 and wanted to be an astronaut. This flight brought me a small step closer.

But more important to me was the student science taking place just a few feet away. Two university teams supported by Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) Canada and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) were testing their experiments after a year of hard work. Two other student teams would also take flight before the week was over, all for science.

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Related: How I learned to 'walk on the moon' while flying at 30,000 feet on a stomach-churning airplane ride (video)

Many of us have seen parabolic flights for tourists or astronaut training. Larger aircraft like Zero-G's specially modified Boeing 727 or Novespace's Airbus A310 do aerial roller coasters, flying at 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) before falling and rising again.

They do a steep climb that creates double the force of Earth's gravity inside the cabin, before deliberately and safely plunging so that everyone inside floats for less than 30 seconds. These larger aircraft have plenty of room for somersaults, or deploying mobile experiments like rovers.

Our wee Canadian Falcon 20 offered a slightly different flavor of floating. Our plane climbed and dove just like the larger American and European vehicles, but in a narrow business jet you need to keep seatbelts loosely on lest you bash into something nearby. We also did it at a slightly lower altitude, maxing out at about 20,000 feet (6,100 m).

Related: How do you create lunar gravity in a plane? A veteran zero-G pilot explains

Floating feels like a long rollercoaster fall. I was also in the cockpit jump seat for half of the maneuvers and will never forget the wraparound window view of the brief plunge toward the forested ground. (As for airsickness, I followed NRC advice carefully about keeping my head and gaze still. I fortunately came through the experience well, but eight parabolas felt like enough to me for a first go.)

Parabolic flights like this are quickly becoming essential for astronaut training. As more diverse audiences take to space, we need an infrastructure of ground work to help them get ready. Companies like Zero-G are already seeing more demand from companies like Axiom Space to train forthcoming astronauts. And supporting these spaceflyers must be well-tested science experiments, which also go through rounds of weightlessness in Earth simulations before launching to space.

a small business jet is parked on a runway. its passenger door is open and the stairs are extended to the ground. behind is a long building with large, triangle-shaped beams on the top

The National Research Council Canada Falcon 20, a two-engine business jet used for parabolic flights, on the runway nearby National Research Council facilities at the Ottawa International Airport in Canada on Aug. 1, 2023. In the background is a hangar with Transport Canada, a Canadian government department responsible for aviation regulations and policies. (Image credit: Elizabeth Howell)

SEDS Canada, NRC and CSA have a partnership bringing a select few students to the skies under the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge (CAN-RGX). If you're a Canadian university student and want to get involved, by the way, new applications open in September on the CAN-RGX website, linked above.

Canada's only parabolic jet program is for research, and as such, it operates under a special flight certificate. All people on board sign a waiver and are there under specific duties; mine was to share the student's work publicly and gather footage.

Image 1 of 10

parabolic flight

Canada's National Research Council (NRC) flies parabolas simulating spaceflight microgravity, for science. For a week in August 2023 it brought student researchers along for the ride through SEDS Canada and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

Back row, left to right: Benoit Gagnon (CSA), Duff Gowanlock (NRC). Front row, left to right: Zoe Lord (Queen's University), Christian Andrade (Concordia University).

Image 2 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

NRC works closely with students to get their experiments ready for parabolic flights. Pictured here at the back of the group are Zoe Lord (left, in black flight suit) and Christian Andrade (to Zoe's right), team members of Concordia University's CRISiS.

Image 3 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

Teams of roughly 10 students each were involved, often representing multiple institutions. Pictured here in front of the NRC's Falcon 20 aircraft is Ghada Eldib, mission specialist for the University of Calgary's Graviteam.

Image 4 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

Team members for the first NRC parabolic flight of Aug. 1, 2023 walk out to the Falcon 20 aircraft. From left to right:

- Derek (Duff) Gowanlock: Research Flight Test Engineer  National Research Council Canada

- Kassandra Hawes: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team, University of British Columbia

- Tristan Brown: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team; University of British Columbia

- Hakiri Diarra: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Ghada Eldib: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

Image 5 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

The NRC Falcon 20 business jet used for parabolic flights. The students on board on Aug. 1, 2023 were (left to right):

- Ghada Eldib: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Hakiri Diarra: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Tristan Brown: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team, University of British Columbia

- Kassandra Hawes: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team, University of British Columbia

Image 6 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

The student researchers in front of the NRC Falcon 20 parabolic aircraft on Aug. 1, 2023. From left to right:

- Ghada Eldib: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Hakiri Diarra: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Tristan Brown: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team, University of British Columbia

- Kassandra Hawes: Mission Specialist  UBC Rocket Payloads Team, University of British Columbia

Image 7 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

The NRC flight team performs standard cockpit checks before starting the takeoff. Pictured are Perry Comeau (left) and Reagh Sherwood (right).

Image 8 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

The research team adjusts experiments during a brief break from parabolas on Aug. 1, 2023. From left to right:

- Ghada Eldib: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

- Shahrukh Alavi: Flight Test Instrumentation Engineer  National Research Council Canada

- Hakiri Diarra: Mission Specialist  Graviteam, University of Calgary

Image 9 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

Hakiri Diarra, mission specialist with the University of Calgary's Graviteam, examining equipment in between parabolic flights on Aug. 1, 2023.

Image 10 of 10

Aug. 1 parabolic flight

NRC spends a year working with students before their parabolic flights. Overseeing experiments here at left is Derek (Duff) Gowanlock, a research flight test engineer with NRC. Far in background is Ghada Eldib, a mission specialist with the University of Calgary's Graviteam.

Each of the partners has specific roles in the flight. NRC has six airplanes and three helicopters for "all dimensions of research studying the science of flight and controlled flight," NRC's Derek (Duff) Gowanlock, a research flight test engineer, told me before we took off.

Autonomous flight for helicopters, atmospheric research, clean-fuel work and environmental research are other branches of what NRC does in mid-air. One milestone effort happened in 2012, for example, with the world's first biofuelled flight.

"We provide an overall spectrum of capability for Canada's aviation research needs," Gowanlock said, standing beside the Falcon 20 in NRC's hangar, a few hundred feet from the Ottawa International Airport, where conventional commercial flights take off through the day. "We support industry and academia and other government departments."

a map of the region around ottawa. a plane icon is visible below the word

The pathway of the National Research Council parabolic flight for SEDS Canada on Aug. 1, 2023. The flight took place north of Canada's capital, Ottawa and to the west of Montreal, Quebec. (Image credit: FlightAware)

That's where the student work comes in. CAN-RGX challenges students to create experiments for physical and life sciences. Student mission specialists on board also see their vital signs tracked; it's part of a larger research project to assess the human body's physical and mental response in weightlessness.

On site, one student excitedly showed me a 2020 research paper discussing the role of hands, eyes, lower legs and ankles in what is called "somatosensory performance" in microgravity. (The body's somatosensory system uses brain and body neural structures to create the sensations of touch, body position and temperature; the studies show all this can alter a little in weightlessness, depending on the individual and situation.)

I could also see how invested, professionally speaking, the NRC and SEDS on site were in helping the students get off the ground. (CSA also attended on days I was not there.) These professionals teach a lot of skills that will help in all science work. Additionally, all key professional personnel in the flights review the student research  and work directly with the teams for experiment success.

If an experiment breaks, the students learn alongside the scientists how to patch it up on the spot. If a proposal is too complicated to fly in its full form, the students also learn how to focus on the part of the experiment that matters the most  and modify it.

This year's participants are:

CRISiS (Cardiovascular Resuscitation Identification Simulator in Space, from Concordia University and Queen's University): "This project was to engineer a new class of CPR mannequins to be used as a testing platform that can optimize CPR procedures that can be used for human spaceflight," Zoe Lord, mission specialist and team lead for CRISiS, told Space.com.

Graviteam (University of Calgary): The team is examining microgravity conditions with fluids in capillaries, in which liquids and gases can congeal. "The idea is you can have these channels  we have 30 channels or geometries," team lead Anjali Patadia told Space.com. "Because of the geometries, you can use surface properties and other intrinsic fluid properties to separate fluids, because in space, you don't have buoyancy. So your liquid and your gas bases ... don't automatically separate."

UBC Rocket (University of British Columbia): "Our experiment is a mechanical prototype that's designed to facilitate an experiment working with blood clots," team member Kassandra Hawes told Space.com. "More specifically, we're looking at how  when clots form differently in microgravity  you can break them down using what's called 'thrombolytics.' Thrombolytics are are the drugs traditionally used to treat blood clots."

SpiderSat (University of Alberta): "We are developing a dry adhesive net. It mimics the way that geckos climb on walls, and uses Van der Waals forces (molecular attraction) to attract electrons onto the debris. That will allow us to capture space debris as our end goal," team member Connor McNeill told Space.com.

RELATED STORIES:

 Fly, and fly again: Private astronauts take to the skies on Zero-G training flights

 I flew weightlessly on a Zero-G plane and it was nothing like I expected

 How I learned to 'walk on the moon' while flying at 30,000 feet on a stomach-churning airplane ride (video)

Louis Burelle, project manager for CAN-RGX at SEDS, is a former microgravity flyer himself under the same program. It's been running since 2016 and will be entering its seventh iteration with the forthcoming 2023-24 campaign.

"There are no other microgravity research efforts for students in Canada, so to that end, we're very proud of that fact," Burelle told Space.com at NRC. "It's also a unique hands-on experience for students to experience research aspects and to build out an experiment from proposal to final flight."

Burelle noted that SEDS often gets comments from NRC and CSA about the quality of the projects that the students deliver. The program positions both students and the space industry alike for good research practice after graduation. "This is the next generation of highly qualified personnel that is sought after by industry, and by research, towards the broader goals of Canadian industry," he said.

For the students, it was also an opportunity to try out science in a fresh environment. "The whole thing was just surreal, to see objects in front of you float around, for yourself to float around," Zoe Lord, mission specialist and team lead for CRISiS, told Space.com by video after the flight campaign concluded. "It's just such a wonderful experience."
An American Airlines subsidiary plane made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff Saturday morning.

Flight JIA5616, operated by PSA Airlines, was scheduled to take off at 9:27 a.m. on Saturday. Around 10 a.m., first responders heard calls of an emergency landing.

READ MORE: Pilot, passenger killed in Lake Hickory plane crash, officials say

The plane was on its way to Burlington, Vermont when it returned to Charlotte Douglas due to possible mechanical issues, according to American Airlines.

A representative for American Airlines said the plane landed safely, and guests continued to Burlington on a different aircraft.

Channel 9 has asked American Airlines what the mechanical issue was and how many people were on board.

(WATCH: NTSB: Broken mechanism forced emergency nose landing at Charlotte Douglas airport)
A Florida man with ties to the Proud Boys pleaded guilty on Friday to assaulting police during the Capitol riot.

Zachary Johnson, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers at the Capitol, after reaching a plea deal with the U.S. attorneys office for the District of Columbia, court documents show.

Johnson admitted in a statement of offense that he marched with a group to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, where they confronted Capitol Police manning metal barricades, overran the officers and the barricades, and moved toward the Capitol.

The 34-year-old was among the first rioters to enter restricted grounds on the day of the Capitol riot, the U.S. attorneys office for Washington, D.C., noted in a press release.

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He later joined a crowd of other rioters pushing against Capitol Police officers in a passageway that connects the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol to the inside of the building  also known as the Tunnel  in a concerted rocking or heave-ho fashion, according to the statement of offense.

Johnson also passed a canister of pepper spray to other rioters, which was ultimately used on Capitol Police officers.

Johnson is set to be sentenced on Nov. 30, according to court documents.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Show Me the Data!

In a rare moment of clarity  or even, dare we say, self reflection?  a whole bunch of executives have admitted that they may have been wrong about the whole return-to-office push made after the COVID-19 pandemic. Well, sort of.

In a Hanover Research and Envoy survey of over 1,100 senior executives and workplace managers in the United States, a whopping 80 percent answered that they would've "approached their company's return-to-office strategy differently" if they had the right "workplace data" at the time.

"Differently" could mean a lot of things, but it's not quite an admission of wrongdoing. The report, and by extension the execs, seem more annoyed by the lack of solid data on hybrid workplaces than they are concerned about employee satisfaction or the backlash they incurred.

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Without that precious data, 23 percent of managers say they rely on their gut instinct instead. This is bad practice, says the joint report, because for hybrid workplaces, the mix of employees coming and going at different times a week makes it "impossible" for a manager to know how many employees are on site on a given day. The report follows this grave conclusion with a plug for its own AI-driven data service. Staying classy, as always.

Tech Tyrants

Of course, instead of just bemoaning their unsatiated data fetishes and where it's led them, the execs could've just listened to their workers, many of whom were vocal about concerns over being forced to attend in person despite health, safety, and convenience issues. After all, many of these pushes were being made while the pandemic was still in full swing.

The tech industry, despite being uniquely well suited for remote work, has been notoriously bad about this.

Case in point: last April, a group of high-ranking employees at Apple declared their resignation after Apple refused to budge on its stringent policy requiring all employees work in person at least three times a week, a policy it had first attempted in the summer previous, not long before COVID would peak later that winter.

Tesla is another notable culprit, whose CEO Elon Musk harbors a well documented vendetta against remote workers. Ironically, and perhaps proving workers' points that a sweeping return-to-office policy would be both impractical and inconsiderate, Tesla's workplaces reportedly didn't even have enough desks, chairs, or parking spaces for returning employees.

Most recently, Google has considered cracking down on remote work even more than it has already. Whereas it has required three days in-person for the past year, it is now eyeing a full five day requirement, barring exceptional cases.

More on: CEO of OpenAI Trashes Remote Work As a Failed "Experiment"
Two former employees of Strive Asset Management in Dublin, co-founded by Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, have filed suits against the firm, Ramaswamy and co-founder Anson Frericks, alleging among other things that the employees and other staff were pushed to violate federal securities laws.

Both employees were dismissed in March in what the company called a reorganizaton, their suits contend.

Strive Asset has declined comment on the lawsuits, and has filed a request seeking dismissal of the first lawsuit filed in June in Kansas by John Phillips, a former regional sales chief.

Phillips claims in his lawsuit that he left a good-paying job at JPMorgan Chase based on misrepresentations that the anti-"woke" investment firm was well-financed and that Ramaswamy planned to remain with the asset management firm.

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Ramaswamy's campaign has said Ramaswamy left his post as executive chairman earlier this year to pursue his presidential candidacy.

On Aug. 8, Joyce Rosely, who helped lead institutional sales, filed suit in Union County, New Jersey, saying she was fired because she raised concerns about violations of securities law at Strive and about sexual harassment.

The securities law violations, her lawsuit alleges, included sales materials that promised future returns, allowing employees not registered to make securities sales to clients, and Twitter posts by Ramaswamy that she contends were unlawful security sales.

In addition, Rosely alleges in her suit that her dismissal in the reorganization was the result of age discrimination.

jwilhelm@dispatch.com

Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Vivek Ramaswamy, GOP candidate from Columbus area, sued
A former Giuliani mayoral staffer says Fani Willis will be talked about as a future Georgia governor or vice president if she convicts Trump

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. AP Photo/John Bazemore, File

An ex-Giuliani staffer told Politico that Fani Willis will be a "superstar" if she convicts Trump .

Trump and 18 co-defendants  including Giuliani  face charges of violating the state's RICO law.

The ex-staffer said it was "ironic" that Giuliani will be prosecuted by an attorney who could also rise politically.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over the past year has become the face of the investigation into alleged election interference connected to the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

And after a Fulton County grand jury on Monday indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over charges that the group conspired to overturn the presidential results in the state, Willis has reached an apex of prominence as she will lead the criminal prosecution against an ex-president of the United States.

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With the co-defendants faced with charges of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization law, former New York City mayor and former Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani  who is among those charged  now finds himself being prosecuted under the same RICO laws that he once employed in his legal fights against the Mafia as a US Attorney in New York in the 1980s.

"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," Willis said earlier this week during a briefing where she discussed the grand jury's decision.

Giuliani during an appearance on Newsmax earlier this week firmly rejected Willis' use of RICO statutes in the Georgia case.

"This is not meant for election disputes," he said. "This is ridiculous what she's doing."

But if Willis is successful in her prosecution, a former staffer from Giuliani's mayoralty who spoke anonymously told Politico that she would instantly become a name bandied about for higher office in Atlanta and Washington, DC.

"You have to admit, if she is successful and convicts Trump, you're going to be talking Gov. Willis, Vice President Willis  you are talking about someone who is going to be a superstar," the staffer said, while pointing to Giuliani's 1993 and 1997 mayoral victories that were centered on his judicial record and tough-on-crime persona.

"I have to tell you something  that is ironic to me," the staffer added.

Since November 2020, Trump has cast doubt on now-President Joe Biden's 2020 victory in Georgia, despite no evidence of voting irregularities and vote counts affirming the final results. After decades of GOP dominance on the presidential level, Georgia backed Biden by roughly 12,000 votes out of 5 million ballots cast.

Shortly after the 2020 election, Trump pushed Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn Biden's win, but both men refused the then-president's repeated entreaties.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Dmitry Medvedev , Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, began to dream that sooner or later, the West would start begging Russia for negotiations and freezing the war in Ukraine.

Source: Medvedev on Telegram

Quote: "It will take some time. The Western government will change, its elites will get tired and beg for negotiations and freeze the conflict."

Details: Medvedev once again began to reassure himself, posting that the West "will never go beyond what starts harming its interests too much", and the war waged by Russia against Ukraine will become "boring, costly and irrelevant".

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At the same time, he did not specify when the West would start "begging for negotiations", but began to call for the destruction of Ukraine, even if it took decades. "We have no choice: Either we destroy their hostile political regime, or the collective West will eventually tear Russia apart," Medvedev said.

He once again called the Russian aggression against Ukraine an "existential conflict" and demanded that Russia fully control Ukraine.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
A former teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School in Wauwatosa has been criminally charged, accused of having a sexual relationship with a student and purchasing him a gun.

A former teacher at a private school in Wauwatosa has been criminally charged, accused of having a sexual relationship with a then-13-year-old student and purchasing him a firearm.

Tyesha Bolden, 34, an eighth grade teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School, 6717 W. Center St., was charged Friday with second-degree sexual assault of a child age 16 and under and with one count of providing a dangerous weapon to a person under 18, both felonies.

According to a criminal complaint, Bolden became the boy's teacher in October 2022, and soon thereafter began texting with the student. By early 2023, she was sending nude photos and telling the student she loved him unconditionally.

The mother of the student informed police in Brown Deer, where Bolden resides, on July 25 that she believed her son and Bolden were having an inappropriate relationship and the complaint says the mother found explicit photos exchanged between the two after going through her son's phone while he slept.

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According to the complaint, a supervisor at the school confronted Bolden on July 27 about a possible sexual relationship and Bolden admitted the student spent the night at her house. She also allowed the supervisor to go through her phone, where the supervisor found a number of explicit text messages, the complaint states. The supervisor then terminated Bolden's employment at the school.

The student told investigators that just before June, right before school was out for the summer, he and Bolden had sex after she picked him up and drove to a wooded area, the complaint states.

The student said Bolden would repeatedly ask what name he had her saved in his phone as. Prosecutors said the explicit messages came from the same phone number the school had listed for Bolden.

Among the more than 2,200 text messages between Bolden and the student is an exchange where the student asks Bolden to purchase him a gun, the complaint states. On July 28, the student was stopped by West Allis police while driving and found with a gun, according to prosecutors.

The gun's serial number shows it was purchased at a Greenfield gun shop, prosecutors said. Detectives went to shop and were provided the receipt that showed Bolden bought the gun, the complaint states. The gun shop then provided police surveillance footage that shows Bolden purchasing the gun.

The student said the inappropriate relationship came to an end on July 21 at Mayfair Mall when he asked Bolden to buy him another gun and Bolden declined but gave him $1,000, the complaint states. After that meeting, Bolden and the student did not speak to each other, according to prosecutors.

If convicted on both counts, Bolden could be sentenced up to 43 years in prison.

A listed attorney for Bolden has not yet been made available, according to online court records.

Pilgrim Lutheran is part of LUMIN schools, which is a small network of Lutheran schools that serves primarily low-income children on taxpayer-funded vouchers. The group's president and CEO, Shaun Luehring, issued a statement Friday evening.

"Recently, LUMIN leadership received information indicating that a Pilgrim Lutheran School teacher violated our standards of conduct," he said. "We immediately shared the information with local authorities and began an internal investigation. Within 24 hours, members of LUMIN's administrative team met with the teacher and determined there had been a violation of the LUMIN Schools Standards of Conduct leading to immediate termination."

Luehring said the school was notified on Aug. 15 that Bolden was placed under arrest.

"LUMIN takes the physical, emotional and spiritual safety of our students incredibly seriously," he said. "To that end, we conduct background checks on all candidates prior to employment. We share our expectations around standards of conduct with all teachers and employees, and execute regular trainings to ensure our expectations, policies and procedures are understood in practice.

"As a faith based, Christ-centered network, LUMIN Schools is comprised of Christian team members united by our mission. We strive to be a network of schools that is Christian in every sense of the word. Therefore, we expect our staff to represent Jesus Christ and the mission of LUMIN Schools  not only in their work, but in their personal lives as well."

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Teacher at Pilgrim Lutheran School accused of having sex with student
The French Foreign Ministry has condemned the Russian missile strike on the centre of Chernihiv, which killed seven people and injured almost 130. The ministry says that the international law considers deliberate shelling of civilian targets a war crime.

Source: statement of the French Foreign Ministry, reports European Pravda

Quote: "This is another illustration of Russia's cowardice and cynicism. France will continue to support Ukraine as long as necessary and will continue to support Ukrainian and international courts so that these crimes do not go unpunished."

#Ukraine | La France condamne avec la plus grande fermete les frappes russes a Tchernihiv, ayant cible notamment une universite et un theatre, qui ont cause au moins six morts et 37 blesses, dont 11 enfants.



Lien  https://t.co/H7cM2qoNwX pic.twitter.com/pxf8vOzBlG  France Diplomatie (@francediplo) August 19, 2023

The French Foreign Ministry also promised that it would continue to condemn Russia's actions and the continuation of its aggressive war against Ukraine.

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Background:

On the morning of 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv with a ballistic missile.

Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre when a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools was held there as part of the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) demo day, although only the events participants knew the exact location.

The latest reports say 136 people were injured in the strike, and seven lost their lives. In Chernihiv, mourning was declared from 19 to 21 August.

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!
FILE - General Jean-Louis Georgelin who is to oversee reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral, attends an interview in front of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. The decorated French general in charge of big-budget restoration work on fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has died on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Jean-Louis Georgelin was 74. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PARIS (AP)  The decorated French general in charge of the ambitious, big-budget restoration of fire-ravaged Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Jean-Louis Georgelin, has died. He was 74.

President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute Saturday to one of Frances greatest soldiers, greatest servants, who stone by stone, was restoring the wounded beauty of Notre Dame. Before being pulled from retirement to oversee the cathedral reconstruction, Georgelin previously served as chief of Frances military general staff, overseeing operations in Afghanistan, the Balkans and beyond.

Citing the regional prosecutor, local news reports said Georgelin died while hiking in the Pyrenees, likely in an accident. The mountain rescue service in the Ariege region said a body was found Friday near the village of Bordes-Uchentein.

Macron said in a statement that Georgelin died in the mountains, reflecting a life always turned toward the summits. The statement did not provide details.

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Born Aug. 30, 1948, Georgelin attended the prestigious Saint-Cyr military high school before serving in infantry and parachute regiments and in military intelligence. He studied at the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, and went on to become personal military chief to late President Jacques Chirac , and then chief of staff of the French military from 2006-2010.

Soon after the 2019 fire that toppled the spire of Notre Dame and consumed its timber-and-lead roof, Macron named Georgelin to lead the restoration work. Artisans around France are using medieval materials and methods to rebuild the Gothic landmark.

It is a way to be faithful to the (handiwork) of all the people who built all the extraordinary monuments in France," Georgelin said earlier this year in an interview with The Associated Press.

The spire is being hoisted atop the cathedral piece by piece this year, a development that Georgelin called "the symbol that we are winning the battle of Notre Dame.''

Macron lamented that Gen. Georgelin will never see the reopening of Notre Dame with his own eyes, but added that when it reopens on Dec. 8, 2024, he will be present with us.
PROVIDENCE  A tornado with top winds of about 115 miles per hour indeed touched down in Rhode Island on Friday, the National Weather Service has confirmed, the strongest tornado to strike the state since 1986.

The tornado skipped along a discontinuous path through Scituate, Johnston and North Providence on Friday morning.

Where did the Rhode Island tornado hit?

The weather service said the tornado first touched down near Byron Randall Road in Scituate,causing the most severe damage. There were hundreds of large trees either uprooted or snapped at their bases, the NWS said.

Damage was consistent with winds of around 115 mph, which is classified as EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale," the weather service reported.

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The tornado then tracked into Johnston, where it crossed Interstate 295 at Exit 10 and lifted a vehicle into the air before dropping it back onto the highway. The driver was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries, the weather service said.

A vehicle is crushed by a fallen tree at North Hills Condominiums in North Providence after Friday's tornado passed through.

From there, the tornado moved across Bridle Way and Carriage Way, where it snapped or uprooted a number of trees, some of which fell onto homes or vehicles. The tornado bent a metal stop sign pole and the sign was blown away, the weather service said.

Through Johnston, the tornado carried winds of 90 to 100 mph, which is classified as an EF-1 tornado.

More: What was it like inside the RI tornado? Residents share their stories.

Finally, the EF-1 tornado crossed into North Providence. Most of the damage observed was to the north of Mineral Spring Avenue," the weather service said. "One of the harder hit areas included Lydia Avenue, Armand Drive, and Bennett Street, where two homes were made uninhabitable from fallen trees.

In 1986, Rhode Island experienced the only multi-tornado day in its history. Three tornadoes, with wind speeds between 73 and 112 mph each, touched down over a 24-hour period between Aug. 7 and 8 in Cumberland, Burrillville and North Smithfield, the weather service said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI weather: EF-2 tornado confirmed by National Weather Service
Military personnel in Quito, Ecuador, on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Credit - Misha VallejoBloomberg/Getty Images

Just five years ago, Ecuador was an anomaly in a region of chaos. Despite being sandwiched between the cocaine-producing heavyweights Colombia and Peru, Ecuador had somehow managed to avoid the large-scale drug violence that plagues much of the Andes region in Latin America, but that has since shifted.

Ecuador now has the fourth highest homicide rate in Latin Americabehind only Venezuela, Honduras, and Colombia. The violence has been devastating for residents who are about to head into a presidential election on Sunday. And while Ecuador has historically had high voter turnout rates, with over 80% of the population voting in the 2021, the fear of violence could reduce turnout, according to experts. Soldiers have been deployed in the country for the Aug. 20 vote.

Even before the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio who was shot leaving a political rally earlier this month, at least half a dozen local politicians had been assassinated over the last year, according to Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations who visited Ecuador in May.

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In Ecuador, violence right now is very unpredictable. A crime can happen anywhere, says Freeman. In the Western Pacific Coast, which has it the worst, I think it's dangerous just to leave your house regardless of [whether] it's Election Day or not.

Ecuadors Pacific coast, once known for its beaches and nightlife, has become the scene of a turf war between international gangs competing to control its ports for cocaine trafficking. And in Quito, the largest city and capital of the country, residents are afraid to go out at night.

In 2018, the country had a homicide rate of just 5.84 per 100,000 people, among the lowest in Latin America, according to the World Bank. But by 2022, the homicide rate had more than quadrupled in size to 26.1 per 100,000.

To understand how Ecuador has become so violent in such a short period of time, you need to first understand how Ecuador was able to maintain peace in such a turbulent region over the course of the 2010s.

The FARC deal

Ecuador had traditionally been shielded from the cocaine-related violence that is common in Latin America due to a combination of government policy and a status quo agreement with the armed group most active in drug trafficking in the Andes, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC.)

The FARC was a Marxist guerilla formed in 1961 with the aim of overthrowing the Colombian government. Beginning in the 1990s, it grew increasingly involved in the drug trade in Latin America, and by 2016, it controlled 60% of the worlds most productive coca crops according to The Atlantic. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the Ecuadorian government maintained a cautious but stable relationship with the FARC.

They had kind of a hands off policy with the FARC, of [if] you don't make violence or trouble for us, we wont make trouble for you, says Freeman.

The FARC, too, kept things relatively calm in Ecuador. Though it continued to maintain some drug trafficking operations in the northern part of the country, it spent most of its resources focusing on pre-existing drug trade hubs in Colombia.

All that changed in 2016 when the FARC signed a peace accord with the Colombian government, formally demobilizing a 50-year insurgency and creating a gaping power gap in the cocaine trade.

Once they were gone, there was just this vacuum, says Freeman. I think the reason that you've seen the violence explode is because that vacuum started to lure in different organized crime groups, both Ecuadorian and foreign, who wanted to control this very lucrative trade.

Domestic policy

Over the course of the 2010s, at the same time as the FARC was winding down its operations, Ecuadors then president, Rafael Correa , was instituting many policies that appeared, on the surface, to dramatically reduce poverty and crime in the country. He increased spending on social services, pouring money into schools, clinics, and public housing.

Under his administration, GDP increased while inequality decreased. A British think-tank, ODI, claimed that Ecuador had the worlds most inclusive growth between 2006 and 2011. The poorest 40% of Ecuadorians saw their incomes grow eight times more than the national average, according to The Economist.

But these reforms came with a price. Correa borrowed billions of dollars, putting the country in a vulnerable position where it could not pay its debts.

His policies brought a lot of people out of poverty for that time, but not necessarily in a durable, long lasting way, says Freeman.

Correa also increased budgets for police, built mega-prisons that doubled the prison population during his tenure, and kicked out the U.S. military staff that were assisting with anti-narcotic investigations.

Building these mega prisons may have put a ton of people away and reduced the crime rate for a time, but that's also on the inside of these mega prisons where the Ecuadorian gangs that are terrorizing the country today started to form, says Freeman.

The combination of high sovereign debt, a growing gang population, and a surging demand for cocaine across the world left Ecuador in a vulnerable state when the FARC disbanded in 2017 .

All of that combined to get drug trafficking organizations to realizeoh, hey, there's this other country, which we haven't traditionally used, but which actually has sort of all the trappings of a perfect shipping post for our products, says Freeman.

Gangs from Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia are now all fiercely competing for territorial control over Ecuadors ports, which are well connected to markets in Europe and Asia.

Ecuadors democracy hangs in the balance

As Ecuadorians go to the polls this Sunday, the issue of crime will be front of mind. Across Latin America, residents have become increasingly frustrated with democratic institutions which many see as being too weak to solve the violence issue.

In El Salvador, strongman Nayib Bukele was able to dramatically reduce the countrys once extraordinarily high homicide rate by imprisoning over 70,000 people using mass trials. While critics say that Bukele has eroded the countrys rule of law and is destroying its democracy, many in Ecuador and other crime ridden Latin American countries say that they wish they had a Bukele style leader that could take care of the violence.

One major candidate on Ecuadors ballot is Jan Topic, a former soldier in the French foreign legion who claims to have fought in both Syria and Ukraine. Topic has referred to himself as the Ecuadorian Bukele styling himself with a similar haircut and promising to root out gang violence at any cost. According to polling data, he seems to be in a three way tie for second place, giving him a decent chance of making it into Ecuadors run-off election.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Russian forces launched unsuccessful counterattacks against recently liberated Urozhaine in Donetsk Oblast on Aug. 19, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are continuing offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, securing positions and carrying out counter-battery fire, the report said.

Over the past day, Russian forces launched five missile strikes, 44 airstrikes, and 17 attacks by multiple-launch rocket systems against Ukrainian military positions and populated areas, killing and wounding civilians, according to the General Staff.

Some 26 combat engagements took place on Aug. 19, the report added.

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Ukraine's counteroffensive is ongoing in three main directions, with the village of Urozhaine in the southwestern part of Donetsk Oblast confirmed as the latest settlement to be liberated on Aug. 16.

Russian forces attempted unsuccessfully to retake lost ground in the Urozhaine area on Aug. 18, for the second day in a row.

Ukraine's air defense forces struck seven times at Russian troops' concentration, weapons, and military equipment, and once on an anti-aircraft missile complex.

Ukraine's military also hit five artillery pieces, three Russian control points, and three air defense systems.

Read also: This Week in Ukraine Ep. 21  Counteroffensive progress: Expectations vs. reality

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
George Conway, a lawyer and conservative critic of former President Trump, said he agrees with Trumps reported decision to forgo next weeks Republican primary debate Friday.

These are words  difficult for me to say, but I agree with Donald Trump. I think hes doing the right thing by Donald Trump, Conway told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper on Friday. I dont see the upside for him to appear at this debate. All it does is give his opponents a chance to take free shots at him.

With his commanding lead, there really is no reason for him to show up and take the downside risk of running into the Chris Christie truck, he added.

Conway, however, conceded that it would be better for voters to see him on stage.

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I think its better for the voters to see him and to hear him respond to the attacks, but just looking at it from his interests, hes doing the right thing, he said.

His remarks come after a new report on Friday said Trump plans to skip next weeks debate in Milwaukee and sit down for an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson instead.

Asked Trumps most recent indictment in Georgia, the outspoken Trump critic called it a very, very strong case.

I think the evidence is overwhelming against him, Conway continued, but said it is a more complex case than the Justice Department special counsels probe into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Its an interesting contrast to put the cases up against each other, he told CNN. One is rather simple, straightforward, kind of like a bullet. The other one is more like an air raid. And its  going to be more complex. Its going to take longer.

But I think theres a utility to it because you get to see the scope of the damage and the harm that Trump caused, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Jamiel Lynch

(CNN)  A suburban Atlanta school board has voted to terminate the contract of a teacher who read a book about gender identity to gifted fifth-graders  the latest salvo in a nationwide clash over how issues like gender and race are discussed in public school classrooms.

The Cobb County board voted 4-3 Thursday to terminate the contract of Katherine Rinderle, disagreeing with the recommendation of a panel of retired county educators. She was removed from her classroom in March after a parent complained shed read My Shadow is Purple to her class, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which represents her in part.

The district has claimed Rinderle in reading the book violated at least six of its policies and administrative rules, including two based on 2022 Georgia laws that restrict instruction of divisive concepts and provide greater transparency to parents and guardians in what their children are taught, according to a charge letter from the district reviewed by CNN.

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The Georgia laws are part of a broader effort by conservative lawmakers across US states to limit how topics such as sexual orientation, gender identity and race are handled in schools.

Rinderle may appeal, her lawyer Craig Goodmark said Friday in a statement.

I think there were several issues with the investigation, the hearing and the ultimate decision to terminate that give us very strong arguments on appeal, he told CNN, adding a decision will be quick.

I am disappointed in the districts decision to terminate me for reading an inclusive and affirming book  one that is representative of diverse student identities, Rinderle said after Thursdays vote in a statement released by the law center.

The district is sending a harmful message that not all students are worthy of affirmation in being their unapologetic and authentic selves, she said. This decision, based on intentionally vague policies, will result in more teachers self-censoring in fear of not knowing where the invisible line will be drawn. Censorship perpetuates harm and students deserve better.

The district, for its part, is pleased that this difficult issue has concluded; we are very serious about keeping our classrooms focused on teaching, learning, and opportunities for success for students. The Boards decision is reflective of that mission, its spokesperson said.

The week before the board vote, Goodmark had addressed Rinderles future: I think what Katie wants to do is be an educator, he told CNN. I think she, she loves her kids, she loves the classroom. If Cobb County doesnt want her, shes going to be an educator someplace else.

A panel of three retired county educators last week ruled against the superintendents recommendation to terminate Rinderle, whod been told she was being fired on the grounds of insubordination, willful neglect of duties and any other good and sufficient cause, the charge letter states.

The three-person panel concluded Rinderle did not violate board policies on insubordination but did violate the other policies, even as it declined to recommend her termination.

My Shadow is Purple, written by Scott Stuart, describes itself as a heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself. Publisher Larrikin House says the story considers gender beyond binary in a vibrant spectrum of colour.

The-CNN-Wire

 &  2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
DES MOINES, Iowa  Jill Connell is sick of hearing the word woke.

The 66-year-old from Kansas is an undecided Republican voter with a host of concerns about the country, and she knows for sure what doesnt top that list.

To me, wokeness is, Hey, I woke up this morning, Connell said, employing the most literal definition of a word the right uses to describe what it sees as left-wing ideas and political correctness. I call it goofy  its ridiculous. Im a person who believes you should love everybody. Im a person of faith.

Connell isnt alone. After almost two years as a conservative rallying cry, Republicans may finally be over the war on woke.

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Last week at the Iowa State Fair, the Republican presidential candidates who had relentlessly decried wokeness in the weeks and months prior barely mentioned it by name. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has called wokeness a virus more dangerous than COVID, didnt talk about it at all. Vivek Ramaswamy , the tech entrepreneur who wrote a manifesto against wokeness in corporate America, used it only a few times in front of crowds.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis , the emperor of the state where woke goes to die, downplayed his offensive against Disney, his woke foil, mentioning the company only once in a stump speech. As recently as June, he used woke seven times in a mere 26 seconds.

And Donald Trump, who complained that no one could define woke, was more focused on bashing DeSantis with a snarky message in the sky than pointing out that woke doesnt sell, an idea that recent polling bears out: For all the attention heaped on bathrooms and hormone replacements, Republican voters consistently respond better to bread-and-butter issues  tax cuts and lowering crime  than calls to ban abortion, outlaw gender therapy for minors and restrict classroom discussion on race, gender and sexuality.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, shown here at the Iowa State Fair, has been laying off the word

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, shown here at the Iowa State Fair, has been laying off the word "woke," which he once used in a speech seven times in 26 seconds.

DeSantis seemed to use the word in Iowa more than any other candidate competing for the Republican presidential nomination. But it didnt pack the same punch it did even just a few months ago, when DeSantis entered the race as a culture-war crusader who framed wokeness as a mind virus zombifying the country.

So your governor [Kim Reynolds] likes to say that both Iowa and Florida are places where woke goes to die, DeSantis said at a pre-fair campaign stop in Panora, Iowa, on a man-made lake with fake palm trees that resembled a fake Florida shoreline.

Ill tell you, as president, were gonna leave the woke agenda in the dustbin of history where it belongs, DeSantis said in a robotic monotone, a line that hes used plenty of times previously, still generating some whoops and hollers from the crowd.

GOP voters in the nations first caucus state, who flocked there to hear from presidential candidates, were torn on woke. On the one hand, they expressed deep concerns about the infusion of ideology they disagree with into the fabric of public life. But they also acknowledged the word can seem pandering coming from a politician.

Tiffany Welch, a 43-year-old undecided voter from Clive, Iowa, who attended the DeSantis event, said talking about wokeness isnt what will win her vote in the 2024 election. Its one of those things that doesnt seem to go anywhere. Its a non-issue to rile up voters. Nobody can give me a definition of it.

Therein lies a major problem: While the sentiment of woke is generally understood, what is woke to one may not be woke to another. Wokeness is generally in the eye of the beholder.

Anger. Dishonesty. Making America not what it is, not what its supposed to be, said Ashley Long, a 33-year-old electrical apprentice wearing a Trump hat at the fair, after pausing for a moment to consider a definition.

I dont want her to grow up feeling like a victim.Iowa voter Ashley Long on why she doesn't want her daughter exposed to "wokeness"

Long doesnt want wokeness (a term born of the Black social justice movement) to make her young half-Black daughter feel less than her peers in school.

I dont want her to grow up feeling like a victim, Long said. Weve had a half-Black president  we had Barack Obama. She can be president one day.

Celia Criswell, a 70-year-old retiree from Des Moines, said a Republican candidate needs to be staunchly anti-woke to earn her vote.

But what does it mean to be anti-woke?

People say, Whats woke? I know what woke is, and Im sure there are a lot of people out there who can tell you what woke is, but if you say it out loud, you might get in trouble, Criswell told me.

I asked Criswell to hit me with her definition anyway.

Well, Im not gonna say, she said.

Criswell eventually linked wokeness to late-term abortion and gender therapy for transgender minors, procedures she strongly opposes and considers to be a litmus test for candidates.

Richard, an Iowan who didnt want to share his last name after asking a question during longer-than-longshot Perry Johnsons political soapbox appearance, described wokeness as trying to change the face of America  they cant tell who a man or a woman is.

Although when it comes to choosing a presidential nominee, wokeness, as an voting issue, its not number one, he said.

Vivek Ramaswamy, once the

Vivek Ramaswamy, once the "anti-woke" entrepreneur, is branding away from woke.

Polling backs up this idea. Faced with the choice of a Republican focused on defeating radical woke ideology in our schools, media and culture or one focused on restoring law and order in our streets and at our border, only 24% of respondents went with the woke candidate as their top choice, versus 65% for law and order, according to a New York Times/Siena College survey.

Just 26% of Republican primary voters thought it was very important that a president support limiting the rights of transgender people, compared with 78% who said it was important for the candidate to have a plan to cut taxes, according to a CBS/YouGov poll. And only 14% wanted the 2024 nominee to be someone who would punish businesses for supporting LGBTQ rights, compared to 81% who preferred a candidate who would stay away from the issue.

Its not quite falling flat, but its just not top of mind, said Don Levy, the director of the Siena College Research Institute, referring to likely GOP primary voters in Iowa and nationwide and their attitude toward so-called woke ideas.

If youre going to associate the woke issue with Gov. DeSantis, to some extent that explains why, when hes pitted head-to-head against former President Trump, he does as poorly as he does, Levy said. It doesnt seem to be the issue thats going to be a wellspring of support to move people away from Trump toward DeSantis.

Jeff Kaufmann, the chair of the Iowa GOP, said woke is a multi-tentacled issue, with certain aspects that are more resonant for conservative voters.

What I hear resonate in terms of the woke issue  anything that has the element of parents making decisions. Its the general idea that parents should be making decisions for kids that arent of age at all, that almost transcends the specific issue, he said, which might explain why DeSantis has made an effort to include his wife and young children more on the campaign trail.

Kaufmanns remarks underscore the reality that candidates are still discussing anti-woke themes, just not using the buzzword.

Ramaswamy recently rebranded some merchandise to ditch the word completely, The New York Times reported  changing Stop Wokism to Truth, a word that greets you immediately upon loading the candidates website.

Ramaswamys spokesperson didnt respond to a request for comment about his relationship with a word that early on defined his candidacy. But he summed up the shift to the Times: At the time I came to be focused on this issue, no one knew what the word was. Now that they have caught up, the puck has moved. Its in my rearview mirror as well.

Related...
GREENLAND  The Great Bay Stewards announced the launch of its fundraising campaign to open public access along the shores of Great Bay. The Great Bay Glenn Cove Public Access Project represents an incomparable opportunity to connect more people to the estuary, and is an outstanding example of collaboration between federal and state agencies and community partners, the Stewards said in a press release.

When the project is complete, visitors to the property in Greenland, will be able to picnic, bird watch, fish, hunt, kayak, walk their dogs, ice fish, meet friends, snowshoe, cross country ski, and more. Long an important site in the region for winter smelt fishing, the Stewards is excited to be working with New Hampshire Fish and Game (NHFG) to reopen this significant recreational spot. Those of all mobility levels will be able to enjoy the propertys incredible views of Great Bay, which reach all the way to the headwaters of the watershed in the Pawtuckaway Mountain range. The parcel adds to a collection of four NHFG-owned parcels that protect approximately 130 acres of land and 4,000 feet of frontage on Great Bay, as well as the 154-acre Great Bay Farm conserved by the town of Greenland and Southeast Land Trust. Like all N.H. Fish and Game properties, there will be no fee to visit Glenn Cove.

Rendering of Glenn Cove Pavilion

The land at Glenn Cove had been in the Emery family since the 1930s, and had variously been used as a farm raising chickens and dairy cows, as vacation rental properties, and as a site for ice fishing access. The waterfront portion of the land and associated buildings have been held in a life estate since 2000; NHFG took over management of the property in 2018. In 2020, N.H. Fish and Game received a federal grant to restore and repurpose this area for use by the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. That initial funding, which included state match, is dedicated to renovating the propertys historic farmhouse for use as a visiting researcher dormitory and completing site work needed to use the parcel including stormwater improvements, road widening, utility work, and removing derelict structures.

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In the spring of 2022, the Reserve applied for and received $1.5 million in funding through another federal grant. As part of the application, the Great Bay Stewards, as the nonprofit friends group to the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, committed to raising $450,000 in matching funds.

We are thrilled at the opportunity to open another public space, especially one with even greater vistas of the Bay and places to gather, recreate, and explore, says Steve Paquette, vice chair of the Board of Trustees. Weve seen the incredible demand for open spaces over the last several years and feel lucky to have the opportunity to restore this beautiful property along the Bay.

The funds raised will complete plans for the public access portion of the project: building a picnic and education pavilion with restrooms, developing and installing historical exhibits, and supporting the site work to accommodate these uses. The picnic pavilion will be open to the public. Visitors will also be able to participate in Great Bay NERR educational and volunteer training programs, similar to those that currently take place at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Greenland.

The Stewards board is grateful to the businesses and community members who have brought us halfway to our goal of raising $450,000 toward the grant match and additional funds for landscape work, farmhouse furniture, and continued support for the property. Top local donors that kicked off this campaign include the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's Madison Fund, Kennebunk Savings Bank, and Newburyport Bank.

Other generous supporters include the Davis Conservation Foundation, the Fuller Foundation, the K and K Moody Charitable Fund, Appledore Real Estate, Novocure, Aquarion Water Company, Cusa Consulting Corp., Duke Family Chiropractic, MCL Builders and Developers, JGroup, Hunterbid.com, The Law Offices of Justin Caramagno, and Compass Real Estate. Trustees of the Great Bay Stewards have so far individually contributed nearly $40,000 to the project, with an additional $50,000 in support from the organization.

For more information or to support the project, please visit https://greatbaystewards.org/glenn-coveproject/.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Great Bay Stewards announces launch of campaign for Glenn Cove
Trade between the European Union (EU) and China has grown in recent years despite talks of "decoupling" from or "de-risking" economic links with China, a sign that China's market still maintains an allure for European businesses due to its vast potential and size.

A China-Europe freight train departed from Duisburg of Germany arrives at Xi'an International Port in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Bowen)





Eurostat data show the value of European imports from China nearly doubled between 2018 and 2022. During the first half of 2023, China remained the leading supplier of goods to the EU, said an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Throughout this period, imports of products such as phones, computers, and machinery all saw significant increases.



With both Europe and China sharing consensus on tackling climate change, Chinese electric vehicles have rapidly expanded their presence in the European market. Three of the top-selling electric car models in Europe in 2022 were of Chinese origin.

Official statistics show that trade between China and the EU reached 847.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 2.4-percent increase over the previous year. China and the EU are each other's main trading partner, with rapid growth in the trade of lithium batteries, electric vehicles, photovoltaic modules, and other green products.

All these figures prove that a growing list of European enterprises view China as a robust partner.

Ola Kaellenius, chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz, said in a July interview with German weekly Automobilwoche that China, the world's largest automobile market, would be at the core of the company's marketing activities starting from 2025.

"Investing in China is investing in the future," said Jean-Paul Agon, president of L'Oreal France, in a written interview with Xinhua. He emphasized that with an open market, an improving business environment, and promising initiatives to stimulate domestic demand, China presents new opportunities for the world and vice versa.

He also noted that China is a strategic growth driver for L'Oreal, as "China is more than just a large market. It is the laboratory of the most innovative concepts and the testing ground for the latest marketing practices, where the future of beauty is born."

Several European business leaders warned of the "de-risking" narrative.

Belen Garijo, chief executive of Germany's leading science and technology group Merck, said that severing commercial ties with China would come with a substantial economic cost. She hoped tensions between China and some Western countries could be eased through dialogue.

"Globalization has brought well-being to the world, with more innovation and cooperation, but we risk losing it," Garijo warned.

Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, also said in a July interview with The Financial Times that Europe cannot reduce risk by isolating itself. European countries should not speculate on the risks of doing business in China; instead, they should invest more in enhancing competitiveness, Hartung added.

European researchers have clarified the underlying logic behind the Europe-China partnership.

Maria Joao Rodrigues, president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, said that China and Europe are more strategic partners than "systemic rivals." They should collaborate in reestablishing global rules, particularly in areas such as combating climate change, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence. In recent years, China has advanced initiatives on global security and development, where Europe and China can enhance cooperation.

Similarly, The Financial Times cautioned in early August that it would be challenging for Europe to sever or reduce ties with such an important trading partner as China, which accounts for 14 percent of global exports.

Likewise, German weekly magazine Focus noted that the Western economy adheres to its own rules when U.S. President Joe Biden continues to announce restriction after restriction against China. Europe now understands the meaning of "decoupling," and the European economy is "decoupled" from American political directives rather than being "decoupled" from China, as the United States desires, the article concluded.
Political technologists, propagandists and observers have arrived in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine from Russia to organise the "election process" .

Source: National Resistance Center

Quote: "The enemy continues to prepare for an imitation of elections in the temporarily occupied territories, and for this purpose specialists from the Russian Federation are arriving in the region.

After the failure of the referendum, which was ignored by the majority of the local population, the occupiers hope to improve the situation in elections. For this purpose, political technologists, observers, rally organisers and propagandists arrive at the temporarily occupied territories. Control over the electoral process will be carried out by representatives of the Russian Central Committee from the Russian Federation."

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Details: The National Resistance Center states that employees of state-owned enterprises will be forced to "vote" with confirmation by signature on the day determined for the enterprise, and propagandists deployed in advance will film this process.

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Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) said the historic Lahaina Town will rise again while giving an update on the recovery effort in the state after devastating wildfires on Maui left over 100 people dead.

Lahaina will rise again, Green said during an emotional address from Honolulu Friday night. It will be a symbol of our resilience, our values and our sacred bonds of Ohana. When it is rebuilt, it will be a living memorial to the loved ones we have lost.

The wildfires have killed at least 114 people as search efforts continue for those unaccounted for, Maui County officials said Friday night. The Maui Police Department reported 78 percent of the affected area has been searched for casualties with the assistance of cadaver dogs.

The numbers of lives weve lost has climbed to over 100 and we expect it to increase each day as we continue our search, Green said, acknowledging the long road ahead for recovery. This process is agonizing for families waiting for word from their loved ones and heartbreaking for those sifting through the debris.

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Maui County officials said the wildfires burnt through at least 2,168 acres of land in Lahaina and destroyed or damaged thousands of structures, including the historic banyan tree, which is considered a landmark throughout the state. Planted in April 1873, the tree now covers an entire acre on the towns historic Front Street.

Many of Front Streets restaurants, stores and other buildings were likely consumed by the fire as well, the Associated Press reported.

We have lost the native Hawaiian culture that founded it centuries ago, Green said. And the values that will enable us to endure this tragedy and flourish again, like the great banyan tree that survived the fire and still stands among the ruins today.

The governor also highlighted the massive recovery effort ahead to clean up and rebuild the affected areas on Lahaina and other parts of Maui.

We will rebuild Lahaina, it will take years of work and billions of dollars, Green said. But we are committed to this effort and together, we will meet this challenge.

Lahaina belongs to its people, and we are committed to rebuilding and restoring it the way they want it, he continued. The land in Lahaina is reserved for its people as they return and rebuild.

As of Friday night, officials estimated the fire in Lahaina is 90 percent contained, though there is no threat to the public.

Tragically, it took less than a single day for us to lose Lahaina in the deadliest fire our country has seen in more than a century, said Hawaii First Lady Jamie Green.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui next week to meet with first responders and tour damage from the wildfires on the island, the White House announced earlier this week. Green said Hawaii is especially grateful to the president for his support and partnership.

The Pentagon said Friday it has deployed nearly 700 personnel and 140 U.S. Coast Guard responders to help in the islands response. Green said the Hawaii National Guard is also continuing to assist in the search and rescue efforts.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Hawaiian Electric stocks have plummeted more than two-thirds since the Maui wildfires last week that killed at least 114 people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina.

Shares jumped about 14% on Friday after Hawaiian Electric filed a report with the SEC saying the utility is seeking advice from experts and the company "intends to be here [Hawaii] for the long term, through the rebuilding effort and beyond."

But analysts don't think the jump in stock price will last.

"There is a great deal of legal uncertainty at this point," Wells Fargo analyst Jonathan Reeder told CBS News. "The prospects of Hawaiian Electric avoiding liability appear highly unlikely, in our opinion, based on the extent of the devastation, Hawaii's liability standard and the way similar wildfire events have played out in other Western U.S. states," Reeder said.

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On Thursday, Wells Fargo analysts issued a report saying that the state's primary power company is essentially worth zero dollars  pointing to the increasing death toll, property damage, pain and suffering in Maui.

Hawaiian Electric set a stock price of $8 down from about $17.68 the previous week, and analysts wrote that "economic losses are likely well into the billions of dollars, far exceeding the utility's pre-wildfire equity value."

While the cause of the fires has not yet been determined, investigators are looking into whether downed power lines and decisions by Hawaiian Electric played a role, and claims that the utility did not implement precautionary safety measures to reduce wildfire risks have surfaced. A spokesperson for Maui Electric told CBS News in a statement that some steps were taken to mitigate the possibility of fires sparking before hurricane winds arrived.

The investigation could take months or even years to conclude, Wells Fargo analysts wrote in a report dated Aug. 16, and the extent of HE's insurance coverage likely pales in comparison to potential liabilities.

California utility company PG&E filed for bankruptcy in 2019 after it paid out about $25.5 billion for its role in wildfires in 2017 and 2018 caused by downed power lines. PG&E paid about $13.5 billion to wildfire victims following lawsuits and claims the utility's equipment sparked what is now the most destructive wildfire in California history.

Emily Mae Czachor and the Associated Press contributed reporting

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Cost of health care concept, stethoscope and calculator on document Credit - Getty Images

The typical Americans health compares poorly to that of their counterparts in other high-income countries, even though the U.S. spends twice as much as these countries do on medical care. Behind that middling average lies substantial health inequality. A 40-year-old American male can expect to live 15 years less if hes one of the poorest 1% of Americans rather than one of the richest 1%. Black children who live in the richest parts of the United States have higher mortality rates than White children in the poorest parts of the country.

Many have put these observations together with another aspect of U.S. exceptionalism: We are the only high-income country without universal health insurance coverage. And they have concluded that the key to improving health and reducing health inequality in the U.S. is to finally enact universal coverage.

Theyre wrong. While these two facts are correct, they have very little to do with each other. There are good reasons to support universal health coverage, but noticeably improving population health is not one of them.

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Indeed, the evidence suggests that the health disparities among Americans are not driven by differences in access to health insurance or to medical care. Rather, the key to improving health is far more complex: It lies in changing health behaviors and reducing exposure to external sources of poor health.

Perhaps the clearest evidence for how little impact health insurance reform has on health comes from the experience of other countries which have universal health insurance but also experience substantial health inequality. Consider Sweden and Norway, two Nordic countries with universal health insurance as well as a cradle-to-grave generous social safety net. Yet differences in life expectancy between adults in the top 10% and bottom 10% of the national income distribution in those countries are similar to the disparities in the United States.

Read More: Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills: U.S. Health Care Is Causing Patient Burnout

Or consider the enormous differences across the country in remaining life expectancy for elderly Americans, all of whom are covered by the same Medicare health insurance program. Researchers have identified which cities in the U.S. are better or worse for elderly longevity, and also which tend to provide more medical care than others. But, the evidence indicates, the places youd want to move to in order to increase your life expectancy in retirement arent the same as the places to move to if you want to receive more medical care.

Indeed, there is widespread agreement among researchers that medical care, let alone health insurance, is not the onlyor even the most importantdeterminant of health. Rather, the key to better health and smaller health disparities lies in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the cigarettes we do or do not smoke. Which means that the key public policies for improving health must be those that tackle these sources of poor health through pollution regulation, or soda and cigarette taxes. The path to major health improvements doesnt run through health insurance and health care policy.

How can this possibly be?

It is not because health insurance is not important for health. Of course it is. But its effects are too small for health insurance reform to make much of a dent in the large U.S. income-health gradient, or to substantially improve the poor health of average Americans.

Behind this relative unimportance of health insurance coverage for health is a startling, but little-understood reality: No one in America is actually uninsured when it comes to their health care. Rather, the nominally uninsuredthose who lack formal health insurance coveragenonetheless receive a substantial amount of medical care which they dont pay for.

There is a vast web of public policy requirements and dedicated public funding to provide the nominally uninsured with free or heavily discounted medical care. And no, were not just talking about the emergency room. Through a piecemeal slew of policies at the federal, state, and local level, the government has created a large, complex web of publicly-regulated, publicly-funded programs that provide free or low-fee preventive care, care management for chronic health problems, and non-emergency hospital care for the uninsured and under-insured.

This point was made clear by data from Oregon, where the state ran a lottery for health insurance coverage in 2008. The process was similar to a clinical trial for a new drug, in which some patients are randomly assigned the new drug and others are assigned an older drug or a sugar pill. Except in this case, Oregon randomly assigned public health insurance coverage to about 10,000 low-income, uninsured adults but not to the thousands of others who had signed up to win free public health insurance. The results of this lottery made clear that providing formal health insurance coverage to the uninsured provides them with real benefits: better protection against expensive medical bills, greater likelihood of having a medical home, more access to medical care, and ultimately, improved health.

But the experiments results also revealed something striking about the experience of the uninsured: The uninsured receive about four-fifths of the medical care that they would get had they been insured. This medical care includes primary care, preventive care, prescription drugs, emergency room visits, and hospital admissions. And they pay for only about 20 cents out of every dollar of medical care that they receive. In other words, they are not actually uninsured. Rather, theres a lot more commonality in the medical care received and (not) paid for by the insured and the uninsured than those labels might suggest.

And once we realize that everyone in America can access medical care, it becomes much clearer why formalizing this access  while important for other reasons  is unlikely to make an important difference for peoples health, or substantially reduce the large disparities in population health.

The surprisingly limited role for health care policy or health insurance in driving population health is not a new observation. A half century ago, the economist Victor Fuchs  who at age 99 is now widely considered to be the founding father of the economic study of health  made this point in his now-famous Tale of Two States. He described two neighboring states in the Western U.S. that were similar along many of the dimensions believed to be important for health  including medical care, income, schooling, climate, and urbanicity. Yet in one state, the people were among the U.S. healthiest. Their neighbors in the other state were among the least healthy, with annual death rates that were 40% to 50% higher.

You may get an inkling of where Fuchs was going with this comparison when we tell you that the two states were Utah and Nevada. And that the residents of Utah were the ones enjoying much better health.

Fuchs famously attributed the lower-mortality rates of the clean-living, predominantly Mormon residents of Utah to their better health behaviors. Their Nevada neighbors enjoyed what he referred to as more permissive norms. Rates of smoking and drinking were much lower in Utah than in Nevada. And differences in mortality between the two states were particularly pronounced for diseases for which there was a direct link to such behaviors, such as lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.

Fuchss simple tabulations of publicly reported death rates by age and gender for Utah and Nevada appear antiquated by modern data science standards. But his central argument has stood the test of time. A subsequent half-century of confirmatory work has hammered home an important but often overlooked point: when it comes to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities, health insurance policy is not the lever to lean on.

Adapted from Weve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care by Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein, in agreement with Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright  Liran Einav and Amy Finkelstein, 2023.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
From the air, Horry County looks different.

Thousands of acres sit undeveloped with forestland stretching for miles in every direction  a living time capsule that not so long ago was reality for generations of families that grew up here.

I can remember a point from Conway to Aynor on Highway 319 at 9 o clock at night, you wouldnt pass a car. Not one car, county council member Al Allen said.

School classrooms had space to take on new students, and it was possible to call the doctor on Monday and be examined on Tuesday.

Now, Horry County for many is defined by epic traffic jams, seemingly endless construction and a barrage of new subdivisions and businesses flooding the market  there are 60,000 homes permitted for construction beyond whats already being built.

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Allen and other county leaders have started to talk publicly about an unofficial moratorium for future development until zoning laws are reviewed, fee schedules adopted and storm water capacities are evaluated.

We cant stop the growth because it is an economic driver of our county, but theres got to be a better way, Allen said. And in order to do that, were going to have to make some tough decisions because we cannot keep adding cows to the pasture.

Allen, chairman of the councils infrastructure and regulation subcommittee, plans to use those sessions as a tool to create more responsible development guidelines inside a county with more land mass than Rhode Island.

And until that happens, Im going to be very hesitant to vote for any subdivisions coming anew into Horry County, Allen said.

Rising permits numbers

In the 2020 fiscal year, Horry County saw permit revenues jump by 12% year-over-year, to $7.1 million.

And in 2021, the county issued 4,917 permits for single-family homes  up from 3,312 a year earlier.

Allen and other council members, including Dennis DiSabato of the Carolina Forest area, want better communication with local governments and Horry County Schools before considering more large-scale development.

Were putting subdivisions in areas where we dont currently have service, DiSabato said. Smart development is 100% right. We need a coalition between the governments, we need a coalition between this council and the school board.

Higher impact fees, which are levied at the front end of construction to help offset the cost of new services, are almost a certainty.

Since July 2021, fees have been set between $738 and $1,797 for commercial construction, and between $1,031 and $1,236 for residential  a policy thats generated nearly $55 million worth of revenue to help pay for new growth. And that doesnt include additional costs for emergency management, recreation, storm water and transportation.

Taking those into account, impact fees could top $10,000 in some cases but add $200 million in fresh money to the general fund.

Boosting those fees would put the council at odds with powerful voices including the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors, which opposes higher costs for development.

Madison Cooper, who heads governmental affairs at the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors, said putting higher costs on developers looking to invest in the region likely will backfire. Demand to move to Horry County has remained resilient as compared to the rest of the country, but an increase in impact fees will slow the growth of the tax base, she said.

But Allen said the alternative is worse.

I dont mind anybody moving in here and joining us as a part of Horry County, but I do not like to see major developers come in here, stacking up these cookie cutter homes and taking the money out of our county and out of our state and leaving us to have to deal with the roads and infrastructure, he said. Growth should pay for itself.
A design wonder has landed on the real estate market in Phoenix, and its cool inside is just as vibrant as its unique outside.

Listed for $3.49 million, this five-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom home is not just appealing to feast your eyes upon, but it also sits in a spot where a new owner can take in the city lights at night.

An Architectural Dream! This Will Bruder designed masterpiece sits hillside in the heart of (Phoenix), the listing on Redfin describes. A truly unique home that showcases exposed cinderblock and patinated copper with a timeless feel.

Inside the spacious 5,395-square-foot residence, the listing describes a desert/city oasis complete with two primary bedrooms  one on each floor  and an original curved kitchen that almost has a modern diner feel.

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Other features include:

Tile floors

Wood floors

Fireplace

Exposed cinder block walls

Spa-like primary bathrooms

20-foot windows

Views galore

And the backyard is a paradise all its own as well.

A newly updated backyard sits hillside and has a large flat turf and play area as well as a great stone patio and a heated pool and spa! the listing describes. Plus a 770-square-foot detached guest house with private entrance is set up perfect for all guests, in laws, or live in family. Also is used currently as a VRBO!

The listing is held by Benjamin Marsh of The Marsh Partners.

Romantic Greek villa? Ex-gymnasts mansion listed in California was inspired by one
Hungary again cancels three trains because of large flow of passengers

Hungarian transport company canceled three trains to Ukraine due to "a large flow of passengers" and "prolonged border checks," Ukraines railway operator, Ukrzaliznytsia, said on Telegram on Aug. 19.

Hungarian railways canceled the following train routes:

No. 6284 from Debrecen to Mukachevo;

No. 33 from Mukachevo to Budapest;

No. 6285 from Zahony to Chop.

Read also: Uber and Ukrainian Railways launch joint service

This is not the first time the Hungarian carrier has canceled routes in the last month, Ukrzaliznytsia added, apologizing to passengers who are still waiting for their opportunity to enter or leave Ukraine.

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Read also: Ukrzaliznytsia to Europe: Opportunities for Ukrainians to travel to European countries

Ukrzaliznytsia has requested that their Hungarian colleagues set conditions for smooth, unimpeded traffic for Ukrainian travelers.

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 person holds an umbrella in front of the "Forever Marilyn" statuein Palm Springs, California, on August 19, 2023. (David Swanson / AFP via Getty Images)

As gray clouds loomed low over the San Jacinto Mountains, dozens of Palm Spring residents crowded around a pit of sand at City Hall, rushing to fill bags to prep their houses for projected flooding from Hurricane Hilary.

Since yesterday about 8 a.m., the crowds have been just like this all day. Nonstop, said Daniel Martinez, the acting deputy director for the Department of Maintenance and Facilities. He pointed to another truck, arriving to dump sand into the pit, where residents stood shoulder to shoulder  arms glistening with sweat from laboring amid the thick, hot air.

As soon as it gets here, youll see the sand disappear, he said.

Read more: 'Widespread flooding' expected as intense Hilary pounds Southern California

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Since Friday morning, over 22,000 sandbags have been handed out to residents at local fire stations, said Daniel DeSelms, the citys emergency management coordinator. By noon Saturday, another 20,000 were on track to arrive. Each household is allotted 10 bags.

DeSelms said the city is preparing for road closures and potential power outages. As residents rush to stores to stock up on food and water and to the sand pit at City Hall, he said he wants to remind everyone that were all going to be in this bad weather together. Human kindness goes a long way.

Jane Williams, 62, who has been living in a condo in Palm Springs for the past five years, said shes been seeing everybody help everybody, as neighbors rush to beat the rains, projected to hit by Saturday afternoon. Last night, she and three other women stepped in to help an older man shovel for sand.

Read more: These parts of California could get a years rain in a few days thanks to Hurricane Hilary

He stood there like, What am I gonna do? I mean, how do you have an 80-year-old man in this pit? But we three gals jumped into action.

In Palm Springs, neighbors expressed concern for the older demographic of retired residents, who might not be as fit to manually prepare for the weather  as well as the community of unhoused people who reside along a wash that is expected to flood.

Since Friday morning, the Police Department has been flying helicopters over the washes, urging unhoused people to move their tents away from the creek and into safety, said Mike Vasadan, a patrol sergeant for the Palm Springs Police Department.

National Weather Service forecasters warning of lashing winds, intense rain and harrowing conditions along the beaches prompted Los Angeles County officials to advise people on Catalina Island, particularly those with medical conditions or those who might be in need of help during a natural disaster, to evacuate on the Catalina Express. The county noted there could be prolonged utility outages on the island.

Read more: Hilary timeline: When will the storm hit? How bad will it get where I live?

Flood concerns also prompted San Bernardino County sheriffs officials to issue an evacuation warning for the Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and Northeast Yucaipa areas Saturday morning.

The storm has prompted officials to cancel events and issue dire alerts, with the system expected to move across southwestern California on Sunday and Monday. The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning at 8 p.m. Friday for the area from the California-Mexico border to Point Mugu and for Catalina Island.

Around 12:45 p.m. Saturday, the San Bernardino County fire station in Twentynine Palms ran out of sandbags for the second time in as many days. The station gave out about 2,500 bags Friday and 3,000 Saturday, a firefighter said as he taped a sign to the door informing residents that they had no more.

Read more: Hurricane Hilary likely so big it will cover all of Southern California

It wasnt clear if another order of 5,000 bags to be split among stations in the Morongo Basin would arrive before the storm, he added. There was plenty of stuff to fill the bags with, though. Residents passed around a shovel to scoop sand from the fire station parking lot.

More people were pulled over along Amboy Road leading out of town, shoveling sand from the shoulder of the two-lane highway. Rebecca Rasmusson and Martin Reem, both Marines, said theyd been fighting about whether they needed to get sandbags ahead of the storm. In the end, they decided they did.

I figured we might as well put in the work now so were not sorry later, Rasmusson said in the fire station parking lot as she scooped sand into a bag. Were preparing for the worst.

Theyd loaded up on water and groceries, including food that can be grilled if the power goes out, and made sure they had flashlights and filled up their car with gas, she said.

I dont think well be driving anywhere, though, Reem said.

Read more: How to prepare for Hurricane Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit L.A. in 84 years

Rasmusson is from Oklahoma, the so-called buckle of the tornado belt, and Reem is from Minnesota, where snowstorms are common.

Now we get the trifecta, with this hurricane, Rasmusson said.

About a mile away, congregants from the Potters House Christian Fellowship Church were posted at an event center with 1,200 sandbags to dole out to residents.I hope we run out  thats why we got them, said Mark Powell as he sat behind a folding table dispensing bags and advice on how to use them.

In preparation for the storm, Powell did some grading around his property and assembled enough supplies to hunker down for about three days, he said.The 50-year resident said hes not too concerned about himself, as his home is near a ridge.

But hes worried about people in low-lying areas, he said, citing the potentially historic strength of the storm.

Ive seen some pretty bad ones, but if it hits like theyre forecasting, this would be the big one, he said. Who knows  we live in the desert. Anything could happen.

Spencer reported from Palm Springs and Wigglesworth from Twentynine Palms. Hannah Fry in Los Angeles 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.
The Southwest United States and parts of Mexico are preparing for the unprecedented landfall of Hurricane Hilary this weekend, as the storm prepares to batter the West Coast in an almost unheard-of event.

The hurricane, which is currently listed as a Category 2 storm, is expected to make landfall on Saturday night near the Baja California coast. Hilary is expected to still be a hurricane at that time, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), but will likely continue to dissipate as it moves inland.

Hilary will bring "flash, urban and arroyo flooding" to the region, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, adding that residents should expect "dangerous and locally catastrophic impacts." Hurricane-like conditions are expected along most of the Baja California peninsula, and the NHC said that preparations for heavy rainfall and flooding "should be completed as soon as possible."

Southern California is expected to see up to 10 inches of rain in some areas  a storm of such magnitude has not been seen in the state in 84 years. Los Angeles, Anaheim and San Diego are all expected to receive at least four inches of rain throughout the weekend. However, meteorologists are not expecting the kind of outright devastation seen in Atlantic hurricanes, as Hilary is expected to lose its hurricane status by Saturday night and devolve into a tropical storm by Sunday.

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Despite this, massive rainfall is expected into next week, and officials have placed Southern California under a tropical storm watch for the first time ever. Some areas in California and eastern Nevada could see a year's worth of rainfall in just a few days, the Los Angeles Times reported. One report from AccuWeather even said that Death Valley National Park, one of the hottest and driest places on Earth, could receive up to four inches of rain.

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An official of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Saturday strongly condemned the new provocative move by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to further collude with the United States.

The official made the remarks in response to Lai Ching-te's "stopover" through the United States, describing the move as Lai's shameless efforts to cling to U.S. support to seek "Taiwan independence."

Recently, Lai visited the United States in the name of "stopover" en route to attend the inauguration of Paraguay's new president. Lai also propagated "Taiwan independence" rhetoric in an interview with Bloomberg, and met senior U.S. officials on public occasions in Paraguay, the official said.

The DPP authorities have stubbornly adhered to the separatist stance of "Taiwan independence," continuously made provocations by relying on the United States to seek "Taiwan independence," and willingly acted as a pawn for anti-China forces in the United States and in the West to contain China, the official said, adding that they have "betrayed the interests of the Chinese nation."

Lai has stubbornly stuck to the "Taiwan independence" stance, the official said, adding that Lai's latest "stopover" through the U.S. was a disguise he used to sell out the interests of Taiwan in order to seek gains in the local election through dishonest moves.

Lai's deeds have proven that he is an out-and-out troublemaker who will push Taiwan to the dangerous brink of war and bring deep troubles to Taiwan compatriots, the official said.

"We are willing to create ample room for peaceful reunification, but we will not allow any space for 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities in any form," the official said.

The official said resolute measures will be taken to counter "Taiwan independence" separatist forces to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We have a clear message for the U.S. side that it should faithfully adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques and handle Taiwan-related issues with caution," the official said.

No one should underestimate the strong determination, firm resolve, and formidable capabilities of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, the official warned.
GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he plans to be a prosecutor of former President Trump at the upcoming Republican primary debate, even if Trump chooses not to show up.

Im not going to defend Donald Trump  I will be a prosecutor, he said in an interview with MSNBC. I will be telling the truth on Donald Trump, and whether hes there or not, he will be a focal point of issue.

His comments come after it was reported on Friday that Trump planned to miss the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Rumors of him skipping the debate have been circling for weeks.

Hutchinson argued that the debate will be the place for Republicans to present an alternative to the former president, the current GOP frontrunner in the primary race. He criticized his fellow candidates for their apparent deference to Trump.

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Some of the candidates will be defending Donald Trump, he said. Ill certainly be on the side of telling the truth. But thats a defining moment: whos going to be promising pardons.

I dont think thats appropriate for a campaign. Others do, Hutchinson added. So this is a critical time for us.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

While the former governor has yet to qualify for the debate next week in Milwaukee, he voiced optimism that he would meet the criteria ahead of the Aug. 21 deadline.

Were gonna make the debate  were not there yet, he told host Chris Hayes, adding Were getting close.

The Republican National Committee in June said for 2024 candidates to qualify for the first debate, they must garner a minimum of 1 percent in at least three national polls, or at 1 percent in two national polls and one state poll from two of the early primary states.

They are also required to meet a fundraising requirement: having a minimum of 40,000 unique donors and at least 200 unique donors from 20 or more states and territories.

Hutchinson also said Friday that candidates should be clear on what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. He called the riot on the Capitol an attack on our democracy and argued that other candidates should not be scared of saying so.

You cant be intimidated by a teenager who asked you a question as to what happened on January 6, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Commonwealth's Attorney Ronnie Goldy

A federal grand jury indicted a former elected Kentucky prosecutor on fraud and bribery charges after he was impeached for trading favors with a defendant in exchange for nude images of her.

Ronnie Goldy Jr., 51, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts of honest services wire fraud, six counts of using an interstate communication to commit bribery and two counts of federal program bribery, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The indictment alleges that between November 2017 and November 2020, Goldy used his position as commonwealths attorney to solicit and accept sexual favors and sexually explicit images as bribes. In return, Goldy made decisions in criminal cases that benefited this defendant and pressured other officials to do the same, the U.S. attorneys office said, such as seeking the defendants release from incarceration, asking for withdrawal of arrest warrants, requesting a court hearing be postponed and asking another prosecutor to sign an order to release the defendants impounded property.

Messages reveal murky exchanges between Goldy and woman

In 230 pages of messages from 2018 to 2020 obtained last year by The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, Goldy told Misty Helton that if she sent him nude images, he would talk to judges about continuing her cases and setting aside warrants.

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One such exchange occurred on Aug. 23, 2018, when Helton told Goldy a judge in Montgomery County was poised to jail her the next day for six months for failing to pay a fine.

Goldy replied: Im still waiting on those videos remember lol. I can see what I can do. What time is court?

Over the three-year period, Helton was charged with nine misdemeanors and three felonies in Goldy's circuit for offenses such as identity theft, assault, writing bad checks and possession of a controlled substance.

Goldy impeached in historic Kentucky Senate trial

After the first impeachment trial on the floor of the Kentucky Senate in 135 years, Goldy was convicted in March on three articles of impeachment, barring him from holding elected office in the state.

The vote to convict Goldy was unanimous on all three articles, as was the vote to sustain the judgment that Goldy should be barred from holding a future office  with the trial and vote taking less than 30 minutes.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the probe into Goldy before the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. FBI spokesman Tim Beam confirmed Goldy was taken into custody Friday.

Louisville attorney Thomas Clay, who helped expose Goldys relationship with Helton, said that additional people may be under investigation. Another lawyer, Tim Denison, who has represented Goldy, did not respond to an email message Friday.

Under the federal crime known as Honest Services fraud, it is a crime to misuse an individual's position or authority for personal gain or advantage.

Goldy is being held in Woodford County Detention Center, according to jail records. He is scheduled for his initial appearance Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Former Kentucky prosecutor jailed for fraud and bribery charges
(Bloomberg) -- Political leaders in Southeast Asias biggest Muslim-majority nations got a reminder from Malaysia last week that the battle for the hearts and minds of voters is shifting, and religious conservatism is gaining ground.

Most Read from Bloomberg

In provincial elections last weekend in Malaysia, far-right Islamist groups strengthened their hold on three of six states up for grabs. While Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim s multi-cultural coalition retained the three states it controlled previously, it saw Islamists wrest more seats away in Selangor, the wealthiest state still under its rule.

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The results reflect a political reality gripping a region thats seen decades of income growth checked by the pandemic and a global economic slowdown. In neighboring Indonesia, President Joko Widodos government has had to make political concessions to religious conservatives with growing clout in the worlds most populous Muslim nation.

In July, Indonesias Supreme Court effectively ended state recognition of inter-faith marriages amid pressure from conservatives. Last December, the country also passed a sweeping law that among others criminalized people who have sex outside marriage in what was the biggest showing of conservatives power in influencing state policies. Jokowi, as the president is known, in 2019 made a top Islamic cleric his vice president, alarming progressives about the impact on policy.

In my opinion, we complement each other: Nationalist, religious. Our target is all Indonesian citizens, Jokowi had said when announcing his running mate.

Anwar and Jokowi face a growing dilemma: the rise of conservative politics increases pressure on their governments to burnish their religious credentials at the cost of economic policies that spur business and investment.

Prior to the Aug. 12 state elections, Anwars government canceled a music festival because members of British band 1975 shared a same-sex kiss on stage. Malaysia also made owning one of Swatch Groups rainbow watches punishable by up to three years in prison, because of their pride theme.

Gaming and alcohol stocks slumped in Malaysia last November after unexpected electoral gains made by the Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, which champions a theocratic state and is the biggest party in the Perikatan Nasional, a bloc of conservative parties led by former premier Muhyiddin Yassin . In Bali, officials sought to distance themselves from a sweeping sex law that could hurt the islands tourist-reliant economy just as pandemic restrictions eased and international travel picked up.

Fully carrying out religious conservatives agendas poses economic risks for nations seeking to boost foreign direct investment, especially with investors increasingly focused on ESG issues, said Peter Mumford, who oversees the Eurasia Groups coverage of Southeast Asia.

Draconian social policies, such as those announced in Indonesia recently, risk undermining the appeal of countries for FDI, he said. Companies selling into and producing in these countries need to be conscious of the social trends as they affect consumer behavior as well as in some cases regulatory requirements.

In Malaysia, the trend toward conservatism is being driven by young voters like 22-year-old Firdaus Mohd Din, who are sold on the idea of faith-based politics. Firdaus remembers being impressed by a television broadcast of Anwars rival, then-premier Muhyiddin, lifting his hands in prayer for Gods protection at the height of Covid-19.

Muhyiddins the better person to lead the country  he gave us aid during the pandemic and I believe hes more Islamic than others, said Firdaus, a food delivery driver in Selangor state.

Although Muhyiddin lost to Anwar in the national elections, he is counting on Malay voters like Firdaus, who are Muslims by law, to eventually return to power. The widening influence of these conservative groups on young voters can pressure Anwar to adjust policies aimed at winning them over.

This happens even in Europe and America where the far right have been making progress in politics, Anwar said on Thursday in reference to religious conservatives. It is our job to convince them we are sincere.

Such changes in Malaysia will be closely tracked by investors and rating agencies to see if it affects investment inflows into the regions wealthiest emerging economy as it stages a recovery from the pandemic-induced downturn.

With anxiety over economic issues running deep, young voters here seem to have found spiritual solace with the right-wing parties and have bought into their communal rhetoric, said Ibrahim Suffian, director at pollster Merdeka Center which correctly predicted the elections outcome.

Economic turmoil and frustrations built up during coronavirus lockdowns  where gig economy workers like Firdaus in Malaysia were among the hardest hit  have given political Islam fresh momentum with its emphasis on community and shared purpose.

Repeated crises are leaving young people struggling to embrace the ambiguity and complexity of the modern world, said Noor Huda Ismail, a security expert at Singapores S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Conservatism  especially in religion  can provide that stability by saying if you follow religion seriously, your life will be easier, he said.

Part of this has to do with religious education, which starts early in Indonesia and Malaysia. PAS founded and ran Islamic preschools as early as the 1980s in Kedah and Terengganu, where the Islamist party trumped on Saturday. Today it operates 2,497 preschools across Malaysia, with 125,065 students aged four to six years old enrolled as of 2022, according to the party.

Malaysias plethora of state, private and international religious schools increased religious conservatism among Malays, according to Dina Zaman, co-founder of think tank IMAN Research in Malaysia. This phenomenon came about from the distress of parents who feel that our local education system is failing their children, she said, adding that improving national schools could address that.

The issue is not Islam itself, but the misuse of religion as a political tool to paint opponents as enemies of Islam at the expense of policy ideas and nation-building, according to Khalid Samad, communications director of the National Trust Party, an off-shoot of PAS aligned to Anwar.

Still, its a challenge to counter PASs very simple, 15th century messaging that Islam is under siege and elections are a battle for Muslims to fight back, Khalid said.

Leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia have issued warnings against letting religious-focused political parties gain too much power. Indonesias president has regularly railed against identity politics. Malaysias leader, Anwar gave authorities the greenlight to arrest individuals who use religion and race to sow dissent.

I am not against Islamic ideals, Im not against even Islam in politics, he said in an interview in January soon after becoming premier. But I reject this notion of using religion in order to fortify your strength and abuse that position.

--With assistance from Ravil Shirodkar, Kok Leong Chan and Sanjit Das.

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In Rome, a tourist scaled the baroque masterpiece that is the Trevi Fountain to fill up her water bottle just months after a British man carved his and his girlfriends' initials into the Colosseum, an ancient amphitheater that has stood for millenia.

In Venice, a British tourist ignored warnings from onlookers before jumping from five stories high and belly-flopping into one of the city's UNESCO-protected canals.

In Paris, two drunk Americans were found sleeping atop the iconic Eiffel Tower. Just days later, a man climbed to the peak of the tower and jumped off, deploying a parachute.

These incidents have prompted European officials to ask that tourists be held accountable for their bad behavior. Daniela Santanche, Italy's tourism minister, said it's time for governments to crack down.

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"These tourists are also vandals, because they have no respect for our cultural heritage, which belongs not just to Italy, but to the whole world," Santanche said. "We've introduced a bill with a very simple concept: You break it, you pay for it."

In April, the city of Amsterdam issued a stern warning to British tourists: "Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night? Stay away."

The availability of cannabis and recreational sex has made it a party hotspot for foreign visitors. Officials have also put limits on those activities in response to complaints from residents.

Some countries have taken more creative measures. In Spain, locals have taken to posting signs at the beach warning tourists of fake dangers like jellyfish and falling rocks.

Part of the rise in bad behavior is being attributed to a rise in tourism. There are 55% more tourists in Europe from the U.S. alone compared to last summer.

Lucrezia Miseri, a Ph.D. student in Rome, said the massive influx and terrible behavior is making it hard to live in the city.

"I feel immense rage ... It's really unfortunate," she said. "You cannot just come and do whatever you want."

Troublesome tourist behavior overseas garners global attention

Eye Opener: The West Coast is bracing for its first tropical storm in decades

Saturday Sessions: Rhiannon Giddens performs "You Don't Know How Sweet It Is"
J6 supporters gather outside of the D.C. jail for nightly protest in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 15, 2023.

J6 supporters gather outside of the D.C. jail for nightly protest in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 15, 2023.

FREEDOM CORNER  This patch of sidewalk in Southeast Washington, D.C., between the razorwire edifice of the D.C. jail and the rows of headstones in Congressional Cemetery, is a symbol of the Republican Partys possible future.

Every night inside the jail, Donald Trump supporters locked up for attacking the U.S. Capitol sing the national anthem. And every night at Freedom Corner, a small group of activists holding a vigil sings with them.

On several recent evenings, an inmate named Jeffrey Sabol, who pleaded guilty on Friday to attacking police during the riot, led the singing. Calling from inside the jail, Sabols disembodied voice was audible through a smartphone speaker held up to a mic, drowning everyone else out. Except for the line our flag was STILL THERE, which everybody yells because the inmates are still there, and so are their supporters, out on the sidewalk every night.

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Theyve been doing this vigil for a year, livestreaming every moment, united by false beliefs about the 2020 election and what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. And even though theyve got regular antagonists and face complaints from neighbors, it looks like theyre never going away, and the martyrdom of insurrectionists seems to be taking root as prescribed history for elected Republicans.

Well be here as long as we can, the groups leader, Micki Witthoeft, told HuffPost during Tuesday nights vigil. We made a commitment.

Witthoeft is the mother of Ashli Babbitt, the 35-year-old Air Force veteran shot by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to climb through a barricaded door during the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Witthoeft and her Freedom Corner regulars wear T-shirts with Babbitts image that proclaim she was murdered.

Trump has championed Witthoefts cause, collaborating with the prisoners on a song, helping the gang raise money from online donors and even calling in to the vigil itself.

We love Ashli, and it was so horrible what happened to her, Trump said through Witthoefts phone during a vigil in September. We cannot allow this to happen to our country.

Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, is seen outside of the D.C. jail on Aug. 15, 2023.

Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, is seen outside of the D.C. jail on Aug. 15, 2023.

When Republicans took control of the House of Representatives this year, Rep. Majorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) gave Witthoeft a shout-out during the first meeting of the House Oversight Committee, saying Babbitt was murdered and likening her death to the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop by police in Memphis, Tennessee.

I believe that there are many people that came into the Capitol on Jan. 6, whose civil rights and liberties are being violated heavily, Greene said from the dais during her first appearance as a committee member in January.

That week, I asked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) if he agreed that Babbitt had been murdered or if he thought the police officer had done his job. Investigations by the Justice Department and the Capitol Police had cleared the officer of wrongdoing.

I think the police officer did his job, McCarthy said.

It was one of the rare instances in which McCarthy strayed from Trump, and the former president immediately rebuked the speaker in a statement, calling the officer a thug and saying he was not just doing his job when he shot and killed Great Patriot Ashli Babbitt at point blank range.

In an apparent effort to smooth things over, McCarthy received Witthoeft for a meeting in his office a few weeks later at her request. She said afterward that he had been delightful.

Witthoeft said this week that shes met with a fair share of other House Republicans, though she declined to describe the meetings other than to say some members were supportive, some not. One of her Freedom Corner colleagues told HuffPost shes had sit-down meetings with more than two dozen lawmakers and more casual hallway encounters with perhaps another two dozen. A video posted last month shows Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) greeting Witthoeft and remembering she had previously been in his office.

Thank you for what youre doing, Loudermilk said. Were going to keep going until we get the truth.

Loudermilk has been leading a Republican counter-probe into the bipartisan special committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack, recently complaining that it failed to preserve all of its records and didnt investigate the Capitols security failure that day. (A bipartisan Senate report concluded in 2021 that federal intelligence agencies failed to share warnings and that the Capitol Police were unprepared.)

Several Republicans during a recent hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray insinuated that undercover agents or confidential informants bore responsibility for the Capitol riot. Even more Republicans have wrapped themselves around Trump as he faces a criminal trial for trying to overthrow the results of the 2020 election, including by inciting the riot.

A J6 supporter holds an American flag outside of the D.C. jail.

A J6 supporter holds an American flag outside of the D.C. jail.

Greene led a small contingent of lawmakers to the jail in March, where they received a tour and then decried the conditions inside. (Democrats who joined the tour said the J6 inmates, who are housed together, apart from the jails general population, appeared to have a better setup than other inmates.) The visit was part of an investigation into the supposed mistreatment of the J6ers, but the committee has since given no indication that an investigation is still underway.

Witthoeft and her compatriots dont appear to be losing any steam. The vigil celebrated its first anniversary at the beginning of the month, and I told Witthoeft I had heard that she and a few others recently rented a house in Northeast D.C.

We do have a team at the Eagles Nest, Witthoeft said.

Eagles Nest, I said, making sure I heard her correctly.

Which some would say was Hitlers hideout, but were American citizens and we won that war and were taking back the name, she said. That is absolutely not an ode to Hitler.

Previously, theyd been staying at shorter-term Airbnb rentals, but theyve been able to move in thanks to online donations from livestream viewers and other supporters. Various websites affiliated with the cause solicit donations for commissary funds for inmates and also for living expenses for Witthoeft and her team.

Were D.C. residents now, said Tommy Tatum, a 47-year-old Mississippi native who was at the Capitol during the riot and now resides at the Eagles Nest.

Tatum said he managed radio stations in the years leading up to the coronavirus pandemic, at which point he said he quit so he could blog about local Black Lives Matter protests and local crime. A friend asked if he wanted to see Trumps speech on Jan. 6, so he threw in $50 for gas and they arrived in Washington early that morning. He made his way to the Capitol after the speech and arrived on the West Front Plaza, which he said looked like a war zone. He said he yelled at police but didnt assault them. Video from his perspective, memorialized on Twitter by one of his many online haters, suggests he was very much in the fray, yelling at police and encouraging other rioters to take their helmets, though the footage doesnt show him throwing any punches.

The attack on the Capitol, Tatum said, only interrupted the official challenge to the election that was underway in the House and Senate  one he insists could have ended with Trump rightfully winning the election.

I believe it was instigated by some pro-Marxist demonstrators along with some government actors, he said. It was about specifically stopping the process that would allow Donald Trump to attain the presidency, per the Constitution.

A J6 supporter holds an American flag outside the D.C. jail, with Congressional Cemetery, which is adjacent to the jail, in the background.

A J6 supporter holds an American flag outside the D.C. jail, with Congressional Cemetery, which is adjacent to the jail, in the background.

The vigils closest neighbor is Congressional Cemetery, a privately operated historical site that hosts events and where neighbors pay for the privilege of running their dogs on the grounds.

Vigil-goers have often set food and candles on the cemeterys northeast wall, and their music and noise carry onto the grounds, prompting neighbors to complain to the cemetery. One of the J6 regulars admitted in a video in April that he and others had made a habit out of peeing in the cemetery at night, though he said they no longer did so; another video from April shows the activists jawing with a dog walker.

Were on the phone with people constantly, and nothing gets done, and its beyond frustrating for us because we are de facto their background whenever they film, whenever they do anything, and so everybody associates our cemetery with them, Jackie Spainhour, the cemeterys president, said in an interview.

The most serious offense was probably the pirate flag a vigil attendee attached to the cemetery wall with a noose attached to the flag. Spainhour has pleaded with D.C. police for help dealing with the group, but it appears that law enforcement has no desire to shut the protest down.

Were still trying to figure out where their First Amendment rights end and our rights as private property owners begin, and its just becoming extremely frustrating, Spainhour said.

On Aug. 1, the vigil celebrated its first anniversary with a block party that drew counterprotesters  a common-enough occurrence that D.C. police have installed barriers to keep the two groups on opposite sides of the street. A highlight reel posted online by one of the anti-vigil activists shows some of the nasty heckling and physical confrontations that went down before the barricades went up. Officers arrested Witthoeft in May following a scuffle, but no charges resulted.

On recent evenings, there have been a half-dozen police cars parked with their lights on during the evening livestreams, with the officers remaining in their vehicles and driving away after the stream wraps up.

The Metropolitan Police Department respects everyones First Amendment right to demonstrate and peacefully protest, an MPD spokesman said in an email.

On a typical night, its just the J6ers. They unfold a table, fire up a generator, and pipe music and commentary through a loudspeaker. Some nights theres pizza or fried chicken, and if its raining, theyll unfold a party tent. At 9 p.m., they get a D.C. jail inmate on the phone, put him on speaker, and join in singing the national anthem. Then they chat for a few more minutes, essentially turning Freedom Corner into an open-air talk radio program. The vigil wraps up each night with the gang swaying arm-in-arm to Lee Greenwoods God Bless the U.S.A.

J6 supporters sing Proud to be an American outside of the D.C. jail in support of the jailed Capitol rioters.

J6 supporters sing Proud to be an American outside of the D.C. jail in support of the jailed Capitol rioters.

On the day Trump was indicted for his efforts to overturn the election, the group seemed glad that the former president had finally joined the club he started. On another evening, the still-imprisoned Sabol sounded thrilled that Trump had recently shared and praised an interview with a woman espousing a QAnon conspiracy theory claiming Biden is only president of a bankrupt corporation and that the U.S. Space Force, founded under Trump, had evidence of election fraud, and that Trump had only withheld it because the country wasnt ready for the civil war that would ensue.

The big punch is that Trump is saying, Hey, I praised this woman for what shes saying in this interview, which is obviously an endorsement, Sabol said to the group from inside the jail. It adds such a tremendous stamp of, This isnt B.S.

How long can this go on? Well, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia, there are 39 Capitol rioters detained by the city, of whom four are being held post-sentencing, 15 are awaiting trial and 20 have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing.Some of their trial dates are set for next year. So Freedom Corner will have a reason to continue at least until those defendants are tried, sentenced and sent off to a federal prison somewhere else.

Some vigil regulars live out of their vehicles. Steve Jericho, a 60-year-old from Pennsylvania present at the vigil on weeknights, said he sleeps in a van that he parks around the city. He said he makes enough money working on houses two months per year to pay for the van lifestyle the rest. He regrets that he wasnt in the city on Jan. 6 itself, he said.

A J6 supporter who goes by the name Steve Jericho livestreams a nightly protest outside of the D.C. jail.

A J6 supporter who goes by the name Steve Jericho livestreams a nightly protest outside of the D.C. jail.

On weekends, Jericho posts up outside a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where some J6ers are serving time.

Everywhere they put a J6er, theres going to be a vigil, Jericho said.

Another van-dweller and Freedom Corner regular named Taylor Taranto was arrested in June near former President Barack Obamas home in Northwest D.C. Police found guns and ammo in Tarantos van after he made what prosecutors called concerning statements about attacking the government.

Jericho and Tatum said they had noticed Taranto behaving erratically in the weeks before his arrest, and Tatum said he had asked Taranto to leave partly because he had heard Taranto say he didnt even believe Babbitt had died at the Capitol  that her death was a hoax.

He started acting like a weirdo in our group, Jericho said. And that was not cool.

When Id arrived at Freedom Corner on Tuesday evening, Witthoeft had been walking alone along the sidewalk, yelling back at three people whod been taunting her from inside the cemetery. A counterprotester across the street later speculated through a bullhorn that she had scoliosis andneeded to see a chiropractor because she appeared to be leaning to one side. (One of the weird things about the vigil is that the J6ers and their antagonists often seem very familiar with each other; it doesnt diminish the hostility at all.)

Amid all the conspiracy theorizing and the general craziness of the vigil, and the alternate reality for which it stands, Witthoeft made a statement that evening about her dead daughter that was plaintive and self-aware.

Whatever you think she was guilty of that day, she was an American citizen. She was a veteran. She was deployed four times to the Middle East, she said. She was an unarmed American citizen gunned down by her government, and she has a right to justice and the truth.

It was a useful reminder that above all else, this whole thing is sad.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to strengthen trilateral strategic collaboration with the United States and South Korea during the first-ever stand-alone summit between the three nations leaders on Friday at Camp David.

During the historic meeting, Kishida emphasized the need to strengthen the partnership between the three nations, with heavy emphasis on the growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

Under such circumstances to make our trilateral strategic collaboration blossom and bloom is only logical and almost inevitable and is required in this era, he said to the crowd.

The three of us here today declare our determination to pioneer a new era of Japan, US, ROK (Republic of Korea) partnership.

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In addition to the shared North Korean missile warning system the three countries have established since last November, Kishida announced new measures to combat aggression in the region.

These included the full implementation of sanctions, collaboration at the United Nations Security Council where all three nations will be member states in 2024, and the monitoring of North Koreas cyber activities  a believed source of finance for nuclear and missile development and other matters, the prime minister explained.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a joint press conference during the trilateral summit at Camp David on August 18. - Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Kishida also announced yearly recurring summits between the three countries, including meetings between several of the nations highest officials, including the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, and national security advisers, along with the financial, industry, and commerce ministers.

Despite the several new initiatives to deter North Korean aggression, Kishida said, the way is open for dialogue with North Korea.

We will continue to work to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the three countries in order to safeguard a free and open international order based on rule of law, Kishida concluded.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Jewelry worth up to $63,000 was stolen from one of the world's top museums and sold on eBay for as little as $50, report says

Several jewelry items worth up to $63,000 were stolen from the British Museum in London.

Items later appeared on eBay, priced for as little as $50.

A museum curator suspected of being behind the thefts was fired, and police are investigating.

A curator has been fired from the British Museum in London after stolen jewelry was found being sold cheaply on eBay, a report says.

Some of the items were worth up to 50,000, or approximately $63,000, and were listed on eBay for as little as 40, or $50, according to British newspaper The Telegraph.

An antiquities expert reported suspicion that a staff member was stealing from secure vaults at the museum in 2013, and the missing items began turning up on eBay three years later.

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Peter Higgs , 56, who held the position of curator of Mediterranean cultures at the museum for over three decades, was fired after an internal investigation.

Higgs' 21-year-old son Greg maintained that his father is innocent.

"He's not done anything," Greg Higgs said, per The Times of London. "He's not happy about it at all. He's lost his job and his reputation and I don't think it was fair."

"He's devastated about it, because it's his life's work, basically. I've never known somebody who's so passionate about what he did."

The museum said on Wednesday that several items of jewelry made of gold, semi-precious stones, and glass, dating from between 1,500 BC and the 19th century AD, were among those missing, The Telegraph reported. Other items had been damaged.

One piece of ancient Roman jewelry made from onyx  that a dealer said was valued between 25,000 and 50,000, or $32,000 and $63,000  was listed on eBay with a minimum price of 40, or around $50, in 2016. Nobody made a bid for the treasure, however, The Telegraph reported.

The police are now investigating the thefts.

The museum has not properly cataloged all eight million items in its collection, which makes it easier for thefts to go undetected, sources told The Telegraph.

"Major things do get cataloged. There are a lot of minor things which are not, or which are all lumped together," Professor Martin Henig, a Roman art expert at the University of Oxford, told the paper.

An independent review is underway to establish what is missing, attempting to recover the missing items and preventing future thefts.

A spokesman for the British Museum told the paper: "We have conducted a thorough investigation, identified the person we believe to be responsible, and that person has been dismissed. We are also taking further robust action to ensure this can never happen again."

"The whole question of thefts at the museum is now subject to a criminal investigation, so we cannot comment further."

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Joe Biden's stances on LGBTQ issues have evolved over the course of his political career, leading him to become the most LGBTQ-friendly president in American history.

WASHINGTON  Joe Biden wasnt prepared to answer a question about gay rights when he walked into a meeting of the North Star Civic Association that Monday evening in Delaware.

The states junior U.S. senator, Biden was just a few months into the job. Hed been invited to speak to a small group of constituents and listen to whatever was on their mind. But Biden was startled when Robert Vane, a gay rights activist, demanded to know where he stood on employment and military regulations that were discriminatory against gay Americans.

My gut reaction is that they (homosexuals) are security risks, Biden responded, according to an account published in The Morning News, a Delaware newspaper.

Five decades pass. On the White House South Lawn, hundreds of gay men and women gather with their family and friends on a sweltering June afternoon. Some proudly wave rainbow flags. Others hoist small children on their shoulders to get a better view. All are there for a celebration, reportedly the largest gay Pride event ever held at the White House.

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Their host: Joe Biden, president of the United States.

Youre some of the bravest and most inspiring people Ive ever known, Biden says, his speech interrupted repeatedly by raucous cheers and thundering applause. You set an example for the nation and, quite frankly, for the world.

Taken together, those two events  in 1973 and 2023, two generations apart  can be seen as bookends to Bidens remarkable evolution on LGBTQ rights. Over the course of his career, Bidens views on gays and lesbians have advanced along with the forward march of the gay rights movement.

In politics, leaders who are decisive and unwavering are frequently lauded as strong and effective while those who change their minds are branded as flip floppers, a reproach that can derail and possibly even end a career. That can be especially true amid the partisanship of the current political climate, the most polarizing period of American history since the Civil War.

But with the passage of time often comes a deeper understanding of those issues and of the leaders whose positions on them shifted.

So it is that Biden, who once suggested gay men and women might jeopardize national security and who as a senator took positions that often mystified and infuriated LGBTQ advocates, is now regarded as the most LGBTQ-friendly president in U.S. history

How he got there during his 50-year career can be traced in part to overall shifts in public opinion that have led to greater acceptance of gays and lesbians. But thats not the complete story.

If Bidens interest in LGBTQ issues seems deeply personal, its because his views have been molded in part by his personal interactions with LGBTQ Americans. They have counseled him on policy, connected him to personal stories and now become a part of his public image. In part because of their influence, Biden has not only changed with the times, but also shown a willingness to get ahead of others in his party on issues like same-sex marriage.

Ive literally seen the tears in his eyes as we talk about violence against transgender people, said Sarah McBride , a longtime friend of Biden and his family and someone whose advice Biden has sought on LGBTQ issues, particularly transgender rights.

President Joe Biden speaks at a Pride Month celebration on the White House South Lawn in June.

'Dignity and respect': How Joe Biden became the most LGBTQ-friendly president in U.S. history

'You know, senator. I'm gay.'

McBride, a transgender state senator from Delaware, was just 10 or 11 when she first met Biden in a pizza parlor in Delaware, where she grew up.

Her parents were sitting at a table next to him and the future first lady, Jill Biden . They interrupted the Bidens dinner and told them how much their child looked up to him. Biden ripped a page out of his briefing book and signed it. McBride would cherish that inscription for years.

Her relationship with the Biden family deepened when she worked for their oldest son, Beau Biden , on his attorney general campaigns and after she came out as transgender while the student body president at the University of Delaware. Beau Bidens death in 2015 brought her even closer to the Biden family.

In his memoir Promise Me, Dad, published just two years after his son's death, Joe Biden wrote that it took a long time for many Americans to understand what he called the simple and obvious truth about gay men and women: That they are overwhelmingly good, decent, honorable people who want and deserve the same rights as anyone else.

Biden concedes he didnt fully grasp the difficulty they face until one night in the 1990s. He was a senator at the time and was on a train back to Wilmington, Delaware, after a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gays in the military. One of the men servicing the snack bar on the Amtrak train, whom he had known for years, had been watching the proceedings and was demoralized by the talk hed heard from the anti-gay crowd.

You know, senator, he said. Im gay.

No, I didnt know that, Biden responded.

The man, who Biden did not identify by name, said that not only was he gay, but that one of his two sons was also. You know what gets me about these guys? the man said of the anti-gay rhetoric. They think this is a behavior. They think we woke up one morning and said, Wouldnt it be great to be gay?  This will make life easier.  I think Ill be gay.

A decade later, when he was vice president, Biden made a stunning declaration in a television interview when he announced his support for same-sex marriage. Bidens revelation created a stir in political circles because he had gotten ahead of his boss, President Barack Obama, who followed days later with his own public endorsement of same-sex nuptials.

But Biden had foreshadowed the announcement just a few weeks earlier during a reception at the home of Michael Lombardo, an HBO executive, and Sonny Ward, an architect, in Los Angeles. Pressed on why the Obama administration had not come out in favor of same-sex marriage, Biden pointed to the couples two children and said no one could question whether they were cared for, loved and nurtured.

Things are changing so rapidly, its going to become a political liability in the near term for someone to say, I oppose gay marriage, he predicted. Mark my words. And my job  our job  is to keep this momentum rolling to the inevitable.

Bidens endorsement of same-sex unions is now regarded as a watershed moment in the push for marriage equality. Last December, before a celebratory crowd of thousands bundled up for a chilly ceremony on the White House South Lawn, Biden went even further and signed legislation that codified protections for same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law.

It was another sign of the extraordinary progress made in the long fight for equality  and of how far Biden himself had come on the issue. As a senator, he had supported the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

'Extreme' and 'hateful' bills: Biden moves to protect LGBTQ Americans amid onslaught of attacks

Who advises Biden on LGBTQ issues?

McBride was speaking last fall at an event on the health worker shortage in Delaware when she suddenly noticed shed missed two calls from a familiar number. A few minutes later, she got a text message from the White House.

The president is trying to reach you, it said.

McBride quickly returned the call. The president wanted to pick her brain about the fight over transgender rights, Beau Bidens work on the issue and the steps his own administration was taking to provide protections for a vulnerable community under attack.

McBride reminded Biden that members of the trans community take great comfort in seeing the leader of the free world fight to protect their rights. It's important, she said, "for people who are feeling isolated and scared right now to see and know their president loves them and has their back."

Since he walked into the Oval Office as president on Jan. 20, 2021, Bidens administration has taken a number of actions that support the gay community, including signing executive orders to advance LGBTQ equality and protect transgender Americans from the recent onslaught of legislative attacks in Republican-led states.

This is a core conviction for Joe Biden  a core conviction of his spanning decades  that the promise of America is to respect the human dignity of every single American, and that includes every single LGBTQ+ American, said Neera Tanden, the White Houses chief domestic policy adviser.

At the White House, a team of advisers, gay and straight, works behind the scenes to take Bidens vision of equality and mold it into policies that will directly impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ Americans.

As president, Biden has surrounded himself with LGBTQ people. Some 14% of the roughly 1,500 people he has appointed to various positions in his administration identify as LGBTQ individuals. But a smaller group of aides has a direct role in crafting policies and the legislation on LGBTQ issues.

Issues of equity  whether they involve LGBTQ rights or other matters like racial justice and disability policy  flow through the Domestic Policy Council, which is staffed by individuals with expertise in a broad range of areas. Across the federal government are individuals whose portfolio also includes LGBTQ issues.

Those who play a significant role in crafting policies on LGBTQ issues include key advisers like Tanden, who leads the Domestic Policy Council, and Steve Ricchetti, who has been a top Biden aide for more than a decade and currently serves as counselor to the president. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet secretary confirmed by the Senate, is seen as an important voice on LGBTQ issues.

Others who may not be as well known to the public but who are regarded as trusted advisers on LGBTQ matters include Gautam Raghavan, director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel; White House counsel Stuart Delery; and Emmy Ruiz, director of the White House Office of Political Strategy and Outreach.

White House communications director Ben LaBolt helps find compelling narratives to inform the public what the administration is doing to advance the LGBTQ cause. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre often speaks out from the briefing room podium about the administrations efforts to promote equality and protect LGBTQ Americans under attack.

'Close to sinful': President Biden leads charge to protect LGBTQ rights as GOP legislates culture wars ahead of 2024

Biden and his administration also seek advice from Americans who have no formal role in the administration but whose counsel is considered invaluable, such as Tim Gill, a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist who was among the first openly gay people to be included on the Forbes 400 list of America's richest people. The Gill Foundation, Gills Denver-based non-profit, partnered with the White House to put on the Pride event in June. His husband, Scott Miller, is the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein.

And then theres McBride, who has no direct role in shaping administration policy but who Biden often turns to for advice.

Biden has described transgender discrimination as the civil rights issue of our time.

To that end, McBride, now a candidate for Delawares lone seat in the U.S. House, said he is well versed on trans rights and, during her conversations with him, often asks detailed questions.

At times, she said, their conversations will involve in-depth discussions that cover the ins and outs of non-discrimination protections. Other times, Biden will just share his passion for the issue, she said.

Biden will sometimes stun McBride by reciting from memory the most up-to-date statistics on trans violence  information that Im not even as versed on, she said. There have been times when he didnt know that they were going to interact, she said, yet he had that information top of mind.

White House aides recount similar stories in which Biden has demonstrated how deeply he is invested in LGBTQ issues. He listens closely, they say, and almost always asks follow-up questions. Sometimes, his queries are so detailed that his staff is caught off guard and not immediately prepared to answer.

Raghavan, who served as White House liaison to the LGBTQ community under Obama and later worked as a consultant to the Biden Foundation, recalled Biden meeting last year in the White House Roosevelt Room with the Congressional Equality Caucus, a group of lawmakers who pledge to advance LGBTQ rights. During the meeting, Biden highlighted the 14% of his administration that identifies as LGBTQ.

But the thing he focused on was not the number, Raghavan said. Biden emphasized instead that these are people who feel comfortable in coming out and that the White House is an environment in which they knew they would be protected.

It never occurred to me before that that would be something to celebrate, too, Raghavan said. But I think its a really important point.

'An out gay woman': Karine Jean-Pierre hopes to empower LGBTQ youth as White House press secretary

'Freeing the soul of America'

When McBride was completing her first book chronicling her journey as a transgender woman, her editors had an idea. What do you think about asking Vice President Biden to write the forward? they asked.

McBride approached Biden with the idea, and he agreed. Her story was powerful, he wrote in the books forward, because its not just a singular issue of identity, its about freeing the soul of America from the constraints of bigotry, hate, and fear, and opening peoples hearts and minds to what binds us all together.

Bidens words meant a lot, McBride said, not only to her, but to other transgender individuals because it signaled growing support within the Democratic Party for trans people and their rights.

It was also a reminder of how Bidens evolution on issues of equality had been heavily influenced by many of the people in his orbit.

The presidents legacy on these issues is the byproduct of a lot of amazing work by a lot of people, McBride said. And I'm honored to be part of that journey.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, @mcollinsNEWS.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden's evolution on LGBTQ issues. The good, bad and sometimes ugly
Rudy and Detective Sgt. Alissa Schuerer pose for a photo in front of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office is trotting out the comforts of a four-legged friend.

Rudy, a one-year-old mixed breed crisis canine, joined the sheriffs office thanks to Detective Sgt. Alissa Schurer on May 1. Rudy is training to become a certified therapy dog.

He has already impacted the office and the community, roaming freely around the sheriffs office and visiting with his friends, from officers to records staff and anyone else that will give him a pet.

Part of Rudys development also involves on-the-job training. He's been a comforting presence when victims are anxious when they come in to make statements, Schurer said.

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He sat in on a couple of interviews with people coming in to tell some really intimate and personal details, she said. He's been a comfort in those situations, which has been really cool to see.

More: Wednesday's Taste of Iowa City will introduce students to area's diverse food offerings

More than just a pet

Schurer was inspired by Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation's use of a golden retriever named Matt, who is deployed during crises as well as for therapy.

Sometimes we deal with some pretty tough stuff here in law enforcement, Schurer said. To come back to the office, just kind of get your mind off of whatever traumatic or horrible thing you just saw, to come play with a dog or pet a dog, it kind of distracts you from reliving that incident in your head there for some time.

She found Rudy after a couple of visits to Forever Home Dog Rescue and a dog foster home. She was immediately struck by his temperament each time she visited. He is expected to complete his training by the end of the year and plans are in the works for his certification tests.

Sheriff Brad Kunkel greenlit Schurers, appreciating her willingness to demonstrate the need for a dog. From day one, Rudy has been a great morale booster around the office, Kunkel said.

Your staff are your number one asset, right? Kunkel said. Any leader should invest in their people first, and this is another way to do that. There's all the on-the-job training that everybody needs, but we also need to be investing in staff wellness.

A good boy gets acclimated

As part of his training, Rudy has been exposed to additional stimuli, including helicopters and ambulances, building familiarity with first responders who may need a calming and relaxing presence. Schurer wants Rudy to step in and help heal her coworkers as often as possible.

Rudy has made several public appearances, including a walk through the pig barn at the county fair, tending the sheriffs booth at North Libertys Blues & BBQ, and participating in the communitys National Nights Out event. Schurer hopes to get the K-9 more comfortable around people and different situations from.

Kunkel said Rudys value is connecting with the community.

Naturally, theres a calming thing about dogs and its a way to build that positive connection, too, with young kids and law enforcement by having that dog present, Kunkel said.

When Rudy goes home with Schurer at night, she says he sheds his calm demeanor and switches into play mode. Otherwise, hes like any other dog.

At work, Rudy dons a vest that identifies him as a therapy dog in training, which even includes a little badge on top to encourage petting.

He really is there for people to interact with him and [for him] to be the social one and just provide that comfort, Schurer said.

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Meet Rudy, the new Johnson County Sheriff's Office crisis canine
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent letters Friday to the former Twitter safety chief and the Department of Homeland Securitys former cybersecurity director, requesting interviews with the two as the House Judiciary Committee continues its investigation into alleged social media censorship by the federal government.

Jordan said the Biden administration participated in efforts to unconstitutionally monitor and censor Americans speech on social media platforms.

The committee work is parallel to a federal lawsuit from the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana against the administration which resulted in a near-total ban on communicating with social media platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook in July.

An appeals court paused the ban later that month, after the administration said the decision could cause grave harm. They are appealing the full ruling.

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Jordan is seeking interviews with former Twitter Head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth, who left that role in 2022, as well as the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs, who led the agency during the Trump administration.

House Republicans have alleged that the Biden administration has pressured social media platforms like Twitter to take down posts it doesnt politically agree with.

The federal government has pressured and colluded with Big Tech and other intermediaries to censor certain viewpoints on social and other media in ways that undermine First Amendment principles, Jordan said in the letter to Roth.

The administration has responded defending their actions, noting that their contact with social media sites is generally related to national security communications and limiting the spread of misinformation, specifically about COVID-19 and election security.

In recent weeks, Jordan has also requested interviews and information from the FBI, Justice Department and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit which Jordan accused of advising the Biden administration on its unconstitutional pressure campaign.

The Department of Justice pushed back at the heart of Jordans investigation.

The Department, including the FBI, does not censor content on social media platforms, the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday.

Private companies have the sole authority to make decisions to protect their platforms and users. As with all the committees various requests, the department remains committed to working with the Committee to fulfill their informational needs.

The DOJ said the administration stopped its anti-misinformation campaign a year ago and did not undermine free speech.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Brooks Reynolds loves novelty. He has his Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest, entering its 16th year of celebrating all things bacon. He has his cheekily named JRs SouthPork Ranch, the restaurant he co-owns on the Iowa State Fairgrounds thats an ode to the television show Dallas and all things pork. And he brings one of the most unconventional dishes to the Iowa State Fair  lobster rolls.

Yes, a landlocked state far from the ocean serves one of the best lobster rolls out there. The ingredients are simple: lobster meat, shallots, citrus, capers and a light dressing stuffed into a buttered and toasted top-sliced brioche roll made at Gateway Market. No filler either.

If you close your eyes, you might think youre in Maine.

People line up for the lobster roll at JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair.

For $29, youre getting a healthy serving of freshly cracked lobster  so fresh you might bite down on a shell that held a lobster claw 24 hours ago. Big chunks of claw are mixed in the salad, served cold.

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To be able to have 100% lobster on the roll is something were very, very proud of, said chef Heith Sheeley. Youre getting the freshest stuff.

The lobster roll is so popular that Reynolds and his team at the ranch  Carey and Corey Hansen of Greek House Chefs that do catering for sororities and fraternities nationwide and also happen to own Hansens Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, along with chef Sheeley  came up with a footlong version for $55. Why not double your lobster?

More: 2 chefs rate 9 crazy fried foods, desserts and sandwiches at the Iowa State Fair

How did lobster end up becoming a mainstay at the Iowa State Fair?

Chef Heith Sheeley composes the footlong lobster roll at JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair.

The move to bring a lobster roll to the Iowa State Fair started simply enough. Well, if you think the leap from pork-forward restaurant to the kings of lobster is simple. Reynolds and the Hansens bought the former Diamond Jacks in 2020. The J and R in the name stand for Jody and Rennie, Reynolds mother Jody Reynolds and his father Stan Reynolds (known by friends as Rennie).

In 2020, Sheeley approached the Hansens and Reynolds about bringing a lobster roll to the fair. We thought, Well, youre crazy, Carey Hansen said. People dont even eat lobster in Iowa.

After a taste test with a group of 40 to 50 friends in the dead of winter at the end of 2020, they honed in on a recipe that brought out the freshness. Friends loved it. The fair approved it. But would Iowans order it?

During those first days of the fair in 2021, after the fair shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic, they only sold 300 a day. That is, until the idea picked up steam.

The entrance to JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair awaits lobster lovers.

It just kind of took off in this cult way where people were lining up down the sidewalk for this lobster roll in Iowa, Carey Hansen said. Now we kind of joke and say that were a pork-centric ranch famous for a lobster roll.

This past spring, Reynolds and Sheeley flew out to Maine to figure out sourcing, how to keep the lobster fresh and how to keep the cost fair to the fisherman and in budget for a product whose price fluctuates.

That lobster isnt frozen; it comes in fresh, processed quickly once its caught. This year, the team is bringing in 2,250 pounds of lobster just for the fair. With his new sourcing, Sheeley said he can order today to receive more lobster tomorrow.

Hes really inspired by bringing chef-driven quality food, Carey Hansen said of Sheeley.

More: Grab doughnuts, BLTs, potato salad at these new nostalgic food stands at the Iowa State Fair

Whats new on the JRs SouthPork Ranch menu?

The Fields of Bacon lobster roll is one of the new dishes at JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair.

Originally, the team thought about making a hot lobster roll with drawn butter. We did a test run on a butter lobster roll, and the feedback was that the cold lobster roll was much more refreshing, said Carey Hansen. Which makes sense when the temperatures hit the upper 90s in August at the fair.

The SouthPork team didnt stop at one new dish on the menu. Also new, a Fields of Bacon lobster roll, made with Iowa peaches and cream sweet corn aioli topped by Berkwood Farms bacon bits on a brioche bun, as well as a Big Buckle Footlong version for $55. Sheeley smokes the corn for six hours and mixes in a bit of jalapeno to the aioli. I like spice, but with my Iowa audience, I have to be very careful with how spicy I go, Sheeley said.

Monkey bread is one of the new dishes at JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair.

More: Former Bistro Montage owner Enosh Kelley brings new dishes to Steer N' Stein at the fair

Also new this year, monkey bread with caramelized bacon and a dollop of cream cheese frosting for $8. Reynolds said his love for monkey bread inspired the dish, created by pastry chef Sarah Strong-Tuttle.

Once the fair is over, any leftover lobster rolls will head over to Hansens Manhattan Deli on Ingersoll Avenue.

In 2021, the Hansens held three lobster roll sales at the deli. People were lined up an hour before we opened, Sheeley said.

Watch the Manhattan Deli Facebook page for a chance to eat this treat after the fair.

Where to find JRs SouthPork Ranch

Chef Heith Sheeley talks about his lobster roll at JR's SouthPork Ranch at the Iowa State Fair.

Location: Rock Island Ave. #3000, Des Moines

Contact: jrsouthporkranch.com

Hours: 7 a.m. to midnight through Aug. 20

Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: JR's SouthPork Ranch brings fresh lobster to the Iowa State Fair
The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is investigating a report of a person shot in the 5300 block of Old Kings Road.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

JSO stated that this incident is being investigated as a robbery. At 4:53 p.m., an Off duty officer working in this 5200 block saw an SUV slow down and roll off of the roadway, and hit a telephone pole.

The officer quickly responded and tried to render first aid to the victim. JSO stated that the driver of the vehicle had multiple gunshot wounds to his chest.

Jfrd transported the 19-year-old man to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where he is currently suffering from critical injuries.

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JSO states this happened at an apartment complex around the corner.

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Currently, JSO has shut down the 5300 block of Old Kings Road because when the car crashed, it splintered the pole.

Authorities are ensuring that no power is affected in this area.

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JSO states that the suspect info fled the apartment complex on foot and that there was some type of altercation that led to the gunfire.

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A Wisconsin politician filed a defamation suit against a local newspaper, and the suit was dismissed.

Even so, the legal fees from the lawsuit threaten to bankrupt the The Wausau Pilot & Review.

It follows a trend of politicians filing defamation suits that don't have to succeed to do damage.

Politicians across the board may be honing in on using defamation lawsuits as a form of punishment against the media reports they object to.

Even when those lawsuits fail, the legal fees still do immense damage to smaller, vulnerable publications.

Such is the case in Wausau, Wisconsin, where Cory Tomczyk filed a defamation suit after a 2021 report from The Wausau Pilot & Review that he had used an anti-gay slur toward a 13-year-old during a community meeting, The New York Times reported.

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Tomczyk  a businessman who has since been elected a Republican state senator  denied the reporting and demanded a retraction, the Times reported. The newspaper stood by its reporting, leading to Tomczyk's defamation suit.

A judge dismissed the case in April, though Tomczyk has appealed the decision, court records show.

"Mr. Tomczyk categorically denies ever using a slur at the August 12, 2021 Marathon County Board Meeting," Tomczyk's attorney, Matthew M. Fernholz, said in a statement to Insider. "We believe the circuit court erred in granting Wausau Pilot's motion for summary judgment."

Still, the nonprofit newspaper has amassed at least $150,000 in legal fees  nearly matching the paper's annual operating budget of about $180,000, the Pilot & Review reported.

"It's extremely frustrating that this kind of money is just being completely wasted," publisher Shereen Siewert said, per the Pilot & Review. "It's money that could go to boots-on-the-ground reporting."

did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

A troubling trend

The Wisconsin case isn't the first and likely won't be the last dubious defamation case brought on by a politician.

Former President Donald Trump, who has spent years dismissing the media outlets he dislikes as "fake news," has filed multiple unsuccessful defamation lawsuits against media outlets, the Times reported. His latest $475 million defamation suit against CNN was dismissed last month.

Previously, in 2020, his campaign sued The Washington Post and The New York Times for defamation.

Earlier this year, Florida Republicans championed legislation that would make it easier to sue for defamation. Though the bill died in committee, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate along with Trump, hailed it as a way to target "legacy media defamation practices."

Just weeks ago, Mississippi's former Gov. Phil Bryant filed a defamation suit against a local newspaper whose Pulitzer-Prize-winning reporting tied him to a major welfare scandal in the state.

One potential solution against such lawsuits is anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) laws, which can protect reporters and news organizations from expensive, unfounded defamation lawsuits, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

A total of 32 states plus the District of Columbia have anti-SLAPP laws on the books, per the RCFP. Wisconsin is not among them.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Kansas-based developer is threatening to cancel a $500,000 investment in his Bartlesville property if plans for a homeless mission across the street move forward.

In an email sent to Bartlesville Community Development, Garrison Hassenflu, who owns a building at 220 NW Virginia, objected to efforts to rezone the property owned by 'B the Light Mission' to C-5 commercial status for the purpose of opening a homeless shelter.

A hand up: Bartlesville nonprofit welcomes funding to tackle homelessness

Hassenflu argued the area was originally intended "as a place to do business, recreate and offer medical care," but rezoning to C-5 would allow "noisy, stinky, air-polluting or eyesores" types of businesses like "animal shelters, auto salvage yards, batching and mixing plants for concrete and asphalt."

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"I was planning on a $500,000 rehab of the building for co-working office suites. But, with this shelter (or other objectionable use), I would have to stop my project and no longer consider any investment in Bartlesville," he wrote.

Hassenflu's building at 220 NW Virginia is in complete shambles, with walls, floors and ceilings torn open to expose the valuable copper.

"My building is a historic structure. It was built in 1910 and served major roles in the development of the Bartlesville region, first as the office for The Bureau of Mines, then, as a facility for the study and research of oil and gas."

Currently, the property slated for the homeless shelter is zoned as an 'industrial park' and re-zoning to C-5 would be considered "less-intense" zoning, according to city staff.

Additionally, the city is proposing further use restrictions that would limit the property's future development. Those changes will be voted on by the Bartlesville Planning Commission on Tuesday.

Hassenflu's property is currently zoned as 'multi-family residential,' which doesn't allow for professional offices, according to city zoning regulations.

He would have to petition for a rezoning of his own property  to develop it for professional office space  just like the 'B the Light Mission' has done for theirs.

Directly to the south of Hassenflu's property, there already exists a smaller C-5 zoned property and similarly zoned properties down the street.

"Though communities always need to consider the plight of their homeless, this is not the place for it," Hassenflu wrote. "Please find another location more suitable and make sure this communication is shared at the zoning hearing."

Helping the homeless: Bartlesville's Lighthouse Outreach Center adds parenting classes to homeless services

Keith McPhail of 'B the Light Mission' says the feedback they have received from the community has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Ever since [the EE's article] we've had tons of positive feedback and donors," McPhail said. "Not one person came to complain at our open meeting we had."

"We just want to change lives and get people off the streets," he added.

Most, if not all, electrical panels have been stripped of their valuable components in Hassenflu's building at 220 NW Virginia.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Kansas developer threatens to pull $500,000 Bartlesville investment
If 80% of condo owners in Arizona vote to sell a building (and one owner buys the majority of units), the other 20% can be booted from a home they own. How is that OK?

The American Dream is a pretty vague concept.

Depending on whom you ask, it includes the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence.

It also suggests that, with a little hard work, every citizen can buy a place of their own. Even a new immigrant.

That dream became reality for Jie Cao and Haining Xia, two Chinese citizens who moved to the United States in the 1980s, earned law degrees and settled in the Valley of the Sun.

When their son was headed to the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, they purchased a condominium for him to live in just a 10-minute walk from campus.

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With a rental, perhaps a landlord could sell off the whole block of apartments, leaving their child without a place to stay. But this was a condo; a home that belonged to them.

Or not.

Obscure law can boot condo owners

A private equity real estate investment firm out of San Diego bought 90 of the 96 condo units, allowing them to exploit a little-known provision in Arizona law.

As it turns out, if 80% of unit owners vote to sell the entire condo complex, it can be sold. If 20% opposes the decision, theyll get kicked out of the property they own.

Since the firm, Pathfinder Partners, owned the lions share, they voted to sell. The six owners of the remaining units voted against it, but the sale proceeded anyway.

Cao and Xia, both attorneys, tried to fight the taking of their property, but it is codified in Arizonas bizarre Condominium Termination law.

This obscure rule is rarely invoked, but its all right there in the Arizona Revised Statutes.

One owner was arrested for 'trespassing'

They didnt want to leave the condo but found themselves locked out.

Thousands of dollars of their belongings remained inside. The new management even had Cao arrested for trespassing.

Remember, this is a home she bought. Or at least thought she bought. This government-sanctioned nightmare sounds like something that might happen in Tianjin, not Tempe.

Thankfully, another lawyer is coming to their aid. Local attorney Eric M. Fraser has taken up their cause, and has been joined by the Goldwater Institute and Pacific Legal Foundation, which have filed amicus briefs.

As the documents point out, the Arizona Court of Appeals declared the Condominium Termination law unconstitutional on its face, but then said it could be enforced anyway.

The plaintiffs signed a contract that included the laws boilerplate language, and thats enough apparently for one party to kick another party out of their own property.

The law is wrong. Arizona must repeal it

After leafing through the legal arguments, I read The Trial by Franz Kafka to try to make sense of it all.

It didnt help.

More rental homes? Why more may be coming to Buckeye

Imagine some dusty old law prohibited selling real estate to Asian Americans, that language was buried in a long contract and signed by a willing buyer.

The courts surely wouldnt claim the rule was unconstitutional but enforceable. Wrong is wrong, and everyone can see it.

The Arizona Constitution bars the Legislature from authorizing one party to take another persons property. The U.S. Supreme Court agrees.

We cant have a society where some California investor can waltz up to your door, hand you a check for the appraised value, then kick you to the curb.

In Thomas Jeffersons first draft of the Declaration, he mentioned a right to life, liberty and property. The more expansive phrase pursuit of happiness is even better, as it includes buying a home and much more.

Until this Orwellian law is repealed, the American Dream is null and void in Arizona.

Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. On Twitter: @exjon.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Condo owners can be booted in Arizona, thanks to this obscure law
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will visit the Fukushima nuclear plant on Sunday ahead of a final decision on when to begin releasing wastewater from the wrecked facility into the Pacific Ocean.

"The government is at the final stage of when it has to make a decision," Kishida said on Friday in the U.S. following a trilateral meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and President Joe Biden.

He declined to say when the water release will begin during the briefing, which was aired by public broadcaster NHK.

Japan plans to release into the ocean 500 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of water from the plant wrecked by a tsunami on March 11, 2011.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last month greenlit the release of radioactive water that Japan says it can no longer store on site, but Tokyo held off on doing so ahead of the meeting in Washington to avoid stirring political opposition in South Korea to Yoon, sources earlier told Reuters

On Friday the three countries agreed to deepen military ties to counter China's growing influence in East Asia.

The plan to pump more than a million tons of treated water into the Pacific from the nuclear plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has been criticized by Beijing, which has banned some seafood imports from Japan. It is also opposed by some citizens' groups in Japan, South Korea and elsewhere.

Kishida will meet with senior members of organisations representing fishermen on Monday to assert the safety of the treated water and seek their understanding, the Asahi newspaper reported citing government sources.

The government will make a final decision on the timing of the water release at a meeting of ministers as soon as the following day, Asahi said.

Japan said it will remove most radioactive elements from the water except for tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because it is difficult to filter.

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Sonali Paul and Sandra Maler)
In a joint statement issued Friday evening, the Las Cruces Police Department and 3rd Judicial District Attorney's Office said they would protest a judge's decision to declare a mistrial and dismiss charges against a man accused of a killing.

The move exposed a rift between police, with their prosecutor partners, and the district judge who ruled in the case.

"While we respect the court's order of dismissal, our respect does not preclude disagreement," District Attorney Gerald Byers said in the statement. "The Third Judicial District Attorney's Office and the Las Cruces Police Department are investigating available legal remedies in proceeding with charges in this case."

Third Judicial District Court Judge Douglas Driggers ruled Andrew Jason Torres, 35, was a danger to the community during a pre-trial detention hearing Friday Aug. 9, 2019. Torres is accused of punching his mother and shooting her boyfriend during a fight.

"It's our hope that a legal remedy can be found to proceed with trial and that justice can be served for the family of Mitchell Russell," interim Police Chief Jeremy Story said in the statement.

The case, the mistrial, and the dismissal recapped

The trial in question involved David Chavez, 20, who was charged with voluntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence after police said he shot and killed Mitchell Russell, 30, near Young Park on Jan. 6. Police believe that Russell pursued Chavez into the neighborhoods near Young Park after he was told the Chavez burglarized cars at a nearby store.

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As the two men fought, police said Chavez pulled out a gun and shot Russell. Chavez was arrested a short time later. The trial was to last three days. Instead, it ended on the first day with Judge Douglas Driggers declaring a mistrial.

Read more about the case: One dead, one arrested as details emerge in shooting near Young Park

Driggers' order alleged that prosecutors and police failed to give over evidence regarding two knives found during the investigation. One blade was adjacent to Russell, the other in his pocket. Driggers said the evidence was vital since it could affect Chavez' ability to argue self-defense.

"It was reasoned that (prosecutor's) actions, on the morning of trial, could only serve to provoke a mistrial," Driggers wrote in the order declaring a mistrial. "The conduct was improper and prejudicial, and that nothing short of a mistrial could cure the prejudice suffered by the defendant."

Additionally, Driggers said the detective assigned to the case, Pierce Wilber, "may not have been forthright during the course of the pre-trial interview with defense counsel."

All of that, police and prosecutors said, is "nonsense."

"That is absolute nonsense based on his character, but most importantly, based on the definitive evidence in this case," Chief Story emailed the Sun-News.

Story added that Wilber's conduct during the investigation was not under review.

Video shows knives played no role in altercation

The two knives at the center of the dismissal seemingly played no role in the altercation.

In the joint statement, the first knife was folded and remained in Russell's pocket until investigators removed it after Russell died. The second knife was introduced to the scene by an LCPD officer who responded to the scene.

A video attached to the joint statement shows an officer using it to cut open Russell's shirt and examine him. The officer was trying to save Russell's life, and using the knife was a function of that effort, police said.

"Chavez's defense team pointed to it (the knife) as proof of a self-defense case," the joint statement read.

Regardless of their usage, Driggers' order accused LCPD and the district attorney of neglecting to turn over the evidence until the first day of trial. This, too, was wrong, the joint statement said.

"The Deputy Medical Field Investigator's report was disclosed to the defense team on April 6, 2023. The report describes the black folding knife and indicates it belonged to the first-arriving LCPD officer," the statement read.

Statement backs Det. Wilber, adds context to his involvement

The joint statement also offered the department's support of Wilber.

"I have the utmost faith in Detective Pierce Wilber and the entire Criminal Investigation Section," Story said in the joint statement. "Our detective did nothing wrong in this case, and our officers tried to render life-saving measures that, unfortunately, were unsuccessful."

In this file photo from 2018, then Las Cruces Police Officer Pierce Wilber opens up trays of food donated by Olive Garden to LCPD on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 3, 2018. Wilber is now a detective.

Wilber was assigned as the case detective and filed the affidavit that launched the criminal case against Chavez. Wilber was not, however, at the scene during the initial investigation.

"Wilber was not the primary investigator on the case and did not respond to the scene of the crime. The detective merely took over the case after the lead investigator was forced to undergo a medical procedure," the statement said.

Not the first time Driggers has been accused of over-punishing prosecutors

In recent memory, this is not the first accusation of undue punishment against Driggers.

Last year, the New Mexico Supreme Court found Driggers erred when ordered that no exhibits (like pictures and reports) could be presented in the Baby Favi trial. In that case, a prosecutor admitted to missing a deadline to send over information.

Driggers then barred prosecutors from presenting any exhibits in the trial, a decision the Supreme Court later overturned. Still, Driggers' order led to a mistrial and a month of delay in the case.

Driggers also took heat from the Attorney General's Office when he dismissed second-degree murder charges against a former police officer.

What's next?

The joint release did not specify what actions could be taken moving forward. Driggers' dismissal prevents prosecutors from refiling the case, at least immediately.

However, the dismissal was not the end of the legal troubles for the man accused. Chaves remains in jail as of the publication of this article. He's being held on unrelated charges of aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer.

Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be reached at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces police, District Attorney protest Young Park mistrial
Its been one week since a widely-condemned police raid on the Marion County Record, a local newspaper in a small city in central Kansas, put a national spotlight on press freedom  and the towns leaders.

Since then, the Marion Police Department, whose new chief Gideon Cody suddenly left his long career at the Kansas City Police Department with a checkered past, has handed the reins to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Marion Countys top prosecutor called for the things taken during the raid be returned to the Record, citing insufficient evidence. And the newspaper put out its latest issue.

On Friday The Star reported Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey, the prosecutor who will decide whether to bring criminal charges in the investigation, is also the brother-in-law of the business owner whose expiring liquor license helped kick off the firestorm.

The Marion City Council, meeting for the first time since, says elected leaders would not address the ongoing matter during its upcoming session on Monday evening. And The Star looked into how the Record could possibly get in legal trouble for looking at public records in the first place.

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Heres are some of the latest headlines from The Star:

Chefs Plate at Parlour 1886, a restaurant in Marion, Kansas, is owned by Kari Newell.

Prosecutors family ties

Ensey, Marion Countys top prosecutor, said Wednesday there was insufficient evidence to support the search warrant, issued by Judge Laura Viar, and returned the seized computers to the Record  a highly rare outcome in a criminal investigation.

But Ensey still has to decide whether or not to bring charges against anyone at the conclusion of the Kansas Bureau of Investigations investigation. The KBI took the lead Monday and plans to submit findings to his office.

The Star has found that Ensey has a connection to Kari Newell, owner of the Chefs Plate at Parlour 1886 restaurant, whose complaints about the Record led to the criminal investigation in the first place. His brother and sister-in-law own Marions Historic Elgin Hotel, where Newells restaurant is located.

At least one Kansas lawyer thinks that might be enough for Ensey to recuse himself from the case. Wichita-based attorney John Stang, a past president of the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, told The Star he would not be surprised if that happens.

Read more: Marion prosecutors sister-in-law holds expiring liquor license that helped ignite furor

COUNCIL WILL NOT COMMENT

Forty-seven exclamation points.

Thats how emphatically the Marion City Council agenda stated, in all caps, that there would be no talk of the criminal investigation concerning the Marion County Record.

The five-member city government body was set to have its first meeting since the weekly newspaper, long the talk of the town, became part of a national conversation. Mayor David Mayfield, who has been openly critical of the Record, will not attend the meeting.

COUNCIL WILL NOT COMMENT ON THE ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the agenda says.

It is the only time Mayfield says hes missed a meeting in the past 3  years. The mayor said in a letter his absence, which he apologized for, was due to a long-planned family vacation out of state.

Read more: Marion City Council WILL NOT COMMENT on raid of newspaper at meeting, agenda says

Marion restaurateur Kari Newell (center) hosted U.S. Rep Jake LaTurner at her coffee shop in early August. During the meet-and-greet, she asked that two journalists with the Marion County Record be escorted out. The Records newsroom was raided by police days later.

Who is Kari Newell?

As a small business owner in Marion, Newells history of drunk driving had, at best, a remote chance of being news outside her town. But her allegations that Record broke the law by accessing online information about her 2008 drunken driving arrest have put her in the spotlight, too.

For her part, Newell has said little publicly about the episode. The Star was unable to reach Newell for comment Thursday.

Newell has quickly come to loom large on Third Street, in downtown Marion.

First came the Chefs Plate at Parlour 1886 restaurant, housed inside the Historic Elgin Hotel. Newell took over as restaurant owner and lead chef in January, according to The Hillsboro Free Press. In June, she opened a second spot, Karis Kitchen, a coffee shop and cafe that Newell opened in June, directly across the street.

Newell told a KSN-TV reporter in July that she was happy with her investments.

I have fallen in love with Marion, she said. Ive been here about 10 years, and being a part of this community does feel like family.

Read more: Who is Kari Newell, restaurant owner at center of Kansas newspaper raid? What we know

Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody can be seen on the Marion County Records surveillance footage during a raid on the newspaper that was widely condemned.

Illegal to look at public records?

At the center of the Marion County Record investigation is the allegation that its staff were doing something criminal. Namely: identity theft and unlawful acts concerning computers.

Eric Meyer, the Records publisher, says those allegations apparently have to do with a tip the paper received over social media. That news tip was a document containing driving record information on Kari Newell, the local restaurant owner.

The Record reporter punched that information into a publicly available database maintained by the Kansas Department of Revenue, which oversees driver licensure, to verify its authenticity. It confirmed Newells license had been suspended for years due to past DUIs.

Those are all a matter of public record, Meyer said.

Kansas law defines identity theft as taking someones personal information for the purpose of committing some type of fraud or misrepresenting them with the goal of economic or bodily harm. The criminal statute concerning computers is reserved for those who knowingly and without permission access a computer system for a malicious purpose, including fraud and destruction of electronic content.

Paul Cramm, an Overland Park criminal defense attorney, told The Star simply accessing a public record or knowing someones personal information does not rise to the level of criminality.

Accessing a record to know what it says is not the same thing as using the information contained in that record to perpetrate some sort of a fraud, Cramm said. If they dont use the information to try to trick someone into thinking something that isnt true about someones identity, I dont know how they call that identity theft.

Read more: Did Marion newspaper break the law by checking record on state website? What we know

The Marion County Record is displayed in a newspaper box outside the papers offices in Marion, Kansas on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023.

CPJ wants thorough investigation

The Committee to Protect Journalists is calling for a thorough investigation into the raid, saying the Marion Police Department and Judge Viar, who authorized the search warrant, should be the subjects of scrutiny.

CPJ is an international nonprofit that promotes press freedom and works to defend journalists against repression across the globe. National program coordinator Katherine Jacobsen said the search and seizure of items that unfolded at the newspapers office on Aug. 11 was a violation of state and federal laws that protect journalists.

At CPJ, we dont really have a record of anything like this happening in the United States on this scale, Jacobsen said.

Read more: Committee to Protect Journalists calls for investigation after Marion newspaper raid

Marion County Record Search Warrant by The Kansas City Star on Scribd

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The Stars Jonathan Shorman, Katie Moore, Natalie Wallington, and Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
Alex Chalk , the Justice Secretary, is committed to bringing forward legislation designed to prevent convicted criminals from refusing to appear in court when the details of their sentence are announced - Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph/Eddie Mulholland for The Telegraph

A law to force offenders to attend their sentencing is to be included in the Kings Speech and laid in Parliament by the end of this year, amid anger over Lucy Letbys refusal to return to court on Monday.

Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, has said that he is committed to bringing forward legislation designed to prevent convicted criminals from refusing to appear in court when the details of their sentence are announced.

The Telegraph understands that Rishi Sunak is planning to include the measure in the Kings Speech on Nov 7 and to lay it in Parliament by Christmas. MPs have expressed fury after it emerged that Letby was refusing to return to her seat in the dock for the remainder of the proceedings, which will end on Monday with her sentencing.

Mr Sunak has championed the proposals to force criminals to attend their sentencing, having pledged during his leadership campaign last year that he would do everything possible to make sure victims have the chance to look their perpetrator in the eye and witness justice being served.

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The Prime Minister has suggested that refusing to appear for sentencing is taking the cowards way out.

Mr Sunaks plan, which was initially worked on by Mr Chalks predecessor Dominic Raab, was for refusal to attend court for sentencing to become an aggravating factor, meaning that such a move could provide a legal basis for judges to increase a criminals sentence.

Another option being considered is to change the law to create a legal obligation on a defendant to appear for their sentencing.

A new legal duty would provide court and prison officials with the legal protection they needed if they had to use force in order to bring a convicted criminal to face justice in the dock.

Use of reasonable force

Currently, judges can order criminals to appear and prison officers are able to use reasonable force to take them to the court. But a legal source said prison governors and guards are often reluctant to use force due to the risk of legal action if they are seen to have overstepped what is reasonable, when a defendant is simply insisting on staying put rather than being violent.

Part of ministers thinking behind introducing a new measure in law is that it would give additional legal protections to prison officers.

The trial judge, Mr Justice Goss KC, told the court last week that he had no power to force Letby to attend. He said: The sentencing hearing will take place whether she is present or not. The court has no power to force her to attend therefore there is nothing I can do about it.

Courts around the country have reported that increasing numbers of offenders are refusing to attend their sentencing hearings, with a number of high-profile cases prompting anger among the victims of their crimes.

Earlier this year, Thomas Cashman, the killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, snubbed the judge and his victims family by remaining in his cell after being convicted of murdering the nine-year-old in Liverpool.

Refusing to appear

Other recent cases of convicted killers refusing to appear in the dock include Koci Selamaj, who killed school teacher Sabina Nessa in September 2021.

Her sister, Jebina Islam, described him as a coward.

Jordan McSweeney also refused to attend court for his sentencing for the murder of aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena.

In June, Mr Chalk said: I am pleased to be able to say that we are committed to bringing forward legislation to enable offenders to be compelled to attend their sentencing hearing.

Offenders who rob innocence, betray lives and shatter families should be required to face the consequences of their actions and hear societys condemnation expressed through the sentencing remarks of the judge.

Mr Chalk, who, as a prosecutor before becoming an MP, jailed rapists, extremists and fraudsters, said he was concerned that one defendant refusing to appear could be copied by others, who take the view that that is somehow a way of getting away from the consequences of their actions.

We have seen the anguish caused by these actions, so let me make the point that I want to know that when an offender is sitting in a cell, trying to get to sleep when the rest of the world is getting to sleep, the judges words of condemnation are ringing in their ears, said Mr Chalk.

There are victims who find it hard to ever recover, so why should that defendant ever be able to sleep soundly in their bed?

New CPS guidance

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued new guidance in September last year on how courts should deal with uncooperative defendants after judges stated that they had no adequate powers to deal with offenders who refuse to attend court hearings.

The guidance outlines the options available to help the court ensure attendance or for hearings to go ahead without them [defendants]. This does include an option for the defendant to be brought before the court in handcuffs.

If a defendant refuses to leave prison to attend court, the court must decide whether there are reasonable grounds for their refusal. For example, the defendant could be unwell. If so, the court may order the hearing to continue in the defendants absence or for the hearing to be delayed until later.

If there are no reasonable grounds, the prosecution may attempt to persuade a judge to force the prisoners attendance in court. If the judge agrees that a defendant should be present, the matter is deferred to the prison governor. The prison governor must then decide what reasonable steps should be taken to secure attendance.

Jonathan Store, deputy chief crown prosecutor with the CPS, said it is important for victims of crime that defendants attend court.

For many victims, having their impact statement read in court before the defendant is an issue of huge significance. For them to be denied this opportunity can be very upsetting. Non-attendance by defendants also means cases can be delayed, trials disrupted, and justice frustrated, he said.

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.
A reader says recent revelations about the billionaire friends of Supreme Court justices refute the idea that small donors are wrecking politics. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Jonah Goldberg is wrong to say small donors are wrecking American politics. The few dozen families who contribute much of the money raised by Republican candidates want only one thing out of their candidates: tax cuts.

They dont want regulations, social programs or unions. Their elected representatives say no to almost all legislation, creating the gridlock that turns off voters who think nothing gets done in Washington or local government.

They feel their vote doesn't matter, and that is the plan. The rich love the status quo.

People need to get wise to the fact that the wealthy have set up as a system that sends most of the money their way. Citizens need to vote and send people to state and federal legislatures who will tax wealth and break the hold of the rich on the levers of power.

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The recent example of their hold on Supreme Court justices should alert people to just who the wealthy are getting elected to our legislatures.

Michael Hittleman, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Goldberg ignores the actual problem in favor of a straw man.

In Ohio's recent election on amending the state Constitution, one out-of-state donor, the Uihlein family, contributed almost half of all donations to the losing "yes" side, but was swamped by the thousands of small donors to the "no" side.

The reason the Republican legislators reversed themselves to allow an August election was to satisfy the desires of mega donors like Richard Uihlein who know they can't win a fair plebiscite on abortion. It's the same reason Republicans have majorities in the Ohio General Assembly  the huge sums donated by billionaires that local candidates can't possibly match.

Unless we remove the unequal influence of mega donors, our democratic republic will continue to be in danger.

John Gallogly, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Goldberg is on to something, but he doesn't go far enough.

Both large and small donors have outsized influence on numerous aspects of how Washington and the rest of this country function. Better to enact complete campaign finance reform and have all costs for qualifying candidates paid by the government itself.

Any individual who wants to help a candidate get elected can volunteer as much of their time as they want. If they still want to do more, they can always check the box at the end of their tax return.

Thomas Miller, Long Beach

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Rethink development in State College

State College plans to construct a new downtown parking garage using eminent domain. This has raised many questions in the community, but chiefly among them should be Why? Why do we continue to invest in car-centric infrastructure despite the apparent and devastating effects of climate change? The building at the corner of East Beaver Avenue and McAllister Alley is arguably an eyesore, but many buildings in the downtown area could share this designation. The downtown area needs a revival, both aesthetically and functionally. Therefore, I propose we fundamentally rethink how to develop the State College area in the coming years and decades by, first, eliminating arbitrary minimum parking requirements from the zoning code. Parking minimums make it challenging to design neighborhoods where it is easy for people to walk and use public transit. Second, put the parking out of town and increase investment in public transit. The exurbs (e.g., near the airport and Innovation Park) are ideal locations to build more commuter parking since they dont congest local traffic and improve walkability in the downtown area. Finally, instead of investing in a multimillion-dollar parking garage, invest that money into building more infrastructure for public transit. For example, more bus routes and more frequent bus intervals, an attractive light rail system that people will gladly use, a better-connected bike trail system, and more designated bike lanes and parking. It is time local policymakers take a closer look at parking to make our community safer, more affordable, and more successful.

Jeremy Sutherland, State College

Community loses with eminent domain decision





I object to the resolution by State College Borough Council to seize two parcels by eminent domain for a new parking garage. Although I relocated from town a year ago, I retain significant ties to the community, in no small part because of the enterprises, especially The Brewery, that would be destroyed by this resolution.

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In Pennsylvania, eminent domain must be used as a last resort for scenarios in which property seizure is needed to accommodate a critical public interest. The planned parking cannot be so critical given councils history of waiving in-situ parking requirements for many of the high-rise buildings approved in downtown in the last decade. Tellingly, no borough officials consulted with the property owners affected by this plan, which screams of secrecy and cowardice. As well, this action sets an alarming precedent: The borough signals it will seize someones property without any meaningful discussion or input. That is undemocratic and un-American.

This is the latest development that threatens to degrade the community. The community would lose The Brewery, a locally owned institution of over 50 years, which people enter as they are to make friends, commiserate with co-workers, enjoy live music, and have a few drinks. It also would lose locally owned Canyon Pizza, Canyon Wings, The Music Mart and several affordable housing units. Unassuming gathering places, locally owned businesses, and affordable housing make communities strong. Destroying them makes communities less vital.

I urge council to reconsider their decision.

Danny Brouillette, Lafayette, Indiana
Members of the Little Rock Nine  the group of Black students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in the 50s  have knocked Arkansas Education Department for barring students from receiving graduation credit in an Advanced Placement African American studies course, NBC News reported on Friday.

Elizabeth Eckford and Terrence Roberts spoke out following the states recent move, with the Education Department saying the decision on the course would stand until its determined whether it violates state law and teaches or trains teachers in CRT [critical race theory] and indoctrination.

The restrictions came after Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed the LEARNS Act into law earlier this year. It barred curriculum that would indoctrinate students with ideologies, such as CRT, according to Sanders executive order. The state is still set to offer an African American history course, according to the Education Department.

I think the attempts to erase history is working for the Republican Party, Eckford told NBC News. In 1957, Eckford was famously photographed at her Little Rock high school as white students stared and shouted.

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They have some boogeymen that are really popular with their supporters, she told the outlet.

Elizabeth Eckford ignores the screams and stares of fellow students on her first day of school in September 1957. She was one of nine African American students whose integration into Little Rock's Central High School was ordered by a federal court.

Elizabeth Eckford ignores the screams and stares of fellow students on her first day of school in September 1957. She was one of nine African American students whose integration into Little Rock's Central High School was ordered by a federal court.

Conservatives elsewhere in the country have also decried the teaching of African American studies and similar topics in schools. The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blocked the AP course in January, with the College Board announcing months later that it would make changes to ensure the course best reflects this dynamic discipline.

Roberts, who recalled that the Little Rock Nine had suffered physically and emotionally in Arkansas, told NBC News that laws should not be restricting students ability to learn.

I know there are voices pushing back [against restrictions], he told the outlet. The question is, will they be successful?

Six schools in the state have said they will continue to offer the African American studies course despite it not counting toward graduation, The Associated Press reported.

Related...
Some surviving members of the Little Rock Nine are pushing back against the Arkansas Department of Educations decision to drop the Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies course from its schools.

Earlier this week, the department said the course would not count for credit toward high school graduation, claiming it is still in a pilot stage and cannot be accepted until revisions are finalized.

The AP African American Studies pilot course is not a history course and is a pilot that is still undergoing major revisions, officials said in a statement to Education Week. Arkansas law contains provisions regarding prohibited topics.

Without clarity, we cannot approve a pilot that may unintentionally put a teacher at risk of violating Arkansas law, they added.

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Two members of the Little Rock Nine  the group of nine African American students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957  pushed back against the Arkansas Education Departments decision.

I think the attempts to erase history is working for the Republican Party, said Elizabeth Eckford, a member of the Little Rock Nine in an interview with NBC News. They have some boogeymen that are really popular with their supporters.

Terrance Roberts, now 81, told NBC News he was not surprised to hear about the course restrictions and called the bans of critical race theory  an academic framework that looks at how systematic racism has impacted American laws and constitutions  ridiculous. He said he knows some do not want to confront the history, but stressed the need for students to know the truth.

At a bare minimum, he said, there shouldnt be laws restricting their ability to learn, or what they could learn.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) ordered a review of the curriculum at the beginning of this year after the state banned critical race theory. Included in the governors order was a review of AP African American studies, which was taught in two school districts in the state last year, including Central High School.

The Little Rock School District said it will continue offering the course, which NBC News reported Roberts welcomed, while recognizing the challenges ahead.

I know there are voices pushing back, he told NBC News. The question is, will they be successful?

In an interview on Fox News Thursday, Sanders said she wants to focus on the basics of teaching math, of teaching reading, writing and American history, and said the state cannot push this propaganda leftist agenda.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two members of the Little Rock Nine criticized a state decision regarding an AP African American Studies course.

The state's Dept. of Education won't allow credits to count toward graduation for the pilot course.

The department says the course could run afoul of an anti-CRT order signed by Gov. Huckabee Sanders.

Two members of the Little Rock Nine  the group of Black students who in 1957 integrated the previously all-white Little Rock Central High School while being threatened by an angry mob  are blasting the Arkansas Department of Education over restrictions placed on an Advanced Placement African American Studies course set to be offered this year.

After Arkansas earlier this week said that the course, which remains in its pilot stage, would not be counted toward high school graduation credits, six schools said that they would still continue teaching the course. In the North Little Rock and Jacksonville North Pulaski school districts, officials announced that the course would count as a "local elective" instead.

The Arkansas Department of Education has argued that there is uncertainty as to whether or not coursework goes against an executive order signed earlier this year by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders that bars "critical race theory" from being taught in the state's classrooms.

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In interviews with NBC News, Little Rock Nine members Elizabeth Eckford and Terrence Roberts spoke out against the state's actions.

"I think the attempts to erase history is working for the Republican Party," Eckford told the news outlet. "They have some boogeymen that are really popular with their supporters."

Roberts, who told the outlet that the group "suffered physically and emotionally" in the effort to integrate Central High, said that at a "bare minimum" laws prohibiting what students can and cannot learn shouldn't be on the books.

Roberts recounted that at some commemorations of the group integrating Central High, some have sought to shield the images of the angry mob incensed that Black students dared to believe that they could belong at the high school as well. He also slammed the prohibition of critical race theory  which is almost exclusively taught at a collegiate level  as "ridiculous."

Elizabeth Eckford ignores the hostile screams and stares of fellow students as she attempts to enter Little Rock Central High School on September 4, 1957. NAACP via Getty Images

The Arkansas Department of Education in a statement stood by its decision.

"Until it's determined whether it violates state law and teaches or trains teachers in CRT and indoctrination, the state will not move forward," the department said. "The department encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination."

During a Thursday interview on Fox News, the governor reaffirmed the decision of the education department and stated that she wanted schools to focus on "the basics of teaching math, of teaching reading, writing and American history."

"We cannot perpetuate a lie to our students and push this propaganda leftist agenda teaching our kids to hate America and hate one another," she said.

The AP African American Studies course was offered by Central High during the previous school year, and it will also be an option for students during the new school year.

One of the defining images of the civil-rights movement is a photograph of a then-15-year-old Eckford as she walked to Central High wearing sunglasses and holding her schoolbooks as she faced an angry mob.

Huckabee Sanders, who was elected to the governorship last November after serving as White House press secretary under then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, is also a graduate of Central High.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sen. Ted Cruz has spent the last week or so hopping around Texas, visiting constituents, hailing important projects such as STEM education, and picking fights with a beer company over its marketing.

If things had gone differently, Cruz would instead be preparing for Wednesdays Republican presidential debate, where he would present himself as the most viable conservative alternative to Donald Trump, who apparently wont be there to mix it up with his rivals.

Now, spending time in the Lone Star State beats hanging out in Milwaukee with other politicos, even when its 110 degrees here. But before the GOP race gallops along, its worth pausing to think about how close Cruz came to being his partys nominee in 2016  and what might have been had he decided to run again

Cruz essentially finished second to Trump in the 2016 primaries. Had the party realized sooner that Trump could only be stopped if voters and party leaders coalesced around a conservative alternative, Cruz would have been the candidate against Hillary Clinton.

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Would he have won? He might not have been able to pivot to populism and reach working-class voters in the key Midwestern states, which enabled Trumps upset win. But he wouldnt have had Trumps baggage, either. And its not hard to imagine that Clinton could have lost to just about anyone, given her unpopularity.

After Trump won, Cruz damaged himself in the party by telling Republicans in his national convention speech to vote your conscience, clearly suggesting that a vote for Trump might be beyond the pale.

He eventually had to eat crow and endorse Trump. Then came his epic 2018 battle against Beto ORourke for his Senate seat. Cruz came closer to losing than almost any Republican running statewide in two decades.

But he won. That positioned him to rebound in the party  and possibly for another presidential run.

In a valuable book published in late 2021, conservative journalist David M. Drucker devoted an entire chapter to Cruzs efforts to rehabilitate himself in Trumps Republican party. The books title is telling: In Trumps Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP.

One of Cruzs problems is that he doesnt come across to an average voter as particularly likable. Hes combative, smarter than just about anyone hes arguing with and unafraid to show it. He rails against elites but doesnt mention he went to Princeton and Harvard. He can seem smarmy and off-putting.

He didnt help himself when he tried a please-no-one strategy to object to the 2020 election results  Cruz proposed a commission to examine the inherently flawed claims of a botched or stolen election. He didnt go quite as far as Trumps team in seeking to overturn results in several states. But voters should not forget that he based his action in part on claims of fraud that have never been substantiated.

Lets not forget the infamous Cancun trip while millions of Texas froze in 2021, either.

In the book, Drucker outlines how Cruz, to his credit, assessed his failures after the loss to Trump. He focused on bread-and-butter issues in Texas. He tried to be more of a team player in the Senate. He raised money and campaigned for congressional candidates, building alliances.

Donald Trump (left) and Ted Cruz were bitter rivals in the 2016 Republican presidential race but mended fences after. (Salwan Georges/Detroit Free Press via USA TODAY NETWORK)

Most of all, he mended fences with Trump. Cruz gets hammered for it, swallowing his pride and forgiving (or at least forgetting) that Trump called his wife ugly and accused his father of participating in John F. Kennedys assassination. No question, its raw ambition. But another word for that is persistence.

Perhaps Cruz correctly assessed Trumps continued strength with GOP voters and didnt see a path to victory. Still, the current Republican field could use him. Theres room for a real challenge to Trump, but it has to be from someone who can bridge the partys establishment and populist base. Ron DeSantis was supposed to fill the role, but his campaign has struggled.

DeSantis and the other candidates have yet to figure out how to critique Trump and argue against his re-nomination without antagonizing voters who love him. If theres anyone who could navigate that, its a former Supreme Court lawyer and trained debater.

Instead, Cruz opted to seek a third Senate term, and its possible hell have a fight on his hands again. Democrats want Dallas congressman Colin Allred to be Beto 2.0, and he wont lack for resources if he wins the Democratic nomination.

Given Republican dominance of Texas, Cruz should win even a competitive race. His fate, ironically, will be shaped in part by who wins the race he decided to sit out. If Trump is on the ballot, Texas presidential race will be closer than usual  such is Trumps singular ability to repel voters who like Republican governance but find him unfit for office.

If Cruz wins, its hard to imagine he wont make another presidential run. Hes just 52, hes described the 2016 campaign as the most fun Ive ever had, and hes invested so much work that its impossible to see him walking away.

And yet, so much remains beyond his control, starting with where Trump or the candidates in Wednesdays debate take the party.

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HOLLAND TWP.  A local veteran is traveling across the state to bring awareness to mental health needs for veterans. And hes doing so by foot.

Travis Snyder, a United States Marine Corps veteran and 2005 graduate of Zeeland High School, is working his way up the Lake Michigan coast from Aug. 12 to Sept. 4. Snyder served in Afghanistan under Operation Enduring Freedom from 2017-18.

Travis Snyder, a Marine Corps veteran and Zeeland High School graduate, is walking the Lake Michigan coast to raise awareness for veterans' mental health.

This is Snyders fifth year walking for veterans mental health. He started this years walk at the Michigan-Indiana border and is walking one leg of his journey each day through Labor Day, when he will conclude the journey by participating in the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk.

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Snyder started walking in 2019 to raise awareness for veterans mental health after losing a friend to suicide.

My first trip was in 2019. I took off from Manistee, went six weeks around Lake Michigan and ran 10 miles for veterans suicide and mental health awareness, Snyder said. We lost one of our buddies to suicide that year that we were in Afghanistan with. That led to advocating for the cause.

Snyder walks to raise awareness of organizations providing support to veterans and raise money for them in the process.

This year Im trying to highlight different organizations along the way so that veteran men and women in the area can get more connected with the resources and organizations that we have here available to them, Snyder said.

There are so many great organizations, but its so hard to navigate and keep track of all thats out there and learning about the services they provide.

Travis Snyder began his fifth walk for veterans' mental health awareness Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023.

Eight veterans died by suicide in Ottawa County in 2021, the highest number in 12 years. That year, veterans accounted for around 6 percent of the county population, but 24 percent of suicide deaths in the county.

I think doing something like this where we can bring people together to talk about these things is what helps us find solutions that work for us, Snyder said. Mental health is so important to each and every one of us.

Snyder kicked off the Holland to Grand Haven portion of his trek Friday morning, Aug. 18, in Holland Township. He was joined by Ashley Coster, Ben Terpsma and Brad Dorland. Having local support is a huge part of Snyders efforts, with a community member offering him a place to stay every night along each of his five trips.

From left: Travis Snyder, Ashley Coster, Ben Terpsma and Brad Dorland stand for a photo Friday, Aug. 18, before embarking on a walk from Holland to Grand Haven. Snyder is walking from the Michigan-Indiana border to Mackinaw City from Aug. 12 to Sept. 4.

Through here and through Northern Michigan, the support is immense, Snyder said. People will stop and kind of play 'Where's Waldo' with me and find me to come say hi, share their story, talk about someone that theyve lost or someone thats struggling.

If I can be there to be present and listen with intent and tell them what helped me, that still goes a long way. Having support here in town and friends and family nearby to come say hi is very special.

To follow along with Snyders journey, visit his Facebook page, Veteran Mental Health: Travis' Hike Around Lake Michigan. Information on various support organizations is available on the page as well.

Subscribe: Receive unlimited access to your local news coverage

Since starting his initiative in 2019, Snyder has walked around the entirety of Lake Michigan twice, from Holland to Mackinaw City and from Manistee to Mackinaw City. As for future walks, Snyder said hes taking it a year at a time.

Every year I keep saying I dont know if I can do this again. But were still losing people, he said. As long as were losing people, Im going to keep advocating one way or another.

 Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Veteran walking across Michigan to raise awareness for mental health
It goes without saying that Democrats dont believe theyve fared particularly well at the Supreme Court in recent years. This past term was no different, as the high courts conservative majority ruled against affirmative action in higher education, sandbagged the Environmental Protection Agency, and struck down President Joe Bidens plan to alleviate the burden of student loans. Whats interesting about these and other radical acts of the Roberts Court, though, is that Democrats have watched the political fallout redound to their benefit. That probably explains why liberals lately have been content to wage war with the court using political rhetoric or strategic policy work-arounds, allowing the publics increasingly low esteem for the Supreme Court speak for itself.

But Roberts and his crew havent actually given Republicans everything theyve wantedor at least not everything to which theyve felt entitled after spending so much money and effort to purchase the Supreme Court of their dreams. And the party thats been getting the most cake from their comrades on the bench have proven, on those rare occasions where theyve not prevailed, to be pretty sore losers. Now, as Garrett Epps at The Washington Monthly reports, they seem poised to do something radical about it.

At issue is Allen v. Milligan, a case which Matt Ford recently enthused as a rare instance in which the Roberts Court actually did something good on voting rights: a 54 ruling that the state of Alabama had to draw a second majority-Black congressional district. John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh joined the liberal justices in declaring that Alabama had violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But the plaintiffs on the losing end of this case apparently plan to do something altogether different than the Democrats typically have on those numerous occasions when theyve been hard done by the Supreme Court: Theyre contemplating simply defying it.

This would be a very Alabama thing to do. As Epps recalls, former Governor George Wallace became the poster boy for defying the federal courts in 1963 when he stood in the door of the University of Alabama six months later to block a federal court order that the university admit two Black students. This is an interesting fact about the Supreme Court: They dont actually have cops on hand who can go around ensuring compliance with their orders. Those familiar with the history of the high court might remember President Andrew Jacksons semi-apocryphal response to the courts decision in Worcester v. Georgia, one of the foundational rulings enforcing tribal sovereignty in the United States: John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.

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This kind of open defiance of the court may not end up being necessary in the Alabama dispute, as Kavanaugh indicated that hed be open to resolving the matter in a different way. But Epps notes that Republicans seem unusually keyed up to go to war with a Supreme Court that mostly just delivers everything they want, gift wrapped:

Lets begin with the states; they are raring to go. Texas, for example, seems to regard Supreme Court decisions as mild suggestions. In 2021, its SB 8 abortion bill didnt merely test the boundaries of Roe v. Wade but successfully negated it, even though the landmark 1973 ruling was affirmed by the Court as recently as 2016. The Court meekly allowed that bill to take effect. Months later, after the Courts majority issued its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization and scrapped Roe, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton invited state officials to begin prosecuting LGBTQ persons for sodomy and refusing same-sex marriage licenses (both forbidden by the Court). I am surely not the only one wondering what will happen if a federal court orders Governor Greg Abbott to remove the deadly pontoons he uses to block the Rio Grande.

I wonder how the political media will respond if Republicans revive the George Wallace/Andrew Jackson style of court opposition. Back in May, I observed that the rancid coverage of the debt ceiling crisis was emblematic of the asymmetrical way the media treats the two parties, where Republicans are allowed to exert maximal power to get what they want while Democrats are forced into the role of helpmate, permitted to step up occasionally to buffer the GOPs excesses but not to exert maximal power themselves. Its a fairly consistent pattern that puts Democrats in a bind while granting the GOP broad permission to test the limits of our norms and institutions.

So its not a great sign that The New York Times covered these goings on in Alabama with a piece headlined, Alabama Lawmakers Decline to Create New Majority-Black Congressional Districtas if the court had merely offered a suggestion that could be opted out of instead of issuing a ruling. It is hard to believe that the same paper would have treated Biden as mildly if he had, say, refused to comply with the Supreme Courts decision to scuttle his student loan relief plan. The political press seems overly vigilant about what Democrats might do in response to a wayward Supreme Court. (Even Epps is hard-pressed to deliver the examples of court defiance on the left that his piece promises.) During the last presidential campaign, they treated the mere notion that Biden might countenance court-packing as radical beyond wordsthis after largely treating the GOPs refusal to grant Merrick Garland a hearing as the normal stuff of politics.

In any event, Democrats arent in any rush to impose those kinds of radical reforms on SCOTUS, and as TNR contributor Simon Lazarus explains, they have good reason: For the time being, the rhetorical and political campaigns theyve waged against an unpopular court, coupled with some creative policy responses, have proven to be sufficient to mitigate some of the damage done. Whats more, liberals seem to be having an influence on the justices themselves: In Allen v. Milligan, Roberts was able to temper his previously well-documented hostility to the Voting Rights Act, which Lazarus chalks up to the fact that liberals have been highly effective politically of late, even as theyve faced adversity from the court. Still, if that adversity ever gets to be too much, it will be worth remembering that the GOP has made it fair game to openly defy the courts rulings.

This article first appeared in Power Mad, a weekly TNR newsletter authored by deputy editor Jason Linkins. Sign up here.
An artists sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Lucy Letby being questioned by her defence lawyer Ben Myers in the dock at Manchester Crown Court - Elizabeth Cook/PA

Five years have passed since Lucy Letby was first arrested at her home in Chester. Police banged on the door at 6am on a July morning in 2018, leading the killer nurse away in handcuffs as her father looked on.

Letby was remanded in custody after her third arrest in November 2020 and has been locked up ever since, spending a total of 1,012 days in four different prisons.

Penal experts predict that, due to the heinous nature of her crimes  Letby was found guilty this week of murdering seven newborns and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016  she will spend the rest of her life behind bars.

Unlike other prisoners serving life sentences, however, Letby is expected to be given a whole life order  making her only the fourth female defendant in British history to have no hope of parole.

She joins the ranks of Rose West, serial killer Joanna Dennehy and the late Moors murderer Myra Hindley, all notorious for their depraved, remorseless acts.

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Whole life orders, explains Tom Nicholson, a leading criminal barrister at Two Harcourt Buildings, are extremely rare, especially among women.

While an ordinary life sentence comes with a minimum term the prisoner must serve before they can be considered for release, a whole life order is different, he said. It means that they will never be released or considered for release, by order of the court.

Gender is not part of sentencing policy, but its inevitable that there is an inherent bias in the system. There will be judgements made around risk and mitigating factors, which may benefit female criminals more than male. It means that very few women have received this sort of order.

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, there are currently around 70 whole-life prisoners in this country, among them Milly Dowler killer Levi Bellfield, Michael Adebolajo, the man who murdered British soldier Lee Rigby, Mark Bridger, who abducted and murdered five-year-old April Jones, and Wayne Couzens, the ex-police officer who kidnapped, raped and killed Sarah Everard in 2021.

Rose West is serving a whole life sentence - PA

The sentence  the most severe punishment under English criminal law  was introduced in 1983 as a way of condemning exceptionally severe crimes by defendants over the age of 21.

While prisoners sentenced to life serve an average of 16.5 years in prison, whole-lifers do not have any prospect of release as their case is not subject to periodic review by the Parole Board. Life, in this instance, really does mean life.

So what makes the Letby case suitable for such a stringent order?

There are, after all, plenty of female criminals  including Beverley Allitt, a former nurse dubbed The Angel of Death whose case is strikingly similar to Letbys  who are serving ordinary life sentences, and will, one day, most likely be set free.

Mr Nicholson explained: Most whole-life prisoners are murderers or multiple murderers. Not only that, but their crimes have extreme aggravating circumstances, such as those involving children or sexual offences, murders of police officers or murders linked with terrorism.

Its purely punitive. The offence is so bad that rehabilitation isnt deemed possible. The rest of your life is forfeit; its all about punishment for committing such a terrible crime.

Inside Lucy Letby prison

By ensuring Letby spends the rest of her life in prison, the court is also making a judgement based on risk: if she were to be released in 16 years, aged 49, there is a chance she might re-offend.

But others arent so certain its the right punishment for such a young offender.

The question of whether prison is even the best place for her, let alone for the rest of her natural life, has got to be asked, said Yvonne Jewkes, professor of criminology at the University of Bath.

Weve become a more punitive nation since the likes of Beverley Allitt [who received 13 life sentences  but not a whole life order  for murdering infants under her care at a Lincolnshire hospital in 1991 and, having served 30 years, is now eligible for parole]. According to the Prison Reform Trust, the public believes that sentences are still too lenient, despite their lengths increasing over the last 25 years, meaning Letby will likely be treated more harshly than someone who committed those crimes a decade ago.

Beverley Allitt, a former nurse dubbed 'The Angel of Death' whose case is strikingly similar to Letbys - David Giles/PA Wire

Indeed, sentencing data shows that 36 whole-life orders  over half those currently in force  have been issued since 2013, indicating their use is on the rise.

Letby is expected to start her sentence at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, where shes already served time, the largest womens prison in Europe and home to some of Britains most sadistic killers.

Dennehy and West both spent time there before being transferred, and current inmates include Shauna Hoare, who killed teenager Becky Watts in 2015, and al-Qaeda fanatic Roshonara Choudhry, who stabbed Labour MP Stephen Timms in 2010.

Bronzefield, which holds over 550 prisoners, made headlines three years ago amid reports inmates were being offered New Age-style activities including yoga, Pilates, tai chi and meditation at a new holistic wellness centre opened inside the maximum-security institution.

But Mark Leech, a prisons expert, ex-offender and editor of The Prison Oracle website, said Letbys life will be far from comfortable.

Shell be whats known as a restricted status prisoner: the female equivalent of Category A, he explained. Shell be on suicide watch and it will be some time before she gets to mingle with the main prison population  at least six months.

Lucy Letby

Initially, he explained, Letby will be kept in the hospital wing of the prison  to assess her mental and physical health, as well as her safety from other prisoners  before being moved to a cell on her own.

Her life for much of the next few years is going to be a lonely one. Shell associate mostly with prison officers, her key worker in the prison and one or two cleaners  but much of that interaction will be through the hatch in her cell door.

She wont be able to do much, other than read newspapers or books and watch TV. Shell get one hour of exercise by herself each day. She will be able to phone her family and receive visits from them, but the police will have to vet them first.

Britains worst child murderers before Lucy Letby

Though Letbys parents, Susan and John, attended every day of her nine-month trial at Manchester Crown Court, HMP Bronzefield is 212 miles  almost a four-hour drive  from the family home in Chester, making regular visits difficult.

Prof Jewkes said the main focus for the next few years will be Letbys safety. She may well have a price on her head. At best, shell be subjected to extreme bullying and intimidation. At worst, she might be in quite considerable physical danger.

Every time shes taken out of her cell she will have to be accompanied by several prison officers. As well as everything else, thats an extremely costly undertaking.

Eventually, she said, like West, who has over time been allowed to participate in reading groups, baking competitions and given freedom of movement around the grounds of HMP New Hall, West Yorkshire, Letby will be permitted some leisure time.

Moors murderer Myra Hindley - Corbis/Getty

At first, shell get a lot of psychological help and psychiatric treatment. It will be a while before she participates in group activities.

But they will need to find ways to keep her busy  she might do an Open University degree, or an art therapy course, and she might be given certain small privileges, like access to a computer.

Mr Leech says Letby is unlikely to make friends in prison. There will almost certainly be people who want to get close to her, but for all the wrong reasons, he added.

Any relationship she does build is going nowhere, as every other prisoner in there will be released, at some point or another. This can be difficult mentally, as it compounds the sense of isolation.

As for the future, he predicted it will be 20 years before shes moved to a low-security prison.

Whole life orders may, like any other sentence, be overturned on appeal, but this has only happened in a handful of cases  and is highly unlikely in Letbys. They may also be reversed on exceptional compassionate grounds, but, to date, these have never been found.

Shes got to come to terms with the gravity of what shes done, why she did it, and the devastation shes caused to the lives of others, said Mr Leech. But shes got the rest of her life to do that. Shes going nowhere: she will die behind bars.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a Texas girl last week.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez is expected to be charged with capital murder in the death of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, the Pasadena County Police Department announced on Saturday. Mr Garcia-Rodriguez was taken into custody by the Shreveport Police Department in Louisiana and will be extradited to Texas in the following days.

He is accused of sexually assaulting Maria and strangling her to death before placing her body in a laundry basket under her bed. Marias father Carmelo Gonzalez, who had received text messages from her daughter saying someone was knocking on the door, found the body when he returned home from work on 12 August.

Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said during a press conference on Friday that detectives had talked to and taken DNA samples from Mr Garcia-Rodriguez on the day that Maria was found. He clarified that Mr Garcia-Rodriguez lived in the Gonzalezs apartment complex.

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Marias family issued a statement to KHOU 11 thanking detectives for their commitment to finding justice for the family.

We want to say thank you to the Pasadena Police Department and to Louisiana police and any officials that participated in bringing this cold-blooded murderer into custody. This arrest has brought the family and community some peace. We are extremely thankful that he cannot cause this type of pain to anybody again.

The statement continued: I ask for those who are in charge to give us justice. May he be burdened with the full weight of the law, for what he has done to my daughter.

Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez was arrested in Louisiana and will be extradited to Texas to face capital murder charges (Pasadena Police Department)

Police said that Maria was in communication with her father on the morning of her murder. Mr Gonzalez told her not to open the door amd asked a family member who lives near the complex to check on Maria, but he wasnt able to find her.

I left her alone in the apartment and she was sending voice notes saying that someone was on the door. I told her not to open the door and that I was leaving work, an emotional Mr Gonzalez told Univision in Spanish.

Maria Gonzalez was sexually assaulted an mrudered on 12 August when her father was at work (Amador Saput/Facebook)

Mr Gonzalez eventually found Marias remains wrapped inside two plastic bags and stuffed inside a basket. The medical examiner determined that Maria was sexually assaulted and that her cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation and blunt force head and neck trauma.

Maria had immigrated to the US with her father four years ago and they had moved into their apartment just three months ago.

Pasadena police said that Mr Garcia-Rodriguez also immigrated from Guatemala and surrendered to border officers in El Paso, NewsNation. reported.
One man was killed in a shooting in Orlando late Friday evening, police say.

It happened at the Oak Glen Apartments on Mercy Drive. An adult male was shot and killed.

READ: Human remains found in Marion County believed to be woman missing for nearly a year

The suspect is still outstanding, police said.

No further information was immediately available.

READ: Orlando police search for person of interest in homicide

Check back later for more details.

READ: Man charged with murder in connection with death of Orange County Jail inmate, deputies say

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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.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan.  A 22-Year-old man admits to pistol-whipping and robbing a man inside a Leavenworth, Kansas apartment earlier this year.

Antonio F. Nelson pled guilty Friday to aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, according to the Leavenworth County Attorneys Office.

911 call for prowler leads to brutal homicide in Kansas Citys Northland

Court documents say Nelson went to the victims apartment on Jan. 3. A short time after arriving he told the victim he was thirsty and when the victim return with water, Nelson and another man wearing a ski mask were waiting for him.

Nelson hit the victim with a gun and continued to pistol-whip him, eventually grabbing a rope and putting it around the victims neck until the victim lost conciseness, court documents say.

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Court documents say when the victim regained conciseness, he found that multiple guns had been taken from his apartment.

Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android

Nelson is set to be sentenced on September 27 at 1 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Working at a vehicle inspection site in Katy, Texas, was never part of Jaylan Gray's plan. He'd dreamed of being a park ranger but had to quit college and give up on that dream after his mother died and his little brother, Julian, became his sole priority.

"He's my reason," Gray said when he spoke to CBS News last year. "From that day on, I swore - at all costs - I'm protecting him."

But things soon went from bad to unbearable.

Their mother had left the brothers her house, but when the big freeze hit Texas in 2021, the pipes burst and ruined everything. The contractor Gray hired to fix it took their life savings, leaving the boys to live with their last surviving relative.

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Soon, a non-profit called Katy Responds caught wind of their situation. The group fixes up houses after natural disasters, and have helped more than a hundred families. Few seemed more worthy than the Gray brothers.

Ron Peters said the group felt they "had to" help the boys, saying their situation "breaks your heart."

"They had no idea people would want to jump in and help them," Peters said.

Gray said he was "overwhelmed" by the support from the group. Thanks to an army of donors and volunteers, their home was fixed up.

Since their story was first told last year, things have only gotten better for the boys. Viewers pitched in and are now paying for Gray to go back to college, "all expenses paid," to become a park ranger. It's a "complete 180" from their prior situation, Gray said.

"Just random acts of kindness, helping me get there," he said.

Youth climate group puts social justice spin on Dungeons & Dragons

Navy SEALs to swim across Hudson River to raise money

Maui boat captain rescues children from wildfires
Police are investigating a deadly shooting near a downtown Atlanta MARTA station.

MARTA police told Channel 2 Action News around 6:12 a.m. Saturday, Atlanta police received reports of a person shot near the Garnett MARTA station on Peachtree Street SW.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

When officers arrived, they found one man on the upper level of the MARTA station who had been shot.

Atlanta police say he had been shot several times and was pronounced dead on the scene.

The mans identity has not been released.

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It is unclear what led to the shooting and if anyone has been taken into custody.

MARTA officials confirmed that rail service had not been affected.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
A North Carolina man who assaulted another man near 9th Street and the Boise River could serve as many as four years in prison.

Fourth District Judge Jason Scott sentenced Richard Lemaster, 38, to one year and six months fixed, plus two years and six months indeterminate, meaning Lemaster is eligible for parole after the first portion of his sentence.

Lemaster was on meth when the incident happened, which could have impaired his perception of the events that followed, Scott said during his sentencing hearing Aug. 11.

Lemaster thought he was protecting a young man named Cody from a group of men who broke a watermelon on his head and discussed throwing him into the river, said Dave Smethers, Lemasters public defender, during the hearing. One of those men had a rock and attacked Lemaster, who defended himself, Smethers said.

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The conflict between the two men began as a fistfight, said Denise Monn, Ada County deputy prosecutor, before Lemaster escalated it.

Monn and Smethers said Lemaster hit the other man with his cane, breaking it. Then he slashed and stabbed the man with a box cutter, Monn said.

Lemaster had a cane because he had physical disabilities, Smethers said, and he had a box cutter hanging on the outside of his backpack because he had a longstanding hobby of using it to carve walking sticks.

Its not like he armed himself and went to this altercation, Smethers said.

Lemaster was charged with felony aggravated battery with enhancement for use of a deadly weapon, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. He pleaded guilty to the aggravated battery charge, court records show. The judge dismissed the enhancement.

Monn asked for a sentence of one year and six months fixed plus three years and six months indeterminate. She said Lemaster had multiple previous felony and misdemeanor convictions.

He seems to not only struggle with substance use and alcohol use but a complete disregard for the laws which hes supposed to be abiding by, Monn said.

Smethers asked for a sentence of one year fixed and four indeterminate. Lemaster had almost served a year already, and would be transferred back to North Carolina, where he has a hold for another case and more support, Smethers said.

In a statement during the hearing, Lemaster said he believed that the man he hit was going to hurt him, and that he didnt mean to hurt the man the way he did.

I just want to go back home and try to get started again, he said.

Scott, the judge, said Lemaster had a sizable criminal history. His sentence in Idaho would allow him to take advantage of treatment opportunities before heading back to North Carolina, Scott said.

Scott delayed ruling on restitution.

North Carolina man arrested, charged 3 months after stabbing near the Boise River

A stabbing took place near the Boise River. Police are looking for the suspect
MANITOWOC - Manitowoc Police Department's participation in the annual Labor Day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign has begun.

The campaign will run Aug. 18-Sept. 4. During that time, officers throughout the state and nation will work together to get impaired drivers off the roads.

According to the Manitowoc Police Department, someone is injured or killed in an impaired-driving crash every two hours in Wisconsin.

Last year, the state saw 6,230 alcohol-related crashes, including 155 deaths. Alcohol contributed to more than a quarter of all traffic fatalities.

Drug-impaired drivers are also putting people at danger on the roads, police said. A drivers ability to safely drive a motor vehicle is compromised by drugs, including prescription and over-the-counter medications. Last year, 1,821 drug-related crashes caused 64 deaths in Wisconsin.

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The police department shared the following tips to help people stay safe:

If you plan to celebrate, identify a sober designated driver or find a safe alternative way home. Never allow someone who is impaired to get behind the wheel.

Protect yourself and your passengers every time you travel. Buckle up and put the phone down. Watch your speed and eliminate distractions.

If you suspect a driver is impaired, call 911. Provide as much detail as possible about the driver, vehicle and location.

Some bars and restaurants have programs to offer patrons a safe ride home. Use the safe ride program, public transportation or a rideshare service in your area.

SS Badger impacts tourism: Manitowoc businesses seeing fewer footprints after SS Badger's early end to season

Welcome to your weekly dose.Here is more news from throughout Manitowoc County.

Get your well water screened for nitrates during Manitowoc County Fair

Manitowoc County Soil & Water Conservation Department, in collaboration with the Home and Community Education group, will offer free well water screening for nitrates at the Manitowoc County Fair Aug. 23-27.

The fair will be held at the Expo grounds, 4921 Expo Drive. To participate in the free screening, residents can take 1/2 cup of well water in a clean container to the Merchants Building during fair hours.

The screening will be done on site, allowing individuals to receive immediate results and personalized recommendations.

Nitrates are naturally occurring compounds that can be found in groundwater, often resulting from fertilizer, animal waste and septic system runoff. High levels of nitrates in drinking water can pose health risks, particularly for infants, pregnant women and individuals with certain medical conditions.

For more about the free screenings, contact the Manitowoc County Soil & Water Conservation Department at 920-683-4183.

Facing mentor shortage, Big Brothers Big Sisters launches It Takes Little to be Big campaign

Big Brothers Big Sisters WI Shoreline, in partnership with the national BBBS organization, is launching It Takes Little to be Big, a national campaign with the goal of engaging 1 million alumni, potential volunteer mentors and donors across the country to get involved and invest in the BBBS mission.

In Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties, the mentor shortage is felt by 176 children on a waitlist for mentors.

As an example of the long wait children face, the organization said Mason, its longest-waiting little, is now 14 but has been on the waitlist since he was 9.

Big Brothers Big Sisters logo

Among potential mentors, time is the biggest concern to getting involved, but the organization said even the smallest commitment can have an impact. Most Bigs report spending about 4 hours a month with their Little, BBBS said.

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor can connect with the organization at bbbswishoreline.org or by calling 920-458-0111.

Mid-Lakes Thresheree returns to Historical Society Sept. 9-10

Experience the roots of Wisconsins agricultural past during two days of antique farming re-creations, hands-on demonstrations, farmhand contests, food and more at the Mid-Lakes Thresheree from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 9-10 at Manitowoc County Historical Society, 924 Pinecrest Road, Manitowoc.

Whether its making butter in the Cheese Factory, seeing antique farm machines at work, or a stroll through 25 interactive historic structures, theres always something exciting happening at the Thresheree.

Activities on site include live field demonstrations with operating farm equipment from the 1890s through 1960s, hands-on agricultural activities and contests, and steam engines.

Field-to-fork interactive demonstrations will be offered, along with farmhand contests for all ages.

Threshing crew at Manitowoc County Historical Society.

A childrens farm auction will be held both days during which youth can complete chores throughout the day to earn money to buy an item at the auction.

The feature for the 2023 show is Vintage Work Trucks and Ford Tractors.

Food and refreshments will be available throughout the day.

Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for ages 4-17, and free for those younger than 4 and museum members. FFA and 4H participants will get free admission Sept. 10. No carry-ins are allowed.

Manitowoc events: Lakeshore Balloon Glow, last swim of summer at Aquatic Center among Manitowocs cant-miss events

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The Herald Times Reporter's 2022 Best of Division B award, earned in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest.

The Herald Times Reporter earned the top award, Best in Division B, for all newspapers in the state with daily circulation of less than 9,999 in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest. The Best in Division award came after the Manitowoc paper won 14 individual awards in the contest, including five first place, three second place, five third place and an honorable mention. Read more about the awards and follow links to the award-winning content by clicking here.

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This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc police target drunk drivers in Labor Day Drive Sober effort
Bomb scare on flight prompts evacuation of passengers in India

Xinhua) 10:23, August 19, 2023

NEW DELHI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Airport authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi on Friday ordered the evacuation of passengers from a Pune-bound flight following a bomb threat call, officials said.

The call was received through the airport's call center when the boarding of the Delhi-Pune Vistara flight was underway.

The bomb scare reportedly caused a temporary disruption at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

Immediately after the call, the passengers were evacuated, and the aircraft was subjected to thorough checking by the anti-sabotage squad. However, nothing suspicious was found.

Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
Marietta neighbors will give you the shirts off their backs, or theyll at least donate so you can get a new one, according to a study from GoFundMe.

The crowdsourcing platform has named the cities across the country that donated the most money in 2022.

The Cobb County city is at the top of the list.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

According to GoFundMe, over 10,000 Marietta natives donated between $21 and $50 last year. Some of their favorite stories to donate to involved animals and children. They donated $73,000 to support animals and helped fund more than 100 adoptions.

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To celebrate their generosity, GoFundMe and the City of Marietta are teaming up for a fun-filled day featuring an art exhibit, giveaways, photo opportunities and a community concert at Glover Park on Friday, August 25 at 7 p.m.

TRENDING STORIES:

Marietta wasnt the only metro Atlanta city that made the list. Alpharetta came in at number seven.

For the state as a whole, Georgia ranked seventh. Vermont was named the most generous state.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
A Marine died during a nighttime live-fire exercise at Camp Pendleton, California, on Thursday, the service said in a statement.

The Marine, who was a student at the School of Infantry-West, was not named in the statement because, according to a Marine Corps spokesman, their next of kin were only notified Friday morning.

"An investigation into the circumstances of the death is ongoing and the command is fully cooperating with the investigation efforts," the statement added.

Read Next: Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps

The statement did not specify whether the death was firearm related.

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The School of Infantry is the second stop for every Marine following graduation from basic training. The school is geared at training Marines on common combat skills and basic infantry tactics before many go on to receive their job-specific training.

The Marine Corps has two infantry schools -- School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton and School of Infantry-East at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

The Marine Corps has had some issues with recruits dying during basic training over the last several years. Five Marine recruits have died at Parris Island in South Carolina in the last two years.

The death of one of those recruits -- Dalton Beals in 2021 -- led to a charge of negligent homicide against one of his drill instructors. A military jury found him not guilty in July.

The Marine Corps statement said that the school "is providing support to the family and peers of the deceased during this difficult time."

-- Drew Lawrence contributed to this report

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Marine Drill Instructor Charged in Hot Weather Death of Recruit
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to defend the leader of the Proud Boys militia group after the Justice Department (DOJ) announced it is seeking a 33-year sentence for his role in planning the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Enrique Tarrio was found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May, the most serious charge brought against anyone related to the riots. A 33-year sentence is the longest requested and would be the longest handed down in the Capitol riot cases, if accepted by a judge.

You know who the Justice Department is not seeking 33 years in prison for? Greene said on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. Antifa/BLM violent rioters who burned, looted, destroyed $2 billion in property in George Floyd riots. And Hunter Biden and Joe Biden for taking criminal bribes selling political influence and favors.

Tarrio and three others were convicted of plotting to halt the count of electoral votes and potentially overturn the results of the 2020 election. A fifth member of the group was acquitted on seditious conspiracy charges but convicted on other felonies.

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During the trial, prosecutors said Proud Boys saw themselves as Donald Trumps army and significantly contributed to breaches of the Capitol Building throughout the day.

The defendants understood the stakes, and they embraced their role in bringing about a revolution, prosecutors wrote in court filings. They unleashed a force on the Capitol that was calculated to exert their political will on elected officials by force and to undo the results of a democratic election.

The foot soldiers of the right aimed to keep their leader in power, the prosecutors continued. They failed.

Greene has previously claimed that the Justice Department is weaponized for political purposes, in relation to the special counsel prosecution of former President Trump. She and other Republicans have criticized the Department for perceived bias in its prosecutions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a special counsel last week to investigate Hunter Biden, President Bidens son. The younger Biden has been under investigation for nearly five years by Delaware prosecutors and was accused of tax and firearms crimes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A Maryland resident has tested positive for the state's first case of a locally acquired strain of malaria in more than 40 years, officials confirmed Friday.

The unnamed person, who was hospitalized and is now recovering, did not recently travel out of the country or to other states with recent locally acquired malaria cases, the Maryland Department of Health said in a statement.

Malaria was once common in the United States, including in Maryland, but we have not seen a case in Maryland that was not related to travel in over 40 years, Maryland Department of Health Secretary Laura Herrera Scott said in the statement. We are taking this very seriously and will work with local and federal health officials to investigate this case.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. People with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like illness. Left untreated, they may develop severe complications and die.

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Symptoms usually appear seven to 30 days after an infective bite and include high fever, chills, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting, Maryland health department officials said.

About 2,000 cases of malaria are reported annually nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But he vast majority of cases in the country occur in people traveling abroad, the CDC noted. The risk of locally acquired malaria is "extremely low" in the US, according to the agency.

How to protect yourself from malaria

Maryland health department officials recommend these steps to protect yourself from malaria:

Use insect repellent with DEET on exposed skin.

Wear loose-fitting, long sleeved clothing when possible.

Keep windows and doors closed or covered with screens.

Empty standing water at least once a week to stop mosquitoes from laying eggs.

Repair broken screening on windows, doors, porches and patios.

Before travelling, learn about the health risks and precautions for malaria and other diseases for your destination.

Before travelling internationally, ask your health care provider for current recommendations on prescription medications to prevent malaria.

If you have traveled to an area where malaria transmission occurs more often and you develop symptoms like fever, chills, headache, body aches, and fatigue, seek urgent medical care and tell your health care provider that you have traveled.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maryland resident tests positive for locally acquired malaria strain
Massachusetts college students can locate food resources, like the El Buen Samaritano Food Program, through the websites of the state's two main food banks, Greater Boston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Checklists for college students abound from those issued by big-box stores to offerings by websites like Best Colleges, College Made Easy, Dormify or College Info Geek, listing items like linens, alarm clocks, lamps and even dorm decor.

But more important for all Massachusetts public college students is the information not listed on those sites: how to find food if they are hungry. And not just for late-night munchies but nutritious meals that helps them focus, study and learn.

If students are hungry, theyre not learning, said Sean Simonini, a senior at UMass Lowell who serves as the vice chair of the Board of Directors of MASS PIRG, a partner in the Hunger Free Campus Initiative.

State legislators took a giant step earlier this month in addressing childhood hunger by enacting a permanent universal school meals measure in the fiscal 2024 budget, allocating $172 million to fund the initiative. Legislators also included $1 million for the Hunger-Free Campus Initiative designed to jump-start the issue of hidden hunger experienced by more than a third of Massachusetts university students.

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Proposed legislation would also offer technical assistance to public institutions to create a permanent framework for identifying and addressing food insecurity. The bill also encourages meal vendors on public state university, college and community college in Massachusetts to accept federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

But for now, what do students need to know?

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has a whole page dedicated to student basic needs security. In addition to explaining the program, it lists resources available at many community colleges as well as the UMass system and other public universities.

Kate Adams, the public policy manager at the Greater Boston Food Bank, said a visit to the Need Food page of the Greater Boston Food Banks website will direct people to local food pantries and food resources. For example, entering one of Somervilles zip codes, 02143, resulted in 20 places to find food in the city; from soup kitchens run by faith-based organizations to the organization Food For Free.

The GBFB website also has a link to the federal SNAP with videos and texts, as well as a phone number, for help in filling out the forms. Also on the site, assurances that applying for SNAP benefits do not deprive others of federal funding, that they are not a loan that requires reimbursement, and that being accepted for SNAP also qualifies people for other benefits including discounts for utilities and the states Health Incentive Program.

And in the western reaches of the state, students can access information through the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Each campus has its own resources, Adams said, explaining that some colleges are very proactive in identifying and addressing the problem of food insecurity while others may be lagging behind. Once the proposed legislation passes, and Adams is hopeful it will, every public institution of higher learning will be directed to create a mechanism to identify and remediate the hidden hunger.

The bill is enjoying bipartisan support, said Rep. Andres Vargas, D-Haverhill, one of the sponsors of the bill with Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst. The Senates companion bill is sponsored by Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem.

Simonini suggests that students seek out the help they need and ask campus advisers how they can access food resources.

If you dont know where to go:,ask, Simonini said, Ask, Who can I talk to about food access? Once you find the right person, be comfortable asking for help. The biggest obstacle to overcome is pride.

Schools have already invested in these supports, Simonini pointed out.

At Simonini's school, UMass Lowell has the Strive Pantry, and Bunker Hill Community College has DISH Pantry. Many of the pantries offer more than just food. Local housing supports can be listed, as well as other places to access food. Some even list services for pregnant or new mothers, and for older, nontraditional or returning students who support families.

Resources vary greatly by campus, Simonini said. Supports can be short-term or last through a four-year college career. These long-term supports could be in the form of SNAP or WIC benefits or even just regular deliveries of on-campus meals.

Some campuses have created a single point of contact system that puts all information in one place, so students do not have to jump from website to website, department to department, to get the information and services they seek.

Big on certain campuses is the meal swipe donation program, which allows students who have not taken all the meals on their paid-for plan to donate the leftovers to a bank. Students without meal plans can access those donations.

Students go to school to learn, study and advance their careers; to obtain economic mobility, Simonini said. If they are hungry, they arent studying.

Hungry students often face the choice between textbooks or meals, extracurricular activities, clubs, internships or food.

In discussing his bill, Vargas noted that the state had taken steps to address the issue of childhood hunger.

When kids graduate, they dont stop being hungry when they go to college, Vargas said.

Food resources at community colleges and state universities

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Food insecurity: an impediment to learning even in college
Mecklenburg Countys voluminous paper court records will go digital on Oct. 9, the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts announced Friday, amid reported problems in other counties and a proposed class action lawsuit that is still in its early stages.

The move to the new eCourts system will be transformational, Mecklenburg County Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch said, and will increase access, transparency and efficiency. But others worry that apparent problems in pilot counties might carry over  some acknowledged by the AOC and others outright denied.

Court records will be searchable online at no cost to the public, and attorneys and self-represented parties will be able to file court documents electronically, among other features, according to the AOC.

I think its going to put court files at the fingertips of lawyers and litigants, Trosch said. I think it creates greater transparency, it increases access to justice.

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Courthouse staff have been prepping for the transition over the last 18 months, and Mecklenburg County has the benefit of following the first phase of the statewide roll-out, she said.

Elizabeth Trosch

The new system launched in four pilot counties  Harnett, Johnston, Lee and Wake  earlier this year. Lawyers were quick to report problems, including private information going public, clients being wrongfully detained and the system being plain slow. The AOC delayed a May roll-out for Mecklenburg County because of the issues.

Frankly, we have benefited greatly from the lessons learned in the pilot counties, Trosch said.

Bugs have been fixed, new features have been added and courthouse staff have had the chance to learn how to use the system, she said.

But others in the legal system are still anxious.

Some still have eCourts concerns

A lawsuit filed in federal court in May alleged damages exceeding $5 million from eCourts. Wake County resident Timia Chaplin was arrested twice on the same warrant, and Lee County resident Paulino Castellanos was wrongly held in jail for 14 days, the complaint said.

In Chaplins case, on March 4 she was arrested for failing to appear in court, according to the lawsuit. It says that she was released on bond, and showed up March 16 for a new court date, where charges against her were dismissed. But she was arrested again on the failure-to-appear warrant because, although her case had been resolved, Odyssey did not communicate that resolution to eWarrants, in contravention of the softwares intended design.

Castellanos was arrested on Feb. 10. He was unable to pay the bond for his case, and his attorney started to work for his release, according to the lawsuit.

Castellanos has severe arthritis, which often limits his movement and confines him to a wheelchair, the lawsuit says. But Lee County officials couldnt find his case in the new system, even as they had started the transition to digital files Feb. 13. Although his original file was lost, a formal indictment against him on Feb. 13 created a new one. Two days later he was able to move for a bond reduction. The court granted his motion that afternoon, and ordered that he be released with electronic monitoring pending trial, the lawsuit says. He was further delayed when there was purportedly no available monitoring device, it says.

Had Defendants exercised due care in the adoption and implementation of eCourts, Mr. Castellanos could have moved for and received a bond reduction on the day of his arrest, avoiding spending any longer than a few hours in jail, it said.

As North Carolina transitions its court systems from paper to digital, hundreds of people have been unlawfully detained, the lawsuit claimed.

The problems were foreseeable, it added, since vendor Tyler Technologies has struggled in previous software roll-outs in Texas, California, Tennessee and Indiana.

The Texas-based company was awarded a $100 million contract over 10 years to implement North Carolinas new system.

One of the attorneys representing plaintiffs in that lawsuit, Durham-based Gagan Gupta, told The Charlotte Observer that he was surprised by Fridays announcement. Since filing the lawsuit, he and others representing the plaintiffs have received more than 100 calls about problems stemming from eCourts, he said.

The point of the pilot program, as we understand it, was to iron out any kinks, he said. I think the expectation was that those kinks would be small. Turns out those kinks are huge. And theyre so big that they are causing clear constitutional violations of peoples rights.

In a memo to court staff Friday, AOC Director Ryan Boyce focused on highlights.

Parties have made nearly 300,000 court filings using eCourts File & Serve and Odyssey. Over 10,000 daily searches of court records were conducted with Portal, resulting in countless saved trips to the courthouse and calls to the clerks office, he said. And the pilot phase has enabled AOC, pilot county staff, and our vendor to resolve software issues and make enhancements to digital court processes, resulting in a much-improved system for statewide implementation.

Letter: Transition hasnt been easy

Spokespersons for the AOC did not answer questions from The Charlotte Observer. But the AOC provided a letter that Boyce sent to state House Democratic Leader Robert Reives in April.

The transition has not been easy, Boyce admitted, adding that since Feb. 13 the AOC had logged and reported 573 defects to Tyler Technologies, the company that built the system.

These defects range from minor configuration issues to errors within application processes that cause significant system latency, he wrote. He added that Tyler had resolved 393 of the problems, and fixed an error that transmitted incorrect speeds on 22 speeding citations with the Department of Motor Vehicles help. The AOC mailed notices to affected drivers, letting them know about the errors, he said.

NCAOC has identified several high priority defects that must be resolved prior to further expansion and has delayed the scheduled Mecklenburg County implementation until such resolutions are validated, he wrote at the time.

But the AOC investigated and found no instance of an eCourts defect causing delayed release from incarceration, he said.

Boyce also noted work that the AOC has done to train attorneys in the four pilot counties and Mecklenburg County.

DA Merriweather asks for patience

With the roll-out pending, one local office is asking the community for patience.

Knowing the arrival of eCourts has been imminent, weve been in frequent contact with court system stakeholders in pilot counties, District Attorney Spencer Merriweathers office said in a statement.

We are aware those counties have faced formidable challenges in the implementation of this program, the statement said. While many of those challenges have been overcome, it is our understanding that others have not, as our colleagues in the pilot counties  to varying degree  continue to confront some delay in court processing and administration and data recall, among other things.

Problems might arise here, too, the statement said.

The DAs office asked for patience and grace in that event.

This story has been updated to reflect that the class action lawsuit is proposed.
Russian intelligence services have recruited a number of Ukrainian nationals in an effort to disrupt the flow of Western arms through Poland to Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Aug. 18.

The Polish authorities believe that the foiled plot posed the most serious Russian threat to a NATO country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to the Washington Post.

The plot was believed to be orchestrated by Russian military intelligence and carried out on the ground by Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

As of Aug. 18, at least 16 individuals were in Polish custody, including 12 Ukrainian refugees. Although this specific plot was thwarted, the Polish investigators said that the larger threat remained, and that the case had the potential to have political implications.

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The Ukrainian refugees, who were mostly from the eastern part of the country, were first recruited by anonymous sources to do simple, low-level tasks, such as distributing propaganda material aimed at creating tension between Poles and Ukrainians.

After this litmus test of willingness, the tasks became increasingly serious, involving outright espionage of military sites and other places where Western weapons would be transmitted.

The scheme went on for months, but eventually the poorly trained recruits made simple mistakes and were caught by Polands domestic security service, the ABW. The whole plot soon unraveled, and it is unclear what, if any, demonstrable effect it had on disrupting arms shipments.





Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
During Fridays episode of Good Morning America, co-anchor Michael Strahan and his mother, Louise, visited Shankleville, Texas, with ABC News and the 10 Million Names Project to meet their long-lost cousins for the first time.

According to GoodMorningAmerica.com, Strahans ancestry was traced back to people who were born enslaved. They were freed at the end of the Civil War and later built a self-sufficient Black community.

Theres incredible story within Michael Strahans family history that was passed down largely through oral tradition about how it is that James and Winnie Shankle were reunited in Texas, 10 Million Names chief historian Kendra Field, Ph.D., told ABC News. And it was the power of genealogy and family history that made it possible for Michael Strahan to connect up with that community all these years later.

Field explained to ABC News that Shankleville is one of more than 500 freedom colonies, or post-emancipation Black communities, in the U.S.

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Founded by formerly enslaved men, women and children, these communities were safe havens for many from the broader experience of the Jim Crow era, she added.

The search for Strahans ancestors began a few years ago, and after reviewing findings, the 10 Million Names project, which is committed to recovering the erased history of the 10 million enslaved Americans and their descendants, determined that Strahans roots are in Shankleville. Their research into Strahans background was also included on PBS Finding Your Roots. That discovery pushed Strahan to learn more about his familys background.

While in the East Texas town, Strahan and Louise met with their long-lost relatives: Lareatha Clay, Stephanie Franklin, Billy White and Phillip White. They helped fill in the gaps of their family history.

According to Clay, their ancestors Jim and Winnie Shankle were enslaved in Mississippi, and Winnie was sold to a Texan, ABC News reported.

Jim really missed her and, you know, wanted to know where she was. So, he kind of asked around and found out about where she was. And so he ran away, Clay explained to the outlet.

Jim was a runaway enslaved person, avoiding police, slave patrols and professional slave catchers so he could find Winnie. He miraculously made it 400 miles on foot across the Mississippi River and was reunited with Winnie.

There was a spring a few yards from here, and she was out, you know, gathering water, washing clothes  so, he did his little call and she was like, This sounds like Jims call. And sure enough, it was Jim, Clay added.

Jim organized his own sale by Winnies owner so he could ensure they remained together. The ended up having six children together, and Strahans family line was born.

Its a love story, Strahan said of his cousins revelations. Seems like a movie.

The Shankles were freed in 1865. and Jim later purchased more than 4,000 acres of land and built their own community. The community bloomed, and Strahan and Louise got to see some of the fruits of their ancestors effort and vision. They also visited Winnie and Jims headstone at the local cemetery. While there, Strahan noticed a familiar name on a headstone. It was his grandfather Abe.

I never had a chance to meet him, Strahan said, describing the discovery as mind-blowing.

Wow. History, he said.
Mississippi police detained a 10-year-old after an officer saw him peeing behind his mom's car.

Senatobia's police chief said the officer's decision to transport the boy to jail was an "error in judgement."

But the chief also stood by the officer's decision to refer the child to youth court.

A Mississippi police department is defending an officer's decision to refer a 10-year-old boy to youth court after he was spotted peeing behind his mother's car, but acknowledged an "error in judgment" for transporting the child to jail.

A police officer spotted Quantavious Eason peeing behind his mother's car on August 10, his mother, Latonya Eason, told local Fox affiliate WHBQ. Latonya Eason said she was inside an attorney's office, asking for legal advice, when the incident occurred.

Latonya Eason posted a photo of her son sitting in the back of the police car that same day to Facebook.

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"This is to ridiculous something really need to be done," Eason wrote in the post. Eason did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a statement, Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler said officers can refer children as young as 10 to youth court if they are deemed "in need of supervision," which is determined if they "commit acts that would be identical for an adult under identical circumstances."

"In this situation, an officer personally witnessed a 10-year-old child committing an act in public which would have been illegal for an adult under these circumstances," Chandler said in the statement. "The officer did not observe a parent on the scene during the initial contact."

Chandler said the police officer's decision to take the 10-year-old to jail was an "error in judgment" because his mother was there as a "reasonable alternative" to transport the boy to the police station.

"Mistakes like this are a reminder in this profession as to the continual need for training and refreshers on the various topics that we encounter each day," the statement said.

Latonya Eason told WHBQ she asked her son why he didn't come inside to use the bathroom. She said he was told by his sister there was no bathroom inside the office.

Latonya Eason told WHBQ the officer originally let the boy get back in her car, but a second officer arrived, who said the child had to be "arrested because he can't do that."

Quantavious Eason told the outlet that he "started crying a little bit" and didn't know what was happening when the police took him to jail.

Eason told the outlet police charged her son with being a child in need of services.

"That could really traumatize my baby," Eason said.

Read the original article on Insider
More allegations of deception against Bitwise Industries co-founders and co-CEOs Jake Soberal and Irma Olguin Jr. surfaced this week in court filings in the companys bankruptcy case in Delaware.

Two former members of the Bitwise board of directors, Mitchell Kapor and Paula Pretlow, asserted in their Aug. 16 filing that they were unaware of the companys apparently dire financial situation until it completely imploded Memorial Day weekend  despite rosy outlooks consistently provided by Soberal and Olguin.

The 365 pages of documents submitted to the bankruptcy court on Wednesday on behalf of Kapor and Pretlow were filed in opposition to an effort by a collection of Fresno-area investors and creditors to move the case from Delaware to Fresno. Those creditors suggest that because Bitwise was based in Fresno, and most of its unsecured creditors are in the region, it would be a more appropriate venue.

Bitwise was founded in 2013 as a hub for training students in software coding and website design, technology services for local companies, and providing leased space to budding technology entrepreneurs and other businesses. From those beginnings, the company embarked on a program of expanding its geographic footprint across California and, in recent years, to out-of-state communities in Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, New York, Ohio and Texas.

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But the vision came crashing down on May 29, when Soberal and Olguin abruptly announced that Bitwises 900 employees nationwide were furloughed immediately. Olguin and Soberal were fired from their positions by the board days later.

Bitwises umbrella company, BW Industries, and four of its associated entities, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on June 28.

Prior to its demise, however, Bitwises vision and the charisma of its co-CEOs attracted like-minded investors including Kapor, who founded Lotus Development Corp. in 1982 and designed the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet software. He and his wife Freada Kapor Klein co-founded Kapor Capital, investing in startups with a goal of closing gaps in opportunities in low-income and disadvantaged communities across the U.S. The couple also co-founded the Kapor Center, a technology center in Oakland that also serves people and communities of color.

Kapor joined the Bitwise board of directors in 2019, after Kapor Capital made an initial investment in Bitwise as the company sought to raise funds to expand its operations beyond its Fresno roots.

Pretlow is a former investment executive who has served on boards of directors for various companies and nonprofit organizations including Northwestern University and the Kresge Foundation. She is described in court documents as one of the early Black women pioneers in the financial industry in a career that includes stints at Wells Fargo Bank, Credit Suisse, AXA Rosenberg, Barclays Global Investors, and The Capital Group.

Pretlow became a member of the Bitwise board in October 2020 upon Kapors recommendation.

Throughout 2018 and into 2021, the reporting of a positive financial picture (for Bitwise) continued, according to court documents. In November, the company continued to present robust financials to the Board, including $67 million in cash and net income of nearly $1 million for the previous quarter.

But at a November board meeting, Soberal told members that Citibank and Goldman Sachs, as a condition of a collective $80 million investment in Bitwise, imposed what (Soberal) claimed were minimum cash covenants that the company needed to maintain. Based on Soberals statements about the investments, Kapor and Klein loaned Bitwise $4.5 million to meet the cash requirement. As we now know, Mr. Soberals representations, and others on which Mr. Kapor and the Board relied, turned out to be false, the court filing states.

The companys misrepresentations, misleading statements, and material omissions to the Board continued in 2023, Kapor and Pretlow stated in their court filing. The financials presented to the Board were falsified, and management forged directors signatures on documents used to take out loans that were hidden from the Board.

As recently as May, Mr. Kapor and his wife hosted Mr. Soberal and Ms. Olguin at their home for a weekend to strategize about Bitwises growth, court documents state. At no point during any of these calls or meetings did Mr. Soberal or Ms. Olguin inform Mr. Kapor or Ms. Pretlow that the company was in any distress, much less that the companys financials were falsified.

Over the fateful Memorial Day weekend, the court filing stated that Soberal reached out to Kapor to confess that the company was in dire financial straits and could not meet its obligations to its employees.. And at some point over the following week, Mr. Kapor and Ms. Klein were also sent an anonymous email attaching what appears to be a recording of company management joking about committing crimes and deceiving investors.

The filing asserts that because of the misrepresentations from Bitwises executives, Mr. Kapor, Ms. Klein, and the various Kapor entities stand to lose approximately $30 million given their various investments in and loans to the company.

Two other former board members, Joseph Prioetti and Ollen Douglass  who stepped in as interim president after Soberal and Olguin were fired  asked the bankruptcy court in July to allow them to move forward with a lawsuit against Soberal and Olguin, and Scottsdale Insurance Company, which could cover some legal bills for former Bitwise employees under an existing policy.

That filing, which has yet to be ruled on by U.S. District Bankruptcy Judge Mary F. Walrath, accused Soberal and Olguin of a massive scope of fraud, to the point that they ultimately destroyed the company they were charged with running, leaving hundreds of others to suffer the consequences of their misdeeds.

The Fresno Bee reached out to Soberal and Olguin for comment on the latest court filings, but neither responded to text messages as of Friday afternoon. Court documents filed Friday in the bankruptcy case indicate that Scottsdale Insurance, under the terms of the business insurance policy, has retained the TTE Law Group with offices in Los Angeles and Oregon to defend Soberal in a slew of civil lawsuits, while the law firm of Winget Spadafora Schwartzberg LLP has been hired to represent Olguin.

Possible causes of action against Bitwise leaders?

Typically, a bankruptcy case puts a hold on civil lawsuits by creditors against a debtor. But Proietti and Douglass want to lift that stay, asserting that Soberal and Olguin should not be entltled to bankruptcy protection from lawsuits or afforded coverage from the contested $5 million insurance policy for their legal bills.

In a response to that effort, bankruptcy trustee Jeoffrey Burtch requested on Aug. 11 that the judge put off the motion for three to four months to provide a chance for mediation of claims against the Bitwise directors and officers, potentially reducing claims under the insurance policy as a potential asset that can be liquidated to provide at least some relief to creditors.

In the meantime, Burtch and his legal counsel have invested hundreds of hours to develop an understanding of the Bitwise Debtors businesses and the reasons that the  businesses failed; to identify and marshal the Bitwise Debtors assets, including potential causes of action against third parties and insiders; and to craft and begin to implement a strategy to liquidate assets and maximize the return to creditors in these cases.

While considerable work remains to be done,  it is likely that claims lie against the former officers and/or the Board of Directors for breach of fiduciary duty to the Bitwise Debtors, Burtch stated in court documents. The trustee has issued subpoenas to Douglass, Proietti, Kapor and Pretlow for them to produce documents to advance the investigation.

On Friday, the court approved a separate request from Burtch to hire former Bitwise chief corporate development officer Landon Brokaw of Visalia as a consultant to help identify and evaluate possible Bitwise assets in the bankruptcy case. Brokaw, who worked for Bitwise from 2016 until the bankruptcy petition was filed in late June, had duties that included evaluation and acquisition of new business lines and companies.

Brokaws involvement with (Bitwise) over a seven-year period  uniquely qualifies him to serve as consultant to the trustee, according to court documents. Brokaw has significant background knowledge of Bitwise assets.

While the bankruptcy cases involve allegations of fraud and misrepresentations by former Bitwise officers and directors  and federal investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and Department of Labor, according to court documents  the Trustee is not aware of, and has no reason to believe Brokaw was involved in, participated in, or was even aware of the wrongdoing that is alleged to have occurred before the bankruptcy filing.

The bankruptcy trustee added in a court filing that Brokaw himself is owed more than $125,000 by Bitwise, including an unsecured loan that he made to the company for $110,000.
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on Friday talked over phone about deepening bilateral cooperation and promoting bilateral relations to a new high.

Since the beginning of this year, China-France relations have maintained a sound development momentum, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China in April was a complete success, he said, adding that the two heads of state engaged in in-depth strategic communication and charted a blueprint for developing bilateral relations.

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and will be the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism and the Year of the Olympic Games in Paris. China stands ready to work with France to take this opportunity to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, comprehensively restart exchanges in all fields and at all levels, make up for the losses caused by the pandemic, and push the China-France comprehensive strategic partnership to a new high, Wang said.

China maintains stability and continuity in its policies toward Europe, Wang said, adding that China always regards Europe as an important pole in a multipolar world and supports France in continuing to promote European Union (EU)'s adherence to strategic autonomy and play an active leading role in China-Europe relations, he added.

For her part, Colonna expressed sincere condolences on the recent floods in China. She stressed that France and Europe will adhere to strategic autonomy, oppose global fragmentation, do not accept decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains and hope to build a multipolar, balanced and peaceful world.

Colonna said France cherishes its friendship with China and attaches great importance to the critical consensus reached by the two heads of state. France is willing to take the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries to deepen practical cooperation in various fields, build bilateral relations of mutual benefit and win-win results, push for greater development of Europe-China relations and contribute to international peace and stability, she said.

The two sides also exchanged views on Ukraine, Niger and other international and regional issues of common concern.
It may be some time before local law enforcement officers know the motive behind a violent crime spree that ended in gunfire along Market Street Friday.

Local law enforcement officials and the New Hanover County District Attorneys Office have identified William Brent Gilmore, 35, as the suspect in four crimes that began around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 and ended Friday afternoon.

During a press conference Friday, Wilmington Police Chief Donny Williams said the first incident occurred when shots were fired from a vehicle into a house on Dixie Avenue in Wilmington around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. No injuries were reported.

The second incident occurred less than an hour later when police received reports of gunfire in the 4200 block of Lake Avenue. Officers arrived at the scene and found a 54-year-old woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David said the woman, who was out walking her dog, was struck at least five times, and a home behind her was struck.

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David said multiple 9-millmeter gun casings were found at both scenes. Using nearby security footage, officers were able to identify a suspect vehicle  a white sedan with a damaged front  and the car was tied back to Gilmore.

More: Police kill man suspected in Wilmington crime spree

A heavy law enforcement presence was reported Friday afternoon after an incident on Market Street.

On Saturday, Wilmington Police Department spokesman Lt. Greg Willett said while officers had identified the vehicle, the department opted not to release a photo of the car at that time. Willett said while they did have surveillance on the vehicle, Gilmore himself wasnt under physical observation, and at some point, Gilmore switched vehicles and made his way to Wrightsville Beach.

At this time, Willett said investigators dont know why Gilmore went to Wrightsville Beach and ended up at the home on Scotch Bonnet Lane, which became the scene of a third incident. At Fridays press conference, Wrightsville Beach Police Chief David Squires said the owner of the home had asked a cleaning woman to stop by the house and let in a pest control worker. The woman took her children and another child with her on the errand.

When the cleaning woman arrived at the home, she found a black SUV in the driveway with the door open. She approached the driver  who turned out to be the suspect, Gilmore  and he told her he had left an item and asked for help. Squires said at that point, the suspect became violent and forced the woman into a room in the back of the home, zip-tied and assaulted her. When her kids came to check on her, the woman escaped, and they all ran to the beach for help. There they were assisted by beachgoers who called the police, and one citizen got a description of the vehicle and relayed it officers.

Squires said at that point, the suspect fired shots and fled in the black SUV, ending up around Market Street  the scene of the final incident. Williams said as the suspect fled, officers located and attempted to stop the vehicle. When that was unsuccessful, they conducted a pit maneuver, and afterward, Williams said Gilmore fled and began firing at officers. Officers returned fire, killing him.

Willett said no officers or citizens were injured in the shootout. He noted as of Friday afternoon, the 54-year-old woman injured in the drive-by shooting was listed in stable condition. The victim has since been identified as Shelley Lancaster of Wilmington.

More: Man suspected of Wilmington-area crime spree had a criminal history

Willett said local authorities were familiar with Gilmore as he had ties to Wilmington and a criminal history, which included possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At this point, authorities dont know how Gilmore obtained the firearm he used in the incidents. Willett said the SBI would likely determine that during its investigation. It is also unknown where Gilmore was living at the time or what motivated him to commit these violent acts.

Willet said it was chaotic as the events of Friday afternoon unfolded along Market Street. While the road is typically busy, traffic from move-in day at UNCW added to the traffic volume, and the road was closed as officers attempted to secure the scene.

Its unfortunate everything ended the way it did yesterday, Willett said Saturday morning. Its extraordinarily fortunate that no other folks were hit. Were all thankful for that. As far as were concerned, everybody involved did exactly what they were supposed to do, and it worked out for the citizens.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington police were tracking suspect's vehicle ahead of shootout
A Swiss national and 13 Myanmar citizens were arrested by the military junta on August 8 for working on a film authorities say harms Buddhist culture and tradition, state-funded media has reported.

According to the junta, all 14 people allegedly worked on the film Dont Expect Anything, which was released on July 24 on YouTube and TikTok, Myawady Daily said.

Myawady added that the junta believe that the film is intended to mislead audiences about Buddhists and Buddhist monks, and that it harms Buddhist culture and tradition.

Despite (that) the main characters were Buddhists themselves, their behaviors and words were reckless to the point it insulted the dignity and morality of the Buddhist monks, the junta said according to Myawady Daily, adding that those detainees will be effectively taken action in line with law.

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A spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs told CNN Saturday that it was aware of the case and clarifications were underway. The local Swiss representation is in contact with the relevant authorities, the spokesperson added.

CNN has contacted the Swiss embassy in Yangon for comment.

Religion is a sensitive subject in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. A Dutch tourist was sentenced to three months hard labor in 2016 after unplugging a speaker relaying a sermon.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
Another day another coup in West Africa - this time in Niger, a country few Americans have ever heard of. On July 26, General Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard, deposed and arrested his boss, President Bazoum, and after a few days of drama declared himself the new head of state. Does it matter a whit for folks in Lubbock?

Weve all heard Benjamin Franklins saying: For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. The proverbs cascading losses leading to ever greater harm is very much at play with Nigers coup, and the US  along with the international community  should beware.

Niger, a country about twice the size of Texas, is a landlocked nation of 27 million plus people in Africas Sahel zone  a region of ten countries between the Sahara Desert and the wetter savanna stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. The region is about the size of Australia, with over 135 million people who are among the worlds poorest (living on less than $2 per day). In Niger, the poverty rate is 43% and the nations birth rate is also highest in the world with women averaging 8 children. While the people are poor, the nations are rich  with a variety of mineral resources ideally suited for the 21st century economy. For example, Niger has Africas highest-grade uranium and produces about 5% of global output.

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In recent years the Sahel has become ground zero for global terrorism with 43% of all terrorism- related deaths in the world in 2022. This is more than the combined total from South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. So why the Sahel? The reasons are many and complex and would require a book-long analysis. The short version: terrorism is thriving in the Sahel because of the regions history with French colonialism, autocratic and corrupt governments which dont provide services, low levels of education  especially for women, and the peoples lack of economic opportunities and basic freedoms. Niger itself is threatened by at least five terror groups  some allied with ISIS, some with al-Qaeda, and some unaffiliated. The rapid growth of terrorism has also been aided by Sahelian governments instability -- with six coups in the region since 2020.

Trying to stem the tide of extremism have been the nations themselves, with significant help from ex-colonial power France and United Nations Peacekeepers (in Mali) and limited support from a handful of European nations. The US has also been a major supporter of counter-terrorism efforts and currently has about 1,000 military personnel in Niger along with two bases, one of which conducts drone missions throughout the region. (Some may recall the deaths of four US soldiers in Niger in 2017.) But its been a losing effort, and extremist influence, presence and violence is spreading through the region like a virus, because terrorism cannot be defeated by military means alone. If you eliminate one set of bad guys but leave a vacuum without filling it with effective government, another set of bad guys will arise, worse than the previous. This has led to popular frustration  taken out on local governments and the French because of their colonial baggage  and led to the coups. And after the coups, two of the

countries  Mali and Burkina Faso - have kicked out the French forces and turned to Wagner, Russias brutal mercenaries, to try and defeat the terrorists.

Niger was the last country in the region standing with a democratically elected government, and it had recently undergone the first civilian to civilian presidential transfer in its history. The nation was also better governed than other Sahelian nations and was starting to make some headway against the extremists. While the reasons why General Tchiani launched the coup remain uncertain  with some claiming it was a personal grudge because he was set to lose his job, while others say it was a wider discontent within the military  the ramifications for the region and the global order are dire.

I hope Im wrong, but the coup could well succeed  as have the others. These events have almost become like Kabuki theater: a president is overthrown and arrested; a group of uniformed military appear on national TV calling themselves the Committee to Save the Nation (or some such); the regional body ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) issues an ultimatum to return to constitutional order or face military action; the African Union, the UN, the US, the EU, etc., all condemn the coup; the new military government charges the former president with corruption or treason but eventually finds a way to exile him; and the international community changes its focus to negotiate a democratic transition schedule and learns to live with the new regime. While ECOWAS claims that this time its response will be more robust, I wouldnt bet the ranch.

America is especially caught in a dilemma when such coups occur. Simply officially calling it a coup invokes US laws which require us to eliminate or reduce our development and security assistance. We may also sanction the coup leaders. Other Western countries usually do the same. This, of course, gives a boost to the terrorists and invites the new regime to turn to Russia for military help, or to China for economic deals. And if Wagner mercenaries come into Niger as they have into Mali, they will only be effective in terrorizing innocent Nigeriens and increase the extremists appeal. In addition, they will likely get their hands on Nigers uranium  which can then end up in North Korea or Irans bomb making; a scenario which would threaten US national security. Another really bad result would be the expanding terrorist threat to countries along Africas Atlantic coast  e.g., Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, etc.  where the US has significant interests. And of course, the increased violence and instability would launch new massive waves of refugees and migrants towards neighboring countries and Europe.

So yes, the coup in Niger matters to all of us. And this time we need to end the theater and apply maximum pressure  to include providing material support to an ECOWAS military operation if needed  to eject the generals and return the government to the democratically elected President. That is clearly in Americas interest.

Ambassador Tibor Nagy was most recently Assistant Secretary of State for Africa after serving as Texas Techs Vice Provost for International Affairs and a 30-year career as a US Diplomat. Follow him on Twitter @TiborPNagyJr

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tibor Nagy, How a coup in Niger matters to folks in West Texas
The Nampa Police Department is searching for a suspect after a hit-and-run incident left a 29-year-old man with serious injuries.

About 10:50 p.m. Friday, the departments dispatch received a 911 call reporting that the Nampa man had been hit by a car and the suspect had fled the scene, according to a news release from the department. The incident occurred in the 16000 block of North Franklin Boulevard.

The victim was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police said they believe the suspects vehicle is a medium-sized passenger car that likely has been damaged in the front from striking the pedestrian. A witness told police that the suspect fled on North Franklin Boulevard toward Birch Lane.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Southwest Idaho at 208-343-2677 or submit an online tip at 343cops.com. The tips can be anonymous and there might be an opportunity to earn a reward.

Police are also asking anyone who might have cameras in the area to review their footage and contact the department if they find anything that could help the investigation.

If you were involved in this hit-and-run crash, or if you have information, please do the right thing and contact Crime Stoppers, the release said.

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image of reddish-brown martian dirt with some grayish rocks, taken from a height of about 30 feet.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter has taken to alien skies yet again.

The 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity conducted its 55th flight on Aug. 12, covering a fair bit of Red Planet ground in the process.

"Ingenuity has now successfully flown on Mars 55 times! On its latest flight, the #MarsHelicopter flew 866 feet (264 m) for 143 seconds at a height of 32.8 feet (10 m)," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, which manages the little chopper's mission, wrote via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday (Aug. 16).

Related: Mars helicopter Ingenuity phones home, breaking 63-day silence

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Those figures aren't records for the rotorcraft, by the way: Ingenuity has reached a maximum altitude of 59 feet (18 m), and it flew a whopping 2,310 feet (704 m) horizontally on one of its sorties.

Ingenuity has now covered a total of 41,024 feet (12,503 m) of ground and stayed aloft for nearly 98 minutes on its 55 flights, mission team members wrote on the chopper's flight log.

RELATED STORIES:

 Mars helicopter Ingenuity: First aircraft to fly on Red Planet

 Perseverance Mars rover snaps amazing shot of dusty Ingenuity helicopter (photo)

 Mars helicopter Ingenuity snaps incredible aerial photo of Perseverance rover during 51st flight

Ingenuity landed on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater in February 2021 along with NASA's Perseverance rover. The chopper's main goal was to show that aerial exploration is possible on Mars despite the planet's thin atmosphere.

Ingenuity did just that over the course of five flights in April and early May of 2021. NASA then granted an extended mission, during which the helicopter is serving as a scout for the life-hunting, sample-caching Perseverance.

The little drone's success could lead to a further opening of the Red Planet's skies. NASA plans to send two Ingenuity-like helicopters to Mars later this decade, to help collect Perseverance's samples (if necessary) for a planned return to Earth.

The agency also aims to develop bigger and more ambitious Mars helicopters, which could gather a variety of scientific data on their own while exploring the planet's skies.
National team captain and Dynamo Kyiv star is incensed with Russias latest attack on Ukrainian civilians after seven people died and over 100 were injured in a Russian rocket attack on Chernihiv city center of Aug. 19.

The former standout at Borussia Dortmund and West Ham United posted a video of the missiles moment of impact on social media with the caption:

Stay on together, my darling. F*cking Russia.

Andriy Yarmolenko via Instagram

Andriy Yarmolenko via Instagram

Yarmolenko started his career in Chernihiv, where he scored four goals in nine appearances for Desna in 2006-07, before moving to Dynamo Kyiv.

Read also: Six-year-old child becomes sixth victim of heinous Russian attack on Chernihiv city center

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Olha Kharlan, Ukraines Olympic champion fencer, also reacted to the deadly attack on Chernihiv city center, passing along her condolences and saying to Russians:

What a brute.

Read also: Rock legend Vakarchuk reacts to Russian missile attack on hometown Lviv

After a previous Russian attack on Odesa, she had told Russians that there is a separate cauldron in hell waiting for them.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Members of Stand With Abortion Now of Orlando stand outside the Center of Orlando for Women. Courtesy of SWAN of Orlando.

A $193,000 fine against the Center of Orlando for Women is threatening to bankrupt the abortion clinic.

The state wants to "fine our clinic out of existence," a local volunteer told Insider.

The organization Stand With Abortion Now has already crowdfunded nearly half the fine.

When a six-figure fine threatened a Florida abortion clinic, its volunteers didn't hesitate.

In just a few days, Stand With Abortion Now of Orlando, a local advocacy group launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade known, has already raised nearly half the $193,000 fine that the state levied against the Center of Orlando for Women, one of just two abortion clinics in the city.

"Florida's AHCA, the Agency for Healthcare Administration, has levied some pretty outrageous fines against our clinic, basically in an attempt for the state to fine our clinic out of existence," one of the group's volunteers, who asked that their name not be used for safety reasons, told Insider.

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The volunteers typically help shield patients entering the abortion clinic from anti-abortion activists. They often rely on aliases, wear sunglasses, and use oversized umbrellas to protect their own identities in the contentious line of work.

Florida lawmakers passed a 6-week abortion ban in April, outlawing abortion before most women even know they are pregnant. The law won't officially go into effect unless the state's previous 15-week ban is upheld in court.

The exorbitant fine stems from a 24-hour waiting period law that requires a patient to have two appointments 24 hours apart in order to obtain an abortion. That law was contested in court for years until a judge finally approved it in April 2022. The state says the Center of Orlando for Women violated the waiting period in 193 instances after the law's approval, though the abortion clinic argues that it made several good-faith efforts to ascertain when the law would go into effect, according to the Orlando Weekly.

"The clinic tried to reach out to the state multiple times to see when exactly that law was going into effect because it was made very unclear, and that's done pretty intentionally," the volunteer told Insider.

Though Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration has discretion over the fine amount in each case, they opted to apply the $1,000 maximum to each alleged violation, resulting in the $193,000 fine, the Orlando Weekly reported. An attorney for the clinic wrote in one filing that the fine would "likely force the clinic into bankruptcy or closure," the outlet reported.

The newly-launched fundraiser to help pay the fine and save the clinic has seen donations flood in quicker than expected. Donations from $1 to thousands of dollars have come in from people who want to save "this independent abortion clinic in the south," the volunteer said.

"I was expecting it to be definitely a slower crawl than it has been," they told Insider. "The greatest catapult in this so far has been those little donations, because they mean so much because even people that can't give a lot, they want to be a part of this thing together."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Welcome back to Nepo Baby of the Week where newly married couple Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz are still very much the word on the street and, apparently, in court.

Remember the couples star-studded wedding in Palm Beach last April that reportedly caused a very boring beef between Peltz and her mother-in-law Victoria Beckham that we couldnt stop hearing about, and two subsequent lawsuits involving Nicolas billionaire dad and two Miami wedding planners? The first conflict has allegedly been resolvedif it ever existed. (*coughs* It was clearly planted!) But Hollywoods pettiest legal battle still rages on, and, now Nicola has been called to the stand.

If you havent kept up with this absolutely riveting scandal, Nicolas 81-year-old father, investor Nelson Peltz , is suing Nicole Braghin and Arianna Grijalbaon of Plan Design Events, whom he recruited for his daughters wedding after the initial planner fell through. Nelson claims that the pair couldnt handle the demands of the wedding and dropped out after eight days. Now, he wants his $159,000 deposit back, which seems like a ridiculous amount of money for a literal billionaire to care about. But I would assume all billionaires are naturally petty, in addition to being bored. This has obviously been a great opportunity to remind the public that Nicola and Brooklyn had a fancy, A-list wedding.

Now, Nicola is being brought into the mix in Braghin and Grijalbaons countersuit against Nelson for breach of contract, and for which the pair is seeking damages. Despite being listed as a third-party defendant in the suit, along with her mother Claudia Heffner Peltz, Nicola apparently wants nothing to do with the case, per court filings. (Please!) Unfortunatelyif this is truly an unfortunate situation for this rich, thirsty familyThe Daily Mail just reported that shell have to detail the fallout in a deposition scheduled for September. And I couldnt be more excited to hear about what these three were fighting over.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

I will say, the claims in these lawsuits are way more entertaining than the rumor of Nicola and Victoria allegedly fighting over a dress.

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According to the planners countersuit, Braghin and Grijalbaon primarily struggled to communicate with Nicole and her mother, Claudia, over the guest list. Meanwhile, Nicola allegedly demanded live updates of RSVPs, which doesnt sound that diva-like until you remember the wedding had 500 guests. The planners also claim that Nicola was constantly adding and removing people from the guest list in their group chat, includingdrum roll pleaseevil tyrant Ron DeSantis, who Im assuming her dad invited since hes one of the Florida politicians billionaire donors.

At some point, though, Nicola realized this would automatically get her canceledif being a conservative billionaires daughter isnt already grounds for people to hate you. She allegedly texted the pair in a panic, Desantis must be OFF THE GUEST LIST. PLEASE CONFIRM! (LOL.)

Nepo Baby of the Week: Why Are Tori Spelling and Her Kids Living in an RV?

Nicola allegedly also told the planners not to consult with her then-fiance Brooklyn about anything, which is understandable given he was 23 at the time and probably couldnt properly make a pancake. I do not trust Brooklyn with this, she allegedly messaged them, per the countersuit. U should be asking an assistant. He has no idea. And is guessing.

To all of this, Nelsons lawyers said that Braghin and Grijalbaon are making up malicious and mean-spirited lies that are tailor-made for the tabloids, even though Nelsons lawsuit claimed that both wedding planners had a drinking problem. You also cant tell me the Peltz family isnt dying to have the next Gyneth Paltrow ski-accident trial.

Well have to wait and see if Nicola can put on a good show in September and which other hateful politicians were attending her wedding at one point.

Keep obsessing! Sign up for the Daily Beasts Obsessed newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Pastor Stephen Lee hasnt had a very good week.

I can tell you that hes nervous, Lees attorney, David Shestokas, told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview.

Anybody charged with a crime that seriousa five-year mandatory minimum, and a possible 20-year maximumis not going to sleep easy at night, regardless of whatever comfort and counseling Im able to offer, Shestokas said, referring to the penalty for violating Georgias Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. But even under those circumstances, I certainly have no guarantees for him.

On Monday, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury indicted Lee, a police chaplain living in the Chicago area, alongside Donald Trump and 17 others for a laundry list of election-related crimes related to the 2020 election. Lee, 70, is facing additional counts on top of the RICO charge, including conspiracy to solicit false statements and writings, criminal attempt to influence witnesses, and influencing witnesses.

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Lee is accused of trying to pressure a temporary election worker, Ruby Freeman, to confess to a slew of bogus assertions by Trump, Rudy Giuliani , and other MAGA-world luminaries, that Freeman and her daughter, who are Black, surreptitiously introduced suitcases stuffed with thousands of fake ballots into the counting process to help Joe Biden. Trump referenced Freeman over and over during his infamous Jan. 2, 2021 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, in which he exhorted Raffensperger to find enough local votes to undo Bidens win. Freeman was a professional vote scammer and hustler, Trump lied, calling the 60-something Freeman a known political operative.

Ruby Freeman (in red) looks on as her daughter Wandrea Moss testifies before the congressional Jan. 6 Committee. Michael Reynolds/Pool via Reuters

Amidst this backdrop of mis- and disinformation, Freeman and her daughter were subjected to a brutal harassment campaign by irate Trump supporters, and a terrified Freeman was soon run out of her house. (State and federal investigators ultimately deemed the allegations against Freeman false and unsubstantiated, finding that the notorious suitcases were, in fact, ordinary ballot containers.)

Despite Lee having been the subject of intense media focus related to Trumps coup attempt, and knowing that Georgia authorities had him under a microscope, his indictment still took them both by complete surprise, Shestokas said.

Neither the reverend nor I were ever contacted by anyone from Fulton County, he claimed. We were quite surprised by the reverends indictment since Fulton County had not even been able to make a case in an Illinois court that Rev. Lee was a material witness. With that in mind, we were quite astounded to learn of his indictment as a defendant.

Unusual Background

On Dec. 3, 2020, former New York City mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani testified before legislators at the Georgia statehouse, claiming to expose what he maintained was vote-rigging by Freeman, a $16-an-hour temp, and daughter Wandrea Shaye Moss, who was then a full-time Georgia elections worker making $36,000 a year.

Unveiling a video clip for the lawmakers, Guiliani presented security footage of Freeman and Moss processing absentee ballots at Atlantas State Farm Arena.

How can they say theres no fraud? Giuliani complained, disingenuously. Look at that woman. Look at her taking those ballots out. Look at them scurrying around with the ballots. Nobody in the room. Hiding around. They look like theyre passing out dope, not just ballots. It is quite clear theyre stealing votes.

Caught on candid camera...



Fulton County supervisors in Georgia tell poll workers, press and observers to leave the room...



And then pull out SUITCASES of ballots.



Say it with me... F R A U D.



WHERE IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE?pic.twitter.com/1Nc8cZqGXA  Rep. Jody Hice (@CongressmanHice) December 3, 2020

By all reputable accounts, two werent doing anything of the sort. Still, the MAGA machine pushed its own alternative facts to avenge Trumps loss.

By Dec. 4, Freeman had been on the receiving end of threats that spanned some 300 emails, 75 texts, numerous intimidating Facebook posts, and countless alarming phone calls, according to a police report obtained by Reuters.

Its scary because theyre saying stuff like, Were coming to get you. We are coming to get you, Freeman told the cops.

On Dec. 15, 2020, Lees burgundy sedan suddenly appeared in Freemans driveway. Lee had already knocked on Freemans front door in an attempt to speak with her, but she hadnt answered. He had shown up the night before, when Freeman happened to be out. So Lee left a note with a neighbor the night before, telling Freeman that time was running out and that he wanted to help her. Panicked, Freeman called 911.

When police arrived to investigate, bodycam footage shows Lee explaining, I'm a pastor, and I'm also working with some folks who are trying to help Ruby out. And also get to some truth of what's going on. He said he had been a sergeant out in California, and offered his unspecified services to Freeman pro bono, if shes interested.

The officers asked Freeman if she wished to speak with Lee.

Im not interested, she said. I have a pastor.

Lee was indeed at Freemans house, Shestokas told The Daily Beast. But he maintains Lee hoped his unusual background might be of some service to this woman that was under siege.

That sounds really wild, Shestokas admitted, quickly adding, Unless you see the backstory of Pastor Lee.

A still from police bodycam footage showing Rev. Stephen Lee being questioned outside of Ruby Freemans home. Cobb County Police Department/Handout via Reuters

The stuff that the rest of the world [sees] on the surface, if all they see is he knocked on the door, they think that hes involved in election interference, Shestokas continued. OK, but if you look at his history, its one of service, one of unification, if you want. Thats whats in his mind.

Shestokas insists Lees admittedly goofy overtures to Freeman were not part of a wide-ranging criminal enterprise, but rather, a personal humanitarian gesture, of sorts. According to Shestokas, Lee, a Trump acolyte from the very beginning who worked as a police officer in California before becoming a man of the cloth, showed up at Freemans door of his own volition, simply because he had seen her situation go viral, and wanted to help her weather what he figured was a difficult period. Lee had taken it upon himself to travel to the Ground Zero wreckage in 2001 so he could minister to those affected, and did the same thing for survivors of the Columbine school shooting in 1999, the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, and various other disasters, Stestokas said, providing The Daily Beast with an assortment of newspaper clippings about his clients various past adventures.

If you consider Reverend Lee's history of traveling to unusual settings, and offering this combination of law enforcement and pastoral experience to assist people that are under stress, its not out of character, Shestokas went on. And it may not be something you do, or I doI wouldn'tbut I don't have the same history that he has You know, so many of the big stories that are headlines around the country in the last 30 years, hes been there. Hes kind of the Forrest Gump of crises in America. He's always been there in some way, shape, or form.

Yet, prosecutors say Lees story doesnt hold up, in light of what he allegedly did next.

Pressure Campaign

Believing that Freeman refused to speak with him because he is white, Lee then reached out to Harrison Floyd, the Chicago-based leader of a group called Black Voices for Trump, and asked for help, according to the Fulton County indictment. In turn, Floyd, who is also among those indicted in Fulton County, arranged for Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for hip-hop star and Chicago native Kanye West, to travel to Freemans home on Jan. 4, 2021.

There, Kutti, who is herself indicted on the same charges as Floyd, introduced herself to Freeman without providing much further detail about who sent her. All Kutti would say was that she was there on behalf of a high-profile individual, and floated a dubious offer of immunity from prosecution if Freeman would admit to voter fraud. If she didnt, Freeman would be thrown in jail, Kutti allegedly said. (Floyd told Reuters later that month that he sent Kutti in his stead because he was busy, declining to identify Lee beyond a vague reference to a chaplain with connections to law enforcement.)

On Jan. 6, after the U.S. Capitol was sacked by Trump supporters seeking to block the certification of Joe Bidens electoral victory, the FBI advised Freeman to leave home for her own safety.

Trevian Kutti speaks with Ruby Freeman in an alleged effort to get her to admit to fictitious wrongdoing related to the 2020 presidential election. Cobb County Police Department/Handout via Reuters

Floyd and Kutti did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast this week. Shestokas declined to offer any details on the relationship between Lee and the pair, or how they first linked up.

They apparently had some conversations, Shestokas told The Daily Beast. He was trying to learn stuff, and trying to get the backstory and different things. He talked to a lot of people, but he doesnt have, really, any kind of personal relationship with anybody.

Lees admittedly ill-advised outreach to Freeman, as well as to Floyd, led directly to the charges against him, the Fulton County indictment shows. He knowingly engage[d] in misleading conduct toward Freeman, by purporting to offer her help, and with intent to inuence her testimony in an ofcial proceeding, the indictment states. This was an act of racketeering activity and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy.

Lees solicitation of Floyds assistance also constituted an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, according to the indictment.

Nevertheless, Shestokas said he doesnt think Lee has any regrets about his involvement with Trump and Co.

Shestokas made a special effort to argue that Lee operated independently, and claimedcontrary to what prosecutors say they can prove in courtthat he was not part of a broader conspiracy to overturn Georgias vote.

He has no, if you will, close relationship, or close ties, with anybody on that list, Shestokas said. Hes never met President Trump. He doesnt know Rudy Giuliani.

Lee is also not prepared, at this time, to work with prosecutors in a bid to avoid potentially spending the next two decades in prison, according to Shestokas, who said, There is nothing in terms of cooperation What is there? You know, whats there to cooperate with?

Last Sunday, Lee preached about the Book of Job to his flock at the Living Word Lutheran Church in suburban Orland Park, Illinois. A Living Word official told Religion News Service on Tuesday that Lee worked there in an emeritus capacity but is no longer the pastor. On Wednesday, Stestokas told The Daily Beast that Lee will be back at the pulpit as usual this coming Sunday. ([S]hould you reference Rev. Lee, it is appropriate that he be referred to as Rev. Lee, Shestokas said in an email before agreeing to speak on the record. He is an ordained minister and the principal pastor of an active congregation in suburban Chicago.)

Shestokas said Lee has discussed the situation with some of the church elders, and said he will be joining Lee at services this weekend so I can explain to the congregation whats going on.

I will talk specifically about the counts in the indictment that deal directly with Pastor Lee, Shestokas said. I will explain to them the concepts of Georgia RICO, in general I think theyre entitled to have some idea of what it is that their spiritual mentors being accused of.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has proposed a March 4, 2024 trial date for Trump, Lee, Floyd, Kutti, Giuliani, and their co-defendants.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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In March 2013, as part of his maiden foreign tour as China's head of state, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Africa and attended the 5th BRICS Summit held in South Africa, where he put forward the guiding principles of China's Africa policy, and expounded on his visions for enhancing the BRICS mechanism.

Ten years later, the BRICS Summit will be held on the African continent again. Xi will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from Aug. 21 to 24. While in the country, Xi will co-chair with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue.

During the ten years between the two summits in South Africa, BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has grown into an all-round and multi-level framework that plays a vital role in the global arena. Meanwhile, the China-Africa friendship has been enriched with their cooperation flourishing in all aspects.

As the world is facing numerous uncertainties and living through accelerating changes unseen in a century, observers hope that Xi's upcoming visit and the meetings in South Africa will further energize the BRICS mechanism and usher in a new phase of China-Africa and South-South cooperation.

WRITING NEW CHAPTER ON BRICS DEVELOPMENT



Noting that BRICS has provided developing countries with an opportunity to enhance their influence and amplify their voices in global governance, Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said that "joining BRICS allows countries to align themselves with a group that seeks to promote multipolarity and a more equitable international system."

In fact, 22 years ago, when British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term "BRIC" -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, he might not have imagined how the rise of those emerging economies would reshape the world economy and global governance.

With South Africa officially becoming a member in 2011, BRIC was enlarged to BRICS, which now represents about a quarter of the global gross domestic product (GDP) and some 40 percent of the world population.

It has grown into the most influential South-South cooperation platform and a crucial driver for global growth, with three main pillars consolidating its mechanism, namely, political and security cooperation, economic and finance cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

A key milestone of BRICS cooperation is the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB) in 2015. The Shanghai-based bank is aimed at mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging economies.

Figures released by the bank earlier this year showed that it has approved nearly a hundred projects with a total value of 33.2 billion U.S. dollars, greatly contributing to the economic and social development of its member countries. It has also strengthened its green and sustainable credentials, as around 40 percent of the bank's projects focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

"NDB is one of the youngest multilateral development banks in the world. Within a short span of eight years, NDB has established itself as a major global, multilateral development bank," said Anil Kishora, vice president and chief risk officer of NDB.

Meanwhile, BRICS members have advocated a partnership on the new industrial revolution to deepen cooperation in digitalization, industrialization and innovation.

During the development of BRICS, China has never hesitated to contribute. In March 2013, Xi, as the Chinese president, attended the BRICS Summit for the first time in Durban, South Africa. In the following ten years, Xi has joined forces with leaders of other BRICS members to push the BRICS Summits to produce a series of pioneering, leading and institutional outcomes.

"China has set an example of practicing mutually beneficial and equal cooperation, and played the role of a great nation in BRICS to balance and stabilize international relations," said Irina Kokushkina, an associate professor of the Department of World Economy at St. Petersburg State University.

EXPLORING FRESH OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHINA-AFRICA FRIENDSHIP



"President Xi's attendance at the BRICS leaders' meeting and his state visit to South Africa are of great significance. This visit will strengthen the relationship between the two countries," Kenneth Creamer, a senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, told Xinhua.

As Creamer noted, China-South Africa relations have developed comprehensively and rapidly over the years. The leaders of the two countries have frequently communicated with each other on bilateral and multilateral occasions or during online events, bringing bilateral cooperation to higher levels.

In a phone conversation with Ramaphosa on June 9, Xi said China and South Africa are both important major developing countries and the two enjoy special friendly relations like brothers.

Data released by China showed that in the first half of the year, bilateral trade reached 28.25 billion U.S. dollars, up 11.7 percent year-on-year.

China has maintained its position as South Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years, while South Africa has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 13 consecutive years.

China-South Africa ties have served as a model for China-Africa relations, South-South cooperation, and unity and cooperation among emerging market countries, offering valuable experience for building an even stronger community with a shared future between China and Africa.

During his Africa trip in 2013, Xi proposed the concept of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, and the right approach to justice and interests, the guiding principles of China's Africa policy. Over the past decade, under those principles, China-Africa relations have been propelled into the fast lane of development.

According to the Ministry of Commerce of China, China has remained Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. The two sides have together constructed and commissioned over 10,000 km of railway, nearly 100,000 km of highway, and an array of important infrastructure projects, including airports, docks, bridges and power plants.

In recent years, China-Africa cooperation has expanded from agriculture, infrastructure and manufacturing to new industries such as green economy, health, finance and digital innovation.

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, a professor of public policy at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said that it is political justice, mutual economic benefit, win-win cooperation and common development that laid the basis for a shared future of Africa and China.

FORGING BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR GLOBAL SOUTH



The theme of this year's summit is BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism, highlighting how these emerging economies can strengthen ties with a continent home to a large number of countries also belonging to the Global South.

There are high expectations among experts and observers about the outcomes of the summit. One major focus is the membership expansion of the group.

Attracted by the openness and inclusiveness of BRICS, more countries have decided to apply to join the group, which reflects the shared aspiration of developing countries to focus on their own development, seek unity and cooperation, and oppose external interference.

"Twenty-two countries have formally approached BRICS countries to become full members. There's an equal number of countries that have been informally asking about becoming BRICS members," said South Africa's BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal.

As an ex-officio member of the Global South, China has always focused on the most urgent needs of developing countries. It has proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, and voiced its support for the membership expansion process of BRICS.

"BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation," Xi said while hosting the 14th BRICS Summit in Beijing via video link last year.

"Bringing in fresh blood will inject new vitality into BRICS cooperation and increase the representativeness and influence of BRICS," Xi said, stressing that "it is important to advance this process to allow like-minded partners to become part of the BRICS family at an early date."

Meanwhile, with unilateralism and protectionism soaring, criticism is mounting against the West-dominated global economic rules. Experts have speculated that BRICS would take further measures to promote a fairer economic order, including introducing a BRICS common currency.

"I would like to hear more details about the proposed BRICS currency. The change of trade between South Africa and China from being conducted in U.S. dollars to a BRICS currency would be a major move in global politics," said Dominic Preuss, an independent economic writer and engineering technologist in South Africa.

To create a global market that is not dominated by hegemony would be welcome, Preuss added.

"Many countries in the Global South have sought to come together in order to work towards a more just and inclusive world order ... BRICS inspires many countries to come together again in order to advance this vision," said Creamer.

Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, said BRICS is in line with the trend of multilateralism. "It is obvious that this trend has a great future. And the BRICS mechanism is advancing it in a very positive direction," he said.
Fisker has shed some more light on its Alaska electric pickup, which it says will have a relatively low base price of $45,400. The Alaska is a work-friendly vehicle, letting you run your business from the cockpit. It has dedicated work glove and cowboy hat storage, a slide-out laptop tray and a cup holder big enough to hold a days worth of water.

The default flatbed is 4.5 feet, but you can drop the partition to increase that to 7.5 feet. Lower the seats and the liftgate and you can push it to 9.2 feet, big enough to haul several sheets of plywood from one job to the next. But much as Fisker may promise this will be one of the lightest and cheapest EVs in its class, well wait to see how much it actually costs when it debuts in 2025 before making a judgment.

 Dan Cooper

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Farewell, old friend.

After nearly two decades of faithful service, the Xbox 360 store will close for good on July 29, 2024. Microsofts Movies & TV app will stop working on the same day as the company pulls the last vestiges of support for its console. The company has already promised games compatible with newer consoles will stay on the Xbox One and Series X/S storefronts. And media bought via the Xbox 360 will stay in your library, so you shouldnt lose too much of anything.

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The deadly wildfires in Maui reveal a vulnerability in the United States that is increasing as quickly as threats from climate change: Huge swaths of the nation lie in dry danger zones where wildfires spark, and cash-strapped governments have ineffective emergency plans to save lives.

That was the deadly combination in the Maui disaster - namely, wildfire risk coupled with what some experts and victims have called questionable emergency preparedness. And it has played out in some of the deadliest fires in the nation and around the globe, alarming fire experts and community leaders.

Similar scenarios happened in Paradise, California, where 85 people died and nearly 19,000 structures were destroyed in the Camp Fire in 2018; and in Algeria, Italy and Greece, where questions of effective emergency response and preparedness have been raised after more than 40 people combined died from wildfires sparked by an intense heat wave, high winds and dry vegetation last month. Canada is experiencing a devastating record wildfire season, with over 33.9 million acres scorched and at least four people dead so far.

In Maui, where at least 111 people have died and more than 2,200 acres were burned in the Aug. 8 wildfires, the county already knew it had a high wildfire risk, according to a study it commissioned two years ago following an "unprecedented wildfire season" in 2019, where more than 20,000 acres were burned.

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"Hawaiis and Mauis fire problem is more extreme than on the U.S. mainland," the study said, noting dozens of buildings and vehicles were damaged in a 2018 wildfire. While there were no deaths in either of those years, warnings were raised - and possibly not heeded by local officials.

Now, experts from around the world are taking a second look at many places that may also be at risk after Maui's crisis, which now is among the top ten deadliest wildfires on record in the U.S. since 1871.

"The next Maui could be anywhere," said Tirtha Banerjee, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of California, Irvine. "Realistically, almost any place could have a wildfire."

Properties destroyed in the West Maui Wildfire are seen near Front Street in Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.

America isn't the only country worried about wildfires

Thousands of communities, from urban enclaves, coastal towns and remote locales throughout the U.S., and abroad, similar to Maui, are vulnerable to wildfires because of the increasingly deadly combination of climate change and governments' lack of emergency plans and resources, experts say.

"There seems to be a consensus among those in the scientific community that it might get worse for a bit before it gets better," Banerjee said.

Alexis Normand, CEO of Greenly, a platform helping companies track their carbon use, said, a wildfire can happen in the "most unthinkable places around the world" under the right conditions. In the past month, big blazes in the Greek Islands, the Canary Islands and Indonesia's Sumatra Islands have led to intense burning stemming from heatwaves across Southern Europe and North Africa, Normand pointed out.

Normand also referred to the thousands of residents who are now evacuating from Canada's northwest territories, leading to emergency declarations due to wildfires. Close to 400 active fires are still burning across British Columbia.

"There's also an increasing scarcity of water in places like France, Australia and Egypt," Normand said by phone from Paris. "I dont want to sound too pessimistic, but the answer is definitely, yes. Wildfires are happening more frequently and in more uncommon places."

Global warming is causing wildfires to increase at the same time as communities might not be committed to investing in and executing preparedness plans to reduce wildfire risks, said Laurie Wayburn, co-founder and president of Pacific Forest Trust, a San Francisco-based nonprofit.

"As bad as the situation is here in America, it may be just as bad in Europe as they are learning the same lessons we are," Wayburn said. "It appears you have to be in the middle of a crisis to make you learn that you have to avoid tragedies from the onset."

NATION'S DEADLIEST WILDFIRES: As death toll in Maui fire rises, here's how it compares to the deadliest fires in the US

Wildfires across US 'burning hotter, faster with more intensity'

Record high temps, extreme drought conditions and substantially high winds during major weather events, including storms with thunder and lightning, are among the causes for the recent spikes in wildfire activity in high-risk locations across the U.S., Canada and Europe, said Michele Steinberg, the wildfire division director at the National Fire Protection Association.

In the U.S., nearly half the land area is composed of forest, shrubs, and grassland, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Currently, there are nearly 45 million U.S. homes located near or adjacent to these areas, the EPA said.

Within the last five years, wildfires have destroyed nearly 63,000 structures. A majority of them are homes, said Steinberg, who also serves on President Joe Biden's Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.

"Were definitely seeing a huge increase. It's significantly higher than in the past 10 years," Steinberg said. That's mostly due to Americans settling down in once-rural areas, particularly in the southern and western states in the last half-century or so, she said.

"We're moving into these fire-prone areas," Steinberg said. "Now we have a lot more wildfires that will burn hotter, faster and with more intensity due to these conditions."

'Most deadliest and devastating wildfires in front of us'

Andrew Bozzo, a fire captain at the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District in the San Francisco Bay Area, said "Americans are getting a front-row seat to wildfires like never before."

"The most deadliest and devastating wildfires are happening right in front of us," said Bozzo, a firefighter for 25 years. "We half-heartedly joke in the fire industry that all of those tactics weve learned . . . throw them out of the window."

Bozzo said Americans, and those in other countries, have simply not heeded the warnings about an evolving environment due to climate change. A former scientist, Bozzo said heat-trapping carbon dioxide is hitting all corners of the Earth at record levels.

There's also a variety of factors contributing to wildfires globally, Bozzo said. Among them are the spread of invasive plants, trees, and grasses. And while rain and snowpacks may reduce drought conditions and the risk of fires starting, Bozzo said, it also increases vegetation growth, which can become fuel for fires during the dry summer months if not cut or removed.

Many municipalities may not make certain strategies, including thinning oversized forests by cutting trees and shrubbery and conducting prescribed burns to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, a priority, Bozzo said.

"By no means is this just limited to the U.S. There have always been wildfires in Greece and France, but have they been at this magnitude we're seeing? No," said Bozzo, who is also the co-founder of Tablet Command, an incident response software platform used by fire departments in San Francisco, Charlotte, North Carolina, Columbus, Ohio and Los Angeles County. "These wildfires . . . no, mega-fires . . . are not one-offs. The coordinated plans to prevent them has to be a continuous and committed effort."

Destroyed homes and businesses are seen in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 16, 2023.

Lessons learned from Maui wildfire: 'We're going to pay 10 times over'

In the 2021 Maui County report on wildfire prevention, officials were encouraged to take an "aggressive plan to replace hazardous fuel sources" that start wildfires.

Wildfire experts in Hawaii, including Camilo Mora, a climate scientist and professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, said they have warned state officials for years that wildfire preparedness was essential. Mora said he was among many who cited that overgrown grasses and other quick-burning vegetation used as fuels put certain areas, including Maui, at risk.

Vegetation grows quickly amid rainfall, but also dries out in drought, Mora said. Left unattended, the vegetation is ripe for a quick burn during a fire. And that's what he believes happened in the Maui wildfire, as a result of not enough being done.

He cited Hawaiis Forestry and Wildlife division, which handles fire suppression and fire prevention, has about $28 million in its operating budget for this fiscal year. Probably not enough funds to do what's necessary, Mora said.

"We didn't pay enough attention," Mora said. "This was not an unannounced tragedy, we knew this coming. It was just a matter of when."

'WE'RE NOT WAITING': Maui community shows distrust in government following deadly wildfires

The 2021 report also said island communities are "particularly vulnerable because populations tend tobe clustered and dependent" on single highways. "Escape routes and evacuation locations and resources for populations impacted by fire incidents are also impeded by fire incursions," the report said.

Residents in Lahaina reportedly were having problems getting out of the popular residential and tourist town as traffic was at a complete standstill on Honoapiilani Highway, the main road, while the wildfire spread.

While rebounding towns like Paradise, California, are working on their wildfire mitigation plans, Mora said he's pondering and calculating the emotional, physical and potentially fiscal impact the wildfire will have in Maui going forward.

He's sure Hawaii officials, local and state, are going to turn the tragedy into substantive action with wildfire prevention. He and thousands of others will be devastated if they dont.

"More hands for the restoration and reconstruction are needed," Mora pleaded. "Because of the damage from this fire, we're probably going to pay 10 times over what it would've cost to fix this problem in the beginning."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maui deadly fires could happen again in many US cities and towns
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the impact of systemic barriers to health care in New Hampshire, as traditionally underserved communities in our state faced higher rates of infections and hospitalizations. These disparities in access to care have only continued to grow as increased cost of living and inflation put a strain on Granite Staters' wallets. Fortunately, a new study from Harvard Medical School shows Medicare Advantage to be a critical tool that is working to improve access to affordable healthcare for our most vulnerable patient populations.

NH Sen. Cindy Rosenwald

Medicare Advantage is the coverage option of more than 95,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities here in New Hampshire. Medicare Advantage offers a wider range of benefits compared to traditional Medicare, including access to flexible dental, vision, and hearing coverage, as well as cost savings through lower premiums and reduced out-of-pocket expenses.

This comprehensive coverage helps level the playing field for low-income, minority, and underserved populations by addressing social determinants of health, such as lower income and lack of access to transportation, that impact health outcomes. Services like in-home support, meal delivery, telehealth, transportation to and from medical appointments, and wellness programs like SilverSneakers provide extra peace of mind to beneficiaries who may be struggling financially.

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Harvards study highlights the programs critical role in connecting our most vulnerable and medically underserved patients with vital services that can help overcome the inequities in our health care system and reduce the often overwhelming barriers to care these communities face. Researchers found that Medicare Advantages patient population is more socioeconomically disadvantaged and twice as likely to be non-white than traditional Medicare beneficiaries.

Ultimately, this study should confirm for policymakers the importance of strengthening Medicare Advantage so it can continue improving health equity and access across the country. Our Granite State seniors and those with disabilities are already experiencing physical and social barriers in their daily lives, and barriers to quality health care only make their lives more difficult. As a community, we must work towards solutions that will reduce barriers to care for those who already struggle with daily activities. Medicare Advantage is a tool to overcome these barriers so patients can access the care they need, when they need it  and at a price they can afford.

I have learned from constituents the benefits and savings they are offered through Medicare Advantage. Policymakers must continue building off the success of the program and make it accessible for even more Americans.

Democrat Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua represents District 13 in the New Hampshire State Senate.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Commentary: Medicare Advantage improves health equity for NH seniors
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea slammed a recent United Nations meeting about its human rights record, asserting the United States used the international organisation for a "scheme" against Pyongyang, state media KCNA reported on Saturday.

The U.N. Security Council discussed human rights abuses in North Korea on Thursday, with the U.S. ambassador criticising leader Kim Jong Un for using "repression and cruelty" to develop nuclear weapons and missiles.

U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed at Camp David on Friday to deepen military and economic cooperation, facing China's growing power and nuclear threats from North Korea. They also agreed to hold military training exercises annually and share real-time information on North Korean missile launches by the end of the year.

China, North Korea's major ally, opposed the meeting of the 15-member council on abuses in North Korea but it did not attempt to block it.

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"We will never tolerate the U.S. and its followers' anti-(North Korea) 'human rights' slander scheme, and will defend the sovereignty of the state, the socialist system and security interests," North Korea's KCNA quoted as an unnamed spokesperson from the country's human rights think tank as saying.

For decades Pyongyang has highlighted racial discrimination in the United States as what it calls an example of Washington's hypocrisy.

North Korea said on Wednesday an American soldier, Travis King who crossed into North Korea last month, had fled racism and abuse in America.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by William Mallard)
North Korea tested its new Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile last month.

The new IBCM uses "solid-fueled" technology, elevating the threat posed by North Korea.

Experts say that Russia likely provided the technology to make it happen.

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile is its most threatening yet, and it likely has Russia to thank, experts say.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC-based international affairs thinktank, said in a recent report that North Korea's July 12 Hwasong-18 ICBM test launch was "likely the result of technical cooperation sourced to Russia."

North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un hosted Russian and Chinese officials in July, showing them its arsenal of missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The North Korean Hwasong-18 ICBM was among them. It is a nuclear-capable missile that the country developed in defiance of the UN's attempt to regulate North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

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According to the CSIS report, the Hwasong-18 is "equipped to penetrate existing US ballistic missile defenses with countermeasures."

The report says the Hwasong-18 is a solid-fueled ICBM, different from the liquid-fueled ICBMs that North Korea has tested over the past few years. The missile is capable of delivering "substantial payloads" at intercontinental range while also deploying "decoy canister countermeasures," according to the report.

The new technology also allows North Korea to fire the missile more quickly, preventing possible detection and intervention from other governments before it is fired.

"The sudden appearance of these advanced capabilities is difficult to explain without cooperation from the Russian government and its scientists," the report says.

Additionally, the flight trajectory data and the physical dimensions of the Hwasong-18 are "nearly identical to that of the Russian Topol-M ICBM," according to the report.

"A Hwasong-18 missile force will require the United States to consider additional concepts for missile defense, including the use of airborne drone interceptors," the report says.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A North Texas construction contractor was sentenced to five years of probation and three months in jail after pleading guilty to fraud, Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain announced in a news release Friday.

Aaron Seth Miller, 41, of Springtown, Texas, was given his sentence after reaching an agreement to repay all victims involved in the fraudulent scheme, totaling over $420,000, according to the release.

Miller pleaded guilty to misapplication of construction trust funds over $500 with the intent to defraud.

In an agreement with the prosecution, he was sentenced to a $2,000 fine, ten years in prison that was probated to five years, 90 days in jail as a condition of probation, 200 hours community service, and a requirement that he not engage in general contractor or subcontractor work and cannot directly receive funds from any construction customers during his probation, according to the release.

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He is allowed to work in construction, but only as a wage earner, according to the probation conditions.

Being reimbursed was what was most important to our victims and that was a lot of money, said Swain in the release. If we had sent Mr. Miller to prison, they likely would never have received their money back and, if they did, it would be years down the road. They wanted and needed their money now.

We also wanted to protect the public going forward, said Swain. Thats why we prohibited Mr. Miller from engaging in contractor work. If anyone sees or hears of him working as a contractor, they should contact the Parker County Community Supervision and Corrections Department.

The Parker County Sheriffs Office began receiving reports from people in Dec. 2022 who reached an agreement with Miller or his company, WD Welding Services, for a construction project. They paid money for the project, but construction never began, or minimal effort was invested, according to the release.

The Sheriffs Office was very diligent in putting the cases together, said Swain. They worked hard on behalf of these victims.

I know they are proud to have been able to help our Parker County citizens recoup their money.
If and when future African American burial grounds are uncovered in New Hampshire, state law now explicitly outlines how their discovery should be handled.

Senate Bill 11, signed into law this month by Gov. Chris Sununu, requires that descendants or the descendant community be consulted prior to the excavation or exploration of African American burial grounds. Because finding direct ancestors can be difficult, the term descendant community typically refers to people who have ancestral, racial, or cultural ties to the burials in question.

The bills prime sponsor, Dover Democrat Sen. David Watters, testified this past legislative session his goal was to ensure the state recognize and protect the historical burial sites of African Americans, and that procedures be established for consulting with possible descendants.

A memorial between Court and State streets in Portsmouth marks the citys African Burying Ground, discovered in 2003 during an infrastructure project.

In recent decades, the graves of African Americans who resided in New Hampshire during the period of enslavement and after have been discovered around the state, in communities such as Portsmouth, Deerfield, Milford, Amherst, Hancock, Hanover, Concord, Warner, and Canterbury.

The African Burying Ground memorial in downtown Portsmouth.

In 2003, the buried remains of 13 people were uncovered during a downtown infrastructure project in Portsmouth. Thought to be from the 1700s, eight burials were exhumed and all were determined to be of African ancestry. A 1705 city map showed the area as a Negro burying ground.

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In 2015, the city of Portsmouth debuted a formal memorial at the site, which is thought to have nearly 200 burials.

This is a story throughout New Hampshire, Watters told lawmakers this year.

The new state law outlines exactly what should take place if new burials are discovered. If a professional archaeologist determines discovered remains are likely from an African American burial ground, the state archaeologist must immediately notify and consult with descendants or the descendant community, whether in or outside of New Hampshire.

Within four weeks of notification, the appropriate group or African American community must communicate in writing to the state its concerns with regard to the treatment of interment and ultimate disposition of the remains.

From there, the parties must come to a written agreement addressing the following:

Designation of a qualified skeletal analyst to work on the remains

Type and length of analysis

Timetable for written progress reports and final report

A plan for ultimate disposition of the remains when analysis is completed

If the parties agree the remains should be reinterred, the descendant community may provide a suitable reburial location and reburial ceremony, the law reads.

The bill also sought to address concerns around the unjust removal of artifacts or disturbance of burial sites, by requiring that markers, gates, mortuary materials or other archaeological materials found in an African American burial ground be discussed with descendants or the descendant community prior to ultimate disposition.

Testifying in support of the bill this year was Rekha Mahadevan, vice president of the Seacoast NAACP Youth Council and tour guide at the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. She told lawmakers about the completely forgotten and neglected graves of an African American family in her hometown of Madbury.

Three or four stone markers on private farmland are likely to be the burial sites of the Hall family, a free Black family that succumbed to an illness in 1868.

Madbury has numerous other cemeteries kept in pristine condition and yet for some reason, this one was left behind, Mahadevan said.

Last year, a similar effort to protect and preserve African American graves was defeated in the House and sent to interim study. That bill had named the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire as a designated representative of the African American descendant community, since finding direct descendants can be challenging.

Members of the House Committee on Resources, Recreation, and Development took issue with a private nonprofit representing the interests of the descendant community. This years reintroduced legislation included broader language, rather than specifying a particular entity.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH law: Process when African American burial grounds are discovered
The Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington said in a statement Friday that it no longer recognizes the authority of Fort Worth Bishop Michael Olson and he is banned from entering the property.

Our Monastery in general and our Mother Prioress in particular have been subjected to unprecedented interference, intimidation, aggression, private and public humiliation and spiritual manipulation, the said in the statement, referring to Olsons report claiming a prioress of the monastery broke her vow of chastity.

A representative from the diocese did not immediately comment on the nuns statement.

In May, Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach sued Olson and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth for $1 million, alleging he defamed her after he began an investigation looking into a report that she broke her vow with a priest.

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Olson eventually dismissed Gerlach from the order. She appealed that decision to the Vatican.

The lawsuit was dismissed in June by a Tarrant County judge, ruling the court did not have jurisdiction in a church matter. The diocese had argued its investigation was a church matter.

According to their statement, the nuns said Olson and his officials or representatives are forbidden from entering the monastery or from having any relations with its nuns or novices, but that they remain faithful to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

We are simply stating that the abuse to which we have been subjected is so gravely unjust and intolerably destructive of the vocation to which we are vowed before Almighty God, that in conscience that abuse cannot be cooperated with, the monastery said in the statement.

Late last year, Gerlach told the vicar general of the diocese, the Very Rev. Jonathan Wallis, that she had broken her chastity vow with a priest from outside of the diocese. But the nuns consider Wallis a friend, and Gerlach thought she was speaking to him in confidence, Sister Francis Therese has told the Star-Telegram.

Therese said Gerlach was taking medication for seizures and was not in her right mind. That should have been obvious to Wallis, she said.

Wallis testified during a June 27 court hearing that Gerlach told him on three occasions  outside of confession  that she had broken her chastity vows.

Olson said during that hearing he followed procedures in canon law and consulted with the Vatican when he investigated Gerlach.

In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Francis Therese described how a priest, known to them as Father Bernard Marie, sent an email to the nuns asking for prayers because of a health condition. The Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina, later identified him as the Rev. Philip Johnson.

What I understand is that this priest texted her [Gerlach] asking for prayers, Francis Therese said. Somehow in the course of the text exchange something inappropriate was said. It was never in person.

When she realized it, she became very distressed. She is a religious, she is a consecrated woman, and she takes her vocation very seriously. She didnt resolve it in her own mind without counsel. Innocently, she went to Father Wallis.

She also said Wallis knew of Gerlachs condition but was not compassionate toward her.

The nuns attorney, Matthew Bobo of Fort Worth, said in late July the nuns hope the Vatican will reverse Olsons actions and that the daily Mass for the laity that Olson removed during his investigation will soon be reinstated.

The diocese has said in a statement that Olson remains the superior of the monastery and Gerlach remains on administrative leave during the appeal.

The status quo for Mass will remain during the canonical appeal, the diocese said. Daily Mass will continue to be provided for the nuns, it said.
Nurses at Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park launched a 10-day strike on Friday, voicing concerns about short staffing, broken equipment and whether the hospital has adequate safeguards to protect nurses from violence. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Nurses launched a 10-day strike Friday at Garfield Medical Center in Monterey Park, accusing hospital management of failing to address short staffing that they said could jeopardize patients, broken and substandard equipment, and inadequate safeguards to protect nurses from violent attacks.

Members of SEIU 121RN, which represents hundreds of registered nurses at the Monterey Park hospital, are expected to strike through Aug. 27. The Friday kickoff of the week-and-a-half-long strike was joined by U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) and California Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) and Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), who cheered alongside workers clad in purple shirts.

"You deserve to have working medical equipment like defibrillators and cardiac monitors. ... You deserve to have safe working conditions where you don't have to deal with patients who bring in knives and guns and other kinds of weapons. That's not right," Chu told the crowd to applause.

Garfield Medical Center said it had retained "qualified replacement nurses" to care for patients during the strike. "We are disappointed that SEIU 121RN is taking this unnecessary and lengthy strike action, which we believe is an irresponsible attempt to damage our hospital," the hospital said in a statement.

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The hospital said its staffing levels and the condition of its equipment had never compromised care for its patients. It said its nurses had the equipment needed to care safely for people, that it had taken steps to protect its workers from violence, and that nationwide nurse shortages were affecting "virtually every hospital," including Garfield, which had offered sign-on bonuses and held job fairs to attract new hires.

"We believe the union is being disingenuous about its real reason for calling this strike," the hospital said in its statement. "What it really comes down to is money," specifically a proposed increase in salaries that the union had rejected.

Read more: On a day of disruptions, L.A.'s elected and labor leaders promise more talks

SEIU 121RN executive director Rosanna Mendez said the hospital was "deflecting from the real issues they're failing to address." The union said it had tried to avoid a strike, but decided the action was necessary because the employer refused to take the concerns raised by nurses seriously.

"What [nurses] said is, 'You can't just give us money and not fix the issues that are preventing us from doing our jobs safely,'" Mendez said.

Union members said that Garfield Medical Center, a 210-bed general acute care hospital, has been chronically short on staff due to high turnover as nurses have left for other facilities with better conditions or pay. Such shortages have strained the remaining nurses and put patients at risk, nurses said at a Friday rally.

"When you're doing the job of two or three people, it limits our ability to meet all the needs, because we're spread out too thin," said Christina Smith, a registered nurse who has worked at Garfield for more than three decades. "We don't have enough resources to do our job."

Mendez said that "patients don't get their medications on time. Sometimes they need assistance going to the restroom and they fall, because there's not enough staff to help them." Earlier this year, Garfield Medical Center was faulted by state investigators for failing to set out a care plan for a patient at high risk for falls. Nurses found that patient on the ground in their room and called a "code blue" for a life-threatening emergency, the state found.

Mendez said the hospital was "absolutely" out of compliance with state requirements for nurse staffing. Garfield Medical Center said that was untrue and that it does a daily assessment of its staffing needs to make sure it had the appropriate number of nurses in each hospital unit.

"This can be a challenge, as it is for many hospitals throughout California, but we have never been penalized by the state for being out of compliance with nurse staffing ratios," the hospital said in a written response to questions.

Union members also said that shoddy and broken equipment has been a concern. Rachel Matteson, a critical care nurse at Garfield Medical Center, said that when one of her patients was in need of blood transfusions, she had to "MacGyver something" because the special kind of tubing that she needed was not available.

"Half an hour later, finally I figured something out," she said, "but a half an hour is a lifetime for a critical patient. This decision to continue to cut costs is threatening patients' lives."

Garfield Medical Center said it had never been out of tubing for blood transfusions. It also balked at statements from the union that hospital management had rejected proposals to improve security at the facility. In a statement, it said it had taken steps including providing handheld metal detection wands in its emergency department entrances and lobby "to be used when admitting patients suffering a mental health crisis."

Mendez said that didn't match what nurses had reported on the ground. She called the hospital response to its concerns "insulting to nurses who are living the reality."

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.
 Flash

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen in Beijing on Friday, reaching a consensus to boost bilateral and China-Europe cooperation.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the sound and steady development of China-Denmark relations injected certainty into bilateral cooperation and provided stability to the international situation.

Noting that China is focusing on promoting Chinese modernization, Wang said China will expand opening up to the world, accelerate the establishment of a new growth pattern, and promote high-quality development.

China's invigorated development will provide the impetus for world development and new opportunities for Denmark and other countries, Wang said.

Wang said China always regards Europe as a comprehensive strategic partner and supports Europe in upholding its strategic independence and playing a more significant role internationally.

"We should contextualize the problems arising from our exchanges and cooperation. Lack of development is the biggest insecurity, and lack of cooperation is the biggest risk. We should mitigate risks through cooperation and eliminate them through convergence of interests," Wang said.

On Rasmussen's part, he said Denmark is committed to strengthening cooperation with China.

Danish companies attach great importance to and are optimistic about the Chinese market and look forward to investing and doing business in China. They are glad that China has introduced 24 new measures to attract foreign investment and look forward to these measures to promote bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Rasmussen said.

He noted that Denmark supports multilateralism, economic globalization, and Europe-China cooperation, which is conducive to each other's development.

On the Ukraine crisis, Wang said China's position is consistent and committed to promoting peace talks.

"We hope that through the efforts of all parties, we can promote the establishment of a balanced, effective, and sustainable European security architecture and achieve long-term peace and stability in Europe," said Wang.
Ohio now has the most filled jobs in state history.

Gov. Mike DeWine announced that the buckeye state currently has more than 5.6 million jobs, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Ohio has added nearly 68,000 jobs this year.

>> Record number of students expected to attend Cedarville University this year

A growing economy is important for more than economic reasonsit allows our children and grandchildren to have great career opportunities without ever leaving Ohio, DeWine said.

President Joe Biden issued a statement in response to this milestone.

We have seen more than $31 billion in private sector investment pour into Ohio for manufacturing and the industries of the future, strengthening our economy now and laying the groundwork for thousands of good-paying jobs in the years ahead. Biden said in part.

Ohios 3.3 percent unemployment rate for July is just below the national average of 3.5 percent.




When Ann Francis and her partner approached their 80s, their list of medical needs grew longer. But they don't have children, the circle of friends in their community that they relied on for care was also aging and they had their own medical problems to tend to.

So when Francis and her partner started looking around for assisted living facilities near their home in Lansing, Michigan, they were disappointed they did not find one in which, as a lesbian couple, they felt welcomed. Once, someone told her they accepted LGBTQ residents, but they "could not guarantee" the other residents would be understanding, she told Salon in a phone interview.

"That was sobering," Francis said. "We did not feel assured that if we had to go into assisted living or a nursing home that we would be respected, that we would be able to be together or that we would even have access to one another."

Eventually, they found a community 200 miles away in Oberlin, Ohio that they felt comfortable in. But that meant leaving behind the supportive community they had built over the past 40 years in Michigan.

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"We would have stayed in Michigan  we loved our community back in Michigan and we worked really hard to form an LGBTQ community that was supportive," Francis said. "But when we aged, it became increasingly clear to us because of our circumstances that we would not get the support we needed to have a good experience in our senior years."

Francis is not alone. In a survey conducted by AARP New York and SAGE, one-third of older adults surveyed in New York said they feared having to "re-closet" themselves when seeking senior housing. Another report found half of older same-sex couples faced discrimination when applying for housing.

The needs of older individuals can become invisible in decision-making as they age, partly due to ageism and ableism. While the LGBTQ community has visibility today, over 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year alone, and the community is still victim to outsized rates of violence.

Many older LGBTQ individuals who came out in the '60s or '70s have faced threats or violence in their past or had to hide their sexuality for decades, said Dan Stewart, associate director of the Aging Equality Project with the Human Rights Campaign. Having to hide their sexuality not only dredges those feelings up but adds another layer of invisibility to a population that is already often overlooked.

"A lot of these elders have lived in the closet for many decades and now, if they are out, are faced with the concern of, 'If I go into long-term care services or access home and community-based services [will they] help support me as I age?'" Stewart told Salon in a phone interview.

Francis grew up in a Catholic home in Florida in the 1950s and didn't come out until her 30s. She worked as a teacher, but without LGBTQ protections in place, she faced discrimination and left the profession to work in an automotive factory in Michigan for the next 20 years. As a peace activist, Francis spent decades fighting for civil rights and the climate movement and helped build a community supportive of women, the LGBTQ community, and people of color in her area in Lansing, Michigan over the course of 40 years.

At her new home in Ohio, Francis is building that support system up again.

Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe to Salon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist.

"We had a lot of hope also because of the welcoming nature of this community," Francis said. "We have an LGBTQ group here and we've grown that, we've worked together to make that happen right here in the community."

Although Francis feels safe in her assisted living facility, she doesn't feel as comfortable in the wider community beyond its borders, especially as legislation was proposed in Ohio that would let parents opt out of "sexuality content" in school and prevent doctors from providing gender-affirming care this year.

"We've had a lot of pride activities and we made a point of being out in the community and out supporting pride events," Francis said. "Do we feel safe? I would say no, you don't feel safe.  I've grown up in very unsafe places. We don't forget how unsafe it can be and is."

A host of factors make the need for inclusive housing for LGBTQ individuals more pressing. The LGBTQ community is twice as likely to be single and live alone than other communities. This population also has higher rates of certain chronic health conditions and is less likely to access preventative health services.

"When we think about this population getting to an age when they may need assistance in the home or perhaps they need to move into a more supportive environment, they're bringing with them these generational experiences of health systems and government systems not seeing them," Stewart said. "And if they do, it's a danger to them  being fired or being denied service  and that's the reality we see today, unfortunately."

Being in the closet  or not being able to be one's true self  can be a source of toxic stress and exacerbate existing illness in itself, said Sherrill Wayland, the director of National Education Initiatives, including the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging, at Sage. On the other hand, older adults have been shown to be resilient, with more social connectedness tied to a better quality of life.

"During a time in life when we may be having to leave our homes and move to our new home where we don't know our neighbors, where we're more dependent on others for support if we are not able to be our true self, that can cause depression, anxiety and a whole host of potential mental health and other health-related conditions," Wayland told Salon in a phone interview. "It's really important for people to feel safe and comfortable when they're having to go into long-term care communities."

To implement inclusive policies in assisted living facilities, Wayland and Stewart lead the Long-Term Care Equality Index, a program that trains a network of long-term care communities across the country.

"It's going beyond raising a rainbow flag or changing your logo during Pride month," Wayland said. "It's actually living that commitment to LGBTQ equity."

Although it's not a comprehensive list of LGBTQ-accepting assisted living facilities, 200 communities across 34 states, including Francis' community in Ohio, have formalized inclusive policies since 2015. Other LGBTQ-specific assisted living facilities, like the Stonewall House in New York, are popping up across the country. Still, just 18% of long-term care communities across the country have policies to protect residents based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

"When we talk about LGBTQ inclusion, it's not just the fact that someone can come in and see, 'Oh, I'm represented,'" Stewart said. "It really is a matter of taking a deep breath and sighing, like, 'Okay, I am safe.' That's something we all need and deserve, especially if we are needing to access services when we are very sick or we need long-term support like in a skilled nursing community."

Read more

LGBTQ health
Some Chinese companies have a "996" work culture where staff work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Over one in 5 Chinese young adults looking for work can't find it, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics.

The Chinese government didn't report rates for July, saying it had to reevaluate its methodology.

According to UNICEF, youth unemployment can lead to social and economic unrest.

Chinese youth unemployment hit an all-time high in June, and it's impacting the entire Chinese economy negatively.

In June, China's National Bureau of Statistics reported that for ages 16 - 24, employment hit a record high of 21.3%  or more than one in 5 people.

"The trend of youth unemployment is unmistakable because NBS' own data, no matter how it has been calculated, shows that the urban youth unemployment rate has nearly doubled since 2019 and keeps growing," said Sun Xin, a lecturer at King's College London, told NBC News in an email.

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Sun also mentioned that the problem is exacerbated by "harsh business environments" that reduce hiring in foreign firms, while the state sector is unable to provide enough jobs that fit graduates' expectations.

For their July data released last week, Chinese government officials entirely omitted the data on youth unemployment.

A spokesperson told from the bureau told CNBC that the Chinese government did not release data on youth unemployment because it is reassessing its methodology and because of economic and social changes.

The rate of unemployment doesn't necessarily mean there's a lack of jobs in China for people to take. According to reporting from The New York Times, young people in China who graduated from higher education institutions haven't been able to find the white-collar jobs they want  jobs they went to school for.

With China's economy already recovering slower than expected from catastrophic shutdowns during COVID-19, the unemployment rates could be especially harmful.

The Times also reported that amid the crisis, Chinese leaders are telling young people to take jobs they might be overqualified for rather than have no job. Leader Xi Jinping encouraged them to learn how to "eat bitterness," or endure hardship to build character.

But it's not quite that simple. According to research from United Nations Children's Fund, youth unemployment impacts present and future economic growth and stability. The report also warns that youth unemployment can have "significant and serious social repercussions" and social unrest.

The Wall Street Journal reported that one young job-seeker, Liu Xingyu, was upset that older Chinese people felt her generation is "too picky."

"They're not from our generation, and they don't understand us, so their opinions don't matter much to us," said Liu to the Journal.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Editors Note: Carrie Sheffield is a senior policy analyst at Independent Womens Voice and theTony Blankley Fellow for Public Policy and American Exceptionalism at The Steamboat Institute. The views expressed here are solely hers. View more opinion articles on CNN.

Its discouraging to see some of my fellow conservatives attacking rising GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his Hindu faith. It is wrong and un-American. It violates the spirit, if not the law, of the Constitution. And it could backfire on Christians as our share of the US population dwindles.

Carrie Sheffield - Peter Cooper

It is also entirely counterproductive for those who claim to support traditional values and religious liberty. Ramaswamy is steadily climbing in Republican primary voter support, closing in on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in some polls and neck and neck with him in the betting markets. He is also one of the candidates best positioned to further major conservative Christian agenda items.

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Conservatives claim to embrace originalist jurisprudence that holds faithfully to the letter of the Constitution and the Founders intent. Yet those who criticize Ramaswamy because of his religion are undermining this core American document, which clearly states: no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Yet its clear that Ramaswamy is facing headwinds because of his faith.

Prominent pro-life activist Abby Johnson declared earlier this month on Flashpoint, a conservative television program, that Our God will not be mocked by having Christians support what she described as a candidate who believes in many gods. And even though Ramaswamy is charismatic and says the right things, she said, he is not the right guy for the White House because hes Hindu.

Meanwhile, Hank Kunneman, pastor of the nondenominational Lord of Hosts Church in Omaha, Nebraska, attacked Ramaswamy in a recent sermon by saying that, as president, he would be some dude put his hand on something other than the Bible who would put all of his strange gods up in the White House.

Prominent conservative commentator Glenn Beck of The Blaze recently asked the candidate about GOP voters wary of his Hinduism, and I have personally spoken with multiple Christians who said it might deter their vote. They argue he would fail to acknowledge the true Gods authority. They also told me they fear Hinduism could rise in popularity and gain new converts at the expense of Christianity  a fear that is likely misplaced.

Ironically, some conservatives who are wary of Ramaswamys Hindu faith have ignored former President Donald Trumps ecumenical governance. For example, the 2020 White House National Day of Prayer Service interfaith event featured a Hindu clergyman offering a prayer for peace alongside various Christian prayers from Catholic and Protestant leaders. Trump himself takes a friendly posture toward Ramaswamy without criticizing Hinduism.

As a Christian, I dont share Ramaswamys theology; however, hes not running for pastor-in-chief. And as commander in chief, hed provide strong leadership for economic and cultural renewal.

For starters, Ramaswamy offers a compelling response to liberal critics who smear us as Christian nationalists for supporting traditional values. Im an ardent defender of religious liberty, Ramaswamy told the Associated Press. I will be an even more vocal and unapologetic defender of it precisely because no one is going to accuse me of being a Christian nationalist.

And Ramaswamy not only recognizes but honors Americas biblical underpinnings. We are a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, Ramaswamy said Monday night during a town hall hosted by NewsNation. Heres what I can say with confidence: I share those same values. I believe I live by those values more so than many self-proclaimed Christian politicians.

Hes correct. Knowledge of the context of the United States founding becomes meaningless when a candidate isnt willing to continue that legacy. Ramaswamy, however, cherishes the Judeo-Christian value system. The same cant be said for all of his competitors.

President Joe Biden frequently talks about his Catholicism, for instance, though his support for allowing women to choose to have abortions is in direct opposition to his churchs theology. Ramaswamy has said he rejects Bidens approach and is unapologetically pro-life, supporting expanded adoption and greater paternal responsibility from men. Like the Bibles Good Samaritan, who was theologically disdained but honoring God through his actions, Ramaswamy actually puts Judeo-Christian values in practice.

According to the Pew Research Center, 53% of conservative Republicans say being Christian is an important part of being truly American. And 61% of Republicans support declaring the United States a Christian nation. I disagree, even though Id love to see more growth in American Christianity. America was started in part because of bloody religious persecution in Europe, and our Founders wanted respite from state-mandated religions. Not to mention that Jesus commanded us to render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesars; and unto God the things that are Gods, making a clear division between church and state.

Thats not to say faith and religion arent compatible with politics. Indeed, they are perfect complements. Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, George Washington wrote in his Farewell Address, religion and morality are indispensable supports.

America is currently a majority-Christian nation at 63%, but as more and more people leave Christianity and secularism rises, Jesus Golden Rule tells Christians they shouldnt discriminate against non-Christians if they dont want the same. As our numbers decrease, we need allies more than ever.

To my fellow Christians: Is your faith and salvation so weak that you think its diminished by supporting a non-Christian seeking secular office? Jesus Great Commission, his final instructions before ascending into heaven, didnt include tearing down a Hindu political candidate. Instead, they offered a much higher calling: to spread the Gospel to every nation.

Rather than attacking a Hindu politician who will protect Judeo-Christian values, Christian conservatives would better spend their time helping the faith grow. Right now, they are only overseeing its continued decline among the American people.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has responded to the abhorrent attack by Russian on Chernihiv city center in the afternoon of Aug. 19 in a video address.

"This is what a neighborhood with a terrorist state looks like, this is what we unite the whole world against," the head of state wrote.

A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater. An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss.

Read also: Lviv hurts after Russian missile attack  15 injured, kindergarten destroyed, 100+ buildings damaged

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He also noted that the missile attack resulted in deaths and injuries.

"Let's do even more to unite the world against Russian terror," President Zelenskyy said.

Let's give even more to our state to protect life. Russia must lose this war for life to win.

Read also: Three killed in devasting Russian missile attack on Lutsk

Russian troops attacked the center of the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine in the afternoon of Aug. 19, killing six and injuring scores more.

The enemy used a ballistic missile, said Vyacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration.

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 hearing to determine whether school shooter Ethan Crumbley is eligible to spend the rest of his life in prison ended on a dramatic note Friday as the prosecutor and defense lawyer went head-to-head over whether the teenager is mentally ill  a feud that sparked anger and frustration in a courtroom already boiling over with emotion.

The defense maintains the teenager is mentally ill, though the prosecution says he is not  all while the victims' parents are still grieving, asking questions and pleading for justice.

After four days of grueling testimony spread over three weeks from health experts, police, students and staff who witnessed the horror, Crumbley's mental health turned out to be the most debated topic at his Miller hearing, a mandatory proceeding that will help decide whether Crumbley is eligible for a life-without-parole sentence.

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald makes a passionate rebuttal during closing arguments at the end of a hearing to determine whether Ethan Crumbley will spend his life in jail without parole on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021.

The prosecution argues Crumbley does not meet the definition of mentally ill under state law. Prosecutors say that he knew right from wrong on the day of the massacre, was not psychotic or hallucinating and should never be free again for murdering four classmates and injuring seven others at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.

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The defense adamantly disagrees, arguing a boy who sees demons, hears voices, is suicidal, depressed, anxious and begs his parents for help is mentally ill.

Prosecutor: Defense claim is 'ignorant and unprofessional'

The controversy reached a boiling point in court when defense attorney Paulette Loftin asserted the prosecutor has argued both sides of Crumbley's mental health status. Specifically, she said the prosecutor has contended that Crumbley's parents neglected their son's mental illness in her effort to make them the first parents convicted of a crime in a school shooting, while also arguing that the teen is not mentally ill in her quest to lock him up forever.

You cant stand in two different courtrooms and argue two different things, said Loftin, who cited the prosecution's arguments in its case against James and Jennifer Crumbley, who face involuntary manslaughter charges for buying their son the gun he used in the shooting and not disclosing that when they were summoned to the school over his troubling behavior.

Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin for Ethan Crumbley, makes closing arguments in the Oakland County courtroom of Kwame Rowe on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County Prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students and injuring seven others at Oxford High School in 2021.

In the parents' case, the prosecution has stated: They knew their son was depressed. ... These parents knew he had reported hallucinations  had asked to go to the doctor  They did nothing.

Loftin's tactics drew a sharp rebuke from Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald.

"To stand here and say that Im saying something inconsistent  is ignorant and unprofessional," McDonald said at the closing of the hearing.

In McDonald's closing statement Friday, she explained her position on the mental health issue. She said that there's a distinction between mental health issues and mental illness. And while she concedes that Crumbley had a troubled childhood, showed disturbing behavior  such as torturing baby birds  and asked for help he didn't get, she said, "I have not ever stated that he had a quote, mental illness."

But what Crumbley did was so horrific, so extraordinary, McDonald said, that he doesn't deserve to ever live freely again, not after callously taking the lives of 16-year old Tate Myre, 17-year-olds Madisyn Baldwin and Justin Shilling, and 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana.

While seeking a life without parole sentence for a juvenile was not an easy decision, she said, Crumbley presents the rare case that warrants the punishment.

Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin, left, stands with Ethan Crumbley and defense attorney Amy Hopp as they appear in court, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021.

"There has never been an offender like this one. This is a person who killed his four classmates solely for the act of killing. It wasnt settling a score," McDonald said. "He didn't even know them. Tate. Hana. Madisyn. Justin  they had their whole lives in front of them."

But Crumbley violently ended their lives, she said, while "his life will be spared, just the way he wanted."

'They were helpless  like the birds'

In imploring Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Kwame Rowe to lock him up forever, McDonald also argued that Crumbley didn't just snap and shoot up his school, but rather planned it ahead of time, wrote about it, texted about it, made a manifesto about it  and made sure he would stay alive so he could witness the suffering. She also described the rampage through the school  how Crumbley killed victims he didn't even know, including Madisyn, whom McDonald said Crumbley shot at point-blank range as she crouched on the ground, curled into a ball with her hands over her head.

"You havent heard me stand up here and call him a monster," McDonald said. "But Im not going to shy away from these horrific facts and the evidence."

She continued: "Rarely, rarely, something very rarely comes along" that warrants life without parole for a juvenile. "And it did, and he's sitting a few feet from me. Please give him a life without parole."

The Miller hearing stems from a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision that banned automatic life without parole for juvenile killers.

The victims, she stressed, deserve justice.

They were helpless, McDonald said, like the birds.

The defense's final argument: No one helped Ethan

In trying to spare her client life in prison, Loftin began her closing argument by citing the teenage shooters own words, as expressed in text messages to a friend and in his journal, where he wrote: "I have fully mentally lost it after years of fighting my dark side. My parents wont listen to me about help or a therapist."

Loftin described her client as a lost and severely depressed teenager who was spiraling out of control in the months before the shooting, hallucinating and contemplating suicide, begging for help but not getting any  as he expressed in his journal and texts.

I feel like Im in a time loop of sadness  I hate myself  I barely made it through ninth grade mentally, then I made it to tenth grade and I fully lost control  Im at my breaking point.

Defense attorney Paulette Michel Loftin cross-examines witness forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Anacker about Ethan Crumbley in the Oakland County courtroom of Kwame Rowe on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students and injuring seven others at Oxford High School in 2021.

Ethan was at his breaking point, and no one stepped in, argued Loftin, who laid much of the blame on Crumbleys parents, saying they long neglected him and missed crucial signs in the months before the shooting.

He was failing almost all his subjects. He sat alone at lunch. His only and trusted friend had left, Loftin said. He was hallucinating. He was hearing voices. He was suicidal. He was anxious.

As Loftin noted, Crumbley wrote on a math sheet on the day of the shooting: The thoughts wont stop, help me  The world is dead. My life is useless.

'No one cared about him'

But his parents, who were summoned to school over the note, didn't bring him home that day, but rather went back to their jobs  his dad making a DoorDash run.

Ethan was overlooked, Loftin argued. Ethan, in his own way, crying out for help, still went unnoticed.

He sat there. His parents didnt greet him, or touch him. There was no question at that point that no one cared about him, Loftin argued, noting these weren't just her words, but the prosecutors words at the parents preliminary exam.

Ethan Crumbley leaves the Oakland County Courtroom of Judge Kwame Rowe on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. after a hearing to determine whether he will spend his life in jail without parole after killing four students and wounding seven in 2021 at Oxford High School.

Loftin portrayed James and Jennifer Crumbley as selfish and uncaring parents who often left their son home alone starting at a very early age, argued constantly, yelled accusations of affairs at one another, drank excessively and left a troubled child to cope with his fears by himself.

It was glaringly obvious that he was not OK, Loftin said, stressing His parents didnt embrace him  you know what they did? They bought him a weapon.

More: Ethan Crumbley's former neighbor opens up: He didnt have a prayer as a child

Loftin also blasted the parents over their actions on the day of the shooting.

As hundreds of parents drove way above the speed limit to make sure their kids were still alive, heres what his parents did: His dad went home to check for a gun. His mom texted him, Dont do it,  Loftin said. They knew he was in a crisis.

Defense: 'Give Ethan a chance'

Loftin urged the judge to give Crumbley the opportunity to turn his life around in prison. His brain is still developing, she stressed, and "there's no expert opinion that says he can't be rehabilitated."

We ask that you give Ethan the chance to show that he will do good things with this time (in prison), Loftin said, noting that should he ever get a shot at parole in the future: Ethan has to prove himself, he must show the parole board that he has changed.

If he doesnt, she added, he will not get out.

Oakland County Judge Kwame Rowe looks through a report while witness Dr. Lisa Anacker, a forensic psychiatrist , testifies as a rebuttal witness for the prosecution as Ethan Crumbley appears in court, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students at Oxford High School and wounding seven others in 2021.

Rowe said he would issue a decision on Crumbley's eligibility for life without parole in 35-45 days, and set a sentencing date after that.

Expert: Scary movies helped trigger Crumbley's hallucinations

The last witness to testify at Crumbley's Miller hearing was Dr. Lisa Anacker, a forensic psychiatrist whom the prosecution used to discredit the defense's claim that Crumbley is mentally ill.

Anacker testified that Crumbley is not mentally ill, and that just because he reported hearing voices and seeing demons, that doesnt mean he was psychotic. She said that Crumbley was fascinated by the supernatural, was left home alone as a child and watched horror movies, so his imagination as a child was heightened.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Anacker gives testimony about Ethan Crumbley in the Oakland County Courtroom of Kwame Rowe on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students and injuring seven others at Oxford High School in 2021.

But Loftin wasn't having it.

"You mean to tell me, when he's hearing voices, seeing demons  hearing toilets flushing," that he "must have been watching scary movies  that's why he's reporting that?" Loftin asked.

Anacker stuck to her position, maintaining that Crumbley does not suffer from psychosis, and knew what he was doing during, before, and after the shooting.

"He specifically told me he was not psychotic or hallucinating," Anacker testified. "I dont think he was lying.

Loftin then asked Anacker about the inner voices that Crumbley said were in his head.

"Is it normal that a 15-year-old boy has a voice in his head telling him to kill?" Loftin asked.

"No, its not normal," Anacker said. "But its not psychotic."

An alleged suicide attempt

On cross-examination by the defense, Anacker also disclosed new details about Crumbley, including that he told her he attempted suicide in the month before the Oxford shooting by taking eight to 10 allergy pills. She also testified that on Crumbley's 15th birthday he got upset and told his parents: "I want to see a therapist." She said his parents did not arrange an appointment.

Anacker made the disclosures as Loftin sought to discredit defense experts' finding that Crumbley is not mentally ill and asked her to update the court about Crumbley's childhood.

A desperate moment for Crumbley's father

Anacker testified that when Crumbley was in elementary school and living in the state of Washington, he heard his mother yelling on the phone in the middle of the night. Jennifer Crumbley told Ethan that his dad was at a waterfall threatening to commit suicide, Anacker said.

According to Anacker, Ethan Crumbley was put on the phone with his dad, crying, telling him to come home and not kill himself.

Another time, Anacker said, Crumbley recalled taking half of one of his mom's sleeping pills, and wound up in the driveway walking in shorts, saying he was seeing someone.

"To your knowledge, he never saw a doctor?" Loftin asked the expert.

He did not, Anacker responded.

Psychiatrist: Crumbley did not display psychosis during massacre

Anacker testified earlier that Crumbley was not hallucinating when he carried out the mass shooting, did not hear any voices telling him to hurt people, and that being depressed or anxious does not make one psychotic. She met with Crumbley once in 2022 for five hours.

Her testimony clashed with that of two defense experts, including a psychiatrist who met with Crumbley 100 times and diagnosed him with major depressive disorder; and with psychologist Colin King, who met with Crumbley six times and subjected him to a dozen tests that left him with this conclusion: The defendant is, without question, someone who is mentally ill.

Defense psychologist Colin King listens as prosecution psychiatrist Lisa Anacker testifies as Ethan Crumbley appears in court, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021.

King diagnosed Crumbley with depression marked with severe psychosis

Anacker, who has evaluated more than 500 criminal cases in the last five years, disagrees.

She evaluated Crumbley on March 15, 2022, and concluded that he did not meet the criteria for having a substantial disorder, specifically on the day of the shooting.

'What we dont see is any signs of bizarre behavior'

Anacker also disputed the defense experts finding that two videos shown of Crumbley in prison this year blaming God for the shooting, and yelling "I'm sorry" show he is mentally ill. She also didn't give much weight to the manifesto made by Crumbley on the eve of the shooting. In that videotape, Crumbley says: I am the demon.

Those videos tell us about the defendants mental state during that one incident, Anacker testified. It tells us nothing about what his mental state was like in 2021 when the shooting occurred.

According to Anacker, on the day of the shooting and after he surrendered: The defendant was communicating clearly. He was calm and collected. What we dont see is any signs of bizarre behavior.

Crumbley, she said, 'understood the nature of what he was doing'

I can absolutely understand how it would be difficult to imagine how a sane person would commit mass murder," Anacker testified. "But the research does show us that mental illness does not account for most of the violence in our country.

As for Crumbley, she concluded: "He was criminally responsible, and he understood the nature of what he was doing."

'Dont do it, dont do it, you are not going to do it'

Loftin also asked Anacker about a statement that Crumbley made: that he felt like his thoughts to commit the shooting was a prophecy of my future and I had to fulfill it.

Anacker recalled the statement, but said Crumbley never told her that he committed the shooting because it was a prophecy, only that "he had been thinking about this for months and months."

Anacker also testified about Crumbley's thoughts on the day of the shooting. She said he told her that as he was exiting the bathroom before he opened fire, he was thinking: Dont do it, dont do it, you are not going to do it.

Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor Marc Keast, left, hands a report to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lisa Anacker as Ethan Crumbley appears in the Oakland County Courtroom of Kwame Rowe, on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023, in Pontiac, Mich. The Oakland County prosecutors are making their case that Crumbley, a teenager, should be sentenced to life without parole for killing four students at Oxford High School in 2021.

Crumbley also told her that when he was firing his gun, he was looking at his hand, not the people he was shooting.

After he shot Shilling in a bathroom, Crumbley told Anacker that he told a second classmate that he could go and thought: "What have I done?" Anacker confirmed that Crumbley told her that after he killed Shilling, he unloaded the gun, put it on top of a trash can, saw police and surrendered.

The classmate who fled from the bathroom after Shilling was shot was Keegan Gregory, now 16. He previously testified that he had been squatting on a toilet in the bathroom when Crumbley came in and, eventually, ordered Shilling to come out of the stall they were hiding in and shot him.

Gregory testified that the shooter then came back into the stall and motioned for him to come out and signaled for him to go by Shillings body. When he got the chance. Gregory said, he bolted.

"I ran behind his back behind the door," Gregory testified. "I think when I saw his body, I realized that if I stayed, I was gonna die ... I just kept running as fast as I could."

Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com. Contact Gina Kaufman: gkaufman@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mentally ill or not, Oxford school shooter's fate is in judge's hands
This article is made possible through Spotlight PAs collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeats republishing policy.

HARRISBURG  Thanks to a new settlement between Pennsylvania and a coalition of election security groups, the commonwealths Department of State will soon require counties to publicly report voting machine malfunctions.

Counties are still awaiting details on what the program, which begins with this Novembers municipal election, will look like. But experts say the reports could be the first of their kind, and could also present a unique opportunity to improve efficiency while combating the kind of election misinformation that has become routine in recent cycles.

The settlement caps a longstanding lawsuit, in which the election groups sued the state after a few counties adopted new voting machines that the groups argued were flawed.

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As fringe conspiracy theories and false claims about election results abound in our civil discourse, this case is a win-win for voters and for election officials who wish to protect both the transparency and the credibility of election results, said Ben-Zion Ptashnik, president of the bipartisan National Election Defense Coalition, one of the plaintiffs. It allows future elections to be safer from manipulations, and inoculates election technology from those wishing to undermine the credibility of our democratic institutions.

Along with having the state direct counties to report malfunctions, the settlement agreement requires the department to give the public better opportunities to witness its voting equipment examination process and requires that the three counties using the voting machine, called the ExpressVote XL, upgrade to its latest software.

Along with the National Election Defense Coalition, the groups involved in the suit against the Department of State include the Pennsylvania-based Citizens for Better Elections, the election equality nonprofit Free Speech for People, and a cohort of several Pennsylvania voters.

Their dispute with Pennsylvania began in July 2019, following Philadelphias controversial selection of the ExpressVote XL as its voting system of choice.

The groups petitioned then-Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar to reexamine the machine and consider decertifying it for use in Pennsylvania elections, claiming the machines had a number of deficiencies affecting ballot security, voting secrecy, and disability access.

Manufactured by ES&S, the ExpressVote XL is a touch-screen voting machine known as a ballot-marking device. As an all-in-one voting system, it allows voters to select their choices, print those choices on a ballot, and have their votes counted through the use of a single machine, as opposed to a separate ballot scanner for tabulation.

Northampton and Cumberland counties also opted to buy the machines in 2019. That November, voters in Northampton County experienced touch-screen glitches as well as improper set-up of the machines by ES&S that led to incorrect vote tallies. Similar issues also arose in Philadelphia.

The election groups then sued the Pa. Department of State in December 2019, arguing that the state should not have certified the machines in the first place. The groups objections included the allegation that the ExpressVote XLs administrative access panel was insecure and frequently unlocked; the machine required poll workers to enter voting booths to help spoil ballots if a voter made a mistake; and the machine stored ballots in chronological order, thus compromising their secrecy.

As part of the agreement reached last week, the secretary of state will instruct all counties using the ExpressVote XL  Cumberland, Northampton, and Philadelphia  to upgrade to the latest software version to address some of these issues.

Citizens for Better Elections President Kevin Skoglund, who spoke on behalf of the plaintiffs, said he was unsure how many of their complaints would be resolved by the machine upgrade, though he added that ES&S had resolved several of the issues the group sued over during the course of the litigation.

A spokesperson for ES&S confirmed that the upgrade addresses at least one of the concerns: the need for a poll worker to assist in spoiling a ballot. Voters can now spoil their ballot without the need for a poll worker to intervene.Philadelphia confirmed it had already upgraded to the latest version of the software earlier this year, before the May primary. A Cumberland County spokesperson said the county is currently upgrading its machines to the latest software that the state has certified. Northampton county did not respond to requests for comment.But the much more wide-ranging part of the settlement is the new requirement that counties submit malfunction reports. This rule applies to all counties, regardless of the voting machines they use.

The settlement says the secretary will direct all counties to submit reports of malfunctions  or declarations of no malfunctions  to his office within the 60 days following an election. The reports will then be posted to the departments website within the next 45 days, with the secretary being allowed to make redactions for security, to protect proprietary information, or to exclude information that would mislead the public.

The settlement agreement says that a reportable malfunction would be a problem that prevents or delays a voter from casting a ballot or the votes from being tabulated.

As the administrator of the new program, the Department of State will be in charge of more clearly defining what exactly will count as a malfunction. Asked by Votebeat and Spotlight PA to explain what the definition would be and whether common issues such as paper jams would qualify, a spokesperson did not answer the question.

Jennifer Morrell, CEO of The Elections Group and a former election director, said she was concerned with a provision in the settlement that says anyone, not just a county election official, can report malfunctions.Just because someone says [they saw] something doesnt always mean it is an issue, she said.

She was also concerned that reports being publicized without proper context could lead to them being used in misinformation, and that a good model for such disclosures would be the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administrations coordinated vulnerability disclosure process, which identifies, analyzes, and seeks to fix issues before they are publicly disclosed.

The settlement says counties should report whether a malfunction was fixed and how it was fixed, but does not bar disclosing that malfunction until it is fixed.

Pennsylvanians can feel confident that their votes are accurately and securely counted, and this agreement will provide additional public transparency into the electronic voting systems used in the Commonwealth, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said in a statement.

Skoglund said the purpose of the malfunction reporting was to see how well voting equipment is working in the field.

What gets measured gets managed, and we want to have the ability to measure, he said. This gives us the ability to see if there are problems that need to be addressed. Those dont have to be malicious, they could be just product defects.

Skoglund gave examples of malfunctions he thinks the settlement requires officials to report: machines running out of ink frequently, experiencing paper jams, or ballots falling out of machines and onto the floor, something he said Philadelphia has experienced.

Skoglund said while the possibility exists that someone looking to sow doubt in election results could use this malfunction report database as a way to do so, the goal is to make voting equipment as secure and well-functioning as it can be.

I think you cant stop people from using good information for bad purposes, and I dont think thats a reason to not do quality control, he said.

Nick Custodio, deputy city commissioner for Philadelphia, said the city is still reviewing the agreements provision on malfunction reports, but that anything that can be used out of context to sow distrust in elections is always a concern.

David Levine, a former elections director and now the senior elections integrity fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, said he was not aware of any similar malfunction reporting programs around the country, and he feels it is a significant development which gives Pennsylvania the opportunity to be a leader on the issue.

I think the secretary recognizes that we need to not only fight back false information, but to not back away from legitimate issues and sweep them under the rug, he said. I think Al (Schmidt) is one of the best I know at being able to do that, walk and chew gum at same time.

Schmidt, a former Republican Philadelphia City Commissioner who was appointed by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro as Secretary of the Commonwealth, is well-known for his work both proving and disproving claims of election fraud.

Levine said that while there may be people who try to weaponize good work on election integrity to delegitimize elections, that does not mean legitimate issues of concern can be ignored.

This agreement does not mean Pennsylvania elections lack integrity, in fact I would say quite the contrary, he said. This is what good election officials who recognize their systems are good but imperfect do to move the needle forward.

WHILE YOURE HERE If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Israeli soldiers at the Hawara check point in the West Bank, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2022. Two Israelis were killed in a suspected Palestinian shooting attack on a car wash in a volatile stretch of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the latest outburst of violence to rock the region. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

HAWARA, West Bank (AP)  Two Israelis were killed in a suspected Palestinian shooting attack on a car wash in a volatile stretch of the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the latest outburst of violence to rock the region.

The Israeli military said it was searching for suspects and setting up roadblocks near the town of Hawara, a flashpoint area in the northern West Bank, which has seen repeated attacks including one deadly shooting that triggered a rampage by Jewish West Bank settlers who torched Palestinian property.

Saturday's shooting attack came after Palestinian medics reported that a 19-year-old Palestinian died of wounds sustained in an Israeli military raid into the West Bank on Wednesday.

The latest attack is part of a relentless spiral of violence that has fueled the worst fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades. Since spring last year, Israel has launched near-nightly raids in Palestinian towns in response to deadly Palestinian attacks.

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Nearly 180 Palestinians have been killed since the start of this year and some 29 people have been killed by Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that time, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone throwing youths protesting the incursions and those not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.

Israeli paramedics said that when they arrived at the Hawara car wash, two Israeli males, aged 60 and 29, were found unconscious with gunshot wounds. Israeli media reported the two were father and son and identified them as Shay Silas Nigreka and his Aviad Nir from the southern Israeli city of Ashdod.

Underscoring the severity of the attack, the country's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, visited the scene.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to the family and vowed that the military would track down the shooter.

The security forces are working diligently to find the murderer and settle accounts, just as we have done with all the murderers so far, Netanyahu said.

Videos circulating online showed Israeli soldiers walking across a pool of blood at the car wash to help move two bodies on stretchers to awaiting ambulances.

Several Israelis have been killed in Hawara in the current round of fighting. The death of two brothers, residents of a nearby settlement, last February set off a rampage by settlers through the town. Crowds of settlers torched dozens of cars and homes in some of the worst such violence in decades.

Similar settler mob violence has taken place elsewhere in the West Bank since. Israeli rights groups say settler violence has worsened and that radical settlers have become emboldened because Israels far-right government has settler leaders in key positions who have vowed to take an especially hard line against the Palestinians.

After the deadly February shooting in Hawara, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a firebrand settler supporter, called for Israel to erase the town from the map. He later walked back the remark after fierce criticism.

Palestinian militant groups praised the shooting attack, with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad congratulating the perpetrators. Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif Al-Qanou called the attack a heroic shooting operation. But the groups stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack.

Also on Saturday, 19-year-old Palestinian militant Mohammad Abu Asab died of a gunshot wound to the head suffered Wednesday during an Israeli military raid on the Balata refugee camp near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. At the time, the Israeli military had said that it raided Balata seeking to destroy an underground weapons factory when a gunfight erupted. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of the secular Fatah party, claimed Abu Asab as a member.

Israel says the raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart future attacks. Palestinians say the raids undermine their security forces, inspire more militancy and entrench Israeli control over lands they seek for a hoped-for future state.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Some 700,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, while Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. The Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

___

McNeil contributed from Jerusalem.
Parole was recently denied to Dana L. Flynn, a Topeka Correctional Facility inmate serving prison time for the 1992 Geary County murder of her former lover.

Flynn, 61, will next become parole-eligible in early 2025 and could be released at the earliest on Feb. 1 of that year, according to the website of the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Flynn and her brother, Mikel Dreiling, now 51, were each sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty in 1996 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit perjury.

Dreiling was also convicted of making a terroristic threat, arising from statements he made to a second victim. He was paroled in 2019 and lives in Saline County.

Parole was recently denied to Dana Flynn, who is serving prison time at the Topeka Correctional Facility for the 1992 Geary County murder of her former lover.

How did Randall Sheridan die?

Randall Sheridan, 41, was blasted five times with a shotgun as he was jogging on a gravel road a half-mile from his home southwest of Junction City, prosecutors said.

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Sheridan and Flynn were in a custody battle over their then-7-year-old daughter, who was born after they had a relationship while he was separated from his wife.

Sheridan was killed one day after a judge changed the visitation requirements, allowing him more time with the girl over Christmas and banning contact between the girl and Flynn's minister, Jerry Rollins.

How was Flynn involved with a Salina church pastor?

Prosecutors said Rollins, then-pastor of the small, Pentecostal Fountain of Life Church in Salina  which Dreiling and Flynn attended  was Flynns lover and mentor, and suggested to her that Sheridan was an evil man who abused their daughter. Child welfare investigators found nothing to substantiate the abuse allegation.

Authorities said Sheridan intended to expose Flynn's alleged affair with Rollins.

Authorities contended Rollins tried to cover up the crime.

Rollins was convicted of two counts of aiding a felon and served time in the states corrections system from November 1997 to March 1998, Kansas Department of Corrections records show.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Parole denied to Dana Flynn, 61, convicted in 1992 Geary County murder
I went to Discovery Cove for $775 this summer, and the highlight was swimming with dolphins.

The all-inclusive theme park and resort has multiple animal-encounter opportunities.

Everything my family needed for the day was included in the price of admission.

This summer, I was able to visit Discovery Cove, an all-inclusive resort next to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.

The marine-life theme park opened in 2000 and offers a number of attractions, including swimming with dolphins, snorkeling with tropical fish, and a lazy river.

Our signature-dolphin-swim package cost about $260 a person, but prices for the all-inclusive ticket start as low as $180 for Florida residents. You can also get a cheaper day-resort package without the dolphin-swim experience starting at $150 for Florida residents and $190 for everyone else.

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Here's what my day was like and why I'd do it again.

The morning started with a brief check-in.

There were fun dolphin statues in the main building. Megan duBois

Discovery Cove is about two hours away from my home in Jacksonville, Florida, so my aunt, uncle, and I got up early to get to the park around 8 a.m.

The registration building is beautiful with a fun dolphin theme.

After walking through the short security check, we made our way to a check-in desk where we got our lanyards with times for our dolphin swim.

The check-in host also gave us a brief overview of the park.

Discovery Cove isn't huge, but there was plenty to do. Megan duBois

The employee showed us where all of the activities were, where breakfast and lunch could be enjoyed, and where we could store our belongings.

A major bonus about Discovery Cove compared to other themed water parks is that everything for the day is included in the cost of admission, including all meals, snacks, and drinks.

Lockers, showers and changing rooms, towels, sunscreen, life vests, chairs, umbrellas, parking, and access to attractions are also included.

We ate breakfast at Laguna Grill, which is the main restaurant at Discovery Cove.

We got our breakfast plates at Laguna Grill. Megan duBois

The buffet-style eatery offered staples like eggs, sausage, fruit, and French-toast sticks. There was also chicken and waffles available, which was a nice addition for those who wanted something sweet and savory.

We took our breakfast outside to one of the main seating areas and enjoyed it while waiting for the waterways to open.

After breakfast, we found lockers for our belongings and lathered up with sunscreen.

We put on sunscreen after we stored our things in the provided lockers. Megan duBois

The park provides animal-safe sunscreen and it's highly suggested that you use it.

The complimentary sunscreen could be found in multiple places around the park, including by the lockers, but I found it hard to rub in all the way because it was so thick.

We couldn't get into the water until a little after 9 a.m.

After about an hour of checking in and getting ready, we hit the water. Megan duBois

The registration area of the park where check-in takes place opens at 7 a.m. Even though my family and I arrived at 8, we still weren't able to get into the water until shortly after 9.

The first water feature we enjoyed was the lazy river.

There's a large lazy river at Discovery Cove. Megan duBois

One of my favorite parts of any water park is the lazy river. At Discovery Cove, the lazy river is called Wind-Away River, and going around once takes about 20 minutes.

One of the more unique things about Wind-Away River is that it runs right through the aviary, so tropical birds can often be seen flying overhead or resting on the rocky shoreline.

Throughout the day, my family and I made our way back to the lazy river to rest and enjoy the cool water since it was almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit while we were there.

The aviary was a fun place to see different birds.

There were big and small birds all over the aviary. Megan duBois

Our first animal encounter came at Explorer's Aviary.

The section of the park is included in the Discovery Cove ticket, and it's home to all kinds of birds.

Guests can even get up close to and feed the birds.

I got to feed some small birds at Discovery Cove. Megan duBois

Complimentary bird-food cups can be found at a few different tables around the aviary.

I found that the smaller birds were more interested in being fed. They also tended to land on people's hands more, which made the experience even more special.

I don't typically enjoy encounters with larger animals, so the cute birds were fun to feed and take pictures with.

There are also educational experiences around the park.

There were animal trainers leading discussions throughout the day. Megan duBois

Even though Discovery Cove isn't huge, there are quite a few educational experiences around the park.

Every day at set times, there are trainer talks and enrichment sessions with staff who specialize in Asian-clawed otters and marmoset monkeys.

The best way to find the times for the educational sessions is through the Discovery Cove app, or by heading over to the animals' enclosures to see the listed times.

These two experiences are also included in the cost of entry.

If you want to splurge, the Animal Trek was a great place to spot even more wildlife.

I was able to pet a sloth at Discovery Cove. Megan duBois

The Animal Trek add-on is another opportunity to interact with birds and small mammals. The guided experience requires an additional ticket that starts at around $70 a person.

You can also opt to walk with flamingos, feed rays, or swim with sharks for about $70 each.

All around the park, there are options for snacks throughout the day.

There were warm, soft pretzels at the park. Megan duBois

Some of the snack options included soft pretzels, warm cookies, and bags of chips. There were also self-serve soda fountains and nonalcoholic slushies.

There were a variety of options for lunch, which pleased everyone in my group.

Lunch was free, and we all found something to eat. Megan duBois

For lunch, my family and I started at the pizza window, which served hot cheese and pepperoni slices.

Then we headed to the buffet, which had a variety of options ranging from salads and wraps to salmon and pepper steak. There was also a kid's section with chicken strips, fries, and macaroni and cheese.

Our food was hot and tasted good. But one thing to note is that I didn't notice many plant-based or vegetarian options.

The highlight of the day was the dolphin swim.

I still can't believe I got to swim with a dolphin. Discovery Cove

The biggest draw for Discovery Cove is the chance to get up close to and swim with dolphins.

Our swim was scheduled for 2 p.m. We made our way to a small building to watch an introduction and safety video before my family and one other family were introduced to Yoko, the dolphin we'd be interacting with.

The 30-minute in-water experience included petting Yoko, taking photos with her, and doing a short swim with her. We were also able to ask questions to the two trainers who were with us the entire time.

One interesting thing I learned during the interaction is that bottlenose dolphins shed their skin once every two hours to help them swim better.

Before leaving, I attempted to snorkel around the Grand Reef, but it was too crowded.

There were tropical fish in the Grand Reef. Megan duBois

The last major attraction I wanted to experience at Discovery Cove was the Grand Reef, which is a large swimming area filled with tropical fish and rays.

It was very crowded and the water, which looked super clear in the morning, had gone a bit murky with so many people kicking up the sand from the bottom of the pool.

Because of the number of people and the lower visibility, I chose to skip snorkeling. If I come back, I'd plan to do this earlier in the day.

Around dinnertime, we got ready to head out of the park for the day.

There was a beach area at Discovery Cove. Megan duBois

After taking a quick shower and putting dry clothes on, my family and I were ready to leave around 5 p.m., which is also when the waterways closed for the day.

On the way out, I stopped by the main store to check out the merchandise.

There were some colorful T-shirts and sweatshirts. Megan duBois

There were a lot of branded items, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, and spirit jerseys.

I ended up buying a bright-pink T-shirt with the Discovery Cove logo on the front and convinced my aunt to do the same.

Overall, I definitely think Discovery Cove was worth the money.

I'd come back to Discovery Cove again. Megan duBois

Even though Discovery Cove is more expensive than other water parks in the Orlando area, it's more of an all-inclusive day resort, so I think it was worth it.

My favorite part of the day was the dolphin swim followed closely by the lazy river. I also learned a lot about the animals in the park and what I can do to help marine wildlife.

I would highly suggest Discovery Cove to those who've never been before, especially if you're looking for something different to do in Orlando outside of Disney World and Universal.

Read the original article on Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol has given her a reason to remain in Congress, but she hasnt yet decided whether to run again next year.

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January 6 is an incentive to stay, Pelosi, 83, said in an interview Friday in San Francisco. It was an assault on our democracy, it was an assault on our Constitution.

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As rioters seeking to undo the result of the 2020 presidential election stormed the Capitol, she and other lawmakers were evacuated to a secure location, where they made urgent calls seeking assistance.

At the Capitol, crowds shouted Nancy, Nancy and breached her office, while her staff hid in nearby rooms.

She said state Democratic officials would like her to make a decision in time for the partys convention in November.

But her husband, Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull after being attacked by a hammer-wielding intruder in the couples San Francisco home last October and a trail for the suspects trial is also scheduled for November.

I want him to get well first, Pelosi said. She added: I love the party, its my political home.

The uncertainty over her plans has fueled speculation over her San Francisco-based seat, which shes held since 1987.

The first woman to serve as House speaker, Pelosi lost the post when Republicans took control of the chamber in the 2022 midterm elections. She then stepped down as House Democratic leader, and was succeeded by Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Her campaign had about $3.6 million cash on hand at the end of June, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

--With assistance from Laura Davison.

(Updates with state party convention, in fifth paragraph. An earlier version corrected to remove reference to discussions about 2024 between Pelosi and her husband)

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The Pentagon has deployed nearly 700 personnel and 140 U.S. Coast Guard responders to Hawaii to help combat the wildfires still spreading across the Pacific island state, according to the latest update.

U.S. defense officials on Friday pledged to continue its efforts in fighting the wildfires until the blazes are fully extinguished and to help with cleanup efforts in the wake of the disaster.

Already, the Army has deployed CH-47 Chinooks to suppress fires while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer is working to remove debris. The Navy and Air Force are also supporting the response across the state.

Federal military responders are assisting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Hawaii National Guard and other state and local emergency personnel in battling the fires.

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The military is focused on missions to carry supplies and resources across the island, carry out aerial fire suppression and fuel distribution operations, and establish support facilities, among others.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan, who is leading the response operation under Joint Task Force 5-0 under U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the combined strength of our military and civilian partners is making a significant impact on the ground.

Im immensely proud of every individual contributing to these efforts, Logan said in a call with reporters on Friday. We will continue to support and aid local, state and federal authorities and partners, ensuring that we offer the best possible support in the days and weeks ahead.

The task force was formed on Aug. 11 and has reached full operational capacity after President Biden activated the military to respond to the wildfires. Biden is expected to visit Hawaii next week.

The wildfires are primarily blazing on the island of Maui, which has been devastated by the conflagration, with more than 2,000 homes damaged or destroyed and more than a hundred people dead.

Firefighters and emergency responders have now extinguished two fires in Maui but have yet to contain two fires. The Kula fire in upcountry Maui is 80 percent contained and the Lahaina fire is 90 percent contained as of Friday, according to the county.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
FILE PHOTO: Members of Philippine Marines is pictured at the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal

FILE PHOTO: Members of Philippine Marines is pictured at the BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippine armed forces said on Saturday it would again seek to resupply troops stationed in a rusty World War 2-era ship on a reef in the South China Sea, after China blocked a previous attempt with water cannons.

"This exercise of our sovereign rights and jurisdiction is a testament to our firm belief in the rules-based international order that underpins regional peace and stability," armed forces spokesperson Medel Aguilar said in a statement.

Manila filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing this month after China's coast guard used water cannon and "dangerous" moves to prevent the Philippines from sending supplies to a handful of troops in the Second Thomas Shoal.

China claims almost all the South China Sea, an assertion rejected internationally, while Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines have various claims to certain areas.

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Manila calls on all relevant parties to respect its sovereignty and jurisdiction over its maritime zones, Aguilar said, adding that Manila supports the peaceful settlement of disputes.

China's embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Chinese coast guard said on Aug. 7 it had told the Philippines not to send ships to the shoal and not to send "construction materials used for large-scale repair and reinforcement" to the warship.

The Philippines intentionally grounded the warship in 1999 as part of its sovereignty claim to the shoal, which lies within its 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The planned resupply mission "is a clear demonstration of our resolve to stand up against threats and coercion, and our commitment in upholding the rule of law", the armed forces said.

In 2016, an international arbitration award invalidated China's sweeping claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

China, which does not recognise the ruling, has built man-made islands with airstrips and surface-to-air missiles in the South China Sea.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by William Mallard)
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A 56-year-old Phoenix man who police say shot himself after Maricopa County constables knocked on his door to evict him, had been only one month late on his rent.

It was the only time he missed a payment and it happened because somebody was late paying him.

The Arizona Republic does not name people who die by suicide.

A company called YF Group owns the Rancho Sierra apartments where the man lived near 30th Street and Shea Boulevard and sued to have the man evicted in Maricopa County Dreamy Draw Justice Court.

A fallen eviction notice at the Biltmore on the Lake apartment complex in Phoenix on March 21, 2023.

During a hearing on July 25, the man told the court that he had been a month late on his rent for $1,434.79 after he had lived at the apartment without ever being late with rent.

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He told the court that he did construction work and payment had been delayed on the project he was working on, which is why he was late.

"I let them know I was going to pay on the 12th. And it was late. I've been here a year and a half, never been late," the 56-year-old man said.

The judge informed the man that was not a legally excusable reason to be late on rent and granted the eviction for August 10.

"You've indicated to me that you may have the rent to pay in full, I would suggest that you let the landlord know what's going on. The landlord may or may not be willing to work something out with you," the judge said in court.

On Thursday, constables showed up at his door, and police say that he shot himself. No other details have been provided about what happened that day.

Constables serve court processes like subpoenas, summons, orders of protection, evictions, and property seizures. Maricopa County has 26 elected constables, but the name of the constable involved in this case has not been released.

Last month, 7,142 eviction cases were filed, according to the Maricopa County Justice Courts.

During the past 15 years, July's eviction pace is second only to September 2008, when landlords filed to eject metro Phoenix tenants 7,273 times.

The cost of an apartment has become too high for many Phoenix-area tenants due to rapidly rising rents in 2021 and the first half of last year.

If trends continue, the number of Maricopa County eviction filings for the year could approach 78,000, roughly the population of Flagstaff.

Staff writer Catherine Reagor contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Landlords had filed eviction on man police say shot himeself
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND  At a young age, Thomas Dambo found joy off the woods with friends, scavenging wood to build a hut or a fortress or a treehouse. Hed be completely absorbed in those moments of youthful bliss, the kind that see an afternoon disappear in a blink.

I would be working like a freaking freight train, 14 hours a day, I would work on it, he said. And all my friends, they would be like, No more, Thomas. And I would be like, We just have to build this and go get that. I would really control it and make the game and let everybody come and be a part of it. Of course, thats what I loved to do as a child, Ive made it into a career.

Dambo, a self-described recycle art activist from Copenhagen, Denmark, drifted back to his childhood for a few moments Friday, standing a few steps away from his latest eye-popping art installation, which is tucked away in what is normally a quiet section of Sakai Park on Bainbridge Island. Over the last few days, though, the park has been filled with the sounds of saws buzzing and screwdrivers turning as volunteers and members of Dambos crew have worked to turn his storybook-esque vision into something real.

Danish artist Thomas Dambo, left, and Viktor Zachariassen, right, seek opinions from those on the ground regarding the length of the necklace of shells and driftwood that will adorn the neck of Dambo's "Pia the Peacekeeper" in Sakai Park on Bainbridge Island, Wash. on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. The 18-foot troll is made out of found and recycled materials and is part of Dambo's "Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King" exhibition.

Pia the Peacekeeper, an 18-foot troll built from recycled wood now sits hunkered down in a stand of trees in the park, the latest in a long line of trolls that have sprouted from Dambos creative vision.

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I believe that our trash can be used for magnificent things, much better than growing our landfills, he said. Because if we keep growing them, then well all live on a landfill in the near future.

Pia comes in a series of six installations Dambo and his crew are constructing in the Pacific Northwest this summer in an exhibition called "Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King," with one troll in Portland and the others in Issaquah, Ballard, West Seattle and on Bainbridge and Vashon islands. The pieces wont last forever, but they'll be hosted at each site for at least three years and bring a little whimsy and joy while they're around.

Trolls are Dambos thing. He's built them across the globe, and Pia comes as his 121st. Im hoping to build 1,000 trolls before I exit out, he said with a laugh.

Volunteers Wendy Greenberg, left, and Brad Lozowski, both of Bainbridge Island, build birdhouses that will be a part of Artist Thomas Dambo's "Pia the Peacekeeper" troll installation in Sakai Park on Bainbridge Island, Wash. on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

Each piece has a unique name, story and construction.

(Pias) like a playful troll, because she is playing with the humans, but shes also a little bit scary, because shes kind of strong, like a little girl can sometimes by accident break a leg or poke an eye out or light a fire to the hair of her doll, Dambo said. Dont upset Pia, because you might lose a leg.

Select pieces like the trolls head were made in Dambos studio in Denmark and shipped over with parts for other trolls. A wooden frame works as an internal skeleton. Dozens and dozens of wooden pallets were broken down before pieces were screwed into place to form her exterior.

Workers scurried about the large piece on Friday, scrambling to finish off the last bits of the project here and there before an opening on Saturday. Some eyeball the right wooden shapes to cut and secure them in place. Others work to create great stacks of birdhouses that will lead visitors to the hidden troll.

Artist Thomas Dambo, left, and volunteer Tom Nordlie, of Poulsbo, carry a necklace of shells and driftwood to the troll called "Pia the Peacekeeper" to test out the length of the accessory in Sakai Park on Bainbridge Island, Wash. on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

Tom Nordlie, of Poulsbo, contributed shells to be used in a large necklace and some apple tree trimmings that became a mop of curly hair atop Pias head. He put in several days working to help at the site. Nordlie had pushed for the troll to be added to Fish Park in Poulsbo, where he dedicated years of personal work, but was happy to see it built nearby on Bainbridge Island when that effort didn't work out.

Its spectacular, he said, looking at the nearly finished troll on Friday morning. Im very proud of my contribution to it, and all the people, all the volunteers are just fantastic.

Friends Daniel Estrada, of Queen Creek, Arizona, and Alma Bentz, of Kingston, also contributed work at the site on Friday, both eager to chip in on the larger-than-life effort. Estrada made a special trip north from Arizona to help.

We were just excited when (Dambo) was coming to the United States, Bentz said. We were like, Where? Oh my gosh, Washington? Weve gotta know where and how we can help. We are just thrilled to be a part of everything here.

"Troll Crew" member Xavier Turisini attaches assembled birdhouses to a post as part of artist Thomas Dambo's "Pia the Peacekeeper" in Sakai Park on Bainbridge Island, Wash. on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023.

The Scan Design Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation both chipped in larger contributions for the project, and other funding and support came through private businesses and groups.

An army of volunteers chipped in labor alongside Dambos own work crew. Dawn Janow, an elected commissioner with the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, which owns Sakai Park, and a local project manager with the group Friends of the Bainbridge Troll, said that more than 100 people had wanted to volunteer to work at the site and that a limit had to be placed on how many people could help.

The city of Poulsbo considered pursuing the troll project last year but eventually backed away from the effort, which led Bainbridges park district to pick up the venture.

At first its like, 'A troll, what are you talking about?' Janow said. And then momentum began to build toward bringing the piece to a park on the island.

The amount of community positivity and excitement and joy around a project like this, you sort of call it 'stone soup,' she said. You start with an idea, people think youre crazy and then slowly everybody wants to participate.

For more information about the project, visit bainbridgetroll.org.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Giant troll art installation finds a home on Bainbridge Island
The government will allocate 350 million UAH ($9.5 million) to the Energy Ministry to support critical repairs ahead of the cold season, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Aug. 19.

"We are helping to restore critical energy infrastructure after the Russian attacks," Shmyhal said.

Shmyhal said that the funding would be directed to energy companies in order to reduce the cost of loans for equipment repairs.

Attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure last November disabled nearly half the country's energy system. Emergency loans from European institutions were necessary to restore critical equipment.

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Shmyhal emphasized that the government is "stepping up preparations" for winter to ensure heating systems are in order during the cold months.

Shmyhal also announced that the government is distributing funds to improve the water supply in Mikolaiv and making plans to fast-track the design of a national military memorial cemetery in Kyiv Oblast.

Read also: Kenneth Rogoff: Europe must lead Ukraines reconstruction

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Seattle Police are asking the public for help in finding a missing and endangered 92-year-old Centralia Woman.

Martha Norman was last seen at her house near the 100th block of Black Bear Lane on Friday around 5 p.m. Police say that Norman has dementia and most likely wandered away from her house on a walk and got lost.

Norman is described as being five and a half feet tall and weighing 100 Pounds. She has brown eyes and was last seen wearing a brown jacket, yellow shirt, maroon fleece pants, and black boots with fur lining.

If you have information that can help locate Ms. Norman, police ask that you contact the Lewis County Sheriffs Office at (360) 748-9286.




UPDATE (8/19 @ 1:30 p.m.):

A woman reported missing in Huber Heights has been found.

Huber Heights Police Department posted on social media that Alexis McClain, 20, was found in Xenia and is being reunited with her family.

McClain wandered off from her home in Huber Heights late Friday night and her family was unable to locate her.

We will continue following this story and update as new information becomes available.

>>Driver: I did. I definitely did think rear-end crash on I-75 in Piqua was a fatal one

INITIAL REPORT:

Huber Heights Police are asking for the publics help in finding a missing person.

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Alexis McClain, 20, was last seen in her residence early Friday evening and is considered an at risk missing person, a Huber Heights Police spokesperson said.

She wandered off from her house and the family could not locate her.

Police officers and firefighters searched surrounding neighborhoods and businesses late Friday night and early Saturday morning but could not locate her.

Alexis is about 51 tall, weighs 150 pounds, has red shoulder-length hair, wears glasses, and has intellectual challenges, according to a police spokesperson.

She reportedly could be trying to get to the Xenia area.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to call Huber Heights Police at 937-237-3541.
Second officer injured in downtown Orlando shooting was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon, police said.

We are grateful to report that the second officer was able to leave the hospital today and will be recovering at home, the Orlando Police Department said in a statement.

The officers names have not been released.

Read: 1 of the 2 Orlando officers involved in downtown shooting released from hospital, police say

Daton Viel, 28, is accused of shooting the two officers after a traffic stop on Aug. 4, spurring a manhunt across portions of Orlando.

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Viel was later killed by police after he shot at the SWAT team at the Holiday Inn near Universal Orlando Resort.

Orlando police said they are grateful for the support from the community and the medical staff at Orlando Health.

Read: Heroic: Orlando police chief thanks dispatchers for their work during officer-involved shooting

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.
Paso Robles police seized skimmer devices installed on the ATMs of two banks on Friday, according to a news release.

Skimming devices are used to record the ATM card data, which is then transferred to a blank card that has a magnetic strip to create a clone of the victims ATM card, the news release said.

Coast Hills Federal Credit Union on Spring Street discovered a skimming device on of its ATM at about 9:47 a.m. Friday, police said.

When police arrived to remove the device, they found a a small camera had been mounted into the frame of the ATM, which would allow for the recording of ATM card PIN information, the release said.

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On Friday, police also removed a skimmer device from the ATM at Premier Valley Bank on Spring Street, the release said.

According to the investigation so far, the skimmers were likely placed at the banks at 5:30 a.m. on Friday.

There has been a recent uptick in located skimming devices which have been found at these banks and Bank of America on Spring Street, the release said. Banking customers should closely monitor their bank activity if they have used ATMs at these, or any, locations recently.
Authorities suspect Leonardo Echea, 36, of Hesperia was intoxicated when he nearly collided with a sheriff's vehicle in Hesperia.

A Hesperia man was arrested after he nearly collided with a sheriffs vehicle, authorities said.

At 9:49 p.m. Wednesday, a sheriff's deputy was headed north on I Avenue when a black Mercedes SLK 320, traveling south on the same roadway, veered into the northbound lane and nearly collided head-on with the deputy's vehicle.

The deputy activated his lights and sirens and attempted a traffic stop on the Mercedes. The driver, later identified as Leonardo Echea, 36, failed to yield and a 1.5-mile pursuit began, sheriff's officials said.

Echea eventually pulled over and was questioned by the deputy, who said Echea was driving without a valid California drivers license and was under the influence of alcohol.

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Echea was arrested on suspicion of evading police with disregard for safety, evading police while driving the wrong way, driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving under the influence of alcohol over 0.08%, sheriff's officials reported.

He was booked at the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, with bail set at $435,000, sheriff's booking records show.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Hesperia sheriffs station at 760-947-1500 or sheriffs dispatch at 760-956-5001.

Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78CRIME (27463) or wetip.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Suspected intoxicated driver nearly collides with sheriffs vehicle
An Idaho judge on Friday gave Bryan Kohbergers attorneys three weeks to submit evidence for the accused killers alibi if he plans on using that as a defense.

The state has argued Kohberger must provide his exact whereabouts the night of last years killings of four University of Idaho students and any witnesses who can support the defendants claim that he was out for a drive alone that night.

His defense team submitted that Mr. Kohberger has a long habit of going for drives alone. Often he would go for drives at night. He did so late on November 12 and into November 13, 2022. Mr. Kohberger is not claiming to be at a specific location at a specific time.

Kohberger faces four counts of first-degree murder in the November 13 deaths of 21-year-olds Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen and 20-year-olds Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, who were fatally stabbed in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho.

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A not guilty plea has been entered on Kohbergers behalf. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty, according to court documents.

Prosecutors at first submitted to the court that the alibi was too vague, arguing Kohberger needed to provide specific witnesses and locations, so they could be prepared to cross-examine them.

During Fridays hearing, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said there is not enough time for the state to prepare for a list of witnesses who may speak about Kohbergers alibi.

The states position, at this point, is we will accept what the defendant has said, that he was driving around.  We are willing to accept that, with an order from this court from prohibiting the defense from offering third party evidence, whether by direct or cross-examination, in support of the defendants claiming alibi.

Judge John Judge ruled that Bryan Kohberger has until September 8 to submit witnesses for his alibi. Judge also established October 2 as the start date for the trial, denying a defense request to stay the proceedings to investigate potential procedural issues with the grand jury.

Much of Fridays hearing involved discussion of a defense motion related to a request to compel the state to disclose DNA profiles. The defense team presented DNA experts as witnesses. Judge did not rule on that motion.

Prosecution motions are connected to the alibi; protecting the disclosure of information of people involved in the genetic genealogy investigation; issues on the timeline of the trial and Kohbergers right to a speedy trial; and a request to set deadlines on pretrial issues.

Bryan Kohberger at Friday's court hearing. - Pool/Court TV

The evidence in the case

Statements by a surviving witness and other evidence led investigators to believe the killings happened between 4 a.m. and 4:25 a.m., according to court documents. There was no sign of forced entry, police have said.

The killing sparked fear in the quiet college town and led to weeks of speculation as to who was the killer. Kohberger, a criminology graduate student at nearby Washington State University, was arrested seven weeks later at his parents house in Pennsylvania.

Authorities began to focus their investigation on Kohberger after learning he was the registered owner of a white Hyundai Elantra similar to one seen in surveillance footage near the crime scene, according to a probable cause affidavit released in January. His appearance also was consistent with a surviving roommates description of the suspect, specifically noting his height, weight and bushy eyebrows, according to the affidavit.

Other evidence listed in the affidavit included phone records showing Kohbergers phone had been near the victims home at least a dozen times since June. Records also show the phone near the site of the killings hours later, between 9:12 a.m. and 9:21 a.m., the document says.

Additionally, Kohbergers DNA was a statistical match to DNA collected from the sheath of a knife found at the crime scene, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.

CNNs CNNs Jack Hannah, Cheri Mossburg, Taylor Romine and Jean Casarez contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
The Prosecutor General's Office reported on Aug. 19 that 502 Ukrainian children have been officially reported killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion last year.

More than 1,100 children have also sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity.

On Aug. 18, a 17-year-old girl was injured by Russian shelling in the village of Virivka in Kherson Oblast.

Four hundred eighty-five children in Donetsk Oblast have either been injured or killed by Russia, making it the most heavily-impacted region in Ukraine in terms of child casualties.

Read also: The little victims: Russias war killed these children

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Additionally, 299 children in Kharkiv Oblast have been affected, as well as 129 in Kyiv Oblast, 121 in Kherson Oblast, 99 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, 97 in Mykolaiv Oblast, 95 in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 71 in Chernihiv Oblast, and 67 in Luhansk Oblast.

However, the actual numbers regarding child casualties may be much higher since they do not fully account for territories still under Russian occupation, recently liberated by Ukrainian forces, or experiencing heavy fighting, the Prosecutor General's Office added.

Read also: Stolen generation. Russia systematically abducts children from Ukraine, gives them to Russian families

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Authorities say a Proud Boy found guilty for his role in the Capitol riot has disappeared.

Worrell was on house arrest since a judge ruled that his rights were violated in prison.

Over 1,000 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol riot.

Authorities are searching for a Proud Boys extremist group member who disappeared days before his sentencing in a US Capitol riot case, in which prosecutors are seeking more than a decade in prison, according to a warrant made public Friday.

Christopher Worrell, 52, of Naples, Florida, was supposed to be sentenced Friday after being found guilty of spraying pepper spray gel on police officers while part of the mob storming the Capitol as Congress was certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory on January 6, 2021.

Prosecutors asked a judge to sentence him to 14 years.

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According to court records, the sentencing was canceled, and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued under seal on Tuesday. The US attorney's office for Washington, DC, encouraged the public to share any information about his whereabouts.

Worrell, charged in March 2021, had been on house arrest in Florida since his release from a Washington, DC, jail in November 2021, less than a month after a judge agreed that his civil rights were being violated while in custody.

Worrell was left with a broken wrist for four months after DC Department of Corrections officials did not transfer critical documents to approve his surgery. The officials were later held in contempt.

Before this, Worrell also applied twice to be freed on medical grounds, arguing that he was "rapidly deteriorating" in jail due to his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The attempts had been rejected.

His attorney, William Shipley, declined to comment. Phone numbers listed for Worrell and the woman named as his custodian during his house arrest were not functional.

At least 1,003 people have been charged in connection to the Capitol insurrection as of February 2023, according to an Insider database, as part of the Department of Justice's investigation into the Capitol riot.

The investigation has reached the top after the DOJ charged former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election on August 1. The indictment is one of two examining whether or not the former president played a role in trying to subvert the law to instate himself as president.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Everywhere around us, there are signs of a psychedelic renaissance: in medicine, therapy, commerce, and the arts.

These drugs are getting serious, positive coverage in glossy magazines, best-selling books, literary memoirs, documentaries, and hit podcasts. Performers like Reggie Watts, Melissa Etheridge, and members of the Flaming Lips openly acknowledge the role of hallucinogens in their work. And a flourishing psychedelic comedy scene is springing out all over the place.

But federal prohibition of psychedelicsa term that refers to a broad category of consciousness- and perception-altering substancesis also changing. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve therapy using psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredients in magic mushrooms, and MDMA, the drug also known as ecstasy and molly. And Oregon and Colorado have decriminalized the recreational use of plant-based psychedelics.

Word is that even the presidentfamous as a teetotaler, for having an addict son, and as a major force behind the half-century-long drug waris "very open-minded" about medicinal use of psychedelics.

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The most recent, pulsing Day-Glo sign that the psychedelic renaissance is here took place in Denver in late June at the Psychedelic Science 2023 conference, organized and hosted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS.

Founded in the late '80s, MAPS has spent decades working to get FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD and related conditions. At the conference, a reported 13,000 people gathered to talk about what seemed like every possible topic related to the productive use of these substances.

According to MAPS founder Rick Doblin, this is not the far-out, radical reordering of society envisioned by Timothy Leary , the Harvard psychology lecturer-turned-psychedelic evangelist.

"We look at what happened in the '60s, and a lot of the things that came about from psychedelics were frightening to the culture," says Doblin.

In pursuit of mainstream acceptance, and to gain the approval of federal regulators and establishment figures, MAPS is emphasizing the medical benefits of psychedelics over their potential to bring spiritual enlightenment and societal transformation. Large pharmaceutical companies have entered the field, putting much-needed capital into research. But they've also stirred controversy by attempting to patent compounds that the grassroots say shouldn't be commercialized because they belong to everyone, especially indigenous communities that used them first.

But the biggest takeaway from the MAPS conference is that there's no inherent conflict between the science and spirituality of psychedelics and that a former Republican governor, a current Democratic governor, religious seekers, tech bros, and unapologetic recreational users can be allies in pursuit of the same goal.

This event may be remembered as the beginning of a new renaissance, with immense potential to radically change therapy, medicine, work, art, and community.

Nobody exemplifies the psychedelia of the 1960s quite like Leary, who thought that these drugs would radically alter every aspect of human society and famously encouraged his followers to "tune in, turn on, and drop out."

"I believe that the revolution is a neurological revolution. It's a revolution of consciousness," Leary said in 1973 to a journalist interviewing him from Folsom Prison, where he was serving a sentence for a previous jailbreak on a cannabis charge.

States started to ban LSD in the mid '60s, and the feds outlawed it in 1968, which is often blamed on Leary. He once theorized that an enemy state might drop LSD in the water supply, advising readers to "sit back and enjoy theexciting educational experience" under such a scenario.

Leary's rhetoric, combined with hysteria over '60s youth culture, stoked fears that a psychedelic revolution had sinister implications. Perhaps LSD turned people into psychopathic killers like the Manson Family, who combined LSD with amphetamines and other drugs. In 1969, TV personality Art Linkletter started a public campaign to discredit Leary and LSD, claiming a bad acid trip caused his 20-year-old daughter to jump to her death from a sixth-floor window, even though an autopsy failed to turn up drugs in her system.

"We're determined to do it right this time and to not, as a counterculture, stick a middle finger in the face of the conservative American mindset and say, 'We're going make you all obsolete and make all your values obsolete,'" says 74-four-year-old Charley Wininger, a gestalt therapist and the author of Listening To Ecstasy. He remembers the psychedelic movement of the 1960s.

"We actually traumatized the Greatest Generation by fomenting the kind of revolution that we did. So we're not making that mistake again," says Wininger.

Doblin says it's time for the psychedelic movement to move "into the heart of the system" rather than remain a countercultural force.

Ironically, LSD first emerged from the heart of the system.

It was synthesized in 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman in the laboratories of what would later become pharma giant Novartis and used by psychiatrists and therapists to treat alcoholism and depression. Some of its most enthusiastic early adopters worked for the CIA. In the 1950s, the agency, typically without consent, dosed its own employees, soldiers, prisoners, and mental patients with LSD as part of an experimental mind-control program called MKUltra. Convinced that Soviet and Chinese communists had developed "brainwashing" techniques, U.S. intelligence agencies wanted to make sure that Americans had equal or better tools.

"There's a tendency, I think, to kind of push against the past and suggest that now we're doing it anew or in a fresh way. But I like the concept of renaissance that also reminds us to think about what we missed in the past," says Erika Dyck, an historian of psychedelia at the University of Saskatchewan. "I think that kind of wild landscape for experimentation of the 1950s is something we should embrace here."

Before psychedelics became associated with hippies and radicals, psychiatrists and psychologists were incorporating them into their medical and research practices. Aldous Huxley helped make discussions of mescaline respectable when he published The Doors of Perception in 1954, describing the "sacramental visions" he had while tripping. Cary Grant testified to LSD's redemptive powers in Look magazine, and Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) co-founder Bill Wilson became a believer in the power of LSD to help alcoholics quit drinking.

After the federal government banned nonmedical use of psychedelics in 1970, clinical research basically halted.

For psychiatrist Julie Holland, the author of a best-selling account of working in the mental ward at New York City's Bellevue Hospital, today's psychedelic renaissance presents the opportunity to resume that research.

"The field of psychiatry desperately needs new tools and a new way of thinking," says Holland. "And so to me, the psychedelic renaissance is really informing how we can transform and sort of upgrade the field of psychiatry."

One thing the conference made clear is that the rejection of Timothy Leary's approach is partly strategic.

MAPS' focus on winning the approval of the scientific and medical establishment first mirrors the approach of marijuana reformers, who demonstrated that legal medical cannabis could lead to recreational approval. But while cannabis is still prohibited at the federal level, Doblin went straight to Washington.

MAPS began funding research that looked at the safety and toxicity of MDMA in the late '80s, and its efforts led to the first FDA-sanctioned trial in 1994. Researchers have since accumulated robust evidence that this drug, known to clubbers as molly or ecstasy, is an effective treatment for PTSD.

Doblin predicts that MDMA will clear FDA approval by the summer of 2024.

"But it won't be like a normal drug that's [FDA] approved," says Doblin. "It will be approved only under direct supervision of therapists. And what we're hoping is that we'll be only under direct supervision of therapists who have been trained in the method that we've used in phase 3 [clinical trials]."

Doblin also believes it's beneficial for therapists to have personal experience with the drugs that they're giving to patients.

Marcus Capone, a Navy SEAL deployed to Afghanistan shortly after 9/11, says traditional pharmaceuticals and talk therapy didn't help the severe PTSD and depression he experienced after leaving service. But then he tried a plant-derived psychedelic called ibogaine, which he had to travel to Mexico to use legally. He says he feels as if the drug "power washes" its taker from the inside.

"It's a very powerful, very long, very difficult experience," says Capone, who describes a feeling like "the world has just been kind of lifted off your shoulders" after the trip.

After Capone's ibogaine experience, he and his wife Amber co-founded Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions, a nonprofit devoted to making psychedelic therapies available to military veterans. His cause has attracted some surprising advocates.

In 2007, special operations veteran Marcus Luttrell, author of the book Lone Survivor, was experiencing a mental health breakdown and showed up unannounced at then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry's mansion. Perry took him in.

Perry appeared on stage at the MAPS conference, jokingly describing himself as the token "knuckle-dragging conservative" to a mostly progressive crowd. He says the experienced with Luttrell awakened him to the reality of psychedelic therapy.

"It started to make a lot of sense to me that, you know, these are medicines that were taken away for political purposes back in the early '70s," says Perry. "We need to reintegrate and study them, do the appropriate things, but the potential here is stunningly positive."

In 2021, Perry lobbied for a state bill directing the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to study the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD. He says he believes that there's substantial support in the Republican Party at the federal level for this kind of research because of the high number of military special ops veterans in Congress' Texas delegation.

"Dan Crenshaw, Morgan Luttrell, Wesley Hunt, Tony Gonzalez, August Pfluger, those individuals have seen this firsthand. They know the trauma that has been inflicted on these individuals, and they've also seen the results of the use of psychedelics in treating this trauma," says Perry.

Psychedelics have the potential to outperform SSRIs like Prozac in treating depression, according to psychiatrist Jonathan Sporn. He's the founder and CEO of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company developing drugs that have psychedelic properties.

"A lot of people get on these SSRIs and complain that they feel as if the drugs are sort of more masking symptoms or sort of governing down their emotions," says Sporn, who describes psychedelics as possibly more akin to "rebooting your computer" by temporarily disengaging what's known as the brain's "default mode network."

MAPS' focus on clinical trials is a sharp departure from Timothy Leary's approach, but it's not to the exclusion of recreational and spiritual applications.

"I think that the psychedelic renaissance is very much tied to the validation of psychedelics as a therapeutic modality within Western medicine," says Shelby Hartman, co-founder and editor in chief of the psychedelics general-interest magazine, DoubleBlind. She sees clinical research as the bridge to a broader cultural reawakening.

"So what we're actually seeing within science, maybe for the first time in generations, is sort of this bridging of this historical divide between spirituality and science," says Hartman.

But not everyone is so eager to build that bridge.

Activists who said they were speaking out on behalf of indigenous peoples interrupted Doblin's closing remarks to complain about what they said was cultural appropriation on the grounds that indigenous groups were using psychedelics long before LSD was synthesized in a lab.

"Please look at the cycle of colonization and how this continues to happen," said one protester. "Decades from now, you're gonna see the medicine harming you because they're living beings, and they don't like to be abused. They're gonna come back to you and harm you."

The mystical and spiritual pervade all aspects of psychedelic culture. LSD's creator, Albert Hoffman, referred to it as a "sacred drug," and fans of the drug DMT called it "the God molecule." Psychedelic researcher Terence McKenna popularized the "stoned ape theory" that eating magic mushrooms transitioned our homo erectus ancestors into homo sapiens by bootstrapping human consciousness.

Some movement figures today still talk about psychedelics as a solution to all the world's problems, evoking Timothy Leary, who once claimed that they could help free the world from "the white, menopausal, mendacious men" who ran everything while hating beauty, sex, and life itself.

The interest in spiritual and cultural transformation was on display at the conference's darkened Deep Space area, filled with psychedelic art, music, and immersive exhibits. The contrast with the fluorescent expo floor packed with booths hawking psychedelic paraphernalia was striking. And not far from that were M.D.s and Ph.D.s taking the mainstage to share their research.

But maybe the spiritual explorers and the buttoned-down researchers aren't so different after all.

"Psychedelics, and plant medicines more broadly going back thousands of years, have been used as spiritual and ceremonial tools by indigenous communities. And even in the clinical trials that are investigating psychedelics for depression and other indications, they're measuring the core correlation between the profundity of a mystical experience that someone has while on a psychedelic and the therapeutic outcome," says Hartman.

Nobody better bridges the divide between science and spirituality than psychopharmacologist Roland Griffiths, who's the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, the movement's premiere research center.

Griffiths has spent much of his career studying the spiritual effects of psychedelics from a scientific perspective.

"What we know now is the psychedelics can occasion with high probability these profound awakened experiences having meaning," said Griffiths in his keynote address. "They can produce enduring positive changes in pro-social and ethical attitudes."

After spending decades running experiments on how psychedelics can help cancer patients with anxiety and depression, Griffiths was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colon cancer and says he's unlikely to survive into the new year.

"I came quickly to recognize that we can turn with great interest to investigate the present moment and, in this case for me, cultivate gratitude for this astonishing mystery in which we find ourselves," said Griffiths to rapturous applause.

In moves that blur the line between conventional therapy and recreational use, Colorado and Oregon voters have already decriminalized the possession and use of naturally occurring psychedelics, like magic mushrooms. The month before the conference, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law a regulatory framework for implementing the 2022 state ballot initiative legalizing psychedelic therapy.

"It really took the mandate from the voters," says Polis. "The people are ahead of the politicians. I think, by and large, people have said Colorado's done a great job on cannabis. The negative consequences opponents talked about never happened. I think if we fast forward 10 years, we want to have that same story to tell on natural medicine and psychedelics."

In the conference expo hall, there was a mix of major corporate players promoting medical products and high-end ketamine treatments, alongside artisanal purveyors selling mushroom-growing kits. All these vendors shared the goal of lowering barriers to access.

But one major point of contention is whether pharmaceutical companies can patent psychedelic compounds. In 2020, the $400 million giant COMPASS Pathways received a patent for a synthetic form of psilocybin meant to treat depression that was upheld in court following a legal challenge. The company is now in phase 3 trials with FDA approval expected some time over the next year.

Protesters warned that users should beware of psychedelics in the hands of big pharma or "medicines" ripped from their contexts in nature.

Others say more commercialization and capital investment are the only way psychedelics can reach more people and achieve their potential.

In 2019, best-selling author, podcast host, and investor Tim Ferriss pulled together half of the $17 million in commitments that led to the creation of a new psychedelic research center at Johns Hopkins University, including kicking in $2 million himself. On the conference's mainstage, Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms Shoes, pledged $100 million toward future psychedelic research and education.

The support of regulators and politicians like Polis and Perry is just one component of gaining mainstream acceptance; writers, podcasters, musicians, and comedians are crucial in America's psychedelic reboot.

Off-site from the conference, a comedy show featured several performers lovingly "roasting" the psychedelic scene, including comedian Shane Mauss, who has toured the country discussing his psychedelic experiences.

"As someone who was born in 1980 and experienced much of the Reagan era, 'Just say no to drugs,' and early '90s PSAs and the frying egg and 'This is your brain on drugs'type stuff, I never pictured a world where marijuana would be anywhere close to legal, and it's mind blowing to me that mushrooms are being decriminalized everywhere," says Mauss.

In his standup, Mauss roasted the "optimizers" like Silicon Valley execs who microdose just enough to up their productivity a tad and hucksters in the scene selling unproven supplements and "telling people you can like cure their cancer with coffee enemas and stuff like that."

It's a diverse scene. Some scientists might be uncomfortable with the spiritualists, capitalists with the social justice activists, therapists with the thrill seekers, progressive NPR listeners with the Joe Rogan fans. Many present at the conference lean left and may assume that wider use of psychedelics will shift the political winds their way. But what if these substances are politically neutral?

"It's easy to romanticize psychedelics, but there are a lot of fundamental questions too about the degree to which psychedelics are reaffirming our biases," says Hartman.

In other words, rather than leading to any specific conclusions, psychedelics might be what the pioneering researcher Stanislav Grof called "nonspecific amplifiers," meaning they heighten whatever thoughts or experiences users are already having rather than inducing a large shift in perspective.

Doblin says one thing we've learned is that it's crucial not to overstate the power of psychedelics for good or for ill.

"It's not like one dose miracle cure," says Doblin.

If managing expectations in a more realistic way is key to policy and cultural success, so are institutions like Erowid, a well-respected online clearinghouse for all sorts of information about psychedelics. Community-building organizations, such as The Psychedelic Assembly, which runs a workshare, library, and event space in New York City, are also essential. There's also Psychedelics in Recovery, a group that is blending A.A.-style counseling with acknowledgement of drugs in a way that Bill Wilson might have found interesting; and Moms on Mushrooms, a grassroots organization trying to fill the void for curious parents. The Zendo Project is a mainstay at raves, festivals, and other events where psychedelics are heavily used. They "sit" and help guide users through bad trips.

"We can acknowledge what the risks are. There's things you can do to prevent those risks," says Chelsea Rose Pires, Zendo's executive director. "Then we're really setting the movement up for success because we're both acknowledging the risk and addressing it."

Psychedelics, in the end, aren't a menace nor a cure-all; they're a toolfor treatment, self-improvement, exploration, and fun.

Marijuana legalization looked like a sure thing in the late 1970s before a series of high-profile incidents provoked a backlash that took decades to overcome. Psychedelics are more powerful and frightening than weed, and yet, thanks to the mix of caution and optimism on display in Denverand the emphasis on doing the revolution right this timeturning on and tuning in won't mean dropping out.

Photos: imageSPACE/ImageSpace/Sipa USA/Newscom; Keiko Hiromi/Polaris/Newscom; Julie Edwards/Avalon/Newscom; Kenny Brown/Mirrorpix/Newscom; CNP/AdMedia/Newscom; Andrew Harnik/UPI/Newscom; CNP/AdMedia/SIPA/Newscom; KEYSTONE Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Everett Collection/Newscom; picture-alliance/Fred Stein/Newscom; DPST/Newscom; Rod LamkeyCNP/Newscom; Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Newscom; Lev Radin/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Michael Brochstein/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; BONNIE CASH/UPI/Newscom; Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/Newscom; Facebook/Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research; U.S. Navy; CNP/AdMedia/Newscom; Tim Wagner/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; David Wong/SCMP/Newscom; White House via CNP / MEGA / Newscom/RSSIL/Newscom

Music: "The Path of the Himalayas" by Max H. via Artlist; "Clockwork" by Borden Lulu via Artlist; "Can You Make It" by Out of Flux via Artlist; "Magic Forest" by Itamar Doari via Artlist; "Sonokota" by Guy Buttery via Artlist; "Discovery" by We Dream of Eden via Artlist; "The Ride" by Itamar Doari via Artlist; "Cool the Moon" by Alchemorph via Artlist; "The Undertake" by Borrtex via Artlist; "Everlasting Flower" by DaniHaDani via Artlist; "Cool Tees" by Lahis via Artlist; "Oscillating Form" by Charlie Ryan via Artlist; "Theta" by Michael Ellery via Artlist; "Sun Salutation" by Yotam Agam via Artlist; "Canto Delle Sciacalle" by Cesare Pastanella via Artlist; "Morning Sunbeams" by Yehezkel Raz via Artlist; "Life's Journey Begins" by idokay via Artlist; "Flying Above the Sun" by Yehezkel Raz via Artlist; "Percussive Ideas by Max H. via Artlist; "Tibet" by Ben Winwood via Artlist; "Fur Mushon" by Electric Zoo via Artlist; "Knowledge" by Colors and Carousels via Artlist; "Living It Up Letting You Down" by Bunker Buster via Artlist; "18 Kilograms" by Family Kush via Artlist

Editor: Danielle Thompson

Sound editing: Ian Keyser

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The post The Psychedelic Renaissance Is Here appeared first on Reason.com.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting at the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, from where Russian forces command hostilities on the territory of Ukraine.

Source: Kremlin-aligned news outlet RIA Novosti, citing the Kremlin

Details: Putin reportedly listened to reports from Valery Gerasimov , Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the commanders at the fronts and other senior officers.

The Russian Telegram channel Shot posted a video of Putin's arrival at the headquarters, where Gerasimov met him.

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Russian dictator Vladimir Putin won't be participating in the United Nations General Assembly session this year, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Aug.18.

In lieu of his attendance, Putin authorized a delegation for the 78th session that includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, as well as UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya and State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Leonid Slutsky.

Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Putin and the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. The decision to skip the session is likely related to the ICC warrant, which significantly restricts Putin's international travels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to travel to New York in September to attend the session. President Zelensky is expected to advocate for his "peace formula" proposal, as reported by Bloomberg.

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The UN General Assembly session, which takes place every year in the fall, provides countries with a platform to publicly address global issues, engage in diplomacy, and foster international cooperation. This session will be the first one held in-person after three years of virtual and hybrid convenings.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Chinas defense minister makes controversial visit to Russia, Belarus

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Starting in fourth grade, I had to have a parent sign a permission slip for me to sit in on a sex education class at my elementary school. If you as a parent didnt want your child to sit through the curriculum in my local public school district, you had the right to have your child sit that lesson out.

Note: As a parent, you had that right to make the decision best for your child.

So with all the talk these days about more parental rights, why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushing to take away the right of parents and students to even have a choice on what courses would benefit them?

Recently, thousands of high school students in Florida learned they may not be able to take AP Psychology as planned. The announcement came after the College Board, which administers Advanced Placement courses, said the state of Florida had effectively banned AP Psychology. This is all in response to Floridas Dont Say Gay law, which doesnt permit instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom. That impacts AP Psychology since the College Board considers those topics essential for completing the course.

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DeSantis has said the course could still be taken if watered down, but the College Board refuses to budge and insists it wont offer the course unless it is taught in full. The board notes that the topic of sexuality and gender identity has been a part of the course for the past 30 years.

And this isnt the first time DeSantis and Florida state officials have butted heads with the College Board. Previously, the state banned AP African American studies because some lawmakers didnt like the idea that it taught critical race theory. The College Board revised the curriculum, but many states, including Florida, are still reviewing the course.

It should be noted that the AP Psychology class has received few objections in Florida until now. In 2021, it was the fifth most popular AP class in Florida. More than 326,000 students nationwide take the course each year and for the 2023-24 school year, about 30,000 Florida students planned on taking the class to better their education. Many of those students planned on getting college credit for the course which would save them some money if they are planning to further their education.

But Ron DeSantis doesnt want Florida students to have that opportunity and is effectively taking away the option of parents and students to even make a decision. And while he says its all about empowering parents, it really doesnt look like anything other than a power grab by a guy who wants to make a name for himself and end up in the White House.

The big losers here are Florida students who would be at a disadvantage when applying to colleges and universities against students who were able to take the course. Whats next? Will DeSantis want AP History to be revised?

 Rachel Brougham is the former assistant editor of the Petoskey News-Review. You can email her at racheldbrougham@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Rachel Brougham: Is it really about parental rights or just a power grab?
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy compared himself to Founding Father Thomas Jefferson on Saturday while defending his age in the presidential race.

When asked by conservative radio host Erick Erickson if he is too young to be running for president, Ramaswamy said, I dont think so. If I did, I wouldnt be in this race.

Ill remind you that Im in this race to revive those 1776 ideals of this country, he added. Well, who wrote those 1776 ideals on a page? Thomas Jefferson when he signed that Declaration of Independence. He was five years younger than me right now, he was 33-years-old.

The 38-year-old billionaire entrepreneur is the youngest candidate in the Republican presidential primary race and argued his age actually helps him reach members of Generation Z. Ramaswamy said he debated waiting 20 years until his sons are older, but ultimately decided to run now because he does not believe we have 20 years left as a country.

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I think the truth is 20 years from now, I dont think Im going to be as effective in reaching a Gen Z where only 16 percent of them say theyre proud to be an American, where 60 percent of them say they would sooner give up their right to vote than to give up their access to Tik Tok, he said at the event in Atlanta.

Ramaswamy explained he is taking inspiration from Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers, who he said were born in an era where theres something else different in the water. It didnt say you had to be an expert.

And you know what? If Thomas Jefferson could do it at the age of 33, and were taking our inspiration from our forefathers to revive those ideas that weve forgotten, that might just take somebody else who was a contemporary and age to be able to do the same thing at this moment for our nation to take it forward, Ramaswamy said, calling himself an explorer and pioneer.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

The candidate said he accepts the inquiries surrounding his age as a legitimate and very serious question. He took the opportunity to bring up the case of somebody being too old for president, an argument that has been echoed on both sides of the aisle.

Is somebody too old to be president? I actually think not, Ramaswamy said. And there are plenty of older people who are sharper than many people my age and may still yet have their best days ahead of them.

Erickson asked Ramaswamy if this was President Biden to which Ramasamy said, Thats not Joe Biden.

I mean, the deeper problem with Joe Biden is, hes not really even the person running the country, I truly believe that. It is the managerial class wielding him as a puppet, he said.

Ramaswamy went on to say he doesnt believe he will be running against Biden in the election, but rather somebody else.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated his vow to pardon former President Trump on day one in the wake of the former presidents mounting legal troubles.

I stand on the side of justice when I say I will stay true to my commitment to pardon Trump on day one, unambiguously and more importantly, call on Biden and the Department of Justice to drop these prosecutions in the meantime, Ramaswamy said in an interview on Fox News.

Throughout his presidential campaign, the biotech billionaire entrepreneur has pushed back on the numerous charges brought against Trump and has pledged multiples times to pardon the former president if elected in 2024.

Ramaswamy said the four indictments against Trump set an awful precedent in the country.

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General rule of thumb, if youre going to indict a former U.S. president who is running for president in the middle of an election, at least dont make it novel legal theories that have never been tested in court, Ramaswamy said. And yet, thats exactly whats the case here in all four of these cases, and that is just shameful.

The Hill Elections 2024 coverage

He also pointed to a new Emerson College poll that shows him tied for second place with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in the Republican presidential primary race.

It would be easier for me if Donald Trump were eliminated from competition, thats not how I want to win, Ramaswamy said. That is not right, because thats not the way we do things in the United States  I do think we have an establishment that spans both political parties that is fundamentally hostile to one man who happens to be one of my opponents in this primary.

Trump currently faces dozens of charges across four separate cases, making him the first former president to be indicted for an alleged crime. A grand jury in Georgia indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants earlier this week over an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state, which Ramaswamy called a political persecution.

Earlier this month, Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury over his attempts to remain in power following the 2020 election.

He also faces an indictment in Florida, where he is accused of mishandling classified documents, and another in New York for falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments made to an adult film actress.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said he would turn down an offer of the vice presidency if he doesnt win the GOP presidential nomination for 2024.

Im not interested in a different position in the government, he said in a Fox News interview Saturday. Frankly, Id drive change through the private sector sooner than becoming a number 2 or a number 3 in the federal government.

Donald Trump and I share something in common and that is that neither of us would do well in a number 2 position, he added.

The remarks echo other candidates, like former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley , who has also stated no interest in being the second-in-command.

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I think everybody that says, Shes doing this to be vice president, needs to understand I dont run for second, Haley said this week.

The Ohio businessman has shot up in the polls since entering the field as a political unknown. He has placed second in some state polls and is third among a crowded group of candidates according to national polling averages.

He has even drawn shots from rival candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) whose super PAC debate prep memo said the Florida governor should take a sledgehammer to Ramaswamy from the stage at the first GOP debate next week.

Ramaswamy, however, said the GOP candidates have been too focused on attacking each other and on attacking Democrats, and should instead prioritize communicating a consistent party platform and idea.

I think we have to as a party stop talking less about the who, and more about the what and the why. What do we stand for and why do we stand for it, he said. Even with respect to criticizing Biden and the left, I depart from the Republican Party on this. I dont think thats the winning strategy.

Im bored of talking about Joe Biden. I think the American people are too. Thats why the 2022 so-called Red Wave never came. Its not going to be good enough to criticize even Biden. We have to offer an agenda and an affirmative vision of our own, he continued.

Ramaswamy, the youngest candidate in the field, has attempted to leverage that youth and status as an outsider to attract younger voters. Republican messaging needs to change, he said.

If we resort back to talking points from the Republican Party that make us sound like a bunch of partisan hacks, I think were going to have the same disappointing result in 2024 that we did in 2022, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense has offered a rare look at one of its Chien Hsiang loitering munitions swooping down on a target during a test.

Authorities on the island rightfully state that the value of uncrewed aerial systems, especially ones that can offer asymmetric capabilities, has been underscored by the current conflict in Ukraine. For Taiwan, relatively low-cost loitering munitions, also often called kamikaze drones, would offer very valuable additional capacity to strike Chinese forces during any future major conflict across Taiwan Strait.

The clip showing the Chien Hsiang loitering munition going through the motions of a strike on a mock target was included in a larger video segment that Taiwan's Military News Agency put out yesterday. The Military News Agency is the official media outlet of the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense.

The full video, seen below, covers various drone developments from the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST), a top Taiwanese military organization charged with carrying out advanced research and development and test and evaluation work.

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The Chien Hsiang portion of the video below starts at around 5:02 in the runtime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMrejaSBuBM\u0026t=20s

The Chien Hsiang, which was first seen publicly in 2017, is a delta wing drone with a single gas engine driving a pusher propeller at the rear. The new video clip shows pairs of pop-out antennas deploying on top and below the drone after launch, which are features that have been seen on newer iterations of the core design.

A screengrab from the Military News Agency video showing what appears to be a pair of pop-out antennas on a deploying after launch. Military News Agency capture

A newer version of the Chien Hsiang seen on display in 2022, with what appear to be two pairs of antennas on top and below the rear end of the drone's main body. I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images

To date, all variants of the Chien Hsiang have generally been described as being able to home in on a target's radiofrequency emissions and being primarily intended to target enemy radars. NCSIST has said in the past that it has a maximum endurance of five hours and the ability to strike targets up to 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) away, making it truly a very long-range suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) weapon.

Previously released information about the Chien Hsiang has made clear it does not need an operator in the loop to carry out a strike. It can be preset to fly to a specific location and then autonomously search for target emissions. This also allows the drone to re-engage a threat that might have stopped emitting temporarily. The onboard autopilot would also allow Chien Hsiangs to attack specific coordinates without homing in on any emissions.

A Chien Hsiang loitering munition on display during a public exhibition in Taiwan in 2019. Kenchen945 via Wikimedia

The new video from Taiwan's Military News Agency does includes clips from a point-of-view feed from a camera mounted on the Chien Hsiang. However, it's not clear if the reflects a camera fitted temporarily for testing purposes or ones purpose-built into drone.

Another screengrab from the Military News Agency clip of Chien Hsiang showing a video feed from the drone as it hurtles toward its target. Military News Agency capture

As can be seen in the Military News Agency video, multiple Chien Hsiang variants have what appear to be cameras with fixed forward fields of view under their fuselages. This could offer a way to help confirm the drone had hit the desired target if some type of connectivity was available, such as on shorter-ranged missions or when an airborne relay is available.

What may cameras with fixed forward fields of view mounted on the underside of one of the Chien Hsiang variants. Other versions of the drone have this feature, as well. Military News Agency capture

There is also a version of the Chien Hsiang with a gimbaled camera turret in its nose. This version could have an operator-in-the-loop configuration. This could allow for operators to hunt for and prosecute dynamic targets like vehicles and groups of personnel. By it's vary nature it would have a reconnaissance capability, as well. It could also still possess a anti-radiation ability too, but with a different seeker arrangement.

A Chien Hsiang variant with a gimbaled camera turret in its nose. Military News Agency capture

The use of any cameras on variants of the Chien Hsiangs as part of an operator-in-the-loop control scheme would, of course, have the aforementioned constraints on control range and line-of-sight limitations of the required communications links.

Regardless of the exact means of employment, the primary way Chien Hsiangs are deployed is from a 12-cell trailer-mounted launch system. This offers additional flexibility and the ability to employ them in a shoot-and-scoot manner that reduces vulnerability to the launch team. The road-mobile trailers could also be concealed inside Taiwan's network of hardened underground facilities. Reports in the past have indicated that Taiwan has static ground-based and shipboard launchers, as well.

Chien Hsiang loitering munitions and a 12-cell trailer mount launcher on display at a media event in Taiwan in 2022. I-HWA CHENG/AFP via Getty Images

Though there is no confirmed link between the two designs, the Chien Hsiang is extremely similar in both form and function to Israels IAI Harpy. Israeli companies have been pioneers in the loitering munition space for years now and Harpy was the most notable and successful example of such a weapon, as you can read more about in this past War Zone feature. Since the introduction of Harpy, IAI, specifically, has since achieved even greater success in this field with more advanced outgrowths of this concept, including a newer design called Harop. Harop expands beyond the Harpy's SEAD/DEAD mission set, and features the ability for man-in-the-loop control and reconnaissance much like the follow-on camera-laden variant of the Chien Hsiang.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyKXUfOubH0

Azerbaijan's heavy use of Harops in its defeat of Armenian forces in a conflict between the two countries in 2020 was a major contributor to a surge in global interest in kamikaze drones in recent years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgDwM3Gsgsw

More recently, "the Russo-Ukraine War made people see the multi-faceted use of drones on the battlefield and fully demonstrated the essence of asymmetric warfare," a machine translation of the official description of the Military News Agency video notes.

Of course, Taiwanese work on various types of drones, including the Chien Hsiang, predates Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine last year. However, Ukraine's effective use of uncrewed aerial systems, including weaponized commercial drones, to help in its operations against numerically superior Russian forces has clearly had an impact on officials in Taipei. This includes Taiwan's establishment of a public-private Drone National Team initiative that is seeking to fast-track the introduction of new uncrewed capabilities into the island's armed forces.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1691084867839172609 https://twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1692516925501546616

In Russias invasion of Ukraine, the entire world saw the importance of drones," the office of Taiwan's President Tsai Ing Wen told Reuters in a statement earlier this year. For future generations, drones will play a very important role in both civilian and military applications."

For a country with advanced industries, Taiwan cannot be absent," the statement from Tsai's office added.

Russian forces have also been making significant use of uncrewed aerial systems, including Iranian-designed delta wing kamikaze drones that are more directly relevant to Taiwan's Chien Hsiang. Russia is now moving to produce derivatives of Iran's Shahed-136 domestically.

Other delta wing kamikaze drones, including ones that look to have been inspired by Harpy, if they are not direct copies of the Israel design, have been steadily emerging elsewhere around the world, too. Chinese companies have been among those now producing Harpy clones and other similar designs.

https://twitter.com/Maks_NAFO_FELLA/status/1692145490538734043?s=20 https://twitter.com/jesusfroman/status/1454533830753271814

For Taiwan, loitering munitions like the Chien Hsiang could be especially critical to a so-called "porcupine strategy" centered on increasing the depth of defenses on the island to impose major costs for China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) during any future military intervention. Kamikaze drones inherently offer relatively low-cost precision strike options that then be employed in sufficiently large numbers that give them the ability to overwhelm opponents.

In the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2020 and now in the conflict in Ukraine, loitering munitions have demonstrated particular value for targeting high-priority individual targets, including radars and other components of air defense systems, heavy artillery pieces, and tanks and other armored vehicles. The drones are typically far cheaper than what they destroy.

One small drone could blow up a tank that is worth tens of millions, Hawk Yang, the head of research and development for Taiwanese drone maker Thunder Tiger, one of the companies now taking part in the Drone National Team initiative, told Reuters earlier this year.

In addition, though these munitions are typically too small to outright destroy larger weapon systems, like warships, they can still be used to achieve mission kills by targeting key systems like radars and other sensors and communications arrays. There has been talk about the potential for Chien Hsiang variants with larger warheads that would be better optimized for attacking larger threats like ships.

The Harop promotional video below from Israel's IAI shows hows loitering munitions like Taiwan's Chien Hsiang could be employed against different kinds of maritime targets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWS89y9PmA

NCSIST has said in the past that Chien Hsiang can be configured simply as a decoy to confuse enemy air defenses. This also dates back to the Harpy, which most these designs originate from even if just in emulation. Using them as decoys to stimulate and draw out air defenses and then kill those air defenses by on homing in on their radar emissions, is a core tactic to this weapons concept.

These realities have not been lost on the mainland, either. The PLA is also pushing forward with the adoption of its own extensive loitering munition capabilities, including types able to operate cooperatively in fully-networked swarms.

Wargaming conducted under the auspices of the U.S. military, as well as by independent think tanks in the United States, has consistently shown that drone swarms could be a decisive factor in any future conflict involving Taiwan.

All of this comes at a time when concerns are growing about the potential for a Chinese military intervention against Taiwan before the end of the decade, if not sooner. U.S. officials have said on multiple occasions now that the PLA could feel confident in its chances of succeeding in such an operation by around 2027. The government in Beijing routinely threatens to use military force if authorities in Taipei move to formally declare independence.

The image of a Chien Hsiang diving onto a target in the new video from Military News Agency underscores how the Taiwanese military's drone capabilities, which could be critical in a future conflict with China, are already growing.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
NATO added that Ukraine should decide when and on what terms it wants to negotiate.

Various security commentators have discussed proposals for territories in exchange for NATO membership for more than six months.

Joining NATO in "parts" or territories in exchange for NATO membership is not big news: such proposals have been made on various platforms for about six months. It's just that it was proposed behind closed doors and, of course, "out of the best of intentions and concern for Ukraine and its people."

Read also:

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So there is no news here, at least for those in the know. The news is that the door has been opened, and the first sample has been thrown into the public sphere. But I will say this: after the persistent unwillingness, or rather resistance, of the American side to provide Ukraine with a more explicit invitation to NATO membership in Vilnius, it was already clear that there is a very high risk that Ukraine's membership in NATO will/could be seen as a negotiating element in talks with Russia. Maybe not tomorrow, but there is such a risk. And it is high.

"Territories in exchange for NATO" is a reincarnation of the Korean scenario of freezing the demarcation line, since such proposals did not take off in their classic form last fall and received massive criticism.

Among our partners are those for whom the prolonged occupation of Ukrainian territories is almost as unacceptable as it is for Ukraine. However, there is a cohort (and they are influential) who believe that this could be a rational way out if the battlefield is a complete stalemate, Ukraine's mobilization resources are exhausted, and there are no crushing defeats for Russia on the front.

No one has yet guaranteed NATO membership to even a "part" of Ukraine

Therefore, there is no need to listen to "excuses" for allegedly incorrectly formulated scenarios: territories in exchange for NATO membership are very much under discussion.

However, there are several important "buts" here, which usually quickly ends the discussion with supporters of this formula:

1. No one has yet guaranteed NATO membership to even a "part" of Ukraine, and there is no reason to believe it will be guaranteed. At some point, NATO membership will turn into illusory "security guarantees." It will be too late to roll back because of the political inertia of the negotiations.

2. There is no reason to believe that Russia is interested in a long-term political agreement, that the currently occupied territories will be "enough" for it, and that, even without a formal political armistice pact, it will agree to stop hostilities and end the conflict. This is the critical problem, because the supporters of "territories in exchange for NATO," according to my modest experience of expert discussions, proceed from this very point! This starting point is not just unproven, but outright false.

Read also: Emerging Chinese threat to NATO and the EU

3. Sometimes, you can hear people say that you will join NATO with the territory under Ukrainian government control, and then, when you liberate it, the rest of the territories will join. This, dear friends, is manipulation and outright deception, more potent than any security "assurances" of the Budapest Memorandum.

The reason is simple: the key NATO countries (the United States and Germany are the most staunch in this regard) believe that if Ukraine is to join NATO, it should be when the risk of a clash with Russia is minimal. The logic of Ukraine and our Eastern European neighbors is precisely the opposite: NATO membership should minimize the risk of a new war. It's not about territories in exchange for membership, but a political agreement. This will not include any attempts by Ukraine to de-occupy the rest of its territories. Therefore, in fact, Ukraine will most likely be politically bound even in its attempts to liberate its territories. This is the central dilemma.

Read also: NATO-Russia collision in the Black Sea is possible  Bulgaria

Dividing the territory of Ukraine into political parts, one of which is conditionally under the NATO umbrella and the other temporarily occupied, is not yet a feasible solution. It all comes down to a simple question: Tomorrow, if Russia shells the front line and continues to shell the territory, does NATO get involved or not? Even our strategic partners do not have an answer. But it is also inadequate to pretend that any of these options for "joining in parts" is currently working.

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
Guatemalan presidential candidate for the Semilla party, Bernardo Arevalo, shows a poster depicting a picture of his father, late Guatemalan President Juan Jose Arevalo, after a press conference in Guatemala City on Aug. 10, 2023. Credit - Johan OrdonezAFP via Getty Images

Guatemala has long been a bellwether for Latin America. There was 1944, the year Guatemalans ousted a military dictator, beginning a democratization wave across Latin America; 1954, the year the CIA helped depose Guatemalas democratically elected government, paving the way for the first of many Cold War era military coups; and 2015, when mass anti-corruption protests dubbed the Guatemalan Spring pushed a corrupt President and Vice President to resign, prefacing a wave of similar anti-graft demonstrations across Latin America.

Now, Guatemala might once again play that bellwether role, as voters head to the polls for a crucial runoff election on Aug. 20 that pits the anti-corruption campaigner Bernardo Arevalo against the establishment-backed Sandra Torres . Arevalo, the son of Guatemalas first democratically elected President, has strong reformist credentials and leads Torres in the polls by nearly 30 percentage points.

The centrist Arevalo and his Semilla (Seed Movement) partys main pitch is to tackle Guatemalas notorious corruption and beleaguered state institutionsthe root causes, in their view, of the violence and poverty that have propelled many of the 3 million Guatemalans living in the U.S. to abandon their home country.

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Read More: Guatemala Rethinks the Economics of Migration

Guatemala can be a viable country, but it needs public institutions that resolve problems rather than creating them, Jonathan Menkos, a congressman-elect from Semilla, told me. Guatemalan politicians have historically used kickbacks to grease the wheel. But Semillas members of Congress, most of whom are in their twenties and thirties, cut their teeth in politics by participating in the Guatemalan Spring. They promise no more vote-buying in Congress, skimming off the top of public contracts, or giving cabinet positions to power brokers in return for political support. They also pledge to pass an antitrust lawGuatemala is the only Central American country without oneto bust up the countrys monopolies and give small- and medium-sized businesses a chance. Boosting the quality of education and lowering healthcare costs are other big priorities.

Yet its Arevalos style of campaigning, as much as his policy agenda, that has earned him his surge in support among the urban middle class, millennials, and Gen Z, the latter two of which make up 6 in 10 Guatemalans. Arevalo and his team travel in their own cars and run their campaign out of a small rented garage-space in an industrial zone of Guatemala City. That separates Arevalo from traditional politicians who roll out big-budget campaigns.

Guatemalas powerful political class has come out swinging against Arevalo. Attorney General Consuelo Porrassanctioned by the U.S. State Department for repeatedly obstruct(ing) and undermin(ing) anticorruption investigations in Guatemala to protect her political allieshas brought legal cases that could block Semilla from leadership positions in Congress and lead to the arrest and imprisonment of several party leaders, half a dozen legal experts told me in Guatemala City. Prosecutors allege that party leaders falsified signatures used to register Semilla as a political party in 2019. But the move has prompted blowback from heavyweights in the Guatemalan private sector, as well as some key decision-makers in the courts, who granted an injunction in favor of Semilla. In a rare display of unity, the U.S., E.U., and the Organization of American States also loudly denounced the criminal cases against Semilla as election interference. The criminal cases against Semilla remain open; the Prosecutors Office has promised to push on after election dayas well as to open new investigations against Guatemalans who volunteer to help run polling stations.

For her part, Torres, who has allied herself with much of the political class, has sought to portray Arevalo as a radical leftist in disguise, intent on expropriating private property and foisting gender ideology and gay marriage on a reluctant, conservative society. A leaked video saw members of Torres National Unity of Hope party discuss overturning results at polling centers, and Torres herself has already cried fraud. Some speculate that the Prosecutors Office will imminently round up and arrest Semilla leaders.

If Arevalo does manage to come out on top on Aug. 20, and the election results are respected, that will be the beginning of the battle for Arevalo and Semilla, not the end. With just 23 of a total 160 members of Congress and next-to-no viable coalition partners, governing will be immensely difficult.

But at Arevalos closing campaign rally on Aug. 16which drew the largest crowd the country has seen since the Guatemalan Springthe mood was undeniably, unequivocally, hopeful. Grandparents held aloft pictures of democratic political heroesamong them, Arevalos fatherfrom years past. As Arevalo took the stage, and the crowd roared, it felt like for all the recent reversals, Guatemala might once again be moving forward.

Much is at stake, but if Arevalo and his party win and manage to govern, against immense odds, they might just be able to turn Guatemala from a cautionary tale into a Latin American example of forward-looking change.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Burgess Owens, Republican candidate in Utahs 4th Congressional District, poses for a photograph during a campaign stop on Oct. 30, 2020, in Spring City, Utah. Burgess wades deeper into the reparations debate with a new PragerU video. | AP

Rep. Burgess Owens released a new video produced by conservative education platform PragerU, expressing his view that reparations for Black Americans represents the condescending evil of racism.

In his caption on a post about the video on the social media platform X, previously known as Twitter, Owens, who is Black, wrote that its time to teach our true history.

The idea of paying reparations to Black Americans to make up for the lasting effects of slavery, as well as for Jim Crow era laws like redlining, has gained steam in recent years, with some states and municipalities considering making payments if the federal government doesnt act.

The city of Evanston, Illinois passed an ordinance in 2021 to pay $25,000 to Black residents who lived in the city during a time when the city had discriminatory housing policies. It has so far paid out less than $400,000 of a promised $10 million.

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The idea of reparations has also been floated in California, including in San Francisco which proposed a plan for $5 million to be distributed to qualified adult Black residents, as reported by the Deseret News.

But Owens, a Republican who represents Utahs 4th congressional district, has spoken out against reparations, and in the new video he says the reparations movement grants superiority to the white race and does not represent Black Americas potential.

This divisive message marks the Black race as forever broken, a people whose healing can only come through the guilt, pity, and benevolence of whites, he said. Good character cannot be bought by bribery.

Because of work Ive never done, stripes Ive never had, under a whip Ive never known, these progressives want to give me money Ive never earned, he said in the video. The fact that this money will be forcibly taken from others who also dreamed, worked and sacrificed for it, Im told is not my concern. But it is.

Owens called reparations condescending and counterproductive. He said the many white Americans who died fighting to end slavery during the Civil War made a payment in full, for the evils of slavery.

Related
The dirty energy industry is raking in profits while citizens worldwide suffer the effects of Earths rising temperatures.

Whats happening?

July marked the hottest month on record, and on August 1, BP reported $2.6 billion in second-quarter profits, according to Common Dreams. BP also announced a 10% dividend raise for shareholders. Similarly, Shell reported $5.1 billion in profits for the second quarter and a 15% dividend raise, also per Common Dreams.

This is what a broken energy system looks like: Oil giants get richer because the rest of us get poorer, Jonathan Noronha-Gant of Global Witness said to Common Dreams. For BP the energy crisis has been a giant cash grab; for parents across the country it has been an impossible choice between feeding their children and paying their bills.

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In February, BP reneged on climate goals, announcing it would taper cutting pollution from its oil and gas production after it doubled its year-over-year profits in 2022. The United Kingdom-based company had projected a 40% reduction from 2019 levels but moved that target to 25%.

BP also touted its ability to pivot to renewable energy but backed off that tactic in 2013 after it divested its wind power assets. Two years earlier, it had gotten out of the solar power business.

Why is this important?

The National Resources Defense Council stated the industry, which accounts for 80% of Americans energy needs, has degraded land, polluted air and water, and acidified oceans.

Oil and natural gas companies also spew methane and volatile organic compounds into the environment. The effects of this industrys pollution have caused thousands of early deaths, childhood asthma, and adverse pregnancy outcomes and cost taxpayers $77 billion annually, according to a study led by Boston University.

In July, four United States senators asked the Department of Justice to sue the dirty energy industry for mislead[ing] consumers and discredit[ing] climate science in pursuit of massive profits.

In 2021, BPs CEO described his company as a cash machine after soaring oil and gas prices boosted profits, Noronha-Gant, a senior campaigner at Global Witness, told Common Dreams. Nearly two years on, and BP is riding the wave of the energy crisis, and handing huge sums of money to its shareholders while the UKs poverty rates spiral.

What can be done about dirty energy?

A phase-out of fossil fuels should include a halt to all new permits for fossil-fuel exploration, production, and infrastructure, a phase-out of all subsidies to fossil fuels, and divestment of all public and private financial investments from the exploration, production, and distribution of fossil fuels, according to Equitable Climate Action.

Nicolo Wojewoda, Europe regional director at 350.org, told Common Dreams that oil and gas giants such as BP should be held accountable, saying, This must end now. We must hold them accountable for the damage theyve inflicted, making them pay for it and phasing their dangerous influence out of existence.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
A new, groundbreaking medicine ingredient coming out of England may not be sugar, but Mary Poppins would likely agree that its better than the crude oil currently being used.

Researchers at the University of Bath are replacing oily chemical components used to help make common over-the-counter medicines with a substance found in pine trees. The goal at Bath is to switch out oil with a sustainable biorefinery approach.

Its fascinating news that should help the medicine go down a little better for us all. Its also better medicine for the planet, as oil refineries spout out 527,000 tons of air pollution each year, according to an article in ScienceDirect.

Crude is used to help make plastics, clothing, gum, and about 110,000 tons of the popular painkillers Ibuprofen and paracetamol (Tylenol) annually. These medicines are taken for common aches, pains, and headaches.

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Using oil to make pharmaceuticals is unsustainable  not only is it contributing to rising CO2 emissions, but the price fluctuates dramatically as we are greatly dependent on the geopolitical stability of countries with large oil reserves, and it is only going to get more expensive, University of Bath chemistry research associate Dr. Josh Tibbetts said in a university report.

The pine compound replacing the oil element is a biorenewable waste byproduct from the paper industry called beta-pinene. Its derived from turpentine.

In the lab, the scientists use continuous flow reactors for production, providing for an uninterrupted process, according to the Bath team. This is more efficient than using a large reactor that makes separate batches, the experts reported.

They have had success garnering other chemicals from turpentine that can be used to make beta-blockers, asthma inhaler medicine, and even perfume, according to the research report.

Tibbetts touts the breakthrough as a way to create a spectrum of valuable, sustainable chemicals that can be used in a wide range of applications.

Most importantly, the process leaves oil in the ground.

The Bath team conceded that the current process comes with a higher manufacturing cost, at least for now. But theres optimism that consumers may be open to paying a little more for medicine using renewable, plant-based ingredients, per the university article.

The over-the-counter painkiller industry is large. Statista reported that Advil led name-brand sales in the U.S., at $449.5 million, in 2019. Private-label pain pills totaled about $1.18 billion.

Those high sales are reflected in consumption. A 2018 NBC survey found that 15% of Americans were taking more than the dosage limit multiple days of the week to deal with pain. Overuse of certain types of painkillers can cause stomach bleeding and even heart attacks, according to the NBC story.

The Bath experts will likely leave pain management to physicians. For now, the goal is to create a cleaner treatment option.

Instead of extracting more oil from the ground, we want to replace this in the future with a biorefinery model, Tibbetts said.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
Family members of the man shot and killed by a Minnesota state trooper in July demanded a stronger response from authorities Friday, as they stated plans to file a civil suit in response.

Attorney Harry Daniels said at a news conference that a lawsuit would be brought forward "very soon" in the July 31 fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II along Interstate 94 in Minneapolis. He said the team of lawyers is considering both the individual officers' conduct and department practices for its scope.

"We're going to see if there's a culture, a practiced pattern where these officers are committing these acts," Daniels said outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.

Family members of Cobb restated their demand that trooper Ryan Londregan, who fired the fatal shot during what started as a traffic stop, be removed.

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"Just let justice prevail, so I can lay my son peacefully to rest," said Cobb's father, Ricky Cobb Sr.

Bakari Sellers, another attorney for the family, said the family's legal team believes video of the incident "shows (Londregan) violating policy, we firmly believe he should not have had a weapon pulled that day."

Sellers began the press event by responding to an email from Londregan's attorney Chris Madel, who warned he would pursue civil claims for alleged defamation of his client.

"At the appropriate time, I intend to pursue civil claims for baseless and reckless statements that have injured my client," Madel wrote, adding that those claims include "interference with contract, defamation, etc."

Sellers objected to Madel's allegations.

"We're not here to defame anyone. The audacity to send a message as such is beneath the bar, but what we are here for is justice," Sellers said. "We want the officer to be held accountable."

Sellers added that "this family will not be bullied or disrespected."

Madel responded to a subsequent request for comment via email, writing that "nothing these 'lawyers' say surprises me. Greed makes people say ridiculous things." He declined to comment on the case further in a phone call.

Sellers called Madel's response unfortunate.

In a previous memo to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Madel wrote he remains confident that if prosecutors conduct an impartial review of the evidence they will conclude that Londregan and the troopers involved acted "not only properly, but heroically."

Family members took turns addressing the media through tears, discussing Cobb's love of his children, and that they don't believe he posed any threats to the officer who killed him.

Cobb, 33, was pulled over about 1:50 a.m. July 31 on Interstate 94 for driving without taillights. During the stop, troopers attempted to remove Cobb from the vehicle after learning that he was wanted for questioning in relation to an alleged felony-level violation of a standing domestic order for protection in Ramsey County.

From the passenger side, Londregan, a rookie trooper, drew and fired his handgun as Cobb's hand was near the gear shift.
Rupert Murdoch wants Glenn Youngkin to join the GOP presidential field, per The Washington Post.

Murdoch doesn't think Trump is a healthy figure for the Republican Party, according to the report.

Youngkin reportedly hopes to wait until the conclusion of key November races to make a decision.

Billionaire media baron Rupert Murdoch has repeatedly urged Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia to jump into the Republican presidential primary, according to The Washington Post.

Murdoch made the push in at least two meetings with Youngkin several months ago, according to two individuals who have knowledge of the encounters.

The revelation comes after The New York Times reported that Murdoch was interested in a Youngkin presidential bid, with the Fox News Corp. chairman also reportedly expressing his view that former President Donald Trump is unhealthy for the Republican Party.

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The Times piece also highlighted how Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, once seen as the savior of Republicans looking to move on from Trump, has faced tougher coverage from right-leaning media outlets as his presidential bid struggles against the former president's enduring dominance among GOP voters.

Murdoch's second meeting with Youngkin occurred in the spring, while the timing of the earlier discussion is unclear, according to The Post.

Youngkin, who was elected in 2021 in what was a breakthrough victory for Republicans in blue-trending Virginia, has put his energy into maintaining GOP control of the state House of Delegates and flipping the state Senate  which if successful would bolster his national profile even further.

According to The Post, Youngkin wants to wait until after the November legislative elections in Virginia to gauge his party's performance before potentially pursuing a presidential bid.

Such a late entry would be difficult, however, as many top GOP leaders may already be aligned behind Trump or other candidates at that point, while the logistics of fundraising and missed filing deadlines could also hamper a potential campaign no matter what happens in Virginia this fall.

Dave Rexrode, the chairman of Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC, pointed to the governor's accomplishments when explaining why his name was continually being floated as a leader to watch.

"Virginia's getting attention because parents still matter and Governor Youngkin's commonsense conservative leadership is working," he said in a written statement to The Post. "There's more to do, so the governor's not taking his eye off Virginia. These races are too important."

Murdoch has not been a fan of Trump's continued rejection of the 2020 presidential results, with the media magnate feeling as though it will only hurt the party at the ballot box. And Murdoch has also recognized that Trump's campaign against the integrity of the 2020 election hurt his company, which in April reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in the voting machine company's defamation lawsuit over the network's coverage of unsubstantiated claims regarding the 2020 race.

An individual familiar with the talks between Murdoch and Youngkin said that the billionaire has also prodded others to go up against Trump, similar to a push to get former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to run in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. (Bloomberg later ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.)

"Not everyone listens to Rupert, and Rupert's instincts are not always perfect," the individual told The Post. "But he has always believed that some competition is better than none at all, and he would like to see some debate about the issues in the primary."

The group of individuals familiar with the Youngkin discussions also stated that Murdoch could still support Trump in 2024, but has so far not committed to anything given the continued fallout over the settlement with Dominion Voting Systems.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Four women huddle around a cellphone in Zimbabwe's rural Domboshava area, Wednesday, Aug. 16 2023. People in Zimbabwe's rural areas claim they are facing intimidation and a biased state-run media which limits their ability to support opposition parties ahead of national elections next week. To combat that, one group of grandmothers is using the WhatsApp messaging app to spread information from the opposition party they support in an attempt to cut through the propaganda. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

DOMBOSHAVA, Zimbabwe (AP)  Four grandmothers wearing bright yellow headscarves, T-shirts and skirts huddled around a cellphone in Zimbabwes rural Domboshava area. They cackled at a video showing a troop of mischievous baboons ripping up ruling party election posters with the face of the president on them.

With a swish and a click, 64-year-old Elizabeth Mutandwa posted the video on a couple of community WhatsApp groups, and followed it up with some election campaign information from the party she supports in next week's election  the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change.

The grandmothers say they and their fellow opposition supporters are facing intimidation from followers of the long-ruling ZANU-PF party and a biased state-run media that restricts their options. But they have found a way to counter that with the use of WhatsApp group chats.

Lets share this one with our own people. Its good content, said Mutandwa of the baboon video, once her giggles had subsided.

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She then got up and walked several kilometers (miles) wearing the yellow colors of her party to a rally addressed by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa , the man she hopes will finally bring change to Zimbabwe after 43 years.

The ruling ZANU-PF party has been in government ever since the southern African nation won independence from white minority rule in 1980, and Mutandwa was a young woman in her early 20s.

A couple of hundred others attended the Domboshava opposition rally alongside Mutandwa to hear presidential candidate Chamisa speak.

But with national elections just days away, many more stayed at home, afraid of being threatened, intimidated, or maybe even attacked by ruling party activists for daring to show support for Chamisa and his party, Mutandwa said. Others hadn't even heard about the rally because the state-run TV and radio channels they mostly rely on for information rarely cover opposition events.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who came to power in a coup in 2017, is seeking re-election Wednesday. Chamisa will challenge him again, having lost to Mnangagwa in a very close and disputed contest in 2018.

The 80-year-old leader has warned his supporters against engaging in violence in the buildup to the Aug. 23 vote. That plea came days after an opposition party supporter was killed, allegedly at the hands of ruling party activists, in the first deadly violence of the election buildup.

Even though Mnangagwa replaced long-ruling autocrat Robert Mugabe in that popular coup, he's been accused of weaponizing the police and the courts to stifle opposition in the same way Mugabe did. Chamisa and international rights groups claim opposition party figures and supporters are often targeted with harassment, violence and intimidation.

Some rural folks like Mutandwa have found a way to combat the threats and the media bias they also see, but which often go unnoticed deep in the rural areas where the majority of the country's 15 million people live, and where the opposition's reach is limited.

Everyone around here knows we are opposition activists, so some people are too afraid to openly associate with us," said Mutandwa. But its not a problem anymore. We talk to them through WhatsApp and they can participate in the campaign from the safety of their homes.

The way Mutandwa and her group of grannies are using cellphones and the internet to cut through the propaganda ahead of elections represents a shift from past rural election campaigns, said Rejoice Ngwenya, a strategic communications specialist in Zimbabwe. While cellphone and internet access was widespread in the cities, opposition parties previously could only use rallies, community meetings, or sometimes even funerals, to reach rural voters and share their message.

Mutandwa now gets Citizens Coalition for Change information straight to her smartphone. And she spreads the word, too, among the 10 or so WhatsApp groups the four grandmothers in Domboshava administer. She needed a couple of lessons from one of her grandsons to get going on WhatsApp, she said.

WhatsApp and other messaging apps are having a high impact in rural areas in the buildup to these elections, according to Ngwenya.

Everybody has a cellphone, he said. "They are not necessarily state of the art, but that they can be used to send a message is an appeal.

The four grandmothers are going up against a ruling party machine, though.

European Union observers compiled a report on the use of state media  the domninant outlets  following the last general election in Zimbabwe five years ago. It said that state-controlled public television dedicated 85% of its coverage to Mnangagwa's ZANU-PF during the election period. Just over 80% of coverage went to the governing party on one popular public radio station monitored by the mission.

During this election campaign, Mnangagwa and his party have dominated TV and radio again, and have also been sending bulk text messages to millions of people with campaign information and notifications of ZANU-PF rallies that Chamisa's opposition party, and the grannies, simply can't match.

Their hope for long-awaited change in their country lies more in word of mouth  or word of message  with Mutandwa hoping, but not really knowing for sure, that her WhatsApp posts are re-posted and shared multiple times. She said people are yearning for change, even in rural areas once ZANU-PF's strongholds, but are still afraid.

We are not afraid, but we know that others are," she said as she tossed some grain to her chickens in her dusty yard. At least we are able to communicate with some of them and the ones we reach can spread the word to others.

___

Associated Press Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Russian Defense Ministry claimed a Ukrainian drone had attacked a military airfield in the Russian northwestern Novgorod region at 10 a.m. local time on Aug. 19.

A fire broke out at the airfield following the attack, the ministry claimed, adding that one aircraft was damaged, but there were no casualties.

Ukraine hasn't commented on Russia's statement.

However, over the past weeks, a series of explosions occurred in Russia, its occupied territories, and the Black Sea.

On Aug. 17, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed a Ukrainian naval drone had attempted to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea, adding that two Russian patrol ships had destroyed the naval drone before it reached its destination.

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Earlier on Aug. 13, Roman Starovoyt, governor of Russias Kursk region, claimed that "shells coming from Ukraine" had hit a house in the village of Volfino, injuring three people.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russias Belgorod region, also claimed that Russian air defense had intercepted two drones in the region on the same day.

Read also: From Moscow to Novorossiysk: The list of attacks on Russian soil

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Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre when a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools was held there as part of the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) demo day, although only the events participants knew the exact location.

Source: Angry Birds demo day announcement; Mariia Berlinska, founder of the NGO Air Reconnaissance Support Centre and the author of the film Invisible Battalion; Valerii Borovyk, a serviceman from the Kulchytskyi Battalion of Ukraines National Guard

Details: Birds of Fury gathered in Chernihiv at 10:00 on Saturday.

At 11:30, an explosion rang out in Chernihiv.

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A Russian missile hit the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre, located on the central square.

National Guard serviceman Valerii Borovyk reported that the drama theatres second floor was actually destroyed.

Mariia Berlinska wrote that everyone who had taken shelter was safe, including her. However, some people went outside.

The co-organiser of the event later added: "No, this is not a commercial event, it's a closed meeting of engineers, military and volunteers on military technology for the battlefield."

Quote from Berlinska: "The event was officially agreed upon in advance with the local authorities, and they provided the venue.

The announcement of the event was available to the public. But the specific place was announced only (!) to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event. All information about the participants has been provided to the relevant authorities.

We are currently cooperating with Ukraines Security Service and providing all the necessary information needed for an operational investigation."

Details: Kremlin-aligned news agency RIA Novosti also confirmed that the Russians had targeted the drone conference. Civilians sustained injuries during the attack.

Background: On the morning of 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv with a ballistic missile. As of now, there is information about six people killed and 42 affected.

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Chernihiv City Council did not approve or authorize the drone exhibition, which might have been the target of the Russian missile attack, its press service said in a statement on Telegram on Aug. 19.

"The exhibition, which took place today, Aug. 19, 2023, in the city, was not agreed with the Chernihiv City Council. No permits were granted," the Chernihiv City Council stated.

The exhibitions co-organizer, Maria Berlinska, clarified in a post on her Facebook page that the exhibition was indeed agreed with the military-civilian administration, not the city council.

Read also: Why was Chernihiv city center so busy when a Russian rocket killed 7 and injured at least 90?

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"This is not a business exhibition, it is a closed meeting of engineers, military, and volunteers on military technologies for the front," Berlinska said.

I saw the official statement of the city council, and in fact we did not agree [to host the event] with them. We agreed on it with the Military Administration, as it should be. I don't give any comments to journalists, the official investigation comes first. I see that anonymous pro-Russian accounts have joined the effort to spread hatred and betrayal. It's a pity that there are some Ukrainian bloggers among them who are not even trying to understand the situation.

Read also: Shocking video of devastating moment Russian rocket slammed into Chernihiv city center, killing 5 and injuring scores

She also said that the announcement of the event was posted publicly, but the location was not specified.

"The specific location was only announced to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event," Berlinska explained.

All participant data was provided to the relevant authorities.

As soon as the air raid alert was announced in the city, the event was stopped and the participants were told several times to take cover, she said.

"Unfortunately, some people went outside anyway," the volunteer wrote.

Everyone who went to the shelter is safe. I personally went to the shelter a minute before the strike.

Read also: 6-year-old killed in devastating Russian rocket attack on Chernihiv died of blood loss

In the comments to Berlinska's post, a number of Facebook users expressed outrage that the drone exhibition was held in Chernihiv, which is located not far from the Russian border.

A number of users also voiced support for Berlinska.

"We must protect Maria Berlinska and all the organizers!" wrote former Samopomich MP Viktoriia Voitsitska in her post.

"The enemy is to blame for this war, this tragedy. Period."

Lawyer and soldier Masi Nayyem wrote that society will blame Berlinska, not the Russians, for the attack because of the accumulated negativity.

"Maria has done a lot for Ukraine's defense capabilities," he said.

"And I will stand up for her. The whole of Ukraine is in danger. The Russians could have hit it with ballistic missiles even without the event that took place there. As they have done hundreds of times before. In Mariupol, for example, there was no event... it was a beautiful city. This did not stop the Russians from destroying it. Therefore, I am asking you to hold off on your jackal express. If you are for Ukraine, and not just [here to have your say]. Of course, conclusions must be drawn. Such events should be more private. Less public."

Read also: Three killed in devasting Russian missile attack on Lutsk

Solomiya Bobrovska, a Golos MP, emphasized that the strike on Chernihiv was yet another terrorist attack by Russians.

"No one promised any of us that we could feel safe somewhere in our homes," she wrote, wishing strength to Maria Berlinska, Lyuba Shypovych and Ihor Lutsenko who were also at the site of the attack.

"Please do not throw tantrums and blame those who work titanically every day to support the defense forces! This is what the enemy expects from us - the maximum split in our society!"

The director of the Institute of Mass Information, Oksana Romanyuk, suggested that Ukrainians "find and donate for a drone instead of hating their own people for holding a public event."

"The Russians are to blame for the strike," she wrote.

"It was Russia that dropped a ballistic missile on the center of a civilian city on Saturday morning. There is no rear and no safe place in Ukraine now. Overnight, about 400 buildings in Khmelnytskyi Oblast were damaged. Schools, municipal buildings, houses. Did people have to stay awake in their homes? Not to live, not to move, because Putin would attack? We take personal safety measures. Lets donate for drones right now."

Read also: Russia attacks Ukraine overnight, killing two in Zaporizhzhya and hitting Odesas historic city center

In a Facebook post, Sonya Koshkina, editor-in-chief of news outlet Lb.ua, expressed dismay at those criticizing organizers of an event countering Russian influence. The journalist stated that assigning blame to organizers for being targeted by Russia represents the nadir of ethical baseness.

"Now the task of the security forces is to find the person (or persons) who gave the tip," she added.

"There was definitely a tip-off. The security forces certainly do not need advice from Facebook in this case."

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian troops shelled nine communities in Sumy Oblast on Aug. 18, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on Facebook.

The oblast was targeted 22 times and faced more than 120 explosions. Russian forces used artillery and mortar shelling to launch the strikes.

The communities of Seredyna-Buda, Khotin, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Esman, Velyka Pysarivka, Znob-Novhorodske, Mykolaivka, and Shalyhyne came under fire.

In the community of Seredyna-Buda, a private home, a crane, two vehicles, storage facilities, a gas station, hangar, and a power transmission line were damaged as a result of the attacks. Additionally, one private home was damaged in Khotin and storage facilities of an agricultural enterprise were destroyed in Krasnopillia.

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No casualties were reported.

Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia in the northeast, has faced daily Russian shelling since the Ukrainian army liberated it in early April 2022.

Read also: Escape from Kupiansk: How one cop tricked the Russians

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During 18 August, Russian forces targeted Sumy Oblast 22 times, 124 strikes were recorded; civilian infrastructure was damaged.

Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration on Facebook

Details: Mortar attacks (13 strikes) and artillery shelling were recorded in Seredyna Buda hromada [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories - ed.]. As a result of one of the attacks, a private house, a truck crane, two cars, warehouses, a gas station, a hangar, and a power line were damaged.

The Russians fired at Bilopillia hromada from mortars (6 strikes).

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Russians dropped 16 mines on the territory of Khotyn hromada, a private house was damaged as a result of one of the attacks.

The Russian forces fired at Velyka Pysarivka hromada from artillery (8 strikes) and mortars (12 strikes).

They also attacked Krasnopillia hromada with artillery (9 strikes). As a result of the shelling, the warehouses of an agricultural enterprise were destroyed.

Mortar attacks (7 strikes) and artillery shelling (6 strikes) were carried out on Shalyhine hromada.

In Esman hromda, 10 strikes from automatic grenade launchers and 4 strikes from mortars were recorded.

The Russians dropped 13 mines on the territory of Mykolaiv hromada.

They also targeted the Znob-Novhorod hromada with mortars (4 strikes).

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Multiple Russian attacks across several Ukrainian oblasts over the past 24 hours killed at least 1 person and injured 25 others, according to reports from local officials.

According to Ukraine's Air Force status report on Aug. 19, 15 of the 17 Shahed kamikaze drones launched overnight from Russia's Kursk Oblast against Ukraine were destroyed. Air defense was active in parts of the northern, central, and western regions of Ukraine.

Air defense also destroyed six drones of various types and one Lancelet strike drone over the past 24 hours, the Air Force added.

Regarding casualties, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov wrote that a 44-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were injured by Russian shelling in the village of Zahryzove, which is located near the region's border with Luhansk Oblast.

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Both victims were hospitalized as a result of their injuries.

The city of Vovchansk and the neighboring village of Vilcha, both of which are located near the Russian border, were shelled around 1 a.m. local time.

Russian forces also targeted the village of Hlushkivka, which is located a little over 18 kilometers to the south of Kupiansk, with drones. An unspecified number of strikes were recorded on open ground, Syniehubov wrote. However, no casualties were reported.

Multiple other settlements across Kharkiv Oblast were attacked in the past 24 hours, including Kozacha Lopan, which is located approximately five kilometers from the Russian border. According to Syniehubov, Russian forces fired upon the settlement with a tank.

Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote that one person had been killed and at least 10 others have been wounded in the past 24 hours by Russian attacks. Among the wounded is a child.

Russian forces targeted the region 63 times with mortar and artillery strikes, tanks, Grad systems, and drones. The city of Kherson was fired upon 15 times, Prokudin added.

Residential neighborhoods and populated were the targets of Russian attacks. A shop in the city of Kherson was damaged, as was a critical infrastructure facility and a church in the Kherson district, and a shop in the Beryslav district.

In Donetsk Oblast, four people were injured in the front-line city of Chasiv Yar and one other person was injured in the city of Kurakhove over the past 24 hours, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko wrote.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office report on Aug. 18, Russian forces targeted an Invincibility Center in Chasiv Yar, where civilians go to receive humanitarian aid.

The explosion injured two women, ages 73 and 76, who were on the street at the time of the attack. A 72-year-old man was hospitalized with multiple shrapnel wounds. Additionally, a 67-year-old humanitarian aid worker was injured in the attack.

The attack also caused fires in two apartment buildings. A square and neighboring residential buildings were damaged, with windows and doors shattered, and roofs and balconies destroyed, the Prosecutor General's Office added.

In Khmelnytskyi Oblast, overnight Russian attacks injured two women and six others sought medical attention in the hospital due to shock, according to the local military administration's report.

Thirty houses across several villages were damaged by a blast shockwave, and windows and doors were shattered in 32 residential properties.

Russian forces also targeted multiple settlements in Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Mykolaiv oblasts. However, no casualties were reported.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: US confirms F-16s to be provided to Ukraine via third-party transfers once training completed

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Over the course of Saturday, 19 August, Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast a total of 26 times, deploying unguided missiles and mortar bombs, and causing 248 explosions in areas near the Russian-Ukrainian border and in civilian settlements.

Source: Sumy Oblast Military Administration

Details: Russian forces attacked the Krasnopillia, Bilopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Seredyna-Buda, Shalyhyne, Znob-Novhorodske and Khotin hromadas. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a city, town or village and its adjacent territories - ed.]

Russian forces deployed AGS-17 grenade launchers on the Velyka Pysarivka hromada, causing 47 explosions, and shelled it, causing another eight explosions and damaging a private residential house.

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Russian forces fired 19 mortar bombs on the Krasnopillia hromada; 15 explosions occurred as a result of multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) attacks; 58 as a result of AGS-17 attacks; and 13 as a result of self-propelled artillery shelling.

Four explosions occurred in the Seredyna-Buda hromada as a result of Russian mortar attacks.

Russian forces deployed a helicopter to attack the Khotin hromada, launching 17 unguided air-to-surface missiles. One of the Russian attacks damaged the grounds of a private house and caused a fire in a private residential house.

A Russian helicopter fired three unguided missiles on the Bilopillia hromada, where 13 explosions also occurred as a result of Russian AGS-17 attacks, 26 as a result of mortar attacks, and 16 as a result of artillery shelling.

The Russians launched eight mortar bombs on the Znob-Novhorodske hromada.

Russian mortar bombs also caused 10 explosions in the Shalyhyne hromada.

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Russia attacked Ukraines western Khmelnytskyi Oblast with drones overnight on Aug. 19, damaging nearly 400 buildings, Serhii Tiurin, first deputy head of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration, told Suspilne media outlet.

The attack damaged administrative buildings, schools, communal facilities, and hundreds of residential houses in Medzhybizh and Derazhnia communities, Tiurin said, as reported by the media.

Tiurin reported explosions in Khmelnytskyi Oblast at around 3:40 a.m. Later in the morning, he confirmed that Russian drones attacked the oblast, saying that two women were injured.

However, later in the day, he told Suspilne there were no casualties.

The aftermath of the Russian drone attack on Ukraine's western Khmelnytskyi Oblast overnight on Aug. 19, 2023. (Photo: Khmelnytskyi Oblast State Administration/Telegram)

The Air Force Command of Ukraines Armed Forces reported that Russia had launched 17 Iranian-made Shahed 136/131 drones from its western Kursk region, adding that air defense was at work in Ukraines northern and western oblasts.

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Ukraine downed 15 of the 17 drones, according to the report.

The Air Force Command, however, did not specify where the two drones that were not shot down hit.

On the morning of Aug. 19, Russian forces attacked the city center of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, killing at least seven and injuring 90 people, including children.

Read also: UPDATE: 7 killed, 90 injured, including children, in Russian missile attack on Chernihiv city center

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The number of victims of the Russian missile attack on the centre of Chernihiv on 19 August has risen to 117 people, with 7 killed, and the city has begun a mourning period from 19 to 21 August.

Source: Acting Chernihiv Mayor Oleksandr Lomako on Telegram

Quote from Lomako: "117 people were reportedly injured in the terrorist attack on the centre of Chernihiv, including 7 killed as of 15:25 [on 19 August 2023]."

Details: He also reported that "19-21 August were announced as days of mourning due to the Russian terrorist attack on Chernihiv".

Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine's Interior Minister, reported that the majority of the victims were either in vehicles or crossing the road, or on their way back from church. "Everyone who was in the drama theatre went down to the shelter timely. The National Police officers tried to get people to the shelter after the air-raid warning alert was issued," he said.

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Ukraine's Interior Ministry said there was also a large park behind the drama theatre. Mothers had been taking their children for a walk there since early morning. The central square was packed with vehicles. "Our emergency rescuers arrived in time after the missile struck and put out the [fire in the] epicentre of the explosion. After that, together with the police, they started to provide first aid to citizens," Klymenko said.

Background:

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Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti has stated that the Russian invaders targeted "the gathering of Ukraines Armed Forces military specialists in combat drones" in Chernihiv.

Source: RIA Novosti citing a source familiar with the situation

Details: RIA Novostis source reported that Russian forces attacked "the gathering of Ukraines Armed Forces military specialists in combat drones, disguised as the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) festival" in Chernihiv.

RIA Novostis source also provided an events "invitation copy".

Propagandists claimed that the event was "specially disguised as a 'drone festival'" as the organisers recommended participants not to wear military uniforms".

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At the same time, people were forbidden to bring any weapons to the event.

The organisers also emphasised that the event's attendance was limited and it contained sensitive information for Ukraine's defence capabilities (developments were presented).

The organisers also noted that "most of the participants are active military personnel", so they could be filmed or photographed only with their prior verbal consent.

RIA Novosti published a short video showing the moment of the strike at the Music and Drama Theatre, filmed by an unnamed person.

Background:

At around 11:30 on 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv with a ballistic missile. As of now, it was reported about seven killed and 90 wounded, including children.

Russian forces launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre when a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools was held there as part of the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) demo day, although only the events participants knew the exact location.

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In Poland, local law enforcement officers have uncovered a group of Ukrainian refugees recruited by the Russian secret services to monitor the transport of weapons for Ukraine and prepare sabotage operations.

Source: The Washington Post

Details: The Washington Post states that the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) instructed recruits to reconnoitre Polish seaports, install video cameras along railways, and plant tracking devices in military cargo.

The Russian secret services also tasked the recruits with derailing trains carrying weapons for Ukraine.

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It is reported that the detainees include 12 Ukrainian refugees, one Russian and three citizens of Belarus. A Polish law enforcement officer involved in the investigation told WP that they were tasked with committing arson and murder.

Quote: "The Internal Security Agency of Poland (ABW) said that Russia assembled a team of amateurs, including by using Russian-language postings on Telegram channels in Poland that are frequented by Ukrainian refugees. The tasks were menial  posting fliers or hanging signs in public spaces  and the pay meager. For those willing to complete the assignments anyway, the work then took a more ominous turn. Recruits were paid in cryptocurrencies and wire transfers from untraceable bank accounts."

More details: Polish law enforcement officers discovered the potential saboteurs by accident. A passer-by noticed a camera lens peeking out from behind bushes on an important section of the road and reported it to the relevant authorities. Using camera data and other information, law enforcement officers tracked down the entire group.

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A blaze burst out at Russia's Soltsy air base in Novgorod Oblast, where Russia bases its Tu-22m3 strategic bombers, used in attacks on Ukrainian cities, including those on Lviv, Lutsk, and Dnipro on Aug. 15, as seen in photos that went viral on social media on Aug. 19.

The pictures show clouds of smoke rising over the airfield.

monitor / Telegram

monitor / Telegram

The drone attack on the military airfield in Novgorod Oblast happened at about 10 a.m. on Aug. 19, announced Russias Defense Ministry. Efforts were taken to intercept the drone with small gun fire.

The Russian MoD admitted that one of its planes was damaged.

Read also: Man rescued from destroyed building in Lutsk after deadly Russian missile attack

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No victims were reported in the attack, the regional governor said, claiming that the situation was "calm and under control."

Soltsy air base is located about 650 km away from the border with Ukraine in Novgorod Oblast.

Read also: Russia launches big missile attack, targets Kyiv and western Ukraine

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
On the morning of 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv, probably with a ballistic missile. There are civilians killed and wounded.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration; Suspilne Chernihiv; Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs

Quote from Chaus: "The enemy attacked the centre of Chernihiv. Probably with a ballistic missile. Stay in shelters. [We will provide] details later."

Quote from Klymenko: "It was a holiday morning on Saturday. People were leaving the church with baskets filled with consecrated apples... As of 13:00, we had established that 42 people were affected as a result of the Russian attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre. Five people were killed. 37 people were wounded, including 11 children. All of them are receiving medical assistance."

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Details: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who left for Sweden, published a video from the scene.

"The square, the polytechnic university and the theatre. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are people who have been killed and wounded. My condolences to those who have lost their relatives," Zelenskyy wrote on social media, commenting on the attack on the centre of Chernihiv.

The president promised to work on the greater worlds consolidation against Russian terror.

Psychologists from the State Emergency Service, rescue workers and all the necessary forces and assets are on the scene.

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a missile threat to Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy oblasts  and later also the threat of Russian attack drones in Chernihiv oblast.

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On the morning of 19 August, Russian troops hit the centre of Chernihiv, probably with a ballistic missile. There are civilians killed and wounded.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration; Suspilne Chernihiv; Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Ihor Klymenko, Minister of Internal Affairs; Ukraines Interior Ministry

Quote from Chaus: "The enemy attacked the centre of Chernihiv. Probably with a ballistic missile. Stay in shelters. [We will provide] details later."

Quote from Klymenko: "It was a holiday morning on Saturday. People were leaving the church with baskets filled with consecrated apples... As of 13:00, we had established that 42 people were affected as a result of the Russian attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre. Five people were killed. 37 people were wounded, including 11 children. All of them are receiving medical assistance."

Update: Ukraines Interior Ministry later reported that seven people were killed and 90 injured.

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Quote from Klymenko: "An unidentified woman. The death toll has risen to seven.

... 90 injured people have sought medical assistance. Among them are 10 police officers and 12 children. 25 people were hospitalised. A 12-year-old girl is being urgently transported to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in critical condition.

A fire broke out on the roof of a building. Rescue workers quickly extinguished the fire. 20 investigative teams of Chernihiv police and two forensic laboratories are working at the scene."

Details: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who left for Sweden, published a video from the scene.

"The square, the polytechnic university and the theatre. Russia turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss. There are people who have been killed and wounded. My condolences to those who have lost their relatives," Zelenskyy wrote on social media, commenting on the attack on the centre of Chernihiv.

The president promised to work on the greater worlds consolidation against Russian terror.

Russian forces reportedly launched a missile attack on the Chernihiv Music and Drama Theatre when a gathering of drone manufacturers and aerial reconnaissance training schools was held there as part of the Liuti Ptashky (Angry Birds) demo day, although only the events participants knew the exact location.

Psychologists from the State Emergency Service, rescue workers and all the necessary forces and assets are on the scene.

#.  .          .    .

 ,         .



   .#RussiaisATerroistState pic.twitter.com/ihVStyKWlA    (@Serhiy_Kruk) August 19, 2023

The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a missile threat to Chernihiv, Poltava and Sumy oblasts  and later also the threat of Russian attack drones in Chernihiv oblast.

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Russian forces shelled the town of Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Aug. 19, the Interior Ministry reported.

The attack killed an elderly woman and injured an elderly man, who was hospitalized, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, one residential house was damaged, and another building caught fire due to the attack.

The aftermath of the Russian attack on Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Aug. 19, 2023. (Photo: Interior Ministry/Telegram)

The front-line town of Huliaipole has been subjected to constant attacks from Russian positions in the south.

On July 21, Russian troops shelled a settlement near Huliaipole, killing four workers of an agricultural enterprise.

Earlier on June 9, a Russian attack hit a hospital in Huliaipole with a guided aerial bomb, killing at least two people and injuring three others, the authorities reported.

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A 46-year-old medical worker and a 55-year-old woman, who was passing by, were killed in the attack, the authorities said. Two nurses were reportedly wounded by debris.

Read also: Stranded civilians brave shelling, return to Ukraines front-line towns

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Sacramentos Banana Festival doesnt just offer plain bananas. There are banana empanadas, banana bread, banana bean pie, banana pudding and banana pancakes just to name a few of the other entries on the menu.

Organizers of the two-day event that ends Sunday in William Land Park also have high ambitions this year that visitors will come back in larger numbers to sample the food and watch a tribute to Harry Belafonte  as they attempt to build back the festival.

Now in its 12th year, the festival drew more than 12,000 people before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last summer, the first festival in three years, only 6,000 attended.

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We hope to get back to our numbers, said Alpha Bruton, a spokeswoman for the festival.

She said a fundraising goal of $50,000 has been set to benefit its sponsors, the National Academic Youth Corporation and the Sojourner Truth Museum in Sacramento.

Festival organizers arent the only groups that benefit. Community organizations also staff booths at the event, many aimed at engaging Sacramentos African American community.

Pleshette Robinson, community engagement organizer of African American for Smoke Free Places, was talking to people Saturday about a campaign to push for laws banning smoking in rental communities.

She said her organizations aim is to improve the health of the community through more smoke-free zones.

Another organization, Escape Velocity Research Foundation,was pitching its various community mental health and educational programs including book clubs for youths.

The festival also features a game station, character performances, storytelling and banana mural painting as well as ticketed attractions such as mazes, slides and bounce houses.

Various musical groups also will play throughout the day in addition to the tribute to Belafonte.

Sunday hours are 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors and military veterans.
SAULT STE. MARIE  Earlier this month, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians announced plans to open membership enrollment in February 2024 so qualifying individuals can become an official part of the tribe.

Tribal membership works differently in every tribe in America, each with their own rules about what allows a person to be considered a member, and what that membership entails.

The Sault tribe currently has 49,274 enrolled members that live across the world, each of them descendant from the original members of the Chippewa tribe that lived in the Sault area. This makes the Sault tribe one of the biggest native American tribes east of the Mississippi River.

Headquarters of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

This enrollment will allow qualifying people to become tribal members officially, allowing for some benefits, such as certain tax exemptions for those living in Sault tribe areas. They will also now be able to attend and participate in community events and meetings.

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"We want the ultimate benefit of joining our tribe to be about honoring Native ancestry, becoming part of the Anishinaabe community and celebrating our shared history as a people," said Austin Lowes, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Tribal Chairman. "We hope we will see more people at our community events and sharing our rich history with the world."

Tribal enrollment has been closed since 1998. At the time, the tribe had many reasons for closing enrollment but still left it available for children in most cases. In later years, changes were made to allow tribal application for members who could not trace ancestry or minors who were children of members.

During the times of closed enrollment, except in special circumstances, the only new tribal members admitted were those born into the tribe with accessible records of ancestry. There were many reasons a qualifying member wouldn't be included in tribal membership, including adoption, unrecognized paternity, changes in guardianship, or parents being unaware they needed to enroll their children.

Because of this, it is possible there are dozens if not hundreds of potentially eligible Sault tribe members who are not officially a part of the tribe.

"There are many people in our community who are proud of their Native heritage and ancestry but have not been able to enroll as official Sault Tribe members, so this is an opportunity to welcome them in an official capacity," said Lowes.

Soon people will be able to send in applications on the Sault tribe website, but must check their qualifications first.

The qualifications list can be found on the Sault tribal code and under membership ordinance, and has many qualifying factors. The main factors are that a person has a certain degree of both Native American and Chippewa ancestry, and be able to prove an ancestor was on a something called a base or tribal roll, which is a catalogue of tribal members.

Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our content

Applicants must submit copies of documents of their direct lineal descendants, starting with the applicant, then their Native parent, grandparent, and so forth, until they reach the descendant who is listed on one of the base rolls used to determine membership.

In cases where tribal documentation is needed, applicants can use the paperwork of a tribal family member to fill in details.

The enrollment will open Feb. 1 of next year, and will stay open until the tribal board passes another resolution to close it. This allows for any qualifying member to apply to officially become a member of the tribe.

Applicants can send in their application, related documents and a $25 fee to P.O. Box 1628, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783. Applications will begin being accepted on Feb. 1, and processing could take 8 weeks or longer. Applications sent prior to Feb. 1, 2024 will not be processed, and the tribe does not accept cash payments. Applicants cannot apply if they are already considered a member of another Native American tribe.

There are many people who are proud of their Native heritage and ancestry who have been unable to enroll as Sault Tribe members, said Lowes. We look forward to welcoming them into our community and growing our membership.

 Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians to open membership next year
Robo Pilot

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) have built a humanoid robot called Pibot that can pilot a jet  without having to make any major modifications to the cockpit.

The bug-eyed robot, which stands at just over five feet tall, can grip the controls and maintain altitude even in the roughest of conditions, Euronews reports. External cameras make sure the robot can keep track of a number of vital stats in the aircraft.

Instead of thumbing through a printed-out manual, Pibot can simply memorize documentation using  what else?  large language models.

In short, it's a fascinating swap-in for the real thing, and can even respond to emergency situations quicker than a human pilot, according to its makers.

Bad Habits

Instead of building a remotely-controlled drone, the researchers worked with existing controls.

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"Pibot is a humanoid robot that can fly an aeroplane just like a human pilot by manipulating all the single controls in the cockpit, which is designed for humans," David Shim, an associate professor of electrical engineering at KAIST, told Euronews.

"Humans can fly many aeroplanes, but they do have these habits built into them," he added. "So when they try to convert to different aeroplanes they have to take another qualification."

Fortunately, they say, Pibot can adapt to new cockpit environments through a proverbial click of a button.

"With the pilot robot, if we teach individual aeroplane configuration, then you can fly the aeroplane by simply clicking the aeroplane's type," Shim explained.

The researchers worked with AI chatbots like ChatGPT to develop ways to have the robot ingest and make sense of pilot manuals. They're now working on developing their own LLM specifically for Pibot.

As for where it could be used, the team suggests it could be deployed in extreme environments that are not suitable for humans.

Since it was developed under a contract with the South Korean defence department, Shin expects Pibot to be used in a military context no earlier than 2026.

So far, the team has only carried out simulations but is in talks with Airbus to use Pibot for test flights using its newly-developed electric aircraft.

In other words, the humanoid is ready to take the fall in case something goes wrong.

More on humanoid robots: Oh God... OpenAI Is Working on a Humanoid Robot
Young people gather to register to volunteer to fight for the country as part of a volunteer initiative, in Niamey, Niger, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Thousands turned up as a delegation from regional nations were expected to arrive in Niger in a last-ditch diplomacy effort to reach a peaceful solution with mutinous soldiers who ousted the country's president last month. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

NIAMEY, Niger (AP)  The leader of mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger's democratically elected president said Saturday night that they will return the country to civilian rule within three years.

Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani gave no details on the plan, saying on state television only that the principles for the transition would be decided within 30 days at a dialogue to be hosted by the junta.

I am convinced that ... we will work together to find a way out of the crisis, in the interests of all, Tchiani said, commenting after his first meeting with a regional delegation seeking to resolve the West African nations crisis.

The delegation from the ECOWAS bloc, headed by former Nigerian head of state Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, also met separately with toppled President Mohamed Bazoum . It joined reconciliation efforts by Leonardo Santos Simao, the U.N. special representative for West Africa and the Sahel, who arrived Friday.

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ECOWAS on Aug. 10 ordered the deployment of a standby force to restore constitutional rule in Niger. On Friday, the ECOWAS commissioner for peace and security, Abdel-Fatau Musah, said 11 of its 15 member states had agreed to commit troops to military intervention, saying they were ready to go.

The soldiers who overthrew Bazoum last month have quickly entrenched themselves in power, rebuffed most dialogue efforts and kept Bazoum, his wife and son under house arrest in the capital.

The 11 member states that agreed to intervene militarily dont include the blocs three other countries under military rule following coups: Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso. The latter two have warned they would consider any intervention in Niger an act of war. On Friday, Niger's state television said that Mali and Burkina Faso had dispatched warplanes in a show of solidarity.

Friday's announcement was the latest in a series of so far empty threats by ECOWAS to forcefully restore democratic rule in Niger, conflict analysts say. Immediately after the coup, the bloc gave the junta seven days to release and restore Bazoum, a deadline that came and went with no action.

The putschists wont be holding their breath this time over the renewed threat of military action, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a think tank.

The junta leaders are cementing their rule and appointing loyal commanders to key units while ECOWAS has no experience with military action in hostile territory and would have no local support if it tried to intervene, he said.

Niger is a very fragile country that can easily turn, in case of a military intervention, into a failed state like Sudan, said Laessing.

ECOWAS used force to restore order in 2017 in Gambia when longtime President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after he lost the presidential election. That move involved diplomatic efforts led by the then-presidents of Mauritania and Guinea, while Jammeh appeared to be acting on his own after the Gambian army pledged allegiance to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow.

Also on Saturday, the new U.S. ambassador to Niger, Kathleen FitzGibbon, arrived in the capital, said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department. The U.S. hasnt had an ambassador in the country for nearly two years.

FitzGibbon will focus on advocating for a diplomatic solution that preserves constitutional order in Niger and for the immediate release of Bazoum, his family, and all those unlawfully detained, said Miller. Her arrival does not reflect a change in the U.S. policy position, he said.

On the streets of the capital Saturday, many residents said they were preparing to fight back against an ECOWAS military intervention.

Thousands of people in the capital of Niamey lined up outside the main stadium to register as fighters and volunteers to help with other needs in case the junta requires support. Some parents brought their children to sign up.

Some people said they'd been waiting since 3 a.m., while groups of youths boisterously chanted in favor of the junta and against ECOWAS and the country's former colonial ruler France.

I am here for the recruitment to become a good soldier. We are all here for that," said Ismail Hassan, a resident waiting in line to register. If God wills, we will all go."

Events organizer Amsarou Bako claimed the junta was not involved in recruiting volunteers to defend the coup, although it is aware of the initiative. Hours after the drive started, the organizers said it would be postponed, but didn't explain why.

The humanitarian situation in the country is also on the agenda of the U.N.'s West Africa and Sahel special representative.

Before the coup, nearly 3 million people were facing severe food insecurity and hundreds of thousands were internally displaced, according to CARE, an international aid group. Economic and travel sanctions imposed by ECOWAS after the coup, coupled with the deteriorating security, will have dire consequences for the population, CARE said.

Prior to the coup, Western countries had seen Niger as one of the last democratic nations they could partner with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, and poured millions of dollars of military aid and assistance into shoring up Nigers forces.

Since the coup, former jihadis have told The Associated Press that militants have been taking advantage of the freedom of movement caused by suspended military operations by the French and the U.S. and a distracted Nigerien army that is focusing efforts on the capital.

Last week, at least 17 soldiers were killed and 20 wounded in an ambush by militants. It was the first major attack against Nigers army in six months. A day later, at least 50 civilians were killed in the Tillaberi region by extremists believed to be members of the Islamic State group, according to an internal security report for aid groups seen by the AP.

While Nigers leaders are consumed by politics in the capital, the drumbeat of lethal jihadist attacks goes on in the countryside, said Corinne Dufka a political analyst who specializes in the Sahel region.

The recent attacks should motivate all parties to work for as speedy and inclusive a transition as possible so they can get back to the crucial business of protecting civilians from the devastating consequences of war," she said. ___

Associated Press writers Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Sweden will become the next state Ukraine starts negotiations with on a bilateral agreement on long-term security commitments within the framework of the Group of Seven (G7) declaration.

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , during a press conference following talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as reported by European Pravda.

Quote: "Sweden supported the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine. We are grateful for that."

Details: He said, "Today [19 August 2023], our teams will discuss the work on the appropriate Ukrainian-Swedish bilateral document. A meeting will become possible later."

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Background: During the NATO summit in Vilnius, the Group of Seven member countries agreed on a framework document on security guarantees for Ukraine. The leaders agreed on a framework rather than specific parameters of the security guarantees, and specific bilateral agreements will be signed later.

At present, 25 countries have joined the G7 declaration on long-term security commitments for Ukraine.

In August, Ukraine began negotiations on security guarantees with the United States and the United Kingdom.

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!
At least seven people died including a six-year-old girl and nearly 130 others injured after a Russian missile strike hit a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Saturdays strike  in a city close to the Russian border and far from the frontlines  hit a university and a theater, where an event involving drone manufacturers was taking place.

The girl killed died from her injuries in hospital, Ukraines Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko said.

Her mother is in grave condition. The police officers provided first aid to the girl. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save her upon arrival at the hospital due to a heavy blood loss, he added.

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Klymenko said the strike happened while people were leaving church with baskets of blessed apples. Saturday is a major holiday in the Orthodox calendar: for The Feast of the Transfiguration, apples and honey are consecrated in churches.

An emergency service worker stands at the site of a Russian missile strike in Chernihiv. - Vladyslav Savenok/Reuters

The aftermath of a Russian missile strike. - Vladyslav Savenok/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack turned an ordinary Saturday into a day of pain and loss.

A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theater.

Oleksandr Lomako, acting mayor of Chernihiv city, told national TV: There is a park right behind the drama theater, many children and their parents usually spend time there. There are numerous restaurants with outdoor terraces located nearby as well. It all happened in the middle of the day when obviously there are many people in the city center.

This crime cannot be interpreted except as a war crime against civilians.

Klymenko is calling for an investigation into a drone event that was underway in the theater during the attack. Drones have been used by both sides throughout the conflict.

A co-organizer of the event, Maria Berlinska, said it was officially approved by the local military-civilian administration and that the location was provided by authorities. The venue was only disclosed hours before the event for security reasons.

Berlinska described it as a closed meeting of engineers, military and volunteers on military tech for the frontline.

Prior to the outbreak of war, Chernihiv was a vibrant city of 300,000 people. Now, many parts of it have turned to wasteland amid repeated Russian bombardment.

The city came under siege from Russian forces at the start of the invasion in March 2022, and was cut off from electricity and running water. Russia troops began withdrawing from the region later that month, although shelling of Chernihiv continued.

Following the siege, the citys mayor described Chernihiv as about 70% destroyed.

Putin meets generals

The attack comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited generals overseeing the Ukraine offensive in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia on Saturday, according to the Kremlin.

Putin spoke with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, commanders of sectors, and other senior officers of the group, according to the Kremlin.

Rostov-on-Don, which is close to the border with Ukraine, was a focal point of the Wagner private military groups short-lived rebellion in June.

Meanwhile, Zelensky is in Sweden where he is meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Carl XVI, Queen Silvia, and other parliamentary officials.

In a joint press conference between Zelensky and Kristersson on Saturday afternoon, the Ukrainian leader said they are discussing the next steps for Ukraine to obtain Gripen fighter jets from Sweden.

Today we discussed Gripen aircraft, the pride of Sweden. I am confident that Gripen aircraft can make our freedom much more secure, Zelensky told journalists.

CNNs Benjamin Brown contributed reporting.

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This blazing summer seemingly has no end, and even Greenland is feeling the heat.

Satellite photos showed that the territorys ice sheet underwent significant melt from June 14 to July 24. Newsweek reported that up to 50% of the surface ice melted to some degree on several days in July, spanning over 300,000 square miles.

Whats happening?

Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland features the second-largest ice sheet in the world after Antarctica. The ice sheet covers 81% of Greenland, a territory of Denmark, and the melting of this ice has accounted for 0.4 inches of the global rise in sea level since the 1990s, according to Britannica.

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The images of the ice sheet, featuring the Frederikshab Glacier in southwest Greenland, were captured by the satellite-based Operational Land Imager.

Newsweek reported the melting was thought to be due to plumes of warmer air that have been blowing across Greenland, which have been measured at between 3 and 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for this time of year in the southern portion of the ice sheet, and 5 degrees in the north.

After scientists recorded the hottest July on record, its no surprise the pictures showed stark changes in the ice sheet.

For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe  it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. And for scientists, it is unequivocal  humans are to blame, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said in a statement, per Newsweek. All this is entirely consistent with predictions and repeated warnings. The only surprise is the speed of the change.

Why is this concerning?

From 2017 to 2020, researchers found a devastating trajectory of the melt of the ice sheet.

Tides of warmer waters carved a hole in the ice sheet over the last couple of years, and freakishly early melting caused concern in 2016.

If the ice sheet disappeared, it would cause a seven-meter (or 23-foot) rise in global sea levels, though the Ice2Ice project showed in 2018 that the ice sheet changed independently of sea ice, which is affected by water temperature.

As well as contributing to sea level rise, the loss of the ice also accelerates global warming, as white ice, which reflects the suns energy away from the Earths surface, is replaced with darker rock and vegetation, which absorbs the suns energy, CNN reported.

Theres a feedback that sets in once you start to get rid of the ice sheet where we warm up even faster, Paul Bierman, a geomorphologist at the University of Vermont, said.

What can be done?

Scientists have studied putting sulfur into the stratosphere to reduce solar radiation and stop the melting of the ice sheet, though that would not be sufficient to maintain the ice cap in a stable state by the end of this century and could impact the ozone layer, water cycles, and precipitation, per an article in ScienceDaily.

Keeping the planets warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, the preferred target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement, is essential.

To do this, the World Resources Institute noted what needs to change, pointing out that reducing planet-warming pollution is only one part of the equation. Humans must restore ecosystems, shift to sustainable food systems, and remove carbon from the atmosphere.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
Two gunmen fired into a crowd at a large gathering Friday night wounding four people, including two 17-year-old boys in the Lawndale neighborhood, Chicago police said.

Shortly before midnight, a group was a gathering in the 3500 block of West 13th Place when two gunmen approached on foot and fired multiple times into the crowd, police said.

A 19-year-old man suffered six gunshot wounds to the left side of the body, and was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital. An 18-year-old woman was struck in the upper back, and was also taken in critical condition to the same hospital.

Two. 17-year-old boys suffered wounds. One was stuck twice to the right leg and once to the left arm. He also was taken to Mount Sinai and listed in good condition. The other boy went to Stroger Hospital where he was listed in good condition with wounds to the buttocks, police said.

No one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.
The smartest insight and analysis, from all perspectives, rounded up from around the web:

Sky-high prices for luxury rooms

Hotel prices are rising to unprecedented heights, especially for five-star stays, said Nikki Ekstein in Bloomberg. Prices at brands like Holiday Inn and Best Western have risen 19% in the U.S. and 32% in Europe since 2019. But luxury travel advisers say their clients "are ponying up $1,700 per night on average" for their opulent accommodations this summer. That's a 69% increase from the $979 a night that a similar survey showed travelers were spending in 2019. Data from a broader range of luxury hotels confirmed the uptick, with one broker reporting the average rate for a night in Europe is up 57% from 2019. One travel adviser said "pent-up demand" from the pandemic has become "the travel industry's mantra." His clients splurged to the tune of $3,682 per night for their stays last year.

Gen Z's wandering ways

Should young workers be more worried about how often they switch jobs? asked Eilene Zimmerman in The New York Times. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, "22.3% of workers ages 20 and older spent a year or less at their jobs in 2022, the highest percentage with a tenure that short since 2006." About one-third switched employers within two years. Gen Z's apparent willingness to load up entry points on the resume "may be a response to what younger employees perceive as corporations' unyielding focus on the bottom line." But recruiters say many employers still regard itinerant candidates with suspicion. In a survey of hiring managers by Robert Half, "77% named job hopping" as their "top concern when evaluating a candidate's resume."

S&P drops ESG scores in bond ratings

S&P Global said last week it will stop handing out scores to corporate borrowers based on ESG criteria, said Patrick Temple-West in the Financial Times. "The debt rating agency has since 2021 published scores from 1 to 5 for a company's exposure to each element of environmental, social and governance risks." Visa, for example, had received a 3 for its governance performance and 2s for its work in the other departments. "The move comes amid skepticism over ESG ratings" and pressure from conservatives over the use of ESG as an investment criterion. S&P's debt ratings are used by bond buyers, and any negative marks can have a major effect on a company's borrowing costs.

This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.

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California Assemblymember Dawn Addis was fined for accepting a campaign contribution from a lobbyist, the California Fair Political Practices Commission announced Thursday.

When Addis, a Morro Bay resident, ran for State Assembly in 2019, her campaign accepted a $250 donation from lobbyist Steve Black, according to the Commissions order to pay the fine.

The Political Reform Act bans lobbyists from donating to candidates running for office, and candidates from accepting such donations.

Both Addis and Black said they were unaware of the ban, and Addis returned the donation 35 days after receiving it, the order said.

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At a meeting Thursday, the commissioners voted 3-1 to fine Addis $1,000 for accepting the donation, and Black $1,500 for making the donation and failing to report it. The fines are paid to the states General Fund.

At the meeting, Senior Commission Counsel Christopher Burton said $1,000 is the lowest fine for this type of violation. The commissioners selected a lower fine because they believed that Black and Addis didnt intend to break the law, according to the order.

Theres nothing here to show that this was some intentional scheme, or conspiracy, Commissioner Richard Miadich said at the meeting. This is somebody who shouldve paid closer attention.

Vice Chair Catharine Baker cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing that the fine was too high.

In 2022, Addis was elected to the District 30 seat in the State Assembly, which represents most of San Luis Obispo County, and parts of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

Addis campaign spokesperson Derek Humphrey told The Tribune on Wednesday that the donation was a mistake.

Were glad the issue has been resolved, he wrote in a text message to The Tribune.

Dawn Addis, a Morro Bay City Council candidate, attends a 2018 election night party in Morro Bay. She announced in November that she has entered the race for State Assembly as a Democratic challenger to two-term incumbent Republican Jordan Cunningham.

Lobbyist donated to Addis campaign in 2019

In 2019, Addis was running to represent District 35 in the California State Assembly while serving on the Morro Bay City Council.

She ultimately lost the 2020 election, but won the 2022 election for the newly redrawn District 30 seat representing part of San Luis Obispo County.

While running for election in 2019, Addis met with Black in Morro Bay and asked him to support her campaign.

Black is a Denver, Colorado-based attorney who owned the lobbying firm Steve Black Strategies, Inc., according to commission documents. At the time, Black was registered to lobby the California State Assembly on behalf of Castle Wind LLC.

Castle Wind bid for a lease to build wind turbines off the coast of Morro Bay in 2022, but was unsuccessful. Instead, the companies Central California Offshore Wind LLC, Invenergy California Offshore LLC and Equinor Wind US LLC won leases in the Morro Bay wind energy area.

Black is no longer registered as a lobbyist in California, the commission said.

Steven Black, a Colorado-based attorney and lobbyist registered in California, made a $250 contribution to Assembly candidate Dawn Addis campaign in December, leading to an FPPC investigation. The donation was returned, Addis campaign says.

On about Dec. 20, 2019, Black donated $250 of personal funds to Addis campaign, the commission said.

Black told The Tribune in 2020 that the donation was an inadvertent mistake, as he was more familiar with federal campaign finance laws.

According to the commission, however, Black finished an ethics orientation course that mentioned the ban eight months before he made the donation.

Black also failed to disclose the donation on his Jan. 23, 2020, Form 615, a quarterly statement for lobbyists to report their activity.

On Jan. 24, 2020, the commission told Addis campaign that a complaint had been filed about the donation as it violated state policy.

She immediately refunded the donation to Black.

Addis told the commission that she did not know about the ban or that Black lobbied the California State Legislature. She thought Black was a government affairs professional who was active at the federal level, the report said.

On Jan. 27, 2020, Black sent a letter to the commission clarifying that he did not intend to violate state rules.

Neither I nor the candidate who solicited the contribution was aware of the ban, Black wrote in the letter. I am a resident of Colorado and typically have supported candidates for federal office or state office in Colorado, where I am not registered as a lobbyist.

FPPC: Donation from lobbyist to SLO County legislator a mistake

Though Addis was ultimately fined, the Commission said it appeared like the donation was the result of a mistake and not an intentional attempt to break the law.

Addis was a candidate for elected state office, but she did not yet hold the position  so there was less opportunity and reason for her to know about the ban that applies to these types of contributions, the order said.

Addis additionally had no history of violating the Political Reform Act, the order noted.

Because Black only made one small donation when they couldve maxed out at thousands of dollars, Miadich said he thought Black and Addis didnt intend to violate the policy.

This was somebody who hadnt previously been a lobbyist in California, they came here for the first time, they registered, they probably didnt pay very close attention (to the training), Miadich said of Black.

Baker agreed.

This looks like negligence and a mistake, she said.

Baker voted against the fine, however, arguing that it was too high. The size and circumstances of the donation show that Black and Addis didnt intend to violate the law, she said. She called the fine disproportionate to public harm caused by the donation.

Additionally, the incident will haunt Addis political career, Baker said.

This candidates going to be paying for this for a long time beyond this, Baker said. This will always be used against her.
One by one, the relatives of troops lost in the Korean War rose to tell in heart-wrenching detail why it was still so important for them and the nation, even after more than 70 years since their loved ones went missing, to identify their remains and bring them home.

"Danny Boy" will always be their song, said Brenda Lott, sister of Army Cpl. Daniel Dulin, who served with I Co., 3rd Battalion, 187th Regimental Combat Team. He was killed in action near the North Korean town of Opar-ri on Oct. 21, 1950, and is still unaccounted for, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA.

"He was 18 years old" when he was lost, "and I was 6. He was my first love and my first grief," Lott said. "Sometimes people ask, 'Why do you keep doing this? It must be hard to keep doing this," going to briefings and pressing for answers, she said. "I say, 'No, it isn't hard. He's my brother.'"

Read Next: Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps

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Another who told of her family's loss was Tracy Kramer, whose uncle, Pvt. 1st Class Wayne Franklin Elliott, went missing in action against the enemy on Oct. 29, 1952, while serving with G Co., 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division.

Kramer said her father had "no acceptance of his brother's passing," and her mother kept sending him care packages even after the military declared he was dead. As for herself, Kramer said, "It's hard to believe you can miss someone you've never met so badly."

Kramer and Lott were among more than 500 family members of missing troops from the Korean War who attended an annual two-day DPAA briefing for them at an Arlington, Virginia, hotel on the status of efforts to identify remains already in DPAA custody and the thus-far fruitless attempts to get North Korea to allow renewed searches of known sites where Americans are believed to have fallen or were buried.

The DPAA total count for missing U.S. service members after the war was 8,157. The total that has been identified and accounted for was 665, leaving about 7,492 still unaccounted for, although that number has been changing.

DNA and forensics specialists with the DPAA and Armed Forces Medical Examiners Office were still working off the 55 boxes of remains turned over by North Korea as part of the "Singapore Summit" between then-President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in 2018.

DPAA has also received permission from the Defense Department to disinter the remains of 872 service members from the Korean War who were buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, known as the "Punchbowl."

At the meeting for the families Thursday, retired Army Master Sgt. Dominga Briones, of Victoria, Texas, held up a photo of the uncle she never knew -- Pvt. 1st Class Adelaido M. Solis, her mother's brother.

Solis served with B Co., 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division and was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after his unit's withdrawal from Kunu-ri, North Korea. He is believed to have died in North Korean prisoner of war Camp No. 5 in April 1951, and he was among those buried as an unknown at the Punchbowl.

Last September, DPAA announced that Solis' remains had been identified through a combination of dental and anthropological analysis, and mitochondrial DNA analysis by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. His funeral and burial last October in South Texas was at the San Jose Cemetery near Bloomington, Texas.

"He was 19 years old" and from a farming family, Briones said of her uncle Adelaido, and he had an older brother, Axildo Solis, who also served in Korea and came home to tell his younger brother that he should enlist.

"Mom always had pictures of the two brothers" on display in the house, Briones said, and from what she had heard of her uncle Adelaido, "he was a carefree soul, always kidding around."

In his remarks to the families and at a media roundtable, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Kelly McKeague, the DPAA director, said there were three main sources for possible identifications of the missing from the Korean War -- remains recovered between about 1990 and 2005 when North Korea periodically allowed U.S. teams to search, the 55 boxes of remains turned over in July 2018 and the current disinterments from the Punchbowl.

"This is a very challenging, very complex mission" to account for the missing, McKeague told the families, and "we also share your frustration" at the slow progress in making identifications due to what he called "forces beyond our control" that "prevent us from giving you the answers you deserve."

The main obstacle was North Korea's refusal to cooperate or even communicate with DPAA on the possibility of resuming searches in North Korea, McKeague said.

In July 2018, when North Korea turned over 55 boxes of remains, McKeague was confident that U.S. recovery teams would soon be allowed to conduct searches there.

"Our collective goal is to commence field operations in the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] next spring," McKeague said at the time.

"We have not yet reached an agreement with the DPRK regarding future field recoveries. However, we are working closely with our DoD, State Department, and National Security Council partners on this matter," he said in a statement to the National League of POW/MIA Families and veterans groups.

But what had been seen as a possible opening to improved relations with North Korea quickly fell apart. McKeague said there were two meetings at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone on renewed recoveries, with the last coming in March 2019, and there has been no contact since then.

"Sadly for us, every channel used since March 2019" has been a dead end," McKeague said, and the result is that some families can be optimistic that identification can be made from the remains on hand while others will be "less optimistic," but there is a possibility, "still a possibility," for the families that an accounting eventually will be made.

Mary Liverman has been clinging to that possibility over the decades for "Uncle Charles," Pvt. Charles E. Dewees, a recipient of the Silver Star who served with C Co., 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, and went missing on Sept. 30, 1951.

She recalled his last day at home spent at the beach in Long Beach, Calif., before leaving for the war. "I was 3 years old, but I remember snippets. My dad and Uncle Charles and Mom spread out blankets," and Uncle Charles "even let us bury him in the sand."

The next day, Charles was in uniform and pictures were taken. "Tears rolled down my grandmother's face," Liverman said, and as a young girl, she didn't quite understand what was happening. "The handshakes were so strong" among the men, she said, and she recalled her father telling Charles, "Do good, take care of yourself and come back to your mom and me. He said he would."

Then the family stood outside to watch the car that was taking Charles away to the war until it disappeared from view, Liverman said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority agreed Friday to surrender control of five of the countys busiest toll roads after losing multiple court fights against a state law creating a replacement agency.

While some legal avenues remain, the chairman of the county-controlled board on Friday sent an email instructing employees of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) to begin taking orders from administrators of the new state board, the Greater Miami Expressway Agency (GMX).

I am saddened to report that our fight for local control of MDX has taken a bad turn, Jose Pepe Diaz, a former Miami-Dade commissioner who served as MDXs chairman said in in the evening email. This requires me to advise you that the legislative created agency, GMX, formed to take over MDX by the legislature, should now be allowed to access MDXs facilities and control over its affairs.

READ MORE: Why Miami-Dade may lose control of Dolphin Expressway in state takeover of toll roads

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The email announced the end of a protracted fight for control of the Dolphin Expressway and four other commuting routes. The battle, mostly played out in court motions and hearings, pitted Miami-Dades government against the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Drivers on the former MDX expressways  Airport, Dolphin, Don Shula, Gratigny and Snapper Creek  shouldnt notice a difference beside changes in signage. The MDX was part of Floridas expressway system, with tolls paid electronically through SunPass or the states toll-by-plate readers. MDX toll rates have been the same since 2018, according to its most recent financial report, and the state law creating GMX imposes restrictions on toll increases through 2029.

In a statement, GMXs executive director, Torey Alston, said the transition will be smooth.

The Greater Miami Expressway Agency (GMX) is committed to a seamless transition of operations that ensures the traveling public of South Florida continuity of services and sound financial accountability, including the continued payment of wages to current staff and to vendors, Alston said.

The big changes in the switch from MDX to GMX come from who controls the boards and the more than $230 million in toll revenue they produce each year. County commissioners appointed a majority of the members to the MDX board. Diaz, now Sweetwater mayor, was one of three former Miami-Dade commissioners on the board. Under state law, the governor appoints a majority of the GMX seats.

The legislature also kept power over the new GMX panel in Tallahassee by giving the Legislative Budget Commission veto power over the boards borrowing plans. Thats a key function of toll boards, which borrow against toll revenue to pay for upgrades and expansions. MDX lists $1.5 billion dollars in debt on its balance sheet, most of it bonds sold on Wall Street tied to yearly toll receipts.

The new GMX board is made up of Miami-Dade residents, including Miami lawyer Marili Cancio as chair. The board has meet over the last year in state offices, and recently passed motions suspending MDXs top management. Alston is a former chief of staff at the state Transportation Department and a current DeSantis appointee on the Broward School Board.

With state lawmakers having authority over GMX borrowing, that will give Tallahassee a potentially central role in the future of an MDX signature project. The agency planned to spend more than $1 billion extending the Dolphin  also known as State Road 836  into West Kendall. That project has been stalled during control fight, which limited MDXs ability to borrow money from Wall Street given uncertainty over its future.

READ MORE: Dems blame grudge by Lt. Gov. Nunez for latest state takeover bid of Miami toll roads

Florida once owned the expressways that have been under MDX control since the 1990s, when the state struck a deal with Miami-Dade to create an independent toll board to run the roads and spend the money they generate. In recent years, MDX board members experienced friction over toll decisions with Republican members of the Legislature from Miami-Dade, including a future lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nunez.

Florida lawmakers first authorized the GMX takeover in 2019, but Miami-Dade and MDX fought off that law with court challenges. A primary defense was the home rule status Floridas Constitution grants Miami-Dade, the most populous county in the state. That provision generally prevents Tallahassee from enacting laws that only target Miami-Dade.

The Legislature defused that defense this year by tweaking the law to give GMX authority beyond Miami-Dade, to a corner of Monroe County that currently has one gravel road running through the federal Big Cypress Swamp preserve.

Its a joke, said Gene Stearns, the longtime lawyer for MDX who called the states actions an extraordinary attack on home rule. Theres never going to be an expressway through the Big Cypress Swamp.

The new legislative language went into effect July 1 and led to a string of recent court wins for GMX.

On Aug. 7, a Leon County judge ordered Bank of America to turn over MDXs operating accounts to GMX. On Wednesday, a Miami-Dade judge also rejected the Home Rule defense. On Friday, the Third District Court of Appeal rejected a county request to intervene. That was MDXs last chance to fend off the GMX takeover, and Diaz sent his email after the ruling became public.

While appeals continue, Diaz said MDX was abandoning its defiance of the state law and acknowledging GMX had the legal authority to take over expressway operations.

This is a sad day for many reasons but we have not gone down without a fight, Diaz wrote in the email that went out at 6:55 p.m. and provided to the Miami Herald through a records request. While I hope the County will find a way to restore local control of MDX, unless it does and unless the appellate court rules in our favor, you must come to work as usual, do your jobs as usual and accept the new leadership that has been thrust upon this agency by the legislature.
Sci-tech specialists aid farmers plagued by floods in NE China

Xinhua) 10:27, August 19, 2023

Agricultural technicians check conditions of rice at a rice field affected by floods in Shangzhi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hao Changyou, a rice farmer in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, felt immense gratitude toward the agricultural experts who came to his aid, rescuing his rice plants after recent floods devastated his paddy fields.

"The professional guidance and assistance filled me with confidence in saving my crops," Hao said.

Since the beginning of August, the country's top grain production province has been hit hard by floods caused by typhoons. This has resulted in significant damage to vital crops including rice, soybeans and corn. Even after the floodwaters receded, concerns over crop rescue remained.

Groups of sci-tech workers in agriculture were arranged by local governments and provincial science institutions to guide farmers in affected areas to save crops and reduce losses in a scientific way.

Wuchang City, known as the main production area of high-quality rice in the province, was seriously affected by the disaster. At one point, it saw water exceed flood-limit levels in its large and medium-sized reservoirs.

The Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HAAS) sent several teams of agronomists to Wuchang's various towns. After investigating the affected crops, they answered the farmers' questions and explained available remedial measures that could save their rice plants.

This aerial photo taken on Aug. 9, 2023 shows flooded paddy fields in Xingye Village of Anjia Town in Wuchang, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

At Dongsheng Village, Wuchang, the floodwaters have receded, leaving dry soil on the rice leaves and affecting the growth of rice plants. Song Xiandong, head of the provincial plant protective station, suggested ripening the rice immediately while preventing a rice blast.

In some paddy fields where there has been minimal impact and rice continues to grow well, agricultural experts instructed farmers to use drones to dispense fertilizer. They also gave advice on farmland management in view of the recent heavy rainfall and high humidity.

As of Monday, the HAAS has dispatched more than 120 sci-tech workers to guide post-disaster farm production and assist in crop rescue in different cities.

The provincial department of science and technology has also called on over 3,000 agricultural sci-tech personnel from research institutions and agricultural universities to assist with farm rescue guidance in flooded areas.

Soybean expert Wang Yanping from the HAAS is one of the sci-tech workers who have devoted themselves to farm assistance for days. Since early August, Wang has worked along with his team and traveled between towns of Mudanjiang, another hard-hit city and a soybean producing area in the country.

"Up to now, we have visited more than 10 affected towns, including Ning'an and Hailin, and strived to help farmers reduce their losses and promote soybean harvest," Wang said.

To help restore agricultural production quickly and prevent past-disaster crop diseases and pests, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Heilongjiang Province has set up work guidance teams to hard-hit cities and towns, and mobilized hundreds of agricultural machinery service teams.

A total of more than 800 agricultural machinery teams and about 5,000 pumps have been put into disaster relief as of Aug. 13, with an accumulated farmland drainage area reaching 4.3 million mu (about 286,667 hectares) in the province.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
When alleged carjackers unleashed more than 25 rounds at a police sergeant amid a car chase this month, Stockton hit a grim milestone: two officers shot on-duty in just over two years.

The sergeant, whom police have not identified publicly, was shot and wounded Aug. 2 in the Jamestown area of north Stockton  less than a mile from where officer Jimmy Inn was killed during a domestic violence-related call just over two years before. Inn was the first Stockton police officer shot on-duty in nine years.

Stockton Police officers guard a perimeter at Kentfield Road at Gateway Drive while searching for suspects after an officer was shot during a police pursuit in Stockton on Aug. 2, 2023.

As gun violence against officers seems to spike locally, national politicians and media have argued that protests against police violence have escalated into a war on cops  especially after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Black resident George Floyd in May 2020.

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But have shootings against police actually increased? And are they more common in Stockton?

Is there a 'war on cops'?

Across the U.S., shootings of police officers have increased in recent years  but only slightly, according to the "Gun victimization in the line of duty" report.

Researchers that study police work found that from 2014  the year anti-police violence protests arose across the country after Officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri  through 2019, about 30 officers for every 100,000 were shot on duty.

That works out to about 0.03%. Of those who suffered gun violence, about six in every 100,000 officers died - 0.006%, the researchers found.

Shootings of police officers peaked in 2016 at about 44 officers for every 100,000 in service, and about nine of those died of their injuries.

By 2019, the number dropped to about 38 officers shot on duty for every 100,000, with roughly five fatalities.

Overall, the number of officer shootings trended upward over the six years the researchers studied, at a rate of about five shootings per 100,000 officers per year.

A Stockton Police officer stands watch at Tee's Car Care hers a man was reportedly shot to death in the 500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Stockton.

For 2020 and beyond, its tough to tell whether officers faced more or less gun violence.

The most recent numbers from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive  where the police researchers got their data  may include atypical cases that don't reflect citizen violence against officers, such as suicides and accidental blue on blue shootings.

Information the FBI gathers from police departments can provide a partial picture: in 2022, 46 officers were shot and killed across the U.S. from January to November, according to an FBI report.

That number under-represents the scope of gun violence against officers, because it doesnt account for cases in which officers survive their injuries.

How does Stockton compare?

On average, officers in California were less likely to be shot than officers in most other states, researchers found.

The Golden State ranked in the bottom 15 of all 50 states and D.C. for the rate of gun assaults against police officers over the six years the researchers studied.

In contrast, officers in Mississippi, New Mexico and Arkansas faced the highest shooting rates, the researchers found.

For its part, Stockton has had three officers shot since 2014, when the Gun Violence Archive began keeping track.

The Beyond the Call of Duty organization was at the Stockton Police Department Saturday morning to honor Officer Jimmy Inn who was killed in the line of duty, The group is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of first responders lost in the line of duty and to support the families and communities of the fallen.

In addition to Inns death in 2021 and the shooting of the sergeant earlier this month, a Stockton police officer was injured in an accidental shooting during a training exercise in September 2020.

The last Stockton officer shot prior to 2014 was Officer Keith Barry in March 2012, according to the police department.

Riverside, California  with roughly the same population as Stockton  saw four officer shootings since 2014, one more than Stockton did in that time frame, according to the archive.

What the data can't capture, however, are the ways officer shootings impact how law enforcement officers perceive risk on the street.

It doesnt fluctuate like that (...) every call is a potential dangerous call, said Elbert Holman, a veteran of the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office who patrolled Stockton and the surrounding county in the late 1970s.

Now, you dont approach it like youre on pins and needles () youre just aware, Holman said. Thats how you carried yourself.

The type of risk officers face may also be changing. "If you look back from the late 1970s, to (around) 2010, it was usually a lot of entries into dwellings (that led to shootings)," Tammie Murrell, director of San Joaquin Delta College's POST academy and a veteran of multiple local law enforcement agencies, said.

The Color Guard stand after presenting the Colors to start the 2023 San Joaquin County Peace Officer Memorial on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the Stockton Police Department. (SARA NEVIS/FOR THE RECORD)

Today, "there are just more guns out there now and more people willing to use them."

The data also doesn't capture the human impact when even one officer is shot.

After a deputy was shot and killed during Murrell's career at the sheriff's office, she looked back at those traumatic memories.

"We would wake up in the middle of the night," she said. "(We) didn't sleep good. It would always be the same image."

Getting past an officer being shot isn't always guaranteed.

"Any time you're in that kind of trauma...most officers recover from it, some never do."

This article originally appeared on The Record: Two Stockton officers shot within 2 years. Is there a 'war on cops'?
Crystal Finn was recently attacked by river otters in Northern California. (John Lamparski / Getty Images)

Otters may be best known for holding hands with their partners and their hobby as rock collectors, but the fuzzy carnivores also are, on occasion, known to claw at and chomp into humans.

Just ask "Succession" actor Crystal Finn.

She was attacked by otters in July at Feather River near Plumas National Forest in Northern California.

"I felt something on my backside and on my leg," she told the San Francisco Chronicle this week. "I started looking around and yelling out and [the otters] popped up right in front of me. Then they dove down and started going at me again."

Read more: A renegade sea otter is terrorizing California surfers: 'It's a little scary'

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The Broadway performer, who has appeared in Fox's "The Tick" and played Lauren Pawson in the final season of HBO's "Succession," received medical care for the bites at a nearby hospital.

I could see the bites on my legs and knew I had been bitten on my butt  that one was the worst, but I couldn't see it, she said. The bites really hurt."

Finn was initially unsure as to what was attacking her, but she soon spotted the culprits in the river.

"I saw these three little heads pop up, right in front of me," she said in an interview with the Mercury News. "But I was so disoriented. Seeing otters  initially, it just didnt add up."

Read more: California's wily, surfboard-stealing sea otter evades capture again

As she swam away to safety after the initial otter bites, the creatures continued attacking her legs.

The force of an otters bite has been estimated at 615 pounds per square inch, while the average person's bite force is about 162 pounds per square inch.

"They were all coming for me," Finn said. "It seemed rather orchestrated. And as soon as I was out of there, they seemed happy to bob along, go on their way."

These kinds of interactions with otters are rare, but have been reported at a higher rate in recent weeks.

Read more: Why are killer whales going 'Moby-Dick' on yachts lately? Experts doubt it's revenge

At Serene Lakes, also in Northern California, northwest of Lake Tahoe, another swimmer was attacked by otters and required emergency medical care. The episode took place days before Finn was attacked.

The Times recently reported on an "aggressive sea otter" that terrorized surfers in Santa Cruz this summer.

But the attacks aren't limited to the Golden State. Earlier this month, three women in southern Montana were attacked by at least one river otter, per the Associated Press. One woman's injuries were so severe that she was airlifted out of the river.

If I had seen [the otters], I dont think it would have given me pause," Finn told the Chronicle. "I would have thought, 'Oh those cute river otters.' ... It would have been a lot worse."

Sign up for L.A. Goes Out, a weekly newsletter about exploring and experiencing Los Angeles from the L.A. Times.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ahead of next weeks Republican presidential primary debate, former President Trumps latest indictment in Georgia and his potential absence from the debate stage will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.

Trump and 18 others were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on Monday, following a more than two-year investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State.

Charged alongside the former president in the 41-count indictment were Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, among others.

The Fulton County indictment is the fourth criminal case brought against Trump this year, following a Manhattan indictment over a 2016 hush money payment and two federal indictments over his handling of classified materials and his efforts to block the transfer of power after the 2020 election.

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Despite his mounting legal woes, Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

A new Emerson College poll showed the former president leading the crowded GOP field with 56 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tied in second place with 10 percent each.

Given his dominant position in the polls, Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of skipping next weeks Republican primary debate in Milwaukee.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who is set to join Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures this weekend, said on Thursday that she had not received a definitive yes or no on whether Trump would attend the debate.

If he told me, he could still change his mind, McDaniel added during the interview with NewsNations Blake Burman on The Hill.

However, the New York Times reported on Friday that the former president has decided to skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

While Trumps participation appears increasingly unlikely, the rest of the Republican candidates who have qualified appear keen to take the debate stage next Wednesday.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who will make an appearance on ABCs This Week on Sunday, said on Friday that he was hoping to debate his differences with Trump.

I always stood loyally by Donald Trump until my oath to the Constitution required me to do otherwise. But my differences with the president go far beyond that fateful day, Pence said at an event in Atlanta. And I hope to have a chance to debate em with him.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, both of whom have qualified for the debate, are also set to join NBCs Meet the Press and Fox News Sunday this weekend, respectively.

The ongoing recovery efforts from the devastating wildfires in Maui will also likely be a major topic of discussion on the Sunday morning shows. The fast-moving wildfires tore across the island last week, killing at least 114 people and decimating the historic town of Lahaina.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D), who is set to join CBS Face the Nation this weekend, vowed on Friday night that the town will rise from the ashes.

Lahaina will rise again, Green said in an emotional address from Honolulu. It will be a symbol of our resilience, our values and our sacred bonds of Ohana. When it is rebuilt, it will be a living memorial to the loved ones we have lost.

Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will also make the rounds on the Sunday shows this weekend to discuss the recovery efforts in Maui.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this weeks Sunday talk shows:

ABCs This Week  Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential candidate; Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

NBCs Meet the Press  North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican presidential candidate; Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.)

CBS Face the Nation  Criswell; Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D); Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner; Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner

CNNs State of the Union  Criswell; Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.); Judge J. Michael Luttig; Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus at Harvard University; former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R); former Obama White House official David Axelrod

Fox News Sunday  Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate; Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R)

Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures  Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.); Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel; Stephen Miller, president of America First Legal; Robert Lighthizer, former U.S. Trade Representative

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Here's a look at some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of Aug. 13, supported by your subscriptions.

Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:

This photo provides a good look at the unusual weapon each Swift Boat had mounted in its stern. The gunner has the option of two weapons. On top is a standard .50-caliber machine gun, but below is a 81 mm mortar. The muzzle-loaded mortar could be trigger-fired if needed.

Well before Taylor Swift fans co-opted the term, there was another group of Swifties  Navy volunteers who conducted highly dangerous missions in Vietnam on Swift Boats.

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Despite the stress and danger, Swift Boat sailors maintained unusually high morale and esprit de corps through the course of their mission. Some 125 of the boats fought in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1970.

Former Navy Capt. David Brown of Middletown made it his mission in retirement to correct an administrative error, with help from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, and deliver long overdue medals to 60 Swift Boat veterans.

Veterans Voice: Unsung heroes: Vietnam-era 'Swifties' are finally getting their due

La Salle Academy student Isabella Tofani of Cranston listens for a heartbeat from a simulation manikin as fellow La Salle student Brianna Pires of Pawtucket watches. The two were part of a student tour of the new Providence College Department of Nursing and Health Sciences.

As a national nursing shortage drags on and burnout pushes health care workers to the point of exhaustion, Providence College has launched its first School of Nursing and Health Sciences, which will put high-tech equipment at students' fingertips and expose them to real-life scenarios.

College officials say the program aims to go beyond the standard medical education to train "healers" who focus on the whole patient, "body, mind and spirit." And just as crucial, they say, is the nursing school's "well-being and resiliency" component, which will teach students how to care for themselves as well as their patients.

Once Providence College graduates its first batch of nurses, it's hoping they'll stay in state to help address staffing shortages here.

Health care: RI's new nursing school wants to graduate 'healers,' ease job stress, reduce national exodus

Actress Jane Fonda, seen here on June 28, and her endorsement of Aaron Regunberg have brought political drama to the CD1 special election race.

Another barrage of campaign ads is incoming in the run-up 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.

What have the early commercials revealed about this crowded and chaotic campaign?

Political Scene: A flood of political commercials leaves viewers asking 'Where's the air between candidates?'

Ocean State Job Lot is particularly famous for one very good deal: the Crazy Deal.

You buy a marked Crazy Deal item and Ocean State Job Lot will give you a Crazy Deal gift card back for up to the entire price of the item you just purchased. Right now, for example, you could order a $129 Instant Pot and get a $129 Crazy Deal gift card back to spend in the store.

A What and Why RI reader wondered about the seemingly too good to be true factor of the Crazy Deals. Does the store lose money? We went straight to the top and asked Ocean State Job Lot's president, Marc Perlman about the art of the deal.

What and Why RI: Is Ocean State Job Lot really giving stuff away free with Crazy Deals? Here's how it works

Brickley's Ice Cream, in Narragansett, was voted the best ice cream in Rhode Island by ProJo readers in an unscientific poll.

The coolest dessert on a hot summer day is an ice-cream cone, and in Rhode Island, there's no shortage of places to order a cone.

To get the scoop on the best places in Rhode Island to get an ice-cream cone, The Providence Journal recently put it to readers in an unscientific poll. First, we asked readers to nominate places to include in the poll on our Instagram page @ProJoEats, which we then compiled into a true poll.

Hundreds of votes later, we have the results. Here are seven reader-favorite ice-cream shops to check out in Rhode Island.

Food: We asked, you told us: 7 reader-favorite ice-cream spots to try in Rhode Island

To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal top stories: Swift Boat honors; Job Lot Crazy Deals
FILE PHOTO: NEWSMAKER-Taiwan VP in eye of the storm as China drills to protest US visit

By Ben Blanchard and Sarah Wu

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's vice president and front-runner to be the island's next president, William Lai, is in the eye of the storm after China launched widely expected drills near Taiwan in an angry response to his brief visits to the United States this month.

While Lai has repeatedly said ahead of January's election that he wants to keep the status quo with China, which claims Taiwan as its own, and offered to talk to Beijing, the Chinese government has only reacted with hostility.

"We don't want to become enemies with China. We can become friends," Lai told a Taiwanese television station this month.

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But in China's view, Lai is a separatist and "troublemaker through and through", for comments he first made in 2017 as premier about being a "worker" for Taiwan's independence, a red line for Beijing.

In 2018, as premier, he told parliament he was a "practical worker for Taiwan independence", causing one Chinese newspaper, the widely-read Global Times, to call for China to issue an international arrest warrant for Lai and prosecute him under China's 2005 Anti-Secession Law.

Lai said at the time and many times since he simply meant Taiwan is already an independent country, and on the campaign trail stuck by President Tsai Ing-wen 's line that the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name, and the People's Republic of China are "not subordinate to each other".

Taiwan's constitution states that the Republic of China is a sovereign state, and that has been a consensus shared by all Taiwan's main political parties. The Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who set up the People's Republic.

What worries Beijing is the idea that Lai could try to change the status quo by declaring the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan, which Lai has said he will not do.

"I think China hates him, really hates him," said Wu Xinbo, an international relations professor at Shanghai's Fudan University. "It is because if he is elected as the leader of Taiwan, he may come to advance his goal of Taiwan independence, which will provoke a crisis across the Taiwan Strait."

Still, while China has announced sanctions on several senior Taiwanese officials, including Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, it has not done so for Lai, perhaps indicating Beijing does not want to totally shut the door to one day having talks with him.

"They are wary and maybe a bit distrustful of William Lai, but it doesn't mean that Beijing cannot be pragmatic," said George Yin, a research fellow at National Taiwan University.

"Given that Beijing has become increasingly hawkish, I think the next Taiwanese presidency would very likely be characterised by a series of grey zone conflict and economic coercion. I think the intensity would go up," Yin said.

Lai, during the election campaign, has been at pains to say he will stick to President Tsai's path of proffering talks with China and maintaining peace and the status quo, while also pledging to defend the island and reiterating only its people can decide the island's future.

Lai became vice president in 2020, standing as Tsai's running mate where they won a landslide victory after warning of the threat to Taiwan from China given Beijing's crackdown on anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

Since then, China has massively ramped up military drills near Taiwan and held two rounds of war games, last August and again in April, in response to Taiwanese engagement with the United States.

China has rebuffed even the gentlest approaches by Lai.In May, at a question and answer session with students at his alma mater, National Taiwan University, Lai said the head of state he would most like to have dinner with is Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he would advise to "chill out a little".

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said his comments were "weird" and "deceitful" given that his "Taiwan independence nature" had not changed.

China has demanded Taiwan's government accept that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to "one China," something Tsai and Lai have refused to do.

"He appears even more resolute than Tsai Ing-wen on this," said Meng Chih-cheng, a political science professor at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sarah Wu; Additional reporting by Martin Pollard in Beijing and Casey Hall in Shanghai; Editing by Sonali Paul)
"Warning Signs" by artist Nicole Cooper, who recruited a group to meet virtually and discuss ways they were experiencing the climate crisis and how they could take action in their own communities.

This article originally appeared in Nexus Media News and Discover Magazine.

In 2020, artist Nicole Cooper was conducting research for a painting series when she stumbled upon a NASA chart showing temperature rise throughout history. I had this realization of, Look at how fast temperatures are rising  and what are we going to do about it? she said.

Cooper experienced what she described as an existential crisis, feeling terrified of what would happen in her lifetime and worried that it may already be too late to act.

I needed to be able to talk, she said, and express myself about the emotional reaction I was having.

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Climate change wasnt something she felt she could discuss deeply with the people in her life, as is the case for most Americans. Though most people acknowledge climate change is real, and about 30% say they are very worried about it, just 37% say they discuss the issue occasionally or often, according to a 2022 survey from Yale University.

Haze blankets the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 11, 2023. A plan for how Indonesia will spend $20 billion to transition to cleaner energy was submitted Wednesday, Aug. 16, to the government and its financing partners, the planners said.

But talking about climate change is important. Researchers have found it can cause greater acceptance of climate science and, among those who already accept the science, inspire action. That, in turn, has been shown to decrease climate anxiety.

Like so many Americans, Cooper felt scared, stressed  and largely alone. I was reading a lot of articles, listening to podcasts, but I had no real dialogue about it, she said. Then she heard about the All We Can Save Circles, an initiative created by Katharine Wilkinson, who co-edited an anthology book of the same name. Launched when the book was published in 2020, the Circle is a decentralized, 10-course book club aimed at helping readers develop communities around climate solutions.

Cooper realized she could create a space for the conversations she wanted to have. Using her newsletter, word of mouth and social media, Cooper recruited a group of nine people  some climate activists, others, like her, newer to the conversation  to meet virtually. Over the next six months, they discussed ways they were experiencing the climate crisis and created a shared climate resource list, including ways they could take action in their own communities.

Coming together with people who had all kinds of emotions and to see them still (taking) climate action  daily, weekly or monthly  that was really inspiring, Cooper said.

Artist Nicole Cooper started an All We Can Save Circle to discuss coping with climate change and what can be done about it.

Cooper is part of a growing movement of Americans who are seeking out solace  and power in numbers  in climate conversation groups. More than 3,000 people have formed All We Can Save Circles, according to the All We Can Save Project. The Good Grief Network, a nonprofit peer support network modeled on 12-step addiction programs, has more than 50 climate support groups nationwide. Climate Awakening, founded by climate psychologist Margaret Klein Salamon, convenes small group conversations online that anyone can join for free.

These are all aimed at reversing what researchers describe as the spiral of silence around climate change.

We know that humans avoid uncomfortable emotions, said Sarah Schwartz, associate professor of psychology at Suffolk University who researches climate anxiety. She explained that climate change is stressful in ways direct (not being able to breathe the air in your city, for example) and indirect (like constant worry about an uncertain future).

But when we talk about grief processing [or] trauma  we need to turn towards rather than away from these hard emotions, she added.

Global land-ocean temperature index.

Schwartz co-authored a 2022 study that found that collective climate action may mitigate climate distress. But, she said, If you just jump into action and dont make any space for conversations, support and sitting with the uncomfortable emotions  thats a recipe for burnout.

Conversations, support and collective action all require building community, which is key in addressing challenges that seem insurmountable, Schwartz said. The role of relationships and social support is huge in the difference between we can do something and lets all just hunker down and isolate in our own anxiety and paralysis, she said.

According to an internal 2023 survey conducted by the All We Can Save Project, 89% of Circle participants reported feeling an increased sense of community and 90% said they took climate action, such as switching to climate-focused careers, after joining a conversation group.

For Inemesit Williams, former co-leader of the social justice working group at Climate Action Network for International Educators, being part of a Circle inspired her to advocate for public transit funding and spread awareness about local bus routes. Ive never owned a car  Ive always taken public transit, ridden my bicycle, walked, carpooled, she said. So thats something Im really passionate about: transit equity.

Williams, who identifies as a queer, Black American descendant of chattel slavery, said she was the only participant in her Circle who identifies as Black. Its a problem, she said, that is reflective of the broader lack of diversity among leadership at environmental organizations.

Williams was familiar with most of the members in her Circle and felt comfortable talking about the ways the climate crisis disproportionately impacts communities of color. I already had a feeling of safety with this group, she said, but added that her experience might be an exception. You cant really engage in that kind of space if you dont feel like what you have to say is going to be welcome.

A hiker walks past the Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park during sunrise July 17, 2023, in Phoenix. Scientists say by far the biggest cause of the recent extreme warming is human-caused climate change and a natural El Nino. But some say theres got to be something more.

Creating that safe space is why psychotherapist Taryn Crosby, who is also Black, co-organized We Outside, a climate conversation specifically for Black women and non-binary people.

We want to create a space where our experiences are prioritized, she said, adding that generations of trauma in nature due to slavery and lynchings, segregated state and national parks and economic oppression have pushed and excluded many Black Americans from the outdoors.

She said she hopes We Outside helps attendees understand and value their own connections to nature, and prepares them to take part in broader conversations and influence greater climate action.

Because we havent felt necessarily welcomed or invited into other climate conversations, we kind of need this to build that muscle, she said. And that can equip us to have these conversations before mixed company.

Leaders from the All We Can Save Project and Good Grief Network, two of the largest climate conversation networks, acknowledged that the majority of participants are white and said they were currently taking steps  including partnering with Black, Indigenous and people of color-led organizations and aiming to train more BIPOC facilitators  to diversify their ranks.

As we think about plans for addressing diversity and inclusion in Circles  across the Project and climate movement broadly  we think partnerships, intentional outreach and relationship-building are vital, said Amy Curtis, learning and community lead of the All We Can Save Project.

Crosby said she hopes initiatives like We Outside will be a starting point for more inclusive conversations about climate change. The goal, she said, is to hold space where people can be open and curious about the way that they are affected by their environment and nature, and (also) how they affect their environment and nature  ultimately encouraging them to move that into action.

Nexus Media News is an editorially independent, nonprofit news service covering climate change.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Climate change discussion groups help people cope, save environment
Organizations that require employees to work in the office instead of offering a work-from-home option often find resistance, and an exodus of high-quality talent willing to change jobs to protect their flexibility.

Many businesses and industries are struggling with a big question these days: Should employers require employees to be in the office full time?

When organizations decide the answer is yes, they often find resistance, and an exodus of high-quality talent willing to change jobs to protect their flexibility.

Some people see this as workers being weak or entitled. I have another view: High-performing employees want to feel trusted, and they dont have to be in a cubicle 40 hours a week to earn that trust.

In our company, weve learned teams can succeed without sharing a physical workspace most days, and many people are more productive and happier when they dont have to manage a commute.

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With employees among multiple states, keeping everyone connected requires effort. We use Slack to communicate all day long, even with people in the next office  yes, some people still prefer to drive in. This constant communication improves our daily work and strengthens our culture.

Our office stays open with a plug-and-work model for folks who like dropping in to work, and who most commonly attend meetings in person. A favorite time to gather is at our monthly company meetings that draw a majority of the company. They are a great checkpoint that provides collaboration throughout the team.

Since we also have found that people form bonds differently when they share space, we continue to create additional opportunities to get together. Twice a year, we bring the entire company together for a two-day summit, including our holiday party with spouses and significant others. We embrace flexible work while understanding the power of connecting in person.

Yes, these trips are an expense; we see them as investments. The culture we build in just a few days pays dividends throughout the year. We learn more about each other, and we do better work when we are in our homes or favorite coffee shops.

This all matters because employers are fighting to retain top talent. The best technology talent in Oklahoma can find highly compensated positions across the country (literally in a day) if they arent satisfied with their local work environment.

My main takeaway from the last few years of change is simple: People want to feel trusted. When we say, I know you will do your job and keep your team in the loop, wherever you are, they feel valued. Its basic human nature to stay where we are appreciated.

Success in this new model requires diligence in hiring, as well as clear, consistent expectations.

I don't claim to have all the answers, and what works for one organization might not work for others in different industries. For us, autonomy wins  we treat everyone as an adult and that standard has delivered us to where we are today.

Leaders who trust their people  and who act thoughtfully in a changed environment  will be the new model for success.

Heath Clinton

Heath Clinton is the president and CEO of Phase 2.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Leaders who trust their people will be new model for work success
One Black North Carolina teenager recently faced what she considered to be racial discrimination at her former job at Chick-fil-A. Autumn Williams, 16, said she was sent home from work due to her unnatural blonde braids which she has worn since the day she was hired.

Back in July, Williams thought she was going to work for a typical day at the establishment. She was caught by surprise when a manager pulled her away from her counter position to be informed that her hair violated Chick-fil-As dress code.

Williams and Chick-fil-A

Photo Credit: Autumn Williams

She said, Our supervisor drove by yesterday and noticed blond in your hair and since blond is an unnatural color to you, we have to ask you to take the blond out of your hair and then come back when theres none,' Williams told TODAY.com.

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The teen said her manager then told her that she understood the process behind taking out braids. Therefore, she was told to take her time and email the manager when she is ready to come back. Williamss mother, Nina Burch, was given the supervisors number to ask for more clarity as to why her daughter was sent home. When the two were on the phone, Burch said no further clarification was given. The supervisor just told her to refer to the handbook for any questions she may have.

In regard to hair, the handbook only states that hairstyles must be neat and professional in appearance. Unnatural hair colors or eccentric styles (e.g., Mohawks, shaven designs, etc.) are not permitted.

Burch and Williams were under the impression that the colors referred to in the handbook meant colors that are not natural such as blue, purple or pink. Williams has never dyed her hair and the chosen hair color for the braids best matched the color of the hair that grows out of her scalp.

Hair-Based Discrimination

Williams story is an addition to the long history of Black women who are discriminated against in the workplace. A 2023 study revealed that one-fifth of the Black women surveyed between the ages of 25 and 34 had been sent home from work because of their hair. Although Williams is much younger than the surveys participants, these numbers still affect her and a generation of young adults looking to get a start in the corporate world. The CROWN Act still has yet to be passed in North Carolina.

The Chick-fil-A location has since apologized to Williams saying that this shouldnt have happened. She was welcomed to return back to work but has decided to find a new job.

Burch says they have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to see if theres a route we should pursue legally.

The post Teen Sent Home From Chick-fil-A Job for Unnatural Blonde Hair appeared first on 21Ninety.
FILE - Standing in the mid-afternoon heat, a worker takes a break to drink during a parking lot asphalt resurfacing job in Richardson, Texas, June 20, 2023. While unrelenting heat set in across Texas this summer, opponents of a sweeping new law targeting local regulations took to the airwaves and internet with an alarming message: outdoor workers would be banned from taking water breaks. Workers would die, experts and advocates said, with high temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and staying there for much of the past two months. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

As unrelenting heat set in across Texas this summer, opponents of a sweeping new law targeting local regulations took to the airwaves and internet with an alarming message: outdoor workers would be banned from taking water breaks.

Workers would die, experts and advocates said, with high temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and staying there for much of the past two months.

But a closer look at the law, and the local ordinances requiring water breaks, reveals a more complicated picture.

At least one political analyst said the dispute is less about worker protection and more about politics, as conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats battle for control of local governments.

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House Bill 2127, passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature in April and set to take effect Sept. 1, blocks local governments from enforcing legislation clashing with existing state law. Cities and counties would be required to demonstrate that their policies are in compliance.

Proponents say it will help Texas to live up to its pro-business reputation by eliminating red tape created by a slew of ordinances that may differ city-by-city.

This legislation will streamline regulations so Texas job creators can have certainty, said Republican state Sen. Brandon Creighton, a co-sponsor of the bill.

Democrats, in contrast, have nicknamed the bill the Death Star for the breadth of its potential impact on a wide array of ordinances regulating natural resources, agriculture and labor. Houston and San Antonio are suing to block it.

The law's opponents have particularly homed in on the fact it does not expressly mandate water breaks for outside workers. That has struck a chord during a summer when the state and other areas of the U.S. are baking under historically high temperatures.

The water break narrative is ... especially compelling as Texas experiences a heat wave, said Mark Jones, of Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy.

But, he added, there is no evidence that most employers dont already provide water breaks, and its not clear cities with such regulations even enforce them.

The narrative that somehow the Republican Legislature is going to prohibit workers from being able to take water breaks is not accurate, he said.

David Chincanchan begs to differ. The policy director of the Workers Defense Project, a nonprofit statewide organization advocating for migrant workers rights, said Austin and Dallas have clear enforcement mechanisms and penalties for failing to meet water break requirements.

Republican legislators intended specifically to eliminate water breaks, adding language to that effect to later versions of their bill, he said.

It cant be called an unintentional consequence when they knew exactly what would happen and refused every opportunity to prevent it from happening, Chincanchan said.

Jones said the bill is more about politics than policies. He noted the loudest opposition has come from cities where progressive Democrats are in control and said the bill is designed to take autonomy from those cities.

This is part of the growing tension between the blue cities and counties in the major urban areas and the Republican-controlled state government, he said.

Leaders of the Texas AFL-CIO, a labor federation of 240,000 union members in the state, acknowledge most employers already provide more water breaks than what is required by ordinances in Dallas and Austin, according to spokesperson Ed Sills. He has not seen local enforcement of water breaks.

But minimal standards are still important on an issue of life or death, Sills said.

If a law is on the books, it still influences behavior," he said, adding that some of the other targeted ordinances deal with tenant rights, predatory lending and excessive noise.

Workers Defense Project spokesperson Christine Bolanos agrees. She said employers in Texas cities with water break requirements often provide more breaks than those in cities without them.

Bolanos, who has spoken with workers about their heat illnesses, added that Spanish-speaking and migrant construction workers can be especially vulnerable because language barriers may prevent them from fighting for their rights or joining a union that could protect them. As a result, she said, their experiences with heat illness are more likely to go undocumented.

The absence of a specific regulation mandating rehydration work pauses wouldn't mean all supervisors give fewer breaks, Bolanos said.

But it will be on a case-by-case basis and that floor of protection will no longer be in place," Bolanos said. "Construction workers are now going to be left at the mercy of the level of morality of their employers.

Statistics show heat can kill. There have been at least 436 work-related deaths from environmental heat exposure in the U.S. from 2011-2021, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

With legal challenges pending, the full effect of the bill is untested for now.

That could take years, said Ryan Marquez, a clinical associate professor at the University of House Law Center.

This bill is broad, Marquez said. Its hard to say exactly how far it will go.

___

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.
FILE PHOTO: Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks to Reuters during an interview in Singapore

By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's self-exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plans to return to the country on Tuesday, his daughter said, as the country is struggling to overcome a political deadlock after a May national election.

The former telecommunications tycoon, premier from 2001 until he was ousted in a 2006 coup, lives in self-imposed exile after fleeing Thailand to avoid a jail sentence for graft in 2008. He would still be subject to jail upon a return.

In a social media post on Saturday, Thaksin's youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, said she would meet her father at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport on "Tuesday, August 22".

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Also scheduled for Tuesday is another parliamentary vote for prime minister, to be nominated by the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai Party.

Thaksin earlier postponed his return from Aug. 10, citing the need for a medical checkup. He still faces up to 10 years in jail. The 74-year-old would be subject to the judicial process upon his return, deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn has said.

Some analysts said Thaksin's return suggests Pheu Thai has reached a deal with political parties on forming a government after gaining support from military-backed parties.

"Thaksin's return on voting day shows that he is confident that Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate will be elected in one round," said Thanaporn Sriyakul, chair of the Political Science Association of Kasetsart University.

The second-placed Pheu Thai this month took over efforts to form a government after the leader of the election-winning Move Forward party failed in his bid to become prime minister.

Pheu Thai, set to nominate real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin, needs the support of more than half the bicameral legislature, including the military-appointed Senate.

The party on Thursday gained support from a rival military-backed party after a lawmaker from another military-backed party said they would support Pheu Thai in overcoming the impasse.

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by William Mallard)
Flares are seen on the horizon as the fire advances through the forest toward the town of La Laguna and Los Rodeos airport in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. Firefighters have battled through the night to try to bring under control the worst wildfire in decades on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, a major tourist destination. The fire in the north of the island started Tuesday night and has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people. Regional officials say Friday's efforts will be crucial in containing the fire. (AP Photo/Arturo Rodriguez)

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Canary Islands (AP)  Thousands more residents of Tenerife in Spains Canary Islands have fled their homes as a wildfire that authorities deemed out of control raged on for a fourth day.

The regional government for the Canary Islands said that 4,000 more people were ordered to evacuate on Saturday. Those were in addition to the 4,500 people who on Friday were forced to move out of harms way on the Atlantic island that is home to around a million people and is also a popular tourist destination.

That figure of more than 8,000 evacuees is expected to rise, and perhaps sharply.

The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, just like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.

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European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.

Greek authorities on Saturday evacuated eight villages near the northeastern border with Turkey, where a large summer wildfire was burning out of control, whipped up by high winds.

The Tenerife fire comes as Spains mainland is bracing for another heat wave. Spains state weather service issued a warning Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the mainland.

Spain had a record-hot 2022 and is setting new heat records this year amid a prolonged drought that has authorities on alert for wildfires.

Emergency services for the Canary Islands said later that the number of evacuees could surpass 26,000 according to provisional calculations based on the islands census. The service added that all those people who needed somewhere to take refuge would be directed to shelters.

The regional government said that the fire is beyond our capacity to extinguish it due to hot and dry conditions and high winds that have fanned the huge flames. Firefighters have been unable to establish a perimeter around the blaze that has consumed at least 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres)

We have never seen a fire of this dimension on the Canary Islands, the islands governor, Rosa Davila, said.

No injuries have been reported since the fire broke out late on Tuesday.

Some 265 firefighters battled the blaze with the help of 19 aircraft, which included units from the mainland sent to help. More reinforcements are on the way, the central government said.

The fire is located in a steep and craggy mountain area with pine trees, with several municipalities on its flanks. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult.

The regional chief of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said that police are investigating the cause of the fire.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco.

More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres).

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 75,000 hectares (185,000 acres) burned, ahead of Italy and Greece.

Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares (2 million acres) burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said.

___

Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona.
In a leaked Zoom call with officials, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that losing Crimea is a "red line" for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin , The Hill reported on Aug. 17.

However, the United States thinks that Ukraine liberating the peninsula is not a realistic or even worthwhile goal.

Read also: White House skeptical about effectiveness of Ukrainian strikes on Crimea  report

Foreign journalists share these doubts. As per their analysis, to isolate Crimea, Ukraine's counteroffensive needs to advance towards Melitopol (Zaporizhzhya Oblast), Armyansk, or Skadovsk. These vectors of attack were hindered after Russia blew up the Kakhovka HEP dam in June. At the same time, recently Ukrainian troops managed to make a successful incursion across the Dnipro River.

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Read also: Explosions rock occupied city of Melitopol, says mayor

Before controlling Melitopol, Ukrainian military forces would still need to liberate Tokmak, currently surrounded by an elaborate system of Russian trenches, minefields, and barricades. Furthermore, Russia currently has over 90,000 troops stationed there.

Whatever Putin says about protecting the Russian-speakers of Luhansk and Donetsk, his current priority is to hold onto Crimea, the article says.

Read also: Putin pressuring oligarchs to shore up rapidly devaluing ruble  report

Russian offensives in northern Ukraine, and threats from Wagner mercenaries in Belarus, are diversions. In the center, Bakhmut offers little tactical advantage for either side.

The journalists conclude by saying that even Ukraine threatens Crimea enough to force Putin to negotiate, it would be merely a delaying tactic, as his long-term goals will never change as long as he stays in power.

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
Gabriel Bogner took his Great Dane pet on a flight from LA to New York.

The 27-year-old's dog called Darwin was deemed too large to fit in a crate in the cargo hold.

Bogner said he's received an online backlash since posting a TikTok of the flight.

A man who took his 140-pound Great Dane on a flight from Los Angeles to New York said he's faced a torrent of online backlash and harassment since he posted a TikTok showing the trip.

Gabriel Bogner paid for a row of seats for himself and his dog Darwin on an American Airlines flight after she was deemed too big to fit into a crate in the airplane's cargo hold, he said.

"People were absolutely gobsmacked and shocked, but everyone was so excited to see her. I've never seen so many people smiling at an airport," he told South West News Service, per The New York Post.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

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But Bogner's TikTok post of the trip, which has received over 18 million views, also attracted controversy.

In a follow-up post, Bogner said that while he thought his video had "made most people smile," it had apparently made others "quite angry," adding that he had become the target of online harassment following the video.

He claims that some people had said they would report him to the government while others were leaving "mean" comments on his personal Instagram after they took issue with him calling Darwin a service animal.

In the video, Bogner gives a rundown of his relationship with Darwin to try and address some of the comments he's received.

He explains that he registered the dog as an emotional support animal immediately after getting her as a puppy to help with his anxiety and that she now helps him manage the symptoms of his Crohn's disease by placing her head on his stomach when he's in pain and accompanying him to the bathroom.

He adds that his physicians told him she qualified as a service animal, which he says appeared to have "offended many people."

"All of this BS from some of these faceless profiles online is just another form of ableism and, quite frankly, bullying," Bogner says in the video. "I was just trying to make a light-hearted, cute video."

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines service animals "as dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities."

It says dogs that only "provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA."

Bogner did not reply to a request for an interview with Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Just a few days after the first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 cycle, two of the contenders will be hitting the same stage in front of the largest annual gathering of Republicans in early-voting South Carolina.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already been set as the headliner at the Faith & Freedom BBQ, hosted by Rep. Jeff Duncan on Aug. 28. On Thursday, Duncan told The Associated Press that Sen. Tim Scott  invited in his capacity as a South Carolina senator, not presidential hopeful  had also accepted an opportunity to speak, as he has done in years past.

The event, which takes place in a massive civic center and attracts more than 2,000 attendees, comes five days after Scott, DeSantis and others in the broad GOP field are set to participate in the first debate of the 2024 cycle in Milwaukee.

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Former President Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, has indicated hes unlikely to attend and may hold a competing event of his own. The debate also comes during a week in which Trump and the 18 co-defendants charged alongside him earlier this week in a Georgia case are required to surrender themselves to authorities on allegations of meddling in the 2020 election results.

ALSO READ: Florida Gov. DeSantis makes case to Tega Cay voters on why he should be next president

Duncans event, a fundraiser benefiting his reelection campaign, has long been a showcase for possible White House contenders, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, then-Vice President Mike Pence, Sens. Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst and Marco Rubio, and former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whos now part of the 2024 field.

In a state where success has historically been a catalyst for GOP presidential nominees, the South Carolina venue provides DeSantis an opportunity to make his case in front of a large number of party activists, with whom Trump  who earlier this month headlined the state Republican Partys annual fundraiser  remains popular.

But its not just the headliner who draws attention. Last year, before Pompeos keynote, Scott gave a rousing speech that drew thunderous applause from the barbecue crowd.

The opportunity to address a crowd of thousands in his home state  which holds the first GOP presidential primary in the South  comes as Scotts presidential campaign prepares to kick in to high gear in the closing months before the first votes are cast next year.

On Thursday, Scotts campaign told the AP that it had purchased $8 million in ad space in the critical early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, planning a television, radio and digital campaign that would run through the end of November. That purchase comes on the heels of a $6 million ad buy the campaign launched as Scott kicked off his campaign in May.

LINK: The Political Beat with Reporter Joe Bruno

It also follows major spending by a super political action committee backing Scott, which began a $7.25 million television and digital ad buy when he entered the race. When that ends on Labor Day, the groups $40 million reservation in early-state air time will begin.

Scotts campaign has long stressed that his strong ability to fundraise, coupled with the more than $20 million he transferred to his presidential coffers from his Senate campaign account, would mean their candidate could stay on the air in key states in ways others might not be able to.

As DeSantis and Scott prepare to both take the stage at the event hosted by Duncan  one of only two Republicans in South Carolinas delegations not already aligned with a presidential candidate  voters in the state are still mulling their options.

At a DeSantis event in Greenville, South Carolina, earlier this summer, businessman Dean Estep said hes currently backing the Florida governor, and already has a running mate for him in mind.

Tim Scotts a first class guy, Estep said, before the question about who hed like to see on a ticket with DeSantis was even finished. Hes just a picture of America.

VIDEO: Florida Gov. DeSantis makes case to Tega Cay voters on why he should be next president
With neither side in the now 542-day-old war in Ukraine able to achieve air superiority, the U.S. and NATO are gathering valuable lessons for how they may have to fight on the continent in the future, the general in charge of U.S. and NATO air operations in Europe said Friday.

The U.S. and NATO will have to improve methods to counter integrated air defenses, defend against incoming threats, communicate and move assets around the continent under the U.S. doctrine of Agile Combat Employment (ACE). Those were the conclusions delivered by U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker - head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), as well as NATO's Allied Air Command and U.S. Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA) - Friday during a Defense Writers Group virtual briefing.

Chief among those lessons is for the U.S. and its NATO allies to find ways to defeat robust air defenses, Hecker said. Russia possesses air defense systems like the Buk-M3, Pantsir, S-300, S-400, and Tor-M1. The plethora of surface-to-air missile systems on both sides is what has prevented people from getting air superiority, said Hecker.

The S-400 Triumph surface-to-air missile system (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is part of Russia's robust integrated air defenses. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

So that's my number one priority - throughout NATO on the air side - is the counter anti-access area denial (A2AD) mission. We've been putting a lot of effort on improving our skills and using all of the allies to do that.

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After losing more than 75 aircraft at the beginning of the war, Russia adapted, Hecker said. As we have written about frequently, they shifted to a reliance on one-way drones - like the Iranian-made Shahed-136s - and cruise and ballistic missiles launched from stand-off distances in Russian airspace or from Black Sea surface vessels and submarines to deliver precision strikes.

The S-7760 Kinzhal (Kh-47) hypersonic quasi-air-launched ballistic missiles, fired by MiG-31 Foxhound heavy interceptors modified to carry a single such missile, have been particularly vexing to Ukrainian air defenses.

Kinzhal

The challenges posed by Russian airstrikes on Ukraine are a real-time example of why the U.S. and NATO need a good integrated air and missile defense system, said Hecker. We are really trying to improve our capability there because we know thats what we need to protect ourselves.

Hecker noted that Ukraine has had a degree of success with donated Western air defense systems.

The Russians are getting some of those through, said Hecker. But Ukraine is doing pretty good with a lot of Western help in the way of surface-to-air missiles and stuff like that.

While Hecker didn't name any specific platforms, Ukraine has received air defense systems like the Patriot, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missiles Systems, or NASAMS, IRIS-T SLM, SAMP/T, Crotale, Gepard and others.

Ukrainian personnel remove camouflage netting from a Patriot launcher. (Ukrainian Air Force)

His comments also come a day after the U.S. government approved a $3.5-billion German purchase of Israeli-made Arrow 3 missile defense systems. That deal brings the kind of anti-ballistic missile capability to Western Europe that Hecker said was needed as militaries in that region increasingly look at increasing their resilience to potential ballistic missile attacks from Russia. You can read more about that deal in our original story here.

https://twitter.com/Israel_MOD/status/1692034580868399536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1692034580868399536%7Ctwgr%5Eaf36093e0c829b8f5bed9c5f53b3a5ed9aecc8cf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fgermany-buying-arrow-3-missile-defense-system-is-israels-biggest-weapons-deal-ever

There is also the European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI, a German-led effort designed to create a European air and missile defense system  something you can read more about here.

One of the main reasons the Ukrainian Air Force has been able to stay in the fight is its ability to move its aircraft around the country and still have the enough airstrips with stocked supplies capable of sustaining air combat operations.

Hecker said that success shows the U.S. and NATO need to step up their ACE efforts.

ACE has been around way before the Ukraine-Russian war started, said Hecker. And it was mainly in response to the situation in the Indo-Pacific, knowing that China had several cruise missiles, very capable cruise missiles and things like that, and we had to move or else - you know we dont want to lose all our aircraft on the ground.

An MC-130J Commando II lands on Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot, April 30, 2023, honing capabilities linked to Agile Combat Employment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Carly Kavish)

So enter Ukraine, and now we kind of see how they're doing and what's being effective for them by them moving their airplanes around against the threat that wed most likely face - definitely face - if we go to Article Five [NATO collective defense agreement]. We need to make sure that we can do that as well.

https://twitter.com/JimmySecUK/status/1645390116158930944?s=20

The U.S. and NATO employ ACE to some extent in Europe as well, said Hecker. But nowhere as much as Ukraine.

We have to make sure we can be as proficient as they are, he said of the Ukrainians, who employ their own version of ACE every day, throwing off Russia's ability to target their aircraft with standoff weapons.

Now as weapons get a lot more accurate, etc, they can just hit every single aircraft even if it's dispersed, said Hecker. So what we have to do now is disperse our aircraft amongst different airfields and potentially even on highways and these kinds of things that Finland brings to the plate.

You can read more about Finland's military aviation operations from a newly constructed highway specially designed with a runway at its center in our story here.

https://twitter.com/FinnishAirForce/status/1686044815799029765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1686044815799029765%7Ctwgr%5E557f3bf3e30b322ee0d7566035081a02f22b121c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_\u0026ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fcockpit-view-of-flying-from-finlands-new-highway-runway

The U.S. had more of that capability during the Cold War, when there were more bases in Europe for U.S. combat aircraft to land, receive needed maintenance and rearm. Restoring that ability is a priority, said Hecker.

We're going to start off with 20 to 25 such bases, said Hecker. Of course, I'm not going to tell you where they're at. But they're in strategic locations around Europe.

Those bases will be supplied with equipment common to any aircraft, said Hecker.

We're going to work with the nations and their maintenance so that we can get interoperable on different kinds of aircraft like we were able to do 30-40 years ago.

Last, but not least, the U.S. and NATO need more robust communications, Hecker said.

"How are we going to command and control all these units, especially if they're taking off and landing at other airfields using the ACE concept? How are we going to make that happen? And especially if we get denied communications, because that will cut off from that from a cyber attack, etc."

While the U.S. has tried to shift more of its focus toward the Pacific and potential threats posed by China and North Korea, the last 15 months of war in Ukraine has been a stark reminder that Europe will require increasing attention, and requisite investment, as well.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
On 10 August, California regulators voted to expand the footprint of paid taxi services by autonomous, driverless cars from Cruise and Waymo in San Francisco. Since then, its been utter chaos, with the AVs involved in traffic jams, slapstick malfunctions, and a car accident with a fire truck.

A day after the vote, video went viral on social media showing about 10 frozen Cruise taxis snarling traffic in the North Beach neighbourhood, which company officials later said was caused by a connectivity issue due to a spike in cell traffic because of a nearby music festival.

The following Tuesday, a Cruise taxi was stuck in wet concrete at a construction site.

I can see five different scenarios where bad things happen and this is one of them, resident Paul Harvey told SFGATE. It thinks its a road and it aint because it aint got a brain and it cant tell that its freshly poured concrete.

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Two days after that, a Cruise taxi had what might be its most serious accident yet, colliding with a fire truck in the Tenderloin neighbourhood, giving the taxis passengers non-severe injuries.

A firefighter in the truck said the AV lurched as it passed through an intersection ABC 7 reports, while Cruise said its vehicle detected the emergency sirens but was unable to get out of the way in time from the truck, which drove into the oncoming traffic lane.

A Chevrolet Cruise autonomous vehicle with a driver moves through an intersection in San Francisco (Getty Images)

The AVs ability to successfully chart the emergency vehicles path was complicated by the fact that the emergency vehicle was in the oncoming lane of traffic, which it had moved into to bypass the red light, the company wrote in a statement. Cruise AVs have the ability to detect emergency sirens, which increase their ability to operate safely around emergency vehicles and accompanying scenes. In this instance, the AV identified the siren as soon as it was distinguishable from the background noise.

The Cruise AV did identify the risk of a collision and initiated a braking maneuver, reducing its speed, but was ultimately unable to avoid the collision, the company added.

Following the repeated mishaps, the California Department of Motor Vehicles asked Cruise to cut its 400-strong deployment of AVs in San Francisco in half, with the agency saying it was investigating recent concerning incidents.

As The Independent reported, critics of AVs warned ahead of their expansion in San Francisco that the driverless cars werent ready for primetime, particularly when it comes to interfacing with emergency vehicles.

According to data Cruise shared with the state earlier this month, between January and mid-July of 2023, Cruise AVs temporarily malfunctioned or shut down 177 times and required recovery, 26 of which such incidents occurred with a passenger inside, while Waymo recorded 58 such events in a similar time frame.

Meanwhile, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA), between April 2022 and April 2023, Cruise and Waymo vehicles have been involved in over 300 incidents of irregular driving including unexpected stops and collisions, while the San Francisco Fire Department says AVs have interfered 55 times in their work in 2023.

Last year, Cruise lost contact with its entire fleet for 20 minutes according to internal documentation viewed by WIRED, and an anonymous employee warned California regulators that year the company loses touch with its vehicles with regularity.

Since being rolled out in San Francisco, robotaxis have killed a dog, caused a mile-long traffic jam during rush hour, blocked a traffic lane as officials responded to a shooting, and driven over fire hoses.

Jeffrey Tumlin, San Franciscos director of transportation, has called the rollout of robotaxis a race to the bottom, arguing Cruise and Waymo werent yet definitive transit solutions, and instead had only met the requirements for a learners permit.
The Tri-Cities choked under a blanket of smoke Saturday, with smoky conditions forecast to persist through the weekend.

The air quality in the Tri-Cities worsened to a rating of unhealthy starting at 9 a.m., according to the Washington state Department of Ecology.

At 6 p.m. Saturday the Department of Ecology updated the rating to very unhealthy.

The department and the Benton Clean Air Agency have issued an air quality alert that includes all of Benton and Franklin County, plus counties north to the Canadian border, through at least 9 a.m. Monday.

Much of the smoke in the Tri-Cities area Saturday morning was drifting south from a large fire burning just north of central Washington in British Columbia, Canada, with winds from the north in northern Washington pushing south toward the Tri-Cities, said Ann Adams, assistant forecaster with the weather service, Saturday morning.

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At the same time, Hurricane Hilary was pushing toward the north along the Pacific Coast, sending smoke in Western Oregon toward the Tri-Cities.

The Tri-Cities was choking under smoke moving south from Canada on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.

Later in the day a large fire burning just southwest of Spokane at Medical Lake likely contributed to the smoky air in the Tri-Cities.

Spokane County declared a state of emergency, with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources reporting the Gray Fire at 9,500 acres Saturday morning. It was about 10% contained.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center said the fire was not expected to be contained until Thursday.

The Department of National Resources reported one person dead.

The fire destroyed 185 structures, including homes around Medical Lake, Spokane Councilman Zack Zappone posted on social media Saturday morning.

Another fire in Northeast Washington, the Oregon Road Fire about four miles northeast of Elk, Wash., and about 20 miles northeast of Spokane had burned more than 8,000 acres as of Saturday. It was 0% contained Saturday morning.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center had no estimated date for its containment.

Interstate 90 was closed Friday evening southwest of Spokane after fire jumped the interstate and smoke limited visibility, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.

Spokane Councilman Zack Zappone posted this photo Saturday morning of a street in Medical Lake, Wash.

A detour was set up on Highway 904 through Cheney until that road also closed. It reopened for a time Saturday and then closed again from I-90 to Cheney.

As of 5 p.m. Saturday, Interstate 90 was open westbound but but remained closed eastbound at Sprague. A detour was in place.

Unhealthy Tri-Cities air

As the weekend ends, an upper-level disturbance should change the wind direction to bring relief to the Tri-Cities from smoky air, according to the weather service.

The Tri-Cities is just on the edge of rain storm forecast for Monday night and Tuesday, but could have some light rain.

In the meantime, due to the very unhealthy air quality in the Tri-Cities area, everyone should stay indoors and avoid all strenuous activity when air quality is rated as very unhealthy, according to Washington state Department of Health recommendations.

Air pollution from smoke can cause burning eyes, a runny nose and aggravate chronic illnesses, according to information from the Benton Clean Air Agency.

As air worsens, more people may have breathing problems.

The poor air quality may be particularly difficult for children, pregnant women, seniors and smokers, in addition to people with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes or a history of stroke.

To keep indoor air as clean as possible, windows should be closed, when possible. Air conditioners should be set to recirculation.

Avoid vacuuming, using essential oil diffusers, and burning candles or incense.

Masks rated N96 or N100 offer some protection from air pollution, the Benton Clean Air Agency said during previous air quality alerts. However, cloth masks meant to protect against COVID-19 are not effective against smoke particles.

A screenshot from Washingtons Air Monitoring Network shows air quality across Washington state as of 7 p.m. Aug. 19, 2023.
The attorney for a West Richland woman tied to a murder plot to kill her ex-husband is preparing to fight extradition to Florida, where she could be facing the death penalty.

Spokane attorney Andrew Wagley said his client, Shanna L. Gardner, 36, was considering fighting being returned to Florida.

She has been indicted with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, solicitation to commit first-degree murder and child abuse for the February 2022 murder of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan.

Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for her and her husband Mario Fernandez-Saldana. Both are charged in the plot.

Mario Fernandez Saldana is led into a Duval County courtroom for his arraignment Tuesday, April 4, 2023. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse in the Jared Bridegan murder case in Jacksonville Beach. Jki 040423 Fernandez Saldana Arraign

Gardner was arrested at her $1 million West Richland home on Thursday, and booked into the Benton County jail where she is being held without bail.

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West Richland police helped federal agents and the Jacksonville Beach, Fla. police with serving the search warrant. She was brought to the police station for questioning, and then to the jail, according to court documents.

She had the option of waiving the extradition process, but Wagley said they werent going to agree to that at the moment.

She does have the right to challenge her detention and demand a warrant from the Floridas governors office. Deputy Prosecutor Josh Lily said theyve already been in contact with the prosecutors office in Duval County and are working on getting the warrant.

Another hearing in Benton County was set for Sept. 14.

A family portrait of Jared and Kirsten Bridegan with their now 2-year-old daughter Bexley is displayed at Tuesdays candlelight vigil in memory of the 33-year-old husband and father. He was shot and killed on Feb. 16 near the exit of The Sanctuary neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach in front of Bexley, police and family said. Jki 042122 Jaxbeachvigil 0 4

Murder accusation

Gardner, who grew up in Utah, married Jared Bridegan in 2010 after initially meeting him during a vacation in Florida, according to reports.

The couples troubled marriage ended in a contentious divorce that started in 2015. According to court documents, she started considering the murder as early as then.

Then in 2018, she met Fernandez-Saldana.

Fernandez-Saldana is accused of recruiting Henry Tennon, who rented property from him, to shoot Bridegan.

On Feb. 16, 2022, Bridegan dropped off the couples 9-year-old twins at Gardners house and was driving home with his 2-year-old daughter still in the car.

Kirsten Bridegan and daughter Bexley, 2, look at the flames on their candles during a vigil April 19, 2022, at South Beach Park and Sunshine Playground in Jacksonville Beach. Dozens came out to honor the memory of Jared Bridegan, killed on Feb. 16 near the exit of The Sanctuary neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach in front of his toddler. Jki 042122 Jaxbeachvigil 19

A tire was in the middle of a dark road and when Bridegan got out of his vehicle to move it he was shot, according a states attorney release.

Tennon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his role in the shooting. Fernandez-Saldana is awaiting trial after being indicted for murder and conspiracy earlier this year.

Henry Tenon is directed into the courtroom by bailiffs for his first hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, second-degree murder with a weapon, accessory to the fact to a capital felony, and child abuse in the Jacksonville Beach shooting death of Jared Bridegan on February 16, 2022. The hearing was held Monday morning, February 13, 2023 in a courtroom of the Duval County Courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida with Bridegans widow, Kirsten Bridegan, along with family and supporters in the gallery for the brief appearance. Jki 021323 Tenon Arraignment 01
Starbucks recently launched a new drink to celebrate 25 years since it opened in the UK.

The clotted cream and fudge cold brew was designed to recreate afternoon tea.

I loved the flavor and could definitely see it becoming a fall favorite.

Starbucks has launched a new clotted cream and fudge cold brew, but it's only currently available in the UK.

Starbucks UK's new cream and fudge cold brew. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

Starbucks launched its new clotted cream and fudge cold brew on August 10 to mark 25 years since the brand first made its way to the UK, according to a press release sent to Insider.

The drink is made using Starbucks' signature cold brew, vanilla syrup, and a clotted cream fudge cold foam and topping. The combination of cream and fudge was designed to give a "modern hit" of the British ritual of afternoon tea, the press release states.

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However, those looking to try the new drink will have to travel across the pond. The permanent menu item is exclusive to the UK, and there are currently no plans to bring it to the US, a spokesperson for Starbucks told Insider.

I visited my local Starbucks in Glasgow, Scotland, to try the drink for the first time.

Mikhaila sitting at an outside table at Starbucks in Glasgow, Scotland, in the UK. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I ordered a grande clotted cream and fudge cold brew, which cost 4.45, or around $5.70.

Immediately I noticed the drink is much lighter in color than the promotional image on Starbucks' website. My drink was the color of fudge, which I thought was a good first impression seeing as it's described as tasting as such.

The drink had a frothy cold foam that tasted of fudge.

The cream and fudge cold brew. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

When I removed my lid from the cup, I noticed the frothy top with a generous amount of ice cubes. I took my first sip without a straw, and right away I could taste the fudge and cream in the cold foam. The fudge was definitely the stronger of the two flavors, and it reminded me of fall.

However, the fudge and cream flavours weren't as noticeable when using a straw.

A close-up image shows the new cream and fudge cold brew. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I subsequently started drinking with a straw and fell in love with the silky, smooth texture of the drink. The coffee wasn't too strong (which I personally prefer) and I enjoyed the sweetness of the vanilla syrup.

However, as the fudge and cream flavors were only in the cold foam, it wasn't as noticeable when drinking from a straw. I let my partner try the drink using a straw, and he said he couldn't taste the fudge at all.

In my opinion, it would be ideal if the recipe was tweaked so there was either more cold foam or so that the fudge and cream flavors were incorporated into the rest of the drink.

Overall, I enjoyed this drink and wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a fall favorite.

Mikhaila at Starbucks. Mikhaila Friel/Insider

I'm looking forward to trying this drink again in the future, especially as we transition from summer to fall here in the UK.

Everything from the fudge color to the vanilla flavor reminded me of the coziness that comes with autumn. I wouldn't be shocked if it becomes a fall staple.

Read the original article on Insider
The party doesnt seem to be slowing down in the Atlantic Ocean as a fifth tropical system is now being tracked by the National Hurricane Center. One system has developed into a tropical depression on Saturday afternoon.

Another disturbance, which is heading for the Gulf of Mexico, will bring some gloomy weather to South Florida.

The Florida Keys and South Florida, including Miami-Dade and Broward, could see some breezy winds, possibly 10 to 15 mph, in some areas. Rains also may trigger more flood advisories that have plagued the region over the past month.

The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is Sept. 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.

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Heres what National Hurricane Center specialists wrote in the Hurricane Centers 2 p.m. Saturday advisory:

Wheres Tropical Depression 6?

The sixth tropical depression of the 2023 hurricane season formed around 5 p.m. Saturday. Forecasters dont expect it to be around long.

It is about 855 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands and traveling west-northwest at 16 mph, the hurricane center said. It has maximum sustained winds near 35 mph with higher gusts.

The depression is forecast is to weaken over the next day or so, becoming a remnant low by Monday.

No coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

The forecast cone for the newly developed Tropical Depression 6 as of 5 p.m. Saturday, August 19.

Wheres the newest tropical system?

A tropical wave is being tracked near the western coast of Africa and is producing a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

Some slow development is possible while it moves generally west-northwestward across the tropical eastern Atlantic during the next several days, the hurricane center said.

 Formation chance through 48 hours: near 0%.

 Formation chance through 7 days: 20%.

How about the one heading for the Gulf?

The Hurricane Center is watching a disturbance near the northwestern and central Bahamas that is forecast to move into the Gulf of Mexico by early next week.

A tropical depression could form as it moves west approaching the western Gulf of Mexico coastline by the middle of next week, forecasters said.

 Formation chance through 48 hours: 10%.

 Formation chance through 7 days: 50%.

The quick pivot from an empty tropical storm formation not anticipated NHC map to one crowded with possible hurricane seedlings is having its moment on social media



My analysis on the suddenly busier Atlantic https://t.co/F1CLELxhu7  John Morales (@JohnMoralesTV) August 18, 2023

Whats going on with Disturbance 1?

An area of low pressure in the eastern tropical Atlantic several hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands is showing signs of organization with showers and thunderstorms.

Environmental conditions appear generally favorable for further development of this system, and a short-lived tropical depression is likely to form this weekend while it moves west-northwestward or northwestward at about 10 mph across the eastern tropical Atlantic, according to the advisory.

But upper-level winds over the system are forecast to increase so further development is not expected early in the week.

 Formation chance through 48 hours: 70%.

 Formation chance through 7 days: 70%.

It "looks" very busy out there, and there are several areas of interest, but only the feature in the eastern Atlantic (red blob) has any real short term potential for development.

Remember, beginning this year the outlook has been increased to cover 7 days of potential pic.twitter.com/KSWhnUgRdn  Craig Setzer (@CraigSetzer) August 18, 2023

Wheres Disturbance 3?

Near the Windward Islands, a broad area of low pressure is becoming better organized.

A tropical depression could form by early next week while the system moves west to west-northwest at 10 to 15 mph, across the Lesser Antilles and over the eastern and central Caribbean Sea.

Regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of the Windward Islands during the next couple of days. Interests in the eastern and central Caribbean should monitor the progress of this system, the hurricane center said.

 Formation chance through 48 hours: 40%.

 Formation chance through 7 days: 60%.

Will they affect Florida?

The fourth system over the southeastern Bahamas and set to go into the Gulf of Mexico will move over South Florida this weekend. As it travels overhead, it will bring higher rain chances.

The National Weather Service of Miami said different round of showers and thunderstorms could have the region seeing torrential downpours that may produce urban flooding, including roadways and low-lying areas covered in water.

But if the system develops next week it will have moved beyond the state and into the western Gulf of Mexico coastline area.

4 areas across the Atlantic being monitored by NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center for development over 7 days.



Area #4 will move across the #FlKeys as a broad tropical wave on Sat/Sun, accompanied by increasing rain chances and freshening breezes.



Visit https://t.co/BQCTvCzxKU! pic.twitter.com/Ea246v7dZS  NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) August 18, 2023
Kenneth Chesebro , the lawyer associated with Donald Trump s campaign who thought up the legal theory behind the so-called fake electors scheme, appears to have been on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a review of public source video and his own former mentor.

Chesebro was indicted along with Trump and 17 other defendants in Fulton County, Georgia, this week on charges related to the effort to keep Trump in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.

His presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was first reported by CNN. In addition to identifying Chesebro in the videos, CNN also contacted multiple acquaintances of Chesebro to confirm the identity of the man in the video.

NBC News contacted Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe, Chesebros former law professor and mentor. The two men have a well-reported personal relationship and have worked together in the past.

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That is indeed Ken Chesebro, Tribe wrote in an email after being shown an image of the man identified by CNN. No doubt about it.

Chesebros lawyers declined to comment. Chesebro previously invoked the 5th Amendment when asked by investigators for the House Jan. 6 committee if he had been in Washington, D.C., during December 2020 through the first week of January 2021, according to his deposition transcript.

Public source videos shot on Jan. 6 show the man believed to be Chesebro walking on Capitol grounds and filming on a cell phone as the crowds grew and got rowdier. The man is wearing a red Trump hat and a dark jacket over a white button-up shirt.

At times he can be seen wearing a lanyard with some sort of pass or credential attached. The man is repeatedly seen near the entourage of Infowars host Alex Jones. At no point during the available public source video viewed by NBC News does the man believed to be Chesebro enter the Capitol.

Chesebro has also been identified as one of the unindicted co-conspirators listed in special counsel Jack Smiths indictment of Trump on federal charges related to the effort to interfere with the 2020 election and the peaceful transfer of power.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Trump's PAC is doling out millions in legal fees over 2020 election investigations  just not to Rudy Giuliani

Trump 's PAC is helping pay millions in legal fees but is penny-pinching when it comes to Giuliani.

Giuliani has more than $3 million in legal fees, but the PAC has only helped with a fraction of that, CNN reported.

Giuliani went to Trump in Mar-a-Lago to request more financial help, per The New York Times.

Save America, Donald Trump's political action committee, is dishing out millions to help the former president and others in his inner circle afford the legal fees related to investigations into their conduct around the 2020 election.

But one attorney is apparently missing out on the seven-digit checks: Rudy Giuliani .

The former mayor of New York City, who is now disbarred from practicing law in the state, is sitting on about $3 million in legal fees, The New York Times reported. And Trump, Giuliani's former client, seems reluctant to help.

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Giuliani was one of Trump's most vociferous supporters during the battle over the 2020 election results. Giuliani crisscrossed the country at the time, filing legal claims in swing states and promoting false claims of a rigged vote. After that effort fell apart, Trump refused to help Giuliani with the costs associated with it.

That reluctance to unburden Giuliani's legal debt now appears unchanged.

A Georgia grand jury indicted Trump, Giuliani, and more than a dozen other Trump allies this week for their attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Even before that indictment, however, the financial stress had been intense enough for Giuliani and his own attorney to visit Trump in Mar-a-Lago in April, and yet again plead for monetary relief, CNN first reported.

While Save America has paid about $21 million in legal fees for Trump and others in his circle, records show the PAC has only given $340,000 to Giuliani. That payment was made in order to settle Giuliani's bill with a data vendor called Trustpoint, CNN reported.

Giuliani did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, nor did the Save America PAC.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Saturday described as "essential" the construction of a road which has triggered rare tension with United Nations peacekeepers on the divided island.

Scuffles broke out on Friday between U.N. peacekeepers and Turkish Cypriot security personnel when peacekeepers tried to prevent roadworks starting in an area the U.N. says is part of a buffer zone under its jurisdiction.

Turkish Cypriot authorities say the peacekeeping force, known as UNFICYP, overstepped its boundaries.

"It is unfortunate that an attempt was made by UNFICYP to obstruct the development of the road being carried out by a civilian contractor, within the sovereign territory of the TRNC," Tatar said in a statement to Reuters, referring to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara.

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Turkish Cypriot authorities want to build a road that would give residents of Pyla/Pile, a village in the U.N. administered buffer zone, direct access to territory under Turkish Cypriot control.

The U.N. says that just under half of the 11.5 km route falls within the territory it administers.

Friday's incidents triggered a chorus of condemnation from the U.N., Britain, the European Union and the United States. In an advisory to its nationals, the United States embassy in Nicosia "strongly encouraged" its nationals to reconsider plans to travel to north Cyprus over the weekend.

Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 following a brief Greece-inspired coup. A U.N. buffer zone separating opposing Greek and Turkish Cypriots is about 180 km (112 miles)long east to west. At its widest, it is about 7.5 km wide, and at its closest less than 10 metres.

There was no construction underway on Saturday, and peacekeepers remained in the area, which was "firmly" within the buffer zone, a spokesperson for UNFICYP told Reuters.

Tatar, who is president of the TRNC, said the road was essential for purely humanitarian grounds to address economic and transportation issues for Turkish Cypriots living in that village.

Pyla/Pile itself is home to Greek and Turkish Cypriots and falls in territory surrounded by a patchwork of jurisdictions, from the U.N. buffer zone to British sovereign bases and to areas controlled by opposing communities.

At present, people from the area wanting to travel to north Cyprus have to cross a checkpoint in the British bases, then another checkpoint controlled by Turkish Cypriot authorities.

A Turkish Cypriot demand for a road to facilitate travel from Pyla/Pile to the nearby community of Arsos/Yigitler has been longstanding. The Turkish Cypriot project would more than halve the journey, Tatar said.

(Reporting By Jonathan Spicer in Istanbul and Michele Kambas in Nicosia; writing by Michele Kambas; editing by Clelia Oziel)
Two dogs died aboard a Patriot Express flight between Osan Air Base in South Korea and Seattle on Thursday, roughly a year after the Air Force announced new policies following a string of pet deaths.

Jessica Brown, a spokeswoman for Air Mobility Command, told Military.com in an emailed statement that the dogs were found dead once the Patriot Express flight landed in Seattle. One was a French bulldog, and the other was an English bulldog; their names were not disclosed.

The dogs and their owners boarded their flight at Osan Air Base and had a four-hour stop at Misawa Air Base in Japan before their final landing in Seattle.

Read Next: Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps

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During that time, the pets were off-loaded and connected with their owners to visit and walk them before passengers and pets were boarded, Brown said. While there was an additional delay after everyone was loaded due to the need to adjust the flight plan for weather, the pets were checked again prior to takeoff when they were found to be in good condition and with water.

Brown said Air Mobility Command leadership is analyzing the circumstances of this mission and did not have a timeline or a presumed cause of death for the two dogs.

Patriot Express, which is managed by Air Mobility Command, is a flight option for service members who receive permanent change of station, or PCS, orders and must uproot their lives to move around the world for their military careers. It is a free or relatively low-cost option compared to commercial airlines and allows for more flexibility than major airlines when it comes to traveling with pets.

Liz Hensel, the CEO and founder of Leave No Paws Behind USA -- a nonprofit that helps military families with the costs and logistics of transporting their pets when assigned to a new duty station -- was upset by the latest news.

I am disappointed and heartbroken for the family who lost their two dogs, Hensel told Military.com in an emailed statement. Not only is this unacceptable but it could have been completely avoidable. Service members shouldn't have to think, Is my pet going to survive this flight when PCSing.

Hensel shared a Facebook post that was circulating online from the owners that said the names of the dogs were Soju and Winter.

Losing one of them would be hard, but losing two, I have no words to say, the Facebook post from the owners read. Nothing will ever be the same for our family after today.

Air Mobility Command wouldnt confirm if the Facebook post was describing the incident on the Patriot Express flight.

AMC leaders were able to meet with the family this afternoon to express condolences, answer their questions and offer support, Air Mobility Command spokeswoman Lindsey Wilkinson told Military.com in an email.

In July 2022, the Air Force began reviewing its policies for transporting service members' pets across the globe following the deaths of four animals that summer during flights.

Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said in a letter last year that the deaths were "unacceptable" and promised changes.

"As a pet owner with five overseas tours, I'm intimately aware of the risk, expense, and extreme concern when it comes to these important members of our families," Minihan wrote in a July 15 letter. "AMC is reviewing every aspect of Patriot Express pet travel, including equities beyond our responsibility, to further strengthen pet safety."

Air Mobility Command has transported nearly 46,000 pets for service members since 2017, with 16 dying during that time, the Air Force said in a statement last year.

The service said 14 were snub-nosed breeds of dog, which are more susceptible to long-term breathing problems and can't cool down as quickly in hot environments, according to the American Kennel Club.

Last year, on July 1, a 10-year-old Pomeranian mix named Kolbie owned by a Marine Corps family died from heatstroke during a Patriot Express flight in Japan. That same month, a French bulldog died in its travel crate on July 14 at the Kadena Air Base terminal in Okinawa, according to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Minihan's letter last year and an Air Force statement at the time both mentioned an additional pet death in July, and also acknowledged that a dog had died earlier while traveling from Andersen Air Force Base to Alaska -- bringing the total to four animal deaths that summer.

Brown said Air Mobility Command has made multiple changes over the last year to improve the safety of our pets as they travel.

Recent improvements include allowing pets into its climate controlled terminals where they can stay with their owners until boarding; pets being loaded as late as possible; using air conditioning units to cool the lower compartment in the aircraft if and when available; making sure pets are not in the lower compartment for the full duration of the mission route; and putting them in at the latest time possible for the next segment of a flight.

There are trends of certain breeds, such as snub/short-nosed dogs, that are at greater risk for air transport, which is briefed to travelers prior to their travel, and travelers are required to acknowledge they've considered the risk, Brown said. A single pet fatality is felt across our command, but our initiatives have reduced fatalities approximately 60% from 2022.

-- Thomas Novelly can be reached at thomas.novelly@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomNovelly.

Related: After 4 Pets Die During PCS Flights, Air Force Reviewing Policies
The UK government appealed to Russia to resume participation in the bilateral Double Taxation Agreement, the British government announced on Aug.18.

Russia informed the British government about the suspension of virtually all key provisions of the agreement, many of which had been in operation since 1998. However, Russia hasn't completely halted the double taxation elimination provision.

Double taxation agreements prevent individuals and businesses from being taxed on the same income by two different countries, promoting fair and efficient cross-border economic activities.

The suspension implies that Russia could disregard predetermined restrictions on source-based taxation and offer only limited measures to mitigate double taxation within its territory.

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The Convention expressly forbids such unilateral action.

Prior to the British appeal, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin suspended many of the double taxation agreements with 38 countries. The decision was made as an "urgent measure" due to the "unfriendly actions" of certain nations towards Russia.

Read also: Business - The Kyiv Independent

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Ukraine continues to target Moscow with drone strikes, forcing the city to shut down its airports

At least seven people are dead following a Russian missile strike on the city of Chernihiv, pictured here. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Moscow has shut down four major civilian airports following a reported Ukrainian drone strike Friday.

This comes amid an increase in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's capital and other regions.

Meanwhile, a city in northern Ukraine is recovering after a Russian missile killed at least seven people and injured 90.

A reported Ukrainian drone strike Friday caused Moscow to shut down all four of its major airports, CNN reports.

The airports affected provide domestic and international flights for civilians, CNN reports, while several other smaller airports and military airports are still in operation.

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Russia's defense ministry said Saturday that Russia intercepted one of Ukraine's drones.

"The drone was jammed and fell near the settlement of Putilkovo, which is near the Russian capital, causing no casualties or damage," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement to CNN.

This development comes as Ukraine increases the frequency of drone attacks throughout Russia, according to CNN. Ukrainian officials also claimed their Air Force claimed it had destroyed fifteen Russian-made drones and carried out ten group attacks, the outlet reports.

Meanwhile, Chernihiv  a city in northern Ukraine  is reeling from a Russian missile strike on a theater and university that has killed at least seven people and injured 90, CNN reports. Among those killed was a six-year-old girl, and first responders have taken a twelve-year-old girl in "grave condition" to Kyiv for treatment, local officials told the outlet.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukraine eliminated ten Russian sabotage boats with a total of 40 occupiers and equipment along the southern front in the past day, Natalia Humeniuk, the South Operational Command spokesperson, said on national television on Aug. 19.

"Our counterbattery is pretty powerful," she said.

Read also: Ukraines MoD skeptical of gloomy US intelligence report on failure of counter-offensive

"We managed to eliminate as many as ten enemy boats in the past day, while they attempted to maneuver between islands. (The boats) are mostly private crafts redesigned for sabotage purposes. Another 40 occupiers, a large-caliber gun, and five armored vehicles have joined the "Russian warship's course" (referring to Ukraines sinking of Russias BlackSea Fleet flagship  the Moskva  in April 2022  ed.).

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Read also: Russians making staged video on destruction of Ukrainian saboteurs in Kherson Oblast  General Staff

The frontline in the south hasn't yet changed significantly, she admitted. One of the main reasons is the provision of as much security as possible for Ukrainian defenders who attack the Russia-held left bank of the DniproRiver.

"That's why we have a counterbattery fight as of now  in order to clean up their stocks of such boats which can still harm our units. We have to eliminate them first and then go," Humeniuk said.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Sweden for what he said was the first of a new round of talks with allies on weapons systems needed to shore up Ukraines defenses and drive its counteroffensive against Russias occupation.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Russian forces struck Chernihiv in northern Ukraine with what appeared to be a ballistic missile. At least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured in the rare daytime attack, Ukraines interior ministry said.

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Russia reported a drone attack on the Solsty-2 air base in the Novgorod region, northwest of Moscow. The facility is the base of Russias Tu-22M bombers. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin traveled to the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, his first known visit since Junes attempted mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group.

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Troop Deaths, Injuries in Ukraine War Near 500,000: New York Times

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Wheat prices rose Friday following a report that a Ukrainian sea drone attempted to attack two Russian warships in the Black Sea.

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A member of State Emergency Service of Ukraine prepares to detonate found munitions from World War II near the Kharkiv region - SERGEY BOBOK/AFP

A Ukrainian drone targeted a military airfield in Russias Novgorod region, causing a fire and damaging one warplane, Russias Defence Ministry has said.



The ministry said nobody was hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished. The Novgorod region lies northwest of Moscow, hundreds of miles from Russias border with Ukraine.



As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the parking lot of aircraft, which was quickly eliminated by fire fighters. One aircraft was damaged, the ministry said in a statement.



Drone strikes inside Russia have increased in recent months. One smashed into a building in central Moscow on Friday after Russian air defences shot it down, disrupting air traffic at all civilian airports of the Russian capital.

Earlier on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said Russias air defence forces had shot down a Ukrainian missile over the Crimean peninsula.

05:00 PM BST

Today's liveblog is now closed

Thanks for following todays Ukraine liveblog.

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We will be back tomorrow for all the latest updates on Ukraine.

04:57 PM BST

Pictured: A view of a damaged restaurant after a missile strike on Chernihiv

A view of a damaged restaurant after the Russian missile attack in Chernihiv - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

04:52 PM BST

The robot stretcher drone saving lives on Ukraines battlefields

A crowd-funded remote-controlled mechanical stretcher invented by a toy designer is now evacuating injured Ukrainian soldiers from the front lines.

Ukraines ministry of defence said that the stretcher mounted on small tracks can carry up to 150kg over rough terrain, with its controller able to operate it safely from a distance of 100 metres.

It quoted a Ukrainian combat medic as saying that the mechanical stretcher made it far safer to evacuate injured soldiers under fire.

Read more from James Kilner here

04:35 PM BST

Mapped: Chernihiv missile strike

04:18 PM BST

Ukraine in pictures:

Ukrainian soldiers take measurements at a frontline to improve the accuracy of an artillery grad truck - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

A man sitting next to the covered body of a victim in Chernihiv - STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shutterstock

03:48 PM BST

UN condemns 'heinous' Russian attack on Chernihiv

The UNs humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine condemned a Russian missile attack on Chernihivs city centre that killed at least seven and wounded over 100 as heinous, calling for 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, Denise Brown, the UNs humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in an online statement.

She was referring to the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord which saw some in Chernihiv attending church services in the morning.

I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine, causing deaths, massive destruction and soaring humanitarian needs.

Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law, she added.

It must stop.

03:31 PM BST

The secret trade routes helping Putin dodge Western sanctions

Western sanctions on Russia are tougher than ever and the impact is clear to see in trade figures.

Germanys exports to the country were down by 54pc in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2019, according to an analysis by the Institute for International Finance (IIF).

In the initial months of the war, Russian imports plunged as the West turned its back. In dollar terms, monthly imports in March 2022 were down by 30pc year-on-year.

Read more here.

02:51 PM BST

Zelensky asks Sweden for Gripen jets

Ukraine has begun discussing with Sweden the possibility of receiving Gripen jets to boost its air defences, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said after a meeting Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

President Zelenskys visit is his first to Sweden since Russias invasion in February 2022 and the talks about obtaining Gripen jets, which he cast as preliminary, follow approval from the United States for Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

Today we discussed in detail the future steps regarding the possibility of opening the subject of receiving Swedish Gripens, he said at a joint news briefing with Mr Kristersson, adding that the topic would be central to his meetings with other Swedish officials.

In June, the Swedish government said it would give Ukrainian pilots the opportunity to test its Saab-made Gripen fighter jet, but it has also said that it needs all its planes to defend Swedish territory.

Mr Kristersson made no mention of Gripens in his remarks, but condemned a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday that killed seven people and wounded 90.

It only reinforces the need for us to stand with your in all your struggles, he said.

02:25 PM BST

110 wounded in Chernihiv attack

The number of wounded in Ukraines Chernihiv has left 110 wounded and seven dead, a local official said, after a Russian missile attack struck the centre of the northern city.

As of 3:25 pm, 117 people were injured in the terrorist attack on the centre of Chernihiv, seven of them died, Oleksandr Lomako, Chernihivs acting mayor, said on Telegram.

An injured man walks in Krasna square in Chernihiv - Efrem Lukatsky/AP

02:00 PM BST

Putin pays rare visit to top Russian Generals

President Vladimir Putin paid a rare visit to the commander of the Kremlins war in Ukraine and other top generals, the Kremlin said.

Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the headquarters of the special military operation group in Rostov-on-Don, the Kremlin said, referring to the town in southern Russian where the meeting took place.

The head of state listened to briefings by the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, commanders of directions and other senior officers of the group.

Gen Gerasimov has been rarely seen in public since Wagner mercenaries marched on Moscow and demanded his removal.

01:18 PM BST

Russia claims it thwarted Ukraine drone attack on Moscow area

The Russian army claimed it had thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and its region, hours after other drone raids on Moscow-annexed Crimea and a military airfield.

An attempt was thwarted this afternoon by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with an aircraft-type drone on objects on the territory of Moscow and the Moscow region, the Russian army said.

It added that air defence had detected a drone, which crashed in a deserted area near the village of Putilkovo, causing no damage.

12:53 PM BST

Death toll rises to 7 in Russian missile strike on Chernihiv

Seven people including a 6-year-old child were killed and 90 wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the historic northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, the interior ministry said.

Firefighters work on the roof of the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre - Ukrainian Emergency Service

People had been on their way to church to celebrate a religious holiday when the strike took place, the ministry said, adding 12 of the wounded were children and 10 were police officers.

12:43 PM BST

Moscow says warplane damaged in Ukrainian drone attack on airfield

A Ukrainian drone targeted a military airfield in Russias Novgorod region, causing a fire and damaging one warplane, Russias Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said nobody was hurt and the fire was quickly extinguished. The Novgorod region lies northwest of Moscow, hundreds of miles from Russias border with Ukraine.

As a result of the terrorist attack on the territory of the airfield, a fire broke out in the parking lot of aircraft, which was quickly eliminated by fire fighters. One aircraft was damaged, the ministry said in a statement.

Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased in recent months. One smashed into a building in central Moscow on Friday after Russian air defences shot it down, disrupting air traffic at all civilian airports of the Russian capital.

11:54 AM BST

Zelensky starting talks with Swedish PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Sweden today to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials.

It is his first visit to the country since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

Starting talks with @SwedishPM.



We have a broad agenda, but defense cooperation is one of the top priorities. Including powerful Swedish CV-90s.



Our warriors are already putting them to good use on the battlefield. We also intend to produce them in Ukraine.    (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

11:17 AM BST

Russian missile strike on Ukraine city of Chernihiv kills people, Zelensky says

People were killed and wounded when a Russian missile struck a central square in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

A Russian missile hit right in the center of the city, in our Chernihiv. A square, the polytechnic university, a theatre, he posted on Telegram.

An ordinary Saturday, which Russia turned into a day of pain and loss. There are dead, there are wounded, Zelenskiy added. He did not specify the number of casualties.

A short video accompanying Zelenskiys post showed debris scattered across a square in front of what appeared to be the regional drama theatre, where parked cars were heavily damaged. One body could also be briefly seen in the video slouched inside a car.

10:55 AM BST

Pictured: A local resident reacts after Russian strike near his home in Kramatorsk

A local resident reacts after Russian strike near his home in Kramatorsk - LIBKOS/AP

10:39 AM BST

Latest MoD update: Across the front both sides confront a similar challenge

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  19 August 2023



Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/KsbkrK28Zz



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/CFgwXmAF5c  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) August 19, 2023

10:11 AM BST

China helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones and metals

China is helping to arm Russia with helicopters, drones, optical sights and crucial metals used by the defence industry, a Telegraph investigation has found.

Russian firms  including sanctioned companies  involved in the production of missile launchers, armoured vehicles, and strategic bombers, have received tens of thousands of shipments from China since Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine began through the first quarter of this year.

It comes as China, which insists it remains neutral, is attempting to position itself as a key peace-broker in talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Read more from Sophia Yan here

09:54 AM BST

Pictured: A Ukrainian soldier is seen in a tank at his fighting position

A Ukrainian soldier from the 3rd Tank Iron Brigade is seen in a tank at his fighting position - Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

09:39 AM BST

Zelensky visits Sweden

Olena and I arrived in Sweden.



There will be talks with @SwedishPM, the Royal Family, @Andreasostgote and @Sverigesriksdag parties.



Partnership, defense cooperation, EU integration, and common Euro-Atlantic security.@ZelenskaUA and I thank all Swedes who support Ukraine     (@ZelenskyyUa) August 19, 2023

09:37 AM BST

Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukraine

Russia launched 17 drones overnight attempting to strike Ukraines northern, central and western regions, Ukraines Air Force has said.

The Air Force said that 15 of the Russia-launched Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down.

It was not immediately clear what happened to the two drones that were not downed.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. It was not immediately known what objects and areas Russia targeted in its strikes.

09:23 AM BST

Good Morning

Good morning and welcome to todays Ukraine liveblog.

We will be guiding you through all the latest updates on Ukraine.

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Ukraine's powerhouse 82nd Air Assault Brigade has finally joined the counteroffensive.

The powerful 2,000-person unit has been held in reserve until now.

A defense expert told Insider Ukraine's generals have "decided to put all their chips on the table."

A key chess piece in Ukraine's military strategy has been deployed. Ukraine's 82nd Air Assault Brigade has officially joined the counteroffensive against the Russian invasion forces, the Kyiv Post reported.

Michael Clarke, a defense and security analyst, told Insider that Ukraine's generals have "decided to put all their chips on the table" and bring everything they intend to use forward.

Leaked documents from earlier this year show that the 82nd Air Assault Brigade was a formidable unit with about 150 NATO-supplied armored infantry carriers. Its impressive arsenal includes 90 US Stryker vehicles, 40 German-produced Marders, 24 US-made M113 infantry carriers, and 14 British Challenger tanks, Politico reported.

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In April, NATO confirmed they had trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armored brigades.

The Challenger tanks have been reinforced with "cope cages"  self-installed turret-mounted cages to safeguard the vehicles from drone strikes. Even without this modification, the 71-ton, four-crew Challenger 2 is said to be the best-protected tank used in this war, according to Forbes.

Forbes called the 82nd Brigade "almost comically powerful" as it represents half of its best NATO-delivered infantry armored vehicles.

'They're committing all their spearhead forces'

A British army Challenger 2 tank during an exercise in October 2020. British army/Capt. Shane Charles

Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive started on June 4 with a string of coordinated attacks across southern and eastern Ukraine, Forbes reported.

Clarke, who was the Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute in London from 2007 to 2015, said the counteroffensive is progressing more slowly than anticipated because of the "sheer depths of the Russian minefields."

The 82nd Air Assault Brigade and its sister air-assault unit, the 46th Airmobile Brigade, had previously been held in reserve. Though these were some of the last units held back, Clarke said that this doesn't mean Ukraine is using up all its reserves.

"It does mean that they're committing all their spearhead forces. Behind the spearhead forces, they've got reserves of the more regular forces, and they've got mobile brigades and mechanized infantry brigades that have been fighting elsewhere.

So it's not that they're going to run out of troops or equipment, but they're using a higher proportion of their spearhead units in order to make the initial breakthroughs."

Jimmy Rushton, an independent security analyst based in Kyiv, said that even if Ukraine and Russia were to end up in a form of stalemate, that doesn't mean that the war is over or lost.

"Wars, especially big state-on-state wars like this, take time. They're difficult, bloody, brutal things. And I think we have we in the West have entirely forgotten what it is what it's like to fight a war like this," he told Insider.

A US Army Stryker armored vehicle fires a Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided missile at Fort Polk in Louisiana in June 2009. US Army/Spc. Victor Ayala

Clarke said the counteroffensive is tenable for another two months, while Rushton speculated that the longevity of the offensive will depend heavily on the tempo of fighting and on the weather in the coming months.

The 82nd Brigade is reportedly active in the village of Robotyne, in the southern Zaporizhzhia Region of Ukraine. If past success in Urozhaine is any indication, the increased military presence around Robotyne could bring rapid gains for Ukraine.

The Institute for the Study of War, in its daily assessment this week, wrote: "Ukrainian forces advanced into Robotyne, and further Russian and Ukrainian reporting published on Aug. 15 suggests that Ukrainian forces have committed additional counteroffensive brigades to the western Zaporizhzhia Oblast area."

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson signed a "statement of intent" symbolizing the two countries' will to "strengthen cooperation in production, operation, training, and servicing" of the Swedish armored combat vehicles CV90.



The two leaders met during Zelensky's visit to Sweden on Aug. 19.

"Acknowledging that CV90 is a highly effective and modern combat vehicle, Sweden and Ukraine share the conviction that further cooperation on the CV90 platform will be mutually beneficial," reads the statement.

"This statement of intent, therefore, symbolizes Sweden's and Ukraine's will to strengthen cooperation in production, operation, training, and servicing of the CV90 platform."

Zelensky wrote on Telegram the two countries "will do everything possible to make the first CV90 produced in Ukraine appear as soon as possible."

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"Our warriors have a lot of praise for the CV90 and are grateful not only because these machines keep guys moving forward but also because the CV90 helps save lives. Life is the most valuable thing," he said.

Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived in Sweden on a working visit to discuss further military aid with the country's leadership earlier in the day.

Zelensky was also set to meet with King Carl XVI, Queen Silvia, Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen, and the heads of parliamentary parties.

The visit comes after the Swedish parliament announced on Aug. 17 that it had approved the transfer of 3.25 billion Swedish kronor (almost $300 million) in military aid to Ukraine, including munitions, spare parts, and vehicles.

The package reportedly includes ammunition and spare parts for CV90s and Archer artillery systems, as well as trucks and demining equipment.

"We are currently preparing the transfer of the new 13th package of Swedish military aid. This package contains what is important: ammunition for air defense and combat vehicles, spare parts for armored vehicles, and equipment for demining," Zelensky said.

According to Zelensky, he and Kristersson have also discussed Swedish JAS Gripen jet fighters during the visit.

"We also talked about another strong Swedish machine, the Gripen aircraft. This is the pride of Sweden. And I am sure that Gripens can make our freedom much more secure," Zelensky said, adding that Ukrainian pilots are already taking part in the the trials of the jets.

Sweden has previously agreed to train Ukrainian pilots on its Gripen jets but stopped short of pledging the aircraft itself.

Read also: Zelensky visits Sweden with first lady

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed Ukraine's support for Sweden's accession to NATO, and he raised this issue in talks with NATO member Turkiye.

Source: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy during a press conference following talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson , as reported by a European Pravda correspondent

Details: The President stressed that Sweden made an "absolutely rational choice in favour of NATO", and the choice of Ukrainians is similar.

"I strongly believe that our states will be in the Alliance together to ensure security, particularly in this Baltic-Black Sea-Azov region," Zelenskyy added.

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He said that in talks with all Allies, "we have encouraged and continue to encourage further support for Sweden's accession to NATO, including in talks with Turkiye".

"I presented facts in favour of Sweden in NATO during my recent meeting with Mr [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan [,the President of Turkiye]. We will continue this work further  for Sweden's accession to NATO," Zelenskyy concluded.

Background: During the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Turkiye agreed to unfreeze the process of ratification of Sweden's accession to the Alliance in exchange for assistance in rapprochement with the European Union.

Other than Turkiye, Sweden's accession has not yet been ratified by Hungary. Sweden's prime minister believes that now that Turkiye's veto has been dropped, Hungary's will not be an obstacle.

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Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, denies that the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant or other nuclear power plants in Russia could become the target of Ukrainian forces.

Source: Oleksii Danilov on the air of Ukrainian Radio

Quote: "Ukraine has no intentions to interfere in the work of objects that are mentioned in social networks, including the Kursk NPP. We attack those objects that are directly related to military affairs, and here we do not have to ask permission from anyone. We do it with our weapons, which are getting better and better every day."

Details: In this way, the NSDC Secretary commented on misinformation about Ukraine's alleged plans to blow up the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which has no connection to Russias war effort.

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The NSDC Secretary noted that it is "Putin who, at the beginning of his career, blew up houses with living people in their homes, so you can expect anything from them (the Russians  ed.)."

Danilov stressed that "a huge amount of information which is being distributed, including that by the Russian Federation, has no source," and this is "a big problem not only for our country, but for the whole world."

"If you do not understand who is behind this or that message, do not pay attention to it. The manipulations that the Russian Federation resorts to, throwing in certain things [into public space  ed.], affect consciousness, and this is very dangerous," Danilov added.

Earlier: On 15 August, the National Resistance Center, citing data from the underground sources in Kursk Oblast, reported that the Russians were training to evacuate civilians in case an accident occurred at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.

On 14 July, the government of Kursk Oblast of Russia reported the crash and detonation of a drone near a nuclear power plant; three drones are also reported to have been downed on the outskirts of the city of Voronezh.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials were concerned by the plans of the Russian forces to blow up the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

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The intelligence community of the UK Defence Ministry has analysed the offensive operations of Ukrainian and Russian forces over the past week and highlighted the advance of Ukrainian defenders in the south.

Source: UK Ministry of Defence review dated 19 August, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Most of the contact line in Ukraine remained unchanged over the past week, "however, in the south, Ukrainian forces have continued their advance along the course of the Mokri Yaly river, securing the village of Urozhaine in the face of stiff Russian resistance," the UK intelligence said.

Russian troops continued testing attacks instead but did not achieve significant success in the area of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, the review says.

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Quote: "Across the front, both sides confront a similar challenge: attempting to defeat well-entrenched forces while having limited uncommitted forces to open new assaults."

Background:

The Ukrainian side officially announced the liberation of the settlement of Urozhaine, Donetsk Oblast, on 16 August. Later, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian troops had success south of the liberated settlement.

The Washington Post, referring to sources, reported that US Intelligence stated that Ukraine will not be able to achieve its key objective  the city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast  in the course of counter-offensive operations.

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Oleksii Reznikov , Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has said that Ukrainian pilots already started training on Western F-16 fighter jets, with a minimum training period of 6 months.

Source: Reznikov in an interview with Channel 24

Quote from Reznikov: "Training on F-16s has already begun."

Details: The minister says that in addition to pilots, a certain number of engineers and technicians are also taking part in the exercises.

Reznikov added that the instructors will report on the completion of these exercises when they see how Ukrainian pilots, engineers and technicians perceive new skills and interact with each other.

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"This period of training will be spent on continuing the project so as to understand when we will receive the aircrafts  and, most importantly, how many," Reznikov stressed.

"The minimum period for pilot training is 6 months," the Minister of Defence of Ukraine added.

Background:

In mid-July, Ukraine signed a memorandum with its 11 partner states at the NATO Summit in Vilnius. The memorandum defines the conditions of training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighters.

The training was scheduled to begin in August, but media reported the US had not approved the final training plan for a long time because European states have not agreed on all its details. On Friday, the Danish Ministry of Defence confirmed that Ukrainian training on F-16s would begin by the end of August.

On Friday, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, confirmed Washington's approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver the F-16s to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete their training.

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Ukrainian pilots have already started a six-month training session on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on national television on Aug. 19.

Engineers and technicians also take part in the training, Reznikov said.

"This preparation period in the form of training will be spent on continuing the project to understand when we will have the planes directly," he said.

"And the most important thing is how many," Reznikov said.

The training of Ukrainian pilots was due to kick off in Denmark in late August, in partnership with the eleven nations included in the "fighter jet coalition," according to the Danish Defense Ministry.

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Reznikov announced the formation of a coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Romania is also on the list for training sessions organized by the coalition.

The Netherlands and Denmark received approval from the United States to supply F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete their training, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced on Twitter on Aug. 18.

"Our military has proven it's filled with fast learners. We will soon prove that Ukraines victory is inevitable. Thank you to all our partners and friends in the United States, the Netherlands, and Denmark," Reznikov wrote.

Prior to the recent approval, Denmark and the Netherlands confirmed their authorization from the United States to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen stated that Copenhagen contacted Washington with an inquiry about supplying aircraft to Kyiv and received "friendly response."

Rasmussen further noted that the timing for the transfer of these planes to Ukraine has yet to be finalized by the coalition of allies.

Around the same time, the U.S. gave the green light to Denmark's proposal to furnish educational resources for F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The proposal includes instructional modules, documentation, and materials for classroom training involving sensitive details about U.S. technology.

Ukraine has been actively pushing for the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help counter Russia's air superiority, with many believing that it is necessary to achieve a successful counteroffensive.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 19 that Ukrainian pilots had begun test flights on Swedish Gripen fighter jets during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Stockholm.

According to Zelensky, he and Kristersson have also discussed Swedish JAS Gripen jet fighters and the potential transfer of some of them during the visit.

"We also talked about another strong Swedish machine, the Gripen aircraft. This is the pride of Sweden. And I am sure that Gripens can make our freedom much more secure," Zelensky said, adding that Ukrainian pilots are already taking part in the trials of the jets.

Sweden has previously agreed to train Ukrainian pilots on its Gripen jets but stopped short of pledging the aircraft itself.

"We do not have superiority in the sky. We do not have modern aircraft. And the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your state. And I believe the Prime Minister could share such pride with Ukraine," Zelensky said.

During the same conference, Zelensky said that he would conduct negotiations with "several" states to boost Western fighter jets delivery to Ukraine without naming the states.

Zelensky, without elaborating, added that in a few weeks, "relevant actions will take place, which, I strongly believe, will reveal the possibility of receiving the relevant aircraft in the future."

Read also: Andreas Umland: Why no-fly zones over Ukraine are necessary

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The Ukrainian pilots have begun participating in an introductory training exercise on Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, which Kyiv hopes to receive.

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson , as reported by European Pravda.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Gripen aircraft are the pride of Sweden. I firmly believe that Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Gripen test flights involving Ukrainians, our pilots, have begun."

Details: The Ukrainian president added that he and the Swedish Prime Minister had thoroughly discussed further steps on the prospect of raising the issue of supplying Ukraine with Gripen aircraft.

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"I will meet with the Speaker of the [Swedish] Parliament, representatives of parliamentary faction parties and push this issue as one of the crucial ones to protect our skies," he said.

Background: The Ukrainian government has repeatedly requested assistance on fighter jets from several countries, including Sweden. The requests were made back in the summer of 2022, and in February 2023, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov expressed Ukraine's desire to receive the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen jets.

However, during a Ramstein-format meeting in June, Reznikov said Kyiv is primarily focused on obtaining US-made F-16 fighter jets.

Back in May, Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson announced that several Ukrainian pilots would be trained on the JAS 39 Gripen following a request from the Ukrainian side. The Swedish Defence Ministry confirmed this agreement in June.

On Saturday morning, the president started a working visit to Sweden together with First Lady Olena Zelenska. There, they were expected to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Charles XVI and Queen Silvia, Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlen and heads of parliamentary parties.

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A United Airlines pilot "hit his breaking point" and took out his frustrations on a parking lot arm with an ax near Denver International Airport, authorities said Friday.

Kenneth Henderson Jones, 63, was accused of criminal mischief stemming from the Aug. 2 incident, according to an incident report by the Adam County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were dispatched about 2 p.m. to a parking lot in the shadows of DIA.

Parking lot employee Rick Stephens, 65, confronted Jones, who "refused to drop" the ax, officials said. Both men were uninjured "during the confrontation" that ended with the pilot losing possession of the potential weapon, the sheriff's report said.

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"Kenneth ran across the street and behind a building and stayed in a field until he was contacted by" Denver police, the report added.

A United Airlines jetliner taxis to a runway for take off in Denver on Dec. 27, 2022. (David Zalubowski / AP)

The suspect, who was in his pilot's uniform, allegedly agreed to speak to deputies without a lawyer and told them he was in his car and came upon about six vehicles waiting behind each of three gates.

Kenneth started by saying he just hit his breaking point, according to the sheriffs report.

He parked and grabbed the ax he had his vehicle, with the suspect explaining that he was just "trying to get rid of issues for everyone waiting," according to the sheriff.

A United Airlines rep said a pilot had been removed from the schedule as the carrier conducts its own investigation. United did not identify the pilot.

The sheriff's report lists United as Jones' employer, and there was no answer at a phone number he gave to deputies as his contact.

Jones' defense lawyers could not be immediately reached for comment Friday. His next court appearance is set for Sept. 25.

He was cited with a summons for criminal mischief and released at 3:05 p.m. that day, sheriff's records showed. The value of the damaged parking lot arm was listed as $300.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
(NEXSTAR)  Over the last three years, airlines have reported record-setting incidents of disruptive, unruly passengers. That includes passengers accused of assaulting flight crews, opening emergency doors, and refusing to wear masks during the height of the COVID pandemic.

So how do you know if youre being unruly?

Despite the unprecedented rise in passenger incidents, the vast majority of air travelers are not unruly. There are, however, some behaviors that can leave you grounded  and potentially facing criminal prosecution and a federal fine.

Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration referred 22 unruly passenger cases to the FBI for criminal prosecution review, bringing the second quarter total to 39, the agency said.

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These are more serious cases of disruptive passengers. Of the 22 cases referred, 15 involved either threats of assault or the assault of another passenger or a member of the flight crew. Others exhibited erratic behavior: refusing to comply with orders from flight attendants, smoking on the plane, making threats, or, on one occasion, a passenger Airdropped a bomb threat to other passengers.

No shoes, no service? What can happen if you fly barefoot

Any actions that can impact the safety of the flight crew or your fellow passengers can be considered unruly, which may result in your removal from the flight.

Last year, the FAA levied two of its largest fines ever proposed. The larger of the two, amounting to nearly $82,000, was against a woman who allegedly fell while out of her seat during a flight from Dallas to Charlotte, North Carolina in July 2021. The FAA said she then threatened to hurt a flight attendant trying to help her, shoved the attendant, and tried to open the cabin door. She allegedly then struck a flight attendant in the head multiple times while the attendant tried to restrain her. Once restrained, the woman spit at, head-butted, bit and tried to kick the crew and other passengers, the FAA said.

Other incidents reported in 2021  when unruly passenger incidents spiked  included a passenger urinating on his seat and a fellow passengers bag after refusing to wear his mask, a man who tried making announcements over the planes loudspeaker and a woman who had to be duct-taped to her seat after she allegedly assaulted a flight attendant while trying to open one of the planes doors.

More recently, a New Orleans man was taken into custody after injuring a flight attendant, authorities said. He was overpowered by several passengers and held down until police arrived, Nexstars WGNO reports.

Its safe to say that if you arent doing any of the above actions while youre flying, you most likely are not an unruly passenger.

Bed rotting: Some call it self care, but experts urge caution

There are other unacceptable behaviors airlines have asked passengers to refrain from.

That includes flying barefoot, which nearly every airline lists as an offense justifying removal of the passenger or a refusal to transport them in their contracts of carriage.

Other examples listed in contracts of carriage include sexual behavior, having poor hygiene or offensive clothing, being intoxicated, or even making phone calls (theres a reason youre instructed to put your phone on airplane mode).

While the FAA can only impose fines  up to $37,000 per violation in unruly passenger cases  it can refer cases for criminal prosecution.

There is good news for air travel  according to the FAA, incidents of unruly passengers have dropped by more than 80% since early 2021. Still, the agency acknowledges there is more work to be done. The International Air Transport Association recently called for tougher consequences for unruly air travelers.

As of early August, the FAA says there have been more than 1,170 reports of unruly passengers, surpassing totals seen in 2019 and 2020, but well below the levels reported in 2021 and 2022: 5,973 and 2,455, respectively.

Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.

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The U.S., France and United Kingdom condemned the assault on United Nations (UN) peacekeepers by Turkish Cypriot forces on Friday, calling the attacks a serious crime under international law.

We condemn the assaults against UN Peacekeepers and damage to UN vehicles by personnel of the Turkish Cypriot side this morning, the embassies said in a joint statement. Threats to the safety of UN Peacekeepers and damage to UN property constitute a serious crime under international law.

The UN, in a statement, said peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the village of Arsos  in the Turkish Cypriot north  with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, located inside of the buffer zone. It is also near the area where Cypruss internationally recognized government sits, according to the Associated Press.

The group of Turkish Cypriot personnel in response reportedly punched and kicked the peacekeepers, and damaged vehicles belonging to them, according to the UN.

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The road, if constructed, would bypass a checkpoint on the northern fringe of a British military base and allow Turkish Cypriots direct access to Pyla.

The three countries urged authorities to stop the construction and to respect the mandated authority the UNFICYP  the organization of peacekeepers  has in the area.

In their statement, the three countries called the assaults completely unacceptable and undermining of the UNs ability to fulfill its peacekeeping mandate.

We call upon Turkish Cypriot authorities to refrain from any further escalatory actions that risk undermining the prospects for a return to settlement talks, and to immediately cease any form of violence against the UN Peacekeepers deployed to the area, the countries wrote.

Turkish Cypriot authorities put the blame on UN peacekeepers for their altercation, calling the peacekeepers actions unacceptable. They also dismissed UNFICYPs statement on the assaults as unfounded allegations, and accused the peacekeeping force of being biased, toward them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. stamp of approval on transferring F-16s to Ukraine from the Netherlands and Denmark is offering optimism over getting the prized warplanes to the battlefield as soon as possible to give Kyiv a long-term boost in the largely stalemated war.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week gave the go-ahead for Danish and Dutch officials to deliver the aircraft, accelerating a path to transfer the planes to Ukraine after pilots complete a training program.

Its still unclear how long it will take for the jets to arrive fully operational, but the training and transfer is expected to take a few months at a minimum  after Ukraines counteroffensive push likely culminates.

Even so, the approval marks a monumental step forward for Kyiv, and analysts say the aircraft will help Ukrainian troops in a grinding war of attrition against Russia no matter when they arrive over the skies.

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Bradley Bowman, the senior director at the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said bringing new aircraft into an air force and sustaining them is more difficult than it sounds.

Its difficult, time consuming, and resource intensive. That is true, he said. What is also true is that Ukraine has been incredibly impressive in learning quickly. Theres nothing like the largest land invasion in Europe since World War II to concentrate ones mind and give one a sense of motivation as youre defending your country, home, and family against an unprovoked invasion.

The date of delivery is contingent on how fast Ukrainian pilots can learn to fly the aircraft after they start a training program this month hosted by 11 European allies. The coalition first announced the details of the flight training at a major NATO summit in July.

Ukraine is vastly outgunned against Russian aircraft, although neither side has achieved air superiority. Ukrainian pilots have been stuck using aging, Soviet-era fighter jets such as the MiG-29s.

That has been a huge problem in the ongoing counteroffensive in the southeastern Zaporizhizhia region, where Ukrainian troops face a number of obstacles, including Russian attack helicopters.

The news of F-16s headed to Ukraine sparked immediate excitement in the country. The Ukrainian Air Force posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, simply: Nice alongside a photo of one of the planes, while other Ukrainian officials were sharing images of the F-16 across social media.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for the F-16s since the beginning of the war but was rebuffed by Washington, which has argued the aircraft are not needed in the current phase of the war and the fighter jets are a long-term commitment.

President Biden has slowly warmed to the idea of sending over the advanced warplanes, announcing in May the U.S. would back the training program in Europe and commit to getting F-16s to Ukraine.

White House National Security Council advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday said the Dutch and Danish approval was an extension of the May agreement and had formalized the process to eventually approve third-party F-16 transfers.

We underlined, underscored, and put an exclamation point on that this week, Sullivan said, adding they were now working closely with European nations on the training program. Our trainers are working with their trainers. So, there is a full integration of the effort at this point.

That could open the door to more F-16 deliveries from other countries, which could further boost Ukraines chances on the battlefield. F-16s are among the most numerous and common western aircraft deployed in Europe.

Whether the fighter jets will change the dynamic of the war is a lingering question. If the warplanes arrive any time after the late fall, it will likely be too late to help with Ukraines counteroffensive.

Military analysts also question whether Kyiv can fully integrate the F-16s to synchronize with its entire air force to be effective, raising concerns as Ukrainian forces struggle to master combined arms maneuvers with armored vehicles and soldiers in the counteroffensive.

Joseph Shelzi, an analyst at global security consultancy firm the Soufan Group, said the F-16 deal is about shoring up long-term security for Ukraine, noting it will take months for Kyiv to integrate the aircraft fully into the armed forces.

Sheizi also said Russia will maintain a qualitative and quantitative advantage of air power over Ukraine for the foreseeable future.

It can be difficult to place too much expectation on one shiny new piece of equipment, Sheizi said. The F-16 is a very sophisticated aircraft. Its capable of a variety of different missions. But I dont think its going to have an impact on the strategic outcome of the war. I dont think its a game changer in itself.

Russia is strained in the war, however, and providing Kyiv with more and more advanced weapons could alter the outcomes on the battlefield over time.

Michael Bohnert, a licensed engineer at the Rand Corporation, said Moscow is overusing its fleet of warplanes, suffering heavy losses and likely to degrade its air superiority over time.

This happens even if F-16s fail to score a single air-to-air kill, and an upgraded Ukrainian fighter and air defense threat will score many, Bohnert wrote in an opinion piece this week in Defense News.

Bowman, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the F-16s would, in theory, help with three things: deep strikes into Russia-occupied territory, close air support and air defense.

Ukraine is already proving capable of striking deep into Russian territory with the long-range artillery weapons it acquired from the U.K., while air defense systems are effectively covering the skies, Bowman said.

That leaves close air support, involving aircraft to successfully cover each other in combat, something that can prove hard to do. Bowman agrees that F-16s will have a positive impact on the battlefield for Ukraine but cautioned supporters to moderate expectations.

Bringing a new aircraft into a fleet is more difficult than it sounds to people, he said. Its very difficult. Its very time consuming. That is true. What is also true is that Ukraine has been incredibly impressive in learning quickly and integrating quickly. Theres nothing like the largest land invasion since World War II to concentrate ones mind and get one a sense of motivation as youre defending your home and your family and children against unprovoked invasion.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Ismael Lopez

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Saturday sanctioned 100 Nicaraguan municipal officials accused of participating in human rights violations for their roles in the closure of a popular university and jailing of a prominent bishop.

The sanctions include a ban on travel to the United States. The officials are accused of repressing civil society and closing civic spaces such as the Central American University (UCA), a Jesuit school that was seized by the government this week.

The government a year ago imprisoned Bishop Rolando Alvarez, a fierce critic of President Daniel Ortega who was sentenced to 26 years in jail.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Saturday that the sanctioned officials allowed or facilitated violent campaigns, unjust detentions and restrictions on human rights and fundamental freedoms.

"We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Bishop Alvarez in Nicaragua and an end to the systematic repression," added Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols on his social media accounts.

Nicaragua's government did not respond to a request for comment.

Washington previously sanctioned top figures in Ortega's administration including Vice President Rosario Murillo, three of her children, senior government officials and police and army top brass. The European Union and Canada have joined those sanctions.

UCA, the only university the government did not control, was founded by Jesuits in 1960. It was the cradle of a student rebellion against the government in 2018, which Ortega's security forces violently put down.

Since then, the university has been stripped of public funds and its main officials have been blocked from returning to the country when they have left on business trips.

(Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Cynthia Osterman)
Lucky's halal market in Fort Worth, Texas, transforms into a community center for Afghan refugees a few times a month.

Community leaders help others fill out immigration paperwork, translate documents from English and listen to their neighbors' struggles getting work authorization or supporting their families.

Normally, Lucky, who goes by a pseudonym to protect family members remaining in Afghanistan, feels like the U.S. government doesn't hear the community's concerns. For example, many of the Afghans in Lucky's community have applied to renew their soon-to-expire work authorization but have yet to get a response from immigration officials, he said.

Read Next: Pentagon Set to Allow Calculator Use on Military Entrance Exam as Recruiting Slumps

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"To be honest with you, we don't get any response from the government authorities," said Lucky, a former translator for the U.S. military who immigrated to the U.S. in 2017 but returned to Afghanistan in 2021 to help his ailing mother. He was evacuated by U.S. forces after the Taliban overran Kabul.

But last week, a Biden administration official was there to listen.

"It did bring a positive effect for these people," Lucky said of the official's visit to Texas, expressing confidence that last week's meetings will see results. "We are hoping to hear something back from them, or if they can at least expedite their process. Because if they don't get their work authorization on time, all of them will be jobless and they will be homeless."

Two years ago, the U.S. ended its longest war in a cloud of chaos as U.S. military forces rushed to evacuate as many vulnerable people as possible before the last troops withdrew. But efforts to resettle Afghans whose lives were threatened by the Taliban's return to power are far from over.

The Biden administration touts its work over the last two years as a success, but Afghans and refugee advocates describe a more mixed picture.

For those who were fortunate enough to be evacuated during the withdrawal, many are struggling to find stability amid a drawn-out political fight in Washington, D.C., over their legal status. And hundreds of thousands of Afghans who are eligible to come to the U.S. are still waiting for approval to do so.

As of March, nearly 152,000 Afghans are at some stage in the application process for a Special Immigrant Visa, or SIV, according to the State Department's most recent quarterly report on the program. The SIV program was created by Congress in 2009 to provide a pathway for Afghans who helped the U.S. military to immigrate to the U.S.

Separate refugee programs for Afghans known as Priority 1 and Priority 2 visas have about 27,400 applicants in the pipeline, according to the Associated Press.

Between the end of the withdrawal and this June, more than 24,000 Afghans have been resettled in the U.S. and third countries, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in June.

Combined with those hurriedly evacuated during the withdrawal, the U.S. has resettled a total of 115,000 Afghans here in the last two years, Curtis Ried, chief of staff at the National Security Council, told Military.com in a recent interview.

It was Ried who personally met with Lucky and other Afghan community leaders in Texas last week.

Most of the Afghans brought to the U.S. during the withdrawal were granted a temporary immigration status known as humanitarian parole. The parole was granted for two years, meaning it is on the verge of expiring.

Despite the deadline, Congress has been unable to agree on a bill to give the evacuees legal permanent residency. So the Biden administration is allowing Afghans to apply to extend their parole, which brings with it work authorization.

But as highlighted by Lucky, the renewal process has brought its own challenges to Afghans.

Much of the administration's resettlement efforts since the end of the chaotic withdrawal have been done in partnership with the veteran-led #AfghanEvac coalition, an umbrella organization for hundreds of nongovernmental groups that helped during the evacuation and are continuing to help vulnerable Afghans.

The partnership is what facilitated Ried's Texas meeting.

"Engagements like what we did in Texas, with Curtis Ried coming in, all of himself as the NSC chief of staff, and then taking it back and taking swift action, that's the kind of s**t that makes a difference in real human lives," Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and president of #AfghanEvac, said in an interview with Military.com.

VanDiver also credited the administration for processing more visas more quickly, citing what he described as a 300% increase in capacity at processing sites worldwide.

In his interview with Military.com, Ried touted the administration's progress in cutting down processing time for SIV and refugee applications from years to "as little as" 60 days, setting up more locations around the world to process applications, and establishing a system for family reunifications.

But he also acknowledged that, as he heard from the Afghans during his Texas trip, messaging from the government on how to apply for asylum or renew humanitarian parole has been confusing -- something he said officials have already started working on clarifying since he returned from his trip.

Feedback from veterans has also been vital to the administration's work, he said.

"They've been very helpful with kind of real-time feedback, because many of them are in touch with their former interpreter, former driver, etc.," Ried said. "Telling us something isn't working on the ground in Afghanistan, highlighting some of the family reunification challenges that specific individuals have been having has been just helpful in terms of tweaking the populations we're trying to reach out to and focus on relocating."

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, described the administration's resettlement efforts since the withdrawal as a mixed bag. While she said she thinks there have been significant efforts to provide support to Afghans who made it to the U.S., work getting all the Afghans who helped during the war to safety is still "far from complete."

While the U.S. refugee system in general moves too slowly, she said, Afghans face some unique challenges.

"It's been difficult with clients who have destroyed or misplaced paperwork in the shuffle to try to present their cases," she said. "The administration has said that it's a priority. But more work needs to be done to actually provide pathways to the U.S.

"One of the major hurdles has been the lack of humanitarian infrastructure, even outside of Afghanistan, so in places where displaced Afghans have gravitated towards," she added. "The Department of State currently funds and manages eight refugee support centers around the world. Unfortunately, those aren't easily accessible to Afghans who have fled to neighboring countries like Iran and Pakistan."

As resettlement efforts continue, the administration has been working over the last year to move away from the emergency footing of the withdrawal and immediate aftermath to a more sustainable, long-term effort for the next decade or longer. That includes ensuring there are multiple avenues for Afghans who want to leave their country to do so, multiple locations in third countries to process visa and refugee applications, and a "robust" system to provide support such as housing when Afghans arrive in the U.S., Ried said.

"People will continue to qualify for Special Immigrant Visas, for reunification, benefits for certain refugee programs, for years to come," Ried said. "I don't want to put a specific deadline on it, but we want to set something up that can continue on for as long as it's necessary."

Among the most important work that still needs to be done, Afghans, advocates and the administration agreed: Congress passing the Afghan Adjustment Act.

The bill would provide a pathway for Afghans living in the U.S. under humanitarian parole to apply to become legal permanent residents. It would also take steps to streamline the SIV process and expand eligibility for the visas.

Efforts to pass the bill last year stalled amid GOP concerns that security vetting measures for evacuated Afghans were not strong enough. More recently, a push to get the measure attached to this year's annual defense policy bill when the Senate voted on it last month was stymied by Republicans who wanted to include a proposal by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to limit future use of humanitarian parole.

"Back in August of 2021, there were a whole bunch of politicians that said, 'We stand with you. We're going to help you. We're going to help meet our American promise to our wartime allies.' I have a handy-dandy checklist that I can look at to see who's full of s**t and who's not," VanDiver said, referring to a list of lawmakers who support the Afghan Adjustment Act. "Veterans, frontline civilians and our Afghan allies, we're not tricked by this bulls**t. We need them to show up for us."

Without a permanent solution to their immigration status, any success Afghan refugees have found in the last two years with getting a job, finding housing and supporting their families risks being ripped away, Lucky said.

"We need our voice to be heard," Lucky said. "We're not asking too much for anything. Just proper documentation so these guys can work."

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: 10 Months Later, Afghan Refugees Labor to Build New Lives in US
In the eyes of a significant number of white evangelical Christians, loyalty to Donald Trump is more important than following Jesus.

Trump is their Savior now.

Its not hyperbole. Its a sad reality in which we find ourselves, why the country hasnt been able to move on from one of the most destructive political forces of the modern era.

I didnt need media intelligence firm Zignal Labs and The Associated Press to tell me. They conducted an analysis of online and social media content earlier this year and found tens of thousands of mentions calling Trump a martyr when Trump faced his first indictment in New York during the Christian Holy Week. That number doubled when Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene compared Trumps arrest to the literal persecution of Christ.

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Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today, the congresswoman told Right Side Broadcasting. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus  Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government.

I was at the New York courthouse in the days and hours leading up to Trumps first arraigned. It was more circus and spectacle than crucifixion or execution.

Neither did I need Russell Moore, a former top official in the Southern Baptist Convention and current editor-in-chief of Christianity Today magazine, to tell me. Because I saw the beginnings of it during the end of my 17-year-long membership in a mostly-white Evangelical church in Conway, S.C. Because I noticed the shift in my daily interactions with people I once prayed with long before Moore recently told NPR that he believes Christianity is in crisis.

It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching  turn the other cheek  [and] to have someone come up after to say, Where did you get those liberal talking points? Moore told Scott Detrow of NPR. And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, Im literally quoting Jesus Christ, the response would not be, I apologize. The response would be, Yes, but that doesnt work anymore. Thats weak. And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then were in a crisis.

Theyve told pastors Jesus is weak, or at least his message, and that Trump is strong. They seem to believe following Trump instead of Jesus will get them to a promised land of glory and power quicker.

Or maybe they think, like that Zignal Labs analysis suggests, Trump is Jesus or a Jesus-like figure, though not the version who was born in a manger, hung out with the unclean, and washed other peoples feet to model humility and the importance of the least of these. Maybe in their minds, Trump is the Jesus of Revelation. Hes the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords with a sword in his mouth who has come back to judge the righteous and unrighteous, to wage war.

I Am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, Jesus declared in Revelation, the final book of the New Testament.

During the 2016 Republican National Convention, Trump declared: I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves. Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus voluntarily became a sacrificial lamb, giving his life to save us from our sins. Trump voluntarily relinquished a billionaires lap of luxury  and even his salary as president  to save the country from its sins, theyve argued while praising him. (Never mind the hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign actors his family made while he was in the White House, and since.)

Like Jesus, despite all Trump has had to endure  such as supposedly having an election stolen from him  the former president is still standing, still fighting evil on their behalf. In their view, Christians who oppose Trump are blind and dont realize he was sent for a time like this to fight powers and principalities, not to improve the short-term political fortunes of the elite.

A return to the White House would be like Jesus; his garment will be stained with his enemies blood.

The horror that was Jan. 6, 2021 likely emboldened them rather than shocked their conscience. Its why they view every Trump indictment not as democracy working as intended, upholding the principle that no man is above the law, but as akin to a lash from a Roman soldiers whip on Jesus back.

I wish it werent true. But it is.

Its a mindset similar to the one that convinced Edgar Maddison Welch to drive from North Carolina to a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor, convinced he had to save children from an imaginary satanic child sex ring funded and operated by Democrats.

He was armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol, and fired a shot inside Comet Ping Pong, only to realize too late he had been taken in by a hoax. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

I hope those whove come to believe Trump is here to save us wake up before its too late for us all.

Issac Bailey is a member of the McClatchy Opinion team in North and South Carolina.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the Treasure Valley and surrounding areas because of potential excessive rainfall from Hurricane Hilary.

Hurricane Hilary, just off the northwest coast of Baja California Sur, weakened to a Category 3 on Saturday as it neared landfall in Mexico and the United States, which is expected to happen Sunday. A Category 3 hurricane is considered a major hurricane, with wind speeds between 111 - 129 mph.

Aside from the Boise area, several other southwestern Idaho cities are also under the flood watch including Caldwell, McCall, Stanley, Mountain Home and Twin Falls, according to the National Weather Service. A flood watch is issued when it seems likely that flooding could occur but is not a guarantee. Under a flood warning, flooding is about to happen or is actively occurring, according to the Weather Service website.

The Boise area is expected to receive up to an inch of rain from Sunday to Tuesday based on early predictions from the Weather Service, the Statesman previously reported. But, areas such as McCall could get up to 1.8 inches.

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Rain showers and thunderstorms were developing across the Treasure Valley Saturday afternoon, with areas like East Boise already seeing some light rain, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from Boises National Weather Service. People should expect heavy rain, wind gusts that could go up to 50mph, and lightning, the post said.

The flood watch is in effect until Monday evening. In a post on X, Boises office of the National Weather Service predicted that the heaviest rain is expected to occur Sunday and Monday but there could be additional precipitation Tuesday. The post also said that strong winds are expected Monday.

The Weather Service said the excessive runoff from the rain could cause creeks, streams and other low-lying areas to flood. In its flood advisory, the Weather Service also warned that flooding may occur in areas with poor drainage and urban areas and are asking people to monitor the latest warnings.

With the arrival of significant tropical moisture Sun/Mon, a Flood Watch has been issued due to excessive rainfall and potential for flooding. While heaviest rain will occur Sun/Mon, additional precipitation is expected Tuesday. Strong winds are also expected Monday. #IDwx #ORwx pic.twitter.com/G7xkG6Eb4I  NWS Boise (@NWSBoise) August 19, 2023
Better Off Alone

The James Webb Space Telescope has once again captured imagery of the furthest star ever detected  and revealed that it may not be alone.

In a press release, NASA noted that the Webb has revealed in even greater detail than ever, the incredible, ancient star Earendel, which was discovered via the Hubble Space Telescope last year and named after a minor character from the "Lord of the Rings" universe.

In doing so, they made yet another intriguing discovery: that the far-flung star, which is believed to have been born within the first billion years after the Big Bang, may well have a companion.

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More than twice as hot as our Sun and a whopping million times brighter, Earendel  which means "morning star" in Old English  is so hot that it's actually blue. In its latest measurements, however, Webb detected something odd: an unexpected peak in its wavelengths that could indicate that it has a cooler red star hanging out alongside it.

As NASA Goddard's Brian Welch told New Scientist, it makes a lot more sense for the uber-hot star to be part of a binary pair with a cooler star. Astronomers weren't expecting to find evidence of Earendel's companion so soon  but as the Space Telescope Science Institution in Baltimore notes, the latest imagery seems to indicate exactly that.

"Most massive stars that we know of have a companion, so we expected to see some evidence of that for Earendel," Welch told NS. "But it is more common for one star to be much fainter than the other, so we expected to have to dig a bit more to find evidence of a companion."

Warped Outlook

Located in a galaxy far, far away  the Sunrise Arc, to be exact, some 12.9 billion light-years away  the discovery of Earendel itself was also unprecedented because of how Hubble and Webb were able to "see" it.

"Both Hubble and Webb were able to detect Earendel due to its lucky alignment behind a wrinkle in space-time created [a] massive galaxy cluster," NASA noted in its latest press release about the tar. "The galaxy cluster, located between us and Earendel, is so massive that it warps the fabric of space itself, which produces a magnifying effect, allowing astronomers to look through the cluster like a magnifying glass."

However you look at it, Earendel is incredible  and it clearly contains even more mysteries than meets the eye.

More on Webb mysteries: James Webb Telescope Spots Giant Question Mark in Space
HONOLULU (KHON2)  Dozens of Lahaina teachers have been left with nothing, but the teachers union wants the public to know that there are ways to help.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association set up a website where anyone can donate directly to affected educators.

Justin Hughey, a third-grade special education teacher at King Kamehameha III Elementary School, is still trying to make sense of it all.

Free childcare services at Napili Park in West Maui

The next morning when they, when there were some helicopter shots going around and saying, you know, It looks like a war zone, I could see the school just next to the harbor and it was all gone, Hughey said.

FILE  A burnt shell is all that is left of the first-grade classroom at King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 2023. (Photo/Mindi Cherry)

One teacher that was here today said its not post-traumatic stress. Its, its like traumatic stress because its just constant right now. Justin Hughey, King Kamehameha III Elementary School third grade special education teacher

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According to the HSTA website, at least 57 educators on Maui either lost their homes entirely or their homes were so damaged that they had to relocate. Click here to visit the HSTA donation page.

Every educator on the website is a verified member of the HSTA.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Another USPS master key was stolen from a mail carrier at gunpoint in Seattles Wedgwood neighborhood Saturday, according to US postal inspectors.

Two people allegedly held up the postal worker in the mid-afternoon, demanding several of their items, including a master key. Master keys can open various numbers of mailboxes and drop boxes along routes, and inspectors could not immediately confirm to KIRO Newsradio how many Wedgwood residents mailboxes are now at risk.

Master keys have also been stolen before, but little information was previously given from the postal services inspection service about how it happened. Postal inspectors havent disclosed how thieves in Marysville allegedly got ahold of a master key there.

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Marysville police said that the thieves are using them to target collection boxes and group mailboxes that serve multiple homes.

It remains unknown how many homes have been impacted there  or in South Seattle, where federal officials are charging a man with using a stolen master key last May to break into multiple apartment complexes and other boxes.

In Marysville, residents told KIRO Newsradio they received little correspondence from the post office about what happened, but one had noticed one of the key grabbers the investigators were reportedly using to capture the stolen master keys, which the city said have been replicated with a 3D printer.

MPD has warned residents in the 98270 and 98271 zip codes their mail could be at risk. Its not clear which zip codes in Northeast Seattle are now affected.

Mail theft is also hitting Seattles Eastlake neighborhood, just one block from the KIRO Newsradio studios.

Residents on Franklin Avenue say their townhomes mail has been compromised after thieves allegedly pulled up in a grey minivan and forced open their group box.

It seems like an epidemic, Mark McCarthy, an Eastlake resident, said. Somebody is very smart about how theyre doing illegal business. I mean, they did it in the middle of the afternoon, around three or four oclock.

They report it happened on August 5, but its unclear if a police report was filed and a postal inspector for the Seattle area wasnt immediately aware of details. McCarty said that since thieves broke into his developments group box, he hasnt heard anything from the post office, but he is talking with his carrier.

Nearly two weeks later, the mailbox is still broken, unable to securely store parcels for dozens of residents.

My understanding is, from talking to [the mail carrier], is that it is going to be a while until this gets fixed because there is only one person that does these repairs to the boxes, McCarthy said.

KIRO Newsradio asked postal inspectors about the status of their mail and is awaiting details.

Other impacted residents across the region have expressed similar concerns about the ongoing status of their mail. While Columbia City community members were told in May delivery was temporarily suspended to the 98118 zip code while that master key was lost, mail-in Marysville has continued to be delivered but with reportedly few solutions communicated from the post office.

US Postal Inspector John Wiegand told KIRO Newsradio his office is actively investigating these mail thefts, which he said is on the rise, but when asked about what steps the inspection service is taking, he could not comment.

At the time of publication, no arrests have been reported in the Wedgwood, Marysville, or Eastlake incidents.

This article was originally posted by MyNorthwest.
Donald Trump s charges have now ballooned to 91 criminal counts across four jurisdictions, which now means the average number of felonies charged per president in U.S. history is about two.

A Georgia grand jury handed down a sprawling indictment against the former president and a network of his allies who are accused of operating a criminal enterprise to overturn the 2020 election.

It poses an especially serious threat for Trump because unlike the two federal indictments, a state criminal conviction isn't subject to a future presidential pardon should he retake the White House.

But what's becoming an increasingly troubling part of the Republican front-runner's saga is a pattern of how he criticizes the prosecutors and judges in these cases, especially Black officials, and the threats made by supporters against them and others, including the grand jurors.

Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks during the Georgia state GOP convention at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center on June 10, 2023 in Columbus, Ga.

Trump's legal knot is the headline story of the 2024 GOP presidential primary more than any other policy question and political issues at the upcoming Aug. 23 debate in Milwaukee whether he shows up or not.

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But the upcoming discussion did draw out a telling wrinkle thanks to a super PAC aligned with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that briefly posted a debate memo online with some frank  critics say embarrassing  strategy suggestions.

Chief among them: "defend Donald Trump," if he doesn't attend and other pieces of advice that are usually well guarded such as how often to attack other GOP rivals and President Joe Biden .

The Republicans looking to overthrow Trump and win the nomination are't the only ones preparing for next Wednesday's debate either. Biden's reelection campaign is planning to blitz the airwaves by making "MAGA" Republicans a vocal point, in an attempt to counter what will be a night that the GOP contenders pile on the president's record.

Hawaii's historic wildfires means the country's 50th state faces a massive rebuilding challenge, but some residents say their toughest obstacle may be the state government itself. Biden is set to visit the island of Maui where the blazes killed more than 100 people and those who survived are worried about efforts to take advantage of the disaster by buying their land.

Trump faces RICO in fourth and final criminal case

Fulton County Sheriff deputies secure the entrance outside the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Aug. 16, 2023 following a grand jury in Fulton County, Ga. that indicted Donald Trump. The indictment includes 41 charges against 19 defendants, from the former president to his former attorney Rudy Guiliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The legal case centers on the states RICO statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Trump, from Manhattan to Atlanta, is facing a dizzying number of charges from falsifying business records to stealing the last presidential election.

But what makes the Georgia case so different is that prosecutors are utilizing the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, to go after him. That law is typically used to imprison organized crime, drug dealers and gang members, and its framework means Trump's allies are also facing prosecution in trying to overturn the state's 2020 election which Biden won.

Among the 18 co-defendants are former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was Trumps personal attorney; Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff during the 2020 election; and a former publicist for hip-hop artist Ye, more commonly known as Kanye West.

The case mentions 161 different incidents that prosecutors say demonstrate Trumps attempt to steal the Georgia vote, including that 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.

Judges, prosecutors and grand jurors face threats

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis watches proceedings during a Jan. 24 hearing in Atlanta to decide if the final report by a special grand jury looking into possible interference in the 2020 presidential election can be released.

Trump continues to use his political apparatus to attack the prosecutors and judges in these cases, whether from his social media platform or a 60-second campaign spot calling Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis the "newest lackey" for Biden and the Democrats.

These attacks and choice of words are often racially tinged, critics and other observers have noted.

"He consistently refers to any prosecutor that is investigating him or bringing charges against him who happens to be Black, he refers to that person as racist," Clark Cunningham, a law professor at Georgia State University, told USA TODAY.

I told yall the word riggers was not an accident. Trumps own former White House communications director, Alyssa Farah Griffin, says his use of the word riggers was deliberate and notes there were a lot of Black people in the courtroom when Trump was indicted in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/6RXZ5rkSSk  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) August 17, 2023

It's all the more troubling in the context of more threats against Black officials involved in these Trump cases.

A Texas woman was arrested and charged after allegedly threatening to kill U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the second of two federal cases against Trump in which he is accused of trying to steal the 2020 presidential election.

The woman called Chutkan, who identifies as Black and Asian, a racial slur saying she would, "kill anyone who went after former President Trump, according to a federal affidavit.

Some Georgia grand jurors whose names and addresses are circulating online have reportedly received threats. A verified user on X, formerly called Twitter, posted pictures of three jurors and called a list of their names a hit list, according to the group Media Matters for America.

Another fringe site had a user saying the jurors "signed their death warrant" by indicting Trump.

A debate memo for DeSantis

Florida's Republican incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist, a former governor, take the stage at Sunrise Theatre for their only scheduled debate, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Fort Pierce.

When Ron DeSantis takes the Republican debate stage against his opponents in Milwaukee next Wednesday it will be a bit awkward for the Florida governor.

That's because we got a glimpse at what could be his notes when an unexpected window into his potential strategy was opened by a GOP consulting firm behind Never Back Down, a pro-DeSantis super PAC.

Among the "must-do" for DeSantis at the debate, according to the memo, are attacking Biden and the press at least three to five times; giving a positive visions at least three times; "take a sledgehammer" to Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has seen an uptick in the polls; and defend Trump if he isn't there in response to an attack by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The problem is a super PAC isn't supposed to be giving a campaign those type of notes, which has confused and angered the Florida governor's donors and supporters, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the other GOP candidates are using the blunder to mock DeSantis.

"Viveks job on Aug. 23 is to introduce himself and his vision to the American people," Ramaswamy's campaign told USA TODAY in a statement.

"These boring, canned attack lines from a robotic candidate doesnt change that. If DeSantis struggles to use a spoon, I cant imagine he is particularly agile with a sledgehammer."

Biden campaign ready for GOP debate too

Biden claims 'MAGA forces' determined to 'take country backwards' in speech from Philadelphia

President Biden obviously won't be at the Republican debate in battleground Wisconsin, but the Democratic incumbent isn't going to let the GOP contenders attack his record without a response.

The president's reelection team and the Democratic National Committee are planning to blast "MAGA Republicans" in an ad blitz that they say will paint that wing as "extreme and out of touch" whether Trump joins the debate or not.

The Biden campaign is also taking a jab at Trump  who appears to be skipping the debate in favor of an online interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to reports.

Biden's people won't tell us much about the ad buy's cost or content, but that it would be aimed at Black and Hispanic voters.

"Now that the lights and stage are brighter, we want to make sure that we are also performing on that stage and highlighting the real divides between between the two parties and the two visions," DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison told USA TODAY.

Hawaii reeling from historic wildfires

A pedestrian walks along Honoapiilani Highway as properties destroyed by the West Maui Fire are seen in Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.

America's 50th state is grappling with a devastating death toll, which could double or even triple, after a historic wildfire eviscerated the island of Maui.

Biden plans to visit Hawaii as soon as possible, but for residents there are multiplying concerns while carrying the grief.

For starters they are worried that if insurance payouts and government assistance don't come fast enough, survivors may lose hope and sell their property to people who will drastically change their beloved communities.

Even as bodies are still being recovered developers have reached out about acquiring their land.

There is also an open distrust in the Hawaii state government given officials didn't use sirens to warn people and continue to say that they were unprepared even after a fire weather watch was issued two days beforehand warning of tinder-like conditions.

Hawaiian officials have defended that decision, arguing that the sirens would have sent people into the mountains, where the flames were. Instead, people were sent texts and voicemails warnings  however, cell service and power were already lost for most. Many ended up self-evacuating without knowing where to go.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Week in politics: Trump's 4th indictment, DeSantis gets debate notes
I went inside the secret airplane rooms where flight attendants and pilots sleep. Here are 3 surprising things I saw.

On a long-haul Air New Zealand flight, I saw the secret rooms where pilots and flight attendants rest.

The Boeing 777-300ER had a room with two beds for pilots and an eight-bed area for flight attendants.

I was shocked that the rooms were drastically different and were camouflaged in the plane's galley.

From applying and getting hired to working on 12-plus-hour flights, many elements of a flight attendant's and pilot's jobs are elusive.

But last summer, I had one of those secrets revealed to me.

Before a 12-hour Air New Zealand flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to Los Angeles, California, I stepped inside the secret rooms where flight attendants and pilots rest on long-haul flights.

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While there were plenty of differences between the two rooms, three things surprised me. Take a look.

I was shocked to discover just how hidden the rooms are. I've probably walked by them dozens of times.

Side-by-side images of the doors to the hidden bedrooms. Monica Humphries/Insider

Both flight attendants and pilots have legally mandated rest breaks during long-haul flights, a representative for Air New Zealand previously told Insider. These breaks happen in shifts and take place in hidden rooms on an airplane.

For the Boeing 777-300ER, the two rooms are above the passengers. The room for pilots is located at the front of the plane, and the room for flight attendants is at the back of the aircraft.

While I knew the rooms were hidden, I was shocked when the airline's cabin manager approached a wall in the galley of the plane.

It looked just like the rest of the cabinets and storage in the galley. The door wasn't labeled and was camouflaged seamlessly with the rest of the area.

The flight's cabin manager, who was taking me on a tour, punched in a code, and the door popped open.

I've been on a handful of long-haul flights and never realized that I was walking by these secret rooms.

The cabin manager said that's the goal. The resting pilots and flight attendants don't want passengers interrupting their rest or getting into areas they shouldn't be exploring.

The differences between the two rooms were also surprising.

Side-by-side images of the rest area for pilots and flight attendants on an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER. Monica Humphries/Insider

I expected pilots and flight attendants to have similar spaces, but that wasn't the case.

In the hidden space for pilots, which could accommodate two people, there were more amenities. Pilots had both a bed and recliner to rest in, as well as more storage space, TVs, and tray tables.

In the room designated for flight attendants, there was less space per person. The room could fit eight flight attendants, but each flight attendant only had a bed. They also didn't have amenities like a TV or tray table.

I discovered that the rooms are bare on purpose.

Both hidden rest areas allow the pilots and flight attendants to control the temperature in the room Monica Humphries/Insider

Compared to a break room for a teacher or office worker, the rest areas on the plane were largely bare.

Beyond the bedding, a telephone for emergencies, temperature controls, small storage compartments, and the pilots' TVs, there weren't many other amenities.

The cabin manager told me that was the point.

The purpose of the rooms is to rest, so they're intentionally lacking features that would prevent that. Instead, heavy curtains help drown out the noise, and the rooms are dimly lit so everyone inside can get some sleep.

This initially surprised me, but once I thought about it, it made sense. These flight attendants and pilots need to be prepared  and rested  if any emergencies were to arise.

Read the original article on Insider
By Felix Onuah and Boureima Balima

ABUJA/NIAMEY (Reuters) -A delegation from West Africa's main regional bloc ECOWAS on Saturday met Niger's ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and held talks with junta leader General Abdourahmane Tiani in the capital Niamey, a Nigerian presidential spokesperson said.

The West African group is pursuing diplomatic ways to reverse the July 26 coup. The coup leaders' acceptance of the mission could signal a new willingness to negotiate after the bloc on Friday doubled-down on its threat to use force as a last resort to restore democracy. It said an undisclosed "D-Day" had been agreed for possible military intervention.

While previous ECOWAS missions have been rebuffed, Saturday's delegation was met at Niamey airport by the junta-appointed prime minister, an ECOWAS source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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The group that flew in was led by Nigeria's former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar and included ECOWAS commission President Omar Touray, the source said.

Nigerian presidential spokesperson Abdulaziz Abdulaziz posted a photo of the delegation meeting Bazoum.

"After meeting .... (junta leader) General Abdoulrahmane Tchiani, the ECOWAS delegation in Niger have also visited President Mohamed Bazoum this evening," he wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

He did not share details on the outcome of talks.

There was no immediate comment on the negotiations from the junta, which has held Bazoum since seizing power despite international calls for his release.

But in a televised address to the nation on Saturday evening, Tiani said neither coup leaders nor "the Nigerien people want war and remain open to dialogue."

He cautioned that Niger was ready to defend itself if needed. "If an aggression were to be undertaken against us, it would not be the walk in the park that some believe," he said.

In the meantime, Tiani said the junta was pursuing its own agenda and would launch a national dialogue to consult on a transition back to democracy, which "should last no longer than three years."

THOUSANDS VOLUNTEER TO SUPPORT JUNTA

ECOWAS has taken a harder stance on the Niger coup, the wider region's seventh in three years, than it did on previous ones. The credibility of the bloc is at stake because it had said it would tolerate no further such overthrows.

Niger also has strategic importance for regional and global powers because of its uranium and oil reserves and role as a hub for foreign troops involved in the fight against the insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Underscoring the interests at stake, the U.S. State Department said on Saturday it had sent a new ambassador to Niger whose "diplomatic focus will be to advocate for a diplomatic solution that preserves the constitutional order."

The junta's vow to resist external pressure to stand down has been applauded by many in Niger.

Thousands of its supporters gathered at a stadium in Niamey on Saturday where the crowding prompted the postponement of an unofficial census of civilian volunteers for non-military roles if ECOWAS does resort to force.

(Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Toby Chopra, Jane Merriman and Cynthia Osterman)
The White Settlement Police Department is investigating a fire after a house burned down Saturday, authorities announced in a news release.

At around 12:10 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a fire in the 300 block of Mirike Drive.

While initially reported as a backyard grass fire, the house was ablaze when officers arrived, police said in the release.

The first responding officer, Sgt. James Stewart, kicked the front door to ensure no occupants were inside, according to the release. The second responding officer, Carlos Valladares, evacuated the neighboring house that was south of the fire due to the proximity of the flames, in which the fence caught fire and began to melt the residences siding.

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Inside the neighboring house were multiple people and two dogs, according to police. There were no injuries reported.

Fire departments from Fort Worth, Lake Worth, Benbrook, and Lockheed Martin assisted White Settlement police and fire crews.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but police have not ruled out that a thrown cigarette butt near a leaf pile may have started the fire, causing significant property damage, according to the release.

Its extremely unfortunate that someone would discard a cigarette outdoors with the hot, windy, and dry conditions that we are experiencing, White Settlement police said.
This is Explainer, a column that answers questions we all have (or should have).

Theres a specific flavor of agony that comes from buying an avocado you thought was perfect only to bring it home, open it up, and find you were wrong: Its too mushy or too dark in color; its hard as a rock, stringier than corn, or almost watery. So it ends up in the trash, or at least masked in some sauce from the back of your fridge.

Its probably not youits the avocado. It turns out that these dramatics are inherent to the fruit itself, or at least thats what the avocado experts say. But there are a few things you can do to improve the quality of your avocado experience. Its not just about getting the timing of your avocado consumption rightits unlearning a thing or two about this idiosyncratic fruit.

Think Beyond the Hass

The Hass avocado is the fruit that likely comes to mind when youre picturing the perfect Instagrammable avocado: dark and lightly textured skin, an almost ombre green interior with a precise give-to-firmness ratio, and a relatively small, dark pit. Its meal-size, which, entranced by convenience and plagued by mushy brown avocados, we love. As demand for avocados in the United States has nearly tripled since the turn of the century, Hass has led the charge, Mary Lu Arpaia, a researcher at the University of California, Riverside, told me. Our fixation on Hass avocados over other varieties is unsustainable, said Robert Henry, a researcher at the University of Queensland who worked on the first successful sequencing of the Hass avocados genome. In a constantly changing climate, a reliance on a singular breed of avocado that produces crops biannually means we could be in trouble if its threatened by pests or diseases.

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But if youre looking for an avacodo-y avocado, a Hass is what you would generally go for at the store. The experts I talked to challenged consumers to expand their palates: Perhaps they love the nuttiness of a Hass on toast, but would want something sweeter in a salad; try an avocado from the Dominican Republic. In the next few years, you may even see Arpaia and UCR botanist Eric Fochts newly released Luna UCR avocado breed on the shelves; it boasts a sweet, sort of floral characteristic. Imagine that with some vegetarian tacos.

Arpaia and Focht want to see a future of avocados that offers a glorious array of varieties in your average grocery store, sourced seasonally and labeled boldly, a la apples. Maybe you love a Gem avocado; maybe youre nostalgic for the comfort of a Hass. Maybe youll be a Luna UCR loyalist.

Diversifying our palates, and ditching the idea that an avocado is just Hass and has to look a certain way, will open both culinary and sustainability doors for consumers and producers alike. Aside from the risks that pests and disease pose to a Hass monocrop, better fruit production comes from a field with both type A and B flowering types. So, you can think about it like this: For Hasswhich is type Ato grow with wonder and abundance, it relies on the pollination of a B-flower type crop. Why not show those B-flower types some love?

An Avocado for Every Season

From there, Arpaia told me that the best avocado is the one that is in season. While it may seem rather obvious, the place an avocado is grown, its breed, and the time of year significantly influence its peak ripeness, and our peak enjoyment. When the avocados we buy are out of season (i.e., buying the Hass because it is a Hass despite it being from California in November), they are stringy, firm, and paleeven when they are ripe.

In the U.S., more than 95 percent of avocados come from five places: Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, and California. The differing climate and proximity to the equator of each place determine its avocados seasonality, and thus quality. So check the sticker on your avocado and look at the sign above it to see where its from. The best fruits come from the middle of their harvest window. For Peruvian avocados, fruits are best from late April to early September, and California fruits are best in May, June, and July. For a Chilean avocado, January is prime time.

Narrowing In on the Right Window

Even if you get the perfect avocado at the perfect time of year, the exact window in which its soft but not mushy is still elusive. Avocado perfection is subjective and a fallacy, Focht and Arpaia stressed to me, but choosing good ones is a skill that can be honed. (Since I started following these tips, everyone is complimenting my avocado selection skills.)

Avocados have a unique ripening process, initiated essentially by what Henry described as the injury of harvest. Once an avocado is picked from the tree, it begins the production of cellulases that degrade the cellulose of the cell wall that softens the fruit; this process is different from most fruits, which ripen because of their rapid ethylene production post-harvest, which accelerates maturation. The avocado process means that growers and importers are able to harvest fruits at the exact right time for their slower ripening to occur along their journey to grocery stores (though they obviously are often a little underripe once they get there). Because of this, theres nothing wrong with buying fruit that has been on a boat for a long time, Arpaia told me. Seasonality, rather than distance traveled, is your best indicator of richness, quality, and flavor.

Experts I spoke to recommended looking for a darker, firmer fruit and ripening it at home on the counter for a few days. (Ideal ripening temperature is 68 degrees!) To slow down the ripening process at home, you can just toss it in the fridge, delaying its production of cellulase. Robi Kellerman and Pamela Fink, authors of the cookbook Avocado Highway, shared the tip that if you are in a situation where your avocados are not so ripe and you need them tomorrow, put an apple in with the avocado in a paper bag and leave it overnight.

Henry, who spoke to me from Australia, exposed the inadequacy of American supermarkets avocado organization system. He told me that in nearly all run-of-the-mill grocery stores there, the produce department has begun labeling and sorting avocados by their readiness to eat; when he goes to the store, he is able to pick from the eat now section, the ready in 12 days section, or the section for the uberprepared 5-days-early shopper. Think about all of the thrown-away avocados that are victims of a poorly timed purchase that could be salvaged! Revolutionary.

Next time youre in the store looking for the perfect avocado, check your calendar and where your avocado is grown, and avoid injuring all the avocados in the pile by squeezing them (that is one of the reasons so many avocados are too mushy). Go deeper in the pile! Kellerman said.

Hopefully, the future of avocado consumption looks beyond just the Hass, finds its strength in diversity, looks to seasonality and resource-informed production, and has wonderfully labeled fruits in stores of all price ranges. For now, check where your fruit is from on that tiny little sticker, experiment with new varieties, and stay attuned to the latest avocado news. There may be a new breed just for you.

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A drone exhibition, a popular church holiday, and sunny weekend weather contributed to the loss of life in Russias callous attack on Chernihiv city center with a ballistic missile on Aug. 14.

"Here was a drone producers exhibition. And the missile struck exactly this place," journalist Oleksandra Denysenka reported from the scene.

The center of Chernihiv is always crowded on weekends. There were no military facilities nearby, she said.

Ukrainians were heading to and out of the central church to bless apples according to the local tradition of celebrating the Apple Feast of the Saviour or Apple Spas, the Interior Ministry added.

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The roof of the Taras Shevchenko Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre was ruined by the strike, followed by a fire. Seven people, including a child, were killed and another 90 injured, including 12 children.

Read also:

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A Mississippi preteen was detained, arrested, and jailed for peeing in public behind his moms car.

During the emotional arrest, the 10-year-old boy, whose name is Quantavious, cried while sitting in the back of a police car and was later taken to jail. He was charged for not only the delinquent act of public urination but because he was left unsupervised.

The child was never handcuffed.

Mississippi mother Latonya Eason speaks to local outlet after her 10-year-old son was arrested for urinating in public. (Credit: Screenshot Fox13/Facebook)

His mom, Latonya Eason, said the whole thing could have been avoided. She thought the police officer was too eager and made a mistake by arresting her son.

Before taking Quantavious away, the officer brought him to his mom, who was visiting her lawyers office. She says she was only away from her son for approximately 10 minutes. The officer explained to her what happened and at first, seemed to just want to give a warning to the boy.

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I was like son, why did you do that? He said, Mom, my sister said they dont have a bathroom there, I was like you knew better, you should have come and asked me if they had a restroom. He [the officer] was like since you handled it like a mom, he can get back in the car, said Eason, according to FOX 13.

But when more officers came, he changed his mind. He decided to take him to be charged. While his mom was filling out his release papers, Quantavious had to be away from her. The mother said a ranking officer insisted that the child be incarcerated for his actions.

No, him urinating in the parking lot was not right, but at the same time I handled it like a parent and for one officer to tell my baby to get back in the car it was okay and to have the other pull up and take him to jail. Like, no, Eason said.

Watch the full video here.

Im just speechless right now. Why would you arrest a 10-year-old kid? she asked.

The boy said he was taken to a cell and referred to youth court on a child in need of service count.

I started crying a little bit. They took me down there and got me out of the truck. I didnt know what was happening, Quantavious recalled. I get scared and start shaking and thinking I am going to jail.

The mother said this is the type of incident that could traumatize a child.

My baby could get to the point where he wont want to have an encounter with the police, period, Eason said.

After everything, the authorities said they were sorry for what happened, admitting they were wrong to arrest him. The Senatobia Police Chief Richard Chandler said he believed the officers decision was an error in judgment.

We would like to address a recent incident involving the arrest of a 10-year-old child, he said in a statement, according to local outlets.

Under these circumstances, it was an error in judgment for us to transport the child to the police station since the mother was present at that time as a reasonable alternative, the chief said.

Adding, Mistakes like this are a reminder in this profession as to the continual need for training and refreshers on the various topics that we encounter each day.
The depth and frequency of craters across the frontline city of Orikhiv are a blunt example of why Ukraine needs F-16 fighter jets urgently.

Ukrainian troops amassed around the city have the unenviable task of pushing through minefields towards an enemy that has long anticipated their advance.

But their biggest handicap is the one they rarely hear until it is too late. Russian jets fire half-metric-ton bombs that glide in from afar  from outside of the reach of Ukraines air defenses  and then devastate Ukrainian positions at will. Sometimes as many as 20 in as many minutes are launched into Orikhiv.

Ukrainian radar systems provide some warning, coupled with the brief and ominous roar of an incoming missile. But the eventual target is often obliterated without notice.

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So when Ukraine says it urgently needs F-16s, it is because Ukrainian troops are dying daily because of Russian air superiority. Despite Western promises, even the training is yet to begin. On Friday, Ukraine welcomed the news that the US approved the transfer of F-16s when training is complete. But it remains the case that Ukraine is unlikely to receive jets until next year.

Armchair critics of the slow pace of Ukraines counteroffensive seem to have conjured a superhuman Ukraine, capable of overturning any basic military precepts, based on the collapse of Russian positions in Kyivs lightning advances on Kharkiv and Kherson last year. They now expect an army that was almost written off 18 months ago, to now be able to achieve a feat no NATO army would even attempt.

Residential buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, on August 10. - Stringer/Reuters

NATO armies would not consider tackling the minefields and defenses along the southern Zaporizhzhia front without high-end armor, anti-demining equipment, air superiority and a well-trained force. But somehow the West has afforded itself the luxury of impatience with Ukraine not being able to take an army of often-mobilized young men, rush-trained on new equipment, and overrun Russian-held territory by fall.

It is very scary

Ukrainian troops know all too well the impact F-16s could have on Russian forces and the fight, as they are suffering the same from Russian jets now.

One Ukrainian marine in the southern front told CNN: I perfectly understand what aviation is with its equipment and firepower. It is very scary. He said the Russians would feel the same effects they have from F-16s. It will make things a lot easier as they wont feel safe in their rear positions. Not everyone will be psychologically ready to go back to the trenches after an airstrike.

In Ukraines harried cities, where air raid sirens are so constant locals barely deviate on their path when they sound, F-16s would permit some of the Russian jets that fire missiles from a distance to be intercepted or challenged. It would disrupt the given of terror that Moscow inflicts on civilian areas every night. When you are lying in Dnipro, hearing the sirens and waiting for the blasts, any debate on whether Ukraine needs more air defenses feels ridiculous.

Portuguese Air Force F-16 military fighter jets participate in NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian airspace near Siauliai, on May 23. - Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images

The task of getting high-end jets to Ukraine at pace was always ambitious.

The supply of F-16s, with the intense amount of training and servicing they require, would always have brought NATO to the closest it has been yet to being a combatant. The jets need Ukrainians to become masters in their upkeep overnight, and there was always a risk NATO personnel would be called upon to fill in the gaps, or help repair the planes inside NATO territory. And so the pace has slowed.

Whether there are enough suitable Ukrainians to be trained, or whatever the other bureaucratic hurdles, the will is clearly not there yet among NATO states to make it happen. They have learned they can do things fast if they want to  they did so with the Leopard tanks.

The calculation may have been made that the risk for NATO being dragged into the war is too high to justify moving faster with F-16s. That it is easier to instead gamble on whether Ukraine can succeed in its counteroffensive, with one hand tied behind it back.

In the basements of Orikhiv, where Ukrainians troops sit and wait to learn whether the incoming missiles jets will strike near them, it is a gamble that seems callous and detached.

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The newest federal court ruling on abortion pills is gaining attention for one judges unorthodox argument  one that equated anti-abortion activists to wildlife lovers.

Judge James Ho of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, writing separately from his two colleagues on a three-judge panel, borrowed from environmental case law to contend that medical providers challenging abortion care suffer aesthetic injury from the destruction of unborn life.

Its well established that, if a plaintiff has concrete plans to visit an animals habitat and view that animal, that plaintiff suffers aesthetic injury when an agency has approved a project that threatens the animal, Ho wrote, citing a long list of environmental opinions from the Supreme Court and other federal appeals courts.

Unborn babies are a source of profound joy for those who view them, he continued. Expectant parents eagerly share ultrasound photos with loved ones. Friends and family cheer at the sight of an unborn child. Doctors delight in working with their unborn patients  and experience an aesthetic injury when they are aborted.

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Legal experts say they doubt the Supreme Court  where the Justice Department has said it will bring the high-profile battle over mifepristone pills  would latch on to Hos comparison. But they suggested that a Trump-appointed judge on a conservative-dominated court, which is normally hostile to environmental challenges, may have helped build a stronger foundation for green activists seeking to protect treasured landscapes and vulnerable species.

The first thing that struck me was the irony of the 5th Circuit relying on standing in environmental cases, said Eric Glitzenstein, director of litigation at the Center for Biological Diversity.

He later added: Itd be more gratifying to see them do that in environmental cases.

The 5th Circuits ruling Wednesday largely affirmed but also overturned parts of an April ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, who has also drawn attention as a potentially leading threat to the Biden administrations climate agenda.

Ho wrote that while he disagreed with the 5th Circuit majoritys decision to uphold  with limits  the legality of abortion pills, he agreed with the other judges finding that a coalition of Catholic medical providers and other groups had shown that they had legal standing to file their lawsuit.

But he decided to take the argument a step further than the other two judges  penning an opinion that has drawn scathing rebukes on social media for its attitude toward pregnancy care.

Ho compared the Food and Drug Administrations approval of abortion pills to federal permits for land development or pesticide use that threaten to destroy living creatures. Courts, he said, have repeatedly found that challengers in the latter cases have the basis under Article III of the Constitution to establish the power to file a lawsuit.



I see no basis for allowing Article III standing based on aesthetic injury when it comes to animals and plants  but not unborn human life, Ho wrote.

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the lead challenger in the case, did not provide comment before publication time. The FDA does not comment on pending litigation.

Other paths for SCOTUS

Glitzenstein called it telling that the majority on the 5th Circuit panel  Judges Jennifer Walker Elrod and Cory Wilson, who were also appointed by Republican presidents  upheld standing for anti-abortion groups without buying into Hos comparison of pregnant people to animals decimated by development and pollution.

That leaves room for the Supreme Court to do the same, he said.

I think the Supreme Court is more likely to look at the traditional standing principles in the majority opinion in this case, Glitzenstein said.

Those principles include showing that there is substantial risk that the challengers, due to their profession, are likely to be required to treat patients with complications from mifepristone, despite the providers opposition to abortion care.

Jonathan Wood, vice president of law and policy at the Property and Environment Research Center, said theres enough going on in the abortion pills ruling to allow the Supreme Court to circumvent Hos position while still limiting access to the medication.

Other judges were able to find standing without it, he said.

At most, Wood said, Hos views could find traction with one or two of the high courts more conservative justices.

Its the kind of thing that if the case were to go up, you could imagine a concurrence from the court making a similar argument, Wood said.

'Optimism and hope'

Standing has long been a concern for environmentalists.

As the Supreme Court has grown more conservative, some have feared that the justices could erect a high bar for plaintiffs such as green groups and climate activists to show they have the standing to file suits  even while leaving the door open to challenges from big corporations and fossil fuel developers.

Those of us who do environmental cases are always worried about how far the Supreme Court will go to weaken standing in environmental cases, said Glitzenstein, but so far, the court has not done that.



The fact that lower court judges like Ho are instead invoking those principles to preserve the legal standing of conservative interests gives me a sense of optimism and hope, said Glitzenstein.

He cautioned, however, that courts have sometimes applied standing and other legal doctrines unequally, picking and choosing winners and losers based on ideology.

Glitzenstein recalled one Center for Biological Diversity challenge to oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico that the 5th Circuit tossed out on standing grounds.

Obviously, there seems to be a certain result orientation, he said, but putting that to one side, the fact that you have courts that are willing to even invoke these principles is something that should give some hope to environmental advocates.
Letby is the only child of Susan and John Letby, here pictured outside the court during the trial

For the parents of Lucy Letbys victims, the last 10 months in court have yielded unbearable agony after unimaginable loss.

But when the first guilty verdicts were read out in court, it was Letbys own mother who appeared to find her crimes most inconceivable of all, falling into her husbands arms weeping with the words, You cant be serious; this cant be right.

It was a moment that laid bare the impact of Britains most notorious baby killer on her parents, which began when the former nurse was arrested in 2018.

On hearing that her daughter was suspected of murdering her infant charges, Susan Letby reportedly told police: I did it, take me instead.

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Through the trial, too, both she and Letbys father, John, were a permanent presence at Manchester Crown Court, the city to which theyd relocated from their home in Hereford in order to attend each day.

That was until Letby this week refused to take her seat in the dock as the final verdicts were handed down, with her parents, a retired accounts clerk and retail boss, uncharacteristically absent too in an apparent show of solidarity.

An angelic looking youngster, a picture of Letby as a child was placed in the local newspaper for her 21st birthday - Supplied by Martin Evans/Hereford Times

Dr Sohom Das, consultant forensic psychologist and author of In Two Minds, says that the Letbys would have been quite blindsided by their daughters conviction for murdering seven babies, and attempting to kill six others - one of them twice.

She didnt have any criminal history. She wasnt antisocial. She wasnt previously violent. So I dont think she telegraphed any of her intentions for any of her crimes, Das explains.

Since her arrest, he believes they would have been caught between shock, disbelief, maybe even denial, and leading up to the trial, they would have clung on to some semblance of hope that she might get a not guilty plea. Obviously, thats all come crashing down.

Until the convictions that secured Letbys status alongside Beverley Allitt and Harold Shipman, who too abused their medical positions to kill their patients, she had been a delight to her parents, according to one neighbour.

Lucy Letby being arrested by police

Others described her as a geek; her school friends likened her to Mary Poppins. Describing their overwhelming pride in their daughter, another neighbour said: Letby is an only child. Do I have to say anymore?

The couple, now 63 and 77, raised Letby in a 1930s semi in the cul-de-sac where they still live, and near to where she would take on her first part-time job in WH Smiths.

Her achievements would become theirs too, it seemed: they marked her 21st birthday in their local paper, followed by another announcement in December 2011, celebrating her graduation with honours from her nursing degree. The first in their family to attend university, their notice in the Hereford Times read: We are so proud of you after all your hard work.

After her graduation, Letby continued to holiday with her parents in Torquay, where they had travelled as a family throughout her childhood, up until her arrest five years ago. Still, in spite of their closeness - exchanging calls and messages every day - Letby appeared to struggle with their relationship at times.

Lucy Letby's police custody photo

She discussed moving away to New Zealand with a friend, before reasoning that it was unthinkable; her parents find it hard enough being away from me now and its only 100 miles [between their home and hers in Chester], she said in a text.

To another friend, she wrote: My parents worry massively about everything and anything, [and] hate that I live alone I feel bad because I know its really hard for them especially as Im an only child, and they mean well, just a little suffocating at times and constantly feel guilty.

At other times, their ultra-close involvement with her life appeared to play in her favour. In early 2017, around six months after Letby was finally dismissed from the Countess of Chester hospitals neonatal unit following rising concerns about unexplained deaths in her care, her parents threatened to refer the hospitals doctors to the General Medical Council, according to internal documents.

In January of that year, the hospitals then-chief executive Tony Chambers instructed senior doctors to write Letby a letter of apology.

The potential impact on them following Fridays verdict will be vast, Das thinks: there is a very high risk of them developing anxiety, depression, possibly Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; it definitely depends on their personalities and their degree of resilience.

Theres also the likelihood that a deep sense of mistrust of those around them will grow, he adds. They might become very sensitive and paranoid about people around them in the local community, because theyll be judged by so many people everybody will know who they are and what Lucy did.

Her crimes are not the couples fault, he adds, but an inevitable consequence of the attacks that have shocked Britain.

Das says that while they will inevitably feel grief, theirs is different to that of the parents of Letbys victims; their loss being of the daughter they believed they knew, and contending with her future imprisonment.

When Mondays sentence is handed down, they are suspected to again be absent from court, as Letby has said she will be.

I dont think theyll ever fully understand or accept what she has done, Das thinks, leading to a future in which they will have to compartmentalise Lucy.

Theres the part of her thats done these horrific things, but theres still part of them, I imagine, that will love, care for her and worry about her. But their relationship has been irreparably damaged.

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With a wildfire bearing down, officials gave orders Friday to evacuate the entire town of Medical Lake, Washington.

Pushed by 35 mph winds, the Gray Fire grew from an estimated 500 acres to nearly 9,500 by Saturday morning, the State Department of Natural Resources tweeted.

One person died and "many" structures were lost, the department said.

Medical Lake, which is about 12 miles southwest of Spokane, is home to nearly 5,000 people.

"We know that some homes have burned. We dont know how many," Joe Smillie, a spokesman for the department, said Friday night. "This blew up really big, really fast. It's been really hot the last week."

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The fire jumped Interstate 90 after 5 p.m. Friday, closing parts of the highway in both directions and forcing officials to begin evacuations of Four Lakes, a small town of about 500 people. Another major thoroughfare, State Route 902, was also closed in both directions near Medical Lake.

A view of the Gray Fire in Medical Lake, Washington, on Aug. 18, 2023. (Spokane County Fire District 10)

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said Friday afternoon his deputies were "running from house to house" in the evacuation area urging people to leave their homes.

Nowels said the fire was "zero percent" contained and burning into more populated areas, including neighborhoods and at a school.

He estimated more than 100 law enforcement officers had responded.

"Weve had to rescue people by boat. Weve had to rescue people by helicopter," Nowels said. "If youre in an evacuation area, leave. We have some folks who refused to leave. Fire then overtakes where they're at and they need to be rescued."

Twenty Washington Air National Guard members Friday afternoon helped to evacuate patients and staff members from Eastern State Hospital, a 367-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital.

Happening now: 20 @WANationalGuard members from the 141st ARW are at Eastern State Hospital to help evacuate patients and staff in area of the #GrayFire pic.twitter.com/vnM8es1LkK  WA National Guard (@WANationalGuard) August 19, 2023

Smillie said it wasn't clear what caused the fire.

The agency was encouraging people Friday afternoon to seek shelter at a high school in the neighboring town of Cheney. By Friday evening, Cheney was under a level-one evacuation notice, meaning officials were asking people to be ready to leave, Smillie said. He said officials were working out a plan for evacuees if the fire continued to approach Cheney.

Several other fires started in other parts of Washington on Friday afternoon, including a blaze near the town of Elk, which burned at least 30 structures.

Much of inland Washington was under a red flag warning Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

"Warm, dry winds will continue through the afternoon producing critical fire conditions," forecasters wrote.

Gov. Jay Inslee said his thoughts were with everyone affected.

"Im also praying for the safety of the first responders working to contain the fire," Inslee said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "May you all remain safe and out of harms way."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A federal judge in Pennsylvania has ruled Starbucks must pay a former Philadelphia-area manager an additional $2.7 million in damages after a jury agreed with her claim that she was wrongly fired for being white in the aftermath of a 2018 incident where the coffee chain was accused of racial bias.



Former Starbucks regional manager Shannon Phillips claims she became a scapegoat in the wake of the controversy in April 2018 when police arrested two Black men in a Rittenhouse Square Starbucks in Philadelphia because they refused to leave the store after being told they could not sit inside without buying anything. A cellphone video of the arrests went viral, leading to a national backlash against the coffee store chain.

Starbucks did major damage control after video of the arrests of two Black men, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, at a Philadelphia store went viral last year. (Photo: Melissa Depino / video screenshot)

Starbucks leadership responded with nationwide racial bias training for over 175,000 company employees. Then-CEO at the time Kevin Johnson, also issued an apology.



In May 2018, Starbucks further followed up with a new policy, making it so even non-paying guests can sit in stores and use its restrooms. Philadelphia police also announced a new policy laying out procedures for officers to arrest a person accused of trespassing on private property.

Related: White Starbucks Exec Files Lawsuit Accusing the Company of Firing Her Because They Needed a Scapegoat Following Arrests of Two Black Men

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The two arrested men, young entrepreneurs Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson (23 at the time), were released from custody and reached an agreement with the state of Philadelphia, granted $200,000 to help them in their business venture.



Phillips was fired from Starbucks in what she felt was nothing more than a scapegoat tactic to allow Starbucks to appear as if things were being done about the situation. She believed that as regional manager, she had nothing to do with the arrests of the Black men at the 18th and Spruce Street store.

April 2018



NEVER FORGET



Two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philly for doing nothing but waiting for a friend.



& now Starbucks is banning employees from wearing anything in support of black lives?



THIS IS INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM #BoycottStarbucks pic.twitter.com/Ja1I3IdtCg  StanceGrounded (@_SJPeace_) June 11, 2020

The 12-year-veteran of the company, who oversaw operations at Starbucks stores in four states, told jurors during the civil trial that she was let go the month following the Philadelphia incident after refusing to discipline a district manager over claims bias that she knew were untrue.



Starbucks argued that Phillips was let go due to a failure in leadership after arrests rather than anything to do with her race.



In 2019 she sued Starbucks and was initially awarded $25.6 million in damages in June 2023. Jurors concluded that Shannon was fired because she was white, violating federal and state anti-discrimination laws. And now, U.S. District Judge Joel H. Slomsky has ordered Starbucks to pay Phillips  who earned $289,000 a year with the company  an additional $2,736,755 in wage and tax damages.

Read the full story here.
Gary Sandy, a Yolo County supervisor and former mayor of Woodland, died from complications following treatment for liver cancer on Thursday. He was 68.

Sandy  who had served as chairman and, this year, as vice chair on the Board of Supervisors, representing parts of Woodland and West Sacramento  succumbed to a viral infection following a liver transplant in June, according to the county. The county said he died in his sleep surrounded by family.

Supervisor Sandys untimely departure has left the Yolo County community and beyond in profound sorrow, county officials said. His legacy of dedication, leadership and community service will forever resonate in the hearts of those he touched.

His widow, Mary Vixie Sandy, said that the outpouring of support her family has received is a testament to her husbands decades of public service.

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He loved the people he was deeply honored to represent, said Vixie Sandy, who is the executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. He was an extraordinary human. ... He had an endless depth of heart for this community.

Vixie Sandy said whenever the family would venture out for dinner or events, Gary Sandy would make time  sometimes to the consternation of his three children  to talk to constituents and neighbors about their lives and the issues affecting them.

He always wanted to know how they were and how their families were, she said. Theres no question (public service) was his lifes work.

After battling cancer for more than a year, Sandy had been planning to return to work Sept. 1.

Sandy remembered as a Yolo County leader

His unexpected passing left many in the Yolo political community grieving for a public servant who dedicated the majority of his life to Woodland through leadership and community service.

Right up to the end, he was so excited about coming back to work again, said Dotty Pritchard, Sandys longtime chief of staff. That was his thing, right up until the end.

We are deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Supervisor Gary Sandy, whose unwavering dedication to our community and tireless efforts to drive positive change have left an indelible mark, Supervisor Oscar Villegas, who is the current chair of the board, said in a statement. His leadership and commitment to fostering collaboration were instrumental in creating a stronger and more united Yolo County. Supervisor Sandys legacy will continue to inspire us as we strive to uphold the values he held dear.

Jim Provenza, who served on the board with Sandy for many years, called him a tireless advocate for the people of Woodland and Yolo County. He told the Woodland Daily Democrat on Friday that Sandys passing was a very sad day for the community.

I will never forget his calm and professional leadership as board chair during the pandemic or his advice and counsel during some very difficult times, Provenza told the newspaper. Gary was a nice guy with a great sense of humor. He will long be remembered for his many contributions to our county. I will miss him.

Before entering politics  first as a city councilman then mayor of the county seat before taking on roles as a community college trustee and a supervisor  Sandy worked as an analyst in the Assembly and a policy expert at UC Davis, as well as a spokesman for Woodland Memorial Hospital.

Sandy had a keen interest in water and environmental issues, and was closely involved with matters involving the Yolo Bypass, Pritchard said. In May, he held a regional forum on water issues, which Pritchard described as a big success  one he had hoped to continue annually or even twice a year.

Pritchard said hundreds of people reached out to her Friday to offer condolences and pay respects to Sandy.

He was quite beloved in the Woodland community, and he will be sorely missed, she said. We have quite a void upon his passing, but we know hes looking over us.

Matt Rexroad, who worked closely with Sandy as a supervisor, said, He set a phenomenal example for how you behave as an elected official, for how you serve your community.

Theres just so many things to point to in this community that hes been a part of, Rexroad said. Woodland should be grateful for his service.

Gary Sandy speaks after taking his oath of office for a second term as 3rd District supervisor during a ceremony outside the Board of Supervisors chambers in January in Woodland. Sandy, who previous served as a city councilman and mayor in Woodland, died Thursday at the age of 68.

A life spent in public service

Gary Alan Sandy was born Oct. 27, 1954, in Escondido to Gayle and Gilbert Sandy, and was raised on a ranch between Vacaville and Winters before his parents moved to Davis in the 1960s. He graduated from Sonoma State University before setting out in legislative analysis, policy consulting and communications. In 1985, he was awarded a Coro Foundation Fellowship in public affairs and went on to obtain a masters degree in organizational development from the University of San Francisco.

After working for several years analyzing and writing legislation for the Assemblys Committee on Aging and serving on the Woodland parks commission, Sandy won a March 1989 special election for a seat on the Woodland City Council that had been vacated by a councilman who left the state.

It feels great, Sandy said the night of that election. We put a heck of a lot of work into this campaign and apparently we got our message across, which is that Woodland is facing some serious challenges, and that we need a council that will get down to business and face those challenges.

Among those challenges: Maintaining city parks, revitalizing downtown and helping city services keep up with a city that doubled in size to over 60,000 residents from less than 40,000 when Sandy was first elected.

As reported in The Sacramento Bee, opponents and some longtime residents challenged the notion of the 34-year-olds candidacy since he had only lived in Woodland for two years  not long enough to be a good representative, critics said.

I was definitely the dark-horse candidate. Thats what really spurred us on and made us work harder, he said on election night. Vixie Sandy said her husband was a focused and gentle but a compelling, thoughtful person that people responded to across all political parties.

He was profoundly committed to democracy, she said. He wanted to meet the people where they were, adding that Sandy didnt approach politics as a fight against all comers but a chance to learn about different policies and perspectives to get a better understanding of issues.

The Sandy family made Woodland their home for the next 33 years, and Sandy was re-elected in 1992 and served as mayor from 1994 to 1996. He went on to serve on the Yolo fair board before being elected to the Yuba Community College District in 2010. During that time, he worked as UC Davis director of local government relations before becoming a project manager in the chancellors office.

In 2018, Sandy threw his hat into the race for 3rd District supervisor to replace Rexroad, a former colleague from the Woodland City Council who decided not to run for a fourth term. Beyond water and agricultural land preservation, Sandy had a keen focus on addressing the issues of homelessness, mental health and economic development. Sandy was re-elected without opposition in 2022.

Commitment to environment, homelessness

Wixie Sandy said her husbands work spoke to the idea that policy is the place in which you could make the kind of lasting changes to create infrastructure and support the community.

That included efforts as a college trustee to secure funding for Woodland Community College. Vixie Sandy said pointed to his instrumental work to secure funding that built out the community college here into this gorgeous and wonderful campus.

She also spoke of his work on issues of homelessness in Yolo County: He really had a heart for how can we provide services that support the homeless through initiatives like 60 recently constructed small homes that provide permanent supportive housing in Woodland to wraparound services throughout the county.

Sandy had a deep abiding commitment to the preservation of native habitats and wetland ecosystems, and environmental issues in general, Vixie Sandy said. He taught to his children to appreciate wetlands and nature through fishing, even if that meant everyone but him caught fish, she said.

The county said that throughout his tenure, Sandys work to preserve native habitats and wetland ecosystems left an indelible mark on the landscape he held so dear. In lieu of flowers, according to the county, the family encouraged mourners to donate in Sandys name to the Yolo Basin Foundation and the Cache Creek Conservancy.

These organizations were close to Supervisor Sandys heart and reflect his passion for environmental conservation, the county said.

In addition to his wife of 40 years, Sandy is survived by sons Owen Sandy and Grayson Sandy, both of Sacramento; daughter Bayley Sandy Rea of Walla Walla, Washington; two grandchildren with another on the way; and sister Shirley Cox of Chula Vista.

A public memorial service for Sandy is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Woodland United Methodist Church, 212 Second St. After the memorial service, a reception will be held at the Yolo County Administration Atrium at 625 Court St.

Pritchard will remember Sandy as a man of community who dedicated the last 40 years of his life to Woodland and Yolo County.

What a good, kind, considerate man he was  that was his legacy, she said.
The Yonkers Tribune blog has retracted many of its "Blue Truth" posts targeting police corruption over seven years as part of a settlement of defamation lawsuits brought by the police union president, a former police commissioner and a retired detective sergeant.

In the retraction, posted Aug. 11, publisher and editor Hezi Aris apologized to Keith Olson, John Mueller and Brian Moran, as well as their family and friends.

"In publishing these articles, I relied on information from a number of sources from within the Yonkers Police Department," Aris wrote. "But I have come to learn that much of the content in these Blue Truth articles was false, inaccurate, misleading and defamatory. In retrospect, I realize that I relied on information provided by sources who had their own agendas, some from within the YPD, and I recognize that I should have done a more thorough job of fact-checking before publishing some of these articles."

Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller speaks to the media Jan. 17, 2022 after police shot a man wielding a gun inside an apartment on Main Street in Yonkers. The suspect was shot in the leg, and one officer suffered a concussion. Both were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The dozens of targeted posts included claims that money had been stolen from a charity event; that a bribe had been paid to get Mueller the job as Westchester County police commissioner; that a detective's death was the result of assistance being denied him during the COVID-19 pandemic; and that union money had been misappropriated for personal use.

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A trial in the case had been scheduled to start this week.

Mueller was deputy chief at the time he filed his lawsuit in 2018. He became commissioner in 2019 and left last year to become chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police. Moran brought his lawsuit in 2019, a year after retiring. Olson, a detective who is the longtime PBA president, also sued in 2019.

This is an important and groundbreaking victory, not only for John Mueller, Brian Moran and I, but for anyone else whos fallen victim to unscrupulous and irresponsible bloggers disguised as journalists," Olson said in a statement. "Far too many of these internet bullies feel it is safe to make false, baseless, defamatory claims against people without fear of repercussions. This victory shows that the truth matters and that lies have consequences. This is also a signal to the cowards with personal vendettas who feel safe feeding false accusations to these bloggers thinking they are shielded by anonymity. You are not. The truth always prevails.

Keith Olson, Yonkers Police Dept. PBA, photographed at Roosevelt High School in Yonkers on Saturday, September 14, 2019.

The retraction will run on the Yonkers Tribune website for 30 days with no ability for readers to post comments to it.

In addition to the retraction, Aris, the Yonkers Tribune and Hezi Media Inc. agreed to purge the "Blue Truth" posts that accused the plaintiffs of crimes or other misconduct as well as the comments, usually anonymous, that accompanied them. The defendants are also making an unspecified donation to a Yonkers-based charity.

"Mr. Aris has and continues to have strong views as to the proper role of journalists in our communities. At the same time, errors should always be acknowledged and corrected," his lawyer, Michael Sussman, said in an email. "The public has a right to know and Mr. Aris has re-committed himself to ensuring that what he publishes and broadcasts is truthful and fact-based. He also recognizes that where and when he expresses personal opinions, these should be so identified and not confused with reporting facts about specific situations."

Sussman said Aris would continue to report on the activities of the plaintiffs when they are relevant to Yonkers "as he remains deeply committed to covering Yonkers and those who make news and policy there."

The blogger, whose real name is Charles Aris, was dealt a blow in the case in 2021 when state Supreme Court Justice Joan Lefkowitz ruled that he was not covered by New York's Shield Law because he was not an actual journalist and that the Yonkers Tribune and Hezi Media Inc. were not newspapers or news entities. He was forced to reveal sources for many of the posts, including retired Detective Raymond Montero and former police Commissioner Charles Gardner, and Olson emphasized that those sources "had a long and established history of personal and professional animosity toward plaintiffs."

A similar lawsuit against Aris and the Yonkers Tribune by former fire commissioner John Darcy was dismissed in 2018. They are also among the defendants in a defamation lawsuit brought last year by former Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader, who claims he lost a re-election bid after he was targeted for retribution by Mayor Mike Spano and others.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Blue Truth blog reaches defamation settlement over Yonkers cop posts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during his visit to Sweden on Saturday.

Source: European Pravda

Details: Swedish media reports Kristersson met Zelenskyy at Harpsund, his country residence. The Ukrainian delegation included several ministers, but it is not specified exactly who they were.

On the Swedish side, Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, Foreign Trade Minister Johan Forssell, Civil Protection Minister Karl-Oskar Bolin and Defene Minister Pal Jonson are participating in the talks.

Zelenskyy announced talks with the Swedish Prime Minister and underlined that the main priority would be defence cooperation, particularly the "powerful" Swedish CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles.

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"Our soldiers are already effectively using them at the contact line. We also plan to produce CV-90s in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

Background: On Saturday morning, the president started a working visit to Sweden together with First Lady Olena Zelenska. There he will meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Charles XVI and Queen Silvia, Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlen and heads of parliamentary parties.

This is the first visit of the president of Ukraine to Sweden since the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. At the same time, Ulf Kristersson, Swedish Prime Minister, was in Kyiv in February of this year.

Ukrainska Pravda is the place where you will find the most up-to-date information about everything related to the war in Ukraine. Follow us on Twitter, support us, or become our patron!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said 12 children and about 80 adults have been injured in a Russian terrorist attack on the city of Chernihiv on Saturday, 19 August. Seven civilians have been killed, including a child whose mother is in critical condition.

Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson , broadcast by the Swedish media outlet SVT

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Russia launched a missile attack on Chernihiv this morning, right on the citys central square  right where there are ordinary houses. Just where the city theatre is. Many people were in the city theatre and on the street.

Over 90 people were injured, including 12 children. They were just out walking in the square with their parents. At the moment, 7 people were reportedly killed, including a 6-year-old child whose mother is in critical condition in intensive care.

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I would like to express my condolences to those who have lost family and friends in this blatantly terrorist Russian attack."

Details: President Zelenskyy noted that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson had also expressed condolences to the Ukrainian people at the beginning of their meeting.

Background:

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Saturday an official visit to Sweden with First Lady Olena Zelenska.

Source: Zelenskyy on Telegram, as European Pravda reports

Details: Zelenskyy said that he will meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson , King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia , Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen and heads of parliamentary parties in Sweden.

Quote: "Extensive Ukrainian-Swedish negotiations. I would like to personally thank Sweden for supporting our struggle for freedom and independence," the president emphasised.

Zelenskyy clarified that the negotiations in Sweden will be devoted to military aid, the development of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the defence industry, the European integration of Ukraine, and security in the Euro-Atlantic space.

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This is the first visit of the President of Ukraine to Sweden since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia in February 2022. The last time Zelenskyy was abroad was in July to participate in the NATO summit in Vilnius.

Background: Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, visited Kyiv in February this year.

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that in the next two days he would negotiate with "several" states to provide Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets.

Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The head of state explained that Ukraine needs Western fighters, because now Russia has an advantage in the air, which also allows it to advance on the ground.

Quote: "We have no advantage in the sky. We don't have modern aircraft. And the Swedish Gripen is the pride of your state. And I believe that the Prime Minister could share such pride with Ukraine. We are working on this, we have taken substantial steps," he said.

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Zelenskyy, without specifying, added that for several weeks "there will be certain actions, which, I very much believe, will reveal the possibility of obtaining suitable aircraft in the future."

"Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow I will have negotiations with several more states. And I am sure that we, together with our partners, will do everything and achieve an appropriate result in the sky so that the Russians do not have the corresponding advantage," the president concluded.

He did not specify with which states he would negotiate with.

Background:

In July, Ukraine signed a memorandum with 11 of its partner states at the NATO Summit in Vilnius. The memorandum defines the conditions of Ukrainian pilots training on the F-16s.

Earlier, Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States, confirmed Washington's approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete their training.

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Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), has said a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff will soon be held to discuss protection of Ukraine's power grid security in winter.

Source: Danilov in an interview with Ukrainian Radio

Quote: "This issue is under control.

I'll tell you a little secret: The Ukrainian president has set a task for the next meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff to hear a report on this matter from the Prime Minister [Denys Shmyhal], Energy Minister [Herman Halushchenko], Deputy Prime Minister [Oleksandr] Kubrakov, [Yurii] Shchyhol (Chief of Ukraine's State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection  ed.) and everybody else involved in this issue.

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This subject will be discussed during the next Staff meeting  by the way, it will be the jubilee, the 100th one  which will be held shortly."

Details: This was Danilov's response to whether Ukraine was ready for the winter season of 2023-2024 and how well its power facilities were protected so far.

The NSDC Secretary believes that this year, Russia will again attempt to use attacks on Ukraine's power industry to "get on the nerves" of Ukrainians, although the country is now better prepared to meet these challenges.

Quote: "We are much better prepared now than in February 2022. Our power engineers already have experience of how to do such a complex job.

Keep in mind that this is not a simple task: the territory is large, and it is incredibly challenging to protect it entirely with physical defences. As for air defence, I am working on these issues day and night to boost the number of air defence weapons.

We are not saying we can protect everything, but it will be much better than last year."

Background: Last autumn and winter, the Russian forces regularly and intentionally targeted Ukraine's power facilities, including thermal and hydroelectric power plants (TPPs and HPPs) and substations. As of 22 November 2022, Russia had damaged almost all TPPs and HPPs in Ukraine using missiles. Russia pursued its attacks on Ukraine's power sector until February.

Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the CEO of Ukrenergo (national energy company), stated that the Ukrainian power grid suffered 40-50% damage during the winter, but 70% of the damaged facilities were operational by the end of May.

The power system is still undergoing recovery. Analysts expect the new season to be more challenging than the previous one, as the power system will not be fully rebuilt.

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Residents in Lynchburg and the surrounding areas can expect to see more college students walking campuses, as first-year and upperclassmen have officially moved in.

Throughout the week, upperclassmen, faculty and families helped students move their belongings into four area colleges and universities  Liberty University, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College and Sweet Briar College.

Newly announced president of Liberty University, Dondi Costin, called move-in day our Super Bowl.

This is the day weve been looking forward to, he said. When you can see thousands of students around the world, moving in, getting excited, talking to them about their hopes and dreams and the future that God has for them, theres nothing better.

Costin and Chancellor Jonathan Falwell walked around campus to greet parents and students Wednesday.

With his first fall semester at the university underway, Costin described the feeling of getting started as pre-game jitters.

Just talking to people  and hearing their stories, Im so looking forward to their dreams being brought to life by God almighty, he said.

Falwell said theres a sense of excitement with students as he walked around campus.

He said starting his first semester as chancellor is bittersweet.

My dad served as chancellor for so many years, he served as the pastor of Thomas Road  Ive been the pastor of Thomas Road now for almost 17 years; and now stepping into the role of chancellor for me, its kind of an emotional thing, he said.

The University of Lynchburg also welcomed first-year students during the week.

Aaron Basko, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications at the university, said seeing students walking around campus again has been great.

Its so neat to be able to talk to people and say  what are you really looking forward to and, what are your hopes and your dreams for your experience here, so, its really been great, Basko said.

Basko was named vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications in May after former vice president Michael Jones, who came to the college in 2014 and helped lead the institutions rebranding in 2018, retired.

Looking ahead to his first semester in the new role, Basko said the university is in an amazing place right now.

We have always had our focus on changing students lives, right  we feel like changing lives is what we do best for students; and I think were just really poised to do that really well, he added.

Randolph College students begin moving in Sunday, while Sweet Briar College first-year students began moving in Aug. 12, with returning students arriving throughout the weekend.

In a release from Randolph College, president Sue Ott Rowlands said she cannot wait to welcome first year students into the WildCat family.

This incoming class is filled with incredibly talented, diverse students, she added.

Students moving into the area this week hail from various places around the world.

Lauren Militello, freshmen at Liberty University whos majoring in digital marketing and advertising, drove from Chicago in what was a 14-hour road trip.

Militello said she is so excited to finally move in.

Ive been looking forward to this my entire year. So the fact that its actually happening its really surreal to me, she said.

Harrison Kulik, freshmen at Liberty University studying biochemistry, drove down with his family from Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. Kulik said he first learned about the college from family friends and when he was able to visit, he felt so at peace.

I came here and I felt this was the place that I was meant to be, he said.

His mother, Amy Kulik, said shes excited for him to have the opportunity to study science through a Christian lens and grow closer to God.

For him to really, really master science through Gods eyes and then be a light in that field is really, really exciting, she added.

Ryan Bambrick, a freshman at the University of Lynchburg, drove up from Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday.

Majoring in business, Bambrick said the swimming program at the university was one thing that intrigued him about the college.

Im really excited to swim and, in just the school itself, when I came and visited, it was a lot of fun. So Im just ready to be here, he said.

Wyatt Dacus, freshmen at University of Lynchburg majoring in environmental science, is from the same area. Dacus also is swimming for the university this year, but he said it was the campus that stood out to him.

Im looking forward to meeting new people, making new friends and working hard to grow as a person, he said.

The area colleges will begin fall classes in the coming week.
With safety on top of its mind during the 2023-24 school year, Lynchburg City Schools is looking to expand on its school security officer program, aiming to outfit 16 school buildings with security guards, the division unveiled during this weeks school board meeting.

According to Nick Caputo, head of LCS school security officer program, the need for the initiative stems from the Lynchburg Police Department not having designated student resource officers based out of elementary schools full-time.

Caputo said by not doing so, the school division has about 4,000 elementary students without the same level of protection as the middle and high school students. The program debuted in some LCS buildings last year, he said, with three SSOs already in the program.

While they may sound similar, the SSO program differs from the traditional SRO position.

SROs are employed by a local police department and reports to the local chief of police; while SSOs are individuals who are employed by and report to the local school board, and are responsible solely for ensuring the safety, security and welfare of all students, faculty, staff and visitors in their assigned school, Caputo said.

While some SRO officers could get pulled from their school duties during times where there are other critical needs in the police department, Caputo said that isnt the case for SSOs, who will be stationed specifically in the schools.

Our focus is the school and everything and everyone inside that school, he added.

SSOs are typically former or retired law enforcement officers, who are only allowed to be armed in schools if they have prior law enforcement experience, resigned in good standing and undergo specific training with local law enforcement to prepare them for the job, according to state code.

Deputy Superintendent for Operations and Strategic Planning Reid Wodicka said this week the big question the school division faces is whether or not to arm the SSOs in each building.

That is a significant change from where we are, Wodicka said about potentially arming the security guards. But we want to talk about some pros and cons in this decision and we want to be really intentional about how we develop this program and make sure that we set up a program that is of high quality for our community.

Caputo said the program has secured $600,000 per year for four years of the program, which is allocated to cover annual salaries, uniforms, equipment and training expenses.

A few of the training activities the SSOs must undergo from Lynchburg Police Department include firearms training, radio procedure training, active shooter emergency response, crisis intervention, threat assessment and emergency evacuation procedures training.

While an armed security guard on campus could come with a stigma, when asked by School Board Vice Chair Martin Day about the officers relationships with students, Caputo said its a good one.

The first thing we do, when they arrive, were there, he said. ... Im in the hallway, giving high-fives, fist bumps, if you got a couple of the fifth graders who are too cool for school, I kind of walk funny next to them and build that rapport, just so they can trust me.

With just three officers employed and 13 more needed to be fully-staffed, Caputo said they operate on a shared model for now, working out between the principals when their services are needed.

Currently, he said, he has two prospects who could potentially join the SSO program soon.

Wodicka said the division is working on a policy regarding the SSO program, which includes several of the above-listed stipulations about the officers carrying firearms.

No action was taken on the policy, as Wodicka said they are planning to take it back to the operations policy committee before returning to the full board for approval.

In the meantime, the division is fielding applications for SSOs on its human resources website. To apply, visit their website at lcsedu.tedk12.com/hire.
US, South Korea, and Japan on Friday agreed to deepen military and economic ties. In a landmark summit held at Camp David, leaders of the three nations also made their strongest collective condemnation yet of China's "dangerous and aggressive behaviour" in the South China Sea.

The summit by the Biden Administration brought together American allies South Korea and Japan, and aimed to present a unified front in the face of China's rise and the nuclear threats posed by North Korea.

The meeting was attended by American President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

According to the joint statement issued after the summit, the three nations have committed to 'promptly' consult each other during crises and to respond to regional challenges, provocations, and threats that may affect their shared interests collectively.

Furthermore, as per Reuters, they have announced plans for annual trilateral military training exercises and annual trilateral summits.

They will also be sharing real-time information on North Korea missile launches by the end of this year. ...continue reading
The Council Bluffs Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying suspects in a recent theft.

The suspects  one black male and two black females  are accused of taking merchandist from the Ulta Beauty store in Metro Crossing on Tuesday, Aug. 15.

That afternoon, the male stood at the front door while the females quickly loaded up a large amount of merchandise into large bags, according to a news release from Council Bluffs Police. All three suspects wore masks.

They fled the scene in a gray vehicle with no plates, police said.

The department provided the following surveillance camera images:

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Council Bluffs detectives at 712-328-4728 or to remain anonymous, they may call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.
A West Des Moines attorney accused of concocting a scheme to swindle the federal government is fighting the proposed revocation of his law license by citing his writings on ethics.

In January, the Grievance Commission of the Iowa Supreme Court recommended that the law license of David L. Leitner be revoked by the court. The recommendation was based on charges made by the Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Board in March 2022, accusing Leitner of 19 ethics violations related to four separate cases, and to an audit of client trust accounts.

In making that recommendation, the commission cited the potentially criminal act of helping a client hide assets from the federal government.

In recent months, Leitner has contested the commissions recommendation that his license be revoked, arguing that the disciplinary boards actions are abusive and have gone way too far. He has also argued that the board previously offered to resolve the case against him with a 60-day license suspension that he agreed to accept.

The board, however, has called this a blatant misrepresentation of the facts, and asserted that Leitner rejected the offer in writing, telling the board, I cannot survive financially without income for 60 days. The board also says Leitner deceptively omitted that correspondence when sharing with the commission information about the settlement offer.

In addition, the board says, new information about other ethics violations came to light after the offer was extended and so it notified Leitner in writing that the offer was withdrawn.

In contesting his proposed license revocation, Leitner has argued the Supreme Court should consider the fact that he has contributed to the legal profession by writing about ethics in various forums. The board counters that this claim is particularly eyebrow-raising when his misconduct involves financial fraud.

Board: Leitner effectively swindled the federal government

The board says that while Leitner stands accused of wrongdoing in four separate cases, his conduct in just one of those cases warrants a license revocation on its own.

Leitner, the board says, helped defraud the federal government by hiding a clients assets and taking active steps to keep the government from ever finding out the money existed. Leitner, the board says, effectively swindled the federal government out of money that it rightfully should have possessed.

The case in question involves Leitners representation of Iowa seed dealer Marvin Mitchell and the creation of a limited liability company called Foodprairie. In 2007, Mitchell was convicted of bankruptcy fraud and sentenced to 18 months in prison after it was found that he had hidden assets from creditors by creating various business entities just before he declared bankruptcy.

In 2013, while still owing at least $70,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and with federal liens against his properties, Mitchell allegedly hired Leitner to create Foodprairie and had Leitner declare himself to be the managing member of the corporation. Mitchell was selling seed at that time and allegedly routed his income from the business to Foodprairie where he could access the money while concealing it from the federal government.

The creation of a company to hide assets could be criminal and certainly fraudulent, dishonest (and) deceitful, the disciplinary board said. The whole point of Leitners Foodprairie scheme was to deprive the federal government of the funds to which it had rights.

The other matters cited by the Attorney Disciplinary Board and the Grievance Commission include:

Altered documents: In a divorce case, Leitner allegedly made undisclosed alterations to a custody agreement. A district court judge then determined Leitner and his client had engaged in fraud by modifying the agreement, finding there was a specific intent to deceive. The board alleges various statements Leitner made to the district court in that case were knowingly false.

Conflict of interest: Leitner, at various times, represented both sides in a legal conflict that involved a contractual dispute. Leitner allegedly tried to conceal his involvement in one aspect of the case by preparing a document that he then had a client sign.

Violating court orders: In a civil case, a district court judge entered an order prohibiting Leitner from having any direct contact with a woman who had her own attorney and was subject to guardianship and conservatorship proceedings. Leitner allegedly violated that order and was sanctioned by the court for contacting the woman.

Client trust account: An audit of Leitners client trust account allegedly revealed negative balances of more than $5,000. Leitner allegedly collected $1,000 from a client as advance payment for legal fees, but did not deposit the money into the clients trust account.

Leitner could not be reached for comment Thursday, but in filings related to the proposed license revocation, he argued he had been open and had offered great assistance to the disciplinary boards investigators. I was being as honest and open as I could be, he told the Grievance Commission. I know its foolish to try and make stuff up or hide things because then you just dig yourself a hole.

His attorney has argued Leitner should receive, at most, the 60-day suspension with automatic reinstatement, as offered by the board and accepted by him.

The court has yet to rule on the Grievance Commissions recommendation.

Leitner, 67, graduated from the University of Iowa Law School in 1979 and began practicing law that same year. He has no prior history of disciplinary action.
State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations during the past four weeks, including unsanitary kitchens, expired food and a lack of running water.

One popular eastern Iowa restaurant was repeatedly cited for unsanitary kitchen conditions, prompting a county inspector to warn the management that additional violations could result in the business being shut down. At a small, northeast Iowa cafe, an inspector found eggs from a home-based chicken operation that were contaminated with feces. The inspector also reported finding pork livers marked not for sale.

In addition, a central Iowa buffet was cited for numerous new violations despite a history that includes rodents, ants, mold and chicken that was adulterated with a disposable glove mixed into the food.

The findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, stores, schools, hospitals and other businesses over the past four weeks.

The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a snapshot in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment. For a more complete list of all inspections, along with additional details on each of the inspections listed below, visit the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing website.

Steak & Shake, 5229 Elmore Ave., Davenport  During a July 27 visit, a Scott County Health Department inspector cited the restaurant for numerous areas throughout the facilitys kitchen that had a buildup of grime, soil, dirt and food debris. The inspector made specific note of the interior of the microwave oven, the interior of both reach-in freezers, the interior shelving of the walk-in cooler, the dispensing nozzle of the whipped cream machine, and numerous condiment bottles that were placed in a clean-storage bin. All surfaces require additional cleaning, the inspector reported.

The inspector also reported that the eaterys dishwashing machine was not properly sanitizing items either through heat or chemicals. Several pans of noodles prepared earlier in the week were found in the walk-in cooler without any date markings to ensure freshness and safety. Also, spoons used for milkshake preparation were stored in glasses of standing water at room temperature and needed to be washed, rinsed and sanitized. The inspector noted that refrigerator doors, kitchen floors, cooler fans, faucet handles, drawer fronts, shelves and the ice cream machine, as well as a flavor-burst dispensing system, had a buildup of grime.

All equipment requires additional cleaning, the inspector reported. The visit was in response to a complaint regarding a lack of working restrooms. In her report, the inspector didnt indicate whether the complaint was deemed verified but stated that the restrooms are now in working order.

On Aug. 7, the inspector returned to the restaurant and cited the business for additional violations. Facility corrected a couple of the out-of-compliance items from the last inspection, she reported, but the majority of violations were still observed 10 days later during todays full-facility physical reinspection. Numerous areas throughout the establishment were still observed with a buildup of grime, soil, dirt and food debris  All food-contact surfaces require additional cleaning.

The inspector warned the restaurant that if the violations werent corrected by the time of the next inspection further action may be taken, up to and including closure.

Dianes Cafe, 105 E. Main St., Hawkeye  During an Aug. 15 visit, a Black Hawk County inspector cited the restaurant for having an expired food-safety certificate and noted that the person in charge appeared to be unaware of any food-safety requirements. The inspector noted that eggs had been left out on a counter unrefrigerated due to the lack of available space in the refrigerator, which was full of eggs from a home-based chicken operation. The eggs were unwashed and had excessive fecal debris on them, the inspector reported.

The cafe was also making use of home-canned vegetables for customers meals, and there were pork livers marked not for sale inside one refrigerator. In addition, there was potato salad, melon slices, pasta salad and other items that were time sensitive but had no makings on them to indicate the date of preparation or the date of expiration.

Also, there were two roasting pans of cooked beef knuckles, and a pan of meatloaf or some other dish that had been left sitting out with no temperature control. The fryer and the kitchen shelves were described as dirty, as were the walls and the floors behind the grill. The establishment is using a lot of self-canned foods, the inspector reported, adding that the rings on the cans are very rusted. Multiple badly dented cans  which can lead to food being contaminated with high-risk bacteria  were found on the shelves, having been purchased from a local discount store.

Louis Brothers Family Style BBQ, 3315 Vine Ave., Sioux City  During an Aug. 15 visit, an inspector from the Siouxland District Health Department cited the management of this food truck for preparing food at home in an unlicensed facility. The inspector also noted that the food truck had no certified food protection manger on staff as required. In addition, there was no hot water available in the food truck. The staff told the inspector that food  including funnel-cake mix, coleslaw and pork butt  was prepared and stored at home inside a private residence, with the meats cooked on a smoker and then cooled at home in a freezer.

At that point, the owner arrived and told the inspector that all of the food was prepared on site, in the food truck, and his staff did not know the facts of the situation. The inspector reported that he discussed the matter with the owner who agreed to discard all of the food that had been prepared off site. Containers of pork butt, pulled pork and funnel-cake mix were discarded due to product being prepared in home, the inspector reported.

The inspector also noted that the floor, where food was being stored, was visibly soiled with dirt and debris, as were the shelves, and the report of the most recent inspection of the food truck was not posted. Due to history of violations, and violation of duties of the person in charge, the establishment will be required to obtain a certified food protection manager by February 2024, the inspector reported.

Sweet Carolines, 316 Main St., Ames  During an Aug. 15 visit, a state inspector cited the establishment for holding several food products, including steak sauce and pickled onions, longer than the maximum of seven days. The inspection was tied to an illness complaint that was deemed unverified.

Hy-Vee Foods, 3285 Crosspark Road, Coralville  During an Aug. 14 visit, a Johnson County Public Health Department inspector cited the store for failing to hold all refrigerated foods at 41 degrees or colder. The inspector reported crab that was measured at 47 degrees, spicy shrimp that was 46 degrees, and salmon that was 46 degrees, all of which were discarded.

The inspector also noted that a portion of the sushi cooler was unable to hold foods below 41 degrees and the food thermometer at the Hy-Chi station, for Chinese food, was not functioning. In addition, the water heaters used to supply the kitchen and bakery with hot water for the high-heat dishwashing machines were not able to provide any hot water at the time of the inspection. The inspector also noted that only one page of the previous inspection report was posted for customers to read.

The visit was in response to an illness complaint involving a customer who claimed to have become sick after consuming a meal at the store. The inspectors report gives no indication as to whether the complaint was deemed verified, but the inspector noted the manager was unaware of the complaint, there had been no ill employees and no loss of power or water around the time of the complainants food purchase.

Gringos Cafe and Catering, 210 3rd Ave., Cedar Rapids  During an Aug. 14 visit, a Linn County Public Health Department inspector observed employees failing to wash their hands and saw one employee chopping cooked chicken that was prepared the previous evening and which was measured at 56 degrees room temperature. The inspector also made note of cooked taco meat and other cooked food items that were stored in zip-closure bags with no date markings to ensure freshness and safety  a repeat violation.

Jesses Mart, 412 E. Locust St., Davenport  During an Aug. 14 visit, a Scott County Health Department inspector cited the store for failing have an active person in charge to ensure proper cooking temperatures are achieved.

The inspector reported that fryer baskets had an excess of food debris in them, the tongs used to place hot food items on plates were soiled from the previous days food service; the Pepsi soda machine and the chute where ice is dispensed each had an excess buildup of grime, and there were no paper towels at the sink designated for handwashing.

Also, windshield-wiper fluid was stored directly above beverages; there was no thermometer on hand to measure the internal cooking temperature of food; several boxes of seasoned breading were stored on the ground in the back kitchen; there was no test kit on hand to measure the concentration of sanitizing solution used in the kitchen; the doors of the stainless steel cooler were soiled with an excess of food debris, and the fryer filters were soiled with an excess of grease buildup.

The inspector reported that the visit was in response to a non-illness complaint, but its not clear whether the inspector determined the complaint was verified.

Valentina Mexican Food Truck, 301 W. Broadway St., Eagle Grove  During an Aug. 14 visit to this food truck, a state inspector found the person in charge was unable to demonstrate any knowledge of safe-food practices. In addition, the inspector reported that the food truck staff was unable to wash, rinse or sanitize any dishes in the unit due to the absence of running water. This also meant the food handler was unable to wash their hands when changing tasks, the inspector reported.

Also, the inspector observed cooked ground beef sitting on raw meat, which resulted in the cooked meat being discarded, and there were no thermometers available on the food-prep table or in the refrigerator. Due to the risk created by the lack of running water, the food truck staff agreed to temporarily shut down operations until water service was restored.

African General Grocery Store, 1411 Pierce St., Sioux City  During an Aug. 11 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector noted that the staff is not washing any dishes. The dishwashing sinks were covered and blocked with personal debris items, the inspector reported. In addition, the inspector noted that the packaged butter offered for sale had no labels or identifying information on it and the store had no invoices or receipts to indicate its origin. The staff said only that the butter came from Minnesota. It was discarded during the inspection.

Hy-Vee Foods, 802 S. Center St., Marshalltown  During an Aug. 11 visit, a state inspector cited the store for storing raw hamburger patties and raw bratwurst over ready-to-drink lemonade and tea, and storing raw ground turkey and raw chicken over bacon and raw pork, creating a risk of cross-contamination. In addition, the whole chickens displayed in a rotisserie-style, hot-holding case were measured at 125 to 127 degrees, which was not hot enough to ensure safety.

Also, there were multiple pans that had a buildup of food debris on them, despite being stored on a shelf designated for clean items. The inspector noted that some clean items were being stored near a garbage can where food and debris were discarded, and there was frost buildup on packages of food in the walk-in freezer. Also, clean equipment and utensils were being stored adjacent to soiled equipment and where they were exposed to overspray from the sinks and dishwashing machine.

La Finca, 916 W. 2nd St., Davenport  During an Aug. 10 visit, a Scott County Health Department cited this restaurant for 18 violations, an extraordinarily high number. Among the issues: Mouse droppings were found throughout the facility, including the storage area and the interior of cabinets near the cash register; employees were not properly washing their hands and were observed handling homemade tortilla shells with their bare hands, and raw chicken was stored in a pan directly on top of another pan holding beef, creating a risk of cross-contamination.

Also, several pans of tamales were stored on the floor of a walk-in freezer; several boxes of tortilla chips were stored on the ground in a rear storage room; steak, chicken, pork, and chorizo meats used for tacos were left sitting out at room temperature, at 56 to 80 degrees after being cooking earlier that same morning; and a large pot containing pork that was cooked several hours earlier was left sitting out at room temperature, with the pork measured at 80 degrees.

Also, a large pan of ground beef prepared the previous day was in a cooler holding at 45 to 47 degrees and had to be discarded; a cooler in the meat department was holding products at 43 to 50 degrees, which was too warm to ensure safety; refried beans in a large stock pot were holding at 43 to 44 degrees and had to be discarded; the interior of the meat cooler had a buildup of food debris and soil; the interior of another cooler was soiled with excess food debris, and a separate cooler was soiled with raw chicken juice.

The manager reported that the meat grinder was typically used in the morning but not cleaned until that same evening, and a food dicer was stored on a shelf with leftover bits of raw fish clinging to it.

In addition, a pan of potato and chorizo mixture was stored on top of a crate in the kitchen beside an open trash can; several pieces of equipment  including a meat grinder and tortilla press  had duct tape on them, making them difficult to sanitize; there was no hot water available at the kitchen handwashing sink or at the hand sink in the mens restroom, and the storage-room floor was soiled with food debris and dirt.

The visit was in response to an illness complaint from a customer who claimed to have become sick after eating at the establishment. The inspectors report does not state whether the complaint was deemed verified. Due to the number of violations, a risk-control plan was developed between the facility and the health department to address any long-term issues.

In October 2022, inspectors noted the person in charge at the restaurant was unaware of how to sanitize and the need to do so. At that time, the business was also cited for a pan of cow intestines that measured 89 degrees roughly 11 hours after it was placed in a cooler. The inspector also noted the presence of house-made sauces that were expired or had inaccurate labels as to their date of preparation, with the staff explaining that they just wrote numbers on the labels. The inspector also made note of the presence of cockroach-like insects in the kitchen.

International Buffet, 901 E. Euclid Ave., Des Moines  During a July 21 visit, a state inspector cited the eatery for 11 violations, an unusually high number. The inspector reported that he watched as the owner picked up a soiled cutting board with an ant crawling on it and rinsed it with water, using no soap or sanitizing solution, and then returned the board to a table for cutting raw chicken.

The inspector also noted a buildup of mold on the ice-dispensing chute near the soda fountain and a buildup of debris on a food-preparation table. Cooked noodles made the previous day had yet to cool to 41 degrees or colder and had to be discarded; multiple cooked meats were measured at 115 to 130 degrees and were discarded; the dishwashing machine had no measurable amount of chlorine sanitizing solution in it, and the handwashing sink in the kitchen was obstructed with items stored in the basin.

Also, cooked zucchini fritters on the buffet were measured at 108 degrees and were discarded; raw frozen chicken was left to sit in standing water; there was no probe-style food thermometer on the premises; ants were observed on a cutting board near the rear door, and customer restrooms were not equipped with soap.

Last October, the state inspector concluded the person in charge was not fulfilling their duties as evidenced by the extent of the violations found at that time. At the buffet line, a cooked dish with shrimp, vegetables and imitation crab was visibly adulterated with what appeared to be spoilage, the inspector reported, adding that the interior of several salt-shakers on dining room tables were soiled with what appeared to be foreign debris. Inside a cooler, the inspector found a container of chicken adulterated with a disposable glove mixed into the food.

On the buffet line, several foods  including General Tso chicken that was measured at 120 degrees, chicken wings that were measured at 97 degrees, and cooked mushrooms that were measured at 100 degrees  had to be pulled from the line and reheated to at least 165 degrees. Several cold items, including raw shrimp, cooked seafood and cut lettuce, were too warm and had to be discarded.

Multiple flying insects, including what appeared to be flies and gnats, were observed throughout the facility  specifically, they were concentrated around the dining room beverage station area and the kitchen soda fountain area, the inspector reported, adding that the underside of the buffet tables were visibly soiled with what appeared to be rodent droppings. There was what appeared to be a dead rodent behind the water heater, the inspector added.

Inspections in November 2022, February 2023 and May 2023 resulted in additional violations.

Cellar 19 Wine & Deli, 425 2nd St., Cedar Rapids  During an Aug. 9 visit, a Linn County Public Health Department inspector noted that one cooler was holding food  including cooked potato, feta cheese, artichoke dip, chicken and hummus  at 45 degrees to 56 degrees, which was too warm to ensure safety. The food was discarded. Also, some food items had expiration-date markings that indicated they should have already been discarded  including cooked meatballs that were dated July 31, sliced deli beef that was dated July 27, and potato salad that was dated July 17.

Mongolian Buffet, 1620 S. Kellogg Ave., Ames  During an Aug. 9 visit, a state inspector noted that the grilled salmon was in a hot-holding unit at 113 degrees  not warm enough to ensure its safety  and had to be discarded. Also, there were numerous refrigerated foods that were well above the 41-degree maximum temperature, such as sprouts held at 62 degrees, tomatoes held at 58 degrees, corn held at 63 degrees, an egg mix held at 44 degrees, and chocolate pudding held at 55 degrees.

All of the food that was prepared more than four hours prior and was still holding at 42 degrees or warmer was discarded. The visit was performed after inspector received an illness complaint of some unspecified nature. The inspector deemed the complaint to be unverified.

1st & Main, 101 Main St., Dubuque  During an Aug. 8 visit, a City of Dubuque inspector cited the establishment for having no certified food protection manager on staff. He also noted that one of the coolers was holding food above the 41-degree maximum intended to ensure food safety, with chicken wings measured at 52 degrees and potato salad measured at 48 degrees. All of the food in the cooler was discarded. The inspector also noted that the cooked chicken, taco meat, pork, and sausage in one cooler were not marked with any dates. The items were discarded.

Hy-Vee Foods, 1201 12th Ave., Le Mars  During an Aug. 7 visit, a Siouxland District Health Department inspector cited the store for rotisserie chickens that were in a hot-holding case and which measured 119 to 124 degrees, which was not warm enough to ensure safety. The chickens were discarded.

The inspector also made note of sliced watermelon and shredded leafy greens that were held at 44 to 52 degrees, above the 41-degree maximum, and ice chutes in the customer self-service area of the convenience store that were visibly unclean.

A cooler in the convenience store had water dripping onto egg cartons and butter containers, and the leak also was leaving water on the floor behind the cooler. The inspector noted a buildup of some unspecified nature that had accumulated on various surfaces and along floors throughout the establishment.

Sol Agave, 721 E. 1st St., Grimes  During an Aug. 3 visit, a state inspector cited the restaurant for the lack of food-safety certification; a lack of cold water at a handwashing sink; a refrigerator that was holding food at 56 degrees rather than the maximum of 41 degrees, and ranch dressing that was dated July 21 and salsa that was dated July 23, both of which were past their expiration date.

The inspector also reported the lack of a food thermometer, and flies that were observed on both the main level and the basement. The inspector also made note of the basement ceiling where insulation and wires were left exposed, water that was pooling on the floor of a walk-in cooler, and a buildup of a black substance on the floor and walls of the basement. This visit was a pre-opening inspection triggered by a change in ownership. The application for a new license was not approved.

Caseys General Store, 316 2nd Ave., West Bend  During an Aug. 2 visit, a state inspector found that the temperature inside a cooler used by the staff for food preparation was 60 degrees and several food items had to be discarded, including deli turkey that was measured at 51 degrees, pizza ham that was measured at 51 degrees, and sausage that was measured at 47 degrees. Also, the soda-dispensing nozzles and the underside of the soda dispenser around the nozzles were visibly soiled. In addition, the handwashing sink in the kitchen was being used to store items.

The inspection was performed in the wake of a non-illness complaint alleging contaminated equipment. The manager indicated they were aware of the complaint and showed the inspector how the store cleaned its dough mixer once it had been used. The complaint was deemed unverified.

La Pacifica, 211 S. 9th St., Marshalltown  During a July 29 visit, a state inspector cited the food truck for cold food items that were not kept at 41 degrees or colder to ensure safety. Cut lettuce was held at 65 degrees, sliced tomatoes were measured at 58 degrees, shredded cheese was kept at 56 degrees and cooked meat was measured at 62 degrees. All of the items were discarded.

Zaika, 3209 Henry St., Bondurant  During a July 28 visit, a state inspector determined the person in charge was not fulfilling their duties as evidenced by the extent and severity of the violations. Inside a reach-in cooler there was water dripping from a drain tube onto pans of food, and sauces and gravies prepared the previous day had yet to cool sufficiently and were discarded after they were measured at 50 degrees.

Also, raw chicken, heavy cream, string cheese and other items in the cooler were measured at 50 to 55 degrees and had to be discarded. The inspector also concluded the establishment had no date-marking procedures in place for food items held more than 24 hours. In addition, a case of frozen chicken was being thawed at room temperature, and uncovered pots of food were being stored on the floor by a handwashing sink.

Cedar Rapids Country Club, 550 27th St., Cedar Rapids  During a July 20 visit, a Linn County Public Health Department inspector cited the establishment for undated half & half in a cooler; red onion vinaigrette that was dated June 17, almost a month prior; chicken salad that was dated July 11; and sliced turkey that was dated July 11.

Hot water for one dishwashing machine was measured at less than 110 degrees and there was no detectable amount of sanitizing solution being used in the machine. In addition, a blizzard machine was marred by dried food debris, as were trays and high-touch areas in the cabana area. The visit was prompted by a non-illness complaint regarding sanitation and cross contamination, with three of the identified issues being repeat violations. The complaint was deemed unfounded.

Hy-Vee Foods, 2900 Devils Glen Road, Bettendorf  During a July 20 visit, a Scott County Health Department inspector cited the store for improper food storage, with raw eggs stored on top of buttermilk containers, hot dogs stored below raw bacon and sausage, and packaged cheese stored on top of raw bacon and sausage, creating a risk of cross contamination  a repeat violation.

The inspector also found prepared fried chicken pieces on the Hibachi grill line that measured 113 to 121 degrees, and prepared crab rangoon that measured 90 degrees, all of which were removed, sent to the kitchen, and reheated to 165 degrees. In addition, a refrigerator case containing cheesecake, cannoli and cream puffs was holding foods at temperatures between 44 and 46 degrees rather than the maximum of 41 degrees.

The inspector also reported finding a container of meat sauce in the Market Grille walk-in cooler that was dated July 4, more than two weeks prior to the inspection. The sauce was discarded. The inspector also made note of shelves in the bakerys walk-in cooler that had a buildup of soil, which was a repeat violation. In addition, bottles of chemicals were being stored above single-service food containers and crushed red pepper in the Hibachi/Italian food areas.

Through conversation with the sushi staff, the inspector learned that some of the packaged sushi products were being improperly cooled and packaged before reaching 41 degrees or colder. Also, the vents and fan covers inside the refrigerators had an accumulation of dust, the walls of the bakerys walk-in cooler had a buildup of soil, and the flooring in the bakery area had a buildup of food debris.

Photos: 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes football media day Iowa Media Day 6 Iowa Media Day 7 Iowa Media Day 14
Kudos to the Iowa Department of Transportation for reopening Interstate 29 on time and on budget. The project, while an inconvenience to local motorists for the last two and a half years, will be a boon to Council Bluffs in the coming years.

Part of a $180 million multiyear reconstruction of the I-480/I-29/West Broadway interchange, the reopening of I-29 signifies the beginning of steps toward completion for a nearly $2 billion investment in the metro areas interstate system that began in 2008.

The interchange not only expedites interstate traffic through the region  it facilitates roughly 80,000 vehicles per day; expected by Iowa DOT to grow to 200,000 per day by 2030  it also further solidifies the connection between Council Bluffs and the greater Omaha metro.

It is now easier than ever to get to downtown Omaha from Council Bluffs, or, as the Council Bluffs community continues to create fun-filled family destinations on this side of the river, like Rivers Edge Park and The Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center, to Council Bluffs from Omaha.

Long considered by some to be Omahas little brother  even though Council Bluffs was established first, in 1853, while Omaha wasnt incorporated until 1857  Council Bluffs has fought to shed that image with a vibrant culture and personality all its own.

The unique sense of community is just one thing we love about Council Bluffs. Whether its the weekly farmers market along South Main Street or Bikes on the 100 Block, Council Bluffs welcomes visitors with open arms, and a robust interstate helps make it possible.

Many of us in in the metro area gather to complain about how construction in the Midwest never seems to end.

While the interchange might be open, theres still work to be done. Construction of the ramp from southbound I-29 to I-480 is expected to be finished by summer 2024, and the extension of I-80 from Madison Avenue to Franklin Avenue is expected to be finished by fall 2025.

With work underway along South Expressway Street near Interstate 80, and construction crews working to rebuild the Madison Avenue ramp to eastbound Interstate 80, there's certainly no shortage of interstate-related construction in Council Bluffs.

Still, we're happy to see an end in sight for a project that at times has felt like it may never be finished. It's a benefit to us all, and we're thankful that IDOT chose to invest in these resources.
NEW YORK (AP)  About 2 in 3 Americans say their household expenses have risen over the last year, but only about 1 in 4 say their income has increased in the same period, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Morocco has never considered to respond positively to the invitation to attend the BRICS/Africa meeting scheduled to be held in South Africa, or to take part in this meeting at any level whatsoever, an authorized source from the Foreign Ministry said, adding that Rabat advocates a multilateralism that does not divide.

Some media reports have recently alluded to a hypothetical bid by the Kingdom to join the BRICS group, as well as its possible participation in the next BRICS/Africa meeting, scheduled for August 24 in Johannesburg, South Africa. In response to these reports, the authorized source made it clear that this was not a BRICS or African Union initiative, but an invitation from South Africa, in its national capacity.

Morocco has not applied to join the BRICS and will not attend the BRICS-Africa meeting in South Africa, the authorized diplomatic source said, adding that Rabat advocates a multilateralism that does not divide.

The official denied the news circulating in the media citing South Africas foreign minister mentioning Morocco applied to join the grouping, formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Morocco does indeed maintain substantial and promising bilateral relations with the other four members of the Group, and is even linked to three of them by Strategic Partnership Agreements. However, the Kingdom has never formally applied for membership of the BRICS group, the diplomatic source said.

Moroccos future ties with the group are to be governed by the strategic directives of King Mohammed VI, the source said.

Morocco remains attached to a multilateralism that should not be used to encourage division or interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign States, nor should they create precedents that could, one day or another, turn against their initiators.

South African hostility

On the unilaterally organized BRICS-Africa meeting in South Africa later this month, the source said Morocco would not attend.

Its a meeting organized on the basis of a unilateral initiative by the South African government, says the same source, adding that Morocco has therefore assessed this invitation in the light of its strained bilateral relationship with this country.

South Africa has always shown a primary hostility towards the Kingdom, and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, he said.

Pretoria has thus multiplied, both nationally and within the African Union, its notoriously malicious actions against Moroccos higher interests, the diplomatic source said.

South African diplomacy is known for its sloppiness, improvised and unpredictable management when it comes to organizing this kind of event, it said.

As proof, the source adds, the deliberate and provocative breaches of protocol that marked Moroccos invitation to this meeting. Worse still, many countries and entities appear to have been invited arbitrarily by the host country, without any real basis or prior consultation with the other member countries of the BRICS Group.

It had thus become clear that South Africa was going to hijack this event from its nature and purpose, to serve a hidden agenda, says the same source, noting that Morocco consequently ruled out, from the outset, any favorable reaction to the South African invitation.
Photo: Yaroslav Sabitov/Shutterstock/Yaroslav Sabitov/Shutterstock

The Republican coalition isnt quite what it used to be. For decades, white college graduates gradually exited red America while non-college-educated whites drifted in. Donald Trumps nomination then accelerated this long-run trend, increasing the GOPs advantage with working-class whites in the secular north. In 2020, meanwhile, Trump made inroads with Hispanic voters, thinning the Democratic Partys margin with that heterogeneous demographic by 8 percentage points.

In a new analysis of survey data, the New York Times maps the contours of the contemporary Republican electorate. Some of its findings give conservatives cause for concern. The new GOP coalition has considerable internal ideological tensions. The party now derives 12 percent of its support from a group that the paper dubs blue-collar populists: a mostly northern, socially moderate, economically populist contingent whose attachment to Republican politics derives primarily from their rightwing views on race and immigration, and personal affection for Donald Trump. In the Electoral College, this constituency punches above its weight, as it is disproportionately concentrated in the Rust Belts battlegrounds.

A majority of this group supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. This aversion to bible-thumping moralism helped tie a segment of these voters to the Democratic Party before Trumps emergence. To the extent that the Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade increases the salience of reproductive rights, and Trumps eventual exit from GOP politics weakens blue-collar populists emotional identification with the party, Republicans could lose ground with them. Indeed, in last years midterm elections, Democrats performed better in heavily blue-collar Midwest states like Michigan and Pennsylvania than they did nationally.

But the New York Times-Siena College poll also gives Democrats some cause for anxiety. The survey suggests that nonwhite, working-class Americans are starting to vote more like their light-skinned peers. In 2020, nonwhite, non-college-educated voters backed Joe Biden over Trump by a 48-point margin. Today, this group backs by Biden by merely 16 points, according to the survey. This erosion in the Democrats support among nonwhite voters leaves Biden and Trump tied at 43 percent nationally.

The realignment of some nonwhite voters appears to be partially driven by self-identified conservatives cutting ties with the party of their parents in favor of the one best aligned with their social views. In the Times survey, three quarters of nonwhite, non-college-educated voters identified as moderate and conservative. Historically, the Democratic Party has relied on the support of Hispanic and (especially) Black voters who lean right on most policy questions but whose racial identities and familial attachments have tethered them to blue America. In 2020, Democrats bled many such voters, as Trump won over right-leaning Latinos. The Times survey suggests a continuation of this trend.

More surprisingly, the poll suggests that Republicans are winning a non-negligible percentage of young, nonwhite voters with left-of-center views on public policy. According to the Timess Nate Cohn, eight percent of Republican voters are newcomers, a subset characterized by moderate-to-liberal views on economics, immigration, race, and social issues. Only about 60 percent of this group is white, and a quarter are younger than 30.

In their policy views, these voters resemble Democrats. Only a minority identify as conservative, and most support immigration reform and transgender rights. And yet they are strong Republican partisans and supporters of Donald Trump. The source of this allegiance is unclear. But of the six types of Republicans that Cohn identified, they were among the most emphatically anti- woke.

Graphic: The New York Times

Now, were looking at one small subset of voters from a single poll. The margin of error here is so high that the existence of this voter group could be illusory. But it does seem possible that, among a sliver of Americas youngest voters, the most overbearing forms of progressive discourse have acquired more political salience than concrete questions of public policy.

Regardless, there has long been reason to worry that the Democratic Party would struggle to perpetually maintain its landslide margins among nonwhite voters in general, and Black ones in particular. Keeping 90-plus percent of any subgroup united in one partisan camp takes work. The reason Democrats have managed to perennially win that high of a share of African-American voters  despite considerable ideological and attitudinal diversity within that demographic  is not that each individual African-American Democrat concluded that the GOP was hostile to people like them through their own personal ruminations on current affairs. Rather, as political scientists Ismail K. White and Cheryl N. Laird argue in their book, Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior, the Black bloc vote is a product of racialized social constraint  which is to say, the process by which African-American communities internally police norms of political behavior through social rewards and penalties. In their account, the exceptional efficacy of such norm enforcement within the Black community reflects the extraordinary degree of Black social cohesion that slavery and segregation fostered.

If this thesis is correct, then it would follow that the erosion of African-Americans social isolation, and the declining cultural influence of community institutions such as the Black church, would weaken racialized social constraint, and thus narrow the Democratic Partys margin with Black voters. And it is plausible that a similar phenomenon might occur within Hispanic communities with longtime ties to the Democrats.

In such a scenario, one thing wed expect to see is more political diversity among younger non-white voters, who came of age at a time of greater social atomization and racial integration, and are less likely to regularly attend church or have an ethnically homogenous social world. This relaxation of ethnic social constraints could make it easier for ideologically conservative nonwhites to support the Republican Party. But it could also introduce more random variation into the voting behavior of younger, nonwhite Americans. Uncompelled by ancestral partisan attachments, some voters may be more likely to heed idiosyncratic (or irrational) political impulses, such as those that would compel a self-identified liberal to support Donald Trump.

As noted above, there are plenty of political trends that look favorable for Democrats, above all the exceptional liberalism of the Zoomer and Millennial generations writ large. But if Trump does manage to win reelection next year, theres a good chance that nonwhite voters loosening attachments to their inherited partisan identities will be a big part of the story.
A legislative effort to place deadlines on the responses to public records requests by Alabama agencies failed in what open-government advocates see as another blow to transparency in a state ranked low in complying with requests.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed an executive order in January 2023 addressing issues in the states open records law involving timely responses and costs. The order directed all state agencies to be more responsive, creating a 15-busines day window after which the agencies could ask for an additionally 15 days, and capping costs at $20 per hour and a flat $20 fee.

The momentum from Iveys order led directly into the passing of SB 196 by the Alabama Senate, sending it to the Alabama House of Representatives. The bill would require custodians of records to acknowledge receiving the request no more than 10 business days after it is sent it, and then, no more than 20 days after the request, the officials would have to respond with approval or denial.

However, the bill died on the last day of the 2023 legislative session, without the Alabama House of Representatives voting on it. Felicia Mason, executive director of the Alabama Press Association, said that the governors legal team did not agree with the finite timeline to produce a public record in a statement emailed to Alabama Reflector.

I would say, compared to other states. We dont have a very good open records law, Associate General Counsel for the Alabama Press Association J. Evans Bailey said. There arent any deadline for requests written into the statute and so the government can, theoretically, sit on a request for an unlimited period of time.

Bailey also serves as shareholder for Rushton, Stakely, Johnston, & Garrett, and was also tasked with updating the Alabama Open Government Guide, which is an in-depth document published by the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press.

In 2019, a researcher with the University of Arizona conducted a study on the responsiveness to public records request. According to data collected from 2014-2017, Alabama was 51st in compliance with public records requests.

The study defined compliance as the percentage of MuckRock requests that each state agency completed, and Alabama had a compliance rate of just 10%. Additionally, the state averaged 76 days to respond.

While the bill failed, Bailey said there were other glaring issues in Alabamas open records law that it did not address, such as fees.

The Attorney General has said that the government is entitled to reasonable cost of reproducing a record. But what reasonable means is kind of in the eye of the beholder, Bailey said. Without a structured fee schedule, a lot of times, government agencies will quote unreasonable, astronomical fees for reproducing records as a means of kind of discouraging requests or trying to avoid responding to a request.

While the rules for public records requests could change in the near future, Opelika City Clerk Russell Jones has been working to improve accessibility to Opelika City Government documents and in March, 2023, Jones launched a brand new public records request website.

While the previous method complied with state law, it was a complicated process with several unnecessary steps and for Jones, he wanted wanted to help the citizens of Opelika and supply them with the necessary information related to their requests and searches.

Transparency is very important to us at the city of Opelika. We want to be open about anything that anybody needs as far as records, Jones said. Thats not just something that we get passed down from the legislature or Freedom of Information Act, thats something that we want.

All public records requests done through the city of Opelika are free of charge according to Jones, unless the request requires a significant amount of paper to be printed, in which case Jones would notify the requestor of the cost upfront. Copies of the Opelika Police reports are $10 each.

David Dorton is the director of Public Affairs for the City of Auburn, and while his title is different from Jones, he serves in a lot of the same roles as his counterpart in Opelika. Dortons department handles public records requests and he said the city is looking into a more digital process.

Were always working to improve these processes and transparency, so that process will become more digital, Dorton said.

Copies of Auburn public records cost $0.25 per page and include an extra $20 per hour fee if it takes more than an hour for an employee to complete. As Dorton and his team continue to improve their own process, the potential changes at the state level are something they keep an eye on.

Weve been following very closely what happens in the state legislature, what theyve talked about with public records law, Dorton said. And were certainly ready to adjust for whatever changes they might make.

Alabamas open records law has a clear outline of what is exempt from public disclosure. According to the public records request policy on the Alabama Department of Revenue website, ongoing criminal investigations, tax returns and financial statements are all of restricted records.

However, that distinction of ongoing criminal investigations changed significantly in 2021 when Lagniappe, a Mobile weekly news outlet, filed a lawsuit after a request for records related to the 2017 shooting of Jonathan Victor was denied by the Baldwin County Sheriffs office. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled against Lagniappe and said that the investigative-privilege exemption applied due to all records relating to a criminal investigation.

Basically the majority of the Alabama Supreme Court said that the public is not entitled to investigative records from law enforcement. Youre entitled to the basic facts, who, what, where, when, but anything beyond that, regardless of the source, is protected from disclosure under the act, Bailey said

Bailey remains hopeful that change will come to the law, but the Supreme Courts decision combined with the way SB 196 ended has caused some doubt to emerge.

I think theres a middle ground somewhere that is good for the public and good for law enforcement that we can work out. But for one reason or another, theres just doesnt seem to be much interest in changing the statute or changing the law, Bailey said.
Local government agencies from the city councils to the boards of education play a significant role in ensuring that its residents needs have been met.

The Alabama Open Meetings Act states, preliminary agendas must be posted as soon as practicable in the same location or manner as the meeting notice, and both municipalities abide by that law. Local agencies who have to follow that act include the Auburn City Council, Auburn City Schools Board of Education, Opelika City Council and the Opelika City Schools Board of Education.

Auburn City Council and Opelika City Council have up-to-date minutes and agendas. Auburn citizens can find the minutes and agendas on the City of Auburns website. Once you get on the website, the information will be in the City Council section. People may access the meetings in person. The meetings are also streamed and posted on YouTube.

Many public records from the City of Auburn can be viewed for free on the citys website. The website also provides a public records request form, which people can fill out if they want access to any public record thats not available online. If people want access to records such as contours, city limits or zoning information, they can visit the Auburn Community Data Site.

Auburn strives to make public information as available to the public as possible

The Auburn City Council officially does the business of the city. They want to make sure their meetings are easily accessible to the public, whether theyre at home, in their car or elsewhere. Council meetings are held on Friday afternoons.

Auburn Mayor Ron Anders said the most important thing they did to ensure transparency is alter the city council meetings by allowing more opportunities for people to speak.

There are certainly public hearings, which theyve always had. We give people an opportunity at the beginning of each meeting to talk about an item on the agenda. It gives people an opportunity at the end of the meeting to talk to us about anything going on, Anders said. Weve also made our meetings available through radio where you can listen to our meetings, or you can watch it on either YouTube or Facebook.

In March 2022, Auburns City Council launched the Citizens Academy program, which teachs Auburn residents about the inner workings of their city governments departments and boards.

We do somewhat of the same program for public safety, but we arent just about public safety, Anders said. We are considering bringing back one for planning to understand how we do our planning, and then were also conducting a neighborhood conference.

The neighborhood conference serves as a way for neighborhood leaders and Homeowner Association leaders to come in and understand what kind of decisions the city makes that impact the neighborhoods and what they can ask for support from the city if they need it related to their neighborhood.

I think its very important for this council to make our information as available to the public as possible, Anders said. I believe that we have done what we were asked to do, and we have done it well.

Opelika residents can find the Opelika City Councils minutes and agendas on the City of Opelika website. Its fairly easy to navigate. The meetings arent held in person, but they are streamed and uploaded on YouTube. On the website, people can search applications and fees to access the planning department review information, temporary use applications and the planning fee schedule.

Residents can get alerts about the city sent to their phone

Residents can subscribe to the eNotifier on the City of Auburns website to get immediate information that tells people when something is happening.

Opelika has an alert center as well called Notify Me. People can subscribe to emails and/or text messages. They can also unsubscribe whenever they want.

The City of Opelika also has grams" target="_blank">various community programs such as Citizens Police Academy, Youth Camp, Crime Prevention Surveys, Neighborhood Watch, Drug Awareness Talks, Pre-K Activities, Crisis Youth Intervention and McGruff.

Both Auburn and Opelikas Board of Education have up-to-date minutes and agendas on Simbli Board Meeting Management. Simbli is a cloud-based collaboration tool that allows users to manage meetings, planning sessions, board policy and performance evaluations. The meetings are in person, and they are not televised.

Currently, Opelikas Simbli has its regular board meeting minutes from January 24 to July 25 available. Auburns Simbli has available minutes from July 12, 2016, to June 13.
Well, orcas can't be everywhere at once.

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They're delegating now.



Orcas eat otters right? Maybe they struck a deal.

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Climate right now is definitely showing who is the boss (until Musk creates a "geostorm" station around the globe to "control/customize" the weather like in the movie ffs)



I so wish wildlife and nature could take over and reclaim AF without setbacks...Climate right now is definitely showing who is the boss (until Musk creates a "geostorm" station around the globe to "control/customize" the weather like in the movie ffs) via GIPHY

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And who was she on Succession?



C'MON!







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Some character named Lauren Pawson - could not pick her out of a lineup lol

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The otters did!

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the google tells me she was in the election night episode, so i'm guessing a small part. I did an image search to see if i'd recognize her character and lol all i got was  apparently the otters made her more famous than HBO

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if you're trying to figure out who she was on the show, she was in one episode of succession

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I hate when articles about actors do this

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I do, too. Granted, as a journalist, I get why they do it (search engine optimization, get people to click and read whenever they Googled "Succession"), but it's annoying.



I read an article on how like 19 Game of Thrones "stars" were now in the MCU, and really, they should have said actors or cast members.

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I hate to say it, I hope I don't sound ridiculous, I don't know who this woman is... I mean, she could be walking down the street and I wouldn't know a thing. Sorry to this woman.

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The otters remember Succession's election night and they haven't forgiven



Edited at 2023-08-19 05:15 pm (UTC)

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Is that them kissing in the first one 

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Ohhhh yeah!!  I miss them  



Edited at 2023-08-19 02:08 pm (UTC)

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I like how he had to state how hot she was every time he was asked about her

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pls they dangerous I guess but WHY ARE THEY SO CUTE

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When they hook arms not to drift apart when sleeping!  via GIPHY

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Those otters were like "get out of my house!"

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They were all coming for me, Finn said. It seemed rather orchestrated. And as soon as I was out of there, they seemed happy to bob along, go on their way. via GIPHY

Don't play victim, Karen, you were a threat in THEIR habitat...



Edited at 2023-08-19 01:56 pm (UTC) Don't play victim, Karen, you were a threat in THEIR habitat...

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We're not thugs, we're a jug band! 

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didnt even know there was an otter emoji omg  

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Put a hole in his mama's good wash tub and still didn't win 

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wtf did she do to piss them off so bad

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barged in their habitat... they got their shotguns out and screamed "this is a private property gtfo"...

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Otters observe Castle Law

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They can be very territorial in their habitats lol

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https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2014/4/24/5640890/otters-rape-baby-seals-monsters-bad Arent otters notoriously kinda evil? Theyre like murderous rapists

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She farted in the water

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I'm for the animals striking as well. The world is on fire and they know who's responsible.

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Sometimes I think they really do lol

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that photo of her is a little frightening

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They were just showing some love Crystal. (I do wonder if it was mating season or if there were babies nearby) They were just showing some love Crystal. (I do wonder if it was mating season or if there were babies nearby)

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Yea my first thought was babies.

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this post is a trip

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Male chimps are pretty bad too. Theyre like the colonizers of the animal kingdom.

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Chimps are vicious. Bonobos>>>>

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WTF I've always thought dolphins were the biggest assholes of the animal kingdom, I'm shook!

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Between your comment and the other replies, it's as though the problem has been and continues to be...men...?

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Lmao this whole thing was legit shocking to me - such an evil little critter!

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what the fuuuuckkkkk



they look so cute and innocent :(

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I'm sorry but this article is really undermined by every picture being heckin' adorable. even the one where it's attacking the clearly-in-agony alligator is kind of precious

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Tiny Guyana, a former British colony in South America of less than one million, is on the cusp of becoming a major global oil exporter. In as little as four years, the impoverished country, situated in the northeast of the Amazin, went from first discovery to first oil, an incredibly short time for the petroleum industry, and is now lifting an average of around 400,000 barrels per day. For this reason, Guyanas one-time flailing economy, which was hit hard by the 2020 pandemic, is booming. With more than 11 billion barrels of exploitable oil resources identified and over 35 discoveries to date, along with Exxon ramping up development of the offshore Stabroek Block, there are signs Guyanas oil industry and the economy will continue booming. This is provoking fears that Guyana will become vulnerable to the oil curse.

The oil curse is where a country becomes overwhelmed by the tremendous wealth generated by petroleum while ignoring other economic sectors in preference to maximizing the windfall delivered by oil. This typically leads to heightened political and economic dysfunction due to weak governance, rampant corruption, malfeasance and heightened conflict over control of the vast wealth that petroleum generates. It also makes countries extremely vulnerable to declines in the oil price, such as the oil shocks of the 1980s, as their economic dependence on the commodity grows. This leads to a phenomenon known as Dutch Disease, where all other sectors of the economy are ignored due to the tremendous wealth being generated by petroleum.

Extreme political instability is a key result of the oil curse, and this is exemplified by Venezuela, a country considered the epitome of a ruined petrostate, where petroleum is the primary source of fiscal income and the main export. A series of political and economic crises erupted during the 1980s as international oil prices collapsed, which in turn fueled extensive civil unrest that ultimately led to Hugo Chavez winning the presidency and commencing his socialist Bolivarian revolution. As the rule of law decayed and power increasingly became concentrated in Chavezs hands, rampant corruption, as well as malfeasance, flourished. Those events, coupled with weak governance and an over-dependence on revenue generated by petroleum exports, left Venezuela especially vulnerable to weaker oil prices and capital flight.

After Chavez embarked upon nationalizing Venezuelas oil industry by seizing assets from foreign energy majors, including Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Chevron, there was a massive flight of capital from the countrys economically vital hydrocarbon sector. This caused oil investment to sharply decline, which weighed heavily on production and petroleum exports. When oil prices collapsed in late-2014, with the international Brent price plummeting from over $100 per barrel to less than $30 by early January 2016, Venezuela spiraled into a political and economic crisis.

The deepening economic catastrophe caused Caracas revenue to plunge, leaving national oil company PDVSA incapable of undertaking crucial maintenance and refits of vital petroleum infrastructure. As critical oil infrastructure fell into decay and exploration as well as development activities lapsed, oil production plummeted ever lower, compounding the fallout from weaker oil prices for a petroleum-dependent Caracas.

The impact of these events was magnified by ever-tighter U.S. sanctions, which by early 2019 had cut Venezuela off from global energy markets, exacerbating the massive economic and humanitarian catastrophe that has been unfolding since 2015. The situation is so severe that despite a slight improvement in conditions, Venezuelas vast oil reserves of around 303 billion barrels could become the worlds largest stranded asset.

There are considerable fears that Guyana is facing a similar future. A long history of weak government institutions and poor governance means that corruption is rife in the former British colony. Global corruption watchdog Transparency International ranks Guyana 85th out of the 180 countries globally that it evaluated in 2022. The lower the ranking, the higher the perceived degree of corruption. While the administration of President Irfaan Ali, who took office in August 2020, is focused on improving governance and significantly reducing corruption, there are fears that the massive financial windfall delivered by oil will derail those reforms.

The revenue petroleum exports are generating for Guyana is substantial. According to the Bank of Guyana, the countrys central bank, the oil industry generated $439 million in revenue for Georgetown during the second quarter of 2023. This was comprised of $11 million earned from industry royalties and $428 million generated by oil profits. Since oil production began in Guyana in 2019 until the end of the second quarter of 2023, the former British colony earned nearly $2.7 billion from 29 oil lifts comprised of $331 million from royalties and $2.3 billion from profit oil.

As a result of that vast offshore petroleum wealth, Guyanas gross domestic product between 2019 and 2022 grew nearly threefold to $14.5 billion. That sees the former British colony now ranked as the fastest growing economy in the world, with IMF data showing Guyanas GDP expanded by an eye-popping 62% during 2022. If Chinas Macao Special Administrative Region is excluded, Guyana will top the list again for 2023, with the IMF estimating the tiny South American countrys economy will grow by 37%.

Georgetown is resolutely focused on rapidly expanding the former British colonys oil industry, including exploration drilling as well as petroleum production and exports, with Guyana expected to be pumping 1.2 million barrels per day by 2027. While this will amplify the tremendous economic windfall being received by Guyana, it will make the tiny South American country of less than one million financially and economically dependent upon petroleum. This magnifies the risks of Guyans economy being roiled by a sharp decline in oil prices while bolstering the potential for conflict over control of the vast petroleum profits and corruption to multiply significantly.

A key part of Georgetowns oil industry reforms is updating Guyanas production sharing agreement. This is being performed by the Ministry of Natural Resources with a focus on boosting the states cut from oil production and eliminating many of the overly favorable terms awarded to Exxon for the Stabroek Block. Essentially, the new PSA will retain the existing 50:50 profit share, implement a 10% royalty regime compared to the 2% secured by Exxon, reduce the cap for cost recovery oil to 65% in contrast to 75% for the Stabroek Block and introduce a 10% petroleum tax. To ensure the new PSA is ready to be implemented when new oil blocks are awarded, Georgetown postponed its first offshore auction of 14 blocks until August 2023. Those amendments, while boosting Guyanas share of revenue, still leave the country as a profitable jurisdiction that is competitive when compared to its South American neighbors. When considered in conjunction with the light sweet oil discovered in Guyana, which has a relatively low carbon footprint to extract, foreign energy majors will continue to flock to the former British colony.

While there is considerable good news surrounding Guyanas offshore petroleum potential, including CGX Energy and Frontera making two promising discoveries in the Corentyne Block, there have also been some unfavorable developments. Tullow Oil which was roiled by a series of poor drilling results in offshore Guyana, has agreed to sell its Orinduik license to Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas for $700,000. Spanish oil major Repsol is also struggling to hit oil in Guyanas territorial waters. The driller has yet to make a commercial discovery in the Kanuku Block and, at the start of 2023, was reputedly considering embarking on a large-scale field survey.

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By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

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Americas economic siege of Iran has been costly for Tehrans neighbors, and now it is Pakistans turn to pick up the tab.

On 7 August, Pakistan announced it was suspending its natural gas pipeline project in Iran under threat of U.S. sanctions, and issued a Force Majeure and Excusing Event notice to Iran under the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) and suggested the matter be settled by arbitration. In response, Iran rejected Pakistans force majeure notice and granted a ten-year extension instead, and both sides got to work on a way forward.

On 9 August, The Intercept reported U.S. State Department officials told Pakistans ambassador to Washington that if Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed by a no-confidence vote all will be forgiven in Washington. The stated reason for the Americans agita was Khans neutrality on the Russia-NATO war in Ukraine, but his opposition to U.S. military bases in Pakistan and closeness to China (actually, a longstanding policy of Pakistan) may have been considerations. And, according to John Menadue, Khan refused offers of large amounts of money, also linked to U.S. support for an IMF loan, for Pakistan to send ground forces to support the Saudi air campaign against Yemen.

It was a bad week for Pakistans leaders who looked like U.S. pawns who obeyed Washingtons orders to stage a peaceful coup, but had no leverage to make Washington go along with the natural gas pipeline that Pakistan desperately needs.

The Iran-Pakistan natural gas pipeline was already behind schedule (Iran has completed its leg of the pipeline) and Pakistan was facing an $18 Billion dollar penalty at the time the Americans stopped play. The project was conceived in 1950 and in 2010, despite U.S. opposition, the countries reached an agreement on a 25-year GSPA and the construction of the 2,775 km pipeline that would send gas from Asaluyeh, Iran to Multan, Pakistan. The initial cost was estimated at $7.5 billion. Related: Standard Chartered: All-Time-High Demand Will Push Oil To $100

Pakistan needs the gas as it is plagued by persistent power shortages that lead to 18-hour blackouts in rural areas and 6-10 hour load shedding in cities. Businesses that must cope with production halts due to brownouts, and those that are able buy back-up power generators.

Pakistan has made investments in power generation and distribution but in January 2023 the country suffered a breakdown in the national grid. Another blackout happened in October 2022.

An unreliable supply of electricity is, according to the World Bank, a significant barrier to economic growth. One recent study found that business profitability in developing countries may be reduced up to almost 40% by power crises, and the U.S. Institute of Peace reports of Pakistan, the shortages impose large costs on the economy as a whole - estimated at

about 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) annually - through lower output, exports, and employment.

Not quantified are the health effects from stress and uncertainty, interrupted sleep, and the effects of interruptions on hospitals and water and sewage treatment facilities.

With the pipeline on hold, one alternative is the Central Asia-South Asia power project (CASA-1000), a $1.16 billion project for the export of surplus hydroelectricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where it will supply energy equivalent to the needs of 2 million households. The U.S. Agency for International Developments expects a commercial start in 2024, but that may slip if Afghanistans Taliban government cant manage the tower construction process in a satisfactory manner. And will it be possible to expand the project if Pakistan wont have access to Iranian gas for power generation?

Another potential energy source is the TurkmenistanAfghanistanPakistanIndia (TAPI) natural gas pipeline, an 1100-mile, $10 billion, project to ship 33 billion cubic meters of gas per year has seen numerous delays since the pipeline consortium was announced in late 2014. Construction started in early 2018 with a projected in-service date of 2021, but halted later that year after workers clearing the route were killed by unknown assailants. Also, the projects $10 billion cost estimate is a decade old, and an update may cause further delay to the Asian Development Bank-funded effort. Turkmenistan will loan Afghanistan the funds for its share of the project, to be repaid from gas transit revenues.

Representatives of the government of Turkmenistan met Taliban officials in Afghanistan in October 2021, and the Taliban announced it will dedicate 30,000 troops to pipeline security. But in June 2023 the United Nations (UN) reported of conflict between Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is also leader of the Haqqani Network, and First Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar. Per the UN: Haqqani is reportedly seeking to take under his control  the construction of the Afghan section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. If true, intramural competition among Taliban personalities may delay Turkmenistans desire to start TAPI and be less reliant on China, its primary gas customer, and worsen Pakistans energy deficit.

Despite the Taliban brawling, or maybe because of it, officials from Pakistan and Turkmenistan met in Islamabad in June and signed a Joint Implementation Plan committing both sides to speeding up implementation of TAPI.

Despite his arrest and imprisonment, Imran Khan is the probably most popular politician in Pakistan. And he has the support of many young people who feel Hes fighting for our future and want to live in a normal country, not an appendage of the military.

The revelation of the U.S. hand in Khans downfall at the time the failure of the pipeline project was disclosed will be a challenge to the military, security services, and the political establishment if they are seen as unable to get something of benefit from the U.S., while eagerly following Washingtons orders - what is known in the Philippines as an Amboy.

The generals probably know their usefulness to the Americans is wasting now that they arent needed to guard NATO supply routes to Afghanistan (or pretend they are doing something about the Taliban) so they will strive to preserve the relationship and the rent it provides. One way they are doing the needful is by continuing to supply ammunition to Ukraine.

Military-controlled businesses probably lost participation in building the pipeline but may be able to skim from the proceeds of increased liquified natural gas (LNG) imports, which will increase in the short term though Pakistan may have to pay a higher spot rate. The loss of Iranian natural gas may benefit the U.S. as it will try to create a dependency in Pakistan for American LNG, much as it did to Europe after the sabotage of Nord Stream, and the canceling of the EastMed pipeline, because of Washingtons objections on environmental grounds.

Pakistan may eventually move away from gas and quadruple domestic coal-fired power, but this will make its already-bad air quality even worse. If Pakistan decides to adopt substantiable and green electricity generation, that will open the door for China, the worlds leader in renewable power and supplier of solar panels (though they are made in Xinjiang, a target of U.S. sanctions.)

As they say, It seemed like a good idea at the time.

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Removing the irksome Imran Khan probably seemed clever to the Beltway Bismarcks, but it put Washington on the side of Khans persecutors and did not bring about a material improvement in Pakistans political culture.

The Americans have already disrupted the region with their failed nation-building effort in Afghanistan, topped by the disastrous (and live-streamed) retreat from Kabul in August 2021. But kneecapping a needed natural gas pipeline was gratuitous and demonstrated Washingtons heedless pursuit of revenge for the 1979 humiliation in Tehran, regardless of the cost to others. U.S. actions will likely reanimate anti-Americanism - never far beneath the surface  limiting the efforts of the Sharif government or the military to move closer to the U.S., which will be a waste of time as Pakistans public may soon regard America as a bigger threat than India.

The winner in all this is China, Pakistans all weather friend. Chinas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, will probably dispense with the I told you so and start talking up win-win solutions as he steers Pakistan even more in Chinas corner.

Chinas big investments in Pakistan, its lifeline energy purchases from Iran, its patience and realism in Afghanistan, and increasing ties in Central Asia, where it has proposed a China-Central Asia (C+C5) cooperation mechanism and entered into Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships with the five republics, show it is gaining influence in countries with natural resource wealth that occupy strategic locations key to trade to and from Eurasia.

Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan are long-term prospects, but the Central Asian republics want to improve ties with America today. But Washington must pursue policies that dont damage their economies while expecting them to pay the price of U.S. policy choices that wont be felt by Americans. Otherwise, U.S. policies will be a labor-saving device for Russian and Chinese diplomats who will make gains simply by being not America.

By James Durso for Oilprice.com

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Patients who take blockbuster drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss may face life-threatening complications if they need surgery or other procedures that require empty stomachs for anesthesia. This summer's guidance to halt the medication for up to a week may not go far enough, either.

Some anesthesiologists in the U.S. and Canada say they've seen growing numbers of patients on the weight-loss drugs who inhaled food and liquid into their lungs while sedated because their stomachs were still full  even after following standard instructions to stop eating for six to eight hours in advance.

The drugs can slow digestion so much that it puts patients at increased risk for the problem, called pulmonary aspiration, which can cause dangerous lung damage, infections and even death, said Dr. Ion Hobai, an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

"This is such a serious sort of potential complication that everybody who takes this drug should know about it," said Hobai, who was among the first to flag the issue.

Nearly 6 million prescriptions for the class of drugs that include Wegovy and Ozempic were written between January and May in the U.S. for people who don't have diabetes, according to Komodo Health, a health care technology company. The drugs induce weight loss by mimicking the actions of hormones, found primarily in the gut, that kick in after people eat. They also target signals between the gut and the brain that control appetite and feelings of fullness, and by slowing how fast the stomach empties.

In June, the American Society of Anesthesiologists issued guidance advising patients to skip daily weight-loss medications on the day of surgery and hold off on weekly injections for a week before any sedation procedures. Dr. Michael Champeau, the group's president, said the action was based on anecdotal reports of problems  including aspiration  from around the country.

It's not clear how many patients taking the anti-obesity drugs may be affected by the issue. But because the consequences can be so dire, Hobai and a group of colleagues decided to speak out. Writing in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, they called for the drug to be stopped for even longer  about three weeks before sedation.

That accounts for how long semaglutide, the active medication in Wegovy, remains in the body, said Dr. Philip Jones, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist who is also deputy editor-in-chief of the journal.

"When 90% of it is gone, which is after three weeks, hopefully everything should go back to normal," Jones said.

Champeau and Jones both acknowledged there's not enough evidence to say for certain how long semaglutide should be held to make anesthesia safe. Many patients won't see providers far enough in advance to stop the drug three weeks before procedures, Champeau noted.

Aspiration occurs in one of every 2,000 to 3,000 operations that require sedation, and almost half of patients who aspirate during surgery develop a related lung injury. But case reports show recent patients on semaglutide had problems even when they stopped food as long as 20 hours before their procedures.

"There's nothing that says if you fast twice as long, it will be OK," Champeau said.

Among the several reports detailing potentially serious problems was one of Hobai's patients, a 42-year-old man in Boston who recently began taking Wegovy, had to be intubated and suffered respiratory failure that put him in intensive care. He aspirated food that remained in his stomach despite fasting for 18 hours.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a 31-year-old-woman on a low dose of Ozempic had fasted for 10 hours before a routine endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery last fall. The procedure had to be stopped because solid food remained in her stomach and she was at high risk for aspiration, the report said.

Since then, doctors have seen dozens of similar cases as use of the weight-loss medication has grown, said Dr. Elisa Lund, an anesthesiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. "It has exponentially increased," she said.

Hobai is completing a retrospective study of almost 200 patients taking semaglutide. While it'll be published later this year, the work so far appears to confirm a small study from Brazil, he said. In that study, about a quarter of patients taking semaglutide had residual food in their stomachs during procedures requiring sedation  even after stopping the drug for 10 days.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists advises doctors who are in doubt to treat patients who haven't paused the drug as if they have full stomachs, which can mean using different types of sedation protocols or delaying procedures, if possible. Jones added that research is urgently needed to update guidelines for doctors and patients.

Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs, said the firm's clinical trial and post-marketing safety data did not show that the medications led to aspiration. But the drugmaker noted that the medications are known to cause delayed emptying of the stomach and that the labels warn of possible gastrointestinal side effects.

Stopping the medications for three weeks can cause problems, too. Patients with diabetes will need another way to control their blood sugar and those seeking to lose weight may regain some, Hobai said.

Hobai suggests that people using Wegovy and similar drugs tell their doctors before sedation and discuss the risks and benefits.

"If you're taking this drug and you need an operation, you will need to have some extra precautions," he said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

___

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Eva Kareneva was preparing to fly back for her senior year at Creighton University from her Maui hometown of Lahaina when the wildfires broke out earlier this month.

Her childhood home was spared, Kareneva said, but her family lost electricity and her diabetic grandmother was unable to refrigerate her insulin for nearly a week. And Kareneva bore firsthand witness to the destruction elsewhere.

The fires have killed at least 111 people, mainly around Lahaina. More than 3,000 buildings in town were damaged by fire, smoke or both.

Just like the island and state itself, just seeing (Lahaina) leveled, its hard to put words to that, Kareneva said. It looked as though a bomb had fallen on it. It was horrifying.

Kareneva is now in Omaha, but her heart remains back in Hawaii. Like the other 300 or so Creighton students from Hawaii, she has to navigate patchwork communication systems in order to remain in touch with family and friends.

Lindsey Kimoto, a senior from Wailuku on Maui, is president of the Creighton student club Hui O Hawaii. She said the Hawaiian students are greatly affected by whats going on back home  every missing person, every death.

Its impacted everyone, she said. Were all so intertwined. We all know each other. Weve all lost someone.

The Hui O Hawaii club is hosting a drive this weekend for money and supplies to send home.

The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Creightons Lied Center parking lot at 23rd and Cass Streets on Saturday and Sunday.

We want to help out in any way we can, Kimoto said.

People can donate money or items including toiletries, clothing, towels, feminine hygiene products as well as other stuff.

They need immediate help. The best way to do that is through monetary donations, Kimoto said.

Those who wish to donate money virtually can do through the Venmo mobile app to the clubs handle @CUHOHkokuamaui.

Even though the club just organized the fundraiser earlier this week, Kimoto said the support so far has been pleasantly surprising.

The word has spread at an amazing speed, she said. Within our Creighton community and within our Omaha community, so many people are reaching out and making sure were supported. Even people in the grocery stores that see us buying these things are asking about it.

Its likely the Hui O Hawaii club will hold future donation drives.

We dont want us (Maui) to become forgotten, Kareneva said. Were very much still in a state of crisis. And we will be for weeks, months and years to come.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.

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.
Felius Cat Cafe and Rescue is moving to a new location where it can help more animals and be more accessible to the public.

Its new home will be at 5015 Dodge St., with the new site tentatively scheduled to open in early 2024. The cafe has been located at 522 S. 24th St. for the past five years.

President Bre Phelan said play space, where visitors mix with cats available for adoption, will grow from 250 to 1,500 square feet. There also will be room for offices, kennels and a free supply pantry in the lower level of the three-story building.

There will be other tenants in the building, including a coffee cafe.

Phelan said the move will allow Felius to hyper focus on saving cats in the community, which it already has been doing successfully for several years.

We just hit our 1,000th adoption earlier this month, Phelan said. Were super excited about that milestone. Weve helped over 700 cats in our trap-neuter-release program, preventing more than 700,000 kittens from being born over seven years.

The move is the next stage for Felius, she said.

The larger play space will allow the organization to host and educate larger groups, from seniors to youngsters, about cats and their needs. A private space will be available for parties and company outings.

The more central location will mean that people from downtown can reach the cafe as easily as those farther west.

Well be more visible in the community, Phelan said. With our new location, our hope is that well be more of a centerpiece on why TNR is so important and getting the community involved with trapping and transporting and getting more vets on board to help with those surgeries.

The kennels, she said, will provide a triage area for cats that have been injured or are ill or have no place else to go. Handling those types of requests has been very challenging for animal rescue groups in Omaha, Phelan said. Foster homes are full.

With contributions from the public, Felius hopes to provide free supplies for those in need at its pantry, especially the many people who are financially burdened by feeding the large feral cat population in Omaha.

Since the low-cost spay and neuter clinic at Nebraska Humane Society was closed, Phelan said kitten season no longer just occurs in the spring. Its become a more year-round problem.

Without that resource, rescue organizations have been scrambling to find vets that will spay and neuter TNR cats. But many of them wont take on the liability of handling feral cats, understandably so, Phelan said. Its really left small rescue organizations with the task of coming up with new programs to help stem the number of community cats on the street in a humane way.

In the past, she said, the Humane Society not only helped control the feral cat population through the clinic, but it was also a place for rescue organizations to turn to when they were full.

Because the NHS is also often filled to capacity itself and has had to turn away animals, that is no longer the case.

I understand the Humane Society does a lot of amazing work in our community; its just that it had to cut back on what had previously been a safety net, Phelan said.

Phelan said contributions from the public will fund the move, which she estimates will cost Felius about $365,000. The group has raised $50,000.

It is looking for sponsors and individual donations. Go to felius.org.

Every little bit helps, she said. Felius is a completely unique community space within our state that brings together individuals in a way that they can connect with rescue cats and really form a group of volunteers to mobilize on the feral cat problem.

Photos: Felius Cat Cafe moving to larger location
Friday, Aug. 18

YMCA, Bloomington

YMCA celebrated one year in their new building with a donor reception that showed off the new facilitys many great event spaces. Catered by Rob Dobs, guests enjoyed delicious food and drink, music by 4 on The Flow and the chance to celebrate the positive impact that the YMCA has had on our community.
BLOOMINGTON  A Bloomington man has been convicted on eight sex offenses involving an underage victim.

John A. Gillin, 39, was initially charged in April 2021 as part of a long-term investigation by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and Bloomington Police Department. He was charged with nine counts of criminal sexual assault of a minor between 13 and 17 years old.

The child told authorities the abuse occurred multiple times over two years. Police were able to collect physical evidence of the crime, according to a prepared statement from States Attorney Erika Reynolds.

A McLean County jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting Gillin on eight counts.

Without the hard work of the Bloomington Police Department, specifically lead detective John Heinlen, and Assistant States Attorney Mary Lawson along with the bravery of the minor victim, this verdict would not have been possible, Reynolds said. Let this serve as a reminder that local law enforcement and the States Attorneys Office is committed to doing whatever is necessary to hold those who exploit children accountable.

Gillins bond was revoked and he was remanded to the custody of the McLean County Sheriffs Office.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2. Gillin faces 32 to 120 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones Brittany N. Greiner
BLOOMINGTON  A 62-year-old Bloomington man is facing charges connected to a shooting that left another man wounded earlier this month, police said.

Stanley E. Scott was arrested on a warrant Friday in the 100 block of Northfield Drive in Normal, according to a statement from the Bloomington Police Department. He is accused in a shooting that took place in the early hours of Aug. 7 in the 500 block of West Grove Street.

Officers responding to a report of gunfire found the victim with a gunshot wound and provided emergency medical care until paramedics arrived, police said. Other details about the incident have not been released.

Police said Scott was arrested on arrest warrants for a number of charges that included armed robbery with discharge of a firearm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice by the destruction of evidence and several drug-related charges.

The Bloomington Police Department said its Street Crimes Unit, SWAT Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit and K9 Unit, along with the Illinois State Police Task Force Six, were all involved in apprehending Scott.

In a statement, Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington pledged to continue using "all the resources and technology at our disposal" to address violence in the community.

"This was a great example of the work BPD does, from the initial responding officers to the teams responsible for safely taking the suspect into custody," he said. "I am thankful for the deliberate work of our detectives to bring someone to justice."

The US surpasses 160 mass shootings in 2023. Here's every event mapped The US surpasses 100 mass shootings in 2023here's every event mapped Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space Mass shootings have happened in gun-friendly statesand some stricter ones Mass shootings take place in nearly every type of public and private space
BLOOMINGTON  Authorities are looking for an Urbana man who failed to appear this week for his McLean County jury trial, during which he was convicted on a felony weapon charge.

Warren Montgomery, 25, was initially charged in May 2021 with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and one count each of obstructing and resisting a peace officer. He also faced several traffic offenses.

Prosecutors at the time said Bloomington police saw several cars recklessly drive through a parking lot in the 700 block of North East Street, Bloomington, as they left a party. A driver later identified as Montgomery was seen fleeing the area at an estimated 100 mph.

He then drove through a red traffic light and crashed into a Connect Transit bus.

Authorities said a witness saw him run away from the crash and go between two nearby buildings before returning to the car. A loaded pistol was located between the two buildings, prosecutors said.

A McLean County jury returned a guilty verdict, convicting Montgomery of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, obstructing an officer, obstructing justice, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license.

Montgomery failed to appear Monday, Aug. 14, for his trial, at which time his bond was revoked. The trial proceeded in his absence.

As of Friday afternoon, he was still at-large.

In a prepared statement, State's Attorney Erika Reynolds said: "Because of the hard work of the entire Bloomington Police Department along with the lead prosecutor Assistant State's Attorney Kirk Schoenbein, an illegal firearm was removed off the streets and justice was reached."

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16. He faces three to 14 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Updated mug shots from The Pantagraph Bryant Lewis Derek Roesch Justin M. Mata Marcus D. Wesley Phillip Tinch Trisha L. Hanke William B. Givens David L. Oliver Kenneth E. Funk Jordan R. King Holly M. Isaacson Kenneth L. Minton Tony L. Jackson Britley L. Hilger Jasmine L. Smith Jackie S. Claypool Noah R. Demuth Brandon L. Parsano Alexander N. Williams Carlos Sanchez-Solozarzano Jaylin S. Bones Jordan R. King Dominique M. Banks Austin T. Daugherty Sandra M. Lewis Samantha E. Morris Nolan C. Love Nikkita L. Sandefur Katlin M.B. Wilson Eli C. Garozzo Tysean T. Townsend Curtis J. Byrd Noral K. Nelson Charles J. Tankson Davis, Micah S Livingston, Joshua D. Kevin L. Ewen Emmanuel K. Mpay Ahmad S. Manns Dylan R Mann Tony L. Jackson William R. Linden Zadek U. Moen Zachary T. Willis Cecily M. Sexton Tonisha A. Jackson James A. McConnaughay Jessica M. Longberry Barry D. Guyton Keon E. Spiller Melina Aguilar Carlos D. Cregan Wayne M. Damron Terrance L. Ford Stanley M. Miller Darryl R. Vinson Jarvis K. Heads Wesley M. Noonan Brad Carter Brian K. Burnett Kenneth D. Downey Kenyon J. Bones Brittany N. Greiner
BLOOMINGTON  The Bloomington-Normal area will receive almost $3 million in Rebuild Illinois capital funds to improve water and sewer systems and roadways.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced Thursday the recipients of the Megasites Investment Program, which is funded through Rebuild Illinois capital funds.

The program will leverage $23 million in grants to generate $144 million total investments across nine projects throughout Illinois, according to a news release from the department.

Major job creators are always looking for investment-ready sites they can get up-and-running in a short amount of time  and we are proud to boast some of the largest such sites in the nation, Pritzker said in the release.

The governor said he "couldn't be happier" to announce the selected projects that he expects to bring "business investment and economic opportunity to every corner of our state, from Chicago and Hennepin to Bloomington-Normal and Carrier Mills.

Megasites are large, developed sites ready for occupancy for manufacturers, distribution centers, industrial centers and more. Investing in megasites develops underutilized areas and former industrial sites, while making the state more competitive for large-scale industrial projects, according to Department Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The State is having a record-setting year for economic development and investing in megasites will help Illinois gain even more momentum for investment, said Kristin Richards, director of the department. The thousands of acres of megasites across Illinois will encourage businesses to pursue investment-ready sites, spurring economic development throughout the state.

Program recipients were selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity that was open to private entities, non-profits and local governments. Grants ranged from $1.25 to $5 million.

The town of Normal was selected to receive $1.395 million for water and roadway improvements on the 279-acre Interchange City West development site on the northwest side of town. The Bloomington Normal Airport Authority was awarded $1.25 million to be used for infrastructure work on a vacant site targeted for future development.

Child Influencers Illinois Sen. David Koehler, D-Peoria, speaks during a Senate Executive Committee hearing at the Illinois Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 5

We are very excited for this opportunity to partner with DCEO to supercharge the competitive position of our site for the benefit of Illinois and our community, said Bloomington Normal Airport Authority Chair Alan Sender. Securing this critical funding, which will lead to new jobs capable of supporting 21st century manufacturing in our community, was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Bloomington Normal Airport Authority, the City of Bloomington and the Bloomington-Normal Economic Development Council.

Other grant recipients include:

$5 million for America's Central Port District in Granite City;

$1.4 million for Green Door Capital in Yorkville;

$3.4 million for International Union of Operating Engineers in Wilmington;

$2.5 million for JJK 343 in DeKalb;

$2.2 million for Landmark Chicago Interest in Chicago;

$4.55 million for Marquis in Hennepin;

$1.3 million for Rock Creek in Carrier Mills.

Investing in megasites such as the Bloomington Normal Airport Authority and Interchange City West is critical to encouraging businesses to locate or expand in Illinois, said Sen. David Koeler, D-Peoria. Thanks to the State's unprecedented capital investments, companies will have a hard time shying away from Illinois' investment-ready megasites.

Photos: 27th annual Glorious Garden Festival takes root in Bloomington-Normal Tending succulents Tropical Flowers Cactus Succulent Shed Climbing Onion 2023 Dan Anderson 1 GLORIOUS GARDENS 071523-blm-loc-gardenfest4 Video: Children's librarian Alex Bell talks about StoryWalk
CHICAGO  They waited for more than five hours. Just days before her son, Ronald, started third grade in Chicago Public Schools, Maria Alejandra Larez was on a quest to get him gym shoes and a pair of jeans for his first day of school Monday.

They lined up next to nearly 100 asylum-seekers outside a church in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood to enter a back-to-school donation center that parishioners had set up for migrants. The 9-year-old got a backpack and some school supplies, but he couldnt find shoes.

The two arrived in Chicago from Venezuela, seeking asylum, earlier this month after a monthslong journey, and even though he is nervous, starting school finally gives us some peace, Larez said in Spanish.

After all the turmoil they have experienced, she hopes teachers can provide a safe space for Ronald, not only to learn a new language, but to cope with the traumas they have experienced, leaving behind everything they knew and facing an uncertain future in a temporary shelter.

Mi hijo esta nervioso, pero ansioso de comenzar clase, Larez said. Her son is nervous to start school, but eager to begin.

As Chicago Public Schools begins the 2023-24 school year Monday, the district has been preparing to accommodate new English learner students  the category for most migrant children  with about 1,000 of them enrolling through the summer. And officials said they anticipate about 1,000 more will enroll this year from the families who are living in temporary shelters and police stations, where asylum-seekers stay as they await housing.

CPS said it increased funding for bilingual instruction by $15 million in its 2023-24 budget, including $8 million in additional funding for enrollment adjustments at schools that received new English learners after school began in 2022. The money is for additional staff members at those schools, and the district will be monitoring enrollment trends this year and allocating resources accordingly, a spokesperson said.

Last year, about 290 schools established bilingual advisory councils, and CPS had nearly 3,000 teachers with a bilingual endorsement, an increase of 900 iover the prior five years.

CPS also increased funding to support students social and emotional health by $35 million in its current budget. The district said it added 123 school counselors, primarily in elementary schools, over the last two years, and also said each school has a behavioral health team, which may include a nurse, psychologist, counselor or social worker.

Despite additional resources for newcomers, many argue there should be a greater emphasis on addressing the childrens mental health as migrant children have faced unique traumas through their journey while also living in temporary shelters.

Though attending school is a gateway for migrant families and their children to access therapists and counseling, experts worry that teachers may not be equipped to respond to the childrens needs, and they call for a trauma-informed approach to services.

The sudden addition of asylum-seekers who enrolled at Haugan Elementary in Albany Park over the past year required a lot of pivoting and collaboration from teachers, staff members, community partners and parents, said Principal Heather Yutzy.

Nearly 100 children, mostly from Ecuador and Venezuela, enrolled in the school from November to June. Over the summer, Yutzy said, about 50 more migrants, some living in nearby police stations and a church, have also joined the school.

Beyond mobilizing to accommodate the childrens academic needs, the school community also held clothing and food drives for the families. For Yutzy, it was evident that parents were also desperately seeking mental and medical help for their children, she said.

The mothers are saying, My child is traumatized. I need help, Yutzy said. Many of the younger children have separation anxiety and cry at school because theyre worried they wont ever see their parents again, she said.

Leaders at Haugan organized sessions for parents with school counselors and social workers so parents could discuss their childs psychological health and get referrals to community agencies and partners, including a team of Spanish-speaking psychologists from the University of Illinois Chicago who have been a key part of the schools response.

But theres a limit to what you can do at a school to offer that trauma therapy, Yutzy said.

Still, teachers at Haugan have come up with strategic ways to help the children cope. Some helped the younger students make family books with pictures of their parents and reassured them that Mom would return to pick them up at the end of the day.

I held kids in my lap while they cried, Yutzy said.

The children who made the dangerous and tumultuous journeys from Central American countries to the United States with their parents are the most innocent victims, said Elisa Lopez, an emergency responder for mental health at Rincon Family Services Welcoming Center.

For Larez and Ronald, its their faith that has allowed them to cope with the desperation of being stuck in a hotel room with three other migrant families as they all wait to find housing and employment.

I tell him to be patient, that this wont be our forever, Larez said. I tell him to pray, to have faith.

Throughout their journey, she said, they saw terrible things, unimaginable  people dying, robberies, abuse and sexual assault. They experienced cold and hunger, having to sleep in the streets, she said. Its a lot for a child, she said.

Ronald sometimes cant sleep at night, his mother said. There are days where he goes to sleep hungry because the food at the shelter is not enough. Then he starts feeling anxious, wanting to play outside, like a normal kid, she said. But he cant because theres no safe space for him to play.

In Venezuela, he was a good student, she recalled. His favorite subject was reading. Despite the fear of judgment, the boy has also learned to be resilient, she said. He cant wait to go to school to learn English, Larez said.

During a recent visit to a city-run shelter, Aimee Hilado, a professor, clinician and an expert on immigrant trauma at the University of Chicagos Crown Family School of Social Work, said she noticed the high level of stress and anxiety in which children live, but which many wont express.

They internalize the trauma that could get in the way of building peer relationships and preventing school readiness, Hilado said.

Hilado has led multiple trauma-informed training sessions, funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, with shelter and hotel staff members, mutual aid volunteers and other community-based organizations working directly with migrants.

Hilado has encouraged eliminating the stigma and criminalization behind their status as immigrants in the country without legal permission  and creating safe spaces. Most shelters, she said, dont have a playroom or space where children can safely congregate.

We have thousands of kids that are entering public schools, and we just need a sensitivity that there is an emotional wellness need that is there that needs to be addressed before we even think about academics, Hilado said.

Many of the children that will begin classes Monday are living in temporary spaces, and it doesnt feel like home, Hilado said.

Asylum-seeker children face a set of traumas that put them at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Amy Hill, manager of Heartland Alliances Kovler Child Trauma Program, which is dedicated to providing mental health treatment and services to immigrant and refugee youths who have experienced trauma in their home country, during the migration journey or as part of the resettlement process.

Hill said that it is imperative that all teachers, or those who are working with migrant children, seek trauma-informed training to ensure they are responding appropriately and not triggering the children.

But the school needs to have an understanding of the way in which trauma might be showing up for these children, how that may be impacting their ability to feel safe in the school, their ability to make friends or their ability to focus on their academic success, Hill said.

Potential long-term effects of the trauma include feeling unsafe and unable to trust, depression, anxiety and physical health issues.

Children ... dont understand political issues, economic problems, kidnapping or other violent crimes in their countries, Lopez said.

My biggest worry is that Im unsure if staff at the schools these kids will be attending are ready to assist these children psychologically and from an empathetic perspective, she said.

Yutzy plans to hire a retired therapist from Colombia to help the new students at her school, she said.

At Von Linne Elementary in Avondale, an estimated 60 children living in a nearby temporary shelter are enrolled, but Principal Gabriel Parra-Carl is expecting an increase for the coming school year.

Though he has only one counselor and one social worker for the entire school, last year he used additional funding to provide professional development for his existing teachers. Many added a lesson about the journey of asylum-seekers as part of their curriculum to build understanding of the humanitarian crisis and empathy among the student body toward their new classmates.

I had the opportunity to talk to the families about the details of their trajectory here, Parra-Carl said. The stories have been horrible, but what Ive noticed is that outside of the trauma that is very real, is that the kids are thirsty for normalcy.

Parra-Carl, a native of Venezuela, arrived in Chicago with his family when he was a child. He understands, he said, why these families are fleeing the authoritarian regime in that country.

Even if schools dont necessarily address the mental health needs of the children, attending schools is the most effective way for children to get a sense of normalcy and stability back into their lives, said Hilado, who has been working with refugees and asylum-seeker children for a decade.

Routine and a sense of normalcy is critical for the migrant children to cope with the trauma and school provides that, she said. Even if theyre still navigating new language, theres something about being with children their age that could be critically helpful, healing and soothing after so much chaos.

At Haugan, trying to meet both the academic and the emotional needs of their new students has been and will likely continue to be a challenge, Yutzy said. But she praised her teachers and staff for their work to ensure that the migrant children and their families feel welcomed.

Since the students began to arrive in November, she has added three bilingual classrooms and a resource teacher. Thanks to a budget bump, she also hired five retired bilingual teachers who worked part time to tutor and help children recover academically. Most migrant children have missed months, if not years, of schooling, she said.

Those retired bilingual teachers have been miraculous for us, she said.

Karime Asaf, the chief of language and cultural education, said CPS is partnering with the Chicago Teachers Union to find volunteers to ensure that migrant children across the city get help enrolling in the school nearest to them. She said the district is working to equip all schools with the resources necessary for intake, but there is a focus on trying to place students in schools that have a bilingual system, programs and curriculum already in place.

At the citys welcome center, which opened in July at Roberto Clemente Community Academy in West Town, CPS staffers have been assessing each childs language, academic and social emotional needs, in addition to enrolling them in school and connecting each family to medical care and social services, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said at a Chicago Board of Education meeting in July.

Services at the welcome center are limited to families in West Town or Humboldt Park or those whove received a referral from a city agency or community organization, Martinez said. But any CPS student at any school can receive the same services, he said.

Our hope is that by centralizing the supports within the welcome center model, we can improve the efficiency and learn how to better serve our new arrival families around the city, Martinez said. If it proves successful, and theres an ongoing need, we will consider expanding the model to other parts of the city.

However, according to Chicago Teachers Union member Rebecca Amaya, who has volunteered with families staying at the 9th District police station, trips to Clemente pose a challenge to migrant families who face multifold issues.

Parents and children I have been in contact with have expressed the need for widespread mental health services, bilingual services, orientation and guidance for parents. Mobile units that meet families where theyre at will be necessary to meeting their needs moving forward, Amaya told the Board of Education in July.

There are other barriers to providing migrant students a quality education. We dont have enough capacity to provide ESL or native language instruction, including in languages other than Spanish, Walt Disney Magnet School teacher Kathryn Zamarron said at the meeting.

More than 180 home languages are spoken by CPS families, a spokesperson said, and 22% of all students are English learners.

In partnership with the Center for Childhood Resilience at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago and Loyola University Chicago, two staff members each from 20 CPS schools last year participated in intervention training that focuses on meeting the needs of immigrant and refugee youths. CPS said 30 schools this year will be eligible to opt in for the training.

Meanwhile, Ronald Larez will begin third grade at Ogden International School in West Town, hopefully having found a pair of shoes that fit.

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